॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Saturday, 26 November 2022 - Our Master Ishwar Puri-ji's Birthday 🙏🙏🙏
Today I am not doing any new reading.
As we have completed the first four Skandhas of the Srimad Bhagavatam, I am going over the posts of the past 97 days, covering all the Skandhas read so far. I wanted to pick a few highlights to create a perspective of the flow of this greatest of Puranas. I am sure another reader will have his or her own highlights. That's fine!
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The Gita Mahatmyam episode of Bhakti and her sons, Jnana and Vairagya, describes how they were fully restored and cheered up just by the recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam by the great sage, Narada.
भक्तिः सुतौ तौ तरुणौ गृहीत्वा प्रेमैकरूपा सहसाऽविरासीत् । श्रीकरष्ण गोविन्द हरे मुरारे नाथेति नामानि मुहुर्वदन्ती॥
T: Lo and behold, there was Bhakti herself, with her young lustrous sons Jnana and Vairagya, reciting the holy names, "Sri Krishna! Govinda! Hari! Murari!" and so on. So Narada had fulfilled his mission indeed!
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Then we read how Sage Narada advises Maharshi Vyasa to compose the Srimad Bhagavatam to get rid of his disenchantment.
विचक्षणोऽस्यार्हति वेदितुं विभोरनन्तपारस्य निवृत्तितः सुखम् । प्रवर्तमानस्य गुणैरनात्मनस्ततो भवान् दर्शय चेष्टितं विभोः ॥
T: “Only rare souls can practise dispassion and purity as ordained in the Upanishads and attain the bliss of Brahman. For uplifting other, ordinary, souls trapped in this world of attachments, you should write about the Divine Leela manifestations of the Lord.”
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There is a very poignant moment as Sri Krishna takes leave of the Pandavas and Kunti. Kunti thanks Bhagavan Sri Krishna for all that he has done for the Pandavas, and ends her prayer thus:
अथ विश्वेश विश्वात्मन् विश्वमूर्ते स्वकेषु च । स्नेहपाषमिमं छिन्दि दृढं पाण्डुषु वृष्णिषु॥
त्वयि मेऽनन्यविषया मतिर्मधुपतेऽसकृत् । रतिमुद्वहतादद्धा गङ्गेवौघमुदन्वति॥
T: “Therefore, Oh Lord, I conclude my prayer thus. You are the Lord of the Universe, You are the Supersoul in all, and you are manifest in all creation. My prayer is that you cut asunder my filial attachment to Pandavas and Vrishnis, as that attachment is the bondage stopping my spiritual growth. May my mind be single-pointedly and undistractedly immersed in you, Oh Madhupati! Let my devotion be like the Ganga that flows full stream into the ocean unhindered.”
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Sage Shuka tells Parikshit that the best way to spend his last days is in intense prayer:
आत्मा प्रियोऽर्थो भगवाननन्तः तं भजेत संसारहेतूपरमश्च यत्र
T: "Thus, one will now pray to someone dearest in life, namely Bhagavan, the Eternal Lord, and by His grace to get rid of attachments to this world."
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Then we read about Bhagavan’s instruction to Brahma, at the beginning of creation, in Chatusshloki
अहमेवासमेवाग्रे नान्यद् यत्सदसदसत्परम्। पश्चादहं यदेतच्च योऽवशिष्येत सोऽस्म्यहम्॥
ऋतेऽर्थं यत्प्रतीयेत न प्रतीयेत चात्मनि। तद्विद्यादात्मनो मायां यथाभासो यथा तमः॥
यथा महान्ति भूतानि भूतेषूच्चावचेष्वनु। प्रविष्टाप्रविष्टानि तथा तेषु न तेष्वहम्॥
एतावदेव जिज्ञास्यं तत्त्वजिज्ञासुनात्मनः। अन्वयव्यतिरेकाभ्यां यत् स्यात्सर्वत्र सर्वदा॥
T: “Before creation, and after dissolution, I alone was, beyond the gross and subtle aspects of existence. Whatever is created is from Myself, as nothing exists outside of Me, despite appearing to be separate and bound by cause and effect principles.”
“Whatever appears superimposed on Atma remains separate and leaves no residue behind when it goes, leaving Atma alone. This phenomenon is due to My divine power, Maya."
“The great basic elements (Tanmatras) constitute all Nature and combine in various ways, but indeed the basic elements remain separate from the objects of Nature. Similarly, I constitute all beings, by entering into them, and yet I remain pristine as I am not affected by the beings.”
“The seeker of Truth should realize the core essence that remains constant, unaffected and pure, despite being a part of the manifestations during their existence. That core is the Pure Spirit - it is eternal, unaffected and ultimate.”
“Practise the highest samadhi and absorb yourself totally in Me. As such. perform your duties according to my orders, and you shall remain unaffected during all the cycles of creation that you engage in.”
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Then we read about the fantastic Varaha avatara and the Lord's battle with Hiranyaksha.
उत्क्षिप्तवाल: खचर: कठोर: सटा विधुन्वन् खररोमशत्वक् । खुराहताभ्र: सितदंष्ट्र ईक्षाज्योतिर्बभासे भगवान्महीध्र: ॥
T: Varaha flew into the sky, swishing His tail, His hairs quivering, His eyes luminous, as He burst into the clouds, dispersing them, with His hooves and tusks. He was using His smell sense ( as does a boar) to locate where the Earth lay, hidden. Bhagavan, the ultimate Supporter of Earth, then plunged into the ocean at terrific speed.
