The Bhagavata Purana 3

by Bibek Debroy

  This ends the Tenth Skandha.

  Eleventh Skandha

  Chapter 11(1): 23 shlokas

  Chapter 11(2): 55 shlokas

  Chapter 11(3): 54 shlokas

  Chapter 11(4): 23 shlokas

  Chapter 11(5): 52 shlokas

  Chapter 11(6): 50 shlokas

  Chapter 11(7): 74 shlokas

  Chapter 11(8): 43 shlokas

  Chapter 11(9): 33 shlokas

  Chapter 11(10): 37 shlokas

  Chapter 11(11): 49 shlokas

  Chapter 11(12): 24 shlokas

  Chapter 11(13): 42 shlokas

  Chapter 11(14): 45 shlokas

  Chapter 11(15): 36 shlokas

  Chapter 11(16): 44 shlokas

  Chapter 11(17): 58 shlokas

  Chapter 11(18): 48 shlokas

  Chapter 11(19): 45 shlokas

  Chapter 11(20): 37 shlokas

  Chapter 11(21): 43 shlokas

  Chapter 11(22): 61 shlokas

  Chapter 11(23): 61 shlokas

  Chapter 11(24): 29 shlokas

  Chapter 11(25): 36 shlokas

  Chapter 11(26): 35 shlokas

  Chapter 11(27): 54 shlokas

  Chapter 11(28): 44 shlokas

  Chapter 11(29): 49 shlokas

  Chapter 11(30): 50 shlokas

  Chapter 11(31): 26 shlokas

  Chapter 11(1)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘With Rama, and surrounded by the Yadus, Krishna killed daityas. To reduce the burden of the earth, he suddenly ignited the rising dissension. On several occasions, the sons of Pandu were angered by their rivals—the deceitful gambling, insults, the seizing of the hair 950 and other things. Using these as triggers, the lord removed the earth’s burden by destroying the kings who had assembled on either side. The Yadus were protected by his own arms and they were used to destroy the armies of the kings, a burden on earth. The immeasurable one then thought, “Some may say that the earth’s burden has gone, but I do not think so. The intolerable lineage of the Yadavas still remains. No one else can ever defeat them, through any means. Because they seek shelter with me, their powers have always been unrestricted. I will engender conflict within the lineage of the Yadus and they will be destroyed, like a bamboo grove consumed by the fire. I can then peacefully return to my abode.” O king! The lord’s resolutions always came true and he decided in this way. Using the pretext of the curse pronounced by brahmanas, the lord withdrew his own family. His own form brought beauty to the world and stole the eyes of men away from everything else. The minds of those who heard his words remembered them. His gaits and acts attracted people. His glory spread through excellent shlokas. These allowed people to easily cross over the darkness. The lord thought that he would return to his own abode.’

  The king asked, ‘The minds of the Vrishnis were immersed in Krishna. They were generous and devoted to brahmanas. They always served the aged. Why did the brahmanas curse them? O supreme among brahmanas! What was the reason for the curse and what was its nature? They were united. How could there have been dissension among them? Please tell me everything.’

  Shri-Shuka continued, ‘His radiant form was an accumulation of all that was beautiful. Having performed extremely auspicious deeds on earth, his wishes were accomplished. The one who was pervasive in his deeds enjoyed himself in his abode. 951 He remained there because a small task still needed to be completed. He desired to destroy his lineage. He accomplished extremely auspicious and sacred deeds in this world. Chanting about these deeds takes away the impurities of kali yuga. In his form as the Destroyer, he resided in the house of the lord of the Yadus. 952 The sages took his leave and went to Pindaraka. 953 They were Vishvamitra, Asita, Kanva, Durvasa, Bhrigu, Angiras, Kashyapa, Vamadeva, Atri, Vasishtha, Narada and others. While playing, young boys born in the Yadu lineage approached them. They clasped their feet and asked them a question in mock humility. They attired Samba, Jambavati’s son, in a woman’s garments and asked, “O brahmanas! This black-eyed lady is expecting and wants to ask you. O ones infallible in vision! However, she is ashamed of asking you directly. She will deliver soon and desires to have a son. Can you tell us about the delivery?” 954 O king! Thus deceived, the sages became angry and replied, “O foolish ones! She will give birth to a club that will destroy the lineage.” Hearing these words, they were extremely terrified. They uncovered Samba’s stomach and saw that there was indeed a club made out of iron. “We are unfortunate. What have we done? What are people going to say?” Completely confused, they returned to their homes, taking the club with them. The radiance had vanished from their faces. They took it to the king’s assembly and in the presence of all the Yadavas, 955 reported what had happened. O king! The residents of Dvaraka heard about the invincible curse of the brahmanas and saw the club. They were astounded, scared and terrified. Ahuka, 956 the king of the Yadus, had the club pulverized. He had the fragments, along with a small bit of iron that remained, flung into the ocean. A fish swallowed that bit of iron. The fragments were carried to the shore by the waves. Stuck there, they grew into eraka reeds. Along with other fish caught by fishermen from the ocean, that fish was also caught. A hunter 957 used that bit of iron to fashion his arrowhead. The illustrious lord knew everything, but he did not wish to counter the curse of the brahmanas. In his form as the Destroyer, he sanctioned it.’

