Srimad Bhagavatam – day 501
Hearing Nābhāga’s reply Lord Rudra said, “Your father has perfectly explained the tenets of righteousness. You are speaking the truth. Moreover you have mastered the Vaiśwadeva sooktas. Therefore I shall impart to you the Supreme Knowledge which exists beyond the scope of time”.
Nābhāga thus earned the Lord’s grace. Lord Rudra holds truthfulness in high esteem. Pleased with Nābhāga he also gave away to him the entire wealth that remained at that place after the conclusion of the Satra yāga. Having blessed Nābhāga in this manner, Lord Rudra vanished from there.
The person who recollects this story, with absolute concentration, during early morning as well as during evenings will become an erudite scholar well-versed in the knowledge of Mantras. In addition he will obtain the Supreme Lord who is his original true form.
Ambarīṣa was the son of this noble Nābhāga. He was an exalted devotee. Such was his greatness that even the curse of a Brahmin, which is unfailing and which never misses its mark, failed to harm him”-said Maharishi Śuka.
Hearing this Emperor Parikshit enquired, “O Maharishi Śuka, I desire to listen to the story of the wise, saintly-king Ambarīṣa because even the unfailing curse of a Brahmin failed to have any effect upon him. Please narrate to me his story”.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Ambarīṣa was the most fortunate person. As the ruler of the entire earth consisting of the seven continents he enjoyed unsurpassed prosperity. He possessed unending, inexhaustible stock of wealth on earth.
Nevertheless, he was very well aware that his unending, unmatched prosperity and all his royal comforts, which were extremely rare fortunes cherished by ordinary human beings, were merely illusions created by the Lord. He had the wisdom that this material wealth, to acquire which any human being indulges in sinful deeds as a result of which he obtains hell, is nothing but a flickering lamp which eventually dies down.
Vāsudeve bhagavati tad-bhakteṣu ca sādhuṣu
Prāpto bhāvaṁ paraṁ viśvaṁ yenedaṁ loṣṭravat smṛtam
Ambarīṣa was overflowing with love and devotion towards the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva and towards the devotees of this Supreme Lord. The noble Ambarīṣa had fixed his mind solely upon the lotus feet of Lord Srihari.
His speech was fixed upon glorifying the transcendental qualities of Lord Srihari. His hands were eternally engaged in cleaning the Lord’s altar, in plucking flowers or in collecting ingredients necessary for the Lord’s worship. His ears were eternally engrossed in listening to the stories of the Lord Srihari”.
It is enough if we fix all our sense organs upon the Lord. Every organ should be used solely for the Lord.
“His eyes were forever fixed upon seeing the temples of Lord Srihari, the Lord of liberation. He used his skin solely to embrace and touch the ardent devotees of Lord Srihari. He utilized his nose solely to smell the fragrance of the Basil (Tulasi) leaves that had been offered at the feet of Lord Srihari. His tongue was engaged in tasting the foods that had been sanctified due to offering to the Lord. He utilized his feet to visit the sacred temples of the Lord. His head was solely for offering obeisance to Lord Srihari.
All his senses and his mind were fixed solely upon the Lord and in offering services to Him. Totally freed from any form of desire he used all the worldly objects of comfort solely for the service of the Lord. In this path, the ardent devotees of Lord Srihari were his role models.
At all times he considered this world to be the form of the all-pervading Self. He believed that there was nothing in this creation barring the Supreme Self. He further believed that the individual entity (jeevatma) should eternally meditate and contemplate upon the Supreme entity (Paramatma). As the jeevatma stems out of Paramatma, he should strive to merge back into Him. He who was fixed in this goal perceived the entire universe as a single factor pervaded by the Supreme Lord.
He offered all his actions in entirety to Lord Srihari, the Lord of all Yagnas and who, remaining beyond the limitations of this universe, cannot be visualized through any direct visible proofs. Ambarīṣa sought refuge under learned Vedic scholars, who are absolutely dedicated towards this Supreme Lord and, while abiding by their dictates, ruled this entire earth.
It can aptly be said that Ambarīṣa is unparalleled in every sense. In the vast province called Dhanva, which was situated on the banks of River Saraswati, Ambarīṣa performed many Ashwamedha yāgas in order to please the Supreme Lord Srihari, who is the Lord for all Yagnas. He spent large sums of money in order to ensure that every aspect of the Yagna was righteously and perfectly completed. He offered substantial dakshina (money) to all the priests who had conducted the Yagna.
Vasiṣṭha, Gautama, Asita and other such eminent Maharishis ensured the perfect completion of these Yagnas under their supervision. All the assembled guests, priests and citizens in the sacrificial hall who were decked in all finery and who were watching these Yagnas without even batting an eyelid resembled the Devatas in appearance.
Devatas are addressed as animesha because they never close their eyes. Humans necessarily blink all the time. These citizens who were watching without even batting an eyelid resembled Devatas.
Krishna. Govindaya namah