॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Tuesday, 13 December 2022 V.17 - The description of great rivers like Alakananda (Ganga) and the prayer of Lord Shiva to Bhagavan Sankarshana.
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Sage Shuka launches into a brief narrative of what happened when Bhagavan Maha Vishnu appeared as Vamana at the Yajna of King Bali. When Bali became complacent and offered three foot-measures of land to the midget Brahmin boy, somewhat amused by the "trivial" request, the "Trivial" became the "Trivikrama" or the Infinitely huge Bhagavan whose three foot-measures spanned all creation.
Bhagavan extended His left foot to the top of the universe and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of His big toe. Through the hole, the pure water of the Primordial Ocean entered this universe as the river Ganga. Known as Vishnupadi, since she first washed the Lord's feet before descent, she acquired a pinkish hue (from His coloured nails) and readily sanctified everyone touched by her. Later she received other names like Bhagirathi and Jahnavi. Her final destination would be Dhruva Loka. Dhruva worships the Ganga to this very day and accepts that water on his head with great devotion. He is drenched then in ecstatic devotion to the Bhagavan.
The Saptarshis, the seven great sages who reside below Dhurva Loka, daily wet their matted locks with the holy Ganga as the crown jewel of their spiritual attainment. They hold Bhakti as the summum bonum.
After traversing through Chandra Loka, Ganga enters the top of Mount Meru in Brahma's earthly creation.
She then distributes herself into four major rivers, all traversing the earth to finally merge in the oceans.
This chapter has many descriptions of the four rivers - Sita, Alakananda, Chakshu and Bhadra. I shall confine myself here to the description of the river Alakananda.
तथैवालकनन्दा दक्षिणेन ब्रह्मसदनाद्बहूनि गिरिकूटान्यतिक्रम्य हेमकूटाद्धैमकूटान्यतिरभसतररंहसा लुठयन्ती भारतमभिवर्षं दक्षिणस्यां दिशि जलधिमभिप्रविशति यस्यां स्नानार्थं चागच्छत: पुंस: पदे पदेऽश्वमेधराजसूयादीनां फलं न दुर्लभमिति ॥
T: Thus, too, is the holy river Alakananda, flowing southward and traversing through Brahmapuri and several mountain tops, descending with force on Hemakuta (literally golden peak) and Himakuta (snow peak). She then bathes and suffuses the land called Bharata Varsha. She finally merges in the salty ocean of the south. Persons who come to bathe in this river are fortunate. The merit they gain with that holy bath is comparable fully but with a level of difficulty far less than the great effort needed to perform several Ashwamedha Yajnas and Rajasuya Yajnas!
Many other rivers, both big and small, flow from the top of Mount Meru. These rivers are like daughters of the mountain. They flow to the various tracts of land in hundreds of branches.
Bharata Varsha, among the nine regions (Varshas), is the land of Karma where man makes efforts and secures the results in the here and hereafter, according to his Karma. The other regions are heavenly places with great pleasures and longevity. There are divine gardens of plenty and affording heavenly fauna and flora there.
Showing mercy on His devotees in each of these nine regions, Bhagavan Narayana expands Himself in His fourfold manifestations of Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, to accept the offerings and prayers of His devotees.
One of those Varshas, called Ilavarta or Ila Vrsha (इलावर्त) is the abode of Lord Shiva. There, he is the only male, living with his consort Parvati. All others there are women who serve the Lord. No men dare trespass as they will then become women.
Lord Shiva knows that Sankarshana, representing the Tamasic Guna, is the source of his own manifestation as Shiva. So he worships Him ardently. Here is Shiva's prayer:
श्रीभगवानुवाच
ॐ नमो भगवते महापुरुषाय सर्वगुणसङ्ख्यानायानन्तायाव्यक्ताय नम इति ॥
भजे भजन्यारणपादपङ्कजंभगस्य कृत्स्नस्य परं परायणम् । भक्तेष्वलं भावितभूतभावनंभवापहं त्वा भवभावमीश्वरम् ॥
T: Lord Shiva says, "Oh Bhagavan! Obeisances. You are the Great Spirit, endowed with all glories, limitless and beyond manifestation too. Your feet are most worshippable, and the refuge of all creation. You satisfy by manifesting Yourself in various forms. Oh, my Lord, You deliver Your devotees from the clutches of material existence."
"The Lord is beyond attractions and repulsions that we feel towards objects of His creation. Those who are provoked into anger receive the fruits of such feelings. The Lord is beyond temptation even when women touch His feet with great emotion (for example, the wives of the Kaliya serpent). As Sankarshana, Adi Shesha, You hold upon Your thousand hoods all creation, feeling the burden light like little mustard seeds!"
"From You, oh Lord, Brahma was created. His nature is Rajas. I was created by Brahma, with the nature of Tamas, and am called Rudra. We all function and create the worlds like puppets on a string controlled by You, Oh Lord!"
यन्निर्मितां कर्ह्यपि कर्मपर्वणींमायां जनोऽयं गुणसर्गमोहित: । न वेद निस्तारणयोगमञ्जसातस्मै नमस्ते विलयोदयात्मने ॥
T: Your Maya, oh, Lord, binds us all in the cycle of Gunas and Karmas! Therefore, without Your grace, oh, Lord, we know not how to get out of this cycle! I, therefore, bow down to You as the source of Creation and Dissolution, too!"
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