Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1- Forms and The Fame of Lord Bhagavan (Continued)
Srimad Bhagavatam cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali, destroys
sins, shows the indweller, the Lord, in oneself by bringing Vairagya towards
the materialistic world, and gives pure devotion, crystal clear, and clean
knowledge.
|| Hari Om ||
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| || Sri Veda Vyasaya Namaha || |
My Salutations to Lord Adhokshaja, Lord Vasudeva,
bestower of Satvika Bhakti. My repeated Salutation to the unchanging Lord
Tattva, the bestower of Nishkama Bhakti. My Salutations to Goddess Mahalakshmi who
removes our ignorance & wrongful knowledge, who keeps us away from entertainment
that would bind us with actions & desire and bestows a desire for Satvika
Bhakti. My Salutations to Bharati Ramana, the cause of happiness to Goddess
Bharati influencing Bhakti. My Salutation to Parvati Pati, cause for
auspiciousness.
My Prostration to the attendant of God Brahma who accrued an immeasurable Satvika merit as Prahlad and as Guru Raghavendra bestows only Satvika blessings which is stainless.
As we
hear that the forms of the Lord are immeasurable and cannot be listed. However, Sri Sutacharya being very kind and showing mercy to “We
the people of Kali Yuga”, narrates twenty-two forms here as deemed sufficient
and when read with full concentration and bhakti would release us from the bind
of sorrow.
Let’s continue to take a look at the other forms of Lord:
षष्ठमत्रेरपत्यत्वं वृतः प्राप्तोऽनसूयया ।  |
| Lord Dattatreya |
As sixth, Lord takes the form of Dattatreya making the
wish of Rishipatni, Ansuya come true. In this form, The Lord initiates
Anvikshiki Vidya to God Prahlada and others.
Being the son of Atri Rishi, Lord takes the name, Atrayea. Datta or having presented himself to Atri Rishi, He is popularly known
as Dattatreya. Though Lord Dattatreya is being depicted as three faced, the
Shastra is not mentioning so. However, Atri Rishi has three sons, Chandra,
Atrayea, and Durvasa. Lord himself takes the form of Atrayea. God Brahma enters
Chandra with full possession. God Rudra himself takes the form of Durvasa
Rishi. Thus, the Trimurtis becomes children of Ansuya and Atri Rishi. Lord
Dattatreya compiles and initiates Anvikshiki Vidya as being Axiom. This Vidya
or Knowledge He bestows to Alaska, Prahlada, Kartavirya Arjuna, and
others.
ततः सप्तम आकूत्यां रुचेर्यज्ञोऽभ्यजायत ।
स यामाद्यैः सुरगणैरपात्स्वायम्भुवान्तरम् ॥ १२॥
As seventh, Lord takes the form of Yagna. By taking
birth in Akuti and Ruchi Prajapati, the Lord became the king of Gods including
Yama and others or God Indra through Swayambu Manvantara.
Having born to Akuti and Ruchi Prajapati as Yagna,
Lord became the King Indra of Gods including Yama during the Swayambu
Manvantara.
अष्टमे मेरुदेव्यां तु नाभेर्जात उरुक्रमः ।
दर्शयन् वर्त्म धीराणां सर्वाश्रमनमस्कृतम् ॥ १३॥
As eighth, the Lord appeared in the couple Merudevi
and Nabi Raja. He performed the duty of Sanyasi who is worshiped by all people
irrespective of the ashrama they belong. Here, Lord set an example for
Sanyasis. For people who have faith
& take-up the study of Shastras and look only towards Lord in all their
activities, Lord established the way of Life.
The Lord takes the form of Rishabha or Vrushaba in his
eighth appearance to Merudevi and Nabi Raja. He becomes the Emperor of the
entire earth constituting seven Islands and displays an excellent
administration. Later takes-up Sanyasa Ashrama to sets an example as Sanyasis
are worshipped by people of all ashrama.
ऋषिभिर्याचितो भेजे नवमं पार्थिवं वपुः ।
दुग्धेमामोषधीर्विप्रास्तेनायं स उशत्तमः ॥ १४॥
As per the prayers of Rishis, Lord took his ninth form
in King Prutu. In this form, the Lord established cultivation and farming
including infrastructure like rain harvesting through the catchment and
directing the water to lakes for water storage, and so on for the prosperity of
humanity.
