Shri Hari’s spiritual exploits attract people to religiosity.
Shri Hari’s spiritual exploits attract people to religiosity.
Stay of Shree Hari in Dhamadka and Bhachau for two days and in Kanthkot for one day.
Suvrat said:-
O King, there ruled a king named Labhaji, in Dhamkapur. He arranged for Shri Hari’s stay in his own place. His four sons Kalyanji, Induji, Ramaji and Rayadhanaji were also diligently engaged in Shri Hari’s service. 1-2.
Jijiba, Manyba, Vayu, jeeva, Motini, Karniba and other ladies (form the royal family. also served Him devoutly. 3.
Shri Hari, staying for a couple of days there, came to the town Bhachahu. There Jayaram, Karman and other men, and a lady devotee called Devika and others served Him enthusiastically. After staying there for a couple of days, He came to Kanthakot for a day, where He was adored by Mulaji, Kachara and other devotees and by Vayavi, Haribala and other ladies. 4-6.
Arrival of Shree Hari from Pipali to Rajkot.
From there, having crossed a sea-creak, He moved towards the land of Abhiras and then to Pippalana to please His close devotees. There He was served by merchants like Dev, Ganesh and others, and by women devotees like Manya, Rama and others, according to their capacity. 7-8.
Staying there for two days, He came to Rajkuta, where He was worshipped and served by a princess called Lakshmi with highest devotion. O King, by Shri Hari’s grace she got proficiency in all yogic skills. Staying there for a day, He left from there. 9-10.
Thus, Lord Shri Hari traveled from place to place, educating people to rein in their wrath, suppress false pride, uproot passion, rule out arrogance, overcome desire, destroy greed, abstain from the sins and effects of kali and heretic tendencies, propagate truth, enhance righteousness on this earth etc., thereby creating awe in peoples’ mind, manifesting valour, eliminating darkness of ignorance, shining like a brilliant sun, with His spiritual wisdom. 11 -12.
Witnessing and hearing His excellence as a promoter of the path of righteousness, numerous men and women came to His refuge. 13.
O King, He, the lord, the only shelter for the good, exhibited His prowess to them to enthuse them and to firm up their belief in Him. 14.
He restrained the breath of many and brought them to the state of deep concentration (Samadhi) and got them settled in the Absolute Brahman in their inner self. 15.
In that state, he showed to them Golok, Aksharadham, Shvetadvip and Vaikunth with their entire prowess, and also the Avyakrta, the unmanifest Brahman, the divine Badarivan, the fire, the sun, the abode in celestial ocean, and in each place, He revealed Himself in those divine forms surrounded by attendants and associates therein and with full prowess. 16 - 18.
He made some hear the sound of ‘Om’ and to some He showed His lustrous form shining like crores of suns. 19.
Some of them were made to realize the Absolute Brahman described as the locus of existence (bliss, pure consciousness), which is beyond the three states of consciousness (waking, dream and sleep), the Absolute Seer as Himself. 20.
To some devotees He showed the holy fords of Shri Hari and other divinities on the earth and in the space beyond with all their grandeur. 21.
To some He showed the presiding deities of each chakra (plexus) in the body, like Lord Ganesh in base (Muladhar) and other deities placed in their own plexus. 22.
To some devotees, He was manifest in colossal form (Viratrup) and to some as the supporting universal Purush, the presiding deity described in PurushSukta. 23.
To the devotees staying at distant places even as far as a hundred Yojanas (about 800 to 900 miles) and beyond, He became visible in His original from and they experienced His actual presence at their places. 24.
He made the other devotees at remote places wonderstruck by eating the food offerings kept in front of lord’s image, in their homes in those places. 25.
He took some of His devotees, who were on deathbed to His celestial abode (Aksharadham) and Himself appeared before many others. 26.
Even non-believers were astounded to witness Shri Hari giving such miraculous, extraordinary experiences to seekers of spirituality as well as others, (and they took to His refuge.) 27.
Many scholars supporting different views and belonging in other sects came forward to argue with Him, but none could succeed against him. 28.
Those who worshipped Ram, saw Him as Ram and devotees of Krishna, as Krishna Himself. For those following Shakta sect, He became Shakti; to those adoring the sun He appeared as the sun; Shaivas found Him to be Shiva and Vaishnavas found Him to be Vishnu; at the same time Jains experienced Tirthankar in Him and Yavanas, in meditation, to their surprise, saw Him as Paigambar. 29.
Whoever went to see Him would experience Samadhi in a moment by His grace, and amazingly perceived Him as his own favorite deity. 30.
They, abandoning their cults, took shelter in Him and began to worship Narayan and followed the righteous code devotedly. 31.
Even ordinary, uneducated men who overcame the desire for meat and wine became His followers and attained dispassion and knowledge of the self. 32.
Among those studied in Shastras none were able to defeat even His uneducated, low-caste disciple in spiritual matters among others. 33.
Shri Hari as an ideal socio-religious reformer.
Thus destroying the root of ignorance by His splendour, He re- established the true religion, which was declining on this earth. 34.
He opened many centers giving free food to the needy. Those who came there once never wished to go elsewhere again. 35.
O King, the Lord encouraged His wealthy disciples to perform Vishnuyag to appease Vishnu according to prescribed procedures. 36.
In sacrifices like Vishnuyag, Maharudra-yag etc., He offered delicious sweet meals to the Brahmins in thousands to their satisfaction for days together. He distributed thousands of gold and silver coins generously like a sovereign king. 37 -38.
He performed those sacrifices offering ghee, milk and food- grains and thoroughly expelled the rituals (of the left handers) which were disagreeable to the Vedas, done with five ‘Ma’karas - madira, mamsa, meena, mantra, maithun (wine, meat, fish, chantings and sex). 39.
Thus several times the Lord eradicated the irreligious practices of the heretics, and adored and appeased the saints, Brahmins and gods. 40.
At places He preached the tenets of righteous ways, knowledge, detachment and manifold devotion elaborately. 41.
He defeated the heretic preachers by his innate valour and wisdom, and from them he protected those striving for salvation and initiated them to religious practices. 42.
Lord, the protector of the religion, re-established the eternal religious order of four-castes and four Ashrams - duties to be performed at four stages of life. 43.
Promoting and following Himself the prescribed code of celibacy, He stood shining as the supreme idol among the celibates. 44.
Bhakti, Dharma and the other components becoming stronger and well supported, shone in His service, with full splendor. 45.
They were visible in celestial form to those of pure heart by His will rarely; not to all. 46.
O king, thus exhibiting His wondrous acts, that ocean of compassion, wandering from place to place, came to the town Sharadhara in the month of Ashadh. 47.
Thus ends the twentieth chapter entitled ‘Shri Hari giving joy to numerous devotees showing various divine glories’ in the second Prakarana of Satsangijivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 20
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