In our Srimad-Bhagavatam reading we continued hearing “The Sons of Sagara Meet Lord Kapila” “Among the sons of Sagara Maharaja was one named Asamanjasa, who was born from the King’s second wife, Kesini. The son of Asamanjasa was known as Amsuman, and he was always engaged in working for the good of Sagara Maharaja, his grandfather. Formerly, in his previous birth, Asamanjasa had been a great mystic yogi, but by bad association he had fallen from his exalted position. Now, in this life, he was born in a royal family and was a jati-smara; that is, he had the special advantage of being able to remember his past birth. Nonetheless, he wanted to display himself as a miscreant, and therefore he would do things that were abominable in the eyes of the public and unfavorable to his relatives. He would disturb the boys sporting in the river Sarayu by throwing them into the depths of the water. Because Asamañjasa engaged in such abominable activities, his father gave up affection for him and had him exiled. Then Asamanjasa exhibited his mystic power by reviving the boys and showing them to the King and their parents. After this, Asamanjasa left Ayodhya. “O King Pariksit, when all the inhabitants of Ayodhya saw that their boys had come back to life, they were astounded, and King Sagara greatly lamented the absence of his son. “Thereafter, Amsuman, the grandson of Maharaja Sagara, was ordered by the King to search for the horse. Following the same path traversed by his uncles, Amsuman gradually reached the stack of ashes and found the horse nearby. The great Amsuman saw the sage named Kapila, the saint who is an incarnation of Vishnu, sitting there by the horse. Amsuman offered Him respectful obeisances, folded his hands and offered Him prayers with great attention. Amsuman said: My Lord, even Lord Brahma is to this very day unable to understand Your position, which is far beyond himself, either by meditation or by mental speculation. So what to speak of others like us who have been created by Brahma in various forms as demigods, animals, human beings, birds and beasts? We are completely in ignorance. Therefore, how can we know You, who are in Transcendence? O King Pariksit, when Amsuman had glorified the Lord in this way, the great sage Kapila, the powerful incarnation of Visnu, being very merciful to him, explained to him the path of knowledge. “The Personality of Godhead said: ‘My dear Amsuman, here is the animal sought by your grandfather for sacrifice. Please take it. As for your forefathers, who have been burnt to ashes, they can be delivered only by Ganges water, and not by any other means. “Thereafter, Amsuman circumambulated Kapila Muni and offered Him respectful obeisances, bowing his head. After fully satisfying Him in this way, Amsuman brought back the horse meant for sacrifice, and with this horse Maharaja Sagara performed the remaining ritualistic ceremonies. “After delivering charge of his kingdom to Amsuman and thus being freed from all material anxiety and bondage, Sagara Maharaja, following the means instructed by Aurva Muni, achieved the supreme destination.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 16:53:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015