Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - Sri Bheeshmacharya’s Pranotkramana
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 ||
 |
Om Krishnaya Namah |
कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय देवकीनन्दनाय च ।
नन्दगोपकुमाराय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः ॥
Sri Krishna! Being a hope to the
imprisoned Devaki & Vasudeva caused happiness by mesmerizing Nandagopa,
Gopikas and even the Goddess of abundant beauty. Vasudeva! creation,
sustenance, destruction and so on is a sports charm of you. Govinda! you are
the cause & protector of Vedas.
Krishna, Vasudeva, Devaki Nandana,
Nanda Gopa Kumara, Govinda,
My repeated salutations to you.
My repeated salutations to you.
नमः पङ्कजनाभाय नमः पङ्कजमालिने ।
नमः पङ्कजनेत्राय नमस्ते पङ्कजाङ्घ्रये ॥
My salutations to the Lotus of the navel. My
salutations to the Lotus garlanded.
My salutations to Lotus petal eye. My
salutations to the Lotus feet.
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.
यद्भनौ यत्क्र्शानौ यदमृतकिरणे यद् ग्रहेषू दितेषु
ज्योतिर्यत्तारकासु प्रथितमणिषु यद्यच्च सौदामिनिषु ।
सम्भूयौतत् समस्तं त्वदमितह्रदयाकाशनिर्यत्प्रकाशे
धीर श्रीराघवेन्द्रव्रतिवरभजते हन्त खद्योतरीतिम् ॥
The brightness of the Sun, Fire,
Moon, Planets, Stars, Gems, Precious stones and Lightening put together is just
like a firefly near the astonishing brilliance emanating from your lotus of
Heart wherein the five forms of Lord Sri Rama, Sri Narasimha, Sri Veda Vyasa,
Sri Krishna and Sriman Narayana are present in a significant way bestowing you
the Brahmavarchas or the Sacred Knowledge.
Gentle & Holy Sage, Sri
Raghvendra, भजते, I worship you by surrendering myself.
We had heard that a long time back and much before the start of Kali
Yuga a spiritual gathering was organized by Sri Shaunaka and his fellow rishis
where Sri Sutacharya narrated Srimad Bhagavata. Reference to the blog post of 4th
July 2019, Shaunaka Rishi's Virtue of Humility, Lord Veda Vyasa, the composer of Srimad Bhagavatam has recorded this
saying,
इति ब्रुवाणं संस्तूय मुनीनां दीर्घसत्रिणाम् ।
वृद्धः कुलपतिः सूतं बह्वृचः शौनकोऽब्रवीत् ॥ १॥
In the long stories of penance conducted in the spiritual gathering at
Naimaishya, the elder in both knowledge and age, the head of Rigveda, Sri
Shaunaka Rishi praising Sri Suthacharya requested him to narrate Srimad
Bhagavata.
Sri Sutacharya had heard Srimad Bhagavata directly from Sri Shukacharya who
in turn was initiated by Lord Veda Vyasa himself. In that very blog post, Sri
Shaunaka & his fellow Rishis had asked Sri Sutacharya that:
अभिमन्युसुतं सूत प्राहुर् - भागवतोत्तमम् ।
तस्य जन्म महाश्चर्यं कर्माणि च गृणीहि नः ॥ ९॥
Sri Sutha Puranika! We have heard that the son of Abhimanyu, Parakshid
Raja was the best of Bhagavata following Bhagavata dharma to letter and spirit.
His birth itself was a wonder. Please tell us the extraordinary story of his
birth and all his outstanding activities.
Answering this, Sri Sutacharya narrated the story of Ashwathama executing
Brahmashirsha Astra and his refusal to callback its aggression on the offspring
of Pandavas. Hence, Uttara Devi the wife of Abimanyu had prayed to Lord Sri
Krishna seeking protection in the blog post, Protection of Uttara Devi’s Womb on 12th September 2019. She had sought protection from Brahmashirshastra.
पाहि महायोगिन् देवदेव जगत्पते ।
नान्यं त्वदभयं पश्ये यत्र मृत्युः परस्परम् ॥ ९॥
अभिद्रवति मामीश शरस्तप्तायसो विभो ।
कामं दहतु मां नाथ मा मे गर्भो निपात्यताम् ॥ १०॥
The God of Gods! The Lord of the Universe! The greatest Yogi! Save me!
