Source
Texts:
Mahârâja
Parîkshit Passes Away
Text
1
S'rî
Sûta said: "Mahârâja Parîkchit, the one
protected by Vishnu, hearing what by the sage, the equalminded
seer of the Supreme Soul, the son of Vyâsa, was said,
went up to his lotus feet, bowed his head down and said with
his hands folded to him the following.
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: After hearing all that was
narrated to him by the self-realized and equipoised
S'ukadeva, the son of Vyâsadeva, Mahârâja
Parîkshit humbly approached his lotus feet. Bowing his
head down upon the sage's feet, the King, who had lived his
entire life under the protection of Lord Vishnu, folded his
hands in supplication and spoke as follows.
Text
2
The
king said: 'With the great mercy shown by your goodness have I
attained perfection, because a compassionate soul like you has
described directly to me the Lord Without a Beginning or and
End.
Mahârâja
Parîkshit said: I have now achieved the purpose of my
life, because a great and merciful soul like you has shown
such kindness to me. You have personally spoken to me this
narration of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who
is without beginning or end.
Text
3
I do not
consider it surprising for great souls absorbed in the
Infallible One to be of mercy with the ignorant conditioned
souls tormented by distress.
I
do not consider it at all amazing that great souls such as
yourself, whose minds are always absorbed in the infallible
Personality of Godhead, show mercy to the foolish
conditioned souls, tormented as we are by the problems of
material life.
Text
4
We
[so] heard from you this collection of classical
stories in which indeed the Supreme Lord Uttamas'loka
is fittingly described [*].
I
have heard from you this S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam,
which is the perfect summary of all the Purânas and
which perfectly describes the Supreme Lord,
Uttamahs'loka.
Text
5
My Lord, I do
not fear Takshaka or any other living being, nor do I fear
repeated deaths; I have entered the Spirit of the Absolute
revealed by you as, exclusive of everything material, being
free from fear.
My
lord, I now have no fear of Takshaka or any other living
being, or even of repeated deaths, because I have absorbed
myself in that purely spiritual Absolute Truth, which you
have revealed and which destroys all fear.
Text
6
Please allow
me, o brahmin, to offer my speech [and other sensory
functions] to Adhokshaja
so that, absorbing my mind having given up all lusty desires, I
may give up my life air.
O
brâhmana, please give me permission to resign my
speech and the functions of all my senses unto Lord
Adhokshaja. Allow me to absorb my mind, purified of lusty
desires, within Him and to thus give up my life.
Text
7
With the help
of you showing the all-auspicious supreme shelter of the
Supreme Lord, have I become fixed in the immaterial knowledge
and wisdom and has my ignorance been
eradicated'."
You
have revealed to me that which is most auspicious, the
supreme personal feature of the Lord. I am now fixed in
knowledge and self-realization, and my ignorance has been
eradicated.
Text
8
Sûta
said: "Thus addressed gave the powerful saint, the son of
Vyâsa, him the permission and went he, worshiped by that
god among the people and the renounced sages,
away.
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: Thus requested, the saintly son of
S'rîla Vyâsadeva gave his permission to King
Parîkshit. Then, after being worshiped by the King and
all the sages present, S'ukadeva departed from that
place.
Text
9-10
Parîkchit,
the saintly king, him after, put his mind to his soul by the
power of reason and meditated upon the Supreme with his air as
motionless as a tree. Sitting upon darbha
grass laid to the east on the bank of the Ganges broke the
great yogî, facing the north, in perfect realization of
God with all doubts.
Mahârâja
Parîkshit then sat down on the bank of the Ganges,
upon a seat made of darbha grass with the tips of its stalks
facing east, and turned himself toward the north. Having
attained the perfection of yoga, he experienced full
self-realization and was free of material attachment and
doubt. The saintly King settled his mind within his
spiritual self by pure intelligence and proceeded to
meditate upon the Supreme Absolute Truth. His life air
ceased to move, and he became as stationary as a
tree.
Text
11
O
learned ones, Takshaka, sent by the angered son of
[Samika] the twice-born one, wishing to kill the king,
saw, as he went on his way, Kas'yapa Muni
[see
1.18].
