Puttugam2

Parikshit said, “What a wonder! You, the supreme exalted saints have considered me, a worthless being, as worthy of your blessings and have arrived here. I am truly fortunate. I am that unworthy person who has sinned. Generally families of kings lose out on the chance to wash the feet of supreme saints. Supremely accomplished sages (Brahma-rishis) particularly do not prefer to approach Kings or be in their vicinity.

I, who am eternally attached towards this bonded material world, have committed a terrible sin due to my pride. The Lord who rules this universe has created dispassion in me, in the form of a Brahmin’s curse. This is the Lord’s divine sport. This is not the deed of an ordinary Brahmin. The Lord had incarnated in the form of that Brahmin to elevate me. The Lord was compassionate to chop off my pride and ego.

When such a terrible curse hovers over one’s head, he will definitely be terrified to associate with these worldly bondages. Can anyone sleep peacefully when a serpent is sleeping beside him? Can anyone be peaceful when he knows a snake has entered his house? When a sword is hanging over the head, can a person be at peace? In the same manner a fearful curse has now fallen on my head. This is nothing but the punishment for my terrible sin. I have insulted another person. I have behaved wrongly. Hence the Supreme Lord, in the form of the saint’s son has awarded this to me.

O great saints! This wretched person seeks refuge at your feet. Please accept it. May Goddess Ganga, who flows here, realize that I have fixed my mind exclusively upon the Supreme Lord! May Takshaka, in accordance with the orders of the saint’s son, deceptively arrive and bite me till such time as it is satisfied!

O saints, kindly continue to sing the glories of the Supreme Lord. I offer my obeisance to you! I seek that if at all I need to take birth again in any form, in that birth I should continue to have unending devotion towards the Supreme Lord, holy association with supreme saints who are His devotees and feelings of compassion, love and friendliness towards all forms of life!”

Having said this, Parikshit, who possessed supreme discriminatory capacities, handed over the responsibility of the kingdom to his son Janmejaya.

Parikshit then sat on a seat made of straw on the southern bank of Ganga. He ensured that the roots of the straw seat faced the east, while he faced the northern direction. Thus when he settled down for Prayopaveśa (awaiting death through fasting), the Devatas in heaven sang his glory and rained flowers upon him. They beat the celestial drums.

Maharishis seek the well-being of one and all! Even their penance is directed towards obtaining the welfare of the world! Such great Maharishis praised him profusely and applauded his decision. They began speaking about the Supreme Lord in this manner,

“O chief amongst the saintly kings (rāja-rishis)! This deed of yours is not at all astonishing as you have been born in the lineage of the Pandavas, who walked on the path laid down by Srikrishna and who served Him with devotion! Your forefather Yudhisthira and others, seeking to reach the abode of that Supreme Lord, gave up the throne which was served by many smaller vassal kings, and which was the sign of their supremacy.

Let us all be seated here until this Parikshit, who is the foremost amongst the supreme devotees of the Lord, gives up this body and attains that ultimate state of liberation which is over and above the trigunas and which is devoid of grief!” All the Maharishis decided this in unison.

What Parikshit displayed was a supreme state of dispassion that is not easily attained. It is common for a person to strive to drive away death when it arrives although it is not possible to run away from it. To be able to face it, to be able to give up all comforts and sit there awaiting its arrival by taking up Prayopavesa, shows his exalted state.

Hearing those words which were perfectly correct, impartial, nectarous and filled with essence, Parikshit praised the assembled Maharishis, who were all-knowing. Parikshit who was yearning to listen to the glories of the great Lord said to them, “You, who are like the Vedas which reside in their true form in Satyaloka, have assembled here, having come from various different directions. It is your natural tendency to bless and do good to others. Apart from this, there is nothing that you seek either in this world or in the next. O great saints! Therefore placing full faith in You, I ask you to please advise me what my duty is.

