Chapter 11(17)

‘Uddhava said, “You have earlier spoken about the dharma that is characterized by bhakti, to be observed by those who follow the varnas and the ashramas and all men. ¹¹³⁴ O lotus-eyed one! When men are engaged in their own dharma, what can they do to increase their devotion towards you? You should tell me this. O mighty-armed one! O lord! O Madhava! Earlier, in the form of a swan, you spoke about this supreme dharma to Brahma. O destroyer of enemies! However, a long period of time has passed since then. What you had instructed earlier, is not generally witnessed in the mortal world. O Achyuta! With your exception, there is no one on earth, not even in Virinchi’s assembly, which the arts attend in personified form, who can propound, act or protect that dharma. O god! O Madhusudana! You are the propounder, the performer and the protector. When you leave the surface of the earth, it will be destroyed. Who will speak about it? You know about all the forms of dharma. Therefore, speak to me about the dharma that is characterized by bhakti towards you. Who should practise it and in what form? O lord! Please describe this.”’

Shri-Shuka said, ‘Thus addressed by the foremost among his servants, the illustrious Hari was pleased. For the benefit of mortals, he spoke about this eternal dharma.

‘The illustrious one replied, “Your question is about this dharma and it brings the greatest benefit to men who follow the varnas and the ashramas. O Uddhava! Listen to me. In the beginning, in krita yuga, there was only one varna among men and it was known as hamsa. As soon as they were born, subjects accomplished their objectives. That is the reason the learned called it krita yuga. ¹¹³⁵ In that first age, all the Vedas were there in ‘Oum’. In the form of a bull, I held up dharma. ¹¹³⁶ Engaged in austerities and free of sins, the hamsas worshipped me. O immensely fortunate one! At the beginning of treta yuga, the three Vedas were manifested from my heart as my breath of life. From that knowledge, I was manifested as the three parts of the sacrifice. ¹¹³⁷ From the cosmic Purusha, four categories were born—brahmanas from the mouth, kshatriyas from the arms, vaishyas from the thighs and shudras from the feet. They were characterized by their own conduct. Garhasthya appeared from my loins, brahmacharya from my heart, vanaprastha from my chest and sannyasa from the top of my head. The varnas and the ashramas followed the order in which they were created. The higher the position, the higher the order of men. The lower the position, the lower the order. The natural attributes of brahmanas are control over the mind, control over the senses, austerities, purity, contentment, fortitude, uprightness, devotion towards me, compassion and truthfulness. The natural attributes of kshatriyas are energy, strength, perseverance, valour, tolerance, generosity, enterprise, steadiness, prosperity and devotion towards brahmanas. The natural attributes of vaishyas are faith, devotion to donating, lack of hypocrisy, dissatisfaction towards wealth ¹¹³⁸ and service towards brahmanas. The natural attributes of shudras are lack of duplicity in serving brahmanas, cattle and gods and satisfaction with whatever has been obtained. The natural attributes of those who are outside the varna system are lack of cleanliness, dishonesty, theft, hereticism, pointless quarrelling, lust, anger and avarice. For all the varnas, dharma consists of non-violence, truth, honesty, lack of desire, anger and greed and a desire to ensure the pleasure and welfare of all beings.

‘“A dvija obtains a second birth by gradually going through the investiture of the sacred thread ritual. Controlling himself, he resides in his guru’s household and when summoned by the preceptor, studies the sacred texts. During brahmacharya, he wears a girdle made out of munja grass and garments made out of deerskin. He carries a staff, a string of rudraksha beads, the sacred thread and a kamandalu. His hair is matted. His garments must not be washed. ¹¹³⁹ He must not use a polished seat. Instead, he must carry kusha grass for sitting. He must not speak while bathing, eating, offering oblations, chanting mantras and passing stool and urine. He must not clip his nails. Nor must he cut his hair, including that on his chest or in the pubic region. As long as he follows the vow of brahmacharya, he must never voluntarily allow the passing of semen. It is oozes out involuntarily, he must bathe, practise pranayama and chant the gayatri mantra. Pure and controlled, he must perform worship during the two sandhyas, silently chanting the mantras. He must worship the fire, the sun, the preceptor, cattle, brahmanas, seniors, the aged and the gods. He must know that the preceptor is my own form and never show him disrespect. All the gods exist in the guru. Thinking that he is a mere mortal, one must never envy him. Any alms that have been obtained in the morning and the evening through begging, must be offered to him. Controlling oneself, one must accept whatever has been permitted by the preceptor. Like an inferior person, one must always serve and worship the preceptor. When he goes out, sleeps or is seated, one must be nearby, hands joined in salutation. In this way, devoid of any material gratification, he must reside in his guru’s household. Until the process of learning has been completed, he must never deviate from his vows. If he wishes to ascend to Maharloka or Brahmaloka, he must observe that great vow of celibacy throughout his life. For the sake of studying, he must offer his body to the preceptor. I am the supreme, present in the fire, the preceptor, his own atman and in all creatures. He must worship me in this undifferentiated way and resplendent with the radiance of the brahman, he will be cleansed of all sins. A person not in garhasthya must not look at women, touch them, converse with them or joke with them. Nor must he look at creatures engaged in sexual intercourse. O delight of the lineage! There are some rules that are applicable to all the ashramas. These are purity, touching water before any sacred rite, bathing, worship at the time of sandhya, worshipping me, visiting tirthas, chanting, not touching what should not be touched, not eating what should not be eaten, not speaking to those who should not be spoken to, control over mind, speech and body and visualizing me in all creatures. In this way, a brahmana who observes the great vow blazes like a fire. He burns down the store of karma through fierce austerities and devotion towards me. He becomes pure.

‘“After having studied the sacred texts properly, a student may wish to enter garhasthya. He must pay his guru dakshina and with the guru’s permission, must bathe. He may either go to the forest, or enter garhasthya. An excellent dvija who is not devoted to me must always move from one ashrama to another ashrama in the proper order and never in a contrary way. ¹¹⁴⁰ A person who desires to become a householder must marry a wife who is his equal. She must be younger in age. She must be from the same varna and one progressively goes down this order. ¹¹⁴¹ Performing sacrifices, studying and donating are meant for all dvijas. But only brahmanas can receive gifts, teach and officiate at sacrifices. If a brahmana thinks that receiving gifts will diminish his austerities, energy and fame, he can use the other two. If he sees those as unacceptable, he can resort to shila-unchchha. ¹¹⁴² A brahmana’s body must not be used for satisfying inferior objects of desire. It is meant for hardships and austerities in this world. He obtains infinite happiness after death. He must satisfy his mind with shila-unchchha. Purified of all desire, he must observe this great dharma. Even if he is a householder, he must offer himself to me and not be excessively attached. He will then obtain serenity. If a brahmana is suffering and is devoted to me, or if a person helps such a brahmana and is devoted to me, within a short period of time, I raise them above all sufferings, like a boat in the ocean. Like a father, a king must protect his subjects from all hardships, like a leader of elephants saving all elephants. He must find that perseverance within his own self. In this way, a king is cleansed of everything inauspicious. He enjoys himself with Indra, in a vimana that is as dazzling as the sun. If a brahmana is in the midst of hardships, he can survive by using the occupation of a merchant and even trade prohibited objects. ¹¹⁴³ When he is afflicted, he may even earn a living using the sword. However, he must never follow a dog’s conduct. ¹¹⁴⁴ To earn a living, a king may follow the occupation of a vaishya and even earn a living through hunting. He may even follow a brahmana’s occupation. But he must never follow a dog’s conduct. A vaishya can follow a shudra’s occupation. A shudra can be an artisan or make mats. However, once a person is freed from the calamity, he must not engage in occupations that are not sanctioned. According to capacity, studying, offering oblations with svadha, offering oblations with svaha, ¹¹⁴⁵ offering food to others and worshipping gods, rishis, ancestors and creatures every day, since these are my forms. ¹¹⁴⁶ Without causing hardship to dependants and using objects that have come on their own or have been purchased with wealth obtained through legitimate means, one must perform the sacrifices. However, one should not get attached to the family. Nor should one neglect the family. A learned person sees that what cannot be seen is just as temporary as what can be seen. ¹¹⁴⁷ Sons, wives, relatives and friends are like travellers meeting. When sleep is over, what is seen in a dream is no longer there. Like that, when the body changes, there is separation from these too. Considering this, a person who has been liberated resides in his household like a guest. He is not bound to the house. He is without a sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. While performing the tasks of a householder and remaining in that state, he should be devoted to me. Or, if he has had children, he can leave for vanaprastha or sannyasa. A person whose mind is attached to the household is afflicted by the desire for sons and wealth. He is attached to women and his mind becomes miserly and foolish. He is bound down by notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. ‘Alas! My aged parents. My wife and my infant children. Without me, they won’t have a protector and will be distressed. Miserable, how will they remain alive?’ Thus, the heart of a person who is attached to the household is agitated. His intelligence is foolish. Thinking about these, he is dissatisfied. When he dies, he enters blinding darkness.”’

Chapter 11(18)

‘The illustrious one said, “When a person goes to the forest, he can take his wife with him, or entrust her to the care of his sons. The third quarter of the lifespan should be spent in serenity in the forest. Subsistence must be ensured through bulbs, roots and fruits that grow in the middle of the forest. When residing in the forest, garments must be made out of bark, grass, leaves or deerskin. He must not clean his hair, body hair, beard or dirt on the body. He must not brush his teeth. He must immerse himself in the water thrice a day. ¹¹⁴⁸ He must sleep on the ground. In the summer, he must torment himself through five fires. ¹¹⁴⁹ During monsoon, he must stand in the rain. In the winter, he must submerge himself in water, up to the neck. He must perform austerities in this way. He can eat what has been cooked in the fire, or what has ripened in the course of time. The food can be ground with a pestle, or the teeth can be used as pestle and mortar. He must himself collect whatever is required for his subsistence, considering what is right for the time and the place and what he is capable of. He must not accept anything from anyone else. He can perform seasonal sacrifices by making cakes out of forest fare. However, a person in vanaprastha ashrama must not worship me through animal sacrifices mentioned in the shruti texts. While residing in the forest, aghihotra, darsha, pournamasa and chaturmasya sacrifices ¹¹⁵⁰ can be performed, as he used to do earlier. These are sanctioned by the sacred texts. Through the observance of such austerities, the sage seems to be covered with veins everywhere. Worshipping me with such austerities over a long period of time, he goes to the world of the rishis and obtains me. These extremely difficult austerities, performed over a long period of time, are for the sake of great benefit. Who but a fool will engage in such austerities for the sake of gratifying the senses? When his body starts to tremble and he is no longer capable of observing these rituals because of old age, he must ignite the fire within his atman. With his mind immersed in me, he must enter the fire.

‘“Karma obtains various things, including worlds that are no better than hell. When a person has completely cast aside the fires ¹¹⁵¹ he can leave for sannyasa. Having worshipped me through the instructed sacrifices, he must give everything away to the officiating priests. He must withdraw the fires within his own prana and without any attachment, must take to sannyasa. For a brahmana who wishes to take to sannyasa, the gods create impediments in the form of wives and other things, since he might surpass them and obtain the supreme. If the sage wishes to wear anything more than a koupina, ¹¹⁵² he can wear another garment on top of this. Unless there is a calamity, he should not possess anything other than a staff and a water pot. He must place his foot on the ground only after it has been purified through his eyes. ¹¹⁵³ He must drink water only after he has strained it with his garment. He must only speak what is the truth. He must only do what his mind thinks is pure. O dear one! Unless one accepts the rules of maintaining silence, giving up desire for anything in this world and controlling the breath, related to speech, body and the mind, one does not become a mendicant only because one has got a staff made out of bamboo. When a person roams around searching for alms, for all the four varnas, he must shun condemned households. Without any hopes, he must go to seven houses and no more and be content with whatever has been obtained. Taking this, he must go to a body of water that is outside. ¹¹⁵⁴ He must maintain silence. He must perform his ablutions. He must divide his food. ¹¹⁵⁵ Thus purified, he must completely ¹¹⁵⁶ eat whatever has been obtained. He must wander around the earth alone, without attachment and in control of his senses. He must find pleasure within his own atman. He must impartially look upon everything like his own self. He must reside in a solitary and safe place, cleaning his mind by being immersed in me. The sage must think of the atman alone, which is not different from me. Resorting to jnana, he must examine the atman and the nature of its bondage and liberation. The bondage occurs because of attachment to the senses and liberation is control over them. Therefore, controlling the six categories, ¹¹⁵⁷ the sage roams around, immersed in me. He is not attached to inferior desires. He obtains great happiness in the atman. He must travel the earth and go to sacred places, rivers, mountains, forests and hermitages. He must enter cities, villages, cowherd settlements and places where caravans gather only for the sake of alms. He must seek alms following the practice of those in vanaprastha ashrama, ¹¹⁵⁸ or practise shila-unchchha. He will then be quickly purified, become free of delusion and obtain success. He must never see reality in material objects. Anything visible will be destroyed. With the mind completely detached towards anything in this world or in the next world, he will not wish to do anything to pursue these. Through reasoning, he must establish that everything, the world, mind, speech, prana and everything else, is maya. Thus, basing himself on the atman, he must give up everything else and not remember them.

