Mahabharata: Vol. 5 (21 page)

‘“The lord said,
‘You are not a detractor.
³³⁰
I will tell you this extremely secret knowledge with self-realization.
³³¹
Knowing this, you will be freed from all evil. This is extremely secret
and the king of knowledge.
³³²
It is the best, pure, leads to direct and eternal results, is sanctioned by
dharma and is easy to practise. O scorcher of foes! People who show disrespect to
this dharma don’t attain me and traverse the path of death and this world.
This entire universe is pervaded by me in my unmanifest form. All beings are
established in me. But I am not established in them. Witness my divine yoga. Again,
the beings are not established in me.
³³³
My atman holds up the beings and sustains the beings, but I am not established
in the beings. Know that like the great wind, which goes everywhere, and is always
established in the sky, all beings are established in me. O Kounteya! At the time of
destruction,
³³⁴
all beings are dissolved in my nature and at the time of creation, I create
them. I keep my nature under control and repeatedly create these many beings,
helpless according to their own nature.
³³⁵
O Dhananjaya! But I am unattached to those acts and am established in
indifference. Those acts cannot tie me down. O Kounteya! Because of my lordship,
nature gives birth to this universe with its moveable and immovable objects. Because
of this, the universe is repeatedly created.
³³⁶
The ignorant do not know my supreme nature as the great lord of all beings.
They show disrespect to me as someone who has adopted a human form. Their desire is
fruitless, their action is fruitless, their knowledge is fruitless, their minds
waver and their deluded nature is ruled by demonic qualities.
³³⁷
O Partha! But those
great souls who seek refuge in divine
qualities are unwavering in their minds and worship me, knowing me to be the
indestructible origin of all beings. Careful and firm in their rites, they
³³⁸
faithfully offer obeisance and always sing my praise, always focused on
worshipping me. Some worship me through the yajna that is the path of knowledge.
Some worship me as one, others as separate.
³³⁹
Worshipping as one means regarding the worshipper and the worshipped as
identical. This can be called the I, who pervade the universe, am worshipped in many
forms. I am
kratu
, I am yajna, I am
svadha
,
³⁴⁰
I am the herbs, I am the mantra, I indeed am the clarified butter, I am the
fire, I am the offering. I am the father, mother, grandfather and sustainer of this
universe. I am all that is pure and is to be known. I am the Om syllable. I am also
the
Rik
,
Saman
and
Yajus
.
³⁴¹
I am the goal, the sustainer, the controller, the witness, the abode, the
sanctuary, the well-doer, the creator, the destroyer, the preserver, the repository
and the indestructible seed.
³⁴²
O Arjuna! I provide heat. I attract the water and rain it down again. I am
immortality and death. I am the eternal and the transient.
³⁴³
Those who know the three arts
³⁴⁴
worship me through yajnas, drink the soma juice and purified of sins, wish to
attain heaven. They attain sanctified heaven
³⁴⁵
and in heaven, enjoy the celestial objects enjoyed by the gods. Having enjoyed
the greatness of heaven, when their good deeds are exhausted, they enter the mortal
earth. In this way, the practitioners of the three dharmas,
³⁴⁶
followers of desire, go back and forth. Those who worship me, minds focused on
me alone and always immersed in me, I preserve for them what has been attained and
what is yet to be attained.
³⁴⁷
O Kounteya! Those with devotion who faithfully worship other gods, they too,
worship me alone. But not in the indicated way. Because I alone am the receiver of
offerings and the granter of fruits at all yajnas. But they do not know my true
nature and therefore, are cast down.
³⁴⁸
Those who worship the gods attain the gods. Those who worship the ancestors
attain the ancestors.
³⁴⁹
Those who worship the elements
³⁵⁰
attain the elements. And mine
³⁵¹
attain me. He who faithfully worships me with a leaf, a flower, a fruit or
water, from that pure-hearted person, I gladly accept those faithful offerings. O
Kounteya! Whatever you do, whatever you partake, whatever you offer, whatever you
donate, whatever you meditate, offer that to me. In this way, you will be freed from
the bondage of the fruits of righteous and evil action. With your self in the yoga
of sannyasa,
³⁵²
freed, you will attain me. I am the same to all beings. I have no one I hate,
nor anyone I love. But
those who worship me with devotion, they
are established in me. And I am established in them. Even if the most evil of
persons worships me single-mindedly, he should be thought of as a righteous person.
Because his resolve is correct. Swiftly, he
³⁵³
becomes a righteous person and attains eternal peace. O Kounteya! My
worshippers are never destroyed. This you can vouch for. O Partha! Even those who
are of evil birth, women, vaishyas and shudras,
³⁵⁴
having sought refuge in me, they will certainly attain supreme liberation.
There is no need to repeat
³⁵⁵
about pure brahmanas and devoted rajarshis. This earth is temporary and leads
to unhappiness. Therefore, having attained,
³⁵⁶
worship me. With mind immersed in me, become my devotee, my worshipper and one
who offers obeisance to me. In this way, with your atman united in me as the refuge,
you will attain me alone.’”’

