THE BEAUTIFUL CITY WITH NINE GATES As noted in earlier posts, Srimad Bhagavata Saptah is being conducted at Sri Balaji Temple from Oct 31 to Nov 6, 2013. We will be reading the entire Bhagavatam (18,000 slokas) during those seven days in the mornings starting around 8 am followed by the discourses by Sri Ramanujamji in the evenings (from 6 PM). Hence, to gain fluency in the chanting, I have been reading a few chapters of the Bhagavatam every day at the temple, over the last month (typically after 11 am, in the afternoons). A few devotees join me, as their schedule permits. Anyone interested is most welcome to join. We are now at the end of Canto 4 (there are a total of 12 Cantos). This Canto ends with the story of the ten sons of King Brahashit (also called Praacinaabarhi) who are known as Pracetas. They were highly evolved souls and did NOT want the kingdom or get themselves entangled in family life. They performed austerities for many hundreds of years by sending in the waters of the ocean. Lord Shiva was very pleased with their devotion and austerities and appeared before them and taught them a hymn known of Rudra Gitam, which describes the glories of the Lord. It is one of the most beautiful hymns in the Bhagavatam. The father of the Pracetas, King Praacenabarhi, was, however, completely addicted to material pleasures and performed various yajnas (sacrifices) during which many animals were offered in the sacrificial fire. The celestial sage, Narada, decided to visit the king and asked the king why he was doing all these sacrifices and what he wished to gain from them? Can you not see, in the spiritual sky, all these animals that were killed mercilessly by you during the sacrifices? (verse 7, chapter 25, Canto 4). Indeed, they are waiting for your death so that they take revenge and avenge the injuries that you have caused to them! (verse 8), see also the translation by Srila Prabhupada (link given). Here is a clear example of the condemnation of the Vedic fire sacrifices and the killing of animals by none other than Narada. Krishna also condemns the mindless following Vedic injunctions without understanding their true intents and purposes (in chapter 2 of the Gita, slokas 41 to 46). One should not be addicted to the pleasures promised by the performance of such activities, warns Krishna, before instructing the most famous verse (chapter 2, verse 47) of the Gita, KarmaNyeva adhikaras te maa phaleshu kadaacana. The king above responds to Narada and admits that he is too addicted to material pleasures and wants to be elevated to higher lokas (planets as translated by Prabhupada). He asks Narada to instruct him so that he can be released from this bondage of performing material activities and attain liberation (verse 5 of chapter 25, Canto 4). Narada then tells the king the story of King Puranjana who ws searching all over for a nice place where he could live and finally found a very beautiful city with nine gates. He was enamored by the beauty of the city and in that city he also met a most beautiful princess whom he fell in love with instantly and professed his love for her and beseeched her to marry him and become his wife. The princess agreed and they lived happily for many hundreds of years and had 1100 sons and 110 daughters. Puranajana and his wife were virtually inseparable. They did everything together and enjoyed each other fully. Then one day, the king decided to go hunting, without his wife, who then got very angry with him for leaving her alone. When he returned from the hunt, he found lying on the bare floor, without any of her beautiful adornaments. The king had to pacify her and beg her to forgive his transgression. Finally she relented and they both reconciled and reunited in their pleasures. Soon after, however, the city was attacked by enemies who destroyed everything and all its inhabitants were rendered powerless and suffered. The king himself was deposed and he died thinking about the good life he had with his dear wife. Since he was thinking about his wife even at the moment he died, he was reborn as a woman in his next birth. Puranjana became Vidarbhi, the princess of the kingdom of Vidarbha. As Vidarbhi, he married the King Malayadwaja and had seven sons who all became great the kings of Dravida desa (the southern part of India). Vaidarbhi was very devoted to her husband who on the other hand was a self realized soul. He gave up the kingdom and decided to perform austerities. Vidarbhi accompanied her husband. In this section, we also find a beatiful description of the Dravida desam and the sage Agastya is also mentioned who it is said was the founder of the Tamil language and Tamil grammar. Then, after performing many austerities and yogic trances, the King Malayadwaja decided to expel the life force (prana) from his body and died. Vidarbhi realized that her husband had passed away and that she was now all alone and starts to cry uncontrollably. Her tears completely soaked her breasts and her sorrow was unbearable. At that time a Brahmana appears before her and asks her why she is crying in this way. He also tells her, You are not Vidarbhi. This is not your husband. Dont you recognize me? I am your old friend. And so on. What does this story mean? That is the discussion in the next two chapters of the Srimad Bhagavatam where the sage Narada then explains to the king the tatparyam, the real meaning of the story that had been narrated. The transmigration of the soul from one body to another is discussed in detail in this context. The king Praceenaabarhi then asks and interesting question to Narada. I have heard your teaching carefully, O great sage. There is some contradiction between what my teachers instructed me and what you say. I do trust you and wish you can clarify my doubts. I understand about this transmigration of the soul. But, when the body itself has been destroyed and the soul finds itself in another body, why is there suffering? Why does not all the suffering end with the body? I have translated what the king asks and taken a bit of liberty to clarify the question posed. Narada answers this question beautifully (verses 52 to 85 of chapter 29, Canto 4). This is the essence of the entire theory of transmigration and how one can attain liberation. I wish some day, I can write about his in more detail. The link to Srila Prabhupadas translation is given here. vedabase.net/sb/4/25/en
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 06:36:36 +0000
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