Maharaja Prithu's Meeting with the Four Kumaras

Verse 1 (bhagavata.4.22.1)

मैत्रेय उवाच जनेषु प्रगृणत्स्वेवं पृथुं पृथुलविक्रमम् । तत्रोपजग्मुर्मुनयश्चत्वारः सूर्यवर्चसः ॥ १ ॥

maitreya uvāca janeṣu pragṛṇatsv evaṁ pṛthuṁ pṛthula-vikramam tatropajagmur munayaś catvāraḥ sūrya-varcasaḥ

Maitreya said: While the people were thus extolling the mighty, vastly powerful Prithu, four sages, radiant as the sun, arrived at that very place.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.4.22.2)

तांस्तु सिद्धेश्वरान् राजा व्योम्नोऽवतरतोऽर्चिषा । लोकानपापान् कुर्वाणान् सानुगोऽचष्ट लक्षितान् ॥ २ ॥

tāṁs tu siddheśvarān rājā vyomno ’vatarato ’rciṣā lokān apāpān kurvāṇān sānugo ’caṣṭa lakṣitān

The king, together with his attendants, recognized those masters of perfection, marked out by their radiance, as they descended from the sky, purifying the very worlds through which they passed.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.4.22.3)

तद्दर्शनोद्गतान् प्राणान् प्रत्यादित्सुरिवोत्थितः । ससदस्यानुगो वैन्य इन्द्रियेशो गुणानिव ॥ ३ ॥

tad-darśanodgatān prāṇān pratyāditsur ivotthitaḥ sa-sadasyānugo vainya indriyeśo guṇān iva

As though to reclaim his very life-breath, which had rushed out at the sight of them, the son of Vena rose at once, together with his courtiers and attendants, like the lord of the senses, the mind, rising eagerly toward its objects.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.4.22.4)

गौरवाद्यन्त्रितः सभ्यः प्रश्रयानतकन्धरः । विधिवत्पूजयां चक्रे गृहीताध्यर्हणासनान् ॥ ४ ॥

gauravād yantritaḥ sabhyaḥ praśrayānata-kandharaḥ vidhivat pūjayāṁ cakre gṛhītādhyarhaṇāsanān

Held in check by his own reverence, courteous, his neck bowed in humility, he worshiped them according to proper rite, once they had accepted the seats of honor offered to them.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.4.22.5)

तत्पादशौचसलिलैर्मार्जितालकबन्धनः । तत्र शीलवतां वृत्तमाचरन्मानयन्निव ॥ ५ ॥

tat-pāda-śauca-salilair mārjitālaka-bandhanaḥ tatra śīlavatāṁ vṛttam ācaran mānayann iva

With the water that had washed their feet, he sprinkled the bound locks of his own hair, thus observing, as if to honor them, the conduct proper to men of noble character.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.4.22.6)

हाटकासन आसीनान् स्वधिष्ण्येष्विव पावकान् । श्रद्धासंयमसंयुक्तः प्रीतः प्राह भवाग्रजान् ॥ ६ ॥

hāṭakāsana āsīnān sva-dhiṣṇyeṣv iva pāvakān śraddhā-saṁyama-saṁyuktaḥ prītaḥ prāha bhavāgrajān

To those elder brothers of Shiva, seated on the golden throne like sacred fires upon their own altars, the king, joined with faith and restraint, spoke to them gladly.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.4.22.7)

पृथुरुवाच अहो आचरितं किं मे मङ्गलं मङ्गलायनाः । यस्य वो दर्शनं ह्यासीद्दुर्दर्शानां च योगिभिः ॥ ७ ॥

pṛthur uvāca aho ācaritaṁ kiṁ me maṅgalaṁ maṅgalāyanāḥ yasya vo darśanaṁ hy āsīd durdarśānāṁ ca yogibhiḥ

Prithu said: Ah, O very abodes of auspiciousness, what good deed of mine can it have been that I should obtain sight of you — you whom even yogis find so hard to behold?

Verse 8 (bhagavata.4.22.8)

किं तस्य दुर्लभतरमिह लोके परत्र च । यस्य विप्राः प्रसीदन्ति शिवो विष्णुश्च सानुगः ॥ ८ ॥

kiṁ tasya durlabhataram iha loke paratra ca yasya viprāḥ prasīdanti śivo viṣṇuś ca sānugaḥ

For one with whom the brahmanas are pleased, and Shiva, and Vishnu together with His attendants, what indeed is difficult to obtain, in this world or in the next?

