Discussion at Naimisaranya
We meditate on that transcendent Reality from whom this Universe springs up, in whom it abides and into whom it returns. We meditate on him, who is self-conscious and self-effulgent, who revealed to Brahma by his mere will the Vedas that cause bewilderment even to the greatest Sages, in whom this creation though unreal, appears as real. In this glorious Bhagavata produced by the great sage Vedavyasa, has been taught that Supreme Religion, Bhagavata Dharma, Which is entirely free from all self deception in the shape of desire. Here is explained that Absolute Reality which can be known only by the greatest saints. While it is doubtful that God can be quickly realized in one’s heart through other means, He can be instantly seized through the hearing or reading of this Glorious Purana. Srimad Bhagavata is the essence of the wish yielding tree of Vedas. It is untainted sweetness. Keep on drinking this nectar again and again until there is consciousness left in you.
Once upon a time, in the forest known as Naimisaranya, Saunaka and great sages were engaged in a great sacrifice to be completed in the course of a thousand years, with a view of realizing the Lord. One morning having finished the rituals, the sages asked Suta (Ugrasrava) the following question with reverence.
The Sages said: Sinless Suta, You’ve indeed studied and also expounded all the Puranas, Itihasas and Dharma Sastras. You’ve realized both the qualified and absolute aspects of the Supreme God. You know all that in reality by the grace of Vyasa, your Guru. Be pleased to tell us, that which you have determined to be the easy means to the supreme good of men. Suta, God bless you, you know the purpose for which Sri Krishna was born of Devaki and Vasudeva, please explain it to us who are keen to hear the same, for the Lord’s descent on this earth is for the protection and prosperity of all human beings. Any mortal man can be quickly delivered from the whirlpool of birth and death even if he utters His Name helplessly; for Fear itself is afraid of Him.
Wise Suta, recount the blessed stories of the descent of the Almighty Lord, who enacts at will sports of various kinds by dint of his Yoga Maya. We for our part are never sated with hearing the exploits of the Illustrious Lord.
Ugrasrava was transported with joy to hear the questions posed by the holy Brahmanas. He welcomed their words and commenced his discourse.
Suta said: When the Sage Dwaipayana (Vedavyasa) saw his son, Sukadeva going away all alone with the intention of leading the life of a recluse, even the great sage Vedavyasa was agitated at the thought of separation from his son and called out “Hullo, My son”. At that time it was the trees that responded on his behalf, filled as they were by his presence. I bow to that sage, who has the access to the hearts of all.
Srimad Bhagavata is a mysterious Purana. It possesses a glory of its own and constitutes the very essence of the Vedas. It is a unique light illuminating the Spiritual Realities for those worldly men who seek to go beyond the darkness of ignorance. It was out of compassion for such men, that teacher of sages, Sukadeva, uttered this Purana. I take refuge in that son of Vyasa. After bowing to the divine sages Narayana and Nara, the Supreme Person, Goddess Saraswati and the sage Vyasa, one should then recite Srimad Bhagavatam.
In the beginning with the desire of evolving the different worlds, the Lord assumed the form of Purusa. While the aforesaid Purusa was displaying his Yoga Samadhi reposing on the causal waters, there appeared from his Navel a lotus wherefrom sprang up Brahma, the Lord of the progenitors of the worlds. It is on the disposition of his limbs that the entire worlds stand superimposed. The above described form of the lord is the most exalted form of the Lord. The yogis behold that form by their divine eye, wonderful as it is with its thousands of feet, thighs, arms and faces. It has thousands of heads, ears, eyes and noses and is resplendent with thousands of diadems, robes and ear-rings. It is by a ray of his ray that gods, human beings and the lower forms of life are created.
