नम्यत्वमुक्तमुभयत्र यतस्ततोऽस्य मुक्तैरमुक्तिगगणैश्च विनम्यतोक्ता ।
इत्थं हि सर्वगुणपूर्तिरमुष्य विष्णोः प्रस्ताविता प्रथमतः प्रतिजानतैव । २.५७ ।
57 In this way, since the worshippability of Lord Vishnu has been strongly propounded in both halves of the shloka, the divine quality of being prayed on to has been especially brought out. Therefore, in the very first shloka of the epic itself, the Supreme nature of Lord Vishnu being full of auspicious attributes has been brought out.
“कृष्णो यज्ञैरिज्यते सोमपूतैः कृष्णो वीरैरिज्यते विक्रमद्भिः ।
कृष्णो वन्यैरिज्यते सम्मृशानैः कृष्णो मुक्तैरिज्यते वीतमोहैः ” । २.५८ ।
58 Lord Krishna is worshipped by those purified by consumption of Soma, and worshipped by Yajnas. Lord Krishna is worshipped by the brave involved in brave acts. Lord Krishna is worshipped by those Vanaprasthas involved in knowledge seeking activities. Lord Krishna is worshipped through Dhyana by the liberated who do not have any attachment.
सृष्टा ब्रह्मादयो देवा निहता येन दानवाः ।
तस्मै देवादिदेवाय नमस्ते शार्ङ्गधारिणे । २.५९ ।
59 Due to whom Brahma and others are created and Danavas are destroyed, that Lord of the lords, that primordial Being, O beholder of the Shranga bow, I bow to you!
स्रष्टृत्वं देवानां मुक्तिस्रष्टृत्वमुच्यते नान्यत् ।
उत्पत्तिर्दैत्यानामपि यस्मात्सम्मिता विशेषोऽयम् । २.६० ।
60 In this context, the ‘creation’ of devatas means granting them Mukti; nothing else. Because the word ‘creation’ is equally applicable to Daityas; hence the special meaning.
अथ च दैत्यहतिस्तमसि स्थिरा नियतसं स्थितिरेव न चान्यथा ।
तनुविभागकृतिः सकलेष्वियं नहि विशेषकृता सुरदैत्यगा । २.६१ ।
61 Similarly, the word ‘destruction’ with respect to Daityas indicates placing them in eternal hell; and not just ‘killing’. This is because the destruction in the form ending the physical form is equally applicable to all Jivas; hence it wouldn’t indicate the speciality when it comes to Daityas.
तमिममेव सुरासुरसञ्चये हरिकृतं प्रविशेषमुदीक्षितुम् ।
प्रतिविभज्य च भीमसुयोधनौ स्वपरपक्षभिदा कथिता कथा । २.६२ ।
62 In order to indicate this special purport, Lord Hari, in the form of Veda Vyasa, has kept the group of devatas and daityas and made Bhima and Suyodhana as opponents and created the difference of own group and opponents’ group and narrated the story (of the Bharata).
“नमो भगवते तस्मै व्यासायामिततेजसे ।
यस्य प्रसादाद्वक्ष्यामि नारायणकथामिमाम् । २.६३ ।
63 I offer my prayers to Sri Vyasa, who has unlimited radiance and is full of auspicious attributes. Due to His grace, I am narrating the story of Lord Narayana here.
वासुदेवस्तु भगवान् कीर्तितोऽत्र सनातनः ।
प्रतिबिम्बमिवाऽदर्शे यं पश्यन्त्यात्मनि स्थितम् । २.६४ ।
64 The story of that Lord Vasudeva, whose presence inside the Jivas is seen like the reflection from a mirror by the Rishis, who is eternal and is supreme; that story has been narrated here.
नास्ति नारायणसमं न भूतं न भविष्यति ।
एतेन सत्यवाक्येन सर्वार्थान् साधयाम्यहम् । २.६५ ।
65 There is nothing that is equal to Narayana; there never has been; there never will be. From this truth, I shall determine all other purports.
आद्यन्तयोरित्यवदत्स यस्माद्व्यासात्मको विष्णुरुदारशक्तिः ।
तस्मात्समस्ता हरिसद्गुणानां निर्णीतये भारतगा कथैषा । २.६६ ।
66 Since the grateful Lord Vishnu, in the form of Veda Vyasa, has stated thus in the beginning and end, it can be concluded that the story of the Bharata is intended to convey the purport of Lord Hari’s auspicious attributes.
“सत्यं सत्यं पुनः सत्यमुद्धृत्य भुजमुच्यते ।
वेदशास्त्रात्परं नास्ति न दैवं केशवात्परम्” । २.६७ ।
67 I will raise both my arms and proclaim loudly “This is the truth, truth and nothing but the truth”. “There is no shastra greater than the Vedas; There is no God greater than Keshava”
(This is a statement from the Ashcharya Parva of the Hari Vamsha)
“आलोड्य सर्वशास्त्राणि विचार्य च पुनः पुनः ।
इदमेकं सुनिष्पन्नं ध्येयो नारायणः सदा” । २.६८ ।
68 If all the shastras are churned and the meaning is interpreted after repeated thinking, the main purport that comes out is this “Lord Narayana is always worthy of being meditated upon”.
“स्मर्तव्यः सततं विष्णुर्विस्मर्तव्यो न जातुचित् ।
सर्वे विधिनिषेधाः स्युरेतयोरेव किङ्कराः ” । २.६९ ।
69 Lord Vishnu must be remembered at all times; He must never be forgotten. All other rules & restrictions are subservient to this main requirement.
