॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
॥ अष्टादशोऽध्यायः ॥
|
Discourse XVIII
A description of (the various Varṣas) of the terrestrial globe continued (Preamble)
|
श्रीशुक उवाच ।
तथा च भद्रश्रवा नाम धर्मसुतस्तत्कुलपतयः
पुरुषा भद्राश्ववर्षे साक्षाद्भगवतो वासुदेवस्य
प्रियां तनुं धर्ममयीं हयशीर्षाभिधानां परमेण
समाधिना सन्निधाप्येदमभिगृणन्त उपधावन्ति ॥ १॥
|
Śrī Śuka went on : Even so in Bhadraśwavarṣa a son of Dharma (the deity presiding over righteousness), Bhadraśravā by name (the ruler of this Varṣa) as well as the chief men of his retinue adore the favourite manifestation of Lord Vāsudeva Himself, known by the name of Hayagrīva—who is piety personified—realizing His presence through supreme concentration of mind while muttering the following prayer. (1) (1)
|
भद्रश्रवस ऊचुः ।
ओं नमो भगवते धर्मायात्मविशोधनाय नम इति ॥ २॥
अहो विचित्रं भगवद्विचेष्टितं
घ्नन्तं जनोऽयं हि मिषन्न पश्यति ।
ध्यायन्नसद्यर्हि विकर्म सेवितुं
निर्हृत्य पुत्रं पितरं जिजीविषति ॥ ३॥
वदन्ति विश्वं कवयः स्म नश्वरं
पश्यन्ति चाध्यात्मविदो विपश्चितः ।
तथापि मुह्यन्ति तवाज मायया
सुविस्मितं कृत्यमजं नतोऽस्मि तम् ॥ ४॥
विश्वोद्भवस्थाननिरोधकर्म ते
ह्यकर्तुरङ्गीकृतमप्यपावृतः ।
युक्तं न चित्रं त्वयि कार्यकारणे
सर्वात्मनि व्यतिरिक्ते च वस्तुतः ॥ ५॥
वेदान् युगान्ते तमसा तिरस्कृतान्
रसातलाद्यो नृतुरङ्गविग्रहः ।
प्रत्याददे वै कवयेऽभियाचते
तस्मै नमस्तेऽवितथेहिताय इति ॥ ६॥
|
Bhadraśrāvā and his men pray : "Hail to the almighty Dharma—denoted by the mystical syllable OM—who purifies the mind !" (2)
Oh, (how) marvellous are the doings of the Lord (Your Māyā), deluded by which this Jiva fails to perceive Death (who kills all), though endowed with vision, when he desires to survive (even) after cremating his father and son (old and young), contemplating evil deeds in order to enjoy the carnal pleasures (which have no reality whatsoever) ! (3)
The learned have spoken of the world as perishable; while those wise men who have realized the Self even perceive it as such (through deep concentration of mind). Yet are people deluded by Your Māyā, O birthless one ! Highly wonderful are Your ways and I (simply) bow to You, the birthless Lord. (4)
The functions of creation, preservation and dissolutions of the universe have been attributed (by the Vedas) to You, who are (really) a non-doer and unveiled (by Māyā). This is (however) not (at all) surprising in Your case; for activity is (but) proper to You, who are everything (through Māyā) and (therefore) the cause (the progenitor) of (all) effects; while, as a matter of fact, You are unconditioned (unveiled by Māyā and therefore actionless). (5)
Appearing in the form of a man-horse (a man with the head of a horse), it is You who rescued from the bottom of the ocean and restored to the supplicating Brahmā (the first seer) the Vedas, that had been stolen away by the demon Madhu (who was ignorance personified) at the time of universal dissolution. (Therefore,) hail to You of unfailing resolve !" (6) (2-6)
|
|
हरिवर्षे चापि भगवान् नरहरिरूपेणास्ते
तद्रूपग्रहणनिमित्तमुत्तरत्राभिधास्ये तद्दयितं
रूपं महापुरुषगुणभाजनो महाभागवतो
दैत्यदानवकुलतीर्थीकरणशीलाचरितः
प्रह्लादोऽव्यवधानानन्यभक्तियोगेन सह
तद्वर्षपुरुषैरुपास्ते इदं चोदाहरति ॥ ७॥
ओं नमो भगवते नरसिंहाय नमस्तेजस्तेजसे
आविराविर्भव वज्रनख वज्रदंष्ट्र कर्माशयान्
रन्धय रन्धय तमो ग्रस ग्रस ओं स्वाहा
अभयमभयमात्मनि भूयिष्ठा ओं क्ष्रौम् ॥ ८॥
स्वस्त्यस्तु विश्वस्य खलः प्रसीदतां
ध्यायन्तु भूतानि शिवं मिथो धिया ।
मनश्च भद्रं भजतादधोक्षजे
आवेश्यतां नो मतिरप्यहैतुकी ॥ ९॥
मागारदारात्मजवित्तबन्धुषु
सङ्गो यदि स्याद्भगवत्प्रियेषु नः ।
यः प्राणवृत्त्या परितुष्ट आत्मवान्
सिद्ध्यत्यदूरान्न तथेन्द्रियप्रियः ॥ १०॥
