It Doesn’t Have to Be
2023-02-25 heyumapati Hare Krishna
Sri Krishna 施瑞·奎师那
Did you know that long ago, the king could assure that no child died before the parents? And the subjects expected that.
你知道吗？在很久以前，国王可以保证没有孩子会比父母先死，臣民们也希望如此。
I thought about this recently. News reports and videos told of miraculous rescues after the earthquake that stretched through Turkey and Syria. It killed 40 thousand people. But some even survived more than a week buried under rubble.
我最近在思考这个问题。新闻报道和视频讲述了土耳其和叙利亚地震后的救援奇迹。地震造成 4 万人死亡。但有些人被埋在废墟下面一个多星期还活着。
But then a video showed the other side: a Syrian father sobbing his heart out as he cradled the dead body of his little boy in his arms.
但随后一段视频显示了另一画面：一名叙利亚父亲抱着他儿子的尸体哭得伤心欲绝。
That got to me. You may read about 40 thousand people dying, but sometimes you feel more pain by seeing one person shedding tears of hopelessness.
这触动了我。你可以获悉有 4 万人死去，但往往看到一个人绝望地流泪，你会感到更痛苦。
Though it doesn’t have to be.
但事情并非只能如此。
A true story from the scripture Srimad Bhagavatam shows how seriously the Vedic kings protected their subjects from this heartbreak.
《圣典博伽瓦谭》中的一个真实故事讲述了韦达国王是如何认真的保护他们的臣民免于遭受这种让人心碎的事情。
The Gigantic Form of Maha-Vishnu
玛哈·维施努无限大的形体
First, let me tell you about Lord Maha-Vishnu, an important player in the story.
首先，让我告诉你主玛哈·维施努——这个故事中的一位重要角色。
To create the material universes like the one we live in, Lord Krishna assumes a form called Maha-Vishnu. He expands his body to a size more gigantic than we can imagine. Entire universes, even bigger than ours, float in and out of his pores like grains of dust through an open window. Who but God could do that?
为了创造像我们所生活的一样的物质宇宙，主奎师那以玛哈·维施努的形体显现。他把自己的身体扩大到我们无法想象的地步。全部的宇宙，甚至比我们的宇宙更大的宇宙，就像一粒粒尘埃通过一扇打开的的窗子一样在他的毛孔里飘进飘出。除了神，谁能做得到呢?
Krishna can appear in many places at the same time. So he and Maha Vishnu, though the same person, seem to act indepently of each other.
奎师那可以同时出现在许多地方。所以他和玛哈·维施努，尽管是同一个人，看起来又是彼此独立的。
Here begins the story:
故事从这里开始：
In the city of Dvaraka, in what is now India’s Gujarat Province, a brahmana’s wife gave birth to a son. But the baby died right after he was born.
在杜瓦尔卡这座城市，现在这个地方在印度的古吉拉特邦。一位布茹阿玛纳（旧译：婆罗门）的妻子生下了一个儿子。但孩子刚出生就死了。
The brahmana, in great distress, strode to the palace of King Ugrasena. He stood outside and spoke against the king. The baby died, the brahmana said, because of the king’s negligence. The king should protect the citizens.
这位布茹阿玛纳怀着极大的痛苦大步走向国王乌卦森那的王宫。他在王宫的外面发表批评国王的言论。布茹阿玛纳说，婴儿的死亡是因为国王的疏忽。国王应该保护公民。
Over time, the brahmana’s wife gave birth to eight more sons. But each one died right after birth. And each time, the brahmana went to the palace and spoke out against the king.
随着时间的推移，布茹阿玛纳的妻子又生了八个儿子。但每个孩子都在出生后立即死亡。每一次，布茹阿玛纳都会去王宫公开的批评国王。
I Will Walk into Fire
我会走进火中
The ninth time, Arjuna heard the brahmana.
第九次的时候，阿尔诸纳听到了这个布茹阿玛纳（的批评）。
“I will save your next son,” said Arjuna.
“我会救你的下一个儿子，”阿尔诸纳说。
“How can you save him when no one else could?” asked the brahmana.
“没有人能救他，你怎么能救呢？”布茹阿玛纳问。
“If I cannot save him, I will walk into fire,” said Arjuna.
“如果我不能救他，我就走入火中，”阿尔诸纳说道。
When the time came for the next birth, Arjuna went to the brahmana’s house. But right after the birth, the baby rose into the sky and disappeared.
到了下一次分娩的时候，阿尔诸纳去了布茹阿玛纳的家。但就在孩子出生后，孩子升上了天空消失了。
“I knew you could not save him,” said the brahmana.
“我就知道你不能救他，”布茹阿玛纳说。
Then Arjuna readied himself to walk into fire. But Krishna came and stopped him.
当时阿尔诸纳已经准备走进火中。但是奎师那来了并阻止了他。
“Do not disgrace yourself,” said Krishna. “Do not kill yourself. Come with me, and we will find where the children have gone.”
