Canto 11 - Chapter 3: A Description of Maya and the means of transcending it; an exposition of Brahma and the Path of Action

Discourse III

A Description of Māyā and the means of transcending it; an exposition of Brahma and the Path of Action

The king (Nimi) submitted : We wish to know the (true nature of) Māyā (the deluding potency) of the supreme Lord Viṣṇu, which bewilders even those who are adepts in Māyā (conjuring tricks). You revered sirs may (kindly) tell us of it. (1)
I am a mortal sore afflicted by the sorrows of the world. Hearing your words narrating the nectar-like story of Śrī Hari, which are the antidote for such afflictions, I do not feel satiated (desire to hear them again and again). (2)

Antarikṣa said : O mighty-armed one, Māyā is that energy by which the most ancient Person, figuring as the Source of (the entire) creation, evolved with the help of these gross elements (all) forms of life, great and small, for the enjoyment and emancipation of embodied souls (His particles). (3)
Having thus (for the good of the Jivas) entered (as the Inner Controller of) all forms of life evolved by means of the five gross elements, the Supreme Person splits Himself up (and appears first) as one (in the form of the mind) and (further) into ten (in the form of the ten Indriyas) and makes them (the Jivas) enjoy the (various) pleasures (through them). (4)
Enjoying the (various) pleasures of sense by means of the senses illuminated by the (said) Inner Controller, the embodied soul identifies itself with this created body and gets attached to it. (5)
Performing with the organs of action actions prompted by interested motives and reaping the agreeable and disagreeable consequences of his varied actions (of past lives), the embodied soul revolves in this whirligig (of mundane life). (6)
Thus undergoing (various) forms of existence brought about by his (past) actions and carrying many evils (with them), the soul helplessly goes through (repeated) births and deaths till the final dissolution of creation. (7)
When the dissolution of the (five gross) elements is imminent, the Time-Spirit, endless and without beginning, actually draws the manifest universe, consisting of gross and subtle matter, towards the Unmanifest (primordial Matter). (8)
(Then) there appears on earth a dreadful drought lasting for a hundred years. The sun with its heat increased by the said Time-Spirit torments the three worlds. (9)
A (huge and terrible) fire rising from the (thousand) mouths of Saṅkarṣaṇa (the serpent-god) and, burning everything from the bottom of the subterranean world, shoots up in high flames and, propelled by the wind, spreads in all directions. (10)
The host of clouds charged with universal dissolution pour down showers, as thick as the trunk of an elephant, for one hundred years (without pause) with the result that the cosmos is submerged in water. (11)
Then, leaving his cosmic body, O protector of men, Brahmā (the cosmic person) gets merged in the Unmanifest (Brahma), just as fire enters its unmanifest state (gets extinguished) when divested of fuel. (12)
Denuded of its (distinctive quality) smell by the wind, the earth is reconverted into the state of water; and, deprived by the same of taste, water is reduced to the state of fire. (13)
Deprived of (its attribute, viz.,) colour by darkness, fire gets merged into the air; and, deprived of (its quality of) touch by ether, the air merges into the latter (ether, its cause). (14)
Deprived of (its quality of) sound by God in the form of the Time-Spirit, ether gets merged into the (Tāmasika) ego. The senses and the intellect, O king, merge in the ego of passion, and the mind with the deities born of the illuminated ego merges into the knowledge of the Self. The ego with its triple modification merges into the Mahat-tattva, which in its turn merges into Prakṛti or the elemental Nature and this (ultimately) merges into Brahma. (15)
We have described (for you) the Lord's triple Māyā (comprising of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) which creates, sustains and annihilates (the creation). What else do you desire to hear ? (16)

The king (Nimi) submitted : It may (kindly) be pointed out (to me now), O eminent sage, how men looking upon the gross body as their self may easily get over this divine Māyā, (so) difficult to cross for those who have not been able to control their mind. (17)

