. A
Vedantic Interpretation
Contents The
visit of Sanaka and other sages to Vaikuntha
The
Churning of the Ocean of Milk
Rescue
of cows and cowherds from forest fire
Introduction
The ultimate goal of human life is Moksha or liberation from the
cycle of birth and death. Liberation is nothing but the realization of
one’s real nature. Srimad Bhagavatam defines Moksha succinctly as
"the establishment of the individual in his essence as the Self freed
from all wrong identifications" (Bh.II.10.6). Every individual
identifies himself with the physical body, the sense organs and the mind.
When a person describes himself as stout or lean or fair-complexioned or
dark, he is looking upon himself as the physical body to which these
characteristics belong. When he says 'I see', 'I hear', 'I smell' and so
on, he is identifying himself with the organs of sense which perform these
functions. When he says 'I am happy' or 'I am unhappy', he is identifying
himself with his mind. The Upanishads declare that all these
identifications are wrong and that the human being is in reality not the
body or the sense-organs or the mind, but something beyond all these,
known as the Atman or Self, which is eternal, changeless and not affected
by anything that happens to the body-mind complex. This wrong
identification is due to our ignorance of our real nature. This ignorance
is what is called avidya or
nescience. When this ignorance is eradicated, the person remains
established in his essence as the Self or Brahman-Atman. The Upanishads
lay down the means by which this wrong identification can be brought to an
end and the goal of Moksha attained.
The ultimate goal of human life is Moksha or liberation from the
cycle of birth and death. Liberation is nothing but the realization of
one’s real nature. Srimad Bhagavatam defines Moksha succinctly as
"the establishment of the individual in his essence as the Self freed
from all wrong identifications" (Bh.II.10.6). Every individual
identifies himself with the physical body, the sense organs and the mind.
When a person describes himself as stout or lean or fair-complexioned or
dark, he is looking upon himself as the physical body to which these
characteristics belong. When he says 'I see', 'I hear', 'I smell' and so
on, he is identifying himself with the organs of sense which perform these
functions. When he says 'I am happy' or 'I am unhappy', he is identifying
himself with his mind. The Upanishads declare that all these
identifications are wrong and that the human being is in reality not the
body or the sense-organs or the mind, but something beyond all these,
known as the Atman or Self, which is eternal, changeless and not affected
by anything that happens to the body-mind complex. This wrong
identification is due to our ignorance of our real nature. This ignorance
is what is called avidya or
nescience. When this ignorance is eradicated, the person remains
established in his essence as the Self or Brahman-Atman. The Upanishads
lay down the means by which this wrong identification can be brought to an
end and the goal of Moksha attained.
Contrary to popular conception, the objectives of the Upanishads
and the Puranas are not different, but they are essentially the same,
namely, to expound the means of attaining liberation. This is made very
clear in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Skandha12, ch.13, verse18, which says:-- “Srimad-Bhagavatam,
the flawless Purana, dear to the devotees of Lord Vishnu, extols the One
Pure Supreme Consciousness, which is the goal of the Paramahamsas. It
describes Naishkarmya (the state of being firmly established in the
realization that one is the actionless Brahman-Atman), along with
spiritual knowledge, detachment and devotion. The man who hears it read or
reads it himself with devotion and meditates (on its teachings) attains
liberation".
Passages bringing out the gist of the Upanishads are found in
almost every chapter in this Purana and particularly in the hymns of
praise (stutis) addressed by various devotees to the Lord. Apart from such
direct teaching of Vedanta, many of the episodes lend themselves to
interpretation as allegorical stories which expound Vedanta.
Srimad-Bhagavatam itself shows the way in this direction through the
allegorical interpretation given by sage Narada to a story narrated by him
to king Prachinabarhis (Sk.IV, ch 25 to 29). This Purana can thus be
studied and appreciated at two different levels—one, as describing the
glorious deeds of the Lord by which He protects the virtuous and
establishes Dharma on this earth, and two, as expounding Vedanta through
allegory. An attempt has been made in the following chapters to give an
allegorical interpretation of a number of episodes. The visit of Sanaka and other sages to Vaikuntha(Bhagavata,
Sk.III, ch.15)
The four sages, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara, who
are known as the mind-born sons (Manasa-putras) of Brahma, the Creator,
set out for Vaikuntha to do obeisance to Lord Mahavishnu (III. 15.13). On
the way they passed through a divine orchard named ‘Naissreyasa’ which
was ‘Kaivalya incarnate’, as it were, which was resplendent with trees
that yield all that is desired and are laden with flowers and fruits in
all seasons (III.15.16):--
The
abode of the Lord was surrounded by seven ramparts which had to be crossed
before one could reach the presence of the Lord. The four sages crossed
the first six ramparts without any obstruction and without being attracted
in the least by the beautiful scenery all around, by the delightful
singing of divine birds, by the fragrance of the divine flowers and by the
delicious fruits hanging on the trees, their minds fixed on their goal,
namely, seeing the Lord (III.15. 27).
In this episode, the following features are of great significance
for the spiritual seeker:-- (1) the orchard on the way is
named ‘Naissreyasa’, (2) seven ramparts have to be
crossed before one can reach the presence of the Lord, (3) the sages crossed the
first six ramparts without their mind being distracted by the beautiful
sights, sounds and smells on the way, with total concentration on their
goal, (4)
at the entrance to the seventh rampart they were obstructed by Jaya and
Vijaya and, (5)
as soon as the sages pushed Jaya and Vijaya away with a curse, the Lord
Himself appeared before them, without their having to go further.
The word ‘Naissreyasa’ means ‘liberation’ or ‘the total
cessation of transmigratory existence’. It is significant that this is
the name of the divine orchard through which the sages had to pass. This
orchard is further described as ‘Kaivalya incarnate’, which again
means ‘liberation’. It is therefore quite logical to conclude that,
allegorically, the journey of the sages to Vaikuntha stands for the
progress of the spiritual aspirant towards Self-realization. The seven
ramparts to be crossed represent the five organs of perception, the mind
and the intellect; crossing these ramparts means achieving complete
control over the five sense-organs and the mind and ultimately
transcending the intellect also. This is indicated by saying that the
sages were not at all distracted from their aim by the delightful things
on the way. The idea is that, in the same way, the seeker after liberation
should not allow himself to be attracted by sense-objects, but should
concentrate his mind on the Self alone.
