GITA - Glorification of Chapter Eleven

Thereafter 

Lord Shiva

 narrated to 

Parvati

 the glories of the eleventh chapter of the 

Bhagavad-gita. 

In Meghankara, the town of the famous temple of Jagad-ishvara, “the controller of the universe,” there lived a pure brahmana named Sunanda. He remained a brahmacari - a celibate, all his life. Sunanda often sat in front of Lord Jagad-ishvara and recited the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita and remembered the Lord’s universal form. By reciting chapter eleven, Sunanda gained complete control over his senses and was always able lo remember Jagad-ishvara.

Once Sunanda and his associates went on a pilgrimage. One day they reached a town called Vivaha-mandapa, where they took rest in a guesthouse for pilgrims, but when Sunanda woke up, he found all his associates gone, and so he at once went out to look for them. After some time, Sunanda met the mayor of the town, who couldn’t say where Sunanda’s associates were but who fell at Sunanda’s feet because he could see that as a devotee Sunanda had no equal. When the mayor invited him to stay in the town, Sunanda agreed.

After eight days, a villager approached Sunanda, crying loudly because his son had been eaten by a Rakshasa, an evil being. Sunanda inquired, “Where does that Rakshasa stay, and how did he eat your son?” The villager replied that this demon was eating villagers every day. Because of that, the villagers had requested the demon to protect them in exchange for daily food. To arrange for the demon’s meals of human beings, the villagers had built a guesthouse, and all travelers were sent there. While the travelers slept, the Rakshasa would eat them, and in this way the villagers were safe.

The villager then explained how his son had been eaten. The night before, a friend of his son had come and the villager, not knowing who the friend was, had sent him to the guesthouse. The son soon found out and tried to rescue the friend, but by the time the son got to the guest-house it was too late: his friend had already been eaten. And unfortunately for the son, he too was eaten, along with some travelers.

Afterwards, the villager had gone to the Rakshasa and asked why the Rakshasa had eaten the villager’s son along with the travelers. The villager also asked if there was any possibility of getting the son back. The Rakshasa replied that he had been unaware of the presence of the son and so had ate him along with everyone else. There was, however, a way to get him back, but only when the Rakshasa was freed from his demonic body by the mercy of a person who had daily recited the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita.

The Rakshasa said that there was a brahmana whom he had not eaten because somehow he knew that the brahmana regularly recited the eleventh chapter. If this brahmana would recite the chapter and then sprinkle water on him, the Rakshasa would be freed from the curse.

Thereafter Sunanda inquired what sin this person had performed lo attain a Rakshasa body, and the villager replied by telling the Rakshasa’s story. Once a farmer saw a vulture attack someone in the fields, but the farmer did nothing about it even though he stood just a short distance away. When a 

yogi

 passing by saw what was happening, he tried to help but was too late. The yogi then became angry with the farmer and told him that one who helps others in need pleases Lord Vishnu, whereas one who can help others but does not do so is liable to be punished by 

Yamaraja,

 made to suffer in hell, and then be born as a wolf. The yogi then cursed the farmer to be born as a Rakshasa.

But the farmer said, “I was watching the fields the whole night, and I was quite tired, so kindly be merciful to me.” The yogi replied, “When someone who daily recites the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita sprinkles water on your head, then you will be free of this curse.” After telling this story, the villager asked Sunanda to kindly sprinkle water on the head of the Rakshasa. Sunanda agreed.

When they went to the Rakshasa, Sunanda recited the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. And as he sprinkled water on the Rakshasa’s head, the creature at once attained a four-armed form like that of Lord Vishnu. More astonishing not only the Rakshasa but also the thousands of people he had eaten attained the same type of spiritual form and were all ready to depart for 

Vaikuntha.

 Before they could go, however the villager stopped them and wanted to know which one was his son, because the villager wanted him to return home.

Then one of those beautiful persons said, “My dear sir, many times you have been my son and I have been yours, but now by the grace of this great devotee Sunanda I have been released from birth and death. Now I am going to my real home, Vaikuntha. “Dear sir, kindly surrender to Sunanda and hear from him the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-gita because then you also will be able to attain the abode of Lord Vishnu. Of this there is no doubt. Lord Krishna spoke these nectarean instructions on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra as a reply to Arjuna’s questions. Only by hearing and reciting this discourse can one cut the tight knot binding us to the cycle of birth and death.”

Thereupon the son and all those other fortunate souls left for Vaikuntha. Later the villager learned the eleventh chapter of theBhagavad-gita from Sunanda, and shortly thereafter both he and Sunanda went to Vaikuntha.

source: ISKCON