Chapter 81 - Mantracintāmaṇi for Devotees of Kṛṣṇa

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The sages said:

1-3. O Sūta, O good one, live long. You have disclosed the nectar of the deeds of Śrīkṛṣṇa, which emancipates all devotees from the mundane existence. O lord, tell (us) all the daily sports of Śrīkṛṣṇa, on hearing which devotion to Kṛṣṇa increases, O good man. O glorious one, tell us separately the application and characteristic of the prayer of the teacher and the disciple; for, you are our great friend.

Sūta said:

4. Once Nārada saluted and said to the lord of the world, the god of gods, Sadāśiva, seated on the bank of Yamunā.

Nārada said:

5-10. O god of gods, O great god, O omniscient one, O lord of the world, O you who know the truth about the characteristics of the lord, O you best among those who know the prayers of (i.e. addressed to) Kṛṣṇa, I secured great prayers (addressed) to Kṛṣṇa from you and from my father. Those best prayers and others have been properly learnt by me eating vegetables, roots and fruits for many thousand years, subsisting on dry leaves, water, air etc. or (sometimes) not eating (at all), avoiding looking at and talking to women, conquering the six qualities like lust, curbing the external organs. Even though this was done, O Śaṅkara, my mind was not pleased. Therefore, O lord, tell me that which would succeed even without purificatory rites etc., and which gives an excellent fruit just by uttering it even once. O lord of gods, if (you think) I am fit, then please tell it to me.

Śiva said:

11-16. O glorious one, you, desiring the welfare of the world, have asked well. I shall tell you the prayer—the gem yielding all desires, though it is to be well (i.e. carefully) protected. This is the secret of secrets and the excellent secret of secrets. I have never before told it to the goddess (i.e. Pārvatī) nor to your elder brothers. I shall tell you the excellent pair of prayers (addressed) to Kṛṣṇa. The pair is called Mantracintāmaṇi—the desire-yielding gem. There are alternatives to this prayer—so also the five-syllabled (prayer). Beginning with (the words) ‘Gopījana’ and ending with ‘Vallabha’ and ‘I seek the refuge’—This is the five-lettered (prayer). The great prayer of sixteen letters is called the Mantracintāmaṇi. Saying ‘Gopījana’ first, he should then say ‘Vallabhābhyām’. The prayer having two lines is said to be (having) ten letters.

17-22. Having internally repeated with or without faith, (just) once, he would go to the proximity of those dear to Kṛṣṇa. There is no doubt about this. For him there is no (need for) the consideration for an initiatory rite, no (need for) the order of rite of nyāsa, no restriction about place or time, no requital of an enemy or a friend etc. O best sage, all are entitled to it (even) up to a cāṇḍāla. So also women, śūdra and others, the dull, the dumb and the lame. Others (like) the Hūṇas, Kirātas, Pulindas and Puṣkaras, Ābhīras, Yavanas, Kaṅkas, Khasa and others, so also other low-born ones, those having much religious hypocrisy and egotism, those given to wickedness, killers of cows and brāhmaṇas, those having (committed) major and minor sins, those without knowledge and detachment, those without learning etc.—these and others—all are entitled to the prayer.

23-25. O best sage, if these have devotion to Kṛṣṇa, the god of all gods, then all of them are entitled; not otherwise. A performer of sacrifices, one engaged in giving gifts, one practising all regular orders of ceremonies and rites, one who speaks the truth, or an ascetic, master of Vedas and Vedāṅgas, one intent upon the contemplation of the Supreme Being, one born in a noble family, one practising austerities, one engaged in vows—is not entitled to this (hymn) if he does not have devotion to Kṛṣṇa.

26-28a. Therefore, it should not be told to him who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, who is ungrateful, who is proud, who is faithless, and who is an atheist; so also it should not be told to him who is not desirous of attending, or to him who does not serve Śiva. This (prayer) should be carefully given to him who is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa only, free from religious hypocrisy and greed, free from lust and anger.

28b-33. I am the inspired poet (i.e. the author) of it, and its metre is said to be Gāyatri. The lover of the cowherdesses (i.e. Kṛṣṇa) is said to be the deity of this hymn. Its application is said to be to the service of Hari with his beloved. A man should employ the five modes (of devotion) beginning with the disc etc. and hymns also, or he should practise the assignment of the hands and body with the mystical letter forming its essential part. The first letter of the hymn is decorated at the top with a dot. The mystical letter would be ‘gem’ here, and the power is said to be ‘namaḥ’. In the last syllable there are ten parts, and worship is to be done with them, so also with sandal and flowers, with water in their absence. It should be done (i.e. muttered) after first doing the assignment of the various parts of the body to different deities for pleasing Hari. Therefore, only others tell the nyāsa etc. of this hymn.

