by Bibek Debroy
Suta said, ‘The king thus spoke to him and asked in gentle words. Badarayana’s illustrious son, who knew about dharma, replied.’
This ends the First Skandha.
Second Skandha
Chapter 2(1): 39 shlokas
Chapter 2(2): 37 shlokas
Chapter 2(3): 25 shlokas
Chapter 2(4): 25 shlokas
Chapter 2(5): 42 shlokas
Chapter 2(6): 45 shlokas
Chapter 2(7): 53 shlokas
Chapter 2(8): 29 shlokas
Chapter 2(9): 45 shlokas
Chapter 2(10): 51 shlokas
Chapter 2(1)
‘Shri-Shuka said, “O king! Since it benefits the world, the question that you have asked is excellent. Men who know about the atman approve of it and it is supreme among all the things that should be heard. O Indra among kings! There are thousands of things that deserve to be heard by men, by those who cannot see the truth about the atman, by householders who are attached to objects that householders are interested in. O king! At night, the lifespan is taken away by sleep or by sexual intercourse and during the day, by the pursuit of artha and the maintenance of the family. A person is attached to the body, children, wife and related things and one’s own soldiers, 431 even though these are not permanent. Though he can see that these will be destroyed, he still does not see. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The illustrious lord, Hari, is in all atmans. Therefore, anyone who desires a state of freedom from fear, should hear about him, chant about him and remember him. Thus, the supreme gain of birth for any man is to remember Narayana at the end. This can be done through samkhya yoga, or by faithfully performing one’s own dharma. O king! Generally, sages withdraw themselves from rules and restraints. Basing themselves on the nirguna, 432 they find delight in describing Hari’s qualities. This Purana named Bhagavata is revered by the brahmanas. 433 At the end of dvapara, I studied this from my father, Dvaipayana. O royal sage! I was firmly established in the nirguna. Even then, I studied this, since my intelligence was attracted to the accounts and pastimes of the one who is described in excellent shlokas. Since you are a devotee of the great one, I will recite it to you. One’s intelligence is then swiftly focused on devotion to Mukunda. O king! If a person has freed himself from worldly objects and desires a state of freedom from fear, and for yogis, the chanting of Hari’s names has been determined as the best mode. If one is inexperienced and distracted, what is the purpose of many years in this world? 434 It is better to try for a single muhurta 435 that is superior. There was a royal sage named Khatvanga, who got to know that he had only one muhurta of lifespan left. He abandoned everything and obtained freedom from fear with Hari. O Kouravya! You have seven days more of your life left. Therefore, you can now perform all the rituals required for welfare in the hereafter. When the end arrives, one should overcome all fear and use the weapon of detachment to sever all desire for the body and anything associated with it. A persevering person must leave home and bathe in the waters of sacred tirthas. He must be seated in a pure and secluded spot, on a seat that has been constructed in the proper way. In his mind, he must practise the three aksharas of the supreme brahman. 436 He must control his mind and his breath and not forget the seed of the brahman. He must use his mind to restrain the organs of the senses, which are like wheels. The intelligence is the charioteer. If the mind is addicted to action, he must use his intelligence to fix it on what is auspicious. Therefore, with undivided consciousness, one must meditate on his 437 body, one limb after another. The mind will then be freed from material objects and none of this will be remembered. On attaining Vishnu’s supreme state, the mind is delighted. The mind and the atman are confounded and distracted by rajas and tamas. However, by focusing on meditation, a persevering person can counter these and destroy the taints caused by these. By practising and meditating in this way, yogis quickly develop the characteristics of bhakti. 438 On perceiving what is beneficial, they seek refuge in yoga.”
‘The king asked, “O brahmana! What is the approved method of practising dharana? 439 What type swiftly removes the impurities from a man’s mind?”
