28 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When thus advised by Lord Viṣṇu, Durvāsā, harassed by the Sudarśana cakra, approached Mahārāja Ambarīṣa and fell at his feet.
Seeing Durvāsā attempting to praise him, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was ashamed and, seeing him suffering, was greatly aggrieved. Thus he offered prayers to the weapon of the Lord.
Seeing his attempts at praising, Ambarīṣa was embarrassed.
Mahārāja Ambarīṣa said: O Sudarśana cakra! You are fire, you are the most powerful sun, and you are the moon, the master of all luminaries. You are water, earth and sky, you are the air, you are the five sense objects [sound, touch, form, taste and smell], and you are the senses.
O Sudarśana! I offer respects to you. O thousand-spoked wheel! O dearest of the Lord! O destroyer of all weapons! O master of the earth! Give auspiciousness to this brāhmaṇa.
O thousand-spoked wheel! O master of the earth (idaspate)!
You are religion, you are truth, you are sweet words, you are sacrifice, and you are the enjoyer of the fruits of sacrifice. You are the maintainer of the entire universe; you are soul of all beings. You are prowess and the power of Viṣṇu.
Ṛtam means sweet words as in the example ṛtaṁ ca sunṛtā vāṇī satyaṁ ca sama-darśanam.(SB 11.19.37) Pauruṣam means the power of Viṣṇu.
O Sudarśana, with an auspicious hub! I offer respects to you, the upholder of all bhakti, an inauspicious comet for the irreligious demons, the maintainer of the three worlds, possessor of pure effulgence, traveling as quick as the mind, performer of astounding works.
I offer respects to the maintainer of bhakti dharma. I, the cakra, will give pain to the irreligious brāhmaṇa who afflicted you. I offer respects to the comet for irreligious demons. By these to statements, irreligious brāhmaṇas and religious demons are excluded from protection and destruction respectively. O wheel with beautiful hub! I offer respects since I am incapable of offering prayers.
O master of speech! By your effulgence, composed of dharma, the darkness of the world is dissipated, and the knowledge belonging great souls is manifested. Indeed, no one can surpass your effulgence. All things, manifested and unmanifested, superior and inferior, are but you various forms.
You must cure this brāhmaṇa who thought he had some effulgence and powers. You destroy darkness by your effulgence, in the form of vibhūtis like the sun. You reveal knowledge belonging to the great souls and all sight, by your effulgence. The universe is your form, since you are the Lord. Other powerful entities cannot show their power in another powerful object.
O indefatigable one! When, sent by the Supreme Lord, you enter among the soldiers of the demons, you stay on the battlefield and incessantly cut off their arms, bellies, thighs, legs and heads.
I desire to play with this brāhmaṇa. No, your place of play is the battle field of demons. O unconquered cakra! Sent by the Lord (anañjanena) you enter the ranks of the demonic troops. Another version has praviṣṭorjita-daitya-dānavam: you enter the troops of the strong demons. The sandhi is poetic license. You cut off their arms and other limbs in the battle (pradhane).
O protector of the universe! As the form of all strength, you are engaged by the Supreme Lord in killing the criminals. For the benefit of our entire dynasty, as a favor to us, favor this poor brāhmaṇa.
I have been engaged by the Lord for killing your enemies. That is not the only engagement. O deliverer of the universe! As the form of all strength (sarva-sahaḥ) you have been engaged by the Lord for killing the criminals. Sarva-sahaḥ can also mean the cakra which tolerates all of our offenses. Therefore tolerate the offense of the brāhmaṇa. This brāhmaṇa is not my enemy. Do something auspicious for this brāhmaṇa so that our dynasty can have good fortune (daiva-hetave).
If our family has given charity to the proper persons, if we have performed sacrifices, if we have properly carried out our occupational duties, and if we have sheltered brāhmaṇas, may this brāhmaṇa be freed from the burning caused by Sudarśana.
Seeing that the cakra would not give up pursuing Durvāsā, Ambarīṣa makes an oath. Vipra-devam means if we are respectful to brāhmaṇas.
If the one Supreme Lord, the reservoir of all transcendental qualities, is pleased with us, since he has love for all beings as his very self, may this brāhmaṇa be freed from the pain of being burned.
Seeing the cakra disregard his oath, he made a stronger oath. If the Lord is pleased with us, by his having love for all beings as if they were his self, may the brāhmaṇa be free from being burned.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When the King offered prayers, the Sudarśana cakra which was burning the brāhmaṇa completely became peaceful because of the request.
