Bhagavatha Vahini, Chapter 33 - The Bhagavatha Purana

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Chapter 33The Bhagavatha Purana

 

When the sage Suka heard this answer, he said, "King! Since your heart is

merged in Syamasundara, the Lord Krishna, I am pleased so much that you can ask

me all the questions that trouble you; I shall give appropriate answers and

explanations. I shall thrill you and heighten your yearning for Syamasundara,

the Charming Lord with the Complexion of Dark Rain-heavy Clouds."

 

 

Parikshith was filled with delight at these words of the Master. He said,

"Illustrious Preceptor, what qualifications have I which entitle me to put

questions to you? Instruct me as you think best; tell me what I most need

during these critical days; teach me what is most beneficial, most worthy of

attention, most important. You know this more than I. Discourse to me,

irrespective of my asking and desire. Of course, doubts pester me off and on,

since I am bound by the temptations of delusion and ignorance; when such arise,

I shall communicate my doubts and misgivings and receive from you curative

explanations. I pray that you should not attribute other motives to me. Do not

weigh my attainments. Treat me with affection as if I were a son; transform me

into a quiet restful person.

Let me present before you however, one doubt that has been with me since a long

time. Are the experiences of the individual in this body directed by his own

nature or are they directed by the sum of the consequences of deeds in the

past? Then, there is another: You said that from the Navel of the Primal Person

(the Purana Purusha), a lotus arose and bloomed, and that all creation

originated from that Lotus. Now, did God appear with limbs and organs like the

individual Jivi? Is there any distinction between the Jivi and Brahma (the

individual and the Personified Absolute)?

Let me ask also another question: On what basis are the past, the present and

the future differentiated? And, the fourth: Which deeds of the Jivis lead to

which results and consequences, which statuses, in the future? The fifth: What

are the characteristics of the great (the Mahapurushas)? What are their

activities? By what signs can we know them? The sixth: What are the stories of

the amazing and charming incarnations of God? The seventh: How are we to

distinguish between the Kritha, Thretha, and Dwapara yugas or ages? [see also

Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 11: Division of time expanding from the

atom (verse 18)] How can we name a yuga as such? The ninth: What are the

disciplines that one must practice in order to merge in the inner Soul, which

is the Over-soul, the Universal Soul? And, finally, the tenth: What are the

Vedas and the

Upavedas? Which Upavedas are attached to which Vedas?

Please tell me the answer to these as well as other subjects deserving

attention. Master, I surrender to you. There is no one else who can enlighten

me on these and other points. Therefore, save me from the perdition of

ignorance." The King fell at the Master's Feet and prayed for grace.

With an affectionate smile, the Sage said, "Rise up, 0, King! If you pile up

these many questions all in a heap, how can you understand the answers?

Moreover, you have not slaked your thirst or eaten any food, since long. Come

eat some fruits and drink a little milk, at least. They are the privileges, the

rights of the physical body. With a famished body, you may pass away in the

middle, with your doubts unresolved. So, take some food," he ordered.

The King replied, "Master! Those whose last days have come, should not prefer

the food that nourishes falsehood, to the food that grants immortality, isn't

it? How can I pass away in the middle, though the body may be famished, when I

am imbibing the nectar of immortality and when you are filling me with the

exhilaration of tasting sweet panacea for the illness of Death? No! It will not

happen. Even if the angry Sringi (see also Bhagavatha Vahini, Chapter 26: The

Curse that was Accepted Gladly) had not cursed me, even if the snake Thakshaka

had not been deputed to kill me after seven days, I would not pass away in the

middle while listening to the stories of the Lord. I listen to them, without

thought of food and drink. My food, my drink, are the nectarine stories of

Krishna. So, do not think of my food and drink; make me fit for the Highest

Bliss,

the Supreme Stage of Realisation. Save me from downfall. I am prostrating at your feet."

