Yasya vācā prajāḥ sarvā gāvas tantyeva yantritāḥ

Haranti balim āyattās tasmai mukhyāya te namaḥ

O Lord! Just as a rope tied to its nose binds and controls the bull, Your words known as the Vedas, bind living beings to the rules of righteousness and thus controls them. Living beings controlled by You worship You with faith and devotion. They reverentially serve You. You exist in the form of the primary life-force known as breath within all living beings. To such a Lord, we offer our obeisance.

O personification of the Supreme! Please ensure the welfare of all living beings. As darkness has enveloped the universe, all their activities have come to a stop. As a result of this, we too are trapped in difficulties. Please direct your flow of compassion towards us.

O Lord! Maharishi Kashyapa has retained his radiance in Diti’s womb. Due to his radiance, the fetus within her womb is prospering like fire in a haystack. It has rendered all the directions lusterless”.

Maitreya Maharishi said, “Vidura, Brahma is a Self-created form who can be known only through Vedic sounds. Brahma, who heard the prayers of the Devatas smiled and trying to satisfy them with his pleasing words said,

“O Devatas! Sanaka and other Kumaras were born earlier than you all. There is nothing that they seek in this creation. Through the medium of space (akaśa) they travel across the different planes of existence.

Ta ekadā bhagavato vaikuṇṭa-syāmalātmanaḥ

Yayur vaikuṇṭa-nilayaṁ sarva-loka-namaskṛtam

In the form of pure illumination, Srihari remains in the cave known as the intellect of living beings who are replete with traits of goodness (sattva). This Lord Srihari has His residence in Vaikunṭha.  For this reason, inhabitants of all different planes offer reverential obeisance to this Vaikunṭha loka.

Sanaka and other Maharishis, who were travelling in space, desired to meet Lord Srihari and hence they reached Vaikunṭha. All the beings who reside in Vaikunṭha resemble Srihari in appearance. Free from any form of desire, they eternally worship Srihari considering it to be their dharma.

The Supreme Lord Srihari is a form of completeness. He is the cause for all causes. He is known through the medium of the Vedas and is an embodiment of righteousness. Such a Lord has taken on the traits of goodness (sattva guna) as his carrier (body) and resides in Vaikunṭha. He bestows happiness and comforts upon us, his devotees.

A supreme garden by name Naiśreyasam exists in Vaikunṭha. This garden glows resplendently, being abundant in trees laden with fruits and flowers belonging to all different seasons. Together with Kalpavriksha, the wish fulfilling tree, which are found in plenty, this garden appears like a representation of liberation. In other words, it appears as if liberation (moksha) has assumed the form of this garden.

Within this garden is a sacred pond. Within this pond are exquisite Madhavi lotuses that shower honey. Their sweet fragrance disturbs the concentrative/ meditative mood of the mind. It implies that it attracts the mind. Despite that, Gandharvas (celestial beings) roam about in aircrafts together with their spouses and without getting distracted by these fragrances, focus exclusively on Srihari and render His glories. They are able to restrain the wind which carries to them these intoxicating fragrances. They spend their time glorifying the deeds of their Lord Srihari. The stories of this Supreme Lord destroy sins of living beings.

Birds such as cuckoo, pigeon, crane, lark, parrots, swan, partridge, peacock and others chirp noisily in that garden. Yet, when the bee begins to hum loudly as if it is singing the glories of the Lord, there will be a temporary silence, as all the birds stop chirping.

Tulasi (basil) leaves are very dear to Lord Srihari so much so that He adorns His neck with a Tulasi garland and admires its fragrance. For this reason, the other flowering plants in that garden viz., hibiscus, jasmine, mehendi, water lily, arna flower, suraponna, nāgakesari, pogada, lotus, pārijata and others extol the penance performed by Tulasi. After all, Mother Tulasi undertook severe austerities to earn the grace of that Lord. Hence they extol her greatness. These flowering plants also direct their fragrances towards Tulasi plant in their attempt to reach the Lord.

