Category: SrimadBhagavatam

Lord Brahma continued, “My son! I have explained to you in brief about Lord Srihari, the creator of this universe. This world which is the outcome of a cause-effect relationship does not have an existence different from its creator Lord Srihari. However Lord Srihari shines as a form of illumination distinctly different from this universe.

Idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma yan me bhagavatoditam

Saṅgraho ‘yaṁ vibhūtīnāṁ tvam etad vipulī kuru 

Lord Srihari preached to me this scripture which has become popular as Bhagawatam. In this scripture, the glories of the Lord have been explained in a condensed manner. O Nārada! You expand this scripture yourself.

Yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṁ bhaktir bhaviṣyati

Sarvātman yakhilādhāre iti saṅkalpya varṇaya 

Begin the task after making a firm determination that you will describe it in such a manner that it increases devotion in human beings towards the Supreme Lord, who is the support for everything and who is the Self that exists within everyone.

Māyāṁ varṇayato ‘muṣya īśvarasyānumodataḥ

Śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ māyayātmā na muhyati

The intellect of the persons who narrate these divine stories daily with dedication and devotion as well as of those who listen to it with great interest will be devoid of delusion caused by spiritual ignorance (avidya).

With this the seventh chapter of the Second Canto of Srimad Bhagawatam comes to an end.

Second Canto Eighth Chapter

In this chapter, the questions asked by Parikshit are covered.

After listening to the specialities in the various incarnations of the Supreme Lord from Śuka Maharishi, Parikshit enquired as follows:

‘O Supreme Saint! Nārada Maharishi possesses that great knowledge through which he can ensure that the devotees of the Lord reach a level wherein they are blessed with His darshan. Further, Lord Brahma encouraged him to describe the attributes of that Supreme Lord, who inherently is devoid of attributes. How did Maharishi Nārada describe the qualities of this Lord? To whom did he preach? O great saint! You are the most supreme amongst those who have learnt the Vedas. I seek to know the form of that Supreme Lord. The stories of that transcendental Lord always bring auspiciousness to people.

O Mahatma! Please narrate the stories of Lord Srikrishna, in such a way that will enable me to detach completely from these material desires, place my intellect firmly upon Him who is the Universal Lord and give up my body.

Śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ gṛṇataś ca sva-ceṣṭitam

Kālena nātidīrgheṇa bhagavān viśate hṛdi 

In the heart of that person who eternally narrates or listens to the divine plays of the Supreme Lord with total dedication, God quickly enters and makes known His presence.

Srikrishna enters the lotus-like hearts of his devotees through their ear-hole. Just as the winter rains cleanse the water of all its impurities, He washes away the impurities/ sins from the hearts of his devotees.

Dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati

Mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā

The spiritual aspirant called human being whose mind has been thus cleansed gives up all forms of mental defects and sins. Just as a weary traveler who after returning home from an exhaustive journey does not seek to leave his house, the devotee no longer seeks to leave the lotus feet of the Lord Krishna.

O Brahmarishi! In addition to these questions, another doubt troubles me. Only you know the exact answer to this. Please be kind enough to explain. The Self, that inherently has no connection with the five basic elements such as earth, water etc., connects with them and obtains a gross body. Does this connection develop accidently without any apparent reason? Or is there some cause?

You had explained that a giant lotus, which is in the form of the 14 different planes of existence, emerges from the navel of Lord Srihari. A human being has only certain limbs. Does the Supreme Lord also, similar to a human being, have only limited limbs? From what I have understood, I have this impression that the Lord has a form that consists of only a few specified limbs. Please be kind enough to clarify.

Based on the Lord’s command, Brahma creates all the various living beings. He is the form of all the beings and He regulates and controls them as well. Even though Lord Brahma emerged from the navel of Lord Srihari, it was only after obtaining Lord Srihari’s grace that Brahma could have His darshan.

Where does that Lord, who is the cause of all creation, sustenance and annihilation, who controls the power of illusion and who is the inner witness within every being, sleep after setting aside His power of illusion? What is His original form? You had previously mentioned that from the limbs of this Supreme Lord, the universes as well as the Lords who govern these universes emerge. You had also said that these various universes and their governing deities are the various limbs in the universal form of that Lord. Please explain this in greater detail.

