Srimad Bhagavatam – day 511
Emperor Sagara, though the medium of the Ashwamedha yāgas, worshipped the Supreme Lord Srihari who exists within all living entities in the form of the Self; who is the embodiment of all the Devatas and who is a personification of Vedas. He strictly performed all the Yāgas as directed by Maharishi Aurva. In those Yāgas, Lord Vishnu manifested together with all the Devatas.
Once when Emperor Sagara was involved in conducting the Ashwamedha yāga, Lord Indra stole the horse, which is the sacrificial animal for the Ashwamedha yāga, when it was set free. Sumati was one among Sagara’s wives. Her sons were exceedingly proud of their prowess. Sagara asked these sons to go in search of the horse.
In accordance to their father’s commands, they set out in search of the horse. Using their physical might, they dug the earth extensively from all directions. These 60,000 sons of Sagara travelled in the north-eastern direction. Near the ashrama of Maharishi Kapila they located the sacrificial horse and oblivious of the truth that Indra had stealthily tied the horse near the sage’s hermitage, they immediately concluded that the sage had stolen it.
“Look at this sage who pretentiously meditates. He should be mercilessly killed. Kill him! Kill him!” -screaming in frenzy the sixty thousand sons took up weapons and rushed to attack the sage. As they neared, the great sage opened his eyes.
The sixty thousand sons of Sagara, who were deceived by Indra and who were bewildered due to it, had erred. They had scorned the great sage. Due to this sin, a huge fire emanated from their bodies which engulfed them completely reducing them to ashes.
It is often debated that these sons of Sagara were reduced to ashes by the fire of fury which emanated from Maharishi Kapila. This statement however is far from true, because Maharishi Kapila who is predominantly an embodiment of goodness, was that great personality who rendered purity to Earth. It was impossible for anger, which is an outcome of the traits of ignorance (tamas), to exist in such a great saint.
Maharishi Kapila had propagated through the world the Sankhya philosophy which is like a boat that enables the person desirous of liberation to cross the terrible ocean called repeated cycle of re-births, which otherwise is impossible to cross. The omniscient Maharishi Kapila is a form of the Supreme Lord. It is impossible for him to differentiate between friends and enemies.
Emperor Sagara had another son called Asamanjasa, who was born to his second wife Keśini. Asamanjasa’s son was the virtuous Amśumān, who always worked in such a way that it pleased grandfather Sagara.
Sagara’s son Asamanjasa was a Yogi in his previous birth. However due to excessive attachment towards friends and family, he had slipped and fallen from Yoga. Asamanjasa had the knowledge of his previous birth. True to his name, he deliberately behaved like a wicked criminal and was despised by all the citizens. His deeds were such that they were condemned by the society. His repulsive deeds were not to the liking of his relatives. He would throw into River Sarayu, small children when they were engrossed in playing games. As such citizens feared him.
Emperor Sagara was disheartened at the atrocities committed by his son. He abandoned his love for his son and banished him from the kingdom. Using his mystical powers Asamanjasa then retrieved all the children whom he had thrown into the River Sarayu and handed them back to their parents. He then left Ayodhya and retired into the forests.
The citizens of Ayodhya were astonished to see their sons revived back to life. Emperor Sagara deeply lamented his decision to banish his son from the kingdom. Sagara now entrusted the task of locating the sacrificial horse to Amśumān, his grandson.
Amśumān travelled on the path traversed by his uncles. He came across a huge heap of ashes. Near the ashes he saw the sacrificial horse. He saw the Supreme Lord Srihari, who had incarnated as Maharishi Kapila, seated there.
The virtuous and wise Amśumān folded his hands and offered obeisance to the great saint. With absolute concentration of mind he glorified the Maharishi,
“O Lord, the self-originated Lord Brahma has until now been unsuccessful in seeing You during deep meditation as You are situated beyond him. He is unable to understand You through logical analysis. How then can humans, Devatas, animals and other forms of life, who emerge out of Lord Brahma’s mind, body and intelligence and who are enveloped by spiritual ignorance, ever understand You?
Influenced by the three attributes of Nature (trigunas) and enveloped by His illusion, the living entities associate themselves with their body. While they are able to understand the external objects, they fail to understand You, who reside within them in the form of the Self. During their waking and sleep states, they experience only sound and other sensory perceptions pertaining to the external objects. The three attributes of Nature create feelings of dualities within living entities bewildering them completely.
Nevertheless, great sages such as Sanaka, Sanandana and others, destroyed their confusions by focusing solely upon the Self. Such Self-realized saints eternally meditate upon You. How can I, an ignorant person, ever meditate upon You? I am helpless in trying to logically understand You.
Praśānta māyā-guṇa-karma-liṅgamanāma-rūpaṁ sad-asad-vimuktam
Jñānopadeśāya gṛhīta-dehaṁnamāmahe tvāṁ puruṣaṁ purāṇam
Influenced by the three attributes of Nature, living entities perform fruitive activities as a result of which they obtain gross bodies. However You, who are beyond the limitations of virtues and sins, are unaffected by the illusionary energy which is composed of the three attributes of Nature. You are also unaffected by the fruitive actions that emerge due to these three attributes and the resultant gross bodies generated. Although in reality You are situated beyond cause, effect, name and form, You have accepted a gross body purely to impart Supreme Knowledge to the world. You are beyond the limitations of time. I offer obeisance to You who are a personification of completeness.
This world is an outcome of Your illusionary energy. The living entities have succumbed to lust, greed, envy and attachments and are trapped in them. Such ignorant persons consider the house, material wealth and other assets as permanent due to which they endlessly rotate in this repeated cycle of rebirths.
O Lord, You are the Self for every living entity. With Your darshan today I have been freed from the noose called attachment, desires and the fruitive activities that emerge from desires and from sensory needs which is the root for them all”.
Narayana