Anushasanika Parva — The prosperity following the worship of the Brahmanas

Yudhishthira said You always worship, O king, Brahmanas of praiseworthy vows. What, however, is that fruit sceing which you adore them, O king?

O you of high vows, secing what prosperity of the worship of the Brahmanas, do you worship them? Tell me all this, you of mighty arms.

Bhishma said Here is Keshava gifted with great intelligence. He will tell you everything. Of high vows and gifted with prosperity, he will tell you what the prosperity is of the worship of Brahmanas.

My strength, cars, speech, mind, eyes, and that clear understanding of mine, are all clouded today. I think the time is not distant when I shall have to renounce my body. The Sun seems to me to go very slowly.

Those high duties, O king, which are mentioned in the Puranas as observed by Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaishyas and Shudras, have all been described by me. Do you, O son of Pritha, learn from Krishna what little remains to be learnt about them.

I know Krishna truly. I know who he is and what his ancient might is. O chief of the Kauravas, Keshava is of immeasurable soul. Whenever doubts arise, it is he who upholds virtue then.

It is Krishna who created the Earth, Sky, and Heaven. Indeed, the Earth has originated from Krishna's body. Of dreadful prowess and existing from the beginning of time, it is Krishna who became the powerful Boar and raised the submerged Earth. It is He who created all the cardinal points, together with all the mountains.

Below Him are the sky, Heaven, the four cardinal points, and ihe four subsidiary points. It is from Him that the entirc crcation has emanated. It is He who has created this ancient universe.

In His navel appeared a Lotus. Within that Lotus originated Brahman, himself of immeasurable energy. It was Brahman, O son of Pritha, who broke open that darkness which existed surpassing the very occan (in depth and extent).

In the Krita age, O Partha, Krishna existed in the form of Virtuc. In the Treta age, he existed in the form of Knowledge. In the Dvapara age, he existed in the form of power. In the Kali age, he came to the Earth in the form of sin.

It is He who formerly killed the Dailyas. It is he who is the Ancient God. It is He who ruled the Asuras in the form of their Emperor (Balin). It is He who is the Creator of all beings. It is He who is also the fulure of all created Beings. It is He who is also the protector of this universe having the seed of destruction.

When the cause of Virtue suffers, this Krishna takes birth in the family of either the gods or among men. Staying on Virtuc, this Krishna of purified soul (on such occasions) protects both the higher and the lower worlds.

Sparing those who deserve to be spared, Krishna sets himself to the destruction of the Asuras, O Partha. It is he who is all acts proper and improper and it is he who is the cause. It is Krishna who is the act done, the act to be done, and the act that is being done. Know that the illustrious one is Rahu and Soma and Shakra.

It is he who is Vishvakarman. It is he who is of universal forin. He is the destroyer and he is the Creator of the universe. He is the holder of the Shula (lance); He is of human form; and he is of terrible forin. All crcatures sing his praises, for he is known by his decds.

Hundreds of Gandharvas and Apsaras and celestials always accompany him. The very Rakshasas sing his praises. He is the Enhancer of Wealth; He is the one Victorian Being in the universe.

In Sacrifices, cloqucnt men sing His praises. The singers of Samans praise him by reciting the Rathantaras. The Brahmanas praise him with Vedic Mantras. It is to him that the sacrificial priests pour their libations.

The celestials headed by Indra sang his praises when he lifted up thc Gobardhana mountains for protecting the cowherds of Vrindavan against the incessant showers that Indra poured in anger. He is, O Bharata, the one Blessing to all creatures. He, O Bharata, having entered the old Brahmacave, saw from that place the original cover of the world in the beginning of time.

Agitating all the Danavas and the Asuras, this Krishna of foremost deeds rescued the Earth. It is to Him that people dedicate various kinds of food, It is to Him that the warriors dedicate all kings of their cars at the time of war.

He is eternal, and it is under that illustrious one that the Sky, Earth, Heaven, all things exist and stay. He it was who caused the vital seed of the gods Mitra and Varuna to fall within a jar, whence originated thc Rishi known by the name of Vasishtha.

It is Krishna who is the god of wind; it is he who is the powerful Ashvins; it is he who is that first of gods, viz., the Sun living a thousand rays. It is he by whom the Asuras have been subjugated. It is he who covered the three worlds with three footsteps.

He is the soul of the celestials and human beings, and Pitris. It is he who is the Sacrifice performed by those persons who are conversant with the rituals of sacrifices. It is he who rises every day in the sky (in the form of the Sun) and divides Time into day and night, and courses for half the year northwards and for half the years southwards.

Innumerable rays of light come out from his upwards and downwards and transversely and illumine the Earth. Brahmanas conversant with the Vedas worship him. Taking a portion of his rays the Sun shines in the sky. Month after month, the sacrificer ordains him as a sacrifice. Twiccborn persons conversant with the Vedas hymn his praises in sacrifices of all kinds. He it is who is the wheel of the year, having three naves and seven horses to drag it. It is thus that the supports the seasons.

Gifted with great energy, pervading all things, the foremost of all creatures, it is Krishna who alone upholds all the worlds. He is the Sun, the remover of all darkness. He is the Creator of all. Do you, O hero, approach that Krishna.

