The
honorable king said: 'My lord, I would like to hear some more
about the valorous deeds, o master, of Lord Krishna, the
Supreme Soul of Unlimited Powers.
King
Parîkshit said: My lord, O master, I wish to hear
about other valorous deeds performed by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Mukunda, whose valor is unlimited.
(Vedabase)
Text
2
How can anyone
who is disgusted with running after material desires and knows
the essence, o brahmin, desist from listening to the
transcendental topics of the Lord Hailed in the Scriptures
after repeatedly having heard them?
O
brâhmana, how could anyone who knows the
essence of life and is disgusted with endeavoring for sense
gratification give up the transcendental topics of Lord
Uttamahs'loka after hearing them repeatedly?
(Vedabase)
Text
3
The
actual power of speech is the one describing His qualities, the
factual hands are the ones that do His work, the true mind is
the mind remembering Him as dwelling with the moving and
unmoving, and what really hears is the ear turned to His
sanctifying topics [compare 2.3:
20-24].
Actual
speech is that which describes the qualities of the Lord,
real hands are those that work for Him, a true mind is that
which always remembers Him dwelling within everything moving
and nonmoving, and actual ears are those that listen to
sanctifying topics about Him. (Vedabase)
Text
4
It
is about the head that bows to both the manifestations
[moving/nonmoving] of Him, the eye indeed that sees Him
only and the limbs which regularly honor the water that washed
the feet of Vishnu or His devotees'."
An
actual head is one that bows down to the Lord in His
manifestations among the moving and nonmoving creatures,
real eyes are those that see only the Lord, and actual limbs
are those which regularly honor the water that has bathed
the Lord's feet or those of His devotees. (Vedabase)
Text
5
Sûta
[1.2:
1]
said: "Well questioned by Vishnurâta [Parîkchit
as being Vishnu-sent] spoke the powerful sage, the son of
Vyâsa whose heart was fully absorbed in
Vâsudeva.
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: Thus questioned by King
Vishnurâta, the powerful sage Bâdarâyani
replied, his heart fully absorbed in meditation on the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vâsudeva.
(Vedabase)
Text
6
S'rî
S'uka said: 'There was a certain friend of Krishna [called
Sudâmâ, not the same one as mentioned in
10.41:
43],
a brahmin well versed in the Vedas, who peaceful of mind and in
control with the senses was detached from the sense
objects.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Lord Krishna had a certain
brâhmana friend [named
Sudâmâ] who was most learned in Vedic
knowledge and detached from all sense enjoyment.
Furthermore, his mind was peaceful and his senses subdued.
(Vedabase)
Text
7
Existing
as a householder by what came on its own accord was his wife,
just like him, poorly dressed and emaciated of
hunger.
Living
as a householder, he maintained himself with whatever came
of its own accord. The wife of that poorly dressed
brâhmana suffered along with him and was
emaciated from hunger. (Vedabase)
Text
8
With
her face dried up, distressed of the poverty trembling,
approached she, faithful to her husband, him and
said:
The
chaste wife of the poverty-stricken brâhmana
once approached him, her face dried up because of her
distress. Trembling with fear, she spoke as follows.
(Vedabase)
Text
9
'Isn't
it, o brahmin, that your friend, o master of devotion, the
Husband of S'rî who is compassionate with the brahmins,
as the best of the Sâtvatas is willing to give
shelter?
[Sudâmâ's
wife said:] O brâhmana, isn't it true that
the husband of the goddess of fortune is the personal friend
of your exalted self? That greatest of Yâdavas, the
Supreme Lord Krishna, is compassionate to
brâhmanas and very willing to grant them His
shelter. (Vedabase)
Text
10
Approach
Him, my most gracious, and He, the Ultimate Shelter of the
Saintly, will give wealth in plenty to you who is suffering to
maintain a family.
O
fortunate one, please approach Him, the real shelter of all
saints. He will certainly give abundant wealth to such a
suffering householder as you. (Vedabase)
Text
11
If
the Lord of the Bhojas, Vrishnis and Andhakas who is now
present in Dvârakâ, gives even Himself to the one
who remembers the lotus feet of Him, the Master of the
Universe, what wouldn't He do then for he ones of worship who
are not that eager for economic success and sensual
gratification?'