The obstruction caused by Jaya and Vijaya at the last rampart
represents the last traces of raga (attachment) and dvesha (aversion)
which, as the Bhagavad-gita says, are the enemies of the spiritual
aspirant. The Gita compares them to two highway robbers who will rob us of
our spiritual wealth and warns us to be careful not to fall into their
clutches (Gita 3.34). Just
as the sages pushed away Jaya and Vijaya from their path, the aspirant
should push out even the last traces of attachment and aversion from his
mind and make his mind pure.
It
is significant that as soon as the sages pushed away Jaya and Vijaya by a
curse, the Lord appeared before them. This indicates that, once the
aspirant has become completely free from attachment and aversion,
Self-realization will dawn immediately.
Thus,
through this episode, the path to Self-realization is brought out, step by
step. Control the senses and the mind, concentrate the mind on the Self,
do not be attracted by worldly pleasures and root out attachment and
aversion. This is the path to Self-realization.
The Kathopanishad says (2.1.1) that the nature of the sense-organs
is to proceed outward, to enjoy sense-objects, such as sound, etc. They
are therefore not capable of knowing the indwelling Self. But a rare ‘Dhira’,
desiring immortality, withdraws his sense-organs from external objects and
sees the indwelling Self. Kalidasa defines ‘Dhira’ as one whose mind
is not distracted even in the presence of the most desirable objects
(Kumarasambhava,I.59). The
four sages are the best examples of such a Dhira. This episode thus illustrates the teaching contained in the
Kathopanishad mantra referred to above. Chapter
2 The Varaha Incarnation
The incarnation of the Lord as Varaha
Svayambhuva Manu, the first of the fourteen Manus, was engaged in
the task of creation at the command of his father, Brahma. He suddenly
noticed that the earth, the dwelling place for all creatures, had been
submerged in the waters. Manu approached Brahma and prayed to him to lift
the earth out of the waters. Knowing that he was helpless and that only
the Supreme Lord, Narayana, could come to his help, Brahma meditated on
the Lord. While he was thus meditating, a tiny boar cub of the size of a
thumb emerged from his nostril. The boar immediately grew to the size of
an elephant and then to the size of a mountain, all in a trice. Brahma was
very much amazed and guessed that the boar could be none other than
Narayana Himself. The sages in the jana, tapa and satya lokas began to
sing hymns extolling the Lord. The Lord in the form of the huge boar
suddenly plunged into the waters. Lifting up with His tusk the earth that
had been submerged in the waters by the Asura Hiranyaksha, the Lord placed
the earth on the surface of the water. He then turned towards the Asura
who was rushing towards Him in uncontrollable anger. A fierce fight
ensued, during which the Asura employed many magical tricks, all of which
proved to be of no avail against the Lord, who is Himself the wielder of
Maya. The Lord despatched His beloved weapon, the Discus, known as
Sudarsana and destroyed the phantoms conjured up by the Asura with his
magical powers. The Lord then dealt the Asura a severe blow, without any
effort, as if it was mere play. The Asura dropped dead. The earth was thus
saved by the Lord from the clutches of the Asura.
Now let us try to find out the allegorical meaning of this story.
The earth is proverbially considered to be synonymous with forbearance. In
the Valmiki Ramayana, Sri Rama is described by sage Narada as 'equal to
the earth in forbearance' (kshamayaa prithiveesamah- Bala Kanda, Ch.1,
verse18). Forbearance is one of the hallmarks of Sattvaguna. The earth
therefore stands for Sattvaguna in this episode.
The Lord says in the Bhagavadgita that everything in this universe
is made up of the three gunas-- Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva stands for
knowledge, calmness, serenity and similar virtues. Rajas stands for ego-centred
activity and Tamas for sleep, indolence and similar qualities. In the
majority of human beings Rajas predominates, making their minds ever go
outward in search of happiness. Spiritual evolution requires the
withdrawal of the mind from external objects and directing it towards the
Self (Atma) within, which is Bliss itself and therefore the source of all
happiness. This can be achieved only by reducing the Rajoguna in the mind
and increasing the Sattvaguna correspondingly. Karmayoga and devotional
practices help to achieve this. It is said by the Lord in the Bhagavadgita
that Sattva increases when Rajas and Tamas are subdued. (Ch.14, verse10).
This process of conquering our Rajasic tendencies and bringing up the
Sattvaguna which is lying suppressed within is what is allegorically
brought out by this story.
Hiranyaksha, being an Asura possessing all the Asuric qualities
spoken of in Chapter 16 of the Gita, represents Rajoguna. When Rajoguna
predominates, Sattvaguna is suppressed. This suppression of Sattvaguna,
represented here by the earth, by Rajoguna, represented by Hiranyaksha is
the significance of Hiranyaksha keeping the earth immersed in water.
Brahma sought the help of the Lord to save the earth from the Asura. So
also, we have to pray for divine help to conquer our Rajoguna and bring up
the suppressed Sattvaguna. When Brahma meditated on the Lord, the boar
came out of his nostril, that is to say, the power which crushed the Asura
came from within himself. This is very significant. This indicates that
when we resort to meditation on the Lord, the strength to conquer our
Rajoguna will come from within ourselves and not from outside. This
strength, which, like the boar, is small initially, grows with our
devotion and meditation, as the boar did. Ultimately we acquire sufficient
spiritual strength within ourselves to conquer our Rajasic tendencies and
make our mind predominantly Sattvic. This is symbolized by the slaying of
Hiranyaksha and the rescue of the earth.
Thus the import of this story, if looked at allegorically, is that
by devotion to God and meditation the seeker can generate within himself
the power to get rid of the Rajasic (and Tamasic) tendencies which stand
in the way of spiritual evolution and make his mind predominantly Sattvic.
Such a mind alone can be completely withdrawn from external objects and
concentrated on the Self. This is the way to Self-realization.
********************************** Chapter
3 The liberation of Gajendra
The episode known as liberation of the lordly elephant Gajendra is
narrated in chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the eighth skandha of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
There was a Pandya king by name Indradyumna who was a great devotee
of the Lord. Towards the end of his life he had retired to a hermitage in
a forest and used to spend all his time in worship of the Lord. One day he
was performing worship as usual and observing a vow of silence. Sage
Agastya then happened to come there along with his disciples. Being
engrossed in worship, the King did not notice
the presence of the sage and so failed to offer him the customary honours.
