DIVINEINFORMATION PART 104 351. SriMadh Bhagavatham....part28
THE LORD BLESSES PRITHU Mahavishnu, the supreme of all yajnas and deities adored therein, in the company of Indra, spoke to Prithu thus: Youare worthy of forgiving this penitentIndra, who obstructed your Yajna and who seeks forgiveness. O King, the wisemen never harm others, since body is not Atma. If even knowledgeable persons succumb to Maya !delusion, their long and devotedservices to holy men are reduced to purposeless exertion. This body is the product of Karma, generated by desires, the offspring of Avidhya ! ignorance and the wise do notdevelop attachment to it. Those who do not develop attachment to the body, how will theyentertain the thought of Mine! inearthly possessions, such as house, wealth, kith and kin. O King! Desire less, dedicated, anddevoted to preceptors and Sastras, he, who worships Me, his mind graduallygets purified, leading to spiritualism.Whoever realizes the changeless andunattached spirit within, as the witness of the body, organs of knowledge, organs ofaction, he attains to the highest good. It is the Linga Sarira (subtle body),which constitutes the subtle matter,senses and mind, that is subject to transmigration. Hence, those who are attached to Me and not to body,maintain equanimity in prosperity or adversity. O King! Therefore, continue thegovernance with even-mindedness. The king derives the highest good byprotecting the subjects. A virtuous king will derive a sixth part of the merits of his subjectsand in addition inherit the sinsof the subjects. After your ruling for a while, my emissaries, Sanaka and hisbrothers will visit your abode. The supreme Lord continued, O, King! Seek of me a boon. By your virtuous traits like patience, restraint andnon-jealous nature, I am won over by you! I reside in even-mindedpersons. I cannot be overcome by theYajnas / austerities performed by persons lacking in virtuous nature or conduct King Prithu gladly / lovingly embraced Indra, who was nowprostrating at his feet. The Supreme Lord and the friend of the good wasnow worshipped by Prithu by clinging toHis feet in utter devotion. What boon amI to seek of You, the Supreme of even the boon-granting divinities and the granter of liberation. Ido not desire anything other than drinking the nectar of your feet. Grant meten thousand ears to imbibe thatnarration of Thy glories and excellence, a nectar from the hearts of Thy heavenly devoteesflowing through their lips. Even a fraction of the breeze,laden with particles of Ambrosia of Thy sports, coming as spoken words of saintly souls, can purify fallenyogis and restore them to true wisdom.What boon can I seek of you other thaneternal absorption in Your endless glories and excellence. How well will a person, who has listened toyour glories in an assemblage of Sadhus,feel satiated, unless he is an animal!Even Goddess Lakshmi seeks that bliss of listening to your glories. Similarly, I worship you, abode ofall excellence. You are evercompassionate to the weak. You accept even the most trivial of services from atrue devotee, high or low. The Sadhus find no meaning in their existence, except in the service of Thee. To me, whoworship You, the offer of a boon, I fear is an allurement. Just as the parent dispenses what is in theinterest of his children, Thou aloneknows what is meet for me!? The Lord said, May you have devotion for Me. That wisdom, through which Maya can be overcome, you have directedto Me. Do My commands. The universe,which complies with My commands, reaps all auspicious attributes.? All Devas, Rishis, Pitris, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Charanas, Nagas, Kinnaras, Apsaras, men, birds and variousother kinds of beings, after beingadored appropriately by the king by the offer of gifts, words and salutations, departed for their respectiveabodes. The Supreme Lord disappeared, taking away the kings heart in the process. After prostration to the Lord, the king departedfor the city. 352 SriMadh Bhagavatham....part29 PRITHUS EXHORTATIONS TO HISSUBJECTS Prithu lived in a region between the Ganga and Yamuna, enjoying the fruits of Karma, only to exhaust them as aprelude to liberation. His sway extendedover all, except Brahmanas and devotees. Rising up in Satra long drawn - Yajna, Pithru, endowed withperfect and resplendent features, addressed his subjects: The aspirant for wisdom should at first reveal his own thoughts. I am installed as a king to administerjustice, to protect the country andpeople, provide livelihood for the people and establish them in their respective sphere of activities. May Iattain to those higher realms, which thewise prescribe for the just ruler and with whom the Supreme Lord, the eternal witness, is pleased? O my subjects! Help me by adhering to your respective duties, devoid of jealousy and with dedication to God. O pure-hearted Pitris, Devas and Rishis! You also commend my behest to mysubjects. For, in works which affect the hereafter, the doer, the initiator and one who commends, all alike, share the merit. It is certain that there is a Supreme Being, who dispenses the destiniesof all beings ? one who determines the contents of our lives, herein and hereafter. The thirst and taste for Hisservice removes the evil tendencies acquired over past births, just like theholy waters of the Ganga streamingforth from His toe. The miseries ofSamsara never recur to those, whosemental impurities have been cleansed and who ever dwells on His feet. Worship you all that Supreme Lord, with remembrances, praise, prostration andservice, as well as through dedicationof all your actions, as an oblation to Him, for the attainment of spiritual goal. Those subjects of mine, who perform their respective duties asworship of God, are really mybenefactors. The prowess ensuing through affluence, as well as royal lineage, may it not impose itself onthose in holy community, who though notaffluent, practice restraint through Tapas and wisdom ? The Brahmanas andVaishnavas. By devotion to them, even Sri Hari, the greatest of thegreat, attained eternal glory and fame.Let the service of that community ofholy men be practiced by all. Bycontinuous association with and service to Brahmanas, man attains mental purityand peace. Brahmana is the most exalted mouth of the Devas and feastinghim is akin to sacrificial offerings.The offering made to Brahmanas, invokingthe different deities, are moreeffective than the offerings made in the fire. May I ever bear on my head thedust of the feet of those holy men, who study and recite the Vedas, practice austerity, purity in life, faith, restraint of speech, sense-control andworship? in the Veda, the whole world is reflected as a face in themirror. The dust of Brahmanas feet washes away all sins andvirtues ensue unsought. He whois virtuous, who has character as his wealth, who has the trait of gratitude and who gives shelter to and serves theold, prosperity seeks him out with rewards. May holy men, cows andJanardhana with His followers be gracious unto me. All the assemblage, including Devas and Pitris, commended Prithus exhortation, saying, The Sruti (veda) saysthat the father attains brighterrealms through his son. How true it is! Even Vena, cursed by Brahmanas and thus consigned to the darkest hell, has been redeemed by the virtuous Prithu, bornof his body, similar to Hiranyakasipuby Prahlada! All of them praised theking lavishly. Posted by: "DILIPKUMAR RAVINDRAN" [email protected] prdili Fri Oct 15 , 2010 11:52 pm (PDT)and Sat Oct 16, 2010 12:28 am (PDT)Bhagavatham part 28 and 29 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/630533457.19668.1632273068315%40mail.yahoo.com.