O
learned brâhmanas, the snake-bird Takshaka, who had
been sent by the angry son of a brâhmana, was going
toward the King to kill him when he saw Kas'yapa Muni on the
path.
Text
12
Satisfying
him, an expert in countering poison, with valuables, he made
him return whereupon he, who could assume any form he wished,
disguised himself as a brahmin and bit the king.
Takshaka
flattered Kas'yapa by presenting him with valuable offerings
and thereby stopped the sage, who was expert in
counteracting poison, from protecting Mahârâja
Parîkshit. Then the snakebird, who could assume any
form he wished, disguised himself as a brâhmana,
approached the King and bit him.
Text
13
While
all embodied beings were looking on turned, being burned by the
fire of the snake's poison, the body of the fully selfrealized
saint among the kings immediately to ashes.
While
living beings all over the universe looked on, the body of
the great self-realized saint among kings was immediately
burned to ashes by the fire of the snake's poison.
Text
14
There
was a great cry of lamentation from all directions of the earth
and the sky as verily all the demigods, demons, human beings
and other creatures were stunned.
There
arose a terrible cry of lamentation in all directions on the
earth and in the heavens, and all the demigods, demons,
human beings and other creatures were astonished.
Text
15
The
godly resounded kettledrums, the Gandharvas
and Apsaras
sang and rained down a shower of flowers and the wise spoke
words of praise.
Kettledrums
sounded in the regions of the demigods, and the celestial
Gandharvas and Apsarâs sang. The demigods showered
flowers and spoke words of praise.
Text
16
Janamejaya
hearing that his father was bitten by Takshaka, most enraged
accordingly offered together with the twice-born the snakes
[of all the world] as oblations in a great
sacrifice.
Hearing
that his father had been fatally bitten by the snakebird,
Mahârâja Janamejaya became extremely angry and
had brâhmanas perform a mighty sacrifice in which he
offered all the snakes in the world into the sacrificial
fire.
Text
17
Takshaka
seeing the great serpents being burned in the blazing fire of
the snake sacrifice, very disturbed with fear went to Indra for
shelter.
When
Takshaka saw even the most powerful serpents being burned in
the blazing fire of that snake sacrifice, he was overwhelmed
with fear and approached Lord Indra for shelter.
Text
18
King
Janamejaya not seeing Takshaka with it said to the brahmins:
'Why has Takshaka, the lowest of all serpents not been
burned?'
When
King Janamejaya did not see Takshaka entering his
sacrificial fire, he said to the brâhmanas: Why is not
Takshaka, the lowest of all serpents, burning in this
fire?
Text
19
[They
answered:] 'O best of the kings, he has approached Indra
for shelter and kept by him has the snake thus not landed in
the fire.'
The
brâhmanas replied: O best of kings, the snake Takshaka
has not fallen into the fire because he is being protected
by Indra, whom he has approached for shelter. Indra is
holding him back from the fire.
Text
20
The
mighty intelligent son of Parîkchit hearing these words
replied to the priests: 'O learned ones then why not throw
Takshaka along with Indra into the fire?'
The
intelligent King Janamejaya, hearing these words, replied to
the priests: Then, my dear brâhmanas, why not make
Takshaka fall into the fire, along with his protector,
Indra?
Text
21
Hearing
that performed the learned ones the ritual for offering
Takshaka along with Indra: 'O Takshaka, may you quickly come to
fall here in the fire together with Indra and his host of
demigods'.
Hearing
this, the priests then chanted this mantra for offering
Takshaka together with Indra as an oblation into the
sacrificial fire: O Takshaka, fall immediately into this
fire, together with Indra and his entire host of
demigods!
Text
22
Indra
along with Takshaka and his vimâna
was
by the insulting words thus spoken by the brahmins thrown from
his position with his mind unsettled.
When
Lord Indra, along with his airplane and Takshaka, was
suddenly thrown from his position by these insulting words
of the brâhmanas, he became very disturbed.
Text
23
When
Brihaspati
saw him with Takshaka in his vimâna falling down from the
sky, addressed the son of Angirâ
the king:
Brihaspati,
the son of Angirâ Muni, seeing Indra falling from the
sky in his airplane along with Takshaka, approached King
Janamejaya and spoke to him as follows.
