Mahavishnu

 

Essence Of
Bhavishya Purana

 

32    Narada’s experience of ‘Vishnu Maya’
In the Uttara Parva, Yudhishtara asked Shri Krishna to elucidate on ‘Vishnu Maya’ or the delusion which human beings are often subjected to as they were unable to resist the temptations. Bhagavan Krishna replied that in the past Brahmarshi Narada too put a similar query and that he replied like-wise. He asked Narada to hold Krishna’s little finger and follow what Krishna had to witness. There was an old Brahmana (Krishna himself!) called Yagna Sharma who had all the requisite accompaniments like a tuft, Yagnopaveeta, Kamandalu, Mriga charma or deer skin on which to seat, Kusha grass on his fingers and reciting Vedas. Narada visited Jambu dwipa with the scene of Yagna Sharma. The Brahmana visited the banks of River Vedavati in Vidisha Nagar; there was a Vaishya called Seerabhadra and the Vaishya extended all courtesies to the Brahmana and politely invited him for lunch. Bhagavan Krishna in the disguise of the Brahmana smiled and blessed the Vaishya saying that his business and farm-work might flourish. From there both Krishna and Narada moved on to Veni Village on the banks of Ganges and met a very poor Brahmana called Goswami. Krishna in disguise along with Narada too in disguise told the Brahmana that they were coming to that Place from a very far off area and would like to be their guest for food, shelter and night halt. Next morning while leaving, Krishna told his host that let his farm not produce enough food and let his family not secure children!! Narada wondered that while Krishna did not accept the Vaishya’s food, nor his home comfort, but still he blessed him to let his business and farming flourish; but in the case of the miserably poor Brahmana with no recourse to fall back still managed to make the guests fairly well but Bhavan Krishna instead of blessing him to let his farming flourish and so should his family, did not bless the Brahmana at all! Krishna replied to Narada that while the well-to-do Vaishya did not have to exert to provide excellent food and luxurious bed to sleep in, where as the poor Brahmana went out of the way to provide maximum possible adjustments; the Vaishya deserved a blessing for more prosperity but the poor Brahmana dereserved Mukti but not worldly gains! Further on Shri Krishna took Narada to Kannouj and hastened to take bath in a lake in the Nagar. Narada emerged as a highly gorgeous and romantic ‘Kanya’ and Shri Krishna disappeared. Narada who forgot his memory attracted the attention of the Kanya and proposed marriage to her which the woman readily accepted; the wedding took place in a formal manner as a queen. She carried on with the duties of a house-wife and procured children and grand children and got fully engrossed in ‘Samsara’. After a few years the King was defeated in a battle but the children and grand children were killed. The queen cried out hoarse at the tremendous loss that befell on the family and fainted. Krishna reappeared in the form of an elderly Brahmana woman and consoled the queen saying that the whole world was going on the steam of Vishnu Maya; there were lakhs of Kings and queens, thousands of Indras and nobody could ever predict what would happen next minute! The world was an illusion and to believe in its permanent nature would be futile and foolish; some persons would enjoy and at the same time some were victims of death; the world was a drama and human beings were ‘dramatis personae’. So saying the elderly lady persuaded the queen to take bath in the same Lake where Narada took the bath at Kannouj earlier and as soon as he had the dip he came out as Narada again! Krishna told Narada that that was Vishnu Maya all about and disappeared!


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