Prabuddha replied : One must observe how human beings living in pairs (as husband and wife) striving to gain happiness and remove misery obtain only contrary results. (18)
What happiness can be derived from wealth, which is (so) difficult to obtain and can be earned only by means of constantly painful effort and which leads to one's death ? Or, what joy can one get from the possession of houses, children friends or relations and cattle, transient as they are, and the fruit of one's actions ? (19)
Similarly one should realize that the heavenly regions are also transient (and full of misery), their attainment being the fruit of one's actions; (and there too as in this world) there is rivalry with the superior ones, mutual discord among the equals and hatred towards those inferior to one's own self and fear of a fall, as there is here among chieftains. (20)
Therefore, one desirous of knowing the highest good should resort to a preceptor who is versed in the Vedas (which embody Brahma in the form of words), has realized the ultimate Reality and who is free from attachment and hatred. (21)
Under the preceptor, whom one should love as one's own self and as the object of one's devotion, one should, by rendering devoted service to him, learn the ways of life of the Lord's devotees, by which Śrī Hari is pleased—Śrī Hari, who is the Soul of the universe and gives Himself away to His devotees. (22)
First the disciple should learn detachment of the mind from all objects (body, children etc.), and attachment to the Lord's devotees. And he should also learn to cherish in all sincerity compassion, friendliness and humility towards one's inferiors, equals and superiors respectively. (23)
He should (further) learn (to acquire) purity (external and internal), devotion to his religious duties, endurance, control over his speech, a habit to study the scriptures, sincerity, continence, non-violence and evenness of mind under the stress of dualities (like pleasure and pain, profit and loss). (24)
He should learn to see the Atma (as the intelligent substance) and Iswara (the Ruling Principle) pervading all, live in solitude, without any sense of possession for any dwelling, wear pure clothing or rags (stitched together) and feel satisfied with whatever he could get for food. (25)
He should (also) learn to have faith in the scriptures celebrating the Lord, without disparaging other scriptures, and curb his mind, speech and actions (through control of breath, tongue and activity respectively), and to be truthful and able to control the senses and mind. (26)
He should learn to hear, sing and dwell on the story of the advent, pastimes and excellences of Lord Śrī Hari of wonderful deeds and to do everything for (pleasing) Him. (27)
He should (further) learn to offer to the supreme Lord all his sacrificial activities, gifts, austerities, repetition of the sacred syllables, righteous conduct, and all that he likes for himself, (nay,) his wife, children, house and his very life. (28)
He should also learn to love devotedly those persons who have realized Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their own Self and as the Lord of their life; to serve the mobile and immobile creatures (as the embodiments of the Lord); and (specially) to serve human beings and among them more specially those who adhere to their own duty and are devotees of the Lord. (29)
He should (further) learn to expound and discuss among the devotees the sacred glory of the Lord, and in association with others find delight and satisfaction resulting in the freedom of the mind from egotism. (30)
(Thus) remembering and reminding one another of Śrī Hari, who destroys innumerable sins (in an instant), their devotion turning into divine love, the devotees filled with rapture experience a thrill of joy. (31)
Sometimes they weep due to the anguish of separation from Śrī Hari, sometimes they laugh and rejoice and address Him (as if He were present by their side), indulge (joyfully) in dancing and singing, and sometimes thinking of the birthless Lord feel that they have reached the Supreme Person, and (thereby) become peaceful and silent. In this way their behaviour becomes altogether unconventional. (32)
Thus learning (and following) the ways of life of the Lord's devotees and devoted to Him, his devotion developing into divine love, the devotee easily crosses the unfathomable Māyā. (33)

The king (Nimi) said : O sages, since you are foremost among those who have realized Brahma (the Ultimate Reality), pray, explain to us the real nature of Paramātmā or Brahma, who is called by the name of Nārayana. (34)

Pippalāyana said : O ruler of men, know that to be the supreme Reality, which is responsible for the creation, sustenance and dissolution of this universe; and itself has no cause of its own; and that which exists in (all the three states of consciousness—) waking life, dream and deep sleep, as well as in the supra-conscious state. (beyond the aforesaid three states), and animated by which the body, senses, breath and the inner mind (exist and) perform their functions. (35)
Just as sparks cannot illumine, much less burn, fire (which is their origin), the mind, speech, eye, intellect, life-breath and senses cannot grasp or reach the ultimate Reality. The revealed word (Veda) too makes no positive assertion about Its though it is the (only) authority for Its existence. By denying itself the power to describe It, it speaks of It (merely) by import (inference). No negative description (however) would be possible if there were no Reality. (36)
That which was one before creation became known as Pradhāna (or Prakṛti) of triple nature, consisting of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Then by its active power it became known as the Sūtrātma and by its power of understanding it became known as the Mahat-tattva. (Again,) as a condition investing the Jiva or individual soul it became known as Ahaṅkāra (the ego). The incomprehensible Brahma alone shines as the deities presiding over the senses, the senses and the objects of senses and the experience of pleasure and pain. The (gross) effect and the (subtle) cause are all Brahma, because It is the Cause of both. (37)
This Atmā (Brahma) was never born and will never die, It neither grows nor undergoes decay, because It is the witness of the different states of those objects which come into existence and die away. It is omnipresent and eternally abiding pure consciousness; yet like Prāṇa (life-breath) It appears as many under the influence of the senses. (38)
The vital air, as a matter of fact, follows everywhere the Jiva, whether born of egg, womb, sweat or sprung out of soil, and itself remains unchanged in the different bodies. (Even so) the Atmā too remains unaffected (in the state of sound sleep) when the senses are oblivious and also when the ego is dormant, i.e., the subtle body has become functionless. (Its continuity even at that time is proved by the fact that) we remember the Atmā (on waking as the witness of the enjoyment of sound sleep). (39)
Just as the light of the sun shines to clear eyes, so the truth of the Self is directly revealed to the pure heart of the man who is earnestly devoted to the Lord and intensely desires to obtain His holy feet, and has thus freed his mind from the impurities born of qualities and actions. (40)

