D – Durvasa and Ambarish (1-5)

Ambarish Maharaja worshipped Lord Krishna in a multitude of ways and displayed a unique intensity of spiritual absorption. When his life was threatened by a fiery demon created by Durvasa Muni, he remained entirely undisturbed. To punish Durvasa for his harshness, Lord Vishnu released His Chakra to kill him, and the sage had to literally ‘run for his life.’ After being chased around the universe, Durvasa realised the only recourse was to beg for Ambarish’s forgiveness. The Lord cannot tolerate any offence to His devotees, who are more dear to Him than His own life. These chapters thus describe the Surya Vamsa (descendants of the sun-god, Vivasvan).