14 - Vishnu appears before Malavati in the form of a Brahmana boy 

Sauti said- With Brahma and Shiva made to lead the gods and bestow welfare to all, they reached the place of Malavati in a moment. 

О Saga, the chaste lady MalavatT bowed in reverence to the gods on meeting them and placing the body of her husband before them started crying.

In the meantime, in the assembly of the gods, a beautiful Brahmana boy arrived, holding a staff and an umbrella in his hands, wearing white garments, with his forehead painted with sandalpaste, carrying a huge manuscript in his hand, wearing a peaceful appearance and a serene smile on the face. All his limbs were painted with the paste of sandalwood. The boy having the lustre of Brahmana started talking to the gods reaching there, who appeared to have been seated with the illusion of lord Vishnu. In the assembly of the gods, the Brahmana boy looked like the moon among the stars. He then spoke to Malavati.

Brahmana said: “Why have the gods arrived with Brahma, the creator of the universe and Shiva, at this place”? 

Shiva who is the destroyer of the entire universe is also present here and surprisingly Dharma too who stands witness to the deeds of all, it is also present here. Why have the gods like Surya, the Moon, the fire, Yama, the god of death have arrived here? О Malavati, О sinless one, whose dead body which is dried up, are you carrying in your lap? “How can a lady keep the dead body of a man like this?” 

After speaking to the gods and Malavati he kept quiet. Thereafter Malavati spoke offering her salutation to the Brahmana. 

Malavati said - “O Janardana, you have come in the form of a Brahmana. I bow in reverence to you with a pleasing mind. The gods and lord Vishnu feel pleased with the flowers and water offered to him. 

О lord, you kindly listen attentively to the prayer of a grief stricken person like me, because the grace of the noble people benefits equally the competent and incompetent people. 

O best of the Brahmanas I am the daughter of Chitraratha and the wife of Upabarhana; I am known by the name of Malavati. 

I have roamed about in the company of this husband of mine at the attractive and beautiful places for a lakh of divine years. О best of the Brahmanas, О intelligent one, the chaste women are extremely attached to their husbands. This is well known in the scriptures as well as to you. 

Му husband has met with his end because of the curse of Brahma. I am lamenting before the gods in order to bring back my husband to life. 

Because all the people in the universe get devoted to the accomplishment of their tasks. No one is concerned about the profit or the loss but everyone is concerned with the meeting of his own selfish ends. 

The pleasures, the pain, the grief, the fear, lamenting, riches, bliss, birth, death and salvation are achieved by the people as a result of their own deeds. The gods are the creators of everyone and they also bestow the results of one’s deeds. Simultaneously with your own divine play, they can also uproot the tree of one’s actions.

Because no one else is a better friend than the gods, no one possesses greater prowess than the gods, nor can there be anyone more compassionate than the gods. Besides there is no one else who could perform charities greater than the gods. Therefore, I seek the indulgence of the gods who bestow Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. They are like wish-fulfilling trees and I urge them to bless me with my desire of getting a husband of me own liking. 

О gods, if you grant me the desired boon, then it is alright; otherwise I shall make you responsible for the killing of a lady and pronounce a terrific curse on all the gods. The curse of a chaste woman can never be infructuous. No one can be relieved of the illeffects of the curse pronounced by performing any amount of tapas”. 

О Shaunaka, thus speaking the grieved Malavati kept quiet in the assembly of gods. Thereafter the best of the Brahmana spoke. 

Brahmana said—О Malavati this is true that the gods give the humans the result of their deeds, but they cannot do so at once in the same way as the seed sown by a farmer does not bear fruit at once and it takes time for it to grow. 

The house-holders sow the seed in the field. It sprouts in due course of time. Further in due course of time, it bears fruit. 

At the appropriate time the fruit ripens up and the house-holder will get it in due course of time. Similarly, it takes some time to reap the fruits of one’s deeds. 

Infatuated with the illusion of lord Vishnu a house-holder implants the seed which gets sprouted in time and further in due course of time it bears fruit which is consumed by the house -holders. 

The noble people who perform tapas for a long time at the sacred places receive the fruit of the same through the gods only. There is no doubt about it. 

