Canto 3 - Chapter 15: Sanaka and his three brothers pronounce a curse against Jaya and Vijaya ...

Discourse XV

Sanaka and his three brothers pronounce a curse against Jaya and Vijaya

Maitreya resumed : Apprehending trouble to the gods (at the hands of her expected sons), Diti retained (in her womb) for a hundred years the aforesaid seed of Kaśyapa (a lord of created beings), which was powerful enough to put down the enemy's strength. (1)
(The brilliance of that) seed (though cabined in the womb) dimmed the light (of all the luminaries) in the world and the guardians of the various spheres too lost their splendour. They, therefore, complained to Brahmā (the creator of the universe) about the spread of darkness in all directions. (2)

The gods said : You must be knowing, O lord, about this gloom, of which we are very much afraid. We are sure nothing is hidden from You inasmuch as the range of Your knowledge is unaffected by time. (3)
O god of gods, O Maker of the universe, O crest-jewel of the guardians of all spheres, You know the mind of all living beings, big and small. (4)
Hail, hail to You, whose strength is knowledge, and who have assumed this (four-faced) form as well as the quality of Rajas by Your own Māyā (playful nature), Your cause being unknown. (5)
All the worlds are woven into You; nay, the whole of this universe, consisting of both cause and effect, is Your body. Really speaking, however, You are beyond all this. They who contemplate on You, the Creator of all Jivas, with exclusive devotion, having controlled their breath, senses and mind, and whose Yoga (effort at Self-Realization) has ripened cannot meet with discomfiture from any quarter since they have secured Your grace. (6-7)
Governed by Your word (the Vedas), even as oxen are controlled by a rope, all created beings bear offerings to You (by performing their respective duties) subject to Your control. Therefore, hail to You, the Chief Controller of all (even as the vital breath controls all the other organs of the body). (8)
People have failed to perform their duties because of this darkness (which has rendered it impossible for them to distinguish between night and day). Kindly do that which is good to them. And be pleased to regard us, who are in great affliction, with an eye expressing abundant compassion, O infinite Lord ! (9)
Enveloping all the quarters in darkness, the seed of Kaśyapa placed in Diti's womb is developing as fire thrown in a pile of firewood. (10)

Maitreya went on: Lord Brahmā (the self-born), O mighty-armed Vidura, to whom the above prayer was addressed, laughed (at their rank ignorance in praying to him as if he were the Supreme Deity), and replied in sweet words to the great delight of the gods. (11)

Brahmā said : My mind-born sons, Sanaka and his three brothers, who are the eldest of you all, went about the various worlds by air, free from attachment to them. (12)
Once upon a time they went to the realm, called Vaikuṇṭha, of Lord Viṣṇu (of irresistible might), whose mind and body are purely divine (free from the taint of Māyā) in substance—a realm which is adored by (stands at the top of) all other realms. (13)
All the people living there are endowed with a form similar to that of Lord Vaikuṇṭha (Viṣṇu) Himself; and it is attained by those alone who have worshipped Śrī Hari through the disinterested performance of their duty. (14)
There the most ancient Person (Lord Nārāyaṇa), who can be known only through the Upaniṣads and who is righteousness personified, (eternally) dwells, having assumed a form which is made of Sattva unmixed with Rajas (i.e., Sattva which is purely immaterial or divine) and delighting us, His devotees. (15)
In that realm there is an orchard called Naiḥśreyasa, which is beatitude incarnate as it were, and which is resplendent with trees that yield all that is desired and are laden with fruits and flowers in every season. (16)
Seated in aerial cars with their consorts, the Gandharvas (of that realm) sing the stories of their Master (Lord Viṣṇu), that are capable of wiping out the sins of the whole world. Even though their mind is distracted by the fragrance of Mādhavī flowers (spring-flowers) laden with honey and blossoming in water, they (refuse to be led away by it and) censure* the breeze (carrying the fragrance). (17)