Verse 9 (bhagavata.4.22.9)

नैव लक्षयते लोको लोकान् पर्यटतोऽपि यान् । यथा सर्वदृशं सर्व आत्मानं येऽस्य हेतवः ॥ ९ ॥

naiva lakṣayate loko lokān paryaṭato ’pi yān yathā sarva-dṛśaṁ sarva ātmānaṁ ye ’sya hetavaḥ

People never recognize those like you as you wander through the worlds — just as no one perceives the self within, the witness of all, though it is the very cause of everything.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.4.22.10)

अधना अपि ते धन्याः साधवो गृहमेधिनः । यद्गृहा ह्यर्हवर्याम्बुतृणभूमीश्वरावराः ॥ १० ॥

adhanā api te dhanyāḥ sādhavo gṛha-medhinaḥ yad-gṛhā hy arha-varyāmbu- tṛṇa-bhūmīśvarāvarāḥ

Blessed indeed, even without riches, are those virtuous householders whose homes provide, to worthy guests both great and small, water, a seat of grass, and a place upon the ground.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.4.22.11)

व्यालालयद्रुमा वै तेष्वरिक्ताखिलसम्पदः । यद्गृहास्तीर्थपादीयपादतीर्थविवर्जिताः ॥ ११ ॥

vyālālaya-drumā vai teṣv ariktākhila-sampadaḥ yad-gṛhās tīrtha-pādīya- pādatīrtha-vivarjitāḥ

By contrast, those homes, however overflowing with every kind of wealth, in which no water exists for washing the feet of wandering saints, are, in truth, nothing but trees infested with venomous serpents.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.4.22.12)

स्वागतं वो द्विजश्रेष्ठा यद्व्रतानि मुमुक्षवः । चरन्ति श्रद्धया धीरा बाला एव बृहन्ति च ॥ १२ ॥

svāgataṁ vo dvija-śreṣṭhā yad-vratāni mumukṣavaḥ caranti śraddhayā dhīrā bālā eva bṛhanti ca

Welcome to you, O best among the twice-born, seekers of liberation, steadfast and grown great in wisdom, who observe your vows with faith, and yet remain, in your conduct, forever like children.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.4.22.13)

कच्चिन्नः कुशलं नाथा इन्द्रियार्थार्थवेदिनाम् । व्यसनावाप एतस्मिन्पतितानां स्वकर्मभिः ॥ १३ ॥

kaccin naḥ kuśalaṁ nāthā indriyārthārtha-vedinām vyasanāvāpa etasmin patitānāṁ sva-karmabhiḥ

O lords, is there indeed any good fortune left for us, who know only the pursuit of the senses' objects, fallen by our own deeds into this predicament of worldly existence?

Verse 14 (bhagavata.4.22.14)

भवत्सु कुशलप्रश्न आत्मारामेषु नेष्यते । कुशलाकुशला यत्र न सन्ति मतिवृत्तयः ॥ १४ ॥

bhavatsu kuśala-praśna ātmārāmeṣu neṣyate kuśalākuśalā yatra na santi mati-vṛttayaḥ

Toward you, who delight only in the self, the question of well-being does not properly apply, since in you no mental states of fortune or misfortune, good or ill, exist at all.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.4.22.15)

तदहं कृतविश्रम्भः सुहृदो वस्तपस्विनाम् । सम्पृच्छे भव एतस्मिन् क्षेमः केनाञ्जसा भवेत् ॥ १५ ॥

tad ahaṁ kṛta-viśrambhaḥ suhṛdo vas tapasvinām sampṛcche bhava etasmin kṣemaḥ kenāñjasā bhavet

Even so, trusting you, ascetics that you are, as the true friends of those in suffering, I ask you this: by what means, in this state of worldly existence, can true well-being be attained with ease?

Verse 16 (bhagavata.4.22.16)

व्यक्तमात्मवतामात्मा भगवानात्मभावनः । स्वानामनुग्रहायेमां सिद्धरूपी चरत्यजः ॥ १६ ॥

vyaktam ātmavatām ātmā bhagavān ātma-bhāvanaḥ svānām anugrahāyemāṁ siddha-rūpī caraty ajaḥ

Surely the illustrious, unborn Lord — the very Self and well-wisher of those who cherish the self — wanders openly through this world in the form of the perfected sages, for the grace of His own devoted people.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.4.22.17)

मैत्रेय उवाच पृथोस्तत्सूक्तमाकर्ण्य सारं सुष्ठु मितं मधु । स्मयमान इव प्रीत्या कुमारः प्रत्युवाच ह ॥ १७ ॥

maitreya uvāca pṛthos tat sūktam ākarṇya sāraṁ suṣṭhu mitaṁ madhu smayamāna iva prītyā kumāraḥ pratyuvāca ha

Maitreya said: Having heard that well-chosen, measured, and sweet speech of Prithu — full of substance — Kumara, smiling as if in delight, replied as follows.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.4.22.18)