Lord
Krishna is now the ruler of the Bhojas, Vrishnis and
Andhakas and is staying at Dvârakâ. Since He
gives even His own self to anyone who simply remembers His
lotus feet, what doubt is there that He, the spiritual
master of the universe, will bestow upon His sincere
worshiper prosperity and material enjoyment, which are not
even very desirable? (Vedabase)
Text
12-13
The
brahmin this way repeatedly in various ways entreated by his
wife thus thought: 'The sight of Uttamas'loka indeed is the
highest attainment', and having made up his mind to go he asked
her: 'Is there anything in the house I can take as a gift my
good woman, please give it to me!'
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] When his wife thus
repeatedly implored him in various ways, the
brâhmana thought to himself, "To see Lord
Krishna is indeed the greatest achievement in life." Thus he
decided to go, but first he told her, "My good wife, if
there is anything in the house I can bring as a gift, please
give it to me." (Vedabase)
Text
14
She
begged four fists of husked and parched rice from the other
brahmins, wrapped them in a piece of cloth and gave that to her
husband for a gift.
Sudâmâ's
wife begged four handfuls of flat rice from neighboring
brâhmanas, tied up the rice in a torn piece of
cloth and gave it to her husband as a present for Lord
Krishna. (Vedabase)
Text
15
He,
the best of the learned, took it with him and wondered on his
way to Dvârakâ: 'How will this audience with
Krishna ever happen to me?'
Taking
the flat rice, the saintly brâhmana set off for
Dvârakâ, all the while wondering "How will I be
able to have Krishna's audience?" (Vedabase)
Text
16-17
Passing with a
couple of local brahmins three gates and guard stations, walked
he between the houses of Acyuta's faithful followers, the
Andakas and Vrishnis. One normally couldn't go there and so
felt he as if he had attained the bliss of the Pure Spirit. He
then entered one of the opulent sixteen thousand residences of
the Lord His queens [*].
The
learned brâhmana, joined by some local
brâhmanas, passed three guard stations and went
through three gateways, and then he walked by the homes of
Lord Krishna's faithful devotees, the Andhakas and Vrishnis,
which ordinarily no one could do. He then entered one of the
opulent palaces belonging to Lord Hari's sixteen thousand
queens, and when he did so he felt as if he were attaining
the bliss of liberation. (Vedabase)
Text
18
Acyuta sitting
on His consort's bed, seeing him from a distance immediately
rose and came forward to close him gladly in His
arms.
At
that time Lord Acyuta was seated on His consort's bed.
Spotting the brâhmana at some distance, the
Lord immediately stood up, went forward to meet him and with
great pleasure embraced him. (Vedabase)
Text
19
The Lotus-eyed
One, in contact with His dear friend's saintly and wise body,
extremely ecstatic released affectionately some teardrops from
His eyes.
The
lotus-eyed Supreme Lord felt intense ecstasy upon touching
the body of His dear friend, the wise brâhmana,
and thus He shed tears of love. (Vedabase)
Text
20-22
Having him
seated on the bed fetched He some items to honor His friend and
wash his feet. The water took the Supreme Lord of All the
Worlds on His head, o King. Then the Purifier anointed him with
divinely fragrant sandalwood and aloe-wood [lignaloes or
aguru] paste and kunkuma. Glad to worship His friend
with aromatic incense and series of lamps, welcomed He him,
offering bethel nut and a cow.
Lord
Krishna seated His friend Sudâmâ upon the bed.
Then the Lord, who purifies the whole world, personally
offered him various tokens of respect and washed his feet, O
King, after which He sprinkled the water on His own head. He
anointed him with divinely fragrant sandalwood, aguru and
kunkuma pastes and happily worshiped him with
aromatic incense and arrays of lamps. After finally offering
him betel nut and the gift of a cow, He welcomed him with
pleasing words. (Vedabase)
Text
23
Carefully
fanning with a yak's tail the dirty and poorly dressed
emaciated twice-born, whose veins could be seen, was the
goddess [Rukminî] personally of
service.
