Radha Krishna - Chapter 5: Nârada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva

Chapter 5: Nârada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva (1) The honorable king [Nimi] said: 'O you perfect in the knowledge of the soul, what is the destination of those who, as good as never worshiping the Supreme Personality of Hari [see also 11.3: *4], with their lusts not at peace are out of control with themselves?'

(2) S'rî Camasa said: 'From the face, arms, thighs and feet of the Original Person were by the modes of nature [in different combinations *] the four spiritual orders [or âs'ramas] and vocations [or varnas] headed by the brahmins generated [see also B.G. 4: 13]. (3) Any member of them who, not of worship, has a low opinion of the Original Person who is the very best of their soul and the Supreme Controller, will, having strayed from his position, fall down [see B.G. 16: 23]. (4) There are many people who are far removed from the talks about the Destroyer [of the sin; the Lord] and never think of the glories of the Infallible One; they, falling in the category of the women [compare 5.17: 15] and s'ûdras and such, are the ones deserving the mercy of personalities like you. (5) Even then do also the intellectuals, the nobles and the traders, who [by initiation] got access to the Lord His lotus feet, get bewildered in being committed to [all kinds of] philosophies [see also 5.6: 11, B.G. 2: 42-43]. (6) Ignorant about the matters of karma do they who factually lack in experience but arrogantly consider themselves very learned, enchanted by the beauty of language express themselves in flattering entreaties [to the demigods] by which they get bewildered [see also B.G. 9: 3]. (7) Full of passion and perverted in their desires are they angry like snakes, deceitful and conceited and do they sinfully make fun of those dear to Acyuta.

(8) As worshipers of women they speak amongst each other in their homes encouraging and worshiping sex as the very best thing; without any regard for the distribution of food and gifts in gratitude [to the spiritual leaders and their following], think they of their own livelihood only and kill they, oblivious to the consequences, the animals [see also B.G. 16]. (9) With their intelligence blinded by the pride based on their opulence, special abilities, lineage, education, renunciation, beauty, strength and performance of rituals, do they hard-hearted deride the saintly dear to the Lord, nor do they respect the Controller Himself [see also e.g. 1.8: 26, 4.2: 24, 4.31: 21, 5.1: 12, 7.15: 19, 8.22: 26 and also B.G. 2: 42-43]. (10) The Soul of the most worshipable Controller who alike the ether is eternally situated in all embodied beings, is the Ultimate Controller glorified by the Vedas, but the unintelligent don't take heed; they rather go on discussing the topics of their whimsical pleasures. (11) The indulgence in sex and the consumption of meat and alcohol one always finds in the conditioned living being and are verily by no command of scripture endorsed; what in regard of these is prescribed for [respectively] the marriage, the sacrifice and the ritual use of wine, is there to the end of their cessation [see also 1.17: 38-39]. (12) The only wealth that matters is to reap the fruit of one's dharma [the righteousness with nature, the religiosity] from which there is the knowledge combined with the wisdom and the subsequent liberation. But from ones family life has one no eye for the insurmountable power of death over one's body [see also 3.30: 7, 7.6: 8, 4.29: 52-55 but also 4.22: 10]. (13) It is enjoined that wine should be taken by smelling it and that likewise an animal should be killed as prescribed and not in wanton violence [with large-scale animal slaughter]; the same way is sexual intercourse there for conquering [the urges of procreation, like with defecating] and not so much for the sensual pleasure [B.G. 7: 11]; for this purest notion of one's proper duty, do they [the unintelligent] have no understanding [see also 7.15]. (14) Those who have no knowledge of these facts and very unholy presumptuously consider themselves saintly, do harm to innocently trusting animals; upon leaving their bodies will those animals eat them [compare 5.26: 11-13 and 4.25: 7-8]. (15) Envying their own True Self, their Lord and Controller living [in their own body and] in the bodies of others, do they, who in their affection are fixed on their own mortal frame and all its relations, fall down. (16) Those who [thus] have not achieved the emancipation [of moksha] but did transcend the gross foolishness, are dedicated to the three goals of pious living [the ritual, an income and regulated desires], but are, not for a moment being of reflection [working too hard], factually [on the way of] killing themselves [see also the purushârthas, 10.2: 32]. (17) These murderers of their own self who miss the peace, in their ignorance think to know but do, failing to perform their duty, suffer the destruction of all their hopes and dreams by time. (18) Those who turned their face away from Vâsudeva enter, as is arranged by the illusory energy of the Supreme Soul, unwillingly the darkness leaving behind their homes, children, friends and wives.'

