The Bhagavata Purana 2 Page 20
This ends the Sixth Skandha.
Seventh Skandha
Chapter 7(1): 47 shlokas
Chapter 7(2): 63 shlokas
Chapter 7(3): 38 shlokas
Chapter 7(4): 46 shlokas
Chapter 7(5): 57 shlokas
Chapter 7(6): 30 shlokas
Chapter 7(7): 55 shlokas
Chapter 7(8): 56 shlokas
Chapter 7(9): 55 shlokas
Chapter 7(10): 71 shlokas
Chapter 7(11): 35 shlokas
Chapter 7(12): 31 shlokas
Chapter 7(13): 46 shlokas
Chapter 7(14): 42 shlokas
Chapter 7(15): 80 shlokas
Chapter 7(1)
The king asked, ‘The illustrious one is himself impartial in his love and is fraternal towards all creatures. For Indra’s sake, why was he partial, killing the daityas? In his atman, he is himself all that is beneficial and should not accomplish the task of the large number of gods alone. Nor should he harbour enmity towards the asuras. He is without gunas and does not suffer from any anxiety. O extremely fortunate one! Therefore, a great doubt has arisen in me about Narayana’s attributes and you should dispel it.’
Shri-Shuka replied, ‘O great king! You have asked a good question about Hari’s wonderful conduct. The glory of the illustrious one enhances devotion towards the illustrious one. His supreme account is chanted about by Narada and the other rishis. After bowing down before the sage Krishna, 640 I will tell you about Hari’s account. He is without gunas and without a beginning. He is not manifest. The illustrious one is superior to Prakriti. Using his own maya, he enters the gunas and causes obstructions against those who cause obstructions. 641 Sattva, rajas and tamas are the attributes of Prakriti and not of the atman. O king! There is no simultaneous increase or decrease in them. According to the guna appropriate for the time, when sattva dominates, the gods and the rishis triumph. When it is rajas, the asuras do so. When it is tamas, the yakshas and the rakshasas do so. The aggregate of fire and the other elements appear as distinct. However, wise and perceptive ones know him as the atman that is within their own atmans. 642 When the supreme atman desires to create bodies, he uses his own maya to create rajas and makes it act. Desiring to act, the lord creates sattva in different forms. When he wishes to withdraw, he creates tamas. O god among men! The lord is the refuge of time. He creates it and makes it move. He is the foremost being and ensures that truth is followed. O king! When sattva dominates, the lord of time indeed seems to be favourable towards the armies of the gods. He loves the gods. Therefore, the one who is extensive in fame destroys the counter armies of the asuras, since rajas and tamas predominate in them. In this connection, the divine rishi 643 happily recited an ancient account, when he was asked by Ajatashatru at the great sacrifice. 644 At that great royal sacrifice, the king witnessed the marvellous incident of the lord of Chedi merging into the body of the illustrious Vasudeva. 645 The divine rishi was seated there, at the sacrifice. The king who was Pandu’s son was surprised in his mind. Therefore, in the presence of all the sages, he asked.
‘Yudhishthira asked, “This is extremely wonderful and is something that even those who are single-minded in devotion find impossible to achieve. The lord of Chedi hated him. Yet, he merged into Vasudeva’s true nature. O sage! All of us desire to know about this. Vena reviled the illustrious one and was brought down by the brahmanas. 646 Even when he was an infant with faltering words, Damaghosha’s son was wicked. 647 Even now, he was intolerant towards Govinda and so was the evil-minded Dantavakra. 648 Both of them repeatedly abused Vishnu, the supreme and undecaying brahman. Why did white leprosy not appear on their tongues? Why did they not become blind and plunge into darkness? While all the worlds looked on, how were they easily absorbed into the refuge that is the illustrious one? This is something that is extremely difficult to obtain. My intelligence is flickering on this account, like a lamp before the wind. O illustrious one! Tell me the reason behind this extraordinary incident.”’
Shri-Shuka said, ‘The illustrious rishi, Narada, heard the king’s words. Pleased, he spoke to him and also made everyone in the assembly hear the account.
