Transcription
I am Mother Earth. Mother Earth calls me mother. The one who created me touched me with his feet and made me so pure that even gods consider themselves blessed by applying the dust from my forehead as a tilak. Today, I have come to you to narrate the story of the one who created me, who gifted me with a superior son like humans, who made the shade of my veil the best place for humans to live, who bound the sun, moon, and stars in the sky, who restrained the oceans spread in my courtyard with their shores so that they too realize their limits. But who himself is boundless, infinite, who is both the creator and the sustainer. Yes, I have come to tell you the story of the one who came as Narasimha to protect his devotee Prahlad, who was born as Rama to destroy demonic culture, and who incarnated as Krishna to erase the tyranny of Kansa. He is my beloved, your beloved, our beloved, whom the world calls Vishnu, who is also Narayana and the consort of Lakshmi. Listening to this story is essential for everyone, absolutely essential, not just because it is the story of the Supreme Father, the Supreme God, not just because this story contains human tradition, the history of its civilization, its past, present, and future, but because this story inspires one to walk on the true path of life, to struggle against injustice, to become a karma yogi. This story holds the values of life, the principles of life. By listening to this story, humans become blessed and realize that the Supreme Father, the Supreme God, definitely protects those who are diligent. I can tell this story because my creation happened before the creation of humans; my history is older than human history. This story begins with the great deluge.
[Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Music] B [Praise] [Music] O O Purnam Idam Purnam Idam Purnat Purnam Udachyate Purnasya Purnam Adaya Purnam Evāva Śiṣyate. O Vishnu, O Padmanabha, O Vishweshwara, you are complete. So complete that even if completeness is removed from it, completeness remains. Like a lamp that is complete, which lights another lamp, yet its light remains as it is. O Vishnu, the world has been destroyed, everything has ended, yet you are complete. Only you can create the universe; only you can give birth to life.
[Music] [Praise] Ah [Music] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] O [Music] [Praise] and [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] Ah [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Music] [Music] Namaste, O Narayana, millions of salutations to you. O Vishweshwara, countless salutations to you. O Padmanabha, please tell me who I am. O Vasudeva, if you have given me existence, then give me recognition and identity too. [Music] Whatever I am, that is you, and whatever you are, that is me. I am Vishnu, you are Brahma, and you are Mahesh. We three are just three forms of the same existence, the Trimurti. But O God, what is the purpose of my existence? What is my goal? O Brahma, the universe is to be created, the world is to be formed, life is to be born, and all these tasks are to be done by you. You are the creator, the giver of birth to life born in the universe. And O Supreme God, why was I created? O Mahesh, O Shiva Shankar, creation and destruction, birth and death are a sequence, a cycle. What is created must also end; what is born must also die. This sequence will continue; this is the law of nature. Brahma is the beginning, and O Mahesh, you are the end. And between you both, I myself, Vishnu, am the sustainer. O Brahma, O creator, begin the creation of the universe.
[Music] and [Music] [Praise] [Music] Namaste, Supreme God, Namaste. O Narayana, millions of salutations to you. O Lord, O Almighty, you were complete in yourself, so what was the need to create me? O Mahadevi, just as a flower is incomplete without fragrance, a tree without fruit, and a mirror without a shadow, similarly, a man is incomplete without a woman. And only we know this, O Mahadevi, that only a woman can give the world motherly love and affection, and a man the strength to struggle and companionship for a lifetime. That is why we have created you, and we are going to give you a beautiful name too: Lakshmi. The world will call you by your name before ours; they will call us Lakshmi-Narayana. Lakshmi.
[Music] [Praise] With the permission of Lord Vishnu, Brahma began the creation of the universe. First, from his arms, he created four Manus and asked them to bear the responsibility of the origin of the human race. But these Sankadangal and Sanat Kumar, born in infant form, lacked desire. "I command you, fulfill the task assigned to you on Earth." Then I curse you, go, get out of here. They found themselves incapable of undertaking the great task of giving birth to the human race. Desire is related to knowledge, and the roots of knowledge lie in learning. Thinking this, Brahma decided that before humans, the light of knowledge should spread in the universe. Life should receive knowledge before knowledge receives life.
