July 2017 archive

Sankarshanāya namah

The water in this pure lake called Bindu-sarovara is nectarous. Great sages serve this holy lake with utmost devotion. The ashrama of Maharishi Kardama, which was situated on the banks of this lake, was exquisitely decorated with various creepers, flowering plants, and varied fruit and flower bearing trees.

The area reverberated with the sounds of animals and birds that are considered auspicious. Trees that had grown naturally had aligned themselves in beautiful designs. These trees were laden with the flowers and fruits belonging to all seasons. Intoxicated bees buzzed while flying freely amidst these trees. Flocks of intoxicated birds were chirping loudly in excitement. Peacocks were dancing merrily. The melodious calls of the Cuckoos appeared to be welcoming guests into the hermitage.

The hermitage was glowing resplendently with Kadamba, the fragrant jasmine and champaka flowers, pagoda, mango and other trees as well as with hibiscus and plentiful other shrubs.

Deer, ducks, water-hens, swans, cranes and many other birds belonging to different species chirped melodiously. Wild boars, pigs, elephants, mongoose, lions, monkeys, langurs, kasturi and other deer species were wandering leisurely in the precincts of the hermitage.

Manu, the first emperor, who was travelling around the world together with his daughter, arrived at this meritorious and sacred place. As he entered the ashrama of Maharishi Kardama, he saw the saint who was relaxing after having completed the obligatory fire ritual for that day.

Due to his intense austerities undertaken for a very long period of time, Kardama Maharishi’s body was glowing radiantly. With deep love, Srihari had cast His most affectionate glance upon him. Drenched in that loving glance the great sage was totally purified. More importantly, he had heard the nectarous words spoken by the Lord. For all these reasons, even after having performing intense austerities for many many years, he was not emaciated.

Kardama Maharishi was very tall. He had lotus like eyes and long curly braids. He was wearing clothing made of tree barks. Due to his intense austerities he was shining like a polished gem stone.

Emperor Manu entered the hermitage and offered reverential obeisance to the sage. Kardama Maharishi also welcomed the emperor with the customary honours. The King accepted the offerings made by the sage. He then sat on the seat offered to him and in great reverence waited eagerly to hear the saint speak.

Kardama recollected the command issued to him by the Lord. Then lovingly he addressed the emperor and spoke wonderful words, hearing which the emperor was extremely joyful. He said, “O Emperor! Srihari’s power of governance is now in your form. Due to this travel of yours, the tasks of punishing the wicked and protecting the righteous are getting properly executed. This is undoubtedly true.

Yo ’rkendv-agnīndra-vāyūnāṁ yama-dharma-pracetasām

Rūpāṇi sthāna ādhatse tasmai śuklāya te namaḥ

You have assumed the forms of Sun, Moon, Fire, Wind, Indra, Yama, Dharma and Varuna. You are none other than Vishnu. I offer obeisance to you!

O king! When you mount on your gem-studded chariot and travel holding the powerful bow in your hand, sinners shiver. Like the Sun, when you take your limitless army and travel, the earth trembles unable to bear the weight.

If the king abstains from such travel, the wicked begin to rule leading to growth of unrighteousness. The rules of righteousness laid by the Lord for the sustenance of the different castes and stages of life will then get destroyed. Intoxicated by power and royal comforts, if you disregard your kingly duties, then there will be none to control the citizens who, chasing comforts would behave as they please. Unrighteousness will rule under such circumstances. This will lead to destruction of the world.

O Valourous one! I now ask you to tell me the purpose for your visit. What brings you here? Whatever be the task given to me, I shall accept it with a pure heart”.

With this the twenty-first chapter of the third canto comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Twenty two

In this chapter, the conversation between Manu and Kardama, the marriage of Kardama and Devahuti and Manu returning back to his capital city are covered.

Maitreya Maharishi said to Vidura, “Kardama Prajāpati greatly extolled the good noble deeds and the qualities of the emperor who was his guest. The emperor who was deeply touched by all these praises, lowered his head and in all humility addressed the sage and said,

“O great sage! Lord Brahma, the embodiment of Vedas, wanted to ensure the protection of the Vedas in this universe. For this reason, from His face He created you, who are an exponent in penance, knowledge and yoga. You have absolute dispassion towards all forms of comforts. For the well-being and protection of saints like you, the Lord who possesses innumerable feet, has created from his innumerable hands, warriors (kshatriyas) like us.