Text
24
'This
snake-bird doesn't deserve to be killed by you, o great ruler
of men;
by him, the king of the snakes, has the nectar of the gods been
drunk and therefore is he, unquestionably free from old age,
virtually immortal!
O
King among men, it is not fitting that this king of snakes
meet death at your hands, for he has drunk the nectar of the
immortal demigods. Consequently he is not subject to the
ordinary symptoms of old age and death.
Text
25
The
life and death of a living being and his destination in his
next life o King, are only the result of his karma; for him
there is no other agent giving happiness and distress than
that.
The
life and death of an embodied soul and his destination in
the next life are all caused by himself through his own
activity. Therefore, O King, no other agent is actually
responsible for creating one's happiness and
distress.
Text
26
Someone
born may find death from snakes, thieves, fire and lightening,
hunger, thirst, disease and other agents o King, but he
undergoes with all of that the reactions to the things he did
in the past.
When
a conditioned soul is killed by snakes, thieves, fire,
lightning, hunger, disease or anything else, he is
experiencing the reaction to his own past work.
Text
27
Therefore
o King should this sacrifice performed with the intent to harm
the serpents be stopped; with the innocent ones burned has
indeed by persons the bid to be suffered' [see also the
Mahâbhârata
1.43]."
Therefore,
my dear King, please stop this sacrificial performance,
which was initiated with the intent of doing harm to others.
Many innocent snakes have already been burned to death.
Indeed, all persons must suffer the unforeseen consequences
of their past activities.
Text
28
Sûta
said: "Thus addressed said he in respect of the words of the
great sage: 'So be it!', and ceasing with the snake sacrifice
he worshiped the master of eloquence
[Brihaspati].
Sûta
Gosvâmî continued: Advised in this manner,
Mahârâja Janamejaya replied, "So be it."
Honoring the words of the great sage, he desisted from
performing the snake sacrifice and worshiped Brihaspati, the
most eloquent of sages.
Text
29
This
very mahâmâyâ
of Vishnu cannot be checked or discerned by those who as
part-and-parcel spiritual souls become bewildered of Him
because of their common bodily functioning to the modes of
nature.
This
is indeed the Supreme Lord Vishnu's illusory energy, which
is unstoppable and difficult to perceive. Although the
individual spirit souls are part and parcel of the Lord,
through the influence of this illusory energy they are
bewildered by their identification with various material
bodies.
Text
30-31
The
visible illusory energy in which one missing the peace thinks
'that's a fraud' is not [dominating] when one is of
constant inquiry into the nature of the soul - in that of which
the transcendentalists speak is one not of materialistic
arguments taking many forms or of the mind with its functions
of decisions and doubts based on that. In that is the living
entity not of worldly matters and their causes and the benefits
achieved by them, not of the I-ness strong in being joined with
the modes which is excluded there; a sage should indeed take
pleasure in warding off the waves of the worldly conditioning
and the ones so entangled [see also e.g.
6.4:
31-32].
But
there exists a supreme reality, in which the illusory energy
cannot fearlessly dominate, thinking, "I can control this
person because he is deceitful." In that highest reality
there are no illusory argumentative philosophies. Rather,
there the true students of spiritual science constantly
engage in authorized spiritual investigation. In that
supreme reality there is no manifestation of the material
mind, which functions in terms of alternating decision and
doubt. Created material products, their subtle causes and
the goals of enjoyment attained by their utilization do not
exist there. Furthermore, in that supreme reality there is
no conditioned spirit, covered by false ego and the three
modes of nature. That reality excludes everything limited or
limiting. One who is wise should therefore stop the waves of
material life and enjoy within that Supreme Truth.
Text
32
The
supreme refuge of Lord Vishnu do those desirous of giving up
designate as that which is 'nor this, nor that' [see also
neti
neti];
thus do they, with their affection nowhere else, reject the
petty materialism in embracing the 'not-that' [the Soul,
Him] in their hearts as captured by the ones
absorbed.
Those
who desire to give up all that is not essentially real move
systematically, by negative discrimination of the
extraneous, to the supreme position of Lord Vishnu. Giving
up petty materialism, they offer their love exclusively to
the Absolute Truth within their hearts and embrace that
highest truth in fixed meditation.
