The Bhagavata Purana 1

by Bibek Debroy

  ‘“The king replied, ‘O brahmana! O illustrious one! I have heard and considered what you have said. The preceptors did not know about this. If they knew, why did they not tell me? O brahmana! You have severed a great doubt that they had created. Even the rishis are bewildered by the state where the senses cease to function. A man may begin an action in this life, but gives up his body. In the next life and in a different body, he reaps the fruits. Everywhere, those who know about the Vedas talk about this principle and it has been heard. It is said that when an act is performed, it is not directly visible.’ 1554

  ‘“Narada said, ‘If an act is begun, a man enjoys the fruits in the next life too. There is no interruption because there is no change in the linga sharira and the mind. When a man lies down, he is sleeping and breathing, but forgets his identity. It is just like that. Action that has been undertaken is enjoyed by a different body. In his mind, a person says, “These are mine. This body is mine.” A man thus accepts the deeds that he has undertaken and this determines the nature of his future birth. One can think of two kinds of consciousness, resulting from the two types of senses. 1555 From the way the consciousness behaves, one can infer the acts undertaken in a former life. Sometimes, we feel something that has not been seen or heard in the present body. Sometimes, in the mind, we see forms that we have not experienced. O king! That is the way the linga sharira determines the creation of the next body. Believe that it must have been experienced before. Otherwise, it would not have touched the mind. The mind indicates the past forms of a man. O fortunate one! It also tells us about who will take birth in the future and who will not take birth. Sometimes, things that have not been seen or not been heard here, are seen by the mind. It must be understood that these have a basis in acts performed in a different place and a different time. All the many acts that progressively come and go are experienced by the mind and the senses. They leave imprints in the minds of people. When the mind is fixed on sattva and one is near the illustrious one, because of the association with him, everything is illuminated. This is like the dark one being seen in the presence of the moon. 1556 As long as a man is not disassociated from notions of “I” and “mine”, the gross body, an accumulation of intelligence, mind, the senses and their objects and gunas, continues. When a person is asleep or unconscious, when there is fever, or when one approaches death, the flow of the breath of life is obstructed and there is no sense of “I” and “mine”. In the womb and in childhood, because the eleven senses 1557 are not fully developed, the linga sharira cannot be seen, just as the moon cannot be seen on the night of the new moon. In the cycle of life, the objects of the senses never withdraw. Even in one’s sleep, one thinks about objects of pleasure, or about catastrophes that might happen. The linga sharira consists of five subtle elements, the three gunas and modifications of the sixteen. 1558 When this is united with consciousness, the jivatman is formed. It is through this 1559 that a body is cast off and a new body taken up. This is the way one obtains joy, misery, fear, unhappiness and happiness. A caterpillar does not give up a blade of grass, but moves on. 1560 Like that, even when a person dies, he does not give up the association with the former body. O Indra among men! Like that, until one has obtained another body, one cannot extinguish one’s karma. The mind is the reason for creatures being born and not being born. When one thinks about the pleasures from the objects of the senses, one frequently performs many kinds of acts. Because of these deeds, one is ignorant and binds oneself to these acts. Therefore, if you wish to counter the objects of the senses, with all your soul, worship Hari. Behold the universe as being under his control. Creation, preservation and destruction are dependent on him.’”

  ‘Maitreya continued, “The illustrious Narada, foremost among the devotees of the illustrious one, instructed him about the destination meant for hamsas. He then took his leave and went to the world of the Siddhas. Prachinabarhi, the royal sage, instructed his sons about protecting the subjects. He then went to Kapila’s hermitage to perform austerities. Free from attachment, with perseverance and single-mindedness, he worshipped Govinda’s lotus feet. With this devotion, he achieved tranquility. O unblemished one! The divine rishi himself sang about adhyatma. If a person hears it or narrates it, he is freed from his linga sharira. This account of Mukunda’s fame purifies the world. It flowed from the mouth of the noble and divine rishi and sanctifies the atman. If a person recounts it, he obtains Parameshthi. Freed from all bondage, he does not circle in the world any more. I have directly heard this extraordinary account of adhyatma. There is no doubt that a man can use this to free himself from association with women.”’

