Chapter summary
बदरिकाश्रममाहात्म्यम् Badarikāśrama Māhātmyam
The Glory of Badarikashrama
**The Devotees said:**
O best of Sadgurus, please recount for us the glory of the Badari forest, where Nara and Nārāyaṇa perform their profound penance. We long to hear their most wondrous story, which is sacred, purifies all sins, and bestows both knowledge and devotion. (v.1-2)
**The Sadguru said:**
In ancient times, Dakṣa, the son of Brahmā and the foremost among those who uphold Dharma, gave his daughter Mūrti in marriage to Dharma. (v.3) Whenever and wherever Dharma declines, Hari assumes a suitable form to re-establish it. Thus, the Lord became Kapila to protect Sāṅkhya Dharma, and in earlier times, He manifested as Dattātreya for the preservation of Yoga Dharma. Adhokṣaja Himself became Vyāsa to safeguard the scriptures, and for the protection of Rāja Dharma, the Lord appeared as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, to uphold Vaiṣṇava Dharma, Lord Hari took this incarnation as Nara and Nārāyaṇa. Hari, the imperishable Acyuta Himself, was born to Dharma through his wife Mūrti, bearing these two forms. (v.4-8)
These two great-souled brothers, the sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa, were initiated according to the scriptures and became profound masters of the Nigamas and Āgamas. They bore matted locks and water pots, wore garments of bark, and were adorned with the ūrdhvapuṇḍra mark. Pure, handsome, and lotus-eyed, they embodied spiritual perfection. (v.9-10) These two foremost sages wandered through the regions of the Himalayas and along the banks of the Alakanandā, accompanied by other ascetics. Reaching the Badari forest, they established their hermitage there and joyfully engaged in profound penance for the welfare of the entire world. (v.11-12)
It was then that the sage Nara, having bowed down to the sage Nārāyaṇa, humbly and reverently posed a question, his hands joined in devotion and faith. (v.13)
**Nara said:**
"O Lord, O Prabhu," Nara implored, "out of your boundless mercy, please reveal to me the path to liberation. I am submerged in the ocean of worldly existence, afflicted by countless sorrows. How can there be deliverance for the soul, which is bound by karma? You alone comprehend the true meaning of the scriptures; of this, I have no doubt." (v.14-15)
**Nārāyaṇa said:**
Nārāyaṇa replied, "O best of sages, repeatedly performing various actions in this world, the soul, subject to the sway of time and karma, is born and dies again and again. According to the hierarchy of one's karmas, a corresponding hierarchy is observed in births, and likewise in the experience of happiness and sorrow. Sometimes one is born a god, sometimes a mortal, sometimes a tree, sometimes a blade of grass; sometimes an animal, sometimes a bird, sometimes a wretch, sometimes a lord. Life brings sometimes happiness, sometimes sorrow, sometimes anxiety, sometimes fear; sometimes death, sometimes birth, sometimes disease, sometimes old age." (v.16-19)
"Thus, witnessing these high and low states even in the fruits of karma, one should cultivate detachment and disinclination towards the world, and seek refuge in a Sadguru. One should take refuge in a Sadguru who is learned in the Vedas, firmly established in Brahman, devoted to Vāsudeva, a sanctuary for all living beings, and filled with compassion. (v.20-21) There, regarding the Guru as one's very self and deity, one should diligently learn the Bhāgavata Dharmas. Indeed, forsaking the Bhāgavata Dharma, there is no other refuge in this Kali age. (v.22) Having received the five sacraments [Pañcasaṃskāras, the initiatory rites of Śrī Vaiṣṇavism] and thereby becoming a supreme Śrī Vaiṣṇava, one should constantly chant the eternal mantra, 'Namo Nārāyaṇāya.' (v.23)
"'Nara' refers to living beings, and their collective is called 'Nāra.' Understand that 'Ayana' signifies refuge; therefore, He is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. (v.24) Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Brahman, Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Truth. Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Light, Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Self. The Vedas have Nārāyaṇa as their ultimate goal, and the gods are born from Nārāyaṇa's limbs. Nārāyaṇa is indeed the indweller of all; of this, there is no doubt. He is Brahmā, He is Śiva, He is Indra, He is the Imperishable One, the Supreme Self-Ruler. This entire universe, comprising both the moving and the unmoving, is pervaded by Nārāyaṇa. (v.25-27)