When the king of bees hums in a high pitch, singing the story of Śrī Hari as it were, there is a temporary lull in the noise of the pigeon, the cuckoo, the crane, the Cakravāka, the Cātaka, the swan, the parrot, the partridge and the peacock (who are all ears as it were to drink in the bee's song). (18)
Seeing that the Lord adorns His person with wreaths etc., made of the leaves of Tulasi (the basil plant, which is so sacred and dear to Him) and also holds its fragrance in great esteem, the flowers of the Mandāra, Kunda and Kurabaka, the lily, the Campaka, Arṇa (Karavīra), Punnāga, Nāgakesara and Bakula, the lotus and the Pārijāta in that realm, though all fragrant, recognize that Tulasi did greater penance (in her previous existence) than any of them.* (19)
That realm (of Lord Viṣṇu) is crowded with aerial cars made of lapis lazuli, emerald and gold, which are secured there as a result of mere obeisance at the feet of Śrī Hari (and not through Karmayoga, Jñānayoga, Vairāgya or penance etc.). The mind of those who occupy these cars are so full of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Lord Viṣṇu) that their spouses with large hips and smiling faces are unable to stimulate their passion by their mirth and other charms. (20)
Śrī (the Spouse of Lord Viṣṇu and the goddess of fortune), who is possessed of a most lovely form and whose favour is sought after by others (including the greatest gods like Brahmā and so on), lives in the abode of Śrī Hari free from the fault of capriciousness†. Moving about in that palace with the anklets on Her feet making a tinkling sound, and with a lotus-flower held in Her hand as a plaything, She is seen (reflected) in the crystal walls (of that palace), inlaid with gold here and there, as if engaged in dusting the house (although, really speaking, the abode of the Lord is ever free from dust). (21)
While engaged in worshipping the Lord with Tulasi leaves in Her own pleasure-garden in the midst of Her attendants, Śrī (Lakṣmī) happens to see Her face with beautiful tresses and a prominent nose (reflected) in ponds containing limpid waters and provided with stairs of corals, and deems it fortunate in having been kissed by the Lord, O beloved gods. (22)
They can never attain to that Realm, who hear undesirable talks, that pervert Reason, centring round topics other than the exploits of the Lord who shatters the sin of His devotees—talks which, when heard by those unfortunate men rob them of their merit and throw them alas ! into the dark regions of hell, where they find no shelter. (23)
Alas ! they who do not offer worship to the Lord even after attaining human birth, which is solicited even by us (gods) and where one can acquire the knowledge of truth as well as religious merit, are deluded by His Māyā, which is projected everywhere. (24)
On the other hand, they alone attain to that realm—which is located even higher than our abode (the Satyaloka)—who have reached beyond the jurisdiction of Yama (the god of retribution) by virtue of their devotion to Lord Viṣṇu (the foremost of the gods), who are possessed of an enviable character, and whose eyes stream with tears and whose body is thrilled all over when they are beside themselves with love while talking to one another about the glories of their lord. (25)
The sages (Sanaka and his three brothers) felt supremely delighted when they reached by dint of their Yogamāyā (wonderful power of Yoga) the divine and unique realm of Vaikuṇṭha, presided over by Lord Viṣṇu (the Father of the whole universe), which is the sole object of reverence for all the worlds, and shone resplendent with the wonderful aerial cars of the foremost gods. (26)

• Even though everything in that realm is divine in essence and the fragrance of the Mādhavī flowers, which is akin to the fragrance of the Lord's own person, only reminds them of the latter instead of diverting their mind towards anything foreign, the Gandharvas are so deeply attached to the Lord's stories that they are reluctant to exchange the joy of singing them for any other joy, even though it may be equally divine.
• This shows that, to say nothing of living beings such as birds, bees and so on, even inanimate beings in that realm, such as plants and trees, are not only endowed with consciousness but are ever engaged in conscious service of the Lord, and are constituted of the same essence as the Lord. In this way everything in that realm is divinely blissful in essence.
  † The goddess of fortune has been charged with fickleness only in Her material form. In Her divine form She is an embodiment of all feminine virtues and the most constant and devoted of all wives. Although the most beloved of the Lord's consorts, and the undisputed queen of His divine household, She is a model of modesty and, like an ideal wife, ever looks upon Herself as an humble servant-maid of the Lord. That is why She has been represented here by poetic imagination as engaged in a menial service of the Lord's household.

