Chapter 3(19)

‘“Maitreya said, ‘He heard Virinchi’s words, which were free from guile and like amrita. Full of affection, he glanced at the beloved one and accepted his words. The lord who was born from the nostrils ¹⁰²² leapt up towards the enemy who was wandering around fearlessly in front of him. He struck the asura’s jaw with his club. An extraordinary event occurred. He struck back with his own club and the illustrious one’s club fell down from his hand, whirling in energy. He thus obtained an opportunity to strike back. However, following the dharma of fighting, he did not strike someone who was without a weapon and Vishvaksena was enraged. As the lord’s club was struck down in this way, great sounds of lamentation arose. However, he applauded this following of dharma and remembered the weapon with the excellent nave. He eagerly used the chakra and toyed with Diti’s wicked son, who had actually been chief of his own attendants. Wonderful words were spoken by the ignorant ones who were in the sky. ¹⁰²³ “May you be safe. May you kill him.” The lotus-eyed one was standing in front of him, holding the chakra. Hearing this, he looked towards him, his senses full of intolerance. He bit his own lips in rage and sighed. He bared his terrible teeth and glanced at him, as if he would burn him down in rage. He leapt up and used his own club to strike Hari with the force of the wind, screaming, “You have been killed.” O virtuous one! While the enemy looked on, the illustrious one, the boar who is the sacrifice, playfully deflected the bow with his left foot. He said, “Come. Since you desire to be victorious, pick up your weapon and try again.” Thus addressed, he struck again and roared extremely loudly. The illustrious one saw that the club was descending. However, standing firmly, he seized it when it arrived, like Garuda seizing a female serpent. The great asura raged that his own virility had been countered and that he had been disrespected. Though the club was offered to him by Hari, since it had lost its brilliance, he did not wish to accept it. He seized a blazing trident, which wished to greedily envelope everything in its flames and hurled it towards the one who had assumed and was wandering around in this form for the sake of sacrifices and brahmanas. The daitya, the great fighter, hurled it with all his strength and it blazed through the sky, increasingly luminescent. However, he severed it with the sharp-edged chakra, just as Indra had dislodged Tarkshya’s feather. ¹⁰²⁴ When his own trident was shattered into many parts by his enemy, Hari, the asura became extremely angry. He advanced and using his fist, struck a hard blow on his broad chest, Lakshmi’s abode. Having struck, he roared and vanished. O Kshatta! Struck in this way, the illustrious original boar did not tremble even slightly. It was as if an elephant had been struck with a garland. He ¹⁰²⁵ invoked many kinds of maya against Hari, the lord of yoga maya. On seeing this, all the subjects were terrified and thought that the destruction of everything was near. Fierce winds started to blow and shrouded everything in darkness and dust. Stones fell down in every direction, as if they had been hurled from catapults. In the firmament, the radiance of the stellar bodies was destroyed, covered by masses of clouds tinged with thunder and lightning. Pus, hair, blood, excrement, urine and bones showered down repeatedly. O unblemished one! The mountains were seen to discharge many kinds of weapons. There were naked yatudhana women with dishevelled hair, wielding spears. Many yakshas, rakshasas, foot soldiers, riders on horses, chariots and elephants and assassins uttered violent and murderous cries. To destroy the maya manifested by the asura, the illustrious one with three feet ¹⁰²⁶ invoked and used his beloved sudarshana weapon. There was a sudden trembling in Diti’s heart as she remembered the words spoken by her husband. Blood oozed out of her breasts. With his own maya destroyed, he tried to approach Keshava again. He tried to angrily grasp him in his arms, but he saw that he remained outside the clasp. He now started to strike him with fists that were as hard as the vajra. But Adhokshaja struck him at the root of his ear with his hand, like the lord of the Maruts striking Tvashta’s son. ¹⁰²⁷ The conqueror of the universe struck him casually. However, his body was whirled around and his eyeballs fell out of their sockets. His arms, feet and head were shattered and he fell down, like a gigantic tree uprooted by the wind. He lay down on the ground, but his radiance did not fade. He bit his lips with his terrible teeth. Brahma and the others arrived and saw him. They said, ‘Wonderful. Who can obtain such a wonderful death? Alone, he is the one on whom yogis meditate. Desiring liberation from the linga sharira, they meditate on him. He is the one who has struck the bull among the daityas with his foot. He gave up his life while he glanced towards his ¹⁰²⁸ face. These two attendants obtained this wicked end because of the curse. After some more births, they will again regain their status. We bow down to you. We bow down to you, the one who enjoys all the sacrifices. For the sake of preservation, you assume this pure form of sattva. It is good fortune that the one who made the universe suffer has been slain. O lord! We are devoted to your feet and have found happiness.’ Hiranyaksha’s valour was impossible to withstand. However, Hari, the original boar, killed him in this way. Praised by the one who is seated on the lotus ¹⁰²⁹ and others, he returned to his own world, where there are uninterrupted festivities. O excellent friend! I have explained to you Hari’s activities as the first avatara. Hiranyaksha was great in his valour. But in a great battle, he toyed with him and killed him.’”’

Suta said, ‘O brahmana! ¹⁰³⁰ Thus, Kshatta, the great devotee, heard about the illustrious one’s account from Kousharava and was supremely delighted. There are others, pious and famous devotees, and one rejoices on hearing about their deeds, not speak of the one who bears the mark of the shrivatsa. When the Indra among elephants was seized by a crocodile, the female elephants shrieked and meditated on his lotus feet. He immediately freed it from its hardship. Which grateful person will not serve the one who can be easily approached by upright men who seek him as their only refuge? Wicked people find it impossible to approach him. To bring about the death of Hiranyaksha, in his pastimes, he performed the extraordinary act of assuming the form of a boar. O brahmanas! If one hears, chants or finds delight in this account, one is instantly liberated, even if one has committed the sin of killing a brahmana. This pure and sacred account brings great merit. It confers wealth, fame, a long life and welfare. In the field of battle, it increases the valour of the breath of life and the senses. O dear one! Those who hear it obtain Narayana as the destination.’

Chapter 3(20)

Shounaka asked, ‘O Suta! After having established himself on earth, what did Svayambhuva Manu do, to establish doors and paths ¹⁰³¹ for those who would be born later? The immensely fortunate Kshatta was a well-wisher who was extremely devoted to Krishna. He abandoned his elder brother because he and his sons committed offences against Krishna. He was born from Dvaipayana’s body and was not inferior to him in greatness. With all his soul, he sought refuge with Krishna and with those who followed him. Having cleansed himself by visiting the tirthas, what did he ask Maitreya, supreme among those who know the truth, after approaching him when he was seated in Kushavarta? ¹⁰³² O Suta! They must have started to converse about unblemished accounts that destroy sins, like the waters of the Ganga, which seeks refuge with Hari’s lotus feet. O fortunate one! Recount those pervasive deeds to us. They are worthy of recounting. Hari’s pastimes are like amrita and no one who possesses the taste will be satisfied from drinking this in.’

In Naimisha, Ugrashrava was thus asked by the rishis. His mind was immersed in the atman of the illustrious one and he told them, ‘Listen.’

Suta said, ‘He heard how Hari had used his own maya to assume the form of a boar and raise the earth up from rasatala and about how he had casually toyed with Hiranyaksha and killed him. Delighted, the descendant of the Bharata lineage spoke to the sage.

‘Vidura said, “O brahmana! You know about the progress of the one who is not manifest. After creating the Prajapatis, so as to ensure the creation of subjects, what did the lord of Prajapatis ¹⁰³³ do? Tell us. Commanded by Brahma, how did brahmanas like Marichi and Svayambhuva Manu indulge in creation? Did they create with their wives or were their actions independent? Did they ¹⁰³⁴ collectively engage in the action of creation?”

‘Maitreya replied, “From the three gunas, Mahat was created through incomprehensible destiny, Purusha and time, agitated by the illustrious one. ¹⁰³⁵ Rajas dominated Mahat and ahamkara was created from Mahat. It was of three types. ¹⁰³⁶ From this was created space and the other elements and so on, in groups of five. ¹⁰³⁷ However, acting as independent entities, they were incapable of creating this material world. Through the divine one’s yoga, they came together and created that golden egg. The egg was without an atman and lay down in the waters for more than one thousand years. After this, the lord entered it. A lotus that was as radiant as one thousand suns sprouted from his navel. It was the abode of all creatures and Svayambhu, who rules himself, was manifested from this. For the sake of the creation of the universe, so that it might be exactly as it had been earlier, the illustrious one, who was lying down in the waters, made his intelligence enter him. ¹⁰³⁸ From his shadow, he first created five kinds of ignorance—tamisra, andha-tamisra, tamas, moha and mahatamas. However, all of this was full of tamas and he did not like it. Therefore, he gave up his own body, which was in the form of night and was accepted by yakshas and rakshasas. Hunger and thirst result from this. ¹⁰³⁹ Afflicted by hunger and thirst, they rushed towards him. Overcome by hunger and thirst, they said, ‘Do not save him. Devour him.’ The god became anxious and told them, ‘Do not eat me. Protect me. O yakshas and rakshas! You have been born from me and are my offspring.’ He then created the foremost among the gods, who blazed because of their radiance. When he discarded his resplendence, the gods accepted this resplendence in the form of the day. The god then created those who were not gods ¹⁰⁴⁰ from his hips and these were extremely addicted to intercourse. Since they were excessively addicted, they wished to have intercourse with him. The illustrious one laughed at the shameless asuras. But finding that they were following him, he was enraged and scared. He fled quickly. He went to Hari, the granter of boons and the one with whom the afflicted seek refuge. To show his compassion towards his devotees, he shows himself in a form that is desired by them. ‘O paramatman! Save me. You commanded me to create offspring, but these wicked ones have attacked me and wish to have intercourse with me. O lord! Save me. You are the destroyer of hardships and you are the only one who can remove the difficulties of the worlds. You are the only one who can create difficulties for those who do not seek the refuge of your feet.’ Since he knows everyone’s mind, he understood the misery and said, ‘Give up your terrible body.’ Thus addressed, he cast the body aside. This body assumed the form of the evening. There were tinkling anklets on her lotus feet and her eyes were mad with intoxication. Her hips were covered with an excellent piece of cloth and she wore a shining girdle with bells above this. There was no gap between her high and thick breasts and they touched each other. Her nose and teeth were excellent. Her smile was gentle and she glanced playfully at them. She possessed a mass of dark blue hair and she hid herself in shame. O Dharma! ¹⁰⁴¹ All the asuras took her to be a woman ¹⁰⁴² and were confused. ‘Wonderful! What beauty. What perseverance. What budding youth. She is without desire, but is roaming around amidst us, who are full of desire.’ They debated a lot about evening, who was in the form of a woman. Wicked in intelligence, they respectfully asked her, ‘Who are you? O one whose thighs are like a plantain tree! Whom do you belong to? O beautiful one! What is the reason behind your coming here? Your beauty is priceless. Why are you tempting unfortunate ones like us? O lady! Whoever you may be, we have had the good fortune of seeing you. While you are playing with a ball, you are agitating the minds of those who are looking at you. O beautiful one! While you are repeatedly bouncing the ball on the ground with the palm of your hand, your lotus feet do not remain in the same place. Your waist is suffering from the weight of your large breasts. Your clear eyes are peaceful and the braid of your hair is excellent.’ In this way, the asuras, foolish in their intelligence, took the evening twilight to be a woman and, tempted, seized her. With a deep sense of purpose, the illustrious one ¹⁰⁴³ laughed. From inside his own atman, he created large numbers of beautiful gandharvas and asparas. He gave up that beautiful and beloved form of moonlight. Delighted, with Vishvavasu at the forefront, they ¹⁰⁴⁴ accepted this. From his own distracted form, the illustrious one then created bhutas and pishachas. On seeing that they were naked, with dishevelled hair, he closed his eyes. The lord abandoned a body and they seized the creator’s body that was in the form of yawning. ¹⁰⁴⁵ This is seen in living beings in the form of sleep, that is, sluggishness of the senses. They ¹⁰⁴⁶ attack those who are defiled and this is said to be the unmada state. Thinking himself to be full of energy, the illustrious lord Aja created large numbers of Sadhyas and ancestors, while remaining invisible. The ancestors accepted the body from which they themselves had been created. Wise ones offer oblations to Sadhyas and ancestors. While remaining invisible, he created Siddhas and vidyadharas and gave them his wonderful body that is known as antardhana. ¹⁰⁴⁷ While looking at his own reflection in the water, the lord admired himself and from this reflection, he created kinnaras and kimpurushas. They assumed the form that Parameshthi cast aside. Hence, at the time of dawn, they come together as couples and sing, praising his deeds. He stretched his body out at full length and lay down, thinking a lot, because the creation was insufficient. Therefore, he cast aside this body. O dear! The hair that dropped from this body became snakes. From the body that was still writhing around were born cruel nagas with large hoods on their thick necks. The self-created one took himself to have been successful in his objective. After this, using his mental powers, the creator of the worlds created Manus. In control of his atman, he then gave his own human body to them. On seeing this, all those who had been created earlier praised Prajapati. ‘Wonderful! O creator of the universe! What you have done is a good deed. Since rites have now been established, ¹⁰⁴⁸ all of us will now eat our shares of the offerings.’ Full of austerities, knowledge, yoga and meditation, the rishi who was the controller of his senses ¹⁰⁴⁹ created his beloved sons, in the form of the rishis. To each of them, Aja gave a part of his own body, characterized by meditation, yoga, powers, austerities, knowledge and non-attachment.”’

Chapter 3(21)

‘Vidura said, “O illustrious one! The lineage of Svayambhuva Manu is greatly revered. Tell me about how offspring were generated and multiplied through sexual intercourse. Svayambhuva had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttanapada. They followed dharma and protected the earth, consisting of seven dvipas. ¹⁰⁵⁰ O brahmana! He had a daughter, famous by the name of Devahuti. O unblemished one! You told me that she was the wife of Prajapati Kardama. She possessed all the signs of yoga. Through the seed of the great yogi, how many children did she have? I wish to hear this. Tell me. O brahmana! The illustrious Ruchi and Daksha were Brahma’s sons. Having obtained Manu’s daughters as wives, ¹⁰⁵¹ how did they have offspring?”

‘Maitreya replied, “The illustrious Kardama was commanded by Brahma to have offspring. On the banks of the Sarasvati, he tormented himself through austerities for ten thousand years. Kardama immersed himself in meditation and engaged in the rites of yoga. ¹⁰⁵² He devotedly served Hari, the one who grants boons to those who seek refuge with him. In krita yuga, the illustrious lotus-eyed one was pleased. O Kshatta! He showed him his form of Shabda-Brahma. ¹⁰⁵³ He was without any impurities and was as resplendent as the sun. He wore a garland made out of white lotuses and water lilies. His lotus face was beautiful, with soft locks of dark blue hair. His garments were spotless. He wore a diadem and earrings. He playfully held a conch shell, a chakra, a club and a white lotus. His smiles and glances gladdened the heart. His lotus feet were placed on the shoulders of Garuda. Shri was on his chest and the Koustubha gem hung around his neck. He saw him stationed in the sky in this way. Having obtained his desire, he ¹⁰⁵⁴ was delighted and satisfied. He lowered his head and prostrated himself on the ground. He was naturally affectionate. He joined his hands in salutation and prayed.

‘“The rishi said, ‘O lord of all the stores of sattva! Everything has now been accomplished. My eyes have obtained success and I have seen you. O lord! Across many births, virtuous yogis remain firmly fixed in yoga, developing themselves and hoping to see you. Your lotus feet are like a boat to cross the ocean that is the cycle of life on earth. However, there are those whose intelligence has been deluded by your maya and they only worship them to satisfy their desires. O lord! You satisfy those desires, even if such people happen to be in hell. I also wish to fulfil desire and marry a woman who is like me in conduct, who will be like a cow in my role as a householder. ¹⁰⁵⁵ I have approached your feet, the source of everything, with this perverse desire. You are like a tree that yields all the objects of desire. O Prajapati! O lord! This entire world is afflicted by desire and is bound down by the ropes that are your words. O eternal and pure one! I am also following the way of the worlds and am rendering the offerings to you. Abandoning the worlds, the ways of the worlds and animals, there are those who seek prosperity under the shadow of your lotus feet. They converse with each other about your qualities. They drink those words, which are like nectar, and extinguish the dharma of bodies. Your wheel rotates around the axis of the eternal brahman. It has thirteen spokes and three hundred and sixty joints. ¹⁰⁵⁶ There are six rims, innumerable leaves and three naves. ¹⁰⁵⁷ The universe whirls around at terrific speed, severing everything. You alone can desire to create the universe and there is no second one who is a controller. O illustrious one! You used your yoga maya to create, preserve and destroy, just as a spider uses its own powers to fashion a web. O lord! This material creation is not what you wish for. You have used your maya to manifest these gross and subtle elements so as to satisfy us. Use your maya to show us your favours. Let the illustrious one’s splendid form, with the tulasi, be seen. Using your maya, you have ensured the conduct of the material worlds. You have realized them, but are beyond the enjoyment of that action. You are the one who must constantly be worshipped. Your lotus feet are worthy of being worshipped. You are the one who showers down on those who crave for these insignificant desires.’”

‘The rishi said, ¹⁰⁵⁸ “The one with the lotus in his navel was thus sincerely praised. He was beautiful, astride the wings of Suparna. His smiles were full of affection and as he glanced, his eyebrows arched gracefully. He spoke in words that were like amrita.

‘“The illustrious one replied, ‘Having known your intentions, I have already arranged the objective for which you followed the rules and worshipped me. O ruler of subjects! If people like you worship me, surrendering themselves and fixing their atmans on me, they are never unsuccessful. The emperor Manu, Prajapati’s son, is famous for his auspicious deeds. He lives in Brahmavarta and rules over the entire earth, with its seven oceans. ¹⁰⁵⁹ O brahmana! He is knowledgeable about dharma. With his queen, Shatarupa, the royal sage will come here day after tomorrow, wishing to see you. His dark-eyed daughter has come of age and possesses good conduct and qualities. O lord! He is looking for a husband for her and will bestow her on you, since you are appropriate. She is the kind of person on whom your mind has been fixed for many years. O brahmana! The king’s daughter will soon serve you, as you desire. Through your seed, she will give birth to nine offspring. Through their seeds, the rishis will have offspring through your daughters. You will carry out my instructions properly and your mind will be clean. Surrendering the fruits of all your action to me, as a tirtha, you will obtain me. You will show compassion towards living creatures and grant them freedom from fear. You will realize your atman and the world in my atman. You will see me in your atman. O great sage! Through your seed, a portion of me will be born through your wife Devahuti and I will compose a text about the truth.’” ¹⁰⁶⁰

‘Maitreya said, “When the illustrious one, who had directly manifested himself before the senses, said this, he went to the lake known as Bindusaras, with the Sarasvati encircling it. While he looked on, he ¹⁰⁶¹ departed, praised by all the lords among the Siddhas, along the path followed by the Siddhas. One could hear the fluttering of the wings of the Indra among the birds chant out beautiful collections of hymns from the Sama Veda. After the pure one had left, the illustrious rishi, Kardama, remained in Bindusaras, waiting for the right time. Manu mounted a chariot that was decorated with plates made out of molten gold. He ascended it with his wife and daughter and roamed around the earth. O excellent archer! On a day that had been appointed by the illustrious one, he arrived at the sage’s hermitage, after the sage had completed his vows. Teardrops fell down from the eyes of the illustrious one when he was overcome with great compassion at those who sought refuge with him. ¹⁰⁶² Hence it came to obtain the name of Bindusaras. It was flooded by the pure and auspicious waters of the Sarasvati, which are like amrita, and was frequented by large numbers of maharshis. The lake was surrounded by nets of sacred trees and creepers. Auspicious animals and birds called there. There were fruits and blossoming flowers of all the seasons. The clumps of groves were full of prosperity. There were the calls of large numbers of maddened birds. Intoxicated bees flew around. Crazy peacocks danced around in pride. Intoxicated cuckoos challenged each other. The place was adorned with kadamba, champaka, ashoka, karanja, bakula, ashana, kunda, mandara, kutaja and young chuta trees. ¹⁰⁶³ There were the sweet sounds of the calling of karandavas, plavas, swans, ospreys, aquatic fowl, cranes, chakravakas and chakoras. ¹⁰⁶⁴ The place was surrounded by deer, boar, porcupines, gavayas, elephants, gopucchas, ¹⁰⁶⁵ lions, monkeys, mongooses and musk deer. The original king entered that tirtha with his daughter. He saw the sage seated there, like a fire into which oblations had been offered. Since he had performed fierce austerities for a long time, his body blazed like lightning. However, since the illustrious one had looked at him with gentle eyes and because he had heard his words, which were like amrita, he wasn’t excessively emaciated. He was tall and his eyes were like the petals of lotuses. His hair was matted and his garment was made out of bark. He seemed soiled, like a gem that had not been polished. The god among men approached him in his cottage and bowed down before him. He ¹⁰⁶⁶ greeted him back respectfully, as was befitting. When he had accepted those honours and was seated, the sage remembered the instructions of the illustrious one. He controlled himself and spoke gentle and affectionate words. ‘O lord! You are wandering around, for the sake of protecting the virtuous and the slaughter of the wicked. You are the one who protects with Hari’s powers. I bow down to you, a representative of the pure one. Depending on the place, you assume the forms of the sun god, the moon god, Agni, Indra, Vayu, Yama, Dharma and Prachetas. You ascend your victorious chariot, decorated with a large number of jewels. On your chariot, you stretch and twang your bow with a terrible roar, terrifying the wicked. The tread of the feet of your foot soldiers makes the entire earth tremble. Like the sun, you wander around with a large army. O king! Thus, you establish all the rules and the norms for the varnas and the ashramas that have been laid down by the illustrious one, but are violated by bandits. When you sleep, the adharma of greedy and unrestrained men flourishes. This world will be taken over by bandits and destroyed. O brave one! Let me ask you the reason why you have come here. Without any hesitation, we will carry out whatever is in your heart.’”’

Chapter 3(22)

‘Maitreya said, “All of his qualities and deeds were praised by the sage in this way. The emperor seemed to be ashamed and replied in the following words.

‘“Manu said, ‘With a desire to preserve himself, Brahma, who is full of the metres, created you ¹⁰⁶⁷ from his mouth and you are full of austerities, learning and yoga, and are free from lust. The one with the one thousand hands and one thousand feet created us for your protection. It is therefore said that brahmanas are his heart and kshatriyas are his limbs. Hence, brahmanas and kshatriyas protect each other. The lord of cause and effect protects all of us in this way. O illustrious one! After seeing you, all my doubts have been dispelled. You have affectionately explained to me the dharma of one who wishes to protect. You cannot easily be seen by those who have not cleansed their souls. O illustrious one! It is good fortune that I have been able to see you. You are everything that is auspicious. It is good fortune that I have been able to touch the dust on your feet with my head. It is good fortune that I have been instructed by you. You have shown me a great favour. It is good fortune that such pure words have entered through the openings in my ears. O sage! I am suffering because of my affection towards this daughter of mine. You should listen to this miserable one and having heard, show me your compassion. This daughter of mine is the sister of Priyavrata and Uttanapada. She wishes to be united with a husband who is her equal in age, conduct and qualities. Since she heard from Narada about your conduct, learning, beauty, age and qualities, she has fixed her mind only on you. O best among brahmanas! Therefore, accept her. I am respectfully offering her to you. She is exactly like you in her soul and will assist you in performing the duties of a householder. Even if one has freed oneself from attachment, not to speak of someone who is attached to desire, the refusal of a desired objective, when it is offered on its own, is not praised. If a person refuses something that has been offered and then seeks it from a miser, his pervasive fame is destroyed. His respect is destroyed because others ignore him. O learned one! I have heard that you wish to marry. Therefore, to terminate your vow, ¹⁰⁶⁸ please accept the one I am offering to you.’

‘“The rishi replied, ‘It is certainly the case that I wish to marry, nor have I promised anyone else. Your daughter and I are similar in age. Therefore, our marriage has the required sanction. O lord! Let your daughter’s desire be fulfilled and let the marriage take place in accordance with the proper rites. Who will not accept your daughter? Through her own beauty, she surpasses Shri. ¹⁰⁶⁹ When she plays with a ball on the terrace of your palace, her eyes excited and the anklets tinkling on her feet, her beauty is enhanced. On seeing her, Vishvavasu’s senses were confounded and he fell down from his chariot. She is Manu’s daughter and Uttanapada’s sister. She is an ornament among women and those who have not served at Shri’s feet cannot see her. When she approaches on her own, which wise person will not welcome this? Therefore, I will accept this virtuous one, for as long as she accepts my seed. After that, I will follow the revered dharma of the best of the paramahamsas, spoken about by the illustrious one, which is free from violence. ¹⁰⁷⁰ This wonderful universe exists and will be dissolved because of the lord of the Prajapatis. He is the illustrious and infinite one and he is the supreme yardstick for me.’”