"Having thoroughly analyzed all the scriptures and reflected upon them again and again, this singular conclusion stands firmly established: Nārāyaṇa should always be meditated upon. The supreme, eternal Brahman, which is without name and form and is pure consciousness, is expounded everywhere in the Vedas under the name Nārāyaṇa. That very same eternal Brahman also shines with form and attributes, easily accessible to worshippers, serving as a refuge and the supreme deity. He is the God who holds the conch and discus, whose chest is marked with the Śrīvatsa. He wears yellow garments, is Viṣṇu, the ancient, the supreme Puruṣa; the four-armed one, supremely tranquil, with a form dark as a rain cloud. Residing in the center of the heart-lotus, gracious, an ocean of compassion—meditating thus, the best of devotees should chant the eight-syllabled mantra. (v.28-33)
"From chanting comes success, from chanting comes success, from chanting comes success—there is no doubt. But faithless, foolish, and lazy men perish. Whatever one's faith may be, such is the success one achieves. In the Kali age, what else can truly be accomplished by faith without devotion to Viṣṇu? (v.34-35) Those who are engaged in other spiritual practices and are averse to the path of devotion, after being perfected through many births, eventually attain the supreme state. But those who contemplate the supreme Hari, who is easily attainable through the path of surrender (prapatti), attain liberation immediately through the eight-syllabled mantra. (v.36-37) For those great-souled Vaiṣṇavas who are devoted to the eight-syllabled mantra and have surrendered to Nārāyaṇa, there is no rebirth. Indeed, for human beings, there is no other path to cross the ocean of worldly existence without Nārāyaṇa, the God who ferries them across samsara. (v.38-39)
"One should worship respective gods by adhering to their specific rules, for success is not easily attained otherwise; this is the eternal Dharma. Therefore, with the desire to attain His abode, one should especially worship the God Nārāyaṇa after receiving Vaiṣṇava initiation. (v.40-41) One who is devoted to Nārāyaṇa attains Nārāyaṇa. People attain whichever gods they worship. However, the minds of those who consider all gods to be equal are not absorbed anywhere. Therefore, for those deluded ones, attaining even the same world (sālokya) is certainly difficult. Thus, for the great souls who are single-minded and have surrendered, Vaikuṇṭha is surely easy to attain, but not for others who are of doubting minds. (v.42-44)
"Therefore, with the eight-syllabled mantra and the twelve-syllabled knowledge (vidyā), you should worship constantly, meditating on the Supreme Puruṣa in your heart. This alone is the supreme Dharma, which bestows immediate liberation. When the final time comes, the husband of Śrī, having bestowed knowledge, surely leads the one devoted to the eight-syllabled mantra to Vaikuṇṭha." (v.45-47)
**The Sadguru said:**
Having thus instructed Nara, the sage Nārāyaṇa, the Lord of the universe, Himself chanted the supreme and auspicious eight-syllabled mantra. Instructed by his guru Nārāyaṇa, Nara also, with discipline and unwavering faith, chanted the supreme mantra day after day. (v.48-49) Thus residing joyfully in that Badarikashrama, the two sages, Nara and Nārāyaṇa, continue to perform intense penance. (v.50)
There, in that very place, reside Lord Vyāsa, Nārada, and Uddhava, as well as the long-lived Mārkaṇḍeya and Kubera, the foremost of Yakṣas. Lord Nīlakaṇṭha (Śiva), whose banner bears the bull and who dwells on Kailāsa, along with other gods and sages, are perpetually present in Badarikashrama. Devoted to penance and meditation, they serve the two sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa with faith and devotion, seeking to achieve their desired fruits. (v.51-53)
Near the great Badari, auspicious rivers flow, some with hot water and others with cold, their sands gleaming like gold. One should behold the sacred Nārada Kuṇḍa and the Vyāsa cave, as well as the hermitage of Mārkaṇḍeya, which destroys all sins. One should visit Brahmakapāla and there offer libations to the ancestors, giving charity according to one's ability for their satisfaction. By seeing the treasury of Kubera, poverty is surely destroyed, and by seeing the Nīlakaṇṭha mountain, one attains pure knowledge. Seeing the Alakanandā river, one is freed from all sins. Who on earth would not undertake the pilgrimage to the Badari forest? (v.54-58)
Such a supreme place does not exist anywhere else in the universe, where even today the sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa are seen. Having bowed to Nārāyaṇa and to Nara, the best of men, to the Goddess Sarasvatī and to Vyāsa, one should then proclaim 'Jaya' (victory). (v.59-60)
Thus ends the sixth chapter, entitled "The Glory of Badarikashrama," in the First Part of the Divyadesavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
