Vishnave namah
Maharishi Śuka continued, “In various ways King Ambarīṣa worshipped and glorified the Surdarshana discus, which is a weapon of the Supreme Lord.
Tvam agnir bhagavān sūryas tvaṁ somo jyotiṣāṁ patiḥ Tvam āpas tvaṁ kṣitir vyoma vāyur mātrendriyāṇi ca
O Lord, the five gross elements such as earth, the five subtle sensory perceptions such as sound, the senses, the venerable Sun-god and the Moon-god who is the ruler for all stars are all your forms.
sudarśana namas tubhyaṁ sahasrārācyuta-priya sarvāstra-ghātin viprāya svasti bhūyā iḍaspate
O holy discus Sudarshana! Please accept my obeisance. You who are dear to Lord Srihari possess thousand razor-sharp edges. You destroy all weapons in order to protect to earth. Please protect this great saint.
You are the personification of righteousness. You are the pleasant, truthful speech. Yagna is your form. You are the enjoyer of all the results of Yagna. You are the ruler of all universes. You are the essence of every existence. You are the radiance of the all-powerful Lord.
O slender-waisted discus! You uphold righteousness in entirety. You reduce to ashes the demons who are full of demonic tendencies. Like a comet you cause inauspiciousness to them. Your unblemished radiance protects all the three worlds. You accomplish extra-ordinary, wonderous deeds at the speed of mind. I offer obeisance to you.
O leader of my speech! Your effulgence which is virtuous drives away ignorance and difficulties in noble persons while bestowing prosperity and knowledge to them. Your glory is infinite. This world which is the outcome of cause and effectual relationship and which is both true and false in reality is nothing but your form!
O undefeatable discus! When the pure, unblemished Lord Srihari uses you to destroy huge armies of demons known as Daityas and Danavas, you rush forth speedily endlessly separating their heads, shoulders, thighs and stomachs while shining radiantly.
O discus which protects the universe! You are an epitome of patience. The Lord who holds the mace uses you to destroy the wicked and protect this universe. In order to bring auspiciousness to our lineage, please cause auspiciousness to this Maharishi. Protecting this great saint is equivalent of protecting us.
If I have diligently performed Yagnas and engaged in charitable activities, if I have strictly abided by my stipulated righteous duties, if my lineage has always revered Vedic erudite scholars, then may this erudite Vedic scholar be freed from all suffering!
Yadi no bhagavān prīta ekaḥ sarva-guṇāśrayaḥ Sarva-bhūtātma-bhāvena dvijo bhavatu vijvaraḥ
I possess non-dual feelings towards every living entity. If the Supreme Lord who is non-dual, who is the repository of every noble trait is truly pleased with me, then may this Vedic scholar be freed from this precarious situation!”
Instantaneously the Sudarshana discus, which was burning Maharishi Durvasa from all directions, became calm and peaceful. Maharishi Durvasa was freed from all suffering. Composing himself, the great saint who was extremely pleased, lauded the King while showering blessings upon him. He said,
“How astonishing is this! You are truly great. Although you have been harmed by me, you still seek my well-being. Today I have experienced the greatness of the devotees of the Supreme Lord. Is there anything which cannot be accomplished or which cannot be given up by ardent devotees who firmly seat Lord Srihari, the protector of devotees, in their heart? ** Yan-nāma-śruti-mātreṇa pumān bhavati nirmalaḥ Tasya tīrtha-padaḥ kiṁ vā dāsānām avaśiṣyate**
Lord Srihari’s lotus feet are the refuge for Ganga and other sacred rivers. Merely by hearing His divine name the person gets purified. How then can obligatory duties continue to remain in devotees of the Lord? You are so merciful and kindhearted. You have saved me. Without giving much importance to my mistake you have graciously saved my life”- said Maharishi Durvasa.
King Ambarīṣa, who was waiting for the sage’s arrival, had not yet taken his food. Hearing these words of the sage, King Ambarīṣa fell at his lotus feet. He pleased him and then fed him appropriately”.
Both Ambarīṣa and the sage had not eaten for such long time. The sage could not eat as he was running helter-skelter trying to save his life. Ambarīṣa did not eat as he was waiting for his guest to eat.
In great reverence, the king fed Maharishi Durvasa very tasty, sumptuous meal. Satisfied after his meal, the sage permitted the king to have food.
Thereafter Maharishi Durvasa said to the king, “O King! You are an exalted devotee of the Lord. Just by seeing you, taking to you and touching you I have been blessed. I am greatly delighted at this hospitality offered in which you have fixed your mind solely upon the Supreme Lord.The divine ladies of heaven will endlessly chant your glory, which is pure and unblemished. Even inhabitants of Earth will forever recapitulate your divine glory”.
With the permission of the King, Maharishi Durvasa then left for the supreme abode of Brahma, which cannot be obtained as a result of fruitive activities.
A time period of one year had elapsed from the time the Sudarshana discus had begun to chase the sage and before it set him free. For a period of an entire year King Ambarīṣa had fasted by drinking only water while waiting for the sage’s arrival. He sustained only on water for a period of one year!
Only after Maharishi Durvasa had eaten, King Ambarīṣa broke his fast. He took the remnants of the sage’s food as prasada. Ambarīṣa realized that the precarious situation faced by the sage and his own ability to successfully emerge from that predicament were nothing but the grace showered by the Supreme Lord.
Ambarīṣa was a repository of many noble, divine traits. He had absolute devotion towards the Supreme Lord who had, in his incarnation as Srikrishna, displayed many transcendental sports. Being in the highest state of devotion he considered all material and heavenly comforts as hellish in nature. Ambarīṣa, who possessed the wisdom to discern between Self and non-Self objects, fixed his mind completely upon Vāsudeva, who is the Self, and through this was able to travel beyond these worldly bondages that are caused due to the effect of the three attributes of Nature.
Some time elapsed in this manner. Thereafter King Ambarīṣa retired to the forests after dividing his property amongst his sons.
Ity etat puṇyam ākhyānam ambarīṣasya bhūpate Saṅkīrtayann anudhyāyan bhakto bhagavato bhavet
Devotion towards the Supreme Lord will stabilize in the aspirant who deeply contemplates upon this flawless story of King Ambarīṣa and who glorifies it”. With this the fifth chapter of the ninth canto comes to an end.
Vishnave namah