‘“My devotee who is devoted to jnana, without attachment and without desire for anything else, can give up all attributes connected to any ashrama. He can roam around, beyond these rules. Though wise, he should play like a child. Though accomplished, he should act like one who is stupid. Though learned, he should speak like a mad person. Though he knows about the sacred texts, he should tend to cattle. He should not engage in debates about the Vedas. He is not a heretic. But he is not a debater either. In pointless arguments and counter-arguments, he should not take either side. Such a patient person does not agitate other people, nor is he agitated by other people. He should tolerate harsh words and must never disrespect anyone. For the sake of the body, like an animal, he must never exhibit enmity towards anyone. The supreme atman is one and is present in the atmans of all creatures, just as the moon is reflected in different bodies of water. Therefore, other creatures are no different from one’s own self. At different times, he should not be distressed if he does not get food. At other times, he should not rejoice because he has obtained food. Fixed in his patience, he realizes that both these are the outcome of destiny. He must engage himself in trying to obtain food, since that is required for the sake of sustaining life. It is only through life that the truth can be contemplated. When one has discerned the truth, one is freed. A sage must accept whatever has come of its own accord, food, garments, bed, regardless of whether these are superior or inferior. I am the lord. Yet I engage in pastimes. Like that, a learned person must observe the rituals of cleanliness and bathing, not because he has been forced to do them. He has no sense of differentiation left. Having realized me, all that has been destroyed. However, as long as the body remains, sometimes, these perceptions recur. But after that, he merges into me. A person who has realized his atman knows that all objects of desire bring misery in the future. Therefore, non-attachment is generated. However, a sage who has not considered this dharma of devotion to me, must approach a guru. Until the devotee has got to realize the brahman as being nothing other than me, he must respectfully serve the guru with devotion and without any envy. A person who has not controlled the six categories, with the mind as the fierce charioteer of the senses, he is devoid of jnana and non-attachment. He resorts to the triple staff of sannyasa only as a means of subsistence. He destroys dharma and deceives the gods and his own atman. He also denies me. His impurities have still not ripened and he has destroyed this world and the next. The main dharma of a person in sannyasa is control and non-violence. The main dharma of a person in vanaprastha is austerities and examination. The main dharma of a person in garhasthya is protection of creatures and the performance of sacrifices. The main dharma of a dvija in brahmacharya is serving the preceptor. Brahmacharya, ¹¹⁵⁹ austerities, purity, satisfaction, friendliness towards creatures and approaching the wife in season are the duties of a householder. Everyone should worship me. In this way, a person must follow his own dharma and worship me and nothing else. He is conscious of me existing in all creatures and thereby develops firm devotion towards me. O Uddhava! I am the great lord of all the worlds. I am the brahman. I am the cause behind the creation and destruction of everything. A person who does not deviate from being devoted towards me obtains me. Thus, a person must engage in his own dharma and purify himself, thus ascertaining my nature. He becomes full of jnana and vijnana and soon obtains me. These are the signs and conduct of the dharma of the varnas and the ashramas. When devotion towards me is added to this, a person obtains the greatest benefit. O virtuous one! I have thus described to you what you had asked me about. This is the way one follows one’s own dharma and being devoted towards me, obtains me, the supreme.”’

Chapter 11(19)

‘The illustrious one said, “A person who possesses learning about the shruti texts, knows about the atman and does not depend on inferences, possesses the jnana that everything in the universe is only maya. Therefore, he renders everything to me. For those who possess jnana, I am the only object of worship. It is accepted that I am the goal and also the means of achieving that goal. I am the cause of happiness in heaven. I am also the cause of liberation. Therefore, other than me, nothing else is loved by him. A person who possesses jnana and vijnana knows that my state is the supreme object. I love a person who possesses jnana the most. A person who possesses jnana nurtures me. Austerities, tirthas, meditating, donations and other sacred acts do not obtain as much of success as a little bit of jnana ensures. O Uddhava! Therefore, using jnana, you should know your own atman. With jnana and vijnana and filled with devotion towards me, worship me. Earlier, sages possessed jnana and vijnana and used these to perform sacrifices to me, the atman, within their own atmans. I am the lord of sacrifices. Therefore, approaching me, they obtained success. O Uddhava! The three kinds of transformations ¹¹⁶⁰ become attached because of maya. They suddenly appear now. They didn’t exist in the beginning. Nor will they exist at the end. Birth, death and other things have to do with the body. What do they have to do with you? Something that did not exist in the beginning and will not exist at the end is unreal and only seems to exist in the middle.”

‘Uddhava said, “O lord of the universe! O one whose form is the universe! Please explain to me the ancient, pure and extensive nature of jnana and vijnana, which ensures non-attachment. Explain the bhakti yoga that the great seek out. In this path of samsara, I am terribly tormented and afflicted by the three kinds of miseries. ¹¹⁶¹ O lord! I do not see any shelter other than at your two feet. They are like an umbrella and also shower down amrita. O one who is immensely powerful! This person has been bitten by the snake that is time. He has fallen into a hole and is thirsting after inferior pleasures. Show him your favours and raise him up to liberation by sprinkling your words on him.”

‘The illustrious one replied, “In earlier times, while all of us heard, King Ajatashatru asked Bhishma, supreme among the upholders of dharma, exactly this question. When the war among those of the Bharata lineage was over, he was overwhelmed by the destruction of his well-wishers. After hearing about many kinds of dharma, he finally asked about moksha dharma. The words emerging from Devavrata’s ¹¹⁶² mouth spoke about jnana, non-attachment, vijnana, faith and bhakti. I will describe those to you. I approve of the jnana through which one sees the nine, the eleven, the five and the three attributes in all creatures ¹¹⁶³ and the one that permeates everything. In that way, when one no longer sees this differentiation, but the single one that is the cause, this is vijnana. Such a person sees that material attributes like creation, preservation and destruction are caused by the gunas. What is created is destroyed. What is destroyed is created again. From one creation to another, that which remains at the beginning, in the middle and at the end is the only entity that is real. Through four means—the shruti texts, direct experience, tradition and inference—one gets evidence that the material existence is transitory. Therefore, one becomes detached from this. Any karma leads to consequences and is therefore subject to transformations. It is inauspicious, even if it happens to be Virinchi’s position. A learned man perceives what is visible and what is not visible in the same way. O unblemished one! Since you love me, I have already spoken about bhakti yoga to you. I will again speak about bhakti towards me, the supreme method. Faithfully listening to my immortal accounts; constant chanting of my glories; devoted worship towards me; singing hymns in my praise; affectionately serving me; using all the limbs to be prostrate before me; using great devotion to worship my devotees; the perception that I exist in all creatures; using all physical activities for my sake; using speech to sing about my qualities; surrendering the mind to me; shunning all objects of desire; for my sake, giving up wealth, objects of pleasure and happiness; dedicating sacrifices, donations, oblations, chanting, vows and austerities to me—all these generate bhakti towards me. What other objective remains to be attained? If a person dedicates himself to me, he is serene and is full of sattva. He also obtains dharma, jnana, non-attachment and every kind of opulence. When the mind is surrendered to something else, the senses run around. Know that because of this devotion to rajas and the unreal in the consciousness, perverse effects result. Dharma is stated to be that which leads to bhakti towards me. Jnana is that which sees only me in everything. Non-attachment is being delinked from the gunas. Opulence means anima and the other things.”

‘Uddhava asked, “O afflicter of enemies! How many kinds of yama are there? What is the niyama that is spoken about? What is shama? What is dama? O Krishna! O lord! What are titiksha and dhriti? What is dana? What is tapas? What is shourya? What is spoken of as satyam and ritam? What is tyaga? What dhana should one strive for? What is yajna? What is dakshina? What is a man’s real bala? What is the best bhaga? O Keshava! What is labha? What is vidya? What is the supreme form of hri? What is shri? What are sukha and duhkha? Who is pandita and who is murkha? What is pantha? What is utpatha? What are svarga and naraka? Who is a bandhu and what is a griha? Who is adhya and who is daridra? Who is kripana? Who is ishvara? O lord of the virtuous! Tell me the answers to these questions. Also tell me about the opposites of these attributes.”

‘The illustrious one replied, “Yama ¹¹⁶⁴ consists of non-violence, truthfulness, refraining from theft, lack of attachment, modesty, refraining from accumulation, belief in the sacred texts, brahmacharya, silence, steadfastness, forgiveness and fearlessness. Niyama ¹¹⁶⁵ consists of external purity, internal purity, meditating, austerities, oblations, faith, hospitality, my worship, visiting tirthas, ensuring benefit to others, contentment and service to the preceptor. These are yama and niyama and each is said to have twelve practices. O son! A man who practises them can milk all the objects of desire. Shama ¹¹⁶⁶ is being devoted to me. Dama ¹¹⁶⁷ is the control of the senses. Titiksha ¹¹⁶⁸ is tolerance of miseries. Dhriti ¹¹⁶⁹ is the conquest of the stomach and the genital organs. The supreme form of dana ¹¹⁷⁰ is abstention from using the rod against others. Tapas ¹¹⁷¹ is said to be the giving up of desire. Shourya ¹¹⁷² is victory over one’s own nature. Satyam ¹¹⁷³ is impartiality in vision. The wise have declared that pleasant speech is ritam. ¹¹⁷⁴ Not being attached to karma is shoucha. ¹¹⁷⁵ Tyaga ¹¹⁷⁶ is said to be renunciation. Engaging in dharma is the desirable form of dhana. ¹¹⁷⁷ I, the supreme and illustrious one, am yajna. ¹¹⁷⁸ Dakshina is instruction about jnana. Pranayama is supreme bala. ¹¹⁷⁹ Bhaga ¹¹⁸⁰ is my divine opulence. Labha ¹¹⁸¹ is supreme devotion towards me. Vidya ¹¹⁸² is negation of differentiation in the atman. Hri ¹¹⁸³ is disgust towards perverse karma. Shri ¹¹⁸⁴ is indifference towards the gunas. Sukha ¹¹⁸⁵ is transcending both sukha and duhkha. Duhkha ¹¹⁸⁶ is expected sukha from objects of desire. A pandita ¹¹⁸⁷ is someone who knows about liberation from bondage. A murkha ¹¹⁸⁸ is a person whose intelligence is such that he identifies himself with his body. Pantha ¹¹⁸⁹ is said to be the path that leads to me. Utpatha ¹¹⁹⁰ is that which leads to agitation of the intelligence. Svarga ¹¹⁹¹ is the predominance of sattva guna. Naraka ¹¹⁹² is the predominance of tamas guna. O friend! I am the preceptor and the bandhu. ¹¹⁹³ A man’s body is his griha. ¹¹⁹⁴ One who is full of qualities is said to be adhya. ¹¹⁹⁵ A daridra ¹¹⁹⁶ is a person who is not satisfied. Kripana ¹¹⁹⁷ is a person who has not conquered his senses. An ishvara ¹¹⁹⁸ is a person whose intelligence is such that he is not attached to the gunas. If there is attachment to the gunas, the opposite happens. O Uddhava! I have thus clearly determined the answers to your questions. What is the need to speak more about the attributes of what is good and what is bad? Thinking about good and bad is itself bad. Being devoid of notions of both good and bad is good.”’

Chapter 11(20)

‘Uddhava said, “O lotus-eyed one! You are indeed the lord and the injunctions and prohibitions of the sacred texts are therefore your commands. They do talk about good and bad acts. They talk about the different types of varnas and ashramas, birth from pratiloma and anuloma marriages, the attributes of objects, place, age and time and heaven and hell. ¹¹⁹⁹ Without perceiving the differenece between good and bad, which have injunctions and prohibitions, how can men undersand your words? ¹²⁰⁰ How can they ensure what is best for them? O lord! As your words, the Vedas are like eyes for ancestors, gods and men. They understand what is best, the end and the means. This insight about good and bad in the sacred texts did not evolve on its own, but comes from you. If one counters the differences in the sacred texts, there will be confusion.”

