Chapter summary
नूपुरगङ्गामाहात्म्यम् Nūpuragaṅgā Māhātmyam
The Glory of Nūpuragaṅgā
**The Sadguru said:**
Long ago, in the Pāṇḍya kingdom, there reigned a king named Malayadhvaja, who resided in Madurai and protected the entire world. Having conquered all directions, this righteous monarch established his banner upon the Malaya mountain, thus earning him the name Malayadhvaja. Under the shelter of his mighty arm, other kings, devoted to dharma, lived happily in their own realms, free from the fear of enemies (v.1-3).
All the people of his kingdom were devoted to the king and dedicated to righteousness. Consequently, by divine favour, the clouds rained in due season, and calamities, portents, fears of earthquakes, and similar disturbances were nowhere to be found under the rule of the most righteous King Malayadhvaja. The populace, bound by mutual love and utterly devoid of selfishness, performed the duties of their social order (varṇa), stage of life (āśrama), and family (kula) with profound faith (v.4-6).
It was the king's supreme vow to perform his daily ablutions in the sacred Gaṅgā, ascending to the sky in his aerial chariot (vimāna). The Gaṅgā, born from the foot of Viṣṇu, flows in three paths—heaven, earth, and the netherworld. She is renowned as the "liquid form of Dharma" and is the destroyer of all sins. Indeed, the holy water of the Jāhnavī is none other than the water from the Creator's water-pot (kamaṇḍalu), the auspicious water from Viṣṇu's foot, and the sacred water for Lord Śiva's ritual bath (v.7-9).
One day, while journeying through the sky, Malayadhvaja saw his aerial chariot come to a halt, and he was filled with sorrow. Descending from the vimāna, he arrived at the Vṛṣabhācala hill, where he became beset with worry, pondering, "How shall I perform my bath now?" (v.10-11).
Just then, a certain hunter, dark and handsome, arrived on the scene. The youth, holding a bow and arrow, spoke sweet words (v.12).
**The Hunter said:**
"Here, from a mountain cave, has sprung sacred water, divine and akin to the waters of the Gaṅgā. I shall show it to you; please come with me" (v.13).
**The King said:**
"So be it, please show me, for the time for my bath is passing. Remembering the Gaṅgā, I shall quickly bathe in it. For he who utters 'Gaṅgā, Gaṅgā,' even from a distance of hundreds of *yojanas* [a measure of distance], is freed from all sins and ascends to the world of Viṣṇu" (v.14-15).
**The Sadguru said:**
Thus addressed by the Pāṇḍya king, the king of hunters quickly and joyfully climbed the mountain, moving swiftly towards the water. King Malayadhvaja also followed along with him. However, upon reaching the peak of the mountain, the hunter mysteriously disappeared (v.16-17).
As the king walked on, the melodious sound of anklets was heard before him. Following that enchanting sound, the king proceeded, eager for his Gaṅgā bath (v.18).
There, the Pāṇḍya king beheld Lord Govinda Himself in person—the God holding the conch and discus, wielding the Śārṅga bow, the sword, and the mace. He saw the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, accompanied by Lakṣmī and Bhūmi, His lotus-face graced by a gentle smile, and His neck adorned with the glorious Kaustubha gem. He saw Śrīnivāsa, the ocean of mercy, His chest marked with the Śrīvatsa, wearing divine yellow silk garments and adorned with shining golden ornaments. He beheld Dāmodara, the God of gods, with a divinely auspicious form, and saw the water, sanctified by the touch of the anklets on His very lotus feet (v.19-22).
The king saw that water, the purifier of all that is pure. With hands folded in reverence and eyes filled with tears, the king began to praise Viṣṇu, the bestower of boons, the Lord of Vṛṣabhācala (v.23).
**The King said:**
"O Lord, from whose lotus feet the river Bhāgīrathī, like nectar, purifies the universe along with Lord Śiva, I, though stained by sin, am blessed and purified by this supremely auspicious sight of You (v.24). The pure Śrīvaiṣṇavas, by the nectar of chanting Your name, sanctify this world by their very sight. Indeed, the sight of them is supremely holy, a cleansing for even the greatest of sins (v.25). Therefore, may I surely have the association of Your devotees in every single birth. In their company, by drinking the nectar-drops of Your stories, the varied suffering in this worldly existence is immediately destroyed (v.26).
O Govinda, Mādhava, Hari, foe of Madhu and Kaiṭabha, Nārāyaṇa! Desiring to always sport here among the pious who worship You thus, You left Your supreme abode and came to the peak of Vṛṣabhādri (v.27). Though You are the object of meditation for the foremost sages who have conquered their senses through the practice of yoga, You are easily accessible through devotion even to forest-dwellers. With a gracious face in Your deity incarnation (arcāvatāra), You are ever-affectionate to those who take refuge in You, and You grant all that is requested, O Lord of Vṛṣācala! (v.28).
May my tongue constantly be engaged in singing Your names; may my ears listen to Your deeds, O Padmanābha! May my eyes behold only Your face always; may my mind be ever attached to Your lotus feet (v.29). O Lord! Māyā conquers and brings about the downfall of even those sages in this world who are averse to Your lotus feet. Therefore, taking refuge in Your compassion alone, they conquer Māyā and attain the supreme abode (v.30). You cannot be attained by yoga, nor by austerity, nor by knowledge, nor by renunciation, nor by the various prescribed sacrifices. Indeed, You are fond only of the sentiment of pure love from the assembly of Your pure-hearted devotees; You are of a gentle nature (v.31). Therefore, without even a trace of doubt, I desire only the service of Your feet. I do not pray for the realm of Indra, Rudra, Brahmā, and other gods, let alone any other world" (v.32).
**The Sadguru said:**
Thus praised, the Lord of the Universe, who is affectionate to His devotees, with His lotus-face graced by a gentle smile, mercifully spoke these sweet words (v.33).
**The Supreme Lord said:**
"O King, you are My devotee, and I am pleased before you. Thus, I am easily accessible to My devotees, though I am difficult to attain even for the gods (v.34). Know this river, sanctified by the touch of the anklets on My feet, to be famous in the world as Nūpuragaṅgā (Anklet-Gaṅgā), O King (v.35). Bathe daily in its water and worship Me, O Monarch. Enough of the strain of the journey to the Gaṅgā; I am the father of the Gaṅgā (v.36). For one on the tip of whose tongue reside the two syllables 'Ha-ri,' for him that is Gaṅgā, that is Gayā, that is Setu, that is Kāśī, and that is Puṣkaram (v.37). Therefore, having come here daily with Vaiṣṇavas, worship Me, the Lord of the Universe, being intent on chanting My names (v.38). In the age of Kali, I mercifully grant all the desires of My devotees. I am always well-pleased on this sacred Vṛṣabhācala" (v.39).
**The Sadguru said:**
Thus instructed by Śrīnivāsa, King Malayadhvaja constructed a temple there and installed Lord Keśava. He then worshipped the Supreme Lord, the Master, daily, with loving devotion, along with other devotees, dedicated to His service (kaiṅkarya) (v.40-41).
Thus the third chapter, named "The Glory of Nūpuragaṅgā," in the Fifth Part of the Divyadeśavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