यत्सङ्गलब्धं निजवीर्यवैभवं
तीर्थं मुहुः संस्पृशतां हि मानसम् ।
हरत्यजोऽन्तःश्रुतिभिर्गतोऽङ्गजं
को वै न सेवेत मुकुन्दविक्रमम् ॥ ११॥
यस्यास्ति भक्तिर्भगवत्यकिञ्चना
सर्वैर्गुणैस्तत्र समासते सुराः ।
हरावभक्तस्य कुतो महद्गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहिः ॥ १२॥
हरिर्हि साक्षाद्भगवान् शरीरिणा-
मात्मा झषाणामिव तोयमीप्सितम् ।
हित्वा महांस्तं यदि सज्जते गृहे
तदा महत्त्वं वयसा दम्पतीनाम् ॥ १३॥
तस्माद्रजोरागविषादमन्यु-
मानस्पृहाभयदैन्याधिमूलम् ।
हित्वा गृहं संसृतिचक्रवालं
नृसिंहपादं भजताकुतोभयमिति ॥ १४॥
|
Again, in Harivārṣa the Lord abides in the form of Narahari (a man-lion). The circumstances that led Him to assume that (queer) form I shall relate later on (while narrating the story of Prahrāda in Book VII). The great devotee, Prahrāda, who is an abode of all good qualities inhering in exalted souls and whose virtue and (ideal) conduct brought sanctity to the (entire) race of the Daityas and Dānavas, adores this form, beloved of him, through a course of uninterrupted and undivided devotion, alongwith the (other) people inhabiting that Varṣa, and repeats the following (prayer):—(7)
"Hail to Lord Narasimha, who is denoted by the mystical syllable OM ! Hail to the Light of all lights !! Fully reveal Yourself, O Lord with adamantine claws and adamantine teeth !!! Burn down, O burn down (our) latent desires (the seeds of future actions); swallow up, O swallow up (all) darkness (in the form of ignorance). We offer our worship to You, O Lord, O appear (in the horizon of) our mind in such a way as to make us fearless, to rid us of (all) fear Kṣraum* !" (8)
"May all be well with the world; may the wicked become gentle. May (all) living beings contemplate good to one another with their intellect and may their mind resort only to that which is good; and may our thought as well as the thought of others be fixed on You (Lord Viṣṇu) without any motive (whatsoever). (9)
If there be (any) attachment in our heart, let it be for the loving devotees of the Lord and on no account for (our) dwelling, wife, children, wealth and kinsmen. (For) he who is contented with the (bare) necessaries of life and self-possessed attains blessedness at no distant date, but not he who loves the objects of the senses. (10)
Entering through the ears the mind of those who repeatedly listen to the purifying accounts of the exploits of Lord Viṣṇu (the Bestower of Liberation)—which possess a unique glory of their own and which one gets to hear in the company of such devotees—the birthless Lord takes away the impurities of their mind ! Who (then) would not resort to such devotees ? (11)
In (the heart of) a man who is blessed with exclusive devotion to the Lord permanently dwell the gods with all (their) virtues. (But) how can the qualities of exalted souls exist in him who, far from being a devotee of the Lord, runs after the illusory objects of senses under the impulse of desire ? (12)
As water is dear to the fish as their (very) life, Lord Śrī Hari indeed is the (veritable) soul of all embodied beings. Ignoring Him, if a man, however great he may be, remains attached to his home, his greatness, then, is reduced to that type which couples claim in advanced age. (13)
Therefore, renouncing the home—which is the root avidity (the thirst for pleasures), attachment, grief, anger, pride, longing (for another's wife and wealth etc.), fear, wretchedness and mental anguish and, as such perpetuate the cycle of births and deaths—take refuge in the feet of Lord Nṛsimha, the only safe retreat." (14)
- A mystical syllable sacred to Lord Nṛsimha.
