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Válmiki
Yoga-Vāsistha, Book 5: Upaśama-Khanda (On Quietism). Chapter 41 - Installation of Prahlāda in his Realm
Vasistha said- After Hari the receptacle of the three worlds, and observer of everything that passes in them; had spoken in the .aforesaid manner in his lucid speech, shedding the coolness of moon-beams.
Prahlāda became full blown in is body, and his eyes shone forth as blooming lotuses; he then spoke out with full possession of his mental powers.
Prahlāda said- Lord! I was much tired with very many state affairs, and in thinking about the weal and woe of my people. I have now found a little rest from my labour.
It is by your grace, my lord! that I am settled in myself; and whether I am in my trance or waking state, I enjoy the tranquility of my mind at all times.
I always see you seated in my heart, with the clear sightedness of my mind; and it is by my good luck, that I have you now in my presence and outside of it.
I had been all this time, sitting without any thought in me; and was mixed up as air in air, in my mind's internal vision of you.
I was not affected by grief or dullness, nor infatuated by my zeal of asceticism or a wish of relinquishing my body; 1.
The One All being present in the mind, there is no room for any grief in it, at the loss of anything besides; nor can any care for the world, or caution of the body or life, or any fear of any kind, abide in his presence.
It is simply by pure desire of holiness, rising spontaneously of itself in me; that I had been situated in my saint-like and holy state.
Yes my Lord, I am disgusted with this world, and long to resign its cares; together with all the mutations of joy and grief, which rise alternate in the minds of the unenlightened.
I do not think that our embodied state is subject to misery, and that our being freed from the bonds of the body; is the cause of our release: it is worldliness that is a venomous viper in the bosom, and torments the ignorant only and not the sage. 2
It is the ignorant and not the learned, whose minds fluctuate with the thoughts, that this is pleasure and the other is pain, and that I have this and am in want of another. 3
The ignorant man thinks himself, to be a person distinct from another; and so all living beings devoid of the knowledge of truth, entertain and exult in their egoistic thoughts.
The erroneous idea that, such things are acceptable to me, and others are not so; serves only to delude the ignorant and not the wise 4.
All things being contained by and situated in my all-pervading spirit, how can we accept one and reject another thing, as distinct from and undesirable to the self same One? 5
The whole universe whether real or unreal, 6, is a manifestation of Omniscience; we know not what is desirable or detestable in it to be accepted or rejected by us. 7
It is only by discrimination of the natures, of the viewer and the view, 8; and by reflecting the Supreme Soul in one's self, that the mind receives its rest and tranquility.
I was freed during my trance, of the consciousness of my being or not being, and of whatever is desirable or detestable to any one; and I continue also, in the same state of my mind even after I am awakened.
This state being familiar to me, I see very thing in the spirit within myself; and I act according as it pleases you. 9
O lotus-eyed Hari! you are adored in all the three worlds; wherefore it behove you to receive my adoration also, offered in the proper form.
Saying so, the lord of Dānavas, presented his platter of presents (arghya) before the god, as the lord of hills pays his offerings to the fullmoon. 10
He worshipped Hari first of all, together with his weapons and his Vehicle Garuda; and then he adored the bands of the gods and Apsarās that accompanied him and the three worlds contained in him.
After he had done worshipping the lord of the worlds, with the worlds situated within and without him; the Lord of Laxmi spoke to him saying:
Rise, O lord of Dānavas! and sit upon your throne, until I perform your inauguration this very moment.
Hari then blew his pāncajanya shell summoning the five races, of the gods, Siddhas, sādhyās and men and Daityas, to attend at the ceremony.
After this the lotus-eyed god placed him on the throne which he deserved, and whereon he caused him to sit as cloud rests on the summit of a mountain.
Hari then caused him to make his sacred ablution, with the waters of the milky an other oceans; and those of the Ganges and other holy rivers, which were presented before him.
All bodies of Brāhmanas and Rsis, and all groups of Siddhas and Vidyādharas; with the Loka-pālas or regents of the quarters, attended and assisted at the ceremony.
Then Hari the immeasurable Spirit, anointed the great Asura in the kingdom of the Daityas; and the Maruta winds lauded his praise, as they do the hymns of Hari in heaven.
Then blessed by the gods and applauded by Asuras, Prahlāda greeted them all in his turn; and was thus addressed at last by the slayer of Madhu- the demoniac Satan.
The Lord said- Do you reign here as sole monarch, as long as the Meru stands i.e. earth, and the sun and moon shine in the sky; and be fraught with all praiseworthy virtues of yours own. 11
Govern your realm without any interested motive of your own, and without showing any symptom of anger or fear on your part; but preserve your moderation and a tolerant spirit in all your affairs.
May you never have any disquiet, in this realm of excellent soil and plenteous provisions; nor do you create any disturbance to the gods in heaven, or to men on earth below.
Conduct yourseIf in your proper course at all events, which may occur to you at any time or place; and never allow yourself to be led astray, by the caprice of your mind or the freaks of fancy.
Keep in mind your spiritual being, and abandon your egoism and selfish views altogether; and then by managing your affairs in one even tenor, both in your want and prosperity, you will evade all the vicissitudes of fortune.
You have seen both the ways and dealings of this world, and measured also the immeasurable depth of spiritual knowledge. You know the state of every thing in every place, and require no advice of anybody.
As you are now perfectly devoid of your anger, passions and fears, there is no more any chance of further broils between the gods and Asuras, under your rule over them in future.
No more will the tears of Asura females, wash and decorations on their faces; nor will the currents of rivers rise as high as lofty trees, with floods of tears from their weeping eyes.
The cessation of hostilities between the gods and demons, will render the earth as quiet from this day, as the unruffled ocean after its churning by the Mandāra mountain.
The wives of the gods and demigods, will no more be led away in captivity by one another; but will rest fearless under the martial roofs of their husbands in future.
Let your expectations now rise from their dormancy, of many long nights of dismal darkness, and be crowned with success and prosperity; and do you, O progeny of Danu! enjoy your unconquerable royal fortune, as in the company of your charming consort.
Footnotes
1. that I remained in my torpid trance
2. Because it is mind and not the body, that is addicted to pleasure, and feels the stings of pain.
3. The more they have, the more they crave.
4. who acquiesce to whatever occurs to them
5. Shall we desire only good from God, and not the evil also? Job
6. or composed of its substantiality and vacuity
7. But must submit to the wise ordinance of providence.
8. of the subjective soul, and the objective world
9. Not by mine but your will.
10. This hill is the mount of moon rising, which is hailed and welcomed by it.
11. Meru is not a mountain as per description of the Yogavāsistha. Here is Meru is used as an attributive of earth which stands to mean earth by Meru i.e. sand qualified by Meru, Meru is symbolic of lithosphere and not mountain.
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