The Teachings of Sage Śuka: The Wandering Enlightened Sage
Yoga Blueprint
We notice in verses I.7 and I.9 that sages who are already enlightened, and consequently have completely lost attraction for all things related to the guṇas from having attained realization of the ātman, nonetheless are attracted to the narratives of Kṛṣṇa. Here again we find one of the main subthemes of the Bhāgavata. The text thus indicates that Kṛṣṇa’s nature and qualities are not only transcendent to prakṛti, but higher than the individual ātman. His form and characteristics are the highest and most blissful expression of Brahman, and a vision of Him is the ultimate spiritual experience. In this regard, we see here, as elsewhere, the repetition of a fairly detailed description of the form of Viṣṇu. This recurs frequently throughout the Bhāgavata in order to fully ingrain the details of this form in the practitioner’s mind, such that it can be recalled during meditation along the lines indicted in 2.9–14.
Other noteworthy points are the equivalence of sacred texts with Brahman in I.8 (the sixteenth-century theologian Vallabha considered the Bhāgavata a type of literary avatāra). This section also includes a technical and esoteric passage on the subtle physiology that is of particular interest to the Śākta traditions (II.19–32). The somewhat technical practice outlined here involves an involution of the Sāṅkhya categories of the body from their grossest to progressively subtler forms until one arrives at the ātman. However, the ultimate goal of all and any practice is to remember Nārāyaṇa at the end of life (II.1.6).
Book II, Chapter 1
1. Śrī Śuka said:
“This question of yours, posed for the welfare of people, is excellent, O king. It is appreciated by those who know the ātman, and, from everything that is useful for people to hear, it is the most worthwhile topic.
2. For those people who have not seen the truth of the ātman and are attached to their homes and households, there are thousands of things that seem worth hearing, O king.
3. The prime of life is carried away by sexual intercourse and sleep during the night, O king, and, through striving for wealth and maintaining one’s family during the day.
4. Obsessed with one’s body, children, and wife, etc., which are like illusory soldiers [subject to death at any moment], one does not perceive their demise, even while actually perceiving it.
5. Therefore, O son of Bhārata, one desiring freedom from fear should hear about, glorify, and remember Hari. He is Bhagavān, Īśvara, the soul of everything.
6. Indeed, the perfection of life for a person, whether through the paths of Sāṅkhya or Yoga, through performance of duty, or through knowledge, is to remember Nārāyaṇa at the end of life.
7. Usually, O king, sages who have desisted from [mundane ritualistic] rules and regulations, and are situated in the state beyond the guṇas—i.e., have attained Brahman—relish the qualities and stories of Hari.
8. This Bhāgavata Purāṇa is nondifferent from Brahman. I learned it from my father, Vyāsa, at the end of the Dvāpara yuga, the third world age.
9. Although I had attained perfection and was situated in the state beyond the guṇas, my mind was captured by the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa; hence I studied this history, O sagely king.
10. I will narrate that Purāṇa to you; you are a great soul, sir. Devotion for Mukunda [Kṛṣṇa] is awakened in those who have faith in it.
11. The chanting of the name of Hari has been prescribed for those yogīs who are disinterested [in material enjoyment] and who desire freedom from fear.
12. What is the use of many years squandered mindlessly by a deluded person? Let it be known that it is better for one hour to be spent striving for one’s ultimate welfare.
13. After the sage-king by name of Khaṭvaṅga found out what remained of his life in this world, he renounced everything in an instant, and dedicated himself to Hari, who bestows fearlessness.1
14. There is a limit also, O Kaurava, to your life span: seven days. Take all steps necessary to prepare for death during this time.
15. When the end comes, a person should sever desire for this body and all that is associated with it [family, possessions, and the like] with the weapon of detachment, free from fear.
16. With mind fixed, one should leave home alone, wash in the waters of a sacred place, and then sit on a seat prepared according to the prescriptions.
17. One should concentrate on the three constituent phonemes of oṁ [a-u-m], the great and pure Brahman in the form of sound. One should restrain one’s mind and control one’s breathing, keeping one’s mind fixed on that seed of Brahman [oṁ].
18. With the intelligence as the driver,2 one should remove the senses from the sense objects by means of the mind. If one’s mind becomes disturbed by agitation, one should focus it on the desired object, Lord Kṛṣṇa, by means of the intelligence.
19. Then, one should meditate on one limb of the Lord, with uninterrupted mind. After controlling the mind and removing it from sense objects, one should not think of anything else. The mind should take pleasure there alone: the Supreme destination of Viṣṇu.
