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Episodes in Srimad-Bhagavatam
A Vedantic Interpretation
By S. N. Sastri

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Contents
1. Introduction
2. Visit of Sanaka and other sages to Vaikuntha
3. Varaha Incarnation
4. Vamana Incarnation
5. Liberation of Gajendra
6. Churning of the Ocean of Milk
7. Slaying of Pralambasura
8. Rescue of cows and cowherds from forest fire
9. Slaying of Narakasura
10. Redemption of Sudarsana
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1. Introduction

The ultimate goal of human life is Moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Liberation is nothing but the realization of one’s real nature. Srimad Bhagavatam defines Moksha succinctly as "the establishment of the individual in his essence as the Self freed from all wrong identifications" (Bh.II.10.6). Every individual identifies himself with the physical body, the sense organs and the mind. When a person describes himself as stout or lean or fair-complexioned or dark, he is looking upon himself as the physical body to which these characteristics belong. When he says 'I see', 'I hear', 'I smell' and so on, he is identifying himself with the organs of sense which perform these functions. When he says 'I am happy' or 'I am unhappy', he is identifying himself with his mind. The Upanishads declare that all these identifications are wrong and that the human being is in reality not the body or the sense-organs or the mind, but something beyond all these, known as the Atman or Self, which is eternal, changeless and not affected by anything that happens to the body-mind complex. This wrong identification is due to our ignorance of our real nature. This ignorance is what is called avidya or nescience. When this ignorance is eradicated, the person remains established in his essence as the Self or Brahman-Atman. The Upanishads lay down the means by which this wrong identification can be brought to an end and the goal of Moksha attained.

Contrary to popular conception, the objectives of the Upanishads and the Puranas are not different, but they are essentially the same, namely, to expound the means of attaining liberation. This is made very clear in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Skandha12, ch.13, verse18, which says:--
“Srimad-Bhagavatam, the flawless Purana, dear to the devotees of Lord Vishnu, extols the One Pure Supreme Consciousness, which is the goal of the Paramahamsas. It describes Naishkarmya (the state of being firmly established in the realization that one is the actionless Brahman-Atman), along with spiritual knowledge, detachment and devotion. The man who hears it read or reads it himself with devotion and meditates (on its teachings) attains liberation".

Passages bringing out the gist of the Upanishads are found in almost every chapter in this Purana and particularly in the hymns of praise (stutis) addressed by various devotees to the Lord. Apart from such direct teaching of Vedanta, many of the episodes lend themselves to interpretation as allegorical stories which expound Vedanta. Srimad-Bhagavatam itself shows the way in this direction through the allegorical interpretation given by sage Narada to a story narrated by him to king Prachinabarhis (Sk.IV, ch 25 to 29). This Purana can thus be studied and appreciated at two different levels—one, as describing the glorious deeds of the Lord by which He protects the virtuous and establishes Dharma on this earth, and two, as expounding Vedanta through allegory. An attempt has been made in the following chapters to give an allegorical interpretation of a number of episodes.

2. Visit of Sanaka and other sages to Vaikuntha
(Bhagavata, Sk.III, ch.15)

The four sages, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara, who are known as the mind-born sons (Manasa-putras) of Brahma, the Creator, set out for Vaikuntha to do obeisance to Lord Mahavishnu (III. 15.13). On the way they passed through a divine orchard named ‘Naissreyasa’ which was ‘Kaivalya incarnate’, as it were, which was resplendent with trees that yield all that is desired and are laden with flowers and fruits in all seasons (III.15.16):--

The abode of the Lord was surrounded by seven ramparts which had to be crossed before one could reach the presence of the Lord. The four sages crossed the first six ramparts without any obstruction and without being attracted in the least by the beautiful scenery all around, by the delightful singing of divine birds, by the fragrance of the divine flowers and by the delicious fruits hanging on the trees, their minds fixed on their goal, namely, seeing the Lord (III.15. 27).

