Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 5 Chapter 18:11-20

Book 5: Chapter 18

Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 5: Chapter 18: Verses 11-20 A description of (the various Varsas) of the terrestrial globe continued Entering through the ears the mind of those who repeatedly listen to the purifying accounts of the exploits of Lord Visnu (the Bestower of Liberation)-which possess a unique glory of their own and which one getsto hear in the'company of such devotees-the birthless Lord takes away the impurities of their mind ! Who (then) would not resort to such devotees ? In (the heart of) a man who is blessed with exclusive devotion to the Lord permanently dwell the gods with all (their) virtues. (But) how can the qualities of exalted souls exist in him who, farfrom being a devotee of the Lord, runs after the illusory objects of senses under the impulse of desire ? As water is dear to the fish as their (very) life, Lord Sri Hari indeed is the (veritable) soul of all embodied beings ignoring Him, if a man, however great he may be, remains attached to his home, his greatness, then, is reduced to that type which couples claim in advanced age. Therefore, renouncing the home-which is the root avidity (the thirst for pleasures), attachment, grief, anger, pride, longing (for another's wife and wealth etc.), fear, wretchedness and mental anguish and, as such perpetuate the cycle of births and deaths-take refuge in the feet of Lord Nrsimha, the only safe retreat." A mystical syllable sacred to lord Nrsimha. So in Ketumalavarsa the Lord stays in the form of Kamadeva (Pradyumna) with intent to please Goddess Laksmi (His own divine consort) as well as the daughters (the female deities presiding over nights) and sons (the deities presiding over days)-the rulers of that Varsa--of Samvatsara (the deity presiding over a year, a Lord of created beings), (severally) numbering 36,000 (as many as there are days and nights comprising the full span of human life, viz., a hundred years). The embryos born in the womb of the former (the daughters of Samvatsara), whose mind gets frightened by the (dazzling) brilliance of the mighty weapon (the discus Sudarsana) of Lord Visnu (the supreme Person), perish at the end of a year and get discharged in a lifeless state. By the elegance of His lotus face, lovely with the shapely arches of His brows, which are slightly raised on account of His playful glances accompanied with a winsome smile-which in its turn is embellished with the charm of His highly graceful gait-He brings excessive joy to Goddess Rama (who is His other Self) and (thereby) delights His own senses. Accompanied by the daughters of Prajapati Samvatsara during nights and by their spouses (the deities presiding over days) during the daytime, Goddess Rama waits upon the aforesaid manifestation of the Lord, an embodiment of His own will (or creative energy), by recourse to supreme concentration of mind and repeats the following (prayer):- "Hram Hrim !! Hrum !!! Hail to Lord Hrsikesa (the Controller of the senses), denoted by the mystic syllable OM, distinguished by (all) extraordinary qualities, the Ruler of (all) the organs of action and the senses of perception, as well as of the (four) aspects of the internal senses (viz., the intellect, the ego, the understanding and the mind) including their functions and objects, who is manifested in the form of the sixteen limbs of a subtle body (viz., the mind and the ten indriyas and the five subtle elements), who is Veda personified, who in the form of food sustains the physical body, who is immortality (final beatitude) itself, nay, who is everything and who is the fountain of (all) strength•of mind, the potency of the Indriyas and physical strength. Hail to You, (our) beloved Lord, Love personified, both here and hereafter." "Women (maids) in this world desire (to obtain) another man as a husband by propitiating Yourself, the very Director of the senses, through sacred vows (of various kinds). They (the earthly husbands obtained by them) are surely unable to protect the beloved offspring, wealth and life of these women, since they (the husbands) are anything but independent (themselves). He alone is a master in the real sense, who has no fear from any quarter himself and is able to protect on all sides a person stricken with fear. You are the only lord (answering these qualifications),since You account no other joy higher than the realization of Your own blissful nature. Otherwise (if Your joy depended on others, You would be far from independent and in the event of there being a number of independent rulers) there would be fear from one another.