‘Maitreya said, “O wielder of a fierce bow! He said this and became silent, using his mind to meditate on the one who has a lotus in his navel. Devahuti’s mind was captivated by his smiling face. After having clearly got to know the intentions of his queen and Devahuti, he was delighted and bestowed his daughter, who was equal to him in qualities. Full of affection, Empress Shatarupa bestowed extremely expensive marriage gifts, like ornaments, garments and household articles on the couple. The emperor was freed from the anxiety of bestowing his daughter on an appropriate groom. He was full of great anxiety ¹⁰⁷¹ and embraced her in his arms. He was incapable of bearing the separation and repeatedly shed tears. His daughter’s hair was drenched with the tears from his eyes and he exclaimed, ‘O mother! O child!’ He took permission from the best among sages to leave. With his wife, the king ascended the chariot and left for his own city. Along both banks of the beautiful river, Sarasvati, he saw the prosperous hermitages of tranquil rishis and the beautiful abodes of rishis. The subjects got to know that their lord was returning from Brahmavarta. They rejoiced and greeted him with songs of praise and the playing of musical instruments. When Yajna Varaha shook his body, his body hair fell down at a spot. This became the city known as Barhishmati and it was endowed with every kind of wealth and prosperity. Evergreen and shining kusha and kasha grass grew there. The sages used these to perform sacrifices and defeat those who caused obstructions to sacrifices. The illustrious Manu spread out a mat of kusha and kasha grass. He performed sacrifices to the Purusha from whom he had obtained this place on earth. The lord entered the place named Barhishmati, where he resided. He entered his residence, which was free from the three kinds of torment. ¹⁰⁷² With his wife and his subjects, he enjoyed the objects of pleasure, without any impediments. His deeds were sung about by celestial singers, along with their wives. Every day, at the time of dawn, he listened to Hari’s account with a devoted heart. Svayambhuva Manu was immersed in yoga maya and was like a sage. The enjoyment could not make him deviate from the supreme and illustrious one. He listened to accounts of Vishnu’s deeds, meditated on them and composed and spoke about them. Thus, the yamas in the manvantara allotted to him passed. His own manvantara lasted for seventy-one yugas. He spent them being associated with Vasudeva and overcame the three kinds of torment. O friend! If men seek refuge with Hari, how can hardships due to the body, mind and divine or earthy reasons constrain them? He was asked by sages and told them about the many kinds of auspicious dharma that should be followed by men in different varnas and ashramas. He was engaged in the welfare of all creatures. This is the extraordinary conduct of the original king, Manu. I have described it to you and it is worthy of being described. Now hear about his prosperous daughter.”’

Chapter 3(23)

‘Maitreya said, “When her parents left, the virtuous one understood the wishes of her husband. She always tended to him affectionately, just as Bhavani ¹⁰⁷³ does to the lord Bhava. She was pure in her mind and self-controlled. Without any guile, she tended to him with affection and spoke to him in sweet words. She gave up desire, pride, hatred, greed and vanity. With undeviating attention, she always satisfied her energetic husband. Manu’s daughter followed the vows of the noble devarshi, looking upon him as superior to a divinity. She expected great benedictions from her husband. After a long period of time, she became weak because of the vows she had observed. Grieving and driven by compassion, he spoke to her in words that were full of love.

‘“Kardama said, ‘O Manu’s daughter! I am satisfied with your respect, supreme service and supreme devotion. Everyone who possesses a body loves that body. However, you have not tended to it properly and have become emaciated for my sake. I have been engaged in my own dharma and in austerities and meditation. Through the favours of the illustrious one, I have obtained learning and yoga in my atman. Through serving me, you have also obtained those. I am giving you the insight that will drive away fear and grief. All material objects obtained are destroyed through the illustrious Urukrama merely bending his eyebrows. What use are they? By milking your own dharma, you have obtained this divine success. Enjoy it. Men find this extremely difficult to obtain, including kings who perform rites.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “He possessed the strength of yoga maya and was accomplished in knowledge. When she heard what he said, the lady was satisfied. Her face beamed with smiles. She glanced at him bashfully. She spoke in humble words that choked with love.

‘“Devahuti said, ‘O bull among brahmanas! O husband! I know that you have obtained success and that you are the master of yoga maya. I know your powers. However, a promise was made that a proper physical union between us should take place. For virtuous women, delivering a child is a great quality. Therefore, instruct about what must be done for that purpose. I have become emaciated because my great passion has not been satisfied. Let the poor body be fit so that the desire in my mind can be fulfilled. O lord! Also think about a suitable house.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “O Kshatta! To do what would bring pleasure to his beloved, Kardama resorted to yoga. He produced a vimana that could travel wherever one willed. It was divine and had all the objects of pleasure. It was decorated with all kinds of gems. Its prosperity kept on gradually increasing. There were pillars encrusted with jewels. There were divine objects and it was pleasant in all the seasons. It was ornamented with colourful festoons and flags. There were colourful garlands and bees sweetly hummed around them. Many articles of fine cotton and silk were spread around. Beds, beautiful couches, whisks and seats were separately arranged in storeys that were progressively laid out on top of each other. Here and there, it was decorated with works of artisans. The floors were made out of emeralds and the platforms were made out of coral. The entrances had thresholds made out of red coral and the doors were made out of diamonds. The summits were fashioned out of blue sapphire and pots made out of gold were placed atop these. The excellent rubies set in walls made out of diamonds seemed to be like eyes. There were colourful canopies and the extremely expensive arches were made out of gold. Many swans and pigeons called out. They mistook the artificial ones to belong to their own kind and repeatedly flew towards them. There were places for pleasure, chambers for resting, rooms for sleeping, quadrangles and outer courtyards, all constructed comfortably. He ¹⁰⁷⁴ was himself astounded. He saw that she was looking at the house and wasn’t quite pleased in her heart. Kardama, who could understand the wishes of all creatures, himself spoke to her. ¹⁰⁷⁵ ‘O timid one! Have a bath in this lake and then ascend the vimana. This tirtha has been created by the illustrious one and bestows all the wishes that men want.’ The lotus-eyed one listened to her husband’s words. She was attired in soiled garments and the hair on her head was matted. Her limbs were covered with filth and her covered breasts were discoloured. She entered the lake in the Sarasvati, the store of auspicious waters. In a house inside the lake, there were one thousand maidens. All of them were young in age and bore the scent of fragrant lotuses. On seeing her, the women stood up immediately. They joined their hands in salutation and asked, ‘We are your servant-maids. Please tell us what we can do for you.’ With extremely expensive articles required for a bath, they bathed the spirited one. They respectfully gave her two new and spotless garments. They gave her extremely expensive ornaments that were excellent and radiant. They gave her food that possessed all the qualities and liquor that was like amrita to drink. She saw herself in a mirror, with garlands and spotless garments. With a great deal of respect, the maidens decorated her with auspicious marks. She bathed and her head was washed. She was adorned with every kind of ornament. There was a golden necklace around her neck. Her bangles, girdle and anklets tinkled. There was a golden girdle, encrusted with many kinds of jewels, around her hips. She was adorned with an extremely expensive and beautiful necklace. Her teeth were excellent. Her eyebrows were excellent. The edges of her eyes were gentle and soft and rivalled lotus buds. There was shining and dark blue hair around her face. As soon as she remembered her beloved husband, the bull among rishis, she found herself, with the women, where Prajapati was. Surrounded by those one thousand women, she found herself in her husband’s presence. On seeing the power of his yoga, a doubt arose in her. He saw her, clean after the bath, and shining as she had never done before. Her shining form was beautiful and her charming breasts were covered. She was attired in excellent garments and one thousand vidyadharis ¹⁰⁷⁶ were in attendance. O destroyer of enemies! Full of affection towards her, he made her ascend the vimana. His greatness was not diminished inside the vimana. She loved him and he was himself served by those vidyadharis. He was as radiant as the lord of the stars surrounded by the stars, followed by large numbers of blooming night lotuses. ¹⁰⁷⁷ In that vimana, he went to the valleys of the Indra among kulachalas. ¹⁰⁷⁸ This is where the eight lokapalas seek their pleasure. ¹⁰⁷⁹ Ananga’s friend, the breeze, blows pleasantly there. The heavenly river ¹⁰⁸⁰ descends there, with an auspicious sound. Praised by the Siddhas and surrounded by the women, he enjoyed there for a long time, like the lord of treasures. ¹⁰⁸¹ With his beautiful wife, he enjoyed himself in gardens like Vaishrambhaka, Surasena, Nandana, Pushpabhadraka, Manasa and Chaitraratha. ¹⁰⁸² His splendid and great vimana could travel anywhere at will. In that, surpassing all the others who possessed vimanas, he travelled throughout the worlds, like the wind. For men who are determined in their minds and seek refuge at the tirtha of the illustrious one’s feet, the dispeller of hardships, what is difficult to accomplish? He showed his wife the globe of the earth and how everything was established, full of great wonders. The great yogi then returned to his hermitage. Manu’s daughter was eager for intercourse and he divided himself into nine parts. As he enjoyed and gave pleasure to the beautiful one, many years passed like an instant. In the vimana, she lay down on an excellent bed that increased her sexual desire. Desiring the company of her husband, she was not aware of the amount of time that had passed. The couple desired intercourse and used their powers of yoga. A hundred autumns passed in satisfying desire, but it was only like an instant. The lord, who knew about his atman, was capable of discerning everyone’s wishes and satisfying them. He divided himself into nine parts and deposited his seed. Thus, on the same day, Devahuti gave birth to nine daughters. All of them were beautiful in all their limbs and bore the fragrance of red lotuses. Seeing that her husband was about to leave, the beautiful one outwardly showed the signs of smiling. However, her heart was agitated and sad. Her feet were beautiful with nails that were like gems. With a lowered face, she scratched on the ground with these nails. Restraining her tears, she spoke soft and charming words.

‘“Devahuti said, ‘O illustrious one! You have fulfilled everything that you promised. However, since I have sought refuge with you, you should grant me freedom from fear. O brahmana! Your daughters will themselves have to search out husbands who are their equals. When you leave for the forest, who will dispel my grief? O lord! I have spent a great deal of time in pandering to the objects of the senses and have abandoned the paramatman. I have acted so as to remain attached to the objects of the senses. I remained ignorant about your supreme sentiments. Therefore, grant me freedom from fear. Attachment to the cycle of birth and death is ordained for those who are wicked and without intelligence. It has been said that any association with virtuous people leads to non-attachment. If a person does not perform acts of dharma, does not observe non-attachment and does not serve the one whose feet are a tirtha, even if he is alive, he is as good as dead. Indeed, I have been firmly deceived by the illustrious one’s maya. Therefore, though I could have obtained emancipation from you, I did not free myself from the bondage.’”’

Chapter 3(24)

‘Maitreya said, “Manu’s daughter spoke praiseworthy words about non-attachment. The compassionate sage remembered what had been said by the illustrious one and spoke to her.

‘“The rishi said, ‘O princess! O praiseworthy one! Do not be dejected about yourself in this way. The illustrious and undecaying one will soon enter your womb. O fortunate one! Using dama and niyama, follow the vows, perform austerities and donate wealth. ¹⁰⁸³ Worship the lord faithfully. When the illustrious one is worshipped by you, he will enhance my fame. As your son, he will impart knowledge about the brahman and severe the bonds in your heart.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “Devahuti honoured Prajapati’s command. With complete respect, she worshipped the preceptor who is deep inside everyone. After a long period of time had elapsed, the illustrious Madhusudana was born from Kardama’s seed, like fire from kindling. At that time, there were clouds in the sky and musical instruments were sounded from within the clouds. Gandharvas sang and apsaras danced in joy. Extremely happy, those who roamed around in the sky showered down divine flowers. All the directions, the waters and everyone’s mind was pleased. Svayambhu came to Kardama’s hermitage, surrounded by the Sarasvati, along with the rishis, Marichi and the others. O slayer of enemies! Aja, the self-ruling one, knew that the illustrious supreme brahman, in his portion of sattva, had been born, so as to teach knowledge of samkhya. With a pure heart, he worshipped what the illustrious one desired to do. Delighted, he addressed Kardama ¹⁰⁸⁴ in these words.