‘Shri-Shuka replied, “One must control the asana and one must control the breathing. 440 One must conquer attachment and conquer the senses. One must use one’s intelligence to fix one’s mind on the illustrious one’s gross form. 441 This special form is the greatest of the great and the universe of past, present and future consequences is clearly manifested in this form. This body is like an egg and is covered in seven sheaths. 442 This is the illustrious one as Vairaja Purusha 443 and he is the object of dharana. Patala is read as the soles of the feet of the creator of the universe, rasatala as his heels, mahatala as his ankles and talatala as the Purusha’s shanks. 444 Sutala constitutes the knees of this universal form, vitala and atala are the two thighs. O lord of the earth! His hips are the surface of the earth 445 and the firmament 446 as the depression of his navel. It is said that the large number of stellar bodies constitute this Purusha’s chest, maharloka is his neck, janarloka is his mouth, taparloka is his forehead and satyaloka is the crest of this thousand-headed one. 447 Indra and the other resplendent gods are said to be his arms, the directions are his ears and sound is his sense of hearing. Nasatya and Dasra 448 constitute the supreme one’s nose. Scent is his sense of smell and the blazing fire is his mouth. His eye pits are the firmament and his eyeballs are the sun. Day and night are Vishnu’s eyelashes. Parameshthi 449 resides in his eyebrows and yawning. Water is his palate and taste is his tongue. Chhandas 450 are said to be the aperture in the infinite one’s head. 451 His large tusks are Yama and the signs of affection are his teeth. His laugh is the maya that maddens people. His sidelong glance is the never-ending creation. Modesty is his upper lip and greed is his lower lip. His chest is dharma and the path of adharma is his back. Brahma is his penis and Mitra and Varuna are his testicles. The oceans are his belly and the mountains are his mass of bones. O Indra among kings! The rivers are his veins and the trees are his body hair. His body is the universe. The wind, infinite in force, is his breath. His movement is the passage of time and his deeds result in the flow of qualities. 452 O noble one of the Kuru lineage! The clouds which carry water are the lord’s hair. The sandhyas are the garments of the supreme one. It is said the unmanifest one 453 is in his heart and the moon is in his mind, which is the store of all kinds of transformations. It is said that Mahat is the power of his intellect. He resides in all atmans and Rudra is in his inner organs. His nails are horses, mules, camels and elephants. Deer and all other animals are his hips. Birds are his wonderful means of expression. Manu is his power of comprehension and he resides in human beings. Gandharvas, vidyadharas, charanas and apsaras 454 are said to be his musical notes and memories. The armies of the asuras are his valour. The great-souled one has the brahmanas as his mouth, the kshatriyas as his arms, the vaishyas as his thighs and the dark-complexioned ones as his feet. 455 All the different categories of gods worshipped under different names constitute his essence. Sacrifices performed with diverse objects constitute his work. I have told you about the way in which the lord’s body is spread out. One should focus dharana on this gross form, using one’s mind and intelligence. There is nothing beyond this. Just as people see their relatives in dreams, this atman experiences everything through his intelligence and encompasses everything. One must worship him, the true one who is the store of bliss. If one does not want one’s own atman to be debased, one should not be attached to anything else.”’
