Bhagavatapurana 4.8: athāṣṭamo'dhyāyaḥ

4.8.1

/0 maitreya uvāca
sanakādyā nāradaś ca ṛbhur haṃso 'ruṇir yatiḥ /
naite gṛhān brahma-sutā hy āvasann ūrdhva-retasaḥ //

Maitreya said:
Sanaka and the others, Nārada, Ṛbhu, Haṃsa, Āruṇi, and Yati— / these sons of Brahmā, being chaste ascetics, did not live as householders.

1. Maitreya said:—Saunaka and others, Nārada and Ribhu, Hamsa, Āruni and Yati—all these sons of Brahma remained in celibacy without taking up the householder's life.

4.8.2

mṛṣādharmasya bhāryāsīd dambhaṃ māyāṃ ca śatru-han /
asūta mithunaṃ tat tu nirṛtir jagṛhe 'prajaḥ //

Mṛṣā was the wife of Adharma, O slayer of foes, and she bore / two twins: Dambha and Māyā; but childless Nirṛti adopted them.

2. Adharma (unrighteousness) had Mrishā (falsehood) for his wife and, O vanquisher of enemies, he had a son, (called)

Dambha (Hypocrisy) and a daughter (called) Māyā (Illusion), and Nirriti who was childless adopted the twain as his own.

4.8.3

tayoḥ samabhaval lobho nikṛtiś ca mahā-mate /
tābhyāṃ krodhaś ca hiṃsā ca yad duruktiḥ svasā kaliḥ //

From them arose Greed and Deceit, O highly intelligent one; / from those two came Wrath and Violence, whose sister was Foul Speech, and Kali.

3. Of these were born Lobha and Nikriti, O one of great wisdom; and, of these latter were born Krodha and Himsā; and of these again Kali and his sister Durukti.

4.8.4

duruktau kalir ādhatta bhayaṃ mṛtyuṃ ca sattama /
tayoś ca mithunaṃ jajñe yātanā nirayas tathā //

Upon Durukti, Kali begot Bhaya and Mṛtyu, O best of the virtuous; / and of those two was born a twin pair: Yātanā as well as Niraya.

4. O foremost one among the righteous, Kali begot Bhaya and Mrityu on Durukti; and of these were born a couple, *viz.*, Yātanā and Niraya.

4.8.5

saṅgraheṇa mayākhyātaḥ pratisargas tavānagha /
triḥ śrutvaitat pumān puṇyaṃ vidhunoty ātmano malam //

In brief have I recounted secondary creation to you, O sinless one. / Hearing this purifying [account] three times, a man shakes off the impurity of his self.

5. O sinless one, thus briefly have I described to thee the secondary creation or the creation of the causes of Pralaya; (on) having thrice heard this sacred account, man shakes off the impurity in his mind.

4.8.6

athātaḥ kīrtaye vaṃśaṃ puṇya-kīrteḥ kurūdvaha /
svāyambhuvasyāpi manor harer aṃśāṃśa-janmanaḥ //

From here onward, therefore, I shall glorify the lineage of Manu Svāyambhuva of purifying renown, / O upholder of the Kurus, who was born from a part of a part of Hari.

6. O foremost one among the Kurus, next I will usefully describe the race of the Swāyambhuva Manu, of hallowed reputation and born of an *amsa* of Hari’s *amsa* (Brahma).

4.8.7

priyavratottānapādau śatarūpā-pateḥ sutau /
vāsudevasya kalayā rakṣāyāṃ jagataḥ sthitau //

Priyavrata and Uttānapāda were the sons of the lord of Śatarūpā; / by a portion of Vāsudeva, they stood for the protection of the world.

7. Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, the two sons of Manu, the lord of Śatarūpa, imbued with an *amsa* of the glorious Lord Vāsudēva were engaged in the protection of the world.

4.8.8

jāye uttānapādasya sunītiḥ surucis tayoḥ /
suruciḥ preyasī patyur netarā yat-suto dhruvaḥ //

Two were the wives of Uttānapāda: Sunīti and Suruci. / Of the two, Suruci was the favorite of her husband, not the other, whose son was Dhruva.

8. Uttānapāda had two wives Suniti and Suruchi; and (of the two) Suruchi was more beloved of her lord; (but) not the other whose son was Dhruva.

4.8.9

ekadā suruceḥ putram aṅkam āropya lālayan /
uttamaṃ nārurukṣantaṃ dhruvaṃ rājābhyanandata //

Once, placing Suruci's son upon his lap and caressing him, / the king did not welcome Dhruva, [Uttama's brother,] who wished to climb up.

9. On a certain day the king was fondling Uttama, the child of Suruchi on his lap and did not like Dhruva who came to climb up to his lap.

4.8.10

tathā cikīrṣamāṇaṃ taṃ sapatnyās tanayaṃ dhruvam /
suruciḥ śṛṇvato rājñaḥ serṣyam āhātigarvitā //

Seeing Dhruva, the son of her co-wife, wishing to do so, / Suruci, excessively proud, spoke jealously in the hearing of the king:

10. To the child Dhruva, the son of her co-wife, trying to do so, Suruchi, being rather proud, jealously said (as follows), the king listening to it:—

4.8.11

na vatsa nṛpater dhiṣṇyaṃ bhavān āroḍhum arhati /
na gṛhīto mayā yat tvaṃ kukṣāv api nṛpātmajaḥ //

“You do not deserve, my child, to mount the king’s seat; / for you were not borne in my womb, though you are the king's son.