‘“Brahma said, ‘O son! You have worshipped me without any duplicity and the objective has been accomplished. O one who shows honours! You have respected my words. This is exactly the kind of service that sons should render to their father. With respectful words of agreement, the senior’s words must be complied with. O child! These honest daughters of yours are slender-waisted. They will expand this creation and they will have a large number of progeny. Therefore, according to conduct and taste, bestow them on the best among rishis. Give your daughters away today and your fame will spread throughout the earth. I know that, using his own maya, Purusha has descended today. O sage! For the sake of creatures, that treasure has assumed the body of Kapila. His hair is golden and matted. He is lotus-eyed. He bears the marks of the lotus. His feet are like lotuses. He will uproot all karma through jnana, vijnana and yoga. O woman! Kaitabha’s slayer ¹⁰⁸⁵ has entered your womb. He will sever the bonds of ignorance and doubt and roam around the earth. He is the lord of the large number of Siddhas. He will be extremely revered by the teachers of samkhya. In this world, he will be known as Kapila. He will wander around and increase your fame.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “Along with the Kumaras ¹⁰⁸⁶ and Narada, the couple was thus assured by the creator of the universe. Brahma ¹⁰⁸⁷ then mounted his vehicle, yoked to swans, and went to his region, above the three worlds. O Kshatta! When he had left, the performer of the one hundred sacrifices ¹⁰⁸⁸ urged Kardama. As instructed, he bestowed his own daughters on the procreators of the universe. He gave Kala to Marichi, Anasuya to Atri, Shraddha to Angiras, Havirbhu to Pulastya, Gati to Pulaha, the virtuous Kriya to Kratu, Khyati to Bhrigu and Arundhati to Vasishtha. He gave Shanti to Atharvan, the one who extends a sacrifice. Having married, the bulls among the brahmanas left for their own abodes with their wives. O Kshatta! After marrying, the rishis took their leave from him. Having obtained it, they happily left for their own respective hermitages. Having learnt that Triyuga, the bull among the gods had descended, he went to him in a secluded spot. ¹⁰⁸⁹ He bowed down before him and said, ‘Because of their own inauspicious deeds, the wicked ones are being cooked in hell. Indeed, the gods have been pleased after a very long time. Ascetics meditate properly in yoga, in secluded spots, and ripen themselves through many lives, endeavouring to see his feet. Though we are the lowest of the low, that illustrious one has been born in our house today, so as to nurture his devotees, even if they are ordinary. O one who increases the respect of his devotees! O illustrious one! You desire to impart knowledge. O illustrious one! Though you do not have form, all of these are your forms. Whatever forms cause delight to your devotees are forms appropriate for you. The seat of your feet deserves to be always worshipped by gods who desire to comprehend the truth. You are full of prosperity, non-attachment, fame, knowledge, strength and prosperity. I seek refuge with you. You are transcendental and supreme. You are the great Purusha. You are wise time. You are the three modes. ¹⁰⁹⁰ You are the protector of the world. Through his own powers, he has assimilated the entire universe into his atman. He is the one who exerts his powers easily. I seek refuge with Kapila. You are the lord of all subjects. I seek something from you today. Since you have taken your descent, I have freed from all debts and my desires have been fulfilled. I wish to travel along various paths, with you in my heart, and bereft of all sorrows.’

‘“The illustrious one replied, ‘Whatever I speak, whether it is in the sacred texts or in ordinary speech, is a yardstick for the world. O sage! Therefore, since what I told you should not become false, I have been born to you. My birth in this world is for those who seek liberation from the linga sharira. This is for expounding the revered truth that leads to realization of the atman. This path of self-realization of the unmanifest atman has been lost for a long period of time. Know that I have assumed this body for the sake of propagating it. You sought my permission. With my permission, go where you want. Give up all rites. ¹⁰⁹¹ Conquer death, which is so very difficult to vanquish. For the sake of immortality, worship me. You will see the self-resplendent atman in me, the one that is inside the hearts of all living beings. Look at the atman inside your own atman. Be free from sorrow and fear. I will bestow the adhyatma ¹⁰⁹² knowledge that extinguishes all karma on my mother. Through this, she will also overcome all fear.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “Prajapati was thus addressed by Kapila. He circumambulated him, keeping him to the right, ¹⁰⁹³ and cheerfully left for the forest. Seeking refuge in the atman, the sage took to the vow of silence. He roamed around the earth, without any attachment. He did not light a fire, nor did he have a house. He fixed his mind on the brahman and on the supreme that is beyond cause and effect. This is the one who has no gunas, but manifests himself in the form of the gunas. He can only be perceived through single-minded devotion. He became free of ego and free of any sense of ownership. He became free of the opposite pairs of sentiments. ¹⁰⁹⁴ He looked within himself and was impartial towards everything. He looked inwards and became tranquil, like the calm waves of the ocean. His sentiments were full of great devotion towards the illustrious and omniscient Vasudeva, who is inside everyone’s atman. He realized the atman and became free of bondage. He saw that the illustrious one was in the atmans of all creatures. He saw the atman in all creatures and the illustrious one in his own atman. He was devoid of desires and hatred. He looked at everyone with an impartial mind. Immersed in devotion towards the illustrious one, he obtained the illustrious one as a destination.”’

Chapter 3(25)

Shounaka said, ‘The illustrious Kapila, the expounder of the truth about samkhya, is himself without birth. However, for the purpose of teaching men about the atman, the illustrious one used his own maya to be born himself. He was indeed a great man, supreme among yogis. His glory is described in the sacred texts. I have heard about him, but my senses are still not satisfied. Using the maya of his own atman, the illustrious one undertakes everything easily. I am devoted to him. Please recount all his deeds.’

Suta said, ‘The illustrious Maitreya was Dvaipayana’s friend. Thus asked by Vidura about transcendental knowledge, he cheerfully spoke about it.

‘Maitreya continued, “When his father left for the forest, he wished to do that which would bring his mother pleasure. Therefore, the illustrious Kapila resided in Bindusara. When he was seated comfortably, Devahuti remembered the words that the creator had spoken to her. Therefore, seeking the path that would lead to the truth, she spoke to her own son.

‘“Devahuti said, ‘O lord! I am extremely disgusted with the agitation caused by the transient senses. O lord! Because they are pervasive, I am immersed in the darkness of ignorance. It is extremely difficult to reach the other shore of this darkness of ignorance. But you are like my true insight. Through your favours, I have obtained you after many births. You are the original illustrious one. You are indeed the lord of all creatures. The world is blinded by the darkness of ignorance and like the sun, you have arisen like an eye. O god! Therefore, you should dispel my delusion. You have yourself created this sense of misconception about me and mine. You are the refuge and I have sought refuge with you. For your devotees, you are like an axe that severs the tree of samsara. ¹⁰⁹⁵ I wish to know about Prakriti and Purusha. You are best among those who know about true dharma and I am bowing down before you.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “He heard his mother’s unadulterated wishes, which increases the desire for emancipation in men. He applauded her intelligence, which had turned towards the atman, the destination sought by the virtuous. With a smile on his beautiful face, he replied.

‘“The illustrious one said, ‘In my view, adhyatma yoga is the best for men. This leads to complete detachment from happiness and unhappiness. O unblemished one! In ancient times, I spoke about this yoga to the rishis who wished to hear about it. I will tell you about it, with all its complements. The mind is indeed the bond for an atman that seeks to be free. When attached to the gunas, it is the cause of bondage. When one is attached to the Purusha, there is emancipation. When the mind transcends me, mine, ego and impurities like desire and avarice, it is pure and looks upon pleasure and pain impartially. Then the atman is seen to be the absolute Purusha, beyond Prakriti. It is immutable, self-luminous, minute and indivisible. The person is then full of knowledge and non-attachment and full of devotion. He perceives himself to be indifferent and material existence loses its strength. If yogis want success in attaining the brahman, there is no path as auspicious as that of being immersed in devotion towards the illustrious one who is in all atmans. Wise men know that strong attachment ¹⁰⁹⁶ is what binds the atman down. However, when that attachment is applied to something virtuous, it opens up the door to emancipation. Virtuous people possess virtuous traits as ornaments. They are tolerant, compassionate, friendly towards all creatures and tranquil. They have no enemies. Their hearts are fixed only on me, firm in devotion. For my sake, they abandon all action and abandon their relatives and friends. They seek me as a refuge. They hear and converse about my accounts. Since their minds are on me, they are not tormented by different kinds of torments. O virtuous lady! Those who have given up all kinds of attachment are virtuous. You must seek association with such people. That way, the taint of attachment will be removed from you. In the association with virtuous people, there is conversation about my deeds of valour, pleasing to the ear and the heart. By serving them, faith, love and devotion are progressively developed and these quickly take one along the path to liberation. Through devotion, non-attachment towards the senses is developed in a man. He sees, hears and thinks about my deeds. His mind accepts these and becomes united with yoga. He easily seeks to follow the path of yoga. He does not serve the attributes of Prakriti. Knowledge and non-attachment develop. Through yoga and fixed devotion towards me, in this life, he obtains me, the one who resides in all atmans.’

‘“Devahuti asked, ‘What kind of devotion towards you is fit to be practised by me? How can I instantly obtain liberation at your feet? O embodiment of emancipation! You have said that yoga flies like an arrow towards the illustrious one. How many limbs does it have? How does one understand the truth about it? O Hari! Since I am a woman who is limited in intelligence, please explain this to me. Through your favours, I will easily understand what is difficult to understand.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “Kapila understood his mother’s intention. Affection was generated in him towards the one he had been born from. Therefore, he explained to her the tattvas ¹⁰⁹⁷ that are spoken of as samkhya and he also told her about the course of bhakti yoga.

‘“The illustrious one said, ‘If a person is single-minded and devoted to the illustrious one, this is superior to being successful. The natural tendency is to then offer the presiding deities of the senses of perception and rites prescribed in the sacred texts to him, without any motive. This is the tattva. Just as fire digests what has been eaten, this quickly dissolves the linga sharira. There are those who do not desire to become one with me. They do everything for me and are engaged in serving at my feet. These devotees associate with each other and describe my glorious exploits. O mother! These devotees see my beautiful and divine forms, with smiling faces and red eyes. They desire to speak to these forms, the granters of boons. They see these charming forms, with exalted limbs, the pastimes, the smiles, the pleasant glances and the delightful words. Their minds and their senses are captivated. Though they do not desire it, because of their devotion, they are united with me as a destination. They do not desire the blissful prosperity of the illustrious one or the powers of the lord of maya. Nor do they aspire for the eight kinds of siddhis. However, with me, the supreme one, they enjoy these in my world. O one who is serene in form! There, those who are devoted to me are never destroyed. Weapons and time cannot harm them. I am loved by them like a son, a friend, a preceptor, a well-wisher, a divinity and like their own selves. In this world, if people give up all wealth, animals, houses and everything else and only worship me, whose face is in every direction, with single-minded devotion, I take them away beyond death. When they give up their bodies, I take their atmans beyond this world and the next. There is no one other than me, the illustrious one, the supreme lord and Purusha, the one who is in the atmans of all creatures, who can counter this terrible fear. ¹⁰⁹⁸ It is out of fear from me that the wind blows. It is out of fear from me that the sun heats. It is out of fear from me that Indra showers, Agni burns and death roams around. Using bhakti yoga, united with knowledge and non-attachment, yogis obtain welfare at my feet and enter there, without any fear. In this world, this is the only way for men to obtain welfare. Firm in bhakti yoga, their minds must be firmly fixed on me.’”’

Chapter 3(26)

‘“The illustrious one said, ‘I will now separately tell you about the characteristics of the tattvas. Through knowing these, a man is free from the gunas of Prakriti. I will tell you about the supreme knowledge that men who have realized the atman describe as something that severs the bonds of the heart. Purusha is the atman who is without a beginning and is nirguna. He is distinct from Prakriti and is superior. He manifests himself inside and is self-luminous. It is through him that the universe is maintained. As part of his pastimes and his own will, the lord has accepted this subtle and divine Prakriti, who possesses all the gunas. Creating many kinds of gunas, Prakriti creates subjects who are similar in form. Prakriti shrouds knowledge and on seeing this, everyone in the world is instantly confounded. Prakriti’s act, undertaken through the gunas, is identified as that of Purusha and it is thought that Purusha is the one who performs these acts. The lord is not the doer. His atman is that of an indifferent witness. But he is bound down in this cycle of creation and assumes a state of dependence. Learned ones know that Prakriti is cause, effect and the doer. Purusha is superior to Prakriti, but is seen to be the one who experiences pleasure and pain.’

‘“Devahuti said, ‘O Purushottama! Tell me about the characteristics of Purusha and Prakriti. They are the cause behind this creation, which is both manifest and unmanifest.’

