August 20, 2017 archive

Vena continued, “O exponents of Veda, henceforth worship me as I am the Supreme Lord. Apart from me in this creation there is none who is entitled to accept Yagna offerings.”

Vena was a sinner whose mind was polluted. His intellect was completely clouded by illusion. Due to treading the wrong path the merit in him was totally eroded. For this reason, despite repeated requests from the Maharishis, he did not fulfill their desire. To be truthful he paid a deaf ear to their advice. Considering himself to be a learned scholar, he boasted and insulted them.

With this the Maharishis were exceedingly incensed. They thought- “He is the worst sinner. Inherently he is wicked. He deserves to be killed. If he is allowed to live he will shortly burn down the entire empire. This wicked man is not eligible to sit on the throne. Shamelessly he condemns the Supreme Lord Srihari, who is the lord for all beings and who is the embodiment of Yagna. This sinner condemns Srihari due to whose grace he is today seated upon this throne and enjoying this power. None apart from Vena can behave in this sinful manner.”

They collectively decided that he should die. For the sin of having condemned Srihari, Vena was as good as dead. Their anger, which until then was suppressed, now broke all barricades and rushed forth in full force. Hence merely hearing the ‘humkara’ sounds made by the Maharishis, Vena died.

Maharishis then returned to their respective hermitages. Mother Suneetha however was deeply saddened at the death of her son. Through the power of mantras and through other measures she safeguarded his body from decay.

Sometime passed. One day the Maharishis bathed in the waters of River Saraswati and completed their fire rituals. Sitting by the banks of the river they were narrating the glories of the Supreme Lord. All of a sudden, many evil omens that caused fear to the world were visible.

Noticing this, the sages were greatly alarmed. They pondered whether some inauspicious disturbances had erupted in the kingdom that was devoid of a king. While they were thus discussing they saw a huge dust storm. This was created by the hundreds of dacoits who were looting and plundering the houses in all directions. The dust storm was so powerful that it enveloped everything.

With Vena’s death, the dacoits, who until then were living in anonymity, began to thrive. Chaotic conditions prevailed throughout the empire. People began to despise and torture one another. Despondency was visible in everyone. Anarchy had spread throughout the kingdom. Citizens had become weak-willed. Afraid that someone could harm them or that some calamity would befall them, they were always apprehensive.

Maharishis observed this. Although they were capable of rectifying this situation they were reluctant as it would be sinful to do so. Hence they did not kill the dacoits who were plundering. They did not directly help the citizens.

Instead they resolved, “If a peace-loving saint, who sees the Lord as pervading everywhere, keeps quiet instead of alleviating the suffering of the helpless, his penance will drain away totally just like the milk kept in a pot that has a hole. Hence it is imperative for us to solve this problem.

The lineage of saintly King Anga should not come to an end. All the kings in this lineage were heroes who had totally surrendered to Lord Srihari. Their prowess was unsurpassed. Therefore, let us re-instate this lineage”.

Having decided this, the Maharishi came to the capital city and vigorously churned the thighs of the dead Vena. A short dwarf boy emerged from the thighs. In complexion he was like a dark crow. His limbs were very short. Jaws were very wide. His eyes were red and he had a flat nose. His hair was in copper colour.

This boy humbly bowed his head and enquired, “O Maharishis, what is my duty?” Maharishis replied, “Niṣīda”, which means ‘please sit down’. For this reason he was named Niṣāda. From him came the entire lineage of hunters known as Naiṣādās who wander in forests and hills. Soon upon birth Niṣāda took over all the sins of Vena.

With this the fourteenth chapter of the fourth canto comes to an end.

Fourth Canto Chapter Fifteen

In this chapter, Prithu emerging from the arms of Vena as they are churned by the Maharishis and he being crowned the king are explained.

Maitreya Maharishi said to Vidura, “Due to absence of a king there was anarchy in the kingdom. In order to restore law and order, the Maharishis collectively churned the arms of the dead Vena. A couple emerged from these arms. Recognizing that this couple was the partial incarnation of Lord Srihari, the Maharishis were pleased.

