Chapter 14

1. Sri Prahlada said, ‘The yogis whose hearts are unstinted, pure as the beaming light of the autumnal full-moon constantly mediate upon that most effulgent Lord Who shines like lightning flash by practising different modes of yoga like Anganyasa, Karanyasa etc., and One who is the possessor of three potencies viz. Chit-shakti, Jiva-shakti and Achit-shakti and Who illuminates moon, sun and the fire—I crave earnestly to visualise His Transcendental Bliss-showering Form.

2. By controlling the breathing through Pranaaama [Pranayama?] etc. when the eyes, ears and all other senses become fully composed the Yogis endowed with divine wisdom steadily sitting on their elevated seats, in their unstinted heart constantly meditate upon that Nada-Brahman Who is like the undisturbed sound of the night and who illumines the heart with His Divine Effulgence—I earnestly crave to have His constant vision.

3. A Yogi who has subdued all his five breathings viz. Prana, Apana etc. through the process of Yama, Niyama, etc. and thereby become unstinted at heart, and those men of wisdom who have subjugated their all the senses and having full control over them making them refrained from the propensities of gross enjoyments, such knowers of Truth when desire to know, how should I have vision of Him?

4. By throughly studying and culturing all the aphorisms of the Vedanta the Pandits lit the fire of wisdom at their heart and consequently they get spirit of abnegation and becoming unstinted at heart always supplicate for the vision of Sri Vishnu. How can I have a sight of that brilliantly shining exalted God Sri Hari?

5. The six enemies of the heart viz. lust, anger, thirst etc. are trying to pollute my heart and by their turbulent oppression one becomes blind and loses discriminating faculties. Therefore how the Omniscient Lord Sri Hari will shine forth in such a tinted heart? One whose heart is tormented by these enemies, how can he possess any wisdom? Alas! he is undone!

6. Brahma along with other celestials for getting rid of the fears go to the shore of Milky Ocean and with chanting Vedic Hymns praise Him, intent to have a glimpse of Him, I earnestly desire to visualise Him.’

7. Sri Narada said, ‘O glorious munis, thus with his natural humility Sri Prahlada made his penegyrics to the Exalted Lord Sri Narayana intent to meet Him but in pang of seperation from Him felt restless. In that unbearable pang of seperation tears rolled down his cheeks and soon he entered into a trance.

8-10. O the Brahmins, now instantly the All-Blissful Lord. Who is always exceptionally kind to His supplicants appeared with His Four Arms in the unstined heart of Sri Prahlada as well as in front of him. At the very appearance of the Lord, Sri Prahlada became composed, and opening his eyes could see the Lord before him present in His Person with smiling Bliss-showering Countenance, long Lotus Eyes, exceptionally handsome Four Arms and Hue like the transparent water of the sacred Yamuna. He was shining with His dazzling Divine Effulgence; the splendour thereof cannot have any comparison. He was holding Divine Conch, Discus, Mace and Lotus. The attraction of His Beauty surpasses everything of the universe, therefore when once one who gets the chance to see Him, no more his senses will run after anything because they become saturated with Bliss.

11-12. The Lord Who is the Sustainer and Substratum of all the three worlds (Chit-jagat, Jiva-jagat and Achit jagat), Who is the Divine Preceptor of all preceptors and Lord of all Lords, just at His Blissful very sight Sri Prahlada felt spiritual pertubation, such horripilations, tears in the eyes etc. He felt as if he was having the Vision at a dream and felt himself blessed by having Darshana of the Lord in his dream. He thus began to float in the ocean of Bliss and once again entered into a trance.

13. Here Sri Hari, the true Friend of the exalted souls lifted Sri Prahlada from the earth and held him on His Blissful Lap and like the affectionate mother comforted him with His Merciful Hands.

14. Sri Prahlada opened his eyes and winklessly fixed them upon the Countenance of the Lord and drank deep the Nectarine Bliss.

15. Sri Narayana showering Nectarine Bliss spoke to Sri Prahlada, ‘My darling, there is absolutely nothing for you to fear. Be blissful.’

16-18. O Brahmins, having heard these Bliss-showering Words of the Lord and particularly getting nourished by God Himself once again Sri Prahlada entered into such a blissful state that he could not know of himself. As the humming bee becomes drunk by enjoying honey of the lotus, likewise Sri Prahlada having intoxicatedly drunk the Nectar that flowed from the very Person of the Lord could not know anything about his ownself. He out of spiritual perturbation at times opened his eyes with loud laugh and once again closed his eyes in deep contemplation, thus he began to flat in that ocean of Bliss.