Though the cakra was burning the brāhmaṇa completely, it became peaceful.
Durvāsā, freed from the fire of the Sudarśana cakra, became joyful, offered Ambarīṣa the highest blessings, and praised the King.
Durvāsā said: O King! Today I have witnessed the greatness of the Lords devotees, for although I desired your bad fortune, you have prayed for my good fortune.
Though I desired your misfortune (krṭāgasaḥ), you desired my good fortune.
What is impossible to do, and what is impossible to give up, for devotees who have achieved the Supreme Lord, the master of the pure devotees?
What mercy is impossible for them to give, and what offense is impossible for them to overlook? Just as others take wealth, they take the Lord. But the Lord, after being taken, steals their hearts.
What is impossible for the servants of the Lord, whose feet are like holy places? Merely by hearing their names a person becomes completely purified.
O King! I have been favored by you, who are so merciful since you have overlooked my offenses and saved my life.
Expecting the return of Durvāsā Muni, the King had not taken his food. Therefore, when the sage returned, the King fell at his feet, pleased him, and fed him sumptuously.
Durvāsā Muni, after eating varieties of palatable food brought with respect, was so satisfied that with great affection he requested the King to eat also, saying, "Please take your meal."
Durvāsā ate the food (ātithyam) brought with respect.
I am very pleased, being favored by my intelligence, by your hospitality, and by seeing, touching and speaking with you, a great devotee of the Lord.
I have been favored by seeing you, and thus I am pleased. Asmi is in the present tense. This indicates the previously I was not favored by seeing you, and not pleased, since I became blind with anger and created a demon to burn you, though you were sinless. If there is seeing of the devotee arising from bhakti, caused by actions of the devotee, then those events will give mercy to the brāhmaṇas having austerity and knowledge. There is no other way. I am the example of that. If I did not have intelligence to accept the hospitality of Ambarīṣa, how could I become saved? The pain inflicted by the cakra was my great benefactor, delivering me from saṁsāra, and showing the path of bhakti.
All the blessed women in the heavenly planets continuously chant about your spotless activities at every moment, and the people of this world will also chant your most purifying glories continuously.
Avadātam means pure.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus being satisfied, Durvāsā took permission and left, continuously glorifying the King. Through the sky, he went to Brahmaloka, which is devoid of dry reasoning.
Durvāsā went to Brahmaloka to speak to his friends who had realized Brahman about his deliverance, the great influence of bhakti and the devotees, and the Lord who is controlled by the devotees. Ahaitukam means the place which is devoid of dry reasoning.
As long as Durvāsā Muni had left the place of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, and had not returnedfor one complete yearthe King, desiring to see him again, had fasted, maintaining himself simply by drinking water.
As long as the sage had gone and not returned, with one year passing, he fasted.
After one year, when Durvāsā Muni had returned, King Ambarīṣa ate pure food remnants of a brāhmaṇa. When the King saw that the brāhmaṇa Durvāsā had been released from the great danger of being burned, he understood that his power was the Lords power alone.
He took food purified by being remnants of a brāhmaṇa. He considered his qualities such as forbearance and his powers to be only the power of the Lord.
In this way, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, who was endowed with varieties of qualities, performed bhakti to Vāsudeva, who is also Brahman and Paramātmā, by all his activities. By this he saw all material pleasures as hell.
Vāsudeva contained Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. By activities such as cleaning the temple, he performed bhakti. By this bhakti (yayā) he considered all enjoyment (āviriñcyāt) as hell.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thereafter, the learned Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, having destroyed the agitation of the guṇas, divided his kingdom among his sons, who were equally qualified, and entered the forest to concentrate his mind fully upon Lord Vāsudeva.
He entered the forest to concentrate his mind on Vāsudeva.
O King! The person who chants this narration or even thinks of this narration about the activities of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa certainly becomes a devotee of the Lord.
Even a householder can concentrate his mind perfectly on the Lord as illustrated in SB 9.4.18. Devotees attracted to bhakti have the nature of a merchant greedy for a great treasure. Just as the most wealthy merchant, thinking himself to be poor, crossed the ocean to earn money, the devotee makes all efforts to gain bhakti.
By the grace of the Lord, people who with devotion hear about the activities of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the great devotee, certainly become liberated by the mercy of Viṣṇu.
Thus ends the commentary on the Fifth Chapter of the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Fifth Chapter describes Durvāsā touching Ambarīṣas feet, Ambarīṣas prayers to the cakra, Ambarīṣa feeding Durvāsā, Durvāsā praising Ambarīṣa, and Ambarīṣa going to the forest.