Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 4 Chapter 15:15-26

Book 4: Chapter 15

Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 4: Chapter 15: Verses 15-26 Descent and coronation of king Prthu The god of the winds gave him two fans made of the tuft of hair (on the tail of wild cows). The god of virtue came with the present of a garland of flowers, the very embodiment of celebrity. Indra (the king of heaven) came to present him with an excellent crown and the god of mortality and moral control honoured him with a sceptre by which to control all. Brahma (the lord of creation) brought for him an armour representing Veda (all-comprehensive knowledge) and the goddess of learning, a necklace of unique make. Sri Hari (the Supreme Lord divine) gave him His divine Disc bearing the name of Sudarsana; and His Consort, the goddess of wealth, beauty and bliss, favoured him with never failing prosperity. The great god whose function is to destroy and absorb the world at the end honoured him with a broad sword bearing ten brilliant marks of the moon and his consort, Durga, with a shield bearing one hundred marks of the moon. The moon, the deity presiding over the lunar sphere, brought him immortal horses made of the substance of nectar. An exceedingly beautiful chariot was given him by Twasta (a radiant agent of the sun-god). The god of fire gave him a bow made of the horns of the goat and the cow and the sun-god gave him arrows shining like his rays. The goddess of the earth brought for him a pair of wooden sandals possessing the mysterious power of carrying him, as soon as he placed his feet upon them, wherever he should want to go. The goddess of the celestial regions gave him the privilege of getting celestial flowers everyday. The sky-ranging spirits imparted to him the arts of acting and dancing, music, vocal and instrumental, and the occult way of disappearance. The sages and seers brought for him blessings that were sure to come true; and the deity of the ocean brought for him a conch that was his own progeny. Seas, mountains and rivers offered to allow passages for his chariot. Then a herald, a bard and a panegyrist started singing songs of praise to the mighty monarch. When Prthu, the powerful king, the offspring of Vena, came to know that they had come to praise him, he smiled and made these utterances with a voice as deep as the thunder of clouds. Prthu said : O you noble minstrel, herald and singer of praises ! praises may be due to me when my virtues (performances) will be known among men. Where is the ground at present for praises being addressed to me? It is not desirable that your eulogies should prove untrue in my case. Therefore, at some future date, when we attain distinctions worthy of being heard and spoken of, you, who are masters of fine expressions, may praise us to your heart's fill. Respectable persons do not let minstrels extol ordinary men (like me) of the recent times, it being open to them to glorify the greatness of God, whose shining attributes no darkness can touch. (If you urge that it is possible for me to prove the existence of such and such virtues in my conduct and therefore you should extol me for the same. I do not fall in with your view.) Who would have himself extolled by bards for the qualities which are non-existent in him, even though he may be able to manifest remarkable virtues in himself ? Such and such qualities, it may be urged, are likely to fall to his lot. But to get oneself praised thus on mere possibilities is to be an object of peoples' ridicule. A fool, however, will not understand this banter. Noble-minded persons shrink from their own praise even when they are praised for qualities confirmed by conduct and known to all, just as those who are truly modest and supremely generous do not appreciate sincere praise for any reproachful show of valour. As for ourselves, O (noble) bard, we are yet unknown in the world. Hence we find no reason to get ourselves celebrated by songs of praise for greatest performances. Such self-proclamation is only worthy of a child. Thus ends the fifteenth discourse, forming part of the Narrative of king Prthu, in Book Four of the great and glorious Bhagavata-Purana, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Samhita.