‘Narada replied, “O king! Censure and praise and honour and dishonour are for this body. Those without discrimination have thought of this difference between Purusha and Prakriti. O lord of the earth! Violence, pride, punishment and harsh words are misconceptions experienced by beings, because of notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. As long as one is bound to misconceptions, the destruction of the body is identified with the destruction of the one who resides in it. That is not true of those who have a conception of the absolute, the atman who resides everywhere. He is the supreme chastiser, who punishes because chastisement is due, not because he likes violence. Therefore, whether it is because of firm enmity, devotion, fear, affection or desire, as long as one somehow engages with him, he does not treat these differentially. Through firm enmity, a mortal person can become immersed in him, even more than one can through bhakti yoga. That is my considered view. A worm may be confined inside a hole in a wall by a wasp. 649 Because of the fear and rage, it thinks about it and assumes that form. 650 The illustrious lord uses his maya to appear in human form as Krishna. Driven by enmity, they think of him and cleanse their souls. They are many whose minds have been absorbed in the lord because of desire, hatred, fear, love and devotion. They gave up their sins and attained that destination. O lord! The gopis 651 did it through desire, Kamsa through fear, the lord of Chedi and other kings through hatred, the Vrishnis through affection and you 652 through devotion. Vena was attached to Purusha through any of these five means. Therefore, through whatever means, the mind must be immersed in Krishna. O Pandava! The lord of Chedi and Dantavakra were the sons of your mother’s sisters. 653 They were the foremost among Vishnu’s attendants. However, they were dislodged from that position because of the curse of brahmanas.”
‘Yudhishthira asked, “How did this happen? Whose curse could affect Hari’s servants? It seems to be inconceivable that those close to Hari should be born in this way. Those who reside in Vaikuntha’s city are devoid of the body, the senses and the breath of life. You should explain how they came to be bound in an association with the body.”
‘Narada replied, “Once upon a time, Brahma’s sons, Sanandana and the others, were roaming around the three worlds, as they pleased, and went to Vishnu’s world. They had been born before the elders. 654 However, their appearance was like children who were five or six years old. They were naked. Taking them to be children, the two gatekeepers 655 prevented their entry. Angry, they cursed, ‘The two of you do not deserve to reside here. The feet of Madhu’s enemy 656 are free of rajas and tamas. But you are foolish. Therefore, quickly go and assume the wicked species of asuras.’ Thus cursed, they started to fall down from their own abodes. However, those compassionate ones 657 said, ‘You will again return to your world after three births.’ Those two were born as Diti’s sons and were revered by daityas and danavas. Hiranyakashipu was older and Hiranyaksha was younger. In his narasimha form, 658 Hari killed Hiranyakashipu. Assuming the form of a boar, he raised the earth and killed Hiranyaksha. Hiranyakashipu’s son, Prahlada, loved Keshava. Desiring to kill him, he 659 thought of many different kinds of death and injury. But he was serene and impartial, realizing that his atman existed in all creatures. Since he was touched by the illustrious one’s energy, all these efforts could not kill him. Thereafter, these two were born as the sons of Vishrava and Keshini. These two, Ravana and Kumbhakarna, tormented all the worlds. O lord! To free them from the curse, he 660 was born in the form of Raghava. You will hear about Rama’s valour from Markandeya’s lips. Thereafter, these two were born as kshatriyas, the sons of your mother’s sisters. Slain by Krishna’s chakra, they have now been freed from the curse. They were bound by fierce enmity and thought of Achyuta’s glory. They have now again been conveyed to Hari’s side and have become Vishnu’s attendants.”
‘Yudhishthira asked, “Ho
w did he 661 come to hate his beloved and great-souled son? O illustrious one! Also tell me about Prahlada’s devotion to Achyuta.”’