(19) The honorable king said: 'In what time did the Supreme Lord have what color and what form and by what names and what processes is He worshiped; please speak about it in our presence.'

(20) S'rî Karabhâjana replied: 'In these [yugas] named Krita [or Satya], Tretâ, Dvâpara and Kali is the Lord, having different complexions [see also 10.26: 16], names and forms, similarly by various processes worshiped. (21) In Satya-yuga is He white, has He four arms, matted locks, a tree bark garment, a black deerskin, a sacred thread, aksha-seed prayer beads and carries He a rod and a waterpot. (22) The human beings then are peaceful, free from envy, kind to all, equipoised and as well of austerity as of mind and sense control in their worship of the Lord. (23) Thus is He variously celebrated as Hamsa ['the Swan'], Suparna ['Beautiful Wings'], Vaikunthha ['the Lord of the Kingdom of Heaven'], Dharma ['the Maintainer of the Religion'], Yoges'vara ['the Controller of the Yoga'], Amala ['the Immaculate One'], Îs'vara ['the Supreme Controller'], Purusha ['the Original Person'], Avyakta ['the One Unmanifest'] and Paramâtmâ ['the Supersoul']. (24) In Tretâ-yuga has He a red complexion, four arms, wears He three belts [according the initiations for the first three varnas], has He golden locks and has He, as the personification of the three Vedas, the sacrificial laddles [**] and such as His symbols. (25) In that time do the human beings who as seekers of the Absolute Truth are fixed in their religiosity, worship Him, Hari, the Godhead within all the Gods, with the rituals of sacrifice of the three Vedas [see also 1.16: 20]. (26) In Tretâ-yuga the Lord is glorified by the names of Vishnu ['the All-pervading One'], Yajña ['the Lord of Sacrifice'], Pris'nigarbha [the son of Pris'ni, 10.3: 32], Sarvadeva ['God of All Gods'], Urukrama ['He of Transcendental Feats'], Vrishâkapi [the Memorable One Rewarding who Dispels the Distress'], Jayanta ['the All-victorious'] and Urugâya ['the Most Glorified']. (27) In Dvâpara-yuga is the Supreme Lord gray blue, wears He yellow garments and carries He His implements [the disc, club, lotus and conch] together with the bodily marks of the S'rîvatsa and so on and His ornaments [like the peacock feather and the Kaustubha gem]. (28) In that age, o King, do the mortals who want to gain knowledge of the Supreme worship Him, the Original Personality playing the role of a great king, according the Vedas and Tantras [like e.g. in 1.10: 16-18 and 10.4: 17-24 and ***] with: (29-30) 'Our obeisances to Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and You, Vâsudeva; You Nârâyana Rishi, the Original One and Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Greater Soul, the Controller of the Creation, the Very Form of the Universe and the True Self of all Living Beings [see catur-vyûha].' (31) O King, thus they praise in Dvâpara-yuga the Lord of the Universe; please hear in which manner one in respect of the scriptural regulations also is of worship in Kali-yuga [see also 7.9: 38]. (32) The intelligent [then] do worship [Him who] with a bright [not-dark or golden] luster along with [His] associates, servitors, weapons and attendants, by the sacrifice of mainly congregational chanting [is] praising [speaks, spreads or is colored by] Krishna with:

