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Canto 5

Krishna Murâri

 

 

Chapter 25: The Glories of Lord Ananta

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'At a distance of thirty-eight thousand yojanas beneath the base of Pâtâla [*] is situated He who, as a part of the Supreme Lord, relates to the darkness and is called Ananta [the eternal one]. Scholarly Vaishnavas describe Him as Sankarshana, the ruler of the ego or I that is characterized by self-awareness [pride, identification], because He unites - 'draws together' - the seer and the seen, the subject and the object [see also 3.26: 25 and 4.24: 35]. Ananta Sesha (2) The celestial sky around the earth, this universe, sustained on only one of the thousands of hoods of the Supreme Lord in the form of Anantadeva, is  seen as a [tiny] white mustard seed [like a single galaxy among many, many others in deep space]. (3) Because of His desire to destroy in the course of time this world, a Rudra [an incarnation of Lord S'iva] named Sânkarshana ['He born from Sankarshana'] arises from between His angrily contracted, beautiful eyebrows. He manifests in the form of eleven three-eyed expansions holding up pointed tridents. (4) With the effulgence of the glittering earrings that decorate their cheeks, the leaders of the snakelike souls, who, together with the best devotees in unalloyed devotion offer Him their prayers, see in the round surfaces of the brilliant pink gemlike toenails of His lotus feet their faces beautifully reflected. It is a sight that enraptures their minds. (5) The marriageable princesses of the serpent kings, hoping for His blessings, smear, with an ointment of saffron, aloe and sandalwood paste, the gleaming roundings of His auspicious, beautiful, spotless, fair arms resembling columns of silver. With their hearts in the contact beating faster with the ecstasy of Cupid, they, with attractive delicate, beautiful smiles, bashfully look at His, in love delighted, rolling, reddish eyes and kindly glancing lotuslike face. (6) He, Ananta, is the Supreme Lord, the reservoir of all transcendental qualities and the original Godhead who, in restraint of the force of His intolerance and wrath [belonging to his mission of destruction], resides [in His abode] for the welfare of all [the living beings of all] worlds. (7) Being constantly meditated upon by scores of enlightened and unenlightened souls, the semi-divine snakelike souls, the souls of perfection, the heavenly singers, the souls founded in knowledge and the wise, He, in rapture under the influence, rolls His eyes to and fro. With the nectar of a fine choice of words and sweet song, His associates, the leaders of the different groups of demigods, please Him whose luster never fades, He who is ever fresh with the fragrance of the tulsî flowers that with their honey madden the bees about His, thus even more beautiful, Vaijayantî flower garland. Clad in blue, with only a single earring and the beauty of His auspicious hands placed on the handle of His plow, He, wearing a golden belt and as invincible as the elephant of the first one among the gods, Indra, is engaged in His transcendental pastimes as the Supreme Lord in person. (8) They who seek liberation and, by the tradition [the paramparâ], hear about the glories of this one Lord, will very soon cut with the age-old knot of mâyâ consisting of passion, goodness and ignorance that, as a consequence of the propensity for karmic actions, was tied firmly in the core of their hearts.

The greatly powerful son of Brahmâ, Nârada accompanied by [his instrument or the Gandharva] Tumburu, describes Him in the brahmin assembly with a selection of verses: (9) 'How can one with certainty understand the path of Him who is one of Soul and diverse in His manifestation, of Him of an unlimited form that has no beginning, of Him by whose glance the basic qualities of material nature - headed by goodness - were enabled to function as the primary causes of creation, maintenance and destruction? (10) Out of His mercy for us He, completely transcendental to this manifestation, exhibited His existence in different forms, He who, reclaiming the minds of His devotees, in His pastimes shines as the most liberal and powerful master of all beings, capturing them by His spotless example. (11) Any person in distress who accidentally heard about Him or any fallen soul who, just to participate, repeated or chanted His name, shall instantly see the endless sinfulness vanquished that characterizes human society. Of whom else but Lord Ananta S'esha should any seeker of salvation take shelter? (12) Whoever, however many tongues he would have, can count the Supreme Lord’s potencies? There is no end to His unmeasurable powers. This universe with its mountains, trees, oceans and beings, is nothing but an atom fixed on one hood of Ananta, He who has thousands of hoods. (13) Such is the majesty of the Supreme Lord Ananta: relying on His own power He, at the basis of the entire universe, with His incomparable prowess constitutes the greatness of all qualities and glory who, with the earth engaged in pastimes, sustains her for the sake of her maintenance.'

(14) I thus have described, the way it has been instructed to me, the truth of the destinations that, depending the karma, can be reached by - and were created in respect of the wishes of - those who desire material pleasures. (15) As you requested, oh King, I have shown you what the different types of higher and lower destinations are that inevitably result from the inclinations and sense of duty of the people. What should I tell you more?'

 

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Third revised edition, loaded July 23, 2018.

