The Journey of Indradyumna and Narada to Brahmaloka

Verse 1 (skanda.2.62.1)

जैमिनिरुवाच । राजाथ तमुवाचेदं निर्लक्ष्य गमनं कथम् । अयं पुष्परथोऽस्त्येव मनसो वेगवान्मुने

jaiminiruvāca rājātha tamuvācedaṁ nirlakṣya gamanaṁ katham ayaṁ puṣparatho'styeva manaso vegavānmune

Jaimini said: Then the king, uncertain of the means of the journey, said this to him: "This flower-chariot indeed exists, O sage, swift as the mind.

Verse 2 (skanda.2.62.2)

एनमारुह्य यास्यावः क्षणं तावत्प्रतीक्ष्यताम् । यावदेताननुज्ञाप्य प्रासादे ह्यधिकारिणः

enamāruhya yāsyāvaḥ kṣaṇaṁ tāvatpratīkṣyatām yāvadetānanujñāpya prāsāde hyadhikāriṇaḥ

Mounting this, we shall go; wait but a moment, until, having taken leave of the officials in the palace,

Verse 3 (skanda.2.62.3)

प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य विभुमायामि मुनिसत्तम । नारदोऽपि वचः श्रुत्वा श्रद्दधानो नृपोक्तिषु

pradakṣiṇīkṛtya vibhumāyāmi munisattama nārado'pi vacaḥ śrutvā śraddadhāno nṛpoktiṣu

— and circumambulated the Lord, I return, O best of sages." Narada too, hearing this, trusting the king's words,

Verse 4 (skanda.2.62.4)

करेण धृत्वा राजानं महावेदीं प्रविश्य च । सहितं रामभद्राभ्यां नत्वा कृष्णं मुहुर्मुहुः । अनुज्ञां प्रार्थयामास ब्रह्मलोकगतिं प्रति

kareṇa dhṛtvā rājānaṁ mahāvedīṁ praviśya ca sahitaṁ rāmabhadrābhyāṁ natvā kṛṣṇaṁ muhurmuhuḥ anujñāṁ prārthayāmāsa brahmalokagatiṁ prati

took the king by the hand, entered the Mahavedi, and, bowing again and again to Krishna together with Balabhadra and Subhadra, sought leave for the journey to Brahmaloka.

Verse 5 (skanda.2.62.5)

इन्द्रद्युम्नोऽपि वचसा मनसा वपुषा हरिम् । प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य पुनर्नत्वा साष्टांगमुन्मनाः । ब्रह्मलोकगतिं विप्रा याचते स्म कृतांजलिः

indradyumno'pi vacasā manasā vapuṣā harim pradakṣiṇīkṛtya punarnatvā sāṣṭāṁgamunmanāḥ brahmalokagatiṁ viprā yācate sma kṛtāṁjaliḥ

Indradyumna too, circumambulating Hari with speech, mind, and body, bowing again with all eight limbs prostrate, his heart eager, O Brahmins, begged with joined palms for the journey to Brahmaloka.

Verse 6 (skanda.2.62.6)

उभौ तौ दिव्ययानेन जग्मतुर्मुनिभूभृतौ । प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य रविं व्योममण्डलमध्यगम् । उपर्युपरि जग्माते व्यतीत्य ध्रुवमंडलम्

ubhau tau divyayānena jagmaturmunibhūbhṛtau pradakṣiṇīkṛtya raviṁ vyomamaṇḍalamadhyagam uparyupari jagmāte vyatītya dhruvamaṁḍalam

The two of them, sage and king, journeyed on the divine vehicle; circling the sun that stands in the middle of the vault of the sky, they went ever higher, passing beyond the sphere of Dhruva.