An infinite number of aircrafts made of cat’s eye, emerald and gold exist in Vaikunṭha within which supreme devotees are seated. Yet, these airplanes are visible only to those who have totally sought shelter in His lotus feet. Srihari fixes himself eternally in the hearts of the supreme devotees who travel in these airplanes. For this reason the charming looks, laughter, jokes, smiling faces, or other actions of beautiful damsels cannot attract the minds of these devotees. They are untouched by lust and other desires that originate out of Rajo guṇa (traits of action/ passion).

The abode of Lord Srihari is made of gold and has crystal walls. Lakshmi Devi, the Goddess of fortune, gives up her natural tendency of fickleness and remains steadily in this splendorous mansion. As She walks in her husband Srihari’s mansion playing with a lotus in her hand, the jingling of her anklets, which are made up of precious stones, can be heard. When the reflection of Goddess Lakshmi, who walks with a lotus in her hand, falls on these crystal walls it appears as if She is sweeping the floor with that lotus.

In this world everyone strives to obtain the grace of Goddess Lakshmi. Lakshmi Devi however, together with her attendants, sits in her garden and reverentially worships Lord Srihari with Tulasi leaves.

In that garden are wells which contain nectar in lieu of water. The walls of these wells are made of rubies. When Lakshmi Devi sees the reflection of her beautiful face, with her raised nose and long braids, in those waters, it appears to Her that the dark blue complexioned Lord is kissing her face making it more beautiful. With this she becomes bashful.

O Devatas! It is truly unfortunate that the dull-witted humans do not listen to these divine transcendental stories of Lord Srihari, which are capable of destroying sins. Instead they while away their time in worthless, wasteful topics, useless friendships which are devoid of essence and which spoil the mind. They have deep inclination towards such useless matters. Such beings can never reach Vaikunta. Bad associations drive them towards ignorance and hell. In those planes there will be none to rescue them.

Human birth is extremely important as in it there is an opportunity to practice dharma and also to obtain supreme knowledge. For this reason all celestials, including me, seek human birth.  Yet those, who even after obtaining a human birth fail to understand or worship Srihari, fall into his trap of illusion.

Devatas seek human birth so that they can profusely sing divine glories”.

Vishṇave namah

Vishṇave Namah

Diti continued,

“Na brahma-daṇḍa-dagdhasya na bhūta-bhayadasya ca

Nārakāś cānugṛhṇanti yāṁ yāṁ yonim asau gataḥ 

This is because even residents of naraka (hell) do not show any compassion towards the person who meets death due to the wrath of a Brahmin or towards the person who has caused fear to other living beings. Even if such a person is re-born in any species in future, other living entities will never show any compassion towards him. For this reason please be merciful” begged Diti.

Kashyapa addressed his wife and said, “Devi! You are remorseful and now deeply repent your wrongful actions. After the completion of the deed you rightly reflected about its merits-demerits. In addition, towards Srihari, Rudra and me you are showing a lot of reverence. Therefore one amongst your sons will beget a supreme son who will be revered by all noble beings. Because of his pure reputation, your grandson will be glorified at par with the Supreme Lord.

He will possess excellent noble qualities such as not having any enemies in this world. Just as impure gold is purified, noble people will imitate his character to purify their inner mind.

Yat-prasādād idaṁ viśvaṁ prasīdati yad-ātmakam

Sa sva-dṛg bhagavān yasya toṣyate ’nanyayā dṛśā

The Supreme Lord is the absolute ruler of this universe. When His blessings are obtained, blessings of the world are also obtained.

Such Self-illuminating Lord Srihari will be supremely pleased with your grandson’s purest focused devotion (ekanta bhakti) and non-dualistic knowledge (abheda jnana).

Sa vai mahā-bhāgavato mahātmā mahānubhāvo mahatāṁ mahiṣṭhaḥ

Pravṛddha-bhaktyā hy anubhāvitāśaye niveśya vaikuṇṭham imaṁ vihāsyati

This boy will turn out to be one of the most supreme devotees of that Lord. He will be exceptionally large-hearted. His will wield absolute influence over others. He will acquire fame as the best amongst the greatest personalities. Due to his unflinching focused supreme devotion he will retain the Supreme Lord Srihari within his heart!

