Method for redemption of Tara
Narada said – О Narayana, О graceful one, you are well-versed in the Vedic and post-Vedic literature. I have enjoyed the taste of the nectar in the form of words spoken by you.
Now I want to listen to you as to what Brhaspti spoke to Siva who bestows all the fortunes, after reaching Kailasa.
What reply did Siva the controller of the universe and its greater, give to the sage? О best of those well-versed in the Vedas, you kindly tell me all these things in detail.
Narayana said – Brhaspati the priest of the gods arrived at the Kailasa mountain and bowed before Siva and said before him with his head lowering down in shame.
Thereafter Siva finding the son of his teacher before him, got up from his seat of kusa-grass and embraces him blessing him at the same time.
Lord Siva made him sit on the seat. The sage was filled with shame and fear but Siva spoke to him the sweet words.
Siva said – О brother why are you feeling painful at heart with an unclean body and the tears filled in your eyes? Why are you feeling shameful? You tell me the reason. Are you unable to perform your tapas or have you been deprived of sandhya? Or, are you unable to serve lord Krsna by any move of destiny? Or have you been deprived of the devotion of your teacher or the gods? Or, are you unable to protect anyone who came to take refuse with you?
Or could it be like this, that some guest has returned from your house disappointed? Or, could it; be that your dependants have remain hungry? Has your wife become independent of you? Has your son become disobedient?
Or, have your disciples become indisciplined? Or have your servants started giving curt replies? Has LaksmI departed from your house? Has your teacher left you in anger?
О sage, you always remain satisfied and glorious and had. been the best of all. Your teacher Vasistha is the best of all the sages.
Have the favourable gods become annoyed with you or have the Brahmanas been angry with you? Or have the Vaisnavas been angry with you or has your enemy become more powerful? Or have you been separated from some of your relatives? Or have you started a fight with a valorous person? Or has your brother and riches been usurped by someone else?
О sage or has wicked, degraded and a sinful person denounced you? Or has someone who is dear to you, deserted you? Or have you disowned anyone of your relatives in anger or have you not been able to take a bath in a sacred places? Or could you not perform charity at an auspicious occasion?
Or have you heard the denouncing of your teacher or the relatives from someone else? Because the denouncing of the teacher is worse than death for a noble person.
Such of the people bom in a low race and are of wicked nature, are used to denounce others. In the land of Bharata the noble people always praise others and remaining filled with welfare they feel delighted.
Because a son, glory, prowess, fortune, influence, the people, land, wealth, words, intelligence, nature, character and conduct always engaged the people in one form of the others.
Therefore such a person who is pure at heart and enjoys all the welfare, his mind is designed according to his previous deeds. Thus speaking in his court, lord Siva kept quiet. Thereafter the great orator Brhaspati started speaking himself.
Brhaspati said- О lord, though my tale cannot be narrated yet still I shall have to do it; one is controlled by his own actions. Whatever deeds are performed by him earlier, the result of the same has to be faced by him in every birth. Because in the land of Bharata no actions can be destroyed without facing the result of the same.
О lord some of the people say that in the land of Bharata, pleasure, pain, fear and grief are influenced by one’s own deeds. Some of the people say that everything happens according to destiny and others say that things happen naturally. О well-versed in the Vedas and Vedic literature, thus three types of the move have been defined.
Whatever deeds are performed by a person become the cause of the destiny and the nature of the people also is influenced by the deeds of their pi’evious births.
Therefore everyone has to face pleasure, pain, fear and grief according to the deeds performed by him in his earlier births.
A person always remains active to face the result of his deeds. The soul is the means for making one face the results of the deeds which is formless and beyond Prakrti.
Therefore the soul has to be adored by all. The same provides the result of the deed. It is also called destiny, nature and creates actions.
Therefore a person comes across shame, praise and pleasure according to his own deeds. My story is shameful but still I am narrating the same to you.
Thus speaking Brhaspati narrated the entire story to lord Siva, hearing which even lord Siva, who happens to be the lord of Gauri lowered his head in shame.
Siva was then terribly enraged and in anger the rosary fell from his hand. His eyes became red in anger and he started trembling.
О Narada, Siva happens to be the lord of Rudra the friend of Visnu the preserver, adored by Brahma the creator, lord of formless and Prakrti and lord Krsna. In anger the throat, tongue and lips of Siva dried up and he started speaking in anger.