सनत्कुमार उवाच साधु पृष्टं महाराज सर्वभूतहितात्मना । भवता विदुषा चापि साधूनां मतिरीदृशी ॥ १८ ॥

sanat-kumāra uvāca sādhu pṛṣṭaṁ mahārāja sarva-bhūta-hitātmanā bhavatā viduṣā cāpi sādhūnāṁ matir īdṛśī

Sanat-kumara said: Well have you asked, O great King, you whose heart is set on the welfare of every being; such indeed is the very nature of the virtuous, even in one, like you, who already possesses knowledge.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.4.22.19)

सङ्गमः खलु साधूनामुभयेषां च सम्मतः । यत्सम्भाषणसम्प्रश्नः सर्वेषां वितनोति शम् ॥ १९ ॥

saṅgamaḥ khalu sādhūnām ubhayeṣāṁ ca sammataḥ yat-sambhāṣaṇa-sampraśnaḥ sarveṣāṁ vitanoti śam

The meeting of the virtuous is indeed welcomed by both sides, for the conversation and the questions that follow from it extend well-being to everyone involved.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.4.22.20)

अस्त्येव राजन् भवतो मधुद्विषः पादारविन्दस्य गुणानुवादने । रतिर्दुरापा विधुनोति नैष्ठिकी कामं कषायं मलमन्तरात्मनः ॥ २० ॥

asty eva rājan bhavato madhudviṣaḥ pādāravindasya guṇānuvādane ratir durāpā vidhunoti naiṣṭhikī kāmaṁ kaṣāyaṁ malam antar-ātmanaḥ

O King, you already possess that hard-won, steadfast delight in recounting the glories of the lotus feet of Him who slew the demon Madhu; and it is precisely this delight that thoroughly cleanses the inner self of the impurity that is desire.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.4.22.21)

शास्त्रेष्वियानेव सुनिश्चितो नृणां क्षेमस्य सध्र्यग्विमृशेषु हेतुः । असङ्ग आत्मव्यतिरिक्त आत्मनि दृढा रतिर्ब्रह्मणि निर्गुणे च या ॥ २१ ॥

śāstreṣv iyān eva suniścito nṛṇāṁ kṣemasya sadhryag-vimṛśeṣu hetuḥ asaṅga ātma-vyatirikta ātmani dṛḍhā ratir brahmaṇi nirguṇe ca yā

In the scriptures, upon full and careful reflection, this alone is firmly established as the true cause of human welfare: detachment from all that lies outside the true self, together with steadfast devotion to Brahman, who is beyond the material qualities.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.4.22.22)

सा श्रद्धया भगवद्धर्मचर्यया जिज्ञासयाध्यात्मिकयोगनिष्ठया । योगेश्वरोपासनया च नित्यं पुण्यश्रवःकथया पुण्यया च ॥ २२ ॥

sā śraddhayā bhagavad-dharma-caryayā jijñāsayādhyātmika-yoga-niṣṭhayā yogeśvaropāsanayā ca nityaṁ puṇya-śravaḥ-kathayā puṇyayā ca

That devotion grows through faith, through the practice of the Lord's own dharma, through the desire to know, through steadfastness in the spiritual discipline of yoga, through constant worship of the Lord of yoga, and through hearing and telling His auspicious, purifying story.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.4.22.23)

अर्थेन्द्रियारामसगोष्ठ्यतृष्णया तत्सम्मतानामपरिग्रहेण च । विविक्तरुच्या परितोष आत्मनि विना हरेर्गुणपीयूषपानात् ॥ २३ ॥

arthendriyārāma-sagoṣṭhy-atṛṣṇayā tat-sammatānām aparigraheṇa ca vivikta-rucyā paritoṣa ātmani vinā harer guṇa-pīyūṣa-pānāt

— and it grows too through indifference to wealth and to the company of those absorbed in sense-pleasure, through refusing whatever such people hold dear, through a taste for solitude, and through finding no contentment in the self apart from drinking the nectar of Hari's qualities.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.4.22.24)

अहिंसया पारमहंस्यचर्यया स्मृत्या मुकुन्दाचरिताग्र्यसीधुना । यमैरकामैर्नियमैश्चाप्यनिन्दया निरीहया द्वन्द्वतितिक्षया च ॥ २४ ॥

ahiṁsayā pāramahaṁsya-caryayā smṛtyā mukundācaritāgrya-sīdhunā yamair akāmair niyamaiś cāpy anindayā nirīhayā dvandva-titikṣayā ca

— and it grows through nonviolence, through the conduct of the paramahamsas, through remembering Mukunda's own deeds as though they were the finest nectar, through observing the restraints and disciplines free of desire, through refraining from finding fault, through freedom from striving, and through patient forbearance of the pairs of opposites.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.4.22.25)