Also, what is the measure of the period of time known as Kalpa, Maha-kalpa and their intermediate time periods between Kalpa? How can one understand about the past, present and future periods of time? What is the lifespan of a Devata? O Maharishi! In time measurements such as second or minute, time appears to have a fleeting existence whereas in the periods of year etc., time appears to have a long existence. Based on the results of their fruitive actions, what are the positions or planes that beings obtain? How many of such planes exist? What are they?

On the basis of these trigunas which undergo transformation, which virtuous being has obtained exalted bodies such as those of Devatas? What are the good auspicious deeds performed by that being so as to enable him to obtain the body of a Devata?

Please explain to me the process in which earth, hell (pātala), directions, sky, planets, stars, mountains, rivers, oceans, islands are created and also about the creation of the inhabitants of these planes,’ asked Parikshit.

Srihari! Krishna!

 23) Pākhanda:

Maya constructed and handed over 3 cities which moved at unimaginable speeds to the Tripurāsura demons. Although these Tripurāsura demons adhered to the path of the Vedas, they still inflicted torture on all the planes of existence (loka). In order to cause infatuation in their intellect and thereby to make them tread the wrong path, Srihari incarnated as Pākhanda. In this incarnation He preached the philosophy of atheists (nāstika-siddhanta).

24) Kalki:

At the end of Kali Yuga, there will no scope to hear the stories of Srihari, even in the homes of the pious. Even those who have to undergo thread ceremony and learn Vedas will turn into atheists. Kings will tread the path of unrighteousness. Swāha, Swadha and Vaśhat, the 3 words connected with Yāgas (fire rituals), will no longer be heard. In that terrible period Srihari will incarnate as Kalki. He will overpower and rule Kali, the presiding deity of this Kali Yuga, and will destroy unrighteousness.

For the purposes of creation I (Lord Brahma), penance (tapas), the nine sages beginning with Marichi, Daksha and other Prajapatis, are created. For the purposes of sustenance (sthithi) Vishnu, Dharma, Manu, Devatas and Kings manifest. At the time of annihilation snakes, unrighteousness, Rudra and demons manifest as illusory incarnations of that Supreme Lord.

There is none in this creation who can measure the power and might of Lord Srihari. Even that intelligent person who manages to count all the sand grains in this universe will fail in assessing the prowess of Lord Mahavishnu. Perhaps through some machines or through intelligence they may be able to calculate the number of sand grains on earth. But it is impossible for such persons to even estimate His might. This is because this Lord, in His incarnation as Trivikrama (Vāmana), swiftly and playfully measured all the 3 planes of existence (lokas) with His 3 feet. At this juncture, not just the three planes, but even the Satya-loka, which is situated above them, trembled in fear. The Supreme Lord, at such time, stabilized the Satya-loka.

Srihari’s energy is nothing but the power of illusion (māya) which is responsible for creation, sustenance and annihilation. Neither me nor Marichi and your other elder brothers are able to fathom the extent of this energy of the Supreme Lord. What more can be said about other beings?

The 1000-headed serpent Adishesha, has been singing the glories of Srihari from times immemorial with all his mouths. Even then he has not been able to reach the end.

Unfailingly, the Supreme Lord shows compassion towards that person who without any deceit and with total concentration of mind seeks refuge in His holy feet. As a result, such devotee crosses over the enormous ocean of illusion which otherwise is impossible to cross. Those who have feelings of infatuation and attachment towards this body, which after death turns into food for dogs and jackals, cannot obtain this luck.

O Nārada! Me, you, Sanaka and your other elder brothers, Sadāshiva, Prahlada the most supreme amongst demons, Swayambhuva Manu, his wife Śatarupa, their sons Priyavrata, Uttānapada, their daughters Devahuti and others, Prachinabarhi,  the ascetic called Ŗṣabha, Anga, Dhruva, Emperor Ikshvāku, Pururava, Muchukunda, Gādhi, Emperor Janaka, Ambariśa, Sagara, Gaya, Yayāti the son of Nahuśa, Mandhāta, Alarka, Satadhanva, Anu, Rantideva, Bheeshma, Bali Chakravarti, Amurttalaya, Dilipa,  Soubhari, Uttanka, Emperor Śibi, Maharishi Devala, Pippalāda, Sarasvata, Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriṣeṇa, Vibhishana, Hanuman, Śukadeva, Arjuna, Artishena, Vidura, Śrutadeva, and others saints have been able to understand about the Lord’s Māya (illusory power).