Siva said – Let the noble people, the Vaisnavas and the sages be bestowed with welfare and the opponents of Vaisnavas and the wicked people face miseries at every step.
The one who while enjoying a good position troubles the Vaisnavas and is killed by lord Krs na himself who creates misery for him at every step.
Those who are not Vaisnavas, their hearts are not pure and are filled with blemish, because the name of lord Krsna can be recited only with a spotless clean mind.
By reciting the mantra of Visnu all the knots of the mind are untied and all the doubts are cleared and the deeds also vanish.
The nature of the devotees of lord Krsna is always spotless. At the abduction of his wife, the teacher fainted in grief but he did not pronounce a curse on the disciple.
He whose teacher is the best, devoid of anger and is religious, but has not pronounced any curse on the enemies.
Though with the breathing of Brhaspati who happens to be my brother or with the twinkling of his eye hundreds of moons could be reduce to ashes, still, getting afraid of Dharma he did not pronounce a curse because the one who pronounces a curse in anger, his entire tapas is destroyed. It is really surprising that the wise sage Atri the son of Vaisnava Brahma could have such a crooked and degraded son.
All the sons of Brahma had been quite religious, Vaisnavas and Brahmanas. Some of them are gods, some are Brahmanas and the third type consists of the Daityas who happen to be his grandsons.
His Sattvika sons are the Brahmanas, the gods are Rajasika sons and the Daityas are Tamsl sons who possess great prowess and always remain agitated. The Brahmanas getting devoted to the Dharma always adore Narayana. The gods adore Siva and Daityas and the demons are deprived of adoration.
The Vaisnavas aspire for moksa. The Brahmanas aspire for serving lord Visnu, the gods are desirous of riches and the demons are always having Tamsika nature. The Brahmanas who are free from desire, have their own Dharma and they adore lord Krsna who is formless and beyond Prakrti.
The Vaisnava Brahmanas achieve the highest stage independently and those who adore others, also achieve the highest place at the time of dissolution.
The Brahmanas are the best of all the varnas provided they are noble and Vaisnava because a Candala is better placed than a Brahmana who is deprived of the Visnu-mantra.
The Vaisnavas and the noble Brahmanas whether they are mature or immature, the Cakra of lord Visnu always protects them. As the dry grass is reduced to ashes in the fire similarly the sins of the Vaisnavas are burnt with their glory.
The one in to whose ears the Visnu-mantra is spoken by the teacher, is called a purified Vais nava. The Vaisnavas purify a hundred races of their grand parents and grand maternal parents besides the brothers and mothers.
The one who offers pindas Gaya, redeems only those who consume the pindas but the Vais navas redeems a hundred generations at a time.
One is rel ieved of all the bondages, only by accepting the mantra and even Yama gets terrified by him in the same way as a snake gets terrified by Garuda.
O lord of speech, in the land of Bharata, the rivers like Ganga and others purify those who take a bath in their holy waters, but the one who recites the mantra of Krsna purifies whosoever touches him.
All the sins which are created in the holy places vanish at the touch of the Vaisnava.
The particle of dust from the feet of the devotee of lord Krsna who recites the Krsna- mantra, purifies the entire earth and removes all the sins.
Though the wind, the air, fire and the sun also purify but everyone gets purified at the very touch of the Vaisnavas.
I myself Brahma, Sesa, Dharma, the witness of all the deeds, getting pleased are desirous of defending the Vaisnavas.
Though in the land of Bharata everyone gets the reward of his own deeds, yet the Vaisnavas are free from the reward of the deeds like the boiled paddy, which no more sprouts.
Because the merciful lord first of all destroys the earlier deeds of his devotees and thereafter he bestows his grace on them.
The weak Candrama getting terrified has taken refuge with Vaisnava Sukra, who happens to be the son of Bhrgu.
Though the Sudarsana-cakra of lord Krsna cannot over-power the powerful Sukra, still with the use of the mantra of lord Krsna given to me by my teacher I shall redeem Tara.
You better recite the name of Krsna who is the form of truth, eternal Brahmana and the great lord. After achieving the pleasure of lord Krsna you will get back your wife.
О brother, I am giving you the mantra of Krs na who is like the kalpataru or the wish-fulfilling tree. It destroys the sins of crores of births and is the cause for all welfare.
