Chapter summary
दक्षिणमधुरामाहात्म्यम् Dakṣiṇamadhurā Māhātmyam
The Glory of Southern Madhurā
**The Devotees said:**
O best of Gurus, Lord of Kamalā, please recount to us the glories of the sacred sites and holy waters situated within the Pāṇḍya kingdom. You alone know all things by the grace of the Lord of the Universe, and we eagerly await to drink the nectar of your words. (v.1-2)
**The Sadguru said:**
In ancient times, in the city of Madhurā, there lived a royal sage named Satyavrata, a king of the Pāṇḍyas. He was devoted to *dharma*, resolute in character, and possessed of great strength. Governing his people according to the laws of Manu, this virtuous king attained renown throughout the earth and even in the celestial realms. (v.3-4)
Upon reaching old age, the king relinquished his kingdom, consecrated his son as the new ruler, and retired to a hermitage. There, every day, after bathing in the Kṛtamālā river, he worshipped Viṣṇu with unwavering faith and devotion, detached from worldly affairs and with senses fully controlled. (v.5-6)
Once, while performing his evening prayers (*Sandhyāvandana*) in the Kṛtamālā, as he prepared to offer the water oblation (*arghya*), he discovered a fish in his hand. The king, feeling a natural aversion, immediately cast the fish back into the water. To his astonishment, the fish then addressed the king in clear Sanskrit. (v.7-8)
**The Fish said:**
O King, please protect me, for I have come to you for refuge. Other fish will surely devour me; of this, there is no doubt. (v.9)
**The Sadguru said:**
With a compassionate "So be it," the king tenderly placed the fish, which had sought his refuge, into a water pot, protecting it within his hermitage. (v.10)
Yet, even within the water pot, the mysterious fish grew large and spoke a sweet word to the king: "Please grant me another place." Out of compassion, the king placed the fish in a well. Having grown even there, it again implored the king for a larger abode. (v.11-12)
The king then placed it in a large, water-filled pond. But growing quickly, it once more requested another place. Thus, the king, accompanied by many disciples, took the fish and, out of deep compassion, respectfully brought it to the southern sea. (v.13-14)
Even then, the divine fish spoke sweet words to the king, who stood before him, astonished and facing east, with hands folded in reverence. (v.15)
**The Fish said:**
O best of kings, though I, who have sought your refuge, may possess faults, it is the eternal *dharma* that you must not abandon me. You are casting me, who has sought refuge in you alone, into the sea. I am greatly afraid of the fish who kill their own kind. (v.16-17)
**The King said:**
Who are you that has come here and causes me such bewilderment? I do not know your power, yet you speak in the language of the gods. Surely, you are no ordinary fish; you are a divine fish. Salutations to you! Indeed, I recognize you as Mādhava himself, the protector of the Vedas during the cosmic deluge. (v.18-19)
**The Fish said:**
You speak the truth, O best of kings, O wise Satyavrata! Delighted by your devotion, I, Hari, have personally come. In the form of a fish, I caused your mind to be deluded through my divine play (*līlā*). I have revealed to you the profound glory of protecting one who seeks refuge. (v.20-21)
In a previous age, at the time of the deluge, the two demons Madhu and Kaiṭabha stole the four Vedas from the mouth of Brahmā, the very source of the Vedas. Brahmā then sought refuge in me, desiring the protection of the Vedas. It was then that I assumed this great fish form. (v.22-23)
Entering the waters of the deluge and slaying Madhu and Kaiṭabha, I retrieved all the Vedas and restored them to Brahmā. Out of compassion, I have revealed to you that very primordial form of mine. You are my devotee, O royal sage, who holds my vision in such high esteem. (v.24-25)
On the seventh day from now, O royal sage, when the cosmic deluge comes again, remember me, the Lord of all worlds. I will protect you. (v.26)
**The Sadguru said:**
Having spoken thus, the fish, causing a sense of wonder, vanished at once. The king awaited that time, eagerly longing for its return. (v.27)
When the deluge arrived again, the king remembered Hari. The seven great sages (*Saptarṣis*) also arrived at that ocean of deluge. At that very moment, Lord Viṣṇu appeared in the form of a fish. Transforming the earth itself into a vessel, he lifted it upon the tip of his horn. (v.28-29)
Placing the king and the sages within this vessel, the Lord of all worlds then playfully traversed the waters of the deluge. Then, being implored by the sages and the king, Viṣṇu expounded upon His own true nature and the eternal principles of *dharma*. (v.30-31)
When the deluge subsided, the Lord of the Universe, the Supreme Lord whose movements are ever of His own free will, set down the king and the sages and disappeared. (v.32)
The wise royal sage Satyavrata then, in Madhurā, duly consecrated Mahāviṣṇu in His fish form. He devoutly worshipped Kṛṣṇa, whose form was exquisitely beautiful, holding the conch, discus, and mace, and seated upon the serpent-throne of Ananta. (v.33-34)
He worshipped Janārdana, accompanied by Śrī Devī and Bhūmi Devī, the refuge of all, an ocean of compassion, who lovingly beckons devotees with His hand. The king, with the aid of Vaikhānasa brahmins, consecrated Him in a beautiful temple and worshipped Him with devotion and according to the prescribed rites. (v.35-36)
That very righteous king, foremost among Viṣṇu's devotees, later became Vaivasvata Manu and, as the cosmic progenitor, now presides over and protects the world. (v.37)
One who reads this sacred narrative of Satyavrata, of the great fish-form of the wielder of the Śārṅga bow [Viṣṇu], and the glory of Madhurā, shall be blessed with a long life. (v.38)
Thus ends the first chapter, named 'The Glory of Southern Madhurā', in the Fifth Volume of 'Divya Desa Vaibhavam', composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
