Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - The Past Birth of Narada Rishi & The Sight of Lord
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 ||
 |
| || Sri Veda Vyasaya Namaha || |
व्यासाय विष्णुरूपाय व्यासरूपाय विष्णवे ।
नमो वै ब्रह्मनिधये वासिष्ठाय नमो नमः ॥
Vyasa the form of Lord Vishnu, Vishnu the form of
Lord Vyasa, my salutations to you the treasure of creation. My repeated
salutations to you, the grandson of Vasishta Rishi.
व्यासाय भव नाशाय श्रीशाय गुण राशऐ ।
हृद्याय शुद्ध विद्याय मध्वायछ नमो नमः ॥
Charming & the beloved Vyasa, the destroyer of
emotional & behavioral disorders, the Lord of Goddess of abundance having
heaps of attributes, bestower of clean knowledge, my repeated salutations to
you and Acharya Madhwa.
यः स्वानुभावमखिलश्रुतिसारमेकमध्यात्मदीपमतितितीर्षतां तमोऽन्धम् ।
संसारिणां करुणयाह पुराणगुह्यं तं व्याससूनुमुपयामि गुरुं मुनीनाम् ॥
This Srimad Bhagavatam gives the experience of the
Lord and has the essence of all Vedas and Vedanta. It sheds spiritual light on
the transcendental philosophy required to surpass the intense cycle of death
and birth which is wrapped in ignorance. However, it is very secretive in
nature. Hence, I pray to you Sri Shukacharya for your continued blessings.
जयति जगति मायां यस्य कायाधवस्ते वचनरचनमेकं केवलं चाकलय्य।
ध्रुवपदमपि यातो यत्क्रुपातो ध्रुवोऽयं सकलकुशलपात्रं ब्रह्मपुत्रं नतास्मि॥
Narada Rishi, Prahlada the son of Kayadhu, had
full faith in your teachings that The Lord is present everywhere and would
never let his devotee down. He held this even during his most adverse situation
and won the blessings of Lord Sri Narasimha. So too, did Prince Dhruva had your
advice & blessings and became immovable Star or Polar Star. You are generous
and object of all auspiciousness. Your blessings will yield the siddhi of
thoughts of The Lord at all times. My Salutations to you the Son of God Brahma.
Your mercy would confer the blessings of Lord Mukunda laying on God Sesha. Even a dumb become an eloquent speaker, a pauper becomes wealthy as God Kubera.
I seek refuge in you, Guru Raghavendra.
|| Hari Om ||
मूकोऽपि यत्प्रसादेन मुकुन्दशयनायते ।
राजराजायते रिक्तो राघवेन्द्रं तमाश्रये ॥
I seek refuge in you, Guru Raghavendra.
We saw the way Narada
Rishi through a narration of his past life story has put forth the complex
formula of Bhakti Yoga in a simple & straight forward way by breaking-up
each of its ingredients. Also, the relevance and the role of Karma Yoga in the impenetrable
philosophy of the practice of moksha has been described. The way the tasks or
actions needs to be executed without getting touched by the Sins associated
with it through submission to the Lord has been detailed by Narada Rishi.
Sri Suthacharya says,
एवं निशम्य भगवान् देवर्षेर्जन्म कर्म च ।
भूयः पप्रच्छ तं ब्रह्मन् व्यासः सत्यवतीसुतः ॥ १॥
As the long stories of
penance at Naimisharanya organized Sri Shaunaka Rishi continues, One day, Sri
Suthacharya narrating the conversation between Lord Veda Vyasa and Narada
Rishi, addressing Sri Shaunaka Rishi says that after hearing the past life
story of Narada Rishi, Lord Veda Vyasa, the son of Satyavati, questioned thus,
भिक्षुभिर्विप्रवसिते विज्ञानादेष्टृभिस्तव ।
वर्तमानो वयस्याद्ये ततः किमकरोद्भवान् ॥ २॥
Deva Rishi, after those
sages who initiated you with special knowledge of Tattva Jnana, what did you
do? Probably, you were a too-small boy then. Isn't it?