(7-14)
|
|
केतुमालेऽपि भगवान् कामदेवस्वरूपेण लक्ष्म्याः
प्रियचिकीर्षया प्रजापतेर्दुहितॄणां पुत्राणां तद्वर्षपतीनां
पुरुषायुषाहोरात्रपरिसङ्ख्यानानां यासां गर्भा महापुरुष-
महास्त्रतेजसोद्वेजितमनसां विध्वस्ता व्यसवः
संवत्सरान्ते विनिपतन्ति ॥ १५॥
अतीव सुललितगतिविलासविलसितरुचिरहास-
लेशावलोकलीलया किञ्चिदुत्तम्भितसुन्दरभ्रूमण्डल-
सुभगवदनारविन्दश्रिया रमां रमयन्निन्द्रियाणि
रमयते ॥ १६॥
तद्भगवतो मायामयं रूपं परमसमाधियोगेन
रमादेवी संवत्सरस्य रात्रिषु प्रजापतेर्दुहितृभि-
रुपेताहःसु च तद्भर्तृभिरुपास्ते इदं चोदाहरति ॥ १७॥
ओं ह्रां ह्रीं ह्रूं ओं नमो भगवते हृषीकेशाय
सर्वगुणविशेषैर्विलक्षितात्मने आकूतीनां चित्तीनां
चेतसां विशेषाणां चाधिपतये षोडशकलाय
च्छन्दोमयायान्नमयायामृतमयाय सर्वमयाय
सहसे ओजसे बलाय कान्ताय कामाय नमस्ते
उभयत्र भूयात् ॥ १८॥
|
So in Ketumālavarṣa the Lord stays in the form of Kāmadeva (Pradyumna) with intent to please Goddess Lakṣmī (His own divine consort) as well as the daughters (the female deities presiding over nights) and sons (the deities presiding over days)—the rulers of that Varṣa—of Saṃvatsara (the deity presiding over a year, a Lord of created beings), (severally) numbering 36,000 (as many as there are days and nights comprising the full span of human life, viz., a hundred years). The embryos born in the womb of the former (the daughters of Saṃvatsara), whose mind gets frightened by the (dazzling) brilliance of the mighty weapon (the discus Sudarśana) of Lord Viṣṇu (the supreme Person), perish at the end of a year and get discharged in a lifeless state. (15)
By the elegance of His lotus face, lovely with the shapely arches of His brows, which are slightly raised on account of His playful glances accompanied with a winsome smile—which in its turn is embellished with the charm of His highly graceful gait—He brings excessive joy to Goddess Ramā (who is His other Self) and (thereby) delights His own senses. (16)
Accompanied by the daughters of Prajāpati Saṃvatsara during nights and by their spouses (the deities presiding over days) during the daytime, Goddess Ramā waits upon the aforesaid manifestation of the Lord, an embodiment of His own will (or creative energy), by recourse to supreme concentration of mind and repeats the following (prayer):—(17)
"Hrām ! Hrīm !! Hrūm !!!" Hail to Lord Hṛṣikeśa (the Controller of the senses), denoted by the mystic syllable OM, distinguished by (all) extraordinary qualities, the Ruler of (all) the organs of action and the senses of perception, as well as of the (four) aspects of the internal senses (viz., the intellect, the ego, the understanding and the mind) including their functions and objects, who is manifested in the form of the sixteen limbs of a subtle body (viz., the mind and the ten Indriyas and the five subtle elements), who is Veda personified, who in the form of food sustains the physical body, who is immortality (final beatitude) itself, nay, who is everything and who is the fountain of (all) strength of mind, the potency of the Indriyas and physical strength. Hail to You, (our) beloved Lord, Love personified, both here and hereafter." (18)
- The Tantras mention a number of mystical syllables (Bija-Mantras) whose utterance is believed to possess a unique power to propitiate and reveal certain deities. Hrām, Hrīm and Hrūm are three such syllables well-known for their efficacy to please a number of gods and goddesses. They are obviously intended here to propitiate Lord Pradyumna (who is Love personified).
