Narayana Krishna

Brahma prayed, ‘“Perhaps exceptionally intelligent people can count the sand particles on Earth or the stars in the sky or dew particles in the air, but it is impossible for any living entity to count Your attributes”.

Using certain modern scientific methodologies, perhaps it is possible to count the sand particles on Earth. To the best of their abilities scientists are trying to count the stars and galaxies in space. Science has advanced significantly, yet as of date they are still unable to decipher what exactly lies at the depth of the ocean. Despite all scientific advancements, it is impossible to count the attributes of the Almighty.

It is said that all computers collectively fail in counting the sand particles on Earth. All the paper created till now and that which will be produced in future will be inadequate to write the final figure of the sand particles on Earth. There is one interesting fable which explains this.

Once a king challenged a person to count the stars in the sky. The person asked for a year’s time to complete the task. He also requested for a year’s stock of groceries be made available for his sustenance. A year later when he was called by the king, the man replied, ‘Yes, I have been successful. Since the final figure was too long to be noted down, I threw one grain of sand on the river bed for every star I counted. You can collect the grains of sand and count them. It will match my calculations’. What did the king achieve through this exercise? Nothing. Meanwhile this man intelligently managed to obtain a life of luxury for a year using the freebies offered. If the stars and the mud particles that are visible to the eyes are said to be beyond the range of calculation, then what to say of the attributes of the Lord who is invisible and infinite?

Lord Brahma continued, “For this reason, the person, who totally surrenders his mind, body and speech to You and who, at every second, looks forward for Your grace, while experiencing the joys and sorrows that arise as a result of his past fruitive activities, who dedicates his ears to listening to Your divine stories and who walks on Your path obtains his rightful share in attaining liberation just as a son inherits his rightful share from his father’s property”.

Such persons offer their entire life to the Lord. They offer their every breath to the Lord. They offer their mind, buddhi and senses in totality to Him and every moment think about Him alone. Undoubtedly, they obtain the worthiness to obtain liberation just as the sons of a rich landlord inherit their father’s property. Needless to say, we, who are created by the Supreme Lord, are all His children. We are living for Him alone. We have offered back to Him the mind, senses and intellect which have been bestowed by Him to us. We are immersed in listening to His divine stories. We have merged into Him. In such case, we obtain liberation.

Brahma continued, “O Lord, look at my wickedness. I sought to cast my spell and prove my greatness to You, who are the all-pervading, who are the cause for all causes and who are the supreme conjurer whose spell deludes all other conjurers”.

Since You have incarnated as a human on Earth, I wanted to show my supremacy over You. Foolishly I believed that You had set aside Your illusionary energy in Vaikunṭha and had descended to Earth as a mere mortal. Therefore, I wanted to cover You with my illusion- implied Brahma.

“This was the outcome of my arrogance and ignorance”.

This was the outcome of my half-baked knowledge. Had I been completely ignorant, I would have looked up to You with devotion. Had I been completely dim-witted, I could be addressed a fool. What enveloped me was wilful ignorance. In other words, it was ignorance mixed with arrogance. Due to this I tried to put You, my creator, under the spell of my illusion. I do not know if I desired to witness Your illusionary energy, whether I wanted to test it or whether I desired to understand myself. Whatever could be the reason, I erred.

“O Lord, what am I, who am just like an insignificant spark within a huge fire, before You? O imperishable Lord! I, who have emerged out of the traits of action (rajas), failed to understand Your glory and magnitude. Blinded by arrogance, I considered myself to be a Lord who has an independent existence at par with You.

O Lord, due to the association with illusion, which is birthless, my mind is thickly clouded. Having lost discriminatory wisdom, I forgot the do’s and don’ts. I turned egoistic that I am self-originated. O Lord, apart from You I have no other protector. Please shower Your compassionate glance upon me and forgive me”.

Brahma surrendered whole-heartedly to the Lord.

“O Lord, in this infinite pot known as the vast universal egg that covers the entire creation, what can be the position of this insignificant being, who is situated within the body that measures just seven feet and which comprises of the sheaths known as primordial- nature, cosmic intelligence (mahat), composite egoism (samisti ahamkara), space, wind, fire, water and earth?”

In this infinite universe, I am just a seven-foot insignificant being.

Narayana Narayana Srihari Krishna