King Chitraketu Meets the Supreme Lord

Verse 1 (bhagavata.6.16.1)

श्रीबादरायणिरुवाच अथ देवऋषी राजन् सम्परेतं नृपात्मजम् । दर्शयित्वेति होवाच ज्ञातीनामनुशोचताम् ॥ १ ॥

śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca atha deva-ṛṣī rājan samparetaṁ nṛpātmajam darśayitveti hovāca jñātīnām anuśocatām

Shri Badarayani said: O King, then the celestial sage Narada, showing the dead prince to the grieving relatives, spoke as follows.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.6.16.2)

श्रीनारद उवाच जीवात्मन् पश्य भद्रं ते मातरं पितरं च ते । सुहृदो बान्धवास्तप्ताः शुचा त्वत्कृतया भृशम् ॥ २ ॥

śrī-nārada uvāca jīvātman paśya bhadraṁ te mātaraṁ pitaraṁ ca te suhṛdo bāndhavās taptāḥ śucā tvat-kṛtayā bhṛśam

Shri Narada said: O soul, all good fortune to you — behold your mother and your father; your friends and kinsmen are sorely tormented by the grief caused by your passing.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.6.16.3)

कलेवरं स्वमाविश्य शेषमायुः सुहृद्वृतः । भुङ्क्ष्व भोगान् पितृप्रत्तानधितिष्ठ नृपासनम् ॥ ३ ॥

kalevaraṁ svam āviśya śeṣam āyuḥ suhṛd-vṛtaḥ bhuṅkṣva bhogān pitṛ-prattān adhitiṣṭha nṛpāsanam

Enter once more into this very body of yours, and enjoy the rest of your allotted life surrounded by your loved ones; take up the pleasures granted by your father, and ascend the royal throne.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.6.16.4)

जीव उवाच कस्मिञ्जन्मन्यमी मह्यं पितरो मातरोऽभवन् । कर्मभिर्भ्राम्यमाणस्य देवतिर्यङ्नृयोनिषु ॥ ४ ॥

jīva uvāca kasmiñ janmany amī mahyaṁ pitaro mātaro ’bhavan karmabhir bhrāmyamāṇasya deva-tiryaṅ-nṛ-yoniṣu

The jiva said: Wandering by the force of my own deeds through the wombs of gods, animals, and men — in which of my many births, precisely, were these two my mother and father?

Verse 5 (bhagavata.6.16.5)

बन्धुज्ञात्यरिमध्यस्थमित्रोदासीनविद्विषः । सर्व एव हि सर्वेषां भवन्ति क्रमशो मिथः ॥ ५ ॥

bandhu-jñāty-ari-madhyastha- mitrodāsīna-vidviṣaḥ sarva eva hi sarveṣāṁ bhavanti kramaśo mithaḥ

Kinsman, relative, enemy, neutral party, friend, stranger, and foe — each of these, in turn, becomes every one of the others for every other being.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.6.16.6)

यथा वस्तूनि पण्यानि हेमादीनि ततस्ततः । पर्यटन्ति नरेष्वेवं जीवो योनिषु कर्तृषु ॥ ६ ॥

yathā vastūni paṇyāni hemādīni tatas tataḥ paryaṭanti nareṣv evaṁ jīvo yoniṣu kartṛṣu

Just as commodities like gold pass from hand to hand in the course of trade, so does the soul wander among different wombs, moving from one set of makers — one father and mother — to another.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.6.16.7)

नित्यस्यार्थस्य सम्बन्धो ह्यनित्यो दृश्यते नृषु । यावद्यस्य हि सम्बन्धो ममत्वं तावदेव हि ॥ ७ ॥

nityasyārthasya sambandho hy anityo dṛśyate nṛṣu yāvad yasya hi sambandho mamatvaṁ tāvad eva hi

The connection seen among men, though it concerns an eternal reality, the self, is itself only temporary. Only for as long as some bond lasts does the sense of "mine" toward it persist.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.6.16.8)

एवं योनिगतो जीवः स नित्यो निरहङ्कृतः । यावद्यत्रोपलभ्येत तावत्स्वत्वं हि तस्य तत् ॥ ८ ॥

evaṁ yoni-gato jīvaḥ sa nityo nirahaṅkṛtaḥ yāvad yatropalabhyeta tāvat svatvaṁ hi tasya tat

Thus the soul, though passing through one womb after another, is itself eternal and free of ego by nature; only for as long as it is found in a given place does any sense of belonging to that place hold true.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.6.16.9)

एष नित्योऽव्ययः सूक्ष्म एष सर्वाश्रयः स्वदृक् । आत्ममायागुणैर्विश्वमात्मानं सृजते प्रभुः ॥ ९ ॥

eṣa nityo ’vyayaḥ sūkṣma eṣa sarvāśrayaḥ svadṛk ātmamāyā-guṇair viśvam ātmānaṁ sṛjate prabhuḥ

