The Bhagavata Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 780,972 words | ISBN-10: 8120838203 | ISBN-13: 9788120838208
This page describes Dialogue between the Earth and Dharma which is chapter 16 of the English translation of the Bhagavata Purana, one of the eighteen major puranas containing roughly 18,000 metrical verses. Topics include ancient Indian history, religion, philosophy, geography, mythology, etc. The text has been interpreted by various schools of philosophy. This is the sixteenth chapter of the First Skandha of the Bhagavatapurana.
Chapter 16 - Dialogue between the Earth and Dharma
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
Sūta said:
1. Oh Brāhmaṇa (Śaunaka)! Then Parīkṣit the great devotee of Kṛṣṇa verily ruled the earth according to the education given to him by great Brāhmaṇas (e.g. Kṛpa). He exhibited the same great qualities as predicted by the experts in astrology on the day of his (Parīkṣit’s) birth.
2. He married Irāvatī, the daughter of Uttara.[1] He brought forth from her four sons, the first of whom was Janmejaya.
3. Appointing Kṛpa (son of Śaradvat) as the family- priest, he performed, on the bank of the Gaṅgā, three horsesacrifices with plenty of gifts (to Brāhmaṇas after their completion) wherein sacrifices (deities of the sacrifices) attended in visible form.
4. During the course of his conquest of directions (i.e. the complete earth), at one place, he, by his might, captured Kali, a Śūdra, assuming the insignia of royalty, (while Kali was) kicking a pair of a cow and a bull.
Śaunaka said:
5. For what reason did the king (simply) arrest Kali (and not kill him[2]) as the wretched Śūdra assuming the royal insignia, kicked the cow?
6. Oh greatly fortunate one! Please tell it (the above query) if it is related to the stories of Kṛṣṇa or concerns the saints who are enjoying (lit. licking) the honey in the lotus in the form of his feet.
7. What is the propriety of speaking on other evil topics which is a worthless waste of life of people with a short span of life but desiring final beatitude.
8. The god of Death (the deity called ‘death’) has been invited here for killing the beasts for this sacrifice. Therefore no one can die so long as the god of death is here.
9. Your honour has been invited by the great sages in order that words of nectar in the form of sports of Hari should be drunk to the fill in this world.
10. Verily, the lives of the idle, the dull-witted and short-lived persons are taken away by sleep at night and by the useless acts (committed) during the day.
Sūta said:
11. When Parīkṣit heard the not-very pleasant[3] news (report) of Kali’s aggression in Kurujāṅgala[4] lying within his jurisdiction (he who was) an expert in warfare[5] took up the bow.
12. Surrounded by his army consisting of chariots, cavalry, elephants and infantry, he started from his capital, in his beautifully decorated chariot yoked with dark-coloured horses and flying a banner with the emblem of a lion, for the conquest of the directions (the whole of the earth).
13. Having conquered Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Bhārata, Northern Kurus and big regions such as Kimpuruṣa and others,[6] he received tributes.
14. Hearing everywhere the extolling of glories of his great-souled ancestors, (which were) expressive of Kṛṣṇa’s greatness,
15. And about his own protection from the fire of Aś vatthāman’s missiles, of the friendship between the Yādavas and the sons of Pṛthā (i.e. Pāṇḍavas) and their devotion to Kṛṣṇa,
16. Being extremely pleased, the greatminded (Parīkṣit) whose eyes were expanded with affection gave them (the songsters of glory) very costly clothes and necklaces.
17. Hearing that Kṛṣṇa to whom the world bows, served(his) favourites—Pāṇḍavas—in the capacity of a charioteer, a President of the assembly, an attendant, a friend, an envoy, a sentinel, a follower, praising and saluting (them), the ruler of men (Parīkṣit) became devoted to (his) lotus-like feet.
18. Hear from me a wonderful event which occurred soon, while he was thus every day following the conduct of life of his ancestors.
19. (While himself) walking on one leg, Dharma (in the form of a bull) finding the (earth in the form of a) cow devoid of (her) lustre and face full of tears like a mother who has lost her young one, asked her.
Dharma said:
20. Oh blessed (one), are you well (free from diseases)? By your melancholy countenance, you appear pale. Oh mother, I find you full of mental agony. About what distant relative are you lamenting?
21. Are you aggrieved to find me with one leg and deprived of (the other three) legs? or about yourself apprehending your being enjoyed by the Śūdras (in near future) or (over) Gods and others whose portion (of the offerings) of sacrifices is lost (due to non-performance of sacrifices) or (over) subjects due to Indra’s refusal to pour rain?
22. Oh earth! Are you grieved for women who are not protected (by their husbands) or for children who are not only uncared for but are also oppressed by their fathers (cruel) like man-eaters; or for the goddess of Speech or Learning (who has been) living in the family of vicious Brāhmaṇas or (feel sorry for) those born in the best families(‘Brāhmaṇas’) serving the kings who are not favourable to Brāhmaṇas.
23. Are you sorry for the mean Kṣatriyas who are possessed by Kali or the countries abandoned (or ruined) by them, or for the mankind indulging in eating, drinking, wearing (fancy) clothes, (enjoying) baths and sexual intercourse everywhere (lit. here and there)?