स्वायम्भुव कया वृत्त्या वर्तितं ते परं वयः ।
कथं चेदमुदस्राक्षीः काले प्राप्ते कलेवरम् ॥ ३॥
Svayambhuva! Being on
your own, How did you spend the rest of your life? Also, at the time of death,
how did you leave the body? What was the process?
Lord Veda Vyasa asks this
question because there are four types of death,
The death! like it comes
to all leaving being at the end of each life span. Based on our individual
deed, one has to face this difficult time. As most of us are attached with a
sense of possession, we feel bad even for loss of small & inconsequential.
The highest value of possession we attach is towards our body. Hence, to forgo
this and overcome the loss would be terrifying and painful.
As a practice of this,
few take up the vow of non-possession or Aparigraha Vrata. In The First Principles of Bhakti Yoga by Narada Rishi, we saw how Sri Purandara Dasaru (1484-1564 AD), a अंश or part of Narada Rishi, earlier as Srinivasa Nayaka was a jeweler and
popularly known as Navakoti Narayana for his wealth of over ninety million. But
he gave up everything to live on alms and sing the glory of Lord. He called
this as taking up the business as that of honey bee relishing the nectar from
the Lotus feet of Lord Purundara Vittala.
These acts of non-possession
do not strike the chord to most of us. The reasons could be the state of denial
we live in on the encounter of death or maybe the poor understanding of the
trade-off between possession and pain of death and so on.
The second type of death is that of the
devotees of Lord. Those who are on the path of devotion and yet to have
accomplished self-realization and Aproksha Jnana. For these, the attachment to
worldly affairs including the body is not as much as those encountering the
first type of death. But they are not completely detached too. However, they
would have the confidence in the Lord with the expectation of a better re-birth
as a pious Vaishnava. They would not suffer as much as in the first type of
death. They would be able to see the body as temporary and worthy to forego.
They will also be able to intermittently remember the Lord during the last
hours of death lowering the pain. But they fail at the last moments of life
engaging themselves with worldly thoughts denying peaceful pass away.
The third type of death
being those blessed with Aproksha jnana. Here, the Jiva will be able to
remember the Lord even in last moments and see his forms. Bheeshamacharya is a
good example. Bleeding profusely on the sharp bed of arrows he leaves the body
in front of the Lord. As Lord presents himself in the assembled crowd of
Pandavas in his forms of Sri Krishna, Veda Vyasa and Parshurama making the
death peaceful.
However, he too not
having the specific sight of the form of Indwelle, he has to return to earth.
However, in the fourth
type of death being auspicious, the Jiva leaves the body seeing the Indweller,
the Lord. Blessed with overflowing bliss, goes to higher regions and not to
return. Here, he waits in the higher region till pralaya and subsequently appears
only in Mukta Vaikunta or the abode of Lord demarked only for Muktas or those
released from the cycle of death & birth.
प्राक्कल्पविषयामेतां स्मृतिं ते सुरसत्तम ।
न ह्येष व्यवधात्काल एष सर्वनिराकृतिः ॥ ४॥
Devarishi, The time
though, has the unique ability to destroy everything! The story you are
narrating is that of प्राक्कल्प or previous Kalpa and
crores of years back. Even then, how do you have memories of a past life? Could
not time destroy past life memory?
नारद उवाच, Narada Rishi replies,
भिक्षुभिर्विप्रवसिते विज्ञानादेष्टृभिर्मम ।
वर्तमानो वयस्याद्ये तत एतदकारषम् ॥ ५॥
At the time of departure
of those great Yogis who had initiated me with विज्ञानादेष or special knowledge of Tattva Jnana as instruction. I was a small boy.
I shall narrate to you the way I spent my life thereafter. Kindly hear.