This self is eternal, imperishable, subtle, the shelter of all, and self-luminous; that same Lord, through the modes of his own maya, fashions this entire universe within himself.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.6.16.10)

न ह्यस्यास्ति प्रियः कश्चिन्नाप्रियः स्वः परोऽपि वा । एकः सर्वधियां द्रष्टा कर्तृणां गुणदोषयोः ॥ १० ॥

na hy asyāsti priyaḥ kaścin nāpriyaḥ svaḥ paro ’pi vā ekaḥ sarva-dhiyāṁ draṣṭā kartṝṇāṁ guṇa-doṣayoḥ

For this self, nothing is dear and nothing unwelcome, nothing is its own and nothing another's; alone, it is simply the witness of every mind, and of all who perform actions good and bad.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.6.16.11)

नादत्त आत्मा हि गुणं न दोषं न क्रियाफलम् । उदासीनवदासीनः परावरदृगीश्वरः ॥ ११ ॥

nādatta ātmā hi guṇaṁ na doṣaṁ na kriyā-phalam udāsīnavad āsīnaḥ parāvara-dṛg īśvaraḥ

The self takes upon itself neither merit nor fault nor the fruit of action; it remains seated as though indifferent, even though it is the very Lord who sees all things, high and low alike.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.6.16.12)

श्रीबादरायणिरुवाच इत्युदीर्य गतो जीवो ज्ञातयस्तस्य ते तदा । विस्मिता मुमुचुः शोकं छित्त्वात्मस्नेहशृङ्खलाम् ॥ १२ ॥

śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca ity udīrya gato jīvo jñātayas tasya te tadā vismitā mumucuḥ śokaṁ chittvātma-sneha-śṛṅkhalām

Shri Badarayani said: Having spoken thus, the soul departed. Then his relatives, filled with wonder, cut through the chain of their own attachment and let go of their grief.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.6.16.13)

निर्हृत्य ज्ञातयो ज्ञातेर्देहं कृत्वोचिताः क्रियाः । तत्यजुर्दुस्त्यजं स्नेहं शोकमोहभयार्तिदम् ॥ १३ ॥

nirhṛtya jñātayo jñāter dehaṁ kṛtvocitāḥ kriyāḥ tatyajur dustyajaṁ snehaṁ śoka-moha-bhayārtidam

The relatives, having duly performed the last rites for the dead body, gave up that hard-to-relinquish attachment which is the very source of grief, delusion, fear, and pain.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.6.16.14)

बालघ्न्यो व्रीडितास्तत्र बालहत्याहतप्रभाः । बालहत्याव्रतं चेरुर्ब्राह्मणैर्यन्निरूपितम् । यमुनायां महाराज स्मरन्त्यो द्विजभाषितम् ॥ १४ ॥

bāla-ghnyo vrīḍitās tatra bāla-hatyā-hata-prabhāḥ bāla-hatyā-vrataṁ cerur brāhmaṇair yan nirūpitam yamunāyāṁ mahārāja smarantyo dvija-bhāṣitam

Those queens who had slain the child, ashamed of their crime and stripped of their former radiance, undertook the atoning vow for child-killing that the brahmanas had prescribed; O great king, on the banks of the Yamuna they kept the words of those twice-born ever in mind.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.6.16.15)

स इत्थं प्रतिबुद्धात्मा चित्रकेतुर्द्विजोक्तिभिः । गृहान्धकूपान्निष्क्रान्तः सरःपङ्कादिव द्विपः ॥ १५ ॥

sa itthaṁ pratibuddhātmā citraketur dvijoktibhiḥ gṛhāndha-kūpān niṣkrāntaḥ saraḥ-paṅkād iva dvipaḥ

Thus awakened by the teachings of the brahmanas, Chitraketu emerged from the dark well of household life, just as an elephant pulls itself free of the mud of a lake.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.6.16.16)

कालिन्द्यां विधिवत् स्नात्वा कृतपुण्यजलक्रियः । मौनेन संयतप्राणो ब्रह्मपुत्राववन्दत ॥ १६ ॥

kālindyāṁ vidhivat snātvā kṛta-puṇya-jala-kriyaḥ maunena saṁyata-prāṇo brahma-putrāv avandata

Having bathed properly in the Kalindi, performed the sacred water rites, and, remaining silent, brought his breath and senses under control, he bowed down before both sons of Brahma.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.6.16.17)

अथ तस्मै प्रपन्नाय भक्ताय प्रयतात्मने । भगवान्नारदः प्रीतो विद्यामेतामुवाच ह ॥ १७ ॥

atha tasmai prapannāya bhaktāya prayatātmane bhagavān nāradaḥ prīto vidyām etām uvāca ha

Then, well pleased with that surrendered devotee of disciplined mind, the illustrious Narada imparted to him this sacred knowledge.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.6.16.18)