 

 

 

 

Previous Aadhar edition and Vedabase links:

Text 1

S'rî S'uka said: 'At a distance of thirty-eight thousand yojanas beneath the base of Pâtâla [*] is situated He who, as a part of the Supreme Lord, relates to the darkness and is called Ananta [the eternal one]. Scholarly Vaishnavas describe Him as Sankarshana, the ruler of the ego or I that is characterized by self-awareness [pride, identification], because He unites - 'draws together ' - the seer and the seen, the subject and the object [see also 3.26: 25 and 4.24: 35].
S'rî S'uka said: 'At a distance of thirty-eight thousand yojanas beneath the base of Pâtâla [see footnote *] remains He who is indeed the part of the Supreme Lord that relates to darkness and is called Ananta [the eternal one]; the truthful of vision and understanding derive the idea of the self-concept of having an I, an ego, as a symptom [of that darkness] thus, from Him, Sankarshana, so the learned declare [see also 3.26: 25 and 4.24: 35]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 2

The celestial sky around the earth, this universe, sustained on only one of the thousands of hoods of the Supreme Lord in the form of Anantadeva, is  seen as a [tiny] white mustard seed [like a single galaxy among many, many others in deep space].

This universe is, as seen sustained on only one of the thousands of hoods of the Supreme Lord in the form of Anantadeva, just like a white mustard seed [like a single galaxy among many others in deep space]. (Vedabase)

 

Text 3

Because of His desire to destroy in the course of time this world, a Rudra [an incarnation of Lord S'iva] named Sânkarshana ['He born from Sankarshana'] arises from between His angrily contracted, beautiful eyebrows. He manifests in the form of eleven three-eyed expansions holding up pointed tridents.

Of His desire to, in due course of time, by anger destroy this so very beautiful spinning world, is indeed from between His eyebrows a Rudra [an incarnation of Lord S'iva] named Sânkarshana [born from Sankarshana] formed from which eleven three-eyed expansions upholding pointed tridents arose. (Vedabase)

 

Text 4

With the effulgence of the glittering earrings that decorate their cheeks, the leaders of the snakelike souls, who, together with the best devotees in unalloyed devotion offer Him their prayers, see in the round surfaces of the brilliant pink gemlike toenails of His lotus feet their faces beautifully reflected. It is a sight that enraptures their minds.

On the round surfaces of the brilliant pink gemlike toenails of His lotus feet do the leaders of the snakelike, who with the best of the devotees in unalloyed devotion offer their prayers, see, to the effulgence of the glittering earrings decorating their cheeks, their own faces beautifully reflected and are their minds truly refreshed. (Vedabase)


Text 5

The marriageable princesses of the serpent kings, hoping for His blessings, smear, with an ointment of saffron, aloe and sandalwood paste, the gleaming roundings of His auspicious, beautiful, spotless, fair arms resembling columns of silver. With their hearts in the contact beating faster with the ecstasy of Cupid, they, with attractive delicate, beautiful smiles, bashfully look at His, in love delighted, rolling, reddish eyes and kindly glancing lotuslike face.

The marriageable princesses of the serpent kings hoping for the blessings of Him indeed, smear with an ointment of saffron, aloeand sandalwood paste the gleaming roundings of His auspicious, beautiful, white, spotless arms that are like columns of silver; by the contact are due to the entrance of Cupid their hearts beating faster and see they, bashfully as lotusflowers, His appreciative, very attractive delicate, beautiful smiles that intoxicate them mad with delight about his rolling, pink and kindly glancing eyes and face. (Vedabase)

  

Text 6

He, Ananta, is the Supreme Lord, the reservoir of all transcendental qualities and the original Godhead who, in restraint of the force of His intolerance and wrath [belonging to his mission of destruction], resides [in His abode] for the welfare of all [the living beings of all] worlds.

That Ananta is for certain the Supreme Lord, the reservoir of all transcendental qualities and the original Godhead who in restraint of the force of His intolerance and wrath remains for the welfare of the humans of all worlds. (Vedabase)

  

Text 7

Being constantly meditated upon by scores of enlightened and unenlightened souls, the semi-divine snakelike souls, the souls of perfection, the heavenly singers, the souls founded in knowledge and the wise, He, in rapture under the influence, rolls His eyes to and fro. With the nectar of a fine choice of words and sweet song, His associates, the leaders of the different groups of demigods, please Him whose luster never fades, He who is ever fresh with the fragrance of the tulsî flowers that with their honey madden the bees about His, thus even more beautiful, Vaijayantî flower garland. Clad in blue, with only a single earring and the beauty of His auspicious hands placed on the handle of His plow, He, wearing a golden belt and as invincible as the elephant of the first one among the gods, Indra, is engaged in His transcendental pastimes as the Supreme Lord in person.

