Chapter XCII - Contemplation of Hari and its process

Rudra said:—Relate to me, O thou, the wielder of lotus, mace, discus, and conch shell, the mode of meditating upon the divine self of Vishnu, a knowledge whereof leads to salvation.

Said the god Hari:—Yes, I shall describe to you the mode of contemplating the divine self of Vishnu, which is of two sorts, according as the embodied or disembodied self of the god is meditated upon. O Rudra, in the preceding chapter I have discoursed on the latter mode, now hear me describe the process of contemplating the imaged or the embodied self of that deity. A seeker of salvation should meditate upon the god as burning with the combined effulgence of a million of suns, and moving about in the infinite space with the dignity of unquestioned prowess and unobstructed energy. The complexion of his divine body should be contemplated to be white as the hue of a Kunda flower. In the alternative, the god should be contemplated as burning with the combined effulgence of a thousand suns, and dreadful to look at throe gh an excess of light, and as wielding a large and beautiful conchshell, a discus, a lotus flower, and a mace in his four hands, his face beaming with the calmness of divine peace. The crown or the head-gear of the god, should be contemplated as shining with the scintillations of a myriad of gems, and his attendants should be likewise contemplated as waiting upon his gracious divinity.

The mental picture, in the present instance, would not be complete without decorating the central figure with a garland of full-blown wild flowers. The image should be placed mentally on a full-blown lotus flower, decked with bracelets, necklace, etc., of celestial manufacture. The diamond Kaustubha should be imagined as dangling over the region of his breast, grown over with the peculiar ringlets of hair, known as the Shrivatsam.

The imaginary person of this creator and destroyer of the universe, whom the gods and the holy sages contemplate in their celestial and sylvan retreats, should be contemplated as composed of the beatific attributes of Anima, etc., the different grades of conscious animalism, from the minutest animalculum to the mightiest Brahma, as having had their seats in the cardiac region of the image.

Thus the mental picture of the god should be completed, and the votary should worship it with the knowledge, that the deity imaged in his heart, is but the reflection of that primal light, the god of the gods, the absolute purity, the lord of all, and the only being equally compassionate towards all created life. He is the ever blissful lord, the regenator of the the human soul, and the destroyer of the threefold misery. He punishes the wicked, exhorts the good in the path of righteousness, is the soul of all, all-pervading, and the appeaser of all malignant stars. The beautiful circles of light which serve to relieve the darkness of the night, are his finger-rings. He is the primary source of all forms, and all shapes lie inherent in his disembodied spirit. He is the supreme god, the perfect beauty, the grand and final resort of all, the fountainhead from which equal felicity flows to all.

His body is decked with all sorts of ornaments, and is smeared with sandalpaste. The gods wait upon him in the spirit of loving servitude, and he does what the gods approve of. He does what is beneficial to them. He is Vasudeva, the lord of the universe. He looks after the universe. He looks after the good of all beings. He it is that shines in the sun. He it is that forms what is so wholesome in water. He is the only subject contemplated by all, the supreme ordainer in the universe, the supreme Vishnu, whom the seekers of salvation meditate upon.

“I am Vasudeva, I am He, the supreme soul,” should be the form of thought in all who meditate upon the self of Vishnu. Those who contemplate him in this way, acquire the most exalted station after death. For having thus meditated upon the self of Vishnu, the holy Yajnavalkya, was honoured with the office of laying down the rules of conduct of his age. Therefore, O Shankara, O you, the lord of the celestials, always meditate upon the Self of Vishnu. Even he, who reads the present chapter, acquires the most elevated spiritual existence after death.