ॐ नमस्तुभ्यं भगवते वासुदेवाय धीमहि । प्रद्युम्नायानिरुद्धाय नमः सङ्कर्षणाय च ॥ १८ ॥

oṁ namas tubhyaṁ bhagavate vāsudevāya dhīmahi pradyumnāyāniruddhāya namaḥ saṅkarṣaṇāya ca

Om — let us offer homage to Bhagavan Vasudeva and meditate upon him; homage too to Pradyumna, to Aniruddha, and to Sankarshana.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.6.16.19)

नमो विज्ञानमात्राय परमानन्दमूर्तये । आत्मारामाय शान्ताय निवृत्तद्वैतदृष्टये ॥ १९ ॥

namo vijñāna-mātrāya paramānanda-mūrtaye ātmārāmāya śāntāya nivṛtta-dvaita-dṛṣṭaye

Homage to him who is pure realized consciousness itself, the very form of supreme bliss, ever content within the self, at perfect peace, and free from every trace of the vision of duality.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.6.16.20)

आत्मानन्दानुभूत्यैव न्यस्तशक्त्यूर्मये नमः । हृषीकेशाय महते नमस्तेऽनन्तमूर्तये ॥ २० ॥

ātmānandānubhūtyaiva nyasta-śakty-ūrmaye namaḥ hṛṣīkeśāya mahate namas te ’nanta-mūrtaye

Homage to him who, resting in the sheer experience of his own inner bliss, holds even the waves of his own potency in check; homage to you, lord of the senses, greatest of all, of boundless and infinite form.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.6.16.21)

वचस्युपरतेऽप्राप्य य एको मनसा सह । अनामरूपश्चिन्मात्रः सोऽव्यान्नः सदसत्परः ॥ २१ ॥

vacasy uparate ’prāpya ya eko manasā saha anāma-rūpaś cin-mātraḥ so ’vyān naḥ sad-asat-paraḥ

May he — whom speech, together with the mind, cannot reach, who is without name or form, pure consciousness alone, and who stands beyond both the existent and the non-existent — protect us.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.6.16.22)

यस्मिन्निदं यतश्चेदं तिष्ठत्यप्येति जायते । मृण्मयेष्विव मृज्जातिस्तस्मै ते ब्रह्मणे नमः ॥ २२ ॥

yasminn idaṁ yataś cedaṁ tiṣṭhaty apyeti jāyate mṛṇmayeṣv iva mṛj-jātis tasmai te brahmaṇe namaḥ

He in whom, from whom, and because of whom this creation abides, arises, and dissolves — just as the substance of clay pervades every vessel made of clay — to that Brahman, to you, I offer homage.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.6.16.23)

यन्न स्पृशन्ति न विदुर्मनोबुद्धीन्द्रियासवः । अन्तर्बहिश्च विततं व्योमवत्तन्नतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ २३ ॥

yan na spṛśanti na vidur mano-buddhīndriyāsavaḥ antar bahiś ca vitataṁ vyomavat tan nato ’smy aham

That which mind, intellect, the senses, and the life-breath can neither touch nor know, which pervades within and without alike, like the sky — to that I bow down.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.6.16.24)

देहेन्द्रियप्राणमनोधियोऽमी यदंशविद्धाः प्रचरन्ति कर्मसु । नैवान्यदा लौहमिवाप्रतप्तं स्थानेषु तद् द्रष्ट्रपदेशमेति ॥ २४ ॥

dehendriya-prāṇa-mano-dhiyo ’mī yad-aṁśa-viddhāḥ pracaranti karmasu naivānyadā lauham ivāprataptaṁ sthāneṣu tad draṣṭrapadeśam eti

Just as unheated iron cannot burn, so too this body, the senses, the life-breath, the mind, and the intellect are incapable of functioning in their own domains until pierced through by a portion of that Lord's presence; only by that presence entering in do they take on the semblance of a perceiving self.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.6.16.25)

ॐ नमो भगवते महापुरुषाय महानुभावाय महाविभूतिपतये सकलसात्वतपरिवृढनिकर करकमलकुड्मलोपलालितचरणारविन्दयुगल परमपरमेष्ठिन्नमस्ते ॥ २५ ॥

oṁ namo bhagavate mahā-puruṣāya mahānubhāvāya mahā-vibhūti-pataye sakala-sātvata-parivṛḍha-nikara-kara-kamala-kuḍmalopalālita-caraṇāravinda-yugala parama-parameṣṭhin namas te.