The sage took offence at this apparent indifference and pronounced the
following curse--"This king has insulted me. Let him therefore be
steeped in blinding ignorance. Since he is haughty like an elephant, let
him be born as an elephant". Before proceeding further with the story
it would be worthwhile to examine what is the underlying idea behind such
curses by great sages who are expected to have conquered anger and to
remain unaffected by either praise or insult. Such curses are really
blessings. In the present instance, though the king was a sincere devotee
of the Lord, he had not yet realized the truth that the same God or Self
dwells in all beings. Liberation is possible only with such a realization.
In the normal course he would probably
have to go through many more births before attaining this state. The curse
inflicted on him and the consequent suffering he undergoes as an elephant
make him surrender totally to the Lord and become liberated immediately.
Thus the curse was intended to hasten his liberation and was really a
blessing.
One point which puzzles us here is-- why does the sage curse the
king whose failure to recognize him is due only to his being absorbed in
the highly laudable object of worship of the Lord? There is a parallel to
this in the Ramayanamahatmya
in the Skanda Purana. There was a very righteous person named Somadatta
who was a disciple of the sage Gautama. One day, when Somadatta was
engaged in the worship of Lord Siva, sage Gautama happened to come there.
Somadatta did not notice his presence. The sage did not however find fault
with him, considering that he was absorbed in worship, and went away. But
Lord Siva became angry at this insult to the Guru and cursed that he would
become a Rakshasa. On Somatta's pleading for forgiveness the Lord said
that he would be relieved of the effect of the curse if he heard the
entire Ramayana with devotion over a period of nine days. The main object
of this episode is to bring out the greatness of Ramayana, but
incidentally it also points out that even inadvertent indifference to the
Guru is a transgression.
As a result of the curse, king Indradyumna was born as a lordly
elephant. The elephant used to roam about in the forest accompanied by a
herd of female elephants. One day he entered a lake to bathe and drink
water. Suddenly a very strong crocodile seized him by the leg and tried to
drag him into the water. The elephant tried his best to extricate himself
from the hold of the crocodile, but all his efforts proved to be in vain.
The female elephants tried to pull him out, but finding that the crocodile
was too strong and that their efforts would only result in themselves also
being dragged into the water, they left him to his fate and went away.
After a long struggle the elephant realized that he could not save
himself from the jaws of the crocodile by his own efforts. The suffering
which he underwent brought back to him the memory of the devotion he had
practised and the knowledge he
had acquired in his previous birth as King Indradyumna. He then
surrendered himself totally to the Lord, chanting hymns of praise
addressed to the supreme unconditioned Brahman. Since the hymns were
addressed to the supreme formless Brahman, Brahma and the other gods did
not go to his help, because they egoistically identified themselves with
their own forms. The supreme
Lord, who is the soul of the whole universe, appeared immediately and
rescued him by severing the jaw of the crocodile with his discus. The
crocodile was none other than a Gandharva by name Hoohoo, who was now
freed from the curse of sage Devala and regained his original marvellous
form.
The story ends thus-- "Freed for ever from the bondage of
ignorance through the touch of the Lord, the leader of the elephants
attained a form similar to the Lord's; he was clad in yellow silks and
endowed with four arms (Saroopya)"-
(Bh. VIII.4.6.) Looking
at this episode allegorically, it can be said that the elephant stands for
the 'ego' which is the result of the
bondage of ignorance. This ignorance and its result, the ego, disappear by
the grace of the Lord and the individual realizes his identity with the
supreme Self, here described as attaining the same form as the Lord. The
crocodile represents this transmigratory existence, or samsaara, which is
often compared to a crocodile in Vedantic texts such as Vivekachudamani.
The individual, because of his ego, i.e. identification with his body due
to ignorance of his real nature, is caught in the jaws of the crocodile,
the samsaara. He can get release from this only by the Lord's grace.
Neither his own efforts nor the help of others will save him from his
false identification.
The elephant's prayer is addressed to the Nirguna Brahman and
contains the quintessence of all the Upanishads. What is the idea in
putting all this wisdom in the mouth of an animal? The object is to bring
out an important teaching of the Upanishads and the Gita. The elephant
was, in his previous life as King Indradyumna, a great devotee and had
mastered the Upanishads. The knowledge acquired in that life came back to
him in his next life as an elephant, at the proper time. The Bhagavadgita
says in verse 43 of chapter 6 that the knowledge acquired in the previous
body continues in the next birth and enables the person to evolve further.
In the Brihadaranyaka upanishad it is said that at
the time of death the departing self carries with it the knowledge
acquired, the fruits of actions performed (karma) and past experience
(IV.iv.2).
The crocodile which caught the elephant was in its previous life a
Gandharva by name Hoohoo. This Gandharva used to indulge in various
pranks. Once, when the sage Devala was bathing in a river, Hoohoo went
under the water and caught the sage by the leg. Since this behaviour was
characteristic of a crocodile, the sage cursed him to be born as a
crocodile. This story brings out the principle enunciated in the
Upanishads that a person's next life will be determined by his actions and
thoughts in this life. The Kathopanishad says- (II.ii.7) - "Some
souls enter wombs for acquiring bodies and others are born as motionless
beings in accordance with their actions and in conformity with their
knowledge"-- i.e. the next birth will be as a human being or an
animal or as a plant or tree, depending on his actions and thoughts in
this life. The Gandharva Hoohoo was born as a crocodile because his action
in catching hold of the feet of sage Devala was characteristic of a
crocodile. Thus several teachings of the Upanishads are conveyed through
this story. *************************************** Chapter
4 The Churning of the Ocean of Milk
The episode of the churning of the Ocean of Milk for getting the
Nectar of immortality appears in chapters 5 to 11 of the eighth Skandha of
Srimad Bhagavata. The story may first be narrated before going into its
inner meaning.
Sage Durvasa had received a divine garland from a celestial damsel.
Knowing that the wearer of this garland would be blessed with all
prosperity, Durvasa went to Indra and presented the garland to him. Indra,
who was then seated on his elephant, received it without caring to get
down and make obeisance to the sage, and nonchalantly placed it on the
head of the elephant. The elephant shook its head and, when the garland
fell down, trampled on it. Sorely annoyed at this blatant display of
disrespect, Durvasa left immediately after pronouncing a curse that Indra,
as well as the three worlds ruled by him, would soon lose all their
splendour. Taking advantage of the situation the Asuras attacked the Devas
and killed many of them. Indra and the other gods rushed to Brahma seeking
his help. Brahma told them that none but Lord Vishnu would be able to help
them out of their predicament. Lord Vishnu, to whom all of them then went,
advised them to make peace with the Asuras and seek their co-operation for
churning the Ocean of Milk to get the nectar which would make them
immortal.