20. Normally, one’s mind is harassed by rajas and deluded by tamas. A wise person should control it by concentration (dhāraṇā) and destroy all the impurities created by it.
21. While this concentration on the refuge [of Lord Viṣṇu] is being practiced, the symptoms of bhakti, devotion, appear in the yogī. This yoga, which is most auspicious [that is, bhakti], quickly manifests.”
Book II, Chapter 2
1. Śrī Śuka said:
[…]
2. “The path of the Vedic scriptures is such that one’s intelligence puzzles over the meaningless words. Wandering here and there in the world of māyā, illusion [in pursuance of the Vedic injunctions], one does not attain one’s goals,3 just like a sleeping person [does not attain his goals] through dreams, which are made of memory imprints.4
3. Therefore, a sage, who is not deluded, but whose intelligence is fixed [on the self], should accept whatever things are necessary for accomplishing this purpose and no more; one should not struggle [for anything more] than this, realizing that doing so would simply be labor [for nothing].
4. When the ground is there, what is the use of endeavoring for beds? When two arms belong to oneself by nature, what is the use of pillows? When there are two hands, what is the use of a variety of implements for food? And when nakedness or the bark of trees5 is available, what is the use of clothes?
5. Are there no torn clothes discarded on the road? Do the trees, who maintain others, no longer give alms? Have the rivers dried up? Are the caves closed? Does the almighty Hari not protect his devotees? Why should wise people serve those who are blinded by the pride of wealth?
6. It is the ātman that is the cherished goal. It is [a part of] the unlimited Bhagavān. It is self-manifest and perfect and lies within one’s heart. This ātman is the goal that one should fix in mind and worship contentedly. It is in this way that the cause of saṁsāra is brought to an end.
7. Upon seeing people fallen into the Vaitaraṇī river [on the way to hell]6 and experiencing the suffering generated by their karma, who other than a beast would neglect contemplating on the Supreme and instead engage in immoral behavior?
8. Some people contemplate with concentration on the Supreme Being as situated in the inner space of the heart within their own bodies. The size of the span of a hand,7 He has four arms bearing lotus, disc, conch, and club.
9. He has a smiling face and eyes large as lotuses. His cloth is yellowish like the filament of a kadamba flower. He has ornaments brilliant with precious jewels and gold, and earrings and a headpiece glittering with great gems.
10. His tender budlike feet are placed by the masters of yogīs into the receptacle of their hearts, which are like the pericarp of full-blown lotuses. He is marked with the sign of Śrī, the Goddess of Prosperity [the śrīvatsa, a curl of hair on His chest]. He wears the kaustubha jewel around His neck, and is covered by a garland of forest flowers of unfading beauty.
11. He is adorned with a belt, and with very valuable rings, anklets, and bracelets. His beautiful smiling face is delightful with lustrous, clean, curly, bluish locks.
12. His abundant grace is evident from the play of His eyebrows and the brightness of His happy, playful, smiling eyes. The yogī should gaze at this mental image of Īśvara, which is pieced together by the mind, for as long as the mind can remain fixed in concentration.
13. With one’s mind one should focus on each limb consecutively, from the feet up to the smiling face of Kṛṣṇa, the bearer of the club. As one’s intelligence becomes progressively purified, one should move on from the previous lower part [of the Lord’s anatomy] and fix one’s mind on the next higher part.
14. Until bhakti yoga is awakened by this form of the universal Īśvara, the Supreme Seer, then one should instead contemplate the grosser form of the Supreme Person after the completion of one’s daily religious practices.8
15. When the ascetic becomes desirous of abandoning this world, dear king, he should establish himself on a comfortable stable seat (sthira-sukham āsanam),9 and, with his breath mastered, control his prāṇa. His mind should not become attached to time and place.10
16. After controlling the mind by means of his pure intelligence, the yogī should merge it into the subtle body (kṣetra-jña),11 and the latter into the ātman. The wise person should then absorb the ātman into the Supreme ātman. Upon attaining complete peace, one should desist from all activity.
17. In that state there is no Time, which is the controller of even the celestials, what to speak of the influence of the higher gods who are controllers over the universe. Neither sattva, nor rajas, nor tamas exists there, nor does ego, intellect, or primordial matter.
18. The yogīs long for the supreme abode of Viṣṇu. Desiring to abandon all that is illusory by the process of elimination (neti neti12), they give up misidentification with the body, and embrace His adorable feet in their hearts with exclusive devotion at every moment.
