Chapter 10 - Uprooting of Arjuna Trees—Redemption of Nalakūbara and Maṇigrīva

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The King (Parīkṣit) enquired:

1. Worshipful Sage! Be pleased to narrate (to us) the reason of the pronouncement of imprecation on them (viz. Nalakūbara and Maṇigriva by (Nārada). What was their reproachful act which aroused the ire^[1] of that divine sage.^[2]

Śrī Śuka replied:

2. 3. On becoming the attendants of god Rudra, those two sons of Kubera, grew puffed up with vain gloriousness. Dead drunk with the liquor called Vāruṇī, thoroughly inebriated with their eyes rolling through intoxication, they, in company of singing women, were strolling through a pleasure-garden in the vicinity of mount Kailāsa, and through woodlands full of blossom, on the banks of the Mandākinī (the Gaṅgā in heaven).

4. Entering the waters of the Gaṅgā which were beautified by blossoming lotus-beds, they sported amorously^[3] with young damsels, like unto a pair of he-elephants with she- elephants.^[4]

5. By the will of the Providence, the worshipful divine sage Nārada happened to see the pair of gods there, and perceived them to be intoxicated (and speaking vulgarly), Oh descendant of Kurus.

6. Seeing him, the celestial damsels felt ashamed at their nudity, and were afraid of being cursed. Instantly and quickly they put on their garments. But not so the two Yakṣas (whose godliness disappeared due to their being drunk), and they stayed on stark naked (despite the persistent requests of the celestial nymphs).

7. Observing that those two sons of god Kubera were inebriated with wine, and blind with arrogance of affluence, he (Nārada) with a view of showering grace on them, intended to pronounce an imprecation, and spoke (lit. sang) as follows:

Nārada said:

8. In the case of a person who indulges in the enjoyment of objects of pleasure, no other effect of rajo-guṇa (such as the pride of heredity or of scholarship) is powerful enough to cloud his understanding and good sense as the pride of one’s affluence. For wherever this form of vanity predominates, women, wine and gambling are found associated with it.

9. Where such pride of wealth is dominant, animals are ruthlessly slaughtered by such merciless persons of uncontrolled mind who (wrongly) regard this transient perishable body as immune from decrepitude of old age and above mortality.

10. Though this body is designated as god (among men—naradeva or on the earth—bhūdeva), it is ultimately reduced to what are called worms, excretion and ashes. Does the person who harms living beings^[5] for the sake of his body, know his own interest? Does he know that such violence leads to hell?

11. Does this body belong to the employer (who gives food or money for its maintenance), or to the procreator (or father), or to the mother (who conceives it and nourishes it during childhood), or the maternal grand-father (who adopts it by putrikā dharma stipulations), or to the mighty (who compels forced labour), or to the purchaser (in the slave-market when presented for sale), or to fire (which consumes it when cremated), or to the dog (when it lies unclaimed and uncremated)?

12. Knowing that this body is the common property (of all as stated above), and that it comes out of and vanishes into something unmanifest, what wise person other than an ignorant fool, regard it as his real self, and would kill living beings (for its sake).

12(A). [Padaratnāvalī’s text adds here, again a verse composed of 9b and 10a above.]

13. Poverty is the best (sight-recovering) collyrium to wicked persons blinded with the pride of affluence. A poverty- stricken person correctly realizes that all others are like himself (experiencing the same pleasures or pangs of life).

14. Just as a person, part of whose body is pricked with a thorn, does not wish similar pain to other creatures, as he realizes the equality of other creatures by their gestures expressing pain. But such understanding sympathy is not found in those who have no experience of being pricked.

15. Being devoid of obdurate egotism, a poor person becomes free from all forms of pride here. The severe hardships that come to his lot, by the will of the Providence, serve as a great austere penance (Hence poverty is conducive to final Liberation).

16. The senses and organs of a poverty-stricken person whose body gets over-emaciated with starvation, and who longs to have food (sufficient to keep body and soul together), become too much dried up and feeble to commit injury (and consequently the desire for violence also disappears^[6]).

17. Saintly persons who regard all as equals (with impartiality) associate themselves only with the poor. It is in the company of the righteous that he destroys all his thirst (passion for having worldly objects), and in a short while becomes absolutely pure.^[7]

18. What interest have the righteous saints who possess equanimity and equal regard to all, and yearn for the attainment of the feet of Lord Viṣṇu, in the wicked people who are arrogantly proud of their wealth, and who resort to sinful company and hence deserve to be ignored?

19. I shall, therefore, relieve the pride born of ignorance of these two woman-addicts of uncontrollable mind, blinded with the pride of wealth, and now inebriated with the sweet liquor Vāruṇī.

20-21. Inasmuch as, these two. though the sons of an (exalted) protector of the sphere (Kubera) are too steeped in tamas (arrogance begotten of ignorance) to be conscious of their nudity, and are haughtily vainglorious (to remain so even in my presence), these deserve to be (nude, unbending) immobile trees so that they won’t behave so again. They will, however, through my grace and favour, retain the memory (and consciousness of their guilt and punishment) even in that immobile stage.

22. After one hundred celestial years, they, who had by then acquired devotion (unto Vāsudeva), will attain to the presence of Lord Vāsudeva, and shall be restored to the celestial status.

Śrī Śuka said:

23. After pronouncing the imprecation thus, the divine sage went to the hermitage of Nārāyaṇa, while Nalakūbara and Maṇigrīva were transformed into the twin-Arjuna trees.

24. To make good the veracity of the words of the sage (Nārada) who is the prominent one among his devotees, Lord Kṛṣṇa slowly went to the spot where the twin Arjuna trees grew together.

25. “The divine sage Nārada is the most beloved of me. These (twin-Arjuna trees) are the sons of Kubera. I shall now accomplish what has been sung (prophesied) by the noble- souled sage”.

26. With this aim in view, Kṛṣṇa crawled in between the twin-Arjuna trees. By the mere entry of his person between them, the mortar fell crosswise.

27. The trees were vehemently uprooted by the child, with a rope tied round its belly, while it was dragging the mortar after him. They fell down with a terrific crash, their trunks, leaves and branches were heavily shaken by the forcible pull exerted by the Supreme Lord.

28. Irradiating all direction with their dazzling lustre, emerged the two Siddhas like fire emanating from trees. Bowing down with their heads to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord and protector of the entire universe, they, now absolutely free from egotism, praised him with folded palms.

29.^[8] “Oh Kṛṣṇa! Oh Supreme Brahman in human form! Oh great yogin (whose infinite power is unimaginable) you are the primordial ‘Supreme Person’. Brāhmaṇas (i.e. persons who have realized the Brahman or are experts in the Vedas) know that the universe both manifest and un-manifest is your form.

30.^[9] You are the One, the controller of the body, vital breaths, the ‘I-ness’, senses and organs of all beings. You are the glorious Lord Viṣṇu, whose form (sport) is the time-spirit, and who is the imperishable Absolute Ruler.

31. You are the Subtle Prakṛti constituted of the three guṇas—sattva, rajas and tamas. You are the (evolute of Prakṛti called) Mahat-tattva. You are the witness, the Puruṣa—the Inner controller of all beings who know all the modifications and changes in all beings.

32.^[10] It is not possible that you can be perceived through the modifications of Prakṛti (e.g. intelligence, ‘I’-ness, cognitive and conative senses), or through the guṇas (modes of Prakṛti) which lie within the ken of perception. What being in this world, enveloped as he is in the product of guṇas (viz. his physical body), is capable of realizing you who were already in existence before the creation (of the Universe).

33.^[11] Obeisance to you glorious Lord Vāsudeva, the Creator (of the Universe), the perfect Brahman who have concealed your great glory by means of guṇas which are illumined by your own effulgence.

34. You are (really) incorporal. But your incarnations in corporal frames are perceived by their various heroic feats which are too unparallel or unequalled and of too supreme excellence to be found in those associated with and conditioned by corporal forms.

35. You, the Lord of all auspicious blessings^[12], are such (as described above). At present your Lordship has descended in this incarnation with a part of your divineself^[13], for the prosperity and emancipation of the entire world.

36. Salutation to you The Supreme bliss! Hail to you the supremely auspicious Lord, the son of Vasudeva, the blemishless happiness incarnate, the Lord and protector of Yādavas and Gopas.

37. Be pleased to allow us, the two servants of your follower (Rudra), to go, Oh Perfect Lord! It is through the Grace of the Sage Nārada, that we had the good fortune of (being blest with) the sight of your glorious Lordship.

38. (May our previous nature not reappear). May our speech be engaged in extolling your excellent qualities and actions; our ears in listening to your stories; our hands be devoted to do your work, and our mind in musing over and remembering your feet; our head bowing to the world which is your abode, and our sight in seeing saintly persons who are but your form.

Śrī Śuka said:

39. The glorious Lord Kṛṣṇa, the ruler of Gokula who remained tied down to the mortar with a rope, laughingly spoke to the two Guhyakas who had glorified him thus.

The Lord replied:

40. It was already known to me that the sage Nārada of a compassionate heart had favoured you with his grace, in degrading you (to the status of trees), by uttering an imprecation on you, who were blind with the arrogance of affluence.

41. Just as no obstruction (from darkness etc.) to the sight of man can remain when the sun appears, no bondage (of sin or saṃsāra) can exist at the sight of righteous Souls who have realized the ātman (and possess equanimity of mind), and have thoroughly devoted their hearts to me.

42. Oh Nalakūbara (and Maṇigrīva)! Now that unswerving devotion toward me is enkindled in you, do you proceed to your own abode. The most covetable supreme devotion unto me which terminates the saṃsāra, has now been generated in you.

Śrī Śuka said:

43. Being thus addressed, they both circumambulated the Lord tied to the wooden mortar. They repeatedly prostrated themselves before him (to show respect), and with his leave, proceeded towards the North.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

tamas—(i) Ignorance which is thecause of anger—SS. (Sudarśan Sūri)

(ii) aroused the Tamo-guna (in Nārada), the effect of which is anger—Padaratnāvalī

[2]:

v.l. in Bhāgavata Candrikā: yena vā devarṣiḥ kupitaḥ ‘which enraged the divine sage’.

[3]:

KD. being a born poet gives a graphic description of various love-sports indulged in by them.

[4]:

Subodhinī enumerates a series of sinful mistakes and grievous offences committed by Nalakūbara and Maṇigrīva in VV. 2-4, and shows that the curse by Nārada was inevitable and a perfectly just punishment meted out to them.

[5]:

Padaratnāvalī takes bhūta-dhṛk as ‘a person acting against Brahman by indulging in talk of being identical with Brahman, but SS., Bhāgavata Candrikā, Subodhinī etc. follow Bhāvāratha Dīpikā in interpreting bhūta as ‘a living being’.

[6]:

Cf. viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ /—Bhagavad Gītā 2.59

[7]:

v.l. ārād hi siddhyati, ‘attains final Liberation within a short time’—Padaratnāvalī

[8]:

(i) Bhāgavata Candrikā: Your subtle body (composed of both cit and acit (is the cause of which your gross body (consisting of cit and acit) is the effect.

(ii) Padaratnāvalī: The universe is full of your presence, but does not limit your power or nature. You are the Supreme Brahman who pervade the universe.

KD: You are the First Cause as both Prakṛti and Puruṣa were evolved (lit. brought to light) from you.

[9]:

(i) Bhāgavata Candrikā:—You are not only the material cause (upādāna- kāraṇa), but also the instrumental or efficient cause (nimittakāraṇa) of the universe. As the Controller of bodies of all beings, you are the cause of subsistence of the world, and as the Time-spirit you are the destroyer of the world—but though a cause, you undergo, no change or modification.

(ii) Subodhinī This verse describes how the Lord pervades all forms from the adhi-daivika point of view.

The time spirit on which depends rulership, affluence (aiśvarya) is not merely the sport or activity of the Lord, but the Lord himself.

[10]:

(i) (Padaratnāvalī): Hari alone is capable of perceiving himself. He cannot be seen by Brahmā and other deities or Jīvas presiding over the evolutes of Prakṛti like mahat ahaṃkāra etc. Deities who are always near him like Śrī, Durgā etc. can perceive him to some extent. Products of Prakṛti (e.g. things in the world) are perceptible to senses, but are incapable of seeing the Brahman.

(ii) VT: You are endowed with natural qualities like mercifulness etc. which undergo no change or modifications, as can be actually experienced. You cannot, however, be realized as you actually are. Who though properly possessed of qualities like bhakti (devotion) and though your actions have taken place in Nanda’s Gokula and as such are famous, is capable of realizing you and your līlās adequately?

(iii) VC: It is through your Grace that you can be visualized, otherwise you are always invisible.

[11]:

VT: regards this as salutation to the deities in the two manifestations (Vyūhas) of the Pañcarātrins. Thus the 1st manifestation is Vāsudeva, Vedhas is Saṅkarṣaṇa, the creator of the world.

[12]:

VT. The Lord who confers whatever is desired by the devotees.

[13]:

aṃśa-bhāgena etc,:

(i) Bhāgavata Candrikā: You have incarnated along with your part (or ray) Balarāma for the creation and prosperity of the world.

(ii) Subodhinī: incarnated with a part of your (original self): aṃśena bhāgena ca... avatīrṇaḥ

(iii) Padaratnāvalī: bhāgena-aṃśena Padaratnāvalī insists that Kṛṣṇa is an incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord.

(iv) VT: The dogma of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas is that Kṛṣṇa is not a part-incarnation, but the Lord (bhagavān) Himself, as stated in V. 33 above: tasmai... Kṛṣṇaṣ tu bhagavān svayam! ityādau prasiddhyā

The same is implied here though VT, is silent on these words in the texts.

(v) KD: takes aṃśa as ‘Kṛtsnāṃśa’—entirety.