Shree Hari acceded to the request of accepting meals once every day at the residence of both the brothers.
Shree Hari acceded to the request of accepting meals once every day at the residence of both the brothers.
Suvrat said:-
O King, the Lord of the earth, then he performed the concluding worship as per the ritual; and gifted the golden idol of the Lord Shri Krishna to the doyen amongst the Brahmins. 1.
He fed hundreds and thousands of Brahmins with their favourite food, rich in ghee and sugar, fit for both chewing and masticating. 2
After feeding properly the sages and other attendants, as before, Hari began to cook for Himself in His Resort. 3.
At that time, O King, Ramprasada and Iccharama, accompanied by their wives, came there and bowing down, requested Him frequently, up to this time, You cooked Your own food as no Brahmin cook of Your caste was available and it was really worthy of you, since You are very religious. 4-5.
Now onwards, all of us have taken resort with and shall live with you along with our family for all our life time. 6.
So, You should eat the food prepared by us. We will be grateful to You by being allowed to do just this much service, that will make our life happy. 7.
Suvrata said:-
Having heard this from His brothers that gracious Lord, who knew their sincere feelings, said to them, I knew your sincere feeling for Me along with your Family. I agree to your proposal. 8-9.
I Shall take my meals, turn by turn at one of your houses. You please first offer the meals to the God Krishna and then please call me only after making food offering to Lord Shri Krishna. 10.
However, both of you should accept whatever raw food material is given by my devotees for Me. You should clean it and then do the cooking. 11.
O King, He spoke thus, and both of them and their wives were very much pleased. 12.
On that very day, food was prepared at the house of Ramaprasad by his wife Suvasini. There He took His meals at the completion of His fast. 13.
Then he came quickly towards His raised seat and sat there for about an hour; so that all people could have a view of Him. 14.
Then some groups of men, who had finished their daily rites, came there to see Him. Having got His glimpse, they went back. 15.
As he was observing the vow of celibacy, he did not sleep in the day time. Yet to give some rest, to the people, he entered his abode. 16.
He sat on His auspicious seat, His legs and feet being massaged by the attendants like Somasuri and celibates like Mukundanand. 17.
Then, in the afternoon also, He came and sat on His raised seat surrounded by his attendants. 18.
Meanwhile, sages, singers and all other men and women arrived there and quickly took their respective seats. 19.
Kubera and other citizens of that city, saluted Shri Hari, Who sat there, satisfying those devotees only by looking around, and asked Him, please tell us about the exact day on which the swing festival (Dolotsava) of God Nar-Narayan is to be celebrated, so that we may arrange for collecting all the required material. 20-21.
Why Fuldolotsav ?
Narayan muni said:-
Nar-Narayan was born in the Swayambhuva Manvantara during the month of Phalgun on full moon day, when the constellation Phalguni presided over by the deity Aryama, coincided with sunrise. At that very moment, He was placed in the divine Swing by the leading Gods (Brahma, etc.) and rocked by them, since then, this festival has become prevalent. 22-23.
Wherever, the God’s birth anniversary is celebrated, there that day,i.e. tithi is important and elsewhere the constellation is considered as important. 24.
The Lord Nar-Narayan who is sacred object of worship, for us, that God: Varniraj, foremost among the celibates appeared in the form of an idol directly at the age of sixteen. 25.
So, all the followers of our sect, should celebrate this festival on the observation based on the day, when the Aryama constellation coincides with the sunrise. 26.
Suvrat said:-
having told them thus Shri Hari asked the Brahmin astrologer named Mayaram, who was sitting in front of Him, on which day that constellation should coincide with sunrise. 27.
He immediately (promptly) picked up a page of the calendar from the bundle, looked into it, and told Him, the particular constellation occurs as per our requirement, on the first day of the dark fortnight of this Phalguna month. 28.
Thereupon, Shri Hari told the citizens that the festival of Lord Shri Krishna should be celebrated on the first day of dark fortnight of this month, so the people went back to the city for preparation. 29.
Then the thousands of devotees from various nearby regions came upto Him and bowed down. They requested Him separately for returning to their places and taking food. 30.
One said, You should please come to my place for meals today or tomorrow with all your sages, attendants and Brahmins. 31.
Seeing all the people thus requesting individually, Shri Hari just smiled and said, O you all please listen to me. 32.
I, along with my sages, am very much pleased with your devotion itself. So please, do not press for taking food, separately at everybody’s place. 33.
O my devotees, if we come for meals everyday to each one’s home, then how will that request be complied with, even in hundred years? will not suffice. 34.
So, I suggest that, those residing in one place may come together and jointly, turn by turn, satisfy the sages with food. 35.
When these are satisfied by enjoying various types of tasty food items, fit for eating, drinking, licking, and sucking, know for sure that I shall be satisfied automatically. 36.
If you wish to feed Me personally, then please send raw and uncooked food. When told thus, all those people behaved that way; and went to their houses. 37-38.
Then in the evening, Shri Hari uttered various names of the Lord Shri Krishna, and made the great sages to sing songs praising His qualities. 39.
Then Shri Hari permitted His devotees who had kept awake all through the previous day, and night, to return to their respective resorts. Shri Hari, too, left for His residence. 40.
Then after pereforming His daily rituals, washed his lotuslike hands and feet. The controller of the sleep always thinking of the welfare of the good people slept peacefully. 41.
After getting up early in the morning, Shri Hari again performed the daily routine rituals. Then He went and guided the citizens to gather the material necessary for that celebration. 42.
Even on the fourteenth day He performed all the daily rites and then as per the request of the people he supervised the material gathered for the celebration. 43.
He ordered His followers as follows, My adherents should never use vulgar language or ride a donkey during the days of Holi (festival) as is the practice amongst the foul people. 44.
Thus ends the fiftysixth chapter entitled, ‘Narration of description of the decision of the swing festival,’ in the third prakaran of Satsangi Jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra. (the rules of the code of conduct). 56