Adhyaya 66: Nārada’s Journey to Śvetadvīpa and the Means of Attaining the Lord through the Pañcarātra

Verse 1

भद्राश्व उवाच । आश्चर्यं यदि ते किञ्चिद् विदितं दृष्टमेव वा । तन्मे कथय धर्मज्ञ मम कौतूहलं महत् ॥ ६६.१ ॥

Bhadrāśva said: “If you know of anything wondrous—whether learned or directly seen—tell it to me, O knower of dharma; my curiosity is great.”

Verse 2

अगस्त्य उवाच । आश्चर्यभूतो भगवानेष एव जनार्दनः । तस्याश्चर्याणि दृष्टानि बहूनि विविधानि वै ॥ ६६.२ ॥

Agastya said: “This very Lord Janārdana is wondrous indeed. Many and varied marvels of his have been seen.”

Verse 3

श्वेतद्वीपं गतः पूर्वं नारदः किल पार्थिव । सोऽपश्यच्छङ्खचक्राब्जान् पुरुषांस्तिग्मतेजसः ॥ ६६.३ ॥

O king, in former times Nārada indeed went to Śvetadvīpa; there he beheld radiant persons bearing the conch, discus, and lotus, of keen and blazing splendor.

Verse 4

अयं विष्णुरयं विष्णुरेष विष्णुः सनातनः । चिन्ताऽभूत्तस्य तां दृष्ट्वा कोऽस्मिन्विष्णुरिति प्रभुः ॥ ६६.४ ॥

“This is Viṣṇu; this is Viṣṇu; this indeed is Viṣṇu, the Eternal.” Seeing that repeated assertion, concern arose in him, and the Lord asked: “Who, in this matter, is ‘Viṣṇu’?”

Verse 5

एवं चिन्तयतस्तस्य चिन्ता कृष्णं प्रति प्रभो । आराधयामि च कथं शङ्खचक्रगदाधरम् ॥ ६६.५ ॥

As he reflected in this way, his thoughts turned toward Kṛṣṇa: “O Lord, how indeed shall I worship the bearer of the conch, discus, and mace?”

Verse 6

येन वेद्मि परं तेषां देवो नारायणः प्रभुः । एवं संचिन्त्य दध्यौ स तं देवं परमेश्वरम् ॥ ६६.६ ॥

Reflecting thus—“through whom I know the supreme reality of them all, that Lord is the god Nārāyaṇa”—he meditated upon that divine Supreme Lord.

Verse 7

दिव्यं वर्षसहस्रं तु साग्रं ब्रह्मसुतस्तदा । ध्यायतस्तस्य देवोऽसौ परितोषं जगाम ह ॥ ६६.७ ॥

Then the son of Brahmā, after meditating for a full thousand divine years, was met by that deity, who became pleased with him.

Verse 8

उवाच च प्रसन्नात्मा प्रत्यक्षत्वं गतः प्रभुः । वरं ब्रह्मसुत ब्रूहि किं ते दद्मि महामुने ॥ ६६.८ ॥

Then the Lord, manifest before him and serene in spirit, spoke: “O son of Brahmā, declare the boon. O great sage, what shall I grant you?”

Verse 9

नारद उवाच । सहस्रमेकं वर्षाणां ध्यातस्त्वं भुवनेश्वर । त्वत्प्राप्तिर्येन तद् ब्रूहि यदि तुष्टोऽसि मेऽच्युत ॥ ६६.९ ॥

Nārada said: “O Lord of the worlds, for a thousand and one years I have meditated upon you. If you are pleased with me, O Acyuta, then tell me by what means one attains you.”

Verse 10

देवदेव उवाच । पौरुषं सूक्तमास्थाय ये यजन्ति द्विजास्तु माम् । संहितामाद्यमास्थाय ते मां प्राप्स्यन्ति नारद ॥ ६६.१० ॥

Devadeva said: “Those twice-born who worship me by relying on the Puruṣa Sūkta, and who take recourse to the primordial Saṃhitā, will attain me, O Nārada.”

Verse 11

अलाभे वेदशास्त्राणां पाञ्चरात्रोदितेन ह । मार्गेण मां प्रपश्यन्ते ते मां प्राप्स्यन्ति मानवाः ॥ ६६.११ ॥

When the Vedic treatises are not obtainable, those human beings who seek me by the path taught in the Pañcarātra will indeed attain me.

Verse 12

ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां पाञ्चरात्रं विधीयते । शूद्रादीनां न तच्छ्रोत्रपदवीमुपयास्यति ॥ ६६.१२ ॥

The Pāñcarātra observance is prescribed for Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, and Vaiśyas; for Śūdras and others it does not attain the status of being a matter received through the (Vedic) ear (i.e., an authorized śruti-based recitation/entitlement).

Verse 13

एवं मयोक्तं विप्रेन्द्र पुराकल्पे पुरातनम् । पञ्चरात्रं सहस्राणां यदि कश्चिद् ग्रहीष्यति ॥ ६६.१३ ॥

Thus, O best of Brahmins, this ancient teaching was spoken by me in a former kalpa; if someone—though among thousands—should accept the Pañcarātra.

Verse 14

कर्मक्षये च मां कश्चिद् यदि भक्तो भविष्यति । तस्य चेदं पञ्चरात्रं नित्यं हृदि वसिष्यति ॥ ६६.१४ ॥

And when the store of actions (karma) is exhausted, if someone becomes devoted to me, then for that person this Pāñcarātra will dwell forever in the heart.

Verse 15

इतरे राजसैर्भावैस्तामसैश्च समावृताः । भविष्यन्ति द्विजश्रेष्ठ मच्छासनपराङ्मुखाः ॥ ६६.१५ ॥

Others, shrouded in rājasa and tāmasa dispositions, will become—O best of the twice-born—those who turn away from my instruction.

Verse 16

कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च युगानि त्रीणि नारद । सत्त्वस्थां मां समेष्यन्ति कलौ रजस्तमोऽधिकाः ॥ ६६.१६ ॥

O Nārada, in the three yugas—Kṛta, Tretā, and Dvāpara—those established in sattva approach me; but in Kali, rajas and tamas predominate.

Verse 17

अन्यच्च ते वरं दद्मि शृणु नारद साम्प्रतम् । यदिदं पाञ्चरात्रं मे शास्त्रं परमदुर्लभम् । तद्भवान् वेत्स्यते सर्वं मत्प्रसादान्न संशयः ॥ ६६.१७ ॥

“And further, I grant you another boon—listen now, O Nārada. This Pañcarātra, my śāstra, is exceedingly difficult to obtain; by my favor you will know it in its entirety—of this there is no doubt.”

Verse 18

वेदेन पाञ्चरात्रेण भक्त्या यज्ञेन च द्विज । प्राप्योऽहं नान्यथा वत्स वर्षकोट्यायुतैरपि ॥ ६६.१८ ॥

O twice-born one: I am attainable through the Veda, through the Pāñcarātra tradition, through devotion (bhakti), and through sacrificial worship (yajña). Not otherwise, dear child—even over tens of thousands of crores of years.

Verse 19

एवमुक्त्वा स भगवान्नारदं परमेश्वरः । जगामादर्शनं सद्यो नारदोऽपि ययौ दिवम् ॥ ६६.१९ ॥

Having spoken thus, the Blessed Lord—Parameśvara—departed at once from sight; and Nārada too went to the heavenly realm.