19-22. As the moon plays his hide and seek behind the rainshowering cloud, so to say, having Sri Govinda’s presence before him at times he felt awe and reverence towards Him but next, due to spiritual perturbation he could not know what was happening. Visualising Lord Sri Narayana, the Creator of the Universe Sri Prahlada pondered over, ah, by the very Will He created the Universe and the digesting fire of the stomach, through His breathing the sky and the breathing air, through His glances the sun and the celestial world; when He desired to hear that creased all the directions that hold the sound and the moon, His feeling of thirst created water and Varuna, god of the oceans—such is the wonder of His creation. O ho, He is the Lord of all lords and the very object of the Upanishads. Thus he thought and time and again entered into trance.

28, 24. After getting himself composed he could realise that he was lying on the Lap of Sri Narayana, Lord of Sri Lakshmi. When he was struck with awe and reverence at once he got up and folding his palms began to utter, “My Lord, pardon me” so saying time and again fell in prostration at His Lotus Feet. Though he could fully realise the Divinity but due to spiritual perturbations he could not offer any puja to Him.

25. The Blissful Lord Narayana Who was although holding Conch Discus, Mace and Lotus in His Four Hands mysteriously took hold of Sri Prahlada and lifted him from the bed of the earth.

26-32. Sri Prahlada in the spiritual perturbation flooded his breast with profuse tears and his hairs, stood on their ends when the merciful Lord composed him with His Divine Talks. ‘Darling, you being My single-minded devotee, why should you have so much awe and reverence towards Me? Those who are My unalloyed devotees their respectful panegyric to Me, does not please Me. Now you may feel close to Me free from any awe and showing Me any reverence. See, I am always fulfilled in My Ownself yet I covet the love of My devotees. One who is My devotee he with his loving disposition may love Me freely without showing such respectful reverence. Although I am ever independent but I am subjugated to the Love of My devotees. I am invincible but I become subjugated to the will of My devotees so much they have Love for Me. One who renouncing his father, mother, sons, wife and dear and near ones solely devotes himself to Me I belong to him and he belongs to Me. I know nothing than my devotees so too I am be-all and end-all to them. Although I have got no wants as I am fulfilled of My desires, yet for the fulfilment of the wishes of My devotees I time and again condescend to make My Advent. So without any reserve whatever you pray for, I shall fulfil that.’

33-36. Hearing those Blissful Words Sri Prahlada with his folded palms and fixing his eyes upon the Lotus Eyes of the Lord began to talk, ‘O Lord, I do not crave for any boon, Your Blessings only I crave. Your Glorcious [Glorious?] Darshana drowned me in the ocean of Bliss and nothing more do I crave. My Lord, can there be any greater reward that one can derive from the universe than the Blessing of Your Gracious Darshana. My Lord, Brahma and other gods only at rare occasion can have Your Darshana, yet they cannot derive such abounding Bliss that I received today by Your unreserved Grace which one cannot have even by having a longevity of a hundred crore Kalpas. I am really content and my cups are full with the Nectar that flows from You O the Preceptor of the universe, the Bliss that I derived by having Your gracious darshana that have drowned me into the ocean of Bliss before which the Bliss that is derived by abstruce Brahma-jnanis even if hundred folded will be so negligible like the little water that is collected at the small hole caused by the foot-steps of a cow in camparison with an ocean.

37. O Lord Narayana, Fulfìller of wishes of Your supplicants, though You have nothing of Your wants yet You busy Yourself for Your devotees. O Lord, Your very sight made me fulfilled my desires. Nothing more do I crave but kindly commission me at Your Service.

38-40. Hearing these words, Blissful Bhagavan simply smiled and bathed Sri Prahlada by showering His Blessings. Lord said, “Darling, it is the fact that you, My devotee after having My Darshana do not crave anything more. Therefore naturally My affection towards you knows no bounds. No doubt you do not crave anything more as your heart has become unstinted and fully saturated with Bliss. Yet My overflowing love prompts Me to reward you with unprecedented Blessings. Therefore you may beg for any boon from Me?

41. But Sri Prahlada whose heart became unstinted and fully enlightened spoke, “My Lord, nothing I pray except that in my crores of births may I have Your Servitorship like devout Garuda.”

42-43. Hearing this, Lord said, “My affecionate Prahlada, you have conquered My Heart. I was ready to give Myself to you but your unstinted heart deserves only My Servitorship. This is the great quality of My devotee. Anyhow let your, desire be fulfilled. I am so much subjugated to My devotees that I remain at their disposal and fulfillest their mission; I shine at their heart and they shine in My heart. You have already possessed unalloyed devotion to Me, therefore nothing more is to be added to it. Yet you may pray for any boon?

44-47. “Sri Narayana, Lord of the universe when said so, Sri Prahlada with his deep feeling said, “My Master, alas, have J got any devotion at Your Lotus Feet! Void of devotion void of life to me. O Lord, alas, if I could have an iota of devotion at my heart for You then why should You ask me to beg any boon? Because if I was endowed with Bhakti never could you say I should beg something of Dharma, Artha, Kama or Moksha, because he who is endowed with devotion nothing of these he aspires after. Therefore if You are so pleased kindly confer on me that steadfast devotion by attaining which no more wants remain at heart.