19. The sage who is situated [in Brahman], who is vigorous, whose mind is controlled, and who has gained wisdom from the sacred texts, should leave his body in the following manner: he should block the anus with his heel, and then energetically raise the life air (prāṇa) up through the six locations [the cakras].13
20. He should raise the air situated in the navel [maṇipūraka cakra] to the heart [anāhata cakra]; from there, by means of the motion of the upward-moving (udāna) life air, the sage should lead it to the breast [viśuddhi cakra], and from there the concentrating sage should aim with his intelligence for the root of the palate and slowly lead the life air upward to that place.
21. From there, he should raise it up to between the eyebrows, indifferent [to all desires] and with all the seven outlets of the body [eyes, nostrils, ears and mouth] closed off. After holding the life air there without effort with his gaze fixed, he should eject it through the crown of the head [sahasrāra cakra], abandon his body, and attain the supreme.
22. But if, O king, he should wish to reach the abode of Brahmā; or, indeed, the pleasure grounds of the celestial beings who can travel through the air; or achieve the eight mystic powers over anything made of the guṇas, then he should retain his mind and senses [in the subtle body] so as to achieve these.
23. They say that the masters of yoga, who practice the cultivation of knowledge, austerities, yoga, samādhi, and devotion, and who have [subtle] bodies that [can travel] through the air, can attain destinations anywhere within or beyond the three worlds. Such destinations are not available for those who engage in karma, mundane ritualistic activities.14
24. Once he has passed through the pure suṣumṇā pathway15 leading to Brahmā’s realm, he reaches the abode of Agni, the god of fire. Thereafter, when all his impurities have been cleansed, he proceeds higher, O king, to the śaiśumāra, the whorl in the heavens resembling an alligator, presided over by Lord Viṣṇu.
25. Then, alone, in the pure subtle body, manifesting the aṇimā mystic power of becoming smaller than the smallest, the yogī proceeds beyond the navel of the universe of Lord Viṣṇu.16 He thereafter attains the realms adored by the knowers of Brahman, where the celestials who live for a kalpa aeon17 enjoy themselves.
26. Then, after witnessing the entire universe being consumed by the fire issuing forth from the mouth of Ananta (Śeṣa18), he emerges at Brahmā’s highest abode of Satya-loka, which endures for Brahmā’s entire life, a period of two parārdhas.19 This is the realm enjoyed by the masters of the perfected beings.
27. In that realm there is no sorrow, no old age, no disease, no death, and no afflictions. Nor are there any concerns—except sometimes the mind feels compassion from witnessing the terrible sufferings and births and deaths of those who do not know all this.
28. Then, with his mind, the yogī fearlessly returns [his body] to the elements: earth to water, and then, without haste, after manifesting an effulgent form, to fire. After merging this into air, in turn, by his mind, he eventually also dissolves this into ether, the great subtle covering of the ātman.
29. The yogī attains the quality [tanmātra] of smell by means of the nose; taste, by means of the tongue; sight, by means of the eye; touch, by means of the skin; and sound, the special quality of the sky, by means of the ear. He accomplishes this goal by manipulating the prāṇa life air.
30. Then he attains the ahaṅkāra (ego) where the senses, sense objects, mind, and their presiding deities are merged. Then, along with the ahaṅkāra, the yogī attains buddhi (mahat, intelligence), and then prakṛti, where the guṇas are quiescent.20
31. Along with prakṛti his ātman finally attains the supreme soul [Viṣṇu], who is peaceful and blissful. Attaining his blissful nature in that final goal, the yogī enters the divine state, and is never again interested in this world, my dear king.
32. These two paths about which you inquired, O king, are eternal, and are described in the Vedas.21 Actually, Bhagavān Vāsudeva had previously spoken about them, after He had become satisfied from being worshipped by Brahmā.
33. There is no path more auspicious than this, for one who is immersed in saṁsāra, because by following it bhakti yoga for Bhagavān Vāsudeva is developed.
34. After applying his intelligence to studying the entire three Vedas, Lord Brahmā, the highest being, determined the means whereby love for the Supreme is attained.
35. Bhagavān Hari is perceived in all living beings by means of His presence as the ātman. There [must exist] a seer on account of the existence of [instruments of sight] such as the intelligence, etc., as well as the existence of objects of sight; it is by these characteristics that the existence of the ātman (the seer) can be inferred.22
36. Therefore, O king, it is Bhagavān, Hari, who should be heard, recited, and remembered about by people with all their hearts, in all places and all times.
