Nārada Maharishi continued, “I travelled northwards and after crossing many prosperous places, forests, ponds, gardens and mountains I finally reached a huge dense forest. I was extremely exhausted by then. Finding a pond nearby I bathed in it. I performed acamana (purificatory ritual), drank water from that pond and thus abated my tiredness. Sitting under a peepal tree in that isolated uninhabited forest, I began to contemplate upon the Supreme Lord, who illumines in the form of the Self (atma) within the heart.”

Swamiji explains: All of you please remember this. Whenever we are alone, we waste our time recollecting unnecessary past events, sorrows, useless transactions, insults that have been heaped upon us in the past etc. It is not right. Getting time exclusively for ourselves (ekanta) is a great fortune. Not everyone is blessed with such exclusive time for themselves. We may perhaps think, ‘what is so great about being alone? Jobless people, diseased persons, and every other person whom we see has this opportunity wherein they are alone and idle. But delve into their hearts and see what they are doing. Then you observe what Maharishi Nārada did with this opportunity. He focused upon the Supreme Lord who was seated within his heart in the form of the Self (atma).

Nārada Maharishi continued, “I contemplated in the following manner: ‘Who am I? What is this light which is illumining through me? What is it which is illuminating in the form of my Self? How will I know about my Self?’

As I progressed in this contemplation, my mind completely came under the control of bhakti (devotion). With this the desire to see God and to earn Him intensified deeply within me. Due to this intensified desire very soon tears welled up in my eyes and began to flow profusely like a stream.

‘Perhaps my birth is only for this purpose. Perhaps I was born only to have a vision of that Lord. I have to see Him somehow or the other. I have to see that illumination’. This was my line of thinking.

As I was thinking in this manner, Śrihari gradually emerged within my heart! I could see the Lord within my heart! This is the meaning of ‘atma-darshana’. With this my love and devotion towards him surged even further and I experienced horripilation throughout the body. I experienced unimaginable peace. I, who was soaked in an ocean of limitless bliss, experienced the non-dual (advaita) state!

That form of the Supreme Lord, which is very dear to the mind, which gives limitless peace and which drives away all forms of grief in totality, did not however come back to the mind. No matter how hard I tried, I could not experience Him again. I kept trying endlessly but it was of no avail.

With disturbed mind I stood up. Deciding that somehow or the other I have to see that Supreme form once again I again began my sadhana with absolute concentration. Yet it did not yield any result.

When the Supreme form could not be seen again, I was tormented. I was like a diseased person. When I could not see that divine light, that yoga, that Paramātma, I began to feel extremely helpless. I felt dejected and forlorn. I was angry with myself and at my incapacity to see Him.

In that way when I was sitting in this uninhabited forest persistently trying to see him, I heard a celestial voice from the sky, “In this birth you cannot see me again! Desires and other evil tendencies do not completely disappear with limited austerities!”

Swamiji explains: Many people wear suitable clothing and assuming that they have attained yoga, sit for meditation. ‘I am seeing the Supreme Lord’, they think. Do you think it is so simple? Desire, anger and other evil tendencies have solidified and got struck to you from many births. 10 minutes of meditation or an hour’s meditation cannot wash away this accumulated dirt from the mind. ‘Oh, I saw some light. I have seen God. I have had his darshan’- many declare in this manner. But remember that this dirt has still not gone away. It has not been reduced to ashes.

The celestial voice continued, “In such a situation having My vision is extremely difficult. Some dirt is still left behind. O sinless person! In order to cultivate feelings of deep love and devotion towards me, I blessed you once with my vision. That’s all! I have just given you the taste of it. Out of intense love towards me, a pure minded person gradually gives up all his desires. You too tread that path. I want you to give up your desires gradually.

For some time you served great saints. As a result your mind firmly stabilized upon me. After giving up this insignificant body of yours, you will be blessed with a little service towards me. You will attain a chance for offering tiny seva. This mind of yours which has totally fixed upon Me will however never waver. Even after the total destruction of the creation (pralaya kala), memory of this birth will remain ever fresh in your memory”.

