॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Tuesday, 7 February 2023 VIII.08 Part 1 - The appearance of Sri Lakshmi Devi and her wedding Bhagavan Maha Vishnu.
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पीते गरे वृषाङ्केण प्रीतस्तेऽमरदानवाः। ममन्थुस्तरसा सिन्धुं हविर्धानी ततोऽभवत् ॥
T: After Bhagavan Shiva had partaken of the Kalakuta poison and saved all creatures, the enthusiasm returned to Devas and Asuras who doubled up their efforts in churning the Milky Ocean. Then. out of the ocean arose Kamadhenu, the divine cow, and she brought with her sacred Agnihotra materials sacred for Yajnas. This was gratefully received by all the Rishis as it was a boon for them in performing Yajnas for Loka Kalyana.
Then arose a divine horse that could fly - Ucchaishravas, milky white like the moon. Maha Vishnu signalled that Indra should not show interest and that would allow King Bali to take him. Bali was most happy to receive the divine horse. Then arose the Airavata, the divine elephant with four tusks and a brightness that excelled that of the snowy Kailasa. This was bestowed on Indra.
Then Kausthubha Mani, the divine Padmaraga stone, emerged. This was accepted by Ajita, i.e. Maha Vishnu Himself. Then emerged Parijata, the divine tree. This was the Kalpavriksha wish-fulfilling tree that was taken and installed by Devas in heaven.
Then emerged Apsaras, celestial damsels of extraordinary beauty, wearing divine garments and sporting garlands, full of grace, charm and the power of enticement through song, dance and whatnot. They would inhabit the celestial spheres.
The emergence of Maha Lakshmi and her wedding Mukunda, Bhagavan Maha Vishnu
ततश्चाविरभूत् साक्षाच्छ्री रमा भगवत्परा । रञ्जयन्ती दिश: कान्त्या विद्युत् सौदामनी यथा ॥
तस्यां चक्रु: स्पृहां सर्वे ससुरासुरमानवा: । रूपौदार्यवयोवर्णमहिमाक्षिप्तचेतस: ॥
तस्या आसनमानिन्ये महेन्द्रो महदद्भुतम् । मूर्तिमत्य: सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा हेमकुम्भैर्जलं शुचि ॥
आभिषेचनिका भूमिराहरत् सकलौषधी: । गाव: पञ्च पवित्राणि वसन्तो मधुमाधवौ ॥
ऋषय: कल्पयांचक्रुराभिषेकं यथाविधि । जगुर्भद्राणि गन्धर्वा नट्यश्च ननृतुर्जगु: ॥
मेघा मृदङ्गपणवमुरजानकगोमुखान् । व्यनादयन् शङ्खवेणुवीणास्तुमुलनि:स्वनान् ॥
ततोऽभिषिषिचुर्देवीं श्रियं पद्मकरां सतीम् । दिगिभा: पूर्णकलशै: सूक्तवाक्यैर्द्विजेरितै: ॥
समुद्र: पीतकौशेयवाससी समुपाहरत् । वरुण: स्रजं वैजयन्तीं मधुना मत्तषट्पदाम् ॥
भूषणानि विचित्राणि विश्वकर्मा प्रजापति: । हारं सरस्वती पद्ममजो नागाश्च कुण्डले ॥
तत: कृतस्वस्त्ययनोत्पलस्रजं नदद्द्विरेफां परिगृह्य पाणिना ।
चचाल वक्त्रं सुकपोलकुण्डलं सव्रीडहासं दधती सुशोभनम् ॥
स्तनद्वयं चातिकृशोदरी समं निरन्तरं चन्दनकुङ्कुमोक्षितम् ।
ततस्ततो नूपुरवल्गुशिञ्जितै- र्विसर्पती हेमलतेव सा बभौ ॥
विलोकयन्ती निरवद्यमात्मन: पदं ध्रुवं चाव्यभिचारिसद्गुणम् ।
गन्धर्वसिद्धासुरयक्षचारणत्रैपिष्टपेयादिषु नान्वविन्दत ॥