[Music] O O O [Music] O [Music] O [Music] [Praise] He gave birth to seven sages from his body and told them, "O sages, O Vashishtha, O Kritu, O Pulaha, O Pulastya, O Angira, O Atri, O [Music] Marichi, the arrival of human life in the universe is imminent. Educating humans, guiding their lives is both the reason for your birth and your purpose. You will spread the light of knowledge in their path. You will teach them family and Gurukul traditions." These seven sages, known by the name of Saptarishi, are still seen today in the constellation as a cluster of seven stars, guiding life. Then came the moment that the universe was waiting for. The most glorious moment of the act of creation, the golden moment of the arrival of human life.
[Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] Namaste, Lord. Namaste. [Music] Lord, O Manu, O Shatrupa, you both together will announce the beginning of human life in the universe. The power of creating life, I now bestow upon you both. Manu, you are the male; Shatrupa, you are the female. Together, you will form the basis of the human race, create families, create society. You two will have two bodies but one soul. You will support each other, share each other's joys and sorrows. O Lord, you will take on many forms. Manu, you will continue to take on the forms of husband, father, son, and Shatrupa, you will adapt to the forms of wife, mother, and daughter. I give you the feelings of affection, motherly love, compassion, and mercy. Manu, I grant you the powers of protection, nurturing, and hard work. You will protect Shatrupa at every step, in every situation, and in every place. You will take care of her happiness. From today onwards, life in the universe will not be self-born. Now life will be born and will give birth. O Father, your command will be obeyed. I will fulfill my duty, Lord.
[Music] O [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] Where had you gone? I was so scared not finding you. Why did you go away from me?
[Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] [Music] [Praise] Far away. What are you looking at? I am not looking, Devi. I am thinking. What are you thinking? That I should answer your question, or keep gazing at you like this, or listen to your sweet voice. What is there in me and my voice that upon seeing you, I felt as if the redness of dawn, the softness of a flower, the coolness of the moon, and the sweetness of waterfalls have all merged into one body? Devi, I heard the chirping of birds at dawn. I heard the rustling of buds when the first ray of the sun touched them. I heard the tinkling of the first drop of rain on the lake. But I did not find the music and melody in them that I hear in your voice. I cannot believe why all this is happening, how it is happening. Is this a dream? Or are you also a dream? Then touch me. A dream cannot be touched by hands.
[Music] [Praise] [Music] I now know that I am a dream or reality. You are reality, Devi. The most beautiful reality of the universe. Brahma told me many things about you, but he did not tell me one thing, which I have now learned. What thing? That you are not just my companion, but my necessity. You have learned an incomplete thing, Swami. The complete thing is that we are both necessities for each other.
[Music] Blessed are you, Lord. Today I have seen a unique color of your divine play. How beautiful is this world, how incomparable is this creation, this love, this emotion, this affection. The fragrance like a flower, the sweetness like honey, and the tenderness of buds that I experienced in the emotions of Manu and Shatrupa, even we in the divine realm are deprived of such emotions, Lord. You liked it, Mahadevi. Very much liked it, Sarveshwara. Very beautiful, very sweet are these emotions, and only the human race has been given the power to express them. If humans protect these emotions, these emotions will give them inspiration for life, the power for progress, they will show them the path of peace. This love, this affection, and this feeling of respecting each other will give humanity culture, will give it status, will show it the path of upliftment. And if humans abandon these emotions, they will fall below the level of animals and demons. My prayer is that such a day never comes, Lord. May this beautiful world remain populated like this, may this cool sunshine of love continue to spread, may life continue to smile. I have fallen in love with this Earth and this life, Lord. Lord Vishnu was telling me that Mother Lakshmi had seen only one form of the world. The knowledge of the other form was known only to Lord Vishnu. He knew what would happen, and it happened. But with the birth of humans, ambitions and desires were born in the human mind. The human race began to divide into strong and weak, small and big, poor and rich, king and pauper. Strength turned into arrogance, power into tyranny, and love into adultery. Violence erupted, wars began. Blood flowed in my courtyard. I was scared. I called out to humans repeatedly, but in the chaos, they did not hear my call. But this cry of mine reached the divine realm.
