Chapter 2: Mahârâja Nimi Meets the Nine Yogendras (1) Srî Suka said: Most eager to be of worship for Krishna, o best of the Kurus, dwelled Nârada frequently in Dvârakâ, the capital protected by the arms of Govinda [see also 6.5: 43 & 10.69]. (2) Who indeed who has senses and is faced with death coming from all sides, o King, wouldnt be of worship for the lotus feet of Mukunda who is so worshipable for even the best of the immortals? (3) One day said Vasudeva the following to the deva-rishi who came over to his house and was respectfully greeted, worshiped with paraphernalia and comfortably seated. (4) Srî Vasudeva said: O great lord, the visit of your good self, of you who are there just as well for the misers as for all on the path of Uttamasloka, is as the visit of a good father because you appear for the benefit of all embodied souls. (5) What the gods do, results in as well the misery as the happiness of the living beings, but what saints like you do who accepted the Infallible One as their very soul, results in happiness only [see also 1.2: 25-26, 3.25: 21]. (6) The gods who behave like ones shadow, care for their worshippers according the karma one has and the obeisances one makes, but the saints are of mercy for the fallen souls [irrespective their actions. See also B.G. 3: 12, 4: 12, 7: 20-23]. (7) O brahmin, [even though you maybe didnt think of instructing me,] nevertheless do I ask you what would be the best thing to do in order to please the Supreme Lord. To hear about Him with faith is for those who are destined to die the way to be freed from all fear [compare 10.2: 30-33]. (8) A long time ago [in a previous life], when I worshipped Ananta, the Lord Awarding Liberation, desired I, bewildered by His mâyâ, to beget a child in this world and forgot I about my liberation [see also 10.3: 32-45 and 4.1: 20]. (9) O you true to the vow, please instruct us therefore, so that we by your mercy without much trouble may find liberation from this world that so full of dangers frightens us at every step. (10) Srî Suka said: O king, thus questioned by the intelligent Vasudeva was the deva-rishi pleased to speak to him because his qualities reminded him of the Lord. (11) Srî Nârada said: The question you asked about the bhâgavata-dharma is the correct one, o best of the Sâtvatas, for the entire universe is purified by that dharma. (12) By hearing or talking about it, by meditating upon it, accepting it with reverence or appreciating it when it is done by others, purifies this righteous respect of the truth immediately even those who are averse to the gods and the entire world. (13) Today you brought to my mind the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead Nârâyana [see also 10.87: 5] about whom chanting and hearing one becomes supremely blissful and pious. (14) To shed light on this matter is often the example related of the ancient history of a conversation between the sons of Rishabha and the king of Videha who was a broad-minded soul. (15) The son of Svâyambhuva Manu named Priyavrata had a son named Âgnîdhra; from him there was Nâbhi and his son is remembered as Rishabhadeva [see also 5.3]. (16) He appearing in this world with the desire to teach the process of attaining liberation, is considered a plenary expansion of Vâsudeva. Of Him there were one hundred sons who perfectly observed the Vedas. (17) Of them was the eldest one, Bharata [see 5.7], completely devoted to Nârâyana. It is by his name that this wonderful part of the world is honored with the name Bhârata-varsha [or India]. (18) When his earthly pleasures ended and he consequently rejected a material life, left he his home behind and achieved he in three consecutive births in worship of Lord Hari His destination by practicing austerities. (19) Nine of His [Rishabhas] sons were fully sovereign masters over the nine separate areas [nava-dvîpa] of this subcontinent while eighty-one other sons were twice-born brahmins who opened the path of [karma-kânda] fruitive vedic sacrifices [see 5.2: 19-21]. (20-21) The nine remaining sons, Kavi, Havir, Antarîksha, Prabuddha, Pippalâyana, Âvirhotra, Drumila, Camasa and Karabhâjana were sages engaged in explaining the Absolute Truth. Because of their scholarship in the science of spirituality were they greatly motivated and wandered they around dressed by the wind only [naked]. (22) They [called the nava-yogendras] wandering the earth saw the entire universe, consisting of the gross and the