Friday, April 19, 2024
Introduction
TopThe taste of food is known while eating. Similarly the spirituality will be revealed in actions.
With spiritual practice, the storms in the mind will subside just as when summer approaches rivers dwindle. Ones happiness is dependent on such practice.
A horse unrestrained by reins can go in any direction. So is the mind that is not controlled. Those who don't argue and progress in spirituality face fewer obstacles and live in joy.
In this skanda, king Pareekshit will get the counsel of Suka Brahma. One has to be fortunate to find a guru who can help in self-realization.
This skanda gives a shot in the arm of spiritual practitioners. It helps in turning the mind inwards and understanding reality. The importance of devotion is emphasized here.
Without spiritual practice there will be no end to sorrow. This skanda shines light on the path to self realization.
The Elixir of Dharma
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Pareekshit asked Sri Suka about the duties of a person in the throes of death. Such a person needs elixir. It is not the amrit imbibed by Devas, but one obtained by devotion, knowledge and Dharma that help one transcend life-death cycle. The devotees who imbibe such elixir are not afraid of death. They will attain salvation without rebirth.
A fortunate person will find a guru to teach about self-realization. Pareekshit is such a fortunate one. Suka Brahma is the guru to help him tide over death. He was going to teach Pareekshit who was obedient and attentive.
Suka said "O King, the question you posed is very appropriate. It is going to help others in similar situation. It brings auspiciousness to the listeners. Those aspiring for self-realization have similar doubts."
There are four features in our scripture:(1) The subject at hand, (2) The relationship of the subject with regard to the reader or listener, (3) The qualified people who can read or listen to it and (4) Its use to the reader or listener
Suka said Pareekshit's question was worthy of elaboration. And the most pressing one for all people. Such a question needs to be answered with knowledge about Brahman.
The sage Aswabaayana prays to Brahman "Please teach me the most esoteric knowledge".
The essence of Bhagavata is knowledge about Brahman. It provides a wealth of knowledge to the reader or listener. It also inculcates devotion to the Lord. There is no other scripture that measures up with Bhagavata.
Kausika Samhita said "To attain salvation there is no other scripture that surpasses Bhagavata written by Vyasa"
As for the qualified person, Pareekshit is a king worthy of receiving the discourse on Bhagavata. Here king means not just a ruler. Anyone whose desires are met is a king. One who doesn't clamor for worldly objects and relations like a mendicant, but aspires for self-realization is qualified to receive Bhagavata.
As for its use, Bhagavata brings auspiciousness to the world. It leads towards non-duality and self-realization.
Thus Suka made an auspicious beginning. He talked about people whiling away time without self-realization that can be attained by devotion.
The people who are immersed in household duties don't have time for self-realization. They waste time in procreation and garnering wealth. The bonds of wife and children are ephemeral. Without self-realization they die only to be born again.
Sri Suka said "O King, even though their forefathers have perished, ordinary people don't think about death. So when faced with death they are unable to focus their minds on Lord Narayana".
Anything that is born will perish in time. After death the body is cremated and the self goes in search of another body. Thus in the big scheme of things, living is experienced within the birth-death cycle.
Our forefathers have perished. The people we consider as family will die one day. When will we realize the Lord? When will we focus our minds on the Lord? Those who feel sorrow after one's death are not going to wallow forever. Like birds that leave trees that don't bloom, relatives move on with their lives. The wealth garnered is enjoyed by the relatives and the body is consumed by animals.
"Parents raise the child overcoming many difficulties. When he dies, the friends and relatives take him to the cemetery. Out of sympathy they may cry for his demise. On the other hand, they burn the dead body without remorse" said Mahabharata in the Udyoga parva.
All people, great or otherwise, have to end up in cemetary. Without realizing it they carry out household duties. During childhood one is innocent. As a youth he is ignorant. And in old age he is confused. In all these stages the self is covered by maya. When people retire from a job, they take up another. Until they die, they keep on working. It won't help for self-realization and inner peace.
"Almost all men who are secure from want and care, now that at least they have thrown off all other burdens, become a burden to themselves" said a great man. One should realize that the past is past and should make best use of the present. To secure the future, one should start striving for self-realization at the present. Those aspiring for good outcomes have to pray, praise and serve the Lord. Sri Suka was saying this was the only way in response to Pareekshit's question.