The king submitted : (Pray) describe for us that Yoga of action through which man in his present life soon destroys his Karma and, thus purified, attains that supreme knowledge which follows dissociation from all actions. (41)
Formerly, in the presence of my father (Ikswāku) I put this question to the Ṛṣis (Sanatkumāra etc.); but those Ṛṣis (sons of Brahma) did not answer it. (Pray,) tell me why they did not reply. (42)

Āvirhotra said : Actions enjoined by the scriptures, prohibitions as opposed to the former and transgressions of the prescribed ones are to be known only from the Vedas and are not (mere) secular affairs; and as the Vedas are the revelations of God, (even) the learned get confused in distinguishing the three kinds of actions. (If the Ṛṣis did not reply to your question, obviously the reason was that at that time you were a mere lad and would not have understood the answer.) (43)
The Veda has a deeper import than what the words apparently convey. The real purpose of the Veda is to secure exemption from actions and their fruit but (obviously) temptations of gaining heaven through prescribed actions are held out to the ignorant, just as a boy is tempted with sweets to swallow a (bitter) medicine. (44)
One who is himself ignorant and has no control over one's senses and fails to perform actions enjoined by the Vedas commits the sin of dereliction and passes from one death to another (that is, remains involved in the cycle of births and deaths). (45)
One who performs only actions prescribed by the Vedas, without attachment to their fruits and surrendering them to the Lord, attains to that ultimate fulfilment, which means that knowledge which proceeds from freedom from actions. The promise of fruits (as mentioned in the Vedas) is meant only to create interest in actions (The prescribed actions and their fruits are described really for getting ultimately freedom from actions). (46)

Whoever wishes to snap quickly the knot of heart (viz., egotism—the sense of I and mine—and mistaking the body for the soul) in the soul, who is no other than the Supreme, should with Vedic rites, accompanied by Tantric rites, worship Lord Keśava. (47)
One who has obtained initiation (in the sacred texts) through the grace of a preceptor, and has learnt from him the mode of worship should worship the Lord in the image of his choice. (48)
He should observe cleanliness and then, sitting in front of the image, purify his body by controlling his breath and other practices and fortify himself by duly assigning the various parts of the body to different deities and worship the Lord. (49)
First he should purify the articles of worship (flowers etc., by removing insects and so on), the earth (by sweeping it), his own self (through calmness) and the image (by removing the coating of sandal-paste etc.), and thus make them fit for worship. Then he should sprinkle water on his seat, keep ready water for washing the hands and feet etc., of the Deity with and other articles. Then with a concentrated mind (he should) invoke the Deity (in the image) and, having installed the Deity in his heart and other parts of the body, adore the Lord, with the available articles of worship, in the image etc., or in the heart chanting the fundamental sacred formula or Mantra. (50-51)
He should worship the image of the Deity including His (various) limbs as well as the emblems He wears (e. g., the discus Sudarśana etc.), and His retinue (Sunanda and others), repeating the sacred syllables pertaining to that Deity, offering water for washing His hands and feet and rinsing His mouth, and so on, bathing the image, robing and decorating It with ornaments, offering Him sandal-paste, flowers, unbroken grains of rice (for adorning His forehead with), garland, incense, light and food. Thus worshipping the Lord with His entourage well according to the prescribed rites, the devotee should sing hymns in praise of Lord Śrī Hari and prostrate himself (before the image). (52-53)
One should duly worship the image of Śrī Hari while thinking himself as permeated by the Lord; and then, placing the holy relic (offered flowers etc.), on his own head, (finish the worship and) deposit the worshipped image at its place and the Lord in his heart. (54)
He who thus worships the Lord, the Universal Soul, in the fire, the sun, water etc., or in his guest or his own heart surely gets liberated very soon. (55)

Thus ends the third discourse, in Book Eleven of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Samhitā.