Premika Bhavanam, Chennai
December 16, 2000 - 6:45 pm
(Saturday)

Sri Swamigal has been rendering ‘Upanyãsam’ (discourses), in Tamizh, in Premika Bhavanam. This is being brought to you here.

There may appear to be variations in the ‘tense’ of the language. This is due to the fact that great effort has been taken to maintain the original style of the ‘Upanyãsam’. Therefore, we request you to keep this in mind while reading the translated ‘words’ of Sri Swamigal.

Sri Swamigal,

"HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE"

" Srimad Bhagavatam is 'svayam' (is in itself) Bhagavan. Srimad Bhagavatam is greater than Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita or any other great work because mere listening to Bhagavatam takes one to 'moksha'. Once the work of His Avatara (incarnation) was completed and He had to leave this world, Lord Krishna entered Srimad Bhagavatam as He desired to remain in this world in Kaliyuga. Srimad Bhagavata 'pãrãyana' (chanting/reading aloud) bestows liberation even if done imperfectly. Even mere listening bestows 'moksha'. Sage Vyasa had given it to Sukãchãrya who in turn passed it on to Parikshit. That which is attained by Karma, Bhakti, Yoga is easily attained by merely listening to Srimad Bhagavatam. The proof of this is King Parikshit himself.

King Parikshit throws a dead snake on a Rishi by name Shamika, in an attempt to test his 'Samadhi' stage and thus earns the curse of the Rishikumar (son of the Rishi). The Rishikumar throws the curse that the King would die of Snake Takshaka's bite. The Rishi who knows King Parikshit to be virtuous sends his son to divulge the curse to the King. The great King does not punish the bold Rishi kumar who comes to reveal the curse, instead asks him how many days are left for him to live. On learning that he had just seven days to live he thanks the Rishi kumar and seeks the advice of the elders in his court. Not happy with their advices of the various means to trick death, he quits the Kingdom with the decision to die on the banks of the Ganges because anyone who dies on her banks attains liberation.

When we bathe in a river, say the Ganges, we should not take a dip in it with the thought that river cauvery is a much better river. This is a 'dosham' (sin). That is to say, while bathing in one 'punya nadi' (holy river) we should not compare it with another and think highly of the other river. Ganges is the holiest of all holy rivers. The mere thought of Ganges purifies us. Even if we bathe in the local pond or even in our own homes in the tap water with the 'bhava' (feeling) that it is Ganges water it does purify us. Such is her greatness.

So, King Parikshit goes to the banks of River Ganges and there Sukãchãrya meets him and highly pleased with his request to show the way to liberation, as he has only seven days left to live, renders Srimad Bhagavatam. Though Srimad Bhagavatam also speaks of the various spiritual practices King Parikshit has absolutely no time left to practise them. However, mere listening to Srimad Bhagavatam liberates him!

The age when Srimad Bhagavatam is widely read/rendered remains full of prosperity. And in Its absence anarchy prevails. So it was that the world was taken over by the asuras and Bhoopa Deva prays to the Lord to save the world. He is advised to meditate on the banks of the Ganges and seek Lord Vãsudeva's help. So Bhoopa Deva meditates on the 'Dwãda Sãkshari' mantra and Lord Vãsudeva appears before him. Lord Vãsudeva directs him to read Srimad Bhagavatam. Bhoopa Deva then seeks the Lord's help to retrieve the lost/wiped out Epic. It was then that Suka renders the whole of Srimad Bhagavatam once again, this time to Bhoopa Deva who writes it down and thus retrieves It to the world.