‘“The illustrious one replied, ‘The three gunas are unmanifest and eternal. In this form, they are cause and effect and are known as Pradhana. When the undifferentiated becomes differentiated, this is known as Prakriti. ¹⁰⁹⁹ The learned know the brahman as the effects of Pradhana, with an aggregate of twenty-four attributes—five, five and fourteen. ¹¹⁰⁰ There are five mahabhutas—earth, water, fire, air and space. It is my view that their tanmatras, smell and the others, are also similar in number. There are ten organs of sense and these are said to be ears, skin, eyes, tongue, nose, the organ of speech, hands, feet, organ of generation and the anus as the tenth. Those that are internal are manas, buddhi, ahamkara and chitta. The difference between these four is noticed in the way they function. ¹¹⁰¹ These are enumerated as the attributes of the brahman and I have spoken about their arrangement. Time is the twenty-fifth. It is said that the power of Purusha that causes fear is time. This is because the individual atman is confounded by ahamkara, having come into contact with Prakriti. ¹¹⁰² O Manu’s daughter! The undifferentiated gunas of Prakriti were in equilibrium. However, when the illustrious one caused an agitation, this came to be noticed as time. He is in the form of Purusha inside and is in the form of time on the outside. Using his own maya, the illustrious one controls and is inside all living entities. The supreme Purusha agitates his own womb ¹¹⁰³ and deposits his own seed, driven by the dharma of destiny. She delivered the golden tattva known as Mahat. The seed of the universe was hidden inside it and was immutable. The universe was inside it and manifested itself. Through his own energy, the illustrious one drank up the terrible darkness, the darkness that causes the sleep. ¹¹⁰⁴ The quality of sattva is pure and tranquil and is the abode of the illustrious one. This is the consciousness made up of Mahat tattva and is known by the name of Vasudeva. The attributes of consciousness are clearness, lack of change and tranquility. It is said to be like water in its natural state, before it assumes characteristics. ¹¹⁰⁵ Mahat tattva resulted from the illustrious one’s energy and underwent change. This led to the three kinds of ahamkara that have the capacity to perform action. Vaikarika, taijasa and tamasa were created and so were the mind, the senses and the mahabhutas. The manifestation of Purusha with the elements, the senses and the mind is known as Samkarshana. He possesses one thousand heads and is Ananta himself. The characteristics of ahamkara are being the doer, being the instrument and being the effect, or alternatively, serenity, terror and confusion. ¹¹⁰⁶ The mind resulted from modifications of sattvika or vaikarika ahamkara. This has the traits of thinking and reflection and desire results from these. The learned know this by the name of Aniruddha, the lord of the senses. He is dark blue, like a blue lotus in the autumn. The yogis propitiate him gently. O virtuous lady! The modification of taijasa ahamkara created intelligence. This confers the ability to identify objects and facilitates the senses. The separate characteristics of intelligence are said to be doubt, misapprehension, right perception, memory and sleep. The senses are created from taijasa ahamkara and are classified into organs of perception and organs of action. The breath of life is the power behind organs of action. ¹¹⁰⁷ Intelligence is the power behind organs of perception. Urged by the illustrious one’s energy, tamasa ahamkara was transformed. This led to the tanmatra known as sound and then to the element of space. The sense of hearing evolved from sound. Wise people know that the characteristics of the tanmatra that results from space, that is, sound, are the capacity to convey meaning, to demonstrate this to the speaker and to be the subtle form of space. The functions and characteristics of space are to provide space for beings, cover them from the inside and from the outside, and to provide support to the actions of the breath of life, the senses and the mind. The tanmatra of space, sound, was transformed by the progress of time. Touch resulted and the wind resulted from this. The skin leads to the perception of touch. Touch is the tanmatra of the wind. The characteristics of touch are softness, hardness, cold and heat. The action of the wind is characterized by movement, accumulation, receiving and conveying particles associated with sound ¹¹⁰⁸ and providing support to all the senses to perform their actions. Urged by destiny, the wind’s tanmatra, sound, assumes different forms. Fire arose from this and the eye, which perceives different kinds of rupa. ¹¹⁰⁹ O virtuous lady! The characteristics of the tanmatra known as rupa are to assign dimensions, quality, individuality and position to an object and to impart radiance to fire. The attributes of fire are to illuminate, to cook, to drink, to eat, to destroy cold, to dry and to lead to feelings of hunger and thirst. Urged by destiny, the fire’s tanmatra, rupa, went through transformations. This resulted in the tanmatra known as taste. Water was produced from this and the tongue, which perceives taste. Taste is one. However, when it comes into contact with substances, it assumes different forms like astringent, sweet, bitter, pungent and sour. The characteristics of water are moistening, coagulating, causing satisfaction, sustaining life, refreshing, softening, driving away heat and providing abundance. Urged by destiny, water’s tanmatra, taste, went through transformations. The tanmatra known as smell resulted. The earth was produced from this and the sense of smell, which perceives smell. Smell is one. However, when it comes into contact and mixes with different proportions of substances, it assumes diverse traits like mixed odour, offensive odour, fragrance, mild fragrance, strong fragrance, acidic odour and so on. The characteristics and functions of the earth are forming a perception of the brahman, finding a place for itself, sustaining other objects and to provide for differentiations among creatures in terms of their qualities. The distinctive quality of space is said to be the ear, the organ which perceives sound. The learned know that the distinctive quality of air is the tactile organ, which perceives touch. The distinctive quality of fire is said to be the eye. The learned know that the distinctive quality of water is the perception of taste. The distinctive quality of the earth is said to be the organ of smell. The cause is seen to exist in the effect. Thus, the traits of the former exist in the latter. Hence, all the traits are seen to be found in the earth. When the seven, Mahat and the others, ¹¹¹⁰ were separate, the origin of the universe entered them, along with time, action and the gunas. They came together and were activated in this way and an egg that was without intelligence was created. Virat Purusha arose from this. This egg is known as Vishesha and is surrounded by layers, water and the others, each progressive layer ten times larger than the preceding one. On the outside, they are covered by Pradhana. This extensive world is the illustrious Hari’s form. He arose from the golden egg that was lying down in the water. The great god entered this space and divided it into many parts. The mouth emerged first and speech was generated from the mouth. Along with speech, Agni and the nostrils were created and prana and the sense of smell. Vayu emerged from the sense of smell and the two eyes and the sense of seeing. Surya evolved from this, the two ears and the sense of hearing. The directions resulted from this. Virat Purusha’s skin appeared and his hair, beard and moustache. The herbs and plants were created from this. The penis was generated thereafter. Semen resulted and water was created from this. The anus appeared and apana was created from the anus. It is because of apana that the world suffers from the fear of death. The hands were created and strength resulted from this. The self-ruling one ¹¹¹¹ was created from this. The feet and locomotion were manifested and Hari issued from this. The blood vessels were formed and the red blood, which resulted in the rivers. The stomach emerged thereafter. Hunger and thirst were formed and the ocean was formed from them. The heart was created and the mind arose from the heart. The moon was born from the mind. Intelligence resulted and the lord of speech ¹¹¹² was born from intelligence. Ahamkara and Rudra were created. Consciousness was manifested, along with the divinity who presides over consciousness. Though these different divinities were created, they were incapable of making him ¹¹¹³ wake up. Therefore, so as to make him arise, they again entered their respective positions in his body. Agni and speech entered the mouth, but Virat did not wake up. Vayu and the sense of smell entered the nostrils, but Virat did not wake up. Aditya ¹¹¹⁴ and the sense of seeing entered the eyes, but Virat did not wake up. The directions and the sense of hearing entered the ears, but Virat did not wake up. The herbs and plants and the body hair entered the skin, but Virat did not wake up. Semen and water entered the penis, but Virat did not wake up. Death and apana entered the anus, but Virat did not wake up. Indra and strength entered the hands, but Virat did not wake up. Vishnu and locomotion entered the feet, but Virat did not wake up. The rivers and blood entered the blood vessels, but Virat did not wake up. Hunger, thirst and the ocean entered the stomach, but Virat did not wake up. The moon and the mind entered the heart, but Virat did not wake up. Brahma and intelligence entered the heart, but Virat did not wake up. Rudra and ahamkara entered the heart, but Virat did not wake up. Consciousness and Kshetrajna, the lord of consciousness, then entered the heart. At this, Virat Purusha arose from the waters. When a man is asleep, prana, the senses and the mind have no power to wake him up on the basis of their own powers alone. Therefore, through devotion, non-attachment, knowledge, intelligence and adherence to yoga, one should think about the supreme atman ¹¹¹⁵ that is inside one’s own atman.’”’

Chapter 3(27)

‘“The illustrious one said, ‘Though Purusha resides in a body created by Prakriti, he is not touched by Prakriti’s gunas. He is without gunas and without change. He has no attributes of being a doer. He is like the sun, distinct from its reflection in the water. When the gunas of Prakriti are absorbed by the jivatman, he becomes confounded because of the action of ahamkara and takes himself to be the doer. Therefore, he helplessly has to undergo his position in samsara and is not satisfied. Because of being associated with faulty action, he is born as superior, middling and inferior species. ¹¹¹⁶ He does not really exist in this material form, but does not withdraw from it. He contemplates material objects, just as one experiences calamities in a dream. Therefore, one must use intense bhakti yoga to gradually withdraw the consciousness from this attachment to the wicked path and bring it under the forces of non-attachment. With faith, one must practise the path of yoga, yama and the other modes. A person’s sentiments must be truly immersed in me and he must chant and hear about me. He must be impartial towards all creatures, without enmity and without being attached. He must follow brahmacharya and be silent, thus strengthening his own dharma. He must be content with whatever is easily obtained. A sage must be moderate in eating. He must seek out a secluded spot. He must be tranquil, friendly and compassionate and realize his atman. He must not get attached to the body and the unreal possessions associated with it. Through knowledge, he will comprehend the truth about Prakriti and Purusha. He must withdraw his intelligence from material existence and keep any other such conceptions far away. Just as one sees the sun with one’s eyes, one will then be able to realize the atman in one’s own self. He will be freed from the linga sharira, which appears to be real, though it is unreal. This is because faulty insight has entered the real, though everything is without duality. The reflection of the sun in the water can be seen in its second reflected image on a wall. But the sun is actually situated in the sky. In this way, a person who has realized the truth can realize the radiance of the real ¹¹¹⁷ in its reflections in the three kinds of ahamkara, the elements, the senses and the mind. When one is asleep, the elements, their subtle tanmatras, the senses, the mind are absorbed in the unmanifest. ¹¹¹⁸ The one who is awake and without ahamkara is the atman. In that state, a seer may take himself to have been destroyed, but that sense of destruction is false. This is because ahamkara has been destroyed. One feels afflicted, like a person whose wealth has been destroyed. In this way, one comprehends one’s atman, which is the one who makes ahamkara and material objects manifest and is the foundation.’

‘“Devahuti asked, ‘O brahmana! O lord! How can Prakriti ever be separated from Purusha? They are both eternal and depend on each other. The earth and its attribute of smell and water and its attribute of taste can never exist independently. Nor can intelligence and that which is superior to it. ¹¹¹⁹ Prakriti’s gunas exist and they provide a basis for Purusha. Though he is not the doer, these bind him down through action. How can emancipation from them be obtained? By reflecting on the tattvas, one may be freed from great fear. However, since the causes have not been destroyed, it will appear again.’

‘“The illustrious one replied, ‘One should not desire the fruits of action. With a pure mind, one must be engaged in one’s own dharma. There must be intense devotion towards me and one must hear about me for a long time. Through knowledge and insight about the tattvas, non-attachment becomes stronger. One must engage in austerities and yoga and be immersed in intense meditation. Even in this world, if Prakriti is burnt down day and night, it gradually vanishes from Purusha. This is like fire, which becomes hidden inside its source, the kindling. Always looking towards its taints and after enjoying its products, Prakriti is abandoned. There is nothing inauspicious in the lord, who is established in his own greatness. If a person is asleep, many kinds of calamities appear before him in a dream. However, when he is awake, these do not have the power to confound him. In this way, if a person knows about the truth and if his mind is in me, if a person seeks delight in his own atman, Prakriti is never able to harm him. Thus, if a sage is addicted to adhyatma for a long time, over many births, and if non-attachment towards everything has arisen in him, he obtains Brahma’s world. Through my favours, a devotee attains this objective. He obtains his own state and there is nothing superior to this. He obtains refuge with me, a state that is known as that of kaivalya. ¹¹²⁰ In this world, such a persevering person truly obtains this state. Because of his own insight, his doubts are dispelled. Having gone there, a person does not return. ¹¹²¹ Such a yogi is separated from his linga sharira. O dear one! There are siddhis obtained through yoga, but these are maya. When a person is not attached to these and does not pursue any other objective, he obtains me as a destination. This is the infinite and death’s laughter is not heard there.’”’

