Talk of Brahma with the Brahmana boy
Sauti said— Seeing him all the gods stood up and welcomed the Brahmana. Thereafter all of them started conversation among themselves.
Infatuated with the illusion of Visnu, the gods had forgotten about all the earlier happenings. Therefore, they could not recognise the Brahmana who was in fact lord Visnu himself. Thereafter the Brahmana addressed the gods in sweet words which provided welfare to all the creatures.
Brahmana said—She is the wife of Upabarhana and the daughter of Citraratha. She is plunged in grief and is begging for the life of her husband.
All the gods should tell me the method to be adopted for bringing back to life her husband. It should be quite appropriate and should be useful in future also.
This illustrious and the chaste lady was about to pronounce a curse on all the gods, but taking into consideration your welfare, I have dissuaded her from doing so, convincing her appropriately.
All of you had gone to the Sveta-dvipa and had offered prayer to lord Visnu who has not arrived here.
There was a divine voice from the sky which declared that the lord would also arrive. “How has the declaration of the divine voice gone otherwise”?
On hearing the words of the Brahmana, Brahma the teacher of the universe spoke truthful words for the benefit of all.
Brahma said—My son Narada, after having been cursed, was turned into the form of a Gandharva named Upbarhana. And again he had to be deprived of life by yogic practices, because of the curse pronounced by me.
He would remain like this on earth for a lakh of years. Thereafter he would be bom as a Sudra. Thereafter he again would become by son.
О best of the Brahmanas, therefore only very little time is self for his life. Presently he has to live for a thousand years more.
By the grace of Visnu I shall myself bring him back to life. I shall make appropriate efforts in this regard. This would relieve him of the curse of the gods. О Brahmana, you have asked me the reason for the absence of lord Visnu from this place. It is not true, because Hari pervades everywhere. He is the soul of everyone and the soul has no definite form. The eternal Brahman moves according to his own sweet will. He takes to the human form in order to shower his grace over his devotees. The eternal lord is present everywhere.
The root Vis means pervading and Nu means everywhere. Hari therefore is only present and because of that he is called Vishnu.
You can recite the name of the lotus-eyed Vishnu in any position, whether you are unclean or clean because the very reciting of the name of Vishnu purifies anyone everywhere.
O Brahmana, at the beginning, middle and the end of his life, whosoever recites the name of Vishnu, all his Vedic practices are considered to be complete. I am the creator of the world and Siva happens to be the destroyer. Dharma happens to be the witness of one’s deeds and obeys the command of Vishnu.
With the command and the fear of whom the god of death destroys everything or Yama controls the sinful people and the death reaches everyone.
Similarly the goddess of all, adorable by all the primeval energy, who creates everyone, remains terrified before him and obeys his command. It is none else but Visnu alone.
Mahes’vara said—In which one of the rays, the sons of Brahma, were you bom and what is the essence of the Vedas understood by you after reading them? О Brahmana who happens to be your teacher and what is your name? Currently you are just a child but you wear a lustre of the sun on your face. You are putting even the gods of love to shame with your lustre but surpassingly you are not aware of our lord who is recited in the minds of everyone and is the supreme soul.
After the soul departs from the body of people, all the organs of the senses and life stops functioning. In the same way, as the king is followed by all his courtiers.
Life is the reflection of the same. The mind, knowledge, consciousness, life, the sense-organs, intelligence, passions, memory, sleep, compassion, state of trance, hunger, lust, development, devotion, satisfaction, desire, forgiveness and shyness are the qualities which are also followed by life. Whenever the great soul decides to part, its strength moves ahead. All the above qualities follow the prowess of god.
Till such time as the soul remains in the body, one can perform all the tasks and after departure of life the human body becomes untouchable and has to be abandoned. Who does not consider such a type of god Siva to possess a human form.
The creator of the universe and all the creatures of the world, is known by the name of Brahma who also adores at his feet day and night, but is unable to meet him.
Lord Brahma once adored lord Krishna to please him, for a lakh of yugas and could achieve intelligence and was able to create the universe.
I have also adored lord Visnu for a long time but could not achieve the satisfaction of mind. Who could be satisfied with one’s own welfare.
Currently I am reciting his name with all the five faces and roaming about everywhere without involving myself in anything.
Since I continue reciting his name and his glory the death has not reached before me because the death runs away from the person who recites his name.
By reciting his name and performing tapas for him for a long time, I have achieved the prowess of the destruction of the globe and have conquered even the death.
At the appropriate time I get myself merged into him and thereafter I emerge from him at the appropriate time. By his grace I have been able to overcome the death and the time.
O Brahmana, lord Krsna who is in Goloka also resides in Vaikuntha or Sveta-dvlpa\ as there is hardly any difference in the fire and the spark, similarly there is hardly any difference between the lord and his ams’a.
