The Bhagavata Purana 2

by Bibek Debroy

  Chapter 8(22)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘O king! The asura Bali was thus deceived by the illustrious one. Though he had suffered, his spirit was not diminished. Without being agitated, he replied in the following words. Bali said, “O Uttamashloka! O noble divinity! You said that you think my words have been rendered false. However, I will act so that you are not deceived. Place your third stride on my head. I am not frightened of hell, being dislodged from my position, being bound in a noose, suffering from something that is difficult to counter, lack of riches or punishment inflicted by you. However, I become extremely anxious if I am called ignoble. I think that punishment imposed by the most worthy of persons should be praised more than punishment inflicted by a mother, a father, a brother or a well-wisher. Indeed, indirectly, you have been the best of preceptors for us asuras. Many of us were blind because of our insolence and deviated. You have given us insight. Many among those who are other than gods 1054 were bound firm in enmity towards you. But it is said that they obtained a success that single-minded yogis aspire for. You are extensive in your deeds and I have been imprisoned by you, bound down in Varuna’s fetters. But I am not ashamed or distressed because of that. My grandfather, Prahlada, is revered by your devotees and praised by the virtuous. Having discovered a supreme refuge like you, he was subjected to many kinds of hardships by his own father, who was against you. What use is this body! At the end, it is cast away. What is the use of those who are known as relatives? They are like bandits and plunder one’s riches. What is the point of a wife? She is the reason behind being born in samsara. For a mortal person, what is the point of a house? All this is a wasting of one’s lifespan. My glorious grandfather was deep in his understanding. O supreme one! Having determined this, he sought the eternal refuge of your feet, which offer fearlessness from everything. Even though you had destroyed those on his own side, he was not terrified. Though you are our enemy, destiny has conveyed me to your presence. My prosperity has forcibly been taken away from me. This life is always near death and temporary. However, because the intelligence is stupefied, a person does not comprehend this.” O best among the Kurus! While he was speaking in this way, Prahlada, loved by the illustrious one, arrived there, like the lord of the stars, when it rises.

  ‘The one with an army like Indra’s looked at his own grandfather’s resplendence. He stood there, with eyes that were as large as lotuses. He was tall and attired in yellow garments. His arms were long and his complexion was like that of collyrium. He was chief among those who possessed an auspicious appearance. Bali was restrained in Varuna’s noose and could no longer offer him honours, as earlier. With tears flowing from his eyes, he bowed down his head. His face was cast downwards in shame. The great-minded one 1055 saw Hari, the lord of virtuous people, seated there, served by Sunanda and his other followers. He approached and lowered his head down on the ground. He was overwhelmed with tears and the hair on his head stood up. Prahlada said, “You are the one who granted him the status of Indra and it is appropriate that you should take it away today. I think that you have granted him a great favour. You have dislodged him from the prosperity that was causing his self-delusion. Even a learned person is confounded by it. One can no longer realize the progress of the atman. Therefore, I bow down to you, the lord of the universe. O Narayana! For all the worlds, you are the witness.” O king! Prahlada stood with hands joined in salutation. In his hearing, the illustrious Hiranyagarbha 1056 addressed Madhusudana. O king! On seeing her husband bound down, his virtuous wife was distracted by fear. She approached and joined her hands in salutation before Upendra. 1057 With her face cast downwards, she spoke. 1058 Vindhyavali said, “For the sake of your own pastimes, you have created the three worlds. But there are others, evil in their intelligence, who take themselves to be owners and masters. 1059 You are the creator, preserver and destroyer and there is no one else. They have abandoned their shame and falsely speak of themselves as owners. What can they offer you?” Brahma said, “O creator of creatures! O lord of beings! O god of gods! O one who pervades the universe! Everything has been taken away from him. Free him. He should not be punished any more. He has given everything to you, earth and all the worlds, everything that he won through his deeds. His intelligence is such that without hesitation, he has given you everything, including his own self. Without any deceit, if a person gives you water for washing your feet and devotedly worships you with blades of durva grass, he enjoys himself in the most exalted of destinations. Without any hesitation, this one has given you the three worlds. How does he deserve this suffering?”

