24 - A Dialogue between Brahma and Sages 

The sages said: 

1.    O Sūta the most excellent among the eloquent ones, tell us about the most excellent place on earth, that bestows virtue, love, wealth and salvation and that is the most excellent of all holy centres.

 Lomaharsana said: 

2. O excellent brahmins formerly, the great sages asked. my preceptor this very question that you ask me just now. I shall mention it. 

3-8. My preceptor Vyasa, the holy sage was Seated in his hermitage in Kurukshetra. The hermitage was rendered splendid by different varieties of flowers. It abounded in different kinds of trees, creepers and herds of different animals. There were the following trees-Punnaga, Karņikära, Sarala, Devadäru, Sāla, Tāla, Tamala Panasa, Khadira, Pāțala, Asoka, Bakula, Karavira, Champaka and other trees, all in full bloom. My preceptor was an expert in sacred scriptures. He had composed the great Mahabharata. He was the foremost among intellectuals. He was omniscient and engaged in activities con ducive to the welfare of all living beings. He was engrossed in spiritual quests. He had mastered the Vedas and Vedāngas. He had expounded the Puranas and Agamas. He was the son of Parāśara. He was handsome with eyes as wide as the petals of the lotus. 

The sages of holy rites came there to see the calm sage. 

9-14. The following were the sages who came viz.–Kaśyapa, Jamadagni, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Vasiştha, Jaimini, Dhaumya, Markandeya, Valmiki, Viśvāmitra, Satānanda, Vatsya, Garga, Asuri, Sumantu, Bhargava, Kanva, Medhātithi, Guru Mandavya, Cyavana, Dhūmra, Asita, Devala, Maudgalya, Trunabāhu, Pippalāda, Akrutavraņa, Saṁvarta, Kausika, Raibhya, Maitreya, Hārīta, Sandilya, Agastya, Durvāsas, Lomasa, Narada, Parvata, Vaišampāyana, Gálava, Bhaskari, Pūraņi, Sūta, Pulastya, Ulūka, Pulaha, Väyu, Devasthana, Tumburu, Sanatkumāra, Paila, Krishna and Krişhnanubhautika. 

15. The intelligent sage, son of Satyavati surrounded by these and other excellent sages shone like the moon surrounded by the stars.

16. The sage, the knower of the Vedas honoured those sages who came there. They too honoured him in return. Thereafter, they engaged themselves in conversation. 

17. At the end of their preliminary talk the excellent sages, the residents of the penance-groves asked Krišhņa (Dvaipayana), the son of Satyavati to clarify their doubts. 

The sages said: 

18. O sage, you know the entire range of sacred lore, viz. the Vedas, Puranas, Agamas and Bharata. You know the past, present and future. 

19-21. O excellent sage, tell us. We ask you the highly pleased soul, the following things on seeing the universe submerging in the ocean of worldly existence without any support and (miserably) unconscious (of the same). This ocean of worldly existence is painful and utterly full of misery. It has no real substance. It is terrible with passions acting like crocodiles, the objects of sense-organs acting like flood waters, the senseorgans like a blended mass of whirlpool, the visible objects like hundreds of confused masses of waves, delusion making it turbid like mud. It is impassable, grave and difficult to be crossed due to covetousness. 

22. What is it that is conducive to welfare in this terrible world that causes hairs to stand on end. It behoves you to uplift the worlds by offering advice. 

23. It behoves you to recount that rare and extremely great holy centre which bestows liberation, We wish to hear about the land of holy rites on this earth. 

24-25. It is only by perfectly performing the holy rites on this earth in the manner they have been laid down that a man attains the greatest perfection. By repugnant activities he falls into hell. The intelligent man attains absolution in the holy centre of salvation. Hence, o highly intelligent one, recount what you have been asked by the excellent brahmins. 

26. On hearing the words of those sages of purified souls the intelligent Vyasa, conversant with the past and future said: 

Vyasa said : 

27-30. Listen O sages. I shall mention as you ask, the con versation that formerly took place between the sages and Brahmä on the summit of Meru that is spacious and bedecked. with variety of jewels. It abounds in many trees and creepers rendered splendid by diverse kinds of flowers. There the atmosphere is full of chirping sounds of various birds. It is literally Scattered with animals with a confusing mass of their offsprings.. Many wonderful and mysterious things are present there. Rocks and pebbles of different colour lie Seattered embellished with minerals and metals of all kinds. It contains several hermitages. thronged with sages. 

31-33. The four-faced lord of the universe was seated there. He is the source of origin of the universe. Being the lord and. support of worlds, he is worthy of being saluted by all. He was then surrounded by Devas, Dänavas, Gandharvas, Yaksas, Vidyadharas, serpents, sages, Siddhas, Apsharas and other heaven-dwellers. Some of them were eulogising him. Some were playing on musical instruments and singing songs in his praise. Others were dancing. 

34-35. Thus, when the time was joyous and the living beings had gathered together, when the gentle southern breeze served them wafting the sweet odour from different kinds of flowers, Bhrugu and other sages bowed to lord Brahma. O brahmins, those excellent sages asked the father this very same topic.

The sages said: 

36-37. "O lord, we wish to hear about the land of holy rites on the surface of the earth. O lord of Devas, it behoves you to recount the most inaccessible centre of absolution"

Vyāsa said: 

On hearing their words, Brahma, the lord of Devas, said to them in reply to the questions they asked, O excellent sages.