को हि तं वेदितुं शक्तो यो न स्यात्तद्विधोऽपरः ।
तद्विधश्चापरो नास्ति तस्मात्तं वेद सः स्वयम् । २.७० ।
70 Who else can understand Him since there is none like Him? Since there is none like Him, only He understands Himself.
को हि तं वेदितुं शक्तो नारायणमनामयम् ।
ऋते सत्यवतीसूनोः कृष्णाद्वा देवकीसुतात् । २.७१ ।
71 Apart from the son of Satyavati (Vyasa) and the son of Devaki (Krishna), who else can be capable of understanding that defectless Lord Narayana?
अप्रमेयोऽनियोज्यश्च स्वयं कामगमो वशी ।
मोदत्येष सदा भूतैर्बालः क्रीडनकैरिव । २.७२ ।
72 Lord Hari can never be comprehended fully by anyone; He cannot be controlled by anyone else; He is independent and has His own will; He has everything under His control; He is forever playing with creation and other activities just like a kid plays with toys.
न प्रमातुं महाबाहुः शक्योऽयं मधुसूदनः ।
परमात्परमेतस्माद्विश्वरूपान्न विद्यते । २.७३ ।
73 Lord Madhusudana, the one with immense shoulders can never be comprehended fully by anyone; There is no other form which is superior to the complete form of the Paramatma.
वसुदेवसुतो नायं नायं गर्भेऽवसत्प्रभुः ।
नायं दशरथाज्जातो न चापि जमदग्नितः । २.७४ ।
74 The Lord is not the son of Vasudeva; nor did He reside in the womb of Devaki. The Lord was not born because of either Dasharatha or Jamadagni.
जायते नैव कुत्रापि म्रियते कुत एव तु ।
न वेध्यो मुह्यते नायं बद्ध्यते नैव केनचित् ।
कुतो दुःखं स्वतन्त्रस्य नित्यानन्दैकरूपिणः । २.७५ ।
75 He is never born at all; then how can He die? He is never to be killed by anyone; He never gets attached to anyone; He never gets caught by anyone; For someone who is forever independent and is of the form which is pure bliss, how can there be sorrow at all?
ईशन्नपि हि देवेशः सर्वस्य जगतो हरिः ।
कर्माणि कुरुते नित्यं कीनाण्स इव दुर्बलः । २.७६ ।
76 Even though Lord Hari is the Lord of all devatas and the Lord of the Universe, He performs activities always just like ordinary weak humans. This is definite!
नाऽत्मानं वेद मुग्धोऽयं दुःखी सीतां च मार्गते ।
बद्धः शक्रजितेत्यादि लीलैषाऽसुरमोहिनी । २.७७ ।
77 “He doesn’t know Himself; He is innocent, is sorrowful; He didn’t find Sita and went in search of her; He got arrested by Indrajit”; these and other such gameful activities were all done to create illusion in Asuras.
मुह्यते शस्त्रपातेन भिन्नत्वग्रुधिरस्रवः ।
अजानन् पृच्छति स्मान्यां स्तनुं त्यक्त्वा दिवं गतः । २.७८ ।
इत्याद्यसुरमोहाय दर्शयामास नाट्यवत् ।
अविद्यमानमेवेशः कुहकं तद्विदुः सुराः । २.७९ ।
78-79 “He gets disillusioned by attack with weapons; He bleeds due to cuts on the skin; He asks others due to ignorance; He dies after leaving this body”; All such acts are done by Him just like a magician performs tricks for causing illusion to Asuras. Actually, He doesn’t have any such defects. Devatas know that He does all this to cause illusion to Asuras.
प्रादुर्भावा हरेः सर्वे नैव प्रकृतिदेहिनः ।
निर्दोषा गुणसम्पूर्णा दर्शयन्त्यन्यथैव तु । २.८० ।
दुष्टानां मोहनार्थाय सतामपि तु कुत्रचित् ।
यथायोग्यफलप्राप्त्यै लीलैषा परमात्मनः ” । २.८१ ।
80-81 All the appearances of Lord Hari are unnatural (not subject to the rules of nature); He does not have a nature governed body; Similarly, they are defectless and full of auspicious attributes; Only to fool evil people, He appears otherwise. Sometimes, in order to ensure that they get results according to their yogyata, He sometimes fools noble souls also. On the whole, everything is a game by the Lord.
“ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः ।
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते” । २.८२ ।
82 “I will teach you my normal and special greatness in full. After knowing these, there will be no other topic that you will need to know” (Bhagavadgita – Lord Krishna)
“अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रल्. अयस्तथा ।
मत्तः परतरं नान्यत्किञ्चिदस्ति धनञ्जय” । २.८३ ।
83 “I am the reason behind the creation and also the destruction of the Universe; O Dhananjaya, there is no other Superior being than me”(Bhagavadgita – Lord Krishna)
“अवजानन्ति मां मूढा मानुषीं तनुमाण्स्रितम्” ।
“मोघाण्सा मोघकर्माणो मोघज्ञाना विचेतसः ।
राक्षसीमासुरीं चैव प्रकृतिं मोहनीं श्रिताः” । २.८४ ।
84 “Those ignorant people who do not understand the complete and attribute filled Supreme form of mine, think of me as having a human body and insult me. The desires of evil people will never be fulfilled; All of their activities will go futile; Their knowledge will go waste; Their minds are always against true knowledge; They have taken refuge in the evil nature which destroys the mind” (Bhagavadgita – Lord Krishna)
“महात्मानस्तु मां पार्थ दैवीं प्रकृतिमाण्स्रिताः ।
भजन्त्यनन्यमनसो ज्ञात्वा भूतादिमव्ययम्”। २.८५ ।
85 “O Partha! Those of noble nature and who qualify for Mukti realize me as being the cause for all creation and and as one who has no end (destruction), and stay away from sensory pleasures and worship me” (Bhagavadgita – Lord Krishna)
Anandatirtha Prathishtana 