एकात्मजा मे जननी योषिन्मूढा च किङ्करी ।
मय्यात्मजेऽनन्यगतौ चक्रे स्नेहानुबन्धनम् ॥ ६॥
सास्वतन्त्रा न कल्पाऽऽसीद्योगक्षेमं ममेच्छती ।
ईशस्य हि वशे लोको योषा दारुमयी यथा ॥ ७॥
अहं च तद्ब्रह्मकुले ऊषिवांस्तदपेक्षया ।
दिग्देशकालाव्युत्पन्नो बालकः पञ्चहायनः ॥ ८॥
एकदा निर्गतां गेहाद्दुहन्तीं निशि गां पथि ।
सर्पोऽदशत्पदा स्पृष्टः कृपणां कालचोदितः ॥ ९॥
तदा तदहमीशस्य भक्तानां शमभीप्सतः ।
अनुग्रहं मन्यमानः प्रातिष्ठं दिशमुत्तराम् ॥ १०॥
I was the only son of my
mother. Being women, not very intelligent, she had an attachment. My mother
worked as a housemaid. She was kind, dear and had tied me with a bond of
affection. She would deeply think of my prosperity. However, being in other’s
control, she could not do much. Like the puppets are under the control of
Puppetry, so too the Jiva or being is under the control of the Almighty, the
Lord. Empathizing with her, I too responded to my mother and stayed with her in
the house she worked. I was just over five years old. I did not know much. Even
the directions from my place or the state I lived nor the time. However, I was
enthused about the knowledge initiated by the accomplished sages, gushing with
excitement to take up the practice and accomplish Siddhi or perfection. Also, my
intrinsic qualities of moving around from place to place singing the glory of
Lord was building-up.
The most important
question to any seeker of moksha is if he has to go ahead to the Himalaya or
Kashi leaving behind the materialistic world of family, friends and the
responsibility associated with it is answered here by Narada Rishi. After
having received the most secret Knowledge of Tattva Jnana or axiom as a boy in
his previous life from the sages, Narada Rishi does not forsakes his mother and
walk away. However, he waits for an appropriate time.
Narada Rishi replying to
the questions of Lord Veda Vyasa says,
The days passed, we both
as mother and son continued to stay being social support to each other. We
shared happy moments and overcame the negative. While I was still small, one
night, when my mother went out of the house to milk a cow, she stepped on a
poisonous snake. The snake bit my poor mother. How can I blame the snake? The
God of death wished so.
Always wishing the best
to his devotees, I believed that this too was Lord’s blessings and walked away
towards North.
स्फीताञ्जनपदांस्तत्र पुरग्रामव्रजाकरान् ।
खेटखर्वटवाटीश्च वनान्युपवनानि च ॥ ११॥
चित्रधातुविचित्राद्रीनिभभग्नभुजद्रुमान् ।
जलाशयाञ्छिवजलान्नलिनीः सुरसेविताः ॥ १२॥
चित्रस्वनैः पत्ररथैर्विभ्रमद्भ्रमरश्रियः ।
नलवेणुशरस्तम्बकुशकीचकगह्वरम् ॥ १३॥
एक एवातियातोऽहमद्राक्षं विपिनं महत् ।
घोरं प्रतिभयाकारं व्यालोलूकशिवाजिरम् ॥ १४॥
As I walked alone, I came
across rich states having enough wealth with cities, towns, villages. Also, I
saw dwellings of nomadic, cattle herds, several types of mines, rivers, small
dwellings at the foot of mounds and hills. As I walked, large trees, farms,
mango groves, gardens, forests passed by. I saw bamboo grooves and trees broken
& destroyed by elephants. I neared a thick forest wherein the chattering of
birds, their chirp sound, and the song of cuckoos became distinctively
different and filled the atmosphere with serenity. The landscape there had
turned more beautiful. The ponds and water bodies were filled with Swans,
Ducks, water Lillies, and Lotus. Each of the lotus flowers appeared as if
competing with one another in terms of color, their bloom, and moisture waiting
to reach the feet of Lord. However, they swayed to the light breeze as if they
were lost dancing in ecstasy filling the surroundings with fragrance submitting
themselves to the most fascinating Lord Manohara.
