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2024-04-26, 1:35 AM |
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Chapter
24: The Nether Worlds
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Some
people
defend
that countless yojanas
['ten thousand']
below the sun [the demon] Râhu
is
found
who rotates in the sky
just like the stars. O King, I will expound later on the birth and activities of this lowest
of
the ignorant ones, [Râhu] the son of Simhikâ, who
personally by the grace of the Supreme Lord achieved this status of immortality in occupying the
position of a leading
planet, while he never
qualified for
the position [see also 6.6:
37 and 8.9: 23-26]. (2) They
declare that the sun has
a width of ten thousand yojanas, that
the moon is twenty thousand yojanas wide, that Râhu is
thirteen thousand yojanas large [compare 5.21:
15] and that it
occasionally, with inimical
intentions overruling the
influence of the sun god and the moon god, obstructs the distribution
of
the rays of the moon and the sun.
(3) The
Supreme Lord who is
there for the protection of both [these divinities] operates by the
supreme presence of the wheel of Time [the Sudars'ana Cakra]. This disc
is deemed the most dear, most devoted and favorite weapon that by
its power and unbearable heat makes Râhu, with a mind
full of fear and a bewildered heart, flee far away from that position
wherein he resides for
almost an hour and which by the people is called an eclipse.
(4) At an equal distance beneath
it
[compare 5.22: 8] there are the residential places of the perfected
ones, the
venerable ones of the Veda and the ones founded in knowledge [the
Siddhas, Câranas and Vidyâdharas]. (5) Below of them
there are the places of sense gratification of the mad, the
possessed,
the demoniac and more of such beings [the Yakshas, Râkshasas
and
Pis'âcas], that stretch out as far as the wind blows the clouds
that one sees in the sky. (6) Beneath the atmosphere that
is a hundred yojanas thick and reaches as high as swans,
vultures, eagles and other birds of size can fly, there is this earth
[according to modern measurements the normal, increasingly thinner
atmosphere
reaches up to a 100
km
above
the earth].
(7) Formerly I discussed the
planet earth and the division of its different realms [see 2.1:
26-27].
Below
the
earth
are situated seven other planets of the same
width and length named Atala,
Vitala, Sutala, Talâtala, Mahâtala, Rasâtala and
Pâtâla [the nether worlds], that one behind the other are positioned
[up
to the edge of the universe] with intervals
of ten thousand yojanas. (8) In these worldly
holes ambitious for heaven
there is a greater lust experience and
enrapture about wealth than in the higher worlds. Equiped with all
thinkable luxuries the houses and gardens offer to the demons, ghosts and
snakes living there
a better opportunity for sense gratification. Always overjoyed in the attachment to
their
wives, children,
family, friends and followers, the masters of the households who live
in an illusory heaven, are even better capable of an unimpeded
fulfillment of
their desires than
the godly ones
who are
of self control. (9) Maya
[the
architect
of
the
Daityas] my
dear King, has there, with
faithless trickery and a plethora of rich
ornamentation, built cities surrounded by walls with gates full of
excellently constructed, wonderful houses, offices, halls,
schools and public facilities. The leaders and landowners of those artificial worlds shining
brightly
with
their
decorations,
occupy
the best houses there which are
crowded by snakelike,
godless couples and pigeons, parrots and mynas [eastern starlings]. (10) The
gardens
and
parks
that
are
most
appealing
to
the mind and senses,
pleasure with their masses of
flowers and fruits hanging from the branches of the trees which,
embraced
by creepers, nicely bend low being pulled by gravity. The
sensual
enjoyment is invoked by a
magnificence which surpasses the
beauty of the residential places of the godly:
the variety of birds that in pairs frequent
the ponds filled with sparkling clear water restless with jumping fish,
the lotus flowers in those waters, the lilies, the kuvalaya and
kahlâra flowers, the blue and red lotuses, giant lotuses with
thousands
of petals and the uninterrupted joyous sound of all the kinds of
sweetly vibrating birds who built their nests in the forests. (11) There
one assuredly is of no concern about the
divisions of time relative to the
changes of night and day [as observed with sundials and lunar phases]. (12)
All darkness there is driven away by the best of gems situated on the
hoods of the great serpents living there. (13) Nor
do the residents who eat,
drink
and bathe there with miraculous [curative] herbs, juices and elixirs,
worry about diseases, mental
troubles, attaining old age, having wrinkles, gray hair, etc. or about
the
miseries of losing strength with a fading luster, bad smelling
perspiration, fatigue or a lack of energy. (14) No
other cause of death than the
almighty wheel of Time in the form of His disc weapon is capable of
influencing them in any way. (15) It is
practically always out of fear for the Lord His cakra order
[the compelling natural order of time] that the wives of
the godless ones lose their fetuses in
miscarriages.
(16) Now then, in the world of Atala, Bala
the godless son of Maya resides
who propagated
ninety-six types of trickery, some
of
which
even
today
are
used
by
expert
cheaters.
From his yawning mouth the svairinî
[class exclusive], kâminî [class indifferent]
and pums'calî [promiscuous] types of women sprouted who desirous with
glances, smiles, talks, embraces and the juice of an intoxicating herb
called hâthaka [cannabis indica], for their sexual
pleasure warm up any man who entered the nether worlds. One
says that
a man under the influence of this herb full of pride and
conceited thinks of himself as 'I am the ruler' and 'I am as strong as a
thousand
elephants'.
