DIVINE INFORMATION 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. Thisbody is the product of Karma, generated by desires, the offspring of Avidhya ! ignorance and the wise do notdevelop attachment to it. Thosewho do not develop attachment to the body, how will they entertain the thought of Mine! in earthly possessions,such as house, wealth, kith and kin. OKing! Desire less, dedicated, and devoted to preceptors and Sastras, he, whoworships Me, his mind gradually gets purified, leading to spiritualism. Whoever realizes the changeless and unattached spirit within, as thewitness of the body, organs ofknowledge, organs of action, he attains to the highest good. It is the LingaSarira (subtle body), which constitutesthe subtle matter, senses and mind, that is subject to transmigration. Hence, those who are attachedto Me and not to body, maintain equanimity in prosperity or adversity. O King!Therefore, continue the governance with even-mindedness. The king derives thehighest good by protecting 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. Thesupreme Lord continued, O, King! Seek of me a boon. By your virtuous traits like patience, restraint andnon-jealous nature, I am won over byyou! I reside in even-minded persons. I cannot be overcome by the Yajnas / austeritiesperformed by persons lacking in virtuous nature or conduct King Prithu gladly / lovinglyembraced Indra, who was now prostrating at his feet. The Supreme Lordand the friend of the good was now worshipped by Prithu by clinging to His feet in utter devotion. What boon am I to seek of You, the Supreme of eventhe boon-granting divinities and thegranter of liberation. I do not desire anything other than drinking the nectarof your feet. Grant me ten thousand earsto imbibe that narration of Thy glories and excellence, a nectar from the hearts of Thy heavenly devoteesflowing through their lips. Even a fraction of the breeze, laden withparticles of Ambrosia of Thy sports,coming as spoken words of saintly souls, can purify fallen yogis and restore them to true wisdom. What booncan I seek of you other than eternalabsorption 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!? TheLord 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.? AllDevas, 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 inthe process. After prostration to theLord, the king departed for the city. 352 SriMadh Bhagavatham.... part29 PRITHUS EXHORTATIONS TO HIS SUBJECTS Prithulived 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 with perfectand resplendent features, addressed his subjects: Theaspirant 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 andRishis! 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. Itis certain that there is a Supreme Being, who dispenses the destinies of allbeings ? 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, prostrationand service, as well as through dedication of all your actions, as an oblation to Him, for the attainment of spiritual goal. Thosesubjects of mine, who perform their respective duties as worship of God, are really my benefactors. Theprowess ensuing through affluence, aswell as royal lineage, may it not impose itself on those in holy community, who though not affluent,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 more effectivethan the offerings made in the fire. May I ever bear on my head the dust of thefeet of those holy men, who study andrecite 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. Allthe assemblage, including Devas and Pitris, commended Prithus exhortation, saying, The Sruti (veda) saysthat the father attains brighter realmsthrough his son. How true it is! Even Vena, cursed by Brahmanas and thusconsigned to the darkest hell, has been redeemed by the virtuous Prithu, born of his body, similar toHiranyakasipu by Prahlada! All of them praised the kinglavishly. Posted by: "DILIP KUMARRAVINDRAN" [email protected] prdili Fri Oct 15 , 201011:52 pm (PDT) and Sat Oct 16, 201012:28 am (PDT) Bhagavathampart 28 and 29 Forwarded to groups on 22-9-21. R.Gopalakrishnan -- 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/93603132.359921.1632367161009%40mail.yahoo.com.
