Vāsudeva-māhātmya · Chapter 5
Source।। स्कन्द उवाच ।। आसीद्राजोपरिचरो वसुनामा पुरा मुने ।। भूभर्त्तुरायोस्तनयः ख्यातश्चासावमावसुः ।। आखण्डलसखो भक्तिं प्राप्तो नारायणे प्रभौ ।। १ ।। धार्मिकः पितृभक्तश्च पितॄन्देवांश्च तर्पयन् ।। सदाचाररतो दक्षः क्षमावाननसूयकः ।। २ ।। सर्वोपकारकः शान्तो ब्रह्मचर्यरतः शुचिः ।। अक्रोधनश्च मितभुङ्मृदुर्निर्व्यसनो मुनिः ।। ३ ।। निर्द्वन्द्वो निर्विकारश्च निर्मानो धीर आत्मवित् ।। निर्द्दम्भो मानदो योगी तपस्वी विजितेन्द्रियः ।। ४ ।। धनपुत्रकलत्रेषु विरक्तः स्वजनादिषु ।। नारायणमनुं भक्त्या स जजापान्वहं नृपः ।। ५ ।। तस्मै तुष्टोऽथ भगवान्वासुदेवः स्वयं ददौ ।। साम्राज्यं सोऽथ नासक्तस्तत्र भेजे तमादरात् ।। ६ ।। तत्रोक्तेन विधानेन पञ्चकालसमाहितः ।। पूजयामास देवेशं तच्छेषेण सुरान्पितॄन्।।७।। तेषां शेषेण विप्राश्च संविभज्याश्रितांश्च सः ।। शेषान्नभुक्सत्यपरः सर्वभूतेष्वहिंसकः।। ।। ८ ।। भक्षणे दोषमविदत्प्राणिमात्रामिषस्य तु ।। महापातकवद्राजा स्वप्रजाश्च तथाऽवदत् ।। ९।। सर्वभावेन भेजेऽसौ देवदेवं जनार्दनम् ।। अनादिमध्यनिधनं लोककर्त्तारमव्ययम्।।2.9.5.१०।। श्रीवासुदेवपदयोः स चकार मनः स्थिरम् ।। श्रोत्रे च नित्यं भगवत्कथायाः श्रवणे नृपः ।।१ १।। नयने स्वे मुकुन्दस्य तद्भक्तानां च दर्शने।। गुणगाने हरेर्वाणीं चक्रे भूमिपतिः स तु।।१२।। नारायणांघ्रिसंस्पृष्ट तुलसीपुष्पसौरभे।। प्राणं चकार च नृपो नान्यगन्धेषु कर्हिचित्।। १३ ।। श्रीशोपभुक्तवस्त्रादि स्पर्शने च त्वचं निजाम्।। चकार रसनामन्ने नारायणनिवेदिते।। १४ ।। भगवन्मन्दिरक्षेत्रसदन्तिकगतौतथा।। चकार चरणौ राजा सेवायां च करौ हरेः।।१५।। उत्तमांगं च चक्रेऽसौ विष्णुपादाभिवन्दने।। सख्यं चकार परमं महाभागवतेषु सः।।१६।। एकोपि न क्षणस्तस्य विना भक्तिं रमापतेः ।। जगाम किल राजर्षेस्तदीय व्रतचारिणः ।।१७ ।। महद्भिरेव संभारैर्विष्णोर्ज्जन्मदिनोत्सवान् ।। चक्रे तदर्थमुद्यानमंदिरोपवनानि च ।। १८ ।। इत्थं नारायणे भक्तिं वहतो ब्राह्मणोत्तम ।। एकशय्यासनं तस्य दत्तवान्देवराट् स्वयम् ।। १९ ।। वैजयन्तीं ददौ मालां तस्मा इन्द्रोऽतिशोभनाम् ।। अम्लानपङ्कजमयीं तथा रत्नानि भूरिशः ।। 2.9.5.२० ।। आत्मा राज्यं धनं चैव कलत्रं वाहनादि च ।। यत्तद्भगवतः सर्वमिति तत्प्रेक्षितं सदा ।। २१ ।। काम्या नैमित्तिकाजस्रं यज्ञियाः परमाः क्रियाः ।। सर्वाः सात्वतमास्थाय विधिं चक्रे समाहितः ।। २२ ।। पञ्चरात्रविदो मुख्यास्तस्य गेहे महात्मनः ।। प्रायणं भगवत्प्रत्तं भुञ्जतेस्माग्रतो द्विजाः ।। २३ ।। तस्य प्रशासतो राज्यं धर्मेणाऽमित्रघातिनः ।। नानृता वाक्समभवन्मनो दुष्टं न चाऽभवत् ।। न च कायेन कृतवान्स पापं परमण्वपि ।। २४ ।। पञ्चरात्रं महातन्त्रं भगवद्भक्तिपुष्टये ।। शुश्रावानुदिनं राजा भगवद्भक्तवक्त्रतः ।। २५ ।। धर्मं संस्थापयञ्छुद्धं रञ्जयन्सकलाः प्रजाः ।। पालयामास पृथिवीं दिवमाखण्डलो यथा ।। २६ ।। अपि सप्तविधस्तस्य राज्ये पललभक्षकः ।। पुमान्कोप्यभवन्नैव न च पाषण्डवेषिणः ।। २७ ।। असाध्यो योषितश्चैव पुरुषाः पारदारिकाः ।। न श्रुतास्तस्य राज्ये च धर्मसंकरकारिणः ।। २८ ।। एकादशविधं मद्यं त्रिविधां च सुरामपि ।। नाजिघ्रदपि कोपीह तस्मिन्राज्यं प्रशासति ।। २९ ।। एवंगुणः स तु क्वापि पक्षपाताद्दिवौकसाम् ।। मिथ्यालापाद्दिवो भ्रष्टः प्रविवेश महीतलम् ।। 