The Bhagavata Purana 1 Page 11

  Shounaka asked, ‘The king, bull among the Bharata lineage, heard all that had been said. What did he next ask the wise rishi who was Vyasa’s son? O Suta! O learned one! We wish to hear and you should speak to us about this. Accounts of Hari, and the accounts that follow, must certainly be heard in assemblies of virtuous people. The maharatha king was the illustrious one’s devotee. Even as a child, when he used to play with dolls, he used to imitate Krishna’s pastimes. Vyasa’s illustrious son was devoted to Vasudeva. When there was a meeting of virtuous people, the pervasive qualities of the praiseworthy one must have been spoken about. The rising, setting and movements 501 take away the lifespans of men, with the exception of the time that is spent in conversing about Uttamashloka. Are trees not alive? Do bellows 502 not breathe? Do domestic and other animals not eat and discharge semen? A man whose ears have never heard praises of Gada’s elder brother is an animal, like a dog, a boar, a camel, or a donkey. If a man has not heard about Urukrama’s valour, his ears are like a snake’s hole. O Suta! If he has never loudly chanted about the praiseworthy one, his tongue is like that of a frog. Even if the head is covered in a headdress or diadem, if it has not bowed down to Mukunda, it is a great burden. Our hands, even if they are adorned with golden bangles, are like the hands of dead bodies if they do not worship Hari. When the eyes of men do not look at Vishnu’s signs, they are like the eyes on a peacock. 503 When the feet of men do not go to Hari’s kshetras, they are like trunks generated from trees. If a mortal person has not received the dust from the illustrious one’s feet, even if he is alive, he is like a corpse. If a man does not know the smell of tulasi leaves placed at the handsome Vishnu’s feet, even if he breathes, he is a corpse. If a heart hears Hari’s names being chanted with concentration, and is not moved, or is moved but the eyes do not fill with tears, and if the body hair does not stand up in delight, its essence is made out of hard stone. O dear one! Whatever you say pleases our minds, since this was spoken by Vyasa’s son, who was learned about the atman and was a foremost devotee of the illustrious one. The virtuous and accomplished one was asked by the king.’

  Chapter 2(4)

  Suta said, ‘Uttara’s son heard the words of Vyasa’s son and made up his mind to realize the atman by fixing his steady intelligence on Krishna. He gave up his deep-rooted and constant sense of ownership towards his body, his wife, his sons, his palace, his animals, his riches and his kingdom, and was no longer disturbed. O supreme ones! The great-minded one was faithful in thinking and hearing about Krishna. Knowing his imminent state, he renounced all action that led to the three objectives. 504 Just as you have asked me, he asked about the truth. He firmly fixed his atman on devotion towards Vasudeva.

  ‘The king said, “O brahmana! O one who knows about everything! O unblemished one! The words that you have spoken are proper. As you speak about Hari’s account, my darkness 505 is being dispelled. I again wish to know how the illustrious one used his maya to create the universe. This is impossible for even the great lords 506 to comprehend. How does the great one preserve and withdraw again? What strengths does he resort to? The supreme Purusha is supreme in his strength. How does he sport himself? How does he directly sport and make others sport? O brahmana! The illustrious Hari is indeed wonderful in his deeds. Even if wise ones try, they find it impossible to comprehend it. He assumes the qualities of Prakriti, simultaneously, or one after another. Though he is one, he assumes many different forms and acts through many different births.”’

  Suta answered, ‘The king thus invited him 507 to speak about Hari’s qualities. Remembering Hrishikesha, he stared to speak.