37. Bhagavān is the soul of the saintly persons. Those who drink the nectar of stories about Him attained through the vessels of the ears, purify the heart from the contamination of sense objects and attain His lotus feet as their destination.”
Book II, Chapter 3
1. Śrī Śuka said:
“In this way, the question your highness posed to me has been answered on behalf of all wise people in human society who are about to die.
[…]
10. Irrespective of whether one is free of desire, full of all desires, or desirous of liberation, mokṣa, one should intensely worship the Supreme Person through the practice of bhakti yoga, if one is intelligent.
11. The attainment of the highest good, even for those who worship the celestial beings,23 is this: unflinching devotion to Bhagavān, attained from association with the devotees of Bhagavān.
12. Knowledge causes the whirlpool of the waves of the guṇas to abate. From that comes satisfaction in the self and disinterest in the guṇas. Thereafter comes bhakti yoga, which is the best path to liberation. Who, contented by the narrations of Hari, would not develop attraction for these narrations?”
13. Sage Śaunaka said:
“After hearing all these teachings that had been imparted to him, what else did the foremost king of the Bharatas further inquire from the seer sage Śuka, son of Vyāsa?
14. You should kindly relate these to us, O learned Sūta, we are eager to hear. Discussions which culminate in narratives about Hari are surely most fitting in an assembly of saintly people.
15. That very Pāṇḍava king Parīkṣit, the great charioteer, [in his childhood] imitated the pastimes of Hari while he was still playing with toys.
16. Śuka, that great son of Vyāsa, was devoted exclusively to Vāsudeva [Kṛṣṇa]. It is certain that the enlivening qualities of Viṣṇu, whose glories are broadcast widely, would have been expressed in that gathering of saints.
17. The rising and setting of the sun in the heavens takes away the life of all men here on earth, except for that person whose every moment is spent in talking about the glorious Viṣṇu.
18. Do not the trees also live? Do not bellows breathe? Do not the other animals in the village eat and mate?
19. That person whose ears have never heard the name of Kṛṣṇa, the elder brother of Balarāma, is considered to be a beast, like the donkeys, camels, pigs, and dogs.
20. The cavities in the ears of a person who does not listen to the deeds of the glorious Viṣṇu (Urukrama), are just like empty holes, and the tongue that does not recite the verses about Viṣṇu (Urugāya) is useless, like that of a frog’s.
21. The head, even though adorned with a crown or turban, is simply a large burden, if it does not offer obeisance to Mukunda [Kṛṣṇa]. And the hands, even though bedecked with shining golden bracelets, are like those of a corpse if they do not offer worship to Hari.
22. The eyes of men that do not gaze on the forms of Viṣṇu are like the eyes of a peacock’s plumage, and the feet that do not travel to the pilgrimage places of Hari are like [the roots] of the tree species.
23. A person who does not obtain the dust from the feet of Bhagavān is like a corpse, even though living, and a human being who has not experienced the smell of the tulasī plant from the feet of Viṣṇu is likewise a corpse even though capable of smelling.
24. That heart is made of stone, which, when hearing the name of Hari, does not produce bodily transformations such as tears in the eyes and the hair standing erect on the body.
25. Speak to us, dear Sūta, it is pleasing to the mind. Śuka, son of Vyāsa, is expert in the knowledge of the ātman and foremost of devotees. Tell us what he related to the king, when being questioned by him in such an exemplary fashion.”
Book II, Chapter 4
1. Sūta said:
“After hearing the words of Śuka, which contained clear truths about ultimate reality, Parīkṣit, son of Uttarā, fixed his undivided intelligence on Kṛṣṇa.
2. He abandoned the insidious attachment to his kingdom, which was being well managed, and to his friends, wealth, livestock, residence, wife, and his own body.
3. That high-minded one had faith in hearing about the activities of Kṛṣṇa, and asked this very same question that you have asked, O great saints.
4. After coming to know of his impending death, Parīkṣit renounced the threefold pursuits (dharma, duty; artha, prosperity; and kāma, enjoyment), and entered into a state of devotional absorption in Bhagavān Vāsudeva.”
5. The king said:
“You are an omniscient being, and your words are true, O brāhmaṇa. My ignorance is being dispelled as you narrate the stories of Hari.
6. I wish to know once again about how Bhagavān creates this universe by His personal māyā, which is so difficult to comprehend, even by the great lords of the celestials.