11. Child, thou art not fit to ascend the throne of the king, for thou wast not in my womb, though thou art the king’s son.

4.8.12

bālo 'si bata nātmānam anya-strī-garbha-sambhṛtam /
nūnaṃ veda bhavān yasya durlabhe 'rthe manorathaḥ //

Alas, you are a boy; you surely do not know yourself / as born of the womb of another woman, you whose wish is for an object hard to attain.

12. Pity, thou art a child and truly thou dost not know thyself as born of another woman’s womb (and) cherishest a desire for an unattainable thing. 13. Propitiate the Perfect Person, and by means of Tapas and only by His favour bring yourself into my womb (try to be born of me if you desire the king's throne.

4.8.13

tapasārādhya puruṣaṃ tasyaivānugraheṇa me /
garbhe tvaṃ sādhayātmānaṃ yadīcchasi nṛpāsanam //

Having propitiated the Puruṣa by ascetic penance, only by His favor / prepare yourself in my womb, if you desire the king’s throne.”

4.8.14

/0 maitreya uvāca
mātuḥ sapatnyāḥ sa durukti-viddhaḥ śvasan ruṣā daṇḍa-hato yathāhiḥ /
hitvā miṣantaṃ pitaraṃ sanna-vācaṃ jagāma mātuḥ prarudan sakāśam //

Maitreya said: / Pierced by his stepmother's harsh words, hissing with anger like a snake struck by a stick, / leaving behind his father who watched in silence, he went weeping to his mother.

14. Maitreya said:—Stung with the harsh words of his step-mother, sighing in anger like a serpent beaten with a club, and getting away from the father who was blinking tongue-tied, he went away crying to his mother.

4.8.15

taṃ niḥśvasantaṃ sphuritādharoṣṭhaṃ sunītir utsaṅga udūhya bālam /
niśamya tat-paura-mukhān nitāntaṃ sā vivyathe yad gaditaṃ sapatnyā //

Sunīti, lifting onto her lap that child who was sighing with trembling lower lip, / and hearing fully from the mouths of the courtiers what had been spoken by her co-wife, felt deep anguish.

15. Sunīti took on to her lap the child that came sighing violently with quivering lips, and (on hearing) from the inmates of the palace what her rival had said, she was sorely distressed.

4.8.16

sotsṛjya dhairyaṃ vilalāpa śoka- dāvāgninā dāva-lateva bālā /
vākyaṃ sapatnyāḥ smaratī saroja- śriyā dṛśā bāṣpa-kalām uvāha //

Losing her fortitude, the young woman lamented like a forest vine in a forest fire; / remembering the words of her co-wife, her eyes radiant as lotuses poured forth a stream of tears.

16. She (the young queen) lost heart and bitterly bewailed herself on account of her burning grief, (drooping) like a creeper in a forest fire; as she remembered the words of her rival, her brilliant lotuslike eyes were filled with tears.

4.8.17

dīrghaṃ śvasantī vṛjinasya pāram apaśyatī bālakam āha bālā /
māmaṅgalaṃ tāta pareṣu maṃsthā bhuṅkte jano yat para-duḥkhadas tat //

Sighing deeply, seeing no end to her misfortune, the young woman said to her boy: / “Do not wish misfortune upon others, child; a person experiences whatever sorrow he gives to another.

17. Heaving long sighs and not seeing a way out of grief, the young queen said to the child do not find fault with others, since a creature eats (experiences) (in its turn) only the grief which it has caused to others.

4.8.18

satyaṃ surucyābhihitaṃ bhavān me yad durbhagāyā udare gṛhītaḥ /
stanyena vṛddhaś ca vilajjate yāṃ bhāryeti vā voḍhum iḍaspatir mām //

What Suruci has spoken is true: you were conceived in the belly of me, an unfortunate woman, / and raised on the breast-milk [of one] whom the lord of the earth is ashamed to take as his wife.

18. "What Suruchi said is true, thou wast borne in the womb of my unfortunate self whom the lord of the earth is ashamed to call his wife, and thou hast been bred with my milk.

4.8.19

ātiṣṭha tat tāta vimatsaras tvam uktaṃ samātrāpi yad avyalīkam /
ārādhayādhokṣaja-pāda-padmaṃ yadīcchase 'dhyāsanam uttamo yathā //

Abide then, child, free from malice, by what was spoken without falsehood even by your stepmother; / propitiate the lotus feet of Adhokṣaja if you desire a seat like Uttama.

19. "My child, untouched by envy, do thou resort to that course which has been truly pointed out by her, step-mother as she is; worship the feet of Adhokshaja if thou, like Uttama, aspirest to the high seat (throne).

4.8.20

yasyāṅghri-padmaṃ paricarya viśva- vibhāvanāyātta-guṇābhipatteḥ /
ajo 'dhyatiṣṭhat khalu pārameṣṭhyaṃ padaṃ jitātma-śvasanābhivandyam //

By serving whose lotus feet, having assumed the properties of nature for the world's manifestation, / the Unborn One indeed attained the supreme station of Brahmā, worshipful by those who have conquered the self and the breath.