It is said that Brahmins are the heart and Kshatriyas are the arms of the Universal Lord. Hence Brahmins and Kshatriyas while protecting each other, ensure the protection of the entire universe. The truth however is that the Supreme Lord, who is indestructible and who is both the cause and the effect, is the only one who protects.

O great sage! By merely seeing you, all my doubts have been dispelled. This is because you have directly preached the kingly duties, to me, who am responsible for the protection of the citizens.

Diṣṭyā me bhagavān dṛṣṭo durdarśo yo ’kṛtātmanām

Diṣṭyā pāda-rajaḥ spṛṣṭaṁ śīrṣṇā me bhavataḥ śivam

Those who have not conquered the mind cannot be blessed with your darshan. It is purely God’s grace that I have been able to meet you. It is purely God’s grace that I am able to put the dust of your holy feet upon my head. It is purely due to God’s grace that you have blessed me by imparting the knowledge of kingly duties to me. It is purely God’s grace that the ability to listen attentively to your words has accrued to my ears.

O great saint! Please listen to the prayer of this humble being. This is my daughter. She is the sister of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. My mind is agitated due to my love for my daughter. She desires to marry a person who matches her in age, character and qualities.

O sage! My daughter heard about your age, qualities, character, youthfulness and handsomeness from Maharishi Nārada. From then on she is determined to marry only you. O supreme amongst Brahmins! She will support you in totality in all activities pertaining to the householder’s life. With great dedication I offer her to you. Please oblige”.

Sankarshanāya namah

Sankarshanāya namah.

Kardama Prajāpati continued, “O Lord, this human plane is filled with innumerable desires and is tied with the rope called actions. Accepting the procedure adopted in this world, I too worship You, the embodiment of time, through varied rituals.

O Lord! Even those devotees who are inclined towards material desires withdraw from them and instead choose to sing or listen to Your divine glories. Being totally immersed in Your glorious stories, they forget even the basic needs of hunger and thirst. Under the umbrella called Your lotus feet, they rest happily.

Your wheel of time constantly rotates. Including Adhika māsa (occasional extra month), this wheel has 13 leaves. The 6 seasons are its 6 spokes. On this wheel limitless minutes and seconds are carved. If we consider four months as one set, then a year consists of three divisions. For this reason on this wheel there are 3 primary navel spokes. This wheel moves at unimaginable speeds and takes this world along with it towards destruction. Even then this wheel fails in reducing the longevity of your true devotees.

O Lord! Prior to creation You alone existed. You are the sole refuge and support for māya (illusory power). This illusory power which consists of traits of goodness, action and inertia (sattva, rajas, tamo guna) is not separate from You.

Just as a spider spins its web, You create this world from Yourself through the help of this illusory power, sustain it and then at time of dissolution pull it back into Yourself.

O Sarveshwara! Through the help of Your illusory power, You have expanded this creation which consists of subtle sense perceptions of smell, taste, form, touch and sound and which can be experienced through the medium of the senses. You do not like to gift it to us because You desire to give us, Your devotees, the ultimate gift of Supreme Knowledge. I seek that this creation, which is full of sensory pleasures, should direct me solely towards liberation, which is Your blessing!

This is because I am seeing that divine auspicious form of Yours adorned with the garland of Tulasi leaves which, due to the power of illusion appears to have limitations. The truth is that You are Parabrahma. You are devoid of action. Neither in actions nor in their results You show any inclination. Even then through Your illusory power You manage all the activities in these worlds. Your lotus feet are worthy of being prayed to.

You fulfill the desires of even insignificant persons like me when we pray to You. Again and again I offer my obeisance to You, O Lord”.

In this way, without even a trait of deceit, Kardama Prajāpati, whose heart was overflowing with devotion, glorified Lord Srihari who was seated on His vehicle Garuda.

With His affectionate charming smile Srihari pleasantly looked at Kardama.  Moving His eyebrows gently and lifting His head up, He uttered these words that were extremely nectarous to the ears, “Kardama! I am aware of the desire in Your heart. That, for which you have undertaken this rigorous penance coupled with stringent disciplines, I have already readied for you.

