Page 36 - GangaDisplay

Â
King Sagara had one son with his second wife named Kesini.
He was named Asamanjasa. The son of Asamanjasa was
known as Amsuman, who was always engaged in working for
the good of Sagara Maharaja, his grandfather. Amsuman was
ordered by King Sagara to search for the horse stolen by In-
dra. Following the same path traversed by his 60,000 uncles,
Amsuman gradually reached the pile of ashes and found the
horse nearby. Amsuman saw the sage Kapila, the saint who is
an incarnation of Lord Vishnu (Krishna), sitting near the horse.
Amsuman offered him respectful obeisances, folded his hands
and offered prayers with great attention. Amsuman said, “My
Lord, even Lord Brahma is to this very day unable to under-
stand Your position, which is far beyond himself, either by
meditation or by mental speculation. So what to speak of oth-
ers like us, who have been created by Brahma in various
forms as demigods, animals, human beings, birds and beasts?
We are completely in ignorance. Therefore, how can we know
You, who are the transcendence?

Amsuman’s statement is based on scriptural authority. For ex-
ample, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, “Neither the hosts of demi-
gods nor the great sages know my origin or opulences, for, in
every respect, I am the source of the demigods and sag-
es.” (Bg 10.2) The Lord also says, “O Arjuna, as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened
in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things
that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no
one knows.” (Bg 7.26) We can see by his speech that
Amsuman is an astute and qualified devotee, because he was
able to immediately recognize Lord Kapila as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. His manner of addressing the Lord is
exemplary due to the submissive and respectful tone and
choice of words. Krishna teaches in the Bhagavad-gita,
“Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truth-
ful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also
in regularly reciting Vedic literature. (Bg 17.15) When speak-
ing, one should use language that will not agitate the minds of
others. Before speaking the truth, one should be careful to ex-
press it only to those who listen respectfully. If the truth is

36Â