Vedic Literature | Ekamsat | Uddhava-Gita | Krishna on the Eve of His Ascension
1. Brahma, accompanied by his offspring like Sanaka, and the Prajapatis and celestials, came to Dwaraka one day. Bhava – Sri Parmeshwara, who is aware of the past and the future, also came to Dwaraka with his following of demi-gods.
2-4. Prompted by their keen desire to behold Krishna of the world-enchanting form, whose holiness had reverberated the worlds over, there came to Dwaraka a host of other celestials, too, including the Maruts, Indra with the other sons of Aditi, the eight Vasus, Aswini-Devas, Ribhus, Angirasas, Rudras, Viswe-Devas, Saadhyas, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Nagas, Siddhas, Charanas, Guhyakas, Rishis, Pitris, Vidyadharas and Kinnaras.
5. In the city of Dwaraka, resplendent with riches and prosperity, they saw the wondrous form of Krishna and looked at him for long with un-winking eyes, un-satiated.
6. After almost covering the noblest one of Yadu’s lineage with heaps of garlands made of celestial flowers, they began to extol Krishna, the Lord of all worlds, in praise.
7. ‘Oh Lord! The devotees seeking liberation from the bondage of karma can only meditate with devotion on Thy lotus feet in their hearts. But we have, in reality, been allowed to adore them with our senses, vital forces, mind, intellect and words.
8. Oh unconquerable Lord! Remaining as the inner-controller of Thy Maya with its three gunas, Thou art creating, preserving and dissolving in Thyself this universe of unimaginable vastness and mystery. Still Thou art not in the least bound by these works, because Thou art ever established in Thy inherent bliss, uncorrupted by passions.
9. Oh praise-worthy one and the Lord of all! Men of impure mind striving through meditation, learning, charity, austerity and rituals fail to attain the purity of mind attained by yogis who ever listen to Thy sportive deeds and excellences.
10. Thy feet are meditated upon in ecstatic love by contemplatives for attainment of salvation; Thy feet are worshipped by devotees as those of one or the other of the four Spirits (vyuhas) as Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha for attainment of equality with Thee in divine glory; Thy feet are adored by the seekers after Truth at the three sandhyas. May those very feet become the fiery force for annihilation of all our sins?
11. Thy feet are contemplated upon by sages while performing Vedic rites; Thy feet are meditated upon by yogis seeking psychic powers such as asta-siddhis; Thy feet are worshipped by devotees in pure love, seeking no worldly gains. May those very feet become the fiery force for annihilation of all our sins?
12. Just as a wife gets annoyed with another wife of her husband occupying her place, Sri Devi is much concerned to see that her seat, Thy chest, is occupied by the garland of wild flowers offered by Thy devotees, illumining Thy whole form. But unconcerned by Thy consort’s attitude, Thou continue to retain the floral garlands of Thy devotees and receive more of them joyfully. May Thy feet decorated with the floral wreaths become the fiery force for annihilation of all our sins?
13. Oh worshipful Lord of unlimited powers! May our sins be effaced and ourselves purified by Thy feet which covered all the worlds in three strides – the feet that signify victory of good over evil.
14. May our welfare be looked after by the adorable feet of Thine, the Supreme Being whose potencies control the destinies of all the mutually conflicting embodied beings from Brahma downward, even as cattle breeders control cattle by their nose-string?
15. Thou art the material cause for all the worlds to rise, remain in manifestation and then dissolve. The Veda speaks of Thee as the instrumental cause for creation of the perceived universe. Thou art the wheel of Time that moves with incredible speed driving all to their annihilation. Thou art verily the Supreme Being, the eternal, all-pervasive and infinite consciousness.
16. The Purusa – the Cosmic Being deriving His power from Thee bears, in association with Yogamaya, the Mahatattva, which is the universe in embryo. With continuing association with Maya, the Purusa projects the universe, the cosmic shell (egg), brilliant and covered with a shelter of sheaths.
17. Oh Hrishikesa! Lord of all senses! All the experiences, joyful and otherwise, that the play of Maya pours on Thee through sense contacts fail to involve and bind Thee. Even when Thou art in the enjoyment of these objects, they do not affect Thee in the least, whereas others, even while keeping themselves aloof from them, live in constant dread of their influence. Thou art, therefore, the master of the whole universe, moving and unmoving.