  Chapter 4(30)

  ‘Vidura said, “O brahmana! Earlier, you have spoken about Prachinabarhi’s sons. You told me that they obtained success and satisfied Hari through the prayer sung by Rudra. O Brihaspati’s disciple! They obtained the beloved side of the lord of kaivalya, after having met the god Girisha by chance. Did the Prachetas obtain it in this life, or later?”

  ‘Maitreya replied, “The Prachetas wished to follow the instructions of their father. They entered the water, meditated and performed austerities. They thus satisfied the one who creates all living bodies. After ten thousand years were over, the eternal being appeared before them. His beauty calmed and pacified their hardships. He was astride Suparna’s shoulder, resembling a cloud atop the summit of Meru. He was attired in yellow garments and wore the gem 1561 around his neck. He dispelled the darkness of the directions. He was adorned with shining gold ornaments. His cheeks and face were radiant. His diadem glittered. He held eight weapons. 1562 He was followed and served by his attendants, sages and the foremost ones among the gods. Like a kinnara, Garuda sung his praise. His eight arms were long and thick and Lakshmi was in their middle, close to his chest. He wore a garland of wild flowers and its radiance rivalled that of Shri. Barhishad’s sons surrendered themselves to the supreme being. He glanced compassionately towards them and addressed them in a voice that rumbled like a cloud.

  ‘“The illustrious one said, ‘O fortunate ones! O sons of a king! Ask for a boon. Because of your fraternal relationship, all of you are separately following the same dharma. I am satisfied with your brotherly love. If a man remembers you every day at the time of sandhya, 1563 he will love his brothers like his own self and be affectionate towards all creatures. If a person controls himself and chants Rudra’s prayer in the morning and in the evening, praising me, he will obtain every boon that he desires and excellent wisdom. You have happily accepted and followed the instructions of your father. Therefore, your unmatched glory will spread everywhere in the worlds. You will have a famous son, who will not be inferior in qualities to Brahma. He will populate the three worlds with his descendants. O sons of a king! Through Kandu, Pramlocha had a lotus-eyed daughter. 1564 When she was abandoned by her mother, the trees accepted her. She suffered because of hunger. Driven by compassion, King Soma placed his finger in her mouth and this showered down nectar. You have been instructed by your father, who is my follower, to have offspring. Without any delay, marry that beautiful maiden. All of you follow identical dharma and are equal in good conduct. The slender-waisted one will dedicate herself to you. She will be your wife and will exhibit identical dharma and good conduct. Through my favours, your energy will not diminish and you will enjoy the earth for one million celestial years, enjoying divine objects of pleasure. Because of your single-minded devotion to me, you will not be contaminated by any impurities of the gunas. You will not be associated with hell and will obtain my abode. Even if a man is engaged in the householder state, but is accomplished in his deeds and spends all his time on my accounts, it is considered that he is not bound to the householder stage. If a person increasingly fixes Vishnu in his heart, those who know about the brahman say that this is the realization of the brahman. A person who attains this state does not grieve. He is not delighted or confused.’”

  ‘Maitreya continued, “The bestower of the ultimate goal of life, 1565 Janardan
a, said this. The Prachetas joined their hands in salutation. Having seen him, their impurities of tamas and rajas were destroyed. In faltering words, they prayed to the best of friends.