He will obtain absolute victory over the senses (indriya jaya). He will give up infatuation and adoration for this body and will conquer it. He will become a repository for every noble and admirable quality. His character will be exemplary. He will be supremely overjoyed when others prosper. He will be sorrowful when others suffer or go through difficult times. He will be loved by one and all. He will not have any enemies. Just as the Moon dispels the unbearable heat during summers, he will drive away the grief of others.

In order to fulfill the desires of his devotees, Lord Srihari periodically incarnates. With His divine illumination He adds luster to the radiant Goddess Lakshmi.  Your grandson will be able to see that Lord Srihari, who shines resplendently with His lotus-eyes and glittering earrings, not only within his heart but also as pervading this entire creation”- Kashyapa Maharishi thus bestowed a boon to Diti and pleased her.

Diti was supremely overjoyed that her grandson would be a great devotee of the Lord. In addition, knowing that her sons would meet death directly in the hands of Lord Srihari, she was no longer dejected.

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

Third Canto Chapter Fifteen

In this chapter the description of Vaikunṭha, the abode of Lord Srihari, is given. In addition, sages Sanaka and others visiting Vaikunṭha and cursing Jaya-Vijaya are covered.

Maitreya Maharishi said to Vidura, “Kaśyapa Prajapati’s radiance is unlimited. As such, the fetus within Diti’s womb turned to be powerful. It had the capacity to destroy the power of others. For this reason Diti was fearful that this powerful seed of Maharishi Kashyapa which she carried in her womb would cause trouble to the Devatas and to inhabitants of other planes.  With this fear she retained this fetus within her womb for a hundred years.

Due to the power of Diti’s unborn sons, the power of all the worlds as well as that of their presiding deities was diminished. Everything was enveloped by darkness. In this darkness it was impossible to distinguish between eastern and western directions. Fear gripped every living being.

In great anxiety the Devatas who were terrified approached Lord Brahma and asked, “O Lord! Have you also noticed this utter darkness that has enveloped everything? It has filled us with unprecedented fear. It does not appear to be within the horizon of your creation. There is nothing unknown to you, O Lord.

O Lord of all Lords! You are the creator of this universe. You accept the worship offered by the Lords of the worlds. You know the opinions of every living being in this creation right from a tiny insect.

Namo vijñāna-vīryāya māyayedam upeyuṣe

Gṛhīta-guṇa-bhedāya namas te ’vyakta-yonaye

O Lord! Illumination is your real strength. Having accepted Rajo guna (trait of action), which is one amongst the triguṇas, you have manifested in this 4 faced form. You have emerged out of the illusory power of that Supreme Lord. Again and again we offer our obeisance to You!

O Lord, just like a thread that holds the cloth together, all these worlds are held together within You. You are the Lord who rules over every living being. You are the most supreme being. Both cause and effect have their origin in You. The spiritual efforts of that person who, having given up feelings of duality, serves you with selfless devotion and dedication will reach the pinnacle.

Through the process of Pranayama, such persons will be able to regulate and control their breath. Through the process of Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses) they will be able to conquer their senses. Through Dhāraṇa they will bring their mind under control. Through this they will become eligible to receive Your blessings. Such persons will not have to face any defeat or insult of any form in this world.

Yasya vācā prajāḥ sarvā gāvas tantyeva yantritāḥ

Haranti balim āyattās tasmai mukhyāya te namaḥ

Krishnāya namah

Govindāya Namah

Maharishi Kashyapa said to wife Diti, 

“Na yasya loke sva-janaḥ paro vā Nātyādṛto nota kaścid vigarhyaḥ

Vayaṁ vratair yac-caraṇāpaviddhām Āśāsmahe ’jāṁ bata bhukta-bhogām

Rudra (Lord Shiva) does differentiate between his relatives and non-relatives. Both a venerable person and a detestable person are equal in His eyes. He does not have even the least feelings of differentiation. Through various rituals we strive to worship His power of illusion (maya shakti). He however has experienced this illusory power and has now retained it far away near his feet.