हरेर्मुहुस्तत्परकर्णपूर गुणाभिधानेन विजृम्भमाणया । भक्त्या ह्यसङ्गः सदसत्यनात्मनि स्यान्निर्गुणे ब्रह्मणि चाञ्जसा रतिः ॥ २५ ॥

harer muhus tatpara-karṇa-pūra- guṇābhidhānena vijṛmbhamāṇayā bhaktyā hy asaṅgaḥ sad-asaty anātmani syān nirguṇe brahmaṇi cāñjasā ratiḥ

Through devotion that keeps expanding as it dwells on the constant retelling of Hari's qualities — an ornament for the ears of His devotee — one grows detached from all that is not the self, whether it seems real or unreal, and thus attains, with ease, an abiding delight in the unqualified Brahman.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.4.22.26)

यदा रतिर्ब्रह्मणि नैष्ठिकी पुमा- नाचार्यवान् ज्ञानविरागरंहसा । दहत्यवीर्यं हृदयं जीवकोशं पञ्चात्मकं योनिमिवोत्थितोऽग्निः ॥ २६ ॥

yadā ratir brahmaṇi naiṣṭhikī pumān ācāryavān jñāna-virāga-raṁhasā dahaty avīryaṁ hṛdayaṁ jīva-kośaṁ pañcātmakaṁ yonim ivotthito ’gniḥ

When steadfast devotion to Brahman has taken root, a man, guided by his teacher, burns away, through the force of knowledge and detachment, the frail, fivefold sheath of the living being lodged in the heart — just as fire, once it has risen, consumes the very wood from which it sprang.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.4.22.27)

दग्धाशयो मुक्तसमस्ततद्गुणो नैवात्मनो बहिरन्तर्विचष्टे । परात्मनोर्यद्वयवधानं पुरस्तात् स्वप्ने यथा पुरुषस्तद्विनाशे ॥ २७ ॥

dagdhāśayo mukta-samasta-tad-guṇo naivātmano bahir antar vicaṣṭe parātmanor yad-vyavadhānaṁ purastāt svapne yathā puruṣas tad-vināśe

His mental impressions consumed, freed from all their qualities, he no longer perceives any difference between what is external and what is internal to the self; the separation that once stood between the Supreme Self and the individual self is destroyed, just as what a dreamer sees within a dream vanishes once he wakes.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.4.22.28)

आत्मानमिन्द्रियार्थं च परं यदुभयोरपि । सत्याशय उपाधौ वै पुमान् पश्यति नान्यदा ॥ २८ ॥

ātmānam indriyārthaṁ ca paraṁ yad ubhayor api saty āśaya upādhau vai pumān paśyati nānyadā

Only so long as true understanding still rests upon a limiting adjunct does a person perceive the self, the objects of the senses, and that which lies beyond both, as separate things — never otherwise.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.4.22.29)

निमित्ते सति सर्वत्र जलादावपि पूरुषः । आत्मनश्च परस्यापि भिदां पश्यति नान्यदा ॥ २९ ॥

nimitte sati sarvatra jalādāv api pūruṣaḥ ātmanaś ca parasyāpi bhidāṁ paśyati nānyadā

Only when some distorting cause is present — as, for example, in water and the like — does a person perceive a difference between himself and the Supreme; never otherwise.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.4.22.30)

इन्द्रियैर्विषयाकृष्टैराक्षिप्तं ध्यायतां मनः । चेतनां हरते बुद्धेः स्तम्बस्तोयमिव ह्रदात् ॥ ३० ॥

indriyair viṣayākṛṣṭair ākṣiptaṁ dhyāyatāṁ manaḥ cetanāṁ harate buddheḥ stambas toyam iva hradāt

The mind, seized by the senses that are drawn toward their objects, and dwelling constantly upon them, drains away the intellect's own consciousness, just as a clump of grass draws off the water from a lake.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.4.22.31)

भ्रश्यत्यनुस्मृतिश्चित्तं ज्ञानभ्रंशः स्मृतिक्षये । तद्रोधं कवयः प्राहुरात्मापह्नवमात्मनः ॥ ३१ ॥

bhraśyaty anusmṛtiś cittaṁ jñāna-bhraṁśaḥ smṛti-kṣaye tad-rodhaṁ kavayaḥ prāhur ātmāpahnavam ātmanaḥ

Memory fails, the mind then falls away, and with the loss of memory comes the loss of knowledge; the wise call this whole obstruction nothing less than the self's own denial of itself.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.4.22.32)

नातः परतरो लोके पुंसः स्वार्थव्यतिक्रमः । यदध्यन्यस्य प्रेयस्त्वमात्मनः स्वव्यतिक्रमात् ॥ ३२ ॥

nātaḥ parataro loke puṁsaḥ svārtha-vyatikramaḥ yad-adhy anyasya preyastvam ātmanaḥ sva-vyatikramāt