Everything from Brahma to a straw is perishable like the reflection in the water; therefore you take refuge under Govinda who is the great lord and the great soul. A man gets worldly desires for enjoyment or the pleasure of one woman till such time as the mantra of Krsna is not spoken by the teacher in his ears. Because after getting the mantra which is not easily accessible to everyone, a person is relieved of all desires.
Therefore, the Vaisnavas always aspire to be the slaves of the lord in preference to the kingship of Indra, becoming eternal or achieving moksa.
A true devotee does not aspire for moksa which deprives him of the adoration of the lord. He does not intend to over-power death, the desired success, success in speech and becoming Brahma. Because the one, who, discarding the devotion of the lord, becomes desirous of something else, he getting deprived of the influence of the Maya of Visnu acts as if he intended to consume poison in preference to nectar. Brahma, Visnu, Dharma, Ananta, Kas’yapa, Kapila, Kumara, sage Narayana, Prahlada, Paras’ara, Bhrgu, Sukra, Durvasa, Vait ha, Kratu, Angira, Bali, Balakhilaya, Varuna, Agni, Vayu, Sirrya, Garuda, Daksa and Ganapati are all the best of the devotees of lord Krsna.
Such of the people are like the rays of all of them and remain devoted to lord Krsna. О sage, thus speaking lord Siva gave him the mantra ЭД tjf f| =$i ^buiw ЯЧ: together with the best of the way of the adoration, the stotra and kavaca to Brhaspati who happened to be the son of the teacher of Siva.
О sage, Siva gave away the mantra to Brhaspati on the bank of MandakinI river besides the mantra and dhydnam. Brhaspati on the other hand feeling somewhat detached spoke to Siva.
Brhaspati said- О lord of the universe, you permit me to proceed for perfonning tapas. I am no more concerned about Tara and let her remain wherever she is.
О lord, I look at her like poison, since all things of the world are perishable. I, therefore, intend to take refuge under lord Krsna who is truthful, eternal and is Nirguna.
Mahadeva said – О sage, it would not be appropriate to proceed to perform tapas leaving your own wife in the clutches of the enemy, because the ill-talk of a noble person is worse than death.
О virtuous one, you move ahead to the place where Brahma and all other gods are lodged. I shall follow you shortly thereafter.
On listening to the words of Siva, Brhaspati the priest of the gods moved toward the bank of the river Narmada. Lord Siva also arrived there soon.
Finding Siva arriving there, together with his ganas wearing a smile on his face and happiness emanating from his eyes, all the gods, Manu and the sages bowed in reverence to him.
Siva also bowed in reverence to Brahma and Visnu. Thereafter Visnu embraced Siva with love and offered him a seat.
In the meantime Brhaspati also reached there. He also bowed in reverence to Mahadeva, Vis nu, Brahma, Surya, Dharma, Ananta, Narayana, the sages and his father with devotion and took his seat. Thereafter Visnu taking a clue from the minds of Brahma and Siva, spoke.
Visnu said – Both of you should go collectively to the sea-shore and meet Sukracarya there as mediators because the result of a war would be dangerous. There is no doubt about it. With my blessing Brhaspati is sure to get back Tara.
Therefore all the gods should go to Sukracarya and please him with their prayers. Since Sukracarya is protected with the disc of Visnu all the gods collectively cannot win Sukracarya.
Getting pleased with your prayers I am moving to Sveta-dvlpa. Therefore all the gods should go to the hermitage of Sukra. It is ordained in the scriptures that a powerful enemy should be won over with prayers.
Thus speaking, Visnu, the lord of the universe, having been adored by the gods disappeared from that place.
О Narada, at the departure of lord Visnu to Sveta-dvlpa, all the gods were upset in their minds and got worried. At that point of time, Brahma spoke to the sages highlighting the words of policy which were liked by lord Siva.
Brahma said: My sons, myself, Siva, Dharma and Visnu who stand witness for all, like the demons equally.
Candrama on the other hand is residing in the abode of Sukra. Since he is adored by the demons, the gods cannot defeat Sukra.
Therefore О gods, all of you should move on to the sea-shore according to the command of Visnu and I am moving alone to the house of Sukra for getting back Tara.
О sage, thus speaking, Brahma, the creator of the universe, went to Sukra and all other gods went to the sea-shore.