As commanded by Lord Vishnu, the gods got the co-operation of the
Asuras and set about the task of churning the ocean, using the Mandara
mountain as the churning rod and the serpent Vasuki as the churning rope.
While the gods and the Asuras were carrying the mountain to the ocean they
became exhausted by the great effort and dropped the mountain. The Lord
immediately appeared there on his mount Garuda, placed the mountain on
Garuda and carried it to the ocean with ease.
When the churning was to begin, the Lord asked the Asuras to hold
the tail-end of Vasuki and the Devas the head. The Asuras objected to this
and wanted to be at the head-end. The Lord immediately agreed to this.
This was a stratagem adopted by the Lord to make the Asuras suffer when
poison would emanate from Vasuki's mouth during the churning. When the
churning had gone on for a little while, the mountain sank into the ocean
because of its weight. The Lord again came to their rescue by taking the
form of a huge tortoise, going deep down into the ocean and lifting up the
mountain on His back. The Devas and Asuras then resumed the churning while
the Lord Himself kept the mountain in position by pressing it down with
one hand so as to prevent it from springing up due to the force of the
churning. When Vasuki began to emit poison, the Asuras who were at the
head-end were affected most and the Devas at the tail-end to a lesser
extent. The Lord then caused cool showers of rain to fall on the Devas,
but not on the Asuras.
When nothing emerged from the ocean in spite of long churning, the
Lord Himself took up the churning, holding both ends of Vasuki in His
hands. The first thing to emerge after the Lord took up the churning was
the deadly poison known as Haalaahala. As it spread in all directions, the
terrified Devas ran to Lord Siva for refuge. Lord Siva took the poison in
the hollow of His palm and put it in His mouth, but did not swallow it,
lest the living beings inside His stomach be destroyed. He kept it in His
throat and thereby protected all the living beings, both within and
outside Him. The poison left a black mark around His throat and that
became His special adornment.
Then there emerged from the ocean, one after another, Kamadhenu,
whom Lord Vishnu gave to the Rishis, the horse Uchchhaisravas, the
elephant Airavata, the
Kalpaka tree which grants all wishes, and divine damsels, all of whom were
given to the Devas by the Lord. Then Goddess Lakshmi emerged and she chose
the Lord Himself as her consort. The next to come up was the intoxicating
liquor Varuni, which the Lord permitted the Asuras to take for themselves.
Finally emerged Dhanvantari, another form of the Lord Himself, holding in
his hands a vessel of nectar. The Asuras immediately snatched the nectar,
while the Devas looked on helplessly. The Lord again came to the rescue of
the Devas, taking the form of a beautiful young damsel, Mohini. The Asuras,
who were intoxicated with the liquor Varuni, became infatuated with Mohini
and requested her to distribute the nectar. Mohini asked the Devas and the
Asuras to sit in separate rows and distributed all the nectar to the Devas,
while the Asuras, who had succumbed to her charms, merely looked on. One
Asura, Rahu, had disguised himself as a Deva and sat between the Sun and
the Moon and he was also served nectar, but, on being pointed out by a
gesture by the Sun and the Moon, the Lord cut him into two with his
Discus. His trunk, which had not been touched by the nectar, fell down,
but the head having gained immortality because of the contact of nectar,
Brahma turned him into a planet. It is that planet which, entertaining
animosity against them, swallows the Sun and the Moon, causing the
eclipses.
When the Asuras realised that they had been fooled by Mohini, they
attacked the Devas, but with the help of the Lord the Devas were able to
vanquish them.
Now let us see what are the lessons conveyed by this story. The
Devas and Asuras can be taken as representing the divine and demoniac
tendencies in the human mind, which are described in chapter 16 of the
Bhagavadgita. This is supported by the explanation given by Sri Sankara in
his Bhashya on the
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.iii.1. Sri Sankara says, "The Devas and
the Asuras are the organs of speech and the rest. They become Devas when
they shine under the influence of thoughts and actions as taught by the
scriptures. Those very organs become Asuras when they are under the
influence of their natural thoughts and actions, based only on perception
and inference, and directed merely towards the attainment of worldly
ends". The divine tendencies are fearlessness, purity of mind,
control of the senses, straightforwardness, non-covetousness, humility,
and the like. The demoniac tendencies are arrogance, anger, harshness,
ignorance and the like. Both these types of tendencies are present in
every normal human being. The proportion of divine and demoniac tendencies
varies from person to person. Even in the same person sometimes the divine
tendencies may be dominant and sometimes the demoniac, making the person
behave differently at different times. Indra here represents such a human
mind. When sage Durvasa came, the demoniac tendencies were dominant in
Indra and so he behaved arrogantly. His discrimination was clouded. The
curse of Durvasa shows that no one, however high the position he occupies,
can escape the consequences of actions performed under the influence of
demoniac tendencies.
As soon as the sage uttered the curse, Indra realised the
consequences and sought the grace of the Lord which alone can help man.
The Lord asked him to make peace with the Asuras temporarily because they
were at that time very strong and could not be defeated. This is another
way of saying that it is not possible to get rid of the demoniac
tendencies by fighting against them and trying to suppress them when they
are strong. The divine tendencies must first be made stronger and then
only can the demoniac tendencies be countered. The Devas were therefore
asked to strengthen themselves by getting the nectar from the ocean.
The figure of 'churning' is one which appears in the Upanishads
also. It stands for the extraction of the essence. The
Svetasvataropanishad says (1.14):--
"Making
one's own body the lower piece of wood and the pranava the upper piece of
wood, and practising churning in the form of meditation, one should
realise God as one would find out something hidden". (For lighting
the fire for yajnas one piece of wood is placed vertically on another
piece of wood placed horizontally and churning is done to produce fire.
The two pieces of wood are known as Aranis). The same upanishad also says
that the supreme Self can be perceived in the intellect, just as butter
can be obtained from curd (1.16). So,
just as butter is obtained by churning curd, one can realise the Self by
churning one's own intellect.