There is no greater failure, in this world, of a man's true self-interest than this: that other things become more precious to him than the self, through his own neglect of his true interest.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.4.22.33)

अर्थेन्द्रियार्थाभिध्यानं सर्वार्थापह्नवो नृणाम् । भ्रंशितो ज्ञानविज्ञानाद्येनाविशति मुख्यताम् ॥ ३३ ॥

arthendriyārthābhidhyānaṁ sarvārthāpahnavo nṛṇām bhraṁśito jñāna-vijñānād yenāviśati mukhyatām

Constant brooding upon wealth and upon the objects of the senses destroys every true interest of men; deprived thereby of knowledge and of realization, one sinks into a state of mere insensibility.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.4.22.34)

न कुर्यात्कर्हिचित्सङ्गं तमस्तीव्रं तितीरिषुः । धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणां यदत्यन्तविघातकम् ॥ ३४ ॥

na kuryāt karhicit saṅgaṁ tamas tīvraṁ titīriṣuḥ dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣāṇāṁ yad atyanta-vighātakam

One who wishes to cross this dense darkness should, under no circumstances whatsoever, associate with what utterly destroys dharma, artha, kama, and moksha alike.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.4.22.35)

तत्रापि मोक्ष एवार्थ आत्यन्तिकतयेष्यते । त्रैवर्ग्योऽर्थो यतो नित्यं कृतान्तभयसंयुतः ॥ ३५ ॥

tatrāpi mokṣa evārtha ātyantikatayeṣyate traivargyo ’rtho yato nityaṁ kṛtānta-bhaya-saṁyutaḥ

Among these, liberation alone is sought as the ultimate goal, since the threefold aim of dharma, artha, and kama remains forever bound up with the fear of death.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.4.22.36)

परेऽवरे च ये भावा गुणव्यतिकरादनु । न तेषां विद्यते क्षेममीशविध्वंसिताशिषाम् ॥ ३६ ॥

pare ’vare ca ye bhāvā guṇa-vyatikarād anu na teṣāṁ vidyate kṣemam īśa-vidhvaṁsitāśiṣām

For those states of existence, both higher and lower, that arise from the interplay of the material qualities, there is no true security at all, since their blessings are, in the end, destroyed by the Lord, through time.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.4.22.37)

तत्त्वं नरेन्द्र जगतामथ तस्थूषां च देहेन्द्रियासुधिषणात्मभिरावृतानाम् । यः क्षेत्रवित्तपतया हृदि विश्वगाविः प्रत्यक् चकास्ति भगवांस्तमवेहि सोऽस्मि ॥ ३७ ॥

tat tvaṁ narendra jagatām atha tasthūṣāṁ ca dehendriyāsu-dhiṣaṇātmabhir āvṛtānām yaḥ kṣetravit-tapatayā hṛdi viśvag āviḥ pratyak cakāsti bhagavāṁs tam avehi so ’smi

O lord of men, that very illustrious Lord who, as the knower of the field, blazes forth in His own radiance within the heart of every moving and unmoving being — each of them covered by body, senses, life-air, and intelligence — pervading all and yet ever present within, know that Lord to be that very self, 'I am He.'

Verse 38 (bhagavata.4.22.38)

यस्मिन्निदं सदसदात्मतया विभाति माया विवेकविधुति स्रजि वाहिबुद्धिः । तं नित्यमुक्तपरिशुद्धविशुद्धतत्त्वं प्रत्यूढकर्मकलिलप्रकृतिं प्रपद्ये ॥ ३८ ॥

yasminn idaṁ sad-asad-ātmatayā vibhāti māyā viveka-vidhuti sraji vāhi-buddhiḥ taṁ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-viśuddha-tattvaṁ pratyūḍha-karma-kalila-prakṛtiṁ prapadye

To Him in whom, through the confusion of discernment, this world appears now as real and now as unreal — like the illusion of a snake seen in a rope — to Him, ever liberated, utterly pure, of unblemished essence, whose nature seems overlaid with the taint of action only in appearance, to Him I go for refuge.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.4.22.39)

यत्पादपङ्कजपलाशविलासभक्त्या कर्माशयं ग्रथितमुद्ग्रथयन्ति सन्तः । तद्वन्न रिक्तमतयो यतयोऽपि रुद्ध स्रोतोगणास्तमरणं भज वासुदेवम् ॥ ३९ ॥

yat-pāda-paṅkaja-palāśa-vilāsa-bhaktyā karmāśayaṁ grathitam udgrathayanti santaḥ tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo ’pi ruddha- sroto-gaṇās tam araṇaṁ bhaja vāsudevam

That tangled knot of fruitive desire the saints unravel completely through joyous devotion to the petals of His lotus feet — a feat that even ascetics, their senses fully restrained, empty of desire though they be, cannot manage. Worship, then, that Vasudeva, the one true refuge.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.4.22.40)

कृच्छ्रो महानिह भवार्णवमप्लवेशां षड्वर्गनक्रमसुखेन तितीर्षन्ति । तत्त्वं हरेर्भगवतो भजनीयमङ्घ्रिं कृत्वोडुपं व्यसनमुत्तर दुस्तरार्णम् ॥ ४० ॥

kṛcchro mahān iha bhavārṇavam aplaveśāṁ ṣaḍ-varga-nakram asukhena titīrṣanti tat tvaṁ harer bhagavato bhajanīyam aṅghriṁ kṛtvoḍupaṁ vyasanam uttara dustarārṇam

Great indeed is the hardship of those who, without a boat, seek to cross the ocean of worldly existence, infested by the crocodile of the six inner enemies. Make, then, the worshipable feet of the illustrious Hari your very boat, and cross over this ocean of calamity, so hard to traverse.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.4.22.41)

मैत्रेय उवाच स एवं ब्रह्मपुत्रेण कुमारेणात्ममेधसा । दर्शितात्मगतिः सम्यक्प्रशस्योवाच तं नृपः ॥ ४१ ॥

maitreya uvāca sa evaṁ brahma-putreṇa kumāreṇātma-medhasā darśitātma-gatiḥ samyak praśasyovāca taṁ nṛpaḥ

Maitreya said: Thus, having had the true path to the self shown to him in full by that son of Brahma, Kumara, wise in the knowledge of the self, the king duly praised him and spoke to him.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.4.22.42)

राजोवाच कृतो मेऽनुग्रहः पूर्वं हरिणार्तानुकम्पिना । तमापादयितुं ब्रह्मन् भगवन् यूयमागताः ॥ ४२ ॥

rājovāca kṛto me ’nugrahaḥ pūrvaṁ hariṇārtānukampinā tam āpādayituṁ brahman bhagavan yūyam āgatāḥ

The king said: Earlier, Hari, ever compassionate to the afflicted, showed his grace to me; and now, O brahmana, O illustrious ones, you have come to bring that very grace to its fulfillment.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.4.22.43)

निष्पादितश्च कार्त्स्न्येन भगवद्भिर्घृणालुभिः । साधूच्छिष्टं हि मे सर्वमात्मना सह किं ददे ॥ ४३ ॥

niṣpāditaś ca kārtsnyena bhagavadbhir ghṛṇālubhiḥ sādhūcchiṣṭaṁ hi me sarvam ātmanā saha kiṁ dade

And you, illustrious and compassionate ones, have now brought that grace to its complete fulfillment. All that I possess is nothing but the leavings of the saints — what, then, along with my very self, could I possibly offer you?

Verse 44 (bhagavata.4.22.44)

प्राणा दाराः सुता ब्रह्मन् गृहाश्च सपरिच्छदाः । राज्यं बलं मही कोश इति सर्वं निवेदितम् ॥ ४४ ॥

prāṇā dārāḥ sutā brahman gṛhāś ca sa-paricchadāḥ rājyaṁ balaṁ mahī kośa iti sarvaṁ niveditam

O brahmana, my very life, my wife, my sons, my home together with all its furnishings, my kingdom, my army, my land, and my treasury — all of this has already been offered.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.4.22.45)

सैनापत्यं च राज्यं च दण्डनेतृत्वमेव च । सर्व लोकाधिपत्यं च वेदशास्त्रविदर्हति ॥ ४५ ॥

sainā-patyaṁ ca rājyaṁ ca daṇḍa-netṛtvam eva ca sarva lokādhipatyaṁ ca veda-śāstra-vid arhati

Command of an army, kingship, the office of chief magistrate, and sovereignty over all the worlds — these belong by right only to one who is versed in the Vedic scriptures.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.4.22.46)

स्वमेव ब्राह्मणो भुङ्क्ते स्वं वस्ते स्वं ददाति च । तस्यैवानुग्रहेणान्नं भुञ्जते क्षत्रियादयः ॥ ४६ ॥

svam eva brāhmaṇo bhuṅkte svaṁ vaste svaṁ dadāti ca tasyaivānugraheṇānnaṁ bhuñjate kṣatriyādayaḥ

The brahmana enjoys only what is his own, wears only what is his own, gives away only what is his own; it is by his grace alone that the kshatriyas and others come to eat their food at all.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.4.22.47)

यैरीदृशी भगवतो गतिरात्मवाद एकान्ततो निगमिभिः प्रतिपादिता नः । तुष्यन्त्वदभ्रकरुणाः स्वकृतेन नित्यं को नाम तत्प्रतिकरोति विनोदपात्रम् ॥ ४७ ॥

yair īdṛśī bhagavato gatir ātma-vāda ekāntato nigamibhiḥ pratipāditā naḥ tuṣyantv adabhra-karuṇāḥ sva-kṛtena nityaṁ ko nāma tat pratikaroti vinoda-pātram

Those boundless in compassion, versed in the Vedas, who have decisively taught us this very path to the Lord and to the truth of the self — may they remain forever content simply in their own good deeds; for who, being no more than the modest object of their kindness, could ever repay them in full?

Verse 48 (bhagavata.4.22.48)

मैत्रेय उवाच त आत्मयोगपतय आदिराजेन पूजिताः । शीलं तदीयं शंसन्तः खेऽभवन्मिषतां नृणाम् ॥ ४८ ॥

maitreya uvāca ta ātma-yoga-pataya ādi-rājena pūjitāḥ śīlaṁ tadīyaṁ śaṁsantaḥ khe ’bhavan miṣatāṁ nṛṇām

Maitreya said: Those masters of the discipline of the self, honored by the first of kings, praising his fine character, rose up into the sky, before the very eyes of the assembled people.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.4.22.49)

वैन्यस्तु धुर्यो महतां संस्थित्याध्यात्मशिक्षया । आप्तकाममिवात्मानं मेन आत्मन्यवस्थितः ॥ ४९ ॥

vainyas tu dhuryo mahatāṁ saṁsthityādhyātma-śikṣayā āpta-kāmam ivātmānaṁ mena ātmany avasthitaḥ

Vena's son, however, remained foremost among the great through his firm grounding in spiritual instruction, established in the self, and regarded himself as one who had already attained all he desired.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.4.22.50)

कर्माणि च यथाकालं यथादेशं यथाबलम् । यथोचितं यथावित्तमकरोद्ब्रह्मसात्कृतम् ॥ ५० ॥

karmāṇi ca yathā-kālaṁ yathā-deśaṁ yathā-balam yathocitaṁ yathā-vittam akarod brahma-sāt-kṛtam

He carried out his duties, always appropriate to time, place, and his own strength, done in a fitting manner and according to his means, and all of it dedicated wholly to Brahman.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.4.22.51)

फलं ब्रह्मणि संन्यस्य निर्विषङ्गः समाहितः । कर्माध्यक्षं च मन्वान आत्मानं प्रकृतेः परम् ॥ ५१ ॥

phalaṁ brahmaṇi sannyasya nirviṣaṅgaḥ samāhitaḥ karmādhyakṣaṁ ca manvāna ātmānaṁ prakṛteḥ param

Surrendering the fruit of every action to Brahman, unattached and composed in mind, he regarded the self as the overseer of action, standing beyond material nature.

Verse 52 (bhagavata.4.22.52)

गृहेषु वर्तमानोऽपि स साम्राज्यश्रियान्वितः । नासज्जतेन्द्रियार्थेषु निरहंमतिरर्कवत् ॥ ५२ ॥

gṛheṣu vartamāno ’pi sa sāmrājya-śriyānvitaḥ nāsajjatendriyārtheṣu niraham-matir arkavat

Though he lived as a householder, endowed with all the splendor of empire, free of any sense of 'I' or 'mine,' he never grew attached to the objects of the senses, remaining untouched like the sun.

Verse 53 (bhagavata.4.22.53)

एवमध्यात्मयोगेन कर्माण्यनुसमाचरन् । पुत्रानुत्पादयामास पञ्चार्चिष्यात्मसम्मतान् ॥ ५३ ॥

evam adhyātma-yogena karmāṇy anusamācaran putrān utpādayām āsa pañcārciṣy ātma-sammatān

Thus, carrying out his duties through this discipline of the spirit, he begot, through his wife Archi, five sons, each dear to his own heart.

Verse 54 (bhagavata.4.22.54)

विजिताश्वं धूम्रकेशं हर्यक्षं द्रविणं वृकम् । सर्वेषां लोकपालानां दधारैकः पृथुर्गुणान् ॥ ५४ ॥

vijitāśvaṁ dhūmrakeśaṁ haryakṣaṁ draviṇaṁ vṛkam sarveṣāṁ loka-pālānāṁ dadhāraikaḥ pṛthur guṇān

Vijitashva, Dhumrakesha, Haryaksha, Dravina, and Vrika — Prithu alone carried within himself the qualities of all the guardian deities of the world.

Verse 55 (bhagavata.4.22.55)

गोपीथाय जगत्सृष्टेः काले स्वे स्वेऽच्युतात्मकः । मनोवाग्वृत्तिभिः सौम्यैर्गुणैः संरञ्जयन् प्रजाः ॥ ५५ ॥

gopīthāya jagat-sṛṣṭeḥ kāle sve sve ’cyutātmakaḥ mano-vāg-vṛttibhiḥ saumyair guṇaiḥ saṁrañjayan prajāḥ

For the protection of the created world, one in spirit with the infallible Lord, he, each thing done in its proper time, delighted his subjects through the gentle qualities of his mind, speech, and conduct.