‘The illustrious one replied, “To ensure the best for men, I have spoken about three kinds of yoga—jnana, karma and bhakti. Other than these, no other path exists. Jnana yoga is for those who are disgusted with all karma and have given it up. Those whose minds are still not disgusted and who still desire, should resort to karma yoga. On its own, if devotion towards me is generated in a man, because he has heard about my accounts, even if he is not disgusted, nor excessively attached, he should obtain success through bhakti yoga. As long as one is not satisfied, or until devotion towards me has been generated by hearing about my accounts, one must perform karma. O Uddhava! If a person is established in his own dharma and worships me without desiring anything, he will not go to heaven or hell, unless he does something perverse. In this world, if a person performs his own dharma and is unblemished and pure, he obtains pure jnana. Bhakti is a matter of chance. The residents of heaven and the residents of hell desire to be born in this world, because that can ensure success for both jnana and bhakti. Those two worlds can’t ensure that success. A learned man should not crave for a destination in either heaven or hell. Nor should he desire to be born in this world. Attachment to the body leads to confusion. Knowing in advance that death is inevitable, he must unwaveringly act so as to achieve the goal of success, before death overtakes him. Men who are like death cut down a tree in which a bird has made its nest. Without being attached to its home, the bird goes elsewhere and finds peace. Knowing that the lifespan is being severed by the passage of nights and days, a person should tremble with fear. He must free himself of attachment and realize the supreme. Without any desire, he will find peace. He has easily obtained this human body, which is very difficult to obtain. It is like a well-designed boat and the guru is like a helmsman. I am like the favourable wind that propels it. After this, if a man does not cross the ocean of samsara, he is killing himself. When a person is disgusted with material pursuits, he must become detached and control his senses. Through practice, the yogi must fix his fickle mind in his atman. When the mind does not remain concentrated and starts to stray, he must not get distracted. He must use the techniques and the path to bring the atman under control. A person must retain control over where the mind is going. He must conquer his prana and conquer his senses. Using an intelligence that is full of sattva, he must bring the mind under the control of the atman. This is said to be the supreme yoga for controlling the mind, knowing and watching over the inclinations of the heart and repeatedly controlling them, like a horse. He must use samkhya to understand the nature of all material objects, their generation and their withdrawal. Observing the process of creation and destruction, the mind becomes serene. On the basis of what has been said, a man becomes disgusted and non-attached. Thinking about these, the mind gives up all wicked thoughts. Using the learning, a person examines the path of yoga, yama and the others. The mind must remember that I am the one to be worshipped. Nothing else is worthwhile. Because of being distracted, if a yogi commits a reprehensible act, he must burn that sin down through yoga. Nothing else should be done. ¹²⁰¹ Depending on a person’s respective status, a steady practice of what is good has been spoken about and niyama has been laid down. However, by its very nature, karma is impure. The norms of good and bad must be used by a person with the desire of giving up attachment. When devotion towards my accounts has been generated, a person develops disgust for all karma. Though he knows that all objects of desire give rise to unhappiness, he is unable to give them up. He must then happily worship me, filled with firm devotion and determination. Even if he pursues objects of desire, he must condemn them as being the cause of miseries. I have spoken about bhakti yoga, which a sage can use to completely worship me. This destroys all the desires in the heart and the heart becomes immersed in me. The bonds of the heart are severed and all the doubts are dispelled. When I am seen as the atman who exists everywhere, all karma is terminated. Thus, using bhakti yoga, a yogi is immersed in my atman. In general, in this world, neither jnana, nor non-attachment, is necessary for obtaining benefit. All the benefit that can be obtained through karma, austerities, jnana, non-attachment, yoga, donations and dharma can be obtained easily by my devotee through bhakti yoga. If he so desires, he can obtain heaven, emancipation, or my abode. Those who are my virtuous and persevering devotees are fixed in me and desire nothing else. I give them kaivalya and freedom from being born again. It has been said that indifference is the best and greatest method for obtaining benefit. Therefore, a person who is indifferent and not attached, develops devotion. Good and bad, which arise from the gunas, do not exist in those who are single-minded in their devotion to me. Those virtuous ones are impartial in their intelligence and obtain the supreme. This path has been propounded by me. If a person follows this, he obtains peace and my abode. The learned know this as the supreme brahman.”’

Chapter 11(21)

‘The illustrious one said, “My path is that of bhakti, jnana and rituals I have spoken about. Those who are inferior forsake it and pursue the temporary goals of the senses and objects of desire. They become tied to samsara. Depending on a person’s state, there are steady practices that have been spoken of as being good. Deviation from these is bad. This is what has been determined about them. O unblemished one! Pure and impure, good and bad, auspicious and inauspicious, can coexist in the same object. ¹²⁰² These have been laid down so that the principles can be used to investigate the pursuit of dharma, everyday conduct and the sustenance of life. I have revealed these norms for those who have to uphold dharma. Beginning with Brahma and down to immobile objects, all embodied entities result from earth, water, fire, air and space, the five elements. All of them are united with the atman. Though they are equal, the Vedas give them different names and forms. O Uddhava! This is so that each can accomplish its own respective objective. O excellent one! For the sake of regulating karma, I have laid down good and bad for entities, depending on the place, the time and other aspects. There are places where there are no black antelopes. Devotion towards brahmanas is missing. Such places are inauspicious. Even if there are black antelopes, these are known as Souvira and Kikata. ¹²⁰³ These desolate places are not clean. Depending on the task, the availability of objects, or because it is naturally that, a specific time period is said to be good. When there are impediments towards performing karma, that is said to be bad and one should not attempt karma then. The good or the bad of an object depends on which other object it is attached to, words, ¹²⁰⁴ whether it has been cleaned, the passage of time and whether it is large or small. ¹²⁰⁵ Depending on a person’s intelligence, prosperity, location and state, an impure object may be able to, or may not be able to, taint him. Grain, objects made out of wood, bones, thread, liquids, metals and hides can be purified, or not, through time, air, fire, water and earth, acting singly or jointly. When touched by an impure smell, a fragrant substance can remove that impure coating and make it regain its original nature. That substance is then considered to be a purifying agent. Bathing, donations, austerities and performing purifying acts, depending on age and status, are means of purifying oneself. After first remembering me, a dvija must perform these acts of purification. A mantra is pure when it is chanted by someone who possesses proper knowledge. A karma is pure when it is offered to me. An act of dharma is pure when six things are considered. ¹²⁰⁶ Anything contrary is adharma. Sometimes, something good may turn out to be bad. Sometimes, something the norms declare as bad may turn out to be good. These specific circumstances constrain the use of those principles to determine what is good and bad. For those who have already fallen down, the performance of a similar act is no longer a sin. Someone who is lying down on the ground cannot fall further down. In conjunction with one’s natural conduct, something may turn out to be good. ¹²⁰⁷ Whatever course of action one refrains from, one is freed from that. This is dharma for men. It leads to well-being and removes grief, delusion and fear. If a man thinks of the good qualities of objects, he becomes attached to them. Desire results from that attachment. Among men, this desire leads to conflict. Conflict leads to intolerable rage and ignorance follows. This ignorance swiftly pervades a man’s intelligence. O virtuous one! Deprived of intelligence, a person is thought to be as empty as an animal. He thus deviates from what is good for him. He is like a person who has lost his consciousness or is dead. Absorbed in material objects, he does not know his atman or the supreme. His life is as futile as that of a tree. Though he breathes, he is no more than bellows. The fruits spoken about in the sacred texts do not bring benefit. They are only meant to entice attraction for the supreme. They have been spoken about with the intention of indicating the benefit, like making someone imbibe a bitter medicine. Because of birth, desire, attachment to life and attachment to relatives, the minds of mortals become attached and these act as constraints in their realizing their atmans. Ignorant people submit themselves and wander along a dangerous path, deviating from what is good for them. If a learned person has entered the darkness of ignorance, why should he again engage in those pursuits? Some who are inferior in intelligence are ignorant and do not understand the true intention ¹²⁰⁸ and pursue the flowering fruits of the sacred texts. Those who actually know about the Vedas do not speak in that way. Those driven by desire are miserly and greedy. Their intelligence is such that they regard the flowers as the fruit. Enticed by the fire and blinded by the smoke, they do not obtain their own destinations. O dear one! They do not know me, present in all hearts and in this universe. They are content with their own lives and what has been spoken about in the sacred texts. It is as if their eyes are covered by mist. Those who are attached to material objects do not understand my views, which have been implicitly stated. Thus, they are attracted to violent sacrifices, as if these have been encouraged. Taking pleasure in violence, because they desire their own happiness, these deceitful ¹²⁰⁹ people offer the animals that have thus been obtained at sacrifices dedicated to gods, ancestors and the lords of bhutas. In their dreams, they sketch out a world that is unreal, though it is pleasant to hear about. Because of the hope and resolution in their hearts, like a merchant, they give up their riches. ¹²¹⁰ Those who are full of sattva, rajas and tamas worship gods and others, Indra being the foremost, who are full of sattva, rajas and tamas. They do not worship me.‘Through sacrifices to the gods, we will enjoy ourselves in heaven. When that is over, we will again obtain large mansions and noble births in this world.’ The minds of men are agitated through such flowery words. They are proud and extremely greedy and my accounts are not attractive to them. The Vedas are about three subjects—the brahman, the atman and rituals. ¹²¹¹ The rishis speak about things indirectly and the indirect method also appeals to me. It is extremely difficult to understand about the brahman in words, since the vital air of speech, the sense of speaking and the perception of the mind are involved. The brahman has no limits. It is fathomless and is as deep as the ocean. I am the lord, infinite in powers. I am the brahman. I manifest myself before creatures in the form of sound and can only be perceived indirectly, like the subtle fibre in the stalk of a lotus. Through its mouth, the spider takes out strands of web from its heart. Like that, the vital air manifests itself from space as sound and touches the mind and assumes a form. The lord is full of metres, full of amrita and there are thousands of different sounds, classified as consonants, vowels, sibilants and semi-vowels. Omkara was thus embellished in different ways, expanding through colourful expressions. There were chhandas, ¹²¹² each containing four aksharas more than the previous one. The lord, infinite and limitless, creates this large expanse and again withdraws it into himself. The metres are gayatri, ushnik, anushtup, brihati, pankti, trishtup, jagati, atichchhanda, atyasti, atijagati and virat. ¹²¹³ What is prescribed? What is indicated? What is described? What is not recommended? What is the heart of the matter? Other than me, there is no one in the world who knows this. I am the one it has injunctions about worshipping. If there are injunctions about not worshipping me, that is also me. That is the meaning of all the Vedas. Resorting to speech, it differentiates me. Having differentiated because of maya, it negates me and is finally reduced to silence.”’

Chapter 11(22)

‘Uddhava asked, “O lord! O lord of the universe! How many principles have the rishis enumerated? We have heard from you that there are twenty-eight—nine, eleven, five and three. ¹²¹⁴ Some learned ones speak of twenty-six, others mention twenty-five. Some say seven, nine or six. Others say eleven. Some speak of seventeen, others speak of sixteen or thirteen. O one with a long life! With what intention have rishis sung about these differing numbers of principles? You should explain this to us.”

‘The illustrious one replied, “Since everything is present everywhere, it is reasonable that brahmanas should speak in this way. They are under the grasp of my maya. That being the case, whatever they say cannot be contradicted. ‘What you have said is not true. Truth is what I have spoken.’ Since my powers that urge them are insurmountable, they cite reasons and argue in this way. That is how those differences and alternatives arise when they speak about the subject. When control over the mind and the senses has been obtained, all debate subsides. O bull among men! The principles enter one another. Depending on what the speaker perceives, he categorizes them as cause and effect. All the principles are seen to be present in one principle. A principle exists within its cause and also within its effect. The principles are everywhere. Each of the disputant enumerates, depending on whether the effect is included in the cause, or whether the cause is included in the effect. He speaks as he has ascertained. We accept the reasoning and the conclusion. A man who has been covered with ignorance right from the beginning is unable to realize his own atman on his own. Therefore, there must be someone else who knows about the truth, so that he can impart knowledge to him. The slightest difference does not exist between Purusha and Ishvara. ¹²¹⁵ The perception about these being different is pointless and such knowledge arises because of Prakriti’s gunas. Prakriti has an equilibrium of the gunas. The gunas are Prakriti’s attributes, not those of the atman. Sattva, rajas and tamas are the cause of creation, preservation and destruction. The transformation of sattva is said to be jnana, the transformation of rajas is said to be karma and the transformation of tamas is said to be ajnana. Time is disequilibrium in the gunas, while nature is Sutra. The nine principles enumerated by me are Purusha, Prakriti, Mahat, ahamkara, space, wind, fire, water and earth. The powers of perception are hearing, touch, sight, smell and taste. O dear one! The organs of action are tongue, hands, genitals, anus and legs. The mind is used for both perception and action. The attributes of the senses that perceive are sound, what is touched, the seen, what is smelt and form. The functions of the senses of action are movement, expression, excretion ¹²¹⁶ and artisanship. In the beginning, at the time of creation, Prakriti assumes the form of both cause and effect. Through sattva and the other gunas, it assumes that state, while the unmanifest Purusha is only a witness. Because of the glance of Purusha, Mahat and the elements are agitated and thus obtain vigour. They are brought together by Prakriti’s strength and create the cosmic egg. Those who say there are seven principles enumerate the five elements, space and the others, the jivatman and the atman. These are regarded as the basis for the evolution of the body, the senses and the breath of life. Those who speak of six principles include the five elements and the supreme Purusha as the sixth. Uniting with those, he created this universe and entered it. Some say there are only four principles, with fire, water and earth having evolved from the atman. ¹²¹⁷ Just as something that has been born takes a form, this universe has also originated from these. There are some who enumerate seventeen principles—the five gross elements, the five senses, the five objects of the senses, the mind and the atman as the seventeenth. In that way, when sixteen principles are enumerated, the atman is also spoken of as the mind. When thirteen are mentioned, this includes the five elements, the five senses, the mind, the jivatman and the atman. Eleven includes the atman, the five gross elements and the five senses. Eight means Mahat, ahamkara, the mind and the five elements. When it is nine, Purusha is added to this list. In this way, the rishis differ in the number of principles they have enumerated. All of them are supported by reasoning and are true. Such embellishments are worthy of the learned.”