Women, Shudras, sinners, elephant and other animals should serve the ardent devotees of Lord Srihari. From such devotees, if they learn the proper procedure for worshipping the Supreme Lord they too can understand the Lord’s illusory power and cross it. This being the case, is there any need to specifically mention the superiority of those who chant the Vedas with dedication?

This Supreme Lord, in His incarnation as Vāmana, playfully measured all the three planes of existence with His feet. Always remember that the Supreme Essence which is untouched by these transitory pleasures and pains, which is eternally filled with peaceful knowledge, which is untouched by the sin called attachment to worldly bondages, which is devoid of any form of differentiation, which is beyond cause-effect relationship, which is a form of the Self, which is a form of eternal bliss and which is devoid of even a trace of sorrow, is the real form of that primordial being or Ādi Puruśa. This is the experience of the Maharishis.

Neither the rituals of Yagnās and Yāgas that are replete with many actions nor the Vedic chants that speak about these Yagnas, can explain the actual Supreme Essence as is truly exists. That Supreme Essence cannot be acquired, earned, obtained through some transformation or freshly created. Māya devi (the presiding deity of this illusory power) is ashamed to be seen in the surroundings of Self-realized saints.

The knowledge of the Self is not tied down to these worldly bondages. Just as Lord Indra who shines in the form of the rain-bearing clouds has no necessity to use a spade and dig wells, the Yogis who have completely controlled the mind have no use of the efforts that are undertaken to suppress differentiation.

All the auspicious deeds that humans undertake happen solely because of the inspiration from that Supreme Lord. It is He who showers upon them the appropriate fruits for their good deeds. This entire visible world, which is carved out of the gross and subtle essences, is located within Him only.

Just as the space within the body does not undergo transformation when the body made up of flesh and bones is totally destroyed, the Self, who illumines within the body, does not undergo any transformation at the time of death of the body. He does not perish. He is devoid of transformations such as birth, old-age and death.

My son! I have explained to you in brief about Lord Srihari, the creator of this universe. This world which is the outcome of a cause-effect relationship does not have an existence which is different from its creator Lord Srihari. But He shines as a form of illumination that is distinctly different from that of this universe”.

Srihari!

In order to fulfill the promise made by his father, Rama along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana went into exile. The demon Ravana, who invited His wrath, was destroyed totally. Rama, who in His intense fury resembled Rudra, decided to burn down the entire kingdom of his enemy Ravana. The ocean that was in His path, trembled with fear, seeing His fury.

The fact that his dearest wife Sita was far away from Him, filled his heart with uncontrollable anguish. This grief led to his uncontainable fury and was the cause for his reddened eyes. When he looked at the oceans, all the water animals such as whales, snakes, crocodiles were being burnt due to the heat that emerged from these red-hot eyes. The ocean that was trembling profusely, instantaneously made way for Him to proceed to Lanka.

When Ravana was engaged with Indra in a battle, the tusks of Lord Indra’s elephant Airavata, collided with the chest of Ravana, and broke. All the directions began to glow brightly owing to the radiance that emerged from the broken tusks. Ravana became the ruler of all these directions. Such powerful Ravana, who in his arrogance was moving about the battlefield amidst the army laughing boisterously, was silenced with just a twang of Srirama’s bow. In fact that twang took away his life.

21) Incarnations as Balarama-Krishna:

The kings who were born with demonic traits together with their armies turned into an unbearable burden for Mother Earth. Unable to withstand this burden, Mother Earth prayed to the Supreme Lord. Hearing her pleas, the Lord incarnated as brothers Balarama and Krishna.

With the reflection of his white hair falling upon him, Balarama was fair in complexion. Krishna was dark in complexion and had black hair. Ordinary people could not understand that He was none other than the Supreme Lord himself. Living secretly in this manner, he performed many deeds that brought out his greatness.