Ãlangudi Periyava was a great exponent of and discoursed on Srimad Bhagavatam. He accepted invitation to a village or town only with the condition that the whole village would listen to his discourse on Srimad Bhagavatam. He would say, "Do not think that I am a Sanyasi who is desperate for food. Only if all in your village/Town are willing to listen to Srimad Bhagavatam discourse will I come." And to listen to him was not easy as he did not tolerate disturbance of any kind while he was discoursing. And He would discourse in detail for hours on end! One had to sit through it all. Otherwise he would curse them. Once, as he discoursed on Srimad Bhagavatam a snake somehow found its way amidst the audience! The listeners were all at a loss to know whom to fear - the snake or the wrath of Ãlangudi Periyava?(!) Even while they wondered and worried over this, the snake found its way under Ãlangudi Periyava's seat and remained there. Alangudi Periyava, however, grandly continued his discourse without any fear whatsoever! After the discourse when people reported to him about the snake it was nowhere to be seen! Such was his intensity towards Srimad Bhagavatam.

One day an atheist was present amidst the audience. And that day Ãlangudi Periyava discoursed on Gajendra Moksha. This atheist, in an attempt to test Ãlangudi Periyava, left a crocodile in the pond where the latter bathed every day. Next morning the crocodile caught hold of his legs when he went in to bathe. The atheist who had been waiting just for this moment made his appearance and said haughtily , "Yesterday, you discoursed on Gajendra Moksha. In it you narrated how the Lord had sent the Chakra (the divine wheel) in response to its call and killed the crocodile that had taken hold of his elephant devotee Gajendra. Now, let's see if the Lord responds to your call through Gajendra Stuti!" Immediately, Ãlangudi Periyava chanted Gajendra Stuti loudly and within moments the crocodile was killed as if cut by a Chakra! The astounded atheist fell at Ãlangudi Periyava's feet and begged for forgiveness. "I have wronged you who are a Sadhu. Please tell me what should I bring to heal the wound caused by the crocodile." Ãlangudi Periyava replied calmly, "Yesterday I spoke not only of Gajendra Moksha but also that the 'Atman' is different from the body. So you please get some hot boiling oil and pour it into this wound!"

There was another Sadhu, Mayavaram Periyava. He was ever in Srimad Bhagavata 'nishtai'(one pointedness). He lived in Mayavaram station. When passengers hired a jatka (horse carriage) he would hold on to the horizontal bar on the back of the carriage and run along continuing to chant from the Bhagavatam. The horse driver would beat him with his whip. But totally drowned in his Bhagavatam the whipping was not felt!

A 'mumukshu' is one who pines for moksha (liberation) or Bhagavan. He has to be like a 'vivasãyi' (farmer). He should possess three things viz. effort, grace and 'kãla' (time). The Lord Himself leads, as would a mother her child, one who practices his sadana with deep bhakti for the Lord. The mother holds the child by the hand and leads and protects the child from falling in any pit that may be found on the way. Likewise, God takes hold of his bhakta and removes all the hurdles in his/her way of tapas. Do sadana with bhakti and it will bear fruit.

Once a young boy took to reading the Bhagavat Gita. He used to sit in Sri Ranganatha Sannidhi in Srirangam and read the Gita. His reading was imperfect. Some passer by pulled him up for this imperfect reading. He was asked to stop reading the Gita! But the young boy could not be without reading, as he loved it. So he chose an isolated spot on the banks of the Cauvery and began reading the Bhagavat Gita as imperfectly as ever! The boy was scared stiff when suddenly there appeared before him a Sanyasi. The Sanyasi asked him, "Why are you stuck with this page and are not proceeding to the next?" The young boy explained, "When I begin to read the Gita there appears before my very eyes Lord Krishna holding the reins of the chariot and Arjuna down on his knees in front of Him. And Lord Krishna gives His Upadesa to Arjuna. My eyes get filled with tears. How then can I proceed with my reading?" The Sanyasi, who was none other than the Lord Himself, blessed the boy, "This my boy! is the very fruit ('palan') of Gita Pãrãyanã and you have attained it!". And the Lord disappeared!

