Verse 4

In plain words

31. The Removal of Parīkṣit's Doubts On hearing this answer, Śuka said: "O King! Since your heart has become absorbed in that Śyāmasundara, now tell me, in brief, whatever questions you yourself have in mind to ask. To every one of them I shall give a fitting answer. I shall make you one entranced in the contemplation of Śyāmasundara." The Series of Parīkṣit's Questions On hearing those words Parīkṣit, his face lit with joy, said: "Svāmī! Where would I have the worthiness even to ask questions? Of your own accord, please tell me yourself whatever is beneficial for me at this time, whatever is fitting, whatever is foremost. Yet, because we are somehow deluded by Māyā, doubts arise now and then. At such times I shall make my doubts known and pray to receive a fitting answer to them. Do not regard me as a stranger; do not weigh my worthiness or unworthiness; out of the feeling one has for a son, transform me into one whose mind is at peace. "One doubt has been tormenting me for a long time. It is this: does the jīva obtain this body by the force of its own svabhāva, or does it obtain it as one subject to karma? That is my principal doubt. Then the second: that from the navel of the Purāṇa-Puruṣa a lotus arose, and that

from it creation came about — so you have told us. Is the Paramātma, like the jīva, delimited by finite limbs? Or is there any difference at all between the jīva and Brahman? "Third: on what basis is it known that this is past time, this the present, and this the future? Fourth: when jīvas perform which karmas, what destiny accrues to them? Fifth: how do great souls conduct themselves? Expound their qualities to me. Sixth: tell me of the supremely wondrous, most graceful and lovely stories of the Paramātma's Avatāras. Seventh: explain the differences between the Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali yugas. How is one to know that the present age is such-and-such a yuga? Eighth: tell me of the dharmas of rājarṣis. Ninth: explain the method of adhyātma yoga. Tenth: what is the svarūpa of the Veda? Which are called the Upa-Vedas? Please tell me which Upa-Vedas belong to which Veda. "I wish to hear, very quickly, the reply to these questions of mine, and further, everything else that I ought to hear." Then, falling at his feet, he prayed: "Svāmī! I have taken refuge in you. Nowhere in the world can anyone be found, apart from you, who could resolve these doubts. Since you alone are capable of resolving them, you alone the possessor of every power, bless me and bring this birth of mine to its fulfilment." Śuka, with the tenderness of a parent, commanded him: "O King! Rise! If you ask so many questions all at once, how will you be able to take in the answers? Moreover, you have not yet eaten anything! You have not drunk anything! Take at least a little fruit, or some milk. Food and drink are the dharmas of the body. Without them, how will the duty that lies ahead be carried through? Should the body waste away and somehow give out midway, you would be left with your doubts still unresolved. So take some food."

To that the Mahārāja replied: "Svāmī! To give up drinking nectar and drink instead what is not nectar — surely that is not Dharma for those whose final hour has drawn near! I consider it a thing that must not be done. You are making me drink the essence of nectar through the apertures of my ears. You are sprinkling the nectar that revives the dead, the mṛta-sañjīvanī, all over my body. How could I die midway? That will not happen. Even if the angered Mahārṣi Śṛṅgi had not fixed the time of my death, even if I were not to die by Takṣaka within seven days — so long as I go on ceaselessly hearing the story, I shall never, ever die. In just this way I shall go on ceaselessly hearing the story, as one who has taken the vow of fasting. My food and drink are the nectar of Śyāmasundara's story itself! So, leaving aside all thought of my food and drink, make me fit for the supreme abode. Protect me from an evil fate. It is in you alone that I am taking refuge." So he prayed, humbly, shedding streams of tears. Sāttvic Tapas Alone Is the Cause of Ātma-Realization Then Śuka, stroking his head, said: "O King! I shall tell you of the auspicious path; first listen to that. Brahmā showed light to the world of Māyā. When Brahmā thought to create, a voice was heard from the sky: 'Tapas alone is the essence of everything.' Therefore, practise tapas. Through tapas delusion is removed" — even as Śuka was saying this... Parīkṣit asked: "Svāmī! What does tapas mean? Please tell me." Then Śuka the Mahārṣi said: "Dear child! Tapas means sādhana. It is through tapas alone that creation, sustenance and dissolution take place. Tapas itself is the cause of Ātma-realization. If one puts Manas, Buddhi and the senses through tapas, that realization is surely attained. Listen, and I shall tell you what putting them through tapas means! This Manas, Buddhi and the senses are forever turning outward to obtain external pleasures through gross objects. If any sound comes, at once the organ of hearing

hears. As soon as the ear has heard, the eye tries to see. Once the eye has seen — the Manas desires, "I want that object!" At once the Buddhi says, "Very well, good," and deliberates intensely on the efforts needed to obtain it. All these senses, one after another, attach themselves to external objects and go round and round forever, never finding peace or comfort, roaming unrestrained like dogs in the street. They wander about with no shame or reserve at all about what anyone might think. The jīva then gently instructs these freely wandering ways of the Manas, the Buddhi and the senses, and sets about absorbing them in singing the qualities of the Lord. Or it binds them to some kind of niṣṭhā. It makes them enter upon some excellent path. In this way, trampling down that licence and dedicating the senses to the holy matters of the Paramātma — whether in japa, or dhyāna, or good karma, or whatever other holy activity — putting Manas, Buddhi and the senses through tapas with one word, one feeling, one hand: this is what is called tapas. Through it all sins perish. The antaḥkaraṇa becomes pure, and then God dwells right there within it. Through tapas every auspicious thing comes together. At last the Lord of all Himself becomes manifest. What is there that surpasses this? O King! Is it not through this very tapas that the great ṛṣis and mahātmas earned an unbroken, unprecedented radiance and accomplished so many great deeds? Even rākṣasas such as Rāvaṇa and Hiraṇyakaśipu practised tapas in a rājasic spirit and obtained physical strength and powers. Their might and valour were nothing but the effects of tapas. But if that same tapas is made to enter the sāttvic, one gains the attainment of reaching the Supreme who is beyond the highest.