Chapter 7(2)
‘Narada said, “O king! When Hari adopted the form of a boar and killed his brother, Hiranyakashipu grieved and was tormented by rage. He bit his lips in anger. With his eyes blazing in wrath, he looked at the sky, which seemed to be full of smoke. His teeth were terrible and his glance was fierce. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face was impossible to look at. In an assembly of danavas, he raised his trident and spoke these words. ‘O danavas and daityas! O Dvimurdha! 662 O three-eyed Shambara! O Shatabahu! 663 O Hayagriva! 664 O Namuchi! O Paka! O Ilvala! O Viprachitti! O Puloma! O Shakuna and the others! Listen to my words. After that, all of you swiftly do what has to be done. Do not delay. My beloved well-wisher and brother has been slain by inferior enemies. 665 Though Hari should be impartial, he has taken the side of those who worship him. He has given up his own nature and has used his contemptible maya to assume the form of a resident of the forest. 666 Like a child, he has favoured those who worship him. He has been fickle. I will sever his neck with my trident and make copious quantities of blood flow, so that I can satisfy my brother, who thirsted after blood. My distress will also be relieved. The residents of heaven owe their life to Vishnu. When that deceitful and harmful one has been destroyed, it will be as if the root of a tree has been severed and the branches will dry up. While I do this, all of you go to earth, rendered prosperous by the brahmanas and the kshatriyas. Destroy those engaged in austerities, sacrifices, studies, vows and donations. Vishnu’s foundations are based on the rites performed by brahmanas. That being is based on sacrifices and dharma. He is the refuge for the gods, the rishis, the ancestors, beings and dharma. Go to the habitations where there are brahmanas, cattle, the Vedas and the rites of varnas and ashramas. Burn those down and cut down the trees.’ Thus instructed by their master, they lowered their heads and accepted the command. Delighted at the prospect of carnage, they created devastation among the subjects. They burnt down cities, villages, pastures, groves, fields, pleasure grounds, hermitages, mines, settlements of farmers, settlements in the foothills and settlements of cowherds. Some used digging implements to shatter bridges, ramparts and the gates of cities. Some wielded axes in their hands and severed trees that provided means of subsistence. Others used blazing torches to burn down the homes of subjects. Thus, the followers of the Indra among daityas repeatedly persecuted the worlds. The gods abandoned heaven and unnoticed, began to roam around on earth.
‘“Miserable, Hiranyakashipu performed the funeral rites for his brother. He performed water and other rites and comforted his brother’s sons—Shakuni, Shambara, Dhrishta, Bhuta-santapana, Vrika, Kalanabha, Mahanabha, Harishmashru and Utkacha. O lord of men! He knew about what was appropriate for the time and the place. He addressed them, their mother, Rushabhanu, and his own mother, Diti, in the following sweet words. Hiranyakashipu said, ‘O mother! O daughters-in-law! O sons! One should not sorrow over a valiant person. When facing the enemy, the death of brave ones is desired and should be praised. O one who is excellent in vows! 667 Like those who gather together at a place where cool drinking water exists, in this world, beings are driven by destiny and congregate at a single place. Because of their own deeds, they are brought together and drift apart. The atman is always pure and without decay. It goes everywhere and knows everything. It is supreme. The atman assumes many different forms and kinds of life. These gunas are created by maya. Trees seem to move 668 when the water moves. Similarly, when the eyes are in a whirl, the ground is seen to move. The gunas cause this agitation in the mind. The atman is not subject to change. O fortunate one! Though it does not possess the signs of a body, because it assumes the signs of a body, it seems to be agitated. This is the difficulty that the atman confronts. Though it does not possess a physical body, it is identified with the physical body. The agreeable and disagreeable, attachment and detachment, occur in samsara because of karma. Birth, death and many kinds of sorrow are spoken about. These kinds of thoughts occur because of lack of discrimination and because one has forgotten about discrimination. In this connection, an ancient history is recounted. This is about a conversation between Yama and the relatives of a dead person. Listen to it. In the land of Ushinara, there was a king who was famous by the name of Suyajna. When he was slain by the enemies in a battle, his relatives surrounded him. His jewels and armour were strewn around. His ornaments and garlands were dislodged. His heart was pierced by arrows. He was lying down, covered with blood. His hair was dishevelled and his eyes were destroyed. He was still biting his lips in rage. His face, which was like a lotus, was smeared with dust. In the battle, his weapons and arms had been sliced away. Destiny had done this to the king of Ushinara. On seeing the state their husband was in, the queens grieved. They severely struck their breasts with their hands. They repeatedly fell down at his feet and lamented, “O protector! Alas!” They wept loudly, sprinkling their beloved’s lotus feet and their breasts, smeared