Canto
9
Chapter 5: Durvâsâ Saved: the Cakra-prayers of Ambarîsha
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Durvâsâ [meaning: 'the difficulty of residing'] who, harassed by the cakra, thus was directed by the Lord, approached Ambarîsha and caught most aggrieved his lotus feet.(2) Seeing him engaged in that practice of touching his feet felt Ambarîsha ashamed and offered he thus, embarrassed as he was in his mercy, prayers to the weapon of the Lord [see also 6.8: 23]. (3) Ambarîsha said: 'You are the fire, the supreme power of the sun and the moon you are, you are the master of all the luminaries, the waters, the earth, the sky, the air, and the senses and their objects. (4) O acute presence and auspicious vision [or Sudars'ana], my obeisances unto you with your thousands of spokes, o love of the Infallible One, you are the defeat of all weapons, be favorable unto this brahmin, o master over the world. (5) You are the dharma, the original nature and religion, you encourage the statements of the Ultimate Truth, you are the full and complete enjoyer of the results of the sacrifices and maintain the variety of the worlds; the all-pervading prowess you are of the Transcendental Personality. (6) All my respect for you, the auspicious center of spin, the measure of the complete nature, who indeed art like a bad omen to the unenlightened bereft of the religion; the maintainer of the three worlds you are, the supreme goodness acting with a wonderful effulgence and as fast as the mind I try to voice. (7) By your strength which carries all religiousness is the darkness dissipated and are all directions illumined; for the great personalities are your glories unsurpassable, o master of speech, your manifestation comprises the manifest and unmanifest, the superior and the lower. (8) When you by the Transcendental Personality are sent to the fighters of the Daityas and Dânavas, o indefatigable one, do you, staying on the battlefield, never tire to sever their arms and bellies, thighs and legs. (9) For the person of learning that I am, is your good self, o protector of the universe, the one who, empowered by the Full Authority of the Club, is engaged in bringing defeat; please may we enjoy the favor of your doing good to the fortune of our dynasty? (10) If there is charity, the worship of the deity and the duties are properly performed, and if our dynasty is blessed by the scholars, may this twiceborn soul then be free from burning [down] with you. (11) When by us the one Supreme Lord, the reservoir of all qualities and life and soul of all living beings, is satisfied, may this twiceborn soul then be freed from the fire?'
(12) S'rî S'uka said: 'When the disc weapon of the Lord named Sudars'ana thus was glorified by the King ceased it because of his prayers with all its harrassing the learned one. (13) He, Durvâsâ, freed from the heat of the fire of the weapon most contented then praised him, the ruler of the earth, the king he blessed with the highest benedictions. (14) Durvâsâ said: 'What a greatness may I witness today of the servants of the Eternal One; despite of the wrong I perpetrated have you, o King, prayed for my good fortune! (15) What indeed would be difficult to do or impossible to forsake for those saintly, great souls, those persons who reached the leader, Hari, the Supreme Lord of the Devotees. (16) What is there else to do for the servants if by simply hearing the holy name of Him whose lotus feet are the holy places, a person becomes purified? (17) O King, you so utterly merciful have, in control with my offenses, favored me very much and doing so that way saved my life.'
(18) The King, who had awaited his return fasting, was of mercy for him in every way and desired to approach his feet feeding him sumptuously. (19) He after having eaten of the different foodstuffs that, catering to every taste, were given with the greatest respect, said thus fully satisfied to the king: 'Please partake', and proved this way his care. (20) [He continued:] 'I'm very happy to be favored so much by the purity of your devotion; indeed am I, seeing you, touching your feet, talking to you and enjoying your hospitality, much obliged. (21) The purity of the things you've done will for ever be sung by the maidens of heaven; the entire world will never cease singing the glory of your supreme virtue!'