20. Adhokshaja who has assumed the Satva guna for the protection of the Universe and by worshipping whose lotus-like feet bowed to by those that have controlled their mind and breath Brahma has obtained the position of Parameshṭhin (the highest place among the gods).

4.8.21

tathā manur vo bhagavān pitāmaho yam eka-matyā puru-dakṣiṇair makhaiḥ /
iṣṭvābhipede duravāpam anyato bhaumaṃ sukhaṃ divyam athāpavargyam //

Likewise, your grandfather, the venerable Manu, having worshipped Him with one-pointed mind / through sacrifices with plentiful priestly gifts, attained earthly, celestial, and liberating happiness, hard to achieve elsewhere.

Verse 20. आत्तगुणाभिपत्तेः V Of the Lord who has assumed a form which is the abode of all the auspicious and excellent qualities. विश्वविभावनाव D. For the purpose of the various courses of creation आत्तगुणाभिपत्तेः D. Of the Lord in whom perfect wisdom and other qualities are admitted to exist. D. Takes जितात्मा-as a separate word and श्वसनाभिवंद्यं Brahma fit to be resorted to and worshipped by Vayu too. 21. Likewise, the glorious Manu, your (thy) grandfather believing in the (one) Lord who is the one Antaryāmin of all, propitiated Him with sacrifices of liberal Dakshinās and attained the happiness (of being an emperor) on earth and that in heaven, as Moksha (final beatitude) which cannot be obtained from any other.

4.8.22

tam eva vatsāśraya bhṛtya-vatsalaṃ mumukṣubhir mṛgya-padābja-paddhatim /
ananya-bhāve nija-dharma-bhāvite manasy avasthāpya bhajasva pūruṣam //

Take refuge only in Him, my child, who is affectionate to His servants, whose lotus-foot path is sought by seekers of liberation; / fixing Him in a mind focused on nothing else and purified by one's own dharma, worship the Puruṣa.

22. My child, take shelter only under Him who is kind to His votaries, and access to whose lotus-like feet is sought after by those that seek Moksha (release); worship the Perfect Person, securing Him in thy mind full of unswerving devotion and purified by thine own righteous duties.

4.8.23

nānyaṃ tataḥ padma-palāśa-locanād duḥkha-cchidaṃ te mṛgayāmi kañcana /
yo mṛgyate hasta-gṛhīta-padmayā śriyetarair aṅga vimṛgyamāṇayā //

Other than that lotus-petal-eyed Lord, I see no destroyer of your grief, / who is sought after by Śrī holding a lotus in her hand, even though she is sought after by others, my dear.”

23. O my child, (in all my enquiries) I find there is none other than the Lord of lotus-like eyes who could redress our grief and who is sought by Sri (Lakshmi) holding a lotus in her hand, who herself is sought by (all) others.

4.8.24

/0 maitreya uvāca
evaṃ sañjalpitaṃ mātur ākarṇyārthāgamaṃ vacaḥ /
sanniyamyātmanātmānaṃ niścakrāma pituḥ purāt //

Maitreya said: / Having heard these words spoken by his mother, which were full of meaning, / he restrained himself by his own resolve and departed from his father’s city.

24. Maitreya said:—On hearing the words thus spoken out of grief by his mother—the words which pointed to the source of (the highest) purpose, he controlled his mind by (the force of) his will and departed from the city of his father.

4.8.25

nāradas tad upākarṇya jñātvā tasya cikīrṣitam /
spṛṣṭvā mūrdhany agha-ghnena pāṇinā prāha vismitaḥ //

Nārada, having heard of that and knowing what he intended to do, / touched his head with his sin-destroying hand and, amazed, said:

25. On hearing of it and knowing what he (the child) desired to do, Nārada touched his head with his purifying hand, and wondering said (as follows):—

4.8.26

aho tejaḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ māna-bhaṅgam amṛṣyatām /
bālo 'py ayaṃ hṛdā dhatte yat samātur asad-vacaḥ //

“Oh, the fiery spirit of Kṣatriyas who cannot tolerate an injury to their honor! / Even though a child, he takes to heart the unkind words of his stepmother.”

26. Wonderful indeed is the spirit of Kshatriyas who can-not bear the loss of respect! Child as he is, he takes to heart the wicked words of his step-mother.

4.8.27

/0 nārada uvāca
nādhunāpy avamānaṃ te sammānaṃ vāpi putraka /
lakṣayāmaḥ kumārasya saktasya krīḍanādiṣu //

Nārada said: / “Even now, my little boy, we see no cause for disrespect / or respect in a child who is attached to play and the like.

27. Nārada said:—(So soon) we do not see, O child, what honour means at this young age to thee who art but a child naturally fond of play and the like.

4.8.28

vikalpe vidyamāne 'pi na hy asantoṣa-hetavaḥ /
puṃso moham ṛte bhinnā yal loke nija-karmabhiḥ //

Though differences exist, there are no causes of discontent / for a person except delusion, since in this world [circumstances vary] according to one's own actions.

28. Though there is the distinction (of honour and dishonour) there are no real causes for dissatisfaction on the part of man, other than misapprehension; for in the world creatures differ only by their own Karma.

4.8.29

parituṣyet tatas tāta tāvan-mātreṇa pūruṣaḥ /
daivopasāditaṃ yāvad vīkṣyeśvara-gatiṃ budhaḥ //

Therefore, child, a wise man should be content with just so much / as is brought about by fate, beholding the course of the Lord.