The one most sought after is Achyuta. The one who has to be praised is Lord Krishna. Attachment to objects and people imprison a man. Indulging in wordly transactions is not the fault. Forgetting the paramatma while carrying out wordly transactions is a deficiency. A devotion-less person, despite attaining all the wealth in the world, is power-less before the Lord.
Praising the Lord is the most exalted state. The people who pray to Lord continuously become ardent devotees. They leave behind their name and fame in the world. By chanting Lord's names and controlling the tongue one attains the Lord.
"Why do we get trapped in maya and wallow in sorrow? There is no comfort in anything other than Lord's names. Lord's name is the mantra. Try and find out if there is another way to attain the Lord's grace" said Sant Namadev Maharaj.
Some in fault pretense condemn the recitation of Lord's names. Sri Suka was condemning such people with subtility.
"O King, those who transcend action and inaction, attaining a state without gunas, are interested in praising the Lord" said Sri Suka.
Not everyone has means to recite Lord's name. Anyone can sing. But ardent devotees can only sing songs that alleviate the burden of life. A divine song should praise the Lord and spread the name of the Lord. With divine praises only the heart can be purified and devotion can be enhanced.
"O King, at the end of Dwapara yuga, I received the most sacred Bhagavata, which is the essence of vedas, from my father Vyasa. Even though I believed in non-duality, I was enamored by the escapades of Lord Krishna. Those who read or listen to Bhagavata will attain the Lord"
Those who consider life is a burden will find solace in the prayer to the Lord. The people who chant the names of the Lord till the last moment will attain the Lord.
Pareekshit said, "I am going to die in seven days. Is it possible to attain salvation?"
"There was once a king called Khatwanga. He realized he didn't have much time to die. He immediately renounced everything, focused his mind on Sri Hari in prayer, and attained salvation. You have seven days. So don't hesitate to begin the process to attain salvation"
After finding a guru, if one is still hesitant, he has no salvation. Pareekshit was fortunate to find a guru like Suka Brahma. He didn't need seven days with such a guru. Even seven minutes were enough.
Sri Suka said one should not fear death. "To shed the body without fear and a pure conscience is not easy. Those who perform good karma sleep well at night. Others will not only lose good sleep, but also live in perpetual sorrow. Death is unrelenting and inescapable. Devotees are not afraid of death. The Lord's assurance of salvation makes them fearless. They don't fear this world or nether world" said Vidura.
Those who perform good karma and sleep well, being sinless will shed their bodies easily. When one is not attached to body, one is disinterested in relations, and will die in peace. It cannot be accomplished easily while in the throes of death. One has to persevere all life to die in peace.
One should live in a house but should not let the house enter him. The ship in high seas cannot retain sea water. One should insulate his mind against worldly matters. Celibacy should be practised. Loneliness should be one's friend. While doing breathing exercises one has to recitate Omkara. Mind has to be controlled. Desires have to be curtailed. Thus said Sri Suka. Even upanishads recommended breathing exercises with Omkara recitation. Sri Suka was mentioning the same to Pareekshit. Breathing in, out and retaining the breath in between, one has to control prana.
"While exhaling one has to renounce the world. While inhaling one has to think 'I am Brahma'. In between one has to chant 'I am Brahma'" said Tejobindu Upanishad.
Meditation on Omkara is the most auspicious. A-U-M in Omkara indicate wakeful, dreaming, deep-sleep states. People chanting Omkara attain samadhi without distractions.
Suka was saying with breathing one has to control the mind. By curtailing breath the mind is rested and the intellect is purified. In such a state, the mind can take the senses away from the body, won't be attracted to karma and revels in intellect. There is no physical relationship between the mind and external world. The world is imagined by the mind. Time and space can't disrupt the mind. It is only when the mind is distracted, the external world will influence us.
"A mind is not to be changed by place or time. The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven" said Milton.
Therefore, by holding breath, controlling the mind, restraining sense organs, fixing mind on Sri Hari, one has to stabilize intellect.
Sri Suka said one has to practice the aforementioned process. The mind should not be vacillating. If the mind is distracted, it should be focused on the Lord. There is a point to note here. The process should be carried out with utmost devotion.
