Tuesday 13 September 2011

Gita Mahatmya : The Glories of the Bhagavad Gita from the Padma Purana - 15th & 16th chapter

The Glories of the Fifteenth Chapter of
the Bhagavad Gita from the Padma Purana

Lord Shiva said, “My dear Parvati, now I will tell you the glories of the Fifteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita, kindly listen carefully.

In Gaudadesa, there was a king of the name Narasingha. He was so powerful that he was able to defeat the demigods. The commander of his army was known by the name Sarabhmerund. He was very greedy and along with the prince, he planned to kill the king, and become the ruler of Gaudadesa. But before he was able to carry out his plan, he got cholera and very quickly died. After he took his next birth as a horse in the country known as Sindhu. That horse was very beautiful and was very fast at running. He had all the qualities of a prize horse, one day, the son of a very rich man of Gaudadesa saw that horse and decided to buy him with the intention of selling him to the king of Gaudadesa. After having purchased that horse, he took him to the capital of Gaudadesa, When he reached the city he went straight to the palace of the king and requested the guards to inform the king of his arrival.

When he came before the king, the long inquired from him, “What has brought you here?” That business man replied, “Oh, king, in Sindhu I found a horse of the highest quality and it’s equal cannot be found in the whole universe. I paid very much money for it”. The king ordered, “Bring that horse immediately.” That horse was very quickly brought before the king who became very pleased with the high qualities of the horse. After having examined the horse, the king paid to that businessman whatever amount he had requested without thinking twice.

After some days the king decided to go hunting. Riding that horse, he set off for the forest, where he saw a deer, to which he immediately gave chase. Following behind that deer, he followed in every direction it turned. After some time he left the rest of his party far behind. After chasing for a long time and becoming very tired and thirsty, he stopped to take rest. He tied the horse to the branch of a tree and he himself sat down on a large rock.

After a little while he saw a piece of parchment blowing in the wind and land next to him on the rock. On that piece of parchment was written half a shloka of the Fifteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita. The king started to read, and as the first sound came out of his mouth,, that horse fell down to the ground and gave up that horse-body. He attained a transcendental four-armed form and immediately sat down in a flower-airplane, which had come from Vaikuntha to take him to that transcendental abode Vaikuntha.

The king noticed that close by there was a beautiful ashram, which was surrounded by fruit-trees. Sitting in that ashram was a brahmana who had complete control over his senses. The king offered respects to that brahmana and with folded hands inquired from him, “How was it possible that my horse was able to attain Vaikuntha?” The brahmana, whose name was Vishnusharma, replied, “Oh, king, previously, you had a commander-in chief of your army, who was known by the name Sarabhmerund. He had planned along with the prince to usurp you from your throne. Before he was able to, he got cholera and died, after which he took birth as that horse. By chance he heard some words from the Fifteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita and attained Vaikuntha.”

The king offered his respects to that brahmana and returned to his capital and again and again read what was written on that parchment. After a short time he installed his son as the king of Gaudadesa and himself went off to the forest, where he recited regularly the Fifteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita and very quickly, attained the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu.
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The Glories of the Sixteenth Chapter of
the Bhagavad Gita from the Padma Purana

Lord Shiva said, “My dear Parvati, I will now tell you the glories of the Sixteenth Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita.

In Gujarat, there is a town of the name Saurashtra (Surat). King Khadgabahu had his kingdom there, where he lived just like another Indra, king of heaven. He kept a very passionate male elephant of the name Arimardana from whose temples liquid oozed due to his pride.

One day that elephant, in a fit of anger, broke loose from his chains and started to destroy the elephant shed, after which he began running here and there, wildly chasing the citizens. Everyone fled as fast as possible. The elephant keepers immediately reported the news to the king and when the king heard, he went along with his son to the place, where the mad elephant was. King Khadgabahu knew the art of controlling wild elephants. When the king reached the spot, where the elephant was running amok, he saw that many persons had been trampled and others were running here and there to avoid that elephant.

Just then, as the king was watching that chaotic scene, he saw one brahmana peacefully returning from taking his bath in the lake. That brahmana was silently reciting the first three Shlokas from the Sixteenth Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita, which start with the word; abhayam (fearlessness). When the people saw that brahmana walking towards the elephant, they tried to tell him not to go near him, but that brahmana did not lake any notice of them and walked straight up to that mad elephant and started to stroke him. When the elephant saw the Brahmana approaching, he immediately lost all anger and lay down peacefully.

After that brahmana had patted the elephant for a few moments, he went peacefully on his way. When the king and all the citizens saw these amazing incidents, they were astonished. The king immediately went and fell at the feet of that brahmana and inquired from him, “what austerities and worship have you performed to attain such peacefulness and amazing powers?” The brahmana replied; “Daily I am reciting some Shlokas from the sixteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita.”

Lord Shiva said; “That king requested the brahmana to come to the palace, where he offered to him in charity, one hundred gold coins and requested that pious brahmana to instruct him in the chanting of those verses from the Sixteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita
After King Khadgabahu had been chanting those verses for some time, he one day along with his guards went to the place where that mad elephant was kept and ordered the elephant keepers to release him. At that, the citizens became upset with the king thinking that the elephant would begin to run amok again. The king went before that mad elephant, which immediately lay down and he started to stroke him. After that the king returned to his palace and installed his son on the throne and left for the forest, where he worshipped Lord Krishna by chanting those Shlokas from the Sixteenth Chapter of Srimad Bhagavad-gita and very quickly he attained the lotus-feet of Lord Krishna.

Anyone who chants the Sixteenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita, however sinful he is, very quickly attains the same goal as King Khadgabahu, the lotus-feet of Lord Krishna

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