29. O child, a wise man perceiving the way of the Lord should be perfectly satisfied only with what is placed within his reach by the Deity.

4.8.30

atha mātropadiṣṭena yogenāvarurutsasi /
yat-prasādaṃ sa vai puṃsāṃ durārādhyo mato mama //

Furthermore, through the yoga taught by your mother, you seek to attain / His grace, but He is indeed considered by me difficult for men to propitiate.

30. I consider that He whose grace thou desirest to secure by means of the yoga (course) indicated by thy mother, is one hard to be pleased by men.

4.8.31

munayaḥ padavīṃ yasya niḥsaṅgenoru-janmabhiḥ /
na vidur mṛgayanto 'pi tīvra-yoga-samādhinā //

Sages, even seeking His path through fierce absorption in yoga, / free from attachment through numerous births, did not find it.

31. The sages who have been in search of Him through many lives by means of austere yoga and meditation free from all attachments have not (as yet) known His way.

4.8.32

ato nivartatām eṣa nirbandhas tava niṣphalaḥ /
yatiṣyati bhavān kāle śreyasāṃ samupasthite //

Therefore let this fruitless insistence of yours cease; / you will strive for your highest good when the proper time has arrived.

32. Therefore, let this futile resolve of thine be given up; when the tide of prosperity comes, thou wilt make thy endeavours.

4.8.33

yasya yad daiva-vihitaṃ sa tena sukha-duḥkhayoḥ /
ātmānaṃ toṣayan dehī tamasaḥ pāram ṛcchati //

A person who satisfies himself in pleasure and pain with whatever is ordained for him by fate, / crosses over to the other shore of darkness.

33. He, the embodied being, who is contented with what the Deity allots to him as happiness and misery, attains to the shore beyond (emerges from) darkness, *i.e.* to Moksha.

4.8.34

guṇādhikān mudaṃ lipsed anukrośaṃ guṇādhamāt /
maitrīṃ samānād anvicchen na tāpair abhibhūyate //

One should seek joy with those who are superior in virtues, compassion toward the inferior in virtues, / and friendship with equals; thus one is not overcome by afflictions.”

34. A man ought to be pleased with one who is his superior by qualities and learn to have pity for one who is his

inferior, and seek friendship with one who is his equal; (and that man) is not overwhelmed (distressed) with (afflictions).

4.8.35

/0 dhruva uvāca
so 'yaṃ śamo bhagavatā sukha-duḥkha-hatātmanām /
darśitaḥ kṛpayā puṃsāṃ durdarśo 'smad-vidhais tu yaḥ //

Dhruva said: / “This peace, which is difficult to perceive for people like us / whose minds are stricken by pleasure and pain, has been shown out of compassion by your lordship.

35. Dhruva said:—To us who are stricken with pleasure and pain, this (path of) tranquillity has been graciously shown by thy worshipful self who is not easily seen by creatures like me.

4.8.36

athāpi me 'vinītasya kṣāttraṃ ghoram upeyuṣaḥ /
surucyā durvaco-bāṇair na bhinne śrayate hṛdi //

Yet, in me who am undisciplined and have inherited the fierce nature of a Kṣatriya, / it finds no resting place in a heart pierced by the arrow-like harsh words of Suruci.

36. But in the heart of myself born with this bad Kshatriya spirit and destitute of good training—in my heart which is shattered by the sharp arrow-like words of Suruchi, thy precept does not find a place.

4.8.37

padaṃ tri-bhuvanotkṛṣṭaṃ jigīṣoḥ sādhu vartma me /
brūhy asmat-pitṛbhir brahmann anyair apy anadhiṣṭhitam //

Describe to me, O brāhmaṇa, the virtuous path, for I desire to conquer a position / supreme in the three worlds, one not occupied even by my ancestors or anyone else.

37. O divine sage, tell me of that excellent path which was never before trodden by my ancestors or others—me who am (so) anxious to attain to the most exalted place in all the three worlds.

4.8.38

nūnaṃ bhavān bhagavato yo 'ṅgajaḥ parameṣṭhinaḥ /
vitudann aṭate vīṇāṃ hitāya jagato 'rkavat //

Surely, you, who are the son born of the venerable Brahmā, / wander striking your vīṇā for the benefit of the world, like the sun.”

38. Really thou, born of the glorious Brahma, playing upon thy Veena, roamest, of thine own accord, like the sun for the good of the world.

4.8.39

/0 maitreya uvāca
ity udāhṛtam ākarṇya bhagavān nāradas tadā /
prītaḥ pratyāha taṃ bālaṃ sad-vākyam anukampayā //

Maitreya said: / Hearing what was spoken thus, the venerable Nārada then, / pleased, spoke good words to that boy out of compassion.

39. Maitreya said:—On hearing the admirable reply of the child the worshipful Nārada was pleased with it and, out of compassion, spoke these good words to the boy.

4.8.40

/0 nārada uvāca
jananyābhihitaḥ panthāḥ sa vai niḥśreyasasya te /
bhagavān vāsudevas taṃ bhaja taṃ pravaṇātmanā //

Nārada said: / “The path indicated by your mother is indeed for your ultimate good; / that Lord is Vāsudeva—worship Him with an undivided mind.

