Chapter 12 - (Mahābhārata 12.332.1-26)

Nara and Nārāyaṇa said:

1 Graced^[1] and glorious you are the Lord Himself was seen by you. No one, not even the Lotus-born [i.e., Brahmā] himself has seen Him.

2 Born of the Unmanifest, the Effulgent Lord, the Supreme Puruṣa is difficult to be seen. Nārada! What is said to you is indeed the truth.

3 There is no one other than devotees who is dearer to him in this world. Therefore he revealed His own Self, O best of the twice-born!

4 No one except us two, O twice-born one, attains that place where the Supreme Soul performs austerities.

5 By His being there, that place such has effulgence as that of a thousand suns come together.

6 O wise one, the best among forgiving ones, from that God who is the Lord of this entire earth arises the forgiveness with which the earth is connected.^[2]

7 And also from that God arises the essence which is beneficial to all beings and with which the waters are connected and obtain fluidity.

8 From Him, indeed, is produced the light which has form as its attribute and with which the sun is connected and then illumines these worlds.

9 From that God, the Supreme Puruṣa has arisen touch with which the wind is connected and then it fans the world.

10 And from that Lord who is the Ruler all the worlds arises sound with which space is connected and therefore it stands disclosed.11 And from that God arises the Mind which pervades all beings with which the moon, having the attribute of illumination, is connected.

12 That place is called Veda which creates the six elements^[3] and where resides the Effulgent Lord who is the Enjoyer of offerings and chants, and has knowledge for His companion.

13 When those who are faultless in this world go on their path, free of merit and demerit, there is security (kṣema) for them, O best of the twice-born. The Sun, destroyer of darkness in all the worlds, is said to be the entrance for them.

14 Their bodies completely incinerated by the Sun, they become invisible to anyone at anytime. Becoming minute atoms, they verily enter into that God.

15 Completely liberated even from that, they are established in the body of Aniruddha. Thereafter, becoming the Mind, they in turn verily enter Pradyumna.

16 And liberated from Pradyumna also, those foremost of the wise, the Sāṃkhyas together with the Bhāgavatas enter into the jīva who is Saṃkarṣaṇa.

17 Thereafter, divested of the three guṇas, O best of the twice born, they quickly enter into the Supreme Soul, the Kṣetrajña who is of the nature of being without guṇas. The abode of all^[4] is Vāsudeva, know Him to be truly Kṣetrajña.

18 They who have equanimous minds who are resolute and whose senses are restrained having achieved one-pointed focus, they enter Vāsudeva.

19 We two, however, are born into the house of Dharma, O best of the twiceborn. Taking refuge in that which is beautiful and expansive,^[5] we are engaged in fierce austerities.

20 O twice-born one, henceforth, May there be welfare to them, who are the manifestations of that same God, dear to the gods, which will occur in the three-worlds.21–22 O best of the twice-born, you were seen by the two of us at Śvetadvīpa, as you were meeting the Effulgent Lord and making conversation, while we were abiding in the highest vow of Sarvakṛcchra as before, O repository of austerities, following our own procedure.

23 Everything in the three worlds along with movable and immovable ones is known to us and also the auspicious and the inauspicious, etc. which has occurred, is occurring or will occur.

Vaiśaṃpāyana said:

24 Thus, having listened to this speech of those two, Nārada having his hands folded and becoming intent on Nārāyaṇa turned to fierce austerities.

25–26 Lord Nārada, the Ṛṣi of great effulgence, chanted for a thousand celestial years various mantras related to Nārāyaṇa. He remained at the āśrama of Nara and Nārāyaṇa worshipping that same God and also those two: Nara and Nārāyaṇa.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The commentator writes: “In this chapter beginning with dhanyo’si (graced) it is said that they enter through the door of the sun, into that One who has knowledge as His companion, and can only be obtained through this knowledge, and who has created this body which consists of the pentad of elements together with the mind. This is the meaning there: When the Puruṣa has concentrated his sight upon Nārāyaṇa who is situated in the orb of the Sun and totally forgets his body, at that time he becomes the one whose complete body is burnt. Then, the mind which is of the size of the Puruṣa in the sun, gradually forsaking his human body, becomes a particle of the size of a smile, or of the size and measure of a lunula of a nail. In this way, the mind which is made subtle should be made to enter into the Ego (ahaṅkāra) which is called Aniruddha, in the waking state (virāj) which is the meaning of the letter “a.” And that also, abandoning the state of being of the form of Aniruddha, in the mind [is made to enter that which is] called Pradyumna which is of the nature of a thread, which is the meaning of the letter “u.” Then, that also, enters into the substance of purity, which is the jīva, which is called Sankarṣaṇa and who is in the meaning of the letter “m”. Abandoning that also, [the mind] enters like the space of a jar which is similar to the great space which is called Vāsudeva which is the pure brahman and which is in the meaning of the half mora which is the fourth state (turiya).”

[2]:

The word kṣama is also a synonym for bhūmi.

[3]:

Here they are bhūmi, āpah, tejas, vāyu, ākāśa, and manas.

[4]:

Āvāsam = abode; a play on Vasu.

[5]:

The Commentator takes the terms ramyā and viśāla as adjectives of Badarī.