19 verses
Śukadeva said: Nābhi, son of King Āgnīdhra, desiring sons, worshipped the Supreme Lord with great attention along with his wife Merudevī, who had not produced any sons.
While King Nābhi was performing prescribed duties, out of great affection for his devotee, in order to fulfill the desire of his devotee, the Lord with beautiful form, who is hard to attain but attracted to his devotee, showed King Nābhi his attractive, pleasing form which cannot be brought under control, whose limbs gave bliss to mind and eyes of Nābhi. He showed himself because of Nābhis performance of bhakti-yoga along with proper ingredients, place, time, mantras, priests, charity, and rules.
The Lord with beautiful limbs (supratīkaḥ), revealed himself by the execution of bhakti (yoga) along with seven purificatory ingredients while Nābhi performed prescribed duties necessary for material enjoyment (pravaryga pracaratsu). Since his heart was attracted to his devotee, the Lord revealed his pleasing form with limbs giving bliss to the mind and eye (such as his lotus face), though he is not controlled by others.
The priests, the assembly and King Nābhi, like poor persons who have obtained the greatest treasure, began worshipping with great reverence by offering suitable ingredients that brilliant Supreme Person with four arms, wearing yellow cloth, marked with shining Śrīvatsa on his chest, holding the conch, lotus, club and wheel, wearing a garland and the Kaustubha jewel, and ornamented with a most radiant crown, earrings, bracelets, belt, necklace, arm bands and ankle bells.
The Lord was brilliant (hiraṇmayam). He was special among puruṣas, the supreme person (puruṣa-viśeṣam). Mention of his cloth also indicates his dark complexion. This is explained in Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.5.240 in relation to the phrase pītāṁśukaṁ vakṣasi lakṣitaṁ śriyā. (SB 2.9.15) Dara-vara is the conch and vana-ruha is a lotus. Accuri is the cakra and amṛtamaṇi is the Kaustubha jewel.
The priests said: O most exalted Lord! Since we are your followers, you should accept our offering of repeated respects, following the instructions of the great devotees. The incapable man, whose mind is affected the guṇas of prakṛti, cannot describe the form of the Supreme Lord who is beyond both prakṛti and puruṣa by limited names, colors and forms, except by describing a portion of your auspicious qualities which even then destroy the sins of all people.
The praises in prose continue till verse sixteen. Though you are complete, you should accept our offerings, since we are following the path of bhakti-yoga (anupathānām). Though we do not request to attain you directly, since we have material desires to fulfill, we have a trace of bhakti. Therefore out of affection accept our offering. We are following your path. This much we have and not more. Thus we repeatedly offer you respects. This has been taught by the devotees to us. We do not know the methods of worship and glorification. But you are my learned devotees. You know everything. Why do you hesitate to praise me? They reply. In the material world there are praises making comparisons between your face and the moon. But who can describe your form by using material words, mentioning colors like the sapphire and forms which are blackish? What then to speak of actually making verses of praise from these material components! You are beyond (parasya) prakṛti and puruṣa. We cannot produce (or factually describe) a form which is beyond prakṛti and puruṣa out of material sapphire and other material components. Then you can describe my form by using spiritual objects. Our minds are absorbed in the world made of guṇas. It is impossible for the intelligence of the jīva in the material world to comprehend spiritual objects. Therefore one should only glorify you partially for your qualities such as affection for your devotees. Because the Lord is affectionate to his devotees he destroys all their sins, even by partial glorification.
O Lord! You are satisfied by worship using prayers uttered with choked voice composed by your devotees with attachment, and using water, tulasī buds, dūrvā grass and buds.
O Lord (parama)! You are satisfied by worship using water, branches, of tulasī, sprouts of dūrvā grass and prayers (samśabda) offered with choked voice (śabala) produced out of attachment by your devotees.
We see that you do not have any use for our elaborate worship.
We do not have devotion. How then can you be satisfied? We see that you have no use for this worship with many parts.
O Lord! You, who directly have a form composed of unlimited human goals, the highest bliss, a form which continues without break at all times, should satisfy us, who have desires for benedictions.
This verse gives the reason. By yourself, at every moment (anusavanam), directly, you possess a form composed of unlimited results, producing bliss, which exist without break. Though this is so, our worship should not useless. It should be satisfying for us who desire benedictions. We are not doing it for you.
Therefore, just as a wise person appears before ignorant people, you, the person superior to all great persons, out of your causeless mercy, to give liberation in the form of realization of your glories and all other benedictions as well, have appeared here, though not worshipped properly by us. You have appeared like a person curious to see the sacrifice.
Then why have I been satisfied and made my appearance before you? Just as the person in knowledge appears before those who are ignorant, though he has not been called or worshipped, in order to deliver them by his mercy, you also, superior to all great persons, out of great, causeless mercy, to give liberation in the form of realization of your glories, and as well all desired objects (indicated by ca), have appeared here, not from being worshipped by us, since we do not have bhakti. You have appeared here like someone who has come out of curiosity to see the sacrifice.