2.9.5.३० ।। अन्तर्भूमिगतश्चासौ सततं धर्मवत्सलः ।। नारायणपरो भूत्वा तन्मंत्रमजपत्स्थिरः ।। ३१ ।। तस्यैव च प्रसादेन पुनरेवोत्थितस्तु सः ।। दिवं प्राप्य सुखं तत्र मनोभीष्टं समन्वभूत् ।। ३२ ।। पुनश्चेदिपतिर्भूत्वा भुव्यसौ पितृशापतः ।। पञ्चरात्रोक्तविधिना भेजे हरिमतन्द्रितः ।। ३३ ।। स्वर्गलोकं ततः प्रापद्दिव्यदेहेन भूपतिः ।। उपासनां च तत्रत्यैः परमर्षिगणैः सह ।। ३४।। दृढीकुर्वन्भगवतः कञ्चित्कालमुवास तत् ।। परं पदमथ प्रापद्वासुदेवस्य निर्भयम्।।३५।। ।। ।। इति श्रीस्कान्दे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां द्वितीये वैष्णवखण्डे श्रीवासुदेवमाहात्म्य उपरिचरवसुसद्गुणवर्णनं नाम पंचमोऽध्यायः ।। ५ ।।
|| skanda uvāca || āsīdrājoparicaro vasunāmā purā mune || bhūbhartturāyostanayaḥ khyātaścāsāvamāvasuḥ || ākhaṇḍalasakho bhaktiṃ prāpto nārāyaṇe prabhau || 1 || dhārmikaḥ pitṛbhaktaśca pitṝndevāṃśca tarpayan || sadācārarato dakṣaḥ kṣamāvānanasūyakaḥ || 2 || sarvopakārakaḥ śānto brahmacaryarataḥ śuciḥ || akrodhanaśca mitabhuṅmṛdurnirvyasano muniḥ || 3 || nirdvandvo nirvikāraśca nirmāno dhīra ātmavit || nirddambho mānado yogī tapasvī vijitendriyaḥ || 4 || dhanaputrakalatreṣu viraktaḥ svajanādiṣu || nārāyaṇamanuṃ bhaktyā sa jajāpānvahaṃ nṛpaḥ || 5 || tasmai tuṣṭo'tha bhagavānvāsudevaḥ svayaṃ dadau || sāmrājyaṃ so'tha nāsaktastatra bheje tamādarāt || 6 || tatroktena vidhānena pañcakālasamāhitaḥ || pūjayāmāsa deveśaṃ taccheṣeṇa surānpitṝn||7|| teṣāṃ śeṣeṇa viprāśca saṃvibhajyāśritāṃśca saḥ || śeṣānnabhuksatyaparaḥ sarvabhūteṣvahiṃsakaḥ|| || 8 || bhakṣaṇe doṣamavidatprāṇimātrāmiṣasya tu || mahāpātakavadrājā svaprajāśca tathā'vadat || 9|| sarvabhāvena bheje'sau devadevaṃ janārdanam || anādimadhyanidhanaṃ lokakarttāramavyayam||2.9.5.10|| śrīvāsudevapadayoḥ sa cakāra manaḥ sthiram || śrotre ca nityaṃ bhagavatkathāyāḥ śravaṇe nṛpaḥ ||1 1|| nayane sve mukundasya tadbhaktānāṃ ca darśane|| guṇagāne harervāṇīṃ cakre bhūmipatiḥ sa tu||12|| nārāyaṇāṃghrisaṃspṛṣṭa tulasīpuṣpasaurabhe|| prāṇaṃ cakāra ca nṛpo nānyagandheṣu karhicit|| 13 || śrīśopabhuktavastrādi sparśane ca tvacaṃ nijām|| cakāra rasanāmanne nārāyaṇanivedite|| 14 || bhagavanmandirakṣetrasadantikagatautathā|| cakāra caraṇau rājā sevāyāṃ ca karau hareḥ||15|| uttamāṃgaṃ ca cakre'sau viṣṇupādābhivandane|| sakhyaṃ cakāra paramaṃ mahābhāgavateṣu saḥ||16|| ekopi na kṣaṇastasya vinā bhaktiṃ ramāpateḥ || jagāma