7. How does He maintain it and then again destroy it? How does that Supreme omnipresent Being, who possesses all power, harness His power, and then playfully engage in creation Himself, as well as enhance His creation through the play of others [such as Brahmā]?
8. There is no doubt, O brāhmaṇa, that the wondrous deeds of Bhagavān Hari appear difficult to comprehend, even by the sage poets. His feats are amazing,
9. How does He uphold the guṇas of prakṛti, both simultaneously and sequentially? Although He is One, He engages in activity through manifold incarnations.
10. Since your holiness is well-versed in the Vedic literature and in the Absolute Truth, please address this confusion that I have.”
[Here follows one of the Bhāgavata’s several sections on creation.]
The Tale and Teachings of Lord Brahmā: The Primordial Yogī
Yoga Blueprint
Brahmā is the creator of the universe, but a secondary creator, more like an engineer: he does not create the primordial matrix of prakṛti, which as we know is a śakti power of Kṛṣṇa, but is designated to create the forms of the universe from this preexisting stuff. He too is a mortal being with a finite life span. Known also as Hiraṇyagarbha, Brahmā is of interest for a number of reasons, one of which is that he is considered the primeval founder of yoga according to tradition,24 the primordial yogī. In this, he is associated with first imparting the practices in the original teachings known as the Hiraṇyagarbha Treatise (which is no longer extant but referred to in various texts).
The narrative here makes several important points. One important yogic message is that even Brahmā, the most intelligent being in the universe, is utterly incapable of perceiving or even understanding Viṣṇu. The limitations of even the most powerful intellect in understanding God is thereby delineated. It is only after he has performed the requisite austerities that Viṣṇu reveals Himself as well as Vaikuṇṭha, the Kingdom of God. The subtext here as everywhere else in the text, is that such a vision can never be attained by one’s own intellectual or even yogic prowess, but only by devotion (see also Gītā 11.54). However, while devotion is paramount and autonomous, Brahmā nonetheless had to perform intense austerities in order to gain this vision. Tapas, austerity, the first element in Patañjali’s kriyā yoga (II.1), is by no means jettisoned in bhakti.
This tale patches together two different narratives pertaining to Brahmā’s vision from two different books of the Bhāgavata.
Book II, Chapter 5
1. Nārada said:
“Homage to you, Brahmā, lord of the celestials! You are the firstborn being, and the progenitor of all other beings. Kindly explain to me the knowledge through which the ātman is revealed.
2. Please disclose the truth about this material reality. What is its form? What is its support? From what is it created, O master? On what is it resting? And what is beyond it?
3. After all, your Lordship knows everything, past, present, and future. You know this universe through direct realization, as if it were an āmalaka fruit in the palm of your hand, O master.
4. Through your own māyā power, you alone create the embodied living beings by means of the physical elements. But what is beyond you? What is your support? What is your true nature? And what is the source of your perception?
5. Like a spider, you create those beings without fatigue, but you yourself are not created by anyone else; you rest on your own potency.
6. I do not know from where else anything that has form and is nameable25 can be created, O master, whether it is an entity that is high or low, gross or subtle, or in between.
7. But yet you undertook that severe austerity (tapas) with extremely concentrated mind. Because of that you confuse us: you raise a great doubt in our minds as to whether you are in fact the Supreme Being.26
8. O omniscient lord of everything! Kindly explain everything that I have asked about so that I may understand by your instruction.”
9. Brahmā said:
“This inquiry of yours could not be better, O son! You are blessing me since I am now inspired to explain the glories of Bhagavān, O gentle one!
10. What you have said is correct, my child. Since your knowledge about me is limited, you do not know He who is greater than I.
11. I do illuminate the universe, but it has already been illuminated by His effulgence, just as the sun, fire, the moon, the constellations, the planets, and the stars are illuminated by Him.
12. Reverence to Bhagavān Vāsudeva [Kṛṣṇa]. It is because of His insurmountable māyā illusion that people call me the guru of the world; but the fact is that I myself meditate on Him.
13. People with less intelligence, who are bewildered by that māyā, think in terms of ‘I’ and ‘my.’27 But māyā herself is ashamed of presenting herself before Him.
14. There is no other thing in reality apart from Vāsudeva, O brāhmaṇa,28 whether in the form of substance, activity, Time, nature, or soul.29
15. The celestials are born from Nārāyaṇa’s body. The Vedas accept Nārāyaṇa as the supreme, the various worlds accept Nārāyaṇa as supreme, ritual sacrifices are offered to Nārāyaṇa as supreme.