Being constantly meditated upon by the scores of the enlightened and unenlightened, the semi-divine snakelike, the perfected, the heavenly singers and the ones founded in knowledge and the wise, does he, delighted under the influence roll His eyes to and fro. By the nectar of a fine choice of words and sweet song are His associates, the leaders of the different groups of intelligence, pleasing Him whose luster never fades, who is ever fresh with the fragrance of the tulsî blossoms that with their honey madden the bees about His thus even more beautiful Vaijayantî flowergarland. Clad in blue with only one earring and the beauty of His auspicious hands placed on the handle of His plow is He, wearing a golden belt and as invincible as Indra's elephant, engaged in transcendental pastimes being the Supreme Lord in person. (Vedabase)

 

Text 8

They who seek liberation and, by the tradition [the paramparâ], hear about the glories of this one Lord, will very soon cut with the age-old knot of mâyâ consisting of passion, goodness and ignorance that, as a consequence of the propensity for karmic actions, was tied firmly in the core of their hearts.

The greatly powerful son of Brahmâ, Nârada accompanied by [his instrument or the Gandharva] Tumburu, describes Him in the brahmin assembly with a selection of verses:

Those after liberation who by mouth of the tradition hear about the glories of this one Lord, find the knot that since time immemorial of the illusory energy, consisting of passion, goodness and slowness, in the unconscious of fruitive action was tied in the core of their hearts, very soon cut.

The greatly powerful son of Brahmâ, Nârada, along with his instrument the Tumburu, describes Him in the brahman assembly in selected verses:
(Vedabase)

 

Text 9

'How can one with certainty understand the path of Him who is one of Soul and diverse in His manifestation, of Him of an unlimited form that has no beginning, of Him by whose glance the basic qualities of material nature - headed by goodness - were enabled to function as the primary causes of creation, maintenance and destruction?

By whose form unlimited and beginningless and by whose glance, with goodness leading, the modes of material nature were enabled to act as the primal causes for creation, maintenance and destruction; He who is one of Soul and diverse in manifestation, how can His path with certainty be understood? (Vedabase)

 

Text 10

Out of His mercy for us He, completely transcendental to this manifestation, exhibited His existence in different forms, He who, reclaiming the minds of His devotees, in His pastimes shines as the most liberal and powerful master of all beings, capturing them by His spotless example. 

Out of His mercy for us He exhibited His existence in different forms as being completely transcendental to this manifestation of cause and effect; He who in His pastimes, to the minds of His devotees, shines as the most liberal and powerful master of all beings, taught us to conquer free from material concerns. (Vedabase)


Text 11

Any person in distress who accidentally heard about Him or any fallen soul who, just to participate, repeated or chanted His name, shall instantly see the endless sinfulness vanquished that characterizes human society. Of whom else but Lord Ananta S'esha should any seeker of salvation take shelter?

Any person in distress who accidentally heard of, or whatever fallen soul who just for fun could chant or repeat His name, will instantly see the endless sinful of human association vanquished; with whom else but Lord Ananta S'esha should any seeker of salvation take shelter? (Vedabase)

 

Text 12

Whoever, however many tongues he would have, can count the Supreme Lord’s potencies? There is no end to His unmeasurable powers. This universe with its mountains, trees, oceans and beings, is nothing but an atom fixed on one hood of Ananta, He who has thousands of hoods.

This universe with its mountains, trees, oceans and beings is like an atom fixed on the crest of Ananta, the thousand headed one; whomever, however many his tongues, is, due to His inscrutable power, able to enumerate His potencies? (Vedabase)

 

Text 13

Such is the majesty of the Supreme Lord Ananta: relying on His own power He, at the basis of the entire universe, with His incomparable prowess constitutes the greatness of all qualities and glory who, with the earth engaged in pastimes, sustains her for the sake of her maintenance.'

Existing completely self-sufficient at the base of the nether worlds is Ananta the so very powerful Supreme Lord of insurmountable prowess and the great one of all transcendental qualities and glory, who playfully for its maintenance keeps the earth from falling.' (Vedabase)

 

Text 14

I thus have described, the way it has been instructed to me, the truth of the destinations that, depending the karma, can be reached by - and were created in respect of the wishes of - those who desire material pleasures.

All the destinations that those desiring after material enjoyment, according their karma, in this thereof fashioned universe can achieve, have thus for true, as it was received, been described. (Vedabase)

 

Text 15

As you requested, oh King, I have shown you what the different types of higher and lower destinations are that inevitably result from the inclinations and sense of duty of the people. What should I tell you more?'

As you inquired, have I shown you, o King, what, to the people their inclinations and nature, are the inevitably resultant different higher and lower kinds of destinations; what more should I tell you about?' (Vedabase)


*: The mentioning of distance in relation to the transcendental reality of Ananta suggests a physical correlate in the universe that compares to the darkness of intergalactic space which, as an organic existence of eternity, purity and divinity or void of self, envelops all the galaxies in the cosmos, giving each his own 'snake' foundation in the darkness of an awareness of 'I'. The actual shortest distance between the center of our stellar system and the outerspace of darkness below it is about 3500 lightyears.

 

 

 

 

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The picture is a detail of a Hindu picture of Ananta Vishnu.
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