What is the specific duty of a human being, which he should abide by at all times and in all situations and more exceptionally at the time of death? Please think about this in great detail and teach me.” Hearing this question, all the saints assembled there began to reflect upon it.

Exactly at that moment, Maharishi Śuka, the son of Maharishi Vedavyasa, who had been wandering around the universe, arrived there as if by providence. Maharishi Śuka was over and above every form of desire; he did not show any symbols of being associated with any of the four stages of life; he had attained total contentment due to Self-realization and was an Avadhoota in the form of a digambara.

Maharishi Śuka simply wanders about the universe along with the wind. No one knows where he would be at any given point of time. Whom he will grace, at what point of time he will grace, where he will arrive no one knows. Such an exalted saint arrived there exactly at that time! He was surrounded by many women and children who were excitedly following him.

Śuka Maharishi was sixteen years of age. He had tender hands, legs, thighs, shoulders, arms, cheeks etc. He had a delicate fine-looking nose. His eyelids were exceptionally wide and beautiful. His ears were long and equally proportioned. His face was glowing radiantly. His neck was shaped like a beautiful conch. His chest was wide, fleshy and well raised. His navel was beautifully designed like a whirlpool and his abdomen had three beautiful folds. He was naked. With hair that was strewn all over his face and his long arms, he was shining like the Supreme Lord Mahavishnu.  He was dark complexioned. He is eternally like a sixteen year old boy. With his youth, charming face and tender smile he captivates the hearts of even women.

The supreme Maharishis who were seated there knew about the supremacy and greatness of this saint. They observed the splendor on His face as He arrived and immediately got up from their seats in order to receive him warmly.

Narayana! We are having the darshan of Maharishi śuka! Narayana!

Parikshit received the news of his impending death which would come in the form of the snake Takshaka. Here it implies that the poison called Takshaka would kill him. In order to create dispassion (vairagya) in him, who was immersed in these worldly bondages (samsara), the poison called takshaka would arrive. This is how it should be understood. The subject that we speak about here is nothing but this poison.

Parikshit was eager that the poison called Takshaka should envelop and burn him at the earliest. He was eagerly awaiting the punishment for his mistake. He decided that even while he was ruling, through a methodical analysis of Vedanta, he should reach a state of total disinclination towards the comforts of this world and the next. He decided that serving the lotus feet of Lord Krishna is the most supreme activity in this world.

With this unwavering decision he gave up food and water completely (prāyopaveśa) and sat on the banks of River Ganga, awaiting death.

Yā vai lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra-kṛṣṇāṅghri-reṇv-abhyadhikāmbu-netrī

Punāti lokān ubhayatra seśān kas tāṁ na seveta mariṣyamāṇaḥ

River Ganga absorbs into herself Tulasi leaves (basil), sandal paste and the dust from the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. She carries them along with her as She flows. Due to this, Ganga becomes even more auspicious so much so that she grants internal and external purity to every being, including the guardian deities of the world (loka pālaka). Hence Ganga should be worshipped at the time of one’s death.

Who will not seek to offer worship to this Ganga? After all, Ganga is nothing but the water that flows from the lotus feet of Lord Mahavishnu. In His feet, it has its origin.

For this reason, Parikshit the descendent of Pāndu, decided to end his life through Prayopaveśa (abstaining from food and water), on the banks of the sacred River Ganga. He gave up all attachments in totality towards this material world that is full of bondages and accepted the vow of renunciation. Freeing his mind from every other thought, he contemplated exclusively upon the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.

At that time, several supreme Maharishis, who eternally purify this universe by their presence, arrived there together with their disciples.

Prāyeṇa tīrthā-bhigamāpadeśaiḥ svayaṁ hi tīrthāni punanti santaḥ  – Great Maharishis, in the pretext of visiting holy pilgrim centres, actually go there to grant purity to the pilgrim centres themselves! 

When ordinary persons like us visit pilgrim centres, we obtain purity. But when Mahatmas visit pilgrim centres, the pilgrim centres obtain purity! This is the absolute truth.