16. Yoga is dedicated to Nārāyaṇa as supreme, tapas is devoted to Nārāyaṇa as supreme, knowledge accepts Nārāyaṇa as supreme, and the final destination of life is Nārāyaṇa as supreme.
17. I myself am created by Him, and then, directed by His glance, create the creation. He is the Seer, the Lord, the highest Truth, and the ātman of all.
18. Although He is transcendent to the guṇas, by His māyā potency, He has adopted the forms of the three guṇas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—for the purpose of maintenance, creation, and destruction, O great one.
19. The guṇas, which are the basis of material substances, knowledge, and action, continually bind the puruṣa in cause, effect, and agency.30 Although he is free, the puruṣa is subject to illusion.
20. He, Bhagavān Adhokṣaja [Lord Viṣṇu], is imperceptible because of these three guṇas. But he is my Īśvara as well as the Īśvara of all others, O brahmaṇa.”
[An account of creation follows, involving the Sāṅkhya metaphysical categories.]
Book II, Chapter 6
[A discussion of the Virāṭ Puruṣa opens this chapter. This involves a meditational form of Viṣṇu associating the limbs of God with various natural phenomenon such as the sun and moon.]
30. This universe is situated in Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa. Although He is beyond the guṇas (qualities) of prakṛti, He utilizes His own māyā for the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe. His qualities are wondrous.
31. It is under His appointment that I create the world, and it is under His control that Hara, Śiva, destroys it. He, the controller of the three guṇas, maintains it in the form of the great Puruṣa, Viṣṇu.
32. Thus I have explained to you, O son, about that which you inquired. There is no existent, moving or non-moving, other than Bhagavān.
33. Because I keep Hari fixed in my heart with great intensity, my words have never proved to be false, my dear Nārada, nor has any falsity ever entered my mind, nor have my senses ever fallen into unrighteous ways.
34. Although I am the keeper of sacred lore, and the embodiment of austerity (tapas), and although I am honored as the Lord of the progenitors (prajāpatis), and although I am immersed in the practice of yoga and have fully mastered that practice, yet I do not understand He from whom I myself am generated.
35. I offer homage to His feet—they are all auspicious, destroy saṁsāra, and bring all blessings to those who seek them. Even He cannot fathom the omnipotency of His own māyā—just like the sky cannot understand its own limit—so how can anyone else understand Him?!
36. Neither I, nor you, nor Śiva understands His real nature, what to speak of other celestials knowing it. Those of us whose intelligence is bewildered by His māyā perceive the composition of this world in accordance with our own perspectives.
37. We all glorify the deeds of His avatāras, but we do not understand Him in truth. Obeisance to Him, Bhagavān.
38. He is the original unborn Puruṣa. Every age (kalpa) he creates, maintains, and destroys Himself within Himself through Himself.31
39. He is pure autonomous knowledge, pervading everything completely. He is the complete Truth, nondual, transcendent to the guṇas, eternal, without beginning or end.
40. O sage! Whereas the wise, whose minds, senses, and body are controlled, realize Him, He becomes distorted by perverse argumentation, and disappears.
41. The first avatāra of the Supreme is the Puruṣa. He is Time, nature, the mind, cause and effect, material substance, the evolutes of prakṛti, the qualities of things, the senses, the Cosmic Being (Virāṭ32), self-luminous, and the aggregate of all moving and non-moving entities.
42.–44. I myself; Śiva; Viṣṇu; Dakṣa, and all the progenitors of created beings; others such as yourself; the rulers of the celestial realms; the rulers of the realms of accomplished siddhas who travel through the ether;33 the rulers of the realm of mortals; as well as those of the lower realms; the lords of the celestial gandharvas, vidyādharas, and cāraṇas;34 the lords of the yakṣas, rākṣasas, serpents, and nāga divine snakes;35 the best among the ṛṣi sages and forefathers; the chiefs among the daityas, dānavas, and siddhas; and others who are the foremost among the deceased spirits (pretas), evil beings (piśācas), ghosts, kūṣmāṇḍas, large aquatics, deer, and birds; in short, whatever in this world possesses supernormal qualities (bhaga),36 greatness, potency, fortitude, strength, compassion, beauty, modesty, power, intelligence, amazing color, with form or shapeless, is nothing other than that Ultimate Truth.
45. O sage! The scriptures describe the principal līlā-avatāras of the Puruṣa, who is the ground of all beings. I will narrate them to you. Relish them—they are wonderful, and evaporate all the impurities of the ears.