  ‘“The Prachetas said, ‘We bow down before the one who destroys all hardships. We bow down before the generous one whose qualities and names have been enumerated. You are swifter than the speed of thoughts and words. We bow down before the one whose progress cannot be detected through any of the paths. We bow down before the one who is purity and serenity. You are established in your own position. It is because of the mind that you are manifested in this meaningless appearance of duality. We bow down before the one who creates, preserves and destroys the universe. Through your maya and gunas, you assume different forms. We bow down before the one who is pure sattva. You are Hari. You are the one who destroys the cycle of existence. You are Vasudeva. We bow down to Krishna, the lord of the Satvatas. We bow down before the one with the lotus in his navel. We bow down before the one who wears a garland of lotuses. We bow down before the one whose feet are like lotuses. We bow down before the one whose eyes are like the petals of lotuses. O illustrious one! You are the one who destroys many kinds of miseries and you have revealed yourself to us, who are suffering from hardships. What other kind of compassion can there be? O lord! O destroyer of everything inauspicious! Using our intelligence we must remember you at the right time and conceive you, because it is the truth that you are compassionate towards the distressed. This brings tranquility to creatures, even those who are the most inferior in this world. You are hidden in the inner hearts of everyone. How can you not know what we desire? O lord of the universe! You are the supreme benediction that we desire. O illustrious one! You are the preceptor and the recourse we seek. Show us your favours. O protector! You are the supreme, beyond the supreme. We seek a boon from you. Since there is no end to your powers, you are praised as the infinite one. When the parijata tree is easily obtained, a bee does not frequent any other tree. Since we have directly obtained shelter at your feet, what other boon shall we ask for? As long as we are touched by maya, we will circle around amidst these deeds. In every birth, may we obtain an association with those who are devoted to you. Even for a lava, 1566 we do not regard heaven, or not being born, as comparable to an association with those who are devoted to the illustrious one. What other benedictions can mortals seek? When you are worshipped or talked about, the thirst for material objects is quenched. There is no enmity towards beings and no kind of anxiety there. This is the illustrious Narayana himself, the objective sought by those who have renounced. Those who have been freed from attachment repeatedly praise him through virtuous accounts. Such people roam around your feet, desiring to purify themselves, as at a tirtha. If someone is terrified, why will the assemblage of such devotees not appeal to him? We met the illustrious Bhava, your beloved friend, for a short instant. For those on earth, death is extremely difficult to cure. However, you are an excellent physician and we have now been able to reach you. O lord! Whatever we have studied, whatever good deeds we have always followed to please seniors, brahmanas and the aged, whatever humility we have exhibited towards noble ones, well-wishers and brothers, the lack of envy we have shown towards all beings, whatever excellent austerities we have used to torment ourselves, the fact that we have submerged ourselves in the water and not taken food for a very long time—may all this serve the purpose of your satisfaction. You are the supreme being and this is the boon that we seek. Manu, the illustrious Svayambhu, Bhava and others have purified their hearts with austerities and knowledge. But even they could not comprehend the limits of your greatness. According to our capacity, we chant your praise. We bow down to the one who is impartial and pure, the supreme being. We bow down to Vasudeva, who is sattva incarnate. We bow down to you, the illustrious one.’”

  ‘Maitreya continued, “The Prachetas praised Hari in this way. He was devoted to those who sought refuge and happily granted them what they wished. Their eyes were not satiated from looking at him. Though they did not wish it, the one with unvanquished valour left for his own abode. After this, the Prachetas arose from the water. They saw that the earth was covered with very tall trees that obstructed the space between earth and heaven. They were angry. O king! To remove trees from the earth, like the samvartaka fire 1567 at the time of destruction, they angrily exhaled fire and wind from their mouths. They undertook this task of reducing the trees to ashes. On seeing this, the grandfather arrived there and used his reasoning to pacify Barhishad’s sons. The trees that remained were terrified. Instructed by Svayambhu, they bestowed their daughter on the Prachetas. Following Brahma’s instructions, they married Marisha. Since he had caused an act of great disrespect earlier, the one who had not been born from a womb was now born through a womb. 1568 When Chakshusha manvantara arrives, the progress of time will destroy the earlier creation. Directed by the god, Daksha will then wish to create subjects. While he was being born, his radiance surpassed the energy of all those who possessed energy. Because he was accomplished in his deeds, he came to be known as Daksha. 1569 The one without a beginning 1570 instated him in the task of creating and protecting subjects. He also engaged others and Daksha was made the lord over all these Prajapatis.”’

  Chapter 4(31)

  ‘Maitreya said, “After this, because they remembered what had been said by Adhokshaja, vijnana developed in them. 1571 They entrusted their son 1572 to their wife. They left their home. They left for the shores of the western ocean, where Jajali 1573 had obtained success. They initiated themselves into knowledge about the brahman, so that they developed the intelligence to look upon all creatures as their own selves. They conquered their breath of life, their minds, their thoughts and their visions. They mastered the asanas and their bodies were peaceful and upright. They engaged their minds in the supreme and uncontaminated brahman. Narada, praised by the gods and the asuras, saw them. On seeing him come, they arose, prostrated themselves and greeted him. As was decreed, they worshipped him. When he was happily seated, they spoke to him.