Chapter 3

1. Sri Narada said: O enlightened Brahmanas, the Lord Who is Ananta viz Whose Divine Exploits are endless, Infinite and Who is Aprameya viz. inconceivable yet as He makes Himself conceivable out of His Own prerogative therefore I shall be narrating as per my intuitive wisdom all about His All-Auspicious Glories. Kindly listen to Them.

2. Those who are desirous to cross over the worldly ocean for them, the only means is to surrender themselves at the Lotus Feet of Lord Sri Narayana (of four Arms), the Supreme Who for the deliverance of the aspirants, stretches His thousand Hands in all directions and thereby giving protection to them.

3. One who takes recourse to the path of worshipping Abstract Brahman, Who is considered formless and attributeless cannot attain the final beatitude in life as he is met with many unsurpassing obstacles and endless misfortunes. This six enemies of the heart viz. lust, anger, infatuation etc are unsurmountable. So there is no other means to eradicate them from the heart than to take recourse to the path of devotion to the Supreme Godhead Who is endowed with All-Auspicious Transcendental Attributes and Sat-Chit-Ananda Vigraha—Blissfull Ever-existing Beautiful Form.

4. As the fish dwelling at the deepest bottom of a lake can easily escape from the clutch of the fisherman so also when one surrenders oneself to Sri Narayana one easily gets rid of those formidable enemies viz. lust, anger, infatuation etc.

Whether one dwells in home or hearth or in the mountain cave these formidable enemies ever go with him. It is Sri Narayana, Wielder of Sudarshana Discus alone brings total destruction of those formidable enemies and delivers up from hellish worldliness those who have surrendered themselves at His Lotus Feet. Therefore He alone is the Refuge to be sought for.

6. When one drinks deep through the cup of ears the Nectar that flows from the holy lips of Parama-bhagavata devotee in the shape of discoursing on the Transcendental Exploits of Sri Hari and thereby gets spiritual perturbations such as horripilations that itself is the weapon to cut asunder the knots of the heart’s entanglement and at whose heart Sri Krishna, the Supreme par-excellence stationed with Sharanga-bow in Hand giving protection to him, then for such a person what mischief the enemies like lust etc. can do?

7. When one earnestly aspires after the attainment of Anal beatitude in life for him only the means is to take recourse to the surest path of devotion to Sri Hari otherwise if he takes recourse to other course he will be toppled down to the lowest bottom of the ladder, since other devices remain beset with hundred and one calamities and the ship of the life will be topsy-turveyed in the bed of high sea of hallucination.

8. The Kaya-mana-vakya: body, mind and speech ever indulge in activities incuring sins. Therefore so long one does not engage ail these three in the service of the Supreme Godhead with loving devotion how can he get rid of the ocean of life of transmigration?

9. One who has not inculcated devotional aptitude in his heart for God, how the Vedas including all other numerous literatures can help him to rescue himself from the ocean of life of transmigration?

10. The plants without any yielding, the house-wife without any issue, the well without any water—as to maintain them is nothing but in-vain so too the learning of the literature that does not expound the devotion to God is nothing but unwholesome burden.

11. As a body wherefrom the life is extinct yet is decorated with flower wreaths and ornaments just to show mere honour but it does not rest anymore so too one’s high pedigree, learnings of the literatures, the muttering sacred formulae and penance etc—all are mere waste or in vain if he is devoid of devotion to Sri Hari.

12. Even a man born in a very very low family, say, born as a chandala, untouchable and reproachable but if luckily is endowed with the steadfast devotion to Sri Hari and thereby the file of devotion naturally totally washes off his impudences in concern with his birth in sinful womb, he becomes the very object of veneration by all men of good disposition, whereas although a man is born in a Brahmin family and highly learned in Vedic lore but devoid of an iota of devotion at the Lotus Feet of Sri Hari is indeed a person reproachable by all.

13. One who follows a path of unrighteousness all the learnings of the Vedic lore lead him to ruination because that man of perverse nature even knowing pretty well the impudency of the unrighteous acts indulges to it wanton uncared for God.

14. One who is totally ignorant of the Shastric injunctions if commits any sin yet the wise do not reproach him. As, when a blind man falls into a well one comes to his rescue so also one without knowing the Shastric prohibitions if commits sinful acts the wise show their kindness by advising him for his rectification.

15. A man well-versed in Shastric-lore yet when indulges in sinful acts he is condemned out and out by all. A man having his eyes broadly open if deliberately jumps into a well, people present there do not come to rescue him.

16. Therefore a man of wisdom, eradicating totally the malice from his heart should know the intrinsic meaning of the Shastras and the fruit thereof should ultimately lead him to take recourse to the path of steadfast devotion to Sri Krishna, the Lord of Paramount Glory and only the Object of glorification by the exalted souls.

17. One by having ablution in all the holy streams, by giving enormous charities and by offering oblations into the sacred fire cannot attain the final beatitude in life whereas by worshipping Sri Vishnu, the very Repository of all the sacredness one easily can attain the summum bonum of life.