The veil called spiritual ignorance (ajnana) prevents a person from knowing his real Self. Hence it is wise to remain cautious and fear spiritual ignorance. For this reason learned scholars always fear that the veil called spiritual ignorance may envelop them. To destroy spiritual ignorance they eternally sing His divine glories.

He is the sole refuge for all noble beings. There is none equal or superior to Him. Even then He appears as if He is involved in devilish activities. Even though in reality He eternally enjoys his inherent inner bliss, for the purposes of imparting lessons to ignorant human beings He gets involved in weird activities.

Unfortunate are the foolish persons who are unable to comprehend the meaning contained in his actions. They ridicule his actions. At the same time they consider this gross body, which is nothing but food for dogs and jackals after death, to be their Self (atma). They decorate it with costly clothing, flower garlands and varied different ornaments. They pamper it by applying scented perfumes. They strive to maintain this body.

Without striving to understand the Supreme Lord, they continue to mistakenly believe their gross body to be their Self (atma). In this way they while away their time.

Without even the slightest deviation Brahma and other Gods obey the rules and dictates of Rudra. It implies that it is imperative to follow the rules laid down by Rudra. He is the presiding Lord for this entire creation. Maya shakti (the power of illusion) is under His control alone! If it is said that this all-pervading Lord of the Universe acts devilishly, it should be understood that it is nothing but another of His sports. We should strive to understand His transcendental glories” -concluded Maharishi Kashyapa Diti.

However as Diti’s mind was filled with uncontrollable desire these words of wisdom failed to have any effect upon her. They could not pacify her even slightly. She behaved like a shameless prostitute. She grabbed the clothing of Maharishi Kaśyapa and held him.

Kaśyapa Maharishi saw his wife who was adamantly obsessed with this wrongful activity which was forbidden at that time. He folded his hands and offered obeisance to that Lord. He mentally implored the Lord to forgive him for his sin. He then escorted her to a secluded place and fulfilled her desire.

Thereafter he bathed and performed Pranayama. In total silence he meditated upon the changeless, formless, eternal and Self-illuminating Supreme Lord. He performed japa.

A little later Diti, remorseful of her lowly sinful deed, approached her husband. With her head lowered in shame she said, “O Maharishi! I have sinned against Rudra, the Lord of all living beings. Please protect the baby who is in my womb and ensure that this compassionate Lord does not destroy it.

Namo rudrāya mahate devāyogrāya mīḍhuṣe

Śivāya nyasta-daṇḍāya dhṛta-daṇḍāya manyave

Angered by their wrongful deeds, the ferocious Lord Mahadeva punishes the wicked. However He keeps anger at a bay when it comes to noble saintly beings and instead fulfills their desires. I offer my obeisance to this auspicious Lord Rudra.

However cruel a person may be, in matters pertaining to women he will be compassionate. Rudra is my sister Satidevi’s husband. Hence He is my brother-in-law. He is an epitome of compassion. May Mahadeva Rudra be pleased with me!”

In this manner Diti began to pray for the welfare of her children both in this world and the next. Knowing that she had sinned, she now trembled in fear. Meanwhile Maharishi Kaśyapa completed his evening Sandhya rituals and then addressing her said,

“O form of inauspiciousness! O short-tempered woman! Your mind is impure. It is a grave mistake to have impure desires during Sandhya (twilight) times. In fact it is a terrible sin. You did not heed my advice. You have insulted the Devatas who serve Lord Rudra. What I am stating is an absolute fact.

Due to these reasons, you will beget two unworthy wretched sons who will be of inauspicious nature. In innumerable ways they will torture the inhabitants of all the three worlds and also the guardian deities of these worlds. They will torment innocent living beings who have done no sin. They will ruthlessly insult and torture women.

Due to their wretched actions they will incur the wrath of great saints. In order to destroy them, who have become terrible impediments, the Supreme Lord will incarnate. Just as Lord Indra ruthlessly chopped the wings of the mountains using his thunderbolt (vajrayudha), Lord Srihari will destroy them”.

Hearing these words, Diti prayerfully begged, “O Lord! If it is destined that my sons should necessarily meet death, then let it happen that Srihari kills them using his Sudarshana chakra (discus). My children should not meet death due to the wrath of Brahmins”.

