Canto 10 - Chapter 84: An account of the pilgrimage (undertaken by Lord Sri Krsna)

Discourse LXXXIV

An account of the pilgrimage (undertaken by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa)

Śrī Śuka began again : (Parikṣit !) hearing of this deep attachment of the consorts of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Soul of the universe, to His person, Kunti, Gāndhārī, Draupadi, Subhadra, the consorts of the other kings and even the Gopis, whom He held so dear, were all greatly astonished and their eyes were bedimmed with tears of joy. (1)
When ladies were thus talking with ladies and men with men, a number of sages appeared on the spot for the sight of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Balarāma. (2)
The more prominent of them were Kṛṣṇadwalpāyana (Vyāsa), Devarṣi Nārada, Cyavana, Devala, Asita, Viśwamitra, Satānanda, Bharadwāja, Gautama, the glorious Paraśurāma with his disciples, Vasiṣṭha, Gālava, Bhrgu, Pulastya, Kaśyapa, Atri, Mārkaṇḍeya, Bṛhaspati, Dwita, Trita, Ekata, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanatkumāra, Aṅgirā, Agastya, Yājñavalkya, Vāmadeva, and (a few) others. (3—5)
Seeing these Rṣis, revered and worshipped by the world, all the kings who had been sitting there from before, including (Yudhiṣṭhira and) the (other) Pāṇḍavas, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma at once stood up and bowed to them. (6)
(There) Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and all (those who were present there) welcomed them with sweet words and duly honoured them by offering seats, water to wash their hands and feet with, garlands, incense, sandal-paste etc. (7)
When the sages were comfortably seated, the Lord, who had appeared on earth for the protection of virtue, spoke (as follows) with the great assembly silently listening to Him. (8)

The glorious Lord said : Today our life has been highly blessed, and the object of our taking birth has been fully realized; (for) we have been honoured with a visit from the great Masters of Yoga, whose sight cannot be easily obtained even by the gods. (9)
How can people whose austerities are poor, and who see God cabined in a particular image (only), gain (the rare privilege of) your sight and touch, of inquiring about your health etc., and of offering you salutations and worship? (10)
Sacred waters alone do not possess purificatory virtues, nor do images of clay and stone alone represent the deities. Whereas these purify a man after one has recourse to them and worshipped them for a long time, holy men purify by their very sight. (11)
The gods presiding over fire, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, water, ether, air, speech and mind, when worshipped, cannot completely wash off our sins, inasmuch as they promote our sense of diversity; whereas the wise wipe off our sins even if we serve them for a few minutes, (less than an hour). (12)
(O sages and assembled friends) he who looks upon His contemptuous body (which is virtually dead), constituted of the three elements of wind, bile and phlegm as the self, those related to the body (wife etc.) as one's own and images of clay, stone or wood as his objects of worship, and who regards the sacred waters alone as purifying, and never so the men of wisdom, is indeed, a donkey among cows (in human form). (13)

Śrī Śuka resumed : (Parikṣit,) Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the possessor of unfailing wisdom. Hearing the above words from His lips, the sages kept silent. Unable to make out the meaning of those mysterious words, they got confounded. (14)
After long consideration they came to the conclusion that though the (Supreme) Lord of the universe, He was behaving like an ordinary man subject to the law of Karma just in order to teach a lesson to the world. Realizing this, they smiled and addressed Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the supreme Teacher of the world) as follows. (15)