[A narration of the principal incarnations ensues.]
Book II, Chapter 9
1. Śrī Śuka said:
“O king! No actual connection can exist between the objects of the world and the conscious transcendent soul. It is only because of māyā (illusion) cast over the soul that this appears to occur. This is just like one who sees objects in a dream; [there is no actual connection between these objects and the dreamer].
2. The ātman appears to have many forms, by dint of māyā assuming many forms. Enjoying itself in the guṇas of māyā, it thinks: ‘I am’ and ‘This belongs to me.’
3. When, on the other hand, its illusion is dissipated, and the soul revels in its own magnificence, which is transcendent to Time and māyā, it is then able to renounce both Time and māyā and exist in its own autonomy.
4. Worshipped by Brahmā’s sincere vows, Bhagavān revealed His form to him. He then imparted divine Truth to him so as to remove all doubts about the reality of the ātman.
5. Brahmā, the first of the celestial gods and the foremost teacher of the world, sat on his seat and, with a desire to create, reflected [on how he might do so]. But he could not figure out the necessary means for creating the manifest universe.
6. One day, as he was deliberating in this way, the great Lord Brahmā heard a voice from the water below, which twice uttered two syllables. They consisted of the sixteenth (ta) and twenty-first (pa) letters of the Sanskrit alphabet: (i.e., tapas, austerity). This word is the wealth of the ascetics.
7. Upon hearing this, Brahmā looked all around, striving to see the speaker. Upon not seeing anyone else there, he got up from his seat, and decided that the voice had been for his benefit. So, taking this as if it were an instruction to perform tapas, he concentrated his mind.
8. Brahmā’s intuition was correct. With his breath and mind under control, and with both sets of senses37 restrained, he performed tapas for a thousand years. Brahmā, the greatest performer of tapas from all those who perform tapas, engaged in tapas, illuminating all the worlds.
9. Worshipped in this manner, Bhagavān revealed His personal abode to Brahmā. Extolled by men who have realized their own true selves, Vaikuṇṭha is the supreme place. There is nothing higher that exists. It is free of all suffering, illusion, and fear.
10. Rajas and tamas do not prevail there, nor sattva tinged by either of them. Time has no sway there, nor māyā—what then to speak of anything else! The attendants of Hari there are worshipped by both gods and demons.
11. These attendants have brilliant dark hues and lotus-petal eyes. They wear yellowish garments and have extremely attractive and beautiful forms. They are effulgent and decorated with the choicest ornaments and medallions of brilliant flawless gems. Their complexions are of coral, gems, or lotus fiber. They wear dazzling necklaces, crowns, and garlands.
12. Just as the sky is illuminated by rows of clouds filled with lightning, so Vaikuṇṭha shone forth, filled with rows of brilliant sparkling flying vehicles belonging to the great liberated souls accompanied by their lustrous female consorts.
13. There, the beautiful Goddess of Fortune, Śrī, offers devotion at the feet of Viṣṇu in various ways through Her potencies, as She reclines on a swing. She is singing of the deeds of Her beloved, as She Herself is glorified by the bees, the followers of Spring.
14. In Vaikuṇṭha, Brahmā saw Viṣṇu, Lord of the devotees, Lord of Śrī, Lord of sacrificial rituals, and Lord of the Universe. Viṣṇu, God Almighty, was being attended to by the most prominent of His associates: Sunanda, Nanda, Prabala, Arhaṇa, and others.
15. Viṣṇu was favoring His servants with kindness, and His glances were like intoxicating nectar. His face had reddish eyes, and bore a charming smile. He had four arms, and wore a helmet and earrings. He wore yellow garments, and bore the mark on His chest of Śrī, the Goddess of Fortune.38
16. The Supreme Being was seated on an invaluable throne, surrounded by His four, sixteen, and five śakti powers.39 He was endowed with His inherent opulences,40 which are only found in temporary form elsewhere. He was none other than Īśvara Himself, enjoying His divine abode.
17. Brahmā, the (secondary) creator of the universe, was overwhelmed inside with bliss at that sight. His body experienced ecstasy, and his eyes were brimming with tears of love. He offered obeisances to the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, in accordance with the practice followed by the great paramahaṁsa saints.41
18. The beloved Lord felt love toward His cherished Brahmā, who had approached Him expressing such loving feelings, and touched him with His hand, smiling gently. Brahmā was worthy of His personal direction in the creation of the species, and so Viṣṇu spoke with illuminating words to the great seer.