By
fanning him with her câmara, the divine goddess of
fortune personally served that poor brâhmana,
whose clothing was torn and dirty and who was so thin that
veins were visible all over his body. (Vedabase)
Text
24
The people in
the palace seeing Krishna spotless in His glory, fell in
amazement about the intense love with which the one who was so
repudiate [the avadhûta] was
honored:
The
people in the royal palace were astonished to see Krishna,
the Lord of spotless glory, so lovingly honor this shabbily
dressed brâhmana. (Vedabase)
Text
25-26
'What
pious deeds performed he, this unclean, condemned and lowly
mendicant deprived of all prosperity in the world, to be served
with reverence by the Spiritual Master of the Three Worlds who
is the abode of S'rî. Sitting on her bed embraced He him
as an older brother leaving aside the goddess!'
[The
residents of the palace said:] What pious acts has this
unkempt, impoverished brâhmana performed?
People regard him as lowly and contemptible, yet the
spiritual master of the three worlds, the abode of Goddess
S'rî, is serving him reverently. Leaving the goddess
of fortune sitting on her bed, the Lord has embraced this
brâhmana as if he were an older brother.
(Vedabase)
Text
27
Taking
hold of each other's hands, o King, they discussed the topics
of the past in which they together lived in the school of their
spiritual master [see 10.45:
31-32].
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] Taking each other's
hands, O King, Krishna and Sudâmâ talked
pleasantly about how they once lived together in the school
of their guru. (Vedabase)
Text
28
The
Supreme Lord said: 'O brahmin, after the guru received his
remuneration from you and, o knower of the dharma, you
returned, did you marry a suitable wife or not?
The
Supreme Lord said: My dear brâhmana, you know
well the ways of dharma. After you offered the gift of
remuneration to our guru and returned home from his school,
did you marry a compatible wife or not? (Vedabase)
Text
29
With
your mind occupied by household matters were you not driven by
desires, neither, so I know to be true, do you take much
pleasure, o wise one, in the pursuit of material
happiness.
Even
though you are mostly involved in household affairs, your
mind is not affected by material desires. Nor, O learned
one, do you take much pleasure in the pursuit of material
wealth. This I am well aware of. (Vedabase)
Text
30
Some people
execute their worldly duties without in their minds being
disturbed by desires; acting as I do to set an example, they
shake off the propensities that naturally rise.
Having
renounced all material propensities, which spring from the
Lord's illusory energy, some people execute worldly duties
with their minds undisturbed by mundane desires. They act as
I do, to instruct the general populace. (Vedabase)
Text
31
Do
you, o brahmin, still remember our stay in the
gurukula?
It is there that a twice-born person learns to understand what
needs to be known and thus may experience what is transcendent
to the ignorance.
My
dear brâhmana, do you remember how we lived
together in our spiritual master's school? When a twice-born
student has learned from his guru all that is to be learned,
he can enjoy spiritual life, which lies beyond all
ignorance. (Vedabase)
Text
32
The
first birth of someone twice-born, my friend, is this material
life, that indeed under the direct supervision of a spiritual
master, the bestower of spiritual knowledge who is as Myself,
is sanctified [in a 'second birth'] by the duties he
teaches for all
spiritual orders [see âs'rama
and
7.12].
My
dear friend, he who gives a person his physical birth is his
first spiritual master, and he who initiates him as a
twice-born brâhmana and engages him in
religious duties is indeed more directly his spiritual
master. But the person who bestows transcendental knowledge
upon the members of all the spiritual orders of society is
one's ultimate spiritual master. Indeed, he is as good as My
own self. (Vedabase)
Text
33
For
sure are of those engaged in the varnâs'rama
system [see
also B.G.
4: 13]
in
this world they the expert knowers of the true welfare, o
brahmin, who cross over the ocean of a material existence with
the help of the words stemming from Me as the spiritual
master.
Certainly,
O brâhmana, of all the followers of the
varnâs'rama system, those who take advantage of
the words I speak in My form as the spiritual master and
thus easily cross over the ocean of material existence best
understand their own true welfare. (Vedabase)
Text
34
I,
the Soul of All Beings, am not as satisfied by ritual worship,
brahminical initiation, austerity or self-control as I am by
faithful service
[compare 7.14:
17].