  ‘Shri-Shuka said, “I again bow down before the supreme Purusha. For the sake of creation, preservation and destruction, he uses his pastimes. He assumes bodies with the three attributes. 508 Though his paths are inconceivable, he is inside all creation. I again bow to the one who removes the afflictions of virtuous ones and curbs the growth of those who are wicked. He is the embodiment of sattva. In particular, if a man is in the paramahamsa state, he is the one who delivers what is being sought. I repeatedly bow down before the bull among the Satvatas. He is far away from those who are critical and practitioners of wrong kinds of yoga. He restrains them through his great tranquility and powers. I bow down to the one who has his own abode in the brahman. Chanting about him, remembering him, glancing towards him, bowing down to him, hearing about him and worshipping him instantly cleanse the taints in the worlds. I bow down to the auspicious one who is heard about. Accomplished ones resort to his feet and with all their inner souls, give themselves up to being attached to him. Without any difficulty, they then attain the state of the brahman. I bow down to the auspicious one who is heard about. Those who are ascetics, those who are givers of alms, those who are illustrious, those who are spirited, those who know about the mantras and those who follow everything auspicious cannot obtain benefit without offering themselves to him. I bow down to the auspicious one who is heard about. Kiratas, Hunas, Andhras, Pulindas, Pulkashas, Abhiras, Kankas, Yavanas, Khasas and others who are wicked are purified by seeking refuge with his devotees. I bow down before Lord Vishnu. He is the supreme lord of those who know about the atman. The three 509 are in him. Dharma is in him. Austerities are in him. Those who are beyond the illusory, Aja, 510 Shankara and the others, go to him and observe his form, which is beyond dispute. May the illustrious one show me his favours. He is the lord of prosperity. He is the lord of sacrifices. He is the lord of subjects. He is the lord of wisdom. He is the lord of the worlds. He is the lord of the earth. He is the lord and refuge of Andhakas, Vrishnis and Satvatas. May the illustrious one, the lord of all those who are virtuous, show me his favours. His lotus feet are thought of in the course of meditation. The wise ones cleanse their wisdom and perceive the truth about the atman. They speak of him as they will. 511 May the illustrious Mukunda show me his favours. In ancient times, he urged and extended memory and Sarsasvati in Aja’s heart and with her own signs, she seemed to be manifested from his mouth. 512 May the bull among all rishis show me his favours. In ancient times, the lord Purusha, who was lying down, created the great elements 513 and manifested himself in them for creation. He used sixteen of his parts to enjoy the sixteen qualities. 514 May the illustrious one decorate my speech. I bow down to Vasudeva and to the illustrious composer. 515 Like liquor, amiable ones drink drops of knowledge that emerged from his lotus-like mouth. O king! This is what Narada asked the one who was born first, the source of the Vedas, 516 and he was informed about this directly by Hari himself.”’

  Chapter 2(5)

  ‘“Narada asked, ‘O god of the gods! O one who created beings! O first one to be born! I bow down before you. Please tell me about the knowledge that instructs a person about how to know the truth about the atman. O lord! What are the forms and manifestations of this creation? How is it preserved? Also tell me the truth about what happens to it thereafter. 517 Tell me the truth about everything. O lord! You know everything about this, the past, the present and the future. Like a myrobalan in your hand, the universe and all knowledge is vested in you. What is your knowledge? What is your support? Who controls you? What is your nature? Do you create beings alone, using your own maya for that creation? Do you create them yourself? There is no defeat in you. Like a spider producing strands without any aid, do you only use your own strength? O lord! I do not know of anyone who is superior, inferior, or equal to you. Everything permanent and transitory, with name, form and qualities, has been created by no one other than you. Controlling yourself, you performed terrible austerities, without suffering from exhaustion. Therefore, should we doubt the existence of a superior? I have asked you about all of this. O one who is omniscient! O one who is the lord of everything! Please explain the truth, so that I am instructed by someone who is learned.’