Turning the Manas Back into the Ātma Is Mokṣa "According to the attitude behind them, there are three kinds of tapas: rājasic, tāmasic and sāttvic. But for attaining God, the sāttvic alone is what matters most. Mahārṣis such as Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra achieved wondrous power by the sāttvic path, and at last rose to the rank of brahmarṣi. Within these there are again three kinds: the tapases of the mind, of the body and of speech. You may wonder which of these three is the principal one. All three are principal! Even so, if one makes the tapas of the mind one's foundation, the other two, of body and of speech, are contained within it. "One who is subject to the viṣayas tries in many ways to fulfil his desires. Therefore, if one does not let the senses take that wrong path, but withdraws all the senses from the viṣayas and fixes the Manas in tapas, then such a one can become master of svarājya. Then he can govern everything. It may be said that joining the Manas to the viṣayas is bondage, and that freeing the Manas from its bonds and fixing it in tapas — that is, turning it back toward the Ātma — is Mokṣa." The Relation Between the Dreamer and the Objects of the Dream "Mahārāja! All the objects that appear are impermanent. Hari alone is Truth. Connection with objects brings sorrow in the end; God is always of the very nature of bliss. O King! That pure embodiment of Jñāna has no relation whatever to these worldly objects. If one should think that there is some relation, then the relation between the Paramātma and the objects of the world is exactly as much as the relation between the objects seen in a dream and the one who saw them in the dream." So he taught.

Then the Mahārāja began to ask thus: "Lord! In this matter too a doubt arises in me. It is this: what we see in dreams are only real things we have seen before, directly, with our own eyes. So, first of all, there must surely be some one real object, must there not? The dreamer regards all the objects in his dream as real. After waking from sleep he thinks of them all as a delusion of the Buddhi, and understands them so; but that is the state of human beings. Could there be delusion anywhere for God? One may say that the object, though it is one, appears as many through Māyā. There are objects of manifold forms and manifold shapes, and all of them appear to be real. Why, then, do you compare such things to a dream?" Māyā Itself Is Creation — the Creator Is the Lord of Māyā Then Śuka burst out laughing and said: "Mahārāja! It is this very Māyā that has fashioned the one into manifold forms. It is just like a daytime masquerader who puts on one guise after another; it assumes many forms. Through Prakṛti, through Māyā, on account of avidyā, when the time drew near and the guṇas were stirred into agitation, this whole world came into being. But He who is the Lord of Māyā, He who is the controller of time, He who by His own nature is the impeller of all — when the jīva takes refuge in such a One, understanding that He is the ruler of the deluding Māyā that is mother to the whole world, and recognizing His glory, he delights in the Akṣara Brahman, becomes free of ajñāna, leaves behind these māyic objects, and can become unattached." Then the Mahārāja, astonished, said: "Lord! How did this creation first take place? What is the root cause of these objects of Māyā?" To explain this again, Śuka said: "Mahārāja! Creation has been going on from beginningless time. At the beginning of creation, from Nārāyaṇa's navel a lotus

arose. In that very lotus Nārāyaṇa was born in the form of Brahmā. Brahmā, once born, resolved to look out once in all four directions. Then he took shape as four faces toward the four directions. His resolve did not stop there: resolving to look in all eight directions, he became Caturānana. As the directions became ten, there came to be five faces. That fifth face, taking on the form of Śiva, was cut away. Knowing that no work proceeds without tapas, he sat in padmāsana, and in the lotus of his heart he called to mind the whole of creation and contemplated it. "The secret of creation cannot be understood so easily. The Lord's resolves have no cause and effect. For anyone at all to set about investigating and inquiring with worldly conjectures into the creation of the Lord of all — who is all-capable and all-knowing — is not possible, O King! Even as I was beginning to reply to the questions you asked before, you are already setting about asking yet another question. The Ten Characteristics of the Purāṇas "Perhaps, from that alone, you think I have forgotten to answer the questions you asked! In the hearing of the Bhāgavata story that is to come, you will receive fitting answers to all of them. All your questions are in accord with the Purāṇas. So you can hear their answers through the Purāṇas." Thus he spoke words of peace. Parīkṣit again set about questioning. He asked: "Svāmī! What does 'Purāṇa' mean? What is their characteristic nature? How many of them might there be?" To that Śuka replied: "Dear one! What is composed as an explanation of the condensed statements in the Vedas is called Purāṇa. The Purāṇas are countless. But at this time eighteen Purāṇas, eighteen Upa-Purāṇas, eighteen Upo-

Purāṇas alone have become well known. All of these were compiled by none other than my father, the revered Vyāsa. "These Purāṇas have ten characteristics; the Upa-Purāṇas have five. You may ask again, 'What are those ten characteristics?' Before you do, I shall tell you myself. Listen. Sarga, visarga, sthāna, poṣaṇa, ūti, manvantara, īśānucarita, nirodha, Mukti and āśraya: of these ten, āśraya is the principal one.