“不要让自己名誉扫地，”奎师那说。“不要自杀。跟我来，我们会找到孩子们去哪儿了。”
Traveling through Space in a Chariot
乘战车穿越太空
Krishna then called for his chariot. He and Arjuna sat down on the chariot, and they proceeded north. They left earth and continued into outer space.
于是奎师那召唤他的马车。他和阿尔诸纳坐上马车向北行进。他们离开地球，继续进入外太空。
We may wonder, of course, how Arjuna and Krishna could travel through outer space in a horse-driven chariot. How could they survive the lack of oxygen, the absolute cold?
当然，我们可能会奇怪，阿尔诸纳和奎师那是如何乘坐马车穿越外太空的。他们如何在缺氧和极度寒冷的环境下生存?
But no material situation, not even the most extreme, can affect the spiritual body of Krishna, the Supreme Lord. Nor the spiritual bodies of his horses.
但任何物质状况，甚至最极端的状况，都无法影响至尊主奎师那灵性的身体。也不会影响他的马的灵性躯体。
And earthly-bodied Arjuna? The power of Krishna protected him.
那有着地球人身体的阿尔诸纳呢？奎师那的力量保护着他。
They traveled on till they came to the covering of the universe. They passed through into the region of the great light known as brahma-jyoti. Arjuna could barely open his eyes in the intense brightness.
他们继续前行，直到来到了宇宙的外层。他们穿过外层，进入了被称为布茹阿玛玖缇（旧译：梵光）的强烈光芒区域。在那强烈的光芒中，阿尔诸纳几乎睁不开眼。
“My dear Arjuna,” said Krishna, “the transcendental light you now see, radiates from my body. O chief of the descendants of Bharata, this brahma-jyoti and I are the same.”
“我亲爱的阿尔诸纳，”奎师那说，“你现在看到的超然之光，是从我的身体散发出来的。巴茹阿特后裔的俊杰啊，这布茹阿玛玖缇和我没有分别。”
As Srila Prabhupada writes in Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead:
正如施瑞拉·帕布帕德在《奎师那——至尊人格首神》中写道：
“As the sun disc and the sunshine cannot be separated, Krishna and His bodily rays, the brahma-jyoti, cannot be separated. Thus Krishna claims that the brahma-jyoti is he himself.” (chapter 89)
“就像太阳本身和太阳光不能分开，奎师那和他的身体发出的光芒——布茹阿玛玖缇也无法分开。因此奎师那声称布茹阿玛玖缇就是他自己。”（第 89 章）
A Palace on the Water
水上宫殿
Arjuna and Krishna then came to the Causal Ocean, where a strong wind was raising waves in the water. By the grace of Krishna, Arjuna had the extraordinary experience of seeing the beautiful sight.
接着，阿尔诸纳和奎师那来到了原因之洋，那里狂风掀起了巨浪。在奎师那的恩典下，阿尔诸纳有了看到这壮丽景象的非凡经历。
They continued across the water till they came to a large palace, still on the water, with thousands of pillars and columns made of precious jewels. And the beauty of those columns with their dazzling effulgence charmed the mind of Arjuna.
他们继续在水面上前行，直到来到一座建在水上的大宫殿。宫殿有数千根由珍贵宝石打造的柱子，那些柱子光芒四射，美丽的景象让阿尔诸纳为之着迷。
In that palace, the huge, awe-inspiring serpent Ananta Sesa (shay-sha) shone brilliantly with the radiance from the jewels shining on his thousands of hoods and reflected in the fearsome-looking eyes on his heads.
在那座宫殿里，巨大而令人敬畏的万蛇之王阿南塔·谁沙闪耀着光芒，他数千个蛇头上的宝石光芒四射，反射在他那令人畏惧的眼睛里。
His bluish necks and tongues almost seemed to contrast with his body, white as the snow-covered top of Mount Kailash.
他那泛着蓝光的脖子和舌头，与他如被雪覆盖的凯拉什（冈仁波切）山顶般洁白的身体形成了鲜明的对比。
A Body Bigger Than All the Universes Together
比所有宇宙加起来还大的身体
Arjuna then saw the omnipresent and omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead, Maha-Vishnu, sitting at ease on the soft body of Ananta Sesa, his bluish complexion as dark as a new cloud in the rainy season.
接着，阿尔诸纳看到了无所不在、无所不能的至尊人格首神玛哈·维施努，他惬意地坐在阿南塔·谁沙柔软的身体上，他那泛着蓝光的肤色，就像雨季里的乌云一样深邃。
We may ask, of course, how Arjuna could see of the entire body of Maha-Vishnu, bigger than all the material universes together. But the Supreme Lord can show himself in any size.
当然，我们可能会问，阿尔诸纳怎么能看到比所有物质宇宙加起来还大的玛哈·维施努的整个身体呢？但至尊主可以以任何大小的形象显现。
Maha-Vishnu wore beautiful yellow clothes, and the wide, attractive eyes of his charming face reminded one of lotus petals. His eight long, handsome arms reached down to his knees as did his flower garland, known as Vaijayanti.