  ‘“Brahma replied, ‘O child! You are extremely compassionate and curious. O amiable one! You have urged me to show you the valour of the illustrious one. What you have told me about you not k
nowing a person who is superior to me is not false. However, if you only know about me, you only know that much. He illuminates the universe with his rays. It is his manifestations that I manifest. This is like the fire, the moon, the firmament, the planets and the stars reflecting the sun. I bow down to the illustrious one. We meditate on Vasudeva. I am spoken of as the preceptor of the universe. However, his maya is invincible. She 518 is ashamed of remaining in the line of vision. Therefore, evil-minded ones are confounded and said, “This is mine. This is I.” Objects, deeds, time and the natural proclivities of beings are all part of Vasudeva, the supreme brahman. In truth, there is no other objective. The Vedas say that Narayana is supreme. The gods have been generated from Narayana’s body. Narayana is superior to the worlds. 519 Narayana is superior to sacrifices. Narayana is superior to yoga. Narayana is superior to austerities. Narayana is superior to knowledge. Narayana is superior to all destinations. It is because of the glance of the mysterious lord, with everything in his atman, that I have been created and create this creation for the sake of further creation. I have been urged by his glance. He is without qualities. But for the sake of creation, preservation and destruction, the lord has used his maya to assume the three qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas. Though the Purusha is always free, he is bound down in qualities and resorts to action, cause of action, the agent of action, material knowledge and rituals. O brahmana! The illustrious Adhokshaja cannot be perceived through the three attributes. 520 He follows his own path and is the lord of everything and of me. He is the lord of maya and uses his own maya, as he himself wills, for the sake of time, action and deeds. They appear thus and again go back to him. Time leads to a distortion in the qualities, as a consequence of the transformation of nature. After Purusha was manifested, Mahat was born for the sake of action. 521 Mahat was transformed by an increase in rajas and sattva. Subsequently, when nature was suffused with tamas, activities that led to knowledge of material objects came into being. This is known as ahamkara and manifested itself in three forms—vaikarika, 522 taijasa 523 and tamasa. O lord! These are powers of material objects, powers of acting and powers of knowledge. The tamasa transformation led to the creation of the elements, and space was generated. Like the relationship between a seer and the object seen, its 524 form and attributes are the quality of sound. When the sky was transformed, air was generated and its attribute is the quality of touch. Because of what preceded it, it also possesses the quality of sound, and the breath of life, vigour and strength result from it. When air was transformed, time, action and nature followed. Fire and its attribute resulted and there were also the attributes of touch and sound. 525 When fire was transformed, water and its attribute of taste resulted. However, the attributes of form, touch and sound were also assumed. When water was transformed, the earth 526 and its attribute of smell resulted. However, the preceding attributes of taste, form, touch and sound were also assumed. Mind and the ten vaikarika gods were born from vaikarika. These were the ones who presided over the directions, Vayu, Surya, Prachetas, the two Ashvins, and Agni, Indra, Upendra, Mitra and Ka. 527 Through a transformation in taijasa, the five senses were generated, the five that give capacity for knowledge, 528 the five that give capacity for acting, 529 intelligence, the breath of life and energy were generated, such as the sense of hearing, the sense of smell, the sense of sight, the sense of taste, the sense of touch, the sense of speech, the genital organs, the legs and the anus. O excellent brahmana! As long as the elements, the senses, the mind and the attributes were not brought together, it was impossible for the body to be created. Urged by the strength of the illustrious one, they were assimilated with each other. Everything, both the permanent and the temporary, was created. There was an egg that was not manifest, 530 lying down in the water. At the end of one thousand years, the lord of beings made this manifest and infused time, action and nature. Purusha split the egg and emerged, with thousands of thighs, legs, arms and eyes and thousands of mouths and heads. Learned ones think of the worlds being located in his form, there are seven above the waist and there are seven that are below the hips. Brahmanas are Purusha’s mouth and kshatriyas are his arms. Vaishyas are the illustrious one’s thighs and shudras were born from his feet. Bhurloka 531 is thought to be his feet and bhuvarloka is his navel. Svarloka is his heart and maharloka is the great-souled one’s chest. Janaloka is his neck and tapoloka is the area between his breasts. 532 Satyaloka is in his head. Brahmaloka is eternal. 533 O lord! Atala is in his hips and vitala is located in his thighs. The pure sutala is in his knees and talatala is in his shanks. Mahatala is in his calves and rasatala is in the upper parts of his feet. Patala is in the soles of his feet. Thus, Purusha is full of the worlds. There are some people who have thought of the worlds differently. Bhurloka has been thought to be in his feet, bhuvarloka in his navel and svarloka has been thought of as his head.’”’

  Chapter 2(6)