The sages said: (Lord, even) great progenitors of the world (like Marici) and the highest sages like us stand deluded by Your Māyā (enchanting power). The almighty Lord of the universe, You behave like an ordinary creature, concealing Your true Self behind Your seemingly human activities. Oh, (all) Your sports are (really) most wonderful. (16)
Just as the earth (though one) assumes different names and forms through its various products (viz., the tree, stone, jar etc., which are essentially the same as the earth), even so, though one, You assume various names and forms and, though static, You create and protect the universe and (finally) swallow up the same by Your own Self and (yet) these activities do not bind You. Oh, what is all this but a mere sport on Your part, O perfect one! (17)
(Lord,) though You are the (supreme) Spirit beyond the realm of Prakṛti (Nature), You assume from time to time a Form made of pure Sattva for the protection of Your devotees and suppression of the wicked and by Your example maintain (and perpetuate) the eternal Vedic path. (Really speaking) it is You who manifest Yourself in the form of the different castes and orders. (18)
(Lord,) the Vedas constitute Your immaculate heart; through askesis, study, meditation and Samādhi (absorption) You are realized there in both Your Manifest and Unmanifest aspects, as well as in Your transcendental aspect which is beyond these two (and is the substratum of both). (19)
Since You are known through the medium of the Vedas (which are stored in the heart of the Brāhmaṇas), it is the Brāhmaṇas who are the real medium of your realization. O Perfect One! that is why You are the foremost patron of the Brāhmaṇas, and that is why You honour them so much. (20)
In You lies the culmination of all blessings; You are the sole refuge of saints. Having met You today we have attained the fruition of our birth, learning, austerities and wisdom. (21)
(Lord!) Your wisdom is unbounded: You are the Supreme Spirit, the Embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss. You have concealed Your glory by Your own Yogamāyā (enchanting power). We offer salutation to You as such. (22)
The kings assembled here, and even the Yadus, who enjoy life together (with You), do not (truly) know You as the Universal Soul, the Time-spirit and Ruler of the universe, veiled as You are by Your own Māyā. (23)
As a dreaming person looks upon all objects of his dream as real, and regards his dream-formed body which is perceived (only) with the mind and exists in name alone—as his self, and not the body of his waking life, which is out of his mind for the time being, (even) so (in waking life) when the mind gets deluded by Māyā in the form of the wandering of the senses among their objects which exist only in name, its discrimination gets clouded, and the Jīva fails to realize You who stand beyond the waking life. (24-25)
(O Lord!) sages who have attained ripeness of Yoga succeed in enthroning in their heart Your lotus-feet, which are the origin of the holy waters of the Gaṅgā, which wipe off heaps of sins. We are glad we have seen those feet today. Lord, we are Your devotees. (Pray) shower Your grace on us. Now the (highest) state of Your realization is attained only by those who through their overflowing devotion succeed in shedding their ego, which obscures the souls. (26)

Śrī Śuka continued: O royal sage! having thus (praised and) taken leave of the Lord, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and (the virtuous) Yudhiṣṭhira, the sages thought of returning to their hermitages. (27)
Perceiving this, the illustrious Vasudeva approached them. Bowing to them, and clasping their feet, he addressed them with great humility. (28)

Vasudeva submitted : Sages, in you reside all the gods,* I offer my salutations to you. Kindly listen to me. (Pray) tell us by what sort of activity one may be able to rid oneself of all Karma and (the desire for Karma). (29)

Devarṣi Nārada replied : O sages, it is no great wonder that regarding Śrī Kṛṣṇa as his child, Vasudeva should inquire of us with a view to his enlightenment, the road to his spiritual welfare. (30)
For human beings are generally prone to underrate those who are near them. We find persons living on the banks of the Gaṅgā leaving the Gaṅgā water and resorting to other sacred waters for their purification. (31)
Śrī Kṛṣṇa's self-awareness is never obscured by the processes of creation, preservation and dissolution of the universe, which are carried out by Time. It does not suffer diminution on any account (either) by itself or through any external cause, or through the action of the Guṇas. (32)
His wisdom is never obscured by the (five) afflictions (in the shape of ignorance, egotism, attraction, repulsion and fear of death), nor by (virtuous and sinful) Karmas, nor by their fruits (in the form of joy and sorrow), nor again by the ebb and flow of Sāttvika (and) the (other) Guṇas. He is the one Lord, without a second. When He veils Himself under His own potencies, the vital airs etc., ignorant people consider Him as veiled, even as when the vision gets obstructed by clouds, mist and eclipse, etc., people regard the sun as screened by them. (33)