While in his infancy, he killed the Demoness Putana. At the age of 3 months he turned a huge bullock-cart upside-down. At the age when he was still crawling, he went amidst two huge Arjuna trees and uprooted them completely. Such unimaginable deeds could be accomplished by him in infancy, only because He was the Supreme Puruśa. If not, how could it be possible?

Drinking the poisoned waters in Nanda-gokula, the cows as well as the cowherds lost their lives. With His compassionate glance, Krishna restored them to life. Thereafter, with the desire to purify River Yamuna, Krishna played about happily in those waters. He playfully fought and drove away from those waters, the terribly poisonous snake Kaliya, along with its retinue. Definitely this was not a task that ordinary humans could perform.

One night, when the inhabitants of Nandavraja were in deep slumber, due to the heaps of dry leaves that were scattered around, a sudden summer forest-fire broke out and spread rapidly in all directions. Everyone there was sure that the time of his/her death had arrived. Meanwhile Srikrishna, who possessed unimaginable prowess and energy, along with Balarama asked them to close their eyes and He rescued them from the fire. This is His divine play.

Another time, in order to bring to an end the naughty activities of her son, mother Yashoda tried for a long time to tie Krishna with a rope. But whatever be its length, every rope would consistently fall short. Similarly, once when the little Krishna was yawning, Mother Yashoda saw all the 14 worlds within His mouth. With this she became apprehensive. At that moment she realized the truth that her son Krishna was none other than the Supreme Lord. Krishna could perform such divine deeds purely because He was the transcendental Supreme Lord himself.

The small Krishna saved his father Nanda Maharaja from the curse of Lord Varuna. Yomāsura, the son of Maya once hid all the cowherds in a cave.  Srikrishna freed and rescued them all. The residents of Gokula would go into deep slumber at nights, tired due to the hard work done throughout the day. There was no scope therefore for them to undertake spiritual activities of any kind. Despite this, Krishna awarded to them Vaikunṭha, the place of ultimate liberation.

One year, Krishna raised objections to the Indra Yāga, a ritual that the residents of Gokula would diligently perform every year. Indra, who was angered due to the non-performance of the Yāga that year, showered torrential disruptive and destructive rains upon them for 7 days. Srikrishna, who was barely 7 years old, decided to save these innocent residents along with their cattle. With one hand He playfully lifted up the entire Govardhana Mountain, as if it were a toy umbrella. For 7 days He held the mountain in that manner and thus protected them all.

On the cool nights, when due to the Moon’s illumination everything would shine brightly, Krishna playfully wandered in the forests engaged in Rāsa-krida dance. On His flute he would play melodious songs. This melodious music strongly intensified the feelings of love among the Gopika women. Shankachuda, an assistant of Kubera, once abducted these Gopika women. Little Krishna chopped the head of this Shankachuda and rescued these women.

Pralambhāsura, Dhenukāsura, Bakāsura, Keśi, Ariśtāsura, Chānura and other mighty demons, the ferocious elephant Kuvalayāpida, Kamsa, Kālayavana, Narakāsura, Poundraka, Shālva, Dvivida, Balvala, Dantavaktra, the seven bulls of Nagnajit, Shambarāsura, Vidhuratha, Rukmi and many others mighty demonic warriors met their end in the hands of Krishna.

With the bow held tightly in their hands, the rulers of Kāmbhoja, Matsya, Kuru, Kaikaya, Srinjaya and other kingdoms uttered arrogant disrespectful words to Krishna. There were some others who deceptively disguised themselves as Balarama, Bheema, Arjuna and behaved like them. Krishna killed all such warriors and merged them into Him. Krishna blessed even such people with liberation.

22) Incarnation as Veda-vyāsa:

Due to the influence of Kali, intelligence grossly reduces in the human beings. Along with it their longevity also reduces. Therefore they fail to understand the vast treasure house called Vedas. Srihari, who realized this, took birth as Veda-vyasa, the son of Satyavati. In accordance to the rules of this eon, He divided the vast tree called Veda into four divisions.

Srihari Krishna!

10) Hayagriva:

O Nārada! When I was performing Satra-Yāga, the Supreme Lord, who is worshipped through the process of Yagna, manifested in a form that is composed of all the Vedas, Yagnas and Devatas. He incarnated as Hayagriva and His complexion was golden. While He was breathing, supremely beautiful Vedic chants emerged from His nostrils.