Bhooma Devi is known for her forbearance. Nothing and no one is a burden to her. But those people who do not utter the name of her Lord are a burden to her. Bhooma devi is one of the consorts of Lord Vishnu. And a wife loves to listen to others sing the praise of her 'bhartha' (husband). Bhooma devi is pleased when her Lord is praised and is saddened and burdened when He is not sung. Lakshmi and Bhooma devi, both consorts of Lord Vishnu, were born of water. Lakshmi came out of water with a lotus and other wealth ('aishwaryas') and Bhooma devi also came out of water. When Lord Vishnu decided to incarnate on earth He instructed Lakshmi and Bhooma Devi to be born as Rukmini and Satyabama, respectively.

When Bhooma Devi felt burdened with the wicked minded people she approaches Lord Brahma in the form of a cow ('Go') and seeks his help. Lord Brahma, too, is not a swatantra (independent) but is involved in the work of creation only under the instruction of Lord Vishnu. Taking the Divine cow and accompanied by Rudra and the thirty-three crores of Devas, Brahma goes to Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu. Here, the Lord is in samadhi. 'Yoga Nidhra' (Yogic sleep). Goddess Lakshmi is massaging His feet. Here in Vaikuntha the Lord does not speak but is Silent. Lord Brahma was born out of the navel ('nãbhi') of Lord Vishnu. Sound comes only from the 'nabhi' and it is only right that Lord Brahma, the chanter of the Vedas (sound), should be born from the 'nabhi'. The Vedas have come from him. And here Lord Brahma and the Devas start chanting Purusha Suktam! Any Vedic scholar would feel offended if requested to chant the Purusha Suktam as it is the 'a,b,c', of the Vedas. They feel honoured if they are requested to chant some 'Gana'. But here the Lord of the Vedas chanted the Purusha Suktam! Why? Because it describes the Lord as 'Sahasra sirusha purushah' - the Virat swarupa of Lord Vishnu. Lord Brahma wakes Him up and places the request of Bhooma Devi, at His Lotus Feet, to unburden her of the weight of atrocities committed on her by the 'asuras'. Vishnu then enlightens Lord Brahma of His intention to incarnate on the earth in Vasudeva Griham (the house of Vasudeva), in Mathura. As Mahãns speak heart to heart in silence and do not conduct verbal conversations Brahma announces to the others the Lord's declaration. Now, the Lord was born in prison and not in Vasudeva's house, so then what does it mean? Here Griham means Devaki. It is the wife who is referred as 'griham'. Don't we say, in Tamizh, 'ãthile! Varalaiyã'? Does it mean the physical house? No, it refers to the wife. Then Lord Brahma explains, "This incarnation of the Lord is going to be one of 'sowlabya' (very easy to move with/unassuming) nature - play marbles, 'gilli-danda', leap frog, shepherd the cattle, etc. so all who wish to enjoy Him go and be born in Brindavan and do not regret later!" And as this Incarnation was especially for 'strees' (women) Lord Brahma advises all the rishis and devas to take the form of gopis!

Sadãsiva Brahmendra is referred by others as Avadhoota (naked Sage), advaitin, Jeevan Mukta, etc. But whom does he praise? Lord Krishna! He sings, 'Mãnasa sancharare! Brahmani mãnasa sancharare! Matasiki pinchã alankrutha chikure!' He describes the limitless Brahman as one that wears the 'mayil piili' (peacock feather)! And who wears peacock feather? Lord Krishna, of course! So He is everything. Even a Jivan Mukta who has everything and seeks nothing sings in His praise. Brahmendra, in this song of his, boldly declares, "I have everything that is sought for and do not desire anything. "Krishna! You, then desire me!" Is this not proof enough that Lord Krishna is the form of the limitless Brahman?

Just listening to the gunas (the merits - physical and otherwise) of the Lord will suffice. Advaitins struggle to destroy the mind but bhaktãs (those in the path of devotion) by just chanting 'Rama, Rama' uproot the tree of a mind.

