87 - Arrival of Sanatkumara at the time of conversation between Krishna and Nanda

Nanda said- О lord, you happen to be well versed in the Vedas and your knowledge surpasses Brahma, Shiva, Sesha and other gods beside the munis or the siddhas; therefore, you let me know about your true identity and I am anxious to know about the same. You kindly reveal to me your true identity in this secluded and lonely place.

Sri Narayana said- О son, in the meantime all the sages and ascetics shining with divine light arrived there in order to have an audience with lord Krishna. They included Pulaha, Pulastya, Kratu, Bhrugu, Angira, Praceta, Vasistha, Durvasa, Kanva, Katyayana, Panini, Kanada, Gautama, Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana, Kapila, Asuri, Vayu, Pancahsikha, Vishvamitra, Valmiki, Kashyapa, Parashara, Vibhandaka, Marici, Shukra, Atri, Bruhaspati, Gargya, Vatsyyna, Vyasa, Jaimini, Mitavak, Rushyasrunga, Yajnavalkya, Shuka, Saubhri, Shuddhajatila, Bharadvaja, Subhadraka, Markandeya, Lomasa, Vitankana, Astavakra, Shatananda, Vamadeva, Bhaguri, Samvartta, Utathya, Nara, Narayana, Narada, Jabali, Parashurama, Agastya, Paila, Yudhamanya, Gauramukha, Upamanyu, Shrutashravah, Maitreya, Chyavana and Vararuci arrived there . 

Finding the sages present there, Sri Krishna got up suddenly and welcomed them offering his reverence to them with folded hands. Thereafter, all of them were made to sit over the charming lion thrones; Sri Krishna then asked about their welfare and adored them all. After mutual consultations Sri Krishna took his seat among them. In the meantime, Krishna spotted a fall of lustre in the sky which was also witnessed by the sages. 

Inside the lustre there was Sanatkumara in the form of a nude child having the lustre like gold. О Narada he appeared among the assembly suddenly. Finding him having arrived suddenly, all the ascetics bowed in reverence to him and Sri Krishna also with a smiling face and the love reflecting in his eyes, bowed his head to him in reverence. The child than bestowed his blessing on all those present there taking his seat among the assembly of ascetics. Thereafter he spoke to lord Krishna who happens to be eternal. 

Sanatkumara said- О ascetics, you may meet with welfare always and you may also get the fruit all the tapas performed by you, but it is of no use to question-about the true form of lord Krishna who bestows his grace on all. Presently all of you meet with welfare because you are having an audience with the great soul at present. He has taken to the human form at the instance of his devotees. He is beyond Prakruti beyond qualities, unattached the seed of all and has incarnated on earth to relieve her of her burden. 

Sri Krishna said- О Brahmana, if it is desirable to enquire about the welfare from all who possess the human bodies than why are you not interested in such question about me? 

Sanatkumara said- О lord the worldly body is always surrounded with the good or bad deeds, but the one who himself is the seed of welfare, it is no used asking question about his welfare. 

Sri Krishna said- О Brahmana, of the people having human form or the other are termed as Prakrutika and without Prakruti they cannot survive. 

Sanatkumara said- The bodies which are born with the application of semen, they are known as Prakrutika but the one who is the lord of Prakruti and the cause of his body cannot be Prakrutika. You happen to be the cause of all the causes, the one beginning of all, the lord himself, the foremost of all the incarnation, the seed of all as well as indestructible.

The Vedas always define you as eternal, form of flame, the excellent, the supreme soul and the lord. 

О lord, the Vedas and post-Vedic literature also define you as the lord of illusion, without qualities, beyond the illusion and also possessing the form. 

Sri Krishna said- О Brahmana, presently I am the son of Vasudeva and my body has the semen and blood as usual. Then how can it not be called as Prakruta and why is it not proper to enquire about the welfare of the same body. 

Sanatkumara said- you are the one in whose hair pits, innumerable globes are enshrined and happen to be the abode of all. That is why you are called Vasu and because of the god-hood inherent in how you are called Vasudeva. The word Vasudeva has also been repeated in the Puranas, the history books and the treatises on journeys or pilgrimages. His body comprising of the semen and blood has not been defined in the Vedas. The ascetics and the Dharma stand witnessed for the same. Presently the Vedas, the sun and the moon are my witness. 

Bhrugu said- О Brahmana, you have spoken truthfully, you are the fore-most of the Vaishnavas and therefore we welcome you. Are you perfectly all right, you tell us the reason for your arrival here? 

Sanatkumara said- О sages and lord Krishna, you please listen to me about the purpose for which I have arrived here. 

Sri Krishna said- О religious one, tell me the purpose for your arrival here. You are foremost among, the intellectuals and possessed all the knowledge, you know everything and therefore you kindly speak out the purpose for your arrival here. 

Sanatkumara said- О lord, you are quite graceful and you are adored throughout the universe; you happen to be the lord of all and no one is superior than you. 

Sri Krishna said- О lord of the Brahmanas, I bestow the fruit of the yajnas and dakshinas, for performing yajnas, vratas and tapas. On hearing this Kumara was about to leave the place in a hurry in the forest but the sages prevented him from going finding his words to bе quite astonishing.

The sages said- О great sage, О virtuous one, О ocean of mercy, О Kumara, what are the doubtful words spoken by you in the presence of lord Krishna. О son, have you witnessed or met with any surprise? You please speak out the same in detail. 

In the meantime, Brahma, Shiva with Parvati, Ananta. Dharma, Surya, the moon, Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Dikpalas and all the gods arrived there. Finding them having arrived there, Sri Krishna got up from his seat and welcomed them individually offering madhuparka and adoring them with devotion. All the sages adored Sesha, Shiva, Brahma and Parvati. The Brahmanas and the gods conversed with one another; thereafter, Sanatkumara having the lustre of gold addressed the assembly while seated on the gem-studded lion-throne. 

Sanatkumara said- I had gone to Goloka but I could not find there Krishna the lord of Radha. Thereafter I went to Vaikuntha and could not find the four-farmed Vishnu there. I then went to the ocean of milk but lord Hari was nowhere to be found there; thereafter feeling fatigued, I found that a vast tortoise of the size of a hundred yojanas was lying there. He looked terrified, shaking, grief, stricken and dry. It was driven out from the water by a fish named Raghava. I told him that you are quite graceful. He said, "O great sage I am not graceful but the ocean of milk is graceful which is filled with innumerable creatures of my size and even bigger than me.

I than told the ocean of milk, "O ocean of milk you are graceful. He said, "I am not graceful, this earth is graceful which has accommodated seven oceans like me.

I then said, "O earth you are graceful but she said, "I am not graceful but Ananta the lord of the serpents is graceful who supports me and is born from the amsha of Krishna and pervades everywhere. He has a thousand hoods over one of which I have been lodges like a Sesamum seed in the winnowing basket. Then I said, Sesha is quite graceful". He said, no I am not graceful, О sage, the tortoise who happens to be my base is graceful, you go to him. Then I spoke to tortoise, you are graceful, but he replied О sage I am not graceful. The wind carries me; therefore, he is more graceful than myself, Then I spoke to the wind god, "You are graceful" he replied "lord Brahma is graceful who had created the three worlds, then I spoke to Brahma, "O Brahma you are graceful, he said", I am not graceful. Lord Mahavishnu is graceful who happens to be the teacher of the yogis and is adored by all, is the form of Dharma, is eternal, is death for the death, the destroyer of all, having over-come the death and the lord of all. when I told him, You are graceful," he said, "No I am not graceful lord Ganesha is graceful who is adored first of all everywhere, who is the intellectuals, the best among the gods, because I have heard in the Vedas that there is no one else more graceful than Ganesha among that siddhas, ascetic, the gods, the yogis. 

As the Ganga is the best of all the rivers, Pushkara is the best of all the holy places, similarly he happens to be the best of all. I therefore told Ganesha that he was graceful who said, "All whatever has been prescribed in the Vedas is dharma and whatever are done against the same is sinful. Vedas are treated as the form of Narayana himself; we are adored because of the provisions of the Vedas. All the scriptures and the Puranas have emerged from the Vedas. The source of dharma history, Samhitas also vests in the Vedas. Therefore, according to the opinion of the intellectual, Vedas are graceful. Then I spoke to the Vedas saying, "You are graceful". Then they said, "We are not graceful the people who perform yajnas are graceful; we people only prescribe the path but the yajna provides the fruit. О sage, therefore only such people are graceful and you go to them. 

O virtuous one, I went to the people who performed the yajna and said to them. "You people are graceful" they said, "We are not graceful only the good deeds are graceful". 

I than spoke to the noble deeds and said, you are graceful. They said, "we are not graceful, lord Krishna alone is graceful who bestows the fruit for the good deeds and who happens to be the eternal Brahmana and the creator of the universe. 

Then I went to the abode of Dharma but I could not find him there and ultimately, I arrived at Mathura in order to meet him. He is the one who bestows fruit for all the yajnas, tapas, vratas and he is the lord on to himself, the supreme soul, cause of all the causes besides being Brahma and the fore-most of the gods. I told him, "You are graceful with dakshina." At these words of mine, the lord spoke to him about the causes of everything and said that a yajna performed, by giving away the dakshina, is quite successful and the yajna performed without dakshina is unsuccessful. In case the Brahmana is not provided dakshina immediately after the completion of the yajna than it is doubled after the lapse of one night. 

On the expiry of one month, it is multiplied to hundred times and after the completion of two months it is multiplied to a thousand times. After completion of one year the performer of the yajna has to fall in the hell.

He has to remain there in the tank of urine for a thousand years and is then reborn as a chandala and a sinner. 

In case the performer does not give and the receiving does not receive dakshina then both of them are thrown in the hell for thousand years. Thereafter, the performer and his priest Brahmana become chandala, both of them suffer from ailment because of the same sin". 

On hearing this all the gods and the sages laughed aloud getting surprised, Nanda also getting surprised shed away from his mind, attraction towards Krishna, of his being a son to him. He started crying in grief among the assembly. At that point of time Parvati consoled him and said, "You shed away the illusion, you free yourself from ignorance. 

Nanda said- О lord I feel deprived like the one in whose house an invaluable gem is born but he remains ignorant about the same. 

O lord, you are beyond Prakruti and you forgive me for my sin. О wielder of the gada I will not go to Gokula, the bank of Yamuna, Vrundavana, my abode, the place of Yashoda and the cowherdesses.

You kindly tell me what reply shall I give to Yashoda and Radha who is your beloved, besides the cowherds? О Narada, thus speaking Nanda fainted in the assembly. Thereafter Krishna took him in his lap and started consoling him.