Na brahma-daṇḍa-dagdhasya na bhūta-bhayadasya ca

Nārakāś cānugṛhṇanti yāṁ yāṁ yonim asau gataḥ 

This is because even residents of naraka (hell) do not show any compassion towards the person who meets death due to the wrath of a Brahmin or towards the person who has caused fear to other living beings. Even if such a person is re-born in any species in future, other living entities will never show any compassion towards him”.

Mādhavāya Namah.

Srihari Krishna

Maitreya Maharishi continued, “O Vidura, you are an embodiment of dharma. Your question is truly appreciable. This is because the divine stories of Lord Srihari shred the noose called death in humans. In other words they free the being from repeated births and deaths. Although being a child, Dhruva heard the glories of Lord Srihari through Maharishi Narada and also obtained initiation into Srihari’s mantra. With the power of this mantra he conquered death! He also obtained the position of the pole star, which is the abode of Lord Srihari. Such is the glory contained in the stories of this divine Lord. Vidura! I will answer your question. Listen

Long ago the Devatas put forth before Brahma the same doubt which you had now expressed. He then narrated to them a story. I will now narrate the story to you as I have heard before.

Daksha Prajapati’s daughter Diti, was married to Kashyapa, the son of Marici Maharishi. Once around evening twilight time, she was tormented with extreme lustful desire and prayed to Kashyapa to bless her with a child.

It was evening sunset time. Kashyapa was seated in deep meditation in the sacrificial hall, engrossed in offering worship to the Supreme Lord through the process of homa. Through the medium of the tongue called homa-flames the Supreme Lord accepts offerings made, with feelings of total surrender, into the homa fire.

Diti approached her husband and beseeched in a pitiable voice, ‘O all-knowing Lord! Manmatha (the Lord of love/desire) has focused his arrows upon me. I am desirous of spending some time with you in pleasurable activities. Manmatha is showing his might upon me, a helpless woman. Just as an elephant torments a banana plant he is forcefully harassing me.

All my co-wives are blessed with children and are living contentedly. My heart burns in grief seeing their prosperity. Therefore in every form please shower your grace upon me. May you be blessed with auspiciousness!

Any woman who obtains a son like you in character will receive great honor and respect from her husband. The Shastras state that the husband himself is reborn from his wife’s womb as a child. Hence the child is known as ātmaja. Undoubtedly, the fame of such woman spreads throughout the world.

Our father Daksha Prajapati had supreme love towards us, his daughters. He always sought our well-being and for this reason he wanted to know our preferences. Long back he individually enquired from each of us about our choice of husband. Having heard our opinions, he gave away in marriage to you all his 13 daughters, who were totally fascinated by your character and traits.

O Mahatma! O Supreme one! O lotus-eyed one! Please fulfill my desire without any delay. Please bless me. When a person who is ridden with difficulties approaches a great person and seeks his help, his prayer will never be in vain’. In this way Diti who was totally tormented by desire, implored her husband in many different ways.

Trying to pacify her with suitable words, Kashyapa said, ‘O timid one, I shall definitely fulfill your dearest desire. It is through the wife that a man fulfills the three aims of life viz., dharma, artha and kāma. Hence for this reason no man will ever abstain from fulfilling the desires of his wife.

Sarvāśramān upādāya svāśrameṇa kalatravān

Vyasanārṇavam atyeti jala-yānair yathārṇavam

Through the medium of a boat a boatman not only crosses the river but in addition he also helps others cross the river. Likewise, a householder (grihasta) with the help of his wife crosses this ocean that is filled with hunger, thirst and other sufferings. In addition he also enables the persons belonging to the other three stages of life to cross this terrible ocean. He ensures that their needs of food etc. are met.

O self-respecting lady! Haven’t Maharishis declared that, for a man who seeks auspiciousness, wife is the other half of his body? Thrusting upon her his responsibilities, the man wanders happily.