(22) S'rî S'uka continued: 'Thus glorifying the king took Durvâsâ, satisfied in all respects, permission to leave that place and rose he to the heavens of the abode of Brahmâ where no other ulterior motive holds. (23) One complete year had passed and for the time that the great muni had not returned had the king, desiring to see him again, restricted himself to only drinking water. (24) Upon Durvâsâ's return gave Ambarîsha him the best food available to eat that would befit a twiceborn one and understood he, seeing how the sage had been released from the sin, that he owed his strength to his devotion for the Supreme [see also B.G. 6: 47]. (25) Thus blessed with all good qualities was the king of devotion for the Supersoul, the Supreme Spirit and for Vâsudeva with the many duties he observed, keeping with them always in mind that with whatever one does from the highest position in heaven to the lowest in hell one must take care [to remember the difference between that what is to the letter and that what is to the spirit; compare: 6.17: 28].'
(26) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus did Ambarîsha, as the wisest dividing his kingdom among his equally qualified sons, enter the forest setting his mind to the True Self that is Vâsudeva and vanquished he the waves [the gunas] of the material ocean. (27) As a consequence of reciting or regularly meditating this tale of piety can one become a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (28) All those who hear of the character of this great soul Ambarîsha will simply through bhakti by the mercy of Vishnu advance towards the end that is the liberation.'
Second edition, loaded Devember 8, 2007.
Source texts:
Durvâsâ Muni's Life Spared
S'rî S'uka said: 'Durvâsâ [meaning: 'the difficulty of residing'] who, harassed by the cakra, thus was directed by the Lord, approached Ambarîsha and caught most aggrieved his lotus feet.S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: When thus advised by Lord Vishnu, Durvâsâ Muni, who was very much harassed by the Sudars'ana cakra, immediately approached Mahârâja Ambarîsha. Being very much aggrieved, the muni fell down and clasped the King's lotus feet. (Vedabase)
Seeing him engaged in that practice of touching his feet felt Ambarîsha ashamed and offered he thus, embarrassed as he was in his mercy, prayers to the weapon of the Lord [see also 6.8: 23].
When Durvâsâ touched his lotus feet, Mahârâja Ambarîsha was very much ashamed, and when he saw Durvâsâ attempting to offer prayers, because of mercy he was aggrieved even more. Thus he immediately began offering prayers to the great weapon of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)
Ambarîsha said: 'You are the fire, the supreme power of the sun and the moon you are, you are the master of all the luminaries, the waters, the earth, the sky, the air, and the senses and their objects.
Mahârâja Ambarîsha said: O Sudars'ana cakra, you are fire, you are the most powerful sun, and you are the moon, the master of all luminaries. You are water, earth and sky, you are the air, you are the five sense objects [sound, touch, form, taste and smell], and you are the senses also. (Vedabase)
O acute presence and auspicious vision [or Sudars'ana], my obeisances unto you with your thousands of spokes, o love of the Infallible One, you are the defeat of all weapons, be favorable unto this brahmin, o master over the world.
O most favorite of Acyuta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you have thousands of spokes. O master of the material world, destroyer of all weapons, original vision of the Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto you. Kindly give shelter and be auspicious to this brâhmana. (Vedabase)
You are the dharma, the original nature and religion, you encourage the statements of the Ultimate Truth, you are the full and complete enjoyer of the results of the sacrifices and maintain the variety of the worlds; the all-pervading prowess you are of the Transcendental Personality.
O Sudars'ana wheel, you are religion, you are truth, you are encouraging statements, you are sacrifice, and you are the enjoyer of the fruits of sacrifice. You are the maintainer of the entire universe, and you are the supreme transcendental prowess in the hands of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are the original vision of the Lord, and therefore you are known as Sudars'ana. Everything has been created by your activities, and therefore you are all-pervading. (Vedabase)
All my respect for you, the auspicious center of spin, the measure of the complete nature, who indeed art like a bad omen to the unenlightened bereft of the religion; the maintainer of the three worlds you are, the supreme goodness acting with a wonderful effulgence and as fast as the mind I try to voice.
O Sudars'ana, you have a very auspicious hub, and therefore you are the upholder of all religion. You are just like an inauspicious comet for the irreligious demons. Indeed, you are the maintainer of the three worlds, you are full of transcendental effulgence, you are as quick as the mind, and you are able to work wonders. I can simply utter the word namah, offering all obeisances unto you. (Vedabase)
By your strength which carries all religiousness is the darkness dissipated and are all directions illumined; for the great personalities are your glories unsurpassable, o master of speech, your manifestation comprises the manifest and unmanifest, the superior and the lower.
