Chapter summary
दीपप्रकाशवैभवम् Dīpaprakāśa Vaibhavam
The Glory of Dīpaprakāśa
**The Revered Guru said:**
**Sarasvatī said:**
O Lord, O Supreme Self! Having entered within all beings, it is You alone who, by Your own inherent effulgence, illuminates the activity of speech and mind. Therefore, You are Dīpaprakāśa, the Illuminator of the Lamp. There the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars; these flashes of lightning do not shine, so how could this fire? Your supreme abode is indeed made of light; Your world alone shines forth all at once. O Supreme Self, You are utterly self-luminous, requiring no illumination from anyone or anything. The entire world is lit by Your radiance, for You shine, abiding both within and without. (v.2-4)
Any boastful claim that "my light is the cause of Your light in the three worlds" is utterly futile. Indeed, Your light, O Acyuta, O embodiment of consciousness, is inherently victorious everywhere. He who perceives Your light—which permeates Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, and all other beings throughout the earth—with the eye of true knowledge, is never deluded, even upon attaining Your divine power. But others, lacking such discrimination, become bewildered. Having acquired a measure of Your divine power through their merits, they mistakenly consider themselves the supreme lord and thus forget You, O Acyuta, Lord of all worlds. (v.5-7)
Though You are the Lord of all, You are ever affectionate towards those who seek refuge in You. You Yourself inspire and enable sacrifices to be performed, and You are worshipped through the most excellent of offerings and all sacred rites. You are the protector of every sacrifice and the bestower of its fruits. For those who do not take refuge at Your sacred feet, obstacles are certain to arise in their sacrifices and other rituals. Yet, for the self-controlled who have surrendered to You as the ultimate doer, there is no suffering from any impediment. (v.8-9)
O Viṣṇu, though You are the supreme controller of all, You have humbly assumed the state of being controlled by Your devotees. Forgetting Your own boundless majesty, O Lord of all, You bear the burden of Your devotee's worldly existence. You Yourself become the bridge across the ocean of *saṃsāra* [the cycle of birth and death], serving as the sole refuge for the virtuous. What is this power or influence of mine before You? Indeed, I have been greatly honoured by You in this manner. O Lord, slayer of Mura, this greatness of Yours is beyond the grasp of the mind and even of speech. Thus, even the Creator, Brahmā, who is the very embodiment of the Vedas, falls silent before Your immeasurable glory. (v.10-12)
O Lord of the universe, please forgive the great offense I committed out of pride against my husband, Brahmā, who is a great soul singularly devoted to You and is the very embodiment of the Vedas. O Lord of the worlds, just as You previously ensured my husband's loving devotion was exclusively mine, so now, I pray, grant me friendship with my co-wife and a peaceful nature for myself. (v.13-14)
**The Revered Guru said:**
Thus praised, Śrīnātha, the Lord of the universe, who is ever affectionate to *Dharma* [righteousness], spoke these sweet words to the Goddess of Speech, Sarasvatī. (v.15)
**The Supreme Lord said:**
"O Sarasvatī, abandon your anger. You are indeed supreme in your own right, for without you, the entire world would instantly become mute. You shine, surpassing even Goddess Durgā and Lakṣmī, because you are the very embodiment of knowledge (*Vidyā*) everywhere; there is no doubt in this. A person devoid of knowledge is like a foolish tree; it is by your grace that the dullness of human beings is destroyed. I Myself protect through knowledge, Brahmā creates through knowledge, and Lord Śiva destroys through knowledge—indeed, knowledge is the cause of everything. The Supreme Brahman, when considered devoid of knowledge, is without attributes; but the Lord (*Īśvara*), when united with knowledge, becomes the cause of the universe's creation, maintenance, and destruction." (v.16-20)
"Who, then, is capable of disrespecting you, O Sarasvatī, who are of such a nature? You are the supreme divinity; you are the supreme wealth. In your anger, you went forth and now shine as a river [referring to the Vegavatī river, a manifestation of Sarasvatī]; nevertheless, as speech, you still function in the mouth of Brahmā, the sacrificer. 'A wife is fulfilled through a son'—this is the ordinance of the Vedas. The son of knowledge is humility, so where has your humility gone? O Sarasvatī, the husband is the supreme deity for a virtuous wife. Having abandoned him, what fruit can you gain from other merits or worldly welfare? Service to the husband is the highest *dharma* [righteous duty] for women. By transgressing that duty, what fruit will you accomplish?" (v.21-25)
"Even if a husband is foolish, old, sick, poor, lame, blind, wrathful, or lustful, a chaste wife should not abandon him. What then to say of one who is endowed with virtues, full of love, and a protector? She who worships her husband even when beaten, censured, or harmed again and again, is indeed the most excellent of chaste women. Therefore, worship your husband Brahmā, the lord of the world. Then you will be worshipped everywhere, there is no doubt." (v.26-28)
"You, who became the swift-flowing Vegavatī, now stand still before me out of devotion, just like the tranquil water in a tank. This place will henceforth attain fame as 'Sarasvatī Kuṇḍa' [The Pool of Sarasvatī], and by bathing here, even a mute person will attain perfection in speech. Now, O chaste one, enter the sacrificial hall of Brahmā. Your husband, filled with devotion to me, will worship you there." (v.29-31)
**The Revered Guru said:**
Thus dispatched, the Goddess entered the sacrificial hall. Seeing her, the four-faced Brahmā was filled with supreme joy. Bhāratī [another name for Sāvitrī, Brahmā's other consort] brought her forward and worshipped her with affection. Likewise, all the sages praised the Mother of the World. Indeed, by the mere sight of this Viṣṇu, Dīpaprakāśa, the one of effortless deeds, affection is restored between a husband and wife. (v.32-34)
Thus the fourth chapter, named "The Glory of Dīpaprakāśa," in the Second Part of the "Divya Desa Vaibhavam" composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
