63 - Talk between Durga and Vaishya

Narada said - О Narayana, О virtuous one, О best of the possessor of knowledge of the Vedas, how did the king adore Durga? 

How did the Vaishya named Samadhi adore Durga and at her advice the Nirguna-Brahmana?

What are the details of the method of adoration, dhyanam, mantra, stotra and kavacha given by the sage to the king? 

And what type of divine knowledge was imparted by Durga to Vaishya and by which method she appeared before both of them? 

After achieving the divine knowledge what was the stage achieved by the Vais’hya and the king separately? You kindly tell me. 

Sri Narayana said - The king and the Vaishya, after receiving the mantra, stotra, kavacha and dhyanam of the goddess from the Medhas Rushi, went to Pushkara-kshetra and performed tapas there; they used to take a bath thrice a day and performed puja and achieved success after a year. 

At that point of time Durga who happens to be the Mulaprakruti appeared before them in person. The king got back his kingdom and also achieved the position of Manu besides all the worldly pleasures. The Vaishya, on the other hand, achieved the divine knowledge from the goddess which was earlier imparted to lord Krshna by Shiva. The merciful goddess lifted up Vais’hya, who had become quite lean and thin, because of fasting and whose breathing had stopped making him senseless and said to him, "O son, you get up and regain consciousness." Thus speaking again and again, he started crying. Thereafter the goddess herself brought him back to life and the Vaishya regained consciousness. He then started crying before the goddess. The merciful goddess, becoming pleased with him, spoke to him affectionately. 

Prakruti said - О son, you ask for your desired boon. Whether you desire to achieve Brahmanahood or eternal life or anything else which is more difficult for you to get but you will not achieve the position of Indra, of Manu or any of the successful positions, which will be too small for you, which are quite perishable and are meant only for children alone. 

Vais’hya said - О mother, I don’t aspire for Brahmanahood or eternalship and the position better than these is unknown to me. I have taken refuge with you, kindly grant me a boon which should result in my achieving the imperishable and the essence of all. 

Prakruti said - There is nothing which cannot be granted to you. Therefore, I bestow upon you the position which is desired by me. By this you will obtain Goloka which is quite difficult to achieve. 

O son, I am bestowing upon you the essence of the divine knowledge which is quite difficult to achieve and by which you will reach the abode of the lord. 

There are nine types of adoration prescribed for the Vaishnavas which include reciting the name of the lord, offering salutation, performing dhyanam, adoration, reciting of the glory, listening to his glory, deep thinking on him, serving him, to make all the prayers to him. This relieves one of the birth, death, old age, ailment and punishment from Yama. 

The sun reduces the age of the person daily who are deprived of the nine types of adoration mentioned above and are wicked by nature. 

Such of the Vaishnavas devotees who are engrossed in the adoration of lord Vishnu, live longer and after getting free from the birth and death, are also relieved of all their sin. Shiva, Sesha, Dharma, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahavirat, Sanatkumara, Sanaka, Sananda, Vodhu, Sanatana, Bhrugu, Marichi, Lomasa, Shukra, Vasistha, Bruhaspati, Kardama, Shakti, Atri, Parasara, Markandeya, Bali, Prahlada, Ganes'hvara, Yama, Surya, Varuna, Vayu, Moon, Agni, Akupara, Uluka, Nadijangha, Hanuman the son of the wind-god, Nara and Narayana, Kurma, Indradyumna and Vibhishana were all the followers of Navadha-Bhakti by the grace of lord Krishna. They are all free from the birth and death and are devoted to the lord. 

О lord of all the riches, whosoever is devoted to the lord, they become his rays and because of that they are always free from the birth and can relieve all the sacred places of the earth of sins. 

Of the seven lokas of the heaven, all the seven islands of the earth and the nether regions comprise of the globe. 

О son, the number of globes is beyond counting and in each and every globe Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva besides other gods always remain. 

All other gods, sages, Manu, humans and others are connected with the illusion of the lord. 

All the globes are enshrined in the hair-pits of lord Mahavishnu. The same Mahavirat is the sixteenth ray of lord Krishna. 

Therefore, one should always recite the name of lord Krishna who is the form of truth, eternal Brahmana, all-pervading, devoid of gunas, infallible, beyond Prakruti and Ishana. The lord who is invisible, formless, spotless without blemish, devoid of desires, without obstructions, blissful, eternal, moving according to his own will, the form of all, takes to human form for the sake of the devotees, glorious, bestower of all the riches, difficult to achieve even by Shiva and other yogis, difficult for adoration, lord of all, adored by all, the one who fulfils the wishes of all, the base of all, bestower of all the dharmas, the form of all, all knowledgeable, the fonn of Puranas, the form of all the dharmas, the cause of all the causes, who bestows pleasures and moksha and is the essence of all, bestows the best of devotion, bestower of slavehood of Krishna and dharma, the one who provides success to all the noble people and without him all other things have no base and are artificial. 

О son, you achieve lord Krishna blissfully which is beyond everything, is pure, complete and is the form of welfare. 

The one who receiving the two letter mantra of Krishna which bestows slavehood of lord Krishna achieves success. You, Therefore, go to the holy place of Puskara and recite this mantra ten lakhs of times. You will then achieve success. Thus speaking the goddess Bhagavati disappeared from the scene. О sage, thereafter the Vaishya, after offering salutation to the goddess, went to the Puskara-kshetra and performed tapas there vigorously. Thereafter he achieved lord Krishna and by the grace of the goddess he became the slave of lord Krishna.