Doha - 101A-B
Listen, lord of the winged creatures: in the age of kali duplicity perversity, hypocrisy, malice, heresy, pride, infatution, concupiscence and arrogance itc., pervade the whole universe. Men practise and undertake sacred vows with some unholy motive. The gods rain not upon the earth and foodgrains sown in the soil do not germinate.
Chaupala
Women have no ornament except their tresses and have an enormous appetite. Though miserable for want of money, they are rich in attachment of various kinds. Though hankering after happiness they love not piety. stupid as they are. Though they are poor in wits, their mind is hardened and knows no tenderness. As for men, they are tormented with disease and find no enjoyment, anywhere. They are conceited and contend with others without any rhyme or reason. Men's life is short, extending to not more than five or ten years; yet in their pride they reckon on surviving the end of creation. The age of Kali has driven men mad: no one respects the sancity even of one's sister or daughter. There is no contentment, nor discernment, nor composure. People of all classes, whether high or low, have taken to begging. envy, harsh words and covetousness are rampant; whil evenness of mind is absent. People are all smitten with bereavement and deep sorrow. The duties and rules of conduct prescribed for the four orders of society and stages in life are neglected. Self-control, charity, compassion and wisdom disappear; whil e stupidity and frand multiply to a large extent, Men and women all pamper their body; while slanderes are diffused all over the world.
Doha - 102A-B
Listen, O enemy of serpents: the age of Kali is a storehouse of impurities and vices. But it has many virtues too: final emancipation is possible (in this age)without any exertion. Moreover, the same goal which is reached through worship of God, performance of sacrifices or practice of Yoga in the Satyayuga, Treta and Dvapara, men are able to attain through the name of Sri Hari in the Kali age.
Chaupala
In the Sayayuga everyone is possessed of mystic powers and wise too. Hence in that age men cross the ocean of mundane existence by meditating on Sri Hari. In the Treta age men perform sacrifices of various kinds and cross the ocean of metempsychosis by dedicating their actions to the Lord. In the Dvapara age men cross the ocean of worldly existence by adoring the feet of Sri Rama (the Lord of the Raghus), there being no other means to do it. In the Kali age, however, men reach the end of mundane exstence simply by singing Sri Hari's praises. In the age of Kali neither Yoga (concentration of mind), nor the performance of sacrifices nor spiritual wisdom is of any avail; one's only hope lies in hymning Sri Rama's praise Giving up all other hopes whosoever worships Sri Rama and fondly chants His praises undoubtedly crosses. the ocean of transmigration. the power of the Name is thus manifest in the age of Kali. The Kali age possesses another sacred virtue: in this age projected acts of virtue are rewarded, but projected sins are not punished.
Doha - 103A-B
No other can compare with the Kali age privided a man has faith (in its virtue); for in this age one can easily cross the ocean of transmigration simply by singing Sri Rama's holy praise Piety has four well-known pillars, of which one is predominant in the Kali; charity practised in any way conduces to one's spiritual good.
Chaupala
Prompted by Sri Rama's delusive potency, the characteristics of all the four Yugas manifest themselves in everyone's heart everday. The presence of pure Sattva (harmony), evenness of mind, spiritual insight and the feeling of vivacity in the heart are the effects of Satyyuga. Abundance of Sattva with a slight admixture of Rajas, attachment to action, and haappiness of every kind are the characteristics of Treta. Much Rajas, little Sattva, and some Tamas, with a feeling of mingled joy and terror in the heart, are the distinguishing features of Dvapara. A large proportion of Tamas with a slight adimixture of Rajas and antagonism everywhere are the effects of Kali, The wise discern the characteristics of the different Yugas in their mind and forswearing unrighteousness devote themselves to piety, The characteristics, of the Time-Spirit have no effect on him who is excessively fond of Sri Rama's feet. The deception practised by a juggler, O king of the birds, is formidable indeed: but the tricks of a juggler cannot deceive his servant.
Doha - 104A-B
The good and evil, which are the creation of Sri Hari's delusive potency, cannot be eliminated except, through worship of Sri Hari. Bearing this in mind, and forswearing all desire, one should adore Sri Hari. In that particular age of Kali, O lord of the winged creatures, I lived in Ayodhya for many years till a famine occurred, when, stricken by adversity, I had to move to another place.