(15-18)
|
|
स्त्रियो व्रतैस्त्वा हृषीकेश्वरं स्वतो
ह्याराध्य लोके पतिमाशासतेऽन्यम् ।
तासां न ते वै परिपान्त्यपत्यं
प्रियं धनायूंषि यतोऽस्वतन्त्राः ॥ १९॥
स वै पतिः स्यादकुतोभयः स्वयं
समन्ततः पाति भयातुरं जनम् ।
स एक एवेतरथा मिथो भयं
नैवात्मलाभादधि मन्यते परम् ॥ २०॥
या तस्य ते पादसरोरुहार्हणं
निकामयेत्साखिलकामलम्पटा ।
तदेव रासीप्सितमीप्सितोऽर्चितो
यद्भग्नयाच्ञा भगवन् प्रतप्यते ॥ २१॥
मत्प्राप्तयेऽजेशसुरासुरादय-
स्तप्यन्त उग्रं तप ऐन्द्रिये धियः ।
ऋते भवत्पादपरायणान्न मां
विन्दन्त्यहं त्वद्धृदया यतोऽजित ॥ २२॥
स त्वं ममाप्यच्युत शीर्ष्णि वन्दितं
कराम्बुजं यत्त्वदधायि सात्वताम् ।
बिभर्षि मां लक्ष्म वरेण्य मायया
क ईश्वरस्येहितमूहितुं विभुरिति ॥ २३॥
|
"Women (maids) in this world desire (to obtain) another man as a husband by propitiating Yourself, the very Director of the senses, through sacred vows (of various kinds). They (the earthly husbands obtained by them) are surely unable to protect the beloved offspring, wealth and life of these women, since they (the husbands) are anything but independent (themselves). (19)
He alone is a master in the real sense, who has no fear from any quarter himself and is able to protect on all sides a person stricken with fear. You are the only lord (answering these qualifications), since You account no other joy higher than the realization of Your own blissful nature. Otherwise (if Your joy depended on others, You would be far from independent and in the event of there being a number of independent rulers) there would be fear from one another. (20)
(Again,) she who exclusively desires to adore the lotus-feet of such a lord in You succeeds in attaining all the objects of her desire (and yet enjoys the fame of being a disinterested devotee). If, on the other hand, You are worshipped (by a woman) and approached with a longing to secure from You her sought for boon, You bestow (on her) that boon alone, with the result that on the said object of her longing being destroyed (in course of time) she feels much afflicted, O Lord ! (21)
(Even) Brahmā (the birthless creator), Lord Śiva (the all-powerful), gods (like Indra), demons and the like, whose mind is attached to the objects of senses, practise severe austerities for winning me (my grace), but fail to secure me—barring him who is devoted to You—inasmuch as my heart is fixed on You (alone), O invincible Lord ! (22)
Be pleased, O immortal Lord, to place on my head Your adorable lotus-like hand, which You have (so often) placed on the head of devotees. (I certainly enjoy Your esteem in that) You bear me by way of an emblem (in the form of a golden streak) on Your (blessed) bosom, O adorable one ! (Yet I am deprived of Your grace, which is the exclusive privilege of devotees—an anomaly which I am unable to understand. This is, however, no cause for wonder; for) who can (hope to) divine the raison d'être of whatever is wrought by Your Māyā (deluding potency), omnipotent as You are?" (23) (19-23)
|
|
रम्यके च भगवतः प्रियतमं मात्स्यमवताररूपं
तद्वर्षपुरुषस्य मनोप्राक्प्रदर्शितं स इदानीमपि
महता भक्तियोगेनाराधयतीदं चोदाहरति ॥ २४॥
ओं नमो भगवते मुख्यतमाय नमः सत्त्वाय
प्राणायौजसे सहसे बलाय महामत्स्याय नम इति ॥ २५॥
|