Hearing these words of the Supreme Lord, I attained total peace of mind. I gave up trying to see Him. Accepting that He was always with me, I was happy. All my sorrows vanished.

‘Disappearance of all sorrows, destruction of desires -anger and other evil tendencies that have been coming down as a result of the deeds of many past births and attainment of resultant total peace’- I who had attained all these, bowed in deep reverence to that Supreme Lord.

From then on, giving up any form of inhibition, I began to sing the glories of that Divine Lord as well as His names. Without shyness, at every place I began to sing his glories loudly. I kept saying Narayana, Narayana, Narayana everywhere.

Om Namo Narayana

Nārada Maharishi continued, “Because of the initiation into the most confidential text Bhāgawatam, I could understand clearly about the influence of the Lord’s power of illusion (māya shakti). Those who understand this, reach the ultimate abode of the Lord.

O Maharishi Vyasa! Recollecting divine names destroys all forms of worldly afflictions. The desire to offer all deeds to Parabrahma is a supreme medicine to cure the disease called bhava (cycle of repeated re-births). 

I am explicitly indicating this to you. Actions performed solely to please the Supreme Lord become the cause for attaining supreme knowledge (jnana) through the medium of bhakti-yoga. These persons, while unfailingly engaging in performing the meritorious deeds as dictated by the Vedas, which are forms of the Supreme, eternally chant or recollect the Lord’s names, forms or qualities.

Namo bhagavate tubhyaṁ vāsudevāya dhīmahi

Pradyumnā-yāniruddhāya namaḥ saṅkarṣaṇāya ca

Salutations to Lord Vāsudeva! Salutations to the Lords Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarshana! I contemplate upon the Supreme God who manifests in all these 4 forms (chatur-vyuha).

The Supreme Lord who inherently is devoid of form takes on mantra as His form. He also exists in the form of Yagna (sacrificial rituals). The person, who worships such Lord with mantras that represent Him, attains total knowledge of Brahma (Brahma jnana).

O saint, I also tried to worship the Supreme Lord in the similar manner. Lord Srihari himself bestowed upon me the knowledge pertaining the Supreme and also unflinching devotion towards Him.

O Maharishi Vyasa! You are an embodiment of complete knowledge. You should now describe the wonderful glories of that Supreme Lord. Through that, quench the thirst of those who are exponents in the field of knowledge. The miseries of the ordinary men will be washed away when they glorify the deeds of the Supreme Lord Srihari.” concluded Maharishi Nārada.

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

First Canto Sixth Chapter

In this chapter the following are covered: the remaining story of Maharishi Narada’s previous birth and his subsequent birth as the mind-born son of Brahma as a result of his austerities (tapas).

Upon hearing the story of Maharishi Narada’s previous birth and his deeds therein, Maharishi Vyasa enquired thus,

“O Maharishi Nārada! What did you do, after the sages, having completed their Chaturmasya austerities and after having initiated you into knowledge, departed from that place? O Son of Brahma! How did you spend your time thereafter? At the time of death, how did you give up your old body? Time swallows everything. In your case I am presuming that this time has not swallowed your memories of your earlier birth. Please be merciful and narrate to me the entire story of your previous birth.”

Maharishi Nārada replied, “I will now narrate to you my activities, after my initiation and after the departure of the great sages from that place. I was the only son of my mother. She was an uneducated, helpless poor lady who worked as a maid to earn a living. She tied me down with her love and affection. At all times she sought my well-being.

Man is a puppet in the hands of the Supreme, isn’t it? The Supreme Lord has tied us down with puppet strings and is playing a game with us. In the same manner she also was like a bonded being with absolutely no freedom. She was helpless. I, who had no knowledge of other lands, directions or times and who was tied down completely with the love and affection showered by my mother, served these great saints per her directions. At that time I was just 5 years old.

One morning, when my mother was going to milk the cow, she accidently stepped on a snake. Inspired by the God of death, the snake bit my mother.

Considering this also to be a special grace of that Lord, I now began travelling in the northern direction. On the way I crossed many rich kingdoms, villages and towns that were flourishing with prosperity. I also crossed many hamlets, agricultural fields, gardens, natural forests and artificial forests. I also came across many mountains that were filled with minerals and also many ponds.