34-35a. Even if it is recited once it bestows blessedness. Yet one should always assign in ten ways for the muttered (hymn) etc. O best brāhmaṇa, now I shall explain (to you) the meditation of this prayer:

35b-43. (A man) should remember Kṛṣṇa seated, along with his beloved,on a throne in Vṛndāraṇya—Kṛṣṇa, who has put on a yellow garment, who is dark like a cloud, who has two arms, who has put on a garland of sylvan (flowers), who has a chaplet made of peacocks’ tail-feathers, whose face resembles a crore of moons, whose eyes are rolling about; who has a karṇikāra (flower) as the ear-ornament, who has a round dot put on the centre of his forehead which is all around (smeared) with sandal, who is shining with ear-rings resembling the young sun, whose cheeks are like mirrors as they are glittering with drops of perspiration, whose eyes are rivetted on his beloved’s face, who has sportively raised his brow due to a side-glance, whose very high nose is shining due to pearls put on its top, whose lips like ripe bimba fruits are shining by means of the moonlight (shooting) from his teeth, whose hands are shining with ornaments worn on the upper arms, with armlets and rings set with good (i.e. bright) gems, who holds in his left hand a flute, so also a lotus, whose waist is shining with a girdle and a chaplet, whose feet are glittering due to anklets, who is agile in the flurry caused by the joy due to love-sports, whose eyes are unsteady, who is laughing with his beloved and who is repeatedly making her laugh (thus he should remember Kṛṣṇa).

44-52a. Then he should remember Rādhikā who is seated to his left side, who has put on a blue bodice, whose lustre is like heated gold, whose lotus-like, very smiling face is half covered with the end of her garment, who has fixed her eyes on the face of her lover, whose eyes are unsteady like those of a cakorī, who is putting with her thumb and fore-finger a nut along with a (betal) leaf and powder into her lover’s mouth, whose lovely, plump and elevated breasts are glittering due to a necklace of pearls, who has a slender waist, whose buttocks are large and are adorned with a mass of small bells, who has put on large jewelled ear-rings, armlets, rings and bracelets, who has put on a jingling string, anklets and jewelled foot-rings, whose body is bewitching due to her being an essence of beauty, who is beautiful in all limbs, who is submerged in the water of joy, who is pleased, who has fresh youth. O best of brāhmaṇas, there also are her friends who are of the same age and have the same qualities, and would be engaged in serving her with chow-ries and fans. Now, O Nārada, I shall tell you the meaning of the prayer; listen to it. Rādhikā, the beloved of Kṛṣṇa is called Gopī due to her being concealed by the external parts of the manifestation (of the world), her own parts like the powers of illusion etc., so also with the internal parts, always present, like intelligence etc.

52b-56a. The goddess, full of Kṛṣṇa, and the highest deity is called Rādhikā. She is of the nature of all beauty and of the nature of Kṛṣṇa’s joy. Therefore, O brāhmaṇa, she is called Hlādinī by the wise. Durgā and others having the three constituents (like Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas) are a part of the croreth portion of her. She is actually Mahālakṣmī, and Kṛṣṇa is lord Nārāyaṇa. O best sage, there is not the slightest difference between the two. She is Durgā (i.e. Pārvatī); Hari is Rudra. Kṛṣṇa is Indra; she is Indrāṇī. She is Sāvitrī; Hari is Brahmā. She is Dhūmorṇā; Hari is Yama.

56b-60a. O best sage, what is the use of (speaking) much? There is nothing of the nature of living or non-living that is without them. The whole world is full of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. In this way, O Nārada, that all (this) is the splendour of the two. It is not possible for me to describe it even (if I do so) for hundreds of crores of years. In the three worlds the earth is venerable; Jambudvīpa is better than it. In it Bhārata country (is excellent); in it the city Mathurā (is the best). In it the (grove) named Vṛndāvana (is excellent); in it the group of Rādhā’s friends is excellent. In it Rādhikā is the best.

60b-66. Due to her proximity, superiority in successions of the earth etc. would be there. Nothing else is lofty here. This is that Rādhā. The cowherdesses are the group of her friends. Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are dear chiefs of the lives of the group of her friends. In this world, their feet should be sought for refuge. I go to them, have gone to them; I the soul that is very much afflicted, have sought their refuge; whatever is mine is his. All (I offer) to them, is for them; it is to be enjoyed by them; it is not mine. O brāhmaṇa, this in brief is told (as) the meaning of the prayer. I have told the five alternatives as: the meaning of the couplet, nyāsa, reaching them and taking shelter of them, offering oneself. This hymn alone should be carefully reflected upon day and night.