11) Incarnation as a fish (Matsya):

At the end of Chākṣuṣa-manvantara (a period of creation) when the world was being submerged in the waters, Srihari incarnated as a fish (Matsya). Vaivaswata Manu took refuge in Him. The fish offered protection to the earth, which was in the form of a boat and thus showered all the living entities with a gift of life. Returning back to me (Brahma) the Vedas that had slipped from my mouth, the Lord in His incarnation of a fish, swam happily in those waters enjoying those tidal waves.

12) Incarnation as a tortoise (Kurma avatara):

In order to obtain nectar (amrita), the Devatas and the demons collectively churned the ocean of milk, using the Mount Mandara as the churning rod. During the churning when the mountain began to sink, Srihari, the primordial being, incarnated as a tortoise (kurma) and supported the huge mountain on His back.

The continuous movement of the mountain, caused due to the churning of the ocean created a lot of friction on His back. This friction relieved Him from the itching sensation that he was experiencing so far on His back and hence He could sleep peacefully for some time.

13) Incarnation as Narasimha:

Srihari, who dispels all the fears experienced by Devatas, incarnated as Narasimha. With his eyebrows that were rolling in intense anger and with His fierce teeth, the Lord appeared to create fear in both Devatas and demons. Laughing violently in a frenzied manner, while holding a club in His hand, he caught the demon king Hiranyakashipu who was about to pounce on him. Placing the demon-king on his thighs, the Lord tore open his stomach and killed him.

14) Srihari, the savior of Elephant Gajendra:

A very powerful crocodile caught the leg of Elephant-king Gajendra and began to pull him into the deep waters of the lake. Unable to withstand the pain, Gajendra held a lotus in his trunk and called out to the Supreme Lord, “O Adi Puruśa! O Lord of the universe! Singing Your glories purifies the living beings. Merely by listening to Your divine names, the living beings are blessed with auspiciousness.” He prayed fervently.

The Supreme Lord who holds the discus in His hand and who otherwise is beyond the reach of the senses and intellect was overcome with compassion when the pleas of Gajendra, who had surrendered to Him completely, fell upon His ears. Forthwith he mounted Garuda, the king of birds and arrived to help Gajendra, who was in great distress. Using his discus he shred the mouth of that crocodile into pieces. He caught hold of the elephants’ trunk and pulled him out and thus saved him.

15) Incarnation as Vamana:

Srihari incarnated as Vamana, the son of the couple- Aditi and Kashyapa. Although Vamana was the youngest amongst all the children of Aditi, in qualities he was the best. When Emperor Bali Chakravarti was conducting a Yagna, Vamana approached him and accepted from him, 3 feet land in charity. Immediately Vamana, in 3 steps, measured all the 3 planes of existence and on this pretext of seeking 3 feet of land, took away from Bali his entire kingdom.

In this deed of Vamana a profound teaching is hidden. Even the most efficient person finds it impossible to dislodge another person who is treading the path of good conduct (sanmarga) without begging from that person. This should be clearly understood.

O Nārada! With full reverence, Bali washed the feet of the all-pervading Lord who was in the form of Vamana and sprinkled that water upon his head. At that moment Bali felt that even the position of Indra (Lord of heaven) was trivial in front of this rare opportunity. In fact, as soon as Bali promised to give Vamana the 3 feet of land, his Guru Sukracharya intervened and objected. In various ways he tried to dissuade Bali from giving this land in charity. In his effort to dissuade Bali, Śukracharya went to the extent of stating that going against a given promise was perfectly acceptable. Yet Bali could not be deterred from the promise that he had given. He devotedly washed the feet of Vamana. When the Lord asked for a place to keep his 3^rd foot, Bali offered his own body. With this deed he became a Mahatma.

16) Incarnation as Hamsa:

O Nārada! Lord Srihari, supremely pleased with your intense devotion, incarnated as Hamsa. In an understandable and clear manner, He preached to you the Bhagawata dharma that imparts the knowledge about the path of devotion (bhakti-yoga) as well as about the form of the Self. Those devotees who have sought refuge under Lord Vasudeva easily grasp this Bhagawata dharma.

