Jain Shravaks and followers of other sects realizing Shri Hari’s supremacy, take shelter under Him.
Jain Shravaks and followers of other sects realizing Shri Hari’s supremacy, take shelter under Him.
Suvrat Said:-
Thousands of Jain Shravaks (pupils) of the merchant class had gathered there desiring to take shelter in Him. They saluted Him and said thus: 1.
‘O celibate-supreme! We wish to see our celibate Tirthankaras (holy preceptors) and then we will surely follow your orders sincerely.’ 2.
Swami asked them to sit in front of Him, and looking at them with His compassionate look, revealed to them many Tirthankaras. 3.
Outwardly, they were looking like a wood log as their vital breath had ceased. But, in their inner self they saw all the blessed Jain teachers, exactly in the same form as they had learnt from their scriptures. 4.
O King! In this manner, they were sitting in meditation for three Yamas (9 hours), and were very pleased to see Rishabhadeva and other great Jain ascetics. 5.
But in the town, there arose a great rumor that those jain pupils are dead. Having heard this, their relatives rushed to the site. 6.
When they saw them lying on the ground like dead bodies, they began to scream and prayed Swami to restore them to life again. 7.
Then He gave a fleeting look at them and made them come to senses. The awakened pupils told their relatives that Swami had revealed to them their great sages - Tirthankaras. 8.
Then, they came to know that Narayan Muni Himself is the real incarnation of God, and with firm devotion, they became detached from the body and bodily pleasures. 9.
In that town there lived many other followers of the saints and learned (Vaisnava) preceptors like Vallabha, Nimbarka, Madhvacharya and Ramanujacharya. 10.
And also of Sankaracharya, Ramananda, Gajanana, Siva, Shakti (Shaktas) and the worshippers of the Sun-god belonging to three castes. 11.
There were also people of low caste, women and the ascetics, celibates, Atitas and mendicants, who came to know about the super human exploits of the lord. The gathering was quite large. 12.
They saluted him and expressed their desire to reveal them their own favorite deities. 13.
With a view to establish the religious path, Swami fulfilled their desire with a smile on his face. He thought: 14.
‘If with my yogic powers I show their gods in their own hearts, then they will respect me as their Lord. Knowing me to be an all- pervading Lord, they will come to me. And afterwards abandoning their pseudo-dharma, they will dedicate themselves to me. That dedication will bestow desired fruit to them. 15 -16.
Thinking thus, the Lord made them all seated in front of Him, and posited them in deep meditation immediately. 17.
As he gazed at them, they entered into a state of Samadhi with flow of vital breath absorbed in the heart. But in their hearts, they were visualizing their own favorite deities. 18.
The followers of Vallabha, and other three (Vaisnava) sages, (Madhva and Nimbarka) saw Sri Krishna, surrounded by gopis- the cowherd women in Vrindavana. 19.
The followers of Ramanuja saw their deity Laksmi-Narayan, with their attendants like Nanda, Sunanda, Garuda (the divine eagle), Visvaksena and others. 20.
The followers of Ramananda saw Rama with his consort Sita, Laksmana, and Hanuman, adorning the divine throne. 21.
The pupils of Shankaracharya, saw in their inner self, the glow of the supreme (spirit). And the devotees of Siva saw Lord Shankara, with his consort Uma and the other pramatha attendants. 22.
Devotees of the Sun saw the golden form of god (Narayan) in the orb of the Sun, and the devotees of Ganapati saw Mahaganapati in their hearts. 23.
Similarly devotees of Shakti saw her in the form of their favourite deity in their hearts. Thus all of them saw their own desired deities, owing to His yogic splendour. 24.
All of them were overwhelmed with joy, for the fulfillment of their hearts’desire – to see their preferred deities along with all their affluence. 25.
When they were visualizing within themselves their favorite deities, the master with his graceful look awakened them, who were lying as if dead. 26.
They were wondered and told each other whatever they saw in their hearts and that Nilakantha Swami, being supreme-being, could take universal form. 27.
They accepted him as the Great Lord, and abandoning their own religious beliefs and also preceptors, they surrendered to Him. 28.
O King, Mukunda, Muktananda and other followers of Uddhava also experienced his supreme felicities and realized that He is the Lord Krishna himself. Then onwards they became very happy, were devoted to Him and always obeyed His commands. 29 -30
Muslims seek shelter of Shree Hari.
There was a Yavana king, named Vajradeen. His brother-inlaw (wife’s brother) named Kazi came to know about this supernatural event. 31.
As instructed by the Yavan King, Kazi along with other Yavanas approached and saluted the Lord and said. 32.
O great celibate ‘You are showing everybody their own favorite deity. If you show us our Paigambars, to whom we are devoted, we will follow you. 33.
Then Swami instructed him to sit down, and asked to stare at Himself. As he was looking at Swami, he went into deep meditation, his vital breath was withdrawn from veins and controlled in his heart and the body became motionless. At the same time, he saw in his heart, the prophet Mohammad and other Paigambars exactly similar to what he had known about them and hence was very much delighted. 34 - 35.
When he returned to his senses after Swami’s glance, he told his people what he had seen during meditation. 36.
From that moment he accepted Swami as his Lord, with firm faith in Him and followed His commands forever. 37.
Having experienced this miracle, the king also with firm determination, became solely devoted to Swami, forever and sought His protection. 38.
Thus hearing about Swami’s divine excellence, whosoever approached Him was astonished by His exploits and confessed to His Lordship and came to His shelter. 39.
Owing to His influence, they were convinced that to eat nonvegetarian food, consume alcoholic drinks, and enjoy other’s wife is not at all acceptable to dharma. And hence they gave up all this with firm determination. 40.
Those who took His shelter abandoned consumption of wine etc., eating flesh, immoral contacts, theft, violence against oneself or other and all such acts which were not allowed by their castes. 41.
Except commoners, those devotees who were celibate and ascetic used to observe eightfold rules of celibacy strictly. Commoners also avoided the touch or keeping any kind of contact with women (except their wives) in the family, especially with widows. 42.
The good devoted wives observed chastity and widows observed celibacy like ascetics. 43.
Owing to His great influence all the devotees prospered, endowed with the knowledge of self religious duties, detachment from worldly things and understanding of Lord’s magnanimity. 44.
Thus, the disciples of Narayan Muni, were different from ordinary people in the world. Though they lived in this mortal world, it was as if they were residents of the celestial Svetadveepa. 45.
Thus were the powers of the great celibate, which were not attainable to even the Gods, human beings, demons or to the deities like Brahma (creator) or Rudra (destroyer) and others even in their imagination. He revealed to them on this earth for the welfare of the human beings. He manifested Himself in the form of a human-being, to enlighten men with his divinely sports again and again; and destroyed all the sinful irreligious cults and their preceptors. 46.
Thus ends the fifth chapter entitled ‘Wonderful act of bestowing state of Samadhi’ in the second Prakarana of Satsangijivan,the life story of Lord Narayan,, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 5
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