A king who is protected by a strong fort easily defeats petty thieves who have broken in. Likewise, in order to conquer enemies known as the senses, in accordance with the dictates of the Shastras householders like us take refuge in a wife. Through pleasurable sexual pastimes gradually we are able to defeat our enemies i.e. the senses and conquer them.

Conquering the senses is not so easy for those in other stages of life. O Diti! You are the queen of my home. One lifetime is inadequate for me, or for any other noble being, to repay all that you have done so far. Although it is impossible for me to repay you in totality, I will definitely fulfill your desire to beget children.

However, my dear, the time is not right. Be patient for just an hour. Then people will not condemn me.

Eṣā ghoratamā velā ghorāṇāṁ ghora-darśanā

Caranti yasyāṁ bhūtāni bhūteśānucarāṇi ha

Etasyāṁ sādhvi sandhyāyāṁ bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ

Parīto bhūta-parṣadbhir vṛṣeṇāṭati bhūtarāṭ

This is the terrible Sandhya (evening sunset) time. It causes fear. This time belongs to the ferocious demons. It is said that during Sandhya times, the husband and wife should not even talk to each other.

There are three Sandhya times in a day. One in the early morning Brahmi muhurtam (just prior sunrise), the second is mid-day (around 12) and the third is the evening sunset time. Mouna (silence) should be practiced at such times.

You have approached me at such an hour. During this time Shiva’s attendants known as bhuta, preta, piśāca (ghosts and spirits) will be roaming about. On gentle one! At this time Rudra, the protector of all living entities, will mount his vehicle Vṛshabha and will travel so as to protect all living entities. The ghosts and spirits follow him.

His long matted hair will be dusty. Due to the force of the winds in the crematory, they will be disheveled. He would have applied ash on his golden complexioned body. Rudra is your sister Sati’s husband. With his 3 eyes viz., Sun, Moon and Fire he will be observing everybody.

Na yasya loke sva-janaḥ paro vā Nātyādṛto nota kaścid vigarhyaḥ

Vayaṁ vratair yac-caraṇāpaviddhām Āśāsmahe ’jāṁ bata bhukta-bhogām

Srihari Krishna.

Govindāya namah

Varāha Swamy is being described as a personification of Yagna (sacrificial rituals). We continue with this description of His body. (The different terminology used here refers to the different paraphernalia used in a yagna or to the different yagna procedures).

Brahma and other Maharishis continued their prayer,

“O Lord! Satra-yāga is Your bone-joints. All Yagnas in entirety, including Yagnas devoid of Soma rasa as well as the activities coupled with Soma rasa from Your body. The Yagnas known as Iśti are the muscles that keep Your body joined together.

Namo namas te ’khila-mantra-devatā- dravyāya sarva-kratave kriyātmane

Vairāgya-bhaktyātma-jayānubhāvita- jñānāya vidyā-gurave namo namaḥ

O master of all knowledge (vidya-guru)! Our respectful obeisance to You! The sum total of all mantras, all Devatas, all forms of offerings made in the homa as well as all activities and all Vedic rituals that pertaining to a Yagna, together comprise Your body! Self-knowledge that arises as a result of practices such as detachment (vairagya), devotion (bhakti) and total sense-control is also Your form! We offer our obeisance to you!

O Lord Varaha! On your razor sharp tusks You are holding the earth together with all its mountains. The earth that You thus hold shines resplendently like a lotus plant with leaves held by an elephant in its tusks as it emerges out of the waters.

Earth, which currently rests on the tusks of Your body, is shining like the great mountain which holds huge clouds on its peaks.

This earth is the residence for all living and non-living entities. She is Your wife. To us, She is our mother. You are our father. Kindly restore the earth steadily in its original position. Then we shall offer our reverential obeisance to You both.

The wood that is used for kindling the homa (yagna) fire is known as Araṇi. Just as those well-versed with sacrificial rituals retain fire in the Araṇi wood, You have retained Your divine power within this earth. In other words the earth’s capacity to sustain living and non-living entities arises purely due to the power you have retained in it.