kila rājarṣestadīya vratacāriṇaḥ ||17 || mahadbhireva saṃbhārairviṣṇorjjanmadinotsavān || cakre tadarthamudyānamaṃdiropavanāni ca || 18 || itthaṃ nārāyaṇe bhaktiṃ vahato brāhmaṇottama || ekaśayyāsanaṃ tasya dattavāndevarāṭ svayam || 19 || vaijayantīṃ dadau mālāṃ tasmā indro'tiśobhanām || amlānapaṅkajamayīṃ tathā ratnāni bhūriśaḥ || 2.9.5.20 || ātmā rājyaṃ dhanaṃ caiva kalatraṃ vāhanādi ca || yattadbhagavataḥ sarvamiti tatprekṣitaṃ sadā || 21 || kāmyā naimittikājasraṃ yajñiyāḥ paramāḥ kriyāḥ || sarvāḥ sātvatamāsthāya vidhiṃ cakre samāhitaḥ || 22 || pañcarātravido mukhyāstasya gehe mahātmanaḥ || prāyaṇaṃ bhagavatprattaṃ bhuñjatesmāgrato dvijāḥ || 23 || tasya praśāsato rājyaṃ dharmeṇā'mitraghātinaḥ || nānṛtā vāksamabhavanmano duṣṭaṃ na cā'bhavat || na ca kāyena kṛtavānsa pāpaṃ paramaṇvapi || 24 || pañcarātraṃ mahātantraṃ bhagavadbhaktipuṣṭaye || śuśrāvānudinaṃ rājā bhagavadbhaktavaktrataḥ || 25 || dharmaṃ saṃsthāpayañchuddhaṃ rañjayansakalāḥ prajāḥ || pālayāmāsa pṛthivīṃ divamākhaṇḍalo yathā || 26 || api saptavidhastasya rājye palalabhakṣakaḥ || pumānkopyabhavannaiva na ca pāṣaṇḍaveṣiṇaḥ || 27 || asādhyo yoṣitaścaiva puruṣāḥ pāradārikāḥ || na śrutāstasya rājye ca dharmasaṃkarakāriṇaḥ || 28 || ekādaśavidhaṃ madyaṃ trividhāṃ ca surāmapi || nājighradapi kopīha tasminrājyaṃ praśāsati || 29 || evaṃguṇaḥ sa tu kvāpi pakṣapātāddivaukasām || mithyālāpāddivo bhraṣṭaḥ praviveśa mahītalam || 2.9.5.30 || antarbhūmigataścāsau satataṃ dharmavatsalaḥ || nārāyaṇaparo bhūtvā tanmaṃtramajapatsthiraḥ || 31 || tasyaiva ca prasādena punarevotthitastu saḥ || divaṃ prāpya sukhaṃ tatra manobhīṣṭaṃ samanvabhūt || 32 || punaścedipatirbhūtvā bhuvyasau pitṛśāpataḥ || pañcarātroktavidhinā bheje harimatandritaḥ || 33 || svargalokaṃ tataḥ prāpaddivyadehena bhūpatiḥ || upāsanāṃ ca tatratyaiḥ paramarṣigaṇaiḥ saha || 34|| dṛḍhīkurvanbhagavataḥ kañcitkālamuvāsa tat || paraṃ padamatha prāpadvāsudevasya nirbhayam||35|| || || iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ dvitīye vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍe śrīvāsudevamāhātmya uparicaravasusadguṇavarṇanaṃ nāma paṃcamo'dhyāyaḥ || 5 ||
English translation
Note: Uparicara Vasu was a pious king of Cedi , a great devotee of Viṣṇu . Indra was so intimate with him that he shared his seat and bed with him (Mbh, Śānti 335.17-26). Indra gave him his unfading Vaijayantī garland and a heavenly car and so he always moved in the sky and hence came to be known as Upari-cara (Mbh, Ādi 63.13-17). Other details of his life are given in this and the subsequent chapters.