Having crossed all these I entered into a forest.

Om Namo Narayana.

Nārada continued, “O Vyasa, as it is human beings are inclined towards materialistic comforts. You have taught them about frutitive actions so far. These ignorant persons, believing your words, consider only frutitive actions (actions done with expectation of some results) as dharma and hold on tightly to them. As a result of holding on to these frutitive actions they are unable to give up differentiation and accept with the right perspective, the Vedic statements that speak about liberation. This is not correct.

‘Performing frutitive actions (actions expecting some result) is most important. Such actions themselves lead towards liberation’ they wrongly believe. They consider that by performing pious deeds they get double benefits i.e. while on earth they can enjoy a happy comfortable life and at the same time, enjoy all comforts of heaven when they reach there. They believe that this is the ultimate state. Hence they are not at all inclined towards attaining Self-realization and walking on that path towards liberation (moksha).

Only a well-learned person who has totally given up frutitive actions, and who has absolute dedication towards knowledge can understand the blissful state of that omniscient, omnipresent Supreme Lord. How can ordinary persons reach such a state which is within reach of only a well-learned pundit?

Therefore O great saint! Please teach the specialities of the Lord for the benefit of those human beings who are attached to this body, to this materialistic world and who are caught in these trigunas (three attributes).

Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer

bhajann apakvo ‘tha patet tato yadi

Yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ

ko vārtha āpto ‘bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ

The person who has given up his swadharma (his dharmic duties) to serve the lotus feet of Lord Srihari can never obtain inauspiciousness, even if he slips from the path or dies before attaining completeness in devotion. However even if a person strictly adheres to his stipulated duties (swadharma), but lacks devotion towards Srihari, his adherence to swadharma can never yield auspicious results in this birth, in heaven or in the next.

Therefore an intelligent and wise person should strive only to serve the lotus feet of the Lord! Those persons who are trapped in completing frutitive actions and reaping the fruits which arise from those actions can never reach the abode of Srihari!

 As a result of their meritorious deeds on earth they reach heaven and enjoy the comforts there. Upon exhaustion of this balance they come down to earth and once again perform deeds so that they can attain heaven. They are trapped in this cycle. 

Performing any number of highly valued meritorious deeds, conducting supreme Yagnas, attaining expertise in various fields of knowledge, authoring crores of books or any other achievements is a waste if devotion towards the Supreme is missing”.

Swamiji explains: You are a learned pundit; you have authored many valuable books; your name will remain on earth forever, all these achievements are your own and are valuable only if you have devotion to the Supreme Lord! They will trap you in the cycle of re-births if devotion (bhakti) is missing. The same actions when performed with devotion to Lord Hari shower good results in this plane, in the next plane and also in the subsequent birth!

“Due to the influence of time which moves at speeds that are beyond the capacity of the intellect, the living entity, irrespective of his location, continues to experience his prarabdha karma (the portion of the total karma destined to be experienced in this life). As a result, he experiences joys and sorrows in the normal course of life. The frutitive actions of earlier births lead to joyful and sorrowful experiences in this birth. Your comforts, power, position all have their roots in previous actions.

Therefore O Vyasa! The person who serves Lord Srihari can never ever get trapped in this samsara i.e. the repeated cycle of re-births! This is irrefutable! This is because he has tasted the nectar called “service to the lotus feet of the Lord”. He will never ever be inclined to stay away from Lord Śrihari.

O Vyasa, creation, sustenance and destruction of this universe takes place due to Lord Srihari. Neither this world nor the individual have an existence that is separate from that Him! However the Supreme Lord is aloof from this creation. This knowledge is known to you and I am just defining to you one aspect of the Supreme.

You are highly knowledgeable and are in reality without birth. But solely for the welfare of the people, you took birth as an aspect of that Supreme Lord. Remember this. In extreme detail explain to the people of this world the specialities and the glorious deeds of that Supreme Lord.

Highly knowledgeable persons (jnanis) state that the austerities, Vedic studies, Yagna and other rituals, good words, knowledge and charitable deeds become meaningful and attain fulfillment only when the person praises the glorious deeds of that Supreme Lord.