Having passed through six entrances to the Lord's residence without feeling attached to anything, they saw at the seventh gate two shining beings of the same age, armed with a mace and adorned with most valuable armlets, ear-rings and diadems. (27)
With a garland of sylvan flowers, which attracted to it a swarm of intoxicated bees, placed round their neck and between their four swarthy arms, they wore a countenance which looked somewhat agitated from their arched eyebrows, distended nostrils and reddish eyes. (28)
Even while they looked on with their eyes wide open, the sages, who move about everywhere knowing no obstruction or fear, since they indiscriminately regard everyone as their own self, entered the gate in the charge of these porters just as they had passed through the former gates, which were furnished with doors of gold and diamond, without asking their permission. (29)
The four boy-sages, who had nothing to cover their bodies with except the atmosphere, looked (from their appearance) only five years of age, even though they were the eldest (of Brahmā's creation) and had realized the truth of the Self. But when the porters, who happened to possess a disposition which was quite unpalatable to the Lord, saw the sages (passing through the gate guarded by them without taking any notice of their presence), they blocked the sages' way with their staff, despising their glory, although the sages did not deserve such treatment at their hands. (30)
Being thus forbidden by the two chief porters of Śrī Hari while the other divinities (of that realm) looked on, even though they were by far the fittest persons (to be admitted into the Lord's presence), their eyes turned slightly red all of a sudden on account of anger (that which follows in the wake of desire) at their longing to see their most beloved Friend (Śrī Hari) being thwarted, and they spoke (as follows). (31)

The sages said : Of those who attain to and dwell in this realm as a result of their devoted worship to the Lord and (naturally) imbibe the qualities (such as even-mindedness and so on) of their Master, how is it that you two should have developed such a discordant disposition ? When the Lord is extremely pacific and has no quarrel with anybody, there can be none deserving to be suspected by you here on your own analogy, who happen to be the only impostors in this realm. (Since you are impostors yourselves, you scent foul play in others.) (32)
The enlightened inhabitants of this realm do not perceive their none-identity with the Lord, who contains the whole universe in the cavity of His abdomen; on the other hand, they find themselves comprised in the Lord even as the space in a jar is included in the infinite space. What, then, has happened to you, who are invested with a divine body, which has filled you with fear, caused by diversity, on His account ? (33)
Therefore, we are contemplating what should be a meet punishment for your sin, in order that good may be eventually done to you, the two dull-witted servants of the Supreme Being, the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha. Since you smell diversity even here, go you hence to those spheres where the three vicious propensities (lust, anger and greed) are one's (deadly) enemies. (34)

Hearing this utterance of the sages and knowing it to be a curse from the Brāhmaṇas, which could not be counteracted even by multitudes of missiles, the two attendants of Śrī Hari, who is afraid of the Brāhmaṇas even more than they, immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, clasping the sages' feet with great humility. (35)
"You have meted out to us a punishment which is but meet for an offender; let it, therefore, take effect, so that it may purge us in toto of the sin of showing disrespect to the Lord (by insulting you, who are worthy of His respect). But if you feel the least compunction (in your heart) due to compassion for us, let us not fall a prey to infatuation that may efface from our mind the memory of the Lord when we descend into the lower regions." (36)