In Sivanandalahari, verse 37, Sri Sankara says that the wise man
should churn the ocean of the Vedas, using his virtuous mind as the rod
and firm devotion as the rope, in order to realise God:-- "Just
as the Devas churned the ocean of milk and obtained the moon, the
wish-fulfilling tree, the cow Kamadhenu, the gem Chintamani, nectar and
Goddess Lakshmi, so the wise churn the ocean of the Vedas, using their
virtuous mind as the rod and firm devotion as the rope and attain you
(Lord Siva), who confer the nectar of eternal bliss".
This
is the significance of this episode of churning the ocean of milk.
It has been repeatedly brought out in this episode that no one can
succeed in any action without the grace and help of the Lord. When the
Devas and the Asuras were carrying the Mandara mountain it fell down and
only the Lord could take it to the ocean. When the mountain went down into
the water, the Lord had to take the form of a huge tortoise and lift
it up. It was only after the Lord Himself took up the churning that things
began to emerge from the ocean.
The first thing to emerge from the ocean was the deadly poison,
which was removed by Lord Siva so that it may not do any harm to living
beings. The idea brought out here is that when a person progresses
sufficiently in meditation, all the impurities in his mind such as desire,
anger, greed, and the like, which harm his spiritual progress, are removed
by the grace of God. The poison may be taken as standing for such
impurities.
While asking the Devas to churn the ocean for nectar, Lord Vishnu
warned them not to covet any of the things that might come up during the
churning (Bh.VIII.6.25).
This is similar to the warning given
to the spiritual aspirant not to be tempted by the siddhis
which may come to him, but to keep his mind fixed on the ultimate goal,
liberation. The Kamadhenu, kalpaka tree, etc, represent the siddhis. ********************************
The Vamana Incarnation
The incarnation of the Lord as Vamana forms the subject-matter of
Chapters 15 to 23 of the eighth Skandha of
Srimad Bhagavatam.
The Devas and the Asuras jointly churned the Milk Ocean for amrita
(the nectar that confers freedom from death). When the Lord emerged from
the ocean in the form of Dhanvantari carrying a pot containing amrita, the
Asuras snatched the pot. The Lord then appeared in the form of Mohini and
distributed all the amrita to the Devas. The Asuras who were deprived of
the nectar began to fight against the Devas. In the fight Bali, one of the
Asuras, was killed by Indra, the king of the Devas. Bali was later brought
back to life by Sukracharya, the Guru of the Asuras. Under the guidance of
Sukracharya Bali performed a Visvajit sacrifice and acquired extraordinary
powers. He then attacked the capital of Indra in heaven. Brihaspati, the
Guru of the Devas, told Indra that Bali was very strong at that time and
that it would be futile for the Devas to resist his attack. He advised the
Devas to go into hiding and bide their time for a counter-attack.
Accordingly the Devas left heaven and Bali occupied it as the ruler of all
the three worlds.
Sorely grieved at the plight of her sons, Aditi, the mother of the
Devas, requested her husband, the great sage Kasyapa, to devise some means
by which the Devas could get back their kingdom and their previous glory.
The sage advised her to worship Lord Vishnu by observing a vow known as 'payovrata'.
This consists of worship for a period of twelve days during the bright
fortnight of the month of phalguna, observing strictly certain disciplines
and living on milk alone. Aditi observed the vow, following all the
instructions strictly. At the conclusion of the vow the Lord appeared
before her and told her that He would soon be born as her son. He asked
her to keep the fact of His having appeared before her a total secret.
The Lord was then born as Aditi's son on Sravana
Dvadasi, the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of the month of
Bhadrapada. This day is celebrated even now as Vijaya
Dvadasi. At birth the child was in the resplendent form of Vishnu,
clad in yellow silks, with four arms bearing
the conch, the mace, the lotus and the discus, but he changed
immediately into the form of a dwarfish human child.
The delighted sages present, including Kasyapa, conducted the
appropriate sacraments and invested him with the sacred thread. The sacred
Gayatri mantra was imparted by the sun-god, Savita himself. Brihaspati
gave him the sacred thread and Kasyapa the grass girdle. Goddess Earth
gave him the skin of the black antelope, the moon-god gave him his staff;
his mother gave him a cod-piece and a loin-cloth, while the goddess of the
sky gave an umbrella. Brahma gave him a water pot and the seven sages kusa
grass, while Goddess Sarasvati gave him a garland of beads. The
sovereign of the Yakshas gave him the begging bowl, and Goddess Uma
Herself, the Mother of the universe, gave him his first alms. Thus
honoured, Vamana outshone by his Brahmic splendour every one in that
assembly of Brahmarshis. Then, hearing that Bali was performing horse
sacrifices, Vamana set out for the Yagasala. Dazzled by the splendour of
Vamana even when he was at a distance, Bali and the priests who were
conducting the sacrifices wondered whether it was the sun-god himself, or
god Agni or the sage Sanatkumara who was coming towards them. They
received Vamana with great respect. Bali washed Vamana's feet and
sprinkled the water purified by the touch of those feet on his own head.
He then asked Vamana what gift he wanted, saying in all arrogance that he
could give anything Vamana wanted-- food, house, land or a bride or
anything else, or all of them. Vamana replied that all that he wanted was
just a small strip of land, three paces in length as measured by his own
feet. On hearing this Bali laughed and said, "O boy! You are a
simpleton. Having approached me, the undisputed ruler of all the three
worlds, and so capable of gifting a whole continent, you are asking for
such a petty gift. My generosity is such that any one who has obtained a
favour from me will not thereafter find it necessary to go to any one else
for anything". Vamana replied that he would be contented with just
what he had asked for, because a person who is not contented with three
paces of land would not be satisfied even if he gets an entire continent.
Bali then said, "Let it be as you wish", and was about to give
the gift asked for.
Bali's Guru Sukracharya then recognised Vamana as Lord Vishnu
Himself and asked Bali not to give the gift, because the intention of
Vamana was to take away everything belonging to Bali and give it to Indra.
Bali told Sukracharya, "Having made a promise, I will not go back on
it, whatever may be the consequences. I am not afraid so much of the
tortures of hell, poverty, loss of position or even death as I am of
breaking my pledged word. If indeed Lord Vishnu Himself has come to beg of
me, there can be no greater blessing for me. I will therefore honour my
word and give the gift". Annoyed that Bali did not heed his advice,
Sukracharya cursed him, saying, "You have grown so arrogant as to
reject my advice. A highly conceited fool that you are, you will soon fall
from you high position".