48-50. My Lord, only the prayer that I have, let me have unalloyed devotion at Your Lotus Feet. Nothing more do I crave for. Why should I crave even for Mukti when I am not afraid of perils of life. Even jokingly, inadvertently or with jealous heart one devotes oneself to You, that rewards him with the possession of Indra; therefore one who with sattvika disposition when devotes oneself to You, what a surmounting reward it produces that cannot be measured. So Bhakti is the permanent gain. For people who are drowned into the ocean of samsara for them Bhakti alone is the protecting force and lift them from the mundanity to the plane of Transcendence. One who is endowed with Bhakti he finally resorts at Vaikuntha.

51-52. My Lord, that ocean of Transcendental Bliss is the most esoteric object. People being blinded by the quagmire of maya cannot know it. Those holy ones who earnestly crave for Thy Bliss for them the only process is to take recourse to devotion to you. Those who are in the cycle of life of transmigration being in the quagmire of maya to disperse that darkness. Bhakti to You is the only lamp of wisdom to illumine the heart. Those who are asleep on the bed of illusion, Bhakti is like the sun to remove the nightmare and wake them up with bright sun-shine.

53-54. Bhakti is the source of all auspiciousness and it cleanses the heart removing all dirts. Bhakti bestows final beautitude in life. But one cannot attain Bhakti without Your unreserved Grace. O Lord, kindly bestow upon me that unflinching devotion to Your Lotus Feet. Bhakti makes to worship You, it makes me to feel ecstacy and makes me to dance before You with all Glory to You.’

55-57. Hearing those words Sri Hari became extremely pleased and said to Prahlada, ‘His loving devotee, ‘Darling, whatever you prayed everything is bestowed upon you. You be drowned into the ocean of Bliss. O dear devotee, when I go out of your sight don’t lament for the separation. As I ever remain in the Milky Ocean so I ever dwell in your unstinted heart. As I dwell with Lakshmi I constantly shine at the unsrinted heart of My devotee. It is not that for eradicating the fear from the asuras but for protecting My devotee from affliction I remain with them, really the unstinted heart of My devotee is My Abode, so I protect them.

59-61. In the coming two, three days I shall manifest Myself on earth for killing one who offended you. I shall be appearing as Sri Narasimha in a terrific From because the sinners have become notorious. My this manifestation will be un-surmoun- ting.’ So saying Lord Sri Narayana disappeared along with His Divine Body Which is of His Essential Potency Sat-Chit- Ananda. Prahlada could see the Lord ascending, so he, time and again saluted Him and looked upon Him and felt the pong of separation. Soon Lord disappeared from his sight Sri Prahlada could not control him. He burst out with loud cry and tears rolled down his cheeks and he swooned. After quite a long time he could compose himself.

62-64. Ah, the sun-god when heard about such glory of Sri Prahlada that he was so affectionately patted personally by Hari Himself, he came in haste to see him and feel himself blessed by touching him. So he delighted Sri Prahlada with pleasant sun-shine. Hari-Bhakti root out totally the entire sins of those who take recourse to Him as at the very rise of the sun the darkness of the night vanishes. As Agastya muni, by a single sip of water dried up the entire waters of all the seven seas and thereafter the gems could be traced out remaining in the bottom of the seas likewise by the Divine illumination, it delights the hearts of the exalted souls who all burst out with loud chanting of Vedic Hymns.

65-67. Just when a yogi becomes immersed into the Bliss he soon gets the vision of the Indwelling Monitor in his unstinted heart, so too chakravak bird (ruddy goose) at the disperse of the darkness of the night and seeing the sun-shine, becomes overwhelmed with great joy, as the sun though reflected on the sheets of waters of different ponds or pots remains the same without any modification so too souls dwelling in individual body remain untouched or unsoiled by the elements of the body. The hearts of the exalted devotees delight on listening to the discourses about the Transcendental Exploits of Sri Hari like the lotus blossoms forth at the very sunshine and the darkness of the night disappears, so the hearts of the devotees get illumined.

68-70. Now hearing the noise of the people at day-break Sri Prahlada woke up from his deep sleep and proceeded from that seashore towards the palace. Now yet Sri Prahlada was having spiritual perturbations, so in all directions he could see only his beloved Lord Sri Hari. He was so much dovetailed in Sri Hari and so much intoxicated in His Bliss that like a drunken man he began to move. At times he was falling on the ground, his body was full of horripilations and at last he arrived at the residence of his preceptors, At times on meeting his Lord with great joy he shouted, “All Glory to Thee, My Lord and again in pang of separation from Him he began to cry and run hither and thither.