Om — homage to the great person, of great majesty, lord of great glory, whose paired lotus feet are tenderly cherished by the bud-like joined palms of the foremost among all devotees, the supreme lord beyond the highest — homage to you.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.6.16.26)

श्रीशुक उवाच भक्तायैतां प्रपन्नाय विद्यामादिश्य नारदः । ययावङ्गिरसा साकं धाम स्वायम्भुवं प्रभो ॥ २६ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca bhaktāyaitāṁ prapannāya vidyām ādiśya nāradaḥ yayāv aṅgirasā sākaṁ dhāma svāyambhuvaṁ prabho

Shri Shukadeva said: Having thus imparted this sacred knowledge to the surrendered devotee Chitraketu, Narada, together with the sage Angira, O lord, departed for the abode of Svayambhu, Brahmaloka.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.6.16.27)

चित्रकेतुस्तु तां विद्यां यथा नारदभाषिताम् । धारयामास सप्ताहमब्भक्षः सुसमाहितः ॥ २७ ॥

citraketus tu tāṁ vidyāṁ yathā nārada-bhāṣitām dhārayām āsa saptāham ab-bhakṣaḥ susamāhitaḥ

Chitraketu, taking only water and observing a fast, held that knowledge exactly as Narada had spoken it, with utmost concentration, for seven full days.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.6.16.28)

ततः स सप्तरात्रान्ते विद्यया धार्यमाणया । विद्याधराधिपत्यं च लेभेऽप्रतिहतं नृप ॥ २८ ॥

tataḥ sa sapta-rātrānte vidyayā dhāryamāṇayā vidyādharādhipatyaṁ ca lebhe ’pratihataṁ nṛpa

O King, at the end of those seven nights, by the power of the knowledge he had so steadily held, he attained unopposed sovereignty over the Vidyadharas.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.6.16.29)

ततः कतिपयाहोभिर्विद्ययेद्धमनोगतिः । जगाम देवदेवस्य शेषस्य चरणान्तिकम् ॥ २९ ॥

tataḥ katipayāhobhir vidyayeddha-mano-gatiḥ jagāma deva-devasya śeṣasya caraṇāntikam

Then, within a few more days, his mind having been kindled and refined by that same knowledge, he arrived at last near the feet of the god of gods, Sesha.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.6.16.30)

मृणालगौरं शितिवाससं स्फुरत्- किरीटकेयूरकटित्रकङ्कणम् । प्रसन्नवक्त्रारुणलोचनं वृतं ददर्श सिद्धेश्वरमण्डलैः प्रभुम् ॥ ३० ॥

mṛṇāla-gauraṁ śiti-vāsasaṁ sphurat- kirīṭa-keyūra-kaṭitra-kaṅkaṇam prasanna-vaktrāruṇa-locanaṁ vṛtaṁ dadarśa siddheśvara-maṇḍalaiḥ prabhum

There he beheld the Lord, white as the fiber of the lotus stalk, clad in dark-blue garments, adorned with a gleaming crown, armlets, belt, and bracelets, his face serene and his eyes reddish, surrounded by an assembly of the foremost among the perfected.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.6.16.31)

तद्दर्शनध्वस्तसमस्तकिल्बिषः स्वस्थामलान्तःकरणोऽभ्ययान्मुनिः । प्रवृद्धभक्त्या प्रणयाश्रुलोचनः प्रहृष्टरोमानमदादिपुरुषम् ॥ ३१ ॥

tad-darśana-dhvasta-samasta-kilbiṣaḥ svasthāmalāntaḥkaraṇo ’bhyayān muniḥ pravṛddha-bhaktyā praṇayāśru-locanaḥ prahṛṣṭa-romānamad ādi-puruṣam

The mere sight of him having destroyed every sin, that sage, his heart now composed and pure, drew near the primeval Person with overflowing devotion, his eyes brimming with tears of love and his body trembling with rapture, and bowed down before him.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.6.16.32)

स उत्तमश्लोकपदाब्जविष्टरं प्रेमाश्रुलेशैरुपमेहयन्मुहुः । प्रेमोपरुद्धाखिलवर्णनिर्गमो नैवाशकत्तं प्रसमीडितुं चिरम् ॥ ३२ ॥

sa uttamaśloka-padābja-viṣṭaraṁ premāśru-leśair upamehayan muhuḥ premoparuddhākhila-varṇa-nirgamo naivāśakat taṁ prasamīḍituṁ ciram

Again and again he moistened the resting place of the Lord's lotus feet with the falling drops of his tears of love; but, his voice choked by that very love, not a single syllable would leave him, and for a long while he found himself unable to offer any praise at all.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.6.16.33)

ततः समाधाय मनो मनीषया बभाष एतत्प्रतिलब्धवागसौ । नियम्य सर्वेन्द्रियबाह्यवर्तनं जगद्गुरुं सात्वतशास्त्रविग्रहम् ॥ ३३ ॥

tataḥ samādhāya mano manīṣayā babhāṣa etat pratilabdha-vāg asau niyamya sarvendriya-bāhya-vartanaṁ jagad-guruṁ sātvata-śāstra-vigraham

Then, steadying his mind through his own understanding and thereby recovering his voice, and reining in the outward wandering of all his senses, he offered this hymn of praise to the Lord — the very embodiment of the sacred Sattvata scriptures, the teacher of all the worlds.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.6.16.34)