with red kunkuma, with their tears. Their hair and ornaments were dishevelled. They wept and lamented, creating greater sorrow among the people. “O lord! Alas! Vidhatri is cruel. You have been conveyed to a state that is beyond our range of vision. Earlier, you were the one who ensured subsistence for those in Ushinara. You are now increasing their grief. O lord of the earth! You were grateful. You were our well-wisher. How will we exist without you? O brave one! We wish to serve at your feet. Therefore, we will follow you in whatever direction you proceed.” Clasping their dead husband, they lamented in this way. Though the sun was setting, they did not wish that the funeral rites should be performed. Yama heard the lamentations of the dead person’s relatives. Assuming the form of a boy, he himself arrived there. Yama said, “These people are advanced in age. Despite having seen the ways of the world, they are confused. Men come here and go away from here. In spite of themselves following the same dharma, they are grieving pointlessly. In this matter, we 669 are more fortunate than them. Though we have been abandoned by our mother and father, we do not worry. We are weak and have not been devoured by wolves and other. He who protected us in the womb, will protect us now. Depending on his wishes, the undecaying lord creates, preserves and destroys. O women! The lord is said to play with mobile and immobile objects. The lord preserves and destroys. Even if something is lost along the road, if it is protected by destiny, it remains there. 670 If it is struck by him, it can be destroyed, even if it is at home. Protected by him, even without a protector, a person may remain alive in a forest. But if struck by him, a person may not live, even if he is protected at home. Depending on karma, at the right time, a creature possesses the body of a species, but this does not last all the time. The atman assumes the gunas of Prakriti, but is distinct from them and is not bound by them. This body of a person is caused by delusion, just as different kinds of elements are seen in a house—water, earthen pots and people. At the right time, it is born and destroyed. The fire is seen to be different from the wood. The breath of life is distinct from the body in which it exists. The sky pervades everything, but is not attached to anything. Like that, the being may resort to all the gunas, but transcends them. O foolish people! You are grieving over Suyajna, who is lying down here. But the one who really heard you and replied to you can never be seen. The chief and foremost breath of life in this body is not the listener or the speaker. This body consists of all the sense organs. However, the atman is different from the breath of life and the body. The atman assumes superior and inferior bodies, with different elements, senses, minds and signs. Through its own energy, it obtains these and gives them up. But it is different from these. As long as the atman possesses these signs, it is bound down by karma. Till such time, there are difficulties and hardships, because one follows the engagement with maya. Conceiving, seeing and thinking about these gunas is futile. Everything that results from the senses is false, like desires satisfied in dreams. It is eternal. Those who know this do not g
rieve over what is temporary in this world. However, there are those whose nature it is to grieve and they are incapable of acting against this. There was a fowler who was created as the destroyer of birds in a desolate forest. Here and there, he spread out his net and lured them. He saw a pair of kulinga birds 671 wandering around. The female kulinga was suddenly lured by the fowler. O queens! Controlled by destiny, it was trapped in the net there. On seeing it trapped in this state, the male kulinga bird was extremely distressed. Because of its love, it was miserable, unable to do anything. It lamented piteously. ‘Alas! Destiny is cruel. The lord does not have compassion towards women. I am miserably lamenting. I am distressed. What will I do? I desire that destiny should also take me away. What will I do when half of me has left? If I remain alive, it will be in misery and sorrow. What will I do with this miserable life? These young ones have still not grown their wings. Without their mother, how will I nurture them? Those unfortunate offspring of their mother are waiting in the nest.’ The kulinga bird lamented in this way. Because it was separated from its beloved, its voice choked with tears. The hunter of birds was hidden there. Impelled by destiny, he pierced it with an arrow. O ignorant ones! You are unable to see your own destruction. Even if you grieve over your husband for one hundred years, you will not get him back.” When the child spoke in this way, all of them were struck with wonder. All the relatives realized that everything that was manifested was temporary. Having told them this, Yama vanished from the spot. Suyajna’s relatives carried out the funeral rites. Therefore, do not grieve for yourselves or for others. In this world, who is one’s own? Who is another person? What belongs to one’s own self? What belongs to someone else? The perception of mine and someone else’s results from ignorance in embodied beings.’ Thus, Diti and her daughters-in-law heard the words of the lord of the daityas. They instantly fixed their minds on the truth. She gave up sorrowing on account of her son.”’