There is no yoga leading upto salvation without devotion. With yoga, the mind can be stabilized. But to attain salvation, devotion to the Lord is absolutely required. With love for the Lord in the heart, when the mind is turned inwards, salvation is possible. If the mind is distracted by worldly things, it can't remain still in the heart. Memories constantly swarm the mind. They will be pulling the mind toward matters of the external world. Devotion can curtail them, including desires. That's why Narada recommended devotion as paramount.
Narada said in Bhakti Sutras that with devotion it is possible to suppress desires.
When the mind is impure, it is deluded by the world. It is hard to banish the world from the mind. Meditation done with an impure mind won't lead to salvation. Penance done without devotion can't be fruitful just as a pooja done without love won't lead up to heaven. A mind immersed in worldly matters can't attain the Lord.
Tyagaraja said the mind immersed in worldly matters without devotion to the Lord is as sinful as an adulterous wife. In other words, when a wife depending on her husband for sustenance is committing affairs with other men, it is like the mind drawn away from the Lord towards worldly matters.
Tyagaraja sang a women went to alert the neighbor that dogs were prowling the street, while keeping her house's door wide open. Everyone has an advice for another, but don't realize their shortcomings.
In another song, Tyagaraja sang about a woman who approached a neighbor to borrow fodder for her cows. The neighbor, realizing her need, started taking advantage of her. The woman acquiesced hoping he would give her fodder. Meanwhile a monkey entered her house and stole the pot with cooked food.
Like the woman who lost her meal for fodder, people are losing peace of mind by constantly thinking about worldly matters. A discourse on Lord to them is like blowing a conch in front of a deaf person.
Pareekshit said, "Mahatma, mind is finicky. It is hard to control. How can I focus it on one thing? What is the way to control it? What are the means to remove the impurities in the mind?"
Suka Brahma started replying. First of all one needs a proper posture. Without it, it is hard to obtain self-realization. Some people can't sit still for a minute. Even in temples they can't stand for a few minutes without fidgeting. They keep moving like a boy learning bicycle riding. Like a thief being chased by police, their eyes will be rolling all over. One has to sit still and erect, stand without movement, keep the eyes from rolling to obtain a proper posture.
After obtaining a proper posture, the breathing has to be controlled. Then the sense organs have to be restrained. There is no lasting comfort when the senses are constantly going after worldly matters. What is the stature of the man who constantly runs along with senses? Animals live for and by sense organs. Thus one has to control senses, detach from bonds and focus on the Lord.
The Cosmic Form
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Seeing the whole world as manifestation of the Lord is essential for a devotee. The Lord is more minute than an atom and more gross than the grossest material one can think of. The transactional world at all times is Lord's manifestation. Such a Lord's vital force has to be meditated upon.
Patala is Lord's feet. Rasaatala is the front and back of the feet. Mahatala is the ankle, Talatala is the lower part of the leg. Sutala is the knee. Vitala is thigh. Maheetala is the organ of procreation. Bhuvaloka is the knavel. Heaven is his chest. Neck is the Maharloka. Janaloka is the face. Tapoloka is the forehead.
His hands are Indra and other Devas. Directions are his ears. Agni is his face. Space is his eye balls. Sun is the eyes. Day and night are eyelids. Thus Lord is resplendent with his cosmic form. We should see the Lord in all things. Everything is within the Lord.
This is the most auspicious vision. People visualizing the Lord in such a manner won't have faults. They see the paramatma in all. Gradually they lose wordly indulgence and obtain knowledge pertaining to Brahma. With detachment, one renounces the fruits of karma and becomes Brahma himself. By seeing the infinite Lord, we focus on self and realize it. There is no discrimination here. It is the attitude that should change. The dharma is superseded by the vision.
"The heart has reasons of which reason has no knowledge" said Pascal.
The Possibilities and Impossibilities
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"O King, the cosmic form that I described was revealed to Brahma Deva by the Lord. This helped Brahma Deva in the creation process. One should not live to indulge in luxuries. Even the sojourn to heaven doesn't last forever. One who wants lasting bliss should renounce names and forms of the world" said Sri Suka to Pareekshit.
A spiritual person should give up indulgence in senses. Wealth that is far more than one's needs is a burden. He should keep the bare minimum of his needs. He should keep in mind that all worldly comforts are ephemeral.
"O King, when the needs of life are met, where is the need to struggle for more" said Sri Suka.