subtle, as one and the same form of the Supreme Lord and as non-different from the Self [see also 1.5: 20 and B.G. 13: 14 & 15: 7]. (23) Unimpeded moving at will go they wherever they like and travel they thus freely the worlds of the godly, the perfected, the subjected, the heavenly singers, the treasure keepers, the [common] humans, the ones of superpower and the serpentine and visit they the sages, the angels, the ghostly followers of Siva, the scientists, the twice-born ones and the cows. (24) Once in Ajanâbha [name of India before Bharata] arrived they during the soma-sacrifice of the great soul of Nimi [see also 9.13] that was carried out to the wishes of the seers. (25) Seeing those pure devotees in their brilliance rivaling the sun, o King, rose the performer of the sacrifice, the brahmins, everyone, nay even the fires, up in respect. (26) The ruler of Videha [Nimi], recognizing them as devotees of Nârâyana glad about it seated them and was of all the respect they deserved. (27) With humility bowing down to the nine of them who were as resplendent in their lustre as the sons of Brahmâ [see 4.22: 6] proceeded the king, immersed in transcendental rapture, to question them. (28) Srî Videha [Nimi] said: I consider you to be direct associates of the Supreme Lord, the enemy of Madhu, as servants of Vishnu traveling around for the sake of purifying all the worlds. (29) I think that to achieve the association of those dear to the Lord of Vaikunthha is as difficult as it is for embodied beings to achieve a human body that any moment can be lost [see also B.G. 8: 16 & 16: 19-20]. (30) Therefore Im asking you, o sinless ones, what the supreme good would be in this material ocean where for human beings to have but for a second the association of the truthful is the greatest treasure. (31) Please speak about the science of devotional service if you deem us qualified enough to hear about it; satisfied by it will He, the Unborn Lord, even give Himself to the one who took shelter. (32) Srî Nârada said: They, the greatest of the great thus by Nimi questioned, o Vasudeva, spoke on their turn with reverence affectionately to the king in the company of the priests and the members of the sacrificial assembly. (33) Srî Kavi said: In my view is by someone who in his intelligence is constantly disturbed in this world because he takes the temporal [body] for the true self, the state of truly not having to fear from any side found when he worships the lotus feet of the Infallible One, because all fear ceases in that state [see 3.9: 6 and e.g. B.G. 2: 56, 2: 71, 4: 10, 12: 13-14]. (34) The proper means are discussed by the Supreme Lord and known as the bhâgavata dharma by which people wrestling with their intelligence easily may realize the Supreme Soul. (35) A man accepting that o King, is never bewildered and will never come to trip or fall in this, not even closing his eyes while running [see also the catuh-sloki of B.G. 10: 8-11 and verse 5: 17]. (36) Whatever one following ones own nature does with the body, speech, mind, senses, intelligence or the purified consciousness, should all be offered to the Supreme with the thought: This is for Nârâyana [nârâyanâya iti, compare B.G. 3: 9 and 9: 27]. (37) For the ones who led by the illusory energy and forgetful about God, turned away in falsely identifying themselves [with the body] will fear rise because of ones being absorbed in matters second to the Lord. For that reason should an intelligent person be fully and purely devoted to Him, the Lord and consider his spiritual master as his Lord and Soul [see B.G. also 4: 34, 1.5: 12 and B.G. 7: 14, 15: 7]. (38) By the intelligence of the dual experience may one, as in a dream, be seeing things manifest themselves or notice desires that are unreal. For that reason should an intelligent person bring the mind under control that referring to material activities is committed to positive and negative desires, and thus be fearless [see also B.G. 6: 35]. (39) Hearing of the all-auspicious appearances and activities of Him with the Wheel in His Hand [see 1.9: 37] Whose associated names are chanted in this world, should one singing without the material association [of a wife, home and children], free and unashamed move in all directions. (40) Thus vowed develops one by chanting His so very dear, holy name, the attachment of a mind dissolved in laughing and crying loudly and in getting exited like a madman to which one dances and