Srimad Bhagavatam – day 574
Narayana
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Mother Yashoda wept that her son had been afflicted by evil planets. She picked her son and carried him in. Vedic Brahmins chanted hymns which relieve a person from the ill-effects of evil planets. Some residents again conducted rituals to ward off evil eye that had harmed him. Collectively they prayed for his well-being.
Vedic Brahmins who considered this incident to be extremely unusual, astonishing, fearful and inauspicious, chanted the appropriate hymns to ward off all ill-effects.
The cowherds then assembled all the broken parts of the cart and restored it to its original condition. They placed vessels filled with curd and other edibles in the cart. Vedic scholars performed a homa and worshipped the cart with coloured rice (akshata), water, curd and grass. They sprinkled the sanctified homa waters on the cart and sought its safety.
Blessings uttered by Vedic Brahmins who are free from envy, who abide by truthfulness, who never brag about their supremacy, who never injure (himsa) others, who are freed from pride and who are true to their self, can never go in vain”.
True Vedic scholars are not bogged down by feelings of envy. ‘All earnings accrue based on one’s destiny’. Due to such firm belief, they do not experience discontent upon seeing others’ prosperity. They remain eternally contented.
90% of learned scholars abstain from bragging and instead prefer to remain silent. Occasionally they could ostentatiously display their learning, however in general they are modest.
Another noteworthy point is that they abide diligently to vow of truthfulness. They are not trapped in situations wherein they need to utter lies. They never harm other living beings. Even though they barely cover their bodies, they lead peaceful lives.
Blessings showered by such Vedic scholars never go waste. Such learned scholars are our true elders. The term ‘elders’ does not refer to people who are senior due to age but do not hesitate to swindle, utter lies or torture others. A truly learned person who truly abides by noble qualities can be addressed as an elderly person notwithstanding the fact that he is young in age. The blessings of such scholars can never be fruitless.
For this reason our customs require us to occasionally seek the blessings of such Vedic scholars. Whole-heartedly they bless, “May you be graced by the Supreme Lord!” or “May you be blessed with good health and prosperity!”
“Nanda who considered that blessings of Vedic Brahmin scholars could never be fruitless, took little Krishna on his lap and requested them to perform abhisheka to him with the homa waters. This is a sanctified bath (mantra-snana) using sanctified waters mixed with many medicinal herbs”.
The abhisheka water, which is retained next to the homa pit, is filled with medicinal herbs. Lord Dhanavantri, the Lord of ayurveda, enters into these waters. When the person bathes with these pure waters, in which Lord Narayana has entered, or when the water is sprinkled over him, he is blessed with prosperity.
“Amidst chanting of Vedic hymns from Sama, Yajur and Rig Veda, the infant was bathed with those pure waters. The Vedic Brahmins thereafter conducted the auspicious punyah-vacana and homa rituals. Nanda then fed these Vedic Brahmins sumptuously. Seeking the well-being of his son, he gifted them with healthy cows, clothing, flower garlands and ornaments made of gold.
These Vedic Brahmin scholars possess sense-control. The blessings showered by them fructify immediately. They can never go in vain, isn’t it?
One morning, little Krishna was playing on his mother’s lap when all of a sudden, Yashoda felt that he had become far heavier than any mountain. She was no longer able to carry him. Stupefied, she gently placed him on the ground. Unable to fathom the reason behind this abnormal heaviness, she prayed to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. Leaving her son on the floor, she then went in to complete her house-hold chores.
Around that time Kamsa had commanded demon Trṇāvarta to kill infants. Trṇāvarta came to Gokula in the form of a forceful whirlwind and easily carried away into the skies, little Krishna who was sitting on the floor. Unable to recognise the infant who was born to kill Kamsa, Trṇavarta was lifting to the skies and killing every infant he came across.
Due to the force of this whirlwind, within minutes entire Gokula was covered with sand and dust. The intensity of the dust caused everyone’s eyes to close”.
When a helicopter takes off, it raises a lot of dust. Due to the force of this dust everyone is forced to close their eyes. If this is the condition of a person who is near a helicopter, then what could be the intensity of the winds created by a demon?
“The speeds of these huge gale winds instilled fear in everyone”.
Narayana.