And in Ramyakavarṣa, the (present) Manu (Śrāddhadeva, a son of the sun-god, known by the name of Satyavrata in the sixth or Cākṣuṣa Manvantara) the ruler of that Varṣa adores even now with an unceasing flow of great (exclusive and disinterested) devotion, the most beloved form of the Lord—the form of the Divine Fish—revealed to him before (at the end of the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara,* when the three worlds were inundated by the ocean), and repeats the following (prayer):— (24)
"Hail to the Lord as revealed in His very first descent (on the material plane) and denoted by the mystical syllable OM ! Hail to Him who is an embodiment of Sattva (unmixed with Rajas and Tamas), and who is the very life-giving principle as well as (the source of) the potency of the Indriyas, the strength of mind and physical strength (too) !! Hail to the great (divine) Fish !!!" (25)
- For the story connected with the Lord's descent as the divine Fish vide Discourse XXIV of Book VIII.
(24-25)
|
|
अन्तर्बहिश्चाखिललोकपालकै-
रदृष्टरूपो विचरस्युरुस्वनः ।
स ईश्वरस्त्वं य इदं वशेऽनय-
न्नाम्ना यथा दारुमयीं नरः स्त्रियम् ॥ २६॥
यं लोकपालाः किल मत्सरज्वरा
हित्वा यतन्तोऽपि पृथक्समेत्य च ।
पातुं न शेकुर्द्विपदश्चतुष्पदः
सरीसृपं स्थाणु यदत्र दृश्यते ॥ २७॥
भवान् युगान्तार्णव ऊर्मिमालिनि
क्षोणीमिमामोषधिवीरुधां निधिम् ।
मया सहोरुक्रमतेज ओजसा
तस्मै जगत्प्राणगणात्मने नम इति ॥ २८॥
|
"Though Your form is unseen by (remains hidden from the view of) all the guardians of the spheres (Brahmā and others). You move about (in the form of the vital airs) within and (as the atmospheric air) without (all living beings), making a loud noise (in the form of the Vedas and thereby proclaiming Your existence). You are that (supreme) Ruler who has brought this universe under control by means of (various) denominations (such as the Brāhmaṇa, which serve as a basis for the varied injunctions and interdictions of the scriptures), even as a showman controls a wooden puppet (by a wire). (26)
Suffering from the fever of jealousy, the guardians of the (different) spheres (Indra and others) were unable without You (the life-giving principle) to protect the bipeds or quadrupeds, the mobile or the immobile creatures—(in short,) whatever is seen in this world—in spite of their striving severally as well as unitedly. (27)
Holding (by a cord) this earth—a storehouse of annual plants and creepers (etc.)—including myself (then known as Satyavrata) You, the birthless Lord, sported far and wide with (great) vigour in the ocean, that was, at the time of universal dissolution tumultuous with waves. Hail to such a Lord, the (inner) Controller of the multitudes of animate beings!" (28) (26-28)
|
|
हिरण्मयेऽपि भगवान् निवसति कूर्मतनुं
बिभ्राणस्तस्य तत्प्रियतमां तनुमर्यमा सह
वर्षपुरुषैः पितृगणाधिपतिरुपधावति
मन्त्रमिमं चानुजपति ॥ २९॥
ओं नमो भगवते अकूपाराय सर्वसत्त्वगुण-
विशेषणायानुपलक्षितस्थानाय नमो वर्ष्मणे
नमो भूम्ने नमो नमोऽवस्थानाय नमस्ते ॥ ३०॥
|
In Hiraṇmayavarṣa, again, the Lord resides in (lit., having assumed) the form of the (Divine) Tortoise. Alongwith the denizens of this subdivision of the earth, Aryamā, the lord of the hosts of manes, adores that most beloved manifestation of the Lord, and repeats this prayer:—(29)