Eṣa viṣṇor bhagavataḥ kalā bhuvana-pālinī

Iyaṁ ca lakṣmyāḥ sambhūtiḥ puruṣasyānapāyinī

This man has incarnated with the aspect of Srihari for the purpose of ruling this world. Goddess Lakshmi never leaves the side of Lord Srihari, the Supreme Lord. She had incarnated as this woman. This is undoubtedly true.

This man will be the foremost amongst kings. He will be famous throughout as Prithu. This lady, with her beautiful teeth and noble qualities, will actually add beauty to the ornaments she wears. She will be famous as Arci. She will marry Prithu.

Eṣa sākṣād dharer aṁśo jāto loka-rirakṣayā

Iyaṁ ca tat-parā hi śrīr anujajñe ’napāyinī

Aniruddhāya namah

The Maharishis thought, “We appointed Vena as the king. Instead of protecting the citizens he is harming them. But still, let us give him another chance. We will go and advise him. By doing so, we will at least be untouched by the sins being committed by him. Although we were aware that he was wicked, we appointed him the king. He is treading the path of unrighteousness. Let us try to advise him and get him onto the right track”.

Suppose we come to know that an acquaintance of ours is involved in a sinful/ wrong deed. If we do not correct him fearing rebuke or if we allow him to tread the wrong path so as to fulfill our own selfish desires we are committing a mistake. By doing so, a share from his sins get transferred to the persons who did not try to reform him.  Instead if they muster courage and advise him, or setting aside their selfish desires they try to reform him, then his sins do not get transferred to them. This is a dharma Shastra.

Here the sages felt the same. They agreed that by merely watching him go ahead with his atrocious deeds their sins increased. Hence, they decided to advise him and be absolved of these sins.

“As people have deserted him, he is as good as dead” they thought. “Hence if he pays a deaf ear to our advice, we shall use our radiance and reduce him to ashes” they concluded.

In great sages, their anger is always hidden. Having come to a conclusion, they collectively approached Vena. Without revealing their anger, they at first pleased him with delightful words. Thereafter they said,

“O Emperor! We are here to make a small request. If you abide by our advice, your longevity, fame, strength and prosperity shall multiply. Hence please listen attentively.

Dharma ācaritaḥ puṁsāṁ vāṅ-manaḥ-kāya-buddhibhiḥ

Lokān viśokān vitaraty athānantyam asaṅginām

Using his intelligence, the person should decisively understand the principles of righteousness (dharma). With total purity of mind, body and speech he should diligently abide by them. The person who strictly follows this will not face any grief either in this world or in the next. In addition, dharma takes persons who are unattached to materialistic comforts and who adopt a selfless attitude towards liberation!

O valiant king! The satisfaction and security enjoyed by the citizens is a proof of the degree of righteousness being adhered to by the king. May such dharma never get depleted in you! The king who does not abide by this dharma will lose all his power and wealth and will fall down.

While protecting the citizens from dacoits and from evil-minded ministers, the king should righteously recover taxes from them. The king who follows this principle will enjoy comforts not only in this world but also in the next.

The King should ensure that not only in the capital city but also in other towns and cities, the citizens abide by their own applicable dharma (swadharma), that they diligently complete their allocated duties and that they engage in worshipping Lord Srihari who is the embodiment of Yagna. The king who successfully accomplishes this would have followed the orders of the Lord.

Srihari, the ruler of all living beings, resides as the Self in every heart. Lord Srihari will be supremely pleased with the king who has dutifully abided by His orders. Srihari is the Lord for all the worlds. He is also the Lord for the Guardian-deities of all these worlds. When such Supreme Lord Srihari is pleased, there is nothing that the devotee cannot achieve. This is because all living beings, including the Guardian-deities, devotionally offer worship to this Lord Srihari. For this reason, when He is happy anything and everything can be achieved.

O King! Srihari who is the embodiment of Vedas and who is extensively extolled in the Vedas, regulates all the worlds, the Guardian-deities of the worlds and the Yagna activities which bestow fruits upon the performer. This Lord exists in the form of all Yagna ingredients. Penance too is His form!