Verse 7 (skanda.2.62.7)

जनलोकगतैः सिद्धैः सत्वरावनतोन्मुखैः । वीक्ष्यमाणौ मुदा युक्तौ संलपंतौ परस्परम्

janalokagataiḥ siddhaiḥ satvarāvanatonmukhaiḥ vīkṣyamāṇau mudā yuktau saṁlapaṁtau parasparam

watched by the Siddhas dwelling in Janaloka, who bent their faces low in haste and reverence, the two, filled with joy, conversing with one another,

Verse 8 (skanda.2.62.8)

भगवच्चरितं विप्रा मनोमलविशोधनम् । जीवन्मुक्तो मुनिश्रेष्ठः सर्वलोकान्भ्रमन्नयम् । यथानुपहतव्रज्यस्तथायं मर्त्यवास्यपि

bhagavaccaritaṁ viprā manomalaviśodhanam jīvanmukto muniśreṣṭhaḥ sarvalokānbhramannayam yathānupahatavrajyastathāyaṁ martyavāsyapi

— of the deeds of the Lord, O Brahmins, which purify the stain of the mind. This foremost of sages, liberated while yet living, roamed unhindered through all the worlds, and even this dweller among mortals went just as unimpeded.

Verse 9 (skanda.2.62.9)

भूपतिः प्रययौ शीघ्रं विष्णुभक्तिप्रसादतः । ब्रह्मांडविषये नैतद्दुष्प्राप्यं वस्तु विद्यते

bhūpatiḥ prayayau śīghraṁ viṣṇubhaktiprasādataḥ brahmāṁḍaviṣaye naitadduṣprāpyaṁ vastu vidyate

The king went swiftly, by the grace of devotion to Vishnu. In the whole compass of the cosmic egg, there exists no object too hard to attain —

Verse 10 (skanda.2.62.10)

विष्णुभक्तेन यल्लभ्यमथवा मुक्तिमेति सः । महर्लोकगतैः सिद्धैः सादराभ्यर्चितौ च तौ

viṣṇubhaktena yallabhyamathavā muktimeti saḥ maharlokagataiḥ siddhaiḥ sādarābhyarcitau ca tau

— for a devotee of Vishnu; or else he attains liberation itself. And the two of them were reverently worshipped by the Siddhas dwelling in Maharloka.

Verse 11 (skanda.2.62.11)

इन्द्रद्युम्नो न सस्मार पार्थिवं वासमात्मनः । क्रमादूर्ध्वगतिर्गच्छन्पश्यन्सौख्यैकभाजनान्

indradyumno na sasmāra pārthivaṁ vāsamātmanaḥ kramādūrdhvagatirgacchanpaśyansaukhyaikabhājanān

Indradyumna no longer even remembered his earthly dwelling, going ever upward step by step, beholding realms that were the sole abode of happiness,

Verse 12 (skanda.2.62.12)

निर्द्वंद्वानभिलाषोत्थ तत्क्षणानेकपौरुषान् । केवलं भगवत्प्रीत्यै कर्मभूमौ चकार यत्

nirdvaṁdvānabhilāṣottha tatkṣaṇānekapauruṣān kevalaṁ bhagavatprītyai karmabhūmau cakāra yat

— places free from dualities, risen above desire, granting many kinds of vigor in that very instant; whatever he had done on the field of action, the earth, he had done solely for the Lord's pleasure.

Verse 13 (skanda.2.62.13)

प्रासादं चिंतयामास संपूर्णो वा न वा भवेत् । मय्यागते ब्रह्मलोकं शत्रुभिर्वाभिभूयते

prāsādaṁ ciṁtayāmāsa saṁpūrṇo vā na vā bhavet mayyāgate brahmalokaṁ śatrubhirvābhibhūyate

He began to worry about the temple — whether it would be completed or not: "Once I have gone to Brahmaloka, will it be overrun by enemies?

Verse 14 (skanda.2.62.14)

श्लथादरा वा भूयासुः सेवका द्रव्यलोभतः । गृहीतवेतनाः शिल्पिवृंदा मंदक्रियास्तथा । न शीघ्रं घटयिष्यंति मयि ब्रह्मक्षयागते

ślathādarā vā bhūyāsuḥ sevakā dravyalobhataḥ gṛhītavetanāḥ śilpivṛṁdā maṁdakriyāstathā na śīghraṁ ghaṭayiṣyaṁti mayi brahmakṣayāgate

Or will the servants, out of greed for wealth, grow careless? And will the guilds of craftsmen, their wages already taken, work sluggishly, and fail to finish it quickly once I have gone to dwell with Brahma?"

Verse 15 (skanda.2.62.15)

यावद्गमिष्ये धातारं गृहीत्वाहं चतुर्मुखम् । तावन्न पुनरेव स्यात्प्रासादो मयि दूरगे

yāvadgamiṣye dhātāraṁ gṛhītvāhaṁ caturmukham tāvanna punareva syātprāsādo mayi dūrage

By the time I go to the Creator and bring the four-faced one back with me, the temple, with me gone so far away, may never again be completed.

