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2024-04-23, 4:06 PM |
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Chapter
17: Mother
Pârvatî
Curses
Citraketu
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'After
making his
obeisances in the direction in which Lord Ananta had disappeared,
Citraketu, the King of the Vidyâdharas began traveling, moving
about in the atmosphere. (2-3) On his way not
diminished in his
power and sense control he visited
hundreds
of thousands of people in thousands of places and was by the sages, the
perfected ones and the monks praised for being a great
yogi. Pleased to
stay in the valleys around Kulâcalendra [Mount Sumeru] where one exercises for
the different forms of perfection, he took great delight in persuading
the wives of the
Vidyâdharas to praise the Supreme Personality, Lord Hari. (4-5) One day roaming in the brightly shining, heavenly
vehicle
that
he had received from Lord Vishnu, he saw Lord S'iva in the midst of all
the saintly personalities. Surrounded by the perfected ones and the
singers of heaven, he had his arm around the goddess who sat on his
lap. Citraketu
laughed loudly about it and then spoke in the presence of the mother
words she could clearly hear. (6) Citraketu
said:
'This
spiritual
master of all the world, who is the direct representative of dharma for all embodied souls, sits here as head of
an assembly while embracing his wife! (7)
With his hair matted, intensely repentant, following the Vedic
principles and
presiding a gathering, he is hugging a woman sitting there unashamed
like an ordinary materially motivated person. (8) Normally even
conditioned souls embrace their women in private ... and this
one master of vow and austerity enjoys his woman in an assembly!'
(9) S'rî S'uka said: 'When
the
great Lord of fathomless intelligence heard that oh King, he only
smiled
and remained silent, and so did everyone in the assembly following his
example. (10) With him unaware of the might
[of S'iva] thus speaking
against all
etiquette, the devî angrily addressed the impudent one
who
thought
he was so well restrained. (11) S'rî
Pârvatî said: 'And now would this one here all of a sudden
be the Supreme Controller, the one to chastise and the master of
restraint for persons like us as the ones criminal and shameless? (12) It
must
be
so
that
the
one
born
on
the
lotus
has
no
notion
of dharma. Nor do Brahmâ's sons, Bhrigu or
Nârada, the
four Kumâras, Lord Kapila or Manu himself have a clue, otherwise
they would have stopped our S'iva from breaking the
rules! (13) This
one here is the
lowest of all kshatriyas. He who by him positioning himself
above the gods so impudently was chastised, is the one who is the
teacher of all the world, the auspicious one of auspiciousness in
person upon whose lotus
feet one meditates. Therefore
this man
deserves it to be punished. (14) This
impudent, haughty fellow doesn't deserve it to approach the shelter
of the lotus feet of Vaikunthha that are worshiped by all the saints
[compare: S'rî
S'rî
S'ikshâshthaka]. (15) Therefore,
oh
greatest
of
all sinners,
leave this place to be born among the demons oh
fool, so that this world again belongs to the great ones and you, my
son, no longer will commit any offense.'
(16) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus being cursed
Citraketu came down from his heavenly chariot to propitiate
Pârvatî by bowing his head deeply before her, oh son of
Bharata. (17)
Citraketu said: 'Folding my hands before you oh mother, I accept your
curse. That which the gods impose upon a mortal is entirely determined
by his deeds in the past. (18) Deluded in his ignorance the living entity
is caught
wandering around
in
the
vicious
circle, the cycle of rebirth of this material life wherein he
constantly is subject to happiness and distress. (19) The
individual soul, nor
anyone else,
can be really the one who calls for the happiness and sorrow [the
illusion and disillusion]. A person lacking in awareness nevertheless considers himself or someone else the cause in this matter.
