Bhagavata Purana

श्रुतदेवोऽच्युतं प्राप्तं स्वगृहाञ्जनको यथा । नत्वा मुनीन् सुसंहृष्टो धुन्वन् वासो ननर्त ह

Śrutadeva, overjoyed, welcomed Acyuta to his house as Janaka had, bowed to the sages, and danced, shaking his garment.

तृणपीठबृषीष्वेतान् आनीतेषूपवेश्य सः । स्वागतेनाभिनन्द्याङ्घ्रीन् सभार्योऽवनिजे मुदा

He seated them on mats of grass and ox hides he had brought, and, together with his wife, joyfully washed their feet and greeted them with hospitality.

तदम्भसा महाभाग आत्मानं सगृहान्वयम् । स्नापयां चक्र उद्धर्षो लब्धसर्वमनोरथः

With that water, O blessed one, he, his family, and his household bathed themselves, elated as all his desires had been fulfilled.

( मिश्र ) फलार्हणोशीरशिवामृताम्बुभिः मृदा सुरभ्या तुलसीकुशाम्बुजैः । आराधयामास यथोपपन्नया सपर्यया सत्त्वविवर्धनान्धसा

He worshipped them with offerings of fruits, fragrant roots, pure water, clay, cow products, tulasi, sacred grass, and lotuses, performing the proper rites that increase goodness and destroy darkness.

स तर्कयामास कुतो ममान्वभूद् गृहान्धकुपे पतितस्य सङ्गमः । यः सर्वतीर्थास्पदपादरेणुभिः कृष्णेन चास्यात्मनिकेतभूसुरैः

He wondered, 'How did I, fallen into the blind well of household life, come to have this meeting—with Krishna himself, the dust of whose feet is the abode of all holy places, and with these brahmins who are his very home?'

( अनुष्टुप् ) सूपविष्टान् कृतातिथ्यान् श्रुतदेव उपस्थितः । सभार्यस्वजनापत्य उवाचाङ्‌घ्र्यभिमर्शनः

When his guests were seated and honored, Śrutadeva, together with his wife, children, and relatives, approached and touched their feet.

श्रुतदेव उवाच - नाद्य नो दर्शनं प्राप्तः परं परमपूरुषः । यर्हीदं शक्तिभिः सृष्ट्वा प्रविष्टो ह्यात्मसत्तया

Śrutadeva said: Today, the Supreme Person, who after creating this world with his energies enters it by his own being, has not come to our sight for the first time.

यथा शयानः पुरुषो मनसैवात्ममायया । सृष्ट्वा लोकं परं स्वाप्नं अनुविश्यावभासते

Just as a man, lying down, creates a dream world by his own mind and then enters and illuminates it, so does he.

श्रृण्वतां गदतां शश्वद् अर्चतां त्वाभिवन्दताम् । नृणां संवदतामन्तः हृदि भास्यमलात्मनाम्

To those who listen, speak, worship, bow to you, and converse sincerely, you reveal yourself within their pure hearts.

हृदिस्थोऽप्यतिदूरस्थः कर्मविक्षिप्तचेतसाम् । आत्मशक्तिभिरग्राह्योऽपि अन्त्युपेतगुणात्मनाम्

Though dwelling in the heart, you remain far away from those whose minds are distracted by action, and, though inaccessible by your own power, you are not grasped by those attached to the qualities of matter.

( वंशस्था ) नमोऽस्तु तेऽध्यात्मविदां परात्मने अनात्मने स्वात्मविभक्तमृत्यवे । सकारणाकारणलिङ्गमीयुषे स्वमाययासंवृतरुद्धदृष्टये

Obeisance to you, the Supreme Self, knower of the inner reality, who is beyond the self, who divides the self from death, who assumes forms with and without cause, and whose vision is veiled by your own maya.

( अनुष्टुप् ) स त्वं शाधि स्वभृत्यान् नः किं देव करवामहे । एतदन्तो नृणां क्लेशो यद्‌भवानक्षिगोचरः

Therefore, O Lord, instruct us, your servants—what should we do? For the greatest suffering of people is that you are beyond the reach of their senses.

श्रीशुक उवाच - तदुक्तमित्युपाकर्ण्य भगवान् प्रणतार्तिहा । गृहीत्वा पाणिना पाणिं प्रहसन् तमुवाच ह

Śuka said: Hearing these words, the Lord, remover of the distress of those who bow to him, took his hand in his own, smiled, and spoke to him.

श्रीभगवानुवाच - ब्रह्मंस्तेऽनुग्रहार्थाय सम्प्राप्तान् विद्ध्यमून् मुनीन् । सञ्चरन्ति मया लोकान् पुनन्तः पादरेणुभिः

The Lord said: O brahmin, know that these sages have come here for your blessing; they wander the worlds with me, purifying them with the dust of their feet.

देवाः क्षेत्राणि तीर्थानि दर्शनस्पर्शनार्चनैः । शनैः पुनन्ति कालेन तदप्यर्हत्तमेक्षया

The gods, sacred places, and holy waters purify gradually through sight, touch, and worship, but even they are purified instantly by the gaze of the best of brahmins.