चित्रकेतुरुवाच अजित जितः सममतिभिः साधुभिर्भवान् जितात्मभिर्भवता । विजितास्तेऽपि च भजता- मकामात्मनां य आत्मदोऽतिकरुणः ॥ ३४ ॥

citraketur uvāca ajita jitaḥ sama-matibhiḥ sādhubhir bhavān jitātmabhir bhavatā vijitās te ’pi ca bhajatām akāmātmanāṁ ya ātmado ’ti-karuṇaḥ

Chitraketu said: O unconquerable one, though none can conquer you, you allow yourself to be conquered by even-minded saints who have mastered themselves; and those very saints are, in turn, conquered by you — for to those free of desire who worship you, you, out of boundless compassion, give nothing less than your own self.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.6.16.35)

तव विभवः खलु भगवन् जगदुदयस्थितिलयादीनि । विश्वसृजस्तेꣷशांशा स्तत्र मृषा स्पर्धन्ति पृथगभिमत्या ॥ ३५ ॥

tava vibhavaḥ khalu bhagavan jagad-udaya-sthiti-layādīni viśva-sṛjas te ’ṁśāṁśās tatra mṛṣā spardhanti pṛthag abhimatyā

O Lord, the rise, the continuance, and the dissolution of this universe are, without doubt, nothing but your own majesty. The creators of the worlds, Brahma and the rest, are but a fragment of a fragment of you; and yet, out of their separate self-regard, they vainly vie with one another, each fancying himself an independent lord.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.6.16.36)

परमाणुपरममहतो- स्त्वमाद्यन्तान्तरवर्ती त्रयविधुरः । आदावन्तेऽपि च सत्त्वानां यद् ध्रुवं तदेवान्तरालेऽपि ॥ ३६ ॥

paramāṇu-parama-mahatos tvam ādy-antāntara-vartī traya-vidhuraḥ ādāv ante ’pi ca sattvānāṁ yad dhruvaṁ tad evāntarāle ’pi

From the smallest atom to the greatest of the great, you pervade the beginning, the middle, and the end of every thing, and yet you remain untouched by all three phases of time. Whatever abides unchanging at the beginning and the end of beings abides, that very same reality, unchanging in the interval between as well.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.6.16.37)

क्षित्यादिभिरेष किलावृतः सप्तभिर्दशगुणोत्तरैरण्डकोशः । यत्र पतत्यणुकल्पः सहाण्डकोटिकोटिभिस्तदनन्तः ॥ ३७ ॥

kṣity-ādibhir eṣa kilāvṛtaḥ saptabhir daśa-guṇottarair aṇḍa-kośaḥ yatra pataty aṇu-kalpaḥ sahāṇḍa-koṭi-koṭibhis tad anantaḥ

Every universe-shell lies wrapped in seven successive coverings, beginning with earth, each ten times greater than the one before; and countless millions upon millions of such universes fall within you, O Infinite One, as though they were mere specks of dust — and for this you are rightly called Ananta, the boundless.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.6.16.38)

विषयतृषो नरपशवो य उपासते विभूतीर्न परं त्वाम् । तेषामाशिष ईश तदनु विनश्यन्ति यथा राजकुलम् ॥ ३८ ॥

viṣaya-tṛṣo nara-paśavo ya upāsate vibhūtīr na paraṁ tvām teṣām āśiṣa īśa tad anu vinaśyanti yathā rāja-kulam

Those men who are but beasts craving sense objects, and who worship your mere manifestations rather than you yourself, O Lord — their cherished desires, too, perish in the end, just as an entire royal household perishes with the fall of its king.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.6.16.39)

कामधियस्त्वयि रचिता न परम रोहन्ति यथा करम्भबीजानि । ज्ञानात्मन्यगुणमये गुणगणतोऽस्य द्वन्द्वजालानि ॥ ३९ ॥

kāma-dhiyas tvayi racitā na parama rohanti yathā karambha-bījāni jñānātmany aguṇamaye guṇa-gaṇato ’sya dvandva-jālāni

O Supreme, just as parched seeds cannot sprout again, so too do desires cease to bear further fruit once they are fixed upon you, who are pure knowledge itself, beyond the material modes; it is only from the interplay of those modes that the web of dualities binds this soul in the first place.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.6.16.40)

जितमजित तदा भवता यदाह भागवतं धर्ममनवद्यम् । निष्किञ्चना ये मुनय आत्मारामा यमुपासतेऽपवर्गाय ॥ ४० ॥

jitam ajita tadā bhavatā yadāha bhāgavataṁ dharmam anavadyam niṣkiñcanā ye munaya ātmārāmā yam upāsate ’pavargāya

O unconquerable one, in your having taught the flawless path of bhagavata-dharma lies your true victory — that very path which even possessionless sages, content within their own selves, seek out for the sake of liberation.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.6.16.41)