It was this very lord who first manifested as the four Kumaras (Sanaka and his brothers) and observed the hard vow of celibacy. During the second Avatara the lord took the form of the divine boar with the intention of lifting the earth from deep within the ocean, in order to proceed with the work of creation. Later appearing in the form of the celestial sage Narada he taught the Sattvik Tantras which inculcates ways of karma such a way that it stops binding people. During his fourth manifestation he appeared in the dual form of Sages Nara and Narayana, born of Dharma and Murti. They practiced severe penance with perfect control of mind and senses. His fifth manifestation was known by the name of Kapila, the lord of the Siddhas. He taught the Sankhya system of Philosophy that determines the nature of the fundamental principles. During his sixth manifestation he appeared as a son of the sage Atri and taught the science of the self to the King Alarka. Thereafter in his seventh manifestation He was born to Akuti and Sage Ruci, as Yajna. Assisted by his sons, Yama and the other gods, he held the position of Indra in the first Manvantara presided over by Swayambhuva Manu. In the eighth manifestation as Rsabha deva, the all pervading lord was born of Queen Meru devi, the spouse of King Nabhi and taught by his own example the mode of life of Paramhansas. During his ninth manifestation, at the solicitation of Sages, He took the form of King Prthu and made the earth yield all its products. At the end of the Caksusa Manvantara, when all the three worlds were being deluged by the ocean, He took the form of a Fish and rescued the future Vaivaswatha Manu. During his eleventh manifestation, when the gods and demons begun churning the ocean, the Lord assumed the form of a tortoise and supported the mountain on his back. In his twelfth manifestation, He took the form of Dhanvantiri. While during his thirteenth manifestation, he took the form of an enchanting woman and gave the gods the nectar to drink, keeping the demons spell-bound. During his fourteenth manifestation he took the form of Narasimha and tore with his claws the bosom of the most powerful demon even as maker of straw mats would tear a reed. Assuming the form of a dwarf in his fifteenth descent, He visited the sacrificial performance of Bali and asked him of three paces of land with a covert intention of robbing him of his Kingdom. In his sixteenth descent he found that the kings have become immoral and He rid the entire earth of Kshatriyas as many as twenty one times. Then, in his seventeenth descent he was born of Satyavati through the sage Parasara and finding the people of poor intellect, divided the tree of Veda into many branches. Then again he assumed the form of a ruler of men with a view of accomplishing the purpose of the gods and performed heroic acts like bridging the ocean and so on. In the nineteenth and the twentieth the Lord was born among the Vrishnis as Balarama and Sri Krishna and relieved the earth of its burden. When Kali sets in he will be born in the Magadha region as Buddha, son of Ajana, with a view of deluding the enemies of gods. Then again towards the end of Kali, when the kings mostly are robbers, the Lord of the Universe will take descent from a Brahmana as Lord Kalki.
Even as thousands of canals flow from a lake that never dries, so there are countless descents of the Lord, who is a storehouse of Sattva, O Brahmanas. The sages and seers, the Manus, the gods, the sons of the Manus, the Prajapathis, in fact all those who possess great power are rays of Sri Hari. All these either are part manifestations or rays of the Supreme; while Sri Krishna is the Lord himself. All these Avatars of the Lord appear from age to age and protect the world when it is oppressed by the enemies of Indra. This story of the Lord’s descent is a secret. The man who devotedly recites it every evening and morning with a pious mind is rid of all suffering.
This gross manifestation (Universe) of the Lord, who essentially is formless, has been evolved by the products of His Maya such as Mahat (Cosmic Intelligence) and so on, and superimposed on the Lord Himself. Beyond this material form is a subtle form of the Lord, which is constituted of undeveloped Gunas and is neither open to perception nor to hearing. It is this subtle body which is termed Jiva and goes through repeated births. It is through nescience that the aforesaid astral and material bodies are superimposed on the Self. When this superimposition is removed through self-knowledge, that very moment takes place the realization of Brahma. The knower of truth are aware that when the Lord’s sportful Maya in the shape of Knowledge withdraws, the Jiva becomes one with Brahma and gets established in the glory of the Self. In such terms do the wise describe the descents as well as the doings of the Lord, who is the ruler of all the hearts and is really without birth or actions; for his descents and doings are a guarded secret of the Vedas.
The pastimes of the Lord are always purposive; by mere sport He creates, preserves and reabsorbs this universe, but never gets attached to it. Remaining unperceived in the heart of all living beings, He seems to enjoy the objects of the mind and the five senses as the ruler of all the six. No stupid creature can know by any dialectical skill the names and forms or the doings of the Lord, revealed by his own thought or word. The power of the Lord who wields the discus in his hand is infinite. He alone can know His ways who inhales the fragrance of his Lotus feet through constant and sincere devotion to them.
