After telling Parvati the glories of the seventeenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Shiva said, “O daughter of the Himalayas, please listen to the glories of the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita which is higher than the Vedas and which bestows unlimited bliss. When it enters one’s ears, it destroys all material desires. For the pure devotee, it is divine nectar. It is Lord Vishnu’s very life, and it is a solace to the hearts of Lord Indra and the demigods, as well as to the great yogis headed by Sanaka and Sananda. One who recites it sends the messengers of Yamaraja far away. There is no other recitation able so quickly to destroy all sin or free one from the threefold miseries of this world. Now listen with great devotion.” Then he told the following story.
On the topmost peak of Mount Meru,
the fabulous golden mountain standing in the center of the universe, is Amaravati, where Lord Indra is served by the demigods. One day Indra saw a beautiful young person arrive, being served by the servants of Lord Vishnu. When Lord Indra saw this, he at once fell to the ground, and the crown he had been wearing was placed on the young person’s head. Thereupon all the demigods and denizens of the heavenly planets started to worship and serve the new King Indra, even though he had not performed the one hundred horse sacrifices the holder of the post of Indra usually performs.When the old Indra saw this, be was very much surprised, and he wondered how this new Indra had attained the post without the necessary activities. The old Indra, greatly disturbed, went to the ocean of milk to pray to Lord Vishnu. Upon finally obtaining an audience with Lord Vishnu, the old Indra asked, “My dear Lord Vishnu, in the past I performed many sacrifices and pious activities, for which I was installed as the lord of heaven. But now another person has taken my place, and apparently he never performed any great Vedic sacrifices. So how is it possible that he obtained the throne?
Lord Vishnu replied, “My dear Indra, that great soul has daily recited the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. During his life he recited five verses from this daily, and by doing so he obtained the results of all pious activities and sacrifices. After enjoying as the king of heaven for many years, he will enter My personal abode. If you also recite this chapter daily, you also can do this.”
After hearing Lord Vishnu’s words, the former Indra took the form of a brahmana went to the town of Kalikagrama, the sacred residence of Kaleshvara, a form of the Supreme Lord. Near this town, on the bank of the Godavari river, sat a pure, merciful brahmana who understood the topmost goal and secret of the Vedic literatures. Daily he sat there and recited verses of the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. The former Indra, happy to see him, at once fell at his feet and requested him to teach him this chapter.After reciting from the eighteenth chapter, the former Indra attained the topmost abode, Vishnuloka, where he realized that the pleasure he had enjoyed as Indra had been insignificant. For this reason, the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita is especially chanted by great sages, who quickly attain the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu.
Sources : ISKCON
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