24. Or, Oh mother Earth, (are you lamenting) remembering the deeds on which depends the Liberation[7],—(deeds) of Hari who assumed incarnation for lessening your heavy burden, but has (now) disappeared and (you find yourself) abandoned?
25. Oh Earth! tell me the cause of your mental agony by which you are so much emaciated. Oh mother, is your good fortune so worshipped by Gods, stolen away by Time (the god of Death) who is the stronger than the strong.
The Earth said:
26. Oh Dharma, you know verily all about which you have asked me. Due to Kṛṣṇa you were possessing four legs which were conducive to the happiness of mankind.
27.[8] In whom (Kṛṣṇa) truthfulness, purity, compassion, patience, generosity, contentment, straightforwardness, steadiness of the mind, self-restraint, (control of the organs of senses), austerities, equality, endurance, unconcernedness (even to one’s benefits), mastery over learning,
28.[8] Knowledge, non-attachment, capacity to exercise authority, heroism (courage on the battlefield), strength, judgement or perception of what is proper to do, independence, dexterity, beautiful complexion (personal charm), fortitude softhearedness.
29.[8] Extreme splendour, humility, good behaviour, skilled activities of the organs of senses, receptacle of enjoyment, mental poise (non-perturbation of the mind), faith, fame, adorability, freedom from pride,
30. Oh Lord, these and[9] other eternal, great qualities (which are) prayed and desired for by a person anxious for greatness, perpetually exist (in him) without decay (lit. never get annihilated).
31. I grieve for the people who are affected by the sight of the evil-minded Kali, (as they are) now bereft of Kṛṣṇa who is the receptacle of all qualities.
32. I feel grief for my own self and about you who arc the best of gods. Similarly (I feel grief for) the gods, the manes, sages, good persons, all strata of the society (castes) and all stages of life (āśramas).
33. Being enamoured of the beauty of (his) feet, the Goddess of Wealth for whose favourable side-glance gods like Brahmā and others performed penance for a long time and (thus) was resorted to by the best, adores those (Kṛṣṇa’s) feet leaving her own residence in the lotus-garden.
34. I, whose body was adorned with the Venerable Lord’s footprints with the marks of the lotus, the thunderbolt, the goad (to control elephants) and flag, possessed the prosperity from him and surpassed the three worlds in beauty. But subsequently at the time of the annihilation of that prosperity he abandoned me who became arrogant.
35. Verily, the self-reliant Being removed the heavy burden of one hundred akṣauhiṇīs[10] (a big division of the army) of the kings of the Asura race, and assuming a beautiful form in the Yādava clan restored to you (who were) distressed by incompleteness in legs, your pristine state (of four-leggedness) by his manliness.
36. What lady can endure the separation from that Supreme Man who by his amorous looks, enchanting smile and sweet conversation, stole away the steadiness of mind along with pride of women of Madhu clan like Satyabhāmā and others? Being adorned with whose footprints there was (thrill and hence) hair-erection in the form of crops of foodgrains etc. due to the happiness felt by me.
37. In this way, while the goddess of the Earth anḍ Dharma were conversing, the royal sage called Parīkṣit arrived there where the Sarasvatī flows to the east.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
[2]:
What were his (Kali’s) special qualities due to which he was spared.—Siddhāntapradīpa
Padaratnāvalī opines that this is not a question but an objection (for failure in duty) against Parīkṣit.
Bhāgavata Candrikā takes the and line as a separate sentence as follows: ‘Who was that Śūdra wearing emblems of a king who kicked the cow?’
[3]:
(i) He was a bit pleased as he got a scope to show his bravery.—vc
(ii) very unpleasant—Bhāgavata Candrikā
[4]:
[6]:
In the V Skandha of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the ancient geographical ideas are given. The earth consists of seven islands.
The first of these islands Jambudvīpa consists of nine Varṣas (continents):
- Ilāvṛta,
- Bhadrāśva,
- Hari,
- Ketumāla,
- Ramyaka,
- Hiraṇyamaya,
- Uttarakuru,
- Kimpuruṣa,
- Bhārata.
India is a part of (9). The mountain Meru stands in the centre of the Jambudvīpa.
The following table reproduced from Baladeva Upadhyaya’s Purāṇa Vimarśa will give some idea of the distribution of these Varṣas:
- Uttara-Kuru
- Hiraṇyamaya
- Ketumāla—[Ramyaka; Sumeru; Ilāvṛta Varsa]—Bhadrāśva
- Hari Varṣa
- Kimpurusa
- Bhārata Varṣa
Vide—Prācīna Bhāratīya sthala Kośa—Introduction and Purāṇa Vimarśa, vii.5. 317-350 for details.
[7]:
[8]:
In verses 27, 28, 29, the interpretation of Bhāvāratha Dīpikā is mainly followed though other commentators emphasize slightly different shades of meaning of the qualities enumerated herein.
[9]:
ca—In addition to the 39 qualities enumerated above, Siddhāntapradīpa adds the following eternal great attributes: “beauty, sweetness, tenderness, affection, calmness, protectiveness and others”.
Kramasandarbha. has listed 63 attributes while commenting on verses 27-29 and adds 5 more as understood under ca—and 17 more as anye—which are impossible for a jīva (individual soul) to attain. This long list is omitted as it is not directly related to the interpretation of these verses and no other commentator even in the Bhagavata Vidya Peeth edition subscribes to it.