"When there is floor where is the need for a mattress? When the hands are given by paramatma why should we use pillows? When the palms are there, where is the need for utensils? When there are clothes woven from cotton, where is the need for silk robes?" said Suka Brahma.
One should pray to paramatma at all times. Without serving Eswara, there is no way to transform into Eswara. One has to give up luxuries to serve Eswara. In meditation worldly matters create obstacles.
Indulgence in luxuries is inferior. It implies the life led by animals. The dogs enjoy eating a corpse as much as we enjoy a tasty meal. A pig rolling in mud has the same feeling as one resting on a fluffy mattress. People living in palaces have the same shelter as animals that burrow. One has to rejuvenate the senses caught in worldly matters with Lord's names. Otherwise, hell awaits.
People knowing these truths won't be caught in worldly matters. They will always be chanting the Lord's name. Some people visualize the Lord in their mind's eye. The meditation on the Lord should be as natural as breathing without interruption.
Some people ask when is the best time to meditate on the Lord. One has to remember that there is no perfect time to meditate. It is not for a set time. Is there the best time for a mother to love her child? Is there an auspicious time for a husband to love his wife? We should meditate on the Lord at all times.
Some people ask how long one should meditate on the Lord. For how long can we sit in one place? How long do we take to eat food? The answer is as long as it takes.
While meditating on the Lord, one has to traverse his mind's eye from Lord's feet to head. The cosmic form of the Lord has to be visualized.
"O King, people use 'neti-neti' (not-this, not-this) to reject all that is not Lord and eventually realize the Self that is without birth or death. Thus, they ardently love the Lord", said Suka.
"O King, for a man caught in the wordly bonds, devotion towards Vasudeva is the only way. There is no other way to attain salvation" said Suka Brahma.
So far Suka described the devotion to Lord Vishnu. He said listening to Bhagavata would purify the heart. It is the only way to multiply the devotion for the Lord.
Pareekshit asked what are the duties of a person in the throes of death at the beginning of this Skanda. Sri Suka advised praising the Lord and listening to Bhagavata.
The Resplendence of Devotion
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"O King, ardent devotees chant Sri Hari's names to attain the salvation" said Sri Suka. Then Suka Brahma would talk about prayers to gods other than Sri Hari.
Those who aspire for strong senses pray to Indra. Prajapati is worshipped by those longing for chidren. People seeking vital force pray to Agni. Vasus are prayed by those seeking wealth.
Traders and farmers worship Sadhyas. For a long life Aswinis are worshipped. Wanting beauty Gandharvas are worshipped. Wealth seekers pray to Prachetana. Forefathers are prayed for offspring. Manu is worshipped for gaining kingdom. People indulging in senses pray to Soma. Others with no desires pray to Sri Maha Vishnu.
Without desires other than salvation, people worship Lord Vishnu with utmost devotion. People worshipping all gods, including Lord Vishnu, better be in the company of devotees. This reinforces their faith and gives them desired results.
"O King, one should listen to the escapades of Sri Hari. It will mitigate the hate, enhance love, grant knowledge, and propitiate the Lord. The devotion will grow manifold. Such a person should listen steadfastly" said Suka Brahma to Pareekshit as told by Soota to Sounaka and other rishis in the Naimisa forest.
People listening to Lord Hari's escapades are really fortunate. Suka was fortunate to listen to Lord's story from Vyasa. He in turn passed it on to Pareekshit. Now because of Soota maharshi's grace, Sounaka et al. are fortunate to listen to the story of Lord Vishnu.
"Mahatma! Pareekshit is a devotee of Lord right from his childhood. What other questions did Pareekshit ask Suka after his opening remarks? Please tell us" said Sounaka et al.
Devotion should begin in childhood. Because as one ages the heart becomes too impure to gain love and devotion to the Lord. And the mind will be full of memories from the past. Dhruva and Prahlada became the devotees of the Lord when they were adolescents.
Pareekshit was devoted to the Lord from a young age. Sri Suka was always in devotion to the Lord. Sounaka said the discussion between the two devotees about the Lord would transform the audience into blessed souls.
"Aren't trees living? Aren't people sucking air in and out like the bellow of a furnace? Aren't cattle eating grass? Aren't animals procreating? When people carry out such acts, by abandoning Sri Hari can they be superior to animals?"