विषममतिर्न यत्र नृणां त्वमहमिति मम तवेति च यदन्यत्र । विषमधिया रचितो यः स ह्यविशुद्धः क्षयिष्णुरधर्मबहुलः ॥ ४१ ॥

viṣama-matir na yatra nṛṇāṁ tvam aham iti mama taveti ca yad anyatra viṣama-dhiyā racito yaḥ sa hy aviśuddhaḥ kṣayiṣṇur adharma-bahulaḥ

That alone is your true path where men's minds harbor no such distinctions as "you" and "I," "mine" and "yours" — anything else, fashioned by a mind caught up in such distinctions, is impure, doomed to perish, and steeped in unrighteousness.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.6.16.42)

कः क्षेमो निजपरयोः कियान्वार्थः स्वपरद्रुहा धर्मेण । स्वद्रोहात्तव कोपः परसम्पीडया च तथाधर्मः ॥ ४२ ॥

kaḥ kṣemo nija-parayoḥ kiyān vārthaḥ sva-para-druhā dharmeṇa sva-drohāt tava kopaḥ para-sampīḍayā ca tathādharmaḥ

What true good can come, and how much real gain, from a righteousness that distinguishes self from other? By harming one's own true self one draws your own displeasure, and by causing pain to another one likewise brings about the same unrighteousness.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.6.16.43)

न व्यभिचरति तवेक्षा यया ह्यभिहितो भागवतो धर्मः । स्थिरचरसत्त्वकदम्बे- ष्वपृथग्धियो यमुपासते त्वार्याः ॥ ४३ ॥

na vyabhicarati tavekṣā yayā hy abhihito bhāgavato dharmaḥ sthira-cara-sattva-kadambeṣv apṛthag-dhiyo yam upāsate tv āryāḥ

That vision of yours, by which bhagavata-dharma has been declared, never fails — the very path taken up in worship of you by the truly noble, who hold no distinction of mind among all beings, moving or unmoving alike.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.6.16.44)

न हि भगवन्नघटितमिदं त्वद्दर्शनान्नृणामखिलपापक्षयः । यन्नाम सकृच्छ्रवणात् पुक्कशोऽपि विमुच्यते संसारात् ॥ ४४ ॥

na hi bhagavann aghaṭitam idaṁ tvad-darśanān nṛṇām akhila-pāpa-kṣayaḥ yan-nāma sakṛc chravaṇāt pukkaśo ’pi vimucyate saṁsārāt

O Lord, that the mere sight of you should destroy the whole accumulation of a man's sins is nothing impossible — for by merely hearing your name but once, even one born in the lowest of castes is freed from the bondage of this world.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.6.16.45)

अथ भगवन् वयमधुना त्वदवलोकपरिमृष्टाशयमलाः । सुरऋषिणा यत्कथितं तावकेन कथमन्यथा भवति ॥ ४५ ॥

atha bhagavan vayam adhunā tvad-avaloka-parimṛṣṭāśaya-malāḥ sura-ṛṣiṇā yat kathitaṁ tāvakena katham anyathā bhavati

O Lord, now, through the very sight of you, we have been cleansed of every impurity that once filled our hearts. And how could what your own sage Narada spoke ever have proven otherwise?

Verse 46 (bhagavata.6.16.46)

विदितमनन्त समस्तं तव जगदात्मनो जनैरिहाचरितम् । विज्ञाप्यं परमगुरोः कियदिव सवितुरिव खद्योतैः ॥ ४६ ॥

viditam ananta samastaṁ tava jagad-ātmano janair ihācaritam vijñāpyaṁ parama-guroḥ kiyad iva savitur iva khadyotaiḥ

O infinite one, nothing that any being does in this world is hidden from you, who are the very self of all; and to say anything at all before a supreme guide such as yourself is like a firefly presuming to show its light before the sun.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.6.16.47)

नमस्तुभ्यं भगवते सकलजगत्स्थितिलयोदयेशाय । दुरवसितात्मगतये कुयोगिनां भिदा परमहंसाय ॥ ४७ ॥

namas tubhyaṁ bhagavate sakala-jagat-sthiti-layodayeśāya duravasitātma-gataye kuyogināṁ bhidā paramahaṁsāya

Homage to you, O Lord — master of this whole world's arising, its abiding, and its dissolution, whose own true state defies easy grasp, who appears divided to those poorly versed in yoga though you are yourself the very embodiment of the supreme, unblemished self.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.6.16.48)

यं वै श्वसन्तमनु विश्वसृजः श्वसन्ति यं चेकितानमनु चित्तय उच्चकन्ति । भूमण्डलं सर्षपायति यस्य मूर्ध्नि तस्मै नमो भगवतेऽस्तु सहस्रमूर्ध्ने ॥ ४८ ॥

yaṁ vai śvasantam anu viśva-sṛjaḥ śvasanti yaṁ cekitānam anu cittaya uccakanti bhū-maṇḍalaṁ sarṣapāyati yasya mūrdhni tasmai namo bhagavate ’stu sahasra-mūrdhne