"Hail, hail to You, the divine Tortoise, denoted by the mystical syllable OM and possessed of a form consisting entirely of Sattvaguṇa, whose position is not open to perception (because of Your staying under water)! Hail to the most ancient one !! Hail to the omnipresent Lord !!! Hail, hail to the Support of all !!!!" (30) (29-30)
|
|
यद्रूपमेतन्निजमाययार्पित-
मर्थस्वरूपं बहुरूपरूपितम् ।
सङ्ख्या न यस्यास्त्ययथोपलम्भना-
त्तस्मै नमस्तेऽव्यपदेशरूपिणे ॥ ३१॥
जरायुजं स्वेदजमण्डजोद्भिदं
चराचरं देवर्षिपितृभूतमैन्द्रियम् ।
द्यौः खं क्षितिः शैलसरित्समुद्र-
द्वीपग्रहर्क्षेत्यभिधेय एकः ॥ ३२॥
यस्मिन्नसङ्ख्येयविशेषनाम-
रूपाकृतौ कविभिः कल्पितेयम् ।
सङ्ख्या यया तत्त्वदृशापनीयते
तस्मै नमः साङ्ख्यनिदर्शनाय ते इति ॥ ३३॥
|
"The objective world, manifested as it is by Your own Māyā (creative energy) and observed in multitudinous forms, but whose extent cannot be correctly estimated because of its being falsely perceived, is (as a matter of fact) Your own manifestation (nothing apart from You). Your (essential) form, however, cannot be described (in words). Hail to You as such! (31)
It is You alone that are called by the name of a mammal a sweat-born creature, an oviparous being, a plant, a mobile or immobile creature, a god, a Ṛṣi (a superior class of human beings endowed with preternatural vision or clairvoyance), a Pitr (mane), an evil spirit, the world of the senses, the heaven-world (the celestial regions), the aerial world (the space intervening between heaven and earth and inhabited by beings endowed with an aerial body), the earth, a mountain, a river, an ocean, a Dwipa (one of the principal divisions of the terrestrial world), a heavenly body or planet, a star (and so on). (32)
Even though You possess a numberless (endless) variety of names, forms and shapes, yet a (specified) number of categories, (say, twenty-four) has been assumed in You by seers (like the divine Kapila). The knowledge of Truth by means of which this number (plurality) is set aside is no other than You, the embodiment of true wisdom. Hail to You !" (33) (31-33)
|
|
उत्तरेषु च कुरुषु भगवान् यज्ञपुरुषः
कृतवराहरूप आस्ते तं तु देवी हैषा भूः
सह कुरुभिरस्खलितभक्तियोगेनोपधावति
इमां च परमामुपनिषदमावर्तयति ॥ ३४॥
ओं नमो भगवते मन्त्रतत्त्वलिङ्गाय
यज्ञक्रतवे महाध्वरावयवाय महापुरुषाय
नमः कर्मशुक्लाय त्रियुगाय नमस्ते ॥ ३५॥
|
In the land of the northern Kurus (the subdivision of the terrestrial world known by this name) the Lord presiding over sacrifices dwells (is worshipped) in the form of the divine Boar. Alongwith the Kurus (the denizens of this subdivision) this Goddess Earth (that serves as our abode) adores Him through an incessant flow of unfaltering devotion and repeats the following supremely esoteric prayer:—(34)
"Hail to the divine Boar, denoted by the mystical syllable OM, truly known (only) through the Mantras (sacred texts of the Vedas), the Deity presiding over sacrifices both without and with a sacrificial post, (nay,) whose (divine) Body is constituted of the (varieties of) great sacrifices ! (vide III. xiii. 38) ! Hail to the Supreme Person !! Hail to You who (in the form of a sacrificer) are pure* of actions, and who manifest Yourself (in the form of sacrifices) only in the (last) three Yugas."† (35) (34-35)
