॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Wednesday, 21 December 2022 V.24 - Description of the nether regions like Patala. Sage Shuka permits himself some commentary on the episode of Bali.
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Sage Shuka describes in this chapter the nether regions, the seven regions called Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala and Pātāla. These are inhabited by serpent-like creatures with extraordinary powers of magic, might, and longevity. These are the abodes of famous serpents like Vasuki and Takshaka. They are extremely violent and poisonous and quarrelsome. They have created worlds of pleasure superior to any heaven and live in total abandon, addicted to sexual pleasures and other excesses. They are afraid of only Bhagavan Maha Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra which can decimate them easily. Even Indra is afraid of them and takes Maha Vishnu's help when needed. They share a chronic animosity towards the gods, sons of Aditi, as they are all offspring of Danu, Diti and so on. Garuda is often their nemesis.
On the planet Atala, the yawning of a demon has produced three kinds of women, called svairiṇī (independent), kāmiṇī (lusty) and puṁścalī (very easily subdued by men). These women capture any stranger who dares enter their domain and subjugate him through sex.
(👆Copied from Shila Prabhupada in parts).
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Below Atala is the planet Vitala, wherein Lord Shiva and his wife Gauri reside. This aspect of Shiva is called Hatakeshwara, as because of their presence, a kind of gold is produced called hāṭaka.
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I give below an interesting section where Sage Shuka muses on the fate and fortune of Mahābali, the great devotee of Bhagavan Maha Vishnu, the grandson of Prahlada himself, who allowed his pride in his generosity to get the better of him momentarily when Maha Vishnu came as Vamana. I have scanned this section from Swami Tapasyanandaji.👇
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Sutala and Mahābali (18-27)
18. Below that is the region called Sutala, where the great one Mahābali, noted for his generosity, lives. In order to help Indra, Lord Mahavishnu was born in Aditi as Vämana and took away the mastery of the worlds from Mahābali by a stratagem. But out of His grace, He sent Bali to Sutala where he lives in the midst of splendour, to which even Indra is a stranger. But in the midst of it all Mahābali continues to worship the Supreme Being by the discharge of his ordained duties as an offering unto Him.
19. This attainment of Sutala cannot be considered a direct result or reward for offering the world to the Lord. For, such a petty worldly fulfilment like the attainment of this subterranean heaven can never be an adequate reward for making an offering of this whole world with firm faith (Sraddha), readiness and concentration, to that Supreme Being Vasu- deva-the soul of all Jivas, the inner pervader, the controller of everything- when he presented himself before Bali as a worthy seeker of a favour. Such a whole-hearted adoration of the Lord should have brought on Bali the bliss of Moksha itself, not the paltry reward of a subterranean heaven.
20-21. By uttering His name once even with a feeling of distress while yawning, falling, or sustaining an injury, a man Overcomes the bondage of Karma, an at- Tainment for which aspirants following the disciplines of Samkhya and Yoga put themselves to endless troubles and difficulties. For making a true devotional and dedicated offering of the whole world to such an exalted Divinity who bestows Himself as also reveals Himself as one's own Self to all great devotees and men of the attainment of the joy of this enlightenment, such a worthless thing as a subterranean heaven is an absolutely incompatible reward.
22. The attainment of prosperity and facilities for enjoyment cannot even be considered a blessing in the case of a devotee; for prosperity is likely to make one forgetful of the Lord. So Mahābali's attainment of the subterranean heaven of Sutala should be attributed to his Prarabdha.
23. Finding no other way, the Lord in this incarnation as Vāmana adopted the stratagem of begging and thereby deprived Mahābali of all his possessions. Mahābali was then bound with the Varuna noose and shut up in a mountain cell. Even then, he says as follows without any dismay:
24. Indra and his trusted adviser Brihaspati are persons with little understanding of what constitutes the highest value of life. Abandoning Him, the Lord, who is the highest end for man to attain, they have utilised Him to get back from me such petty things as the world and its riches. They did not pray to be admitted as His servants. How insignificant is the lordship of these three worlds lasting for the duration of a Manvantara (about 71 Chatur-yugas) before infinite Time which is awe-inspiring to contemplate!
25. My grandfather Prahlada, after his father Hiranyakasipu's death, was offered by the Lord the whole of his patrimony which he could enjoy without fear of any rival, but he did not accept it, as those positions and riches would be disparate from the Lord. He sought only the privilege of being His servant. He is indeed a fortunate person! 26. It is impossible for persons like me, whose tendencies for worldly enjoyments have not been effaced and who have not received the Lord's grace, to think or dream of following the example of that great personage.
27. Later on (in the eighth Skandha) will be told the story of Mahābali, at whose gate stands Maha Vishnu Himself as a gatekeeper!
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तस्यानुचरितमुपरिष्टाद्विस्तरिष्यते यस्य भगवान् स्वयमखिलजगद्गुरुर्नारायणो द्वारि गदापाणिरवतिष्ठते निजजनानुकम्पितहृदयो येनाङ्गुष्ठेन पदा दशकन्धरो योजनायुतायुतं दिग्विजय उच्चाटित: ॥
T: The Lord, overcome by His passionate love for devotees, the Supreme Lord, Sri Hari, Narayana, stands guard, armed with a mace as a gatekeeper outside the abode of his devotee, Mahābali. In that capacity, He threw the ten-headed Ravana several thousand Yojanas away with a flick of his toe when that Rakshasa approached the realm of Mahābali to challenge him in the course of Ravana's ugly march of conquest over the whole universe.
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Then the chapter covers the personality of Rahu. Rahu is a terrible demon disguised as a god and seated between Surya and Chandra at the time Mohini comes to distribute Amrita after the churning of the ocean (this story is narrated in detail later). Rahu is exposed by Chandra and Surya as an imposter in their midst. Mohini strikes him and denies him Amrita. This engenders eternal enmity between him and Surya and Chandra. Sage Shuka says that Rahu tries to swallow the moon or the sun during an eclipse and only the fear of Maha Vishnu's Sudarshana which is released during the eclipse makes him run for his life and end the eclipse. Sage Shuka clarifies that calling it Grahana (swallowing) is the wrong term as Rahu does not succeed in swallowing either the moon or the sun. Interestingly, the idea of interposing the earth and sun/moon and obstructing the view of the other is what astronomers describe as an eclipse. Since Rahu is evil, we are advised to stay indoors and pray to Maha Vishnu during an eclipse.