‘Uddhava said, “O Krishna! Prakriti and Purusha are different in characteristics. But because they depend on each other, no difference between them is seen. Prakriti can be discerned in the atman and the atman can be discerned in Prakriti. O lotus-eyed one! In this connection, there is a grave doubt in my mind. O one who knows everything! Using your polished words and reasoning, you should dispel this. It is from you that living beings obtain knowledge. It is your power that takes the knowledge away. Barring you, no one else can comprehend the progress of your maya.”

‘The illustrious one replied, “O bull among men! There is a difference between Purusha and Prakriti. ¹²¹⁸ This manifest creation results from the agitation in the gunas. O dear one! My maya creates many differences in the gunas. This leads to differences in intelligence and diversity in attributes. Creation has three kinds of transformations—adhyatmika, adhidaivika and adhibhoutika. The sense of sight is adhyatmika, the form of the sun is adhibhoutika and the part of the sun that enters through the aperture in the eye is adhidaivika. They interact with each other to show the sun, but the sun exists independently. In that way, the atman is the original cause and is separate from anything else. Through its own illumination, it illuminates other agents and they in turn illuminate everything else. This is the way touch, hearing, eyes, the tongue and the nose can also be analysed. ¹²¹⁹ When the gunas are agitated, with Pradhana as the basis, there is a transformation and ahamkara is generated. Created from Mahat, it is the source of delusion and differentiation. There are three kinds of ahamkara—resulting from sattva, rajas and tamas. Lack of jnana leads to debates about the atman. ‘This is real.’ ‘That is not real.’ Such arguments are based on differentiation and are pointless. Men who have turned their intelligences away from me will not be able to give these up, though I exist within their own selves.”

‘Uddhava said, “O lord! The intelligences of those who deviate from you are diverted by the karma of what they have themselves done. They accept and give up superior and inferior bodies. O Govinda! Tell me about this. It is extremely difficult for those who are not intelligent to understand this. Since most people are deceived, learned people are rare in this world.”

‘The illustrious one replied, “The minds of men are full of karma. Along with the five senses, they travel from one body to another. Though distinct, the atman also follows. The mind thinks about material objects, those that have been seen, or those that have been heard of. It dissolves and subsequently rises again, bound by karma. But the former memory is lost. Because of attachment towards material objects, he no longer has any memory of his former self. For a living being, this kind of loss of memory, whatever be the reason, is known as death. O generous one! Birth is said to be nothing but the complete identification of a man with a new body. This kind of acceptance is like accepting the wishes in a dream. In the present state of dreaming, a person does not remember the former dreams. In that way, unable to see the past, he thinks that he has no past. The mind, where the senses rest, identifies with the three forms of the new body, ¹²²⁰ which only appears as real. Just as a good father may give birth to a wicked son, a person thus becomes the cause of external and internal differences. ¹²²¹ O dear one! The force of time is powerful, but because it is subtle, its progress is not seen. As a result of time, beings are constantly created and destroyed. Flames in a fire change, as do flows in rivers. The fruits on a tree also change. In that way, changes are brought about in age and other aspects of all creatures. Since flames change, ‘This is the same light of a lamp,’ is an untrue statement. Since flows change, ‘This is the same water in the river,’ is an untrue statement. In that way, people who say, ‘This is the same man,’ are wasting their time and stating what is not true. A man is not born because of the seeds of his karma. Nor does he die because of that. Just as fire appears and is extinguished because of the presence or absence of kindling, death and immortality are the result of illusion. The nine stages of the body are conception, pregnancy, birth, infancy, childhood, youth, middle age, old age and death. Superior and inferior perceptions about the body arise because of false speculations in the mind. They are accepted as a consequence of being attached to the gunas. It is only rarely that a person discards them. From a father’s death, one can infer about one’s own death. From a son’s birth, one can infer about one’s own birth. If a person understands that creation and destruction are only related to the body, he is no longer subject to duality. A tree is born from a seed and is eventually destroyed. A person who knows this attribute about a tree’s birth and death is a distinct witness. It is the same with the witness who is distinct from the body. An ordinary and ignorant man fails to distinguish his atman from the material body. Because he thinks contact with material objects is real, he returns to samsara. If he is dominated by sattva, he becomes a rishi or a god. If he is dominated by rajas, he is born as an asura or as a man. If he is dominated by tamas, he becomes a bhuta or inferior species. Thus, he is whirled around in karma. A person imitates those whom he sees acting or dancing. In that way, the atman does not act. But seeing the qualities of intelligence, it is made to follow. O Dasharha! Though they do not move, the reflections of trees in the water seem to move. When the eyes roll around, the earth is seen to be in a whirl. Mental perceptions and intelligence lead to false identifications with material objects. Like what is seen in a dream, the atman falsely identifies with samsara. Material objects do not really exist. However, like calamities that are experienced in a dream, samsara does not vanish for those who think about material objects. O Uddhava! Therefore, do not use the senses to enjoy material objects. See that this delusion is based on apparent differentiation and on an inability to grasp the nature of the atman. Even if abused, shown disrespect, defrauded, ridiculed, envied, chastised, bound, deprived of livelihood, defiled with spit, urine or excrement and troubled in many ways by those who are ignorant, a person who desires his own benefit uses his own atman to rise above these hardships.”

‘Uddhava said, “O supreme among eloquent ones! Please tell us how we can understand this properly. O atman of the universe! I think that even the learned find it extremely difficult to tolerate the transgressions of the wicked. Nature is too powerful. The only exceptions are those who are serene because they are engaged in dharma by seeking shelter at your feet.”’

Chapter 11(23)

Badarayana’s son said, ‘The foremost among the Dasharhas was thus asked by Uddhava, the foremost among his devotees. Mukunda, whose valour is worth speaking about, praised his servant’s words and spoke to him.

‘The illustrious one said, “O Brihaspati’s disciple! When agitated by the abuse of wicked men, there is no virtuous person in this world who is capable of composing himself. A man is not tormented as much by arrows that pierce his inner organs as much as he is by the harsh words of the wicked that strike at his inner organs. O Uddhava! In this connection, there is an extremely sacred account. I will describe it to you. Control yourself and listen. A mendicant was abused by wicked people and he sung this. He regained his composure when he remembered that this was the consequence of his own karma. There was a brahmana in Avanti. He was among the most wealthy and prosperous. He earned a living through commerce. He was miserly, lascivious, avaricious and extremely prone to rage. He never honoured kin or guests, not even with words. His house was empty. ¹²²² At the right time, he did not even allow himself to enjoy objects of pleasure. He was so wicked in conduct and so miserly that his sons, relatives, wife, daughters and servants were disgusted with him and displayed no affection towards him. In this way, he was like a yaksha ¹²²³ guarding riches and was deprived of both this world and the next. Deprived of dharma and kama, the five entitled to shares ¹²²⁴ became angry with him. O generous one! Because of this neglect, his share of good deeds was exhausted. Indeed, all the wealth that he had accumulated with a great deal of effort was also lost. O Uddhava! Some was taken away by kin, some by bandits. Some was lost because of destiny and some was taken away by brahma-bandhus, men and kings. He was deprived of his riches and he was devoid of dharma and kama. He was ignored by his own people. He was tormented by worries and those were impossible to overcome. He thought for a long time. Having lost his riches, he was tormented. He lamented and his voice choked with tears. A great sense of renunciation arose. ‘Alas! What hardship! I have unnecessarily tormented myself. I did not strive for dharma or kama and the artha has also been lost. In general, the riches of misers never bring them happiness. It causes torments in this world and, after death, leads to hell. The pure fame of those who are famous and the praiseworthy qualities of those who are qualified are destroyed by even the slightest bit of greed, just as beauty is destroyed by a little bit of white leprosy. In earning wealth, achieving it, increasing it, protecting it and spending it, men go through a great deal of efforts, fare, anxiety and confusion. It is held that there are fifteen kinds of hardships experienced by men that are due to wealth—theft, violence, falsehood, duplicity, desire, anger, confusion, intoxication, dissension, enmity, lack of trust, rivalry, addiction to women, addiction to wine and addiction to gambling. Therefore, though it is spoken of as desirable, wealth is actually undesirable. If a person desires what is good for him, he should cast it far away. Brothers, wives, fathers and well-wishers who are loved become instant enemies because of a small coin. Birth as a human is desired by the immortals, that too as a foremost brahmana. Having obtained it, a person neglects it. He destroys his own benefit and obtains an inauspicious end. A man has obtained this world, which is the gate to both heaven and emancipation. Why should he become attached to something that is temporary, something that is the store of calamities? If a person does not distribute it among gods, rishis, beings, kin, relatives and others who have shares, he is protecting riches like a yaksha and will fall downwards. I have been distracted and my life and strength have been squandered in the futile pursuit of riches. An accomplished person can obtain success. What can an aged person like me do? Why should a learned person constantly suffer in the futile pursuit of wealth? Indeed, this entire world is completely confounded by someone’s maya. When a person is about to be devoured by death, what will riches and those who bestow riches accomplish? What is the purpose of kama and those who can bestow kama? Such karma only leads to another birth. The illustrious Hari is in all the gods and he must certainly be satisfied with me. He has reduced me to this state, with non-attachment as a boat to carry me across. In whatever little bit of time I have left, I will cease to care about anything, or about my own beloved body. Without being distracted, I will devote myself entirely to my own benefit. I will find satisfaction within my own atman. May the gods and the lords of the three worlds approve of this. In the space of a muhurta, Khatvanga was able to reach Brahma’s world.’ ¹²²⁵ The excellent brahmana from Avanti made up his mind in this way.

‘“He loosened the bonds of his heart. He became a tranquil sage and mendicant. Controlling himself, his senses and his breath of life, he roamed around the earth. Without being attached to anything, he went to cities and villages for the sake of alms and entered unnoticed. O fortunate one! Seeing that aged and unclean beggar, wicked people showed him disrespect and abused him in many ways. Some took away the staff made of bamboo. Some took away his begging bowl. Some took away his kamandalu. Some took away his seat. Some took away his string of rudraksha beads. Some took away his torn rags. They would show them to the sage. Pretending to return them to him, they would take them away again. He would sit down on the bank of a river, to eat the food that he had begged. Wicked people would spit or urinate on his head. He had a vow of silence and they would try to make him speak. If he did not speak, they would strike him. If he did speak, others would chastise him. Some said, ‘He is a thief.’ Others said, ‘He should be bound. Bind him with ropes.’ Saying this, they bound him up. Some criticized and slighted him. ‘Displaying the standard of dharma, this one is a fraud. His own relatives have thrown him out. Since his riches have been destroyed, he is using this to ensure a means of livelihood.’ Some said, ‘This one is great in substance. He is as steady as the king of the mountains. He is using silence to achieve his goal. He is as firm in determination as a crane.’ Some ridiculed him. Some broke wind against him. Some bound him. Some tied up the brahmana, like something to play with. There were hardships caused by nature, by destiny and by his own body. He tolerated all this, realizing that he was obtaining all this as a result of destiny. Thus insulted by the worst among men, who were trying to make him fall down, he sang a song. He was based in dharma. Based in sattva, he resorted to his fortitude.