Verse 56 (bhagavata.4.22.56)

राजेत्यधान्नामधेयं सोमराज इवापरः । सूर्यवद्विसृजन् गृह्णन् प्रतपंश्च भुवो वसु ॥ ५६ ॥

rājety adhān nāmadheyaṁ soma-rāja ivāparaḥ sūryavad visṛjan gṛhṇan pratapaṁś ca bhuvo vasu

He bore the very name 'Raja,' king, as though a second lord of the moon; and, like the sun, he both gave forth and drew in, and warmed, the wealth of the earth.

Verse 57 (bhagavata.4.22.57)

दुर्धर्षस्तेजसेवाग्निर्महेन्द्र इव दुर्जयः । तितिक्षया धरित्रीव द्यौरिवाभीष्टदो नृणाम् ॥ ५७ ॥

durdharṣas tejasevāgnir mahendra iva durjayaḥ titikṣayā dharitrīva dyaur ivābhīṣṭa-do nṛṇām

In splendor unassailable, like fire; in might unconquerable, like Mahendra; in forbearance like the very earth; and in granting the desires of men, like heaven itself.

Verse 58 (bhagavata.4.22.58)

वर्षति स्म यथाकामं पर्जन्य इव तर्पयन् । समुद्र इव दुर्बोधः सत्त्वेनाचलराडिव ॥ ५८ ॥

varṣati sma yathā-kāmaṁ parjanya iva tarpayan samudra iva durbodhaḥ sattvenācala-rāḍ iva

He poured out abundance, satisfying every desire, like a rain-cloud; unfathomable, like the ocean; and, in steadfastness, like the very king of mountains.

Verse 59 (bhagavata.4.22.59)

धर्मराडिव शिक्षायामाश्चर्ये हिमवानिव । कुवेर इव कोशाढ्यो गुप्तार्थो वरुणो यथा ॥ ५९ ॥

dharma-rāḍ iva śikṣāyām āścarye himavān iva kuvera iva kośāḍhyo guptārtho varuṇo yathā

In instruction, like the king of dharma, Yama; in wonder, like the Himalaya; rich in treasure, like Kuvera; and, in the keeping of secrets, like Varuna.

Verse 60 (bhagavata.4.22.60)

मातरिश्वेव सर्वात्मा बलेन महसौजसा । अविषह्यतया देवो भगवान् भूतराडिव ॥ ६० ॥

mātariśveva sarvātmā balena mahasaujasā aviṣahyatayā devo bhagavān bhūta-rāḍ iva

In strength, in vigor, and in power, all-pervading like the wind; and, in his unbearable might, like the illustrious lord of all beings, Shiva.

Verse 61 (bhagavata.4.22.61)

कन्दर्प इव सौन्दर्ये मनस्वी मृगराडिव । वात्सल्ये मनुवन्नृणां प्रभुत्वे भगवानजः ॥ ६१ ॥

kandarpa iva saundarye manasvī mṛga-rāḍ iva vātsalye manuvan nṛṇāṁ prabhutve bhagavān ajaḥ

In beauty, like Kandarpa, god of love; noble-minded, like the lion, king of beasts; in tenderness toward men, like Manu; and in his sovereignty, like the illustrious unborn Brahma.

Verse 62 (bhagavata.4.22.62)

बृहस्पतिर्ब्रह्मवादे आत्मवत्त्वे स्वयं हरिः । भक्त्या गोगुरुविप्रेषु विष्वक्सेनानुवर्तिषु । ह्रिया प्रश्रयशीलाभ्यामात्मतुल्यः परोद्यमे ॥ ६२ ॥

bṛhaspatir brahma-vāde ātmavattve svayaṁ hariḥ bhaktyā go-guru-vipreṣu viṣvaksenānuvartiṣu hriyā praśraya-śīlābhyām ātma-tulyaḥ parodyame

In discourse on Brahman, like Brihaspati; in mastery over self, like Hari Himself; in devotion toward cows, teachers, and brahmanas — those who follow in the way of Vishvaksena; in modesty and gentle courtesy; and in his effort for the good of others, he was equaled by none but himself.

Verse 63 (bhagavata.4.22.63)

कीर्त्योर्ध्वगीतया पुम्भिस्त्रैलोक्ये तत्र तत्र ह । प्रविष्टः कर्णरन्ध्रेषु स्त्रीणां रामः सतामिव ॥ ६३ ॥

kīrtyordhva-gītayā pumbhis trailokye tatra tatra ha praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṣu strīṇāṁ rāmaḥ satām iva

Through his fame, sung aloft by people here and there throughout the three worlds, he entered the very ears of women, just as Rama's fame did, among the virtuous.