17) Incarnation as Manu:

In each and every period of creation, Lord Srihari incarnates as Manu and protects all descendents of that lineage. Spreading His unchallengeable radiance in all directions like a discus, He zealously nourishes and protects all living begins. It is not limited to this! He punishes the evil and wicked demons and through His innumerable accomplishments makes his name known not only in these three planes of existence, but also in the supreme plane known as Satya-loka.

18) Incarnation as Dhanvantari:

The Supreme Lord incarnated in this world as Dhanvantari and obtained limitless fame. Merely by chanting the name ‘Dhanvantari’ even the most severe and deadliest diseases get quickly cured. He gifted the Devatas with nectar (amrita), and with an eternal life that is free from old-age and death. He also earned back the share of offerings in the Yagna, which had been stolen from him earlier. He preached the knowledge of Ayurveda in this world.

19) Incarnation as Paraśurama:

Once upon a time those belonging to the warrior clan (kshatriya) began to despise the Lord and having deviated from the path of the Vedas they were about to land in hell. Due to this unfortunate situation, the kshatriyas, who had become impediments to the society, had to be destroyed completely. In that situation, the Supreme Lord incarnated as Paraśurama. Holding in his hand a long and sharp axe, the mighty Paraśurama travelled around the globe 21 times killing all the evil kshatriyas.

20) Incarnation as Rama:

In showering blessings upon us all, Srihari is always happy. This Lord of illusion incarnated, in the Ikshwāku dynasty, as Rama, together with his brothers, all of whom were aspects of His incarnation.

Srihari! Krishna!

Lord Brahma is explaining about the Universal form of the Lord. He continued,

“O Narada Maharishi! The Supreme Lord accepted various incarnations and through them brought to light his divine pastimes. Learned scholars have picked a few amongst those innumerable incarnations and have explained them in minute detail. Listening to these divine stories cleanses the ear of all its accumulated dirt. I will narrate to you these wonderous incarnations one after another” said Lord Brahma.

With this the sixth chapter of the second Canto comes to an end.

Second Canto Seventh Chapter

In this chapter, the specialties in the Srihari’s incarnation, as explained by Lord Brahma, are covered.

• Incarnation as Yagna-varāha:

Lord Brahma said, “O Nārada! Lord Srihari, for the purposes of uplifting and rescuing Earth, incarnated as the boar (varāha), which was the form of all Yagnas (sacrificial rituals). When the ill-famed Demon Hiranyaksha, the elder son of Diti, attacked Him in the middle of the vast oceans, Srihari, who was in the form of a boar, tore him apart using his tusk just as Lord Indra had chopped off the wings of the mountains using his thunderbolt.

2) Incarnation as Suyagna:

The Supreme Lord incarnated as the son of the saintly couple Ruci and Ākuti. He became famous as Suyagna. He married a girl by name Dakshina. From the womb of Dakshina, Suyama Devatas were born. Thereafter Suyama became the Lord for all these Devatas and alleviated the sufferings of entities in all the three planes of existence. For having alleviated the sufferings, Svayambhuva Manu, in a later period of time, addressed Him as Hari. Hari means ‘He who drives away sufferings and sins’.

3) Kapila:

Nārada! The Supreme Lord incarnated as the son of the holy couple Prajapati Kardama and his wife Devahuti. He was born to this couple after the birth of 9 girls. He became famous as Kapila. He initiated his mother Devahuti into the Supreme Knowledge. With this initiation she was able to wash away the slime called attachment with trigunas (the three modes of Nature) and all other impurities from her intellect and attain Self-realization. In that birth itself she attained liberation.

4) Datta:

Atrer apatyam abhikāṅkṣata āha tuṣṭo

Datto mayāham iti yad bhagavān sa dattaḥ

Yat-pāda-paṅkaja-parāga-pavitra-dehā

Yogarddhim āpur ubhayīṁ yadu-haihayādyāḥ

Maharishi Atri performed severe austerities seeking the birth of a child. Pleased with his austerities the Supreme Lord appeared before him and said, “I offer myself to you”. Thereafter the Supreme Lord incarnated as the son of Maharishi Atri and became famous as ‘Dattātreya’. Emperor Yadu, Emperor Kartaviryarjuna and others purified themselves by applying the dust from the lotus feet of Lord Datta. With His blessings, not only did they attain the 8 supernatural powers such as Anima etc. while they were living on earth, but they also attained liberation after leaving this body. ‘Datta’ means ‘He who gives’ or ‘he who has been given away’.