‘“The brahmana said, ‘These men are not the cause of my happiness or unhappiness. Nor are the gods, my own body, the planets, karma, or time. It is said that the mind is alone the supreme cause. That is the reason one circles around in samsara. The powerful mind makes the gunas function and that leads to the different kinds of karma—white, black and red. ¹²²⁶ The different species of life are created from this. The atman is not active. It is the mind which is active. My friend is golden in enlightenment ¹²²⁷ and looks down from above. But I, as jivatman, have assumed its identity with the mind and am enjoying the objects of desire. Attached to the gunas, I have bound myself down. The goal of donations, one’s own dharma, niyama, yama, learning, karma and good vows is to control the mind. All of them have this characteristic. The supreme form of yoga is to immerse the mind in samadhi. When the mind is controlled and tranquil, what is the need for donations and other things? Tell me. When the mind is not controlled and is distracted, what purpose will donations and other things serve? When the mind is under control, all others, including the divinities, ¹²²⁸ are under control. The mind is never under the control of anything else. The mind is a divinity who is stronger than the strongest. If a person can bring it under control, he is the god of all the divinities. The mind is an enemy impossible to vanquish. Some are tormented by it and are unable to conquer it. Therefore, they are confused and have futile conflicts with other mortals—enemies, but even friends and neutrals. The body is only a creation of the mind. With their intelligence blinded, humans identify themselves with it and have notions of “I” and “mine”. They suffer from the illusion, “I am this” and “He is someone else.” Hence, they wander around in a darkness that is impossible to cross. If people are the cause of my happiness and unhappiness, that has to do with the physical body. What does the atman have to do with this? If a person bites his tongue by chance, he has done this himself. Why should he be angry at someone else for the suffering? If divinities of the senses are responsible for the unhappiness, what does the atman have to do with this? That has to do with transformations. If one limb in his own body chooses to attack another limb, with whom will a man get angry? If the atman is the cause for happiness and unhappiness, then nothing else can be responsible. This is just a person’s own nature. If there is anything other than the atman, it cannot be real. Why should one be angry? Happiness or unhappiness don’t really exist. If the planets are the cause of happiness and unhappiness, what does it have to do with the atman? One doesn’t have a birth, while the other is born. It is said that planets cause suffering to other planets. Whom should a man get angry with? The atman is distinct from both a body and a planet. If karma is the cause of happiness and unhappiness, what is the role for the atman there? The body of a man is not sentient, while it is the atman which is sentient. ¹²²⁹ Whom will he be angry with? There is no foundation for the notion of karma. If time is the cause of happiness and unhappiness, what is the role of the atman there? Time is a manifestation of the atman. A flame does not burn its own spark. Ice does not destroy the quality of coldness. The supreme has no notion of duality. Whom will one be angry with? There is no agency anywhere, of any variety. The atman is supreme and beyond any attachment and duality. It is ahamkara which gives rise to samsara. A person who understands this has nothing to fear from anything that has been created. That being the case, I will faithfully base myself on the paramatman. That is what the maharshis spoke about earlier. I will cross this insurmountable darkness and serve at Mukunda’s feet.’”

‘The illustrious one continued, “With his wealth destroyed, he was disgusted. He overcame his despondency and, becoming a mendicant, roamed all over the earth. Though he was reviled by the wicked, he remained steadfast in his own dharma. The sage sang the following chant. ‘Nothing other than a man’s confusion gives rise to happiness and unhappiness. Friends, neutrals and enemies are the creations of the darkness of samsara.’ O son! Therefore, in every possible way, use your intelligence to control your mind. Immerse yourself in me. That is what yoga propounds. The mendicant’s chant is about devotion to the brahman. If a person controls himself and meditates on it, makes others listen to it or hears it, he will never be overwhelmed by the opposite pair of sentiments.”’

Chapter 11(24)

‘The illustrious one said, “I will now speak to you about samkhya, the nature of which has been determined earlier. ¹²³⁰ Realizing this, a man can instantly give up any confusion caused by a sense of differentiation. In the beginning, at the time of krita yuga and when there were no yugas, ¹²³¹ people were accomplished in discrimination and because of that knowledge, saw everything as one and without any differentiation. It was one and undifferentiated, beyond the reach of mind and speech. However, that great truth differentiated itself into two and became the fruits of maya and that reflected in this. ¹²³² Out of these two entities, one is Prakriti, with the two aspects of cause and effect. The entity that possesses jnana is spoken of as Purusha. Prakriti was agitated by my glances as Purusha and with my sanction, the gunas—sattva, rajas and tamas—were evolved. Sutra ¹²³³ evolved from these and Mahat was created from Sutra. Together, Mahat and Sutra underwent transformations and ahamkara, which causes bewilderment, was evolved. This has three types—vaikarika, taijasa and tamasa. These have intelligent and non-intelligent forms and are the cause of the tanmatras, the senses and the mind. Tamasa ahamkara lead to the creation of the tanmatras and the gross elements. Taijasa ahamkara lead to the creation of the senses. ¹²³⁴ The eleven divinities were created from vaikarika ahamkara. ¹²³⁵ Urged by me, all these entities came together and worked collectively. The cosmic egg was created in this way, an excellent place for me to lie down on. That cosmic egg was floating around in the water and I manifested myself inside it. A lotus known as Vishva sprouted from my navel and the self-creating one ¹²³⁶ appeared inside that. Through my favours, he was endowed with rajas and performed austerities for the sake of creating. Thus, the atman of the universe created the worlds, the guardians of the worlds and the three—bhur, bhuvar and svar. Svar is the abode of the gods, bhuvar is the abode of the bhutas and bhur is the abode of mortals and others. The Siddhas reside beyond these three worlds. The lord created the regions that are below the earth for the asuras and the nagas. All the karma performed under the influence of the gunas leads to a destination in the three worlds. Through yoga, austerities and renunciation, a person obtains a destination in the unblemished worlds of maharloka, janaloka, tapoloka and satyaloka. A person who practises bhakti yoga finds a destination in me. I am the creator and, in my form as time, have linked this world to karma. In the flow of the gunas, one sometimes rises up and is sometimes submerged. All the manifestations that have been established, large or small, thin or stout, have been created by Purusha and Prakriti. Anything that exists at the beginning, the middle and the end of an entity, across all these transformations, is regarded as the real entity. This is the case with objects made out of gold or earth. ¹²³⁷ But the subsequent product may have a cause which is the product of a transformation resulting from an earlier cause. That which exists at the beginning and the end of the chain is referred to as the real entity. Prakriti can be regarded as the primary cause, but the supreme Purusha is its foundation. Time manifests these and in this triad of what is real, I am established as the brahman. As long as my favourable glance remains, this progressive creation, from cause to subsequent effect, continues. For the sake of creation, this great flow of the gunas also continues. This universal form, in which creation and destruction of the worlds take place, is pervaded by me. I have devised the worlds and the means of their dissolution into the five elements. Mortals are withdrawn into food. ¹²³⁸ Food is withdrawn into grain. Grain is withdrawn into the earth. The earth is withdrawn into its attribute of smell. Smell is withdrawn into water. Water is withdrawn into its attribute of taste. Taste is withdrawn into fire. Fire is withdrawn into its attribute of form. Form is withdrawn into wind. Wind is withdrawn into its attribute of touch. Touch is withdrawn into space. All the senses are withdrawn into their sources. These sources are then withdrawn into their controllers. The mind is withdrawn into the controller of the mind, vaikarika ahamkara. Sound is withdrawn into tamasa ahamkara. All of ahamkara is withdrawn into Mahat. The powerful Mahat is withdrawn into the gunas that generated it. The gunas are withdrawn into the unmanifest Prakriti. Prakriti is withdrawn into time, which ceases to function. Time is withdrawn into jiva, full of maya. Jiva is withdrawn into atman, which caused it. The atman is only based on the atman and its existence can be inferred from the process of creation and destruction. When the sun rises, there is no longer any darkness in the sky. In that way, if a person examines this differentiation of the atman in his mind, all illusion is destroyed. This is known as the process of samkhya and it severs the bonds of doubt. The superior and the inferior, the process of creation and of destruction, can be clearly seen and I have spoken about this.”’

Chapter 11(25)

‘The illustrious one said, “O noble being! I will now tell you about a person being affected by the mixture of the gunas. Please understand. Control of the mind, control of the senses, forbearance, austerities, truthfulness, compassion, memory, contentment, renunciation, lack of desire, devotion, modesty, generosity and pleasure in one’s own self—these are the effects of sattva. ¹²³⁹ Desire, efforts, insolence, greed, pride, seeking benedictions for the sake of happiness, rashness resulting from intoxication, love of fame, laughing at others, valour, strength and enterprise—these are the effects of rajas. Anger, avarice, falsehood, violence, begging, hypocrisy, lassitude, dissension, sorrow, delusion, grief, despondency, sloth, hopes, fear and lack of enterprise—these are the effects of tamas. These, in that order, are the effects of sattva, rajas and tamas. I have generally described the effects of these attributes. Now hear about their combinations. The combination of these leads to the mindset of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Anything done by the mind, the organs of action, the organs of perception or the breath of life result from such combinations. If a person devotes himself to dharma, artha and kama and this leads to obtaining faith, satisfaction and wealth, this is nothing but the combination of the gunas. ¹²⁴⁰ If a person is characterized by devotion to pravritti and is a householder, when he pursues his own dharma, this is a manifestation of the combination of the gunas. ¹²⁴¹

Chapter 11(26)

‘The illustrious one said, “Having got this human body, if a person resorts to my dharma, he can obtain me, the bliss and the paramatman that exist in his own atman. Through faith and jnana, one can be freed from the state of being a jiva, created by the gunas. He can see that what can be seen by the eyes is not real. It is only maya, caused by the gunas. Such a person does not get entangled in unreal objects that are caused by the gunas, even though he exists amidst them. One must never be associated with those who are wicked, with those who seek to satisfy their penises and their stomachs. Like a blind person following another blind person, by following them, one falls into blinding darkness. Emperor Aila ¹²⁴² was extensive in fame. Separated from Urvashi, he was bewildered. He controlled his grief through non-attachment and chanted this song. While she was leaving him, the king lamented. Overwhelmed with grief, he was maddened. In that naked state, he rushed after her and said, ‘O cruel wife! Remain.’ He had passed several years with her, in the pursuit of this insignificant desire, not noticing the nights coming and going. He was unconscious because of his attraction towards her and was still not satisified.

‘“Aila said, ‘Alas! My delusion is extensive. My mind has been contaminated by desire. When the queen clasped me by the neck, I did not notice that parts of my life had passed away. I was so deceived by her that I did not notice the sun rising or setting. Many days, amounting to many years, have certainly passed. Alas! I have brought this delusion on myself. Despite being an emperor and like a jewel on the crest of all the kings, I behaved like a domesticated deer in the hands of a woman. Though I am a lord, she cast me and my royal power aside, like a blade of grass. When the woman left, I followed her, like a mad man, naked and weeping. Despite my being a lord, where is my power? Where is my energy? Like a donkey, she kicked me with her foot. As the woman left, I followed her. What will one do with learning, with austerities, with yoga and with learning? What will I do with solitude, or with silence? These are of no use to a person whose mind is stolen by a woman. Shame on me. I did not know what was good for me. Though I prided myself on being learned, I was a fool. Though I obtained lordship, like a bull or a donkey, I allowed myself to be conquered by a woman. I savoured the nectar of Urvashi’s lips for many years. But like a fire fed with oblations, the desire in me was not satisfied. When the mind is stolen by a pumshchali, ¹²⁴³ who other than the illustrious lord Adhokshaja can save a person? He is the lord of those who find bliss in the atman. Using the words of a sukta, the queen tried to make me come to my senses. However, I was evil-minded. The great delusion in my mind did not go away. I was unable to control myself. How has she caused me any harm? Since I had not conquered my sense, I did not know my own nature. Such was my mind that I saw a rope and took it to be a snake. What is this physical body? It is full of filth and bad smells. It is inauspicious. What are the good qualities a flower possesses? These are nothing but impositions caused by ignorance. Is the body the property of the parents, the wife, the master, the fire, dogs or vultures? ¹²⁴⁴ Does it belong to the atman? Or does it belong to well-wishers? It is impossible to decide. One becomes attached to this abominable body which heads to an inferior destination. This is very handsome. There is an excellent one. The face is beautiful. These are the things one says about a woman’s face. The body consists of skin, flesh, blood, nerves, fat, marrow, bones, urine, excrement and pus. What is the difference between those who find pleasure in it and worms? Therefore, a person who knows the true meaning should not get attached to women, or to those who associate with women. When the senses are attached to material objects, the mind is agitated. It cannot but be otherwise. If a thing is not heard about, or if it is not seen, no attachment towards it follows. If the prana is not engaged with something that is not present, the mind is calm and pacified. Therefore, one should not get attached to women, nor to those whose senses pursue women. Even learned men do not trust the six categories. ¹²⁴⁵ What need be said about a person like me?’”