Chaupala
Listen, O enemy of serpents: I went to Ujjain--meserable, downcast, penniless and afflicted. When sometime had elaped, I acqured some wealth and after that I began worshipping Lord Sambhu at that very place. There was a Brahmana there who constantly worshipped Lord Siva according to the Vedic rites and had no other occupation. He was an extremely pious soul and a knower of the highest truth, a votary of Lord Sambhu but no reviler of Sri Hari. I served him though with a guileful heart. The Brahmana was very kind-hearted and an abode of piety. Seeing me outwardly so humble, my Lord, the Brahmana taught me as his own son. The great Brahmana imparted to me a mystic formula sacred to Lord Sambhu and gave me every kind of good advice. I used to go to a temple of Lord Siva and repeat the formula there with unbounded ostentation and conceit in my heart.
Doha - 105A-B
A wretch impure of mind, low-born and overcome by infatuation, I was filled with jealousy at the sight of a servant of Sri Hari or a Brahmana and hated God Visnu Distressed to see my conduct, my preceptor would admonish me everyday; but on hearing his admonition I burnt with rage. Can sober cousel appeal to a hypocrite?
Chaupala
One day my preceptor called me and taught me wisdom in every possible way; "The sole reward, my son, of worshipping Lord Siva is uninterrupted devotion to Sri Rama's feet. Siva Himself as well as Brahma 9the Creator), dear son, adore Sri Rama; of what account, then is a vile human being ! Do you hope to attain happiness, O wretched soul by harbouring ill-will to Him whose fet are loved by Brahmaa and Siva Himself?" When I herd my Guru speak of Lord Hara as a votary of Sri Hari, my heart, O lord of the feathered kingdom, was all on fire. Vile of decscent as I was, the little learing that I had acquired turned my head even as a serpent becomes all the more poisonous when fed on milk. Pround, pervers, wretched and low-born, I meditated mischief to my Guru day and night. My Guru, howeever, was too tender hearted to have the least anger in him; on the other hand, he gave me good advice time after time. The first thing a vile fellow does is to kill and destroy the very man who has been instrumental in exalting him. Listen, brother: smoke, which is produced by fire, extinguisheds the latter when it attains to the dignity of a cloud. The dust lying on the road is held in contempt and is ever trodden under foot by all (the wayfares). But when carried aloft by the wind. it first envelopes the air itself and then descends on the eyes or diadems of king. Liesten, O lord of the winged creatures: realizing this state of things, the wise shun the company of vile men. Seers and learned men have declared this maxim: it is good neither to quarredl with a wretch nor to make friends with him. One should always remain aloof him, my master; a wicked fellow should be avoided even as a dog. Vicious as I was with a heart full of falsehood and perversityu, the Guru's admonition did not appeal to me, even though it was wholesome.
Doha - 106A-B
One day I was repeatin Siva's Name in a temple sacred to Lord Hara, when my Guru came in; but in pride I did not rise to greet him. He was too gracious to say anything; neither did he feel the least resentment in his heart. But the grievous sin of showing desrespect to a Guru was more than the great Lord Siva could tolerate.
Chaupala
An ethereal voice proceeded from the temple itself: "You wretched and conceited fool, even though your preceptor has no anger in him and he is very tender-hearted and possessed of true and perfect wisdom, yet, O fool, I must pronounce a curse on you; for any transgression of propriety is loathsome to Me. If I do not punish you, O wretch, the sanctity of My Vedic laws will be violated. The fools who bear malice against their Guru are cast into the hell named Raurava for a myriad Yugas. After that they take birth in the subhuman species and suffer torment for ten thousand successive exstence. Since you remained roote to your seat like a python, O vile wretch, take the form of a snke; for your mind is steeped in sin. And, condemned to that vile state, O vilest of the vile, go and take up your abode in the hollow of some huge tree."