  ‘The illustrious one replied, “O Brahma! I show my favours to a person by taking away his riches. Because of these, a person becomes insolent and proud and shows disrespect to the worlds and to me. Because of his own deeds, a jivatman roams around in samsara. Not independent, he goes through births in many different kinds of species. It is only rarely that he is born as a human being. If a person does not possess birth, deeds, youth, beauty, learning, prosperity, riches and pride, that is because of my favours. A person who is devoted to me should not be confused by pride, insolence and birth and various other things that cause these. All these are impediments in the way of what is beneficial. This one is foremost among the danavas and the daityas and has extended his fame. He has also been able to defeat the invincible maya. That is the reason he is not deluded in the midst of this hardship. His wealth has diminished. He has been dislodged from his position. He has been assailed and bound down by the enemy. He has been abandoned by his relatives. He has experienced pain. He has been abused and cursed by his preceptor. But, excellent in his vows, he has not wavered from the truth. Speaking about dharma, I deceived him. However, truthful in speech, he did not abandon it. He has therefore obtained a state that even the immortals find extremely difficult to get. With me as a refuge, he will be the Indra during Savarni manvantara. Till then, he will dwell in Sutala, constructed by Vishvakarma. I cast my glance at those who live there and they do not suffer from mental and physical ailments, exhaustion, laziness, defeat and other such symptoms. O great king! O one with an army like Indra’s! Go there. May you be fortunate. Sutala is desired even by the residents of heaven. Surround yourself with your relatives. Even the lords of the worlds will not be able to vanquish you, not to speak of others. My chakra will destroy all daityas who transgress your commands. I will protect you in every way, with your followers and your possessions. O brave one! I will always be there and you will be able to see me. When you associate with danavas and daityas, if there are any asura sentiments in you, or any anxiety because of that, those will instantly be destroyed when you see me.”’

  Chapter 8(23)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘The great person, revered by all virtuous people, was thus addressed by the ancient Purusha. He joined his hands in salutation, his voice choked and his eyes were full of tears. His words faltering because of his devotion, he said the following. Bali said, “Even an effort of bowing down to you is wonderful. There are those who control themselves and bow down to you in the proper way. However, I have obtained favours that the guardians of the world and the immortals have not obtained earlier. In addition, this has been bestowed on an evil asura like me.” Having said this, he bowed down to Hari, Brahma and Bhava. Freed from the bondage, Bali happily entered Sutala with the asuras. The illustrious one satisfied Aditi and handed over heaven to Indra, who ruled the entire universe according to his wishes. Prahlada heard how his grandson and descendant, Bali, had been freed and had obtained the favours. Filled with devotion, Prahlada said, “Virinchi, Shri or Sharva 1060 have never obtained such a favour, not to speak of others. You have become the protector of the fortresses of the asuras. Your feet are worshipped by all those who are worshipped in the world. O one who grants refuge! Your lotus feet are served by Brahma and the others and they obtain your benedictions. We are wicked in conduct and belong to a deceitful species. Because of your compassionate glances, we have obtained this status. Your deeds are wonderful. Your
yoga maya is infinite. You are accomplished and, in your pastimes, have created the worlds. You are in all atmans and are impartial towards everyone. Though you love your devotees, your nature is not partial. Your nature is like that of a tree that grants all the objects of desire.” The illustrious one replied, “O child! O Prahlada! May you be fortunate. Go to your abode in Sutala. Find delight and happiness with your own grandson and relatives. You will always see me stationed there, with a club in my hand. The great bliss of seeing me will destroy all the bonds of karma.” O king! With his hands joined in salutation, Prahlada, unblemished in his wisdom, agreed and accepted the illustrious one’s command on his head, along with Bali. The lord of all the armies of the asuras 1061 circumambulated the original being. Bowing down and taking his permission, he entered that giant hole.

  ‘O king! Ushanas was nearby, seated amidst the officiating priests and the assistant priests who knew about the brahman. Hari Narayana spoke to him. “O brahmana! Please describe the error in the rites undertaken by your disciple, the performer of the sacrifice. If there are any transgressions in the rites, the moment a brahmana looks at them, they are rectified.” Shukra replied, “How can there be a transgression in the rites when you are the lord of the rites? You are the lord of sacrifices. You represent the sacrifice, when you are worshipped with proper sentiments. There may have been gaps in mantras, tantras, the time, the place and the objects used as oblations. However, as soon as your name is repeatedly chanted, all those gaps are rectified. O lord! Nevertheless, since you have said it, I must act in accordance with your instruction. Supreme benefit accrues to a person who follows your commands.” Having honoured Hari’s command, the illustrious Ushanas, along with the other brahmana rishis, rectified the gaps that had been left in Bali’s sacrifice. O king! In this way, as vamana, Hari begged the earth from Bali. He gave his brother, the great Indra, heaven, which had been taken away from him by the enemy. The lord vamana did this for the welfare of all creatures and to please Brahma, the lord of Prajapatis, the gods, rishis, ancestors, lords of the earth, 1062 Daksha, Bhrigu, Angiras, Kumara, Bhava, Kashyapa, Aditi, the worlds and the guardians of the worlds. O king! Upendra was thought of as the lord of the Vedas, all the gods, dharma, fame, prosperity, everything auspicious, the vows, kalpas, heaven, emancipation and every other purpose. All the creatures were extremely delighted at this. With Brahma’s permission, Indra and the gods, accompanied by the guardians of the world, placed vamana at their head. On a celestial vehicle, they conveyed him to heaven. Protected by Upendra’s arms, Indra obtained the three worlds. He was filled with supreme prosperity and, free of his fear, rejoiced. O king! Brahma, Sharva, Kumara, Bhrigu and the other sages, the ancestors, all the creatures, the Siddhas and those who were on vimanas chanted about and praised Vishnu’s extremely great and extremely wonderful deed, along with Aditi. They then went to their respective abodes. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! I have described everything to you about Urukrama’s conduct. Those who hear this are freed from all sin. It is impossible to recount a full measure of Urukrama’s glory, any more than a mortal person can count the number of particles of dust on earth. “Has such a person been born, or will he be born in the future?” In a mantra, a rishi asked this about Purusha. 1063 If a person hears about this extraordinary deed of Hari, the god of the gods, and about his conduct as an avatara, he goes to the supreme destination. When this is recounted when rites are performed for gods, ancestors or men, the learned say that the rite has been performed well.’