नूनं तपो यस्य न मन्युनिर्जयो ज्ञानं क्वचित् तच्च न सङ्गवर्जितम् ।
कश्चिन्महांस्तस्य न कामनिर्जय: स ईश्वर: किं परतोव्यपाश्रय: ॥
धर्म: क्वचित् तत्र न भूतसौहृदं त्याग: क्वचित् तत्र न मुक्तिकारणम् ।
वीर्यं न पुंसोऽस्त्यजवेगनिष्कृतं न हि द्वितीयो गुणसङ्गवर्जित: ॥
कचिचिरायुनं दि शीलमङ्गलं क्वचिच्चिरायुर्न हि शीलमङ्गलं क्वचित् तदप्यस्ति न वेद्यमायुष: ।
यत्रोभयं कुत्र च सोऽप्यमङ्गल: सुमङ्गल: कश्च न काङ्क्षते हि माम् ॥
एवं विमृश्याव्यभिचारिसद्गुणैर्वरं निजैकाश्रयतयागुणाश्रयम् ।
वव्रे वरं सर्वगुणैरपेक्षितं रमा मुकुन्दं निरपेक्षमीप्सितम् ॥
तस्यांसदेश उशतीं नवकञ्जमालां माद्यन्मधुव्रतवरूथगिरोपघुष्टाम् ।
तस्थौ निधाय निकटे तदुर: स्वधाम सव्रीडहासविकसन्नयनेन याता ॥
तस्या: श्रियस्त्रिजगतो जनको जनन्या वक्षोनिवासमकरोत् परमं विभूते: ।
श्री: स्वा: प्रजा: सकरुणेन निरीक्षणेन यत्र स्थितैधयत साधिपतींस्त्रिलोकान् ॥
शङ्खतूर्यमृदङ्गानां वादित्राणां पृथु: स्वन: । देवानुगानां सस्त्रीणां नृत्यतां गायतामभूत् ॥
ब्रह्मरुद्राङ्गिरोमुख्या: सर्वे विश्वसृजो विभुम् । ईडिरेऽवितथैर्मन्त्रैस्तल्लिङ्गै: पुष्पवर्षिण: ॥
श्रियावलोकिता देवा: सप्रजापतय: प्रजा: । शीलादिगुणसम्पन्ना लेभिरे निर्वृतिं पराम् ॥
(The translation largely follows the commentary of Prabhupada).
T: Then there appeared the goddess of fortune, Sri Lakshmi, or Ramaa, who is absolutely dedicated to giving delight to Bhagavan. She appeared like a lightning streak, surpassing the lightning that might illuminate a marble mountain. Because of her exquisite beauty, her bodily features, her youth, her complexion and her glories, everyone, including the Devas, Asuras and human beings, desired her. They were attracted to her as the source of all opulence of every kind.
The King of heaven, Indra, brought a suitable seat for the goddess of fortune. All the rivers of sacred water, such as the Ganga and Yamuna, personified themselves, and each of them brought pure water in golden waterpots for mother Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. Earth became a person and brought all the medicinal plants and herbs needed for installing her as the Deity. The cows delivered their five products. Vasanta personified collected everything produced in spring, during the months of Caitra and Vaishakha [April and May] for her consecration.
The great sages performed the bathing ceremony of Maha Lakshmi as directed in the authorized scriptures, the Gandharvas chanted all-auspicious Vedic mantras, and women adept in dance celebrated her in dance and song prescribed in the Vedas. The clouds in personified form beat various types of drums, known as mridangas, panavas, murajas and anakas (ancient percussion instruments from Vedic times). They also blew conch shells and bugles known as gomukhas and played the flutes and stringed instruments viz. the Veena! The combined music of these instruments was tumultuous.