Verse 16 (skanda.2.62.16)

इहायातास्तु ये पूर्वे न पुनस्ते क्षितिं गताः । मन्वाना मम सामंता इत्थं वा दुष्टमानसाः । राज्यं ममाहरिष्यंति द्विषतः किमु सांप्रतम्

ihāyātāstu ye pūrve na punaste kṣitiṁ gatāḥ manvānā mama sāmaṁtā itthaṁ vā duṣṭamānasāḥ rājyaṁ mamāhariṣyaṁti dviṣataḥ kimu sāṁpratam

Those who have come here before have never returned again to earth; thinking this, my own vassals, their minds turned wicked, will seize my kingdom — what then of my enemies now?"

Verse 17 (skanda.2.62.17)

इत्थं सुविग्नमनसा चिंतयानं महीपतिम् । अतीतानागतज्ञाननिधिर्मुनिरुवाच तम्

itthaṁ suvignamanasā ciṁtayānaṁ mahīpatim atītānāgatajñānanidhirmuniruvāca tam

To the king thus brooding, his mind sorely troubled, the sage, a treasury of knowledge of past and future, said:

Verse 18 (skanda.2.62.18)

किं चिंतयसि राजेंद्र त्वमेवं दीनमानसः । यत्र चाभ्यागतावावां न चिंताविषयो ह्ययम्

kiṁ ciṁtayasi rājeṁdra tvamevaṁ dīnamānasaḥ yatra cābhyāgatāvāvāṁ na ciṁtāviṣayo hyayam

"Why do you worry so, O lord of kings, your mind so downcast? In this very place we have come to, this is no cause for anxiety at all.

Verse 19 (skanda.2.62.19)

नाधयो व्याधयश्चात्र प्रभवंति कदाचन । न जरा न च वा मृत्युः किमन्यदुःखहेतुकम्

nādhayo vyādhayaścātra prabhavaṁti kadācana na jarā na ca vā mṛtyuḥ kimanyaduḥkhahetukam

Here neither mental anguish nor bodily disease ever arises, nor old age, nor death — what other cause of sorrow could there be?

Verse 20 (skanda.2.62.20)

कृतार्थोऽसि महाभाग यन्मानुषवपुः स्वयम् । ब्रह्मलोकमिहायातः प्रत्यक्षं दृष्टवान्हरिम्

kṛtārtho'si mahābhāga yanmānuṣavapuḥ svayam brahmalokamihāyātaḥ pratyakṣaṁ dṛṣṭavānharim

You are truly blessed, O fortunate one, that in your own human body you have come here to Brahmaloka and beheld Hari face to face.

Verse 21 (skanda.2.62.21)

इहायाता न शोचंति हेये संसारकल्पके । ब्रुवाणमित्थं भूपालस्तमुवाच मुनीश्वरम्

ihāyātā na śocaṁti heye saṁsārakalpake bruvāṇamitthaṁ bhūpālastamuvāca munīśvaram

Those who have come here do not grieve for the wretched cycle of worldly existence." As he spoke thus, the king said to that lord among sages:

Verse 22 (skanda.2.62.22)

शोचामि भगवन्राज्ये स्वजनबन्धुषु । समारब्धो भगवतः प्रासादो यो मयाधुना

śocāmi bhagavanrājye svajanabandhuṣu samārabdho bhagavataḥ prāsādo yo mayādhunā

"I grieve, O lord, over my kinsfolk and kin in the kingdom, and over the temple of the Lord which I have just now begun,

Verse 23 (skanda.2.62.23)

अत्रागतं मां ते ज्ञात्वा नानुतिष्ठंति सेवकाः । आरब्धस्य प्रतिष्ठा हि कर्तव्या निश्चिता मुने

atrāgataṁ māṁ te jñātvā nānutiṣṭhaṁti sevakāḥ ārabdhasya pratiṣṭhā hi kartavyā niścitā mune

— for, knowing I have come here, my servants will not carry it forward; yet what has been begun must without fail be brought to consecration, O sage.

