Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 4 Chapter 20:1-15

Book 4: Chapter 20

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Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 4: Chapter 20: Verses 1-15
Lord Visnu manifests Himself in the sacrificial half of king Prthu

Maitreya resumed : Pleased with the sacrifices (of king Prthu), the all-pervading Lord Vaikuntha (Visnu), the Enjoyer and Dispenser of the fruit of sacrifices, too, (appeared on the scene) with Indra and addressed the king (as follows). The Lord said.: This Indra has interfered with your (vow of) performing a hundred horse-sacrifices. As he (now) tenders his apology (to you), you will be well advised to grant him pardon. Those pious souls in this world, 0 ruler of men, who are possessed of good understanding and are the best among men bear no ill-will against their fellow-beings, as (they know that) the body is not their self. If even people like you are bewildered by My (divine) Maya (deluding potency), services rendered to the elderly (in point of wisdom) for a long time should be regarded as sheer fruitless labour. Hence the awakened soul who knows this body to be a product of ignorance (about one's own self), desire and action never gets attached to it. Having no attachment to this body, what wise man would entertain a feeling of mineness with regard to the house, progeny or wealth, produced by that body ? The Self referred to (in verse 3 above) is one without change, pure (untainted by Maya), self-effulgent, beyond the three Gunas (modes of Prakrti), the substratum of divine attributes, all-pervading, unveiled, the witness (of all), having no other soul and distinct from the body. The man who knows the Self, existing in the body, as described above is never tainted by the modes of Prakrti, though abiding in Prakrti, established as he is in Me (the supreme Spirit). The mind of the man who daily worships Me with reverence through (the performance of) his own duty (as enjoined by the Sastras), expecting nothing (from Me), is gradually purified, O king ! He whose mind is purified dissociates himself from the world of matter and, attaining true wisdom, enjoys (eternal) peace, which is the same as My equipoised state and is also known by the name of Brahma (the Absolute) or final beatitude. He who knows this immutable Self as if it were unconcerned, though presiding over the body, the senses of perception, the organs of action and the mind, attains blessedness. Transmigration takes place only of the subtle body--which is made of the five subtle elements, the senses and the deities presiding over the same and a reflection of the Spirit-and which is distinct from the Spirit. Enlightened souls who have conceived a strong attachment to Me never give way to the morbid feelings of joy and grief, when they meet with affluent or adverse circumstances. Viewing the exalted, the middling and the vile alike and balanced in joy and sorrow, and having conquered the senses and the mind (therefore), 0 valiant monarch, protect all the worlds with the help and co-operation of all the people (ministers and others) made available by Me. Protection of the people is the only way to the salvation of a ruler ; for thereby he gains hereafter one-sixth of the merit (earned by the people); while he, on the other hand, who fails to protect the people and yet levies taxes on them, forfeits his merits and eats sin. Thus, mainly devoted to the sacred duties approved of by the foremost Brahmanas and enjoined by tradition, though unattached to them, and ruling over the earth (with righteousness) you will win the love and devotion of the people and in a short time you will be able to see the perfect ones (Sanaka and others), who will call on you at your own house.

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