‘“The lord said,
‘O mighty-armed one! Listen once more to my supreme words. These are
pleasing you and for
your welfare, I am saying this. The host of
gods does not know of my origin.
³⁵⁸
Nor do the maharshis. Because, in every way, I am the original cause of the
gods and the great sages. He who knows me as without origin and without birth and as
the greatest lord of the worlds, is freed from delusion among men
³⁵⁹
and freed from all sins. Intellect, knowledge, freedom from delusion,
forgiveness, truthfulness, control over the senses, control over thoughts,
happiness, unhappiness, creation, destruction, fear and freedom from fear,
non-violence, equality,
³⁶⁰
satisfaction, austerity, donations, fame and lack of fame—all these
states of beings indeed owe their origin to me. The seven great sages,
³⁶¹
the four who came before them
³⁶²
and the Manus
³⁶³
owe their origin to me and were created from my resolution. In this world,
everything is descended from them. There is no doubt that he who truly knows my
divine yoga
³⁶⁴
is united with unwavering
yoga.
³⁶⁵
I am the origin of everything. From me is everything instituted. Knowing this,
the wise, immersed in devotion, worship me. Minds on me, lives in me, explaining my
nature to each other, and always conversing,
³⁶⁶
they
³⁶⁷
attain satisfaction and happiness. I provide that kind of yoga of intellect to
those who are always immersed in me and lovingly worship me. Using that, they attain
me. With compassion towards them, I am always established inside them as the bright
lamp of knowledge, destroying the darkness born out of ignorance.’

‘“Arjuna said,
‘You are the supreme brahman, the supreme abode and supreme sacredness.
You are the eternal purusha, self-resplendent, the predecessor of the gods, without
birth and omnipresent. All the sages and Devarshi Narada
³⁶⁸
and Asita-Devala
³⁶⁹
and Vyasa
³⁷⁰
describe you thus. You have yourself also told me this. O Keshava! I accept all
that you are telling me as true. Because, O Lord, even the gods and the demons do
not know your manifestations.
³⁷¹
O
supreme being! O creator of beings! O lord of beings! O
lord of the gods! O lord of the universe! You alone know your own self through your
own self. Whatever divine powers you use to pervade these worlds, you alone are
capable of relating to me in detail those self-resplendent divine powers. O yogi!
How can I always think of you and know you? O illustrious one! In what objects can
you be thought of by me? O Janardana! Tell me once again, in detail, about the power
of your yoga. Because, hearing your immortal words, I am not
satisfied.’

