Vāsudeva-māhātmya · Chapter 30
Source।। स्कन्द उवाच ।। वासुदेवार्चनविधिं निशम्येत्थं स नारदः ।। प्रसन्नः पुनरप्राक्षीत्तं मुनीनां परं गुरुम् ।। १ ।। नारद उवाच ।। सम्यगुक्तो भगवता क्रियायोगो महाफलः ।। एकेन मनसा योऽसौ कार्यः सिद्धिमभीप्सुभिः ।। २ ।। मनसो निग्रहस्तत्र ज्ञानिनामपि सद्गुरो ।। दुष्करः किं पुनस्तर्हि नृणां कर्मात्मनां भुवि ।। ३ ।। तमृते तु हरेरर्चा नाभीष्टफलदायिनी ।। अतस्तन्निग्रहोपायमपि मे वक्तुमर्हसि ।। ४ ।। स्कन्द उवाच ।। इत्यापृष्टः स मुनिना मुनीन्द्रः सर्वदर्शनः ।। नारायणो नरसखो नारदं तमभाषत ।। ५ ।। श्रीनारायण उवाच ।। सत्यमेव मुने वक्षि मनसोस्ति बलं महत् ।। जितेपि यस्मिन्विश्वासः शत्रुवन्न विवेकिनाम् ।। ६ ।। मनसा सदृशोन्यस्तु शत्रुर्न्नास्त्येव देहिनाम् ।। विष्णुध्यानाभ्यासयोगान्निर्दोषं तद्धि शाम्यति ।। ७ ।। अदान्ताश्ववदेवैतद्यतोस्ति दुरवग्रहम् ।। अतो वैराग्ययुक्पुम्भिः सदुपायैर्निगृह्यते ।। ८ ।। उपायास्तत्र बहवः सन्ति तेष्वपि सन्मते ।। अष्टांगयोगस्याभ्यासः श्रेष्ठः सद्यः फलप्रदः ।। ९ ।। यमाश्च नियमा ब्रह्मन्नासनान्यसुसंयमः ।। प्रत्याहारो धारणा च ध्यानमंगं तु सप्तमम् ।। समाधिश्चाष्टमं प्रोक्तं योगस्यानुक्रमेण वै ।। 2.9.30.१० ।। तत्राऽहिंसाब्रह्मचर्य सत्यास्तेयापरिग्रहाः ।। एते पञ्च यमाः प्रोक्ताः साधनीयाः प्रयत्नतः ।।११ ।। शौचं तपश्च संतोषः स्वाध्यायो विष्णुपूजनम् ।। एते च नियमाः पञ्च द्वितीयांगतया मताः ।। १२ ।। परिहायांगचाञ्चल्यं यथासुखतया स्थितिः ।। तदासनं स्वस्तिकादिप्रोक्तं द्वन्द्वार्त्तिजिन्मुने ।। १३ ।। चरतां सर्वतोऽसूनामेकदेशे तु धारणम् ।। गुरूपदिष्टरीत्यैव प्राणायामः स उच्यते ।। १४ ।। चले वायौ चलं चित्तं स्थिरे तस्मिन्स्थिरं ततः ।। सुदेशेऽयं सदाऽभ्यस्यः पूरकुम्भकरेचकैः ।। १५ ।। मनसेन्द्रियवृत्तीनां तत्तद्विषयतश्च यत् ।। आकर्षणं प्रतीचीनं प्रत्याहारः स ईरितः ।। १६ ।। नाभ्याद्यन्यतमे स्थाने प्राणेन सह चेतसः ।। वासुदेवस्वरूपे यद्धारणं धारणोदिता ।। १७ ।। एकैकावयवस्यैव चिन्तनं यत्पृथक्पृथक् ।। पदाब्जादेर्भगवतस्तद्ध्यानमिति कीर्तितम् ।। १८ ।। निरोधः प्राणमनसोरतिप्रेम्णा हरौ तु यः ।। स समाधिरिति प्रोक्तो योगिनामभिवाञ्छितः ।। १९ ।। अंगैरष्टभिरेतैर्हि शिक्षितैः सिद्धसद्गुरोः ।। योगः सिद्ध्यति वै पुंसां समाधेः पक्वतात्मकः ।। 2.9.30.२० ।। नैतादृशं परं सम्यङ् मनोनिग्रहसाधनम्।। पुरुषाणां मुमुक्षूणामिति जानीहि नारद ।। २१ ।। तपस्विनां महाशत्रोर्ब्रह्माण्डक्षोभकादपि ।। मदनान्नाभयं किञ्चिद्योगिनस्त्वस्ति कर्हिचित् ।। २२ ।। आयास्यन्तं विहित्वैव सोन्तकालं च योगवित् ।। स्वातन्त्र्येणैव देहं स्वं त्यजतीत्थं समाधिना ।। २३ ।। पार्ष्णिभ्यां गुदमापीड्य वायुं पादद्वयस्थितम् ।। शनैःशनैः समाकृष्य मृत्युस्थानं नयत्यमुम् ।। २४ ।। मनसा केशवं ध्यायंस्तन्मनुं च षडक्षरम् ।। जपस्ततोऽमुं नयति वायुं स्थानं प्रजापतेः ।। २५ ।। ततो नाभिं च हदयमुरः कण्ठं च योगवित् ।। नयति भ्रुकुटिवायुं वासुदेवपरायणः ।। २६ ।। एतेषु षट्सु स्थानेषु त्वेकैकस्मिन्पृथक्पृथक् ।। योगी प्राणमनोक्षाणां निरोधं च विसर्जनम् ।। तावदभ्यसति स्वस्य यावत्स्यात्तत्स्वतन्त्रता ।। २७ ।। जितंजितं विहायैव स्थानं याति परं परम् ।। प्राप्तस्य स्थानकं षष्ठं तदभ्यासे श्रमो न हि ।। २८ ।। सप्तच्छिद्राणि रुद्ध्वाऽथ प्राणमक्षमनोयुतम् ।। प्रापय्य तालु व्रजति ब्रह्मरन्ध्रं स योगवित् ।। २९ ।। मायामयपदार्थानां ततो हित्वैव वासनाः ।। स वासुदेवैकमनास्त्यजति स्वकलेवरम्।। 