Chapter 56 - The Greatness of Śveta Mādhava

Brahmā said:

1. By visiting and devoutly bowing to Vāsudeva-Ananta the man is liberated from all sins. He attains the highest region of Viṣṇu.

2. He has been propitiated by me and thereafter by Indra, Vibhīṣaṇa^[1] and Rāma. Who does not wish to be propitiated?

3. The man who takes holy dip in the Śvetagaṅgā and visits Śvetamādhava as well as Matsya Mādhava (Lord Viṣṇu in the form of a fish) goes to Śvetadvīpa.

The sages said:

4-5. It behoves you to recount fully the greatness of Śvetamādhava. O Lord of the Universe, recount the installation of Hari in detail. Lord Śvetamādhava is well known in that sacred and excellent holy centre. He is well known in the whole of the universe. Who installed that lord formerly?

Brahmā said:

6. O Brahmins, there was a powerful king named Śveta in the Kṛtayuga. He was intelligent, valorous and truthful. He was conversant with holy rites and he was steadfast in performing them.

7. In his kingdom, men used to live upto ten thousand years without sickness. No body perished or was despondent in that kingdom.

8-9 When this state of affairs continued thus in the kingdom for some time, O brahmins, the son of a very righteous sage named Kapalā Gautama passed away even before he cut his teeth. The intelligent sage brought the dead boy to the presence of the king.

10. On seeing the boy in this long slumber without sentience, O brahmins, the king took a vow of resuscitating the infant boy back to life.

The king said:

11. If I do not within seven days bring back this boy who has gone to the abode of Yama, I shall ascend the burning pyre.

Brahmā said:

12. After saying thus, the king worshipped the great lord with one thousand and one hundred blue lotuses. Then he repeated the Mantra.

13. On seeing the surpassing devotion of the king, the Lord of the universe came there together with Yama and said “I am delighted and satisfied”.

14-15. On hearing the words of the Lord suddenly and seeing Lord Hara who had smeared his limbs with ashes, who had hideous eyes, who in refulgence resembled the Kunda flower and the autumnal moon, who was wearing the hide of a tiger and whose tresses were marked by the moon he fell instantaneously on the ground, bowed to him and spoke.

Śveta said:

16-17. If you have mercy upon me, O Lord, if you are pleased on seeing me, may this boy, the dear child of a brahmin, who is under the control of the God of death, come back to life once again. This is the holy rite I have taken upon myself. O Lord Maheśvara, kindly instal a long life in this boy who is dead suddenly. Kindly accord all round welfare.

Brahmā said:

18. On hearing these words of Śveta, lord Maheśvara became joyous. He called the God of death who is terrible to all living beings.

19. O Brahmins, he restrained the unthwartable Kāla, the obedient servant of Yama; he resuscitated the boy from the jaws of death.

20-21. After bringing back the sage’s son to life and according welfare to the entire universe, O brahmins, the Lord vanished there itself together with goddess Umā. Thus the excellent king enlivened the son of the sage.

The sages said:

22. O Lord of Devas, O Lord of the Universe, O unchanging source of origin of the three worlds, tell us now the greatest fact of the deity named Śveta.

Brahmā said:

23. Listen, O leading sages, O sinless ones, for the welfare of all living beings I shall mention factually what you ask of me.

24. The greatness of Mādhava is destructive of all sins. On hearing it the man attains the desired pleasures.

25. O brahmins, I have heard his anecdote formerly from the sages, the divine story of the deity called Mādhava. Listen to that story which dispels fear, grief and agony.

26-28. King Śveta ruled over the kingdom for thousands of years with great concentration. He pondered over various holy rites of secular and Vedic nature and also over the restraints and observances. O Brahmins, he resolved to propitiate Keśava and adopted holy rites for that purpose. He went to the greatest holy centre on the shore of the Southern Sea. In a beautiful auspicious spot on the shore near Kṛṣṇa’s shrine Śveta built a beautiful palace.

29-30 To the south of the Lord of Devas he built the palace of a hundred bows’ lengths. O leading Brahmins, with white marble rocks, Lord Mādhava was made to appear like a white man resembling the moon by king Śveta. He performed the installation duly as (previously) thought of.

31-33. The king made charitable gifts to the brahmins, ascetics, poor and helpless persons. Thereafter, the king went to the presence of Lord Mahādeva. Repeating the twelve syllabled Mantra along with Oṃkāra he prostrated on the ground. Then the blessed king observed the vow of silence and abstaining from food for a month entered into Samādhi (trance). At the end of prayerful observance the king stood at the feet of Viṣṇu and began to eulogise the lord of Devas.

Śveta said:

34. Om obeisance to Vāsudeva, obeisance to Saṃkarṣaṇa, obeisance to Pradyumna, Aniruddha, obeisance to Nārāyaṇa.

35. Obeisance to the omniformed, to the creator of the form of the Universe, to inconceivable deity devoid of attributes, to the pure one, of (splendid) activities,

36. Om obeisance to the deity with the umbilical lotus, to the source of origin of the lotus-born lord; to the lotus-coloured one, to you with the lotus in hand.

