Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 2 Chapter 2:1-9

Book 2: Chapter 2

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Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 2: Chapter 2: Verses 1-9
Concentration on the gross and subtle forms of the Lord and the two types of Mukti
(Liberation),viz. Kramamukti or gradual Liberation and Sadyomukti or immediate Liberation

Sri Suka continued : It was through such concentration that Brahma (the self-born) propitiated that Lord and got from Him at the dawn of creation the knowledge (about creation), which he had forgotten (during the last Pralaya or universal destruction). Having thus acquired unfailing vision and a conclusive understanding, he created this universe even as it existed before the universal dissolution. Such is the (alluring) method (of presentation) of the Vedas that the mind seeks gratification through empty names devoid of any corresponding reality. Expecting happiness in the world of Maya (illusion), the soul wanders (through the various realms comprised in this world) as though it were dreaming, but fails to derive real happiness there. Therefore, a wise man should have connection with the objects of enjoyment (which exist merely in name and have no abiding reality) only to the extent they are useful for maintaining the body. At the same time he should be convinced in his mind (about the emptiness of sensuous enjoyments) and should never commit the error of getting attached to them. And if such objects could be had otherwise (by force of Prarabdha or destiny as a matter of course), he should not strive for them, seeing that such an endeavour would entail (fruitless) labour. When the earth is there, what would be gained by taking pains for a bed? When nature has provided us with arms, what use have we for pillows ? When we can hold things in the hollow of our palms, what need is there for dishes and cups of various kinds ? And when there are the cardinal points,the barks of trees and so on (to cover our body with), of what avail are silken robes ? Are there no rags on the road (to wrap ourselves with) ? Do not trees, that live only to maintain others, give alms (in the shape of fruits, leaves and soon to the needy)? Have rivers dried up (for the man who needs water)? Have the mouths of mountain caves been blocked (against those who seek to use them as a shelter)? And (above all) does the supreme Lord Sri Hari deny protection to those who approach Him ? Wherefore (then) should the wise knock at the door of those who are blind with the pride of wealth ? Having thus determined his goal with a complacent mind, a man should adore the infinite and eternal Lord, residing in his very heart as his beloved Self, and as a self-evident Truth; for through His worship the seed of metempsychosis (in the shape of Ignorance ) ceases to be. Who else than beasts would desist from meditating on the Supreme and set his mind on the pleasures of sense even when he actually sees people fallen into the hellish river of mundane life and suffer the agonies brought by their own past actions ? Some people fix their mind, through meditation, on the Lord with four arms, bearing severally a lotus, a discus, a conch and a mace, and residing in the cavity of their heart within their own body in a form as big as in thumb in height. With a cheerful countenance and big lotus-like eyes He has a cloth, yellow as the filaments of a Kadamba flower, wrapped round His person, and is adorned with a pair of gold armlets studded with precious brilliant jewels, a crown and a pair of ear-rings inlaid with valuable radiant jewels.

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