In the same lineage of Swaymbu Manu, Druva, Anga, and
others take birth. To Anga Raja, a son is born and receives a name, Vena. As
Vena turns wicked, the Rishis decide to kill him and pray the Lord that they would
create a human body out of Vena’s thighs and requested Lord to enter the body.
Accordingly, the Rishis create a being and hence is called Prutu in which Lord
enters. This Lord who has entered Prutu Maharaja with Shanka, Chakra, Gadha,
and Padma in his four arms is the ninth form of Lord. This is his Partiva Roopa
or the form of Satya Kama of Lord loving the truth. Sri Sutacharya says that
this form of Lord gained enormous fame as he established the process of crop
cultivation and harvesting.
Like MG Road or Mahatma Gandhi Road in most of the
cities and towns, the earth is named as Prithvi after Prutu Maharaja. This is
his fame.
रूपं स जगृहे मात्स्यं चाक्षुषोदधिसम्प्लवे ।
नाव्यारोप्य महीमय्यामपाद्वैवस्वतं मनुम् ॥ १५॥
The tenth form of Lord is Matsya. At the end of
Chakshusha Manvantara, when the three worlds sunk into the Primordial water,
the Lord took the tenth form of Matsya and saved Vaivasvata Manu, the king of
next Vaivasvata Manvantara in a boat that was a form of Prithvi.
Among dashaavatara or ten forms of Lord, the Matsya
Avatara happens to be the first. Here, Lord showing enormous mercy on
Satyavrata Raja protects him in a boat along with seven rishis, all seeds, and
samplings required for cultivation for establishing the next Manvantara. The
Lord makes him Vaivasvata Manu.
सुरासुराणामुदधिं मथ्नतां मन्दराचलम् ।
दध्रे कमठरूपेण पृष्ठ एकादशे विभुः ॥ १६॥
The eleventh form of Lord is Kurma or the form of
Tortoise. The Gods and the demons take-up the churning of Milky Way or Kshirasamudra mathana by placing Mandara Parvata or Mountain as barrel and
the plunger. The God Ananta Sesha becomes the rope with other Gods on one side
and demons on the other side pulling the Sesha to create the trust of churn.
While doing so, the Mandara starts sliding down. Immediately, the Lord comes to
the rescue by taking the form of Kurma or Tortoise and carry the Mandara
Parvatha on his back allowing Gods and Demons to continue churning.
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| Churning of Milky Way |
अपाययत्सुरानन्यान् मोहिन्या मोहयन् स्त्रिया ॥
 |
| Dhanvantari |
चतुर्दशं नारसिंहं बिभ्रद्दैत्येन्द्रमूर्जितम् ।
ददार करजैर्वक्षस्येरकां कटकृद्यथा ॥ १८॥
As fourteenth, Lord appeared in a unique form of
Narasimha with the face of Lion and rest of the body as human. Here, with his
nails like a cane craftsman shearing the bamboo for handicrafts, the Lord
ripped off the abdomen of Hiranyakashapu, pulled the intestine out and wore it as
a garland of this powerful demon effortlessly. He does so to protect God
Prahlada and virtuous from the evil dominance of Hiranyaksha. The Hiranyaksha
had received enormous Power from the best of being, God Brahma. Srimad Bhagavatam elaborates this in
subsequent Skanda or Chapters.
पञ्चदशं वामनकं कृत्वागादध्वरं बलेः ।
पदत्रयं याचमानः प्रत्यादित्सुस्त्रिविष्टपम् ॥ १९॥
As the fifteenth form, in a Yagna or sacrifice being
carried out by Emperor Bali, Lord appeared as Vamana or dwarf. Receiving space
for three steps from Bali, Lord displayed his form of Trivikrama. He occupies
the entire earth with one step, the Heaven in the second and for the third
step, Bali had to offer his head. Through the third step, Lord pushes Bali to
Hell. Doing so, Lord satisfied the wish of Gods and reinstated them in Heaven.