‘The illustrious one said, “Having sung in this way, the lord of the kings gave up Urvashi’s world. He obtained me in his own atman. With this jnana, he cleansed himself of his delusion. Therefore, an intelligent person must avoid association with those who are wicked and associate with those who are virtuous. It is such sages who can sever the excessive attachment of the mind through what they say. Without expecting anything, sages immerse their minds in me. They are serene and impartial in outlook. They are without a sense of ownership and without ahamkara. They possess nothing and are not affected by the opposite pair of sentiments. O immensely fortunate one! Among those immensely fortunate ones, there is always conversation about me. Men who take part in these obtain benefit for themselves and are cleansed of sins. Those who respectfully hear, chant and approve of these, become faithful and devoted towards me. They obtain devotion towards me. If a virtuous person obtains devotion towards me, what else remains to be accomplished? My qualities are infinite. I am the brahman. I am the atman, the one who confers bliss. If a person approaches the illustrious, fire, cold, fear and darkness are dispelled. Serving the virtuous is like that. They are the supreme shelter for those who are rising and falling in the terrible ocean of samsara. The sages know about the brahman. They are serene. To those who are drowning in the water, they are like a firm boat. Just as food provides life to living beings, I am the refuge for those who are afflicted. For men who die, dharma represents riches. Like that, sages represent shelter for those who are scared of falling downwards. Sages bestow vision on the eyes, just as the rising sun confers external vision. ¹²⁴⁶ Sages are divinities and relatives. Sages are my own atman. Thus, losing all desire for the world that belonged to Urvashi, Vaitasena ¹²⁴⁷ became free of attachment. He roamed around on earth, finding happiness in his own atman.”’

Chapter 11(27)

‘Uddhava asked, “O bull among the Satvatas! Tell me about the method of using kriya yoga to worship you. What is its form? How do those who are devoted to you use it to worship you? All the sages, Narada, the illustrious Vyasa and the preceptor who was the son of Angiras, ¹²⁴⁸ have repeatedly said that this brings great benefit to men. It first emerged from your lotus mouth. The illustrious Aja spoke about it to his sons, Bhrigu being the foremost. The illustrious Bhava spoke about it to the goddess. ¹²⁴⁹ This is approved of by all the varnas and ashramas. O one who grants honours! I think it brings the greatest benefit for women and shudras. O lotus-eyed one! This frees a person from the bonds of karma. You are attached to your devotees. O lord of all the lords of the universe! Tell me about this.”

‘The illustrious one replied, “O Uddhava! There is no end to karmakanda. ¹²⁵⁰ It is without limits. Briefly, but progressively, I will describe it to you. There are three kinds of worship—following the Vedas, following the tantras, and mixed. Using whichever one a person prefers, he must follow the rituals and worship me. A man may become a dvija according to what is stated in his own sacred text. He must then worship me faithfully and devotedly. Hear about this from me. This dvija must worship me in the earth, ¹²⁵¹ in fire, in the sun, in water, or inside his own heart. He must be filled with devotion and then worship me, his preceptor, using various objects. He must be without any deception. He must first bathe, clean his teeth and purify his body. He must bathe himself by smearing himself with mud and other things. ¹²⁵² In the course of both kinds of bathing, he must chant mantras. He must perform sandhya and other rituals towards me that have been mentioned in the Vedas. Firm in his resolution, he must arrange for the worship, such that the subsequent tasks are purified. It is said that the image can be of eight types—stone, wood, metal, clay, ¹²⁵³ painted, made out of sand, made out of jewels, or conceived in the mind. When the lord’s shrine is established, it can be of two types—mobile or immobile. O Uddhava! When the worshipped image is immovable, there is no need for avahana or udvasa. ¹²⁵⁴ When the image is movable, the observance of these two rituals is optional. If the image is not made out of clay or is not painted, it can be bathed. In other cases, it must be sprinkled with water. When I am worshipped in the form of an image, excellent objects must be used. However, a devotee who is not deceitful can worship me with whatever is available. As long as the sentiment is there, he can even worship me inside his heart. O Uddhava! When I am worshipped in the form of an image, I love bathing and ornamenting the most. If I am worshipped in the form of an altar, the tattvas must be spread out. ¹²⁵⁵ If I am worshipped in the form of fire, oblations of ghee must be offered. If I am worshipped in the form of the sun, I love arghya the most. If I am worshipped in the form of water, water must be offered. I love whatever a devotee offers me faithfully, even if it is some water. However, even if a lot of offerings are given to me by a person who lacks in devotion, I am not satisfied. What need be said about fragrances, incense, flowers, lamps, food and other things? After purifying himself, the worshipper must gather all the offerings together. He will devise a seat for himself, with the blades of the darbha grass pointing eastwards. He will sit down, facing the east or the north. He can also worship by facing the image directly. He must perform nyasa on his body. He must perform nyasa on the image. Using his hands, he must clean the image. As is appropriate, he must then get ready by consecrating the vessel that contains auspicious objects and the vessel that contains water. He must use water from the vessel containing water to sprinkle the place where the deity is being worshipped, the objects of worship and his own self. He must then arrange for three other vessels to be filled with water, ¹²⁵⁶ reciting respective mantras for the heart, the head and the tuft of hair on the head. After this, he must chant gayatri mantra. The body has now been purified by the air and the fire. My supreme and subtle form, the source of life, is located in its portion in the lotus in the heart and after chanting ‘Oum’, he must meditate on this. This is what Siddhas experience. Depending on the level of his perception, he contemplates his body to be pervaded by the atman. He thus worships me. Conceiving of the image being pervaded by me, he invokes me through the objects of worship and establishes me in the image. He then performs nyasa in the limbs and worships me. He mentally thinks of a seat for me, with dharma and the other nine powers in attendance. ¹²⁵⁷ A lotus with eight petals is spread on that seat and the lotus has a radiant whorl and filaments. For the sake of success in this world and in the next, he follows both the Vedas and the tantras and offers me padya, arghya and achamaniya. In due order, he must then worship Sudarshana, Panchajanya, the mace, the sword, the arrows, the bow, the plough, the club, Koustubha, the garland and the shrivatsa mark. He must worship Nanda, Sunanda, Garuda, Prachanda, Chanda, Mahabala, Bala, Kumuda and Kumudekshana. ¹²⁵⁸ In their respective places, all facing the lord, with water and other objects, he must then worship Durga, Vinayaka, Vyasa, Vishvaksena, his preceptor and the gods. If he possesses the riches, he must chant mantras and every day, offer me water for bathing, fragrant with sandalwood, ushira, ¹²⁵⁹ camphor, kunkuma and aloe. He must chant svarnagharmanuvaka, mahapurusha vidya, purusha sukta and hymns from the Sama Veda, rajana and the others. ¹²⁶⁰ As is appropriate, my devotee must lovingly decorate me with garments, the sacred thread, ornaments, decorations for parts of the body, garlands, fragrances and unguents. The worshipper must offer me padya, achamaniya, fragrances, flowers, akshata, ¹²⁶¹ incense, lamps and other objects. If it is possible, he must arrange for candy made out of molasses, payasam, ghee, shashkuli, sweet cakes, dumplings, samyava, curds, supa and other naivedya. ¹²⁶² Every day, else on days of festivals, the image must be massaged with ointments and bathed, and offered a mirror and equipment to clean the teeth. Food and other objects must be offered, with singing and dancing. A sacrificial arena must be prepared, as is recommended, with a pit and an altar and a surrounding girdle. ¹²⁶³ Using the hands, ¹²⁶⁴ a fire must be invoked and kindled on all sides. Spreading a mat of kusha grass, all sides of the fire must be sprinkled with water and following the rituals, the kindling must be placed for the fire. The objects of worship must be placed and sprinkled with water. After sprinkling with water, he must think of me in the fire. My complexion is that of molten gold. I hold a conch shell, chakra, mace and lotus. My brilliant form possesses four arms. I am serene and my garments have a complexion like that of the filament of a lotus. I wear a dazzling diadem, bracelets, a girdle and excellent armlets. The shrivatsa mark is on my chest, with the radiant Koustubha and a garland of wild flowers. Having meditated on me and worshipped me, he must soak the kindling with ghee and offer them into the fire. He must tender two offerings of ghee and then the other oblations that have been soaked with ghee. A learned person will offer oblations with chanting of the main mantra and then follow with the sixteen kinds of worship, ending each verse with an oblation. ¹²⁶⁵ Beginning with Dharma, ¹²⁶⁶ each deity is worshipped according to the appropriate mantra, ending with agnaye svishtakrite svaha. ¹²⁶⁷ Having bowed down before me and worshipped me, he must tender offerings to the attendants. Using the main mantra, he meditates on the brahman, remembering that this is nothing but Narayana’s atman. He must again offer me achamaniya and offer whatever is left to Vishvaksena. He must offer fragrant betel leaves to freshen the mouth. He must sing and chant loudly, also dancing and imitating my deeds. He must listen to my account and recite it, remaining in that state for a while. He must praise me with hymns, superior and inferior, from the Puranas and ordinary texts. ‘O lord! May you show me your favours.’ Saying this, he must prostrate himself before me, like a rod. He will place his head on my feet, clasping them with both his arms. ‘O lord! I seek refuge with you. Save me. I am terrified of this ocean of samsara, with crocodiles in the form of death.’ After this, he must lovingly place on his head the remnants of the worship, representing something given by me. If udvasa is meant to be performed, he must conceive of the light in the image as again merging into the light that is me. I can be worshipped in whatever form and whenever, as long as that worship is faithful. My atman exists in all beings and all atmans are in me. If a man follows the Vedas and the tantras and worships me through kriya yoga, from me, he obtains success in both the worlds and gets what he desires. He must firmly establish my worship by constructing temples and beautiful gardens of flowers. Or he can ensure this worship through pilgrimages and festivals. If a person gives land, markets, villages and cities, so that my worship is continuously ensured on general or special occasions, he obtains me, with my opulence. By constructing a temple to me, one obtains sovereignty over the three worlds. Through worship and other things, a person obtains Brahma’s world. However, if one does all three, ¹²⁶⁸ one obtains serenity in me. If a person has no wishes and engages in bhakti yoga, he obtains me. If a person worships me through bhakti yoga, it is me that he obtains. If a person gives something to gods or brahmanas and then himself steals it back, he is subsequently born as a worm and survives on excrement for a hundred million years. After death, the agent, the assistant who helps the act and the person who approves of it have a share in the karma and proportionately reap the consequences.”’

Chapter 11(28)

‘The illustrious one said, “One should not praise or reprimand the nature or deeds of someone else, considering that the universe is formed out of Purusha and Prakriti, based on a single atman. If a person praises or reprimands the nature or deeds of someone else, he soon deviates from his own objective and becomes attached to something unreal. The senses are formed out of taijasa ahamkara. When a man is asleep, the consciousness is lost and the atman is in a shell. ¹²⁶⁹ Overcome by maya, a man is like a person who is dead. It is the same for a person who finds reality in material objects. When this duality of material objects is unreal, what is good and what is bad? Anything that is spoken about with words, or anything that is thought of through the mind, is unreal. Shadows, echoes and illusions are unreal and lead to similar effects. But these conceptions are based on the body and give rise to fear, right up to the moment of death. The lord is the atman of the universe. He is the creator and the object of creation. He is the atman of the universe. He is the protector and the object of protection. The lord is the one who withdraws and he is the object of withdrawal. Therefore, no object other than the atman can be distinctly discerned. The three kinds of appearance ¹²⁷⁰ in his atman are without foundation. Know that these are the outcome of the three kinds of gunas and are the result of maya. If a person understands what I have expounded, he becomes accomplished in jnana and vijnana. He does not criticize or praise. He roams around in the world like the sun. ¹²⁷¹ Through perception, inference, the sacred texts and realization of the atman, one should know that since this world has a beginning and an end, it is unreal. Hence, one must roam around without attachment.”

