|
Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 10: Chapter 48: Verses 25-36
Highly blessed indeed are our dwellings today, that You, 0 Lord who are above sense-perception, have visited-You, the well-known Father and Preceptor of the universe, manifested in the form of all the gods, manes, spirits and kings (the rulers of men)-the waters washing whose feet (under the name of the Ganga) sanctify (all) the three worlds. What wise man would seek as his protectoranyone otherthan You, who are (so) truthful of speech, friendly, grateful and loving to Your votaries, and who grant all the desires of a pure-hearted devotee, nay, bestow on him Your very Self, to which neither growth nor decay can be attributed. Luckily enough (for us), 0 Lord who are supplicated by (all) men, You have been perceived by us here (at our very house)-You, whose ways cannot be easily comprehended even by masters of Yoga (like Sanaka) and rulers of gods (like Indra). (Pray,) dispel atonce Your Maya (enchantment) in the shape of ties of attachment to our children, wife, wealth, relations, houses, body and so on."
Sri Suka continued : Thus honoured and glorified by His devotee, Lord Sri Hari smilingly replied to Akrura (as follows), enchanting him as it were by His (sweet and polite) words.
The glorious Lord said : You are our preceptor (counsellor) and uncle, nay, our praiseworthy friend. We ever deserve to be protected, nourished and treated with compassion by you, as a matter of fact, since we are your children. Highly blessed and most worthy souls like you deserve constantly to be adored (more than gods) by men seeking blessedness. Gods are (after all) actuated by self-interest (and are pleased with those. alone who offer oblations to them through the sacred fire); (but) not so the pious (who habitually do good to others without expecting any return from them). It is not that there are no purifying agencies (in the shape of rivers, lakes etc.), consisting of water and no deities (with a body) made of clay and stone. They (however) exert a purifying influence through a long process of time, whereas pious souls do so through their very sight. As such you are the foremost of our friends. Therefore, with intent to do a good turn to (my cousins) Yudhisthira and others (the sons of Pandu) proceed you to Hastinapura (the capital of the Kauravas, named after its founder, King Hasti) for making enquiries about them.
Brought (back from the forest where King Pandu lived) to his capital by the (blind) king (Dhrtarastra, their elder uncle, who had ascended the throne on the plea of his being the reversionary heir of Pandu), their father having died (the other day), the boys are living in a most miserable condition with their mother (Kunti, my aunt): so we have heard. Sure enough, the feeble-minded King Dhrtarastra (the son of Ambika), who is (at the same time) blind and follows the will of his vile son (Duryodhana), does not behave impartially towards his nephews. Go (therefore) and ascertain his behaviour (towards them) now-whether it is good or bad. Having definitely known it, we shall so arrange that the welfare of our relations (the Pandavas) may be ensured." Having thus duly instructed Akrura, the almighty Lord Sri Krsna (who alleviates the suffering of His devotees) then returned direct to His own residence alongwith Sahkarsana (Balarama) and Uddhava.
Thus ends the forty-eighth discourse in the first half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhagavata-Purana, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Samhita.
|
|
