Bhagavatam, day 237
Srimad Bhagavatam - day 237
Note: In this episode Lord Rudra praises Supreme Lord Srihari through a hymn. He offers obeisance to Srihari who has manifested as Brahma, Shiva, Aniruddha, other Devatas, Sun, Moon, Fire, wind, space, who exists in all the visible forms, who exists in the form of action and so on....
“I am now going to initiate you into a song. With absolute concentration please listen to it. Without even the slightest deviation or mistake please chant this mantra” said Lord Shiva to Pracetas. He then praised the Supreme Lord Srihari as follows,
“O best among the Self-realized, You have manifested so as to bless Self-realized persons with supreme bliss (ātmānanda). O Lord, I should also be blessed with auspiciousness. You eternally rejoice in the Self. You are the Self who resides within every living being. You are all-pervading. You manifest as all the forms seen in the creation. I offer obeisance to You.
Namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya bhūta-sūkṣmendriyātmane
Vāsudevāya śāntāya kūṭa-sthāya sva-rociṣe
I offer obeisance to Lord Vasudeva, from whose navel a lotus sprouts. He is the Lord who controls the senses and the subtle elements of every living being in the creation. He is an embodiment of peace, is devoid of transformations and is Self-illuminating.
Saṅkarṣaṇāya sūkṣmāya durantāyāntakāya ca
Namo viśva-prabodhāya pradyumnāyāntar-ātmane
I offer obeisance to Lord Sankarshana, who is unmanifest, indestructible, and who is responsible for destruction of all universes. As the Lord of consciousness (chaitanya), he causes knowledge of all different forms to sprout in the individual’s mind. I also offer obeisance to Pradyumna who is the Self that exists within all living beings.
Namo namo ’niruddhāya hṛṣīkeśendriyātmane
Namaḥ paramahaṁsāya pūrṇāya nibhṛtātmane
I offer obeisance to Aniruddha, the Lord of the sense organs, who manifests in the form of mind. I offer obeisance to Srihari who in the radiant form of the huge star called Sun dispels the darkness that envelops the creation. Srihari is complete in every aspect. Transformations such as growth or decay do not exist in Him. I offer obeisance to such Lord Srihari.
I offer obeisance to Srihari who is worshipped in every noble heart. He is the doorway to heaven and to liberation. He possesses infinite radiant energies. He resides in the hearts of the noble priests known as hota, udghāta, adhvaryu and Brahma and is worshipped by them in the form of home-fire.
The Lord of fire (Agni deva) rewards those who worship him seeking fulfillment of desires with higher heavenly planets. He purifies the minds of those who worship him without any expectations and thereby ensures that they are blessed with liberation. I worship Srihari, who thus manifests as Agni and furthers the performance of action.
The Moon blesses fore-fathers with food known as urja and Devatas with food called Iśa. He showers upon human beings the fruits for the Yagna performed by them. I offer obeisance to Lord Srihari who manifests as the Moon and who is the Lord for the 3 Vedas which are the root for all actions. He exists as water which quenches the thirst of all living beings.
He is body of all living entities. He manifests in the form of earth. Manifesting as the universal form He controls all the three worlds. He manifests as the wind which blesses the living entity with physical strength, mental strength and sense-strength. I offer obeisance to such Lord Srihari.
Space the fundamental principle for the concept of within and without. It is also the basis for differentiating between objects. Space is nothing but one of the forms of Srihari. Due to merit (punya) the living being is blessed with heaven and other higher realms. All of them are forms of Srihari. I offer obeisance to such Lord Srihari.
Actions are of two types viz., Pravṛtti (path of expansion) and Nivṛtti (path of return). As a result of these actions, the person is rewarded with either the abode of the fore-fathers (pitr-loka) or the heavenly planets. All these higher planets are the forms of Lord Srihari. Those who walk on the path of unrighteousness suffer piteously after death. Death, *** and the hellish conditions experienced are also forms of Lord Srihari. I offer obeisance to Lord Srihari who manifests in the form of both the higher and lower planes of existence.
Namas ta āśiṣām īśa manave kāraṇātmane
Namo dharmāya bṛhate kṛṣṇāyākuṇṭha-medhase
Puruṣāya purāṇāya sāṅkhya-yogeśvarāya ca
O Lord! You are the one who bestows results for frutitive actions performed by the individual. Through these results you actually fulfill the desires of the human beings. You are omniscient. Mantra is another of Your forms. You incarnated as Svāyambhuva Manu. You manifest in the form of dharma (rules of righteousness). You are Parabrahma. You are none other than Srikrishna, who with undisputable intelligence preached the philosophy of Sānkhya and Karma-yoga to this world. You who are birthless, reside as the inner witness within every living entity. You are an embodiment of completeness. I offer my respectful obeisance to You!
The performer of action is called ‘karta’. The action is ‘Kriya’. The tool for performance of action is ‘karaṇa’. I offer obeisance to Srihari who manifests as Rudra, the egoism (ahamkara, I-ness) within the three energies, to fulfill the desires of the devotees.
Due to emergence of the knowledge of creation Brahma, whose speech is the Veda, is able to create innumerable varied entities. I offer obeisance to Lord Srihari who manifests as Brahma.
Srihari resides in the form of sound within the living beings and passes through the four stages of para, paśyanti, madhyama and vaikhari. I offer obeisance to You, O Lord, who exist as the life-force within all entities.
Darśanaṁ no didṛkṣūṇāṁ dehi bhāgavatārcitam
Rūpaṁ priyatamaṁ svānāṁ sarvendriya-guṇāñjanam
O Lord, Your form is very dear to the devotees. Due to its supremacy Your form enthralls our senses. O Lord, we are desirous of seeing that enthralling form of Yours. Please be merciful.
During monsoons, the dark black clouds gather together in the sky. Likewise all beauty in entirety has gathered together to take on the form of Lord Srihari. He has four long beautiful arms. His face is enchanting and pleasant. The beautiful eyebrows, long raised nose, shining teeth and lovely cheeks add to His beauty”.
Haraye namah