Those who didn't listen to the chant of the Lord are no better than an animal. They are the most unfortunate. Their mind and body are useless.
The ears that don't listen to the Lord's escapades are void. The tongue that doesn't sing the praises of the Lord is like a frog's tongue. What is the difference between eyes that don't see the paramatma and the eyes on peacock feathers? The hands that don't offer salutations to the Lord are like corpse's hands. The nose that doesn't smell the fragrance of flowers placed at the feet of the Lord is in fact a pig's nose. The feet that don't go to visit the Lord are same as trees rooted in the ground.
Unfortunate are those who aren't blessed by the dust from the feet of Lord's devotees. People whose hearts don't rejoice, eyes don't water, hairs don't raise while listening to the praises of the Lord are like stone.
"Mahatma, one's life is barren without devotion. Your eminent discourse is accentuating our devotion. Please tell us what more the self realized Suka Brahma told Pareekshit" said Sounaka et al to Soota.
"Rishis, Pareekshit turned his mind inward after listening to Suka's preamble. He got rid of bonds in his mind. And gave up the love for his body. He renounced the love for palaces, cattle, wealth, relatives and kingdom. Like you, he wanted Sri Suka to begin his discourse of Lord's avatara" said Soota.
"Mahatma! You are omniscient. My mind is relieved after listening to your discourse. How did Lord create this universe that is not fully understood even by great rishis" said Pareekshit to Suka.
Sri Suka was offering his salutations to Lord. It was three chapters ago that he started his discourse. Some people think he was actually setting the stage for a full discourse.
"Paramatmaa! You don't have a cause. You have unimaginable strength. You create, maintain and destroy the universe. You shine as the self in all of us. You are partial to your devotees. You reassure whoever seeks your refuge with devotion. Your praises purify all impure hearts and enable us to face death boldly. Your appearance will remove all of our sins. Bonds are broken when we salute you" said Suka.
"Singing praises, chanting the name, saluting, listening to the story of the Lord, will remove all sins"
Those in the path of knowledge acquisition get detached from the world by holding the feet of the Lord. Suka was bowing again and again to the Lord in prayer.
"O Lord, even people who do great penance; are well known by all; are great yogis; are erudite; are well versed in vedas, without devotion to you cannot be successful in their efforts. Salutation to you who has such an auspicious form."
Eswara will accentuate the good karma of his devotees. He will enhance the devotion of his devotees. He will cleanse the sins of devotees. Eswara is approachable by all.
Paramatma is the embodiment of vedas, dharma, penance and love. Those who could get his glimpse are attaining salvation. The Lord who is the subject of yagna; ruler of all people, intellect, and world had been a child among the Yadavas in Sri Krishna avatar.
"Some think the Lord is of atomic size. Some say the Lord is as big as the universe. For some he is divisible. For others he is indivisible. For some he has gunas and is a great paramatma. For others he is devoid of gunas. People arguing over such esoterics when seeing his lotus like feet realize the pettiness of their claims. My salutations to such a Lord" said Suka.
"The Lord created the body with five basic elements. It has nine exits. He is the purusha living in the body. He is the witness of all of our actions. Such a paramatma should reside on my tongue during the discourse" said Sri Suka.
"The discourse won't attract anyone unless the speaker is blessed by the Lord. With his touch, words will turn into amrit" said Sri Suka. After praising the Lord, Sri Suka was offering prayer to his father Vyasa.
"The elixir that originated in the Vyasa's lotus face has been imbibed by the devotees. Salutation to such resplendent Vyasa" said Sri Suka.
"O King, you asked me about the creation of the world. Earlier Brahma Deva asked Lord Vishnu the same and received the knowledge. Later Brahma Deva passed on that knowledge to Narada. I am going to discourse on it" said Suka.
The Process Of Creation
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Sage Narada saluted Brahma Deva and said "Please give me the knowledge about Jiva and Brahman".
"O Lord, what is the form of this universe? What supports it? Who created it? Where does it end?" said Narada.
"O Lord, you are omniscient. You know the secret of the universe. I saw you do penance. There has to be someone who gives you the fruit of penance. And he has to be other than you".