In the mouth of Brahmana and the ploughed earth, if a person drops the food or the seed with devotion, he surely gets the fruits of it. 

When performing tapas, the prowess, beauty., the riches, the son, the wife and the beautiful husband cannot be had except by the one, who serves the goddess Durga for many lives. He gets the virtuous, humble and beautiful wife, with the blessings of the goddess; the devotee receives the riches, sons, grandsons, land, money and the people who with a devoted mind adore Shiva, the granter of welfare, who is also the cause of welfare, blissful and the best of the souls, who has overcome the lord of death. Such a person gets the beautiful wife during all his births. The lady who adores Shiva, achieves the best of the humans as her husband. With the boon of Shiva, the people achieve learnings, knowledge, the best of poetry, sons, grandsons and great prowess. 

Some people adore Brahma and with the boon granted by him, get riches, learnings, wealth and bliss. 

Those who adore lord Surya also, achieve learnings, a body free from ailments, bliss, wealth and sons. The one who adores with reverence lord Ganesha who is chief of all the ganas and is adorable first of all, remover of obstacles while sleeping or awake, besides achieves eternal bliss, riches, sons, grandsons, wealth, friends, learning, knowledge and beautiful poetry as a boon. Those who adore lord Vishnu the spouse of Laksmi, achieve their desired boon or otherwise they achieve salvation by adoring the peaceful looking lord Vishnu who is the protector as well bestower of Dharma, glory and great reputation. A fool after serving lord Vishnu desires in return for a boon and it appears that he is cheated by the destiny of the illusion of lord Vishnu. The illusion of Narayana is competent enough to do anything besides being the cause of action and if the great goddess is pleased with anyone, she bestows the Vishnu mantra on him. Such of the religious people who follow the path of Dharma ultimately achieve all the Dharmas. 

After leading a life of pleasure in this world, they ultimately achieve the abode of lord Vishnu. Whosoever adores anyone of the gods with devotion he achieves initially the same god.

         Thereafter, he proceeds to the ultimate abode of lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna is beyond nature and is free from all the three gunas. The gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are his initial cause, Paratpara indestructible, Parabrahma and eternal lords. He is visible as well as invisible, the form of flame, moves according to his own sweet will. He is all-pervading and is above all, lord of all, blissful; he is un-involved and all-seeing god; he incarnates in human form in order to bestow his grace on his devotees. Those who adore him, achieve salvation in reality. A Vaishnava does not seek for any other boon. 

He considers four types of salvation including Salokya to be of no consequence besides the Brahman-hood; becoming eternal and achieving of salvation are of little importance to him. He considers worldly riches as dust. Similarly, the position of Indra, the highest position as a human and long life, are considered by him to be short lived, like water bubbles. They serve lord Krishna while sleeping or awake. 

A Vaishnava does not aspire after the highest stage with, lord Krishna except for becoming his slave. He feels that all his wishes are fulfilled by devoting his mind whole-heatedly at the feet of lord Krishna. The devotee of lord adores the eternal Brahman with great devotion. He redeems crores of the ancestor of his race and playfully redeems also his servants, slave girls, mothers, wives and sons. He ultimately achieves the Goloka. The one who indulges in passions, remains in the womb of his mother and bears all the pain to consume the fruit of his deeds, till such time as he does not adore the lord. Whenever a Mantra of Vishnu recited by the teachers enters into the ears of a person, the very moment Yama, the god of death gets terrified and removes the writings of his destiny from his account. Thus Brahma always remains eager to welcome him with Madhuparka and other offerings. Such a fellow sill crosses my abode and travels onward to the higher regions and dwells there for crores of kalpas. 

As the serpents disappeared at the sight of Garuda, Similarly, all the sins accumulated for crores of births disappear at the sight of a devotee of Krishna. 

All the good and bad deeds performed by him vanish by the grace of lord Krishna’s disc. 

Old age and death leave him for fear of the chakra of krishna otherwise the chakra of Krishna reduces them into pieces. The devotee of Krishna leaving his human body reaches the Goloka without any interruption and taking to a divine form serves lord Krishna there. 

Till such time as lord Krishna resides in the Goloka his devotee also resides there. The devotee of lord Krishna cares the least for the age prescribed by Brahma.