Chapter 2(2)
‘Shri-Shuka said, “In the past, the one who created himself 456 lost his memory. 457 He used this dharana to contemplate and please him and regained his memory. So as to create again, he obtained his infallible vision and could use his intelligence to create everything as it had been earlier. These paths represent the sound of the brahman and are contemplated on by all kinds of meaningless names. 458 Even the wise can circle around amidst these, full of maya, and not attain the desired objective,
like one who is asleep. Hence, a wise and undistracted person must fix his intelligence only on the names that serve the objective. Otherwise, he will endeavour for that which does not achieve the objective. He must consider the exertion made. When one possesses the flat earth, why should one strive for a bed? When one accomplishes the purpose with one’s own arms, what is the need for pillows? When one can use the cups of one’s hands, why does one need different kinds of vessels? When the directions 459 and bark can serve the purpose, why does one need garments? Are there no tattered rags along the path? Do the trees, which support others, 460 not provide alms? Have the rivers dried up? 461 Have the caves been closed? 462 Does the unvanquished one not support those who seek refuge with him? Why should wise people serve those who are blind and insolent because of their wealth? In this way, one must search out the truth in one’s own heart and become successful in pleasing one’s atman by fixing oneself on the illustrious and infinite one. Thus detached, one must always worship the eternal and supreme one, for the sake of being freed from this cycle of life. People fall into the river Vaitarani 463 and are overtaken by repentance because of what they themselves have done. On seeing this, who, except animals, will take the names of things that are not permanent? Some think of Purusha residing in the region of one’s own heart, inside one’s own body, and only a short span in height. They remember and conceive him as a four-armed one, holding a lotus, a chakra, a conch shell and a club. His face is gracious. His lotus eyes are large. His garments are as tawny 464 as the filament of a kadamba flower. He has golden bracelets decorated with expensive jewels. His diadem and earrings sparkle with expensive jewels. There is a blossoming lotus at the centre and the lords of yoga place his delicate feet there. 465 He bears the mark of Shri 466 and wears the Koustubha jewel around his neck. He is beautiful, garlanded with fresh wild flowers. He is adorned with an extremely expensive girdle, rings, anklets, bangles and other ornaments. His glossy and spotless hair is curly and dark blue. His pleasant face is beautiful because of its smile. His generous pastimes, smiles, glances and the movement of his eyebrows indicate his favours. As long as this form can be held in one’s mind through dharana, this is the lord’s form one must look towards and think about. Step by step, one must use one’s intellect to meditate on the limbs of the one who wields the club, from the feet to his smile. After one has successfully meditated on one part, one leaves that and moving up, meditates on another part. In this way, step by step, the intellect is purified. As long as great devotion in the lord of the universe is not generated, the seer of this world and the next must meditate on this gross form of Purusha. After the end of the rituals, he must attentively remember this form. O dear one! Whenever an ascetic desires to give up this world, his mind should not be attached to the time or the place. He must use his mind to control his breath of life and be seated in a pleasant place, without being disturbed. The mind must be controlled through one’s own purified intellect. The kshetrajna must thus be merged into the atman. 467 The persevering person thus merges the atman into the atman. 468 Having obtained tranquility, he ceases from all action. Time, which can control those who do not blink, 469 has no presence there. Nor do the gods who are regarded as the lords of the universe. There is no sattva, rajas or tamas there. There are no transformations there, no primary and secondary. 470 There are those who wish to avoid that which is non-existent. Therefore, they affectionately fix themselves on the supreme feet of the eternal Vishnu and avoid all other kinds of misconception. Step by step, they accept his revered feet in their hearts. Thus should the sage withdraw and base himself, using the strength and insight of his knowledge and regulating his subsistence. He should use his foot to press down on his anus and conquering all exhaustion, race his breath of life up to the six places. 471 He must push it up from the navel to the heart 472 and from there, the sage will take udana up to the chest. Using his intellect, the spirited one will then search out and slowly convey it to the root of the palate. 473 From there, he will then take it up to between the eyebrows. 474 He will be detached and will control the seven outlets. 475 With an unwavering gaze, he must remain in that position for half a muhurta. He will then penetrate the crown of the head 476 and abandoning everything, obtain the supreme. O king! If he desires to go where Parameshthi 477 is, or to the places where those in the sky 478 are said to find their pleasure, or become lord over the eight powers, 479 or attain the qualities, 480 he should go there with his mind and his senses. The lords of yoga are said to be those whose breath of life is inside their atmans and therefore, inside and outside the three worlds, using their learning, austerities, yoga and meditation. Those who pursue action cannot travel in this fashion. O king! Such a person first passes through the sky and reaches the place known as Vaishvanara. 