Chapter 3(28)

‘“The illustrious one said, ‘O daughter of a king! I will explain yoga to you, along with the bija. ¹¹²² The mind is thereby restrained and cheerfully proceeds along the virtuous path. The performance of one’s own dharma according to capacity, the avoidance of contrary dharma, satisfaction with what has been obtained through fate, worshipping the feet of those who have realized the atman, avoidance of ordinary acts of dharma, ¹¹²³ addiction to the dharma of moksha, eating in moderation, permanent stay in a peaceful and secluded spot, non-violence, truthfulness, acceptance of a minimal amount of artha, brahmacharya, austerities, purity, studying, the worship of Purusha, silence, control through good asanas, steadiness, gradual control of prana, withdrawal of the senses from objects that are dear to the heart, fixing the mind and prana in svadhishthana, ¹¹²⁴ concentration on Vaikuntha’s pastimes and meditation on the atman—through these and other means, one must direct the wicked mind to the virtuous path. The intelligence must be gradually controlled. One must attentively control the breath of life. Having spread out a seat in a pure place, he must control himself through asanas. He must be seated upright, comfortably, and must control his breath. Through repeated puraka, kumbhaka and rechaka, ¹¹²⁵ he must purify the passage of prana. In this way, even if the mind is wayward, it becomes steady and fixed. If a yogi has controlled his breath of life, the mind soon becomes free of disturbances. This is like gold becoming free of impurities when it is fanned by the wind and the fire. Through pranayama, one can cleanse the body of its impurities; through dharana, the sins; through pratyahara, all attachment; and through dhyana, all the gunas that are not supreme. When the mind has become completely pure and well controlled through yoga, one must meditate on the form of the illustrious one, with the eyes fixed on the tip of the nose. His lotus face is gracious. His eyes are red, like the inside of a lotus. His complexion is dark blue, like the petals of a blue lotus. He wields the conch shell, chakra and mace. His silk garments are yellow and they shine like the filament of a lotus. He bears the shrivatsa mark on his chest. The brilliant Koustubha jewel is around his neck. He wears a garland of wild flowers and crazy bees hum around it. He is adorned with an extremely expensive necklace, bracelets, diadem, armlets and anklets. There is an excellent girdle around his hips. He stands in the lotus hearts of his devotees. He is tranquil and beautiful to behold. He is charming to the mind and the eye. He is charming to behold and is eternally worshipped by all the worlds. He seems to be a young boy and showers his favours on his servants. He is a tirtha and his fame is worth describing. He has extended the fame of excellent ones. Until the mind ceases to waver, one should meditate on all the limbs of this divinity. Whether he is standing, walking, seated or lying down, with devotion and purity in his heart, he must meditate on the pastimes of the beautiful one who is inside the heart. When the sage reaches a state such that his mind is fixed on all the limbs of the illustrious one together, he must fix his mind on the limbs, one by one. He must first focus on the illustrious one’s lotus feet, decorated by the signs of the vajra, a goad, a standard and a lotus. The prominent and shining red nails are like the lunar circle, dispelling the great darkness in the heart with the moonlight. He must meditate on the illustrious one’s lotus feet for a long time. After washing these, the waters of the best of the rivers ¹¹²⁶ issued forth and became auspicious, like a tirtha. Shiva bore them on his head. In his mind, he must meditate on the vajra, ¹¹²⁷ which will be hurled against the mountain of sin. The lotus-eyed Lakshmi is worshipped by all the gods and is the creator’s mother. ¹¹²⁸ His two knees are placed on her thighs and she massages them with her delicate hands. In his heart, he must meditate on the lord’s knees. Atop Suparna’s ¹¹²⁹ shoulders, his thighs are beautiful. They are the source of energy and shine like the atasi flower. ¹¹³⁰ The excellent yellow garment extends downwards and is encircled by a girdle around his rounded hips. His navel is like a lake and is in his stomach, which is the source of the worlds. The lotus, the source of all the worlds, sprouted from there and is the seat of the self-creating one. ¹¹³¹ He must meditate on the two nipples of the lord, which are like exquisite gems and appear white and resplendent, illuminated by the necklace of pearls. The supreme one’s chest is the abode of great prosperity. ¹¹³² It brings great pleasure to the minds and eyes of men. The neck enhances the beauty of the Koustubha gem. He must fix his mind on this, which is worshipped by all the worlds. The strength of the arms provide support to the guardians of the worlds. The arms were polished by the movements of Mount Mandara. ¹¹³³ He must meditate on the dazzling splendour of the one thousand spokes ¹¹³⁴ and the conch shell, resembling a swan, ¹¹³⁵ held in the hand. He must remember the beloved Koumodaki. ¹¹³⁶ It is smeared with mire, from the blood of enemy soldiers. The garland echoes with the buzz of bees that surround it in search of honey. He must meditate on the sparkling gem ¹¹³⁷ around the neck, which is like the consciousness of living beings. Out of compassion towards his servants, he assumes different forms. He must meditate on the illustrious one’s lotus face. His prominent nose and clear cheeks sparkle, illuminated by the movement of the glittering earrings that are shaped like makaras. With a mind that does not waver, he must meditate on the face that is like Shri’s abode. ¹¹³⁸ It looks beautiful because of a mass of curly hair surrounding it. It is served by bees. ¹¹³⁹ The lotus eyes have charming eyebrows and surpasss the beauty of a couple of fish. The frequent glances from his eyes are full of great compassion and destroy the three kinds of torment. ¹¹⁴⁰ His gentle smiles come with great favours. He is in everyone’s heart and with great devotion, one must meditate on him for a long time. For all people, if one bows down to him, Hari’s extremely benevolent smile dries up the terrible ocean of tears. For the sake of the sages, he has used his maya to fashion his arched eyebrows which charm and confound Makaradhvaja. ¹¹⁴¹ One can easily meditate on his abundant laughter. His radiant and red lips display his small teeth, which are like an array of kunda flowers. With devotion and love, one must meditate on Vishnu, who resides in the inner core of everyone’s heart. With a mind fixed on him, one must not look at anything else. In this way, one develops love for the illustrious Hari. One’s heart melts with devotion. One finds that the body hair stands up in delight. Immersed in this intense love, tears of joy flow repeatedly. Then the person gradually disengages his mind from the hook. ¹¹⁴² When the mind is not attached to material objects and seeks refuge in emancipation, it becomes like the flame of a lamp and desires emancipation. Without being separated, the person sees the atman and is freed from the flow of the gunas. In this way, the mind resides in the ultimate and the great and withdraws from the external purveyors of happiness and unhappiness. The person attributes the cause and agent of joy and delight to his own false atman. ¹¹⁴³ He obtains the truth of the paramatman. When such a successful person has the good fortune of realizing his own true form, he can no longer see whether his body is moving, stationary, or is standing up. This is just like a person intoxicated and blind with liquor coming under the sway of destiny and not realizing whether he is wearing clothes or not. As long as the karma started by himself continues, the body and the senses are under the subjugation of destiny. However, if a person is situated in the yoga of samadhi, he no longer accepts material objects and the visible word. ¹¹⁴⁴ They seem to be a dream. Just as a mortal man is seen to be different from his son and his wealth, even if they are his own and he loves them, the atman is different from the body and other things. ¹¹⁴⁵ A flaming torch, sparks and smoke are distinct from the fire, though they arise from the fire and are intimately connected with it. The bhutas, the senses and the mind do arise from Pradhana, but are different from the seer. Similarly, the illustrious one, known as the brahman, is distinct from the jivatman. All creatures are in the atman and the atman is in all creatures. In this way, and in no other way, one must see the atman in all living beings. Though the fire is one, it can be seen to originate from many sources. Depending on variations in gunas in different wombs, the atman manifests itself differently in nature. This is the divine Prakriti, who is manifested as cause and effect and is extremely difficult to comprehend. After having understood this, one becomes established in one’s own true form.’”’

Chapter 3(29)

‘“Devahuti said, ‘O lord! You have spoken about the characteristics of Mahat and the others, Prakriti, Purusha and their own manifested nature and their own true nature and foundations, as described in Samkhya. Now tell me in detail about the path of bhakti yoga. O illustrious one! Tell me about the many kinds of births in the world of the living, so that non-attachment towards everything can be kindled in a person. Please tell me about your own form as time and about other supreme forms. You use this form to make people undertake good acts. Because their eyes are not open, people are deluded by false ego. They remain asleep for a long time in darkness, without a refuge. Without intelligence, they are exhausted because they are bound to action. You have indeed appeared like a sun of yoga.’”

‘Maitreya said, “The great sage applauded the gentle words spoken by his mother. O best among the Kurus! Pleased, he replied to her with compassion.

‘“The illustrious one replied, ‘O beautiful one! It has been thought that there are many kinds of paths for bhakti yoga. Depending on their own nature, qualities and sentiments, men have divided it into various branches. If a person who engages in this has the intention of causing violence, or is insolent, jealous or angry, his insight is differentiated and he is a tamasa devotee. If a person is in pursuit of material objects, fame and prosperity, and worships me in places of worship, his insight is differentiated and he is a rajasa devotee. If a person desires to free himself of karma by dedicating them to the supreme, and if he worships the one who should be worshipped, his insight is differentiated ¹¹⁴⁶ and he is a sattvika devotee. I reside in everyone’s heart. Just as the waters of the Ganga flow towards the ocean, merely by listening to my qualities, the mind continuously flows towards me. This is said to be the characteristic of the nirguna type of bhakti yoga. This is the devotion towards Purushottama that is without any motive. Even if salokya, sarshti, samipya, sarupya and ekatva are offered, ¹¹⁴⁷ such people who are devoted to me, do not accept anything other than service to me. This is said to be the extreme form of bhakti yoga, where one transcends the three gunas and attains my state. One must be immersed in the greatness of one’s own dharma and perform action without any motive. One must always be engaged in the auspicious rites, without any excessive violence. Beholding my image, seeing it, touching it, worshipping it, praising me and chanting about me, he must be non-attached and based on sattva, see me in all creatures. He must show a great deal of respect to the great, compassion towards the poor, friendship towards those who are equals and practise yama and niyama. He must hear about adhyatmika matters, chant my names, be upright, associate with noble people and be without any kind of ahamkara. When a person who follows my dharma hears about my qualities, his consciousness is completely purified. On merely hearing about my qualities, a man is attracted towards me. The wind carries a scent from the source and it is picked up by the organ of smell. In that way, a person who is devoted constantly to yoga picks up realization about the atman. I am always present in all beings, as the atman in creatures. If a mortal person ignores me, he worships something that is false. I am the lord who is present in the atmans of all beings. If a person abandons me and ignorantly worships someone else, he offers oblations into ashes. ¹¹⁴⁸ O one who offers honours! If a person hates me in someone else’s body, he suffers from differentiation in his thoughts. If he is firm in enmity towards creatures, his mind will never find peace. O unblemished one! If my image is worshipped with various kinds of objects, following diverse kinds of rituals, but creatures are shown disrespect, I am not satisfied with that kind of worship. Until he knows that I am in his heart and inside all living beings, he can perform his own tasks and worship me as the lord in an image. If a person differentiates between himself and another person’s body, his sight is differentiated and I cause him great fear from death. I am in all creatures and I have made my abode in the atmans of all creatures. Therefore, with friendship and without any differentiation in one’s sight, I should be worshipped with donations and respect. O auspicious one! Living beings are superior to those who do not live. Those who possess prana are superior to those who are only alive. Those who possess consciousness are superior to those who only possess the senses. Those who perceive through taste are superior to those who perceive through touch. Those who perceive through smell are superior to both of these. And those who perceive through sound are better than the earlier ones and those who perceive through form are better still. Those who possess teeth in both jaws are even better. Among these, quadrupeds are superior to those with many feet and bipeds are superior to quadrupeds. Among the four varnas, brahmanas are the best. Among brahmanas, those who know the Vedas are superior, but those who understand the meanings are superior to them too. Better than the person who knows meanings is the one who can dispel doubts and better than such a person is the one who performs his own tasks. Better than this is the person who is free of attachment, not desiring any fruits and possessing dharma in his atman. Better than him is the person who offers everything ceaselessly to me, action, wealth and his own atman. A man who renders his atman to me renders all his action to me. He acts impartially towards everyone and I do not see anyone who is superior to this. In his mind, he bows down before all creatures and shows a great deal of respect to them. He knows that parts of the illustrious lord have penetrated every living being. O Manu’s daughter! I have described bhakti yoga and yoga. ¹¹⁴⁹ By following either of these, a man can attain Purusha. This is the form of the illustrious one. This is the brahman, the paramatman. This is Pradhana, Purusha and the divinity who undertakes action. The divine form that causes differences is known as time. Through differences in the elements, Mahat and the others, this gives rise to fear. He enters inside all living beings. He is the support for all living beings and also destroys them. He is known as Vishnu, the lord of sacrifices. He is time and is the lord over all controllers. There is no one whom he loves. There is no one whom he hates. He has no relative. He enters those who are not distracted. But for those who are distracted, he causes birth and death. The wind blows because it is scared of him. The sun heats because it is scared of him. The god ¹¹⁵⁰ showers down because he is scared of him. The heavenly bodies shine because they are scared of him. The trees, creepers and herbs are scared of him and therefore bear flowers and fruits at the right times. The rivers flow because they are scared of him and that is also the reason why the ocean does not overflow. The fire burns and the earth, with its mountains, is not submerged because of fear of him. It is because of his rules that the sky grants habitation for creatures that breathe. It is because of him that Mahat, surrounded by the seven sheaths, expands its body into the worlds. The gods who are responsible for the gunas revere him and are scared of him when they undertake creation. Depending on the yuga, when the mobile and the immobile undertake their tasks, they are under his subjugation. He is without end, but he brings about the end. He is time. He is without beginning, but he is the undecaying one who created the beginning. He causes people to be born through their fathers and mothers. He is the one who kills. He is death, the one who brings about an end.’”’

