* Naming ceremony of Bhaktidevi and description of her noble qualities. * Marriage of Dharma and Bhakti. * Impact of Pativrata-Dharma. * Preaching to Dharmadev by his father.
Naming ceremony of Bhaktidevi and description of her noble qualities
Suvrat said:-
O King! Performing all the appropriate scriptural rites, Krishnasharma named his daughter as Bala, with great joy. 1.
Since her birth, the house of the Brahmin always prospered with wealth, grains and was full of happiness. Bala was growing like a crescent moon in the bright-fortnight, giving joy to her parents with her child play. 2-3.
She resembled Devahuti (Mother of Kapila Muni) in her looks and virtues. Since her childhood this truth-speaking girl was devoted to Shri Krishna by nature. 4.
O king, she was always engaged in devotional services to Krishna; and seeing her, all the people used to call her ‘Bhakti’. 5.
Marriage of Dharma and Bhakti Krishnasharma gave his daughter to a suitable distinguished, virtuous Brahmin Devasharma, in his own house, following the customary rituals. 6.
Balasharma, along with relatives and friends reached the place where the wedding rites were to take place. Krishna Sharma greeted them with great honour. 7.
People who were present at the wedding ceremony found the couple to be a perfect match and acclaimed them lovingly as Parvati and Shiva. 8.
Krishna Sharma, requested his gentle and virtuous son-in-law to stay in his house. The best Brahmin stayed there with his father’s permission and also consented by his wife. 9-10.
Father’s instruction to Dharma and his wife
Balasharma also stayed there for a few days, and on his way back, he gave useful advice to his daughter-in-law. 11.
Balasharma said:-
‘O auspicious one, please listen to my words which will bring you good-fortune, be gentle, sin-fearing and devoted. 12.
A woman who is, faithful and loving towards her husband enjoys heavenly pleasures, for aeons. These years can be counted based on the number of hairs multiplied by crores into ten thousand. (Practically beyond count.) 13.
The mother, the father and the husband are all fortunate, who have such a husband-devoted woman dwelling in their house. 14.
The man, through his merits earned in hundreds of births, can have such a devoted, religious wife in his house. 15.
The triad of ancestors belonging to maternal, paternal and the in- laws would enjoy heavenly happiness through meritorious deeds of a de- voted women. 16.
Even the Sun, the moon and the wind dare not touch her even if they touch then it is to purify themselves. 17.
All the holy places on the earth are at the feet of a virtuous wife. The divine glow of all gods and sages is substantiated in her. 18.
By the dust of the feet of a pious woman the earth becomes sacred and by saluting her, the sinner is indeed removed of his sins. 19.
The virtuous wife is treated equal to the well-known women of highest piety like Arundhati, Savitri, Anasuya, Shandili, Ahalya, Sati, Draupadi, Shtarupa, Mena, Suniti, Samjna, Svaha and Lopamudra. You be like them. 20-21.
Suvrat said:-
After instructing her about the duties of virtuous wife in details, and as he saw her great love for her husband, he called her Premavati. 22.
Then the reverend one spoke to his son, who was bright like the sun to his family, well versed from the childhood (only), and who was adorned with all the virtues. 23.
Preaching to Dharmadev by his father
Balsharma said:-
‘O Son, though you are well educated and expert in Vedic lore, out of my fatherly love and elderly experience, I advise you for your own good. 24.
Follow these religious duties without fail, such as: taking bath, praying in morning and evenings, chanting god’s name, doing self-study, giving oblations to manes and gods, and be hospitable to guests. 25.
One, whose wife is virtuous, should always observe the duties of a householder. Though your wife is so young but to me she seems to be a pious woman. 26.
So, wishing a good household life, you should always do what is dear to her. You should not dishonour your wife who is virtuous and religious. 27.
You should not touch any woman who is not closely related, and particularly any unholy widow. 28.
As soon as the soul leaves the body, this body becomes impure; likewise a woman without husband becomes ominous though she is clean. 29.
A widow is most inauspicious. By sight of a widow, one cannot meet success in his task. 30.
If unknowingly one touches a widow, he should take bath. But if one touches her deliberately, he must fast for a day. 31.
Hence, those who wish to be successful, should not touch a widow, and should not take blessings from her, because her blessings are similar to poison. 32.
You should not sit in solitude with any other woman other than your wife, even with the mother, daughter or sister, at any time. 33.
You should abstain from wines, flesh, enjoying the wife of others, stealing, hurting yourself and others. And also keep yourself away from breach of religious code. 34.
It is not proper to go to another’s wife for a person of any caste, for this eliminates one’s religious-obligatory merits gained, and diminishes one’s life-span. 35.
There is nothing more harmful to one’s life than enjoying another’s wife, in his world. 36.
If one sees another’s wife with an unchaste mind on this earth, he is born afflicted by diseases. 37.
Those fools, who see another’s wife with lust invariably are born- blind out of their wickedness. 38.
Those who are engaged in illicit sexual affairs with their wickedness, are born as eunuchs (unable to have children), and crooked people. 39.
To befriend with womanizers should be avoided, for it creates tendency in men to go to other’s wife and keeping the company of lustful men should be avoided. 40.
It is desirable to have the company of the devotees of Lord Narayan. One should have the discriminations between religious and irreligious ways and to follow the religious always. 41.
Religion is the only means to attain the other world and there is no other. So, one should live a religious life in every possible way. 42.
You both should observe the Ekadasi vow with fervour in both bright and dark fortnights of the month. 43.
This vow is considered to be the best of vows; by observing this, men and women get bliss as well as salvation. 44.
All other vows pertaining to Vishnu, and the great festivals of His birth anniversary, should be celebrated every year according to one’s ability. 45.
One should observe the vow pertaining to Ganapati in the month of Bhadrapada on the fourth brighter day and also the Mahashivaratri in the month of Magha, on the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, to please Lord Krishna. 46.
Hanuman, the prominent, devotee of Shri Ram is our family deity. And He should be worshipped on the 14th day of dark fortnight of Ashvin. 47.
Worship Hanuman the celibate, with oil ablution, and red lead, Karavir flowers, and offer eatables like laddus and Vadas of black gram (udad) and sweets made of ground nuts and jaggery according to one’s ability. 48 - 49.
The worship of Hanuman, the son of the wind, with devotion, according to one’s ability, by recollecting his name, doubtlessly takes way all the agonies.’ 50.
Suvrat said:-
Thus the couple having instructed by Balasharma said: ‘we will do as you have advised,’ and saluted him. 51.
The Brahmin was pleased at the gestures of the couple saluting and showing utmost earnestness in religion, showered blessings on them both. 52.
Returning home with relatives, having obtained a noble son and getting desires fulfilled, in the course of time, by his virtues, he attained the abode of Vishnu. 53.
Thus ends the twelfth chapter entitled ‘Balashrama’s advice to Dharma and Bhakti’ in the first Prakarana of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 12