I,
the Soul of all beings, am not as satisfied by ritual
worship, brahminical initiation, penances or self-discipline
as I am by faithful service rendered to one's spiritual
master. (Vedabase)
Text
35-36
O
brahmin, do you remember what we, living with our spiritual
master, did when we once by the wife of our guru were sent to
fetch firewood? Having entered a big forest arose, o twice-born
one, all out of season, a fierce harsh thundering wind and
rain.
O
brâhmana, do you remember what happened to us
while we were living with our spiritual master? Once our
guru's wife sent us to fetch firewood, and after we entered
the vast forest, O twice-born one, an unseasonal storm
arose, with fierce wind and rain and harsh thunder.
(Vedabase)
Text
37
With
the sun having set overcome by darkness could with all the
water around no direction, high or low land, be
recognized.
Then,
as the sun set, the forest was covered by darkness in every
direction, and with all the flooding we could not
distinguish high land from low. (Vedabase)
Text
38
We,
constantly heavily besieged by the fierce wind and water there,
were in the flooding unable to make out which way to go. We
then wandering distressed in the forest, held each other's
hands.
Constantly
besieged by the powerful wind and rain, we lost our way
amidst the flooding waters. We simply held each other's
hands and, in great distress, wandered aimlessly about the
forest. (Vedabase)
Text
39
Knowing
this set our guru Sândîpani at sunrise out to
search for us, his disciples. So found the
âcârya us then in distress:
Our
guru, Sândîpani, understanding our predicament,
set out after sunrise to search for us, his disciples, and
found us in distress. (Vedabase)
Text
40
'Oh
you children, how much have you suffered because of me; in your
devotion for me have you disregarded the [comfort of your
own] body that indeed to all living beings is most
dear!
[Sândîpani
said:] O my children, you have suffered so much for my
sake! The body is most dear to every living creature, but
you are so dedicated to me that you completely disregarded
your own comfort. (Vedabase)
Text
41
This
now is the truth valid for disciples: to repay, perfectly pure
in one's love, one's debt to the guru by offering the spiritual
master one's self and one's property.
This
indeed is the duty of all true disciples: to repay the debt
to their spiritual master by offering him, with pure hearts,
their wealth and even their very lives. (Vedabase)
Text
42
Satisfied
I am, my dear ones, o best of brahmins, may your desires be
fulfilled and may in this world as well as in the next that
what evolves from your attraction [your words, your
mantras] never fade [compare 10.45:
48].'
You
boys are first-class brâhmanas, and I am
satisfied with you. May all your desires be fulfilled, and
may the Vedic mantras you have learned never lose their
meaning for you, in this world or the next.
(Vedabase)
Text
43
And
many things like this happened when we were living in the home
of the guru; simply by the mercy of the spiritual master is a
person fulfilled in his quest for peace.
[Lord
Krishna continued:] We had many similar experiences
while living in our spiritual master's home. Simply by the
grace of the spiritual master a person can fulfill life's
purpose and attain eternal peace. (Vedabase)
Text
44
The
brahmin said: 'What more is there for me to achieve in life, o
God of Gods, o Guru of the Universe, than to have lived at the
guru's house with You whose every desire is
fulfilled?
The
brâhmana said: What could I possibly have
failed to achieve, O Lord of lords, O universal teacher,
since I was able to personally live with You, whose every
desire is fulfilled, at the home of our spiritual master?
(Vedabase)
Text
45
O
Almighty One in Your body, that is the fertile field of all
welfare, is found the praise relating to the Absolute Truth
[of the Vedas]; Your residing with spiritual masters is
all roleplaying [see also e.g. 10.69:
44
and 10.77:
30]!
O
almighty Lord, Your body comprises the Absolute Truth in the
form of the Vedas and is thus the source of all auspicious
goals of life. That You took up residence at the school of a
spiritual master is simply one of Your pastimes in which You
play the role of a human being. (Vedabase)
*
S'rîla Vis'vanâtha Cakravartî quotes from the
Padma Purâna, Uttara-khanda, which says that the brahmin
actually entered the palace of Rukminî: 'sa tu
rukminy-antah-pura- dvâri kshanam tûshnîm
sthitah'; 'He stood for a moment in silence at the doorway
of Queen Rukminî's palace'.