(33) 'O Supreme Personality let me praise Your lotus feet. I always meditate upon them for they put an end to the humiliation we suffer as a consequence of the material influence. They, amply rewarding the true desire of the soul, are the abode and the place of pilgrimage to which S'iva and Brahmâ bow down. They, relieving the distress of Your servants, are the most worthy shelter, they are the boat for the ocean of birth and death. (34) O Supreme Personality let me pay homage to the lotus feet of You who upon the words of a brahmin [like Akrûra, S'rî Advaita or John the Babtist], as the Most Religious One abandoning the so hard to forsake opulence of S'rî that is so anxiously desired by the godly, being of mercy for the ones who are caught in animal nature, [as Râma, Krishna, the Buddha, as Jesus, as Caitanya etc.] went to the distant land [India, the wilderness, the forest, the desert, into sannyâsa] in pursuance of the object of Your desire [Your mission, Your dharma, Your presence as the Lord of the devotees, 4*].' (35) O King, thus is the Supreme Lord Hari, the Controller of All Felicity, with His names and forms as belonging to each yuga worshiped by the people of that age. (36) The faithful ones [of spiritual progress] knowing of the value of the age of Kali praise it by pointing out that it's essence implies that by [mere] congregational chanting [sankîrtana] as good as all one's goals can be attained. (37) Indeed, for the embodied wandering around in this universe, there is no greater gain than this [sankîrtana] from which one obtains the Supreme Peace and of which the cycle of birth and death is broken [see also 2.1: 11, 3.33: 7, 8.23: 16 and 8.23*]. (38-40) The inhabitants of Satya- and the other yugas, o King, want to take birth in Kali-yuga because one in that time o great monarch, in various places finds the devotees who are dedicated to Nârâyana. Especially finds one them in great numbers in the provinces of South India. The human beings there who drink from the water of the rivers the Tâmraparnî, the Kritamâlâ, the Payasvinî, the extremely pious Kâverî, the Mahânadî and the Pratîcî, o lord of men, are mostly pure-hearted devotees of the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva. (41) O King, a person who, giving up on the material duties, in full surrender approached the shelter of Mukunda, the One Affording Shelter, is not the servant nor the debtor of the gods, the sages, the ordinary living beings, of friends and relatives or of the forefathers [see also B.G. 3: 9]. (42) From the one who fixed at His feet is engaged in worship and thus is dear to Lord Hari, the Supreme Controller who entered the heart the moment one gave up on other engagements, are whatever irregularities that somehow occurred all removed [see 8.23: 16 and B.G. 9: 22, 9: 30, 18: 56].'

(43) S'rî Nârada said: 'After he thus had heard about the science of devotional service felt the master of Mithilâ satisfied indeed and offered he next together with the priests the sagacious sons of Jayantî [the Yogendras 5.4: 8] worship. (44) Next, with all present watching, disappeared the ones of perfection. The king, faithfully following this dharma, achieved the supreme destination. (45) You [Vasudeva], o most fortunate soul, will also, endowed with faith in these principles of devotional service that you heard of, after having abandoned all material concerns, go to the Supreme. (46) The earth was fulfilled indeed by the glories of the two of you being husband and wife, because the Supreme Lord, the Controller Hari assumed the position of your son. (47) When you for Krishna proved your love of seeing, embracing and conversing, taking rest, sitting and eating with Him as a son, have the hearts of the two of you become purified. (48) Kings like S'is'upâla, Paundraka and S'âlva who in competition enviously related to His movements, glances and so on, and thus meditating fixed their minds upon Him as they layed down, sat etc., have achieved a position at the same level; what then may one expect from those who were favorably minded [see mukti and also Jaya & Vijaya]? (49) Do not deign to impose upon Krishna, the Supreme Soul and Controller of All, the idea that He would be your son; by the power of His illusory potency He appeared as a normal human being in concealing His opulence as the Supreme One Infallible [see also B.G. 4: 6]. (50) Of Him who descended in order to kill the asura members of the noble class who burdened the earth and to award [the devotees] liberation, has the fame spread wide in the world [see also B.G. 4: 7].'

(51) S'rî S'uka said: 'Having heard this were the greatly fortunate Vasudeva and Devakî most amazed and gave they up the folly they had cherished. (52) He who one-pointed of attention meditates upon this pious, historical account, will in this very life cleanse away the contamination and achieve spiritual perfection.'