40. Nārada said:—The course pointed out by thy mother is the one that leads to the highest objects, and that is no other than the glorious Vasudeva, and do thou worship Him with a mind completely devoted to Him.

4.8.41

dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣākhyaṃ ya icchec chreya ātmanaḥ /
ekaṃ hy eva hares tatra kāraṇaṃ pāda-sevanam //

Whoever desires the welfare of the self, termed dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation— / the one cause in that regard is the service of the feet of Hari.

41. If any one desires good to himself in the form of Dharma Artha, Kama, and Moksha, there is but one course leading to it, and that is the worship of Hari's feet.

4.8.42

tat tāta gaccha bhadraṃ te yamunāyās taṭaṃ śuci /
puṇyaṃ madhuvanaṃ yatra sānnidhyaṃ nityadā hareḥ //

Therefore go, child—may you be blessed—to the pure bank of the Yamunā, / the holy Madhuvana, where the presence of Hari is eternal.

42. Therefore, O child, blessed be thou; go to the hallowed bank of the Yamuna, (and there thou wilt find) the hallowed Madhuvana which is always imbued with Hari's holy presence.

4.8.43

snātvānusavanaṃ tasmin kālindyāḥ salile śive /
kṛtvocitāni nivasann ātmanaḥ kalpitāsanaḥ //

Bathing at each of the three daily ablutions in that auspicious water of the Kālindī, / performing the appropriate duties, residing there having prepared a seat for yourself,

43 & 44. At proper times (morning, mid-day and evening), do thou bathe in the sacred waters of the Kālindī, perform the acts of worship proper to thee; and dwelling there and having arranged for thy steady and comfortable seat and posture, got rid of the impurity (of being fickle or unsteady) affecting the *Pranas*, *Indriya*, and *Manas* by means of the threefold Prānāyāma and

4.8.44

prāṇāyāmena tri-vṛtā prāṇendriya-mano-malam /
śanair vyudasyābhidhyāyen manasā guruṇā gurum //

gradually casting out the impurity of the breath, senses, and mind through the threefold breath control, / one should meditate with a steady mind upon the Supreme Guru.”

with thy steady mind (do thou) meditate on the Preceptor (Sri Hari).

4.8.45

prasādābhimukhaṃ śaśvat prasanna-vadanekṣaṇam /
sunāsaṃ subhruvaṃ cāru- kapolaṃ sura-sundaram //

Ever inclined to favor, with a cheerful face and eyes, / with a fine nose, beautiful eyebrows, and charming cheeks, more beautiful than the gods,

45—50. Do thou contemplate Him as one disposed to show favour. His face and eyes are always graciously cheerful, He has well-shaped nose and eyebrows and charming cheeks; He is the most fascinating among the gods; youthful, beautiful, in every limb, with rosy lips and eyes; He is the one resort of all suppliants, the (one) dispenser of happiness, the one fit to be resorted to, and the ocean of mercy; the one distinguished by the marks of Sri Vatsa, blue like a cloud, having a perfect human form, bearing the wreath of Vanamāla with his four arms distinguished with *Sankha*, *Chakra*, *Gadā* and *Padma*; He is adorned with a crown, earrings *Keyuras* and bracelets; His neck adds grace to the Kaustubha and He is dressed in silks of golden colour with the ornamental zone about His middle and adorned with brilliant anklets of gold; He is most beautiful and the delighter of the mind and eyes enthroned in the seed-stock of the lotus called the heart of those that worship Him, and with His feet made resplendent by the ruby-like nails.

4.8.46

taruṇaṃ ramaṇīyāṅgam aruṇoṣṭhekṣaṇādharam /
praṇatāśrayaṇaṃ nṛmṇaṃ śaraṇyaṃ karuṇārṇavam //

youthful, with lovely limbs, with lips and eyes reddish like the dawn, / a shelter for the submissive, possessing manly strength, worthy of refuge, an ocean of compassion,

4.8.47

śrīvatsāṅkaṃ ghana-śyāmaṃ puruṣaṃ vana-mālinam /
śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padmair abhivyakta-caturbhujam //

marked with the Śrīvatsa, dark like a raincloud, the Puruṣa wearing a garland of forest flowers, / with four arms clearly displayed with conch, discus, mace, and lotus,

4.8.48

kirīṭinaṃ kuṇḍalinaṃ keyūra-valayānvitam /
kaustubhābharaṇa-grīvaṃ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasam //

wearing a crown and earrings, adorned with armlets and bracelets, / his neck decorated with the Kaustubha jewel, wearing garments of yellow silk.

4.8.49

kāñcī-kalāpa-paryastaṃ lasat-kāñcana-nūpuram /
darśanīyatamaṃ śāntaṃ mano-nayana-vardhanam //

Girt with a jeweled girdle, wearing shining golden anklets, / most delightful to behold, tranquil, gladdening mind and eyes;

4.8.50

padbhyāṃ nakha-maṇi-śreṇyā vilasadbhyāṃ samarcatām /
hṛt-padma-karṇikā-dhiṣṇyam ākramyātmany avasthitam //

with feet adorned by radiant rows of jewel-like nails, / occupying the lotus pericarp of the heart of those who worship Him, abiding within oneself;

4.8.51

smayamānam abhidhyāyet sānurāgāvalokanam /
niyatenaika-bhūtena manasā varadarṣabham //

one should meditate upon the best of boon-givers, smiling, / His glance filled with affection, with a restrained and one-pointed mind.