5) Maharishis Sanaka and others:

O Nārada! Prior to the creation of this universe, I performed severe austerities for the purpose of creating hordes of universes and then offered that penance to Lord Srihari. Srihari, who was pleased with this offering of mine, incarnated in the form of 4 divine sages. They were Sanaka, Sananda, Sanat-kumara and Sanat-sujata. In the form of those four divine sages, He explained the knowledge of the Self, which had become invisible towards the end of the prior creation. With this initiation, sages were able to visualize the Self clearly within them and they attained Self-realization.

6) Incarnation as Nara- Narayana:

To the holy couple Dharma and Murti, who was the daughter of Daksha, Lord Srihari was born as sons Nara and Nārāyaṇa. The two brothers Nara and Nārāyaṇa performed supreme unparalleled austerities. There was none who could match their level of austerities. Manmatha, the Lord of desire, arrived along with celestial damsels at the spot where they were performing penance, in order to disrupt the austerities of Maharishi Nārāyaṇa, who resides within everyone in the form of the Self. Ironically he failed miserably in his attempts and had to face terrible defeat in the hands of these revered saints. In front of their eyes, Maharishi Nārāyaṇa created from his thighs, the beautiful damsel Urvashi, who resembled the celestial damsels in every way but yet far surpassed them in beauty.

Rudra and other Mahatmas, can with their fiery red eyes filled with anger, burn this Manmatha (Lord of desire) into ashes. Even such Lords are however unable to control the blazing anger that arises within their hearts and which burns everything. It is very difficult to withstand this fiery anger as it moves in unimaginable speeds. But yet, even such anger was afraid to enter into the minds of the pleasant and pure heated Maharishis Nara and Narayana and it shivered and trembled in their presence. This being the case, how could feelings of lust ever arise in their hearts? It was impossible.

Not knowing this great fact, Manmatha brought the celestial damsels and tried to put these Maharishis Nara and Narayana into the trap of infatuation. But he ended falling into their trap.

7) Srihari, the protector of Dhruva:

Dhruva, the son of King Uttanapada, was offended with the insults heaped upon him by his step-mother. Although he was very young, he went into the forests and undertook severe penance aimed at pleasing Lord Srihari. Impressed with his austerities, Srihari appeared before him. At that point Dhruva praised him profusely with many hymns. Srihari, who was immensely happy with the boy, rewarded him by blessing him with the position of the Pole star (Dhruva star). The sacredness of this Dhruva star can be understood from the fact that great sages such as Bhrigu and others, who are situated in planets above this Pole star as well as the Saptarishis (the seven great sages) who are in constellations below the Pole star, worship this Pole star.

8) Incarnation as Pṛthu:

Emperor Vena who was an unrighteous ruler was, like a thunderbolt, hit by the curse uttered by Brahmins. This curse drained away from him auspiciousness in totality. Vena, who had treaded the path of unrighteousness (adharma) was about to fall into hell. The sages who observed this prayed to Lord Srihari. Srihari took birth as Vena’s son (putra) and was named Pṛthu. By being born as his son, He prevented Vena from landing in hell.

‘Putra’ (son) means ‘he who saves from the hell called Punnama’.

In this incarnation as Pṛthu, the Supreme Lord milked from mother earth, who was in the form of a cow, all its riches and brought about the well-being of the world. In other words, he extracted from earth all its riches/ produce.

9) Incarnation as Ŗshabha:

Ŗshabha was born as the son of the couple Nabha and Sudevi. He had the Supreme Knowledge that Brahma is the only real existence and that this world is illusory (Brahma satya, Jagat mithya). Due to this knowledge he had absolutely no inclination towards worldly comforts. He could turn his senses away from worldly comforts and fix them totally upon the Supreme Essence. Remaining eternally in a state of perfect meditation, he appeared immobile. The world addressed him as Ŗshabha Yogendra. Maharishis declared that he belonged to supreme cadre of saints called Paramahamsas. Learning from him, they adopted those practices in their daily life.

Srihari! Krishna!