O master of speech, by your effulgence, full of religious principles, the darkness of the world is dissipated, and the knowledge of learned persons or great souls is manifested. Indeed, no one can surpass your effulgence, for all things, manifested and unmanifested, gross and subtle, superior and inferior, are but various forms of you that are manifested by your effulgence. (Vedabase)
When you by the Transcendental Personality are sent to the fighters of the Daityas and Dânavas, o indefatigable one, do you, staying on the battlefield, never tire to sever their arms and bellies, thighs and legs.
O indefatigable one, when you are sent by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to enter among the soldiers of the Daityas and the Dânavas, you stay on the battlefield and unendingly separate their arms, bellies, thighs, legs and heads. (Vedabase)
For the person of learning that I am, is your good self, o protector of the universe, the one who, empowered by the Full Authority of the Club, is engaged in bringing defeat; please may we enjoy the favor of your doing good to the fortune of our dynasty?
O protector of the universe, you are engaged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as His all-powerful weapon in killing the envious enemies. For the benefit of our entire dynasty, kindly favor this poor brâhmana. This will certainly be a favor for all of us. (Vedabase)
If there is charity, the worship of the deity and the duties are properly performed, and if our dynasty is blessed by the scholars, may this twiceborn soul then be free from burning [down] with you.
If our family has given charity to the proper persons, if we have performed ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices, if we have properly carried out our occupational duties, and if we have been guided by learned brâhmanas, I wish, in exchange, that this brâhmana be freed from the burning caused by the Sudars'ana cakra. (Vedabase)
When by us the one Supreme Lord, the reservoir of all qualities and life and soul of all living beings, is satisfied, may this twiceborn soul then be freed from the fire?'
If the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second, who is the reservoir of all transcendental qualities, and who is the life and soul of all living entities, is pleased with us, we wish that this brâhmana, Durvâsâ Muni, be freed from the pain of being burned. (Vedabase)
S'rî S'uka said: 'When the disc weapon of the Lord named Sudars'ana thus was glorified by the King ceased it because of his prayers with all its harrassing the learned one.
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: When the King offered prayers to the Sudars'ana cakra and Lord Vishnu, because of his prayers the Sudars'ana cakra became peaceful and stopped burning the brâhmana known as Durvâsâ Muni. (Vedabase)
He, Durvâsâ, freed from the heat of the fire of the weapon most contented then praised him, the ruler of the earth, the king he blessed with the highest benedictions.
Durvâsâ Muni, the greatly powerful mystic, was indeed satisfied when freed from the fire of the Sudars'ana cakra. Thus he praised the qualities of Mahârâja Ambarîsha and offered him the highest benedictions. (Vedabase)
Durvâsâ said: 'What a greatness may I witness today of the servants of the Eternal One; despite of the wrong I perpetrated have you, o King, prayed for my good fortune!
Durvâsâ Muni said: My dear King, today I have experienced the greatness of devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for although I have committed an offense, you have prayed for my good fortune. (Vedabase)
What indeed would be difficult to do or impossible to forsake for those saintly, great souls, those persons who reached the leader, Hari, the Supreme Lord of the Devotees.
For those who have achieved the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of the pure devotees, what is impossible to do, and what is impossible to give up? (Vedabase)
What is there else to do for the servants if by simply hearing the holy name of Him whose lotus feet are the holy places, a person becomes purified?
What is impossible for the servants of the Lord? By the very hearing of His holy name one is purified. (Vedabase)Text 17
O King, you so utterly merciful have, in control with my offenses, favored me very much and doing so that way saved my life.'
O King, overlooking my offenses, you have saved my life. Thus I am very much obliged to you because you are so merciful. (Vedabase)
The King, who had awaited his return fasting, was of mercy for him in every way and desired to approach his feet feeding him sumptuously.
Expecting the return of Durvâsâ Muni, the King had not taken his food. Therefore, when the sage returned, the King fell at his lotus feet, pleasing him in all respects, and fed him sumptuously. (Vedabase)
He after having eaten of the different foodstuffs that, catering to every taste, were given with the greatest respect, said thus fully satisfied to the king: 'Please partake', and proved this way his care.
