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 Chapter
20: Lord
Vishnu's
Appearance
in
the
Sacrificial
Arena
of
Prithu
Mahârâja
(1) Maitreya said: 'The Supreme Personality, the
Lord of
Vaikunthha satisfied by the
sacrifices unto Him, the Lord of All Sacrifices, appeared together with the mighty Indra and
spoke as the enjoyer of the sacrifice to King Prithu. (2) The Supreme Lord said: 'This person [King
Indra] who disturbed the hundredth horse sacrifice you
performed, begs your pardon, you ought to forgive him. (3) Those considerate souls who are willing to act in
favor of
others in this world oh god
of man, belong to the best human beings. They never resort to malice in
relation to other living beings for they never forget the soul present
within
this vehicle of time. (4) If
people like you who persistently are of service to the elders, become
bewildered by the external energy
of God, the only thing that is achieved is weariness. (5)
Therefore he
who well acquainted knows that one owes this
body to one's ignorance, desires and karma, will never
become the slave of it. (6) In
other words, which person of life experience would in his detachment
call himself the proprietor of the wealth, house
and children that result from such a bodily concept? (7)
The one pure self that is
enlightened and
free from
material characteristics, constitutes the reservoir of all good
qualities that transcendental to
the body
and the mind and pervading
all is the undivided witness unrelated to the material world. (8)
Anyone who thus knows about the soul that exists
within this body is, despite of being situated within material
nature, as a person never affected by its modes. Such a one is
situated in Me. (9) He who free
from
ulterior motives always
doing his duty worships Me with
faith and devotion will oh King, discover that his mind step by step
finds the highest satisfaction. (10)
Free
from the modes of nature
and with an equal vision, he who innerly free from contaminations is of
peace
will achieve the equipoise of My spirit of emancipation. (11)
Any person who knows this changeless soul as simply being the
indifferent
superintendent of the physical elements, the knowing and working senses
and the mind, will find all good fortune. (12)
Those bound to Me in friendship and enlightenment will never become
disturbed with the experience of happiness or distress to the different
qualities and constant change of the material body consisting of the
physical elements, the active senses, its intentions and the mind. (13) Equipoised
in
happiness
and
distress,
equal
to
all
who
are
greater,
lower
or
are
found
in
between
and with
the senses and mind controlled, be that way the protector of all
citizens oh hero, together with
the
others [the officials] as arranged by Me. (14) Ruling
the
populace
in
goodness
it
is
certain
for
a
king
in
his
next
life
to
be the collector of a sixth of
the results of the pious activities [of his subjects]. Being of a
different
approach he, solely collecting
taxes, will have to do without
this sixth and be faced with the
sins of
the citizens he didn't protect.
(15) Thus
being the protector of
the earth as someone whose chief interest it is to be unattached in
respect
of the principles as approved and handed down by the foremost
twice-born ones, you will soon see yourself being loved by the citizens
and
at home be visited by the perfected ones in person. (16)
Because I've been captivated by your excellent qualities*, please
request any benediction from Me
you desire oh chief of the humans. I certainly cannot easily be
obtained by mere sacrifices, austerities or just doing yoga. I am
present in the one who is even-minded.'
(17) Maitreya said: 'The conqueror of the world
thus being led by the Supreme Master of All, the Personality of
Vishnu, bowed his head to the instructions of the Lord. (18) King Indra, ashamed of his own actions then
lovingly touched the feet of him [Prithu] who of course with an
embrace gave up
his anger. (19) The Supreme Lord, the Supersoul, next
received worship with all the paraphernalia from
Prithu whose devotion, having taken to the
lotus feet, gradually increased. (2o) Even
though he was ready to depart, the Lord with the lotus eyes, the
well-wisher of the devotees, detained
by
His
kindness
couldn't leave him. (21) He, the first
among the kings could, with his
eyes full of tears standing
before the Lord with
folded hands,
not behold Him nor utter a word. His voice was choked up and
within his heart embracing Him he remained in that position. (22) Not satisfied [just]
to
see Him before his eyes, he
thereupon wiping the tears from his face addressed the Original
Personality of Godhead who with
His hand resting upon the high shoulder of Garuda, the enemy of
the snakes, barely
touched the ground with His lotus
feet.