(17) One world lower, in
Vitala, Lord S'iva surrounded by
his ghostly associates resides as
Hâthakes'vara, the master of
gold, in sexual union with his wife
Bhavânî in order to increase the population of
Brahmâ's creation.
From the fluids of their union the great
river named the Hâthakî flows, drinking of which the
fire god, by the wind being
brightly inflamed with great strength, hissing spits
out the gold called Hâthaka of use for the ornaments worn by
the men and women populating the homes of the great Asuras.
(18) Beneath that
world on Sutala one finds the greatly celebrated, most pious and
spiritually advanced son of Virocana, Bali Mahârâja. To
please king Indra, the Supreme Lord taking birth from
Aditi assumed the body of a vâmana, a
dwarf. It was by the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord who wrested
away from him the three worlds, that even today he in his devotional
service remains fearless unto Him, the most
venerable Supreme Personality. He was blessed with the good fortune of
regaining an opulence not even known to the gods of Indra's heaven. (19)
This was certainly not the direct result of donating with faith, great
respect and an attentive mind his lands. Approaching the topmost one,
the Supreme Lord who is the most worthy
recipient and best place of pilgrimage, who is the life, heart and
Supersoul of the countless
living beings Lord
Vâsudeva, gave him direct access to the liberation that resulted
in the opulence of the nether imitation of heaven. (20) The
person who
helplessly, starved, fallen down or
stumbling utters His name but once will be completely freed from the
bond of fruitive labor, the karma that in all other cases constitutes an inevitable stumbling block for anyone who tries to find liberation. (21) He,
giving Himself without
reservation to
great devotees and self-realized persons, is the Supreme Soul of all,
the
Paramâtmâ. (22) It is
thus
not because of the material opulence which certainly extends with Him,
that the Supreme Personality especially unto Bali showed His favor. He
was as graceful because [of fighting] mâyâ, the
material bewilderment that steals away the remembrance of the Soul. (23) To
the occasion of what was
done by
the difficult by other means to perceive Supreme Lord - viz. His
seizing the three worlds by means of the trick of begging
[three steps of land] so that Bali was left with nothing but his body
which bound with the ropes of Varuna was detained in a
mountain cave - Bali then said: (24) 'How
regrettable
it is indeed that this very learned and to his self-interest most
experienced Indra of Heaven who chose Brihaspati
for his prime minister and
one preceptor, ignored him with the Lord in the form of
Upendra [Lord Vâmana] begging for my blessings [in the form of
three
steps of land]. I who with neglect for the certainty of the actual
blessings of serving the ever lasting reality of Him, desired for
himself the three worlds the value of which is lost in a
manvantara [an age of Manu]! (25) When
his father was killed by the Supreme Lord [Nrisimhadev] our
grandfather [Prahlâda] asked for nothing but the permission to
serve Him and not for the inheritance offered to him of the
position of his father who feared no one [the kingdom of
Hiranyakas'ipu]. (26) What materially contaminated person deprived of the Supreme Lord His mercy can hope to follow the path of that great believer?' (27) Later
on I will in the story about him [in canto
eight] explain how the
Supreme Lord
[Vâmanadeva] as the master of the three worlds,
as Nârâyana in person, with an always graceful heart
towards
His devotees stands at Bali's gate with the club in His hand, He who
with the big
toe of His foot kicked the ten headed demon [known as Râvana]
a hundred million yojanas away when he wanted to conquer the
world.
(28) Below Sutala in the world of Talâtala
the dânava [demon] king named Maya rules. His cities
were burned by the almighty Tripurâri [S'iva], the lord of the
three cities, who desired the welfare of the three worlds. But he as
the master and teacher of all sorcery by his grace obtained a
kingdom. Thus being protected by
Mahâdeva [the great god who is
S'iva] he thinks he has nothing to fear from the Sudars'ana Cakra [the
presence of the Lord in the form of Time] which [with clocks and calendars] is worshiped [in all worlds].
(29) Beneath that world
there is the world of
Mahâtala which belongs to the descendants of Kadrû who have
a
reputation as a bunch of ever angry, many hooded, cruel snake types, as
there
are the notorious Kuhaka, Takshaka, Kâlya and Sushena. Addicted
to
sensual pleasures, they are constantly afraid of the king of all birds
[Garuda],
the carrier of the Original Personality, who sometimes infuriates them
when they are sporting together with their wives, children,
friends and relatives.
(30) Situated below that world again there is Rasâtala, the world of the Daityas and Dânavas
[the evil minded sons of Diti and Danu] named the Panis [who are
divided in] the Nivâta-kavacas,
the
Kâleyas
and
the
Hiranya-puravâsîs.
They
are
the
very
cruel
and
greatly
powerful natural enemies of the
demigods and are, despite of their strength and pride, inevitably
defeated by the might of [the disc weapon of]
the Supreme Lord
Hari who is so full of mercy for all the worlds. Living like the snakes
they are afraid of the [threatening] Vedic mantras uttered by [the
bitch] Saramayâ
that
once
was
sent
there
by
the
King
of Heaven Indra.
(31) Below that world there is Pâtâla,
the world of the master snakes. Lead by Vâsuki there are S'ankha, Kulika, Mahâs'ankha, S'veta,
Dhanañjaya, Dhritarâshthra, S'ankhacûda, Kambala,
As'vatara, Devadatta and so on. Most addicted to material happiness they all
live with the
shortest temper. They have five, seven, ten, a hundred or a thousand
hoods, with on their crests
fixed the most valuable gems the effulgence of which disperses the vast
darkness of the caves of Pâtâla.'
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