The Bali Chakravarti had offered himself to the Lord
and expressed complete Bhakti. The Lord is the devotee of his own Bhakta
blessed Bali with immortality and Fame later.
अवतारे षोडशमे पश्यन् ब्रह्मद्रुहो नृपान् ।
त्रिःसप्तकृत्वः कुपितो निःक्षत्रामकरोन्महीम् ॥ २०॥
When the Kings became enemies of Brahmanas and started
troubling them, Lord became angry, appeared for the sixteenth time as
Parashurama to Renuka and Jamdagni. He went around the earth for twenty-one
times destroying the evil among Kshatriyas
ततः सप्तदशे जातः सत्यवत्यां पराशरात् ।
चक्रे वेदतरोः शाखा दृष्ट्वा पुंसोऽल्पमेधसः ॥ २१॥
Later, He appeared as the son of Satyavati Devi and
Parashara in the form of Lord Veda Vyasa. Having noticed the decline in Jnana
& Dharana Shakti or the power of Knowledge and concentration, of we the
people of Kali Yuga, He classified the tree called Vedas into four branches and
energized these branches.
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| Site Rama |
नरदेवत्वमापन्नः सुरकार्यचिकीर्षया ।
समुद्रनिग्रहादीनि चक्रे वीर्याण्यतः परम् ॥
For the eighteenth time to complete the work of Gods
and kill the evil Ravana, the Lord took the form of Sri Rama. As the evil
Ravana had undermined human and had not sought boon against the killing of a
human. Hence, the Lord Sri Rama took a form of human and appeared among them to
become their King. He constructed a bridge across the sea, killed the evil
Ravana with his valor and has the fame of Maryada Purushottam.
एकोनविंशे विंशतिमे वृष्णिषु प्राप्य जन्मनी ।
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| Sri Krishna & Balarama |
In his nineteenth and twentieth form, The Lord
appeared as Balarama and Sri Krishna in the dynasty of Yadu to reduce the
weight of Sin on mother earth. Like in Pritu Maharaja, Lord Shveta Kesha being
white, with broad shoulders having four arms carrying Shanka, Chakra, Gadha and The Padma have his presence in a significant way in God Balarama. God Balrama is a
form of God Sesha and has Lord Swetakesha as his indweller.
After the disappearance of Lord Sri Krishna and as in
Srimad Bhagavatam composed by Lord Veda Vyasa narrating the future Sri
Sutacharya says,
ततः कलौ सम्प्रवृत्ते सम्मोहाय सुरद्विषाम् ।
बुद्धो नाम्नाजनसुतः कीकटेषु भविष्यति ॥ २४॥
At the dawn of Kali Yuga, in the kingdom of Magadha,
as the son of Ajana and Shudodana, Lord would appear as Buddha to mislead the
evil from Vedic Practises. After the disappearance of Lord Sri Krishna from the
earth, the Lord of Evil, Kali and his fellow evil takes full control and tries
to establish in every walk of life including Vedic activities. They start
learning the Shastras or indoctrination as laid out by Lord Veda Vyasa,
Bheemasena, and Dharma Raja. They do so with an intent to adulterate and
pollute all the Shastras and keep the people including the virtuous away from
Tattva Jnana or the axiom. Lord appearing as Buddha preaches Shunya Vada or
that the universe is formed out of Shunya or Zero. He says so as his name is
Shunya. But getting into the illusion, the Kali and fellow evil begins to start
believing that the Universe has come to existence from nowhere. Lord
establishes Buddhism preaching the uselessness of Vedas.
अथासौ युगसन्ध्यायां दस्युप्रायेषु राजसु ।
जनिता विष्णुयशसो नाम्ना कल्किर्जगत्पतिः ॥ २५॥
After this, at the end of Kali Yuga or the cusp and
just before the start of Kruta Yuga, the Lord would take the form of Kalki in
the house of Vishnu Yeshas. This would
be the time when all the Kings would be evil and robbing the common man. Lord
Kalki would appear to kill all the evil to establish Kruta Yuga.