2.9.30.३० ।। ततो भगवतो धाम श्रीकृष्णस्य तमःपरम् ।। उपेत्य सेवमानस्तं नन्दते दिव्यविग्रहः ।। ३१ ।। इति ते कथितो ब्रह्मन्योगशास्त्रस्य संग्रहः ।। जित्वा तेन मनः स्वीयं तमाराधय सर्वदा ।। ३२ ।। इति श्रीस्कान्दे महापुराण एकाशीति साहस्र्यां संहितायां द्वितीये वैष्णवखण्डे श्रीवासुदेवमाहात्म्येऽष्टांगयोगनिरूपणं नाम त्रिंशोऽध्यायः ।। ३० ।।
|| skanda uvāca || vāsudevārcanavidhiṃ niśamyetthaṃ sa nāradaḥ || prasannaḥ punaraprākṣīttaṃ munīnāṃ paraṃ gurum || 1 || nārada uvāca || samyagukto bhagavatā kriyāyogo mahāphalaḥ || ekena manasā yo'sau kāryaḥ siddhimabhīpsubhiḥ || 2 || manaso nigrahastatra jñānināmapi sadguro || duṣkaraḥ kiṃ punastarhi nṛṇāṃ karmātmanāṃ bhuvi || 3 || tamṛte tu harerarcā nābhīṣṭaphaladāyinī || atastannigrahopāyamapi me vaktumarhasi || 4 || skanda uvāca || ityāpṛṣṭaḥ sa muninā munīndraḥ sarvadarśanaḥ || nārāyaṇo narasakho nāradaṃ tamabhāṣata || 5 || śrīnārāyaṇa uvāca || satyameva mune vakṣi manasosti balaṃ mahat || jitepi yasminviśvāsaḥ śatruvanna vivekinām || 6 || manasā sadṛśonyastu śatrurnnāstyeva dehinām || viṣṇudhyānābhyāsayogānnirdoṣaṃ taddhi śāmyati || 7 || adāntāśvavadevaitadyatosti duravagraham || ato vairāgyayukpumbhiḥ sadupāyairnigṛhyate || 8 || upāyāstatra bahavaḥ santi teṣvapi sanmate || aṣṭāṃgayogasyābhyāsaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ sadyaḥ phalapradaḥ || 9 || yamāśca niyamā brahmannāsanānyasusaṃyamaḥ || pratyāhāro dhāraṇā ca dhyānamaṃgaṃ tu saptamam || samādhiścāṣṭamaṃ proktaṃ yogasyānukrameṇa vai || 2.9.30.10 || tatrā'hiṃsābrahmacarya satyāsteyāparigrahāḥ || ete pañca yamāḥ proktāḥ sādhanīyāḥ prayatnataḥ ||11 || śaucaṃ tapaśca saṃtoṣaḥ svādhyāyo viṣṇupūjanam || ete ca niyamāḥ pañca dvitīyāṃgatayā matāḥ || 12 || parihāyāṃgacāñcalyaṃ yathāsukhatayā sthitiḥ || tadāsanaṃ svastikādiproktaṃ dvandvārttijinmune || 13 || caratāṃ sarvato'sūnāmekadeśe tu dhāraṇam || gurūpadiṣṭarītyaiva prāṇāyāmaḥ sa ucyate || 14 || cale vāyau calaṃ cittaṃ sthire tasminsthiraṃ tataḥ || sudeśe'yaṃ sadā'bhyasyaḥ pūrakumbhakarecakaiḥ || 15 || manasendriyavṛttīnāṃ tattadviṣayataśca yat || ākarṣaṇaṃ pratīcīnaṃ pratyāhāraḥ sa īritaḥ || 16 || nābhyādyanyatame sthāne prāṇena saha cetasaḥ || vāsudevasvarūpe yaddhāraṇaṃ dhāraṇoditā || 17 || ekaikāvayavasyaiva cintanaṃ yatpṛthakpṛthak || padābjāderbhagavatastaddhyānamiti kīrtitam || 18 || nirodhaḥ prāṇamanasoratipremṇā harau tu yaḥ || sa samādhiriti prokto yogināmabhivāñchitaḥ || 19 || aṃgairaṣṭabhiretairhi śikṣitaiḥ siddhasadguroḥ || yogaḥ siddhyati vai puṃsāṃ samādheḥ pakvatātmakaḥ || 2.9.30.20 || naitādṛśaṃ paraṃ samyaṅ manonigrahasādhanam|| puruṣāṇāṃ mumukṣūṇāmiti jānīhi nārada || 21 || tapasvināṃ mahāśatrorbrahmāṇḍakṣobhakādapi || madanānnābhayaṃ kiñcidyoginastvasti karhicit || 22 || āyāsyantaṃ vihitvaiva sontakālaṃ ca yogavit || svātantryeṇaiva dehaṃ svaṃ tyajatītthaṃ samādhinā || 23 || pārṣṇibhyāṃ gudamāpīḍya vāyuṃ pādadvayasthitam || śanaiḥśanaiḥ samākṛṣya mṛtyusthānaṃ nayatyamum || 24 || manasā keśavaṃ dhyāyaṃstanmanuṃ ca ṣaḍakṣaram || japastato'muṃ nayati vāyuṃ sthānaṃ prajāpateḥ || 25 || tato nābhiṃ ca hadayamuraḥ kaṇṭhaṃ ca yogavit || nayati bhrukuṭivāyuṃ vāsudevaparāyaṇaḥ || 26 || eteṣu ṣaṭsu sthāneṣu tvekaikasminpṛthakpṛthak || yogī prāṇamanokṣāṇāṃ nirodhaṃ ca visarjanam || tāvadabhyasati svasya yāvatsyāttatsvatantratā || 27 || jitaṃjitaṃ vihāyaiva sthānaṃ yāti paraṃ param || prāptasya sthānakaṃ ṣaṣṭhaṃ tadabhyāse śramo na hi || 28 || saptacchidrāṇi ruddhvā'tha prāṇamakṣamanoyutam || prāpayya tālu vrajati brahmarandhraṃ sa yogavit || 29 || māyāmayapadārthānāṃ tato hitvaiva vāsanāḥ || sa vāsudevaikamanāstyajati svakalevaram|| 2.9.30.30 || tato bhagavato dhāma śrīkṛṣṇasya tamaḥparam || upetya sevamānastaṃ nandate divyavigrahaḥ || 31 || iti te kathito brahmanyogaśāstrasya saṃgrahaḥ || jitvā tena manaḥ svīyaṃ tamārādhaya sarvadā || 32 || iti śrīskānde mahāpurāṇa ekāśīti sāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ dvitīye vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍe śrīvāsudevamāhātmye'ṣṭāṃgayoganirūpaṇaṃ nāma triṃśo'dhyāyaḥ || 30 ||
English translation
Note: This chapter is based on Patañjali ’s Yoga Sūtras .
Skanda said :
1. Having heard the procedure of the worship of Vāsudeva in this way, Nārada became pleased. He addressed again the supreme preceptor of sages.
Nārada said :
2. The Kriyā-Yoga bestowing the great fruit (i.e. liberation from Saṃsāra ) has been properly elucidated by Your Lordship. It should be practised with concentrated mind by persons desirous of Siddhi ( Mokṣa ).
3. O excellent preceptor! But control of the mind is very difficult to be achieved even by persons endowed with knowledge. What can one say about those men whose minds are involved in Karmas in this world!
4. Except that (i.e. control of the mind) the worship of Hari is not conducive to desired fruit. Hence it behoves you to expound to me the means of controlling it.
Skanda said :
5. Thus enquired by the sage, Nārāyaṇa , the Lord of sages, the omniscient friend of Nara , spoke to Nārada.
Śrī Nārāyaṇa said :
6. O sage! What you state is true. The mind has immense power. Even if it is subdued, thoughtful people place no faith in it as in an enemy.