That very moment the Lord, whose navel is the seat of a lotus, and who is the delight of the righteous, learnt about the insult thus offered by His own servants to saints (like Sanaka and his three brothers), and went to the spot (where the sages had been held up) on those very feet which were sought after by recluses and great sages, accompanied by Śrī (His beloved Spouse). (37)
The Sages saw that the Lord, who was the goal of their Samādhi (profound meditation), had arrived before their very eyes, accompanied by His own attendants, who carried articles suited to the visit (such as the umbrella, chowries and so on). The white umbrella (which was held over His head) looked like the moon; (while the strings of pearls hanging from its edge) and dancing in the cool breeze coming from the pair of chowries that (were being waved on both His sides and) shone like swans looked like drops of nectar falling from its rays. (38)
The Lord, who is the repository of all that is worth coveting, was graciously disposed towards all and touched the heart (of His devotees) by His affectionate glances. With Goddess Lakṣmī, who shone on His swarthy and broad chest (in the form of a golden streak), He enhanced the beauty as it were of His own abode (Vaikuṇṭha) the crest-jewel of all heavenly worlds. (39)
He was adorned with a girdle that shone brightly on the yellow cloth covering His large hips and with a garland of sylvan flowers, which was distinguished by the humming of bees; His lovely wrists were graced with bracelets, and He had rested one of His hands on the shoulder of Garuḍa (the son of Vinatā) and was revolving a lotus with another. (40)
His countenance was distinguished by cheeks—which enhanced the beauty of the alligator-shaped pendants, that outshone lightning—and a prominent nose; and His head was covered with a crown studded with gems. A charming and superb necklace was hanging between His stout arms, while His neck was adorned with the gem known by the name of Kaustubha. (41)
The sages regarded with unsated eyes, and joyously bowed their heads to, the Lord who (says Brahmā to the gods) had assumed a personality for his (Brahmā's) own sake as well as for the sake of Bhava (Lord Śiva) and yourselves (the other gods)—a personality which was full of abundant charm and about which His devotees thought within themselves that Indirā's (Lakṣmī's) excessive pride (of beauty) disappeared (at its very sight). (42)

The breeze laden with the honey of the Tulasi blossoms, mixed with the dust of the lotus-feet of that lotus-eyed Lord, entered the interior of those sages through the nose (the door for its passage) and not only thrilled their body but caused a flutter in their mind too, (ever) immersed as they were in the joy of oneness with the Absolute (and thus above all excitation caused by sense-contacts*). (43)
Having their heart's desire fulfilled by the sight of His face, which resembled a blue lotus, and the beauty of which was enhanced by His still lovelier lips and a smile which shone as a (full-blown) jasmine flower, they then looked lower down at His feet—which were inlaid as it were with rubies in the shape of ruddy nails—and fixed their mind on the same. (44)
They (now) proceeded to extol the Lord—who is endowed with the eight supernatural powers, which are eternally present in Him and cannot be acquired by anyone else—and who reveals a personality fit to be meditated upon by men seeking to attain their goal through paths of Yoga, and which is highly esteemed by them and is the delight of their eyes. (45)

The Kumāras said : It is only today, O infinite Lord, that You have appeared before our eyes—You, who are hidden from the view of the evil-minded, though present in their heart (as the Inner Controller)—although You had entered our mind through the passage of the ears when our father (Brahmā), who owes his existence to You, told us Your secret. (46)
O Lord, we know You—who bring delight every moment to these (devotees) by Your personality, which is constituted of pure Sattva—to be the highest spiritual Truth, which sages free from egotism and passion realize in their heart through the practice of unflinching Devotion learnt by Your grace. (47)
O Lord, Your glories are worth recounting and capable of taking men across the ocean of worldly existence. Hence those wise men who have sought the protection of Your feet and know how sweet Your stories are prize not even Your imperishable boon (in the shape of final beatitude), much less other blessings (such as the position of Indra and so on), which are ever exposed to fear from Your frowns. (48)
Let us by all means be born in the infernal regions as a result of our sins, only if our mind takes (constant) delight in Your (lotus-like) feet, if our speech just like Tulasi leaves derives its grace from Your feet and if the cavity of our ears is filled with the accounts of Your manifold virtues. (49)
O Lord of wide renown, our eyes have derived excessive joy from the form You have revealed (to us). We, therefore, make obeisance to You, the almighty Lord, who have thus appeared before us, even though You remain hidden from the view of those who have not yet conquered their mind. (50)

• This shows that the form of the Lord is purely divine in substance and has no mixture of Prakṛti or Matter in it. Had it been a product of Matter like our bodies, the fragrance of any part of His body or of anything connected with it could not have disturbed the serenity of sages like Sanaka and others, who are the masters of Jñānis and Yogis of all ages.
  Thus ends the fifteenth discourse entitled " The Curse of Sanaka and his three brothers against Jaya and Vijaya", in Book Three of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhhitā.