Vishnu Purana-Part I, Chapter I

[Guest guest]

Tanno Guru prachodayaath” Shri Sanjay,

Namaste. I humbly submit the following for your perusal. I tried to remain as

faithful to the original as possible. Still errors might occur because of my

own inadequate inner resources. Please excuse them.

*******************************************************

Vishnu Purana – Part I Chapter 1

*****************************************************

Once upon a time there was a tapo-bhoomi (sacred place) in North India called

Naimisa-aranya, which was sanctified by the presence of many great sages who

dwelt there, performed penances (tapasya), pondered on brahmasutras and evolved

principles, that greatly impacted the world.

That hoary place also gifted to the mankind Sage Parasara, the Father of Vedic

astrology. His great disciple was Sage Maitreya, who learnt all the Vedas and

Shastras and their inner meaning from His Master. Still, towards the end of his

tutelage, he realized that there were quite a few doubts persisting in his mind,

which necessarily needed the his Master’s voice and touch. He approached his

Guru one fine morning and humbly requested him to clarify these points to which

Parasara kindly consented. Thus, Vishnu Purana opens with the following

catechism (questioning) of Sage Maitreya :

“Oh Master, with dedication and discipline, and with your benediction, I

mastered all that you taught and grasped the gist of all this education. God,

the Essence of this infinite knowledge, is manifest in so many forms and with

so many names. Who among all these manifestations is the very Root of this

Existence? Who guides Indra and other gods? Which manifestation is that by

praying to which men can satisfy all their desires? By listening to/rejoicing

in whose glory do men find Bhukthi (material prosperity) and Mukthi

(emancipation)? Who is the cause of this Universe, its creation, sustenance and

destruction? In this regard, how to reconcile the different responses from

different scriptures and arrive at a uniform conclusion?

Not only this…what is the standard for the Panchabhutas (the five tattwas)? What

are the dimensions of the seven seas/oceans and the great mountain ranges? The

movement of the grahas/nakshatras, the origin of Gods, various time-divisions

like manvantara, yuga, kalpa etc…how did these evolve? What are the respective

Yugadharmas( guiding principles of the era) ? Who were the Mahapurushas(great

men), Kings and Sages that truly represented the conscience of their respective

eras? What is the scope of various branches of Vedas? What are the principles of

Caste division based on profession (Varnaashrama Dharma)? What are the

principles governing different phases in an individual’s life (Aashrama

Dharma), like.. brahmacharya-youth, grihastha-marital life, vaanaprastha –

withdrawal from wordly concerns etc? Hey Gurudeva, I pray that you kindly

explain these phenomena and comprehensively remove all the doubts that plague

my mind.”

Sage Parashara very patiently listened to all that his favourite Sishya had to

say. He also understood that such questions could be anticipated from all those

who would not have the benefit of their Gurus’ guidance. He also knew that

Maitreya did not approach him for a mere paraphrasing of what was already

available in various books. Maitreya came seeking the subtle, subterranean

truths that the Master himself had divined through his own experience /

meditation / research. Sage Parashara pondered deeply on the uncertainties that

genuinely troubled his Sishya’s comprehension. Then he prostrated at the feet of

Bhagawan Vishnu, the Lord of the universe, and prayed for His guidance &;

support, before proceeding to unwrap the mysteries of the Universe for the

benefit of his disciple and the future generations of mankind.

End of Chap-I...

*******************************************************

Here, if all of you permit, may I share a sloka from Bhagavadgita, to which

Shirdi Sai Baba gave a brilliant explanation ? It shows how a sishya should

approach the Guru for clarifications:

“ Tatviddhi pranipaathena pariprasnena sevayaa

Upadekshyamthi the gyaanam gyaaninah tattwadarshinah”

Sai’s view point: 1) When one approaches a gyaani/Guru for clarifications, one

should surrender/overcome his/her ego.

2) It’s not enough to question. The question should not be to point out others’

mistakes or to attract attention, or out of idle curiosity. The question should

be born out of genuine concern for knowledge, truth and spiritual advancement.

2) Guruseva is not done according to one’s fancy and convenience. The sishya

should feel he exists mainly for serving the Guru &; his causes, because Guru

really cares for his sishya and parts with his invaluable “vidyaadhanam” for

the latter’s all round progress. The Guru exults in such a sishya and the

sishya in turn will make the Guru proud. Do such pairs exist? I currently see

two such:

Parasara - Maitreya

Sanjay Rath – Narasimha

May the tribe increase!

Regards,

Lakshmi

 

GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month.