Chapter summary
श्रीरामनगरमाहात्म्यम् Śrī Rāma Nagara Māhātmyam
The Glory of Sriramanagar
**The revered Sadguru said:**
In ancient times, there lived a great sage, renowned by the name Romaśa. He was a master of his senses, free from anger, and deeply devoted to the meditation of Bhagavān Viṣṇu (v.1).
It was in the sacred *Divya Deśam* [one of the 108 holy abodes of Viṣṇu] of Trivikrama, also known as Tirukkovilur, that Jāmbavān, the mighty king of bears, once proclaimed the victory of Śrīnivāsa with the resounding beat of a war drum. This great hero, long-lived and endowed with profound wisdom, the very son of Brahmā, circumambulated the Lord with utmost devotion, demonstrating his immense strength and steadfast piety (v.2-3).
Upon hearing of Jāmbavān's profound devotion, his extraordinary longevity, his immense strength, and the glorious deeds of Trivikrama, the sage Romaśa was struck with wonder and awe (v.4). A fervent desire arose within him to attain a similar measure of long life, strength, valor, renown, and an unwavering devotion to Viṣṇu (v.5).
To achieve this, he undertook a most severe penance, ceaselessly chanting the sacred eight-syllabled mantra, for he yearned to behold the great Viṣṇu, Trivikrama, in His manifest form (v.6). Pleased by the intensity of his austerities and his firm, dedicated devotion, Bhagavān Viṣṇu graciously granted him a divine vision, appearing before him in His magnificent cosmic form as Trivikrama (v.7). With his eyes moist with tears of supreme bliss, born from that sacred vision, Romaśa began to offer praises to Viṣṇu, the bestower of boons, Vāsudeva, the glorious Trivikrama (v.8).
**Romaśa said:**
Salutations, again and again, to You, O Puruṣa, who possess a thousand heads and a thousand eyes! This entire universe is pervaded by Your being; therefore, the wise poets rightly call You Viṣṇu, the All-Pervader (v.9). They speak of Your inherent nature as Prakṛti and Lakṣmī; Your supreme, inseparable power as Durgā; Māyā, which is composed of the three *guṇas*, as Your own manifestation; and the great Prāṇa, the vital life-force, as well as Hiraṇyagarbha, the cosmic golden embryo, as aspects of Your being (v.10). They declare Ahaṅkāra, the cosmic ego, to be Ananta and Rudra; Kāma, desire itself, as born from Your mind, which is made of *Saṅkalpa*, divine resolve. Your mouth is Agni, the sacred fire; Your tongue, Varuṇa; Your ears are the very directions; and Your eye is the radiant Sun (v.11). O great-souled Deva, they say the Aśvins reside in Your breath; Mahendra, the lord of the gods, in Your arms; and Upendra, the younger brother of Indra, in Your feet. The Moon is Your mind; the vast ocean, Your belly; and the flowing rivers, Your veins (v.12). O Īśvara, all the gods are said to dwell in the pores of Your hair; the boundless sky is Your chest; the clouds are Your locks; and the multitudes of trees, creepers, and grasses are found within the mass of Your body-hair (v.13). O Deva, they declare the netherworld, Pātālaloka, to be at Your feet, and Bhūloka, the earthly realm, upon Your hip. Svarga, the celestial heavens, rests upon Your chest, O great-souled one, and Satyaloka, the highest realm of truth, upon Your head (v.14). Thus, O Viṣṇu, having assumed this universal form, this *Virāḍrūpa*, You shine forth, pervading the entire world. Therefore, You are truly Viṣṇu. Who on earth is capable of fully speaking of or measuring the immensity of Your pervasiveness? (v.15). I behold Your form everywhere, and I see myself existing within You alone. Salutations to You from before and from behind; salutations to You from all sides, O All-Encompassing Being! (v.16).
**The revered Sadguru said:**
Thus praised by Romaśa, the Lord, who is ever affectionate to His devotees, once again assumed His charming Vāmana form and consoled the sage (v.17).
**The Supreme Lord said:**
"Choose a boon, O king among yogis, for I have appeared before you as the bestower of desires. I am greatly pleased by your penance and your unwavering devotion, O great sage" (v.18).
**Romaśa said:**
"O Mādhava, I choose long life, strength, valor, unwavering devotion to You, and a pure intellect, precisely as Jāmbavān possesses" (v.19).
**The Supreme Lord said:**
"O Romaśa, know this: as many hairs as there are on your body, so many universes exist, O best of sages (v.20). With the destruction of but one universe, one hair of yours shall surely fall. And so, with the destruction of all universes, shall be the fall of all your hairs, O sage (v.21). A lifespan of that immense duration has been bestowed upon you by My compassion. I also grant you strength, valor, devotion, and a pure mind" (v.22).
**The revered Sadguru said:**
Having thus obtained an extraordinary long life directly from Trivikrama Himself, the great sage Romaśa was filled with joy and continued to practice his devotion to Viṣṇu in this world (v.23).
Aśvatthāmā, Bali, Bāṇa, Hanumān, Vibhīṣaṇa, Mārkaṇḍeya, Vyāsa, Prahlāda, and Jāmbavān, along with other long-lived beings, were all filled with profound wonder when they heard of Romaśa's ascetic power and the incredible length of life he had attained (v.24-25). Even the four-faced Brahmā, whose own life spans two *parārdhas* [an immense cosmic period], felt a sense of shame, he, the very lord of the world, upon hearing of Romaśa's age (v.26). Indeed, what is difficult to obtain through the devoted service of Mukunda, the boundless ocean of compassion? He alone is the Lord of all gods, the supreme master of countless crores of universes (v.27).
The supremely holy place named Sriramanagar is where the divine Trivikrama, worshipped by the sage Romaśa, is eternally served (v.28). By beholding Mahākāla, Śāstā, the Kṣetrapāla Bhairava, and also Trivikrama in this sacred abode, one is blessed to attain a long and virtuous life (v.29).
Here ends the thirty-seventh chapter, named 'The Glory of Sriramanagar', in the Third Part of the 'Divyadeśavaibhavam' composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
Thus ends Chapter 37, named "Śrī Rāma Nagara Māhātmyam", in Tṛtīya Bhāge, in the Divya Deśa Vaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