37. Om obeisance to the lotus-eyed bountiful lord with a thousand eyes: obeisance to the thousand-footed, thousand-armed and thousand-furied lord.

38. Om obeisance to Varāha (Boar), the bestower of boons, the most excellent, the most praise-worthy deity of good intellect, Acyuta of gold complexion.

39. Om obeisance to the lord in the form of a boy, obeisance to the deity with the lustre of a tender lotus, obeisance to the deity with the rising sun and the moon for the eyes, obeisance to the lord with the tresses resembling Muñja grass.

40. Obeisance to Keśava, obeisance to Nārāyaṇa. Obeisance to Mādhava, obeisance to Govinda.

41. Om obeisance to Viṣṇu, obeisance to the lord endowed with wealth and strength; obeisance to the slayer of Madhu, to one who holds pure rays.

42. Obeisance to the infinite one, the subtle one, to one who bears the Śrīvatsa scar, obeisance to Śrīvikrama and the deity who wears the divine yellow robes.

43. Obeisance to you the cause of creation; obeisance to the protector and the sustainer, to one endowed with attributes, and also to one devoid of attributes.

44. Obeisance to the lord of dwarfish forms, to one of dwarfish activities, to one of small eyes, to one of dwarfish vehicle.

45. Obeisance to the infinite deity worthy of being worshipped, to one of unmanifest forms, to one who cannot be argued about, to the pure and the dispeller of fear.

46-47. Obeisance to the deity who acts as a raft (for crossing) the ocean of worldly existence, to the deity of colour forum, to the deity of auspicious gentle form, to the deity assuming terrible forms, to the deity that breaks worldly existence, the bestower of worldly pleasures, to the deity in the form of universe; obeisance to the creator of worlds.

48. Om obeisance to the deity of divine forms, to the deity whose breath is constituted by the moon and fire. Obeisance to one whose tresses are constituted by solar and lunar rays. Obeisance to the deity conducive to the welfare of cows and brahmins.

49. Om obeisance to the deity on the form of Ṛk; Obeisance to the deity in the forms of Pada and Krama. Obeisance to you, who are eulogised by the Ṛks; obeisance to the deity whose means is Ṛk.

50. Om obeisance to the upholder of Yaju’s mantras, to the deity who has assumed the form of Yajus, to one who is worthy of being worshipped through Yajus, to one who is served, to the lord of Yajus Mantras.

51. Om obeisance to you, O lord of Śrī; Obeisance to Śrīdhara; obeisance to the most excellent one; obeisance to the lover of Śrī; obeisance to one of self-control; obeisance to the Yogin worthy of being meditated upon by the Yogins.

52. Om obeisance to the deity in the form of Sāman. Obeisance to the excellent tone of the Sāman. Om obeisance to the gentle one of Sāman. Obeisance to the deity conversant with the Sāmayoga.

53. Obeisance to the Sāman. Obeisance to the deity sung about by the Sāman songs. Om obeisance to the uplifter of the Sāman. Obeisance to the deity conversant with the Sāman. Obeisance to the composer of Sāman songs.

54. Obeisance to the deity whose head is Atharvaveda; obeisance to the deity whose from is Atharvan; obeisance to the deity whose foot is Atharvan; obeisance to the deity whose hand is Atharvan.

55. Om obeisance to the deity with adamantine head; obeisance to the slayer of Madhu and Kaiṭabha; obeisance to one stationed in the waters of great ocean. Obeisance to one who redeemed the Vedas and brought them out of waters.

56. Obeisance to Hṛṣīkeśa^[2] of brightly illuminated form. Obeisance to you, lord Vāsudeva. Obeisance to you Nārāyaṇa.

57. Obeisance to the deity conducive to the welfare of the world. Om obeisance to the destroyer of delusion. Obeisance to one who breaks existence.

58. Obeisance to one who bestows salvation; obeisance to one who dispels bondage; obeisance to the maker of luminaries. Obeisance to the deity of fiery form.

59. Obeisance to the lord of Yogins; obeisance to Rāma who redeems all; obeisance to happiness; obeisance to the happy-eyed; obeisance to the upholder of merits.

60. Obeisance to Vāsudeva worthy of being saluted; obeisance to Vāmadeva; obeisance to one who creates bodies for the embodied souls; obeisance to the breaker of difference.

61. Obeisance to the one whose body is saluted by Devas; obeisance to you of divine crown; obeisance to one who is the abode of fame; obeisance to one who serves as a shelter.

62. Om obeisance to the maker of riches; obeisance to one who bestows riches and residence; obeisance to the deity of the form of sacrifice; obeisance to the lord of sacrifices; obeisance to the Yogin.