  ‘“Brahma said, ‘His mouth, where Agni resides, is the source of speech. The seven constituents of his body give rise to the chhandas. 534 His tongue is the source of havya, kavya, amrita, food and all flavours. 535 His supreme nostrils are the source of all kinds of vital airs and Vayu. His sense of smell is the source of the two Ashvins, herbs and delightful fragrances. His eyes are the source of form, energy and illumination. The sky and the sun are in his pupils. His ears are the directions and tirthas. His sense of hearing is the source of space and sound. His body is the source of all objects and everything that is auspicious. His skin is the source of touch, Vayu and all kinds of sacrifices. All trees and herbs result from his body hair, such as those that are used for sacrifices. His hair, beard and nails give rise to stone, iron, clouds and lightning. His arms are the guardians of the world, who are the performers of general auspicious deeds. His strides are bhurloka, bhuvarloka and svarloka, and for the sake of benefit and refuge. Hari’s feet are the support for those who want all the excellent objects of desire. His penis is the source of water, semen, creation, rain and Prajapati. His genital organs are the cause of pleasure that comes through offspring. O Narada! His anus is the abode of Yama and Mitra and the place for evacuation. His rectum is said to be the source of violence, Nairitti, death and hell. His back is the source of defeat, adharma and tamas. His arteries and veins are the source of male and female rivers. His bones are the source of mountain ranges. His stomach is known as the source of the unmanifest, the juices in food, the oceans and the destruction of creatures. Purusha’s heart is the source of the mind. Dharma, you, I, the Kumaras, 536 Bhava, 537 knowledge and sattva are dependent on the supreme one’s atman. I, you, Bhava, the sages who are your elders, 538 the gods, asuras, men, nagas, birds, deer, reptiles, gandharvas, apsaras, yakshas, rakshas, 539 the large number of bhutas, serpents, animals, ancestors, Siddhas, vidyadharas, charanas, trees, all the many kinds of creatures that dwell in water, on land and in the sky, planets, nakshatras, comets, stars, lightning, thunder, clouds are nothing but this Purusha. He is the past, the present and the future. He pervades the universe, but is only the length of a span. The sun extends its powers to illuminate what is inside and outside it. In that way, the large Purusha illuminates everything inside and outside. He is the lord of immortality and freedom from fear and transcends mortality and action for fruits. O brahmana! Therefore, the greatness of Purusha is impossible to measure. The learned know him as Sthitipada, 540 since all creatures are established in one of his feet. Immortality, freedom from hardships and freedom from fear are his three heads, which are beyond what is at the top. 541 The three feet that are outside the three worlds 542 are for the ashramas that do not lead to the generation of offspring. 543 There are others who do not follow great vows and are in the householder stage. They are inside the three worlds. The one who pervades the universe is the final destination of both those who control 544 and those who do not control. Purusha is the refuge for both knowledge and ignorance. Virat consists of the elements, senses and qualities and was from the egg. However, just as the sun, which heats th
e universe, is distinct from its rays, he transcends the material of the egg. I was born from the lotus in the navel of the great-souled one. With the exception of the Purusha’s body, I did not know of any other materials that could be used for the sacrifice. O excellent one! For a sacrifice, animals, trees, kusha grass, a sacrificial arena with the best qualities, an auspicious time, other objects, herbs, vegetable products, honey, gold, earth, water, Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, four chief priests for the sacrifice, 545 names that are invoked, 546 mantras, dakshina, 547 vows, a specific order for the gods, kalpa, 548 sankalpa, 549 tantra, specific movements, intelligence, atonement 550 and dedication are necessary. I collected all this material from Purusha’s body. I collected an abundance of these objects from Purusha’s body. Purusha is himself the sacrifice. He is the lord worshipped through the sacrifice. Your nine brothers are Prajapatis. 551 Controlling themselves, they performed the sacrifice to the manifest and unmanifest Purusha. In the course of time, the Manus, other rishis, the ancestors, the gods, daityas and humans performed sacrifices to the lord and worshipped him. Everything in the universe is located in the illustrious Narayana. He is without qualities, but uses his maya to himself assume qualities at the time of creation. I create when I am engaged by him. It is under his control that Hara 552 destroys. He preserves the universe in his form of Purusha. He is the one who wields these three powers. 553 O son! I have told you what you asked me about. The illustrious one exists in everything that one can think of. He is the permanent and the transient. O dear one! No statement of mine has ever been seen to be untrue. My mind does not follow anything that is untrue. My senses are never attracted towards a path that is not virtuous. This is because I attentively hold Hari close to my heart. I am revered because I am full of knowledge and full of austerities. I have been worshipped as the chief of the Prajapatis. I am controlled and accomplished and resort to yoga. However, I do not know how I myself have been created. I surrender myself before his feet, which sever the cycle of life and bring benediction and all that is extremely auspicious. Like the sky, which does not know its limits, he cannot measure the limits of his powers and maya. How can others? You, or I, or Vamadeva 554 do not know his measure. How can other gods? Our intelligence is confounded by his maya. According to our capacities, we can only comprehend what has been created. We and the others chant about his avataras and deeds. But we do not know the truth about him. I bow down to the illustrious one. He is the original Purusha, without birth. From one kalpa to another kalpa, he uses his own atman to create himself within his own atman. He is the preserver and he is the destroyer. He is pure knowledge, existing properly in all of us. He is the absolute truth. He is without beginning and without end. He is without qualities. He is everlasting and without decay. O rishi! When their atmans, senses and bodies become tranquil, sages obtain him. But when one tries to reach him through untenable and distorted arguments, he vanishes. Purusha is the first avatara of the supreme one. Time, nature, qualities, cause, effect, the mind, the elements, transformations, qualities, senses, Virat, 555 Svarat, 556 everything immobile and everything that moves are forms of the great one. I, Bhava, 557 Yajna, 558 these lords of the subjects, 559 Daksha and the others, you and the others, the protectors of svarloka, the protectors of the world of the birds, the protectors of the world of men, the protectors of the nether regions, the lords of gandharvas, vidyadharas and charanas, the protectors of yakshas, rakshas, serpents and nagas, the bulls among the rishis, the ancestors, the Indras among the daityas, the lords of the Siddhas, the Indras among the danavas and all those who are lords of pretas, 560 pishachas, bhutas, kushmandas, 561 aquatic animals and birds and everything else in the worlds that possesses greatness—is endowed with the illustrious one’s energy, mental powers, sensual powers, strength, forgiveness, beauty, modesty, prosperity, intelligence and wonderful complexion, regardless of whether it is with form or without form. He is the ultimate truth. O rishi! The supreme Purusha’s lilavataras 562 are primarily worshipped. Drink in that account, in progressive order, so that all the impurities in the ear are dissolved. It is pleasant to hear.’”’