Text
33
They
for whom there is not the corruption of the 'I' and 'mine'
based upon home and body, thus come to know this which is the
supreme abode of Vishnu.
Such
devotees come to understand the supreme transcendental
situation of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu,
because they are no longer polluted by the concepts of "I"
and "my," which are based on body and home.
Text
34
Insulting
words one [so] should tolerate, one should never
disrespect anyone nor identify with this material body or hold
a grudge against whomever.
One
should tolerate all insults and never fail to show proper
respect to any person. Avoiding identification with the
material body, one should not create enmity with
anyone.
Text
35
I
offer my obeisances to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
S'rî Krishna whose power is never impeded and upon whose
lotus feet meditating I have assimilated this
collection of
wisdom
[samhita]'."
I
offer my obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the invincible Lord S'rî Krishna. Simply by meditating
upon His lotus feet I have been able to study and appreciate
this great literature.
Text
36
S'rî
S'aunaka said: "Please tell us this: how did Paila and the
other greatly intelligent disciples of Vyâsa who
constitute the vedic authority, speak of and divide the
Vedas?"
S'aunaka
Rishi said: O gentle Sûta, please narrate to us how
Paila and the other greatly intelligent disciples of
S'rîla Vyâsadeva, who are known as the standard
authorities of Vedic wisdom, spoke and edited the
Vedas.
Text
37
Sûta
said: "O brahmin, within the heart of lord Brahmâ the
most elevated being, was, composed of mind stopping the
functioning of the ears, the subtle transcendental sound
[of ta-pa, 2.9:
6]
perceived that arose from the ether [see also
s'abda].
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: O brâhmana, first the subtle
vibration of transcendental sound appeared from the sky of
the heart of the most elevated Lord Brahmâ, whose mind
was perfectly fixed in spiritual realization. One can
perceive this subtle vibration when one stops all external
hearing.
Text
38
By
the worship of it, o brahmin, cleanse yogîs from the
heart away the contamination known as the substance, the
activity and the doer [**]
and achieve they freedom from rebirth.
By
worship of this subtle form of the Vedas, O brâhmana,
mystic sages cleanse their hearts of all contamination
caused by impurity of substance, activity and doer, and thus
they attain freedom from repeated birth and death.
Text
39
From
that came the threefold omkâra
into being which, unseen of influence manifesting itself, is
the representation of the Supreme Lord
[bhagavân], of the Absolute Truth
[brahman] and of the Supersoul
[paramâtmâ, see also 1.2:
11,
B.G. 7:
8].
From
that transcendental subtle vibration arose the omkâra
composed of three sounds. The omkâra has unseen
potencies and manifests automatically within a purified
heart. It is the representation of the Absolute Truth in all
three of His phases-the Supreme Personality, the Supreme
Soul and the supreme impersonal truth.
Text
40-41
He
[the Supreme Self] hears this unmanifest subtle sound
with [even] the sense of hearing asleep and the power
of vision absent; from it, evolving from the soul and
manifesting in the ether, is everything vedically said
elaborated. Of the self-originating brahman and the
paramâtmâ is it the direct expression, it is the
eternal seed of the Vedas that is the secret of all mantras
[see also 7.15:
31,
9.14:
48,
11.14:
34-35,
11.21:
36-40].
This
omkâra, ultimately nonmaterial and imperceptible, is
heard by the Supersoul without His possessing material ears
or any other material senses. The entire expanse of Vedic
sound is elaborated from omkâra, which appears from
the soul, within the sky of the heart. It is the direct
designation of the self-originating Absolute Truth, the
Supersoul, and is the secret essence and eternal seed of all
Vedic hymns.
Text
42
Of
it, o eminence of Bhrigu, came indeed into being the three
sounds [A, U and M] of the alphabet beginning with A,
that sustain the threefold aspects of material existence of the
gunas,
the names [of the three Vedas]
the goals [the three types of lokas]
and states of consciousness [avasthâtraya]
Omkâra
exhibited the three original sounds of the alphabet-A, U and
M. These three, O most eminent descendant of Bhrigu, sustain
all the different threefold aspects of material existence,
including the three modes of nature, the names of the Rig,
Yajur and Sâma Vedas, the goals known as the
Bhûr, Bhuvar and Svar planetary systems, and the three
functional platforms called waking consciousness, sleep and
deep sleep.