18. No wonder, then, that all Thy sixteen thousand and more wives could not produce even the least excitement in Thy mind by their charming glances and ravishing smiles, conveying their mystic love for you.
19. The two streams flowing from Thee – the hymns and songs eulogizing Thy
divine sportive deeds and the river Ganges carrying the water that has washed
Thy feet – have the power to destroy the sins of the whole world. The sages
following the commandments of the Veda are immersed in these streams by way of
contemplating the Vedic hymns, and bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges.
23. Thou hast established dharma in the minds of men who venerate Truth. Thou hast spread Thy sanctifying fame all the worlds over. Born in the lineage of Yadu, with a form of un-paralled beauty, Thou hast engaged in various sportive actions for the good of the world.
24. Oh Lord! By hearing and singing about Thy divine and sportive actions, men, in the age of Kali, would get purified and easily overcome the darkness of ignorance.
25. Oh Lord! Thou Supreme Being! It is now one hundred and twenty five years since Thou incarnated in the clan of the Yadus.
26. Oh Thou, the support of the universe! Thou hast now accomplished all that has been sought by Devas, and there is nothing more for Thee to accomplish. By the curse of the holy men, even the clan of the Yadus is on the verge of extinction.
27. So, if Thou thinkest it fit, may Thou be pleased to come back to Thy
transcendental abode? Protect us, Thy servants, appointed as guardians of the
world.
28. Oh Brahma! Leader of the celestials! I have already decided upon the course you have suggested. I have fulfilled all your wants, and I have lightened the burden of the earth.
29. The Yadava clan is now proud and domineering because of its plentiful wealth supported by strength and courage. The Yadus would have overrun the whole world, had I not been holding them within bounds, as the shore halts the advance of the sea.
30. If I go away leaving behind this powerful and over-bearing clan of Yadavas, they will ruin the society by their unrestrained excesses.
31. Their destruction has already commenced with the curse pronounced on them by
the sages. After their annihilation, I shall go to your abode of Satyaloka on my
way to Vaikuntha – my own abode.
33. Afterwards, portents foreboding evil began to appear in Dwaraka and, to the
elders of the Yadava clan who went to him to report about this, the Lord said
thus.
35. Oh respected sirs! If we love our lives, we shall not stay here any longer. We shall immediately go to the holy place of Prabhasa.
36. It was by bathing there that the moon, cursed by Daksha Prajapati to be affected by phthisis, got over the effects of the curse, and had all the digits restored.
37-38. We shall bathe in those waters, offer libations (tarpana) to the manes
and the divinities, feed brahmanas sumptuously and give gifts liberally to
worthy men. With these offerings as our life boat, we shall cross the ocean of
this misfortune.
40-41. Witnessing all the terrifying portents and listening to the word of the
Lord, Uddhava, his constant attendant and follower, approached Krishna in
solitude and spoke to him with joined hands, after making due prostrations.
43. Oh Kesava! My Lord! To remain even a moment without Thee is impossible for me. Therefore, deign to take me also to Thy realm with Thee.
44. Oh Krishna! Hearing about Thy holy and auspicious deeds – veritable ambrosia for the ear, even common people have begun to feel everything else as insipid.
45. How can then we, Thy devotees, bear separation from Thee whom we have been serving our whole life – while sitting and lying, while walking and standing, while eating and playing?
46. We, Thy servants, are sure to get over Thy Maya through Thy service, putting on ourselves the remnants of what Thou hast used of sandal-paste, flower-garlands, clothes, decorations, and eating the remnants of the food of which Thou hast partaken.
47. There are other ascetics who have nothing more than the clothes they wear, ever engaged in spiritual disciplines and practising unbroken continence. These pure, serene and all-renouncing sages attain to Thy realm - the un-decaying Brahman.
48. Oh Thou, the greatest of yogis! As far as we, wandering on the path of karma (work), are concerned, we shall cross the impenetrable darkness of ignorance by absorption in conversations with fellow devotees on Thy deeds and excellences.
49. We shall easily get over the impenetrable darkness of ignorance remembering
and extolling Thy ways in human embodiment – Thy deeds, teachings, Thy
world-enchanting gait, etc.
Sri Suka said:
50. Oh King! Being appealed to, this way, the worshipful Lord, the son of Devaki, spoke as follows to his dear servant and whole-hearted devotee Uddhava.