As I walked ahead through
the beautiful landscape, I entered a forest that thick and dark allowing shaft
of light here and there. The atmosphere there had suddenly changed. The buzz of bees, hoot of an owl, and cry of
birds, their shriek, and screams of jackals became more often. Also, the sound
from the swaying of tall grass, rubbing of branches and bamboo groves due to
heavy breeze sharpened. These sounds, darkness, the sight of worms, bees &
flys over the carcass left over by carnivores’ animals brought horror and
wilderness to the place. I was in a thick, dark and scary forest inhabited by
wild & ferocious.
As an Individual or race
or as human beings, we have a notion and built a paradigm of exclusivity.
However, in this world created by the Lord, there is an immeasurable diversity.
Putting aside our ego, we need to understand & study from this diverse
creation to accomplish spiritual progress. Narada Rishi, not standing nor
sitting at one place keeps traveling to all fourteen regions starting from
Patala to Vaikunta singing the glory of this creation and of Lord has done
sadhana or practice in his previous births. Narada Rishi is Sharnagatha or
having submitted himself to Lord.
परिश्रान्तेन्द्रियात्माहं तृट्परीतो बुभुक्षितः ।
स्नात्वा पीत्वा ह्रदे नद्या उपस्पृष्टो गतश्रमः ॥ १५॥
By then my body had
become tired. Walking up and down the gradients of the countryside, negotiating
the shrubs, bushes & their thorns, stepping on sharp pebbles & stones,
my feet were crying in agony and legs demanded rest. I was hungry, my mouth had
dried with the feeling of thirst overwhelming me.
I took a bath in the nearby river, had water, did Achamana i.e sipping water from palm for three times and touching various parts
of body invoking various forms of Lord with his names for purification. This
way my tiredness subsided.
तस्मिन्निर्मनुजेऽरण्ये पिप्पलोपस्थ आस्थितः ।
आत्मनाऽऽत्मानमात्मस्थं यथाश्रुतमचिन्तयम् ॥ १६॥
ध्यायतश्चरणाम्भोजं भावनिर्जितचेतसा ।
औत्कण्ठ्याश्रुकलाक्षस्य हृद्यासीन्मे शनैर्हरिः ॥ १७॥
प्रेमातिभरनिर्भिन्नपुलकाङ्गोऽतिनिर्वृतः ।
आनन्दसम्प्लवे लीनो नापश्यमुभयं मुने ॥ १८॥
रूपं भगवतो यत्तन्मनःकान्तं शुचापहम् ।
अपश्यन् सहसोत्तस्थे वैक्लव्याद्दुर्मना इव ॥ १९॥
Subsequently, I sat below
a Pupil tree in that uninhabited river bank and started meditating the
Indweller as initiated to me by the accomplished Sages. As I started
contemplating the Lord’s auspicious lotus feet that were of the bright red
color of crimson with the nail plates turning pinkish under the dazzling brilliance of the free edges having the brightness of the sun, the bhakti in me
started glowing, my mind was lucidly filled with happiness. Also, the body
filled with goosebumps experienced a light shock wave and sucked me into a deep
state meditation. Not giving up, I moved my attention upwards to see yellow
robes of Lord covering his knees, wearing the golden waistband, Srivatsa and
being four-armed. However, I was flushed
with bliss, the tears of joy started flowing, choking my throat, but I was
unable to come out of the meditative state. The Lord Sri Hari appeared in my
Lotus of Heart making me wonderstruck
As I was thinking that
there is nothing to which the Lord is second to, the next moment Lord
disappeared अपश्यन्.
|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||
Comments
Post a Comment