sings unconcerned about what others think of it [*]. (41) Ether, air, fire, water, earth and the luminaries, all living beings, the directions, the trees and other immovable beings, the rivers and oceans and whatever that might exist in the Supreme Lords body of creation, one should bow to considering nothing to be separate [**]. (42) Devotion, experiencing the presence of the Supreme Lord and detachment from everything else, are the three [characteristics] at the same time occurring with someone engaged in the process of taking shelter, about the way things are with someone engaged in eating who experiences satisfaction with the nourishment and the reduction of hunger. (43) For the devotee who thus is worshiping the feet of Acyuta will devotion, detachment and knowledge of the Supreme Lord manifest, o king Nimi, whereupon he then directly will attain the transcendental peace [see B.G. 2: 71]. (44) The king said: Please tell me next about the devotee of the Fortunate One; what are his duties, what is his nature, how does he behave among men, what does he say and by which symptoms is he dear to the Lord? (45) Srî Havir said: He is the most advanced one of devotion to the Lord [an uttama adhikârî] who sees this Soul, this basic principle of all existence, in all forms of existence [of matter and spirit] ànd at the same time is able to be of devotional service to the Supreme Spirit Soul departing from the point of view that all forms of existence are situated within the [gigantic universal body of the] Supreme Lord [see also B.G. 6: 29 & 30]. (46) In the previous phase, on the middle platform, is he [the madhyama] of love for the Supreme Lord, of friendship with persons of advancement, of mercy to the neophytes and disregards he the envious ones [see also 4.24: 57, 7.9: 43, B.G. 4: 8 & 15: 7 and ***]. (47) He who in his worship for the Lord faithfully engages with the deity [the mûrti] but is not that respectful towards the devotees nor towards the people in general, is a materialistic devotee [a prâkrita or a beginner, a kanishthha, see also B.G. 7: 20 and 3.29: 24-25 & 7.14: 40]. (48) He who in spite of the engagement of his senses with the objects of the senses hates nor rejoices and sees this universe as the deluding material energy of Vishnu is indeed a first-class devotee [see also B.G. 5: 3]. (49) He who by the birth, decay, hunger, fear and thirst of the body, the life air, the mind and the intelligence is not bewildered, he who is not bewildered by the inescapable features of a material life because he keeps the Lord in mind [see also 6.2: 14], is the foremost devotee [see also B.G. 2: 56-57]. (50) In the mind of the one who dwells in Vâsudeva only is there no chance that the lust [see B.G. 3: 37-43] or the karmic craving for results [see also B.G. 6: 4] will develop; such a one verily is a first class devotee. (51) He is dear to the Lord who is not attached in the egotistical sentiment of a bodily concept of existence in the sense of being of a good birth, of meritorious acts, a certain varnâsrâma status orientation or a certain faction or race [see B.G. 2: 71 & 12: 13-14]. (52) He who is not of a dualistic mind of mine and thine about property and the body, someone who is equal to and peaceful with all living beings, is truly the best of devotees [see B.G. 13: 28-31 & 14: 22-25]. (53) He who not tempted by the opulence found in the three worlds, not even for a moment, half a second or a split of a second, moves away from the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord that are the refuge of the godly and others for whom - undisturbed in their remembrance - the Unconquerable One is their very soul, is the topmost Vaishnava [see also 18: 66]. (54) Again: how can of the toes of the feet of the Supreme Lord, the feet of all those great heroic acts, how can of the moonshine of the jewel-like nails that takes away the pain in the hearts, there for the ones who are of worship be any pain of importance? Can the burning heat of the sun be of any effect when the moon has risen [see also 10.14: 58]? (55) He never leaves the heart of the one whom one calls His foremost devotee, however accidentally that devotee directly called for Him [by means of His names], He who, bound by the ropes of love, destroys the sins however much they heaped up [see also B.G. 4: 36 and *4 ].
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 22:40:53 +0000
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