“O Maharishi! In the previous kalpa (creation) I was born as the son of a maid-servant. When I was a small boy I was entrusted with the task of serving some great saints who had come there for their Chaturmasya austerities. Even though I was very small, not showing any inclination towards toys and other childish games, I was eternally engrossed in serving these eminent saints and abiding by their orders. I would not talk much. These great saints were impartial towards all forms of life. Even then, they developed feelings of deep compassion towards me. With the permission of those great saints I once ate the left-over food from their plates. With this, all my sins were totally destroyed. In this way through serving them my mind became totally pure. I developed deep dedication towards practice of dharma.

Everyday these great saints would joyfully sing the praises of Lord Srikrishna. I heard them with total dedication. As a result I developed love and devotion towards Lord Srikrishna. The increased devotion brought stability to my mind. It is only through devotion that the mind can be stabilized!

With such a firm mind I could realize that this entire world and this body of mine have emerged purely because of ignorance. In this way, by keenly listening to the glories of that infinite Lord being rendered by these great saints thrice daily, I could attain that state of devotion which could destroy my trigunas.

Thus through pure love, control of senses, humility and dedication I, who had offered them services, was totally cleansed of all my sins. At the time of their departure after Chaturmasya vrata, the great saints, who eternally show compassion towards the downtrodden, preached the ultimate secretive Bhāgawatam, to me, who was just a child and who was thus purified. They had learnt this Bhāgawatam directly from the Lord.

Om Namo Narayana.

One day, great sage Vyasa was deeply perturbed and selecting an isolated place on the banks of the ever pure River Saraswati, began reflecting within himself in the following manner:

‘I have, with strict discipline and total dedication, worshipped the Vedas, Gurus and Agni (fire) and have abided by their orders. In addition, I have also offered to the world, Mahabharata which explains the entire essence of the Vedas. Through this Mahabharata, even ladies and shudras can understand the rules of righteousness (dharma). With this deed, every being has now attained the eligibility to understand the sacred rules.

Even after so many deeds, why does the inner being within me feel incomplete, when I am totally complete? Why does it appear as if it is ignorant when it is all-knowing? Why does this vacuum envelop me? Why am I blank? Why is it that I cannot see anything?

From this it is to be understood that I have not primarily explained about those dharmas that take a being towards Godhead. May be I have not clearly elaborated upon the path that leads to Paramātma. Perhaps I myself do not know about it. May be this is the cause for my dissatisfaction. This is because the dharmas that are extremely dear to the all-knowing supreme saints are also exceptionally dear to the Supreme Lord Maha-Vishnu.’ In this way the great sage lamented.

At this juncture, when the saint considering himself an incomplete being, was lamenting due to dissatisfaction, Maharishi Nārada paid him a visit. Noticing the arrival of Maharishi Narada, Maharishi Vyasa got up and welcomed him warmly. With due respect and reverence, he worshipped the great saint.

With this the 4^th sub-chapter of the first canto comes to an end.

First Canto Fifth Chapter

This chapter contains the conversation between saints Nārada and Vyasa, the greatness of extolling the deeds and traits of the Supreme Lord as well as the story of Nārada’s previous birth as told by Nārada to Vyasa.

Maharishi Suta said, “Maharishi Nārada, who is of limitless fame, who holds a Veena in his hand and who is eternally at peace, seated himself comfortably and then smilingly addressed Maharishi Vyasa who was seated by his side, as follows:

‘O Mahatma, are you blissful and happy? Are your body, mind, senses, atma (Self) eternally blissful in contemplation of the Supreme Lord? Not only have you understood all the rules of righteousness (dharma) but you have also put them perfectly into practice. You have composed the Mahabharata, which is totally replete with dharma and which is wondrous composition. Mahabharata contains the complete essence of all sacred texts. You have contemplated on the eternal principle of Brahma (Brahma tattva) and have attained Self-realization. Even after all these deeds, it appears as if you are dejected. Why is this so? Why are you unhappy? Why do you feel as if there is a vacuum within you and as if you have not accomplished anything?’

