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2024-04-16, 10:05 PM |
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Chapter
9: Answering by
Citing the Lord's
Version
(1) S'rî S'uka said: "Between
the
soul
of
pure
consciousness
in
the
beyond
and
the
material
body
there
can
never
be
any
meaningful
relationship
without
the [divine self]
its [or His] illusory potency [of mâyâ] oh King,
the
same way a dreamer cannot make any use of what he saw in his dream. (2) Wishing
to
enjoy
in
different
ways
the
multifarious
forms
offered
by
the
external
energy
of
mâyâ there
is because of [the operation of] her qualities or modes
the notion of 'I' and 'mine'. (3) The very moment he [the witness, the
soul], in his glory of
transcending the time of the material energy, enjoys to be free from
illusion, he in that fulness will forsake the two [of that 'I' and
'mine']. (4) When
the Supreme Lord showed His form to the Creator who was veracious in his vows and diligence, He pointed out that the goal of all purification is to find the love of the knowledge of
self-realization [âtma-tattva, filognosy,
the
soul
principle]. (5) [And so] he,
the first godly person in the
universe, the supreme spiritual
teacher, began from his own divine position [on the lotus
of creation] to reflect on the source [of that lotus]. But considering therewith how he would start
his
creation, he could not figure out what the directions and the ways were
of how it all materially should be
put
together.
(6) When he once was immersed in thinking this
way, he heard two syllables being spoken which were the sixteenth [ta]
and
the
twenty-first
[pa] of the spars'a alphabet. Joined
together [as tapas, penance], these syllables became known as
the potency of the renounced order, oh King. (7)
When he heard that being spoken, he looked in all directions to detect
the speaker, but
there was none to be found. From where he in his divine position sat he
then thought it best to do penance the way it was instructed. (8) He endowed
with
a
spotless
vision controlled
his life breath, mind and senses
of perception and action for a thousand godly years*
and thus proceeding he in the
past enlightened all the worlds
by being of all
who do penance the one of the severest practice.
(9) For him, the Supreme Lord
being pleased by his penance, manifested His own abode [also called
Vaikunthha, the place free from indolence], beyond which no other world is found and
which is worshiped as the place where the five miseries of material
life [ignorance, selfhood, attachment, hatred and death-fear] have
completely ceased. It is the place that is praised by persons who free
from illusion and fear for a material existence are of perfect
self-realization. (10) There where the Lord is worshiped by both the enlightened and the
unenlightened devotees,
the mode of goodness prevails over the other two of passion and
ignorance without ever being mixed with them. Nor is there the
influence of time or the external energy, not to mention [the influence
of] all the other matters [like attachment, greed etc.]. (11) As
blue as the sky and
glowing with lotuslike eyes, very attractive and youthful with
yellow garments, all inhabitants there are endowed with the four arms
and the luster and effulgence of pearls and fine ornaments. (12)
Some radiate like coral or diamonds, with heads with earrings and garlands blooming like a celestial lotus. (13) That
place which radiates with rows of
brilliant high
rising,
excellent buildings [specially designed] for the great devotees and is
populated by celestial, flashing beauties with
heavenly complexions, is as attractive as a sky decorated with
clouds and lightning. (14) The
goddess [S'rî]
performs there, enraptured together with her personal, singing
associates, with the diverse
paraphernalia devotional service at the lotus feet of the Lord, surrounded by black bees who busily humm along in the attraction of
the [everlasting] spring season. (15) There
he [Brahmâ] saw the Lord of the
entire community of devotees, the Lord of the goddess, of the Universe
and the sacrifice, the Almighty One who is being
served in transcendental love by foremost associates like Sunanda,
Nanda, Prabala and Arhana. (16) The
servants affectionately facing Him are
intoxicated by the very pleasing sight of His smile, His reddish eyes,
His
face with His helmet and earrings, His four hands, His yellow dress,
His
marked chest and the Goddess of Fortune at His side. (17)
Seated on His highly valuable
throne He as the Supreme Lord fully
enjoys His abode where He is
surrounded by the opulence of His four energies [the principles of
matter, original person,
intellect and ego], His sixteen energies
[the five elements,
perceptive and working
senses, and mind] His fivefold energies [the sense objects of form,
taste,
sound, smell and touch], His six energies [of the opulences of
knowledge, intelligence, beauty, penance, fame and riches] and the
other personal powers He sometimes demonstrates
[the eight siddhis or mystic perfections].
