DIVINE INFORMATION 2-27 Posted by: "DILIP KUMAR RAVINDRAN"[email protected] prdiliTue Sep 14, 2010 6:13 am (PDT)
Thistransalation , was brought by Poojaniya Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada SriMadh Bhagavatham. ... part12 SHRINGIS CURSE AND SAGES DISAPPROVAL Saunakacontinued: Sage Samikas son,Shringhi, was endowed with enormous powers. He heard of the kings behaviourfrom his playmates and said, For the protectors (rulers), to transgress justice issimilar to evil conduct of slaves to masters. The kings are ordained by Brahmanas as watchdogs. The rulers, who indulge in evil acts after the disappearance of Lord Krishna, I shallpunish them. Witness my power ofpenance. With eyes turningred with rage, the young Shringhi sipped water from the Kausiki river and issued forth hisVajra-like curse: He, who has harmed my father; He, who has swervedfrom his ordained path; He, who is like raging fire for his race; Him, directed by me, Takshaka(thechief of serpents) shall bite seven days hence. Shringhi returnedto his father’s ashram, found his father laden with the dead snake and overwhelmed by sadness,began to wail loudly. Sage Samika openedhis eyes, shook off the dead snake from his shoulder and enquired: Child, why do you weep. Has anything harmed you Shringhi narrated the events and sage Samika was notpleased with Shringhi for his action. He said, Oh! A heinous sin has been committed by you. For a trivial lapse, a heavy penalty hasbeen inflicted. O, immature! The ruler, who, due to his unsurpassed glory, protects his subjects, secures themagainst fear of all kinds and watchestheir well being; to equate him with common folk is inappropriate for you. When the element of God, who the ruler is,if he fell ill, the sin will visit onus. That ruler (Parikshit) of immaculate virtue, and element of GodHimself, the observer of austerities, was overcome by hunger and thirst and therefore, fragile. He was thusundeserving of your curse. May God forgive this transgression against the blemish less devoteeby this immature youngster. The devoteesof God, if insulted, cheated, dishonoured, or even belabored, even though capable, will not retort. Sage Samika was filled with compassion for the kingand did not even recall the king’saction against him. Enlightened soulsare neither elated nor dejected. PARIKSHITS REPENTENCE Parikshit wasremorseful for his reproachful conduct. He said to himself, Fie! I, like a dishonest man, have harmed a harmless and austere Brahmana. The adverse consequences of insulting aBrahmana will be unfordable. Maythe punishment ensue betimes so as to expiate as well as be a lifetime lessonfor me. May not such a propensity recurto me against Brahmanas, Devas and Cows. Therepentance-filled Parikshit,through a disciple, Gauramukh, deputed by Sage Samika, learnt of his impending deathin seven days by Tashakas biteand deemed it as for his good. Parikshit renounced everything earthly,including food intake, and deeming devotion to Krishna as the sole and exclusive means for redemption, laid himself on the bank of theriver Ganga. All the saints and seers who purify theuniverse, and who, as if purifyingthemselves, in fact purify the holy rivers, all assembled around Parikshit. To name a few of the sages: Atri,Vasishta, Chyavana, Sharatwan(father of Krupacharya) , Arishtanemi, Brighu, Angiras, Parashara, Viswamitra, Agasthya, Vyasa, Narada - all ofthem, Devarshis, Rajarshis andBrahmarshis. Parikshit bowed to themall and after they had settled down,extolled the greatness of Brahmanas visa-vies the temporal and therefore limited power of the Kshatriyas. Parikshit said, OBrahmanas! Know me as deserving of your blessings, seeking refuge in you and with thoughts projected towardsBhagawan (God), who is a combination ofthese attributes Jnanam, Shakti, Balam, Eishwaryam, Veeriyamand Tejas (wisdom, prowess, strength, prosperity, valour andglory). May Goddess Ganga also know it. May Takshaka, ordained by the Brahmana Shringhi,bite me. I would not resistit. Please, you all, till this body separates itselffrom me, sing the glories of God. Bless me that I may havemore and more love for the supreme Lord. Whatever different births I may undergo hereafter, may I associate alwayswith holy men and true lovers ofGod. May I have friendliness with the humanity atlarge. The king, firm inhis resolve in renouncement and having entrusted the rulership to his sonJanamejaya, seated himself on the southern bank of the Ganga on Kusa grass (which was laidfacing southwards), himself facingnorthwards. The Gods rained flowers onhim and divine musical instrumentsplayed on the occasion. In response toParikshits enquiry, the assembled rishis discussed amongst themselves - some of them suggestedYagas, some others Yoga, Penanceand Charity as the means for the king’s liberation. There arrived then sage Sukabrahmam, sixteen yearsof age, with tender feet and hands,lovely arms, large eyes, raised nose, symmetrical ears, beautiful eye-brows, shapely neck andfleshy frame, glowing with spiritualsplendor, to a deferential reception by one and all. After the youngBrahmarshi was comfortably seated, Parikshit, with reverence, entreated the sage, saying, Whenthe very thought of you itself, OSage, instantly purifies the abodes, what to say about your presence, contact, washing your feet andoffering seat to you.By your presence,the heinous of sins are expiated. TheLord, who saved my ancestors andsaved me too in the womb, is still thinking of my good. You have arrived here at His insistence. By the man on the verge of death, I seek enlightenment from you, who are theforemost of the Yogis and well wisher of disciples, as to what should be donein all espects. Pray tell me, whatshould be heard, chanted, ever dwelt in mind, and those, which are to be excluded. Sage Sukabrahmampraised the enquiry of Parikshit, saying that answers thereto would conduce tothe good of the world, added: The span of human life is stolen away by sleep during thenight and by temporal pursuits by theday,without a thought for liberation. For the seekers of liberation, God is the objectof listening (to His glories), rejoicingand dwelling in mind. The thought ofthe benign Lord for those at the verge of death is theholiest acquisition. Taught by all theVedas, initiated at the close of Dwapara Yuga by my father Vyasa, I obtained the knowledge of Bhagavatham. By listening to it, yearning devotees would derive genuinedevotion and I shall recite it to you. Chanting of God’s names secures temporalgains, liberation and wisdom as according to the aspirants. Repenting on wasted life, for the earnest seeker, even one Muhurtham (48 minutes)is sufficient duration to attain God’sfeet. Rajarshi Katvangan, having come to know that his existence would cease injust another muhurtham, renounced everything, devoted himself to God and attained His Grace. In your case seven days of life isavailable to you within which tosecure the means of liberation. Posted to google groups by R.Gopalakrishnan on 28-11-2021 -- 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/1314949235.3938799.1638069374509%40mail.yahoo.com.