  Chapter 11(2)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘O extender of the Kuru lineage! Dvaravati was protected by Govinda’s arms. Constantly eager to worship Krishna, Narada resided there for some time. O king! Mukunda’s lotus feet are worshipped by the best among the immortals. Which person with senses, always confronted by death, will not worship them? Once, the devarshi went to Vasudeva’s 958 house. He was worshipped. When he was comfortably seated, he 959 greeted him and addressed him in these words. Vasudeva said, “O illustrious one! Your visits are for the welfare of all embodied beings who are distressed. You are like a father for those who follow Uttamashloka’s path. The activities of the gods bring happiness and unhappiness to beings. However, virtuous ones like you, who have their atmans in Achyuta, only bring happiness. The gods are like shadows. The gods reciprocate according to the acts used to worship them. 960 However, virtuous ones are always compassionate towards the distressed. O brahmana! I wish to ask you about bhagavata dharma. 961 On faithfully listening to this, a mortal person is freed from all kinds of fear. The infinite one bestows emancipation. In an earlier birth on earth, I worshipped him. However, confounded by the god’s maya, I did not ask for emancipation, but for offspring. O one excellent in vows! There are many kinds of hardships. Instruct me, so that I can directly and easily be freed from fears from every direction.” O king! The devarshi was thus questioned by the intelligent Vasudeva. He remembered Hari’s qualities and, delighted, spoke to him.

  ‘Narada said, “O bull among the Satvatas! You have correctly asked about bhagavata dharma, which purifies the universe. If this dharma is heard, recited, meditated on, accepted or praised, it instantly purifies those who hate the gods or creatures in the universe. The illustrious one is supremely auspicious. Hearing about him or chanting about him is sacred. You have now reminded me about my god, Narayana. In this connection, an ancient history is recounted, about a conversation between the great-souled Videha and the sons of Rishabha. Svayambhuva Manu had a son named Priyavrata. His son was Agnidhra, Agnidhra’s son was Nabhi and Nabhi’s son was known as Rishabha, spoken of as a portion of Vasudeva. He descended on earth to teach about moksha dharma. He had one hundred sons and all of them possessed knowledge about the brahman. The eldest among them was Bharata and he was devoted to Narayana. It is after him that this wonderful varsha goes by the name of Bharata. Having enjoyed objects of pleasure, he gave them up. He left home and performed austerities for Hari. After having worshipped him, he obtained his state after three births. Nine 962 became lords of the nine dvipas that were all around. Eighty-one were brahmanas and initiated the various rituals. The remaining nine were extremely fortunate sages and explained the ultima
te objective. They were accomplished in knowledge about the atman. They were mendicants who exerted themselves, using the wind as a garment. 963 They were Kavi, Hari, Antariksha, Prabhuddha, Pippalayana, Avirhotra, Drumila, Chamasa and Karabhajana. They visualized the form of the universe, cause and effect, gross and subtle, as no different from the atman of the illustrious one and roamed around earth. They were unrestricted in their movements and went to the worlds of the gods, the Siddhas, the Sadhyas, the gandharvas, the yakshas, men, the kinnaras and serpents. They roamed around freely, as they willed, in the worlds of sages, charanas, the lords among the bhutas, vidyadharas, brahmanas and cattle. Once, the great-souled Nimi 964 was performing a sacrifice in Ajanabha, 965 following the instructions of the rishis. Wandering around as they willed, they went there. O king! Those great devotees of the illustrious one were like the sun. On seeing them, everyone, the performer of the sacrifice, the sacrificial fires and the brahmanas, stood up. The king of Videha knew that they were devoted to the illustrious one. Delighted, he offered them appropriate seats and worshipped them. Those nine blazed in their own radiance and were like Brahma’s sons. 966 Extremely happy, the king bowed down in humility and asked them.”