O king, you were born only because people worshipped Lord Srihari, through innumerable Yagnas. He is the cause for your prosperity. Therefore, like your countrymen you too should adore that Lord. O king, please ensure that His Yagnas are widely conducted throughout your empire. It will bless you with auspiciousness.

O valiant one! In your empire, Brahmins who are well-versed in Vedas are, through the process of Yagna diligently worshipping the Devatas who are none other than incarnations of the Supreme Lord Srihari. Satisfied with their prayers, the Devatas are fulfilling your desires. Hence it is wrong on your part to despise Srihari or the Devatas” said the saints.

Vena then replied, “How strange! You consider unrighteousness to be righteous. Undoubtedly all of you are foolish. I organize your livelihoods. I fill your stomachs. Discarded me, you are now praising another ruler. Like the woman who deserts her husband who has been looking after her needs and searches for a paramour, discarding me you are serving another leader.  All I can say is that you are foolish.

You have rejected me, your Lord, who is seated before you as the king. As such you will never obtain any auspiciousness, either in this world or in the next. You will never be happy. Who is this Lord, the embodiment of Yagna, that you speak about?

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, Vāyu, Sun, Clouds, Moon, Kubera, earth, fire, water and other Gods are capable of showering boons or hurling curses. Do you realize that these Gods reside within the body of a king? For this reason, the king is the embodiment of all deities. King is Parabrahma. O Vedic scholars, having understood this, set aside your jealousy and from now on worship me through all your actions. I am Srihari. I am the Lord of everything.”

Thus Vena, who was unintelligent, insulted not only the saints but also the Supreme Lord who exists in the form of Yagna.

Aniruddhāya namah

Pradyumnāya namah

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “Suneetha, wife of Anga, drank the pāyasam (sweet pudding) given by her husband. Shortly thereafter she conceived. In due course of time she gave birth to a boy, who was named Vena.

Suneetha was the daughter of Mrtyu. Right from childhood Vena closely followed the footsteps of his maternal grandfather who belonged to the lineage of unrighteousness (adharma). As a result, he became a lover of unrighteous behaviour.

When hunting he would use his arrows to kill innocent harmless animals like a wicked hunter. Upon seeing him people would tremble and scream, ‘he is Vena, the tormentor’. Wicked Vena was absolutely devoid of any compassion. He would abduct his playmates, thrash them mercilessly and kill them as if they were animals.

When Anga realized that his son was evil, he struggled hard to reform him through various punishments but to no avail. With this he was totally depressed. He thought, “How lucky are those childless couples! They would have pleased the Lord through their worship and hence were blessed with childlessness. It is better to be childless than to be tormented by the atrocious deeds of wicked sons.

Bad progeny only results in bad name, enmity, unrighteousness and mental agony. Such a house is a repository for grief. Such children are children only for namesake and tie the parents into illusory bondages. How can an intelligent father accept such worthless son? How can he pamper and love a wicked son?

From a different perspective, perhaps having a worthless son is better than having a worthy son. A parent would be aggrieved to be separated from a worthy son.  Due to worthless progeny at least there is a scope to distance from the household where spiritual ignorance and other afflictions reside”.

The aggrieved king who was fed up with this son could not sleep. Around midnight he left his beautiful wife, who was in deep sleep and also his huge palatial house, which was replete with untold riches, and secretively left the city.

In utter shock the ministers, priests, friends and citizens heard the news of the king’s departure. They were dejected and saddened. Forming search parties they looked for him everywhere. Just as pretentious saints cannot see the Lord who resides within their heart, they could not locate the king who was residing within that city itself.

Having failed in their mission they returned to the city. With tears that were freely flowing from their eyes, they informed the priests of their inability to locate the king”.

With this the thirteenth chapter of the fourth canto comes to an end.

Fourth Canto Chapter Fourteen

In this chapter, the priests appointing Vena as the king, his evil deeds and his death are explained.