Doha - 107A-B
The Guru raised a piteous wail as he heard Lord Siva's terrible curse. And when he saw me trembling with fear, deep agony possessed his soul. Reflecting on my awful fate, the Brahmana prostrated himself before Lord Siva and with joined palms and his voice choked with emotion, he prayed as follows:-
Chaupala
"I adore You, the guardian of the north-east quarter and Ruler of the whole universe, eternal bliss personified, the omnipresent and all-pervading Brahma manifest in the form of the Vedas. I worship Lord Siva, shining in His onw glory, devoid of material attributes, undifferentiated, desireles, all-pervading consciousness, having nothing to wrap about Himself except ether (or enveloping consciousness, having nothing to wrap about Himself except ether (or enveloping ether itself). I bow to the supreme Lord, who is devoid of form, transcendent and extra-cosmic, beyond speech, understanding and senseperception, terrible yet gracious, the seed of the mystic syllable OM, the Ruler of Kailasa, the Devourer even of the great Time-Spirit and the abode of virtues. I adore the all-merciful Sankara, the universal Lord, who is loved by all and yet unfathomable, who is possessed of a form white as the snowclad Himalaya, and radiant with the beauty of a myriad Cupids, whose head sparkles with the lovely stream of the Ganga, whose brow is adorned by the crescent moon and neck coiled by serpents, who has tremulous pendants hanging from His ear-labers, is possessed of beautiful eyebrows and large eyes, who has a cheerful countenance and a blue speck on His throat, and who has a lion-skin wrapped round His waist and a garland of skulls round His neck. i take my refuge in Bhavani' Spouse, the supreme Lord, terrible exalted intrepid, indivisible, unborn and invested with the glory of a myriad suns, who roots out the threefold agony and holds a trident in His hand and who is accessible only throught love. Beyond number, ever blessed, bringing about universal destriction at the end of each round of creation, a source of perpetual delight to the virtuous, Slayer of the demon Tripura, Consciousness and Bliss personified dispeller of delusion, be propitious, my lord, be propitious. O Destroyer of Cupid So long as they worship not the lotus-feet of Uma's lord, there is no happiness nor peace nor cessation of suffering for men either in this world or in the next. Therefore, be propitious, my lord, dwelling as you do in the heart of all living beings. I know not Yoga (concentration), nor Japa (the muttering of prayers)nor ritual. I simply bow to you at all times and at every moment, O Sambhu! Pray, protect me, my miserable and afflicted by sufferings attendant on old age and birth (and death) as I am, O Lord Sambhu!"
Chaupal
This hymn of eight verses was uttered by the Brahmana in order to propitiate Lord Hara. Sri Sambhu is pleased with those men who devoutly repeat it.
Doha - 108A-D
The all-wise Siva heard the Brahmana's prayer and saw his devotion. An ethereal voice issued from the temple again: "Ask for a boon, O great brahmana. " If, my lord, you are pleased with me and if, my master, You are affectionate to the meek, first bless me with devotion to Your feet and then grant me another boon. Overcome by Your Maya (delusive power) the stupid Jiva (individual soul) constantly wanders (from one womb to another) in error. Therefore. O all-merciful Lord, be not angry with him. Now be gracious to this creature. O Sankara, compassionate as You are to the humble, so that Your curse may prove a blessing to him not long afterwards.
Chaupala
"Now do that which may bring him supreme blessendness, O fountain of mercy!" On hearin the Brahmana's words, steeped as they were in charity, the heavenly voice replied: "So be it! Although he has committed a grievou sin and I May wrath have pronounced a curse on him, yet, realizing your goodness, I shall do him a special favour. O holy Brahmana, they who are of a forgiving disposition and beneficent are as dear to Me as Sri Rama (the Slayer of the demon Khara)Himself Nonetheless, O Brahmana, My curse shall not go in vain: this fellow shall surely pass through a thousand incarnations. But the terrible agony invloved in each successive birth and thousand incarnations. But the terrible agony involved in each successive birth and death shall not affect him in the least. (Turning to me, the voice continued:) Hear, O Sudra, my authenic word: in none of your births shall your awarencess (of previous existences) leave you. (In the first place) You were born in the capital of Sri Rama (the Lord of the Raghus). and besides that you set your heart on My worship. Due to the miraculous power of the holy city and by My grace, devotion to Sri Rama shall spring up in your bosom. Now, brother hear My solemn declaration: a vow to serve the Brahmanas is the surest means of propitiating Sri Hari. Insult the Brahmanas no more and reckon a saint to be on a par with the infinite Lord Himself. Even he who does not succumb to the stroke of Indra's thunderbolt, my onw mighty trident, the rod of Deah and the terrible discuss of Sri Hari, is consumed by the fire of hostility with the Brahmans. Treasure up this counsel in your heart and there will be nothing in this world whcih may be too difficult for you to attain. I bestow one more blessing on you: you shall have unobstructed access everywhere."
Doha - 109A-D
The Guru rejoiced to hear the word of Lord Siva (as conveyed through the ethereal voice) and cried `Amen!' And after admonishing me he returned home, with the image of Lord Sambhu's feet impressed upon his heart. Driven by my fate I went to the Vindhya mountains and was (on giving up the ghost) reborn as a serpent and again, when sometime had elasped, I easily dropped that form. Whatever form I assumed, O mount of Sri Hari, dropped again with utmost ease, even as a man would cast off worn-out clothes and put on new set. Lord Siva vindicated the Vedic law, while I was spared the agony (involved in the rounds of birth and death) In this way, O lord of the winged creatures, I assumed various forms; but my understanding never left me.