ब्राह्मणो जन्मना श्रेयान् सर्वेषां प्राणिनामिह । तपसा विद्यया तुष्ट्या किमु मत्कलया युतः

Among all living beings here, the brahmin is superior by birth; how much more so when endowed with austerity, knowledge, and contentment, and especially when devoted to me.

न ब्राह्मणान्मे दयितं रूपमेतच्चतुर्भुजम् । सर्ववेदमयो विप्रः सर्वदेवमयो ह्यहम्

This four-armed form is not dear to Me as the brāhmaṇas are; O brāhmaṇa, you are the embodiment of all the Vedas, and indeed, I am the embodiment of all the gods.

दुष्प्रज्ञा अविदित्वैवं अवजानन्त्यसूयवः । गुरुं मां विप्रमात्मानं अर्चादाविज्यदृष्टयः

Those of poor understanding, who do not know this, who are envious and disrespectful, see Me, the guru, the brāhmaṇa, and their own self as mere idols during worship.

चराचरमिदं विश्वं भावा ये चास्य हेतवः । मद् रूपाणीति चेतस्य आधत्ते विप्रो मदीक्षया

Whatever is moving or unmoving in this universe, and all the causes of these, the brāhmaṇa, by My vision, regards as My forms in his mind.

तस्माद्‌ ब्रह्मऋषीनेतान् ब्रह्मन् मच्छ्रद्धयार्चय । एवं चेदर्चितोऽस्म्यद्धा नान्यथा भूरिभूतिभिः

Therefore, O brāhmaṇa, worship these brāhmaṇa sages with faith in Me; if you worship in this way, I am truly worshipped—not otherwise, even with great opulence.

श्रीशुक उवाच - स इत्थं प्रभुनादिष्टः सहकृष्णान् द्विजोत्तमान् । आराध्यैकात्मभावेन मैथिलश्चाप सद्‌गतिम्

Śrī Śuka said: Thus instructed by the Lord, the king of Mithilā worshipped the foremost brāhmaṇas along with Kṛṣṇa, regarding them as one with himself, and attained the highest destination.

एवं स्वभक्तयो राजन् भगवान् भक्तभक्तिमान् । उषित्वाऽऽदिश्य सन्मार्गं पुनर्द्वारवतीमगात्

O King, in this way, the Lord, who is devoted to His devotees and to devotion itself, after staying there and instructing the right path, returned again to Dvārakā.

इति श्रीमद्‍भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां दशमस्कन्धे उत्तरार्धे श्रुतदेवानुग्रहो नाम षडशीतितमोऽध्यायः

Thus ends the eighty-sixth chapter, entitled 'The Blessing of Śrutadeva,' in the second half of the Tenth Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa, the scripture for the paramahaṃsas.

वेदस्तुति - श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच - ( अनुष्टुप् ) ब्रह्मन् ब्रह्मण्यनिर्देश्ये निर्गुणे गुणवृत्तयः । कथं चरन्ति श्रुतयः साक्षात् सदसतः परे

Hymn of the Vedas— Śrī Parīkṣit said: O brāhmaṇa, in regard to the indefinable, transcendental Brahman, how do the Vedas, which are based on qualities, function with respect to That which is beyond both existence and non-existence?

श्रीशुक उवाच - बुद्धीन्द्रियमनःप्राणान् जनानां असृजत् प्रभुः । मात्रार्थं च भवार्थं च आत्मनेऽकल्पनाय च

Śrī Śuka said: The Lord created the intellect, senses, mind, and vital airs of beings—for the sake of sense objects, for worldly purposes, for the self, and for the sake of non-identification.

सैषा ह्युपनिषद्‌ ब्राह्मी पूर्वेशां पूर्वजैर्धृता । श्र्रद्धया धारयेद् यस्तां क्षेमं गच्छेदकिञ्चनः

This is indeed the Upaniṣad of Brahman, upheld by the ancients of old; whoever holds it with faith, even if possessing nothing, attains well-being.

अत्र ते वर्णयिष्यामि गाथां नारायणान्विताम् । नारदस्य च संवादं ऋषेर्नारायणस्य च

Here I shall recount to you the verse endowed with Nārāyaṇa, and the dialogue between Nārada and the sage Nārāyaṇa.

एकदा नारदो लोकान् पर्यटन् भगवत्प्रियः । सनातनमृषिं द्रष्टुं ययौ नारायणाश्रमम्

Once, Nārada, dear to the Lord, while wandering among the worlds, went to the hermitage of Nārāyaṇa to see the eternal sage.

यो वै भारतवर्षेऽस्मिन् क्शेमाय स्वस्तये नृणाम् । धर्मज्ञानशमोपेतं आकल्पादास्थितस्तपः

He, who in this land of Bhārata, for the welfare and auspiciousness of people, has practiced austerity endowed with dharma, knowledge, and tranquility, from the beginning of the age.