7. In the case of embodied beings, there is no enemy comparable to mind. Through the yogic practice of meditation on Viṣṇu it becomes free from defects and gets quiescent.
8. As it is very difficult to bring it under control like an untamed horse, it is to be controlled with firm, virtuous means by men endowed with disaffection for worldly pleasures.
9. There are many means (for this purpose), but out of them, according to the view of saints, the practice of Aṣṭāṅga-Yoga (‘ Yoga of eight limbs’) is the most important and giver of immediate fruit.
10. O Brāhmaṇa , Yama (moral restraints), Niyama (voluntary religious observances); Āsana (bodily postures), control of breath, Pratyāhāra (withdrawing from objects of pleasure), Dhāraṇā (fixing the mind on one object), the seventh Aṅga Dhyāna (abstract contemplation) and Samādhi (perfect absorption of the mind in the Supreme Spirit), the eighth—this is the order (of successive steps) in Yoga.
11. Among them nonviolence, celibacy, truth, non-stealing and non-possession—these five are Yamas . They are to be practised with effort.
12. Purity, penance, contentment, study of Vedas and worship of Viṣṇu—these five Niyamas constitute the second Aṅga.
13. Giving up unsteadiness of the body and maintaining it in a comfortable position as in Svastika and other postures is called Āsana and it conquers the mental distress from pairs of opposites (such as pleasure and pain).
14. Holding at one place the vital breaths that wander everywhere, according to the method advised by the spiritual preceptor, is called Prāṇāyāma (‘breath control’).
15-16. When the wind (i.e. vital breath) is unsteady, the mind gets unsteady. When it (i.e. the vital breath) is steady, the mind gets steady. This should always be practised in a pure place by means of Pūraka (inhalation), Kuṃbhaka (i.e. holding within the inhaled air), Recaka (exhalation).
The backward pull of the mind and the propensities of the sense-organs from their respective objects is called Pratyāhāra .
17. Fixation of the mind along with the vital breath in the form of Vāsudeva in different places (i.e. Yogic plexuses) from the navel ( Mūlādhāra Cakra ) to other places is called Dhāraṇā .
18. The (progressive) meditation on each part of the Lord’s person separately beginning from his lotus-feet is called Dhyāna .
19. The absorption (holding in) of the vital breath and the mind in Hari with deep love is called Samādhi . It is very much coveted by Yogins .
20. This Yoga is accomplished by men who have been trained in these eight Aṅgas by spiritual preceptors who themselves have been Siddhas (‘Masters of Yoga’). It consists of perfection of Samādhi .
21. O Nārada! Know that there is no other proper means of controlling the mind like this in case of men desirous of liberation from Saṃsāra.
22. There is absolutely no fear to Yogins from Madana (‘god of Love’) who is the arch-enemy of performers of penance and the agitator of the universe.
23. A knower of Yoga avoids the coming time of deaṃ and quite independently gives up his body by (entering into) Samādhi .
24. By pressing the anus by both of his heels and gradually drawing up the vital breath between the two feet, he takes it to the position of death ( Mṛtyu ).
25. Meditating upon Keśava with his mind and muttering his six-syllabled Mantra (i.e. keśavāya namaḥ ), he takes his vital breaṃ to the position of Prajāpati (in his own body).
26. A knower of Yoga, a devotee of Vāsudeva draws the breath up to the navel, heart, chest, and throat and the (middle of the) eyebrows. (These parts of the body indicate the different Yogic plexuses, Cakras , in the body from Mūlādhāra to Ājñā Cakra .)
27. A Yogī practices withholding (control) and releasing of Prāṇa (vital breaṃ), mind and senses in these six places ( Cakras ) one by one till he has that independence (and ability to do so).
28. Conquering each place one by one and leaving it behind, he proceeds to the next (higher) post. He who has reached the sixth place (i.e. Ājñācakra) has no trouble and fatigue in that practice.
29. After closing down the seven apertures and bringing the vital breath accompanied with the senses and mind to the crown of the head, [1] a knower of Yoga advances to (the aperture in the crown of the head called) Brahma-randhra .
30. Then after giving up desires for all Māyic objects, he identifies his mind with Vāsudeva and abandons his mortal coil.
31. Then coming to the abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa which is beyond darkness, he, endowed with a celestial body, lives in bliss, serving the Lord.
32. Thus, O Brāhmaṇa, the epitome of the science of Yoga has been narrated to you. Conquering your mind thereby propitiate him forever.
[1]: [1] : I have thus translated Tālu on the basis of Yogic Texts, even though the dictionary meaning of Tālu is Palate .
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 23201, revision 71879 (2016-06-24T10:26:48Z). English is G. V. Tagare’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-skanda-purana/d/doc371769.html and the archival publication witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.