Undaunted by the curse, Bali insisted on honouring his word and
proceeded to give the gift of three paces of land to Vamana. Vamana
immediately grew in size to such an extent that with the first stride he
covered the earth, the sky and the four quarters. With his second stride
he covered heaven and all the worlds up to Satyaloka, the world of Brahma.
He then asked Bali to show him the place for his third stride. Without
flinching in the least, Bali said. "Pray place your third step on my
head". The Lord did so and sent Bali to one of the nether regions
named Sutala, as the ruler thereof, promising that He Himself would
permanently stand guard there. The Lord further said that Bali would
become Indra in the next Manvantara and would thereafter go to the Lord's
own realm, Vaikuntha.
We see from this story that Bali possessed many great virtues. He
had great respect for holy men, which is evident from the way he received
and honoured the Brahmachari boy, Vamana (whom he did not know to be Lord
Vishnu). He was extremely generous. Above all, he kept his word and
refused to go back on it even after his Guru pronounced a terrible curse
on him. Why was such a person punished by the Lord? This is the question
that comes up in everyone's mind. This very question was put by Brahma to
Lord Vishnu. Brahma asked, "This Asura gifted away the entire earth
and all the other worlds he had won by good works to Thee; and even his
body has been offered without the
slightest hesitation. A man who is free from guile obtains the
highest of goals by merely offering arghya at Thy feet and worshipping them with just a blade of grass.
That being so, how can he who gave away the three worlds with a serene
mind be subjected to such a punishment?" (Bh.VIII. 22.23):-- To this the Lord replied:-- "O
Brahma! I take away the wealth of those on whom I shower My grace. For, it
is because of being intoxicated with wealth that a person becomes arrogant
and despises the whole world and even Me" (Bh.VIII.22.24). He further
adds, "If, in spite of high birth, great deeds, youth, beauty,
learning, power, affluence and the like, a person remains free from pride,
it is due only to My grace" (Bh.VIII.22.26).
Thus the great defect in Bali's character was the arrogance of
wealth and power. This overshadowed all his innumerable virtues. The
lesson we learn from this episode is that as long as there is arrogance
spiritual progress is not possible, even though the person may possess
many virtues. When the Lord says that he takes away the wealth of the
person he wishes to bless, what is meant is that the conceit that one is
affluent and powerful, which is the cause of arrogance, is removed by the
Lord, so that spiritual progress becomes possible. By surrendering all his
possessions to the Lord Bali became free from the notion of 'mine-ness' (mamakara).
Then, by asking the Lord to place His feet on his own head, he gave up
his ego or 'I-ness' (ahamkara).
With these two removed, he became fit for the Lord's grace. Thus an
attitude of detachment towards all possessions and total surrender to the
Lord are the virtues to be cultivated by every spiritual aspirant.
In fact, the Lord has not punished Bali, but has really blessed
him, as may be seen from the following words of the Lord
Himself:--"You have been granted by Me a place unattainable even by
the gods. In the Meru-Savarni Manvantara you will be the Indra with my
full support. Till then you will live in Sutala; those who live there
shall be vouchsafed My gracious glance and will ever be unaffected by
physical and mental ailments. You will always have My presence there.
Constantly witnessing My greatness there, you will become absolutely free
from even the slightest trace of asuric
tendencies (Bh.VIII.22. 31 to 36).
Bali (or Mahabali) is believed to visit his land Kerala every year
on Onam day; the day is therefore celebrated as a great festival. ******************************************** Chapter
6 The slaying of Pralambasura
The Bhagavata Purana describes how Kamsa sent many Asuras to kill
Krishna and how all of them were slain effortlessly by Krishna. One of the
Asuras who met with such a fate was Pralamba. The story is narrated in
chapter 18 of the tenth skandha.
One day, as usual, Krishna, Balarama and the cowherd boys took
their calves to Brindavana for grazing. There they entertained themselves
by playing a game in which the boys were divided into two teams, one under
the leadership of Krishna and the other under that of Balarama. A boy
belonging to one team would wrestle with a boy from the other team. The
boy who was defeated had to carry on his shoulders the boy who won up to
the foot of a particular banyan tree. Krishna allowed himself to be
defeated by his dearest friend Sudama and then carried Sudama up to the
tree. This action of the Lord is interpreted as indicating that He is the
servant of His devotees.
An Asura named Pralamba, an emissary of Kamsa, came there in the
guise of a cowherd boy, with the intention of killing Krishna and Balarama.
He requested Krishna to allow him to take part in the game. Though Krishna
knew who he was, he pretended ignorance and took Pralamba in his own team.
Pralamba wrestled with Balarama and was defeated. He then carried Balarama
on his shoulders as required by the rules of the game, but did not stop at
the foot of the banyan tree to allow Balarama to get down.
When Balarama found that he was being carried far away he became
suspicious and increased his weight in order to force Pralamba to put him
down. Pralamba then assumed his real form as an Asura. Seeing the huge
form of the Asura and finding that the Asura was carrying him far away
from Krishna, Balarama became frightened. He then turned round and because
of the great height of the Asura he was able to see the face of Krishna at
a distance. It is said in the Vishnupurana (5.9.23) that Krishna then
mentally transmitted the following message to Balarama:-- "O you who
are the self of all! Why have you, who are the most mysterious indwelling
self, assumed the attitude of an ordinary human being (and become
frightened)?". On
receiving this message and looking at the face of Krishna, all fear
disappeared from Balarama's mind and he got the courage and strength to
crush the Asura and extricate himself.
In this story Pralamba represents the evil vasanas (inherent
tendencies acquired in past lives) in every human being. These vasanas
make the human being engage
himself in various worldly activities and carry him away from the Lord as
Balarama was carried away from Krishna by Pralamba.
The message which Krishna gave to Balarama is applicable not only
to Balarama but to every human being. The meaning of the message is--
"You are really the Atman, but you are wrongly identifying yourself
with your body-mind complex and looking upon yourself as a limited being.