  ‘Videha asked, “I think that you are the direct attendants of the illustrious one, Madhu’s enemy. Those with Vishnu inside them roam around, purifying the worlds. Among embodied beings, the status of a human is extremely difficult to obtain, though it is also fragile. But even among those, I think it is extremely difficult to find those who manage to see those loved by Vaikuntha. O supremely fortunate ones! O ones without blemish! Therefore, I am asking you. For men in this world, even half a kshana’s 967 association with the virtuous is a treasure. If you think that we are capable of listening to bhagavata dharma, please tell us about it. He is devoted to those who seek shelter with him and is ready to give up his own self.”

  ‘Narada continued, “O Vasudeva! Those great ones were thus asked by Nimi. Happy, they honoured the king, the officiating priests and the assistant priests and spoke.

  ‘“Kavi said, ‘He is the atman of the universe. In this world, one’s intelligence is constantly agitated, because one identifies the atman with the transient. Achyuta’s lotus feet grant freedom from fear. If one constantly worships them, I think there can be no fear. The means and techniques for easily realizing the atman and obtaining the illustrious one have been described, even by ignorant men. Know that as bhagavata dharma. O king! A man who resorts to this is never distracted. Even if he runs with his eyes closed, he will never trip or fall down. 968 Everything done with the body, words, mind, senses, intelligence, the atman and by following one’s own nature, 969 must be offered to the supreme Narayana. 970 Because of loss of memory, there is misidentification and one turns away from the direction of the lord, becoming absorbed in the second. 971 That leads to fear. An intelligent person knows that this is maya. He devotedly worships the absolute lord, the guru and divinity for his atman. This manifestation of duality has no real existence. The intelligence experiences it like the wishes confronted in dreams. The mind leads to doubts about what should be done and what should not be done. An intelligent person brings the mind under control and fearlessness results from that. One must hear about the extremely auspicious birth and deeds in this world of the one who wields a chakra in his hand. One must sing about those names and their significances. One should roam around unattached and without any embarrassment, sing about these. If one follows this vow, his names and deeds come to be loved. Attachment develops and his heart melts. He laughs loudly. He cries, or becomes agitated. He sings and dances like a mad person. He does not care about the external world. The devotee bows down to everything, taking everything to be no different from Hari’s body—the sky, the air, the fire, water, the earth, the stellar bodies, living creatures, the directions, trees and others, rivers and oceans—all that exists. For a person who surrenders himself, three things occur simultaneously: devotion to the supreme lord, experiencing him and non-attachment towards everything else. It is like a person who is in the process of eating. With every mouthful, there is satisfaction, nourishment and elimination of hunger. Thus, the devotee constantly worships Achyuta’s feet. There is devotion, non-attachment towards everything else and awareness about the illustrious one. O king! In this way, a person who is devoted to the illustrious one directly experiences supreme serenity.’

  ‘“The king 972 asked, ‘Tell me more about the kind of man who follows bhagavata dharma. How does he behave? How does he speak? What are the signs of a person loved by the illustrious one?’