18. Sri Sukadeva, the glorious son of exalted Vyasadeva, sitting on the bank of the holy Ganges amidst the assemblage of sages spoke thus to king Sri Parikshit.

19. King Sri Parikshit took a vow to observe fast unto death with his mind contemplating upon the Lotus Feet of Sri Krishna with undivided devotion. On hearing the news that in accordance with the curse impelled by the son of sage Shamik that due to the bite of serpent Takshaka death would meet the most glorious king Parikshit, a stead-fast devotee of exalted Lord Sri Krishna there came the most glorious and powerful spiritual rishis and sages to meet him.

20. When king Parikshit asked them to enlighten him in respect to the ontology of Divinity and how one can attain the summum bonum of life, but different sages as per their knowledge in literature and their experience in their Sadhana spoke inconsistently, thereby created a great confusion to come to any unbased conclusion.

21. Some of them tried to prove the supremacy of Sri Narayana, some others of Mahadeva (Sri Shiva), some others of Sungod, still others of Time, still of nature, yet some others of karma or destiny and thus created a conglomerate state of confusion.

22. At this the blessed sage—king Parikshit felt himself very much perturbed in his resolve for attaining the final beatitude in life. So he breathed a deep sigh and kept silence.

23. Due to the accumulated spiritual merit of his devotional acts, by the Providence of God, just then there arrived the most exalted divine personality Sri Sukadeva, the blessed son of the glorious sage Sri Vyasadeva, on his wandering, he was totally unconcerned with the world, an Avadhuta and atmarami with his locks flung about his face, he was stark naked, dove-tailed in exclusive devotion to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna—he appeared as it were, the moon from the ocean of wisdom and bliss.

24. He was looking indifferently, he was stark naked with his curly locks flung about his face. He was having a torn rag with its threads flung about as the garlands, whole body was full of dust and bledes of grass, the dogs were barking behind seeing the stranger.

25. Seeing him with full of dust the children thought him as a mad person, they remained surrounding him. While he was walking he was trumbling as a fully drunkened man. It was the fact that he was intoxicated in drinking deep the Nectar that flowed from his contemplated devotion to the Blissful Lord. At times he was having all the spiritual perturbations such as horripilations, laughing, toppling down or standing still as if without any motion of life so and so forth.

26. King Parikshit soon noticed that most glorious divine Personality, whose spiritual splendour could be perceived from the very effulgence that was effulgent from his body, hurriedly got up from his seat and along with those assembled sages most delightfully received him warmly with paying due honour.

27. King Parikshit fell in prostration at his feet and paid him most respectful homage. He was offered the Presiding seat of highest honour and duly worshipped. When the Paramabhagavata king Parikshit found Sri Sukadeva was sitting with serenity with his divine splendour he quietly approached him with folded palms and once again made his obeisance to him with bowed head, and with submissive words spoke to him.

28. O the exalted mystic devotee of God, what a glorious day today, how blessed am I, thyself, most worshippable Paramabhagavata devotee of the Supreme God, out of thy own prerogative have most graciously condescended here to consecrate me. I have got least fear for my impending death from the bite by a serpent Takshaka but really I do extremely feel afraid for the most poisonous quagmire of maya that makes the soul forgetful of God. So kindly induce me to solicit Thy grace for my final beatitude.

29. O the divine-grace-incarnate, kindly be gracious to enlighten me in respect to: Who is the Supreme God-head to be worshipped and meditated upon? What is the undisputed means to attain Him? And what I have to do in my life as the prime duty for attaining final beatitude? Kindly unreservedly and without any ambiguity narrate all about these at this Assembly to the hearing of all these sages.

30. Thus being solicited by the devout king Parikshit who was feeling non-complacent due to the inconsistency of the statements of the different sages, and also observing those assembled munis were also intent to listen to him began to speak for their highest spiritual good.

31. He said: Sri Hari Who is the Repository of all Divine Auspicious Qualities when is supplicated by one, he attains all the fulfilments. Even the exalted munis who are well- versed in all the Shastric lore of the Vedas cannot easily realise Him but one who serves Him with steadfast devotion easily can conceive Him Who is the very Object to be known having been imbued by the wisdom of intrinsic meanings of the Vedic lessons although He is inconceivable.

32. Those who have taken recourse at the Lotus-Feet of the Supreme Godhead Sri Krishna—whether they cherish any desire or not, the Lord not only rewards them with the fulfilment of their desires but He readily bestows unto them the highest pursuit of their lives, the Transcendental Abode of peace, the summum bonum of life.

33. The Supreme God Sri Hari Who is the Bestower of highest good although bestows the desired boons to His supplicant but He Himself gradually takes them away because they stand as obstacles on his supplicant’s path of attaining final beatitude and finally endows him with the fifth pursuit of life, the summum bonum of life but the aspirant does not know how He does so?

34. So Sri Hari is the real Friend and Dear and near One, He is the true Spiritual Benefactor therefore He is to be sought for and to be worshipped. The most Grocious Lord Sri Hari, even though His supplicant may not know what is the highest object to be prayed for, but He out of His Own prerogative bestows into him the highest pursuit in life.