481 He passes through sushumna and the radiant path of the brahman, cleansed of all dirt. 482 Above that, he goes to the shaishumara chakra, which is like the navel of the universe, and is united with Hari. Alone, the atman reaches this subtle and pure form of Vishnu. The learned ones who know about the brahman reach and worship it, delighting themselves there for the duration of one kalpa. At the end of this, they see the universe being consumed by a fire that emanates from Ananta’s 483 mouth. These devout lords of success then dwell in Parameshthi’s abode 484 for two parardhas. 485 There is no sorrow there, nor old age or death. There is no affliction of any kind, with the exception of mental anxiety, resulting out of compassion at the sight of those who do not know about this path and who therefore suffer from the insurmountable miseries of birth and death. In particular, having reached that spot, 486 he is without fear and unites his atman and subtle form with water and slowly thereafter, with fire, energy and wind. In the course of time, he blends with space and merges his atman into that great form. The yogi reaches smell through the sense of smell, taste through the sense of taste, form through sight, the sense of touch through the skin, sound, the quality of the sky, through the sense of hearing and all desires through prana. He withdraws the gross and subtle senses and enters a mental plane that is full of ego and divinity. 487 Having transcended these, he obtains the state of perfect knowledge, where all the qualities are neutralized. The atman finds tranquility in the atman. 488 When everything else ceases, bliss is found in a state of bliss. O dear one! If a person reaches this state of the illustrious one, he does not become attached to this world again. O king! You asked me and I have described to you the eternal path sung about in the Vedas. In ancient times, Brahma worshipped and satisfied the illustrious Vasudeva and was told about this. For those who are wandering around in the circle of existence, there is no other path that is auspicious. By resorting to bhakti yoga, one obtains the illustrious Vasudeva. Attentively, the illustrious Brahma examined all this and the three 489 and determined how the mind could be focused, so that there is affection towards the atman. 490 The illustrious Hari can be discerned in all creatures and in their atmans. Those with insight can see this through their intellect and infer it through the signs. O king! Therefore, among men, everywhere and in every place, with all one’s soul, the illustrious Hari must be heard about, chanted about and remembered. Virtuous ones use their atmans to drink up the immortal accounts about the illustrious one and their organs of hearing become full. If they are again contaminated by material objects, they go to him and climb up to his lotus feet.”’
Chapter 2(3)
‘Shri-Shuka said, “This is what you had asked me about, about what learned men should do, especially men who are about to die. One who desires Brahma’s radiance should worship the lord Brahma, one who desires the senses, Indra and one who desires offspring should worship the Prajapatis. One who desires prosperity should worship the goddess Maya, 491 one who desires energy Vibhavasu, 492 one who desires wealth should worship the Vasus and one who desires valour should worship the valiant Rudra. One who desires food and similar things should worship Aditi, one who desires heaven should worship Aditi’s sons, 493 one who desires a kingdom should worship the Vishvadevas and one who desire
s to control people should worship the Sadhyas. One who desires a long lifespan should worship the two gods, the Ashvins, one who desires health should worship Ila 494 and a man who desires a steady position should worship the earth and the sky, the mothers of the world. One who desires beauty should worship the gandharvas, one who desires women should worship the apsara Urvashi and one who desires suzerainty over everyone should worship Parameshthi. One who desires fame should worship Yajna, 495 one who desires treasures should worship Prachetas, 496 one who desires learning should worship Girisha 497 and one who desires a happy marriage should worship Uma. For the sake of dharma one should worship Uttamashloka, 498 for the sake of offspring and their protection one should worship the ancestors, for the sake of protection one must worship virtuous people and for the sake of spirit one must worship the large number of Maruts. One who desires a kingdom must worship the divinity Manu and one who desires to control spells must worship Nirriti. 499 One who desires objects of pleasure must worship Soma and one who seeks freedom from desire must worship the supreme Purusha. A person who is extensive in intelligence and has no desires, or has satisfied all desires, or desires liberation, must worship the supreme Purusha with intense bhakti yoga. In this world, all the people who worship can obtain many kinds of benefit. However, unwavering devotion to the illustrious one only comes through association with the devotees of the illustrious one. Knowledge comes through the suspension of the circling of qualities and it creates self-satisfaction because there is no attachment to the qualities. This is the approved path of bhakti yoga, which leads to emancipation. 500 Who will withdraw from Hari’s accounts and who will not be attached to them?”’