He by whose very breathing the creators of the worlds themselves breathe, by whose very waking all other minds awaken, upon whose head this whole earth appears no larger than a single mustard seed — to that Lord of a thousand heads, homage.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.6.16.49)

श्रीशुक उवाच संस्तुतो भगवानेवमनन्तस्तमभाषत । विद्याधरपतिं प्रीतश्चित्रकेतुं कुरूद्वह ॥ ४९ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca saṁstuto bhagavān evam anantas tam abhāṣata vidyādhara-patiṁ prītaś citraketuṁ kurūdvaha

Shri Shukadeva said: Thus praised, the illustrious Ananta, well pleased, spoke these words to Chitraketu, lord of the Vidyadharas — O best of the Kurus.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.6.16.50)

श्रीभगवानुवाच यन्नारदाङ्गिरोभ्यां ते व्याहृतं मेऽनुशासनम् । संसिद्धोऽसि तया राजन् विद्यया दर्शनाच्च मे ॥ ५० ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca yan nāradāṅgirobhyāṁ te vyāhṛtaṁ me ’nuśāsanam saṁsiddho ’si tayā rājan vidyayā darśanāc ca me

Shri Bhagavan said: O King, through this teaching of mine spoken to you by Narada and Angira, and through this very sight of me, you have now become completely accomplished.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.6.16.51)

अहं वै सर्वभूतानि भूतात्मा भूतभावनः । शब्दब्रह्म परं ब्रह्म ममोभे शाश्वती तनू ॥ ५१ ॥

ahaṁ vai sarva-bhūtāni bhūtātmā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ śabda-brahma paraṁ brahma mamobhe śāśvatī tanū

I alone pervade all beings, am the inner self of all, and am the source from which all beings arise. The sound-Brahman, the Veda, and the supreme Brahman — both are my own eternal forms.

Verse 52 (bhagavata.6.16.52)

लोके विततमात्मानं लोकं चात्मनि सन्ततम् । उभयं च मया व्याप्तं मयि चैवोभयं कृतम् ॥ ५२ ॥

loke vitatam ātmānaṁ lokaṁ cātmani santatam ubhayaṁ ca mayā vyāptaṁ mayi caivobhayaṁ kṛtam

The notion of the self as spread throughout the world, and of the world as continuously present within the self — both of these are pervaded by me, and both are fashioned within me alone.

Verse 53 (bhagavata.6.16.53)

यथा सुषुप्तः पुरुषो विश्वं पश्यति चात्मनि । आत्मानमेकदेशस्थं मन्यते स्वप्न उत्थितः ॥ ५३ ॥

yathā suṣuptaḥ puruṣo viśvaṁ paśyati cātmani ātmānam eka-deśa-sthaṁ manyate svapna utthitaḥ

Just as a man in deep sleep sees the whole universe within himself alone, and yet upon waking from that dream considers himself confined to a single place —

Verse 54 (bhagavata.6.16.54)

एवं जागरणादीनि जीवस्थानानि चात्मनः । मायामात्राणि विज्ञाय तद् द्रष्टारं परं स्मरेत् ॥ ५४ ॥

evaṁ jāgaraṇādīni jīva-sthānāni cātmanaḥ māyā-mātrāṇi vijñāya tad-draṣṭāraṁ paraṁ smaret

so too, understanding waking and every other state of the self to be nothing but maya, one should remember instead that supreme reality which is the witness of them all.

Verse 55 (bhagavata.6.16.55)

येन प्रसुप्तः पुरुषः स्वापं वेदात्मनस्तदा । सुखं च निर्गुणं ब्रह्म तमात्मानमवेहि माम् ॥ ५५ ॥

yena prasuptaḥ puruṣaḥ svāpaṁ vedātmanas tadā sukhaṁ ca nirguṇaṁ brahma tam ātmānam avehi mām

That by which the sleeping man comes to know his own sleep, his happiness, and the qualityless Brahman — know that very self to be none other than me.

Verse 56 (bhagavata.6.16.56)

उभयं स्मरतः पुंसः प्रस्वापप्रतिबोधयोः । अन्वेति व्यतिरिच्येत तज्ज्ञानं ब्रह्म तत्परम् ॥ ५६ ॥

ubhayaṁ smarataḥ puṁsaḥ prasvāpa-pratibodhayoḥ anveti vyatiricyeta taj jñānaṁ brahma tat param

The person who remembers both the state of sleep and the state of waking is present through both, and yet stands apart from both alike — this very understanding is what knows the supreme Brahman.

Verse 57 (bhagavata.6.16.57)

यदेतद्विस्मृतं पुंसो मद्भावं भिन्नमात्मनः । ततः संसार एतस्य देहाद्देहो मृतेर्मृतिः ॥ ५७ ॥

yad etad vismṛtaṁ puṁso mad-bhāvaṁ bhinnam ātmanaḥ tataḥ saṁsāra etasya dehād deho mṛter mṛtiḥ

When a man forgets this true nature of mine, distinct as it seems from his own self, then for him begins the cycle of birth and death — one body after another, one death after another.