"O Father, how did you gain knowledge? Who supports you? What is your form? Who is your Lord? You are creating life forms with dexterity. I don't know what is superior, inferior or equal among the beings of this universe. I also don't know how the world with names and forms originated. I believe this universe is created by you. But why did you do penance?" said Narada.
Brahma Deva said "Son, you asked me good questions. Your doubts are commendable. By asking such questions you are very kind to me"
Narada was surprised. How could he be kind towards Brahma Deva? He was perturbed if he had hurt Brahma Deva. After observing Narada's predicament Brahma Deva said "Son, I am telling you the truth. Because of your questions, I have the privilege of talking about the real creator".
"Narada, you have assumed I am the Eswara. Not only you, many don't know that there is a superior being than me. In fact, the universe protected by the Eswara is being created and maintained by me. Those who can't discern because of maya think I am the Eswara".
"It is not possible to discern Eswara's maya. People falsely identify me as the ultimate being. I salute the Lord Vasu Deva who is the ultimate being" said Brahma Deva.
"Son, maya has no existence before the Lord. Just as an adulterous woman caught by her husband feels ashamed, the maya that mesmerizes life forms is abashed to stand before the Lord. Like darkness that can't exist after sun rise, maya cannot exist before the Lord. Because of maya, men are identifying themselves with their egos and creating bondage" said Brahma Deva.
"Paramatma is infinite. There is nothing that is not his. He is the progenitor of vedas. Suras originated from his body. There is no one above him. He is all pervading. He witnesses everything. I was created by him. I merely reshape the universe created by him" said Brahma Deva.
"Maya is the attribute of Paramatma. It has the three gunas. Using it the paramatma is not revealing himself. The space was formed from maya. From space air was formed. From air, fire was created. From fire came water. Earth came out of water. Thus the five elements were formed from which came the five senses. From the gross sattva guna mind, intellect and ego came. From gross rajas guna came the five pranas. From the gross tamas guna came different bodies. Thus the universe was created by Paramatma."
"Narada, I answered your questions. In the cause-effect, everything is paramatma's creation" said Brahma Deva.
"From the clay came the pot by cause-effect. There are so many types of pots identified by their names and forms. They however are all made from clay. The pots may break and lose their identity but the clay remains forever" said Brahma Deva.
"Therefore the universe with name and form is impermanent. The ocean is ever present but the waves come and go. Waves have form and name. So they disappear. Whereas the ocean remains steady. Even for the impermanent wave ocean is the support. Waves exist in the ocean. In reality all that exists is the ocean. A wave is a disturbance of the ocean giving raise to names and forms" said Brahma Deva.
Thus Brahma Deva praised Lord's creation. Then he set about describing Sri Man Narayana's avatars.
Lord Sriman Narayana's Avatars
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Sri Hari donned a boar avatar to save the earth from Hiranyaksha. He destroyed Hiranyaksha with his tusks. He then was born as Suyagnu to Prajapati's wife Akuti. He married Dakshina and gave birth to Devas. Later he was born to Kardama Prajapati and Devahuti as Kapila. He gave the knowledge about Brahma to his mother Devahuti.
He was born as the son of Atri maharshi. He was called Dattatreya. Then he was born to Dharmu's wife and Daksha's daughter Moorty as Nara-Narayana.
Once the cupid, Manmatha,thought he could disrupt the penance of Nara-Narayana. He ordered beautiful apsaras to create lust in them. The apsaras started dancing before Nara-Narayana. They wanted to distract them. From the thighs of Narayana came a beautiful maid called Urvasi. She surpassed the apsaras in beauty and dance. Apsaras thought if he could create a superior woman than them, there was no way to distract them and left them alone.
Beauty is not external. And happiness doesn't come from outside. All of the beauty is in the self. Nara-Narayana, by creating Urvasi, indicate to us that all beauty and happiness are within us. When one knows self, there is no lust for non-self in the world.
"When one is immersed in happiness due to knowledge about Brahma, there won't be any desire for external things" says Atmabodha Upanishad.
Lord was born as Rushabhudeva to Nabhi and his wife Sudevi. He transcended senses and became a noble being called paramahamsa. He demonstrated indescribable unmanifest Self.
"Narada, in a yagna I conducted, the Lord was born as Hayagreeva. When he exhaled I could hear the vedic chants" said Brahma Deva.