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Then we read about Kapila Geeta where He instructed Devahuti, His physical mother.
कपिल उवाच
अथ यो गृहमेधीयान्धर्मानेवावसन्गृहे । काममर्थं च धर्मान्स्वान्दोग्धि भूय: पिपर्ति तान् ॥
तच्छ्रद्धयाक्रान्तमति: पितृदेवव्रत: पुमान् । गत्वा चान्द्रमसं लोकं सोमपा: पुनरेष्यति ॥
निवृत्तिधर्मनिरता निर्ममा निरहङ्कृता: । स्वधर्माप्तेन सत्त्वेन परिशुद्धेन चेतसा ॥
T: Kapila said, “ A householder pursuing Artha (economic goals), Kama (sense pleasures) and Dharma (prescribed duties for earning merit) acts consistently out of worldly interest. Such people lack true devotion and detachment and worship the gods/deities (who preside over worldly gains) and their forefathers. They go in their afterlife to the Moon sphere ( a place of pleasures earned through Punya) but return to this world again once the rewards are exhausted. Their condition is eventually one of dissolution and not liberation. This path of the householder is the dark path.”
“In contrast, there are devotees who discharge worldly responsibilities as Swadharma, without attachment, fully immersed in the Lord with purified minds. They reach liberation and do not come back. Their afterlife is spent in Satya Loka, with continued spiritual evolution until the great dissolution when they merge with the Lord. This path of the devotee is the illumined path.”
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Then we read of the episode of Daksha Yajna and how Lord Shiva was insulted. There was mayhem and finally Bhagavan appeared, to correct people's misunderstanding.
अहं ब्रह्मा च शर्वश्च जगत: कारणं परम् । आत्मेश्वर उपद्रष्टा स्वयं दृगविशेषण: ॥
आत्ममायां समाविश्य सोऽहं गुणमयीं द्विज । सृजन् रक्षन् हरन् विश्वं दध्रे संज्ञां क्रियोचिताम् ॥
त्रयाणामेकभावानां यो न पश्यति वै भिदाम् । सर्वभूतात्मनां ब्रह्मन् स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥
T: “ Daksha! I, Lord Brahma, and Lord Shiva are together the supreme cause of creation, the Paramatma, the self-sufficient witness of all. Thus there is no difference between Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Me. I am the original Supreme Being who, in order to create, sustain and dissolve this universe, took these separate forms. One who does not differentiate between us and knows Me as in all living entities attains great peace.”
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Then we read the story of Bhakta Dhruva
योऽन्तः प्रविश्य मम वाचमिमां पर्सुप्तां सञ्जीवयत्यखिलशक्तिधरः स्वधाम्ना।
अन्यांश्च हस्तचरणश्रवणत्वगादीन् प्राणान् नमो भगवते पुरुषाय तुभ्यम् ॥
T: "He, who holds all the Shaktis of the universe in His own divine abode, has entered, enlivened and empowered my dormant speech, as well as all my organs like hands, feet, ears, skin/touch sensation, and my Pranas which make me function. I bow to Him i.e. You, oh Bhagavan, the Ishwara, Purusha, Supreme Being, of the Universe!"
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Then we read about the ideal king, King Prithu.
अहं दण्डधरो राजा प्रजानामिह योजित: । रक्षिता वृत्तिद: स्वेषु सेतुषु स्थापिता पृथक् ॥
य उद्धरेत्करं राजा प्रजा धर्मेष्वशिक्षयन् । प्रजानां शमलं भुङ्क्ते भगं च स्वं जहाति स: ॥
T: "By the grace of the Supreme Lord I have been appointed the king of this planet, and I carry the sceptre to rule the citizens, protect them from all danger, and give them employment according to their respective positions in the social order established by Vedic injunction. If I administer well as a king, the desirable objectives of good rule as set down by the learned will be attained, also by His grace. If a king does not school his people in Dharma, he inherits their misdeeds and loses his own prosperity."
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Then we read how Lord Shiva comes and gives the Rudra Geeta to the Prachetas.
श्रीरुद्र उवाच
जितं त आत्मविद्वर्यस्वस्तये स्वस्तिरस्तु मे । भवताराधसा राद्धं सर्वस्मा आत्मने नम: ॥
T: Lord Shiva or Rudra prayed to Bhagavan: "Glory to You, Supreme among the self-realised! May auspiciousness come to me by Your grace! Even prayers are possible only by Your gracious instructions. You are the Sarvatma (Paramatma) and I bow down to You!"
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Then we read how Sage Narada explains to King Prachinabarhi the way Karma is carried over in transmigration.
मन एव मनुष्यस्य पूर्वरूपाणि शंसति । भविष्यतश्च भद्रं ते तथैव न भविष्यत: ॥
T: "I wish you well, oh, King. Let me emphasise that the composite mind that carries itself through births alone indicates what has been a man's history from past births. That will also indicate what will be his future kind of birth and body and life context!"
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Finally, we read of the Prachetas' request to Bhagavan Sri Maha Vishnu that their only desire is to get the company of true devotees of the Lord in Satsang.
तुलयाम लवेनापि न स्वर्गं नापुनर्भवम्। भगवत्सङ्गिसङ्गस्य मर्त्यानां किमुताशिषः॥
T: "We consider even heaven and liberation to be equal to a trifle blade of grass, when compared to the glory of the company of Your exalted devotees! Hence how can we think of asking for any worldly boons after presenting this desire of ours!?"
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