Skanda said :
1. O sage, formerly there was a king called Uparicara Vasu (lit. ‘Vasu who always moved in higher regions’). He was the son of King Āyu [1] and was well-known as Amāvasu . He was a friend of Indra. He got (interested in) devotion unto Lord Nārāyaṇa .
2. He was religious, devoted to his father and propitiated gods and manes. He was engaged in pious conduct, alert and diligent. He was tolerant and envious of none.
3. He rendered assistance to all. He was quiescent, interested in the study of the Vedas (or celibacy), pure, not irascible, moderate in his meals, gentle, free from bad habits, an ascetic.
4. He was unaffacted by pleasure-pain etc., free from passion, bereft of pride, resolute (and self-possessed), and knower of the Self. He was devoid of hypocrisy, gave respect to others. (He was) a Yogī , a performer of penance. He had completely subdued his sense-organs.
5. He was unattached to wealth, sons, wife and other relatives. The king everyday performed devoutly the Japa of Nārāyaṇa.
6. Being pleased with him, Lord Vāsudeva offered him an empire, [2] but he was not interested in it, but propitiated him (Vāsudeva) only respectfully.
7-8. With due attention he used to perform five times the worship of the Lord, according to procedure prescribed in the ( Vaiṣṇava ) Tantra (prob. Pāñcarātra Āgama ). He worshipped gods and manes. He shared what remained (of the previous worship) with Brāhmaṇas and his dependents. And he subsisted on the remaining food. He was devoted to truth and was non-violent towards all living beings.
9. The king knew that consuming flesh of animals was a great sin, and declared so to his subjects.
10. He resorted with all heart to Janārdana , god of goḍs, who has no beginning, middle and end, the imperishable creator of the world.
11-15. The king always concentrated his mind at the feet of Śrī Vāsudeva, [3] and his ears in listening to the story of the Lord. He (devoted) his eyes to the vision of Mukunda , as well as of his devotees. The Lord of the land (king) devoted his speech in praising the qualities of Hari . The king used his nose in smelling the fragrance of Tulasī leaves and flowers, which had touched the feet of Nārāyaṇa, and not any other kind of perfume. He (concentrated) on the touch of the garments enjoyed (used) by the Lord of Śrī (Viṣṇu) to his skin (body). He used his tongue (to take in and enjoy) the food offered to Nārāyaṇa. The king used his feet to go to the sacred precincts of the temple of the Lord, and his hands for th service of Hari.