51. With a steady mind in intense concentration the devotee should contemplate the Lord as having a smiling face and looks full of love and as the foremost among those that shower boons (upon the world).

4.8.52

evaṃ bhagavato rūpaṃ subhadraṃ dhyāyato manaḥ /
nirvṛtyā parayā tūrṇaṃ sampannaṃ na nivartate //

Thus meditating upon the Lord’s all-auspicious form, the mind, / swiftly enriched by supreme bliss, does not turn away.

52. The mind of one that thus contemplates the auspicious personality of the glorious Lord, soon becomes firm in intense (thorough) renunciation (of all worldly things) and it does not

again return to them; (such a mind becomes transformed into the object of contemplation.)

4.8.53

japaś ca paramo guhyaḥ śrūyatāṃ me nṛpātmaja /
yaṃ sapta-rātraṃ prapaṭhan pumān paśyati khecarān //

And listen, O prince, to the most secret recitation, / by chanting which continuously for seven nights a man sees the sky-wanderers:

53\. There is a most secret *mantra* which should be mentally repeated over and over while contemplating the Lord and His attributes; let it be heard and known from me; any one who repeats it seven nights sees the gods moving through the sky.

4.8.54

/0 oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
mantreṇānena devasya kuryād dravyamayīṃ budhaḥ /
saparyāṃ vividhair dravyair deśa-kāla-vibhāgavit //

“Oṃ, obeisance to the Lord Vāsudeva.” / With this mantra, knowing the divisions of place and time, a wise man should perform / an offering of physical substances to the God with various materials:

54\. With this *mantra* the man of good understanding should having regard to the difference of time and place perform a *substantial* worship of the Lord with various articles (to be offered in worship).

4.8.55

salilaiḥ śucibhir mālyair vanyair mūla-phalādibhiḥ /
śastāṅkurāṃśukaiś cārcet tulasyā priyayā prabhum //

With pure waters, garlands, wild fruits, roots, and the like, / with auspicious sprouts and garments, and with tulasī dear to Him, he should worship the Master.

55\. He shall worship the Lord with pure water, flowers, roots, fruits and other things growing wild in the forest with admittedly pure (sacred) shoots and cloths and with Tulasi (beloved of the Lord).

4.8.56

labdhvā dravyamayīm arcāṃ kṣity-ambv-ādiṣu vārcayet /
ābhṛtātmā muniḥ śānto yata-vāṅ mita-vanya-bhuk //

Having obtained a sculpted image, or upon earth, water, and the like, he may worship, / collected in mind, a sage, tranquil, his speech restrained, eating moderate wild food.

56\. Having obtained an image made of some substance as gold, silver, etc., or having the earth or water or other things of the same kind for an image he should worship the Lord having a perfect control over his mind and secured tranquillity, and control over his tongue and subsisting on simple moderate food supplied by the forest.

4.8.57

svecchāvatāra-caritair acintya-nija-māyayā /
kariṣyaty uttamaślokas tad dhyāyed dhṛdayaṅ-gamam //

He should meditate on the heart-captivating deeds He of highest renown performs / through His incarnations assumed by His own will by His inconceivable creative power.

57\. He should meditate on the (wonderful) deeds the most illustrious Lord will do (does) by virtue of His incomprehensible Māyā in the avataras which he assumes according to His pleasure.

4.8.58

paricaryā bhagavato yāvatyaḥ pūrva-sevitāḥ /
tā mantra-hṛdayenaiva prayuñjyān mantra-mūrtaye //

Whatever forms of worship of the Lord were practiced by the ancients, / these he should offer, by means of the essence of the mantra alone, to the one whose form is the mantra.

58. He should perform the worship of the Lord who is embodied in the mantra by means of the same mantra, in all the ways of worship laid down and followed by the ancients.

4.8.59

evaṃ kāyena manasā vacasā ca mano-gatam /
paricaryamāṇo bhagavān bhaktimat-paricaryayā //

When the Lord dwelling in the heart is thus served / with body, mind, and speech, through the worship of a devotee,

59 & 60. The glorious Lord who is thus worshipped at heart, in thought, word and deed, and by acts characterised by devotion—the Lord who enhances and ennobles the devout disposition of those that guilelessly and sincerely worship Him, confers upon his creatures (such devotees) that blessing which is the most desired and beneficial of all those in the form of Dharma, Artha, and Kama.

4.8.60

puṃsām amāyināṃ samyag bhajatāṃ bhāva-vardhanaḥ /
śreyo diśaty abhimataṃ yad dharmādiṣu dehinām //

He, increasing the devotional emotion of guileless men who worship Him properly, / bestows upon embodied beings the desired good among dharma and the rest.

4.8.61

viraktaś cendriya-ratau bhakti-yogena bhūyasā /
taṃ nirantara-bhāvena bhajetāddhā vimuktaye //

And detached from sense pleasures, one should directly worship Him / with intensive yoga of devotion and constant disposition, for the sake of total liberation.

61. Therefore one ought to turn away from the gratification of the senses and perfect assurance and by means of infinite devotion and with undivided mind worship the Lord towards release (from Samsara).