At the entrance to the seventh rampart, these sages, who looked like boys of five and wore no clothes, were rudely stopped by the two gate-keepers named Jaya and Vijaya and were not allowed to proceed further (verse 30). Annoyed at being thus stopped, they pronounced a curse that since Jaya and Vijaya still entertained the sense of difference and were therefore unfit to remain in Vaikuntha, they would be born as Asuras on the earth (verse 34). That very moment the Lord, who knew what had happened, Himself came to the spot where the sages were standing (verse 37). The sages, in ecstasy, worshipped the Lord, singing His praises (verse 45). As cursed by the sages, Jaya and Vijaya took three successive births as Asuras, first as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu, next as Ravana and Kumbhakarna and finally as Sisupala and Dantavaktra and ultimately attained salvation by the path of confrontation.

In this episode, the following features are of great significance for the spiritual seeker:--
(1) the orchard on the way is named ‘Naissreyasa’,
(2) seven ramparts have to be crossed before one can reach the presence of the Lord,
(3) the sages crossed the first six ramparts without their mind being distracted by the beautiful sights, sounds and smells on the way, with total concentration on their goal,
(4) at the entrance to the seventh rampart they were obstructed by Jaya and Vijaya and,
(5) as soon as the sages pushed Jaya and Vijaya away with a curse, the Lord Himself appeared before them, without their having to go further.

The word ‘Naissreyasa’ means ‘liberation’ or ‘the total cessation of transmigratory existence’. It is significant that this is the name of the divine orchard through which the sages had to pass. This orchard is further described as ‘Kaivalya incarnate’, which again means ‘liberation’. It is therefore quite logical to conclude that, allegorically, the journey of the sages to Vaikuntha stands for the progress of the spiritual aspirant towards Self-realization. The seven ramparts to be crossed represent the five organs of perception, the mind and the intellect; crossing these ramparts means achieving complete control over the five sense-organs and the mind and ultimately transcending the intellect also. This is indicated by saying that the sages were not at all distracted from their aim by the delightful things on the way. The idea is that, in the same way, the seeker after liberation should not allow himself to be attracted by sense-objects, but should concentrate his mind on the Self alone.

The obstruction caused by Jaya and Vijaya at the last rampart represents the last traces of raga (attachment) and dvesha (aversion) which, as the Bhagavad-gita says, are the enemies of the spiritual aspirant. The Gita compares them to two highway robbers who will rob us of our spiritual wealth and warns us to be careful not to fall into their clutches (Gita 3.34).

Just as the sages pushed away Jaya and Vijaya from their path, the aspirant should push out even the last traces of attachment and aversion from his mind and make his mind pure.

It is significant that as soon as the sages pushed away Jaya and Vijaya by a curse, the Lord appeared before them. This indicates that, once the aspirant has become completely free from attachment and aversion, Self-realization will dawn immediately.

Thus, through this episode, the path to Self-realization is brought out, step by step. Control the senses and the mind, concentrate the mind on the Self, do not be attracted by worldly pleasures and root out attachment and aversion. This is the path to Self-realization.

The Kathopanishad says (2.1.1) that the nature of the sense-organs is to proceed outward, to enjoy sense-objects, such as sound, etc.

They are therefore not capable of knowing the indwelling Self. But a rare ‘Dhira’, desiring immortality, withdraws his sense-organs from external objects and sees the indwelling Self. Kalidasa defines ‘Dhira’ as one whose mind is not distracted even in the presence of the most desirable objects (Kumarasambhava,I.59).

The four sages are the best examples of such a Dhira. This episode thus illustrates the teaching contained in the Kathopanishad mantra referred to above.