Maharishi Maitreya said to Vidura, “When it was obvious that Emperor Anga would not be found, eminent saints such as Bhrigu began to ponder about the safety of the country and its citizens. They decided that in the absence of a king, citizens would loot each other like animals. They approached Vena’s mother Suneetha and informed her of their thought process.

Even though the ministers, priests and others elders were unhappy, the Maharishis who were keen to protect the well-being of the citizens crowned Vena, the tormentor of the citizens, as the king.

The moment the news of his coronation reached the ears of the dacoits, all of them went into anonymity. Such was their fear!

Vena became haughty and conceited the moment he was crowned. He imposed harsh and ruthless punishments. There was none to oppose him from any of the eight directions. He was filled with feelings of superiority. At all times, he would boast. In his arrogance he began to ruthlessly insult noble persons and Mahatmas. Intoxicated due to wealth he behaved without care, respect and fear of elders.

Like an intoxicated elephant does not fear its mahout, King Vena fearlessly mounted his chariot and travelled everywhere as he pleased. Both the earth and the skies trembled violently as he thus travelled.

He issued a proclamation prohibiting priests and Brahmins from conducting Yāgas, Yagnas and homas. Charities and other noble deeds were banned. He opposed performance of every righteous deed.

Maharishis who noticed these wicked deeds of Vena were now concerned about the sufferings of the citizens. These compassionate Maharishis assembled and thought, “How strange! On the one hand, the citizens fear dacoits and on the other they fear the king. Their grief is comparable to the suffering undergone by insects, when firewood is lit on both ends.

In the absence of a king, the kingdom becomes unruly. Although Vena was undeserving, we appointed him the king. It was a grave mistake” lamented the Maharishis. They now pondered upon the ways to rescue the citizens from this tormenting situation.

Aher iva payaḥ-poṣaḥ poṣakasyāpy anartha-bhṛt

Venaḥ prakṛtyaiva khalaḥ sunīthā-garbha-sambhavaḥ

It is but natural for a snake which is nourished with milk to bite the person who has thus nurtured it. Vena who is born from Suneetha’s womb and who is inherently wicked is exactly like that poisonous snake’- though the Maharishis.

Aniruddhāya namah

We have to compulsorily listen to every name in Bhagawatam. Here through the names, all the different times that occur during day and also during night are explained. Even those time slots that take place when we are asleep at night are also detailed. Only when all names are heard in detail it amounts to understanding Bhagawatam.

Anga’s wife was Suneetha. They had a son named Vena, who was wicked by nature. Upset with the son’s wicked nature, father Anga, who was of a saintly nature, left the kingdom and went away into the forests.

The words of Maharishis are as powerful as thunderbolt! Angered with Vena’s wicked ways, they cursed him. As a result of this curse, Vena died. With Vena’s death, the kingdom was without a king. With the absence of a leader, thieves and dacoits moved about freely within the kingdom. The kingdom became unruly and citizens suffered.

Maharishis who observed this chaotic situation, pondered about the solution. They then churned the hands of Vena. From these hands emerged Prithu, a partial incarnation of Narayana”.

Maitreya Maharishi said to Vidura that Prithu was the first emperor to regulate the kingdom and its administration.

Vidura questioned, “O revered one, Emperor Anga was a repository of every noble trait. He was an epitome of generosity and kindness. He held Vedic scholars in high esteem. He was broad-mined. Heart-broken at the atrocious deeds of his son, this noble king left the kingdom and went into the forests. What could be the reason for him to beget such a wicked son?

Maharishis are firmly established in righteousness. They are eternally dedicated towards protection of people. What was the reason for such Maharishis to curse King Vena? What were his sins?

Nāvadhyeyaḥ prajā-pālaḥ prajābhir aghavān api

Yad asau loka-pālānāṁ bibharty ojaḥ sva-tejasā

Even if the king, the protector of the citizens, commits any mistake the citizens do not have the right to insult him. This is because the King, due to his might, has the radiance of Guardian-deities.

I am therefore desirous of knowing about the atrocities committed by Suneetha’s son Vena. O Maharishi, you are well versed in past, present and future. Please enlighten me.”