Verse 24 (skanda.2.62.24)

तस्यांतरायं संभाव्य दुःखितं मे मनः प्रभो । तस्य तद्वचं श्रुत्वा प्रहस्य मुनिरब्रवीत्

tasyāṁtarāyaṁ saṁbhāvya duḥkhitaṁ me manaḥ prabho tasya tadvacaṁ śrutvā prahasya munirabravīt

Anticipating some obstacle to it, my mind, O lord, is sorrowful." Hearing these words of his, the sage laughed and said:

Verse 25 (skanda.2.62.25)

प्रजापतिसमत्वं हि न तु सामान्यभूपतिः । केनाप्यपकृतं नैव भूमौ पूर्वैरनुष्ठितम्

prajāpatisamatvaṁ hi na tu sāmānyabhūpatiḥ kenāpyapakṛtaṁ naiva bhūmau pūrvairanuṣṭhitam

"You are indeed the equal of Prajapati, no common king. Never has anyone on earth done harm to what your forebears established —

Verse 26 (skanda.2.62.26)

किं पुनस्तव कृत्यं तु यः सृष्टिस्थितिहानिकृत् । ब्रह्मलोकं गतस्याद्य प्रतापयशसा तव

kiṁ punastava kṛtyaṁ tu yaḥ sṛṣṭisthitihānikṛt brahmalokaṁ gatasyādya pratāpayaśasā tava

how much less, then, your own undertaking — guarded by him who creates, sustains, and destroys — now that you, in your glory and renown, have this day gone to Brahmaloka?

Verse 27 (skanda.2.62.27)

त्रैलोक्ये भ्रमतो नित्यं यथा सूर्यनिशाकरौ । यस्य कार्येषु भगवान्सहायोऽसौ चतुर्मुखः

trailokye bhramato nityaṁ yathā sūryaniśākarau yasya kāryeṣu bhagavānsahāyo'sau caturmukhaḥ

As the sun and moon wander perpetually through the three worlds, so too, in whose works the four-faced Lord himself is a helper —

Verse 28 (skanda.2.62.28)

तेषु किं राजशार्दूल विघ्नशंकापि जायते । एष दूरेऽस्ति राजेंद्र प्रत्यक्षं यस्तव द्विषाम्

teṣu kiṁ rājaśārdūla vighnaśaṁkāpi jāyate eṣa dūre'sti rājeṁdra pratyakṣaṁ yastava dviṣām

— in his works, O tiger among kings, could even the fear of an obstacle arise? This is a small matter, O lord of kings: your enemies, right before your eyes —

Verse 29 (skanda.2.62.29)

सदोमध्य गतः शक्रः साक्षात्त्रिजगतीपतिः । विशेषतो जगन्नाथप्रासादे कः पुमान्नृप

sadomadhya gataḥ śakraḥ sākṣāttrijagatīpatiḥ viśeṣato jagannāthaprāsāde kaḥ pumānnṛpa

— even Indra, lord of the three worlds in person, sits there in the very midst of the assembly. Especially regarding the temple of Jagannatha, O king, what man

Verse 30 (skanda.2.62.30)

निहंतुं मनसापीच्छेत्तत्र शंकास्तु मा तव । तदग्रतः पश्य भूप चंद्रकोटिसमत्विषा

nihaṁtuṁ manasāpīcchettatra śaṁkāstu mā tava tadagrataḥ paśya bhūpa caṁdrakoṭisamatviṣā

— could so much as wish in his heart to harm it? So let there be no fear in you on that score. Now look ahead, O king, at that radiance equal to a hundred million moons,

Verse 31 (skanda.2.62.31)

परितो ह्लादजनकः सुधासागरकोटिवत् । यश्चायं तेजसां राशिर्जानीहि ब्रह्मसद्मनः

parito hlādajanakaḥ sudhāsāgarakoṭivat yaścāyaṁ tejasāṁ rāśirjānīhi brahmasadmanaḥ

— delighting all around, like a hundred million oceans of nectar; know that this mass of radiance is none other than the abode of Brahma."

