Glory of the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

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GLORY OF THE FOURTH CHAPTER OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA

The liberation of Badari Trees

 

By the banks of the holy Godavari, there lived a saint called

Bharata. He used to do Gita Parayana at the temple of Lord

Viswanatha and he used to enthrall audiences with his simple but

profound commentaries and enchanting voice.

 

One day he decided to rest after his usual Gita parayana. He kept

his head on the roots of one Badari tree and his legs on the roots

of an adjacent Badari tree. He kept repeating the fourth chapter of

the Bhagavad Gita several times and then went to sleep.

 

After a week, the leaves of both the trees started falling and the

trees became completely barren. A few days later both the trees fell

on their own. It was a mystery for the people of the village and

they were not able to find the reason behind it.

 

A few years later, the saint Bharata was standing in front of a

house for alms in the holy city of Varanasi. He uttered – " Mother ,

please give me bhiksha " . Soon two small girl children came running

at him – " Holy one, please bless us " . He blessed them. They told

him – " We are eternally thankful to you for giving us this human

form. Otherwise we would have spent rest of our life as trees

bearing the hot sun, chilling cold and rains. Our pranams to you "

 

" Children, your are telling tales to me, please give me alms ! "

 

" Come , holy one, please be seated, do not dismiss facts as tales.

It is true that we were Badari trees in the premises of the temple

of Lord Viswanatha "

 

" How can I believe that you were trees ! Please explain ! "

 

" Holy one ! You recited the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

keeping your head in the roots of one Badari tree and feet in the

other ! Probably you would have forgotten this. Because of the

immense punya of hearing the fourth chapter recited, we shed our

forms as trees and were born as human beings with awareness about

our past birth ! "

 

" How did you become trees ? "

 

The children continued – " By the banks of Godavari, in the place

called Chinnapapa, there lived a saint called Sathyatapas who

performed tapasya. When his tapasya became so intense, Indra, the

king of Gods became panicky and wanted to interrupt his tapasya. He

called all the celestial damsels and asked them to go and disturb

the tapasya of the holy saint. None of the damsels were willing to

take up this task. Then we, who were celestial damsels agreed to do

this because of our arrogance. Indra wished us success and we

reached the place where the saint was performing tapasya "

 

" We tried to seduce the saint in all possible ways. Yet he was so

calm and composed and requested us to leave the place with all

politeness. Still, we refused to leave and finally he cursed us that

we become Badari trees. Stunned by the curse we fell at his feet and

requested his pardon. Seeing our plight and tears, the saint told us

that after a few years we will be freed from this curse when a holy

saint called Bharata reads the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

touching us. He also told us subsequently we will be born as human

beings and also be given a chance to read the fourth chapter of the

Bhagavad Gita. Later we will meet the saint Bharata and be given an

opportunity to speak of your story. In course of time we are to

shed your human form and reach Indra loka once again. Great one ,

this is our true story , believe us ! "

 

When the children finished telling this, the saint Bharata was

astonished . He told them

 

" Young ones, continue reading the Bhagavad Gita, the divine nectar

from the mouth of Lord Padmanabha himself. When the time comes you

will reach your original abode " .

 

The saint left the place after blessing them.

 

Hare Krishna