Description of salvation of Uparicharavasu
Skanda said:
Thus reaching the earth, the Vasu king, cursing his act and repenting very much for the same and respecting those great sages, continuously chanted the imperishable three-syllabled mantra of the Lord. (1)
He worshipped Sri Hari, the Lord of the demigods, with utmost respect and devotion five times a day (during the two twilights, noon and midnight and at any other time he felt like).(2)
Sri Vasudeva, the Lord of the world was pleased with the king, who was worshipping him even in his troubled times, in accordance with the sastra. (3)
Lord Vishnu, desiring to bestow a boon to the king on his own, called Garuda, the king of the birds, who flies with tremendous speed, standing nearly, and told him thus: (4)
The Lord said:
O, blessed bird! It is my command that you go to that Vasu King, who is a righteous soul and who has sought refuge in me. Having transgressed the Brahmins, he now respects them. He has entered the earth now. (5-6)
O Garuda! I command you to go instantaneously to that great king. He moves around in the hollow of the earth due to his deeds; make him fly in the sky as before, immediately. (7)
Skanda said:
“Immediately, Garuda, spreading his wings, flew with the speed of the air and entered the earth where the silent Vasu King was living. (8)
Then Garuda, the son of Vinata, lifted the King by his beak, and flew very quickly to the sky and released him there.(9)
At once, the King Uprichara, had his rebirth, reached heaven with his body intact and enjoyed unalloyed bliss. (10)
Oh, Brahma Rishi! Despite censuring good persons and not being untruthful, the King, who knew the nuances of Dharma attained the position that is beyond the reach of performers of great sacrifices. (11)
Since he served the Supreme-Being Lord Sri Hari alone with utmost dedication and devotion, he had his sins washed off and obtained the heavenly abode. (12)
There he lived like a second Indra, enjoying all his multifarious desires, and having his qualities sung by the demigods. (13)
Once, accompanied by a heavenly nymph Adrika, he was flying by in a celestial flight. He was shining forth like the sun; at that time, a maid called Acchoda saw him. (14)
She was the mental daughter of the formless great souls, called Agnishwaatta manes, who live in the world of the moon. (15)
That lady of pure smile did not know her fathers as they were formless. She thought that Vasu was her father. The Vasu King too considered her as his daughter. (16)
Perceiving those thoughts in them, the Manes cursed them – “Oh, daughter! you will be born as the daughter of this king. Oh, Vasu! You will be born as a man in earth and beget her as you daughter from this Nymph you wife. This is certain to happen.” (17-18)
Being thus cursed by the Manes, they bowed to them and prayed for release from the curse. Those kind souls spoke thus: (19)
The curse came as both of you are to be related as father and daughter. This will be for your well-being. (20)
Oh, Vasu! You will be born as the son of Maharaja Kritayagna, a geat soul, in the twenty eighth Dwapara Age. (21)
You will be a person of good qualities as you are now, capable of moving in the air, and you will be foremost among the Bhagavata-s (devotees of the Lord). (22)
Worshipping Lord Vishnu in accordance with the Pancharatra procedure, along with your subjects, with the remaining Prasadam, you will worship us and the demigods. Then getting a divine body, you go to the heavens, enjoying all divine things, you will attain the abode of Lord Vishnu. (23-24)
Oh, Acchoda! You will also, with you ‘Amsha’ (divine portion), be born as ‘Kali’, on the earth, in the womb of Adrika, who will be of the caste of a fisherman. (25)
You will beget Lord Sri Hari Himself as your son, from the sage Parashara before you lose your virginity. By the grace of that son alone, you will enjoy the pleasures of this world and ultimately obtain salvation”. (26)
Skanda said:
After being cursed like this by the Manes and having obtained their blessings, the king was born in this world. He performed many sacrifices and became famous by his good qualities. (27)
As before, he became a devotee of Lord Krishna and a knower of the method of discharging his duties to the Devatas and Manes. Mahendra, out of his friendship to him, gave him great wealth. (28)
Mahendra also gave him the victory flag he had received from Sri Vasudeva which was adept in destroying enemies, in the Svetadvipa. (29)
That king, having power to travel in space, enjoyed all the pleasures that are not easily available on the earth, and at the end of his life, assumed a divine body and proceeded to the Heavens. (30)
On account of the remaining merit he had acquired in the past, that King enjoying many kinds of divine pleasures that he desired; he also developed strong detachment towards worldly pleasures. (31)
Then he firmly sat on the peak of the Meru Mountain in a lonely place, and with purity, deeply meditated upon God Lord Ramaapati, in his lotus heart. (32)
Then becoming a sage, giving up his divine body by means of yoga, went to the region of the sun with his astral body. By the grace of the Lord Sun, he attained liberation from his astral body, and he gave up all his worldly ‘vaasana-s’ and becoming totally pure. Then he was taken to the wonderful Vaishnava abode called Svetadvipa by the ‘Ativaahika’ angels (divine angels who carry the liberated person) of the world of Lord Vishnu, which is marvelous and known as ‘Svethadvipa’. (33-35)
Oh Sage! Though the svetadvipa is on this earth, it is considered as supernatural; it is the habitat of the devotees of Sri Hari. It is possible to obtain that place only by devotees with focused mediation. (36)
This island is like the entrance to the ‘Golaka’, ‘Brahmapura’, and ‘Vaikunta’ to those great devotees who desire to go to any one of the worlds. (37)
The inhabitants of this island to go and reach that world that they desire (38)
That king, having obtained a divine body, lived in that Svetadvipa. Like the liberated souls of the Svetadvipa, he went to Golaka and enjoyed great bliss. (39)
Whoever worships the Supreme Being Lord Narayana with utmost devotion, will reach the Svetadvipa and become liberated. (40)
Oh, Sage! I have described fully the condition of dedicated devotees and the salient features of Sveta-dvipa as you had asked for. (41)
Thus ends the seventh chapter titled ‘Description of the salvation of Uparicharavasu’ of Sri Vasudeva mahatmya in the second part of Vaishnava Skanda of Sri Skandapurana.