Chapter summary
रक्ताक्षपुरमाहात्म्यम् Raktākṣa Pura Māhātmyam
The Greatness of Raktākṣapura
**The Revered Sadguru said:**
In times long past, during the fierce war between the Devas and the Asuras, the Devas found themselves vanquished by the mighty Daityas. In their distress, they sought refuge with Vishnu, the supreme giver of shelter, who ever holds the conch and discus in His hands. It was then, by Vishnu's divine command, that they undertook the great churning of the ocean of milk, using Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the serpent Vāsuki as the rope (v.1-2).
From this monumental effort, the deadly Hālāhala poison first emerged, which the great Lord Maheśvara [Śiva] mercifully drank. Following this, Hara [Śiva] took the moon, the repository of nectar, upon His head. Lord Vishnu Himself claimed the radiant Kaustubha gem and Śrī, the goddess born from the lotus. Indra, in turn, received the majestic Airāvata elephant, along with the wish-fulfilling Kāmadhenu cow and the celestial Kalpaka tree. Finally, Dhanvantari, the divine physician, appeared, bearing the pot of nectar. However, the Daityas swiftly seized it and fled, plunging the Suras [Devas] into deep sorrow (v.3-5).
To remedy this, Vishnu, the foremost of all illusionists, assumed the enchanting form of Mohinī. With captivating and sweet gestures, She indeed reclaimed the pot of nectar. Mohinī then arranged the Daityas and Devas to sit equally in rows and, carrying the pot of nectar, began to serve. With Her bewitching charm, She withheld the nectar from the wicked Asuras, ensuring that only the Devas, who are virtuous by nature, partook of the divine elixir (v.6-8).
A Daitya named Svarbhānu, discerning this deception and desiring to drink the nectar, subtly left the row of Daityas and slowly moved to the row of Devas. Though all-knowing, Hari, acting as if unaware and treating both Suras and Asuras equally, gave nectar even to him in His form as Mohinī. However, the Sun and the Moon, witnessing this transgression, immediately informed Vishnu. Playfully, the Lord then severed Svarbhānu's head with His discus (v.9-11). Yet, due to having consumed the nectar, that Daitya did not perish then; by Vishnu's grace, Svarbhānu instantly became immortal. His head transformed into Rāhu and his body into Ketu, and having attained this new form, he approached the assembly of Devas, proclaiming, "I am a Deva!" (v.12-13).
"You are no Deva; you are a Daitya! Go to the Daityas, O evil-minded one!" Thus dismissed by the Devas, he again sought out the company of the Daityas. But they too abandoned him, declaring, "You are a deceiver of the Daityas, dedicated to your own gain. Go take refuge with the Devas!" Ruined on both sides, he finally sought refuge in Keśava, Vishnu, the ultimate resort for the shelterless, the giver of fearlessness to all beings. Vishnu, ever affectionate to those who seek His protection, granted him the status of a planet (graha). Out of shame, the Daitya then resided in the heavens as a shadow-form (v.14-17). Even after drinking nectar and attaining immortality, this lowest of Diti's sons could not abandon his inherent enmity, for indeed, a wicked one's nature is exceedingly difficult to relinquish. From time to time, rising up filled with hatred, he would proceed to seize the two gods, the Sun and the Moon (v.18-19).
Distressed by fear of this son of Diti, the Sun and Moon then created a pair of lakes, entered them, and lived there in secret. Consequently, darkness spread everywhere, and in the world, all the Suras searched in vain, alas, unable to find the Sun and the Moon. It was then that Vishnu, the Lord of all, came to the bank of the lake. Śauri Hari [Vishnu] bestowed fearlessness upon the Sun and the Moon (v.20-22).
**The Blessed Lord said:**
"O Āditya [Sun], you arise! And you arise, O Sudhākara [Moon]! Illuminate once again the world, which is now deluded by darkness. I shall quell Svarbhānu with My discus, there is no doubt, whenever an eclipse occurs, time and again. From this day forth, in this world, your lakes will attain fame as Sūrya-tīrtha and Candra-tīrtha, the destroyers of sin. On the banks of these two sacred tīrthas [pilgrimage sites], you two, having established Me and worshipped Me along with the wise ones [Devas], shall indeed ascend to heaven" (v.23-26).
**The Revered Sadguru said:**
Thus addressed, the foremost among the wise, the Sun and the Moon, then worshipped Hari there on the banks of the lakes. Along with all the Devas, the two of them again reached heaven, and Svarbhānu became fearful because they had taken refuge in Vishnu. Whenever this lowest of Diti's sons comes to seize them, he is driven far away by the intense heat of Vishnu's discus. It is only by his shadow that an eclipse of the Sun and Moon is seen on Earth, indeed, time and again. Those who, during an eclipse, perform bathing, charity, and libations (tarpaṇa)—their sins are destroyed, and their ancestors and the gods are pleased (v.27-31).
Vishnu, the red-eyed one, reclining on Śeṣa on the bank of the Sūrya lake, and also on the bank of the Candra lake in the temple named Maṇikūṭa—those who behold Hari with devotion, for them there is no fear of enemies. They are freed from the fear of enemies, just as the Sun and Moon were (v.32-33).
Thus ends, "The Greatness of Raktākṣapura", the Thirty-eighth Chapter, in the Third Part, in the Divyadeśavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