Text
43
The
powerful lord unborn [Brahmâ] created from it the
different sounds of the total collection of vowels, sibilants,
semivowels, and consonants as they are known by their short and
long measures.
From
that omkâra Lord Brahmâ created all the sounds
of the alphabet-the vowels, consonants, semivowels,
sibilants and others-distinguished by such features as long
and short measure.
Text
44
With
them created he, the almighty one, to his omkâra along
with his vyâhriti invocations [of the names of
the seven
lokas],
from his four mouths the four Vedas to his intention to
describe the four sacrifices [see ritvik].
All-powerful
Brahmâ made use of this collection of sounds to
produce from his four faces the four Vedas, which appeared
together with the sacred omkâra and the seven
vyâhriti invocations. His intention was to propagate
the process of Vedic sacrifice according to the different
functions performed by the priests of each of the four
Vedas.
Text
45
He
taught them to his sons the great rishis
among
the brahmins most expert in the art of vedic recitation, and
they on their turn imparted them to their own sons as their
teachers of the dharma [âcâryas].
Brahmâ
taught these Vedas to his sons, who were great sages among
the brâhmanas and experts in the art of Vedic
recitation. They in turn took the role of
âcâryas and imparted the Vedas to their own
sons.
Text
46
So
were they throughout the four yugas one after the other,
generation by generation [in paramparâ]
received by the disciples firm in their vows and then at the
end of dvâpara-yuga
divided by the prominent sages.
In
this way, throughout the cycles of four ages, generation
aher generation of disciples-all firmly fixed in their
spiritual vows-have received these Vedas by disciplic
succession. At the end of each Dvâpara-yuga the Vedas
are edited into separate divisions by eminent sages.
Text
47
Observing
that from kâla
lesser intelligent and short lived [the people] their
strength was diminished, divided the chief sages, inspired by
the Infallible Lord situated in their hearts, the Vedas
[see also 1.4:
16-18].
Observing
that people in general were diminished in their life span,
strength and intelligence by the influence of time, great
sages took inspiration from the Personality of Godhead
sitting within their hearts and systematically divided the
Vedas.
Text
48-49
O
brahmin, in this period [of Manu], requested the rulers
over the worlds - Brahmâ and S'iva and others - the
Supreme Lord, the Protector of the Universe, to protect the
principles of religion. The Lord descending as a part
[Vishnu] then appeared as a part of His plenary
expansion [Sankarshana], in the womb of Satyavatî
as the son [named Krishna Dvaipâyana Vyâsa]
of Parâs'ara to split the Veda in four.
O
brâhmana, in the present age of Vaivasvata Manu, the
leaders of the universe, led by Brahmâ and S'iva,
requested the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the protector
of all the worlds, to save the principles of religion. O
most fortunate S'aunaka, the almighty Lord, exhibiting a
divine spark of a portion of His plenary portion, then
appeared in the womb of Satyavatî as the son of
Parâs'ara. In this form, named Krishna
Dvaipâyana Vyâsa, he divided the one Veda into
four.
Text
50
He,
just like sorting out gems separating the accumulation of
mantras, made the four specific categories of collections
[samhitas]: the Rig, Atharva, Yajur and Sâma Veda
[see
Vedas].
S'rîla
Vyâsadeva separated the mantras of the Rig, Atharva,
Yajur and Sâma Vedas into four divisions, just as one
sorts out a mixed collection of jewels into piles. Thus he
composed four distinct Vedic literatures.
Text
51
To
them called the greatly intelligent and powerful sage, one by
one four of his disciples near to give each of them a
collection, o brahmin.
S'rîla
Vyâsadeva separated the mantras of the Rig, Atharva,
Yajur and Sâma Vedas into four divisions, just as one
sorts out a mixed collection of jewels into piles. Thus he
composed four distinct Vedic literatures.
Text
52-53
He
taught Paila the first collection [the Rig Veda] naming
it Bahvrica ['many verses'], to Vais'ampâyana he
spoke the collection of Yajur mantras naming them Nigada
['the recited'], the Sâma mantras named Chandoga
['singer in metre']; he taught Jaimini, and the mantras
to the names of Atharva and Angirâ
he entrusted his dear disciple Sumantu [see also
4.21:
22].
