Chapter summary
पुष्करमाहात्म्यम् Puṣkara Māhātmyam
The Glory of Puṣkara
**Śrī Sadguru said:**
In the world of mortals, the wise should ever seek the sacred *tīrtha* [pilgrimage site or sacred water body] of the God of gods, renowned throughout the three worlds, famously known as Puṣkara. For within the waters of Puṣkara, a hundred billion *tīrthas*, along with all the gods and great sages, are eternally present. The wise declare that whoever performs ablutions there, devoted to the worship of ancestors and deities, obtains a fruit ten times greater than that of the great Aśvamedha sacrifice (v.1-3).
Yet, it is arduous to journey to Puṣkara; difficult to perform austerities there; challenging to offer charity in its sacred precincts; and to reside there is, indeed, most difficult of all (v.4).
In the primordial beginning, water alone was the cause of the universe. Within that water, then, arose the primeval lotus, the Puṣkara. Therein manifested Veda-garbha, the four-faced Brahmā, the creator of all worlds. The learned declare that the great and wise Prāṇaśakti, the very life-force, is his form, and his consort is Vāc, Speech herself, Sarasvatī, the embodiment of all arts (v.5-6).
Then, desiring to undertake the creation of the world and seeking a supreme, boon-bestowing foundation for himself, Vidhi, or Brahmā, searched beyond the darkness and beheld the God who is the sole cause of the universe. He saw that Puruṣa, the Supreme Being, reposing on the couch of Śeṣa, his arms reaching to his knees, his eyes closed in divine contemplation. He was the primeval God with a broad chest, the Lord of Yoga, adorned with the resplendent Kaustubha gem upon his neck (v.7-8). Marked with the auspicious Śrīvatsa, a veritable Pārijāta tree for those who seek refuge in him, he was embraced by Śrī, the endless and primeval one. Clad in yellow silk, adorned with divine ornaments, from whose very breath emanated all the Vedas and Śāstras (v.9). With folded hands and eyes brimming with love, the four-faced Brahmā, his limbs thrilled with joy, bowed to that Padmanābha, whose feet are worshipped by all devotees, and offered a beautiful hymn of praise (v.10).
**Brahmā said:**
I know the root of the three worlds, the eternal, the everlasting, the primeval One; without beginning or end, beyond all darkness, the supreme light that shines by itself. The entire universe is the object of His knowledge; His own form is indeed the means of that knowledge. Having directly perceived Him who is self-luminous, how then have I attained the state of being a knower? I see that form of consciousness, non-different from myself, having entered my heart. Abandoning all worldly distinctions, it is proper that I should remain in silence (v.11-13).
Who, indeed, can truly conceive or speak of this form which is beyond mind and speech? It shines by itself as the supreme witness to the consideration of "it is" and "it is not." I meditate in my heart upon that very God who is the root of this entire universe, in whom reside countless names and forms, and from whom many states of being arise. I take refuge in that one, primeval Being, who, having first created various names and forms within Himself and sported with them, then withdraws them, and alone remains (v.14-16).
That which the yogis, having negated everything with "not this, not this" (*neti neti*), see directly in their hearts as the inwardly-situated, supreme lamp of truth, which has dispelled the dense darkness of Māyā—those who, abandoning this cause of the heart-lotus's blooming, this light of knowledge, this form of ultimate reality, wish to see it like a pot or other external object, they suffer in vain through various austerities. Therefore, the wise, who have conquered all worlds, having abandoned all means and ends, always delight in their own true nature and continuously attain supreme peace (v.17-19). Here, I see directly on the couch of Śeṣa that form of ultimate reality, perfectly composed, within whose belly the entire web of universes is contained in a subtle form (v.20).
**Śrī Sadguru said:**
Thus praised by the grandfather of the worlds, Śrī Padmanābha opened his eyes, and looking upon Brahmā with a face beautiful with a charming smile, spoke these sweet words (v.21).
**The Lord said:**
I know you to be my cognitive power (*vijñānaśakti*) in the form of the Vedas, the life-breath (*prāṇātmaka*), the highest and greatest principle. You are ever capable; you, O Veda-garbha, create the worlds. Behold my primeval cosmic form (*Virāṭ-svarūpa*), wherein all names and forms reside. You merely manifest them again; that itself is the act of creation, nothing else (v.22-23). "I shall perform actions for the attainment of my own happiness"—this is a common misconception in the world. Constantly abandoning this resolve, even after creating the worlds, you will not be bound (v.24).
**Śrī Sadguru said:**
Thus instructed by Mukunda, the Unborn Brahmā then made a beginning to create the world. Viṣṇu, the inner soul of all beings, entering him, performed that creation Himself. That which was the cause, the water, and that which was the Puṣkara (lotus) that arose there—placing the universe in its midst, He created it, and again, He Himself lay down within it (v.25-26).
This *tīrtha* of Puṣkara is seen as the very abode of Nārāyaṇa. Even now, the sages rich in austerity perceive Viṣṇu there in a hidden form with their divine sight. This sacred Vaiṣṇava *tīrtha*, directly realized by the lotus-born Brahmā in the past, is seen by mortals on earth in the Kali Yuga as Śrī Puṣkara, the destroyer of sins. By bathing, drinking, and seeing it, this *tīrtha* of Śrī Puṣkara, having destroyed all the sins of men, indeed increases their merits by itself (v.27-29).
May the water of Puṣkara purify you—clear and white as the moon, with foam generated by the churning of elephants' trunks and crocodiles; served by foremost Brāhmaṇas devoted to vows and disciplines, who are engaged in Brahmā's creation; made holy by the glance of Brahmā, the preceptor of the three worlds, who is adorned with the Oṃkāra; and delightful with the vast expanse of its blissful enjoyments, it removes all that is inauspicious (v.30).
Thus the twenty-sixth chapter, named "The Glory of Puṣkara," in the First Part of the "Divyadeśavaibhavam" composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