(18) The Creator of the Universe, who was
overwhelmed by the sight of that audience, with his heart full of
ecstasy and his body full of divine love bowed down with tears
in his eyes before the lotus feet of the Lord. It was an example that
is
followed by the great liberated souls. (19) Seeing him
present before Him, the Lord deemed the worthy, great scholar suitable
for
creating - in line with His own
control - the lives of all
living beings. Mildly
smiling He very
pleased shook hands with His partner in divine love and addressed the beloved one with enlightening
words. (20)
The
Supreme Lord
said: 'As opposed to the penance of the ones who are falsely unified ['kûtha
yogis'], I am most
pleased with prolonged penance, the penance by which the Vedic knowledge has accumulated in you, who desired to create. (21)
All my blessings for you, just ask Me, the
giver of all benediction, whatever favor you wish oh
Brahmâ. For to reach the ultimate of realizing Me is the final
success of
everyone's penances. (22) This enviable
perception of My abode was granted to you because you
submissively listened when you in seclusion were of the highest
penance. (23) It
was Me who told you [to do penance] in that situation because you were
perplexed in your duty. That penance is My
very heart and the Soul is what I am for the one who is engaged in it,
oh
sinless one. (24) I create by that penance, I maintain
the
cosmos
by that penance and I withdraw again by that
penance. My power is found in
severe penance.'
(25) Brahmâ
said: 'Oh Supreme Lord of all living beings, You are the director
seated
in the heart who by Your undisputed, superior intelligence knows about
all endeavors. (26) Nevertheless
I
ask
You
oh
Lord,
to
please
fulfill
my
desire
to
know
how
You,
despite
of being formless, can exist in the beyond on the
one hand while You descend in
Your form as we may know on the
other hand. (27) And
how do You, from Yourself by
means of Yourself, by combination and permutation, manage
to manifest Your different
energies in the matter of evolving, accepting, maintaining and
annihilating? (28) Oh Mâdhava [master of all energies],
please inform me in intelligible terms about all those [forms] You
infallibly, with determination enact the way a spider invests [its
energies in its web]. (29) I
wish that I in learning
from
You
as
my
teacher of example, by Your mercy acting as Your
instrument, despite of creating the lives of the living beings, thus may
never
be
caught
in
material
attachments. (30) Oh
Lord, like a
friend does with a friend You
[with a handshake] have accepted
me for creating the
different lives of the living entities. Oh Unborn One, may
because of all who [throug me] in
the service of You undisturbed
saw the light of the world,
never the imagination get hold of me.'
(31) The Supreme Lord said: 'The
knowledge acquired about Me is very confidential and is realized in
combination with devotional service and the necessary paraphernalia.
Take it up the way I explain it to you. (32) May
from
My
mercy
with
you
there
be
this
factual
realization
of
My
eternal
form
and transcendental existence, My colors,
qualities and activities. (33)
It was I who existed before the creation when there was nothing else,
nothing of the cause and effect of all of this that is also Me, and it
is Me as well who of all that
was created remains in the end;
that is
what I am. (34) That which appears to be of value, is not
what it seems when it does not relate to Me - know that illusory energy
of
Mine to be a reflection of the darkness. (35)
The elements of the
universe appear, before they are
engaged and also thereafter,
minutely as well gigantically. The same way I am [minutely] present in
them as well as [gigantically]
not present in them. (36) He
who has made the soul his object
of study may count on it that he, until he arrives at this notion,
has to investigate the reality and principle of the Self directly
[spiritually] as well as indirectly [scientifically] in the context of
whatever time, place or circumstance. (37) When your focus of mind remains fixed
on this conclusion about the Supreme you do not have to fear a fall in
bewilderment,
not when you have temporally lost your way [with the kalpa],
nor
when you have reached the end of your life [at the vikalpa end of the world].' "
(38) S'rî S'uka said: "After thus fully having explained everything, the
Unborn One disappeared, He, Lord Hari the way He by the
leader of the living
entities [Brahmâ] was seen
in
His transcendental form of the Supreme Self. (39) After
He had disappeared from view
Brahmâjî, who had folded his hands before the Lord
who is the object
of all the senses [of the devotees], resumed the work of creating the
lives of all living beings populating the
universe, exactly the way he did before. (40)
And thus it once happened that he, the father of all
living beings and religious life, with vow and respect
dedicated himself to the matter of the welfare of the living beings,
for that was what he desired in the
interest of their own good qualities. (41)
Nârada, the dearest of
his heirs, is very obedient
to him in his willingness to be of service with his good behavior,
meekness and
sense control. (42) Oh
King, the great sage and first-class devotee pleased his father [Lord Brahmâ] very much with his desire to know [more] about
Vishnu, the Lord of all energies.
(43) The
same way you are
questioning me, Nârada Muni questioned him when he saw that it was to the satisfaction
of the great grandfather of the entire
universe. (44) This story of the Fortunate One, the
Bhâgavata Purâna with its ten characteristics [that is summarized in the four verses 33-36,
see further the next chapter],
was with great satisfaction by the
Supreme Lord explained to His [unborn] son, the creator of the
universe. (45) On
the bank of
the Sarasvatî Nârada
[on his turn] instructed this Supreme Spirituality to the great sage,
the
meditative Vyâsadeva who is of an immeasurable potency, oh King. (46)
All the things you have been asking me concerning the world of the
Universal Form of the Original Person and other matters, I shall now
explain to you in great detail."
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