Na vai jātu mṛṣaiva syāt prajādhyakṣa mad-arhaṇam

Bhavad-vidheṣv atitarāṁ mayi saṅgṛbhitātmanām

O Kardama Prajāpati! That worship done with the mind fixed exclusively upon Me will never go in vain. This is even more applicable for supreme beings like you.

Emperor Swayambhuva Manu is the son of Brahma. Seated in Brahmavarta he rules this entire earth consisting of seven continents. He is an exponent in righteousness and is a rāja-rishi (saintly emperor). The day after tomorrow this emperor together with his wife Shatarupa will visit you.

His daughter is of exemplary character and supreme noble qualities. She is of marriageable age. Manu will offer his daughter in marriage to you. O Maharishi! Your deep desire of many years to obtain a suitable wife will be quickly fulfilled. That princess will marry you and will serve you.

You will be blessed with nine daughters. They in turn will marry saints and will be blessed with progeny. You, who have an absolutely pure inner mind, will abide by my order diligently. Offering all actions as well as their fruits to Me, you will attain Me. You will conquer the senses. Being compassionate towards all forms of life you will take up sanyasa ashrama which gives protection to one and all. The knowledge that this entire universe, including you, rests in the Lord will be obtained by you. You will be able to see Me and this universe as the Self.

Sahāhaṁ svāṁśa-kalayā tvad-vīryeṇa mahā-mune

Tava kṣetre devahūtyāṁ praṇeṣye tattva-saṁhitām

O Maharishi! Along with your other children, I will also be born to your wife Devahuti, with my amsha (portion). I will preach the Sānkhya philosophy (Shastra) that explains the Supreme Essence.

Maitreya then said to Vidura, “Vidura! Only when one conquers the senses and they are turned completely inwards, vision of Srihari can be obtained! The Supreme Lord Srihari made Himself visible to Kardama and showered boons upon him. He then left for His abode from that lake called Bindu-sarovara which was surrounded completely by River Saraswati.

Srihari can be obtained purely through the path of knowledge. This is the Vaikunṭha Marga (path). Accomplished beings always follow and glorify this path. As Kardama was watching, Srihari departed on this path to Vaikunṭha. He travelled on this path listening to the Sāma veda recital that arose from the flapping of the Garuda’s wings and to the Rig Veda hymns being chanted by Garuda.

Thereafter Kardama Prajāpati seated in his ashrama located on the banks of lake Bindu sarovara, eagerly awaited the arrival of Emperor Manu.

Around that time, Emperor Manu mounted on his golden chariot, together with his wife and daughter, was travelling across the entire earth. Having completed his austerities Kardama Prajāpati was relaxing in his ashrama. Exactly as predicted by Srihari, on the appointed day, Emperor Manu approached the lake Bindu sarovara.

There is a reason for this lake to be addressed as Bindu sarovara. Srihari’s heart totally melted with compassion when He saw Kardama Prajāpati, who had totally surrendered to Him. His eyes were filled with tear of compassion. These drops fell near the Kardama’s ashrama and a lake was formed. As this lake was formed due to the tears that had dropped from the Lord’s eyes, it was called Bindu sarovara. That ever-pure lake is surrounded by River Saraswati on all sides.

Vasudevaya namah

Vāsudevāya namah

Maitreya Maharishi continued to explain the process of creation, “Kinnara and Kimpuruśas accepted the reflection of Lord Brahma left behind by him. For this reason, in the early hours of the morning as couples they, through their music rendition, glorify Lord Brahma.

Creation did not move quickly. Brahma pondered over this deeply and stretching his legs went into sleep. He who was thus lost in contemplation, was infuriated and suddenly gave up that body. The hair from that body fell down and snakes were born. From the hands and legs that were stretched, cruel venomous snakes with their hoods widely stretched were born.

Now the self-created Lord Brahma observed the creation completed so far. He felt he had accomplished his purpose. Now as the last step he created from his mind, Manu who would further the creation and also sustain it.

The intelligent Lord Brahma gave his body, which was in a human form, to human beings. The Devatas and other celestials, who were already created by then, were immensely pleased with the creation of Manus. They praised him profusely.

Aho etaj jagat-sraṣṭaḥ sukṛtaṁ bata te kṛtam

Pratiṣṭhitāḥ kriyā yasmin sākam annam adāma he

“O Lord Brahma! O creator of the universe! This creation of Yours is superb! Yagnas and other prescribed activities take shelter in this human form. Through them we shall get our share of Yagna offerings”.

