॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
11 May 2023, Thursday - Srimad Bhagavatam X.a40 - Akrura makes a fervent prayer to Bhagavan Sri Krishna covering many aspects.
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We saw how Akrura was agog with expectation when he was sent to meet Sri Krishna. We saw how he had the Darshan of Bhagavan as Maha Vishnu. Now Akrura makes an eloquent prayer to Bhagavan, covering His immanence, His grace, and the human condition that requires Bhakti for release.
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अक्रूर उवाच
नतोऽस्म्यहं त्वाखिलहेतुहेतुं नारायणं पूरुषमाद्यमव्ययम् । यन्नाभिजातादरविन्दकोशाद्ब्रह्माऽऽविरासीद्यत एष लोकः ॥
भूस्तोयमग्निः पवनः खमादिर्महानजादिर्मन इन्द्रियाणि । सर्वेन्द्रियार्था विबुधाश्च सर्वे ये हेतवस्ते जगतोऽङ्ग भूताः ॥
नैते स्वरूपं विदुरात्मनस्ते ह्यजादयोऽनात्मतया गृहीताः । अजोऽनुबद्धः स गुणैरजाया गुणात्परं वेद न ते स्वरूपम् ॥
T: Akrura spoke: "Dear Bhagavan, the origin of all origins of creation, my obeisances! You are the Eternal Being, inexhaustible. Brahma was created in Your lotus navel, and he in turn manifested this creation. The five elements - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Ether, as well as the gods, mind, senses, all the objects of senses, and their governing deities are all Your limbs alone! Even Brahma, filled with Rajas, is unable to see Your essence beyond this creation of Gunas! So what is the way?"
त्वां योगिनो यजन्त्यद्धा महापुरुषमीश्वरम् । साध्यात्मं साधिभूतं च साधिदैवं च साधवः ॥
त्रय्या च विद्यया केचित्त्वां वै वैतानिका द्विजाः । यजन्ते विततैर्यज्ञैर्नानारूपामराख्यया ॥
एके त्वाखिलकर्माणि सन्न्यस्योपशमं गताः । ज्ञानिनो ज्ञानयज्ञेन यजन्ति ज्ञानविग्रहम् ॥
अन्ये च संस्कृतात्मानो विधिनाभिहितेन ते । यजन्ति त्वन्मयास्त्वां वै बहुमूर्त्येकमूर्तिकम् ॥
त्वामेवान्ये शिवोक्तेन मार्गेण शिवरूपिणम् । बह्वाचार्यविभेदेन भगवन् समुपासते ॥
सर्व एव यजन्ति त्वां सर्वदेवमयेश्वरम् । येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यद्यप्यन्यधियः प्रभो ॥
T: "Bhagavan, it is interesting how seekers worship You in various ways. There are the Yogis, who see You as the Supreme Being, Ishwara, the Soul, the Material Cause, and the Governing Deity, all in one. Then, those Brahmins who follow Vedic rituals propitiate You as various gods receiving oblations. Then, Jnanis give up all activity to meditate on You as their Inner Soul. The Vaishnava devotees are perfectly happy to worship You ardently with prayers and offerings. I must mention how many worship You as Shiva, Pashupati! There are those who worship specific deities for specific desires to be granted, thinking those deities are separate from You. They don't know You as Sarveshwara, the Lord manifesting as all these deities!"
यथाद्रिप्रभवा नद्यः पर्जन्यापूरिताः प्रभो । विशन्ति सर्वतः सिन्धुं तद्वत्त्वां गतयोऽन्ततः ॥
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति भवतः प्रकृतेर्गुणाः । तेषु हि प्राकृताः प्रोता आब्रह्मस्थावरादयः ॥
तुभ्यं नमस्तेऽस्त्वविषक्तदृष्टये सर्वात्मने सर्वधियां च साक्षिणे ।
गुणप्रवाहोऽयमविद्यया कृतः प्रवर्तते देवनृतिर्यगात्मसु ॥
T: "Lord, all creatures are nourished by You as rivers are fed from rain on the mountains. They all flow in their ways, i.e. prayers, only to the Ocean that is You! The three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, account for all the modifications and appearances of reality we experience. We are all therefore like the threads in a massive cloth called life that You have woven! But indeed You are the Eternal Witness, above and beyond this creation of Yours. My obeisances to You, oh, Bhagavan!"