S'rîla
Vyâsadeva taught the first samhitâ, the Rig
Veda, to Paila and gave this collection the name Bahvrica.
To the sage Vais'ampâyana he spoke the collection of
Yajur mantras named Nigada. He taught the Sâma Veda
mantras, designated as the Chandoga-samhitâ, to
Jaimini, and he spoke the Atharva Veda to his dear disciple
Sumantu.
Text
54-56
Paila
spoke his samhitâ [divided in two] to
Indrapramiti and Bâshkala and the latter further spoke
it, dividing his collection in four, o son of Bhrigu
[S'aunaka], to his disciples Bodhya,
Yâjñavalkya, Parâs'ara and Agnimitra.
Indrapramiti, self-controlled, taught his collection to the
learned seer [his son] Mândûkeya, whose
disciple Devamitra taught it to Saubhari and
others.
After
dividing his samhitâ into two parts, the wise Paila
spoke it to Indrapramiti and Bâshkala. Bâshkala
further divided his collection into four parts, O
Bhârgava, and instructed them to his disciples Bodhya,
Yâjñavalkya, Parâs'ara and Agnimitra.
Indrapramiti, the self-controlled sage, taught his
samhitâ to the learned mystic Mândûkeya,
whose disciple Devamitra later passed down the divisions of
the Rig Veda to Saubhari and others.
Text
57
S'âkalya,
his son, divided his collection in five parts whom he gave to
Vâtsya, Mudgala, S'âlîya, Gokhalya and
S'is'ira.
The
son of Mândûkeya, named S'âkalya, divided
his own collection into five, entrusting one subdivision
each to Vâtsya, Mudgala, S'âlîya, Gokhalya
and S'is'ira.
Text
58
Sage
Jâtûkarnya, also a disciple of him
[S'âkalya] added to the collection he received a
glossary in passing it down to Balâka, [a second]
Paila, Jâbâla and Viraja.
The
sage Jâtûkarnya was also a disciple of
S'âkalya, and after dividing the samhitâ he
received from S'âkalya into three parts, he added a
fourth section, a Vedic glossary. He taught one of these
parts to each of four disciples-Balâka, the second
Paila, Jâbâla and Viraja.
Text
59
Bâshkali
[the son of Bâshkala] made from all the different
branches [of the Rigveda] the collection called the
Vâlakhilya-samhitâ which so next was accepted by
[the daitya sons] Vâlâyani, Bhajya and
Kâs'âra.
Bâshkali
assembled the Vâlakhilya-samhitâ, a collection
from all the branches of the Rig Veda. This collection was
received by Vâlâyani, Bhajya and
Kâs'âra.
Text
60
Thus
were the collections of these many verses by these brahmin
rishis maintained in [disciplic] resolve; hearing of
the distribution of these sacred verses is one freed from all
sins.
Thus
these various samhitâs of the Rig Veda were maintained
through disciplic succession by these saintly
brâhmanas. Simply by hearing of this distribution of
the Vedic hymns, one will be freed from all sins.
Text
61
The
disciples of Vais'ampâyana, became authorities in the
Atharva Veda and are known as the Carakas ['the ones
vowed'] because they executed strict vows to atone for the
sin of their guru of having killed a brahmin.
The
disciples of Vais'ampâyana became authorities in the
Atharva Veda. They were known as the Carakas because they
executed strict vows to free their guru from his sin of
killing a brâhmana.
Text
62
Yâjñavalkya,
one of his disciples, in this respect had said: 'O master, what
would be the value of the endeavors of these weak fellows? I'll
perform a most difficult penance!'
Once
Yâjñavalkya, one of the disciples of
Vais'ampâyana, said: O master, how much benefit will
be derived from the feeble endeavors of these weak disciples
of yours? I will personally perform some outstanding
penance.
Text
63
Thus
addressed got his spiritual master angry and said: 'Go away,
enough of you insulting the learned; give right now everything
up you learned from me!'
Addressed
thus, the spiritual master Vais'ampâyana became angry
and said: Go away from here! Enough of you, O disciple who
insults brâhmanas! Furthermore, you must immediately
give back everything I have taught you.
