Chapter 1 - Query by Sāvarṇi

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: Sāvarṇi is a sage who propitiated God Śiva in Kṛta Yuga and got the boon of being immortal. He was a great author (Mbh, Anu 14.103-104). Sāvarṇi, the future Manu is not intended here.

Reverential Salutations to Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Henceforth the glory of Śrī Vāsudeva is begun.

Śaunaka^[1] said:

1. O Sauti,^[2] means conducive to the beatitude of living beings such as Dharma (duties pertaining to the different castes and stages of life), knowledge, aversion to worldly desires, Yoga and others, have been mentioned in various ways by you to us.

2. (These were explained) with various kinds of legends and traditional accounts, clarifying them with great perspicuity. O highly intelligent one! All of them have been respectfully and attentively heard by us.

3. But they are very difficult to be performed by all human beings. Moreover, achievement of success in them is very difficult to be had on account of numerous intervening impediments (while performing them).

4. It is after a pretty long time that those (means) give results if they are pursued with great perseverance by men of great fortitude.

5. Hence may Your Honour proclaim to us the means easy to all twice-born persons belonging to different castes (classes) and stages of life, as well as to women and even Śūdras (and other low castes) here.

6. (The means should be so easy that) by making the slightest effort any embodied being could accomplish the great Fruit (Mokṣa) without facing any impediments.

7. O highly intelligent one, after deèply deliberating and considering over that sort of means of (accomplishing) Mokṣa, it behoves you to explain it kindly for the good of all living beings.

8. Through the grace of Baladeva, Vyāsa and Janaka you know everything. Be pleased to narrate it to us who are eagerṅnd desirous (of knowing it).

Sauti replied:

9. O Śaunaka, the great sage Sāvarṇi had humbly asked Skanda, the son of Śaṅkara, this very question.

Sāvarṇi enquired:

10. O Guha, various kinds of Dharmas, knowledge of Sāṅkhya and means like Yoga (as) explained by you on many occasions, have been heard by me.

11. I certainly regard them too difficult to pursue in case of people like me. Even for others who are great and capable, they can be pursued with great difficulty and yield results after a long period of time.

12. Hence, now it behoves you to tell me that most excellent means which is easy to pursue for people of different classes and stages of life and leads to their spiritual good (Mokṣa).

Sauti said:

13. When Guha was thus asked by that eminent sage desirous of knowledge, Kārttikeya (Skanda) meditated on Vāsudeva in his heart, and spoke out.

Skanda said:

14. Listen, O Brāhmaṇa, I shall now relate to you what has been heard by me from my father’s mouth, the means of attaining Mokṣa, easy for all living beings.

15. To persons belonging to all castes and stages of life, who are eagerly desirous of accomplishing their own cherished objects, there is no other means at all in ṃis world comparable to the gratification of deities.

16. Even if the slightest meritorious act or service is rendered with reference to deities, it confers the great fruit (of the act, probably liberation) on men without any difficulty or impediment.

17. It is due to its association with deities that performance of (ritualistic) acts pertaining to deities, manes, one’s own (specific) duty or an act with some end in view, quickly yields accomplishment of what one wishes for.

18. It is due to this that whatever (practice or act) such as Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Vairāgya (indifference to worldly objects) etc. has been previously declared as difficult becomes easy to accomplish immediately.

19. Inasmuch as cherished objectives are achieved only by the propitiation of God, he should be propitiated with love and devotion, to the best of one’s capacity, by all men.

Sāvarṇi enquired:

20. O Six-faced Lord, formerly various types of gods have been told by you to me. Various methods of propitiating them have been described by you.

21. All the various kinds of fruits, the chief of which is the attainment of heaven etc., (of those propitiations) have been proclaimed by you. But they are swallowed up (terminated) by Time.

22. O Guha, the fruit such as the attainment of Jana (Loka) and other higher worlds resulting from the propitiation of Brahmā by Yogins who abstain from worldly activities, is also impermanent and transitory, as it lasts for two Parārdhas (100 years of Brahmā) only.

23. What is the propriety of acquiring those fruits with very great difficulties by acts very difficult to perform, if the fruits obtained be perishable?

24. I do not like the propitiation of deities whose body, position and power etc. are perishable in course of time.

25. He who himself is free from fear and eternal is the remover of fear of oṃers. He has a permanent abode and is the donor of eternal fruit and affectionate to his devotees.

26. O Guha, tell me of that god with whose grace all the desires of all (people) will be easily accomplished in this very world.

27. Tell me truly the method of propitiating him which is easy to follow and approved by honourable persons. I am eagerly desirous of knowing this immediately.

Sauti said:

28. Lord Guha who was ṃus accosted by the great sage (Sāvarṇi) became highly pleased. The noble-minded god respectfully spoke this to him.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Śaunaka: A sage of Bhṛgu family, son of Śunaka, author of numerous works like Ṛk-Prātiśākhya, teacher of Āśvalāyana. His leadership in the sacrificial session for 12 years in Naimiṣa forest during which Sauti narrated Mbh (Mbh, Ādi 1.19), made him the traditional interlocutor of practically all Purāṇic works at this sacrificial session in Naimiṣa forest.

[2]:

Sauti: Ugraśravas, son of Sūta Romaharṣaṇa, the narrator of Mbh to Śaunaka (Mbh, Adi 1.5). He is the traditional narrator of Purāṇic works to Śaunaka.