It is this wrong identification that makes you a slave to your vasanas and
results in your being carried away hither and thither by them. Once you
realise your real identity, namely that you are the indwelling self which
is none other than the supreme Brahman itself, you will be able to
extricate yourself from the hold of your vasanas". The destruction of
Pralamba signifies the elimination of vasanas, which is the same as
liberation. Sri Sankara says in Vivekachudamani that the elimination of
vasanas is itself liberation and it is what is called 'jivanmukti' (verse
318). Sri Narayana Bhattatiri says in his Narayaneeyam (which is a
condensed version of Srimad Bhagavatam) that when Balarama came back to
Krishna after killing Pralamba, Krishna embraced Balarama and the gods
showered flowers on both of them (Dasaka 57, verse 10). Krishna's embrace
represents union with the Lord or the realisation of the identity of the
individual self and Brahman. Even the gods worship such a human being
because by realising his real identity as
Brahman he has become the self of the gods too. ****************************** Chapter
7 Rescue of cows and cowherds from forest fire
In chapter 19 of the tenth Skandha of
Srimad Bhagavatam is described how Lord Krishna rescued a group of cowherd
boys and their cows from a raging forest fire.
One day, as usual, Krishna and Balarama, along with a large number
of cowherd boys, led their cows to the forest for grazing. While the boys
were engrossed in play, the cows went forward in search of tender grass.
As they moved on, they advanced beyond the limits of Vrindavana which was
the abode of Krishna and entered a forest called 'Aishikam'. This forest
was full of a particular variety of grass which had the tendency to catch
fire easily. The forest was unbearably hot and the cows became totally
exhausted because of hunger and thirst. The tender grass which they hoped
to find was nowhere to be seen.
The cowherd boys, who were absorbed in play, did not notice for a
long time that the cows had gone far away from them. When they did not
find the cows at the place where they had left them, they became worried
and went in search of them and found them in the Aishika forest. When they
were about to bring the cows back, a forest fire broke out. The boys found
themselves and their cows surrounded by the fire. In desperation they
cried out to Krishna for help. Krishna came and asked them not to be
afraid but to close their eyes for a few moments. They did so, and when
they opened their eyes again they found themselves back in Vrindavana with
no trace whatsoever of the fire. They were thus saved by Krishna from the
fire.
The story looks very simple, but every statement in it has profound
philosophical significance. The cows, which moved away from Krishna in
search of tender grass represent human beings who forget the Lord and seek
happiness in the world outside. As happened to the cows, the search for
happiness in the world proves futile and results only in disappointment
and suffering. The heat of the Aishika forest and the forest fire
represent the sufferings of man in this transmigratory existence. Krishna
asked the boys and the cows to close their eyes for a while and
immediately all their sufferings vanished. 'Closing the eyes' stands for
withdrawal of all the organs of sense from their objects. A very similar
expression is used in the Kathopanishad, II.i.1 which says:-- "The
Lord made the senses outgoing. Therefore one can see only external objects
and not the inner Self. A rare discriminating individual, desiring
immortality, turns his eyes away and then sees the indwelling Self".
In this mantra the term 'eyes' stands for all the organs of sense. The
meaning of this mantra is: Our sense-organs have been endowed by God with
the power to experience only sense-objects in the external world. They are
not capable of knowing the indwelling Self. A rare person, who has
acquired total purity of mind, withdraws all his sense-organs from their
objects and concentrates his mind on the Self. He then realises the self
and becomes free from all the sufferings of this world. The boys and the
cows found that the fire which was tormenting them had disappeared without
a trace when they closed their eyes for a moment. This episode thus brings
out allegorically the meaning of the mantra of the Kathopanishad quoted
above.
*************************************** The Redemption of Sudarsana
The Upanishads declare that every living
being will continue to be born again and again until liberation from the
state of transmigration is attained by the
realisation of the Self. This realisation is possible only in a human
birth. In
Mundakopanishad I.ii.10 it is said that even a human being who has
performed meritorious deeds and earned a sojourn in heaven will not
necessarily be born as a human being when he has to leave heaven on the
exhaustion of the merit which took him there. He may be born as an animal
or a bird or any other creature, or even as a plant, depending upon the
nature of his residual karma. The Kathopanishad says (II.ii.7):--
One will be reborn from a womb (i.e. as a human being or as any
other creature born from a womb) or even as a plant, according to his
actions and the nature and extent of the knowledge acquired by him in the
present birth.
There is a short story in chapter 34 of Skandha X of Srimad
Bhagavatam which beautifully illustrates the declarations of the
upanishads mentioned above. It is the story of a Vidyadhara (a semi-divine
being) who became a python due to the curse of some sages and was
subsequently restored to a form even more resplendent than his original
one by the touch of Sri Krishna's foot. This story has a wealth of
Vedantic implications.
On a certain day the cowherds of Gokula went, along with Krishna,
to a place known as 'Ambikavanam'. Having bathed in the river Saraswati
there, they worshipped Lord Siva and His consort Goddess Ambika. They
spent that night on the bank of the river, in prayer and fasting. Suddenly
a huge python appeared and began to devour Nandagopa. Hearing Nandagopa's
cries the cowherds rushed to his rescue and belaboured the python with
firebrands. In spite of severe beating the python did not release
Nandagopa from its hold. Krishna then went there and touched the python
with his foot. At once the python disappeared and there stood in its place
a most resplendent Vidyadhara. When asked by Krishna who he was, he said,
"I am a Vidyadhara named Sudarsana. I was endowed with great wealth
and beauty and used to fly in
my aerial car all over the world. Being very proud of my exceptional
beauty, I was very haughty. One day I ridiculed some sages of the Angirasa
family for their ugly looks. For this sin those sages made me take this
birth. The curse that those compassionate souls pronounced on me has
become a blessing to me; because of it I have been blessed with the touch
of the foot of the Lord of the universe, and have been cleansed of my
sin". So saying, he prostrated before Krishna and ascended to heaven.
What are the lessons that this story has for us? In the first
place, what are called curses in the Puranas are really blessings when
they come from great sages who are full of compassion and do not even wish
ill of anyone, let alone inflicting punishment. They are beyond praise and
ridicule and are not in the least influenced or affected by them. Whatever
they do is always for the good of others. If we analyse the curses
appearing in the Puranas, we will find that they fall into two broad
categories-- 1) those which, though outwardly appearing to be curses,
really bless the person concerned by placing him in circumstances in which
he is able to free himself of the defects in his character which stand as
obstacles in the way of his spiritual advancement; (this can be compared
to the action of a surgeon who uses his scalpel on the patient with the
noble intention of curing him of an ailment which prevents him from
leading a normal happy life) and 2) those which merely emphasize the fact
that the next birth of a person will be in accordance with his thoughts
and actions in this birth. Examples of the first category are the curses
on Jaya and Vijaya by Sanatkumara and the other sages, the curse on King
Indradyumna who became Gajendra, and the curse on Nalakubara and Manigriva
by sage Narada. The curse laid on Sudarsana by the sages contains aspects
which make it fit into both the categories, as will be clear from the
sequel.