Text
64-65
The
son of Devaratâ then regurgitated the collected Yajur
mantras and left from there. The sages greedily looking at
these Yajur mantras, turning into partridges picked them up;
thus became these branches of the Yayur-veda known as the most
beautiful Taittirîya-samhitâ ['the partridge
collection'].
Yâjñavalkya,
the son of Devarâta, then vomited the mantras of the
Yajur Veda and went away from there. The assembled
disciples, looking greedily upon these yajur hymns, assumed
the form of partridges and picked them all up. These
divisions of the Yajur Veda therefore became known as the
most beautiful Taittirîya-samhitâ, the hymns
collected by partridges [tittirâh].
Text
66
O
brahmin, Yâjñavalkya, thereafter seeking for
additional mantras not even known to his spiritual master,
carefully offered prayers to the mighty controller of the
sun.
My
dear brâhmana S'aunaka, Yâjñavalkya then
desired to find out new yajur-mantras unknown to even his
spiritual master. With this in mind he offered attentive
worship to the powerful lord of the sun.
Text
67
S'rî
Yâjñavalkya said: 'My obeisances unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead who, appearing as the sun, in the form
of the Supersoul is present [as the Controller] in the
form of Time in the hearts of the four kinds of living entities
beginning from Brahmâ down to the blades of grass [as
born from wombs, eggs, moist and seed, see also
2.10
37-40].
The same way as the sky is not covered by material designations
['clouds'] do You alone by the flow of years made up of
the tiny fragments of kshanas, lavas and nimeshas [see
3.11:
7]
carry out the maintenance of this universe by taking away and
giving back the water [as rain].
S'rî
Yâjñavalkya said: I offer my respectful
obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead appearing
as the sun. You are present as the controller of the four
kinds of living entities, beginning from Brahmâ and
extending down to the blades of grass. Just as the sky is
present both inside and outside every living being, you
exist both within the hearts of all as the Supersoul and
externally in the form of time. Just as the sky cannot be
covered by the clouds present within it, you are never
covered by any false material designation. By the flow of
years, which are made up of the tiny fragments of time
called kshanas, lavas and nimeshas, you alone maintain this
world, drying up the waters and giving them back as
rain.
Text
68
O
Lord of the Sun, o glowing one, o Best Among the Ones Awakened,
by the rules of the sacred tradition I daily meditate at the
[three] junctures of the day with full attention upon
the glowing sphere of You, the Mighty Controller, who of all
those who offer prayers burns all the sins, their consequent
suffering and that what lead to it [see also
11.14:
35
and the Gâyatrî].
O
glowing one, O powerful lord of the sun, you are the chief
of all the demigods. I meditate with careful attention on
your fiery globe, because for those who offer prayers to you
three times daily according to the Vedic method passed down
through authorized disciplic succession, you burn away all
sinful activities, all consequent suffering and even the
original seed of desire.
Text
69
You
in this world indeed are the Lord dwelling in the hearts of all
the moving and nonmoving living beings that depend on the
shelter of You who animates the nonliving matter of the mind,
the senses and the different vital airs [the
vâyus].
You
are personally present as the indwelling lord in the hearts
of all moving and nonmoving beings, who depend completely on
your shelter. Indeed, you animate their material minds,
senses and vital airs to act.
Text
70
You,
most magnanimous alone mercifully glancing over with the gift
of sight, raise up the sleeping people of this world that,
seized and swallowed by the horrible mouth of the python
acknowledged as darkness, as if dead fell into the unconscious;
to the beginning, half way and at the end of the day You so,
day after day, engage, for the soul to be found, the pious in
the ultimate benefit known as their personal duty and nature of
service [svadharma].
The
world has been seized and swallowed by the python of
darkness in its horrible mouth and has become unconscious,
as if dead. But mercifully glancing upon the sleeping people
of the world, you raise them up with the gift of sight. Thus
you are most magnanimous. At the three sacred junctures of
each day, you engage the pious in the path of ultimate good,
inducing them to perform religious duties that situate them
in their spiritual position.
Text
71
Like
an earthly king You travel all around creating fear among the
unholy while the controlling deities of the directions holding
lotusflowers from different sides with folded palms offer their
respects.