"At the end of yuga, the Lord donned a fish avatar. While churning the milky ocean with the Mount Mandhara, the mountain was held in place by Lord's tortoise avatar"
"To dispel the fear of Devas, he killed Hiranyakasipu by donning Nrusimha avatar. To protect an elephant king he manifested as Sri Hari and destroyed the crocodile that caught the elephant. The same Lord donned Vamana avatar, hoodwinked Bali to give him the world and gave it to Indra."
"Narada, the same Lord talked about devotion in front of you in the form of a swan." The Lord gives self-knowledge to his devotees. He is the ultimate guru. That's why every guru is considered an avatar of the Lord. One should not disrespect the guru and serve him without questioning back. One should be confident that by proper conduct, one can learn everything from the guru.
"To cure the diseased, Lord came in Dhanvantari avatar. The same Lord appeared as Parasurama to destroy the erring kings twenty one times. The Lord was born in the Ikshvaka dynasty as Rama. He was born as Sri Krishna and showed extraordinary powers. He was also born as Vyasa and reorganized vedas. When everyone lose dharma in Kali yuga he will be born as Kalki to restore dharma on the earth."
"Narada, both me and your brothers Sanaka, Sananda and others could not understand the infinite avataras of the Lord" said Brahma Deva.
"Narada, I told you briefly about Lord's avataras. You spread that knowledge. This knowledge is given to me by the Lord himself. This is called Bhagavata. When teaching it bless the listeners to attain devotion to the Lord" said Brahma Deva.
"Mahatma! Brahma Deva asked Narada to teach the avataras of Lord Sri Hari to others. Whom did Narada enlighten about these amazing avataras?" said Pareekshit.
Pareekshit's Questions
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Pareekshit put forth all of his questions before Suka Brahma. Whoever listens to Lord Vishnu's avatars attentively attain the Paramatma.
"Like the season after rains removes the mud in the water, Sri Krishna enters the hearts of his devotees and removes the impurities."
"Like a wanderer after facing many difficulties returns to home and stays there, the devotee purified by the Lord, won't leave his lotus feet. Mahatma, please make my mind and intellect disinterested in worldly matters, and fixated on the Lord so that it will be easy to shed my body"
"How did a jiva without any association with the five basic elements assume a body made of the five basic elements? Is Karma responsible for it? How can the bondage of samsara be overcome? What are the pros and cons of devotion?
"O great Sage, I have surrendered to you. I don't know if these are genuine questions. I don't know what better questions can be asked. Please kindly answer them and remove my ignorance".
When Pareekshit said "As I listen to the Lord Vishnu's avatars my mind is at peace. Despite fasting I won't feel the pain. Srungi's curse won't haunt me", Suka Brahma was satisfied.
Bhagavata in four Slokas
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"Maya is responsible for physical body. Just as a person dreaming has no relationship with the dream, the self has no relationship with the body. Because of maya the body changes from time to time. A jiva is subservient to maya. With maya he creates I-mine bonds, implying ego and possessiveness. A person overcoming maya will become the Lord" said Suka Brahma.
"The creation process is no ordinary matter. So it is not readily discerned by all. Even Brahma Deva did not understand at times. During those times he observed deep penance. The Lord appeared and gave him the knowledge" said Sri Suka.
At the beginning, Brahma Deva was wondering how to create the world. He didn't have sufficient knowledge. From the water came the sound "ta". Then came the sound "pa".
Brahma Deva wondered where from the sounds came. Nothing was visible to him. He closed his eyes and realized that someone was prompting him to observe penance. Soon he started penance. By restraining the mind and senses he did penance for a thousand years. Lord, impressed by the penance, brought Brahma Deva to his abode Vaikuntha. Brahma Deva was elated. Maya cannot enter Vaikuntha where Lakshmi Devi will be in servitude of the Lord. Brahma Deva was ecstatic.
Lord said "Brahma Deva, you satisfied me with your penance. Let auspiciousness come to you. Please ask me for seven boons. My appearance itself will give you all the things you ever need. You performed the penance hearing my words 'ta-pa'"
Lord said "Penance is my heart. I am Self to penance". Without penance no one can obtain salvation. When the creation started with penance, how can people who don't do penance attain bliss? Penance leads to the heart of the Lord. So people not doing penance can't merge with the Lord. Without Lord's grace there is no comfort and happiness.