Chaupala
Whatever form I assumed, whether of an irrational being god or man, I continued to adore Sri Rama even in that form. Yet one thing stung my conscience: my Guru's mild and amiable disposition I could never forget. The last body I got was that of a Brahmana, which the Vedas and Puranas declare as difficult even for the gods to attain, Even in that incarnation whanever I joined the other boys for plya, I would enact all the pastmes of Sri Rama (the Lord of the Raghus) alone. As I grew up my father gave me lesons (in secular subjects) I tried to understand things, listened to the lessons and reflected on them; yet they failed to attract my mind. All worldly craving left my soul; I was solely absorbed in the thought of Sri Rama's feet. Tell me, O lord of the feathered creation: is there anyone so wretched as to give up a cow of plenty and tend a she-ass? Overwhelmed with love I had no charm left for anything and my father was tired of coachingm me. When bothe my father and mother died, I withdrew to the forest in order to worship the Protector of His sevants. In the forest wherever I met any great sage I visited his hermitage and bowed my head to him. I would ask them to recount Sri Rama's virtues and listened with delight to what they told me. O lord of the winged creatures! In this way I went about listening to the recital of Sri Hari's praises. By Sambhu's grace my movements were unchecked everywhere. The three types of ardent seeking(viz., those for progeny, wealth and fame) left me and one solitary longing grew to inordinate proportions in my heart. "I shall deem the object of my birth accomplished only when I behold Sri Rama's lotus-feet, "I said to myself Every sage i interrogated observed, "God represents the totality of created beings. " But the view which holds God as impersonal did not find favour with me and the love I bore in my heart for the embodied Brahma grew from more to more
Doha - 110A-D
Even as I recalled the words of my erstwhil preceptor my mind conceived a fondness for Rama's and I went about singing the praises of Sri Rama (the Lord of the Raghus) with a love which gathered new strength every moment. On a peak of Mount Meru in the shade of a banyan tree sat the sage Lomasa. On seeing him I bowed at his feet and addressed him in the humblest strain. Wehn the gracious sage heard my meek and gentle address, O king of the birds, he politely enquired: "For what purpose have you come, O Brahmana?" Thereupon I relied, "O fountain of mercy, you are omniscient and sagacious. tell me, blessed one, how to worship the embodied supreme Spirit. "
Chaupala
Thereupon the great sage recounted with reverence a few virtues of Sri Rama (the Lord of the Raghus), O lord of the feathered creation. But himself devoted to the knowledge of Brahma (the Absolute), and knowing me to be the fittest person, (to be initiated into such knowledge), the enlightened sage began a sermon on Brahma, the unborn, the One without a second and without attributes, the Ruler of the heart (the inner Controller), incomprehensible, desireles, without name or form, attainable only through realiazation, indivisible and incomparable, beyond the mind and the senses, immaculate and indestructible, immutable, unlimited and all-blissful: "You are identical with the Brahma referred to above; no more difference exists between Him and you than between a sheet of water and the ripples on its surface: so declare the e Vedas." The sage instructed me in various ways; but the truth that the so declare the Vedas. " The sage instructed me in various ways; but the truth that the individual soul is identical with the attributeless Brahma did not appeal to my heart. Bowing my head at his feet I submittede again, "Kindly tell me how to worship the embodied Brahma, O lord the sages, My mind takes delight in the worship of Sri Rama even as a fish rejoices in water; how, then, can it exist without it, O wise lord of the sages? Be gracious therefore, to teach me the method whereby I may be able to behold the Lord of the Raghus with my own eyes. Having feasted my eyes on the King of Ayodhya I will then listen to your discourse on the attributeless Brahma. " The sag once more recited the incomparable story of Sri Hari; but demolishing the doctrine that the supreme Spirit does appear in an embodied form, he established the proposition that He is ever without attributes. Thereupon I would set aside the view that God is ever atributeless and establish with great obstinacy the doctrine that He takes an embodied form. When I thus entered into hot discussion with him, singns of resentment appeared on the sage's person. Listen, my insolence carried to an excess rouses passion even in the breast of an enlightened soul. Too much friction will produce fire even out of sandal-wood.