Addressing Vasudeva, (as follows) within the hearing of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and the kings (present there), O king, the sages then said: (34)
The best way of neutralizing past acts and wiping out the desire for future action through action itself is to propitiate, with (due) reverence, Viṣṇu, the Lord of all sacrifices, through sacrifices. (35)
Perceiving through the eye of the Śāstras, the all-knowing sages have declared it to be the easiest means of attaining tranquillity of mind, and a sacred duty the performance of which brings delight to the heart. (36)
For the twice-born householder the most propitious course is to perform with reverence the worship of the Supreme Person expending (liberal sums of) money earned by fair means. (37)
O Vasudeva, a wise man should get rid of his thirst for wealth by performing sacrifices and making gifts, his craving for wife and children by enjoying the pleasures of a married life, and his desire for the enjoyment of the higher worlds etc., by thoughts of their being subject to the ravages of Time, Having (thus) renounced all (the three types of) desires even at home, the wise proceeded to the forest for askesis. (38)
O Vasudeva, the Brāhmaṇa, the Kṣatriya and the Vaiśya are born with debts to gods, the Ṛṣis and the manes. He who renounces the home without discharging these debts through the performance of sacrifices, study of the scriptures and by begetting a son respectively (surely) falls. (39)
(O wise Vasudeva,) you are as a matter of fact free from your debts to the Ṛṣis and the manes now. Pay off your debt to the gods (too) through the performance of sacrifices, and thus freed from all obligations you may quit the home. (40)
Vasudeva, you have surely worshipped Śrī Hari, the Lord of the universe, with supreme devotion. That is why He has accepted the role of a son to you. (41)

Śrī Śūka went on : (Parikṣit,) hearing the aforesaid words of the Ṛṣis the high-minded Vasudeva sought their favour by saluting them with his head bent low and appinted them to officiate as priests at his sacrificial performance. (42)
Duly appointed as priests, O king, the Ṛṣis helped the pious Vasudeva in performing a number of sacrifices on the largest scale in that holy place. (43)
On Vasudeva being initiated for the sacrifice, the Yadus and (other) kings took their bath, put on their best attire and ornaments and adorned themselves with garlands of lotuses. (44)
The consorts of Vasudeva too adorned themselves with gold necklaces and besmeared their bodies with sandal-paste and, clad in their best attire, joyously entered the sacrificial hall with offerings in their hands. (45)
Clay tomtoms, tabors, conchs, drums, kettledrums and other musical instruments were sounded (at the time); dancers, both male and female danced; bards and panegyrists uttered praises; Gandharva women with their husbands sang beautiful songs. (46)
Vasudeva applied collyrium to his eyes and anointed his body with butter. The priests (then) consecrated him alongwith his eighteen wives by sprinkling water on them, just as (in the ancient times) the moon and the stars were consecrated. (47)
Initiated for the sacrifice and clad in deer skin Vasudeva looked most charming with his wives who were all dressed in (beautiful) saris and adorned with bracelets, necklaces, anklets and ear-rings. (48)
Clad in silk and adorned with jewels, the priests and supervisors of the sacrifice shone like the priests at the sacrifice performed by Indra (the slayer of Vṛtra). (49)
Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, the Rulers of (all) Jivas shone brightly on that occasion with their relations, consorts and sons, who were Their part manifestations. (50)