|
|
यस्य स्वरूपं कवयो विपश्चितो
गुणेषु दारुष्विव जातवेदसम् ।
मथ्नन्ति मथ्ना मनसा दिदृक्षवो
गूढं क्रियार्थैर्नम ईरितात्मने ॥ ३६॥
द्रव्यक्रियाहेत्वयनेशकर्तृभि-
र्मायागुणैर्वस्तुनिरीक्षितात्मने ।
अन्वीक्षयाङ्गातिशयात्मबुद्धिभि-
र्निरस्तमायाकृतये नमो नमः ॥ ३७॥
करोति विश्वस्थितिसंयमोदयं
यस्येप्सितं नेप्सितमीक्षितुर्गुणैः ।
माया यथायो भ्रमते तदाश्रयं
ग्राव्णो नमस्ते गुणकर्मसाक्षिणे ॥ ३८॥
प्रमथ्य दैत्यं प्रतिवारणं मृधे
यो मां रसाया जगदादिसूकरः ।
कृत्वाग्रदंष्ट्रे निरगादुदन्वतः
क्रीडन्निवेभः प्रणतास्मि तं विभुमिति ॥ ३९॥
इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां
पञ्चमस्कन्धे भुवनकोशवर्णनं नामाष्टादशोऽध्यायः ॥ १८॥
|
"Even as those well-versed in rituals churn out the fire hidden in pieces of (sacrificial) wood with the help of the fire-producing wooden stick, so the wise, keen to perceive Your reality, obscured by (attachment to) actions and their fruits, try to discover it (as the all-pervading self) in the discipline of their body and senses etc., (which are products of matter) with the help of (their) discriminating mind (reason). Hail to You who reveal Yourself through this process (of chastening the body and senses). (36)
By them whose intellect has become capable of keen discernment through reflection as well as through (the practice of) the (eight) limbs of Yoga (Yama, Niyama and so on). You, the Supreme Self, are truly and directly perceived alongwith (as distinguished from) the attributes of Māyā (Prakṛti), viz., the gross elements, the organs of action, the senses of perception, the all-powerful Kāla (the Time-Spirit) and the doer (the ego). Hail to You as such and hail to You, whose form is not the creation of Māyā (Prakṛti) ! (37)
Even as a piece of iron moves due to (the very presence of) a loadstone, turning its face towards the latter, Your Māyā carries on through the three Guṇas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) the creation, preservation and dissolution of the universe—sought after (by You for the evolution of the Jivas) though not desired (by You for Your own sake)—Yourself remaining a mere looker-on. Hail to You, the Witness of (all that is evolved from) the (three) Guṇas as well as of the Karmas (of the various Jivas) ! (38)
I bow to that omnipotent Lord who, having assumed the form of the divine Boar, the Cause of the universe, and placing me on the end of Your tusk, emerged, through the entire depth of the Deluge water, from its very bottom, sporting like an elephant after crushing to death in an encounter the demon (Hiraṇyākṣa) who stood (before Him) as a rival elephant." (39)
- The Lord Himself declares in the Bhagavadgītā that the performance of sacrifices and the practice of charity and austerities are conducive to purity—
(36-39)
|
|
यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् । (XVIII. 5)
|
† That is because no sacrifices are performed in the first Yuga, the Satyayuga or because according to another interpretation, the Lord remains unmanifest in Kali age.
Thus ends the eighteenth discourse entitled "A description of the terrestrial world" in Book Five of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahārṣa-Sarhhitā. (Preamble)
|