Maharishis Atri, Vashishta, Cyavana, Śaradvanta, Arishtanemi, Bhrigu, Angirasa, Paraśara, Vishwamitra, Paraśurama, Uthatya, Indrapramada, Idmavāhu, Medhātithi, Devala, Arishti, Bharadwaja, Goutama, Pippalada, Maitreya, Aurva, Kavasha, Agastya, Vyasa and the ever worshipful Maharishi Narada, arrived there exactly at that time.

This was because Emperor Parikshit was that lucky person who had the darshan of the Supreme even while he was in his mother’s womb. You may wonder how such a great person could have behaved wrongly. This is due to the influence of Kali. One should be vigilant every moment. At times of anger extreme vigilance should be practiced. The vrata of mouna (silence) should be taken up at that time or for that moment, the ego should be curtailed. Parikshit did not observe either of these at that moment. This was the effect of Kali.

All supreme Maharishis arrived at that spot when Parikshit decided to sacrifice his life on the banks of Ganga. In addition to those saints mentioned above, many celestial sages (Deva-rishis), supremely accomplished sages (Brahma-rishis), saintly kings (Raja-rishis) also arrived.

Parikshit warmly and reverentially welcomed each of these saints and bowed down before them. Thereafter when they were all comfortably seated, Parikshit, who possessed an absolutely pure mind and intellect, reverentially bowed once again, folded his palms and stood before them. He spoke to them about his Prayopaveśa (abstaining from food and water awaiting death).

He said, “What a wonder! You the supreme exalted saints have considered me, a worthless being, as being worthy of your blessings and have all arrived here. I am truly fortunate”. He then prayed to Srihari.

Narayana! Narayana! Narayana!

Shamika Maharishi continued, “You could not understand the dictates of our scriptures which state that a king is none other than Vishnu. You have equated the king to an ordinary person. What you have done is absolutely wrong. The King’s power is unbeatable. Being protected by his unsurpassed strength and power, citizens move about fearlessly. They attain auspiciousness and material prosperity.

Oh my son! Lord Vishnu who holds the discus, himself protects this world in the form of a king. In the absence of a king, citizens will be devoid of any protection. Scoundrels will thrive in the society and like a flock of sheep this entire world will be destroyed in no time. In a world that is devoid of kings, thieves will steal away all wealth. We will be tainted with these sins even though we are unconnected to them.

As the number of rogues increase in society, violence will become rampant. People will kill each other. Wealth, women and animals will be stolen. In a society without a ruler, dharma (adherence to righteousness) specified in the Vedas will get neglected. The rules pertaining to the caste (varna) and stage of life (ashrama) will die down as none will abide by them.

People will concentrate only on earning material wealth (artha) and on fulfilling their desires (kāma, sense gratification). There will be no thought about adherence to righteousness (dharma) or attaining liberation (moksha).  People will be fickle-minded like monkeys. Like dogs they will be inclined only towards materialistic comforts. At all times and in all circumstances they will be inclined only towards bodily comforts. Have you realized your blunder at least now?

The saintly king Parikshit, who zealously protects dharma and who has conducted many Ashwamedha yagnas is of great renown. He is a supreme devotee of the Lord. Fatigued and thirsty he came to our ashrama seeking water. Under such circumstances he does not deserve to be cursed.

Oh God! Due to unripened intellect and lack of maturity, this ignorant boy who lacks discrimination between sins and merits, has sinned gravely against the great king, who piously rules the world and safeguards the interests of everyone!

O Lord of the universe! Kindly forgive his sins. The devotees of that Supreme Lord are so merciful that they will never seek revenge on those who abuse, cheat, scold, beat, or insult them, even if they are supremely capable of it”.

Thus, Shamika Maharishi was deeply repenting the sin of his son and was grieving over it. He could not, even for a moment, find fault in the actions of the king. He did not consider the king’s act as insulting. He kept on re-iterating that his son was wrong.