玛哈·维施努穿着漂亮的黄色衣服，他迷人脸上那双又大又吸引人的眼睛，让人想起莲花花瓣。他那八只修长而漂亮的手臂像被称为外佳央提的花环一样垂到膝盖上。
Clusters of precious jewels decorated His crown and earrings. And the reflection of their brilliance bathed his abundant curling hair in luster.
一簇簇珍贵的宝石装饰着他的王冠和耳环，宝石的光芒映照着他那浓密卷曲的头发。
He wore the Kaustubha jewel, and his chest bore the mark of Srivatsa, “where the goddess of fortune rests her head.”
他佩戴着考斯图巴宝石，胸前有施瑞瓦特萨的标记，“财富女神就将头靠在那里”。
The Lord’s attendants were serving him, as were his consort potencies, all his mystic powers, and the personal forms of the disk and other weapons.
主的仆人们为他服务，他的伴侣，他所有的神秘力量，以及神碟和其他武器的人格形式也是如此。
Krishna immediately offered respects to Maha-Vishnu by bowing down, though actually, Krishna was offering obeisances to himself because Maha-Vishnu is nondifferent from him.
奎师那立即俯伏向玛哈·维施努致以敬意，然而实际上，奎师那是在向自己表示敬意，因为玛哈·维施努与他并无分别。
Arjuna Felt Fear
阿尔诸纳感到恐惧
Krishna did not need to offer obeisances, but as the master teacher, he taught Arjuna how to offer respects to Maha-Vishnu.
奎师那不需要致以顶拜，但作为最高的灵性导师，他教导阿尔诸纳如何向玛哈·维施努致以敬意。
As Arjuna saw the gigantic form of all that be, a vision different from any material experience, he felt fear. But when he saw Krishna offering obeisances, he followed suit. Then he stood before the Lord with palms joined.
当阿尔诸纳看到这包罗万象的巨大形象，这与任何物质体验都不同的景象时，他感到了恐惧。但当他看见奎师那顶拜时，他也跟着做了。然后他双手合什站在主的面前。
Maha-Vishnu, greatly pleased, smiled and spoke.
玛哈·维施努非常高兴，微笑着说话了。
“My dear Krishna and Arjuna,” he said, “I wanted to see you both, so I took the brahmana’s babies and kept them here. I have been expecting you.”
“我亲爱的奎师那和阿尔诸纳，”他说，“我想见你们俩，所以我带走了布茹阿玛纳的孩子，把他们留在这里。我一直在等你们。”
Krishna and Arjuna again offered obeisances. They took the brahmana’s sons, now grown up, and returned to Dvaraka, where they gave them to the brahmana.
奎师那和阿诸那再次顶拜。他们带着布茹阿玛纳的儿子们——现在已经长大了，回到了杜瓦尔卡，把他们交给了布茹阿玛纳。
Thus, by the grace of Krishna, the events ended happily for the brahmana.
就这样，在奎师那的恩典下，这件事对布茹阿玛纳来说有了一个圆满的结局。
What Can a Little Guy like Me Do?
像我这样的小人物能做什么？
That happened five thousand years ago. But today, the bereaved Syrian father did not see a happy ending.
那是五千年前的事了。但如今，那位悲痛的叙利亚父亲却没有看到一个圆满的结局。
After watching the video and re-reading the story of the brahmana, I began to wonder what one little guy like me can do for that father and the countless others like him.
看完那段视频，重读了布茹阿玛纳的故事后，我开始思考，像我这样的小人物能为那位父亲和无数像他一样的人做些什么呢？
Only one way: Bring Krishna back. Teach Krishna Consciousness and pray that one day humankind’s tears of despair may turn into tears of love for Krishna.
只有一个办法：让奎师那重返人心。传授奎师那知觉，祈祷有一天，人类绝望的泪水能变成对奎师那的爱之泪。
Eternally touching my head to the floor at the lotus feet of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, for showing me all this.
永恒地将我的头置于我的灵性导师施瑞拉·帕布帕德的莲花足下，因为他向我展示了这一切。
~Umapati Swami, February 25, 2023
~乌玛帕提·斯瓦米 2023年2月25日
Photo top: Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy (Jishnu Das)
(Note: The opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organization or any other person.)
（注：本文所表达的观点，仅代表我个人，不代表任何组织或者其他人。）
Write to me: hoswami@yahoo.com
© Umapati Swami 2023
Scriptural passages © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
The descriptions of Arjuna and Krishna’s journey are based on Srimad Bhagavatam, 10.89. 47-61, and “Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” chapter 89. But they are not direct quotations.
Srila Prabhupada
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the teacher who brought Krishna Consciousness from India to the West and then to the rest of the world. He is the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement as well as the author and compiler of many works of Vedic knowledge. He left this world in 1977.
Umapati Swami
One of the first American devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement, he became Srila Prabhupada’s disciple in 1966. Since then, he has preached Krishna Consciousness in many countries and is the author of “My Days with Prabhupada,” available from Amazon. Now 85 years old, he has started this blog to share what he has learned.