Maitreya Maharishi replied, “The saintly emperor Anga performed the meritorious Ashwamedha Yagna. The Devatas did not attend the Yagna even though the priests invoked them through proper procedures. The astonished priests said to the king, “O Emperor, with total dedication and without any faults we have conducted the Yagna and made the required offerings to the Devatas. With absolute discipline we have chanted all mantras in proper sequence. Our chanting is perfect, powerful and defect-free.

Na vidāmeha devānāṁ helanaṁ vayam aṇv api

Yan na gṛhṇanti bhāgān svān ye devāḥ karma-sākṣiṇaḥ

Yet, the Devatas who play a significant role in Vedic rituals (vaidika karma) are not coming forward to accept their share of yagna offerings. We are at a loss to understand what could have gone wrong”.

Emperor Anga was deeply distressed upon hearing this. He wanted to consult the assembly and find the reason for the unhappiness of the Devatas. Taking permission from the priests, he broke his silence.

He addressed the assembly and said, “Members of this assembly, in this Yagna, Devatas are not coming forward to accept the offerings made to them. What is my mistake? Please enlighten me of it.”

The assembled priests and others replied, “O emperor, you have not committed even the slightest mistake with respect to this Yagna. However, your sin from your previous birth has become an obstacle for begetting progeny in this birth.

O emperor! Kindly heed our advice. With this you will be blessed with virtuous progeny and your desire will be fulfilled. You will be blessed with auspiciousness. It is Srihari who accepts the Yagna offerings. Therefore, with the intent of obtaining a son worship Him through Yagna. He will bless you with a son. When the Supreme Lord Srihari is invoked and worshipped, automatically all Devatas come and accept their share of Yagna offerings. Your desire will be fulfilled. Srihari blesses his devotees by rewarding them with objects of their desire. The result for worshipping Lord Srihari will be in accordance with the intent behind the worship”.

Deciding that King Anga should be blessed with a son, the priests now began a Yagna to propitiate Srihari.

Srihari is the Self who resides in every being. He is also the embodiment of Yagna. To Him, they offered Purodāśa, a paste made by frying rice flour in ghee, into the Yagna fire. Then, from that fire pit there appeared a celestial being. He was wearing golden garlands and pure clean clothing. In His hand was a golden vessel containing the sweet dish pāyasam.

With the permission of the priests, Emperor Anga accepted this dish with his joined palms and smelt it. In great happiness, he gave it to his wife.

With great devotion and reverence Suneetha accepted this offering and ate it. Shortly thereafter she conceived through her husband”.

Pradyumnāya namah.

Pradyumnāya namah

Fourth Canto Chapter Thirteen

In this chapter birth of Emperor Prithu in Dhruva’s lineage; Emperor Anga leaving the kingdom tired of his son Vena’s misdeeds are covered.

Addressing Śounaka and others, Maharishi Suta said, “Maitreya Maharishi narrated to Vidura the entire story of Dhruva including his accession to Vaikunta. After listening to this story, Vidura was firmly established in devotion towards Srihari, the Lord who is beyond the understanding of the mind and the senses. He then asked,

“O Maharishi, you had earlier mentioned that Maharishi Narada profusely extolled Dhruva’s greatness in the sacrificial hall where Pracetās and others were conducting a Yagna. Who were Pracetās? To which lineage did they belong? Where did they perform the Satra Yāga?

Manye mahā-bhāgavataṁ nāradaṁ deva-darśanam

Yena proktaḥ kriyā-yogaḥ paricaryā-vidhir hareḥ

Narada Maharishi is that supreme personality who has had the vision of Lord Srihari and therefore has fulfilled the goal of life. Only Devatas are blessed to have his darshan. He eternally teaches devotees the various ways to obtain vision of Lord Srihari. He has taught the Yoga of action (Kriya yoga) which contains the procedure of worshipping Lord Srihari and undertaking pilgrimages.