Seventy one divine yugas stand for a manvantara and in every manvantara there are two Indras. After the expiry of the time of twenty eight Indras, a day of Brahma is formed. Similarly at the expiry of the age of a hundred years of Brahma, lord Visnu twinkles an eye-lid.
Lord Krsna is the master of all the arts but no one can reach his glory. I am unaware of anything about him.
О Saunaka, thus speaking lord Siva kept quiet. Thereafter Dharma who observes the deeds of all, said-
Dharma said—The one whose hand and feet are spread everywhere, whose eyes see everything, he who happens to be visible to the noble souls and for the wicked souls he remains invisible.
You have spoken that he is not present currently in the assembly. How have you said thus? These your words can mislead even the ascetics.
The place were the elders are denounced, the noble people do not listen to such words, because the one who listens to such words, also proceeds to the terrific hell, with those who denounce him. He remains there suffering for yugas.
As luck would have it, listening to the denouncing of the elderly people, even the intelligent people get relieved of the sins by reciting the name of Visnu and achieve great merit.
Those who denounce lord Visnu intentionally or unintentionally or the one who listens to the denouncing of Visnu, sitting in an assembly and laughs at him, he remains in the terrific hell up to the life of lord Brahma. О Brahmana, like the impure vase of wine that place also becomes impure.
Going there whosoever listens to the denouncing of the lord, surely falls into the hell. Earlier Brahma had spelt out three types of denouncing of the lord. Firstly people denounce him in his absence, secondly there are those who don’t believe in him and thirdly there are those who compare him with other gods. Such a type of denouncement is made by people who are short of knowledge.
The one who does so, is not redeemed even by remaining in the hell for the life of a hundred Brahmas. Similarly those who denounce their own father and teacher, fall in the hell and remain there as long as the sun and the moon continue.
Vishnu is the lord and teacher of all the three worlds. He happens to be the father, the teacher, preserver, remover of the dangers and the one who bestows the boons.
On hearing the words of all the three, the great Brahmana smiled and looking at them, he spoke with a sweet voice.
Brahmana said—О religious minded gods, have I denounced lord Visnu? I have only spoken that Visnu has not arrived here. Therefore, the divine voice from the sky has been proved to be false. All of you are the lords, therefore tell me on oath, because the one, who takes sides,’ in the assembly destroys his next hundred generations.
Getting emotional you speak that Vishnu is omnipresent. If it be so, why have you arrived in the Sveta-dvlpa for getting the boon.
There is no different between Amsa and Am si and there is no difference in the soul. If this is your confirmed opinion then tell me why the best of the people discarding Amsa, adore the Amsi.
The devotion of Krishna is impossible to get the wicked people and the noble ones always try to serve the lord with devotion.
Holding the crescent in both the hands, irrespective of being big or small, all the people aspire for the highest place.
Vishnu recites at one place which is located on Sveta-dvJpa in the universe. Yourself, Brahma, Siva, Dharma and the gods of all the directions reside there. Brahma, Visnu and Siva and other gods differently lodged in the different worlds who will be in a position to count the number of such globes? Sri Krsna happens to be the lord of all of them, who, in order to grace of all of them, who in order to grace his devotees, takes to divine form.
Satyaloka or the Vaikuntha which is desired by all, his lodged above all the globes. The Goloka is still above that which is spread over an area of fifty crores of yojanas.
In the Vaikuntha the eternal lord Visnu who is the lord of LaksmI and has four arms, resides. He is flanked by the attendants named Sunanda, Nanda, Kumuda, besides other courtiers.
In the Goloka Lord Krishna who is the Lord of Lakshmi as well resides there having two arms only. The cowherdesses of that eternal lord having two arms only, keep surrounding him together with his courtiers.
The same lord Krishna is the complete Brahman himself. He is the soul of all the Gods. He takes to any forms he lives and roams about in the Vrandavana engaging himself in Rasamandala.
The ascetics meditate upon the Jyoti of the same lord which has the lustre of crores of suns. His glory resembles that of the dark clouds. He has two arms and is clad in yellow lower garments. He possesses lustre and beauty which surpasses crores of gods of love. He is full of illusion. His beauty is quite charming. He appears of tender age. He is the peaceful great soul and spreads the lustre of his serene smile everywhere. The Vaisnava and ascetics always meditate upon such a truthful body of the lord.
All of you are Vaisnavas and you are enquiring of me again and again, to which rays of the lord I belong and who happens to be my teacher.
0 gods, the race in which I am bom and the one of whom I happen to be the child and the pupil, this entire knowledge is attributed to him, the lord. You must think over it.
О god of gods, you revive this Gandharva back to life. In case you think over deeply, you will come to know as to who is intelligent and who happens to be the fool. What is the use of raising any controversy?
О Saunaka, the lord Janardana who had appeared in the form of a boy kept quiet after thus speaking and he laughed aloud in the assembly.