The Sage Vedavyasa composed this Purana, known by the name of Srimad Bhagavata, which stands on par with the Vedas and contains the stories of the Lord of excellent renown. He taught this great Purana to his son, who is the foremost among Self-realized. This represents the very cream extracted from all the Vedas and Itihasas. Suka in his turn recited it to the great King Parikshit, who sat on the bank of Ganga with a vow to fast unto death. While the glorious sage was reciting this Purana there, I too was present and learnt it by his grace. I will now recite the same to you as I have learnt, to the best of my lights.
Once upon a time, in the forest known as Naimisaranya, Saunaka and great sages were engaged in a great sacrifice to be completed in the course of a thousand years, with a view of realizing the Lord. One morning having finished the rituals, the sages asked Suta (Ugrasrava) the following question with reverence.
The Sages said: Sinless Suta, You’ve indeed studied and also expounded all the Puranas, Itihasas and Dharma Sastras. You’ve realized both the qualified and absolute aspects of the Supreme God. You know all that in reality by the grace of Vyasa, your Guru. Be pleased to tell us, that which you have determined to be the easy means to the supreme good of men. Suta, God bless you, you know the purpose for which Sri Krishna was born of Devaki and Vasudeva, please explain it to us who are keen to hear the same, for the Lord’s descent on this earth is for the protection and prosperity of all human beings. Any mortal man can be quickly delivered from the whirlpool of birth and death even if he utters His Name helplessly; for Fear itself is afraid of Him.
Wise Suta, recount the blessed stories of the descent of the Almighty Lord, who enacts at will sports of various kinds by dint of his Yoga Maya. We for our part are never sated with hearing the exploits of the Illustrious Lord.
Ugrasrava was transported with joy to hear the questions posed by the holy Brahmanas. He welcomed their words and commenced his discourse.
Suta said: When the Sage Dwaipayana (Vedavyasa) saw his son, Sukadeva going away all alone with the intention of leading the life of a recluse, even the great sage Vedavyasa was agitated at the thought of separation from his son and called out “Hullo, My son”. At that time it was the trees that responded on his behalf, filled as they were by his presence. I bow to that sage, who has the access to the hearts of all.
Srimad Bhagavata is a mysterious Purana. It possesses a glory of its own and constitutes the very essence of the Vedas. It is a unique light illuminating the Spiritual Realities for those worldly men who seek to go beyond the darkness of ignorance. It was out of compassion for such men, that teacher of sages, Sukadeva, uttered this Purana. I take refuge in that son of Vyasa. After bowing to the divine sages Narayana and Nara, the Supreme Person, Goddess Saraswati and the sage Vyasa, one should then recite Srimad Bhagavatam.
In the beginning with the desire of evolving the different worlds, the Lord assumed the form of Purusa. While the aforesaid Purusa was displaying his Yoga Samadhi reposing on the causal waters, there appeared from his Navel a lotus wherefrom sprang up Brahma, the Lord of the progenitors of the worlds. It is on the disposition of his limbs that the entire worlds stand superimposed. The above described form of the lord is the most exalted form of the Lord. The yogis behold that form by their divine eye, wonderful as it is with its thousands of feet, thighs, arms and faces. It has thousands of heads, ears, eyes and noses and is resplendent with thousands of diadems, robes and ear-rings. It is by a ray of his ray that gods, human beings and the lower forms of life are created.