Once on a time, the great and powerful Krishna lives, for a while, in the form of Agni in the forest of Khandava among some straw or dry grass. Soon was he pleased. Capable of going everywhere at will, it was Krishna who, having subjugated the Rakshasas and Uragas, poured thein as libations upon the burning fire.

It is Krishna who gave to Arjuna a number of white horses. It is he who is the creator of all horses. This world represents his car. He it is who yokes that car for setting it in motion. That car has three whcels. It has three kinds of motion. It has four horses yoked it. It has three naves.

It is this Krishna who is the refuge of the five original elements with the sky among them. It is he who created the Earth and Heaven and the intervening space. Indeed, it is the Krishna of immeasurable and burning energy who has created the forests and the mountains. It is this Krishna who, desirous of punishing Shakra who was about to hurl his thunder at him, crossed the rivers and at once paralysed him. He is the one great Indra who is worshipped by the Brahmanas in great sacrifices with the help of a thousand old Richs.

It was this Krishna, O king, who alone was able to keep the highly energetic Rishi Durvasas as a guest for some time in his house. He is said to be the one ancient Rishi. He is the Creator of the universe. Indeed, he creates everything from his own nature.

Superior to all the celestials, it is he who teaches all the deities. He scrupulously observes all ancient ordinances. Know, O king, that this Krishna, who is called Vishvaksena, is the fruit of all deeds which relate to pleasure, of all deeds which are founded on the Vedas, and of all deeds which appertain to the world.

He is the white rays of light which are seen in all the worlds. He is the threc worlds. He is the thrce Regents of all the worlds. He is the threc sacrificial fires He is the three Vyahritis; indeed, this son of Devaki is all the gods together.

He is the Ycar; He is the Season; He is the Fortnights; He is the Day and the Night; He is those divisions of time which are called Kalas, and Kashthas, and Matras, and Muhurtas, and Lavas, and Kshanas, Know that this Vishvaksena is all these.

The Moon and the Sun, the Planets, the Constellations, and the Stars, all the Parva days, including the day of the full moon, the conjunctions of the constellations, and the seasons, have, O son of Pritha, emanated from this Krishna who is Vishvaksena.

The Rudras, the Adityas, the Vasus, the Ashvins, the Saddhyas, the Vishvedevas, the Maruts, Prajapati himself, the mother of the celestials, viz., Aditi and the seven Rishis, have all originated from Krishna.

Changing himself into the Wind, he scatters the universe. Of universal form, he becomes fire which consumes all things. Changing himself into Water, he drenches and submerges all, and assuming the form of Brahmans, he creates all the various animate and inanimate creatures.

He is himself the Veda, yet he learns all the Vedas. He is himself all the ordinances, yet he observes all the ordinances which have been laid down in matters connccted with Righteousness and the Vedas and that force or might which rules the world. Indeed, know, O Yudhishthira, that this Keshava is all the mobile and immobile universe.

He is of the form of the most resplendent light. Of universal form, this Krishna is shorn in that blazing cffulgence. The original cause of the soul of all existent crcatures, he at first created the waters. Afterwards he created this universe.

Know that this Krishna is Vishnu. Know him to be the soul of the entire universe. Know him to be all the scasons; he is these various wonderful visitations of Nature which we sec; he is the clouds that pour rain and the lightning which fleshes in the sky. He is the clephant Airavata. In fact, he is the immobile and mobile universe.

The clay of the universe and above all attributes, this Krishna is Vasudeva When he becomes individual soul he is called Sankarshana. Next, he changes himself into Pradyumna and them into Aniruddha. Thus, the great Krishna, who has sprung from himself, divides himself in fourfold form.

For crcating this universe which consists of the five primal elements, he begins this work, and causcs it to go on in the fivefold form of animate existence containing celestial and Asuras and human beings and beasts and birds. He it is who then creates the Earth and the Wind, the Sky, Light, and also Water, O son of Pritha.

Having created this universe of immobile and mobile objects divided into four orders of being (viz., viviparous, oviparous, vegetable, and fifthborn), he then created the Earth with her five fold seed. He then created the Sky for pouring copious rain on the Earth,

Forsooth, O king, it is this Krishna who has created this universe. He has originated from his own self; it is he who causes all things to exist through his own power. He it is who has created the celestials, the Asuras, the human beings, the worlds, the Rishis, the departed manes and all creatures. Desirous of creating, that Lord of all creatures duly created the entire universe of life. Know that good and evil, mobile and immobile, have all originated from this one who is Vishvaksena. Whatever exists, and whatever will come into being, all is Keshava. This Krishna is also the death which overtakes all creatures when their end comes. He is eternal and it is he who upholds the cause of Virtue Whatever existed in the past, and whatever we do not know, indeed, all that also is this Vishvaksena.

All that is noble and meritorious in the universe, all that is good and evil, is Keshava who is inconccivable. Hence, it is absurd to think of anything which is superior to Keshava.

Keshava is such. More than this. He is Narayana, the highest of the high, immutable and undecaying. He is the cternal and changeless cause of the entire mobile and immobile universe with its beginning, middle, and end, as also of all creatures whose birth follows their wish.