When Suka (in the end of ninth chapter) narrated Krishna's life only briefly Parikshit is totally disappointed and feels aghast. He tells Suka, "I listened to the stories of Dushyanta, Harishchandra, the Kings who ruled in the lineage of the Sun and the Moon, etc. awaiting eagerly the story of Lord Krishna. My relatives have all spoken so much about Krishna, how they all enjoyed His love and care. I have always regretted not having been born while He (Krishna) was in the physical body. For, then I would also have enjoyed His love and caress. The only way it can be made up is to listen to His 'lilas'(divine plays). Why do you think Krishna protected me, even while I was still in the womb, from Ashwathama's Brahmastra? So that I could listen to this!"

Suka, immensely pleased with this request of Parikshit, then goes into full details of the Lord's play, in the 10th chapter narrating all the divine plays of the Lord. It is only when the listener, too, enjoys will the one who discourses feels cheered up to go deep into the subject. All the great Purãnãs (Epics) are found to be in the form of question and answer between two - Here it is between Suka and Parikshit. In Viveka Choodamani it is between the Guru and Sishya (disciple). In the Upanishads one finds such a dialogue between Yajnyavalya and Maitreyi. Krishna's stories purify the narrator and the listener as well. It purifies the one who asks to be told the stories.

This chapter in particular is termed 'Ãshreyam'. Why? 'Ashrayem' means rely on- dependency. Whom should we depend on? Wife? Husband? Money? - No, all these are temporal in nature. We should rely only on that which is omnipotent and IS ever. AND THAT IS BHAGAVAN! - GOD!

On the battlefield of Kurukshetra when Dronacharya, Arjuna's Guru is ready to attack Arjuna, Krishna commands Dharmaputra (the eldest of the Pãndavas) to utter a lie that Aswatthama, the son of Dronacharya is dead. But the latter, true to his name, refuses. So Krishna creates an elephant, names it Aswatthãma and kills it. Now Dharmaputra announces to Dronacharya, 'Aswatthãma the elephant is dead!' But Krishna blows His conch loudly as Dharmaputra utters the word 'elephant' and Dronacharya mistakes his son to be dead and then himself gets killed. To avenge this trickery Aswatthãma sends the Brahmãstra, the vicious weapon. Brahmãstra should never be opposed. That was the reason that the Lord in His incarnation as Sri Rama advised Lakshmana not to fight it but to bow down to its power. But in Krishnavatara the Lord Himself sends an arrow to destroy it. Why? This is because in the former case it was He who was being harmed while in the latter it was His devotees! The Lord cannot tolerate any trouble to His bhaktas and will go to any length, even go against the laid down norms to protect His devotees. That is why Kunti repeatedly seeks miseries; such kind of miseries as would bring the Lord to her!

Vasudeva and Devaki, daughter of Devaka have just been married. Devaki is the first cousin of Kamsa. Devaka had given all his daughters in marriage to Vasudeva. So Rohini was also his wife. It is in the nature of 'dushtãs' (the wicked) to jump about in joy one moment and destroy everything and everyone around in anger in the next. Kamsa ordered all the homes to be decorated and he himself was holding the reins of the chariot in which he desired to take the newly wed around the streets of the Kingdom. It was then that he heard the 'asareeri!' 'asareeri' means that spoken from one without 'sareera' (body). The Voice declares, "Hey, Mooda! (fool!) do not rejoice so much. The eighth child of Devaki will be the cause of your end!" Though there were crores of people around it was only Kamsa who responded to the call - "YOU FOOL!" So it is evident that Kamsa knew his own standing! Is someone else needed to make us realize our own calibre?! In a flash Kamsa jumps down from the chariot and seizes his sister Devaki's hair and with the sword held in his right hand is about to kill her.