Thereafter, the great elephants guarding the directions carried big water jugs full of Ganga water and bathed Maha Lakshmi, to the accompaniment of Vedic mantras chanted by learned Brahmins. This was the formal Abhisheka. While thus being bathed, the goddess of fortune maintained her magnificent bearing, with a lotus flower in her hand, and she appeared very beautiful. The goddess of fortune is the most chaste, for she does not know anyone but Bhagavan.
The ocean, which is the source of all valuable jewels, supplied the upper and lower portions of a yellow silken garment for Maha Lakshmi. The predominating deity of the water, Varuna, presented flower garlands so fragrant that they were swarmed by honey-bees.
Vishwakarma, one of the prajapatis, brought varieties of decorated ornaments. The goddess of learning, Saraswati, supplied a necklace, Lord Brahma offered a lotus flower, and the inhabitants of Nagaloka offered earrings.
Thereafter, Maha Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, having been properly celebrated with an auspicious ritualistic Abhisheka, began moving about, holding in her hand a garland of lotus flowers, which were surrounded by humming bumblebees. Smiling with shyness, her cheeks decorated by her earrings, she looked extremely beautiful. Her two breasts, which were symmetrical and nicely situated, were covered with sandalwood pulp and kumkuma powder, and her waist was very slender. As she walked here and there, her ankle bells jingling softly, she appeared like a creeper of gold.
While walking among the Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, Siddhas, Caranas and Devas, Maha Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, was examining them. This was her Swayamvara when she would choose her consort! But she could not find anyone naturally endowed with all good qualities. None of them was devoid of faults, and therefore she could not take any of them.
The goddess of fortune, examining the assembly, thought in this way: Someone here who has undergone great austerity has not yet conquered anger. Someone here possesses the knowledge, but he has not conquered material desires. Someone here is a very great personality, but he cannot conquer lusty desires. Even a great personality who depends on something else - how can he be the supreme controller?
Someone here may possess full knowledge of religion but still not be kind to all living entities. In someone, whether a human or a god, there may be renunciation, but that is not a sufficient cause for liberation. Someone may possess great power and yet be unable to check the power of eternal Time. Someone else may have renounced attachment to the material world, yet he cannot be compared to the Supreme Being, Bhagavan! Therefore, no one is completely freed from the influence of the material modes of nature, i.e. Maya.
Someone may have longevity but not have auspiciousness or good behavior. Someone may have both auspiciousness and good behavior, but his longevity is uncertain. Although such gods as Lord Shiva have eternal life, they have inauspicious habits like living in crematoria. And even if others are well qualified in all respects, they are not devotees of the Supreme Being.
Thus went on the thought process in Maha Lakshmi. Finally, after full deliberation, the goddess of fortune Maha Lakshmi accepted Bhagavan, Mukunda, as her husband because although He is independent and not in want of her, He possesses all transcendental qualities and mystic powers and is therefore the most desirable.
Approaching Bhagavan Maha Vishnu, Maha Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, placed around His neck and shoulders the garland of newly grown lotus flowers, which was surrounded by humming honeybees. Then, expecting to get a place on the bosom of the Lord, she remained standing by His side, her face smiling in shyness.
Bhagavan Maha Vishnu is the father of the three worlds, and His bosom is the residence of mother Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, the dispenser of all opulence. The goddess of fortune, by her favourable and merciful glance, can increase the opulence of the three worlds, along with their inhabitants and their directors, the gods.
The inhabitants of Gandharvaloka and Charanaloka then took the opportunity to play their musical instruments, such as conch shells, bugles and drums. They began dancing and singing along with their wives.
Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, the great sage Angiras, and others controlling various aspects of the universe showered flowers and chanted mantras indicating the transcendental glories of Bhagavan Maha Vishnu.
All the gods, along with the Prajapatis and their descendants, being blessed by Goddess Maha Lakshmi's glance upon them, were immediately enriched with good behaviour and transcendental qualities. Thus they were very much satisfied.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