Save me! None else could offer
protection to me. Here, everyone is becoming a cause for one another’s death.
My Lord! You are Omnipotent. All-Powerful. An iron arrow burnt red hot is
chasing me. If needed, let it kill me. However, please bless the safety of the
baby growing in my womb, prayed Uttara Devi.
Lord Sri Krishna for whom the devotees are most dear, protected both the
Bhagavatas from Brahmashirsha Astra through his वैष्णवं तेज or his brilliance. We saw
this in the blog post, Bhakti Yoga of Uttara Devi and Kunti Devi of 19th September 2019. Subsequently, we also heard, Lord
Sri Krishna blessed Abhaya or safety to the selfless, ready to sacrifice her
own life, Uttara Devi and the baby in her womb. Hearing this Sri Shaunaka &
his fellow Rishis were astonished to which Sri Sutacharya said,
मा मंस्था ह्येतदाश्चर्यं सर्वाश्चर्यमयेऽच्युते ।
य इदं मायया देव्या सृजत्यवति हन्त्यजः ॥ १६॥
One need not be astonished by this. Our Lord is awesome. He is the most
amazing one. He is Achyutha, having no decline. The unchanging Lord without
birth nor death having immeasurable power using Prakriti creates, sustains,
destroys, and regulates the whole universe. He is Paramatma or Supreme Atma to
confine other Atmas to death & birth. Subsequently, releasing them with
Moksha.
Overwhelmed by the compassion of Lord Sri Krishna protecting at every step of their
life, the virtuous Sadvi, Kunti Devi’s heart filled with bhakti. Offering her gratitudes to Lord Sri Krishna, the whole of Kunti Stotra was unveiled, with starting verse as,
कुन्त्युवाच, Kunti says,
नमस्ये पुरुषं त्वाद्यमीश्वरं प्रकृतेः परम् ।
अलक्ष्यं सर्वभूतानामन्तर्बहिरवस्थितम् ॥ १८॥
You are the Purusha without beginning nor end. Using Prakruti, you have
created the vast Universe and gave birth to Jivas starting from God Brahma to a
blade of grass. However, neither Prakruti nor Jiva can influence you as you are
Satchidananda, the best of all and the Supreme Lord. You are inside as well as
outside the universe, all material substances, and living beings. You are
omnipresent. Yet we are unable to know you nor the best of being does God
Brahma or even Goddess Lakshmi knows you completely. My Salutations to you.
Subsequently, we noted that King Yudhishthira suffered from a delusion.
Though he got coronated as the King of Hastinapur by Lord himself and became
the successor of the famous Kuru dynasty, he was taken over with a thought that
the war of Kurukshetra happened due to him. He had to become king only with the
death of gurus, acharyas, near & dear relatives & friends, common men,
and animals. He was immersed in the guilt of causing death. Hence, Lord Sri
Krishna took Yudhishthira to his grandfather, Sri Bheeshmacharya to seek his
advice.
Sri Bheeshmacahrya lying on the bed of arrows, awaiting Pranotkramana or breath-departure says, “Yudhishthira! As a Kshatriya had you not fought the war of
Kurukshetra to uphold dharma, the righteous path, history would have called you
a coward.”
Sri Sutacharya narrating this incidence says:
सूत उवाच, Sri Sutacharya says,
युधिष्ठिरस्तदाकर्ण्य शयानं शरपञ्जरे ।
अपृच्छद्विविधान् धर्मान् ऋषीणां चानुशृण्वताम् ॥ २५॥
Sri Shaunaka! Hearing the words from Grandfather Bheeshma who was
sleeping on the bed of arrows, Yudhishthira asked several clarifications on
various subjects of statecraft in the presence of great Rishis & Munis.
After hearing all the dharma or indoctrinations that would cleanse sins
from grandfather Bheeshma, Yudhitira asked him,
किमेकं दैवतं लोके किं वाप्येकं परायणम् ।
स्तुवन्तः कं कमर्चन्तः प्राप्नुयुर्मानवाः शुभम् ॥
को धर्मः सर्वधर्माणां भवतः परमो मतः ।
किं जपन्मुच्यते जन्तुर्जन्मसंसारबन्धनात् ॥
Who is that utmost God to whom all Shastras or indoctrination is
praising? Who is that last resort, in whom one can take refuge? Who is that in
whom, propitiating by praising and singing his glory would cause auspiciousness
leading to peace & prosperity?