Verse 58 (bhagavata.6.16.58)

लब्ध्वेह मानुषीं योनिं ज्ञानविज्ञानसम्भवाम् । आत्मानं यो न बुद्ध्येत न क्वचित्क्षेममाप्नुयात् ॥ ५८ ॥

labdhveha mānuṣīṁ yoniṁ jñāna-vijñāna-sambhavām ātmānaṁ yo na buddhyeta na kvacit kṣemam āpnuyāt

Even having obtained this human birth, so fit for the arising of knowledge and its direct realization, one who fails to understand his own self never attains true and lasting good in any way.

Verse 59 (bhagavata.6.16.59)

स्मृत्वेहायां परिक्लेशं ततः फलविपर्ययम् । अभयं चाप्यनीहायां सङ्कल्पाद्विरमेत्कविः ॥ ५९ ॥

smṛtvehāyāṁ parikleśaṁ tataḥ phala-viparyayam abhayaṁ cāpy anīhāyāṁ saṅkalpād viramet kaviḥ

Recalling the great hardship attending desire for results, both here and hereafter, and the way its fruits so often turn contrary to hope, and knowing too the fearlessness that comes with freedom from such longing, a wise man should cease from all desire-driven resolve.

Verse 60 (bhagavata.6.16.60)

सुखाय दुःखमोक्षाय कुर्वाते दम्पती क्रियाः । ततोऽनिवृत्तिरप्राप्तिर्दुःखस्य च सुखस्य च ॥ ६० ॥

sukhāya duḥkha-mokṣāya kurvāte dampatī kriyāḥ tato ’nivṛttir aprāptir duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca

For the sake of happiness and freedom from sorrow, husband and wife undertake all manner of actions together, and yet neither does their sorrow truly cease, nor is happiness ever truly gained.

Verse 61 (bhagavata.6.16.61)

एवं विपर्ययं बुद्ध्वा नृणां विज्ञाभिमानिनाम् । आत्मनश्च गतिं सूक्ष्मां स्थानत्रयविलक्षणाम् ॥ ६१ ॥

evaṁ viparyayaṁ buddhvā nṛṇāṁ vijñābhimāninām ātmanaś ca gatiṁ sūkṣmāṁ sthāna-traya-vilakṣaṇām

Thus understanding this contrary predicament of men who take themselves for wise, and knowing that subtle course of the self which stands apart from all three states — waking, dreaming, and deep sleep —

Verse 62 (bhagavata.6.16.62)

दृष्टश्रुताभिर्मात्राभिर्निर्मुक्तः स्वेन तेजसा । ज्ञानविज्ञानसन्तृप्तो मद्भक्तः पुरुषो भवेत् ॥ ६२ ॥

dṛṣṭa-śrutābhir mātrābhir nirmuktaḥ svena tejasā jñāna-vijñāna-santṛpto mad-bhaktaḥ puruṣo bhavet

and freeing himself from the influence of all he has seen and heard, resting instead in his own inner radiance, fully satisfied in both knowledge and its direct realization — such a person alone becomes fit to be my devotee.

Verse 63 (bhagavata.6.16.63)

एतावानेव मनुजैर्योगनैपुण्यबुद्धिभिः । स्वार्थः सर्वात्मना ज्ञेयो यत्परात्मैकदर्शनम् ॥ ६३ ॥

etāvān eva manujair yoga-naipuṇya-buddhibhiḥ svārthaḥ sarvātmanā jñeyo yat parātmaika-darśanam

For men whose understanding has been refined by mastery in yoga, this alone is to be known as the true purpose worth pursuing — to see the Supreme Self and the individual self as one, undivided in essence.

Verse 64 (bhagavata.6.16.64)

त्वमेतच्छ्रद्धया राजन्नप्रमत्तो वचो मम । ज्ञानविज्ञानसम्पन्नो धारयन्नाशु सिध्यसि ॥ ६४ ॥

tvam etac chraddhayā rājann apramatto vaco mama jñāna-vijñāna-sampanno dhārayann āśu sidhyasi

O King, if with faith and without carelessness you hold fast to this word of mine, becoming thereby fully accomplished in both knowledge and its direct realization, you shall soon attain perfection.

Verse 65 (bhagavata.6.16.65)

श्रीशुक उवाच आश्वास्य भगवानित्थं चित्रकेतुं जगद्गुरुः । पश्यतस्तस्य विश्वात्मा ततश्चान्तर्दधे हरिः ॥ ६५ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca āśvāsya bhagavān itthaṁ citraketuṁ jagad-guruḥ paśyatas tasya viśvātmā tataś cāntardadhe hariḥ

Shri Shukadeva said: Having thus reassured Chitraketu, the illustrious Hari — teacher of all the worlds, the very soul of the universe — vanished from that place even as Chitraketu looked on.