It was this very lord who first manifested as the four Kumaras (Sanaka and his brothers) and observed the hard vow of celibacy. During the second Avatara the lord took the form of the divine boar with the intention of lifting the earth from deep within the ocean, in order to proceed with the work of creation. Later appearing in the form of the celestial sage Narada he taught the Sattvik Tantras which inculcates ways of karma such a way that it stops binding people. During his fourth manifestation he appeared in the dual form of Sages Nara and Narayana, born of Dharma and Murti. They practiced severe penance with perfect control of mind and senses. His fifth manifestation was known by the name of Kapila, the lord of the Siddhas. He taught the Sankhya system of Philosophy that determines the nature of the fundamental principles. During his sixth manifestation he appeared as a son of the sage Atri and taught the science of the self to the King Alarka. Thereafter in his seventh manifestation He was born to Akuti and Sage Ruci, as Yajna. Assisted by his sons, Yama and the other gods, he held the position of Indra in the first Manvantara presided over by Swayambhuva Manu. In the eighth manifestation as Rsabha deva, the all pervading lord was born of Queen Meru devi, the spouse of King Nabhi and taught by his own example the mode of life of Paramhansas. During his ninth manifestation, at the solicitation of Sages, He took the form of King Prthu and made the earth yield all its products. At the end of the Caksusa Manvantara, when all the three worlds were being deluged by the ocean, He took the form of a Fish and rescued the future Vaivaswatha Manu. During his eleventh manifestation, when the gods and demons begun churning the ocean, the Lord assumed the form of a tortoise and supported the mountain on his back. In his twelfth manifestation, He took the form of Dhanvantiri. While during his thirteenth manifestation, he took the form of an enchanting woman and gave the gods the nectar to drink, keeping the demons spell-bound. During his fourteenth manifestation he took the form of Narasimha and tore with his claws the bosom of the most powerful demon even as maker of straw mats would tear a reed. Assuming the form of a dwarf in his fifteenth descent, He visited the sacrificial performance of Bali and asked him of three paces of land with a covert intention of robbing him of his Kingdom. In his sixteenth descent he found that the kings have become immoral and He rid the entire earth of Kshatriyas as many as twenty one times. Then, in his seventeenth descent he was born of Satyavati through the sage Parasara and finding the people of poor intellect, divided the tree of Veda into many branches. Then again he assumed the form of a ruler of men with a view of accomplishing the purpose of the gods and performed heroic acts like bridging the ocean and so on. In the nineteenth and the twentieth the Lord was born among the Vrishnis as Balarama and Sri Krishna and relieved the earth of its burden. When Kali sets in he will be born in the Magadha region as Buddha, son of Ajana, with a view of deluding the enemies of gods. Then again towards the end of Kali, when the kings mostly are robbers, the Lord of the Universe will take descent from a Brahmana as Lord Kalki.
Even as thousands of canals flow from a lake that never dries, so there are countless descents of the Lord, who is a storehouse of Sattva, O Brahmanas. The sages and seers, the Manus, the gods, the sons of the Manus, the Prajapathis, in fact all those who possess great power are rays of Sri Hari. All these either are part manifestations or rays of the Supreme; while Sri Krishna is the Lord himself. All these Avatars of the Lord appear from age to age and protect the world when it is oppressed by the enemies of Indra. This story of the Lord’s descent is a secret. The man who devotedly recites it every evening and morning with a pious mind is rid of all suffering.
This gross manifestation (Universe) of the Lord, who essentially is formless, has been evolved by the products of His Maya such as Mahat (Cosmic Intelligence) and so on, and superimposed on the Lord Himself. Beyond this material form is a subtle form of the Lord, which is constituted of undeveloped Gunas and is neither open to perception nor to hearing. It is this subtle body which is termed Jiva and goes through repeated births. It is through nescience that the aforesaid astral and material bodies are superimposed on the Self. When this superimposition is removed through self-knowledge, that very moment takes place the realization of Brahma. The knower of truth are aware that when the Lord’s sportful Maya in the shape of Knowledge withdraws, the Jiva becomes one with Brahma and gets established in the glory of the Self. In such terms do the wise describe the descents as well as the doings of the Lord, who is the ruler of all the hearts and is really without birth or actions; for his descents and doings are a guarded secret of the Vedas.
The pastimes of the Lord are always purposive; by mere sport He creates, preserves and reabsorbs this universe, but never gets attached to it. Remaining unperceived in the heart of all living beings, He seems to enjoy the objects of the mind and the five senses as the ruler of all the six. No stupid creature can know by any dialectical skill the names and forms or the doings of the Lord, revealed by his own thought or word. The power of the Lord who wields the discus in his hand is infinite. He alone can know His ways who inhales the fragrance of his Lotus feet through constant and sincere devotion to them.
The Sage Vedavyasa composed this Purana, known by the name of Srimad Bhagavata, which stands on par with the Vedas and contains the stories of the Lord of excellent renown. He taught this great Purana to his son, who is the foremost among Self-realized. This represents the very cream extracted from all the Vedas and Itihasas. Suka in his turn recited it to the great King Parikshit, who sat on the bank of Ganga with a vow to fast unto death. While the glorious sage was reciting this Purana there, I too was present and learnt it by his grace. I will now recite the same to you as I have learnt, to the best of my lights.