In your opinion, which is that dharma that is most superior? And doing
which Japa, a person can be relieved from the confinement of birth and death?
Understanding the core of the question, its reasons and generally what
every spiritual practitioner wants to have answers, Sri Bheeshmacharya blessed
us with most potent verses,
Vishnu Sahasranama. He says,
 |
| Lord Vishnu |
स्तुवन् नामसहस्रेण पुरुषः सततोत्थितः ॥
तमेव चार्चयन्नित्यं भक्त्या पुरुषमव्ययम् ।
ध्यायन् स्तुवन् नमस्यंश्च यजमानस्तमेव च ॥
अनादिनिधनं विष्णुं सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
लोकाध्यक्षं स्तुवन्नित्यं सर्वदुःखातिगो भवेत् ॥
ब्रह्मण्यं सर्वधर्मज्ञं लोकानां कीर्तिवर्धनम् ।
लोकनाथं महद्भूतं सर्वभूतभवोद्भवम् ॥
“The महेश्वर having the entire universe as his wealth is the Supreme Lord, Vishnu. He is the निधनं, the prime cause of all this existence since अनादि or immeasurable time in the past, and till अनन्तं or immeasurable time in future. He is देवदेवम्, God of Gods. सर्वलोक जगत्प्रभुं, He, only has the Lordship of the entire Universe. He is eternal
without destruction and present everywhere. Only he is पुरुषोत्तमम्, the best and the utmost without being surpassed by anyone.
A practicing devotee, being cautious without an iota of doubt should
propitiate this very Lord by repeatedly singing his thousand names that
describe his attributes, worship him with these names wondering his glories,
and have thoughts only of him. He is the last and the only refuge that one can
take.
Doing so is the supreme dharma of all dharma. All the sins causing
sorrow will disappear leading to auspiciousness bringing peace &
prosperity. The Lord is supremely excellent!
एष मे सर्वधर्माणां धर्मोऽधिकतमो मतः ।
यद्भक्त्या पुण्डरीकाक्षं स्तवैरर्चेन्नरः सदा ॥ १४॥
Singing a thousand names of Lord Pundrikaksha having lotus petalled eye,
with the white of eye appearing lotus pink, with the realization of his
attributes, with complete faith and devotion, is the best dharma of all dharmas.
The best verses to praise Lord is Vishnu Sahasranama.
परमं यो महत्तेजः परमं यो महत्तपः ।
परमं यो महद्ब्रह्म परमं यः परायणम् ॥ १५॥
The Lord is the most brilliant and he is the cause for all the dazzling
light.
He is the supreme ascetic and he is the cause of asceticism in the best
of yogis
He is the supreme Brahman and best of all, including Goddess Lakshmi and
God Brahma, the best of being
He is the leader of leaders. He is the cause for leadership and the top leader in whom one can take refuge.
पवित्राणां पवित्रं यो मङ्गलानां च मङ्गलम् ।
दैवतं दैवतानां च भूतानां योऽव्ययः पिता ॥ १६॥
The Lord is the purifier of the pure, destroyer of sins by removing
stain & blemishes and he is the cause for crystal clear and clean knowledge
and bliss; He is the most auspicious and causes for auspiciousness; He is the
God of Gods; and He is the eternal father for all living beings having no
destruction or death.
यतः सर्वाणि भूतानि भवन्त्यादियुगागमे ।
यस्मिंश्च प्रलयं यान्ति पुनरेव युगक्षये ॥
It is the Lord Vishnu who has created this entire universe with non-living substance and living plants and animals. And it is He who is the cause
of the destruction of this universe including all non-living and living. During the destruction, he converts everything into a subtle form. All this
happens in a systematic and organized way. This existence is not accidental.
तस्य लोकप्रधानस्य जगन्नाथस्य भूपते ।
विष्णोर्नामसहस्रं मे शृणु पापभयापहम् ॥
The Lord of the universe, Jaganatha is the most superior. Ones’ sins
will flee with the repetition of his Vishnu Sahasranama or by doing Japa or
even just hearing it. It breaks the confinement of death and birth.
यानि नामानि गौणानि विख्यातानि महात्मनः ।
ऋषिभिः परिगीतानि तानि वक्ष्यामि भूतये ॥
Hence, I shall reveal to you such Vishnu Sahasranama.having thousand
names of the Lord describing his attributes that have been in vogue and been
practiced since a long time back by great rishis & munis of this Land, says
Sri Bheeshmacharya to Yudhisthira.