To this Maharishi Vyasa replied, “O Brahmarishi Nārada! O great saint! What you have spoken until now was undoubtedly the truth. I do agree with all that you had mentioned now. Nevertheless, my mind is unhappy. I am unable to figure out the reason behind this. O all-knowing saint, you possess unlimited knowledge. I beseech you to tell me the reason behind this dissatisfaction that I am experiencing.

O great Maharishi Nārada, you have worshipped the non-dual Supreme Lord. You will be aware of the hidden reason behind this sorrow of mine. Akin to the Sun you travel across all the three planes. With the strength of Yoga, like the wind you are able to enter into all beings and watch all the activities of their mind as a witness.

In matters pertaining to Parabrahma, I have righteously adhered to strict disciplines and total dedication and have become well versed in it. Why then am I experiencing these feelings of incompleteness? Why this sorrow? Why am I having this dissatisfaction?”

Maharishi Nārada replied, “O Maharishi! It can be said that you have not elaborated upon the greatest accomplishment/ glories of the Supreme God, isn’t it? In my opinion, that knowledge which does not cause happiness to the Supreme Lord is always an incomplete knowledge. You have given limitless knowledge undoubtedly to the world. But in that, is there anything that speaks about divine glories or that which helps understand His essence? Life attains fulfillment only when that knowledge, which causes great happiness to the Lord and which bestows the person with divine vision, is obtained.

O Vyasa, you have not explained the glorious deeds of Lord Vāsudeva as elaborately as you have explained dharmas and puruśarthas (four goals of life). Saints consider those words, which, even after containing essence (rasa) and decoration (alamkara), cannot sanctify the universe and which do not explain the glorious deeds of the Lord, as akin to a place that is meant for enjoyment of crows. In other words a place meant for people who seek sensuous enjoyments. Saints, men who possess a very pure mind and those who are like swans can never be happy in such a place.

Poetic verses that glorify the Supreme Lord and which contain divine names that extol His limitless divine deeds are the very best, for they destroy the sins of people, even if they contain grammatical errors or incorrect words! 

Saints and pure hearted persons enjoy listening to these names of the Lord being recited by anyone! If there is no one to sing these divine glories, they themselves sing these divine names.

Being established in the supreme truth (Brahma niṣṭa) while being free from all karmic bondages, leads the person towards that knowledge which is essential for liberation. But this same supreme knowledge does not bestow the same results, if it is unaccompanied by devotion to Lord Hari. This is my opinion. This being the case, what more needs to be said about those actions performed for the fulfillment of selfish desires and hence which are not surrendered to the Lord?

Therefore O great Saint! For this reason, you, who are steadfast in truthfulness as well as in your vows, in order to destroy all your bondages and to obtain peace of mind, should recollect all the well known glories of that infinite Supreme Lord Hari who possesses unlimited capacities.

On the other hand, a person who tries to describe something apart from the glories of that Supreme Lord cannot rest peacefully and with stability at any given place. Such intellect which has lost its balance due to focusing on the creations of that Lord instead of on Him, is like a boat that is troubled due to high winds.

By nature a person is inclined towards materialistic comforts and enjoyments. In the name of adherence to dharma, you have taught them performance of frutitive actions (actions expecting some results). This is not fair. You have taught them to increase their actions (karma) and to enjoy the resultant fruits of those actions. ‘This karma will shower good results. That good deed will bless you will abundant money and materialistic comforts. This particular action will lead to good progeny. With completion of this good deed you will be blessed with emperorship over a vast kingdom’. This is what you have taught them. But nowhere have you taught them about attaining liberation.

Om Namo Narayana

Maharishi Śounaka continued, “Parikshit, the son of Abhimanyu, is considered to be the most supreme amongst devotees. Please explain to us the details of his birth and his deeds which are astonishing. What was the reason for this supreme emperor, who brought great fame to the lineage of Pandavas, to give up all palatial luxuries and sit on the banks of Ganga awaiting death? Please explain all this to us.