63. Obeisance to the lord of ascetics who preach Yoga. Obeisance to one who holds a discus; obeisance to Saṃkarṣaṇa; obeisance to one who slew Pralamba.^[3]

64. Obeisance to the holder of ploughshare whose velocity is great and whose sound resembles the sound of clouds. Obeisance to you a perfect knowledge of the wise, O Nārāyaṇa the ultimate resort of all living beings.

65. O Lord excepting you, I have no other kinsmen or guide for redeeming me from hell. Hence, O deity favourably disposed towards those who bow down, I bow to you with emotional fervour.

66. O Keśava, O Acyuta, excepting you there is none to wash off the impurity of body and mind, O lord of Devas.

67. I have approached you after eschewing all sorts of contacts and unions. O Keśava, may my contact remain with you for attaining self-realization.

68. O Keśava, I know that this worldly existence is full of pain. It is impossible to cross it during adversities. I am afflicted by my threefold searching tortures. Hence, I seek refuge in you.

69. The entire universe is deluded by enticing desires through your Māyā. It is attracted by covetousness, etc. Hence, I have resorted to you.

70-72. O Viṣṇu, nothing is conducive to happiness for an embodied soul stationed in the world.

O lord of sacrifices, as the mind is gradually turned to you, one may attain the ultimate pleasure, if one is not enamoured of the benefit of actions. “I am doomed. I am devoid of discriminating faculty”. The Universe is seen unhappy and dejected thus.

O Govinda, save me from worldly existence. It behoves you to uplift me. I am immersed in the ocean of worldly existence which cannot be crossed, with delusion forming its waters. O Lotus-eyed one, excepting you there is no other saviour unto me.

Brahmā said:

73-74. O Brahmins, thus the lord was eulogised by king Śveta in that divine excellent holy centre known as Puruṣottama. In consideration of his devotion, Hari, the lord of Devas, the preceptor of the universe came in front of the king surrounded by all Devas.

75-77. He resembled the blue cloud. His eyes were large like the petals of lotus. By the tip of his hand the glorious lord held Sudarśana with a bright disc allround. In his left hand he held the splendid conch Pāñcajanya of great lustre. It was devoid of impurities. It resembled the moon and the liquid content of the milky ocean. The emblem of the lord was the king of birds.^[4] The glorious lord held the iron club, sword and Śārṅga bow. He said:—“Well done, O king, since this excellent idea rose within you, O sinless one, choose whatever is desired by you and whatever is conducive to my welfare. I am delighted with you”.

Brahmā said:

78. On hearing these nectar-like words of the Lord of Devas, Śveta bent down his head with devotion and said with his mind concentrating on the lord.

Śveta said:

79-80. O lord, if I am a devotee, grant me this excellent boon. The unchanging region of Viṣṇu is above everything upto the abode of Brahmā. It is devoid of impurities and Rajas. It is pure. It is rid of the contact with the world. O lord of the universe, I wish to go to that region by your favour.

The Lord said:

81-82. After enjoying the nectar of ruling over the kingdom you will go to that abode which Devas, sages, Siddhas and yogins do not approach. It is the greatest abode devoid of ailments. After passing over the worlds you will attain my world.

83. O leading king, your glory will spread throughout the world. I will always be present here.

84-88. Devas and Dānavas will sing about this as Śveta Gaṅgā, pure and holy Gaṅgā. My devotees who have great concentration will go to heaven even by touching the sacred water of Śveta Gaṅgā, O leading king, by the tip of Kuśa grass.

He who visits this idol of lunar splendour named Mādhava and worships it even once, casts off other worlds. He is honoured in my world. The idol resembles the conch and cow’s milk. It is destructive of sins. It has eyes resembling a lotus.

For many Manvantaras he will enjoy as he pleases the extensive pleasures in the company of my followers. He will be surrounded by beautiful celestial virgins. The Siddhas and Gandharvas will sing his praise and serve him.

89-91. Falling off from that place he comes here as a man. He shall be born as a brahmin mastering the Vedas and Vedāṅgas. He will be glorious. He will enjoy all pleasures and live for a long time. He will possess elephants, horses, chariots and other vehicles. He will be surrounded by wealth and food-grains. He will be pure and endowed with handsome features. He will be fortunate and accompanied by sons and grandsons.

He will return to the holy centre Puruṣottama at the root of the Banyan tree on the sea-shore. Remembering Hari and casting off the body he shall go to that calm and quiet place.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Vibhīṣaṇa: brother of Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa, Kumbhakarṇa, and Vibhīṣaṇa were born to Viśravas by his wife Mālini.

[2]:

Hṛṣīkeśa: One who has controlled the sense-organs that is a yogin. Kṛṣṇa is said to be yogeśvara.

[3]:

Pralamba: an asura who attacked Śrīkṛṣṇa and Balarāma but was killed by the latter.

[4]:

King of birds—Garuḍa, the Vehicle of Mahāviṣṇu.

Other Purana Concepts:

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