Chapter summary
बाह्वापुरीमाहात्म्यम् Bāhvā Purī Māhātmyam
The Glory of Bāhvāpurī
**Śrī Sadguru spoke:**
In the solar dynasty, there formerly reigned a king renowned as Mucukunda. He was a righteous ruler, true to his word, and a protector of his people. Humble by nature and foremost among the devotees of Vishnu, he embarked upon a pilgrimage, accompanied by his retinue (v.1-2). The lord of the earth traversed many sacred lands, including Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Māyā [Haridwar], Vārāṇasī, and Gayā, until he arrived at the city of Kāñcī (v.3). There, on the tranquil bank of the Hemasaras lake, he beheld the eminent sage Bhṛgu, the foremost among the knowers of Brahman, deeply absorbed in meditation upon Vishnu (v.4). Bowing before the sage, the king, with palms joined in reverence, humbly posed his questions, imbued with faith, devotion, and a sincere desire to comprehend the true meaning of the scriptures (v.5).
**Mucukunda spoke:**
"O revered Brahman, by a stroke of fortune, I have been granted your divine sight, and truly, by this very *darśana*, my pilgrimage has been rendered fruitful (v.6). For it is not merely holy waters, which are but water, nor deities fashioned from clay and stone, that purify immediately. They cleanse only after a long duration, whereas holy men purify by their very sight (v.7).
"The sacred scriptures, the Śrutis, extol a multitude of deities: Brahmā, Rudra, Indra, Varuṇa, the Aśvins, Yama, Agni, Soma, Sūrya, Vāyu, Bṛhaspati, the Viśvedevas, the Maruts, the Ṛbhus, the Sādhyas, the Pitṛs, and indeed, Vishnu and Nārāyaṇa (v.8-9). Among all these gods, who stands supreme? Whose worship is deemed the most efficacious? And by whose grace may one attain liberation from the terrifying ocean of worldly existence? (v.10) Do you hold the view that these deities are non-different, or that they are distinct? For some assert their non-difference, while others maintain their separate identities (v.11). O great sage, you are omniscient; I implore you, sever this doubt that afflicts me. Which deity should I worship? How may I secure my ultimate well-being?" (v.12)
**Bhṛgu spoke:**
"O King, the divine cannot be comprehended through direct perception or mere inference. The Vedas alone stand as the ultimate authority concerning God and Dharma (v.13). Those deluded individuals who, abandoning the deities explicitly mentioned in the Vedas, worship wooden and monastic idols in villages, their efforts are utterly in vain (v.14). Even among the gods explicitly mentioned in the Vedas, a hierarchy exists. The Veda itself declares that among them, Vishnu is the highest, and Agni is the lowest (v.15). That He is also Brahmā and Śiva is understood from the words of the Śruti, owing to His pervasive presence everywhere, both within and without (v.16).
"Mankind worships various gods to attain various fruits. Yet, it is He alone who, appearing in the form of those respective gods, grants those specific boons (v.17). Nārāyaṇa is indeed the Supreme Brahman, as evidenced by the words of the Śruti. He is the ultimate resort and the supreme goal for the multitudes of human souls (v.18). Entering within all beings, the flawless Vishnu is their sovereign ruler. This profound meaning is derived from the Sanskrit root 'viś' (to enter), combined with the 'nuk' suffix (v.19). Pervading the entire universe, this Vāsudeva dwells within it, in perfect accordance with the Vedāntic statement, 'All this is pervaded by the Lord' (v.20).
"Even among the gods, He was born of Aditi from Kaśyapa. Renowned in the Veda as Vishnu, He thus displays His inherent divinity (v.21). Just as in His human forms His humanity is displayed, so too in His divine incarnations His divinity is revealed (v.22). He is neither a god, nor a man, nor a bird, nor indeed an animal. The Supreme Self is utterly distinct from all names and forms (v.23). O King, whether one is without desires, or possesses all desires, or yearns for liberation, all worship that same Vishnu, the benevolent bestower of boons desired by His devotees (v.24). While all other gods, when worshipped, may grant various worldly desires, they are utterly unable to bestow liberation. For liberation, one must seek Janārdana alone (v.25). If you truly desire a direct vision of that very boon-granting Vishnu, then, O lord of the earth, cultivate unwavering devotion to Him alone" (v.26).
**Śrī Sadguru spoke:**
Thus enlightened by the sage Bhṛgu, Mucukunda's personal doubts were utterly severed by the sharp sword of pure knowledge (v.27). There, on the bank of the Hemasaras lake, he consecrated the Lord of Śrī, Narasiṃha, that ocean of compassion and protector of Prahlāda (v.28). After establishing an *agrahāra* [a settlement granted to Brahmins] and bestowing it upon them, the king, with a heart greatly pleased, departed for his own city (v.29). Later, during the incarnation of Krishna, having been blessed with Krishna's sight, the king journeyed once more to Badarī and performed severe penance (v.30).
Even today, in Kāñcī, one can behold the Narasiṃha deity installed by Mucukunda – an ocean of mercy, the destroyer of His devotees' afflictions and fears (v.31). All those who behold Narasiṃha, the very repository of compassion, here on the bank of the Hemasaras lake, find all their sorrows utterly destroyed (v.32).
Thus ends the tenth chapter, named 'The Glory of Bāhvāpurī', in the Second Part of the Divyadeśavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