Chapter 3(30)

‘“Kapila said, ‘Indeed, people do not know about his great strength, though they are at the mercy of time, just as a mass of clouds does not know about the strength of the wind that carries it away. For the sake of happiness, whatever one obtains with a great deal of difficulty, is destroyed by the illustrious one and a man sorrows on this account. This body, and everything associated with it, is temporary. However, out of delusion, an evil-minded person takes them and homes, fields and riches to be permanent. A living being finds satisfaction as whatever kind of species it is born in, and is never disgusted. Even if the body is in hell, a man does not want to give it up. Confounded by the maya of the god, he finds satisfaction in that existence in hell. With deep-rooted affection in his heart for himself, his wife, his children, his houses, his animals, his riches and his relatives, he takes himself to be extremely fortunate. In an attempt to maintain these, all the limbs burn with anxiety. The foolish person, evil in his intentions, incessantly performs wicked acts. The senses are agitated by the false charms of wicked women. He takes delight in talking to them in private and in the sweet words of children. Attentively engaged in the secret ¹¹⁵¹ dharma of a householder, he faces a lot of misery. The householder acts so as to counter misery and takes this to be joy. He obtains a great deal of wealth by causing violence here and there. He himself eats only what is left after his dependents have eaten and heads downwards. ¹¹⁵² In trying to subsist, his attempts are repeatedly frustrated. Overcome by greed, he is ruined and desires the wealth of others. He is unable to sustain his family. He is unfortunate and his efforts are futile. He is without riches and miserable. The evil-minded person grieves and sighs. In this way, seeing that he is unable to support his dependents, his wife and the others no longer respect him, as they used to do earlier. It is like the attitude of a farmer towards an old bull. Even then, no disgust is generated in him. About to die, he is maintained by his own dependents. He is deformed because of old age and in this way, in his home, he approaches death. He is neglected and eats like a dog in the house. Suffering from disease and indigestion, he eats little and his movements become limited. Because of the pressure of the air, his eyeballs bulge. His glands become obstructed because of phlegm. He coughs and finds it difficult to breathe. There is a gurgling sound in his throat. He lies down, surrounded by his grieving relatives. Having come under the subjugation of the noose of time, even when he is spoken to, he does not reply. In this way, having indulged in the unrestrained senses in an attempt to sustain his family, he dies in pain and not without consciousness, with the relatives weeping. Two terrible messengers of Yama arrive and their eyes are full of rage. On seeing them, his heart is terrified and he releases urine and excrement. They forcibly tie a rope around his neck and imprison him ¹¹⁵³ in a body, so that pain can be caused. Like a convict being punished by the king’s soldiers, he is dragged a long distance away. When he is conveyed in this way, his heart is shattered by the threats and he trembles. Dogs devour him along the way and, afflicted, he remembers his own sins. He suffers from hunger and thirst. Along the path, he is scorched by hot sand, the sun, forest conflagrations and wind. He is severely struck on the back with whips. Without rest and water, he is unable to move. Exhausted, he falls down here and there, unconscious, but raises himself again. Along that evil path, he is swiftly conveyed to Yama’s abode. Suffering, in two or three muhurtas he is conveyed a distance of ninety-nine thousand yojanas ¹¹⁵⁴ and reaches there. He is surrounded by blazing torches and his body is set on fire. He is sometimes made to cut up his own flesh and eat it, or get it eaten by others. In Yama’s abode, while he is still alive, his entrails are torn out by dogs and vultures. He is tormented by the bites of snakes, scorpions, gnats and other such things. His limbs are chopped off. Elephants and other such animals crush him. He is hurled down from the peaks of mountains. He is imprisoned inside the water, or in caves. Whether a man or a woman, the person suffers pain in hells known as tamisra, andha-tamisra, rourava and others and also those constructed for people who indulge in illicit relations. O mother! It is said that heaven and hell are on this earth. The pain of hell is also noticed in this world. In this way, he may have maintained his family and filled his stomach. However, after death, he gives up both his family and his body and enjoys these kinds of fruits. After having given up his own body, he enters the darkness alone. The sin of injury he has caused to creatures is the only thing that sustains him then. It is because of destiny that a man obtains and enjoys this defilement in hell, having maintained his family. Having lost his riches, he is like a person who is afflicted. A person who is eager to maintain his family only through adharma, obtains his ultimate state of darkness in andha-tamisra. Headed downwards and born as a subhuman species, he goes through many kinds of afflictions. As he gradually passes through these, he again obtains an auspicious birth.’ ¹¹⁵⁵

Chapter 3(31)

‘“The illustrious one said, ‘Depending on his karma, a living being obtains a body under the supervision of the god. Using a particle of a man’s semen, he enters the womb of a woman. The mixing ¹¹⁵⁶ takes place in a single night. A bubble results on the fifth night. In ten days, there is a mass like a jujube berry. ¹¹⁵⁷ After that, there is flesh and it becomes an egg. The head is formed in a month. The arms, feet, limbs and other parts of the body develop in two months. Nails, body hair, bones, skin, genital organs and the anus are formed in three months. The seven ingredients ¹¹⁵⁸ of the body are formed in four months and hunger and thirst develop in the fifth. The placenta provides a covering in the sixth month and there is movement on the right side of the stomach. The ingredients of the body develop from the mother’s intake of food and drink. The being lies down in a hollow that is full of urine and excrement, a place where worms breed. All his limbs are delicate and they are constantly wounded from the biting of the worms. Hungry all the time, he loses consciousness because of the suffering. The mother eats excessively bitter, pungent, hot, salty, astringent, acidic and other such food. Touched by these, there is pain in all his limbs. He is enveloped by the embryo. ¹¹⁵⁹ On the outside, he is covered by the entrails. His head is bent down towards the stomach. His back and neck are arched. Like a bird in a cage, he is unable to move his own limbs. Depending on destiny, he may gain his memory and remember his karma in one hundred earlier births. Remembering these, he sighs deeply. How can one obtain peace in that state? Beginning with the seventh month, consciousness develops. Because of the wind of delivery, he trembles and cannot remain in one place, but is tossed around inside the stomach, like the worms born from the excrement. The living being is terrified and looks for a protector. Surrounded by the seven sheaths, he falteringly prays to the one who has hurled him inside the stomach. The living being says, “I approach and seek protection at the lotus feet of the one who creates the universe with his will. He assumes many kinds of forms and roams around the earth. I go and seek refuge with him, so that he can grant me freedom from fear. Since I was wicked, he is the one who has decided that this kind of destination is appropriate for me. I am in this body made out of five elements, but am actually separate from it. I am falsely covered by the senses and the gunas. I am the atman which is consciousness. The omniscient one is unrestricted in his greatness and I bow down to the being who is beyond Prakriti and Purusha. It is because of his greatness that one is bound down in karma and the gunas. One is suffering pain and is wandering around on this path of samsara. The memory has been destroyed. Without his great mercy, how can one realize one’s true nature? Mobile and immobile objects follow him. Other than that divinity, who can provide me knowledge about the past, the present and the future? Along the trail of karma, the jivatman follows him. We worship him so that the three kinds of torments are countered.” He is in another person’s body, he is in a hollow inside the body, suffering from the fire in the stomach and immersed in a pool of blood, urine and excrement. His body is severly scorched. He is anxious to emerge and counts the months. Miserable in his intelligence, he asks, “O illustrious one! When will I be released from here? O lord! I am ten months old and have been reduced to this state. I have been made to accept this state because of your mercy. May the protector of the distressed be satisfied with what he has done. Indeed, what can I do for him, except to join my hands in salutation? The jivatman is bound by the seven sheaths and can use his intelligence to perceive and control pleasure and pain in his own body. O ancient being! You have created this. I can see you outside my heart. You appear like a sanctuary. O lord! I am residing here, in an abode that is full of many kinds of miseries. I do not wish to leave this womb and immerse myself in the well of ignorance outside. If one goes there, one is captured by the divine one’s maya. Indeed, with that false intelligence, one circles around in the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, let this agitation be over. With my atman as a well-wisher, I will quickly deliver myself from this darkness. Now that I have obtained Vishnu’s feet, let this hardship of many holes ¹¹⁶⁰ not be something I have to face again.” After ten months in the womb, the learned one makes up his mind in this way. However, when he is in this act of praising, the wind of delivery at the time of birth immediately propels him downwards. He is violently pushed by the wind, afflicted and his head downwards. He emerges with difficulty and finds it hard to breathe. He loses his memory. He falls down on the ground, mixed with blood and writhes around like a worm in the excrement. With his knowledge lost, he obtains a perverse state and cries. He is dependent on others. He is nurtured by others, who do not know his desires. Even if he is given something he does not want, he is unable to refuse. The being is made to lie down on an unclean bed, defiled by those who are born from sweat. ¹¹⁶¹ He is incapable of scratching his limbs. He cannot sit, arise or move. He has been deprived of his knowledge. His delicate skin is bitten by gnats, mosquitoes and other bugs, like worms biting other worms. In this way, he suffers from miseries in childhood and as a boy. Unable to obtain what he desires, he is overwhelmed by grief. Because of his ignorance, his rage is ignited. As his body grows, so do his pride and anger. Driven by desire, he fights with others who are driven by desire and ensures his own destruction. The body is made out of five elements. However, he is perpetually ignorant about the body. He accepts notions of “I” and “mine” and acts in accordance with this wicked intelligence. He performs acts for the body and is bound in the cycle of birth and death. Because of his ignorance, he is tied down in the bondage of action. He gives himself hardships that follow him. He is repeatedly brought back to the wicked path and acts for the sake of the penis and the stomach. Having resorted to these, the being finds delight and enters darkness again, as earlier. Because of association with the wicked, truth, purity, compassion, silence, intelligence, prosperity, modesty, fame, forgiveness, fortitude, self-restraint and fortune are destroyed. One must not associate with disturbed, foolish and wicked people who have separated themselves from their atmans. They are as inauspicious as domesticated deer that women play with. There is no confusion or bondage from attachment to something that is as great as the attachment towards women, or association with men who are thus attached. At the sight of his own daughter, Prajapati ¹¹⁶² was smitten by her beauty. When she assumed the form of a doe, he shamelessly assumed the form of a buck and ran after her. Among all kinds of living beings that have been created by the creator, and those created thereafter, there is no man who is not attracted to the maya of a woman, the rishi Narayana being the only exception. Behold my maya in the form of a woman, whereby I have conquered the directions. A mere arching of her eyebrows can make people follow her tracks. If one aspires to reach the ultimate shore of yoga, one must never associate with a woman. By serving me, one obtains realization of the atman. However, it is said that she is the gate to hell. A woman has been fashioned by the god and her maya approaches slowly. One must look upon her as death towards one’s own self, like a pit that is covered by grass. In an earlier life, if one was attached to women, one obtains the state of being a woman. Because of my maya she thinks that her husband is approaching and that she has obtained riches, offspring and a house from him. She should know that her husband, offspring, home and her own self are the result of destiny and that they are like the singing of a hunter when he summons a deer to its death. Because of the body, ¹¹⁶³ the jivatman wanders around, from one world to another. Enjoying the fruits, a man incessantly undertakes action. The jivatman follows the body, consisting of the elements, the senses and the mind. When these come to an end, the body dies. But is manifested again in birth. The gross body perceives objects. When it is incapable of perceiving objects, this is said to be panchatva. Because of the sense of “I”, when the objects can be perceived again, this is said to be birth. The eyes can perceive the forms of objects. However, when they cannot perceive objects, this means that the eyes are incapable of seeing. Neither the eyes, nor the seer, can see. ¹¹⁶⁴ A steadfast person knows this progress of the jivatman and is not terrified, miserable or scared. He roams around in this world without any attachment. Through yoga and intelligence, he possesses the proper insight and is full of non-attachment. In this world that is fashioned by maya, he roams around in his body.’”’