The King shed tears of contrition and sat praying to the Perceptor. The sage

said, "Listen, then. In the beginning, Brahma shed light on the world

manifested by Maya, or Delusion. Brahma willed that creation might proliferate.

But, a voice from the void above (the Akasa) warned, 'Thapas is the essential

base for everything'. Through Thapas, Delusion will disappear!" At this

Parikshith intervened. He asked, "What is the meaning and value of Thapas?

Please enlighten me."

Suka took this interruption kindly. He said, "Son! Thapas means Sadhana,

Discipline, Spiritual exercise. It is through Thapas that the great processes

of Creation, Preservation and Destruction are happening. Thapas is the cause

for the Realisation of the Self. That is to say, when the mind, the intellect

and the senses are subjected to Thapas or the crucible of disciplinary

exercise, the Self will stand revealed. I shall tell you about this technique

of Thapas, listen. The mind, the intellect and the senses are ever bent towards

exterior objects; they are perpetually turned outward. When some sound from the

external world strikes it, the ear hears it. As soon as the ear hears it, the

eye attempts to see it. When the eye sees it, the mind desires it. Immediately,

the intellect approves the idea and sets about to acquire it, as quickly as

possible.

Thus, every sense runs after external objects one after the other, one

supporting the other, restless and miserable. One must bring under control the

mind, the reasoning faculty and the senses which roam aimlessly behind

objective pleasures; one must train them to take on the task of concentrating

all attention on the glory and majesty of God to follow one systematic course

of one-pointed discipline. Bring them all and lead them towards the higher

Path. Their un-licensed behaviour has to be curbed; they must be educated by

means of Japa, Dhyana or Good Works, or some other dedicatory and elevating

activity that purifies.

This process of purifying the inner equipments of man in the crucible of

single-pointed speech, feeling and activity, directed towards God is called

Thapas. The inner consciousness will be rid of all blemishes, and defects. When

the inner consciousness has been rendered pure and unsullied, God will reside

therein. Finally, he will experience the vision of the Lord Himself, within

him.

O King, what can one picture, grander than this? The great sages, the Mahatmas,

all engaged themselves in Thapas and as a result gained continuous and rare

spiritual splendour. Why, even the wicked demons Ravana, [see also Srimad

Bhagavatam, Canto 2, Chapter 7, verse 23: Brief Description of the Past and

Coming Avatara's] and Hiranyakasipu [see also Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 3,

Chapter 17, verse 18: Victory of Hiranyaksa over All the Directions of the

Universe] won mastery over the material world and acquired their tremendous

powers of destruction through the arduous discipline of Thapas, directed along

aggressive channels. If only their efforts were directed along Sathwic paths,

instead of the Rajasic path they preferred, they

could have attained the Peace and Joy of Self-realisation. On the basis of the

underlying urge, Thapas is classified into three groups: Thamasic, Rajasic and

Sathwic. Of these, for the visualising of God, the Sathwic is the most

effective.

Vashista, Viswamithra and other sages acquired amazing powers through their

Sathwic Thapas, performed with pure unselfish motives. They rose at last to the

status of Brahma-rishis too. Thapas is classified into another series of three:

mental, physical and vocal. You may ask which is the most important of these

three. I must tell you that all three are important. Yet, if the mental thapas

is attended to, the other two follow.

The person bound by objective desire will strive in various ways to fulfill

them. He is a slave to his senses and their pursuits. But, if he withdraws the

senses from the world and gets control over their master, the Mind, and engages

that Mind in Thapas, then, he can establish Swarajya or Self-mastery or

'Independence' over himself. To allow the senses attach themselves to objects -

that is the bondage. When the mind that flows through the senses towards the

outer world is turned inwards and is made to contemplate on the Atma, it

attains Liberation or Moksha.

