Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 8 Chapter 3:1-11

Book 8: Chapter 3

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Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 8: Chapter 3: Verses 1-11
The leader of the elephants extols the Lord and is rescued from the dangerous situation

Sri Suka resumed: Having thus resolved by force of reason and steadied the mind in the region of the heart, the king of elephants proceeded (mentally) to repeat the (following) excellent prayer(worth repeating again and again), learnt by heart in its previous incarnation (as king Indradyumna)[1]The king of elephants (mentally) prayed: We mentally offer (our) salutation to that all-powerful supreme Lord-denoted by the mystical syllable Om-because of whom (animated by whom) this (psycho-physical) organism appears as conscious and who enters the (various) bodies (as their causes) in the shape of Prakrti (primordial Matter) and Purusa (the Spirit). I (mentally) approach(for protection) that self- existent Lord in whom (as its ground) this universe rests, from whom it has emanated, by whom and by whose instrumentality it is brought into existence, (nay,) who Himself constitutes this universe, and (yet) who is beyond this phenomenal existence as well as its unmanifest Cause (Prakrti). May that self-revealed Lord protect me-He who transcends (reveals) even the revealing agencies (the eye, mind and so on), and who because of His unobstructed vision regards as a (disinterested) witness this aforesaid universe, projected (evolved) in His own Self by His creative energy, both when sometimes (at the time of creation) it becomes manifest, and when at other times it likewise gets screened from view (at the time of dissolution being merged in Prakrti). (At the time of final dissolution) when (all) the (fourteen)[2] spheres and (the bodies of) their guardians ( Brahma and others) are reduced to the state of (their causes,) the five (gross) elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether) and all the causes (viz., the five gross elements, the five subtle elements, the five senses of perception, the five organs of action, the mind, the ego and the Mahat-tattva or the principle of Cosmic Intelligence) get dissolved (into their ultimate Cause, Prakrti or primordial Matter) by lapse of time (to the extent of two Parardhas, the lifetime of a Brahma), impenetrable (incomprehensible) and fathomless darkness (ignorance in the shape of the Unmanifest) prevails at that time.

May that all-pervading Lord protect me, who sheds His lustre all round (even) beyond that darkness, nay, whose reality (even) gods and seers cannot comprehend-any more than an ordinary spectator can discover the identity of an actor acting differently in diverse appearances-much less can any(other ordinary and ignorant) creature know or describe it, His course of conduct being hard to fathom. He alone is my refuge, whose most auspicious nature (even) contemplative souls that have completely shaken off (all) attachment and are identified with, and benevolently disposed towards, (all) created beings and exceedingly pious (in character) are eager to perceive, for which they scrupulously observe in the woods (away from the bustle of worldly life) sacred vows (of continence etc.), beyond the capacity of ordinary people. Hail, hail to that all perfect supreme Lord of infinite potencies and wonderful activity, devoid of form, yet possessed of innumerable forms, for whom there is neither birth (brought about by past Karma) nor actions (inspired by the sense of doership), neither name nor form (when He is conceived of as devoid of attributes), and in whom there is neither merit nor demerit, nevertheless who assumes (all) these from time to time (according to the exigencies of time) by His own Maya (will-power) for the destruction and creation of the world. Salutations to the supreme Spirit who is revealed by His own Self (requires no other light to reveal Himself) and stands as the witness (of all) ! Greetings to Him who is entirely beyond (the ken of) speech and mind and the (diverse) faculties of mind !I (My) bow to Him who is attainable by a wise man through purity of mind acquired by means of cessation from worldly activity (and by means of devotional practices), who is the Lord (Bestower) of final beatitude and (also) constitutes the realization of the bliss of final beatitude.

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References

  1. Vide Discourse IV.
  2. The fourteen worlds comprise the seven higherworlds, viz., (1) Bhurloka (the earth); (2) Bhuvarloka (the space between the earth and the sun, inhabited by Munis, Siddhas and so on); (3) Swarloka (Indra's heaven above the sun or between the sun and the pole-star); (4) Maharloka(a region above the pole-star and inhabited by Bhrgu and the other sages who survive the .destruction of the three lower worlds); (5) Janaloka (inhabited by the sage Sanaka and his three brothers-Sanandana. Sanatana and Sanatkumara); (6) Tapoloka (inhabited by ascetic sages) and (7) Brahmaloka (the realm of Brahma, the creator, ascent to which exempts one from rebirth); and the seven lower worlds called in the order of their descent below the earth as (1) Atala, (2) Vitala, (3)Sutala, (4)Talatala, (5)Mahatala, (6)Rasatala and (7) Patala, which have already been described in detail in Book V (Discourse 24).

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