[Music] What is the matter, Mahadevi? Why is the shadow of surprise and wonder floating in your beautiful eyes? What thought has surrounded your mind? Nothing, Vishweshwara. I was just thinking, if someone spoils a painting made by a painter, will he not feel even a little worried? If someone tries to break a statue made by a sculptor, will he not feel even a little sad? If a painter gifts his painting to someone, it is the duty of the recipient to preserve that painting. If a sculptor gifts his statue to someone, it is the duty of the recipient to take care of that statue. Similarly, we understand what you want to ask. You are the indweller of hearts. It seems you are distressed by the events happening on our Earth. Yes, Padmanabha, I am very sad. Why is all this happening? Why this chaos? What is happening might be what the creator himself has written, and even the creator cannot erase his own writing. O Mahadevi, perhaps this is a test for humans, a test of their deeds. But why did you create such a world and such humans, Narayana, who are spreading darkness on the Earth you created? Then what did you want? That we should only create day and not night? Then how would humans understand the difference between darkness and light? If there were no poison, how would the importance of nectar be known? If there were no thorns along with flowers, who would know the beauty of the flower? If autumn did not come, how would spring feel so pleasant?
[Music] We have created humans, Devi. The task of creating human history, we have not kept in our hands; we have left it to them. They have just realized their power, and from this, they will also gain knowledge of justice and injustice, truth and falsehood, dharma and adharma, and sin and virtue. We have given intellect, we have given them reason. And if humans do not act with reason, if the night continues to swallow the day on Earth, if darkness is devouring light, then what will you do then? Do not worry, Devi. If falsehood and unrighteousness exceed their limits, if dharma is harmed, then we ourselves will descend upon Earth. We are bound by the vow: "Paritrāṇāya sādhuṇām vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām dharma-saṃsthāpanārthāya saṃbhavāmi yuge yuge" (To protect the righteous, to destroy the wicked, and to re-establish the principles of dharma, I appear in every age). You yourself know your divine play, Padmanabha. Thus began the history of the war between light and darkness, the history of the victory of truth over falsehood, the story of the victory of justice over injustice, and the first chapter of this story was the son of Manrupa, King Uttanpada, who was returning to his capital after conquering the world.
[Music] Victory to Maharani Suniti! King Uttanpada has returned from his conquest! Will Maharani not go to welcome him? What will I do by going there? Someone is already present to welcome him. Forgive me, Maharani, but you are the senior queen, the chief queen. The right to welcome the king belongs to you. The right to give or not give my welcome belongs to the king, and the king has now given this right to someone else. Is that so? If the king has given this right to someone else, then I will not go. Then I will go, son, to welcome the king. You also do not go, son. Why, mother? I do not want you to know the meaning of words like pain and sorrow at such a young age. I do not want your tender heart to be hurt even a little. I cannot bear it. I do not understand, mother. You are still young, and you will not understand many things. But mother, I am eager to meet him. He has returned after so many days. If I have waited so many days, can I not wait a little longer? He will come here. May I ask one thing, mother? Yes, certainly ask. Can the shade of a tree stay away from the tree? Never. Then, son, how can a son stay away from his father? A son has a birthright to a father's love.
[Music] It is all about rights, son.
[Music] Of rights. [Music] [Music] Victory to King Uttanpada! Victory to King Uttanpada! Victory to King Uttanpada!
Come, Maharani, this is not right. What is not right? The first right to welcome the king belongs to the senior queen, but the king has taken this right from the senior queen and given it to us. What difference does it make, Gurudev? Both are our queens, and either of them can welcome us. The king is an ideal for the subjects, Maharaj. The subjects imitate whatever the king does. The king is a guide; society follows him. The king also defines what is right and wrong. As the king, so the subjects. The tradition of respecting elders in society can be endangered by the act happening today. And when the younger ones stop respecting the elders, there will be chaos in society. And when there is chaos in society, the stability of the kingdom falters. If the king wants to break traditions, then what is your objection, Gurudev? Traditions are made by our respected ancestors. No one has the right to break them. Then what is the king's decision? Our [Music] decision. Our decision is that Maharani Suruchi will welcome us. If this is your decision, then no one's advice can stop me. Obeying the husband's command is a wife's duty, and I will certainly fulfill this duty.
[Music] [Music] As the great people go, so goes [Music] society. So becomes the subjects. As is the king, so is the kingdom. If traditions are broken, ideals are broken, only sorrow will prevail. Will be destroyed. [Music] [Praise] Will be destroyed. [Music] Yes.