Lord said "Brahma Deva, I am creating the world with penance. I am ruling it with penance. Penance is my vital force"
The essence of Ramayana is penance. Lord Rama performed penance for fourteen years before killing the demon king Ravana. We should annihilate senses both of knowledge and action and the mind-ego-intellect complex with penance to obtain self-knowledge. It is ultimately the Lord who grants us self-knowledge.
Swetaswatara Upanishad said "The Brahman mentioned in the upanishads is the root of self-knowledge and penance"
Brahma Deva said to Lord "You created all beings. You know the desires of all. Please satisfy my desire and grant me the plan for creation. I will obey your command. Please make me egoless"
Later the Lord revealed the essence of Bhagavata in four slokas.
"The five basic elements inhabit all the creation without making themselves explicit. Even though I am in all of them, as Self I am all pervading" said the Lord.
Like a rope Brahman alone existed before creation. Like confusing the rope with a serpent, maya is projected by Brahman. The imaginary serpent can't alter the rope. The serpent is in the observer's mind but not in the rope. Similarly maya is within the observer's mind but not in the Brahman. As long as there is mind, because of maya duality is seen in the world. When the mind disappears, maya will disappear.
Annapoorna Upanishad said "When we reject the mind, the world of non-duality will perish. Then the most exalted, peaceful, non-dual, blissful self will shine"
The rope that has been perceived as serpent is in fact real. The serpent is presiding over the rope. Similarly in the world of names and forms, Brahman is the foundation and cause. Brahman is all pervading.
"Throughout the physical world runs that unknown content which must surely be our Consciousness" said the physicist Arthur Eddington.
Take a colorful fabric with the images of several birds. The images are in fact not different from the cotton threads. The various images are projected by the threads. Similarly in the world of names and forms several images are perceivable. They are not different from Brahman. Thread is real and images are imaginary. Brahman is real and the world is imaginary.
When everything is Brahman how can we surmount maya? It is done with a process by rejecting anything that is born as unreal.
Everyone knows he exists. But he doesn't know how. He is able to discern all but himself. "aham" means me. "idam" means this. The one seeing is aham. The one that is seen is idam. All scripture talks about idam but not aham. When we don't know about ourselves, what is there to achieve? Vedas alone teach about aham.
Suppose one is seeing a tree. The seen is the tree and one is a seer. The seer and seen are different. Similarly everything seen is different from the seer.
We are seeing our bodies like other objects. So the body can't be the seer. The inert body can't be the self with vital force. Similarly the sense can't be aham. If body and senses can't be aham, mind and intellect could be aham. The thoughts occurring in the mind and the decisions made by the intellect are being perceived by us. In deep sleep mind and intellect retract but we are there. Therefore, we are the aham or self.
Now we have to establish self which is all pervading, infinite and non-dual. There is no scope for non-self. Therefore everything is self.
When one is climbing up the stairs, he is leaving behind the bottom step when there is another step to climb up that is not landing. So until the landing is reached he is rejecting every step. This is called "neti-neti".
"At the beginning one should see the vital force as different from the world. Then one should see the effect in cause" said Adi Sankara in Aparokshaanubhooti.
"Thus with knowledge one can exist without ego" said the Lord to Brahma Deva. He delivered the essence of all the vedas in four slokas and disappeared. Then Brahma Deva paid his obeisance to the Lord and started the task of creation. His son Narada satisfied his father with service. This led Narada to seek answers to his question from his father.
"O King, Brahma Deva satisfied with Narada's service passed on the knowledge about Bhagavata he got from the Lord to him. Narada then told it to Vyasa" said Suka Brahma to Pareekshit. Then he talked about the ten qualities of Bhagavata.
The world created from the cosmic form of the Lord is called Visarga. The dexterity of keeping an order in the universe is called Sthana. The benevolence shown by the Lord to his devotees is called Poshana. The impressions stored in the mind from carrying out karma is called Ooti. The rituals conducted by Manus are called Manvantara. Stories about Lord's avataras are called Isanu. At the devolution of creation when life forms merge into the Lord the process is called Nirodha. The disembodiment of the self is called Mukti. Asraya is by whom the creation, maintenance and destruction of the world are happening.
Thus Suka described the ten attributes of Bhagavata and the order of creation to Pareekshit
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