 (23) Prithu said: 'Oh Almighty One, how can a
learned man ask from You who are the master of all blessings, for
benedictions that are also available to all those embodied
living beings who are bewildered by the modes of nature, even when they
are in hell? Nor do I ask oh Supreme One, for Your enlightenment [to be
one with You]. (24) I do not desire even that oh master, because
I
then have to do without the nectar delivered by the mouths of
the devotees at Your lotus feet. Just give me a million ears to [relish that] what rises from the core of
their hearts [the stories about You].
Let that be my benediction.
(25) That soothing breeze of the nectarean
[saffron] particles of Your lotus feet oh Lord praised in the
scriptures delivered by the mouths of the great ones, restores of those
who strayed from the path of devotional service the remembrance of the
forgotten truth and makes other benedictions unnecessary. (26) When someone
somehow or other, even only once, in association with those who are
advanced
listens to the all-auspicious glorification of You oh honored one, how
can someone appreciative of Your characteristics, unless he is an animal, then ever cease with that
what the Goddess of
Fortune in her desire to hear about You has accepted as Your quality? (27) Therefore I shall engage in the service of You, the
all-inclusive Supreme, Original Personality [Pûrushottama] and
reservoir of all transcendental qualities. With me, who as anxious indeed as the goddess
with the lotus in her hand, competing in relation to the one Master, let there
between
her and me be no quarrel in the
single-mindedness of acting in respect of Your feet. (28)
The mother of the universe oh
Ruler of the Cosmic Reality, [being jealous] might ruin my desire to
be of her action. But what difference would she make with You who always favorably inclined to the poor, as a consequence of Your benevolence
consider even the most
insignificant service as very great? (29) Saintly
persons
rather
worship
You
therefore
who
dispel
the
misconceptions
produced
by
the
modes of nature. Oh Supreme Lord I
cannot think of any other purpose [in the life] of devotees than the
remembrance of Your lotus feet. (30) I
consider that what You said [to me] with the words 'make your choice',
as a bewildering favor
in the direction of the material world. How [is that supposed to work]
when ordinary people [like me] who are not tied to what You say in the
Vedic literatures, time and again feel attracted to engage in karmic
actions? (31) The
people in general oh Lord,
are divided about Your illusory energy because of which they, missing
the real knowledge,
desire everything but the true matters of the soul. Please bestow that what You deem
desirable, just like a father
would do for the welfare of his child.'
(32)
Maitreya
said: 'Thus being worshiped by the original king He, the seer of
the entire universe, said to him: 'My dear King let there be your
devotion for Me. By the good fortune of intelligently having
acted
unto Me like this, you will certainly overcome My illusory energy that
is so
difficult to give up. (33)
Do therefore without neglect what I ordered you to do oh protector of
the citizens, anyone who acts according to My injunctions
will achieve all good fortune wherever he is.'
(34) Maitreya said: 'Showing His
appreciation for these words of
the wise king, the son of Vena, He, the Infallible One, after sufficiently having
blessed him and being worshiped
by him, decided to leave. (35-36)
After
they [by the king] with an intelligence dedicated to the Lord
and with folded hands, sweet words and riches were properly respected in a spirit of devotional service, all the followers of the Lord
of Vaikunthha departed: the
godly ones, the sages, the
forefathers,
the artisans, the perfected ones, the heavenly singers, the snakelike
beings, the superhuman beings, the nymphs, the earthly humans, the
birds and all the other different living entities [compare 3.10: 28-29]. (37) Having
captivated
the
minds of the saintly
king and all his priests, the
protector of the living creation, the infallible Supreme Lord, also returned
to
His
abode. (38)
With offering his obeisances to
the
Supreme Soul, the king had [thus] received the revelation of the
Unmanifested One, the God of Gods. He
then returned to his home.'
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