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Chapter 21: Instructions by Prithu Mahârâja

Skandham-4 Chapter-21. Slokam- 1 to 52.     (1) Maitreya said [when King Prithu returned to his capital]: 'The city at  the golden gates and everywhere around was decorated with pearls, flower garlands and cloth and there was also highly fragrant incense.   (2) The streets, the parks and the lanes that were sprinkled with water scented with sandalwood and aguru [a fragrant herb] were decorated with unbroken rice, flowers, fruits in their peel, precious stones, parched grains and lamps. (3) With everything being cleansed and festooned with leaves of various trees like fresh mango leaves and the flowers and fruits hanging down from pillars of banana trees and betel nut trees, it all looked very nice. (4) The citizens and many a beautiful radiating virgin decorated with tinkling earrings, came to welcome him equipped with lamps and countless articles of worship. (5) Even though the king when he entered the palace was honored with the sounds of kettledrums, conch shells and th

Chapter 20: Lord Vishnu's Appearance in the Sacrificial Arena of Prithu Mahârâja :

(1) Maitreya said: 'The Supreme Personality, the Lord of Vaikunthha  satisfied by the sacrifices unto Him, the Lord of All Sacrifices, appeared together with the mighty Indra and spoke as the enjoyer of the sacrifice to King Prithu. (2) The Supreme Lord said: 'This person [King Indra] who disturbed the hundredth horse sacrifice you performed, begs your pardon, you ought to forgive him. (3) Those considerate souls who are willing to act in favor of others in this world oh god of man, belong to the best human beings. They never resort to malice in relation to other living beings for they never forget the soul present within this vehicle of time. (4) If people like you who persistently are of service to the elders, become bewildered by the external energy of God, the only thing that is achieved is weariness. (5) Therefore he who well acquainted knows that one owes this body to one's ignorance, desires and karma, will never become the slave of it. (6) In other words, which

Chapter 19: King Prithu's One Hundred Horse Sacrifices :

(1) The sage Maitreya said: 'Thereafter he, the king, in the land of Manu known as Brahmâvarta, where the Sarasvatî flows to the east, then initiated the performance of a hundred horse sacrifices. (2) Faced with this most powerful excel in fruitive action King Indra, who himself had performed a hundred sacrifices, could not tolerate the great ceremonies of sacrifice of King Prithu. (3) It was there that directly the enjoyer of all sacrifice, the Supreme Lord Vishnu, the transcendental controller who is the proprietor, the teacher of all the world and everyone's soul, would show Himself. (4) Together with Brahmâ and S'iva and all the local rulers with their followers, He is praised by the inhabitants and singers of heaven and the wise. (5) The perfected and the ones rooted in learning, the descendants of Diti, the fruitive workers and the guardians of wealth attended there headed by Nanda and Sunanda, the most respectful associates of the Lord. (6) All the great devotees wh

Chapter 18: Prithu Mahârâja Milks the Earth:

(1) Maitreya said: 'After mother earth thus had offered King Prithu prayers, his lips were still trembling of anger. She in fear then managed to come to her senses and spoke again: (2) 'Please pacify your anger o King, understand that what I said, I've said as someone who as an intelligent person, just like a bumblebee, gathers the essence from everywhere. (3) By the great sages who realized the truth methods were found and applied for the common people to have a better life in this world as well as the next. (4) For anyone who fully follows the principles that are traditionally taught to the inexperienced who live by their faith, it is very easy to enjoy what was aimed at. (5) He who in neglect [of the traditions] not knowing the facts engages on his own initiative, will in pursuing his goals see himself fail again and again. (6) O King, all the herbs and seeds that in the past were created by Lord Brahmâ and are cherished by me, we see now in the hands of irresponsible p

Chapter 17: Prithu Mahârâja Gets Angry with the Earth :

Skandham-4. Chapter-17. Slokam- 1 to 36. (1) Maitreya said: 'After the son of King Vena thus had been glorified for his qualities and actions as a manifestation of the Supreme Lord, he pleased those who had spoken with gifts and honored them with praises.  (2) The brahmin leaders, the other castes, the servants, the ministers, the priests, the citizens, all his subjects, the different communities and his admirers he all properly respected.' (3) Vidura said: 'Why did Mother Earth who has so many forms, assume the form of a cow? And with King Prithu milking her, who was there as the calf and what was the milking pot? (4) How leveled he her [the goddess] who by nature is sloped and for what reason stole the godhead (Indra) the sacrificial horse? (5) O brahmin, what state was attained by the saintly king after he from the mighty Sanat-kumâra* who is so well versed in Vedic lore had received the practical knowledge? (6-7) Please, your goodness, narrate to this so ve

Chapter 16: King Prithu Extolled :

Skandham-4.1, Slokam- 1 to 27. (1) Maitreya said: 'The professional reciters, content about hearing the king speak these nectarine words, praised him therefore according to the instructions of the sages: (2) 'We are at a loss to describe in full the glories of you who as the foremost godhead has descended out of your own mercy. Despite of the fact that you appeared from the body of Vena, your glories bewilder the minds of the foremost speakers. (3) Nevertheless we will, in accord with what the wise have told us to do, try to put the name of King Prithu, [of you who are] famed for being a partial incarnation of Lord Vishnu, in the sweetest words. Encouraged in our attention for the liberality and praiseworthiness of your activities, we shall do our best to sing your praises. (4) This king will as the best defender of the faith incite the entire world to follow dutifully. Apart from being the protector of the regulative principles of human nature he is also the chastiser

King Prithu's Appearance and Coronation :