You have rescued earth which had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. O Lord! This extraordinary feat could not have been accomplished by any being apart from You! Others cannot even imagine such a possibility.  However O Lord, even this extraordinary feat of Yours is not at all astonishing because in reality every aspect of Yours is itself wonderful and astonishing! After all, using your power of illusion You have created this vast, wonderful and extraordinary universe.

O Lord, You have shown to us Your form as an embodiment of Vedas. When You shook your body a few drops of pure water from the hair of Your neck fell upon us, the inhabitants of Jana, Tapa and Satya lokas. O Lord, with these drops of water which have fallen upon us we have been purified completely.

There is no end to Your divine activities. He who desires to see the end point of your transcendental activities is a fool. This is because this entire creation has emerged due to the permutations and combinations between the three attributes of Nature (trigunas). It is nothing but a play of Your illusory power! O Lord Varāha! Please bestow auspiciousness even upon such fools!”

In this way, supreme saints, who were well versed in Supreme Knowledge, prayed to Lord Varāha.

The Supreme Lord then fixed the earth firmly upon water. The innumerable rays of the Sun God, who is also an incarnation of the Supreme Lord, touched earth. They appeared like his huge army of soldiers.

Lord Srihari, who is the Lord for everything in this creation, playfully restored earth to its original position and suddenly disappeared. He is Viswakśena!

Ya evam etāṁ hari-medhaso hareḥ kathāṁ subhadrāṁ kathanīya-māyinaḥ

Śṛṇvīta bhaktyā śravayeta yośatīṁ janārdano ’syāśu hṛdi prasīdati 

Meaning: By fixing the intellect (buddhi) upon Lord Srihari, the person is freed from all sins and afflictions. The divine stories of the Lord are worthy of being glorified. He resides within every living being. The story of this transcendental Lord is always auspicious. It is very melodious. Srihari will be instantaneously pleased with the person who listens to this story or who narrates it to others.

He is the Lord of all desires. When He is pleased there is nothing which cannot be obtained. Nevertheless, one should bring to a halt the need to fulfill trivial worldly desires. They need to be given up. He who resides within the cave called the intellect actually blesses his ardent devotees, who serve him with absolute non-dual faith, with the ultimate reward known as liberation.

Even if one amongst His innumerable transcendental nectarous stories is drunk with great relish through the vessel known as the ear, it can destroy the worldly bondages and sufferings in totality.

Aha! In this world, the person who has understood the true essence contained in obtaining the four-fold aims of life (puruśarthas) will never get tired of listening to this divine story! He will eternally be engrossed in listening to the transcendental stories of that Lord. This is the true characteristic of a knowledgeable person (jnani)!”

Only those who have animal tendencies stay away from such divine stories. Bhagawatam has decisively declared that human beings who do not listen to divine stories are in reality animals, even though they have a human body.

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

Third Canto Chapter Fourteen

In this chapter the conversation between Diti and Kashyapa and Diti’s pregnancy are covered.

Śuka Maharishi said to Emperor Parikshit, “Even after listening to story of Varāha Swamy, Vidura, who was eternally and firmly dedicated towards listening to divine stories, was not satisfied. He folded both his palms and prayed to Maharishi Maitreya as follows:

“O revered Maharishi! You had said that the Supreme Lord Yagna-varāha had killed demon Hiranyāksha. What was the reason for a war between this Lord, who was playfully lifting up the earth on His tusks, and the demon? Who was that demon? Why did he attack the Lord? Kindly explain this in detail”.

Maitreya Maharishi replied, “

Sādhu vīra tvayā pṛṣṭam avatāra-kathāṁ hareḥ

Yat tvaṁ pṛcchasi martyānāṁ mṛtyu-pāśa-viśātanīm

O Vidura, you are an embodiment of dharma. Your question is truly appreciable. This is because the divine stories of Lord Srihari shred the noose called death in humans. In other words they free the being from repeated births and deaths. Although being a child, Dhruva heard the glories of Lord Srihari through Maharishi Narada and also obtained initiation into Srihari’s mantra. With the power of this mantra he conquered death! He also obtained the position of the pole star, which is the abode of Lord Srihari. Such is the glory contained in the stories of this divine Lord. Vidura! I will answer your question. Listen”.

Govindaya namah