Garudapurana 3.23

Garuḍamahāpurāṇa — 23
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: / In a previous creation, the daughter of Soma became my wife Jāmbavatī, dear to me. / Among them, O King of Birds, she was slightly superior, lacking by five qualities in comparison to Rudra and the others.

When the divine possession of Ramā is powerful, then Keśava is pleased with her indeed. / When, by the wane of that possession, she diminishes in course of time, then the great say she is equal to the others.

There is constantly some degree of possession by Lakṣmī, and therefore she possesses a slight superiority over them.

Garuḍa said: / Among them, O Kṛṣṇa, what kind of worship did Jāmbavatī perform? / Tell me that out of compassion, O you whose form is the universe, [and explain] the reason for her superiority over them.

Thus addressed by Garuḍa, the Lord, the son of Devakī, / spoke to the son of Vinatā in a voice deep as a thundercloud.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: / She who was the daughter of Soma in a previous creation, even while living in her father's house, the virtuous woman / made her life meaningful along with her father through service to Viṣṇu.

She constantly listened to the true Purāṇas and always bowed down to Viṣṇu's feet; / she constantly circumambulated Viṣṇu the savior while remembering him.

Along with her father, O King of Birds, that maiden became endowed with dispassion through hearing [the scriptures]: / beauty, friends, elephants and the like, priceless jewels, houses, and so forth —

all this she regarded as perishable, made subordinate to me by Hari. / 'By him by whom sons, friends, and the like were given, by him they were taken away' — she felt no sorrow at all.

'Just today Viṣṇu, supremely compassionate, has shown mercy to me.' / Along with her father, O King of Birds, that maiden [directed her mind] always toward the stainless Vāsudeva within her self.

Having attained exclusive devotion with great love, the goddess, satisfied with whatever came by chance, / not planning any livelihood for herself, O King of Birds, performed worship with devotion.

She offered her wealth at the lotus feet of Viṣṇu, the deliverer from the ocean of suffering. / Her organ of speech, O bird, she engaged completely in describing the virtues of Hari at all times.

Both her hands the goddess engaged in sweeping the house of Viṣṇu and removing dirt from the body [of his image]; / her ears she engaged in the arising of the noble tales of Hari, which lead to liberation and resemble nectar.

Her eyes she engaged in looking at images and the like, which wash away beginningless impurities; / her skin in touching good Vaiṣṇavas, in their company, and in anointing with the fragrant remnants of offerings.

Her sense of smell she directed to the essence of Hari's lotus feet, which gives liberation from saṃsāra; / her tongue to the remnants of food offered to Hari mixed with sacred tulasī and the like.

Her feet in walking along the paths to Hari's holy places; her head in bowing to the feet of Hṛṣīkeśa; / desire in her heart and mouth with the wish to serve Hari, just as people dedicated to the Lord of Sublime Renown conduct themselves.

She directed her mind toward desireless action, and her organ of speech undertook praise. / Thus always offering all her actions to the feet of the Supreme Lord,

she went to wander at holy places along with her father, solely for the purpose of pleasing Hari, / having first worshipped the brāhmaṇas who are devotees of Viṣṇu in her house with garments, ornaments, and the like.

Afterward, the goddess made a resolve before Viṣṇu for the sake of the pilgrimage: / 'As long as the pilgrimage lasts, O Mukunda, for that long I shall remain celibate.'

"As long as I perform the pilgrimage, O Mukunda, grant me the company of Vaiṣṇavas / and the hearing of Hari's stories, but not bodily contact with those who associate with non-Vaiṣṇavas.

I will not make the pilgrimage with kinsmen, sons, friends, and the like, O Mukunda; / keep far away from those who undertake a pilgrimage for selfish desires, O Mukunda."

What fruit do the noble say belongs to those who undertake a pilgrimage leaving behind the Śālagrāma? / Whenever a sacred place comes into view, right then, placing the Śālagrāma before oneself,

if the pilgrimage is undertaken on foot, the noble call the fruit complete, O King of Birds; / having put on footwear and foot protection, they say the pilgrimage is lacking one fourth [of its fruit].