  Chapter 8(24)

  The king asked, ‘O illustrious one! I wish to hear the account of the first avatara of Hari, the performer of wonderful deeds. That is when he used his maya to assume the form of a fish. The form of a fish is condemned by the world. What is the reason why he assumed this? It is said to be contemptible and represents tamas by nature. Why did the lord do this? O illustrious one! You should tell us everything, exactly as it happened. Uttamashloka’s conduct brings happiness to all the worlds.’

  Suta said, ‘Vishnurata asked Badarayana’s illustrious son this and he spoke about Vishnu’s conduct and about why he had assumed the form of a fish.’

  Shuka replied, ‘For the sake of protecting cattle, brahmanas, the gods, the virtuous and the metres and for the sake of dharma and artha, the lord assumed this form. Like the air, the lord moves among superior and inferior creatures. He is nirguna and is not affected by the gunas, even if he adopts a superior or inferior form. O king! At the end of the last kalpa, at the end of Brahma’s day, there was a periodic destruction. The earth and other worlds were inundated by the ocean. The powerful creator succumbed to time and looked for a place to sleep. At that time, Hayagriva emerged from his mouth and coming close to him, stole the Vedas. The illustrious lord Hari got to know what Hayagriva, Indra among danavas, was trying to do. He assumed the form of a small and shiny fish. 1064 At that time, there was a great royal sage named Satyavrata. He was devoted to Narayana and tormented himself through austerities, surviving on water. He was Vivasvat’s son and in this great kalpa, Hari made him the Manu. He is known by the name of Shraddhadeva. Once, in the Kritamala river, 1065 he was performing water rites and offering oblations of water. The shaphari fish appeared in the water in the cup of his hands. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The lord of Dravida offered oblations along with the shaphari that was in the cup of his hands and released it in the waters of the river. In piteous tones, the fish spoke to that extremely compassionate king. “O one who is kind towards the distressed! I am miserable. There are aquatic creatures who kill those who belong to their own species. O king! I am terrified. Why are you releasing me into the river’s waters?” He did not know who it was who had assumed the form of the fish. To show it his favours, he happily made up his mind to save the shaphari. The lord of the earth heard its piteous words. Compassionate, he brought it to his hermitage and placed it in a pot filled with water. Within one night, it had grown inside that kamandalu. Without any space to move, it spoke to the lord of the earth. “It is difficult to live inside the kamandalu. I do not like this. Think of an extremely large body of water, where I can live happily.” He took it from there and flung it inside a well filled with water. Within a muhurta, it increased to a length of three cubits. “O king! This body of water is not sufficient for me to live happily. I have sought refuge with you. Find a larger residence for me.” O king! The king picked it up and flung it into a pond. Covering that entire expanse, it grew into a large fish. “O king! I am an aquatic creature and I am not at ease in this water. It is better to save me by placing me in a lake with unlimited water.” Thus addressed, he took the fish to a lake with unlimited supply of water. When each reservoir of water proved to be limited, 1066 he flung the fish into the ocean. As it was being flung there, it said, “O brave one! There are makaras and other creatures there. They are extremely strong and will eat me up. You should not throw me into this.” Confounded by these words, he asked, “Who are you? Who has adopted this form of a fish to confound me? We have never seen, or heard of, such kinds of powers in aquatic creatures. You have covered a lake that extends for one hundred yojanas in a single day. O supreme being! I bow down to you. You are the lord of creation, preservation and destruction. O lord! You are foremost among those whom devotees approach. You are the destination of the atman. All your pastimes and avataras are for the sake of the welfare of creatures. I wish to know the reason why you have assumed this form. O lotus-eyed one! Worshipping your feet cannot be futile. You are the beloved atman and a well-wisher towards everyone. Virtuous ones like us, who still possess a sense of duality in their atmans, have been able to see you.” At the end of the yuga, the lord of the universe had assumed the form of a fish, desiring to sport in the ocean of destruction. Addressed by the king, desiring to do good to those whom he loves, he spoke to the beloved Satyavrata.

