Chapter summary
नीरदसेतुमाहात्म्यम् Nīrada Setu Māhātmyam
Śrī Sadguru speaks:
Śrī Sadguru speaks: Kardama, the illustrious son of Brahmā, undertook a rigorous penance for ten thousand years upon the sacred banks of the Sarasvatī River, his sole aspiration being a direct vision of Lord Janārdana. The Lord, immensely pleased by his devotion, graciously manifested Himself before Kardama. In response, Kardama sought the supreme boon of a suitable and beloved wife. Subsequently, Svāyambhuva Manu, inspired and urged by the divine will of Keśava, bestowed his own daughter, the virtuous Devahūti, upon Kardama. (v.1-3)
To this devoted couple, the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, Vāsudeva Himself, the Guru of all worlds, descended in the form of a son, bestowing upon them pure, illuminating knowledge. This divine child, known as Kapila, who became the preceptor of those conversant with the principles of Sāṅkhya philosophy, mercifully imparted the profound Bhāgavata dharmas to His mother. After His father had departed for the forest, the Lord, having taken leave of His mother, embarked upon a journey across the world, serving as a compassionate teacher of the principles of dharma. (v.4-6)
Wandering far and wide, the venerable Lord Hari, Kapila, the great sage, eventually arrived in the land of Kerala, where He engaged in further penance. It was there that a great yogi named Āsuri, deeply devoted to the practice of yoga, chanced upon Kapila. Bowing down with profound reverence and folded hands, Āsuri, with utmost devotion, addressed Kapila, who is none other than Viṣṇu, the dispeller of all doubts. (v.7-9)
Āsuri speaks: "O Lord, O ocean of compassion, Vāsudeva, salutations to You! My very birth has found its fulfillment through Your divine sight, O true Guru. I recognize You as the Lord of the universe, the Guru of the world, who has descended to uplift humanity, submerged as it is in the vast ocean of *māyā's* delusion. Therefore, O ocean of mercy, Vāsudeva, Guru of the world, uplift me! I seek refuge in You alone, the sole refuge of the shelterless, O repository of compassion. Bound by the snares of *saṃsāra*, how may I attain liberation? Please, O true Guru, show the path to me, who am blind and wretched." (v.10-13)
Kapila speaks: "Come, O fortunate one! May constant well-being be yours. Be seated near me and listen with an attentive mind. This entire gross universe that you perceive before you has all arisen from the unmanifest (*Avyakta*), from *Pradhāna*, which is the root cause. The unmanifest (*Avyakta*), the great principle (*Mahat-tattva*), the ego (*Ahaṅkāra*), and the mind (*Manas*); and likewise the subtle objects: sound, touch, form, taste, and smell. Ether, air, fire, water, and earth are the five great elements (*bhūtas*). The ear, skin, eyes, tongue, and nose are the five sense organs. Similarly, speech, hands, feet, the anus, and the genitals are the five organs of action. A wise person should know these as the twenty-four principles by number." (v.14-18)
"I shall now explain their mutual connections and their presiding deities. The ear indeed perceives sound, which is the subtle element of ether. The skin likewise perceives touch, the subtle element of air. The organ of sight perceives form, the subtle element of fire. The tongue perceives taste, the subtle element of water, and the nose indeed perceives smell, the subtle element of earth. The organ of speech produces utterance, the hand performs action, the feet move about, and the generative organ is the cause of creation. The anus is for excretion; thus, there are ten organs. The gods, according to the will of the *Puruṣa*, impel all those organs in their respective objective actions." (v.19-23)
"The deities of the ears are the Directions (*Diśas*), of the skin is the Wind (*Vāyu*), and of the eyes is the Sun (*Ravi*). The deity of the tongue is Varuṇa, and of the nose are the two Aśvins. Of speech, the deity is Fire (*Agni*); of the feet, Viṣṇu; of the hands, Indra, the lord of the gods. Of the generative organ, it is Prajāpati, and of the anus, the deity is Death (*Mṛtyu*). Resolutions are born of the mind, and the mind is the eleventh organ. The ego follows the activity of all of them. The giver of power to the ten organs, the mind, and the ego is this great one, who is called the chief *Prāṇa*. The Moon (*Candra*) is the deity of the mind, Rudra is the deity of the ego. Hiraṇyagarbha, the lord of the worlds, is the deity of the chief *Prāṇa*." (v.24-28)
"O twice-born, the manifest things are born in sequence from the unmanifest. Becoming unmanifest again, they are born repeatedly. One should know the unmanifest as the *Prakṛti* of the Supreme Self, who is the witness. Due to its inertness, this entire creation does not shine by itself. The *Puruṣa*, the witness of the unmanifest, is pure consciousness and free from ailment. Though pure, due to connection with *māyā*, he appears as the doer and the enjoyer. Having abandoned this entire manifest and unmanifest world, which is the cause of bondage, one should contemplate the Self, the inner principle, which is of the nature of pure consciousness. By knowing the Self through the self, one is freed from the bondage of worldly existence. Indeed, there exists no other path to liberation, O best of sages." (v.29-33)
"The deity of *Prakṛti* is Lakṣmī; of the *Puruṣa*, it is the supreme Hari. Take refuge in Him alone, the liberator from the bondage of worldly existence. Having reflected upon this secret Sāṅkhya doctrine again and again, abandon all that is transient and attain absorption into the eternal." (v.34-35)
Śrī Sadguru speaks: Thus instructed by Kapila, Āsuri, the foremost among sages, performed penance right there, dedicating himself to the meditation on Viṣṇu. On the bank of Kapila-tīrtha, he installed Lord Hari and worshipped Him with profound devotion, intent on contemplating the ultimate truth. Kapila, who is Lord Viṣṇu Himself, the wielder of the conch, discus, and mace, the Lord of the worlds, mercifully granted Āsuri His divine vision. By the grace of Kapila, Āsuri became liberated while still living (*jīvanmukta*). This supreme sacred place is renowned as the destroyer of all sins. (v.36-39)
By the mere sight of this holy place, one attains pure knowledge. Therefore, a person should strive to reach that city named Nīradasetu. One should behold Kapila-Vāsudeva, His disciple Āsuri, and the Viṣṇu installed by them, for liberation from the cycle of *saṃsāra*. (v.40-41)
Thus concludes the twenty-fourth chapter, titled 'The Greatness of Nīradasetu', in the Fifth Part of the 'Divyadeśavaibhavam' composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