Prāyaśaḥ sādhavo loke parair dvandveṣu yojitāḥ

Na vyathanti na hṛṣyanti yata ātmāguṇāśrayaḥ

 Although people of the world constantly push them into dualities such as pleasures and pains, saintly persons do not experience them. This is because they constantly enjoy the bliss of the Self which is over and above dualities and trigunas.

With this the eighteenth chapter of the first canto comes to an end.

First Canto Nineteenth Chapter

Parikshit going to the banks of Ganga and awaiting death by abstaining from food and water, the arrival of many great sages to that place, Parikshit putting forth his questions to Maharishi Śuka are covered in this chapter.

Parikshit began recollecting the events that had taken place in the forest. He felt agitated when he realized he had erred. “Oho, I have behaved in an uncultured manner towards a great saint who was faultless and who was glowing with divine illumination. My behavior is very disgusting. What have I done! I have insulted a person who is at par with God! Undoubtedly due to this, a great calamity is going to befall me shortly.

I hope that I pay for all my sins and that my children should not have the bear the brunt of it. With this punishment may I be absolved of my sin in totality and may I never ever be inclined to commit such a sin in future.  In the fire called ‘Maharishi’s wrath’ may all the riches, kingdom, armies, that are attached to me, a wretched being, be burnt completely. This is what I seek.

I am a sinner. I have committed a heinous sin. I have insulted a great saint who was immersed in absolute meditation. May my sin burn me up completely! Let it burn all my wealth and belongings! As long as my children do not have to suffer for it, I am happy. Never ever in future should I be negligent in my attitude towards saints, Vedic scholars, Gods and cows.”

When the king was repenting his misdeed in this manner, he received the news that, due to the curse of the saint’s son, he was to die within 7 days, from the bite of the poisonous snake called Takshaka. Shamika Mahamuni had sent a disciple with this news to the king.

Srihari! Narayana! Narayana!

Parikshit, holding the bow in his hand, once went hunting into the deep forests. After chasing wild animals for a very long period of time, he was extremely exhausted and was tormented with severe hunger and thirst. As he was going through the forests in search of water, he came across an hermitage (ashrama).

There, Parikshit saw a great saint, who had controlled all his senses, peacefully seated in deep meditation with eyes closed. He had restrained his breath, his mind as well as his intellect and had withdrawn from this material world. Having gone over and above the three stages, he was now totally immersed in the Supreme Brahma. He was covered in deer skin and his hair was totally scattered.

Parikshit approached the great saint and begged for water. The saint was immersed in absolute meditation and was in the highest state of Yoga. As such, he was oblivious to the presence of the king in his hermitage. Being in the state of absolute meditation, he did not even welcome the king cordially nor did he offer him any seat or water.

Being a king, Parikshit expected that he should be offered a reverential welcome, be cordially seated and offered water per his request. When these customary respects were not offered, he felt he was being deliberately insulted. With this he was infuriated.

If Parikshit had restrained his anger at that moment, perhaps this entire story of Bhāgawatam would never have been available to us. Yet another aspect is that if he had restrained his anger at that moment, effortlessly he would have easily attained supreme liberation.

It was no doubt a momentary exasperation. Due to his unbearable hunger and thirst, this king developed feelings of aversion and anger towards that sage, which was unprecedented. He began walking out of the hermitage when he spotted a dead snake. He lifted it up using the end of his bow, threw it upon the great sage (Brahmarishi) and walked away.

During the return journey he began to debate within himself, “Was the sage truly in deep meditation after having conquered his senses? Or trying to avoid speaking to a worthless warrior (kshatriya), was he pretentiously closing his eyes?”

The time for Parikshit’s end had neared. As time for his destruction and difficulty was nearing, his thinking underwent a change. In arrogance he was mentally jeering at the sage considering him to be dubious.