He who makes the pilgrimage seated on a conveyance or on a horse [loses] half; / they say on a mount of oxen and the like [one loses] a fourth; eating another's food, they say it is in vain.

For great souls who know the Vedas and for ascetics, there is no fault in eating another's food. / Having made her vow with supreme devotion, she departed solely for the pilgrimage.

First bathing and offering the remnant fragrance of Hari, she listened [to his stories]; / after also taking a meal with her father, on the next day she walked one krośa.

There, honoring the brahmins with food and drink, at night the lady had the truth recited. / When people always perform a pilgrimage in this way, the noble call their pilgrimage fruitful.

Pilgrimage without compassion, O King of Birds, is completely useless, so say the great ones, O lord of birds; / and for those who, day and night, do not hear Hari's divine story along the pilgrimage route, O King of Birds,

their journey is declared entirely useless; know it to be just like that of conveyances such as horses. / Tell me what fault lies in horses and the like; yet from seeing the Gaṅgā and other [sacred waters] sin is destroyed;

from the sight of Viṣṇu situated in his sacred abode sin is destroyed—tell me what fault a cat has; / from worshiping Viṣṇu situated in his sacred abode sin is destroyed—tell me what fault worshipers have;

for those performing japa and the like sin is destroyed; from meditation on Viṣṇu instant destruction of sin takes place; / but they say that everything done without mindfulness is entirely in vain.

Therefore, having heard the sin-destroying story of Hari, one should become devoted to Viṣṇu, O King of Birds; / seeing repeatedly what is marked with Hari's footprints and remembering him again and again, one should become devoted, O King of Birds.

That maiden, too, went with her father, O lord of birds, to see Śrīnivāsa residing on Śeṣācala; / on the way she meditated on Hari, the Lord of Ramā:

"When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's broad chest adorned with the Śrīvatsa and jewels? / When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's beautiful belly marked with three folds?

When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's conch-like neck, the refuge of Maharloka? / When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's full navel, always the refuge of the atmosphere?

When shall I behold Murāri's face, the perpetual refuge of Janaloka?

When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's head, the perpetual refuge of Satyaloka? / When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's waist, the perpetual refuge of Bhūrloka?

When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's two thighs, the perpetual refuge of Talātala? / When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's very tender knees, the refuge of Sutala?

When shall I behold Śrīnivāsa's two shanks, always the refuge of Rasātala? / When shall I behold the soles of Hari's feet, always the refuge of the Pātāla realm?"

Thus meditating on the way, the lady beheld Lord Śeṣa on Mount Śeṣācala, / shining with thousands of hoods, with various trees, and with male and female monkeys.

"By the accumulation of merit acquired in countless births, indeed, this supreme mountain has been seen by me today." / At the sight of it, her eyes clouded with tears, she immediately stood up and bowed with her head.

Having seen the face, one must bow; one should not bow toward the rear part; / she too performed twelve prostrations, placing the Śālagrāma before it.

In this way the mountain is to be approached by Vaiṣṇavas, but contrary to non-Vaiṣṇavas; / Śrīnivāsa, situated within Madhva, dwells perpetually before the mountain, worshiped by Ramā, Brahmā, and others.

"I will behold the most excellent, supreme Śrīnivāsa, and now I wish to ascend the mountain." / Having said this, she took her bath in the sacred water called Kapila together with her father.

"Hari as Śrīnivāsa resides right here in material form, not otherwise." / First bathing and shaving her head there, and having performed the pilgrimage-śrāddha at the sacred water,

and having given all gifts of cows, land, gold, and the like, the virtuous maiden then climbed the mountain; / placing the Śālagrāma before her, she once more offered prostrations with great devotion.

Having climbed up to a hundred steps in this way, she sat down there / and heard the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, and also heard the praise of Mount Veṅkaṭa.

From the venerable guru Jaigīṣavya, with supreme devotion, she heard the whole truth of Mount Veṅkaṭa.

Thus ends the twenty-third chapter, entitled "Description of the Sequence of Pilgrimage to the Mountain of Veṅkaṭeśa," in the Brahmakāṇḍa, the third part of the latter section of the glorious Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa.