{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk08ch08.htm","path":"hin/db/bk08ch08.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk08ch08.htm","text":"THE EIGHTH BOOK\nChapter VIII\nOn the description of Il\u00e2vrita\n1-11. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- In those Varsas, Visnu and the other Devas used to worship always the Great Dev\u00ee with Japam and meditation and to chant hymns to Her. The forests there are ornamented with all sorts of fruits, flowers and leaves, in all the seasons. In those excellent forests, and on the mountains, in those Varsas and on the clear waters interspersed with full blewn lotuses and S'\u00e2rasas (cranes) and in those countries where varieties of mountain trees are standing and where varieties of birds frequent and echo all around, the people play in waters and engage themselves with a great many pleasant occupations; and the beautiful women, as well, roam there with the knitting of their eyebrows. The people there enjoy as they like, surrounded by young women; N\u00e2r\u00e2yana, the \u00c2dipurusa Bhagav\u00e2n Himself, worships the Dev\u00ee there, to shew his extreme grace to all the inhabitants of the Navavarsa. The people also worship the Deity. By worshipping the Dev\u00ee only, the Bhagav\u00e2n remains there in Sam\u00e2dhi, surrounded with Aniruddha and his other Vy\u00fbhachatustaya (the four forms). But in Il\u00e2vrita Varsa, the Bhagav\u00e2n Rudra, originated from the eye-brows of Brahm\u00e2, resides only with women. No other person can enter there; for the Bh\u00e2van\u00ee, the S'akti of Rudra has cursed that any male entering there would be transformed into a female. The Lord of Bhavan\u00ee, surrounded by innumerable women, remains here engaged in the worship of the unmanifested unborn Bhagav\u00e2n Samkarsana. For the good of humanity, with intense meditation, He worships His Own Tur\u00eeya Form of the nature of Tamas, thus :--\n12-19. S'r\u00ee Bhagav\u00e2na said :-- \u201cObeisance to Thee! the Bhagav\u00e2n, the Great Purusa, endowed with all the qualities (the principal six Ais'varyas or prosperities), the Ananta (the Infinite) and to the Unmanifested! We worship Thee, Whose lotus feet are the refuge of all. Thou art the great storehouse of all the superhuman powers and the divine\nfaculties of omnipotence, etc. Thou art always present to the Bhaktas. Thou art creating all these beings. Thou givest Moksa to the Bhaktas and destroyest their attachment to the world and Thou bindest Thy non-devotees in bondage to this world. Thou art the Lord. We worship Thee. We are entirely under the control of the passions, anger, etc., and our minds are always attached to the senses; but though Thou art always looking at this world for its creation, etc., Thy mind is not a bit attached to it. So who will not turn to Thee, desirous to conquer his self. Thou art appearing by Thy M\u00e2y\u00e2 as one whose sight is ignorant; Thou lookest dreadful with Thy eyes reddened with the drink of Madhu (wine). By the touch of Thy feet, the mental faculties are very much enchanted; hence the women folk of the N\u00e2gas cannot in any way worship Thee, out of bashfulness. The Risis say that though Thou art the Only One to create, preserve and destroy, yet Thou art quite unconcerned with them. Thou art Infinite and Thou hast innumerable heads. This vast universe is like the mustard seed resting somewhere on one of these heads, which Thou canst not feel even. The Mahat Tattva is Thy body manifested first. It is built of Sattva, Raja and Tamo Gunas. Brahm\u00e2 has come out of this and I again have sprung from this Brahm\u00e2 and am nurtured by the Sattva and the other Gunas and with the help of the Teja, created these elements and the senses. These Mahat Tattvas and we all are controlled by Thy Extraordinary Form. Thou hast kept us in our respective places by Thy Kriy\u00e2 S'akti as birds are kept duly by the strings through them. Mahat Tattva, Ahamk\u00e2ra, and the Devas, elements and the senses, before mentioned all united create this Universe by Thy Grace. Thy creation is very big and grand; for this reason the gross thinkers, deluded by Thy power, never understand it. This M\u00e2y\u00e2 is the only means to get the Sams\u00e2ra Nivritti, Moksa, the real Goal of man: and this M\u00e2y\u00e2, again involves them in the Karma entanglements, very hard to get through. Coming in and going out, both of these are Thy forms; so we bow down to Thee.\n20-23. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- Thus the Bhagav\u00e2n Rudra, with His Own persons in Il\u00e2vrita Varsa used to worship the Dev\u00ee and the Sankarsana, the Controller of all the Lokas. The son of Dharma, well known by the name of Bhadras'rava and all the persons born of his family and his attendants, worship thus the Dev\u00ee. This form is well known to all by the name of Hayagr\u00eeva and worshipped thus. All the persons there worship Him with the intense meditation and Sam\u00e2dhi and realise Him thoroughly. Then they praise Him, according to due customs and get the thorough Siddhis (success in getting extraordinary powers).\n24-29. The Bhadras'rav\u00e2s said :-- Obeisance to Thee, the Bhagav\u00e2n, the Incarnate of Virtue, and to Him who destroys completely the desires, attachments, etc., to worldly objects! Ho! How wonderful are the feats of the Bhagav\u00e2n! Death always destroys all, but people, seeing this, seem not to see this. Seeing that the son meets with death, the father desires to live long not for a virtuous purpose but for sense enjoyments, what is called Vikarma. Those who are skilled in J\u00f1\u00e2na and Vij\u00f1\u00e2na say that this Universe that is seen is very transient. Moreover those Pundits who are endowed with much J\u00f1\u00e2na, see vividly the transitoriness of this Universe. Still, O Unborn One! When practically they come to deal with this, they all become overpowered with the influence of M\u00e2y\u00e2. So Thy Pastime (L\u00eela) is wonderfully variegated. (Instead of spending our time uselessly in discussing on S'\u00e2stras) we bow down to Thee, and Thee alone. Thou art the Self-manifest Chaitanya. Thou are not the object to be covered by M\u00e2y\u00e2. Thou dost not do anything in the sort of creation, etc. Thou remainest simply as the Witness thereof. Sill the Vedas declare that Thou createst, preservest and destroyest the Universe. It is quite reasonable and nothing to be wondered at. Thou art the \u00c2tman of all. When the Pralaya (the time of great dissolution) comes, the Vedas were stolen by the Daityas and taken to the nether regions, the Ras\u00e2tala. Thou, in the form of Hayagr\u00eeva (Horse-faced), rescued the Vedas and gave them to the Grandsire Brahm\u00e2 who was very eager to get them back and understand their meanings. Thou art the true Sankalap (resolve); we bow down to Thee. Thus the Bhadras'rav\u00e2s praise the Haiyagr\u00eeva form of Hari and sing the glorious deeds of Him. He who reads these narratives of the Mah\u00e2 Purusa (the high-souled personage) or he who makes others hear these things, both of them, quitting their sinful bodies, go to the Dev\u00ee Loka.\nHere ends the Eighth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of Il\u00e2vr\u00eeta in the Mah\u00e2pur\u00e2nam S'r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Eighth Book: Chapter 8","type":"page"}