Bhagavata Purana

अन्यथा तेऽव्यक्तगतेः दर्शनं नः कथं नृणाम् । नितरां म्रियमाणानां संसिद्धस्य वनीयसः

Otherwise, how could we mortals, especially those about to die, have your audience, you whose mind is fixed in the unmanifest and who are perfected and dwelling in the forest?

अतः पृच्छामि संसिद्धिं योगिनां परमं गुरुम् । पुरुषस्येह यत्कार्यं म्रियमाणस्य सर्वथा

Therefore, I ask you, supreme teacher of yogis, about the highest perfection: what should a person do in every way when death is near?

यच्छ्रोतव्यमथो जप्यं यत्कर्तव्यं नृभिः प्रभो । स्मर्तव्यं भजनीयं वा ब्रूहि यद्वा विपर्ययम्

What should be heard, recited, done, remembered, or worshipped by people, O master? Or, tell me if there is anything else contrary to this.

नूनं भगवतो ब्रह्मन् गृहेषु गृहमेधिनाम् । न लक्ष्यते ह्यवस्थानं अपि गोदोहनं क्वचित्

Certainly, O brāhmaṇa, the presence of the Lord is not perceived in the homes of householders, not even at the time of milking the cows.

सूत उवाच । एवमाभाषितः पृष्टः स राज्ञा श्लक्ष्णया गिरा । प्रत्यभाषत धर्मज्ञो भगवान् बादरायणिः

Sūta said: Thus addressed and questioned by the king in gentle words, the wise and learned son of Bādarāyaṇa replied.

श्रीर्गुणा नैरपेक्ष्याद्याः सुखं दुःखसुखात्ययः। दुःखं कामसुखापेक्षा पण्डितो बन्धमोक्षवित्

The qualities of Śrī are independence and the like; happiness is the end of pleasure and pain. Pain comes from desire for pleasure. The wise one knows bondage and liberation.

मूर्खो देहाद्यहंबुद्धिः पन्था मन्निगमः स्मृतः। उत्पथश्चित्तविक्षेपः स्वर्गः सत्त्वगुणोदयः

The fool identifies with body and such; my path is called the Veda. Distraction of mind is a wrong path; heaven is the rise of sattva-guṇa.

नरकस्तमउन्नाहो बन्धुर्गुरुरहं सखे। गृहं शरीरं मानुष्यं गुणाढ्यो ह्याढ्य उच्यते

Hell is darkness and pride; friend, teacher, and self are one. Home is the body; humanity is wealth in qualities, and the truly wealthy is so called.

दरिद्रो यस्त्वसन्तुष्टः कृपणो योऽजितेन्द्रियः। गुणेष्वसक्तधीरीशो गुणसङ्गो विपर्ययः

He is poor who is not content; pitiable is he who has not mastered his senses. One whose mind is unattached to the qualities is a lord; attachment to the qualities is the opposite.

एत उद्धव ते प्रश्नाः सर्वे साधु निरूपिताः। किं वर्णितेन बहुना लक्षणं गुणदोषयोः। गुणदोषदृशिर्दोषो गुणस्तूभयवर्जितः

O Uddhava, all your questions have been properly answered. Why elaborate further on the characteristics of virtue and fault? To see faults in virtues is itself a fault, but virtue is that which is free from both.

प्रावृड्वर्णनं शरद्‌वर्णनं च - श्रीशुक उवाच । ( अनुष्टुप् ) तयोस्तदद्‍भुतं कर्म दावाग्नेर्मोक्षमात्मनः । गोपाः स्त्रीभ्यः समाचख्युः प्रलम्बवधमेव च

Śuka said: The cowherds recounted to the women the wondrous deeds of the two—how the forest fire was extinguished and how Pralamba was slain.

गोपवृद्धाश्च गोप्यश्च तदुपाकर्ण्य विस्मिताः । मेनिरे देवप्रवरौ कृष्णरामौ व्रजं गतौ

Hearing this, the elder cowherds and the women, astonished, considered Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, who had come to Vraja, to be foremost among the gods.

ततः प्रावर्तत प्रावृट् सर्वसत्त्वसमुद्‍भवा । विद्योतमानपरिधिः विस्फूर्जित नभस्तला

Then the rainy season began, arising with all living beings, its horizon lit up, the sky and earth resounding with thunder.

सान्द्रनीलाम्बुदैर्व्योम सविद्युत् स्तनयित्‍नुभिः । अस्पष्टज्योतिः आच्छन्नं ब्रह्मेव सगुणं बभौ

The sky, dense with dark clouds, streaked with lightning and roaring thunder, shone dimly, veiled—like Brahman with qualities.

