Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 3 Chapter 15:1-16

Book 3: Chapter 15

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Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 3: Chapter 15: Verses 1-16
Sanaka and his three brothers pronounce a curse against Jaya and Vijaya

Maitreya resumed : Apprehending trouble to the gods (at the hands of her expected sons), Diti retained (in her womb) for a hundred years the aforesaid seed of Kasyapa (a lord of created beings), which was powerful enough to put down the enemy's strength. (The brilliance of that) seed (though cabined in the womb) dimmed the light (of all the luminaries) in the world and the guardians of the various spheres too lost their splendour. They, therefore, complained to Brahma (the creator of the universe) about the spread of darkness in all directions. The gods said : You must be knowing, O lord, about this gloom, of which we are very much afraid. We are sure nothing is hidden from You inasmuch as the range of Your knowledge is unaffected by time. O god of gods, O Maker of the universe, O crest-jewel of the guardians of all spheres, You know the mind of all living beings, big and small. Hail, hail to You, whose strength is knowledge, and who have assumed this (four-faced) form as well as the quality of Rajas by Your own Maya (playful nature), Your cause being unknown. All the worlds are woven into You; nay, the whole of this universe, consisting of both cause and effect, is Your body. Really speaking, however, You are beyond all this. They who contemplate on You, the Creator of all Jivas, with exclusive devotion, having controlled their breath, senses and mind, and whose Yoga (effort at Self-Realization) has ripened cannot meet with discomfiture from any quarter since they have secured Your grace. Governed by Your word (the Vedas), even as oxen are controlled by a rope, all created beings bear offerings to You (by performing their respective duties) subject to Your control. Therefore, hail to You, the Chief Controller of all (even as the vital breath controls all the other organs of the body). People have failed to perform their duties because of this darkness (which has rendered it impossible for them to distinguish between night and day). Kindly do that which is good to them. And be pleased to regard us, who are in great affliction, with an eye expressing abundant compassion, O infinite Lord ! Enveloping all the quarters in darkness, the seed of Katyapa placed in Diti's womb is developing as fire thrown in a pile of firewood. Maitreya went on: Lord Brahma (the self-born), 0 mighty-armed Vidura, to whom the above prayer was addressed, laughed (at their rank ignorance in praying to him as if he were the Supreme Deity), and replied in sweet words to the great delight of the gods.Brahma said : My mind-born sons, Sanaka and his three brothers, who are the eldest of you all, went about the various worlds by air, free from attachment to them. Once upon a time they went to the realm, called Vaikuntha, of Lord Visnu (of irresistible might), whose mind and body are purely divine (free from the taint of Maya) in substance-a realm which is adored by (stands at the top of) all other realms. All the people living there are endowed with a form similar to that of Lord Vaikuntha (Visnu) Himself; and it is attained by those alone who have worshipped Sri Hari through the disinterested performance of their duty. There the most ancient Person (Lord Narayana), who can be known only through the Upanisads and who is righteousness personified, (eternally) dwells, having assumed a form which is made of Sattva unmixed with Rajas (i.e., Sattva which is purely immaterial or divine) and delighting us, His devotees. In that realm there is an orchard called Naihsreyasa, which is beatitude incarnate as it were, and which is resplendent with trees that yield all that is desired and are laden with fruits and flowers in every season.

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