4.8.62

ity uktas taṃ parikramya praṇamya ca nṛpārbhakaḥ /
yayau madhuvanaṃ puṇyaṃ hareś caraṇa-carcitam //

Thus addressed, the king’s child circumambulated him, / bowed down to him, and went to the holy Madhuvana, marked by the feet of Hari.

62. Maitreya said:—“Thus instructed the king’s child went round and bowed to him (Narada) and betook himself to the sacred Madhuvana adorned with the footprints of Sri Hari.

4.8.63

tapo-vanaṃ gate tasmin praviṣṭo 'ntaḥ-puraṃ muniḥ /
arhitārhaṇako rājñā sukhāsīna uvāca tam //

When he had gone to the penance grove, the sage entered the inner apartments; / welcomed with hospitality by the king and seated comfortably, he spoke to him.

63. The child having gone away to the forest for Tapas the sage entered the palace (lit. harem); and received by the king with due worship and comfortably seated he spoke to him (as follows).

4.8.64

/0 nārada uvāca
rājan kiṃ dhyāyase dīrghaṃ mukhena pariśuṣyatā /
kiṃ vā na riṣyate kāmo dharmo vārthena saṃyutaḥ //

Nārada said: / O King, what are you pondering at such length, with your face withering away? / Has your desire, or your dharma combined with wealth, suffered harm?

64. Narada said:—“O king, of what are you thinking so long (so deeply) with a withering face? I hope that neither your desire nor righteousness nor wealth is at stake.

4.8.65

/0 rājovāca
suto me bālako brahman straiṇenākaruṇātmanā /
nirvāsitaḥ pañca-varṣaḥ saha mātrā mahān kaviḥ //

The king said: / O Brahman, my son, a five-year-old boy, along with his mother, / has been banished by me—henpecked, cruel-hearted, though he was great and wise.

65. The king said.—“O holy one, my son, a child of five years, noble and wise, has been driven out along with his mother, by me who has under the influence of a woman become pitiless.

4.8.66

apy anāthaṃ vane brahman mā smādanty arbhakaṃ vṛkāḥ /
śrāntaṃ śayānaṃ kṣudhitaṃ parimlāna-mukhāmbujam //

O Brahman, will not wolves devour the child, unprotected in the forest, / exhausted, lying down, hungry, his lotus face completely withered?

66. O holy sage! Pray wolves might not prey upon the helpless child lying down in the forest fatigued and overcome with hunger, with his face faded like a lotus.

4.8.67

aho me bata daurātmyaṃ strī-jitasyopadhāraya /
yo 'ṅkaṃ premṇārurukṣantaṃ nābhyanandam asattamaḥ //

Alas, consider the wickedness of me, mastered by a woman, / who, the basest of men, did not welcome him when he sought with love to climb onto my lap!

67. Ah! how intense is the wickedness, consider, O sage, (my wicked self) fallen under the influence of a woman—myself who being the vilest one did not welcome the child that tried to climb up my knees with affection.

4.8.68

/0 nārada uvāca
mā mā śucaḥ sva-tanayaṃ deva-guptaṃ viśāmpate /
tat-prabhāvam avijñāya prāvṛṅkte yad-yaśo jagat //

Nārada said: / Do not, do not grieve for your son, O ruler of people; he is protected by the gods; / not knowing his greatness, you mourn him whose renown will encompass the world.

68. Nārada said.—O lord of men, do not at all be anxious about your son who is under the care of the Lord Hari, for you do not know his greatness; and his glory will fill the whole world.

4.8.69

suduṣkaraṃ karma kṛtvā loka-pālair api prabhuḥ /
aiṣyaty acirato rājan yaśo vipulayaṃs tava //

Having accomplished an act extremely difficult even for the guardians of the world, / the master will soon return, O King, increasing your renown.

69. Having performed the duties (Tapas) which even the protectors of the world cannot easily do, your able son will, O King, soon come back to enchance your reputation (in the world).

4.8.70

/0 maitreya uvāca
iti devarṣiṇā proktaṃ viśrutya jagatī-patiḥ /
rāja-lakṣmīm anādṛtya putram evānvacintayat //

Maitreya said: / Having heard this spoken by the divine sage, the ruler of the earth, / disregarding his royal fortune, thought only of his son.

70. Maitreya said.—On hearing the words thus spoken by the divine sage, the lord of men (earth) became indifferent to his royal fortune and anxiously thought of his son alone.

4.8.71

tatrābhiṣiktaḥ prayatas tām upoṣya vibhāvarīm /
samāhitaḥ paryacarad ṛṣy-ādeśena pūruṣam //

Having bathed there, purified, fasting through that night, / collected, he worshipped the Person according to the sage’s command.

71. There Dhruva bathed and in pious habits (and purified thereby) fasted that night; and with a concentrated mind worshipped the Perfect Being according to the instructions of the sage.

4.8.72

tri-rātrānte tri-rātrānte kapittha-badarāśanaḥ /
ātma-vṛtty-anusāreṇa māsaṃ ninye 'rcayan harim //

At the end of every three nights, eating wood-apples and jujubes / according to his bodily sustenance, he spent the first month worshipping Hari.

72. At the end of every three nights he ate the fruits known as Kapittha and Badara just enough to maintain his body and thus spent a month in worshipping Hari.