  ‘“Hari said, ‘If a person is suffused with the illustrious one, he sees the illustrious one in all creatures and all creatures in the atman of the illustrious one. He is superior among those who are devoted to the illustrious one. A person who is devoted to the illustrious one, friendly towards his devotees, compassionate towards foolish ones 973 and indifferent towards those who hate him, 974 is a medium kind of devotee. A person who worships Hari’s image faithfully, 975 but does not honour his devotees or others, is said to be an ordinary kind of devotee. The senses come in contact with the objects of the senses. If a person is not delighted or unhappy with this, recognizing this to be Vishnu’s maya, he is supreme among devotees of the illustrious one. If a person remembers Hari and is not confounded by the body, the senses, prana, the mind, the intelligence, birth, death, hunger, fear, thirst and other hardships associated with the dharma of samsara, he is the foremost devotee of the illustrious one. If Vasudeva is the supreme shelter for someone, the desire for the seeds of karma do not arise in his mind. Such a person is supreme among devotees of the illustrious one. Hari loves a person who has no sense of ahamkara and is not attached to notions of noble birth, karma, varna, ashrama and other things associated with the body in this world. If a person does not have any sense of differentiation between “mine” and “someone else’s”, vis-à-vis the body or possessions, and is serene and impartial towards all creatures, he is a supreme devotee of the illustrious one. Gods and others, and those who have not conquered their atmans, seek out the illustrious one’s lotus feet. If a person’s memory is not disturbed and if he does not waver from those feet for a lava 976 or half a nimesha, even for the sake of lordship of the three worlds, he is Vishnu’s foremost devotee. The illustrious one’s strides have accomplished deeds of valour. The radiance from the jewels of nails on his feet are like cool moonbeams and destroy the torment in the heart. How can a person who worships him suffer? This is like the power of the rising moon dispelling the sun’s heat. A person is said to be a foremost devotee of the illustrious one if Hari does not leave his heart, his lotus feet firmly and directly bound there by bonds of love. Even if he is called accidentally, he destroys the mass of sins.’”’

  Chapter 11(3)

  ‘“The king 977 said, ‘The supreme lord Vishnu’s maya confounds. O illustrious ones! We wish to know about this maya. Please tell us. I am tormented by the miseries of samsara. I am not satisfied from hearing from you about Hari’s account, which is like amrita. It is like medication for the sufferings of a mortal being.’

  ‘“Antariksha said, ‘O mighty-armed one! He is the atman in all creatures. He is the original being. From his own parts, he has created these creatures, superior and inferior, out of the gross elements, so that they can enjoy objects of the senses or realize the atman. 978 The beings are created out of the five elements and having created them, he enters them. He is one, but divides himself into ten, and makes them engage with the gunas. 979 Goaded by the lord, the jivatman uses the senses to enjoy the objects of the senses. He identifies his atman with what has been created and thereby becomes attached. The embodied being is an instrument and uses the senses of action to engage in karma. Accepting the fruits of past karma, he whirls around, in joy and misery. Thus, the being follows towards many inauspicious destinations determined by karma. From the creation of the universe to its end, he helplessly experiences many births and deaths. When the end of the
elements is imminent, the one without a beginning and without an end assumes the form of time and withdraws the manifest objects and gunas into his unmanifest atman. At that time, the earth is ravaged by a terrible drought that lasts for one hundred years. At that time, the sun’s heat is heightened by time and scorches the three worlds. From Samkarshana’s 980 mouth, a fire is initiated from the bottom of patala. Aided by the wind, the flames rise upwards and, increasing, burn down the directions. Large masses of clouds known as samvartaka shower down for one hundred years. The flow of the downpour is as thick as the trunks of elephants. The entire universe is deluged in water. O king! Vairaja Purusha 981 abandons the universe and enters the subtle and the unmanifest, like fire, when the kindling has been consumed. 982 The wind robs the earth of its property of smell, which is then transformed into water. The wind also robs water of its liquid nature and it is transformed into fire. The darkness robs fire of its form and it merges into the wind. Space robs wind of its attribute of touch and the wind merges into space. In the form of time, the atman robs space of its attribute and it merges into tamasika ahamkara. 983 O king! The senses and intelligence merge into rajasika ahamkara. The mind and divinities of the senses merge into sattvika ahamkara. Ahamkara, along with its attributes, 984 merges into Mahat. 985 This is the maya of the illustrious one, which leads to creation, preservation and destruction. It has three hues. 986 I have described it to you. What else do you wish to hear?’

  ‘“The king 987 asked, ‘O maharshi! Those who have not cleansed their atmans find it impossible to overcome the lord’s maya. How can those with gross intelligence 988 easily tide over it? Please describe that.’