Chapter summary
वरदविष्णुक्षेत्रमाहात्म्यम् Varadaviṣṇu Kṣetra Māhātmyam
Śrī Sadguru speaks:
Śrī Sadguru speaks: In the hermitage of the great sage Dhaumya, the self-controlled Upamanyu diligently served his guru. Daily, at Dhaumya's command, he would graze the cows, enduring hunger and thirst with pitiable resolve, yet his devotion to his guru's service remained unwavering. (v.1-2)
He would go from door to door, begging alms from Brahmin households, and with utmost devotion, offer everything he received to his guru. However, Guru Dhaumya, desiring to test his disciple, would not give Upamanyu any of the begged food, consuming it himself. (v.3-4)
Believing the milk of his guru's cows was solely for the Agnihotra sacrifice, Upamanyu abstained from it. Instead, he daily drank the milk of the Arka plant while grazing the cows in the forest. Day after day, as he consumed the Arka milk, the boy's eyesight failed, rendering him blind, until one day he stumbled and fell into a well situated on his path. (v.5-6)
Searching for his missing disciple, the great sage Dhaumya arrived at the well. With profound mercy, he lifted Upamanyu out and embraced him. Realizing that the boy's blindness was a consequence of drinking the Arka milk, the sage's eyes welled with tears of compassion. He brought Upamanyu back to his own hermitage and cared for him with respect, though other boys would mock him, saying, "This one has blind eyes!" (v.7-9)
When Upamanyu reported the boys' taunts to his guru, Dhaumya felt a pang of remorse and, for a moment, became anxious. Then, casting aside his worry and grief, he meditated upon Nārāyaṇa and, filled with compassion, addressed Upamanyu. (v.10-11)
Dhaumya speaks: My child, take refuge in Varada Vishnu alone, who is Hari, the adorable remover of the surrendered souls' afflictions, an ocean of compassion. Though you are blind, my child, the all-powerful Lord Jagannātha, Hari, Nārāyaṇa, will surely restore your sight and grant you strong eyes. (v.12-13)
Śrī Sadguru speaks: Thus instructed by his guru, the boy immersed himself in contemplation of Hari. Soon, Lord Varada, ever affectionate to the righteous, manifested before him. Glorious was His form, dark as a monsoon cloud, adorned with a garland, draped in yellow garments, holding a conch and discus, and His eyes were like blossoming lotuses. (v.14-15)
Vishnu Hari approached the ascetic Upamanyu, emaciated from his fasts, and offered him a sweet cake, an *apūpa*. "Eat this cake," He commanded the boy. But the steadfast Upamanyu, refusing to eat, addressed Vishnu: "O Lord, it is my vow to offer whatever I obtain by begging to my guru. I must give this to him. O Achyuta, my *dharma* dictates that I shall eat only what my guru Dhaumya mercifully gives me, saying, 'Eat.'" (v.16-19)
The Blessed Lord speaks: "O Upamanyu, I am greatly pleased by this devotion of yours to your guru. Indeed, by your *guru-bhakti* alone, you shall become strong-eyed this very day. Offer this cake, which is My *prasāda* [sacred food offering], to your guru. Then, O Upamanyu, eat it by his command." (v.20-21)
Śrī Sadguru speaks: Having thus spoken, Varada Vishnu, an ocean of mercy for Upamanyu, bestowed upon him perfect sight and granted him His divine vision. Overwhelmed with sudden, supreme joy, the young sage ran to Dhaumya's side, presenting him with the cake. The boy then recounted the divine grace he had received from Vishnu, and hearing this, the foremost of sages was filled with supreme bliss. (v.22-24)
Dhaumya speaks: "My child, by Vishnu's grace, you have indeed gained strong eyes. Yet, out of concern for you, I am not fully satisfied. For all this time, you have diligently served me, but you are not complete with knowledge; your efforts have been mere toil. Knowledge, truly, is the supreme eye; one devoid of it is truly blind. Even with your physical sight restored, my child, you remain blind without this inner vision." (v.25-27)
"Eat this cake, the purifying *prasāda* of Hari. Through it, you shall attain the supreme knowledge that dispels all sorrow and delusion." (v.28)
Śrī Sadguru speaks: Thus instructed by the sage, the boy of firm vows ate the cake, performed *ācamana* [a ritualistic sipping of water for purification], and returning, bowed to his exalted guru. Dhaumya, seeing the boy's heart filled with contentment, radiant with divine effulgence, and brimming with supreme bliss, compassionately asked him: "O Upamanyu, with your lotus-like eyes now pleased, what do you behold? Today, I know you to be one whose desires are fulfilled, radiant with divine splendor." (v.29-31)
Upamanyu speaks: "O revered Dhaumya, in me, in you, and indeed everywhere, I perceive only the eternal Vishnu. There is no multiplicity here at all." (v.32)
Dhaumya speaks: "With this, O great-minded one, all knowledge is complete for you. Now, return home and embrace the *dharma* of a householder. All sages declare the householder stage to be the foremost among all *āśramas* [stages of life]. Therefore, live the life of a householder. A wise householder is superior; he is truly an uplifter of the fallen, and a thousand ignorant ascetics cannot equal him." (v.33-35)
Śrī Sadguru speaks: Then, taking leave of Dhaumya, the great ascetic returned home and lived, worshipping Vishnu and diligently practicing the *dharma* of a householder. This is that supreme *Kṣetra* [sacred place], by whose grace even today, with unwavering faith, the blind obtain perfect eyesight. He is none other than Varada Vishnu, the bestower of eyes to all who take refuge in Him. Therefore, worship Hari, the remover of the surrendered souls' afflictions, with steadfast faith. (v.36-38)
Thus, in the work named Divya Desa Vaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu, in the Third Part, the forty-third chapter, titled "The Glory of the Varada Vishnu Kṣetra."