4.8.73

dvitīyaṃ ca tathā māsaṃ ṣaṣṭhe ṣaṣṭhe 'rbhako dine /
tṛṇa-parṇādibhiḥ śīrṇaiḥ kṛtānno 'bhyarcayan vibhum //

And likewise in the second month, the boy, eating every sixth day, / taking dry grass, leaves, and the like as food, worshipped the all-pervading Lord.

73. The second month also he spent in worshipping the Supreme Lord, eating every sixth day withered grass, leaves and such other things.

4.8.74

tṛtīyaṃ cānayan māsaṃ navame navame 'hani /
ab-bhakṣa uttamaślokam upādhāvat samādhinā //

And spending the third month, consuming only water on every ninth day, / he approached He of highest renown in meditative absorption.

74. He spent the third month drinking only water every ninth day and devoted his mind to the most illustrious Lord in perfect concentration.

4.8.75

caturtham api vai māsaṃ dvādaśe dvādaśe 'hani /
vāyu-bhakṣo jita-śvāso dhyāyan devam adhārayat //

In the fourth month also, on every twelfth day, / subsisting on air alone, his breath controlled, meditating, he held the God [in his heart].

75. Subsisting on mere air every twelfth day, he passed the fourth month meditating upon the Lord with control over his breath.

4.8.76

pañcame māsy anuprāpte jita-śvāso nṛpātmajaḥ /
dhyāyan brahma padaikena tasthau sthāṇur ivācalaḥ //

When the fifth month arrived, the prince, having subdued his breath, / meditating on Brahman, stood on one foot, motionless like a post.

76. When the fifth month came the royal child who had controlled his breath stood motionless like a post on one foot meditating on Brahman.

4.8.77

sarvato mana ākṛṣya hṛdi bhūtendriyāśayam /
dhyāyan bhagavato rūpaṃ nādrākṣīt kiñcanāparam //

Withdrawing the mind from everywhere into the heart, the seat of elements and senses, / meditating upon the Lord’s form, he saw nothing else.

77. Having withdrawn (into his mind) the thought going forth to embrace the various objects and the senses from every side and meditating on the Lord's form, he perceived nothing else.

4.8.78

ādhāraṃ mahad-ādīnāṃ pradhāna-puruṣeśvaram /
brahma dhārayamāṇasya trayo lokāś cakampire //

As he held Brahman—the support of the Mahat and the rest, / the ruler of both Pradhāna and Puruṣa—the three worlds trembled.

78. When he continued to contemplate the Para Brahman who is the Ruler of _Pradhāna_ and _Purusha_ and the one support of the Mahat and other principles, the three worlds began to shake.

4.8.79

yadaika-pādena sa pārthivārbhakas tasthau tad-aṅguṣṭha-nipīḍitā mahī /
nanāma tatrārdham ibhendra-dhiṣṭhitā tarīva savyetarataḥ pade pade //

When the king’s boy stood on one foot, pressed by his big toe, the earth / bent down by half there, at every step, like a boat boarded by the lord of elephants, from side to side.

79. When the king's child stood on one foot, the earth pressed down with his great toe became half inclined to one side at that spot, like a boat with an elephant in it at every step as he raises his left or right foot.

4.8.80

tasminn abhidhyāyati viśvam ātmano dvāraṃ nirudhyāsum ananyayā dhiyā /
lokā nirucchvāsa-nipīḍitā bhṛśaṃ sa-loka-pālāḥ śaraṇaṃ yayur harim //

As he meditated with undivided mind, closing the passage of the breath of the cosmic self, / the worlds, severely tormented by the stoppage of breath, went with their world-guardians to Hari for refuge.

80. When he was contemplating the perfect Lord Vishnu, the source of his own self, with his mind that had ceased to see difference and with his breaths under control, the worlds with their protectors became distressed, not being able to breathe, and sought refuge with Hari.

4.8.81

/0 devā ūcuḥ
naivaṃ vidāmo bhagavan prāṇa-rodhaṃ carācarasyākhila-sattva-dhāmnaḥ /
vidhehi tan no vṛjinād vimokṣaṃ prāptā vayaṃ tvāṃ śaraṇaṃ śaraṇyam //

The gods said: / O Lord, we do not understand this obstruction of the breath of all moving and unmoving beings, the abode of all life; / therefore grant us deliverance from this distress; we have taken refuge in You, who are worthy of taking refuge.

81. The gods said :—O glorious Lord, we have never before known this control of breath which affects all the mobile and immobile world, the body of all living beings; therefore, O Lord rescue us from this difficulty; for we have sought protection under Thyself who art the one fit to be resorted to.

4.8.82

/0 śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mā bhaiṣṭa bālaṃ tapaso duratyayān nivartayiṣye pratiyāta sva-dhāma /
yato hi vaḥ prāṇa-nirodha āsīd auttānapādir mayi saṅgatātmā //

The Lord said: / Fear not; I will turn the boy back from his penance difficult to surpass; return to your own abodes; / for he from whom your obstruction of breath arose is the son of Uttānapāda, his self united with Me.

82. The glorious Lord said :—Be not afraid of it! I shall make the boy turn away from his austere Tapas; do you return to your abodes; for, the son of Uttānapāda by whom your breath has been suspended has set his mind upon Me.