Part 72 (1/2)

”These are the duties of a Bhagavata and by practising these, he may easily cross over Maya.”

V. Nimi asked: - ”How can one be fixed in devotion to Narayana?”

Pippalayana replied: -

”When through the desire of attaining the feet of Vishnu, one has strong devotion, the impurities of one's mind are destroyed. When the mind is purified, it becomes fixed in atma.”

VI. Nimi asked: - ”Tell me about Karma Yoga, by the performance of which Karma is speedily destroyed.”

avirhotra replied: -

”Vedic Karma does not directly lead to Moksha. Offer up your Vedic Karma to ishvara, and perform it, without any worldly attachment, however.

”He who wants speedily to cut asunder the tie of Ahankara shall wors.h.i.+p Vishnu in the way prescribed in the Tantras or agama. (Vedic Karma at first consisted of Vedic Yajna. The Gita gave a death blow to the performance of Vedic Yajnas. _Nishkama_ Karma took the place of _Kamya_ Karma, The Vedic Karma however survived in the Sandhya Mantras, which conform themselves to the Path of Upasana.

”The Vedic Sandhya is however meant only for Brahmanas.

”The Tantric Sandhya is an imitation of the Vedic Sandhya, adapted to all cla.s.ses of men, and it supplements the Vedic Sandhya by laying down a method of wors.h.i.+pping the Lord in the heart and of wors.h.i.+pping His image. Mantras are also prescribed. Devotion is the chief element in Tantric Upasana and this Upasana is enjoined for all Bhagavatas or Vaishnavas. There are Siva Tantras, Sakti Tantras, Ganapati Tantras, Surya Tantras as well as Vaishnava Tantras. There are black rites prescribed in some of the Sakti Tantras and the Tantras have therefore got a bad name with many. But the Tantras as a whole form the only science of practical occultism in Sanskrit, and the Vaishnava Upasana is strictly a Tantric Upasana.”

(I do not enter here into the details of that Upasana, though some details are given in the text.)

VII. Nimi said: - ”Tell me about the _Avataras_ and Their deeds O Ris.h.i.+s.” Drumila gave a short account of the Avataras, commencing from the First Purusha. As this is nearly a repet.i.tion of what has been said before, no attempt is made to reproduce it.

VIII. Nimi asked what is the _destiny of those that do not wors.h.i.+p Bhagavat, those that have no control over their mind and their senses_.

Chamasa replied: - ”They enter the regions of darkness (Tamas).”

IX. Nimi asked:

”What is the Color of the manifestation of Bhagavat at each period, how does he manifest Himself, by what name is He known and in what way is He wors.h.i.+pped?”

Karabhajana replied: -

”In Satya Yuga, Bhagavat becomes white, with four hands, with tufts of braided hair, with bark round His waist. He bears a black deer-skin, the sacred thread and beads, and has Danda (the rod of an ascetic) and Kamandalu (the water-pot of an ascetic) in his hands. (_i.e._ He looks like a Brahmacharin).

”Men are then peaceful and friendly towards one another. There are no differences amongst them. They wors.h.i.+p the Lord by means of Tapas, by control of the senses and of the mind.

”Bhagavat is then known by the following names: - Hansa, Suparna, Vaikuntha, Dharma, Yogesvara, Amala, isvara, Purusha, Avyakta, and Paramatman.

”In Treta, Bhagavat becomes Red. He has four hands and golden hair. His form is that of Yajna. Men are pious at the time. They wors.h.i.+p Bhagavat by Vedic Yajna.

”Bhagavat is known by the following names: -

”Vishnu, Yajna, Prism-garbha, Sarvadeva, Uru-krama, Vrisha Kapi, Jayanta and Urugaya.

”In Dvapara, Bhagavat is _Syama_. (The word Syama ordinarily means dark-blue. But Sridhara explains the word here as the color of an Atasi flower, which is generally yellow. This is because the Bhagavat speaks before of white, red, yellow and black as the colors of Yuga Avataras.) His cloth is yellow.

”Men wors.h.i.+p Him both by Vedic and Tantric methods.

”Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Narayana, Visvesvara and Visva are his names.