Chapter 3(32)

‘“Kapila said, ‘A person who is in the householder stage performs the dharma meant for those who live in homes. He enjoys his own dharma of kama and artha and repeatedly performs the same tasks. He is confused by desire and withdraws from the dharma of devotion to the illustrious one. Full of devotion, he performs sacrifices and rites for the gods and the ancestors. The man’s mind is full of devotion and he performs the vows for the gods and the ancestors. He goes to the world of the moon and drinks soma, but returns again. When the worlds head towards destruction and Hari, seated on Ananta, lies down on the couch made out of the Indra among serpents, the worlds meant for householders are also destroyed. Those who are intelligent do not enjoy their own dharma for the sake of kama and artha. They are without attachment and give up their tasks. ¹¹⁶⁵ They are tranquil and pure in their intelligence. They constantly follow the dharma of nivritti. They are without a sense of ownership and without ahamkara. They purify their intelligence through sattva and engage in their own dharma. Through the gate of the sun, they go to the Purusha whose face is in every direction. He is the lord of this world and the next. He is the one who causes the creation and destruction of nature. Those who worship Brahma, taking him to be the supreme, reside in his supreme world for two parardhas. After this, there is destruction. ¹¹⁶⁶ Having experienced a period of two parardhas, characterized by the three gunas, the supreme Svayambhu enters the immutable, desiring to dissolve the earth, water, fire, wind, space, the mind, the senses, the objects of the senses and the elements that cover them. There are yogis who have controlled their breath of life and minds and are non-attached. Along with Brahma, they enter the immortal, ancient and illustrious Purusha. However, despite reaching that supreme state, they have not lost their ahamkara. ¹¹⁶⁷ He has made his abode in the lotus hearts of all living beings. O beautiful one! Therefore, with devotion, go and seek refuge with the one whose glories you have heard about. He ¹¹⁶⁸ is the creator of mobile and immobile objects. The Vedas are in him. Along with the rishis, the Kumaras and the others are lords of yoga and have propounded the path of success through yoga. They are non-attached in their deeds. However, even when they reach the supreme brahman, the Purusha who is a bull among Purushas, because of the gunas, they have a sense of ownership and touched by this ahamkara, have a sense of difference. ¹¹⁶⁹ When the lord of time decides that it is time, he ¹¹⁷⁰ is born again. Because of the transformation in the gunas, he is born and creates again, as earlier. Because of the dharma they followed, they ¹¹⁷¹ also enjoy supreme prosperity. However, because of the transformation in the gunas, they are born again. In this world, there are those whose minds are attached to action. They always faithfully perform all the tasks that are not prohibited. Because of rajas, their minds are anxious. They have not been able to conquer their senses and their souls are full of desire. As householders, they have wishes and every day, perform sacrifices for the ancestors. These men serve the three objectives of life ¹¹⁷² and their intelligence turns away from Hari’s accounts, though accounts about the great prowess of Madhu’s slayer are worth hearing about. Those who cast aside the nectar-like accounts of Achyuta, and hear wicked accounts instead, are like those who eat excrement and are indeed condemned by fate. They follow the southern path of the sun ¹¹⁷³ and go to the world of the ancestors. They are born as offspring of their own offspring ¹¹⁷⁴ and perform all the rites, ending with the cremation ground. When the merit of good deeds is exhausted, they return again to this world. Urged by destiny, with their prosperity over and helpless, they fall again. Therefore, in every possible way, you must worship Parameshthi. His lotus feet deserve to be worshipped. With faith, seek refuge in his qualities. If devotion to Vasudeva is practised through bhakti yoga, non-attachment and knowledge that leads to insight about the brahman are swiftly generated. Such a person’s mind is indifferent towards material objects and the workings of the senses. He does not discriminate between what is agreeable and what is disagreeable. He sees the atman in his own atman. He is without attachment and impartial in his vision. He does not think anything is to be accepted or rejected, but considers the supreme and elevated state. The supreme brahman is only knowledge, described as the paramatman, the lord and Purusha. The illustrious one is one, but is perceived in different ways. Through yoga, the yogi seeks the objective of complete non-attachment and desires to achieve this. The brahman is one and is nirguna. However, those who are averse to knowledge use their senses and it appears in the form of diverse objects, such as sound and other things. But this is because of confusion. The self-ruling Mahat appears as three kinds of ahamkara, the five elements and the eleven. ¹¹⁷⁵ The entire universe originated in the cosmic egg. This can be realized through faith, devotion, constant practice of yoga, meditation, disassociation and non-attachment. O lady who is my senior! I have thus spoken about the knowledge that enables realization of the brahman. Through this, one understands the truth about Purusha and Prakriti. Jnana yoga ¹¹⁷⁶ is about the nirguna and there are the attributes of bhakti towards me. Both have the same objective, expressed as realization of the illustrious one. The same object can have many attributes and different senses perceive these as different doors. In the same way, the single illustrious one is perceived in different ways in paths mentioned by different sacred texts. Religious rites, sacrifices, donations, austerities, studying, inquiry, conquest of the mind and the senses, renunciation of deeds, the different limbs of yoga, bhakti yoga, both kinds of dharma, pravritti and nivritti, ¹¹⁷⁷ understanding the truth about the atman and firm non-attachment—these are means of realizing the self-luminous and illustrious one, in saguna and nirguna forms. I have described the nature of the four kinds of bhakti yoga ¹¹⁷⁸ and about the imperceptible movement of time, which runs inside all living beings. I have spoken about the external and material appearance of the jivatman, caused by ignorance and karma. O dear one! When the atman enters these, it is unable to perceive its own progress. If a person is wicked or insolent, this instruction should never be explained to him, nor to one who is dumb, ill-behaved, or one who falsely flies the flag of dharma. It should not be instructed to a person who is greedy or one whose mind is attached to the house, nor to a person who is not a devotee, or a hater of my devotees. It should be taught to one who is faithful, devoted, humble, without a sense of envy and to a person who is friendly towards all creatures and disposed towards serving. It should be instructed to someone who is non-attached, internally and externally, and to one who is tranquil in his mind, to one who is without envy, is pure and to one who regards me as the dearest of loved ones. O mother! If a man listens to this faithfully, with his mind fixed on me, he certainly obtains my state.’”’

Chapter 3(33)

‘Maitreya said, “Devahuti, Kardama’s beloved wife and Kapila’s mother, heard his words. She was freed from the veil of delusion. She bowed down before the one who had prepared the ground for obtaining success, by composing the various subjects on tattvas. ¹¹⁷⁹ She praised him.

‘“Devahuti said, ‘You were lying down inside the water. You are the seed behind the manifestation of everything—the elements, the senses, the objects of the senses, the mind and the flow of the gunas. Aja, born from the lotus in your stomach, himself meditated on you. You have divided your energy and ensured this flow of gunas. You have determined the creation of the universe. Your will is behind creation, preservation and destruction. You are the lord in all atmans. You are inconceivable and possess thousands of different kinds of powers. O protector! How did you take birth in my womb? It is in your stomach that everything existed. At the end of the yuga, you lay down on a single banyan leaf. Using your maya, like an infant, you sucked on your toe. O lord! You have assumed a body so that wickedness can decline and so that those who listen to your instructions can prosper. You assumed avataras like those of a boar, so that people can realize their atmans. If one hears your name being chanted, if one remembers it and worships you, even a svapacha is instantly purified and becomes worthy of performing a sacrifice. O illustrious one! Nothing need be said about a person who has seen you. How wonderful it is that even a svapacha is glorified if your name is on the tip of his tongue. Noble ones who take your name must have tormented themselves through austerities, offered oblations, bathed in sacred places and studied the Vedas in earlier lives. You are the brahman, the supreme being. With the mind turned inwards, you are worthy of being meditated upon. Because of your energy, the flow of gunas has vanished. ¹¹⁸⁰ I bow down before Kapila Vishnu, the store of the Vedas.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “The illustrious supreme being, known as Kapila, was thus praised. Devoted to his mother, he addressed his mother in words that were full of deep meaning.

‘“Kapila said, ‘O mother! I have instructed you about a path that is easy to follow. By following this, you will soon reach the supreme state. Have faith in my views, followed by those who know about the brahman. Through this, without any fear, you will reach me. Those who do not know about this head towards death.’”

‘Maitreya continued, “Thus, the illustrious one showed the path of the atman to the virtuous one. His mother obtained knowledge about the brahman. Taking her permission, Kapila left. In that hermitage, which was like a crest of flowers on Sarasvati’s head, she followed the instructions of her son, controlled herself and engaged in yoga. She bathed repeatedly. ¹¹⁸¹ Her curly hair became tawny and matted. She dressed herself in rags. Because of her fierce austerities, she became emaciated. Through the yoga of his austerities, Prajapati Kardama had created a home that was unmatched, coveted even by those who rode on vimanas. The couches possessed the complexion of the foam of milk. They were made of ivory and the spreads were made out of gold. The seats were golden and the cushions were pleasant to the touch. The walls were made out of sparkling crystal and encrusted with extremely expensive emeralds. There were glistening lamps made out of jewels and the women were adorned with gems. The beautiful garden in the house possessed many celestial and blossoming trees. Avian couples chirped and intoxicated bees hummed. Lovingly tended to by Kardama, when she entered the lake, full of fragrant lotuses, the followers of the gods sang words of praise. This was a place desired by Akhandala’s ¹¹⁸² women. But she gave it up. Her face was only slightly distressed, because she was separated from her son. Her husband had left for the forest. Thereafter, her son also left and she was distressed. Even though she knew the truth, she was like an affectionate cow separated from her calf. O child! She meditated on her divine son, Kapila Hari. Hence, soon, she no longer had any attachment for that kind of house. She mediated on the illustrious one’s form and smiling face. She had been told by her son that this could be realized through meditation and all her thoughts were on parts of the body. ¹¹⁸³ Because of the flow of devotion and yoga, non-attachment became strong. Because of proper observation of the rites, knowledge about the brahman was generated. Her mind became pure. She realized the atman, whose face was in every direction. The diverse kinds of maya and gunas vanished. Her intelligence was immersed in the illustrious brahman, who resides in all atmans. She was freed from the misery of the jivatman and all kinds of afflictions disappeared. She achieved nivritti. She was always immersed in samadhi and was freed from the delusion of the gunas. She no longer remembered herself, just as one doesn’t remember what one sees in a dream. Her body was sustained by others. ¹¹⁸⁴ Hence, she was not emaciated and there was no chance of disease. Though she was covered in filth, she was as radiant as a fire without smoke. Her limbs were full of austerities and yoga. Her hair was dishevelled and she lost her garments. With her intelligence immersed in Vasudeva, she did not realize this and divinities protected her. In this way, following the path instructed by Kapila, she soon obtained the supreme. She obtained the illustrious brahman and attained the state of nirvana. ¹¹⁸⁵ O brave one! The place where she obtained success is named Siddhapada. It is the most sacred place and is famous in the three worlds. Through yoga, her mortal body was cleansed of all impurities and became a river. O amiable one! It is the best among rivers, conferring siddhis and frequented by the Siddhas. With his mother’s permission, the illustrious Kapila, the great yogi, left his father’s hermitage and left for the north-eastern direction. He was praised by the Siddhas, the charanas, the gandharvas, the sages and large numbers of apsaras. The ocean offered him honours and a place to reside in. He is immersed in yoga there, praised by the teachers of samkhya. For the deliverance of the three worlds, the self-controlled one is there. O son! O unblemished one! I have told you what you asked about, the sacred conversation between Kapila and Devahuti. If one hears this, or narrates this, about the sage Kapila’s secret views on the yoga of the atman, his intelligence becomes fixed on the illustrious one, with Suparna on his standard. He obtains the illustrious one’s lotus feet.”’

This ends the Third Skandha.