‘“The lord said,
‘O foremost among the Kuru lineage! All right. I will tell you about my
main divine manifestations. Because there is no end to the detail of my powers.
³⁷²
O Gudakesha! I am the atman established in the heart of all beings. It is I who
am the origin, the middle and also the end of all beings.
³⁷³
I am Vishnu among the adityas.
³⁷⁴
I am the radiant sun among the shining bodies. I am Marichi among the maruts.
³⁷⁵
I am the moon among the stars.
³⁷⁶
I am the Sama Veda among the Vedas.
³⁷⁷
Among the gods, I am Vasava. I am the mind among the senses. And in beings, I
am the consciousness. I am Shankara among the
rudra
s.
³⁷⁸
I am Kubera among the yakshas
and the rakshas.
³⁷⁹
I am fire among the
vasu
s.
³⁸⁰
I am Meru.
³⁸¹
O Partha! Know me to be Brihaspati,
³⁸²
foremost among the priests. Among generals, I am Skanda.
³⁸³
Among waterbodies, I am the ocean. Among great sages, I am Bhrigu.
³⁸⁴
Among words, I am the single syllable.
³⁸⁵
Among yajnas, I am
japa
yajna.
³⁸⁶
Among immovable objects, I am the Himalayas. Among all trees, I am the fig
tree.
³⁸⁷
And among divine sages, I am Narada.
Among gandharvas I am
Chitraratha.
³⁸⁸
And among those who have attained liberation, I am the sage Kapila.
³⁸⁹
Among horses, know me to be Ucchaishrava, arising from the immortal nectar.
³⁹⁰
Among great elephants Airavata and among men, the king. Among weapons I am
vajra.
³⁹¹
Among cows I become
kamadhenu
.
³⁹²
I become Kandarpa for procreation.
³⁹³
And among snakes I am Vasuki.
³⁹⁴
Among serpents I am Ananta. Among those who inhabit the water, I am Varuna.
³⁹⁵
Among the ancestors I am Aryama.
³⁹⁶
Among those who control,
³⁹⁷
I am Yama. Among demons I am Prahlada.
³⁹⁸
Among those wh
devour,
³⁹⁹
I am time. And I am the lion
⁴⁰⁰
among animals. Among birds, I am the son of Vinata.
⁴⁰¹
Among those that purify, I am the wind. Among those who bear weapons, I am
Rama. Among fish, I am the shark.
⁴⁰²
And among rivers, I am Jahnavi.
⁴⁰³
O Arjuna! I alone am the beginning, the end and the middle of all created
objects. Among all forms of knowledge, I am knowledge of the self. Among debaters,
vada
.
⁴⁰⁴
Among letters, I am the letter ‘A’. Among different forms
of
samasa
, I am dvanda.
⁴⁰⁵
Indeed I am indestructible time. My face is in every direction. I am the
controller of destiny. I am death that robs everything. And I am the origin of the
future. Among women, I am fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intellect, fortitude and
forgiveness. In the Sama Veda, I am
brihat sama
.
⁴⁰⁶
Among metres, I am gayatri. Among months, I am Margashirsha.
⁴⁰⁷
Among seasons, I am
kusumakara
.
⁴⁰⁸
I am gambling among those who wish
to cheat.
⁴⁰⁹
I am energy in the energetic. I am victory, perseverance, I am the sattva
quality in the righteous. I am Vasudeva among the Vrishnis. I am Dhananjaya among
those of the Pandu clan. I am Vyasa among the sages. Among the wise, I am the wise
Ushanasa.
⁴¹⁰
I am
danda
among those who rule.
⁴¹¹
I am strategy for those who wish to win. Among secret subjects, I am silence. I
am knowledge among the wise. O Arjuna! Whatever is the seed of origin of every
being, that is me alone. There is nothing moveable or immovable that can come into
being without me. O scorcher of foes! There is no end to my divine glory. Whatever I
have stated of this expanse of glory is only a brief indication. Know that whatever
object is glorious, prosperous or indeed extremely powerful, that has originated
from a part of my energy. O Arjuna! But what is the need to know all these details?
I am established, holding up this entire universe with only a part of
me.’”’

‘“Arjuna said,
‘Out of compassion for me, the extremely secret adhyatma knowledge that
you have stated has destroyed this delusion of mine. O one with eyes like lotus
leaves! From you I have heard in detail about the creation and destruction of all
beings, and also your eternal greatness. O supreme lord! What you have said about
yourself is indeed like that. O supreme being! I wish to see your divine form. O
lord! If you think that I am worthy of seeing that, then, O lord of yoga, show me
your indestructible self.’