This great sage had a very young son who was supremely powerful and radiant. This small boy was playing with his friends when he heard about this incident. He instantly said, “How wrongly this king has behaved towards my father! How unrighteous are these kings, who like crows eat the remnants of food that have been thrown by people. They survive purely because of the citizens. Had the citizens not paid their taxes, could these kings have survived? Had the peasants not given a share of their crop, could these kings have survived? Thus it can be said that they eat the remnants of others’ food. After eating the remnants of others’ food, this king has the audacity to behave so arrogantly!

These rulers who are unethical and deceitful towards people can be compared to the watchdog that dares to enter into the house of its master and eat out of his plate! Out of total faith, the people have selected him as the king and enthroned him. Instead of treating such citizens as his children and treating them at par with Gods, how dare these rulers treat citizens as if they are dogs?

This worthless Kshatriya has been assigned as a watchdog by the Brahmins. Is it right for a watchdog to enter the house of its master and eat the food from the vessel?

Lord Srikrishna, who would punish the wrong-doers, has ended his incarnation. But today I take it upon myself to punish this wrong-doer who has overstepped his limits. Now see my power!”

With reddened eyes and in total fury, the small boy in the presence of his friends performed acamana (purificatory ritual) with the waters of River Koushiki and uttered a curse, which was as powerful as a thunderbolt! “That king who by insulting my father has overstepped his limits and who has brought about the downfall of his lineage, will, on the seventh day from now, be destroyed by the bite of Takshaka, the powerful snake!”

Having uttered this curse, the boy returned to his hermitage. Seeing the dead snake hanging around his father’s neck, he began to wail loudly in deep sorrow.

The great sage, Maharishi Shamika, who belonged to the lineage of Maharishi Angirasa, opened his eyes gently, upon hearing his son’s wails. Throwing away the dead snake that was around his neck, he enquired, “My son, what is the matter? Why are you crying? Has anyone harmed you in any way?”

The boy then narrated the events in detail.

Hearing that his son had cursed Parikshit, who did not deserve to be cursed, the great sage was unhappy. He could not congratulate his son for this deed. Instead he said to his son, “My son, what a fool you have been! You have committed a sinful deed. In your ignorance, for a small trivial mistake you have awarded him a very high punishment. Your intellect has not yet matured. Who do you think is a king? He is none other than Vishnu. This is stated in all our scriptures. You have failed to understand this principle”.

Krishna! Srikrishna! Narayana!

In this Kali Yuga merely by wishing to participate in meritorious deeds, the person is blessed with punya (merit). On the other hand, only when a person actually indulges in sinful deeds he is tainted with sin. Merely planning sinful deeds does not taint a person with sin. Parikshit who was aware of this minute knowledge did not develop feelings of aversion towards Kali.

Just as a wolf enters a flock of sheep and gulps them up, Kali enters into persons who are not vigilant and overpowers them. Kali, who casts profound influence upon less intelligent persons who are not vigilant, is very intimidated of wise, intelligent beings and maintains distance from them. From this it is clear that the wise, who possess discriminatory capacities, need not fear Kali. He will not attack innocent harmless persons unnecessarily. Problems come as a result of past actions and not due to Kali. But where a person willingly becomes slack or treads the wrong path, Kali will enter and influence him.

Parikshit, who understood this principle thoroughly, believed that there was no necessity to fear a coward like Kali.

O great sages, based on your request, I have narrated to you the story of Parikshit which is deeply intertwined with the glories of Lord Vasudeva Srikrishna.

Yā yāḥ kathā bhagavataḥ kathanīyoru-karmaṇaḥ

Guṇa-karmāśrayāḥ pumbhiḥ saṁsevyās tā bubhūṣubhiḥ

Human beings who seek to attain perfection and well-being, must mandatorily listen to all the divine pastimes of that Supreme Lord which explain His transcendental activities and His qualities.

Upon hearing this, the assembled saints questioned, “O Maharishi Suta! You have narrated the glories of Lord Srikrishna, which is nectarous to our human ears. We are soaked in bliss when these nectarous stories fall upon our ears. We pray that you should live for a very long period of time! We do not have the confidence that this Satra Yaga, which we have begun, will take us to the other shore. Due to this long Yagna, our bodies are completely covered with ash but then you are making us drink the nectar called the divine lotus feet of the Lord.

