॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Sunday, 8 January 2023 VI.16 - Sage Narada shows Chitraketu the reality of relationships and teaches the prayer that grants him the Darshan of Bhagavan Sankarshana.
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This chapter is full of interesting points. For the mourning king and his family, Narada arranges for the departed Jiva of the young prince to appear. He clarifies that as the transmigratory Jiva, he feels no permanent link to anyone or anything since every experience and association is merely the play of Karma.
Chitraketu stops mourning. The queens who had sinned by poisoning the prince to death atone their sins on the bank of the Yamuna as advised by Sage Angiras.
Once the king gets over his grief through this wisdom, Sage Narada teaches him the sacred prayer to Bhagavan.
Chitraketu pursues that Sadhana for seven days without food in intense Yoga.
Lord Sankarshana grants him the Darshan and reinforces the essence of Srimad Bhagavatam.
In order to facilitate the reading of these powerful shlokas, I have created a slideshow and embedded it. Some are prayers, and some are very insightful philosophical statements.
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Sage Narada is the most resourceful, spiritually advanced, practical and influential game-changer you come across in Srimad Bhagavatam. He decides to bring the Jiva of Chitraketu's dead son to explain in his own way how his death was merely an event to be accepted as the reality of life.
The Jiva is requested to come back to life by Narada as a test. He refuses and speaks high philosophy.
नित्यस्यार्थस्य सम्बन्धो ह्यनित्यो दृश्यते नृषु
T: This transmigratory Jiva wanders from body to body. All the relationships we experience as humans are transitory and unimportant for the final goal of Moksha!
And so on.
Chitraketu stops mourning. The queens who had sinned by poisoning the prince to death atone their sins on the bank of the Yamuna as advised by Sage Angiras.
Once the king gets over his grief through this wisdom, Sage Narada teaches him the sacred prayer to Bhagavan.
The prayer Narada teaches has many verses, I shall quote only two.
ॐ नमस्तुभ्यं भगवते वासुदेवाय धीमहि । प्रद्युम्नायानिरुद्धाय नम: सङ्कर्षणाय च ॥
नमो विज्ञानमात्राय परमानन्दमूर्तये । आत्मारामाय शान्ताय निवृत्तद्वैतदृष्टये ॥
T: "Oh Lord, Oh Supreme Being who are addressed as Om!, I offer my respectful obeisances to You. Oh Lord Vasudeva, I meditate upon You. Oh Lord Pradyumna, Lord Aniruddha and Lord Sankarshana, I offer You my respectful obeisances. Oh reservoir of spiritual potency, Oh supreme bliss, I offer my respectful obeisances to You, who are self-sufficient and most peaceful. Oh ultimate truth, one without a second, You are realized as Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan and are therefore the reservoir of all knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances to You."
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Narada then left with the great Sage Angiras for the Brahmaloka.
Fasting and drinking only water, Citraketu continuously chanted with great care and attention the mantra given by Narada for one week. He became a celestial being, Vidyadhara as a result. He also received the Darshan of Sankarshana.
Sankarshana explained in many verses the eternal truth of creation,who is Bhagavan, and how to attain salvation.
त्वमेतच्छ्रद्धया राजन्नप्रमत्तो वचो मम । ज्ञानविज्ञानसम्पन्नो धारयन्नाशु सिध्यसि ॥
T: "Dear Chitraketu, if you adhere to my instruction, you shall attain supreme knowldge and the wisdom of enlghtenment. "
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