It will first be explained how the present curse falls under the
first category. The Vidyadhara named Sudarsana had become very haughty
because of his beauty. Haughtiness is the greatest of all obstacles to
spiritual progress. The sages therefore temporarily deprived him of the
cause of his haughtiness, namely his good looks and made him take the very
repulsive form of a python. This turned out to be a blessing because he
got the touch of the Lord's foot. Not only did he then get a form which
was even more resplendent than his original form, but he also realized
that what he had done in his haughtiness was a great sin. He thus became
free from pride and so fit for spiritual progress.
The curse pronounced by the sages on Sudarsana can be brought under
the second category also. Since the Vidyadhara was so proud of his beauty
that he was contemptuous of others who were not so endowed, he would, on
that count itself, be deprived of beauty in his next birth. This is what
happened to him when he was born as a python. The curse only reiterated
what would have happened even without it. The offence committed need not
necessarily be against sages who have the power to curse. Such an offence
even against ordinary persons would have led to the same result of
depriving him of whatever he was proud of, in his next birth. The lesson
conveyed by this story is that one should never be proud of one's wealth,
pedigree, good looks, learning or any other accomplishment and look down
on others not so fortunate. Every one should remember that this is not the
only birth and what one has in this birth may not necessarily be his in a
subsequent birth. It is the thoughts and actions in this birth that will
determine what the next birth will be. If a person who is rich becomes
arrogant and treats the poor with contempt or uses his wealth for doing
harm to others, he will be born as a beggar in his next birth. There is no
guarantee that a person who is rich in this birth will remain so in future
births also. If he uses his wealth for good purposes he may have the good
fortune of being rich in the next birth also. This is the real meaning of
the well known saying that no one can carry his wealth with him when he
dies. The same logic applies to all natural talents and gifts that one is
born with. One should be humble about them and use them for good purposes.
Leave alone losing in the next birth; one may lose his or her beauty or
wealth or other accomplishments even during this birth
itself because of illness and various other causes. We have to remember
that everything in this world is transient. If this thought is always kept
in mind, one will never swerve from the right path. These are the lessons
that we can draw from this story.
A former Pontiff of the Sringeri Mutt explained in a discourse the
reason for persons being born blind, dumb, etc. If a person does not make
use of his faculties of speech, etc., to help
another person in a situation in which such help is crucial, he will be
born without that faculty in his next birth. To illustrate, supposing two
boys are playing in a village. One of them suddenly falls into a well. If
the other boy immediately shouts for help, neighbours would rush to the
place and would probably be able to rescue the boy from the well. If,
instead, the other boy just walks away, fearing that he may be blamed for
his friend falling into the well, with the result that the boy who fell
into the well loses his life, the boy who did not use his faculty of
speech at the proper time will be born dumb in his next birth.
In a Puranic story such an episode would be put this way. The boy
did not try to save his friend by using his voice and so he was cursed by
the dead boy's parents or by some sage to become dumb.
It will be interesting to examine the various curses in the Puranas
keeping the above views in mind. ********************************************** Chapter
9 The slaying of Narakasura
The slaying of Narakasura is described in chapter 59 of Skandha X
of Srimad Bhagavatam.
Narakasura, described as a son of Bhumidevi, was a very wicked
Asura who terrorised the whole earth. He conquered many kings and carried
away 16,100 young women from their families and kept them in captivity. On
coming to know of this, Krishna marched against him. Krishna was first
opposed by Mura, an Asura with five faces, who was an associate of
Narakasura. After killing Mura, Krishna killed Narakasura also and
released all the women. He then married all of them.
A careful study will show that the entire teachings of Vedanta are
conveyed through this simple story. The first significant fact is the
description of Narakasura as the son of Bhumi, the Earth. Bhumi or earth
is one of the five elements, the other four being water, fire, air and
space. In Vedanta there is a figure of speech called 'upalakshana' by
which, when one item of a group is specifically
mentioned, all the other items of the group are also to be taken as
implied. Thus the mention of 'earth' here is to be taken as implying all
the five elements. This conclusion is further supported by the following
statements in the Bhashya of Sri Sankara on Brahmasutra.
3.1.2:--"Water consists of three components, according to the
Upanishadic text about the elements becoming tripartite (Ch. Up. VI. iii).
So when water is admitted as the constituent, the other two elements must
also be admitted. Moreover, the body is the product of the three elements
since all three, fire, water and earth, are seen to be its
constituents". Only three elements are mentioned here because the
discussion is about a statement in the Chandogya Upanishad which mentions
only the triplication of these three elements. When quintuplication of the
five elements is considered, it follows that all the five elements should
be considered as represented by the term 'earth'.
Narakasura is said to be the son of the earth, which means
allegorically that he is the product of the five elements. Vedanta says
that the body (both physical
and subtle) is made up of, or is the product of, the five elements. That
is to say, Narakasura stands for the body.
All living beings are kept in bondage by the body. This is what is
implied by the statement that Narakasura had kept the women in captivity.
The women are the jivas who are imprisoned in the body. The name 'Narakasura'
is also significant. Being a slave to the body is itself Naraka or hell.
Liberation is freedom from the bondage or limitation of the body. By
slaying Narakasura the Lord, in His infinite compassion for His devotees,
liberated them from bondage. The story also brings out the fact that God's
grace is essential for getting liberation.
There is another very significant point in this story. Mura, the
associate of Narakasura, is said to have five
faces. These five faces stand for the five organs of sense which have
first to be conquered and this is what the Lord did. The name 'Mura' is
itself significant. The verb 'mura' means 'envelope'. (mura samveshtane--
Panini's Dhatupatha, No. 1287). Mura therefore stands for ignorance or
'nescience' which envelopes the jiva.
On attaining liberation the jiva becomes one with Brahman. This is
the real import of the statement that the Lord married all the women who
were released. 'Marriage' means becoming one with the Lord.
****************************************** .
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