Thus the King respectfully received Durvâsâ Muni, who after eating varieties of palatable food was so satisfied that with great affection he requested the King to eat also, saying, "Please take your meal." (Vedabase)
[He continued:] 'I'm very happy to be favored so much by the purity of your devotion; indeed am I, seeing you, touching your feet, talking to you and enjoying your hospitality, much obliged.
Durvâsâ Muni said: I am very pleased with you, my dear King. At first I thought of you as an ordinary human being and accepted your hospitality, but later I could understand, by my own intelligence, that you are the most exalted devotee of the Lord. Therefore, simply by seeing you, touching your feet and talking with you, I have been pleased and have become obliged to you. (Vedabase)
The purity of the things you've done will for ever be sung by the maidens of heaven; the entire world will never cease singing the glory of your supreme virtue!'
All the blessed women in the heavenly planets will continuously chant about your spotless character at every moment, and the people of this world will also chant your glories continuously. (Vedabase)
S'rî S'uka continued: 'Thus glorifying the king took Durvâsâ, satisfied in all respects, permission to leave that place and rose he to the heavens of the abode of Brahmâ where no other ulterior motive holds.
S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: Thus being satisfied in all respects, the great mystic yogi Durvâsâ took permission and left, continuously glorifying the King. Through the skyways, he went to Brahmaloka, which is devoid of agnostics and dry philosophical speculators. (Vedabase)
One complete year had passed and for the time that the great muni had not returned had the king, desiring to see him again, restricted himself to only drinking water.
Durvâsâ Muni had left the place of Mahârâja Ambarîsha, and as long as he had not returned--for one complete year--the King had fasted, maintaining himself simply by drinking water. (Vedabase)
Upon Durvâsâ's return gave Ambarîsha him the best food available to eat that would befit a twiceborn one and understood he, seeing how the sage had been released from the sin, that he owed his strength to his devotion for the Supreme [see also B.G. 6: 47].
After one year, when Durvâsâ Muni had returned, King Ambarîsha sumptuously fed him all varieties of pure food, and then he himself also ate. When the King saw that the brâhmana Durvâsâ had been released from the great danger of being burned, he could understand that by the grace of the Lord he himself was also powerful, but he did not take any credit, for everything had been done by the Lord. (Vedabase)
Thus blessed with all good qualities was the king of devotion for the Supersoul, the Supreme Spirit and for Vâsudeva with the many duties he observed, keeping with them always in mind that with whatever one does from the highest position in heaven to the lowest in hell one must take care [to remember the difference between that what is to the letter and that what is to the spirit; compare: 6.17: 28].
In this way, because of devotional service, Mahârâja Ambarîsha, who was endowed with varieties of transcendental qualities, was completely aware of Brahman, Paramatma and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus he executed devotional service perfectly. Because of his devotion, he thought even the topmost planet of this material world no better than the hellish planets. (Vedabase)
S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus did Ambarîsha, as the wisest dividing his kingdom among his equally qualified sons, enter the forest setting his mind to the True Self that is Vâsudeva and vanquished he the waves [the gunas] of the material ocean.
S'rîla S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: Thereafter, because of his advanced position in devotional life, Mahârâja Ambarîsha, who no longer desired to live with material things, retired from active family life. He divided his property among his sons, who were equally as qualified, and he himself took the order of vânaprastha and went to the forest to concentrate his mind fully upon Lord Vâsudeva. (Vedabase)
By chanting or regularly meditating this tale of piety can one consequently become a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Anyone who chants this narration or even thinks of this narration about the activities of Mahârâja Ambarîsha certainly becomes a pure devotee of the Lord. (Vedabase)
All those who hear of the character of this great soul Ambarîsha will simply through bhakti by the mercy of Vishnu advance towards the end that is the liberation.
By the grace of the Lord, those who hear about the activities of Mahârâja Ambarîsha, the great devotee, certainly become liberated or become devotees without delay. (Vedabase)
For this original translation a one-volume printed copy
has been used with an extensive commentary.
ISBN: o-91277-27-7
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