Just
like an earthly king, you travel about everywhere spreading
fear among the unholy as the powerful deities of the
directions offer you in their folded palms lotus flowers and
other respectful presentations.
Text
72
Thus
am I, in the desire for yajur-mantras unknown to others, with
worship indeed approaching the two of Your lotus feet, o Lord,
that are honored by the spiritual masters of the three
worlds
[lokas
and see 5.23:
8]'."
Therefore,
my lord, I am prayerfully approaching your lotus feet, which
are honored by the spiritual masters of the three worlds,
because I hope to receive from you mantras of the Yajur Veda
unknown to anyone else.
Text
73
Sûta
said: "He, the Supreme Lord of the Sun being satisfied,
assuming the form of a horse, presented the yajur-mantras never
learned by any other mortal to the sage [see also
5.18:
6].
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: Satisfied by such glorification,
the powerful sun-god assumed the form of a horse and
presented to the sage Yâjñavalkya yajur-mantras
previously unknown in human society.
Text
74
With
the hundreds of yajur-mantras contrived the mighty sage fifteen
branches and
accepted
by the disciples of Kânva and Mâdhyandina are they,
produced from the manes of the horse, thus known as
Vâjaseneyi.
From
these countless hundreds of mantras of the Yajur Veda, the
powerful sage compiled fifteen new branches of Vedic
literature. These became known as the
Vâjasaneyi-samhitâ because they were produced
from the hairs of the horse's mane, and they were accepted
in disciplic succession by the followers of Kânva,
Mâdhyandina and other rishis.
Text
75
Of
Jaimini Rishi, the reciter of the Sâma Veda, there was a
son Sumantu as well as his grandson Sutvân; to each of
them he spoke one of the two parts of the
collection.
Jaimini
Rishi, the authority of the Sâma Veda, had a son named
Sumantu, and the son of Sumantu was Sutvân. The sage
Jaimini spoke to each of them a different part of the
Sâma-veda-samhitâ.
Text
76-77
Sukarmâ,
another disciple [of Jaimini], and great thinker
divided the tree of the Sâma-veda into a thousand
collections of sâma-mantras after which, o brahmin, the
two disciples Hiranyanâbha, the son of Kus'ala, and
Paushyañji plus another one, Âvantya, most
advanced in spiritual realization, took charge of the
sâma-mantras.
Sukarmâ,
another disciple of Jaimini, was a great scholar. He divided
the mighty tree of the Sâma Veda into one thousand
samhitâs. Then, O brâhmana, three disciples of
Sukarmâ-Hiranyanâbha, the son of Kus'ala;
Pausyañji; and Âvantya, who was very advanced
in spiritual realization-took charge of the
sâma-mantras.
Text
78
There
were in total five hundred disciples of Paushyañji and
Âvantya who are called the Sâma Veda singers of the
north, as also differently [in later times, some of
them] the eastern singers.
The
five hundred disciples of Paushyañji and
Âvantya became known as the northern singers of the
Sâma Veda, and in later times some of them also became
known as eastern singers.
Text
79
Other
disciples of Paushyañji, namely Laugâkshi,
Mângali, Kulya, Kus'îda and Kukshi, each took a
hundred collections of mantras.
Five
other disciples of Paushyañji, namely
Laugâkshi, Mângali, Kulya, Kus'îda and
Kukshi, each received one hundred samhitâs.
Text
80
Krita,
the disciple of Hiranyanâbha, spoke twenty four
samhitâs to his disciples; the remaining ones were spoken
by the self-realized sage Âvantya.
Krita,
the disciple of Hiranyanâbha, spoke twenty four
samhitâs to his own disciples, and the remaining
collections were passed down by the self-realized sage
Âvantya.
*
The S'rîmad Bhâgavatam is also known by the name of
'Paramahamsa Samhitâ': the collection of stories
about the Supreme Swanlike Lord.
**:
The substance, the activity and the doer as impurities are
understood as manifestations of the ego-inspiring modes of the
ignorance of inert matter, the passion of movement and the
goodness of knowledge, also known as the adhibhautika
hindrance of the body, the adhyâtmika hindrance of
the organs of action and the adhidaivika hindrance of
the senses of perception [see kles'a].