35. It is that great God dwelling in the hearts of all beings. Brahma to downwards thereby stimulates their senses to work. And also it is He Who superintending the gastric fire in the belly makes the food digested and assimilated.

36. Whether it is Brahma who creates the universe or Shiva who destroys or Vishnu Who sustains the universe but know it certain that all of them are His Guna-Avataras and superintended by Him and by His propelling through His triple gunas they act upon.

37. He in His Virata-rupa (cosmic Form) portraited the entire cosmic world and taking the Divine Form of Anantadeva ever dwelling in Milky-ocean holds up on one of His innumerable hoods this universe at the water of the Kshira-abdhi. And again He potentialising the herbs and plants for substituting food to the jivas, superintending rain, air, the moon with its illumines and the sun and thereby He makes the jivas sustained.

38. The illumining calmness of the moon, the radiance of the Sun, the sentience of the beings the prowess, the endurance, the longevity and the wealth—all these are substantiated by Sri Hari only.

39. Different philosophers as they consider, the Vedas, Brahma, Shiva, Sun, Nature, Time, Karma, Destiny etc. are the causes of creating, sustaining and destroying different entities of substances but true to the fact, Vishnu alone is the Efficient- cause of creation, sustenance and destruction of everything of the universe.

40. As the words are constituted in assimilation of letters so everything of the universe whether sentient or non-sentient beings which were existing before or are existing now or will exist in future—nothing as such can have their separate independent existence without the substratum of the Supreme God Vishnu Who is one without a second. The entire world is existing in the cosmic Form of God as the thread warp and woof in a cloth.

41. From the very beginning of the creation God Vishnu incarnated as Fish, Boar and such innumerable variegated Incarnations. This entire universe has come to its existence due to His propelling and superintending. Therefore a man of wisdom never can maintain any hatredness against any creature.

42. Therefore everything in the universe is His splendour. Nothing can exist without His enlivening. It is He Who dwelling in the hearts of all beings superintends them. Therefore, O dear king (Parikshit) learning this philosophy when one does accordingly his duties being subservient to God Vishnu one never can be subjected by the afflcations of the worldly disease.

43. O dear king, you have realised how horrible is this world. Now making your full self-surrender at the Lotus Feet of the exalted Supreme God Sri Krishna with your unflinching faith install Him at your unstinted heart. That Lord Sri Krishna is the Saviour of destitute and He is subjugated to His loving devotees. He is only the Paramount Person to be visualised in the unstinted’ heart in deep meditation, He is Sat-Chit Ananda Vigraha: Akhila Rasamrita Sindhu, He is the primordial Being and existing in and out of the universe, yet beyond the perception of the atheists.

44. The atheists being deluded by their materialistic perverse intellect argue that there is no substantiality to establish that there is God Whose superintending only makes the world existent. Dear Parikshit, so deluded are they that even the. Transcendental Leela of God they misconstrue and indulge blasphemy in Him.

45. Therefore those whose hearts are tinted with the sinful propensities and those who are agnostics and also those who are distressed and drifting in the whirlpool of the worldly ocean let them speak whatever they like in respect to the Divinity where as you should devote yourself to the Supreme God Sri Vishnu Who enacts His Pastimes on this earth which is His creation and although is invincible but becomes subjugated to His devotees.

46. The Lord Who shines with His weapons such as conch, discus, mace and lotus in Hands and Whose Effulgence of the Body surpasses the illumination of the full-moon and Who is the Repository of all Divine Auspiciousness and Who illumines with all Divine Splendours that glorious God Vishnu is to be meditated upon at the lotus-like unstinted heart.

47. Lord Vishnu Who for His fanciful Sports has manifested His variegated Incarnations therefore a man of intuitive wisdom meditates upon anyone of those All-Auspicious Incarnations of God in their unstinted hearts. Without installing that Exalted Lord Sri Vishnu in one’s heart then and thereby contemplating upon Him how one can get rid of the worldly afflictions?

48. O dear king Parikshit, while one takes recourse to this path of meditation there may stand on his path many unsurpassing obstacles yet he should not diviate from his steadfast contemplation. Many mysterious occult powers also may come to his achievement but knowing them as the deceptions should be carefully shunted from the heart, he should maintain one-pointed endurance to meditate upon God.

49. At all conditions whether he meets ups and downs he should be maintaining a state of complacence and keep himself contemplated upon Sri Vishnu. In such a way when one gets steadfastness the Lord Vishnu totally eradicates from his heart the nescience, the very root-cause of all afflictions.

50. O dear king, finally the Yogi should perceive the Lord Vishnu as the Indwelling Monitor of all beings. And thus gradually realising the Transcendental Personality of God Vishnu his heart becomes flooded with perennial happiness and bliss being totally free from the nescience that brings all afflictions, sorrows and sufferings.

51. Therefore, now abandoning everything of your kingship feel tranquility of your mind and making the mind fully composed contemplate upon that Transcendental God Vishnu- Krishna. This is very esoteric that is why so emphetically I say so repeatedly. Now I benedict you that your mind should have steadfast devotion to Sri Vishnu, the Eternal, All-Auspicious and the Almighty God.