  ‘The illustrious one said, “O destroyer of enemies! On the seventh day from now, the three worlds, earth, heaven and the intervening space between them,
will be submerged in the ocean of destruction. When the three worlds are immersed in that ocean of destruction, sent by me, a giant boat will present itself before you. Ascend that giant boat with all the plants and seeds, inferior and superior and with all kinds of living beings, surrounded by the saptarshis. In it, in that dark and undivided ocean, you will be able to roam easily, because of the radiance of the rishis. The boat will be tossed around by strong winds. But I will present myself. Use the giant serpent 1067 to tie it to my horn. O lord! As long as Brahma’s night lasts, I will roam around, dragging the boat in the deluge, with you and the rishis in it. Because of my favours, my greatness and what is spoken about as the supreme brahman, and all questions about this, will become known to your hearts.”’

  Shuka continued, ‘Having instructed the king in this way, Hari vanished. He waited for the time that Hrishikesha had instructed him about. The royal sage spread darbha grass, with the blades pointing towards the east, and sat facing the north-east. Seating himself, he thought of Hari’s feet, who had assumed the form of the fish. The ocean became turbulent and flooded the ground on all sides. Giant clouds, about to shower down, were seen to increase in size. As he meditated on the illustrious one’s commands, he saw the boat arrive. With the Indras among the brahmanas, and gathering plants and herbs, he ascended it. Delighted, the sages said, “O king! Meditate on Keshava. He will save us from this catastrophe and ensure our well-being.” As the king meditated in this way, in that great ocean, a fish manifested itself. It was golden in complexion and was one million yojanas long. It was golden in complexion. As instructed by Hari earlier, he tied the boat to its horn, using the excellent serpent. Having satisfied himself in this way, he praised Madhusudana. The king said, “Since the beginning, ignorance, which is the root of samsara, efforts and affliction, has been destroyed by knowledge about the atman. You are our supreme preceptor. As you will, you can relieve us from that and bestow emancipation on us. Ignorant people are bound down by the bondage of their karma. Desiring happiness, they conceive karma, but that brings unhappiness. If the intelligence turns towards serving you, you destroy and sever the bondage that is in the heart. You are our preceptor. Your service is like a fire that purifies a lump of precious metal. A person can thereby give up the impurities in his atman and the tamas in his mind. He regains his own original complexion and undecaying form again. You are the supreme lord. You are the preceptor of all preceptors. I think that the gods, preceptors and people, individually or acting collectively, do not possess even a ten thousandth part of Purusha’s favours and powers. You are the lord and I seek refuge with you. A man without eyes asks a blind man to lead him. Like that, ignorant people seek out ignorant preceptors. Your vision is like that of the sun. You see everything. You are a witness to everything. For our own deliverance, we have sought you out as a preceptor. A person 1068 instructs people about wrong methods, whereby they are immersed in a darkness that is extremely difficult to cross. You are without decay. Through you, a person can quickly obtain the infallible knowledge with which he can obtain his own state. You are a well-wisher to all the worlds. You are the beloved lord. You are the atman. You are the preceptor. You are knowledge. You are the desired success. Nevertheless, because they are blind in their intelligence and bound to desire, people do not know you, although you are inside their hearts. You are the supreme divinity. You are the one who should be worshipped. O lord! For the sake of my awakening, I seek refuge with you. O illustrious one! Use the lamp of your words to sever everything futile, the bondage of the heart. Explain your own self to me.” The king addressed the illustrious and original being in this way. In the form of a fish, he was roaming around in that ocean of destruction. He spoke to him about the truth. In particular, he told Satyavrata, the royal sage, about the divine compilation of the Puranas, samkhya, yoga, the rites and the mysteries of the atman. Seated on the boat along with the rishis, he heard what the illustrious one said about the eternal brahman, and all his doubts about the truth of the atman were dispelled. When the deluge was over, Brahma awoke. Hari slew the asura Hayagriva and returned the Vedas to him. King Satyavrata acquired jnana and vijnana. Because of Vishnu’s favours, in this kalpa, he became Vaivasvata Manu. If a person hears the description of the great account about the royal sage Satyavrata and the one who used his maya to assume the form of the fish with the horn, the person is freed from all sins. If a man recites the account of Hari’s avatara every day, all his resolutions are successful and he goes to the supreme destination. Brahma was asleep in the water of destruction and all his powers were dormant. Diti’s son emerged and stole the sacred texts from his mouths. The cause behind everything assumed the form of a fish and killed him, explaining the brahman to Satyavrata and the others. I bow down before him.’