Verse 32 (skanda.2.62.32)

इत्थमालपतस्तौ तु ब्रह्मलोकांतिकं गतौ । शुश्रुवाते सुदूरात्तौ ब्रह्मर्षीणां मुखोद्गतम्

itthamālapatastau tu brahmalokāṁtikaṁ gatau śuśruvāte sudūrāttau brahmarṣīṇāṁ mukhodgatam

Conversing thus, the two of them drew near to Brahmaloka; from far off they heard, issuing from the mouths of the Brahmarshis,

Verse 33 (skanda.2.62.33)

स्वाध्यायशब्दं सुपदं स्पष्टवर्णक्रमस्वरम् । इतिहासपुराणानि च्छंदः कल्पानि गाथिकाः

svādhyāyaśabdaṁ supadaṁ spaṣṭavarṇakramasvaram itihāsapurāṇāni cchaṁdaḥ kalpāni gāthikāḥ

— the sound of sacred recitation, its words well-formed, its syllables, sequence, and tones all clear — the Itihasas and Puranas, the Chandas, the Kalpas, the Gathas,

Verse 34 (skanda.2.62.34)

असंकीर्णोज्ज्वलपदं श्रूयते प्रविभागशः । अत्रैतद्राजशार्दूल जानीहि ब्रह्मणः पुरम्

asaṁkīrṇojjvalapadaṁ śrūyate pravibhāgaśaḥ atraitadrājaśārdūla jānīhi brahmaṇaḥ puram

— unmixed, its bright words distinctly divided and clear to hear. Know this, O tiger among kings, to be the very city of Brahma.

Verse 35 (skanda.2.62.35)

सभा हि दृश्यते चैषा यत्र लोकपितामहः । सार्द्धं ब्रह्मर्षिमुख्यैश्च सुखासीनश्चतुर्मुखः

sabhā hi dṛśyate caiṣā yatra lokapitāmahaḥ sārddhaṁ brahmarṣimukhyaiśca sukhāsīnaścaturmukhaḥ

And here is seen that very assembly hall, where the grandsire of the worlds, the four-faced one, sits at ease together with the foremost of the Brahmarshis,

Verse 36 (skanda.2.62.36)

नाना चैतन्यशबलैर्जीवन्मुक्तैरुपासितः । यत्रागतानि वर्त्तंते न संसाराब्धिसंकटे

nānā caitanyaśabalairjīvanmuktairupāsitaḥ yatrāgatāni varttaṁte na saṁsārābdhisaṁkaṭe

— attended by many, variously advanced, who are liberated while living; those who have come here no longer remain caught in the peril of the ocean of transmigration.

Verse 37 (skanda.2.62.37)

सदिति ब्रह्मणो नाम तस्यायं भुवनोत्तमः । सत्यलोक इति ख्यातस्तदूर्ध्वं नास्ति किंचन

saditi brahmaṇo nāma tasyāyaṁ bhuvanottamaḥ satyaloka iti khyātastadūrdhvaṁ nāsti kiṁcana

'Sat' is the name of Brahma; this his supreme world is renowned as Satyaloka; above it there exists nothing at all.

Verse 38 (skanda.2.62.38)

अस्यैव किंचिदुपरि अधश्चांडकपालतः । वैकुण्ठभुवनं राजन्मुक्ता यत्र वसंति वै

asyaiva kiṁcidupari adhaścāṁḍakapālataḥ vaikuṇṭhabhuvanaṁ rājanmuktā yatra vasaṁti vai

A little above this, yet below the shell of the cosmic egg, O king, lies the realm of Vaikuntha, where the liberated dwell,

Verse 39 (skanda.2.62.39)

यत्र योगीश्वरः साक्षाद्योगिचिंत्यो जनार्दनः । चैतन्यवपुरास्ते वै सांद्रानंदात्मकः प्रभुः

yatra yogīśvaraḥ sākṣādyogiciṁtyo janārdanaḥ caitanyavapurāste vai sāṁdrānaṁdātmakaḥ prabhuḥ

— where the Lord of yogis himself, Janardana, meditated upon by yogis, of a body that is consciousness itself, the Lord whose nature is dense bliss, dwells,

Verse 40 (skanda.2.62.40)

यं प्राप्य न निवर्त्तंते मृत्युसंसारवर्त्मनि । यमुपास्ते सदा ब्रह्मा जीवन्मुक्तैः स्वमुक्तये

yaṁ prāpya na nivarttaṁte mṛtyusaṁsāravartmani yamupāste sadā brahmā jīvanmuktaiḥ svamuktaye