Even supreme states such as attaining liberation or enjoying the luxuries of heaven fail to compete with a few moments that are spent in the company of ardent devotees of Lord Vishnu.  Where even such supreme luxuries fail, what more needs to be said about ordinary worldly luxuries enjoyed by human beings?

Lord Srikrishna is the most-supreme and ultimate shelter for noble saints. Those who are adept in enjoying this supreme taste (rasa) never feel satisfied even after listening to His glories many times.

Even Lords such as Brahma, Shiva as well as the supreme masters of Yoga (Yogeshwara) fail to understand in totality, all the attributes of that Supreme Paramātma who inherently is devoid of attributes (nirguna).

Therefore O great saint! Please explain to us in minute detail the divine stories of Lord. We deeply yearn to listen to His stories, which is the only thing sought by all noble saints. You are that supreme learned devotee of the Lord who has taken up service to the Lord as the main purpose of life. Please explain this story in greater detail.

Parikshit, the wise, intelligent, supreme devotee of the Lord, in the name of liberation reached the lotus feet of Lord Srihari, who holds the Garuda-dhwaja. He achieved this through the knowledge imbibed from the teaching imparted by Maharishi Śuka.

Such a supremely pure text called Bhāgawata Purana, while explaining the stories of that Supreme Lord, also imparts knowledge! This sacred Bhāgawatam, which was taught by Śuka Maharishi to Parikshit, is exceedingly precious to all devotees of that Lord. Please explicitly explain in minute detail, the meaning contained in it, in a way that we understand”.

Maharishi Suta in response to this said in all humility, “Aha! How astonishing! How wonderful is your question! I was born to a high caste mother and a low caste father. Even then, today through this opportunity of serving great Mahatmas of your status, my life has been rendered fortunate.

When a person like me is blessed with the rare opportunity of conversing with supreme saints, his mental sufferings quickly get washed away”.

From this it is clear that Maharishi Suta was mentally agonizing that he was born in a low caste and that through conversing with these supreme saints he was now freed from that agony. When they expressed the desire to hear Bhagawatam from him, the pain in his heart was washed away. He believed that this was the result of the satsang that he had been having with these noble souls for the past many days. This is the proof that all defects get washed away when a person sings exclusively the glories of that Supreme Lord.

“The Supreme Lord is endowed with unlimited energy. His attributes are unending. For this reason He is addressed as Ananta (limitless). In terms of attributes (guṇās) there is none who can be superior to Him or at par with Him.

Lakshmi devi, Goddess of wealth and fortune, not paying attention to Brahma and others who ardently worship her, is engaged in offering services to Lord Srihari as this is most cherished by her. From this, the greatness of Srihari can easily be gauged.

It is not limited to this! The water that Lord Brahma offers at the lotus feet of Lord Srihari flows down and falls on Lord Shiva’s head. This holy water flows down to earth as Ganga and renders earth pure.

The title ‘Bhagawān’ is aptly suited only to Lord Srihari or Mukunda and to none else. Persons possessing excellent discriminatory capacities, through devotion to this Bhagawān, give up their deep inclination towards this physical body and this material world. They renounce the world by taking up Sanyasa ashrama, which is the most supreme amongst the ashramas (stages of life) and which is coupled with non-violence (ahimsa) and renunciation of action. They continue to remain in the natural state (swadharma) called Self-experience.

O great saints, you who possess the illumination akin to that of the Sun are asking me to explain about Srikrishna. The justice that I can do to this subject is limited to my knowledge and understanding of the same. Just as birds can fly only in accordance to the capacity of their wings, scholars can explain about Lord Vishnu only to the extent of their understanding.  After all, the glories of the Lord are as limitless and unending as the sky!

Krishna! Srihari!