(20) What
would in
this stream, this constantly changing flow of the modes of matter,
actually be a curse or a
favor, what would [the meaning of] a promotion to heaven or a fall down
in hell be, or [the eternal value of] happiness and distress? (21) He,
the One Supreme Lord, by
His
potencies creates the conditioned existence of all living beings as
also the life of liberation [in devotional service]. He is the One
responsible for the happiness and distress on the one hand
and the position in which one [with Him] is elevated above time on the
other hand. (22) He
considers no one
His favorite or enemy, a kinsman or friend, an insider or outsider. He
is equal to all, omnipresent and unaffected by the world. In His happiness being free from attachments, one finds no anger in Him. (23) Still
there is, in a repetition of
being born and dying again, for the ones embodied the [karmic] answer
of an existence settled for happiness and grief, gain and loss, bondage
and liberation which generated from the energy of the Lord [as a
secondary creation]. (24)
Therefore I do not ask for your mercy to be
released from your curse oh angry one. All I want is that you accept my
excuses for everything I've said that in your eyes oh chaste one, was
unbecoming.'
(25) S'rî S'uka
said: 'After thus having propitiated these elevated personalities oh
persistent
conqueror of the enemies, Citraketu left in his heavenly vehicle while
the two were watching and smiling at him. (26) With Nârada, the Daityas, the Siddhas
and his
personal associates all listening, the great Lord then spoke to his
wife the following words. (27) S'rî
Rudra
said:
'Have
you
seen,
my
beauty,
how
magnanimous
the
servants
of
the
servants
are,
the
great souls who have forsaken their sense
gratification in relating to the Supreme Personality whose actions are
so wonderful? (28) None of the pure devotees of
Nârâyana are ever afraid. To be in heaven, on the path of
liberation or to have a
place in hell makes no difference to them [in their service]. (29) With
the game played by the Lord those who are embodied are,
because they identify themselves with their bodies, bound
to
the dualities of happiness
and distress, dying and being born and being cursed or favored. (30) The
way one may take a flower garland for something else or speaks of
qualities or faults in a [dream] image of oneself, also the appraisals of a
person that are based upon a lack of insight are deceptive. (31) People
who lead to or propagate bhakti, or love in devotional
service for the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva, possess the strength
of spiritual knowledge and detachment and take no interest in any other
shelter [see also 1.2:
7]. (32) Not I
nor Lord Brahmâ, neither the
As'vinî-kumâras nor
Nârada, the sons of Brahmâ, the saints or all the great
demigods, know the true nature of Him of whom we, who like to think of
ourselves as independent rulers, all are but parts of a partial aspect. (33) No one
in particular is loved or disliked by Him,
He calls no one His own nor does He exclude anyone. The Lord as the Soul of the soul
of all living beings is the one dearest to all. (34-35) This
greatly
fortunate King Citraketu is His obedient servant loved by everyone. He,
peaceful and equal to all, is the
love of the Infallible One just as I am. Don't be surprised to
find the devotees of the
Supreme Personality among the people to be the great souls who
bring peace and equality.'
(36) S'rî S'uka
said: After thus having heard what the great Lord S'iva had to tell
her, the goddess Pârvatî was
freed from her doubt and perplexity and found
back her peace of mind oh King. (37) He, who as a great devotee was fully capable
of pronouncing a
counter-curse against the goddess, [nevertheless] in resignation accepted his condemnation and that characterized him
as a true saint. (38) [Because
of
this
curse
he
thereafter
despite]
of
all his knowledge and wisdom
found his place in the department of the demoniac species of life.
[After being reborn as Vis'varûpa and being killed by Indra,] he
then
being summoned by Tvashthâ's dakshinâgni sacrifice, thus became
known as
Vritrâsura [*, see 6.9
and compare with 1.5: 19]. (39) This [my
dear
Parîkchit]
was
all I had to tell you concerning your question about Vritrâsura,
he of
an exalted intelligence who appeared in the world as a demon. (40) Hearing this sacred history about the great
soul Citraketu which reflects the greatness of the devotees of Vishnu,
one is freed from bondage. (41) Anyone
who, remembering the Lord, rises early in the morning to control with
faith his
voice by reciting this story, will reach the supreme destination.'
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