अग्निर्मुखं तेऽवनिरङ्घ्रिरीक्षणं सूर्यो नभो नाभिरथो दिशः श्रुतिः ।
द्यौः कं सुरेन्द्रास्तव बाहवोऽर्णवाः कुक्षिर्मरुत्प्राणबलं प्रकल्पितम् ॥
रोमाणि वृक्षौषधयः शिरोरुहा मेघाः परस्यास्थि नखानि तेऽद्रयः ।
निमेषणं रात्र्यहनी प्रजापतिर्मेढ्रस्तु वृष्टिस्तव वीर्यमिष्यते ॥
त्वय्यव्ययात्मन् पुरुषे प्रकल्पिता लोकाः सपाला बहुजीवसङ्कुलाः ।
यथा जले सञ्जिहते जलौकसोऽप्युदुम्बरे वा मशका मनोमये ॥
यानि यानीह रूपाणि क्रीडनार्थं बिभर्षि हि । तैरामृष्टशुचो लोका मुदा गायन्ति ते यशः ॥
T: "Lord, I have now an understanding of this creation. Fire is Your face. The earth is your feet. The Sun and the moon are Your eyes. The sky is Your navel! The directions are Your ears, heaven is Your head, the gods like Indra are Your limbs. The ocean is Your stomach. Air is Your breath. Trees and plants are Your body hairs. The clouds are the hair on Your head. Mountains are Your bones and nails. Day and night are Your actions of shutting and opening Your eyelids. Prajapati Bharma who creates progeny is Your reproductive organ, and the rains, Your semen."
नमः कारणमत्स्याय प्रलयाब्धिचराय च । हयशीर्ष्णे नमस्तुभ्यं मधुकैटभमृत्यवे ॥
अकूपाराय बृहते नमो मन्दरधारिणे । क्षित्युद्धारविहाराय नमः सूकरमूर्तये ॥
नमस्तेऽद्भुतसिंहाय साधुलोकभयापह । वामनाय नमस्तुभ्यं क्रान्तत्रिभुवनाय च ॥
नमो भृगुणां पतये दृप्तक्षत्रवनच्छिदे । नमस्ते रघुवर्याय रावणान्तकराय च ॥
नमस्ते वासुदेवाय नमः सङ्कर्षणाय च । प्रद्युम्नायानिरुद्धाय सात्त्वतां पतये नमः ॥
नमो बुद्धाय शुद्धाय दैत्यदानवमोहिने । म्लेच्छप्रायक्षत्रहन्त्रे नमस्ते कल्किरूपिणे ॥
T: "Lord, my prayers to You as wonderful incarnations! As the primordial Matysa (Fish) who roamed the waters before creation. Then The Hayagriva (Horse-head) who saved the Vedas from Madhu and Kaithabha. The Kurma (Tortoise) who lifted the mighty Mandara. The Varaha (Boar) who saved the earth. The mighty Narasimha to remove the fear gripping good people like Prahlada. Then Vamana who measured the universe in three strides as Trivikrama! Parashurama who eradicated the arrogant kings. Sri Rama who came to end the menace of Ravana. Sankarshana Balarama. Now Bhagavan Vasudeva Sri Krishna! Later Buddha who will cleanse the ignorance of demons by preaching non-violence. Finally, Kalki who cleanses the earth of fallen rulers."
भगवन् जीवलोकोऽयं मोहितस्तव मायया । अहम्ममेत्यसद्ग्राहो भ्राम्यते कर्मवर्त्मसु ॥
अहं चात्माऽऽत्मजागारदारार्थस्वजनादिषु । भ्रमामि स्वप्नकल्पेषु मूढः सत्यधिया विभो ॥
अनित्यानात्मदुःखेषु विपर्ययमतिर्ह्यहम् । द्वन्द्वारामस्तमोविष्टो न जाने त्वात्मनः प्रियम् ॥
यथाबुधो जलं हित्वा प्रतिच्छन्नं तदुद्भवैः । अभ्येति मृगतृष्णां वै तद्वत्त्वाहं पराङ्मुखः ॥
नोत्सहेऽहं कृपणधीः कामकर्महतं मनः । रोद्धुं प्रमाथिभिश्चाक्षैर्ह्रियमाणमितस्ततः ॥
\सोऽहं तवाङ्घ्र्युपगतोऽस्म्यसतां दुरापं तच्चाप्यहं भवदनुग्रह ईश मन्ये ।
पुंसो भवेद्यर्हि संसरणापवर्गस्त्वय्यब्जनाभ सदुपासनया मतिः स्यात् ॥
नमो विज्ञानमात्राय सर्वप्रत्ययहेतवे । पुरुषेशप्रधानाय ब्रह्मणेऽनन्तशक्तये ॥
नमस्ते वासुदेवाय सर्वभूतक्षयाय च । हृषीकेश नमस्तुभ्यं प्रपन्नं पाहि मां प्रभो ॥
T: "My dear Bhagavan! We are all lost through Your Maya. We have this "I and Mine" obsession. We are stuck in the cycle of Karma. We think the dreamlike experience of a wife, children, possessions etc. is real. Look at our stupidity. We mistake even suffering to be pleasurable! In this vortex of duality, I am caught and have not prayed to You. I am a traveller who is unable to see the underlying water in a moss-covered lake, and so runs after the mirage in a desert seeking thirst-quenching water. I am missing the true joy of Your presence in my immediate vicinity and running after some fantasy! I am too weak to fight these senses driving me with temptations and am hopeless in saving my mind from delusion. I have somehow now landed at Your feet for shelter, oh, Lord! This is itself by Your grace! By associating with holy men, we turn towards You. Lord, You are Parabrahman, Ishwara, the Cause behind all creation, immanent and controlling all. Yet You are beyond modification and cannot be grasped by thought. I bow down to you, Bhagavan Sri Krishna! Please save me, oh, Lord!"
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