— attaining whom, none return again to the path of death and rebirth; whom Brahma himself, together with the liberated-while-living, ever worships for the sake of his own liberation,

Verse 41 (skanda.2.62.41)

कल्पितस्यायुषोन्तेऽसावेभिः सार्द्धं प्रपद्यते । स एष स्रष्टा लोकानां मत्स्यकूर्मादिरूपधृक्

kalpitasyāyuṣonte'sāvebhiḥ sārddhaṁ prapadyate sa eṣa sraṣṭā lokānāṁ matsyakūrmādirūpadhṛk

— at the close of his allotted life, Brahma together with these attains that same Lord. He is the creator of the worlds, who takes on the forms of the Fish, the Tortoise, and the rest,

Verse 42 (skanda.2.62.42)

रक्षिता रौद्ररूपेण संहर्त्ता लोकभावनः । इन्द्रद्युम्नं वदन्नित्थं प्राप ब्रह्मनिकेतनम्

rakṣitā raudrarūpeṇa saṁharttā lokabhāvanaḥ indradyumnaṁ vadannitthaṁ prāpa brahmaniketanam

— the protector, and, in his fierce form, the destroyer, the nurturer of the worlds." Speaking thus to Indradyumna, he arrived at the abode of Brahma.

Verse 43 (skanda.2.62.43)

क्षणेन च सभाद्वारि प्रकोष्ठे स न्यवर्तत । यत्र तिष्ठन्ति दिक्पालाः शक्राद्याः परितस्तथा

kṣaṇena ca sabhādvāri prakoṣṭhe sa nyavartata yatra tiṣṭhanti dikpālāḥ śakrādyāḥ paritastathā

And in an instant he came to a halt in the antechamber at the door of the assembly, where the guardians of the quarters, Indra and the rest, stand all about,

Verse 44 (skanda.2.62.44)

चिरकालं ध्यानपरास्तथा मन्वंतराधिपाः । पृथग्जननिभा द्वाःस्थनिषिद्धांतः प्रवेशनाः

cirakālaṁ dhyānaparāstathā manvaṁtarādhipāḥ pṛthagjananibhā dvāḥsthaniṣiddhāṁtaḥ praveśanāḥ

— and where, too, the lords of the Manvantaras remain long absorbed in meditation, resembling ordinary folk, forbidden entry within by the doorkeeper.

Verse 45 (skanda.2.62.45)

इन्द्रद्युम्नेन सहितं नारदं प्रविलोक्य सः । द्वारपालः सविनयं ननामानतकन्धरः

indradyumnena sahitaṁ nāradaṁ pravilokya saḥ dvārapālaḥ savinayaṁ nanāmānatakandharaḥ

Seeing Narada together with Indradyumna, that doorkeeper, bending his neck low, bowed with humility,

Verse 46 (skanda.2.62.46)

चतुर्दशानां लोकानां भ्रमणे रसिक प्रभो । त्वया विना शोभते नो स्वामिंस्तव पितुः सभा

caturdaśānāṁ lokānāṁ bhramaṇe rasika prabho tvayā vinā śobhate no svāmiṁstava pituḥ sabhā

— [saying:] "O lord, connoisseur of wandering through the fourteen worlds! Without you, O master, your father's assembly does not shine.

Verse 47 (skanda.2.62.47)

संत्येव मुनयः श्रेष्ठा ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मविद्वराः । गौतमाद्यास्तथाप्येषा न रम्या ब्रह्मणः सभा

saṁtyeva munayaḥ śreṣṭhā brāhmaṇā brahmavidvarāḥ gautamādyāstathāpyeṣā na ramyā brahmaṇaḥ sabhā

There are indeed excellent sages here, Brahmins foremost in the knowledge of Brahman, Gautama and the rest — yet still this assembly of Brahma is not truly lovely,

Verse 48 (skanda.2.62.48)

बहुतारा सुरजनी चंद्रेणेव प्रकाशते । इति स्तुवन्ददौ तस्य प्रवेशं विनयान्वितः

bahutārā surajanī caṁdreṇeva prakāśate iti stuvandadau tasya praveśaṁ vinayānvitaḥ

— just as a night rich with stars shines only by the moon." Praising him thus, he, full of humility, granted him entry.