अष्टौ मासान् निपीतं यद् भूम्याश्चोदमयं वसु । स्वगोभिर्मोक्तुमारेभे पर्जन्यः काल आगते

When the time arrived, the clouds began to release, by their own power, the water they had drawn from the earth over eight months.

तडिद्वन्तो महामेघाः चण्ड श्वसन वेपिताः । प्रीणनं जीवनं ह्यस्य मुमुचुः करुणा इव

Great clouds, accompanied by lightning, shaken by fierce winds, poured down life-giving rain, like compassion itself.

तपःकृशा देवमीढा आसीद् वर्षीयसी मही । यथैव काम्यतपसः तनुः सम्प्राप्य तत्फलम्

The earth, parched by the sun and scorched, was drenched by the rain, just as a body emaciated by austerity is restored upon attaining its desired fruit.

निशामुखेषु खद्योताः तमसा भान्ति न ग्रहाः । यथा पापेन पाखण्डा न हि वेदाः कलौ युगे

At night’s beginning, only fireflies shone in the darkness, not the planets—just as, in the Kali age, the Vedas do not shine among heretics because of sin.

श्रुत्वा पर्जन्यनिनदं मण्डुकाः व्यसृजन् गिरः । तूष्णीं शयानाः प्राग् यद्वद् ब्राह्मणा नियमात्यये

Hearing the thunder of the clouds, the frogs, who had been silent, began to croak—just as brāhmaṇas, after their vows, recite again.

आसन् उत्पथवाहिन्यः क्षुद्रनद्योऽनुशुष्यतीः । पुंसो यथास्वतंत्रस्य देहद्रविण सम्पदः

The small rivers, which had dried up and wandered off their courses, began to flow again—just as the wealth and bodily strength of a man who is independent.

हरिता हरिभिः शष्पैः इन्द्रगोपैश्च लोहिता । उच्छिलीन्ध्रकृतच्छाया नृणां श्रीरिव भूरभूत्

The earth became green with grass and red with indragopa insects, shaded by mushrooms—like fortune for men.

क्षेत्राणि शष्यसम्पद्‌भिः कर्षकाणां मुदं ददुः । मानिनां उनुतापं वै दैवाधीनं अजानताम्

The fields, rich with crops, brought joy to the farmers, but regret to the proud who do not know that all depends on fate.

जलस्थलौकसः सर्वे नववारिनिषेवया । अबिभ्रन् रुचिरं रूपं यथा हरिनिषेवया

All creatures on land and water, refreshed by the new rains, took on a lovely appearance—just as by serving Hari.

सरिद्‌भी सङ्‌गतः सिन्धुः चुक्षोभ श्वसनोर्मिमान् । अपक्वयोगिनश्चित्तं कामाक्तं गुणयुग् यथा

The river, joined by many streams, swelled and surged with waves driven by the wind—like the mind of an immature yogi, agitated by passion and qualities.

गिरयो वर्षधाराभिः हन्यमाना न विव्यथुः । अभिभूयमाना व्यसनैः यथा अधोक्षजचेतसः

The mountains, struck by torrents of rain, did not tremble—just as those whose minds are fixed on the Supreme are unmoved by calamities.

मार्गा बभूवुः सन्दिग्धाः तृणैश्छन्ना ह्यसंस्कृताः । नाभ्यस्यमानाः श्रुतयो द्विजैः कालहता इव

The paths became uncertain, overgrown with grass and unmarked—like the Vedas, neglected by brahmins and obscured by quarrel.

लोकबन्धुषु मेघेषु विद्युतश्चलसौहृदाः । स्थैर्यं न चक्रुः कामिन्यः पुरुषेषु गुणिष्विव

Just as the bonds among people are as fleeting as lightning among clouds, so too the constancy of women did not remain toward men, even those endowed with virtues.

धनुर्वियति माहेन्द्रं निर्गुणं च गुणिन्यभात् । व्यक्ते गुणव्यतिकरे अगुणवान् पुरुषो यथा

The rainbow in the sky appeared without qualities, yet seemed to possess them; just as, when qualities are manifest, a person without qualities appears to have them.

न रराजोडुपश्छन्नः स्वज्योत्स्नाराजितैर्घनैः । अहंमत्या भासितया स्वभासा पुरुषो यथा

The moon, veiled by clouds radiant with its own light, did not shine forth; just as a person, blinded by ego, does not shine by his own true brilliance.