‘Uddhava asked, “O lord! The atman is the seer. The body, which is not the atman, is what is seen. Samsara is experienced by neither the atman, nor the body. In that case, who experiences samsara? The atman is without decay. It is without gunas and is pure. It is self-luminous and is not covered by anything. It is like the fire, while the body is like kindling. Who experiences samsara in this world?” ¹²⁷²

‘The illustrious one replied, ‘Samsara is without meaning. But as long as the atman lacks discrimination, it is attracted to the senses and to prana. Till then, it has to experience the fruits. As long as one thinks about material objects, like experiencing disagreeable things in a dream, samsara, though it does not truly exist, is not withdrawn. If a person is asleep and has not woken up, he experiences many disagreeable things. On waking up, this can no longer confuse him. Grief, joy, fear, anger, avarice, confusion, desire and other things, as well as birth and death, are seen to be related to ahamkara, not to the atman. Because of the identification with the body, the senses, prana, the mind and ahamkara, the atman who is inside the body assumes the form of jiva, with gunas and karma. ¹²⁷³ Strung in this great thread, he is chanted about in many ways. Under the control of time, he revolves around in samsara. This has no foundation and is perceived in many different forms—the mind, speech, prana, the body and karma. Using worship and the sharp sword of jnana to sever this, sages roam around on this earth, free from all desire. Jnana and discrimination result from the sacred texts, austerities, direct perception, instruction and inference. The absolute is time and the cause, existing at the beginning, the end and the middle of this creation. Everything made out of gold was gold before the object was fashioned out of its own self and continues to be gold afterwards. In the middle, in the process of manufacture, though described with different names, it continues to be gold. I am exactly like that. O dear one! This vijnana exists in three states. ¹²⁷⁴ The three gunas manifest themselves as the senses, the gross elements and the agent, collectively and separately. What is manifested in the state of turiya is the truth. That which had no existence earlier, and will have no existence in the future, has an existence in the middle only because of its name. ¹²⁷⁵ It is my view that an entity which exists merely because someone else gives it an appellation does not really exist. Though this universe appears to be manifest, it does not really exist. This is a modification caused by rajas. The brahman is manifest in its own illumination. The senses, the objects of the senses, and the mind are but wonderful transformations brought about by the brahman. In this way, an accomplished person uses discrimination and refutation to clearly differentiate the brahman from something else. Thus, one severs any doubts about the nature of the atman. One desists from all objects of desire and is satisfied in one’s own bliss. The atman is not the physical body. Nor is it the senses, the divinities of the senses, the breath of life, wind, water, fire, space, earth, mind, objects of the senses, ahamkara, or the equilibrium between the gunas. The senses are manifestations of the gunas. If a person has controlled himself and has properly ascertained me as the lord, why will such a virtuous person get agitated by these? Irrespective of whether the sun is covered by clouds or the clouds have dispersed, why should the sun be blamed? The sky is not affected by the qualities of the wind, the fire, the water and the earth. Nor is it affected by the coming and going of the seasons. In that way, the truth is not contaminated by the impurities of sattva, rajas and tamas. It is beyond ahamkara and is the supreme cause of samsara. Rajas contaminates the mind because of attachment to material objects. Therefore, until it has been eliminated through firm bhakti yoga towards me, all association with objects of the senses, devised by maya, must be avoided. A disease that has not been properly treated recurs again and repeatedly causes distress to men. In this way, a mind that has not been purified suffers from the contamination of karma and an imperfect yogi is tormented by all kinds of attachment. An imperfect yogi suffers from impediments caused by men, other creatures and those created by the gods. Based on the strength of former practices, ¹²⁷⁶ he engages in yoga again and is not entangled in the path of karma. Urged by something else, ¹²⁷⁷ till the time of death, a being undertakes karma and is acted upon. ¹²⁷⁸ However, though a learned person remains in Prakriti’s domain, he experiences his own happiness, having cast aside all desires. Regardless of whether he is standing, seated, walking, lying down, urinating, eating food or doing anything else that is natural, his consciousness is based in his atman and he does not recognize the body. Even if a learned person sees the many objects of the senses, he uses his inference to think of them as unreal and as being other than the atman. He is like a person who has woken up, to see that what he has seen in a dream has vanished. O dear one! Earlier, because of ignorance, it was accepted that this body, wrought by the gunas and colourful with karma, was no different from the atman and was identical. However, with re-examination, that view no longer exists. The atman cannot be perceived. Nor can its existence be rejected. When the sun rises, it destroys darkness from the eyes of men. But the objects that are seen already existed. Thus, accomplished examination sees the truth in me and destroys the darkness that covers a person’s intelligence. This is self-luminous. It is unborn. It is impossible to measure it. It is great in consciousness and can perceive everything. It is one, without a second. It is beyond the conception of words. It makes speech and the breath of life move. Any sense of duality about the absolute is the result of delusion. There is nothing other than the atman. There is no support other than one’s own atman. There are some, proud of their learning, who hold that these names and forms, constituted by the five elements, are undeniable. However, this duality, based on debates about what is real, has no basis. If a yogi has not perfected himself in yoga, many kinds of things will rise up in the body and try to engage his attention. There is a recommended procedure whereby these disturbances can be repulsed. Some of these disturbances can be repulsed through the process of yoga, some through asana, some through dharana, ¹²⁷⁹ some through austerities, some through mantras and some through herbs. Some can be countered by meditating on me, chanting my name and doing similar things. These inauspicious aspects can be gradually destroyed by following the lords of yoga. Some persevering people keep their body fit and maintain their youth by using different kinds of techniques. They engage in yoga for siddhis. However, those who are accomplished do not have any respect for these efforts and regard them as useless. Like the fruits of a tree, this body is destructible. If a person constantly engages in yoga, his body will become fit, but an intelligent person will not attach any importance to this. He will give up this kind of yoga and immerse himself in me. A yogi who seeks refuge in me and observes the process of yoga is not obstructed by any impediments. He is without desire and experiences happiness within himself.”’

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‘Uddhava said, “O Achyuta! If a person is not in control of his mind, I think that this yoga is extremely difficult to practise. Tell me about a method whereby a man can easily obtain success. O Pundarikaksha! Often, yogis who try to control their minds are unable to control their minds and become frustrated, fatigued and despondent. O lotus-eyed one! Therefore, hamsas happily resort to your feet, which are the source of bliss. O lord of the universe! However, proud people ¹²⁸⁰ who use yoga and karma are confounded by your maya. O Achyuta! It is not surprising that you are a friend to all those who are your servants and seek refuge with you, with their atmans devoted to you. The lords of the worlds seek the refuge of your feet, with the edges of their shining diadems touching them. But you were affectionate towards animals. ¹²⁸¹ You are in all atmans. You are the beloved lord of all those who seek refuge with you. You are all the objectives. Knowing this, who can reject you? Who will forget you and worship other beings? What can not be obtained by us, those who serve the dust of your feet? O lord! Wise ones happily remember you for your generous deeds and are incapable of repaying their debt, even if they possess Brahma’s lifespan. You exist inside and outside embodied beings, as a preceptor and as consciousness, ¹²⁸² to destroy everything that is inauspicious and to show them their objective.”’

Shri-Shuka said, ‘Uddhava’s heart was extremely devoted to him. He spoke to the lord of the lords, who had used his own potencies to play with the universe and had assumed three forms, ¹²⁸³ in this way and asked him. He ¹²⁸⁴ addressed him with a charming smile that was full of love.

‘The illustrious one replied, “I will tell you about the extremely auspicious dharma of devotion to me. If a mortal person follows this faithfully, he defeats death, which is extremely difficult to vanquish. Remembering me, all tasks must be gradually undertaken for my sake. The mind and the intelligence must be immersed in me. There must be attraction towards the dharma of being devoted to me. Such a person must frequent sacred places that are frequented by virtuous people who are devoted to me. He must follow the conduct of gods, asuras and men who are devoted to me. Alone, or collectively, he must celebrate auspicious days, pilgrimages ¹²⁸⁵ or great festivities that are dedicated to me, making arrangements for singing, dancing and other signs of opulence deserving of kings. He must see me inside and outside all beings, like the sky. With an unblemished heart, he must see me in his own atman. O immensely radiant one! Thus, thinking that all creatures are full of my presence, he must show them respect, establishing himself in pure jnana. If a person is impartial towards brahmanas, pukkasas, ¹²⁸⁶ thieves, those who are devoted to brahmanas, the sun, a spark of fire, a cruel person and a compassionate person, it is held that he is learned. If a man looks at all men and thinks that they are full of me, all feelings of rivalry, jealousy, censure and ahamkara are quickly dispelled. Ignoring the ridiculing laughs of one’s relatives, one should abandon the view that one should be ashamed of anything connected with the body. Like a staff, he must prostrate himself on the ground before a horse, a chandala, a cow or an ass. Until the sense of me being in all creatures has been generated, he must continue to worship me through all acts of speech, mind and body. Through knowledge that the brahman is everywhere and by realizing the atman, he is dispelled of doubts and can cease from everything else. It is my view that this process is the most appropriate, using acts of speech, mind and body to see me in all creatures. O Uddhava! This perfect dharma is devoid of gunas and has been established by me. It is not driven by wishes. Therefore, even if a beginning is made, the effort is not wasted. O excellent one! This supreme dharma of devotion towards me has been fashioned to free onself of the fruits of karma, which are futile efforts to free oneself of fear and other things. This is the most intelligent thing that an intelligent person can do. This is the most learned thing that a learned person can do. Using a mortal body in this unreal world, one can obtain truth and immortality. I have told you about the entire collection of teachings about the brahman, in brief and in detail. Even the gods find this extremely difficult to comprehend. I have repeatedly spoken to you about this jnana, with clear reasoning. If a man knows this, his doubts are destroyed and he is freed. These are extremely well-articulated answers to your questions, given by me. They are about the eternal, supreme and mysterious brahman. If a person nurtures this, he obtains the brahman. If a person bestows all of this knowledge on my devotees, he is like one who gives the brahman and I give my atman to him. It is sacred and supremely auspicious. If a person recites this every day, he is purified and uses the lamp of knowledge to reveal me to others. If a man constantly listens to this, without being distracted, he develops supreme devotion towards me and is not bound by any karma that he undertakes. O friend! O Uddhava! Have you now understood the brahman? Have the delusion and sorrow that arose in your mind been dispelled? This knowledge must not be given to those who are insolent, heretics, deceitful, lacking in servitude, lacking in devotion or lacking in humility. This must be spoken about to pure and virtuous people, those who are devoid of such defects and those who are devoted to brahmanas and are loved by them, even if they happen to be shudras and women, as long as they possess devotion. Once a curious person comprehends this, there is nothing else left for him to know. When one has drunk the nectar of amrita, there is nothing else that remains to be drunk. O son! Men pursue the four kinds of objectives ¹²⁸⁷ through jnana, karma, yoga, trade and the wielding of the staff. ¹²⁸⁸ But through me, all these objectives exist in you. If a mortal person gives up all other tasks and devotes himself to me, I regard him as special. He is worthy of obtaining immortality and uniting himself with my potencies.”’

Shri-Shuka said, ‘He heard the words of Uttamashloka, which instructed him about the path of yoga. He joined his hands in salutation and his voice choked with love. Tears flowed from his eyes and he was incapable of saying anything. O king! His mind was awhirl with love. Using his fortitude, he steadied himself. Taking himself to be extremely respected, he joined his hand in salutation. He bowed his head down and touched the lotus feet of the foremost one among the Yadus. He said, “I was submerged in the great confusion of darkness, but that has been driven away, since I sought shelter in your presence. O original one! O one without birth! If a person approaches the sun, how can he be scared of cold or darkness? You have been compassionate. In return, you have given me, your servant, the lamp of vijnana. What person, devoted to you, will give up your feet and seek shelter with someone else? My bonds of affection towards the Dasharhas, the Vrishnis, the Andhakas and the Satvatas were extremely firm. For the reason of expanding your creation, you are the one who extended these, using your own maya. However, using the weapon of knowledge about the atman, you are the one who has now cut them asunder. O great yogi! I bow down to you. I am seeking shelter with you. Instruct me. May my affection towards your lotus feet remain.” The illustrious one replied, “O Uddhava! Commanded by me, go to my hermitage, known as Badari. Bathe in the waters of that tirtha, purified by touching my feet. ¹²⁸⁹ Cleanse yourself of the remaining taints by seeing the Alakananda. O dear one! Use garments made out of bark. Eat wild fare. Without any desires, be happy. Tolerate the opposite pairs of sentiments that arise from material objects. Control your senses and be good in conduct. Be tranquil and in control of your intelligence. Be full of jnana and vijnana. Use your discrimination to think about what you have learnt from me. Let your speech and intelligence be immersed in me. Always observe the dharma of being devoted to me. Very soon, you will transcend the three ¹²⁹⁰ and obtain me, the supreme one.” Uddhava was addressed by the intelligent Hari in this way. At the time of departure, he circumambulated him, bending his head down and touching his feet, sprinkling them with his tears. His heart was melting, though he had transcended the opposite pairs of sentiments. He was bound to him in a love that was extremely difficult to give up and was suffering on account of the separation. He was afflicted and was incapable of tolerating the separation. With a great deal of difficulty, he placed his master’s sandals on his head. As he left, he repeatedly bowed down again and again. Placing the infinite one in his heart, the one who was greatly devoted to the illustrious one went to Vishala. ¹²⁹¹ He observed what the only friend of the universe had instructed him. Engaging in austerities, he obtained the destination with Hari. This jnana, the immortal ocean of bliss, was spoken about by the illustrious Krishna to his devotees. The lords of yoga serve his feet and if a person serves them faithfully, he is liberated from this world. I bow down before the one who is known as Krishna. He is the original one, a bull among men. He is the composer of the sacred texts and like a bee, he gathered the essence of the Vedas, the substance of jnana and vijnana, for destroying the fear of samsara among his large number of servants. This is like amrita churned from the ocean and they can drink it.’