O King! All things that are seen are transient unreal. God alone is eternal,

real. Attachment with objects ends in grief. God is one's own Reality. That

Reality, the God in you, has no relationship with the changing transitory

objective world; He is Pure Consciousness only. Even if you posit some

relationship for it, it can only be the type of relationship that exists

between the dreamer and the objects seen and experienced in dreams."

At this, the King started questioning this wise: "Master! On this matter a doubt

is bothering me. In dreams, only those things that have been cognised directly

while awake appear and so there must be reality as the basis of the false

appearances, isnt't it? While experiencing the dream, all the objects are taken

as real; on waking from sleep, it is realised that they are all unreal. But,

this is the experience of us, men. Can God too be deluded? Again, if objects

are one and of uniform type, then, it can be said that Maya deludes and this is

the effect. But, they are manifold and of multifarious forms. They all appear

real and true. How can these be compared to the dream-experiences?"

Suka was induced to laugh at this question. "O King, Maya itself has caused the

multifarious forms. This is clever stage play, a kind of fancy dress. The

objective world or Nature assumes manifold forms through the manipulations of

Maya, the Deluding Urge. On account of the primary impulse of Delusion or

Ignorance, the Gunas arose and got intermixed, and Time manifested with the

change, and all this multiplicity called the Universe appeared. So, the Jivi

must dedicate himself to the Master of this delusion, the director of this play

the manipulator of this time, the actor who sports the Gunas (types of

behaviour, groups of qualities, bundles of attributes), the mother of all the

worlds (Maya); he must fill himself with the understanding of the immeasurable

Power and Glory of the Imperishable Absolute (Akshara Parabrahma); he must

immerse himself in the Bliss derivable there from. Then, he sheds all Ajnana

and can be unattached, even when he uses the creations of

Maya!"

The King was struck with wonder at these words of the Sage. He said, "Lord! How

did this Creation first happen? What is the original substance which Maya

caused to proliferate?" Suka elaborated these points. He said, "Creation is

happening from beyond the beginning of Time. First, the lotus arose from the

Navel of the Primal Person, called in the scriptures Narayana. From this Lotus,

the Lord Himself manifested as Brahma; Brahma felt an urge to look at all the

four quarters; so, he developed four faces. (See also Srimad Bhagavatam Canto

3, Chapter 10: Divisions

of the Creation)

Brahma became aware that he must activate Himself, so that creation can happen;

so He seated Himself in the Padmasana posture of Yoga and, entertained the Idea

of all this Creation. Parikshith, the mystery of Creation cannot be unraveled so

easily, or understood so quickly. There can be no Cause-Consequence chain in the

activities of the Absolute. No one can examine or inquire successfully into the

creative faculty and achievements of the Supreme, which is omni-potent and

omni-scient. King, when I was just attempting to answer the questions you had

framed earlier, you came forward with another. Perhaps, you felt that I might

forget to give you the answers for those in my eagerness to answer the latest.

No, you will certainly be enlightened on all the points, during the ensuing

narration of the Bhagavatha story. All your questions are within the bounds of

the Puranas."

When these consoling and satisfying words were heard by him, Parikshith queried,

"Master! What are the Puranas? What are their contents? How many are they?" Suka

replied, "The texts that elaborate the terse truths that are enshrined in the

Vedas are called Puranas. They are numberless in extent, But, at present, 18 of

them are outstandingly famous. These were collated and edited by my father,

Vyasa [see family tree of the Kuru dynasty]. They have ten common

characteristics: the supplements to these Puranas, called Upa-puranas have five

characteristics only. You may ask what those ten are. I shall relate them to

you, even before you ask! They are: Sarga, Visarga, Sthana, Poshana, Uthi,

Manvanthara, Isanucharitha, Nirodha, Mukthi, and Asraya. The Asraya is the most

important of these ten." 

[see the Bhagavatam Links for more Puranas]

Contents of this Vahini

Source: http://www.vahini.org/bhagavata/chapter33.htmlVahini.org: 'Vahini' Books

written by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

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