16. He used his head (the best part of the body) for paying obeisance to the feet of Viṣṇu. He formed intimate friendship with great devotees of the Lord.
17. Not a single moment of the royal sage, who observed the vow of devotion to Viṣṇu, was wasted without (performance of) devotion to the Lord of Ramā .
18. He celebrated with great preparations (and pomp), the festivals of the birth etc. of Viṣṇu. He constructed for this purpose temples, gardens and parks.
19. O excellent Brāhmaṇa , while he was carrying on with such devotion unto Nārāyaṇa, the king of gods (Indra) offered him, of his own accord, participation in his own bed and seat.
20. Indra gave him the most beautiful garland known as Vaijayantī, made of unfading lotuses. Hé also gave him precious stones and jewels in abundance.
21. Everything, his own self, kingdom, wealth, queen, vehicles, were always looked upon by him as belonging to the Lord.
22. With full concentration of mind and devoutly he resorted to the Sātvata form of procedure, and regularly performed all great sacrificial acts, both with desired objects in view, and as demanded by the occasion.
23. In the mansion of that noble soul, prominent Brāhmaṇas, experts in the Pāñcarātra doctrine, generally used to enjoy food offered to the Lord.
24. While the destroyer of enemies ruled in the righteous way, no untruth was uttered (by him), nor did (his) mind get corrupt, not did he commit the slightest sin physically.
25. For the sake of enhancing his devotion unto the Lord the king daily heard the great Tantra called Pāñcarātra from the mouth of devotees of the Lord.
26. Establishing pure religion and gratifying his subjects, the king protected the earth like Indra taking care of heaven.
27. In his kingdom there was no person of the seven varieties of flesh-eaters ( Rākṣasas ) nor were there any wearing the garb of atheists.
28. In his kingdom adulterous women and men seducing the wives of others, or perpetrators of promiscuous, irreligious acts (such as intercaste marriages) were not even heard of.
29. While he ruled his kingdom, nobody even smelt the fragrance of eleven kinds of madya (inebriating drinks) [4] , nor three kinds of Surā (spirituous liquors) [5] (a kind of beer—MW).
30. Though he was endowed with these qualities, on a certain occasion he fell down from heaven and entered the bowels of the earth for speaking an untruth out of partiality for the heaven-dwellers (gods).
31. Even while he was within the bowels of the earth, the king, a lover of piety, remained devoted to Nārāyaṇa and was steady in performing the Japa (muttering the name) of the Lord.
32. Through His grace, he was lifted up again (elevated), from the place. After having attained heaven, he enjoyed pleasures as desired by his mind.
33. Through the curse of his manes, he became the king of Cedi (Bundelkhand and a part of Madhya Pradesh in India ) on the earth. He performed devotion unto Hari delightfully and alertly in the Pāñcarātra way.
34-35. He then attained heaven. With his divine body the king increased his propitiation of the Lord and great sages and staying there for some time, he attained to the abode of the Lord which is free from all fears.
[1]: [1] : This Vasu was Āyu’s descendant and not son. His father’s name was Kṛti. (PE, pp 808-809).
[2]: [2] : According to Mbh, Adi 63.2, Indra gave him the kingdom of Cedi and not Vāsudeva.
[3]: [3] : VV 11-18 describe how Vasu was an Ekāntin devotee of Vāsudeva. These verses explain in a way how to perform such exclusive type of devotion.
[4]: [4] : The following verse gives a list of wines of 11 kinds. Wine was then prepared from grapes, date-palm, palm-trees, coconuts, sugar-canes etc. and each product was regarded as a separate kind of wine.
[5]: [5] : The three kinds of Surā are those prepared from honey, gur (raw sugar) and flour ( mādhvī gauḍī ca paiṣṭī ca trividhā surā )
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 23176, revision 71854 (2016-06-24T10:06:55Z). English is G. V. Tagare’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-skanda-purana/d/doc371744.html and the archival publication witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.