This way, by initiating Vishnu Sahasranama to King Yudhisthira, Sri
Bheeshmacharya has become its cause.
Though this appears in Mahabharata, it is a worthy recall here in Srimad
Bhagavata. Since we are going through the legend’s Pranotkramana or breath-departure.
सूत उवाच, Sri Sutacharya says,
कृष्ण एवं भगवति मनोवाग्दृष्टिवृत्तिभिः ।
आत्मन्यात्मानमावेश्य सोऽन्तःश्वास उपारमत् ॥ ४३॥
These ways, initiating Dharma, Shastra, Stotra to Yudhisthira and
reciting Bheeshma Stuti, Sri Bheeshmacharya’s thoughts, intellect, speech, and
the view was completely occupied in the form of Supreme Atma, Sri Krishna.
When he had closed his eyes he could see Sri Krishna in his Lotus of Heart and
when He opened too he saw the same form along with forms of Lord Veda Vyasa and
Lord Parshurama. Meanwhile, his breath got merged with God Prana Vayu and they
departed from the body. Sri Bheeshmacharya died.
सगोनसंगोगो सम्पद्यमानमाज्ञाय भीष्मं ब्रह्मणि निष्कले ।
सर्वे बभूवुस्ते तूष्णीं वयांसीव दिनात्यये ॥ ४४॥
In presence of all great rishis and munis, the five Pandavas, Sri
Bheeshmacharya seeing the form of Lord, thinking about him, singing his praises
left the body along with God Prana to join the stainless Lord. The assembled
there became silent like the birds after return to their nest at the dusk.
तत्र दुन्दुभयो नेदुर्देवमानववादिताः ।
शशंसुः साधवो राज्ञां खात्पेतुः पुष्पवृष्टयः ॥ ४५॥
While the assembled become perplexed. The Gods and Gandharva from heaven
filled the surrounding playing musical instruments including drums with joy.
Sri Bheeshmacharya is one of eight Vasu name Dyu. Gods’ and Gandharva filled
with joy had come to receive him. They shower ed the flowers of heaven on Sri
Bheeshmacharya.
तस्य निर्हरणादीनि सम्परेतस्य भार्गव ।
युधिष्ठिरः कारयित्वा मुहूर्तं दुःखितोऽभवत् ॥ ४६॥
Sri Shaunaka! For मुहूर्तं, about 48 minutes, King
Yudhishthira grieved for the departed soul. Subsequently, he conducted the
death ceremony of Sri Bheeshmacharya with all, state honor.
तुष्टुवुर्मुनयो हृष्टाः कृष्णं तद्गुह्यनामभिः ।
ततस्ते कृष्णहृदयाः स्वाश्रमान् प्रययुः पुनः ॥ ४७॥
The assembled rishis and munis praised the Lord Sri Krishna with his
very exclusive and secretive names that described his secretive attributes.
With their heart dipped in divine nectar named Krishna returned to their
hermitage.
ततो युधिष्ठिरो गत्वा सहकृष्णो गजाह्वयम् ।
पितरं सान्त्वयामास गान्धारीं च तपस्विनीम् ॥ ४८॥
King Yudhishthira shedding his delusion got full clarity. Along with
Lord Sri Krishna, his brothers, family priests, and their attendants returned
to Hastinapura. They consoled Dhritarashtra and Gandhari.
पित्रा चानुमतो राजा वासुदेवानुमोदितः ।
चकार राज्यं धर्मेण पितृपैतामहं विभुः ॥ ४९॥
Following the dictates of Dhritarashtra and the permission of Lord Sri
Krishna, King Yudhishthira governed the Kingdom in a righteous way
that had come down to him from the family lineage following the divine order.
इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां प्रथमस्कन्धे
युधिष्ठिरराज्यप्रलम्भो नाम नवमोऽध्यायः ॥ ९॥
With this, we complete "King Yudhishthira’s ascendence to the
throne of Hastinapura” the ninth Adhyaya, of Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1.
We could do so only with the grace of Gurus including Sri Raghavendra
and his philosophical associates including Sri Saunaka & his fellow Rishis,
Sri Sutacahrya, Sri Sukachary, God Vayu, and Sri Hari as their Jnana Prasada.
Let's pray for their continued blessings.
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