Having narrated the twenty-two forms of Lord to
Shaunakadi Rishis, Sri Sutacharya says,
अवतारा ह्यसङ्ख्येया हरेः सत्त्वनिधेर्द्विजाः ।
यथाविदासिनः कुल्याः सरसः स्युः सहस्रशः ॥ २६॥
Like from tall snow-capped mountains, several streams of water keep flowing down to plains without getting dried-up in all seasons, so
too is the forms of Lord. In fact, there is no count on the forms of Lord
except for himself and He is Supreme.
ऋषयो मनवो देवा मनुपुत्रा महौजसः ।
कलाः सर्वे हरेरेव सप्रजापतयस्तथा ॥ २७॥
In Rishis like
Agastya, Atri,
Bhardwaja, Gautam, Jamadagni, Vashistha, and
Vishvamitra, Lord is present in a significant way. So too in the
rulers like Manus be it Svayambhuva Manu, Svarocisha Manu, or the current Vaivasvata Manu or Indra-savarni Manu Lord is present. Also in Gods
starting with Brahma, Vayu, Garuda, Sesha, Rudra, Indra, in Prajapatis like
Dhaksha, and in the powerful rulers, leaders or administrators is the Lord. He
has the form in all of them and is his Sovereign Power.
एते चांशकलाः पुंसः कृष्णस्तु भगवान् स्वयम् ।
इन्द्रारिव्याकुलं लोकं मृडयन्ति युगे युगे ॥ २८॥
While in Kings, Rishis, Manus, Gods, and others, Lord
is present in various forms as Indweller, but that of Sri Krishna is his direct
form as was visible to the common man during Dwapara Yuga or to the ones who
worship him. As the trouble to virtuous increases by the powerful evil, the
most compassionate Lord expressing pity to the virtuous appears from time to
time to protect them.
In the last blog, we saw how Kanaka Dasaru wondering on this aspect of Lord says in Kannada:
Nee maayeyoLago ninnoLu maayeyo
Nee dehadoLago ninnoLu dehavo
The English translation being:
Are you inside the Maya or Prakriti through which you have constructed this Universe that is being influenced by Goddess Maha Lakshmi or is Prakriti inside you!
Are you inside the body or the body is inside you!
Vyasaraja theertharu who is the Guru of Kanaka Dasaru in his starting verse of prayer for the decisive Tatparya Chandrika says,
अस्पृष्टदोषगन्धाय कल्याणगुणसिन्धवे।
नमो नमो भक्तमुक्तिदायिने शेषशायिने ॥
Even the stain smell of Prakriti cannot touch The Lord and He is a Sea of Auspicious Attributes. So,In the last blog, we saw how Kanaka Dasaru wondering on this aspect of Lord says in Kannada:
Nee maayeyoLago ninnoLu maayeyo
Nee dehadoLago ninnoLu dehavo
The English translation being:
Are you inside the Maya or Prakriti through which you have constructed this Universe that is being influenced by Goddess Maha Lakshmi or is Prakriti inside you!
Are you inside the body or the body is inside you!
Vyasaraja theertharu who is the Guru of Kanaka Dasaru in his starting verse of prayer for the decisive Tatparya Chandrika says,
अस्पृष्टदोषगन्धाय कल्याणगुणसिन्धवे।
नमो नमो भक्तमुक्तिदायिने शेषशायिने ॥
- All that is Prakriti or nonliving is an Idol of Lord in which He is present and not Himself.
- All living cheatanas who are visible or invisible to the naked eyes are his images.
- The Image of Lord reflects as good as the medium of reflection or the chetana is.
- The Supreme Lord stays above everyone as stainless, full of attributes being Eternal (Sat), full of Knowledge (Chid) and Bliss (Ananda).
सायं प्रातर्गृणन् भक्त्या दुःखग्रामाद्विमुच्यते ॥ २९
The auspicious stories outlining the Forms of the Lord Bhagavan that have appeared from the original form of Lord Purusha as Padmanabha in this universe is very secretive and is not easily available to the human. One who reads this morning and evening with full concentration and bhakti would get released from the bind of sorrow,
says Sri Sutacharya.
says Sri Sutacharya.
|| Hari Om ||
|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||
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