The whole crowd vanished, bolting themselves in their homes. Who would face the wrath of the wicked? None dares to oppose Kamsa and save Devaki. But it is Vasudeva, who had taken her hand in marriage, who rushes to Kamsa and tries to pacify him. He tries the four ways of Sãma, dãna, beda, dandã to make him submit. First the peaceful means - Vasudeva points out in a calm tone, "Kamsa, you are a great warrior who have won over other great warriors and a noble minded prince. Would you lose your reputation by killing a woman? Your sister?" Finding no response to this Vasudeva uses Vedanta, "Everyone who is born is sure to die. That is the only sure thing. If not now then hundred years later but die you will. The dehi will leave the deha (body). However, do not worry. That will not be the end of your birth. So long as you entertain desires you will take another birth. And your desires will get fulfilled." Vasudeva then tries to show the whole thing as a deceptive method used by the Devas and his other enemies to bring disrepute to this scion of a noble race. But, all his words fall on deaf ears. To fight him physically, being next to impossible, Vasudeva, with some quick thinking, offers a promise to Kamsa. "Kamsa, the Voice declared not Devaki as your danger but only her children. I promise to give the children to you as soon as they are born. Therefore, please spare the life of your sister, this young bride of mine!" And Kamsa spared the life of Devaki.

Kamsa imprisons Vasudeva and Devaki. In course of time Devaki gives birth to a baby. Vasudeva takes the baby to Kamsa as promised. But even the tyrant Kamsa feels touched by the noble gesture of Vasudeva and returns the baby to him saying, "It is only your eighth child that is a danger to me; this is but your first child. I have nothing to fear from this child of yours. So, take him back." But Vasudeva, knowing the ways of Kamsa, did not rejoice the return of the baby unharmed.

Sage Narada comes to see Kamsa! Amongst the many things that Kamsa hears from the Sage the news that the cowherds in Gokula were none other than the Devas born on the earth at the command of Lord Narayana for the sole purpose of destroying all the asuras petrifies Kamsa. The Sage further cautions Kamsa, "You should not be so complacent about the children of Devaki. You have spared the first child of Devaki because the Voice proclaimed that it was her eighth child that would be the cause of your death. But think! The count of the Devas and those of the earth are not the same!" Thus Narada leaves the palace, sowing the seed of doubt in Kamsa's mind. The totally shaken Kamsa immediately rushes to Devaki's quarters and snatching the child smashes it against the wall! And thus he kills the children of Devaki one by one.

And Devaki is now in her eighth pregnancy. The Lord enters the womb of Devaki. Her form becomes radiant! She radiates with a divine beauty that even Kamsa feels sorry for her! Kamsa realizes whom his sister is carrying in her womb! Lord Narayana! He gets obsessed with the thought of the Lord that even the Rishis strive so hard to attain but fail! - Though it is out of fear, in this case.

Nature goes topsy-turvy! That is, all the seasons ('ruthus') were prevailing all at once! All the birds were chirping, though the cries of birds at night are not a good omen in the normal course. The earth is covered with a tranquil atmosphere. Only Kamsa is deeply disturbed! All, the devas, the rishis, Kinnaras, Gandharvas, Siddhas, await the birth of the Lord on the earth!

AND AT MIDNIGHT HE, THE LORD IS BORN!

Tam adbhutam bãlakam ambujekshanam chaturbhujam shankagadãryudãyudham |
Srivatsalakshmam galashobhikoustubham peetãmbaram sãndrapayodasoubhagam || (10:3:9)

And, the wonderful child was born --- lotus eyed, four armed sporting the Shankha (conch), the Gada (mace) and other weapons; Srivatsa mark on the chest, shining Kaustubha on the neck, wearing yellow cloth and of the augustness and grace of the rain clouds. "

"GOPIKÃ JEEVANASMARANAM
GOVINDA! GOVINDA!"

NOTE: Any discrepancy/lapse in the translated version of the Upanyasam is the sole responsibility of the person/s who translated the work from Tamizh into English.