Even enemy kings would, for their own safety and welfare, offer many forms of riches and gold to Parikshit and pay obeisance to his feet. Such was his valour and youth. How could such a great king give up in totality all those riches and luxuries, which is impossible under normal circumstances? What was the reason behind this development? Please explain in detail all these astonishing facts.

Only those who totally surrender to the Lord and who live solely for the wellbeing, prosperity and happiness of the world, behave in an exalted manner. Such people do not act out of selfish desires. Nor do they live for fulfillment of their selfish desires. Emperor Parikshit belonged to this category. After having attained dispassion (vairāgya) why did he give up his body, which was being used only to bring about the benefit of others in the universe?  What was the reason?

O great saint! Please answer all these questions of ours in detail. Barring some Vedic statements, you have attained great expertise in other forms of knowledge including all Shastras”.

In reply to these questions, Maharishi Suta said as follows-

“Dvāpare samanuprāpte tṛtīye yuga-paryaye

Jātaḥ parāśarād yogī vāsavyāṁ kalayā hareḥ

When Dwarpara Yuga, the third eon, was coming to an end the great Maharishi Vyasa was born to Maharishi Paraśara from the womb of Satyavati, daughter of Vasu. Maharishi Vyasa was a partial incarnation of Mahavishnu and He was supremely knowledgeable by birth.

One day, Maharishi Vyasa bathed in the River Saraswati during the early hours and selecting an isolated place sat down quietly. The great saint possessed divine vision and hence could see the past, present and future. He foresaw in the course of time, dharma (righteousness) depleting through the various different eons (Yugas) on earth. In addition he also foresaw the deterioration of the gross body and of its energies due to non-adherence to righteousness by the people of these eons. He realized that there would be deterioration of both the physical energy and intelligence amongst people. The unlucky people, due to lack of dedication, purity and goodness would be dull-headed and would have a very short span of life.

He sat there pondered about a solution by which welfare of all beings across all castes and all ashramas (stages of life) could be brought about.

In future people would be foolish, lazy, sleepy, will live only for food, will be full of desires, anger will rule them, diseases will overtake them. Dedication and purity will not be visible in them. They will not have longevity. Time is flying fast. In what way can these people be helped?

He realized that through the process of Vedic rituals these persons could be uplifted. Through these Vedic rituals the mind of the persons could be cleansed. With the intent that such Vedic rituals and Yagnas should continue without a break and that the all planes should prosper, this great Maharishi took the entire heap of Vedas, which was considered a single unit until that point of time, and divided it into four groups viz., Rig, Yujur and Sāma and Atharva. Puranas and itihasa (history) were called the fifth Veda.

Maharishi Paila became well versed in Rig Veda, Maharishi Jaimini in Sama Veda and Maharishi Vaishampayana in Yajur Veda. Maharishi Sumantu attained expertise in Atharva Veda. My father Romaharsha established himself in Itihasa and Purana” said Maharishi Suta.

He further continued, “The eminent saints, in turn, further divided the Veda that they had taken over, into many sub-divisions (śākhas). Then they handed over these śākhas to their disciples, disciples of their disciples and then again to the disciples of those disciples and so on. In this way many branches arose.

Due to extreme love and compassion towards the needy, Maharishi Vyasa divided Vedas into so many branches, in a way such that even dull headed human beings could grasp.

Vedas and the rituals prescribed by the Vedas are the tools for ultimate prosperity. But Vedas themselves declare that ladies, shudras (lowest caste) and men who have not undergone the thread ceremony are ineligible for Veda recitation. In order that even these people should benefit, the ever compassionate Maharishi Vyasa, composed the Mahabharata, which contains the entire essence of the Vedas. In this manner Maharishi Vyasa, for the welfare of all forms of living beings, utilized his entire energies to the maximum capacity”.

Here it only states that those who do not have the eligibility to chant the Gayatri mantra cannot undertake those tasks. It does not prohibit one and all in general. There are many other Puranas and other texts which others, who are not initiated into Gayatri mantra, can take up.

“Even after completing these supreme tasks, Maharishi did not attain mental peace. Even after working for the benefit of the entire mankind he was not at peace”.

Om Namo Narayana.