Tapasā vidyayā yukto yogena susamādhinā

ṛṣīn ṛṣir hṛṣīkeśaḥ sasarjābhimatāḥ prajāḥ

 Thereafter Lord Brahma, the conqueror of the senses and the first Rishi of this creation, created his favorite children i.e. the Maharishis who had the qualities of penance (tapas), knowledge (jnana), worship (upāsana) and Yoga coupled with absolute concentration in them.

In that body Brahma filled himself with samadhi yoga, anima and other supernatural powers, penance, worship, dispassion and knowledge. He gave away every limb of that body to the Maharishis.

With this the twentieth chapter of the third canto comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Twenty one

In this chapter, the boons given by the Lord to Kardama Maharishi are detailed.

Vidura enquired, “O Maharishi Maitreya! O venerable one! The lineage of Swayambhuva Manu multiplied through the union of man and woman. Please explain to me about this lineage which is deeply revered by even all Maharishis.

His sons Uttānapāda and Priyavrata righteously ruled this earth which consists of seven continents. You had earlier said that his daughter Devahuti was the wife of Kardama Prajapati. Kardama Prajapati is a supreme yogi. His wife Devahuti is an exponent in the practice of Yama and other disciplines. How many children did this pious couple beget? I seek to know this. In addition, Ruci Prajapati and Daksha Prajapati also married other daughters of Manu. They also furthered the creation. Please explain to me this process of creation”.

Maitreya Maharishi replied, “Brahma ordered Kardama for help in furthering the creation. The venerable Kardama, in order to fulfill the order of his father Brahma, meditated on the banks of River Saraswati for 10000 years.

The lotus eyed Lord was immensely pleased with Kardama’s penance. Assuming the form of Sacchidananda (transcendental form), which is extolled by the Vedas, the Lord appeared before him in Krta-yuga. Srihari was shining brightly like the pure Sun. He was wearing a garland of white lotuses. His lotus face was illumined by His thick, dark black hair, His glittering crown and His golden earrings. He was draped in pure clothing.

In His 4 hands He sportily held a conch, discus, white lotus and a mace. His gaze and His charming smile brought joy to the mind. The Lord was situated in space. He had rested His lotus feet on the shoulders of His vehicle, Garuda. The Kausthuba gem glittered on His neck. On His chest, Goddess Lakshmi was shining radiantly. In this manner, the Lord blessed Kardama with His vision.

Kardama Prajapati was supremely happy that his desire was fulfilled. He who was of a loving nature fell on the ground and prostrated to the Lord. His heart was overflowing with devotion. He then folded his palms and prayed,

“O Lord of great renown! O Srihari! You are the refuge for complete traits of purity and goodness (sattva guna). With this vision of Yours, my eyes have fulfilled their purpose. The innumerable meritorious deeds across various births result in the attainment of knowledge. With that firm knowledge they pray seeking to see You.

O Iśwara! Your feet are like the boat that ferry us across the ocean called worldly bondages. Yet, deluded human beings, who are influenced by your illusory power, worship You seeking the fulfillment of trivial desires. In return You bless them by fulfilling their wants. The truth is that these sensory pleasures are available not only in this world but also in hell.

Tathā sa cāhaṁ parivoḍhu-kāmaḥ samāna-śīlāṁ gṛhamedha-dhenum

Upeyivān mūlam aśeṣa-mūlaṁ durāśayaḥ kāma-dughāṅghripasya

O Lord! I also possess an impure mind. I am about to step into the householder’s life (grihasta ashrama). In married life, the wife is like the wish-fulfilling cow. Hence I seek to marry a girl whose nature is suitable to that of mine. You are the Kalpavriksha, the wish fulfilling tree, who fulfills all the desires of the devotees. Your feet are the root for the fulfillment of the four-fold aims of life. I surrender to those holy feet!

O Lord! You are ever pure! You, the protector of living beings, have handed over the preaching known as Vedas to mankind. This human plane is filled with innumerable desires and is tied with the rope called actions. Accepting the procedure adopted in this world, I too worship You, the embodiment of time, through varied rituals”.

Vāsudevāya namah.