3. Varaha Incarnation

The incarnation of the Lord as Varaha (the Divine Boar) and the slaying of the demon Hiranyaksha are described in chapters 13, 17, 18 and 19 of Skandha III of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Svayambhuva Manu, the first of the fourteen Manus, was engaged in the task of creation at the command of his father, Brahma. He suddenly noticed that the earth, the dwelling place for all creatures, had been submerged in the waters. Manu approached Brahma and prayed to him to lift the earth out of the waters. Knowing that he was helpless and that only the Supreme Lord, Narayana, could come to his help, Brahma meditated on the Lord. While he was thus meditating, a tiny boar cub of the size of a thumb emerged from his nostril. The boar immediately grew to the size of an elephant and then to the size of a mountain, all in a trice. Brahma was very much amazed and guessed that the boar could be none other than Narayana Himself. The sages in the jana, tapa and satya lokas began to sing hymns extolling the Lord. The Lord in the form of the huge boar suddenly plunged into the waters. Lifting up with His tusk the earth that had been submerged in the waters by the Asura Hiranyaksha, the Lord placed the earth on the surface of the water. He then turned towards the Asura who was rushing towards Him in uncontrollable anger. A fierce fight ensued, during which the Asura employed many magical tricks, all of which proved to be of no avail against the Lord, who is Himself the wielder of Maya. The Lord despatched His beloved weapon, the Discus, known as Sudarsana and destroyed the phantoms conjured up by the Asura with his magical powers. The Lord then dealt the Asura a severe blow, without any effort, as if it was mere play. The Asura dropped dead. The earth was thus saved by the Lord from the clutches of the Asura.

Now let us try to find out the allegorical meaning of this story. The earth is proverbially considered to be synonymous with forbearance. In the Valmiki Ramayana, Sri Rama is described by sage Narada as 'equal to the earth in forbearance' (kshamayaa prithiveesamah- Bala Kanda, Ch.1, verse18). Forbearance is one of the hallmarks of Sattvaguna. The earth therefore stands for Sattvaguna in this episode.

The Lord says in the Bhagavadgita that everything in this universe is made up of the three gunas-- Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Sattva stands for knowledge, calmness, serenity and similar virtues. Rajas stands for ego-centred activity and Tamas for sleep, indolence and similar qualities. In the majority of human beings Rajas predominates, making their minds ever go outward in search of happiness. Spiritual evolution requires the withdrawal of the mind from external objects and directing it towards the Self (Atma) within, which is Bliss itself and therefore the source of all happiness. This can be achieved only by reducing the Rajoguna in the mind and increasing the Sattvaguna correspondingly. Karmayoga and devotional practices help to achieve this. It is said by the Lord in the Bhagavadgita that Sattva increases when Rajas and Tamas are subdued. (Ch.14, verse10). This process of conquering our Rajasic tendencies and bringing up the Sattvaguna which is lying suppressed within is what is allegorically brought out by this story.

Hiranyaksha, being an Asura possessing all the Asuric qualities spoken of in Chapter 16 of the Gita, represents Rajoguna. When Rajoguna predominates, Sattvaguna is suppressed. This suppression of Sattvaguna, represented here by the earth, by Rajoguna, represented by Hiranyaksha is the significance of Hiranyaksha keeping the earth immersed in water. Brahma sought the help of the Lord to save the earth from the Asura. So also, we have to pray for divine help to conquer our Rajoguna and bring up the suppressed Sattvaguna. When Brahma meditated on the Lord, the boar came out of his nostril, that is to say, the power which crushed the Asura came from within himself. This is very significant. This indicates that when we resort to meditation on the Lord, the strength to conquer our Rajoguna will come from within ourselves and not from outside. This strength, which, like the boar, is small initially, grows with our devotion and meditation, as the boar did. Ultimately we acquire sufficient spiritual strength within ourselves to conquer our Rajasic tendencies and make our mind predominantly Sattvic. This is symbolized by the slaying of Hiranyaksha and the rescue of the earth.

Thus the import of this story, if looked at allegorically, is that by devotion to God and meditation the seeker can generate within himself the power to get rid of the Rajasic (and Tamasic) tendencies which stand in the way of spiritual evolution and make his mind predominantly Sattvic. Such a mind alone can be completely withdrawn from external objects and concentrated on the Self. This is the way to Self-realization.