Skandham:-4.1 Chapter-15. Slokam- 1to 26. (1) Maitreya said: 'Thus again churned the brahmins, this time, the arms of the king that had no son and from that did a couple take birth. (2) From that couple born said the sages conversant with the Vedas that they were very happy, knowing that it was an ['avesa'-] expansion of the Supreme Lord. (3) The sages said: 'This male is an expansion of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, who maintains the world and this woman is Lakshmî, the Goddess of Fortune, who is an inseparable integral part of the Original Person. (4) This male then will be the first among the kings and will spread his reputation under the name of Prithu [the one of the earth] becoming widely renown as the great King. (5) This female child will enhance the beauty of her ornaments with the magnificence of her teeth as a goddess of all good qualities; she will be named Arci and is sure to attract Prithu with her great beauty. (6) He as a partial, direct represen

The Story of King Vena :

Skandham-4.1  Chapter-14.  Slokam-1 to 46.   (1) Maitreya said: 'The sages headed by Bhrigu, always aspiring the welfare of all the people, having understood of the citizens that the king was absent, also knew that they were then sure to live on the level of animâls. (2) Vena's mother mentioning the name of Vena had him by the sages enthroned as the master of the world, but the ministers did not agree with this. (3) Hearing that King Vena had ascended the throne did the thieves, knowing that he was a most severe punisher, hide themselves immediately, like rats afraid of a snake. (4) King Vena having ascended the royal seat was very proud with the eight kind of opulences [as derived from the eight perfections of yoga, the siddhi's] and began, inconsiderate, to insult the great personalities, considering himself to be the greatest. (5) Thus, blinded by power, he, proud and uncontrolled as an elephant, mounted a chariot and traveled around causing the earth a

Description of the Descendants of Dhruva Mahârâja:

Skandham-4.1 Chapter- 13.  Slokam 1 to 49. (1) Sûta said [to the rishis at Naimisâranya]: "The hearing of the description of Maitreya of Dhruva's ascent to the abode of Vaikunthha, made Vidura's love for the Supreme Lord, who cannot be seen by one's normal eyes, grow and again he made an effort to question Maitreya Muni. (2) Vidura asked: 'Who where they, that you called the Pracetâ's - what was the renown of their family and who were their sons, o best among the sworn, and what sacrifice did they perform? (3) I think that Nârada is the greatest of all the devotees; he saw God in the eye and he spoke about the procedure of rendering service in devotion unto the Lord [kriya-yoga or the pâncarâtrika-method]. (4) It was by these man, doing their duties of sacrifice, that the Supreme Lord, the enjoyer of all sacrifice, as indeed described by Nârada, was worshiped. (5) O brahmin, be so kind to tell me tell me in full, what stories about the Lord were

12.Dhruva Mahârâja Goes Back to Godhead

Skandham-4. Chapter-12. Slokam -1 to 52. (1) Maitreya said: 'Having learned that Dhruva, with his anger lingered, had refrained from killing, did Kuvera, the master of the treasury, worshiped by the Cârana's, Kinnaras [singers and indwellers of heaven] and Yakshas, then appear there and speak to Dhruva who stood with folded hands before him. (2) The master of the treasury said: 'O son of the ruler, I am very glad with you o sinless one, because under the instruction of your grandfather you gave up the enmity that is so difficult to avoid. (3) Nor did you kill the Yakshas, nor did the Yakshas kill your brother; for it is the Time that is really the master of annihilation and generation of all the living. (4) With the misconceptions of 'I' and 'You' it from ignorance appears to the intelligence of a person following the bodily concept just to be like in a dream; it is that which is the cause of bondage and misery. (5) Therefore come Dhruva - all good

Svâyambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Mahârâja to Stop Fighting:

Skandham-4 Chapter 11: Slokam 1 to 35. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Maitreya said: 'After having heard the words of the sages Dhruva touched water and fixed on his bow an arrow made by Nârâyana. (2) Joining this weapon of Nârâyana to his bow, quickly the illusions created by the Yakshas were vanquished oh Vidura, just like pleasures and pains are dispelled by the rise of spiritual knowledge. (3) With the weapon that was given to him fixed on his bow, golden arrows with feathers like the wings of swans sprang forward which pierced the enemy soldiers with the tumultuous sound of peacocks entering a forest. (4) Because of those sharp pointed arrows the Yakshas here and there dispersed on the battlefield got terribly excited so that they full of anger with uplifted weapons rushed towards him, just like serpents with raised hoods do when they wage against Garuda. (5) With his arrows he cut thr

Dhruva Mahârâja's Fight with the Yakshas:

Skandham-4.1, Chapter -10.  Slokam- 1 to 30. (1) Maitreya said: 'Dhruva ['the immovable one'] married Bhrami [meaning: turning around], daughter of the Prajâpatî Sisumâra ['the dolphin', 'the galaxy'] and named her sons Kalpa ['epoch'] and Vatsara ['tropical year']. (2) With another wife called Ila ['the comfort'], a daughter of Vayu [the demigod of the air], did the powerful one beget a son called Utkala ['the one who carries the load'] and a jewel of a girl. (3) But Uttama ['the one of excel'], Dhruva's brother who did not marry, was during a hunt in the Himalaya range killed by a very powerful Yaksha [an evil spirit]; his mother [Suruci] followed thereafter. (14) Dhruva hearing about the death of his brother swore, filled with lamentation, angered revenge and got on his chariot of victory to head for the city of the Yakshas. (5) Going in the northern direction the king saw in a valley of the Himalaya