॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
***
श्रीराजोवाच
भगवन्तं हरिं प्रायो न भजन्त्यात्मवित्तमा: । तेषामशान्तकामानां क निष्ठाविजितात्मनाम् ॥
T: King Nimi says, "Perhaps, you realised masters never pray to Sri Hari. But for people who are disturbed by the world and are stuck in Samsara, what is the faith and practice to be followed?"
Sage Chamasa replies tellingly. "There are four orders in society created by the Lord for different vocations - scriptural studies and Yajnas - Brahmins, rulership and administration- Kshatriyas, business, industry and agriculture - Vaishyas, and the working/serving class- Shudras. All are born out of the same Lord, and all should strive for liberation. Anyone who does not pray, whatever may be his status or sense of learning and position and power, is a fool and will slide down in the hierarchy of creation into lower and lower forms of life."
"Those whose position in life prevents them from meeting holy men and seeking the company of ascetics (homebound women, labourers unable to go anywhere except their place of work, sick and destitute people,and so on) must indeed be helped by men of privilege and position like you, oh King!"
"There are three types of people who are misled fallacious understanding. The first are those who pursue Vedic rituals assiduously craving for all the largesse promised as gifts of the gods for material prosperity. They are fools who will be stuck here. Indeed they are so attached to their wives and children and their earthly possessions. They are addicted to sex! They cannot even imagine the state of peace and liberation beyond this life."
"The second type of fallacy is to become addicted to wine and meat, arguing that these are prescribed as offerings in Vedic Yajnas. Indeed these are mentioned therein only to be nominally used(the word used here is smelled) for someone to realise the pitfalls associated with them! All the animals cruelly sacrificed await the man killing them and will surely attack him as spirits when he passes to the next world."
"You can see such people all around. Mocking the Lord and ridiculing holy men come easily to such people who are like rotten apples in society. They even assume they know the scriptures and thus begin to pontificate."
सर्वेषु शश्वत्तनुभृत्स्ववस्थितं यथा खमात्मानमभीष्टमीश्वरम् ।
वेदोपगीतं च न शृण्वतेऽबुधा मनोरथानां प्रवदन्ति वार्तया ॥
T:"Bhagavan is eternally situated within the heart of every embodied being; and yet, the Lord remains situated apart, just as the sky, which is all-pervading, does not mix with any material object. Thus the Lord is the supreme worshippable one and the absolute controller of everything. He is elaborately glorified in the Vedic literature, but those who are bereft of intelligence do not like to hear about Him. They prefer to waste their time discussing their own mental concoctions, which inevitably deal with gross material sense gratification such as sex life and meat-eating."
"The only use of wealth is practising Dharma and charity, for that leads one to dispassion and liberation. Those who think they are doing well to generally follow the threefold path of pious material life, namely religiosity, economic development and sense-gratification, have no mindset to reflect on any higher purpose. So they become the killers of their own soul in their pursuit of the "good life"."
"Remember the Lord's purpose. Whatever possessions one is attached to are taken away in time. One will be plunged into the abyss of darkness by one's material pursuits."
King Nimi wants to know how Bhagavan appeared in the various Yugas and how He was worshipped. Those details are unimportant for our purpose and hence I am skipping to the next big part.
Here are some prayers the Rishis utter.
नारायणाय ऋषये पुरुषाय महात्मने । विश्वेश्वराय विश्वाय सर्वभूतात्मने नम: ॥
T:" Obeisances to Narayana who came as the Rishi Nara-Narayana in Badari. The Supreme Being, who is the Lord of all creation, is immanent, and is the Soul of all."
ध्येयं सदा परिभवघ्नमभीष्टदोहं तीर्थास्पदं शिवविरिञ्चिनुतं शरण्यम् ।
भृत्यार्तिहं प्रणतपाल भवाब्धिपोतं वन्दे महापुरुष ते चरणारविन्दम् ॥
T: "My dear Lord, I pray to Your lotus feet. They are to be worshiiped always, as they avert the cycle of misery here and are the ultimate refuge more sacred as any pilgrimage. Thus, they are worshipped by both Lord Shiva and Brahma. They remove the distress of the downtrodden when they seek their shelter and serve them. Lord, You are the Supreme Person (hence the ultimate one to be worshipped)!"
"Lord, to be with Your devotees, You even gave up the kingship of Ayodhya, much coveted by all. You wanted to please Your dear wife in the forest and went after that magical deer and thus lost her until You had to fight off the Rakshasas and bring her back. What a glorious Leela this was of Yours! My prayers to You!"
कलिं सभाजयन्त्यार्या गुणज्ञा: सारभागिन: । यत्र सङ्कीर्तनेनैव सर्वस्वार्थोऽभिलभ्यते ॥
T: "Oh, King! This Kali Yuga is the most conducive to spiritual effort. If one engages in Sankirtana, singing of the Lord's praises, that is enough! All goals are achieved thereby!"
कृतादिषु प्रजा राजन् कलाविच्छन्ति सम्भवम् । कलौ खलु भविष्यन्ति नारायणपरायणा: ।
क्वचित् क्वचिन्महाराज द्रविडेषु च भूरिश: ॥
ताम्रपर्णी नदी यत्र कृतमाला पयस्विनी । कावेरी च महापुण्या प्रतीची च महानदी ॥
ये पिबन्ति जलं तासां मनुजा मनुजेश्वर । प्रायो भक्ता भगवति वासुदेवेऽमलाशया: ॥
T: "How fortunate is the southern region of India! There are holy men even now there like the exalted saints of the past. Tamraparni, Kritamala, the holy Cauvery, amd so on! On their banks are holy men, and a social order most conducive to prayer. Those who drink their waters are most fortunate!"
"Prayer to Mukunda confers freedom from indebtedness to one's relatives and forefathers even."
***
This conversation between Nimi and the nine sages has been narrated by Sage Narada to Vasudeva. He now concludes that it is Vasudeva's greatest fortune to have raised, along with Devaki, the Lord incarnated as his two sons.
मापत्यबुद्धिमकृथा: कृष्णे सर्वात्मनीश्वरे । मायामनुष्यभावेन गूढैश्वर्ये परेऽव्यये ॥
T: "King Vasudeva, the antics of enemies like Shishupala conferred salvation for them because of their single-minded focus on Sri Krishna. Imagine if one focuses on him with devotion! How enjoyable is the path and how sure is liberation! Remember all this was Bhagavan's Leela. He is Maya Manushya ( not a mere mortal but Bhagavan incarnated with His Maya.). He is hiding His divinity, and His eternity and immutability here!"
Now the principles of spiritual effort have been delineated, and this will help Vasudeva reach liberation.
That is precisely what Vasudeva does thereafter.
श्रीशुक उवाच
एतच्छ्रुत्वा महाभागो वसुदेवोऽतिविस्मित: । देवकी च महाभागा जहतुर्मोहमात्मन: ॥
इतिहासमिमं पुण्यं धारयेद् य: समाहित: । स विधूयेह शमलं ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥
T: Sage Shuka concludes this narrative to Parikshit: "Having heard this from Narada, the greatly fortunate Vasudeva was completely struck with wonder. Thus he and his most blessed wife Devaki gave up all illusion and anxiety that had entered their hearts. Anyone who meditates on this pious history with fixed attention will purify himself of all contamination in this very life and thus achieve the highest spiritual perfection."
***
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