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The king asked, ‘Uddhava, the great devotee of the illustrious one, left for the forest. What did the illustrious one, the creator of all beings, do in Dvaravati? The bull among the Yadava lineage saw that his own lineage would be destroyed because of the curse of the brahmanas. His body was loved by all eyes. How did he give that up? Once the eyes of women were fixed on his form, they were unable to withdraw their eyes. When his form entered the hearts of virtuous people through the ears, it no longer left. His beautiful words generated attraction, not to speak of the respect shown to them by wise people. In the battle, Jishnu saw that form astride the chariot and obtained equanimity.’

Shri-Shuka replied, ‘Krishna saw many great and evil portents arise in the sky, on earth and in the space between them. He spoke to the Yadus who were seated in Sudharma. The illustrious one said, “O bulls among the Yadus! These are great and evil portents in Dvaravati. These are Yama’s standards. We should not remain here, not even for an instant. Let the women, the old and children go to Shankhodvara. ¹²⁹² Let us go to Prabhasa, where the Sarasvati flows in a western direction. We must bathe there, purify ourselves, fast and control ourselves. We must bathe and worship the gods and offer them unguents and other objects. Let us receive the benedictions of the immensely fortunate brahmanas and give them cows, land, gold, garments, elephants, horses, chariots and houses. This is the supremely auspicious rite for warding off impediments. For this world and for the next, gods, brahmanas and cattle must be worshipped.” All the Yadu elders heard the words spoken by Madhu’s slayer. They agreed. Having crossed the water on boats, they left for Prabhasa on chariots. There, as instructed by the illustrious one, the divinity of the Yadus, the Yadavas, with supreme devotion, performed all the auspicious rites that would ensure them benefit.

‘Because of destiny, their judgement was confused. There, they had a great bout of drinking the liquor maireya. ¹²⁹³ That liquor destroyed their reasoning. As a result of that great bout of drinking, those brave ones became insolent. Their minds turned arrogant. Confused because of Krishna’s maya, a great conflict arose among them. On the shores of the ocean, intolerant because of their rage, they attacked each other with bows, swords, broad-headed arrows, clubs, bludgeons and javelins. Flags fluttered atop their chariots and elephants. They were astride donkeys, camels, bulls, buffaloes, mules and men. Extremely insolent, they struck each other, like elephants charging against each other in the forest. With enmity aroused, Pradyumna fought against Samba, Akrura against Bhoja, Aniruddha against Satyaki, Subhadra ¹²⁹⁴ against Samgramjit, Sumitra against Suratha and Gada against Gada. ¹²⁹⁵ It was an extremely terrible encounter. Others, Nishatha, Ulmuka, Sahasrajit, Shatajit and Bhanu being the most prominent, attacked each other, blind with intoxication. They were severely bewildered by Mukunda. Dasharhas, Vrishnis, Andhakas, Bhojas, Satvatas, Madhus, Arbudas, Mathuras, Shurasenas, Visarjanas, Kukuras and Kuntis forgot their friendly relations and fought against each other. Filled with folly, sons fought against fathers, brothers with brothers, nephews with maternal uncles, nephews with paternal uncles, maternal grandfathers with grandsons, paternal grandfathers with grandsons, friends with friends and well-wishers with well-wishers. Kin killed kin. The arrows were exhausted and their bows were shattered. When their weapons were exhausted, they grasped stalks of eraka grass in their hands. As soon as they held them in their fists, these turned into clubs that were as firm as the vajra. They attacked their adversaries with these. When Krishna tried to restrain them, they attacked him too. O king! They were so bewildered that they thought Balabhadra was an adversary. Having made up their minds to kill them, they attacked them like assassins. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! At this, they ¹²⁹⁶ also became angry. They moved around in the field of battle, holding the eraka grass, turned into clubs, in their hands. Their ¹²⁹⁷ rage and rivalry was caused by the curse of the brahmanas and they were enveloped in Krishna’s maya. Like a fire that starts in a forest of bamboo, they brought destruction on themselves.

‘When all the members of his lineage had been destroyed, Keshava thought that the remaining burden of the earth had been removed. Rama went to the shores of the ocean. Using yoga, he immersed himself in Purusha. Uniting his atman with the atman, he left the world of humans. Devaki’s illustrious son witnessed Rama’s departure. He silently sat down under a pippala tree. He showed his radiant four-armed form, dazzling because of its own brilliance. Like a fire without smoke, this dispelled the darkness of the directions. He wore the shrivatsa mark. His complexion was dark blue, but his radiance was like that of molten gold. He was attired in silken garments and bore the auspicious signs. His lotus face had a charming smile and the locks of his hair were dark. His eyes were like lotuses and he wore brilliant earrings shaped like makaras. He was ornamented with a girdle, a sacred thread, crown, armlets, bangles, a necklace, anklets, his signs, Koustubha and a garland of wild flowers. The personified forms of his weapons were around him. He was seated with his left foot, as red as a lotus, placed on his right thigh.

‘A hunter named Jara had fashioned an arrow from the remaining bit of the club. ¹²⁹⁸ He arrived there on a hunt. Taking the foot to be a deer, he pierced it and saw the four-armed person. Having committed a sin, he was scared. He prostrated himself and touched the feet of the enemy of the asuras with his head. “O Madhusudana! I have committed this sin in my ignorance. O Uttamashloka! O unblemished one! You should pardon this sinner. O Vishnu! O lord! It is said that if men remember you, their ignorance is destroyed. I have committed a wicked act. O Vaikuntha! Therefore, quickly slay this evil hunter who desired deer, so that he does not commit such transgressions against virtuous people again. Even those whose atmans are immersed in yoga, Virinchi, Rudra and the others, their offspring and the lords of speech do not comprehend your maya, since their vision is clouded. What can I say about those like us, born as inferior beings?” The illustrious one replied, “Do not be frightened. Get up. What you have done is my wish. With my permission, go to heaven, the destination obtained by those who are virtuous.” The illustrious Krishna can assume any form at will. ¹²⁹⁹ Thus addressed, he circumambulated him thrice and was conveyed to heaven in a vimana.

‘Following Krishna’s footprints, Daruka arrived there, searching for him, heading in the direction from which the wind bore the fragrance of tulasi. He saw his master seated at the foot of the ashvattha tree, surrounded by the personified and shining forms of his weapons. His heart overflowing with love, he leapt down from the chariot and fell at his feet. His eyes were full of tears. “O lord! Since I could not see your lotus feet, it was as if I had entered darkness, with my vision destroyed. I could not see the directions, nor could I find peace. I was like a person in the night, when there is no moon.” O Indra among kings! As the charioteer was saying this, while he looked on, the chariot with Garuda on the standard, along with the horses and the standard, rose up into the sky. Vishnu’s divine weapons followed it. The charioteer was surprised to see this and Janardana spoke to him. “O charioteer! Go to Dvaravati and tell the relatives about the mutual destruction of the kin, Samkarshana’s departure and my state. You and your own relatives should no longer reside in Dvaraka. When I leave it, the city of the Yadus will be flooded by the ocean. Let everyone take their families. Take my parents. All of you leave for Indraprastha, protected by Arjuna. You are immersed in my dharma. You are fixed in jnana. Therefore, remain indifferent. Know that these things have been created by my maya. Therefore, find peace.” Thus addressed, he circumambulated and bowed down repeatedly, placing his feet on his head. Distressed in his mind, he left for the city.’

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Shri-Shuka said, ‘Brahma, Bhava, along with Bhavani, the gods, with the great Indra at the forefront, the sages and the lords of subjects arrived there. There were the ancestors, the Siddhas, the gandharvas, the vidyadharas, the giant serpents, the charanas, the yakshas, the rakshasas, the kinnaras, the apsaras and the brahmanas. They were extremely eager to witness the departure of the illustrious one. They chanted and sang about Shouri’s birth and deeds. O king! Filled with great devotion, they were in a large number of vimanas that gathered in the sky. From these, they showered down a large number of flowers. The illustrious lord saw the grandfather and the others, who were manifestations of his own atman. He fixed his atman in his own atman and closed his lotus eyes. In transcendental meditation, he fixed himself in yoga. However, he did not use agneyi to burn down his auspicious body, which is a delight to the worlds. ¹³⁰⁰ Instead, he entered his own abode. The drums of the gods were sounded. Flowers were showered down from the sky. Truth, dharma, fortitude, fame and prosperity left the earth and followed him. The gods, with Brahma at the forefront, returned to their own abodes. Since Krishna’s movements could not be discerned, though they had watched, they were extremely surprised. In the sky, when a flash of lightning leaves the circle of the clouds, mortals cannot notice its movement. It was the same with Krishna and the gods. However, a few, Brahma, Rudra and some others, noticed Hari’s movements of yoga. They were astounded and praised them. They left for their own respective worlds. O king! Know that his birth, disappearance and activities in this world were the result of his maya, since like an actor, he imitated the behaviour of embodied creatures. He creates this universe out of his atman and enters it. Having played with it, at the end, he withdraws it into the greatness of his atman. After this, he alone remains. As a mortal, he brought his preceptor’s son back from Yama’s world. When you were being scorched by the great weapon, he accorded you shelter. He conquered Isha, the one who is like death to the attendants of Death. He conveyed the hunter ¹³⁰¹ to heaven in his physical body. How could the lord not have protected himself? He is the only cause behind creation, preservation and destruction. He is the possessor of infinite potencies. However, he no longer desired to maintain his body in this mortal world, after having demonstrated the ultimate state of welfare. If a person gets up in the morning, controls himself and chants devotedly about Krishna’s supreme state, he obtains a position that is unmatched.

‘Daruka reached Dvaraka. He felt down at the feet of Vasudeva and Ugrasena and drenched their feet with his tears, telling them about the separation from Krishna. O king! He told them about the complete destruction of the Vrishnis. Hearing this, the hearts of the people were anxious. Because of their sorrow, they lost their senses. They were distressed at being separated from Krishna. They beat their own faces and quickly rushed to the spot where their dead relatives were lying down. Devaki, Rohini and Vasudeva could not see their sons, Krishna and Rama. They were afflicted by grief and lost their senses. Tormented because of their separation from the illustrious one, they gave up their lives at the spot. O son! The women embraced their husbands and climbed on to their funeral pyres. Rama’s wives embraced his body and entered the fire. Vasudeva’s ¹³⁰² wives embraced his body. Hari’s daughters-in-law did that for Pradyumna and the others. With their hearts fixed on him, Krishna’s wives, Rukmini and the others, entered the fire. At being separated from his beloved friend, Krishna, Arjuna was afflicted by grief. He comforted himself with the excellent words that Krishna had sung. ¹³⁰³ Arjuna ensured that the funeral rites were performed for the relatives whose gotras had been destroyed. ¹³⁰⁴ According to age, he did this progressively for everyone who had been killed. O great king! Since Hari had left Dvaraka, the ocean immediately flooded it. It only spared the illustrious one’s splendid residence. However, the illustrious Madhusudana is always present there. It is the most auspicious among all auspicious places and even remembering it, quickly destroys all sins. Dhananjaya collected the remaining women, children and aged people. He gathered them in Indraprastha and instated Vajra ¹³⁰⁵ as the king there. O king! Learning about the death of their well-wisher from Arjuna, your grandfathers instated you as the successor of their lineage. ¹³⁰⁶ All of them left on the great journey. Vishnu is the god of the gods. If a mortal person faithfully hears about his birth and deeds and chants about them, he is freed from all sins. This is the beautiful account of the illustrious Hari’s avatara, his valour and his childhood pastimes. They are stated here. It is extremely sacred. If a person hears them and chants them, he obtains great devotion and obtains the destination obtained by paramahamsas.’

This ends the Eleventh Skandha.