Chapter summary
नैमिशारण्यमाहात्म्यम् Naimiśāraṇya Māhātmyam
The Revered Guru said: In ancient times, a host of sages, rich in their penance and led by the venerable Śaunaka, journeyed to Brahmaloka. There, they beheld Lord Brahmā, the four-faced creator, who embodied the very essence of the Vedas and held them within his being. He was seated upon a lotus throne beside his consort, Kalā, radiating the tranquility of the Supreme Lord, Parameṣṭhin, the eternal controller of all gods and worlds. His form was that of an ascetic, clad in bark garments, holding Kuśa grass, and brimming with compassion. His forehead shone with a luminous Ūrdhva Puṇḍra mark, and he bore a lotus, prayer beads, and Tulasī. With matted hair, a white beard, and a white sacred thread, he carried a kamaṇḍalu, a sacred book, and a rosary for japa. (v.1-5)
Around him gathered a host of celestial beings: Marīci, Bhṛgu, Dakṣa, Vasiṣṭha, Kratu, Nārada, Atri, Aṅgiras, and the great-souled Kardama; Pulastya and Pulaha; the four Sanakas and other venerable sages. Also present were Manu and other rulers of the earth, steadfast protectors of Dharma, alongside the guardians of the directions and the foremost among the gods: Indra, Agni, Yama, Nirṛti (the Rakṣas), Varuṇa, Vāyu, King Soma, and Rudra. Indeed, he was served by other gods, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Vidyādharas, Yogīs, Rakṣasas, and Asuras alike. (v.6-9)
Before this Lord of lords of all worlds, who was himself devoted to Nārāyaṇa and served by all present, the sages posed their question. (v.10)
**The Sages said:**
"O Lord of the worlds," they implored, "we desire to undertake a single sacrificial session, a *satra*, that spans a thousand years and bestows all auspiciousness. To accomplish this, we seek your guidance to a supreme, holy, and purifying place within the sacred land of Bhārata, a spot hallowed by the presence of many sacred *tīrthas*." (v.11-12)
**Brahmā said:**
"Listen attentively, O sages rich in penance," Brahmā began. "Indeed, this world abounds with regions inhabited by holy men. Yet, wherever on earth these Veda-knowing Brāhmaṇas reside, there, without a doubt, all the gods also dwell. The very body of such Brāhmaṇas—those who are tranquil, ascetic, and learned in the Vedas—is a living temple for the gods, increasing their delight. Therefore, the twice-born who know the Vedas are to be worshipped everywhere and always, for when the Brāhmaṇas are revered, all the deities are worshipped." (v.13-16)
"I shall fashion a wheel-rim, a *nemi*, and release it upon the surface of the earth. Wherever it comes to rest, there you shall perform your excellent sacrificial session. That very spot, without a doubt, will be a supreme holy region and *tīrtha*. Everything accomplished there will immediately bear fruit and bestow prosperity." (v.17-18)
**The Revered Guru said:**
Having thus spoken, Parameṣṭhin Brahmā released from his hand an excellent wheel-rim, a *nemi*, with a thousand spokes, resembling the divine discus of Viṣṇu. Transcending all worlds, this wheel-rim descended upon the bank of the Gomatī River, a sight of great wonder to the assembled ascetics. From the *śayana*, or resting, of this *nemi*, the forest became known as Naimiṣa [Naimiṣāraṇya], a supremely holy place frequented by multitudes of sages. (v.19-21)
This sacred spot is also known as Chakra Tīrtha, for it is where the discus fell, and where, through the offering of *piṇḍas* [rice balls offered to ancestors], the forefathers are eternally satisfied. (v.22)
There, beneath the shade of a banyan tree, the foremost of sages, rich in their penance, performed the thousand-year sacrificial session. (v.23)
It was here that the great sage Vyāsa, having conquered his senses, resided with his disciples at the end of the Dvāpara Yuga, performing severe penance. And it was here too that the highly renowned Sūta, the narrator of the eighteen Purāṇas, respectfully recited these sacred texts to Śaunaka and the other sages. (v.24-25)
Svāyambhuva Manu, accompanied by his wife Śatarūpā, also undertook severe penance in this very place, his mind steadfastly fixed in meditation upon Viṣṇu. (v.26)
**The Manu said:**
"Salutations to that perfect Brahman, who is perfect within, perfect without, perfect everywhere and always, and by whom everything is made perfect. Whatever exists in this world, comprising the moving and the non-moving, all that is pervaded by Him; salutations to You, that God. I bow to Him whom the Yogīs, having conquered their desires and abandoned all perishable enjoyments—even the exalted position of Brahmā—worship. I bow to Him who is the ultimate goal for the desireless seekers of liberation, for whom the dictum 'Let desireless action be done in the world, if one wishes to live' holds true." (v.27-30)
"I praise that Supreme Being, whom the mind cannot comprehend through its own faculties, but by whom the mind itself thinks; He is truly beyond the reach of mind and speech. I worship Him who, though far from the senses, is yet their very impeller; the Lord (*Indra*) of all the worlds, the delight of Indirā (Lakṣmī). I contemplate that Brahman which is intimately near to the wise, yet immensely distant for the undiscerning; that which is attainable through knowledge, and is itself the supreme knowledge." (v.31-33)
"O Lord, by Your grace, lead me by the auspicious path to the supreme state. Remember what I have done, O Master! I take refuge in You alone." (v.34)
**The Revered Guru said:**
Thus reciting the Mantropaniṣad, Svāyambhuva Manu performed supreme penance, meditating upon Lord Nārāyaṇa. Alas, while he was thus engaged, demons intent on harassing others arrived there, desiring to devour Manu. Then Viṣṇu, who is Yajna [sacrifice] itself and the Lord of all sacrifices, appeared. With a mere playful act, He severed the demons' heads with His discus. Protected by the Lord of Sacrifices, this king of the earth, along with his wife Śatarūpā, then performed the worship of Yajna. (v.35-38)
In ancient times, having consecrated Lord Yajñeśvara according to the Vaikhānasa tradition, Manu joyfully worshipped Him in a beautiful temple. (v.39)
It was here too that Rāma, the son of Raghu and Lord of the worlds, resided with his brothers and the sages, performing the Aśvamedha sacrifice. The Lord, ever-compassionate to those who take refuge in Him, daily listened with faith to the divine Rāmāyaṇa as sung by Lava and Kuśa. And here, Janakī Sītā, the illustrious wife of Rāma, entered the earth after displaying her own pure life story. (v.40-42)
That *tīrtha*, renowned as Sītā Kuṇḍa, is supremely auspicious; by its mere touch, all sin is destroyed. (v.43)
The high-minded Dadīci, the foremost of sages, also performed penance here—he who famously gave his bones for the benefit of the gods. The Dadīci Tīrtha, located here, is a destroyer of all sins and proclaims in this world the supreme glory of Dadīci. (v.44-45)
The Gomatī River, with its holy waters, destroys sins upon mere remembrance. On its banks, all the sages performed various kinds of penance. (v.46)
The merit accrued by those who listen to or read this "Glory of Naimiṣāraṇya" cannot be counted even by Brahmā himself. (v.47)
Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, titled "The Glory of Naimiṣāraṇya," in the First Part of the "Divyadeśavaibhavam" composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