19. Śrī Bhagavān said:
‘O Brahmā, source of the Vedas! I am hardly satisfied by the tapas of false yogīs,42 but I am fully satisfied by your tapas, which you have performed for a long time with the desire to create.
20. Blessings upon you! Choose any desired boon from Me, the Lord of boons, O Brahmā! The perfection of human austerities culminates in a vision of Me.
21. After hearing that [voice], you performed tapas for a long time, so I wanted you to have a vision of My divine abode.
22. When you were bewildered as to how to perform your work, it was I who inspired you how to do so. Tapas is my heart, and I personally am the soul of tapas, O sinless one.
23. Tapas is very hard to perform! I create this universe by tapas, and then consume it again by tapas. I maintain the universe by tapas. My potency lies in tapas.’
24. Brahmā said:
‘O Bhagavān! You are seated in the heart (cave)43 of all beings, and are the supervisor of all beings. So You certainly see their desires with clear insight.
25. Therefore, O Lord, since I am a supplicant, please grant me that which I seek: I wish to know about both Your higher and lower forms, even though You are devoid of form!44
26. Invigorated by Your various potencies and through Your own yogamāyā, You create, support and destroy this universe in Your own self by means of Your self.
27. Your will is infallible. Like a spider [with its web], You surround Yourself [with Your powers].45 So please give me the intelligence to accomplish this matter [of creation], O Mādhava [Kṛṣṇa]!
28. Instructed by You, Bhagavān, I will act without laziness. By Your grace, although endeavoring in the act of creating the species, I will not be bound by the law of karma.46
29. You have treated me as a friend to another friend, O Lord! When I undertake the creation of species, I will divide creatures without any confusion, fixed in Your service. But, since I am renowned as “the unborn one,” let the madness of pride not arise within me.’
30. Śri Bhagavān replied:
‘Follow this knowledge that I have disclosed, along with its accessories (aṅga47), which bestows direct realization of the Truth. It is mystical and intimate knowledge.’
31. By My grace, I bestow upon you realized (perceived) knowledge of Truth, namely, My own self as I am, My states of being, and My forms, qualities, and activities.
[The following four verses are considered by certain commentators to contain the essential philosophy of the entire Bhāgavata Purāṇa and are known as the Catuḥ Ślokī, “four verses.”]
32. In the beginning [before creation], I alone existed—there was nothing else beyond, neither cause nor effect. After [creation], whatever exists is I, and after [annihilation] whatever remains is I.
33. One should know that things which have no objectivity are revealed or obscured within My own nature because of My māyā, just like light and darkness reveal and obscure things.
34. Just as the great elements [ether, air, fire, water, and earth] have both entered and not entered all beings, so I have also entered and not entered all beings.48
35. At least this much should be the object of inquiry concerning the ātman by means of reason and argument49 by a seeker of Truth: that it always exists everywhere.
36. Remain fixed in this knowledge by practicing the highest samādhi, and your good self will never be subject to illusion, age after age.”
37. Śrī Śuka said:
“After the immortal Lord Hari imparted these instructions to Brahmā, the most eminent among mortals, He withdrew His form, before Brahmā’s very eyes.
38. Brahmā offered his folded hands in homage to Hari, the object of the senses, who had disappeared. Being the repository of all living entities, Brahmā then engaged in the creation of this universe, as he had previously.
39. Once, Brahmā, the overseer of creation and of dharma, desiring the well-being of created beings, observed the yamas and niyamas,50 principles of yoga, with a desire to accomplish his purpose.
40.–41. O king! Nārada, always true to his vows, was the most beloved of Brahmā’s inheritors, and served him with his good disposition, humility, and discipline. Desiring to hear about the māyā of Viṣṇu, the Lord of māyā, the great bhāgavata sage pleased his father Brahmā.
42. When he saw that Brahmā, the great grandfather of all the worlds, was satisfied, Nārada, the celestial sage, inquired from him the same thing you are asking me.
43. Since Brahmā, the creator of beings, was pleased, he recited to his son Nārada this Bhāgavata Purāṇa, distinguished by ten defining characteristics.51 It had previously been spoken to him by Bhagavān.
44. Nārada recounted it to the supremely powerful sage Vyāsa on the banks of the Sarasvatī river, O king, as he was meditating on the supreme Brahman.
45. Since you have asked about how this world came from the cosmic Puruṣa, I will now thoroughly recount how this took place, along with answering other questions.”