O most worshipable Lord! That you, best giver of benedictions, appeared as the object of our vision in the Kings sacrifice was our benediction.
In any case, ask for a benediction! Most worshipable Lord! You have become the object of vision for your devotees when you appeared in the sacrifice performed by the King. That itself is the greatest benediction.
O Lord whose qualities are recited repeatedly by the sages! Your qualities which bring about the highest bliss are the subject of discussion for sages who have burned by all contamination by the fire of knowledge and detachment, and who find enjoyment in you through their individual moods of love directed to you.
Foolish persons think that they should pray for things other than seeing you, though seeing you is very rare. But the wise do not think like this. Though you do not show yourself, you are the subject of talks concerning your qualities which bring about the highest auspiciousness for the sages who have burned up unlimited contamination of material desires by the fire of knowledge sharpened by detachment, who completely enjoy (ārāmānām) you with moods such as dāsya directed towards you. O Lord whose qualities are recited repeatedly by the sages!
May we chant your names describing your qualities, which destroy all sins at the time of death, in order to help us remember you, who are unable to remember you while stumbling, suffering hunger, falling down, yawning, or suffering calamity!
Even if we have unsteady, dull minds, let us think of you. So that persons like us who cannot remember you may remember you, may your names be available to us.
However, this King, desiring a son, is worshipping you, who can give all benedictions such as Svarga or liberation, since he desires to have a son. He is like a poor man pursing a wealthy man for a few empty husks.
However (kiñca), though it is improper to ask, we ask you because it is necessary. This saintly king, the sponsor of the sacrifice, desires a son. Though he can get a son by worshipping devatās, he worships only you. But I will also give him Svarga or liberation. Fearing the Lord would say this, they say Though you are the lord of Svarga and liberation, fulfiller of all desires, he is fixed on begetting a son, not on liberation. That is his foolishness. Just as a man desiring some husk pursues a wealthy man, desiring a son he worships you. See his stubbornness.
You are free of māyā, but is there a person who does not worship the great devotees whose intelligence is not covered by unconquerable and indiscernible māyā, and whose nature is not covered by the force of material poison?
But this is not his fault. Whose intelligence is not covered by your māyā of you who have defeated māyā (aparājitaḥ) whose ways are not discernable, and which is unconquerable? No one is free from māyā. He who worships the feet of great devotees is free from māyā, and this King has not had this opportunity.
O performer of many actions! Lord of lords! You should tolerate the offense of persons like us who are foolish and full of material desires and who have called you to this sacrifice, since you are equal to all.
Asking pardon for their offense of asking for a material benediction, they conclude their praise of the Lord. O performer of many activities! This means Though you rarely show yourself to Brahmā, you have shown yourself to us, who are full of desires. You should tolerate the offense of us priests who have called you here because of our foolishness and material desires, because, O Lord of lords, you are equal to all (sāmyena).
Śukadeva said: The Supreme Lord, protector of the devatās, thus praised by prose, after being addressed by King Nābhi who worshipped the Lords feet, then spoke with compassion.
The Lord, thus praised by prose, addressed by King Nābhi (varṣa-dhara), whose feet were worshipped by him, then spoke.
The Lord said: O sages! I have been requested by you with words that must come true for a boon difficult to achievethat King Nābhi have a son similar to me. Only I am similar to myself since I alone am the Lord. But the words of brāhmaṇas should not be false, since this group of exalted brāhmaṇas is my mouth.
Avitatha-gīrbhiḥ means by words which cannot be untrue. Abhirūpaḥ means similar. I alone am similar to myself since I am the Lord and no one else is (kaivalyāt). This group of brāhmaṇas, who are like devatās among the brāhmaṇas, is my mouth.
Not finding anyone equal to me, I will appear in my partial form for the King Nābhi.
Āgnīdhrīye means in the son of Āgnīòhra (Nābhi).
Śukadeva said: Speaking thus to the husband of Merudevī who was listening, the Lord disappeared.
O King Parīkṣit! Satisfied with the great sages, wanting to please King Nābhi, and desiring to show the path of the naked performers of austerity, who follow scripture and remain celibate, the Lord then appeared with a body of śuddha-sattva in the womb of Merudevī who was situated in the inner chambers of the palace.
O Parīkṣit (viṣṇudatta)! The Lord appeared in Merudevī, who remained in the inner chambers (tat-avarodhāyane). He desired to show the principles of the naked mendicants. But children and fools are also naked. To qualify that, he says that they are performers of austerities. But atheists also perform austerities. To qualify this further he says that they are sages, acting with knowledge according to scripture, who do not fall from celibacy. The Lord would appear with a body made of śuddha-sattva (śuklayā).
Thus ends the commentary on the Third Chapter of the Fifth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Third Chapter the Lord, satisfied with Nābhis performance of sacrifice, personally became his son as desired by King Nābhi, on hearing his request to have a son like the Lord. Nābhi was the first son of King Āgnīdhra.