Through the process of Puja, the devotee can reach Srihari. Pracetās are eternally inclined towards their own dharmic duties (swadharma). While they were worshipping Lord Srihari, the embodiment of Yagna, through the process of Satra Yāga, Narada Maharishi, the crown jewel amongst devotees, arrived and glorified Dhruva, who had obtained liberation from Srihari.

O Maharishi, I am desirous of hearing the stories of the Lord, as narrated by Maharishi Narada in this Satra Yāga. Please explain this in detail”.

Hearing these words of Vidura, Maharishi Maitreya replied, “After Dhruva retired to the forests for meditation (vanaprasta), his son Utkala became the king. However Utkala had no interest in materialistic riches or in ruling the kingdom.

Sa janmanopaśāntātmā niḥsaṅgaḥ sama-darśanaḥ

Dadarśa loke vitatam ātmānaṁ lokam ātmani

By birth Utkala was disinterested and unattached (nissanga) to this world. He was not in the least inclined towards worldly comforts or attachments. Like his father, he was firmly devoted to the all-pervading Lord Srihari.

He had experientially realized that the entire world exists only in the Self’s illumination (pure consciousness, atma chaitanya) and that this entire world is pervaded by this atma chaitanya. He saw the entire world as existing within him and also that he was pervading the entire world.

The fire called relentless contemplation upon the Supreme Brahma, which was burning in his mind, reduced all his karmic bondages to ashes. He realized that the non-dual Parabrahma, who did not have even a trace of sorrow, was none other than his individual Self (pratyag atma).

That Supreme Lord, who is an embodiment of bliss, is indivisible, changeless and eternal. As everything exists only within this Self’s illumination, it necessarily pervades everything. Utkala the liberated being (jeevan mukta), considered Parabrahma was his own original form (swaroopa) and hence did not find anything apart from the Self anywhere.

To the ignorant, dull-witted persons he appeared like a fool, mad, dumb, deaf and blind man. However in reality he was an exponent in Supreme Knowledge (jnani). He was like fire that was covered with ash.

The elders and the ministers in that kingdom considered Utkala to be mad. One day, all of them appointed his younger brother i.e. Brahmi’s son Vatsara as the king of the land.

When the meaning contained in their names is studied, the special significance hidden in them will be understood.

Dhruva’s first son was Utkala. Ut-kāla means he who has conquered the wheel of time. He is a Brahma-jnani. Dhruva’s other wife was Brahmi. Brahmi means ‘rotation of the wheel of time’ (bramana). Brahmi’s son is Vatsara. One year is called sam-vatsara. One year is symbolic of the divisions within time. Vatsara’s dearest wife was Svarvīthi. Svarvīthi means ‘the path of the Sun’.

The couple Vatsara and Svarvīthi had 6 sons viz., Puṣpārṇa, Tigmaketu, īśa, Urja, Vasu and Jaya. These six sons are the presiding deities for the six seasons.

Among them, Puṣpārṇa had two wives- Prabha and Doṣa. These two are the presiding deities for day and night respectively. Prabha had three sons viz., Pratah, Mādhyāndinam and Sāyam, who are also the presiding deities for the respective divisions within the day.

Doṣa had three sons viz., Pradoṣa, Niśīta and Vyuṣṭa. Pradoṣa is the beginning of night. Niśīta is the midnight. Vyuṣṭa is the last part of the night. Vyuṣṭa’s wife was Puṣkarini. Puṣkarini means the lotus filled pond that is visible just prior sunrise. Puṣkarini’s son was Sarvatejas. Sarvatejas means the all-pervading illumination that is seen at the fag end of the night.

Ākuti was the wife of Sarvatejas. Their son was Cākṣusa. He became a Manu, head of a millennium. Nadvala, the wife of Cākṣusa gave birth to Puru, Kutsa, Trita, Dyumna, Satyavān, Rta, Vrata, Agniṣṭoma, Atirātra, Pradyumna, Śibi and Ulmuka. All of them were faultless and pure.

Among them Ulmuka’s wife was Puṣkarini. Through her he begot 6 virtuous sons viz., Anga, Sumana, Khyāti, Kratu, Angirasa and Gaya.

Aniruddhāya namah