At the end of each sacrifice, Vasudeva performed, in accordance with the scripturals ordinance, the Agnihotra and other sacrifices as well as those falling under the category of Prākṛta and Vaikṛta sacrifices, and thereby worshipped and propitiated Viṣṇu (the Lord of all substances, rituals and the Mantras with which they are performed). (51)
Then in due time he adorned the priests well (with clothes and ornaments) and gave them sacrificial fees and also gifted them duly adorned cow and girls as well as lands and abundant wealthy as laid down in the scriptures. (52)
After going through the ritual of Patnisaṃyāja (which is a part of the sacrifice) and the rites connected with the concluding bath, those great sages who had officiated as priests of the Sacrifice followed Vasudeva to the tank named after Paraśurāma and performed their ablutions there. (53)
After taking their bath, Vasudeva and his wives gave away all their ornaments and clothes to the bards and, adorning themselves well (with new ornaments and dress) entertained all classes of men and animals down to the dog. (54)
He honoured with extensive presents (all) his relations alongwith their wives and son as well as the princes of Vidarbha, Kosala, Kuru, Kāśi, Kekaya and Sṛñjaya, the supervisors of the sacrifice, the priests, hosts of gods, men, spirits, manes and the celestial bards. They (all) took leave of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the abode of Śrī) and left for their homes praising the sacrifice. (55-56)
(Parikṣit,) king Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Vidura, Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhima, and Arjuna, Bhiṣma, Droṇa, Kunti, Nakula, Sahadeva, Devarṣi Nārada, Bhagavān Vyāsa, and other friends and relations and kinsmen felt the agony of separation (when leaving their friends, the Yadus). With their hearts moistened through affection, they embraced the Yadus and departed for their homes with (great difficulty). The other people also left with them. (57-58)
(Parikṣit,) honoured with extensive presents by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Ugrasena and others, Nanda, alongwith the other Gopas, out of love for them, stayed (there for some time more). (59)
(O dear king,) having (thus) easily realized his great ambition like one who crosses an ocean without much effort, Vasudeva felt (greatly) delighted at heart. In the midst of his friends and relations he took Nanda by the hand, and addressed him (thus). (60)

Vasudeva said : Brother (Nanda), God has forged for men a bond which is known by the name of affection. I think the greatest of warriors and Yogis find it difficult to undo it. (61)
Highly virtuous as you are, the friendship you have shown to us, ungrateful souls, is unparalleled and cannot be repaid; and yet (we know) it will never cease (it will continue for ever). (62)
O brother, formerly we could not do any good turn to you precisely because we were helpless, and now we are blinded by intoxication of wealth and power and do not look at you even though you stand before us. (63)
O virtuous brother, let not royal fortune fall to the lot of one who seeks blessedness. Blinded by it, man fails to recognize even his own kinsmen and relations. (64)

Śrī Śuka continued : (Parikṣit,) Vasudeva's heart melted with love as he said all this. Tears rushed to his eyes, as he remembered the love and friendship which Nanda bore to him and he began to weep. (65)
Anxious to please his friend and out of affection for Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Nanda put off his departure from day to day and stayed (there) for three months receiving the best attentions of the Yadus. (66)
They gratified him and his brother Gopas and other residents of Vraja (who had accompanied him) with enjoyments of various kinds as well as with valuable ornaments, silk garments and other invaluable presents. (67)
Vasudeva, Ugrasena, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Uddhava and others (severally) presented him with gifts. Taking all these and permitted by the Yadus, Nanda left (for his home). (68)
(Parikṣit,) Nanda as well as the other Gopas and Gopis had transferred their heart to the lotus-feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa; and they were unable to withdraw it from them. (So) they departed for Mathurā (leaving their heart behind). (69)

(Parikṣit,) when all the friends had (thus) returned (to their respective places), the Yadus, who looked on Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their deity, and who now saw the monsoon approaching, returned to Dvārakā. (70)
(Reaching there) they gave to the people an account of the grand festival (in the form of a sacrificial performance) celebrated by Vasudeva, the adored of the gods, their meeting with friends and relations, and all that had happened in course of the pilgrimage.(71)

Thus ends the eighty-fourth discourse entitled "An account of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's pilgrimage," in the latter half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhītā.