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Chapter One

Questions by the Sages

TEXT 1

om namo bhagavate vasudevaya

janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat
tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah
tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa
dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi

om--O my Lord; namah--offering my obeisances; bhagavate--unto the

Personality
of Godhead; vasudevaya--unto Vasudeva (the son of Vasudeva), or Lord Sri
Krsna, the primeval Lord; janma-adi--creation, sustenance and destruction;
asya--of the manifested universes; yatah--from whom; anvayat--directly;
itaratah--indirectly; ca--and; arthesu--purposes; abhijnah--fully cognizant;
sva-rat--fully independent; tene--imparted; brahma--the Vedic knowledge;
hrda--consciousness of the heart; yah--one who; adi-kavaye--unto the original
created being; muhyanti--are illusioned; yat--about whom; surayah--great
sages
and demigods; tejah--fire; vari--water; mrdam--earth; yatha--as much as;
vinimayah--action and reaction; yatra--whereupon; tri-sargah--three modes of
creation, creative faculties; amrsa--almost factual; dhamna--along with all
transcendental paraphernalia; svena--self-sufficiently; sada--always;
nirasta--negation by absence; kuhakam--illusion; satyam--truth;
param--absolute; dhimahi--I do meditate upon.

TRANSLATION

O my Lord, Sri Krsna, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of

Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Sri
Krsna because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of
the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is
directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent
because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted
the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmaji, the original living being. By
Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is
bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen
on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily
manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual,
although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Sri Krsna, who
is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from
the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for
He is the Absolute Truth.

PURPORT
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Obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, directly indicate

Lord Sri Krsna, who is the divine son of Vasudeva and Devaki. This fact will
be more explicitly explained in the text of this work. Sri Vyasadeva asserts
herein that Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, and all others
are His direct or indirect plenary portions or portions of the portion. Srila
Jiva Gosvami has even more explicitly explained the subject matter in his
Krsna-sandarbha. And Brahma, the original living being, has explained the
subject of Sri Krsna substantially in his treatise named Brahma-samhita. In
the Sama-veda Upanisad, it is also stated that Lord Sri Krsna is the divine
son of Devaki. Therefore, in this prayer, the first proposition holds that
Lord Sri Krsna is the primeval Lord, and if any transcendental nomenclature is
to be understood as belonging to the Absolute Personality of Godhead, it must
be the name indicated by the word Krsna, which means the all-attractive. In
Bhagavad-gita, in many places, the Lord asserts Himself to be the original
Personality of Godhead, and this is confirmed by Arjuna, and also by great
sages like Narada, Vyasa, and many others. In the Padma Purana, it is also
stated that out of the innumerable names of the Lord, the name of Krsna is the
principal one. Vasudeva indicates the plenary portion of the Personality of
Godhead, and all the different forms of the Lord, being identical with
Vasudeva, are indicated in this text. The name Vasudeva particularly indicates
the divine son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Sri Krsna is always meditated upon by
the paramahamsas, who are the perfected ones among those in the
renounced
order of life.
Vasudeva, or Lord Sri Krsna, is the cause of all causes. Everything that
exists emanates from the Lord. How this is so is explained in later chapters
of this work. This work is described by Mahaprabhu Sri Caitanya as the
spotless Purana because it contains the transcendental narration of the
Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. The history of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is
also
very glorious. It was compiled by Sri Vyasadeva after he had attained maturity
in transcendental knowledge. He wrote this under the instructions of Sri
Naradaji, his spiritual master. Vyasadeva compiled all Vedic literatures,
containing the four divisions of the Vedas, the Vedanta-sutras (or the
Brahma-sutras), the Puranas, the Mahabharata, and so on. But nevertheless
he
was not satisfied. His dissatisfaction was observed by his spiritual master,
and thus Narada advised him to write on the transcendental activities of Lord
Sri Krsna. These transcendental activities are described specifically in the
Tenth Canto of this work. But, in order to reach to the very substance, one
must proceed gradually by developing knowledge of the categories.
It is natural that a philosophical mind wants to know about the origin of
the creation. At night he sees the stars in the sky, and he naturally
speculates about their inhabitants. Such inquiries are natural for man because
man has a developed consciousness which is higher than that of the animals.
The author of Srimad-Bhagavatam gives a direct answer to such inquiries. He
says that the Lord Sri Krsna is the origin of all creations. He is not only
the creator of the universe, but the destroyer as well. The manifested cosmic
nature is created at a certain period by the will of the Lord. It is
maintained for some time, and then it is annihilated by His will. Therefore,
the supreme will is behind all cosmic activities. Of course, there are
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atheists of various categories who do not believe in a creator, but that is

due to a poor fund of knowledge. The modern scientist, for example, has
created space satellites, and by some arrangement or other, these satellites
are thrown into outer space to fly for some time at the control of the
scientist who is far away. Similarly, all the universes with innumerable stars
and planets are controlled by the intelligence of the Personality of Godhead.
In Vedic literatures, it is said that the Absolute Truth, Personality of
Godhead, is the chief amongst all living personalities. All living beings,
beginning from the first created being, Brahma, down to the smallest ant, are
individual living beings. And above Brahma, there are even other living beings
with individual capacities, and the Personality of Godhead is also a similar
living being. And He is an individual as are the other living beings. But the
Supreme Lord, or the supreme living being, has the greatest intelligence, and
He possesses supermost inconceivable energies of all different varieties. If a
man's brain can produce a space satellite, one can very easily imagine how
brains higher than man can produce similarly wonderful things which are far
superior. The reasonable person will easily accept this argument, but there
are stubborn atheists who would never agree. Srila Vyasadeva, however, at
once
accepts the supreme intelligence as the paramesvara. He offers his respectful
obeisances unto the supreme intelligence addressed as the para or the
paramesvara or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And that paramesvara is
Sri
Krsna, as admitted in Bhagavad-gita and other scriptures delivered by Sri
Vyasadeva and specifically in this Srimad-Bhagavatam. In Bhagavad-gita, the
Lord says that there is no other para-tattva (summum bonum) than Himself.
Therefore, Sri Vyasadeva at once worships the para-tattva, Sri Krsna, whose
transcendental activities are described in the Tenth Canto.
Unscrupulous persons go immediately to the Tenth Canto and especially to
the five chapters which describe the Lord's rasa dance. This portion of the
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most confidential part of this great literature.
Unless one is thoroughly accomplished in the transcendental knowledge of the
Lord, one is sure to misunderstand the Lord's worshipable transcendental
pastimes called rasa dance and His love affairs with the gopis. This subject
matter is highly spiritual, and only the liberated persons who have gradually
attained to the stage of paramahamsa can transcendentally relish this rasa
dance. Srila Vyasadeva therefore gives the reader the chance to gradually
develop spiritual realization before actually relishing the essence of the
pastimes of the Lord. Therefore, he purposely invokes a Gayatri mantra,
dhimahi. This Gayatri mantra is meant for spiritually advanced people. When
one is successful in chanting the Gayatri mantra, he can enter into the
transcendental position of the Lord. One must therefore acquire brahminical
qualities or be perfectly situated in the quality of goodness in order to
chant the Gayatri mantra successfully and then attain to the stage of
transcendentally realizing the Lord, His name, His fame, His qualities and so
on.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the narration of the svarupa of the Lord manifested
by His internal potency, and this potency is distinguished from the external
potency which has manifested the cosmic world, which is within our
experience.
Srila Vyasadeva makes a clear distinction between the two in this sloka. Sri
Vyasadeva says herein that the manifested internal potency is real, whereas
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the external manifested energy in the form of material existence is only

temporary and illusory like the mirage in the desert. In the desert mirage
there is no actual water. There is only the appearance of water. Real water is
somewhere else. The manifested cosmic creation appears as reality. But
reality, of which this is but a shadow, is in the spiritual world. Absolute
Truth is in the spiritual sky, not the material sky. In the material sky
everything is relative truth. That is to say, one truth depends on something
else. This cosmic creation results from interaction of the three modes of
nature, and the temporary manifestations are so created as to present an
illusion of reality to the bewildered mind of the conditioned soul, who
appears in so many species of life, including the higher demigods, like
Brahma, Indra, Candra, and so on. In actuality, there is no reality in the
manifested world. There appears to be reality, however, because of the true
reality which exists in the spiritual world, where the Personality of Godhead
eternally exists with His transcendental paraphernalia.
The chief engineer of a complicated construction does not personally take
part in the construction, but he knows every nook and corner because
everything is done under his direction. He knows everything about the
construction, both directly and indirectly. Similarly, the Personality of
Godhead, who is the supreme engineer of this cosmic creation, knows every
nook
and corner, although affairs are being carried out by demigods. Beginning
from
Brahma down to the insignificant ant, no one is independent in the material
creation. The hand of the Lord is seen everywhere. All material elements as
well as all spiritual sparks emanate from Him only. And whatever is created in
this material world is but the interaction of two energies, the material and
the spiritual, which emanate from the Absolute Truth, the Personality of
Godhead, Sri Krsna. A chemist can manufacture water in the chemical
laboratory
by mixing hydrogen and oxygen. But, in reality, the living entity works in the
laboratory under the direction of the Supreme Lord. And the materials with
which he works are also supplied by the Lord. The Lord knows everything
directly and indirectly, and He is cognizant of all minute details, and He is
fully independent. He is compared to a mine of gold, and the cosmic creations
in so many different forms are compared to objects made from the gold, such
as
gold rings, necklaces and so on. The gold ring and the gold necklace are
qualitatively one with the gold in the mine, but quantitatively the gold in
the mine is different. Therefore, the Absolute Truth is simultaneously one and
different. Nothing is absolutely equal with the Absolute Truth, but at the
same time, nothing is independent of the Absolute Truth.
Conditioned souls, beginning from Brahma, who engineers the entire
universe, down to the insignificant ant, are all creating, but none of them
are independent of the Supreme Lord. The materialist wrongly thinks that
there
is no creator other than his own self. This is called maya, or illusion.
Because of his poor fund of knowledge, the materialist cannot see beyond the
purview of his imperfect senses, and thus he thinks that matter automatically
takes its own shape without the aid of a superior intelligence. This is
refuted in this sloka by Srila Vyasadeva: "Since the complete whole or the
Absolute Truth is the source of everything, nothing can be independent of the
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body of the Absolute Truth." Whatever happens to the body quickly becomes
known to the embodied. Similarly, the creation is the body of the absolute
whole. Therefore, the Absolute knows everything directly and indirectly that
happens in the creation.
In the sruti-mantra, it is also stated that the absolute whole or Brahman
is the ultimate source of everything. Everything emanates from Him, and
everything is maintained by Him. And at the end, everything enters into Him.
That is the law of nature. In the smrti-mantra, the same is confirmed. It is
said that the source from which everything emanates at the beginning of
Brahma's millennium and the reservoir to which everything ultimately enters,
is the Absolute Truth or Brahman. Material scientists take it for granted that
the ultimate source of the planetary system is the sun, but they are unable to
explain the source of the sun. Herein, the ultimate source is explained.
According to the Vedic literatures, Brahma, who may be compared to the sun,
is
not the ultimate creator. It is stated in this sloka that Brahma was taught
Vedic knowledge by the Personality of Godhead. One may argue that Brahma,
being the original living being, could not be inspired because there was no
other being living at that time. Herein it is stated that the Supreme Lord
inspired the secondary creator, Brahma, in order that Brahma could carry out
his creative functions. So, the supreme intelligence behind all creations is
the Absolute Godhead, Sri Krsna. In Bhagavad-gita, Lord Sri Krsna states that
it is He only who superintends the creative energy, prakrti, which constitutes
the totality of matter. Therefore, Sri Vyasadeva does not worship Brahma, but
the Supreme Lord, who guides Brahma in his creative activities. In this sloka,
the particular words abhijnah and svarat are significant. These two words
distinguish the Supreme Lord from all the other living entities. No other
living entity is either abhijnah or svarat. That is, no one is either fully
cognizant or fully independent. Even Brahma has to meditate upon the
Supreme
Lord in order to create. Then what to speak of great scientists like Einstein!
The brains of such a scientist are certainly not the products of any human
being. Scientists cannot manufacture such a brain, and what to speak of
foolish atheists who defy the authority of the Lord? Even Mayavadi
impersonalists who flatter themselves that they can become one with the Lord
are neither abhijnah or svarat. Such impersonalists undergo severe austerities
to acquire knowledge to become one with the Lord. But ultimately they
become
dependent on some rich disciple who supplies them with money to build
monasteries and temples. Atheists like Ravana or Hiranyakasipu had to
undergo
severe penances before they could flout the authority of the Lord. But
ultimately, they were rendered helpless and could not save themselves when
the
Lord appeared before them as cruel death. This is also the case with the
modern atheists who also dare to flout the authority of the Lord. Such
atheists will be dealt with similarly, for history repeats itself. Whenever
men neglect the authority of the Lord, nature and her laws are there to
penalize them. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita in the well-known verse
yada
yada hi dharmasya glanih. "Whenever there is a decline of dharma and a rise
of
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adharma, O Arjuna, then I incarnate Myself." (Bg. 4.7)

That the Supreme Lord is all-perfect is confirmed in all sruti-mantras.
It is said in the sruti-mantras that the all-perfect Lord threw a glance over
matter and thus created all living beings. The living beings are parts and
parcels of the Lord, and He impregnates the vast material creation with seeds
of spiritual sparks, and thus the creative energies are set in motion to enact
so many wonderful creations. An atheist may argue that God is no more
expert
than a watchmaker, but of course God is greater because He can create
machines
in duplicate male and female forms. The male and female forms of different
types of machineries go on producing innumerable similar machines without
God's further attention. If a man could manufacture such a set of machines
that could produce other machines without his attention, then he could
approach the intelligence of God. But that is not possible, for each machine
has to be handled individually. Therefore, no one can create as well as God.
Another name for God is asamaurdhva, which means that no one is equal to or
greater than Him. Param satyam, or the Supreme Truth, is He who has no
equal
or superior. This is confirmed in the sruti-mantras. It is said that before
the creation of the material universe there existed the Lord only, who is
master of everyone. That Lord instructed Brahma in Vedic knowledge. That
Lord
has to be obeyed in all respects. Anyone who wants to get rid of the material
entanglement must surrender unto Him. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-
gita.
Unless one surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, it is
certain that he will be bewildered. When an intelligent man surrenders unto
the lotus feet of Krsna and knows completely that Krsna is the cause of all
causes, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, then only can such an intelligent man
become a mahatma, or great soul. But such a great soul is rarely seen. Only
the mahatmas can understand that the Supreme Lord is the primeval cause of
all
creations. He is parama or ultimate truth because all other truths are
relative to Him. He is omniscient. For Him, there is no illusion.
Some Mayavadi scholars argue that Srimad-Bhagavatam was not compiled
by
Sri Vyasadeva. And some of them suggest that this book is a modern creation
written by someone named Vopadeva. In order to refute such meaningless
arguments, Sri Sridhara Svami points out that there is reference to the
Bhagavatam in many of the oldest Puranas. This first sloka of the Bhagavatam
begins with the Gayatri mantra. There is reference to this in the Matsya
Purana, which is the oldest Purana. In that Purana, it is said with reference
to the Gayatri mantra in the Bhagavatam that there are many narrations of
spiritual instructions beginning with the Gayatri mantra. And there is the
history of Vrtrasura. Anyone who makes a gift of this great work on a full
moon day attains to the highest perfection of life by returning to Godhead.
There is reference to the Bhagavatam in other Puranas also, where it is
clearly stated that this work was finished in twelve cantos, which include
eighteen thousand slokas. In the Padma Purana also there is reference to the
Bhagavatam in a conversation between Gautama and Maharaja Ambarisa. The
king
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was advised therein to read regularly Srimad-Bhagavatam if he desired

liberation from material bondage. Under the circumstances, there is no doubt
about the authority of the Bhagavatam. Within the past five hundred years,
many erudite scholars and acaryas like Jiva Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami,
Visvanatha Cakravarti, Vallabhacarya, and many other distinguished scholars
even after the time of Lord Caitanya made elaborate commentaries on the
Bhagavatam. And the serious student would do well to attempt to go through
them to better relish the transcendental messages.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura specifically deals with the original
and pure sex psychology (adi-rasa), devoid of all mundane inebriety. The
whole
material creation is moving under the principle of sex life. In modern
civilization, sex life is the focal point for all activities. Wherever one
turns his face, he sees sex life predominant. Therefore, sex life is not
unreal. Its reality is experienced in the spiritual world. The material sex
life is but a perverted reflection of the original fact. The original fact is
in the Absolute Truth, and thus the Absolute Truth cannot be impersonal. It is
not possible to be impersonal and contain pure sex life. Consequently, the
impersonalist philosophers have given indirect impetus to the abominable
mundane sex life because they have overstressed the impersonality of the
ultimate truth. Consequently, man without information of the actual spiritual
form of sex has accepted perverted material sex life as the all in all. There
is a distinction between sex life in the diseased material condition and
spiritual sex life.
This Srimad-Bhagavatam will gradually elevate the unbiased reader to the
highest perfectional stage of transcendence. It will enable him to transcend
the three modes of material activities: fruitive actions, speculative
philosophy, and worship of functional deities as inculcated in Vedic verses.

TEXT 2

dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam

vedyam vastavam atra vastu sivadam tapa-trayonmulanam
srimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krte kim va parair isvarah
sadyo hrdy avarudhyate 'tra krtibhih susrusubhis tat-ksanat

dharmah--religiosity; projjhita--completely rejected; kaitavah--covered by

fruitive intention; atra--herein; paramah--the highest; nirmatsaranam--of the
one-hundred-percent pure in heart; satam--devotees; vedyam--
understandable;
vastavam--factual; atra--herein; vastu--substance; sivadam--well-being;
tapa-traya--threefold miseries; unmulanam--causing uprooting of;
srimat--beautiful; bhagavate--the Bhagavata Purana; maha-muni--the great
sage
(Vyasadeva); krte--having compiled; kim--what is; va--the need;
paraih--others; isvarah--the Supreme Lord; sadyah--at once; hrdi--within the
heart; avarudhyate--become compact; atra--herein; krtibhih--by the pious
men;
susrusubhih--by culture; tat-ksanat--without delay.

TRANSLATION
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Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially

motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is
understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest
truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such
truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by
the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God
realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one
attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this
culture
of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.

PURPORT

Religion includes four primary subjects, namely pious activities,

economic development, satisfaction of the senses, and finally liberation from
material bondage. Irreligious life is a barbarous condition. Indeed, human
life begins when religion begins. Eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating are
the four principles of animal life. These are common both to animals and to
human beings. But religion is the extra function of the human being. Without
religion, human life is no better than animal life. Therefore, in human
societies there is some form of religion which aims at self-realization and
which makes reference to man's eternal relationship with God.
In the lower stages of human civilization, there is always competition to
lord it over the material nature or, in other words, there is a continuous
rivalry to satisfy the senses. Driven by such consciousness, man turns to
religion. He thus performs pious activities or religious functions in order to
gain something material. But if such material gains are obtainable in other
ways, then so-called religion is neglected. This is the situation in modern
civilization. Man is thriving economically, so at present he is not very
interested in religion. Churches, mosques or temples are now practically
vacant. Men are more interested in factories, shops, and cinemas than in
religious places which were erected by their forefathers. This practically
proves that religion is performed for some economic gains. Economic gains are
needed for sense gratification. Often when one is baffled in the pursuit of
sense gratification, he takes to salvation and tries to become one with the
Supreme Lord. Consequently, all these states are simply different types of
sense gratification.
In the Vedas, the above-mentioned four activities are prescribed in the
regulative way so that there will not be any undue competition for sense
gratification. But Srimad-Bhagavatam is transcendental to all these sense
gratificatory activities. It is purely transcendental literature which can be
understood only by the pure devotees of the Lord who are transcendental to
competitive sense gratification. In the material world there is keen
competition between animal and animal, man and man, community and
community,
nation and nation. But the devotees of the Lord rise above such competitions.
They do not compete with the materialist because they are on the path back
to
Godhead where life is eternal and blissful. Such transcendentalists are
nonenvious and pure in heart. In the material world, everyone is envious of
everyone else, and therefore there is competition. But the transcendental
devotees of the Lord are not only free from material envy, but are
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well-wishers to everyone, and they strive to establish a competitionless

society with God in the center. The contemporary socialist's conception of a
competitionless society is artificial because in the socialist state there is
competition for the post of dictator. From the point of view of the Vedas or
from the point of view of common human activities, sense gratification is the
basis of material life. There are three paths mentioned in the Vedas. One
involves fruitive activities to gain promotion to better planets. Another
involves worshiping different demigods for promotion to the planets of the
demigods, and another involves realizing the Absolute Truth and His
impersonal
feature and becoming one with Him.
The impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth is not the highest. Above the
impersonal feature is the Paramatma feature, and above this is the personal
feature of the Absolute Truth, or Bhagavan. Srimad-Bhagavatam gives
information about the Absolute Truth in His personal feature. It is higher
than impersonalist literatures and higher than the jnana-kanda division of the
Vedas. It is even higher than the karma-kanda division, and even higher than
the upasana-kanda division, because it recommends the worship of the
Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna. In the karma-kanda, there is
competition to reach heavenly planets for better sense gratification, and
there is similar competition in the jnana-kanda and the upasana-kanda. The
Srimad-Bhagavatam is superior to all of these because it aims at the Supreme
Truth which is the substance or the root of all categories. From
Srimad-Bhagavatam one can come to know the substance as well as the
categories. The substance is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord, and all
emanations are relative forms of energy.
Nothing is apart from the substance, but at the same time the energies
are different from the substance. This conception is not contradictory.
Srimad-Bhagavatam explicitly promulgates this simultaneously-one-and-
different
philosophy of the Vedanta-sutra, which begins with the "janmady asya" sutra.
This knowledge that the energy of the Lord is simultaneously one with and
different from the Lord is an answer to the mental speculators' attempt to
establish the energy as the Absolute. When this knowledge is factually
understood, one sees the conceptions of monism and dualism to be imperfect.
Development of this transcendental consciousness grounded in the conception
of
simultaneously-one-and-different leads one immediately to the stage of
freedom
from the threefold miseries. The threefold miseries are (1) those miseries
which arise from the mind and body, (2) those miseries inflicted by other
living beings, and (3) those miseries arising from natural catastrophes over
which one has no control. Srimad-Bhagavatam begins with the surrender of
the
devotee unto the Absolute Person. The devotee is fully aware that he is one
with the Absolute and at the same time in the eternal position of servant to
the Absolute. In the material conception, one falsely thinks himself the lord
of all he surveys, and therefore he is always troubled by the threefold
miseries of life. But as soon as one comes to know his real position as
transcendental servant, he at once becomes free from all miseries. As long as
the living entity is trying to master material nature, there is no possibility
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of his becoming servant of the Supreme. Service to the Lord is rendered in

pure consciousness of one's spiritual identity; by service one is immediately
freed from material encumbrances.
Over and above this, Srimad-Bhagavatam is a personal commentation on
the
Vedanta-sutra by Sri Vyasadeva. It was written in the maturity of his
spiritual life through the mercy of Narada. Sri Vyasadeva is the authorized
incarnation of Narayana, the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, there is no
question as to his authority. He is the author of all other Vedic literatures,
yet he recommends the study of Srimad-Bhagavatam above all others. In
other
Puranas there are different methods set forth by which one can worship the
demigods. But in the Bhagavatam only the Supreme Lord is mentioned. The
Supreme Lord is the total body, and the demigods are the different parts of
that body. Consequently, by worshiping the Supreme Lord, one does not need
to
worship the demigods. The Supreme Lord becomes fixed in the heart of the
devotee immediately. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended the
Srimad-Bhagavatam as the spotless Purana and distinguishes it from all other
Puranas.
The proper method for receiving this transcendental message is to hear it
submissively. A challenging attitude cannot help one realize this
transcendental message. One particular word is used herein for proper
guidance. This word is susrusu. One must be anxious to hear this
transcendental message. The desire to sincerely hear is the first
qualification.
Less fortunate persons are not at all interested in hearing this
Srimad-Bhagavatam. The process is simple, but the application is difficult.
Unfortunate people find enough time to hear idle social and political
conversations, but when invited to attend a meeting of devotees to hear
Srimad-Bhagavatam they suddenly become reluctant. Sometimes professional
readers of the Bhagavatam immediately plunge into the confidential topics of
the pastimes of the Supreme Lord, which they seemingly interpret as sex
literature. Srimad-Bhagavatam is meant to be heard from the beginning.
Those
who are fit to assimilate this work are mentioned in this sloka: "One becomes
qualified to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam after many pious deeds." The intelligent
person, with thoughtful discretion, can be assured by the great sage
Vyasadeva
that he can realize the Supreme Personality directly by hearing
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Without undergoing the different stages of realization set
forth in the Vedas, one can be lifted immediately to the position of
paramahamsa simply by agreeing to receive this message.

TEXT 3

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam

suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam
pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam
muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah

nigama--the Vedic literatures; kalpa-taroh--the desire tree; galitam--fully

 11

matured; phalam--fruit; suka--Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, the original speaker of

Srimad-Bhagavatam; mukhat--from the lips of; amrta--nectar; drava--semisolid
and soft and therefore easily swallowable; samyutam--perfect in all respects;
pibata--do relish it; bhagavatam--the book dealing in the science of the
eternal relation with the Lord; rasam--juice (that which is relishable);
alayam--until liberation, or even in a liberated condition; muhuh--always;
aho--O; rasikah--those who are full in the knowledge of mellows; bhuvi--on the
earth; bhavukah--expert and thoughtful.

TRANSLATION

O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit

of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri
Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful,
although
its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.

PURPORT

In the two previous slokas it has been definitely proved that the
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the sublime literature which surpasses all other Vedic
scriptures due to its transcendental qualities. It is transcendental to all
mundane activities and mundane knowledge. In this sloka it is stated that
Srimad-Bhagavatam is not only a superior literature but is the ripened fruit
of all Vedic literatures. In other words, it is the cream of all Vedic
knowledge. Considering all this, patient and submissive hearing is definitely
essential. With great respect and attention, one should receive the message
and lessons imparted by the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
The Vedas are compared to the desire tree because they contain all things
knowable by man. They deal with mundane necessities as well as spiritual
realization. The Vedas contain regulated principles of knowledge covering
social, political, religious, economic, military, medicinal, chemical,
physical and metaphysical subject matter and all that may be necessary to
keep
the body and soul together. Above and beyond all this are specific directions
for spiritual realization. Regulated knowledge involves a gradual raising of
the living entity to the spiritual platform, and the highest spiritual
realization is knowledge that the Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of
all spiritual tastes, or rasas.
Every living entity, beginning from Brahma, the first-born living being
within the material world, down to the insignificant ant, desires to relish
some sort of taste derived from sense perceptions. These sensual pleasures
are
technically called rasas. Such rasas are of different varieties. In the
revealed scriptures the following twelve varieties of rasas are enumerated:
(1) raudra (anger), (2) adbhuta (wonder), (3) srngara (conjugal love), (4)
hasya (comedy), (5) vira (chivalry), (6) daya (mercy), (7) dasya
(servitorship), (8) sakhya (fraternity), (9) bhayanaka (horror), (10) bibhatsa
(shock), (11) santa (neutrality), (12) vatsalya (parenthood).
The sum total of all these rasas is called affection or love. Primarily,
such signs of love are manifested in adoration, service, friendship, paternal
affection, and conjugal love. And when these five are absent, love is present
 12

indirectly in anger, wonder, comedy, chivalry, fear, shock and so on. For
example, when a man is in love with a woman, the rasa is called conjugal love.
But when such love affairs are disturbed there may be wonder, anger, shock,
or
even horror. Sometimes love affairs between two persons culminate in ghastly
murder scenes. Such rasas are displayed between man and man and between
animal
and animal. There is no possibility of an exchange or rasa between a man and
an animal or between a man and any other species of living beings within the
material world. The rasas are exchanged between members of the same
species.
But as far as the spirit souls are concerned, they are one qualitatively with
the Supreme Lord. Therefore, the rasas were originally exchanged between
the
spiritual living being and the spiritual whole, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. The spiritual exchange or rasa is fully exhibited in spiritual
existence between living beings and the Supreme Lord.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is therefore described in the
sruti-mantras, Vedic hymns, as "the fountainhead of all rasas." When one
associates with the Supreme Lord and exchanges one's constitutional rasa
with
the Lord, then the living being is actually happy.
These sruti-mantras indicate that every living being has its
constitutional position, which is endowed with a particular type of rasa to be
exchanged with the Personality of Godhead. In the liberated condition only,
this primary rasa is experienced in full. In the material existence, the rasa
is experienced in the perverted form, which is temporary. And thus the rasas
of the material world are exhibited in the material form of raudra (anger) and
so on.
Therefore, one who attains full knowledge of these different rasas, which
are the basic principles of activities, can understand the false
representations of the original rasas which are reflected in the material
world. The learned scholar seeks to relish the real rasa in the spiritual
form. In the beginning he desires to become one with the Supreme. Thus, less
intelligent transcendentalists cannot go beyond this conception of becoming
one with the spirit whole, without knowing of the different rasas.
In this sloka, it is definitely stated that spiritual rasa, which is
relished even in the liberated stage, can be experienced in the literature of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam due to its being the ripened fruit of all Vedic
knowledge. By submissively hearing this transcendental literature, one can
attain the full pleasure of his heart's desire. But one must be very careful
to hear the message from the right source. Srimad-Bhagavatam is exactly
received from the right source. It was brought by Narada Muni from the
spiritual world and given to his disciple Sri Vyasadeva. The latter in turn
delivered the message to his son Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and Srila Sukadeva
Gosvami delivered the message to Maharaja Pariksit just seven days before
the
King's death. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was a liberated soul from his very birth.
He was liberated even in the womb of his mother, and he did not undergo any
sort of spiritual training after his birth. At birth no one is qualified,
neither in the mundane nor in the spiritual sense. But Sri Sukadeva Gosvami,
due to his being a perfectly liberated soul, did not have to undergo an
 13

evolutionary process for spiritual realization. Yet despite his being a

completely liberated person situated in the transcendental position above the
three material modes, he was attracted to this transcendental rasa of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is adored by liberated souls who sing
Vedic hymns. The Supreme Lord's pastimes are more attractive to liberated
souls than to mundane people. He is of necessity not impersonal because it is
only possible to carry on transcendental rasa with a person.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are
narrated, and the narration is systematically depicted by Srila Sukadeva
Gosvami. Thus the subject matter is appealing to all classes of persons,
including those who seek liberation and those who seek to become one with
the
supreme whole.
In Sanskrit the parrot is also known as suka. When a ripened fruit is cut
by the red beaks of such birds, its sweet flavor is enhanced. The Vedic fruit
which is mature and ripe in knowledge is spoken through the lips of Srila
Sukadeva Gosvami, who is compared to the parrot not for his ability to recite
the Bhagavatam exactly as he heard it from his learned father, but for his
ability to present the work in a manner that would appeal to all classes of
men.
The subject matter is so presented through the lips of Srila Sukadeva
Gosvami that any sincere listener that hears submissively can at once relish
transcendental tastes which are distinct from the perverted tastes of the
material world. The ripened fruit is not dropped all of a sudden from the
highest planet of Krsnaloka. Rather, it has come down carefully through the
chain of disciplic succession without change or disturbance. Foolish people
who are not in the transcendental disciplic succession commit great blunders
by trying to understand the highest transcendental rasa known as the rasa
dance without following in the footsteps of Sukadeva Gosvami, who presents
this fruit very carefully by stages of transcendental realization. One should
be intelligent enough to know the position of Srimad-Bhagavatam by
considering
personalities like Sukadeva Gosvami, who deals with the subject so carefully.
This process of disciplic succession of the Bhagavata school suggests that in
the future also Srimad-Bhagavatam has to be understood from a person who is
factually a representative of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. A professional man who
makes a business out of reciting the Bhagavatam illegally is certainly not a
representative of Sukadeva Gosvami. Such a man's business is only to earn his
livelihood. Therefore one should refrain from hearing the lectures of such
professional men. Such men usually go to the most confidential part of the
literature without undergoing the gradual process of understanding this grave
subject. They usually plunge into the subject matter of the rasa dance, which
is misunderstood by the foolish class of men. Some of them take this to be
immoral, while others try to cover it up by their own stupid interpretations.
They have no desire to follow in the footsteps of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami.
One should conclude, therefore, that the serious student of the rasa
should receive the message of Bhagavatam in the chain of disciplic succession
from Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, who describes the Bhagavatam from its very
beginning and not whimsically to satisfy the mundaner who has very little
knowledge in transcendental science. Srimad-Bhagavatam is so carefully
presented that a sincere and serious person can at once enjoy the ripened
fruit of Vedic knowledge simply by drinking the nectarean juice through the
 14

mouth of Sukadeva Gosvami or his bona fide representative.

TEXT 4

naimise 'nimisa-ksetre
rsayah saunakadayah
satram svargaya lokaya
sahasra-samam asata

naimise--in the forest known as Naimisaranya; animisa-ksetre--the spot which

is especially a favorite of Visnu (who does not close His eyelids);
rsayah--sages; saunaka-adayah--headed by the sage Saunaka; satram--
sacrifice;
svargaya--the Lord who is glorified in heaven; lokaya--and for the devotees
who are always in touch with the Lord; sahasra--one thousand; samam--years;
asata--performed.

TRANSLATION

Once, in a holy place in the forest of Naimisaranya, great sages headed

by the sage Saunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for
the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.

PURPORT

The prelude of the Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken in the previous three

slokas. Now the main topic of this great literature is being presented.
Srimad-Bhagavatam, after its first recitation by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, was
repeated for the second time at Naimisaranya.
In the Vayaviya Tantra, it is said that Brahma, the engineer of this
particular universe, contemplated a great wheel which could enclose the
universe. The hub of this great circle was fixed at a particular place known
as Naimisaranya. Similarly, there is another reference to the forest of
Naimisaranya in the Varaha Purana, where it is stated that by performance of
sacrifice at this place, the strength of demoniac people is curtailed. Thus
brahmanas prefer Naimisaranya for such sacrificial performances.
The devotees of Lord Visnu offer all kinds of sacrifices for His
pleasure. The devotees are always attached to the service of the Lord,
whereas
fallen souls are attached to the pleasures of material existence. In
Bhagavad-gita, it is said that anything performed in the material world for
any reason other than for the pleasure of Lord Visnu causes further bondage
for the performer. It is enjoined therefore that all acts must be performed
sacrificially for the satisfaction of Visnu and His devotees. This will bring
everyone peace and prosperity.
The great sages are always anxious to do good to the people in general,
and as such the sages headed by Saunaka and others assembled at this holy
place of Naimisaranya with a program of performing a great and continuous
chain of sacrificial ceremonies. Forgetful men do not know the right path for
peace and prosperity. However, the sages know it well, and therefore for the
good of all men they are always anxious to perform acts which may bring
about
 15

peace in the world. They are sincere friends to all living entities, and at
the risk of great personal inconvenience they are always engaged in the
service of the Lord for the good of all people. Lord Visnu is just like a
great tree, and all others, including the demigods, men, Siddhas, Caranas,
Vidyadharas and other living entities, are like branches, twigs and leaves of
that tree. By pouring water on the root of the tree, all the parts of the tree
are automatically nourished. Only those branches and leaves which are
detached
cannot be so satisfied. Detached branches and leaves dry up gradually despite
all watering attempts. Similarly, human society, when it is detached from the
Personality of Godhead like detached branches and leaves, is not capable of
being watered, and one attempting to do so is simply wasting his energy and
resources.
The modern materialistic society is detached from its relation to the
Supreme Lord. And all its plans which are being made by atheistic leaders are
sure to be baffled at every step. Yet they do not wake up to this.
In this age, the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord is
the prescribed method for waking up. The ways and means are most
scientifically presented by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and intelligent
persons may take advantage of His teachings in order to bring about real
peace
and prosperity. Srimad-Bhagavatam is also presented for the same purpose,
and
this will be explained more specifically later in the text.

TEXT 5

ta ekada tu munayah
pratar huta-hutagnayah
sat-krtam sutam asinam
papracchur idam adarat

te--the sages; ekada--one day; tu--but; munayah--sages; pratah--morning;

huta--burning; huta-agnayah--the sacrificial fire; sat-krtam--due respects;
sutam--Sri Suta Gosvami; asinam--seated on; papracchuh--made inquiries;
idam--on this (as follows); adarat--with due regards.

TRANSLATION

One day, after finishing their morning duties by burning a sacrificial

fire and offering a seat of esteem to Srila Suta Gosvami, the great sages made
inquiries, with great respect, about the following matters.

PURPORT

Morning is the best time to hold spiritual services. The great sages
offered the speaker of the Bhagavatam an elevated seat of respect called the
vyasasana, or the seat of Sri Vyasadeva. Sri Vyasadeva is the original
spiritual preceptor for all men. And all other preceptors are considered to be
his representatives. A representative is one who can exactly present the
viewpoint of Sri Vyasadeva. Sri Vyasadeva impregnated the message of
 16

Bhagavatam unto Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and Sri Suta Gosvami heard it from
him
(Sri Sukadeva Gosvami). All bona fide representatives of Sri Vyasadeva in the
chain of disciplic succession are to be understood to be gosvamis. These
gosvamis restrain all their senses, and they stick to the path made by the
previous acaryas. The gosvamis do not deliver lectures on the Bhagavatam
capriciously. Rather, they execute their services most carefully, following
their predecessors who delivered the spiritual message unbroken to them.
Those who listen to the Bhagavatam may put questions to the speaker in
order to elicit the clear meaning, but this should not be done in a
challenging spirit. One must submit questions with a great regard for the
speaker and the subject matter. This is also the way recommended in
Bhagavad-gita. One must learn the transcendental subject by submissive aural
reception from the right sources. Therefore these sages addressed the
speaker
Suta Gosvami with great respect.

TEXT 6

rsaya ucuh
tvaya khalu puranani
setihasani canagha
akhyatany apy adhitani
dharma-sastrani yany uta

rsayah--the sages; ucuh--said; tvaya--by you; khalu--undoubtedly;

puranani--the supplements to the Vedas with illustrative narrations;
sa-itihasani--along with the histories; ca--and; anagha--freed from all vices;
akhyatani--explained; api--although; adhitani--well read;
dharma-sastrani--scriptures giving right directions to progressive life;
yani--all these; uta--said.

TRANSLATION

The sages said: Respected Suta Gosvami, you are completely free from all
vice. You are well versed in all the scriptures famous for religious life, and
in the Puranas and the histories as well, for you have gone through them
under
proper guidance and have also explained them.

PURPORT

A gosvami, or the bona fide representative of Sri Vyasadeva, must be free

from all kinds of vices. The four major vices of Kali-yuga are (1) illicit
connection with women, (2) animal slaughter, (3) intoxication, (4) speculative
gambling of all sorts. A gosvami must be free from all these vices before he
can dare sit on the vyasasana. No one should be allowed to sit on the
vyasasana who is not spotless in character and who is not freed from the
above-mentioned vices. He not only should be freed from all such vices, but
must also be well versed in all revealed scriptures or in the Vedas. The
Puranas are also parts of the Vedas. And histories like the Mahabharata or
 17

Ramayana are also parts of the Vedas. The acarya or the gosvami must be
well
acquainted with all these literatures. To hear and explain them is more
important than reading them. One can assimilate the knowledge of the
revealed
scriptures only by hearing and explaining. Hearing is called sravana, and
explaining is called kirtana. The two processes of sravana and kirtana are of
primary importance to progressive spiritual life. Only one who has properly
grasped the transcendental knowledge from the right source by submissive
hearing can properly explain the subject.

TEXT 7

yani veda-vidam srestho

bhagavan badarayanah
anye ca munayah suta
paravara-vido viduh

yani--all that; veda-vidam--scholars of the Vedas; sresthah--seniormost;

bhagavan--incarnation of Godhead; badarayanah--Vyasadeva; anye--others;
ca--and; munayah--the sages; suta--O Suta Gosvami; paravara-vidah--amongst
the
learned scholars, one who is conversant with physical and metaphysical
knowledge; viduh--one who knows.

TRANSLATION

Being the eldest learned Vedantist, O Suta Gosvami, you are acquainted
with the knowledge of Vyasadeva, who is the incarnation of Godhead, and you
also know other sages who are fully versed in all kinds of physical and
metaphysical knowledge.

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam is a natural commentation on the Brahma-sutra, or the

Badarayani Vedanta-sutras. It is called natural because Vyasadeva is author of
both the Vedanta-sutras and Srimad-Bhagavatam, or the essence of all Vedic
literatures. Besides Vyasadeva, there are other sages who are the authors of
six different philosophical systems, namely Gautama, Kanada, Kapila,
Patanjali, Jaimini and Astavakra. Theism is explained completely in the
Vedanta-sutra, whereas in other systems of philosophical speculations,
practically no mention is given to the ultimate cause of all causes. One can
sit on the vyasasana only after being conversant in all systems of philosophy
so that one can present fully the theistic views of the Bhagavatam in defiance
of all other systems. Srila Suta Gosvami was the proper teacher, and therefore
the sages at Naimisaranya elevated him to the vyasasana. Srila Vyasadeva is
designated herein as the Personality of Godhead because he is the authorized
empowered incarnation.

TEXT 8

vettha tvam saumya tat samam

 18

tattvatas tad-anugrahat
bruyuh snigdhasya sisyasya
guravo guhyam apy uta

vettha--you are well conversant; tvam--Your Honor; saumya--one who is pure

and
simple; tat--those; sarvam--all; tattvatah--in fact; tat--their; anugrahat--by
the favor of; bruyuh--will tell; snigdhasya--of the one who is submissive;
sisyasya--of the disciple; guravah--the spiritual masters; guhyam--secret; api
uta--endowed with.

TRANSLATION

And because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have endowed you
with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple. Therefore you can tell us
all that you have scientifically learned from them.

PURPORT

The secret of success in spiritual life is in satisfying the spiritual

master and thereby getting his sincere blessings. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti
Thakura has sung in his famous eight stanzas on the spiritual master as
follows: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual
master. Only by his satisfaction can one please the Personality of Godhead,
and when he is dissatisfied there is only havoc on the path of spiritual
realization." It is essential, therefore, that a disciple be very much
obedient and submissive to the bona fide spiritual master. Srila Suta Gosvami
fulfilled all these qualifications as a disciple, and therefore he was endowed
with all favors by his learned and self-realized spiritual masters such as
Srila Vyasadeva and others. The sages of Naimisaranya were confident that
Srila Suta Gosvami was bona fide. Therefore they were anxious to hear from
him.

TEXT 9

tatra tatranjasayusman
bhavata yad viniscitam
pumsam ekantatah sreyas
tan nah samsitum arhasi

tatra--thereof; tatra--thereof; anjasa--made easy; ayusman--blessed with a

long duration of life; bhavata--by your good self; yat--whatever;
viniscitam--ascertained; pumsam--for the people in general;
ekantatah--absolutely; sreyah--ultimate good; tat--that; nah--to us;
samsitum--to explain; arhasi--deserve.

TRANSLATION

Please, therefore, being blessed with many years, explain to us, in an

easily understandable way, what you have ascertained to be the absolute and
ultimate good for the people in general.
 19

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita, worship of the acarya is recommended. The acaryas and

gosvamis are always absorbed in thought of the well-being of the general
public, especially their spiritual well-being. Spiritual wellbeing is
automatically followed by material well-being. The acaryas therefore give
directions in spiritual well-being for people in general. Foreseeing the
incompetencies of the people in this age of Kali, or the iron age of quarrel,
the sages requested that Suta Gosvami give a summary of all revealed
scriptures because the people of this age are condemned in every respect.
The
sages, therefore, inquired of the absolute good, which is the ultimate good
for the people. The condemned state of affairs of the people of this age is
described as follows.

TEXT 10

prayenalpayusah sabhya
kalav asmin yuge janah
mandah sumanda-matayo
manda-bhagya hy upadrutah

prayena--almost always; alpa--meager; ayusah--duration of life; sabhya--

member
of a learned society; kalau--in this age of Kali (quarrel); asmin--herein;
yuge--age; janah--the public; mandah--lazy; sumanda-matayah--misguided;
manda-bhagyah--unlucky; hi--and above all; upadrutah--disturbed.

TRANSLATION

O learned one, in this iron age of Kali men have but short lives. They
are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.

PURPORT

The devotees of the Lord are always anxious for the spiritual improvement
of the general public. When the sages of Naimisaranya analyzed the state of
affairs of the people in this age of Kali, they foresaw that men would live
short lives. In Kali-yuga, the duration of life is shortened not so much
because of insufficient food but because of irregular habits. By keeping
regular habits and eating simple food, any man can maintain his health.
Overeating, over-sense gratification, overdependence on another's mercy, and
artificial standards of living sap the very vitality of human energy.
Therefore the duration of life is shortened.
The people of this age are also very lazy, not only materially but in the
matter of self-realization. The human life is especially meant for
self-realization. That is to say, man should come to know what he is, what the
world is, and what the supreme truth is. Human life is a means by which the
living entity can end all the miseries of the hard struggle for life in
material existence and by which he can return to Godhead, his eternal home.
But, due to a bad system of education, men have no desire for
self-realization. Even if they come to know about it, they unfortunately
 20

become victims of misguided teachers.

In this age, men are victims not only of different political creeds and
parties, but also of many different types of sense-gratificatory diversions,
such as cinemas, sports, gambling, clubs, mundane libraries, bad association,
smoking, drinking, cheating, pilfering, bickerings, and so on. Their minds are
always disturbed and full of anxieties due to so many different engagements.
In this age, many unscrupulous men manufacture their own religious faiths
which are not based on any revealed scriptures, and very often people who
are
addicted to sense gratification are attracted by such institutions.
Consequently, in the name of religion so many sinful acts are being carried on
that the people in general have neither peace of mind nor health of body. The
student (brahmacari) communities are no longer being maintained, and
householders do not observe the rules and regulations of the grhastha-
asrama.
Consequently, the so-called vanaprasthas and sannyasis who come out of such
grhastha-asramas are easily deviated from the rigid path. In the Kali-yuga the
whole atmosphere is surcharged with faithlessness. Men are no longer
interested in spiritual values. Material sense gratification is now the
standard of civilization. For the maintenance of such material civilizations,
man has formed complex nations and communities, and there is a constant
strain
of hot and cold wars between these different groups. It has become very
difficult, therefore, to raise the spiritual standard due to the present
distorted values of human society. The sages of Naimisaranya are anxious to
disentangle all fallen souls, and here they are seeking the remedy from Srila
Suta Gosvami.

TEXT 11

bhurini bhuri-karmani
srotavyani vibhagasah
atah sadho 'tra yat saram
samuddhrtya manisaya
bruhi bhadraya bhutanam
yenatma suprasidati

bhurini--multifarious; bhuri--many; karmani--duties; srota-vyani--to be

learned; vibhagasah--by divisions of subject matter; atah--therefore; sadho--O
sage; atra--herein; yat--whatever; saram--essence; samuddhrtya--by selection;
manisaya--best to your knowledge; bruhi--please tell us; bhadraya--for the
good of; bhutanam--the living beings; yena--by which; atma--the self;
suprasidati--becomes fully satisfied.

TRANSLATION

There are many varieties of scriptures, and in all of them there are many
prescribed duties, which can be learned only after many years of study in
their various divisions. Therefore, O sage, please select the essence of all
these scriptures and explain it for the good of all living beings, that by
such instruction their hearts may be fully satisfied.
 21

PURPORT

Atma, or self, is distinguished from matter and material elements. It is

spiritual in constitution, and thus it is never satisfied by any amount of
material planning. All scriptures and spiritual instructions are meant for the
satisfaction of this self, or atma. There are many varieties of approaches
which are recommended for different types of living beings in different times
and at different places. Consequently, the numbers of revealed scriptures are
innumerable. There are different methods and prescribed duties
recommended in
these various scriptures. Taking into consideration the fallen condition of
the people in general in this age of Kali, the sages of Naimisaranya suggested
that Sri Suta Gosvami relate the essence of all such scriptures because in
this age it is not possible for the fallen souls to understand and undergo all
the lessons of all these various scriptures in a varna and asrama system.
The varna and asrama society was considered to be the best institution
for lifting the human being to the spiritual platform, but due to Kali-yuga it
is not possible to execute the rules and regulations of these institutions.
Nor is it possible for the people in general to completely sever relations
with their families as the varnasrama institution prescribes. The whole
atmosphere is surcharged with opposition. And considering this, one can see
that spiritual emancipation for the common man in this age is very difficult.
The reason the sages presented this matter to Sri Suta Gosvami is explained
in
the following verses.

TEXT 12

suta janasi bhadram te

bhagavan satvatam patih
devakyam vasudevasya
jato yasya cikirsaya

suta--O Suta Gosvami; janasi--you know; bhadram te--all blessings upon you;
bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; satvatam--of the pure devotees;
patih--the protector; devakyam--in the womb of Devaki; vasudevasya--by
Vasudeva; jatah--born of; yasya--for the purpose of; cikirsaya--executing.

TRANSLATION

All blessings upon you, O Suta Gosvami. You know for what purpose the
Personality of Godhead appeared in the womb of Devaki as the son of
Vasudeva.

PURPORT

Bhagavan means the Almighty God who is the controller of all opulences,
power, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. He is the protector of His
pure devotees. Although God is equally disposed to everyone, He is especially
inclined to His devotees. Sat means the Absolute Truth. And persons who are
servitors of the Absolute Truth are called satvatas. And the Personality of
Godhead who protects such pure devotees is known as the protector of the
 22

satvatas. Bhadram te, or "blessings upon you," indicates the sages' anxiety to
know the Absolute Truth from the speaker. Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, appeared to Devaki, the wife of Vasudeva. Vasudeva
is
the symbol of the transcendental position wherein the appearance of the
Supreme Lord takes place.

TEXT 13

tan nah susrusamananam

arhasy anganuvarnitum
yasyavataro bhutanam
ksemaya ca bhavaya ca

tat--those; nah--unto us; susrusamananam--those who are endeavoring for;

arhasi--ought to do it; anga--O Suta Gosvami; anuvarnitum--to explain by
following in the footsteps of previous acaryas; yasya--whose;
avatarah--incarnation; bhutanam--of the living beings; ksemaya--for good;
ca--and; bhavaya--upliftment; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

O Suta Gosvami, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead

and His incarnations. Please explain to us those teachings imparted by
previous masters [acaryas], for one is uplifted both by speaking them and by
hearing them.

PURPORT

The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute

Truth are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be
very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker must be in the line of
disciplic succession from the recognized acarya. The transcendental message
of
the Absolute is not understandable by those who are materially absorbed.
Under
the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, one becomes gradually purified.
Therefore, one must be in the chain of disciplic succession and learn the
spiritual art of submissive hearing. In the case of Suta Gosvami and the sages
of Naimisaranya, all these conditions are fulfilled because Srila Suta Gosvami
is in the line of Srila Vyasadeva, and the sages of Naimisaranya are all
sincere souls who are anxious to learn the truth. Thus the transcendental
topics of Lord Sri Krsna's superhuman activities, His incarnation, His birth,
appearance or disappearance, His forms, His names and so on are all easily
understandable because all requirements are fulfilled. Such discourses help
all men on the path of spiritual realization.

TEXT 14

apannah samsrtim ghoram

yan-nama vivaso grnan
tatah sadyo vimucyeta
 23

yad bibheti svayam bhayam

apannah--being entangled; samsrtim--in the hurdle of birth and death;

ghoram--too complicated; yat--what; nama--the absolute name;
vivasah--unconsciously; grnan--chanting; tatah--from that; sadyah--at once;
vimucyeta--gets freedom; yat--that which; bibheti--fears; svayam--personally;
bhayam--fear itself.

TRANSLATION

Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and
death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy
name of
Krsna, which is feared by fear personified.

PURPORT

Vasudeva, or Lord Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is the

supreme controller of everything. There is no one in creation who is not
afraid of the rage of the Almighty. Great asuras like Ravana, Hiranyakasipu,
Kamsa, and others who were very powerful living entities were all killed by
the Personality of Godhead. And the almighty Vasudeva has empowered His
name
with the powers of His personal Self. Everything is related to Him, and
everything has its identity in Him. It is stated herein that the name of Krsna
is feared even by fear personified. This indicates that the name of Krsna is
nondifferent from Krsna. Therefore, the name of Krsna is as powerful as Lord
Krsna Himself. There is no difference at all. Anyone, therefore, can take
advantage of the holy names of Lord Sri Krsna even in the midst of greatest
dangers. The transcendental name of Krsna, even though uttered
unconsciously
or by force of circumstances, can help one obtain freedom from the hurdle of
birth and death.

TEXT 15

yat-pada-samsrayah suta
munayah prasamayanah
sadyah punanty upasprstah
svardhuny-apo 'nusevaya

yat--whose; pada--lotus feet; samsrayah--those who have taken shelter of;

suta--O Suta Gosvami; munayah--great sages; prasamayanah--absorbed in
devotion
to the Supreme; sadyah--at once; punanti--sanctify; upasprstah--simply by
association; svardhuni--of the sacred Ganges; apah--water; anusevaya--
bringing
into use.

TRANSLATION

O Suta, those great sages who have completely taken shelter of the lotus
 24

feet of the Lord can at once sanctify those who come in touch with them,
whereas the waters of the Ganges can sanctify only after prolonged use.

PURPORT

Pure devotees of the Lord are more powerful than the waters of the sacred
river Ganges. One can derive spiritual benefit out of prolonged use of the
Ganges waters. But one can be sanctified at once by the mercy of a pure
devotee of the Lord. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that any person, regardless
of birth as sudra, woman, or merchant, can take shelter of the lotus feet of
the Lord and by so doing can return to Godhead. To take shelter of the lotus
feet of the Lord means to take shelter of the pure devotees. The pure
devotees
whose only business is serving are honored by the names Prabhupada and
Visnupada, which indicate such devotees to be representatives of the lotus
feet of the Lord. Anyone, therefore, who takes shelter of the lotus feet of a
pure devotee by accepting the pure devotee as his spiritual master can be at
once purified. Such devotees of the Lord are honored equally with the Lord
because they are engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, for
they deliver out of the material world the fallen souls whom the Lord wants to
return home, back to Godhead. Such pure devotees are better known as
vicelords
according to revealed scriptures. The sincere disciple of the pure devotee
considers the spiritual master equal to the Lord, but always considers himself
to be a humble servant of the servant of the Lord. This is the pure devotional
path.

TEXT 16

ko va bhagavatas tasya
punya-slokedya-karmanah
suddhi-kamo na srnuyad
yasah kali-malapaham

kah--who; va--rather; bhagavatah--of the Lord; tasya--His; punya--virtuous;

sloka-idya--worshipable by prayers; karmanah--deeds; suddhi-kamah--desiring
deliverance from all sins; na--not; srnuyat--does hear; yasah--glories;
kali--of the age of quarrel; mala-apaham--the agent for sanctification.

TRANSLATION

Who is there, desiring deliverance from the vices of the age of quarrel,
who is not willing to hear the virtuous glories of the Lord?

PURPORT

The age of Kali is the most condemned age due to its quarrelsome
features. Kali-yuga is so saturated with vicious habits that there is a great
fight at the slightest misunderstanding. Those who are engaged in the pure
devotional service of the Lord, who are without any desire for
self-aggrandizement and who are freed from the effects of fruitive actions and
dry philosophical speculations are capable of getting out of the estrangements
 25

of this complicated age. The leaders of the people are very much anxious to
live in peace and friendship, but they have no information of the simple
method of hearing the glories of the Lord. On the contrary, such leaders are
opposed to the propagation of the glories of the Lord. In other words, the
foolish leaders want to completely deny the existence of the Lord. In the name
of secular state, such leaders are enacting various plans every year. But by
the insurmountable intricacies of the material nature of the Lord, all these
plans for progress are being constantly frustrated. They have no eyes to see
that their attempts at peace and friendship are failing. But here is the hint
to get over the hurdle. If we want actual peace, we must open the road to
understanding of the Supreme Lord Krsna and glorify Him for His virtuous
activities as they are depicted in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 17

tasya karmany udarani

parigitani suribhih
bruhi nah sraddadhananam
lilaya dadhatah kalah

tasya--His; karmani--transcendental acts; udarani--magnanimous;

parigitani--broadcast; suribhih--by the great souls; bruhi--please speak;
nah--unto us; sraddadhananam--ready to receive with respect; lilaya--
pastimes;
dadhatah--advented; kalah--incarnations.

TRANSLATION

His transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned
sages like Narada sing of them. Please, therefore, speak to us, who are eager
to hear about the adventures He performs in His various incarnations.

PURPORT

The Personality of Godhead is never inactive as some less intelligent

persons suggest. His works are magnificent and magnanimous. His creations
both
material and spiritual are all wonderful and contain all variegatedness. They
are described nicely by such liberated souls as Srila Narada, Vyasa, Valmiki,
Devala, Asita, Madhva, Sri Caitanya, Ramanuja, Visnusvami, Nimbarka,
Sridhara,
Visvanatha, Baladeva, Bhaktivinoda, Siddhanta Sarasvati and many other
learned
and self-realized souls. These creations, both material and spiritual, are
full of opulence, beauty and knowledge, but the spiritual realm is more
magnificent due to its being full of knowledge, bliss and eternity. The
material creations are manifested for some time as perverted shadows of the
spiritual kingdom and can be likened to cinemas. They attract people of less
intelligent caliber who are attracted by false things. Such foolish men have
no information of the reality, and they take it for granted that the false
material manifestation is the all in all. But more intelligent men guided by
sages like Vyasa and Narada know that the eternal kingdom of God is more
 26

delightful, larger, and eternally full of bliss and knowledge. Those who are
not conversant with the activities of the Lord and His transcendental realm
are sometimes favored by the Lord in His adventures as incarnations wherein
He
displays the eternal bliss of His association in the transcendental realm. By
such activities He attracts the conditioned souls of the material world. Some
of these conditioned souls are engaged in the false enjoyment of material
senses and others in simply negating their real life in the spiritual world.
These less intelligent persons are known as karmis, or fruitive workers, and
jnanis, or dry mental speculators. But above these two classes of men is the
transcendentalist known as satvata, or the devotee, who is busy neither with
rampant material activity nor with material speculation. He is engaged in the
positive service of the Lord, and thereby he derives the highest spiritual
benefit unknown to the karmis and jnanis.
As the supreme controller of both the material and spiritual worlds, the
Lord has different incarnations of unlimited categories. Incarnations like
Brahma, Rudra, Manu, Prthu and Vyasa are His material qualitative
incarnations, but His incarnations like Rama, Narasimha, Varaha and Vamana
are
His transcendental incarnations. Lord Sri Krsna is the fountainhead of all
incarnations, and He is therefore the cause of all causes.

TEXT 18

athakhyahi harer dhimann

avatara-kathah subhah
lila vidadhatah svairam
isvarasyatma-mayaya

atha--therefore; akhyahi--describe; hareh--of the Lord; dhiman--O sagacious

one; avatara--incarnations; kathah--narratives; subhah--auspicious;
lila--adventures; vidadhatah--performed; svairam--pastimes; isvarasya--of the
supreme controller; atma--personal; mayaya--energies.

TRANSLATION

O wise Suta, please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the

Supreme Godhead's multi-incarnations. Such auspicious adventures and
pastimes
of the Lord, the supreme controller, are performed by His internal powers.

PURPORT

For the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material worlds, the
Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead Himself appears in many thousands of
forms
of incarnations, and the specific adventures found in those transcendental
forms are all auspicious. Both those who are present during such activities
and those who hear the transcendental narrations of such activities are
benefited.

TEXT 19
 27

vayam tu na vitrpyama
uttama-sloka-vikrame
yac-chrnvatam rasa jnanam
svadu svadu pade pade

vayam--we; tu--but; na--not; vitrpyamah--shall be at rest; uttama-sloka--the

Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by transcendental prayers;
vikrame--adventures; yat--which; srnvatam--by continuous hearing; rasa--
humor;
jnanam--those who are conversant with; svadu--relishing; svadu--palatable;
pade pade--at every step.

TRANSLATION

We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality

of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have
developed a
taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes
at every moment.

PURPORT

There is a great difference between mundane stories, fiction, or history

and the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. The histories of the whole
universe contain references to the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord.
The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas are histories of bygone
ages
recorded in connection with the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord and
therefore remain fresh even after repeated readings. For example, anyone
may
read Bhagavad-gita or the Srimad-Bhagavatam repeatedly throughout his
whole
life and yet find in them new light of information. Mundane news is static
whereas transcendental news is dynamic, inasmuch as the spirit is dynamic
and
matter is static. Those who have developed a taste for understanding the
transcendental subject matter are never tired of hearing such narrations. One
is quickly satiated by mundane activities, but no one is satiated by
transcendental or devotional activities. Uttama-sloka indicates that
literature which is not meant for nescience. Mundane literature is in the mode
of darkness or ignorance, whereas transcendental literature is quite
different. Transcendental literature is above the mode of darkness, and its
light becomes more luminous with progressive reading and realization of the
transcendental subject matter. The so-called liberated persons are never
satisfied by the repetition of the words aham brahmasmi. Such artificial
realization of Brahman becomes hackneyed, and so to relish real pleasure they
turn to the narrations of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Those who are not so
fortunate turn to altruism and worldly philanthropy. This means the Mayavada
philosophy is mundane, whereas the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita and
Srimad-Bhagavatam is transcendental.
 28

TEXT 20

krtavan kila karmani

saha ramena kesavah
atimartyani bhagavan
gudhah kapata-manusah

krtavan--done by; kila--what; karmani--acts; saha--along with;

ramena--Balarama; kesavah--Sri Krsna; atimartyani--superhuman; bhagavan--
the
Personality of Godhead; gudhah--masked as; kapata--apparently; manusah--
human
being.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, along with Balarama, played
like a human being, and so masked He performed many superhuman acts.

PURPORT

The doctrines of anthropomorphism and zoomorphism are never applicable

to
Sri Krsna, or the Personality of Godhead. The theory that a man becomes God
by
dint of penance and austerities is very much rampant nowadays, especially in
India. Since Lord Rama, Lord Krsna and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu were
detected
by the sages and saints to be the Personality of Godhead as indicated in
revealed scriptures, many unscrupulous men have created their own
incarnations. This process of concocting an incarnation of God has become an
ordinary business, especially in Bengal. Any popular personality with a few
traits of mystic powers will display some feat of jugglery and easily become
an incarnation of Godhead by popular vote. Lord Sri Krsna was not that type of
incarnation. He was actually the Personality of Godhead from the very
beginning of His appearance. He appeared before His so-called mother as
four-armed Visnu. Then, at the request of the mother, He became like a
human
child and at once left her for another devotee at Gokula, where He was
accepted as the son of Nanda Maharaja and Yasoda Mata. Similarly, Sri
Baladeva, the counterpart of Lord Sri Krsna, was also considered a human
child
born of another wife of Sri Vasudeva. In Bhagavad-gita, the Lord says that His
birth and deeds are transcendental and that anyone who is so fortunate as to
know the transcendental nature of His birth and deeds will at once become
liberated and eligible to return to the kingdom of God. So knowledge of the
transcendental nature of the birth and deeds of Lord Sri Krsna is sufficient
for liberation. In the Bhagavatam, the transcendental nature of the Lord is
described in nine cantos, and in the Tenth Canto His specific pastimes are
taken up. All this becomes known as one's reading of this literature
progresses. It is important to note here, however, that the Lord exhibited His
divinity even from the lap of His mother, that His deeds are all superhuman
 29

(He lifted Govardhana Hill at the age of seven), and that all these acts
definitely prove Him to be actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet,
due to His mystic covering, He was always accepted as an ordinary human
child
by His so-called father and mother and other relatives. Whenever some
herculean task was performed by Him, the father and mother took it
otherwise.
And they remained satisfied with unflinching filial love for their son. As
such, the sages of Naimisaranya describe Him as apparently resembling a
human
being, but actually He is the supreme almighty Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 21

kalim agatam ajnaya

ksetre 'smin vaisnave vayam
asina dirgha-satrena
kathayam saksana hareh

kalim--the age of Kali (iron age of quarrel); agatam--having arrived;

ajnaya--knowing this; ksetre--in this tract of land; asmin--in this;
vaisnave--specially meant for the devotee of the Lord; vayam--we;
asinah--seated; dirgha--prolonged; satrena--for performance of sacrifices;
kathayam--in the words of; sa-ksanah--with time at our disposal; hareh--of the
Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Knowing well that the age of Kali has already begun, we are assembled
here in this holy place to hear at great length the transcendental message of
Godhead and in this way perform sacrifice.

PURPORT

This age of Kali is not at all suitable for self-realization as was

Satya-yuga, the golden age, or Treta- or Dvapara-yugas, the silver and copper
ages. For self-realization, the people in Satya-yuga, living a lifetime of a
hundred thousand years, were able to perform prolonged meditation. And in
Treta-yuga, when the duration of life was ten thousand years, self-realization
was attained by performance of great sacrifice. And in the Dvapara-yuga,
when
the duration of life was one thousand years, self-realization was attained by
worship of the Lord. But in the Kali-yuga, the maximum duration of life being
one hundred years only and that combined with various difficulties, the
recommended process of self-realization is that of hearing and chanting of the
holy name, fame, and pastimes of the Lord. The sages of Naimisaranya began
this process in a place meant specifically for the devotees of the Lord. They
prepared themselves to hear the pastimes of the Lord over a period of one
thousand years. By the example of these sages one should learn that regular
hearing and recitation of the Bhagavatam is the only way for self-realization.
Other attempts are simply a waste of time, for they do not give any tangible
results. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached this system of
 30

Bhagavata-dharma, and He recommended that all those who were born in

India
should take the responsibility of broadcasting the messages of Lord Sri Krsna,
primarily the message of Bhagavad-gita. And when one is well established in
the teachings of Bhagavad-gita, he can take up the study of Srimad-
Bhagavatam
for further enlightenment in self-realization.

TEXT 22

tvam nah sandarsito dhatra

dustaram nistitirsatam
kalim sattva-haram pumsam
karna-dhara ivarnavam

tvam--Your Goodness; nah--unto us; sandarsitah--meeting; dhatra--by

providence; dustaram--insurmountable; nistitirsatam--for those desiring to
cross over; kalim--the age of Kali; sattva-haram--that which deteriorates the
good qualities; pumsam--of a man; karna-dharah--captain; iva--as; arnavam--
the
ocean.

TRANSLATION

We think that we have met Your Goodness by the will of providence, just
so that we may accept you as captain of the ship for those who desire to cross
the difficult ocean of Kali, which deteriorates all the good qualities of a
human being.

PURPORT

The age of Kali is very dangerous for the human being. Human life is
simply meant for self-realization, but due to this dangerous age, men have
completely forgotten the aim of life. In this age, the life span will
gradually decrease. People will gradually lose their memory, finer sentiments,
strength, and better qualities. A list of the anomalies for this age is given
in the Twelfth Canto of this work. And so this age is very difficult for those
who want to utilize this life for self-realization. The people are so busy
with sense gratification that they completely forget about self-realization.
Out of madness they frankly say that there is no need for self-realization
because they do not realize that this brief life is but a moment on our great
journey towards self-realization. The whole system of education is geared to
sense gratification, and if a learned man thinks it over, he sees that the
children of this age are being intentionally sent to the slaughterhouses of
so-called education. Learned men, therefore, must be cautious of this age, and
if they at all want to cross over the dangerous ocean of Kali, they must
follow the footsteps of the sages of Naimisaranya and accept Sri Suta Gosvami
or his bona fide representative as the captain of the ship. The ship is the
message of Lord Sri Krsna in the shape of Bhagavad-gita or the
Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 23
 31

bruhi yogesvare krsne

brahmanye dharma-varmani
svam kastham adhunopete
dharmah kam saranam gatah

bruhi--please tell; yoga-isvare--the Lord of all mystic powers; krsne--Lord

Krsna; brahmanye--the Absolute Truth; dharma--religion; varmani--protector;
svam--own; kastham--abode; adhuna--nowadays; upete--having gone away;
dharmah--religion; kam--unto whom; saranam--shelter; gatah--gone.

TRANSLATION

Since Sri Krsna, the Absolute Truth, the master of all mystic powers, has
departed for His own abode, please tell us to whom the religious principles
have now gone for shelter.

PURPORT

Essentially religion is the prescribed codes enunciated by the

Personality of Godhead Himself. Whenever there is gross misuse or neglect of
the principles of religion, the Supreme Lord appears Himself to restore
religious principles. This is stated in Bhagavad-gita. Here the sages of
Naimisaranya are inquiring about these principles. The reply to this question
is given later. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the transcendental sound
representation of the Personality of Godhead, and thus it is the full
representation of transcendental knowledge and religious principles.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, First Chapter, of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Questions by the Sages."

Chapter Two

Divinity and Divine Service

TEXT 1

vyasa uvaca
iti samprasna-samhrsto
vipranam raumaharsanih
pratipujya vacas tesam
pravaktum upacakrame

vyasah uvaca--Vyasa said; iti--thus; samprasna--perfect inquiries;

samhrstah--perfectly satisfied; vipranam--of the sages there;
raumaharsanih--the son of Romaharsana, namely Ugrasrava; pratipujya--after
thanking them; vacah--words; tesam--their; pravaktum--to reply to them;
upacakrame--attempted.

TRANSLATION
 32

Ugrasrava [Suta Gosvami], the son of Romaharsana, being fully satisfied

by the perfect questions of the brahmanas, thanked them and thus attempted
to
reply.

PURPORT

The sages of Naimisaranya asked Suta Gosvami six questions, and so he is

answering them one by one.

TEXT 2

suta uvaca
yam pravrajantam anupetam apeta-krtyam
dvaipayano viraha-katara ajuhava
putreti tan-mayataya taravo 'bhinedus
tam sarva-bhuta-hrdayam munim anato 'smi

sutah--Suta Gosvami; uvaca--said; yam--whom; pravrajantam--while going

away
for the renounced order of life; anupetam--without being reformed by the
sacred thread; apeta--not undergoing ceremonies; krtyam--prescribed duties;
dvaipayanah--Vyasadeva; viraha--separation; katarah--being afraid of;
ajuhava--exclaimed; putra iti--O my son; tat-mayataya--being absorbed in that
way; taravah--all the trees; abhineduh--responded; tam--unto him; sarva--all;
bhuta--living entities; hrdayam--heart; munim--sage; anatah asmi--offer
obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Srila Suta Gosvami said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that
great sage [Sukadeva Gosvami] who can enter the hearts of all. When he went
away to take up the renounced order of life [sannyasa], leaving home without
undergoing reformation by the sacred thread or the ceremonies observed by
the
higher castes, his father, Vyasadeva, fearing separation from him, cried out,
"O my son!" Indeed, only the trees, which were absorbed in the same feelings
of separation, echoed in response to the begrieved father.

PURPORT

The institution of varna and asrama prescribes many regulative duties to

be observed by its followers. Such duties enjoin that a candidate willing to
study the Vedas must approach a bona fide spiritual master and request
acceptance as his disciple. The sacred thread is the sign of those who are
competent to study the Vedas from the acarya, or the bona fide spiritual
master. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami did not undergo such purificatory ceremonies
because he was a liberated soul from his very birth.
Generally, a man is born as an ordinary being, and by the purificatory
processes he is born for the second time. When he sees a new light and seeks
direction for spiritual progress, he approaches a spiritual master for
 33

instruction in the Vedas. The spiritual master accepts only the sincere
inquirer as his disciple and gives him the sacred thread. In this way a man
becomes twice-born, or a dvija. After qualifying as a dvija one may study the
Vedas, and after becoming well versed in the Vedas one becomes a vipra. A
vipra, or a qualified brahmana, thus realizes the Absolute and makes further
progress in spiritual life until he reaches the Vaisnava stage. The Vaisnava
stage is the postgraduate status of a brahmana. A progressive brahmana must
necessarily become a Vaisnava, for a Vaisnava is a self-realized, learned
brahmana.
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was a Vaisnava from the beginning; therefore,
there was no need for him to undergo all the processes of the varnasrama
institution. Ultimately the aim of varnasrama-dharma is to turn a crude man
into a pure devotee of the Lord, or a Vaisnava. Anyone, therefore, who
becomes
a Vaisnava accepted by the first-class Vaisnava, or uttama-adhikari Vaisnava,
is already considered a brahmana, regardless of his birth or past deeds. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted this principle and recognized Srila Haridasa
Thakura as the acarya of the holy name, although Thakura Haridasa appeared
in
a Mohammedan family. In conclusion, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was born a
Vaisnava, and, therefore, brahminism was included in him. He did not have to
undergo any ceremonies. Any lowborn person--be he a Kirata, Huna, Andhra,
Pulinda, Pulkasa, Abhira, Sumbha, Yavana, Khasa or even lower--can be
delivered to the highest transcendental position by the mercy of Vaisnavas.
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was the spiritual master of Sri Suta Gosvami, who
therefore offers his respectful obeisances unto Srila Sukadeva Gosvami before
he begins his answers to the questions of the sages at Naimisaranya.

TEXT 3

yah svanubhavam akhila-sruti-saram ekam

adhyatma-dipam atititirsatam tamo 'ndham
samsarinam karunayaha purana-guhyam
tam vyasa-sunum upayami gurum muninam

yah--he who; sva-anubhavam--self-assimilated (experienced); akhila--all

around; sruti--the Vedas; saram--cream; ekam--the only one;
adhyatma--transcendental; dipam--torchlight; atititirsatam--desiring to
overcome; tamah andham--deeply dark material existence; samsarinam--of
the
materialistic men; karunaya--out of causeless mercy; aha--said;
purana--supplement to the Vedas; guhyam--very confidential; tam--unto him;
vyasa-sunum--the son of Vyasadeva; upayami--let me offer my obeisances;
gurum--the spiritual master; muninam--of the great sages.

TRANSLATION

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [Suka], the spiritual

master of all sages, the son of Vyasadeva, who, out of his great compassion
for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of
material existence, spoke this most confidential supplement to the cream of
Vedic knowledge, after having personally assimilated it by experience.
 34

PURPORT

In this prayer, Srila Suta Gosvami practically summarizes the complete

introduction of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the natural
supplementary commentary on the Vedanta-sutras. The Vedanta-sutras, or the
Brahma-sutras, were compiled by Vyasadeva with a view to presenting just the
cream of Vedic knowledge. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the natural commentary on
this
cream. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was a thoroughly realized master on the
Vedanta-sutra, and consequently he also personally realized the commentary,
Srimad-Bhagavatam. And just to show his boundless mercy upon bewildered
materialistic men who want to cross completely over nescience, he recited for
the first time this confidential knowledge.
There is no point in arguing that a materialistic man can be happy. No
materialistic creature--be he the great Brahma or an insignificant ant--can be
happy. Everyone tries to make a permanent plan for happiness, but everyone
is
baffled by the laws of material nature. Therefore the materialistic world is
called the darkest region of God's creation. Yet the unhappy materialists can
get out of it simply by desiring to get out. Unfortunately they are so foolish
that they do not want to escape. Therefore they are compared to the camel
who
relishes thorny twigs because he likes the taste of the twigs mixed with
blood. He does not realize that it is his own blood and that his tongue is
being cut by the thorns. Similarly, to the materialist his own blood is as
sweet as honey, and although he is always harassed by his own material
creations, he does not wish to escape. Such materialists are called karmis.
Out of hundreds of thousands of karmis, only a few may feel tired of material
engagement and desire to get out of the labyrinth. Such intelligent persons
are called jnanis. The Vedanta-sutra is directed to such jnanis. But Srila
Vyasadeva, being the incarnation of the Supreme Lord, could foresee the
misuse
of the Vedanta-sutra by unscrupulous men, and, therefore, he personally
supplemented the Vedanta-sutra with the Bhagavata Purana. It is clearly said
that this Bhagavatam is the original commentary on the Brahma-sutras. Srila
Vyasadeva also instructed the Bhagavatam to his own son, Srila Sukadeva
Gosvami, who was already at the liberated stage of transcendence. Srila
Sukadeva realized it personally and then explained it. By the mercy of Srila
Sukadeva, the Bhagavata-vedanta-sutra is available for all those sincere souls
who want to get out of material existence.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the one unrivaled commentary on Vedanta-sutra.
Sripada Sankaracarya intentionally did not touch it because he knew that the
natural commentary would be difficult for him to surpass. He wrote his
Sariraka-bhasya, and his so-called followers deprecated the Bhagavatam as
some
"new" presentation. One should not be misled by such propaganda directed
against the Bhagavatam by the Mayavada school. From this introductory
sloka,
the beginning student should know that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the only
transcendental literature meant for those who are paramahamsas and
completely
 35

freed from the material disease called malice. The Mayavadis are envious of
the Personality of Godhead despite Sripada Sankaracarya's admission that
Narayana, the Personality of Godhead, is above the material creation. The
envious Mayavadi cannot have access to the Bhagavatam, but those who are
really anxious to get out of this material existence may take shelter of this
Bhagavatam because it is uttered by the liberated Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. It
is the transcendental torchlight by which one can see perfectly the
transcendental Absolute Truth realized as Brahman, Paramatma and
Bhagavan.

TEXT 4

narayanam namaskrtya
naram caiva narottamam
devim sarasvatim vyasam
tato jayam udirayet

narayanam--the Personality of Godhead; namah-krtya--after offering respectful

obeisances; naram ca eva--and Narayana Rsi; nara-uttamam--the supermost
human
being; devim--the goddess; sarasvatim--the mistress of learning;
vyasam--Vyasadeva; tatah--thereafter; jayam--all that is meant for
conquering;
udirayet--be announced.

TRANSLATION

Before reciting this Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the very means of

conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of
Godhead, Narayana, unto Nara-narayana Rsi, the supermost human being,
unto
mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning, and unto Srila Vyasadeva, the
author.

PURPORT

All the Vedic literatures and the Puranas are meant for conquering the
darkest region of material existence. The living being is in the state of
forgetfulness of his relation with God due to his being overly attracted to
material sense gratification from time immemorial. His struggle for existence
in the material world is perpetual, and it is not possible for him to get out
of it by making plans. If he at all wants to conquer this perpetual struggle
for existence, he must reestablish his eternal relation with God. And one who
wants to adopt such remedial measures must take shelter of literatures such
as
the Vedas and the Puranas. Foolish people say that the Puranas have no
connection with the Vedas. However, the Puranas are supplementary
explanations
of the Vedas intended for different types of men. All men are not equal. There
are men who are conducted by the mode of goodness, others who are under
the
 36

mode of passion and others who are under the mode of ignorance. The
Puranas
are so divided that any class of men can take advantage of them and
gradually
regain their lost position and get out of the hard struggle for existence.
Srila Suta Gosvami shows the way of chanting the Puranas. This may be
followed
by persons who aspire to be preachers of the Vedic literatures and the
Puranas. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the spotless Purana, and it is especially meant
for those who desire to get out of the material entanglement permanently.

TEXT 5

munayah sadhu prsto 'ham

bhavadbhir loka-mangalam
yat krtah krsna-samprasno
yenatma suprasidati

munayah--O sages; sadhu--this is relevant; prstah--questioned; aham--myself;

bhavadbhih--by all of you; loka--the world; mangalam--welfare; yat--because;
krtah--made; krsna--the Personality of Godhead; samprasnah--relevant
question;
yena--by which; atma--self; suprasidati--completely pleased.

TRANSLATION

O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy
because they relate to Lord Krsna and so are of relevance to the world's
welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the
self.

PURPORT

Since it has been stated hereinbefore that in the Bhagavatam the Absolute
Truth is to be known, the questions of the sages of Naimisaranya are proper
and just, because they pertain to Krsna, who is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the Absolute Truth. In Bhagavad-gita (15.15) the Personality of
Godhead says that in all the Vedas there is nothing but the urge for searching
after Him, Lord Krsna. Thus the questions that pertain to Krsna are the sum
and substance of all the Vedic inquiries.
The whole world is full of questions and answers. The birds, beasts and
men are all busy in the matter of perpetual questions and answers. In the
morning the birds in the nest become busy with questions and answers, and in
the evening also the same birds come back and again become busy with
questions
and answers. The human being, unless he is fast asleep at night, is busy with
questions and answers. The businessmen in the market are busy with
questions
and answers, and so also the lawyers in the court and the students in the
schools and colleges. The legislators in the parliament are also busy with
questions and answers, and the politicians and the press representatives are
 37

all busy with questions and answers. Although they go on making such
questions
and answers for their whole lives, they are not at all satisfied. Satisfaction
of the soul can only be obtained by questions and answers on the subject of
Krsna.
Krsna is our most intimate master, friend, father or son and object of
conjugal love. Forgetting Krsna, we have created so many objects of questions
and answers, but none of them are able to give us complete satisfaction. All
things--but Krsna--give temporary satisfaction only, so if we are to have
complete satisfaction we must take to the questions and answers about Krsna.
We cannot live for a moment without being questioned or without giving
answers. Because the Srimad-Bhagavatam deals with questions and answers
that
are related to Krsna, we can derive the highest satisfaction only by reading
and hearing this transcendental literature. One should learn the
Srimad-Bhagavatam and make an all-around solution to all problems
pertaining
to social, political or religious matters. Srimad-Bhagavatam and Krsna are the
sum total of all things.

TEXT 6

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati

sah--that; vai--certainly; pumsam--for mankind; parah--sublime;

dharmah--occupation; yatah--by which; bhaktih--devotional service;
adhoksaje--unto the Transcendence; ahaituki--causeless; apratihata--
unbroken;
yaya--by which; atma--the self; suprasidati--completely satisfied.

TRANSLATION

The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men
can
attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such
devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely
satisfy
the self.

PURPORT

In this statement, Sri Suta Gosvami answers the first question of the
sages of Naimisaranya. The sages asked him to summarize the whole range of
revealed scriptures and present the most essential part so that fallen people
or the people in general might easily take it up. The Vedas prescribe two
different types of occupation for the human being. One is called the
pravrtti-marga, or the path of sense enjoyment, and the other is called the
nivrtti-marga, or the path of renunciation. The path of enjoyment is inferior,
and the path of sacrifice for the supreme cause is superior. The material
 38

existence of the living being is a diseased condition of actual life. Actual

life is spiritual existence, or brahma-bhuta existence, where life is eternal,
blissful and full of knowledge. Material existence is temporary, illusory and
full of miseries. There is no happiness at all. There is just the futile
attempt to get rid of the miseries, and temporary cessation of misery is
falsely called happiness. Therefore, the path of progressive material
enjoyment, which is temporary, miserable and illusory, is inferior. But
devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which leads one to eternal, blissful
and all-cognizant life, is called the superior quality of occupation. This is
sometimes polluted when mixed with the inferior quality. For example,
adoption
of devotional service for material gain is certainly an obstruction to the
progressive path of renunciation. Renunciation or abnegation for ultimate
good
is certainly a better occupation than enjoyment in the diseased condition of
life. Such enjoyment only aggravates the symptoms of disease and increases
its
duration. Therefore devotional service to the Lord must be pure in quality,
i.e., without the least desire for material enjoyment. One should, therefore,
accept the superior quality of occupation in the form of the devotional
service of the Lord without any tinge of unnecessary desire, fruitive action
and philosophical speculation. This alone can lead one to perpetual solace in
His service.
We have purposely denoted dharma as occupation because the root
meaning
of the word dharma is "that which sustains one's existence." A living being's
sustenance of existence is to coordinate his activities with his eternal
relation with the Supreme Lord Krsna. Krsna is the central pivot of living
beings, and He is the all-attractive living entity or eternal form amongst all
other living beings or eternal forms. Each and every living being has his
eternal form in the spiritual existence, and Krsna is the eternal attraction
for all of them. Krsna is the complete whole, and everything else is His part
and parcel. The relation is one of the servant and the served. It is
transcendental and is completely distinct from our experience in material
existence. This relation of servant and the served is the most congenial form
of intimacy. One can realize it as devotional service progresses. Everyone
should engage himself in that transcendental loving service of the Lord, even
in the present conditional state of material existence. That will gradually
give one the clue to actual life and please him to complete satisfaction.

TEXT 7

vasudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogah prayojitah
janayaty asu vairagyam
jnanam ca yad ahaitukam

vasudeve--unto Krsna; bhagavati--unto the Personality of Godhead;

bhakti-yogah--contact of devotional service; prayojitah--being applied;
janayati--does produce; asu--very soon; vairagyam--detachment;
jnanam--knowledge; ca--and; yat--that which; ahaitukam--causeless.
 39

TRANSLATION

By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Sri

Krsna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from
the
world.

PURPORT

Those who consider devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna to be
something like material emotional affairs may argue that in the revealed
scriptures, sacrifice, charity, austerity, knowledge, mystic powers and
similar other processes of transcendental realization are recommended.
According to them, bhakti, or the devotional service of the Lord, is meant for
those who cannot perform the high-grade activities. Generally it is said that
the bhakti cult is meant for the sudras, vaisyas and the less intelligent
woman class. But that is not the actual fact. The bhakti cult is the topmost
of all transcendental activities, and therefore it is simultaneously sublime
and easy. It is sublime for the pure devotees who are serious about getting in
contact with the Supreme Lord, and it is easy for the neophytes who are just
on the threshold of the house of bhakti. To achieve the contact of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna is a great science, and it is open for all
living beings, including the sudras, vaisyas, women and even those lower than
the lowborn sudras, so what to speak of the high-class men like the qualified
brahmanas and the great self-realized kings. The other high-grade activities
designated as sacrifice, charity, austerity, etc., are all corollary factors
following the pure and scientific bhakti cult.
The principles of knowledge and detachment are two important factors on
the path of transcendental realization. The whole spiritual process leads to
perfect knowledge of everything material and spiritual, and the results of
such perfect knowledge are that one becomes detached from material
affection
and becomes attached to spiritual activities. Becoming detached from material
things does not mean becoming inert altogether, as men with a poor fund of
knowledge think. Naiskarma means not undertaking activities that will produce
good or bad effects. Negation does not mean negation of the positive.
Negation
of the nonessentials does not meant negation of the essential. Similarly,
detachment from material forms does not mean nullifying the positive form.
The
bhakti cult is meant for realization of the positive form. When the positive
form is realized, the negative forms are automatically eliminated. Therefore,
with the development of the bhakti cult, with the application of positive
service to the positive form, one naturally becomes detached from inferior
things, and he becomes attached to superior things. Similarly, the bhakti
cult, being the supermost occupation of the living being, leads him out of
material sense enjoyment. That is the sign of a pure devotee. He is not a
fool, nor is he engaged in the inferior energies, nor does he have material
values. This is not possible by dry reasoning. It actually happens by the
grace of the Almighty. In conclusion, one who is a pure devotee has all other
good qualities, namely knowledge, detachment, etc., but one who has only
 40

knowledge or detachment is not necessarily well acquainted with the

principles
of the bhakti cult. Bhakti is the supermost occupation of the human being.

TEXT 8

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam

visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam

dharmah--occupation; svanusthitah--executed in terms of one's own position;

pumsam--of humankind; visvaksena--the Personality of Godhead (plenary
portion); kathasu--in the message of; yah--what is; na--not; utpadayet--does
produce; yadi--if; ratim--attraction; sramah--useless labor; eva--only;
hi--certainly; kevalam--entirely.

TRANSLATION

The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position

are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the
message of the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

There are different occupational activities in terms of man's different

conceptions of life. To the gross materialist who cannot see anything beyond
the gross material body, there is nothing beyond the senses. Therefore his
occupational activities are limited to concentrated and extended selfishness.
Concentrated selfishness centers around the personal body--this is generally
seen amongst the lower animals. Extended selfishness is manifested in human
society and centers around the family, society, community, nation and world
with a view to gross bodily comfort. Above these gross materialists are the
mental speculators who hover aloft in the mental spheres, and their
occupational duties involve making poetry and philosophy or propagating
some
ism with the same aim of selfishness limited to the body and the mind. But
above the body and mind is the dormant spirit soul whose absence from the
body
makes the whole range of bodily and mental selfishness completely null and
void. But less intelligent people have no information of the needs of the
spirit soul.
Because foolish people have no information of the soul and how it is
beyond the purview of the body and mind, they are not satisfied in the
performance of their occupational duties. The question of the satisfaction of
the self is raised herein. The self is beyond the gross body and subtle mind.
He is the potent active principle of the body and mind. Without knowing the
need of the dormant soul, one cannot be happy simply with emolument of the
body and mind. The body and the mind are but superfluous outer coverings of
the spirit soul. The spirit soul's needs must be fulfilled. Simply by
cleansing the cage of the bird, one does not satisfy the bird. One must
actually know the needs of the bird himself.
 41

The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited
sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. He
wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see
the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he
meets
the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead. There is a dormant affection
for God within everyone; spiritual existence is manifested through the gross
body and mind in the form of perverted affection for gross and subtle matter.
Therefore we have to engage ourselves in occupational engagements that will
evoke our divine consciousness. This is possible only by hearing and chanting
the divine activities of the Supreme Lord, and any occupational activity which
does not help one to achieve attachment for hearing and chanting the
transcendental message of Godhead is said herein to be simply a waste of
time.
This is because other occupational duties (whatever ism they may belong to)
cannot give liberation to the soul. Even the activities of the salvationists
are considered to be useless because of their failure to pick up the
fountainhead of all liberties. The gross materialist can practically see that
his material gain is limited only to time and space, either in this world or
in the other. Even if he goes up to the Svargaloka, he will find no permanent
abode for his hankering soul. The hankering soul must be satisfied by the
perfect scientific process of perfect devotional service.

TEXT 9

dharmasya hy apavargyasya
nartho 'rthayopakalpate
narthasya dharmaikantasya
kamo labhaya hi smrtah

dharmasya--occupational engagement; hi--certainly; apavargyasya--ultimate

liberation; na--not; arthah--end; arthaya--for material gain; upakalpate--is
meant for; na--neither; arthasya--of material gain; dharma-eka-antasya--for
one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service; kamah--sense
gratification; labhaya--attainment of; hi--exactly; smrtah--is described by
the great sages.

TRANSLATION

All occupational engagements are certainly meant for ultimate liberation.

They should never be performed for material gain. Furthermore, according to
sages, one who is engaged in the ultimate occupational service should never
use material gain to cultivate sense gratification.

PURPORT

We have already discussed that pure devotional service to the Lord is

automatically followed by perfect knowledge and detachment from material
existence. But there are others who consider that all kinds of different
occupational engagements, including those of religion, are meant for material
gain. The general tendency of any ordinary man in any part of the world is to
gain some material profit in exchange for religious or any other occupational
 42

service. Even in the Vedic literatures, for all sorts of religious

performances an allurement of material gain is offered, and most people are
attracted by such allurements or blessings of religiosity. Why are such
so-called men of religion allured by material gain? Because material gain can
enable one to fulfill desires, which in turn satisfy sense gratification. This
cycle of occupational engagements includes so-called religiosity followed by
material gain and material gain followed by fulfillment of desires. Sense
gratification is the general way for all sorts of fully occupied men. But in
the statement of Suta Gosvami, as per the verdict of the Srimad-Bhagavatam,
this is nullified by the present sloka.
One should not engage himself in any sort of occupational service for
material gain only. Nor should material gain be utilized for sense
gratification. How material gain should be utilized is described as follows.

TEXT 10

kamasya nendriya-pritir
labho jiveta yavata
jivasya tattva jijnasa
nartho yas ceha karmabhih

kamasya--of desires; na--not; indriya--senses; pritih--satisfaction;

labhah--gain; jiveta--self-preservation; yavata--so much so; jivasya--of the
living being; tattva--the Absolute Truth; jijnasa--inquiries; na--not;
arthah--end; yah ca iha--whatsoever else; karmabhih--by occupational
activities.

TRANSLATION

Life's desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One

should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being
is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal
of one's works.

PURPORT

The completely bewildered material civilization is wrongly directed

towards the fulfillment of desires in sense gratification. In such
civilization, in all spheres of life, the ultimate end is sense gratification.
In politics, social service, altruism, philanthropy and ultimately in religion
or even in salvation, the very same tint of sense gratification is
ever-increasingly predominant. In the political field the leaders of men fight
with one another to fulfill their personal sense gratification. The voters
adore the so-called leaders only when they promise sense gratification. As
soon as the voters are dissatisfied in their own sense satisfaction, they
dethrone the leaders, The leaders must always disappoint the voters by not
satisfying their senses. The same is applicable in all other fields; no one is
serious about the problems of life. Even those who are on the path of
salvation desire to become one with the Absolute Truth and desire to commit
spiritual suicide for sense gratification. But the Bhagavatam says that one
should not live for sense gratification. One should satisfy the senses only
insomuch as required for self-preservation, and not for sense gratification.
 43

Because the body is made of senses, which also require a certain amount of
satisfaction, there are regulative directions for satisfaction of such senses.
But the senses are not meant for unrestricted enjoyment. For example,
marriage
or the combination of a man with a woman is necessary for progeny, but it is
not meant for sense enjoyment. In the absence of voluntary restraint, there is
propaganda for family planning, but foolish men do not know that family
planning is automatically executed as soon as there is search after the
Absolute Truth. Seekers of the Absolute Truth are never allured by
unnecessary
engagements in sense gratification because the serious students seeking the
Absolute Truth are always overwhelmed with the work of researching the
Truth.
In every sphere of life, therefore, the ultimate end must be seeking after the
Absolute Truth, and that sort of engagement will make one happy because he
will be less engaged in varieties of sense gratification. And what that
Absolute Truth is is explained as follows.

TEXT 11

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate

vadanti--they say; tat--that; tattva-vidah--the learned souls; tattvam--the

Absolute Truth; yat--which; jnanam--knowledge; advayam--nondual; brahma
iti--known as Brahman; paramatma iti--known as Paramatma; bhagavan iti--
known
as Bhagavan; sabdyate--it so sounded.

TRANSLATION

Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual
substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.

PURPORT

The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, and there is no

qualitative difference there. Therefore, Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan
are
qualitatively one and the same. The same substance is realized as impersonal
Brahman by the students of the Upanisads, as localized Paramatma by the
Hiranyagarbhas or the yogis, and as Bhagavan by the devotees. In other
words,
Bhagavan, or the Personality of Godhead, is the last word of the Absolute
Truth. Paramatma is the partial representation of the Personality of Godhead,
and impersonal Brahman is the glowing effulgence of the Personality of
Godhead, as the sun rays are to the sun-god. Less intelligent students of
either of the above schools sometimes argue in favor of their own respective
realization, but those who are perfect seers of the Absolute Truth know well
that the above three features of the one Absolute Truth are different
 44

perspective views seen from different angles of vision.

As it is explained in the first sloka of the First Chapter of the
Bhagavatam, the Supreme Truth is self-sufficient, cognizant and free from the
illusion of relativity. In the relative world the knower is different from the
known, but in the Absolute Truth both the knower and the known are one and
the
same thing. In the relative world the knower is the living spirit or superior
energy, whereas the known is inert matter or inferior energy. Therefore, there
is a duality of inferior and superior energy, whereas in the absolute realm
both the knower and the known are of the same superior energy. There are
three
kinds of energies of the supreme energetic. There is no difference between the
energy and energetic, but there is a difference of quality of energies. The
absolute realm and the living entities are of the same superior energy, but
the material world is inferior energy. The living being in contact with the
inferior energy is illusioned, thinking he belongs to the inferior energy.
Therefore there is the sense of relativity in the material world. In the
Absolute there is no such sense of difference between the knower and the
known, and therefore everything there is absolute.

TEXT 12

tac chraddadhana munayo

jnana-vairagya-yuktaya
pasyanty atmani catmanam
bhaktya sruta-grhitaya

tat--that; sraddadhanah--seriously inquisitive; munayah--sages;

jnana--knowledge; vairagya--detachment; yuktaya--well equipped with;
pasyanti--see; atmani--within himself; ca--and; atmanam--the Paramatma;
bhaktya--in devotional service; sruta--the Vedas; grhitaya--well received.

TRANSLATION

The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge

and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service
in terms of what he has heard from the Vedanta-sruti.

PURPORT

The Absolute Truth is realized in full by the process of devotional

service to the Lord, Vasudeva, or the Personality of Godhead, who is the
full-fledged Absolute Truth. Brahman is His transcendental bodily effulgence,
and Paramatma is His partial representation. As such, Brahman or Paramatma
realization of the Absolute Truth is but a partial realization. There are four
different types of human beings--the karmis, the jnanis, the yogis and the
devotees. The karmis are materialistic, whereas the other three are
transcendental. The first-class transcendentalists are the devotees who have
realized the Supreme Person. The second-class transcendentalists are those
who
have partially realized the plenary portion of the absolute person. And the
third-class transcendentalists are those who have barely realized the
 45

spiritual focus of the absolute person. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita and

other Vedic literatures, the Supreme Person is realized by devotional service,
which is backed by full knowledge and detachment from material association.
We
have already discussed the point that devotional service is followed by
knowledge and detachment from material association. As Brahman and
Paramatma
realization are imperfect realizations of the Absolute Truth, so the means of
realizing Brahman and Paramatma, i.e., the paths of jnana and yoga, are also
imperfect means of realizing the Absolute Truth. Devotional service, which is
based on the foreground of full knowledge combined with detachment from
material association and which is fixed by the aural reception of the
Vedanta-sruti, is the only perfect method by which the seriously inquisitive
student can realize the Absolute Truth. Devotional service is not, therefore,
meant for the less intelligent class of transcendentalist. There are three
classes of devotees, namely first, second, and third class. The third-class
devotees, or the neophytes, who have no knowledge and are not detached
from
material association, but who are simply attracted by the preliminary process
of worshiping the Deity in the temple, are called material devotees. Material
devotees are more attached to material benefit than transcendental profit.
Therefore, one has to make definite progress from the position of material
devotional service to the second-class devotional position. In the
second-class position, the devotee can see four principles in the devotional
line, namely the Personality of Godhead, His devotees, the ignorant and the
envious. One has to raise himself at least to the stage of a second-class
devotee and thus become eligible to know the Absolute Truth.
A third-class devotee, therefore, has to receive the instructions of
devotional service from the authoritative sources of Bhagavata. The number
one
Bhagavata is the established personality of devotee, and the other
Bhagavatam
is the message of Godhead. The third-class devotee therefore has to go to the
personality of devotee in order to learn the instructions of devotional
service. Such a personality of devotee is not a professional man who earns his
livelihood by the business of Bhagavatam. Such a devotee must be a
representative of Sukadeva Gosvami, like Suta Gosvami, and must preach the
cult of devotional service for the all-around benefit of all people. A
neophyte devotee has very little taste for hearing from the authorities. Such
a neophyte devotee makes a show of hearing from the professional man to
satisfy his senses. This sort of hearing and chanting has spoiled the whole
thing, so one should be very careful about the faulty process. The holy
messages of Godhead, as inculcated in the Bhagavad-gita or in the
Srimad-Bhagavatam, are undoubtedly transcendental subjects, but even
though
they are so, such transcendental matters are not to be received from the
professional man, who spoils them as the serpent spoils milk simply by the
touch of his tongue.
A sincere devotee must, therefore, be prepared to hear the Vedic
literature like the Upanisads, Vedanta and other literatures left by the
previous authorities or Gosvamis, for the benefit of his progress. Without
 46

hearing such literatures, one cannot make actual progress. And without
hearing
and following the instructions, the show of devotional service becomes
worthless and therefore a sort of disturbance in the path of devotional
service. Unless, therefore, devotional service is established on the
principles of sruti, smrti, purana or pancaratra authorities, the make-show of
devotional service should at once be rejected. An unauthorized devotee should
never be recognized as a pure devotee. By assimilation of such messages from
the Vedic literatures, one can see the all-pervading localized aspect of the
Personality of Godhead within his own self constantly. This is called samadhi.

TEXT 13

atah pumbhir dvija-srestha

varnasrama-vibhagasah
svanusthitasya dharmasya
samsiddhir hari-tosanam

atah--so; pumbhih--by the human being; dvija-sresthah--O best among the

twice-born; varna-asrama--the institution of four castes and four orders of
life; vibhagasah--by the division of; svanusthitasya--of one's own prescribed
duties; dharmasya--occupational; samsiddhih--the highest perfection; hari--the
Personality of Godhead; tosanam--pleasing.

TRANSLATION

O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest

perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own
occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the
Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

Human society all over the world is divided into four castes and four
orders of life. The four castes are the intelligent caste, the martial caste,
the productive caste and the laborer caste. These castes are classified in
terms of one's work and qualification and not by birth. Then again there are
four orders of life, namely the student life, the householder's life, the
retired and the devotional life. In the best interest of human society there
must be such divisions of life, otherwise no social institution can grow in a
healthy state. And in each and every one of the abovementioned divisions of
life, the aim must be to please the supreme authority of the Personality of
Godhead. This institutional function of human society is known as the system
of varnasrama-dharma, which is quite natural for the civilized life. The
varnasrama institution is constructed to enable one to realize the Absolute
Truth. It is not for artificial domination of one division over another. When
the aim of life, i.e., realization of the Absolute Truth, is missed by too
much attachment for indriya-priti, or sense gratification, as already
discussed hereinbefore, the institution of the varnasrama is utilized by
selfish men to pose an artificial predominance over the weaker section. In the
Kali-yuga, or in the age of quarrel, this artificial predominance is already
current, but the saner section of the people know it well that the divisions
 47

of castes and orders of life are meant for smooth social intercourse and
high-thinking self-realization and not for any other purpose.
Herein the statement of Bhagavatam is that the highest aim of life or the
highest perfection of the institution of the varnasrama-dharma is to cooperate
jointly for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed in
the Bhagavad-gita (4.13).

TEXT 14

tasmad ekena manasa

bhagavan satvatam patih
srotavyah kirtitavyas ca
dhyeyah pujyas ca nityada

tasmat--therefore; ekena--by one; manasa--attention of the mind; bhagavan--

the
Personality of Godhead; satvatam--of the devotees; patih--protector;
srotavyah--is to be heard; kirtitavyah--to be glorified; ca--and; dhyeyah--to
be remembered; pujyah--to be worshiped; ca--and; nityada--constantly.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about,

glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the
protector
of the devotees.

PURPORT

If realization of the Absolute Truth is the ultimate aim of life, it must

be carried out by all means. In any one of the above-mentioned castes and
orders of life, the four processes, namely glorifying, hearing, remembering
and worshiping, are general occupations. Without these principles of life, no
one can exist. Activities of the living being involve engagements in these
four different principles of life. Especially in modern society, all
activities are more or less dependent on hearing and glorifying. Any man from
any social status becomes a well-known man in human society within a very
short time if he is simply glorified truly or falsely in the daily newspapers.
Sometimes political leaders of a particular party are also advertised by
newspaper propaganda, and by such a method of glorification an insignificant
man becomes an important man--within no time. But such propaganda by
false
glorification of an unqualified person cannot bring about any good, either for
the particular man or for the society. There may be some temporary reactions
to such propaganda, but there are no permanent effects. Therefore such
activities are a waste of time. The actual object of glorification is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has created everything manifested
before
us. We have broadly discussed this fact from the beginning of the "janmady
asya" sloka of this Bhagavatam. The tendency to glorify others or hear others
must be turned to the real object of glorification--the Supreme Being. And
that will bring happiness.
 48

TEXT 15

yad-anudhyasina yuktah
karma-granthi-nibandhanam
chindanti kovidas tasya
ko na kuryat katha-ratim

yat--which; anudhya--remembrance; asina--sword; yuktah--being equipped

with;
karma--reactionary work; granthi--knot; nibandhanam--interknit;
chindanti--cut; kovidah--intelligent; tasya--His; kah--who; na--not;
kuryat--shall do; katha--messages; ratim--attention.

TRANSLATION

With sword in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of
reactionary work [karma] by remembering the Personality of Godhead.
Therefore,
who will not pay attention to His message?

PURPORT

The contact of the spiritual spark with material elements creates a knot
which must be cut if one wants to be liberated from the actions and reactions
of fruitive work. Liberation means freedom from the cycle of reactionary work.
This liberation automatically follows for one who constantly remembers the
transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead. This is because all the
activities of the Supreme Lord (His lila) are transcendental to the modes of
the material energy. They are all-attractive spiritual activities, and
therefore constant association with the spiritual activities of the Supreme
Lord gradually spiritualizes the conditioned soul and ultimately severs the
knot of material bondage.
Liberation from material bondage is, therefore, a by-product of
devotional service. Attainment of spiritual knowledge is not sufficient to
insure liberation. Such knowledge must be overcoated with devotional service
so that ultimately the devotional service alone predominates. Then liberation
is made possible. Even the reactionary work of the fruitive workers can lead
one to liberation when it is overcoated with devotional service. Karma
overcoated with devotional service is called karma-yoga. Similarly, empirical
knowledge overcoated with devotional service is called jnana-yoga. But pure
bhakti-yoga is independent of such karma and jnana because it alone can not
only endow one with liberation from conditional life but also award one the
transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Therefore, any sensible man who is above the average man with a poor
fund
of knowledge must constantly remember the Personality of Godhead by
hearing
about Him, by glorifying Him, by remembering Him and by worshiping Him
always,
without cessation. That is the perfect way of devotional service. The Gosvamis
of Vrndavana, who were authorized by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to preach the
 49

bhakti cult, rigidly followed this rule and made immense literatures of
transcendental science for our benefit. They have chalked out ways for all
classes of men in terms of the different castes and orders of life in
pursuance of the teachings of Srimad-Bhagavatam and similar other
authoritative scriptures.

TEXT 16

susrusoh sraddadhanasya
vasudeva-katha-rucih
syan mahat-sevaya viprah
punya-tirtha-nisevanat

susrusoh--one who is engaged in hearing; sraddadhanasya--with care and

attention; vasudeva--in respect to Vasudeva; katha--the message;
rucih--affinity; syat--is made possible; mahat-sevaya--by service rendered to
pure devotees; viprah--O twice-born; punya-tirtha--those who are cleansed of
all vice; nisevanat--by service.

TRANSLATION

O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed

from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for
hearing the messages of Vasudeva.

PURPORT

The conditioned life of a living being is caused by his revolting against

the Lord. There are men called deva, or godly living beings, and there are men
called asuras, or demons, who are against the authority of the Supreme Lord.
In the Bhagavad-gita (Sixteenth Chapter) a vivid description of the asuras is
given in which it is said that the asuras are put into lower and lower states
of ignorance life after life and so sink to the lower animal forms and have no
information of the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead. These asuras
are gradually rectified to God consciousness by the mercy of the Lord's
liberated servitors in different countries according to the supreme will. Such
devotees of God are very confidential associates of the Lord, and when they
come to save human society from the dangers of godlessness, they are known
as
the powerful incarnations of the Lord, as sons of the Lord, as servants of the
Lord or as associates of the Lord. But none of them falsely claim to be God
themselves. This is a blasphemy declared by the asuras, and the demoniac
followers of such asuras also accept pretenders as God or His incarnation. In
the revealed scriptures there is definite information of the incarnation of
God. No one should be accepted as God or an incarnation of God unless he is
confirmed by the revealed scriptures.
The servants of God are to be respected as God by the devotees who
actually want to go back to Godhead. Such servants of God are called
mahatmas,
or tirthas, and they preach according to particular time and place. The
servants of God urge people to become devotees of the Lord. They never
 50

tolerate being called God. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was God Himself
according
to the indication of the revealed scriptures, but He played the part of a
devotee. People who knew Him to be God addressed Him as God, but He used
to
block His ears with His hands and chant the name of Lord Visnu. He strongly
protested against being called God, although undoubtedly He was God
Himself.
The Lord behaves so to warn us against unscrupulous men who take pleasure
in
being addressed as God.
The servants of God come to propagate God consciousness, and intelligent
people should cooperate with them in every respect. By serving the servant of
God, one can please God more than by directly serving the Lord. The Lord is
more pleased when He sees that His servants are properly respected because
such servants risk everything for the service of the Lord and so are very dear
to the Lord. The Lord declares in the Bhagavad-gita (18.69) that no one is
dearer to Him than one who risks everything to preach His glory. By serving
the servants of the Lord, one gradually gets the quality of such servants, and
thus one becomes qualified to hear the glories of God. The eagerness to hear
about God is the first qualification of a devotee eligible for entering the
kingdom of God.

TEXT 17

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah

punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam

srnvatam--those who have developed the urge to hear the message of;
sva-kathah--His own words; krsnah--the Personality of Godhead; punya--
virtues;
sravana--hearing; kirtanah--chanting; hrdi antah sthah--within one's heart;
hi--certainly; abhadrani--desire to enjoy matter; vidhunoti--cleanses;
suhrt--benefactor; satam--of the truthful.

TRANSLATION

Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul]

in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses
desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has
developed
the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when
properly
heard and chanted.

PURPORT

Messages of the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna are nondifferent from

Him. Whenever, therefore, offenseless hearing and glorification of God are
undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Krsna is present there in the
 51

form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally. Sri

Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His Siksastaka, declares clearly that the holy name
of
the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord and that He has endowed His
innumerable names with the same potency. There is no rigid fixture of time,
and anyone can chant the holy name with attention and reverence at his
convenience. The Lord is so kind to us that He can be present before us
personally in the form of transcendental sound, but unfortunately we have no
taste for hearing and glorifying the Lord's name and activities. We have
already discussed developing a taste for hearing and chanting the holy sound.
It is done through the medium of service to the pure devotee of the Lord.
The Lord is reciprocally respondent to His devotees. When He sees that a
devotee is completely sincere in getting admittance to the transcendental
service of the Lord and has thus become eager to hear about Him, the Lord
acts
from within the devotee in such a way that the devotee may easily go back to
Him. The Lord is more anxious to take us back into His kingdom than we can
desire. Most of us do not desire at all to go back to Godhead. Only a very few
men want to go back to Godhead. But anyone who desires to go back to
Godhead,
Sri Krsna helps in all respects.
One cannot enter into the kingdom of God unless one is perfectly cleared
of all sins. The material sins are products of our desires to lord it over
material nature. It is very difficult to get rid of such desires. Women and
wealth are very difficult problems for the devotee making progress on the path
back to Godhead. Many stalwarts in the devotional line fell victim to these
allurements and thus retreated from the path of liberation. But when one is
helped by the Lord Himself, the whole process becomes as easy as anything
by
the divine grace of the Lord.
To become restless in the contact of women and wealth is not an
astonishment, because every living being is associated with such things from
remote time, practically immemorial, and it takes time to recover from this
foreign nature. But if one is engaged in hearing the glories of the Lord,
gradually he realizes his real position. By the grace of God such a devotee
gets sufficient strength to defend himself from the state of disturbances, and
gradually all disturbing elements are eliminated from his mind.

TEXT 18

nasta-prayesv abhadresu
nityam bhagavata-sevaya
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki

nasta--destroyed; prayesu--almost to nil; abhadresu--all that is inauspicious;

nityam--regularly; bhagavata--Srimad-Bhagavatam, or the pure devotee;
sevaya--by serving; bhagavati--unto the Personality of Godhead;
uttama--transcendental; sloke--prayers; bhaktih--loving service;
bhavati--comes into being; naisthiki--irrevocable.

TRANSLATION
 52

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of

service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost
completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead,
who
is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

PURPORT

Here is the remedy for eliminating all inauspicious things within the
heart which are considered to be obstacles in the path of self-realization.
The remedy is the association of the Bhagavatas. There are two types of
Bhagavatas, namely the book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata. Both
the
Bhagavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can
be
good enough to eliminate the obstacles. A devotee Bhagavata is as good as
the
book Bhagavata because the devotee Bhagavata leads his life in terms of the
book Bhagavata and the book Bhagavata is full of information about the
Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees, who are also Bhagavatas.
Bhagavata book and person are identical.
The devotee Bhagavata is a direct representative of Bhagavan, the
Personality of Godhead. So by pleasing the devotee Bhagavata one can
receive
the benefit of the book Bhagavata. Human reason fails to understand how by
serving the devotee Bhagavata or the book Bhagavata one gets gradual
promotion
on the path of devotion. But actually these are facts explained by Srila
Naradadeva, who happened to be a maidservant's son in his previous life. The
maidservant was engaged in the menial service of the sages, and thus he also
came into contact with them. And simply by associating with them and
accepting
the remnants of foodstuff left by the sages, the son of the maidservant got
the chance to become the great devotee and personality Srila Naradadeva.
These
are the miraculous effects of the association of Bhagavatas. And to understand
these effects practically, it should be noted that by such sincere association
of the Bhagavatas one is sure to receive transcendental knowledge very
easily,
with the result that he becomes fixed in the devotional service of the Lord.
The more progress is made in devotional service under the guidance of the
Bhagavatas, the more one becomes fixed in the transcendental loving service
of
the Lord. The messages of the book Bhagavata, therefore, have to be received
from the devotee Bhagavata, and the combination of these two Bhagavatas
will
help the neophyte devotee to make progress on and on.

TEXT 19

tada rajas-tamo-bhavah
 53

kama-lobhadayas ca ye
ceta etair anaviddham
sthitam sattve prasidati

tada--at that time; rajah--in the mode of passion; tamah--the mode of

ignorance; bhavah--the situation; kama--lust and desire; lobha--hankering;
adayah--others; ca--and; ye--whatever they are; cetah--the mind; etaih--by
these; anaviddham--without being affected; sthitam--being fixed; sattve--in
the mode of goodness; prasidati--thus becomes fully satisfied.

TRANSLATION

As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the

effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and
hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in
goodness, and he becomes completely happy.

PURPORT

A living being in his normal constitutional position is fully satisfied

in spiritual bliss. This state of existence is called brahma-bhuta or
atma-nandi, or the state of self-satisfaction. This self-satisfaction is not
like the satisfaction of the inactive fool. The inactive fool is in the state
of foolish ignorance, whereas the self-satisfied atmanandi is transcendental
to the material state of existence. This stage of perfection is attained as
soon as one is fixed in irrevocable devotional service. Devotional service is
not inactivity, but the unalloyed activity of the soul.
The soul's activity becomes adulterated in contact with matter, and as
such the diseased activities are expressed in the form of lust, desire,
hankering, inactivity, foolishness and sleep. The effect of devotional service
becomes manifest by complete elimination of these effects of passion and
ignorance. The devotee is fixed at once in the mode of goodness, and he
makes
further progress to rise to the position of Vasudeva, or the state of unmixed
sattva, or suddha-sattva. Only in this suddha-sattva state can one always see
Krsna eye to eye by dint of pure affection for the Lord.
A devotee is always in the mode of unalloyed goodness; therefore he
harms
no one. But the nondevotee, however educated he may be, is always harmful.
A
devotee is neither foolish nor passionate. The harmful, foolish and passionate
cannot be devotees of the Lord, however they may advertise themselves as
devotees by outward dress. A devotee is always qualified with all the good
qualities of God. Quantitatively such qualifications may be different, but
qualitatively both the Lord and His devotee are one and the same.

TEXT 20

evam prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah
bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam
mukta-sangasya jayate
 54

evam--thus; prasanna--enlivened; manasah--of the mind; bhagavat-bhakti--the

devotional service of the Lord; yogatah--by contact of; bhagavat--regarding
the Personality of Godhead; tattva--knowledge; vijnanam--scientific;
mukta--liberated; sangasya--of the association; jayate--becomes effective.

TRANSLATION

Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind
has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains
positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of
liberation from all material association.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (7.3) it is said that out of many thousands of

ordinary men, one fortunate man endeavors for perfection in life. Mostly men
are conducted by the modes of passion and ignorance, and thus they are
engaged
always in lust, desire, hankerings, ignorance and sleep. Out of many such
manlike animals, there is actually a man who knows the responsibility of
human
life and thus tries to make life perfect by following the prescribed duties.
And out of many thousands of such persons who have thus attained success in
human life, one may know scientifically about the Personality of Godhead Sri
Krsna. In the same Bhagavad-gita (18.55) it is also said that scientific
knowledge of Sri Krsna is understood only by the process of devotional service
(bhakti-yoga).
The very same thing is confirmed herein in the above words. No ordinary
man, or even one who has attained success in human life, can know
scientifically or perfectly the Personality of Godhead. Perfection of human
life is attained when one can understand that he is not the product of matter
but is in fact spirit. And as soon as one understands that he has nothing to
do with matter, he at once ceases his material hankerings and becomes
enlivened as a spiritual being. This attainment of success is possible when
one is above the modes of passion and ignorance, or, in other words, when
one
is actually a brahmana by qualification. A brahmana is the symbol of
sattva-guna, or the mode of goodness. And others, who are not in the mode of
goodness, are either ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras or less than the sudras. The
brahminical stage is the highest stage of human life because of its good
qualities. So one cannot be a devotee unless one at least qualifies as a
brahmana. The devotee is already a brahmana by action. But that is not the
end
of it. As referred to above, such a brahmana has to become a Vaisnava in fact
to be actually in the transcendental stage. A pure Vaisnava is a liberated
soul and is transcendental even to the position of a brahmana. In the material
stage even a brahmana is also a conditioned soul because although in the
brahminical stage the conception of Brahman or transcendence is realized,
scientific knowledge of the Supreme Lord is lacking. One has to surpass the
brahminical stage and reach the vasudeva stage to understand the Personality
of Godhead Krsna. The science of the Personality of Godhead is the subject
 55

matter for study by the postgraduate students in the spiritual line. Foolish
men, or men with a poor fund of knowledge, do not understand the Supreme
Lord,
and they interpret Krsna according to their respective whims. The fact is,
however, that one cannot understand the science of the Personality of
Godhead
unless one is freed from the contamination of the material modes, even up to
the stage of a brahmana. When a qualified brahmana factually becomes a
Vaisnava, in the enlivened state of liberation he can know what is actually
the Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 21

bhidyate hrdaya-granthis
chidyante sarva-samsayah
ksiyante casya karmani
drsta evatmanisvare

bhidyate--pierced; hrdaya--heart; granthih--knots; chidyante--cut to pieces;

sarva--all; samsayah--misgivings; ksiyante--terminated; ca--and; asya--his;
karmani--chain of fruitive actions; drste--having seen; eva--certainly;
atmani--unto the self; isvare--dominating.

TRANSLATION

Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to
pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as
master.

PURPORT

Attaining scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead means seeing

one's own self simultaneously. As far as the identity of the living being as
spirit self is concerned, there are a number of speculations and misgivings.
The materialist does not believe in the existence of the spirit self, and
empiric philosophers believe in the impersonal feature of the whole spirit
without individuality of the living beings. But the transcendentalists affirm
that the soul and the Supersoul are two different identities, qualitatively
one but quantitatively different. There are many other theories, but all these
different speculations are at once cleared off as soon as Sri Krsna is
realized in truth by the process of bhakti-yoga. Sri Krsna is like the sun,
and the materialistic speculations about the Absolute Truth are like the
darkest midnight. As soon as the Krsna sun is arisen within one's heart, the
darkness of materialistic speculations about the Absolute Truth and the living
beings is at once cleared off. In the presence of the sun, the darkness cannot
stand, and the relative truths that were hidden within the dense darkness of
ignorance become clearly manifested by the mercy of Krsna, who is residing in
everyone's heart as the Supersoul.
In the Bhagavad-gita (10.11) the Lord says that in order to show special
favor to His pure devotees, He personally eradicates the dense darkness of all
misgivings by switching on the light of pure knowledge within the heart of a
devotee. Therefore, because of the Personality of Godhead's taking charge of
 56

illuminating the heart of His devotee, certainly a devotee, engaged in His

service in transcendental love, cannot remain in darkness. He comes to know
everything of the absolute and the relative truths. The devotee cannot remain
in darkness, and because a devotee is enlightened by the Personality of
Godhead, his knowledge is certainly perfect. This is not the case for those
who speculate on the Absolute Truth by dint of their own limited power of
approach. Perfect knowledge is called parampara, or deductive knowledge
coming
down from the authority to the submissive aural receiver who is bona fide by
service and surrender. One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme and
know Him also at the same time. He reserves the right of not being exposed to
such a challenging spirit of an insignificant spark of the whole, a spark
subjected to the control of illusory energy. The devotees are submissive, and
therefore the transcendental knowledge descends from the Personality of
Godhead to Brahma and from Brahma to his sons and disciples in succession.
This process is helped by the Supersoul within such devotees. That is the
perfect way of learning transcendental knowledge.
This enlightenment perfectly enables the devotee to distinguish spirit
from matter because the knot of spirit and matter is untied by the Lord. This
knot is called ahankara, and it falsely obliges a living being to become
identified with matter. As soon as this knot is loosened, therefore, all the
clouds of doubt are at once cleared off. One sees his master and fully engages
himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, making a full
termination of the chain of fruitive action. In material existence, a living
being creates his own chain of fruitive work and enjoys the good and bad
effects of those actions life after life. But as soon as he engages himself in
the loving service of the Lord, he at once becomes free from the chain of
karma. His actions no longer create any reaction.

TEXT 22

ato vai kavayo nityam

bhaktim paramaya muda
vasudeve bhagavati
kurvanty atma-prasadanim

atah--therefore; vai--certainly; kavayah--all transcendentalists; nityam--from

time immemorial; bhaktim--service unto the Lord; paramaya--supreme; muda--
with
great delight; vasudeve--Sri Krsna; bhagavati--the Personality of Godhead;
kurvanti--do render; atma--self; prasadanim--that which enlivens.

TRANSLATION

Certainly, therefore, since time immemorial, all transcendentalists have

been rendering devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead,
with great delight, because such devotional service is enlivening to the self.

PURPORT

The speciality of devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead Lord

Sri Krsna is specifically mentioned herein. Lord Sri Krsna is the svayam-rupa
 57

Personality of Godhead, and all other forms of Godhead, beginning from Sri
Baladeva, Sankarsana, Vasudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Narayana and
extending to the purusa-avataras, guna-avataras, lila-avataras, yuga-avataras
and many other thousands of manifestations of the Personality of Godhead,
are
Lord Sri Krsna's plenary portions and integrated parts. The living entities
are separated parts and parcels of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore Lord
Sri Krsna is the original form of Godhead, and He is the last word in the
Transcendence. Thus He is more attractive to the higher transcendentalists
who
participate in the eternal pastimes of the Lord. In forms of the Personality
of Godhead other than Sri Krsna and Baladeva, there is no facility for
intimate personal contact as in the transcendental pastimes of the Lord at
Vrajabhumi. The transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krsna are not newly
accepted, as argued by some less intelligent persons; His pastimes are eternal
and are manifested in due course once in a day of Brahmaji, as the sun rises
on the eastern horizon at the end of every twenty-four hours.

TEXT 23

sattvam rajas tama iti prakrter gunas tair

yuktah parah purusa eka ihasya dhatte
sthity-adaye hari-virinci-hareti samjnah
sreyamsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nrnam syuh

sattvam--goodness; rajah--passion; tamah--the darkness of ignorance;

iti--thus; prakrteh--of the material nature; gunah--qualities; taih--by them;
yuktah--associated with; parah--transcendental; purusah--the personality;
ekah--one; iha asya--of this material world; dhatte--accepts;
sthiti-adaye--for the matter of creation, maintenance and destruction, etc.;
hari--Visnu, the Personality of Godhead; virinci--Brahma; hara--Lord Siva;
iti--thus; samjnah--different features; sreyamsi--ultimate benefit;
tatra--therein; khalu--of course; sattva--goodness; tanoh--form; nrnam--of the
human being; syuh--derived.

TRANSLATION

The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with

the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance,
and just for the material world's creation, maintenance and destruction He
accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahma, Visnu and Siva. Of these three,
all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Visnu, the form of the
quality of goodness.

PURPORT

That Lord Sri Krsna, by His plenary parts, should be rendered devotional
service, as explained above, is confirmed by this statement. Lord Sri Krsna
and all His plenary parts are visnu-tattva, or the Lordship of Godhead. From
Sri Krsna, the next manifestation is Baladeva. From Baladeva is Sankarsana,
from Sankarsana is Narayana, from Narayana there is the second Sankarsana,
and
 58

from this Sankarsana the Visnu purusa-avataras. The Visnu or the Deity of the
quality of goodness in the material world is the purusa-avatara known as
Ksirodakasayi Visnu or Paramatma. Brahma is the deity of rajas (passion), and
Siva of ignorance. They are the three departmental heads of the three
qualities of this material world. Creation is made possible by the goodness of
Visnu, and when it requires to be destroyed, Lord Siva does it by the
tandavanrtya. The materialists and the foolish human beings worship Brahma
and
Siva respectively. But the pure transcendentalists worship the form of
goodness, Visnu, in His various forms. Visnu is manifested by His millions and
billions of integrated forms and separated forms. The integrated forms are
called Godhead, and the separated forms are called the living entities or the
jivas. Both the jivas and Godhead have their original spiritual forms. Jivas
are sometimes subjected to the control of material energy, but the Visnu
forms
are always controllers of this energy. When Visnu, the Personality of Godhead,
appears in the material world, He comes to deliver the conditioned living
beings who are under the material energy. Such living beings appear in the
material world with intentions of being lords, and thus they become entrapped
by the three modes of nature. As such, the living entities have to change
their material coverings for undergoing different terms of imprisonment. The
prison house of the material world is created by Brahma under instruction of
the Personality of Godhead, and at the conclusion of a kalpa the whole thing
is destroyed by Siva. But as far as maintenance of the prison house is
concerned, it is done by Visnu, as much as the state prison house is
maintained by the state. Anyone, therefore, who wishes to get out of this
prison house of material existence, which is full of miseries like repetition
of birth, death, disease and old age, must please Lord Visnu for such
liberation. Lord Visnu is worshiped by devotional service only, and if anyone
has to continue prison life in the material world, he may ask for relative
facilities for temporary relief from the different demigods like Siva, Brahma,
Indra and Varuna. No demigod, however, can release the imprisoned living
being
from the conditioned life of material existence. This can be done only by
Visnu. Therefore, the ultimate benefit may be derived from Visnu, the
Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 24

parthivad daruno dhumas

tasmad agnis trayimayah
tamasas tu rajas tasmat
sattvam yad brahma-darsanam

parthivat--from earth; darunah--firewood; dhumah--smoke; tasmat--from that;

agnih--fire; trayi--Vedic sacrifices; mayah--made of; tamasah--in the mode of
ignorance; tu--but; rajah--the mode of passion; tasmat--from that;
sattvam--the mode of goodness; yat--which; brahma--the Absolute Truth;
darsanam--realization.

TRANSLATION
 59

Firewood is a transformation of earth, but smoke is better than the raw

wood. And fire is still better, for by fire we can derive the benefits of
superior knowledge [through Vedic sacrifices]. Similarly, passion [rajas] is
better than ignorance [tamas], but goodness [sattva] is best because by
goodness one can come to realize the Absolute Truth.

PURPORT

As explained above, one can get release from the conditioned life of
material existence by devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. It is
further comprehended herein that one has to rise to the platform of the mode
of goodness (sattva) so that one can be eligible for the devotional service of
the Lord. But if there are impediments on the progressive path, anyone, even
from the platform of tamas, can gradually rise to the sattva platform by the
expert direction of the spiritual master. Sincere candidates must, therefore,
approach an expert spiritual master for such a progressive march, and the
bona
fide, expert spiritual master is competent to direct a disciple from any stage
of life: tamas, rajas or sattva.
It is a mistake, therefore, to consider that worship of any quality or
any form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is equally beneficial. Except
Visnu, all separated forms are manifested under the conditions of material
energy, and therefore the forms of material energy cannot help anyone to rise
to the platform of sattva, which alone can liberate a person from material
bondage.
The uncivilized state of life, or the life of the lower animals, is
controlled by the mode of tamas. The civilized life of man, with a passion for
various types of material benefits, is the stage of rajas. The rajas stage of
life gives a slight clue to the realization of the Absolute Truth in the forms
of fine sentiments in philosophy, art and culture with moral and ethical
principles, but the mode of sattva is a still higher stage of material
quality, which actually helps one in realizing the Absolute Truth. In other
words, there is a qualitative difference between the different kinds of
worshiping methods as well as the respective results derived from the
predominating deities, namely Brahma, Visnu and Hara.

TEXT 25

bhejire munayo 'thagre

bhagavantam adhuksajam
sattvam visuddham ksemaya
kalpante ye 'nu tan iha

bhejire--rendered service unto; munayah--the sages; atha--thus;

agre--previously; bhagavantam--unto the Personality of Godhead;
adhoksajam--the Transcendence; sattvam--existence; visuddham--above the
three
modes of nature; ksemaya--to derive the ultimate benefit; kalpante--deserve;
ye--those; anu--follow; tan--those; iha--in this material world.

TRANSLATION
 60

Previously all the great sages rendered service unto the Personality of
Godhead due to His existence above the three modes of material nature. They
worshiped Him to become free from material conditions and thus derive the
ultimate benefit. Whoever follows such great authorities is also eligible for
liberation from the material world.

PURPORT

The purpose of performing religion is neither to profit by material gain

nor to get the simple knowledge of discerning matter from spirit. The ultimate
aim of religious performances is to release oneself from material bondage and
regain the life of freedom in the transcendental world, where the Personality
of Godhead is the Supreme Person. Laws of religion, therefore, are directly
enacted by the Personality of Godhead, and except for the mahajanas, or the
authorized agents of the Lord, no one knows the purpose of religion. There are
twelve particular agents of the Lord who know the purpose of religion, and all
of them render transcendental service unto Him. Persons who desire their own
good may follow these mahajanas and thus attain the supreme benefit.

TEXT 26

mumuksavo ghora-rupan
hitva bhuta-patin atha
narayana-kalah santa
bhajanti hy anasuyavah

mumuksavah--persons desiring liberation; ghora--horrible, ghastly;

rupan--forms like that; hitva--rejecting; bhuta-patin--demigods; atha--for
this reason; narayana--the Personality of Godhead; kalah--plenary portions;
santah--all-blissful; bhajanti--do worship; hi--certainly;
anasuyavah--nonenvious.

TRANSLATION

Those who are serious about liberation are certainly nonenvious, and they
respect all. Yet they reject the horrible and ghastly forms of the demigods
and worship only the all-blissful forms of Lord Visnu and His plenary
portions.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, who is the original person
of the Visnu categories, expands Himself in two different categories, namely
integrated plenary portions and separated parts and parcels. The separated
parts and parcels are the servitors, and the integrated plenary portions of
visnu-tattvas are the worshipful objects of service.
All demigods who are empowered by the Supreme Lord are also separated
parts and parcels. They do not belong to the categories of visnu-tattva. The
visnu-tattvas are living beings equally as powerful as the original form of
the Personality of Godhead, and They display different categories of power in
consideration of different times and circumstances. The separated parts and
parcels are powerful by limitation. They do not have unlimited power like the
 61

visnu-tattvas. Therefore, one should never classify the visnu-tattvas, or the

plenary portions of Narayana, the Personality of Godhead, in the same
categories with the parts and parcels. If anyone does so he becomes at once
an
offender by the name pasandi. In the age of Kali many foolish persons commit
such unlawful offenses and equalize the two categories.
The separated parts and parcels have different positions in the
estimation of material powers, and some of them are like Kala-bhairava,
Smasana-bhairava, Sani, Mahakali and Candika. These demigods are
worshiped
mostly by those who are in the lowest categories of the mode of darkness or
ignorance. Other demigods, like Brahma, Siva, Surya, Ganesa and many
similar
deities, are worshiped by men in the mode of passion, urged on by the desire
for material enjoyment. But those who are actually situated in the mode of
goodness (sattva-guna) of material nature worship only visnu-tattvas.
Visnu-tattvas are represented by various names and forms, such as Narayana,
Damodara, Vamana, Govinda and Adhoksaja.
The qualified brahmanas worship the visnu-tattvas represented by the
salagrama-sila, and some of the higher castes like the ksatriyas and vaisyas
also generally worship the visnu-tattvas.
Highly qualified brahmanas situated in the mode of goodness have no
grudges against the mode of worship of others. They have all respect for other
demigods, even though they may look ghastly, like Kala-bhairava or Mahakali.
They know very well that those horrible features of the Supreme Lord are all
different servitors of the Lord under different conditions, yet they reject
the worship of both horrible and attractive features of the demigods, and they
concentrate only on the forms of Visnu because they are serious about
liberation from the material conditions. The demigods, even to the stage of
Brahma, the supreme of all the demigods, cannot offer liberation to anyone.
Hiranyakasipu underwent a severe type of penance to become eternal in life,
but his worshipful deity, Brahma, could not satisfy him with such blessings.
Therefore Visnu, and none else, is called mukti-pada, or the Personality of
Godhead who can bestow upon us mukti, liberation. The demigods, being like
other living entities in the material world, are all liquidated at the time of
the annihilation of the material structure. They are themselves unable to get
liberation, and what to speak of giving liberation to their devotees. The
demigods can award the worshipers some temporary benefit only, and not the
ultimate one.
It is for this reason only that candidates for liberation deliberately
reject the worship of the demigods, although they have no disrespect for any
one of them.

TEXT 27

rajas-tamah-prakrtayah
sama-sila bhajanti vai
pitr-bhuta-prajesadin
sriyaisvarya-prajepsavah

rajah--the mode of passion; tamah--the mode of ignorance; prakrtayah--of that

mentality; sama-silah--of the same categories; bhajanti--do worship;
 62

vai--actually; pitr--the forefathers; bhuta--other living beings;

prajesa-adin--controllers of cosmic administration; sriya--enrichment;
aisvarya--wealth and power; praja--progeny; ipsavah--so desiring.

TRANSLATION

Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance worship the
forefathers, other living beings and the demigods who are in charge of cosmic
activities, for they are urged by a desire to be materially benefited with
women, wealth, power and progeny.

PURPORT

There is no need to worship demigods of whatsoever category if one is

serious about going back to Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.20,23) it is
clearly said that those who are mad after material enjoyment approach the
different demigods for temporary benefits, which are meant for men with a
poor
fund of knowledge. We should never desire to increase the depth of material
enjoyment. Material enjoyment should be accepted only up to the point of the
bare necessities of life and not more or less than that. To accept more
material enjoyment means to bind oneself more and more to the miseries of
material existence. More wealth, more women and false aristocracy are some
of
the demands of the materially disposed man because he has no information of
the benefit derived from Visnu worship. By Visnu worship one can derive
benefit in this life as well as in life after death. Forgetting these
principles, foolish people who are after more wealth, more wives and more
children worship various demigods. The aim of life is to end the miseries of
life and not to increase them.
For material enjoyment there is no need to approach the demigods. The
demigods are but servants of the Lord. As such, they are duty-bound to supply
necessities of life in the form of water, light, air, etc. One should work
hard and worship the Supreme Lord by the fruits of one's hard labor for
existence, and that should be the motto of life. One should be careful to
execute occupational service with faith in God in the proper way, and that
will lead one gradually on the progressive march back to Godhead.
Lord Sri Krsna, when He was personally present at Vrajadhama, stopped
the
worship of the demigod Indra and advised the residents of Vraja to worship by
their business and to have faith in God. Worshiping the multidemigods for
material gain is practically a perversity of religion. This sort of religious
activity has been condemned in the very beginning of the Bhagavatam as
kaitava-dharma. There is only one religion in the world to be followed by one
and all, and that is the Bhagavata-dharma, or the religion which teaches one
to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead and no one else.

TEXT 28-29

vasudeva-para veda
vasudeva-para makhah
vasudeva-para yoga
 63

vasudeva-parah kriyah

vasudeva-param jnanam
vasudeva-param tapah
vasudeva-paro dharmo
vasudeva-para gatih

vasudeva--the Personality of Godhead; parah--the ultimate goal;

vedah--revealed scriptures; vasudeva--the Personality of Godhead; parah--for
worshiping; makhah--sacrifices; vasudeva--the Personality of Godhead;
parah--the means of attaining; yogah--mystic paraphernalia; vasudeva--the
Personality of Godhead; parah--under His control; kriyah--fruitive activities;
vasudeva--the Personality of Godhead; param--the supreme; jnanam--
knowledge;
vasudeva--the Personality of Godhead; param--best; tapah--austerity;
vasudeva--the Personality of Godhead; parah--superior quality;
dharmah--religion; vasudeva--the Personality of Godhead; parah--ultimate;
gatih--goal of life.

TRANSLATION

In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Sri

Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to
please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately
rewarded by Him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities
are
performed to know Him. Religion [dharma] is rendering loving service unto
Him.
He is the supreme goal of life.

PURPORT

That Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, is the only object of worship
is confirmed in these two slokas. In the Vedic literature there is the same
objective: establishing one's relationship and ultimately reviving our lost
loving service unto Him. That is the sum and substance of the Vedas. In the
Bhagavad-gita the same theory is confirmed by the Lord in His own words: the
ultimate purpose of the Vedas is to know Him only. All the revealed scriptures
are prepared by the Lord through His incarnation in the body of Srila
Vyasadeva just to remind the fallen souls, conditioned by material nature, of
Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. No demigod can award freedom from
material bondage. That is the verdict of all the Vedic literatures.
Impersonalists who have no information of the Personality of Godhead
minimize
the omnipotency of the Supreme Lord and put Him on equal footing with all
other living beings, and for this act such impersonalists get freedom from
material bondage only with great difficulty. They can surrender unto Him only
after many, many births in the culture of transcendental knowledge.
One may argue that the Vedic activities are based on sacrificial
ceremonies. That is true. But all such sacrifices are also meant for realizing
the truth about Vasudeva. Another name of Vasudeva is Yajna (sacrifice), and
in the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that all sacrifices and all
 64

activities are to be conducted for the satisfaction of Yajna, or Visnu, the

Personality of Godhead. This is the case also with the yoga systems. Yoga
means to get into touch with the Supreme Lord. The process, however,
includes
several bodily features such as asana, dhyana, pranayama and meditation,
and
all of them are meant for concentrating upon the localized aspect of Vasudeva
represented as Paramatma. Paramatma realization is but partial realization of
Vasudeva, and if one is successful in that attempt, one realizes Vasudeva in
full. But by ill luck most yogis are stranded by the powers of mysticism
achieved through the bodily process. Ill-fated yogis are given a chance in the
next birth by being placed in the families of good learned brahmanas or in the
families of rich merchants in order to execute the unfinished task of Vasudeva
realization. If such fortunate brahmanas and sons of rich men properly utilize
the chance, they can easily realize Vasudeva by good association with saintly
persons. Unfortunately, such preferred persons are captivated again by
material wealth and honor, and thus they practically forget the aim of life.
This is also so for the culture of knowledge. According to Bhagavad-gita
there are eighteen items in culturing knowledge. By such culture of knowledge
one becomes gradually prideless, devoid of vanity, nonviolent, forbearing,
simple, devoted to the great spiritual master, and self-controlled. By culture
of knowledge one becomes unattached to hearth and home and becomes
conscious
of the miseries due to death, birth, old age and disease. And all culture of
knowledge culminates in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead,
Vasudeva. Therefore, Vasudeva is the ultimate aim in culturing all different
branches of knowledge. Culture of knowledge leading one to the
transcendental
plane of meeting Vasudeva is real knowledge. physical knowledge in its
various
branches is condemned in the Bhagavad-gita as ajnana, or the opposite of real
knowledge. The ultimate aim of physical knowledge is to satisfy the senses,
which means prolongation of the term of material existence and thereby
continuance of the threefold miseries. So prolonging the miserable life of
material existence is nescience. But the same physical knowledge leading to
the way of spiritual understanding helps one to end the miserable life of
physical existence and to begin the life of spiritual existence on the plane
of Vasudeva.
The same applies to all kinds of austerities. Tapasya means voluntary
acceptance of bodily pains to achieve some higher end of life. Ravana and
Hiranyakasipu underwent a severe type of bodily torture to achieve the end of
sense gratification. Sometimes modern politicians also undergo severe types
of
austerities to achieve some political end. This is not actually tapasya. One
should accept voluntary bodily inconvenience for the sake of knowing
Vasudeva
because that is the way of real austerities. Otherwise all forms of
austerities are classified as modes of passion and ignorance. passion and
ignorance cannot end the miseries of life. Only the mode of goodness can
mitigate the threefold miseries of life. Vasudeva and Devaki, the so-called
father and mother of Lord Krsna, underwent penances to get Vasudeva as
their
 65

son. Lord Sri Krsna is the father of all living beings (Bg. 14.4). Therefore
He is the original living being of all other living beings. He is the original
eternal enjoyer amongst all other enjoyers. Therefore no one can be His
begetting father, as the ignorant may think. Lord Sri Krsna agreed to become
the son of Vasudeva and Devaki upon being pleased with their severe
austerities. Therefore if any austerities have to be done, they must be done
to achieve the end of knowledge, Vasudeva.
Vasudeva is the original Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna. As
explained before, the original Personality of Godhead expands Himself by
innumerable forms. Such expansion of forms is made possible by His various
energies. His energies are also multifarious, and His internal energies are
superior and external energies inferior in quality. They are explained in the
Bhagavad-gita (7.4-6) as the para and the apara prakrtis. So His expansions of
various forms which take place via the internal energies are superior forms,
whereas the expansions which take place via the external energies are inferior
forms. The living entities are also His expansions. The living entities who
are expanded by His internal potency are eternally liberated persons, whereas
those who are expanded in terms of the material energies are eternally
conditioned souls. Therefore, all culture of knowledge, austerities, sacrifice
and activities should be aimed at changing the quality of the influence that
is acting upon us. For the present, we are all being controlled by the
external energy of the Lord, and just to change the quality of the influence,
we must endeavor to cultivate spiritual energy. In the Bhagavad-gita it is
said that those who are mahatmas, or those whose minds have been so
broadened
as to be engaged in the service of Lord Krsna, are under the influence of the
internal potency, and the effect is that such broadminded living beings are
constantly engaged in the service of the Lord without deviation. That should
be the aim of life. And that is the verdict of all the Vedic literatures. No
one should bother himself with fruitive activities or dry speculation about
transcendental knowledge. Everyone should at once engage himself in the
transcendental loving service of the Lord. Nor should one worship different
demigods who work as different hands of the Lord for creation, maintenance
or
destruction of the material world. There are innumerable powerful demigods
who
look over the external management of the material world. They are all
different assisting hands of Lord Vasudeva. Even Lord Siva and Lord Brahma
are
included in the list of demigods, but Lord Visnu, or Vasudeva, is always
transcendentally situated. Even though He accepts the quality of goodness of
the material world, He is still transcendental to all the material modes. The
following example will clear that matter more explicitly. In the prison house
there are the prisoners and the managers of the prison house. Both the
managers and the prisoners are bound by the laws of the king. But even
though
the king sometimes comes in the prison, he is not bound by the laws of the
prison house. The king is therefore always transcendental to the laws of the
prison house, as the Lord is always transcendental to the laws of the material
world.

TEXT 30
 66

sa evedam sasarjagre
bhagavan atma-mayaya
sad-asad-rupaya casau
gunamayaguno vibhuh

sah--that; eva--certainly; idam--this; sasarja--created; agre--before;

bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; atma-mayaya--by His personal
potency;
sat--the cause; asat--the effect; rupaya--by forms; ca--and; asau--the same
Lord; guna-maya--in the modes of material nature; agunah--transcendental;
vibhuh--the Absolute.

TRANSLATION

In the beginning of the material creation, that Absolute Personality of

Godhead [Vasudeva], in His transcendental position, created the energies of
cause and effect by His own internal energy.

PURPORT

The position of the Lord is always transcendental because the causal and
effectual energies required for the creation of the material world were also
created by Him. He is unaffected, therefore, by the qualities of the material
modes. His existence, form, activities and paraphernalia all existed before
the material creation. He is all-spiritual and has nothing to do with the
qualities of the material world, which are qualitatively distinct from the
spiritual qualities of the Lord.

TEXT 31

taya vilasitesv esu

gunesu gunavan iva
antah-pravista abhati
vijnanena vijrmbhitah

taya--by them; vilasitesu--although in the function; esu--these; gunesu--the

modes of material nature; gunavan--affected by the modes; iva--as if;
antah--within; pravistah--entered into; abhati--appears to be; vijnanena--by
transcendental consciousness; vijrmbhitah--fully enlightened.

TRANSLATION

After creating the material substance, the Lord [Vasudeva] expands

Himself and enters into it. And although He is within the material modes of
nature and appears to be; one of the created beings, He is always fully
enlightened in His transcendental position.

PURPORT

The living entities are separated parts and parcels of the Lord, and the
conditioned living entities, who are unfit for the spiritual kingdom, are
 67

strewn within the material world to enjoy matter to the fullest extent. As
Paramatma and eternal friend of the living entities, the Lord, by one of His
plenary portions, accompanies the living entities to guide them in their
material enjoyment and to become witness to all activities. While the living
entities enjoy the material conditions, the Lord maintains His transcendental
position without being affected by the material atmosphere. In the Vedic
literatures (sruti) it is said that there are two birds in one tree. One of
them is eating the fruit of the tree, while the other is witnessing the
actions. The witness is the Lord, and the fruit-eater is the living entity.
The fruit-eater (living entity) has forgotten his real identity and is
overwhelmed in the fruitive activities of the material conditions, but the
Lord (Paramatma) is always full in transcendental knowledge. That is the
difference between the Supersoul and the conditioned soul. The conditioned
soul, the living entity, is controlled by the laws of nature, while the
Paramatma, or the Supersoul, is the controller of the material energy.

TEXT 32

yatha hy avahito vahnir

darusv ekah sva-yonisu
naneva bhati visvatma
bhutesu ca tatha puman

yatha--as much as; hi--exactly like; avahitah--surcharged with; vahnih--fire;

darusu--in wood; ekah--one; sva-yonisu--the source of manifestation; nana
iva--like different entities; bhati--illuminates; visva-atma--the Lord as
Paramatma; bhutesu--in the living entities; ca--and; tatha--in the same way;
puman--the Absolute Person.

TRANSLATION

The Lord, as Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood,
and so He appears to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one
without a second.

PURPORT

Lord Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by one of His plenary

parts expands Himself all over the material world, and His existence can be
perceived even within the atomic energy. Matter, antimatter, proton, neutron,
etc., are all different effects of the Paramatma feature of the Lord. As from
wood, fire can be manifested, or as butter can be churned out of milk, so also
the presence of the Lord as Paramatma can be felt by the process of
legitimate
hearing and chanting of the transcendental subjects which are especially
treated in the Vedic literatures like the Upanisads and Vedanta.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the bona fide explanation of these Vedic literatures.
The
Lord can be realized through the aural reception of the transcendental
message, and that is the only way to experience the transcendental subject.
As
fire is kindled from wood by another fire, the divine consciousness of man can
 68

similarly be kindled by another divine grace. His Divine Grace the spiritual
master can kindle the spiritual fire from the woodlike living entity by
imparting proper spiritual messages injected through the receptive ear.
Therefore one is required to approach the proper spiritual master with
receptive ears only, and thus divine existence is gradually realized. The
difference between animality and humanity lies in this process only. A human
being can hear properly, whereas an animal cannot.

TEXT 33

asau gunamayair bhavair

bhuta-suksmendriyatmabhih
sva-nirmitesu nirvisto
bhunkte bhutesu tad-gunan

asau--that Paramatma; guna-mayaih--influenced by the modes of nature;

bhavaih--naturally; bhuta--created; suksma--subtle; indriya--senses;
atmabhih--by the living beings; sva-nirmitesu--in His own creation;
nirvistah--entering; bhunkte--causes to enjoy; bhutesu--in the living
entities; tat-gunan--those modes of nature.

TRANSLATION

The Supersoul enters into the bodies of the created beings who are
influenced by the modes of material nature and causes them to enjoy the
effects of these modes by the subtle mind.

PURPORT

There are 8,400,000 species of living beings beginning from the highest
intellectual being, Brahma, down to the insignificant ant, and all of them are
enjoying the material world according to the desires of the subtle mind and
gross material body. The gross material body is based on the conditions of the
subtle mind, and the senses are created according to the desire of the living
being. The Lord as Paramatma helps the living being to get material happiness
because the living being is helpless in all respects in obtaining what he
desires. He proposes, and the Lord disposes. In another sense, the living
beings are parts and parcels of the Lord. They are therefore one with the
Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita the living beings in all varieties of bodies have
been claimed by the Lord as His sons. The sufferings and enjoyments of the
sons are indirectly the sufferings and enjoyments of the father. Still the
father is not in any way affected directly by the suffering and enjoyment of
the sons. He is so kind that He constantly remains with the living being as
Paramatma and always tries to convert the living being towards the real
happiness.

TEXT 34

bhavayaty esa sattvena

lohan vai loka-bhavanah
lilavataranurato
deva-tiryan-naradisu
 69

bhavayati--maintains; esah--all these; sattvena--in the mode of goodness;

lokan--all over the universe; vai--generally; loka-bhavanah--the master of all
the universes; lila--pastimes; avatara--incarnation; anuratah--assuming the
role; deva--the demigods; tiryak--lower animals; nara-adisu--in the midst of
human beings.

TRANSLATION

Thus the Lord of the universes maintains all planets inhabited by

demigods, men and lower animals. Assuming the roles of incarnations, He
performs pastimes to reclaim those in the mode of pure goodness.

PURPORT

There are innumerable material universes, and in each and every universe
there are innumerable planets inhabited by different grades of living entities
in different modes of nature. The Lord (Visnu) incarnates Himself in each and
every one of them and in each and every type of living society. He manifests
His transcendental pastimes amongst them just to create the desire to go back
to Godhead. The Lord does not change His original transcendental position,
but
He appears to be differently manifested according to the particular time,
circumstances and society.
Sometimes He incarnates Himself or empowers a suitable living being to
act for Him, but in either case the purpose is the same: the Lord wants the
suffering living being to go back home, back to Godhead. The happiness which
the living beings are hankering for is not to be found within any corner of
the innumerable universes and material planets. The eternal happiness which
the living being wants is obtainable in the kingdom of God, but the forgetful
living beings under the influence of the material modes have no information of
the kingdom of God. The Lord, therefore, comes to propagate the message of
the
kingdom of God, either personally as an incarnation or through His bona fide
representative as the good son of God. Such incarnations or sons of God are
not making propaganda for going back to Godhead only within the human
society.
Their work is also going on in all types of societies, amongst demigods and
those other than human beings.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Second Chapter,
of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Divinity and Divine Service."

Chapter Three

Krsna Is the Source of All Incarnations

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
 70

jagrhe paurusam rupam

bhagavan mahad-adibhih
sambhutam sodasa-kalam
adau loka-sisrksaya

sutah uvaca--Suta said; jagrhe--accepted; paurusam--plenary portion as the

purusa incarnation; rupam--form; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;
mahat-adibhih--with the ingredients of the material world; sambhutam--thus
there was the creation of; sodasa-kalam--sixteen primary principles; adau--in
the beginning; loka--the universes; sisrksaya--on the intention of creating.

TRANSLATION

Suta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded
Himself in the universal form of the purusa incarnation and manifested all the
ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the
creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the
purpose of creating the material universe.

PURPORT

The Bhagavad-gita states that the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna

maintains these material universes by extending His plenary expansions. So
this purusa form is the confirmation of the same principle. The original
Personality of Godhead Vasudeva, or Lord Krsna, who is famous as the son of
King Vasudeva or King Nanda, is full with all opulences, all potencies, all
fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. Part of His opulences
are manifested as impersonal Brahman, and part of His opulences are
manifested
as Paramatma. This purusa feature of the same Personality of Godhead Sri
Krsna
is the original Paramatma manifestation of the Lord. There are three purusa
features in the material creation, and this form, who is known as the
Karanodakasayi Visnu, is the first of the three. The others are known as the
Garbhodakasayi Visnu and the Ksirodakasayi Visnu, which we shall know one
after another. The innumerable universes are generated from the skin holes of
this Karanodakasayi Visnu, and in each one of the universes the Lord enters as
Garbhodakasayi Visnu.
In the Bhagavad-gita it is also mentioned that the material world is
created at certain intervals and then again destroyed. This creation and
destruction is done by the supreme will because of the conditioned souls, or
the nitya-baddha living beings. The nitya-baddha, or the eternally conditioned
souls, have the sense of individuality or ahankara, which dictates them sense
enjoyment, which they are unable to have constitutionally. The Lord is the
only enjoyer, and all others are enjoyed. The living beings are predominated
enjoyers. But the eternally conditioned souls, forgetful of this
constitutional position, have strong aspirations to enjoy. The chance to enjoy
matter is given to the conditioned souls in the material world, and side by
side they are given the chance to understand their real constitutional
position. Those fortunate living entities who catch the truth and surrender
unto the lotus feet of Vasudeva after many, many births in the material world
join the eternally liberated souls and thus are allowed to enter into the
 71

kingdom of Godhead. After this, such fortunate living entities need not come
again within the occasional material creation. But those who cannot catch the
constitutional truth are again merged into the mahat-tattva at the time of the
annihilation of the material creation. When the creation is again set up, this
mahat-tattva is again let loose. This mahat-tattva contains all the
ingredients of the material manifestations, including the conditioned souls.
Primarily this mahat-tattva is divided into sixteen parts, namely the five
gross material elements and the eleven working instruments or senses. It is
like the cloud in the clear sky. In the spiritual sky, the effulgence of
Brahman is spread all around, and the whole system is dazzling in spiritual
light. The mahat-tattva is assembled in some corner of the vast, unlimited
spiritual sky, and the part which is thus covered by the mahat-tattva is
called the material sky. This part of the spiritual sky, called the
mahat-tattva, is only an insignificant portion of the whole spiritual sky, and
within this mahat-tattva there are innumerable universes. All these universes
are collectively produced by the Karanodakasayi Visnu, called also the
Maha-Visnu, who simply throws His glance to impregnate the material sky.

TEXT 2

yasyambhasi sayanasya
yoga-nidram vitanvatah
nabhi-hradambujad asid
brahma visva-srjam patih

yasya--whose; ambhasi--in the water; sayanasya--lying down;

yoga-nidram--sleeping in meditation; vitanvatah--ministering; nabhi--navel;
hrada--out of the lake; ambujat--from the lotus; asit--was manifested;
brahma--the grandfather of the living beings; visva--the universe; srjam--the
engineers; patih--master.

TRANSLATION

A part of the purusa lies down within the water of the universe, from the
navel lake of His body sprouts a lotus stem, and from the lotus flower atop
this stem, Brahma, the master of all engineers in the universe, becomes
manifest.

PURPORT

The first purusa is the Karanodakasayi Visnu. From His skin holes
innumerable universes have sprung up. In each and every universe, the
purusa
enters as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu. He is lying within the half of the
universe which is full with the water of His body. And from the navel of
Garbhodakasayi Visnu has sprung the stem of the lotus flower, the birthplace
of Brahma, who is the father of all living beings and the master of all the
demigod engineers engaged in the perfect design and working of the universal
order. Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary
systems, and the earthly planets are situated in the middle. Upwards there are
other, better planetary systems, and the topmost system is called Brahmaloka
or Satyaloka. Downwards from the earthly planetary system there are seven
 72

lower planetary systems inhabited by the asuras and similar other

materialistic living beings.
From Garbhodakasayi Visnu there is expansion of the Ksirodakasayi Visnu,
who is the collective Paramatma of all living beings. He is called Hari, and
from Him all incarnations within the universe are expanded.
Therefore, the conclusion is that the purusa-avatara is manifested in
three features -- first the Karanodakasayi who creates aggregate material
ingredients in the mahat-tattva, second the Garbhodakasayi who enters in
each
and every universe, and third the Ksirodakasayi Visnu who is the Paramatma
of
every material object, organic or inorganic. One who knows these plenary
features of the Personality of Godhead knows Godhead properly, and thus the
knower becomes freed from the material conditions of birth, death, old age
and
disease, as it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, In this sloka the subject matter
of Maha-Visnu is summarized. The Maha-Visnu lies down in some part of the
spiritual sky by His own free will. Thus He lies on the ocean of karana, from
where He glances over His material nature, and the mahat-tattva is at once
created. Thus electrified by the power of the Lord, the material nature at
once creates innumerable universes, just as in due course a tree decorates
itself with innumerable grown fruits. The seed of the tree is sown by the
cultivator, and the tree or creeper in due course becomes manifested with so
many fruits. Nothing can take place without a cause. The Karana Ocean is
therefore called the Causal Ocean. Karana means "causal." We should not
foolishly accept the atheistic theory of creation. The description of the
atheists is given in the Bhagavad-gita. The atheist does not believe in the
creator, but he cannot give a good theory to explain the creation. Material
nature has no power to create without the power of the purusa, just as a
prakrti, or woman, cannot produce a child without the connection of a purusa,
or man. The purusa impregnates, and the prakrti delivers. We should not
expect
milk from the fleshy bags on the neck of a goat, although they look like
breastly nipples. Similarly, we should not expect any creative power from the
material ingredients; we must believe in the power of the purusa, who
impregnates prakrti, or nature. Because the Lord wished to lie down in
meditation, the material energy created innumerable universes at once, in
each
of them the Lord lay down, and thus all the planets and the different
paraphernalia were created at once by the will of the Lord. The Lord has
unlimited potencies, and thus He can act as He likes by perfect planning,
although personally He has nothing to do. No one is greater than or equal to
Him. That is the verdict of the Vedas.

TEXT 3

yasyavayava-samsthanaih
kalpito loka-vistarah
tad vai bhagavato rupam
visuddham sattvam urjitam

yasya--whose; avayava--bodily expansion; samsthanaih--situated in;

 73

kalpitah--is imagined; loka--planets of inhabitants; vistarah--various; tat

vai--but that is; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead; rupam--form;
visuddham--purely; sattvam--existence; urjitam--excellence.

TRANSLATION

It is believed that all the universal planetary systems are situated on

the extensive body of the purusa, but He has nothing to do with the created
material ingredients. His body is eternally in spiritual existence par
excellence.

PURPORT

The conception of the virat-rupa or visva-rupa of the Supreme Absolute

Truth is especially meant for the neophyte who can hardly think of the
transcendental form of the Personality of Godhead. To him a form means
something of this material world, and therefore an opposite conception of the
Absolute is necessary in the beginning to concentrate the mind on the power
extension of the Lord. As stated above, the Lord extends His potency in the
form of the mahat-tattva, which includes all material ingredients. The
extension of power by the Lord and the Lord Himself personally are one in one
sense, but at the same time the mahat-tattva is different from the Lord.
Therefore the potency of the Lord and the Lord are simultaneously different
and nondifferent. The conception of the virat-rupa, especially for the
impersonalist, is thus nondifferent from the eternal form of the Lord. This
eternal form of the Lord exists prior to the creation of the mahat-tattva, and
it is stressed here that the eternal form of the Lord is par excellence
spiritual or transcendental to the modes of material nature. The very same
transcendental form of the Lord is manifested by His internal potency, and the
formation of His multifarious manifestations of incarnations is always of the
same transcendental quality, without any touch of the mahat-tattva.

TEXT 4

pasyanty ado rupam adabhra-caksusa

sahasra-padoru-bhujananadbhutam
sahasra-murdha-sravanaksi-nasikam
sahasra-mauly-ambara-kundalollasat

pasyanti--see; adah--the form of the purusa; rupam--form; adabhra--perfect;

caksusa--by the eyes; sahasra-pada--thousands of legs; uru--thighs;
bhuja-anana--hands and faces; adbhutam--wonderful; sahasra--thousands of;
murdha--heads; sravana--ears; aksi--eyes; nasikam--noses; sahasra--
thousands;
mauli--garlands; ambara--dresses; kundala--earrings; ullasat--all glowing.

TRANSLATION

The devotees, with their perfect eyes, see the transcendental form of the
purusa who has thousands of legs, thighs, arms and faces--all extraordinary.
In that body there are thousands of heads, ears, eyes and noses. They are
 74

decorated with thousands of helmets and glowing earrings and are adorned
with
garlands.

PURPORT

With our present materialized senses we cannot perceive anything of the

transcendental Lord. Our present senses are to be rectified by the process of
devotional service, and then the Lord Himself becomes revealed to us. In the
Bhagavad-gita it is confirmed that the transcendental Lord can be perceived
only by pure devotional service. So it is confirmed in the Vedas that only
devotional service can lead one to the side of the Lord and that only
devotional service can reveal Him. In the Brahma-samhita also it is said that
the Lord is always visible to the devotees whose eyes have been anointed with
the tinge of devotional service. So we have to take information of the
transcendental form of the Lord from persons who have actually seen Him
with
perfect eyes smeared with devotional service. In the material world also we do
not always see things with our own eyes; we sometimes see through the
experience of those who have actually seen or done things. If that is the
process for experiencing a mundane object, it is more perfectly applicable in
matters transcendental. So only with patience and perseverance can we
realize
the transcendental subject matter regarding the Absolute Truth and His
different forms. He is formless to the neophytes, but He is in transcendental
form to the expert servitor.

TEXT 5

etan nanavataranam
nidhanam bijam avyayam
yasyamsamsena srjyante
deva-tiryan-naradayah

etat--this (form); nana--multifarious; avataranam--of the incarnations;

nidhanam--source; bijam--seed; avyayam--indestructible; yasya--whose;
amsa--plenary portion; amsena--part of the plenary portion; srjyante--create;
deva--demigods; tiryak--animals; naraadayah--human beings and others.

TRANSLATION

This form [the second manifestation of the purusa] is the source and
indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations within the universe. From the
particles and portions of this form, different living entities, like demigods,
men and others, are created.

PURPORT

The purusa, after creating innumerable universes in the mahat-tattva,

entered in each of them as the second purusa, Garbhodakasayi Visnu. When
He
saw that within the universe there was only darkness and space, without a
 75

resting place, He filled half of the universe with water from His own
perspiration and laid Himself down on the same water. This water is called
Garbhodaka. Then from His navel the stem of the lotus flower sprouted, and
on
the flower petals the birth of Brahma, or the master engineer of the universal
plan, took place. Brahma became the engineer of the universe, and the Lord
Himself took charge of the maintenance of the universe as Visnu. Brahma was
generated from rajo-guna of prakrti, or the mode of passion in nature, and
Visnu became the Lord of the mode of goodness. Visnu, being transcendental
to
all the modes, is always aloof from materialistic affection. This has already
been explained. From Brahma there is Rudra (Siva), who is in charge of the
mode of ignorance or darkness. He destroys the whole creation by the will of
the Lord. Therefore all three, namely Brahma, Visnu and Siva, are incarnations
of the Garbhodakasayi Visnu. From Brahma the other demigods like Daksa,
Marici, Manu and many others become incarnated to generate living entities
within the universe. This Garbhodakasayi Visnu is glorified in the Vedas in
the hymns of Garbha-stuti, which begin with the description of the Lord as
having thousands of heads, etc. The Garbhodakasayi Visnu is the Lord of the
universe, and although He appears to be lying within the universe, He is
always transcendental. This also has already been explained. The Visnu who is
the plenary portion of the Garbhodakasayi Visnu is the Supersoul of the
universal life, and He is known as the maintainer of the universe or
Ksirodakasayi Visnu. So the three features of the original purusa are thus
understood. And all the incarnations within the universe are emanations from
this Ksirodakasayi Visnu.
In different millennia there are different incarnations, and they are
innumerable, although some of them are very prominent, such as Matsya,
Kurma,
Varaha, Rama, Nrsimha, Vamana and many others. These incarnations are
called
lila incarnations. Then there are qualitative incarnations such as Brahma,
Visnu, and Siva (or Rudra) who take charge of the different modes of material
nature.
Lord Visnu is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead. Lord Siva is
in the marginal position between the Personality of Godhead and the living
entities, or jivas. Brahma is always a jiva-tattva. The highest pious living
being, or the greatest devotee of the Lord, is empowered with the potency of
the Lord for creation, and he is called Brahma. His power is like the power of
the sun reflected in valuable stones and jewels. When there is no such living
being to take charge of the post of Brahma, the Lord Himself becomes a
Brahma
and takes charge of the post.
Lord Siva is not an ordinary living being. He is the plenary portion of
the Lord, but because Lord Siva is in direct touch with material nature, he is
not exactly in the same transcendental position as Lord Visnu. The difference
is like that between milk and curd. Curd is nothing but milk, and yet it
cannot be used in place of milk.
The next incarnations are the Manus. Within one day's duration of the
life of Brahma (which is calculated by our solar year as 4,300,000 x 1,000
years) there are fourteen Manus. Therefore there are 420 Manus in one month
of
 76

Brahma and 5,040 Manus in one year of Brahma. Brahma lives for one
hundred
years of his age, and therefore there are 5,040 x 100 or 504,000 Manus in the
duration of Brahma's life. There are innumerable universes, with one Brahma
in
each of them, and all of them are created and annihilated during the breathing
time of the purusa. Therefore one can simply imagine how many millions of
Manus there are during one breath of the purusa.
The Manus who are prominent within this universe are as follows: Yajna as
Svayambhuva Manu, Vibhu as Svarocisa Manu, Satyasena as Uttama Manu,
Hari as
Tamasa Manu, Vaikuntha as Raivata Manu, Ajita as Caksusa Manu, Vamana as
Vaivasvata Manu (the present age is under the Vaivasvata Manu),
Sarvabhauma as
Savarni Manu, Rsabha as Daksasavarni Manu, Visvaksena as Brahma-savarni
Manu,
Dharmasetu as Dharma-savarni Manu, Sudhama as Rudra-savarni Manu,
Yogesvara as
Deva-savarni Manu, and Brhadbhanu as Indra-savarni Manu. These are the
names
of one set of fourteen Manus covering 4,300,000,000 solar years as described
above.
Then there are the yugavataras, or the incarnations of the millennia. The
yugas are known as Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga and Kali-yuga. The
incarnations of each yuga are of different color. The colors are white, red,
black and yellow. In the Dvapara-yuga, Lord Krsna in black color appeared,
and
in the Kali-yuga Lord Caitanya in yellow color appeared.
So all the incarnations of the Lord are mentioned in the revealed
scriptures. There is no scope for an imposter to become an incarnation, for an
incarnation must be mentioned in the sastras. An incarnation does not declare
Himself to be an incarnation of the Lord, but great sages agree by the
symptoms mentioned in the revealed scriptures. The features of the
incarnation
and the particular type of mission which He has to execute are mentioned in
the revealed scriptures.
Apart from the direct incarnations, there are innumerable empowered
incarnations. They are also mentioned in the revealed scriptures. Such
incarnations are directly as well as indirectly empowered. When they are
directly empowered they are called incarnations, but when they are indirectly
empowered they are called vibhutis. Directly empowered incarnations are the
Kumaras, Narada, Prthu, Sesa, Ananta, etc. As far as vibhutis are concerned,
they are very explicitly described in the Bhagavad-gita in the Vibhuti-yoga
chapter. And for all these different types of incarnations, the fountainhead
is the Garbhodakasayi Visnu.

TEXT 6

sa eva prathamam devah

kaumaram sargam asritah
cacara duscaram brahma
brahmacaryam akhanditam
 77

sah--that; eva--certainly; prathamam--first; devah--Supreme Lord;

kaumaram--named the Kumaras (unmarried); sargam--creation; asritah--
under;
cacara--performed; duscaram--very difficult to do; brahma--in the order of
Brahman; brahmacaryam--under discipline to realize the Absolute (Brahman);
akhanditam--unbroken.

TRANSLATION

First of all, in the beginning of creation, there were the four unmarried
sons of Brahma [the Kumaras], who, being situated in a vow of celibacy,
underwent severe austerities for realization of the Absolute Truth.

PURPORT

The creation of the material world is effected, maintained and then again
annihilated at certain intervals. So there are different names of the
creations in terms of the particular types of Brahma, the father of the living
beings in the creation. The Kumaras, as above mentioned, appeared in the
Kaumara creation of the material world, and to teach us the process of
Brahman
realization, they underwent a severe type of disciplinary action as bachelors.
These Kumaras are empowered incarnations. And before executing the severe
type
of disciplinary actions, all of them became qualified brahmanas. This example
suggests that one must first acquire the qualifications of a brahmana, not
simply by birth but also by quality, and then one can undergo the process of
Brahman realization.

TEXT 7

dvitiyam tu bhavayasya
rasatala-gatam mahim
uddharisyann upadatta
yajnesah saukaram vapuh

dvitiyam--the second; tu--but; bhavaya--for the welfare; asya--of this earth;

rasatala--of the lowest region; gatam--having gone; mahim--the earth;
uddharisyan--lifting; upadatta--established; yajnesah--the proprietor or the
supreme enjoyer; saukaram--hoggish; vapuh--incarnation.

TRANSLATION

The supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices accepted the incarnation of a boar

[the second incarnation], and for the welfare of the earth He lifted the earth
from the nether regions of the universe.

PURPORT

The indication is that for each and every incarnation of the Personality
of Godhead, the particular function executed is also mentioned. There cannot
 78

be any incarnation without a particular function, and such functions are

always extraordinary. They are impossible for any living being to perform. The
incarnation of the boar was to take the earth out of Pluto's region of filthy
matter. Picking up something from a filthy place is done by a boar, and the
all-powerful Personality of Godhead displayed this wonder to the asuras, who
had hidden the earth in such a filthy place. There is nothing impossible for
the Personality of Godhead, and although He played the part of a boar, by the
devotees He is worshiped, staying always in transcendence.

TEXT 8

trtiyam rsi-sargam vai

devarsitvam upetya sah
tantram satvatam acasta
naiskarmyam karmanam yatah

trtiyam--the third one; rsi-sargam--the millennium of the rsis;

vai--certainly; devarsitvam--incarnation of the rsi amongst the demigods;
upetya--having accepted; sah--he; tantram--exposition of the Vedas;
satvatam--which is especially meant for devotional service; acasta--collected;
naiskarmyam--nonfruitive; karmanam--of work; yatah--from which.

TRANSLATION

In the millennium of the rsis, the Personality of Godhead accepted the

third empowered incarnation in the form of Devarsi Narada, who is a great
sage
among the demigods. He collected expositions of the Vedas which deal with
devotional service and which inspire nonfruitive action.

PURPORT

The great Rsi Narada, who is an empowered incarnation of the Personality

of Godhead, propagates devotional service all over the universe. All great
devotees of the Lord all over the universe and in different planets and
species of life are his disciples. Srila Vyasadeva, the compiler of the
Srimad-Bhagavatam, is also one of his disciples. Narada is the author of
Narada-pancaratra, which is the exposition of the Vedas particularly for the
devotional service of the Lord. This Narada-pancaratra trains the karmis, or
the fruitive workers, to achieve liberation from the bondage of fruitive work.
The conditioned souls are mostly attracted by fruitive work because they want
to enjoy life by the sweat of their own brows. The whole universe is full of
fruitive workers in all species of life. The fruitive works include all kinds
of economic development plans. But the law of nature provides that every
action has its resultant reaction, and the performer of the work is bound up
by such reactions, good or bad. The reaction of good work is comparative
material prosperity, whereas the reaction of bad work is comparative material
distress. But material conditions, either in so-called happiness or in
so-called distress, are all meant ultimately for distress only. Foolish
materialists have no information of how to obtain eternal happiness in the
unconditional state. Sri Narada informs these foolish fruitive workers how to
realize the reality of happiness. He gives direction to the diseased men of
 79

the world how one's present engagement can lead one to the path of spiritual
emancipation. The physician directs the patient to take treated milk in the
form of curd for his sufferings from indigestion due to his taking another
milk preparation. So the cause of the disease and the remedy of the disease
may be the same, but it must be treated by an expert physician like Narada.
The Bhagavad-gita also gives the same solution of serving the Lord by the
fruits of one's labor. That will lead one to the path of naiskarmya, or
liberation.

TEXT 9

turye dharma-kala-sarge
nara-narayanav rsi
bhutvatmopasamopetam
akarot duscaram tapah

turye--in the fourth of the line; dharma-kala--wife of Dharmaraja;

sarge--being born of; nara-narayanau--named Nara and Narayana; rsi--sages;
bhutva--becoming; atma-upasama--controlling the senses; upetam--for
achievement of; akarot--undertook; duscaram--very strenuous; tapah--
penance.

TRANSLATION

In the fourth incarnation, the Lord became Nara and Narayana, the twin
sons of the wife of King Dharma. Thus He undertook severe and exemplary
penances to control the senses.

PURPORT

As King Rsabha advised His sons, tapasya, or voluntary acceptance of

penance for realization of the Transcendence, is the only duty of the human
being; it was so done by the Lord Himself in an exemplary manner to teach us.
The Lord is very kind to the forgetful souls. He therefore comes Himself and
leaves behind necessary instructions and also sends His good sons as
representatives to call all the conditioned souls back to Godhead. Recently,
within the memory of everyone, Lord Caitanya also appeared for the same
purpose: to show special favor to fallen souls of this age of iron industry.
The incarnation of Narayana is worshiped still at Badari-narayana, on the
range of the Himalayas.

TEXT 10

pancamah kapilo nama

siddhesah kala-viplutam
provacasuraye sankhyam
tattva-grama-vinirnayam

pancamah--the fifth one; kapilah--Kapila; nama--of the name; siddhesah--the

foremost amongst the perfect; kala--time; viplutam--lost; provaca--said;
asuraye--unto the brahmana named Asuri; sankhyam--metaphysics;
tattva-grama--the sum total of the creative elements; vinirnayam--exposition.
 80

TRANSLATION

The fifth incarnation, named Lord Kapila, is foremost among perfected

beings. He gave an exposition of the creative elements and metaphysics to
Asuri Brahmana, for in course of time this knowledge had been lost.

PURPORT

The sum total of the creative elements is twenty-four in all. Each and
every one of them is explicitly explained in the system of Sankhya philosophy.
Sankhya philosophy is generally called metaphysics by the European scholars.
The etymological meaning of sankhya is "that which explains very lucidly by
analysis of the material elements." This was done for the first time by Lord
Kapila, who is said herein to be the fifth in the line of incarnations.

TEXT 11

sastham atrer apatyatvam

vrtah prapto 'nasuyaya
anviksikim alarkaya
prahladadibhya ucivan

sastham--the sixth one; atreh--of Atri; apatyatvam--sonship; vrtah--being

prayed for; praptah--obtained; anasuyaya--by Anasuya; anviksikim--on the
subject of transcendence; alarkaya--unto Alarka; prahlada-adibhyah--unto
Prahlada and others; ucivan--spoke.

TRANSLATION

The sixth incarnation of the purusa was the son of the sage Atri. He was
born from the womb of Anasuya, who prayed for an incarnation. He spoke on
the
subject of transcendence to Alarka, Prahlada and others [Yadu, Haihaya, etc.].

PURPORT

The Lord incarnated Himself as Dattatreya, the son of Rsi Atri and
Anasuya. The history of the birth of Dattatreya as an incarnation of the Lord
is mentioned in the Brahmanda Purana in connection with the story of the
devoted wife. It is said there that Anasuya, the wife of Rsi Atri, prayed
before the Lords Brahma, Visnu and Siva as follows: "My lords, if you are
pleased with me, and if you desire me to ask from you some sort of blessings,
then I pray that you combine together to become my son." This was accepted
by
the lords, and as Dattatreya the Lord expounded the philosophy of the spirit
soul and especially instructed Alarka, Prahlada, Yadu, Haihaya, etc.

TEXT 12

tatah saptama akutyam

rucer yajno 'bhyajayata
 81

sa yamadyaih sura-ganair
apat svayambhuvantaram

tatah--after that; saptame--the seventh in the line; akutyam--in the womb of

Akuti; ruceh--by Prajapati Ruci; yajnah--the Lord's incarnation as Yajna;
abhyajayata--advented; sah--He; yama-adyaih--with Yama and others;
sura-ganaih--with demigods; apat--ruled; svayambhuva-antaram--the change
of
the period of Svayambhuva Manu.

TRANSLATION

The seventh incarnation was Yajna, the son of Prajapati Ruci and his wife
Akuti. He controlled the period during the change of the Svayambhuva Manu
and
was assisted by demigods such as His son Yama.

PURPORT

The administrative posts occupied by the demigods for maintaining the

regulations of the material world are offered to the highly elevated pious
living beings. When there is a scarcity of such pious living beings, the Lord
incarnates Himself as Brahma, Prajapati, Indra, etc., and takes up the charge.
During the period of Svayambhuva Manu (the present period is of Vaivasvata
Manu) there was no suitable living being who could occupy the post of Indra,
the King of the Indraloka (heaven) planet. The Lord Himself at that time
became Indra. Assisted by His own sons like Yama and other demigods, Lord
Yajna ruled the administration of the universal affairs.

TEXT 13

astame merudevyam tu
nabher jata urukramah
darsayan vartma dhiranam
sarvasrama-namaskrtam

astame--the eighth of the incarnations; merudevyam tu--in the womb of

Merudevi, the wife of; nabheh--King Nabhi; jatah--took birth; urukramah--the
all-powerful Lord; darsayan--by showing; vartma--the way; dhiranam--of the
perfect beings; sarva--all; asrama--orders of life; namaskrtam--honored by.

TRANSLATION

The eighth incarnation was King Rsabha, son of King Nabhi and his wife
Merudevi. In this incarnation the Lord showed the path of perfection, which is
followed by those who have fully controlled their senses and who are honored
by all orders of life.

PURPORT

The society of human being is naturally divided into eight by orders and
statuses of life--the four divisions of occupation and four divisions of
 82

cultural advancement. The intelligent class, the administrative class, the

productive class and the laborer class are the four divisions of occupation.
And the student life, the householder's life, retired life and renounced life
are the four statuses of cultural advancement towards the path of spiritual
realization. Out of these, the renounced order of life, or the order of
sannyasa, is considered the highest of all, and a sannyasi is constitutionally
the spiritual master for all the orders and divisions. In the sannyasa order
also there are four stages of upliftment toward perfection. These stages are
called kuticaka, bahudaka, parivrajakacarya, and paramahamsa. The
paramahamsa
stage of life is the highest stage of perfection. This order of life is
respected by all others. Maharaja Rsabha, the son of King Nabhi and Merudevi,
was an incarnation of the Lord, and He instructed His sons to follow the path
of perfection by tapasya, which sanctifies one's existence and enables one to
attain the stage of spiritual happiness which is eternal and ever increasing.
Every living being is searching after happiness, but no one knows where
eternal and unlimited happiness is obtainable. Foolish men seek after material
sense pleasure as a substitute for real happiness, but such foolish men forget
that temporary so-called happiness derived from sense pleasures is also
enjoyed by the dogs and hogs. No animal, bird or beast is bereft of this sense
pleasure. In every species of life, including the human form of life, such
happiness is immensely obtainable. The human form of life, however, is not
meant for such cheap happiness. The human life is meant for attaining eternal
and unlimited happiness by spiritual realization. This spiritual realization
is obtained by tapasya, or undergoing voluntarily the path of penance and
abstinence from material pleasure. Those who have been trained for
abstinence
in material pleasures are called dhira, or men undisturbed by the senses. Only
these dhiras can accept the orders of sannyasa, and they can gradually rise to
the status of the paramahamsa, which is adored by all members of society.
King
Rsabha propagated this mission, and at the last stage He became completely
aloof from the material bodily needs, which is a rare stage not to be imitated
by foolish men, but to be worshiped by all.

TEXT 14

rsibhir yacito bheje

navamam parthivam vapuh
dugdhemam osadhir vipras
tenayam sa usattamah

rsibhih--by the sages; yacitah--being prayed for; bheje--accepted;

navamam--the ninth one; parthivam--the ruler of the earth; vapuh--body;
dugdha--milking; imam--all these; osadhih--products of the earth; viprah--O
brahmanas; tena--by; ayam--this; sah--he; usattamah--beautifully attractive.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, in the ninth incarnation, the Lord, prayed for by sages,

accepted the body of a king [Prthu] who cultivated the land to yield various
produces, and for that reason the earth was beautiful and attractive.
 83

PURPORT

Before the advent of King Prthu, there was great havoc of

maladministration due to the vicious life of the previous king, the father of
Maharaja Prthu. The intelligent class of men (namely the sages and the
brahmanas) not only prayed for the Lord to come down, but also dethroned
the
previous king. It is the duty of the king to be pious and thus look after the
all-around welfare of the citizens. Whenever there is some negligence on the
part of the king in discharging his duty, the intelligent class of men must
dethrone him. The intelligent class of men, however, do not occupy the royal
throne, because they have much more important duties for the welfare of the
public. Instead of occupying the royal throne, they prayed for the incarnation
of the Lord, and the Lord came as Maharaja Prthu. Real intelligent men, or
qualified brahmanas, never aspire for political posts. Maharaja Prthu
excavated many produces from the earth, and thus not only did the citizens
become happy to have such a good king, but the complete sight of the earth
also became beautiful and attractive.

TEXT 15

rupam sa jagrhe matsyam

caksusodadhi-samplave
navy aropya mahi-mayyam
apad vaivasvatam manum

rupam--form; sah--He; jagrhe--accepted; matsyam--of a fish; caksusa--

Caksusa;
udadhi--water; samplave--inundation; navi--on the boat; aropya--keeping on;
mahi--the earth; mayyam--drowned in; apat--protected; vaivasvatam--
Vaivasvata;
manum--Manu, the father of man.

TRANSLATION

When there was a complete inundation after the period of the Caksusa
Manu
and the whole world was deep within water, the Lord accepted the form of a
fish and protected Vaivasvata Manu, keeping him up on a boat.

PURPORT

According to Sripada Sridhara Svami, the original commentator on the

Bhagavatam, there is not always a devastation after the change of every
Manu.
And yet this inundation after the period of Caksusa Manu took place in order
to show some wonders to Satyavrata. But Sri Jiva Gosvami has given definite
proofs from authoritative scriptures (like Visnu-dharmottara, Markandeya
Purana, Harivamsa, etc.) that there is always a devastation after the end of
each and every Manu. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti has also supported Srila Jiva
 84

Gosvami, and he (Sri Cakravarti) has also quoted from Bhagavatamrta about
this
inundation after each Manu. Apart from this, the Lord, in order to show
special favor to Satyavrata, a devotee of the Lord, in this particular period,
incarnated Himself.

TEXT 16

surasuranam udadhim
mathnatam mandaracalam
dadhre kamatha-rupena
prstha ekadase vibhuh

sura--the theists; asuranam--of the atheists; udadhim--in the ocean;

mathnatam--churning; mandaracalam--the Mandaracala Hill; dadhre--
sustained;
kamatha--tortoise; rupena--in the form of; prsthe--shell; ekadase--the
eleventh in the line; vibhuh--the great.

TRANSLATION

The eleventh incarnation of the Lord took the form of a tortoise whose
shell served as a pivot for the Mandaracala Hill, which was being used as a
churning rod by the theists and atheists of the universe.

PURPORT

Once both the atheists and the theists were engaged in producing nectar
from the sea so that all of them could become deathless by drinking it. At
that time the Mandaracala Hill was used as the churning rod, and the shell of
Lord Tortoise, the incarnation of Godhead, became the resting place (pivot) of
the hill in the seawater.

TEXT 17

dhanvantaram dvadasamam
trayodasamam eva ca
apayayat suran anyan
mohinya mohayan striya

dhanvantaram--the incarnation of Godhead named Dhanvantari;

dvadasamam--the
twelfth in the line; trayodasamam--the thirteenth in the line; eva--certainly;
ca--and; apayayat--gave to drink; suran--the demigods; anyan--others;
mohinya--by charming beauty; mohayan--alluring; striya--in the form of a
woman.

TRANSLATION

In the twelfth incarnation, the Lord appeared as Dhanvantari, and in the

thirteenth He allured the atheists by the charming beauty of a woman and
gave
 85

nectar to the demigods to drink.

TEXT 18

caturdasam narasimham
bibhrad daityendram urjitam
dadara karajair urav
erakam kata-krd yatha

caturdasam--the fourteenth in the line; nara-simham--the incarnation of the

Lord as half-man and half-lion; bibhrat--advented; daitya-indram--the king of
the atheists; urjitam--strongly built; dadara--bifurcated; karajaih--by the
nails; urau--on the lap; erakam--canes; kata-krt--carpenter; yatha--just like.

TRANSLATION

In the fourteenth incarnation, the Lord appeared as Nrsimha and

bifurcated the strong body of the atheist Hiranyakasipu with His nails, just
as a carpenter pierces cane.

TEXT 19

pancadasam vamanakam
krtvagad adhvaram baleh
pada-trayam yacamanah
pratyaditsus tri-pitapam

pancadasam--the fifteenth in the line; vamanakam--the dwarfbrahmana;

krtva--by
assumption of; agat--went; adhvaram--arena of sacrifice; baleh--of King Bali;
pada-trayam--three steps only; yacamanah--begging; pratyaditsuh--willing at
heart to return; tripistapam--the kingdom of the three planetary systems.

TRANSLATION

In the fifteenth incarnation, the Lord assumed the form of a

dwarf-brahmana [Vamana] and visited the arena of sacrifice arranged by
Maharaja Bali. Although at heart He was willing to regain the kingdom of the
three planetary systems, He simply asked for a donation of three steps of
land.

PURPORT

The Almighty God can bestow upon anyone the kingdom of the universe
from
a very small beginning, and similarly, He can take away the kingdom of the
universe on the plea of begging a small piece of land.

TEXT 20
 86

avatare sodasame
pasyan brahma-druho nrpan
trih-sapta-krtvah kupito
nih-ksatram akaron mahim

avatare--in the incarnation of the Lord; sodasame--the sixteenth;

pasyan--seeing; brahma-druhah--disobedient to the orders of the brahmanas;
nrpan--the kingly order; trih-sapta--thrice seven times; krtvah--had done;
kupitah--being engaged; nih--negation; ksatram--the administrative class;
akarot--did perform; mahim--the earth.

TRANSLATION

In the sixteenth incarnation of the Godhead, the Lord [as Bhrgupati]

annihilated the administrative class [ksatriyas] twenty-one times, being angry
with them because of their rebellion against the brahmanas [the intelligent
class].

PURPORT

The ksatriyas, or the administrative class of men, are expected to rule

the planet by the direction of the intelligent class of men, who give
direction to the rulers in terms of the standard sastras, or the books of
revealed knowledge. The rulers carry on the administration according to that
direction. Whenever there is disobedience on the part of the ksatriyas, or the
administrative class, against the orders of the learned and intelligent
brahmanas, the administrators are removed by force from the posts, and
arrangement is made for better administration.

TEXT 21

tatah saptadase jatah

satyavatyam parasarat
cakre veda-taroh sakha
drstva pumso 'lpa-medhasah

tatah--thereafter; saptadase--in the seventeenth incarnation; jatah--advented;

satyavatyam--in the womb of Satyavati; parasarat--by Parasara Muni;
cakre--prepared; veda-taroh--of the desire tree of the Vedas;
sakhah--branches; drstva--be seeing; pumsah--the people in general;
alpa-medhasah--less intelligent.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, in the seventeenth incarnation of Godhead, Sri Vyasadeva

appeared in the womb of Satyavati through Parasara Muni, and he divided the
one Veda into several branches and subbranches, seeing that the people in
general were less intelligent.

PURPORT

Originally the Veda is one. But Srila Vyasadeva divided the original Veda
 87

into four, namely Sama, Yajur, Rg, Atharva, and then again they were
explained
in different branches like the Puranas and the Mahabharata. Vedic language
and
the subject matter are very difficult for ordinary men. They are understood by
the highly intelligent and self-realized brahmanas. But the present age of
Kali is full of ignorant men. Even those who are born by a brahmana father
are, in the present age, no better than the sudras or the women. The
twice-born men, namely the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas, are expected
to
undergo a cultural purificatory process known as samskaras, but because of
the
bad influence of the present age the so-called members of the brahmana and
other high-order families are no longer highly cultured. They are called the
dvija-bandhus, or the friends and family members of the twice-born. But these
dvija-bandhus are classified amongst the sudras and the women. Srila
Vyasadeva
divided the Vedas into various branches and subbranches for the sake of the
less intelligent classes like the dvija-bandhus, sudras and women.

TEXT 22

nara-devatvam apannah
sura-karya-cikirsaya
samudra-nigrahadini
cakre viryany atah param

nara--human being; devatvam--divinity; apannah--having assumed the form

of;
sura--the demigods; karya--activities; cikirsaya--for the purpose of
performing; samudra--the Indian Ocean; nigraha-adini--controlling, etc.;
cakre--did perform; viryani--superhuman prowess; atah param--thereafter.

TRANSLATION

In the eighteenth incarnation, the Lord appeared as King Rama. In order

to perform some pleasing work for the demigods, He exhibited superhuman
powers
by controlling the Indian Ocean and then killing the atheist King Ravana, who
was on the other side of the sea.

PURPORT

The Personality of Godhead Sri Rama assumed the form of a human being
and
appeared on the earth for the purpose of doing some pleasing work for the
demigods or the administrative personalities to maintain the order of the
universe. Sometimes great demons and atheists like Ravana and
Hiranyakasipu
and many others become very famous due to advancing material civilization
by
the help of material science and other activities with a spirit of challenging
 88

the established order of the Lord. For example, the attempt to fly to other
planets by material means is a challenge to the established order. The
conditions of each and every planet are different, and different classes of
human beings are accommodated there for particular purposes mentioned in
the
codes of the Lord. But, puffed up by tiny success in material advancement,
sometimes the godless materialists challenge the existence of God. Ravana
was
one of them, and he wanted to deport ordinary men to the planet of Indra
(heaven) by material means without consideration of the necessary
qualifications. He wanted a staircase to be built up directly reaching the
heavenly planet so that people might not be required to undergo the routine
of
pious work necessary to enter that planet. He also wanted to perform other
acts against the established rule of the Lord. He even challenged the
authority of Sri Rama, the Personality of Godhead, and kidnapped His wife,
Sita. Of course Lord Rama came to chastise this atheist, answering the prayer
and desire of the demigods. He therefore took up the challenge of Ravana,
and
the complete activity is the subject matter of the Ramayana. Because Lord
Ramacandra was the Personality of Godhead, He exhibited superhuman
activities
which no human being, including the materially advanced Ravana, could
perform.
Lord Ramacandra prepared a royal road on the Indian Ocean with stones that
floated on the water. The modern scientists have done research in the area of
weightlessness, but it is not possible to bring in weightlessness anywhere and
everywhere. But because weightlessness is the creation of the Lord by which
He
can make the gigantic planets fly and float in the air, He made the stones
even within this earth to be weightless and prepared a stone bridge on the sea
without any supporting pillar. That is the display of the power of God.

TEXT 23

ekonavimse vimsatime
vrsnisu prapya janmani
rama-krsnav iti bhuvo
bhagavan aharad bharam

ekonavimse--in the nineteenth; vimsatime--in the twentieth also; vrsnisu--in

the Vrsni dynasty; prapya--having obtained; janmani--births; rama--Balarama;
krsnau--Sri Krsna; iti--thus; bhuvah--of the world; bhagavan--the Personality
of Godhead; aharat--removed; bharam--burden.

TRANSLATION

In the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, the Lord advented Himself

as Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna in the family of Vrsni [the Yadu dynasty], and
by so doing He removed the burden of the world.

PURPORT
 89

The specific mention of the word bhagavan in this text indicates that
Balarama and Krsna are original forms of the Lord. This will be further
explained later. Lord Krsna is not an incarnation of the purusa, as we learned
from the beginning of this chapter. He is directly the original Personality of
Godhead, and Balarama is the first plenary manifestation of the Lord. From
Baladeva the first phalanx of plenary expansions, Vasudeva, Sankarsana,
Aniruddha and Pradyumna, expands. Lord Sri Krsna is Vasudeva, and Baladeva
is
Sankarsana.

TEXT 24

tatah kalau sampravrtte

sammohaya sura-dvisam
buddho namnanjana-sutah
kikatesu bhavisyati

tatah--thereafter; kalau--the age of Kali; sampravrtte--having ensued;

sammohaya--for the purpose of deluding; sura--the theists; dvisam--those who
are envious; buddhah--Lord Buddha; namna--of the name; anjana-sutah--
whose
mother was Anjana; kikatesu--in the province of Gaya (Bihar); bhavisyati--will
take place.

TRANSLATION

Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha,
the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding
those who are envious of the faithful theist.

PURPORT

Lord Buddha, a powerful incarnation of the Personality of Godhead,

appeared in the province of Gaya (Bihar) as the son of Anjana, and he
preached
his own conception of nonviolence and deprecated even the animal sacrifices
sanctioned in the Vedas. At the time when Lord Buddha appeared, the people
in
general were atheistic and preferred animal flesh to anything else. On the
plea of Vedic sacrifice, every place was practically turned into a
slaughterhouse, and animal-killing was indulged in unrestrictedly. Lord Buddha
preached nonviolence, taking pity on the poor animals. He preached that he
did
not believe in the tenets of the Vedas and stressed the adverse psychological
effects incurred by animal-killing. Less intelligent men of the age of Kali,
who had no faith in God, followed his principle, and for the time being they
were trained in moral discipline and nonviolence, the preliminary steps for
proceeding further on the path of God realization. He deluded the atheists
because such atheists who followed his principles did not believe in God, but
they kept their absolute faith in Lord Buddha, who himself was the incarnation
of God. Thus the faithless people were made to believe in God in the form of
 90

Lord Buddha. That was the mercy of Lord Buddha: he made the faithless
faithful
to him.
Killing of animals before the advent of Lord Buddha was the most
prominent feature of the society. People claimed that these were Vedic
sacrifices. When the Vedas are not accepted through the authoritative
disciplic succession, the casual readers of the Vedas are misled by the
flowery language of that system of knowledge. In the Bhagavad-gita a
comment
has been made on such foolish scholars (avipascitah). The foolish scholars of
Vedic literature who do not care to receive the transcendental message
through
the transcendental realized sources of disciplic succession are sure to be
bewildered. To them, the ritualistic ceremonies are considered to be all in
all. They have no depth of knowledge. According to the Bhagavad-gita (15.15),
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: the whole system of the Vedas is to lead
one gradually to the path of the Supreme Lord. The whole theme of Vedic
literature is to know the Supreme Lord, the individual soul, the cosmic
situation and the relation between all these items. When the relation is
known, the relative function begins, and as a result of such a function the
ultimate goal of life or going back to Godhead takes place in the easiest
manner. Unfortunately, unauthorized scholars of the Vedas become captivated
by
the purificatory ceremonies only, and natural progress is thereby checked.
To such bewildered persons of atheistic propensity, Lord Buddha is the
emblem of theism. He therefore first of all wanted to check the habit of
animal-killing. The animal-killers are dangerous elements on the path going
back to Godhead. There are two types of animal-killers. The soul is also
sometimes called the "animal" or the living being. Therefore, both the
slaughterer of animals and those who have lost their identity of soul are
animal-killers.
Maharaja Pariksit said that only the animal-killer cannot relish the
transcendental message of the Supreme Lord. Therefore if people are to be
educated to the path of Godhead, they must be taught first and foremost to
stop the process of animal-killing as above mentioned. It is nonsensical to
say that animal-killing has nothing to do with spiritual realization. By this
dangerous theory many so-called sannyasis have sprung up by the grace of
Kali-yuga who preach animal-killing under the garb of the Vedas. The subject
matter has already been discussed in the conversation between Lord Caitanya
and Maulana Chand Kazi Shaheb. The animal sacrifice as stated in the Vedas is
different from the unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse. Because
the asuras or the so-called scholars of Vedic literatures put forward the
evidence of animal-killing in the Vedas, Lord Buddha superficially denied the
authority of the Vedas. This rejection of the Vedas by Lord Buddha was
adopted
in order to save people from the vice of animal-killing as well as to save the
poor animals from the slaughtering process of their big brothers who clamor
for universal brotherhood, peace, justice and equity. There is no justice when
there is animal-killing. Lord Buddha wanted to stop it completely, and
therefore his cult of ahimsa was propagated not only in India but also outside
the country.
Technically Lord Buddha's philosophy is called atheistic because there is
 91

no acceptance of the Supreme Lord and because that system of philosophy

denied
the authority of the Vedas. But that is an act of camouflage by the Lord. Lord
Buddha is the incarnation of Godhead. As such, he is the original propounder
of Vedic knowledge. He therefore cannot reject Vedic philosophy. But he
rejected it outwardly because the sura-dvisa, or the demons who are always
envious of the devotees of Godhead, try to support cow-killing or
animal-killing from the pages of the Vedas, and this is now being done by the
modernized sannyasis. Lord Buddha had to reject the authority of the Vedas
altogether. This is simply technical, and had it not been so he would not have
been so accepted as the incarnation of Godhead. Nor would he have been
worshiped in the transcendental songs of the poet Jayadeva, who is a Vaisnava
acarya. Lord Buddha preached the preliminary principles of the Vedas in a
manner suitable for the time being (and so also did Sankaracarya) to establish
the authority of the Vedas. Therefore both Lord Buddha and Acarya Sankara
paved the path of theism, and Vaisnava acaryas, specifically Lord Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu, led the people on the path towards a realization of going back to
Godhead.
We are glad that people are taking interest in the nonviolent movement of
Lord Buddha. But will they take the matter very seriously and close the animal
slaughterhouses altogether? If not, there is no meaning to the ahimsa cult.
Srimad-Bhagavatam was composed just prior to the beginning of the age of
Kali (about five thousand years ago), and Lord Buddha appeared about
twenty-six hundred years ago. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam Lord
Buddha
is foretold. Such is the authority of this clear scripture. There are many
such prophecies, and they are being fulfilled one after another. They will
indicate the positive standing of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is without trace of
mistake, illusion, cheating and imperfection, which are the four flaws of all
conditioned souls. The liberated souls are above these flaws; therefore they
can see and foretell things which are to take place on distant future dates.

TEXT 25

athasau yuga-sandhyayam
dasyu-prayesu rajasu
janita visnu-yasaso
namna kalkir jagat-patih

atha--thereafter; asau--the same Lord; yuga-sandhyayam--at the conjunction

of
the yugas; dasyu--plunderers; prayesu--almost all; rajasu--the governing
personalities; janita--will take His birth; visnu--named Visnu;
yasasah--surnamed Yasa; namna--in the name of; kalkih--the incarnation of
the
Lord; jagat-patih--the Lord of the creation.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, at the conjunction of two yugas, the Lord of the creation

will take His birth as the Kalki incarnation and become the son of Visnu Yasa.
At this time the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers.
 92

PURPORT

Here is another foretelling of the advent of Lord Kalki, the incarnation

of Godhead. He is to appear at the conjunction of the two yugas, namely at
the
end of Kali-yuga and the beginning of Satya-yuga. The cycle of the four yugas,
namely Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali, rotates like the calendar months. The
present Kali-yuga lasts 432,000 years, out of which we have passed only 5,000
years after the Battle of Kuruksetra and the end of the regime of King
Pariksit. So there are 427,000 years balance yet to be finished. Therefore at
the end of this period, the incarnation of Kalki will take place, as foretold
in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The name of His father, Visnu Yasa, a learned
brahmana, and the village Sambhala are also mentioned. As above mentioned,
all
these foretellings will prove to be factual in chronological order. That is
the authority of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 26

avatara hy asankhyeya
hareh sattva-nidher dvijah
yathavidasinah kulyah
sarasah syuh sahasrasah

avatarah--incarnations; hi--certainly; asankhyeyah--innumerable; hareh--of

Hari, the Lord; sattva-nidheh--of the ocean of goodness; dvijah--the
brahmanas; yatha--as it is; avidasinah--inexhaustible; kulyah--rivulets;
sarasah--of vast lakes; syuh--are; sahasrasah--thousands of.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets

flowing from inexhaustible sources of water.

PURPORT

The list of incarnations of the Personality of Godhead given herein is

not complete. It is only a partial view of all the incarnations. There are
many others, such as Sri Hayagriva, Hari, Hamsa, Prsnigarbha, Vibhu,
Satyasena, Vaikuntha, Sarvabhauma, Visvaksena, Dharmasetu, Sudhama,
Yogesvara,
Brhadbhanu and others of the bygone ages. Sri Prahlada Maharaja said in his
prayer, "My Lord, You manifest as many incarnations as there are species of
life, namely the aquatics, the vegetables, the reptiles, the birds, the
beasts, the men, the demigods, etc., just for the maintenance of the faithful
and the annihilation of the unfaithful. You advent Yourself in this way in
accordance with the necessity of the different yugas. In the Kali-yuga You
have incarnated garbed as a devotee." This incarnation of the Lord in the
Kali-yuga is Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are many other places, both in
the Bhagavatam and in other scriptures, in which the incarnation of the Lord
 93

as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is explicitly mentioned. In the Brahma-samhita

also
it is said indirectly that although there are many incarnations of the Lord,
such as Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, Matsya, Kurma and many others, the Lord
Himself
sometimes incarnates in person. Lord Krsna and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
are not, therefore, incarnations, but the original source of all other
incarnations. This will be clearly explained in the next sloka. So the Lord is
the inexhaustible source for innumerable incarnations which are not always
mentioned. But such incarnations are distinguished by specific extraordinary
feats which are impossible to be performed by any living being. That is the
general test to identify an incarnation of the Lord, directly and indirectly
empowered. Some incarnations mentioned above are almost plenary portions.
For
instance, the Kumaras are empowered with transcendental knowledge. Sri
Narada
is empowered with devotional service. Maharaja Prthu is an empowered
incarnation with executive function. The Matsya incarnation is directly a
plenary portion. So the innumerable incarnations of the Lord are manifested
all over the universes constantly, without cessation, as water flows
constantly from waterfalls.

TEXT 27

rsayo manavo deva

manu-putra mahaujasah
kalah sarve harer eva
saprajapatayah smrtah

rsayah--all the sages; manavah--all the Manus; devah--all the demigods;

manu-putrah--all the descendants of Manu; maha-ojasah--very powerful;
kalah--portion of the plenary portion; sarve--all collectively; hareh--of the
Lord; eva--certainly; sa-prajapatayah--along with the Prajapatis; smrtah--are
known.

TRANSLATION

All the rsis, Manus, demigods and descendants of Manu, who are especially
powerful, are plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the
Lord. This also includes the Prajapatis.

PURPORT

Those who are comparatively less powerful are called vibhuti, and those
who are comparatively more powerful are called avesa incarnations.

TEXT 28

ete camsa-kalah pumsah

krsnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokam
mrdayanti yuge yuge
 94

ete--all these; ca--and; amsa--plenary portions; kalah--portions of the

plenary portions; pumsah--of the Supreme; krsnah--Lord Krsna; tu--but;
bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; svayam--in person; indra-ari--the
enemies of Indra; vyakulam--disturbed; lokam--all the planets;
mrdayanti--gives protection; yuge yuge--in different ages.

TRANSLATION

All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or

portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krsna is the
original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there
is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the
theists.

PURPORT

In this particular stanza Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, is

distinguished from other incarnations. He is counted amongst the avataras
(incarnations) because out of His causeless mercy the Lord descends from His
transcendental abode. Avatara means "one who descends." All the
incarnations
of the Lord, including the Lord Himself, descend on the different planets of
the material world as also in different species of life to fulfill particular
missions. Sometimes He comes Himself, and sometimes His different plenary
portions or parts of the plenary portions, or His differentiated portions
directly or indirectly empowered by Him, descend on this material world to
execute certain specific functions. Originally the Lord is full of all
opulences, all prowess, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all
renunciation. When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or
parts of the plenary portions, it should be noted that certain manifestations
of His different powers are required for those particular functions. When in
the room small electric bulbs are displayed, it does not mean that the
electric powerhouse is limited by the small bulbs. The same powerhouse can
supply power to operate large-scale industrial dynamos with greater volts.
Similarly, the incarnations of the Lord display limited powers because so much
power is needed at that particular time.
For example, Lord Parasurama and Lord Nrsimha displayed unusual
opulence
by killing the disobedient ksatriyas twenty-one times and killing the greatly
powerful atheist Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu was so powerful that even the
demigods in other planets would tremble simply by the unfavorable raising of
his eyebrow. The demigods in the higher level of material existence many,
many
times excel the most well-to-do human beings, in duration of life, beauty,
wealth, paraphernalia, and in all other respects. Still they were afraid of
Hiranyakasipu. Thus we can simply imagine how powerful Hiranyakasipu was
in
this material world. But even Hiranyakasipu was cut into small pieces by the
nails of Lord Nrsimha. This means that anyone materially powerful cannot
stand
the strength of the Lord's nails. Similarly, Jamadagnya displayed the Lord's
 95

power to kill all the disobedient kings powerfully situated in their

respective states. The Lord's empowered incarnation Narada and plenary
incarnation Varaha, as well as indirectly empowered Lord Buddha, created
faith
in the mass of people. The incarnations of Rama and Dhanvantari displayed
His
fame, and Balarama, Mohini and Vamana exhibited His beauty. Dattatreya,
Matsya, Kumara and Kapila exhibited His transcendental knowledge. Nara and
Narayana Rsis exhibited His renunciation. So all the different incarnations of
the Lord indirectly or directly manifested different features, but Lord Krsna,
the primeval Lord, exhibited the complete features of Godhead, and thus it is
confirmed that He is the source of all other incarnations. And the most
extraordinary feature exhibited by Lord Sri Krsna was His internal energetic
manifestation of His pastimes with the cowherd girls. His pastimes with the
gopis are all displays of transcendental existence, bliss and knowledge,
although these are manifested apparently as sex love. The specific attraction
of His pastimes with the gopis should never be misunderstood. The
Bhagavatam
relates these transcendental pastimes in the Tenth Canto. And in order to
reach the position to understand the transcendental nature of Lord Krsna's
pastimes with the gopis, the Bhagavatam promotes the student gradually in
nine
other cantos.
According to Srila Jiva Gosvami's statement, in accordance with
authoritative sources, Lord Krsna is the source of all other incarnations. It
is not that Lord Krsna has any source of incarnation. All the symptoms of the
Supreme Truth in full are present in the person of Lord Sri Krsna, and in the
Bhagavad-gita the Lord emphatically declares that there is no truth greater
than or equal to Himself. In this stanza the word svayam is particularly
mentioned to confirm that Lord Krsna has no other source than Himself.
Although in other places the incarnations are described as bhagavan because
of
their specific functions, nowhere are they declared to be the Supreme
Personality. In this stanza the word svayam signifies the supremacy as the
summum bonum.
The summum bonum Krsna is one without a second. He Himself has
expanded
Himself in various parts, portions and particles as svayam-rupa,
svayam-prakasa, tad-ekatma, prabhava, vaibhava, vilasa, avatara, avesa, and
jivas, all provided with innumerable energies just suitable to the respective
persons and personalities. Learned scholars in transcendental subjects have
carefully analyzed the summum bonum Krsna to have sixty-four principal
attributes. All the expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some
percentages of these attributes. But Sri Krsna is the possessor of the
attributes cent percent. And His personal expansions such as svayam-prakasa,
tad-ekatma up to the categories of the avataras who are all visnu-tattva,
possess up to ninety-three percent of these transcendental attributes. Lord
Siva, who is neither avatara nor avesa nor in between them, possesses almost
eighty-four percent of the attributes. But the jivas, or the individual living
beings in different statuses of life, possess up to the limit of seventy-eight
percent of the attributes. In the conditioned state of material existence, the
living being possesses these attributes in very minute quantity, varying in
 96

terms of the pious life of the living being. The most perfect of living beings
is Brahma, the supreme administrator of one universe. He possesses
seventy-eight percent of the attributes in full. All other demigods have the
same attributes in less quantity, whereas human beings possess the attributes
in very minute quantity. The standard of perfection for a human being is to
develop the attributes up to seventy-eight percent in full. The living being
can never possess attributes like Siva, Visnu or Lord Krsna. A living being
can become godly by developing the seventy-eight-percent transcendental
attributes in fullness, but he can never become a God like Siva, Visnu or
Krsna. He can become a Brahma in due course. The godly living beings who
are
all residents of the planets in the spiritual sky are eternal associates of
God in different spiritual planets called Hari-dhama and Mahesa-dhama. The
abode of Lord Krsna above all spiritual planets is called Krsnaloka or Goloka
Vrndavana, and the perfected living being, by developing seventy-eight
percent
of the above attributes in fullness, can enter the planet of Krsnaloka after
leaving the present material body.

TEXT 29

janma guhyam bhagavato

ya etat prayato narah
sayam pratar grnan bhaktya
duhkha-gramad vimucyate

janma--birth; guhyam--mysterious; bhagavatah--of the Lord; yah--one; etat--all

these; prayatah--carefully; narah--man; sayam--evening; pratah--morning;
grnan--recites; bhaktya--with devotion; duhkha-gramat--from all miseries;
vimucyate--gets relief from.

TRANSLATION

Whoever carefully recites the mysterious appearances of the Lord, with

devotion in the morning and in the evening, gets relief from all miseries of
life.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita the Personality of Godhead has declared that anyone

who knows the principles of the transcendental birth and activities of the
Lord will go back to Godhead after being relieved from this material
tabernacle. So simply knowing factually the mysterious way of the Lord's
incarnation in this material world can liberate one from material bondage.
Therefore the birth and activities of the Lord, as manifested by Him for the
welfare of the people in general, are not ordinary. They are mysterious, and
only by those who carefully try to go deep into the matter by spiritual
devotion is the mystery discovered. Thus one gets liberation from material
bondage. It is advised therefore that one who simply recites this chapter of
Bhagavatam, describing the appearance of the Lord in different incarnations,
in sincerity and devotion, can have insight into the birth and activities of
the Lord. The very word vimukti, or liberation, indicates that the Lord's
 97

birth and activities are all transcendental; otherwise simply by reciting them
one could not attain liberation. They are therefore mysterious, and those who
do not follow the prescribed regulations of devotional service are not
entitled to enter into the mysteries of His births and activities.

TEXT 30

etad rupam bhagavato

hy arupasya cid-atmanah
maya-gunair viracitam
mahadadibhir atmani

etat--all these; rupam--forms; bhagavatah--of the Lord; hi--certainly;

arupasya--of one who has no material form; cit-atmanah--of the
Transcendence;
maya--material energy; gunaih--by the qualities; viracitam--manufactured;
mahat-adibhih--with the ingredients of matter; atmani--in the self.

TRANSLATION

The conception of the virat universal form of the Lord, as appearing in

the material world, is imaginary. It is to enable the less intelligent [and
neophytes] to adjust to the idea of the Lord's having form. But factually the
Lord has no material form.

PURPORT

The conception of the Lord known as the visva-rupa or the virat-rupa is

particularly not mentioned along with the various incarnations of the Lord
because all the incarnations of the Lord mentioned above are transcendental
and there is not a tinge of materialism in their bodies. There is no
difference between the body and self as there is in the conditioned soul. The
virat-rupa is conceived for those who are just neophyte worshipers. For them
the material virat-rupa is presented, and it will be explained in the Second
Canto. In the virat-rupa the material manifestations of different planets have
been conceived as His legs, hands, etc. Actually all such descriptions are for
the neophytes. The neophytes cannot conceive of anything beyond matter.
The
material conception of the Lord is not counted in the list of His factual
forms. As Paramatma, or Supersoul, the Lord is within each and every material
form, even within the atoms, but the outward material form is but an
imagination, both for the Lord and for the living being. The present forms of
the conditioned souls are also not [Link] conclusion is that the material
conception of the body of the Lord as virat is imaginary. Both the Lord and
the living beings are living spirits and have original spiritual bodies.

TEXT 31

yatha nabhasi meghaugho

renur va parthivo 'nile
evam drastari drsyatvam
aropitam abuddhibhih
 98

yatha--as it is; nabhasi--in the sky; megha-oghah--a mass of clouds;

renuh--dust; va--as well as; parthivah--muddiness; anile--in the air;
evam--thus; drastari--to the seer; drsyatvam--for the purpose of seeing;
aropitam--is implied; abuddhibhih--by the less intelligent persons.

TRANSLATION

Clouds and dust are carried by the air, but less intelligent persons say
that the sky is cloudy and the air is dirty. Similarly, they also implant
material bodily conceptions on the spirit self.

PURPORT

It is further confirmed herein that with our material eyes and senses we
cannot see the Lord, who is all spirit. We cannot even detect the spiritual
spark which exists within the material body of the living being. We look to
the outward covering of the body or subtle mind of the living being, but we
cannot see the spiritual spark within the body. So we have to accept the
living being's presence by the presence of his gross body. Similarly, those
who want to see the Lord with their present material eyes or with the material
senses are advised to meditate on the gigantic external feature called the
virat-rupa. For instance, when a particular gentleman goes in his car, which
can be seen very easily, we identify the car with the man within the car. When
the President goes out in his particular car, we say, "There is the
President." For the time being we identify the car with the President.
Similarly, less intelligent men who want to see God immediately without
necessary qualification are shown first the gigantic material cosmos as the
form of the Lord, although the Lord is within and without. The clouds in the
sky and the blue of the sky are better appreciated in this connection.
Although the bluish tint of the sky and the sky itself are different, we
conceive of the color of the sky as blue. But that is a general conception for
the laymen only.

TEXT 32

atah param yad avyaktam

avyudha-guna-brmhitam
adrstasruta-vastutvat
sa jivo yat punar-bhavah

atah--this; param--beyond; yat--which; avyaktam--unmanifested;

avyudha--without formal shape; guna-brmhitam--affected by the qualities;
adrsta--unseen; asruta--unheard; vastutvat--being like that; sah--that;
jivah--living being; yat--that which; punah-bhavah--takes birth repeatedly.

TRANSLATION

Beyond this gross conception of form is another, subtle conception of

form which is without formal shape and is unseen, unheard and unmanifest.
The
living being has his form beyond this subtlety, otherwise he could not have
 99

repeated births.

PURPORT

As the gross cosmic manifestation is conceived as the gigantic body of

the Lord, so also there is the conception of His subtle form, which is simply
realized without being seen, heard or manifested. But in fact all these gross
or subtle conceptions of the body are in relation with the living beings. The
living being has his spiritual form beyond this gross material or subtle
psychic existence. The gross body and psychic functions cease to act as soon
as the living being leaves the visible gross body. In fact, we say that the
living being has gone away because he is unseen and unheard. Even when the
gross body is not acting when the living being is in sound sleep, we know that
he is within the body by his breathing. So the living being's passing away
from the body does not mean that there is no existence of the living soul. It
is there, otherwise how can he repeat his births again and again?
The conclusion is that the Lord is eternally existent in His
transcendental form, which is neither gross nor subtle like that of the living
being; His body is never to be compared to the gross and subtle bodies of the
living being. All such conceptions of God's body are imaginary. The living
being has his eternal spiritual form, which is conditioned only by his
material contamination.

TEXT 33

yatreme sad-asad-rupe
pratisiddhe sva-samvida
avidyayatmani krte
iti tad brahma-darsanam

yatra--whenever; ime--in all these; sat-asat--gross and subtle; rupe--in the

forms of; pratisiddhe--on being nullified; sva-samvida--by self-realization;
avidyaya--by ignorance; atmani--in the self; krte--having been imposed;
iti--thus; tat--that is; brahma-darsanam--the process of seeing the Absolute.

TRANSLATION

Whenever a person experiences, by self-realization, that both the gross

and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees
himself as well as the Lord.

PURPORT

The difference between self-realization and material illusion is to know

that the temporary or illusory impositions of material energy in the shape of
gross and subtle bodies are superficial coverings of the self. The coverings
take place due to ignorance. Such coverings are never effective in the person
of the Personality of Godhead. Knowing this convincingly is called liberation,
or seeing the Absolute. This means that perfect self-realization is made
possible by adoption of godly or spiritual life. Self-realization means
becoming indifferent to the needs of the gross and subtle bodies and
becoming
 100

serious about the activities of the self. The impetus for activities is
generated from the self, but such activities become illusory due to ignorance
of the real position of the self. By ignorance, self-interest is calculated in
terms of the gross and subtle bodies, and therefore a whole set of activities
is spoiled, life after life. When, however, one meets the self by proper
culture, the activities of the self begin. Therefore a man who is engaged in
the activities of the self is called jivan-mukta, or a liberated person even
in the conditional existence.
This perfect stage of self-realization is attained not by artificial
means, but under the lotus feet of the Lord, who is always transcendental. In
the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that He is present in everyone's heart, and
from Him only all knowledge, remembrance or forgetfulness take place. When
the
living being desires to be an enjoyer of material energy (illusory phenomena),
the Lord covers the living being in the mystery of forgetfulness, and thus the
living being misinterprets the gross body and subtle mind to be his own self.
And by culture of transcendental knowledge, when the living being prays to
the
Lord for deliverance from the clutches of forgetfulness, the Lord, by His
causeless mercy, removes the living being's illusory curtain, and thus he
realizes his own self. He then engages himself in the service of the Lord in
his eternal constitutional position, becoming liberated from the conditioned
life. All this is executed by the Lord either through His external potency or
directly by the internal potency.

TEXT 34

yady esoparata devi

maya vaisaradi matih
sampanna eveti vidur
mahimni sve mahiyate

yadi--if, however; esa--they; uparata--subsided; devi maya--illusory energy;

vaisaradi--full of knowledge; matih--enlightenment; sampannah--enriched
with;
eva--certainly; iti--thus; viduh--being cognizant of; mahimni--in the glories;
sve--of the self; mahiyate--being situated in.

TRANSLATION

If the illusory energy subsides and the living entity becomes fully
enriched with knowledge by the grace of the Lord, then he becomes at once
enlightened with self-realization and thus becomes situated in his own glory.

PURPORT

Because the Lord is the absolute Transcendence, all of His forms, names,
pastimes, attributes, associates and energies are identical with Him. His
transcendental energy acts according to His omnipotency. The same energy
acts
as His external, internal and marginal energies, and by His omnipotency He
can
 101

perform anything and everything through the agency of any of the above
energies. He can turn the external energy into internal by His will. Therefore
by His grace the external energy, which is employed in illusioning those
living beings who want to have it, subsides by the will of the Lord in terms
of repentance and penance for the conditioned soul. And the very same
energy
then acts to help the purified living being make progress on the path of
self-realization. The example of electrical energy is very appropriate in this
connection. The expert electrician can utilize the electrical energy for both
heating and cooling by adjustment only. Similarly, the external energy, which
now bewilders the living being into continuation of birth and death, is turned
into internal potency by the will of the Lord to lead the living being to
eternal life. When a living being is thus graced by the Lord, he is placed in
his proper constitutional position to enjoy eternal spiritual life.

TEXT 35

evam janmani karmani

hy akartur ajanasya ca
varnayanti sma kavayo
veda-guhyani hrt-pateh

evam--thus; janmani--birth; karmani--activities; hi--certainly; akartuh--of

the inactive; ajanasya--of the unborn; ca--and; varnayanti--describe; sma--in
the past; kavayah--the learned; veda-guhyani--undiscoverable by the Vedas;
hrt-pateh--of the Lord of the heart.

TRANSLATION

Thus learned men describe the births and activities of the unborn and
inactive, which is undiscoverable even in the Vedic literatures. He is the
Lord of the heart.

PURPORT

Both the Lord and the living entities are essentially all spiritual.
Therefore both of them are eternal, and neither of them has birth and death.
The difference is that the so-called births and disappearances of the Lord are
unlike those of the living beings. The living beings who take birth and then
again accept death are bound by the laws of material nature. But the so-called
appearance and disappearance of the Lord are not actions of material nature,
but are demonstrations of the internal potency of the Lord. They are described
by the great sages for the purpose of self-realization. It is stated in the
Bhagavad-gita by the Lord that His so-called birth in the material world and
His activities are all transcendental. And simply by meditation on such
activities one can attain realization of Brahman and thus become liberated
from material bondage. In the srutis it is said that the birthless appears to
take birth. The Supreme has nothing to do, but because He is omnipotent,
everything is performed by Him naturally, as if done automatically. As a
matter of fact, the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality
of
Godhead and His different activities are all confidential, even to the Vedic
 102

literatures. Yet they are displayed by the Lord to bestow mercy upon the
conditioned souls. We should always take advantage of the narrations of the
activities of the Lord, which are meditations on Brahman in the most
convenient and palatable form.

TEXT 36

sa va idam visvam amogha-lilah

srjaty avaty atti na sajjate 'smin
bhutesu cantarhita atma-tantrah
sad-vargikam jighrati sad-gunesah

sah--the Supreme Lord; va--alternately; idam--this; visvam--manifested

universes; amogha-lilah--one whose activities are spotless; srjati--creates;
avati atti--maintains and annihilates; na--not; sajjate--is affected by;
asmin--in them; bhutesu--in all living beings; ca--also; antarhitah--living
within; atma-tantrah--self-independent; sat-vargikam--endowed with all the
potencies of His opulences; jighrati--superficially attached, like smelling
the fragrance; sat-guna-isah--master of the six senses.

TRANSLATION

The Lord, whose activities are always spotless, is the master of the six
senses and is fully omnipotent with six opulences. He creates the manifested
universes, maintains them and annihilates them without being in the least
affected. He is within every living being and is always independent.

PURPORT

The prime difference between the Lord and the living entities is that the
Lord is the creator and the living entities are the created. Here He is called
the amogha-lilah, which indicates that there is nothing lamentable in His
creation. Those who create disturbance in His creation are themselves
disturbed. He is transcendental to all material afflictions because He is full
with all six opulences, namely wealth, power, fame, beauty, knowledge and
renunciation, and thus He is the master of the senses. He creates these
manifested universes in order to reclaim the living beings who are within them
suffering threefold miseries, maintains them, and in due course annihilates
them without being the least affected by such actions. He is connected with
this material creation very superficially, as one smells odor without being
connected with the odorous article. Nongodly elements, therefore, can never
approach Him, despite all endeavors.

TEXT 37

na casya kascin nipunena dhatur

avaiti jantuh kumanisa utih
namani rupani mano-vacobhih
santanvato nata-caryam ivajnah

na--not; ca--and; asya--of Him; kascit--anyone; nipunena--by dexterity;

dhatuh--of the creator; avaiti--can know; jantuh--the living being;
 103

kumanisah--with a poor fund of knowledge; utih--activities of the Lord;

namani--His names; rupani--His forms; manah-vacobhih--by dint of mental
speculation or deliverance of speeches; santanvatah--displaying;
nata-caryam--a dramatic action; iva--like; ajnah--the foolish.

TRANSLATION

The foolish with a poor fund of knowledge cannot know the transcendental
nature of the forms, names and activities of the Lord, who is playing like an
actor in a drama. Nor can they express such things, neither in their
speculations nor in their words.

PURPORT

No one can properly describe the transcendental nature of the Absolute

Truth. Therefore it is said that He is beyond the expression of mind and
speech. And yet there are some men, with a poor fund of knowledge, who
desire
to understand the Absolute Truth by imperfect mental speculation and faulty
description of His activities. To the layman His activities, appearance and
disappearance, His names, His forms, His paraphernalia, His personalities and
all things in relation with Him are mysterious. There are two classes of
materialists, namely the fruitive workers and the empiric philosophers. The
fruitive workers have practically no information of the Absolute Truth, and
the mental speculators, after being frustrated in fruitive activities, turn
their faces towards the Absolute Truth and try to know Him by mental
speculation. And for all these men, the Absolute Truth is a mystery, as the
jugglery of the magician is a mystery to children. Being deceived by the
jugglery of the Supreme Being, the nondevotees, who may be very dexterous
in
fruitive work and mental speculation, are always in ignorance. With such
limited knowledge, they are unable to penetrate into the mysterious region of
transcendence. The mental speculators are a little more progressive than the
gross materialists or the fruitive workers, but because they are also within
the grip of illusion, they take it for granted that anything which has form, a
name and activities is but a product of material energy. For them the Supreme
Spirit is formless, nameless and inactive. And because such mental
speculators
equalize the transcendental name and form of the Lord with mundane names
and
form, they are in fact in ignorance. With such a poor fund of knowledge, there
is no access to the real nature of the Supreme Being. As stated in
Bhagavad-gita, the Lord is always in a transcendental position, even when He
is within the material world. But ignorant men consider the Lord one of the
great personalities of the world, and thus they are misled by the illusory
energy.

TEXT 38

sa veda dhatuh padavim parasya

duranta-viryasya rathanga-paneh
yo 'mayaya santatayanuvrttya
 104

bhajeta tat-pada-saroja-gandham

sah--He alone; veda--can know; dhatuh--of the creator; padavim--glories;

parasya--of the transcendence; duranta-viryasya--of the greatly powerful;
ratha-anga-paneh--of Lord Krsna, who bears in His hand the wheel of a chariot;
yah--one who; amayaya--without reservation; santataya--without any gap;
anuvrttya--favorably; bhajeta--renders service; tat-pada--of His feet;
saroja-gandham--fragrance of the lotus.

TRANSLATION

Only those who render unreserved, uninterrupted, favorable service unto

the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, who carries the wheel of the chariot in His
hand, can know the creator of the universe in His full glory, power and
transcendence.

PURPORT

Only the pure devotees can know the transcendental name, form and
activities of Lord Krsna due to their being completely freed from the
reactions of fruitive work and mental speculation. The pure devotees have
nothing to derive as personal profit from their unalloyed service to the Lord.
They render incessant service to the Lord spontaneously, without any
reservation. Everyone within the creation of the Lord is rendering service to
the Lord indirectly or directly. No one is an exception to this law of the
Lord. Those who are rendering service indirectly, being forced by the illusory
agent of the Lord, are rendering service unto Him unfavorably. But those who
are rendering service unto Him directly under the direction of His beloved
agent are rendering service unto Him favorably. Such favorable servitors are
devotees of the Lord, and by the grace of the Lord they can enter into the
mysterious region of transcendence by the mercy of the Lord. But the mental
speculators remain in darkness all the time. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the
Lord Himself guides the pure devotees toward the path of realization due to
their constant engagement in the loving service of the Lord in spontaneous
affection. That is the secret of entering into the kingdom of God. Fruitive
activities and speculation are no qualifications for entering.

TEXT 39

atheha dhanya bhagavanta ittham

yad vasudeve 'khila-loka-nathe
kurvanti sarvatmakam atma-bhavam
na yatra bhuyah parivarta ugrah

atha--thus; iha--in this world; dhanyah--successful; bhagavantah--perfectly

cognizant; ittham--such; yat--what; vasudeve--unto the Personality of
Godhead;
akhila--all-embracing; loka-nathe--unto the proprietor of all the universes;
kurvanti--inspires; sarva-atmakam--one hundred percent; atma--spirit;
bhavam--ecstasy; na--never; yatra--wherein; bhuyah--again;
parivartah--repetition; ugrah--dreadful.
 105

TRANSLATION

Only by making such inquiries in this world can one be successful and
perfectly cognizant, for such inquiries invoke transcendental ecstatic love
unto the Personality of Godhead, who is the proprietor of all the universes,
and guarantee cent-percent immunity from the dreadful repetition of birth and
death.

PURPORT

The inquiries of the sages headed by Saunaka are herewith praised by Suta
Gosvami on the merit of their transcendental nature. As already concluded,
only the devotees of the Lord can know Him to a considerable extent, and no
one else can know Him at all, so the devotees are perfectly cognizant of all
spiritual knowledge. The Personality of Godhead is the last word in Absolute
Truth. Impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma (Supersoul) are included
in
the knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. So one who knows the
Personality
of Godhead can automatically know all about Him, His multipotencies and His
expansions. So the devotees are congratulated as being all-successful. A
cent-percent devotee of the Lord is immune to the dreadful material miseries
of repeated birth and death.

TEXT 40

idam bhagavatam nama

puranam brahma-sammitam
uttama-sloka-caritam
cakara bhagavan rsih
nihsreyasaya lokasya
dhanyam svasty-ayanam mahat

idam--this; bhagavatam--book containing the narration of the Personality of

Godhead and His pure devotees; nama--of the name; puranam--
supplementary to
the Vedas; brahma-sammitam--incarnation of Lord Sri Krsna; uttama-sloka--of
the Personality of Godhead; caritam--activities; cakara--compiled;
bhagavan--incarnation of the Personality of Godhead; rsih--Sri Vyasadeva;
nihsreyasaya--for the ultimate good; lokasya--of all people; dhanyam--fully
successful; svasti-ayanam--all-blissful; mahat--all-perfect.

TRANSLATION

This Srimad-Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of God, and it is

compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, the incarnation of God. It is meant for the
ultimate good of all people, and it is all-successful, all-blissful and
all-perfect.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu declared that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the

 106

spotless sound representation of all Vedic knowledge and history. There are
selected histories of great devotees who are in direct contact with the
Personality of Godhead. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of Lord
Sri Krsna and is therefore nondifferent from Him. Srimad-Bhagavatam should
be
worshiped as respectfully as we worship the Lord. Thereby we can derive the
ultimate blessings of the Lord through its careful and patient study. As God
is all light, all bliss and all perfection, so also is Srimad-Bhagavatam. We
can have all the transcendental light of the Supreme Brahman, Sri Krsna, from
the recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, provided it is received through the
medium of the transparent spiritual master. Lord Caitanya's private secretary
Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami advised all intending visitors who came to
see
the Lord at Puri to make a study of the Bhagavatam from the person
Bhagavatam
Person Bhagavatam is the self-realized bona fide spiritual master, and through
him only can one understand the lessons of Bhagavatam in order to receive
the
desired result. One can derive from the study of the Bhagavatam all benefits
that are possible to be derived from the personal presence of the Lord. It
carries with it all the transcendental blessings of Lord Sri Krsna that we can
expect from His personal contact.

TEXT 41

tad idam grahayam asa

sutam atmavatam varam
sama-vedetihasanam
saram saram samuddhrtam

tat--that; idam--this; grahayam asa--made to accept; sutam--unto his son;

atmavatam--of the self-realized; varam--most respectful; sarva--all;
veda--Vedic literatures (books of knowledge); itihasanam--of all the
histories; saram--cream; saram--cream; samuddhrtam--taken out.

TRANSLATION

Sri Vyasadeva delivered it to his son, who is the most respected among
the self-realized, after extracting the cream of all Vedic literatures and
histories of the universe.

PURPORT

Men with a poor fund of knowledge only accept the history of the world
from the time of Buddha, or since 600 B.C., and prior to this period all
histories mentioned in the scriptures are calculated by them to be only
imaginary stories. That is not a fact. All the stories mentioned in the
Puranas and Mahabharata, etc., are actual histories, not only of this planet
but also of millions of other planets within the universe. Sometimes the
history of planets beyond this world appear to such men to be unbelievable.
But they do not know that different planets are not equal in all respects and
that therefore some of the historical facts derived from other planets do not
 107

correspond with the experience of this planet. Considering the different

situation of different planets and also time and circumstances, there is
nothing wonderful in the stories of the Puranas, nor are they imaginary. We
should always remember the maxim that one man's food is another man's
poison.
We should not, therefore, reject the stories and histories of the Puranas as
imaginary. The great rsis like Vyasa had no business putting some imaginary
stories in their literatures.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam historical facts selected from the histories of
different planets have been depicted. It is therefore accepted by all the
spiritual authorities as the Maha-Purana. The special significance of these
histories is that they are all connected with activities of the Lord in a
different time and atmosphere. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami is the topmost
personality of all the self-realized souls, and he accepted this as the
subject of studies from his father, Vyasadeva. Srila Vyasadeva is the great
authority, and the subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam being so important,
he
delivered the message first to his great son Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. It is
compared to the cream of the milk. Vedic literature is like the milk ocean of
knowledge. Cream or butter is the most palatable essence of milk, and so also
is Srimad-Bhagavatam, for it contains all palatable, instructive and authentic
versions of different activities of the Lord and His devotees. There is no
gain, however, in accepting the message of Bhagavatam from the unbelievers,
atheists and professional reciters who make a trade of Bhagavatam for the
laymen. It was delivered to Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and he had nothing to do
with the Bhagavata business. He did not have to maintain family expenses by
such trade. Srimad-Bhagavatam should therefore be received from the
representative of Sukadeva, who must be in the renounced order of life
without
family encumbrance. Milk is undoubtedly very good and nourishing, but when
it
is touched by the mouth of a snake it is no longer nourishing; rather, it
becomes a source of death. Similarly, those who are not strictly in the
Vaisnava discipline should not make a business of this Bhagavatam and
become a
cause of spiritual death for so many hearers. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord
says that the purpose of all the Vedas is to know Him (Lord Krsna), and
Srimad-Bhagavatam is Lord Sri Krsna Himself in the form of recorded
knowledge.
Therefore, it is the cream of all the Vedas, and it contains all historical
facts of all times in relation with Sri Krsna. It is factually the essence of
all histories.

TEXT 42

sa tu samsravayam asa
maharajam pariksitam
prayopavistam gangayam
paritam paramarsibhih

sah--the son of Vyasadeva; tu--again; samsravayam asa--make them audible;

maha-rajam--unto the emperor; pariksitam--of the name Pariksit;
 108

praya-upavistam--who sat until death without food or drink; gangayam--on the

bank of the Ganges; paritam--being surrounded; parama-rsibhih--by great
sages.

TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami, the son of Vyasadeva, in his turn delivered the

Bhagavatam to the great Emperor Pariksit, who sat surrounded by sages on
the
bank of the Ganges, awaiting death without taking food or drink.

PURPORT

All transcendental messages are received properly in the chain of

disciplic succession. This disciplic succession is called parampara. Unless
therefore Bhagavatam or any other Vedic literatures are received through the
parampara system, the reception of knowledge is not bona fide. Vyasadeva
delivered the message to Sukadeva Gosvami, and from Sukadeva Gosvami,
Suta
Gosvami received the message. One should therefore receive the message of
Bhagavatam from Suta Gosvami or from his representative and not from any
irrelevant interpreter.
Emperor Pariksit received the information of his death in time, and he at
once left his kingdom and family and sat down on the bank of the Ganges to
fast till death. All great sages, rsis, philosophers, mystics, etc., went
there due to his imperial position. They offered many suggestions about his
immediate duty, and at last it was settled that he would hear from Sukadeva
Gosvami about Lord Krsna. Thus the Bhagavatam was spoken to him.
Sripada Sankaracarya, who preached Mayavada philosophy and stressed
the
impersonal feature of the Absolute, also recommended that one must take
shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, for there is no hope of gain from
debating. Indirectly Sripada Sankaracarya admitted that what he had
preached
in the flowery grammatical interpretations of the Vedanta-sutra cannot help
one at the time of death. At the critical hour of death one must recite the
name of Govinda. This is the recommendation of all great transcendentalists.
Sukadeva Gosvami had long ago stated the same truth, that at the end one
must
remember Narayana. That is the essence of all spiritual activities. In
pursuance of this eternal truth, Srimad-Bhagavatam was heard by Emperor
Pariksit, and it was recited by the able Sukadeva Gosvami. And both the
speaker and the receiver of the messages of Bhagavatam were duly delivered
by
the same medium.

TEXT 43

krsne sva-dhamopagate
dharma-jnanadibhih saha
kalau nasta-drsam esa
puranarko 'dhunoditah
 109

krsne--in Krsna's; sva-dhama--own abode; upagate--having returned;

dharma--religion; jnana--knowledge; adibhih--combined together; saha--along
with; kalau--in the Kali-yuga; nasta-drsam--of persons who have lost their
sight; esah--all these; purana-arkah--the Purana which is brilliant like the
sun; adhuna--just now; uditah--has arisen.

TRANSLATION

This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just
after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion,
knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness
of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna has His eternal dhama, or abode, where He eternally enjoys
Himself with His eternal associates and paraphernalia. And His eternal abode
is a manifestation of His internal energy, whereas the material world is a
manifestation of His external energy. When He descends on the material
world,
He displays Himself with all paraphernalia in His internal potency, which is
called atma-maya. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that He descends by His
own potency (atma-maya). His form, name, fame, paraphernalia, abode, etc.,
are
not, therefore, creations of matter. He descends to reclaim the fallen souls
and to reestablish codes of religion which are directly enacted by Him. Except
for God, no one can establish the principles of religion. Either He or a
suitable person empowered by Him can dictate the codes of religion. Real
religion means to know God, our relation with Him and our duties in relation
with Him and to know ultimately our destination after leaving this material
body. The conditioned souls, who are entrapped by the material energy,
hardly
know all these principles of life. Most of them are like animals engaged in
eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. They are mostly engaged in sense
enjoyment under the pretension of religiosity, knowledge or salvation. They
are still more blind in the present age of quarrel, or Kali-yuga. In the
Kali-yuga the population is just a royal edition of the animals. They have
nothing to do with spiritual knowledge or godly religious life. They are so
blind that they cannot see anything beyond the jurisdiction of the subtle
mind, intelligence or ego, but they are very much proud of their advancement
in knowledge, science and material prosperity. They can risk their lives to
become a dog or hog just after leaving the present body, for they have
completely lost sight of the ultimate aim of life. The Personality of Godhead
Sri Krsna appeared before us just a little prior to the beginning of
Kali-yuga, and He returned to His eternal home practically at the
commencement
of Kali-yuga. While He was present, He exhibited everything by His different
activities. He spoke the Bhagavad-gita specifically and eradicated all
pretentious principles of religiosity. And prior to His departure from this
material world, He empowered Sri Vyasadeva through Narada to compile the
 110

messages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and thus both the Bhagavad-gita and

the
Srimad-Bhagavatam are like torchbearers for the blind people of this age. In
other words, if men in this age of Kali want to see the real light of life,
they must take to these two books only, and their aim of life will be
fulfilled. Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary study of the Bhagavatam. And
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the summum bonum of life, Lord Sri Krsna personified.
We
must therefore accept Srimad-Bhagavatam as the direct representation of
Lord
Krsna. One who can see Srimad-Bhagavatam can see also Lord Sri Krsna in
person. They are identical.

TEXT 44

tatra kirtayato vipra

viprarser bhuri-tejasah
aham cadhyagamam tatra
nivistas tad-anugrahat
so 'ham vah sravayisyami
yathadhitam yatha-mati

tatra--there; kirtayatah--while reciting; viprah--O brahmanas;

vipra-rseh--from the great brahmana-rsi; bhuri--greatly; tejasah--powerful;
aham--I; ca--also; adhyagamam--could understand; tatra--in that meeting;
nivistah--being perfectly attentive; tat-anugrahat--by his mercy; sah--that
very thing; aham--I; vah--unto you; sravayisyami--shall let you hear;
yatha-adhitam yatha-mati--as far as my realization.

TRANSLATION

O learned brahmanas, when Sukadeva Gosvami recited Bhagavatam there

[in
the presence of Emperor Pariksit], I heard him with rapt attention, and thus,
by his mercy, I learned the Bhagavatam from that great and powerful sage.
Now
I shall try to make you hear the very same thing as I learned it from him and
as I have realized it.

PURPORT

One can certainly see directly the presence of Lord Sri Krsna in the
pages of Bhagavatam if one has heard it from a self-realized great soul like
Sukadeva Gosvami. One cannot, however, learn Bhagavatam from a bogus
hired
reciter whose aim of life is to earn some money out of such recitation and
employ the earning in sex indulgence. No one can learn Srimad-Bhagavatam
who
is associated with persons engaged in sex life. That is the secret of learning
Bhagavatam Nor can one learn Bhagavatam from one who interprets the text
by
 111

his mundane scholarship. One has to learn Bhagavatam from the

representative
of Sukadeva Gosvami, and no one else, if one at all wants to see Lord Sri
Krsna in the pages. That is the process, and there is no alternative. Suta
Gosvami is a bona fide representative of Sukadeva Gosvami because he wants
to
present the message which he received from the great learned brahmana.
Sukadeva Gosvami presented Bhagavatam as he heard it from his great
father,
and so also Suta Gosvami is presenting Bhagavatam as he had heard it from
Sukadeva Gosvami. Simple hearing is not all; one must realize the text with
proper attention. The word nivista means that Suta Gosvami drank the juice of
Bhagavatam through his ears. That is the real process of receiving
Bhagavatam.
One should hear with rapt attention from the real person, and then he can at
once realize the presence of Lord Krsna in every page. The secret of knowing
Bhagavatam is mentioned here. No one can give rapt attention who is not
pure
in mind. No one can be pure in mind who is not pure in action. No one can be
pure in action who is not pure in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. But
somehow or other if someone hears with rapt attention from the right person,
at the very beginning one can assuredly see Lord Sri Krsna in person in the
pages of Bhagavatam.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Third Chapter, of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Krsna Is the Source of All Incarnations."

Chapter Four

The Appearance of Sri Narada

TEXT 1

vyasa uvaca
iti bruvanam samstuya
muninam dirgha-satrinam
vrddhah kula-patih sutam
bahvrcah saunako 'bravit

vyasah--Vyasadeva; uvaca--said; iti--thus; bruvanam--speaking;

samstuya--congratulating; muninam--of the great sages; dirgha--prolonged;
satrinam--of those engaged in the performance of sacrifice; vrddhah--elderly;
kula-patih--head of the assembly; sutam--unto Suta Gosvami;
bahu-rcah--learned; saunakah--of the name Saunaka; abravit--addressed.

TRANSLATION

On hearing Suta Gosvami speak thus, Saunaka Muni, who was the elderly,
learned leader of all the rsis engaged in that prolonged sacrificial ceremony,
congratulated Suta Gosvami by addressing him as follows.
 112

PURPORT

In a meeting of learned men, when there are congratulations or addresses

for the speaker, the qualifications of the congratulator should be as follows.
He must be the leader of the house and an elderly man. He must be vastly
learned also. Sri Saunaka Rsi had all these qualifications, and thus he stood
up to congratulate Sri Suta Gosvami when he expressed his desire to present
Srimad-Bhagavatam exactly as he heard it from Sukadeva Gosvami and also
realized it personally. Personal realization does not mean that one should,
out of vanity, attempt to show one's own learning by trying to surpass the
previous acarya. He must have full confidence in the previous acarya, and at
the same time he must realize the subject matter so nicely that he can present
the matter for the particular circumstances in a suitable manner. The original
purpose of the text must be maintained. No obscure meaning should be
screwed
out of it, yet it should be presented in an interesting manner for the
understanding of the audience. This is called realization. The leader of the
assembly, Saunaka, could estimate the value of the speaker, Sri Suta
Gosvami,
simply by his uttering yathadhitam and yatha-mati, and therefore he was very
glad to congratulate him in ecstasy. No learned man should be willing to hear
a person who does not represent the original acarya. So the speaker and the
audience were bona fide in this meeting where Bhagavatam was being recited
for
the second time. That should be the standard of recitation of Bhagavatam, so
that the real purpose can be served without difficulty. Unless this situation
is created, Bhagavatam recitation for extraneous purposes is useless labor
both for the speaker and for the audience.

TEXT 2

saunaka uvaca
suta suta maha-bhaga
vada no vadatam vara
katham bhagavatim punyam
yad aha bhagavan chukah

saunakah--Saunaka; uvaca--said; suta suta--O Suta Gosvami; maha-bhaga--the

most fortunate; vada--please speak; nah--unto us; vadatam--of those who can
speak; vara--respected; katham--message; bhagavatim--of the Bhagavatam;
punyam--pious; yat--which; aha--said; bhagavan--greatly powerful; sukah--Sri
Sukadeva Gosvami.

TRANSLATION

Saunaka said: O Suta Gosvami, you are the most fortunate and respected
of
all those who can speak and recite. Please relate the pious message of
Srimad-Bhagavatam, which was spoken by the great and powerful sage
Sukadeva
Gosvami.
 113

PURPORT

Suta Gosvami is twice addressed herein by Saunaka Gosvami out of great

joy because he and the members of the assembly were eager to hear the text
of
Bhagavatam uttered by Sukadeva Gosvami. They were not interested in
hearing it
from a bogus person who would interpret in his own way to suit his own
purpose. Generally the so-called Bhagavatam reciters are either professional
readers or so-called learned impersonalists who cannot enter into the
transcendental personal activities of the Supreme Person. Such impersonalists
twist some meanings out of Bhagavatam to suit and support impersonalist
views,
and the professional readers at once go to the Tenth Canto to misexplain the
most confidential part of the Lord's pastimes. Neither of these reciters are
bona fide persons to recite Bhagavatam. Only one who is prepared to present
Bhagavatam in the light of Sukadeva Gosvami and only those who are
prepared to
hear Sukadeva Gosvami and his representative are bona fide participants in
the
transcendental discussion of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 3

kasmin yuge pravrtteyam

sthane va kena hetuna
kutah sancoditah krsnah
krtavan samhitam munih

kasmin--in which; yuge--period; pravrtta--was begun; iyam--this; sthane--in

the place; va--or; kena--on what; hetuna--ground; kutah--wherefrom;
sancoditah--inspired by; krsnah--Krsnadvaipayana Vyasa; krtavan--compiled;
samhitam--Vedic literature; munih--the learned.

TRANSLATION

In what period and at what place was this first begun, and why was this
taken up? From where did Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasa, the great sage, get the
inspiration to compile this literature?

PURPORT

Because Srimad-Bhagavatam is the special contribution of Srila Vyasadeva,

there are so many inquiries by the learned Saunaka Muni. It was known to
them
that Srila Vyasadeva had already explained the text of the Vedas in various
ways up to the Mahabharata for the understanding of less intelligent women,
sudras and fallen members of the family of twice-born men. Srimad-
Bhagavatam
is transcendental to all of them because it has nothing to do with anything
mundane. So the inquiries are very intelligent and relevant.
 114

TEXT 4

tasya putro maha-yogi

sama-drn nirvikalpakah
ekanta-matir unnidro
gudho mudha iveyate

tasya--his; putrah--son; maha-yogi--a great devotee; sama-drk--equibalanced;

nirvikalpakah--absolute monist; ekanta-matih--fixed in monism or oneness of
mind; unnidrah--surpassed nescience; gudhah--not exposed; mudhah--stunted;
iva--like; iyate--appears like.

TRANSLATION

His [Vyasadeva's] son was a great devotee, an equibalanced monist, whose

mind was always concentrated in monism. He was transcendental to mundane
activities, but being unexposed, he appeared like an ignorant person.

PURPORT

Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was a liberated soul, and thus he remained always
alert not to be trapped by the illusory energy. In the Bhagavad-gita this
alertness is very lucidly explained. The liberated soul and the conditioned
soul have different engagements. The liberated soul is always engaged in the
progressive path of spiritual attainment, which is something like a dream for
the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul cannot imagine the actual
engagements of the liberated soul. While the conditioned soul thus dreams
about spiritual engagements, the liberated soul is awake. Similarly, the
engagement of a conditioned soul appears to be a dream for the liberated
soul.
A conditioned soul and a liberated soul may apparently be on the same
platform, but factually they are differently engaged, and their attention is
always alert, either in sense enjoyment or in self-realization. The
conditioned soul is absorbed in matter, whereas the liberated soul is
completely indifferent to matter. This indifference is explained as follows.

TEXT 5

drstvanuyantam rsim atmajam apy anagnam

devyo hriya paridadhur na sutasya citram
tad viksya prcchati munau jagadus tavasti
stri-pum-bhida na tu sutasya vivikta-drsteh

drstva--by seeing; anuyantam--following; rsim--the sage; atmajam--his son;

api--in spite of; anagnam--not naked; devyah--beautiful damsels; hriya--out of
shyness; paridadhuh--covered the body; na--not; sutasya--of the son;
citram--astonishing; tat viksya--by seeing that; prcchati--asking; munau--unto
the muni (Vyasa); jagaduh--replied; tava--your; asti--there are;
stri-pum--male and female; bhida--differences; na--not; tu--but; sutasya--of
the son; vivikta--purified; drsteh--of one who looks.
 115

TRANSLATION

While Sri Vyasadeva was following his son, beautiful young damsels who
were bathing naked covered their bodies with cloth, although Sri Vyasadeva
himself was not naked. But they had not done so when his son had passed.
The
sage inquired about this, and the young ladies replied that his son was
purified and when looking at them made no distinction between male and
female.
But the sage made such distinctions.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (5.18) it is said that a learned sage looks equally

on a learned and gentle brahmana, a candala (dog-eater), a dog or a cow due
to
his spiritual vision. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami attained that stage. Thus he did
not see a male or female; he saw all living entities in different dress. The
ladies who were bathing could understand the mind of a man simply by
studying
his demeanor, just as by looking at a child one can understand how innocent
he
is. Sukadeva Gosvami was a young boy sixteen years old, and therefore all the
parts of his body were developed. He was naked also, and so were the ladies.
But because Sukadeva Gosvami was transcendental to sex relations, he
appeared
very innocent. The ladies, by their special qualifications, could sense this
at once, and therefore they were not very concerned about him. But when his
father passed, the ladies quickly dressed. The ladies were exactly like his
children or grandchildren, yet they reacted to the presence of Vyasadeva
according to the social custom because Srila Vyasadeva played the part of a
householder. A householder has to distinguish between a male and female,
otherwise he cannot be a householder. One should, therefore, attempt to know
the distinction between spirit soul without any attachment for male and
female. As long as such distinction is there, one should not try to become a
sannyasi like Sukadeva Gosvami. At least theoretically one must be convinced
that a living entity is neither male nor female. The outward dress is made of
matter by material nature to attract the opposite sex and thus keep one
entangled in material existence. A liberated soul is above this perverted
distinction. He does not distinguish between one living being and another. For
him they are all one and the same spirit. The perfection of this spiritual
vision is the liberated stage, and Srila Sukadeva Gosvami attained that stage.
Srila Vyasadeva was also in the transcendental stage, but because he was in
the householder's life, he did not pretend to be a liberated soul, as a matter
of custom.

TEXT 6

katham alaksitah pauraih

sampraptah kuru-jangalan
unmatta-muka jadavad
vicaran gaja-sahvaye
 116

katham--how; alaksitah--recognized; pauraih--by the citizens;

sampraptah--reaching; kuru-jangalan--the Kuru-jangala provinces; unmatta--
mad;
muka--dumb; jadavat--stunted; vicaran--wandering; gaja-sahvaye--
Hastinapura.

TRANSLATION

How was he [Srila Sukadeva, the son of Vyasa] recognized by the citizens
when he entered the city of Hastinapura [now Delhi], after wandering in the
provinces of Kuru and Jangala, appearing like a madman, dumb and retarded?

PURPORT

The present city of Delhi was formerly known as Hastinapura because it

was first established by King Hasti. Gosvami Sukadeva, after leaving his
paternal home, was roaming like a madman, and therefore it was very difficult
for the citizens to recognize him in his exalted position. A sage is not,
therefore, recognized by sight, but by hearing. One should approach a sadhu
or
great sage not to see but to hear him. If one is not prepared to hear the
words of a sadhu, there is no profit. Sukadeva Gosvami was a sadhu who could
speak on the transcendental activities of the Lord. He did not satisfy the
whims of ordinary citizens. He was recognized when he spoke on the subject of
Bhagavatam, and he never attempted jugglery like a magician. Outwardly he
appeared to be a retarded, dumb madman, but in fact he was the most
elevated
transcendental personality.

TEXT 7

katham va pandaveyasya
rajarser munina saha
samvadah samabhut tata
yatraisa satvati srutih

katham--how is it; va--also; pandaveyasya--of the descendant of Pandu

(Pariksit); rajarseh--of the king who was a sage; munina--with the muni;
saha--with; samvadah--discussion; samabhut--took place; tata--O darling;
yatra--whereupon; esa--like this; satvati--transcendental; srutih--essence of
the Vedas.

TRANSLATION

How did it so happen that King Pariksit met this great sage, making it
possible for this great transcendental essence of the Vedas [Bhagavatam] to
be
sung to him?

PURPORT
 117

Srimad-Bhagavatam is stated here as the essence of the Vedas. It is not

an imaginary story as it is sometimes considered by unauthorized men. It is
also called Suka-samhita, or the Vedic hymn spoken by Sri Sukadeva Gosvami,
the great liberated sage.

TEXT 8

sa go-dohana-matram hi
grhesu grha-medhinam
aveksate maha-bhagas
tirthi-kurvams tad asramam

sah--he (Sukadeva Gosvami); go-dohana-matram--only for the time of milking

the
cow; hi--certainly; grhesu--in the house; grhamedhinam--of the householders;
aveksate--waits; maha-bhagah--the most fortunate; tirthi--pilgrimage;
kurvan--transforming; tat asramam--the residence.

TRANSLATION

He [Sukadeva Gosvami] was accustomed to stay at the door of a

householder
only long enough for a cow to be milked. And he did this just to sanctify the
residence.

PURPORT

Sukadeva Gosvami met Emperor Pariksit and explained the text of

Srimad-Bhagavatam. He was not accustomed to stay at any householder's
residence for more than half an hour (at the time of milking the cow), and he
would just take alms from the fortunate householder. That was to sanctify the
residence by his auspicious presence. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami is an ideal
preacher established in the transcendental position. From his activities,
those who are in the renounced order of life and dedicated to the mission of
preaching the message of Godhead should learn that they have no business
with
householders save and except to enlighten them in transcendental knowledge.
Such asking for alms from the householder should be for the purpose of
sanctifying his home. One who is in the renounced order of life should not be
allured by the glamor of the householder's worldly possessions and thus
become
subservient to worldly men. For one who is in the renounced order of life,
this is much more dangerous than drinking poison and committing suicide.

TEXT 9

abhimanyu-sutam suta
prahur bhagavatottamam
tasya janma mahascaryam
karmani ca grnihi nah

abhimanyu-sutam--the son of Abhimanyu; suta--O Suta; prahuh--is said to be;

 118

bhagavata-uttamam--the first-class devotee of the Lord; tasya--his;

janma--birth; maha-ascaryam--very wonderful; karmani--activities; ca--and;
grnihi--please speak to; nah--us.

TRANSLATION

It is said that Maharaja Pariksit is a great first-class devotee of the

Lord and that his birth and activities are all wonderful. Please tell us about
him.

PURPORT

The birth of Maharaja Pariksit is wonderful because in the womb of his

mother he was protected by the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. His
activities are also wonderful because he chastised Kali, who was attempting to
kill a cow. To kill cows means to end human civilization. He wanted to protect
the cow from being killed by the great representative of sin. His death is
also wonderful because he got previous notice of his death, which is wonderful
for any mortal being, and thus he prepared himself for passing away by sitting
down on the bank of the Ganges and hearing the transcendental activities of
the Lord. During all the days he heard Bhagavatam, he did not take food or
drink, nor did he sleep a moment. So everything about him is wonderful, and
his activities are worth hearing attentively. Desire is expressed herein to
hear about him in detail.

TEXT 10

sa samrat kasya va hetoh

pandunam mana-vardhanah
prayopavisto gangayam
anadrtyadhirat-sriyam

sah--he; samrat--the Emperor; kasya--for what; va--or; hetoh--reason;

pandunam--of the sons of Pandu; mana-vardhanah--one who enriches the
family;
praya-upavistah--sitting and fasting; gangayam--on the bank of the Ganges;
anadrtya--neglecting; adhirat--acquired kingdom; sriyam--opulences.

TRANSLATION

He was a great emperor and possessed all the opulences of his acquired
kingdom. He was so exalted that he was increasing the prestige of the Pandu
dynasty. Why did he give up everything to sit down on the bank of the Ganges
and fast until death?

PURPORT

Maharaja Pariksit was the Emperor of the world and all the seas and
oceans, and he did not have to take the trouble to acquire such a kingdom by
his own effort. He inherited it from his grandfathers Maharaja Yudhisthira and
brothers. Besides that, he was doing well in the administration and was worthy
of the good names of his forefathers. Consequently there was nothing
 119

undesirable in his opulence and administration. Then why should he give up all
these favorable circumstances and sit down on the bank of the Ganges, fasting
till death? This is astonishing, and therefore all were eager to know the
cause.

TEXT 11

namanti yat-pada-niketam atmanah

sivaya haniya dhanani satravah
katham sa virah sriyam anga dustyajam
yuvaisatotsrastum aho sahasubhih

namanti--bow down; yat-pada--whose feet; niketam--under; atmanah--own;

sivaya--welfare; haniya--used to bring about; dhanani--wealth;
satravah--enemies; katham--for what reason; sah--he; virah--the chivalrous;
sriyam--opulences; anga--O; dustyajam--insuperable; yuva--in full youth;
aisata--desired; utsrastum--to give up; aho--exclamation; saha--with;
asubhih--life.

TRANSLATION

He was such a great emperor that all his enemies would come and bow
down
at his feet and surrender all their wealth for their own benefit. He was full
of youth and strength, and he possessed insuperable kingly opulences. Why
did
he want to give up everything, including his life?

PURPORT

There was nothing undesirable in his life. He was quite a young man and
could enjoy life with power and opulence. So there was no question of retiring
from active life. There was no difficulty in collecting the state taxes
because he was so powerful and chivalrous that even his enemies would come
to
him and bow down at his feet and surrender all wealth for their own benefit.
Maharaja Pariksit was a pious king. He conquered his enemies, and therefore
the kingdom was full of prosperity. There was enough milk, grains and metals,
and all the rivers and mountains were full of potency. So materially
everything was satisfactory. Therefore, there was no question of untimely
giving up his kingdom and life. The sages were eager to hear about all this.

TEXT 12

sivaya lokasya bhavaya bhutaye

ya uttama-sloka-parayana janah
jivanti natmartham asau parasrayam
mumoca nirvidya kutah kalevaram

sivaya--welfare; lokasya--of all living beings; bhavaya--for flourishing;

bhutaye--for economic development; ye--one who is;
uttama-sloka-parayanah--devoted to the cause of the Personality of Godhead;
 120

janah--men; jivanti--do live; na--but not; atma-artham--selfish interest;

asau--that; para-asrayam--shelter for others; mumoca--gave up; nirvidya--
being
freed from all attachment; kutah--for what reason; kalevaram--mortal body.

TRANSLATION

Those who are devoted to the cause of the Personality of Godhead live
only for the welfare, development and happiness of others. They do not live
for any selfish interest. So even though the Emperor [Pariksit] was free from
all attachment to worldly possessions, how could he give up his mortal body,
which was shelter for others?

PURPORT

Pariksit Maharaja was an ideal king and householder because he was a

devotee of the Personality of Godhead. A devotee of the Lord automatically
has
all good qualifications. And the Emperor was a typical example of this.
Personally he had no attachment for all the worldly opulences in his
possession. But since he was king for the all-around welfare of his citizens,
he was always busy in the welfare work of the public, not only for this life,
but also for the next. He would not allow slaughterhouses or killing of cows.
He was not a foolish and partial administrator who would arrange for the
protection of one living being and allow another to be killed. Because he was
a devotee of the Lord, he knew perfectly well how to conduct his
administration for everyone's happiness--men, animals, plants and all living
creatures. He was not selfishly interested. Selfishness is either
self-centered or self-extended. He was neither. His interest was to please the
Supreme Truth, Personality of Godhead. The king is the representative of the
Supreme Lord, and therefore the king's interest must be identical with that of
the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord wants all living beings to be obedient to
Him and thereby become happy. Therefore the king's interest is to guide all
subjects back to the kingdom of God. Hence the activities of the citizens
should be so coordinated that they can at the end go back home, back to
Godhead. Under the administration of a representative king, the kingdom is
full of opulence. At that time, human beings need not eat animals. There are
ample food grains, milk, fruit and vegetables so that the human beings as well
as the animals can eat sumptuously and to their heart's content. If all living
beings are satisfied with food and shelter and obey the prescribed rules,
there cannot be any disturbance between one living being and another.
Emperor
Pariksit was a worthy king, and therefore all were happy during his reign.

TEXT 13

tat sarvam nah samacaksva

prsto yad iha kincana
manye tvam visaye vacam
snatam anyatra chandasat

tat--that; sarvam--all; nah--unto us; samacaksva--clearly explain;

 121

prstah--questioned; yat iha--herein; kincana--all that; manye--we think;

tvam--you; visaye--in all subjects; vacam--meanings of words; snatam--fully
acquainted; anyatra--except; chandasat--portion of the Vedas.

TRANSLATION

We know that you are expert in the meaning of all subjects, except some
portions of the Vedas, and thus you can clearly explain the answers to all the
questions we have just put to you.

PURPORT

The difference between the Vedas and the Puranas is like that between the
brahmanas and the parivrajakas. The brahmanas are meant to administer
some
fruitive sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas, but the parivrajakacaryas, or
learned preachers, are meant to disseminate transcendental knowledge to one
and all. As such, the parivrajakacaryas are not always expert in pronouncing
the Vedic mantras, which are practiced systematically by accent and meter by
the brahmanas who are meant for administering Vedic rites. Yet it should not
be considered that the brahmanas are more important than the itinerant
preachers. They are one and different simultaneously because they are meant
for the same end, in different ways.
There is no difference also between the Vedic mantras and what is
explained in the Puranas and Itihasa. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, it is
mentioned in the Madhyandina-sruti that all the Vedas, namely the Sama,
Atharva, Rg, Yajur, Puranas, Itihasas, Upanisads, etc., are emanations from
the breathing of the Supreme Being. The only difference is that the Vedic
mantras are mostly begun with pranava omkara, and it requires some training
to
practice the metric pronunciation of the Vedic mantras. But that does not
mean
that Srimad-Bhagavatam is of less importance than the Vedic mantras. On the
contrary, it is the ripened fruit of all the Vedas, as stated before. Besides
that, the most perfectly liberated soul, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, is absorbed
in the studies of the Bhagavatam, although he is already self-realized. Srila
Suta Gosvami is following his footsteps, and therefore his position is not the
least less important because he was not expert in chanting Vedic mantras with
metric pronunciation, which depends more on practice than actual realization.
Realization is more important than parrotlike chanting.

TEXT 14

suta uvaca
dvapare samanuprapte
trtiye yuga-paryaye
jatah parasarad yogi
vasavyam kalaya hareh

sutah--Suta Gosvami; uvaca--said; dvapare--in the second millennium;

samanuprapte--on the advent of; trtiye--third; yuga--millennium; paryaye--in
the place of; jatah--was begotten; parasarat--by Parasara; yogi--the great
 122

sage; vasavyam--in the womb of the daughter of Vasu; kalaya--in the plenary
portion; hareh--of the Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: When the second millennium overlapped the third, the
great sage [Vyasadeva] was born to Parasara in the womb of Satyavati, the
daughter of Vasu.

PURPORT

There is a chronological order of the four millenniums, namely Satya,

Dvapara, Treta and Kali. But sometimes there is overlapping. During the
regime
of Vaivasvata Manu, there was an overlapping of the twenty-eighth round of
the
four millenniums, and the third millennium appeared prior to the second. In
that particular millennium, Lord Sri Krsna also descends, and because of this
there was some particular alteration. The mother of the great sage was
Satyavati the daughter of the Vasu (fisherman), and the father was the great
Parasara Muni. That is the history of Vyasadeva's birth. Every millennium is
divided into three periods, and each period is called a sandhya. Vyasadeva
appeared in the third sandhya of that particular age.

TEXT 15

sa kadacit sarasvatya
upasprsya jalam sucih
vivikta eka asina
udite ravi-mandale

sah--he; kadacit--once; sarasvatyah--on the bank of the Sarasvati;

upasprsya--after finishing morning ablutions; jalam--water; sucih--being
purified; vivikte--concentration; ekah--alone; asinah--being thus seated;
udite--on the rise; ravi-mandale--of the sun disc.

TRANSLATION

Once upon a time he [Vyasadeva], as the sun rose, took his morning
ablution in the waters of the Sarasvati and sat alone to concentrate.

PURPORT

The River Sarasvati is flowing in the Badarikasrama area of the

Himalayas. So the place indicated here is Samyaprasa in Badarikasrama,
where
Sri Vyasadeva is residing.

TEXT 16

paravara-jnah sa rsih
kalenavyakta-ramhasa
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yuga-dharma-vyatikaram
praptam bhuvi yuge yuge

para-avara--past and future; jnah--one who knows; sah--he; rsih--Vyasadeva;

kalena--in the course of time; avyakta--unmanifested; ramhasa--by great
force;
yuga-dharma--acts in terms of the millennium; vyatikaram--anomalies;
praptam--having accrued; bhuvi--on the earth; yuge yuge--different ages.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Vyasadeva saw anomalies in the duties of the millennium.
This happens on the earth in different ages, due to unseen forces in the
course of time.

PURPORT

The great sages like Vyasadeva are liberated souls, and therefore they
can see clearly past and future. Thus he could see the future anomalies in the
Kali age, and accordingly he made arrangement for the people in general so
that they can execute a progressive life in this age, which is full of
darkness. The people in general in this age of Kali are too much interested in
matter, which is temporary. Because of ignorance they are unable to evaluate
the assets of life and be enlightened in spiritual knowledge.

TEXT 17-18

bhautikanam ca bhavanam
sakti-hrasam ca tat-krtam
asraddadhanan nihsattvan
durmedhan hrasitayusah

durbhagams ca janan viksya

munir divyena caksusa
sarva-varnasramanam yad
dadhyau hitam amogha-drk

bhautikanam ca--also of everything that is made of matter; bhavanam--

actions;
sakti-hrasam ca--and deterioration of natural power; tat-krtam--rendered by
that; asraddadhanan--of the faithless; nihsattvan--impatient due to want of
the mode of goodness; durmedhan--dull-witted; hrasita--reduced; ayusah--of
duration of life; durbhagan ca--also the unlucky; janan--people in general;
viksya--by seeing; munih--the muni; divyena--by transcendental;
caksusa--vision; sarva--all; varna-asramanam--of all the statuses and orders
of life; yat--what; dadhyau--contemplated; hitam--welfare; amogha-drk--one
who
is fully equipped in knowledge.

TRANSLATION

The great sage, who was fully equipped in knowledge, could see, through
 124

his transcendental vision, the deterioration of everything material, due to

the influence of the age. He could also see that the faithless people in
general would be reduced in duration of life and would be impatient due to
lack of goodness. Thus he contemplated for the welfare of men in all statuses
and orders of life.

PURPORT

The unmanifested forces of time are so powerful that they reduce all
matter to oblivion in due course. In Kali-yuga, the last millennium of a round
of four millenniums, the power of all material objects deteriorates by the
influence of time. In this age the duration of the material body of the people
in general is much reduced, and so is the memory. The action of matter has
also not so much incentive. The land does not produce food grains in the same
proportions as it did in other ages. The cow does not give as much milk as it
used to give formerly. The production of vegetables and fruits is less than
before. As such, all living beings, both men and animals, do not have
sumptuous, nourishing food. Due to want of so many necessities of life,
naturally the duration of life is reduced, the memory is short, intelligence
is meager, mutual dealings are full of hypocrisy and so on.
The great sage Vyasadeva could see this by his transcendental vision. As
an astrologer can see the future fate of a man, or an astronomer can foretell
the solar and lunar eclipses, those liberated souls who can see through the
scriptures can foretell the future of all mankind. They can see this due to
their sharp vision of spiritual attainment.
And all such transcendentalists, who are naturally devotees of the Lord,
are always eager to render welfare service to the people in general. They are
the real friends of the people in general, not the so-called public leaders
who are unable to see what is going to happen five minutes ahead. In this age
the people in general as well as their so-called leaders are all unlucky
fellows, faithless in spiritual knowledge and influenced by the age of Kali.
They are always disturbed by various diseases. For example, in the present
age
there are so many TB patients and TB hospitals, but formerly this was not so
because the time was not so unfavorable. The unfortunate men of this age are
always reluctant to give a reception to the transcendentalists who are
representatives of Srila Vyasadeva and selfless workers always busy in
planning something which may help everyone in all statuses and orders of life.
The greatest philanthropists are those transcendentalists who represent the
mission of Vyasa, Narada, Madhva, Caitanya, Rupa, Sarasvati, etc. They are all
one and the same. The personalities may be different, but the aim of the
mission is one and the same, namely, to deliver the fallen souls back home,
back to Godhead.

TEXT 19

catur-hotram karma suddham

prajanam viksya vaidikam
vyadadhad yajna-santatyai
vedam ekam catur-vidham

catuh--four; hotram--sacrificial fires; karma suddham--purification of work;

 125

prajanam--of the people in general; viksya--after seeing; vaidikam--according

to Vedic rites; vyadadhat--made into; yajna--sacrifice; santatyai--to expand;
vedam ekam--only one Veda; catuh-vidham--in four divisions.

TRANSLATION

He saw that the sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas were means by which
the
people's occupations could be purified. And to simplify the process he divided
the one Veda into four, in order to expand them among men.

PURPORT

Formerly there was only the Veda of the name Yajur, and the four
divisions of sacrifices were there specifically mentioned. But to make them
more easily performable, the Veda was divided into four divisions of
sacrifice, just to purify the occupational service of the four orders. Above
the four Vedas, namely Rg, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva, there are the Puranas,
the Mahabharata, Samhitas, etc., which are known as the fifth Veda. Sri
Vyasadeva and his many disciples were all historical personalities, and they
were very kind and sympathetic toward the fallen souls of this age of Kali. As
such, the Puranas and Mahabharata were made from related historical facts
which explained the teaching of the four Vedas. There is no point in doubting
the authority of the Puranas and Mahabharata as parts and parcels of the
Vedas. In the Chandogya Upanisad (7.1.4), the Puranas and Mahabharata,
generally known as histories, are mentioned as the fifth Veda. According to
Srila Jiva Gosvami, that is the way of ascertaining the respective values of
the revealed scriptures.

TEXT 20

rg-yajuh-samatharvakhya
vedas catvara uddhrtah
itihasa-puranam ca
pancamo veda ucyate

rg-yajuh-sama-atharva-akhyah--the names of the four Vedas; vedah--the

Vedas;
catvarah--four; uddhrtah--made into separate parts; itihasa--historical
records (Mahabharata); puranam ca--and the Puranas; pancamah--the fifth;
vedah--the original source of knowledge; ucyate--is said to be.

TRANSLATION

The four divisions of the original sources of knowledge [the Vedas] were
made separately. But the historical facts and authentic stories mentioned in
the Puranas are called the fifth Veda.

TEXT 21

tatrarg-veda-dharah pailah
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samago jaiminih kavih

vaisampayana evaiko
nisnato yajusam uta

tatra--thereupon; rg-veda-dharah--the professor of the Rg Veda; pailah--the

rsi named Paila; sama-gah--that of the Sama Veda; jaiminih--the rsi named
Jaimini; kavih--highly qualified; vaisampayanah--the rsi named Vaisampayana;
eva--only; ekah--alone; nisnatah--well versed; yajusam--of the Yajur Veda;
uta--glorified.

TRANSLATION

After the Vedas were divided into four divisions, Paila Rsi became the
professor of the Rg Veda, Jaimini the professor of the Sama Veda, and
Vaisampayana alone became glorified by the Yajur Veda.

PURPORT

The different Vedas were entrusted to different learned scholars for

development in various ways.

TEXT 22

atharvangirasam asit
sumantur daruno munih
itihasa-purananam
pita me romaharsanah

atharva--the Atharva Veda; angirasam--unto the rsi Angira; asit--was

entrusted; sumantuh--also known as Sumantu Muni; darunah--seriously
devoted to
the Atharva Veda; munih--the sage; itihasa-purananam--of the historical
records and the Puranas; pita--father; me--mine; romaharsanah--the rsi
Romaharsana.

TRANSLATION

The Sumantu Muni Angira, who was very devotedly engaged, was
entrusted
with the Atharva Veda. And my father, Romaharsana, was entrusted with the
Puranas and historical record

PURPORT

In the sruti-mantras also it is stated that Angira Muni, who strictly

followed the rigid principles of the Atharva Vedas, was the leader of the
followers of the Atharva Vedas.

TEXT 23

ta eta rsayo vedam

svam svam vyasyann anekadha
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sisyaih prasisyais tac-chisyair

vedas te sakhino 'bhavan

te--they; ete--all these; rsayah--learned scholars; vedam--the respective

Vedas; svam svam--in their own entrusted matters; vyasyan--rendered;
anekadha--many; sisyaih--disciples; prasisyaih--grand-disciples;
tat-sisyaih--great grand-disciples; vedah te--followers of the respective
Vedas; sakhinah--different branches; abhavan--thus became.

TRANSLATION

All these learned scholars, in their turn, rendered their entrusted Vedas
unto their many disciples, grand-disciples and great grand-disciples, and thus
the respective branches of the followers of the Vedas came into being.

PURPORT

The original source of knowledge is the Vedas. There are no branches of

knowledge, either mundane or transcendental, which do not belong to the
original text of the Vedas. They have simply been developed into different
branches, They were originally rendered by great, respectable and learned
professors. In other words, the Vedic knowledge, broken into different
branches by different disciplic successions, has been distributed all over the
world. No one, therefore, can claim independent knowledge beyond the Vedas.

TEXT 24

ta eva veda durmedhair

dharyante purusair yatha
evam cakara bhagavan
vyasah krpana-vatsalah

te--that; eva--certainly; vedah--the book of knowledge; durmedhaih--by the

less intellectual; dharyante--can assimilate; purusaih--by the man; yatha--as
much as; evam--thus; cakara--edited; bhagavan--the powerful; vyasah--the
great
sage of Vyasa; krpana-vatsalah--very kind to the ignorant mass.

TRANSLATION

Thus the great sage Vyasadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses,
edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men.

PURPORT

The Veda is one, and the reasons for its divisions in many parts are
explained herewith. The seed of all knowledge, or the Veda, is not a subject
matter which can easily be understood by any ordinary man. There is a
stricture that no one should try to learn the Vedas who is not a qualified
brahmana. This stricture has been wrongly interpreted in so many ways. A
class
of men, who claim brahminical qualification simply by their birthright in the
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family of a brahmana, claim that the study of the Vedas is a monopoly of the
brahmana caste only. Another section of the people take this as an injustice
to members of other castes, who do not happen to take birth in a brahmana
family. But both of them are misguided. The Vedas are subjects which had to
be
explained even to Brahmaji by the Supreme Lord. Therefore the subject
matter
is understood by persons with exceptional qualities of goodness. Persons who
are in the modes of passion and ignorance are unable to understand the
subject
matter of the Vedas. The ultimate goal of Vedic knowledge is Sri Krsna, the
Personality of Godhead. This Personality is very rarely understood by those
who are in the modes of passion and ignorance. In the Satya-yuga everyone
was
situated in the mode of goodness. Gradually the mode of goodness declined
during the Treta and Dvapara-yugas, and the general mass of people became
corrupt. In the present age the mode of goodness is almost nil, and so for the
general mass of people, the kindhearted, powerful sage Srila Vyasadeva
divided
the Vedas in various ways so that they may be practically followed by less
intelligent persons in the modes of passion and ignorance. It is explained in
the next sloka as follows.

TEXT 25

stri-sudra-dvijabandhunam
trayi na sruti-gocara
karma-sreyasi mudhanam
sreya evam bhaved iha
iti bharatam akhyanam
krpaya munina krtam

stri--the woman class; sudra--the laboring class; dvija-bandhunam--of the

friends of the twice-born; trayi--three; na--not; sruti-gocara--for
understanding; karma--in activities; sreyasi--in welfare; mudhanam--of the
fools; sreyah--supreme benefit; evam--thus; bhavet--achieved; iha--by this;
iti--thus thinking; bharatam--the great Mahabharata; akhyanam--historical
facts; krpaya--out of great mercy; munina--by the muni; krtam--is completed.

TRANSLATION

Out of compassion, the great sage thought it wise that this would enable
men to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus he compiled the great
historical narration called the Mahabharata for women, laborers and friends of
the twice-born.

PURPORT

The friends of the twice-born families are those who are born in the
families of brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas, or the spiritually cultured
families, but who themselves are not equal to their forefathers. Such
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descendants are not recognized as such, for want of purificatory

achievements.
The purificatory activities begin even before the birth of a child, and the
seed-giving reformatory process is called Garbhadhana-samskara. One who
has
not undergone such Garbhadhana-samskara, or spiritual family planning, is
not
accepted as being of an actual twice-born family. The Garbhadhana-samskara
is
followed by other purificatory processes, out of which the sacred thread
ceremony is one. This is performed at the time of spiritual initiation. After
this particular samskara, one is rightly called twice-born. One birth is
calculated during the seed-giving samskara, and the second birth is calculated
at the time of spiritual initiation. One who has been able to undergo such
important samskaras can be called a bona fide twice-born.
If the father and the mother do not undertake the process of spiritual
family planning and simply beget children out of passion only, their children
are called dvija-bandhus. These dvija-bandhus are certainly not as intelligent
as the children of the regular twice-born families. The dvija-bandhus are
classified with the sudras and the woman class, who are by nature less
intelligent. The sudras and the woman class do not have to undergo any
samskara save and except the ceremony of marriage.
The less intelligent classes of men, namely women, sudras and unqualified
sons of the higher castes, are devoid of necessary qualifications to
understand the purpose of the transcendental Vedas. For them the
Mahabharata
was prepared. The purpose of the Mahabharata is to administer the purpose of
the Vedas, and therefore within this Mahabharata the summary Veda of
Bhagavad-gita is placed. The less intelligent are more interested in stories
than in philosophy, and therefore the philosophy of the Vedas in the form of
the Bhagavad-gita is spoken by the Lord Sri Krsna. Vyasadeva and Lord Krsna
are both on the transcendental plane, and therefore they collaborated in doing
good to the fallen souls of this age. The Bhagavad-gita is the essence of all
Vedic knowledge. It is the first book of spiritual values, as the Upanisads
are. The Vedanta philosophy is the subject matter for study by the spiritual
graduates. Only the post-graduate spiritual student can enter into the
spiritual or devotional service of the Lord. It is a great science, and the
great professor is the Lord Himself in the form of Lord Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. And persons who are empowered by Him can initiate others in
the
transcendental loving service of the Lord.

TEXT 26

evam pravrttasya sada

bhutanam sreyasi dvijah
sarvatmakenapi yada
natusyad dhrdayam tatah

evam--thus; pravrttasya--one who is engaged in; sada--always; bhutanam--of

the
living beings; sreyasi--in the ultimate good; dvijah--O twice-born;
 130

sarvatmakena api--by all means; yada--when; na--not; atusyat--become

satisfied; hrdayam--mind; tatah--at that.

TRANSLATION

O twice-born brahmanas, still his mind was not satisfied, although he

engaged himself in working for the total welfare of all people.

PURPORT

Sri Vyasadeva was not satisfied with himself, although he had prepared
literatures of Vedic value for the all-around welfare of the general mass of
people. It was expected that he would be satisfied by all such activities, but
ultimately he was not satisfied.

TEXT 27

natiprasidad dhrdayah
sarasvatyas tate sucau
vitarkayan vivikta-stha
idam covaca dharma-vit

na--not; atiprasidat--very much satisfied; hrdayah--at heart; sarasvatyah--of

the River Sarasvati; tate--on the bank of; sucau--being purified;
vitarkayan--having considered; vivikta-sthah--situated in a lonely place; idam
ca--also this; uvaca--said; dharma-vit--one who knows what religion is.

TRANSLATION

Thus the sage, being dissatisfied at heart, at once began to reflect,

because he knew the essence of religion, and he said within himself:

PURPORT

The sage began to search out the cause of not being satisfied at heart.
Perfection is never attained until one is satisfied at heart. This
satisfaction of heart has to be searched out beyond matter.

TEXT 28-29

dhrta-vratena hi maya
chandamsi guravo 'gnayah
manita nirvyalikena
grhitam canusasanam

bharata-vyapadesena
hy amnayarthas ca pradarsitah
drsyate yatra dharmadi
stri-sudradibhir apy uta

dhrta-vratena--under a strict disciplinary vow; hi--certainly; maya--by me;

chandamsi--the Vedic hymns; guravah--the spiritual masters; agnayah--the
 131

sacrificial fire; manitah--properly worshiped; nirvyalikena--without pretense;

grhitam ca--also accepted; anusasanam--traditional discipline; bharata--the
Mahabharata; vyapadesena--by compilation of; hi--certainly;
amnaya-arthah--import of disciplic succession; ca--and; pradarsitah--properly
explained; drsyate--by what is necessary; yatra--where; dharma-adih--the path
of religion; stri-sudra-adibhih api--even by women, sudras, etc.; uta--spoken.

TRANSLATION

I have, under strict disciplinary vows, unpretentiously worshiped the

Vedas, the spiritual master and the altar of sacrifice. I have also abided by
the rulings and have shown the import of disciplic succession through the
explanation of the Mahabharata, by which even women, sudras and others
[friends of the twice-born] can see the path of religion.

PURPORT

No one can understand the import of the Vedas without having undergone
a
strict disciplinary vow and disciplic succession. The Vedas, spiritual masters
and sacrificial fire must be worshiped by the desiring candidate. All these
intricacies of Vedic knowledge are systematically presented in the
Mahabharata
for the understanding of the woman class, the laborer class and the
unqualified members of brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya families. In this age, the
Mahabharata is more essential than the original Vedas.

TEXT 30

tathapi bata me daihyo

hy atma caivatmana vibhuh
asampanna ivabhati
brahma-varcasya sattamah

tathapi--although; bata--defect; me--mine; daihyah--situated in the body;

hi--certainly; atma--living being; ca--and; eva--even; atmana--myself;
vibhuh--sufficient; asampannah--wanting in; iva abhati--it appears to be;
brahma-varcasya--of the Vedantists; sattamah--the supreme.

TRANSLATION

I am feeling incomplete, though I myself am fully equipped with

everything required by the Vedas.

PURPORT

Undoubtedly Srila Vyasadeva was complete in all the details of Vedic

achievements. Purification of the living being submerged in matter is made
possible by the prescribed activities in the Vedas, but the ultimate
achievement is different. Unless it is attained, the living being, even though
fully equipped, cannot be situated in the transcendentally normal stage. Srila
Vyasadeva appeared to have lost the clue and therefore felt dissatisfaction.
 132

TEXT 31

kim va bhagavata dharma

na prayena nirupitah
priyah paramahamsanam
ta eva hy acyuta-priyah

kim va--or; bhagavatah dharmah--devotional activities of the living beings;

na--not; prayena--almost; nirupitah--directed; priyah--dear;
paramahamsanam--of the perfect beings; te eva--that also; hi--certainly;
acyuta--the infallible; priyah--attractive.

TRANSLATION

This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional
service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the
infallible Lord.

PURPORT

The dissatisfaction which was being felt by Srila Vyasadeva is expressed

herein in his own words. This was felt for the normal condition of the living
being in the devotional service of the Lord. Unless one is fixed in the normal
condition of service, neither the Lord nor the living being can become fully
satisfied. This defect was felt by him when Narada Muni, his spiritual master,
reached him. It is described as follows.

TEXT 32

tasyaivam khilam atmanam

manyamanasya khidyatah
krsnasya narado 'bhyagad
asramam prag udahrtam

tasya--his; evam--thus; khilam--inferior; atmanam--soul;

manyamanasya--thinking within the mind; khidyatah--regretting; krsnasya--of
Krsna-dvaipayana Vyasa; naradah abhyagat--Narada came there; asramam--
the
cottage; prak--before; udahrtam--said.

TRANSLATION

As mentioned before, Narada reached the cottage of Krsnadvaipayana

Vyasa
on the banks of the Sarasvati just as Vyasadeva was regretting his defects.

PURPORT

The vacuum felt by Vyasadeva was not due to his lack of knowledge.
Bhagavata-dharma is purely devotional service of the Lord to which the monist
 133

has no access. The monist is not counted amongst the paramahamsas (the
most
perfect of the renounced order of life). Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of
narrations of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.
Although Vyasadeva was an empowered divinity, he still felt dissatisfaction
because in none of his works were the transcendental activities of the Lord
properly explained. The inspiration was infused by Sri Krsna directly in the
heart of Vyasadeva, and thus he felt the vacuum as explained above. It is
definitely expressed herewith that without the transcendental loving service
of the Lord, everything is void; but in the transcendental service of the
Lord, everything is tangible without any separate attempt at fruitive work or
empiric philosophical speculation.

TEXT 33

tam abhijnaya sahasa

pratyutthayagatam munih
pujayam asa vidhivan
naradam sura-pujitam

tam abhijnaya--seeing the good fortune of his (Narada's) arrival; sahasa--all

of a sudden; pratyutthaya--getting up; agatam--arrived at; munih--Vyasadeva;
pujayam asa--worship; vidhi-vat--with the same respect as offered to Vidhi
(Brahma); naradam--to Narada; sura-pujitam--worshiped by the demigods.

TRANSLATION

At the auspicious arrival of Sri Narada, Sri Vyasadeva got up

respectfully and worshiped him, giving him veneration equal to that given to
Brahmaji, the creator.

PURPORT

Vidhi means Brahma, the first created living being. He is the original
student as well as professor of the Vedas. He learned it from Sri Krsna and
taught Narada first. So Narada is the second acarya in the line of spiritual
disciplic succession. He is the representative of Brahma, and therefore he is
respected exactly like Brahma, the father of all vidhis (regulations);
similarly all other successive disciples in the chain are also equally
respected as representatives of the original spiritual master.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Fourth Chapter,
of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The Appearance of Sri Narada."

Chapter Five

Narada's Instructions on Srimad-Bhagavatam for Vyasadeva

TEXT 1
 134

suta uvaca
atha tam sukham asina
upasinam brhac-chravah
devarsih praha viprarsim
vina-panih smayann iva

sutah--Suta; uvaca--said; atha--therefore; tam--him; sukham

asinah--comfortably seated; upasinam--unto one sitting nearby;
brhat-sravah--greatly respected; devarsih--the great rsi among the gods;
praha--said; viprarsim--unto the rsi among the brahmanas; vina-panih--one
who
carries a vina in his hand; smayan iva--apparently smiling.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Thus the sage amongst the gods [Narada], comfortably
seated and apparently smiling, addressed the rsi amongst the brahmanas
[Vedavyasa].

PURPORT

Narada was smiling because he well knew the great sage Vedavyasa and
the
cause of his disappointment. As he will explain gradually, Vyasadeva's
disappointment was due to insufficiency in presenting the science of
devotional service. Narada knew the defect, and it was confirmed by the
position of Vyasa.

TEXT 2

narada uvaca
parasarya maha-bhaga
bhavatah kaccid atmana
paritusyati sarira
atma manasa eva va

naradah--Narada; uvaca--said; parasarya--O son of Parasara; maha-bhaga--the

greatly fortunate; bhavatah--your; kaccit--if it is; atmana--by the
self-realization of; paritusyati--does it satisfy; sarirah--identifying the
body; atma--self; manasah--identifying the mind; eva--certainly; va--and.

TRANSLATION

Addressing Vyasadeva, the son of Parasara, Narada inquired: Are you

satisfied by identifying with the body or the mind as objects of
self-realization?

PURPORT

This was a hint by Narada to Vyasadeva regarding the cause of his

despondency. Vyasadeva, as the descendant of Parasara, a greatly powerful
sage, had the privilege of having a great parentage which should not have
 135

given Vyasadeva cause for despondency. Being a great son of a great father,
he
should not have identified the self with the body or the mind. Ordinary men
with a poor fund of knowledge can identify the body as self or the mind as
self, but Vyasadeva should not have done so. One cannot be cheerful by
nature
unless one is factually seated in self-realization, which is transcendental to
the material body and mind.

TEXT 3

jijnasitam susampannam
api te mahad-adbhutam
krtavan bharatam yas tvam
sarvartha-paribrmhitam

jijnasitam--fully inquired; susampannam--well versed; api--in spite of;

te--your; mahat-adbhutam--great and wonderful; krtavan--prepared;
bharatam--the Mahabharata; yah tvam--what you have done;
sarva-artha--including all sequences; paribrmhitam--elaborately explained.

TRANSLATION

Your inquiries were full and your studies were also well fulfilled, and
there is no doubt that you have prepared a great and wonderful work, the
Mahabharata, which is full of all kinds of Vedic sequences elaborately
explained.

PURPORT

The despondency of Vyasadeva was certainly not due to his lack of

sufficient knowledge because as a student he had fully inquired about the
Vedic literatures, as a result of which the Mahabharata is compiled with full
explanation of the Vedas.

TEXT 4

jijnasitam adhitam ca
brahma yat tat sanatanam
tathapi socasy atmanam
akrtartha iva prabho

jijnasitam--deliberated fully well; adhitam--the knowledge obtained; ca--and;

brahma--the Absolute; yat--what; tat--that; sanatanam--eternal; tathapi--in
spite of that; socasi--lamenting; atmanam--unto the self;
akrta-arthah--undone; iva--like; prabho--my dear sir.

TRANSLATION

You have fully delineated the subject of impersonal Brahman as well as

the knowledge derived therefrom. Why should you be despondent in spite of
all
 136

this, thinking that you are undone, my dear prabhu?

PURPORT

The Vedanta-sutra, or Brahma-sutra, compiled by Sri Vyasadeva is the full

deliberation of the impersonal absolute feature, and it is accepted as the
most exalted philosophical exposition in the world. It covers the subject of
eternity, and the methods are scholarly. So there cannot be any doubt about
the transcendental scholarship of Vyasadeva. So why should he lament?

TEXT 5

vyasa uvaca
asty eva me sarvam idam tvayoktam
tathapi natma paritusyate me
tan-mulam avyaktam agadha-bodham
prcchamahe tvatma-bhavatma-bhutam

vyasah--Vyasa; uvaca--said; asti--there is; eva--certainly; me--mine;

sarvam--all; idam--this; tvaya--by you; uktam--uttered; tathapi--and yet;
na--not; atma--self; paritusyate--does pacify; me--unto me; tat--of which;
mulam--root; avyaktam--undetected; agadha-bodham--the man of unlimited
knowledge; prcchamahe--do inquire; tva--unto you; atma-bhava--self-born;
atma-bhutam--offspring.

TRANSLATION

Sri Vyasadeva said: All you have said about me is perfectly correct.
Despite all this, I am not pacified. I therefore question you about the root
cause of my dissatisfaction, for you are a man of unlimited knowledge due to
your being the offspring of one [Brahma] who is self-born [without mundane
father and mother].

PURPORT

In the material world everyone is engrossed with the idea of identifying

the body or the mind with the self. As such, all knowledge disseminated in the
material world is related either with the body or with the mind, and that is
the root cause of all despondencies. This is not always detected, even though
one may be the greatest erudite scholar in materialistic knowledge. It is
good, therefore, to approach a personality like Narada to solve the root cause
of all despondencies. Why Narada should be approached is explained below.

TEXT 6

sa vai bhavan veda samasta-guhyam

upasito yat purusah puranah
paravareso manasaiva visvam
srjaty avaty atti gunair asangah

sah--thus; vai--certainly; bhavan--yourself; veda--know;

samasta--all-inclusive; guhyam--confidential; upasitah--devotee of;
 137

yat--because; purusah--the Personality of Godhead; puranah--the oldest;

paravaresah--the controller of the material and spiritual worlds;
manasa--mind; eva--only; visvam--the universe; srjati--creates; avati
atti--annihilates; gunaih--by the qualitative matter; asangah--unattached.

TRANSLATION

My lord! Everything that is mysterious is known to you because you

worship the creator and destroyer of the material world and the maintainer of
the spiritual world, the original Personality of Godhead, who is
transcendental to the three modes of material nature.

PURPORT

A person who is cent-percent engaged in the service of the Lord is the

emblem of all knowledge. Such a devotee of the Lord in full perfection of
devotional service is also perfect by the qualification of the Personality of
Godhead. As such, the eightfold perfections of mystic power (asta-siddhi)
constitute very little of his godly opulence. A devotee like Narada can act
wonderfully by his spiritual perfection, which every individual is trying to
attain. Srila Narada is a cent-percent perfect living being, although not
equal to the Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 7

tvam paryatann arka iva tri-lokim

antas-caro vayur ivatma-saksi
paravare brahmani dharmato vrataih
snatasya me nyunam alam vicaksva

tvam--Your Goodness; paryatan--traveling; arkah--the sun; iva--like;

tri-lokim--the three worlds; antah-carah--can penetrate into everyone's heart;
vayuh iva--as good as the all-pervading air; atma--self-realized;
saksi--witness; paravare--in the matter of cause and effect; brahmani--in the
Absolute; dharmatah--under disciplinary regulations; vrataih--in vow;
snatasya--having been absorbed in; me--mine; nyunam--deficiency;
alam--clearly; vicaksva--search out.

TRANSLATION

Like the sun, Your Goodness can travel everywhere in the three worlds,
and like the air you can penetrate the internal region of everyone. As such,
you are as good as the all-pervasive Supersoul. Please, therefore, find out
the deficiency in me, despite my being absorbed in transcendence under
disciplinary regulations and vows.

PURPORT

Transcendental realization, pious activities, worshiping the Deities,

charity, mercifulness, nonviolence and studying the scriptures under strict
disciplinary regulations are always helpful.
 138

TEXT 8

sri-narada uvaca
bhavatanudita-prayam
yaso bhagavato 'malam
yenaivasau na tusyeta
manye tad darsanam khilam

sri-naradah--Sri Narada; uvaca--said; bhavata--by you; anudita-prayam--almost

not praised; yasah--glories; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead;
amalam--spotless; yena--by which; eva--certainly; asau--He (the Personality of
Godhead); na--does not; tusyeta--be pleased; manye--I think; tat--that;
darsanam--philosophy; khilam--inferior.

TRANSLATION

Sri Narada said: You have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless
glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy
the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless.

PURPORT

The eternal relation of an individual soul with the Supreme Soul

Personality of Godhead is constitutionally one of being the eternal servitor
of the eternal master. The Lord has expanded Himself as living beings in order
to accept loving service from them, and this alone can satisfy both the Lord
and the living beings. Such a scholar as Vyasadeva has completed many
expansions of the Vedic literatures, ending with the Vedanta philosophy, but
none of them have been written directly glorifying the Personality of Godhead.
Dry philosophical speculations even on the transcendental subject of the
Absolute have very little attraction without directly dealing with the
glorification of the Lord. The Personality of Godhead is the last word in
transcendental realization. The Absolute realized as impersonal Brahman or
localized Supersoul, Paramatma, is less productive of transcendental bliss
than the supreme personal realization of His glories.
The compiler of the Vedanta-darsana is Vyasadeva himself. Yet he is
troubled, although he is the author. So what sort of transcendental bliss can
be derived by the readers and listeners of Vedanta which is not explained
directly by Vyasadeva, the author? Herein arises the necessity of explaining
Vedanta-sutra in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam by the self-same author.

TEXT 9

yatha dharmadayas cartha

muni-varyanukirtitah
na tatha vasudevasya
mahima hy anuvarnitah

yatha--as much as; dharma-adayah--all four principles of religious behavior;

ca--and; arthah--purposes; muni-varya--by yourself, the great sage;
anukirtitah--repeatedly described; na--not; tatha--in that way;
vasudevasya--of the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna; mahima--glories;
 139

hi--certainly; anuvarnitah--so constantly described.

TRANSLATION

Although, great sage, you have very broadly described the four principles
beginning with religious performances, you have not described the glories of
the Supreme Personality, Vasudeva.

PURPORT

The prompt diagnosis of Sri Narada is at once declared. The root cause of
the despondency of Vyasadeva was his deliberate avoidance of glorifying the
Lord in his various editions of the Puranas. He has certainly, as a matter of
course, given descriptions of the glories of the Lord (Sri Krsna) but not as
many as given to religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and
salvation. These four items are by far inferior to engagement in the
devotional service of the Lord. Sri Vyasadeva, as the authorized scholar, knew
very well this difference. And still instead of giving more importance to the
better type of engagement, namely, devotional service to the Lord, he had
more
or less improperly used his valuable time, and thus he was despondent. From
this it is clearly indicated that no one can be pleased substantially without
being engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita this
fact is clearly mentioned.
After liberation, which is the last item in the line of performing
religiosity, etc., one is engaged in pure devotional service. This is called
the stage of self-realization, or the brahma-bhuta stage. After attainment of
this brahma-bhuta stage, one is satisfied. But satisfaction is the beginning
of transcendental bliss. One should progress by attaining neutrality and
equality in the relative world. And passing this stage of equanimity, one is
fixed in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. This is the
instruction of the Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gita. The conclusion
is that in order to maintain the status quo of the brahma-bhuta stage, as also
to increase the degree of transcendental realization, Narada recommended to
Vyasadeva that he (Vyasadeva) should now eagerly and repeatedly describe
the
path of devotional service. This would cure him from gross despondency.

TEXT 10

na yad vacas citra-padam harer yaso

jagat-pavitram pragrnita karhicit
tad vayasam tirtham usanti manasa
na yatra hamsa niramanty usik-ksayah

na--not; yat--that; vacah--vocabulary; citra-padam--decorative; hareh--of the

Lord; yasah--glories; jagat--universe; pavitram--sanctified;
pragrnita--described; karhicit--hardly; tat--that; vayasam--crows;
tirtham--place of pilgrimage; usanti--think; manasah--saintly persons;
na--not; yatra--where; hamsah--all-perfect beings; niramanti--take pleasure;
usik-ksayah--those who reside in the transcendental abode.
 140

TRANSLATION

Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can
sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly
persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect
persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any
pleasure there.

PURPORT

Crows and swans are not birds of the same feather because of their
different mental attitudes. The fruitive workers or passionate men are
compared to the crows, whereas the all-perfect saintly persons are compared
to
the swans. The crows take pleasure in a place where garbage is thrown out,
just as the passionate fruitive workers take pleasure in wine and woman and
places for gross sense pleasure. The swans do not take pleasure in the places
where crows are assembled for conferences and meetings. They are instead
seen
in the atmosphere of natural scenic beauty where there are transparent
reservoirs of water nicely decorated with stems of lotus flowers in variegated
colors of natural beauty. That is the difference between the two classes of
birds.
Nature has influenced different species of life with different
mentalities, and it is not possible to bring them up into the same rank and
file.
Similarly, there are different kinds of literature for different types of
men of different mentality. Mostly the market literatures which attract men of
the crow's categories are literatures containing refused remnants of sensuous
topics. They are generally known as mundane talks in relation with the gross
body and subtle mind. They are full of subject matter described in decorative
language full of mundane similes and metaphorical arrangements. Yet with all
that, they do not glorify the Lord. Such poetry and prose, on any subject
matter, is considered decoration of a dead body. Spiritually advanced men
who
are compared to the swans do not take pleasure in such dead literatures,
which
are sources of pleasure for men who are spiritually dead. These literatures in
the modes of passion and ignorance are distributed under different labels, but
they can hardly help the spiritual urge of the human being, and thus the
swanlike spiritually advanced men have nothing to do with them. Such
spiritually advanced men are called also manasa because they always keep up
the standard of transcendental voluntary service to the Lord on the spiritual
plane. This completely forbids fruitive activities for gross bodily sense
satisfaction or subtle speculation of the material egoistic mind.
Social literary men, scientists, mundane poets, theoretical philosophers
and politicians who are completely absorbed in the material advancement of
sense pleasure are all dolls of the material energy. They take pleasure in a
place where rejected subject matters are thrown. According to Svami Sridhara,
this is the pleasure of the prostitute-hunters.
But literatures which describe the glories of the Lord are enjoyed by the
paramahamsas who have grasped the essence of human activities.
 141

TEXT 11

tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya yaso 'nkitani yat
srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah

tat--that; vak--vocabulary; visargah--creation; janata--the people in general;

agha--sins; viplavah--revolutionary; yasmin--in which; prati-slokam--each and
every stanza; abaddhavati--irregularly composed; api--in spite of;
namani--transcendental names, etc.; anantasya--of the unlimited Lord;
yasah--glories; ankitani--depicted; yat--what; srnvanti--do hear; gayanti--do
sing; grnanti--do accept; sadhavah--the purified men who are honest.

TRANSLATION

On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the

transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the
unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words
directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this
world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though
imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are
thoroughly honest.

PURPORT

It is a qualification of the great thinkers to pick up the best even from

the worst. It is said that the intelligent man should pick up nectar from a
stock of poison, should accept gold even from a filthy place, should accept a
good and qualified wife even from an obscure family and should accept a good
lesson even from a man or from a teacher who comes from the untouchables.
These are some of the ethical instructions for everyone in every place without
exception. But a saint is far above the level of an ordinary man. He is always
absorbed in glorifying the Supreme Lord because by broadcasting the holy
name
and fame of the Supreme Lord, the polluted atmosphere of the world will
change, and as a result of propagating the transcendental literatures like
Srimad-Bhagavatam, people will become sane in their transactions. While
preparing this commentation on this particular stanza of Srimad-Bhagavatam
we
have a crisis before us. Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border
of India with a militaristic spirit. We have practically no business in the
political field, yet we see that previously there were both China and India,
and they both lived peacefully for centuries without ill feeling. The reason
is that they lived those days in an atmosphere of God consciousness, and
every
country, over the surface of the world, was God-fearing, pure-hearted and
simple, and there was no question of political diplomacy. There is no cause of
quarrel between the two countries China and India over land which is not very
suitable for habitation, and certainly there is no cause for fighting on this
issue. But due to the age of quarrel, Kali, which we have discussed, there is
 142

always a chance of quarrel on slight provocation. This is due not to the issue
in question, but to the polluted atmosphere of this age: systematically there
is propaganda by a section of people to stop glorification of the name and
fame of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, there is a great need for disseminating
the message of Srimad-Bhagavatam all over the world. It is the duty of every
responsible Indian to broadcast the transcendental message of
Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the world to do all the supermost good as well
as
to bring about the desired peace in the world. Because India has failed in her
duty by neglecting this responsible work, there is so much quarrel and trouble
all over the world. We are confident that if the transcendental message of
Srimad-Bhagavatam is received only by the leading men of the world,
certainly
there will be a change of heart, and naturally the people in general will
follow them. The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the
modern politicians and leaders of the people. If there is a change of heart of
the leaders only, certainly there will be a radical change in the atmosphere
of the world. We know that our honest attempt to present this great literature
conveying transcendental messages for reviving the God consciousness of the
people in general and respiritualizing the world atmosphere is fraught with
many difficulties. Our presenting this matter in adequate language, especially
a foreign language, will certainly fail, and there will be so many literary
discrepancies despite our honest attempt to present it in the proper way. But
we are sure that with all our faults in this connection the seriousness of the
subject matter will be taken into consideration, and the leaders of society
will still accept this due to its being an honest attempt to glorify the
Almighty God. When there is fire in a house, the inmates of the house go out
to get help from the neighbors who may be foreigners, and yet without
knowing
the language the victims of the fire express themselves, and the neighbors
understand the need, even though not expressed in the same language. The
same
spirit of cooperation is needed to broadcast this transcendental message of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the polluted atmosphere of the world.
After
all, it is a technical science of spiritual values, and thus we are concerned
with the techniques and not with the language. If the techniques of this great
literature are understood by the people of the world, there will be success.
When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general
all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks
another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age
of Kali or quarrel. The atmosphere is already polluted with corruption of all
description, and everyone knows it well. There are so many unwanted
literatures full of materialistic ideas of sense gratification. In many
countries there are bodies appointed by the state to detect and censor
obscene
literature. This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders
of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the
people want it for sense gratification. The people in general want to read
(that is a natural instinct), but because their minds are polluted they want
such literatures. Under the circumstances, transcendental literature like
Srimad-Bhagavatam will not only diminish the activities of the corrupt mind of
 143

the people in general, but also it will supply food for their hankering after
reading some interesting literature. In the beginning they may not like it
because one suffering from jaundice is reluctant to take sugar candy, but we
should know that sugar candy is the only remedy for jaundice. Similarly, let
there be systematic propaganda for popularizing reading of the Bhagavad-gita
and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, which will act like sugar candy for the
jaundicelike condition of sense gratification. When men have a taste for this
literature, the other literatures, which are catering poison to society, will
then automatically cease.
We are sure, therefore, that everyone in human society will welcome
Srimad-Bhagavatam, even though it is now presented with so many faults, for
it
is recommended by Sri Narada, who has very kindly appeared in this chapter.

TEXT 12

naiskarmyam apy acyuta-bhava-varjitam

na sobhate jnanam alam niranjanam
kutah punah sasvad abhadram isvare
na carpitam karma yad apy akaranam

naiskarmyam--self-realization, being freed from the reactions of fruitive

work; api--in spite of; acyuta--the infallible Lord; bhava--conception;
varjitam--devoid of; na--does not; sobhate--look well; jnanam--transcendental
knowledge; alam--by and by; niranjanam--free from designations; kutah--
where
is; punah--again; sasvat--always; abhadram--uncongenial; isvare--unto the
Lord; na--not; ca--and; arpitam--offered; karma--fruitive work; yat api--what
is; akaranam--not fruitive.

TRANSLATION

Knowledge of self-realization, even though free from all material

affinity, does not look well if devoid of a conception of the Infallible
[God]. What, then, is the use of fruitive activities, which are naturally
painful from the very beginning and transient by nature, if they are not
utilized for the devotional service of the Lord?

PURPORT

As referred to above, not only ordinary literatures devoid of the

transcendental glorification of the Lord are condemned, but also Vedic
literatures and speculation on the subject of impersonal Brahman when they
are
devoid of devotional service. When speculation on the impersonal Brahman is
condemned on the above ground, then what to speak of ordinary fruitive work,
which is not meant to fulfill the aim of devotional service. Such speculative
knowledge and fruitive work cannot lead one to the goal of perfection.
Fruitive work, in which almost all people in general are engaged, is always
painful either in the beginning or at the end. It can be fruitful only when
made subservient to the devotional service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita
also it is confirmed that the result of such fruitive work may be offered for
 144

the service of the Lord, otherwise it leads to material bondage. The bona fide
enjoyer of the fruitive work is the Personality of Godhead, and thus when it
is engaged for the sense gratification of the living beings, it becomes an
acute source of trouble.

TEXT 13

atho maha-bhaga bhavan amogha-drk

suci-sravah satya-rato dhrta-vratah
urukramasyakhila-bandha-muktaye
samadhinanusmara tad-vicestitam

atho--therefore; maha-bhaga--highly fortunate; bhavan--yourself;

amogha-drk--the perfect seer; suci--spotless; sravah--famous;
satya-ratah--having taken the vow of truthfulness; dhrta-vratah--fixed in
spiritual qualities; urukramasya--of the one who performs supernatural
activities (God); akhila--universal; bandha--bondage; muktaye--for liberation
from; samadhina--by trance; anusmara--think repeatedly and then describe
them;
tat-vicestitam--various pastimes of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

O Vyasadeva, your vision is completely perfect. Your good fame is

spotless. You are firm in vow and situated in truthfulness. And thus you can
think of the pastimes of the Lord in trance for the liberation of the people
in general from all material bondage.

PURPORT

People in general have a taste for literatures by instinct. They want to

hear and read from the authorities something about the unknown, but their
taste is exploited by unfortunate literatures which are full of subject matter
for satisfaction of the material senses. Such literatures contain different
kinds of mundane poems and philosophical speculations, more or less under
the
influence of maya, ending in sense gratification. These literatures, although
worthless in the true sense of the term, are variously decorated to attract
the attention of the less intelligent men. Thus the attracted living entities
are more and more entangled in material bondage without hope of liberation
for
thousands and thousands of generations. Sri Narada Rsi, being the best
amongst
the Vaisnavas, is compassionate toward such unfortunate victims of worthless
literatures, and thus he advises Sri Vyasadeva to compose transcendental
literature which is not only attractive but can also actually bring liberation
from all kinds of bondage. Srila Vyasadeva or his representatives are
qualified because they are rightly trained to see things in true perspective.
Srila Vyasadeva and his representatives are pure in thought due to their
spiritual enlightenment, fixed in their vows due to their devotional service,
and determined to deliver the fallen souls rotting in material activities. The
fallen souls are very eager to receive novel informations every day, and the
 145

transcendentalists like Vyasadeva or Narada can supply such eager people in

general with unlimited news from the spiritual world. In the Bhagavad-gita it
is said that the material world is only a part of the whole creation and that
this earth is only a fragment of the whole material world.
There are thousands and thousands of literary men all over the world, and
they have created many, many thousands of literary works for the information
of the people in general for thousands and thousands of years. Unfortunately
none of them have brought peace and tranquillity on the earth. This is due to
a spiritual vacuum in those literatures; therefore the Vedic literatures,
especially the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, are specifically
recommended to suffering humanity to bring about the desired effect of
liberation from the pangs of material civilization, which is eating the vital
part of human energy. The Bhagavad-gita is the spoken message of the Lord
Himself recorded by Vyasadeva, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam is the
transcendental
narration of the activities of the same Lord Krsna, which alone can satisfy
the hankering desires of the living being for eternal peace and liberation
from miseries. Srimad-Bhagavatam, therefore, is meant for all the living
beings all over the universe for total liberation from all kinds of material
bondage. Such transcendental narrations of the pastimes of the Lord can be
described only by liberated souls like Vyasadeva and his bona fide
representatives who are completely merged in the transcendental loving
service
of the Lord. Only to such devotees do the pastimes of the Lord and their
transcendental nature become automatically manifest by dint of devotional
service. No one else can either know or describe the acts of the Lord, even if
they speculate on the subject for many, many years. The descriptions of the
Bhagavatam are so precise and accurate that whatever has been predicted in
this great literature about five thousand years ago is now exactly happening.
Therefore, the vision of the author comprehends past, present and future.
Such
liberated persons as Vyasadeva are perfect not only by the power of vision
and
wisdom, but also in aural reception, in thinking, feeling and all other sense
activities. A liberated person possesses perfect senses, and with perfect
senses only can one serve the sense proprietor, Hrsikesa, Sri Krsna the
Personality of Godhead. Srimad-Bhagavatam, therefore, is the perfect
description of the all-perfect Personality of Godhead by the all-perfect
personality Srila Vyasadeva, the compiler of the Vedas.

TEXT 14

tato 'nyatha kincana yad vivaksatah

prthag drsas tat-krta-rupa-namabhih
na karhicit kvapi ca duhsthita matir
labheta vatahata-naur ivaspadam

tatah--from that; anyatha--apart; kincana--something; yat--whatsoever;

vivaksatah--desiring to describe; prthak--separately; drsah--vision;
tat-krta--reactionary to that; rupa--form; namabhih--by names; na
karhicit--never; kvapi--any; ca--and; duhsthita matih--oscillating mind;
labheta--gains; vata-ahata--troubled by the wind; nauh--boat; iva--like;
 146

aspadam--place.

TRANSLATION

Whatever you desire to describe that is separate in vision from the Lord
simply reacts, with different forms, names and results, to agitate the mind as
the wind agitates a boat which has no resting place.

PURPORT

Sri Vyasadeva is the editor of all descriptions of the Vedic literatures,

and thus he has described transcendental realization in different ways, namely
by fruitive activities, speculative knowledge, mystic power and devotional
service. Besides that, in his various Puranas he has recommended the worship
of so many demigods in different forms and names. The result is that people in
general are puzzled how to fix their minds in the service of the Lord; they
are always disturbed about finding the real path of self-realization. Srila
Naradadeva is stressing this particular defect in the Vedic literatures
compiled by Vyasadeva, and thus he is trying to emphasize describing
everything in relation with the Supreme Lord, and no one else. In fact, there
is nothing existent except the Lord. The Lord is manifested in different
expansions. He is the root of the complete tree. He is the stomach of the
complete body. pouring water on the root is the right process to water the
tree, as much as feeding the stomach supplies energy to all parts of the body.
Therefore, Srila Vyasadeva should not have compiled any Puranas other than
the
Bhagavata Purana because a slight deviation from that may create havoc for
self-realization. If a slight deviation can create such havoc, then what to
speak of deliberate expansion of the ideas separate from the Absolute Truth
Personality of Godhead. The most defective part of worshiping demigods is
that
it creates a definite conception of pantheism, ending disastrously in many
religious sects detrimental to the progress of the principles of the
Bhagavatam, which alone can give the accurate direction for self-realization
in eternal relation with the Personality of Godhead by devotional service in
transcendental love. The example of the boat disturbed by whirling wind is
suitable in this respect. The diverted mind of the pantheist can never reach
the perfection of self-realization, due to the disturbed condition of the
selection of object.

TEXT 15

jugupsitam dharma-krte 'nusasatah

svabhava-raktasya mahan vyatikramah
yad-vakyato dharma ititarah sthito
na manyate tasya nivaranam janah

jugupsitam--verily condemned; dharma-krte--for the matter of religion;

anusasatah--instruction; svabhava-raktasya--naturally inclined; mahan--great;
vyatikramah--unreasonable; yat-vakyatah--under whose instruction;
dharmah--religion; iti--it is thus; itarah--the people in general;
sthitah--fixed; na--do not; manyate--think; tasya--of that;
 147

nivaranam--prohibition; janah--they.

TRANSLATION

The people in general are naturally inclined to enjoy, and you have
encouraged them in that way in the name of religion. This is verily condemned
and is quite unreasonable. Because they are guided under your instructions,
they will accept such activities in the name of religion and will hardly care
for prohibitions.

PURPORT

Srila Vyasadeva's compilation of different Vedic literatures on the basis

of regulated performances of fruitive activities as depicted in the
Mahabharata and other literature is condemned herewith by Srila Narada. The
human beings, by long material association, life after life, have a natural
inclination, by practice, to endeavor to lord it over material energy. They
have no sense of the responsibility of human life. This human form of life is
a chance to get out of the clutches of illusory matter. The Vedas are meant
for going back to Godhead, going back home. To revolve in the cycle of
transmigration in a series of lives numbering 8,400,000 is an imprisoned life
for the condemned conditioned souls. The human form of life is a chance to
get
out of this imprisoned life, and as such the only occupation of the human
being is to reestablish his lost relationship with God. Under the
circumstances, one should never be encouraged in making a plan for sense
enjoyment in the name of religious functions. Such diversion of the human
energy results in a misguided civilization. Srila Vyasadeva is the authority
in Vedic explanations in the Mahabharata, etc., and his encouragement in
sense
enjoyment in some form or other is a great barrier for spiritual advancement
because the people in general will not agree to renounce material activities
which held them in material bondage. At a certain stage of human civilization
when such material activities in the name of religion (as sacrificing animals
in the name of yajna) were too much rampant, the Lord incarnated Himself as
Buddha and decried the authority of the Vedas in order to stop animal
sacrifice in the name of religion. This was foreseen by Narada, and therefore
he condemned such literatures. The flesh-eaters still continue to perform
animal sacrifice before some demigod or goddess in the name of religion
because in some of the Vedic literatures such regulated sacrifices are
recommended. They are so recommended to discourage flesh-eating, but
gradually
the purpose of such religious activities is forgotten, and the slaughterhouse
becomes prominent. This is because foolish materialistic men do not care to
listen to others who are actually in a position to explain the Vedic rites.
In the Vedas it is distinctly said that the perfection of life is never
to be attained either by voluminous work, or by accumulation of wealth or
even
by increasing the population. But it is so attained only by renunciation. The
materialistic men do not care to listen to such injunctions. According to
them, the so-called renounced order of life is meant for those who are unable
to earn their livelihood because of some corporeal defects, or for persons who
 148

have failed to achieve prosperity in family life.

In histories like the Mahabharata, of course, there are topics on
transcendental subjects along with material topics. The Bhagavad-gita is there
in the Mahabharata. The whole idea of the Mahabharata culminates in the
ultimate instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, that one should relinquish all
other engagements and should engage oneself solely and fully in surrendering
unto the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna. But men with materialistic tendencies
are more attracted to the politics, economics and philanthropic activities
mentioned in the Mahabharata than to the principal topic, namely the
Bhagavad-gita. This compromising spirit of Vyasadeva is directly condemned
by
Narada, who advises him to directly proclaim that the prime necessity of
human
life is to realize one's eternal relation with the Lord and thus surrender
unto Him without delay.
A patient suffering from a particular type of malady is almost always
inclined to accept eatables which are forbidden for him. The expert physician
does not make any compromise with the patient by allowing him to take
partially what he should not at all take. In the Bhagavad-gita it is also said
that a man attached to fruitive work should not be discouraged from his
occupation, for gradually he may be elevated to the position of
self-realization. This is sometimes applicable for those who are only dry
empiric philosophers without spiritual realization. But those who are in the
devotional line need not be always so advised.

TEXT 16

vicaksano 'syarhati veditum vibhor

ananta-parasya nivrttitah sukham
pravartamanasya gunair anatmanas
tato bhavan darsaya cestitam vibhoh

vicaksanah--very expert; asya--of him; arhati--deserves; veditum--to

understand; vibhoh--of the Lord; ananta-parasya--of the unlimited;
nivrttitah--retired from; sukham--material happiness; pravartamanasya--those
who are attached to; gunaih--by the material qualities; anatmanah--devoid of
knowledge in spiritual value; tatah--therefore; bhavan--Your Goodness;
darsaya--show the ways; cestitam--activities; vibhoh--of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Lord is unlimited. Only a very expert personality, retired

from the activities of material happiness, deserves to understand this
knowledge of spiritual values. Therefore those who are not so well situated,
due to material attachment, should be shown the ways of transcendental
realization, by Your Goodness, through descriptions of the transcendental
activities of the Supreme Lord.

PURPORT

Theological science is a difficult subject, especially when it deals with

the transcendental nature of God. It is not a subject matter to be understood
 149

by persons who are too much attached to material activities. Only the very
expert, who have almost retired from materialistic activities by culture of
spiritual knowledge, can be admitted to the study of this great science. In
the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that out of many hundreds and
thousands
of men only one person deserves to enter into transcendental realization. And
out of many thousands of such transcendentally realized persons, only a few
can understand the theological science specifically dealing with God as a
person. Sri Vyasadeva is therefore advised by Narada to describe the science
of God directly by relating His transcendental activities. Vyasadeva is
himself a personality expert in this science, and he is unattached to material
enjoyment. Therefore he is the right person to describe it, and Sukadeva
Gosvami, the son of Vyasadeva, is the right person to receive it.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the topmost theological science, and therefore it
can react on the laymen as medicinal doses. Because it contains the
transcendental activities of the Lord, there is no difference between the Lord
and the literature. The literature is the factual literary incarnation of the
Lord. So the laymen can hear the narration of the activities of the Lord.
Thereby they are able to associate with the Lord and thus gradually become
purified from material diseases. The expert devotees also can discover novel
ways and means to convert the nondevotees in terms of particular time and
circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert devotees
can find out competent means to inject it into the dull brains of the
materialistic population. Such transcendental activities of the devotees for
the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish society
of materialistic men. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His subsequent
followers exhibited expert dexterity in this connection. By following the same
method, one can bring the materialistic men of this age of quarrel into order
for peaceful life and transcendental realization.

TEXT 17

tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer

bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto 'bhajatam sva-dharmatah

tvaktva--having forsaken; sva-dharmam--one's own occupational engagement;

carana-ambujam--the lotus feet; hareh--of Hari (the Lord); bhajan--in the
course of devotional service; apakvah--immature; atha--for the matter of;
patet--falls down; tatah--from that place; yadi--if; yatra--whereupon;
kva--what sort of; va--or (used sarcastically); abhadram--unfavorable;
abhut--shall happen; amusya--of him; kim--nothing; kah va arthah--what
interest; aptah--obtained; abhajatam--of the nondevotee; sva-dharmatah--
being
engaged in occupational service.

TRANSLATION

One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional
service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet
there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee,
 150

though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything.

PURPORT

As far as the duties of mankind are concerned, there are innumerable

duties. Every man is duty-bound not only to his parents, family members,
society, country, humanity, other living beings, the demigods, etc., but also
to the great philosophers, poets, scientists, etc. It is enjoined in the
scriptures that one can relinquish all such duties and surrender unto the
service of the Lord. So if one does so and becomes successful in the discharge
of his devotional service unto the Lord, it is well and good. But it so
happens sometimes that one surrenders himself unto the service of the Lord
by
some temporary sentiment, and in the long run, due to so many other
reasons,
he falls down from the path of service by undesirable association. There are
so many instances of this in the histories. Bharata Maharaja was obliged to
take his birth as a stag due to his intimate attachment to a stag. He thought
of this stag when he died. As such, in the next birth he became a stag,
although he did not forget the incident of his previous birth. Similarly,
Citraketu also fell down due to his offenses at the feet of Siva. But in spite
of all this, the stress is given here to surrendering unto the lotus feet of
the Lord, even if there is a chance of falling down, because even though one
falls down from the prescribed duties of devotional service, he will never
forget the lotus feet of the Lord. Once engaged in the devotional service of
the Lord, one will continue the service in all circumstances. In the
Bhagavad-gita it is said that even a small quantity of devotional service can
save one from the most dangerous position. There are many instances of such
examples in history. Ajamila is one of them. Ajamila in his early life was a
devotee, but in his youth he fell down. Still he was saved by the Lord at the
end.

TEXT 18

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah
tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham
kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa

tasya--for that purpose; eva--only; hetoh--reason; prayateta--should endeavor;

kovidah--one who is philosophically inclined; na--not; labhyate--is not
obtained; yat--what; bhramatam--wandering; upari adhah--from top to bottom;
tat--that; labhyate--can be obtained; duhkhavat--like the miseries;
anyatah--as a result of previous work; sukham--sense enjoyment; kalena--in
course of time; sarvatra--everywhere; gabhira--subtle; ramhasa--progress.

TRANSLATION

Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should

endeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable even by
wandering from the topmost planet [Brahmaloka] down to the lowest planet
[Patala]. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it
 151

can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time we

obtain miseries even though we do not desire them.

PURPORT

Every man everywhere is trying to obtain the greatest amount of sense

enjoyment by various endeavors. Some men are busy engaged in trade,
industry,
economic development, political supremacy, etc., and some of them are
engaged
in fruitive work to become happy in the next life by attaining higher planets.
It is said that on the moon the inhabitants are fit for greater sense
enjoyment by drinking soma-rasa, and the Pitrloka is obtained by good
charitable work. So there are various programs for sense enjoyment, either
during this life or in the life after death. Some are trying to reach the moon
or other planets by some mechanical arrangement, for they are very anxious
to
get into such planets without doing good work. But it is not to happen. By the
law of the Supreme, different places are meant for different grades of living
beings according to the work they have performed. By good work only, as
prescribed in the scriptures, can one obtain birth in a good family, opulence,
good education and good bodily features. We see also that even in this life
one obtains a good education or money by good work. Similarly, in our next
birth we get such desirable positions only by good work. Otherwise, it would
not so happen that two persons born in the same place at the same time are
seen differently placed according to previous work. But all such material
positions are impermanent. The positions in the topmost Brahmaloka and in
the
lowest Patala are also changeable according to our own work. The
philosophically inclined person must not be tempted by such changeable
positions. He should try to get into the permanent life of bliss and knowledge
where he will not be forced to come back again to the miserable material
world, either in this or that planet. Miseries and mixed happiness are two
features of material life, and they are obtained in Brahmaloka and in other
lokas also. They are obtained in the life of the demigods and also in the life
of the dogs and hogs. The miseries and mixed happiness of all living beings
are only of different degree and quality, but no one is free from the miseries
of birth, death, old age and disease. Similarly, everyone has his destined
happiness also. No one can get more or less of these things simply by personal
endeavors. Even if they are obtained, they can be lost again. One should not,
therefore, waste time with these flimsy things; one should only endeavor to go
back to Godhead. That should be the mission of everyone's life.

TEXT 19

na vai jano jatu kathancanavrajen

mukunda-sevy anyavad anga samsrtim
smaran mukundanghry-upaguhanam punar
vihatum icchen na rasa-graho janah

na--never; vai--certainly; janah--a person; jatu--at any time;

kathancana--somehow or other; avrajet--does not undergo; mukunda-sevi--the
 152

devotee of the Lord; anyavat--like others; anga--O my dear; samsrtim--

material
existence; smaran--remembering; mukunda-anghri--the lotus feet of the Lord;
upaguhanam--embracing; punah--again; vihatum--willing to give up;
icchet--desire; na--never; rasa-grahah--one who has relished the mellow;
janah--person.

TRANSLATION

My dear Vyasa, even though a devotee of Lord Krsna sometimes falls down
somehow or other, he certainly does not undergo material existence like
others
[fruitive workers, etc.] because a person who has once relished the taste of
the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and
again.

PURPORT

A devotee of the Lord automatically becomes uninterested in the

enchantment of material existence because he is rasa-graha, or one who has
tasted the sweetness of the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. There are certainly many
instances where devotees of the Lord have fallen down due to uncongenial
association, just like fruitive workers, who are always prone to degradation.
But even though he falls down, a devotee is never to be considered the same
as
a fallen karmi. A karmi suffers the result of his own fruitive reactions,
whereas a devotee is reformed by chastisement directed by the Lord Himself.
The sufferings of an orphan and the sufferings of a beloved child of a king
are not one and the same. An orphan is really poor because he has no one to
take care of him, but a beloved son of a rich man, although he appears to be
on the same level as the orphan, is always under the vigilance of his capable
father. A devotee of the Lord, due to wrong association, sometimes imitates
the fruitive workers. The fruitive workers want to lord it over the material
world. Similarly, a neophyte devotee foolishly thinks of accumulating some
material power in exchange for devotional service. Such foolish devotees are
sometimes put into difficulty by the Lord Himself. As a special favor, He may
remove all material paraphernalia. By such action, the bewildered devotee is
forsaken by all friends and relatives, and so he comes to his senses again by
the mercy of the Lord and is set right to execute his devotional service.
In the Bhagavad-gita it is also said that such fallen devotees are given
a chance to take birth in a family of highly qualified brahmanas or in a rich
mercantile family. A devotee in such a position is not as fortunate as one who
is chastised by the Lord and put into a position seemingly of helplessness.
The devotee who becomes helpless by the will of the Lord is more fortunate
than those who are born in good families. The fallen devotees born in a good
family may forget the lotus feet of the Lord because they are less fortunate,
but the devotee who is put into a forlorn condition is more fortunate because
he swiftly returns to the lotus feet of the Lord, thinking himself helpless
all around.
Pure devotional service is so spiritually relishable that a devotee
becomes automatically uninterested in material enjoyment. That is the sign of
perfection in progressive devotional service. A pure devotee continuously
 153

remembers the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna and does not forget Him even for a
moment, not even in exchange for all the opulence of the three worlds.

TEXT 20

idam hi visvam bhagavan ivetaro

yato jagat-sthana-nirodha-sambhavah
tad dhi svayam veda bhavams tathapi te
pradesa-matram bhavatah pradarsitam

idam--this; hi--all; visvam--cosmos; bhagavan--the Supreme Lord; iva--almost

the same; itarah--different from; yatah--from whom; jagat--the worlds;
sthana--exist; nirodha--annihilation; sambhavah--creation; tat hi--all about;
svayam--personally; veda--know; bhavan--your good self; tatha api--still;
te--unto you; pradesa-matram--a synopsis only; bhavatah--unto you;
pradarsitam--explained.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is Himself this cosmos, and still
He is aloof from it. From Him only has this cosmic manifestation emanated, in
Him it rests, and unto Him it enters after annihilation. Your good self knows
all about this. I have given only a synopsis.

PURPORT

For a pure devotee, the conception of Mukunda, Lord Sri Krsna, is both
personal and impersonal. The impersonal cosmic situation is also Mukunda
because it is the emanation of the energy of Mukunda. For example, a tree is a
complete unit, whereas the leaves and the branches of the tree are emanated
parts and parcels of the tree. The leaves and branches of the tree are also
the tree, but the tree itself is neither the leaves nor the branches. The
Vedic version that the whole cosmic creation is nothing but Brahman means
that
since everything is emanating from the Supreme Brahman, nothing is apart
from
Him. Similarly, the part-and-parcel hands and legs are called the body, but
the body as the whole unit is neither the hands nor the legs. The Lord is the
transcendental form of eternity, cognition and beauty. And thus the creation
of the energy of the Lord appears to be partially eternal, full of knowledge
and beautiful also. The captivated conditioned souls under the influence of
the external energy, maya, are therefore entrapped in the network of the
material nature. They accept this as all in all, for they have no information
of the Lord who is the primeval cause. Nor have they information that the
parts and parcels of the body, being detached from the whole body, are no
longer the same hand or leg as when attached to the body. Similarly, a
godless
civilization detached from the transcendental loving service of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is just like a detached hand or leg. Such parts and
parcels may appear like hands and legs, but they have no efficiency. The
devotee of the Lord, Srila Vyasadeva, knows this very well. He is further
advised by Srila Narada to expand the idea so that the entrapped conditioned
 154

souls may take lessons from him to understand the Supreme Lord as the
primeval
cause.
According to the Vedic version, the Lord is naturally fully powerful, and
thus His supreme energies are always perfect and identical with Him. Both the
spiritual and the material skies and their paraphernalia are emanations of the
internal and external energies of the Lord. External energy is comparatively
inferior, whereas the internal potency is superior. The superior energy is
living force, and therefore she is completely identical, but the external
energy, being inert, is partially identical. But both the energies are neither
equal to nor greater than the Lord, who is the generator of all energies; such
energies are always under His control, exactly as electrical energy, however
powerful it may be, is always under the control of the engineer.
The human being and all other living beings are products of His internal
energies. Thus the living being is also identical with the Lord. But he is
never equal or superior to the Personality of Godhead. The Lord and living
beings are all individual persons. With the help of the material energies the
living beings are also creating something, but none of their creations are
equal or superior to the creations of the Lord. The human being may create a
small playful sputnik and may throw it into outer space, but that does not
mean that he can create a planet like the earth or moon and float it in the
air as the Lord does. Men with a poor fund of knowledge claim to be equal to
the Lord. They are never equal to the Lord. This is never to be. The human
being, after attaining complete perfection, may achieve a large percentage of
the qualities of the Lord (say up to seventy-eight percent), but it is never
possible to surpass the Lord or to become equal with Him. In a diseased
condition only, the foolish being claims to be one with the Lord and thus
becomes misled by the illusory energy. The misguided living beings, therefore,
must accept the supremacy of the Lord and agree to render loving service to
Him. For this they have been created. Without this, there cannot be any peace
or tranquillity in the world. Srila Vyasadeva is advised by Srila Narada to
expand this idea in the Bhagavatam. In the Bhagavad-gita also the same idea
is
explained: surrender fully unto the lotus feet of the Lord. That is the only
business of the perfect human being.

TEXT 21

tvam atmanatmanam avehy amogha-drk

parasya pumsah paramatmanah kalam
ajam prajatam jagatah sivaya tan
mahanubhavabhyudayo 'dhiganyatam

tvam--yourself; atmana--by your own self; atmanam--the Supersoul;

avehi--search out; amogha-drk--one who has perfect vision; parasya--of the
Transcendence; pumsah--the Personality of Godhead; paramatmanah--of the
Supreme Lord; kalam--plenary part; ajam--birthless; prajatam--have taken
birth; jagatah--of the world; sivaya--for the well-being; tat--that;
maha-anubhava--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna;
abhyudayah--pastimes; adhiganyatam--describe most vividly.

TRANSLATION
 155

Your Goodness has perfect vision. You yourself can know the Supersoul
Personality of Godhead because you are present as the plenary portion of the
Lord. Although you are birthless, you have appeared on this earth for the
well-being of all people. Please, therefore, describe the transcendental
pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna more vividly.

PURPORT

Srila Vyasadeva is the empowered plenary portion incarnation of the

Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. He descended by his causeless mercy to
deliver the fallen souls in the material world. The fallen and forgotten souls
are detached from the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The living
entities are parts and parcels of the Lord, and they are eternally servitors
of the Lord. All the Vedic literatures, therefore, are put into systematic
order for the benefit of the fallen souls, and it is the duty of the fallen
souls to take advantage of such literatures and be freed from the bondage of
material existence. Although formally Srila Narada Rsi is his spiritual
master, Srila Vyasadeva is not at all dependent on a spiritual master because
in essence he is the spiritual master of everyone else. But because he is
doing the work of an acarya, he has taught us by his own conduct that one
must
have a spiritual master, even though he be God Himself. Lord Sri Krsna, Lord
Sri Rama and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all incarnations of Godhead,
accepted formal spiritual masters, although by Their transcendental nature
They were cognizant of all knowledge. In order to direct people in general to
the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna, He Himself in the incarnation of Vyasadeva
is delineating the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.

TEXT 22

idam hi pumsas tapasah srutasya va

svistasya suktasya ca buddhi-dattayoh
avicyuto 'rthah kavibhir nirupito
yad-uttamasloka-gunanuvarnanam

idam--this; hi--certainly; pumsah--of everyone; tapasah--by dint of

austerities; srutasya--by dint of study of the Vedas; va--or;
svistasya--sacrifice; suktasya--spiritual education; ca--and; buddhi--culture
of knowledge; dattayoh--charity; avicyutah--infallible; arthah--interest;
kavibhih--by the recognized learned person; nirupitah--concluded; yat--what;
uttamasloka--the Lord, who is described by choice poetry;
guna-anuvarnanam--description of the transcendental qualities of.

TRANSLATION

Learned circles have positively concluded that the infallible purpose of

the advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study of the Vedas,
sacrifice, chanting of hymns and charity, culminates in the transcendental
descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry.

PURPORT
 156

Human intellect is developed for advancement of learning in art, science,

philosophy, physics, chemistry, psychology, economics, politics, etc. By
culture of such knowledge the human society can attain perfection of life.
This perfection of life culminates in the realization of the Supreme Being,
Visnu. The sruti therefore directs that those who are actually advanced in
learning should aspire for the service of Lord Visnu. Unfortunately persons
who are enamored by the external beauty of visnu-maya do not understand
that
culmination of perfection or self-realization depends on Visnu. Visnu-maya
means sense enjoyment, which is transient and miserable. Those who are
entrapped by visnu-maya utilize advancement of knowledge for sense
enjoyment.
Sri Narada Muni has explained that all paraphernalia of the cosmic universe is
but an emanation from the Lord out of His different energies because the Lord
has set in motion, by His inconceivable energy, the actions and reactions of
the created manifestation. They have come to be out of His energy, they rest
on His energy, and after annihilation they merge into Him. Nothing is,
therefore, different from Him, but at the same time the Lord is always
different from them.
When advancement of knowledge is applied in the service of the Lord, the
whole process becomes absolute. The Personality of Godhead and His
transcendental name, fame, glory, etc., are all nondifferent from Him.
Therefore, all the sages and devotees of the Lord have recommended that the
subject matter of art, science, philosophy, physics, chemistry, psychology and
all other branches of knowledge should be wholly and solely applied in the
service of the Lord. Art, literature, poetry, painting, etc., may be used in
glorifying the Lord. The fiction writers, poets and celebrated literateurs are
generally engaged in writing of sensuous subjects, but if they turn towards
the service of the Lord they can describe the transcendental pastimes of the
Lord. Valmiki was a great poet, and similarly Vyasadeva is a great writer, and
both of them have absolutely engaged themselves in delineating the
transcendental activities of the Lord and by doing so have become immortal.
Similarly, science and philosophy also should be applied in the service of the
Lord. There is no use presenting dry speculative theories for sense
gratification. philosophy and science should be engaged to establish the glory
of the Lord. Advanced people are eager to understand the Absolute Truth
through the medium of science, and therefore a great scientist should
endeavor
to prove the existence of the Lord on a scientific basis. Similarly,
philosophical speculations should be utilized to establish the Supreme Truth
as sentient and all-powerful. Similarly, all other branches of knowledge
should always be engaged in the service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita also
the same is affirmed. All "knowledge" not engaged in the service of the Lord
is but nescience. Real utilization of advanced knowledge is to establish the
glories of the Lord, and that is the real import. Scientific knowledge engaged
in the service of the Lord and all similar activities are all factually
hari-kirtana, or glorification of the Lord.

TEXT 23

aham puratita-bhave 'bhavam mune

 157

dasyas tu kasyascana veda-vadinam

nirupito balaka eva yoginam
susrusane pravrsi nirviviksatam

aham--I; pura--formerly; atita-bhave--in the previous millennium;

abhavam--became; mune--O muni; dasyah--of the maidservant; tu--but;
kasyascana--certain; veda-vadinam--of the followers of Vedanta;
nirupitah--engaged; balakah--boy servant; eva--only; yaginam--of the
devotees;
susrusane--in the service of; pravrsi--during the four months of the rainy
season; nirviviksatam--living together.

TRANSLATION

O muni, in the last millennium I was born as the son of a certain

maidservant engaged in the service of brahmanas who were following the
principles of Vedanta. When they were living together during the four months
of the rainy season, I was engaged in their personal service.

PURPORT

The wonder of an atmosphere surcharged with devotional service to the

Lord is briefly described herein by Sri Narada Muni. He was the son of the
most insignificant parentage. He was not properly educated. Still, because his
complete energy was engaged in the service of the Lord, he became an
immortal
sage. Such is the powerful action of devotional service. The living entities
are the marginal energy of the Lord, and therefore they are meant for being
properly utilized in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. When this
is not done, one's situation is called maya. Therefore the illusion of maya is
at once dissipated as soon as one's full energy is converted in the service of
the Lord instead of in sense enjoyment. From the personal example of Sri
Narada Muni in his previous birth, it is clear that the service of the Lord
begins with the service of the Lord's bona fide servants. The Lord says that
the service of His servants is greater than His personal service. Service of
the devotee is more valuable than the service of the Lord. One should
therefore choose a bona fide servant of the Lord constantly engaged in His
service, accept such a servant as the spiritual master and engage himself in
his (the spiritual master's) service. Such a spiritual master is the
transparent medium by which to visualize the Lord, who is beyond the
conception of the material senses. By service of the bona fide spiritual
master, the Lord consents to reveal Himself in proportion to the service
rendered. Utilization of the human energy in the service of the Lord is the
progressive path of salvation. The whole cosmic creation becomes at once
identical with the Lord as soon as service in relation with the Lord is
rendered under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. The expert
spiritual master knows the art of utilizing everything to glorify the Lord,
and therefore under his guidance the whole world can be turned into the
spiritual abode by the divine grace of the Lord's servant.

TEXT 24
 158

te mayy apetakhila-capale 'rbhake

dante 'dhrta-kridanake 'nuvartini
cakruh krpam yadyapi tulya-darsanah
susrusamane munayo 'lpa-bhasini

te--they; mayi--unto me; apeta--not having undergone; akhila--all kinds of;

capale--proclivities; arbhake--unto a boy; dante--having controlled the
senses; adhrta-kridanake--without being accustomed to sporting habits;
anuvartini--obedient; cakruh--did bestow; krpam--causeless mercy;
yadyapi--although; tulya-darsanah--impartial by nature; susrusamane--unto
the
faithful; munayah--the muni followers of the Vedanta; alpa-bhasini--one who
does not speak more than required.

TRANSLATION

Although they were impartial by nature, those followers of the Vedanta

blessed me with their causeless mercy. As far as I was concerned, I was
self-controlled and had no attachment for sports, even though I was a boy. In
addition, I was not naughty, and I did not speak more than required.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, "All the Vedas are searching after
Me." Lord Sri Caitanya says that in the Vedas the subject matters are only
three, namely to establish the relation of the living entities with the
Personality of Godhead, perform the relative duties in devotional service and
thus achieve the ultimate goal, back to Godhead. As such, vedanta-vadis, or
the followers of the Vedanta, indicate the pure devotees of the Personality of
Godhead. Such vedanta-vadis, or the bhakti-vedantas, are impartial in
distributing the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. To them no
one is enemy or friend; no one is educated or uneducated. No one is especially
favorable, and no one is unfavorable. The bhakti-vedantas see that the people
in general are wasting time in false sensuous things. Their business is to get
the ignorant mass of people to reestablish their lost relationship with the
Personality of Godhead. By such endeavor, even the most forgotten soul is
roused up to the sense of spiritual life, and thus being initiated by the
bhakti-vedantas, the people in general gradually progress on the path of
transcendental realization. So the vedanta-vadis initiated the boy even before
he became self-controlled and was detached from childish sporting, etc. But
before the initiation, he (the boy) became more and more advanced in
discipline, which is very essential for one who wishes to make progress in the
line. In the system of varnasrama-dharma, which is the beginning of actual
human life, small boys after five years of age are sent to become brahmacari
at the guru's asrama, where these things are systematically taught to boys, be
they king's sons or sons of ordinary citizens. The training was compulsory not
only to create good citizens of the state, but also to prepare the boy's
future life for spiritual realization. The irresponsible life of sense
enjoyment was unknown to the children of the followers of the varnasrama
system. The boy was even injected with spiritual acumen before being placed
by
the father in the womb of the mother. Both the father and the mother were
 159

responsible for the boy's success in being liberated from the material
bondage. That is the process of successful family planning. It is to beget
children for complete perfection. Without being self-controlled, without being
disciplined and without being fully obedient, no one can become successful in
following the instructions of the spiritual master, and without doing so, no
one is able to go back to Godhead.

TEXT 25

ucchista-lepan anumodito dvijaih

sakrt sma bhunje tad-apasta-kilbisah
evam pravrttasya visuddha-cetasas
tad-dharma evatma-rucih prajayate

ucchista-lepan--the remnants of foodstuff; anumoditah--being permitted;

dvijaih--by the Vedantist brahmanas; sakrt--once upon a time; sma--in the
past; bhunje--took; tat--by that action; apasta--eliminated; kilbisah--all
sins; evam--thus; pravrttasya--being engaged; visuddha-cetasah--of one
whose
mind is purified; tat--that particular; dharmah--nature; eva--certainly;
atma-rucih--transcendental attraction; prajayate--was manifested.

TRANSLATION

Once only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by
so doing all my sins were at once eradicated. Thus being engaged, I became
purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist
became attractive to me.

PURPORT

Pure devotion is as much infectious, in a good sense, as infectious

diseases. A pure devotee is cleared from all kinds of sins. The Personality of
Godhead is the purest entity, and unless one is equally pure from the
infection of material qualities, one cannot become a pure devotee of the Lord.
The bhakti-vedantas as above mentioned were pure devotees, and the boy
became
infected with their qualities of purity by their association and by eating
once the remnants of the foodstuff taken by them. Such remnants may be
taken
even without permission of the pure devotees. There are sometimes
pseudodevotees, and one should be very much cautious about them. There
are
many things which hinder one from entering devotional service. But by the
association of pure devotees all these obstacles are removed. The neophyte
devotee becomes practically enriched with the transcendental qualities of the
pure devotee, which means attraction for the Personality of Godhead's name,
fame, quality, pastimes, etc. Infection of the qualities of the pure devotee
means to imbibe the taste of pure devotion always in the transcendental
activities of the Personality of Godhead. This transcendental taste at once
makes all material things distasteful. Therefore a pure devotee is not at all
attracted by material activities. After the elimination of all sins or
 160

obstacles on the path of devotional service, one can become attracted, one
can
have steadiness, one can have perfect taste, one can have transcendental
emotions, and at last one can be situated on the plane of loving service of
the Lord. All these stages develop by the association of pure devotees, and
that is the purport of this stanza.

TEXT 26

tatranvaham krsna-kathah pragayatam

anugrahenasrnavam manoharah
tah sraddhaya me 'nupadam visrnvatah
priyasravasy anga mamabhavad rucih

tatra--thereupon; anu--every day; aham--I; krsna-kathah--narration of Lord

Krsna's activities; pragayatam--describing; anugrahena--by causeless mercy;
asrnavam--giving aural reception; manah-harah--attractive; tah--those;
sraddhaya--respectfully; me--unto me; anupadam--every step;
visrnvatah--hearing attentively; priyasravasi--of the Personality of Godhead;
anga--O Vyasadeva; mama--mine; abhavat--it so became; rucih--taste.

TRANSLATION

O Vyasadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great

Vedantists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Krsna
And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of
Godhead increased at every step.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is attractive not

only in His personal features, but also in His transcendental activities. It
is so because the Absolute is absolute by His name, fame, form, pastimes,
entourage, paraphernalia, etc. The Lord descends on this material world out of
His causeless mercy and displays His various transcendental pastimes as a
human being so that human beings attracted towards Him become able to go
back
to Godhead. Men are naturally apt to hear histories and narrations of various
personalities performing mundane activities, without knowing that by such
association one simply wastes valuable time and also becomes addicted to the
three qualities of mundane nature. Instead of wasting time, one can get
spiritual success by turning his attention to the transcendental pastimes of
the Lord. By hearing the narration of the pastimes of the Lord, one contacts
directly the Personality of Godhead, and, as explained before, by hearing
about the Personality of Godhead, from within, all accumulated sins of the
mundane creature are cleared. Thus being cleared of all sins, the hearer
gradually becomes liberated from mundane association and becomes
attracted to
the features of the Lord. Narada Muni has just explained this by his personal
experience. The whole idea is that simply by hearing about the Lord's
pastimes
one can become one of the associates of the Lord. Narada Muni has eternal
 161

life, unlimited knowledge and unfathomed bliss, and he can travel all over the
material and spiritual worlds without restriction. One can attain to the
highest perfection of life simply by attentive hearing of the transcendental
pastimes of the Lord from the right sources, as Sri Narada heard them from
the
pure devotees (bhakti-vedantas) in his previous life. This process of hearing
in the association of the devotees is especially recommended in this age of
quarrel (Kali).

TEXT 27

tasmims tada labdha-rucer maha-mate

priyasravasy askhalita matir mama
yayaham etat sad-asat sva-mayaya
pasye mayi brahmani kalpitam pare

tasmin--it being so; tada--at that time; labdha--achieved; ruceh--taste;

maha-mate--O great sage; priyasravasi--upon the Lord; askhalita
matih--uninterrupted attention; mama--mine; yaya--by which; aham--I; etat--all
these; sat-asat--gross and subtle; svamayaya--one's own ignorance; pasye--
see;
mayi--in me; brahmani--the Supreme; kalpitam--is accepted; pare--in the
Transcendence.

TRANSLATION

O great sage, as soon as I got a taste for the Personality of Godhead, my

attention to hear of the Lord was unflinching. And as my taste developed, I
could realize that it was only in my ignorance that I had accepted gross and
subtle coverings, for both the Lord and I are transcendental.

PURPORT

Ignorance in material existence is compared to darkness, and in all Vedic

literatures the Personality of Godhead is compared to the sun. Wherever there
is light there cannot be darkness. Hearing of the Lord's pastimes is itself
transcendental association with the Lord because there is no difference
between the Lord and His transcendental pastimes. To become associated
with
the supreme light is to dissipate all ignorance. By ignorance only, the
conditioned soul wrongly thinks that both he and the Lord are products of
material nature. But in fact the Personality of Godhead and the living beings
are transcendental, and they have nothing to do with the material nature.
When
ignorance is removed and it is perfectly realized that there is nothing
existing without the Personality of Godhead, then nescience is removed. Since
the gross and subtle bodies are emanations from the Personality of Godhead,
the knowledge of light permits one to engage both of them in the service of
the Lord. The gross body should be engaged in acts of rendering service to the
Lord (as in bringing water, cleansing the temple or making obeisances, etc.).
The path of arcana, or worshiping the Lord in the temple, involves engaging
one's gross body in the service of the Lord. Similarly, the subtle mind should
 162

be engaged in hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, thinking about

them, chanting His name, etc. All such activities are transcendental. None of
the gross or subtle senses should otherwise be engaged. Such realization of
transcendental activities is made possible by many, many years of
apprenticeship in the devotional service, but simply attraction of love for
the Personality of Godhead, as it was developed in Narada Muni, by hearing, is
highly effective.

TEXT 28

ittham sarat-pravrsikav rtu harer

visrnvato me 'nusavam yaso 'malam
sankirtyamanam munibhir mahatmabhir
bhaktih pravrttatma-rajas-tamopaha

ittham--thus; sarat--autumn; pravrsikau--rainy season; rtu--two seasons;

hareh--of the Lord; visrnvatah--continuously hearing; me--myself;
anusavam--constantly; yasah amalam--unadulterated glories;
sankirtyamanam--chanted by; munibhih--the great sages; maha-atmabhih--
great
souls; bhaktih--devotional service; pravrtta--began to flow; atma--living
being; rajah--mode of passion; tama--mode of ignorance; upaha--vanishing.

TRANSLATION

Thus during two seasons--the rainy season and autumn--I had the
opportunity to hear these great-souled sages constantly chant the
unadulterated glories of the Lord Hari. As the flow of my devotional service
began, the coverings of the modes of passion and ignorance vanished.

PURPORT

Transcendental loving service for the Supreme Lord is the natural

inclination of every living being. The instinct is dormant in everyone, but
due to the association of material nature the modes of passion and ignorance
cover this from time immemorial. If, by the grace of the Lord and the
great-souled devotees of the Lord, a living being becomes fortunate enough to
associate with the unadulterated devotees of the Lord and gets a chance to
hear the unadulterated glories of the Lord, certainly the flow of devotional
service takes place like the flow of a river. As the river flows on till she
reaches the sea, similarly pure devotional service flows by the association of
pure devotees till it reaches the ultimate goal, namely, transcendental love
of God. Such a flow of devotional service cannot stop. On the contrary, it
increases more and more without limitation. The flow of devotional service is
so potent that any onlooker also becomes liberated from the influence of the
modes of passion and ignorance. These two qualities of nature are thus
removed, and the living being is liberated, being situated in his original
position.

TEXT 29

tasyaivam me 'nuraktasya
 163

prasritasya hatainasah
sraddadhanasya balasya
dantasyanucarasya ca

tasya--his; evam--thus; me--mine; anuraktasya--attached to them;

prasritasya--obediently; hata--freed from; enasah--sins; sraddadhanasya--of
the faithful; balasya--of the boy; dantasya--subjugated; anucarasya--strictly
fellowing the instructions; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

I was very much attached to those sages. I was gentle in behavior, and
all my sins were eradicated in their service. In my heart I had strong faith
in them. I had subjugated the senses, and I was strictly following them with
body and mind.

PURPORT

These are the necessary qualifications of a prospective candidate who can

expect to be elevated to the position of a pure unadulterated devotee. Such a
candidate must always seek the association of pure devotees. One should not
be
misled by a pseudodevotee. He himself must be plain and gentle to receive
the
instructions of such a pure devotee. A pure devotee is a completely
surrendered soul unto the Personality of Godhead. He knows the Personality of
Godhead as the supreme proprietor and all others as His servitors. And by the
association of pure devotees only, one can get rid of all sins accumulated by
mundane association. A neophyte devotee must faithfully serve the pure
devotee, and he should be very much obedient and strictly follow the
instructions. These are the signs of a devotee who is determined to achieve
success even in the existing duration of life.

TEXT 30

jnanam guhyatamam yat tat

saksad bhagavatoditam
anvavocan gamisyantah
krpaya dina-vatsalah

jnanam--knowledge; guhyatamam--most confidential; yat--what is; tat--that;

saksat--directly; bhagavata uditam--propounded by the Lord Himself;
anvavocan--gave instruction; gamisyantah--while departing from; krpaya--by
causeless mercy; dina-vatsalah--those who are very kind to the poor and
meek.

TRANSLATION

As they were leaving, those bhakti-vedantas, who are very kind to

poor-hearted souls, instructed me in that most confidential subject which is
instructed by the Personality of Godhead Himself.
 164

PURPORT

A pure Vedantist, or a bhakti-vedanta, instructs followers exactly

according to the instructions of the Lord Himself. The Personality of Godhead,
both in the Bhagavad-gita and in all other scriptures, has definitely
instructed men to follow the Lord only. The Lord is the creator, maintainer
and annihilator of everything. The whole manifested creation is existing by
His will, and by His will when the whole show is finished He will remain in
His eternal abode with all His paraphernalia. Before the creation He was there
in the eternal abode, and after the annihilation He will continue to remain.
He is not, therefore, one of the created beings. He is transcendental. In the
Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that long, long before the instruction was
imparted to Arjuna, the same was instructed to the sun-god, and in course of
time, the same instruction, being wrongly handled and being broken, was
again
instructed to Arjuna because he was His perfect devotee and friend. Therefore,
the instruction of the Lord can be understood by the devotees only and no one
else. The impersonalist, who has no idea of the transcendental form of the
Lord, cannot understand this most confidential message of the Lord. The
expression "most confidential" is significant here because knowledge of
devotional service is far, far above knowledge of impersonal Brahman. Jnanam
means ordinary knowledge or any branch of knowledge. This knowledge
develops
up to the knowledge of impersonal Brahman. Above this, when it is partially
mixed with devotion, such knowledge develops to knowledge of Paramatma,
or the
all-pervading Godhead. This is more confidential. But when such knowledge is
turned into pure devotional service and the confidential part of
transcendental knowledge is attained, it is called the most confidential
knowledge. This most confidential knowledge was imparted by the Lord to
Brahma, Arjuna, Uddhava, etc.

TEXT 31

yenaivaham bhagavato
vasudevasya vedhasah
mayanubhavam avidam
yena gacchanti tat-padam

yena--by which; eva--certainly; aham--I; bhagavatah--of the Personality of

Godhead; vasudevasya--of Lord Sri Krsna; vedhasah--of the supreme creator;
maya--energy; anubhavam--influence; avidam--easily understood; yena--by
which;
gacchanti--they go; tat-padam--at the lotus feet of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

By that confidential knowledge, I could understand clearly the influence

of the energy of Lord Sri Krsna, the creator, maintainer and annihilator of
everything. By knowing that, one can return to Him and personally meet Him.

PURPORT
 165

By devotional service or by the most confidential knowledge, one can

understand very easily how the different energies of the Lord are working. One
part of energy is manifesting the material world; the other (superior) part of
His energy is manifesting the spiritual world. And the via medium energy is
manifesting the living entities who are serving either of the above-mentioned
energies. The living entities serving material energy are struggling hard for
existence and happiness, which is presented to them as illusion. But those in
the spiritual energy are placed under the direct service of the Lord in
eternal life, complete knowledge and perpetual bliss. The Lord desires, as He
has directly said in the Bhagavad-gita, that all conditioned souls, rotting in
the kingdom of material energy, come back to Him by giving up all
engagements
in the material world. This is the most confidential part of knowledge. But
this can be understood only by the pure devotees, and only such devotees
enter
the kingdom of God to see Him personally and serve Him personally. The
concrete example is Narada Himself, who attained this stage of eternal
knowledge and eternal bliss. And the ways and means are open to all,
provided
one agrees to follow in the footsteps of Sri Narada Muni. According to sruti,
the Supreme Lord has unlimited energies (without effort by Him), and these
are
described under three principal headings, as above mentioned.

TEXT 32

etat samsucitam brahmams

tapa-traya-cikitsitam
yad isvare bhagavati
karma brahmani bhavitam

etat--this much; samsucitam--decided by the learned; brahman--O brahmana

Vyasa; tapa-traya--three kinds of miseries; cikitsitam--remedial measures;
yat--what; isvare--the supreme controller; bhagavati--unto the Personality of
Godhead; karma--one's prescribed activities; brahmani--unto the great;
bhavitam--dedicated.

TRANSLATION

O Brahmana Vyasadeva, it is decided by the learned that the best remedial

measure for removing all troubles and miseries is to dedicate one's activities
to the service of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead [Sri Krsna].

PURPORT

Sri Narada Muni personally experienced that the most feasible and
practical way to open the path of salvation or get relief from all miseries of
life is to hear submissively the transcendental activities of the Lord from
the right and bona fide sources. This is the only remedial process. The entire
material existence is full of miseries. Foolish people have manufactured, out
of their tiny brains, many remedial measures for removing the threefold
 166

miseries pertaining to the body and mind, pertaining to the natural

disturbances and in relation with other living beings. The whole world is
struggling very hard to exist out of these miseries, but men do not know that
without the sanction of the Lord no plan or no remedial measure can actually
bring about the desired peace and tranquillity. The remedial measure to cure a
patient by medical treatment is useless if it is not sanctioned by the Lord.
To cross the river or the ocean by a suitable boat is no remedial measure if
it is not sanctioned by the Lord. We should know for certain that the Lord is
the ultimate sanctioning officer, and we must therefore dedicate our attempts
to the mercy of the Lord for ultimate success or to get rid of the obstacles
on the path of success. The Lord is all-pervading, all-powerful, omniscient
and omnipresent. He is the ultimate sanctioning agent of all good or bad
effects. We should, therefore, learn to dedicate our activities unto the mercy
of the Lord and accept Him either as impersonal Brahman, localized
Paramatma
or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It does not matter what one is. One
must dedicate everything in the service of the Lord. If one is a learned
scholar, scientist, philosopher, poet, etc., then he should employ his
learning to establish the supremacy of the Lord. Try to study the energy of
the Lord in every sphere of life. Do not decry Him and try to become like Him
or take His position simply by fragmental accumulation of knowledge. If one is
an administrator, statesman, warrior, politician, etc., then one should try to
establish the Lord's supremacy in statesmanship. Fight for the cause of the
Lord as Sri Arjuna did. In the beginning, Sri Arjuna, the great fighter,
declined to fight, but when he was convinced by the Lord that the fighting was
necessary, Sri Arjuna changed his decision and fought for His cause.
Similarly, if one is a businessman, an industrialist, an agriculturist, etc.,
then one should spend his hard-earned money for the cause of the Lord. Think
always that the money which is accumulated is the wealth of the Lord. Wealth
is considered to be the goddess of fortune (Laksmi), and the Lord is Narayana,
or the husband of Laksmi. Try to engage Laksmi in the service of Lord
Narayana
and be happy. That is the way to realize the Lord in every sphere of life. The
best thing is, after all, to get relief from all material activities and
engage oneself completely in hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.
But in case of the absence of such an opportunity, one should try to engage in
the service of the Lord everything for which one has specific attraction, and
that is the way of peace and prosperity. The word samsucitam in this stanza is
also significant. One should not think for a moment that the realization of
Narada was childish imagination only. It is not like that. It is so realized
by the expert and erudite scholars, and that is the real import of the word
samsucitam.

TEXT 33

amayo yas ca bhutanam

jayate yena suvrata
tad eva hy amayam dravyam
na punati cikitsitam

amayah--diseases; yah ca--whatever; bhutanam--of the living being;

jayate--become possible; yena--by the agency; suvrata--O good soul; tat--that;
 167

eva--very; hi--certainly; amayam--disease; dravyam--thing; na--does it not;

punati--cure; cikitsitam--treated with.

TRANSLATION

O good soul, does not a thing, applied therapeutically, cure a disease

which was caused by that very same thing?

PURPORT

An expert physician treats his patient with a therapeutic diet. For

example, milk preparations sometimes cause disorder of the bowels, but the
very same milk converted into curd and mixed with some other remedial
ingredients cures such disorders. Similarly, the threefold miseries of
material existence cannot be mitigated simply by material activities. Such
activities have to be spiritualized, just as by fire iron is made red-hot, and
thereby the action of fire begins. Similarly, the material conception of a
thing is at once changed as soon as it is put into the service of the Lord.
That is the secret of spiritual success. We should not try to lord it over the
material nature, nor should we reject material things. The best way to make
the best use of a bad bargain is to use everything in relation with the
supreme spiritual being. Everything is an emanation from the Supreme Spirit,
and by His inconceivable power He can convert spirit into matter and matter
into spirit. Therefore a material thing (so-called) is at once turned into a
spiritual force by the great will of the Lord. The necessary condition for
such a change is to employ so-called matter in the service of the spirit. That
is the way to treat our material diseases and elevate ourselves to the
spiritual plane where there is no misery, no lamentation and no fear. When
everything is thus employed in the service of the Lord, we can experience that
there is nothing except the Supreme Brahman. The Vedic mantra that
"everything
is Brahman" is thus realized by us.

TEXT 34

evam nrnam kriya-yogah

sarve samsrti-hetavah
ta evatma-vinasaya
kalpante kalpitah pare

evam--thus; nrnam--of the human being; kriya-yogah--all activities;

sarve--everything; samsrti--material existence; hetavah--causes; te--that;
eva--certainly; atma--the tree of work; vinasaya--killing; kalpante--become
competent; kalpitah--dedicated; pare--unto the Transcendence.

TRANSLATION

Thus when all a man's activities are dedicated to the service of the
Lord, those very activities which caused his perpetual bondage become the
destroyer of the tree of work.

PURPORT
 168

Fruitive work which has perpetually engaged the living being is compared
to the banyan tree in the Bhagavad-gita, for it is certainly very deeply
rooted. As long as the propensity for enjoying the fruit of work is there, one
has to continue the transmigration of the soul from one body or place to
another, according to one's nature of work. The propensity for enjoyment may
be turned into the desire for serving the mission of the Lord, By doing so,
one's activity is changed into karma-yoga, or the way by which one can attain
spiritual perfection while engaging in the work for which he has a natural
tendency. Here the word atma indicates the categories of all fruitive work.
The conclusion is that when the result of all fruitive and other work is
dovetailed with the service of the Lord, it will cease to generate further
karma and will gradually develop into transcendental devotional service, which
will not only cut off completely the root of the banyan tree of work but will
also carry the performer to the lotus feet of the Lord.
The summary is that one has to, first of all, seek the association of
pure devotees who not only are learned in the Vedanta but are self-realized
souls and unalloyed devotees of Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. In
that association, the neophyte devotees must render loving service physically
and mentally without reservation. This service attitude will induce the great
souls to be more favorable in bestowing their mercy, which injects the
neophyte with all the transcendental qualities of the pure devotees. Gradually
this is developed into a strong attachment to hearing the transcendental
pastimes of the Lord, which makes him able to catch up the constitutional
position of the gross and subtle bodies and beyond them the knowledge of
pure
soul and his eternal relation with the Supreme Soul, the Personality of
Godhead. After the relation is ascertained by establishment of the eternal
relation, pure devotional service to the Lord begins gradually developing into
perfect knowledge of the Personality of Godhead beyond the purview of
impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma. By such purusottama-yoga, as
it is
stated in the Bhagavad-gita, one is made perfect even during the present
corporeal existence, and one exhibits all the good qualities of the Lord to
the highest percentage. Such is the gradual development by association of
pure
devotees.

TEXT 35

yad atra kriyate karma

bhagavat-paritosanam
jnanam yat tad adhinam hi
bhakti-yoga-samanvitam

yat--whatever; atra--in this life or world; kriyate--does perform;

karma--work; bhagavat--unto the Personality of Godhead;
paritosanam--satisfaction of; jnanam--knowledge; yat tat--what is so called;
adhinam--dependent; hi--certainly; bhakti-yoga--devotional;
samanvitam--dovetailed with bhakti-yoga.

TRANSLATION
 169

Whatever work is done here in this life for the satisfaction of the
mission of the Lord is called bhakti-yoga, or transcendental loving service to
the Lord, and what is called knowledge becomes a concomitant factor.

PURPORT

The general and popular notion is that by discharging fruitive work in

terms of the direction of the scriptures one becomes perfectly able to acquire
transcendental knowledge for spiritual realization. Bhakti-yoga is considered
by some to be another form of karma. But factually bhakti-yoga is above both
karma and jnana. Bhakti-yoga is independent of jnana or karma; on the other
hand, jnana and karma are dependent on bhakti-yoga. This kriya-yoga or
karma-yoga, as recommended by Sri Narada to Vyasa, is specifically
recommended
because the principle is to satisfy the Lord. The Lord does not want His sons,
the living beings, to suffer the threefold miseries of life. He desires that
all of them come to Him and live with Him, but going back to Godhead means
that one must purify himself from material infections. When work is
performed,
therefore, to satisfy the Lord, the performer becomes gradually purified from
the material affection. This purification means attainment of spiritual
knowledge. Therefore knowledge is dependent on karma, or work, done on
behalf
of the Lord. Other knowledge, being devoid of bhakti-yoga or satisfaction of
the Lord, cannot lead one back to the kingdom of God, which means that it
cannot even offer salvation, as already explained in connection with the
stanza naiskarmyam apy acyuta-bhava-varjitam (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.12).
The
conclusion is that a devotee engaged in the unalloyed service of the Lord,
specifically in hearing and chanting of His transcendental glories, becomes
simultaneously spiritually enlightened by the divine grace, as confirmed in
the Bhagavad-gita.

TEXT 36

kurvana yatra karmani

bhagavac-chiksayasakrt
grnanti guna-namani
krsnasyanusmaranti ca

kurvanah--while performing; yatra--thereupon; karmani--duties; bhagavat--the

Personality of Godhead; siksaya--by the will of; asakrt--constantly;
grnanti--takes on; guna--qualities; namani--names; krsnasya--of Krsna;
anusmaranti--constantly remembers; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

While performing duties according to the order of Sri Krsna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, one constantly remembers Him, His names and His
qualities.
 170

PURPORT

An expert devotee of the Lord can mold his life in such a way that while
performing all kinds of duties either for this or the next life, he can
constantly remember the Lord's name, fame, qualities, etc. The order of the
Lord is distinctly there in the Bhagavad-gita: one should work only for the
Lord in all spheres of life. In every sphere of life the Lord should be
situated as the proprietor. According to the Vedic rites, even in the worship
of some demigods like Indra, Brahma, Sarasvati and Ganesa, the system is
that
in all circumstances the representation of Visnu must be there as yajnesvara,
or the controlling power of such sacrifices. It is recommended that a
particular demigod be worshiped for a particular purpose, but still the
presence of Visnu is compulsory in order to make the function proper.
Apart from such Vedic duties, even in our ordinary dealings (for example,
in our household affairs or in our business or profession) we must consider
that the result of all activities must be given over to the supreme enjoyer,
Lord Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord has declared Himself to be the
supreme enjoyer of everything, the supreme proprietor of every planet and
the
supreme friend of all beings. No one else but Lord Sri Krsna can claim to be
the proprietor of everything within His creation. A pure devotee remembers
this constantly, and in doing so he repeats the transcendental name, fame and
qualities of the Lord, which means that he is constantly in touch with the
Lord. The Lord is identical with His name, fame, etc., and therefore to be
associated with His name, fame, etc., constantly, means actually to associate
with the Lord.
The major portion of our monetary income, not less than fifty percent,
must be spent to carry out the order of Lord Krsna. Not only should we give
the profit of our earning to this cause, but we must also arrange to preach
this cult of devotion to others because that is also one of the orders of the
Lord. The Lord definitely says that no one is more dear to Him than one who is
always engaged in the preaching work of the Lord's name and fame all over
the
world. The scientific discoveries of the material world can also be equally
engaged in carrying out His order. He wants the message of the Bhagavad-
gita
to be preached amongst His devotees. It may not be so done amongst those
who
have no credit of austerities, charity, education, etc. Therefore, the attempt
must go on to convert unwilling men to become His devotees. Lord Caitanya
has
taught a very simple method in this connection. He has taught the lesson for
preaching the transcendental message through singing, dancing and
refreshment.
As such, fifty percent of our income may be spent for this purpose. In this
fallen age of quarrel and dissension, if only the leading and wealthy persons
of society agree to spend fifty percent of their income in the service of the
Lord, as it is taught by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there is absolute
certainty of converting this hell of pandemonium to the transcendental abode
of the Lord. No one will disagree to partake in a function where good singing,
dancing and refreshment are administered. Everyone will attend such a
 171

function, and everyone is sure to feel individually the transcendental

presence of the Lord. This alone will help the attendant associate with the
Lord and thereby purify himself in spiritual realization. The only condition
for successfully executing such spiritual activities is that they must be
conducted under the guidance of a pure devotee who is completely free from
all
mundane desires, fruitive activities and dry speculations about the nature of
the Lord. No one has to discover the nature of the Lord. It is already spoken
by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita especially and in all other Vedic
literatures generally. We have simply to accept them in toto and abide by the
orders of the Lord. That will guide us to the path of perfection. One can
remain in his own position. No one has to change his position, especially in
this age of variegated difficulties. The only condition is that one must give
up the habit of dry speculation aimed at becoming one with the Lord. And
after
giving up such lofty puffed-up vanities, one may very submissively receive the
orders of the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita or Bhagavatam from the lips of a bona
fide devotee whose qualification is mentioned above. That will make
everything
successful, without a doubt.

TEXT 37

om namo bhagavate tubhyam

vasudevaya dhimahi
pradyumnayaniruddhaya
namah sankarsanaya ca

om--the sign of chanting the transcendental glory of the Lord; namah--offering

obeisances unto the Lord; bhagavate--unto the Personality of Godhead;
tubhyam--unto You; vasudevaya--unto the Lord, the son of Vasudeva;
dhimahi--let us chant; pradyumnaya, aniruddhaya and sankarsanaya--all
plenary
expansions of Vasudeva; namah--respectful obeisances; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

Let us all chant the glories of Vasudeva along with His plenary
expansions Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarsana.

PURPORT

According to Pancaratra, Narayana is the primeval cause of all expansions

of Godhead. These are Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.
Vasudeva
and Sankarsana are on the middle left and right, Pradyumna is on the right of
Sankarsana, and Aniruddha is on the left of Vasudeva, and thus the four
Deities are situated. They are known as the four aides-de-camp of Lord Sri
Krsna.
This is a Vedic hymn or mantra beginning with omkarapranava, and thus
the
 172

mantra is established by the transcendental chanting process, namely, om

namo
dhimahi, etc.
The purport is that any transaction, either in the field of fruitive work
or in empiric philosophy, which is not ultimately aimed at transcendental
realization of the Supreme Lord, is considered to be useless. Naradaji has
therefore explained the nature of unalloyed devotional service by his personal
experience in the development of intimacy between the Lord and the living
entity by a gradual process of progressive devotional activities. Such a
progressive march of transcendental devotion for the Lord culminates in the
attainment of loving service of the Lord, which is called prema in different
transcendental variegatedness called rasas (tastes). Such devotional service
is also executed in mixed forms, namely mixed with fruitive work or empiric
philosophical speculations.
Now the question which was raised by the great rsis headed by Saunaka
regarding the confidential part of Suta's achievement through the spiritual
master is explained herein by the chanting of this hymn consisting of
thirty-three letters. And this mantra is addressed to the four Deities, or the
Lord with His plenary expansions. The central figure is Lord Sri Krsna because
the plenary portions are His aides-de-camp. The most confidential part of the
instruction is that one should always chant and remember the glories of the
Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His different
plenary portions expanded as Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha.
Those expansions are the original Deities for all other truths, namely either
visnu-tattva or sakti-tattvas.

TEXT 38

iti murty-abhidhanena
mantra-murtim amurtikam
yajate yajna-purusam
sa samyag darsanah puman

iti--thus; murti--representation; abhidhanena--in sound; mantra-murtim--form

representation of transcendental sound; amurtikam--the Lord, who has no
material form; yajate--worship; yajna--Visnu; purusam--the Personality of
Godhead; sah--he alone; samyak--perfectly; darsanah--one who has seen;
puman--person.

TRANSLATION

Thus he is the actual seer who worships, in the form of transcendental

sound representation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, who has no
material form.

PURPORT

Our present senses are all made of material elements, and therefore they
are imperfect in realizing the transcendental form of Lord Visnu. He is
therefore worshiped by sound representation via the transcendental method
of
 173

chanting. Anything which is beyond the scope of experience by our imperfect

senses can be realized fully by the sound representation. A person
transmitting sound from a far distant place can be factually experienced. If
this is materially possible, why not spiritually? This experience is not a
vague impersonal experience. It is actually an experience of the
transcendental Personality of Godhead, who possesses the pure form of
eternity, bliss and knowledge.
In the Amarakosa Sanskrit dictionary the word murti carries import in
twofold meanings, namely, form and difficulty. Therefore amurtikam is
explained by Acarya Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura as meaning "without
difficulty." The transcendental form of eternal bliss and knowledge can be
experienced by our original spiritual senses, which can be revived by chanting
of the holy mantras, or transcendental sound representations. Such sound
should be received from the transparent agency of the bona fide spiritual
master, and the chanting may be practiced by the direction of the spiritual
master. That will gradually lead us nearer to the Lord. This method of worship
is recommended in the pancaratrika system, which is both recognized and
authorized. The pancaratrika system has the most authorized codes for
transcendental devotional service. Without the help of such codes, one cannot
approach the Lord, certainly not by dry philosophical speculation. The
pancaratrika system is both practical and suitable for this age of quarrel.
The Pancaratra is more important than the Vedanta for this modern age.

TEXT 39

imam sva-nigamam brahmann

avetya mad-anusthitam
adan me jnanam aisvaryam
svasmin bhavam ca kesavah

imam--thus; sva-nigamam--confidential knowledge of the Vedas in respect to

the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; brahman--O brahmana (Vyasadeva);
avetya--knowing it well; mat--by me; anusthitam--executed; adat--bestowed
upon
me; me--me; jnanam--transcendental knowledge; aisvaryam--opulence;
svasmin--personal; bhavam--intimate affection and love; ca--and; kesavah--
Lord
Krsna.

TRANSLATION

O brahmana, thus by the Supreme Lord Krsna I was endowed first with the
transcendental knowledge of the Lord as inculcated in the confidential parts
of the Vedas, then with the spiritual opulences, and then with His intimate
loving service.

PURPORT

Communion with the Lord by transmission of the transcendental sound is

nondifferent from the whole spirit Lord Sri Krsna. It is a completely perfect
method for approaching the Lord. By such pure contact with the Lord, without
 174

offense of material conceptions (numbering ten), the devotee can rise above
the material plane to understand the inner meaning of the Vedic literatures,
including the Lord's existence in the transcendental realm. The Lord reveals
His identity gradually to one who has unflinching faith, both in the spiritual
master and in the Lord. After this, the devotee is endowed with mystic
opulences, which are eight in number. And above all, the devotee is accepted
in the confidential entourage of the Lord and is entrusted with specific
service of the Lord through the agency of the spiritual master. A pure devotee
is more interested in serving the Lord than in showing an exhibition of the
mystic powers dormant in him. Sri Narada has explained all these from his
personal experience, and one can obtain all the facilities which Sri Narada
obtained by perfecting the chanting process of the sound representation of the
Lord. There is no bar for chanting this transcendental sound by anyone,
provided it is received through Narada's representative, coming down by the
chain of disciplic succession, or the parampara system.

TEXT 40

tvam apy adabhra-sruta visrutam vibhoh

samapyate yena vidam bubhutsitam
prakhyahi duhkhair muhur arditatmanam
sanklesa-nirvanam usanti nanyatha

tvam--your good soul; api--also; adabhra--vast; sruta--Vedic literatures;

visrutam--have heard also; vibhoh--of the Almighty; samapyate--satisfied;
yena--by which; vidam--of the learned; bubhutsitam--who always desire to
learn
transcendental knowledge; prakhyahi--describe; duhkhaih--by miseries;
muhuh--always; ardita-atmanam--suffering mass of people; sanklesa--
sufferings;
nirvanam--mitigation; usanti na--do not get out of; anyatha--by other means.

TRANSLATION

Please, therefore, describe the Almighty Lord's activities which you have
learned by your vast knowledge of the Vedas, for that will satisfy the
hankerings of great learned men and at the same time mitigate the miseries
of
the masses of common people who are always suffering from material pangs.
Indeed, there is no other way to get out of such miseries.

PURPORT

Sri Narada Muni from practical experience definitely asserts that the
prime solution of all problems of material work is to broadcast very widely
the transcendental glories of the Supreme Lord. There are four classes of good
men, and there are four classes of bad men also. The four classes of good men
acknowledge the authority of the Almighty God, and therefore such good men
(1)
when they are in difficulty, (2) when they are in need of money, (3) when they
are advanced in knowledge and (4) when they are inquisitive to know more
and
 175

more about God, intuitively take shelter of the Lord. As such, Naradaji
advises Vyasadeva to broadcast the transcendental knowledge of God in
terms of
the vast Vedic knowledge which he had already attained.
As far as the bad men are concerned, they are also four in number: (1)
those who are simply addicted to the mode of progressive fruitive work and
thus are subjected to the accompanying miseries, (2) those who are simply
addicted to vicious work for sense satisfaction and so suffer the consequence,
(3) those who are materially very much advanced in knowledge, but who
suffer
because they do not have the sense to acknowledge the authority of the
Almighty Lord, and (4) the class of men who are known as atheists and who
therefore purposely hate the very name of God, although they are always in
difficulty.
Sri Naradaji advised Vyasadeva to describe the glories of the Lord just
to do good to all eight classes of men, both good and bad. Srimad-
Bhagavatam
is therefore not meant for any particular class of men or sect. It is for the
sincere soul who actually wants his own welfare and peace of mind.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Fifth Chapter, of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Narada's Instructions on Srimad-
Bhagavatam
for Vyasadeva."

Chapter Six

Conversation Between Narada and Vyasadeva

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
evam nisamya bhagavan
devarser janma karma ca
bhuyah papraccha tam brahman
vyasah satyavati-sutah

sutah uvaca--Suta said; evam--thus; nisamya--hearing; bhagavan--the

powerful
incarnation of God; devarseh--of the great sage among the gods; janma--birth;
karma--work; ca--and; bhuyah--again; papraccha--asked; tam--him; brahman--
O
brahmanas; vyasah--Vyasadeva; satyavati-sutah--the son of Satyavati.

TRANSLATION

Suta said: O brahmanas, thus hearing all about Sri Narada's birth and
activities, Vyasadeva, the incarnation of God and son of Satyavati, inquired
as follows.
 176

PURPORT

Vyasadeva was further inquisitive to know about the perfection of

Naradaji, and therefore he wanted to know about him more and more. In this
chapter Naradaji will describe how he was able to have a brief audience with
the Lord while he was absorbed in the transcendental thought of separation
from the Lord and when it was very painful for him.

TEXT 2

vyasa uvaca
bhiksubhir vipravasite
vijnanadestrbhis tava
vartamano vayasy adye
tatah kim akarod bhavan

vyasah uvaca--Sri Vyasadeva said; bhiksubhih--by the great mendicants;

vipravasite--having departed for other places; vijnana--scientific knowledge
in transcendence; adestrbhih--those who had instructed; tava--of your;
vartamanah--present; vayasi--of the duration of life; adye--before the
beginning of; tatah--after that; kim--what; akarot--did; bhavan--your good
self.

TRANSLATION

Sri Vyasadeva said: What did you [Narada] do after the departure of the
great sages who had instructed you in scientific transcendental knowledge
before the beginning of your present birth?

PURPORT

Vyasadeva himself was the disciple of Naradaji, and therefore it was

natural to be anxious to hear what Narada did after initiation from the
spiritual masters. He wanted to follow in Narada's footsteps in order to
attain to the same perfect stage of life. This desire to inquire from the
spiritual master is an essential factor to the progressive path. This process
is technically known as sad-dharma-prccha.

TEXT 3

svayambhuva kaya vrttya

vartitam te param vayah
katham cedam udasraksih
kale prapte kalevaram

svayambhuva--O son of Brahma; kaya--under what condition; vrttya--

occupation;
vartitam--was spent; te--you; param--after the initiation; vayah--duration of
life; katham--how; ca--and; idam--this; udasraksih--did you quit; kale--in due
course; prapte--having attained; kalevaram--body.

TRANSLATION
 177

O son of Brahma, how did you pass your life after initiation, and how did
you attain this body, having quit your old one in due course?

PURPORT

Sri Narada Muni in his previous life was just an ordinary maidservant's
son, so how he became so perfectly transformed into the spiritual body of
eternal life, bliss and knowledge is certainly important. Sri Vyasadeva
desired him to disclose the facts for everyone's satisfaction.

TEXT 4

prak-kalpa-visayam etam
smrtim te muni-sattama
na hy esa vyavadhat kala
esa sarva-nirakrtih

prak--prior; kalpa--the duration of Brahma's day; visayam--subject matter;

etam--all these; smrtim--remembrance; te--your; muni-sattama--O great sage;
na--not; hi--certainly; esah--all these; vyavadhat--made any difference;
kalah--course of time; esah--all these; sarva--all; nirakrtih--annihilation.

TRANSLATION

O great sage, time annihilates everything in due course, so how is it

that this subject matter, which happened prior to this day of Brahma, is still
fresh in your memory, undisturbed by time?

PURPORT

As spirit is not annihilated even after the annihilation of the material

body, so also spiritual consciousness is not annihilated. Sri Narada developed
this spiritual consciousness even when he had his material body in the
previous kalpa. Consciousness of the material body means spiritual
consciousness expressed through the medium of a material body. This
consciousness is inferior, destructible and perverted. But superconsciousness
of the supramind in the spiritual plane is as good as the spirit soul and is
never annihilated.

TEXT 5

narada uvaca
bhiksubhir vipravasite
vijnanadestrbhir mama
vartamano vayasy adye
tata etad akarasam

naradah uvaca--Sri Narada said; bhiksubhih--by the great sages;

vipravasite--having departed for other places; vijnana--scientific spiritual
knowledge; adestrbhih--those who imparted unto me; mama--mine;
vartamanah--present; vayasi adye--before this life; tatah--thereafter;
 178

etat--this much; akarasam--performed.

TRANSLATION

Sri Narada said: The great sages, who had imparted scientific knowledge
of transcendence to me, departed for other places, and I had to pass my life
in this way.

PURPORT

In his previous life, when Naradaji was impregnated with spiritual

knowledge by the grace of the great sages, there was a tangible change in his
life, although he was only a boy of five years. That is an important symptom
visible after initiation by the bona fide spiritual master. Actual association
of devotees brings about a quick change in life for spiritual realization. How
it so acted upon the previous life of Sri Narada Muni is described by and by
in this chapter.

TEXT 6

ekatmaja me janani
yosin mudha ca kinkari
mayy atmaje 'nanya-gatau
cakre snehanubandhanam

eka-atmaja--having only one son; me--my; janani--mother; yosit--woman by

class; mudha--foolish; ca--and; kinkari--maidservant; mayi--unto me;
atmaje--being her offspring; ananya-gatau--one who has no alternative for
protection; cakre--did it; sneha-anubandhanam--tied by affectionate bondage.

TRANSLATION

I was the only son of my mother, who was not only a simple woman but a
maidservant as well. Since I was her only offspring, she had no other
alternative for protection: she bound me with the tie of affection.

TEXT 7

sasvatantra na kalpasid
yoga-ksemam mamecchati
isasya hi vase loko
yosa darumayi yatha

sa--she; asvatantra--was dependent; na--not; kalpa--able; asit--was;

yoga-ksemam--maintenance; mama--my; icchati--although desirous; isasya--of
providence; hi--for; vase--under the control of; lokah--everyone; yosa--doll;
daru-mayi--made of wood; yatha--as much as.

TRANSLATION
 179

She wanted to look after my maintenance properly, but because she was
not
independent, she was not able to do anything for me. The world is under the
full control of the Supreme Lord; therefore everyone is like a wooden doll in
the hands of a puppet master.

TEXT 8

aham ca tad-brahma-kule
usivams tad-upeksaya
dig-desa-kalavyutpanno
balakah panca-hayanah

aham--I; ca--also; tat--that; brahma-kule--in the school of the brahmanas;

usivan--lived; tat--her; upeksaya--being dependent on; dik-desa--direction and
country; kala--time; avyutpannah--having no experience; balakah--a mere
child;
panca--five; hayanah--years old.

TRANSLATION

When I was a mere child of five years, I lived in a brahmana school. I

was dependent on my mother's affection and had no experience of different
lands.

TEXT 9

ekada nirgatam gehad

duhantim nisi gam pathi
sarpo 'dasat pada sprstah
krpanam kala-coditah

ekada--once upon a time; nirgatam--having gone away; gehat--from home;

duhantim--for milking; nisi--at night; gam--the cow; pathi--on the path;
sarpah--snake; adasat--bitten; pada--on the leg; sprstah--thus struck;
krpanam--the poor woman; kala-coditah--influenced by supreme time.

TRANSLATION

Once upon a time, my poor mother, when going out one night to milk a
cow,
was bitten on the leg by a serpent, influenced by supreme time.

PURPORT

That is the way of dragging a sincere soul nearer to God. The poor boy
was being looked after only by his affectionate mother, and yet the mother
was
taken from the world by the supreme will in order to put him completely at the
mercy of the Lord.
 180

TEXT 10

tada tad aham isasya

bhaktanam sam abhipsatah
anugraham manyamanah
pratistham disam uttaram

tada--at that time; tat--that; aham--I; isasya--of the Lord; bhaktanam--of the
devotees; sam--mercy; abhipsatah--desiring; anugraham--special benediction;
manyamanah--thinking in that way; pratistham--departed; disam uttaram--in
the
northern direction.

TRANSLATION

I took this as the special mercy of the Lord, who always desires
benediction for His devotees, and so thinking, I started for the north.

PURPORT

Confidential devotees of the Lord see in every step a benedictory

direction of the Lord. What is considered to be an odd or difficult moment in
the mundane sense is accepted as special mercy of the Lord. Mundane
prosperity
is a kind of material fever, and by the grace of the Lord the temperature of
this material fever is gradually diminished, and spiritual health is obtained
step by step. Mundane people misunderstand it.

TEXT 11

sphitan janapadams tatra

pura-grama-vrajakaran
kheta-kharvata-vatis ca
vanany upavanani ca

sphitan--very flourishing; jana-padan--metropolises; tatra--there;

pura--towns; grama--villages; vraja--big farms; akaran--mineral fields
(mines); kheta--agricultural lands; kharvata--valleys; vatih--flower gardens;
ca--and; vanani--forests; upavanani--nursery gardens; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

After my departure, I passed through many flourishing metropolises,

towns, villages, animal farms, mines, agricultural lands, valleys, flower
gardens, nursery gardens and natural forests.

PURPORT

Man's activities in agriculture, mining, farming, industries, gardening,

etc., were all on the same scale as they are now, even previous to the present
creation, and the same activities will remain as they are, even in the next
 181

creation. After many hundreds of millions of years, one creation is started by

the law of nature, and the history of the universe repeats itself practically
in the same way. The mundane wranglers waste time with archaeological
excavations without searching into the vital necessities of life. After
getting an impetus in spiritual life, Sri Narada Muni, even though a mere
child, did not waste time for a single moment with economic development,
although he passed towns and villages, mines and industries. He continually
went on to progressive spiritual emancipation. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the
repetition of history which happened some hundreds of millions of years ago.
As it is said herein, only the most important factors of history are picked up
to be recorded in this transcendental literature.

TEXT 12

citra-dhatu-vicitradrin
ibha-bhagna-bhuja-druman
jalasayan chiva-jalan
nalinih sura-sevitah
citra-svanaih patra-rathair
vibhramad bhramara-sriyah

citra-dhatu--valuable minerals like gold, silver and copper; vicitra--full of

variegatedness; adrin--hills and mountains; ibha-bhagna--broken by the giant
elephants; bhuja--branches; druman--trees; jalasayan siva--health-giving;
jalan--reservoirs of water; nalinih--lotus flowers; sura-sevitah--aspired to
by the denizens of heaven; citra-svanaih--pleasing to the heart;
patra-rathaih--by the birds; vibhramat--bewildering;
bhramara-sriyah--decorated by drones.

TRANSLATION

I passed through hills and mountains full of reservoirs of various

minerals like gold, silver and copper, and through tracts of land with
reservoirs of water filled with beautiful lotus flowers, fit for the denizens
of heaven, decorated with bewildered bees and singing birds.

TEXT 13

nala-venu-saras-tanba-
kusa-kicaka-gahvaram
eka evatiyato 'ham
adraksam vipinam mahat
ghoram pratibhayakaram
vyaloluka-sivajiram

nala--pipes; venu--bamboo; sarah--pens; tanba--full of; kusa--sharp grass;

kicaka--weeds; gahvaram--caves; ekah--alone; eva--only; atiyatah--difficult to
go through; aham--I; adraksam--visited; vipinam--deep forests; mahat--great;
ghoram--fearful; pratibhaya-akaram--dangerously; vyala--snakes; uluka--owls;
siva--jackals; ajiram--playgrounds.
 182

TRANSLATION

I then passed alone through many forests of rushes, bamboo, reeds, sharp
grass, weeds and caves, which were very difficult to go through alone. I
visited deep, dark and dangerously fearful forests, which were the play yards
of snakes, owls and jackals.

PURPORT

It is the duty of a mendicant (parivrajakacarya) to experience all

varieties of God's creation by traveling alone through all forests, hills,
towns, villages, etc., to gain faith in God and strength of mind as well as to
enlighten the inhabitants with the message of God. A sannyasi is duty-bound
to
take all these risks without fear, and the most typical sannyasi of the
present age is Lord Caitanya, who traveled in the same manner through the
central Indian jungles, enlightening even the tigers, bears, snakes, deer,
elephants and many other jungle animals. In this age of Kali, sannyasa is
forbidden for ordinary men. One who changes his dress to make propaganda is
a
different man from the original ideal sannyasi. One should, however, take the
vow to stop social intercourse completely and devote life exclusively to the
service of the Lord. The change of dress is only a formality. Lord Caitanya
did not accept the name of a sannyasi, and in this age of Kali the so-called
sannyasis should not change their former names, following in the footsteps of
Lord Caitanya. In this age, devotional service of hearing and repeating the
holy glories of the Lord is strongly recommended, and one who takes the vow
of
renunciation of family life need not imitate the parivrajakacarya like Narada
or Lord Caitanya, but may sit down at some holy place and devote his whole
time and energy to hear and repeatedly chant the holy scriptures left by the
great acaryas like the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana.

TEXT 14

parisrantendriyatmaham
trt-parito bubhuksitah
snatva pitva hrade nadya
upasprsto gata-sramah

parisranta--being tired; indriya--bodily; atma--mentally; aham--I;

trt-paritah--being thirsty; bubhuksitah--and hungry; snatva--taking a bath;
pitva--and drinking water also; hrade--in the lake; nadyah--of a river;
upasprstah--being in contact with; gata--got relief from; sramah--tiredness.

TRANSLATION

Thus traveling, I felt tired, both bodily and mentally, and I was both
thirsty and hungry. So I took a bath in a river lake and also drank water. By
contacting water, I got relief from my exhaustion.

PURPORT
 183

A traveling mendicant can meet the needs of body, namely thirst and
hunger, by the gifts of nature without being a beggar at the doors of the
householders. The mendicant therefore does not go to the house of a
householder to beg but to enlighten him spiritually.

TEXT 15

tasmin nirmanuje 'ranye

pippalopastha asritah
atmanatmanam atmastham
yatha-srutam acintayam

tasmin--in that; nirmanuje--without human habitation; aranye--in the forest;

pippala--banyan tree; upasthe--sitting under it; asritah--taking shelter of;
atmana--by intelligence; atmanam--the Supersoul; atma-stham--situated
within
myself; yatha-srutam--as I had heard it from the liberated souls;
acintayam--thought over.

TRANSLATION

After that, under the shadow of a banyan tree in an uninhabited forest I

began to meditate upon the Supersoul situated within, using my intelligence,
as I had learned from liberated souls.

PURPORT

One should not meditate according to one's personal whims. One should
know perfectly well from the authoritative sources of scriptures through the
transparent medium of a bona fide spiritual master and by proper use of one's
trained intelligence for meditating upon the Supersoul dwelling within every
living being. This consciousness is firmly developed by a devotee who has
rendered loving service unto the Lord by carrying out the orders of the
spiritual master. Sri Naradaji contacted bona fide spiritual masters, served
them sincerely and got enlightenment rightly. Thus he began to meditate.

TEXT 16

dhyayatas caranambhojam
bhava-nirjita-cetasa
autkanthyasru-kalaksasya
hrdy asin me sanair harih

dhyayatah--thus meditating upon; carana-ambhojam--the lotus feet of the

localized Personality of Godhead; bhava-nirjita--mind transformed in
transcendental love for the Lord; cetasa--all mental activities (thinking,
feeling and willing); autkanthya--eagerness; asru-kala--tears rolled down;
aksasya--of the eyes; hrdi--within my heart; asit--appeared; me--my;
sanaih--without delay; harih--the Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION
 184

As soon as I began to meditate upon the lotus feet of the Personality of

Godhead with my mind transformed in transcendental love, tears rolled down
my
eyes, and without delay the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna appeared on the
lotus of my heart.

PURPORT

The word bhava is significant here. This bhava stage is attained after
one has transcendental affection for the Lord. The first initial stage is
called sraddha, or a liking for the Supreme Lord, and in order to increase
that liking one has to associate with pure devotees of the Lord. The third
stage is to practice the prescribed rules and regulations of devotional
service. This will dissipate all sorts of misgivings and remove all personal
deficiencies that hamper progress in devotional service.
When all misgivings and personal deficiencies are removed, there is a
standard faith in transcendental matter, and the taste for it increases in
greater proportion. This stage leads to attraction, and after this there is
bhava, or the prior stage of unalloyed love for God. All the above different
stages are but different stages of development of transcendental love. Being
so surcharged with transcendental love, there comes a strong feeling of
separation which leads to eight different kinds of ecstasies. Tears from the
eyes of a devotee is an automatic reaction, and because Sri Narada Muni in his
previous birth attained that stage very quickly after his departure from home,
it was quite possible for him to perceive the actual presence of the Lord,
which he tangibly experienced by his developed spiritual senses without
material tinge.

TEXT 17

prematibhara-nirbhinna-
pulakango 'tinirvrtah
ananda-samplave lino
napasyam ubhayam mune

prema--love; atibhara--excessive; nirbhinna--especially distinguished;

pulaka--feelings of happiness; angah--different bodily parts;
ati-nirvrtah--being fully overwhelmed; ananda--ecstasy; samplave--in the
ocean
of; linah--absorbed in; na--not; apasyam--could see; ubhayam--both; mune--O
Vyasadeva.

TRANSLATION

O Vyasadeva, at that time, being exceedingly overpowered by feelings of

happiness, every part of my body became separately enlivened. Being
absorbed
in an ocean of ecstasy, I could not see both myself and the Lord.

PURPORT
 185

Spiritual feelings of happiness and intense ecstasies have no mundane

comparison. Therefore it is very difficult to give expression to such
feelings. We can just have a glimpse of such ecstasy in the words of Sri
Narada Muni. Each and every part of the body or senses has its particular
function. After seeing the Lord, all the senses become fully awakened to
render service unto the Lord because in the liberated state the senses are
fully efficient in serving the Lord. As such, in that transcendental ecstasy
it so happened that the senses became separately enlivened to serve the
Lord.
This being so, Narada Muni lost himself in seeing both himself and the Lord
simultaneously.

TEXT 18

rupam bhagavato yat tan

manah-kantam sucapaham
apasyan sahasottasthe
vaiklavyad durmana iva

rupam--form; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead; yat--as it is;

tat--that; manah--of the mind; kantam--as it desires; suca-apaham--vanishing
all disparity; apasyan--without seeing; sahasa--all of a sudden; uttasthe--got
up; vaiklavyat--being perturbed; durmanah--having lost the desirable; iva--as
it were.

TRANSLATION

The transcendental form of the Lord, as it is, satisfies the mind's

desire and at once erases all mental incongruities. Upon losing that form, I
suddenly got up, being perturbed, as is usual when one loses that which is
desirable.

PURPORT

That the Lord is not formless is experienced by Narada Muni. But His form
is completely different from all forms of our material experience. For the
whole duration of our life we go see different forms in the material world,
but none of them is just apt to satisfy the mind, nor can any one of them
vanish all perturbance of the mind. These are the special features of the
transcendental form of the Lord, and one who has once seen that form is not
satisfied with anything else; no form in the material world can any longer
satisfy the seer. That the Lord is formless or impersonal means that He has
nothing like a material form and is not like any material personality.
As spiritual beings, having eternal relations with that transcendental
form of the Lord, we are, life after life, searching after that form of the
Lord, and we are not satisfied by any other form of material appeasement.
Narada Muni got a glimpse of this, but having not seen it again he became
perturbed and stood up all of a sudden to search it out. What we desire life
after life was obtained by Narada Muni, and losing sight of Him again was
certainly a great shock for him.

TEXT 19
 186

didrksus tad aham bhuyah

pranidhaya mano hrdi
viksamano 'pi napasyam
avitrpta ivaturah

didrksuh--desiring to see; tat--that; aham--; bhuyah--again;

pranidhaya--having concentrated the mind; manah--mind; hrdi--upon the
heart;
viksamanah--waiting to see; api--in spite of; na--never; apasyam--saw Him;
avitrptah--without being satisfied; iva--like; aturah--aggrieved.

TRANSLATION

I desired to see again that transcendental form of the Lord, but despite
my attempts to concentrate upon the heart with eagerness to view the form
again, I could not see Him any more, and thus dissatisfied, I was very much
aggrieved.

PURPORT

There is no mechanical process to see the form of the Lord. It completely

depends on the causeless mercy of the Lord. We cannot demand the Lord to
be
present before our vision, just as we cannot demand the sun to rise whenever
we like. The sun rises out of his own accord; so also the Lord is pleased to
be present out of His causeless mercy. One should simply await the opportune
moment and go on discharging his prescribed duty in devotional service of the
Lord. Narada Muni thought that the Lord could be seen again by the same
mechanical process which was successful in the first attempt, but in spite of
his utmost endeavor he could not make the second attempt successful. The
Lord
is completely independent of all obligations. He can simply be bound up by the
tie of unalloyed devotion. Nor is He visible or perceivable by our material
senses. When He pleases, being satisfied with the sincere attempt of
devotional service depending completely on the mercy of the Lord, then He
may
be seen out of His own accord.

TEXT 20

evam yatantam vijane

mam ahagocaro giram
gambhira-slaksnaya vaca
sucah prasamayann iva

evam--thus; yatantam--one who is engaged in attempting; vijane--in that

lonely
place; mam--unto me; aha--said; agocarah--beyond the range of physical
sound;
giram--utterances; gambhira--grave; slaksnaya--pleasing to hear; vaca--words;
sucah--grief; prasamayan--mitigating; iva--like.
 187

TRANSLATION

Seeing my attempts in that lonely place, the Personality of Godhead, who

is transcendental to all mundane description, spoke to me with gravity and
pleasing words, just to mitigate my grief.

PURPORT

In the Vedas it is said that God is beyond the approach of mundane words
and intelligence. And yet by His causeless mercy one can have suitable senses
to hear Him or to speak to Him. This is the Lord's inconceivable energy. One
upon whom His mercy is bestowed can hear Him. The Lord was much pleased
with
Narada Muni, and therefore the necessary strength was invested in him so
that
he could hear the Lord. It is not, however, possible for others to perceive
directly the touch of the Lord during the probationary stage of regulative
devotional service. It was a special gift for Narada. When he heard the
pleasing words of the Lord, the feelings of separation were to some extent
mitigated. A devotee in love with God feels always the pangs of separation
and
is therefore always enwrapped in transcendental ecstasy.

TEXT 21

hantasmin janmani bhavan

ma mam drastum iharhati
avipakva-kasayanam
durdarso 'ham kuyoginam

hanta--O Narada; asmin--this; janmani--duration of life; bhavan--yourself;

ma--not; mam--Me; drastum--to see; iha--here; arhati--deserve;
avipakva--immature; kasayanam--material dirt; durdarsah--difficult to be seen;
aham--; kuyoginam--incomplete in service.

TRANSLATION

O Narada [the Lord spoke], I regret that during this lifetime you will
not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and who
are
not completely free from all material taints can hardly see Me.

PURPORT

The Personality of Godhead is described in the Bhagavad-gita as the most

pure, the Supreme and the Absolute Truth. There is no trace of a tinge of
materiality in His person, and thus one who has the slightest tinge of
material affection cannot approach Him. The beginning of devotional service
starts from the point when one is freed from at least two forms of material
modes, namely the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. The result is
exhibited by the signs of being freed from kama (lust) and lobha
 188

(covetousness). That is to say, one must be freed from the desires for sense
satisfaction and avarice for sense gratification. The balanced mode of nature
is goodness. And to be completely freed from all material tinges is to become
free from the mode of goodness also. To search the audience of God in a
lonely
forest is considered to be in the mode of goodness. One can go out into the
forest to attain spiritual perfection, but that does not mean that one can see
the Lord personally there. One must be completely freed from all material
attachment and be situated on the plane of transcendence, which alone will
help the devotee get in personal touch with the Personality of Godhead. The
best method is that one should live at a place where the transcendental form
of the Lord is worshiped. The temple of the Lord is a transcendental place,
whereas the forest is a materially good habitation. A neophyte devotee is
always recommended to worship the Deity of the Lord (arcana) rather than go
into the forest to search out the Lord. Devotional service begins from the
process of arcana, which is better than going out in the forest. In his
present life, which is completely freed from all material hankerings, Sri
Narada Muni does not go into the forest, although he can turn every place into
Vaikuntha by his presence only. He travels from one planet to another to
convert men, gods, Kinnaras, Gandharvas, rsis, munis and all others to
become
devotees of the Lord. By his activities he has engaged many devotees like
Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja and many others in the transcendental
service of the Lord. A pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, follows in the
footsteps of the great devotees like Narada and Prahlada and engages his
whole
time in glorifying the Lord by the process of kirtana. Such a preaching
process is transcendental to all material qualities.

TEXT 22

sakrd yad darsitam rupam

etat kamaya te 'nagha
mat-kamah sanakaih sadhu
sarvan muncati hrc-chayan

sakrt--once only; yat--that; darsitam--shown; rupam--form; etat--this is;

kamaya--for hankerings; te--your; anagha--O virtuous one; mat--Mine;
kamah--desire; sanakaih--by increasing; sadhuh--devotee; sarvan--all;
muncati--gives away; hrt-sayan--material desires.

TRANSLATION

O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to
increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more
you
will be freed from all material desires.

PURPORT

A living being cannot be vacant of desires. He is not a dead stone. He

must be working, thinking, feeling and willing. But when he thinks, feels and
 189

wills materially, he becomes entangled, and conversely when he thinks, feels

and wills for the service of the Lord, he becomes gradually freed from all
entanglement. The more a person is engaged in the transcendental loving
service of the Lord, the more he acquires a hankering for it. That is the
transcendental nature of godly service. Material service has satiation,
whereas spiritual service of the Lord has neither satiation nor end. One can
go on increasing his hankerings for the loving transcendental service of the
Lord, and yet he will not find satiation or end. By intense service of the
Lord, one can experience the presence of the Lord transcendentally. Therefore
seeing the Lord means being engaged in His service because His service and
His
person are identical. The sincere devotee should go on with sincere service of
the Lord. The Lord will give proper direction as to how and where it has to be
done. There was no material desire in Narada, and yet just to increase his
intense desire for the Lord, he was so advised.

TEXT 23

sat-sevayadirghayapi
jata mayi drdha matih
hitvavadyam imam lokam
ganta maj-janatam asi

sat-sevaya--by service of the Absolute Truth; adirghaya--for some days;

api--even; jata--having attained; mayi--unto Me; drdha--firm;
matih--intelligence; hitva--having given up; avadyam--deplorable; imam--this;
lokam--material worlds; ganta--going to; mat-janatam--My associates;
asi--become.

TRANSLATION

By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains
firm and fixed intelligence in Me. Consequently he goes on to become My
associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable
material worlds.

PURPORT

Serving the Absolute Truth means rendering service unto the Absolute
Personality of Godhead under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master,
who is a transparent via medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee.
The
neophyte devotee has no ability to approach the Absolute Personality of
Godhead by the strength of his present imperfect material senses, and
therefore under the direction of the spiritual master he is trained in
transcendental service of the Lord. And by such training, even for some days,
the neophyte devotee gets intelligence in such transcendental service, which
leads him ultimately to get free from perpetual inhabitation in the material
worlds and to be promoted to the transcendental world to become one of the
liberated associates of the Lord in the kingdom of God.

TEXT 24
 190

matir mayi nibaddheyam

na vipadyeta karhicit
praja-sarga-nirodhe 'pi
smrtis ca mad-anugrahat

matih--intelligence; mayi--devoted to Me; nibaddha--engaged; iyam--this;

na--never; vipadyeta--separate; karhicit--at any time; praja--living beings;
sarga--at the time of creation; nirodhe--also at the time of annihilation;
api--even; smrtih--remembrance; ca--and; mat--Mine; anugrahat--by the mercy
of.

TRANSLATION

Intelligence engaged in My devotion cannot be thwarted at any time. Even

at the time of creation, as well as at the time of annihilation, your
remembrance will continue by My mercy.

PURPORT

Devotional service rendered to the Personality of Godhead never goes in

vain. Since the Personality of Godhead is eternal, intelligence applied in His
service or anything done in His relation is also permanent. In the
Bhagavad-gita it is said that such transcendental service rendered unto the
Personality of Godhead accumulates birth after birth, and when the devotee is
fully matured, the total service counted together makes him eligible to enter
into the association of the Personality of Godhead. Such accumulation of God's
service is never vanquished, but increases till fully matured.

TEXT 25

etavad uktvopararama tan mahad

bhutam nabho-lingam alingam isvaram
aham ca tasmai mahatam mahiyase
sirsnavanamam vidadhe 'nukampitah

etavat--thus; uktva--spoken; upararama--stopped; tat--that; mahat--great;

bhutam--wonderful; nabhah-lingam--personified by sound; alingam--unseen by
the
eyes; isvaram--the supreme authority; aham--I; ca--also; tasmai--unto Him;
mahatam--the great; mahiyase--unto the glorified; sirsna--by the head;
avanamam--obeisances; vidadhe--executed; anukampitah--being favored by
Him.

TRANSLATION

Then that supreme authority, personified by sound and unseen by eyes,

but
most wonderful, stopped speaking. Feeling a sense of gratitude, I offered my
obeisances unto Him, bowing my head.

PURPORT
 191

That the Personality of Godhead was not seen but only heard does not
make
any difference. The Personality of Godhead produced the four Vedas by His
breathing, and He is seen and realized through the transcendental sound of
the
Vedas. Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita is the sound representation of the Lord,
and there is no difference in identity. The conclusion is that the Lord can be
seen and heard by persistent chanting of the transcendental sound.

TEXT 26

namany anantasya hata-trapah pathan

guhyani bhadrani krtani ca smaran
gam paryatams tusta-mana gata-sprhah
kalam pratiksan vimado vimatsarah

namani--the holy name, fame, etc.; anantasya--of the unlimited;

hata-trapah--being freed from all formalities of the material world;
pathan--by recitation, repeated reading, etc.; guhyani--mysterious;
bhadrani--all benedictory; krtani--activities; ca--and; smaran--constantly
remembering; gam--on the earth; paryatan--traveling all through;
tusta-manah--fully satisfied; gata-sprhah--completely freed from all material
desires; kalam--time; pratiksan--awaiting; vimadah--without being proud;
vimatsarah--without being envious.

TRANSLATION

Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated
recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. Such chanting
and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are benedictory.
So
doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious.

PURPORT

The life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell

by Narada Muni by his personal example. Such a devotee, after his initiation
by the Lord or His bona fide representative, takes very seriously chanting of
the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may
also hear the glories of the Lord. Such devotees have no desire for material
gain. They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead. This
awaits them in due course on quitting the material body. Because they have
the
highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone,
nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead. Their only
business is to chant and remember the holy name, fame and pastimes of the
Lord
and, according to personal capacity, to distribute the message for others'
welfare without motive of material gain.

TEXT 27
 192

evam krsna-mater brahman

nasaktasyamalatmanah
kalah pradurabhut kale
tadit saudamani yatha

evam--thus; krsna-mateh--one who is fully absorbed in thinking of Krsna;

brahman--O Vyasadeva; na--not; asaktasya--of one who is attached;
amala-atmanah--of one who is completely free from all material dirt;
kalah--death; pradurabhut--become visible; kale--in the course of time;
tadit--lightning; saudamani--illuminating; yatha--as it is.

TRANSLATION

And so, O Brahmana Vyasadeva, in due course of time I, who was fully
absorbed in thinking of Krsna and who therefore had no attachments, being
completely freed from all material taints, met with death, as lightning and
illumination occur simultaneously.

PURPORT

To be fully absorbed in the thought of Krsna means clearance of material

dirts or hankerings. As a very rich man has no hankerings for small petty
things, so also a devotee of Lord Krsna, who is guaranteed to pass on to the
kingdom of God, where life is eternal, fully cognizant and blissful, naturally
has no hankerings for petty material things, which are like dolls or shadows
of the reality and are without permanent value. That is the sign of
spiritually enriched persons. And in due course of time, when a pure devotee
is completely prepared, all of a sudden the change of body occurs which is
commonly called death. And for the pure devotee such a change takes place
exactly like lightning, and illumination follows simultaneously. That is to
say a devotee simultaneously changes his material body and develops a
spiritual body by the will of the Supreme. Even before death, a pure devotee
has no material affection, due to his body's being spiritualized like a
red-hot iron in contact with fire.

TEXT 28

prayujyamane mayi tam

suddham bhagavatim tanum
arabdha-karma-nirvano
nyapatat panca-bhautikah

prayujyamane--having been awarded; mayi--on me; tam--that;

suddham--transcendental; bhagavatim--fit for associating with the Personality
of Godhead; tanum--body; arabdha--acquired; karma--fruitive work;
nirvanah--prohibitive; nyapatat--quit; panca-bhautikah--body made of five
material elements.

TRANSLATION

Having been awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of the

 193

Personality of Godhead, I quit the body made of five material elements, and
thus all acquired fruitive results of work [karma] stopped.

PURPORT

Informed by the Personality of Godhead that he would be awarded a

transcendental body befitting the Lord's association, Narada got his spiritual
body as soon as he quitted his material body. This transcendental body is free
from material affinity and invested with three primary transcendental
qualities, namely eternity, freedom from material modes, and freedom from
reactions of fruitive activities. The material body is always afflicted with
the lack of these three qualities. A devotee's body becomes at once
surcharged
with the transcendental qualities as soon as he is engaged in the devotional
service of the Lord. It acts like the magnetic influence of a touchstone upon
iron. The influence of transcendental devotional service is like that.
Therefore change of the body means stoppage of the reaction of three
qualitative modes of material nature upon the pure devotee. There are many
instances of this in the revealed scriptures. Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada
Maharaja and many other devotees were able to see the Personality of
Godhead
face to face apparently in the same body. This means that the quality of a
devotee's body changes from material to transcendence. That is the opinion of
the authorized Gosvamis via the authentic scriptures. In the Brahma-samhita it
is said that beginning from the indra-gopa germ up to the great Indra, King of
heaven, all living beings are subjected to the law of karma and are bound to
suffer and enjoy the fruitive results of their own work. Only the devotee is
exempt from such reactions, by the causeless mercy of the supreme authority,
the Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 29

kalpanta idam adaya

sayane 'mbhasy udanvatah
sisayisor anupranam
vivise 'ntar aham vibhoh

kalpa-ante--at the end of Brahma's day; idam--this; adaya--taking together;

sayane--having gone to lie down; ambhasi--in the causal water;
udanvatah--devastation; sisayisoh--lying of the Personality of Godhead
(Narayana); anupranam--breathing; vivise--entered into; antah--within;
aham--I; vibhoh--of Lord Brahma.

TRANSLATION

At the end of the millennium, when the Personality of Godhead Lord

Narayana lay down within the water of devastation, Brahma began to enter
into
Him along with all creative elements, and I also entered through His
breathing.

PURPORT
 194

Narada is known as the son of Brahma, as Lord Krsna is known as the son
of Vasudeva. The Personality of Godhead and His liberated devotees like
Narada
appear in the material world by the same process. As it is said in the
Bhagavad-gita, the birth and activities of the Lord are all transcendental.
Therefore, according to authorized opinion, the birth of Narada as the son of
Brahma is also a transcendental pastime. His appearance and disappearance
are
practically on the same level as that of the Lord. The Lord and His devotees
are therefore simultaneously one and different as spiritual entities. They
belong to the same category of transcendence.

TEXT 30

sahasra-yuga-paryante
utthayedam sisrksatah
marici-misra rsayah
pranebhyo 'ham ca jajnire

sahasra--one thousand; yuga--4,300,000 years; paryante--at the end of the

duration; utthaya--having expired; idam--this; sisrksatah--desired to create
again; marici-misrah--rsis like Marici; rsayah--all the rsis; pranebhyah--out
of His senses; aham--I; ca--also; jajnire--appeared.

TRANSLATION

After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahma awoke to create again by

the
will of the Lord, all the rsis like Marici, Angira, Atri and so on were
created from the transcendental body of the Lord, and I also appeared along
with them.

PURPORT

The duration of a day in the life of Brahma is 4,320,000,000 solar years.

This is stated also in the Bhagavad-gita. So for this period Brahmaji rests in
yoga-nidra within the body of the Garbhodakasayi Visnu, the generator of
Brahma. Thus after the sleeping period of Brahma, when there is again
creation
by the will of the Lord through the agency of Brahma, all the great rsis again
appear from different parts of the transcendental body, and Narada also
appears. This means that Narada appears in the same transcendental body,
just
as a man awakes from sleep in the same body. Sri Narada is eternally free to
move in all parts of the transcendental and material creations of the
Almighty. He appears and disappears in his own transcendental body, which is
without distinction of body and soul, unlike conditioned beings.

TEXT 31

antar bahis ca lokams trin

 195

paryemy askandita-vratah
anugrahan maha-visnor
avighata-gatih kvacit

antah--in the transcendental world; bahih--in the material world; ca--and;

lokan--planets; trin--three (divisions); paryemi--travel; askandita--unbroken;
vratah--vow; anugrahat--by the causeless mercy; maha-visnoh--of the Maha-
Visnu
(Karanodakasayi Visnu); avighata--without restriction; gatih--entrance;
kvacit--at any time.

TRANSLATION

Since then, by the grace of the almighty Visnu, I travel everywhere

without restriction both in the transcendental world and in the three
divisions of the material world. This is because I am fixed in unbroken
devotional service of the Lord.

PURPORT

As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, there are three divisions of the material

spheres, namely the urdhva-loka (topmost planets), madhya-loka (midway
planets) and adho-loka (downward planets). Beyond the urdhva-loka planets,
that is to say above the Brahmaloka, are the material coverings of the
universes, and above that is the spiritual sky, which is unlimited in
expansion, containing unlimited self-illuminated Vaikuntha planets inhabited
by God Himself along with His associates, who are all eternally liberated
living entities. Sri Narada Muni could enter all these planets in both the
material and spiritual spheres without restriction, as much as the almighty
Lord is free to move personally in any part of His creation. In the material
world the living beings are influenced by the three material modes of nature,
namely goodness, passion and ignorance. But Sri Narada Muni is
transcendental
to all these material modes, and thus he can travel everywhere unrestricted.
He is a liberated spaceman. The causeless mercy of Lord Visnu is unparalleled,
and such mercy is perceived by the devotees only by the grace of the Lord.
Therefore, the devotees never fall down, but the materialists, i.e., the
fruitive workers and the speculative philosophers, do fall down, being forced
by their respective modes of nature. The rsis, as above mentioned, cannot
enter into the transcendental world like Narada. This fact is disclosed in the
Narasimha Purana. Rsis like Marici are authorities in fruitive work, and rsis
like Sanaka and Sanatana are authorities in philosophical speculations. But
Sri Narada Muni is the prime authority for transcendental devotional service
of the Lord. All the great authorities in the devotional service of the Lord
follow in the footsteps of Narada Muni in the order of the
Narada-bhakti-sutra, and therefore all the devotees of the Lord are
unhesitatingly qualified to enter into the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha.

TEXT 32

deva-dattam imam vinam

svara-brahma-vibhusitam
 196

murcchayitva hari-katham
gayamanas caramy aham

deva--the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Sri Krsna); dattam--gifted by;

imam--this; vinam--a musical stringed instrument; svara--singing meter;
brahma--transcendental; vibhusitam--decorated with; murcchayitva--vibrating;
hari-katham--transcendental message; gayamanah--singing constantly;
carami--do
move; aham--I.

TRANSLATION

And thus I travel, constantly singing the transcendental message of the

glories of the Lord, vibrating this instrument called a vina, which is charged
with transcendental sound and which was given to me by Lord Krsna.

PURPORT

The musical stringed instrument called the vina, which was handed to
Narada by Lord Sri Krsna, is described in the Linga Purana, and this is
confirmed by Srila Jiva Gosvami. This transcendental instrument is identical
with Lord Sri Krsna and Narada because all of them are of the same
transcendental category. Sound vibrated by the instrument cannot be
material,
and therefore the glories and pastimes which are broadcast by the instrument
of Narada are also transcendental, without a tinge of material inebriety. The
seven singing meters, namely sa (sadja), r (rsabha), ga (gandhara), ma
(madhyama), pa (pancama), dha (dhaivata) and ni (nisada), are also
transcendental and specifically meant for transcendental songs. As a pure
devotee of the Lord, Sri Naradadeva is always fulfilling his obligation to the
Lord for His gift of the instrument, and thus he is always engaged in singing
His transcendental glories and is therefore infallible in his exalted
position. Following in the footsteps of Srila Narada Muni, a self-realized
soul in the material world should also properly use the sound meters, namely
sa, r, ga, ma, etc., in the service of the Lord by constantly singing the
glories of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita.

TEXT 33

pragayatah sva-viryani
tirtha-padah priya-sravah
ahuta iva me sighram
darsanam yati cetasi

pragayatah--thus singing; sva-viryani--own activities; tirtha-padah--the Lord,

whose lotus feet are the source of all virtues or holiness;
priya-sravah--pleasing to hear; ahutah--called for; iva--just like; me--to me;
sighram--very soon; darsanam--sight; yati--appears; cetasi--on the seat of the
heart.

TRANSLATION
 197

The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, whose glories and activities are pleasing to
hear, at once appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as soon as I
begin to chant His holy activities.

PURPORT

The Absolute Personality of Godhead is not different from His

transcendental name, form, pastimes and the sound vibrations thereof. As
soon
as a pure devotee engages himself in the pure devotional service of hearing,
chanting and remembering the name, fame and activities of the Lord, at once
He
becomes visible to the transcendental eyes of the pure devotee by reflecting
Himself on the mirror of the heart by spiritual television. Therefore a pure
devotee who is related with the Lord in loving transcendental service can
experience the presence of the Lord at every moment. It is a natural
psychology in every individual case that a person likes to hear and enjoy his
personal glories enumerated by others. That is a natural instinct, and the
Lord, being also an individual personality like others, is not an exception to
this psychology because psychological characteristics visible in the
individual souls are but reflections of the same psychology in the Absolute
Lord. The only difference is that the Lord is the greatest personality of all
and absolute in all His affairs. If, therefore, the Lord is attracted by the
pure devotee's chanting of His glories, there is nothing astonishing. Since He
is absolute, He can appear Himself in the picture of His glorification, the
two things being identical. Srila Narada chants the glorification of the Lord
not for his personal benefit but because the glorifications are identical with
the Lord. Narada Muni penetrates into the presence of the Lord by the
transcendental chanting.

TEXT 34

etad dhy atura-cittanam

matra-sparsecchaya muhuh
bhava-sindhu-plavo drsto
hari-caryanuvarnanam

etat--this; hi--certainly; atura-cittanam--of those whose minds are always

full of cares and anxieties; matra--objects of sense enjoyment;
sparsa--senses; icchaya--by desires; muhuh--always; bhava-sindhu--the ocean
of
nescience; pavah--boat; drstah--experienced; hari-carya--activities of Hari,
the Personality of Godhead; anuvarnanam--constant recitation.

TRANSLATION

It is personally experienced by me that those who are always full of

cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects
can cross the ocean of nescience on a most suitable boat--the constant
chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT
 198

The symptom of a living being is that he cannot remain silent even for
some time. He must be doing something, thinking of something or talking
about
something. Generally the materialistic men think and discuss about subjects
which satisfy their senses. But as these things are exercised under the
influence of the external, illusory energy, such sensual activities do not
actually give them any satisfaction. On the contrary, they become full with
cares and anxieties. This is called maya, or what is not. That which cannot
give them satisfaction is accepted as an object for satisfaction. So Narada
Muni, by his personal experience, says that satisfaction for such frustrated
beings engaged in sense gratification is to chant always the activities of the
Lord. The point is that the subject matter only should be changed. No one can
check the thinking activities of a living being, nor the feeling, willing or
working processes. But if one wants actual happiness, one must change the
subject matter only. Instead of talking of the politics of a dying man, one
might discuss the politics administered by the Lord Himself. Instead of
relishing activities of the cinema artists, one can turn his attention to the
activities of the Lord with His eternal associates like the gopis and Laksmis.
The almighty Personality of Godhead, by His causeless mercy, descends on the
earth and manifests activities almost on the line of the worldly men, but at
the same time extraordinarily, because He is almighty. He does so for the
benefit of all conditioned souls so that they can turn their attention to
transcendence. By doing so, the conditioned soul will gradually be promoted to
the transcendental position and easily cross the ocean of nescience, the
source of all miseries. This is stated from personal experience by such an
authority as Sri Narada Muni. And we can have the same experience also if we
begin to follow in the footsteps of the great sage, the dearmost devotee of
the Lord.

TEXT 35

yamadibhir yoga-pathaih
kama-lobha-hato muhuh
mukunda-sevaya yadvat
tathatmaddha na samyati

yama-adibhih--by the process of practicing self-restraint; yoga-pathaih--by

the system of yoga (mystic bodily power to attain the godly stage);
kama--desires for sense satisfaction; lobha--lust for satisfaction of the
senses; hatah--curbed; muhuh--always; mukunda--the Personality of Godhead;
sevaya--by the service of; yadvat--as it is; tatha--like that; atma--the soul;
addha--for all practical purposes; na--does not; samyati--be satisfied.

TRANSLATION

It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system

one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not
sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this [satisfaction] is
derived from devotional service to the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT
 199

Yoga aims at controlling the senses. By practice of the mystic process of

bodily exercise in sitting, thinking, feeling, willing, concentrating,
meditating and at last being merged into transcendence, one can control the
senses. The senses are considered like venomous serpents, and the yoga
system
is just to control them. On the other hand, Narada Muni recommends another
method for controlling the senses in the transcendental loving service of
Mukunda, the Personality of Godhead. By his experience he says that
devotional
service to the Lord is more effective and practical than the system of
artificially controlling the senses. In the service of the Lord Mukunda, the
senses are transcendentally engaged. Thus there is no chance of their being
engaged in sense satisfaction. The senses want some engagement. To check
them
artificially is no check at all because as soon as there is some opportunity
for enjoyment, the serpentlike senses will certainly take advantage of it.
There are many such instances in history, just like Visvamitra Muni's falling
a victim to the beauty of Menaka. But Thakura Haridasa was allured at
midnight
by the well-dressed Maya, and still she could not induce that great devotee
into her trap.
The whole idea is that without devotional service of the Lord, neither
the yoga system nor dry philosophical speculation can ever become
successful.
Pure devotional service of the Lord, without being tinged with fruitive work,
mystic yoga or speculative philosophy, is the foremost procedure to attain
self-realization. Such pure devotional service is transcendental in nature,
and the systems of yoga and jnana are subordinate to such a process. When
the
transcendental devotional service is mixed with a subordinate process, it is
no longer transcendental but is called mixed devotional service. Srila
Vyasadeva, the author of Srimad-Bhagavatam, will gradually develop all these
different systems of transcendental realization in the text.

TEXT 36

samam tad idam akhyatam

yat prsto 'ham tvayanagha
janma-karma-rahasyam me
bhavatas catma-tosanam

sarvam--all; tat--that; idam--this; akhyatam--described; yat--whatever;

prstah--asked by; aham--me; tvaya--by you; anagha--without any sins;
janma--birth; karma--activities; rahasyam--mysteries; me--mine;
bhavatah--your; ca--and; atma--self; tosanam--satisfaction.

TRANSLATION

O Vyasadeva, you are freed from all sins. Thus I have explained my birth
and activities for self-realization, as you asked. All this will be conducive
for your personal satisfaction also.
 200

PURPORT

The process of devotional activities from the beginning to the stage of

transcendence is all duly explained to satisfy the inquiries of Vyasadeva. He
has explained how the seeds of devotional service were sown by
transcendental
association and how they gradually developed by hearing the sages. The
result
of such hearing is detachment from worldliness, so much so that even a small
boy could receive the death news of his mother, who was his only caretaker,
as
the blessing of God. And at once he took the opportunity to search out the
Lord. A sincere urge for having an interview with the Lord was also granted to
him, although it is not possible for anyone to see the Lord with mundane eyes.
He also explained how by execution of pure transcendental service one can
get
rid of the fruitive action of accumulated work and how he transformed his
material body into a spiritual one. The spiritual body is alone able to enter
into the spiritual realm of the Lord, and no one but a pure devotee is
eligible to enter into the kingdom of God. All the mysteries of transcendental
realization are duly experienced by Narada Muni himself, and therefore by
hearing such an authority one can have some idea of the results of devotional
life, which are hardly delineated even in the original texts of the Vedas. In
the Vedas and Upanisads there are only indirect hints to all this. Nothing is
directly explained there, and therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam is the mature fruit
of all the Vedic trees of literatures.

TEXT 37

suta uvaca
evam sambhasya bhagavan
narado vasavi-sutam
amantrya vinam ranayan
yayau yadrcchiko munih

sutah--Suta Gosvami; uvaca--said; evam--thus; sambhasya--addressing;

bhagavan--transcendentally powerful; naradah--Narada Muni; vasavi--named
Vasavi (Satyavati); sutam--son; amantrya--inviting; vinam--instrument;
ranayan--vibrating; yayau--went; yadrcchikah--wherever willing; munih--the
sage.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Thus addressing Vyasadeva, Srila Narada Muni took
leave of him, and vibrating on his vina instrument, he left to wander at his
free will.

PURPORT

Every living being is anxious for full freedom because that is his
transcendental nature. And this freedom is obtained only through the
 201

transcendental service of the Lord. Illusioned by the external energy,

everyone thinks that he is free, but actually he is bound up by the laws of
nature. A conditioned soul cannot freely move from one place to another even
on this earth, and what to speak of one planet to another. But a full-fledged
free soul like Narada, always engaged in chanting the Lord's glory, is free to
move not only on earth but also in any part of the universe, as well as in any
part of the spiritual sky. We can just imagine the extent and unlimitedness of
his freedom, which is as good as that of the Supreme Lord. There is no reason
or obligation for his traveling, and no one can stop him from his free
movement. Similarly, the transcendental system of devotional service is also
free. It may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes
all the detailed formulas. Similarly, the association of the devotee is also
free. One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after
thousands of endeavors. Therefore, in all spheres of devotional service,
freedom is the main pivot. Without freedom there is no execution of
devotional
service. The freedom surrendered to the Lord does not mean that the devotee
becomes dependent in every respect. To surrender unto the Lord through the
transparent medium of the spiritual master is to attain complete freedom of
life.

TEXT 38

aho devarsir dhanyo 'yam

yat-kirtim sarngadhanvanah
gayan madyann idam tantrya
ramayaty aturam jagat

aho--all glory to; devarsih--the sage of the gods; dhanyah--all success; ayam
yat--one who; kirtim--glories; sarnga-dhanvanah--of the Personality of
Godhead; gayan--singing; madyan--taking pleasure in; idam--this; tantrya--by
means of the instrument; ramayati--enlivens; aturam--distressed; jagat--world.

TRANSLATION

All glory and success to Srila Narada Muni because he glorifies the
activities of the Personality of Godhead, and so doing he himself takes
pleasure and also enlivens all the distressed souls of the universe.

PURPORT

Sri Narada Muni plays on his instrument to glorify the transcendental

activities of the Lord and to give relief to all miserable living entities of
the universe. No one is happy here within the universe, and what is felt as
happiness is maya's illusion. The illusory energy of the Lord is so strong
that even the hog who lives on filthy stool feels happy. No one can be truly
happy within the material world. Srila Narada Muni, in order to enlighten the
miserable inhabitants, wanders everywhere. His mission is to get them back
home, back to Godhead. That is the mission of all genuine devotees of the
Lord
following the footsteps of that great sage.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Sixth Chapter, of
 202

the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Conversation Between Narada and Vyasa."

Chapter Seven

The Son of Drona Punished

TEXT 1

saunaka uvaca
nirgate narade suta
bhagavan badarayanah
srutavams tad-abhipretam
tatah kim akarod vibhuh

saunakah--Sri Saunaka; uvaca--said; nirgate--having gone; narade--Narada

Muni;
suta--O Suta; bhagavan--the transcendentally powerful; badarayanah--
Vedavyasa;
srutavan--who heard; tat--his; abhipretam--desire of the mind;
tatah--thereafter; kim--what; akarot--did he do; vibhuh--the great.

TRANSLATION

Rsi Saunaka asked: O Suta, the great and transcendentally powerful

Vyasadeva heard everything from Sri Narada Muni. So after Narada's
departure,
what did Vyasadeva do?

PURPORT

In this chapter the clue for describing Srimad-Bhagavatam is picked up as

Maharaja Pariksit is miraculously saved in the womb of his mother. This was
caused by Drauni (Asvatthama), Acarya Drona's son, who killed the five sons
of
Draupadi while they were asleep, for which he was punished by Arjuna. Before
commencing the great epic Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Vyasadeva realized the
whole
truth by trance in devotion.

TEXT 2

suta uvaca
brahma-nadyam sarasvatyam
asramah pascime tate
samyaprasa iti prokta
rsinam satra-vardhanah

sutah--Sri Suta; uvaca--said; brahma-nadyam--on the bank of the river

intimately related with Vedas, brahmanas, saints, and the Lord;
 203

sarasvatyam--Sarasvati; asramah--cottage for meditation; pascime--on the

west;
tate--bank; samyaprasah--the place named Samyaprasa; iti--thus; proktah--
said
to be; rsinam--of the sages; satra-vardhanah--that which enlivens activities.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta said: On the western bank of the River Sarasvati, which is
intimately related with the Vedas, there is a cottage for meditation at
Samyaprasa which enlivens the transcendental activities of the sages.

PURPORT

For spiritual advancement of knowledge a suitable place and atmosphere

are definitely required. The place on the western bank of the Sarasvati is
especially suitable for this purpose. And there is the asrama of Vyasadeva at
Samyaprasa. Srila Vyasadeva was a householder, yet his residential place is
called an asrama. An asrama is a place where spiritual culture is always
foremost. It does not matter whether the place belongs to a householder or a
mendicant. The whole varnasrama system is so designed that each and every
status of life is called an asrama. This means that spiritual culture is the
common factor for all. The brahmacaris, the grhasthas, the vanaprasthas and
the sannyasis all belong to the same mission of life, namely, realization of
the Supreme. Therefore none of them are less important as far as spiritual
culture is concerned. The difference is a matter of formality on the strength
of renunciation. The sannyasis are held in high estimation on the strength of
practical renunciation.

TEXT 3

tasmin sva asrame vyaso

badari-sanda-mandite
asino 'pa upasprsya
pranidadhyau manah svayam

tasmin--in that (asrama); sve--own; asrame--in the cottage; vyasah--

Vyasadeva;
badari--berry; sanda--trees; mandite--surrounded by; asinah--sitting; apah
upasprsya--touching water; pranidadhyau--concentrated; manah--the mind;
svayam--himself.

TRANSLATION

In that place, Srila Vyasadeva, in his own asrama, which was surrounded
by berry trees, sat down to meditate after touching water for purification.

PURPORT

Under instructions of his spiritual master Srila Narada Muni, Vyasadeva

concentrated his mind in that transcendental place of meditation.
 204

TEXT 4

bhakti-yogena manasi
samyak pranihite 'male
apasyat purusam purnam
mayam ca tad-apasrayam

bhakti--devotional service; yogena--by the process of linking up; manasi--upon

the mind; samyak--perfectly; pranihite--engaged in and fixed upon;
amale--without any matter; apasyat--saw; purusam--the Personality of
Godhead;
purnam--absolute; mayam--energy; ca--also; tat--His; apasrayam--under full
control.

TRANSLATION

Thus he fixed his mind, perfectly engaging it by linking it in devotional

service [bhakti-yoga] without any tinge of materialism, and thus he saw the
Absolute Personality of Godhead along with His external energy, which was
under full control.

PURPORT

Perfect vision of the Absolute Truth is possible only by the linking

process of devotional service. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita.
One can perfectly realize the Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead only by
the process of devotional service, and one can enter into the kingdom of God
by such perfect knowledge. Imperfect realization of the Absolute by the
partial approach of the impersonal Brahman or localized Paramatma does not
permit anyone to enter into the kingdom of God. Sri Narada advised Srila
Vyasadeva to become absorbed in transcendental meditation on the
Personality
of Godhead and His activities. Srila Vyasadeva did not take notice of the
effulgence of Brahman because that is not absolute vision. The absolute vision
is the Personality of Godhead, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.19):
vasudevah sarvam iti. In the Upanisads also it is confirmed that Vasudeva, the
Personality of Godhead, is covered by the golden glowing hiranmayena
patrena
veil of impersonal Brahman, and when that curtain is removed by the mercy of
the Lord the real face of the Absolute is seen. The Absolute is mentioned here
as the purusa, or person. The Absolute Personality of Godhead is mentioned in
so many Vedic literatures, and in the Bhagavad-gita, the purusa is confirmed
as the eternal and original person. The Absolute Personality of Godhead is the
perfect person. The Supreme Person has manifold energies, out of which the
internal, external and marginal energies are specifically important. The
energy mentioned here is the external energy, as will be clear from the
statements of her activities. The internal energy is there along with the
Absolute Person as the moonlight is there with the moon. The external energy
is compared to darkness because it keeps the living entities in the darkness
of ignorance. The word apasrayam suggests that this energy of the Lord is
under full control. The internal potency or superior energy is also called
maya, but it is spiritual maya, or energy exhibited in the absolute realm.
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When one is under the shelter of this internal potency, the darkness of
material ignorance is at once dissipated. And even those who are atmarama,
or
fixed in trance, take shelter of this maya, or internal energy. Devotional
service, or bhakti-yoga, is the function of the internal energy; thus there is
no place for the inferior energy, or material energy, just as there is no
place for darkness in the effulgence of spiritual light. Such internal energy
is even superior to the spiritual bliss attainable in the conception of
impersonal Brahman. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that the impersonal
Brahman effulgence is also an emanation from the Absolute Personality of
Godhead Sri Krsna. The parama-purusa cannot be anyone except Sri Krsna
Himself, as will be explained in the later slokas.

TEXT 5

yaya sammohito jiva

atmanam tri-gunatmakam
paro 'pi manute 'nartham
tat-krtam cabhipadyate

yaya--by whom; sammohitah--illusioned; jivah--the living entities;

atmanam--self; tri-guna-atmakam--conditioned by the three modes of nature,
or
a product of matter; parah--transcendental; api--in spite of; manute--takes it
for granted; anartham--things not wanted; tat--by that; krtam ca--reaction;
abhipadyate--undergoes thereof.

TRANSLATION

Due to this external energy, the living entity, although transcendental

to the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material product
and thus undergoes the reactions of material miseries.

PURPORT

The root cause of suffering by the materialistic living beings is pointed

out with remedial measures which are to be undertaken and also the ultimate
perfection to be gained. All this is mentioned in this particular verse. The
living being is by constitution transcendental to material encagement, but he
is now imprisoned by the external energy, and therefore he thinks himself one
of the material products. And due to this unholy contact, the pure spiritual
entity suffers material miseries under the modes of material nature. The
living entity misunderstands himself to be a material product. This means that
the present perverted way of thinking, feeling and willing, under material
conditions, is not natural for him. But he has his normal way of thinking,
feeling and willing. The living being in his original state is not without
thinking, willing and feeling power. It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita
that the actual knowledge of the conditioned soul is now covered by
nescience.
Thus the theory that a living being is absolute impersonal Brahman is refuted
herein. This cannot be, because the living entity has his own way of thinking
in his original unconditional state also. The present conditional state is due
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to the influence of the external energy, which means that the illusory energy
takes the initiative while the Supreme Lord is aloof. The Lord does not desire
that a living being be illusioned by external energy. The external energy is
aware of this fact, but still she accepts a thankless task of keeping the
forgotten soul under illusion by her bewildering influence. The Lord does not
interfere with the task of the illusory energy because such performances of
the illusory energy are also necessary for reformation of the conditioned
soul. An affectionate father does not like his children to be chastised by
another agent, yet he puts his disobedient children under the custody of a
severe man just to bring them to order. But the all-affectionate Almighty
Father at the same time desires relief for the conditioned soul, relief from
the clutches of the illusory energy. The king puts the disobedient citizens
within the walls of the jail, but sometimes the king, desiring the prisoners'
relief, personally goes there and pleads for reformation, and on his doing so
the prisoners are set free. Similarly, the Supreme Lord descends from His
kingdom upon the kingdom of illusory energy and personally gives relief in the
form of the Bhagavad-gita, wherein He personally suggests that although the
ways of illusory energy are very stiff to overcome, one who surrenders unto
the lotus feet of the Lord is set free by the order of the Supreme. This
surrendering process is the remedial measure for getting relief from the
bewildering ways of the illusory energy. The surrendering process is
completed
by the influence of association. The Lord has suggested, therefore, that by
the influence of the speeches of saintly persons who have actually realized
the Supreme, men are engaged in His transcendental loving service. The
conditioned soul gets a taste for hearing about the Lord, and by such hearing
only he is gradually elevated to the platform of respect, devotion and
attachment for the Lord. The whole thing is completed by the surrendering
process. Herein also the same suggestion is made by the Lord in His
incarnation of Vyasadeva. This means that the conditioned souls are being
reclaimed by the Lord both ways, namely by the process of punishment by the
external energy of the Lord, and by Himself as the spiritual master within and
without. Within the heart of every living being the Lord Himself as the
Supersoul (Paramatma) becomes the spiritual master, and from without He
becomes the spiritual master in the shape of scriptures, saints and the
initiator spiritual master. This is still more explicitly explained in the
next sloka.
Personal superintendence of the illusory energy is confirmed in the Vedas
(the Kena Upanisad) in relation to the demigods' controlling power. Herein
also it is clearly stated that the living entity is controlled by the external
energy in a personal capacity. The living being thus subject to the control of
external energy is differently situated. It is clear, however, from the
present statement of Bhagavatam that the same external energy is situated in
the inferior position before the Personality of Godhead, or the perfect being.
The perfect being, or the Lord, cannot be approached even by the illusory
energy, who can only work on the living entities. Therefore it is sheer
imagination that the Supreme Lord is illusioned by the illusory energy and
thus becomes a living being. If the living being and the Lord were in the same
category, then it would have been quite possible for Vyasadeva to see it, and
there would have been no question of material distress on the part of the
illusioned being, for the Supreme Being is fully cognizant. So there are so
many unscrupulous imaginations on the part of the monists to endeavor to put
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both the Lord and the living being in the same category. Had the Lord and the
living beings been the same, then Srila Sukadeva Gosvami would not have
taken
the trouble to describe the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, for they
would all be manifestations of illusory energy.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the summum bonum remedy for suffering humanity
in
the clutches of maya. Srila Vyasadeva therefore first of all diagnosed the
actual disease of the conditioned souls, i.e., their being illusioned by the
external energy. He also saw the perfect Supreme Being, from whom illusory
energy is far removed, though He saw both the diseased conditioned souls and
also the cause of the disease. And the remedial measures are suggested in the
next verse. Both the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living beings
are
undoubtedly qualitatively one, but the Lord is the controller of the illusory
energy, whereas the living entity is controlled by the illusory energy. Thus
the Lord and the living beings are simultaneously one and different. Another
point is distinct herein: that eternal relation between the Lord and the
living being is transcendental, otherwise the Lord would not have taken the
trouble to reclaim the conditioned souls from the clutches of maya. In the
same way, the living entity is also required to revive his natural love and
affection for the Lord, and that is the highest perfection of the living
entity. Srimad-Bhagavatam treats the conditioned soul with an aim to that
goal
of life.

TEXT 6

anarthopasamam saksad
bhakti-yogam adhoksaje
lokasyajanato vidvams
cakre satvata-samhitam

anartha--things which are superfluous; upasamam--mitigation; saksat--directly;

bhakti-yogam--the linking process of devotional service; adhoksaje--unto the
Transcendence; lokasya--of the general mass of men; ajanatah--those who are
unaware of; vidvan--the supremely learned; cakre--compiled; satvata--in
relation with the Supreme Truth; samhitam--Vedic literature.

TRANSLATION

The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him,
can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But
the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyasadeva
compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.

PURPORT

Srila Vyasadeva saw the all-perfect Personality of Godhead. This

statement suggests that the complete unit of the Personality of Godhead
includes His parts and parcels also. He saw, therefore, His different
energies, namely the internal energy, the marginal energy and the external
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energy. He also saw His different plenary portions and parts of the plenary
portions, namely His different incarnations also, and he specifically observed
the unwanted miseries of the conditioned souls, who are bewildered by the
external energy. And at last he saw the remedial measure for the conditioned
souls, namely, the process of devotional service. It is a great transcendental
science and begins with the process of hearing and chanting the name, fame,
glory, etc., of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Revival of the dormant
affection or love of Godhead does not depend on the mechanical system of
hearing and chanting, but it solely and wholly depends on the causeless mercy
of the Lord. When the Lord is fully satisfied with the sincere efforts of the
devotee, He may endow him with His loving transcendental service. But even
with the prescribed forms of hearing and chanting, there is at once mitigation
of the superfluous and unwanted miseries of material existence. Such
mitigation of material affection does not wait for development of
transcendental knowledge. Rather, knowledge is dependent on devotional
service
for the ultimate realization of the Supreme Truth.

TEXT 7

yasyam vai sruyamanayam

krsne parama-puruse
bhaktir utpadyate pumsah
soka-moha-bhayapaha

yasyam--this Vedic literature; vai--certainly; sruyamanayam--simply by giving

aural reception; krsne--unto Lord Krsna; parama--supreme; puruse--unto the
Personality of Godhead; bhaktih--feelings of devotional service;
utpadyate--sprout up; pumsah--of the living being; soka--lamentation;
moha--illusion; bhaya--fearfulness; apaha--that which extinguishes.

TRANSLATION

Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling

for loving devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion
and fearfulness.

PURPORT

There are various senses, of which the ear is the most effective. This
sense works even when a man is deep asleep. One can protect himself from
the
hands of an enemy while awake, but while asleep one is protected by the ear
only. The importance of hearing is mentioned here in connection with attaining
the highest perfection of life, namely, getting free from three material
pangs. Everyone is full of lamentation at every moment, he is after the mirage
of illusory things, and he is always afraid of his supposed enemy. These are
the primary symptoms of material disease. And it is definitely suggested
herein that simply by hearing the message of Srimad-Bhagavatam one gets
attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and as soon as
this is effected the symptoms of the material diseases disappear. Srila
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Vyasadeva saw the all-perfect Personality of Godhead, and in this statement

the all-perfect Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna is clearly confirmed.
The ultimate result of devotional service is to develop genuine love for
the Supreme Personality. Love is a word which is often used in relation with
man and woman. And love is the only word that can be properly used to
indicate
the relation between Lord Krsna and the living entities. The living entities
are mentioned as prakrti in the Bhagavad-gita, and in Sanskrit prakrti is a
feminine object. The Lord is always described as the parama-purusa, or the
supreme male personality. Thus the affection between the Lord and the living
entities is something like that between the male and the female. Therefore the
term love of Godhead is quite appropriate.
Loving devotional service to the Lord begins with hearing about the Lord.
There is no difference between the Lord and the subject matter heard about
Him. The Lord is absolute in all respects, and thus there is no difference
between Him and the subject matter heard about Him. Therefore, hearing
about
Him means immediate contact with Him by the process of vibration of the
transcendental sound. And the transcendental sound is so effective that it
acts at once by removing all material affections mentioned above. As
mentioned
before, a living entity develops a sort of complexity by material association,
and the illusory encagement of the material body is accepted as an actual
fact. Under such false complexity, the living beings under different
categories of life become illusioned in different ways. Even in the most
developed stage of human life, the same illusion prevails in the form of many
isms and divides the loving relation with the Lord and thereby divides the
loving relation between man and man. By hearing the subject matter of
Srimad-Bhagavatam this false complexity of materialism is removed, and real
peace in society begins, which politicians aspire for so eagerly in so many
political situations. The politicians want a peaceful situation between man
and man, and nation and nation, but at the same time, because of too much
attachment for material domination, there is illusion and fearfulness.
Therefore the politicians' peace conferences cannot bring about peace in
society. It can only be done by hearing the subject matter described in the
Srimad-Bhagavatam about the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. The
foolish politicians may go on holding peace and summit conferences for
hundreds of years, but they will fail to achieve success. Until we reach the
stage of reestablishing our lost relation with Krsna, the illusion of
accepting the body as the self will prevail, and thus fearfulness will also
prevail. As for the validity of Sri Krsna as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, there are hundreds and thousands of evidences from revealed
scriptures, and there are hundreds and thousands of evidences from personal
experiences of devotees in various places like Vrndavana, Navadvipa and Puri.
Even in the Kaumudi dictionary the synonyms of Krsna are given as the son of
Yasoda and the Supreme Personality of Godhead Parabrahman. The conclusion
is
that simply by hearing the Vedic literature Srimad-Bhagavatam, one can have
direct connection with the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and
thereby one can attain the highest perfection of life by transcending worldly
miseries, illusion and fearfulness. These are practical tests for one who has
 210

actually given a submissive hearing to the readings of the Srimad-

Bhagavatam.

TEXT 8

sa samhitam bhagavatim
krtvanukramya catma-jam
sukam adhyapayam asa
nivrtti-niratam munih

sah--that; samhitam--Vedic literature; bhagavatim--in relation with the

Personality of Godhead; krtva--having done; anukramya--by correction and
repetition; ca--and; atma-jam--his own son; sukam--Sukadeva Gosvami;
adhyapayam asa--taught; nivrtti--path of self realization; niratam--engaged;
munih--the sage.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Vyasadeva, after compiling the Srimad-Bhagavatam and

revising it, taught it to his own son, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, who was already
engaged in self-realization.

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the natural commentation on the Brahma-sutras

compiled by the same author. This Brahma-sutra, or Vedanta-sutra, is meant
for
those who are already engaged in self-realization. Srimad-Bhagavatam is so
made that one becomes at once engaged in the path of self-realization simply
by hearing the topics. Although it is especially meant for the paramahamsas,
or those who are totally engaged in self-realization, it works into the depths
of the hearts of those who may be worldly men. Worldly men are all engaged
in
sense gratification. But even such men will find in this Vedic literature a
remedial measure for their material diseases. Sukadeva Gosvami was a
liberated
soul from the very beginning of his birth, and his father taught him
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Amongst mundane scholars, there is some diversity of
opinion as to the date of compilation of Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is, however,
certain from the text of the Bhagavatam that it was compiled before the
disappearance of King Pariksit and after the departure of Lord Krsna. When
Maharaja Pariksit was ruling the world as the King of Bharata-varsa, he
chastised the personality of Kali. According to revealed scriptures and
astrological calculation, the age of Kali is in its five thousandth year.
Therefore, Srimad-Bhagavatam was compiled not less than five thousand
years
ago. Mahabharata was compiled before Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the Puranas
were
compiled before Mahabharata. That is an estimation of the date of compilation
of the different Vedic literatures. The synopsis of Srimad-Bhagavatam was
given before the detailed description under instruction of Narada.
Srimad-Bhagavatam is the science for following the path of nivrtti-marga. The
 211

path of pravrtti-marga was condemned by Narada. That path is the natural

inclination for all conditioned souls. The theme of Srimad-Bhagavatam is the
cure of the materialistic disease of the human being, or stopping completely
the pangs of material existence.

TEXT 9

saunaka uvaca
sa vai nivrtti-niratah
sarvatropeksako munih
kasya va brhatim etam
atmaramah samabhyasat

saunakah uvaca--Sri Saunaka asked; sah--he; vai--of course; nivrtti--on the

path of self-realization; niratah--always engaged; sarvatra--in every respect;
upeksakah--indifferent; munih--sage; kasya--for what reason; va--or;
brhatim--vast; etam--this; atma-aramah--one who is pleased in himself;
samabhyasat--undergo the studies.

TRANSLATION

Sri Saunaka asked Suta Gosvami: Sri Sukadeva Gosvami was already on
the
path of self-realization, and thus he was pleased with his own self. So why
did he take the trouble to undergo the study of such a vast literature?

PURPORT

For the people in general the highest perfection of life is to cease from
material activities and be fixed on the path of self-realization. Those who
take pleasure in sense enjoyment, or those who are fixed in material bodily
welfare work, are called karmis. Out of thousands and millions of such karmis,
one may become an atmarama by self-realization. Atma means self, and
arama
means to take pleasure. Everyone is searching after the highest pleasure, but
the standard of pleasure of one may be different from the standard of another.
Therefore, the standard of pleasure enjoyed by the karmis is different from
that of the atmaramas. The atmaramas are completely indifferent to material
enjoyment in every respect. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami had already attained that
stage, and still he was attracted to undergo the trouble of studying the great
Bhagavatam literature. This means that Srimad-Bhagavatam is a postgraduate
study even for the atmaramas, who have surpassed all the studies of Vedic
knowledge.

TEXT 10

suta uvaca
atmaramas ca munayo
nirgrantha apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukim bhaktim
ittham-bhuta-guno harih
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sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; atmaramah--those who take pleasure in

atma
(generally, spirit self); ca--also; munayah--sages; nirgranthah--freed from
all bondage; api--in spite of; urukrame--unto the great adventurer;
kurvanti--do; ahaitukim--unalloyed; bhaktim--devotional service;
ittham-bhuta--such wonderful; gunah--qualities; harih--of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

All different varieties of atmaramas [those who take pleasure in atma, or

spirit self], especially those established on the path of self-realization,
though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed
devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. This means that the Lord
possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone,
including liberated souls.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained this atmarama sloka very vividly
before His chief devotee Srila Sanatana Gosvami. He points out eleven factors
in the sloka, namely (1) atmarama, (2) munayah, (3) nirgrantha, (4) api, (5)
ca, (6) urukrama, (7) kurvanti, (8) ahaitukim, (9) bhaktim, (10)
ittham-bhuta-gunah and (11) harih. According to the Visva-prakasa Sanskrit
dictionary, there are seven synonyms for the word atmarama, which are as
follows: (1) Brahman (the Absolute Truth), (2) body, (3) mind, (4) endeavor,
(5) endurance, (6) intelligence and (7) personal habits.
The word munayah refers to (1) those who are thoughtful, (2) those who
are grave and silent, (3) ascetics, (4) the persistent, (5) mendicants, (6)
sages and (7) saints.
The word nirgrantha conveys these ideas: (1) one who is liberated from
nescience, (2) one who has no connection with scriptural injunction, i.e., who
is freed from the obligation of the rules and regulations mentioned in the
revealed scriptures like ethics, Vedas, philosophy, psychology and
metaphysics
(in other words the fools, illiterate, urchins, etc., who have no connection
with regulative principles), (3) a capitalist, and also (4) one who is
penniless.
According to the Sabda-kosa dictionary, the affix ni is used in the sense
of (1) certainty, (2) counting, (3) building, and (4) forbiddance, and the
word grantha is used in the sense of wealth, thesis, vocabulary, etc.
The word urukrama means "the one whose activities are glorious." Krama
means "step." This word urukrama specifically indicates the Lord's incarnation
as Vamana, who covered the whole universe by immeasurable steps. Lord
Visnu is
powerful, and His activities are so glorious that He has created the spiritual
world by His internal potency and the material world by His external potency.
By His all-pervading features He is everywhere present as the Supreme Truth,
and in His personal feature He is always present in His transcendental abode
of Goloka Vrndavana, where He displays His transcendental pastimes in all
variegatedness. His activities cannot be compared to anyone else's, and
therefore the word urukrama is just applicable to Him only.
According to Sanskrit verbal arrangement, kurvanti refers to doing things
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for someone else. Therefore, it means that the atmaramas render devotional
service unto the Lord not for personal interest but for the pleasure of the
Lord, Urukrama.
Hetu means "causal." There are many causes for one's sense satisfaction,
and they can be chiefly classified as material enjoyment, mystic powers and
liberation, which are generally desired by progressive persons. As far as
material enjoyments are concerned, they are innumerable, and the
materialists
are eager to increase them more and more because they are under the
illusory
energy. There is no end to the list of material enjoyments, nor can anyone in
the material universe have all of them. As far as the mystic powers are
concerned, they are eight in all (such as to become the minutist in form, to
become weightless, to have anything one desires, to lord it over the material
nature, to control other living beings, to throw earthly globes in outer
space, etc.). These mystic powers are mentioned in the Bhagavatam. The
forms
of liberation are five in number.
Therefore, unalloyed devotion means service to the Lord without desire
for the above-mentioned personal benefits. And the powerful Personality of
Godhead Sri Krsna can be fully satisfied by such unalloyed devotees free from
all sorts of desires for personal benefit.
Unalloyed devotional service of the Lord progresses in different stages.
Practice of devotional service in the material field is of eighty-one
different qualities, and above such activities is the transcendental practice
of devotional service, which is one and is called sadhana-bhakti. When
unalloyed practice of sadhana-bhakti is matured into transcendental love for
the Lord, the transcendental loving service of the Lord begins gradually
developing into nine progressive stages of loving service under the headings
of attachment, love, affection, feelings, affinity, adherence, following,
ecstasy, and intense feelings of separation.
The attachment of an inactive devotee develops up to the stage of
transcendental love of God. Attachment of an active servitor develops up to
the stage of adherence, and that for a friendly devotee develops up to the
stage of following, and the same is also the case for the paternal devotees.
Devotees in conjugal love develop ecstasy up to the stage of intense feelings
of separation. These are some of the features of unalloyed devotional service
of the Lord.
According to Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, the import of the word ittham-bhuta
is "complete bliss." Transcendental bliss in the realization of impersonal
Brahman becomes comparable to the scanty water contained in the pit made
by a
cow's hoof. It is nothing compared with the ocean of bliss of the vision of
the Personality of Godhead. The personal form of Lord Sri Krsna is so
attractive that it comprehends all attraction, all bliss and all tastes
(rasas). These attractions are so strong that no one wants to exchange them
for material enjoyment, mystic powers and liberation. There is no need of
logical arguments in support of this statement, but out of one's own nature
one becomes attracted by the qualities of Lord Sri Krsna. We must know for
certain that the qualities of the Lord have nothing to do with mundane
qualities. All of them are full of bliss, knowledge and eternity. There are
innumerable qualities of the Lord, and one is attracted by one quality while
 214

another is attracted by another.

Great sages, such as the four bachelor-devotees Sanaka, Sanatana,
Sananda
and Sanat-kumara, were attracted by the fragrance of flowers and tulasi
leaves
anointed with the pulp of sandalwood offered at the lotus feet of the Lord.
Similarly, Sukadeva Gosvami was attracted by the transcendental pastimes of
the Lord. Sukadeva Gosvami was already situated in the liberated stage, yet
he
was attracted by the pastimes of the Lord. This proves that the quality of His
pastimes has nothing to do with material affinity. Similarly, the young
cowherd damsels were attracted by the bodily features of the Lord, and
Rukmini
was attracted by hearing about the glories of the Lord. Lord Krsna attracts
even the mind of the goddess of fortune. He attracts, in special cases, the
minds of all young girls. He attracts the minds of the elderly ladies by
paternal affection. He attracts the mind of the male in the humors of
servitude and friendship.
The word hari conveys various meanings, but the chief import of the word
is that He (the Lord) vanquishes everything inauspicious and takes away the
mind of the devotee by awarding pure transcendental love. By remembering
the
Lord in acute distress one can be free from all varieties of miseries and
anxieties. Gradually the Lord vanquishes all obstacles on the path of
devotional service of a pure devotee, and the result of nine devotional
activities, such as hearing and chanting, becomes manifested.
By His personal features and transcendental attributes, the Lord attracts
all psychological activities of a pure devotee. Such is the attractive power
of Lord Krsna. The attraction is so powerful that a pure devotee never hankers
for any one of the four principles of religion. These are the attractive
features of the transcendental attributes of the Lord. And adding to this the
words api and ca, one can increase the imports unlimitedly. According to
Sanskrit grammar there are seven synonyms for the word api.
So by interpreting each and every word of this sloka, one can see
unlimited numbers of transcendental qualities of Lord Krsna that attract the
mind of a pure devotee.

TEXT 11

harer gunaksipta-matir
bhagavan badarayanih
adhyagan mahad akhyanam
nityam visnu-jana-priyah

hareh--of Hari, the Personality of Godhead; guna--transcendental attribute;

aksipta--being absorbed in; matih--mind; bhagavan--powerful; badarayanih--
the
son of Vyasadeva; adhyagat--underwent studies; mahat--great;
akhyanam--narration; nityam--regularly; visnu-jana--devotees of the Lord;
priyah--beloved.

TRANSLATION
 215

Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, son of Srila Vyasadeva, was not only

transcendentally powerful. He was also very dear to the devotees of the Lord.
Thus he underwent the study of this great narration [Srimad-Bhagavatam].

PURPORT

According to Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami was a

liberated soul even within the womb of his mother. Srila Vyasadeva knew that
the child, after his birth, would not stay at home. Therefore he (Vyasadeva)
impressed upon him the synopsis of the Bhagavatam so that the child could be
made attached to the transcendental activities of the Lord. After his birth,
the child was still more educated in the subject of the Bhagavatam by
recitation of the actual poems.
The idea is that generally the liberated souls are attached to the
feature of impersonal Brahman with a monistic view of becoming one with the
supreme whole. But by the association of pure devotees like Vyasadeva, even
the liberated soul becomes attracted to the transcendental qualities of the
Lord. By the mercy of Sri Narada, Srila Vyasadeva was able to narrate the
great epic of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and by the mercy of Vyasadeva, Srila
Sukadeva
Gosvami was able to grasp the import. The transcendental qualities of the
Lord
are so attractive that Srila Sukadeva Gosvami became detached from being
completely absorbed in impersonal Brahman and positively took up the
personal
activity of the Lord.
Practically he was thrown from the impersonal conception of the Absolute,
thinking within himself that he had simply wasted so much time in devoting
himself to the impersonal feature of the Supreme, or in other words, he
realized more transcendental bliss with the personal feature than the
impersonal. And from that time, not only did he himself become very dear to
the visnu-janas, or the devotees of the Lord, but also the visnu-janas became
very dear to him. The devotees of the Lord, who do not wish to kill the
individuality of the living entities and who desire to become personal
servitors of the Lord, do not very much like the impersonalists, and similarly
the impersonalists, who desire to become one with the Supreme, are unable to
evaluate the devotees of the Lord. Thus from time immemorial these two
transcendental pilgrims have sometimes been competitors. In other words,
each
of them likes to keep separate from the other because of the ultimate
personal
and impersonal realizations. Therefore it appears that Srila Sukadeva Gosvami
also had no liking for the devotees. But since he himself became a saturated
devotee, he desired always the transcendental association of the visnu-janas,
and the visnu-janas also liked his association, since he became a personal
Bhagavata. Thus both the son and the father were completely cognizant of
transcendental knowledge in Brahman, and afterwards both of them became
absorbed in the personal features of the Supreme Lord. The question as to
how
Sukadeva Gosvami was attracted by the narration of the Bhagavatam is thus
completely answered by this sloka.
 216

TEXT 12

pariksito 'tha rajarser

janma-karma-vilapanam
samstham ca pandu-putranam
vaksye krsna-kathodayam

pariksitah--of King Pariksit; atha--thus; rajarseh--of the King who was the
rsi among the kings; janma--birth; karma--activities; vilapanam--deliverance;
samstham--renunciation of the world; ca--and; pandu-putranam--of the sons of
Pandu; vaksye--I shall speak; krsna-katha-udayam--that which gives rise to the
transcendental narration of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami thus addressed the rsis headed by Saunaka: Now I shall
begin
the transcendental narration of the Lord Sri Krsna and topics of the birth,
activities and deliverance of King Pariksit, the sage amongst kings, as well
as topics of the renunciation of the worldly order by the sons of Pandu.

PURPORT

Lord Krsna is so kind to the fallen souls that He personally incarnates

Himself amongst the different kinds of living entities and takes part with
them in daily activities. Any historical fact old or new which has a
connection with the activities of the Lord is to be understood as a
transcendental narration of the Lord. Without Krsna, all the supplementary
literatures like the Puranas and Mahabharata are simply stories or historical
facts. But with Krsna they become transcendental, and when we hear of them
we
at once become transcendentally related with the Lord. Srimad-Bhagavatam is
also aPurana, but the special significance of this Purana is that the
activities of the Lord are central and not just supplementary historical
facts. Srimad-Bhagavatam is thus recommended by Lord Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu
as the spotless Purana. There is a class of less intelligent devotees of the
Bhagavata Purana who desire to relish at once the activities of the Lord
narrated in the Tenth Canto without first understanding the primary cantos.
They are under the false impression that the other cantos are not concerned
with Krsna, and thus more foolishly than intelligently they take to the
reading of the Tenth Canto. These readers are specifically told herein that
the other cantos of the Bhagavatam are as important as the Tenth Canto. No
one
should try to go into the matters of the Tenth Canto without having thoroughly
understood the purport of the other nine cantos. Krsna and His pure devotees
like the Pandavas are on the same plane. Krsna is not without His devotees of
all the rasas, and the pure devotees like the Pandavas are not without Krsna.
The devotees and the Lord are interlinked, and they cannot be separated.
Therefore talks about them are all krsna-katha, or topics of the Lord.
 217

TEXT 13-14

yada mrdhe kaurava-srnjayanam

viresv atho vira-gatim gatesu
vrkodaraviddha-gadabhimarsa-
bhagnoru-dande dhrtarastra-putre

bhartuh priyam draunir iti sma pasyan

krsna-sutanam svapatam siramsi
upaharad vipriyam eva tasya
jugupsitam karma vigarhayanti

yada--when; mrdhe--in the battlefield; kaurava--the party of Dhrtarastra;

srnjayanam--of the party of the Pandavas; viresu--of the warriors; atho--thus;
vira-gatim--the destination deserved by the warriors; gatesu--being obtained;
vrkodara--Bhima (the second Pandava); aviddha--beaten; gada--by the club;
abhimarsa--lamenting; bhagna--broken; uru-dande--spinal cord;
dhrtarastra-putre--the son of King Dhrtarastra; bhartuh--of the master;
priyam--pleasing; draunih--the son of Dronacarya; iti--thus; sma--shall be;
pasyan--seeing; krsna--Draupadi; sutanam--of the sons; svapatam--while
sleeping; siramsi--heads; upaharat--delivered as a prize; vipriyam--pleasing;
eva--like; tasya--his; jugupsitam--most heinous; karma--act;
vigarhayanti--disapproving.

TRANSLATION

When the respective warriors of both camps, namely the Kauravas and the
Pandavas, were killed on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra and the dead warriors
obtained their deserved destinations, and when the son of Dhrtarastra fell
down lamenting, his spine broken, being beaten by the club of Bhimasena, the
son of Dronacarya [Asvatthama] beheaded the five sleeping sons of Draupadi
and
delivered them as a prize to his master, foolishly thinking that he would be
pleased. Duryodhana, however, disapproved of the heinous act, and he was
not
pleased in the least.

PURPORT

Transcendental topics of the activities of Lord Sri Krsna in the

Srimad-Bhagavatam begin from the end of the battle at Kuruksetra, where the
Lord Himself spoke about Himself in the Bhagavad-gita. Therefore, both the
Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam are transcendental topics of Lord
Krsna.
The Gita is krsna-katha, or topics of Krsna, because it is spoken by the Lord,
and the Bhagavatam is also krsna-katha because it is spoken about the Lord.
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted everyone to be informed of both
krsna-kathas by His order. Lord Krsna Caitanya is Krsna Himself in the garb of
a devotee of Krsna, and therefore the versions of both Lord Krsna and Sri
Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu are identical. Lord Caitanya desired that all who
are born in India seriously understand such krsna-kathas and then after full
realization preach the transcendental message to everyone in all parts of the
 218

world. That will bring about the desired peace and prosperity of the stricken
world.

TEXT 15

mata sisunam nidhanam sutanam

nisamya ghoram paritapyamana
tadarudad vaspa-kalakulaksi
tam santvayann aha kiritamali

mata--the mother; sisunam--of the children; nidhanam--massacre; sutanam--of

the sons; nisamya--after hearing; ghoram--ghastly; paritapyamana--lamenting;
tada--at that time; arudat--began to cry; vaspa-kala-akula-aksi--with tears in
the eyes; tam--her; santvayan--pacifying; aha--said; kiritamali--Arjuna.

TRANSLATION

Draupadi, the mother of the five children of the Pandavas, after hearing
of the massacre of her sons, began to cry in distress with eyes full of tears.
Trying to pacify her in her great loss, Arjuna spoke to her thus:

TEXT 16

tada sucas te pramrjami bhadre

yad brahma-bandhoh sira atatayinah
gandiva-muktair visikhair upahare
tvakramya yat snasyasi dagdha-putra

tada--at that time only; sucah--tears in grief; te--your; pramrjami--shall

wipe away; bhadre--O gentle lady; yat--when; brahma-bandhoh--of a degraded
brahmana; sirah--head; atatayinah--of the aggressor; gandiva-muktaih--shot
by
the bow named Gandiva; visikhaih--by the arrows; upahare--shall present to
you; tva--yourself; akramya--riding on it; yat--which; snasyasi--take your
bath; dagdha-putra--after burning the sons.

TRANSLATION

O gentle lady, when I present you with the head of that brahmana, after
beheading him with arrows from my Gandiva bow, I shall then wipe the tears
from your eyes and pacify you. Then, after burning your sons' bodies, you can
take your bath standing on his head.

PURPORT

An enemy who sets fire to the house, administers poison, attacks all of a
sudden with deadly weapons, plunders wealth or usurps agricultural fields, or
entices one's wife is called an aggressor. Such an aggressor, though he be a
brahmana or a so-called son of a brahmana, has to be punished in all
circumstances. When Arjuna promised to behead the aggressor named
Asvatthama,
 219

he knew well that Asvatthama was the son of a brahmana, but because the
so-called brahmana acted like a butcher, he was taken as such, and there was
no question of sin in killing such a brahmana's son who proved to be a
villain.

TEXT 17

iti priyam valgu-vicitra jalpaih

sa santvayitvacyuta-mitra-sutah
anvadravad damsita ugra-dhanva
kapi-dhvajo guru-putram rathena

iti--thus; priyam--unto the dear; valgu--sweet; vicitra--variegated;

jalpaih--by statements; sah--he; santvayitva--satisfying;
acyuta-mitra-sutah--Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as a friend
and driver; anvadravat--followed; damsitah--being protected by kavaca;
ugra-dhanva--equipped with furious weapons; kapi-dhvajah--Arjuna;
guru-putram--the son of the martial teacher; rathena--getting on the chariot.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as friend and driver, thus
satisfied the dear lady by such statements. Then he dressed in armor and
armed
himself with furious weapons, and getting into his chariot, he set out to
follow Asvatthama, the son of his martial teacher.

TEXT 18

tam apatantam sa vilaksya durat

kumara-hodvigna-mana rathena
paradravat prana-paripsur urvyam
yavad-gamam rudra-bhayad yatha kah

tam--him; apatantam--coming over furiously; sah--he; vilaksya--seeing;

durat--from a distance; kumara-ha--the murderer of the princes;
udvigna-manah--disturbed in mind; rathena--on the chariot; paradravat--fled;
prana--life; paripsuh--for protecting; urvyam--with great speed;
yavat-gamam--as he fled; rudra-bhayat--by fear of Siva; yatha--as; kah--
Brahma
(or arkah--Surya).

TRANSLATION

Asvatthama, the murderer of the princes, seeing from a great distance

Arjuna coming at him with great speed, fled in his chariot, panic stricken,
just to save his life, as Brahma fled in fear from Siva.

PURPORT

According to the reading matter, either kah or arkah, there are two
 220

references in the Puranas. Kah means Brahma, who once became allured by
his
daughter and began to follow her, which infuriated Siva, who attacked Brahma
with his trident. Brahmaji fled in fear of his life. As far as arkah is
concerned, there is a reference in the Vamana Purana. There was a demon by
the
name Vidyunmali who was gifted with a glowing golden airplane which
traveled
to the back of the sun, and night disappeared because of the glowing
effulgence of this plane. Thus the sun-god became angry, and with his virulent
rays he melted the plane. This enraged Lord Siva. Lord Siva then attacked the
sun-god, who fled away and at last fell down at Kasi (Varanasi), and the place
became famous as Lolarka.

TEXT 19

yadasaranam atmanam
aiksata sranta-vajinam
astram brahma-siro mene
atma-tranam dvijatmajah

yada--when; asaranam--without being alternatively protected; atmanam--his

own
self; aiksata--saw; sranta-vajinam--the horses being tired; astram--weapon;
brahma-sirah--the topmost or ultimate (nuclear); mene--applied;
atma-tranam--just to save himself; dvija-atma-jah--the son of a brahmana.

TRANSLATION

When the son of the brahmana [Asvatthama] saw that his horses were
tired,
he considered that there was no alternative for protection outside of his
using the ultimate weapon, the brahmastra [nuclear weapon].

PURPORT

In the ultimate issue only, when there is no alternative, the nuclear

weapon called the brahmastra is applied. The word dvijatmajah is significant
here because Asvatthama, although the son of Dronacarya, was not exactly a
qualified brahmana. The most intelligent man is called a brahmana, and it is
not a hereditary title. Asvatthama was also formerly called the brahma-
bandhu,
or the friend of a brahmana. Being a friend of a brahmana does not mean that
one is a brahmana by qualification. A friend or son of a brahmana, when fully
qualified, can be called a brahmana and not otherwise. Since Asvatthama's
decision is immature, he is purposely called herein the son of a brahmana.

TEXT 20

athopasprsya salilam
sandadhe tat samahitah
ajanann api samharam
 221

prana-krcchra upasthite

atha--thus; upasprsya--touching in sanctity; salilam--water; sandadhe--chanted

the hymns; tat--that; samahitah--being in concentration; ajanan--without
knowing; api--although; samharam--withdrawal; prana-krcchre--life being put
in
danger; upasthite--being placed in such a position.

TRANSLATION

Since his life was in danger, he touched water in sanctity and

concentrated upon the chanting of the hymns for throwing nuclear weapons,
although he did not know how to withdraw such weapons.

PURPORT

The subtle forms of material activities are finer than grosser methods of
material manipulation. Such subtle forms of material activities are effected
through purification of sound. The same method is adopted here by chanting
hymns to act as nuclear weapons.

TEXT 21

tatah praduskrtam tejah

pracandam sarvato disam
pranapadam abhipreksya
visnum jisnur uvaca ha

tatah--thereafter; praduskrtam--disseminated; tejah--glare; pracandam--fierce;

sarvatah--all around; disam--directions; prana-apadam--affecting life;
abhipreksya--having observed it; visnum--unto the Lord; jisnuh--Arjuna;
uvaca--said; ha--in the past.

TRANSLATION

Thereupon a glaring light spread in all directions. It was so fierce that

Arjuna thought his own life in danger, and so he began to address Lord Sri
Krsna.

TEXT 22

arjuna uvaca
krsna krsna maha-baho
bhaktanam abhayankara
tvam eko dahyamananam
apavargo 'si samsrteh

arjunah uvaca--Arjuna said; krsna--O Lord Krsna; krsna--O Lord Krsna;

maha-baho--He who is the Almighty; bhaktanam--of the devotees;
abhayankara--eradicating the fears of; tvam--You; ekah--alone;
 222

dahyamananam--those who are suffering from; apavargah--the path of

liberation;
asi--are; samsrteh--in the midst of material miseries.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna said: O my Lord Sri Krsna, You are the almighty Personality of
Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are
competent to instill fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotees. Everyone in
the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only.

PURPORT

Arjuna was aware of the transcendental qualities of Lord Sri Krsna, as he

had already experienced them during the Kuruksetra War, in which both of
them
were present. Therefore, Arjuna's version of Lord Krsna is authoritative.
Krsna is almighty and is especially the cause of fearlessness for the
devotees. A devotee of the Lord is always fearless because of the protection
given by the Lord. Material existence is something like a blazing fire in the
forest, which can be extinguished by the mercy of the Lord Sri Krsna. The
spiritual master is the mercy representative of the Lord. Therefore, a person
burning in the flames of material existence may receive the rains of mercy of
the Lord through the transparent medium of the self-realized spiritual master.
The spiritual master, by his words, can penetrate into the heart of the
suffering person and inject knowledge transcendental, which alone can
extinguish the fire of material existence.

TEXT 23

tvam adyah purusah saksad

isvarah prakrteh parah
mayam vyudasya cic-chaktya
kaivalye sthita atmani

tvam adyah--You are the original; purusah--the enjoying personality;

saksat--directly; isvarah--the controller; prakrteh--of material nature;
parah--transcendental; mayam--the material energy; vyudasya--one who has
thrown aside; cit-saktya--by dint of internal potency; kaivalye--in pure
eternal knowledge and bliss; sthitah--placed; atmani--own self.

TRANSLATION

You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself all over
the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have cast away
the
effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency. You are
always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge.

PURPORT

The Lord states in the Bhagavad-gita that one who surrenders unto the
 223

lotus feet of the Lord can get release from the clutches of nescience. Krsna
is just like the sun, and maya or material existence is just like darkness.
Wherever there is the light of the sun, darkness or ignorance at once
vanishes. The best means to get out of the world of ignorance is suggested
here. The Lord is addressed herein as the original Personality of Godhead.
From Him all other Personalities of Godhead expand. The all-pervasive Lord
Visnu is Lord Krsna's plenary portion or expansion. The Lord expands Himself
in innumerable forms of Godhead and living beings, along with His different
energies. But Sri Krsna is the original primeval Lord from whom everything
emanates. The all-pervasive feature of the Lord experienced within the
manifested world is also a partial representation of the Lord. Paramatma,
therefore, is included within Him. He is the Absolute Personality of Godhead.
He has nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material
manifestation because He is far above the material creation. Darkness is a
perverse representation of the sun, and therefore the existence of darkness
depends on the existence of the sun, but in the sun proper there is no trace
of darkness. As the sun is full of light only, similarly the Absolute
Personality of Godhead, beyond the material existence, is full of bliss. He is
not only full of bliss, but also full of transcendental variegatedness.
Transcendence is not at all static, but full of dynamic variegatedness. He is
distinct from the material nature, which is complicated by the three modes of
material nature. He is parama, or the chief. Therefore He is absolute. He has
manifold energies, and through His diverse energies He creates, manifests,
maintains and destroys the material world. In His own abode, however,
everything is eternal and absolute. The world is not conducted by the energies
or powerful agents by themselves, but by the potent all-powerful with all
energies.

TEXT 24

sa eva jiva-lokasya
maya-mohita-cetasah
vidhatse svena viryena
sreyo dharmadi-laksanam

sah--that Transcendence; eva--certainly; jiva-lokasya--of the conditioned

living beings; maya-mohita--captivated by the illusory energy; cetasah--by the
heart; vidhatse--execute; svena--by Your own; viryena--influence;
sreyah--ultimate good; dharma-adi--four principles of liberation;
laksanam--characterized by.

TRANSLATION

And yet, though You are beyond the purview of the material energy, You
execute the four principles of liberation characterized by religion and so on
for the ultimate good of the conditioned souls.

PURPORT

The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, out of His causeless mercy,

descends on the manifested world without being influenced by the material
modes of nature. He is eternally beyond the material manifestations. He
 224

descends out of His causeless mercy only to reclaim the fallen souls who are
captivated by the illusory energy. They are attacked by the material energy,
and they want to enjoy her under false pretexts, although in essence the
living entity is unable to enjoy. One is eternally the servitor of the Lord,
and when he forgets this position he thinks of enjoying the material world,
but factually he is in illusion. The Lord descends to eradicate this false
sense of enjoyment and thus reclaim conditioned souls back to Godhead. That
is
the all-merciful nature of the Lord for the fallen souls.

TEXT 25

tathayam cavataras te
bhuvo bhara-jihirsaya
svanam cananya-bhavanam
anudhyanaya casakrt

tatha--thus; ayam--this; ca--and; avatarah--incarnation; te--Your; bhuvah--of

the material world; bhara--burden; jihirsaya--for removing; svanam--of the
friends; ca ananya-bhavanam--and of the exclusive devotees; anudhyanaya--
for
remembering repeatedly; ca--and; asakrt--fully satisfied.

TRANSLATION

Thus You descend as an incarnation to remove the burden of the world and
to benefit Your friends, especially those who are Your exclusive devotees and
are rapt in meditation upon You.

PURPORT

It appears that the Lord is partial to His devotees. Everyone is related

with the Lord. He is equal to everyone, and yet He is more inclined to His own
men and devotees. The Lord is everyone's father. No one can be His father,
and
yet no one can be His son. His devotees are His kinsmen, and His devotees are
His relations. This is His transcendental pastime. It has nothing to do with
mundane ideas of relations, fatherhood or anything like that. As mentioned
above, the Lord is above the modes of material nature, and thus there is
nothing mundane about His kinsmen and relations in devotional service.

TEXT 26

kim idam svit kuto veti

deva-deva na vedmy aham
sarvato mukham ayati
tejah parama-darunam

kim--what is; idam--this; svit--does it come; kutah--wherefrom; va iti--be

either; deva-deva--O Lord of lords; na--not; vedmi--do I know; aham--I;
sarvatah--all around; mukham--directions; ayati--coming from;
tejah--effulgence; parama--very much; darunam--dangerous.
 225

TRANSLATION

O Lord of lords, how is it that this dangerous effulgence is spreading

all around? Where does it come from? I do not understand it.

PURPORT

Anything that is presented before the Personality of Godhead should be so

done after due presentation of respectful prayers. That is the standard
procedure, and Sri Arjuna, although an intimate friend of the Lord, is
observing this method for general information.

TEXT 27

sri-bhagavan uvaca
vetthedam drona-putrasya
brahmam astram pradarsitam
naivasau veda samharam
prana-badha upasthite

sri-bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; uvaca--said; vettha--just

know from Me; idam--this; drona-putrasya--of the son of Drona; brahmam
astram--hymns of the brahma (nuclear) weapon; pradarsitam--exhibited; na--
not;
eva--even; asau--he; veda--know it; samharam--retraction;
prana-badhe--extinction of life; upasthite--being imminent.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Know from Me that this is the
act of the son of Drona. He has thrown the hymns of nuclear energy
[brahmastra], and he does not know how to retract the glare. He has
helplessly
done this, being afraid of imminent death.

PURPORT

The brahmastra is similar to the modern nuclear weapon manipulated by

atomic energy. The atomic energy works wholly on total combustibility, and so
the brahmastra also acts. It creates an intolerable heat similar to atomic
radiation, but the difference is that the atomic bomb is a gross type of
nuclear weapon, whereas the brahmastra is a subtle type of weapon produced
by
chanting hymns. It is a different science, and in the days gone by such
science was cultivated in the land of Bharata-varsa. The subtle science of
chanting hymns is also material, but it has yet to be known by the modern
material scientists. Subtle material science is not spiritual, but it has a
direct relationship with the spiritual method, which is still subtler. A
chanter of hymns knew how to apply the weapon as well as how to retract it.
That was perfect knowledge. But the son of Dronacarya, who made use of this
subtle science, did not know how to retract. He applied it, being afraid of
 226

his imminent death, and thus the practice was not only improper but also
irreligious. As the son of a brahmana, he should not have made so many
mistakes, and for such gross negligence of duty he was to be punished by the
Lord Himself.

TEXT 28

na hy asyanyatamam kincid
astram pratyavakarsanam
jahy astra-teja unnaddham
astra-jno hy astra-tejasa

na--not; hi--certainly; asya--of it; anyatamam--other; kincit--anything;

astram--weapon; prati--counter; avakarsanam--reactionary; jahi--subdue it;
astra-tejah--the glare of this weapon; unnaddham--very powerful;
astra-jnah--expert in military science; hi--as a matter of fact;
astra-tejasa--by the influence of your weapon.

TRANSLATION

O Arjuna, only another brahmastra can counteract this weapon. Since you
are expert in the military science, subdue this weapon's glare with the power
of your own weapon.

PURPORT

For the atomic bombs there is no counterweapon to neutralize the effects.

But by subtle science the action of a brahmastra can be counteracted, and
those who were expert in the military science in those days could counteract
the brahmastra. The son of Dronacarya did not know the art of counteracting
the weapon, and therefore Arjuna was asked to counteract it by the power of
his own weapon.

TEXT 29

suta uvaca
srutva bhagavata proktam
phalgunah para-vira-ha
sprstvapas tam parikramya
brahmam brahmastram sandadhe

sutah--Suta Gosvami; uvaca--said; srutva--after hearing; bhagavata--by the

Personality of Godhead; proktam--what was said; phalgunah--another name of
Sri
Arjuna; para-vira-ha--the killer of the opposing warrior; sprstva--after
touching; apah--water; tam--Him; parikramya--circumambulating; brahmam--
the
Supreme Lord; brahma-astram--the supreme weapon; sandadhe--acted on.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: Hearing this from the Personality of Godhead,
 227

Arjuna touched water for purification, and after circumambulating Lord Sri
Krsna, he cast his brahmastra weapon to counteract the other one.

TEXT 30

samhatyanyonyam ubhayos
tejasi sara-samvrte
avrtya rodasi kham ca
vavrdhate 'rka-vahnivat

samhatya--by combination of; anyonyam--one another; ubhayoh--of both;

tejasi--the glares; sara--weapons; samvrte--covering; avrtya--covering;
rodasi--the complete firmament; kham ca--outer space also;
vavrdhate--increasing; arka--the sun globe; vahni-vat--like fire.

TRANSLATION

When the rays of the two brahmastras combined, a great circle of fire,
like the disc of the sun, covered all outer space and the whole firmament of
planets.

PURPORT

The heat created by the flash of a brahmastra resembles the fire

exhibited in the sun globe at the time of cosmic annihilation. The radiation
of atomic energy is very insignificant in comparison to the heat produced by a
brahmastra. The atomic bomb explosion can at utmost blow up one globe, but
the
heat produced by the brahmastra can destroy the whole cosmic situation. The
comparison is therefore made to the heat at the time of annihilation.

TEXT 31

drstvastra-tejas tu tayos
tril lokan pradahan mahat
dahyamanah prajah sarvah
samvartakam amamsata

drstva--thus seeing; astra--weapon; tejah--heat; tu--but; tayoh--of both;

trin--three; lokan--planets; pradahat--blazing; mahat--severely;
dahyamanah--burning; prajah--population; sarvah--all over; samvartakam--the
name of the fire which devastates during the annihilation of the universe;
amamsata--began to think.

TRANSLATION

All the population of the three worlds was scorched by the combined heat
of the weapons. Everyone was reminded of the samvartaka fire which takes
place
at the time of annihilation.
 228

PURPORT

The three worlds are the upper, lower and intermediate planets of the
universe. Although the brahmastra was released on this earth, the heat
produced by the combination of both weapons covered all the universe, and
all
the populations on all the different planets began to feel the heat
excessively and compared it to that of the samvartaka fire. No planet,
therefore, is without living beings, as less intelligent materialistic men
think.

TEXT 32

prajopadravam alaksya
loka-vyatikaram ca tam
matam ca vasudevasya
sanjahararjuno dvayam

praja--the people in general; upadravam--disturbance; alaksya--having seen it;

loka--the planets; vyatikaram--destruction; ca--also; tam--that; matam ca--and
the opinion; vasudevasya--of Vasudeva, Sri Krsna; sanjahara--retracted;
arjunah--Arjuna; dvayam--both the weapons.

TRANSLATION

Thus seeing the disturbance of the general populace and the imminent
destruction of the planets, Arjuna at once retracted both brahmastra weapons,
as Lord Sri Krsna desired.

PURPORT

The theory that the modern atomic bomb explosions can annihilate the
world is childish imagination. First of all, the atomic energy is not powerful
enough to destroy the world. And secondly, ultimately it all rests on the
supreme will of the Supreme Lord because without His will or sanction nothing
can be built up or destroyed. It is foolish also to think that natural laws
are ultimately powerful. Material nature's law works under the direction of
the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. The Lord says there that natural
laws work under His supervision. The world can be destroyed only by the will
of the Lord and not by the whims of tiny politicians. Lord Sri Krsna desired
that the weapons released by both Drauni and Arjuna be withdrawn, and it
was
carried out by Arjuna at once. Similarly, there are many agents of the
all-powerful Lord, and by His will only can one execute what He desires.

TEXT 33

tata asadya tarasa

darunam gautami-sutam
babandhamarsa-tamraksah
pasum rasanaya yatha
 229

tatah--thereupon; asadya--arrested; tarasa--dexterously; darunam--dangerous;

gautami-sutam--the son of Gautami; babandha--bound up; amarsa--angry;
tamra-aksah--with copper-red eyes; pasum--animal; rasanaya--by ropes;
yatha--as it were.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna, his eyes blazing in anger like two red balls of copper,
dexterously arrested the son of Gautami and bound him with ropes like an
animal.

PURPORT

Asvatthama's mother, Krpi, was born in the family of Gautama. The

significant point in this sloka is that Asvatthama was caught and bound up
with ropes like an animal. According to Sridhara Svami, Arjuna was obliged to
catch this son of a brahmana like an animal as a part of his duty (dharma).
This suggestion by Sridhara Svami is also confirmed in the later statement of
Sri Krsna. Asvatthama was a bona fide son of Dronacarya and Krpi, but
because
he had degraded himself to a lower status of life, it was proper to treat him
as an animal and not as a brahmana.

TEXT 34

sibiraya ninisantam
rajjva baddhva ripum balat
praharjunam prakupito
bhagavan ambujeksanah

sibiraya--on the way to the military camp; ninisantam--while bringing him;

rajjva--by the ropes; baddhva--bound up; ripum--the enemy; balat--by force;
praha--said; arjunam--unto Arjuna; prakupitah--in an angry mood; bhagavan--
the
Personality of Godhead; ambuja-iksanah--who looks with His lotus eyes.

TRANSLATION

After binding Asvatthama, Arjuna wanted to take him to the military camp.
The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, looking on with His lotus eyes, spoke to
angry Arjuna.

PURPORT

Both Arjuna and Lord Sri Krsna are described here in an angry mood, but
Arjuna's eyes were like balls of red copper whereas the eyes of the Lord were
like lotuses. This means that the angry mood of Arjuna and that of the Lord
are not on the same level. The Lord is Transcendence, and thus He is absolute
in any stage. His anger is not like the anger of a conditioned living being
within the modes of qualitative material nature. Because He is absolute, both
His anger and pleasure are the same. His anger is not exhibited in the three
modes of material nature. It is only a sign of His bent of mind towards the
 230

cause of His devotee because that is His transcendental nature. Therefore,

even if He is angry, the object of anger is blessed. He is unchanged in all
circumstances.

TEXT 35

mainam partharhasi tratum

brahma-bandhum imam jahi
yo 'sav anagasah suptan
avadhin nisi balakan

ma enam--never unto him; partha--O Arjuna; arhasi--ought to; tratum--give

release; brahma-bandhum--a relative of a brahmana; imam--him; jahi--kill;
yah--he (who has); asau--those; anagasah--faultless; suptan--while sleeping;
avadhit--killed; nisi--at night; balakan--the boys.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna said: O Arjuna, you should not show mercy by releasing
this relative of a brahmana [brahma-bandhu], for he has killed innocent boys
in their sleep.

PURPORT

The word brahma-bandhu is significant. A person who happens to take birth

in the family of a brahmana but is not qualified to be called a brahmana is
addressed as the relative of a brahmana, and not as a brahmana. The son of a
high court judge is not virtually a high court judge, but there is no harm in
addressing a high court judge's son as a relative of the Honorable Justice.
Therefore, as by birth only one does not become a high court judge, so also
one does not become a brahmana simply by birthright but by acquiring the
necessary qualifications of a brahmana. As the high court judgeship is a post
for the qualified man, so also the post of a brahmana is attainable by
qualification only. The sastra enjoins that even if good qualifications are
seen in a person born in a family other than that of a brahmana, the qualified
man has to be accepted as a brahmana, and similarly if a person born in the
family of a brahmana is void of brahminical qualification, then he must be
treated as a non-brahmana or, in better terms, a relative of a brahmana. Lord
Sri Krsna, the supreme authority of all religious principles, the Vedas, has
personally pointed out these differences, and He is about to explain the
reason for this in the following slokas.

TEXT 36

mattam pramattam unmattam

suptam balam striyam jadam
prapannam viratham bhitam
na ripum hanti dharma-vit

mattam--careless; pramattam--intoxicated; unmattam--insane; suptam--

asleep;
balam--boy; striyam--woman; jadam--foolish; prapannam--surrendered;
 231

viratham--one who has lost his chariot; bhitam--afraid; na--not; ripum--enemy;

hanti--kill; dharma-vit--one who knows the principles of religion.

TRANSLATION

A person who knows the principles of religion does not kill an enemy who
is careless, intoxicated, insane, asleep, afraid or devoid of his chariot. Nor
does he kill a boy, a woman, a foolish creature or a surrendered soul.

PURPORT

An enemy who does not resist is never killed by a warrior who knows the
principles of religion. Formerly battles were fought on the principles of
religion and not for the sake of sense gratification. If the enemy happened to
be intoxicated, asleep, etc., as above mentioned, he was never to be killed.
These are some of the codes of religious war. Formerly war was never
declared
by the whims of selfish political leaders; it was carried out on religious
principles free from all vices. Violence carried out on religious principles
is far superior to so-called nonviolence.

TEXT 37

sva-pranan yah para-pranaih

prapusnaty aghrnah khalah
tad-vadhas tasya hi sreyo
yad-dosad yaty adhah puman

sva-pranan--one's own life; yah--one who; para-pranaih--at the cost of others'

lives; prapusnati--maintains properly; aghrnah--shameless; khalah--wretched;
tat-vadhah--killing of him; tasya--his; hi--certainly; sreyah--well-being;
yat--by which; dosat--by the fault; yati--goes; adhah--downwards; puman--a
person.

TRANSLATION

A cruel and wretched person who maintains his existence at the cost of
others' lives deserves to be killed for his own well-being, otherwise he will
go down by his own actions.

PURPORT

A life for a life is just punishment for a person who cruelly and
shamelessly lives at the cost of another's life. Political morality is to
punish a person by a death sentence in order to save a cruel person from
going
to hell. That a murderer is condemned to a death sentence by the state is
good
for the culprit because in his next life he will not have to suffer for his
act of murder. Such a death sentence for the murderer is the lowest possible
punishment offered to him, and it is said in the smrti-sastras that men who
are punished by the king on the principle of a life for a life are purified of
 232

all their sins, so much so that they may be eligible for being promoted to the
planets of heaven. According to Manu, the great author of civic codes and
religious principles, even the killer of an animal is to be considered a
murderer because animal food is never meant for the civilized man, whose
prime
duty is to prepare himself for going back to Godhead. He says that in the act
of killing an animal, there is a regular conspiracy by the party of sinners,
and all of them are liable to be punished as murderers exactly like a party of
conspirators who kill a human being combinedly. He who gives permission, he
who kills the animal, he who sells the slaughtered animal, he who cooks the
animal, he who administers distribution of the foodstuff, and at last he who
eats such cooked animal food are all murderers, and all of them are liable to
be punished by the laws of nature. No one can create a living being despite
all advancement of material science, and therefore no one has the right to
kill a living being by one's independent whims. For the animal-eaters, the
scriptures have sanctioned restricted animal sacrifices only, and such
sanctions are there just to restrict the opening of slaughterhouses and not to
encourage animal-killing. The procedure under which animal sacrifice is
allowed in the scriptures is good both for the animal sacrificed and the
animal-eaters. It is good for the animal in the sense that the sacrificed
animal is at once promoted to the human form of life after being sacrificed at
the altar, and the animal-eater is saved from grosser types of sins (eating
meats supplied by organized slaughterhouses which are ghastly places for
breeding all kinds of material afflictions to society, country and the people
in general). The material world is itself a place always full of anxieties,
and by encouraging animal slaughter the whole atmosphere becomes polluted
more
and more by war, pestilence, famine and many other unwanted calamities.

TEXT 38

pratisrutam ca bhavata
pancalyai srnvato mama
aharisye siras tasya
yas te manini putra-ha

pratisrutam--it is promised; ca--and; bhavata--by you; pancalyai--unto the

daughter of the King of Pancala (Draupadi); srnvatah--which was heard;
mama--by Me personally; aharisye--must I bring; sirah--the head; tasya--of
him; yah--whom; te--your; manini--consider; putra-ha--the killer of your sons.

TRANSLATION

Furthermore, I have personally heard you promise Draupadi that you would
bring forth the head of the killer of her sons.

TEXT 39

tad asau vadhyatam papa

atatayy atma-bandhu-ha
bhartus ca vipriyam vira
 233

krtavan kula-pamsanah

tat--therefore; asau--this man; vadhyatam--will be killed; papah--the sinner;

atatayi--assaulter; atma--own; bandhu-ha--killer of sons; bhartuh--of the
master; ca--also; vipriyam--having not satisfied; vira--O warrior;
krtavan--one who has done it; kula-pamsanah--the burnt remnants of the
family.

TRANSLATION

This man is an assassin and murderer of your own family members. Not
only
that, but he has also dissatisfied his master. He is but the burnt remnants of
his family. Kill him immediately.

PURPORT

The son of Dronacarya is condemned here as the burnt remnants of his

family. The good name of Dronacarya was very much respected. Although he
joined the enemy camp, the Pandavas held him always in respect, and Arjuna
saluted him before beginning the fight. There was nothing wrong in that way.
But the son of Dronacarya degraded himself by committing acts which are
never
done by the dvijas, or the twice-born higher castes. Asvatthama, the son of
Dronacarya, committed murder by killing the five sleeping sons of Draupadi,
by
which he dissatisfied his master Duryodhana, who never approved of the
heinous
act of killing the five sleeping sons of the Pandavas. This means that
Asvatthama became an assaulter of Arjuna's own family members, and thus
he was
liable to be punished by him. In the sastras, he who attacks without notice or
kills from behind or sets fire to another's house or kidnaps one's wife is
condemned to death. Krsna reminded Arjuna of these facts so that he might
take
notice of them and do the needful.

TEXT 40

suta uvaca
evam pariksata dharmam
parthah krsnena coditah
naicchad dhantum guru-sutam
yadyapy atma-hanam mahan

sutah--Suta Gosvami; uvaca--said; evam--this; pariksata--being examined;

dharmam--in the matter of duty; parthah--Sri Arjuna; krsnena--by Lord Krsna;
coditah--being encouraged; na aicchat--did not like; hantum--to kill;
guru-sutam--the son of his teacher; yadyapi--although; atma-hanam--murderer
of
sons; mahan--very great.
 234

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Although Krsna, who was examining Arjuna in religion,
encouraged Arjuna to kill the son of Dronacarya, Arjuna, a great soul, did not
like the idea of killing him, although Asvatthama was a heinous murderer of
Arjuna's family members.

PURPORT

Arjuna was a great soul undoubtedly, which is proved here also. He is

encouraged herein personally by the Lord to kill the son of Drona, but Arjuna
considers that the son of his great teacher should be spared, for he happens
to be the son of Dronacarya, even though he is an unworthy son, having done
all sorts of heinous acts whimsically for no one's benefit.
Lord Sri Krsna encouraged Arjuna outwardly just to test Arjuna's sense of
duty. It is not that Arjuna was incomplete in the sense of his duty, nor was
Lord Sri Krsna unaware of Arjuna's sense of duty. But Lord Sri Krsna put to
test many of His pure devotees just to magnify the sense of duty. The gopis
were put to such tests as well. Prahlada Maharaja also was put to such a test.
All pure devotees come out successful in the respective tests by the Lord.

TEXT 41

athopetya sva-sibiram
govinda-priya-sarathih
nyavedayat tam priyayai
socantya atma jan hatan

atha--thereafter; upetya--having reached; sva--own; sibiram--camp;

govinda--one who enlivens the senses (Lord Sri Krsna); priya--dear;
sarathih--the charioteer; nyavedayat--entrusted to; tam--him; priyayai--unto
the dear; socantyai--lamenting for; atma-jan--own sons; hatan--murdered.

TRANSLATION

After reaching his own camp, Arjuna, along with his dear friend and
charioteer [Sri Krsna], entrusted the murderer unto his dear wife, who was
lamenting for her murdered sons.

PURPORT

The transcendental relation of Arjuna with Krsna is of the dearmost

friendship. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord Himself has claimed Arjuna as His
dearmost friend. Every living being is thus related with the Supreme Lord by
some sort of affectionate relation, either as servant or as friend or as
parent or as an object of conjugal love. Everyone thus can enjoy the company
of the Lord in the spiritual realm if he at all desires and sincerely tries
for it by the process of bhakti-yoga.

TEXT 42

tathahrtam pasuvat pasa-baddham

 235

avan-mukham karma-jugupsitena
niriksya krsnapakrtam guroh sutam
vama-svabhava krpaya nanama ca

tatha--thus; ahrtam--brought in; pasu-vat--like an animal; pasa-baddham--tied

with ropes; avak-mukham--without a word in his mouth; karma--activities;
jugupsitena--being heinous; niriksya--by seeing; krsna--Draupadi;
apakrtam--the doer of the degrading; guroh--the teacher; sutam--son;
vama--beautiful; svabhava--nature; krpaya--out of compassion; nanama--
offered
obeisances; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: Draupadi then saw Asvatthama, who was bound
with
ropes like an animal and silent for having enacted the most inglorious murder.
Due to her female nature, and due to her being naturally good and
well-behaved, she showed him due respects as a brahmana.

PURPORT

Asvatthama was condemned by the Lord Himself, and he was treated by

Arjuna just like a culprit, not like the son of a brahmana or teacher. But
when he was brought before Srimati Draupadi, she, although begrieved for the
murder of her sons, and although the murderer was present before her, could
not withdraw the due respect generally offered to a brahmana or to the son of
a brahmana. This is due to her mild nature as a woman. Women as a class are
no
better than boys, and therefore they have no discriminatory power like that of
a man. Asvatthama proved himself to be an unworthy son of Dronacarya or of
a
brahmana, and for this reason he was condemned by the greatest authority,
Lord
Sri Krsna, and yet a mild woman could not withdraw her natural courtesy for a
brahmana.
Even to date, in a Hindu family a woman shows proper respect to the
brahmana caste, however fallen and heinous a brahma-bandhu may be. But
the men
have begun to protest against brahma-bandhus who are born in families of
good
brahmanas but by action are less than sudras.
The specific words used in this sloka are vama-svabhava, "mild and gentle
by nature." A good man or woman accepts anything very easily, but a man of
average intelligence does not do so. But, anyway, we should not give up our
reason and discriminatory power just to be gentle. One must have good
discriminatory power to judge a thing on its merit. We should not follow the
mild nature of a woman and thereby accept that which is not genuine.
Asvatthama may be respected by a good-natured woman, but that does not
mean
that he is as good as a genuine brahmana.
 236

TEXT 43

uvaca casahanty asya

bandhananayanam sati
mucyatam mucyatam esa
brahmano nitaram guruh

uvaca--said; ca--and; asahanti--being unbearable for her; asya--his;

bandhana--being bound; anayanam--bringing him; sati--the devoted;
mucyatam
mucyatam--just get him released; esah--this; brahmanah--a brahmana;
nitaram--our; guruh--teacher.

TRANSLATION

She could not tolerate Asvatthama's being bound by ropes, and being a
devoted lady, she said: Release him, for he is a brahmana, our spiritual
master.

PURPORT

As soon as Asvatthama was brought before Draupadi, she thought it

intolerable that a brahmana should be arrested like a culprit and brought
before her in that condition, especially when the brahmana happened to be a
teacher's son.
Arjuna arrested Asvatthama knowing perfectly well that he was the son of
Dronacarya. Krsna also knew him to be so, but both of them condemned the
murderer without consideration of his being the son of a brahmana. According
to revealed scriptures, a teacher or spiritual master is liable to be rejected
if he proves himself unworthy of the position of a guru or spiritual master. A
guru is called also an acarya, or a person who has personally assimilated all
the essence of sastras and has helped his disciples to adopt the ways.
Asvatthama failed to discharge the duties of a brahmana or teacher, and
therefore he was liable to be rejected from the exalted position of a
brahmana. On this consideration, both Lord Sri Krsna and Arjuna were right in
condemning Asvatthama. But to a good lady like Draupadi, the matter was
considered not from the angle of sastric vision, but as a matter of custom. By
custom, Asvatthama was offered the same respect as offered to his father. It
was so because generally the people accept the son of a brahmana as a real
brahmana, by sentiment only. Factually the matter is different. A brahmana is
accepted on the merit of qualification and not on the merit of simply being
the son of a brahmana.
But in spite of all this, Draupadi desired that Asvatthama be at once
released, and it was all the same a good sentiment for her. This means that a
devotee of the Lord can tolerate all sorts of tribulation personally, but
still such devotees are never unkind to others, even to the enemy. These are
the characteristics of one who is a pure devotee of the Lord.

TEXT 44

sarahasyo dhanur-vedah
savisargopasamyamah
 237

astra-gramas ca bhavata
siksito yad-anugrahat

sa-rahasyah--confidential; dhanuh-vedah--knowledge in the art of

manipulating
bows and arrows; sa-visarga--releasing; upasamyamah--controlling;
astra--weapons; gramah--all kinds of; ca--and; bhavata--by yourself;
siksitah--learned; yat--by whose; anugrahat--mercy of.

TRANSLATION

It was by Dronacarya's mercy that you learned the military art of

throwing arrows and the confidential art of controlling weapons.

PURPORT

Dhanur-veda, or military science, was taught by Dronacarya with all its

confidential secrets of throwing and controlling by Vedic hymns. Gross
military science is dependent on material weapons, but finer than that is the
art of throwing the arrows saturated with Vedic hymns, which act more
effectively than gross material weapons like machine guns or atomic bombs.
The
control is by Vedic mantras, or the transcendental science of sound. It is
said in the Ramayana that Maharaja Dasaratha, the father of Lord Sri Rama,
used to control arrows by sound only. He could pierce his target with his
arrow by only hearing the sound, without seeing the object. So this is a finer
military science than that of the gross material military weapons used
nowadays. Arjuna was taught all this, and therefore Draupadi wished that
Arjuna feel obliged to Acarya Drona for all these benefits. And in the absence
of Dronacarya, his son was his representative. That was the opinion of the
good lady Draupadi. It may be argued why Dronacarya, a rigid brahmana,
should
be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a brahmana should
become a teacher, regardless of what his department of knowledge is. A
learned
brahmana should become a teacher, a priest and a recipient of charity. A bona
fide brahmana is authorized to accept such professions.

TEXT 45

sa esa bhagavan dronah

praja-rupena vartate
tasyatmano 'rdham patny aste
nanvagad virasuh krpi

sah--he; esah--certainly; bhagavan--lord; dronah--Dronacarya; praja-rupena--in

the form of his son Asvatthama; vartate--is existing; tasya--his; atmanah--of
the body; ardham--half; patni--wife; aste--living; na--not;
anvagat--undertook; virasuh--having the son present; krpi--the sister of
Krpacarya.

TRANSLATION
 238

He [Dronacarya] is certainly still existing, being represented by his

son. His wife Krpi did not undergo a sati with him because she had a son.

PURPORT

The wife of Dronacarya, Krpi, is the sister of Krpacarya. A devoted wife,

who is according to revealed scripture the better half of her husband, is
justified in embracing voluntary death along with her husband if she is
without issue. But in the case of the wife of Dronacarya, she did not undergo
such a trial because she had her son, the representative of her husband. A
widow is a widow only in name if there is a son of her husband existing. So in
either case Asvatthama was the representative of Dronacarya, and therefore
killing Asvatthama would be like killing Dronacarya. That was the argument of
Draupadi against the killing of Asvatthama.

TEXT 46

tad dharmajna maha-bhaga

bhavadbhir gauravam kulam
vrjinam narhati praptum
pujyam vandyam abhiksnasah

tat--therefore; dharma-jna--one who is aware of the principles of religion;

maha-bhaga--the most fortunate; bhavadbhih--by your good self;
gauravam--glorified; kulam--the family; vrjinam--that which is painful;
na--not; arhati--does deserve; praptum--for obtaining; pujyam--the
worshipable; vandyam--respectable; abhiksnasah--constantly.

TRANSLATION

O most fortunate one who knows the principles of religion, it is not good
for you to cause grief to glorious family members who are always respectable
and worshipful.

PURPORT

A slight insult for a respectable family is sufficient to invoke grief.

Therefore, a cultured man should always be careful in dealing with worshipful
family members.

TEXT 47

ma rodid asya janani

gautami pati-devata
yathaham mrta-vatsarta
rodimy asru-mukhi muhuh

ma--do not; rodit--make cry; asya--his; janani--mother; gautami--the wife of

Drona; pati-devata--chaste; yatha--as has; aham--myself; mrta-vatsa--one
whose
child is dead; arta--distressed; rodimi--crying; asru-mukhi--tears in the
 239

eyes; muhuh--constantly.

TRANSLATION

My lord, do not make the wife of Dronacarya cry like me. I am aggrieved
for the death of my sons. She need not cry constantly like me.

PURPORT

Sympathetic good lady as she was, Srimati Draupadi did not want to put
the wife of Dronacarya in the same position of childlessness, both from the
point of motherly feelings and from the respectable position held by the wife
of Dronacarya.

TEXT 48

yaih kopitam brahma-kulam

rajanyair ajitatmabhih
tat kulam pradahaty asu
sanubandham sucarpitam

yaih--by those; kopitam--enraged; brahma-kulam--the order of the brahmanas;

rajanyaih--by the administrative order; ajita--unrestricted; atmabhih--by
oneself; tat--that; kulam--family; pradahati--is burnt up; asu--within no
time; sa-anubandham--together with family members; suca-arpitam--being put
into grief.

TRANSLATION

If the kingly administrative order, being unrestricted in sense control,

offends the brahmana order and enrages them, then the fire of that rage
burns
up the whole body of the royal family and brings grief upon all.

PURPORT

The brahmana order of society, or the spiritually advanced caste or

community, and the members of such highly elevated families, were always
held
in great esteem by the other, subordinate castes, namely the administrative
kingly order, the mercantile order and the laborers.

TEXT 49

suta uvaca
dharmyam nyayyam sakarunam
nirvyalikam samam mahat
raja dharma-suto rajnyah
pratyanandad vaco dvijah

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; dharmyam--in accordance with the principles

of
 240

religion; nyayyam--justice; sa-karunam--full of mercy; nirvyalikam--without

duplicity in dharma; samam--equity; mahat--glorious; raja--the King;
dharma-sutah--son; rajnyah--by the Queen; pratyanandat--supported;
vacah--statements; dvijah--O brahmanas.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: O brahmanas, King Yudhisthira fully supported the

statements of the Queen, which were in accordance with the principles of
religion and were justified, glorious, full of mercy and equity, and without
duplicity.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira, who was the son of Dharmaraja, or Yamaraja, fully

supported the words of Queen Draupadi in asking Arjuna to release
Asvatthama.
One should not tolerate the humiliation of a member of a great family. Arjuna
and his family were indebted to the family of Dronacarya because of Arjuna's
learning the military science from him. If ingratitude were shown to such a
benevolent family, it would not be at all justified from the moral standpoint.
The wife of Dronacarya, who was the half body of the great soul, must be
treated with compassion, and she should not be put into grief because of her
son's death. That is compassion. Such statements by Draupadi are without
duplicity because actions should be taken with full knowledge. The feeling of
equality was there because Draupadi spoke out of her personal experience. A
barren woman cannot understand the grief of a mother. Draupadi was herself
a
mother, and therefore her calculation of the depth of Krpi's grief was quite
to the point. And it was glorious because she wanted to show proper respect
to
a great family.

TEXT 50

nakulah sahadevas ca
yuyudhano dhananjayah
bhagavan devaki-putro
ye canye yas ca yositah

nakulah--Nakula; sahadevah--Sahadeva; ca--and; yuyudhanah--Satyaki;

dhananjayah--Arjuna; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; devaki-putrah--
the
son of Devaki, Lord Sri Krsna; ye--those; ca--and; anye--others; yah--those;
ca--and; yositah--ladies.

TRANSLATION

Nakula and Sahadeva [the younger brothers of the King] and also Satyaki,
Arjuna, the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna, son of Devaki, and the
ladies and others all unanimously agreed with the King.
 241

TEXT 51

tatrahamarsito bhimas
tasya sreyan vadhah smrtah
na bhartur natmanas carthe
yo 'han suptan sisun vrtha

tatra--thereupon; aha--said; amarsitah--in an angry mood; bhimah--Bhima;

tasya--his; sreyan--ultimate good; vadhah--killing; smrtah--recorded; na--not;
bhartuh--of the master; na--nor; atmanah--of his own self; ca--and; arthe--for
the sake of; yah--one who; ahan--killed; suptan--sleeping; sisun--children;
vrtha--without purpose.

TRANSLATION

Bhima, however, disagreed with them and recommended killing this culprit
who, in an angry mood, had murdered sleeping children for no purpose and for
neither his nor his master's interest.

TEXT 52

nisamya bhima-gaditam
draupadyas ca catur-bhujah
alokya vadanam sakhyur
idam aha hasann iva

nisamya--just after hearing; bhima--Bhima; gaditam--spoken by; draupadyah--

of
Draupadi; ca--and; catuh-bhujah--the four-handed (Personality of Godhead);
alokya--having seen; vadanam--the face; sakhyuh--of His friend; idam--this;
aha--said; hasan--smiling; iva--as it.

TRANSLATION

Caturbhuja [the four-armed one], or the Personality of Godhead, after

hearing the words of Bhima, Draupadi and others, saw the face of His dear
friend Arjuna, and He began to speak as if smiling.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna had two arms, and why He is designated as four-armed is
explained by Sridhara Svami. Both Bhima and Draupadi held opposite views
about
killing Asvatthama. Bhima wanted him to be immediately killed, whereas
Draupadi wanted to save him. We can imagine Bhima ready to kill while
Draupadi
is obstructing him. And in order to prevent both of them, the Lord discovered
another two arms. Originally, the primeval Lord Sri Krsna displays only two
arms, but in His Narayana feature He exhibits four. In His Narayana feature He
resides with His devotees in the Vaikuntha planets, while in His original Sri
 242

Krsna feature He resides in the Krsnaloka planet far, far above the Vaikuntha
planets in the spiritual sky. Therefore, if Sri Krsna is called caturbhujah,
there is no contradiction. If need be He can display hundreds of arms, as He
exhibited in His visva-rupa shown to Arjuna. Therefore, one who can display
hundreds and thousands of arms can also manifest four whenever needed.
When Arjuna was perplexed about what to do with Asvatthama, Lord Sri
Krsna, as the very dear friend of Arjuna, voluntarily took up the matter just
to make a solution. And He was smiling also.

TEXT 53-54

sri-bhagavan uvaca
brahma-bandhur na hantavya
atatayi vadharhanah
mayaivobhayam amnatam
paripahy anusasanam

kuru pratisrutam satyam

yat tat santvayata priyam
priyam ca bhimasenasya
pancalya mahyam eva ca

sri-bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; uvaca--said; brahma-bandhuh--the

relative of a brahmana; na--not; hantavyah--to be killed; atatayi--the
aggressor; vadha-arhanah--is due to be killed; maya--by Me; eva--certainly;
ubhayam--both; amnatam--described according to rulings of the authority;
paripahi--carry out; anusasanam--rulings; kuru--abide by; pratisrutam--as
promised by; satyam--truth; yat tat--that which; santvayata--while pacifying;
priyam--dear wife; priyam--satisfaction; ca--also; bhimasenasya--of Sri
Bhimasena; pancalyah--of Draupadi; mahyam--unto Me also; eva--certainly;
ca--and.

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna said: A friend of a brahmana is not

to be killed, but if he is an aggressor he must be killed. All these rulings
are in the scriptures, and you should act accordingly. You have to fulfill
your promise to your wife, and you must also act to the satisfaction of
Bhimasena and Me.

PURPORT

Arjuna was perplexed because Asvatthama was to be killed as well as

spared according to different scriptures cited by different persons. As a
brahma-bandhu, or a worthless son of a brahmana, Asvatthama was not to be
killed, but he was at the same time an aggressor also. And according to the
rulings of Manu, an aggressor, even though he be a brahmana (and what to
speak
of an unworthy son of a brahmana), is to be killed. Dronacarya was certainly a
brahmana in the true sense of the term, but because he stood in the
battlefield he was killed. But although Asvatthama was an aggressor, he stood
without any fighting weapons. The ruling is that an aggressor, when he is
 243

without weapon or chariot, cannot be killed. All these were certainly

perplexities. Besides that, Arjuna had to keep the promise he had made before
Draupadi just to pacify her. And he also had to satisfy both Bhima and Krsna,
who advised killing him. This dilemma was present before Arjuna, and the
solution was awarded by Krsna.

TEXT 55

suta uvaca
arjunah sahasajnaya
harer hardam athasina
manim jahara murdhanyam
dvijasya saha-murdhajam

sutah--Suta Gosvami; uvaca--said; arjunah--Arjuna; sahasa--just at that time;

ajnaya--knowing it; hareh--of the Lord; hardam--motive; atha--thus; asina--by
the sword; manim--the jewel; jahara--separated; murdhanyam--on the head;
dvijasya--of the twice-born; saha--with; murdhajam--hairs.

TRANSLATION

Just then Arjuna could understand the motive of the Lord by His equivocal
orders, and thus with his sword he severed both hair and jewel from the head
of Asvatthama.

PURPORT

Contradictory orders of different persons are impossible to carry out.

Therefore a compromise was selected by Arjuna by his sharp intelligence, and
he separated the jewel from the head of Asvatthama. This was as good as
cutting off his head, and yet his life was saved for all practical purposes.
Here Asvatthama is indicated as twice-born. Certainly he was twice-born, but
he fell down from his position, and therefore he was properly punished.

TEXT 56

vimucya rasana-baddham
bala-hatya-hata-prabham
tejasa manina hinam
sibiran nirayapayat

vimucya--after releasing him; rasana-baddham--from the bondage of ropes;

bala-hatya--infanticide; hata-prabham--loss of bodily luster; tejasa--of the
strength of; manina--by the jewel; hinam--being deprived of; sibirat--from the
camp; nirayapayat--drove him out.

TRANSLATION

He [Asvatthama] had already lost his bodily luster due to infanticide,

and now, moreover, having lost the jewel from his head, he lost even more
strength. Thus he was unbound and driven out of the camp.
 244

PURPORT

Thus being insulted, the humiliated Asvatthama was simultaneously killed

and not killed by the intelligence of Lord Krsna and Arjuna.

TEXT 57

vapanam dravinadanam
sthanan niryapanam tatha
esa hi brahma-bandhunam
vadho nanyo 'sti daihikah

vapanam--cleaving the hairs from the head; dravina--wealth;

adanam--forfeiting; sthanat--from the residence; niryapanam--driving away;
tatha--also; esah--all these; hi--certainly; brahma-bandhunam--of the
relatives of a brahmana; vadhah--killing; na--not; anyah--any other method;
asti--there is; daihikah--in the matter of the body.

TRANSLATION

Cutting the hair from his head, depriving him of his wealth and driving
him from his residence are the prescribed punishments for the relative of a
brahmana. There is no injunction for killing the body.

TEXT 58

putra-sokaturah sarve
pandavah saha krsnaya
svanam mrtanam yat krtyam
cakrur nirharanadikam

putra--son; soka--bereavement; aturah--overwhelmed with; sarve--all of them;

pandavah--the sons of Pandu; saha--along with; krsnaya--with Draupadi;
svanam--of the kinsmen; mrtanam--of the dead; yat--what; krtyam--ought to
be
done; cakruh--did perform; nirharana-adikam--undertakable.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, the sons of Pandu and Draupadi, overwhelmed with grief,

performed the proper rituals for the dead bodies of their relatives.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Seventh Chapter,
of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The Son of Drona Punished."

Chapter Eight

Prayers by Queen Kunti and Pariksit Saved

 245

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
atha te samparetanam
svanam udakam icchatam
datum sakrsna gangayam
puraskrtya yayuh striyah

sutah uvaca--Suta said; atha--thus; te--the Pandavas; samparetanam--of the

dead; svanam--of the relatives; udakam--water; icchatam--willing to have;
datum--to deliver; sa-krsnah--along with Draupadi; gangayam--on the Ganges;
puraskrtya--putting in the front; yayuh--went; striyah--the women.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Thereafter the Pandavas, desiring to deliver water to

the dead relatives who had desired it, went to the Ganges with Draupadi. The
ladies walked in front.

PURPORT

To date it is the custom in Hindu society to go to the Ganges or any

other sacred river to take bath when death occurs in the family. Each of the
family members pours out a potful of the Ganges water for the departed soul
and walks in a procession, with the ladies in the front. The Pandavas also
followed the rules more than five thousand years ago. Lord Krsna, being a
cousin of the Pandavas, was also amongst the family members.

TEXT 2

te niniyodakam sarve
vilapya ca bhrsam punah
apluta hari-padabja-
rajah-puta-sarij-jale

te--all of them; niniya--having offered; udakam--water; sarve--every one of

them; vilapya--having lamented; ca--and; bhrsam--sufficiently; punah--again;
aplutah--took bath; hari-padabja--the lotus feet of the Lord; rajah--dust;
puta--purified; sarit--of the Ganges; jale--in the water.

TRANSLATION

Having lamented over them and sufficiently offered Ganges water, they
bathed in the Ganges, whose water is sanctified due to being mixed with the
dust of the lotus feet of the Lord.

TEXT 3

tatrasinam kuru-patim
dhrtarastram sahanujam
 246

gandharim putra-sokartam
prtham krsnam ca madhavah

tatra--there; asinam--sitting; kuru-patim--the King of the Kurus;

dhrtarastram--Dhrtarastra; saha-anujam--with his younger brothers;
gandharim--Gandhari; putra--son; soka-artam--overtaken by bereavement;
prtham--Kunti; krsnam--Draupadi; ca--also; madhavah--Lord Sri Krsna.

TRANSLATION

There sat the King of the Kurus, Maharaja Yudhisthira, along with his
younger brothers and Dhrtarastra, Gandhari, Kunti and Draupadi, all
overwhelmed with grief. Lord Krsna was also there.

PURPORT

The Battle of Kuruksetra was fought between family members, and thus all
affected persons were also family members like Maharaja Yudhisthira and
brothers, Kunti, Draupadi, Subhadra, Dhrtarastra, Gandhari and her
daughters-in-law, etc. All the principal dead bodies were in some way or other
related with each other, and therefore the family grief was combined. Lord
Krsna was also one of them as a cousin of the Pandavas and nephew of Kunti,
as
well as brother of Subhadra, etc. The Lord, therefore, was equally sympathetic
toward all of them, and therefore he began to pacify them befittingly.

TEXT 4

santvayam asa munibhir

hata-bandhun sucarpitan
bhutesu kalasya gatim
darsayan na pratikriyam

santvayam asa--pacified; munibhih--along with the munis present there;

hata-bandhun--those who lost their friends and relatives; sucarpitan--all
shocked and affected; bhutesu--unto the living beings; kalasya--of the
supreme
law of the Almighty; gatim--reactions; darsayan--demonstrated; na--no;
pratikriyam--remedial measures.

TRANSLATION

Citing the stringent laws of the Almighty and their reactions upon living
beings, Lord Sri Krsna and the munis began to pacify those who were shocked
and affected.

PURPORT

The stringent laws of nature, under the order of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, cannot be altered by any living entity. The living entities are
eternally under the subjugation of the almighty Lord. The Lord makes all the
laws and orders, and these laws and orders are generally called dharma or
 247

religion. No one can create any religious formula. Bona fide religion is to
abide by the orders of the Lord. The Lord's orders are clearly declared in the
Bhagavad-gita. Everyone should follow Him only or His orders, and that will
make all happy, both materially and spiritually. As long as we are in the
material world, our duty is to follow the orders of the Lord, and if by the
grace of the Lord we are liberated from the clutches of the material world,
then in our liberated stage also we can render transcendental loving service
unto the Lord. In our material stage we can see neither ourselves nor the Lord
for want of spiritual vision. But when we are liberated from material
affection and are situated in our original spiritual form we can see both
ourselves and the Lord face to face. Mukti means to be reinstated in one's
original spiritual status after giving up the material conception of life.
Therefore, human life is specifically meant for qualifying ourselves for this
spiritual liberty. Unfortunately, under the influence of illusory material
energy, we accept this spot-life of only a few years as our permanent
existence and thus become illusioned by possessing so-called country, home,
land, children, wife, community, wealth, etc., which are false representations
created by maya (illusion). And under the dictation of maya, we fight with one
another to protect these false possessions. By cultivating spiritual
knowledge, we can realize that we have nothing to do with all this material
paraphernalia. Then at once we become free from material attachment. This
clearance of the misgivings of material existence at once takes place by
association with the Lord's devotees, who are able to inject the
transcendental sound into the depths of the bewildered heart and thus make
one
practically liberated from all lamentation and illusion. That is a summary of
the pacifying measures for those affected by the reaction of stringent
material laws, exhibited in the forms of birth, death, old age and disease,
which are insoluble factors of material existence. The victims of war, namely,
the family members of the Kurus, were lamenting the problems of death, and
the
Lord pacified them on the basis of knowledge.

TEXT 5

sadhayitvajata-satroh
svam rajyam kitavair hrtam
ghatayitvasato rajnah
kaca-sparsa-ksatayusah

sadhayitva--having executed; ajata-satroh--of one who has no enemy; svam

rajyam--own kingdom; kitavaih--by the clever (Duryodhana and party);
hrtam--usurped; ghatayitva--having killed; asatah--the unscrupulous;
rajnah--of the queen's; kaca--bunch of hair; sparsa--roughly handled;
ksata--decreased; ayusah--by the duration of life.

TRANSLATION

The clever Duryodhana and his party cunningly usurped the kingdom of
Yudhisthira, who had no enemy. By the grace of the Lord, the recovery was
executed, and the unscrupulous kings who joined with Duryodhana were killed
by
 248

Him. Others also died, their duration of life having decreased for their rough
handling of the hair of Queen Draupadi.

PURPORT

In the glorious days, or before the advent of the age of Kali, the
brahmanas, the cows, the women, the children and the old men were properly
given protection.
1. The protection of the brahmanas maintains the institution of varna and
asrama, the most scientific culture for attainment of spiritual life.
2. The protection of cows maintains the most miraculous form of food,
i.e., milk for maintaining the finer tissues of the brain for understanding
higher aims of life.
3. The protection of women maintains the chastity of society, by which we
can get a good generation for peace, tranquillity and progress of life.
4. The protection of children gives the human form of life its best
chance to prepare the way of liberty from material bondage. Such protection
of
children begins from the very day of begetting a child by the purificatory
process of garbhadhana-samskara, the beginning of pure life.
5. The protection of the old men gives them a chance to prepare
themselves for better life after death.
This complete outlook is based on factors leading to successful humanity
as against the civilization of polished cats and dogs. The killing of the
above-mentioned innocent creatures is totally forbidden because even by
insulting them one loses one's duration of life. In the age of Kali they are
not properly protected, and therefore the duration of life of the present
generation has shortened considerably. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that
when the women become unchaste for want of proper protection, there are
unwanted children called varna-sankara. To insult a chaste woman means to
bring about disaster in the duration of life. Duhsasana, a brother of
Duryodhana, insulted Draupadi, an ideal chaste lady, and therefore the
miscreants died untimely. These are some of the stringent laws of the Lord
mentioned above.

TEXT 6

yajayitvasvamedhais tam
tribhir uttama-kalpakaih
tad-yasah pavanam diksu
sata-manyor ivatanot

yajayitva--by performing; asvamedhaih--yajna in which a horse is sacrificed;

tam--him (King Yudhisthira); tribhih--three; uttama--best; kalpakaih--supplied
with proper ingredients and performed by able priests; tat--that; yasah--fame;
pavanam--virtuous; diksu--all directions; sata-manyoh--Indra, who performed
one hundred such sacrifices; iva--like; atanot--spread.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna caused three well-performed Asvamedha-yajnas [horse

sacrifices] to be conducted by Maharaja Yudhisthira and thus caused his
 249

virtuous fame to be glorified in all directions, like that of Indra, who had
performed one hundred such sacrifices.

PURPORT

This is something like the preface to the performances of Asvamedha-yajna

by Maharaja Yudhisthira. The comparison of Maharaja Yudhisthira to the King
of
heaven is significant. The King of heaven is thousands and thousands of times
greater than Maharaja Yudhisthira in opulence, yet the fame of Maharaja
Yudhisthira was not less. The reason is that Maharaja Yudhisthira was a pure
devotee of the Lord, and by His grace only was King Yudhisthira on the level
of the King of heaven, even though he performed only three yajnas whereas
the
King of heaven performed hundreds. That is the prerogative of the devotee of
the Lord. The Lord is equal to everyone, but a devotee of the Lord is more
glorified because he is always in touch with the all-great. The sun rays are
equally distributed, but still there are some places which are always dark.
This is not due to the sun but to the receptive power. Similarly, those who
are cent percent devotees of the Lord get the full-fledged mercy of the Lord,
which is always equally distributed everywhere.

TEXT 7

amantrya pandu-putrams ca
saineyoddhava-samyutah
dvaipayanadibhir vipraih
pujitaih pratipujitah

amantrya--inviting; pandu-putran--all the sons of Pandu; ca--also;

saineya--Satyaki; uddhava--Uddhava; samyutah--accompanied;
dvaipayana-adibhih--by the rsis like Vedavyasa; vipraih--by the brahmanas;
pujitaih--being worshiped; pratipujitah--the Lord also reciprocated equally.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna then prepared for His departure. He invited the sons of
Pandu, after having been worshiped by the brahmanas, headed by Srila
Vyasadeva. The Lord also reciprocated greetings.

PURPORT

Apparently Lord Sri Krsna was a ksatriya and was not worshipable by the
brahmanas. But the brahmanas present there, headed by Srila Vyasadeva, all
knew Him to be the Personality of Godhead, and therefore they worshiped
Him.
The Lord reciprocated the greetings just to honor the social order that a
ksatriya is obedient to the orders of the brahmanas. Although Lord Sri Krsna
was always offered the respects due the Supreme Lord from all responsible
quarters, the Lord never deviated from the customary usages between the
four
orders of society. The Lord purposely observed all these social customs so
 250

that others would follow Him in the future.

TEXT 8

gantum krtamatir brahman

dvarakam ratham asthitah
upalebhe 'bhidhavantim
uttaram bhaya-vihvalam

gantum--just desiring to start; krtamatih--having decided; brahman--O

brahmana; dvarakam--towards Dvaraka; ratham--on the chariot; asthitah--
seated;
upalebhe--saw; abhidhavantim--coming hurriedly; uttaram--Uttara;
bhaya-vihvalam--being afraid.

TRANSLATION

As soon as He seated Himself on the chariot to start for Dvaraka, He saw

Uttara hurrying toward Him in fear.

PURPORT

All the members of the family of the Pandavas were completely dependent
on the protection of the Lord, and therefore the Lord protected all of them in
all circumstances. The Lord protects everyone, but one who depends
completely
upon Him is especially looked after by the Lord. The father is more attentive
to the little son who is exclusively dependent on the father.

TEXT 9

uttarovaca
pahi pahi maha-yogin
deva-deva jagat-pate
nanyam tvad abhayam pasye
yatra mrtyuh parasparam

uttara uvaca--Uttara said; pahi pahi--protect, protect; maha-yogin--the

greatest mystic; deva-deva--the worshipable of the worshiped; jagat-pate--O
Lord of the universe; na--not; anyam--anyone else; tvat--than You;
abhayam--fearlessness; pasye--do I see; yatra--where there is; mrtyuh--death;
parasparam--in the world of duality.

TRANSLATION

Uttara said: O Lord of lords, Lord of the universe! You are the greatest
of mystics. Please protect me, for there is no one else who can save me from
the clutches of death in this world of duality.

PURPORT

This material world is the world of duality, in contrast with the oneness
 251

of the absolute realm. The world of duality is composed of matter and spirit,
whereas the absolute world is complete spirit without any tinge of the
material qualities. In the dual world everyone is falsely trying to become the
master of the world, whereas in the absolute world the Lord is the absolute
Lord, and all others are His absolute servitors. In the world of duality
everyone is envious of all others, and death is inevitable due to the dual
existence of matter and spirit. The Lord is the only shelter of fearlessness
for the surrendered soul. One cannot save himself from the cruel hands of
death in the material world without having surrendered himself at the lotus
feet of the Lord.

TEXT 10

abhidravati mam isa

saras taptayaso vibho
kamam dahatu mam natha
ma me garbho nipatyatam

abhidravati--coming towards; mam--me; isa--O Lord; sarah--the arrow;

tapta--fiery; ayasah--iron; vibho--O great one; kamam--desire; dahatu--let it
burn; mam--me; natha--O protector; ma--not; me--my; garbhah--embryo;
nipatyatam--be aborted.

TRANSLATION

O my Lord, You are all-powerful. A fiery iron arrow is coming towards me

fast. My Lord, let it burn me personally, if You so desire, but please do not
let it burn and abort my embryo. Please do me this favor, my Lord.

PURPORT

This incident took place after the death of Abhimanyu, the husband of
Uttara. Abhimanyu's widow, Uttara, should have followed the path of her
husband, but because she was pregnant, and Maharaja Pariksit, a great
devotee
of the Lord, was lying in embryo, she was responsible for his protection. The
mother of a child has a great responsibility in giving all protection to the
child, and therefore Uttara was not ashamed to express this frankly before
Lord Krsna. Uttara was the daughter of a great king, the wife of a great hero,
and student of a great devotee, and later she was the mother of a good king
also. She was fortunate in every respect.

TEXT 11

suta uvaca
upadharya vacas tasya
bhagavan bhakta-vatsalah
apandavam idam kartum
drauner astram abudhyata

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; upadharya--by hearing her patiently;

vacah--words; tasyah--her; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;
 252

bhakta-vatsalah--He who is very much affectionate towards His devotees;

apandavam--without the existence of the Pandavas' descendants; idam--this;
kartum--to do it; drauneh--of the son of Dronacarya; astram--weapon;
abudhyata--understood.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Having patiently heard her words, Lord Sri Krsna, who
is always very affectionate to His devotees, could at once understand that
Asvatthama, the son of Dronacarya, had thrown the brahmastra to finish the
last life in the Pandava family.

PURPORT

The Lord is impartial in every respect, but still He is inclined towards

His devotees because there is a great necessity of this for everyone's
wellbeing. The Pandava family was a family of devotees, and therefore the
Lord
wanted them to rule the world. That was the reason He vanquished the rule of
the company of Duryodhana and established the rule of Maharaja Yudhisthira.
Therefore, He also wanted to protect Maharaja Pariksit, who was lying in
embryo. He did not like the idea that the world should be without the
Pandavas, the ideal family of devotees.

TEXT 12

tarhy evatha muni-srestha

pandavah panca sayakan
atmano 'bhimukhan diptan
alaksyastrany upadaduh

tarhi--then; eva--also; atha--therefore; muni-srestha--O chief amongst the

munis; pandavah--all the sons of Pandu; panca--five; sayakan--weapons;
atmanah--own selves; abhimukhan--towards; diptan--glaring; alaksya--seeing
it;
astrani--weapons; upadaduh--took up.

TRANSLATION

O foremost among the great thinkers [munis] [Saunaka], seeing the glaring
brahmastra proceeding towards them, the Pandavas took up their five
respective
weapons.

PURPORT

The brahmastras are finer than the nuclear weapons. Asvatthama

discharged
the brahmastra simply to kill the Pandavas, namely the five brothers headed
by
Maharaja Yudhisthira and their only grandson, who was lying within the womb
of
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Uttara. Therefore the brahmastra, more effective and finer than the atomic
weapons, was not as blind as the atomic bombs. When the atomic bombs are
discharged they do not discriminate between the target and others. Mainly the
atomic bombs do harm to the innocent because there is no control. The
brahmastra is not like that. It marks out the target and proceeds accordingly
without harming the innocent.

TEXT 13

vyasanam viksya tat tesam

ananya-visayatmanam
sudarsanena svastrena
svanam raksam vyadhad vibhuh

vyasanam--great danger; viksya--having observed; tat--that; tesam--their;

ananya--no other; visaya--means; atmanam--thus inclined; sudarsanena--by
the
wheel of Sri Krsna; sva-astrena--by the weapon; svanam--of His own devotees;
raksam--protection; vyadhat--did it; vibhuh--the Almighty.

TRANSLATION

The almighty Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, having observed that a

great danger was befalling His unalloyed devotees, who were fully
surrendered
souls, at once took up His Sudarsana disc to protect them.

PURPORT

The brahmastra, the supreme weapon released by Asvatthama, was

something
similar to the nuclear weapon but with more radiation and heat. This
brahmastra is the product of a more subtle science, being the product of a
finer sound, a mantra recorded in the Vedas. Another advantage of this
weapon
is that it is not blind like the nuclear weapon because it can be directed
only to the target and nothing else. Asvatthama released the weapon just to
finish all the male members of Pandu's family; therefore in one sense it was
more dangerous than the atomic bombs because it could penetrate even the
most
protected place and would never miss the target. Knowing all this, Lord Sri
Krsna at once took up His personal weapon to protect His devotees, who did
not
know anyone other than Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord has clearly
promised that His devotees are never to be vanquished. And He behaves
according to the quality or degree of the devotional service rendered by the
devotees. Here the word ananya-visayatmanam is significant. The Pandavas
were
cent percent dependent on the protection of the Lord, although they were all
great warriors themselves. But the Lord neglects even the greatest warriors
and also vanquishes them in no time. When the Lord saw that there was no
time
 254

for the Pandavas to counteract the brahmastra of Asvatthama, He took up His

weapon even at the risk of breaking His own vow. Although the Battle of
Kuruksetra was almost finished, still, according to His vow, He should not
have taken up His own weapon. But the emergency was more important than
the
vow. He is better known as the bhakta-vatsala, or the lover of His devotee,
and thus He preferred to continue as bhakta-vatsala than to be a worldly
moralist who never breaks his solemn vow.

TEXT 14

antahsthah sarva-bhutanam
atma yogesvaro harih
sva-mayayavrnod garbham
vairatyah kuru-tantave

antahsthah--being within; sarva--all; bhutanam--of the living beings;

atma--soul; yoga-isvarah--the Lord of all mysticism; harih--the Supreme Lord;
sva-mayaya--by the personal energy; avrnot--covered; garbham--embryo;
vairatyah--of Uttara; kuru-tantave--for the progeny of Maharaja Kuru.

TRANSLATION

The Lord of supreme mysticism, Sri Krsna, resides within everyone's heart
as the Paramatma. As such, just to protect the progeny of the Kuru dynasty,
He
covered the embryo of Uttara by His personal energy.

PURPORT

The Lord of supreme mysticism can simultaneously reside within

everyone's
heart, or even within the atoms, by His Paramatma feature, His plenary
portion. Therefore, from within the body of Uttara He covered the embryo to
save Maharaja Pariksit and protect the progeny of Maharaja Kuru, of whom
King
Pandu was also a descendant. Both the sons of Dhrtarastra and those of Pandu
belonged to the same dynasty of Maharaja Kuru; therefore both of them were
generally known as Kurus. But when there were differences between the two
families, the sons of Dhrtarastra were known as Kurus whereas the sons of
Pandu were known as Pandavas. Since the sons and grandsons of Dhrtarastra
were
all killed in the Battle of Kuruksetra, the last son of the dynasty is
designated as the son of the Kurus.

TEXT 15

yadyapy astram brahma-siras

tv amogham capratikriyam
vaisnavam teja asadya
samasamyad bhrgudvaha
 255

yadyapi--although; astram--weapon; brahma-sirah--supreme; tu--but;

amogham--without check; ca--and; apratikriyam--not to be counteracted;
vaisnavam--in relation with Visnu; tejah--strength; asadya--being confronted
with; samasamyat--was neutralized; bhrgu-udvaha--O glory of the family of
Bhrgu.

TRANSLATION

O Saunaka, although the supreme brahmastra weapon released by

Asvatthama
was irresistible and without check or counteraction, it was neutralized and
foiled when confronted by the strength of Visnu [Lord Krsna].

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the brahmajyoti, or the glowing

transcendental effulgence, is resting on Lord Sri Krsna. In other words, the
glowing effulgence known as brahma-tejas is nothing but the rays of the Lord,
just as the sun rays are rays of the sun disc. So this Brahma weapon also,
although materially irresistible, could not surpass the supreme strength of
the Lord. The weapon called brahmastra, released by Asvatthama, was
neutralized and foiled by Lord Sri Krsna by His own energy; that is to say, He
did not wait for any other's help because He is absolute.

TEXT 16

ma mamstha hy etad ascaryam

sarvascaryamaye 'cyute
ya idam mayaya devya
srjaty avati hanty ajah

ma--do not; mamsthah--think; hi--certainly; etat--all these;

ascaryam--wonderful; sarva--all; ascarya-maye--in the all-mysterious;
acyute--the infallible; yah--one who; idam--this (creation); mayaya--by His
energy; devya--transcendental; srjati--creates; avati--maintains;
hanti--annihilates; ajah--unborn.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, do not think this to be especially wonderful in the

activities of the mysterious and infallible Personality of Godhead. By His own
transcendental energy, He maintains and annihilates all material things,
although He Himself is unborn.

PURPORT

The activities of the Lord are always inconceivable to the tiny brain of
the living entities. Nothing is impossible for the Supreme Lord, but all His
actions are wonderful for us, and thus He is always beyond the range of our
conceivable limits. The Lord is the all-powerful, all-perfect Personality of
Godhead. The Lord is cent percent perfect, whereas others, namely Narayana,
Brahma, Siva, the demigods and all other living beings, possess only different
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percentages of such perfection. No one is equal to or greater than Him. He is

unrivaled.

TEXT 17

brahma-tejo-vinirmuktair
atmajaih saha krsnaya
prayanabhimukham krsnam
idam aha prtha sati

brahma-tejah--the radiation of the brahmastra; vinirmuktaih--being saved

from;
atma-jaih--along with her sons; saha--with; krsnaya--Draupadi;
prayana--outgoing; abhimukham--towards; krsnam--unto Lord Krsna; idam--
this;
aha--said; prtha--Kunti; sati--chaste, devoted to the Lord.

TRANSLATION

Thus saved from the radiation of the brahmastra, Kunti, the chaste
devotee of the Lord, and her five sons and Draupadi addressed Lord Krsna as
He
started for home.

PURPORT

Kunti is described herein as sati, or chaste, due to her unalloyed

devotion to Lord Sri Krsna. Her mind will now be expressed in the following
prayers for Lord Krsna. A chaste devotee of the Lord does not look to others,
namely any other living being or demigod, even for deliverance from danger.
That was all along the characteristic of the whole family of the Pandavas.
They knew nothing except Krsna, and therefore the Lord was also always
ready
to help them in all respects and in all circumstances. That is the
transcendental nature of the Lord. He reciprocates the dependence of the
devotee. One should not, therefore, look for help from imperfect living beings
or demigods, but one should look for all help from Lord Krsna, who is
competent to save His devotees. Such a chaste devotee also never asks the
Lord
for help, but the Lord, out of His own accord, is always anxious to render it.

TEXT 18

kunty uvaca
namasye purusam tvadyam
isvaram prakrteh param
alaksyam sarva-bhutanam
antar bahir avasthitam

kunti uvaca--Srimati Kunti said; namasye--let me bow down; purusam--the

Supreme Person; tva--You; adyam--the original; isvaram--the controller;
prakrteh--of the material cosmos; param--beyond; alaksyam--the invisible;
 257

sarva--all; bhutanam--of living beings; antah--within; bahih--without;

avasthitam--existing.

TRANSLATION

Srimati Kunti said: O Krsna, I offer my obeisances unto You because You
are the original personality and are unaffected by the qualities of the
material world. You are existing both within and without everything, yet You
are invisible to all.

PURPORT

Srimati Kuntidevi was quite aware that Krsna is the original Personality
of Godhead, although He was playing the part of her nephew. Such an
enlightened lady could not commit a mistake by offering obeisances unto her
nephew. Therefore, she addressed Him as the original purusa beyond the
material cosmos. Although all living entities are also transcendental, they
are neither original nor infallible. The living entities are apt to fall down
under the clutches of material nature, but the Lord is never like that. In the
Vedas, therefore, He is described as the chief among all living entities
(nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam). Then again He is addressed as isvara, or
the controller. The living entities or the demigods like Candra and Surya are
also to some extent isvara, but none of them is the supreme isvara, or the
ultimate controller. He is the paramesvara, or the Supersoul. He is both
within and without. Although He was present before Srimati Kunti as her
nephew, He was also within her and everyone else. In the Bhagavad-gita
(15.15)
the Lord says, "I am situated in everyone's heart, and only due to Me one
remembers, forgets and is cognizant, etc. Through all the Vedas I am to be
known because I am the compiler of the Vedas, and I am the teacher of the
Vedanta." Queen Kunti affirms that the Lord, although both within and without
all living beings, is still invisible. The Lord is, so to speak, a puzzle for
the common man. Queen Kunti experienced personally that Lord Krsna was
present
before her, yet He entered within the womb of Uttara to save her embryo from
the attack of Asvatthama's brahmastra. Kunti herself was puzzled about
whether
Sri Krsna is all-pervasive or localized. In fact, He is both, but He reserves
the right of not being exposed to persons who are not surrendered souls. This
checking curtain is called the maya energy of the Supreme Lord, and it
controls the limited vision of the rebellious soul. It is explained as
follows.

TEXT 19

maya javanikacchannam
ajnadhoksajam avyayam
na laksyase mudha-drsa
nato natyadharo yatha

maya--deluding; javanika--curtain; acchannam--covered by; ajna--ignorant;

adhoksajam--beyond the range of material conception (transcendental);
 258

avyayam--irreproachable; na--not; laksyase--observed; mudha-drsa--by the

foolish observer; natah--artist; natyadharah--dressed as a player; yatha--as.

TRANSLATION

Being beyond the range of limited sense perception, You are the eternally
irreproachable factor covered by the curtain of deluding energy. You are
invisible to the foolish observer, exactly as an actor dressed as a player is
not recognized.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krsna affirms that less intelligent persons
mistake Him to be an ordinary man like us, and thus they deride Him. The
same
is confirmed herein by Queen Kunti. The less intelligent persons are those who
rebel against the authority of the Lord. Such persons are known as asuras. The
asuras cannot recognize the Lord's authority. When the Lord Himself appears
amongst us, as Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha or in His original form as Krsna, He
performs many wonderful acts which are humanly impossible. As we shall find
in
the Tenth Canto of this great literature, Lord Sri Krsna exhibited His humanly
impossible activities even from the days of His lying on the lap of His
mother. He killed the Putana witch, although she smeared her breast with
poison just to kill the Lord. The Lord sucked her breast like a natural baby,
and He sucked out her very life also. Similarly, He lifted the Govardhana
Hill, just as a boy picks up a frog's umbrella, and stood several days
continuously just to give protection to the residents of Vrndavana. These are
some of the superhuman activities of the Lord described in the authoritative
Vedic literatures like the Puranas, Itihasas (histories) and Upanisads. He has
delivered wonderful instructions in the shape of the Bhagavad-gita. He has
shown marvelous capacities as a hero, as a householder, as a teacher and as a
renouncer. He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by such
authoritative personalities as Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Narada, Madhva, Sankara,
Ramanuja, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Jiva Gosvami, Visvanatha Cakravarti,
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and all other authorities of the line. He Himself
has declared as much in many places of the authentic literatures. And yet
there is a class of men with demoniac mentality who are always reluctant to
accept the Lord as the Supreme Absolute Truth. This is partially due to their
poor fund of knowledge and partially due to their stubborn obstinacy, which
results from various misdeeds in the past and present. Such persons could not
recognize Lord Sri Krsna even when He was present before them. Another
difficulty is that those who depend more on their imperfect senses cannot
realize Him as the Supreme Lord. Such persons are like the modern scientist.
They want to know everything by their experimental knowledge. But it is not
possible to know the Supreme Person by imperfect experimental knowledge.
He is
described herein as adhoksaja, or beyond the range of experimental
knowledge.
All our senses are imperfect. We claim to observe everything and anything,
but
we must admit that we can observe things under certain material conditions
 259

only, which are also beyond our control. The Lord is beyond the observation of
sense perception. Queen Kunti accepts this deficiency of the conditioned soul,
especially of the woman class, who are less intelligent. For less intelligent
men there must be such things as temples, mosques or churches so that they
may
begin to recognize the authority of the Lord and hear about Him from
authorities in such holy places. For less intelligent men, this beginning of
spiritual life is essential, and only foolish men decry the establishment of
such places of worship, which are required to raise the standard of spiritual
attributes for the mass of people. For less intelligent persons, bowing down
before the authority of the Lord, as generally done in the temples, mosques or
churches, is as beneficial as it is for the advanced devotees to meditate upon
Him by active service.

TEXT 20

tatha paramahamsanam
muninam amalatmanam
bhakti-yoga-vidhanartham
katham pasyema hi striyah

tatha--besides that; paramahamsanam--of the advanced transcendentalists;

muninam--of the great philosophers or mental speculators; amala-atmanam--
those
whose minds are competent to discern between spirit and matter;
bhakti-yoga--the science of devotional service; vidhana-artham--for executing;
katham--how; pasyema--can observe; hi--certainly; striyah--women.

TRANSLATION

You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of

devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and
mental speculators, who are purified by being able to discriminate between
matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?

PURPORT

Even the greatest philosophical speculators cannot have access to the

region of the Lord. It is said in the Upanisads that the Supreme Truth, the
Absolute Personality of Godhead, is beyond the range of the thinking power of
the greatest philosopher. He is unknowable by great learning or by the
greatest brain. He is knowable only by one who has His mercy. Others may go
on
thinking about Him for years together, yet He is unknowable. This very fact is
corroborated by the Queen, who is playing the part of an innocent woman.
Women
in general are unable to speculate like philosophers, but they are blessed by
the Lord because they believe at once in the superiority and almightiness of
the Lord, and thus they offer obeisances without reservation. The Lord is so
kind that He does not show special favor only to one who is a great
philosopher. He knows the sincerity of purpose. For this reason only, women
generally assemble in great number in any sort of religious function. In every
 260

country and in every sect of religion it appears that the women are more
interested than the men. This simplicity of acceptance of the Lord's authority
is more effective than showy insincere religious fervor.

TEXT 21

krsnaya vasudevaya
devaki-nandanaya ca
nanda-gopa-kumaraya
govindaya namo namah

krsnaya--the Supreme Lord; vasudevaya--unto the son of Vasudeva;

devaki-nandanaya--unto the son of Devaki; ca--and; nanda-gopa--Nanda and
the
cowherd men; kumaraya--unto their son; govindaya--unto the Personality of
Godhead, who enlivens the cows and the senses; namah--respectful
obeisances;
namah--obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the Lord, who has
become the son of Vasudeva, the pleasure of Devaki, the boy of Nanda and
the
other cowherd men of Vrndavana, and the enlivener of the cows and the
senses.

PURPORT

The Lord, being thus unapproachable by any material assets, out of

unbounded and causeless mercy descends on the earth as He is in order to
show
His special mercy upon His unalloyed devotees and to diminish the upsurges
of
the demoniac persons. Queen Kunti specifically adores the incarnation or
descent of Lord Krsna above all other incarnations because in this particular
incarnation He is more approachable. In the Rama incarnation He remained a
king's son from His very childhood, but in the incarnation of Krsna, although
He was the son of a king, He at once left the shelter of His real father and
mother (King Vasudeva and Queen Devaki) just after His appearance and went
to
the lap of Yasodamayi to play the part of an ordinary cowherd boy in the
blessed Vrajabhumi, which is very sanctified because of His childhood
pastimes. Therefore Lord Krsna is more merciful than Lord Rama. He was
undoubtedly very kind to Kunti's brother Vasudeva and the family. Had He not
become the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, Queen Kunti could not claim Him to
be
her nephew and thus address Krsna in parental affection. But Nanda and
Yasoda
are more fortunate because they could relish the Lord's childhood pastimes,
which are more attractive than all other pastimes. There is no parallel to His
 261

childhood pastimes as exhibited at Vrajabhumi, which are the prototypes of

His
eternal affairs in the original Krsnaloka described as the cintamani-dhama in
the Brahma-samhita. Lord Sri Krsna descended Himself at Vrajabhumi with all
His transcendental entourage and paraphernalia. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
therefore confirmed that no one is as fortunate as the residents of
Vrajabhumi, and specifically the cowherd girls, who dedicated their everything
for the satisfaction of the Lord. His pastimes with Nanda and Yasoda and His
pastimes with the cowherd men and especially with the cowherd boys and the
cows have caused Him to be known as Govinda. Lord Krsna as Govinda is more
inclined to the brahmanas and the cows, indicating thereby that human
prosperity depends more on these two items, namely brahminical culture and
cow
protection. Lord Krsna is never satisfied where these are lacking.

TEXT 22

namah pankaja-nabhaya
namah pankaja-maline
namah pankaja-netraya
namas te pankajanghraye

namah--all respectful obeisances; pankaja-nabhaya--unto the Lord who has a

specific depression resembling a lotus flower in the center of His abdomen;
namah--obeisances; pankaja-maline--one who is always decorated with a
garland
of lotus flowers; namah--obeisances; pankaja-netraya--one whose glance is as
cooling as a lotus flower; namah te--respectful obeisances unto You;
pankaja-anghraye--unto You, the soles of whose feet are engraved with lotus
flowers (and who are therefore said to possess lotus feet).

TRANSLATION

My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked

with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands
of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are
engraved with lotuses.

PURPORT

Here are some of the specific symbolical marks on the spiritual body of
the Personality of Godhead which distinguish His body from the bodies of all
others. They are all special features of the body of the Lord. The Lord may
appear as one of us, but He is always distinct by His specific bodily
features. Srimati Kunti claims herself unfit to see the Lord because of her
being a woman. This is claimed because women, sudras (the laborer class) and
the dvija-bandhus, or the wretched descendants of the higher three classes,
are unfit by intelligence to understand transcendental subject matter
concerning the spiritual name, fame, attributes, forms, etc., of the Supreme
Absolute Truth. Such persons, although they are unfit to enter into the
spiritual affairs of the Lord, can see Him as the arca-vigraha, who descends
on the material world just to distribute favors to the fallen souls, including
 262

the above-mentioned women, sudras and dvija-bandhus. Because such fallen

souls
cannot see anything beyond matter, the Lord condescends to enter into each
and
every one of the innumerable universes as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who
grows
a lotus stem from the lotuslike depression in the center of His transcendental
abdomen, and thus Brahma, the first living being in the universe, is born.
Therefore, the Lord is known as the Pankajanabhi. The Pankajanabhi Lord
accepts the arca-vigraha (His transcendental form) in different elements,
namely a form within the mind, a form made of wood, a form made of earth, a
form made of metal, a form made of jewel, a form made of paint, a form
drawn
on sand, etc. All such forms of the Lord are always decorated with garlands of
lotus flowers, and there should be a soothing atmosphere in the temple of
worship to attract the burning attention of the nondevotees always engaged in
material wranglings. The meditators worship a form within the mind.
Therefore,
the Lord is merciful even to the women, sudras and dvija-bandhus, provided
they agree to visit the temple of worship in different forms made for them.
Such temple visitors are not idolaters, as alleged by some men with a poor
fund of knowledge. All the great acaryas established such temples of worship
in all places just to favor the less intelligent, and one should not pose
himself as transcending the stage of temple worship while one is actually in
the category of the sudras and the women or less. One should begin to see the
Lord from His lotus feet, gradually rising to the thighs, waist, chest and
face. One should not try to look at the face of the Lord without being
accustomed to seeing the lotus feet of the Lord. Srimati Kunti, because of her
being the aunt of the Lord, did not begin to see the Lord from the lotus feet
because the Lord might feel ashamed, and thus Kuntidevi, just to save a
painful situation for the Lord, began to see the Lord just above His lotus
feet, i.e., from the waist of the Lord, gradually rising to the face, and then
down to the lotus feet. In the round, everything there is in order.

TEXT 23

yatha hrsikesa khalena devaki

kamsena ruddhaticiram sucarpita
vimocitaham ca sahatmaja vibho
tvayaiva nathena muhur vipad-ganat

yatha--as it were; hrsikesa--the master of the senses; khalena--by the

envious; devaki--Devaki (the mother of Sri Krsna); kamsena--by King Kamsa;
ruddha--imprisoned; ati-ciram--for a long time; suca-arpita--distressed;
vimocita--released; aham ca--also myself; saha-atma-ja--along with my
children; vibho--O great one; tvaya eva--by Your Lordship; nathena--as the
protector; muhuh--constantly; vipat-ganat--from a series of dangers.

TRANSLATION

O Hrsikesa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released
Your mother, Devaki, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious
 263

King Kamsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.

PURPORT

Devaki, the mother of Krsna and sister of King Kamsa, was put into prison
along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of
being
killed by Devaki's eighth son (Krsna). He killed all the sons of Devaki who
were born before Krsna, but Krsna escaped the danger of child-slaughter
because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Maharaja, Lord Krsna's
foster
father. Kuntidevi, along with her children, was also saved from a series of
dangers. But Kuntidevi was shown far more favor because Lord Krsna did not
save the other children of Devaki, whereas He saved the children of Kuntidevi.
This was done because Devaki's husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas
Kuntidevi was a widow, and there was none to help her except Krsna. The
conclusion is that Krsna endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater
dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in
that
condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The
more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the
devotee.

TEXT 24

visan mahagneh purusada-darsanad

asat-sabhaya vana-vasa-krcchratah
mrdhe mrdhe 'neka-maharathastrato
drauny-astratas casma hare 'bhiraksitah

visat--from poison; maha-agneh--from the great fire; purusa-ada--the

man-eaters; darsanat--by combating; asat--vicious; sabhayah--assembly;
vana-vasa--exiled to the forest; krcchratah--sufferings; mrdhe mrdhe--again
and again in battle; aneka--many; maha-ratha--great generals;
astratah--weapons; drauni--the son of Dronacarya; astratah--from the weapon
of; ca--and; asma--indicating past tense; hare--O my Lord;
abhiraksitah--protected completely.

TRANSLATION

My dear Krsna, Your Lordship has protected us from a poisoned cake, from
a great fire, from cannibals, from the vicious assembly, from sufferings
during our exile in the forest and from the battle where great generals
fought. And now You have saved us from the weapon of Asvatthama.

PURPORT

The list of dangerous encounters is submitted herein. Devaki was once put
into difficulty by her envious brother, otherwise she was well. But Kuntidevi
and her sons were put into one difficulty after another for years and years
together. They were put into trouble by Duryodhana and his party due to the
kingdom, and each and every time the sons of Kunti were saved by the Lord.
 264

Once Bhima was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the
house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadi was dragged out, and
attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious
assembly of the Kurus. The Lord saved Draupadi by supplying an
immeasurable
length of cloth, and Duryodhana's party failed to see her naked. Similarly,
when they were exiled in the forest, Bhima had to fight with the man-eater
demon Hidimba Raksasa, but the Lord saved him. So it was not finished there.
After all these tribulations, there was the great Battle of Kuruksetra, and
Arjuna had to meet such great generals as Drona, Bhisma and Karna, all
powerful fighters. And at last, even when everything was done away with,
there
was the brahmastra released by the son of Dronacarya to kill the child within
the womb of Uttara, and so the Lord saved the only surviving descendant of
the
Kurus, Maharaja Pariksit.

TEXT 25

vipadah santu tah sasvat

tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darsanam yat syad
apunar bhava-darsanam

vipadah--calamities; santu--let there be; tah--all; sasvat--again and again;

tatra--there; tatra--and there; jagat-guro--O Lord of the universe;
bhavatah--Your; darsanam--meeting; yat--that which; syat--is; apunah--not
again; bhava-darsanam--seeing repetition of birth and death.

TRANSLATION

I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we
could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer
see
repeated births and deaths.

PURPORT

Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive,
who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the
Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot
approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore,
for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative
than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the
lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death.
Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome
because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means
liberation.
One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are
accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can
achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of
a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they
 265

have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.

This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita as a
dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to
adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is
itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord,
which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane
person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure
to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable
misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is
the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material
calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may
see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity.
Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of
dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If
someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service,
it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional
services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.

TEXT 26

janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
edhamana-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai
tvam akincana-gocaram

janma--birth; aisvarya--opulence; sruta--education; sribhih--by the possession

of beauty; edhamana--progressively increasing; madah--intoxication; puman--
the
human being; na--never; eva--ever; arhati--deserves; abhidhatum--to address
in
feeling; vai--certainly; tvam--You; akincana-gocaram--one who is approached
easily by the materially exhausted man.

TRANSLATION

My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who
are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress,
trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high
education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.

PURPORT

Being materially advanced means taking birth in an aristocratic family

and possessing great wealth, an education and attractive personal beauty. All
materialistic men are mad after possessing all these material opulences, and
this is known as the advancement of material civilization. But the result is
that by possessing all these material assets one becomes artificially puffed
up, intoxicated by such temporary possessions. Consequently, such materially
puffed up persons are incapable of uttering the holy name of the Lord by
addressing Him feelingly, "O Govinda, O Krsna." It is said in the sastras that
by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity
of sins that he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy
 266

name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement.
Actually the Lord's holy name has such powerful potency. But there is a
quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A
helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord, whereas a man
who
utters the same holy name in great material satisfaction cannot be so sincere.
A materially puffed up person may utter the holy name of the Lord
occasionally, but he is incapable of uttering the name in quality. Therefore,
the four principles of material advancement, namely (1) high parentage, (2)
good wealth, (3) high education and (4) attractive beauty, are, so to speak,
disqualifications for progress on the path of spiritual advancement. The
material covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as
fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is to
decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreatment.
Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially
impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand, such
impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature is a good
sign. The principle of life should be to decrease the degree of material
intoxication which leads one to be more and more illusioned about the aim of
life. Grossly illusioned persons are quite unfit for entrance into the kingdom
of God.

TEXT 27

namo 'kincana-vittaya
nivrtta-guna-vrttaye
atmaramaya santaya
kaivalya-pataye namah

namah--all obeisances unto You; akincana-vittaya--unto the property of the

materially impoverished; nivrtta--completely transcendental to the actions of
the material modes; guna--material modes; vrttaye--affection;
atma-aramaya--one who is self-satisfied; santaya--the most gentle;
kaivalya-pataye--unto the master of the monists; namah--bowing down.

TRANSLATION

My obeisances are unto You, who are the property of the materially
impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the
material modes of nature. You are self-satisfied, and therefore You are the
most gentle and are master of the monists.

PURPORT

A living being is finished as soon as there is nothing to possess.

Therefore a living being cannot be, in the real sense of the term, a
renouncer. A living being renounces something for gaining something more
valuable. A student sacrifices his childish proclivities to gain better
education. A servant gives up his job for a better job. Similarly, a devotee
renounces the material world not for nothing but for something tangible in
spiritual value. Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha
 267

dasa Gosvami and others gave up their worldly pomp and prosperity for the
sake
of the service of the Lord. They were big men in the worldly sense. The
Gosvamis were ministers in the government service of Bengal, and Srila
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was the son of a big zamindar of his time. But they
left everything to gain something superior to what they previously possessed.
The devotees are generally without material prosperity, but they have a very
secret treasure-house in the lotus feet of the Lord. There is a nice story
about Srila Sanatana Gosvami. He had a touchstone with him, and this stone
was
left in a pile of refuse. A needy man took it, but later on wondered why the
valuable stone was kept in such a neglected place. He therefore asked him for
the most valuable thing, and then he was given the holy name of the Lord.
Akincana means one who has nothing to give materially. A factual devotee, or
mahatma, does not give anything material to anyone because he has already
left
all material assets. He can, however, deliver the supreme asset, namely the
Personality of Godhead, because He is the only property of a factual devotee.
The touchstone of Sanatana Gosvami, which was thrown in the rubbish, was
not
the property of the Gosvami, otherwise it would not have been kept in such a
place. This specific example is given for the neophyte devotees just to
convince them that material hankerings and spiritual advancement go ill
together. Unless one is able to see everything as spiritual in relation with
the Supreme Lord, one must always distinguish between spirit and matter. A
spiritual master like Srila Sanatana Gosvami, although personally able to see
everything as spiritual, set this example for us only because we have no such
spiritual vision.
Advancement of material vision or material civilization is a great
stumbling block for spiritual advancement. Such material advancement
entangles
the living being in the bondage of a material body followed by all sorts of
material miseries. Such material advancement is called anartha, or things not
wanted. Actually this is so. In the present context of material advancement
one uses lipstick at a cost of fifty cents, and there are so many unwanted
things which are all products of the material conception of life. By diverting
attention to so many unwanted things, human energy is spoiled without
achievement of spiritual realization, the prime necessity of human life. The
attempt to reach the moon is another example of spoiling energy because
even
if the moon is reached, the problems of life will not be solved. The devotees
of the Lord are called akincanas because they have practically no material
assets. Such material assets are all products of the three modes of material
nature. They foil spiritual energy, and thus the less we possess such products
of material nature, the more we have a good chance for spiritual progress.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has no direct connection with
material
activities. All His acts and deeds, which are exhibited even in this material
world, are spiritual and without affection for the modes of material nature.
In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that all His acts, even His appearance and
disappearance in and out of the material world, are transcendental, and one
who knows this perfectly shall not take his birth again in this material
 268

world, but will go back to Godhead.

The material disease is due to hankering after and lording it over
material nature. This hankering is due to an interaction of the three modes of
nature, and neither the Lord nor the devotees have attachment for such false
enjoyment. Therefore, the Lord and the devotees are called nivrtta-guna-vrtti.
The perfect nivrtta-guna-vrtti is the Supreme Lord because He never becomes
attracted by the modes of material nature, whereas the living beings have
such
a tendency. Some of them are entrapped by the illusory attraction of material
nature.
Because the Lord is the property of the devotees, and the devotees are
the property of the Lord reciprocally, the devotees are certainly
transcendental to the modes of material nature. That is a natural conclusion.
Such unalloyed devotees are distinct from the mixed devotees who approach
the
Lord for mitigation of miseries and poverty or because of inquisitiveness and
speculation. The unalloyed devotees and the Lord are transcendentally
attached
to one another. For others, the Lord has nothing to reciprocate, and therefore
He is called atmarama, self-satisfied. Self-satisfied as He is, He is the
master of all monists who seek to merge into the existence of the Lord. Such
monists merge within the personal effulgence of the Lord called the
brahmajyoti, but the devotees enter into the transcendental pastimes of the
Lord, which are never to be misunderstood as material.

TEXT 28

manye tvam kalam isanam

anadi-nidhanam vibhum
samam carantam sarvatra
bhutanam yan mithah kalih

manye--I consider; tvam--Your Lordship; kalam--the eternal time; isanam--the

Supreme Lord; anadi-nidhanam--without beginning and end;
vibhum--all-pervading; samam--equally merciful; carantam--distributing;
sarvatra--everywhere; bhutanam--of the living beings; yat mithah--by
intercourse; kalih--dissension.

TRANSLATION

My Lord, I consider Your Lordship to be eternal time, the supreme

controller, without beginning and end, the all-pervasive one. In distributing
Your mercy, You are equal to everyone. The dissensions between living beings
are due to social intercourse.

PURPORT

Kuntidevi knew that Krsna was neither her nephew nor an ordinary family
member of her paternal house. She knew perfectly well that Krsna is the
primeval Lord who lives in everyone's heart as the Supersoul, Paramatma.
Another name of the Paramatma feature of the Lord is kala, or eternal time.
Eternal time is the witness of all our actions, good and bad, and thus
 269

resultant reactions are destined by Him. It is no use saying that we do not

know why and for what we are suffering. We may forget the misdeed for which
we
may suffer at this present moment, but we must remember that Paramatma is
our
constant companion, and therefore He knows everything, past, present and
future. And because the Paramatma feature of Lord Krsna destines all actions
and reactions, He is the supreme controller also. Without His sanction not a
blade of grass can move. The living beings are given as much freedom as they
deserve, and misuse of that freedom is the cause of suffering. The devotees of
the Lord do not misuse their freedom, and therefore they are the good sons of
the Lord. Others, who misuse freedom, are put into miseries destined by the
eternal kala. The kala offers the conditioned souls both happiness and
miseries. It is all predestined by eternal time. As we have miseries
uncalled-for, so we may have happiness also without being asked, for they are
all predestined by kala. No one is therefore either an enemy or friend of the
Lord. Everyone is suffering and enjoying the result of his own destiny. This
destiny is made by the living beings in course of social intercourse. Everyone
here wants to lord it over the material nature, and thus everyone creates his
own destiny under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. He is all-pervading
and
therefore He can see everyone's activities. And because the Lord has no
beginning or end, He is known also as the eternal time, kala.

TEXT 29

na veda kascid bhagavams cikirsitam

tavehamanasya nrnam vidambanam
na yasya kascid dayito 'sti karhicid
dvesyas ca yasmin visama matir nrnam

na--does not; veda--know; kascit--anyone; bhagavan--O Lord;

cikirsitam--pastimes; tava--Your; ihamanasya--like the worldly men; nrnam--of
the people in general; vidambanam--misleading; na--never; yasya--His;
kascit--anyone; dayitah--object of specific favor; asti--there is;
karhicit--anywhere; dvesyah--object of envy; ca--and; yasmin--unto Him;
visama--partiality; matih--conception; nrnam--of the people.

TRANSLATION

O Lord, no one can understand Your transcendental pastimes, which appear

to be human and are so misleading. You have no specific object of favor, nor
do You have any object of envy. People only imagine that You are partial.

PURPORT

The Lord's mercy upon the fallen souls is equally distributed. He has no
one as the specific object of hostility. The very conception of the
Personality of Godhead as a human being is misleading. His pastimes appear
to
be exactly like a human being's, but actually they are transcendental and
without any tinge of material contamination. He is undoubtedly known as
 270

partial to His pure devotees, but in fact He is never partial, as much as the
sun is never partial to anyone. By utilizing the sun rays, sometimes even the
stones become valuable, whereas a blind man cannot see the sun, although
there
are enough sun rays before him. Darkness and light are two opposite
conceptions, but this does not mean that the sun is partial in distributing
its rays. The sun rays are open to everyone, but the capacities of the
receptacles differ. Foolish people think that devotional service is flattering
the Lord to get special mercy. Factually the pure devotees who are engaged in
the transcendental loving service of the Lord are not a mercantile community.
A mercantile house renders service to someone in exchange for values. The
pure
devotee does not render service unto the Lord for such exchange, and
therefore
the full mercy of the Lord is open for him. Suffering and needy men,
inquisitive persons or philosophers make temporary connections with the Lord
to serve a particular purpose. When the purpose is served, there is no more
relation with the Lord. A suffering man, if he is pious at all, prays to the
Lord for his recovery. But as soon as the recovery is over, in most cases the
suffering man no longer cares to keep any connection with the Lord. The
mercy
of the Lord is open for him, but he is reluctant to receive it. That is the
difference between a pure devotee and a mixed devotee. Those who are
completely against the service of the Lord are considered to be in abject
darkness, those who ask for the Lord's favor only at the time of necessity are
partial recipients of the mercy of the Lord, and those who are cent percent
engaged in the service of the Lord are full recipients of the mercy of the
Lord. Such partiality in receiving the Lord's mercy is relative to the
recipient, and it is not due to the partiality of the all-merciful Lord.
When the Lord descends on this material world by His all-merciful energy,
He plays like a human being, and therefore it appears that the Lord is partial
to His devotees only, but that is not a fact. Despite such apparent
manifestation of partiality, His mercy is equally distributed. In the
Battlefield of Kuruksetra all persons who died in the fight before the
presence of the Lord got salvation without the necessary qualifications
because death before the presence of the Lord purifies the passing soul from
the effects of all sins, and therefore the dying man gets a place somewhere in
the transcendental abode. Somehow or other if someone puts himself open in
the
sun rays, he is sure to get the requisite benefit both by heat and by
ultraviolet rays. Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is never partial.
It is wrong for the people in general to think of Him as partial.

TEXT 30

janma karma ca visvatmann

ajasyakartur atmanah
tiryan-nrsisu yadahsu
tad atyanta-vidambanam

janma--birth; karma--activity; ca--and; visva-atman--O soul of the universe;

ajasya--of the unborn; akartuh--of the inactive; atmanah--of the vital energy;
 271

tiryak--animal; nr--human being; rsisu--in the sages; yadahsu--in the water;

tat--that; atyanta--veritable; vidambanam--bewildering.

TRANSLATION

Of course it is bewildering, O soul of the universe, that You work,

though You are inactive, and that You take birth, though You are the vital
force and the unborn. You Yourself descend amongst animals, men, sages and
aquatics. Verily, this is bewildering.

PURPORT

The transcendental pastimes of the Lord are not only bewildering but also
apparently contradictory. In other words, they are all inconceivable to the
limited thinking power of the human being. The Lord is the all-prevailing
Supersoul of all existence, and yet He appears in the form of a boar amongst
the animals, in the form of a human being as Rama, Krsna, etc., in the form of
a rsi like Narayana, and in the form of an aquatic like a fish. Yet it is said
that He is unborn, and He has nothing to do. In the sruti mantra it is said
that the Supreme Brahman has nothing to do. No one is equal to or greater
than
Him. He has manifold energies, and everything is performed by Him perfectly
by
automatic knowledge, strength and activity. All these statements prove
without
any question that the Lord's activities, forms and deeds are all inconceivable
to our limited thinking power, and because He is inconceivably powerful,
everything is possible in Him. Therefore no one can calculate Him exactly;
every action of the Lord is bewildering to the common man. He cannot be
understood by the Vedic knowledge, but He can be easily understood by the
pure
devotees because they are intimately related with Him. The devotees
therefore
know that although He appears amongst the animals, He is not an animal, nor
a
man, nor a rsi, nor a fish. He is eternally the Supreme Lord, in all
circumstances.

TEXT 31

gopy adade tvayi krtagasi dama tavad

ya te dasasru-kalilanjana-sambhramaksam
vaktram niniya bhaya-bhavanaya sthitasya
sa mam vimohayati bhir api yad bibheti

gopi--the cowherd lady (Yasoda); adade--took up; tvayi--on Your;

krtagasi--creating disturbances (by breaking the butter pot); dama--rope;
tavat--at that time; ya--that which; te--Your; dasa--situation;
asru-kalila--overflooded with tears; anjana--ointment; sambhrama--perturbed;
aksam--eyes; vaktram--face; niniya--downwards; bhaya-bhavanaya--by
thoughts of
fear; sthitasya--of the situation; sa--that; mam--me; vimohayati--bewilders;
 272

bhih api--even fear personified; yat--whom; bibheti--is afraid.

TRANSLATION

My dear Krsna, Yasoda took up a rope to bind You when You committed an
offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the
mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid
of You. This sight is bewildering to me.

PURPORT

Here is another explanation of the bewilderment created by the pastimes

of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme in all circumstances,
as
already explained. Here is a specific example of the Lord's being the Supreme
and at the same time a plaything in the presence of His pure devotee. The
Lord's pure devotee renders service unto the Lord out of unalloyed love only,
and while discharging such devotional service the pure devotee forgets the
position of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord also accepts the loving
service
of His devotees more relishably when the service is rendered spontaneously
out
of pure affection, without anything of reverential admiration. Generally the
Lord is worshiped by the devotees in a reverential attitude, but the Lord is
meticulously pleased when the devotee, out of pure affection and love,
considers the Lord to be less important than himself. The Lord's pastimes in
the original abode of Goloka Vrndavana are exchanged in that spirit. The
friends of Krsna consider Him one of them. They do not consider Him to be of
reverential importance. The parents of the Lord (who are all pure devotees)
consider Him a child only. The Lord accepts the chastisements of the parents
more cheerfully than the prayers of the Vedic hymns. Similarly, He accepts the
reproaches of His fiancees more palatably than the Vedic hymns. When Lord
Krsna was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes of
the transcendental realm of Goloka Vrndavana as an attraction for the people
in general, He displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster
mother, Yasoda. The Lord, in His naturally childish playful activities, used
to spoil the stocked butter of mother Yasoda by breaking the pots and
distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the
celebrated monkeys of Vrndavana, who took advantage of the Lord's
munificence.
Mother Yasoda saw this, and out of her pure love she wanted to make a show
of
punishment for her transcendental child. She took a rope and threatened the
Lord that she would tie Him up, as is generally done in the ordinary
household. Seeing the rope in the hands of mother Yasoda, the Lord bowed
down
His head and began to weep just like a child, and tears rolled down His
cheeks, washing off the black ointment smeared about His beautiful eyes. This
picture of the Lord is adored by Kuntidevi because she is conscious of the
Lord's supreme position. He is feared often by fear personified, yet He is
afraid of His mother, who wanted to punish Him just in an ordinary manner.
Kunti was conscious of the exalted position of Krsna, whereas Yasoda was not.
 273

Therefore Yasoda's position was more exalted than Kunti's. Mother Yasoda got
the Lord as her child, and the Lord made her forget altogether that her child
was the Lord Himself. If mother Yasoda had been conscious of the exalted
position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord.
But she was made to forget this situation because the Lord wanted to make a
complete gesture of childishness before the affectionate Yasoda. This
exchange
of love between the mother and the son was performed in a natural way, and
Kunti, remembering the scene, was bewildered, and she could do nothing but
praise the transcendental filial love. Indirectly mother Yasoda is praised for
her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord
as her beloved child.

TEXT 32

kecid ahur ajam jatam

punya-slokasya kirtaye
yadoh priyasyanvavaye
malayasyeva candanam

kecit--someone; ahuh--says; ajam--the unborn; jatam--being born;

punya-slokasya--of the great pious king; kirtaye--for glorifying; yadoh--of
King Yadu; priyasya--of the dear; anvavaye--in the family of;
malayasya--Malaya hills; iva--as; candanam--sandalwood.

TRANSLATION

Some say that the Unborn is born for the glorification of pious kings,
and others say that He is born to please King Yadu, one of Your dearest
devotees. You appear in his family as sandalwood appears in the Malaya hills.

PURPORT

Because the Lord's appearance in this material world is bewildering,

there are different opinions about the birth of the Unborn. In the
Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that He takes His birth in the material world,
although He is the Lord of all creations and He is unborn. So there cannot be
any denial of the birth of the Unborn because He Himself establishes the
truth. But still there are different opinions as to why He takes His birth.
That is also declared in the Bhagavad-gita. He appears by His own internal
potency to reestablish the principles of religion and to protect the pious and
to annihilate the impious. That is the mission of the appearance of the
Unborn. Still, it is said that the Lord is there to glorify the pious King
Yudhisthira. Lord Sri Krsna certainly wanted to establish the kingdom of the
Pandavas for the good of all in the world. When there is a pious king ruling
over the world, the people are happy. When the ruler is impious, the people
are unhappy. In the age of Kali in most cases the rulers are impious, and
therefore the citizens are also continuously unhappy. But in the case of
democracy, the impious citizens themselves elect their representative to rule
over them, and therefore they cannot blame anyone for their unhappiness.
Maharaja Nala was also celebrated as a great pious king, but he had no
 274

connection with Lord Krsna. Therefore Maharaja Yudhisthira is meant here to

be
glorified by Lord Krsna. He had also glorified King Yadu, having taken His
birth in the family. He is known as Yadava, Yaduvira, Yadunandana, etc.,
although the Lord is always independent of such obligation. He is just like
the sandalwood that grows in the Malaya hills. Trees can grow anywhere and
everywhere, yet because the sandalwood trees grow mostly in the area of the
Malaya hills, the name sandalwood and the Malaya hills are interrelated.
Therefore, the conclusion is that the Lord is ever unborn like the sun, and
yet He appears as the sun rises on the eastern horizon. As the sun is never
the sun of the eastern horizon, so the Lord is no one's son, but He is the
father of everything that be.

TEXT 33

apare vasudevasya
devakyam yacito 'bhyagat
ajas tvam asya ksemaya
vadhaya ca sura-dvisam

apare--others; vasudevasya--of Vasudeva; devakyam--of Devaki; yacitah--

being
prayed for; abhyagat--took birth; ajah--unborn; tvam--You are; asya--of him;
ksemaya--for the good; vadhaya--for the purpose of killing; ca--and;
sura-dvisam--of those who are envious of the demigods.

TRANSLATION

Others say that since both Vasudeva and Devaki prayed for You, You have
taken Your birth as their son. Undoubtedly You are unborn, yet You take Your
birth for their welfare and to kill those who are envious of the demigods.

PURPORT

It is also said that Vasudeva and Devaki, in their previous birth as

Sutapa and Prsni, underwent a severe type of penance to get the Lord as their
son, and as a result of such austerities the Lord appeared as their son. It is
already declared in the Bhagavad-gita that the Lord appears for the welfare of
all people of the world and to vanquish the asuras, or the materialistic
atheists.

TEXT 34

bharavataranayanye
bhuvo nava ivodadhau
sidantya bhuri-bharena
jato hy atma-bhuvarthitah

bhara-avataranaya--just to reduce the burden to the world; anye--others;

bhuvah--of the world; navah--boat; iva--like; udadhau--on the sea;
sidantyah--aggrieved; bhuri--extremely; bharena--by the burden; jatah--You
were born; hi--certainly; atma-bhuva--by Brahma; arthitah--being prayed for.
 275

TRANSLATION

Others say that the world, being overburdened like a boat at sea, is much
aggrieved, and that Brahma, who is Your son, prayed for You, and so You have
appeared to diminish the trouble.

PURPORT

Brahma, or the first living being born just after the creation, is the
direct son of Narayana. Narayana, as Garbhodakasayi Visnu, first of all
entered the material universe. Without spiritual contact, matter cannot
create. This principle was followed from the very beginning of the creation.
The Supreme Spirit entered the universe, and the first living being, Brahma,
was born on a lotus flower grown out of the transcendental abdomen of Visnu.
Visnu is therefore known as Padmanabha. Brahma is known as atma-bhu
because he
was begotten directly from the father without any contact of mother Laksmiji.
Laksmiji was present near Narayana, engaged in the service of the Lord, and
still, without contact with Laksmiji, Narayana begot Brahma. That is the
omnipotency of the Lord. One who foolishly considers Narayana like other
living beings should take a lesson from this. Narayana is not an ordinary
living being. He is the Personality of Godhead Himself, and He has all the
potencies of all the senses in all parts of His transcendental body. An
ordinary living being begets a child by sexual intercourse, and he has no
other means to beget a child other than the one designed for him. But
Narayana, being omnipotent, is not bound to any condition of energy. He is
complete and independent to do anything and everything by His various
potencies, very easily and perfectly. Brahma is therefore directly the son of
the father and was not put into the womb of a mother. Therefore he is known
as
atma-bhu. This Brahma is in charge of further creations in the universe,
secondarily reflected by the potency of the Omnipotent. Within the halo of the
universe there is a transcendental planet known as Svetadvipa, which is the
abode of the Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the Paramatma feature of the Supreme
Lord.
Whenever there is trouble in the universe that cannot be solved by the
administrative demigods, they approach Brahmaji for a solution, and if it is
not to be solved even by Brahmaji, then Brahmaji consults and prays to the
Ksirodakasayi Visnu for an incarnation and solution to the problems. Such a
problem arose when Kamsa and others were ruling over the earth and the
earth
became too much overburdened by the misdeeds of the asuras. Brahmaji,
along
with other demigods, prayed at the shore of the Ksirodaka Ocean, and they
were
advised of the descent of Krsna as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. So some
people say that the Lord appeared because of the prayers of Brahmaji.

TEXT 35

bhave 'smin klisyamananam

 276

avidya-kama-karmabhih
sravana-smaranarhani
karisyann iti kecana

bhave--in the material creation; asmin--this; klisyamananam--of those who are

suffering from; avidya--nescience; kama--desire; karmabhih--by execution of
fruitive work; sravana--hearing; smarana--remembering; arhani--worshiping;
karisyan--may perform; iti--thus; kecana--others.

TRANSLATION

And yet others say that You appeared to rejuvenate the devotional service
of hearing, remembering, worshiping and so on in order that the conditioned
souls suffering from material pangs might take advantage and gain liberation.

PURPORT

In the Srimad Bhagavad-gita the Lord asserts that He appears in every

millennium just to reestablish the way of religion. The way of religion is
made by the Supreme Lord. No one can manufacture a new path of religion, as
is
the fashion for certain ambitious persons. The factual way of religion is to
accept the Lord as the supreme authority and thus render service unto Him in
spontaneous love. A living being cannot help but render service because he is
constitutionally made for that purpose. The only function of the living being
is to render service to the Lord. The Lord is great, and living beings are
subordinate to Him. Therefore, the duty of the living being is just to serve
Him only. Unfortunately the illusioned living beings, out of misunderstanding
only, become servants of the senses by material desire. This desire is called
avidya, or nescience. And out of such desire the living being makes different
plans for material enjoyment centered about a perverted sex life. He therefore
becomes entangled in the chain of birth and death by transmigrating into
different bodies on different planets under the direction of the Supreme Lord.
Unless, therefore, one is beyond the boundary of this nescience, one cannot
get free from the threefold miseries of material life. That is the law of
nature.
The Lord, however, out of His causeless mercy, because He is more
merciful to the suffering living beings than they can expect, appears before
them and renovates the principles of devotional service comprised of hearing,
chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping, praying, cooperating and
surrendering unto Him. Adoption of all the above-mentioned items, or any one
of them, can help a conditioned soul get out of the tangle of nescience and
thus become liberated from all material sufferings created by the living being
illusioned by the external energy. This particular type of mercy is bestowed
upon the living being by the Lord in the form of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 36

srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhiksnasah

smaranti nandanti tavehitam janah
ta eva pasyanty acirena tavakam
bhava-pravahoparamam padambujam
 277

srnvanti--hear; gayanti--chant; grnanti--take; abhiksnasah--continuously;

smaranti--remember; nandanti--take pleasure; tava--Your; ihitam--activities;
janah--people in general; te--they; eva--certainly; pasyanti--can see;
acirena--very soon; tavakam--Your; bhava-pravaha--the current of rebirth;
uparamam--cessation; pada-ambujam--lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

O Krsna, those who continuously hear, chant and repeat Your

transcendental activities, or take pleasure in others' doing so, certainly see
Your lotus feet, which alone can stop the repetition of birth and death.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna cannot be seen by our present conditional
vision. In order to see Him, one has to change his present vision by
developing a different condition of life full of spontaneous love of Godhead.
When Sri Krsna was personally present on the face of the globe, not everyone
could see Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Materialists like
Ravana,
Hiranyakasipu, Kamsa, Jarasandha and Sisupala, were highly qualified
personalities by acquisition of material assets, but they were unable to
appreciate the presence of the Lord. Therefore, even though the Lord may be
present before our eyes, it is not possible to see Him unless we have the
necessary vision. This necessary qualification is developed by the process of
devotional service only, beginning with hearing about the Lord from the right
sources. The Bhagavad-gita is one of the popular literatures which are
generally heard, chanted, repeated, etc., by the people in general, but in
spite of such hearing, etc., sometimes it is experienced that the performer of
such devotional service does not see the Lord eye to eye. The reason is that
the first item, sravana, is very important. If hearing is from the right
sources, it acts very quickly. Generally people hear from unauthorized
persons. Such unauthorized persons may be very learned by academic
qualifications, but because they do not follow the principles of devotional
service, hearing from them becomes a sheer waste of time. Sometimes the
texts
are interpreted fashionably to suit their own purposes. Therefore, first one
should select a competent and bona fide speaker and then hear from him.
When
the hearing process is perfect and complete, the other processes become
automatically perfect in their own way.
There are different transcendental activities of the Lord, and each and
every one of them is competent to bestow the desired result, provided the
hearing process is perfect. In the Bhagavatam the activities of the Lord begin
from His dealings with the Pandavas. There are many other pastimes of the
Lord
in connection with His dealings with the asuras and others. And in the Tenth
Canto the sublime dealings with His conjugal associates, the gopis, as well as
with His married wives at Dvaraka are mentioned. Since the Lord is absolute,
there is no difference in the transcendental nature of each and every dealing
of the Lord. But sometimes people, in an unauthorized hearing process, take
 278

more interest in hearing about His dealings with the gopis. Such an
inclination indicates the lusty feelings of the hearer, so a bona fide speaker
of the dealings of the Lord never indulges in such hearings. One must hear
about the Lord from the very beginning, as in the Srimad-Bhagavatam or any
other scriptures, and that will help the hearer attain perfection by
progressive development. One should not, therefore, consider that His
dealings
with the Pandavas are less important than His dealings with the gopis. We
must
always remember that the Lord is always transcendental to all mundane
attachment. In all the above-mentioned dealings of the Lord, He is the hero in
all circumstances, and hearing about Him or about His devotees or
combatants
is conducive to spiritual life. It is said that the Vedas and Puranas, etc.,
are all made to revive our lost relation with Him. Hearing of all these
scriptures is essential.

TEXT 37

apy adya nas tvam sva-krtehita prabho

jihasasi svit suhrdo 'nujivinah
yesam na canyad bhavatah padambujat
parayanam rajasu yojitamhasam

api--if; adya--today; nah--us; tvam--You; sva-krta--self-executed; ihita--all

duties; prabho--O my Lord; jihasasi--giving up; svit--possibly;
suhrdah--intimate friends; anujivinah--living at the mercy of; yesam--of whom;
na--nor; ca--and; anyat--anyone else; bhavatah--Your; pada-ambujat--from the
lotus feet; parayanam--dependent; rajasu--unto the kings; yojita--engaged in;
amhasam--enmity.

TRANSLATION

O my Lord, You have executed all duties Yourself. Are you leaving us
today, though we are completely dependent on Your mercy and have no one
else
to protect us, now when all kings are at enmity with us?

PURPORT

The Pandavas are most fortunate because with all good luck they were
entirely dependent on the mercy of the Lord. In the material world, to be
dependent on the mercy of someone else is the utmost sign of misfortune, but
in the case of our transcendental relation with the Lord, it is the most
fortunate case when we can live completely dependent on Him. The material
disease is due to thinking of becoming independent of everything. But the
cruel material nature does not allow us to become independent. The false
attempt to become independent of the stringent laws of nature is known as
material advancement of experimental knowledge. The whole material world
is
moving on this false attempt of becoming independent of the laws of nature.
 279

Beginning from Ravana, who wanted to prepare a direct staircase to the

planets
of heaven, down to the present age, they are trying to overcome the laws of
nature. They are trying now to approach distant planetary systems by
electronic mechanical power. But the highest goal of human civilization is to
work hard under the guidance of the Lord and become completely dependent
on
Him. The highest achievement of perfect civilization is to work with valor but
at the same time depend completely on the Lord. The Pandavas were the ideal
executors of this standard of civilization. Undoubtedly they were completely
dependent on the good will of Lord Sri Krsna, but they were not idle parasites
of the Lord. They were all highly qualified both by personal character and by
physical activities. Still they always looked for the mercy of the Lord
because they knew that every living being is dependent by constitutional
position. The perfection of life is, therefore, to become dependent on the
will of the Lord, instead of becoming falsely independent in the material
world. Those who try to become falsely independent of the Lord are called
anatha, or without any guardian, whereas those who are completely
dependent on
the will of the Lord are called sanatha, or those having someone to protect
them. Therefore we must try to be sanatha so that we can always be
protected
from the unfavorable condition of material existence. By the deluding power of
the external material nature we forget that the material condition of life is
the most undesirable perplexity. The Bhagavad-gita therefore directs us (7.19)
that after many, many births one fortunate person becomes aware of the fact
that Vasudeva is all in all and that the best way of leading one's life is to
surrender unto Him completely. That is the sign of a mahatma. All the
members
of the Pandava family were mahatmas in household life. Maharaja Yudhisthira
was the head of these mahatmas, and Queen Kuntidevi was the mother. The
lessons of the Bhagavad-gita and all the Puranas, specifically the Bhagavata
Purana, are therefore inevitably connected with the history of the Pandava
mahatmas. For them, separation from the Lord was just like the separation of
a
fish from water. Srimati Kuntidevi, therefore, felt such separation like a
thunderbolt, and the whole prayer of the Queen is to try to persuade the Lord
to stay with them. After the Battle of Kuruksetra, although the inimical kings
were killed, their sons and grandsons were still there to deal with the
Pandavas. It is not only the Pandavas who were put into the condition of
enmity, but all of us are always in such a condition, and the best way of
living is to become completely dependent on the will of the Lord and thereby
overcome all difficulties of material existence.

TEXT 38

ke vayam nama-rupabhyam
yadubhih saha pandavah
bhavato 'darsanam yarhi
hrsikanam ivesituh

ke--who are; vayam--we; nama-rupabhyam--without fame and ability;

 280

yadubhih--with the Yadus; saha--along with; pandavah--and the Pandavas;

bhavatah--Your; adarsanam--absence; yarhi--as if; hrsikanam--of the senses;
iva--like; isituh--of the living being.

TRANSLATION

As the name and fame of a particular body is finished with the

disappearance of the living spirit, similarly if You do not look upon us, all
our fame and activities, along with the Pandavas and Yadus, will end at once.

PURPORT

Kuntidevi is quite aware that the existence of the Pandavas is due to Sri
Krsna only. The Pandavas are undoubtedly well established in name and fame
and
are guided by the great King Yudhisthira, who is morality personified, and the
Yadus are undoubtedly great allies, but without the guidance of Lord Krsna all
of them are nonentities, as much as the senses of the body are useless
without
the guidance of consciousness. No one should be proud of his prestige, power
and fame without being guided by the favor of the Supreme Lord. The living
beings are always dependent, and the ultimate dependable object is the Lord
Himself. We may, therefore, invent by our advancement of material
knowledge
all sorts of counteracting material resources, but without being guided by the
Lord all such inventions end in fiasco, however strong and stout the
reactionary elements may be.

TEXT 39

neyam sobhisyate tatra

yathedanim gadadhara
tvat-padair ankita bhati
sva-laksana-vilaksitaih

na--not; iyam--this land of our kingdom; sobhisyate--will appear beautiful;

tatra--then; yatha--as it is now; idanim--how; gadadhara--O Krsna; tvat--Your;
padaih--by the feet; ankita--marked; bhati--is dazzling; sva-laksana--Your own
marks; vilaksitaih--by the impressions.

TRANSLATION

O Gadadhara [Krsna], our kingdom is now being marked by the impressions

of Your feet, and therefore it appears beautiful. But when You leave, it will
no longer be so.

PURPORT

There are certain particular marks on the feet of the Lord which
distinguish the Lord from others. The marks of a flag, thunderbolt, and
instrument to drive an elephant, umbrella, lotus, disc, etc., are on the
bottom of the Lord's feet. These marks are impressed upon the soft dust of the
 281

land where the Lord traverses. The land of Hastinapura was thus marked while
Lord Sri Krsna was there with the Pandavas, and the kingdom of the Pandavas
thus flourished by such auspicious signs. Kuntidevi pointed out these
distinguished features and was afraid of ill luck in the absence of the Lord.

TEXT 40

ime jana-padah svrddhah

supakkausadhi-virudhah
vanadri-nady-udanvanto
hy edhante tava viksitaih

ime--all these; jana-padah--cities and towns; svrddhah--flourished;

supakka--nature; ausadhi--herbs; virudhah--vegetables; vana--forests;
adri--hills; nadi--rivers; udanvantah--seas; hi--certainly;
edhante--increasing; tava--by You; viksitaih--seen.

TRANSLATION

All these cities and villages are flourishing in all respects because the
herbs and grains are in abundance, the trees are full of fruits, the rivers
are flowing, the hills are full of minerals and the oceans full of wealth. And
this is all due to Your glancing over them.

PURPORT

Human prosperity flourishes by natural gifts and not by gigantic

industrial enterprises. The gigantic industrial enterprises are products of a
godless civilization, and they cause the destruction of the noble aims of
human life. The more we go on increasing such troublesome industries to
squeeze out the vital energy of the human being, the more there will be
unrest
and dissatisfaction of the people in general, although a few only can live
lavishly by exploitation. The natural gifts such as grains and vegetables,
fruits, rivers, the hills of jewels and minerals, and the seas full of pearls
are supplied by the order of the Supreme, and as He desires, material nature
produces them in abundance or restricts them at times. The natural law is that
the human being may take advantage of these godly gifts by nature and
satisfactorily flourish on them without being captivated by the exploitative
motive of lording it over material nature. The more we attempt to exploit
material nature according to our whims of enjoyment, the more we shall
become
entrapped by the reaction of such exploitative attempts. If we have sufficient
grains, fruits, vegetables and herbs, then what is the necessity of running a
slaughterhouse and killing poor animals? A man need not kill an animal if he
has sufficient grains and vegetables to eat. The flow of river waters
fertilizes the fields, and there is more than what we need. Minerals are
produced in the hills, and the jewels in the ocean. If the human civilization
has sufficient grains, minerals, jewels, water, milk, etc., then why should it
hanker after terrible industrial enterprises at the cost of the labor of some
unfortunate men? But all these natural gifts are dependent on the mercy of
the
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Lord. What we need, therefore, is to be obedient to the laws of the Lord and
achieve the perfection of human life by devotional service. The indications by
Kuntidevi are just to the point. She desires that God's mercy be bestowed
upon
them so that natural prosperity be maintained by His grace.

TEXT 41

atha visvesa visvatman

visva-murte sva-kesu me
sneha-pasam imam chindhi
drdham pandusu vrsnisu

atha--therefore; visva-isa--O Lord of the universe; visva-atman--O soul of the

universe; visva-murte--O personality of the universal form; sva-kesu--unto my
own kinsmen; me--my; sneha-pasam--tie of affection; imam--this; chindhi--cut
off; drdham--deep; pandusu--for the Pandavas; vrsnisu--for the Vrsnis also.

TRANSLATION

O Lord of the universe, soul of the universe, O personality of the form

of the universe, please, therefore, sever my tie of affection for my kinsmen,
the Pandavas and the Vrsnis.

PURPORT

A pure devotee of the Lord is ashamed to ask anything in self-interest

from the Lord. But the householders are sometimes obliged to ask favors from
the Lord, being bound by the tie of family affection. Srimati Kuntidevi was
conscious of this fact, and therefore she prayed to the Lord to cut off the
affectionate tie from her own kinsmen, the Pandavas and the Vrsnis. The
Pandavas are her own sons, and the Vrsnis are the members of her paternal
family. Krsna was equally related to both the families. Both the families
required the Lord's help because both were dependent devotees of the Lord.
Srimati Kuntidevi wished Sri Krsna to remain with her sons the Pandavas, but
by His doing so her paternal house would be bereft of the benefit. All these
partialities troubled the mind of Kunti, and therefore she desired to cut off
the affectionate tie.
A pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and
widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls. The
typical example is the band of six Gosvamis, who followed the path of Lord
Caitanya. All of them belonged to the most enlightened and cultured rich
families of the higher castes, but for the benefit of the mass of population
they left their comfortable homes and became mendicants. To cut off all family
affection means to broaden the field of activities. Without doing this, no one
can be qualified as a brahmana, a king, a public leader or a devotee of the
Lord. The Personality of Godhead, as an ideal king, showed this by example.
Sri Ramacandra cut off the tie of affection for His beloved wife to manifest
the qualities of an ideal king.
Such personalities as a brahmana, a devotee, a king or a public leader
must be very broadminded in discharging their respective duties. Srimati
Kuntidevi was conscious of this fact, and being weak she prayed to be free
 283

from such bondage of family affection. The Lord is addressed as the Lord of
the universe, or the Lord of the universal mind, indicating His all-powerful
ability to cut the hard knot of family affection. Therefore, it is sometimes
experienced that the Lord, out of His special affinity towards a weak devotee,
breaks the family affection by force of circumstances arranged by His
all-powerful energy. By doing so He causes the devotee to become completely
dependent on Him and thus clears the path for his going back to Godhead.

TEXT 42

tvayi me 'nanya-visaya
matir madhu-pate 'sakrt
ratim udvahatad addha
gangevaugham udanvati

tvayi--unto You; me--my; ananya-visaya--unalloyed; matih--attention;

madhu-pate--O Lord of Madhu; asakrt--continuously; ratim--attraction;
udvahatat--may overflow; addha--directly; ganga--the Ganges; iva--like;
ogham--flows; udanvati--down to the sea.

TRANSLATION

O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without

hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being
diverted to anyone else.

PURPORT

Perfection of pure devotional service is attained when all attention is

diverted towards the transcendental loving service of the Lord. To cut off the
tie of all other affections does not mean complete negation of the finer
elements, like affection for someone else. This is not possible. A living
being, whoever he may be, must have this feeling of affection for others
because this is a symptom of life. The symptoms of life, such as desire,
anger, hankerings, feelings of attraction, etc., cannot be annihilated. Only
the objective has to be changed. Desire cannot be negated, but in devotional
service the desire is changed only for the service of the Lord in place of
desire for sense gratification. The so-called affection for family, society,
country, etc., consists of different phases of sense gratification. When this
desire is changed for the satisfaction of the Lord, it is called devotional
service.
In the Bhagavad-gita we can see that Arjuna desired not to fight with his
brothers and relations just to satisfy his own personal desires. But when he
heard the message of the Lord, Srimad Bhagavad-gita, he changed his
decision
and served the Lord. And for his doing so, he became a famous devotee of the
Lord, for it is declared in all the scriptures that Arjuna attained spiritual
perfection by devotional service to the Lord in friendship. The fighting was
there, the friendship was there, Arjuna was there, and Krsna was there, but
Arjuna became a different person by devotional service. Therefore, the prayers
of Kunti also indicate the same categorical changes in activities. Srimati
Kunti wanted to serve the Lord without diversion, and that was her prayer.
 284

This unalloyed devotion is the ultimate goal of life. Our attention is usually
diverted to the service of something which is nongodly or not in the program
of the Lord. When the program is changed into the service of the Lord, that is
to say when the senses are purified in relation with the service of the Lord,
it is called pure unalloyed devotional service. Srimati Kuntidevi wanted that
perfection and prayed for it from the Lord.
Her affection for the Pandavas and the Vrsnis is not out of the range of
devotional service because the service of the Lord and the service of the
devotees are identical. Sometimes service to the devotee is more valuable
than
service to the Lord. But here the affection of Kuntidevi for the Pandavas and
the Vrsnis was due to family relation. This tie of affection in terms of
material relation is the relation of maya because the relations of the body or
the mind are due to the influence of the external energy. Relations of the
soul, established in relation with the Supreme Soul, are factual relations.
When Kuntidevi wanted to cut off the family relation, she meant to cut off the
relation of the skin. The skin relation is the cause of material bondage, but
the relation of the soul is the cause of freedom. This relation of the soul to
the soul can be established by the via medium of the relation with the
Supersoul. Seeing in the darkness is not seeing. But seeing by the light of
the sun means to see the sun and everything else which was unseen in the
darkness. That is the way of devotional service.

TEXT 43

sri-krsna krsna-sakha vrsny-rsabhavani-dhrug-

rajanya-vamsa-dahananapavarga-virya
govinda go-dvija-surarti-haravatara
yogesvarakhila-guro bhagavan namas te

sri-krsna--O Sri Krsna; krsna-sakha--O friend of Arjuna; vrsni--of descendants

of Vrsni; rsabha--O chief; avani--the earth; dhruk--rebellious;
rajanya-vamsa--dynasties of the kings; dahana--O annihilator;
anapavarga--without deterioration of; virya--prowess; govinda--O proprietor of
Golokadhama; go--of the cows; dvija--the brahmanas; sura--the demigods;
arti-hara--to relieve distress; avatara--O Lord who descends; yoga-isvara--O
master of all mystic powers; akhila--universal; guro--O preceptor; bhagavan--O
possessor of all opulences; namah te--respectful obeisances unto You.

TRANSLATION

O Krsna, O friend of Arjuna, O chief amongst the descendants of Vrsni,

You are the destroyer of those political parties which are disturbing elements
on this earth. Your prowess never deteriorates. You are the proprietor of the
transcendental abode, and You descend to relieve the distresses of the cows,
the brahmanas and the devotees. You possess all mystic powers, and You are
the
preceptor of the entire universe. You are the almighty God, and I offer You my
respectful obeisances.

PURPORT
 285

A summary of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna is made herein by Srimati

Kuntidevi. The almighty Lord has His eternal transcendental abode where He is
engaged in keeping surabhi cows. He is served by hundreds and thousands of
goddesses of fortune. He descends on the material world to reclaim His
devotees and to annihilate the disturbing elements in groups of political
parties and kings who are supposed to be in charge of administration work. He
creates, maintains and annihilates by His unlimited energies, and still He is
always full with prowess and does not deteriorate in potency. The cows, the
brahmanas and the devotees of the Lord are all objects of His special
attention because they are very important factors for the general welfare of
living beings.

TEXT 44

suta uvaca
prthayettham kala-padaih
parinutakhilodayah
mandam jahasa vaikuntho
mohayann iva mayaya

sutah uvaca--Suta said; prthaya--by Prtha (Kunti); ittham--this;

kala-padaih--by chosen words; parinuta--being worshiped; akhila--universal;
udayah--glories; mandam--mildly; jahasa--smiled; vaikunthah--the Lord;
mohayan--captivating; iva--like; mayaya--His mystic power.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: The Lord, thus hearing the prayers of Kuntidevi,
composed in choice words for His glorification, mildly smiled. That smile was
as enchanting as His mystic power.

PURPORT

Anything that is enchanting in the world is said to be a representation

of the Lord. The conditioned souls, who are engaged in trying to lord it over
the material world, are also enchanted by His mystic powers, but His devotees
are enchanted in a different way by the glories of the Lord, and His merciful
blessings are upon them. His energy is displayed in different ways, as
electrical energy works in manifold capacities. Srimati Kuntidevi has prayed
to the Lord just to enunciate a fragment of His glories. All His devotees
worship Him in that way, by chosen words, and therefore the Lord is known as
Uttamasloka. No amount of chosen words is sufficient to enumerate the Lord's
glory, and yet He is satisfied by such prayers as the father is satisfied even
by the broken linguistic attempts of the growing child. The word maya is used
both in the sense of delusion and mercy. Herein the word maya is used in the
sense of the Lord's mercy upon Kuntidevi.

TEXT 45

tam badham ity upamantrya

pravisya gajasahvayam
striyas ca sva-puram yasyan
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premna rajna nivaritah

tam--all those; badham--accepted; iti--thus; upamantrya--subsequently

informed; pravisya--entering; gajasahvayam--the palace of Hastinapura;
striyah
ca--other ladies; sva-puram--own residence; yasyan--while starting for;
premna--with love; rajna--by the King; nivaritah--stopped.

TRANSLATION

Thus accepting the prayers of Srimati Kuntidevi, the Lord subsequently

informed other ladies of His departure by entering the palace of Hastinapura.
But upon preparing to leave, He was stopped by King Yudhisthira, who
implored
Him lovingly.

PURPORT

No one could make Lord Krsna stay at Hastinapura when He decided to

start
for Dvaraka, but the simple request of King Yudhisthira that the Lord remain
there for a few days more was immediately effective. This signifies that the
power of King Yudhisthira was loving affection, which the Lord could not deny.
The almighty God is thus conquered only by loving service and nothing else.
He
is fully independent in all His dealings, but He voluntarily accepts
obligations by the loving affection of His pure devotees.

TEXT 46

vyasadyair isvarehajnaih
krsnenadbhuta-karmana
prabodhito 'pitihasair
nabudhyata sucarpitah

vyasa-adyaih--by great sages headed by Vyasa; isvara--the almighty God;

iha--by the will of; jnaih--by the learned; krsnena--by Krsna Himself;
adbhuta-karmana--by one who performs all superhuman work; prabodhitah--
being
solaced; api--although; itihasaih--by evidences from the histories; na--not;
abudhyata--satisfied; suca arpitah--distressed.

TRANSLATION

King Yudhisthira, who was much aggrieved, could not be convinced, despite
instructions by great sages headed by Vyasa and the Lord Krsna Himself, the
performer of superhuman feats, and despite all historical evidence.

PURPORT

The pious King Yudhisthira was mortified because of the mass massacre of
human beings in the Battle of Kuruksetra, especially on his account.
 287

Duryodhana was there on the throne, and he was doing well in his
administration, and in one sense there was no need of fighting. But on the
principle of justice Yudhisthira was to replace him. The whole clique of
politics centered around this point, and all the kings and residents of the
whole world became involved in this fight between the rival brothers. Lord
Krsna was also there on the side of King Yudhisthira. It is said in the
Mahabharata, Adi-parva (20) that 640,000,000 men were killed in the eighteen
days of the Battle of Kuruksetra, and some hundreds of thousands were
missing.
Practically this was the greatest battle in the world within five thousand
years.
This mass killing simply to enthrone Maharaja Yudhisthira was too
mortifying, so he tried to be convinced with evidences from histories by great
sages like Vyasa and the Lord Himself that the fight was just because the
cause was just. But Maharaja Yudhisthira would not be satisfied, even though
he was instructed by the greatest personalities of the time. Krsna is
designated herein as the performer of superhuman actions, but in this
particular instance neither He nor Vyasa could convince King Yudhisthira. Does
it mean that He failed to be a superhuman actor? No, certainly not. The
interpretation is that the Lord as isvara, or the Supersoul in the hearts of
both King Yudhisthira and Vyasa, performed still more superhuman action
because the Lord desired it. As Supersoul of King Yudhisthira, He did not
allow the King to be convinced by the words of Vyasa and others, including
Himself, because He desired that the King hear instructions from the dying
Bhismadeva, who was another great devotee of the Lord. The Lord wanted
that at
the last stage of his material existence the great warrior Bhismadeva see Him
personally and see his beloved grandchildren, King Yudhisthira, etc., now
situated on the throne, and thus pass away very peacefully. Bhismadeva was
not
at all satisfied to fight against the Pandavas, who were his beloved
fatherless grandchildren. But the ksatriyas are also very stern people, and
therefore he was obliged to take the side of Duryodhana because he was
maintained at the expense of Duryodhana. Besides this, the Lord also desired
that King Yudhisthira be pacified by the words of Bhismadeva so that the world
could see that Bhismadeva excelled all in knowledge, including the Lord
Himself.

TEXT 47

aha raja dharma-sutas

cintayan suhrdam vadham
prakrtenatmana viprah
sneha-moha-vasam gatah

aha--said; raja--King Yudhisthira; dharma-sutah--the son of Dharma

(Yamaraja);
cintayan--thinking of; suhrdam--of the friends; vadham--killing; prakrtena--by
material conception only; atmana--by the self; viprah--O brahmana;
sneha--affection; moha--delusion; vasam--being carried away by; gatah--
having
gone.
 288

TRANSLATION

King Yudhisthira, son of Dharma, overwhelmed by the death of his friends,

was aggrieved just like a common, materialistic man. O sages, thus deluded by
affection, he began to speak.

PURPORT

King Yudhisthira, though he was not expected to become aggrieved like a

common man, became deluded by worldly affection by the will of the Lord
(just
as Arjuna was apparently deluded). A man who sees knows well that the living
entity is neither the body nor the mind, but is transcendental to the material
conception of life. The common man thinks of violence and nonviolence in
terms
of the body, but that is a kind of delusion. Everyone is duty-bound according
to one's occupational duties. A ksatriya is bound to fight for the right
cause, regardless of the opposite party. In such discharge of duty, one should
not be disturbed by annihilation of the material body, which is only an
external dress of the living soul. All this was perfectly known to Maharaja
Yudhisthira, but by the will of the Lord he became just like a common man
because there was another great idea behind this delusion: the King would be
instructed by Bhisma as Arjuna was instructed by the Lord Himself.

TEXT 48

aho me pasyatajnanam
hrdi rudham duratmanah
parakyasyaiva dehasya
bahvyo me 'ksauhinir hatah

aho--O; me--my; pasyata--just see; ajnanam--ignorance; hrdi--in the heart;

rudham--situated in; duratmanah--of the sinful; parakyasya--meant for others;
eva--certainly; dehasya--of the body; bahvyah--many, many; me--by me;
aksauhinih--combination of military phalanxes; hatah--killed.

TRANSLATION

King Yudhisthira said: O my lot! I am the most sinful man! Just see my
heart, which is full of ignorance! This body, which is ultimately meant for
others, has killed many, many phalanxes of men.

PURPORT

A solid phalanx of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 109,650 infantry

and 65,600 cavalry is called an aksauhini. And many aksauhinis were killed on
the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Maharaja Yudhisthira, as the most pious king of
the world, takes for himself the responsibility for killing such a huge number
of living beings because the battle was fought to reinstate him on the throne.
This body is, after all, meant for others. While there is life in the body, it
is meant for the service of others, and when it is dead it is meant to be
 289

eaten by dogs and jackals or maggots. He is sorry because for such a

temporary
body such a huge massacre was committed.

TEXT 49

bala-dvija-suhrn-mitra-
pitr-bhratr-guru-druhah
na me syan nirayan mokso
hy api varsayuta-yutaih

bala--boys; dvi-ja--the twice-born; suhrt--well-wishers; mitra--friends;

pitr--parents; bhratr--brothers; guru--preceptors; druhah--one who has killed;
na--never; me--my; syat--there shall be; nirayat--from hell;
moksah--liberation; hi--certainly; api--although; varsa--years;
ayuta--millions; yutaih--being added.

TRANSLATION

I have killed many boys, brahmanas, well-wishers, friends, parents,

preceptors and brothers. Though I live millions of years, I will not be
relieved from the hell that awaits me for all these sins.

PURPORT

Whenever there is a war, there is certainly a massacre of many innocent

living beings, such as boys, brahmanas and women, whose killing is
considered
to be the greatest of sins. They are all innocent creatures, and in all
circumstances killing of them is forbidden in the scriptures. Maharaja
Yudhisthira was aware of these mass killings. Similarly, there were friends,
parents and preceptors also on both sides, and all of them were killed. It was
simply horrible for him to think of such killing, and therefore he was
thinking of residing in hell for millions and billions of years.

TEXT 50

naino rajnah praja-bhartur

dharma-yuddhe vadho dvisam
iti me na tu bodhaya
kalpate sasanam vacah

na--never; enah--sins; rajnah--of the king; praja-bhartuh--of one who is

engaged in the maintenance of the citizens; dharma--for the right cause;
yuddhe--in the fight; vadhah--killing; dvisam--of the enemies; iti--all these;
me--for me; na--never; tu--but; bodhaya--for satisfaction; kalpate--they are
meant for administration; sasanam--injunction; vacah--words of.

TRANSLATION

There is no sin for a king who kills for the right cause, who is engaged
in maintaining his citizens. But this injunction is not applicable to me.
 290

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira thought that although he was not actually involved

in the administration of the kingdom, which was being carried on well by
Duryodhana without harm to the citizens, he caused the killing of so many
living beings only for his personal gain of the kingdom from the hands of
Duryodhana. The killing was committed not in the course of administration but
for the sake of self-aggrandizement, and as such he thought himself
responsible for all the sins.

TEXT 51

strinam mad-dhata-bandhunam
droho yo 'sav ihotthitah
karmabhir grhamedhiyair
naham kalpo vyapohitum

strinam--of the women; mat--by me; hata-bandhunam--of the friends who are
killed; drohah--enmity; yah--that; asau--all those; iha--herewith;
utthitah--has accrued; karmabhih--by dint of work; grhamedhiyaih--by persons
engaged in material welfare; na--never; aham--I; kalpah--can expect;
vyapohitum--undoing the same.

TRANSLATION

I have killed many friends of women, and I have thus caused enmity to
such an extent that it is not possible to undo it by material welfare work.

PURPORT

The grhamedhis are those whose only business is to perform welfare work
for the sake of material prosperity. Such material prosperity is sometimes
hampered by sinful activities, for the materialist is sure to commit sins,
even unintentionally, in the course of discharging material duties. To get
relief from such sinful reactions, the Vedas prescribe several kinds of
sacrifices. It is said in the Vedas that by performing the Asvamedha-yajna
(horse sacrifice) one can get relief from even brahma-hatya (killing of a
brahmana).
Yudhisthira Maharaja performed this Asvamedha-yajna, but he thinks that
even by performing such yajnas it is not possible to get relief from the great
sins committed. In war either the husband or the brother or even the father or
sons go to fight. And when they are killed, a fresh enmity is created, and
thus a chain of actions and reactions increases which is not possible to be
counteracted even by thousands of Asvamedha-yajnas.
The way of work (karma) is like that. It creates one action and another
reaction simultaneously and thus increases the chain of material activities,
binding the performer in material bondage. In the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 9.27-28)
the remedy is suggested that such actions and reactions of the path of work
can be checked only when work is done on behalf of the Supreme Lord. The
Battle of Kuruksetra was actually fought by the will of the Supreme Lord Sri
Krsna, as it is evident from His version, and only by His will was Yudhisthira
 291

placed on the throne of Hastinapura. Therefore, factually no sin whatsoever

touched the Pandavas, who were only the order carriers of the Lord. For
others, who declare war out of personal interest, the whole responsibility
lies on them.

TEXT 52

yatha pankena pankambhah

suraya va surakrtam
bhuta-hatyam tathaivaikam
na yajnair marstum arhati

yatha--as much as; pankena--by the mud; panka-ambhah--water mixed with

mud;
suraya--by wine; va--either; surakrtam--impurity caused by the slight touch of
wine; bhuta-hatyam--killing of animals; tatha--like that; eva--certainly;
ekam--one; na--never; yajnaih--by the prescribed sacrifices; marstum--to
counteract; arhati--is worthwhile.

TRANSLATION

As it is not possible to filter muddy water through mud, or purify a

wine-stained pot with wine, it is not possible to counteract the killing of
men by sacrificing animals.

PURPORT

Asvamedha-yajnas or Gomedha-yajnas, sacrifices in which a horse or a bull

is sacrificed, were not, of course, for the purpose of killing the animals.
Lord Caitanya said that such animals sacrificed on the altar of yajna were
rejuvenated and a new life was given to them. It was just to prove the
efficacy of the hymns of the Vedas. By recitation of the hymns of the Vedas in
the proper way, certainly the performer gets relief from the reactions of
sins, but in case of such sacrifices improperly done under inexpert
management, surely one has to become responsible for animal sacrifice. In
this
age of quarrel and hypocrisy there is no possibility of performing the yajnas
perfectly for want of expert brahmanas who are able to conduct such yajnas.
Maharaja Yudhisthira therefore gives a hint to performing sacrifices in the
age of Kali. In the Kali-yuga the only sacrifice recommended is the
performance of hari-nama-yajna inaugurated by Lord Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu.
But one should not indulge in animal killing and counteract it by performing
the hari-nama yajna. Those who are devotees of the Lord never kill an animal
for self-interest, and (as the Lord ordered Arjuna) they do not refrain from
performing the duty of a ksatriya. The whole purpose, therefore, is served
when everything is done for the will of the Lord. This is possible only for
the devotees.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Eighth Chapter,
of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Prayers by Queen Kunti and Pariksit
Saved."
 292

Chapter Nine

The Passing Away of Bhismadeva in the Presence of Lord Krsna

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
iti bhitah praja-drohat
sarva-dharma-vivitsaya
tato vinasanam pragad
yatra deva-vrato 'patat

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; iti--thus; bhitah--being afraid of;

praja-drohat--because of killing the subjects; sarva--all; dharma--acts of
religion; vivitsaya--for understanding; tatah--thereafter; vinasanam--the
place where the fight was held; pragat--he went; yatra--where;
deva-vratah--Bhismadeva; apatat--lay down for passing away.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Being afraid for having killed so many subjects on the
Battlefield of Kuruksetra, Maharaja Yudhisthira went to the scene of the
massacre. There, Bhismadeva was lying on a bed of arrows, about to pass
away.

PURPORT

In this Ninth Chapter, as it is willed by Lord Sri Krsna, Bhismadeva will

impart instructions to King Yudhisthira on the subject of occupational duties.
Bhismadeva will also offer his last prayer to the Lord on the verge of passing
away from this mortal world and thus become liberated from the bondage of
further material engagements. Bhismadeva was endowed with the power of
leaving
his material body at will, and his lying down on the bed of arrows was his own
choice. This passing away of the great warrior attracted the attention of all
the contemporary elites, and all of them assembled there to show their
feelings of love, respect and affection for the great soul.

TEXT 2

tada te bhratarah sarve

sadasvaih svarna-bhusitaih
anvagacchan rathair vipra
vyasa-dhaumyadayas tatha

tada--at that time; te--all of them; bhratarah--the brothers; sarve--all

together; sat-asvaih--drawn by first-class horses; svarna--gold;
bhusitaih--being decorated with; anvagacchan--followed one after another;
rathaih--on the chariots; viprah--O brahmanas; vyasa--the sage Vyasa;
 293

dhaumya--Dhaumya; adayah--and others; tatha--also.

TRANSLATION

At that time all his brothers followed him on beautiful chariots drawn by
first-class horses decorated with gold ornaments. With them were Vyasa and
rsis like Dhaumya [the learned priest of the Pandavas] and others.

TEXT 3

bhagavan api viprarse

rathena sa-dhananjayah
sa tair vyarocata nrpah
kuvera iva guhyakaih

bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead (Sri Krsna); api--also; vipra-rse--O sage

among the brahmanas; rathena--on the chariot; sa-dhananjayah--with
Dhananjaya
(Arjuna); sah--He; taih--by them; vyarocata--appeared to be highly
aristocratic; nrpah--the King (Yudhisthira); kuvera--Kuvera, the treasurer of
the demigods; iva--as; guhyakaih--companions known as Guhyakas.

TRANSLATION

O sage amongst the brahmanas, Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of

Godhead,
also followed, seated on a chariot with Arjuna. Thus King Yudhisthira appeared
very aristocratic, like Kuvera surrounded by his companions [the Guhyakas].

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna wanted the Pandavas to be present before Bhismadeva in

the
most aristocratic order so that he might be pleased to see them happy at the
time of his death. Kuvera is the richest of all the demigods, and herein King
Yudhisthira appeared like him (Kuvera), for the procession along with Sri
Krsna was quite appropriate to the royalty of King Yudhisthira.

TEXT 4

drstva nipatitam bhumau

divas cyutam ivamaram
pranemuh pandava bhismam
sanugah saha cakrina

drstva--thus seeing; nipatitam--lying down; bhumau--on the ground; divah--

from
the sky; cyutam--fallen; iva--like; amaram--demigod; pranemuh--bowed down;
pandavah--the sons of Pandu; bhismam--unto Bhisma; sa-anugah--with the
younger
brothers; saha--also with; cakrina--the Lord (carrying the disc).
 294

TRANSLATION

Seeing him [Bhisma] lying on the ground, like a demigod fallen from the
sky, the Pandava King Yudhisthira, along with his younger brothers and Lord
Krsna, bowed down before him.

PURPORT

Lord Krsna was also a younger cousin of Maharaja Yudhisthira as well as

the intimate friend of Arjuna. But all the family members of the Pandavas
knew
Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord, although
conscious
of His supreme position, always behaved in a humanly custom, and so He also
bowed down before the dying Bhismadeva as if He were one of the younger
brothers of King Yudhisthira.

TEXT 5

tatra brahmarsayah sarve

devarsayas ca sattama
rajarsayas ca tatrasan
drastum bharata-pungavam

tatra--there; brahma-rsayah--rsis among the brahmanas; sarve--all;

deva-rsayah--rsis among the demigods; ca--and; sattama--situated in the
quality of goodness; raja-rsayah-- rsis among the kings; ca--and; tatra--in
that place; asan--were present; drastum--just to see; bharata--the descendants
of King Bharata; pungavam--the chief of.

TRANSLATION

Just to see the chief of the descendants of King Bharata [Bhisma], all
the great souls in the universe, namely the rsis amongst the demigods,
brahmanas and kings, all situated in the quality of goodness, were assembled
there.

PURPORT

The rsis are those who have attained perfection by spiritual

achievements. Such spiritual achievements can be earned by all, whether one
is
a king or a mendicant. Bhismadeva himself was also one of the brahmarsis
and
the chief of the descendants of King Bharata. All rsis are situated in the
quality of goodness. All of them assembled there on hearing the news of the
great warrior's impending death.

TEXT 6-7

parvato narado dhaumyo

 295

bhagavan badarayanah
brhadasvo bharadvajah
sasisyo renuka-sutah

vasistha indrapramadas
trito grtsamado 'sitah
kaksivan gautamo 'tris ca
kausiko 'tha sudarsanah

parvatah--Parvata Muni; naradah--Narada Muni; dhaumyah--Dhaumya;

bhagavan--incarnation of Godhead; badarayanah--Vyasadeva;
brhadasvah--Brhadasva; bharadvajah--Bharadvaja; sasisyah--along with
disciples; renuka-sutah--Parasurama; vasisthah--Vasistha;
indrapramadah--Indrapramada; tritah--Trita; grtsamadah--Grtsamada;
asitah--Asita; kaksivan--Kaksivan; gautamah--Gautama; atrih--Atri; ca--and;
kausikah--Kausika; atha--as well as; sudarsanah--Sudarsana.

TRANSLATION

All the sages like Parvata Muni, Narada, Dhaumya, Vyasa the incarnation
of God, Brhadasva, Bharadvaja and Parasurama and disciples, Vasistha,
Indrapramada, Trita, Grtsamada, Asita, Kaksivan, Gautama, Atri, Kausika and
Sudarsana were present.

PURPORT

Parvata Muni: is considered to be one of the oldest sages. He is almost

always a constant companion of Narada Muni. They are also spacemen
competent
to travel in the air without the help of any material vehicle. Parvata Muni is
also a devarsi, or a great sage amongst the demigods, like Narada. He was
present along with Narada at the sacrificial ceremony of Maharaja Janamejaya,
son of Maharaja Pariksit. In this sacrifice all the snakes of the world were
to be killed. Parvata Muni and Narada Muni are called Gandharvas also
because
they can travel in the air singing the glories of the Lord. Since they can
travel in the air, they observed Draupadi's svayamvara ceremony (selecting of
her own husband) from the air. Like Narada Muni, Parvata Muni also used to
visit the royal assembly in the heaven of King Indra. As a Gandharva,
sometimes he visited the royal assembly of Kuvera, one of the important
demigods. Both Narada and Parvata were once in trouble with the daughter of
Maharaja Srnjaya. Maharaja Srnjaya got the benediction of a son by Parvata
Muni.
Narada Muni: is inevitably associated with the narrations of the Puranas.
He is described in the Bhagavatam. In his previous life he was the son of a
maidservant, but by good association with pure devotees he became
enlightened
in devotional service, and in the next life he became a perfect man
comparable
with himself only. In the Mahabharata his name is mentioned in many places.
He
is the principle devarsi, or the chief sage amongst the demigods. He is the
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son and disciple of Brahmaji, and from him the disciplic succession in the
line of Brahma has been spread. He initiated Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva
Maharaja and many celebrated devotees of the Lord. He initiated even
Vyasadeva, the author of the Vedic literatures, and from Vyasadeva,
Madhvacarya was initiated, and thus the Madhva-sampradaya, in which the
Gaudiya-sampradaya is also included, has spread all over the universe. Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu belonged to this Madhva-sampradaya; therefore,
Brahmaji,
Narada, Vyasa, down to Madhva, Caitanya and the Gosvamis all belonged to
the
same line of disciplic succession. Naradaji has instructed many kings from
time immemorial. In the Bhagavatam we can see that he instructed Prahlada
Maharaja while he was in the womb of his mother, and he instructed
Vasudeva,
father of Krsna, as well as Maharaja Yudhisthira.
Dhaumya: A great sage who practiced severe penances at Utkocaka Tirtha
and was appointed royal priest of the Pandava kings. He acted as the priest in
many religious functions of the Pandavas (samskara), and also each of the
Pandavas was attended by him at the betrothal of Draupadi. He was present
even
during the exile of the Pandavas and used to advise them in circumstances
when
they were perplexed. He instructed them how to live incognito for one year,
and his instructions were strictly followed by the Pandavas during that time.
His name is mentioned also when the general funeral ceremony was
performed
after the Battle of Kuruksetra. In the Anusasana-parva of Mahabharata
(127.15-16), he gave religious instructions very elaborately to Maharaja
Yudhisthira. He was actually the right type of priest of a householder, for he
could guide the Pandavas on the right path of religion. A priest is meant for
guiding the householder progressively in the right path of asrama-dharma, or
the occupational duty of a particular caste. There is practically no
difference between the family priest and the spiritual master. The sages,
saints and brahmanas were especially meant for such functions.
Badarayana (Vyasadeva): He is known as Krsna, Krsna-dvaipayana,
Dvaipayana, Satyavati-suta, Parasarya, Parasaratmaja, Badarayana,
Vedavyasa,
etc. He was the son of Mahamuni Parasara in the womb of Satyavati prior to
her
betrothal with Maharaja Santanu, the father of the great general Grandfather
Bhismadeva. He is a powerful incarnation of Narayana, and he broadcasts the
Vedic wisdom to the world. As such, Vyasadeva is offered respects before one
chants the Vedic literature, especially the Puranas. Sukadeva Gosvami was his
son, and rsis like Vaisampayana were his disciples for different branches of
the Vedas. He is the author of the great epic Mahabharata and the great
transcendental literature Bhagavatam. The Brahma-sutras--the Vedanta-
sutras,
or Badarayana-sutras--were compiled by him. Amongst sages he is the most
respected author by dint of severe penances. When he wanted to record the
great epic Mahabharata for the welfare of all people in the age of Kali, he
was feeling the necessity of a powerful writer who could take up his
dictation. By the order of Brahmaji, Sri Ganesaji took up the charge of noting
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down the dictation on the condition that Vyasadeva would not stop dictation
for a moment. The Mahabharata was thus compiled by the joint endeavor of
Vyasa
and Ganesa.
By the order of his mother, Satyavati, who was later married to Maharaja
Santanu, and by the request of Bhismadeva, the eldest son of Maharaja
Santanu
by his first wife, the Ganges, he begot three brilliant sons, whose names are
Dhrtarastra, Pandu and Vidura. The Mahabharata was compiled by Vyasadeva
after
the Battle of Kuruksetra and after the death of all the heroes of Mahabharata.
It was first spoken in the royal assembly of Maharaja Janamejaya, the son of
Maharaja Pariksit.
Brhadasva: An ancient sage who used to meet Maharaja Yudhisthira now
and
then. First of all he met Maharaja Yudhisthira at Kamyavana. This sage
narrated the history of Maharaja Nala. There is another Brhadasva, who is the
son of the Iksvaku dynasty (Mahabharata, Vanaparva 209.4-5)
Bharadvaja: He is one of the seven great rsis and was present at the time
of the birth ceremony of Arjuna. The powerful rsi sometimes undertook severe
penances on the shore of the Ganges, and his asrama is still celebrated at
Prayagadhama. It is learned that this rsi, while taking bath in the Ganges,
happened to meet Ghrtaci, one of the beautiful society girls of heaven, and
thus he discharged semen, which was kept and preserved in an earthen pot
and
from which Drona was born. So Dronacarya is the son of Bharadvaja Muni.
Others
say that Bharadvaja the father of Drona is a different person from Maharsi
Bharadvaja. He was a great devotee of Brahma. Once he approached
Dronacarya
and requested him to stop the Battle of Kuruksetra.
Parasurama, or Renukasuta: He is the son of Maharsi Jamadagni and
Srimati
Renuka. Thus he is also known as Renukasuta. He is one of the powerful
incarnations of God, and he killed the ksatriya community as a whole
twenty-one times. With the blood of the ksatriyas he pleased the souls of his
forefathers. Later on he underwent severe penances at the Mahendra Parvata.
After taking the whole earth from the ksatriyas, he gave it in charity to
Kasyapa Muni. Parasurama instructed the Dhanur-veda, or the science of
fighting, to Dronacarya because he happened to be a brahmana. He was
present
during the coronation of Maharaja Yudhisthira, and he celebrated the function
along with other great rsis.
Parasurama is so old that he met both Rama and Krsna at different times.
He fought with Rama, but he accepted Krsna as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. He also praised Arjuna when he saw him with Krsna. When Bhisma
refused to marry Amba, who wanted him to become her husband, Amba met
Parasurama, and by her request only, he asked Bhismadeva to accept her as
his
wife. Bhisma refused to obey his order, although he was one of the spiritual
masters of Bhismadeva. Parasurama fought with Bhismadeva when Bhisma
neglected
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his warning. Both of them fought very severely, and at last Parasurama was
pleased with Bhisma and gave him the benediction of becoming the greatest
fighter in the world.
Vasistha: The great celebrated sage among the brahmanas, well known as
the Brahmarsi Vasisthadeva. He is a prominent figure in both the Ramayana
and
Mahabharata periods. He celebrated the coronation ceremony of the
Personality
of Godhead Sri Rama. He was present also on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. He
could approach all the higher and lower planets, and his name is also
connected with the history of Hiranyakasipu. There was a great tension
between
him and Visvamitra, who wanted his kamadhenu, wish-fulfilling cow. Vasistha
Muni refused to spare his kamadhenu, and for this Visvamitra killed his one
hundred sons. As a perfect brahmana he tolerated all the taunts of Visvamitra.
Once he tried to commit suicide on account of Visvamitra's torture, but all
his attempts were unsuccessful. He jumped from a hill, but the stones on
which
he fell became a stack of cotton, and thus he was saved. He jumped into the
ocean, but the waves washed him ashore. He jumped into the river, but the
river also washed him ashore. Thus all his suicide attempts were unsuccessful.
He is also one of the seven rsis and husband of Arundhati, the famous star.
Indrapramada: Another celebrated rsi.
Trita: One of the three sons of Prajapati Gautama. He was the third son,
and his other two brothers were known as Ekat and Dvita. All the brothers
were
great sages and strict followers of the principles of religion. By dint of
severe penances they were promoted to Brahmaloka (the planet where
Brahmaji
lives). Once Trita Muni fell into a well. He was an organizing worker of many
sacrifices, and as one of the great sages he also came to show respect to
Bhismaji at his deathbed. He was one of the seven sages in the Varunaloka. He
hailed from the Western countries of the world. As such, most probably he
belonged to the European countries. At that time the whole world was under
one
Vedic culture.
Grtsamada: One of the sages of the heavenly kingdom. He was a close
friend of Indra, the King of heaven, and was as great as Brhaspati. He used to
visit the royal assembly of Maharaja Yudhisthira, and he also visited the
place where Bhismadeva breathed his last. Sometimes he explained the
glories
of Lord Siva before Maharaja Yudhisthira. He was the son of Vitahavya, and he
resembled in features the body of Indra. Sometimes the enemies of Indra
mistook him to be Indra and arrested him. He was a great scholar of the
Rg-veda, and thus he was highly respected by the brahmana community. He
lived
a life of celibacy and was powerful in every respect.
Asita: There was a king of the same name, but herein the Asita mentioned
is the Asita Devala Rsi, a great powerful sage of the time. He explained to
his father 1,500,000 verses from the Mahabharata. He was one of the
members in
the snake sacrifice of Maharaja Janamejaya. He was also present during the
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coronation ceremony of Maharaja Yudhisthira along with other great rsis. He

also gave Maharaja Yudhisthira instructions while he was on the Anjana Hill.
He was also one of the devotees of Lord Siva.
Kaksivan: One of the sons of Gautama Muni and the father of the great
sage Candakausika. He was one of the members of Parliament of Maharaja
Yudhisthira.
Atri: Atri Muni was a great brahmana sage and was one of the mental sons
of Brahmaji. Brahmaji is so powerful that simply by thinking of a son he can
have it. These sons are known as manasa-putras. Out of seven manasa-putras
of
Brahmaji and out of the seven great brahmana sages, Atri was one. In his
family the great Pracetas were also born. Atri Muni had two ksatriya sons who
became kings. King Arthama is one of them. He is counted as one of the
twenty-one prajapatis. His wife's name was Anasuya, and he helped Maharaja
Pariksit in his great sacrifices.
Kausika: One of the permanent rsi members in the royal assembly of
Maharaja Yudhisthira. He sometimes met Lord Krsna. There are several other
sages of the same name.
Sudarsana: This wheel which is accepted by the Personality of Godhead
(Visnu or Krsna) as His personal weapon is the most powerful weapon, greater
than the brahmastras or similar other disastrous weapons. In some of the
Vedic
literatures it is said that Agnideva, the fire-god, presented this weapon to
Lord Sri Krsna, but factually this weapon is eternally carried by the Lord.
Agnideva presented this weapon to Krsna in the same way that Rukmini was
given
by Maharaja Rukma to the Lord. The Lord accepts such presentations from His
devotees, even though such presentations are eternally His property. There is
an elaborate description of this weapon in the Adi-parva of the Mahabharata.
Lord Sri Krsna used this weapon to kill Sisupala, a rival of the Lord. He also
killed Salva by this weapon, and sometimes He wanted His friend Arjuna to use
it to kill his enemies (Mahabharata, Virata-parva 56.3).

TEXT 8

anye ca munayo brahman

brahmaratadayo 'malah
sisyair upeta ajagmuh
kasyapangirasadayah

anye--many others; ca--also; munayah--sages; brahman--O brahmanas;

brahmarata--Sukadeva Gosvami; adayah--and such others; amalah--
completely
purified; sisyaih--by the disciples; upetah--accompanied; ajagmuh--arrived;
kasyapa--Kasyapa; angirasa--Angirasa; adayah--others.

TRANSLATION

And many others like Sukadeva Gosvami and other purified souls, Kasyapa
and Angirasa and others, all accompanied by their respective disciples,
arrived there.
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PURPORT

Sukadeva Gosvami (Brahmarata): The famous son and disciple of Sri

Vyasadeva, who taught him first the Mahabharata and then Srimad-
Bhagavatam.
Sukadeva Gosvami recited 1,400,000 verses of the Mahabharata in the
councils
of the Gandharvas, Yaksas and Raksasas, and he recited Srimad-Bhagavatam
for
the first time in the presence of Maharaja Pariksit. He thoroughly studied all
the Vedic literatures from his great father. Thus he was a completely purified
soul by dint of his extensive knowledge in the principles of religion. From
Mahabharata, Sabha-parva (4.11) it is understood that he was also present in
the royal assembly of Maharaja Yudhisthira and at the fasting of Maharaja
Pariksit. As a bona fide disciple of Sri Vyasadeva, he inquired from his
father very extensively about religious principles and spiritual values, and
his great father also satisfied him by teaching him the yoga system by which
one can attain the spiritual kingdom, the difference between fruitive work and
empiric knowledge, the ways and means of attaining spiritual realization, the
four asramas (namely the student life, the householder's life, the retired
life and the renounced life), the sublime position of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, the process of seeing Him eye to eye, the bona fide candidate for
receiving knowledge, the consideration of the five elements, the unique
position of intelligence, the consciousness of the material nature and the
living entity, the symptoms of the self-realized soul, the working principles
of the material body, the symptoms of the influential modes of nature, the
tree of perpetual desire, and psychic activities. Sometimes he went to the sun
planet with the permission of his father and Naradaji. Descriptions of his
travel in space are given in the Santi-parva of the Mahabharata (332). At last
he attained the transcendental realm. He is known by different names like
Araneya, Arunisuta, Vaiyasaki and Vyasatmaja.
Kasyapa: One of the prajapatis, the son of Marici and one of the
sons-in-law of Prajapati Daksa. He is the father of the gigantic bird Garuda,
who was given elephants and tortoises as eatables. He married thirteen
daughters of Prajapati Daksa, and their names are Aditi, Diti, Danu, Kastha,
Arista, Surasa, Ila, Muni, Krodhavasa, Tamra, Surabhi, Sarama and Timi. He
begot many children, both demigods and demons, by those wives. From his
first
wife, Aditi, all the twelve Adityas were born; one of them is Vamana, the
incarnation of Godhead. This great sage, Kasyapa, was also present at the
time
of Arjuna's birth. He received a presentation of the whole world from
Parasurama, and later on he asked Parasurama to go out of the world. His
other
name is Aristanemi. He lives on the northern side of the universe.
Angirasa: He is the son of Maharsi Angira and is known as Brhaspati, the
priest of the demigods. It is said that Dronacarya was his partial
incarnation. Sukracarya was the spiritual master of the demons, and Brhaspati
challenged him. His son is Kaca, and he delivered the fire weapon first to
Bharadvaja Muni. He begot six sons (like the fire-god) by his wife Candramasi,
one of the reputed stars. He could travel in space, and therefore he could
present himself even in the planets of Brahmaloka and Indraloka. He advised
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the King of heaven, Indra, about conquering the demons. Once he cursed
Indra,
who thus had to become a hog on the earth and was unwilling to return to
heaven. Such is the power of the attraction of the illusory energy. Even a hog
does not wish to part with its earthly possessions in exchange for a heavenly
kingdom. He was the religious preceptor of the natives of different planets.

TEXT 9

tan sametan maha-bhagan

upalabhya vasuttamah
pujayam asa dharma-jno
desa-kala-vibhagavit

tan--all of them; sametan--assembled together; maha-bhagan--all greatly

powerful; upalabhya--having received; vasu-uttamah--the best among the
Vasus
(Bhismadeva); pujayam asa--welcomed; dharma-jnah--one who knows
religious
principles; desa--place; kala--time; vibhaga-vit--one who knows the adjustment
of place and time.

TRANSLATION

Bhismadeva, who was the best amongst the eight Vasus, received and
welcomed all the great and powerful rsis who were assembled there, for he
knew
perfectly all the religious principles according to time and place.

PURPORT

Expert religionists know perfectly well how to adjust religious

principles in terms of time and place. All the great acaryas or religious
preachers or reformers of the world executed their mission by adjustment of
religious principles in terms of time and place. There are different climates
and situations in different parts of the world, and if one has to discharge
his duties to preach the message of the Lord, he must be expert in adjusting
things in terms of the time and place. Bhismadeva was one of the twelve great
authorities in preaching this cult of devotional service, and therefore he
could receive and welcome all the powerful sages assembled there at his
deathbed from all parts of the universe. He was certainly unable at that time
to welcome and receive them physically because he was neither at his home
nor
in a normal healthy condition. But he was quite fit by the activities of his
sound mind, and therefore he could utter sweet words with hearty
expressions,
and all of them were well received. One can perform one's duty by physical
work, by mind and by words. And he knew well how to utilize them in the
proper
place, and therefore there was no difficulty for him to receive them, although
physically unfit.
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TEXT 10

krsnam ca tat-prabhava-jna
asinam jagad-isvaram
hrdi-stham pujayam asa
mayayopatta-vigraham

krsnam--unto Lord Sri Krsna; ca--also; tat--of Him; prabhava-jnah--the knower

of the glories (Bhisma); asinam--sitting; jagat-isvaram--the Lord of the
universe; hrdi-stham--situated in the heart; pujayam asa--worshiped;
mayaya--by internal potency; upatta--manifested; vigraham--a form.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna is situated in everyone's heart, yet He manifests His

transcendental form by His internal potency. This very Lord was sitting before
Bhismadeva, and since Bhismadeva knew of His glories, he worshiped Him
duly.

PURPORT

The Lord's omnipotency is displayed by His simultaneous presence in every

place. He is present always in His eternal abode Goloka Vrndavana, and still
He is present in everyone's heart and even within every invisible atom. When
He manifests His eternal transcendental form in the material world, He does so
by His internal potency. The external potency, or the material energy, has
nothing to do with His eternal form. All these truths were known to Sri
Bhismadeva, who worshiped Him accordingly.

TEXT 11

pandu-putran upasinan
prasraya-prema-sangatan
abhyacastanuragasrair
andhibhutena caksusa

pandu--the late father of Maharaja Yudhisthira and his brothers; putran--the

sons of; upasinan--sitting silently nearby; prasraya--being overtaken;
prema--in feelings of love; sangatan--having gathered;
abhyacasta--congratulated; anuraga--feelingly; asraih--by tears of ecstasy;
andhibhutena--overwhelmed; caksusa--with his eyes.

TRANSLATION

The sons of Maharaja Pandu were sitting silently nearby, overtaken with
affection for their dying grandfather. Seeing this, Bhismadeva congratulated
them with feeling. There were tears of ecstasy in his eyes, for he was
overwhelmed by love and affection.

PURPORT

When Maharaja Pandu died, his sons were all small children, and naturally
 303

they were brought up under the affection of elderly members of the royal
family, specifically by Bhismadeva. Later on, when the Pandavas were grown
up,
they were cheated by cunning Duryodhana and company, and Bhismadeva,
although
he knew that the Pandavas were innocent and were unnecessarily put into
trouble, could not take the side of the Pandavas for political reasons. At the
last stage of his life, when Bhismadeva saw his most exalted grandsons,
headed
by Maharaja Yudhisthira, sitting very gently at his side, the great
warrior-grandfather could not check his loving tears, which were automatically
flowing from his eyes. He remembered the great tribulations suffered by his
most pious grandsons. Certainly he was the most satisfied man because of
Yudhisthira's being enthroned in place of Duryodhana, and thus he began to
congratulate them.

TEXT 12

aho kastam aho 'nyayyam

yad yuyam dharma-nandanah
jivitum narhatha klistam
vipra-dharmacyutasrayah

aho--oh; kastam--what terrible sufferings; aho--oh; anyayyam--what terrible

injustice; yat--because; yuyam--all of you good souls; dharma-nandanah--sons
of religion personified; jivitum--to remain alive; na--never;
arhatha--deserve; klistam--suffering; vipra--brahmanas; dharma--piety;
acyuta--God; asrayah--being protected by.

TRANSLATION

Bhismadeva said: Oh, what terrible sufferings and what terrible

injustices you good souls suffer for being the sons of religion personified.
You did not deserve to remain alive under those tribulations, yet you were
protected by the brahmanas, God and religion.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira was disturbed due to the great massacre in the

Battle of Kuruksetra. Bhismadeva could understand this, and therefore he
spoke
first of the terrible sufferings of Maharaja Yudhisthira. He was put into
difficulty by injustice only, and the Battle of Kuruksetra was fought just to
counteract this injustice. Therefore, he should not regret the great massacre.
He wanted to point out particularly that they were always protected by the
brahmanas, the Lord and religious principles. As long as they were protected
by these three important items, there was no cause of disappointment. Thus
Bhismadeva encouraged Maharaja Yudhisthira to dissipate his despondency.
As
long as a person is fully in cooperation with the wishes of the Lord, guided
by the bona fide brahmanas and Vaisnavas and strictly following religious
 304

principles, one has no cause for despondency, however trying the

circumstances
of life. Bhismadeva, as one of the authorities in the line, wanted to impress
this point upon the Pandavas.

TEXT 13

samsthite 'tirathe pandau

prtha bala-praja vadhuh
yusmat-krte bahun klesan
prapta tokavati muhuh

samsthite--after the demise; ati-rathe--of the great general; pandau--Pandu;

prtha--Kunti; bala-praja--having young children; vadhuh--my daughter-in-law;
yusmat-krte--on your account; bahun--multifarious; klesan--afflictions;
prapta--underwent; toka-vati--in spite of having grown-up boys;
muhuh--constantly.

TRANSLATION

As far as my daughter-in-law Kunti is concerned, upon the great General

Pandu's death, she became a widow with many children, and therefore she
suffered greatly. And when you were grown up she suffered a great deal also
because of your actions.

PURPORT

The sufferings of Kuntidevi are doubly lamented. She suffered greatly

because of early widowhood and to get her minor children brought up in the
royal family. And when her children were grown up, she continued to suffer
because of her sons' actions. So her sufferings continued. This means that she
was destined to suffer by providence, and this one has to tolerate without
being disturbed.

TEXT 14

sarvam kala-krtam manye

bhavatam ca yad-apriyam
sapalo yad-vase loko
vayor iva ghanavalih

sarvam--all this; kala-krtam--done by inevitable time; manye--I think;

bhavatam ca--for you also; yat--whatever; apriyam--detestable; sa-palah--with
the rulers; yat-vase--under the control of that time; lokah--everyone in every
planet; vayoh--the wind carries; iva--as; ghana-avalih--a line of clouds.

TRANSLATION

In my opinion, this is all due to inevitable time, under whose control

everyone in every planet is carried, just as the clouds are carried by the
wind.
 305

PURPORT

There is control by time all over the space within the universe, as there
is control by time all over the planets. All the big gigantic planets,
including the sun, are being controlled by the force of air, as the clouds are
carried by the force of air. Similarly, the inevitable kala, or time, controls
even the action of the air and other elements. Everything, therefore, is
controlled by the supreme kala, a forceful representative of the Lord within
the material world. Thus Yudhisthira should not be sorry for the inconceivable
action of time. Everyone has to bear the actions and reactions of time as long
as one is within the conditions of the material world. Yudhisthira should not
think that he had committed sins in his previous birth and is suffering the
consequence. Even the most pious has to suffer the condition of material
nature. But a pious man is faithful to the Lord, for he is guided by the bona
fide brahmana and Vaisnava following the religious principles. These three
guiding principles should be the aim of life. One should not be disturbed by
the tricks of eternal time. Even the great controller of the universe,
Brahmaji, is also under the control of that time; therefore, one should not
grudge being thus controlled by time despite being a true follower of
religious principles.

TEXT 15

yatra dharma-suto raja

gada-panir vrkodarah
krsno 'stri gandivam capam
suhrt krsnas tato vipat

yatra--where there is; dharma-sutah--the son of Dharmaraja; raja--the King;

gada-panih--with his mighty club in hand; vrkodarah--Bhima; krsnah--Arjuna;
astri--carrier of the weapon; gandivam--Gandiva; capam--bow;
suhrt--well-wisher; krsnah--Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead;
tatah--thereof; vipat--reverse.

TRANSLATION

O how wonderful is the influence of inevitable time. It is

irreversible--otherwise, how can there be reverses in the presence of King
Yudhisthira, the son of the demigod controlling religion; Bhima, the great
fighter with a club; the great bowman Arjuna with his mighty weapon Gandiva;
and above all, the Lord, the direct well-wisher of the Pandavas?

PURPORT

As far as the material or spiritual resources were required, there was no

scarcity in the case of the Pandavas. Materially they were well equipped
because two great warriors, namely Bhima and Arjuna, were there. Spiritually
the King himself was the symbol of religion, and above all of them the
Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, was personally concerned with their
affairs as the well-wisher. And yet there were so many reverses on the side of
the Pandavas. Despite the power of pious acts, the power of personalities, the
power of expert management and the power of weapons under the direct
 306

supervision of Lord Krsna, the Pandavas suffered so many practical reverses,

which can only be explained as due to the influence of kala, inevitable time.
Kala is identical with the Lord Himself, and therefore the influence of kala
indicates the inexplicable wish of the Lord Himself. There is nothing to be
lamented when a matter is beyond the control of any human being.

TEXT 16

na hy asya karhicid rajan

puman veda vidhitsitam
yad vijijnasaya yukta
muhyanti kavayo 'pi hi

na--never; hi--certainly; asya--His; karhicit--whatsoever; rajan--O King;

puman--anyone; veda--knows; vidhitsitam--plan; yat--which; vijijnasaya--with
exhaustive inquiries; yuktah--being engaged; muhyanti--bewildered;
kavayah--great philosophers; api--even; hi--certainly.

TRANSLATION

O King, no one can know the plan of the Lord [Sri Krsna]. Even though
great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered.

PURPORT

The bewilderment of Maharaja Yudhisthira over his past sinful acts and
the resultant sufferings, etc., is completely negated by the great authority
Bhisma (one of the twelve authorized persons). Bhisma wanted to impress
upon
Maharaja Yudhisthira that since time immemorial no one, including such
demigods as Siva and Brahma, could ascertain the real plan of the Lord. So
what can we understand about it? It is useless also to inquire about it. Even
the exhaustive philosophical inquiries of sages cannot ascertain the plan of
the Lord. The best policy is simply to abide by the orders of the Lord without
argument. The sufferings of the Pandavas were never due to their past deeds.
The Lord had to execute the plan of establishing the kingdom of virtue, and
therefore His own devotees suffered temporarily in order to establish the
conquest of virtue. Bhismadeva was certainly satisfied by seeing the triumph
of virtue, and he was glad to see King Yudhisthira on the throne, although he
himself fought against him. Even a great fighter like Bhisma could not win the
Battle of Kuruksetra because the Lord wanted to show that vice cannot
conquer
virtue, regardless of who tries to execute it. Bhismadeva was a great devotee
of the Lord, but he chose to fight against the Pandavas by the will of the
Lord because the Lord wanted to show that a fighter like Bhisma cannot win on
the wrong side.

TEXT 17

tasmad idam daiva-tantram

vyavasya bharatarsabha
tasyanuvihito 'natha
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natha pahi prajah prabho

tasmat--therefore; idam--this; daiva-tantram--enchantment of providence only;

vyavasya--ascertaining; bharata-rsabha--O best among the descendants of
Bharata; tasya--by Him; anuvihitah--as desired; anathah--helpless; natha--O
master; pahi--just take care of; prajah--of the subjects; prabho--O Lord.

TRANSLATION

O best among the descendants of Bharata [Yudhisthira], I maintain,

therefore, that all this is within the plan of the Lord. Accepting the
inconceivable plan of the Lord, you must follow it. You are now the appointed
administrative head, and, my lord, you should now take care of those subjects
who are now rendered helpless.

PURPORT

The popular saying is that a housewife teaches the daughter-in-law by

teaching the daughter. Similarly, the Lord teaches the world by teaching the
devotee. The devotee does not have to learn anything new from the Lord
because
the Lord teaches the sincere devotee always from within. Whenever,
therefore,
a show is made to teach the devotee, as in the case of the teachings of
Bhagavad-gita, it is for teaching the less intelligent men. A devotee's duty,
therefore, is to ungrudgingly accept tribulations from the Lord as a
benediction. The Pandavas were advised by Bhismadeva to accept the
responsibility of administration without hesitation. The poor subjects were
without protection due to the Battle of Kuruksetra, and they were awaiting the
assumption of power by Maharaja Yudhisthira. A pure devotee of the Lord
accepts tribulations as favors from the Lord. Since the Lord is absolute,
there is no mundane difference between the two.

TEXT 18

esa vai bhagavan saksad

adyo narayanah puman
mohayan mayaya lokam
gudhas carati vrsnisu

esah--this; vai--positively; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;

saksat--original; adyah--the first; narayanah--the Supreme Lord (who lies down
on the water); puman--the supreme enjoyer; mohayan--bewildering; mayaya--
by
His self-created energy; lokam--the planets; gudhah--who is inconceivable;
carati--moves; vrsnisu--among the Vrsni family.

TRANSLATION

This Sri Krsna is no other than the inconceivable, original Personality

of Godhead. He is the first Narayana, the supreme enjoyer. But He is moving
amongst the descendants of King Vrsni just like one of us and He is
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bewildering us with His self-created energy.

PURPORT

The Vedic system of acquiring knowledge is the deductive process. The

Vedic knowledge is received perfectly by disciplic succession from
authorities. Such knowledge is never dogmatic, as ill conceived by less
intelligent persons. The mother is the authority to verify the identity of the
father. She is the authority for such confidential knowledge. Therefore,
authority is not dogmatic. In the Bhagavad-gita this truth is confirmed in the
Fourth Chapter (Bg. 4.2), and the perfect system of learning is to receive it
from authority. The very same system is accepted universally as truth, but
only the false arguer speaks against it. For example, modern spacecraft fly in
the sky, and when scientists say that they travel to the other side of the
moon, men believe these stories blindly because they have accepted the
modern
scientists as authorities. The authorities speak, and the people in general
believe them. But in the case of Vedic truths, they have been taught not to
believe. Even if they accept them they give a different interpretation. Each
and every man wants a direct perception of Vedic knowledge, but foolishly
they
deny it. This means that the misguided man can believe one authority, the
scientist, but will reject the authority of the Vedas. The result is that
people have degenerated.
Here is an authority speaking about Sri Krsna as the original Personality
of Godhead and the first Narayana. Even such an impersonalist as Acarya
Sankara has said in the beginning of his commentation on the Bhagavad-gita
that Narayana, the Personality of Godhead, is beyond the material creation.
The universe is one of the material creations, but Narayana is transcendental
to such material paraphernalia.
Bhismadeva is one of the twelve mahajanas who know the principles of
transcendental knowledge. His confirmation of Lord Sri Krsna's being the
original Personality of Godhead is also corroborated by the impersonalist
Sankara. All other acaryas have also confirmed this statement, and thus there
is no chance of not accepting Lord Sri Krsna as the original Personality of
Godhead. Bhismadeva says that He is the first Narayana. This is also
confirmed
by Brahmaji in the Bhagavatam (10.14.14). Krsna is the first Narayana. In the
spiritual world (Vaikuntha) there are unlimited numbers of Narayanas, who are
all the same Personality of Godhead and are considered to be the plenary
expansions of the original Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. The first form
of the Lord Sri Krsna first expands Himself as the form of Baladeva, and
Baladeva expands in so many other forms, such as Sankarsana, Pradyumna,
Aniruddha, Vasudeva, Narayana, Purusa, Rama and Nrsimha. All these
expansions
are one and the same visnu-tattva, and Sri Krsna is the original source of all
the plenary expansions. He is therefore the direct Personality of Godhead. He
is the creator of the material world, and He is the predominating Deity known
as Narayana in all the Vaikuntha planets. Therefore, His movements amongst
human beings is another sort of bewilderment. The Lord therefore says in the
Bhagavad-gita that foolish persons consider Him to be one of the human
beings
 309

without knowing the intricacies of His movements.

The bewilderment regarding Sri Krsna is due to the action of His twofold
internal and external energies upon the third one, called marginal energy. The
living entities are expansions of His marginal energy, and thus they are
sometimes bewildered by the internal energy and sometimes by the external
energy. By internal energetic bewilderment, Sri Krsna expands Himself into
unlimited numbers of Narayanas and exchanges or accepts transcendental
loving
service from the living entities in the transcendental world. And by His
external energetic expansions, He incarnates Himself in the material world
amongst the men, animals or demigods to reestablish His forgotten relation
with the living entities in different species of life. Great authorities like
Bhisma, however, escape His bewilderment by the mercy of the Lord.

TEXT 19

asyanubhavam bhagavan
veda guhyatamam sivah
devarsir naradah saksad
bhagavan kapilo nrpa

asya--of Him; anubhavam--glories; bhagavan--the most powerful; veda--

knows;
guhya-tamam--very confidentially; sivah--Lord Siva; deva-rsih--the great sage
among the demigods; naradah--Narada; saksat--directly; bhagavan--the
Personality of Godhead; kapilah--Kapila; nrpa--O King.

TRANSLATION

O King, Lord Siva, Narada the sage amongst the demigods, and Kapila, the
incarnation of Godhead, all know very confidentially about His glories through
direct contact.

PURPORT

Pure devotees of the Lord are all bhavas, or persons who know the glories
of the Lord in different transcendental loving services. As the Lord has
innumerable expansions of His plenary form, there are innumerable pure
devotees of the Lord, who are engaged in the exchange of service of different
humors. Ordinarily there are twelve great devotees of the Lord, namely
Brahma,
Narada, Siva, Kumara, Kapila, Manu, Prahlada, Bhisma, Janaka, Sukadeva
Gosvami, Bali Maharaja and Yamaraja. Bhismadeva, although one of them, has
mentioned only three important names of the twelve who know the glories of
the
Lord. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, one of the great acaryas in the
modern age, explains that anubhava, or the glory of the Lord, is first
appreciated by the devotee in ecstasy manifesting the symptoms of
perspiring,
trembling, weeping, bodily eruptions, etc., which are further enhanced by
steady understanding of the glories of the Lord. Such different understandings
of bhavas are exchanged between Yasoda and the Lord (binding the Lord by
 310

ropes) and in the chariot driving by the Lord in the exchange of love with
Arjuna. These glories of the Lord are exhibited in His being subordinated
before His devotees, and that is another feature of the glories of the Lord.
Sukadeva Gosvami and the Kumaras, although situated in the transcendental
position, became converted by another feature of bhava and turned into pure
devotees of the Lord. Tribulations imposed upon the devotees by the Lord
constitute another exchange of transcendental bhava between the Lord and
the
devotees. The Lord says "I put My devotee into difficulty, and thus the
devotee becomes more purified in exchanging transcendental bhava with Me."
Placing the devotee into material troubles necessitates delivering him from
the illusory material relations. The material relations are based on
reciprocation of material enjoyment, which depends mainly on material
resources. Therefore, when material resources are withdrawn by the Lord, the
devotee is cent percent attracted toward the transcendental loving service of
the Lord. Thus the Lord snatches the fallen soul from the mire of material
existence. Tribulations offered by the Lord to His devotee are different from
the tribulations resulting from vicious action. All these glories of the Lord
are especially known to the great mahajanas like Brahma, Siva, Narada,
Kapila,
Kumara and Bhisma, as mentioned above, and one is able to grasp it by their
grace.

TEXT 20

yam manyase matuleyam

priyam mitram suhrttamam
akaroh sacivam dutam
sauhrdad atha sarathim

yam--the person; manyase--you think; matuleyam--maternal cousin; priyam--

very
dear; mitram--friend; suhrt-tamam--ardent well-wisher; akaroh--executed;
sacivam--counsel; dutam--messenger; sauhrdat--by good will; atha--
thereupon;
sarathim--charioteer.

TRANSLATION

O King, that personality whom, out of ignorance only, you thought to be

your maternal cousin, your very dear friend, well-wisher, counselor,
messenger, benefactor, etc., is that very Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna, although acting as the cousin, brother, friend,

well-wisher, counselor, messenger, benefactor, etc., of the Pandavas, was
still the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Out of His causeless mercy and
favor
upon His unalloyed devotees, He performs all kinds of service, but that does
not mean that He has changed His position as the Absolute Person. To think of
Him as an ordinary man is the grossest type of ignorance.
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TEXT 21

sarvatmanah sama-drso
hy advayasyanahankrteh
tat-krtam mati vaisamyam
niravadyasya na kvacit

sarva-atmanah--of one who is present in everyone's heart; sama-drsah--of one

who is equally kind to one and all; hi--certainly; advayasya--of the Absolute;
anahankrteh--free from all material identity of false ego;
tat-krtam--everything done by Him; mati--consciousness;
vaisamyam--differentiation; niravadyasya--freed from all attachment;
na--never; kvacit--at any stage.

TRANSLATION

Being the Absolute Personality of Godhead, He is present in everyone's

heart. He is equally kind to everyone, and He is free from the false ego of
differentiation. Therefore whatever He does is free from material inebriety.
He is equibalanced.

PURPORT

Because He is absolute, there is nothing different from Him. He is

kaivalya; there is nothing except Himself. Everything and everyone is the
manifestation of His energy, and thus He is present everywhere by His energy,
being nondifferent from it. The sun is identified with every inch of the sun
rays and every molecular particle of the rays. Similarly, the Lord is
distributed by His different energies. He is Paramatma, or the Supersoul,
present in everyone as the supreme guidance, and therefore He is already the
chariot driver and counsel of all living beings. When He, therefore, exhibits
Himself as chariot driver of Arjuna, there is no change in His exalted
position. It is the power of devotional service only that demonstrates Him as
the chariot driver or the messenger. Since He has nothing to do with the
material conception of life because He is absolute spiritual identity, there
is for Him no superior or inferior action. Being the Absolute Personality of
Godhead, He has no false ego, and so He does not identify Himself with
anything different from Him. The material conception of ego is equibalanced in
Him. He does not feel, therefore, inferior by becoming the chariot driver of
His pure devotee. It is the glory of the pure devotee that only he can bring
about service from the affectionate Lord.

TEXT 22

tathapy ekanta-bhaktesu
pasya bhupanukampitam
yan me 'sums tyajatah saksat
krsno darsanam agatah

tathapi--still; ekanta--unflinching; bhaktesu--unto the devotees; pasya--see

here; bhu-pa--O King; anukampitam--how sympathetic; yat--for which; me--my;
 312

asun--life; tyajatah--ending; saksat--directly; krsnah--the Personality of

Godhead; darsanam--in my view; agatah--has kindly come.

TRANSLATION

Yet, despite His being equally kind to everyone, He has graciously come
before me while I am ending my life, for I am His unflinching servitor.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna,

although equal to everyone, is still more inclined to His unflinching devotee
who is completely surrendered and knows no one else as his protector and
master. Having unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord as one's protector,
friend and master is the natural condition of eternal life. A living entity is
so made by the will of the Almighty that he is most happy when placing
himself
in a condition of absolute dependence.
The opposite tendency is the cause of falldown. The living entity has
this tendency of falling down by dint of misidentifying himself as fully
independent to lord it over the material world. The root cause of all troubles
is there in false egotism. One must draw towards the Lord in all
circumstances.
The appearance of Lord Krsna at the deathbed of Bhismaji is due to his
being an unflinching devotee of the Lord. Arjuna had some bodily relation with
Krsna because the Lord happened to be his maternal cousin. But Bhisma had
no
such bodily relation. Therefore the cause of attraction was due to the
intimate relation of the soul. Yet because the relation of the body is very
pleasing and natural, the Lord is more pleased when He is addressed as the
son
of Maharaja Nanda, the son of Yasoda, the lover of Radharani. This affinity by
bodily relation with the Lord is another feature of reciprocating loving
service with the Lord. Bhismadeva is conscious of this sweetness of
transcendental humor, and therefore he likes to address the Lord as Vijaya
Sakhe, Partha Sakhe, etc., exactly like Nandanandana or Yasoda-nandana. The
best way to establish our relation in transcendental sweetness is to approach
Him through His recognized devotees. One should not try to establish the
relation directly; there must be a via medium which is transparent and
competent to lead us to the right path.

TEXT 23

bhaktyavesya mano yasmin

vaca yan-nama kirtayan
tyajan kalevaram yogi
mucyate kama-karmabhih

bhaktya--with devout attention; avesya--meditating; manah--mind; yasmin--in

whose; vaca--by words; yat--Krsna; nama--holy name; kirtayan--by chanting;
tyajan--quitting; kalevaram--this material body; yogi--the devotee;
mucyate--gets release; kama-karmabhih--from fruitive activities.
 313

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead, who appears in the mind of the devotee by

attentive devotion and meditation and by chanting of the holy name, releases
the devotee from the bondage of fruitive activities at the time of his
quitting the material body.

PURPORT

Yoga means concentration of the mind detached from all other subject
matter. And actually such concentration is samadhi, or cent percent
engagement
in the service of the Lord. And one who concentrates his attention in that
manner is called a yogi. Such a yogi devotee of the Lord engages himself
twenty-four hours daily in the service of the Lord so that his whole attention
is engrossed with the thoughts of the Lord in ninefold devotional service,
namely hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, praying, becoming a
voluntary servant, carrying out orders, establishing a friendly relationship,
or offering all that one may possess, in the service of the Lord. By such
practice of yoga, or linking up in the service of the Lord, one is recognized
by the Lord Himself, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita concerning the
highest perfectional stage of samadhi. The Lord calls such a rare devotee the
best amongst all the yogis Such a perfect yogi is enabled by the divine grace
of the Lord to concentrate his mind upon the Lord with a perfect sense of
consciousness, and thus by chanting His holy name before quitting the body
the
yogi is at once transferred by the internal energy of the Lord to one of the
eternal planets where there is no question of material life and its
concomitant factors. In material existence a living being has to endure the
material conditions of threefold miseries, life after life, according to his
fruitive work. Such material life is produced by material desires only.
Devotional service to the Lord does not kill the natural desires of the living
being, but they are applied in the right cause of devotional service. This
qualifies the desire to be transferred to the spiritual sky. General
Bhismadeva is referring to a particular type of yoga called bhakti-yoga, and
he was fortunate enough to have the Lord directly in his presence before he
quitted his material body. He therefore desired that the Lord stay before his
view in the following verses.

TEXT 24

sa deva-devo bhagavan pratiksatam

kalevaram yavad idam hinomy aham
prasanna-hasaruna-locanollasan-
mukhambujo dhyana-pathas catur-bhujah

sah--He; deva-devah--the Supreme Lord of the lords; bhagavan--the

Personality
of Godhead; pratiksatam--may kindly wait; kalevaram--body; yavat--as long
as;
idam--this (material body); hinomi--may quit; aham--I; prasanna--cheerful;
 314

hasa--smiling; aruna-locana--eyes red like the morning sun;

ullasat--beautifully decorated; mukha-ambujah--the lotus flower of His face;
dhyana-pathah--in the path of my meditation; catur-bhujah--the four-handed
form of Narayana (the worshipable Deity of Bhismadeva).

TRANSLATION

May my Lord, who is four-handed and whose beautifully decorated lotus

face, with eyes as red as the rising sun, is smiling, kindly await me at that
moment when I quit this material body.

PURPORT

Bhismadeva knew well that Lord Krsna is the original Narayana. His
worshipable Deity was four-handed Narayana, but he knew that four-handed
Narayana is a plenary expansion of Lord Krsna. Indirectly he desired Lord Sri
Krsna to manifest Himself in His four-handed feature of Narayana. A Vaisnava
is always humble in his behavior. Although it was cent percent certain that
Bhismadeva was approaching Vaikuntha-dhama just after leaving his material
body, still as a humble Vaisnava he desired to see the beautiful face of the
Lord, for after quitting the present body he might not be in a position to see
the Lord any more. A Vaisnava is not puffed up, although the Lord guarantees
His pure devotee entrance into His abode. Here Bhismadeva says, "as long as I
do not quit this body." This means that the great General would quit the body
by his own will; he was not being forced by the laws of nature. He was so
powerful that he could stay in his body as long as he desired. He got this
benediction from his father. He desired that the Lord stay before him in His
four-handed Narayana feature so that he might concentrate upon Him and
thus be
in trance in that meditation. Then his mind might be sanctified with thinking
of the Lord. Thus he did not mind wherever he might go. A pure devotee is
never very anxious to go back to the kingdom of God. He entirely depends on
the good will of the Lord. He is equally satisfied even if the Lord desires
him to go to hell. The only desire that a pure devotee entertains is that he
may always be in rapt attention with thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord,
regardless. Bhismadeva wanted this much only: that his mind be absorbed in
thinking of the Lord and that he pass away thus. That is the highest ambition
of a pure devotee.

TEXT 25

suta uvaca
yudhisthiras tad akarnya
sayanam sara-panjare
aprcchad vividhan dharman
rsinam canusrnvatam

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; yudhisthirah--King Yudhisthira; tat--that;

akarnya--hearing; sayanam--lying down; sara-panjare--on the bed of arrows;
aprcchat--asked; vividhan--multifarious; dharman--duties; rsinam--of the rsis;
ca--and; anusrnvatam--hearing after.
 315

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Maharaja Yudhisthira, after hearing Bhismadeva speak

in that appealing tone, asked him, in the presence of all the great rsis,
about the essential principles of various religious duties.

PURPORT

Bhismadeva, speaking in that appealing tone, convinced Maharaja

Yudhisthira that he was very soon passing away. And Maharaja Yudhisthira
was
inspired by Lord Sri Krsna to ask him of the principles of religion. Lord Sri
Krsna inspired Maharaja Yudhisthira to ask Bhismadeva in the presence of
many
great sages, indicating thereby that the Lord's devotee like Bhismadeva,
although apparently living as a worldly man, is far superior to many great
sages, even Vyasadeva. Another point is that Bhismadeva at that time was not
only lying on a deathbed of arrows, but was greatly aggrieved because of that
state. One should not have asked him any question at that time, but Lord Sri
Krsna wanted to prove that His pure devotees are always sound in body and
mind
by dint of spiritual enlightenment, and thus in any circumstances a devotee of
the Lord is in perfect order to speak of the right way of life. Yudhisthira
also preferred to solve his problematic questions by asking Bhismadeva rather
than ask anyone else present there who was seemingly more learned than
Bhismadeva. This is all due to the arrangement of the great wheel-carrier Lord
Sri Krsna, who establishes the glories of His devotee. The father likes to see
the son become more famous than himself. The Lord declares very
emphatically
that worship of His devotee is more valuable than the worship of the Lord
Himself.

TEXT 26

purusa-sva-bhava-vihitan
yatha-varnam yathasramam
vairagya-ragopadhibhyam
amnatobhaya-laksanan

purusa--the human being; sva-bhava--by his own acquired qualities;

vihitan--prescribed; yatha--according to; varnam--classification of castes;
yatha--according to; asramam--orders of life; vairagya--detachment;
raga--attachment; upadhibhyam--out of such designations;
amnata--systematically; ubhaya--both; laksanan--symptoms.

TRANSLATION

At Maharaja Yudhisthira's inquiry, Bhismadeva first defined all the

classifications of castes and orders of life in terms of the individual's
qualifications. Then he systematically, in twofold divisions, described
counteraction by detachment and interaction by attachment.
 316

PURPORT

The conception of four castes and four orders of life, as planned by the
Lord Himself (Bg. 4.13), is to accelerate transcendental qualities of the
individual person so that he may gradually realize his spiritual identity and
thus act accordingly to get free from material bondage, or conditional life.
In almost all the Puranas the subject matter is described in the same spirit,
and so also in the Mahabharata it is more elaborately described by
Bhismadeva
in the Santi-parva, beginning from the sixtieth chapter.
The varnasrama-dharma is prescribed for the civilized human being just to
train him to successfully terminate human life. Self-realization is
distinguished from the life of the lower animals engaged in eating, sleeping,
fearing and mating. Bhismadeva advised for all human beings nine
qualifications: (1) not to become angry, (2) not to lie, (3) to equally
distribute wealth, (4) to forgive, (5) to beget children only by one's
legitimate wife, (6) to be pure in mind and hygienic in body, (7) not to be
inimical toward anyone, (8) to be simple, and (9) to support servants or
subordinates. One cannot be called a civilized person without acquiring the
above-mentioned preliminary qualities. Besides these, the brahmanas (the
intelligent men), the administrative men, the mercantile community and the
laborer class must acquire special qualities in terms of occupational duties
mentioned in all the Vedic scriptures. For the intelligent men, controlling
the senses is the most essential qualification. It is the basis of morality.
Sex indulgence even with a legitimate wife must also be controlled, and
thereby family control will automatically follow. An intelligent man abuses
his great qualifications if he does not follow the Vedic way of life. This
means he must seriously make a study of the Vedic literatures, especially of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita. For learning Vedic knowledge,
one
must approach a person who is cent percent engaged in devotional service. He
must not do things which are forbidden in the sastras. A person cannot be a
teacher if he drinks or smokes. In the modern system of education the
teacher's academic qualification is taken into consideration without
evaluation of his moral life. Therefore, the result of education is misuse of
high intelligence in so many ways.
The ksatriya, the member of the administrative class, is especially
advised to give charity and not to accept charity in any circumstances. Modern
administrators raise subscriptions for some political functions, but never
give charity to the citizens in any state function. It is just the reverse in
the injunctions of the sastras. The administrative class must be well versed
in the sastras, but must not take to the profession of teachers. The
administrators should never pretend to become nonviolent and thereby go to
hell. When Arjuna wanted to become a nonviolent coward on the Battlefield of
Kuruksetra, he was severely chastised by Lord Krsna. The Lord degraded
Arjuna
at that time to the status of an uncivilized man for his avowed acceptance of
the cult of nonviolence. The administrative class must be personally trained
in military education. Cowards should not be elevated to the presidential
throne by dint of numerical votes only. The monarchs were all chivalrous
personalities, and therefore monarchy should be maintained provided the
monarch is regularly trained in the occupational duties of a king. In
 317

fighting, the king or the president should never return home without being
hurt by the enemy. The so-called king of today never visits the warfield. He
is very much expert in artificially encouraging the fighting strength in the
hope of false national prestige. As soon as the administrative class is turned
into a gang of mercantile and laborer men, the whole machinery of
government
becomes polluted.
The vaisyas, the members of the mercantile communities, are especially
advised to protect the cows. Cow protection means increasing the milk
productions, namely curd and butter. Agriculture and distribution of the
foodstuff are the primary duties of the mercantile community backed by
education in Vedic knowledge and trained to give in charity. As the ksatriyas
were given charge of the protection of the citizens, vaisyas were given the
charge of the protection of animals. Animals are never meant to be killed.
Killing of animals is a symptom of barbarian society. For a human being,
agricultural produce, fruits and milk are sufficient and compatible
foodstuffs. The human society should give more attention to animal
protection.
The productive energy of the laborer is misused when he is occupied by
industrial enterprises. Industry of various types cannot produce the essential
needs of man, namely rice, wheat, grains, milk, fruits and vegetables. The
production of machines and machine tools increases the artificial living
fashion of a class of vested interests and keeps thousands of men in
starvation and unrest. This should not be the standard of civilization.
The sudra class is less intelligent and should have no independence. They
are meant for rendering sincere service to the three higher sections of the
society. The sudra class can attain all comforts of life simply by rendering
service to the higher classes. It is especially enjoined that a sudra should
never bank money. As soon as the sudras accumulate wealth, it will be
misused
for sinful activities in wine, women and gambling. Wine, women and gambling
indicate that the population is degraded to less than sudra quality. The
higher castes should always look after the maintenance of the sudras, and
they
should provide them with old and used garments. A sudra should not leave his
master when the master is old and invalid, and the master should keep the
servants satisfied in all respects. The sudras must first of all be satisfied
by sumptuous food and clothing before any sacrifice is performed. In this age
so many functions are held by spending millions, but the poor laborer is not
sumptuously fed or given charity, clothing, etc. The laborers are thus
dissatisfied, and so they make agitation.
The varnas are, so to speak, classifications of different occupations,
and asrama-dharma is gradual progress on the path of self-realization. Both
are interrelated, and one is dependent on the other. The main purpose of
asrama-dharma is to awaken knowledge and detachment. The brahmacari
asrama is
the training ground for the prospective candidates. In this asrama it is
instructed that this material world is not actually the home of the living
being. The conditioned souls under material bondage are prisoners of matter,
and therefore self-realization is the ultimate aim of life. The whole system
of asrama-dharma is a means to detachment. One who fails to assimilate this
spirit of detachment is allowed to enter into family life with the same spirit
 318

of detachment. Therefore, one who attains detachment may at once adopt the
fourth order, namely, renounced, and thus live on charity only, not to
accumulate wealth, but just to keep body and soul together for ultimate
realization. Household life is for one who is attached, and the vanaprastha
and sannyasa orders of life are for those who are detached from material life.
The brahmacari-asrama is especially meant for training both the attached and
detached.

TEXT 27

dana-dharman raja-dharman
moksa-dharman vibhagasah
stri-dharman bhagavad-dharman
samasa-vyasa-yogatah

dana-dharman--the acts of charity; raja-dharman--pragmatic activities of the

kings; moksa-dharman--the acts for salvation; vibhagasah--by divisions;
stri-dharman--duties of women; bhagavat-dharman--the acts of the devotees;
samasa--generally; vyasa--explicitly; yogatah--by means of.

TRANSLATION

He then explained, by divisions, acts of charity, the pragmatic

activities of a king and activities for salvation. Then he described the
duties of women and devotees, both briefly and extensively.

PURPORT

To give charity is one of the householder's main functions, and he should

be prepared to give in charity at least fifty percent of his hard-earned
money. A brahmacari, or student, should perform sacrifices, a householder
should give charity, and a person in the retired life or in the renounced
order should practice penances and austerities. Those are the general
functions of all the asramas, or orders of life on the path of
self-realization. In the brahmacari life the training is sufficiently imparted
so that one may understand that the world as property belongs to the
Supreme
Lord, the Personality of Godhead. No one, therefore, can claim to be the
proprietor of anything in the world. Therefore, in the life of a householder,
which is a sort of license for sex enjoyment, one must give in charity for the
service of the Lord. Everyone's energy is generated or borrowed from the
reservoir of energy of the Lord; therefore, the resultant actions of such
energy must be given to the Lord in the shape of transcendental loving service
for Him. As the rivers draw water from the sea through the clouds and again
go
down to the sea, similarly our energy is borrowed from the supreme source,
the
Lord's energy, and it must return to the Lord. That is the perfection of our
energy. The Lord, therefore, in the Bhagavad-gita (9.27) says that whatever
we
do, whatever we undergo as penance, whatever we sacrifice, whatever we eat
or
 319

whatever we give in charity must be offered to Him (the Lord). That is the way
of utilizing our borrowed energy. When our energy is utilized in that way, our
energy is purified from the contamination of material inebrieties, and thus we
become fit for our original natural life of service to the Lord.
Raja-dharma is a great science, unlike modern diplomacy for political
supremacy. The kings were trained systematically to become munificent and
not
merely be tax collectors. They were trained to perform different sacrifices
only for the prosperity of the subjects. To lead the prajas to the attainment
of salvation was a great duty of the king. The father, the spiritual master
and the king are not to become irresponsible in the matter of leading their
subjects to the path of ultimate liberation from birth, death, diseases and
old age. When these primary duties are properly discharged, there is no need
of government of the people, by the people. In modern days the people in
general occupy the administration by the strength of manipulated votes, but
they are never trained in the primary duties of the king, and that is also not
possible for everyone. Under the circumstances the untrained administrators
play havoc to make the subjects happy in all respects. On the other hand,
these untrained administrators gradually become rogues and thieves and
increase the taxation to finance a top-heavy administration that is useless
for all purposes. Actually the qualified brahmanas are meant to give direction
to the kings for proper administration in terms of the scriptures like the
Manu-samhita and Dharma-sastras of Parasara. A typical king is the ideal of
the people in general, and if the king is pious, religious, chivalrous and
munificent, the citizens generally follow him. Such a king is not a lazy
sensuous person living at the cost of the subjects, but alert always to kill
thieves and dacoits. The pious kings were not merciful to dacoits and thieves
in the name of nonsensical ahimsa (nonviolence). The thieves and dacoits
were
punished in an exemplary way so that in the future no one would dare commit
such nuisances in an organized form. Such thieves and dacoits were never
meant
for administration as they are now.
The taxation law was simple. There was no force, no encroachment. The
king had a right to take one fourth of the production made by the subject. The
king had a right to claim a fourth of one's allotted wealth. One would never
grudge parting with it because due to the pious king and religious harmony
there was enough natural wealth, namely grains, fruits, flowers, silk, cotton,
milk, jewels, minerals, etc., and therefore no one was materially unhappy. The
citizens were rich in agriculture and animal husbandry, and therefore they had
enough grains, fruits and milk without any artificial needs of soaps and
toilets, cinemas and bars.
The king had to see that the reserved energy of humanity was properly
utilized. Human energy is meant not exactly for fulfilling animal
propensities, but for self-realization. The whole government was specifically
designed to fulfill this particular purpose. As such, the king had to select
properly the cabinet ministers, but not on the strength of voting background.
The ministers, the military commanders and even the ordinary soldiers were
all
selected by personal qualification, and the king had to supervise them
properly before they were appointed to their respective posts. The king was
especially vigilant to see that the tapasvis, or persons who sacrificed
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everything for disseminating spiritual knowledge, were never disregarded. The

king knew well that the Supreme Personality of Godhead never tolerates any
insult to His unalloyed devotees. Such tapasvis were trusted leaders even of
the rogues and thieves, who would never disobey the orders of tapasvis. The
king would give special protection to illiterates, the helpless and widows of
the state. Defense measures were arranged previous to any attack by the
enemies. The taxing process was easy, and it was not meant for squandering,
but was for strengthening the reserve fund. The soldiers were recruited from
all parts of the world, and they were trained for special duties.
As far as salvation is concerned, one has to conquer the principles of
lust, anger, unlawful desires, avarice and bewilderment. To get freedom from
anger, one should learn how to forgive. To be free from unlawful desires one
should not make plans. By spiritual culture one is able to conquer sleep. By
tolerance only can one conquer desires and avarice. Disturbances from various
diseases can be avoided by regulated diets. By self-control one can be free
from false hopes, and money can be saved by avoiding undesirable
association.
By practice of yoga one can control hunger, and worldliness can be avoided by
culturing the knowledge of impermanence. Dizziness can be conquered by
rising
up, and false arguments can be conquered by factual ascertainment.
Talkativeness can be avoided by gravity and silence, and by prowess one can
avoid fearfulness. Perfect knowledge can be obtained by self-cultivation. One
must be free from lust, avarice, anger, dreaming, etc., to actually attain the
path of salvation.
As far as the women class are concerned, they are accepted as a power of
inspiration for men. As such, women are more powerful than men. Mighty
Julius
Caesar was controlled by a Cleopatra. Such powerful women are controlled by
shyness. Therefore, shyness is important for women. Once this control valve is
loosened, women can create havoc in society by adultery. Adultery means
production of unwanted children known as varna-sankara, who disturb the
world.
The last item taught by Bhismadeva was the process of pleasing the Lord.
We are all eternal servants of the Lord, and when we forget this essential
part of our nature we are put into material conditions of life. The simple
process of pleasing the Lord (for the householders especially) is to install
the Deity of the Lord at home. By concentrating on the Deity, one may
progressively go on with the daily routine work. Worshiping the Deity at home,
serving the devotee, hearing the Srimad-Bhagavatam, residing in a holy place
and chanting the holy name of the Lord are all inexpensive items by which one
can please the Lord. Thus the subject matter was explained by the grandfather
to his grandchildren.

TEXT 28

dharmartha-kama-moksams ca
sahopayan yatha mune
nanakhyanetihasesu
varnayam asa tattvavit
 321

dharma--occupational duties; artha--economic development; kama--fulfillment

of
desires; moksan--ultimate salvation; ca--and; saha--along with; upayan--
means;
yatha--as it is; mune--O sage; nana--various; akhyana--by recitation of
historical narrations; itihasesu--in the histories; varnayam asa--described;
tatta-vit--one who knows the truth.

TRANSLATION

Then he described the occupational duties of different orders and

statuses of life, citing instances from history, for he was himself well
acquainted with the truth.

PURPORT

Incidents mentioned in the Vedic literatures, such as the Puranas,

Mahabharata and Ramayana are factual historical narrations that took place
sometime in the past, although not in any chronological order. Such historical
facts, being instructive for ordinary men, were assorted without chronological
reference. Besides that, they happen on different planets, nay, in different
universes, and thus the description of the narrations is sometimes measured
by
three dimensions. We are simply concerned with the instructive lessons of
such
incidents, even though they are not in order by our limited range of
understanding. Bhismadeva described such narrations before Maharaja
Yudhisthira in reply to his different questions.

TEXT 29

dharmam pravadatas tasya

sa kalah pratyupasthitah
yo yoginas chanda-mrtyor
vanchitas tuttarayanah

dharmam--occupational duties; pravadatah--while describing; tasya--his;

sah--that; kalah--time; pratyupasthitah--exactly appeared; yah--that is;
yoginah--for the mystics; chanda-mrtyoh--of one who dies according to one's
own selection of time; vanchitah--is desired by; tu--but; uttarayanah--the
period when the sun runs on the northern horizon.

TRANSLATION

While Bhismadeva was describing occupational duties, the sun's course ran
into the northern hemisphere. This period is desired by mystics who die at
their will.

PURPORT

The perfect yogis or mystics can leave the material body at their own
sweet will at a suitable time and go to a suitable planet desired by them. In
 322

the Bhagavad-gita (8.24) it is said that self-realized souls who have exactly
identified themselves with the interest of the Supreme Lord can generally
leave the material body during the time of the fire-god's effulgence and when
the sun is in the northern horizon, and thus achieve the transcendental sky.
In the Vedas these times are considered auspicious for quitting the body, and
they are taken advantage of by the expert mystics who have perfected the
system. Perfection of yoga means attainment of such supermental states as to
be able to leave the material body as desired. Yogis can also reach any planet
within no time without a material vehicle. The yogis can reach the highest
planetary system within a very short time, and this is impossible for the
materialist. Even attempting to reach the highest planet will take millions of
years at a speed of millions of miles per hour. This is a different science,
and Bhismadeva knew well how to utilize it. He was just waiting for the
suitable moment to quit his material body, and the golden opportunity arrived
when he was instructing his noble grandsons, the Pandavas. He thus prepared
himself to quit his body before the exalted Lord Sri Krsna, the pious Pandavas
and the great sages headed by Bhagavan Vyasa, etc., all great souls.

TEXT 30

tadopasamhrtya girah sahasranir

vimukta-sangam mana adi-puruse
krsne lasat-pita-pate catur-bhuje
purah sthite 'milita-drg vyadharayat

tada--at that time; upasamhrtya--withdrawing; girah--speech;

sahasranih--Bhismadeva (who was expert in thousands of sciences and arts);
vimukta-sangam--completely freed from everything else; manah--mind;
adi-puruse--unto the original Personality of Godhead; krsne--unto Krsna;
lasat-pita-pate--decorated with yellow garments; catur-bhuje--unto the
four-handed original Narayana; purah--just before; sthite--standing;
amilita--widespread; drk--vision; vyadharayat--fixed.

TRANSLATION

Thereupon that man who spoke on different subjects with thousands of

meanings and who fought on thousands of battlefields and protected
thousands
of men, stopped speaking and, being completely freed from all bondage,
withdrew his mind from everything else and fixed his wide-open eyes upon the
original Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, who stood before him, four-handed,
dressed in yellow garments that glittered and shined.

PURPORT

In the momentous hour of leaving his material body, Bhismadeva set the
glorious example concerning the important function of the human form of life.
The subject matter which attracts the dying man becomes the beginning of his
next life. Therefore, if one is absorbed in thoughts of the Supreme Lord Sri
Krsna, he is sure to go back to Godhead without any doubt. This is confirmed
in the Bhagavad-gita (8.5-15):
5: And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body remembering Me
 323

alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

6: Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that
state he will attain without fail.
7: Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna
and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your
activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you
will attain Me without doubt.
8: He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind
constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O
Partha
[Arjuna], is sure to reach Me.
9: One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows
everything, as He who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller
than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all
material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is
luminous like the sun and, being transcendental, is beyond this material
nature.
10: One who, at the time of death, fixes his life air between the
eyebrows and in full devotion engages himself in remembering the Supreme
Lord
will certainly attain to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
11: Persons learned in the Vedas, who utter omkara and who are great
sages in the renounced order, enter into Brahman. Desiring such perfection,
one practices celibacy. I shall now explain to you this process by which one
may attain salvation.
12: The yogic situation is that of detachment from all sensual
engagements. Closing all the doors of the senses and fixing the mind on the
heart and the life air at the top of the head, one establishes himself in
yoga.
13: After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred
syllable om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the
spiritual planets.
14: For one who remembers Me without deviation, I am easy to obtain, O
son of Prtha, because of his constant engagement in devotional service.
15: After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never
return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have
attained the highest perfection.
Sri Bhismadeva attained the perfection of quitting his body at will and
was fortunate enough to have Lord Krsna, the object of his attention,
personally present at the time of death. He therefore fixed his open eyes upon
Him. He wanted to see Sri Krsna for a long time out of his spontaneous love
for Him. Because he was a pure devotee, he had very little to do with the
detailed performance of yogic principles. Simple bhakti-yoga is enough to
bring about perfection. Therefore, the ardent desire of Bhismadeva was to see
the person of Lord Krsna, the most lovable object, and by the grace of the
Lord, Sri Bhismadeva had this opportunity at the last stage of his breathing.

TEXT 31

visuddhaya dharanaya hatasubhas

tad-iksayaivasu gata-yudha-sramah
 324

nivrtta-sarvendriya-vrtti-vibhramas
tustava janyam visrjan janardanam

visuddhaya--by purified; dharanaya--meditation; hata-asubhah--one who has

minimized the inauspicious qualities of material existence; tat--Him;
iksaya--by looking on; eva--simply; asu--immediately; gata--having gone away;
yudha--from the arrows; sramah--fatigue; nivrtta--being stopped; sarva--all;
indriya--senses; vrtti--activities; vibhramah--being widely engaged;
tustava--he prayed; janyam--the material tabernacle; visrjan--while quitting;
janardanam--to the controller of the living beings.

TRANSLATION

By pure meditation, looking at Lord Sri Krsna, he at once was freed from
all material inauspiciousness and was relieved of all bodily pains caused by
the arrow wounds. Thus all the external activities of his senses at once
stopped, and he prayed transcendentally to the controller of all living beings
while quitting his material body.

PURPORT

The material body is a gift of the material energy, technically called

illusion. Identification with the material body is due to forgetfulness of our
eternal relationship with the Lord. For a pure devotee of the Lord like
Bhismadeva, this illusion was at once removed as soon as the Lord arrived.
Lord Krsna is like the sun, and the illusory, external material energy is like
darkness. In the presence of the sun there is no possibility that darkness can
stand. Therefore, just on the arrival of Lord Krsna, all material
contamination was completely removed, and Bhismadeva was thus able to be
transcendentally situated by stopping the activities of the impure senses in
collaboration with matter. The soul is originally pure and so also the senses.
By material contamination the senses assume the role of imperfection and
impurity. By revival of contact with the Supreme Pure, Lord Krsna, the senses
again become freed from material contaminations. Bhismadeva attained all
these
transcendental conditions prior to his leaving the material body because of
presence of the Lord. The Lord is the controller and benefactor of all living
beings. That is the verdict of all Vedas. He is the supreme eternity and
living entity amongst all the eternal living beings. And He alone provides all
necessities for all kinds of living beings. Thus He provided all facilities to
fulfill the transcendental desires of His great devotee Sri Bhismadeva, who
began to pray as follows.

TEXT 32

sri-bhisma uvaca
iti matir upakalpita vitrsna
bhagavati satvata-pungave vibhumni
sva-sukham upagate kvacid vihartum
prakrtim upeyusi yad-bhava-pravahah

sri-bhismah uvaca--Sri Bhismadeva said; iti--thus; matih--thinking, feeling

 325

and willing; upakalpita--invested; vitrsna--freed from all sense desires;

bhagavati--unto the Personality of Godhead; satvata-pungave--unto the leader
of the devotees; vibhumni--unto the great; sva-sukham--self-satisfaction;
upagate--unto He who has attained it; kvacit--sometimes; vihartum--out of
transcendental pleasure; prakrtim--in the material world; upeyusi--do accept
it; yat-bhava--from whom the creation; pravahah--is made and annihilated.

TRANSLATION

Bhismadeva said: Let me now invest my thinking, feeling and willing,

which were so long engaged in different subjects and occupational duties, in
the all-powerful Lord Sri Krsna. He is always self-satisfied, but sometimes,
being the leader of the devotees, He enjoys transcendental pleasure by
descending on the material world, although from Him only the material world
is
created.

PURPORT

Because Bhismadeva was a statesman, the head of the Kuru dynasty, a

great
general and a leader of ksatriyas, his mind was strewn over so many subjects,
and his thinking, feeling and willing were engaged in different matters. Now,
in order to achieve pure devotional service, he wanted to invest all powers of
thinking, feeling and willing entirely in the Supreme Being, Lord Krsna. He is
described herein as the leader of the devotees and all-powerful. Although Lord
Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, He Himself descends on earth to
bestow upon His pure devotees the boon of devotional service. He descends
sometimes as Lord Krsna as He is, and sometimes as Lord Caitanya. Both are
leaders of the pure devotees. Pure devotees of the Lord have no desire other
than the service of the Lord, and therefore they are called satvata. The Lord
is the chief amongst such satvatas. Bhismadeva, therefore, had no other
desires. Unless one is purified from all sorts of material desires, the Lord
does not become one's leader. Desires cannot be wiped out, but they have
only
to be purified. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita by the Lord Himself that
He gives His instruction from within the heart of a pure devotee who is
constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. Such instruction is given not
for any material purpose but only for going back home, back to Godhead (Bg.
10.10). For the ordinary man who wants to lord it over material nature, the
Lord not only sanctions and becomes a witness of activities, but He never
gives the nondevotee instructions for going back to Godhead. That is the
difference in dealings by the Lord with different living beings, both the
devotee and the nondevotee. He is leader of all the living beings, as the king
of the state rules both the prisoners and the free citizens. But His dealings
are different in terms of devotee and nondevotee. Nondevotees never care to
take any instruction from the Lord, and therefore the Lord is silent in their
case, although He witnesses all their activities and awards them the necessary
results, good or bad. The devotees are above this material goodness and
badness. They are progressive on the path of transcendence, and therefore
they
have no desire for anything material. The devotee also knows Sri Krsna as the
 326

original Narayana because Lord Sri Krsna, by His plenary portion, appears as
the Karanodakasayi Visnu, the original source of all material creation. The
Lord also desires the association of His pure devotees, and for them only the
Lord descends on the earth and enlivens them. The Lord appears out of His
own
will. He is not forced by the conditions of material nature. He is therefore
described here as the vibhu, or the almighty, for He is never conditioned by
the laws of material nature.

TEXT 33

tri-bhuvana-kamanam tamala-varnam
ravi-kara-gaura-vara-ambaram dadhane
vapur alaka-kulavrtananabjam
vijaya-sakhe ratir astu me 'navadya

tri-bhuvana--three statuses of planetary systems; kamanam--the most

desirable;
tamala-varnam--bluish like the tamala tree; ravi-kara--sun rays; gaura--golden
color; varambaram--glittering dress; dadhane--one who wears; vapuh--body;
alaka-kula-avrta--covered with paintings of sandalwood pulp; anana-abjam--
face
like a lotus; vijaya-sakhe--unto the friend of Arjuna; ratih astu--may
attraction be reposed upon Him; me--my; anavadya--without desire for fruitive
results.

TRANSLATION

Sri Krsna is the intimate friend of Arjuna. He has appeared on this earth
in His transcendental body, which resembles the bluish color of the tamala
tree. His body attracts everyone in the three planetary systems [upper, middle
and lower]. May His glittering yellow dress and His lotus face, covered with
paintings of sandalwood pulp, be the object of my attraction, and may I not
desire fruitive results.

PURPORT

When Sri Krsna by His own internal pleasure appears on earth, He does so
by the agency of His internal potency. The attractive features of His
transcendental body are desired in all the three worlds, namely the upper,
middle and lower planetary systems. Nowhere in the universe are there such
beautiful bodily features as those of Lord Krsna. Therefore His transcendental
body has nothing to do with anything materially created. Arjuna is described
here as the conqueror, and Krsna is described as his intimate friend.
Bhismadeva, on his bed of arrows after the Battle of Kuruksetra, is
remembering the particular dress of Lord Krsna which He put on as the driver
of Arjuna's chariot. While fighting was going on between Arjuna and Bhisma,
Bhisma's attraction was drawn by the glittering dress of Krsna, and indirectly
he admired his so-called enemy Arjuna for possessing the Lord as his friend.
Arjuna was always a conqueror because the Lord was his friend. Bhismadeva
takes this opportunity to address the Lord as vijaya-sakhe (friend of Arjuna)
 327

because the Lord is pleased when He is addressed conjointly with His

devotees,
who are related with Him in different transcendental humors. While Krsna was
the charioteer of Arjuna, sun rays glittered on the dress of the Lord, and the
beautiful hue created by the reflection of such rays was never forgotten by
Bhismadeva. As a great fighter he was relishing the relation of Krsna in the
chivalrous humor. Transcendental relation with the Lord in any one of the
different rasas (humors) is relishable by the respective devotees in the
highest ecstasy. Less intelligent mundaners who want to make a show of being
transcendentally related with the Lord artificially jump at once to the
relation of conjugal love, imitating the damsels of Vrajadhama. Such a cheap
relation with the Lord exhibits only the base mentality of the mundaner
because one who has relished conjugal humor with the Lord cannot be
attached
to worldly conjugal rasa, which is condemned even by mundane ethics. The
eternal relation of a particular soul with the Lord is evolved. A genuine
relation of the living being with the Supreme Lord can take any form out of
the five principal rasas, and it does not make any difference in
transcendental degree to the genuine devotee. Bhismadeva is a concrete
example
of this, and it should be carefully observed how the great general is
transcendentally related with the Lord.

TEXT 34

yudhi turaga-rajo-vidhumra-visvak-
kaca-lulita-sramavary-alankrtasye
mama nisita-sarair vibhidyamana-
tvaci vilasat-kavace 'stu krsna atma

yudhi--on the battlefield; turaga--horses; rajah--dust; vidhumra--turned an

ashen color; visvak--waving; kaca--hair; lulita--scattered;
sramavari--perspiration; alankrta--decorated with; asye--unto the face;
mama--my; nisita--sharp; saraih--by the arrows; vibhidyamana--pierced by;
tvaci--in the skin; vilasat--enjoying pleasure; kavace--protecting armor;
astu--let there be; krsne--unto Sri Krsna; atma--mind.

TRANSLATION

On the battlefield [where Sri Krsna attended Arjuna out of friendship],

the flowing hair of Lord Krsna turned ashen due to the dust raised by the
hoofs of the horses. And because of His labor, beads of sweat wetted His face.
All these decorations, intensified by the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows,
were enjoyed by Him. Let my mind thus go unto Sri Krsna.

PURPORT

The Lord is the absolute form of eternity, bliss and knowledge. As such,
transcendental loving service to the Lord in one of the five principal
relations, namely santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya, i.e.,
neutrality, servitorship, fraternity, filial affection and conjugal love, is
graciously accepted by the Lord when offered to the Lord in genuine love and
 328

affection. Sri Bhismadeva is a great devotee of the Lord in the relation of

servitorship. Thus his throwing of sharp arrows at the transcendental body of
the Lord is as good as the worship of another devotee who throws soft roses
upon Him.
It appears that Bhismadeva is repenting the actions he committed against
the person of the Lord. But factually the Lord's body was not at all pained,
due to His transcendental existence. His body is not matter. Both He Himself
and His body are complete spiritual identity. Spirit is never pierced, burnt,
dried, moistened, etc. This is vividly explained in the Bhagavad-gita. So also
it is stated in the Skanda Purana. It is said there that spirit is always
uncontaminated and indestructible. It cannot be distressed, nor can it be
dried up. When Lord Visnu in His incarnation appears before us, He seems to
be
like one of the conditioned souls, materially encaged, just to bewilder the
asuras, or the nonbelievers, who are always alert to kill the Lord, even from
the very beginning of His appearance. Kamsa wanted to kill Krsna, and Ravana
wanted to kill Rama, because foolishly they were unaware of the fact that the
Lord is never killed, for the spirit is never annihilated.
Therefore Bhismadeva's piercing of the body of Lord Krsna is a sort of
bewildering problem for the nondevotee atheist, but those who are devotees,
or
liberated souls, are not bewildered.
Bhismadeva appreciated the all-merciful attitude of the Lord because He
did not leave Arjuna alone, although He was disturbed by the sharpened
arrows
of Bhismadeva, nor was He reluctant to come before Bhisma's deathbed, even
though He was ill-treated by him on the battlefield. Bhisma's repentance and
the Lord's merciful attitude are both unique in this picture.
Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, a great acarya and devotee in the
humor of conjugal love with the Lord, remarks very saliently in this regard.
He says that the wounds created on the body of the Lord by the sharpened
arrows of Bhismadeva were as pleasing to the Lord as the biting of a fiancee
who bites the body of the Lord directed by a strong sense of sex desire. Such
biting by the opposite sex is never taken as a sign of enmity, even if there
is a wound on the body. Therefore, the fighting as an exchange of
transcendental pleasure between the Lord and His pure devotee, Sri
Bhismadeva,
was not at all mundane. Besides that, since the Lord's body and the Lord are
identical, there was no possibility of wounds in the absolute body. The
apparent wounds caused by the sharpened arrows are misleading to the
common
man, but one who has a little absolute knowledge can understand the
transcendental exchange in the chivalrous relation. The Lord was perfectly
happy with the wounds caused by the sharpened arrows of Bhismadeva. The
word
vibhidyamana is significant because the Lord's skin is not different from the
Lord. Because our skin is different from our soul, in our case the word
vibhidyamana, or being bruised and cut, would have been quite suitable.
Transcendental bliss is of different varieties, and the variety of activities
in the mundane world is but a perverted reflection of transcendental bliss.
Because everything in the mundane world is qualitatively mundane, it is full
of inebrieties, whereas in the absolute realm, because everything is of the
 329

same absolute nature, there are varieties of enjoyment without inebriety. The
Lord enjoyed the wounds created by His great devotee Bhismadeva, and
because
Bhismadeva is a devotee in the chivalrous relation, he fixes up his mind on
Krsna in that wounded condition.

TEXT 35

sapadi sakhi-vaco nisamya madhye

nija-parayor balayo ratham nivesya
sthitavati para-sainikayur aksna
hrtavati partha-sakhe ratir mamastu

sapadi--on the battlefield; sakhi-vacah--command of the friend; nisamya--after

hearing; madhye--in the midst; nija--His own; parayoh--and the opposite party;
balayoh--strength; ratham--chariot; nivesya--having entered; sthitavati--while
staying there; para-sainika--of the soldiers on the opposite side;
ayuh--duration of life; aksna--by looking over; hrtavati--act of diminishing;
partha--of Arjuna, son of Prtha (Kunti); sakhe--unto the friend;
ratih--intimate relation; mama--my; astu--let there be.

TRANSLATION

In obedience to the command of His friend, Lord Sri Krsna entered the
arena of the Battlefield of Kuruksetra between the soldiers of Arjuna and
Duryodhana, and while there He shortened the life spans of the opposite party
by His merciful glance. This was done simply by His looking at the enemy. Let
my mind be fixed upon that Krsna.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (1.21-25) Arjuna ordered the infallible Lord Sri

Krsna to place his chariot between the phalanxes of the soldiers. He asked Him
to stay there until he had finished observing the enemies he had to face in
the battle. When the Lord was so asked, He at once did so, just like an order
carrier. And the Lord pointed out all the important men on the opposite side,
saying, "Here is Bhisma, here is Drona," and so on. The Lord, being the
supreme living being, is never the order supplier or order carrier of anyone,
whoever he may be. But out of His causeless mercy and affection for His pure
devotees, sometimes He carries out the order of the devotee like an awaiting
servant. By executing the order of a devotee, the Lord becomes pleased, as a
father is pleased to carry out the order of his small child. This is possible
only out of pure transcendental love between the Lord and His devotees, and
Bhismadeva was quite aware of this fact. He therefore addressed the Lord as
the friend of Arjuna.
The Lord diminished the duration of life of the opposite party by His
merciful glance. It is said that all the fighters who assembled on the
Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained salvation by personally seeing the Lord at
the time of death. Therefore, His diminishing the duration of life of Arjuna's
enemy does not mean that He was partial to the cause of Arjuna. Factually He
was merciful to the opposite party because they would not have attained
salvation by dying at home in the ordinary course of life. Here was a chance
 330

to see the Lord at the time of death and thus attain salvation from material
life. Therefore, the Lord is all good, and whatever He does is for everyone's
good. Apparently it was for the victory of Arjuna, His intimate friend, but
factually it was for the good of Arjuna's enemies. Such are the transcendental
activities of the Lord, and whoever understands this also gets salvation after
quitting this material body. The Lord does no wrong in any circumstance
because He is absolute, all good at all times.

TEXT 36

vyavahita-prtana-mukham niriksya
sva-jana-vadhad vimukhasya dosa-buddhya
kumatim aharad atma-vidyaya yas
carana-ratih paramasya tasya me 'stu

vyavahita--standing at a distance; prtana--soldiers; mukham--faces;

niriksya--by looking upon; sva-jana--kinsmen; vadhat--from the act of killing;
vimukhasya--one who is reluctant; dosa-buddhya--by polluted intelligence;
kumatim--poor fund of knowledge; aharat--eradicated; atma-vidyaya--by
transcendental knowledge; yah--He who; carana--to the feet; ratih--attraction;
paramasya--of the Supreme; tasya--for Him; me--my; astu--let there be.

TRANSLATION

When Arjuna was seemingly polluted by ignorance upon observing the

soldiers and commanders before him on the battlefield, the Lord eradicated
his
ignorance by delivering transcendental knowledge. May His lotus feet always
remain the object of my attraction.

PURPORT

The kings and the commanders were to stand in the front of the fighting
soldiers. That was the system of actual fighting. The kings and commanders
were not so-called presidents or ministers of defense as they are today. They
would not stay home while the poor soldiers or mercenaries were fighting face
to face. This may be the regulation of modern democracy, but when actual
monarchy was prevailing, the monarchs were not cowards elected without
consideration of qualification. As it was evident from the Battlefield of
Kuruksetra, all the executive heads of both parties, like Drona, Bhisma,
Arjuna and Duryodhana, were not sleeping; all of them were actual
participants
in the fighting, which was selected to be executed at a place away from the
civil residential quarters. This means that the innocent citizens were immune
from all effects of fighting between the rival royal parties. The citizens had
no business in seeing what was going to happen during such fighting. They
were
to pay one fourth of their income to the ruler, whether he be Arjuna or
Duryodhana. All the commanders of the parties on the Battlefield of
Kuruksetra
were standing face to face, and Arjuna saw them with great compassion and
lamented that he was to kill his kinsmen on the battlefield for the sake of
 331

the empire. He was not at all afraid of the giant military phalanx presented
by Duryodhana, but as a merciful devotee of the Lord, renunciation of worldly
things was natural for him, and thus he decided not to fight for worldly
possessions. But this was due to a poor fund of knowledge, and therefore it is
said here that his intelligence became polluted. His intelligence could not be
polluted at any time because he was a devotee and constant companion of the
Lord, as is clear in the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. Apparently
Arjuna's intelligence became polluted because otherwise there would not have
been a chance to deliver the teachings of Bhagavad-gita for the good of all
polluted conditioned souls engaged in material bondage by the conception of
the false material body. The Bhagavad-gita was delivered to the conditioned
souls of the world to deliver them from the wrong conception of identifying
the body with the soul and to reestablish the soul's eternal relation with the
Supreme Lord. Atma-vidya, or transcendental knowledge of Himself, was
primarily spoken by the Lord for the benefit of all concerned in all parts of
the universe.

TEXT 37

sva-nigamam apahaya mat-pratijnam

rtam adhikartum avapluto rathasthah
dhrta-ratha-carano 'bhyayac caladgur
harir iva hantum ibham gatottariyah

sva-nigamam--own truthfulness; apahaya--for nullifying; mat-pratijnam--my

own
promise; rtam--factual; adhi--more; kartum--for doing it; avaplutah--getting
down; ratha-sthah--from the chariot; dhrta--taking up; ratha--chariot;
caranah--wheel; abhyayat--went hurriedly; caladguh--trampling the earth;
harih--lion; iva--like; hantum--to kill; ibham--elephant; gata--leaving aside;
uttariyah--covering cloth.

TRANSLATION

Fulfilling my desire and sacrificing His own promise, He got down from
the chariot, took up its wheel, and ran towards me hurriedly, just as a lion
goes to kill an elephant. He even dropped His outer garment on the way.

PURPORT

The Battle of Kuruksetra was fought on military principles but at the

same time in a sporting spirit, like a friend's fight with another friend.
Duryodhana criticized Bhismadeva, alleging that he was reluctant to kill
Arjuna because of paternal affection. A ksatriya cannot tolerate insults on
the principle of fighting. Bhismadeva therefore promised that the next day he
would kill all five Pandavas with special weapons made for the purpose.
Duryodhana was satisfied, and he kept the arrows with him to be delivered the
next day during the fight. By tricks Arjuna took the arrows from Duryodhana,
and Bhismadeva could understand that this was the trick of Lord Krsna. So he
took a vow that the next day Krsna would have to take up weapons Himself,
otherwise His friend Arjuna would die. In the next day's fighting Bhismadeva
fought so violently that both Arjuna and Krsna were in trouble. Arjuna was
 332

almost defeated; the situation was so tense that he was about to be killed by
Bhismadeva the very next moment. At that time Lord Krsna wanted to please
His
devotee, Bhisma, by keeping Bhisma's promise, which was more important
than
His own. Seemingly He broke His own promise. He promised before the
beginning
of the Battle of Kuruksetra that He would remain without weapons and would
not
use His strength for either of the parties. But to protect Arjuna He got down
from the chariot, took up the wheel of the chariot and hurriedly rushed at
Bhismadeva in an angry mood, as a lion goes to kill an elephant. He dropped
His covering cloth on the way, and out of great anger He did not know that He
had dropped it. Bhismadeva at once gave up his weapons and stood to be
killed
by Krsna, his beloved Lord. The fighting of the day was thus ended at that
very moment, and Arjuna was saved. Of course there was no possibility of
Arjuna's death because the Lord Himself was on the chariot, but because
Bhismadeva wanted to see Lord Krsna take up some weapon to save His
friend,
the Lord created this situation, making Arjuna's death imminent. He stood
before Bhismadeva to show him that his promise was fulfilled and that He had
taken up the wheel.

TEXT 38

sita-visikha-hato visirna-damsah
ksataja-paripluta atatayino me
prasabham abhisasara mad-vadhartham
sa bhavatu me bhagavan gatir mukundah

sita--sharp; visikha--arrows; hatah--wounded by; visirna-damsah--scattered

shield; ksataja--by wounds; pariplutah--smeared with blood; atatayinah--the
great aggressor; me--my; prasabham--in an angry mood; abhisasara--began to
move on; mat-vadha-artham--for the purpose of killing me; sah--He;
bhavatu--may become; me--my; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;
gatih--destination; mukundah--who awards salvation.

TRANSLATION

May He, Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who awards salvation,
be my ultimate destination. On the battlefield He charged me, as if angry
because of the wounds dealt by my sharp arrows. His shield was scattered,
and
His body was smeared with blood due to the wounds.

PURPORT

The dealings of Lord Krsna and Bhismadeva on the Battlefield of

Kuruksetra are interesting because the activities of Lord Sri Krsna appeared
to be partial to Arjuna and at enmity with Bhismadeva; but factually all this
was especially meant to show special favor to Bhismadeva, a great devotee of
 333

the Lord. The astounding feature of such dealings is that a devotee can please
the Lord by playing the part of an enemy. The Lord, being absolute, can
accept
service from His pure devotee even in the garb of an enemy. The Supreme
Lord
cannot have any enemy, nor can a so-called enemy harm Him because He is
ajita,
or unconquerable. But still He takes pleasure when His pure devotee beats
Him
like an enemy or rebukes Him from a superior position, although no one can
be
superior to the Lord. These are some of the transcendental reciprocatory
dealings of the devotee with the Lord. And those who have no information of
pure devotional service cannot penetrate into the mystery of such dealings.
Bhismadeva played the part of a valiant warrior, and he purposely pierced the
body of the Lord so that to the common eyes it appeared that the Lord was
wounded, but factually all this was to bewilder the nondevotees. The
all-spiritual body cannot be wounded, and a devotee cannot become the
enemy of
the Lord. Had it been so, Bhismadeva would not have desired to have the very
same Lord as the ultimate destination of his life. Had Bhismadeva been an
enemy of the Lord, Lord Krsna could have annihilated him without even
moving.
There was no need to come before Bhismadeva with blood and wounds. But
He did
so because the warrior devotee wanted to see the transcendental beauty of
the
Lord decorated with wounds created by a pure devotee. This is the way of
exchanging transcendental rasa, or relations between the Lord and the
servitor. By such dealings both the Lord and the devotee become glorified in
their respective positions. The Lord was so angry that Arjuna checked Him
when
He was moving towards Bhismadeva, but in spite of Arjuna's checking, He
proceeded towards Bhismadeva as a lover goes to a lover, without caring for
hindrances. Apparently His determination was to kill Bhismadeva, but factually
it was to please him as a great devotee of the Lord. The Lord is undoubtedly
the deliverer of all conditioned souls. The impersonalists desire salvation
from Him, and He always awards them according to their aspiration, but here
Bhismadeva aspires to see the Lord in His personal feature. All pure devotees
aspire for this.

TEXT 39

vijaya-ratha-kutumbha atta-totre
dhrta-haya-rasmini tac-chriyeksaniye
bhagavati ratir astu me mumursor
yam iha niriksya hata gatah sva-rupam

vijaya--Arjuna; ratha--chariot; kutumbe--the object of protection at all risk;

atta-totre--with a whip in the right hand; dhrta-haya--controlling the horses;
rasmini--ropes; tat-sriya--beautifully standing; iksaniye--to look at;
bhagavati--unto the Personality of Godhead; ratih astu--let my attraction be;
 334

mumursoh--one who is about to die; yam--upon whom; iha--in this world;

niriksya--by looking; hatah--those who died; gatah--attained;
sva-rupam--original form.

TRANSLATION

At the moment of death, let my ultimate attraction be to Sri Krsna, the

Personality of Godhead. I concentrate my mind upon the chariot driver of
Arjuna who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His left,
who was very careful to give protection to Arjuna's chariot by all means.
Those who saw Him on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained their original
forms after death.

PURPORT

A pure devotee of the Lord constantly sees the presence of the Lord
within himself because of being transcendentally related by loving service.
Such a pure devotee cannot forget the Lord for a moment. This is called
trance. The mystic (yogi) tries to concentrate upon the Supersoul by
controlling the senses from all other engagements, and thus he ultimately
attains samadhi. A devotee more easily attains samadhi, or trance, by
constantly remembering the Lord's personal feature along with His holy name,
fame, pastimes, etc. Therefore, the concentration of the mystic yogi and that
of the devotee are not on the same level. The concentration of the mystic is
mechanical, whereas that of the pure devotee is natural in pure love and
spontaneous affection. Bhismadeva was a pure devotee, and as a military
marshal he constantly remembered the battlefield feature of the Lord as
Partha-sarathi, the chariot driver of Arjuna. Therefore, the Lord's pastime as
Partha-sarathi is also eternal. The pastimes of the Lord, beginning from His
birth at the prison house of Kamsa up to the mausala-lila at the end, all move
one after another in all the universes, just as the clock hand moves from one
point to another. And in such pastimes His associates like the Pandavas and
Bhisma are constant eternal companions. So Bhismadeva never forgot the
beautiful feature of the Lord as Partha-sarathi, which even Arjuna could not
see. Arjuna was behind the beautiful Partha-sarathi while Bhismadeva was just
in front of the Lord. As far as the military feature of the Lord is concerned,
Bhismadeva observed this with more relish than Arjuna.
All the soldiers and persons on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained
their original spiritual form like the Lord after their death because by the
causeless mercy of the Lord they were able to see Him face to face on that
occasion. The conditioned souls rotating in the evolutionary cycle from the
aquatics up to the form of Brahma are all in the form of maya, or the form
obtained by one's own actions and awarded by material nature. The material
forms of the conditioned souls are all foreign dresses, and when the
conditioned soul becomes liberated from the clutches of material energy, he
attains his original form. The impersonalist wants to attain the impersonal
Brahman effulgence of the Lord, but that is not at all congenial to the living
sparks, parts and parcels of the Lord. Therefore, the impersonalists again
fall down and get material forms, which are all false to the spirit soul. A
spiritual form like the Lord's, either two-handed or four-handed, is attained
by the devotees of the Lord either in the Vaikunthas or in the Goloka planet,
according to the original nature of the soul. This form, which is cent percent
 335

spiritual, is the svarupa of the living being, and all the living beings who
participated on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, on both sides, attained their
svarupa, as confirmed by Bhismadeva. So Lord Sri Krsna was not merciful only
to the Pandavas; He was also merciful to the other parties because all of them
attained the same result. Bhismadeva wanted the same facility also, and that
was his prayer to the Lord, although his position as an associate of the Lord
is assured in all circumstances. The conclusion is that whoever dies looking
on the Personality of Godhead within or without attains his svarupa, which is
the highest perfection of life.

TEXT 40

lalita-gati-vilasa-valguhasa-
pranaya-niriksana-kalpitorumanah
krta-manu-krta-vatya unmadandhah
prakrtim agan kila yasya gopa-vadhvah

lalita--attractive; gati--movements; vilasa--fascinating acts;

valguhasa--sweet smiling; pranaya--loving; niriksana--looking upon;
kalpita--mentality; urumanah--highly glorified; krta-manu-krta-vatyah--in the
act of copying the movements; unmada-andhah--gone mad in ecstasy;
prakrtim--characteristics; agan--underwent; kila--certainly; yasya--whose;
gopa-vadhvah--the cowherd damsels.

TRANSLATION

Let my mind be fixed upon Lord Sri Krsna, whose motions and smiles of
love attracted the damsels of Vrajadhama [the gopis]. The damsels imitated
the
characteristic movements of the Lord [after His disappearance from the rasa
dance].

PURPORT

By intense ecstasy in loving service, the damsels of Vrajabhumi attained

qualitative oneness with the Lord by dancing with Him on an equal level,
embracing Him in nuptial love, smiling at Him in joke, and looking at Him with
a loving attitude. The relation of the Lord with Arjuna is undoubtedly
praiseworthy for devotees like Bhismadeva, but the relation of the gopis with
the Lord is still more praiseworthy because of their still more purified
loving service. By the grace of the Lord, Arjuna was fortunate enough to have
the fraternal service of the Lord as chariot driver, but the Lord did not
award Arjuna with equal strength. The gopis, however, practically became one
with the Lord by attainment of equal footing with the Lord. Bhisma's
aspiration to remember the gopis is a prayer to have their mercy also at the
last stage of his life. The Lord is satisfied more when His pure devotees are
glorified, and therefore Bhismadeva has not only glorified the acts of Arjuna,
his immediate object of attraction, but has also remembered the gopis, who
were endowed with unrivalled opportunities by rendering loving service to the
Lord. The gopis' equality with the Lord should never be misunderstood to be
like the sayujya liberation of the impersonalist. The equality is one of
perfect ecstasy where the differential conception is completely eradicated,
 336

for the interests of the lover and the beloved become identical.

TEXT 41

muni-gana-nrpa-varya-sankule 'ntah-
sadasi yudhisthira-rajasuya esam
arhanam upapeda iksaniyo
mama drsi-gocara esa avir atma

muni-gana--the great learned sages; nrpa-varya--the great ruling kings;

sankule--in the great assembly of; antah-sadasi--conference; yudhisthira--of
Emperor Yudhisthira; raja-suye--a royal performance of sacrifice; esam--of all
the great elites; arhanam--respectful worship; upapeda--received;
iksaniyah--the object of attraction; mama--my; drsi--sight; gocarah--within
the view of; esah avih--personally present; atma--the soul.

TRANSLATION

At the Rajasuya-yajna [sacrifice] performed by Maharaja Yudhisthira,

there was the greatest assembly of all the elite men of the world, the royal
and learned orders, and in that great assembly Lord Sri Krsna was worshiped
by
one and all as the most exalted Personality of Godhead. This happened during
my presence, and I remembered the incident in order to keep my mind upon
the
Lord.

PURPORT

After gaining victory in the Battle of Kuruksetra, Maharaja Yudhisthira,

the Emperor of the world, performed the Rajasuya sacrificial ceremony. The
emperor, in those days, upon his ascendance to the throne, would send a
challenge horse all over the world to declare his supremacy, and any ruling
prince or king was at liberty to accept the challenge and express his tacit
willingness either to obey or to disobey the supremacy of the particular
emperor. One who accepted the challenge had to fight with the emperor and
establish his own supremacy by victory. The defeated challenger would have
to
sacrifice his life, making a place for another king or ruler. So Maharaja
Yudhisthira also dispatched such challenging horses all over the world, and
every ruling prince and king all over the world accepted Maharaja
Yudhisthira's leadership as the Emperor of the world. After this, all rulers
of the world under the regime of Maharaja Yudhisthira were invited to
participate in the great sacrificial ceremony of Rajasuya. Such performances
required hundreds of millions of dollars, and it was not an easy job for a
petty king. Such a sacrificial ceremony, being too expensive and also
difficult to perform under present circumstances, is now impossible in this
age of Kali. Nor can anyone secure the required expert priesthood to take
charge of the ceremony.
So, after being invited, all the kings and great learned sages of the
world assembled in the capital of Maharaja Yudhisthira. The learned society,
including the great philosophers, religionists, physicians, scientists and all
 337

great sages, was invited. That is to say, the brahmanas and the ksatriyas were
the topmost leading men in society, and they were all invited to participate
in the assembly. The vaisyas and sudras were unimportant elements in
society,
and they are not mentioned herein. Due to the change of social activities in
the modern age, the importance of men has also changed in terms of
occupational positions.
So in that great assembly, Lord Sri Krsna was the cynosure of neighboring
eyes. Everyone wanted to see Lord Krsna, and everyone wanted to pay his
humble
respects to the Lord. Bhismadeva remembered all this and was glad that his
worshipful Lord, the Personality of Godhead, was present before him in His
actual formal presence. So to meditate on the Supreme Lord is to meditate on
the activities, form, pastimes, name and fame of the Lord. That is easier than
what is imagined as meditation on the impersonal feature of the Supreme. In
the Bhagavad-gita (12.5) it is clearly stated that to meditate upon the
impersonal feature of the Supreme is very difficult. It is practically no
meditation or simply a waste of time because very seldom is the desired result
obtained. The devotees, however, meditate upon the Lord's factual form and
pastimes, and therefore the Lord is easily approachable by the devotees. This
is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita (12.9). The Lord is nondifferent from His
transcendental activities. It is indicated also in this sloka that Lord Sri
Krsna, while actually present before human society, especially in connection
with the Battle of Kuruksetra, was accepted as the greatest personality of the
time, although He might not have been recognized as the Supreme Personality
of
Godhead. The propaganda that a very great man is worshiped as God after his
death is misleading because a man after his death cannot be made into God.
Nor
can the Personality of Godhead be a human being, even when He is personally
present. Both ideas are misconceptions. The idea of anthropomorphism cannot
be
applicable in the case of Lord Krsna.

TEXT 42

tam imam aham ajam sarira-bhajam

hrdi hrdi dhisthitam atma-kalpitanam
pratidrsam iva naikadharkam ekam
samadhi-gato 'smi vidhuta-bheda-mohah

tam--that Personality of Godhead; imam--now present before me; aham--I;

ajam--the unborn; sarira-bhajam--of the conditioned soul; hrdi--in the heart;
hrdi--in the heart; dhisthitam--situated; atma--the Supersoul; kalpitanam--of
the speculators; pratidrsam--in every direction; iva--like; na ekadha--not
one; arkam--the sun; ekam--one only; samadhi-gatah asmi--I have undergone
trance in meditation; vidhuta--being freed from; bheda-mohah--misconception
of
duality.

TRANSLATION
 338

Now I can meditate with full concentration upon that one Lord, Sri Krsna,
now present before me because now I have transcended the misconceptions
of
duality in regard to His presence in everyone's heart, even in the hearts of
the mental speculators. He is in everyone's heart. The sun may be perceived
differently, but the sun is one.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna is the one Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He
has expanded Himself into His multiplenary portions by His inconceivable
energy. The conception of duality is due to ignorance of His inconceivable
energy. In the Bhagavad-gita (9.11) the Lord says that only the foolish take
Him to be a mere human being. Such foolish men are not aware of His
inconceivable energies. By His inconceivable energy He is present in
everyone's heart, as the sun is present before everyone all over the world.
The Paramatma feature of the Lord is an expansion of His plenary portions. He
expands Himself as Paramatma in everyone's heart by His inconceivable
energy,
and He also expands Himself as the glowing effulgence of brahmajyoti by
expansion of His personal glow. It is stated in the Brahma-samhita that the
brahmajyoti is His personal glow. Therefore, there is no difference between
Him and His personal glow, brahmajyoti, or His plenary portions as
Paramatma.
Less intelligent persons who are not aware of this fact consider brahmajyoti
and Paramatma to be different from Sri Krsna. This misconception of duality is
completely removed from the mind of Bhismadeva, and he is now satisfied
that
it is Lord Sri Krsna only who is all in all in everything. This enlightenment
is attained by the great mahatmas or devotees, as it is stated in
Bhagavad-gita (7.19) that Vasudeva is all in all in everything and that there
is no existence of anything without Vasudeva. Vasudeva, or Lord Sri Krsna, is
the original Supreme Person, as now confirmed by a mahajana, and therefore
both the neophytes and the pure devotees must try to follow in his footsteps.
That is the way of the devotional line.
The worshipable object of Bhismadeva is Lord Sri Krsna as Partha-sarathi,
and that of the gopis is the same Krsna in Vrndavana as the most attractive
Syamasundara. Sometimes less intelligent scholars make a mistake and think
that the Krsna of Vrndavana and that of the Battle of Kuruksetra are different
personalities. But for Bhismadeva this misconception is completely removed.
Even the impersonalist,s object of destination is Krsna as the impersonal
jyoti, and the yogi's destination of Paramatma is also Krsna. Krsna is both
brahmajyoti and localized Paramatma, but in brahmajyoti or Paramatma there
is
no Krsna or sweet relations with Krsna. In His personal feature Krsna is both
Partha-sarathi and Syamasundara of Vrndavana, but in His impersonal feature
He
is neither in the brahmajyoti nor in the Paramatma. Great mahatmas like
Bhismadeva realize all these different features of Lord Sri Krsna, and
therefore they worship Lord Krsna, knowing Him as the origin of all features.

TEXT 43
 339

suta uvaca
krsna evam bhagavati
mano-vag-drsti-vrttibhih
atmany atmanam avesya
so 'ntahsvasa uparamat

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; krsne--Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality

of
Godhead; evam--only; bhagavati--unto Him; manah--with mind; vak--speech;
drsti--sight; vrttibhih--activities; atmani--unto the Supersoul; atmanam--the
living being; avesya--having merged in; sah--he; antah-svasah--inhaling;
uparamat--became silent.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Thus Bhismadeva merged himself in the Supersoul,

Lord
Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with his mind, speech, sight
and actions, and thus he became silent, and his breathing stopped.

PURPORT

The stage attained by Bhismadeva while quitting his material body is

called nirvikalpa-samadhi because he merged his self into thinking of the Lord
and his mind into remembering His different activities. He chanted the glories
of the Lord, and by his sight he began to see the Lord personally present
before him, and thus all his activities became concentrated upon the Lord
without deviation. This is the highest stage of perfection, and it is possible
for everyone to attain this stage by practice of devotional service. The
devotional service of the Lord consists of nine principles of service
activities, and they are (1) hearing, (2) chanting, (3) remembering, (4)
serving the lotus feet, (5) worshiping, (6) praying, (7) executing the orders,
(8) fraternizing, and (9) fully surrendering. Any one of them or all of them
are equally competent to award the desired result, but they require to be
practiced persistently under the guidance of an expert devotee of the Lord.
The first item, hearing, is the most important item of all, and therefore
hearing of the Bhagavad-gita and, later on, Srimad-Bhagavatam is essential
for
the serious candidate who wants to attain the stage of Bhismadeva at the end.
The unique situation at Bhismadeva's time of death can be attained, even
though Lord Krsna may not be personally present. His words of the
Bhagavad-gita or those of Srimad-Bhagavatam are identical with the Lord.
They
are sound incarnations of the Lord, and one can fully utilize them to be
entitled to attain the stage of Sri Bhismadeva, who was one of the eight
Vasus. Every man or animal must die at a certain stage of life, but one who
dies like Bhismadeva attains perfection, and one who dies forced by the laws
of nature dies like an animal. That is the difference between a man and an
animal. The human form of life is especially meant for dying like Bhismadeva.

TEXT 44
 340

sampadyamanam ajnaya
bhismam brahmani niskale
sarve babhuvus te tusnim
vayamsiva dinatyaye

sampadyamanam--having merged into; ajnaya--after knowing this; bhismam--

about
Sri Bhismadeva; brahmani--into the Supreme Absolute; niskale--unlimited;
sarve--all present; babhuvuh te--all of them became; tusnim--silent; vayamsi
iva--like birds; dina-atyaye--at the end of the day.

TRANSLATION

Knowing that Bhismadeva had merged into the unlimited eternity of the
Supreme Absolute, all present there became silent like birds at the end of the
day.

PURPORT

To enter into or to become merged into the unlimited eternity of the

Supreme Absolute means to enter the original home of the living being. The
living beings are all component parts and parcels of the Absolute Personality
of Godhead, and therefore they are eternally related with Him as the servitor
and the served. The Lord is served by all His parts and parcels, as the
complete machine is served by its parts and parcels. Any part of the machine
removed from the whole is no longer important. Similarly, any part and parcel
of the Absolute detached from the service of the Lord is useless. The living
beings who are in the material world are all disintegrated parts and parcels
of the supreme whole, and they are no longer as important as the original
parts and parcels. There are, however, more integrated living beings who are
eternally liberated. The material energy of the Lord, called Durga-sakti, or
the superintendent of the prison house, takes charge of the disintegrated
parts and parcels, and thus they undergo a conditioned life under the laws of
material nature. When the living being becomes conscious of this fact, he
tries to go back home, back to Godhead, and thus the spiritual urge of the
living being begins. This spiritual urge is called brahma-jijnasa, or inquiry
about Brahman. Principally this brahma-jijnasa is successful by knowledge,
renunciation and devotional service to the Lord. Jnana, or knowledge, means
knowledge of everything of Brahman, the Supreme; renunciation means
detachment
of material affection, and devotional service is the revival by practice of
the original position of the living being. The successful living beings who
are eligible to enter into the realm of the Absolute are called the jnanis,
the yogis and the bhaktas. The jnanis and yogis enter into the impersonal rays
of the Supreme, but the bhaktas enter into the spiritual planets known as the
Vaikunthas. In these spiritual planets the Supreme Lord as Narayana
predominates, and the healthy, unconditioned living beings live there by
rendering loving service to the Lord in the capacity of servant, friend,
parents and fiancee. There the unconditioned living beings enjoy life in full
freedom with the Lord, whereas the impersonalist jnanis and yogis enter into
the impersonal glowing effulgence of the Vaikuntha planets. The Vaikuntha
 341

planets are all self-illuminating like the sun, and the rays of the Vaikuntha
planets are called the brahmajyoti. The brahmajyoti is spread unlimitedly, and
the material world is but a covered portion of an insignificant part of the
same brahmajyoti. This covering is temporary, and therefore it is a sort of
illusion.
Bhismadeva, as a pure devotee of the Lord, entered the spiritual realm in
one of the Vaikuntha planets where the Lord in His eternal form of
Partha-sarathi predominates over the unconditioned living beings who are
constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. The love and affection which
bind the Lord and devotee are exhibited in the case of Bhismadeva.
Bhismadeva
never forgot the Lord in His transcendental feature as the Partha-sarathi, and
the Lord was present personally before Bhismadeva while he was passing to
the
transcendental world. That is the highest perfection of life.

TEXT 45

tatra dundubhayo nedur

deva-manava-vaditah
sasamsuh sadhavo rajnam
khat petuh puspa-vrstayah

tatra--thereafter; dundubhayah--drums; neduh--were sounded; deva--the

demigods
from other planets; manava--men from all countries; vaditah--beaten by;
sasamsuh--praised; sadhavah--honest; rajnam--by the royal order; khat--from
the sky; petuh--began to fall; puspa-vrstayah--showers of flowers.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, both men and demigods sounded drums in honor, and the
honest
royal order commenced demonstrations of honor and respect. And from the
sky
fell showers of flowers.

PURPORT

Bhismadeva was respected both by the human beings and by the

demigods.
The human beings live on earth and similar other planets in the Bhur and
Bhuvar group of planets, but the demigods live in the Svar, or heavenly
planets, and all of them knew Bhismadeva as a great warrior and devotee of
the
Lord. As a mahajana (or authority) he was on the level of Brahma, Narada and
Siva, although he was a human being. Qualification on a par with the great
demigods is possible only on attainment of spiritual perfection. Thus
Bhismadeva was known all over the universes, and during his time
interplanetary travel was effected by finer methods than the futile endeavors
of mechanical spacecraft. When the distant planets were informed of the
passing away of Bhismadeva, all the inhabitants of the upper planets as well
 342

as of the earth dropped showers of flowers to show due respect to the

departed
great personality. This showering of flowers from heaven is a sign of
recognition by great demigods, and it should never be compared to the
decoration of a dead body. The body of Bhismadeva lost its material effects
due to being surcharged with spiritual realization, and thus the body was
spiritualized as when iron becomes red-hot when in contact with fire. The body
of a fully self-realized soul is not, therefore, accepted as material. Special
ceremonies are observed for such spiritual bodies. The respect and recognition
of Bhismadeva are never to be imitated by artificial means, as it has become a
fashion to observe the so-called jayanti ceremony for any and every common
man. According to authorized sastras, such a jayanti ceremony for an ordinary
man, however exalted he may be materially, is an offense to the Lord because
jayanti is reserved for the day when the Lord appears on the earth.
Bhismadeva
was unique in his activities, and his passing away to the kingdom of God is
also unique.

TEXT 46

tasya nirharanadini
samparetasya bhargava
yudhisthirah karayitva
muhurtam duhkhito 'bhavat

tasya--his; nirharana-adini--funeral ceremony; samparetasya--of the dead

body;
bhargava--O descendant of Bhrgu; yudhisthirah--Maharaja Yudhisthira;
karayitva--having performed it; muhurtam--for a moment; duhkhitah--sorry;
abhavat--became.

TRANSLATION

O descendant of Bhrgu [Saunaka], after performing funeral rituals for the

dead body of Bhismadeva, Maharaja Yudhisthira was momentarily overtaken
with
grief.

PURPORT

Bhismadeva was not only a great family head of Maharaja Yudhisthira, but
also he was a great philosopher and friend to him, his brothers and his
mother. Since Maharaja Pandu, the father of the five brothers headed by
Maharaja Yudhisthira, had died, Bhismadeva was the most affectionate
grandfather of the Pandavas and caretaker of the widow daughter-in-law
Kuntidevi. Although Maharaja Dhrtarastra, the elder uncle of Maharaja
Yudhisthira, was there to look after them, his affection was more on the side
of his hundred sons, headed by Duryodhana. Ultimately a colossal clique was
fabricated to deprive the five fatherless brothers of the rightful claim of
the kingdom of Hastinapura. There was great intrigue, common in imperial
palaces, and the five brothers were exiled to the wilderness. But Bhismadeva
was always a sincerely sympathetic well-wisher, grandfather, friend and
 343

philosopher to Maharaja Yudhisthira, even up to the last moment of his life.

He died very happily by seeing Maharaja Yudhisthira to the throne, otherwise
he would have long ago quitted his material body, instead of suffering agony
over the undue sufferings of the Pandavas. He was simply waiting for the
opportune moment because he was sure and certain that the sons of Pandu
would
come out victorious in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, as His Lordship Sri
Krsna was their protector. As a devotee of the Lord, he knew that the Lord's
devotee cannot be vanquished at any time. Maharaja Yudhisthira was quite
aware
of all these good wishes of Bhismadeva, and therefore he must have been
feeling the great separation. He was sorry for the separation of a great soul,
and not for the material body which Bhismadeva relinquished. The funeral
ceremony was a necessary duty, although Bhismadeva was a liberated soul.
Since
Bhismadeva was without issue, the eldest grandson, namely Maharaja
Yudhisthira, was the rightful person to perform this ceremony. It was a great
boon to Bhismadeva that an equally great son of the family undertook the last
rites of a great man.

TEXT 47

tustuvur munayo hrstah

krsnam tad-guhya-namabhih
tatas te krsna-hrdayah
svasraman prayayuh punah

tustuvuh--satisfied; munayah--the great sages, headed by Vyasadeva, etc.;

hrstah--all in a happy mood; krsnam--unto Lord Krsna, the Personality of
Godhead; tat--His; guhya--confidential; namabhih--by His holy name, etc.;
tatah--thereafter; te--they; krsna-hrdayah--persons who always bear Lord
Krsna
in their hearts; sva-asraman--to their respective hermitages;
prayayuh--returned; punah--again.

TRANSLATION

All the great sages then glorified Lord Sri Krsna, who was present there,
by confidential Vedic hymns. Then all of them returned to their respective
hermitages, bearing always Lord Krsna within their hearts.

PURPORT

The devotees of the Lord are always in the heart of the Lord, and the
Lord is always in the hearts of the devotees. That is the sweet relation
between the Lord and His devotees. Due to unalloyed love and devotion for
the
Lord, the devotees always see Him within themselves, and the Lord also,
although He has nothing to do and nothing to aspire to, is always busy in
attending to the welfare of His devotees. For the ordinary living beings the
law of nature is there for all actions and reactions, but He is always anxious
to put His devotees on the right path. The devotees, therefore, are under the
 344

direct care of the Lord. And the Lord also voluntarily puts Himself under the
care of His devotees only. So all the sages, headed by Vyasadeva, were
devotees of the Lord, and therefore they chanted the Vedic hymns after the
funeral ceremony just to please the Lord, who was present there personally.
All the Vedic hymns are chanted to please Lord Krsna. This is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gita (15.15). All the Vedas, Upanisads, Vedanta, etc., are seeking
Him only, and all hymns are for glorifying Him only. The sages, therefore,
performed the exact acts suitable for the purpose, and they happily departed
for their respective hermitages.

TEXT 48

tato yudhisthiro gatva

saha-krsno gajahvayam
pitaram santvayam asa
gandharim ca tapasvinim

tatah--thereafter; yudhisthirah--Maharaja Yudhisthira; gatva--going there;

saha--with; krsnah--the Lord; gajahvayam--in the capital named Gajahvaya
Hastinapura; pitaram--unto his uncle (Dhrtarastra); santvayam asa--consoled;
gandharim--the wife of Dhrtarastra; ca--and; tapasvinim--an ascetic lady.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, Maharaja Yudhisthira at once went to his capital,

Hastinapura, accompanied by Lord Sri Krsna, and there he consoled his uncle
and aunt Gandhari, who was an ascetic.

PURPORT

Dhrtarastra and Gandhari, the father and the mother of Duryodhana and
his
brothers, were the elder uncle and aunt of Maharaja Yudhisthira. After the
Battle of Kuruksetra, the celebrated couple, having lost all their sons and
grandsons, were under the care of Maharaja Yudhisthira. They were passing
their days in great agony over such a heavy loss of life and were practically
living the life of ascetics. The death news of Bhismadeva, uncle of
Dhrtarastra, was another great shock for the King and the Queen, and
therefore
they required solace from Maharaja Yudhisthira. Maharaja Yudhisthira was
conscious of his duty, and he at once hurried to the spot with Lord Krsna and
satisfied the bereaved Dhrtarastra with kind words, from both himself and the
Lord also.
Gandhari was a powerful ascetic, although she was living the life of a
faithful wife and a kind mother. It is said that Gandhari also voluntarily
closed her eyes because of the blindness of her husband. A wife's duty is to
follow the husband cent percent. And Gandhari was so true to her husband
that
she followed him even in his perpetual blindness. Therefore in her actions she
was a great ascetic. Besides that, the shock she suffered because of the
wholesale killing of her one hundred sons and her grandsons also was
certainly
 345

too much for a woman. But she suffered all this just like an ascetic.
Gandhari, although a woman, is no less than Bhismadeva in character. They
are
both remarkable personalities in the Mahabharata.

TEXT 49

pitra canumato raja

vasudevanumoditah
cakara rajyam dharmena
pitr-paitamaham vibhuh

pitra--by his uncle, Dhrtarastra; ca--and; anumatah--with his approval;

raja--King Yudhisthira; vasudeva-anumoditah--confirmed by Lord Sri Krsna;
cakara--executed; rajyam--the kingdom; dharmena--in compliance with the
codes
of royal principles; pitr--father; paitamaham--forefather; vibhuh--as great
as.

TRANSLATION

After this, the great religious King, Maharaja Yudhisthira, executed the
royal power in the kingdom strictly according to the codes and royal
principles approved by his uncle and confirmed by Lord Sri Krsna.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira was not a mere tax collector. He was always

conscious of his duty as a king, which is no less than that of a father or
spiritual master. The king is to see to the welfare of the citizens from all
angles of social, political, economic and spiritual upliftment. The king must
know that human life is meant for liberating the encaged soul from the
bondage
of material conditions, and therefore his duty is to see that the citizens are
properly looked after to attain this highest stage of perfection.
Maharaja Yudhisthira followed these principles strictly, as will be seen
from the next chapter. Not only did he follow the principles, but he also got
approval from his old uncle, who was experienced in political affairs, and
that was also confirmed by Lord Krsna, the speaker of the philosophy of
Bhagavad-gita.
Maharaja Yudhisthira is the ideal monarch, and monarchy under a trained
king like Maharaja Yudhisthira is by far the most superior form of government,
superior to modern republics or governments of the people, by the people.
The
mass of people, especially in this age of Kali, are all born sudras, basically
lowborn, ill-trained, unfortunate and badly associated. They themselves do not
know the highest perfectional aim of life. Therefore, votes cast by them
actually have no value, and thus persons elected by such irresponsible votes
cannot be responsible representatives like Maharaja Yudhisthira.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Ninth Chapter, of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The passing Away of Bhismadeva in the
presence of Lord Krsna."
 346

Chapter Ten

Departure of Lord Krsna for Dvaraka

TEXT 1

saunaka uvaca
hatva svariktha-sprdha atatayino
yudhisthiro dharma-bhrtam varisthah
sahanujaih pratyavaruddha-bhojanah
katham pravrttah kim akarasit tatah

saunakah uvaca--Saunaka inquired; hatva--after killing; svariktha--the legal

inheritance; sprdhah--desiring to usurp; atatayinah--the aggressor;
yudhisthirah--King Yudhisthira; dharma-bhrtam--of those who strictly follow
religious principles; varisthah--greatest; saha-anujaih--with his younger
brothers; pratyavaruddha--restricted; bhojanah--acceptance of necessities;
katham--how; pravrttah--engaged; kim--what; akarasit--executed;
tatah--thereafter.

TRANSLATION

Saunaka Muni asked: After killing his enemies who desired to usurp his
rightful inheritance, how did the greatest of all religious men, Maharaja
Yudhisthira, assisted by his brothers, rule his subjects? Surely he could not
freely enjoy his kingdom with unrestricted consciousness.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira was the greatest of all men of religion. Thus he was
not at all inclined to fight with his cousins for the sake of enjoying the
kingdom: he fought for the right cause because the kingdom of Hastinapura
was
his rightful inheritance and his cousins wanted to usurp it for themselves. He
fought, therefore, for the right cause under the guidance of Lord Sri Krsna,
but he could not enjoy the results of his victory because his cousins were all
killed in the fight. He therefore ruled over the kingdom as a matter of duty,
assisted by his younger brothers. The inquiry was important for Saunaka Rsi,
who wanted to know about the behavior of Maharaja Yudhisthira when he was
at
ease to enjoy the kingdom.

TEXT 2

suta uvaca
vamsam kuror vamsa-davagni-nirhrram
samrohayitva bhava-bhavano harih
nivesayitva nija-rajya isvaro
yudhisthiram prita-mana babhuva ha
 347

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami replied; vamsam--dynasty; kuroh--of King Kuru;

vamsa-dava-agni--a forest fire set by the bamboos; nirhrtam--exhausted;
samrohayitva--seedling of the dynasty; bhava-bhavanah--the maintainer of
creation; harih--the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna; nivesayitva--having
reestablished; nija-rajye--in his own kingdom; isvarah--the Supreme Lord;
yudhisthiram--unto Maharaja Yudhisthira; prita-manah--pleased in His mind;
babhuva ha--became.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
who is the maintainer of the world, became pleased after reestablishing
Maharaja Yudhisthira in his own kingdom and after restoring the Kuru dynasty,
which had been exhausted by the bamboo fire of anger.

PURPORT

This world is compared to a forest fire caused by the cohesion of bamboo

bushes. Such a forest fire takes place automatically, for bamboo cohesion
occurs without external cause. Similarly, in the material world the wrath of
those who want to lord it over material nature interacts, and the fire of war
takes place, exhausting the unwanted population. Such fires or wars take
place, and the Lord has nothing to do with them. But because He wants to
maintain the creation, He desires the mass of people to follow the right path
of self-realization, which enables the living beings to enter into the kingdom
of God. The Lord wants the suffering human beings to come back home, back
to
Him, and cease to suffer the threefold material pangs. The whole plan of
creation is made in that way, and one who does not come to his senses suffers
in the material world by pangs inflicted by the illusory energy of the Lord.
The Lord therefore wants His bona fide representative to rule the world. Lord
Sri Krsna descended to establish this sort of regime and to kill the unwanted
persons who have nothing to do with His plan. The Battle of Kuruksetra was
fought according to the plan of the Lord so that undesirable persons could get
out of the world and a peaceful kingdom under His devotee could be
established. The Lord was therefore fully satisfied when King Yudhisthira was
on the throne and the seedling of the dynasty of Kuru, in the person of
Maharaja Pariksit, was saved.

TEXT 3

nisamya bhismoktam athacyutoktam

pravrtta-vijnana-vidhuta-vibhramah
sasasa gam indra ivajitasrayah
paridhyupantam anujanuvartitah

nisamya--after listening; bhisma-uktam--what was spoken by Bhismadeva;

atha--as also; acyuta-uktam--what was spoken by the infallible Lord Krsna;
pravrtta--being engaged in; vijnana--perfect knowledge; vidhuta--completely
washed; vibhramah--all misgivings; sasasa--ruled over; gam--the earth;
indra--the king of the heavenly planet; iva--like; ajita-asrayah--protected by
the invincible Lord; paridhi-upantam--including the seas; anuja--the younger
 348

brothers; anuvartitah--being followed by them.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira, after being enlightened by what was spoken by

Bhismadeva and Lord Sri Krsna, the infallible, engaged himself in matters of
perfect knowledge because all his misgivings were eradicated. Thus he ruled
over the earth and seas and was followed by his younger brothers.

PURPORT

The modern English law of primogeniture, or the law of inheritance by the

firstborn, was also prevalent in those days when Maharaja Yudhisthira ruled
the earth and seas. In those days the King of Hastinapura (now part of New
Delhi) was the emperor of the world, including the seas, up to the time of
Maharaja Pariksit, the grandson of Maharaja Yudhisthira. Maharaja
Yudhisthira's younger brothers were acting as his ministers and commanders
of
state, and there was full cooperation between the perfectly religious brothers
of the King. Maharaja Yudhisthira was the ideal king or representative of Lord
Sri Krsna to rule over the kingdom of earth and was comparable to King Indra,
the representative ruler of the heavenly planets. The demigods like Indra,
Candra, Surya, Varuna and Vayu are representative kings of different planets
of the universe, and similarly Maharaja Yudhisthira was also one of them,
ruling over the kingdom of the earth. Maharaja Yudhisthira was not a typically
unenlightened political leader of modern democracy. Maharaja Yudhisthira was
instructed by Bhismadeva and the infallible Lord also, and therefore he had
full knowledge of everything in perfection.
The modern elected executive head of a state is just like a puppet
because he has no kingly power. Even if he is enlightened like Maharaja
Yudhisthira, he cannot do anything out of his own good will due to his
constitutional position. Therefore, there are so many states over the earth
quarreling because of ideological differences or other selfish motives. But a
king like Maharaja Yudhisthira had no ideology of his own. He had but to
follow the instructions of the infallible Lord and the Lord's representative
and the authorized agent, Bhismadeva. It is instructed in the sastras that one
should follow the great authority and the infallible Lord without any personal
motive and manufactured ideology. Therefore, it was possible for Maharaja
Yudhisthira to rule the whole world, including the seas, because the
principles were infallible and universally applicable to everyone. The
conception of one world state can only be fulfilled if we can follow the
infallible authority. An imperfect human being cannot create an ideology
acceptable to everyone. Only the perfect and the infallible can create a
program which is applicable at every place and can be followed by all in the
world. It is the person who rules, and not the impersonal government. If the
person is perfect, the government is perfect. If the person is a fool, the
government is a fool's paradise. That is the law of nature. There are so many
stories of imperfect kings or executive heads. Therefore, the executive head
must be a trained person like Maharaja Yudhisthira, and he must have the full
autocratic power to rule over the world. The conception of a world state can
take shape only under the regime of a perfect king like Maharaja Yudhisthira.
The world was happy in those days because there were kings like Maharaja
 349

Yudhisthira to rule over the world.

TEXT 4

kamam vavarsa parjanyah

sarva-kama-dugha mahi
sisicuh sma vrajan gavah
payasodhasvatir muda

kamam--everything needed; vavarsa--was showered; parjanyah--rains;

sama--everything; kama--necessities; dugha--producer; mahi--the land; sisicuh
sma--moisten; vrajan--pasturing grounds; gavah--the cow; payasa
udhasvatih--due to swollen milk bags; muda--because of a joyful attitude.

TRANSLATION

During the reign of Maharaja Yudhisthira, the clouds showered all the
water that people needed, and the earth produced all the necessities of man
in
profusion. Due to its fatty milk bag and cheerful attitude, the cow used to
moisten the grazing ground with milk.

PURPORT

The basic principle of economic development is centered on land and cows.

The necessities of human society are food grains, fruits, milk, minerals,
clothing, wood, etc. One requires all these items to fulfill the material
needs of the body. Certainly one does not require flesh and fish or iron tools
and machinery. During the regime of Maharaja Yudhisthira, all over the world
there were regulated rainfalls. Rainfalls are not in the control of the human
being. The heavenly King Indradeva is the controller of rains, and he is the
servant of the Lord. When the Lord is obeyed by the king and the people under
the king's administration, there are regulated rains from the horizon, and
these rains are the causes of all varieties of production on the land. Not
only do regulated rains help ample production of grains and fruits, but when
they combine with astronomical influences there is ample production of
valuable stones and pearls. Grains and vegetables can sumptuously feed a
man
and animals, and a fatty cow delivers enough milk to supply a man
sumptuously
with vigor and vitality. If there is enough milk, enough grains, enough fruit,
enough cotton, enough silk and enough jewels, then why do the people need
cinemas, houses of prostitution, slaughterhouses, etc.? What is the need of an
artificial luxurious life of cinema, cars, radio, flesh and hotels? Has this
civilization produced anything but quarreling individually and nationally? Has
this civilization enhanced the cause of equality and fraternity by sending
thousands of men into a hellish factory and the war fields at the whims of a
particular man?
It is said here that the cows used to moisten the pasturing land with
milk because their milk bags were fatty and the animals were joyful. Do they
not require, therefore, proper protection for a joyful life by being fed with
a sufficient quantity of grass in the field? Why should men kill cows for
 350

their selfish purposes? Why should man not be satisfied with grains, fruits
and milk, which, combined together, can produce hundreds and thousands of
palatable dishes. Why are there slaughterhouses all over the world to kill
innocent animals? Maharaja Pariksit, grandson of Maharaja Yudhisthira, while
touring his vast kingdom, saw a black man attempting to kill a cow. The King
at once arrested the butcher and chastised him sufficiently. Should not a king
or executive head protect the lives of the poor animals who are unable to
defend themselves? Is this humanity? Are not the animals of a country citizens
also? Then why are they allowed to be butchered in organized
slaughterhouses?
Are these the signs of equality, fraternity and nonviolence?
Therefore, in contrast with the modern, advanced, civilized form of
government, an autocracy like Maharaja Yudhisthira's is by far superior to a
so-called democracy in which animals are killed and a man less than an animal
is allowed to cast votes for another less-than-animal man.
We are all creatures of material nature. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said
that the Lord Himself is the seed-giving father and material nature is the
mother of all living beings in all shapes. Thus mother material nature has
enough foodstuff both for animals and for men, by the grace of the Father
Almighty, Sri Krsna. The human being is the elder brother of all other living
beings. He is endowed with intelligence more powerful than animals for
realizing the course of nature and the indications of the Almighty Father.
Human civilizations should depend on the production of material nature
without
artificially attempting economic development to turn the world into a chaos of
artificial greed and power only for the purpose of artificial luxuries and
sense gratification. This is but the life of dogs and hogs.

TEXT 5

nadyah samudra girayah

savanaspati-virudhah
phalanty osadhayah sarvah
kamam anvrtu tasya vai

nadyah--rivers; samudrah--oceans; girayah--hills and mountains;

savanaspati--vegetables; virudhah--creepers; phalanti--active;
osadhayah--drugs; sarvah--all; kamam--necessities; anvrtu--seasonal;
tasya--for the King; vai--certainly.

TRANSLATION

The rivers, oceans, hills, mountains, forests, creepers and active drugs,
in every season, paid their tax quota to the King in profusion.

PURPORT

Since Maharaja Yudhisthira was under the protection of the ajita, the
infallible Lord, as above mentioned, the properties of the Lord, namely the
rivers, oceans, hills, forests, etc., were all pleased, and they used to
supply their respective quota of taxes to the King. The secret to success is
to take refuge under the protection of the Supreme Lord. Without His sanction,
 351

nothing can be possible. To make economic development by our own

endeavors on
the strength of tools and machinery is not all. The sanction of the Supreme
Lord must be there, otherwise despite all instrumental arrangements
everything
will be unsuccessful. The ultimate cause of success is the daiva, the Supreme.
Kings like Maharaja Yudhisthira knew perfectly well that the king is the agent
of the Supreme Lord to look after the welfare of the mass of people. Actually
the state belongs to the Supreme Lord. The rivers, oceans, forests, hills,
drugs, etc., are not creations of man. They are all creations of the Supreme
Lord, and the living being is allowed to make use of the property of the Lord
for the service of the Lord. Today's slogan is that everything is for the
people, and therefore the government is for the people and by the people. But
to produce a new species of humanity at the present moment on the basis of
God
consciousness and perfection of human life, the ideology of godly communism,
the world has to again follow in the footsteps of kings like Maharaja
Yudhisthira or Pariksit. There is enough of everything by the will of the
Lord, and we can make proper use of things to live comfortably without enmity
between men, or animal and man or nature. The control of the Lord is
everywhere, and if the Lord is pleased, every part of nature will be pleased.
The river will flow profusely to fertilize the land; the oceans will supply
sufficient quantities of minerals, pearls and jewels; the forest will supply
sufficient wood, drugs and vegetables, and the seasonal changes will
effectively help produce fruits and flowers in profuse quantity. The
artificial way of living depending on factories and tools can render so-called
happiness only to a limited number at the cost of millions. Since the energy
of the mass of people is engaged in factory production, the natural products
are being hampered, and for this the mass is unhappy. Without being
educated
properly, the mass of people are following in the footsteps of the vested
interests by exploiting natural reserves, and therefore there is acute
competition between individual and individual and nation and nation. There is
no control by the trained agent of the Lord. We must look into the defects of
modern civilization by comparison here, and should follow in the footsteps of
Maharaja Yudhisthira to cleanse man and wipe out anachronisms.

TEXT 6

nadhayo vyadhayah klesa

daiva-bhutatma-hetavah
ajata-satrav abhavan
jantunam rajni karhicit

na--never; adhayah--anxieties; vyadhyah--diseases; klesah--trouble due to

excessive heat and cold; daiva-bhuta-atma--all due to the body, supernatural
power and other living beings; hetavah--due to the cause of;
ajata-satrau--unto one who has no enemy; abhavan--happened; jantunam--of
the
living beings; rajni--unto the King; karhicit--at any time.

TRANSLATION
 352

Because of the King's having no enemy, the living beings were not at any
time disturbed by mental agonies, diseases, or excessive heat or cold.

PURPORT

To be nonviolent to human beings and to be a killer or enemy of the poor

animals is Satan's philosophy. In this age there is enmity toward poor
animals, and therefore the poor creatures are always anxious. The reaction of
the poor animals is being forced on human society, and therefore there is
always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively
or nationally. At the time of Maharaja Yudhisthira, there were no different
nations, although there were different subordinate states. The whole world
was
united, and the supreme head, being a trained king like Yudhisthira, kept all
the inhabitants free from anxiety, diseases and excessive heat and cold. They
were not only economically well-to-do, but also physically fit and undisturbed
by supernatural power, by enmity from other living beings and by disturbance
of bodily and mental agonies. There is a proverb in Bengali that a bad king
spoils the kingdom and a bad housewife spoils the family. This truth is
applicable here also. Because the King was pious and obedient to the Lord and
sages, because he was no one's enemy and because he was a recognized
agent of
the Lord and therefore protected by Him, all the citizens under the King's
protection were, so to speak, directly protected by the Lord and His
authorized agents. Unless one is pious and recognized by the Lord, he cannot
make others happy who are under his care. There is full cooperation between
man and God and man and nature, and this conscious cooperation between
man and
God and man and nature, as exemplified by King Yudhisthira, can bring about
happiness, peace and prosperity in the world. The attitude of exploiting one
another, the custom of the day, will only bring misery.

TEXT 7

usitva hastinapure
masan katipayan harih
suhrdam ca visokaya
svasus ca priya-kamyaya

usitva--staying; hastinapure--in the city of Hastinapura; masan--months;

katipayan--a few; harih--Lord Sri Krsna; suhrdam--relatives; ca--also;
visokaya--for pacifying them; svasuh--the sister; ca--and; priya-kamyaya--for
pleasing.

TRANSLATION

Sri Hari, Lord Sri Krsna, resided at Hastinapura for a few months to
pacify His relatives and please His own sister [Subhadra].

PURPORT
 353

Krsna was to start for Dvaraka, His own kingdom, after the Battle of
Kuruksetra and Yudhisthira's being enthroned, but to oblige the request of
Maharaja Yudhisthira and to show special mercy to Bhismadeva, Lord Krsna
stopped at Hastinapura, the capital of the Pandavas. The Lord decided to stay
especially to pacify the aggrieved King as well as to please Subhadra, sister
of Lord Sri Krsna. Subhadra was especially to be pacified because she lost her
only son, Abhimanyu, who was just married. The boy left his wife, Uttara,
mother of Maharaja Pariksit. The Lord is always pleased to satisfy His
devotees in any capacity. Only His devotees can play the parts of His
relatives. The Lord is absolute.

TEXT 8

amantrya cabhyanujnatah
parisvajyabhivadya tam
aruroha ratham kaiscit
parisvakto 'bhivaditah

amantrya--taking permission; ca--and; abhyanujnatah--being permitted;

parisvajya--embracing; abhivadya--bowing down at the feet; tam--unto
Maharaja
Yudhisthira; aruroha--ascended; ratham--the chariot; kaiscit--by someone;
parisvaktah--being embraced; abhivaditah--being offered obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Afterwards, when the Lord asked permission to depart and the King gave
it, the Lord offered His respects to Maharaja Yudhisthira by bowing down at
his feet, and the King embraced Him. After this the Lord, being embraced by
others and receiving their obeisances, got into His chariot.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira was the elder cousin of Lord Krsna, and therefore
while departing from him the Lord bowed down at the King's feet. The King
embraced Him as a younger brother, although the King knew perfectly well
that
Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord takes pleasure when
some
of His devotees accept Him as less important in terms of love. No one is
greater than or equal to the Lord, but He takes pleasure in being treated as
younger than His devotees. These are all transcendental pastimes of the Lord.
The impersonalist cannot enter into the supernatural roles played by the
devotee of the Lord. Thereafter Bhima and Arjuna embraced the Lord because
they were of the same age, but Nakula and Sahadeva bowed down before the
Lord
because they were younger than He.

TEXT 9-10

subhadra draupadi kunti

virata-tanaya tatha
 354

gandhari dhrtarastras ca
yuyutsur gautamo yamau

vrkodaras ca dhaumyas ca
striyo matsya-sutadayah
na sehire vimuhyanto
viraham sarnga-dhanvanah

subhadra--the sister of Krsna; draupadi--the wife of the Pandavas; kunti--the

mother of the Pandavas; virata-tanaya--the daughter of Virata (Uttara);
tatha--also; gandhari--the mother of Duryodhana; dhrtarastrah--the father of
Duryodhana; ca--and; yuyutsuh--the son of Dhrtarastra by his vaisya wife;
gautamah--Krpacarya; yamau--the twin brothers Nakula and Sahadeva;
vrkodarah--Bhima; ca--and; dhaumyah--Dhaumya; ca--and; striyah--also other
ladies of the palace; matsya-suta-adayah--the daughter of a fisherman
(Satyavati, Bhisma's stepmother); na--could not; sehire--tolerate;
vimuhyantah--almost fainting; viraham--separation; sarnga-dhanvanah--of Sri
Krsna, who bears a conch in His hand.

TRANSLATION

At that time Subhadra, Draupadi, Kunti, Uttara, Gandhari, Dhrtarastra,

Yuyutsu, Krpacarya, Nakula, Sahadeva, Bhimasena, Dhaumya and Satyavati
all
nearly fainted because it was impossible for them to bear separation from
Lord
Krsna.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna is so attractive for the living beings, especially for the
devotees, that it is impossible for them to tolerate separation. The
conditioned soul under the spell of illusory energy forgets the Lord,
otherwise he cannot. The feeling of such separation cannot be described, but
it can simply be imagined by devotees only. After His separation from
Vrndavana and the innocent rural cowherd boys, girls, ladies and others, they
all felt shock throughout their lives, and the separation of Radharani, the
most beloved cowherd girl, is beyond expression. Once they met at Kuruksetra
during a solar eclipse, and the feeling which was expressed by them is
heartrending. There is, of course, a difference in the qualities of the
transcendental devotees of the Lord, but none of them who have ever
contacted
the Lord by direct communion or otherwise can leave Him for a moment. That
is
the attitude of the pure devotee.

TEXT 11-12

sat-sangan mukta-duhsango
hatum notsahate budhah
kirtyamanam yaso yasya
sakrd akarnya rocanam
 355

tasmin nyasta-dhiyah parthah

saheran viraham katham
darsana-sparsa-samlapa-
sayanasana-bhojanaih

sat-sangat--by the association of pure devotees; mukta-duhsangah--freed from

bad materialistic association; hatum--to give up; na utsahate--never attempts;
budhah--one who has understood the Lord; kirtyamanam--glorifying; yasah--
fame;
yasya--whose; sakrt--once only; akarnya--hearing only; rocanam--pleasing;
tasmin--unto Him; nyasta-dhiyah--one who has given his mind unto Him;
parthah--the sons of Prtha; saheran--can tolerate; viraham--separation;
katham--how; darsana--seeing face to face; sparsa--touching;
samlapa--conversing; sayana--sleeping; asana--sitting; bhojanaih--dining
together.

TRANSLATION

The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with
pure devotees and have become freed from bad materialistic association, can
never avoid hearing the glories of the Lord, even though they have heard
them
only once. How, then, could the Pandavas tolerate His separation, for they had
been intimately associated with His person, seeing Him face to face, touching
Him, conversing with Him, and sleeping, sitting and dining with Him?

PURPORT

The living being's constitutional position is one of serving a superior.

He is obliged to serve by force the dictates of illusory material energy in
different phases of sense gratification. And in serving the senses he is never
tired. Even though he may be tired, the illusory energy perpetually forces him
to do so without being satisfied. There is no end to such sense gratificatory
business, and the conditioned soul becomes entangled in such servitude
without
hope of release. The release is only effected by association with pure
devotees. By such association one is gradually promoted to his transcendental
consciousness. Thus he can know that his eternal position is to render service
unto the Lord and not to the perverted senses in the capacity of lust, anger,
desire to lord it over, etc. Material society, friendship and love are all
different phases of lust. Home, country, family, society, wealth and all sorts
of corollaries are all causes of bondage in the material world, where the
threefold miseries of life are concomitant factors. By associating with pure
devotees and by hearing them submissively, attachment for material
enjoyment
becomes slackened, and attraction for hearing about the transcendental
activities of the Lord becomes prominent. Once they are, they will go on
progressively without stoppage, like fire in gunpowder. It is said that Hari,
the Personality of Godhead, is so transcendentally attractive that even those
who are self-satisfied by self-realization and are factually liberated from
 356

all material bondage also become devotees of the Lord. Under the
circumstances
it is easily understood what must have been the position of the Pandavas, who
were constant companions of the Lord. They could not even think of
separation
from Sri Krsna, since the attraction was more intense for them because of
continuous personal contact. His remembrance by His form, quality, name,
fame,
pastimes, etc., is also attractive for the pure devotee, so much so that he
forgets all forms, quality, name, fame and activities of the mundane world,
and due to his mature association with pure devotees he is not out of contact
with the Lord for a moment.

TEXT 13

sarve te 'nimisair aksais

tam anu druta-cetasah
viksantah sneha-sambaddha
vicelus tatra tatra ha

sarve--all; te--they; animisaih--without twinkling of the eyes; aksaih--by the

eye; tam anu--after Him; druta-cetasah--melted heart; viksantah--looking upon
Him; sneha-sambaddhah--bound by pure affection; viceluh--began to move;
tatra
tatra--here and there; ha--so they did.

TRANSLATION

All their hearts were melting for Him on the pot of attraction. They
looked at Him without blinking their eyes, and they moved hither and thither
in perplexity.

PURPORT

Krsna is naturally attractive for all living beings because He is the

chief eternal amongst all eternals. He alone is the maintainer of the many
eternals. This is stated in the Katha Upanisad, and thus one can obtain
permanent peace and prosperity by revival of one's eternal relation with Him,
now forgotten under the spell of maya, the illusory energy of the Lord. Once
this relation is slightly revived, the conditioned soul at once becomes freed
from the illusion of material energy and becomes mad after the association of
the Lord. This association is made possible not only by personal contact with
the Lord, but also by association with His name, fame, form and quality.
Srimad-Bhagavatam trains the conditioned soul to this stage of perfection by
submissive hearing from the pure devotee.

TEXT 14

nyarundhann udgalad baspam

autkanthyad devaki-sute
niryaty agaran no 'bhadram
iti syad bandhava-striyah
 357

nyarundhan--checking with great difficulty; udgalat--overflowing;

baspam--tears; autkanthyat--because of great anxiety; devaki-sute--unto the
son of Devaki; niryati--having come out; agarat--from the palace; nah--not;
abhadram--inauspiciousness; iti--thus; syat--may happen; bandhava--relative;
striyah--ladies.

TRANSLATION

The female relatives, whose eyes were flooded with tears out of anxiety
for Krsna, came out of the palace. They could stop their tears only with great
difficulty. They feared that tears would cause misfortune at the time of
departure.

PURPORT

There were hundreds of ladies in the palace of Hastinapura. All of them

were affectionate to Krsna. All of them were relatives also. When they saw
that Krsna was going away from the palace for His native place, they were
very
anxious for Him, and as usual tears began to roll down their cheeks. They
thought, at the same time, that tears at that moment might be a cause of
misfortune for Krsna; therefore they wanted to check them. This was very
difficult for them because the tears could not be checked. Therefore, they
smeared their tears in their eyes, and their hearts throbbed. Therefore ladies
who were the wives and daughters-in-law of those who died in the battlefield
never came in direct contact with Krsna. But all of them heard of Him and His
great activities, and thus they thought of Him, talked of Him, His name, fame,
etc., and became affectionate also, like those who were in direct contact.
Therefore directly or indirectly anyone who thinks of Krsna, talks of Krsna or
worships Krsna becomes attached to Him. Because Krsna is absolute, there is
no
difference between His name, form, quality, etc. Our intimate relation with
Krsna can be confidentially revived by our talking of, hearing of, or
remembering Him. It is so done due to spiritual potency.

TEXT 15

mrdanga-sankha-bheryas ca
vina-panava-gomukhah
dhundhury-anaka-ghantadya
nedur dundubhayas tatha

mrdanga--sweet sounding drum; sankha--conchshell; bheryah--brass band;

ca--and; vina--string band; panava--a kind of flute; gomukhah--another flute;
dhundhuri--another drum; anaka--kettle; ghanta--bell; adyah--others;
neduh--sounded; dundubhayah--other different types of drums; tatha--at that
time.

TRANSLATION

While the Lord was departing from the palace of Hastinapura, different
 358

types of drums --like the mrdanga, dhola, nagra, dhundhuri and dundubhi--and
flutes of different types, the vina, gomukha and bheri, all sounded together
to show Him honor.

TEXT 16

prasada-sikhararudhah
kuru-naryo didrksaya
vavrsuh kusumaih krsnam
prema-vrida-smiteksanah

prasada--palace; sikhara--the roof; arudhah--ascending; kuru-naryah--the

ladies of the Kuru royalty; didrksaya--seeing; vavrsuh--showered; kusumaih--
by
flowers; krsnam--upon Lord Krsna; prema--out of affection and love;
vrida-smita-iksanah--glancing with shy smiles.

TRANSLATION

Out of a loving desire to see the Lord, the royal ladies of the Kurus got
up on top of the palace, and smiling with affection and shyness, they showered
flowers upon the Lord.

PURPORT

Shyness is a particular extra-natural beauty of the fair sex, and it

commands respect from the opposite sex. This custom was observed even
during
the days of the Mahabharata, i.e., more than five thousand years ago. It is
only the less intelligent persons not well versed in the history of the world
who say that observance of separation of female from male is an introduction
of the Mohammedan period in India. This incident from the Mahabharata
period
proves definitely that the ladies of the palace observed strict parda
(restricted association with men), and instead of coming down in the open air
where Lord Krsna and others were assembled, the ladies of the palace went up
on the top of the palace and from there paid their respects to Lord Krsna by
showers of flowers. It is definitely stated here that the ladies were smiling
there on the top of the palace, checked by shyness. This shyness is a gift of
nature to the fair sex, and it enhances their beauty and prestige, even if
they are of a less important family or even if they are less attractive. We
have practical experience of this fact. A sweeper woman commanded the
respect
of many respectable gentlemen simply by manifesting a lady's shyness.
Half-naked ladies in the street do not command any respect, but a shy
sweeper's wife commands respect from all.
Human civilization, as conceived of by the sages of India, is to help one
free himself from the clutches of illusion. The material beauty of a woman is
an illusion because actually the body is made of earth, water, fire, air, etc.
But because there is the association of the living spark with matter, it
appears to be beautiful. No one is attracted by an earthen doll, even if it is
 359

most perfectly prepared to attract the attention of others. The dead body has
no beauty because no one will accept the dead body of a so-called beautiful
woman. Therefore, the conclusion is that the spirit spark is beautiful, and
because of the soul's beauty one is attracted by the beauty of the outward
body. The Vedic wisdom, therefore, forbids us to be attracted by false beauty.
But because we are now in the darkness of ignorance, the Vedic civilization
allows very restricted mixing of woman and man. They say that the woman is
considered to be the fire, and the man is considered to be the butter. The
butter must melt in association with fire, and therefore they may be brought
together only when it is necessary. And shyness is a check to the unrestricted
mixing. It is nature's gift, and it must be utilized.

TEXT 17

sitatapatram jagraha
muktadama-vibhusitam
ratna-dandam gudakesah
priyah priyatamasya ha

sita-atapatram--soothing umbrella; jagraha--took up; muktadama--decorated

with
laces and pearls; vibhusitam--embroidered; ratna-dandam--with a handle of
jewels; gudakesah--Arjuna, the expert warrior, or one who has conquered
sleep;
priyah--most beloved; priyatamasya--of the most beloved; ha--so he did.

TRANSLATION

At that time Arjuna, the great warrior and conqueror of sleep, who is the
intimate friend of the most beloved Supreme Lord, took up an umbrella which
had a handle of jewels and was embroidered with lace and pearls.

PURPORT

Gold, jewels, pearls and valuable stones were used in the luxurious royal
ceremonies. They are all nature's gifts and are produced by the hills, oceans,
etc., by the order of the Lord, when man does not waste his valuable time in
producing unwanted things in the name of necessities. By so-called
development
of industrial enterprises, they are now using pots of gutta-percha instead of
metals like gold, silver, brass and copper. They are using margarine instead
of purified butter, and one fourth of the city population has no shelter.

TEXT 18

uddhavah satyakis caiva

vyajane paramadbhute
vikiryamanah kusumai
reje madhu-patih pathi

uddhavah--a cousin-brother of Krsna's; satyakih--His driver; ca--and;

eva--certainly; vyajane--engaged in fanning; parama-adbhute--decorative;
 360

vikiryamanah--seated on scattered; kusumaih--flowers all around;

reje--commanded; madhu-patih--the master of Madhu (Krsna); pathi--on the
road.

TRANSLATION

Uddhava and Satyaki began to fan the Lord with decorated fans, and the
Lord, as the master of Madhu, seated on scattered flowers, commanded them
along the road.

TEXT 19

asruyantasisah satyas
tatra tatra dvijeritah
nanurupanurupas ca
nirgunasya gunatmanah

asruyanta--being heard; asisah--benediction; satyah--all truths; tatra--here;

tatra--there; dvija-iritah--sounded by learned brahmanas; na--not;
anurupa--befitting; anurupah--fitting; ca--also; nirgunasya--of the Absolute;
guna-atmanah--playing the role of a human being.

TRANSLATION

It was being heard here and there that the benedictions being paid to
Krsna were neither befitting nor unbefitting because they were all for the
Absolute, who was now playing the part of a human being.

PURPORT

At places there were sounds of Vedic benediction aiming at the

Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. The benedictions were fitting in the sense
that the Lord was playing the part of a human being, as if a cousin of
Maharaja Yudhisthira, but they were also unfitting because the Lord is
absolute and has nothing to do with any kind of material relativities. He is
nirguna, or there are no material qualities in Him, but He is full of
transcendental qualities. In the transcendental world there is nothing
contradictory, whereas in the relative world everything has its opposite. In
the relative world white is the opposite conception of black, but in the
transcendental world there is no distinction between white and black.
Therefore the sounds of benedictions uttered by the learned brahmanas here
and
there appear to be contradictory in relation with the Absolute Person, but
when they are applied to the Absolute Person they lose all contradiction and
become transcendental. One example may clear this idea. Lord Sri Krsna is
sometimes described as a thief. He is very famous amongst His pure devotees
as
the Makhana-cora. He used to steal butter from the houses of neighbors at
Vrndavana in His early age. Since then He is famous as a thief. But in spite
of His being famous as a thief, He is worshiped as a thief, whereas in the
mundane world a thief is punished and is never praised. Since He is the
 361

Absolute Personality of Godhead, everything is applicable to Him, and still in

spite of all contradictions He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 20

anyonyam asit sanjalpa

uttama-sloka-cetasam
kauravendra-pura-strinam
sarva-sruti-mano-harah

anyonyam--among each other; asit--there was; sanjalpah--talking;

uttama-sloka--the Supreme, who is praised by selected poetry; cetasam--of
those whose hearts are absorbed in that way; kaurava-indra--the king of the
Kurus; pura--capital; strinam--all the ladies; sama--all; sruti--the Vedas;
manah-harah--attractive to the mind.

TRANSLATION

Absorbed in the thought of the transcendental qualities of the Lord, who

is glorified in select poetry, the ladies on the roofs of all the houses of
Hastinapura began to talk of Him. This talk was more attractive than the
hymns
of the Vedas.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that in all the Vedic literatures the

goal is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. Factually the glories of the
Lord are depicted in such literature as the Vedas, Ramayana and
Mahabharata.
And in the Bhagavatam they are specifically mentioned in respect to the
Supreme Lord. Therefore, while the ladies on the tops of the houses in the
capital of the kings of the Kuru dynasty were talking about the Lord, their
talk was more pleasing than the Vedic hymns. Anything sung in the praise of
the Lord is Sruti-mantra. There are songs of Thakura Narottama dasa, one of
the acaryas in the Gaudiya-sampradaya, composed in simple Bengali
language.
But Thakura Visvanatha Cakravarti, another very learned acarya of the same
sampradaya, has approved the songs by Thakura Narottama dasa to be as
good as
Vedic mantras. And this is so because of the subject matter. The language is
immaterial, but the subject matter is important. The ladies, who were all
absorbed in the thought and actions of the Lord, developed the consciousness
of Vedic wisdom by the grace of the Lord. And therefore although such ladies
might not have been very learned scholars in Sanskrit or otherwise, still
whatever they spoke was more attractive than the Vedic hymns. The Vedic
hymns
in the Upanisads are sometimes indirectly directed to the Supreme Lord. But
the talks of the ladies were directly spoken of the Lord, and thus they were
more pleasing to the heart. The ladies' talks appeared to be more valuable
than the learned brahmanas' benedictions.
 362

TEXT 21

sa vai kilayam purusah puratano

ya eka asid avisesa atmani
agre gunebhyo jagad-atmanisvare
nimilitatman nisi supta-saktisu

sah--He (Krsna); vai--as I remember; kila--definitely; ayam--this;

pumsah--Personality of Godhead; puratanah--the original; yah--who; ekah--
only
one; asit--existed; avisesah--materially unmanifested; atmani--own self;
agre--before creation; gunebhyah--of the modes of nature; jagat-atmani--unto
the Supersoul; isvare--unto the Supreme Lord; nimilita--merged into;
atman--the living entity; nisi supta--inactive at night; saktisu--of the
energies.

TRANSLATION

They said: Here He is, the original Personality of Godhead as we

definitely remember Him. He alone existed before the manifested creation of
the modes of nature, and in Him only, because He is the Supreme Lord, all
living beings merge, as if sleeping at night, their energy suspended.

PURPORT

There are two types of dissolution of the manifested cosmos. At the end
of every 4,320,000,000 solar years, when Brahma, the lord of one particular
universe, goes to sleep, there is one annihilation. And at the end of Lord
Brahma's life, which takes place at the end of Brahma's one hundred years of
age, in our calculation at the end of 8,640,000,000 x 30 x 12 x 100 solar
years, there is complete annihilation of the entire universe, and in both the
periods both the material energy called the mahat-tattva and the marginal
energy called jiva-tattva merge in the person of the Supreme Lord. The living
beings remain asleep within the body of the Lord until there is another
creation of the material world, and that is the way of the creation,
maintenance and annihilation of the material manifestation.
The material creation is effected by the interaction of the three modes
of material nature set in action by the Lord, and therefore it is said here
that the Lord existed before the modes of material nature were set in motion.
In the Sruti-mantra it is said that only Visnu, the Supreme Lord, existed
before the creation, and there was no Brahma, Siva or other demigods. Visnu
means the Maha-Visnu, who is lying on the Causal Ocean. By His breathing
only
all the universes are generated in seeds and gradually develop into gigantic
forms with innumerable planets within each and every universe. The seeds of
universes develop into gigantic forms in the way seeds of a banyan tree
develop into numberless banyan trees.
This Maha-Visnu is the plenary portion of the Lord Sri Krsna, who is
mentioned in the Brahma-samhita as follows:
"Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the original Personality of
Godhead, Govinda, whose plenary portion is the Maha-Visnu. All the Brahmas,
the heads of the universes, live only for the period of His exhaling, after
 363

the universes are generated from the pores of His transcendental body."
(Brahma-samhita 5.58)
Thus Govinda, or Lord Krsna, is the cause of Maha-Visnu also. The ladies
talking about this Vedic truth must have heard it from authoritative sources.
An authoritative source is the only means of knowing about transcendental
subject matter definitely. There is no alternative.
The merging of the living beings into the body of Maha-Visnu takes place
automatically at the end of Brahma's one hundred years. But that does not
mean
that the individual living being loses his identity. The identity is there,
and as soon as there is another creation by the supreme will of the Lord, all
the sleeping, inactive living beings are again let loose to begin their
activities in the continuation of past different spheres of life. It is called
suptotthita naya, or awakening from sleep and again engaging in one's
respective continuous duty. When a man is asleep at night, he forgets himself,
what he is, what his duty is and everything of his waking state. But as soon
as he awakens from slumber, he remembers all that he has to do and thus
engages himself again in his prescribed activities. The living beings also
remain merged in the body of Maha-Visnu during the period of annihilation,
but
as soon as there is another creation they arise to take up their unfinished
work. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (8.18-20).
The Lord existed before the creative energy was set in action. The Lord
is not a product of the material energy. His body is completely spiritual, and
there is no difference between His body and Himself. Before creation the Lord
remained in His abode, which is absolute and one.

TEXT 22

sa eva bhuyo nija-virya-coditam

sva-jiva-mayam prakrtim sisrksatim
anama-rupatmani rupa-namani
vidhitsamano 'nusasara sastra-krt

sah--He; eva--thus; bhuyah--again; nija--own personal; virya--potency;

coditam--performance of; sva--own; jiva--living being; mayam--external
energy;
prakrtim--unto material nature; sisrksatim--while re-creating; anama--without
mundane designation; rupa-atmani--forms of the soul; rupa-namani--forms and
names; vidhitsamanah--desiring to award; anusasara--entrusted; sastra-krt--
the
compiler of revealed scripture.

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead, again desiring to give names and forms to His
parts and parcels, the living entities, placed them under the guidance of
material nature. By His own potency, material nature is empowered to
re-create.

PURPORT
 364

The living entities are parts and parcels of the Lord. They are of two
varieties, namely nitya-mukta and nitya-baddha. The nitya-muktas are
eternally
liberated souls, and they are eternally engaged in the reciprocation of
transcendental loving service with the Lord in His eternal abode beyond the
manifested mundane creations. But the nitya-baddha, or eternally conditioned
souls, are entrusted to His external energy, maya, for rectification of their
rebellious attitude toward the Supreme Father. Nitya-baddhas are eternally
forgetful of their relation with the Lord as parts and parcels. They are
bewildered by the illusory energy as products of matter, and thus they are
very busy in making plans in the material world for becoming happy. They go
on
merrily with plans, but by the will of the Lord both the planmakers and the
plans are annihilated at the end of a certain period, as above mentioned. This
is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita as follows: "O son of Kunti, at the end of
the millennium all the living entities merge into My nature, and again when
the time of creation is ripe, I begin creation by the agency of My external
energy." (Bg. 9.7)
The word bhuyah indicates again and again, that is to say the process of
creation, maintenance and annihilation is going on perpetually by the external
energy of the Lord. He is the cause of everything. But the living beings, who
are constitutionally the parts and parcels of the Lord and are forgetful of
the sweet relation, are given a chance again to get rid of the clutches of the
external energy. And to revive his (the living being's) consciousness, the
revealed scriptures are also created by the Lord. Vedic literatures are the
guiding directions for the conditioned souls so they can get free from the
repetition of creation and annihilation of the material world and the material
body.
The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita, "This created world and material
energy are under My control. Under the influence of prakrti, automatically
they are created again and again, and this is done by Me through the agency
of
My external energy."
Actually the spiritual spark living entities have no material names or
forms. But in order to fulfill their desire to lord it over the material
energy of material forms and names, they are given a chance for such false
enjoyment, and at the same time they are given a chance to understand the
real
position through the revealed scriptures. The foolish and forgetful living
being is always busy with false forms and false names. Modern nationalism is
the culmination of such false names and false forms. Men are mad after false
name and form. The form of body obtained under certain conditions is taken
up
as factual, and the name also taken bewilders the conditioned soul into
misusing the energy in the name of so many "isms." The scriptures, however,
supply the clue for understanding the real position, but men are reluctant to
take lessons from the scriptures created by the Lord for different places and
times. For example, the Bhagavad-gita is the guiding principle for every
human
being, but by the spell of material energy they do not take care to carry out
the programs of life in terms of the Bhagavad-gita. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the
post-graduate study of knowledge for one who has thoroughly understood the
 365

principles of the Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately people have no taste for them,

and therefore they are under the clutches of maya for repetition of birth and
death.

TEXT 23

sa va ayam yat padam atra surayo

jitendriya nirjita-matarisvanah
pasyanti bhakty-utkalitamalatmana
nanv esa sattvam parimarstum arhati

sah--He; vai--by providence; ayam--this; yat--that which; padam atra--here is

the same Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna; surayah--great devotees;
jita-indriyah--who have overcome the influence of the senses;
nirjita--thoroughly controlled; matarisvanah--life; pasyanti--can see;
bhakti--by dint of devotional service; utkalita--developed;
amala-atmana--those whose minds are thoroughly cleansed; nanu esah--
certainly
by this only; sattvam--existence; parimarstum--for purifying the mind
completely; arhati--deserve.

TRANSLATION

Here is the same Supreme Personality of Godhead whose transcendental

form
is experienced by the great devotees who are completely cleansed of material
consciousness by dint of rigid devotional service and full control of life and
the senses. And that is the only way to purify existence.

PURPORT

As it is stated in Bhagavad-gita, the Lord can be known in His real

nature by dint of pure devotional service only. So it is stated here that only
the great devotees of the Lord who are able to clear the mind of all material
dust by rigid devotional service can experience the Lord as He is. Jitendriya
means one who has full control over the senses. The senses are active parts of
the body, and their activities cannot be stopped. The artificial means of the
yogic processes to make the senses inactive has proved to be abject failure,
even in the case of great yogis like Visvamitra Muni. Visvamitra Muni
controlled the senses by yogic trance, but when he happened to meet Menaka
(a
heavenly society woman), he became a victim of sex, and the artificial way of
controlling the senses failed. But in the case of a pure devotee, the senses
are not at all artificially stopped from doing anything, but they are given
different good engagements. When the senses are engaged in more attractive
activities, there is no chance of their being attracted by any inferior
engagements. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the senses can be controlled
only by better engagements. Devotional service necessitates purifying the
senses or engaging them in the activities of devotional service. Devotional
service is not inaction. Anything done in the service of the Lord becomes at
once purified of its material nature. The material conception is due to
ignorance only. There is nothing beyond Vasudeva. The Vasudeva conception
 366

gradually develops in the heart of the learned after a prolonged acceleration

of the receptive organs. But the process ends in the knowledge of accepting
Vasudeva as all in all. In the case of devotional service, this very same
method is accepted from the very beginning, and by the grace of the Lord all
factual knowledge becomes revealed in the heart of a devotee due to dictation
by the Lord from within. Therefore controlling the senses by devotional
service is the only and easiest means.

TEXT 24

sa va ayam sakhy anugita-sat-katho

vedesu guhyesu ca guhyavadibhih
ya eka iso jagad-atma-lilaya
srjaty avaty atti na tatra sajjate

sah--He; vai--also; ayam--this; sakhi--O my friend; anugita--described;

sat-kathah--the excellent pastimes; vedesu--in the Vedic literatures;
guhyesu--confidentially; ca--as also; guhyava-adibhih--by the confidential
devotees; yah--one who; ekah--one only; isah--the supreme controller;
jagat--of the complete creation; atma--Supersoul; lilaya--by manifestation of
pastimes; srjati--creates; avati atti--also maintains and annihilates;
na--never; tatra--there; sajjate--becomes attached to it.

TRANSLATION

O dear friends, here is that very Personality of Godhead whose attractive

and confidential pastimes are described in the confidential parts of Vedic
literature by His great devotees. It is He only who creates, maintains and
annihilates the material world and yet remains unaffected.

PURPORT

As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, all the Vedic literatures are

glorifying the greatness of Lord Sri Krsna. Here it is confirmed in the
Bhagavatam also. The Vedas are expanded by many branches and
subbranches by
great devotees and empowered incarnations of the Lord like Vyasa, Narada,
Sukadeva Gosvami, the Kumaras, Kapila, Prahlada, Janaka, Bali and Yamaraja,
but in the Srimad-Bhagavatam especially, the confidential parts of His
activities are described by the confidential devotee Sukadeva Gosvami. In the
Vedanta-sutras or Upanisads there is only a hint of the confidential parts of
His pastimes. In such Vedic literatures as the Upanisads, the Lord has
expressively been distinguished from the mundane conception of His
existence.
His identity being fully spiritual, His form, name, quality, and
paraphernalia, etc., have been elaborately distinguished from matter, and
therefore He is sometimes misunderstood by less intelligent persons as
impersonal. But factually He is the Supreme Person, Bhagavan, and He is
partially represented as Paramatma or impersonal Brahman.

TEXT 25
 367

yada hy adharmena tamo-dhiyo nrpa

jivanti tatraisa hi sattvatah kila
dhatte bhagam satyam rtam dayam yaso
bhavaya rupani dadhad yuge yuge

yada--whenever; hi--assuredly; adharmena--against the principles of God's

will; tamah-dhiyah--persons in the lowest material modes; nrpah--kings and
administrators; jivanti--live like animals; tatra--thereupon; esah--He;
hi--only; sattvatah--transcendental; kila--certainly; dhatte--is manifested;
bhagam--supreme power; satyam--truth; rtam--positiveness; dayam--mercy;
yasah--wonderful activities; bhavaya--for the maintenance; rupani--in various
forms; dadhat--manifested; yuge--different periods; yuge--and ages.

TRANSLATION

Whenever there are kings and administrators living like animals in the
lowest modes of existence, the Lord in His transcendental form manifests His
supreme power, the Truth Positive, shows special mercy to the faithful,
performs wonderful activities and manifests various transcendental forms as is
necessary in different periods and ages.

PURPORT

As mentioned above, the cosmic creation is the property of the Supreme

Lord. This is the basic philosophy of Isopanisad: everything is the property
of the Supreme Being. No one should encroach upon the property of the
Supreme
Lord. One should accept only what is kindly awarded by Him. Therefore, the
earth or any other planet or universe is the absolute property of the Lord.
The living beings are certainly His parts and parcels, or sons, and thus every
one of them has a right to live at the mercy of the Lord to execute his
prescribed work. No one, therefore, can encroach upon the right of another
individual man or animal without being so sanctioned by the Lord. The king or
the administrator is the representative of the Lord to look after the
management of the Lord's will. He must therefore be a recognized person like
Maharaja Yudhisthira or Pariksit. Such kings have full responsibility and
knowledge from authorities about the administration of the world. But at
times, due to the influence of the ignorance mode of material nature
(tamo-guna), the lowest of the material modes, kings and administrators come
into power without knowledge and responsibility, and such foolish
administrators live like animals for the sake of their own personal interest.
The result is that the whole atmosphere becomes surcharged with anarchy
and
vicious elements. Nepotism, bribery, cheating, aggression and, therefore,
famine, epidemic, war and similar other disturbing features become prominent
in human society. And the devotees of the Lord or the faithful are persecuted
by all means. All these symptoms indicate the time of an incarnation of the
Lord to reestablish the principles of religion and to vanquish the
maladministrators. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita.
The Lord then appears in His transcendental form without any tinge of
material qualities. He descends just to keep the state of His creation in a
normal condition. The normal condition is that the Lord has provided each and
 368

every planet with all the needs of the native living beings. They can happily
live and execute their predestined occupations to attain salvation at the end,
following the rules and regulations mentioned in the revealed scriptures. The
material world is created to satisfy the whims of the nitya-baddha, or
everlasting conditioned souls, just as naughty boys are provided with playing
cradles. Otherwise, there was no need of the material world. But when they
become intoxicated with the power of material science to exploit the resources
unlawfully without the sanction of the Lord, and that also only for sense
gratification, there is necessity of the Lord's incarnation to chastise the
rebellious and to protect the faithful.
When He descends, He exhibits superhuman acts just to prove His supreme
right, and materialists like Ravana, Hiranyakasipu and Kamsa are sufficiently
punished. He acts in a manner which no one can imitate. For example, the
Lord,
when He appeared as Rama, bridged the Indian Ocean. When He appeared as
Krsna,
from His very childhood He showed superhuman activities by killing Putana,
Aghasura, Sakatasura, Kaliya, etc., and then His maternal uncle Kamsa. When
He
was at Dvaraka He married 16,108 queens, and all of them were blessed with
a
sufficient number of children. The sum total of His personal family members
amounted to about 100,000, popularly known as the Yadu-vamsa. And again,
during His lifetime, He managed to vanquish them all. He is famous as the
Govardhana-dhari Hari because He lifted at the age of only seven the hill
known as Govardhana. The Lord killed many undesirable kings in His time, and
as a ksatriya He fought chivalrously. He is famous as the asamaurdha,
unparalleled. No one is equal to or greater than Him.

TEXT 26

aho alam slaghyatamam yadoh kulam

aho alam punyatamam madhorvanam
yad esa pumsam rsabhah sriyah patih
sva-janmana cankramanena cancati

aho--oh; alam--verily; slaghya-tamam--supremely glorified; yadoh--of King

Yadu; kulam--dynasty; aho--oh; alam--verily; punya-tamam--supremely
virtuous;
madhorvanam--the land of Mathura; yat--because; esah--this; pumsam--of all
the
living beings; rsabhah--supreme leader; sriyah--of the goddess of fortune;
patih--husband; sva-janmana--by His appearance; cankramanena--by crawling;
ca
ancati--glories.

TRANSLATION

Oh, how supremely glorified is the dynasty of King Yadu, and how virtuous
is the land of Mathura, where the supreme leader of all living beings, the
husband of the goddess of fortune, has taken His birth and wandered in His
childhood.
 369

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna has

expressively given a description of His transcendental appearance,
disappearance and activities. The Lord appears in a particular family or place
by His inconceivable potency. He does not take His birth as a conditioned soul
quits his body and accepts another body. His birth is like the appearance and
disappearance of the sun. The sun arises on the eastern horizon, but that does
not mean that the eastern horizon is the parent of the sun. The sun is
existent in every part of the solar system, but he becomes visible at a
scheduled time and so also becomes invisible at another scheduled time.
Similarly, the Lord appears in this universe like the sun and again leaves our
sight at another time. He exists at all times and at every place, but by His
causeless mercy when He appears before us we take it for granted that He has
taken His birth. Anyone who can understand this truth, in terms of the
statements of revealed scriptures, certainly becomes liberated just after
quitting the present body. Liberation is obtainable after many births and
after great endeavor in patience and perseverance, in knowledge and
renunciation. But simply by knowing in truth about the Lord's transcendental
births and activities, one can get liberation at once. That is the verdict of
the Bhagavad-gita. But those who are in the darkness of ignorance conclude
that the Lord's birth and activities in the material world are similar to
those of the ordinary living being. Such imperfect conclusions cannot give
anyone liberation. His birth, therefore, in the family of King Yadu as the son
of King Vasudeva and His transfer into the family of Nanda Maharaja in the
land of Mathura are all transcendental arrangements made by the internal
potency of the Lord. The fortunes of the Yadu dynasty and that of the
inhabitants of the land of Mathura cannot be materially estimated. If simply
by knowing the transcendental nature of the birth and activities of the Lord
one can get liberation easily, we can just imagine what is in store for those
who actually enjoyed the company of the Lord in person as a family member
or
as a neighbor. All those who were fortunate enough to associate with the Lord,
the husband of the goddess of fortune, certainly obtained something more
than
what is known as liberation. Therefore, rightly, the dynasty and the land are
both ever glorious by the grace of the Lord.

TEXT 27

aho bata svar-yasasas tiraskari

kusasthali punya-yasaskari bhuvah
pasyanti nityam yad anugrahesitam
smitavalokam sva-patim sma yat-prajah

aho bata--how wonderful this is; svah-yasasah--the glories of the heavenly

planets; tiraskari--that which defeats; kusasthali--Dvaraka; punya--virtue;
yasaskari--famous; bhuvah--the planet earth; pasyanti--see;
nityam--constantly; yat--that which; anugraha-isitam--to bestow benediction;
smita-avalokam--glance with the favor of sweet smiling; sva-patim--unto the
soul of the living being (Krsna); sma--used to; yat-prajah--the inhabitants of
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the place.

TRANSLATION

Undoubtedly it is wonderful that Dvaraka has defeated the glories of the

heavenly planets and has enhanced the celebrity of the earth. The inhabitants
of Dvaraka are always seeing the soul of all living beings [Krsna] in His
loving feature. He glances at them and favors them with sweet smiles.

PURPORT

The heavenly planets are inhabited by demigods like Indra, Candra, Varuna
and Vayu and the pious souls reach there after performance of many virtuous
acts on earth. Modern scientists agree that the timing arrangement in higher
planetary systems is different from that of the earth. Thus it is understood
from the revealed scriptures that the duration of life there is ten thousand
years (by our calculation). Six months on earth is equal to one day on the
heavenly planets. Facilities of enjoyment are also similarly enhanced, and the
beauty of the inhabitants is legendary. Common men on the earth are very
much
fond of reaching the heavenly planets because they have heard that comforts
of
life are far greater there than on the earth. They are now trying to reach the
moon by spacecraft. Considering all this, the heavenly planets are more
celebrated than the earth. But the celebrity of earth has defeated that of the
heavenly planets because of Dvaraka, where Lord Sri Krsna reigned as King.
Three places, namely Vrndavana, Mathura and Dvaraka, are more important
than
the famous planets within the universe. These places are perpetually
sanctified because whenever the Lord descends on earth He displays His
transcendental activities particularly in these three places. They are
perpetually the holy lands of the Lord, and the inhabitants still take
advantage of the holy places, even though the Lord is now out of their sight.
The Lord is the soul of all living beings, and He desires always to have all
the living beings, in their svarupa, in their constitutional position, to
participate in transcendental life in His association. His attractive features
and sweet smiles go deep into the heart of everyone, and once it is so done
the living being is admitted into the kingdom of God, from which no one
returns. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita.
The heavenly planets may be very famous for offering better facilities of
material enjoyment, but as we learn from the Bhagavad-gita (9.20-21), one
has
to come back again to the earth planet as soon as the acquired virtue is
finished. Dvaraka is certainly more important than the heavenly planets
because whoever has been favored with the smiling glance of the Lord shall
never come back again to this rotten earth, which is certified by the Lord
Himself as a place of misery. Not only this earth but also all the planets of
the universes are places of misery because in none of the planets within the
universe is there eternal life, eternal bliss and eternal knowledge. Any
person engaged in the devotional service of the Lord is recommended to live
in
 371

one of the above-mentioned three places, namely Dvaraka, Mathura or

Vrndavana.
Because devotional service in these three places is magnified, those who go
there to follow the principles in terms of instructions imparted in the
revealed scriptures surely achieve the same result as obtained during the
presence of Lord Sri Krsna. His abode and He Himself are identical, and a pure
devotee under the guidance of another experienced devotee can obtain all the
results, even at present.

TEXT 28

nunam vrata-snana-hutadinesvarah
samarcito hy asya grhita-panibhih
pibanti yah sakhy adharamrtam muhur
vraja-striyah sammumuhur yad-asayah

nunam--certainly in the previous birth; vrata--vow; snana--bath;

huta--sacrifice in the fire; adina--by all these; isvarah--the Personality of
Godhead; samarcitah--perfectly worshiped; hi--certainly; asya--His;
grhita-panibhih--by the married wives; pibanti--relishes; yah--those who;
sakhi--O friend; adhara-amrtam--the nectar from His lips; muhuh--again and
again; vraja-striyah--the damsels of Vrajabhumi; sammu-muhuh--often fainted;
yat-asayah--expecting to be favored in that way.

TRANSLATION

O friends, just think of His wives, whose hands He has accepted. How they
must have undergone vows, baths, fire sacrifices and perfect worship of the
Lord of the universe to constantly relish now the nectar from His lips [by
kissing]. The damsels of Vrajabhumi would often faint just by expecting such
favors.

PURPORT

Religious rites prescribed in the scriptures are meant to purify the

mundane qualities of the conditioned souls to enable them to be gradually
promoted to the stage of rendering transcendental service unto the Supreme
Lord. Attainment of this stage of pure spiritual life is the highest
perfection, and this stage is called svarupa, or the factual identity of the
living being. Liberation means renovation of this stage of svarupa. In that
perfect stage of svarupa, the living being is established in five phases of
loving service, one of which is the stage of madhurya-rasa, or the humor of
conjugal love. The Lord is always perfect in Himself, and thus He has no
hankering for Himself. He, however, becomes a master, a friend, a son or a
husband to fulfill the intense love of the devotee concerned. Herein two
classes of devotees of the Lord are mentioned in the stage of conjugal love.
One is svakiya, and the other is parakiya. Both of them are in conjugal love
with the Personality of Godhead Krsna. The queens at Dvaraka were svakiya,
or
duly married wives, but the damsels of Vraja were young friends of the Lord
while He was unmarried. The Lord stayed at Vrndavana till the age of sixteen,
and His friendly relations with the neighboring girls were in terms of
 372

parakiya. These girls, as well as the queens, underwent severe penances by

taking vows, bathing and offering sacrifices in the fire, as prescribed in the
scriptures. The rites, as they are, are not an end in themselves, nor are
fruitive action, culture of knowledge or perfection in mystic powers ends in
themselves. They are all means to attain to the highest stage of svarupa, to
render constitutional transcendental service to the Lord. Each and every
living being has his individual position in one of the above-mentioned five
different kinds of reciprocating means with the Lord, and in one's pure
spiritual form of svarupa the relation becomes manifest without mundane
affinity. The kissing of the Lord, either by His wives or His young girl
friends who aspired to have the Lord as their fiance, is not of any mundane
perverted quality. Had such things been mundane, a liberated soul like
Sukadeva would not have taken the trouble to relish them, nor would Lord Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu have been inclined to participate in those subjects after
renouncing worldly life. The stage is earned after many lives of penance.

TEXT 29

ya virya-sulkena hrtah svayamvare

pramathya caidya-pramukhan hi susminah
pradyumna-sambamba-sutadayo 'para
yas cahrta bhauma-vadhe sahasrasah

ya--the lady; virya--prowess; sulkena--by payment of the price; hrtah--taken

away by force; svayamvare--in the open selection of the bridegroom;
pramathya--harassing; caidya--King Sisupala; pramukhan--headed by;
hi--positively; susminah--all very powerful; pradyumna--Pradyumna (Krsna's
son); samba--Samba; amba--Amba; suta-adayah--children; aparah--other
ladies;
yah--those; ca--also; ahrtah--similarly brought; bhauma-vadhe--after killing
kings; sahasrasah--by the thousands.

TRANSLATION

The children of these ladies are Pradyumna, Samba, Amba, etc: Ladies like
Rukmini, Satyabhama and Jambavati were forcibly taken away by Him from
their
svayamvara ceremonies after He defeated many powerful kings, headed by
Sisupala. And other ladies were also forcibly taken away by Him after He
killed Bhaumasura and thousands of his assistants. All of these ladies are
glorious.

PURPORT

Exceptionally qualified daughters of powerful kings were allowed to make

a choice of their own bridegrooms in open competition, and such ceremonies
were called svayamvara, or selection of the bridegroom. Because the
svayamvara
was an open competition between the rival and valiant princes, such princes
were invited by the father of the princess, and usually there were regular
fights between the invited princely order in a sporting spirit. But it so
happened that sometimes the belligerent princes were killed in such
 373

marriage-fighting, and the victorious prince was offered the trophy princess
for whom so many princes died. Rukmini, the principal queen of Lord Krsna,
was
the daughter of the King of Vidarbha, who wished that his qualified and
beautiful daughter be given away to Lord Krsna. But her eldest brother wanted
her to be given away to King Sisupala, who happened to be a cousin of Krsna.
So there was open competition, and as usual Lord Krsna emerged successful,
after harassing Sisupala and other princes by His unrivalled prowess. Rukmini
had ten sons, like Pradyumna. There were other queens also taken away by
Lord
Krsna in a similar way. Full description of this beautiful booty of Lord Krsna
will be given in the Tenth Canto. There were 16,100 beautiful girls who were
daughters of many kings and were forcibly stolen by Bhaumasura, who kept
them
captive for his carnal desire. These girls prayed piteously to Lord Krsna for
their deliverance, and the merciful Lord, called by their fervent prayer,
released them all by fighting and killing Bhaumasura. All these captive
princesses were then accepted by the Lord as His wives, although in the
estimation of society they were all fallen girls. The all-powerful Lord Krsna
accepted the humble prayers of these girls and married them with the
adoration
of queens. So altogether Lord Krsna had 16,108 queens at Dvaraka, and in
each
of them He begot ten children. All these children grew up, and each had as
many children as the father. The aggregate of the family numbered
10,000,000.

TEXT 30

etah param stritvam apastapesalam

nirasta-saucam bata sadhu kurvate
yasam grhat puskara-locanah patir
na jatv apaity ahrtibhir hrdi sprsan

etah--all these women; param--highest; stritvam--womanhood;

apastapesalam--without individuality; nirasta--without; saucam--purity; bata
sadhu--auspiciously glorified; kurvate--do they make; yasam--from whose;
grhat--homes; puskara-locanah--the lotus-eyed; patih--husband; na jatu--never
at any time; apaiti--goes away; ahrtibhih--by presentation; hrdi--in the
heart; sprsan--endeared.

TRANSLATION

All these women auspiciously glorified their lives despite their being
without individuality and without purity. Their husband, the lotus-eyed
Personality of Godhead, never left them alone at home. He always pleased
their
hearts by making valuable presentations.

PURPORT

The devotees of the Lord are purified souls. As soon as the devotees
 374

surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord sincerely, the Lord accepts them,
and thus the devotees at once become free from all material contaminations.
Such devotees are above the three modes of material nature. There is no
bodily
disqualification of a devotee, just as there is no qualitative difference
between the Ganges water and the unfilthy drain water when they are
amalgamated. Women, merchants and laborers are not very intelligent, and
thus
it is very difficult for them to understand the science of God or to be
engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. They are more materialistic,
and less than them are the Kiratas, Hunas, Audhras, Pulindas, Pulkasas,
Abhiras, Kankas, Yavanas, Khasas, etc., but all of them can be delivered if
they are properly engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. By
engagement
in the service of the Lord, the designative disqualifications are removed, and
as pure souls they become eligible to enter into the kingdom of God.
The fallen girls under the clutches of Bhaumasura sincerely prayed to
Lord Sri Krsna for their deliverance, and their sincerity of purpose made them
at once pure by virtue of devotion. The Lord therefore accepted them as His
wives, and thus their lives became glorified. Such auspicious glorification
was still more glorified when the Lord played with them as the most devoted
husband.
The Lord used to live with His 16,108 wives constantly. He expanded
Himself into 16,108 plenary portions, and each and every one of them was the
Lord Himself without deviation from the Original Personality. The Sruti-mantra
affirms that the Lord can expand Himself into many. As husband of so many
wives, He pleased them all with presentations, even at a costly endeavor. He
brought the parijata plant from heaven and implanted it at the palace of
Satyabhama, one of the principal queens. If, therefore, anyone desires the
Lord to become one's husband, the Lord fulfills such desires in full.

TEXT 31

evamvidha gadantinam
sa girah pura-yositam
niriksanenabhinandan
sasmitena yayau harih

evamvidhah--in this way; gadantinam--thus praying and talking about Him;

sah--He (the Lord); girah--of words; pura-yositam--of the ladies of the
capital; niriksanena--by His grace of glancing over them; abhinandan--and
greeting them; sa-smitena--with a smiling face; yayau--departed; harih--the
Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

While the ladies of the capital of Hastinapura were greeting Him and
talking in this way, the Lord, smiling, accepted their good greetings, and
casting the grace of His glance over them, He departed from the city.

TEXT 32
 375

ajata-satruh prtanam
gopithaya madhu-dvisah
parebhyah sankitah snehat
prayunkta catur-anginim

ajata-satruh--Maharaja Yudhisthira, who was no one's enemy; prtanam--

defensive
forces; gopithaya--for giving protection; madhu-dvisah--of the enemy of Madhu
(Sri Krsna); parebhyah--from others (enemies); sankitah--being afraid of;
snehat--out of affection; prayunkta--engaged; catur-anginim--four defensive
divisions.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira, although no one's enemy, engaged four divisions of

defense [horse, elephant, chariot and army] to accompany Lord Krsna, the
enemy
of the asuras [demons]. The Maharaja did this because of the enemy, and also
out of affection for the Lord.

PURPORT

Natural defensive measures are horses and elephants combined with

chariots and men. Horses and elephants are trained to move to any part of the
hills or forests and plains. The charioteers could fight with many horses and
elephants by the strength of powerful arrows, even up to the standard of the
brahmastra (similar to modern atomic weapons). Maharaja Yudhisthira knew
well
that Krsna is everyone's friend and well-wisher, and yet there were asuras who
were by nature envious of the Lord. So out of fear of attack from others and
out of affection also, he engaged all varieties of defensive forces as
bodyguards of Lord Krsna. If required, Lord Krsna Himself was sufficient to
defend Himself from the attack of others who counted the Lord as their
enemy,
but still He accepted all the arrangements made by Maharaja Yudhisthira
because He could not disobey the King, who was His elder cousin. The Lord
plays the part of a subordinate in His transcendental sporting, and thus
sometimes He puts Himself in the care of Yasodamata for His protection in His
so-called helplessness of childhood. That is the transcendental lila, or
pastime of the Lord. The basic principle for all transcendental exchanges
between the Lord and His devotees is exhibited to enjoy a transcendental bliss
for which there is no comparison, even up to the level of brahmananda.

TEXT 33

atha duragatan saurih

kauravan virahaturan
sannivartya drdham snigdhan
prayat sva-nagarim priyaih

atha--thus; duragatan--having accompanied Him for a long distance;

 376

saurih--Lord Krsna; kauravan--the Pandavas; virahaturan--overwhelmed by a

sense of separation; sannivartya--politely persuaded; drdham--determined;
snigdhan--full of affection; prayat--proceeded; sva-nagarim--towards His own
city (Dvaraka); priyaih--with dear companions.

TRANSLATION

Out of profound affection for Lord Krsna, the Pandavas, who were of the
Kuru dynasty, accompanied Him a considerable distance to see Him off. They
were overwhelmed with the thought of future separation. The Lord, however,
persuaded them to return home, and He proceeded towards Dvaraka with His
dear
companions.

TEXT 34-35

kuru-jangala-pancalan
surasenan sayamunan
brahmavartam kuruksetram
matsyan sarasvatan atha

maru-dhanvam atikramya
sauvirabhirayoh paran
anartan bhargavopagac
chrantavaho manag vibhuh

kuru-jangala--the province of Delhi; pancalan--part of the province Panjab;

surasenan--part of the province of Uttar Pradesh; sa--with; yamunan--the
districts on the bank of the Yamuna; brahmavartam--part of northern Uttar
Pradesh; kuruksetram--the place where the battle was fought; matsyan--the
province Matsya; sarasvatan--part of Punjab; atha--and so on; maru--
Rajasthan,
the land of deserts; dhanvam--Madhya Pradesh, where water is very scanty;
ati-kramya--after passing; sauvira--Saurastra; abhirayoh--part of Gujarat;
paran--western side; anartan--the province of Dvaraka; bhargava--O Saunaka;
upagat--overtaken by; sranta--fatigue; vahah--the horses; manak
vibhuh--slightly, because of the long journey.

TRANSLATION

O Saunaka, the Lord then proceeded towards Kurujangala, Pancala,

Surasena, the land on the bank of the River Yamuna, Brahmavarta,
Kuruksetra,
Matsya, Sarasvata, the province of the desert and the land of scanty water.
After crossing these provinces He gradually reached the Sauvira and Abhira
provinces, then west of these, reached Dvaraka at last.

PURPORT

The provinces passed over by the Lord in those days were differently
named, but the direction given is sufficient to indicate that He traveled
 377

through Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Saurastra and Gujarat and
at
last reached His home province at Dvaraka. We do not gain any profit simply
by
researching the analogous provinces of those days up to now, but it appears
that the desert of Rajasthan and the provinces of scanty water like Madhya
Pradesh were present even five thousand years ago. The theory of soil experts
that the desert developed in recent years is not supported by the statements
of Bhagavatam. We may leave the matter for expert geologists to research
because the changing universe has different phases of geological
development.
We are satisfied that the Lord has now reached His own province,
Dvarakadhama,
from the Kuru provinces. Kuruksetra continues to exist since the Vedic age,
and it is sheer foolishness when interpreters ignore or deny the existence of
Kuruksetra.

TEXT 36

tatra tatra ha tatratyair

harih pratyudyatarhanah
sayam bheje disam pascad
gavistho gam gatas tada

tatra tatra--at different places; ha--it so happened; tatratyaih--by local

inhabitants; harih--the Personality of Godhead; pratyudyata-arhanah--being
offered presentations and worshipful regards; sayam--the evening;
bheje--having overtaken; disam--direction; pascat--eastern; gavisthah--the sun
in the sky; gam--to the ocean; gatah--having gone; tada--at that time.

TRANSLATION

On His journey through these provinces He was welcomed, worshiped and

given various presentations. In the evening, in all places, the Lord suspended
His journey to perform evening rites. This was regularly observed after
sunset.

PURPORT

It is said here that the Lord observed the religious principles regularly
while He was on the journey. There are certain philosophical speculations that
even the Lord is under the obligations of fruitive action. But actually this
is not the case. He does not depend on the action of any good or bad work.
Since the Lord is absolute, everything done by Him is good for everyone. But
when He descends on earth, He acts for the protection of the devotees and for
the annihilation of the impious nondevotees. Although He has no obligatory
duty, still He does everything so that others may follow. That is the way of
factual teaching; one must act properly himself and teach the same to others,
otherwise no one will accept one's blind teaching. He is Himself the awarder
of fruitive results. He is self-sufficient, and yet He acts according to the
rulings of the revealed scripture in order to teach us the process. If He does
 378

not do so, the common man may go wrong. But in the advanced stage, when
one
can understand the transcendental nature of the Lord, one does not try to
imitate Him. This is not possible.
The Lord in human society does what is the duty of everyone, but
sometimes He does something extraordinary and not to be imitated by the
living
being. His acts of evening prayer as stated herein must be followed by the
living being, but it is not possible to follow His mountain-lifting or dancing
with the gopis. One cannot imitate the sun, which can exhaust water even
from
a filthy place; the most powerful can do something which is all-good, but our
imitation of such acts will put us into endless difficulty. Therefore, in all
actions, the experienced guide, the spiritual master, who is the manifested
mercy of the Lord, should always be consulted, and the path of progress will
be assured.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Tenth Chapter, of
the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Departure of Lord Krsna for Dvaraka."

Chapter Eleven

Lord Krsna's Entrance into Dvaraka

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
anartan sa upavrajya
svrddhan jana-padan svakan
dadhmau daravaram tesam
visadam samayann iva

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; anartan--the country known as Anartan

(Dvaraka); sah--He; upavrajya--reaching the border of; svrddhan--most
prosperous; jana-padan--city; svakan--His own; dadhmau--sounded;
daravaram--the auspicious conchshell (Pancajanya); tesam--of them;
visadam--dejection; samayan--pacifying; iva--seemingly.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Upon reaching the border of His most prosperous
metropolis, known as the country of the Anartas [Dvaraka], the Lord sounded
His auspicious conchshell, heralding His arrival and apparently pacifying the
dejection of the inhabitants.

PURPORT

The beloved Lord was away from His own prosperous metropolis of
Dvaraka
for a considerably long period because of the Battle of Kuruksetra, and thus
 379

all the inhabitants were overcome with melancholia due to the separation.
When
the Lord descends on the earth, His eternal associates also come with Him,
just as the entourage of a king accompanies him. Such associates of the Lord
are eternally liberated souls, and they cannot bear the separation of the Lord
even for a moment because of intense affection for the Lord. Thus the
inhabitants of the city of Dvaraka were in a mood of dejection and expected
the arrival of the Lord at any moment. So the heralding sound of the
auspicious conchshell was very encouraging, and apparently the sound
pacified
their dejection. They were still more aspirant to see the Lord amongst
themselves, and all of them became alert to receive Him in the befitting
manner. These are the signs of spontaneous love of Godhead.

TEXT 2

sa uccakase dhavalodaro daro

'py urukramasyadharasona-sonima
dadhmayamanah kara-kanja-sampute
yathabja-khande kala-hamsa utsvanah

sah--that; uccakase--became brilliant; dhavala-udarah--white and fat-boweled;

darah--conchshell; api--although it is so; urukramasya--of the great
adventurer; adharasona--by the transcendental quality of His lips;
sonima--reddened; dadhmayamanah--being sounded; kara-kanja-sampute--
being
caught by the grip of the lotus hand; yatha--as it is; abja-khande--by the
stems of lotus flowers; kala-hamsah--ducking swan; utsvanah--loudly
sounding.

TRANSLATION

The white and fat-boweled conchshell, being gripped by the hand of Lord
Krsna and sounded by Him, appeared to be reddened by the touch of His
transcendental lips. It seemed that a white swan was playing in the stems of
red lotus flowers.

PURPORT

The redness of the white conchshell due to the lip-touch of the Lord is a
symbol of spiritual significance. The Lord is all spirit, and matter is
ignorance of this spiritual existence. Factually there is nothing like matter
in spiritual enlightenment, and this spiritual enlightenment takes place at
once by the contact of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. The Lord is present in
every particle of all existence, and He can manifest His presence in anyone.
By ardent love and devotional service to the Lord, or in other words by
spiritual contact with the Lord, everything becomes spiritually reddened like
the conchshell in the grip of the Lord, and the paramahamsa, or the supremely
intelligent person, plays the part of the ducking swan in the water of
spiritual bliss, eternally decorated by the lotus flower of the Lord's feet.

TEXT 3
 380

tam upasrutya ninadam

jagad-bhaya-bhayavaham
pratyudyayuh prajah sarva
bhartr-darsana-lalasah

tam--that; upasrutya--having overheard; ninadam--sound; jagat-bhaya--the

fear
of material existence; bhaya-avaham--the threatening principle;
prati--towards; udyayuh--rapidly proceeded; prajah--the citizens; sarvah--all;
bhartr--the protector; darsana--audience; lalasah--having so desired.

TRANSLATION

The citizens of Dvaraka, having heard that sound which threatens fear
personified in the material world, began to run towards Him fast, just to have
a long desired audience with the Lord, who is the protector of all devotees.

PURPORT

As already explained, the citizens of Dvaraka who lived at the time of

Lord Krsna's presence there were all liberated souls who descended there
along
with the Lord as entourage. All were very anxious to have an audience with
the
Lord, although because of spiritual contact they were never separated from
the
Lord. Just as the gopis at Vrndavana used to think of Krsna while He was away
from the village for cowherding engagements, the citizens of Dvaraka were all
immersed in thought of the Lord while He was away from Dvaraka to attend
the
Battle of Kuruksetra. Some distinguished fiction writer in Bengal concluded
that the Krsna of Vrndavana, that of Mathura and that of Dvaraka were
different personalities. Historically there is no truth in this conclusion.
The Krsna of Kuruksetra and the Krsna of Dvaraka are one and the same
personality.
The citizens of Dvaraka were thus in a state of melancholy due to the
Lord's absence from the transcendental city, as much as we are put in a state
of melancholy at night because of the absence of the sun. The sound heralded
by Lord Krsna was something like the heralding of the sunrise in the morning.
So all the citizens of Dvaraka awoke from a state of slumber because of the
sunrise of Krsna, and they all hastened towards Him just to have an audience.
The devotees of the Lord know no one else as protector.
This sound of the Lord is identical with the Lord, as we have tried to
explain by the nondual position of the Lord. The material existence of our
present status is full of fear. Out of the four problems of material
existence, namely the food problem, the shelter problem, the fear problem
and
the mating problem, the fear problem gives us more trouble than the others.
We
are always fearful due to our ignorance of the next problem. The whole
material existence is full of problems, and thus the fear problem is always
 381

prominent. This is due to our association with the illusory energy of the
Lord, known as maya or external energy, yet all fear is vanished as soon as
there is the sound of the Lord, represented by His holy name, as it was
sounded by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the following sixteen words:
Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
We can take advantage of these sounds and be free from all threatening
problems of material existence.

TEXT 4-5

tatropanita-balayo
raver dipam ivadrtah
atmaramam purna-kamam
nija-labhena nityada

prity-utphulla-mukhah procur
harsa-gadgadaya gira
pitaram sarva-suhrdam
avitaram ivarbhakah

tatra--thereupon; upanita--having offered; balayah--presentations; raveh--up

to the sun; dipam--lamp; iva--like; adrtah--being evaluated; atma-aramam--
unto
the self-sufficient; purna-kamam--fully satisfied; nija-labhena--by His own
potencies; nitya-da--one who supplies incessantly; priti--affection;
utphulla-mukhah--cheerful faces; procuh--said; harsa--gladdened;
gadgadaya--ecstatic; gira--speeches; pitaram--unto the father; sarva--all;
suhrdam--friends; avitaram--the guardian; iva--like; arbhakah--wards.

TRANSLATION

The citizens arrived before the Lord with their respective presentations,
offering them to the fully satisfied and self-sufficient one, who, by His own
potency, incessantly supplies others. These presentations were like the
offering of a lamp to the sun. Yet the citizens began to speak in ecstatic
language to receive the Lord, just as wards welcome their guardian and father.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord Krsna is described herein as atmarama. He is

self-sufficient, and there is no need for Him to seek happiness from anything
beyond Himself. He is self-sufficient because His very transcendental
existence is total bliss. He is eternally existent; He is all-cognizant and
all-blissful. Therefore, any presentation, however valuable it may be, is not
needed by Him. But still, because He is the well-wisher for one and all, He
accepts from everyone everything that is offered to Him in pure devotional
service. It is not that He is in want for such things, because the things are
themselves generated from His energy. The comparison is made herein that
making offerings to the Lord is something like offering a lamp in the worship
of the sun-god. Anything fiery and illuminating is but an emanation of the
energy of the sun, and yet to worship the sun-god it is necessary to offer him
 382

a lamp. In the worship of the sun, there is some sort of demand made by the
worshiper, but in the case of devotional service to the Lord, there is no
question of demand from either side. It is all a sign of pure love and
affection between the Lord and the devotee.
The Lord is the Supreme Father of all living beings, and therefore those
who are conscious of this vital relation with God can make filial demands from
the Father, and the Father is pleased to supply the demands of such obedient
sons without bargaining. The Lord is just like the desire tree, and from Him
everyone can have everything by the causeless mercy of the Lord. As the
Supreme Father, the Lord, however, does not supply to a pure devotee what is
considered to be a barrier to the discharge of devotional service. Those who
are engaged in the devotional service of the Lord can rise to the position of
unalloyed devotional service by His transcendental attraction.

TEXT 6

natah sma te natha sadanghri-pankajam

virinca-vairincya-surendra-vanditam
parayanam ksemam ihecchatam param
na yatra kalah prabhavet parah prabhuh

natah--bowed down; sma--we had done so; te--unto You; natha--O Lord;
sada--always; anghri-pankajam--the lotus feet; virinca--Brahma, the first
living being; vairincya--sons of Brahma like Sanaka and Sanatana;
sura-indra--the King of heaven; vanditam--worshiped by; parayanam--the
supreme; ksemam--welfare; iha--in this life; icchatam--one who so desires;
param--the highest; na--never; yatra--wherein; kalah--inevitable time;
prabhavet--can exert its influence; parah--transcendental; prabhuh--the
Supreme Lord.

TRANSLATION

The citizens said: O Lord, You are worshiped by all demigods like Brahma,
the four Sanas and even the King of heaven. You are the ultimate rest for
those who are really aspiring to achieve the highest benefit of life. You are
the supreme transcendental Lord, and inevitable time cannot exert its
influence upon You.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord is Sri Krsna, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita,

Brahma-samhita and other authorized Vedic literatures. No one is equal to or
greater than Him, and that is the verdict of all scriptures. The influence of
time and space is exerted upon the dependent living entities, who are all
parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. The living entities are predominated
Brahman, whereas the Supreme Lord is the predominating Absolute. As soon
as we
forget this clear fact, we are at once in illusion, and thus we are put into
threefold miseries, as one is put into dense darkness. The clear consciousness
of the cognizant living being is God consciousness, in which one bows down
unto Him in all circumstances.
 383

TEXT 7

bhavaya nas tvam bhava visva-bhavana

tvam eva matatha suhrt-patih pita
tvam sad-gurur nah paramam ca daivatam
yasyanuvrttya krtino babhuvima

bhavaya--for welfare; nah--for us; tvam--Your Lordship; bhava--just become;

visva-bhavana--the creator of the universe; tvam--Your Lordship;
eva--certainly; mata--mother; atha--as also; suhrt--well-wisher;
patih--husband; pita--father; tvam--Your Lordship; sat-guruh--spiritual
master; nah--our; paramam--the supreme; ca--and; daivatam--worshipable
Deity;
yasya--whose; anuvrttya--following in the footsteps; krtinah--successful;
babhuvima--we have become.

TRANSLATION

O creator of the universe, You are our mother, well-wisher, Lord, father,
spiritual master and worshipable Deity. By following in Your footsteps we have
become successful in every respect. We pray, therefore, that You continue to
bless us with Your mercy.

PURPORT

The all-good Personality of Godhead, being the creator of the universe,

also plans for the good of all good living beings. The good living beings are
advised by the Lord to follow His good advice, and by doing so they become
successful in all spheres of life. There is no need to worship any deity but
the Lord. The Lord is all-powerful, and if He is satisfied by our obedience
unto His lotus feet, He is competent to bestow upon us all kinds of blessings
for the successful execution of both our material and spiritual lives. For
attaining spiritual existence, the human form is a chance for all to
understand our eternal relation with God. Our relation with Him is eternal; it
can neither be broken nor vanquished. It may be forgotten for the time being,
but it can be revived also by the grace of the Lord, if we follow His
injunctions, which are revealed in the scriptures of all times and all places.

TEXT 8

aho sanatha bhavata sma yad vayam

traivistapanam api dura-darsanam
prema-smita-snigdha-niriksanananam
pasyema rupam tava sarva-saubhagam

aho--oh, it is our good luck; sa-nathah--to be under the protection of the

master; bhavata--by Your good self; sma--as we have become; yat vayam--as
we
are; traivista-panam--of the demigods; api--also; dura-darsanam--very rarely
seen; prema-smita--smiling with love; snigdha--affectionate;
niriksana-ananam--face looking in that mode; pasyema--let us look;
rupam--beauty; tava--Your; sarva--all; saubhagam--auspiciousness.
 384

TRANSLATION

Oh, it is our good luck that we have come again today under Your
protection by Your presence, for Your Lordship rarely visits even the denizens
of heaven. Now it is possible for us to look into Your smiling face, which is
full of affectionate glances. We can now see Your transcendental form, full of
all auspiciousness.

PURPORT

The Lord in His eternal personal form can be seen only by the pure
devotees. The Lord is never impersonal, but He is the Supreme Absolute
Personality of Godhead, possible to be visited by devotional service face to
face, which is impossible to be done even by the denizens of higher planets.
When Brahmaji and other demigods want to consult Lord Visnu, the plenary
portion of Lord Krsna, they have to wait on the shore of the ocean of milk
where Lord Visnu is lying on White Land (Svetadvipa). This ocean of milk and
the Svetadvipa planet are the replica of Vaikunthaloka within the universe.
Neither Brahmaji nor the demigods like Indra can enter into this island of
Svetadvipa, but they can stand on the shore of the ocean of milk and transmit
their message to Lord Visnu, known as Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Therefore, the
Lord
is rarely seen by them, but the inhabitants of Dvaraka, because of their being
pure devotees without any tinge of the material contamination of fruitive
activities and empiric philosophical speculation, can see Him face to face by
the grace of the Lord. This is the original state of the living entities and
can be attained by reviving our natural and constitutional state of life,
which is discovered by devotional service only.

TEXT 9

yarhy ambujaksapasasara bho bhavan

kurun madhun vatha suhrd-didrksaya
tatrabda-koti-pratimah ksano bhaved
ravim vinaksnor iva nas tavacyuta

yarhi--whenever; ambuja-aksa--O lotus-eyed one; apasasara--You go away;

bho--oh; bhavan--Yourself; kurun--the descendants of King Kuru; madhun--the
inhabitants of Mathura (Vrajabhumi); va--either; atha--therefore;
suhrt-didrksaya--for meeting them; tatra--at that time; abda-koti--millions of
years; pratimah--like; ksanah--moments; bhavet--becomes; ravim--the sun;
vina--without; aksnoh--of the eyes; iva--like that; nah--ours; tava--Your;
acyuta--O infallible one.

TRANSLATION

O lotus-eyed Lord, whenever You go away to Mathura, Vrndavana or

Hastinapura to meet Your friends and relatives, every moment of Your
absence
seems like a million years. O infallible one, at that time our eyes become
useless, as if bereft of sun.
 385

PURPORT

We are all proud of our material senses for making experiments to

determine the existence of God. But we forget that our senses are not
absolute
by themselves. They can only act under certain conditions. For example, our
eyes. As long as the sunshine is there, our eyes are useful to a certain
extent. But in the absence of sunshine, the eyes are useless. Lord Sri Krsna,
being the primeval Lord, the Supreme Truth, is compared to the sun. Without
Him all our knowledge is either false or partial. The opposite of the sun is
the darkness, and similarly the opposite of Krsna is maya, or illusion. The
devotees of the Lord can see everything in true perspective due to the light
disseminated by Lord Krsna. By the grace of the Lord the pure devotee cannot
be in the darkness of ignorance. Therefore, it is necessary that we must
always be in the sight of Lord Krsna so that we can see both ourselves and the
Lord with His different energies. As we cannot see anything in the absence of
the sun, so also we cannot see anything including our own self, without the
factual presence of the Lord. Without Him all our knowledge is covered by
illusion.

TEXT 10

katham vayam natha cirosite tvayi

prasanna-drstayakhila-tapa-sosanam
jivema te sundara-hasa-sobhitam
apasyamana vadanam manoharam
iti codirita vacah
prajanam bhakta-vatsalah
srnvano 'nugraham drstaya
vitanvan pravisat puram

katham--how; vayam--we; natha--O Lord; cirosite--being abroad almost always;

tvayi--by You; prasanna--satisfaction; drstaya--by the glance;
akhila--universal; tapa--miseries; sosanam--vanquishing; jivema--shall be able
to live; te--Your; sundara--beautiful; hasa--smiling; sobhitam--decorated;
apasyamanah--without seeing; vadanam--face; manoharam--attractive; iti--
thus;
ca--and; udiritah--speaking; vacah--words; prajanam--of the citizens;
bhakta-vatsalah--kind to the devotees; srnvanah--thus learning;
anugraham--kindness; drstaya--by glances; vitanvan--distributing;
pravisat--entered; puram--Dvarakapuri.

TRANSLATION

O master, if You live abroad all the time, then we cannot look at Your
attractive face, whose smiles vanquish all our sufferings. How can we exist
without Your presence?
Upon hearing their speeches, the Lord, who is very kind to the citizens
and the devotees, entered the city of Dvaraka and acknowledged all their
greetings by casting His transcendental glance over them.
 386

PURPORT

Lord Krsna's attraction is so powerful that once being attracted by Him

one cannot tolerate separation from Him. Why is this so? Because we are all
eternally related with Him as the sun rays are eternally related with the sun
disc. The sun rays are molecular parts of the solar radiation. Thus the sun
rays and the sun cannot be separated. The separation by the cloud is
temporary
and artificial, and as soon as the cloud is cleared, the sun rays again
display their natural effulgence in the presence of the sun. Similarly, the
living entities, who are molecular parts of the whole spirit, are separated
from the Lord by the artificial covering of maya, illusory energy. This
illusory energy, or the curtain of maya, has to be removed, and when it is so
done, the living entity can see the Lord face to face, and all his miseries
are at once removed. Every one of us wants to remove the miseries of life, but
we do not know how to do it. The solution is given here, and it rests on us to
assimilate it or not.

TEXT 11

madhu-bhoja-dasarharha-
kukurandhaka-vrsnibhih
atma-tulya-balair guptam
nagair bhogavatim iva

madhu--Madhu; bhoja--Bhoja; dasarha--Dasarha; arha--Arha; kukura--Kukura;

andhaka--Andhaka; vrsnibhih--by the descendants of Vrsni; atma-tulya--as
good
as Himself; balaih--by strength; guptam--protected; nagaih--by the Nagas;
bhogavatim--the capital of Nagaloka; iva--like.

TRANSLATION

As Bhogavati, the capital of Nagaloka, is protected by the Nagas, so was

Dvaraka protected by the descendants of Vrsni--Bhoja, Madhu, Dasarha, Arha,
Kukura, Andhaka, etc.--who were as strong as Lord Krsna.

PURPORT

The Nagaloka planet is situated below the earth planet, and it is

understood that the sun rays are hampered there. The darkness of the planet
is, however, removed by the flashes of the jewels set on the heads of the
Nagas (celestial serpents), and it is said that there are beautiful gardens,
rivulets, etc., for the enjoyment of the Nagas. It is understood here also
that the place is well protected by the inhabitants. So also the city of
Dvaraka was well protected by the descendants of Vrsni, who were as
powerful
as the Lord, insofar as He manifested His strength upon this earth.

TEXT 12

sarvartu-sarva-vibhava-
 387

punya-vrksa-latasramaih
udyanopavanaramair
vrta-padmakara-sriyam

sarva--all; rtu--seasons; sarva--all; vibhava--opulences; punya--pious;

vrksa--trees; lata--creepers; asramaih--with hermitages; udyana--orchards;
upavana--flower gardens; aramaih--pleasure gardens and beautiful parks;
vrta--surrounded by; padma-akara--the birthplaces of lotuses or nice
reservoirs of water; sriyam--increasing the beauty.

TRANSLATION

The city of Dvarakapuri was filled with the opulences of all seasons.
There were hermitages, orchards, flower gardens, parks and reservoirs of
water
breeding lotus flowers all over.

PURPORT

Perfection of human civilization is made possible by utilizing the gifts

of nature in their own way. As we find herewith in the description of its
opulence, Dvaraka was surrounded by flower gardens and fruit orchards along
with reservoirs of water and growing lotuses. There is no mention of mills and
factories supported by slaughterhouses, which are the necessary
paraphernalia
of the modern metropolis. The propensity to utilize nature's own gifts is
still there, even in the heart of modern civilized man. The leaders of modern
civilization select their own residential quarters in a place where there are
such naturally beautiful gardens and reservoirs of water, but they leave the
common men to reside in congested areas without parks and gardens. Herein
of
course we find a different description of the city of Dvaraka. It is
understood that the whole dhama, or residential quarter, was surrounded by
such gardens and parks with reservoirs of water where lotuses grew. It is
understood that all the people depended on nature's gifts of fruits and
flowers without industrial enterprises promoting filthy huts and slums for
residential quarters. Advancement of civilization is estimated not on the
growth of mills and factories to deteriorate the finer instincts of the human
being, but on developing the potent spiritual instincts of human beings and
giving them a chance to go back to Godhead. Development of factories and
mills
is called ugra-karma, or pungent activities, and such activities deteriorate
the finer sentiments of the human being and society to form a dungeon of
demons.
We find herein the mention of pious trees which produce seasonal flowers
and fruits. The impious trees are useless jungles only, and they can only be
used to supply fuels. In the modern civilization such impious trees are
planted on the sides of roads. Human energy should be properly utilized in
developing the finer senses for spiritual understanding, in which lies the
solution of life. Fruits, flowers, beautiful gardens, parks and reservoirs of
water with ducks and swans playing in the midst of lotus flowers, and cows
giving sufficient milk and butter are essential for developing the finer
 388

tissues of the human body. As against this, the dungeons of mines, factories
and workshops develop demoniac propensities in the working class. The
vested
interests flourish at the cost of the working class, and consequently there
are severe clashes between them in so many ways. The description of
Dvaraka-dhama is the ideal of human civilization.

TEXT 13

gopura-dvara-margesu
krta-kautuka-toranam
citra-dhvaja-patakagrair
antah pratihata-tapam

gopura--the gateway of the city; dvara--door; margesu--on different roads;

krta--undertaken; kautuka--because of the festival; toranam--decorated arch;
citra--painted; dhvaja--flags; pataka-agraih--by the foremost signs;
antah--within; pratihata--checked; tapam--sunshine.

TRANSLATION

The city gateway, the household doors and festooned arches along the
roads were all nicely decorated with festive signs like plantain trees and
mango leaves, all to welcome the Lord. Flags, garlands and painted signs and
slogans all combined to shade the sunshine.

PURPORT

Signs of decoration in special festivals were also collected from the

gifts of nature, such as the plantain trees, the mango trees, fruits and
flowers. Mango trees, coconut palms and plantain trees are still accepted as
auspicious signs. The flags mentioned above were all painted with the picture
of either Garuda or Hanuman, the two great servitors of the Lord. For
devotees, such paintings and decorations are still adored, and the servitor of
the master is paid more respects for the satisfaction of the Lord.

TEXT 14

sammarjita-maha-marga-
rathyapanaka-catvaram
siktam gandha-jalair uptam
phala-puspaksatankuraih

sammarjita--thoroughly cleansed; maha-marga--highways; rathya--lanes and

subways; apanaka--shopping marketplaces; catvaram--public meeting places;
siktam--moistened with; gandha-jalaih--scented water; uptam--was strewn
with;
phala--fruits; puspa--flowers; aksata--unbroken; ankuraih--seeds.

TRANSLATION

The highways, subways, lanes, markets and public meeting places were all
 389

thoroughly cleansed and then moistened with scented water. And to welcome
the
Lord, fruits, flowers and unbroken seeds were strewn everywhere.

PURPORT

Scented waters prepared by distilling flowers like rose and keora were
requisitioned to wet the roads, streets and lanes of Dvaraka-dhama. Such
places, along with the marketplace and public meeting places, were
thoroughly
cleansed. From the above description, it appears that the city of
Dvarakadhama
was considerably big, containing many highways, streets and public meeting
places with parks, gardens and reservoirs of water, all very nicely decorated
with flowers and fruits. And to welcome the Lord such flowers and fruits with
unbroken seeds of grain were also strewn over the public places. Unbroken
seeds of grain or fruits in the seedling stage were considered auspicious, and
they are still so used by the Hindus in general on festival days.

TEXT 15

dvari dvari grhanam ca

dadhy-aksata-phaleksubhih
alankrtam purna-kumbhair
balibhir dhupa-dipakaih

dvari dvari--the door of each and every house; grhanam--of all the residential
buildings; ca--and; dadhi--curd; aksata--unbroken; phala--fruit;
iksubhih--sugarcane; alankrtam--decorated; purna-kumbhaih--full water pots;
balibhih--along with articles for worship; dhupa--incense; dipakaih--with
lamps and candles.

TRANSLATION

In each and every door of the residential houses, auspicious things like
curd, unbroken fruits, sugarcane and full waterpots with articles for worship,
incense and candles were all displayed.

PURPORT

The process of reception according to Vedic rites is not at all dry. The
reception was made not simply by decorating the roads and streets as above
mentioned, but by worshiping the Lord with requisite ingredients like incense,
lamps, flowers, sweets, fruits and other palatable eatables, according to
one's capacity. All were offered to the Lord, and the remnants of the
foodstuff were distributed amongst the gathering citizens. So it was not like
a dry reception of these modern days. Each and every house was ready to
receive the Lord in a similar way, and thus each and every house on the roads
and streets distributed such remnants of food to the citizens, and therefore
the festival was successful. Without distribution of food, no function is
complete, and that is the way of Vedic culture.
 390

TEXT 16-17

nisamya prestham ayantam

vasudevo maha-manah
akruras cograsenas ca
ramas cadbhuta-vikramah

pradyumnas carudesnas ca
sambo jambavati-sutah
praharsa-vegocchasita-
sayanasana-bhojanah

nisamya--just hearing; prestham--the dearmost; ayantam--coming home;

vasudevah--Vasudeva (the father of Krsna); maha-manah--the magnanimous;
akrurah--Akrura; ca--and; ugrasenah--Ugrasena; ca--and; ramah--Balarama
(the
elder brother of Krsna); ca--and; adbhuta--superhuman; vikramah--prowess;
pradyumnah--Pradyumna; carudesnah--Carudesna; ca--and; sambah--Samba;
jambavati-sutah--the son of Jambavati; praharsa--extreme happiness;
vega--force; ucchasita--being influenced by; sayana--lying down;
asana--sitting on; bhojanah--dining.

TRANSLATION

On hearing that the most dear Krsna was approaching Dvarakadhama,

magnanimous Vasudeva, Akrura, Ugrasena, Balarama (the superhumanly
powerful),
Pradyumna, Carudesna and Samba the son of Jambavati, all extremely happy,
abandoned resting, sitting and dining.

PURPORT

Vasudeva: Son of King Surasena, husband of Devaki and father of Lord Sri
Krsna. He is the brother of Kunti and father of Subhadra. Subhadra was
married
with her cousin Arjuna, and this system is still prevalent in some parts of
India. Vasudeva was appointed minister of Ugrasena, and later on he married
eight daughters of Ugrasena's brother Devaka. Devaki is only one of them.
Kamsa was his brother-in-law, and Vasudeva accepted voluntary imprisonment
by
Kamsa on mutual agreement to deliver the eighth son of Devaki. This was
foiled
by the will of Krsna. As maternal uncle of the Pandavas, he took active parts
in the purificatory process of the Pandavas. He sent for the priest Kasyapa at
the Satasrnga Parvata, and he executed the functions. When Krsna appeared
within the bars of Kamsa's prison house, He was transferred by Vasudeva to
the
house of Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Krsna, at Gokula. Krsna
disappeared along with Baladeva prior to the disappearance of Vasudeva, and
Arjuna (Vasudeva's nephew) undertook the charge of the funeral ceremony
after
Vasudeva's disappearance.
 391

Akrura: The commander in chief of the Vrsni dynasty and a great devotee
of Lord Krsna. Akrura attained success in devotional service to the Lord by
the one single process of offering prayers. He was the husband of Sutani,
daughter of Ahuka. He supported Arjuna when Arjuna took Subhadra forcibly
away
by the will of Krsna. Both Krsna and Akrura went to see Arjuna after his
successful kidnapping of Subhadra. Both of them presented dowries to Arjuna
after this incidence. Akrura was present also when Abhimanyu, the son of
Subhadra, was married with Uttara, mother of Maharaja Pariksit. Ahuka, the
father-in-law of Akrura, was not on good terms with Akrura. But both of them
were devotees of the Lord.
Ugrasena: One of the powerful kings of the Vrsni dynasty and cousin of
Maharaja Kuntibhoja. His other name is Ahuka. His minister was Vasudeva,
and
his son was the powerful Kamsa. This Kamsa imprisoned his father and
became
the King of Mathura. By the grace of Lord Krsna and His brother, Lord
Baladeva, Kamsa was killed, and Ugrasena was reinstalled on the throne.
When
Salva attacked the city of Dvaraka, Ugrasena fought very valiantly and
repulsed the enemy. Ugrasena inquired from Naradaji about the divinity of
Lord
Krsna. When the Yadu dynasty was to be vanquished, Ugrasena was entrusted
with
the iron lump produced from the womb of Samba. He cut the iron lump into
pieces and then pasted it and mixed it up with the sea water on the coast of
Dvaraka. After this, he ordered complete prohibition within the city of
Dvaraka and the kingdom. He got salvation after his death.
Baladeva: He is the divine son of Vasudeva by his wife Rohini. He is also
known as Rohini-nandana, the beloved son of Rohini. He was also entrusted to
Nanda Maharaja along with His mother, Rohini, when Vasudeva embraced
imprisonment by mutual agreement with Kamsa. So Nanda Maharaja is also
the
foster father of Baladeva along with Lord Krsna. Lord Krsna and Lord Baladeva
were constant companions from Their very childhood, although They were
stepbrothers. He is the plenary manifestation of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and therefore He is as good and powerful as Lord Krsna. He belongs
to
the visnu-tattva (the principle of Godhead). He attended the svayamvara
ceremony of Draupadi along with Sri Krsna. When Subhadra was kidnapped by
Arjuna by the organized plan of Sri Krsna, Baladeva was very angry with
Arjuna
and wanted to kill him at once. Sri Krsna, for the sake of His dear friend,
fell at the feet of Lord Baladeva and implored Him not to be so angry. Sri
Baladeva was thus satisfied. Similarly, He was once very angry with the
Kauravas, and He wanted to throw their whole city into the depths of the
Yamuna. But the Kauravas satisfied Him by surrendering unto His divine lotus
feet. He was actually the seventh son of Devaki prior to the birth of Lord
Krsna, but by the will of the Lord He was transferred to the womb of Rohini to
escape the wrath of Kamsa. His other name is therefore Sankarsana, who is
also
the plenary portion of Sri Baladeva. Because He is as powerful as Lord Krsna
 392

and can bestow spiritual power to the devotees, He is therefore known as

Baladeva. In the Vedas also it is enjoined that no one can know the Supreme
Lord without being favored by Baladeva. Bala means spiritual strength not
physical. Some less intelligent persons interpret bala as the strength of the
body. But no one can have spiritual realization by physical strength. Physical
strength ends with the end of the physical body, but spiritual strength
follows the spirit soul to the next transmigration, and therefore the strength
obtained by Baladeva is never wasted. The strength is eternal, and thus
Baladeva is the original spiritual master of all devotees.
Sri Baladeva was also a class friend of Lord Sri Krsna as a student of
Sandipani Muni. In His childhood He killed many asuras along with Sri Krsna,
and specifically He killed the Dhenukasura at Talavana. During the Kuruksetra
battle, He remained neutral, and He tried His best not to bring about the
fight. He was in favor of Duryodhana, but still He remained neutral. When
there was a club-fight between Duryodhana and Bhimasena, He was present
on the
spot. He was angry at Bhimasena when the latter struck Duryodhana on the
thigh
or below the belt, and He wanted to retaliate the unfair action. Lord Sri
Krsna saved Bhima from His wrath. But He left the place at once, being
disgusted at Bhimasena, and after His departure Duryodhana fell to the
ground
to meet his death. The funeral ceremony of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, was
performed by Him, as He was the maternal uncle. It was impossible to be
performed by any one of the Pandavas, who were all overwhelmed with grief.
At
the last stage, He departed from this world by producing a great white snake
from His mouth, and thus He was carried by Sesanaga in the shape of a
serpent.
Pradyumna: Incarnation of Kamadeva or, according to others, incarnation
of Sanat-kumara, born as the son of the Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krsna
and Laksmidevi Srimati Rukmini, the principal queen at Dvaraka. He was one
of
those who went to congratulate Arjuna upon his marrying Subhadra. He was
one
of the great generals who fought with Salva, and while fighting with him he
became unconscious on the battlefield. His charioteer brought him back to the
camp from the battlefield, and for this action he was very sorry and rebuked
his charioteer. However, he fought again with Salva and was victorious. He
heard all about the different demigods from Naradaji. He is one of the four
plenary expansions of Lord Sri Krsna. He is the third one. He inquired from
his father, Sri Krsna, about the glories of the brahmanas. During the
fratricidal war amongst the descendants of Yadu, he died at the hand of Bhoja,
another king of the Vrsnis. After his death, he was installed in his original
position.
Carudesna: Another son of Lord Sri Krsna and Rukminidevi. He was also
present during the svayamvara ceremony of Draupadi. He was a great warrior
like his brothers and father. He fought with Vivinidhaka and killed him in the
fight.
Samba: One of the great heroes of the Yadu dynasty and the son of Lord
Sri Krsna by His wife Jambavati. He learned the military art of throwing
 393

arrows from Arjuna, and he became a member of parliament during the time
of
Maharaja Yudhisthira. He was present during the Rajasuya-yajna of Maharaja
Yudhisthira. When all the Vrsnis were assembled during the time of
Pravasa-yajna, his glorious activities were narrated by Satyaki before Lord
Baladeva. He was also present along with his father, Lord Sri Krsna, during
the Asvamedha-yajna performed by Yudhisthira. He was presented before
some
rsis falsely dressed as a pregnant woman by his brothers, and in fun he asked
the rsis what he was going to deliver. The rsis replied that he would deliver
a lump of iron, which would be the cause of fratricidal war in the family of
Yadu. The next day, in the morning, Samba delivered a large lump of iron,
which was entrusted with Ugrasena for necessary action. Actually later on
there was the foretold fratricidal war, and Samba died in that war.
So all these sons of Lord Krsna left their respective palaces and leaving
aside all engagements, including lying down, sitting and dining, hastened
toward their exalted father.

TEXT 18

varanendram puraskrtya
brahmanaih sasumangalaih
sankha-turya-ninadena
brahma-ghosena cadrtah
pratyujjagmu rathair hrstah
pranayagata-sadhvasah

varana-indram--elephants on the auspicious mission; puraskrtya--putting in

the
front; brahmanaih--by the brahmanas; sasumangalaih--with all-auspicious
signs;
sankha--conchshell; turya--bugle; ninadena--by the sound of;
brahma-ghosena--by chanting the hymns of the Vedas; ca--and;
adrtah--glorified; prati--towards; ujjagmuh--proceeded hurriedly; rathaih--on
the chariots; hrstah--in cheerfulness; pranayagata--saturated with affection;
sadhvasah--all-respectful.

TRANSLATION

They hastened toward the Lord on chariots with brahmanas bearing

flowers.
Before them were elephants, emblems of good fortune. Conchshells and
bugles
were sounded, and Vedic hymns were chanted. Thus they offered their
respects,
which were saturated with affection.

PURPORT

The Vedic way of receiving a great personality creates an atmosphere of

respect, which is saturated with affection and veneration for the person
received. The auspicious atmosphere of such a reception depends on the
 394

paraphernalia described above, including conchshells, flowers, incense,

decorated elephants, and the qualified brahmanas reciting verses from the
Vedic literatures. Such a program of reception is full of sincerity, on the
part of both the receiver and the received.

TEXT 19

varamukhyas ca sataso
yanais tad-darsanotsukah
lasat-kundala-nirbhata-
kapola-vadana-sriyah

varamukhyah--well-known prostitutes; ca--and; satasah--hundreds of; yanaih--

by
vehicles; tat-darsana--for meeting Him (Lord Sri Krsna); utsukah--very much
anxious; lasat--hanging; kundala--earrings; nirbhata--dazzling;
kapola--forehead; vadana--face; sriyah--beauty.

TRANSLATION

At the same time, many hundreds of well-known prostitutes began to

proceed on various vehicles. They were all very eager to meet the Lord, and
their beautiful faces were decorated with dazzling earrings, which enhanced
the beauty of their foreheads.

PURPORT

We may not hate even the prostitutes if they are devotees of the Lord.
Even to date there are many prostitutes in great cities of India who are
sincere devotees of the Lord. By tricks of chance one may be obliged to adopt
a profession which is not very adorable in society, but that does not hamper
one in executing devotional service to the Lord. Devotional service to the
Lord is uncheckable in all circumstances. It is understood herewith that even
in those days, about five thousand years ago, there were prostitutes in a city
like Dvaraka, where Lord Krsna resided. This means that prostitutes are
necessary citizens for the proper upkeep of society. The government opens
wine
shops, but this does not mean that the government encourages the drinking of
wine. The idea is that there is a class of men who will drink at any cost, and
it has been experienced that prohibition in great cities encouraged illicit
smuggling of wine. Similarly, men who are not satisfied at home require such
concessions, and if there is no prostitute, then such low men will induce
others into prostitution. It is better that prostitutes be available in the
marketplace so that the sanctity of society can be maintained. It is better to
maintain a class of prostitutes than to encourage prostitutes within society.
The real reformation is to enlighten all people to become devotees of the
Lord, and that will check all kinds of deteriorating factors of life.
Sri Bilvamangala Thakura, a great acarya of the Visnusvami Vaisnava sect,
in his householder life was overly attached to a prostitute who happened to be
a devotee of the Lord. One night when the Thakura came to Cintamani's house
in
 395

torrents of rain and thunder, Cintamani was astonished to see how the
Thakura
could come on such a dreadful night after crossing a foaming river which was
full of waves. She said to Thakura Bilvamangala that his attraction for the
flesh and bone of an insignificant woman like her would be properly utilized
if it could be diverted to the devotional service of the Lord to achieve
attraction for the transcendental beauty of the Lord. It was a momentous hour
for the Thakura, and he took a turn towards spiritual realization by the words
of a prostitute. Later on the Thakura accepted the prostitute as his spiritual
master, and in several places of his literary works he has glorified the name
of Cintamani, who showed him the right path.
In the Bhagavad-gita (9.32) the Lord says, "O son of Prtha, even the
low-born candalas and those who are born in a family of unbelievers, and even
the prostitutes, shall attain perfection of life if they take shelter of
unalloyed devotional service to Me, because in the path of devotional service
there are no impediments due to degraded birth and occupation. The path is
open for everyone who agrees to follow it."
It appears that the prostitutes of Dvaraka, who were so eager to meet the
Lord, were all His unalloyed devotees, and thus they were all on the path of
salvation according to the above version of the Bhagavad-gita. Therefore, the
only reformation that is necessary in society is to make an organized effort
to turn the citizens into devotees of the Lord, and thus all good qualities of
the denizens of heaven will overtake them in their own way. On the other
hand,
those who are nondevotees have no good qualifications whatsoever, however
they
may be materially advanced. The difference is that the devotees of the Lord
are on the path of liberation, whereas the nondevotees are on the path of
further entanglement in material bondage. The criterion of advancement of
civilization is whether the people are educated and advanced on the path of
salvation.

TEXT 20

nata-nartaka-gandharvah
suta-magadha-vandinah
gayanti cottamasloka-
caritany adbhutani ca

nata--dramatists; nartaka--dancers; gandharvah--celestial singers;

suta--professional historians; magadha--professional genealogists;
vandinah--professional learned speakers; gayanti--chant; ca--respectively;
uttamasloka--the Supreme Lord; caritani--activities; adbhutani--all
superhuman; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

Expert dramatists, artists, dancers, singers, historians, genealogists

and learned speakers all gave their respective contributions, being inspired
by the superhuman pastimes of the Lord. Thus they proceeded on and on.

PURPORT
 396

It appears that five thousand years ago the society also needed the
services of the dramatists, artists, dancers, singers, historians,
genealogists, public speakers, etc. Dancers, singers and dramatic artists
mostly hailed from the sudra community, whereas the learned historians,
genealogists and public speakers hailed from the brahmana community. All of
them belonged to a particular caste, and they became so trained in their
respective families. Such dramatists, dancers, singers, historians,
genealogists and public speakers would dwell on the subject of the Lord's
superhuman activities in different ages and millenniums, and not on ordinary
events. Nor were they in chronological order. All the Puranas are historical
facts described only in relation with the Supreme Lord in different ages and
times as well as on different planets also. Therefore, we do not find any
chronological order. The modern historians, therefore, cannot catch up the
link, and thus they unauthoritatively remark that the Puranas are all
imaginary stories only.
Even one hundred years ago in India, all dramatic performances were
centered around the superhuman activities of the Supreme Lord. The common
people would be verily entertained by the performances of dramas, and yatra
parties played wonderfully on the superhuman activities of the Lord, and thus
even the illiterate agriculturist would be a participant in the knowledge of
Vedic literature, despite a considerable lack of academic qualifications.
Therefore, expert players in drama, dancers, singers, speakers, etc., are
required for the spiritual enlightenment of the common man. The genealogists
would give account completely of the descendants of a particular family. Even
at the present moment the guides in the pilgrimage sites of India submit a
complete account of genealogical tables before a newcomer. This wonderful
act
sometimes attracts more customers to receive such important information.

TEXT 21

bhagavams tatra bandhunam

pauranam anuvartinam
yatha-vidhy upasangamya
sarvesam manam adadhe

bhagavan--Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead; tatra--in that place;

bandhunam--of the friends; pauranam--of the citizens; anuvartinam--those
who
approached Him to receive and welcome; yatha-vidhi--as it behooves;
upasangamya--going nearer; sarvesam--for each and every one; manam--
honor and
respects; adadhe--offered.

TRANSLATION

Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, approached them and offered due
honor and respect to each and every one of the friends, relatives, citizens
and all others who came to receive and welcome Him.

PURPORT
 397

The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is neither impersonal nor an

inert object unable to reciprocate the feelings of His devotees. Here the word
yatha-vidhi, or "just as it behooves" is significant. He reciprocates "just as
it behooves" with His different types of admirers and devotees. Of course, the
pure devotees are of one type only because they have no other object for
service but the Lord, and therefore the Lord also reciprocates with such pure
devotees just as it behooves, namely, He is always attentive to all the
matters of His pure devotees. There are others who designate Him as
impersonal, and so the Lord also does not take any personal interest. He
satisfies everyone in terms of one's development of spiritual consciousness,
and a sample of such reciprocation is exhibited here with His different
welcomers.

TEXT 22

prahvabhivadanaslesa-
kara-sparsa-smiteksanaih
asvasya casvapakebhyo
varais cabhimatair vibhuh

prahva--by bowing His head; abhivadana--by greeting with words;

aslesa--embracing; kara-sparsa--shaking hands; smita-iksanaih--by a glancing
smile; asvasya--by encouragement; ca--and; asvapakebhyah--down to the
lowest
rank of dog-eaters; varaih--by benedictions; ca--also; abhimataih--as desired
by; vibhuh--the Almighty.

TRANSLATION

The Almighty Lord greeted everyone present by bowing His head,

exchanging
greetings, embracing, shaking hands, looking and smiling, giving assurances
and awarding benedictions, even to the lowest in rank.

PURPORT

To receive the Lord Sri Krsna there were all grades of population,
beginning from Vasudeva, Ugrasena and Gargamuni--the father, grandfather
and
teacher--down to the prostitutes and candalas, who are accustomed to eat
dogs.
And every one of them was properly greeted by the Lord in terms of rank and
position. As pure living entities, all are the separated parts and parcels of
the Lord, and thus no one is alien by His eternal relation. Such pure living
entities are graded differently in terms of contamination of the modes of
material nature, but the Lord is equally affectionate to all His parts and
parcels, despite material gradation. He descends only to recall these
materialistic living beings back to His kingdom, and intelligent persons take
advantage of this facility offered by the Personality of Godhead to all living
beings. No one is rejected by the Lord from the kingdom of God, and it
remains
 398

with the living being to accept this or not.

TEXT 23

svayam ca gurubhir vipraih

sadaraih sthavirair api
asirbhir yujyamano 'nyair
vandibhis cavisat puram

svayam--Himself; ca--also; gurubhih--by elderly relatives; vipraih--by the

brahmanas; sadaraih--with their wives; sthaviraih--invalid; api--also;
asirbhih--by the blessing of; yujyamanah--being praised by; anyaih--by others;
vandibhih--admirers; ca--and; avisat--entered; puram--the city.

TRANSLATION

Then the Lord personally entered the city accompanied by elderly

relatives and invalid brahmanas with their wives, all offering benedictions
and singing the glories of the Lord. Others also praised the glories of the
Lord.

PURPORT

The brahmanas in society were never attentive to banking money for

future
retired life. When they were old invalids, they used to approach the assembly
of the kings, and simply by praising the glorious deeds performed by the
kings, along with their wives, they would be provided with all necessities of
life. Such brahmanas were not, so to speak, flatterers of the kings, but the
kings were actually glorified by their actions, and they were sincerely still
more encouraged in pious acts by such brahmanas in a dignified way. Lord Sri
Krsna is worthy of all glories, and the praying brahmanas and others were
glorified themselves by chanting the glories of the Lord.

TEXT 24

raja-margam gate krsne

dvarakayah kula-striyah
harmyany aruruhur vipra
tad-isksana-mahotsavah

raja-margam--the public roads; gate--while passing over; krsne--by Lord Krsna;

dvarakayah--of the city of Dvaraka; kula-striyah--ladies of the respectable
families; harmyani--on the palaces; aruruhuh--got up; vipra--O brahmanas;
tat-iksana--just to look upon Him (Krsna); maha-utsavah--accepted as the
greatest festival.

TRANSLATION

When Lord Krsna passed over the public roads, all the ladies from the
respectable families of Dvaraka went up to the roofs of their palaces just to
have a look at the Lord. They considered this to be the greatest festival.
 399

PURPORT

To have a look at the Lord is a great festive occasion undoubtedly, as it

was considered by the metropolitan ladies of Dvaraka. This is still followed
by the devout ladies of India. Especially during the days of the Jhulana and
Janmastami ceremonies, the ladies of India still throng up in the greatest
number at the temple of the Lord, where His transcendental eternal form is
worshiped. The transcendental form of the Lord installed in a temple is not
different from the Lord personally. Such a form of the Lord is called
arca-vigraha, or arca incarnation, and is expanded by the Lord by His internal
potency just to facilitate the devotional service of His innumerable devotees
who are in the material world. The material senses cannot perceive the
spiritual nature of the Lord, and therefore the Lord accepts the arca-vigraha,
which is apparently made of material elements like earth, wood and stone but
actually there is no material contamination. The Lord being kaivalya (one
alone), there is no matter in Him. He is one without a second, and therefore
the Almighty Lord can appear in any form without being contaminated by the
material conception. Therefore, festivities in the temple of the Lord, as held
generally, are like festivals performed during the manifestive days of the
Lord of Dvaraka, about five thousand years ago. The authorized acaryas, who
know the science perfectly, install such temples of the Lord under regulative
principles just to offer facilities to the common man, but persons who are
less intelligent, without being conversant with the science, mistake this
great attempt to be idol worship and poke their nose into that to which they
have no access. Therefore, the ladies or men who observe festivals in the
temples of the Lord just to have a look at the transcendental form are a
thousand times more glorious than those who are nonbelievers in the
transcendental form of the Lord.
It appears from the verse that the inhabitants of Dvaraka were all owners
of big palaces. This indicates the prosperity of the city. The ladies got up
on the roofs just to have a look at the procession and the Lord. The ladies
did not mix with the crowd on the street, and thus their respectability was
perfectly observed. There was no artificial equality with the man. Female
respectability is preserved more elegantly by keeping the woman separate
from
the man. The sexes should not mix unrestrictedly.

TEXT 25

nityam niriksamananam
yad api dvarakaukasam
na vitrpyanti hi drsah
sriyo dhamangam acyutam

nityam--regularly, always; niriksamananam--of those who look at Him;

yat--although; api--in spite of; dvaraka-okasam--the inhabitants of Dvaraka;
na--never; vitrpyanti--satisfied; hi--exactly; drsah--sight; sriyah--beauties;
dhama-angam--the bodily reservoir; acyutam--the infallible.

TRANSLATION
 400

The inhabitants of Dvaraka were regularly accustomed to look upon the

reservoir of all beauty, the infallible Lord, yet they were never satiated.

PURPORT

When the ladies of the city of Dvaraka got up on the roofs of their
palaces, they never thought that they had previously many times seen the
beautiful body of the infallible Lord. This indicates that they had no
satiation in desiring to see the Lord. Anything material seen for a number of
times ultimately becomes unattractive by the law of satiation. The law of
satiation acts materially, but there is no scope for it in the spiritual
realm. The word infallible is significant here, because although the Lord has
mercifully descended on earth, He is still infallible. The living entities are
fallible because when they come in contact with the material world they lack
their spiritual identity, and thus the body materially obtained becomes
subjected to birth, growth, transformation, situation, deterioration and
annihilation under the laws of nature. The Lord's body is not like that. He
descends as He is and is never under the laws of the material modes. His body
is the source of everything that be, the reservoir of all beauties beyond our
experience. No one, therefore, is satiated by seeing the transcendental body
of the Lord because there are always manifestations of newer and newer
beauties. The transcendental name, form, qualities, entourage, etc., are all
spiritual manifestations, and there is no satiation in chanting the holy name
of the Lord, there is no satiation in discussing the qualities of the Lord,
and there is no limitation of the entourage of the Lord. He is the source of
all and is limitless.

TEXT 26

sriyo nivaso yasyorah

pana-patram mukham drsam
bahavo loka-palanam
saranganam padambujam

sriyah--of the goddess of fortune; nivasah--residential place; yasya--one

whose; urah--chest; pana-patram--the drinking pot; mukham--face; drsam--of
eyes; bahavah--the arms; loka-palanam--of the administrative demigods;
saranganam--of the devotees who talk and sing of the essence or substance;
pada-ambujam--the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

The Lord's chest is the abode of the goddess of fortune. His moonlike
face is the drinking vessel for eyes which hanker after all that is beautiful.
His arms are the resting places for the administrative demigods. And His lotus
feet are the refuge of pure devotees who never talk or sing of any subject
except His Lordship.

PURPORT

There are different classes of human beings, all seeking different

 401

enjoyments from different objects. There are persons who are seeking after
the
favor of the goddess of fortune, and for them the Vedic literatures give
information that the Lord is always served with all reverence by thousands and
thousands of goddesses of fortune at the cintamani-dhama the transcendental
abode of the Lord where the trees are all desire trees and the buildings are
made of touchstone. The Lord Govinda is engaged there in herding the surabhi
cows as His natural occupation. These goddesses of fortune can be seen
automatically if we are attracted by the bodily features of the Lord. The
impersonalists cannot observe such goddesses of fortune because of their dry
speculative habit. And those who are artists, overtaken by the beautiful
creation, should better see to the beautiful face of the Lord for complete
satisfaction. The face of the Lord is the embodiment of beauty. What they call
beautiful nature is but His smile, and what they call the sweet songs of the
birds are but specimens of the whispering voice of the Lord. There are
administrative demigods in charge of departmental service of cosmic
management, and there are tiny administrative gods in the state service. They
are always afraid of other competitors, but if they take shelter of the arms
of the Lord, the Lord can protect them always from the attacks of enemies. A
faithful servant of the Lord engaged in the service of administration is the
ideal executive head and can well protect the interest of the people in
general. Other so-called administrators are symbols of anachronisms leading
to
the acute distress of the people who are governed by them. The
administrators
can remain safely under the protection of the arms of the Lord. The essence of
everything is the Supreme Lord: He is called the saram. And those who sing
and
talk about Him are called the sarangas, or the pure devotees. The pure
devotees are always hankering after the lotus feet of the Lord. The lotus has
a kind of honey which is transcendentally relished by the devotees. They are
like the bees who are always after the honey. Srila Rupa Gosvami, the great
devotee acarya of the Gaudiya-Vaisnava-sampradaya, has sung a song about
this
lotus honey, comparing himself to the bee: "O my Lord Krsna, I beg to offer my
prayers unto You. My mind is like the bee, and it is after some honey. Kindly,
therefore, give my bee-mind a place at Your lotus feet, which are the
resources for all transcendental honey. I know that even big demigods like
Brahma do not see the rays of the nails of Your lotus feet, even though they
are engaged in deep meditation for years together. Still, O infallible one, my
ambition is such, for You are very merciful to your surrendered devotees. O
Madhava, I know also that I have no genuine devotion for the service of Your
lotus feet, but because Your Lordship is inconceivably powerful, You can do
what is impossible to be done. Your lotus feet can deride even the nectar of
the heavenly kingdom, and therefore I am very much attracted by them. O
supreme eternal, please, therefore, let my mind be fixed at Your lotus feet so
that eternally I may be able to relish the taste of Your transcendental
service." The devotees are satisfied with being placed at the lotus feet of
the Lord and have no ambition to see His all-beautiful face or aspire for the
protection of the strong arms of the Lord. They are humble by nature, and the
Lord is always leaning towards such humble devotees.
 402

TEXT 27

sitatapatra-vyajanair upaskrtah
prasuna-varsair abhivarsitah pathi
pisanga-vasa vana-malaya babhau
ghano yatharkodupa-capa-vaidyutaih

sita-atapatra--white umbrella; vyajanaih--with a camara fan; upaskrtah--being

served by; prasuna--flowers; varsaih--by the showers; abhivarsitah--thus being
covered; pathi--on the road; pisanga-vasa--by the yellow garments;
vana-malaya--by the flower garlands; babhau--thus it became; ghanah--cloud;
yatha--as if; arka--the sun; udupa--the moon; capa--the rainbow;
vaidyutaih--by the lightning.

TRANSLATION

As the Lord passed along the public road of Dvaraka, His head was
protected from the sunshine by a white umbrella. White feathered fans moved
in
semicircles, and showers of flowers fell upon the road. His yellow garments
and garlands of flowers made it appear as if a dark cloud were surrounded
simultaneously by sun, moon, lightning and rainbows.

PURPORT

The sun, moon, rainbow and lightning do not appear in the sky
simultaneously. When there is sun, the moonlight becomes insignificant, and if
there are clouds and a rainbow, there is no manifestation of lightning. The
Lord's bodily hue is just like a new monsoon cloud. He is compared herein to
the cloud. The white umbrella over His head is compared to the sun. The
movement of the bunch-hair fan of flukes is compared to the moon. The
showers
of flowers are compared to the stars. His yellow garments are compared to the
rainbow. So all these activities of the firmament, being impossible
simultaneous factors, cannot be adjusted by comparison. The adjustment is
possible only when we think of the inconceivable potency of the Lord. The Lord
is all-powerful, and in His presence anything impossible can be made possible
by His inconceivable energy. But the situation created at the time of His
passing on the roads of Dvaraka was beautiful and could not be compared to
anything besides the description of natural phenomena.

TEXT 28

pravistas tu grham pitroh

parisvaktah sva-matrbhih
vavande sirasa sapta
devaki-pramukha muda

pravistah--after entering; tu--but; grham--houses; pitroh--of the father;

parisvaktah--embraced; sva-matrbhih--by His own mothers; vavande--offered
obeisances; sirasa--His head; sapta--seven; devaki--Devaki; pramukha--headed
by; muda--gladly.
 403

TRANSLATION

After entering the house of His father, He was embraced by the mothers
present, and the Lord offered His obeisances unto them by placing His head at
their feet. The mothers were headed by Devaki [His real mother].

PURPORT

It appears that Vasudeva, the father of Lord Krsna, had completely

separate residential quarters where he lived with his eighteen wives, out of
whom Srimati Devaki is the real mother of Lord Krsna. But in spite of this,
all other stepmothers were equally affectionate to Him, as will be evident
from the following verse. Lord Krsna also did not distinguish His real mother
from His stepmothers, and He equally offered His obeisances unto all the
wives
of Vasudeva present on the occasion. According to scriptures also, there are
seven mothers: (1) the real mother, (2) the wife of the spiritual master, (3)
the wife of a brahmana, (4) the wife of the king, (5) the cow, (6) the nurse,
and (7) the earth. All of them are mothers. Even by this injunction of the
sastras, the stepmother, who is the wife of the father, is also as good as the
mother because the father is also one of the spiritual masters. Lord Krsna,
the Lord of the universe, plays the part of an ideal son just to teach others
how to treat their stepmothers.

TEXT 29

tah putram ankam aropya

sneha-snuta-payodharah
harsa-vihvalitatmanah
sisicur netrajair jalaih

tah--all of them; putram--the son; ankam--the lap; aropya--having placed on;

sneha-snuta--moistened by affection; payodharah--breasts filled up;
harsa--delight; vihvalita-atmanah--overwhelmed by; sisicuh--wet;
netrajaih--from the eyes; jalaih--water.

TRANSLATION

The mothers, after embracing their son, sat Him on their laps. Due to
pure affection, milk sprang from their breasts. They were overwhelmed with
delight, and the tears from their eyes wetted the Lord.

PURPORT

When Lord Krsna was at Vrndavana even the cows would become
moistened by
affection towards Him, and He would draw milk from the nipples of every
affectionate living being, so what to speak of the stepmothers who were
already as good as His own mother.

TEXT 30
 404

athavisat sva-bhavanam
sarva-kamam anuttamam
prasada yatra patninam
sahasrani ca sodasa

atha--thereafter; avisat--entered; sva-bhavanam--personal palaces; sarva--all;

kamam--desires; anuttamam--perfect to the fullest extent; prasadah--palaces;
yatra--where; patninam--of the wives numbering; sahasrani--thousands; ca--
over
and above; sodasa--sixteen.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, the Lord entered His palaces, which were perfect to the
fullest extent. His wives lived in them, and they numbered over sixteen
thousand.

PURPORT

Lord Krsna had 16,108 wives, and for each and every one of them there
was
a fully equipped palace complete with necessary compounds and gardens. Full
description of these palaces is given in the Tenth Canto. All the palaces were
made of the best marble stone. They were illuminated by jewels and
decorated
by curtains and carpets of velvet and silk, nicely bedecked and embroidered
with gold lace. The Personality of Godhead means one who is full with all
power, all energy, all opulences, all beauties, all knowledge and all
renunciation. Therefore, in the palaces of the Lord there was nothing wanting
for fulfilling all desires of the Lord. The Lord is unlimited, and therefore
His desires are also unlimited, and the supply is also unlimited. Everything
being unlimited, it is concisely described here as sama-kamam, or full with
all desirable equipment.

TEXT 31

patnyah patim prosya grhanupagatam

vilokya sanjata-mano-mahotsavah
uttasthur arat sahasasanasayat
sakam vratair vridita-locanananah

patnyah--the ladies (wives of Lord Sri Krsna); patim--husband; prosya--who

was
away from home; grha-anupagatam--now returned home; vilokya--thus seeing;
sanjata--having developed; manah-maha-utsavah--a sense of joyful ceremony
within the mind; uttasthuh--got up; arat--from a distance; sahasa--all of a
sudden; asana--from the seats; asayat--from the state of meditation;
sakam--along with; vrataih--the vow; vridita--looking coyly; locana--eyes;
ananah--with such faces.

TRANSLATION
 405

The queens of Lord Sri Krsna rejoiced within their minds to see their
husband home after a long period abroad. The queens got up at once from
their
seats and meditations. As was socially customary, they covered their faces
shyly and looked about coyly.

PURPORT

As mentioned above, the Lord entered His home palaces occupied by

16,108
queens. This means that the Lord at once expanded Himself in as many
plenary
expansions as there were queens and palaces and entered in each and every
one
of them simultaneously and separately. Here is another manifestation of the
feature of His internal potency. He can expand Himself in as many forms of
spiritual identity as He desires, even though He is one without a second. It
is confirmed by the Sruti-mantra that the Absolute is one alone, and yet He
becomes many as soon as He so desires. These manifold expansions of the
Supreme Lord are manifested as plenary and separated portions. The
separated
portions are representations of His energy, and the plenary portions are
manifestations of His Personality. Thus the Personality of Godhead manifested
Himself in 16,108 plenary expansions and simultaneously entered into each
and
every one of the palaces of the queens. This is called vaibhava, or the
transcendental potency of the Lord. And because He can do so, He is also
known
as Yogesvara. Ordinarily, a yogi or mystic living being is able to expand
himself at utmost to tenfold expansions of his body, but the Lord can do so to
the extent of as many thousands or infinitely, as He likes. Unbelievers become
astonished to learn that Lord Krsna married more than 16,000 queens because
they think of Lord Krsna as one of them and measure the potency of the Lord
by
their own limited potency. One should know, therefore, that the Lord is never
on the level of the living beings, who are but expansions of His marginal
potency, and one should never equalize the potent and the potency, although
there is very little difference of quality between the potent and the potency.
The queens were also expansions of His internal potency, and thus the potent
and potencies are perpetually exchanging transcendental pleasures, known as
pastimes of the Lord. One should not, therefore, become astonished to learn
that the Lord married so many wives. On the contrary, one should affirm that
even if the Lord marries sixteen thousand million wives, He is not completely
manifesting His unlimited and inexhaustible potency. He married only 16,000
wives and entered in each and every one of the different palaces just to
impress in the history of the human beings on the surface of the earth that
the Lord is never equal to or less than any human being, however powerful he
may be. No one, therefore, is either equal to or greater than the Lord. The
Lord is always great in all respects. "God is great" is eternal truth.
Therefore, as soon as the queens saw from a distance their husband, who
was away from home for long periods due to the Battle of Kuruksetra, they all
 406

arose from the slumber of meditation and prepared to receive their most
beloved. According to Yajnavalkya's religious injunctions, a woman whose
husband is away from home should not take part in any social functions,
should
not decorate her body, should not laugh and should not go to any relative's
house in any circumstance. This is the vow of the ladies whose husbands are
away from home. At the same time, it is also enjoined that a wife should never
present herself before the husband in an unclean state. She must decorate
herself with ornaments and good dress and should always be present before
the
husband in a happy and joyous mood. The queens of Lord Krsna were all in
meditation, thinking of the Lord's absence, and were always meditating upon
Him. The Lord's devotees cannot live for a moment without meditating on the
Lord, and what to speak of the queens, who were all goddesses of fortune
incarnated as queens in the pastimes of the Lord at Dvaraka. They can never
be
separated from the Lord, either by presence or by trance. The gopis at
Vrndavana could not forget the Lord when the Lord was away in the forest cow
herding. When the Lord boy Krsna was absent from the village, the gopis at
home used to worry about Him traversing the rough ground with His soft lotus
feet. By thinking thus, they were sometimes overwhelmed in trance and
mortified in the heart. Such is the condition of the pure associates of the
Lord. They are always in trance, and so the queens also were in trance during
the absence of the Lord. Presently, having seen the Lord from a distance, they
at once gave up all their engagements, including the vows of women as
described above. According to Sri Visvanatha Carkavarti Thakura, there was a
regular psychological reaction on the occasion. First of all, rising from
their seats, although they wanted to see their husband, they were deterred
because of feminine shyness. But due to strong ecstasy, they overcame that
stage of weakness and became caught up with the idea of embracing the Lord,
and this thought factually made them unconscious of their surrounding
environment. This prime state of ecstasy annihilated all other formalities and
social conventions, and thus they escaped all stumbling blocks on the path of
meeting the Lord. And that is the perfect stage of meeting the Lord of the
soul, Sri Krsna.

TEXT 32

tam atmajair drstibhir antaratmana

duranta-bhavah parirebhire patim
niruddham apy asravad ambu netrayor
vilajjatinam bhrgu-varya vaiklavat

tam--Him (the Lord); atma-jaih--by the sons; drstibhih--by the sight;

antara-atmana--by the innermost part of the heart; duranta-bhavah--
insuperable
ecstasy; parirebhire--embraced; patim--husband; niruddham--choked up; api--
in
spite of; asravat--tears; ambu--like drops of water; netrayoh--from the eyes;
vilajjatinam--of those situated in shyness; bhrgu-varya--O chief of the
Bhrgus; vaiklavat--inadvertently.
 407

TRANSLATION

The insuperable ecstasy was so strong that the queens, who were shy,
first embraced the Lord in the innermost recesses of their hearts. Then they
embraced Him visually, and then they sent their sons to embrace Him [which
is
equal to personal embracing]. But, O chief amongst the Bhrgus, though they
tried to restrain their feelings, they inadvertently shed tears.

PURPORT

Although due to feminine shyness there were many hindrances to

embracing
the dear husband, Lord Sri Krsna, the queens performed that act by seeing
Him,
by putting Him in the cores of their hearts, and by sending their sons to
embrace Him. Still, the act remained unfinished, and tears rolled down their
cheeks despite all endeavors to check them. One indirectly embraces the
husband by sending the son to embrace him because the son is developed as
part
of the mother's body. The embrace of the son is not exactly the embrace of
husband and wife from the sexual point of view, but the embrace is
satisfaction from the affectionate point of view. The embrace of the eyes is
more effective in the conjugal relation, and thus according to Srila Jiva
Gosvami there is nothing wrong in such an exchange of feeling between
husband
and wife.

TEXT 33

yadyapy asau parsva-gato raho-gatas

tathapi tasyanghri-yugam navam navam
pade pade ka virameta tat-padac
calapi yac chrir na jahati karhicit

yadi--although; api--certainly; asau--He (Lord Sri Krsna); parsva-gatah--just

by the side; rahah-gatah--exclusively alone; tathapi--still; tasya--His;
anghri-yugam--the feet of the Lord; navam navam--newer and newer; pade--
step;
pade--in every step; ka--who; virameta--can be detached from; tat-padat--from
His feet; calapi--moving; yat--whom; srih--the goddess of fortune; na--never;
jahati--quits; karhicit--at any time.

TRANSLATION

Although Lord Sri Krsna was constantly by their sides, as well as

exclusively alone, His feet appeared to them to be newer and newer. The
goddess of fortune, although by nature always restless and moving, could not
quit the Lord's feet. So what woman can be detached from those feet, having
once taken shelter of them?

PURPORT
 408

Conditioned living beings are always after the favor of the goddess of
fortune, although by nature she is moving from one place to another. In the
material world no one is permanently fortunate, however clever one may be.
There have been so many big empires in different parts of the world, there
have been so many powerful kings all over the world, and there have been so
many fortunate men, but all of them have been liquidated gradually. This is
the law of material nature. But spiritually it is different. According to
Brahma-samhita, the Lord is served very respectfully by hundreds and
thousands
of goddesses of fortune. They are always in a lonely place also with the Lord.
But still the association of the Lord is so inspiringly newer and newer that
they cannot quit the Lord for a moment, even though they are by nature very
restless and are moving about. The spiritual relation with the Lord is so
enlivening and resourceful that no one can leave the company of the Lord,
once
having taken shelter of Him.
The living beings are by constitution feminine by nature. The male or
enjoyer is the Lord, and all manifestations of His different potencies are
feminine by nature. In the Bhagavad-gita, the living beings are designated as
para-prakrti, or the superior potency. The material elements are
apara-prakrti, or inferior potency. Such potencies are always employed for the
satisfaction of the employer, or the enjoyer. The supreme enjoyer is the Lord
Himself, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita (5.29). The potencies, therefore, when
engaged directly in the service of the Lord, revive the natural color, and
thus there is no disparity in the relation of the potent and potency.
Generally people engaged in service are always seeking some post under
the government or the supreme enjoyer of the state. Since the Lord is the
supreme enjoyer of everything in or outside the universe, it is happiness to
be employed by Him. Once engaged in the supreme governmental service of
the
Lord, no living being wishes to be relieved from the engagement. The highest
perfection of human life is to seek some employment under the Lord's
supreme
service. That will make one extremely happy. One need not seek the moving
goddess of fortune without the relation of the Lord.

TEXT 34

evam nrpanam ksiti-bhara janmanam

aksauhinibhih parivrtta-tejasam
vidhaya vairam svasano yathanalam
mitho vadhenoparato nirayudhah

evam--thus; nrpanam--of the kings or administrators; ksiti-bhara--the burden

of the earth; janmanam--born in that way; aksauhinibhih--empowered by a
military strength of horses, elephants, chariots and infantry;
parivrtta--being puffed up by such surroundings; tejasam--prowess;
vidhaya--having created; vairam--hostility; svasanah--interaction of the wind
and the pipe plants; yatha--as it is; analam--fire; mithah--with one another;
vadhena--by killing them; uparatah--relieved; nirayudhah--by Himself without
being a party to such fighting.
 409

TRANSLATION

The Lord was pacified after killing those kings who were burdensome to
the earth. They were puffed up with their military strength, their horses,
elephants, chariots, infantry, etc. He Himself was not a party in the fight.
He simply created hostility between the powerful administrators, and they
fought amongst themselves. He was like the wind which causes friction
between
bamboos and so sparks a fire.

PURPORT

As stated above, the living beings are not factual enjoyers of things
which are manifested as God's creation. The Lord is the genuine proprietor
and
enjoyer of everything manifested in His creation. Unfortunately, influenced by
the deluding energy, the living being becomes a false enjoyer under the
dictation of the modes of nature. Puffed up by such a false sense of becoming
God, the deluded living being increases his material strength by so many
activities and thus becomes the burden of the earth, so much so that the earth
becomes completely uninhabitable by the sane. This state of affairs is called
dharmasya glani, or misuse of the energy of the human being. When such
misuse
of human energy is prominent, the saner living beings become perturbed by
the
awkward situation created by the vicious administrators, who are simply
burdens of the earth, and the Lord appears by His internal potency just to
save the saner section of humanity and to alleviate the burden due to the
earthly administrators in different parts of the world. He does not favor
either of the unwanted administrators, but by His potential power He creates
hostility between such unwanted administrators, as the air creates fire in the
forest by the friction of the bamboos. The fire in the forest takes place
automatically by the force of the air, and similarly the hostility between
different groups of politicians takes place by the unseen design of the Lord.
The unwanted administrators, puffed up by false power and military strength,
thus become engaged in fighting amongst themselves over ideological
conflicts
and so exhaust themselves of all powers. The history of the world reflects
this factual will of the Lord, and it will continue to be enacted until the
living beings are attached to the service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita
this fact is very vividly described (Bg. 7.14). It is said, "The deluding
energy is My potency, and thus it is not possible for the dependent living
beings to supersede the strength of the material modes. But those who take
shelter in Me [the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna] can cross over the
gigantic ocean of material energy." This means that no one can establish
peace
and prosperity in the world by fruitive activities or by speculative
philosophy or ideology. The only way is to surrender unto the Supreme Lord
and
thus become free from the illusion of the deluding energy.
Unfortunately persons who are engaged in destructive work are unable to
 410

surrender to the Personality of Godhead. They are all fools of the first
order; they are the lowest of the human species of life; they are robbed of
their knowledge, although apparently they seem to be academically educated.
They are all of the demoniac mentality, always challenging the supreme power
of the Lord. Those who are very materialistic, always hankering after material
power and strength, are undoubtedly fools of the first order because they have
no information of the living energy, and being ignorant of that supreme
spiritual science, they are absorbed in material science, which ends with the
end of the material body. They are the lowest of human beings because the
human life is especially meant for reestablishing the lost relation with the
Lord, and they miss this opportunity by being engaged in material activities.
They are robbed of their knowledge because even after prolonged speculation
they cannot reach to the stage of knowing the Personality of Godhead, the
summum bonum of everything. And all of them are men of demoniac principle,
and
they suffer the consequences, as did such materialistic heroes as Ravana,
Hiranyakasipu, Kamsa and others.

TEXT 35

sa esa nara-loke 'sminn

avatirnah sva-mayaya
reme stri-ratna-kutastho
bhagavan prakrto yatha

sah--He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); esah--all these; nara-loke--on

this planet of human beings; asmin--on this; avatirnah--having appeared;
sva--personal, internal; mayaya--causeless mercy; reme--enjoyed;
stri-ratna--woman who is competent to become a wife of the Lord;
kutasthah--among; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; prakrtah--
mundane;
yatha--as if it were.

TRANSLATION

That Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, out of His causeless

mercy, appeared on this planet by His internal potency and enjoyed Himself
amongst competent women as if He were engaging in mundane affairs.

PURPORT

The Lord married and lived like a householder. This is certainly like a
mundane affair, but when we learn that He married 16,108 wives and lived
with
them separately in each and every palace, certainly it is not mundane.
Therefore, the Lord, living as a householder amongst His competent wives, is
never mundane, and His behavior with them is never to be understood as
mundane
sex relation. The women who became the wives of the Lord are certainly not
ordinary women, because to get the Lord as one's husband is the result of
many, many millions of births' tapasya (austerity). When the Lord appears on
different lokas, or planets, or on this planet of human beings, He displays
 411

His transcendental pastimes just to attract the conditioned souls to become

His eternal servitors, friends, parents and lovers respectively in the
transcendental world, where the Lord eternally reciprocates such exchanges of
service. Service is pervertedly represented in the material world and broken
untimely, resulting in sad experience. The illusioned living being conditioned
by material nature cannot understand out of ignorance that all our relations
here in the mundane world are temporary and full of inebrieties. Such
relations cannot help us be happy perpetually, but if the same relation is
established with the Lord, then we are transferred to the transcendental world
after leaving this material body and become eternally related with Him in the
relation we desire. The women amongst whom He lived as their husband are
not,
therefore, women of this mundane world, but are eternally related with Him as
transcendental wives, a position which they attained by perfection of
devotional service. That is their competency. The Lord is param brahma, or
the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Conditioned souls seek after perpetual
happiness in all places--not only on this earth but also on other planets
throughout the universe--because constitutionally a spiritual spark, as he is,
can travel to any part of God's creation. But being conditioned by the
material modes, he tries to travel in space by spacecraft and so fails to
reach his destination. The law of gravitation is binding upon him like the
shackles of a prisoner. By other processes he can reach anywhere, but even if
he reaches the highest planet, he cannot attain that perpetual happiness for
which he is searching life after life. When he comes to his senses, however,
he seeks after Brahman happiness, knowing it for certain that unlimited
happiness, which he is seeking, is never attainable in the material world. As
such, the Supreme Being, Parabrahman, certainly does not seek His happiness
anywhere in the material world. Nor can His paraphernalia of happiness be
found in the material world. He is not impersonal. Because He is the leader
and Supreme Being amongst innumerable living beings, He cannot be
impersonal.
He is exactly like us, and He has all the propensities of an individual living
being in fullness. He marries exactly like us, but His marriage is neither
mundane nor limited by our experience in the conditioned state. His wives,
therefore, appear like mundane women, but factually they are all
transcendental liberated souls, perfect manifestations of internal energy.

TEXT 36

uddama-bhava-pisunamala-valgu-hasa-
vridavaloka-nihato madano 'pi yasam
sammuhya capam ajahat pramadottamas ta
yasyendriyam vimathitum kuhakair na sekuh

uddama--very grave; bhava--expression; pisuna--exciting; amala--spotless;

valgu-hasa--beautiful smiling; vrida--corner of the eye; avaloka--looking;
nihatah--conquered; madanah--Cupid (or amadana--the greatly tolerant Siva);
api--also; yasam--whose; sammuhya--being overpowered by; capam--bows;
ajahat--gave up; pramada--woman, who maddens; uttamah--of high grade; ta--
all;
yasya--whose; indriyam--senses; vimathitum--to perturb; kuhakaih--by magical
 412

feats; na--never; sekuh--was able.

TRANSLATION

Although the queens' beautiful smiles and furtive glances were all
spotless and exciting, and although they could conquer Cupid himself by
making
him give up his bow in frustration, and although even the tolerant Siva could
fall victim to them, still, despite all their magical feats and attractions,
they could not agitate the senses of the Lord.

PURPORT

The path of salvation or the path going back to Godhead always forbids
the association of women, and the complete sanatana-dharma or
varnasrama-dharma scheme forbids or restricts association with women. How,
then, can one be accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is
addicted to more than sixteen thousand wives? This question may be
relevantly
raised by inquisitive persons really anxious to know about the transcendental
nature of the Supreme Lord. And to answer such questions, the sages at
Naimisaranya have discussed the transcendental character of the Lord in this
and in following verses. It is clear herein that the feminine attractive
features which can conquer Cupid or even the supermost tolerant Lord Siva
could not conquer the senses of the Lord. Cupid's business is to invoke
mundane lust. The whole universe is moving being agitated by Cupid's arrow.
The activities of the world are being carried on by the central attraction of
male and female. A male is searching after a mate to his liking, and the
female is looking after a suitable male. That is the way of material stimulus.
And as soon as a male is combined with a female, the material bondage of the
living being is at once tightly interlocked by sex relation, and as a result
of this, both the male's and female's attraction for sweet home, motherland,
bodily offspring, society and friendship and accumulation of wealth becomes
the illusory field of activities, and thus a false but indefatigable
attraction for the temporary material existence, which is full of miseries, is
manifest. Those who are, therefore, on the path of salvation for going back
home back to Godhead, are especially advised by all scriptural instruction to
become free from such paraphernalia of material attraction. And that is
possible only by the association of the devotees of the Lord, who are called
the mahatmas. Cupid throws his arrow upon the living beings to make them
mad
after the opposite sex, whether the party is actually beautiful or not.
Cupid's provocations are going on, even among beastly societies who are all
ugly-looking in the estimation of the civilized nations. Thus Cupid's
influence is exerted even amongst the ugliest forms, and what to speak of the
most perfect beauties. Lord Siva, who is considered to be most tolerant, was
also struck by Cupid's arrow because he also became mad after the Mohini
incarnation of the Lord and acknowledged himself to be defeated. Cupid,
however, was himself captivated by the grave and exciting dealings of the
goddesses of fortune, and he voluntarily gave up his bow and arrow in a spirit
of frustration. Such was the beauty and attraction of the queens of Lord
Krsna. Yet they could not disturb the transcendental senses of the Lord. This
 413

is because the Lord is all-perfect atmarama, or self-sufficient. He does not

require anyone's extraneous help for His personal satisfaction. Therefore, the
queens could not satisfy the Lord by their feminine attractiveness, but they
satisfied Him by their sincere affection and service. Only by unalloyed
transcendental loving service could they satisfy the Lord, and the Lord was
pleased to treat them as wives in reciprocation. Thus being satisfied by their
unalloyed service only, the Lord reciprocated the service just like a devout
husband. Otherwise He had no business becoming the husband of so many
wives.
He is the husband of everyone, but to one who accepts Him as such, He
reciprocates. This unalloyed affection for the Lord is never to be compared to
mundane lust. It is purely transcendental. And the grave dealings, which the
queens displayed in natural feminine ways, were also transcendental because
the feelings were expressed out of transcendental ecstasy. It is already
explained in the previous verse that the Lord appeared like a mundane
husband,
but factually His relation with His wives was transcendental, pure and
unconditioned by the modes of material nature.

TEXT 37

tam ayam manyate loko

hy asangam api sanginam
atmaupamyena manujam
vyaprnvanam yato 'budhah

tam--unto Lord Krsna; ayam--all these (common men); manyate--do speculate

within the mind; lokah--the conditioned souls; hi--certainly;
asangam--unattached; api--in spite of; sanginam--affected; atma--self;
aupamyena--by comparison with the self; manujam--ordinary man;
vyaprnvanam--being engaged in; yatah--because; abudhah--foolish because of
ignorance.

TRANSLATION

The common materialistic conditioned souls speculate that the Lord is one
of them. Out of their ignorance they think that the Lord is affected by
matter, although He is unattached.

PURPORT

The word abudhah is significant here. Due to ignorance only, the foolish
mundane wranglers misunderstand the Supreme Lord and spread their foolish
imaginations amongst innocent persons by propaganda. The Supreme Lord Sri
Krsna is the original primeval Personality of Godhead, and when He was
personally present before the eyes of everyone, He displayed full-fledged
divine potency in every field of activities. As we have already explained in
the first verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam, He is completely independent to act
however He likes, but all His actions are full of bliss, knowledge and
eternity. Only the foolish mundaners misunderstand Him, unaware of His
eternal
form of knowledge and bliss, which is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita and
 414

Upanisads. His different potencies work in a perfect plan of natural sequence,

and doing everything by the agency of His different potencies, He remains
eternally the supreme independent. When He descends on the material world
by
His causeless mercy to different living beings, He does so by His own potency.
He is not subject to any condition of the material modes of nature, and He
descends as He is originally. The mental speculators misunderstand Him as
the
Supreme Person, and they consider His impersonal features as inexplicable
Brahman to be all. Such a conception is also the product of conditioned life
because they cannot go beyond their own personal capacity. Therefore, one
who
considers the Lord on the level of one's limited potency is only a common
man.
Such a man cannot be convinced that the Personality of Godhead is always
unaffected by the modes of material nature. He cannot understand that the
sun
is always unaffected by infectious matter. The mental speculators compare
everything from the standpoint of experimental knowledge of their own
selves.
Thus when the Lord is found to act like an ordinary person in matrimonial
bondage, they consider Him to be like one of them, without considering that
the Lord can at once marry sixteen thousand wives or more. Due to a poor
fund
of knowledge they accept one side of the picture while disbelieving the other.
This means that due to ignorance only they always think of Lord Krsna as like
themselves and make their own conclusions, which are absurd and
unauthentic
from the version of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 38

etad isanam isasya

prakrti-stho 'pi tad-gunaih
na yujyate sadatma-sthair
yatha buddhis tad-asraya

etat--this; isanam--divinity; isasya--of the Personality of Godhead;

prakrti-sthah--being in contact with material nature; api--in spite of;
tat-gunaih--by the qualities; na--never; yujyate--is affected; sada
atma-sthaih--by those who are situated in eternity; yatha--as is;
buddhih--intelligence; tat--the Lord; asraya--those who are under the shelter
of.

TRANSLATION

This is the divinity of the Personality of Godhead: He is not affected by

the qualities of material nature, even though He is in contact with them.
Similarly, the devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord do not become
influenced by the material qualities.

PURPORT
 415

In the Vedas and Vedic literatures (Sruti and Smrti) it is affirmed that
in the Divinity there is nothing material. He is transcendental (nirguna)
only, the supreme cognizant. Hari, or the Personality of Godhead, is the
supreme transcendental person situated beyond the range of material
affection.
These statements are also confirmed even by Acarya Sankara. One may argue
that
His relation with the goddesses of fortune may be transcendental, but what
about His relation with the Yadu dynasty, being born in that family, or His
killing the nonbelievers like Jarasandha and other asuras directly in contact
with the modes of material nature. The answer is that the divinity of the
Personality of Godhead is never in contact with the qualities of material
nature in any circumstances. Actually He is in contact with such qualities
because He is the ultimate source of everything, yet He is above the actions
of such qualities. He is known, therefore, as Yogesvara, or the master of
mystic power, or in other words the all-powerful. Even His learned devotees
are not affected by the influence of the material modes. The great six
Gosvamis of Vrndavana all came from greatly rich and aristocratic families,
but when they adopted the life of mendicants at Vrndavana, superficially they
appeared to be in wretched conditions of life, but factually they were the
richest of all in spiritual values. Such maha-bhagavatas, or first-grade
devotees, although moving amongst men, are not contaminated by honor or
insult, hunger or satisfaction, sleep or wakefulness, which are all resultant
actions of the three modes of material nature. Similarly, some of them are
engaged in worldly dealings, yet are unaffected. Unless these neutralities of
life are there, one cannot be considered situated in transcendence. The
Divinity and His associates are on the same transcendental plane, and their
glories are always sanctified by the action of yogamaya, or the internal
potency of the Lord. The devotees of the Lord are always transcendental, even
if they are sometimes found to have fallen in their behavior. The Lord
emphatically declares in the Bhagavad-gita (9.30) that even if an unalloyed
devotee is found to be fallen due to a previous material contamination, he is
nevertheless to be accepted as fully transcendental because of his being
engaged cent percent in the devotional service of the Lord. The Lord protects
him always because of his rendering service unto Him, and the fallen
conditions are to be considered accidental and temporary. They will vanish in
no time.

TEXT 39

tam menire 'bala mudhah

strainam canuvratam rahah
apramana-vido bhartur
isvaram matayo yatha

tam--unto Lord Sri Krsna; menire--took it for granted; abalah--delicate;

mudhah--because of simplicity; strainam--one who is dominated by his wife;
ca--also; anuvratam--follower; rahah--lonely place; apramana-vidah--unaware
of
the extent of glories; bhartuh--of their husband; isvaram--the supreme
controller; matayah--thesis; yatha--as it is.
 416

TRANSLATION

The simple and delicate women truly thought that Lord Sri Krsna, their
beloved husband, followed them and was dominated by them. They were
unaware of
the extent of the glories of their husband, as the atheists are unaware of Him
as the supreme controller.

PURPORT

Even the transcendental wives of Lord Sri Krsna did not know completely
the unfathomable glories of the Lord. This ignorance is not mundane because
there is some action of the internal potency of the Lord in the exchange of
feelings between Him and His eternal associates. The Lord exchanges
transcendental relations in five ways, as proprietor, master, friend, son and
lover, and in each of these pastimes He plays fully by the potency of
yogamaya, the internal potency. He plays exactly like an equal friend with the
cowherd boys or even with friends like Arjuna. He plays exactly like a son in
the presence of Yasodamata, He plays exactly like a lover in the presence of
the cowherd damsels, and He plays exactly like a husband in the presence of
the queens of Dvaraka. Such devotees of the Lord never think of the Lord as
the Supreme, but think of Him exactly as a common friend, a pet son, or a
lover or husband very much dear to heart and soul. That is the relation
between the Lord and His transcendental devotees, who act as His associates
in
the spiritual sky, where there are innumerable Vaikuntha planets. When the
Lord descends, He does so along with His entourage to display a complete
picture of the transcendental world, where pure love and devotion for the Lord
prevail without any mundane tinge of lording it over the creation of the Lord.
Such devotees of the Lord are all liberated souls, perfect representations of
the marginal or internal potency in complete negation of the influence of the
external potency. The wives of Lord Krsna were made to forget the
immeasurable
glories of the Lord by the internal potency so that there might not be any
flaw of exchange, and they took it for granted that the Lord was a henpecked
husband, always following them in lonely places. In other words, even the
personal associates of the Lord do not know Him perfectly well, so what do the
thesis writers or mental speculators know about the transcendental glories of
the Lord? The mental speculators present different theses as to His becoming
the causes of the creation, the ingredients of the creation, or the material
and efficient cause of the creation, etc., but all this is but partial
knowledge about the Lord. Factually they are as ignorant as the common man.
The Lord can be known by the mercy of the Lord only, and by no other means.
But since the dealings of the Lord with His wives are based on pure
transcendental love and devotion, the wives are all on the transcendental
plane without material contamination.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Eleventh Chapter,
of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Lord Krsna's Entrance into Dvaraka."

Chapter Twelve
 417

Birth of Emperor Pariksit

TEXT 1

saunaka uvaca
asvatthamnopasrstena
brahma-sirsnoru-tejasa
uttaraya hato garbha
isenajivitah punah

saunakah uvaca--the sage Saunaka said; asvatthamna--of Asvatthama (the

son of
Drona); upasrstena--by release of; brahma-sirsna--the invincible weapon,
brahmastra; uru-tejasa--by high temperature; uttarayah--of Uttara (mother of
Pariksit); hatah--being spoiled; garbhah--womb; isena--by the Supreme Lord;
ajivitah--brought to life; punah--again.

TRANSLATION

The sage Saunaka said: The womb of Uttara, mother of Maharaja Pariksit,
was spoiled by the dreadful and invincible brahmastra weapon released by
Asvatthama. But Maharaja Pariksit was saved by the Supreme Lord.

PURPORT

The sages assembled in the forest of Naimisaranya inquired from Suta

Gosvami about the birth of Maharaja Pariksit, but in the course of the
narration other topics like the release of the brahmastra by the son of Drona,
his punishment by Arjuna, Queen Kuntidevi's prayers, the Pandavas' visit to
the place where Bhismadeva was lying, his prayers and thereafter the Lord's
departure for Dvaraka were discussed. His arrival at Dvaraka and residing with
the sixteen thousand queens, etc., were narrated. The sages were absorbed in
hearing such descriptions, but now they wanted to turn to the original topic,
and thus the inquiry was made by Saunaka Rsi. So the subject of the release
of
the brahmastra weapon by Asvatthama is renewed.

TEXT 2

tasya janma maha-buddheh

karmani ca mahatmanah
nidhanam ca yathaivasit
sa pretya gatavan yatha

tasya--his (of Maharaja Pariksit); janma--birth; maha-buddheh--of great

intelligence; karmani--activities; ca--also; maha-atmanah--of the great
devotee; nidhanam--demise; ca--also; yatha--as it was; eva--of course;
asit--happened; sah--he; pretya--destination after death; gatavan--achieved;
yatha--as it were.
 418

TRANSLATION

How was the great emperor Pariksit, who was a highly intelligent and
great devotee, born in that womb? How did his death take place, and what did
he achieve after his death?

PURPORT

The king of Hastinapura (now Delhi) used to be the emperor of the world,
at least till the time of the son of Emperor Pariksit. Maharaja Pariksit was
saved by the Lord in the womb of his mother, so he could certainly be saved
from an untimely death due to the ill will of the son of a brahmana. Because
the age of Kali began to act just after the assumption of power by Maharaja
Pariksit, the first sign of misgivings was exhibited in the cursing of such a
greatly intelligent and devoted king as Maharaja Pariksit. The king is the
protector of the helpless citizens, and their welfare, peace and prosperity
depend on him. Unfortunately, by the instigation of the fallen age of Kali, an
unfortunate brahmana's son was employed to condemn the innocent Maharaja
Pariksit, and so the King had to prepare himself for death within seven days.
Maharaja Pariksit is especially famous as one who is protected by Visnu, and
when he was unduly cursed by a brahmana's son, he could have invoked the
mercy
of the Lord to save him, but he did not want to because he was a pure
devotee.
A pure devotee never asks the Lord for any undue favor. Maharaja Pariksit
knew
that the curse of the brahmana's son upon him was unjustified, as everyone
else knew, but he did not want to counteract it because he knew also that the
age of Kali had begun and that the first symptom of the age, namely
degradation of the highly talented brahmana community, had also begun. He
did
not want to interfere with the current of the time, but he prepared himself to
meet death very cheerfully and very properly. Being fortunate, he got at least
seven days to prepare himself to meet death, and so he properly utilized the
time in the association of Sukadeva Gosvami, the great saint and devotee of
the Lord.

TEXT 3

tad idam srotum icchamo

gaditum yadi manyase
bruhi nah sraddadhananam
yasya jnanam adac chukah

tat--all; idam--this; srotum--to hear; icchamah--all willing; gaditum--to

narrate; yadi--if; manyase--you think; bruhi--please speak; nah--we;
sraddadhananam--who are very much respectful; yasya--whose;
jnanam--transcendental knowledge; adat--delivered; sukah--Sri Sukadeva
Gosvami.

TRANSLATION
 419

We all respectfully want to hear about him [Maharaja Pariksit] to whom

Sukadeva Gosvami imparted transcendental knowledge. Please speak on this
matter.

PURPORT

Sukadeva Gosvami imparted transcendental knowledge to Maharaja

Pariksit
during the remaining seven days of his life, and Maharaja Pariksit heard him
properly, just like an ardent student. The effect of such a bona fide hearing
and chanting of Srimad-Bhagavatam was equally shared by both the hearer
and
the chanter. Both of them were benefited. Out of the nine different
transcendental means of devotional service to the Lord prescribed in the
Bhagavatam, either all of them, or some of them or even one of them are
equally beneficial if properly discharged. Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva
Gosvami were serious performers of the first two important items, namely the
process of chanting and the process of hearing, and therefore both of them
were successful in their laudable attempt. Transcendental realization is
attained by such serious hearing and chanting and not otherwise. There is a
type of spiritual master and disciple much advertised in this age of Kali. It
is said that the master injects spiritual force into the disciple by an
electrical current generated by the master, and the disciple begins to feel
the shock. He becomes unconscious, and the master weeps for his exhausting
his
store of so-called spiritual assets. Such bogus advertisement is going on in
this age, and the poor common man is becoming the victim of such
advertisement. We do not find such folk tales in the dealings of Sukadeva
Gosvami and his great disciple Maharaja Pariksit. The sage recited
Srimad-Bhagavatam in devotion, and the great King heard him properly. The
King
did not feel any shock of electrical current from the master, nor did he
become unconscious while receiving knowledge from the master. One should
not,
therefore, become a victim of these unauthorized advertisements made by
some
bogus representative of Vedic knowledge. The sages of Naimisaranya were
very
respectful in hearing about Maharaja Pariksit because of his receiving
knowledge from Sukadeva Gosvami by means of ardent hearing. Ardent
hearing
from the bona fide master is the only way to receive transcendental
knowledge,
and there is no need for medical performances or occult mysticism for
miraculous effects. The process is simple, but only the sincere party can
achieve the desired result.

TEXT 4

suta uvaca
apipalad dharma-rajah
 420

pitrvad ranjayan prajah

nihsprhah sarva-kamebhyah
krsna-padanusevaya

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; apipalat--administered prosperity;

dharma-rajah--King Yudhisthira; pitr-vat--exactly like his father;
ranjayan--pleasing; prajah--all those who took birth; nihsprhah--without
personal ambition; sarva--all; kamebhyah--from sense gratification;
krsna-pada--the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna; anusevaya--by dint of rendering
continuous service.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: Emperor Yudhisthira administered generously to

everyone during his reign. He was exactly like his father. He had no personal
ambition and was freed from all sorts of sense gratification because of his
continuous service unto the lotus feet of the Lord Sri Krsna.

PURPORT

As mentioned in our introduction, "There is a need for the science of

Krsna in human society for all the suffering humanity of the world, and we
simply request the leading personalities of all nations to take to the science
of Krsna for their own good, for the good of society, and for the good of all
the people of the world." So it is confirmed herein by the example of Maharaja
Yudhisthira, the personality of goodness. In India the people hanker after
Rama-rajya because the Personality of Godhead was the ideal king and all
other
kings or emperors in India controlled the destiny of the world for the
prosperity of every living being who took birth on the earth. Herein the word
prajah is significant. The etymological import of the word is "that which is
born." On the earth there are many species of life, from the aquatics up to
the perfect human beings, and all are known as prajas. Lord Brahma, the
creator of this particular universe, is known as the prajapati because he is
the grandfather of all who have taken birth. Thus praja is used in a broader
sense than it is now used. The king represents all living beings, the
aquatics, plants, trees, reptiles, birds, animals and man. Every one of them
is a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord (Bg. 14.4), and the king, being the
representative of the Supreme Lord, is duty-bound to give proper protection to
every one of them. This is not the case with the presidents and dictators of
this demoralized system of administration, where the lower animals are given
no protection while the higher animals are given so-called protection. But
this is a great science which can be learned only by one who knows the
science
of Krsna. By knowing the science of Krsna, one can become the most perfect
man
in the world, and unless one has knowledge in this science, all qualifications
and doctorate diplomas acquired by academic education are spoiled and
useless.
Maharaja Yudhisthira knew this science of Krsna very well, for it is stated
here that by continuous cultivation of this science, or by continuous
devotional service to Lord Krsna, he acquired the qualification of
 421

administering the state. The father is sometimes seemingly cruel to the son,
but that does not mean that the father has lost the qualification to be a
father. A father is always a father because he always has the good of the son
at heart. The father wants every one of his sons to become a better man than
himself. Therefore, a king like Maharaja Yudhisthira, who was the personality
of goodness, wanted everyone under his administration, especially human
beings
who have better developed consciousness, to become devotees of Lord Krsna
so
that everyone can become free from the trifles of material existence. His
motto of administration was all good for the citizens, for as personified
goodness he knew perfectly well what is actually good for them. He conducted
the administration on that principle, and not on the raksasi, demonic,
principle of sense gratification. As an ideal king, he had no personal
ambition, and there was no place for sense gratification because all his
senses at all times were engaged in the loving service of the Supreme Lord,
which includes the partial service to the living beings, who form the parts
and parcels of the complete whole. Those who are busy rendering service to
the
parts and parcels, leaving aside the whole, only spoil time and energy, as one
does when watering the leaves of a tree without watering the root. If water is
poured on the root, the leaves are enlivened perfectly and automatically, but
if water is poured on the leaves only, the whole energy is spoiled. Maharaja
Yudhisthira, therefore, was constantly engaged in the service of the Lord, and
thus the parts and parcels of the Lord, the living beings under his careful
administration, were perfectly attended with all comforts in this life and all
progress in the next. That is the way of perfect management of state
administration.

TEXT 5

sampadah kratavo loka

mahisi bhrataro mahi
jambu-dvipadhipatyam ca
yasas ca tri-divam gatam

sampadah--opulence; kratavah--sacrifices; lokah--future destination;

mahisi--the queens; bhratarah--the brothers; mahi--the earth; jambu-dvipa--
the
globe or planet of our residence; adhipatyam--sovereignty; ca--also;
yasah--fame; ca--and; tri-divam--celestial planets; gatam--spread over.

TRANSLATION

News even reached the celestial planets about Maharaja Yudhisthira's

worldly possessions, the sacrifices by which he would attain a better
destination, his queen, his stalwart brothers, his extensive land, his
sovereignty over the planet earth, and his fame, etc.

PURPORT

Only a rich and great man's name and fame are known all over the world,
 422

and the name and fame of Maharaja Yudhisthira reached the higher planets
because of his good administration, worldly possessions, glorious wife
Draupadi, the strength of his brothers Bhima and Arjuna, and his solid
sovereign power over the world, known as Jambudvipa. Here the word lokah is
significant. There are different lokas or higher planets scattered all over
the sky, both material and spiritual. A person can reach them by dint of his
work in the present life, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.25). No forceful
entrance is allowed there. The tiny material scientists and engineers who have
discovered vehicles to travel over a few thousand miles in outer space will
not be allowed entrance. That is not the way to reach the better planets. One
must qualify himself to enter into such happy planets by sacrifice and
service. Those who are sinful in every step of life can expect only to be
degraded into animal life to suffer more and more the pangs of material
existence, and this is also stated in Bhagavad-gita (16.19). Maharaja
Yudhisthira's good sacrifices and qualifications were so lofty and virtuous
that even the residents of the higher celestial planets were already prepared
to receive him as one of them.

TEXT 6

kim te kamah sura-sparha

mukunda-manaso dvijah
adhijahur mudam rajnah
ksudhitasya yathetare

kim--what for; te--all those; kamah--objects of sense enjoyment; sura--of the

denizens of heaven; sparhah--aspirations; mukunda-manasah--of one who is
already God conscious; dvijah--O brahmanas; adhijahuh--could satisfy;
mudam--pleasure; rajnah--of the king; ksudhitasya--of the hungry; yatha--as it
is; itare--in other things.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, the opulence of the King was so enchanting that the

denizens
of heaven aspired for it. But because he was absorbed in the service of the
Lord, nothing could satisfy him except the Lord's service.

PURPORT

There are two things in the world which can satisfy living beings. When
one is materially engrossed, he is satisfied only by sense gratification, but
when one is liberated from the conditions of the material modes, he is
satisfied only by rendering loving service for the satisfaction of the
[Link] means that the living being is constitutionally a servitor, and not
one who is served. Being illusioned by the conditions of the external energy,
one falsely thinks himself to be the served, but actually he is not served; he
is servant of the senses like lust, desire, anger, avarice, pride, madness and
intolerance. When one is in his proper senses by attainment of spiritual
knowledge, he realizes that he is not the master of the material world, but is
only a servant of the senses. At that time he begs for the service of the Lord
and thus becomes happy without being illusioned by so-called material
 423

happiness. Maharaja Yudhisthira was one of the liberated souls, and therefore
for him there was no pleasure in a vast kingdom, good wife, obedient brothers,
happy subjects and prosperous world. These blessings automatically follow for
a pure devotee, even though the devotee does not aspire for them. The
example
set herein is exactly suitable. It is said that one who is hungry is never
satisfied by anything other than food.
The whole material world is full of hungry living beings. The hunger is
not for good food, shelter or sense gratification. The hunger is for the
spiritual atmosphere. Due to ignorance only they think that the world is
dissatisfied because there is not sufficient food, shelter, defense and
objects of sense gratification. This is called illusion. When the living being
is hungry for spiritual satisfaction, he is misrepresented by material hunger.
But the foolish leaders cannot see that even the people who are most
sumptuously materially satisfied are still hungry. And what is their hunger
and poverty? This hunger is actually for spiritual food, spiritual shelter,
spiritual defense and spiritual sense gratification. These can be obtained in
the association of the Supreme Spirit, Lord Sri Krsna, and therefore one who
has them cannot be attracted by the so-called food, shelter, defense and
sense
gratification of the material world, even if they are relished by the denizens
of the heavenly planets. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gita (8.16) it is said by
the Lord that even in the topmost planet of the universe, namely the
Brahmaloka, where the duration of life is multiplied by millions of years by
earth calculation, one cannot satisfy his hunger. Such hunger can be satisfied
only when the living being is situated in immortality, which is attained in
the spiritual sky, far, far above the Brahmaloka, in the association of Lord
Mukunda, the Lord who awards His devotees the transcendental pleasure of
liberation.

TEXT 7

matur garbha-gato virah

sa tada bhrgu-nandana
dadarsa purusam kancid
dahyamano 'stra-tejasa

matuh--mother; garbha--womb; gatah--being situated there; virah--the great

fighter; sah--child Pariksit; tada--at that time; bhrgu-nandana--O son of
Bhrgu; dadarsa--could see; purusam--the Supreme Lord; kancit--as someone
else;
dahyamanah--suffering from being burned; astra--the brahmastra;
tejasa--temperature.

TRANSLATION

O son of Bhrgu [Saunaka], when the child Pariksit, the great fighter, was
in the womb of his mother, Uttara, and was suffering from the burning heat of
the brahmastra [thrown by Asvatthama], he could observe the Supreme Lord
coming to him.

PURPORT
 424

Death generally involves remaining in trance for seven months. A living

being, according to his own action, is allowed to enter into the womb of a
mother by the vehicle of a father's semina, and thus he develops his desired
body. This is the law of birth in specific bodies according to one's past
actions. When he is awake from trance, he feels the inconvenience of being
confined within the womb, and thus he wants to come out of it and sometimes
fortunately prays to the Lord for such liberation. Maharaja Pariksit, while in
the womb of his mother, was struck by the brahmastra released by
Asvatthama,
and he was feeling the burning heat. But because he was a devotee of the
Lord,
the Lord at once appeared Himself within the womb by His all-powerful
energy,
and the child could see that someone else had come to save him. Even in that
helpless condition, the child Pariksit endured the unbearable temperature due
to his being a great fighter by nature. And for this reason the word virah has
been used.

TEXT 8

angustha-matram amalam
sphurat-purata-maulinam
apivya-darsanam syamam
tadid vasasam acyutam

angustha--by the measure of a thumb; matram--only; amalam--

transcendental;
sphurat--blazing; purata--gold; maulinam--helmet; apivya--very beautiful;
darsanam--to look at; syamam--blackish; tadit--lightning; vasasam--clothing;
acyutam--the Infallible (the Lord).

TRANSLATION

He [the Lord] was only thumb high, but He was all transcendental. He had
a very beautiful, blackish, infallible body, and He wore a dress of lightning
yellow and a helmet of blazing gold. Thus He was seen by the child.

TEXT 9

srimad-dirgha-catur-bahum
tapta-kancana-kundalam
ksatajaksam gada-panim
atmanah sarvato disam
paribhramantam ulkabham
bhramayantam gadam muhuh

srimat--enriched; dirgha--prolonged; catur-bahum--four-handed;

tapta-kancana--molten gold; kundalam--earrings; ksataja-aksam--eyes with the
redness of blood; gada-panim--hand with a club; atmanah--own; sarvatah--all;
disam--around; paribhramantam--loitering; ulkabham--like shooting stars;
 425

bhramayantam--encircling; gadam--the club; muhuh--constantly.

TRANSLATION

The Lord was enriched with four hands, earrings of molten gold and eyes
blood red with fury. As He loitered about, His club constantly encircled Him
like a shooting star.

PURPORT

It is said in the Brahma-samhita (Ch. 5) that the Supreme Lord Govinda,

by His one plenary portion, enters into the halo of the universe and
distributes himself as Paramatma, or the Supersoul, not only within the heart
of every living being, but also within every atom of the material elements.
Thus the Lord is all-pervading by His inconceivable potency, and thus He
entered the womb of Uttara to save His beloved devotee Maharaja Pariksit. In
the Bhagavad-gita (9.31) the Lord assured everyone that His devotees are
never
to be vanquished. No one can kill a devotee of the Lord because he is
protected by the Lord, and no one can save a person whom the Lord desires to
kill. The Lord is all-powerful, and therefore He can both save and kill as He
likes. He became visible to His devotee Maharaja Pariksit even in that awkward
position (in the womb of his mother) in a shape just suitable for his vision.
The Lord can become bigger than thousands of universes and can become
smaller
than an atom at the same time. Merciful as He is, He becomes just suitable to
the vision of the limited living being. He is unlimited. He is not limited by
any measurement of our calculation. He can become bigger than what we can
think of, and He can become smaller than what we can conceive. But in all
circumstances He is the same all-powerful Lord. There is no difference
between
the thumblike Visnu in the womb of Uttara and the full-fledged Narayana in
the
Vaikuntha-dhama, the kingdom of Godhead. He accepts the form of arca-
vigraha
(worshipable Deity) just to accept service from His different incapable
devotees. By the mercy of the arca-vigraha, the form of the Lord in material
elements, the devotees who are in the material world can easily approach the
Lord, although He is not conceivable by the material senses. The arca-vigraha
is therefore an all-spiritual form of the Lord to be perceived by the material
devotees; such an arca-vigraha of the Lord is never to be considered material.
There is no difference between matter and spirit for the Lord, although there
is a gulf of difference between the two in the case of the conditioned living
being. For the Lord there is nothing but spiritual existence, and similarly
there is nothing except spiritual existence for the pure devotee of the Lord
in his intimate relation with the Lord.

TEXT 10

astra-tejah sva-gadaya
niharam iva gopatih
vidhamantam sannikarse
 426

paryaiksata ka ity asau

astra-tejah--radiation of the brahmastra; sva-gadaya--by means of His own

club; niharam--drops of dew; iva--like; gopatih--the sun; vidhamantam--the act
of vanishing; sannikarse--nearby; paryaiksata--observing; kah--who; iti
asau--this body.

TRANSLATION

The Lord was thus engaged in vanquishing the radiation of the brahmastra,
just as the sun evaporates a drop of dew. He was observed by the child, who
thought about who He was.

TEXT 11

vidhuya tad ameyatma

bhagavan dharma-gub vibhuh
misato dasamasasya
tatraivantardadhe harih

vidhuya--having completely washed off; tat--that; ameyatma--the all-

pervading
Supersoul; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; dharma-gup--the protector
of
righteousness; vibhuh--the Supreme; misatah--while observing; dasamasasya--
of
one who is dressed by all directions; tatra eva--then and there; antah--out of
sight; dadhe--became; harih--the Lord.

TRANSLATION

While thus being observed by the child, the Supreme Lord Personality of
Godhead, the Supersoul of everyone and the protector of the righteous, who
stretches in all directions and who is unlimited by time and space,
disappeared at once.

PURPORT

Child Pariksit was not observing a living being who is limited by time
and space. There is a gulf of difference between the Lord and the individual
living being. The Lord is mentioned herein as the supreme living being
unlimited by time and space. Every living being is limited by time and space.
Even though a living being is qualitatively one with the Lord, quantitatively
there is a great difference between the Supreme Soul and the common
individual
soul. In the Bhagavad-gita both the living beings and the Supreme Being are
said to be all-pervading (yena sarvam idam tatam), yet there is a difference
between these two kinds of all-pervasiveness. A common living being or soul
can be all-pervading within his own limited body, but the supreme living being
is all-pervading in all space and all time. A common living being cannot
extend its influence over another common living being by its
 427

all-pervasiveness, but the Supreme Supersoul, the Personality of Godhead, is

unlimitedly able to exert His influence over all places and all times and over
all living beings. And because He is all-pervasive, unlimited by time and
space, He can appear even within the womb of the mother of child Pariksit. He
is mentioned herein as the protector of the righteous. Anyone who is a
surrendered soul unto the Supreme is righteous, and he is specifically
protected by the Lord in all circumstances. The Lord is the indirect protector
of the unrighteous also, for He rectifies their sins through His external
potency. The Lord is mentioned herein as one who is dressed in the ten
directions. This means dressed with garments on ten sides, up and down. He is
present everywhere and can appear and disappear at His will from everywhere
and anywhere. His disappearance from the sight of the child Pariksit does not
mean that He appeared on the spot from any other place. He was present
there,
and even after His disappearance He was there, although invisible to the eyes
of the child. This material covering of the effulgent firmament is also
something like a womb of the mother nature, and we are all put into the womb
by the Lord, the father of all living beings. He is present everywhere, even
in this material womb of mother Durga, and those who are deserving can see
the
Lord.

TEXT 12

tatah sarva-gunodarke
sanukula-grahodaye
jajne vamsa-dharah pandor
bhuyah pandur ivaujasa

tatah--thereupon; sarva--all; guna--good signs; udarke--having gradually

evolved; sanukula--all favorable; grahodaye--constellation of stellar
influence; jajne--took birth; vamsa-dharah--heir apparent; pandoh--of Pandu;
bhuyah--being; panduh iva--exactly like Pandu; ojasa--by prowess.

TRANSLATION

Thereupon, when all the good signs of the zodiac gradually evolved, the
heir apparent of Pandu, who would be exactly like him in prowess, took birth.

PURPORT

Astronomical calculations of stellar influences upon a living being are

not suppositions, but are factual, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Every
living being is controlled by the laws of nature at every minute, just as a
citizen is controlled by the influence of the state. The state laws are
grossly observed, but the laws of material nature, being subtle to our gross
understanding, cannot be experienced grossly. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita
(3.9), every action of life produces another reaction, which is binding upon
us, and only those who are acting on behalf of Yajna (Visnu) are not bound by
reactions. Our actions are judged by the higher authorities, the agents of the
Lord, and thus we are awarded bodies according to our activities. The law of
nature is so subtle that every part of our body is influenced by the
 428

respective stars, and a living being obtains his working body to fulfill his
terms of imprisonment by the manipulation of such astronomical influence. A
man's destiny is therefore ascertained by the birthtime constellation of
stars, and a factual horoscope is made by a learned astrologer. It is a great
science, and misuse of a science does not make it useless. Maharaja Pariksit
or even the Personality of Godhead appear in certain constellations of good
stars, and thus the influence is exerted upon the body thus born at an
auspicious moment. The most auspicious constellation of stars takes place
during the appearance of the Lord in this material world, and it is
specifically called jayanti, a word not to be abused for any other purposes.
Maharaja Pariksit was not only a great ksatriya emperor, but also a great
devotee of the Lord. Thus he cannot take his birth at any inauspicious
moment.
As a proper place and time is selected to receive a respectable personage, so
also to receive such a personality as Maharaja Pariksit, who was especially
cared for by the Supreme Lord, a suitable moment is chosen when all good
stars
assembled together to exert their influence upon the King. Thus he took his
birth just to be known as the great hero of Srimad-Bhagavatam. This suitable
arrangement of astral influences is never a creation of man's will, but is the
arrangement of the superior management of the agency of the Supreme Lord.
Of
course, the arrangement is made according to the good or bad deeds of the
living being. Herein lies the importance of pious acts performed by the living
being. Only by pious acts can one be allowed to get good wealth, good
education and beautiful features. The samskaras of the school of
sanatana-dharma (man's eternal engagement) are highly suitable for creating
an
atmosphere for taking advantage of good stellar influences, and therefore
garbhadhana-samskara, or the first seedling purificatory process prescribed
for the higher castes, is the beginning of all pious acts to receive a good
pious and intelligent class of men in human society. There will be peace and
prosperity in the world due to good and sane population only; there is hell
and disturbance only because of the unwanted, insane populace addicted to
sex
indulgence.

TEXT 13

tasya pritamana raja

viprair dhaumya-krpadibhih
jatakam karayam asa
vacayitva ca mangalam

tasya--his; pritamanah--satisfied; raja--King Yudhisthira; vipraih--by the

learned brahmanas; dhaumya--Dhaumya; krpa--Krpa; adibhih--and others also;
jatakam--one of the purificatory processes performed just after the birth of a
child; karayam asa--had them performed; vacayitva--by recitation; ca--also;
mangalam--auspicious.

TRANSLATION
 429

King Yudhisthira, who was very satisfied with the birth of Maharaja
Pariksit, had the purificatory process of birth performed. Learned brahmanas,
headed by Dhaumya and Krpa, recited auspicious hymns.

PURPORT

There is a need for a good and intelligent class of brahmanas who are
expert in performing the purificatory processes prescribed in the system of
varnasrama-dharma. Unless such purificatory processes are performed, there
is
no possibility of good population, and in the age of Kali the population all
over the world is of sudra quality or lower for want of this purificatory
process. It is not possible, however, to revive the Vedic process of
purification in this age, for want of proper facilities and good brahmanas,
but there is the Pancaratrika system also recommended for this age. The
Pancaratrika system acts on the sudra class of men, supposedly the population
of the Kali-yuga, and it is the prescribed purificatory process suitable to
the age and time. Such a purificatory process is allowed only for spiritual
upliftment and not for any other purpose. Spiritual upliftment is never
conditioned by higher or lower parentage.
After the garbhadhana purificatory process, there are certain other
samskaras like simantonnayana, sadhabhaksanam, etc., during the period of
pregnancy, and when the child is born the first purificatory process is
jatakarman. This was performed duly by Maharaja Yudhisthira with the help of
good and learned brahmanas like Dhaumya, the royal priest, and Krpacarya,
who
was not only a priest but also a great general. Both these learned and perfect
priests, assisted by other good brahmanas, were employed by Maharaja
Yudhisthira to perform the ceremony. Therefore all the samskaras, purificatory
processes, are not mere formalities or social functions only, but they are all
for practical purposes and can be successfully performed by expert brahmanas
like Dhaumya and Krpa. Such brahmanas are not only rare, but also not
available in this age, and therefore, for the purpose of spiritual upliftment
in this fallen age, the Gosvamis prefer the purificatory processes under
Pancaratrika formulas to the Vedic rites.
Krpacarya is the son of the great Rsi Sardban and was born in the family
of Gautama. The birth is said to be accidental. By chance, the great Rsi
Sardban met Janapadi, a famous society girl of heaven, and the Rsi Sardban
discharged semina in two parts. By one part immediately a male child and by
the other part a female child were born as twins. The male child was later on
known as Krpa, and the female child was known as Krpi. Maharaja Santanu,
while
engaged in chase in the jungle, picked up the children and brought them up to
the brahminical status by the proper purificatory process. Krpacarya later
became a great general like Dronacarya, and his sister was married to
Dronacarya. Krpacarya later on took part in the Battle of Kuruksetra and
joined the party of Duryodhana. Krpacarya helped kill Abhimanyu, the father
of
Maharaja Pariksit, but he was still held in esteem by the family of the
Pandavas due to his being as great a brahmana as Dronacarya. When the
Pandavas
were sent to the forest after being defeated in the gambling game with
 430

Duryodhana, Dhrtarastra entrusted the Pandavas to Krpacarya for guidance.

After the end of the battle, Krpacarya again became a member of the royal
assembly, and he was called during the birth of Maharaja Pariksit for
recitation of auspicious Vedic hymns to make the ceremony successful.
Maharaja
Yudhisthira, while quitting the palace for his great departure to the
Himalayas, entrusted Krpacarya with Maharaja Pariksit as his disciple, and he
left home satisfied because of Krpacarya's taking charge of Maharaja Pariksit.
The great administrators, kings and emperors were always under the guidance
of
learned brahmanas like Krpacarya and thus were able to act properly in the
discharge of political responsibilities.

TEXT 14

hiranyam gam mahim graman

hasty-asvan nrpatir varan
pradat svannam ca viprebhyah
praja-tirthe sa tirthavit

hiranyam--gold; gam--cows; mahim--land; graman--villages; hasti--elephants;

asvan--horses; nrpatih--the King; varan--rewards; pradat--gave in charity;
svannam--good food grains; ca--and; viprebhyah--unto the brahmanas;
praja-tirthe--on the occasion of giving in charity on the birthday of a son;
sah--he; tirtha-vit--one who knows how, when and where charity is to be given.

TRANSLATION

Upon the birth of a son, the King, who knew how, where and when charity
should be given, gave gold, land, villages, elephants, horses and good food
grains to the brahmanas.

PURPORT

Only the brahmanas and sannyasis are authorized to accept charity from
the householders. In all the different occasions of samskaras, especially
during the time of birth, marriage and death, wealth is distributed to the
brahmanas because the brahmanas give the highest quality of service in
regard
to the prime necessity of humankind. The charity was substantial in the shape
of gold, land, villages, horses, elephants and food grains, with other
materials for cooking complete foodstuff. The brahmanas were not, therefore,
poor in the actual sense of the term. On the contrary, because they possessed
gold, land, villages, horses, elephants and sufficient grains, they had
nothing to earn for themselves. They would simply devote themselves to the
well-being of the entire society.
The word tirthavit is significant because the King knew well where and
when charity has to be given. Charity is never unproductive or blind. In the
sastras charity was offered to persons who deserve to accept charity by dint
of spiritual enlightenment. The so-called daridra-narayana, a misconception of
the Supreme Lord by unauthorized persons, is never to be found in the sastras
 431

as the object of charity. Nor can a wretched poor man receive much
munificent
charity in the way of horses, elephants, land and villages. The conclusion is
that the intelligent men, or the brahmanas specifically engaged in the service
of the Lord, were properly maintained without anxiety for the needs of the
body, and the King and other householders gladly looked after all their
comforts.
It is enjoined in the sastras that as long as a child is joined with the
mother by the navel pipe, the child is considered to be of one body with the
mother, but as soon as the pipe is cut and the child is separated from the
mother, the purificatory process of jatakarman is performed. The
administrative demigods and past forefathers of the family come to see a
newly
born child, and such an occasion is specifically accepted as the proper time
for distributing wealth to the right persons productively for the spiritual
advancement of society.

TEXT 15

tam ucur brahmanas tusta

rajanam prasrayanvitam
esa hy asmin praja-tantau
purunam pauravarsabha

tam--unto him; ucuh--addressed; brahmanah--the learned brahmanas; tustah--

very
much satisfied; rajanam--unto the King; prasrayanvitam--very much obliging;
esah--this; hi--certainly; asmin--in the chain of; praja-tantau--descending
line; purunam--of the Purus; paurava-rsabha--the chief among the Purus.

TRANSLATION

The learned brahmanas, who were very satisfied with the charities of the
King, addressed him as the chief amongst the Purus and informed him that his
son was certainly in the line of descent from the Purus.

TEXT 16

daivenapratighatena
sukle samstham upeyusi
rato vo 'nugraharthaya
visnuna prabha-visnuna

daivena--by supernatural power; apratighatena--by what is irresistible;

sukle--unto the pure; samstham--destruction; upeyusi--having been enforced;
ratah--restored; vah--for you; anugraha-arthaya--for the sake of obliging;
visnuna--by the all-pervasive Lord; prabha-visnuna--by the all-powerful.

TRANSLATION

The brahmanas said: This spotless son has been restored by the
 432

all-powerful and all-pervasive Lord Visnu, the Personality of Godhead, in

order to oblige you. He was saved when he was doomed to be destroyed by an
irresistible supernatural weapon.

PURPORT

The child Pariksit was saved by the all-powerful and all-pervasive Visnu
(Lord Krsna) for two reasons. The first reason is that the child in the womb
of his mother was spotless due to his being a pure devotee of the Lord. The
second reason is that the child was the only surviving male descendant of
Puru, the pious forefather of the virtuous King Yudhisthira. The Lord wants to
continue the line of pious kings to rule over the earth as His representatives
for the actual progress of a peaceful and prosperous life. After the Battle of
Kuruksetra, even up to the next generation of Maharaja Yudhisthira was
annihilated, and there were none who could generate another son in the great
royal family. Maharaja Pariksit, the son of Abhimanyu, was the only surviving
heir apparent in the family, and by the irresistible supernatural brahmastra
weapon of Asvatthama, he was forced to be annihilated. Lord Krsna is
described
herein as Visnu, and this is also significant. Lord Krsna, the original
Personality of Godhead, does the work of protection and annihilation in His
capacity of Visnu. Lord Visnu is the plenary expansion of Lord Krsna. The
all-pervasive activities of the Lord are executed by Him in His Visnu feature.
Child Pariksit is described here as spotlessly white because he is an
unalloyed devotee of the Lord. Such unalloyed devotees of the Lord appear on
the earth just to execute the mission of the Lord. The Lord desires the
conditioned souls hovering in the material creation to be reclaimed to go back
home, back to Godhead, and thus He helps them by preparing the
transcendental
literatures like the Vedas, by sending missionaries of saints and sages and by
deputing His representative, the spiritual master. Such transcendental
literatures, missionaries and representatives of the Lord are spotlessly white
because the contamination of the material qualities cannot even touch them.
They are always protected by the Lord when they are threatened with
annihilation. Such foolish threats are made by the gross materialists. The
brahmastra, which was thrown by Asvatthama at the child Pariksit, was
certainly supernaturally powerful, and nothing of the material world could
resist its force of penetration. But the all-powerful Lord, who is present
everywhere, within and without, could counteract it by His all-powerful
potency just to save a bona fide servant of the Lord and descendant of
another
devotee, Maharaja Yudhisthira, who was always obliged by the Lord by His
causeless mercy.

TEXT 17

tasman namna visnu-rata

iti loke bhavisyati
na sandeho maha-bhaga
maha-bhagavato mahan

tasmat--therefore; namna--by the name; visnu-ratah--protected by Visnu, the

 433

Personality of Godhead; iti--thus; loke--in all the planets; bhavisyati--shall

become well known; na--no; sandehah--doubts; maha-bhaga--most fortunate;
maha-bhagavatah--the first-class devotee of the Lord; mahan--qualified by all
good qualities.

TRANSLATION

For this reason this child will be well known in the world as one who is
protected by the Personality of Godhead. O most fortunate one, there is no
doubt that this child will become a first-class devotee and will be qualified
with all good qualities.

PURPORT

The Lord gives protection to all living beings because He is their

supreme leader. The Vedic hymns confirm that the Lord is the Supreme Person
amongst all personalities. The difference between the two living beings is
that the one, the Personality of Godhead, provides for all other living
beings, and by knowing Him one can achieve eternal peace (Katha Upanisad).
Such protection is given by His different potencies to different grades of
living beings. But as far as His unalloyed devotees are concerned, He gives
the protection personally. Therefore, Maharaja Pariksit is protected from the
very beginning of his appearance in the womb of his mother. And because he
is
especially given protection by the Lord, the indication must be concluded that
the child would be a first-grade devotee of the Lord with all good qualities.
There are three grades of devotees, namely the maha-bhagavata,
madhyam-adhikari and the kanistha-adhikari. Those who go to the temples of
the
Lord and offer worshipful respect to the Deity without sufficient knowledge in
the theological science and therefore without any respect for the devotees of
the Lord are called materialistic devotees, or kanistha-adhikari, the
third-grade devotees. Secondly, the devotees who have developed a mentality
of
genuine service to the Lord and who thus make friendships only with similar
devotees, show favor to the neophytes and avoid the atheists are called the
second-grade devotees. But those who see everything in the Lord or
everything
of the Lord and also see in everything an eternal relation of the Lord, so
that there is nothing within their purview of sight except the Lord, are
called the maha-bhagavatas, or the first-grade devotees of the Lord. Such
first-grade devotees of the Lord are perfect in all respects. A devotee who
may be in any of these categories is automatically qualified by all good
qualities, and thus a maha-bhagavata devotee like Maharaja Pariksit is
certainly perfect in all respects. And because Maharaja Pariksit took his
birth in the family of Maharaja Yudhisthira, he is addressed herein as the
maha-bhagavata, or the greatest of the fortunates. The family in which a
maha-bhagavata takes his birth is fortunate because due to the birth of a
first-grade devotee the members of the family, past, present and future up to
one hundred generations, become liberated by the grace of the Lord, out of
respect for His beloved devotee. Therefore, the highest benefit is done to
one's family simply by becoming an unalloyed devotee of the Lord.
 434

TEXT 18

sri-rajovaca
apy esa vamsyan rajarsin
punya-slokan mahatmanah
anuvartita svid yasasa
sadhu-vadena sattamah

sri-raja--the all-good king (Maharaja Yudhisthira); uvaca--said; api--whether;

esah--this; vamsyan--family; raja-rsin--of saintly kings; punya-slokan--pious
by the very name; maha-atmanah--all great souls; anuvartita--follower;
svit--will it be; yasasa--by achievements; sadhu-vadena--by glorification;
sat-tamah--O great souls.

TRANSLATION

The good King [Yudhisthira] inquired: O great souls, will he become as

saintly a king, as pious in his very name and as famous and glorified in his
achievements, as others who appeared in this great royal family?

PURPORT

The forefathers of King Yudhisthira were all great saintly kings, pious
and glorified by their great achievements. They were all saints on the royal
throne. And therefore all the members of the state were happy, pious, well
behaved, prosperous and spiritually enlightened. Under strict guidance of the
great souls and spiritual injunctions, such great saintly kings were trained
up, and as a result the kingdom was full of saintly persons and was a happy
land of spiritual life. Maharaja Yudhisthira was himself a replica of his
ancestors, and he desired that the next king after him become exactly like his
great forefathers. He was happy to learn from the learned brahmanas that by
astrological calculations the child would be born a first-grade devotee of the
Lord, and more confidentially he wanted to know whether the child was going
to
follow in the footsteps of his great forefathers. That is the way of the
monarchical state. The reigning king should be a pious, chivalrous devotee of
the Lord and fear personified for the upstarts. He must also leave an heir
apparent equally qualified to rule over the innocent citizens. In the modern
setup of the democratic states, the people themselves are fallen to the
qualities of the sudras or less, and the government is run by their
representative, who is ignorant of the scriptural mode of administrative
education. Thus the whole atmosphere is surcharged with sudra qualities,
manifested by lust and avarice. Such administrators quarrel every day among
themselves. The cabinet of ministers changes often due to party and group
selfishness. Everyone wants to exploit the state resources till he dies. No
one retires from political life unless forced to do so. How can such low-grade
men do good to the people? The result is corruption, intrigue and hypocrisy.
They should learn from the Srimad-Bhagavatam how ideal the administrators
must
be before they can be given charge of different posts.
 435

TEXT 19

brahmana ucuh
partha prajavita saksad
iksvakur iva manavah
brahmanyah satya-sandhas ca
ramo dasarathir yatha

brahmanah--the good brahmanas; ucuh--said; partha--O son of Prtha (Kunti);

praja--those who are born; avita--maintainer; saksat--directly; iksvakuh
iva--exactly like King Iksvaku; manavah--son of Manu; brahmanyah--followers
and respectful to the brahmanas; satya-sandhah--truthful by promise; ca--also;
ramah--the Personality of Godhead Rama; dasarathih--the son of Maharaja
Dasaratha; yatha--like Him.

TRANSLATION

The learned brahmanas said: O son of Prtha, this child shall be exactly
like King Iksvaku, son of Manu, in maintaining all those who are born. And as
for following the brahminical principles, especially in being true to his
promise, he shall be exactly like Rama, the Personality of Godhead, the son of
Maharaja Dasaratha.

PURPORT

Praja means the living being who has taken his birth in the material
world. Actually the living being has no birth and no death, but because of his
separation from the service of the Lord and due to his desire to lord it over
material nature, he is offered a suitable body to satisfy his material
desires. In doing so, one becomes conditioned by the laws of material nature,
and the material body is changed in terms of his own work. The living entity
thus transmigrates from one body to another in 8,400,000 species of life. But
due to his being the part and parcel of the Lord, he not only is maintained
with all necessaries of life by the Lord, but also is protected by the Lord
and His representatives, the saintly kings. These saintly kings give
protection to all the prajas, or living beings, to live and to fulfill their
terms of imprisonment. Maharaja Pariksit was actually an ideal saintly king
because while touring his kingdom he happened to see that a poor cow was
about
to be killed by the personified Kali, whom he at once took to task as a
murderer. This means that even the animals were given protection by the
saintly administrators, not from any sentimental point of view, but because
those who have taken their birth in the material world have the right to live.
All the saintly kings, beginning from the King of the sun globe down to the
King of the earth, are so inclined by the influence of the Vedic literatures.
The Vedic literatures are taught in higher planets also, as there is reference
in the Bhagavad-gita (4.1) about the teachings to the sun-god (Vivasvan) by
the Lord, and such lessons are transferred by disciplic succession, as it was
done by the sun-god to his son Manu, and from Manu to Maharaja Iksvaku.
There
are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahma, and the Manu referred to herein is
 436

the seventh Manu, who is one of the prajapatis (those who create progeny),
and
he is the son of the sun-god. He is known as the Vaivasvata Manu. He had ten
sons, and Maharaja Iksvaku is one of them. Maharaja Iksvaku also learned
bhakti-yoga as taught in the Bhagavad-gita from his father, Manu, who got it
from his father, the sun-god. Later on the teaching of the Bhagavad-gita came
down by disciplic succession from Maharaja Iksvaku, but in course of time the
chain was broken by unscrupulous persons, and therefore it again had to be
taught to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. So all the Vedic
literatures are current from the very beginning of creation of the material
world, and thus the Vedic literatures are known as apauruseya (not made by
man). The Vedic knowledge was spoken by the Lord and first heard by
Brahma,
the first created living being within the universe.
Maharaja Iksvaku: One of the sons of Vaivasvata Manu. He had one
hundred
sons. He prohibited meat eating. His son Sasada became the next king after
his
death.
Manu: The Manu mentioned in this verse as the father of Iksvaku is the
seventh Manu, of the name Vaivasvata Manu, the son of sun-god Vivasvan, to
whom Lord Krsna instructed the teachings of Bhagavad-gita prior to His
teaching them to Arjuna. Mankind is the descendant of Manu. This Vaivasvata
Manu had ten sons, named Iksvaku, Nabhaga, Dhrsta, Saryati, Narisyanta,
Nabhaga, Dista, Karusa, Prsadhra and Vasuman. The Lord's incarnation Matsya
(the gigantic fish) was advented during the beginning of Vaivasvata Manu's
reign. He learned the principles of Bhagavad-gita from his father, Vivasvan,
the sun-god, and he reinstructed the same to his son Maharaja Iksvaku. In the
beginning of the Treta-yuga the sun-god instructed devotional service to
Manu,
and Manu in his turn instructed it to Iksvaku for the welfare of the whole
human society.
Lord Rama: The Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnated Himself as Sri
Rama, accepting the sonhood of His pure devotee Maharaja Dasaratha, the
King
of Ayodhya. Lord Rama descended along with His plenary portions, and all of
them appeared as His younger brothers. In the month of Caitra on the ninth
day
of the growing moon in the Treta-yuga, the Lord appeared, as usual, to
establish the principles of religion and to annihilate the disturbing
elements. When He was just a young boy, He helped the great sage Visvamitra
by
killing Subahu and striking Marica, the she-demon, who was disturbing the
sages in their daily discharge of duties. The brahmanas and ksatriyas are
meant to cooperate for the welfare of the mass of people. The brahmana
sages
endeavor to enlighten the people by perfect knowledge, and the ksatriyas are
meant for their protection. Lord Ramacandra is the ideal king for maintaining
and protecting the highest culture of humanity, known as brahmanya-dharma.
The
Lord is specifically the protector of the cows and the brahmanas, and hence He
 437

enhances the prosperity of the world. He rewarded the administrative

demigods
by effective weapons to conquer the demons through the agency of
Visvamitra.
He was present in the bow sacrifice of King Janaka, and by breaking the
invincible bow of Siva, He married Sitadevi, daughter of Maharaja Janaka.
After His marriage He accepted exile in the forest for fourteen years by
the order of His father, Maharaja Dasaratha. To help the administration of the
demigods, He killed fourteen thousand demons, and by the intrigues of the
demons, His wife, Sitadevi, was kidnapped by Ravana. He made friendship
with
Sugriva, who was helped by the Lord to kill Vali, brother of Sugriva. By the
help of Lord Rama, Sugriva became the king of the Vanaras (a race of
gorillas). The Lord built a floating bridge of stones on the Indian Ocean and
reached Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana, who had kidnapped Sita. Later on
Ravana
was killed by Him, and Ravana's brother Vibhisana was installed on the throne
of Lanka. Vibhisana was one of the brothers of Ravana, a demon, but Lord
Rama
made him immortal by His blessings. On the expiry of fourteen years, after
settling the affairs at Lanka, the Lord came back to His kingdom, Ayodhya, by
flower plane. He instructed His brother Satrughna to attack Lavnasura, who
reigned at Mathura, and the demon was killed. He performed ten Asvamedha
sacrifices, and later on He disappeared while taking a bath in the Sarayu
River. The great epic Ramayana is the history of Lord Rama's activities in the
world, and the authoritative Ramayana was written by the great poet Valmiki.

TEXT 20

esa data saranyas ca

yatha hy ausinarah sibih
yaso vitanita svanam
dausyantir iva yajvanam

esah--this child; data--donor in charity; saranyah--protector of the

surrendered; ca--and; yatha--as; hi--certainly; ausinarah--the country named
Usinara; sibih--Sibi; yasah--fame; vitanita--disseminator; svanam--of the
kinsmen; dausyantih iva--like Bharata, the son of Dusyanta; yajvanam--of
those
who have performed many sacrifices.

TRANSLATION

This child will be a munificent donor of charity and protector of the

surrendered, like the famous King Sibi of the Usinara country. And he will
expand the name and fame of his family like Bharata, the son of Maharaja
Dusyanta.

PURPORT

A king becomes famous by his acts of charity, performances of yajnas,

protection of the surrendered, etc. A ksatriya king is proud to give
 438

protection to the surrendered souls. This attitude of a king is called

isvara-bhava, or factual power to give protection in a righteous cause. In the
Bhagavad-gita the Lord instructs living beings to surrender unto Him, and He
promises all protection. The Lord is all-powerful and true to His word, and
therefore He never fails to give protection to His different devotees. The
king, being the representative of the Lord, must possess this attitude of
giving protection to the surrendered souls at all risk. Maharaja Sibi, the
King of Usinara, was an intimate friend of Maharaja Yayati, who was able to
reach the heavenly planets along with Maharaja Sibi. Maharaja Sibi was aware
of the heavenly planet where he was to be transferred after his death, and the
description of this heavenly planet is given in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva,
96.6-9). Maharaja Sibi was so charitably disposed that he wanted to give over
his acquired position in the heavenly kingdom to Yayati, but he did not accept
it. Yayati went to the heavenly planet along with great rsis like Astaka and
others. On inquiry from the rsis, Yayati gave an account of Sibi's pious acts
when all of them were on the path to heaven. He has become a member of the
assembly of Yamaraja, who has become his worshipful deity. As confirmed in
the
Bhagavad-gita, the worshiper of the demigods goes to the planets of the
demigods (yanti deva-vrata devan); so Maharaja Sibi has become an associate
of
the great Vaisnava authority Yamaraja on that particular planet. While he was
on the earth he became very famous as a protector of surrendered souls and a
donor of charities. The King of heaven once took the shape of a pigeon-hunter
bird (eagle), and Agni, the fire-god, took the shape of a pigeon. The pigeon,
while being chased by the eagle, took shelter on the lap of Maharaja Sibi, and
the hunter eagle wanted the pigeon back from the King. The King wanted to
give
it some other meat to eat and requested the bird not to kill the pigeon. The
hunter bird refused to accept the King's offer, but it was settled later on
that the eagle would accept flesh from the body of the King of the pigeon's
equivalent weight. The King began to cut flesh from his body to weigh in the
balance equivalent to the weight of the pigeon, but the mystic pigeon always
remained heavier. The King then put himself on the balance to equate with the
pigeon, and the demigods were pleased with him. The King of heaven and the
fire-god disclosed their identity, and the King was blessed by them. Devarsi
Narada also glorified Maharaja Sibi for his great achievements, specifically
in charity and protection. Maharaja Sibi sacrificed his own son for the
satisfaction of human beings in his kingdom. And thus child Pariksit was to
become a second Sibi in charity and protection.
Dausyanti Bharata: There are many Bharatas in history, of which Bharata
the brother of Lord Rama, Bharata the son of King Rsabha, and Bharata the
son
of Maharaja Dusyanta are very famous. And all these Bharatas are historically
known to the universe. This earth planet is known as Bharata, or
Bharata-varsa, due to King Bharata the son of Rsabha, but according to some
this land is known as Bharata due to the reign of the son of Dusyanta. So far
as we are convinced, this land's name Bharata-varsa was established from the
reign of Bharata the son of King Rsabha. Before him the land was known as
Ilavati-varsa, but just after the coronation of Bharata, the son of Rsabha,
this land became famous as Bharata-varsa.
But despite all this, Bharata, the son of Maharaja Dusyanta was not less
 439

important. He is the son of the famous beauty Sakuntala. Maharaja Dusyanta

fell in love with Sakuntala in the forest, and Bharata was conceived. After
that, Maharaja forgot his wife Sakuntala by the curse of Kanva Muni, and the
child Bharata was brought up in the forest by his mother. Even in his
childhood he was so powerful that he challenged the lions and elephants in the
forest and would fight with them as little children play with cats and dogs.
Because of the boy's becoming so strong, more than the so-called modern
Tarzan, the rsis in the forest called him Sarvadaman, or one who is able to
control everyone. A full description of Maharaja Bharata is given in the
Mahabharata, Adi-parva. The Pandavas, or the Kurus, are sometimes
addressed as
Bharata due to being born in the dynasty of the famous Maharaja Bharata, the
son of King Dusyanta.

TEXT 21

dhanvinam agranir esa

tulyas carjunayor dvayoh
hutasa iva durdharsah
samudra iva dustarah

dhanvinam--of the great bowmen; agranih--the foreman; esah--this child;

tulyah--equally good; ca--and; arjunayoh--of the Arjunas; dvayoh--of the two;
hutasah--fire; iva--like; durdharsah--irresistible; samudrah--ocean;
iva--like; dustarah--unsurpassable.

TRANSLATION

Amongst great bowmen, this child will be as good as Arjuna. He will be as

irresistible as fire and as unsurpassable as the ocean.

PURPORT

In history there are two Arjunas. One is Karttavirya Arjuna, the King of
Haihaya, and the other is the grandfather of the child. Both the Arjunas are
famous for their bowmanship, and the child Pariksit is foretold to be equal to
both of them, particularly in fighting. A short description of the Pandava
Arjuna is given below:
Pandava Arjuna: The great hero of the Bhagavad-gita. He is the ksatriya
son of Maharaja Pandu. Queen Kuntidevi could call for any one of the
demigods,
and thus she called Indra, and Arjuna was born by him. Arjuna is therefore a
plenary part of the heavenly King Indra. He was born in the month of Phalguna
(February-March), and therefore he is also called Phalguni. When he appeared
as the son of Kunti, his future greatness was proclaimed by air messages, and
all the important personalities from different parts of the universe, such as
the demigods, the Gandharvas, the Adityas (from the sun globe), the Rudras,
the Vasus, the Nagas, the different rsis (sages) of importance, and the
Apsaras (the society girls of heaven), all attended the ceremony. The Apsaras
pleased everyone by their heavenly dances and songs. Vasudeva, the father of
Lord Krsna and the maternal uncle of Arjuna, sent his priest representative
Kasyapa to purify Arjuna by all the prescribed samskaras, or reformatory
 440

processes. His samskara of being given a name was performed in the

presence of
the rsis, residents of Satasrnga. He married four wives, Draupadi, Subhadra,
Citrangada and Ulupi, from whom he got four sons of the names Srutakirti,
Abhimanyu, Babhruvahana and Iravan respectively.
During his student life he was entrusted to study under the great
professor Dronacarya, along with other Pandavas and the Kurus. But he
excelled
everyone by his studious intensity, and Dronacarya was especially attracted
by
his disciplinary affection. Dronacarya accepted him as a first-grade scholar
and loved heartily to bestow upon him all the blessings of military science.
He was so ardent a student that he used to practice bowmanship even at
night,
and for all these reasons Professor Dronacarya was determined to make him
the
topmost bowman of the world. He passed very brilliantly the examination in
piercing the target, and Dronacarya was very pleased. Royal families at
Manipur and Tripura are descendants of Arjuna's son Babhruvahana. Arjuna
saved
Dronacarya from the attack of a crocodile, and the Acarya, being pleased with
him, rewarded him with a weapon of the name brahmasira. Maharaja Drupada
was
inimical toward Dronacarya, and thus when he attacked the Acarya, Arjuna got
him arrested and brought him before Dronacarya. He besieged a city of the
name
Ahichhatra, belonging to Maharaja Drupada, and after taking it over he gave it
to Dronacarya. The confidential treatment of the weapon brahmasira was
explained to Arjuna, and Dronacarya was promised by Arjuna that he would
use
the weapon if necessary when he (Dronacarya) personally became an enemy
of
Arjuna. By this, the Acarya forecasted the future battle of Kuruksetra, in
which Dronacarya was on the opposite side. Maharaja Drupada, although
defeated
by Arjuna on behalf of his professor Dronacarya, decided to hand over his
daughter Draupadi to his young combatant, but he was disappointed when he
heard the false news of Arjuna's death in the fire of a shellac house
intrigued by Duryodhana. He therefore arranged for Draupadi's personal
selection of a groom who could pierce the eye of a fish hanging on the
ceiling. This trick was especially made because only Arjuna could do it, and
he was successful in his desire to hand over his equally worthy daughter to
Arjuna. Arjuna's brothers were at that time living incognito under agreement
with Duryodhana, and Arjuna and his brothers attended the meeting of
Draupadi's selection in the dress of brahmanas. When all the ksatriya kings
assembled saw that a poor brahmana had been garlanded by Draupadi for her
lord, Sri Krsna disclosed his identity to Balarama.
He met Ulupi at Haridvara (Hardwar), and he was attracted by a girl
belonging to Nagaloka, and thus Iravan was born. Similarly, he met
Citrangada,
a daughter of the King of Manipura, and thus Babhruvahana was born. Lord Sri
Krsna made a plan to help Arjuna to kidnap Subhadra, sister of Sri Krsna,
 441

because Baladeva was inclined to hand her over to Duryodhana. Yudhisthira

also
agreed with Sri Krsna, and thus Subhadra was taken by force by Arjuna and
then
married to him. Subhadra's son is Abhimanyu, the father of Pariksit Maharaja,
the posthumous child. Arjuna satisfied the fire-god by setting fire to the
Khandava Forest, and thus the fire-god gave him one weapon. Indra was angry
when the fire was set in the Khandava Forest, and thus Indra, assisted by all
other demigods, began fighting with Arjuna for his great challenge. They were
defeated by Arjuna, and Indradeva returned to his heavenly kingdom. Arjuna
also promised all protection to one Mayasura, and the latter presented him
one
valuable conchshell celebrated as the Devadatta. Similarly, he received many
other valuable weapons from Indradeva when he was satisfied to see his
chivalry.
When Maharaja Yudhisthira was disappointed in defeating the King of
Magadha, Jarasandha, it was Arjuna only who gave King Yudhisthira all kinds of
assurances, and thus Arjuna, Bhima and Lord Krsna started for Magadha to kill
Jarasandha. When he went out to bring all other kings of the world under the
subjection of the Pandavas, as was usual after the coronation of every
emperor, he conquered the country named Kelinda and brought in subjugation
King Bhagdutt. Then he traveled through countries like Antagiri, Ulukpur and
Modapur and brought under subjugation all the rulers.
Sometimes he underwent severe types of penances, and later on he was
rewarded by Indradeva. Lord Siva also wanted to try the strength of Arjuna,
and in the form of an aborigine, Lord Siva met him. There was a great fight
between the two, and at last Lord Siva was satisfied with him and disclosed
his identity. Arjuna prayed to the lord in all humbleness, and the lord, being
pleased with him, presented him the pasupata weapon. He acquired many
other
important weapons from different demigods. He received dandastra from
Yamaraja, pasastra from Varuna, and antardhana-astra from Kuvera, the
treasurer of the heavenly kingdom. Indra wanted him to come to the heavenly
kingdom, the Indraloka planet beyond the moon planet. In that planet he was
cordially received by the local residents, and he was awarded reception in the
heavenly parliament of Indradeva. Then he met Indradeva, who not only
presented him with his vajra weapon, but also taught him the military and
musical science as used in the heavenly planet. In one sense, Indra is the
real father of Arjuna, and therefore indirectly he wanted to entertain Arjuna
with the famous society girl of heaven, Urvasi, the celebrated beauty. The
society girls of heaven are lusty, and Urvasi was very eager to contact
Arjuna, the strongest human being. She met him in his room and expressed
her
desires but Arjuna sustained his unimpeachable character by closing his eyes
before Urvasi, addressing her as mother of the Kuru dynasty and placing her in
the category of his mothers Kunti, Madri and Sacidevi, wife of Indradeva.
Disappointed, Urvasi cursed Arjuna and left. In the heavenly planet he also
met the great celebrated ascetic Lomasa and prayed to him for the protection
of Maharaja Yudhisthira.
When his inimical cousin Duryodhana was under the clutches of the
Gandharvas, he wanted to save him and requested the Gandharvas to release
 442

Duryodhana, but the Gandharvas refused, and thus he fought with them and
got
Duryodhana released. When all the Pandavas lived incognito, he presented
himself in the court of King Virata as a eunuch and was employed as the
musical teacher of Uttara, his future daughter-in-law, and was known in the
Virata court as the Brhannala. As Brhannala, he fought on behalf of Uttara,
the son of King Virata, and thus defeated the Kurus in the fight incognito.
His secret weapons were safely kept in the custody of a somi tree, and he
ordered Uttara to get them back. His identity and his brothers' identity were
later on disclosed to Uttara. Dronacarya was informed of Arjuna's presence in
the fight of the Kurus and the Viratas. Later, on the Battlefield of
Kuruksetra, Arjuna killed many great generals like Karna and others. After the
Battle of Kuruksetra, he punished Asvatthama, who had killed all the five sons
of Draupadi. Then all the brothers went to Bhismadeva.
It is due to Arjuna only that the great philosophical discourses of the
Bhagavad-gita were again spoken by the Lord on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra.
His wonderful acts on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra are vividly described in
the Mahabharata. Arjuna was defeated, however, by his son Babhruvahana at
Manipura and fell unconscious when Ulupi saved him. After the disappearance
of
Lord Krsna, the message was brought by Arjuna to Maharaja Yudhisthira.
Again,
Arjuna visited Dvaraka, and all the widow wives of Lord Krsna lamented before
him. He took them all in the presence of Vasudeva and pacified all of them.
Later on, when Vasudeva passed away, he performed his funeral ceremony in
the
absence of Krsna. While Arjuna was taking all the wives of Krsna to
Indraprastha, he was attacked on the way, and he could not protect the ladies
in his custody. At last, advised by Vyasadeva, all the brothers headed for
Mahaprasthan. On the way, at the request of his brother, he gave up all
important weapons as useless, and he dropped them all in the water.

TEXT 22

mrgendra iva vikranto

nisevyo himavan iva
titiksur vasudhevasau
sahisnuh pitarav iva

mrgendrah--the lion; iva--like; vikrantah--powerful; nisevyah--worthy of

taking shelter; himavan--the Himalaya Mountains; iva--like;
titiksuh--forbearance; vasudha iva--like the earth; asau--the child;
sahisnuh--tolerant; pitarau--parents; iva--like.

TRANSLATION

This child will be as strong as a lion, and as worthy a shelter as the

Himalaya Mountains. He will be forbearing like the earth, and as tolerant as
his parents.

PURPORT
 443

One is compared to the lion when one is very strong in chasing an enemy.
One should be a lamb at home and a lion in the chase. The lion never fails in
the chase of an animal; similarly, the head of the state should never fail in
chasing an enemy. The Himalaya Mountains are famous for all richness. There
are innumerable caves to live in, numberless trees of good fruits to eat, good
springs to drink water from and profuse drugs and minerals to cure diseases.
Any man who is not materially prosperous can take shelter of these great
mountains, and he will be provided with everything required. Both the
materialist and the spiritualist can take advantage of the great shelter of
the Himalayas. On the surface of the earth there are so many disturbances
caused by the inhabitants. In the modern age the people have begun to
detonate
atomic weapons on the surface of the earth, and still the earth is forbearing
to the inhabitants, like a mother who excuses a little child. Parents are
always tolerant to children for all sorts of mischievous acts. An ideal king
may be possessed of all these good qualities, and the child Pariksit is
foretold to have all these qualities in perfection.

TEXT 23

pitamaha-samah samye
prasade girisopamah
asrayah sarva-bhutanam
yatha devo ramasrayah

pitamaha--the grandfather, or Brahma; samah--equally good; samye--in the

matter; prasade--in charity or in munificence; girisa--Lord Siva;
upamah--comparison of equilibrium; asrayah--resort; sarva--all; bhutanam--of
the living beings; yatha--as; devah--the Supreme Lord; rama-asrayah--the
Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

This child will be like his grandfather Yudhisthira or Brahma in

equanimity of mind. He will be munificent like the lord of the Kailasa Hill,
Siva. And he will be the resort of everyone, like the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Narayana, who is even the shelter of the goddess of fortune.

PURPORT

Mental equanimity refers both to Maharaja Yudhisthira and to Brahma, the

grandfather of all living beings. According to Sridhara Svami, the grandfather
referred to is Brahma, but according to Visvanatha Cakravarti, the grandfather
is Maharaja Yudhisthira himself. But in both cases the comparison is equally
good because both of them are recognized representatives of the Supreme
Lord,
and thus both of them have to maintain mental equanimity, being engaged in
welfare work for the living being. Any responsible executive agent at the top
of administration has to tolerate different types of onslaughts from the very
persons for whom he works. Brahmaji was criticized even by the gopis, the
highest perfectional devotees of the Lord. The gopis were dissatisfied with
the work of Brahmaji because Lord Brahma, as creator of this particular
 444

universe, created eyelids which obstructed their seeing Lord Krsna. They could
not tolerate a moment's blinking of the eyes, for it kept them from seeing
their beloved Lord Krsna. So what to speak of others, who are naturally very
critical of every action of a responsible man? Similarly, Maharaja Yudhisthira
had to cross over many difficult situations created by his enemies, and he
proved to be the most perfect maintainer of mental equanimity in all critical
circumstances. Therefore the example of both grandfathers for maintaining
equanimity of mind is quite fitting.
Lord Siva is a celebrated demigod who awards gifts to beggars. His name
is therefore Asutosa, or one who is pleased very easily. He is also called the
Bhutanatha, or the lord of the common folk, who are mainly attached to him
because of his munificent gifts, even without consideration of the
aftereffects. Ravana was very attached to Lord Siva, and by easily pleasing
him, Ravana became so powerful that he wanted to challenge the authority of
Lord Rama. Of course, Ravana was never helped by Lord Siva when he fought
with
Rama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Lord of Lord Siva. To
Vrkasura, Lord Siva awarded a benediction which was not only awkward, but
also
disturbing. Vrkasura became empowered, by the grace of Lord Siva, to vanish
anyone's head simply by touching it. Although this was awarded by Lord Siva,
the cunning fellow wanted to make an experiment of the power by touching
the
head of Lord Siva. Thus the lord had to take shelter of Visnu to save himself
from trouble, and the Lord Visnu, by His illusory potency, asked Vrkasura to
make an experiment with his own head. The fellow did it and was finished
himself, and so the world was saved from all sorts of trouble by such a
cunning beggar of the demigods. The excellent point is that Lord Siva never
denies anyone any sort of gift. He is therefore the most generous, although
sometimes some kind of a mistake is made.
Rama means the goddess of fortune. And her shelter is Lord Visnu. Lord
Visnu is the maintainer of all living beings. There are innumerable living
beings, not only on the surface of this planet but also in all other hundreds
of thousands of planets. All of them are provided with all necessities of life
for the progressive march towards the end of self-realization, but on the path
of sense gratification they are put into difficulty by the agency of maya, the
illusory energy, and so travel the path of a false plan of economic
development. Such economic development is never successful because it is
illusory. These men are always after the mercy of the illusory goddess of
fortune, but they do not know that the goddess of fortune can live only under
the protection of Visnu. Without Visnu, the goddess of fortune is an illusion.
We should therefore seek the protection of Visnu instead of directly seeking
the protection of the goddess of fortune. Only Visnu and the devotees of Visnu
can give protection to all, and because Maharaja Pariksit was himself
protected by Visnu, it was quite possible for him to give complete protection
to all who wanted to live under his rule.

TEXT 24

sarva-sad-guna-mahatmye
esa krsnam anuvratah
rantideva ivodaro
 445

yayatir iva dharmikah

sarva-sat-guna-mahatmye--glorified by all godly attributes; esah--this child;

krsnam--like Lord Krsna; anuvratah--a follower in His footsteps;
rantideva--Rantideva; iva--like; udarah--in the matter of magnanimity;
yayatih--Yayati; iva--like; dharmikah--concerning religion.

TRANSLATION

This child will be almost as good as Lord Sri Krsna by following in His
footsteps. In magnanimity he will become as great as King Rantideva. And in
religion he will be like Maharaja Yayati.

PURPORT

The last instruction of Lord Sri Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita is that one
should give up everything and should follow in the footsteps of the Lord
alone. Less intelligent persons do not agree to this great instruction of the
Lord, as ill luck would have it, but one who is actually intelligent catches
up this sublime instruction and is immensely benefited. Foolish people do not
know that association is the cause of acquiring qualities. Association with
fire makes an object hot, even in the material sense. Therefore, association
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead makes one qualified like the Lord. As
we have discussed previously, one can achieve seventy-eight percent of the
godly qualities by the Lord's intimate association. To follow the instructions
of the Lord is to associate with the Lord. The Lord is not a material object
whose presence one has to feel for such association. The Lord is present
everywhere and at all times. It is quite possible to have His association
simply by following His instruction because the Lord and His instruction and
the Lord and His name, fame, attributes and paraphernalia are all identical
with Him, being absolute knowledge. Maharaja Pariksit associated with the
Lord
even from the womb of his mother up to the last day of his valuable life, and
thus he acquired all the essential good qualities of the Lord in all
perfection.
Rantideva: An ancient king prior to the Mahabharata period, referred to
by Narada Muni while instructing Sanjaya, as mentioned in Mahabharata
(Drona-parva 67). He was a great king, liberal for hospitality and
distribution of foodstuff. Even Lord Sri Krsna praised his acts of charity and
hospitality. He was blessed by the great Vasistha Muni for supplying him cold
water, and thus he achieved the heavenly planet. He used to supply fruits,
roots and leaves to the rsis, and thus he was blessed by them with fulfillment
of his desires. Although a ksatriya by birth, he never ate flesh in his life.
He was especially hospitable to Vasistha Muni, and by his blessings only he
attained the higher planetary residence. He is one of those pious kings whose
names are remembered in the morning and evening.
Yayati: The great emperor of the world and the original forefather of all
great nations of the world who belong to the Aryan and Indo-European stock.
He
is the son of Maharaja Nabusa, and he became the emperor of the world due
to
his elder brother's becoming a great and liberated saintly mystic. He ruled
 446

over the world for several thousands of years and performed many sacrifices
and pious activities recorded in history, although his early youth was very
lustful and full of romantic stories. He fell in love with Devayani, the most
beloved daughter of Sukracarya. Devayani wished to marry him, but at first he
refused to accept her because of her being a daughter of a brahmana.
According
to sastras, a brahmana could marry the daughter of a ksatriya but a ksatriya
could not marry the daughter of a brahmana. They were very much cautious
about
varna-sankara population in the world. Sukracarya amended this law of
forbidden marriage and induced Emperor Yayati to accept Devayani. Devayani
had
a girl friend named Sarmistha, who also fell in love with the emperor and thus
went with her friend Devayani. Sukracarya forbade Emperor Yayati to call
Sarmistha into his bedroom, but Yayati could not strictly follow his
instruction. He secretly married Sarmistha also and begot sons by her. When
this was known by Devayani, she went to her father and lodged a complaint.
Yayati was much attached to Devayani, and when he went to his father-in-
law's
place to call her, Sukracarya was angry with him and cursed him to become
impotent. Yayati begged his father-in-law to withdraw his curse, but the sage
asked Yayati to ask youthfulness from his sons and let them become old as the
condition of his becoming potent. He had five sons, two from Devayani and
three from Sarmistha. From his five sons, namely (1) Yadu, (2) Turvasu, (3)
Druhyu, (4) Anu and (5) Puru, five famous dynasties, namely (1) the Yadu
dynasty, (2) the Yavana (Turk) dynasty, (3) the Bhoja dynasty, (4) the Mleccha
dynasty (Greek) and (5) the Paurava dynasty, all emanated to spread all over
the world. He reached the heavenly planets by dint of his pious acts, but he
fell down from there because of his self-advertisement and criticizing other
great souls. After his fall, his daughter and grandson bestowed upon him their
accumulated virtues, and by the help of his grandson and friend Sibi, he was
again promoted to the heavenly kingdom, becoming one of the assembly
members
of Yamaraja, with whom he is staying as a devotee. He performed more than
one
thousand different sacrifices, gave in charity very liberally and was a very
influential king. His majestic power was felt all over the world. His youngest
son agreed to award him his youthfulness when he was troubled with lustful
desires, even for one thousand years. Finally he became detached from
worldly
life and returned the youthfulness again to his son Puru. He wanted to hand
over the kingdom to Puru, but his noblemen and the subjects did not agree.
But
when he explained to his subjects the greatness of Puru, they agreed to
accept
Puru as the King, and thus Emperor Yayati retired from family life and left
home for the forest.

TEXT 25

dhrtya bali-samah krsne

prahrada iva sad-grahah
 447

ahartaiso 'svamedhanam
vrddhanam paryupasakah

dhrtya--by patience; bali-samah--like Bali Maharaja; krsne--unto Lord Sri

Krsna; prahrada--Prahlada Maharaja; iva--like; sat-grahah--devotee of;
aharta--performer; esah--this child; asvamedhanam--of Asvamedha sacrifices;
vrddhanam--of the old and experienced men; paryupasakah--follower.

TRANSLATION

This child will be like Bali Maharaja in patience, a staunch devotee of

Lord Krsna like Prahlada Maharaja, a performer of many Asvamedha [horse]
sacrifices and a follower of the old and experienced men.

PURPORT

Bali Maharaja: One of the twelve authorities in the devotional service of

the Lord. Bali Maharaja is a great authority in devotional service because he
sacrificed everything to please the Lord and relinquished the connection of
his so-called spiritual master who obstructed him on the path of risking
everything for the service of the Lord. The highest perfection of religious
life is to attain to the stage of unqualified devotional service of the Lord
without any cause or without being obstructed by any kind of worldly
obligation. Bali Maharaja was determined to give up everything for the
satisfaction of the Lord, and he did not care for any obstruction whatsoever.
He is the grandson of Prahlada Maharaja, another authority in the devotional
service of the Lord. Bali Maharaja and the history of his dealings with Visnu
Vamanadeva are described in the Eighth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam
(Chapter
11-24).
Prahlada Maharaja: A perfect devotee of Lord Krsna (Visnu). His father,
Hiranyakasipu, chastised him severely when he was only five years old for his
becoming an unalloyed devotee of the Lord. He was the first son of
Hiranyakasipu, and his mother's name was Kayadhu. Prahlada Maharaja was
an
authority in the devotional service of the Lord because he had his father
killed by Lord Nrsimhadeva, setting the example that even a father should be
removed from the path of devotional service if such a father happens to be an
obstacle. He had four sons, and the eldest son, Virocana, is the father of
Bali Maharaja, mentioned above. The history of Prahlada Maharaja's activities
is described in the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 26

rajarsinam janayita
sasta cotpatha-gaminam
nigrahita kaler esa
bhuvo dharmasya karanat

raja-rsinam--of kings as good as sages; janayita--producer; sasta--chastiser;

ca--and; utpatha-gaminam--of the upstarts; nigrahita--molester; kaleh--of the
quarrelsome; esah--this; bhuvah--of the world; dharmasya--of religion;
 448

karanat--on account of.

TRANSLATION

This child will be the father of kings who will be like sages. For world
peace and for the sake of religion, he will be the chastiser of the upstarts
and the quarrelsome.

PURPORT

The wisest man in the world is a devotee of the Lord. The sages are
called wise men, and there are different types of wise men for different
branches of knowledge. Unless, therefore, the king or the head of the state is
the wisest man, he cannot control all types of wise men in the state. In the
line of royal succession in the family of Maharaja Yudhisthira, all the kings,
without exception, were the wisest men of their times, and so also it is
foretold about Maharaja Pariksit and his son Maharaja Janamejaya, who was
yet
to be born. Such wise kings can become chastisers of upstarts and uprooters
of
Kali, or quarrelsome elements. As will be clear in the chapters ahead,
Maharaja Pariksit wanted to kill the personified Kali, who was attempting to
kill a cow, the emblem of peace and religion. The symptoms of Kali are (1)
wine, (2) women, (3) gambling and (4) slaughterhouses. Wise rulers of all
states should take lessons from Maharaja Pariksit in how to maintain peace
and
morality by subduing the upstarts and quarrelsome people who indulge in
wine,
illicit connection with women, gambling and meat-eating supplied by regularly
maintained slaughterhouses. In this age of Kali, regular license is issued for
maintaining all of these different departments of quarrel. So how can they
expect peace and morality in the state? The state fathers, therefore, must
follow the principles of becoming wiser by devotion to the Lord, by chastising
the breaker of discipline and by uprooting the symptoms of quarrel, as
mentioned above. If we want blazing fire, we must use dry fuel. Blazing fire
and moist fuel go ill together. Peace and morality can prosper only by the
principles of Maharaja Pariksit and his followers.

TEXT 27

taksakad atmano mrtyum

dvija-putropasarjitat
prapatsyata upasrutya
mukta-sangah padam hareh

taksakat--by the snake-bird; atmanah--of his personal self; mrtyum--death;

dvija-putra--the son of a brahmana; upasarjitat--being sent by;
prapatsyate--having taken shelter of; upasrutya--after hearing;
mukta-sangah--freed from all attachment; padam--position; hareh--of the Lord.

TRANSLATION
 449

After hearing about his death, which will be caused by the bite of a
snake-bird sent by a son of a brahmana, he will get himself freed from all
material attachment and surrender unto the Personality of Godhead, taking
shelter of Him.

PURPORT

Material attachment and taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord go
ill together. Material attachment means ignorance of transcendental happiness
under the shelter of the Lord. Devotional service to the Lord, while existing
in the material world, is a way to practice one's transcendental relation with
the Lord, and when it is matured, one gets completely free from all material
attachment and becomes competent to go back home, back to Godhead.
Maharaja
Pariksit, being especially attached to the Lord from the beginning of his body
in the womb of his mother, was continuously under the shelter of the Lord, and
the so-called warning of his death within seven days from the date of the
curse by the brahmana's son was a boon to him to enable him to prepare
himself
to go back home, back to Godhead. Since he was always protected by the
Lord,
he could have avoided the effect of such a curse by the grace of the Lord, but
he did not take such undue advantage for nothing. Rather, he made the best
use
of a bad bargain. For seven days continuously he heard Srimad-Bhagavatam
from
the right source, and thus he got shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord by
that opportunity.

TEXT 28

jijnasitatma-yatharthyo
muner vyasa-sutad asau
hitvedam nrpa gangayam
yasyaty addhakutobhayam

jijnasita--having inquired of; atma-yatharthyah--right knowledge of one's own

self; muneh--from the learned philosopher; vyasa-sutat--the son of Vyasa;
asau--he; hitva--quitting; idam--this material attachment; nrpa--O King;
gangayam--on the bank of the Ganges; yasyati--will go; addha--directly;
akutah-bhayam--the life of fearlessness.

TRANSLATION

After inquiring about proper self-knowledge from the son of Vyasadeva,

who will be a great philosopher, he will renounce all material attachment and
achieve a life of fearlessness.

PURPORT

Material knowledge means ignorance of the knowledge of one's own self.

Philosophy means to seek after the right knowledge of one's own self, or the
 450

knowledge of self-realization. Without self-realization, philosophy is dry

speculation or a waste of time and energy. Srimad-Bhagavatam gives the right
knowledge of one's own self, and by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam one can get
free
from material attachment and enter into the kingdom of fearlessness. This
material world is fearfulness. Its prisoners are always fearful as within a
prison house. In the prison house no one can violate the jail rules and
regulations, and violating the rules means another term for extension of
prison life. Similarly, we in this material existence are always fearful. This
fearfulness is called anxiety. Everyone in the material life, in all species
and varieties of life, is full of anxieties, either by breaking or without
breaking the laws of nature. Liberation, or mukti, means getting relief from
these constant anxieties. This is possible only when the anxiety is changed to
the devotional service of the Lord. Srimad-Bhagavatam gives us the chance to
change the quality of anxiety from matter to spirit. This is done in the
association of a learned philosopher like the self-realized Sukadeva Gosvami,
the great son of Sri Vyasadeva. Maharaja Pariksit, after receiving warning of
his death, took advantage of this opportunity by association with Sukadeva
Gosvami and achieved the desired result.
There is a sort of imitation of this reciting and hearing of
Srimad-Bhagavatam by professional men, and their foolish audience thinks
that
they will get free from the clutches of material attachment and attain the
life of fearlessness. Such imitative hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam is a
caricature only, and one should not be misled by such a performance of
bhagavatam saptaha undertaken by ridiculous greedy fellows to maintain an
establishment of material enjoyment.

TEXT 29

iti rajna upadisya

vipra jataka-kovidah
labdhapacitayah sarve
pratijagmuh svakan grhan

iti--thus; rajvne--unto the King; upadisya--having advised; viprah--persons

well versed in the Vedas; jataka-kovidah--persons expert in astrology and in
the performance of birth ceremonies; labdha-apacitayah--those who had
received
sumptuously as remuneration; sarve--all of them; pratijagmuh--went back;
svakan--their own; grhan--houses.

TRANSLATION

Thus those who were expert in astrological knowledge and in performance

of the birth ceremony instructed King Yudhisthira about the future history of
his child. Then, being sumptuously remunerated, they all returned to their
respective homes.

PURPORT

The Vedas are the storehouse of knowledge, both material and spiritual.
 451

But such knowledge aims at perfection of self-realization. In other words, the

Vedas are the guides for the civilized man in every respect. Since human life
is the opportunity to get free from all material miseries, it is properly
guided by the knowledge of the Vedas, in the matters of both material needs
and spiritual salvation. The specific intelligent class of men who were
devoted particularly to the knowledge of the Vedas were called the vipras, or
the graduates of the Vedic knowledge. There are different branches of
knowledge in the Vedas, of which astrology and pathology are two important
branches necessary for the common man. So the intelligent men, generally
known
as the brahmanas, took up all the different branches of Vedic knowledge to
guide society. Even the department of military education (Dhanur-veda) was
also taken up by such intelligent men, and the vipras were also teachers of
this section of knowledge, as were Dronacarya, Krpacarya, etc.
The word vipra mentioned herein is significant. There is a little
difference between the vipras and the brahmanas. The vipras are those who
are
expert in karma-kanda, or fruitive activities, guiding the society towards
fulfilling the material necessities of life, whereas the brahmanas are expert
in spiritual knowledge of transcendence. This department of knowledge is
called jnana-kanda, and above this there is the upasana-kanda. The
culmination
of upasana-kanda is the devotional service of the Lord Visnu, and when the
brahmanas achieve perfection, they are called Vaisnavas. Visnu worship is the
highest of the modes of worship. Elevated brahmanas are Vaisnavas engaged
in
the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and thus Srimad-Bhagavatam,
which is the science of devotional service, is very dear to the Vaisnavas. And
as explained in the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is the mature fruit
of Vedic knowledge and is superior subject matter, above the three kandas,
namely karma, jnana and upasana.
Amongst the karma-kanda experts, the jataka expert vipras were good
astrologers who could tell all the future history of a born child simply by
the astral calculations of the time (lagna). Such expert jataka-vipras were
present during the birth of Maharaja Pariksit, and his grandfather, Maharaja
Yudhisthira, awarded the vipras sufficiently with gold, land, villages, grains
and other valuable necessaries of life, which also include cows. There is a
need of such vipras in the social structure, and it is the duty of the state
to maintain them comfortably, as designed in the Vedic procedure. Such
expert
vipras, being sufficiently paid by the state, could give free service to the
people in general, and thus this department of Vedic knowledge could be
available for all.

TEXT 30

sa esa loke vikhyatah

pariksid iti yat prabhuh
purvan drstam anudhyayan
parikseta naresv iha

sah--he; esah--in this; loke--world; vikhyatah--famous; pariksit--one who

 452

examines; iti--thus; yat--what; prabhuh--O my King; purvan--before;

drstam--seen; anudhyayan--constantly contemplating; parikseta--shall
examine;
naresu--unto every man; iha--here.

TRANSLATION

So his son would become famous in the world as Pariksit [examiner]

because he would come to examine all human beings in his search after that
personality whom he saw before his birth. Thus he would come to constantly
contemplate Him.

PURPORT

Maharaja Pariksit, fortunate as he was, got the impression of the Lord

even in the womb of his mother, and thus his contemplation on the Lord was
constantly with him. Once the impression of the transcendental form of the
Lord is fixed in one's mind, one can never forget Him in any circumstance.
Child Pariksit, after coming out of the womb, was in the habit of examining
everyone to see whether he was the same personality whom he first saw in
the
womb. But no one could be equal to or more attractive than the Lord, and
therefore he never accepted anyone. But the Lord was constantly with him by
such examination, and thus Maharaja Pariksit was always engaged in the
devotional service of the Lord by remembrance.
Srila Jiva Gosvami remarks in this connection that every child, if given
an impression of the Lord from his very childhood, certainly becomes a great
devotee of the Lord like Maharaja Pariksit. One may not be as fortunate as
Maharaja Pariksit to have the opportunity to see the Lord in the womb of his
mother, but even if he is not so fortunate, he can be made so if the parents
of the child desire him to be so. There is a practical example in my personal
life in this connection. My father was a pure devotee of the Lord, and when I
was only four or five years old, my father gave me a couple of forms of Radha
and Krsna. In a playful manner, I used to worship these Deities along with my
sister, and I used to imitate the performances of a neighboring temple of
Radha-Govinda. By constantly visiting this neighboring temple and copying the
ceremonies in connection with my own Deities of play, I developed a natural
affinity for the Lord. My father used to observe all the ceremonies befitting
my position. Later on, these activities were suspended due to my association
in the schools and colleges, and I became completely out of practice. But in
my youthful days, when I met my spiritual master, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, again I revived my old habit, and the same
playful
Deities became my worshipful Deities in proper regulation. This was followed
up until I left the family connection, and I am pleased that my generous
father gave the first impression which was developed later into regulative
devotional service by His Divine Grace. Maharaja Prahlada also advised that
such impressions of a godly relation must be impregnated from the beginning
of
childhood, otherwise one may miss the opportunity of the human form of life,
which is very valuable although it is temporary like others.
 453

TEXT 31

sa raja-putro vavrdhe
asu sukla ivodupah
apuryamanah pitrbhih
kasthabhir iva so 'nvaham

sah--that; raja-putrah--the royal prince; vavrdhe--grew up; asu--very soon;

sukle--waxing moon; iva--like; udupah--the moon; apuryamanah--luxuriantly;
pitrbhih--by the parental guardians; kasthabhih--plenary development;
iva--like; sah--he; anvaham--day after day.

TRANSLATION

As the moon, in its waxing fortnight, develops day after day, so the
royal prince [Pariksit] very soon developed luxuriantly under the care and
full facilities of his guardian grandfathers.

TEXT 32

yaksyamano 'svamedhena
jnati-droha jihasaya
raja labdha-dhano dadhyau
nanyatra kara-dandayoh

yaksyamanah--desiring to perform; asvamedhena--by the horse sacrifice

ceremony; jnati-droha--fighting with kinsmen; jihasaya--for getting free;
raja--King Yudhisthira; labdha-dhanah--for getting some wealth;
dadhyau--thought about it; na anyatra--not otherwise; kara-dandayoh--taxes
and
fines.

TRANSLATION

Just at this time, King Yudhisthira was considering performing a horse

sacrifice to get freed from sins incurred from fighting with kinsmen. But he
became anxious to get some wealth, for there were no surplus funds outside
of
fines and tax collection.

PURPORT

As the brahmanas and vipras had a right to be subsidized by the state,

the state executive head had the right to collect taxes and fines from the
citizens. After the Battle of Kuruksetra the state treasury was exhausted, and
therefore there was no surplus fund except the fund from tax collection and
fines. Such funds were sufficient only for the state budget, and having no
excess fund, the King was anxious to get more wealth in some other way in
order to perform the horse sacrifice. Maharaja Yudhisthira wanted to perform
this sacrifice under the instruction of Bhismadeva.
 454

TEXT 33

tad abhipretam alaksya

bhrataro 'cyuta-coditah
dhanam prahinam ajahur
udicyam disi bhurisah

tat--his; abhipretam--wishes of the mind; alaksya--observing; bhratarah--his

brothers; acyuta--the infallible (Lord Sri Krsna); coditah--being advised by;
dhanam--riches; prahinam--to collect; ajahuh--brought about;
udicyam--northern; disi--direction; bhurisah--sufficient.

TRANSLATION

Understanding the hearty wishes of the King, his brothers, as advised by

the infallible Lord Krsna, collected sufficient riches from the North [left by
King Marutta].

PURPORT

Maharaja Marutta: one of the great emperors of the world. He reigned over
the world long before the reign of Maharaja Yudhisthira. He was the son of
Maharaja Aviksit and was a great devotee of the son of the sun-god, known as
Yamaraja. His brother Samvarta was a rival priest of the great Brhaspati, the
learned priest of the demigods. He conducted one sacrifice called
Sankara-yajna by which the Lord was so satisfied that He was pleased to hand
over to him the charge of a mountain peak of gold. This peak of gold is
somewhere in the Himalaya Mountains, and modern adventurers may try to
find it
there. He was so powerful an emperor that at the day's end of sacrifice, the
demigods from the other planets like Indra, Candra and Brhaspati used to visit
his palace. And because he had the gold peak at his disposal, he had
sufficient gold in his possession. The canopy of the sacrificial altar was
completely made of gold. in his daily performances of the sacrificial
ceremonies, some of the inhabitants of the Vayuloka (airy planets) were
invited to expedite the cooking work of the ceremony. And the assembly of the
demigods in the ceremony was led by Visvadeva.
By his constant pious work he was able to drive out all kinds of diseases
from the jurisdiction of his kingdom. All the inhabitants of higher planets
like Devaloka and Pitrloka were pleased with him for his great sacrificial
ceremonies. Every day he used to give in charity to the learned brahmanas
such
things as beddings, seats, conveyances and sufficient quantities of gold.
Because of munificent charities and performances of innumerable sacrifices,
the King of heaven, Indradeva, was fully satisfied with him and always wished
for his welfare. Due to his pious activities, he remained a young man
throughout his life and reigned over the world for one thousand years,
surrounded by his satisfied subjects, ministers, legitimate wife, sons and
brothers. Even Lord Sri Krsna praised his spirit of pious activities. He
handed over his only daughter to Maharsi Angira, and by his good blessings,
he
was elevated to the kingdom of heaven. First of all, he wanted to offer the
 455

priesthood of his sacrifices to learned Brhaspati, but the demigod refused to

accept the post because of the King's being a human being, a man of this
earth. He was very sorry for this, but on the advice of Narada Muni he
appointed Samvarta to the post, and he was successful in his mission.
The success of a particular type of sacrifice completely depends on the
priest in charge. In this age, all kinds of sacrifice are forbidden because
there is no learned priest amongst the so-called brahmanas, who go by the
false notion of becoming sons of brahmanas without brahminical
qualifications.
In this age of Kali, therefore, only one kind of sacrifice is recommended,
sankirtana-yajna, as inaugurated by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 34

tena sambhrta-sambharo
dharma-putro yudhisthirah
vajimedhais tribhir bhito
yajnaih samayajad dharim

tena--with that wealth; sambhrta--collected; sambharah--ingredients;

dharma-putrah--the pious king; yudhisthirah--Yudhisthira; vajimedhaih--by
horse sacrifices; tribhih--three times; bhitah--being greatly afraid after the
Battle of Kuruksetra; yajnaih--sacrifices; samayajat--perfectly worshiped;
harim--the Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

By those riches, the King could procure the ingredients for three horse
sacrifices. Thus the pious King Yudhisthira, who was very fearful after the
Battle of Kuruksetra, pleased Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira was the ideal and celebrated pious King of the
world, and still he was greatly afraid after the execution of the Battle of
Kuruksetra because of the mass killing in the fight, all of which was done
only to install him on the throne. He therefore took all the responsibility
for sins committed in the warfare, and to get rid of all these sins, he wanted
to perform three sacrifices in which horses are offered at the altar. Such a
sacrifice is very costly. Even Maharaja Yudhisthira had to collect the
necessary heaps of gold left by Maharaja Marutta and the brahmanas who
were
given gold in charity by King Marutta. The learned brahmanas could not take
away all the loads of gold given by Maharaja Marutta, and therefore they left
behind the major portion of the gift. And Maharaja Marutta also did not again
collect such heaps of gold given away in charity. Besides that, all the golden
plates and utensils which were used in the sacrifice were also thrown in the
dustbins, and all such heaps of gold remained unclaimed property for a long
time, till Maharaja Yudhisthira collected them for his own purposes. Lord Sri
Krsna advised the brothers of Maharaja Yudhisthira to collect the unclaimed
property because it belonged to the King. The more astonishing thing is that
no subject of the state also collected such unclaimed gold for industrial
 456

enterprise or anything like that. This means that the state citizens were
completely satisfied with all necessities of life and therefore not inclined
to accept unnecessary productive enterprises for sense gratification. Maharaja
Yudhisthira also requisitioned the heaps of gold for performing sacrifices and
for pleasing the Supreme Hari Personality of Godhead. Otherwise he had no
desire to collect them for the state treasury.
One should take lessons from the acts of Maharaja Yudhisthira. He was
afraid of sins committed on the battlefield, and therefore he wanted to
satisfy the supreme authority. This indicates that unintentional sins are also
committed in our daily occupational discharge of duties, and to counteract
even such unintentional crimes, one must perform sacrifices as they are
recommended in the revealed scriptures. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita
(yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah) that one must
perform
sacrifices recommended in the scriptures in order to get rid of commitments of
all unauthorized work, or even unintentional crimes which we are apt to
commit. By doing so, one shall be freed from all kinds of sins. And those who
do not do so but work for self-interest or sense gratification have to undergo
all tribulations accrued from committed sins. Therefore, the main purpose of
performing sacrifices is to satisfy the Supreme Personality Hari. The process
of performing sacrifices may be different in terms of different times, places
and persons, but the aim of such sacrifices is one and the same at all times
and in all circumstances, viz., satisfaction of the Supreme Lord Hari. That is
the way of pious life, and that is the way of peace and prosperity in the
world at large. Maharaja Yudhisthira did all these as the ideal pious king in
the world.
If Maharaja Yudhisthira is a sinner in his daily discharge of duties, in
royal administration of state affairs, wherein killing of man and animals is a
recognized art, then we can just imagine the amount of sins committed
consciously or unconsciously by the untrained population of the Kali-yuga who
have no way to perform sacrifice to please the Supreme Lord. The
Bhagavatam
says, therefore, that the prime duty of the human being is to satisfy the
Supreme Lord by the performance of one's occupational duty (SB. 1.2.13).
Let any man of any place or community, caste or creed be engaged in any
sort of occupational duty, but he must agree to perform sacrifices as it is
recommended in the scriptures for the particular place, time and person. In
the Vedic literatures it is recommended that in Kali-yuga people engage in
glorifying the Lord by chanting the holy name of Krsna (kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet) without offense. By doing so one can be freed
from
all sins and thus can attain the highest perfection of life by returning home,
back to Godhead. We have already discussed this more than once in this great
literature in different places, especially in the introductory portion by
sketching the life of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and still we are repeating
the same with a view to bring about peace and prosperity in society.
The Lord has declared openly in Bhagavad-gita how He becomes pleased
with
us, and the same process is practically demonstrated in the life and preaching
work of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The perfect process of performing
yajnas, or sacrifice, to please the Supreme Lord Hari (the Personality of
Godhead, who gets us free from all miseries of existence) is to follow the
 457

ways of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in this dark age of quarrel and
dissension.
Maharaja Yudhisthira had to collect heaps of gold to secure the
paraphernalia for the horse sacrifice yajnas in days of sufficiency, so we can
hardly think of such performance of yajnas in these days of insufficiency and
complete scarcity of gold. At the present moment we have heaps of papers
and
promises of their being converted into gold by economic development of
modern
civilization, and still there is no possibility of spending riches like
Maharaja Yudhisthira, either individually or collectively or by state
patronization. Just suitable, therefore, for the age, is the method
recommended by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in terms of the sastra. Such a
method requires no expenditure at all and yet can award more benefit than
other expensive methods of yajna performances.
The horse sacrifice yajna or cow sacrifice yajna performed by the Vedic
regulations shouldn't be misunderstood as a process of killing animals. On the
contrary, animals offered for the yajna were rejuvenated to a new span of life
by the transcendental power of chanting the Vedic hymns, which, if properly
chanted, are different from what is understood by the common layman. The
Veda-mantras are all practical, and the proof is rejuvenation of the
sacrificed animal.
There is no possibility of such methodical chanting of the Vedic hymns by
the so-called brahmanas or priests of the present age. The untrained
descendants of the twice-born families are no more like their forefathers, and
thus they are counted amongst the sudras, or once-born men. The once-born
man
is unfit to chant the Vedic hymns, and therefore there is no practical utility
of chanting the original hymns.
And to save them all, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu propounded the
sankirtana movement or yajna for all practical purposes, and the people of the
present age are strongly recommended to follow this sure and recognized
path.

TEXT 35

ahuto bhagavan rajna

yajayitva dvijair nrpam
uvasa katicin masan
suhrdam priya-kamyaya

ahutah--being called by; bhagavan--Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead;

rajna--by the King; yajayitva--causing to be performed; dvijaih--by the
learned brahmanas; nrpam--on behalf of the King; uvasa--resided; katicit--a
few; masan--months; suhrdam--for the sake of the relatives; priya-kamyaya--
for
the pleasure.

TRANSLATION

Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, being invited to the

sacrifices by Maharaja Yudhisthira, saw to it that they were performed by
 458

qualified [twice-born] brahmanas. After that, for the pleasure of the

relatives, the Lord remained a few months.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna was invited by Maharaja Yudhisthira to look into the
supervision of the performances of yajna, and the Lord, to abide by the orders
of His elderly cousin, caused the performance of yajnas by learned twice-born
brahmanas. Simply taking birth in the family of a brahmana does not make
one
qualified to perform yajnas. One must be twice-born by proper training and
initiation from the bona fide acarya. The once-born scions of brahmana
families are equal with the once-born sudras, and such brahma-bandhus, or
unqualified once-born scions, must be rejected for any purpose of religious or
Vedic function. Lord Sri Krsna was entrusted to look after this arrangement,
and perfect as He is, He caused the yajnas to be performed by the bona fide
twice-born brahmanas for successful execution.

TEXT 36

tato rajnabhyanujnatah
krsnaya saha-bandhubhih
yayau dvaravatim brahman
sarjuno yadubhir vrtah

tatah--thereafter; rajna--by the King; abhyanujnatah--being permitted;

krsnaya--as well as by Draupadi; saha--along with; bandhubhih--other
relatives; yayau--went to; dvaravatim--Dvarakadhama; brahman--O
brahmanas;
sa-arjunah--along with Arjuna; yadubhih--by the members of the Yadu dynasty;
vrtah--surrounded.

TRANSLATION

O Saunaka, thereafter the Lord, having bade farewell to King Yudhisthira,

Draupadi and other relatives, started for the city of Dvaraka, accompanied by
Arjuna and other members of the Yadu dynasty.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Twelfth Chapter,
of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Birth of Emperor Pariksit."

Chapter Thirteen

Dhrtarastra Quits Home

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
viduras tirtha-yatrayam
 459

maitreyad atmano gatim

jnatvagad dhastinapuram
tayavapta-vivitsitah

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; vidurah--Vidura; tirtha-yatrayam--while

traveling to different places of pilgrimage; maitreyat--from the great sage
Maitreya; atmanah--of the self; gatim--destination; jnatva--by knowing it;
agat--went back; hastinapuram--the city of Hastinapura; taya--by that
knowledge; avapta--sufficiently a gainer; vivitsitah--being well versed in
everything knowable.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: While traveling on a pilgrimage, Vidura received

knowledge of the destination of the self from the great sage Maitreya and then
returned to Hastinapura. He became as well versed in the subject as he
desired.

PURPORT

Vidura: One of the prominent figures in the history of the Mahabharata.

He was conceived by Vyasadeva in the womb of the maidservant of Ambika,
mother
of Maharaja Pandu. He is the incarnation of Yamaraja. Being cursed by
Manduka
Muni, he was to become a sudra. The story is narrated as follows. Once upon a
time the state police caught some thieves who had concealed themselves in
the
hermitage of Manduka Muni. The police constables, as usual, arrested all the
thieves and Manduka Muni along with them. The magistrate specifically
punished
the muni to death by being pierced with a lance. When he was just to be
pierced, the news reached the king, and he at once stopped the act on
consideration of his being a great muni. The king personally begged the
muni's
pardon for the mistake of his men, and the saint at once went to Yamaraja,
who
prescribes the destiny of the living beings. Yamaraja, being questioned by the
muni, replied that the muni in his childhood pierced an ant with a sharpened
straw, and for that reason he was put into difficulty. The muni thought it
unwise on the part of Yamaraja that he was punished for his childish
innocence, and thus the muni cursed Yamaraja to become a sudra, and this
sudra
incarnation of Yamaraja was known as Vidura, the sudra brother of Dhrtarastra
and Maharaja Pandu. But this sudra son of the Kuru dynasty was equally
treated
by Bhismadeva, along with his other nephews, and in due course Vidura was
married with a girl who was also born in the womb of a sudrani by a
brahmana.
Although Vidura did not inherit the property of his father (the brother of
Bhismadeva), still he was given sufficient state property by Dhrtarastra, the
elder brother of Vidura. Vidura was very much attached to his elder brother,
 460

and all along he tried to guide him on the right path. During the fratricidal
war of Kuruksetra, Vidura repeatedly implored his elder brother to do justice
to the sons of Pandu, but Duryodhana did not like such interference by his
uncle, and thus he practically insulted Vidura. This resulted in Vidura's
leaving home for pilgrimage and taking instructions from Maitreya.

TEXT 2

yavatah krtavan prasnan

ksatta kausaravagratah
jataika-bhaktir govinde
tebhyas copararama ha

yavatah--all that; krtavan--did he put; prasnan--questions; ksatta--a name of

Vidura; kausarava--a name of Maitreya; agratah--in the presence of;
jata--having grown up; eka--one; bhaktih--transcendental loving service;
govinde--unto Lord Krsna; tebhyah--regarding further questions; ca--and;
upararama--retired from; ha--in the past.

TRANSLATION

After asking various questions and becoming established in the

transcendental loving service of Lord Krsna, Vidura retired from putting
questions to Maitreya Muni.

PURPORT

Vidura retired from putting questions before Maitreya Muni when he was
convinced by Maitreya Rsi that the summum bonum of life is to be finally
situated in the transcendental loving service of Lord Sri Krsna, who is
Govinda, or one who satisfies His devotees in all respects. The conditioned
soul, the living being in material existence, seeks happiness by employing his
senses in the modes of materialism, but that cannot give him satisfaction. He
then searches after the Supreme Truth by the empiric philosophic speculative
method and intellectual feats. But if he does not find the ultimate goal, he
again goes down to material activities and engages himself in various
philanthropic and altruistic works, which all fail to give him satisfaction.
So neither fruitive activities nor dry philosophical speculation can give one
satisfaction because by nature a living being is the eternal servitor of the
Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, and all the Vedic literatures give him direction
towards that ultimate end. The Bhagavad-gita (15.15) confirms this statement.
Like Vidura, an inquisitive conditioned soul must approach a bona fide
spiritual master like Maitreya and by intelligent inquiries must try to know
everything about karma (fruitive activities), jnana (philosophical research
for the Supreme Truth) and yoga (the linking process of spiritual
realization). One who is not seriously inclined to put questions before a
spiritual master need not accommodate a show-bottle spiritual master, nor
should a person who may be a spiritual master for others pose to be so if he
is unable to engage his disciple ultimately in the transcendental loving
service of Lord Sri Krsna. Vidura was successful in approaching such a
spiritual master like Maitreya, and he got the ultimate goal of life: bhakti
unto Govinda. Thus there was nothing to be known further about spiritual
 461

progress.

TEXT 3-4

tam bandhum agatam drstva

dharma-putrah sahanujah
dhrtarastro yuyutsus ca
sutah saradvatah prtha

gandhari draupadi brahman

subhadra cottara krpi
anyas ca jamayah pandor
jnatayah sasutah striyah

tam--him; bandhum--relative; agatam--having arrived there; drstva--by seeing

it; dharma-putrah--Yudhisthira; saha-anujah--along with his younger brothers;
dhrtarastrah--Dhrtarastra; yuyutsuh--Satyaki; ca--and; sutah--Sanjaya;
saradvatah--Krpacarya; prtha--Kunti; gandhari--Gandhari; draupadi--Draupadi;
brahman--O brahmanas; subhadra--Subhadra; ca--and; uttara--Uttara; krpi--
Krpi;
anyah--others; ca--and; jamayah--wives of other family members; pandoh--of
the
Pandavas; jnatayah--family members; sasutah--along with their sons;
striyah--the ladies.

TRANSLATION

When they saw Vidura return to the palace, all the inhabitants--Maharaja
Yudhisthira, his younger brothers, Dhrtarastra, Satyaki, Sanjaya, Krpacarya,
Kunti, Gandhari, Draupadi, Subhadra, Uttara, Krpi, many other wives of the
Kauravas, and other ladies with children--all hurried to him in great delight.
It so appeared that they had regained their consciousness after a long period.

PURPORT

Gandhari: The ideal chaste lady in the history of the world. She was the
daughter of Maharaja Subala, the King of Gandhara (now Kandahar in Kabul),
and
in her maiden state she worshiped Lord Siva. Lord Siva is generally worshiped
by Hindu maidens to get a good husband. Gandhari satisfied Lord Siva, and by
his benediction to obtain one hundred sons, she was betrothed to Dhrtarastra,
despite his being blind forever. When Gandhari came to know that her would-
be
husband was a blind man, to follow her life companion she decided to become
voluntarily blind. So she wrapped up her eyes with many silk linens, and she
was married to Dhrtarastra under the guidance of her elder brother Sakuni.
She
was the most beautiful girl of her time, and she was equally qualified by her
womanly qualities, which endeared every member of the Kaurava court. But
despite all her good qualities, she had the natural frailties of a woman, and
she was envious of Kunti when the latter gave birth to a male child. Both the
queens were pregnant, but Kunti first gave birth to a male child. Thus
 462

Gandhari became angry and gave a blow to her own abdomen. As a result, she
gave birth to a lump of flesh only, but since she was a devotee of Vyasadeva,
by the instruction of Vyasadeva the lump was divided into one hundred parts,
and each part gradually developed to become a male child. Thus her ambition
to
become the mother of one hundred sons was fulfilled, and she began to
nourish
all the children according to her exalted position. When the intrigue of the
Battle of Kuruksetra was going on, she was not in favor of fighting with the
Pandavas; rather, she blamed Dhrtarastra, her husband, for such a fratricidal
war. She desired that the state be divided into two parts, for the sons of
Pandu and her own. She was very affected when all her sons died in the Battle
of Kuruksetra, and she wanted to curse Bhimasena and Yudhisthira, but she
was
checked by Vyasadeva. Her mourning over the death of Duryodhana and
Duhsasana
before Lord Krsna was very pitiful, and Lord Krsna pacified her by
transcendental messages. She was equally aggrieved on the death of Karna,
and
she described to Lord Krsna the lamentation of Karna's wife. She was pacified
by Srila Vyasadeva when he showed her dead sons, then promoted to the
heavenly
kingdoms. She died along with her husband in the jungles of the Himalayas
near
the mouth of the Ganges; she burned in a forest fire. Maharaja Yudhisthira
performed the death ceremony of his uncle and aunt.
Prtha: Daughter of Maharaja Surasena and sister of Vasudeva, Lord Krsna's
father. Later she was adopted by Maharaja Kuntibhoja, and hence she is
known
as Kunti. She is the incarnation of the success potency of the Personality of
Godhead. The heavenly denizens from the upper planets used to visit the
palace
of King Kuntibhoja, and Kunti was engaged for their reception. She also served
the great mystic sage Durvasa, and being satisfied by her faithful service,
Durvasa Muni gave her a mantra by which it was possible for her to call for
any demigod she pleased. As a matter of inquisitiveness, she at once called
for the sun-god, who desired couplement with her, but she declined. But the
sun-god assured her immunity from virgin adulteration, and so she agreed to
his proposal. As a result of this couplement, she became pregnant, and Karna
was born by her. By the grace of the sun, she again turned into a virgin girl,
but being afraid of her parents, she quitted the newly born child, Karna.
After that, when she actually selected her own husband, she preferred Pandu
to
be her husband. Maharaja Pandu later wanted to retire from family life and
adopt the renounced order of life. Kunti refused to allow her husband to adopt
such life, but at last Maharaja Pandu gave her permission to become a mother
of sons by calling some other suitable personalities. Kunti did not accept
this proposal at first, but when vivid examples were set by Pandu she agreed.
Thus by dint of the mantra awarded by Durvasa Muni she called for
Dharmaraja,
and thus Yudhisthira was born. She called for the demigod Vayu (air), and thus
Bhima was born. She called for Indra, the King of heaven, and thus Arjuna was
 463

born. The other two sons, namely Nakula and Sahadeva, were begotten by
Pandu
himself in the womb of Madri. Later on, Maharaja Pandu died at an early age,
for which Kunti was so aggrieved that she fainted. Two co-wives, namely Kunti
and Madri, decided that Kunti should live for the maintenance of the five
minor children, the Pandavas, and Madri should accept the sati rituals by
meeting voluntary death along with her husband. This agreement was
endorsed by
great sages like Satasrnga and others present on the occasion.
Later on, when the Pandavas were banished from the kingdom by the
intrigues of Duryodhana, Kunti followed her sons, and she equally faced all
sorts of difficulties during those days. During the forest life one demon
girl, Hidimba, wanted Bhima as her husband. Bhima refused, but when the girl
approached Kunti and Yudhisthira, they ordered Bhima to accept her proposal
and give her a son. As a result of this combination, Ghatotkaca was born, and
he fought very valiantly with his father against the Kauravas. In their forest
life they lived with a brahmana family that was in trouble because of one
Bakasura demon, and Kunti ordered Bhima to kill the Bakasura to protect the
brahmana family against troubles created by the demon. She advised
Yudhisthira
to start for the Pancaladesa. Draupadi was gained in this Pancaladesa by
Arjuna, but by order of Kunti all five of the Pandava brothers became equally
the husbands of Pancali, or Draupadi. She was married with five Pandavas in
the presence of Vyasadeva. Kuntidevi never forgot her first child, Karna, and
after Karna's death in the Battle of Kuruksetra she lamented and admitted
before her other sons that Karna was her eldest son prior to her marriage with
Maharaja Pandu. Her prayers for the Lord after the Battle of Kuruksetra, when
Lord Krsna was going back home, are excellently explained. Later she went to
the forest with Gandhari for severe penance. She used to take meals after
each
thirty days. She finally sat down in profound meditation and later burned to
ashes in a forest fire.
Draupadi: The most chaste daughter of Maharaja Drupada and partly an
incarnation of goddess Saci, the wife of Indra. Maharaja Drupada performed a
great sacrifice under the superintendence of the sage Yaja. By his first
offering, Dhrstadyumna was born, and by the second offering, Draupadi was
born. She is therefore the sister of Dhrstadyumna, and she is also named
Pancali. The five Pandavas married her as a common wife, and each of them
begot a son in her. Maharaja Yudhisthira begot a son named Pratibhit,
Bhimasena begot a son named Sutasoma, Arjuna begot Srutakirti, Nakula
begot
Satanika, and Sahadeva begot Srutakarma. She is described as a most
beautiful
lady, equal to her mother-in-law, Kunti. During her birth there was an
aeromessage that she should be called Krsna. The same message also
declared
that she was born to kill many a ksatriya. By dint of her blessings from
Sankara, she was awarded five husbands, equally qualified. When she
preferred
to select her own husband, princes and kings were invited from all the
countries of the world. She was married with the Pandavas during their exile
 464

in the forest, but when they went back home Maharaja Drupada gave them
immense
wealth as a dowry. She was well received by all the daughters-in-law of
Dhrtarastra. When she was lost in a gambling game, she was forcibly dragged
into the assembly hall, and an attempt was made by Duhsasana to see her
naked
beauty, even though there were elderly persons like Bhisma and Drona
present.
She was a great devotee of Lord Krsna, and by her praying, the Lord Himself
became an unlimited garment to save her from the insult. A demon of the
name
Jatasura kidnapped her, but her second husband, Bhimasena, killed the demon
and saved her. She saved the Pandavas from the curse of Maharsi Durvasa by
the
grace of Lord Krsna. When the Pandavas lived incognito in the palace of
Virata, Kicaka was attracted by her exquisite beauty, and by arrangement with
Bhima the devil was killed and she was saved. She was very much aggrieved
when
her five sons were killed by Asvatthama. At the last stage, she accompanied
her husband Yudhisthira and others and fell on the way. The cause of her
falling was explained by Yudhisthira, but when Yudhisthira entered the
heavenly planet he saw Draupadi gloriously present there as the goddess of
fortune in the heavenly planet.
Subhadra: Daughter of Vasudeva and sister of Lord Sri Krsna. She was not
only a very dear daughter of Vasudeva, but also a very dear sister to both
Krsna and Baladeva. The two brothers and sister are represented in the
famous
Jagannatha temple of Puri, and the temple is still visited by thousands of
pilgrims daily. This temple is in remembrance of the Lord's visit at
Kuruksetra during an occasion of solar eclipse and His subsequent meeting
with
the residents of Vrndavana. The meeting of Radha and Krsna during this
occasion is a very pathetic story, and Lord Sri Caitanya, in the ecstasy of
Radharani, always pined for Lord Sri Krsna at Jagannatha Puri. While Arjuna
was at Dvaraka, he wanted to have Subhadra as his queen, and he expressed
his
desire to Lord Krsna. Sri Krsna knew that His elder brother, Lord Baladeva,
was arranging her marriage elsewhere, and since He did not dare to go
against
the arrangement of Baladeva, He advised Arjuna to kidnap Subhadra. So when
all
of them were on a pleasure trip on the Raivata Hill, Arjuna managed to kidnap
Subhadra according to the plan of Sri Krsna. Sri Baladeva was very angry at
Arjuna, and He wanted to kill him, but Lord Krsna implored His brother to
excuse Arjuna. Then Subhadra was duly married with Arjuna, and Abhimanyu
was
born of Subhadra. At the premature death of Abhimanyu, Subhadra was very
mortified, but on the birth of Pariksit she was happy and solaced.

TEXT 5

pratyujjagmuh praharsena
 465

pranam tanva ivagatam

abhisangamya vidhivat
parisvangabhivadanaih

prati--towards; ujjagmuh--went; praharsena--with great delight; pranam--life;

tanvah--of the body; iva--like; agatam--returned abhisangamya--approaching;
vidhi-vat--in due form; parisvanga--embracing; abhivadanaih--by obeisances.

TRANSLATION

With great delight they all approached him, as if life had returned to
their bodies. They exchanged obeisances and welcomed each other with
embraces.

PURPORT

In the absence of consciousness, the limbs of the body remain inactive.

But when consciousness returns, the limbs and senses become active, and
existence itself becomes delightful. Vidura was so dear to the members of the
Kaurava family that his long absence from the palace was comparable to
inactivity. All of them were feeling acute separation from Vidura, and
therefore his return to the palace was joyful for all.

TEXT 6

mumucuh prema-baspaugham
virahautkanthya-katarah
raja tam arhayam cakre
krtasana-parigraham

mumucuh--emanated; prema--affectionate; baspa-ogham--emotional tears;

viraha--separation; autkanthya--anxiousness; katarah--being aggrieved;
raja--King Yudhisthira; tam--unto him (Vidura); arhayam cakre--offered;
krta--performance of; asana--sitting accommodations; parigraham--
arrangement
of.

TRANSLATION

Due to anxieties and long separation, they all cried out of affection.
King Yudhisthira then arranged to offer sitting accommodations and a
reception.

TEXT 7

tam bhuktavantam visrantam

asinam sukham asane
prasrayavanato raja
praha tesam ca srnvatam
 466

tam--him (Vidura); bhuktavantam--after feeding him sumptuously; visrantam--

and
having taken rest; asinam--being seated; sukham asane--on a comfortable
seat;
prasraya-avanatah--naturally very gentle and meek; raja--King Yudhisthira;
praha--began to speak; tesam ca--and by them; srnvatam--being heard.

TRANSLATION

After Vidura ate sumptuously and took sufficient rest, he was comfortably
seated. Then the King began to speak to him, and all who were present there
listened.

PURPORT

King Yudhisthira was expert in reception also, even in the case of his
family members. Vidura was well received by all the family members by
exchange
of embraces and obeisances. After that, bathing and arrangements for a
sumptuous dinner were made, and then he was given sufficient rest. After
finishing his rest, he was offered a comfortable place to sit, and then the
King began to talk about all happenings, both family and otherwise. That is
the proper way to receive a beloved friend, or even an enemy. According to
Indian moral codes, even an enemy received at home should be so well
received
that he will not feel any fearful situation. An enemy is always afraid of his
enemy, but this should not be so when he is received at home by his enemy.
This means that a person, when received at home, should be treated as a
relative, so what to speak of a family member like Vidura, who was a
well-wisher for all the members of the family. Thus Yudhisthira Maharaja
began
to speak in the presence of all the other members.

TEXT 8

yudhisthira uvaca
api smaratha no yusmat-
paksa-cchaya-samedhitan
vipad-ganad visagnyader
mocita yat samatrkah

yudhisthirah uvaca--Maharaja Yudhisthira said; api--whether; smaratha--you

remember; nah--us; yusmat--from you; paksa--partiality towards us like the
wings of a bird; chaya--protection; samedhitan--we who were brought up by
you;
vipat-ganat--from various types of calamities; visa--by administration of
poison; agni-adeh--by setting on fire; mocitah--released from; yat--what you
have done; sa--along with; matrkah--our mother.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira said: My uncle, do you remember how you always

 467

protected us, along with our mother, from all sorts of calamities? Your
partiality, like the wings of a bird, saved us from poisoning and arson.

PURPORT

Due to Pandu's death at an early age, his minor children and widow were
the object of special care by all the elderly members of the family,
especially Bhismadeva and Mahatma Vidura. Vidura was more or less partial to
the Pandavas due to their political position. Although Dhrtarastra was equally
careful for the minor children of Maharaja Pandu, he was one of the intriguing
parties who wanted to wash away the descendants of Pandu and replace them
by
raising his own sons to become the rulers of the kingdom. Mahatma Vidura
could
follow this intrigue of Dhrtarastra and company, and therefore, even though
he
was a faithful servitor of his eldest brother, Dhrtarastra, he did not like
his political ambition for the sake of his own sons. He was therefore very
careful about the protection of the Pandavas and their widow mother. Thus he
was, so to speak, partial to the Pandavas, preferring them to the sons of
Dhrtarastra, although both of them were equally affectionate in his ordinary
eyes. He was equally affectionate to both the camps of nephews in the sense
that he always chastised Duryodhana for his intriguing policy against his
cousins. He always criticized his elder brother for his policy of
encouragement to his sons, and at the same time he was always alert in
giving
special protection to the Pandavas. All these different activities of Vidura
within the palace politics made him well-known as partial to the Pandavas.
Maharaja Yudhisthira has referred to the past history of Vidura before his
going away from home for a prolonged pilgrim's journey. Maharaja Yudhisthira
reminded him that he was equally kind and partial to his grown-up nephews,
even after the Battle of Kuruksetra, a great family disaster.
Before the Battle of Kuruksetra, Dhrtarastra's policy was peaceful
annihilation of his nephews, and therefore he ordered Purocana to build a
house at Varanavata, and when the building was finished Dhrtarastra desired
that his brother's family live there for some time. When the Pandavas were
going there in the presence of all the members of the royal family, Vidura
tactfully gave instructions to the Pandavas about the future plan of
Dhrtarastra. This is specifically described in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva
114). He indirectly hinted, "A weapon not made of steel or any other material
element can be more than sharp to kill an enemy, and he who knows this is
never killed." That is to say, he hinted that the party of the Pandavas was
being sent to Varanavata to be killed, and thus he warned Yudhisthira to be
very careful in their new residential palace. He also gave indications of fire
and said that fire cannot extinguish the soul but can annihilate the material
body. But one who protects the soul can live. Kunti could not follow such
indirect conversations between Maharaja Yudhisthira and Vidura, and thus
when
she inquired from her son about the purport of the conversation, Yudhisthira
replied that from the talks of Vidura it was understood that there was a hint
of fire in the house where they were proceeding. Later on, Vidura came in
 468

disguise to the Pandavas and informed them that the housekeeper was going
to
set fire to the house on the fourteenth night of the waning moon. It was an
intrigue of Dhrtarastra that the Pandavas might die all together with their
mother. And by his warning the Pandavas escaped through a tunnel
underneath
the earth so that their escape was also unknown to Dhrtarastra, so much so
that after setting the fire, the Kauravas were so certain of the death of the
Pandavas that Dhrtarastra performed the last rites of death with great
cheerfulness. And during the mourning period all the members of the palace
became overwhelmed with lamentation, but Vidura did not become so,
because of
his knowledge that the Pandavas were alive somewhere. There are many such
instances of calamities, and in each of them Vidura gave protection to the
Pandavas on one hand, and on the other he tried to restrain his brother
Dhrtarastra from such intriguing policies. Therefore, he was always partial to
the Pandavas, just as a bird protects its eggs by its wing.

TEXT 9

kaya vrttya vartitam vas

caradbhih ksiti-mandalam
tirthani ksetra-mukhyani
sevitaniha bhutale

kaya--by which; vrttya--means; vartitam--maintained your livelihood; vah--your

good self; caradbhih--while traveling; ksiti-mandalam--on the surface of the
earth; tirthani--places of pilgrimage; ksetra-mukhyani--the principal holy
places; sevitani--served by you; iha--in this world; bhutale--on this planet.

TRANSLATION

While traveling on the surface of the earth, how did you maintain your
livelihood? At which holy places and pilgrimage sites did you render service?

PURPORT

Vidura went out from the palace to detach himself from household affairs,
especially political intrigues. As referred to hereinbefore, he was
practically insulted by Duryodhana's calling him a son of a sudrani, although
it was not out of place to talk loosely in the case of one's grandmother.
Vidura's mother, although a sudrani, was the grandmother of Duryodhana, and
funny talks are sometimes allowed between grandmother and grandchildren.
But
because the remark was an actual fact, it was unpalatable talk to Vidura, and
it was accepted as a direct insult. He therefore decided to quit his paternal
house and prepare for the renounced order of life. This preparatory stage is
called vanaprastha-asrama, or retired life for traveling and visiting the holy
places on the surface of the earth. In the holy places of India, like
Vrndavana, Hardwar, Jagannatha Puri, and Prayaga, there are many great
devotees, and there are still free kitchen houses for persons who desire to
advance spiritually. Maharaja Yudhisthira was inquisitive to learn whether
 469

Vidura maintained himself by the mercy of the free kitchen houses (chatras).

TEXT 10

bhavad-vidha bhagavatas
tirtha-bhutah svayam vibho
tirthi-kurvanti tirthani
svantah-sthena gadabhrta

bhavat--your good self; vidhah--like; bhagavatah--devotees; tirtha--the holy

places of pilgrimage; bhutah--converted into; svayam--personally; vibho--O
powerful one; tirthi-kurvanti--make into a holy place of pilgrimage;
tirthani--the holy places; sva-antah-sthena--having been situated in the
heart; gada-bhrta--the Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

My Lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified.
Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all
places into places of pilgrimage.

PURPORT

The Personality of Godhead is omnipresent by His diverse potencies

everywhere, just as the power of electricity is distributed everywhere within
space. Similarly, the Lord's omnipresence is perceived and manifested by His
unalloyed devotees like Vidura, just as electricity is manifested in an
electric bulb. A pure devotee like Vidura always feels the presence of the
Lord everywhere. He sees everything in the potency of the Lord and the Lord
in
everything. The holy places all over the earth are meant for purifying the
polluted consciousness of the human being by an atmosphere surcharged with
the
presence of the Lord's unalloyed devotees. If anyone visits a holy place, he
must search out the pure devotees residing in such holy places, take lessons
from them, try to apply such instructions in practical life and thus gradually
prepare oneself for the ultimate salvation, going back to Godhead. To go to
some holy place of pilgrimage does not mean only to take a bath in the
Ganges
or Yamuna or to visit the temples situated in those places. One should also
find representatives of Vidura who have no desire in life save and except to
serve the Personality of Godhead. The Personality of Godhead is always with
such pure devotees because of their unalloyed service, which is without any
tinge of fruitive action or utopian speculation. They are in the actual
service of the Lord, specifically by the process of hearing and chanting. The
pure devotees hear from the authorities and chant, sing and write of the
glories of the Lord. Mahamuni Vyasadeva heard from Narada, and then he
chanted
in writing; Sukadeva Gosvami studied from his father, and he described it to
Pariksit; that is the way of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So by their actions the pure
devotees of the Lord can render any place into a place of pilgrimage, and the
holy places are worth the name only on their account. Such pure devotees are
 470

able to rectify the polluted atmosphere of any place, and what to speak of a
holy place rendered unholy by the questionable actions of interested persons
who try to adopt a professional life at the cost of the reputation of a holy
place.

TEXT 11

api nah suhrdas tata

bandhavah krsna-devatah
drstah sruta va yadavah
sva-puryam sukham asate

api--whether; nah--our; suhrdah--well-wishers; tata--O my uncle;

bandhavah--friends; krsna-devatah--those who are always rapt in the service
of
Lord Sri Krsna; drstah--by seeing them; srutah--or by hearing about them;
va--either; yadavah--the descendants of Yadu; sva-puryam--along with their
residential place; sukham asate--if they are all happy.

TRANSLATION

My uncle, you must have visited Dvaraka. In that holy place are our
friends and well-wishers, the descendants of Yadu, who are always rapt in the
service of the Lord Sri Krsna. You might have seen them or heard about them.
Are they all living happily in their abodes?

PURPORT

The particular word krsna-devatah, i.e., those who are always rapt in the
service of Lord Krsna, is significant. The Yadavas and the Pandavas, who were
always rapt in the thought of the Lord Krsna and His different transcendental
activities, were all pure devotees of the Lord like Vidura. Vidura left home
in order to devote himself completely to the service of the Lord, but the
Pandavas and the Yadavas were always rapt in the thought of Lord Krsna.
Thus
there is no difference in their pure devotional qualities. Either remaining at
home or leaving home, the real qualification of a pure devotee is to become
rapt in the thought of Krsna favorably, i.e., knowing well that Lord Krsna is
the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Kamsa, Jarasandha, Sisupala and other
demons like them were also always rapt in the thought of Lord Krsna, but they
were absorbed in a different way, namely unfavorably, or thinking Him to be a
powerful man only. Therefore, Kamsa and Sisupala are not on the same level
as
pure devotees like Vidura, the Pandavas and the Yadavas.
Maharaja Yudhisthira was also always rapt in the thought of Lord Krsna
and His associates at Dvaraka. Otherwise he could not have asked all about
them from Vidura. Maharaja Yudhisthira was therefore on the same level of
devotion as Vidura, although engaged in the state affairs of the kingdom of
the world.

TEXT 12
 471

ity ukto dharma-rajena

sarvam tat samavarnayat
yathanubhutam kramaso
vina yadu-kula-ksayam

iti--thus; uktah--being asked; dharma-rajena--by King Yudhisthira;

sarvam--all; tat--that; samavarnayat--properly described; yatha-anubhutam--
as
he experienced; kramasah--one after another; vina--without;
yada-kula-ksayam--annihilation of the Yadu dynasty.

TRANSLATION

Thus being questioned by Maharaja Yudhisthira, Mahatma Vidura gradually

described everything he had personally experienced, except news of the
annihilation of the Yadu dynasty.

TEXT 13

nanv apriyam durvisaham

nrnam svayam upasthitam
navedayat sakaruno
duhkhitan drastum aksamah

nanu--as a matter of fact; apriyam--unpalatable; durvisaham--unbearable;

nrnam--of humankind; svayam--in its own way; upasthitam--appearance; na--
did
not; avedayat--expressed; sakarunah--compassionate; duhkhitan--distressed;
drastum--to see; aksamah--unable.

TRANSLATION

Compassionate Mahatma Vidura could not stand to see the Pandavas

distressed at any time. Therefore he did not disclose this unpalatable and
unbearable incident because calamities come of their own accord.

PURPORT

According to Niti-sastra (civic laws) one should not speak an unpalatable

truth to cause distress to others. Distress comes upon us in its own way by
the laws of nature, so one should not aggravate it by propaganda. For a
compassionate soul like Vidura, especially in his dealings with the beloved
Pandavas, it was almost impossible to disclose an unpalatable piece of news
like the annihilation of the Yadu dynasty. Therefore he purposely refrained
from it.

TEXT 14

kancit kalam athavatsit

sat-krto devavat sukham
bhratur jyesthasya sreyas-krt
 472

sarvesam sukham avahan

kancit--for a few days; kalam--time; atha--thus; avatsit--resided;

sat-krtah--being well treated; deva-vat--just like a godly personality;
sukham--amenities; bhratuh--of the brother; jyesthasya--of the elder;
sreyah-krt--for doing good to him; sarvesam--all others; sukham--happiness;
avahan--made it possible.

TRANSLATION

Thus Mahatma Vidura, being treated just like a godly person by his
kinsmen, remained there for a certain period just to rectify the mentality of
his eldest brother and in this way bring happiness to all the others.

PURPORT

Saintly persons like Vidura must be treated as well as a denizen from

heaven. In those days denizens of heavenly planets used to visit homes like
that of Maharaja Yudhisthira, and sometimes persons like Arjuna and others
used to visit higher planets. Narada is a spaceman who can travel
unrestrictedly, not only within the material universes but also in the
spiritual universes. Even Narada used to visit the palace of Maharaja
Yudhisthira and what to speak of other celestial demigods. It is only the
spiritual culture of the people concerned that makes interplanetary travel
possible, even in the present body. Maharaja Yudhisthira therefore received
Vidura in the manner of reception offered to the demigods.
Mahatma Vidura had already adopted the renounced order of life, and
therefore he did not return to his paternal palace to enjoy some material
comforts. He accepted out of his own mercy what was offered to him by
Maharaja
Yudhisthira, but the purpose of living in the palace was to deliver his elder
brother, Dhrtarastra, who was too much materially attached. Dhrtarastra lost
all his state and descendants in the fight with Maharaja Yudhisthira, and
still, due to his sense of helplessness, he did not feel ashamed to accept the
charity and hospitality of Maharaja Yudhisthira. On the part of Maharaja
Yudhisthira, it was quite in order to maintain his uncle in a befitting
manner, but acceptance of such magnanimous hospitality by Dhrtarastra was
not
at all desirable. He accepted it because he thought that there was no
alternative. Vidura particularly came to enlighten Dhrtarastra and to give him
a lift to the higher status of spiritual cognition. It is the duty of
enlightened souls to deliver the fallen ones, and Vidura came for that reason.
But talks of spiritual enlightenment are so refreshing that while instructing
Dhrtarastra, Vidura attracted the attention of all the members of the family,
and all of them took pleasure in hearing him patiently. This is the way of
spiritual realization. The message should be heard attentively, and if spoken
by a realized soul, it will act on the dormant heart of the conditioned soul.
And by continuously hearing, one can attain the perfect stage of
self-realization.

TEXT 15
 473

abibhrad aryama dandam

yathavad agha-karisu
yavad dadhara sudratvam
sapad varsa-satam yamah

abibhrat--administered; aryama--Aryama; dandam--punishment; yathavat--as

it
was suitable; agha-karisu--unto persons who had committed sins; yavat--as
long
as; dadhara--accepted; sudratvam--the tabernacle of a sudra; sapat--as the
result of a curse; varsa-satam--for one hundred years; yamah--Yamaraja.

TRANSLATION

As long as Vidura played the part of a sudra, being cursed by Manduka

Muni, Aryama officiated at the post of Yamaraja to punish those who
committed
sinful acts.

PURPORT

Vidura, born in the womb of a sudra woman, was forbidden even to be a

party of royal heritage along with his brothers Dhrtarastra and Pandu. Then
how could he occupy the post of a preacher to instruct such learned kings and
ksatriyas as Dhrtarastra and Maharaja Yudhisthira? The first answer is that
even though it is accepted that he was a sudra by birth, because he
renounced
the world for spiritual enlightenment by the authority of Rsi Maitreya and was
thoroughly educated by him in transcendental knowledge, he was quite
competent
to occupy the post of an acarya, or spiritual preceptor. According to Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, anyone who is conversant in the transcendental
knowledge,
or the science of Godhead, be he a brahmana or a sudra, a householder or a
sannyasi, is eligible to become a spiritual master. Even in the ordinary moral
codes (maintained by Canakya Pandita, the great politician and moralist) there
is no harm in taking lessons from a person who may be by birth less than a
sudra. This is one part of the answer. The other is that Vidura was not
actually a sudra. He was to play the part of a so-called sudra for one hundred
years, being cursed by Manduka Muni. He was the incarnation of Yamaraja,
one
of the twelve mahajanas, on the level with such exalted personalities as
Brahma, Narada, Siva, Kapila, Bhisma, Prahlada, etc. Being a mahajana, it is
the duty of Yamaraja to preach the cult of devotion to the people of the
world, as Narada, Brahma, and other mahajanas do. But Yamaraja is always
busy
in his plutonic kingdom punishing the doers of sinful acts. Yamaraja is
deputed by the Lord to a particular planet, some hundreds of thousands of
miles away from the planet of earth, to take away the corrupt souls after
death and convict them in accordance with their respective sinful activities.
Thus Yamaraja has very little time to take leave from his responsible office
of punishing the wrongdoers. There are more wrongdoers than righteous men.
 474

Therefore Yamaraja has to do more work than other demigods who are also
authorized agents of the Supreme Lord. But he wanted to preach the glories of
the Lord, and therefore by the will of the Lord he was cursed by Manduka Muni
to come into the world in the incarnation of Vidura and work very hard as a
great devotee. Such a devotee is neither a sudra nor a brahmana. He is
transcendental to such divisions of mundane society, just as the Personality
of Godhead assumes His incarnation as a hog, but He is neither a hog nor a
Brahma. He is above all mundane creatures. The Lord and His different
authorized devotees sometimes have to play the role of many lower creatures
to
claim the conditioned souls, but both the Lord and His pure devotees are
always in the transcendental position. When Yamaraja thus incarnated himself
as Vidura, his post was officiated by Aryama, one of the many sons of Kasyapa
and Aditi. The Adityas are sons of Aditi, and there are twelve Adityas. Aryama
is one of the twelve Adityas, and therefore it was quite possible for him to
take charge of the office of Yamaraja during his one hundred years' absence in
the form of Vidura. The conclusion is that Vidura was never a sudra, but was
greater than the purest type of brahmana.

TEXT 16

yudhisthiro labdha-rajyo
drstva pautram kulan-dharam
bhratrbhir loka-palabhair
mumude paraya sriya

yudhisthirah--Yudhisthira; labdha-rajyah--possessing his paternal kingdom;

drstva--by seeing; pautram--the grandson; kulam-dharam--just suitable for the
dynasty; bhratrbhih--by the brothers; loka-palabhaih--who were all expert
administrators; mumude--enjoyed life; paraya--uncommon; sriya--opulence.

TRANSLATION

Having won his kingdom and observed the birth of one grandson
competent
to continue the noble tradition of his family, Maharaja Yudhisthira reigned
peacefully and enjoyed uncommon opulence in cooperation with his younger
brothers, who were all expert administrators to the common people.

PURPORT

Both Maharaja Yudhisthira and Arjuna were unhappy from the beginning of
the Battle of Kuruksetra, but even though they were unwilling to kill their
own men in the fight, it had to be done as a matter of duty, for it was
planned by the supreme will of Lord Sri Krsna. After the battle, Maharaja
Yudhisthira was unhappy over such mass killings. Practically there was none to
continue the Kuru dynasty after them, the Pandavas. The only remaining hope
was the child in the womb of his daughter-in-law, Uttara, and he was also
attacked by Asvatthama, but by the grace of the Lord the child was saved. So
after the settlement of all disturbing conditions and reestablishment of the
peaceful order of the state, and after seeing the surviving child, Pariksit,
well satisfied, Maharaja Yudhisthira felt some relief as a human being,
 475

although he had very little attraction for material happiness, which is always
illusory and temporary.

TEXT 17

evam grhesu saktanam

pramattanam tad-ihaya
atyakramad avijnatah
kalah parama-dustarah

evam--thus; grhesu--in the family affairs; saktanam--of persons who are too
attached; pramattanam--insanely attached; tat-ihaya--engrossed in such
thoughts; atyakramat--surpassed; avijnatah--imperceptibly; kalah--eternal
time; parama--supremely; dustarah--insurmountable.

TRANSLATION

Insurmountable, eternal time imperceptibly overcomes those who are too

much attached to family affairs and are always engrossed in their thought.

PURPORT

"I am now happy; I have everything in order; my bank balance is quite

enough; I can now give my children enough estate; I am now successful; the
poor beggar sannyasis depend on God, but they come to beg from me;
therefore I
am more than the Supreme God." These are some of the thoughts which
engross
the insanely attached householder who is blind to the passing of eternal time.
Our duration of life is measured, and no one is able to enhance it even by a
second against the scheduled time ordained by the supreme will. Such
valuable
time, especially for the human being, should be cautiously spent because even
a second passed away imperceptibly cannot be replaced, even in exchange for
thousands of golden coins amassed by hard labor. Every second of human life
is
meant for making an ultimate solution to the problems of life, i.e. repetition
of birth and death and revolving in the cycle of 8,400,000 different species
of life. The material body, which is subject to birth and death, diseases and
old age, is the cause of all sufferings of the living being, otherwise the
living being is eternal; he is never born, nor does he ever die. Foolish
persons forget this problem. They do not know at all how to solve the
problems
of life, but become engrossed in temporary family affairs not knowing that
eternal time is passing away imperceptibly and that their measured duration
of
life is diminishing every second, without any solution to the big problem,
namely repetition of birth and death, disease and old age. This is called
illusion.
But such illusion cannot work on one who is awake in the devotional
service of the Lord. Yudhisthira Maharaja and his brothers the Pandavas were
all engaged in the service of the Lord Sri Krsna, and they had very little
 476

attraction for the illusory happiness of this material world. As we have

discussed previously, Maharaja Yudhisthira was fixed in the service of the
Lord Mukunda (the Lord, who can award salvation), and therefore he had no
attraction even for such comforts of life as are available in the kingdom of
heaven, because even the happiness obtained on the planet Brahmaloka is
also
temporary and illusory. Because the living being is eternal, he can be happy
only in the eternal abode of the kingdom of God (paravyoma), from which no
one
returns to this region of repeated birth and death, disease and old age.
Therefore, any comfort of life or any material happiness which does not
warrant an eternal life is but illusion for the eternal living being. One who
understands this factually is learned, and such a learned person can sacrifice
any amount of material happiness to achieve the desired goal known as
brahma-sukham, or absolute happiness. Real transcendentalists are hungry for
this happiness, and as a hungry man cannot be made happy by all comforts of
life minus foodstuff, so the man hungry for eternal absolute happiness cannot
be satisfied by any amount of material happiness. Therefore, the instruction
described in this verse cannot be applied to Maharaja Yudhisthira or his
brothers and mother. It was meant for persons like Dhrtarastra, for whom
Vidura came especially to impart lessons.

TEXT 18

viduras tad abhipretya

dhrtarastram abhasata
rajan nirgamyatam sighram
pasyedam bhayam agatam

vidurah--Mahatma Vidura; tat--that; abhipretya--knowing it well;

dhrtarastram--unto Dhrtarastra; abhasata--said; rajan--O King;
nirgamyatam--please get out immediately; sighram--without the least delay;
pasya--just see; idam--this; bhayam--fear; agatam--already arrived.

TRANSLATION

Mahatma Vidura knew all this, and therefore he addressed Dhrtarastra,

saying: My dear King, please get out of here immediately. Do not delay. Just
see how fear has overtaken you.

PURPORT

Cruel death cares for no one, be he Dhrtarastra or even Maharaja

Yudhisthira; therefore spiritual instruction, as was given to old Dhrtarastra,
was equally applicable to younger Maharaja Yudhisthira. As a matter of fact,
everyone in the royal palace, including the King and his brothers and mother,
was raptly attending the lectures. But it was known to Vidura that his
instructions were especially meant for Dhrtarastra, who was too materialistic.
The word rajan is especially addressed to Dhrtarastra significantly.
Dhrtarastra was the eldest son of his father, and therefore according to law
he was to be installed on the throne of Hastinapura. But because he was blind
from birth, he was disqualified from his rightful claim. But he could not
 477

forget the bereavement, and his disappointment was somewhat compensated

after
the death of Pandu, his younger brother. His younger brother left behind him
some minor children, and Dhrtarastra became the natural guardian of them,
but
at heart he wanted to become the factual king and hand the kingdom over to
his
own sons, headed by Duryodhana. With all these imperial ambitions,
Dhrtarastra
wanted to become a king, and he contrived all sorts of intrigues in
consultation with his brother-in-law Sakuni. But everything failed by the will
of the Lord, and at the last stage, even after losing everything, men and
money, he wanted to remain as king, being the eldest uncle of Maharaja
Yudhisthira. Maharaja Yudhisthira, as a matter of duty, maintained Dhrtarastra
in royal honor, and Dhrtarastra was happily passing away his numbered days
in
the illusion of being a king or the royal uncle of King Yudhisthira. Vidura,
as a saint and as the duty-bound affectionate youngest brother of Dhrtarastra,
wanted to awaken Dhrtarastra from his slumber of disease and old age. Vidura
therefore sarcastically addressed Dhrtarastra as the "King," which he was
actually not. Everyone is the servant of eternal time, and therefore no one
can be king in this material world. King means the person who can order. The
celebrated English king wanted to order time and tide, but the time and tide
refused to obey his order. Therefore one is a false king in the material
world, and Dhrtarastra was particularly reminded of this false position and of
the factual fearful happenings which had already approached him at that time.
Vidura asked him to get out immediately, if he wanted to be saved from the
fearful situation which was approaching him fast. He did not ask Maharaja
Yudhisthira in that way because he knew that a king like Maharaja Yudhisthira
is aware of all the fearful situations of this flimsy world and would take
care of himself, in due course, even though Vidura might not be present at
that time.

TEXT 19

pratikriya na yasyeha
kutascit karhicit prabho
sa esa bhagavan kalah
sarvesam nah samagatah

pratikriya--remedial measure; na--there is none; yasya--of which; iha--in this

material world; kutascit--by any means; karhicit--or by anyone; prabho--O my
lord; sah--that; esah--positively; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;
kalah--eternal time; sarvesam--of all; nah--of us; samagatah--arrived.

TRANSLATION

This frightful situation cannot be remedied by any person in this

material world. My lord, it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as eternal
time [kala] that has approached us all.

PURPORT
 478

There is no superior power which can check the cruel hands of death. No
one wants to die, however acute the source of bodily sufferings may be. Even
in the days of so-called scientific advancement of knowledge, there is no
remedial measure either for old age or for death. Old age is the notice of the
arrival of death served by cruel time, and no one can refuse to accept either
summon calls or the supreme judgment of eternal time. This is explained
before
Dhrtarastra because he might ask Vidura to find out some remedial measure
for
the imminent fearful situation, as he had ordered many times before. Before
ordering, however, Vidura informed Dhrtarastra that there was no remedial
measure by anyone or from any source in this material world. And because
there
is no such thing in the material world, death is identical with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, as it is said by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita
(10.34).
Death cannot be checked by anyone or from any source within this material
world. Hiranyakasipu wanted to be immortal and underwent a severe type of
penance by which the whole universe trembled, and Brahma himself
approached
him to dissuade Hiranyakasipu from such a severe type of penance.
Hiranyakasipu asked Brahma to award him the blessings of immortality, but
Brahma said that he himself was subject to death, even in the topmost planet,
so how could he award him the benediction of immortality? So there is death
even in the topmost planet of this universe, and what to speak of other
planets, which are far, far inferior in quality to Brahmaloka, the residing
planet of Brahma. Wherever there is the influence of eternal time, there is
this set of tribulations, namely birth, disease, old age and death, and all of
them are invincible.

TEXT 20

yena caivabhipanno 'yam

pranaih priyatamair api
janah sadyo viyujyeta
kim utanyair dhanadibhih

yena--pulled by such time; ca--and; eva--certainly; abhipannah--overtaken;

ayam--this; pranaih--with life; priya-tamaih--which is most dear to everyone;
api--even though; janah--person; sadyah--forthwith; viyujyeta--do give up; kim
uta anyaih--what to speak of any other thing; dhana-adibhih--such as wealth,
honor, children, land and house.

TRANSLATION

Whoever is under the influence of supreme kala [eternal time] must

surrender his most dear life, and what to speak of other things, such as
wealth, honor, children, land and home.

PURPORT
 479

A great Indian scientist, busy in the planmaking business, was suddenly

called by invincible eternal time while going to attend a very important
meeting of the planning commission, and he had to surrender his life, wife,
children, house, land, wealth, etc. During the political upsurge in India and
its division into Pakistan and Hindustan, so many rich and influential Indians
had to surrender life, property and honor due to the influence of time, and
there are hundreds and thousands of examples like that all over the world, all
over the universe, which are all effects of the influence of time. Therefore,
the conclusion is that there is no powerful living being within the universe
who can overcome the influence of time. Many poets have written verses
lamenting the influence of time. Many devastations have taken place over the
universes due to the influence of time, and no one could check them by any
means. Even in our daily life, so many things come and go in which we have
no
hand, but we have to suffer or tolerate them without remedial measure. That
is
the result of time.

TEXT 21

pitr-bhratr-suhrt-putra
hatas te vigatam vayam
atma ca jaraya grastah
para-geham upasase

pitr--father; bhratr--brother; suhrt--well-wishers; putrah--sons; hatah--all

dead; te--yours; vigatam--expended; vayam--age; atma--the body; ca--also;
jaraya--by invalidity; grastah--overcome; para-geham--another's home;
upasase--you do live.

TRANSLATION

Your father, brother, well-wishers and sons are all dead and passed away.
You yourself have expended the major portion of your life, your body is now
overtaken by invalidity, and you are living in the home of another.

PURPORT

The King is reminded of his precarious condition, influenced by cruel

time, and by his past experience he should have been more intelligent to see
what was going to happen to his own life. His father, Vicitravirya, died long
ago, when he and his younger brothers were all little children, and it was due
to the care and kindness of Bhismadeva that they were properly brought up.
Then again his brother Pandu died also. Then in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra
his one hundred sons and his grandsons all died, along with all other
well-wishers like Bhismadeva, Dronacarya, Karna and many other kings and
friends. So he had lost all men and money, and now he was living at the mercy
of his nephew, whom he had put into troubles of various types. And despite all
these reverses, he thought that he would prolong his life more and more.
Vidura wanted to point out to Dhrtarastra that everyone has to protect himself
by his action and the grace of the Lord. One has to execute his duty
faithfully, depending for the result on the supreme authority. No friend, no
 480

children, no father, no brother, no state and no one else can protect a person
who is not protected by the Supreme Lord. One should, therefore, seek the
protection of the Supreme Lord, for the human form of life is meant for
seeking that protection. He was warned of his precarious conditions more and
more by the following words.

TEXT 22

andhah puraiva vadhiro

manda-prajnas ca sampratam
visirna-danto mandagnih
saragah kapham udvahan

andhah--blind; pura--from the beginning; eva--certainly; vadhirah--hard of

hearing; manda-prajnah--memory shortened; ca--and; sampratam--recently;
visirna--loosened; dantah--teeth; manda-agnih--liver action decreased;
sa-ragah--with sound; kapham--coughing much mucus; udvahan--coming out.

TRANSLATION

You have been blind from your very birth, and recently you have become
hard of hearing. Your memory is shortened, and your intelligence is disturbed.
Your teeth are loose, your liver is defective, and you are coughing up mucus.

PURPORT

The symptoms of old age, which had already developed in Dhrtarastra,

were
all one after another pointed out to him as warning that death was nearing
very quickly, and still he was foolishly carefree about his future. The signs
pointed out by Vidura in the body of Dhrtarastra were signs of apaksaya, or
dwindling of the material body before the last stroke of death. The body is
born, it develops, stays, creates other bodies, dwindles and then vanishes.
But foolish men want to make a permanent settlement of the perishable body
and
think that their estate, children, society, country, etc., will give them
protection. With such foolish ideas, they become overtaken by such temporary
engagements and forget altogether that they must give up this temporary
body
and take a new one, again to arrange for another term of society, friendship
and love, again to perish ultimately. They forget their permanent identity and
become foolishly active for impermanent occupations, forgetting altogether
their prime duty. Saints and sages like Vidura approach such foolish men to
awaken them to the real situation, but they take such sadhus and saints as
parasites of society, and almost all of them refuse to hear the words of such
sadhus and saints, although they welcome show-bottle sadhus and so-called
saints who can satisfy their senses. Vidura was not a sadhu to satisfy the
ill-gotten sentiment of Dhrtarastra. He was correctly pointing out the real
situation of life, and how one can save oneself from such catastrophies.

TEXT 23
 481

aho mahiyasi jantor

jivitasa yatha bhavan
bhimapavarjitam pindam
adatte grha-palavat

aho--alas; mahiyasi--powerful; jantoh--of the living beings; jivita-asa--hope

for life; yatha--as much as; bhavan--you are; bhima--of Bhimasena (a brother
of Yudhisthira's); apavarjitam--remnants; pindam--foodstuff; adatte--eaten by;
grha-pala-vat--like a household dog.

TRANSLATION

Alas, how powerful are the hopes of a living being to continue his life.
Verily, you are living just like a household dog and are eating remnants of
food given by Bhima.

PURPORT

A sadhu should never flatter kings or rich men to live comfortably at

their cost. A sadhu is to speak to the householders about the naked truth of
life so that they may come to their senses about the precarious life in
material existence. Dhrtarastra is a typical example of an attached old man in
household life. He had become a pauper in the true sense, yet he wanted to
live comfortably in the house of the Pandavas, of whom Bhima especially is
mentioned because personally he killed two prominent sons of Dhrtarastra,
namely Duryodhana and Duhsasana. These two sons were very much dear to
him for
their notorious and nefarious activities, and Bhima is particularly pointed
out because he killed these two pet sons. Why was Dhrtarastra living there at
the house of the Pandavas? Because he wanted to continue his life
comfortably,
even at the risk of all humiliation. Vidura, therefore, was astonished how
powerful is the urge to continue life. This sense of continuing one's life
indicates that a living being is eternally a living entity and does not want
to change his bodily habitation. The foolish man does not know that a
particular term of bodily existence is awarded to him to undergo a term of
imprisonment, and the human body is awarded, after many, many births and
deaths, as a chance for self-realization to go back home, back to Godhead. But
persons like Dhrtarastra try to make plans to live there in a comfortable
position with profit and interest, for they do not see things as they are.
Dhrtarastra is blind and continues to hope to live comfortably in the midst of
all kinds of reverses of life. A sadhu like Vidura is meant to awaken such
blind persons and thus help them go back to Godhead, where life is eternal.
Once going there, no one wants to come back to this material world of
miseries. We can just imagine how responsible a task is entrusted to a sadhu
like Mahatma Vidura.

TEXT 24

agnir nisrsto dattas ca

garo daras ca dusitah
hrtam ksetram dhanam yesam
 482

tad-dattair asubhih kiyat

agnih--fire; nisrstah--set; dattah--given; ca--and; garah--poison;

darah--married wife; ca--and; dusitah--insulted; hrtam--usurped;
ksetram--kingdom; dhanam--wealth; yesam--of those; tat--their; dattaih--given
by; asubhih--subsisting; kiyat--is unnecessary.

TRANSLATION

There is no need to live a degraded life and subsist on the charity of

those whom you tried to kill by arson and poisoning. You also insulted one of
their wives and usurped their kingdom and wealth.

PURPORT

The system of varnasrama religion sets aside a part of one's life

completely for the purpose of self-realization and attainment of salvation in
the human form of life. That is a routine division of life, but persons like
Dhrtarastra, even at their weary ripened age, want to stay home, even in a
degraded condition of accepting charity from enemies. Vidura wanted to point
this out and impressed upon him that it was better to die like his sons than
accept such humiliating charity. Five thousand years ago there was one
Dhrtarastra, but at the present moment there are Dhrtarastras in every home.
Politicians especially do not retire from political activities unless they are
dragged by the cruel hand of death or killed by some opposing element. To
stick to family life to the end of one's human life is the grossest type of
degradation and there is an absolute need for the Viduras to educate such
Dhrtarastras, even at the present moment.

TEXT 25

tasyapi tava deho 'yam

krpanasya jijivisoh
paraity anicchato jirno
jaraya vasasi iva

tasya--of this; api--in spite of; tava--your; dehah--body; ayam--this;

krpanasya--of one who is miserly; jijivisoh--of you who desire life;
paraiti--will dwindle; anicchatah--even unwilling; jirnah--deteriorated;
jaraya--old; vasasi--garments; iva--like.

TRANSLATION

Despite your unwillingness to die and your desire to live even at the
cost of honor and prestige, your miserly body will certainly dwindle and
deteriorate like an old garment.

PURPORT

The words krpanasya jijivisoh are significant. There are two classes of
men. One is called the krpana, and the other is called the brahmana. The
krpana, or the miserly man, has no estimation of his material body, but the
 483

brahmana has a true estimation of himself and the material body. The krpana,
having a wrong estimation of his material body, wants to enjoy sense
gratification with his utmost strength, and even in old age he wants to become
a young man by medical treatment or otherwise. Dhrtarastra is addressed
herein
as a krpana because without any estimation of his material body he wants to
live at any cost. Vidura is trying to open his eyes to see that he cannot live
more than his term and that he must prepare for death. Since death is
inevitable, why should he accept such a humiliating position for living? It is
better to take the right path, even at the risk of death. Human life is meant
for finishing all kinds of miseries of material existence, and life should be
so regulated that one can achieve the desired goal. Dhrtarastra, due to his
wrong conception of life, had already spoiled eighty percent of his achieved
energy, so it behooved him to utilize the remaining days of his miserly life
for the ultimate good. Such a life is called miserly because one cannot
properly utilize the assets of the human form of life. Only by good luck does
such a miserly man meet a self-realized soul like Vidura and by his
instruction gets rid of the nescience of material existence.

TEXT 26

gata-svartham imam deham

virakto mukta-bandhanah
avijnata-gatir jahyat
sa vai dhira udahrtah

gata-sva-artham--without being properly utilized; imam--this; deham--material

body; viraktah--indifferently; mukta--being freed; bandhanah--from all
obligations; avijnata-gatih--unknown destination; jahyat--one should give up
this body; sah--such a person; vai--certainly; dhirah--undisturbed;
udahrtah--is said to be so.

TRANSLATION

He is called undisturbed who goes to an unknown, remote place and, freed

from all obligations, quits his material body when it has become useless.

PURPORT

Narottama dasa Thakura, a great devotee and acarya of the Gaudiya

Vaisnava sect, has sung: "My Lord, I have simply wasted my life. Having
obtained the human body, I have neglected to worship Your Lordship, and
therefore I have willingly drunk poison." In other words, the human body is
especially meant for cultivating knowledge of devotional service to the Lord,
without which life becomes full of anxieties and miserable conditions.
Therefore, one who has spoiled his life without such cultural activities is
advised to leave home without knowledge of friends and relatives and, being
thus freed from all obligations of family, society, country, etc., give up the
body at some unknown destination so that others may not know where and
how he
has met his death. Dhira means one who is not disturbed, even when there is
sufficient provocation. One cannot give up a comfortable family life due to
 484

his affectionate relation with wife and children. Self-realization is

obstructed by such undue affection for family, and if anyone is at all able to
forget such a relation, he is called undisturbed, or dhira. This is, however,
the path of renunciation based on a frustrated life, but stabilization of such
renunciation is possible only by association with bona fide saints and
self-realized souls by which one can be engaged in the loving devotional
service of the Lord. Sincere surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is
possible by awakening the transcendental sense of service. This is made
possible by association with pure devotees of the Lord. Dhrtarastra was lucky
enough to have a brother whose very association was a source of liberation for
his frustrated life.

TEXT 27

yah svakat parato veha

jata-nirveda atmavan
hrdi krtva harim gehat
pravrajet sa narottamah

yah--anyone who; svakat--by his own awakening; paratah va--or by hearing

from
another; iha--here in this world; jata--becomes; nirvedah--indifferent to
material attachment; atmavan--consciousness; hrdi--within the heart;
krtva--having been taken by; harim--the Personality of Godhead; gehat--from
home; pravrajet--goes away; sah--he is; nara-uttamah--the first-class human
being.

TRANSLATION

He is certainly a first-class man who awakens and understands, either by

himself or from others, the falsity and misery of this material world and thus
leaves home and depends fully on the Personality of Godhead residing within
his heart.

PURPORT

There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely, (1) the dhira, or

the one who is not disturbed by being away from family association, (2) one in
the renounced order of life, a sannyasi by frustrated sentiment, and (3) a
sincere devotee of the Lord, who awakens God consciousness by hearing and
chanting and leaves home depending completely on the Personality of
Godhead,
who resides in his heart. The idea is that the renounced order of life, after
a frustrated life of sentiment in the material world, may be the stepping
stone on the path of self-realization, but real perfection of the path of
liberation is attained when one is practiced to depend fully on the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who lives in everyone's heart as Paramatma. One may
live in the darkest jungle alone out of home, but a steadfast devotee knows
very well that he is not alone. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is with
him, and He can protect His sincere devotee in any awkward circumstance.
One
 485

should therefore practice devotional service at home, hearing and chanting

the
holy name, quality, form, pastimes, entourage, etc., in association with pure
devotees, and this practice will help one awaken God consciousness in
proportion to one's sincerity of purpose. One who desires material benefit by
such devotional activities can never depend on the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, although He sits in everyone's heart. Nor does the Lord give any
direction to persons who worship Him for material gain. Such materialistic
devotees may be blessed by the Lord with material benefits, but they cannot
reach the stage of the first-class human being, as above mentioned. There are
many examples of such sincere devotees in the history of the world, especially
in India, and they are our guides on the path of self-realization. Mahatma
Vidura is one such great devotee of the Lord, and we should all try to follow
in his lotus footsteps for self-realization.

TEXT 28

athodicim disam yatu

svair ajnata-gatir bhavan
ito 'rvak prayasah kalah
pumsam guna-vikarsanah

atha--therefore; udicim--northern side; disam--direction; yatu--please go

away; svaih--by your relatives; ajnata--without knowledge; gatih--movements;
bhavan--of yourself; itah--after this; arvak--will usher in;
prayasah--generally; kalah--time; pumsam--of men; guna--qualities;
vikarsanah--diminishing.

TRANSLATION

Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your
relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good
qualities of men.

PURPORT

One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhira, or

leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura
advised
his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very quickly the
age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already degraded by the
material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good qualities of a man
will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised to leave home before
Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura,
his
valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the
influence of the age which was fast approaching. To become narottama, or a
first-class human being depending completely on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna,
is
not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.28) that a
person who is completely relieved of all taints of sinful acts can alone
 486

depend on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead.

Dhrtarastra
was advised by Vidura at least to become a dhira in the beginning if it were
impossible for him to become a sannyasi or a narottama. Persistently
endeavoring on the line of self-realization helps a person to rise to the
conditions of a narottama from the stage of a dhira. The dhira stage is
attained after prolonged practice of the yoga system, but by the grace of
Vidura one can attain the stage immediately simply by willing to adopt the
means of the dhira stage, which is the preparatory stage for sannyasa. The
sannyasa stage is the preparatory stage of paramahamsa, or the first-grade
devotee of the Lord.

TEXT 29

evam raja vidurenanujena

prajna-caksur bodhita ajamidhah
chittva svesu sneha-pasan dradhimno
niscakrama bhratr-sandarsitadhva

evam--thus; raja--King Dhrtarastra; vidurena anujena--by his younger brother

Vidura; prajna--introspective knowledge; caksuh--eyes; bodhitah--being
understood; ajamidhah--Dhrtarastra, scion of the family of Ajamidha;
chittva--by breaking; svesu--regarding kinsmen; sneha-pasan--strong network
of
affection; dradhimnah--because of steadfastness; niscakrama--got out;
bhratr--by his brother; sandarsita--direction to; adhva--the path of
liberation.

TRANSLATION

Thus Maharaja Dhrtarastra, the scion of the family of Ajamidha, firmly

convinced by introspective knowledge [prajna], broke at once the strong
network of familial affection by his resolute determination. Thus he
immediately left home to set out on the path of liberation, as directed by his
younger brother Vidura.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the great preacher of the principles of

Srimad-Bhagavatam, has stressed the importance of association with sadhus,
pure devotees of the Lord. He said that even by a moments association with a
pure devotee, one can achieve all perfection. We are not ashamed to admit
that
this fact was experienced in our practical life. Were we not favored by His
Divine Grace Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, by our first
meeting for a few minutes only, it would have been impossible for us to accept
this mighty task of describing Srimad-Bhagavatam in English. Without seeing
him at that opportune moment, we could have become a very great business
magnate, but never would we have been able to walk the path of liberation
and
be engaged in the factual service of the Lord under instructions of His Divine
Grace. And here is another practical example by the action of Vidura's
 487

association with Dhrtarastra. Maharaja Dhrtarastra was tightly bound in a

network of material affinities related to politics, economy and family
attachment, and he did everything in his power to achieve so-called success in
his planned projects, but he was frustrated from the beginning to the end so
far as his material activities were concerned. And yet, despite his life of
failure, he achieved the greatest of all success in self-realization by the
forceful instructions of a pure devotee of the Lord, who is the typical emblem
of a sadhu. The scriptures enjoin, therefore, that one should associate with
sadhus only, rejecting all other kinds of association, and by doing so one
will have ample opportunity to hear the sadhus, who can cut to pieces the
bonds of illusory affection in the material world. It is a fact that the
material world is a great illusion because everything appears to be a tangible
reality but at the next moment evaporates like the dashing foam of the sea or
a cloud in the sky. A cloud in the sky undoubtedly appears to be a reality
because it rains, and due to rains so many temporary green things appear, but
in the ultimate issue, everything disappears, namely the cloud, rain and green
vegetation, all in due course. But the sky remains, and the varieties of sky
or luminaries also remain forever. Similarly, the Absolute Truth, which is
compared to the sky, remains eternally, and the temporary cloudlike illusion
comes and goes away. Foolish living beings are attracted by the temporary
cloud, but intelligent men are more concerned with the eternal sky with all
its variegatedness.

TEXT 30

patim prayantam subalasya putri

pati-vrata canujagama sadhvi
himalayam nyasta-danda-praharsam
manasvinam iva sat sampraharah

patim--her husband; prayantam--while leaving home; subalasya--of King

Subala;
putri--the worthy daughter; pati-vrata--devoted to her husband; ca--also;
anujagama--followed; sadhvi--the chaste; himalayam--towards the Himalaya
Mountains; nyasta-danda--one who has accepted the rod of the renounced
order;
praharsam--object of delight; manasvinam--of the great fighters; iva--like;
sat--legitimate; sampraharah--good lashing.

TRANSLATION

The gentle and chaste Gandhari, who was the daughter of King Subala of
Kandahar [or Gandhara], followed her husband, seeing that he was going to
the
Himalaya Mountains, which are the delight of those who have accepted the
staff
of the renounced order like fighters who have accepted a good lashing from
the
enemy.

PURPORT
 488

Saubalini, or Gandhari, daughter of King Subala and wife of King

Dhrtarastra, was ideal as a wife devoted to her husband. The Vedic
civilization especially prepares chaste and devoted wives, of whom Gandhari is
one amongst many mentioned in history. Laksmiji Sitadevi was also a
daughter
of a great king, but she followed her husband, Lord Ramacandra, into the
forest. Similarly, as a woman Gandhari could have remained at home or at her
father's house, but as a chaste and gentle lady she followed her husband
without consideration. Instructions for the renounced order of life were
imparted to Dhrtarastra by Vidura, and Gandhari was by the side of her
husband. But he did not ask her to follow him because he was at that time
fully determined, like a great warrior who faces all kinds of dangers in the
battlefield. He was no longer attracted to so-called wife or relatives, and he
decided to start alone, but as a chaste lady Gandhari decided to follow her
husband till the last moment. Maharaja Dhrtarastra accepted the order of
vanaprastha, and at this stage the wife is allowed to remain as a voluntary
servitor, but in the sannyasa stage no wife can stay with her former husband.
A sannyasi is considered to be a dead man civilly, and therefore the wife
becomes a civil widow without connection with her former husband. Maharaja
Dhrtarastra did not deny his faithful wife, and she followed her husband at
her own risk.
The sannyasis accept a rod as the sign of the renounced order of life.
There are two types of sannyasis. Those who follow the Mayavadi philosophy,
headed by Sripada Sankaracarya, accept only one rod (eka-danda), but those
who
follow the Vaisnavite philosophy accept three combined rods (tri-danda). The
Mayavadi sannyasis are ekadandi-svamis, whereas the Vaisnava sannyasis are
known as tridandi-svamis, or more distinctly, tridandi-gosvamis, in order to
be distinguished from the Mayavadi philosophers. The ekadandi-svamis are
mostly fond of the Himalayas, but the Vaisnava sannyasis are fond of
Vrndavana
and Puri. The Vaisnava sannyasis are narottamas, whereas the Mayavadi
sannyasis are dhiras. Maharaja Dhrtarastra was advised to follow the dhiras
because at that stage it was difficult for him to become a narottama.

TEXT 31

ajata-satruh krta-maitro hutagnir

vipran natva tila-go-bhumi-rukmaih
grham pravisto guru-vandanaya
na capasyat pitarau saubalim ca

ajata--never born; satruh--enemy; krta--having performed; maitrah--

worshiping
the demigods; huta-agnih--and offering fuel in the fire; vipran--the
brahmanas; natva--offering obeisances; tila-go-bhumi-rukmaih--along with
grains, cows, land and gold; grham--within the palace; pravistah--having
entered into; guru-vandanaya--for offering respect to the elderly members;
na--did not; ca--also; apasyat--see; pitarau--his uncles; saubalim--Gandhari;
ca--also.

TRANSLATION
 489

Maharaja Yudhisthira, whose enemy was never born, performed his daily
morning duties by praying, offering fire sacrifice to the sun-god, and
offering obeisances, grains, cows, land and gold to the brahmanas. He then
entered the palace to pay respects to the elderly. However, he could not find
his uncles or aunt, the daughter of King Subala.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira was the most pious king because he personally

practiced daily the pious duties for the householders. The householders are
required to rise early in the morning, and after bathing they should offer
respects to the Deities at home by prayers, by offering fuel in the sacred
fire, by giving the brahmanas in charity land, cows, grains, gold, etc., and
at last offering to the elderly members due respects and obeisances. One who
is not prepared to practice injunctions prescribed in the sastras cannot be a
good man simply by book knowledge. Modern householders are practiced to
different modes of life, namely to rise late and then take bed tea without any
sort of cleanliness and without any purificatory practices as mentioned above.
The household children are taken to practice what the parents practice, and
therefore the whole generation glides towards hell. Nothing good can be
expected from them unless they associate with sadhus. Like Dhrtarastra, the
materialistic person may take lessons from a sadhu like Vidura and thus be
cleansed of the effects of modern life.
Maharaja Yudhisthira, however, could not find in the palace his two
uncles, namely Dhrtarastra and Vidura, along with Gandhari, the daughter of
King Subala. He was anxious to see them and therefore asked Sanjaya, the
private secretary of Dhrtarastra.

TEXT 32

tatra sanjayam asinam

papracchodvigna-manasah
gavalgane kva nas tato
vrddho hinas ca netrayoh

tatra--there; sanjayam--unto Sanjaya; asinam--seated; papraccha--he inquired

from; udvigna-manasah--filled with anxiety; gavalgane--the son of Gavalgana,
Sanjaya; kva--where is; nah--our; tatah--uncle; vrddhah--old; hinah ca--and
bereft of; netrayoh--the eyes.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira, full of anxiety, turned to Sanjaya, who was sitting

there, and said: O Sanjaya, where is our uncle, who is old and blind?

TEXT 33

amba ca hata-putrarta
pitrvyah kva gatah suhrt
api mayy akrta-prajne
 490

hata-bandhuh sa bharyaya
asamsamanah samalam
gangayam duhkhito 'patat

amba--mother aunt; ca--and; hata-putra--who had lost all her sons; arta--in a
sorry plight; pitrvyah--uncle Vidura; kva--where; gatah--gone;
suhrt--well-wisher; api--whether; mayi--unto me; akrta-prajne--ungrateful;
hata-bandhuh--one who has lost all his sons; sah--Dhrtarastra; bharyaya--with
his wife; asamsamanah--in doubtful mind; samalam--offenses; gangayam--in
the
Ganges water; duhkhitah--in distressed mind; apatat--fell down.

TRANSLATION

Where is my well-wisher, uncle Vidura, and mother Gandhari, who is very

afflicted due to all her sons' demise? My uncle Dhrtarastra was also very
mortified due to the death of all his sons and grandsons. Undoubtedly I am
very ungrateful. Did he, therefore, take my offenses very seriously and, along
with his wife, drown himself in the Ganges?

PURPORT

The Pandavas, especially Maharaja Yudhisthira and Arjuna, anticipated the

aftereffects of the Battle of Kuruksetra, and therefore Arjuna declined to
execute the fighting. The fight was executed by the will of the Lord, but the
effects of family aggrievement, as they had thought of it before, had come to
be true. Maharaja Yudhisthira was always conscious of the great plight of his
uncle Dhrtarastra and aunt Gandhari, and therefore he took all possible care
of them in their old age and aggrieved conditions. When, therefore, he could
not find his uncle and aunt in the palace, naturally his doubts arose, and he
conjectured that they had gone down to the water of the Ganges. He thought
himself ungrateful because when the Pandavas were fatherless, Maharaja
Dhrtarastra had given them all royal facilities to live, and in return he had
killed all Dhrtarastra's sons in the Battle of Kuruksetra. As a pious man,
Maharaja Yudhisthira took into account all his unavoidable misdeeds, and he
never thought of the misdeeds of his uncle and company. Dhrtarastra had
suffered the effects of his own misdeeds by the will of the Lord, but Maharaja
Yudhisthira was thinking only of his own unavoidable misdeeds. That is the
nature of a good man and devotee of the Lord. A devotee never finds fault
with
others, but tries to find his own and thus rectify them as far as possible.

TEXT 34

pitary uparate pandau

sarvan nah suhrdah sisun
araksatam vyasanatah
pitrvyau kva gatav itah

pitari--upon my father; uparate--falling down; pandau--Maharaja Pandu;

sarvan--all; nah--of us; suhrdah--well-wishers; sisun--small children;
araksatam--protected; vyasanatah--from all kinds of dangers; pitrvyau--uncles;
 491

kva--where; gatau--have departed; itah--from this place.

TRANSLATION

When my father, Pandu, fell down and we were all small children, these
two uncles gave us protection from all kinds of calamities. They were always
our good well-wishers. Alas, where have they gone from here?

TEXT 35

suta uvaca
krpaya sneha-vaiklavyat
suto viraha-karsitah
atmesvaram acaksano
na pratyahatipiditah

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; krpaya--out of full compassion;

sneha-vaiklavyat--mental derangement due to profound affection;
sutah--Sanjaya; viraha-karsitah--distressed by separation; atma-isvaram--his
master; acaksanah--having not seen; na--did not; pratyaha--replied;
ati-piditah--being too aggrieved.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Because of compassion and mental agitation, Sanjaya,

not having seen his own master, Dhrtarastra, was aggrieved and could not
properly reply to Maharaja Yudhisthira.

PURPORT

Sanjaya was the personal assistant of Maharaja Dhrtarastra for a very

long time, and thus he had the opportunity to study the life of Dhrtarastra.
And when he saw at last that Dhrtarastra had left home without his
knowledge,
his sorrows had no bound. He was fully compassionate toward Dhrtarastra
because in the game of the Battle of Kuruksetra, King Dhrtarastra had lost
everything, men and money, and at last the King and the Queen had to leave
home in utter frustration. He studied the situation in his own way because he
did not know that the inner vision of Dhrtarastra has been awakened by Vidura
and that therefore he had left home in enthusiastic cheerfulness for a better
life after departure from the dark well of home. Unless one is convinced of a
better life after renunciation of the present life, one cannot stick to the
renounced order of life simply by artificial dress or staying out of the home.

TEXT 36

vimrjyasruni panibhyam
vistabhyatmanam atmana
ajata-satrum pratyuce
prabhoh padav anusmaran
 492

vimrjya--smearing; asruni--tears of the eyes; panibhyam--with his hands;

vistabhya--situated; atmanam--the mind; atmana--by intelligence;
ajata-satrum--unto Maharaja Yudhisthira; pratyuce--began to reply; prabhoh--
of
his master; padau--feet; anusmaran--thinking after.

TRANSLATION

First he slowly pacified his mind by intelligence, and wiping away his
tears and thinking of the feet of his master, Dhrtarastra, he began to reply
to Maharaja Yudhisthira.

TEXT 37

sanjaya uvaca
naham veda vyavasitam
pitror vah kula-nandana
gandharya va maha-baho
musito 'smi mahatmabhih

sanjayah uvaca--Sanjaya said; na--not; aham--I; veda--know;

vyavasitam--determination; pitroh--of your uncles; vah--your; kula-nandana--O
descendant of the Kuru dynasty; gandharyah--of Gandhari; va--or; maha-
baho--O
great King; musitah--cheated; asmi--I have been; maha-atmabhih--by those
great
souls.

TRANSLATION

Sanjaya said: My dear descendant of the Kuru dynasty, I have no

information of the determination of your two uncles and Gandhari. O King, I
have been cheated by those great souls.

PURPORT

That great souls cheat others may be astonishing to know, but it is a

fact that great souls cheat others for a great cause. It is said that Lord
Krsna also advised Yudhisthira to tell a lie before Dronacarya, and it was
also for a great cause. The Lord wanted it, and therefore it was a great
cause. Satisfaction of the Lord is the criterion of one who is bona fide, and
the highest perfection of life is to satisfy the Lord by one's occupational
duty. That is the verdict of Gita and Bhagavatam. Dhrtarastra and Vidura,
followed by Gandhari, did not disclose their determination to Sanjaya,
although he was constantly with Dhrtarastra as his personal assistant. Sanjaya
never thought that Dhrtarastra could perform any act without consulting him.
But Dhrtarastra's going away from home was so confidential that it could not
be disclosed even to Sanjaya. Sanatana Gosvami also cheated the keeper of
the
prison house while going away to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and similarly
Raghunatha dasa Gosvami also cheated his priest and left home for good to
 493

satisfy the Lord. To satisfy the Lord, anything is good, for it is in relation
with the Absolute Truth. We also had the same opportunity to cheat the family
members and leave home to engage in the service of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Such
cheating was necessary for a great cause, and there is no loss for any party
in such transcendental fraud.

TEXT 38

athajagama bhagavan
naradah saha-tumburuh
pratyutthayabhivadyaha
sanujo 'bhyarcayan munim

atha--thereafter; ajagama--arrived; bhagavan--the godly personality;

naradah--Narada; saha-tumburuh--along with his tumburu (musical
instrument);
pratyutthaya--having gotten up from their seats; abhivadya--offering their due
obeisances; aha--said; sa-anujah--along with younger brothers;
abhyarcayan--thus while receiving in a proper mood; munim--the sage.

TRANSLATION

While Sanjaya was thus speaking, Sri Narada, the powerful devotee of the
Lord, appeared on the scene carrying his tumburu. Maharaja Yudhisthira and
his
brothers received him properly by getting up from their seats and offering
obeisances.

PURPORT

Devarsi Narada is described herein as bhagavan due to his being the most
confidential devotee of the Lord. The Lord and His very confidential devotees
are treated on the same level by those who are actually engaged in the loving
service of the Lord. Such confidential devotees of the Lord are very much dear
to the Lord because they travel everywhere to preach the glories of the Lord
in different capacities and try their utmost to convert the nondevotees of the
Lord into devotees in order to bring them to the platform of sanity. Actually
a living being cannot be a nondevotee of the Lord because of his
constitutional position, but when one becomes a nondevotee or nonbeliever, it
is to be understood that the person concerned is not in a sound condition of
life. The confidential devotees of the Lord treat such illusioned living
beings, and therefore they are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord
says in the Bhagavad-gita that no one is dearer to Him than one who actually
preaches the glories of the Lord to convert the nonbelievers and nondevotees.
Such personalities as Narada must be offered all due respects, like those
offered to the Personality of Godhead Himself, and Maharaja Yudhisthira, along
with his noble brothers, were examples for others in receiving a pure devotee
of the Lord like Narada, who had no other business save and except singing
the
glories of the Lord along with his vina, a musical stringed instrument.
 494

TEXT 39

yudhisthira uvaca
naham veda gatim pitror
bhagavan kva gatav itah
amba va hata-putrarta
kva gata ca tapasvini

yudhisthirah uvaca--Maharaja Yudhisthira said; na--do not; aham--myself;

veda--know it; gatim--departure; pitroh--of the uncles; bhagavan--O godly
personality; kva--where; gatau--gone; itah--from this place; amba--mother
aunt; va--either; hata-putra--bereft of her sons; arta--aggrieved; kva--where;
gata--gone; ca--also; tapasvini--ascetic.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira said: O godly personality, I do not know where my

two uncles have gone. Nor can I find my ascetic aunt who is grief-stricken by
the loss of all her sons.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira, as a good soul and devotee of the Lord, was always
conscious of the great loss of his aunt and her sufferings as an ascetic. An
ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him
strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress. Queen Gandhari is a
typical example of an ascetic because of her marvelous character in many
trying situations. She was an ideal woman as mother, wife and ascetic, and in
the history of the world such character in a woman is rarely found.

TEXT 40

karnadhara ivapare
bhagavan para-darsakah
athababhase bhagavan
narado muni-sattamah

karna-dharah--captain of the ship; iva--like; apare--in the extensive oceans;

bhagavan--representative of the Lord; para-darsakah--one who can give
directions to the other side; atha--thus; ababhase--began to say;
bhagavan--the godly personality; naradah--the great sage Narada;
muni-sat-tamah--the greatest among the devotee philosophers.

TRANSLATION

You are like a captain of a ship in a great ocean and you can direct us
to our destination.
Thus addressed, the godly personality, Devarsi Narada, greatest of the
philosopher devotees, began to speak.

PURPORT
 495

There are different types of philosophers, and the greatest of all of

them are those who have seen the Personality of Godhead and have
surrendered
themselves in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Among all such
pure devotees of the Lord, Devarsi Narada is the chief, and therefore he has
been described herein as the greatest of all philosopher devotees. Unless one
has become a sufficiently learned philosopher by hearing the Vedanta
philosophy from a bona fide spiritual master, one cannot be a learned
philosopher devotee. One must be very faithful, learned and renounced,
otherwise one cannot be a pure devotee. A pure devotee of the Lord can give
us
direction towards the other end of nescience. Devarsi Narada used to visit the
palace of Maharaja Yudhisthira because the Pandavas were all pure devotees
of
the Lord, and the Devarsi was always ready to give them good counsel
whenever
needed.

TEXT 41

narada uvaca
ma kancana suco rajan
yad isvara-vasam jagat
lokah sapala yasyeme
vahanti balim isituh
sa samyunakti bhutani
sa eva viyunakti ca

naradah uvaca--Narada said; ma--never; kancana--by all means; sucah--do you

lament; rajan--O King; yat--because; isvara-vasam--under the control of the
Supreme Lord; jagat--world; lokah--all living beings; sa-palah--including
their leaders; yasya--whose; ime--all these; vahanti--do bear; balim--means of
worship; isituh--for being protected; sah--He; samyunakti--gets together;
bhutani--all living beings; sah--He; eva--also; viyunakti--disperses; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

Sri Narada said: O pious King, do not lament for anyone, for everyone is
under the control of the Supreme Lord. Therefore all living beings and their
leaders carry on worship to be well protected. It is He only who brings them
together and disperses them.

PURPORT

Every living being, either in this material world or in the spiritual

world, is under the control of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead.
Beginning from Brahmaji, the leader of this universe, down to the
insignificant ant, all are abiding by the order of the Supreme Lord. Thus the
constitutional position of the living being is subordination under the control
of the Lord. The foolish living being, especially man, artificially rebels
against the law of the Supreme and thus becomes chastised as an asura, or
lawbreaker. A living being is placed in a particular position by the order of
 496

the Supreme Lord, and he is again shifted from that place by the order of the
Supreme Lord or His authorized agents. Brahma, Siva, Indra, Candra, Maharaja
Yudhisthira or, in modern history, Napoleon, Akbar, Alexander, Gandhi,
Shubhash and Nehru all are servants of the Lord, and they are placed in and
removed from their respective positions by the supreme will of the Lord. None
of them is independent. Even though such men or leaders rebel so as not to
recognize the supremacy of the Lord, they are put under still more rigorous
laws of the material world by different miseries. Only the foolish man,
therefore, says that there is no God. Maharaja Yudhisthira was being
convinced
of this naked truth because he was greatly overwhelmed by the sudden
departure
of his old uncles and aunt. Maharaja Dhrtarastra was placed in that position
according to his past deeds; he had already suffered or enjoyed the benefits
accrued to him in the past, but due to his good luck, somehow or other he had
a good younger brother, Vidura, and by his instruction he left to achieve
salvation by closing all accounts in the material world.
Ordinarily one cannot change the course of one's due happiness and
distress by plan. Everyone has to accept them as they come under the subtle
arrangement of kala, or invincible time. There is no use trying to counteract
them. The best thing is, therefore, that one should endeavor to achieve
salvation, and this prerogative is given only to man because of his developed
condition of mental activities and intelligence. Only for man are there
different Vedic instructions for attainment of salvation during the human form
of existence. One who misuses this opportunity of advanced intelligence is
verily condemned and put into different types of miseries, either in this
present life or in the future. That is the way the Supreme controls everyone.

TEXT 42

yatha gavo nasi protas

tantyam baddhas ca damabhih
vak-tantyam namabhir baddha
vahanti balim isituh

yatha--as much as; gavah--cow; nasi--by the nose; protah--strung; tantyam--by

the thread; baddhah--bound by; ca--also; damabhih--by ropes; vak-tantyam--in
the network of Vedic hymns; namabhih--by nomenclatures; baddhah--
conditioned;
vahanti--carry on; balim--orders; isituh--for being controlled by the Supreme
Lord.

TRANSLATION

As a cow, bound through the nose by a long rope, is conditioned, so also

human beings are bound by different Vedic injunctions and are conditioned to
obey the orders of the Supreme.

PURPORT

Every living being, whether a man or an animal or a bird, thinks that he

is free by himself, but actually no one is free from the severe laws of the
 497

Lord. The laws of the Lord are severe because they cannot be disobeyed in
any
circumstance. The man-made laws may be evaded by cunning outlaws, but in
the
codes of the supreme lawmaker there is not the slightest possibility of
neglecting the laws. A slight change in the course of God-made law can bring
about a massive danger to be faced by the lawbreaker. Such laws of the
Supreme
are generally known as the codes of religion, under different conditions, but
the principle of religion everywhere is one and the same, namely, obey the
orders of the Supreme God, the codes of religion. That is the condition of
material existence. All living beings in the material world have taken up the
risk of conditioned life by their own selection and are thus entrapped by the
laws of material nature. The only way to get out of the entanglement is to
agree to obey the Supreme. But instead of becoming free from the clutches of
maya, or illusion, foolish human beings become bound up by different
nomenclatures, being designated as brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, sudras,
Hindus, Mohammedans, Indians, Europeans, Americans, Chinese, and many
others,
and thus they carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord under the influence of
respective scriptural or legislative injunctions. The statutory laws of the
state are imperfect imitation replicas of religious codes. The secular state,
or the godless state, allows the citizens to break the laws of God, but
restricts them from disobeying the laws of the state; the result is that the
people in general suffer more by breaking the laws of God than by obeying the
imperfect laws made by man. Every man is imperfect by constitution under
conditions of material existence, and there is not the least possibility that
even the most materially advanced man can enact perfect legislation. On the
other hand, there is no such imperfection in the laws of God. If leaders are
educated in the laws of God, there is no necessity of a makeshift legislative
council of aimless men. There is necessity of change in the makeshift laws of
man, but there is no change in the God-made laws because they are made
perfect
by the all-perfect Personality of Godhead. The codes of religion, scriptural
injunctions, are made by liberated representatives of God in consideration of
different conditions of living, and by carrying out the orders of the Lord,
the conditioned living beings gradually become free from the clutches of
material existence. The factual position of the living being is, however, that
he is the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. In his liberated state he
renders service to the Lord in transcendental love and thus enjoys a life of
full freedom, even sometimes on an equal level with the Lord or sometimes
more
than the Lord. But in the conditioned material world, every living being wants
to be the Lord of other living beings, and thus by the illusion of maya this
mentality of lording it over becomes a cause of further extension of
conditional life. So in the material world the living being is still more
conditioned, until he surrenders unto the Lord by reviving his original state
of eternal servitorship. That is the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gita and
all other recognized scriptures of the world.

TEXT 43
 498

yatha kridopaskaranam
samyoga-vigamav iha
icchaya kridituh syatam
tathaivesecchaya nrnam

yatha--as much as; krida-upaskaranam--playthings; samyoga--union;

vigamau--disunion; iha--in this world; icchaya--by the will of; kridituh--just
to play a part; syatam--takes place; tatha--so also; eva--certainly; isa--the
Supreme Lord; icchaya--by the will of; nrnam--of the human beings.

TRANSLATION

As a player sets up and disperses his playthings according to his own

sweet will, so the supreme will of the Lord brings men together and separates
them.

PURPORT

We must know for certain that the particular position in which we are now
set up is an arrangement of the supreme will in terms of our own acts in the
past. The Supreme Lord is present as the localized Paramatma in the heart of
every living being, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gita (13.23), and therefore
he knows everything of our activities in every stage of our lives. He rewards
the reactions of our actions by placing us in some particular place. A rich
man gets his son born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but the child who came
as the rich man's son deserved such a place, and therefore he is placed there
by the will of the Lord. And at a particular moment when the child has to be
removed from that place, he is also carried by the will of the Supreme, even
if the child or the father does not wish to be separated from the happy
relation. The same thing happens in the case of a poor man also. Neither rich
man nor poor man has any control over such meetings or separations of living
beings. The example of a player and his playthings should not be
misunderstood. One may argue that since the Lord is bound to award the
reactionary results of our own actions, the example of a player cannot be
applied. But it is not so. We must always remember that the Lord is the
supreme will, and He is not bound by any law. Generally the law of karma is
that one is awarded the result of one's own actions, but in special cases, by
the will of the Lord, such resultant actions are changed also. But this change
can be affected by the will of the Lord only, and no other. Therefore, the
example of the player cited in this verse is quite appropriate, for the
Supreme Will is absolutely free to do whatever He likes, and because He is
all-perfect, there is no mistake in any of His actions or reactions. These
changes of resultant actions are especially rendered by the Lord when a pure
devotee is involved. It is assured in the Bhagavad-gita (9.30-31) that the
Lord saves a pure devotee who has surrendered unto Him without reservation
from all sorts of reactions of sins, and there is no doubt about this. There
are hundreds of examples of reactions changed by the Lord in the history of
the world. If the Lord is able to change the reactions of one's past deeds,
then certainly He is not Himself bound by any action or reaction of His own
deeds. He is perfect and transcendental to all laws.

TEXT 44
 499

yan manyase dhruvam lokam

adhruvam va na cobhayam
sarvatha na hi socyas te
snehad anyatra mohajat

yat--even though; manyase--you think; dhruvam--Absolute Truth; lokam--

persons;
adhruvam--nonreality; va--either; na--or not; ca--also; ubhayam--or both;
sarvatha--in all circumstances; na--never; hi--certainly; socyah--subject for
lamentation; te--they; snehat--due to affection; anyatra--or otherwise;
moha-jat--due to bewilderment.

TRANSLATION

O King, in all circumstances, whether you consider the soul to be an

eternal principle, or the material body to be perishable, or everything to
exist in the impersonal Absolute Truth, or everything to be an inexplicable
combination of matter and spirit, feelings of separation are due only to
illusory affection and nothing more.

PURPORT

The actual fact is that every living being is an individual part and
parcel of the Supreme Being, and his constitutional position is subordinate
cooperative service. Either in his conditional material existence or in his
liberated position of full knowledge and eternity, the living entity is
eternally under the control of the Supreme Lord. But those who are not
conversant with factual knowledge put forward many speculative propositions
about the real position of the living entity. It is admitted, however, by all
schools of philosophy, that the living being is eternal and that the covering
body of the five material elements is perishable and temporary. The eternal
living entity transmigrates from one material body to another by the law of
karma, and material bodies are perishable by their fundamental structures.
Therefore there is nothing to be lamented in the case of the soul's being
transferred into another body, or the material body's perishing at a certain
stage. There are others also who believe in the merging of the spirit soul in
the Supreme Spirit when it is uncovered by the material encagement, and
there
are others also who do not believe in the existence of spirit or soul, but
believe in tangible matter. In our daily experience we find so many
transformations of matter from one form to another, but we do not lament
such
changing features. In either of the above cases, the force of divine energy is
uncheckable; no one has any hand in it, and thus there is no cause of grief.

TEXT 45

tasmaj jahy anga vaiklavyam

ajnana-krtam atmanah
katham tv anathah krpana
varterams te ca mam vina
 500

tasmat--therefore; jahi--give up; anga--O King; vaiklavyam--mental disparity;

ajnana--ignorance; krtam--due to; atmanah--of yourself; katham--how; tu--but;
anathah--helpless; krpanah--poor creatures; varteran--be able to survive;
te--they; ca--also; mam--me; vina--without.

TRANSLATION

Therefore give up your anxiety due to ignorance of the self. You are now
thinking of how they, who are helpless poor creatures, will exist without you.

PURPORT

When we think of our kith and kin as being helpless and dependent on us,
it is all due to ignorance. Every living creature is allowed all protection by
the order of the Supreme Lord in terms of each one's acquired position in the
world. The Lord is known as bhuta-bhrt, one who gives protection to all living
beings. One should discharge his duties only, for no one but the Supreme Lord
can give protection to anyone else. This is explained more clearly in the
following verse.

TEXT 46

kala-karma-gunadhino
deho 'yam panca-bhautikah
katham anyams tu gopayet
sarpa-grasto yatha param

kala--eternal time; karma--action; guna--modes of nature; adhinah--under the

control of; dehah--material body and mind; ayam--this; panca-bhautikah--
made
of the five elements; katham--how; anyan--others; tu--but; gopayet--give
protection; sarpa-grastah--one who is bitten by the snake; yatha--as much as;
param--others.

TRANSLATION

This gross material body made of five elements is already under the
control of eternal time [kala], action [karma] and the modes of material
nature [guna]. How, then, can it, being already in the jaws of the serpent,
protect others?

PURPORT

The world's movements for freedom through political, economic, social,

and cultural propaganda can do no benefit to anyone, for they are controlled
by superior power. A conditioned living being is under the full control of
material nature, represented by eternal time and activities under the
dictation of different modes of nature. There are three material modes of
nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. Unless one is situated in the
mode of goodness, one cannot see things as they are. The passionate and the
ignorant cannot even see things as they are. Therefore a person who is
 501

passionate and ignorant cannot direct his activities on the right path. Only
the man in the quality of goodness can help to a certain extent. Most persons
are passionate and ignorant, and therefore their plans and projects can hardly
do any good to others. Above the modes of nature is eternal time, which is
called kala because it changes the shape of everything in the material world.
Even if we are able to do something temporarily beneficial, time will see that
the good project is frustrated in course of time. The only thing possible to
be done is to get rid of eternal time, kala, which is compared to kala-sarpa,
or the cobra snake, whose bite is always lethal. No one can be saved from the
bite of a cobra. The best remedy for getting out of the clutches of the
cobralike kala or its integrity, the modes of nature, is bhakti-yoga, as it is
recommended in the Bhagavad-gita (14.26). The highest perfectional project
of
philanthropic activities is to engage everyone in the act of preaching
bhakti-yoga all over the world because that alone can save the people from
the
control of maya, or the material nature represented by kala, karma and guna,
as described above. The Bhagavad-gita (14.26) confirms this definitely.

TEXT 47

ahastani sahastanam
apadani catus-padam
phalguni tatra mahatam
jivo jivasya jivanam

ahastani--those who are devoid of hands; sa-hastanam--of those who are

endowed
with hands; apadani--those who are devoid of legs; catuh-padam--of those who
have four legs; phalguni--those who are weak; tatra--there; mahatam--of the
powerful; jivah--the living being; jivasya--of the living being;
jivanam--subsistence.

TRANSLATION

Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those
devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of
the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for
another.

PURPORT

A systematic law of subsistence in the struggle for existence is there by

the supreme will, and there is no escape for anyone by any amount of
planning.
The living beings who have come to the material world against the will of the
Supreme Being are under the control of a supreme power called maya-sakti,
the
deputed agent of the Lord, and this daivi maya is meant to pinch the
conditioned souls by threefold miseries, one of which is explained here in
this verse: the weak are the subsistence of the strong. No one is strong
enough to protect himself from the onslaught of a stronger, and by the will of
 502

the Lord there are systematic categories of the weak, the stronger and the
strongest. There is nothing to be lamented if a tiger eats a weaker animal,
including a man, because that is the law of the Supreme Lord. But although
the
law states that a human being must subsist on another living being, there is
the law of good sense also, for the human being is meant to obey the laws of
the scriptures. This is impossible for other animals. The human being is meant
for self-realization, and for that purpose he is not to eat anything which is
not first offered to the Lord. The Lord accepts from His devotee all kinds of
food preparations made of vegetables, fruits, leaves and grains. Fruits,
leaves and milk in different varieties can be offered to the Lord, and after
the Lord accepts the foodstuff, the devotee can partake of the prasada, by
which all suffering in the struggle for existence will be gradually mitigated.
This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (9.26). Even those who are accustomed
to eat animals can offer foodstuff, not to the Lord directly, but to an agent
of the Lord, under certain conditions of religious rites. Injunctions of the
scriptures are meant not to encourage the eaters of animals, but to restrict
them by regulated principles.
The living being is the source of subsistence for other, stronger living
beings. No one should be very anxious for his subsistence in any
circumstances
because there are living beings everywhere, and no living being starves for
want of food at any place. Maharaja Yudhisthira is advised by Narada not to
worry about his uncles' suffering for want of food, for they could live on
vegetables available in the jungles as prasada of the Supreme Lord and thus
realize the path of salvation.
Exploitation of the weaker living being by the stronger is the natural
law of existence; there is always an attempt to devour the weak in different
kingdoms of living beings. There is no possibility of checking this tendency
by any artificial means under material conditions; it can be checked only by
awakening the spiritual sense of the human being by practice of spiritual
regulations. The spiritual regulative principles, however, do not allow a man
to slaughter weaker animals on one side and teach others peaceful
coexistence.
If man does not allow the animals peaceful coexistence, how can he expect
peaceful existence in human society? The blind leaders must therefore
understand the Supreme Being and then try to implement the kingdom of
God. The
kingdom of God, or Rama-rajya, is impossible without the awakening of God
consciousness in the mass mind of the people of the world.

TEXT 48

tad idam bhagavan rajann

eka atmatmanam sva-drk
antaro 'nantaro bhati
pasya tam mayayorudha

tat--therefore; idam--this manifestation; bhagavan--the Personality of

Godhead; rajan--O King; ekah--one without a second; atma--the Supersoul;
atmanam--by His energies; sva-drk--qualitatively like Him; antarah--without;
anantarah--within and by Himself; bhati--so manifests; pasya--look; tam--unto
 503

Him only; mayaya--by manifestations of different energies; urudha--appears to

be many.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, O King, you should look to the Supreme Lord only, who is one
without a second and who manifests Himself by different energies and is both
within and without.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is one without a second, but He

manifests Himself by different energies because He is by nature blissful. The
living beings are also manifestations of His marginal energy, qualitatively
one with the Lord, and there are innumerable living beings both within and
without the external and internal energies of the Lord. Since the spiritual
world is a manifestation of the Lord's internal energy, the living beings
within that internal potency are qualitatively one with the Lord without
contamination from the external potency. Although qualitatively one with the
Lord, the living being, due to contamination of the material world, is
pervertedly manifested, and therefore he experiences so-called happiness and
distress in the material world. Such experiences are all ephemeral and do not
affect the spirit soul. The perception of such ephemeral happiness and
distress is due only to the forgetfulness of his qualities, which are equal to
the Lord's. There is, however, a regular current from the Lord Himself, from
within and without, by which to rectify the fallen condition of the living
being. From within He corrects the desiring living beings as localized
Paramatma, and from without He corrects by His manifestations, the spiritual
master and the revealed scriptures. One should look unto the Lord; one should
not be disturbed by the so-called manifestations of happiness or distress, but
he should try to cooperate with the Lord in His outward activities for
correcting the fallen souls. By His order only, one should become a spiritual
master and cooperate with the Lord. One should not become a spiritual master
for one's personal benefit, for some material gain or as an avenue of business
or occupation for earning livelihood. Bona fide spiritual masters who look
unto the Supreme Lord to cooperate with Him are actually qualitatively one
with the Lord, and the forgetful ones are perverted reflections only.
Yudhisthira Maharaja is advised by Narada, therefore, not to be disturbed by
the affairs of so-called happiness and distress, but to look only unto the
Lord to execute the mission for which the Lord has descended. That was his
prime duty.

TEXT 49

so 'yam adya maharaja

bhagavan bhuta-bhavanah
kala-rupo 'vatirno 'syam
abhavaya sura-dvisam

sah--that Supreme Lord; ayam--the Lord Sri Krsna; adya--at present;

maharaja--O King; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; bhuta-bhavanah--
the
 504

creator or the father of everything created; kala-rupah--in the disguise of

all-devouring time; avatirnah--descended; asyam--upon the world; abhavaya--
for
eliminating; sura-dvisam--those who are against the will of the Lord.

TRANSLATION

That Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, in the guise of

all-devouring time [kala-rupa] has now descended on earth to eliminate the
envious from the world.

PURPORT

There are two classes of human beings, namely the envious and the
obedient. Since the Supreme Lord is one and the father of all living beings,
the envious living beings are also His sons, but they are known as the asuras.
But the living beings who are obedient to the supreme father are called
devatas, or demigods, because they are not contaminated by the material
conception of life. Not only are the asuras envious of the Lord in even
denying the existence of the Lord, but they are also envious of all other
living beings. The predominance of asuras in the world is occasionally
rectified by the Lord when He eliminates them from the world and establishes
a
rule of devatas like the Pandavas. His designation as kala in disguise is
significant. He is not at all dangerous, but He is the transcendental form of
eternity, knowledge and bliss. For the devotees His factual form is disclosed,
and for the nondevotees He appears like kala-rupa, which is causal form. This
causal form of the Lord is not at all pleasing to the asuras, and therefore
they think of the Lord as formless in order to feel secure that they will not
be vanquished by the Lord.

TEXT 50

nispaditam deva-krtyam
avasesam pratiksate
tavad yuyam aveksadhvam
bhaved yavad ihesvarah

nispaditam--performed; deva-krtyam--what was to be done on behalf of the

demigods; avasesam--the rest; pratiksate--being awaited; tavat--up to that
time; yuyam--all of you Pandavas; aveksadhvam--observe and wait; bhavet--
may;
yavat--as long as; iha--in this world; isvarah--the Supreme Lord.

TRANSLATION

The Lord has already performed His duties to help the demigods, and He is
awaiting the rest. You Pandavas may wait as long as the Lord is here on earth.

PURPORT

The Lord descends from His abode (Krsnaloka), the topmost planet in the
 505

spiritual sky, in order to help the demigod administrators of this material

world when they are greatly vexed by the asuras, who are envious not only of
the Lord but also of His devotees. As referred to above, the conditioned
living beings contact material association by their own choice, dictated by a
strong desire to lord it over the resources of the material world and become
imitation lords of all they survey. Everyone is trying to become an imitation
God; there is keen competition amongst such imitation gods, and such
competitors are generally known as asuras. When there are too many asuras
in
the world, then it becomes a hell for those who are devotees of the Lord. Due
to the growth of the asuras, the mass of people who are generally devoted to
the Lord by nature and the pure devotees of the Lord, including the demigods
in higher planets, pray to the Lord for relief, and the Lord either descends
personally from His abode or deputes some of His devotees to remodel the
fallen condition of human society, or even animal society. Such disruptions
take place not only in human society but also among animals, birds or other
living beings, including the demigods in the higher planets. Lord Sri Krsna
descended personally to vanquish asuras like Kamsa, Jarasandha and Sisupala,
and during the reign of Maharaja Yudhisthira almost all these asuras were
killed by the Lord. Now he was awaiting the annihilation of His own dynasty,
called the Yadu-vamsa, who appeared by His will in this world. He wanted to
take them away before His own departure to His eternal abode. Narada, like
Vidura, did not disclose the imminent annihilation of the Yadu dynasty, but
indirectly gave a hint to the King and his brothers to wait till the incident
happened and the Lord departed.

TEXT 51

dhrtarastrah saha bhratra

gandharya ca sva-bharyaya
daksinena himavata
rsinam asramam gatah

dhrtarastrah--Dhrtarastra; saha--along with; bhratra--his brother Vidura;

gandharya--Gandhari also; ca--and; sva-bharyaya--his own wife; daksinena--by
the southern side; himavatah--of the Himalaya Mountains; rsinam--of the rsis;
asramam--in shelter; gatah--he has gone.

TRANSLATION

O King, your uncle Dhrtarastra, his brother Vidura and his wife Gandhari
have gone to the southern side of the Himalaya Mountains, where there are
shelters of the great sages.

PURPORT

To pacify the mourning Maharaja Yudhisthira, Narada first of all spoke

from the philosophical point of view, and then he began to describe the future
movements of his uncle, which he could see by his foreseeing powers, and
thus
began to describe as follows.
 506

TEXT 52

srotobhih saptabhir ya vai

svardhuni saptadha vyadhat
saptanam pritaye nana
sapta-srotah pracaksate

srotobhih--by currents; saptabhih--by seven (divisions); ya--the river;

vai--certainly; svardhuni--the sacred Ganges; saptadha--seven branches;
vyadhat--created; saptanam--of the seven; pritaye--for the satisfaction of;
nana--various; sapta-srotah--seven sources; pracaksate--known by name.

TRANSLATION

The place is called Saptasrota ["divided by seven"] because there the

waters of the sacred Ganges were divided into seven branches. This was done
for the satisfaction of the seven great rsis.

TEXT 53

snatvanusavanam tasmin
hutva cagnin yatha-vidhi
ab-bhaksa upasantatma
sa aste vigataisanah

snatva--by taking bath; anusavanam--regularly three times (morning, noon

and
evening); tasmin--in that Ganges divided into seven; hutva--by performing the
Agni-hotra sacrifice; ca--also; agnin--in the fire; yatha-vidhi--just
according to the tenets of the scripture; apbhaksah--fasting by drinking only
water; upasanta--completely controlled; atma--the gross senses and the subtle
mind; sah--Dhrtarastra; aste--would be situated; vigata--devoid of;
esanah--thoughts in relation with family welfare.

TRANSLATION

On the banks at Saptasrota, Dhrtarastra is now engaged in beginning

astanga-yoga by bathing three times daily, in the morning, noon and evening,
by performing the Agni-hotra sacrifice with fire and by drinking only water.
This helps one control the mind and the senses and frees one completely from
thoughts of familial affection.

PURPORT

The yoga system is a mechanical way to control the senses and the mind
and divert them from matter to spirit. The preliminary processes are the
sitting posture, meditation, spiritual thoughts, manipulation of air passing
within the body, and gradual situation in trance, facing the Absolute Person,
Paramatma. Such mechanical ways of rising to the spiritual platform prescribe
some regulative principles of taking bath daily three times, fasting as far as
possible, sitting and concentrating the mind on spiritual matters and thus
 507

gradually becoming free from visaya, or material objectives. Material

existence means to be absorbed in the material objective, which is simply
illusory. House, country, family, society, children, property, and business
are some of the material coverings of the spirit, atma, and the yoga system
helps one to become free from all these illusory thoughts and gradually turn
towards the Absolute Person, Paramatma. By material association and
education,
we learn simply to concentrate on flimsy things, but yoga is the process of
forgetting them altogether. Modern so-called yogis and yoga systems manifest
some magical feats, and ignorant persons are attracted by such false things,
or they accept the yoga system as a cheap healing process for diseases of the
gross body. But factually the yoga system is the process of learning to forget
what we have acquired throughout the struggle for existence. Dhrtarastra was
all along engaged in improving family affairs by raising the standard of
living of his sons or by usurping the property of the Pandavas for the sake of
his own sons. These are common affairs for a man grossly materialistic and
without knowledge of the spiritual force. He does not see how this can drag
one from heaven to hell. By the grace of his younger brother Vidura,
Dhrtarastra was enlightened and could see his grossly illusory engagements,
and by such enlightenment he was able to leave home for spiritual realization.
Sri Naradadeva was just foretelling the way of his spiritual progress in a
place which was sanctified by the flow of the celestial Ganges. Drinking water
only, without solid food, is also considered fasting. This is necessary for
advancement of spiritual knowledge. A foolish man wants to be a cheap yogi
without observing the regulative principles. A man who has no control over the
tongue at first can hardly become a yogi. Yogi and bhogi are two opposite
terms. The bhogi, or the merry man who eats and drinks, cannot be a yogi, for
a yogi is never allowed to eat and drink unrestrictedly. We may note with
profit how Dhrtarastra began his yoga system by drinking water only and
sitting calmly in a place with a spiritual atmosphere, deeply absorbed in the
thoughts of the Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 54

jitasano jita-svasah
pratyahrta-sad-indriyah
hari-bhavanaya dhvasta-
rajah-sattva-tamo-malah

jita-asanah--one who has controlled the sitting posture; jita-svasah--one who

has controlled the breathing process; pratyahrta--turning back; sat--six;
indriyah--senses; hari--the Absolute Personality of Godhead;
bhavanaya--absorbed in; dhvasta--conquered; rajah--passion; sattva--
goodness;
tamah--ignorance; malah--contaminations.

TRANSLATION

One who has controlled the sitting postures [the yogic asanas] and the
breathing process can turn the senses toward the Absolute Personality of
Godhead and thus become immune to the contaminations of the modes of
material
 508

nature, namely mundane goodness, passion and ignorance.

PURPORT

The preliminary activities of the way of yoga are asana, pranayama,

pratyahara, dhyana, dharana, etc. Maharaja Dhrtarastra was to attain success
in those preliminary actions because he was seated in a sanctified place and
was concentrating upon one objective, namely the Supreme Personality of
Godhead (Hari). Thus all his senses were being engaged in the service of the
Lord. This process directly helps the devotee to get freedom from the
contaminations of the three material modes of nature. Even the highest mode,
the material mode of goodness, is also a cause of material bondage, and what
to speak of the other qualities, namely passion and ignorance. Passion and
ignorance increase the material propensities of hankering for material
enjoyment, and a strong sense of lust provokes the accumulation of wealth
and
power. One who has conquered these two base mentalities and has raised
himself
to the platform of goodness, which is full of knowledge and morality, cannot
also control the senses, namely the eyes, the tongue, the nose, the ear and
touch. But one who has surrendered himself unto the lotus feet of Lord Hari,
as above mentioned, can transcend all influences of the modes of material
nature and be fixed in the service of the Lord. The bhakti-yoga process,
therefore, directly applies the senses to the loving service of the Lord. This
prohibits the performer from engaging in material activities. This process of
turning the senses from material attachment to the loving transcendental
service of the Lord is called pratyahara, and the very process is called
pranayama, ultimately ending in samadhi, or absorption in pleasing the
Supreme
Lord Hari by all means.

TEXT 55

vijnanatmani samyojya
ksetrajne pravilapya tam
brahmany atmanam adhare
ghatambaram ivambare

vijnana--purified identity; atmani--in intelligence; samyojya--perfectly

fixing; ksetra-jne--in the matter of the living being; pravilapya--merging;
tam--him; brahmani--in the Supreme; atmanam--pure living being; adhare--in
the
reservoir; ghata-ambaram--sky within the block; iva--like; ambare--in the
supreme sky.

TRANSLATION

Dhrtarastra will have to amalgamate his pure identity with intelligence

and then merge into the Supreme Being with knowledge of his qualitative
oneness, as a living entity, with the Supreme Brahman. Being freed from the
blocked sky, he will have to rise to the spiritual sky.
 509

PURPORT

The living being, by his desiring to lord it over the material world and
declining to cooperate with the Supreme Lord, contacts the sum total of the
material world, namely the mahat-tattva, and from the mahat-tattva his false
identity with the material world, intelligence, mind and senses is developed.
This covers his pure spiritual identity. By the yogic process, when his pure
identity is realized in self-realization, one has to revert to the original
position by amalgamating the five gross elements and the subtle elements,
mind
and intelligence, into the mahat-tattva again. Thus getting freed from the
clutches of the mahat-tattva, he has to merge in the existence of the
Supersoul. In other words, he has to realize that qualitatively he is
nondifferent from the Supersoul, and thus he transcends the material sky by
his pure identical intelligence and thus becomes engaged in the
transcendental
loving service of the Lord. This is the highest perfectional development of
spiritual identity, which was attained by Dhrtarastra by the grace of Vidura
and the Lord. The Lord's mercy was bestowed upon him by his personal
contact
with Vidura, and when he was actually practicing the instructions of Vidura,
the Lord helped him to attain the highest perfectional stage.
A pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material
sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His so-called
material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual current of
the Lord's identical interest, and thus he is permanently freed from all
contaminations of the sum total of the mahat-tattva. He is always in the
spiritual sky, which he attains by being transcendental to the sevenfold
material covering by the effect of his devotional service. The conditioned
souls are within the coverings, whereas the liberated soul is far beyond the
cover.

TEXT 56

dhvasta-maya-gunodarko
niruddha-karanasayah
nivartitakhilahara
aste sthanur ivacalah
tasyantarayo maivabhuh
sannyastakhila-karmanah

dhvasta--being destroyed; maya-guna--the modes of material nature;

udarkah--after effects; niruddha--being suspended; karana-asayah--the senses
and the mind; nivartita--stopped; akhila--all; aharah--food for the senses;
aste--is sitting; sthanuh--immovable; iva--like; acalah--fixed; asya--his;
antarayah--hindrances; ma eva--never like that; abhuh--be;
sannyasta--renounced; akhila--all sorts; karmanah--material duties.

TRANSLATION

He will have to suspend all the actions of the senses, even from the
outside, and will have to be impervious to interactions of the senses, which
 510

are influenced by the modes of material nature. After renouncing all material
duties, he must become immovably established, beyond all sources of
hindrances
on the path.

PURPORT

Dhrtarastra had attained, by the yogic process, the stage of negation of

all sorts of material reaction. The effects of the material modes of nature
draw the victim to indefatigable desires of enjoying matter, but one can
escape such false enjoyment by the yogic process. Every sense is always busy
in searching for its food, and thus the conditioned soul is assaulted from all
sides and has no chance to become steady in any pursuit. Maharaja
Yudhisthira
was advised by Narada not to disturb his uncle by attempting to bring him
back
home. He was now beyond the attraction of anything material. The material
modes of nature (the gunas) have their different modes of activities, but
above the material modes of nature is a spiritual mode, which is absolute.
Nirguna means without reaction. The spiritual mode and its effect are
identical; therefore the spiritual quality is distinguished from its material
counterpart by the word nirguna. After complete suspension of the material
modes of nature, one is admitted to the spiritual sphere, and action dictated
by the spiritual modes is called devotional service, or bhakti. Bhakti is
therefore nirguna attained by direct contact with the Absolute.

TEXT 57

sa va adyatanad rajan
paratah pancame 'hani
kalevaram hasyati svam
tac ca bhasmi-bhavisyati

sah--he; va--in all probability; adya--today; tanat--from; rajan--O King;

paratah--ahead; pancame--on the fifth; ahani--day; kalevaram--body;
hasyati--shall quit; svam--his own; tat--that; ca--also; bhasmi--ashes;
bhavisyati--will turn into.

TRANSLATION

O King, he will quit his body, most probably on the fifth day from today.
And his body will turn to ashes.

PURPORT

Narada Muni's prophecy prohibited Yudhisthira Maharaja from going to the

place where his uncle was staying because even after quitting the body by his
own mystic power, Dhrtarastra would not be in need of any funeral ceremony;
Narada Muni indicated that his body by itself would burn to ashes. The
perfection of the yoga system is attained by such mystic power. The yogi is
able to quit his body by his own choice of time and can attain any planet he
desires by turning the present body into ashes by self-made fire.
 511

TEXT 58

dahyamane 'gnibhir dehe

patyuh patni sahotaje
bahih sthita patim sadhvi
tam agnim anu veksyati

dahyamane--while it is burning; agnibhih--by the fire; dehe--the body;

patyuh--of the husband; patni--the wife; saha-utaje--along with the thatched
cottage; bahih--outside; sthita--situated; patim--unto the husband;
sadhvi--the chaste lady; tam--that; agnim--fire; anu veksyati--looking with
great attention will enter the fire.

TRANSLATION

While outside observing her husband, who will burn in the fire of mystic
power along with his thatched cottage, his chaste wife will enter the fire
with rapt attention.

PURPORT

Gandhari was an ideal chaste lady, a life companion of her husband, and
therefore when she saw her husband burning in the fire of mystic yoga along
with his cottage of leaves, she despaired. She left home after losing her one
hundred sons, and in the forest she saw that her most beloved husband was
also
burning. Now she actually felt alone, and therefore she entered the fire of
her husband and followed her husband to death. This entering of a chaste lady
into the fire of her dead husband is called the sati rite, and the action is
considered to be most perfect for a woman. In a later age, this sati rite
became an obnoxious criminal affair because the ceremony was forced upon
even
an unwilling woman. In this fallen age it is not possible for any lady to
follow the sati rite as chastely as it was done by Gandhari and others in past
ages. A chaste wife like Gandhari would feel the separation of her husband to
be more burning than actual fire. Such a lady can observe the sati rite
voluntarily, and there is no criminal force by anyone. When the rite became a
formality only and force was applied upon a lady to follow the principle,
actually it became criminal, and therefore the ceremony was to be stopped by
state law. This prophecy of Narada Muni to Maharaja Yudhisthira forbade him
to
go to his widowed aunt.

TEXT 59

viduras tu tad ascaryam

nisamya kuru-nandana
harsa-soka-yutas tasmad
ganta tirtha-nisevakah

vidurah--Vidura also; tu--but; tat--that incident; ascaryam--wonderful;

 512

nisamya--seeing; kuru-nandana--O son of the Kuru dynasty; harsa--delight;

soka--grief; yutah--affected by; tasmat--from that place; ganta--will go away;
tirtha--place of pilgrimage; nisevakah--for being enlivened.

TRANSLATION

Vidura, being affected with delight and grief, will then leave that place
of sacred pilgrimage.

PURPORT

Vidura was astonished to see the marvelous departure of his brother

Dhrtarastra as a liberated yogi, for in his past life he was much attached to
materialism. Of course it was only due to Vidura that his brother attained the
desirable goal of life. Vidura was therefore glad to learn about it. But he
was sorry that he could not make his brother turn into a pure devotee. This
was not done by Vidura because of Dhrtarastra's being inimical to the
Pandavas, who were all devotees of the Lord. An offense at the feet of a
Vaisnava is more dangerous than an offense at the lotus feet of the Lord.
Vidura was certainly very liberal to bestow mercy upon his brother
Dhrtarastra, whose past life was very materialistic. But ultimately the result
of such mercy certainly depended on the will of the Supreme Lord in the
present life; therefore Dhrtarastra attained liberation only, and after many
such liberated states of life one can attain to the stage of devotional
service. Vidura was certainly very mortified by the death of his brother and
sister-in-law, and the only remedy to mitigate such lamentation was to go out
to pilgrimage. Thus Maharaja Yudhisthira had no chance to call back Vidura,
his surviving uncle.

TEXT 60

ity uktvatharuhat svargam

naradah saha-tumburuh
yudhisthiro vacas tasya
hrdi krtvajahac chucah

iti--thus; uktva--having addressed; atha--thereafter; aruhat--ascended;

svargam--into outer space; naradah--the great sage Narada; saha--along with;
tumburuh--his stringed instrument; yudhisthirah--Maharaja Yudhisthira;
vacah--instructions; tasya--of his; hrdi krtva--keeping in the heart;
ajahat--gave up; sucah--all lamentations.

TRANSLATION

Having spoken thus, the great sage Narada, along with his vina, ascended
into outer space. Yudhisthira kept his instruction in his heart and so was
able to get rid of all lamentations.

PURPORT

Sri Naradaji is an eternal spaceman, having been endowed with a spiritual

body by the grace of the Lord. He can travel in the outer spaces of both the
 513

material and spiritual worlds without restriction and can approach any planet
in unlimited space within no time. We have already discussed his previous life
as the son of a maidservant. Because of his association with pure devotees, he
was elevated to the position of an eternal spaceman and thus had freedom of
movement. One should therefore try to follow in the footsteps of Narada Muni
and not make a futile effort to reach other planets by mechanical means.
Maharaja Yudhisthira was a pious king, and therefore he could see Narada
Muni
occasionally; anyone who desires to see Narada Muni must first be pious and
follow in the footsteps of Narada Muni.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Thirteenth
Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Dhrtarastra Quits Home."

Chapter Fourteen

The Disappearance of Lord Krsna

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
samprasthite dvarakayam
jisnau bandhu-didrksaya
jnatum ca punya-slokasya
krsnasya ca vicestitam

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; samprasthite--having gone to;

dvarakayam--the city of Dvaraka; jisnau--Arjuna; bandhu--friends and
relatives; didrksaya--for meeting them; jnatum--to know; ca--also;
punya-slokasya--of one whose glories are sung by Vedic hymns; krsnasya--of
Lord Krsna; ca--and; vicestitam--further programs of work.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: Arjuna went to Dvaraka to see Lord Sri Krsna and
other friends and also to learn from the Lord of His next activities.

PURPORT

As stated in Bhagavad-gita, the Lord descended on earth for the

protection of the faithful and annihilation of the impious, so after the
Battle of Kuruksetra and establishment of Maharaja Yudhisthira, the mission of
the Lord was complete. The Pandavas, especially Sri Arjuna, were eternal
companions of the Lord, and therefore Arjuna went to Dvaraka to hear from
the
Lord of His next program of work.

TEXT 2

vyatitah katicin masas

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tada nayat tato 'rjunah

dadarsa ghora-rupani
nimittani kurudvahah

vyatitah--after passing; katicit--a few; masah--months; tada--at that time; na

ayat--did not return; tatah--from there; arjunah--Arjuna; dadarsa--observed;
ghora--fearful; rupani--appearances; nimittani--various causes;
kuru-udvahah--Maharaja Yudhisthira.

TRANSLATION

A few months passed, and Arjuna did not return. Maharaja Yudhisthira then
began to observe some inauspicious omens, which were fearful in themselves.

PURPORT

Lord Sri Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ad infinitum, more

powerful than the most powerful sun of our experience. Millions and billions
of suns are created by Him and annihilated by Him within His one breathing
period. In the material world the sun is considered to be the source of all
productivity and material energy, and only due to the sun can we have the
necessities of life. Therefore, during the personal presence of the Lord on
the earth, all paraphernalia for our peace and prosperity, especially religion
and knowledge, were in full display because of the Lord's presence, just as
there is a full flood of light in the presence of the glowing sun. Maharaja
Yudhisthira observed some discrepancies in his kingdom, and therefore he
became very anxious about Arjuna, who was long absent, and there was also
no
news about Dvaraka's well-being. He suspected the disappearance of Lord
Krsna,
otherwise there would have been no possibility of fearful omens.

TEXT 3

kalasya ca gatim raudram

viparyastartu-dharminah
papiyasim nrnam vartam
krodha-lobhanrtatmanam

kalasya--of eternal time; ca--also; gatim--direction; raudram--fearful;

viparyasta--reversed; rtu--seasonal; dharminah--regularities;
papiyasim--sinful; nrnam--of the human being; vartam--means of livelihood;
krodha--anger; lobha--greed; anrta--falsehood; atmanam--of the people.

TRANSLATION

He saw that the direction of eternal time had changed, and this was very
fearful. There were disruptions in the seasonal regularities. The people in
general had become very greedy, angry and deceitful. And he saw that they
were
adopting foul means of livelihood.
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PURPORT

When civilization is disconnected from the loving relation of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead, symptoms like changes of seasonal regulations, foul
means of livelihood, greed, anger and fraudulence become rampant. The
change
of seasonal regulations refers to one season's atmosphere becoming manifest
in
another season--for example the rainy season's being transferred to autumn,
or
the fructification of fruits and flowers from one season in another season. A
godless man is invariably greedy, angry and fraudulent. Such a man can earn
his livelihood by any means, black or white. During the reign of Maharaja
Yudhisthira, all the above symptoms were conspicuous by their absence. But
Maharaja Yudhisthira was astonished to experience even a slight change in the
godly atmosphere of his kingdom, and at once he suspected the
disappearance of
the Lord. Foul means of livelihood implies deviation from one's occupational
duty. There are prescribed duties for everyone, such as the brahmana,
ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, but anyone who deviates from his prescribed duty
and declares another's duty to be his own is following a foul and improper
duty. A man becomes too greedy for wealth and power when he has no higher
objective in life and when he thinks that this earthly life of a few years is
all in all. Ignorance is the cause for all these anomalies in human society,
and to remove this ignorance, especially in this age of degradation, the
powerful sun is there to distribute light in the shape of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 4

jihma-prayam vyavahrtam
sathya-misram ca sauhrdam
pitr-matr-suhrd-bhratr-
dam-patinam ca kalkanam

jihma-prayam--cheating; vyavahrtam--in all ordinary transactions;

sathya--duplicity; misram--adulterated in; ca--and; sauhrdam--regarding
friendly well-wishers; pitr--father; matr--regarding the mother;
suhrt--well-wishers; bhratr--one's own brother; dam-patinam--regarding
husband
and wife; ca--also; kalkanam--mutual quarrel.

TRANSLATION

All ordinary transactions and dealings became polluted with cheating,

even between friends. And in familial affairs, there was always
misunderstanding between fathers, mothers and sons, between well-wishers,
and
between brothers. Even between husband and wife there was always strain
and
quarrel.

PURPORT
 516

A conditioned living being is endowed with four principles of

malpractice, namely errors, insanity, inability and cheating. These are signs
of imperfection, and out of the four the propensity to cheat others is most
prominent. And this cheating practice is there in the conditioned souls
because the conditioned souls are primarily in the material world imbued with
an unnatural desire to lord it over the material world. A living being in his
pure state is not conditioned by the laws because in his pure state he is
conscious that a living being is eternally subservient to the Supreme Being,
and thus it is always good for him to remain subservient, instead of falsely
trying to lord it over the property of the Supreme Lord. In the conditioned
state the living being is not satisfied even if he actually becomes the lord
of all that he surveys, which he never becomes, and therefore he becomes the
victim of all kinds of cheating, even with his nearest and most intimate
relations. In such an unsatisfactory state of affairs, there is no harmony,
even between father and sons or between husband and wife. But all these
contending difficulties can be mitigated by one process, and that is the
devotional service of the Lord. The world of hypocrisy can be checked only by
counteraction through devotional service to the Lord and nothing else.
Maharaja Yudhisthira, having observed the disparities, conjectured the
disappearance of the Lord from the earth.

TEXT 5

nimittany atyamstani
kale tv anugate nrnam
lobhady-adharma-prakrtim
drstvovacanujam nrpah

nimittani--causes; ati--very serious; amstani--bad omens; kale--in course of

time; tu--but; anugate--passing away; nrnam--of humanity at large;
lobha-adi--such as greed; adharma--irreligious; prakrtim--habits;
drstva--having observed; uvaca--said; anujam--younger brother; nrpah--the
King.

TRANSLATION

In course of time it came to pass that people in general became

accustomed to greed, anger, pride, etc. Maharaja Yudhisthira, observing all
these omens, spoke to his younger brother.

PURPORT

Such a pious king as Maharaja Yudhisthira at once became perturbed when

there were such inhuman symptoms as greed, anger, irreligiosity and
hypocrisy
rampant in society. It appears from this statement that all these symptoms of
degraded society were unknown to the people of the time, and it was
astonishing for them to have experienced them with the advent of the
Kali-yuga, or the age of quarrel.

TEXT 6
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yudhisthira uvaca
sampresito dvarakayam
jisnur bandhu-didrksaya
jnatum ca punya-slokasya
krsnasya ca vicestitam

yudhisthirah uvaca--Maharaja Yudhisthira said; sampresitah--has gone to;

dvarakayam--Dvaraka; jisnuh--Arjuna; bandhu--friends; didrksaya--for the sake
of meeting; jnatum--to know; ca--also; punya-slokasya--of the Personality of
Godhead; krsnasya--of Lord Sri Krsna; ca--and; vicestitam--program of work.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira said to his younger brother Bhimasena, I sent Arjuna

to Dvaraka to meet his friends and to learn from the Personality of Godhead
Krsna of His program of work.

TEXT 7

gatah saptadhuna masa

bhimasena tavanujah
nayati kasya va hetor
naham vededam anjasa

gatah--has gone; sapta--seven; adhuna--to date; masah--months; bhimasena--

O
Bhimasena; tava--your; anujah--younger brother; na--does not; ayati--come
back; kasya--for what; va--or; hetoh--reason; na--not; aham--I; veda--know;
idam--this; anjasa--factually.

TRANSLATION

Since he departed, seven months have passed, yet he has not returned. I
do not know factually how things are going there.

TEXT 8

api devarsinadistah
sa kalo 'yam upasthitah
yadatmano 'ngam akridam
bhagavan utsisrksati

api--whether; deva-rsina--by the demigod-saint (Narada); adistah--instructed;

sah--that; kalah--eternal time; ayam--this; upasthitah--arrived; yada--when;
atmanah--of His own self; angam--plenary portion; akridam--manifestation;
bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; utsisrksati--is going to quit.

TRANSLATION
 518

Is He going to quit His earthly pastimes, as Devarsi Narada indicated?

Has that time already arrived?

PURPORT

As we have discussed many times, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

Lord
Sri Krsna has many plenary expansions, and each and every one of them,
although equally powerful, executes different functions. In Bhagavad-gita
there are different statements by the Lord, and each of these statements is
meant for different plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions. For
example, Sri Krsna, the Lord, says in Bhagavad-gita:
"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O
descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I
descend Myself." (Bg. 4.7)
"To deliver the faithful, to annihilate the miscreants and also to
reestablish the principles of occupational duty, I appear in every age." (Bg.
4.8)
"If I should cease to work, then all humanity would be misdirected. I
would also be the cause of creating unwanted population, and I would thereby
destroy the peace of all sentient beings." (Bg. 3.24)
"Whatever action a great man performs, common men will follow. And
whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." (Bg.
3.21)
All the above statements by the Lord apply to different plenary portions
of the Lord, namely His expansions such as Sankarsana, Vasudeva,
Pradyumna,
Aniruddha and Narayana. These are all He Himself in different transcendental
expansions, and still the Lord as Sri Krsna functions in a different sphere of
transcendental exchange with different grades of devotees. And yet Lord
Krsna
as He is appears once every twenty-four hours of Brahma's time (or after a
lapse of 8,640,000,000 solar years) in each and every universe, and all His
transcendental pastimes are displayed in each and every universe in a routine
spool. But in that routine spool the functions of Lord Krsna, Lord Vasudeva,
etc., are complex problems for the layman. There is no difference between the
Lord's Self and the Lord's transcendental body. The expansions execute
differential activities. When the Lord, however, appears in His person as Lord
Sri Krsna, His other plenary portions also join in Him by His inconceivable
potency called yogamaya, and thus the Lord Krsna of Vrndavana is different
from the Lord Krsna of Mathura or the Lord Krsna of Dvaraka. The virat-rupa of
Lord Krsna is also different from Him, by His inconceivable potency. The
virat-rupa exhibited on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra is the material
conception of His form. Therefore it should be understood that when Lord
Krsna
was apparently killed by the bow and arrow of the hunter, the Lord left His
so-called material body in the material world. The Lord is kaivalya, and for
Him there is no difference between matter and spirit because everything is
created from Him. Therefore His quitting one sort of body or accepting another
body does not mean that He is like the ordinary living being. All such
activities are simultaneously one and different by His inconceivable potency.
 519

When Maharaja Yudhisthira was lamenting the possibility of His

disappearance,
it was just in pursuance of a custom of lamenting the disappearance of a great
friend, but factually the Lord never quits His transcendental body, as is
misconceived by less intelligent persons. Such less intelligent persons have
been condemned by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita, and they are known as
the
mudhas. That the Lord left His body means that He left again His plenary
portions in the respective dhamas (transcendental abodes), as He left His
virat-rupa in the material world.

TEXT 9

yasman nah sampado rajyam

darah pranah kulam prajah
asan sapatna-vijayo
lokas ca yad-anugrahat

yasmat--from whom; nah--our; sampadah--opulence; rajyam--kingdom; darah--

good
wives; pranah--existence of life; kulam--dynasty; prajah--subjects; asan--have
become possible; sapatna--competitors; vijayah--conquering; lokah--future
accommodation in higher planets; ca--and; yat--by whose; anugrahat--by the
mercy of.

TRANSLATION

From Him only, all our kingly opulence, good wives, lives, progeny,
control over our subjects, victory over our enemies, and future
accommodations
in higher planets have become possible. All this is due to His causeless mercy
upon us.

PURPORT

Material prosperity consists of a good wife, good home, sufficient land,

good children, aristocratic family relations, victory over competitors and, by
pious work, attainment of accommodations in the higher celestial planets for
better facilities of material amenities. These facilities are earned not only
by one's hard manual labor or by unfair means, but by the mercy of the
Supreme
Lord. Prosperity earned by one's personal endeavor also depends on the
mercy
of the Lord. Personal labor must be there in addition to the Lord's
benediction, but without the Lord's benediction no one is successful simply by
personal labor. The modernized man of Kali-yuga believes in personal
endeavor
and denies the benediction of the Supreme Lord. Even a great sannyasi of
India
delivered speeches in Chicago protesting the benedictions of the Supreme
Lord.
But as far as Vedic sastras are concerned, as we find in the pages of
 520

Srimad-Bhagavatam, the ultimate sanction for all success rests in the hands of
the Supreme Lord. Maharaja Yudhisthira admits this truth in his personal
success, and it behooves one to follow in the footsteps of a great king and
devotee of the Lord to make life a full success. If one could achieve success
without the sanction of the Lord then no medical practitioner would fail to
cure a patient. Despite the most advanced treatment of a suffering patient by
the most up-to-date medical practitioner, there is death, and even in the most
hopeless case, without medical treatment, a patient is cured astonishingly.
Therefore the conclusion is that God's sanction is the immediate cause for all
happenings, good or bad. Any successful man should feel grateful to the Lord
for all he has achieved.

TEXT 10

pasyotpatan nara-vyaghra
divyan bhauman sadaihikan
darunan samsato 'durad
bhayam no buddhi-mohanam

pasya--just see; utpatan--disturbances; nara-vyaghra--O man of tigerlike

strength; divyan--happenings in the sky or by planetary influence;
bhauman--happenings on the earth; sa-daihikan--happenings of the body and
the
mind; darunan--awfully dangerous; samsatah--indicating; adurat--in the near
future; bhayam--danger; nah--our; buddhi--intelligence; mohanam--deluding.

TRANSLATION

Just see, O man with a tiger's strength, how many miseries due to
celestial influences, earthly reactions and bodily pains--all very dangerous
in themselves--are foreboding danger in the near future by deluding our
intelligence.

PURPORT

Material advancement of civilization means advancement of the reactions

of the threefold miseries due to celestial influence, earthly reactions and
bodily or mental pains. By the celestial influence of the stars there are many
calamities like excessive heat, cold, rains or no rains, and the aftereffects
are famine, disease and epidemic. The aggregate result is agony of the body
and the mind. Man-made material science cannot do anything to counteract
these
threefold miseries. They are all punishments from the superior energy of maya
under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Therefore our constant touch with
the
Lord by devotional service can give us relief without our being disturbed in
the discharge of our human duties. The asuras, however, who do not believe in
the existence of God, make their own plans to counteract all these threefold
miseries, and so they meet with failures every time. The Bhagavad-gita (7.14)
clearly states that the reaction of material energy is never to be conquered,
because of the binding effects of the three modes. They can simply be
overcome
 521

by one who surrenders fully in devotion under the lotus feet of the Lord.

TEXT 11

urv-aksi-bahavo mahyam
sphuranty anga punah punah
vepathus capi hrdaye
arad dasyanti vipriyam

uru--thighs; aksi--eyes; bahavah--the arms; mahyam--in my;

sphuranti--quivering; anga--left side of the body; punah punah--again and
again; vepathuh--palpitations; ca--also; api--certainly; hrdaye--in the heart;
arat--due to fear; dasyanti--indicating; vipriyam--undesirables.

TRANSLATION

The left side of my body, my thighs, arms and eyes are all quivering
again and again. I am having heart palpitations due to fear. All this
indicates undesirable happenings.

PURPORT

Material existence is full of undesirables. Things we do not want are

forced upon us by some superior energy, and we do not see that these
undesirables are under the grip of the three modes of material nature. When a
man's eyes, arms and thighs all quiver constantly, one must know that
something is going to happen which is undesirable. These undesirables are
compared to fire in a forest. No one goes into the forest to set fires, but
fires automatically take place in the forest, creating inconceivable
calamities for the living beings of the forest. Such a fire cannot be
extinguished by any human efforts. The fire can be extinguished only by the
mercy of the Lord, who sends clouds to pour water on the forest. Similarly,
undesirable happenings in life cannot be checked by any number of plans.
Such
miseries can be removed only by the mercy of the Lord, who sends His bona
fide
representatives to enlighten human beings and thus save them from all
calamities.

TEXT 12

sivaisodyantam adityam
abhirauty analanana
mam anga sarameyo 'yam
abhirebhaty abhiruvat

siva--jackal; esa--this; udyantam--rising; adityam--unto the sun;

abhi--towards; rauti--crying; anala--fire; anana--face; mam--unto me; anga--O
Bhima; sarameyah--dog; ayam--this; abhirebhati--barks towards;
abhiru-vat--without fear.

TRANSLATION
 522

Just see, O Bhima, how the she jackal cries at the rising sun and vomits
fire, and how the dog barks at me fearlessly.

PURPORT

These are some bad omens indicating something undesirable in the near
future.

TEXT 13

sastah kurvanti mam savyam

daksinam pasavo 'pare
vahams ca purusa-vyaghra
laksaye rudato mama

sastah--useful animals like the cow; kurvanti--are keeping; mam--me;

savyam--on the left; daksinam--circumambulating; pasavah apare--other lower
animals like asses; vahan--the horses (carriers); ca--also; purusa-vyaghra--O
tiger among men; laksaye--I see; rudatah--weeping; mama--of mine.

TRANSLATION

O Bhimasena, tiger amongst men, now useful animals like cows are passing
me on my left side, and lower animals like the asses are circumambulating
me.
My horses appear to weep upon seeing me.

TEXT 14

mrtyu-dutah kapoto 'yam

ulukah kampayan manah
pratyulukas ca kuhvanair
visvam vai sunyam icchatah

mrtyu--death; dutah--messenger of; kapotah--pigeon; ayam--this; ulukah--owl;

kampayan--trembling; manah--mind; pratyulukah--the rivals of owls (crows);
ca--and; kuhvanaih--shrieking scream; visvam--the cosmos; vai--either;
sunyam--void; icchatah--wishing.

TRANSLATION

Just see! This pigeon is like a messenger of death. The shrieks of the
owls and their rival crows make my heart tremble. It appears that they want to
make a void of the whole universe.

TEXT 15

dhumra disah paridhayah

kampate bhuh sahadribhih
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nirghatas ca mahams tata

sakam ca stanayitnubhih

dhumrah--smoky; disah--all directions; paridhayah--encirclement;

kampate--throbbing; bhuh--the earth; saha adribhih--along with the hills and
mountains; nirghatah--bolt from the blue; ca--also; mahan--very great; tata--O
Bhima; sakam--with; ca--also; stanayitnubhih--thundering sound without any
cloud.

TRANSLATION

Just see how the smoke encircles the sky. It appears that the earth and
mountains are throbbing. Just hear the cloudless thunder and see the bolts
from the blue.

TEXT 16

vayur vati khara-sparso

rajasa visrjams tamah
asrg varsanti jalada
bibhatsam iva sarvatah

vayuh--wind; vati--blowing; khara-sparsah--sharply; rajasa--by the dust;

visrjan--creating; tamah--darkness; asrk--blood; varsanti--are raining;
jaladah--the clouds; bibhatsam--disastrous; iva--like; sarvatah--everywhere.

TRANSLATION

The wind blows violently, blasting dust everywhere and creating darkness.
Clouds are raining everywhere with bloody disasters.

TEXT 17

suryam hata-prabham pasya

graha-mardam mitho divi
sasankulair bhuta-ganair
jvalite iva rodasi

suryam--the sun; hata-prabham--its rays declining; pasya--just see;

graha-mardam--clashes of the stars; mithah--among one another; divi--in the
sky; sa-sankulaih--being mixed with; bhuta-ganaih--by the living entities;
jvalite--being ignited; iva--as if; rodasi--crying.

TRANSLATION

The rays of the sun are declining, and the stars appear to be fighting
amongst themselves. Confused living entities appear to be ablaze and
weeping.
 524

TEXT 18

nadyo nadas ca ksubhitah

saramsi ca manamsi ca
na jvalaty agnir ajyena
kalo 'yam kim vidhasyati

nadyah--rivers; nadah ca--and the tributaries; ksubhitah--all perturbed;

saramsi--reservoirs of water; ca--and; manamsi--the mind; ca--also; na--does
not; jvalati--ignite; agnih--fire; ajyena--with the help of butter; kalah--the
time; ayam--extraordinary it is; kim--what; vidhasyati--going to happen.

TRANSLATION

Rivers, tributaries, ponds, reservoirs and the mind are all perturbed.
Butter no longer ignites fire. What is this extraordinary time? What is going
to happen?

TEXT 19

na pibanti stanam vatsa

na duhyanti ca matarah
rudanty asru-mukha gavo
na hrsyanty rsabha vraje

na--does not; pibanti--suck; stanam--breast; vatsah--the calves; na--do not;

duhyanti--allow milking; ca--also; matarah--the cows; rudanti--crying;
asru-mukhah--with a tearful face; gavah--the cows; na--do not; hrsyanti--take
pleasure; rsabhah--the bulls; vraje--in the pasturing ground.

TRANSLATION

The calves do not suck the teats of the cows, nor do the cows give milk.
They are standing, crying, tears in their eyes, and the bulls take no pleasure
in the pasturing grounds.

TEXT 20

daivatani rudantiva
svidyanti hy uccalanti ca
ime jana-pada gramah
purodyanakarasramah
bhrasta-sriyo niranandah
kim agham darsayanti nah

daivatani--the Deities in the temples; rudanti--seem to be crying; iva--like

that; svidyanti--perspiring; hi--certainly; uccalanti--as if going out;
ca--also; ime--these; jana-padah--cities; gramah--villages; pura--towns;
udyana--gardens; akara--mines; asramah--hermitages, etc.; bhrasta--devoid
of;
 525

sriyah--beauty; niranandah--bereft of all happiness; kim--what sort of;

agham--calamities; darsayanti--shall manifest; nah--to us.

TRANSLATION

The Deities seem to be crying in the temple, lamenting and perspiring.

They seem about to leave. All the cities, villages, towns, gardens, mines and
hermitages are now devoid of beauty and bereft of all happiness. I do not
know
what sort of calamities are now awaiting us.

TEXT 21

manya etair mahotpatair

nunam bhagavatah padaih
ananya-purusa-sribhir
hina bhur hata-saubhaga

manye--I take it for granted; etaih--by all these; maha--great;

utpataih--upsurges; nunam--for want of; bhagavatah--of the Personality of
Godhead; padaih--the marks on the sole of the foot; ananya--extraordinary;
purusa--of the Supreme Personality; sribhih--by the auspicious signs;
hina--dispossessed; bhuh--the earth; hata-saubhaga--without the fortune.

TRANSLATION

I think that all these earthly disturbances indicate some greater loss to
the good fortune of the world. The world was fortunate to have been marked
with the footprints of the lotus feet of the Lord. These signs indicate that
this will no longer be.

TEXT 22

iti cintayatas tasya

drstaristena cetasa
rajnah pratyagamad brahman
yadu-puryah kapi-dhvajah

iti--thus; cintayatah--while thinking to himself; tasya--he; drsta--by

observing; aristena--bad omens; cetasa--by the mind; rajnah--the King;
prati--back; agamat--came; brahman--O brahmana; yadu-puryah--from the
kingdom
of the Yadus; kapi-dhvajah--Arjuna.

TRANSLATION

O Brahmana Saunaka, while Maharaja Yudhisthira, observing the

inauspicious signs on the earth at that time, was thus thinking to himself,
Arjuna came back from the city of the Yadus [Dvaraka].
 526

TEXT 23

tam padayor nipatitam

ayatha-purvam aturam
adho-vadanam ab-bindun
srjantam nayanabjayoh

tam--him (Arjuna); padayoh--at the feet; nipatitam--bowing down;

ayatha-purvam--unprecedented; aturam--dejected; adhah-vadanam--
downward face;
ap-bindun--drops of water; srjantam--creating; nayana-abjayoh--from the
lotuslike eyes.

TRANSLATION

When he bowed at his feet, the King saw that his dejection was
unprecedented. His head was down, and tears glided from his lotus eyes.

TEXT 24

vilokyodvigna-hrdayo
vicchayam anujam nrpah
prcchati sma suhrn madhye
samsmaran naraderitam

vilokya--by seeing; udvigna--anxious; hrdayah--heart; vicchayam--pale

appearance; anujam--Arjuna; nrpah--the King; prcchati sma--asked;
suhrt--friends; madhye--amongst; samsmaran--remembering; narada--Sage
Narada;
iritam--indicated by.

TRANSLATION

Seeing Arjuna pale due to heartfelt anxieties, the King, remembering the
indications of the sage Narada, questioned him in the midst of friends.

TEXT 25

yudhisthira uvaca
kaccid anarta-puryam nah
sva-janah sukham asate
madhu-bhoja-dasarharha-
satvatandhaka-vrsnayah

yudhisthirah uvaca--Yudhisthira said; kaccit--whether; anarta-puryam--of

Dvaraka; nah--our; sva-janah--relatives; sukham--happily; asate--are passing
their days; madhu--Madhu; bhoja--Bhoja; dasarha--Dasarha; arha--Arha;
satvata--Satvata; andhaka--Andhaka; vrsnayah--of the family of Vrsni.
 527

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira said: My dear brother, please tell me whether our

friends and relatives, such as Madhu, Bhoja, Dasarha, Arha, Satvata, Andhaka
and the members of the Yadu family are all passing their days in happiness.

TEXT 26

suro matamahah kaccit

svasty aste vatha marisah
matulah sanujah kaccit
kusaly anakadundubhih

surah--Surasena; matamahah--maternal grandfather; kaccit--whether; svasti--

all
good; aste--passing his days; va--or; atha--therefore; marisah--respectful;
matulah--maternal uncle; sa-anujah--with his younger brothers;
kaccit--whether; kusali--all well; anaka-dundubhih--Vasudeva.

TRANSLATION

Is my respectable grandfather Surasena in a happy mood? And are my

maternal uncle Vasudeva and his younger brothers all doing well?

TEXT 27

sapta sva-saras tat-patnyo

matulanyah sahatmajah
asate sasnusah ksemam
devaki-pramukhah svayam

sapta--seven; sva-sarah--own sisters; tat-patnyah--his wives;

matulanyah--maternal aunts; saha--along with; atma-jah--sons and grandsons;
asate--are all; sasnusah--with their daughters-in-law; ksemam--happiness;
devaki--Devaki; pramukhah--headed by; svayam--personally.

TRANSLATION

His seven wives, headed by Devaki, are all sisters. Are they and their
sons and daughters-in-law all happy?

TEXT 28-29

kaccid rajahuko jivaty

asat-putro 'sya canujah
hrdikah sasuto 'kruro
jayanta-gada-saranah

asate kusalam kaccid

 528

ye ca satrujid-adayah
kaccid aste sukham ramo
bhagavan satvatam prabhuh

kaccit--whether; raja--the King; ahukah--another name of Ugrasena;

jivati--still living; asat--mischievous; putrah--son; asya--his; ca--also;
anujah--younger brother; hrdikah--Hrdika; sa-sutah--along with son,
Krtavarma;
akrurah--Akrura; jayanta--Jayanta; gada--Gada; saranah--Sarana; asate--are
they all; kusalam--in happiness; kaccit--whether; ye--they; ca--also;
satrujit--Satrujit; adayah--headed by; kaccit--whether; aste--are they;
sukham--all right; ramah--Balarama; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;
satvatam--of the devotees; prabhuh--protector.

TRANSLATION

Are Ugrasena, whose son was the mischievous Kamsa, and his younger
brother still living? Are Hrdika and his son Krtavarma happy? Are Akrura,
Jayanta, Gada, Sarana and Satrujit all happy? How is Balarama, the Personality
of Godhead and the protector of devotees?

PURPORT

Hastinapura, the capital of the Pandavas, was situated somewhere near

present New Delhi, and the kingdom of Ugrasena was situated in Mathura.
While
returning to Delhi from Dvaraka, Arjuna must have visited the city of Mathura,
and therefore the inquiry about the King of Mathura is valid. Amongst various
names of the relatives, the name of Rama or Balarama, eldest brother of Lord
Krsna, is added with the words "the Personality of Godhead" because Lord
Balarama is the immediate expansion of visnu-tattva as prakasa-vigraha of
Lord
Krsna. The Supreme Lord, although one without a second, expands Himself as
many other living beings. The visnu-tattva living beings are expansions of the
Supreme Lord, and all of them are qualitatively and quantitatively equal with
the Lord. But expansions of the jiva-sakti, the category of the ordinary
living beings, are not at all equal with the Lord. One who considers the
jiva-sakti and the visnu-tattva to be on an equal level is considered a
condemned soul of the world. Sri Rama, or Balarama, is the protector of the
devotees of the Lord. Baladeva acts as the spiritual master of all devotees,
and by His causeless mercy the fallen souls are delivered. Sri Baladeva
appeared as Sri Nityananda Prabhu during the advent of Lord Caitanya, and
the
great Lord Nityananda Prabhu exhibited His causeless mercy by delivering a
pair of extremely fallen souls, namely Jagai and Madhai. Therefore it is
particularly mentioned herein that Balarama is the protector of the devotees
of the Lord. By His divine grace only one can approach the Supreme Lord Sri
Krsna, and thus Sri Balarama is the mercy incarnation of the Lord, manifested
as the spiritual master, the savior of the pure devotees.

TEXT 30
 529

pradyumnah sarva-vrsninam
sukham aste maha-rathah
gambhira-rayo 'niruddho
vardhate bhagavan uta

pradyumnah--Pradyumna (a son of Lord Krsna); sarva--all; vrsninam--of the

members of the Vrsni family; sukham--happiness; aste--are in; maha-rathah--
the
great general; gambhira--deeply; rayah--dexterity; aniruddhah--Aniruddha (a
grandson of Lord Krsna); vardhate--flourishing; bhagavan--the Personality of
Godhead; uta--must.

TRANSLATION

How is Pradyumna, the great general of the Vrsni family? Is He happy? And
is Aniruddha, the plenary expansion of the Personality of Godhead, faring
well?

PURPORT

Pradyumna and Aniruddha are also expansions of the Personality of

Godhead, and thus They are also visnu-tattva. At Dvaraka Lord Vasudeva is
engaged in His transcendental pastimes along with His plenary expansions,
namely Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, and therefore each and every
one
of Them can be addressed as the Personality of Godhead, as it is mentioned in
connection with the name Aniruddha.

TEXT 31

susenas carudesnas ca
sambo jambavati-sutah
anye ca karsni-pravarah
saputra rsabhadayah

susenah--Susena; carudesnah--Carudesna; ca--and; sambah--Samba;

jambavati-sutah--the son of Jambavati; anye--others; ca--also; karsni--the
sons of Lord Krsna; pravarah--all chieftains; saputrah--along with their sons;
rsabha--Rsabha; adayah--etc.

TRANSLATION

Are all the chieftain sons of Lord Krsna, such as Susena, Carudesna,
Samba the son of Jambavati, and Rsabha, along with their sons, all doing well?

PURPORT

As already mentioned, Lord Krsna married 16,108 wives, and each of them
had ten sons. Therefore 16,108 x 10 161,080 sons. They all grew up, and each
of them had as many sons as their father, and the whole aggregate was
something near 1,610,800 family members of the Lord. The Lord is the father
of
 530

all living beings, who are countless in number; therefore only a few of them
are called to associate with the Lord in His transcendental pastimes as the
Lord of Dvaraka on this earth. It is not astonishing that the Lord maintained
a visible family consisting of so many members. It is better to refrain from
comparing the Lord's position to ours, and it becomes a simple truth as soon
as we understand at least a partial calculation of the Lord's transcendental
position. King Yudhisthira, while inquiring about the Lord's sons and
grandsons at Dvaraka, mentioned only the chieftains amongst them, for it was
impossible for him to remember all the names of the Lord's family members.

TEXT 32-33

tathaivanucarah saureh
srutadevoddhavadayah
sunanda-nanda-sirsanya
ye canye satvatarsabhah

api svasty asate sarve

rama-krsna-bhujasrayah
api smaranti kusalam
asmakam baddha-sauhrdah

tatha eva--similarly; anucarah--constant companions; saureh--of Lord Sri Krsna

such as; srutadeva--Srutadeva; uddhava-adayah--Uddhava and others;
sunanda--Sunanda; nanda--Nanda; sirsanyah--other leaders; ye--all of them;
ca--and; anye--others; satvata--liberated souls; rsabhah--the best men;
api--if; svasti--doing well; asate--are; sarve--all of them; rama--Balarama;
krsna--Lord Krsna; bhuja-asrayah--under the protection of; api--if also;
smaranti--do remember; kusalam--welfare; asmakam--about ourselves;
baddha-sauhrdah--bound by eternal friendship.

TRANSLATION

Also, Srutadeva, Uddhava and others, Nanda, Sunanda and other leaders of
liberated souls who are constant companions of the Lord are protected by Lord
Balarama and Krsna. Are they all doing well in their respective functions? Do
they, who are all eternally bound in friendship with us, remember our welfare?

PURPORT

The constant companions of Lord Krsna, such as Uddhava, are all liberated
souls, and they descended along with Lord Krsna to this material world to
fulfill the mission of the Lord. The Pandavas are also liberated souls who
descended along with Lord Krsna to serve Him in His transcendental pastimes
on
this earth. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (4.8), the Lord and His eternal
associates, who are also liberated souls like the Lord, come down on this
earth at certain intervals. The Lord remembers them all, but His associates,
although liberated souls, forget due to their being tatastha sakti, or
marginal potency of the Lord. That is the difference between the visnu-tattva
and jiva-tattva. The jiva-tattvas are infinitesimal potential particles of the
Lord, and therefore they require the protection of the Lord at all times. And
 531

to the eternal servitors of the Lord, the Lord is pleased to give all
protection at all times. The liberated souls never, therefore, think
themselves as free as the Lord or as powerful as the Lord, but they always
seek the protection of the Lord in all circumstances, both in the material
world and in the spiritual world. This dependence of the liberated soul is
constitutional, for the liberated souls are like sparks of a fire that are
able to exhibit the glow of fire along with the fire and not independently.
Independently the glow of the sparks is extinguished, although the quality of
fire or the glowing is there. Thus those who give up the protection of the
Lord and become so-called lords themselves, out of spiritual ignorance, come
back again to this material world, even after prolonged tapasya of the
severest type. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature.

TEXT 34

bhagavan api govindo

brahmanyo bhakta-vatsalah
kaccit pure sudharmayam
sukham aste suhrd-vrtah

bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead, Krsna; api--also; govindah--one who

enlivens the cows and the senses; brahmanyah--devoted to the devotees of
the
brahmanas; bhakta-vatsalah--affectionate to the devotees; kaccit--whether;
pure--in Dvaraka Puri; sudharmayam--pious assembly; sukham--happiness;
aste--does enjoy; suhrt-vrtah--surrounded by friends.

TRANSLATION

Is Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gives pleasure to

the cows, the senses and the brahmanas, who is very affectionate towards His
devotees, enjoying the pious assembly at Dvaraka Puri surrounded by friends?

PURPORT

Here in this particular verse the Lord is described as bhagavan, govinda,

brahmanya and bhakta-vatsala. He is bhagavan svayam, or the original
Supreme
Personality of Godhead, full with all opulences, all power, all knowledge, all
beauty, all fame and all renunciation. No one is equal to or greater than Him.
He is Govinda because He is the pleasure of the cows and the senses. Those
who
have purified their senses by the devotional service of the Lord can render
unto Him real service and thereby derive transcendental pleasure out of such
purified senses. Only the impure conditioned living being cannot derive any
pleasure from the senses, but being illusioned by false pleasures of the
senses, he becomes servant of the senses. Therefore, we need His protection
for our own interest. The Lord is the protector of cows and the brahminical
culture. A society devoid of cow protection and brahminical culture is not
under the direct protection of the Lord, just as the prisoners in the jails
are not under the protection of the king but under the protection of a severe
agent of the king. Without cow protection and cultivation of the brahminical
 532

qualities in human society, at least for a section of the members of society,

no human civilization can prosper at any length. By brahminical culture, the
development of the dormant qualities of goodness, namely truthfulness,
equanimity, sense control, forbearance, simplicity, general knowledge,
transcendental knowledge, and firm faith in the Vedic wisdom, one can
become a
brahmana and thus see the Lord as He is. And after surpassing the
brahminical
perfection, one has to become a devotee of the Lord so that His loving
affection in the form of proprietor, master, friend, son and lover can be
transcendentally achieved. The stage of a devotee, which attracts the
transcendental affection of the Lord, does not develop unless one has
developed the qualities of a brahmana as above mentioned. The Lord is
inclined
to a brahmana of quality and not of false prestige. Those who are less than a
brahmana by qualification cannot establish any relation with the Lord, just as
fire cannot be kindled from the raw earth unless there is wood, although there
is a relation between wood and the earth. Since the Lord is all-perfect in
Himself, there could not be any question of His welfare, and Maharaja
Yudhisthira refrained from asking this question. He simply inquired about His
residential place, Dvaraka Puri, where pious men assemble. The Lord stays
only
where pious men assemble and takes pleasure in their glorifying the Supreme
Truth. Maharaja Yudhisthira was anxious to know about the pious men and
their
pious acts in the city of Dvaraka.

TEXT 35-36

mangalaya ca lokanam
ksemaya ca bhavaya ca
aste yadu-kulambhodhav
adyo 'nanta-sakhah puman

yad bahu-danda-guptayam
sva-puryam yadavo 'rcitah
kridanti paramanandam
maha-paurusika iva

mangalaya--for all good; ca--also; lokanam--of all the planets; ksemaya--for

protection; ca--and; bhavaya--for elevation; ca--also; aste--is there;
yadu-kula-ambhodhau--in the ocean of the Yadu dynasty; adyah--the original;
ananta-sakhah--in the company of Ananta (Balarama); puman--the supreme
enjoyer; yat--whose; bahu-danda-guptayam--being protected by His arms;
sva-puryam--in His own city; yadavah--the members of the Yadu family;
arcitah--as they deserve; kridanti--are relishing;
parama-anandam--transcendental pleasure; maha-paurusikah--the residents
of the
spiritual sky; iva--like.

TRANSLATION
 533

The original Personality of Godhead, the enjoyer, and Balarama, the

primeval Lord Ananta, are staying in the ocean of the Yadu dynasty for the
welfare, protection and general progress of the entire universe. And the
members of the Yadu dynasty, being protected by the arms of the Lord, are
enjoying life like the residents of the spiritual sky.

PURPORT

As we have discussed many times, the Personality of Godhead Visnu

resides
within each and every universe in two capacities, namely as the
Garbhodakasayi
Visnu and the Ksirodakasayi Visnu. The Ksirodakasayi Visnu has His own planet
on the northern top of the universe, and there is a great ocean of milk where
the Lord resides on the bed of the Ananta incarnation of Baladeva. Thus
Maharaja Yudhisthira has compared the Yadu dynasty to the ocean of milk and
Sri Balarama to the Ananta where Lord Krsna resides. He has compared the
citizens of Dvaraka to the liberated inhabitants of the Vaikunthalokas. Beyond
the material sky, further than we can see with our eyes and beyond the
sevenfold coverings of the universe, there is the Causal Ocean in which all
the universes are floating like footballs, and beyond the Causal Ocean there
is an unlimited span of spiritual sky generally known as the effulgence of
Brahman. Within this effulgence there are innumerable spiritual planets, and
they are known as the Vaikuntha planets. Each and every Vaikuntha planet is
many, many times bigger than the biggest universe within the material world,
and in each of them there are innumerable inhabitants who look exactly like
Lord Visnu. These inhabitants are known as the Maha-paurusikas, or persons
directly engaged in the service of the Lord. They are happy in those planets
and are without any kind of misery, and they live perpetually in full
youthfulness, enjoying life in full bliss and knowledge without fear of birth,
death, old age or disease, and without the influence of kala, eternal time.
Maharaja Yudhisthira has compared the inhabitants of Dvaraka to the
Maha-paurusikas of Vaikunthaloka because they are so happy with the Lord. In
the Bhagavad-gita there are many references to the Vaikunthalokas, and they
are mentioned there as mad-dhama, or the kingdom of the Lord.

TEXT 37

yat-pada-susrusana-mukhya-karmana
satyadayo dvy-asta-sahasra-yositah
nirjitya sankhye tri-dasams tad-asiso
haranti vajrayudha-vallabhocitah

yat--whose; pada--feet; susrusana--administration of comforts; mukhya--the

most important; karmana--by the acts of; satya-adayah--queens headed by
Satyabhama; dvi-asta--twice eight; sahasra--thousand; yositah--the fair sex;
nirjitya--by subduing; sankhye--in the battle; tri-dasan--of the denizens of
heaven; tat-asisah--what is enjoyed by the demigods; haranti--do take away;
vajra-ayudha-vallabha--the wives of the personality who controls the
thunderbolt; ucitah--deserving.

TRANSLATION
 534

Simply by administering comforts at the lotus feet of the Lord, which is

the most important of all services, the queens at Dvaraka, headed by
Satyabhama, induced the Lord to conquer the demigods. Thus the queens
enjoy
things which are prerogatives of the wives of the controller of thunderbolts.

PURPORT

Satyabhama: One of the principal queens of Lord Sri Krsna at Dvaraka.

After killing Narakasura, Lord Krsna visited the palace of Narakasura
accompanied by Satyabhama. He went to Indraloka also with Satyabhama,
and she
was received by Sacidevi, who introduced her to the mother of the demigods,
Aditi. Aditi was very much pleased with Satyabhama, and she blessed her with
the benediction of permanent youth as long as Lord Krsna remained on the
earth. Aditi also took her with her to show her the special prerogatives of
the demigods in the heavenly planets. When Satyabhama saw the parijata
flower,
she desired to have it in her palace at Dvaraka. After that, she came back to
Dvaraka along with her husband and expressed her willingness to have the
parijata flower at her palace. Satyabhama's palace was especially bedecked
with valuable jewels, and even in the hottest season of summer the inside of
the palace remained cool, as if air-conditioned. She decorated her palace with
various flags, heralding the news of her great husband's presence there. Once,
along with her husband, she met Draupadi, and she was anxious to be
instructed
by Draupadi in the ways and means of pleasing her husband. Draupadi was
expert
in this affair because she kept five husbands, the Pandavas, and all were very
much pleased with her. On receipt of Draupadi's instructions, she was very
much pleased and offered her good wishes and returned to Dvaraka. She was
the
daughter of Satrajit. After the departure of Lord Krsna, when Arjuna visited
Dvaraka, all the queens, including Satyabhama and Rukmini, lamented for the
Lord with great feeling. At the last stage of her life, she left for the
forest to undergo severe penance.
Satyabhama instigated her husband to get the parijata flower from the
heavenly planets, and the Lord got it even by force from the demigods, as a
common husband secures things to please his wife. As already explained, the
Lord had very little to do with so many wives to carry out their orders like
an ordinary man. But because the queens accepted the high quality of
devotional service, namely administering the Lord all comforts, the Lord
played the part of a faithful and complete husband. No earthly creature can
expect to have things from the heavenly kingdom, especially the parijata
flowers, which are simply to be used by the demigods. But due to their
becoming the Lord's faithful wives, all of them enjoyed the special
prerogatives of the great wives of the denizens of heaven. In other words,
since the Lord is the proprietor of everything within His creation, it is not
very astonishing for the queens of Dvaraka to have any rare thing from any
part of the universe.
 535

TEXT 38

yad bahu-dandabhyudayanujivino
yadu-pravira hy akutobhaya muhuh
adhikramanty anghribhir ahrtam balat
sabham sudharmam sura-sattamocitam

yat--whose; bahu-danda--arms; abhyudaya--influenced by; anujivinah--always

living; yadu--the members of the Yadu dynasty; pravirah--great heroes; hi
akutobhayah--fearless in every respect; muhuh--constantly;
adhikramanti--traversing; anghribhih--by foot; ahrtam--brought about;
balat--by force; sabham--assembly house; sudharmam--Sudharma;
sura-sat-tama--the best among the demigods; ucitam--deserving.

TRANSLATION

The great heroes of the Yadu dynasty, being protected by the arms of Lord
Sri Krsna, always remain fearless in every respect. And therefore their feet
trample over the Sudharma assembly house, which the best demigods
deserved but
which was taken away from them.

PURPORT

Those who are directly servitors of the Lord are protected by the Lord
from all fearfulness, and they also enjoy the best of things, even if they are
forcibly accumulated. The Lord is equal in behavior to all living beings, but
He is partial to His pure devotees, being very affectionate toward them. The
city of Dvaraka was flourishing, being enriched with the best of things in the
material world. The state assembly house is constructed according to the
dignity of the particular state. In the heavenly planets, the state assembly
house called Sudharma was deserving of the dignity of the best of the
demigods. Such an assembly house is never meant for any state on the globe
because the human being on the earth is unable to construct it, however far a
particular state may be materially advanced. But during the time of Lord
Krsna's presence on the earth, the members of the Yadu family forcibly
brought
the celestial assembly house to earth and placed it at Dvaraka. They were able
to use such force because they were certain of the indulgence and protection
of the Supreme Lord Krsna. In other words, the Lord is provided with the best
things in the universe by His pure devotees. Lord Krsna was provided with all
kinds of comforts and facilities available within the universe by the members
of the Yadu dynasty, and in return such servitors of the Lord were protected
and fearless.
A forgetful, conditioned soul is fearful. But a liberated soul is never
fearful, just as a small child completely dependent on the mercy of his father
is never fearful of anyone. Fearfulness is a sort of illusion for the living
being when he is in slumber and forgetting his eternal relation with the Lord.
Since the living being is never to die by his constitution, as stated in
Bhagavad-gita (2.20), then what is the cause of fearfulness? A person may be
fearful of a tiger in a dream, but another man who is awake by his side sees
no tiger there. The tiger is a myth for both of them, namely the person
 536

dreaming and the person awake, because actually there is no tiger; but the
man
forgetful of his awakened life is fearful, whereas the man who has not
forgotten his position is not at all fearful. Thus the members of the Yadu
dynasty were fully awake in their service to the Lord, and therefore there was
no tiger for them to be afraid of at any time. Even if there were a real
tiger, the Lord was there to protect them.

TEXT 39

kaccit te 'namayam tata

bhrasta-teja vibhasi me
alabdha-mano 'vajnatah
kim va tata cirositah

kaccit--whether; te--your; anamayam--health is all right; tata--my dear

brother; bhrasta--bereft; tejah--luster; vibhasi--appear; me--to me;
alabdha-manah--without respect; avajnatah--neglected; kim--whether; va--or;
tata--my dear brother; cirositah--because of long residence.

TRANSLATION

My brother Arjuna, please tell me whether your health is all right. You
appear to have lost your bodily luster. Is this due to others disrespecting
and neglecting you because of your long stay at Dvaraka?

PURPORT

From all angles of vision, the Maharaja inquired from Arjuna about the
welfare of Dvaraka, but he concluded at last that as long as Lord Sri Krsna
Himself was there, nothing inauspicious could happen. But at the same time,
Arjuna appeared to be bereft of his bodily luster, and thus the King inquired
of his personal welfare and asked so many vital questions.

TEXT 40

kaccin nabhihato 'bhavaih

sabdadibhir amangalaih
na dattam uktam arthibhya
asaya yat pratisrutam

kaccit--whether; na--could not; abhihatah--addressed by; abhavaih--unfriendly;

sabda-adibhih--by sounds; amangalaih--inauspicious; na--did not; dattam--give
in charity; uktam--is said; arthibhyah--unto one who asked; asaya--with hope;
yat--what; pratisrutam--promised to be paid.

TRANSLATION

Has someone addressed you with unfriendly words or threatened you?

Could
you not give charity to one who asked, or could you not keep your promise to
someone?
 537

PURPORT

A ksatriya or a rich man is sometimes visited by persons who are in need

of money. When they are asked for a donation, it is the duty of the possessor
of wealth to give in charity in consideration of the person, place and time.
If a ksatriya or a rich man fails to comply with this obligation, he must be
very sorry for this discrepancy. Similarly, one should not fail to keep his
promise to give in charity. These discrepancies are sometimes causes of
despondency, and thus failing, a person becomes subjected to criticism, which
might also be the cause of Arjuna's plight.

TEXT 41

kaccit tvam brahmanam balam

gam vrddham roginam striyam
saranopasrtam sattvam
natyaksih sarana-pradah

kaccit--whether; tvam--yourself; brahmanam--the brahmanas; balam--the

child;
gam--the cow; vrddham--old; roginam--the diseased; striyam--the woman;
sarana-upasrtam--having approached for protection; sattvam--any living
being;
na--whether; atyaksih--not given shelter; sarana-pradah--deserving protection.

TRANSLATION

You are always the protector of the deserving living beings, such as
brahmanas, children, cows, women and the diseased. Could you not give them
protection when they approached you for shelter?

PURPORT

The brahmanas, who are always engaged in researching knowledge for the
society's welfare work, both materially and spiritually, deserve the
protection of the king in all respects. Similarly, the children of the state,
the cow, the diseased person, the woman and the old man specifically require
the protection of the state or a ksatriya king. If such living beings do not
get protection by the ksatriya, or the royal order, or by the state, it is
certainly shameful for the ksatriya or the state. If such things had actually
happened to Arjuna, Maharaja Yudhisthira was anxious to know about these
discrepancies.

TEXT 42

kaccit tvam nagamo 'gamyam

gamyam vasat-krtam striyam
parajito vatha bhavan
nottamair nasamaih pathi

kaccit--whether; tvam--yourself na--not; agamah--did contact;

 538

agamyam--impeachable; gamyam--acceptable; va--either; asat-krtam--

improperly
treated; striyam--a woman; parajitah--defeated by; va--either; atha--after
all; bhavan--your good self; na--nor; uttamaih--by superior power; na--not;
asamaih--by equals; pathi--on the road.

TRANSLATION

Have you contacted a woman of impeachable character, or have you not

properly treated a deserving woman? Or have you been defeated on the way
by
someone who is inferior or equal to you?

PURPORT

It appears from this verse that during the time of the Pandavas free
contact between man and woman was allowed in certain conditions only. The
higher-caste men, namely the brahmanas and ksatriyas, could accept a
woman of
the vaisya or the sudra community, but a man from the lower castes could not
contact a woman of the higher caste. Even a ksatriya could not contact a
woman
of the brahmana caste. The wife of a brahmana is considered one of the seven
mothers (namely one's own mother, the wife of the spiritual master or
teacher,
the wife of a brahmana, the wife of a king, the cow, the nurse, and the
earth). Such contact between man and woman was known as uttama and
adhama.
Contact of a brahmana with a ksatriya woman is uttama, but the contact of a
ksatriya with a brahmana woman is adhama and therefore condemned. A
woman
approaching a man for contact should never be refused, but at the same time
the discretion as above mentioned may also be considered. Bhima was
approached
by Hidimbi from a community lower than the sudras, and Yayati refused to
marry
the daughter of Sukracarya because of Sukracarya's being a brahmana.
Vyasadeva, a brahmana, was called to beget Pandu and Dhrtarastra. Satyavati
belonged to a family of fishermen, but Parasara, a great brahmana, begot in
her Vyasadeva. So there are so many examples of contacts with woman, but
in
all cases the contacts were not abominable nor were the results of such
contacts bad. Contact between man and woman is natural, but that also must
be
carried out under regulative principles so that social consecration may not be
disturbed or unwanted worthless population be increased for the unrest of the
world.
It is abominable for a ksatriya to be defeated by one who is inferior in
strength or equal in strength. If one is defeated at all, he should be
defeated by some superior power. Arjuna was defeated by Bhismadeva, and
Lord
Krsna saved him from the danger. This was not an insult for Arjuna because
 539

Bhismadeva was far superior to Arjuna in all ways, namely age, respect and
strength. But Karna was equal to Arjuna, and therefore Arjuna was in crisis
when fighting with Karna. It was felt by Arjuna, and therefore Karna was
killed even by crooked means. Such are the engagements of the ksatriyas, and
Maharaja Yudhisthira inquired from his brother whether anything undesirable
happened on the way home from Dvaraka.

TEXT 43

api svit parya-bhunkthas tvam

sambhojyan vrddha-balakan
jugupsitam karma kincit
krtavan na yad aksamam

api svit--if it were so that; parya--by leaving aside; bhunkthah--have dined;

tvam--yourself; sambhojyan--deserving to dine together; vrddha--the old men;
balakan--boys; jugupsitam--abominable; karma--action; kincit--something;
krtavan--you must have done; na--not; yat--that which; aksamam--
unpardonable.

TRANSLATION

Have you not taken care of old men and boys who deserve to dine with
you?
Have you left them and taken your meals alone? Have you committed some
unpardonable mistake which is considered to be abominable?

PURPORT

It is the duty of a householder to feed first of all the children, the

old members of the family, the brahmanas and the invalids. Besides that, an
ideal householder is required to call for any unknown hungry man to come and
dine before he himself goes to take his meals. He is required to call for such
a hungry man thrice on the road. The neglect of this prescribed duty of a
householder, especially in the matter of the old men and children, is
unpardonable.

TEXT 44

kaccit presthatamenatha
hrdayenatma-bandhuna
sunyo 'smi rahito nityam
manyase te 'nyatha na ruk

kaccit--whether; prestha-tamena--unto the most dear one; atha--my brother

Arjuna; hrdayena--most intimate; atma-bandhuna--own friend Lord Krsna;
sunyah--void; asmi--I am; rahitah--having lost; nityam--for all time;
manyase--you think; te--your; anyatha--otherwise; na--never; ruk--mental
distress.

TRANSLATION
 540

Or is it that you are feeling empty for all time because you might have
lost your most intimate friend, Lord Krsna? O my brother Arjuna, I can think
of no other reason for your becoming so dejected.

PURPORT

All the inquisitiveness of Maharaja Yudhisthira about the world situation

was already conjectured by Maharaja Yudhisthira on the basis of Lord Krsna's
disappearance from the vision of the world, and this was now disclosed by him
because of the acute dejection of Arjuna, which could not have been possible
otherwise. So even though he was doubtful about it, he was obliged to inquire
frankly from Arjuna on the basis of Sri Narada's indication.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Fourteenth
Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The Disappearance of Lord
Krsna."

Chapter Fifteen

The Pandavas Retire Timely

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
evam krsna-sakhah krsno
bhratra rajna vikalpitah
nana-sankaspadam rupam
krsna-vislesa-karsitah

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; evam--thus; krsna-sakhah--the celebrated

friend of Krsna; krsnah--Arjuna; bhratra--by his elder brother; rajna--King
Yudhisthira; vikalpitah--speculated; nana--various; sanka-aspadam--based on
many doubts; rupam--forms; krsna--Lord Sri Krsna; vislesa--feelings of
separation; karsitah--became greatly bereaved.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Arjuna, the celebrated friend of Lord Krsna, was
grief-stricken because of his strong feeling of separation from Krsna, over
and above all Maharaja Yudhisthira's speculative inquiries.

PURPORT

Being too much aggrieved, Arjuna practically became choked up, and
therefore it was not possible for him to reply properly to the various
speculative inquiries of Maharaja Yudhisthira.

TEXT 2

sokena susyad-vadana-
 541

hrt-sarojo hata-prabhah
vibhum tam evanusmaran
nasaknot pratibhasitum

sokena--due to bereavement; susyat-vadana--drying up of the mouth;

hrt-sarojah--lotuslike heart; hata--lost; prabhah--bodily luster; vibhum--the
Supreme; tam--unto Lord Krsna; eva--certainly; anusmaran--thinking within;
na--could not; asaknot--be able; pratibhasitum--properly replying.

TRANSLATION

Due to grief, Arjuna's mouth and lotuslike heart had dried up. Therefore
his body lost all luster. Now, remembering the Supreme Lord, he could hardly
utter a word in reply.

TEXT 3

krcchrena samstabhya sucah

paninamrjya netrayoh
paroksena samunnaddha-
pranayautkanthya-katarah

krcchrena--with great difficulty; samstabhya--by checking the force; sucah--of

bereavement; panina--with his hands; amrjya--smearing; netrayoh--the eyes;
paroksena--due to being out of sight; samunnaddha--increasingly;
pranaya-autkanthya--eagerly thinking of the affection; katarah--distressed.

TRANSLATION

With great difficulty he checked the tears of grief that smeared his
eyes. He was very distressed because Lord Krsna was out of his sight, and he
increasingly felt affection for Him.

TEXT 4

sakhyam maitrim sauhrdam ca

sarathyadisu samsmaran
nrpam agrajam ity aha
baspa-gadgadaya gira

sakhyam--well-wishing; maitrim--benediction; sauhrdam--intimately related;

ca--also; sarathya-adisu--in becoming the chariot driver;
samsmaran--remembering all these; nrpam--unto the King; agrajam--the
eldest
brother; iti--thus; aha--said; baspa--heavily breathing;
gadgadaya--overwhelmingly; gira--by speeches.

TRANSLATION

Remembering Lord Krsna and His well-wishes, benefactions, intimate

 542

familial relations and His chariot driving, Arjuna, overwhelmed and breathing
very heavily, began to speak.

PURPORT

The Supreme Living Being is perfect in all relations with His pure
devotee. Sri Arjuna is one of the typical pure devotees of the Lord
reciprocating in the fraternal relationship, and the Lord's dealings with
Arjuna are displays of friendship of the highest perfect order. He was not
only a well-wisher of Arjuna but actually a benefactor, and to make it still
more perfect the Lord tied him into a family relationship by arranging
Subhadra's marriage with him. And above all, the Lord agreed to become a
chariot driver of Arjuna in order to protect His friend from warfare risks,
and the Lord became actually happy when He established the Pandavas to
rule
over the world. Arjuna remembered all these one after another, and thus he
became overwhelmed with such thoughts.

TEXT 5

arjuna uvaca
vancito 'ham maha-raja
harina bandhu-rupina
yena me 'pahrtam tejo
deva-vismapanam mahat

arjunah uvaca--Arjuna said; vancitah--left by Him; aham--myself; maha-raja--O

King; harina--by the Personality of Godhead; bandhu-rupina--as if an intimate
friend; yena--by whom; me--my; apahrtam--I have been bereft; tejah--power;
deva--the demigods; vismapanam--astonishing; mahat--astounding.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna said: O King! The Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari, who treated
me exactly like an intimate friend, has left me alone. Thus my astounding
power, which astonished even the demigods, is no longer with me.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (10.41) the Lord says, "Anyone specifically powerful

and opulent in wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge and all that is materially
desirable is to be considered but a product of an insignificant portion of the
complete whole of My energy." No one, therefore, can be independently
powerful
in any measure without being endowed by the Lord. When the Lord descends
on
the earth along with His eternal ever-liberated associates, He not only
displays the divine energy possessed by Himself, but also empowers His
associate devotees with the required energy to execute His mission of
incarnation. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita (4.5) that the Lord and
His eternal associates descend on the earth many times, but the Lord
remembers
 543

all the different roles of incarnations, whereas the associates, by His

supreme will, forget them. Similarly, the Lord takes away with Him all His
associates when He disappears from the earth. The power and energy which
were
bestowed upon Arjuna were required for fulfillment of the mission of the Lord,
but when His mission was fulfilled, the emergency powers were withdrawn
from
Arjuna because the astounding powers of Arjuna, which were astonishing even
to
the denizens of heaven, were no longer required, and they were not meant for
going back home, back to Godhead. If endowment of powers and withdrawal
of
powers by the Lord are possible even for a great devotee like Arjuna, or even
the demigods in heaven, then what to speak of the ordinary living beings who
are but figs compared to such great souls. The lesson is, therefore, that no
one should be puffed up for his powers borrowed from the Lord. The sane man
should rather feel obliged to the Lord for such benefactions and must utilize
such power for the service of the Lord. Such power can be withdrawn at any
time by the Lord, so the best use of such power and opulence is to engage
them
in the service of the Lord.

TEXT 6

yasya ksana-viyogena
loko hy apriya-darsanah
ukthena rahito hy esa
mrtakah procyate yatha

yasya--whose; ksana--a moment; viyogena--by separation; lokah--all the

universes; hi--certainly; apriya-darsanah--everything appears unfavorable;
ukthena--by life; rahitah--being devoid of; hi--certainly; esah--all these
bodies; mrtakah--dead bodies; procyate--are designated; yatha--as it were.

TRANSLATION

I have just lost Him whose separation for a moment would render all the
universes unfavorable and void, like bodies without life.

PURPORT

Factually for a living being there is no one dearer than the Lord. The
Lord expands Himself by innumerable parts and parcels as svamsa and
vibhinnamsa. Paramatma is the svamsa part of the Lord, whereas the
vibhinnamsa
parts are the living beings. As the living being is the important factor in
the material body, for without the living being the material body has no
value, similarly without Paramatma the living being has no status quo.
Similarly, Brahman or Paramatma has no locus standi without the Supreme
Lord
Krsna. This is thoroughly explained in the Bhagavad-gita. They are all
interlinked with one another, or interdependent factors; thus in the ultimate
 544

issue the Lord is the summum bonum and therefore the vital principle of
everything.

TEXT 7

yat-samsrayad drupada-geham upagatanam

rajnam svayamvara-mukhe smara-durmadanam
tejo hrtam khalu mayabhihatas ca matsyah
sajjikrtena dhanusadhigata ca krsna

yat--by whose merciful; samsrayat--by strength; drupada-geham--in the palace

of King Drupada; upagatanam--all those assembled; rajnam--of the princes;
svayamvara-mukhe--on the occasion of the selection of the bridegroom;
smara-durmadanam--all lusty in thought; tejah--power; hrtam--vanquished;
khalu--as it were; maya--by me; abhihatah--pierced; ca--also; matsyah--the
fish target; sajji-krtena--by equipping the bow; dhanusa--by that bow also;
adhigata--gained; ca--also; krsna--Draupadi.

TRANSLATION

Only by His merciful strength was I able to vanquish all the lusty
princes assembled at the palace of King Drupada for the selection of the
bridegroom. With my bow and arrow I could pierce the fish target and thereby
gain the hand of Draupadi.

PURPORT

Draupadi was the most beautiful daughter of King Drupada, and when she
was a young girl almost all the princes desired her hand. But Drupada
Maharaja
decided to hand over his daughter to Arjuna only and therefore contrived a
peculiar way. There was a fish hanging on the inner roof of the house under
the protection of a wheel. The condition was that out of the princely order,
one must be able to pierce the fish's eyes through the wheel of protection,
and no one would be allowed to look up at the target. On the ground there was
a waterpot in which the target and wheel were reflected, and one had to fix
his aim towards the target by looking at the trembling water in the pot.
Maharaja Drupada well knew that only Arjuna or alternately Karna could
successfully carry out the plan. But still he wanted to hand his daughter to
Arjuna. And in the assembly of the princely order, when Dhrstadyumna, the
brother of Draupadi, introduced all the princes to his grown-up sister, Karna
was also present in the game. But Draupadi tactfully avoided Karna as the
rival of Arjuna, and she expressed her desires through her brother
Dhrstadyumna that she was unable to accept anyone who was less than a
ksatriya. The vaisyas and the sudras are less important than the ksatriyas.
Karna was known as the son of a carpenter, a sudra. So Draupadi avoided
Karna
by this plea. When Arjuna, in the dress of a poor brahmana, pierced the
difficult target, everyone was astonished, and all of them, especially Karna,
offered a stiff fight to Arjuna, but as usual by the grace of Lord Krsna he
was able to emerge very successful in the princely fight and thus gain the
valuable hand of Krsna, or Draupadi. Arjuna was lamentingly remembering the
 545

incident in the absence of the Lord, by whose strength only he was so

powerful.

TEXT 8

yat-sannidhav aham u khandavam agnaye 'dam

indram ca samara-ganam tarasa vijitya
labdha sabha maya-krtadbhuta-silpa-maya
digbhyo 'haran nrpatayo balim adhvare te

yat--whose; sannidhau--being nearby; aham--myself; u--note of astonishment;

khandavam--the protected forest of Indra, King of heaven; agnaye--unto the
fire-god; adam--delivered; indram--Indra; ca--also; sa--along with;
amara-ganam--the demigods; tarasa--with all dexterity; vijitya--having
conquered; labdha--having obtained; sabha--assembly house; maya-krta--built
by
Maya; adbhuta--very wonderful; silpa--art and workmanship; maya--potency;
digbhyah--from all directions; aharan--collected; nrpatayah--all princes;
balim--presentations; adhvare--brought; te--your.

TRANSLATION

Because He was near me, it was possible for me to conquer with great
dexterity the powerful King of heaven, Indradeva, along with his demigod
associates and thus enable the fire-god to devastate the Khandava Forest. And
only by His grace was the demon named Maya saved from the blazing
Khandava
Forest, and thus we could build our assembly house of wonderful architectural
workmanship, where all the princes assembled during the performance of
Rajasuya-yajna and paid you tributes.

PURPORT

The demon Maya Danava was an inhabitant of the forest Khandava, and
when
the Khandava Forest was set on fire, he asked protection from Arjuna. Arjuna
saved his life, and as a result of this the demon felt obliged. He
reciprocated by building a wonderful assembly house for the Pandavas, which
attracted the extraordinary attention of all state princes. They felt the
supernatural power of the Pandavas, and thus without grudge all of them
submitted and paid tributes to the Emperor. The demons possess wonderful
and
supernatural powers to create material wonders. But they are always
disturbing
elements of the society. The modern demons are the harmful material
scientists
who create some material wonders for disturbance in the society. For
example,
the creation of nuclear weapons has caused some panic in human society.
Maya
was also a materialist like that, and he knew the art of creating such
wonderful things. And yet Lord Krsna wanted to kill him. When he was chased
 546

both by the fire and by the wheel of Lord Krsna, he took shelter of such a
devotee as Arjuna, who saved him from the wrath of the fire of Lord Sri Krsna.
Devotees are therefore more merciful than the Lord, and in devotional service
the mercy of a devotee is more valuable than the mercy of the Lord. Both the
fire and the Lord ceased from chasing the demon as soon as both of them saw
that the demon was given shelter by such a devotee as Arjuna. This demon,
feeling obliged to Arjuna, wanted to do him some service to show his
gratefulness, but Arjuna declined to accept anything from him in exchange.
Lord Sri Krsna, however, being pleased with Maya for his taking shelter of a
devotee, asked him to render service unto King Yudhisthira by building a
wonderful assembly house. The process is that by the grace of the devotee the
mercy of the Lord is obtained, and by the mercy of the Lord a chance to serve
the Lord's devotee is obtained. The club of Bhimasena was also a gift of Maya
Danava.

TEXT 9

yat-tejasa nrpa-siro-'nghrim ahan makhartham

aryo 'nujas tava gajayuta-sattva-viryah
tenahrtah pramatha-natha-makhaya bhupa
yan-mocitas tad-anayan balim adhvare te

yat--whose; tejasa--by influence; nrpa-sirah-anghrim--one whose feet are

adored by the heads of kings; ahan--killed; makha-artham--for the sacrifice;
aryah--respectable; anujah--younger brother; tava--your; gaja-ayuta--ten
thousand elephants; sattva-viryah--powerful existence; tena--by him;
ahrtah--collected; pramatha-natha--the lord of the ghosts (Mahabhairava);
makhaya--for sacrifice; bhupah--kings; yat-mocitah--by whom they were
released; tat-anayan--all of them brought; balim--taxes; adhvare--presented;
te--your.

TRANSLATION

Your respectable younger brother, who possesses the strength of ten

thousand elephants, killed, by His grace, Jarasandha, whose feet were
worshiped by many kings. These kings had been brought for sacrifice in
Jarasandha's Mahabhairava-yajna, but they were thus released. Later they
paid
tribute to Your Majesty.

PURPORT

Jarasandha was a very powerful king of Magadha, and the history of his
birth and activities is also very interesting. His father, King Brhadratha,
was also a very prosperous and powerful king of Magadha, but he had no son,
although he married two daughters of the King of Kasi. Being disappointed in
not getting a son from either of the two queens, the King, along with his
wives, left home to live in the forest for austerities, but in the forest he
was blessed by one great rsi to have a son, and he gave him one mango to be
eaten by the queens. The queens did so and were very soon pregnant. The
King
was very happy to see the queens bearing children, but when the ripe time
 547

approached, the queens delivered one child in two parts, one from each of the
queens' wombs. The two parts were thrown in the forest, where a great
she-demon used to live, and she was glad to have some delicate flesh and
blood
from the newly born child. Out of curiosity she joined the two parts, and the
child became complete and regained life. The she-demon was known as Jara,
and
being compassionate on the childless King, she went to the King and
presented
him with the nice child, The King was very pleased with the she-demon and
wanted to reward her according to her desire. The she-demon expressed her
desire that the child be named after her, and thus the child was surnamed
Jarasandha, or one who was joined by Jara, the she-demon. In fact, this
Jarasandha was born as one of the parts and parcels of the demon Vipracitti.
The saint by whose benedictions the queens bore the child was called Candra
Kausika, who foretold of the child before his father Brhadratha.
Since he possessed demoniac qualities from birth, naturally he became a
great devotee of Lord Siva, who is the lord of all ghostly and demoniac men.
Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Siva, and so also King Jarasandha. He
used
to sacrifice all arrested kings before Lord Mahabhairava (Siva) and by his
military power he defeated many small kings and arrested them to butcher
before Mahabhairava. There are many devotees of Lord Mahabhairava, or
Kalabhairava, in the province of Bihar, formerly called Magadha. Jarasandha
was a relative of Kamsa, the maternal uncle of Krsna, and therefore after
Kamsa's death King Jarasandha became a great enemy of Krsna, and there
were
many fights between Jarasandha and Krsna. Lord Krsna wanted to kill him, but
He also wanted that those who served as military men for Jarasandha might
not
be killed. Therefore a plan was adopted to kill him. Krsna, Bhima and Arjuna
together went to Jarasandha in the dress of poor brahmanas and begged
charity
from King Jarasandha. Jarasandha never refused charity to any brahmana, and
he
performed many sacrifices also, yet he was not on a par with devotional
service. Lord Krsna, Bhima and Arjuna asked Jarasandha for the facility of
fighting him, and it was settled that Jarasandha would fight with Bhima only.
So all of them were both guests and combatants of Jarasandha, and Bhima
and
Jarasandha fought every day for several days. Bhima became disappointed,
but
Krsna gave him hints about Jarasandha's being joined together as an infant,
and thus Bhima dissected him again and so killed him. All the kings who were
detained in the concentration camp to be killed before Mahabhairava were
thus
released by Bhima. Feeling thus obliged to the Pandavas, they paid tribute to
King Yudhisthira.

TEXT 10

patnyas tavadhimakha-klpta-mahabhiseka-
 548

slaghistha-caru-kabaram kitavaih sabhayam

sprstam vikirya padayoh patitasru-mukhya
yas tat-striyo 'krta-hatesa-vimukta-kesah

patnyah--of the wife; tava--your; adhimakha--during the great sacrificial

ceremony; klpta--dressed; maha-abhiseka--greatly sanctified; slaghistha--thus
glorified; caru--beautiful; kabaram--clustered hair; kitavaih--by the
miscreants; sabhayam--in the great assembly; sprstam--being caught;
vikirya--being loosened; padayoh--on the feet; patita-asru-mukhyah--of the
one
who fell down with tears in the eyes; yah--He; tat--their; striyah--wives;
akrta--became; hata-isa--bereft of husbands; vimukta-kesah--loosened hair.

TRANSLATION

It was He only who loosened the hair of all the wives of the miscreants
who dared open the cluster of your Queen's hair, which had been nicely
dressed
and sanctified for the great Rajasuya sacrificial ceremony. At that time she
fell down at the feet of Lord Krsna with tears in her eyes.

PURPORT

Queen Draupadi had a beautiful bunch of hair which was sanctified in the
ceremonial function of Rajasuya-yajna. But when she was lost in a bet,
Duhsasana touched her glorified hair to insult her. Draupadi then fell down at
the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, and Lord Krsna decided that all the wives of
Duhsasana and company should have their hair loosened as a result of the
Battle of Kuruksetra. Thus after the Battle of Kuruksetra, after all the sons
and grandsons of Dhrtarastra died in battle, all the wives of the family were
obliged to loosen their hair as widows. In other words, all the wives of the
Kuru family became widows because of Duhsasana's insulting a great devotee
of
the Lord. The Lord can tolerate insults upon Himself by any miscreant because
the father tolerates even insults from the son. But He never tolerates insults
upon His devotees. By insulting a great soul, one has to forego all the
results of pious acts and benedictions also.

TEXT 11

yo no jugopa vana etya duranta-krcchrad

durvasaso 'ri-racitad ayutagra-bhug yah
sakanna-sistam upayujya yatas tri-lokim
trptam amamsta salile vinimagna-sanghah

yah--one who; nah--us; jugopa--gave protection; vane--forest; etya--getting

in; duranta--dangerously; krcchrat--trouble; durvasasah--of Durvasa Muni;
ari--enemy; racitat--fabricated by; ayuta--ten thousand; agra-bhuk--one who
eats before; yah--that person; saka-anna-sistam--remnants of foodstuff;
upajyuja--having accepted; yatah--because; tri-lokim--all the three worlds;
trptam--satisfied; amamsta--thought within the mind; salile--while in the
water; vinimagna-sanghah--all merged into the water.
 549

TRANSLATION

During our exile, Durvasa Muni, who eats with his ten thousand disciples,
intrigued with our enemies to put us in dangerous trouble. At that time He
[Lord Krsna], simply by accepting the remnants of food, saved us. By His
accepting food thus, the assembly of munis, while bathing in the river, felt
sumptuously fed. And all the three worlds were also satisfied.

PURPORT

Durvasa Muni: A powerful mystic brahmana determined to observe the

principles of religion with great vows and under strict austerities. His name
is associated with many historical events, and it appears that the great
mystic could be both easily satisfied and easily annoyed, like Lord Siva. When
he was satisfied, he could do tremendous good to the servitor, but if he was
dissatisfied he could bring about the greatest calamity. Kumari Kunti, at her
father's house, used to minister all kinds of services to all great brahmanas,
and being satisfied with her good reception Durvasa Muni blessed her with a
power to call any demigod she desired. It is understood that he was a plenary
incarnation of Lord Siva, and thus he could be either easily satisfied or
annoyed. He was a great devotee of Lord Siva, and by Lord Siva's order he
accepted the priesthood of King Svetaketu because of the King's performance
of
sacrifice for one hundred years. Sometimes he used to visit the parliamentary
assembly of the heavenly kingdom of Indradeva. He could travel in space by
his
great mystic powers, and it is understood that he traveled a great distance
through space, even up to the Vaikuntha planets beyond material space. He
traveled all these long distances within one year, during his quarrel with
King Ambarisa, the great devotee and Emperor of the world.
He had about ten thousand disciples, and wherever he visited and became
a
guest of the great ksatriya kings, he used to be accompanied by a number of
followers. Once he visited the house of Duryodhana, the enemy cousin of
Maharaja Yudhisthira. Duryodhana was intelligent enough to satisfy the
brahmana by all means, and the great rsi wanted to give some benediction to
Duryodhana. Duryodhana knew his mystic powers, and he knew also that the
mystic brahmana, if dissatisfied, could cause some havoc, and thus he
designed
to engage the brahmana to show his wrath upon his enemy cousins, the
Pandavas.
When the rsi wanted to award some benediction to Duryodhana, the latter
wished
that he should visit the house of Maharaja Yudhisthira, who was the eldest and
chief among all his cousins. But by his request he would go to him after he
had finished his meals with his Queen, Draupadi. Duryodhana knew that after
Draupadi's dinner it would be impossible for Maharaja Yudhisthira to receive
such a large number of brahmana guests, and thus the rsi would be annoyed
and
would create some trouble for his cousin Maharaja Yudhisthira. That was the
plan of Duryodhana. Durvasa Muni agreed to this proposal, and he approached
 550

the King in exile, according to the plan of Duryodhana, after the King and
Draupadi had finished their meals.
On his arrival at the door of Maharaja Yudhisthira, he was at once well
received, and the King requested him to finish his noontime religious rites in
the river, for by that time the foodstuff would be prepared. Durvasa Muni,
along with his large number of disciples, went to take a bath in the river,
and Maharaja Yudhisthira was in great anxiety about the guests. As long as
Draupadi had not taken her meals, food could be served to any number of
guests, but the rsi, by the plan of Duryodhana, reached there after Draupadi
had finished her meals.
When the devotees are put into difficulty, they have an opportunity to
recollect the Lord with rapt attention. So Draupadi was thinking of Lord Krsna
in that dangerous position, and the all-pervading Lord could at once know the
dangerous position of His devotees. He therefore came there on the scene and
asked Draupadi to give whatever food she might have in her stock. On her
being
so requested by the Lord, Draupadi was sorrowful because the Supreme Lord
asked her for some food and she was unable to supply it at that time. She said
to the Lord that the mysterious dish which she had received from the sun-god
could supply any amount of food if she herself had not eaten. But on that day
she had already taken her meals, and thus they were in danger. By expressing
her difficulties she began to cry before the Lord as only a woman would do in
such a position. The Lord, however, asked Draupadi to bring up the cooking
pots to see if there was any particle of foodstuff left, and on Draupadi's
doing so, the Lord found some particle of vegetable sticking to the pot. The
Lord at once picked it up and ate it. After doing so, the Lord asked Draupadi
to call for her guests, the company of Durvasa.
Bhima was sent to call them from the river. Bhima said, "Why are you
delaying, sirs? Come on, the food is ready for you." But the brahmanas,
because of Lord Krsna's accepting a little particle of food, felt sumptuously
fed, even while they were in the water. They thought that since Maharaja
Yudhisthira must have prepared many valuable dishes for them and since they
were not hungry and could not eat, the King would feel very sorry, so it was
better not to go there. Thus they decided to go away.
This incident proves that the Lord is the greatest mystic, and therefore
He is known as Yogesvara. Another instruction is that every householder must
offer food to the Lord, and the result will be that everyone, even a company
of guests numbering ten thousand, will be satisfied because of the Lord's
being satisfied. That is the way of devotional service.

TEXT 12

yat-tejasatha bhagavan yudhi sula-panir

vismapitah sagirijo 'stram adan nijam me
anye 'pi caham amunaiva kalevarena
prapto mahendra-bhavane mahad-asanardham

yat--by whose; tejasa--by influence; atha--at one time; bhagavan--the

personality of god (Lord Siva); yudhi--in the battle; sula-panih--one who has
a trident in his hand; vismapitah--astonished; sa-girijah--along with the
daughter of the Himalaya Mountains; astram--weapon; adat--awarded; nijam--
of
 551

his own; me--unto me; anye api--so also others; ca--and; aham--myself;
amuna--by this; eva--definitely; kalevarena--by the body; praptah--obtained;
maha-indra-bhavane--in the house of Indradeva; mahat--great;
asana-ardham--half-elevated seat.

TRANSLATION

It was by His influence only that in a fight I was able to astonish the
personality of god Lord Siva and his wife, the daughter of Mount Himalaya.
Thus he [Lord Siva] became pleased with me and awarded me his own
weapon.
Other demigods also delivered their respective weapons to me, and in addition
I was able to reach the heavenly planets in this present body and was allowed
a half-elevated seat.

PURPORT

By the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, all the
demigods, including Lord Siva, were pleased with Arjuna. The idea is that one
who is favored by Lord Siva or any other demigod may not necessarily be
favored by the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. Ravana was certainly a great devotee
of
Lord Siva, but he could not be saved from the wrath of the Supreme
Personality
of Godhead Lord Ramacandra. And there are many instances like that in the
histories of the Puranas. But here is an instance where we can see that Lord
Siva became pleased even in the fight with Arjuna. The devotees of the
Supreme
Lord know how to respect the demigods, but the devotees of the demigods
sometimes foolishly think that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is no
greater than the demigods. By such a conception, one becomes an offender
and
ultimately meets with the same end as Ravana and others. The instances
described by Arjuna during his friendly dealings with Lord Sri Krsna are
instructive for all who may be convinced by the lessons that one can achieve
all favors simply by pleasing the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, whereas the
devotees
or worshipers of the demigods may achieve only partial benefits, which are
also perishable, just as the demigods themselves are.
Another significance of the present verse is that Arjuna, by the grace of
Lord Sri Krsna, was able to reach the heavenly planet even with the selfsame
body and was honored by the heavenly demigod Indradeva, being seated with
him
half-elevated. One can reach the heavenly planets by the pious acts
recommended in the sastras in the category of fruitive activities. And as
stated in the Bhagavad-gita (9.21), when the reactions of such pious acts are
spent, the enjoyer is again degraded to this earthly planet. The moon is also
on the level with the heavenly planets, and only persons who have performed
virtues only--performing sacrifices, giving charity and undergoing severe
austerities--can be allowed to enter into the heavenly planets after the
duration of life of the body. Arjuna was allowed to enter into the heavenly
planets in the selfsame body simply by the grace of the Lord, otherwise it is
 552

not possible to do so. The present attempts to enter into the heavenly planets
by the modern scientists will certainly prove futile because such scientists
are not on the level of Arjuna. They are ordinary human beings, without any
assets of sacrifice, charity or austerities. The material body is influenced
by the three modes of material nature, namely goodness, passion and
ignorance.
The present population is more or less influenced by the modes of passion and
ignorance, and the symptoms for such influence are exhibited in their
becoming
very lusty and greedy. Such degraded fellows can hardly approach the higher
planetary systems. Above the heavenly planets there are many other planets
also, which only those who are influenced by goodness can reach. In heavenly
and other planets within the universe, the inhabitants are all highly
intelligent, many more times than the human beings, and they are all pious in
the higher and highest mode of goodness. They are all devotees of the Lord,
and although their goodness is not unadulterated, still they are known as
demigods possessing the maximum amount of good qualities possible within
the
material world.

TEXT 13

tatraiva me viharato bhuja-danda-yugmam

gandiva-laksanam arati-vadhaya devah
sendrah srita yad-anubhavitam ajamidha
tenaham adya musitah purusena bhumna

tatra--in that heavenly planet; eva--certainly; me--myself; viharatah--while

staying as a guest; bhuja-danda-yugmam--both of my arms; gandiva--the bow
named Gandiva; laksanam--mark; arati--a demon named Nivatakavaca;
vadhaya--for
killing; devah--all the demigods; sa--along with; indrah--the heavenly King,
Indra; sritah--taken shelter of; yat--by whose; anubhavitam--made it possible
to be powerful; ajamidha--O descendant of King Ajamidha; tena--by Him;
aham--myself; adya--at the present moment; musitah--bereft of; purusena--the
personality; bhumna--supreme.

TRANSLATION

When I stayed for some days as a guest in the heavenly planets, all the
heavenly demigods, including King Indradeva, took shelter of my arms, which
were marked with the Gandiva bow, to kill the demon named Nivatakavaca. O
King, descendant of Ajamidha, at the present moment I am bereft of the
Supreme
Personality of Godhead, by whose influence I was so powerful.

PURPORT

The heavenly demigods are certainly more intelligent, powerful and

beautiful, and yet they had to take help from Arjuna because of his Gandiva
bow, which was empowered by the grace of Lord Sri Krsna. The Lord is
all-powerful, and by His grace His pure devotee can be as powerful as He may
 553

desire, and there is no limit to it. And when the Lord withdraws His power
from anyone, he is powerless by the will of the Lord.

TEXT 14

yad-bandhavah kuru-balabdhim ananta-param

eko rathena tatare 'ham atirya-sattvam
pratyahrtam bahu dhanam ca maya paresam
tejas-padam manimayam ca hrtam sirobhyah

yat-bandhavah--by whose friendship only; kuru-bala-abdhim--the ocean of the

military strength of the Kurus; ananta-param--which was insurmountable;
ekah--alone; rathena--being seated on the chariot; tatare--was able to cross
over; aham--myself; atirya--invincible; sattvam--existence; pratyahrtam--drew
back; bahu--very large quantity; dhanam--wealth; ca--also; maya--by my;
paresam--of the enemy; tejah-padam--source of brilliance; mani-mayam--
bedecked
with jewels; ca--also; hrtam--taken by force; sirobhyah--from their heads.

TRANSLATION

The military strength of the Kauravas was like an ocean in which there
dwelled many invincible existences, and thus it was insurmountable. But
because of His friendship, I, seated on the chariot, was able to cross over
it. And only by His grace was I able to regain the cows and also collect by
force many helmets of the kings which were bedecked with jewels that were
sources of all brilliance.

PURPORT

On the Kaurava side there were many stalwart commanders like Bhisma,
Drona, Krpa and Karna, and their military strength was as insurmountable as
the great ocean. And yet it was due to Lord Krsna's grace that Arjuna alone,
sitting on the chariot, could manage to vanquish them one after another
without difficulty. There were many changes of commanders on the other side,
but on the Pandavas' side Arjuna alone on the chariot driven by Lord Krsna
could manage the whole responsibility of the great war. Similarly, when the
Pandavas were living at the palace of Virata incognito, the Kauravas picked a
quarrel with King Virata and decided to take away his large number of cows.
While they were taking away the cows, Arjuna fought with them incognito and
was able to regain the cows along with some booty taken by force--the jewels
set on the turbans of the royal order. Arjuna remembered that all this was
possible by the grace of the Lord.

TEXT 15

yo bhisma-karna-guru-salya-camusv adabhra-
rajanya-varya-ratha-mandala-manditasu
agrecaro mama vibho ratha-yuthapanam
ayur manamsi ca drsa saha oja arcchat

yah--it is He only; bhisma--Bhisma; karna--Karna; guru--Dronacarya;

 554

salya--Salya; camusu--in the midst of the military phalanx; adabhra--immense;

rajanya-varya--great royal princes; ratha-mandala--chain of chariots;
manditasu--being decorated with; agrecarah--going forward; mama--of mine;
vibho--O great King; ratha-yutha-panam--all the charioteers; ayuh--duration of
life or fruitive activities; manamsi--mental upsurges; ca--also; drsa--by
glance; sahah--power; ojah--strength; arcchat--withdrew.

TRANSLATION

It was He only who withdrew the duration of life from everyone and who,
in the battlefield, withdrew the speculative power and strength of enthusiasm
from the great military phalanx made by the Kauravas, headed by Bhisma,
Karna,
Drona, Salya, etc. Their arrangement was expert and more than adequate, but
He
[Lord Sri Krsna], while going forward, did all this.

PURPORT

The Absolute Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, expands Himself by

His plenary Paramatma portion in everyone s heart, and thus He directs
everyone in the matter of recollection, forgetfulness, knowledge, the absence
of intelligence and all psychological activities (Bg. 15.15). As the Supreme
Lord, He can increase or decrease the duration of life of a living being. Thus
the Lord conducted the Battle of Kuruksetra according to His own plan. He
wanted that battle to establish Yudhisthira as the Emperor of this planet, and
to facilitate this transcendental business He killed all who were on the
opposite party by His omnipotent will. The other party was equipped with all
military strength supported by big generals like Bhisma, Drona and Salya and
it would have been physically impossible for Arjuna to win the battle had the
Lord not helped him by every kind of tactic. Such tactics are generally
followed by every statesman, even in modern warfare, but they are all done
materially by powerful espionages, military tactics and diplomatic maneuvers.
But because Arjuna was the Lord's affectionate devotee, the Lord did all this
Himself without personal anxiety by Arjuna. That is the way of the devotional
service to the Lord.

TEXT 16

yad-dohsu ma pranihitam guru-bhisma-karna-

naptr-trigarta-salya-saindhava-bahlikadyaih
astrany amogha-mahimani nirupitani
nopasprsur nrhari-dasam ivasurani

yat--under whose; dohsu--protection of arms; ma pranihitam--myself being

situated; guru--Dronacarya; bhisma--Bhisma; karna--Karna; naptr--Bhurisrava;
trigarta--King Susarma; salya--Salya; saindhava--King Jayadratha;
bahlika--brother of Maharaja Santanu (Bhisma's father); adyaih--etc.;
astrani--weapons; amogha--invincible; mahimani--very powerful;
nirupitani--applied; na--not; upasprsuh--touched; nrhari-dasam--servitor of
Nrsimhadeva (Prahlada); iva--like; asurani--weapons employed by the demons.
 555

TRANSLATION

Great generals like Bhisma, Drona, Karna, Bhurisrava, Susarma, Salya,

Jayadratha, and Bahlika all directed their invincible weapons against me. But
by His [Lord Krsna's] grace they could not even touch a hair on my head.
Similarly, Prahlada Maharaja, the supreme devotee of Lord Nrsimhadeva, was
unaffected by the weapons the demons used against him.

PURPORT

The history of Prahlada Maharaja, the great devotee of Nrsimhadeva, is

narrated in the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Prahlada Maharaja, a
small
child of only five years, became the object of envy for his great father,
Hiranyakasipu, only because of his becoming a pure devotee of the Lord. The
demon father employed all his weapons to kill the devotee son, Prahlada, but
by the grace of the Lord he was saved from all sorts of dangerous actions by
his father. He was thrown in a fire, in boiling oil, from the top of a hill,
underneath the legs of an elephant, and he was administered poison. At last
the father himself took up a chopper to kill his son, and thus Nrsimhadeva
appeared and killed the heinous father in the presence of the son. Thus no one
can kill the devotee of the Lord. Similarly, Arjuna was also saved by the
Lord, although all dangerous weapons were employed by his great opponents
like
Bhisma.
Karna: Born of Kunti by the sun-god prior to her marriage with Maharaja
Pandu, Karna took his birth with bangles and earrings, extraordinary signs for
an undaunted hero. In the beginning his name was Vasusena, but when he
grew up
he presented his natural bangles and earrings to Indradeva, and
thenceforward
he became known as Vaikartana. After his birth from the maiden Kunti, he was
thrown in the Ganges. Later he was picked up by Adhiratha, and he and his
wife
Radha brought him up as their own offspring. Karna was very charitable,
especially toward the brahmanas. There was nothing he could not spare for a
brahmana. In the same charitable spirit he gave in charity his natural bangles
and earrings to Indradeva, who, being very much satisfied with him, gave him
in return a great weapon called Sakti. He was admitted as one of the students
of Dronacarya, and from the very beginning there was some rivalry between
him
and Arjuna. Seeing his constant rivalry with Arjuna, Duryodhana picked him up
as his companion, and this gradually grew into greater intimacy. He was also
present in the great assembly of Draupadi's svayamvara function, and when
he
attempted to exhibit his talent in that meeting, Draupadi's brother declared
that Karna could not take part in the competition because of his being the son
of a sudra carpenter. Although he was refused in the competition, still when
Arjuna was successful in piercing the fish target on the ceiling and Draupadi
bestowed her garland upon Arjuna, Karna and the other disappointed princes
offered an unusual stumbling block to Arjuna while he was leaving with
Draupadi. Specifically, Karna fought with him very valiantly, but all of them
 556

were defeated by Arjuna. Duryodhana was very much pleased with Karna
because
of his constant rivalry with Arjuna, and when he was in power he enthroned
Karna in the state of Anga. Being baffled in his attempt to win Draupadi,
Karna advised Duryodhana to attack King Drupada, for after defeating him
both
Arjuna and Draupadi could be arrested. But Dronacarya rebuked them for this
conspiracy, and they refrained from the action. Karna was defeated many
times,
not only by Arjuna but also by Bhimasena. He was the king of the kingdom of
Bengal, Orissa and Madras combined. Later on he took an active part in the
Rajasuya sacrifice of Maharaja Yudhisthira, and when there was gambling
between the rival brothers, designed by Sakuni, Karna took part in the game,
and he was very pleased when Draupadi was offered as a bet in the gambling.
This fed his old grudge. When Draupadi was in the game he was very
enthusiastic to declare the news, and it is he who ordered Duhsasana to take
away the garments of both the Pandavas and Draupadi. He asked Draupadi to
select another husband because, being lost by the Pandavas, she was
rendered a
slave of the Kurus. He was always an enemy of the Pandavas, and whenever
there
was an opportunity, he tried to curb them by all means. During the Battle of
Kuruksetra, he foresaw the conclusive result, and he expressed his opinion
that due to Lord Krsna's being the chariot driver of Arjuna, the battle should
be won by Arjuna. He always differed with Bhisma, and sometimes he was
proud
enough to say that within five days he could finish up the Pandavas, if Bhisma
would not interfere with his plan of action. But he was much mortified when
Bhisma died. He killed Ghatotkaca with the Sakti weapon obtained from
Indradeva. His son, Vrsasena, was killed by Arjuna. He killed the largest
number of Pandava soldiers. At last there was a severe fight with Arjuna, and
it was he only who was able to knock off the helmet of Arjuna. But it so
happened that the wheel of his chariot stuck in the battlefield mud, and when
he got down to set the wheel right, Arjuna took the opportunity and killed
him, although he requested Arjuna not to do so.
Napta, or Bhurisrava: Bhurisrava was the son of Somadatta, a member of
the Kuru family. His other brother was Salya. Both the brothers and the father
attended the svayamvara ceremony of Draupadi. All of them appreciated the
wonderful strength of Arjuna due to his being the devotee friend of the Lord,
and thus Bhurisrava advised the sons of Dhrtarastra not to pick any quarrel or
fight with them. All of them also attended the Rajasuya yajna of Maharaja
Yudhisthira. He possessed one aksauhini regiment of army, cavalry, elephants
and chariots, and all these were employed in the Battle of Kuruksetra on
behalf of Duryodhana's party. He was counted by Bhima as one of the
yutha-patis. In the Battle of Kuruksetra he was especially engaged in a fight
with Satyaki, and he killed ten sons of Satyaki. Later on, Arjuna cut off his
hands, and he was ultimately killed by Satyaki. After his death he merged into
the existence of Visvadeva.
Trigarta, or Susarma: Son of Maharaja Vrddhaksetra, he was the King of
Trigartadesa, and he was also present in the svayamvara ceremony of
Draupadi.
He was one of the allies of Duryodhana, and he advised Duryodhana to attack
 557

the Matsyadesa (Darbhanga). During the time of cow-stealing in Virata-nagara,

he was able to arrest Maharaja Virata, but later Maharaja Virata was released
by Bhima. In the Battle of Kuruksetra he also fought very valiantly, but at
the end he was killed by Arjuna.
Jayadratha: Another son of Maharaja Vrddhaksetra. He was the King of
Sindhudesa (modern Sind Pakistan). His wife's name was Duhsala. He was also
present in the svayamvara ceremony of Draupadi, and he desired very
strongly
to have her hand, but he failed in the competition. But since then he always
sought the opportunity to get in touch with Draupadi. When he was going to
marry in the Salyadesa, on the way to Kamyavana he happened to see
Draupadi
again and was too much attracted to her. The Pandavas and Draupadi were
then
in exile, after losing their empire in gambling, and Jayadratha thought it
wise to send news to Draupadi in an illicit manner through Kotisasya, one of
his associates. Draupadi at once refused vehemently the proposal of
Jayadratha, but being so much attracted by the beauty of Draupadi, he tried
again and again. Every time he was refused by Draupadi. He tried to take her
away forcibly on his chariot, and at first Draupadi gave him a good dashing,
and he fell like a cut-root tree. But he was not discouraged, and he was able
to force Draupadi to sit on the chariot. This incident was seen by Dhaumya
Muni, and he strongly protested the action of Jayadratha. He also followed the
chariot, and through Dhatreyika the matter was brought to the notice of
Maharaja Yudhisthira. The Pandavas then attacked the soldiers of Jayadratha
and killed them all, and at last Bhima caught hold of Jayadratha and beat him
very severely, almost dead. Then all but five hairs were cut off his head and
he was taken to all the kings and introduced as the slave of Maharaja
Yudhisthira. He was forced to admit himself to be the slave of Maharaja
Yudhisthira before all the princely order, and in the same condition he was
brought before Maharaja Yudhisthira. Maharaja Yudhisthira was kind enough
to
order him released, and when he admitted to being a tributary prince under
Maharaja Yudhisthira, Queen Draupadi also desired his release. After this
incident, he was allowed to return to his country. Being so insulted, he went
to Gangatri in the Himalayas and undertook a severe type of penance to
please
Lord Siva. He asked his benediction to defeat all the Pandavas, at least one
at a time. Then the Battle of Kuruksetra began, and he took sides with
Duryodhana. In the first day's fight he was engaged with Maharaja Drupada,
then with Virata and then with Abhimanyu. While Abhimanyu was being killed,
mercilessly surrounded by seven great generals, the Pandavas came to his
help,
but Jayadratha, by the mercy of Lord Siva, repulsed them with great ability.
At this, Arjuna took a vow to kill him, and on hearing this, Jayadratha wanted
to leave the warfield and asked permission from the Kauravas for this
cowardly
action. But he was not allowed to do so. On the contrary, he was obliged to
fight with Arjuna, and while the fight was going on Lord Krsna reminded Arjuna
that the benediction of Siva upon Jayadratha was that whoever would cause
his
head to fall on the ground would die at once. He therefore advised Arjuna to
 558

throw the head of Jayadratha directly onto the lap of his father, who was
engaged in penances at the Samanta-pancaka pilgrimage. This was actually
done
by Arjuna. Jayadratha's father was surprised to see a severed head on his lap,
and he at once threw it to the ground. The father immediately died, his
forehead being cracked in seven pieces.

TEXT 17

sautye vrtah kumatinatmada isvaro me

yat-pada-padmam abhavaya bhajanti bhavyah
mam sranta-vaham arayo rathino bhuvi-stham
na praharan yad-anubhava-nirasta-cittah

sautye--regarding a chariot driver; vrtah--engaged; kumatina--by bad

consciousness; atma-dah--one who delivers; isvarah--the Supreme Lord; me--
my;
yat--whose; pada-padmam--lotus feet; abhavaya--in the matter of salvation;
bhajanti--do render service; bhavyah--the intelligent class of men; mam--unto
me; sranta--thirsty; vaham--my horses; arayah--the enemies; rathinah--a great
general; bhuvi-stham--while standing on the ground; na--did not;
praharan--attack; yat--whose; anubhava--mercy; nirasta--being absent;
cittah--mind.

TRANSLATION

It was by His mercy only that my enemies neglected to kill me when I

descended from my chariot to get water for my thirsty horses. And it was due
to my lack of esteem for my Lord that I dared engage Him as my chariot
driver,
for He is worshiped and offered services by the best men to attain salvation.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, is the object of
worship both by impersonalists and by the devotees of the Lord. The
impersonalists worship His glowing effulgence, emanating from His
transcendental body of eternal form, bliss and knowledge, and the devotees
worship Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are below
even
the impersonalists consider Him to be one of the great historical
personalities. The Lord, however, descends to attract all by His specific
transcendental pastimes, and thus He plays the part of the most perfect
master, friend, son and lover. His transcendental relation with Arjuna was in
friendship, and the Lord therefore played the part perfectly, as He did with
His parents, lovers and wives. While playing in such a perfect transcendental
relation, the devotee forgets, by the internal potency of the Lord, that his
friend or son is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although sometimes the
devotee is bewildered by the acts of the Lord. After the departure of the
Lord, Arjuna was conscious of his great friend, but there was no mistake on
the part of Arjuna, nor any ill estimation of the Lord. Intelligent men are
attracted by the transcendental acting of the Lord with a pure, unalloyed
 559

devotee like Arjuna.

In the warfield, scarcity of water is a well-known fact. Water is very
rare there, and both the animals and men, working strenuously on the
warfield,
constantly require water to quench their thirst. Especially wounded soldiers
and generals feel very thirsty at the time of death, and it sometimes so
happens that simply for want of water one has to die unavoidably. But such
scarcity of water was solved in the Battle of Kuruksetra by means of boring
the ground. By God's grace, water can be easily obtained from any place if
there is facility for boring the ground. The modern system works on the same
principle of boring the ground, but modern engineers are still unable to dig
immediately wherever necessary. It appears, however, from the history as far
back as the days of the Pandavas, that big generals like Arjuna could at once
supply water even to the horses, and what to speak of men, by drawing water
from underneath the hard ground simply by penetrating the stratum with a
sharp
arrow, a method still unknown to the modern scientists.

TEXT 18

narmany udara-rucira-smita-sobhitani
he partha he 'rjuna sakhe kuru-nandaneti
sanjalpitani nara-deva hrdi-sprsani
smartur luthanti hrdayam mama madhavasya

narmani--conversation in jokes; udara--talked very frankly; rucira--pleasing;

smita-sobhitani--decorated with a smiling face; he--note of address; partha--O
son of Prtha; he--note of address; arjuna--Arjuna; sakhe--friend;
kuru-nandana--son of the Kuru dynasty; iti--and so on; sanjalpitani--such
conversation; nara-deva--O King: hrdi--heart; sprsani--touching; smartuh--by
remembering them; luthanti--overwhelms; hrdayam--heart and soul; mama--
my;
madhavasya--of Madhava (Krsna).

TRANSLATION

O King! His jokings and frank talks were pleasing and beautifully
decorated with smiles. His addresses unto me as "O son of Prtha, O friend, O
son of the Kuru dynasty," and all such heartiness are now remembered by me,
and thus I am overwhelmed.

TEXT 19

sayyasanatana-vikatthana-bhojanadisv
aikyad vayasya rtavan iti vipralabdhah
sakhyuh sakheva pitrvat tanayasya sarvam
sehe mahan mahitaya kumater agham me

sayya--sleeping on one bed; asana--sitting on one seat; atana--walking

together; vikatthana--self-adoration; bhojana--dining together; adisu--and in
all such dealings; aikyat--because of oneness; vayasya--O my friend;
 560

rtavan--truthful; iti--thus; vipralabdhah--misbehaved; sakhyuh--unto a friend;

sakha iva--just like a friend; pitrvat--just like the father; tanayasya--of a
child; sarvam--all; sehe--tolerated; mahan--great; mahitaya--by glories;
kumateh--of one who is of low mentality; agham--offense; me--mine.

TRANSLATION

Generally both of us used to live together and sleep, sit and loiter
together. And at the time of advertising oneself for acts of chivalry,
sometimes, if there were any irregularity, I used to reproach Him by saying,
"My friend, You are very truthful." Even in those hours when His value was
minimized, He, being the Supreme Soul, used to tolerate all those utterings of
mine, excusing me exactly as a true friend excuses his true friend, or a
father excuses his son.

PURPORT

Since the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna is all-perfect, His transcendental

pastimes with His pure devotees never lack anything in any respect, either as
a friend, son or lover. The Lord relishes the reproaches of friends, parents
or fiancees more than the Vedic hymns offered to Him by great learned
scholars
and religionists in an official fashion.

TEXT 20

so 'ham nrpendra rahitah purusottamena

sakhya priyena suhrda hrdayena sunyah
adhvany urukrama-parigraham anga raksan
gopair asadbhir abaleva vinirjito 'smi

sah--that; aham--myself; nrpa-indra--O Emperor; rahitah--bereft of;

purusa-uttamena--by the Supreme Lord; sakhya--by my friend; priyena--by my
dearmost; suhrda--by the well-wisher; hrdayena--by the heart and soul;
sunyah--vacant; adhvani--recently; urukrama-parigraham--the wives of the
all-powerful; anga--bodies; raksan--while protecting; gopaih--by the cowherds;
asadbhih--by the infidels; abala iva--like a weak woman; vinirjitah asmi--I
have been defeated.

TRANSLATION

O Emperor, now I am separated from my friend and dearmost well-wisher,

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore my heart appears to be
void
of everything. In His absence I have been defeated by a number of infidel
cowherd men while I was guarding the bodies of all the wives of Krsna.

PURPORT

The important point in this verse is how it was possible that Arjuna
could be defeated by a gang of ignoble cowherd men and how such mundane
 561

cowherd men could touch the bodies of the wives of Lord Krsna, who were
under
the protection of Arjuna. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has justified
the contradiction by research in the Visnu Purana and Brahma Purana. In these
Puranas it is said that once the fair denizens of heaven pleased Astavakra
Muni by their service and were blessed by the muni to have the Supreme Lord
as
their husband. Astavakra Muni was curved in eight joints of his body, and thus
he used to move in a peculiar curved manner. The daughters of the demigods
could not check their laughter upon seeing the movements of the muni, and
the
muni, being angry at them, cursed them that they would be kidnapped by
rogues,
even if they would get the Lord as their husband. Later on, the girls again
satisfied the muni by their prayers, and the muni blessed them that they
would
regain their husband even after being robbed by the rogues. So, in order to
keep the words of the great muni, the Lord Himself kidnapped His wives from
the protection of Arjuna, otherwise they would have at once vanished from the
scene as soon as they were touched by the rogues. Besides that, some of the
gopis who prayed to become wives of the Lord returned to their respective
positions after their desire was fulfilled. After the departure of Lord Krsna,
He wanted all His entourage back to Godhead, and they were called back
under
different conditions only.

TEXT 21

tad vai dhanus ta isavah sa ratho hayas te

so 'ham rathi nrpatayo yata anamanti
sarvam ksanena tad abhud asad isa-riktam
bhasman hutam kuhaka-raddham ivoptam usyam

tat--the same; vai--certainly; dhanuh te--the same bow; isavah--arrows;

sah--the very same; rathah--chariot; hayah te--the very same horses; sah
aham--I am the same Arjuna; rathi--the chariot-fighter; nrpatayah--all the
kings; yatah--whom; anamanti--offered their respects; sarvam--all; ksanena--at
a moment's notice; tat--all those; abhut--became; asat--useless; isa--because
of the Lord; riktam--being void; bhasman--ashes; hutam--offering butter;
kuhaka-raddham--money created by magical feats; iva--like that; uptam--
sown;
usyam--in barren land.

TRANSLATION

I have the very same Gandiva bow, the same arrows, the same chariot
drawn
by the same horses, and I use them as the same Arjuna to whom all the kings
offered their due respects. But in the absence of Lord Krsna, all of them, at
a moment's notice, have become null and void. It is exactly like offering
clarified butter on ashes, accumulating money with a magic wand or sowing
seeds on barren land.
 562

PURPORT

As we have discussed more than once, one should not be puffed up by

borrowed plumes. All energies and powers are derived from the supreme
source,
Lord Krsna, and they act as long as He desires and cease to function as soon
as He withdraws. All electrical energies are received from the powerhouse, and
as soon as the powerhouse stops supplying energy, the bulbs are of no use. In
a moment's time such energies can be generated or withdrawn by the
supreme
will of the Lord. Material civilization without the blessing of the Lord is
child's play only. As long as the parents allow the child to play, it is all
right. As soon as the parents withdraw, the child has to stop. Human
civilization and all activities thereof must be dovetailed with the supreme
blessing of the Lord, and without this blessing all advancement of human
civilization is like decoration on a dead body. It is said here that a dead
civilization and its activities are something like clarified butter on ashes,
the accumulation of money by a magic wand and the sowing of seeds in a
barren
land.

TEXT 22-23

rajams tvayanuprstanam
suhrdam nah suhrt-pure
vipra-sapa-vimudhanam
nighnatam mustibhir mithah

varunim madiram pitva

madonmathita-cetasam
ajanatam ivanyonyam
catuh-pancavasesitah

rajan--O King; tvaya--by you; anuprstanam--as you inquired; suhrdam--of

friends and relatives; nah--our; suhrt-pure--in the city of Dvaraka;
vipra--the brahmanas; sapa--by the curse of; vimudhanam--of the befooled;
nighnatam--of the killed; mustibhih--with bunches of sticks; mithah--among
themselves; varunim--fermented rice; madiram--wine; pitva--having drunk;
mada-unmathita--being intoxicated; cetasam--of that mental situation;
ajanatam--of the unrecognized; iva--like; anyonyam--one another; catuh--four;
panca--five; avasesitah--now remaining.

TRANSLATION

O King, since you have asked me about our friends and relatives in the
city of Dvaraka, I will inform you that all of them were cursed by the
brahmanas, and as a result they all became intoxicated with wine made of
putrefied rice and fought among themselves with sticks, not even recognizing
one another. Now all but four or five of them are dead and gone.
 563

TEXT 24

prayenaitad bhagavata
isvarasya vicestitam
mitho nighnanti bhutani
bhavayanti ca yan mithah

prayena etat--it is almost by; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead;

isvarasya--of the Lord; vicestitam--by the will of; mithah--one another;
nighnanti--do kill; bhutani--the living beings; bhavayanti--as also protect;
ca--also; yat--of whom; mithah--one another.

TRANSLATION

Factually this is all due to the supreme will of the Lord, the
Personality of Godhead. Sometimes people kill one another, and at other times
they protect one another.

PURPORT

According to the anthropologists, there is nature's law of struggle for

existence and survival of the fittest. But they do not know that behind the
law of nature is the supreme direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the Bhagavad-gita it is confirmed that the law of nature is executed under
the direction of the Lord. Whenever, therefore, there is peace in the world,
it must be known that it is due to the good will of the Lord. And whenever
there is upheaval in the world, it is also due to the supreme will of the
Lord. Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord. Whenever,
therefore, there is disobedience of the established rules enacted by the Lord,
there is war between men and nations. The surest way to the path of peace,
therefore, is dovetailing everything to the established rule of the Lord. The
established rule is that whatever we do, whatever we eat, whatever we
sacrifice or whatever we give in charity must be done to the full satisfaction
of the Lord. No one should do anything, eat anything, sacrifice anything or
give anything in charity against the will of the Lord. Discretion is the
better part of valor, and one must learn how to discriminate between actions
which may be pleasing to the Lord and those which may not be pleasing to the
Lord. An action is thus judged by the Lord's pleasure or displeasure. There is
no room for personal whims; we must always be guided by the pleasure of the
Lord. Such action is called yogah karmasu kausalam, or actions performed
which
are linked with the Supreme Lord. That is the art of doing a thing perfectly.

TEXT 25-26

jalaukasam jale yadvan

mahanto 'danty aniyasah
durbalan balino rajan
mahanto balino mithah

evam balisthair yadubhir

mahadbhir itaran vibhuh
 564

yadun yadubhir anyonyam

bhu-bharan sanjahara ha

jalaukasam--of the aquatics; jale--in the water; yadvat--as it is;

mahantah--the larger one; adanti--swallows; aniyasah--smaller ones;
durbalan--the weak; balinah--the stronger; rajan--O King; mahantah--the
strongest; balinah--less strong; mithah--in a duel; evam--thus; balisthaih--by
the strongest; yadubhih--by the descendants of Yadu; mahadbhih--one who
has
greater strength; itaran--the common ones; vibhuh--the Supreme Personality
of
Godhead; yadun--all the Yadus; yadubhih--by the Yadus; anyonyam--among
one
another; bhu-bharan--the burden of the world; sanjahara--has unloaded; ha--in
the past.

TRANSLATION

O King, as in the ocean the bigger and stronger aquatics swallow up the
smaller and weaker ones, so also the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to
lighten the burden of the earth, has engaged the stronger Yadu to kill the
weaker, and the bigger Yadu to kill the smaller.

PURPORT

In the material world the struggle for existence and survival of the
fittest are laws because in the material world there is disparity between
conditioned souls due to everyone's desire to lord it over the material
resources. This very mentality of lording it over the material nature is the
root cause of conditioned life. And to give facility to such imitation lords,
the illusory energy of the Lord has created a disparity between conditioned
living beings by creating the stronger and the weaker in every species of
life. The mentality of lording it over the material nature and the creation
has naturally created a disparity and therefore the law of struggle for
existence. In the spiritual world there is no such disparity, nor is there
such a struggle for existence. In the spiritual world there is no struggle for
existence because everyone there exists eternally. There is no disparity
because everyone wants to render service to the Supreme Lord, and no one
wants
to imitate the Lord in becoming the beneficiary. The Lord, being creator of
everything, including the living beings, factually is the proprietor and
enjoyer of everything that be, but in the material world, by the spell of
maya, or illusion, this eternal relation with the Supreme Personality of
Godhead is forgotten, and so the living being is conditioned under the law of
struggle for existence and survival of the fittest.

TEXT 27

desa-kalartha-yuktani
hrt-tapopasamani ca
haranti smaratas cittam
govindabhihitani me
 565

desa--space; kala--time; artha--importance; yuktani--impregnated with;

hrt--the heart; tapa--burning; upasamani--extinguishing; ca--and; haranti--are
attracting; smaratah--by remembering; cittam--mind; govinda--the Supreme
Personality of pleasure; abhihitani--narrated by; me--unto me.

TRANSLATION

Now I am attracted to those instructions imparted to me by the

Personality of Godhead [Govinda] because they are impregnated with
instructions for relieving the burning heart in all circumstances of time and
space.

PURPORT

Herein Arjuna refers to the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, which was

imparted to him by the Lord on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. The Lord left
behind Him the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita not for the benefit of Arjuna
alone, but also for all time and in all lands. The Bhagavad-gita, being spoken
by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the essence of all Vedic wisdom. It
is nicely presented by the Lord Himself for all who have very little time to
go through the vast Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas and
Vedanta-sutras. It is put within the study of the great historical epic
Mahabharata, which was especially prepared for the less intelligent class,
namely the women, the laborers and those who are worthless descendants of
the
brahmanas, ksatriyas and higher sections of the vaisyas. The problem which
arose in the heart of Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra was solved by
the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. Again, after the departure of the Lord
from the vision of earthly people, when Arjuna was face to face with being
vanquished in his acquired power and prominence, he wanted again to
remember
the great teachings of the Bhagavad-gita just to teach all concerned that the
Bhagavad-gita can be consulted in all critical times, not only for solace from
all kinds of mental agonies, but also for the way out of great entanglements
which may embarrass one in some critical hour.
The merciful Lord left behind Him the great teachings of the
Bhagavad-gita so that one can take the instructions of the Lord even when He
is not visible to material eyesight. Material senses cannot have any
estimation of the Supreme Lord, but by His inconceivable power the Lord can
incarnate Himself to the sense perception of the conditioned souls in a
suitable manner through the agency of matter, which is also another form of
the Lord's manifested energy. Thus the Bhagavad-gita, or any authentic
scriptural sound representation of the Lord, is also the incarnation of the
Lord. There is no difference between the sound representation of the Lord and
the Lord Himself. One can derive the same benefit from the Bhagavad-gita as
Arjuna did in the personal presence of the Lord.
The faithful human being who is desirous of being liberated from the
clutches of material existence can very easily take advantage of the
Bhagavad-gita, and with this in view, the Lord instructed Arjuna as if Arjuna
were in need of it. In the Bhagavad-gita, five important factors of knowledge
have been delineated pertaining to (1) the Supreme Lord, (2) the living being,
 566

(3) nature, (4) time and space and (5) the process of activity. Out of these,
the Supreme Lord and the living being are qualitatively one. The difference
between the two has been analyzed as the difference between the whole and
the
part and parcel. Nature is inert matter displaying the interaction of three
different modes, and eternal time and unlimited space are considered to be
beyond the existence of the material nature. Activities of the living being
are different varieties of aptitudes which can entrap or liberate the living
being within and without material nature. All these subject matters are
concisely discussed in the Bhagavad-gita, and later the subject matters are
elaborated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam for further enlightenment. Out of the
five
subjects, the Supreme Lord, the living entity, nature, and time and space are
eternal, but the living entity, nature and time are under the direction of the
Supreme Lord, who is absolute and completely independent of any other
control.
The Supreme Lord is the supreme [Link] material activity of the living
being is beginningless, but it can be rectified by transferral into the
spiritual quality. Thus it can cease its material qualitative reactions. Both
the Lord and the living entity are cognizant, and both have the sense of
identification, of being conscious as a living force. But the living being
under the condition of material nature, called mahat-tattva, misidentifies
himself as being different from the Lord. The whole scheme of Vedic wisdom is
targeted to the aim of eradicating such a misconception and thus liberating
the living being from the illusion of material identification. When such an
illusion is eradicated by knowledge and renunciation, the living beings are
responsible actors and enjoyers also. The sense of enjoyment in the Lord is
real, but such a sense in the living being is a sort of wishful desire only.
This difference in consciousness is the distinction of the two identities,
namely the Lord and the living being. Otherwise there is no difference
between
the Lord and the living being. The living being is therefore eternally one and
different simultaneously. The whole instruction of the Bhagavad-gita stands on
this principle.
In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord and the living beings are both described as
sanatana, or eternal, and the Lord's abode, far beyond the material sky, is
also described as sanatana. The living being is invited to live in the
sanatana existence of the Lord, and the process which can help a living being
to approach the Lord's abode, where the liberated activity of the soul is
exhibited, is called sanatana-dharma. One cannot, however, reach the eternal
abode of the Lord without being free from the misconception of material
identification, and the Bhagavad-gita gives us the clue how to achieve this
stage of perfection. The process of being liberated from the misconception of
material identification is called, in different stages, fruitive activity,
empiric philosophy and devotional service, up to transcendental realization.
Such transcendental realization is made possible by dovetailing all the above
items in relation with the Lord. Prescribed duties of the human being, as
directed in the Vedas, can gradually purify the sinful mind of the conditioned
soul and raise him to the stage of knowledge. The purified stage of acquiring
knowledge becomes the basis of devotional service to the Lord. As long as one
is engaged in researching the solution of the problems of life, his knowledge
is called jnana, or purified knowledge, but on realizing the actual solution
 567

of life, one becomes situated in the devotional service of the Lord. The
Bhagavad-gita begins with the problems of life by discriminating the soul from
the elements of matter and proves by all reason and argument that the soul is
indestructible in all circumstances and that the outer covering of matter, the
body and the mind, change for another term of material existence which is full
of miseries. The Bhagavad-gita is therefore meant for terminating all
different types of miseries, and Arjuna took shelter of this great knowledge,
which had been imparted to him during the Kuruksetra battle.

TEXT 28

suta uvaca
evam cintayato jisnoh
krsna-pada-saroruham
sauhardenatigadhena
santasid vimala matih

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; evam--thus; cintayatah--while thinking of the

instructions; jisnoh--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; krsna-pada--the
feet of Krsna; saroruham--resembling lotuses; sauhardena--by deep friendship;
ati-gadhena--in great intimacy; santa--pacified; asit--it so became;
vimala--without any tinge of material contamination; matih--mind.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Thus being deeply absorbed in thinking of the

instructions of the Lord, which were imparted in the great intimacy of
friendship, and in thinking of His lotus feet, Arjuna's mind became pacified
and free from all material contamination.

PURPORT

Since the Lord is absolute, deep meditation upon Him is as good as yogic
trance. The Lord is nondifferent from His name, form, quality, pastimes,
entourage and specific actions. Arjuna began to think of the Lord's
instructions to him on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. Only those instructions
began to eliminate the tinges of material contamination in the mind of Arjuna.
The Lord is like the sun; the sun's appearance means immediate dissipation of
darkness, or ignorance, and the Lord's appearance within the mind of the
devotee can at once drive away the miserable material effects. Lord Caitanya
has therefore recommended constant chanting of the name of the Lord for
protection from all contamination of the material world. The feeling of
separation from the Lord is undoubtedly painful to the devotee, but because it
is in connection with the Lord, it has a specific transcendental effect which
pacifies the heart. Feelings of separation are also sources of transcendental
bliss, and they are never comparable to contaminated material feelings of
separation.

TEXT 29

vasudevanghry-anudhyana-
paribrmhita-ramhasa
 568

bhaktya nirmathitasesa-
kasaya-dhisano 'rjunah

vasudeva-anghri--the lotus feet of the Lord; anudhyana--by constant

remembrance; paribrmhita--expanded; ramhasa--with great velocity; bhaktya--
in
devotion; nirmathita--subsided; asesa--unlimited; kasaya--dint;
dhisanah--conception; arjunah--Arjuna.

TRANSLATION

Arjuna's constant remembrance of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krsna rapidly
increased his devotion, and as a result all the trash in his thoughts
subsided.

PURPORT

Material desires in the mind are the trash of material contamination. By

such contamination, the living being is faced with so many compatible and
incompatible things that discourage the very existence of spiritual identity.
Birth after birth the conditioned soul is entrapped with so many pleasing and
displeasing elements, which are all false and temporary. They accumulate due
to our reactions to material desires, but when we get in touch with the
transcendental Lord in His variegated energies by devotional service, the
naked forms of all material desires become manifest, and the intelligence of
the living being is pacified in its true color. As soon as Arjuna turned his
attention towards the instructions of the Lord, as they are inculcated in the
Bhagavad-gita, his true color of eternal association with the Lord became
manifest, and thus he felt freed from all material contaminations.

TEXT 30

gitam bhagavata jnanam

yat tat sangrama-murdhani
kala-karma-tamo-ruddham
punar adhyagamat prabhuh

gitam--instructed; bhagavata--by the Personality of Godhead;

jnanam--transcendental knowledge; yat--which; tat--that; sangrama-
murdhani--in
the midst of battle; kala-karma--time and actions; tamah-ruddham--enwrapped
by
such darkness; punah adhyagamat--revived them again; prabhuh--the lord of
his
senses.

TRANSLATION

Because of the Lord's pastimes and activities and because of His absence,
it appeared that Arjuna forgot the instructions left by the Personality of
Godhead. But factually this was not the case, and again he became lord of his
senses.
 569

PURPORT

A conditioned soul is enwrapped in his fruitive activities by the force

of eternal time. But the Supreme Lord, when He incarnates on the earth, is not
influenced by kala, or the material conception of past, present and future.
The activities of the Lord are eternal, and they are manifestations of His
atma-maya, or internal potency. All pastimes or activities of the Lord are
spiritual in nature, but to the laymen they appear to be on the same level
with material activities. It so appeared that Arjuna and the Lord were engaged
in the Battle of Kuruksetra as the other party was also engaged, but factually
the Lord was executing His mission of incarnation and association with His
eternal friend Arjuna. Therefore such apparently material activities of Arjuna
did not drive him away from his transcendental position, but on the contrary
revived his consciousness of the songs of the Lord, as He sang them
personally. This revival of consciousness is assured by the Lord in the
Bhagavad-gita (18.65) as follows:

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane pnyo 'si me

One should think of the Lord always; the mind should not forget Him. One
should become a devotee of the Lord and offer obeisances unto Him. One who
lives in that fashion becomes undoubtedly endowed with the blessing of the
Lord by achieving the shelter of His lotus feet. There is nothing to doubt
about this eternal truth. Because Arjuna was His confidential friend, the
secret was disclosed to him.
Arjuna had no desire to fight with his relatives, but he fought for the
mission of the Lord. He was always engaged in the execution of His mission
only, and therefore after the Lord's departure he remained in the same
transcendental position, even though it appeared that he forgot all the
instructions of the Bhagavad-gita. One should, therefore, adjust the
activities of life in pace with the mission of the Lord, and by doing this one
is sure to return back home, back to Godhead. This is the highest perfection
of life.

TEXT 31

visoko brahma-sampattya
sanchinna-dvaita-samsayah
lina-prakrti-nairgunyad
alingatvad asambhavah

visokah--free from bereavement; brahma-sampattya--by possession of

spiritual
assets; sanchinna--being completely cut off; dvaita-samsayah--from the doubts
of relativity; lina--merged in; prakrti--material nature; nairgunyat--due to
being in transcendence; alingat-vat--because of being devoid of a material
body; asambhavah--free from birth and death.
 570

TRANSLATION

Because of his possessing spiritual assets, the doubts of duality were

completely cut off. Thus he was freed from the three modes of material nature
and placed in transcendence. There was no longer any chance of his becoming
entangled in birth and death, for he was freed from material form.

PURPORT

Doubts of duality begin from the misconception of the material body,

which is accepted as the self by less intelligent persons. The most foolish
part of our ignorance is our identifying this material body with the self.
Everything in relation with the body is ignorantly accepted as our own. Doubts
due to misconceptions of "myself" and "mine"--in other words, "my body," "my
relatives," "my property," "my wife," "my children," "my wealth," "my
country," "my community," and hundreds and thousands of similar illusory
contemplations--cause bewilderment for the conditioned soul. By assimilating
the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, one is sure to be released from such
bewilderment because real knowledge is knowledge that the Supreme
Personality
of Godhead, Vasudeva, Lord Krsna, is everything, including one's self.
Everything is a manifestation of His potency as part and parcel. The potency
and the potent are nondifferent, so the conception of duality is at once
mitigated by attainment of perfect knowledge. As soon as Arjuna took up the
instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, expert as he was, he could at once
eradicate the material conception of Lord Krsna, his eternal friend. He could
realize that the Lord was still present before him by His instruction, by His
form, by His pastimes, by His qualities and everything else related to Him. He
could realize that Lord Krsna, his friend, was still present before him by His
transcendental presence in different nondual energies, and there was no
question of attainment of the association of the Lord by another change of
body under the influence of time and space. By attainment of absolute
knowledge, one can be in association with the Lord constantly, even in this
present life, simply by hearing, chanting, thinking of and worshiping the
Supreme Lord. One can see Him, one can feel His presence even in this
present
life simply by understanding the advaya-jnana Lord, or the Absolute Lord,
through the process of devotional service, which begins with hearing about
Him. Lord Caitanya says that simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord
one
can at once wash off the dust on the mirror of pure consciousness, and as soon
as the dust is removed, one is at once freed from all material conditions. To
become free from material conditions means to liberate the soul. As soon as
one is, therefore, situated in absolute knowledge, his material conception of
life is removed, or he emerges from a false conception of life. Thus the
function of the pure soul is revived in spiritual realization. This practical
realization of the living being is made possible due to his becoming free from
the reaction of the three modes of material nature, namely goodness, passion
and ignorance. By the grace of the Lord, a pure devotee is at once raised to
the place of the Absolute, and there is no chance of the devotee's becoming
materially entangled again in conditioned life. One is not able to feel the
presence of the Lord in all circumstances until one is endowed with the
 571

required transcendental vision made possible by devotional service prescribed

in the revealed scriptures. Arjuna had attained this stage long before on the
Battlefield of Kuruksetra, and when he apparently felt the absence of the
Lord, he at once took shelter of the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, and
thus again he was placed in his original position. This is the position of
visoka, or the stage of being freed from all grief and anxieties.

TEXT 32

nisamya bhagavan-margam
samstham yadu-kulasya ca
svah-pathaya matim cakre
nibhrtatma yudhisthirah

nisamya--deliberating; bhagavat--regarding the Lord; margam--the ways of His

appearance and disappearance; samstham--end; yadu-kulasya--of the dynasty
of
King Yadu; ca--also; svah--the abode of the Lord; pathaya--on the way of;
matim--desire; cakre--gave attention; nibhrta-atma--lonely and alone;
yudhisthirah--King Yudhisthira.

TRANSLATION

Upon hearing of Lord Krsna's returning to His abode, and upon

understanding the end of the Yadu dynasty's earthly manifestation, Maharaja
Yudhisthira decided to go back home, back to Godhead.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira also turned his attention to the instructions of the

Bhagavad-gita after hearing about the Lord's departure from the vision of
earthly people. He began to deliberate on the Lord's way of appearance and
departure. The mission of the Lord's appearance and disappearance in the
mortal universe is completely dependent on His supreme will. He is not forced
to appear or disappear by any superior energy, as the living beings appear
and
disappear, being forced by the laws of nature. Whenever the Lord likes, He can
appear Himself from anywhere and everywhere without disturbing His
appearance
and disappearance in any other place. He is like the sun. The sun appears and
disappears on its own accord at any place without disturbing its presence in
other places. The sun appears in the morning in India without disappearing
from the Western Hemisphere. The sun is present everywhere and anywhere
all
over the solar system, but it so appears that in a particular place the sun
appears in the morning and also disappears at some fixed time in the evening.
The time limitation even of the sun is of no concern, and so what to speak of
the Supreme Lord who is the creator and controller of the sun. Therefore, in
the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that anyone who factually understands the
transcendental appearance and disappearance of the Lord by His
inconceivable
 572

energy becomes liberated from the laws of birth and death and is placed in
the
eternal spiritual sky where the Vaikuntha planets are. There such liberated
persons can eternally live without the pangs of birth, death, old age and
disease. In the spiritual sky the Lord and those who are eternally engaged in
the transcendental loving service of the Lord are all eternally young because
there is no old age and disease and there is no death. Because there is no
death there is no birth. It is concluded, therefore, that simply by
understanding the Lord's appearance and disappearance in truth, one can
attain
the perfectional stage of eternal life. Therefore, Maharaja Yudhisthira also
began to consider going back to Godhead. The Lord appears on the earth or
any
other mortal planet along with His associates who live with Him eternally, and
the members of the Yadu family who were engaged in supplementing the
pastimes
of the Lord are no other than His eternal associates, and so also Maharaja
Yudhisthira and his brothers and mother, etc. Since the appearance and
disappearance of the Lord and His eternal associates are transcendental, one
should not be bewildered by the external features of appearance and
disappearance.

TEXT 33

prthapy anusrutya dhananjayoditam

nasam yadunam bhagavad-gatim ca tam
ekanta-bhaktya bhagavaty adhoksaje
nivesitatmopararama samsrteh

prtha--Kunti; api--also; anusrutya--overhearing; dhananjaya--Arjuna;

uditam--uttered by; nasam--end; yadunam--of the Yadu dynasty; bhagavat--of
the
Personality of Godhead; gatim--disappearance; ca--also; tam--all those;
eka-anta--unalloyed; bhaktya--devotion; bhagavati--unto the Supreme Lord,
Sri
Krsna; adhoksaje--transcendence; nivesita-atma--with full attention;
upararama--became released from; samsrteh--material existence.

TRANSLATION

Kunti, after overhearing Arjuna's telling of the end of the Yadu dynasty
and disappearance of Lord Krsna, engaged in the devotional service of the
transcendental Personality of Godhead with full attention and thus gained
release from the course of material existence.

PURPORT

The setting of the sun does not mean the end of the sun. It means that
the sun is out of our sight. Similarly, the end of the mission of the Lord on
a particular planet or universe only means that He is out of our sight. The
end of the Yadu dynasty also does not mean that it is annihilated. It
disappears, along with the Lord, out of our sight. As Maharaja Yudhisthira
 573

decided to prepare to go back to Godhead, so also Kunti decided, and thus she
fully engaged herself in the transcendental devotional service of the Lord
which guarantees one a passport for going back to Godhead after quitting this
present material body. The beginning of devotional service to the Lord is the
beginning of spiritualizing the present body, and thus an unalloyed devotee of
the Lord loses all material contact in the present body. The abode of the Lord
is not a myth, as is thought by the unbelievers or ignorant people, but one
cannot reach there by any material means like a sputnik or space capsule. But
one can certainly reach there after leaving this present body, and one must
prepare himself to go back to Godhead by practicing devotional service. That
guarantees a passport for going back to Godhead, and Kunti adopted it.

TEXT 34

yayaharad bhuvo bharam

tam tanum vijahav ajah
kantakam kantakeneva
dvayam capisituh samam

yaya--that by which; aharat--took away; bhuvah--of the world; bharam--

burden;
tam--that; tanum--body; vijahau--relinquished; ajah--the unborn;
kantakam--thorn; kantakena--by the thorn; iva--like that; dvayam--both;
ca--also; api--although; isituh--controlling; samam--equal.

TRANSLATION

The supreme unborn, Lord Sri Krsna, caused the members of the Yadu
dynasty to relinquish their bodies, and thus He relieved the burden of the
world. This action was like picking out a thorn with a thorn, though both are
the same to the controller.

PURPORT

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura suggests that the rsis like Saunaka
and others who were hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam from Suta Gosvami at
Naimisaranya were not happy to hear about the Yadu's dying in the madness
of
intoxication. To give them relief from this mental agony, Suta Gosvami
assured
them that the Lord caused the members of the Yadu dynasty to relinquish
their
bodies by which they had to take away the burden of the world. The Lord and
His eternal associates appeared on earth to help the administrative demigods
in eradicating the burden of the world. He therefore called for some of the
confidential demigods to appear in the Yadu family and serve Him in His great
mission. After the mission was fulfilled, the demigods, by the will of the
Lord, relinquished their corporeal bodies by fighting amongst themselves in
the madness of intoxication. The demigods are accustomed to drinking the
soma-rasa beverage, and therefore the drinking of wine and intoxication are
not unknown to them. Sometimes they were put into trouble for indulging in
intoxication. Once the sons of Kuvera fell in the wrath of Narada for being
 574

intoxicated, but afterwards they regained their original forms by the grace of
the Lord Sri Krsna. We shall find this story in the Tenth Canto. For the
Supreme Lord, both the asuras and the demigods are equal, but the demigods
are
obedient to the Lord, whereas the asuras are not. Therefore, the example of
picking out a thorn by another thorn is quite befitting. One thorn, which
causes pinpricks on the leg of the Lord, is certainly disturbing to the Lord,
and the other thorn, which takes out the disturbing elements, certainly gives
service to the Lord. So although every living being is a part and parcel of
the Lord, still one who is a pinprick to the Lord is called an asura, and one
who is a voluntary servitor of the Lord is called a devata, or demigod. In the
material world the devatas and asuras are always contending, and the devatas
are always saved from the hands of the asuras by the Lord. Both of them are
under the control of the Lord. The world is full of two kinds of living
beings, and the Lord's mission is always to protect the devatas and destroy
the asuras, whenever there is such a need in the world, and to do good to both
of them.

TEXT 35

yatha matsyadi-rupani
dhatte jahyad yatha natah
bhu-bharah ksapito yena
jahau tac ca kalevaram

yatha--as much as; matsya-adi--incarnation as a fish, etc.; rupani--forms;

dhatte--eternally accepts; jahyat--apparently relinquishes; yatha--exactly
like; natah--magician; bhu-bharah--burden of the world; ksapitah--relieved;
yena--by which; jahau--let go; tat--that; ca--also; kalevaram--body.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Lord relinquished the body which He manifested to diminish

the burden of the earth. Just like a magician, He relinquishes one body to
accept different ones, like the fish incarnation and others.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is neither impersonal nor

formless, but His body is nondifferent from Him, and therefore He is known as
the embodiment of eternity, knowledge and bliss. In the Brhad-vaisnava
Tantra
it is clearly mentioned that anyone who considers the form of Lord Krsna to be
made of material energy must be ostracized by all means. And if by chance
the
face of such an infidel is seen, one must clean himself by jumping in the
river with his clothing. The Lord is described as amrta, or deathless, because
He has no material body. Under the circumstances, the Lord's dying or quitting
His body is like the jugglery of a magician. The magician shows by his tricks
that he is cut to pieces, burnt to ashes or made unconscious by hypnotic
influences, but all are false shows only. Factually the magician himself is
neither burnt to ashes nor cut to pieces, nor is he dead or unconscious at any
 575

stage of his magical demonstration. Similarly, the Lord has His eternal forms
of unlimited variety, of which the fish incarnation, as was exhibited within
this universe, is also one. Because there are innumerable universes,
somewhere
or other the fish incarnation must be manifesting His pastimes without
cessation. In this verse, the particular word dhatte ("eternally accepted,"
and not the word dhitva, "accepted for the occasion") is used. The idea is
that the Lord does not create the fish incarnation; He eternally has such a
form, and the appearance and disappearance of such an incarnation serves
particular purposes. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.24-25) the Lord says, "The
impersonalists think that I have no form, that I am formless, but that at
present I have accepted a form to serve a purpose, and now I am manifested.
But such speculators are factually without sharp intelligence. Though they may
be good scholars in the Vedic literatures, they are practically ignorant of My
inconceivable energies and My eternal forms of personality. The reason is that
I reserve the power of not being exposed to the nondevotees by My mystic
curtain. The less intelligent fools are therefore unaware of My eternal form,
which is never to be vanquished and is unborn." In the Padma Purana it is said
that those who are envious and always angry at the Lord are unfit to know the
actual and eternal form of the Lord. In the Bhagavatam also it is said that
the Lord appeared like a thunderbolt to those who were wrestlers. Sisupala, at
the time of being killed by the Lord, could not see Him as Krsna, being
dazzled by the glare of the brahmajyoti. Therefore, the temporary
manifestation of the Lord as a thunderbolt to the wrestlers appointed by
Kamsa, or the glaring appearance of the Lord before Sisupala, was
relinquished
by the Lord, but the Lord as a magician is eternally existent and is never
vanquished in any circumstance. Such forms are temporarily shown to the
asuras
only, and when such exhibitions are withdrawn, the asuras think that the Lord
is no more existent, just as the foolish audience thinks the magician to be
burnt to ashes or cut to pieces. The conclusion is that the Lord has no
material body, and therefore He is never to be killed or changed by His
transcendental body.

TEXT 36

yada mukundo bhagavan imam mahim

jahau sva-tanva sravaniya-sat-kathah
tadahar evapratibuddha-cetasam
abhadra-hetuh kalir anvavartata

yada--when; mukundah--Lord Krsna; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;

imam--this; mahim--earth; jahau--left; sva-tanva--with His selfsame body;
sravaniya-sat-kathah--hearing about Him is worthwhile; tada--at that time;
ahah eva--from the very day; apratibuddha-cetasam--of those whose minds
are
not sufficiently developed; abhadra-hetuh--cause of all ill fortune; kalih
anvavartata--Kali fully manifested.

TRANSLATION
 576

When the Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna, left this earthly planet in
His selfsame form, from that very day Kali, who had already partially
appeared, became fully manifest to create inauspicious conditions for those
who are endowed with a poor fund of knowledge.

PURPORT

The influence of Kali can be enforced only upon those who are not fully
developed in God consciousness. One can neutralize the effects of Kali by
keeping oneself fully under the supreme care of the Personality of Godhead.
The age of Kali ensued just after the Battle of Kuruksetra, but it could not
exert its influence because of the presence of the Lord. The Lord, however,
left this earthly planet in His own transcendental body, and as soon as He
left, the symptoms of the Kali-yuga, as were envisioned by Maharaja
Yudhisthira prior to Arjuna's arrival from Dvaraka, began to manifest, and
Maharaja Yudhisthira rightly conjectured on the departure of the Lord from the
earth. As we have already explained, the Lord left our sight just as when the
sun sets it is out of our sight.

TEXT 37

yudhisthiras tat parisarpanam budhah

pure ca rastre ca grhe tathatmani
vibhavya lobhanrta-jihma-himsanady-
adharma-cakram gamanaya paryadhat

yudhisthirah--Maharaja Yudhisthira; tat--that; parisarpanam--expansion;

budhah--thoroughly experienced; pure--in the capital; ca--as also; rastre--in
the state; ca--and; grhe--at home; tatha--as also; atmani--in person;
vibhavya--observing; lobha--avarice; anrta--untruth; jihma--diplomacy;
himsana-adi--violence, envy; adharma--irreligion; cakram--a vicious circle;
gamanaya--for departure; paryadhat--dressed himself accordingly.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira was intelligent enough to understand the influence

of the age of Kali, characterized by increasing avarice, falsehood, cheating
and violence throughout the capital, state, home and among individuals. So he
wisely prepared himself to leave home, and he dressed accordingly.

PURPORT

The present age is influenced by the specific qualities of Kali. Since

the days of the Battle of Kuruksetra, about five thousand years ago, the
influence of the age of Kali began manifesting, and from authentic scriptures
it is learned that the age of Kali is still to run on for 427,000 years. The
symptoms of the Kali-yuga, as mentioned above, namely avarice, falsehood,
diplomacy, cheating, nepotism, violence and all such things, are already in
vogue, and no one can imagine what is going to happen gradually with further
increase of the influence of Kali till the day of annihilation. We have
already come to know that the influence of the age of Kali is meant for
godless so-called civilized man; those who are under the protection of the
 577

Lord have nothing to fear from this horrible age. Maharaja Yudhisthira was a
great devotee of the Lord, and there was no necessity of his being afraid of
the age of Kali, but he preferred to retire from active household life and
prepare himself to go back home, back to Godhead. The Pandavas are eternal
companions of the Lord, and therefore they are more interested in the
company
of the Lord than anything else. Besides that, being an ideal king, Maharaja
Yudhisthira wanted to retire just to set an example for others. As soon as
there is some young fellow to look after the household affairs, one should at
once retire from family life to uplift oneself to spiritual realization. One
should not rot in the dark well of household life till one is dragged out by
the will of Yamaraja. Modern politicians should take lessons from Maharaja
Yudhisthira about voluntary retirement from active life and should make room
for the younger generation. Also retired old gentlemen should take lessons
from him and leave home for spiritual realization before forcefully dragged
away to meet death.

TEXT 38

sva-rat pautram vinayinam

atmanah susamam gunaih
toya-nivyah patim bhumer
abhyasincad gajahvaye

sva-rat--the emperor; pautram--unto the grandson; vinayinam--properly

trained;
atmanah--his own self; su-samam--equal in all respects; gunaih--by the
qualities; toya-nivyah--bordered by the seas; patim--master; bhumeh--of the
land; abhyasincat--enthroned; gajahvaye--in the capital of Hastinapura.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, in the capital of Hastinapura, he enthroned his grandson, who

was trained and equally qualified, as the emperor and master of all land
bordered by the seas.

PURPORT

The total land on the earth bordered by the seas was under the
subjugation of the King of Hastinapura. Maharaja Yudhisthira trained his
grandson, Maharaja Pariksit, who was equally qualified, in state
administration in terms of the king's obligation to the citizens. Thus
Pariksit was enthroned on the seat of Maharaja Yudhisthira prior to his
departure back to Godhead. Concerning Maharaja Pariksit, the specific word
used, vinayinam, is significant. Why was the King of Hastinapura, at least
till the time of Maharaja Pariksit, accepted as the Emperor of the world? The
only reason is that the people of the world were happy because of the good
administration of the emperor. The happiness of the citizens was due to the
ample production of natural produce such as grains, fruits, milk, herbs,
valuable stones, minerals and everything that the people needed. They were
even free from all bodily miseries, anxieties of mind, and disturbances caused
 578

by natural phenomena and other living beings. Because everyone was happy
in
all respects, there was no resentment, although there were sometimes battles
between the state kings for political reasons and supremacy. Everyone was
trained to attain the highest goal of life, and therefore the people were also
enlightened enough not to quarrel over trivialities. The influence of the age
of Kali gradually infiltrated the good qualities of both the kings and the
citizens, and therefore a tense situation developed between the ruler and the
ruled, but still even in this age of disparity between the ruler and the
ruled, there can be spiritual emolument and God consciousness. That is a
special prerogative.

TEXT 39

mathurayam tatha vajram

surasena-patim tatah
prajapatyam nirupyestim
agnin apibad isvarah

mathurayam--at Mathura; tatha--also; vajram--Vajra; surasena-patim--King of

the Surasenas; tatah--thereafter; prajapatyam--Prajapatya sacrifice;
nirupya--having performed; istim--goal; agnin--fire; apibat--placed in
himself; isvarah--capable.

TRANSLATION

Then he posted Vajra, the son of Aniruddha [grandson of Lord Krsna], at

Mathura as the King of Surasena. Afterwards Maharaja Yudhisthira performed
a
Prajapatya sacrifice and placed in himself the fire for quitting household
life.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira, after placing Maharaja Pariksit on the imperial

throne of Hastinapura, and after posting Vajra, the great-grandson of Lord
Krsna, as the King of Mathura, accepted the renounced order of life. The
system of four orders of life and four castes in terms of quality and work,
known as varnasrama-dharma, is the beginning of real human life, and
Maharaja
Yudhisthira, as the protector of this system of human activities, timely
retired from active life as a sannyasi, handing over the charge of the
administration to a trained prince, Maharaja Pariksit. The scientific system
of varnasrama-dharma divides the human life into four divisions of occupation
and four orders of life. The four orders of life as brahmacari, grhastha,
vanaprastha and sannyasi are to be followed by all, irrespective of the
occupational division. Modern politicians do not wish to retire from active
life, even if they are old enough, but Yudhisthira Maharaja, as an ideal king,
voluntarily retired from active administrative life to prepare himself for the
next life. Everyone's life must be so arranged that the last stage of life,
say at least the last fifteen to twenty years prior to death, can be
absolutely devoted to the devotional service of the Lord to attain the highest
 579

perfection of life. It is really foolishness to engage oneself all the days of

one's life in material enjoyment and fruitive activities, because as long as
the mind remains absorbed in fruitive work for material enjoyment, there is no
chance of getting out from conditioned life, or material bondage. No one
should follow the suicidal policy of neglecting one's supreme task of
attaining the highest perfection of life, namely going back home, back to
Godhead.

TEXT 40

visrjya tatra tat sarvam

dukula-valayadikam
nirmamo nirahankarah
sanchinnasesa-bandhanah

visrjya--relinquishing; tatra--all those; tat--that; sarvam--everything;

dukula--belt; valaya-adikam--and bangles; nirmamah--uninterested;
nirahankarah--unattached; sanchinna--perfectly cut off;
asesa-bandhanah--unlimited attachment.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Yudhisthira at once relinquished all his garments, belt and

ornaments of the royal order and became completely disinterested and
unattached to everything.

PURPORT

To become purified of material contamination is the necessary

qualification for becoming one of the associates of the Lord. No one can
become an associate of the Lord or can go back to Godhead without such
purification. Maharaja Yudhisthira, therefore, to become spiritually pure, at
once gave up his royal opulence, relinquishing his royal dress and garments.
The kasaya, or saffron loincloth of a sannyasi, indicates freedom from all
attractive material garments, and thus he changed his dress accordingly. He
became disinterested in his kingdom and family and thus became free from all
material contamination, or material designation. People are generally attached
to various kinds of designations--the designations of family, society,
country, occupation, wealth, position and many others. As long as one is
attached to such designations, he is considered materially impure. The
so-called leaders of men in the modern age are attached by national
consciousness, but they do not know that such false consciousness is also
another designation of the materially conditioned soul; one has to relinquish
such designations before one can become eligible to go back to Godhead.
Foolish people adore such men who die in national consciousness, but here is
an example of Maharaja Yudhisthira, a royal king who prepared himself to
leave
this world without such national consciousness. And yet he is remembered
even
today because he was a great pious king, almost on the same level with the
Personality of Godhead Sri Rama. And because people of the world were
dominated by such pious kings, they were happy in all respects, and it was
 580

quite possible for such great emperors to rule the world.

TEXT 41

vacam juhava manasi

tat prana itare ca tam
mrtyav apanam sotsargam
tam pancatve hy ajohavit

vacam--speeches; juhava--relinquished; manasi--into the mind; tat prane--

mind
into breathing; itare ca--other senses also; tam--into that; mrtyau--into
death; apanam--breathing; sa-utsargam--with all dedication; tam--that;
pancatve--into the body made of five elements; hi--certainly;
ajohavit--amalgamated it.

TRANSLATION

Then he amalgamated all the sense organs into the mind, then the mind
into life, life into breathing, his total existence into the embodiment of the
five elements, and his body into death. Then, as pure self, he became free
from the material conception of life.

PURPORT

Maharaja Yudhisthira, like his brother Arjuna, began to concentrate and

gradually became freed from all material bondage. First he concentrated all
the actions of the senses and amalgamated them into the mind, or in other
words he turned his mind toward the transcendental service of the Lord. He
prayed that since all material activities are performed by the mind in terms
of actions and reactions of the material senses, and since he was going back
to Godhead, the mind would wind up its material activities and be turned
towards the transcendental service to the Lord. There was no longer a need
for
material activities. Actually the activities of the mind cannot be stopped,
for they are the reflection of the eternal soul, but the quality of the
activities can be changed from matter to the transcendental service of the
Lord. The material color of the mind is changed when one washes it from
contaminations of life-breathing and thereby frees it from the contamination
of repeated births and deaths and situates it in pure spiritual life. All is
manifested by the temporary embodiment of the material body, which is a
production of the mind at the time of death, and if the mind is purified by
practice of transcendental loving service to the Lord and is constantly
engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is no more chance
of the mind's producing another material body after death. It will be freed
from absorption in material contamination. The pure soul will be able to
return home, back to Godhead.

TEXT 42

tritve hutva ca pancatvam

tac caikatve 'juhon munih
 581

sarvam atmany ajuhavid

brahmany atmanam avyaye

tritve--into the three qualities; hutva--having offered; ca--also;

pancatvam--five elements; tat--that; ca--also; ekatve--in one nescience;
ajuhot--amalgamated; munih--the thoughtful; sarvam--the sum total; atmani--
in
the soul; ajuhavit--fixed; brahmani--unto the spirit; atmanam--the soul;
avyaye--unto the inexhaustible.

TRANSLATION

Thus annihilating the gross body of five elements into the three
qualitative modes of material nature, he merged them in one nescience and
then
absorbed that nescience in the self, Brahman, which is inexhaustible in all
circumstances.

PURPORT

All that is manifested in the material world is the product of the

mahat-tattva-avyakta, and things that are visible in our material vision are
nothing but combinations and permutations of such variegated material
products. But the living entity is different from such material products. It
is due to the living entity's forgetfulness of his eternal nature as eternal
servitor of the Lord, and his false conception of being a so-called lord of
the material nature, that he is obliged to enter into the existence of false
sense enjoyment. Thus a concomitant generation of material energies is the
principal cause of the mind's being materially affected. Thus the gross body
of five elements is produced. Maharaja Yudhisthira reversed the action and
merged the five elements of the body in the three modes of material nature.
The qualitative distinction of the body as being good, bad or mediocre is
extinguished, and again the qualitative manifestations become merged in the
material energy, which is produced from a false sense of the pure living
being. When one is thus inclined to become an associate of the Supreme Lord,
the Personality of Godhead, in one of the innumerable planets of the spiritual
sky, especially in Goloka Vrndavana, one has to think always that he is
different from the material energy; he has nothing to do with it, and he has
to realize himself as pure spirit, Brahman, qualitatively equal with the
Supreme Brahman (Paramesvara). Maharaja Yudhisthira, after distributing his
kingdom to Pariksit and Vajra, did not think himself Emperor of the world or
head of the Kuru dynasty. This sense of freedom from material relations, as
well as freedom from the material encagement of the gross and subtle
encirclement, makes one free to act as the servitor of the Lord, even though
one is in the material world. This stage is called the jivan-mukta stage, or
the liberated stage, even in the material world. That is the process of ending
material existence. One must not only think that he is Brahman, but must act
like Brahman. One who only thinks himself Brahman is an impersonalist. And
one
who acts like Brahman is the pure devotee.

TEXT 43
 582

cira-vasa niraharo
baddha-van mukta-murdhajah
darsayann atmano rupam
jadonmatta-pisacavat
anaveksamano niragad
asrnvan badhiro yatha

cira-vasah--accepted torn clothing; niraharah--gave up all solid foodstuff;

baddha-vak--stopped talking; mukta-murdhajah--untied his hair; darsayan--
began
to show; atmanah--of himself; rupam--bodily features; jada--inert;
unmatta--mad; pisaca-vat--just like an urchin; anaveksamanah--without
waiting
for; niragat--was situated; asrnvan--without hearing; badhirah--just like a
deaf man; yatha--as if.

TRANSLATION

After that, Maharaja Yudhisthira dressed himself in torn clothing, gave

up eating all solid foods, voluntarily became dumb and let his hair hang
loose. All this combined to make him look like an urchin or madman with no
occupation. He did not depend on his brothers for anything. And, just like a
deaf man, he heard nothing.

PURPORT

Thus being freed from all external affairs, he had nothing to do with
imperial life or family prestige, and for all practical purposes he posed
himself exactly like an inert mad urchin and did not speak of material
affairs. He had no dependence on his brothers, who had all along been helping
him. This stage of complete independence from everything is also called the
purified stage of fearlessness.

TEXT 44

udicim pravivesasam
gata-purvam mahatmabhih
hrdi brahma param dhyayan
navarteta yato gatah

udicim--the northern side; pravivesa-asam--those who wanted to enter there;

gata-purvam--the path accepted by his forefathers; maha-atmabhih--by the
broad-minded; hrdi--within the heart; brahma--the Supreme; param--Godhead;
dhyayan--constantly thinking of; na avarteta--passed his days;
yatah--wherever; gatah--went.

TRANSLATION

He then started towards the north, treading the path accepted by his
forefathers and great men, to devote himself completely to the thought of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. And he lived in that way wherever he went.
 583

PURPORT

It is understood from this verse that Maharaja Yudhisthira followed in

the footsteps of his forefathers and the great devotees of the Lord. We have
discussed many times before that the system of varnasrama-dharma, as it was
strictly followed by the inhabitants of the world, specifically by those who
inhabited the Aryavarta province of the world, emphasizes the importance of
leaving all household connections at a certain stage of life. The training and
education was so imparted, and thus a respectable person like Maharaja
Yudhisthira had to leave all family connection for self-realization and going
back to Godhead. No king or respectable gentleman would continue family life
till the end, because that was considered suicidal and against the interest of
the perfection of human life. In order to be free from all family encumbrances
and devote oneself cent percent in the devotional service of Lord Krsna, this
system is always recommended for everyone because it is the path of
authority.
The Lord instructs in the Bhagavad-gita (18.62) that one must become a
devotee
of the Lord at least at the last stage of one's life. A sincere soul of the
Lord like Maharaja Yudhisthira must abide by this instruction of the Lord for
his own interest.
The specific words brahma param indicate Lord Sri Krsna. This is
corroborated in the Bhagavad-gita (10.13) by Arjuna with reference to great
authorities like Asita, Devala, Narada and Vyasa. Thus Maharaja Yudhisthira,
while leaving home for the north, constantly remembered Lord Sri Krsna within
himself, following in the footsteps of his forefathers as well as the great
devotees of all times.

TEXT 45

sarve tam anunirjagmur

bhratarah krta-niscayah
kalinadharma-mitrena
drstva sprstah praja bhuvi

sarve--all his younger brothers; tam--him; anunirjagmuh--left home by

following the elder; bhratarah--brothers; krta-niscayah--decidedly; kalina--by
the age of Kali; adharma--principle of irreligion; mitrena--by the friend;
drstva--observing; sprstah--having overtaken; prajah--all citizens; bhuvi--on
the earth.

TRANSLATION

The younger brothers of Maharaja Yudhisthira observed that the age of

Kali had already arrived throughout the world and that the citizens of the
kingdom were already affected by irreligious practice. Therefore they decided
to follow in the footsteps of their elder brother.

PURPORT

The younger brothers of Maharaja Yudhisthira were already obedient

 584

followers of the great Emperor, and they had sufficiently been trained to know
the ultimate goal of life. They therefore decidedly followed their eldest
brother in rendering devotional service to Lord Sri Krsna. According to the
principles of sanatana-dharma, one must retire from family life after half the
duration of life is finished and must engage himself in self-realization. But
the question of engaging oneself is not always decided. Sometimes retired
men
are bewildered about how to engage themselves for the last days of life. Here
is a decision by authorities like the Pandavas. All of them engaged themselves
in favorably culturing the devotional service of the Lord Sri Krsna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to Svami Sridhara, dharma, artha,
kama and moksa, or fruitive activities, philosophical speculations and
salvation, as conceived by several persons, are not the ultimate goal of life.
They are more or less practiced by persons who have no information of the
ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is already indicated by the
Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (18.64), and the Pandavas were intelligent
enough to follow it without hesitation.

TEXT 46

te sadhu-krta-sarvartha
jnatvatyantikam atmanah
manasa dharayam asur
vaikuntha-caranambujam

te--all of them; sadhu-krta--having performed everything worthy of a saint;

sarva-arthah--that which includes everything worthy; jnatva--knowing it well;
atyantikam--the ultimate; atmanah--of the living being; manasa--within the
mind; dharayam asuh--sustained; vaikuntha--the Lord of the spiritual sky;
carana-ambujam--the lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

They all had performed all the principles of religion and as a result
rightly decided that the lotus feet of the Lord Sri Krsna are the supreme goal
of all. Therefore they meditated upon His feet without interruption.

PURPORT

In the Bhagavad-gita (7.28) the Lord says that only those who have done
pious deeds in previous lives and have become freed from the results of all
impious acts can concentrate upon the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Sri
Krsna. The Pandavas, not only in this life but also in their previous lives,
had always performed the supreme pious work, and thus they are ever free
from
all the reactions of impious work. It is quite reasonable, therefore, that
they concentrated their minds upon the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Sri
Krsna. According to Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti, dharma, artha, kama and
moksa
principles are accepted by persons who are not free from the results of
impious action. Such persons affected with the contaminations of the above
four principles cannot at once accept the lotus feet of the Lord in the
 585

spiritual sky. The Vaikuntha world is situated far beyond the material sky.
The material sky is under the management of Durga Devi, or the material
energy
of the Lord, but the Vaikuntha world is managed by the personal energy of the
Lord.

TEXT 47-48

tad-dhyanodriktaya bhaktya
visuddha-dhisanah pare
tasmin narayana-pade
ekanta-matayo gatim

avapur duravapam te
asadbhir visayatmabhih
vidhuta-kalmasa sthanam
virajenatmanaiva hi

tat--that; dhyana--positive meditation; utriktaya--being freed from;

bhaktya--by a devotional attitude; visuddha--purified; dhisanah--by
intelligence; pare--unto the Transcendence; tasmin--in that; narayana--the
Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna; pade--unto the lotus feet;
ekanta-matayah--of those who are fixed in the Supreme, who is one;
gatim--destination; avapuh--attained; duravapam--very difficult to obtain;
te--by them; asadbhih--by the materialists; visaya-atmabhih--absorbed in
material needs; vidhuta--washed off; kalmasah--material contaminations;
sthanam--abode; virajena--without material passion; atmana eva--by the
selfsame body; hi--certainly.

TRANSLATION

Thus by pure consciousness due to constant devotional remembrance, they

attained the spiritual sky, which is ruled over by the Supreme Narayana, Lord
Krsna. This is attained only by those who meditate upon the one Supreme Lord
without deviation. This abode of the Lord Sri Krsna, known as Goloka
Vrndavana, cannot be attained by persons who are absorbed in the material
conception of life. But the Pandavas, being completely washed of all material
contamination, attained that abode in their very same bodies.

PURPORT

According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, a person freed from the three modes of
material qualities, namely goodness, passion and ignorance, and situated in
transcendence can reach the highest perfection of life without change of body.
Srila Sanatana Gosvami in his Hari-bhakti-vilasa says that a person, whatever
he may be, can attain the perfection of a twice-born brahmana by undergoing
the spiritual disciplinary actions under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual
master, exactly as a chemist can turn gun metal into gold by chemical
manipulation. It is therefore the actual guidance that matters in the process
of becoming a brahmana, even without change of body, or in going back to
Godhead without change of body. Srila Jiva Gosvami remarks that the word hi
used in this connection positively affirms this truth, and there is no doubt
 586

about this factual position. The Bhagavad-gita (14.26) also affirms this
statement of Srila Jiva Gosvami when the Lord says that anyone who executes
devotional service systematically without deviation can attain the perfection
of Brahman by surpassing the contamination of the three modes of material
nature, and when the Brahman perfection is still more advanced by the
selfsame
execution of devotional service, there is no doubt at all that one can attain
the supreme spiritual planet, Goloka Vrndavana, without change of body, as
we
have already discussed in connection with the Lord's returning to His abode
without a change of body.

TEXT 49

viduro 'pi parityajya

prabhase deham atmanah
krsnavesena tac-cittah
pitrbhih sva-ksayam yayau

vidurah--Vidura (the uncle of Maharaja Yudhisthira); api--also;

parityajya--after quitting the body; prabhase--in the place of pilgrimage at
Prabhasa; deham atmanah--his body; krsna--the Personality of Godhead;
avesena--being absorbed in that thought; tat--his; cittah--thoughts and
actions; pitrbhih--along with the residents of Pitrloka; sva-ksayam--his own
abode; yayau--departed.

TRANSLATION

Vidura, while on pilgrimage, left his body at Prabhasa. Because he was

absorbed in thought of Lord Krsna, he was received by the denizens of Pitrloka
planet, where he returned to his original post.

PURPORT

The difference between the Pandavas and Vidura is that the Pandavas are
eternal associates of the Lord, the Personality of Godhead, whereas Vidura is
one of the administrative demigods in charge of the Pitrloka planet and is
known as Yamaraja. Men are afraid of Yamaraja because it is he only who
awards
punishment to the miscreants of the material world, but those who are
devotees
of the Lord have nothing to fear from him. To the devotees he is a cordial
friend, but to the nondevotees he is fear personified. As we have already
discussed, it is understood that Yamaraja was cursed by Manduka Muni to be
degraded as a sudra, and therefore Vidura was an incarnation of Yamaraja. As
an eternal servitor of the Lord, he displayed his devotional activities very
ardently and lived a life of a pious man, so much so that a materialistic man
like Dhrtarastra also got salvation by his instruction. So by his pious
activities in the devotional service of the Lord he was able to always
remember the lotus feet of the Lord, and thus he became washed of all
contamination of a sudra-born life. At the end he was again received by the
denizens of Pitrloka and posted in his original position. The demigods are
 587

also associates of the Lord without personal touch, whereas the direct
associates of the Lord are in constant personal touch with Him. The Lord and
His personal associates incarnate in many universes without cessation. The
Lord remembers them all, whereas the associates forget due to their being
very
minute parts and parcels of the Lord; they are apt to forget such incidents
due to being infinitesimal. This is corroborated in the Bhagavad-gita (4.5).

TEXT 50

draupadi ca tadajnaya
patinam anapeksatam
vasudeve bhagavati
hy ekanta-matir apa tam

draupadi--Draupadi (the wife of the Pandavas); ca--and; tada--at that time:

ajnaya--knowing Lord Krsna fully well; patinam--of the husbands;
anapeksatam--who did not care for her; vasudeve--unto Lord Vasudeva
(Krsna);
bhagavati--the personality of Godhead; hi--exactly; eka-anta--absolutely;
matih--concentration; apa--got; tam--Him (the Lord).

TRANSLATION

Draupadi also saw that her husbands, without caring for her, were leaving
home. She knew well about Lord Vasudeva, Krsna, the Personality of Godhead.
Both she and Subhadra became absorbed in thoughts of Krsna and attained
the
same results as their husbands.

PURPORT

When flying an airplane, one cannot take care of other planes. Everyone
has to take care of his own plane, and if there is any danger, no other plane
can help another in that condition. Similarly, at the end of life, when one
has to go back home, back to Godhead, everyone has to take care of himself
without help rendered by another. The help is, however, offered on the ground
before flying in space. Similarly, the spiritual master, the father, the
mother, the relatives, the husband and others can all render help during one's
lifetime, but while crossing the sea one has to take care of himself and
utilize the instructions formerly received. Draupadi had five husbands, and no
one asked Draupadi to come; Draupadi had to take care of herself without
waiting for her great husbands. And because she was already trained, she at
once took to concentration upon the lotus feet of Lord Vasudeva, Krsna, the
Personality of Godhead. The wives also got the same result as their husbands,
in the same manner; that is to say, without changing their bodies they
reached
the destination of Godhead. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura suggests that
both Draupadi and Subhadra, although her name is not mentioned herein, got
the
same result. None of them had to quit the body.
 588

TEXT 51

yah sraddhayaitad bhagavat-priyanam

pandoh sutanam iti samprayanam
srnoty alam svastyayanam pavitram
labdhva harau bhaktim upaiti siddhim

yah--anyone who; sraddhaya--with devotion; etat--this; bhagavat-priyanam--of

those who are very dear to the Personality of Godhead; pandoh--of Pandu;
sutanam--of the sons; iti--thus; samprayanam--departure for the ultimate goal;
srnoti--hears; alam--only; svastyayanam--good fortune; pavitram--perfectly
pure; labdhva--by obtaining; harau--unto the Supreme Lord; bhaktim--
devotional
service; upaiti--gains; siddhim--perfection.

TRANSLATION

The subject of the departure of the sons of Pandu for the ultimate goal
of life, back to Godhead, is fully auspicious and is perfectly pure. Therefore
anyone who hears this narration with devotional faith certainly gains the
devotional service of the Lord, the highest perfection of life.

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam is a narration about the Personality of Godhead and

the
devotees of the Lord like the Pandavas. The narration of the Personality of
Godhead and His devotees is absolute in itself, and thus to hear it with a
devotional attitude is to associate with the Lord and constant companions of
the Lord. By the process of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam one can attain the
highest perfection of life, namely going back home, back to Godhead, without
failure.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Fifteenth
Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The Pandavas Retire Timely."

Chapter Sixteen

How Pariksit Received the Age of Kali

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
tatah pariksid dvija-varya-siksaya
mahim maha-bhagavatah sasasa ha
yatha hi sutyam abhijata-kovidah
samadisan vipra mahad-gunas tatha

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; tatah--thereafter; pariksit--Maharaja

Pariksit; dvija-varya--the great twice-born brahmanas; siksaya--by their
 589

instructions; mahim--the earth; maha-bhagavatah--the great devotee;

sasasa--ruled; ha--in the past; yatha--as they told it; hi--certainly;
sutyam--at the time of his birth; abhijata-kovidah--expert astrologers at the
time of birth; samadisan--gave their opinions; vipra--O brahmanas;
mahat-gunah--great qualities; tatha--true to that.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: O learned brahmanas, Maharaja Pariksit then began to

rule over the world as a great devotee of the Lord under the instructions of
the best of the twice-born brahmanas. He ruled by those great qualities which
were foretold by expert astrologers at the time of his birth.

PURPORT

At the time of Maharaja Pariksit's birth, the expert astrologerbrahmanas

foretold some of his qualities. Maharaja Pariksit developed all those
qualities, being a great devotee of the Lord. The real qualification is to
become a devotee of the Lord, and gradually all the good qualities worthy of
possession develop. Maharaja Pariksit was a maha-bhagavata, or a first-class
devotee, who was not only well versed in the science of devotion but also able
to convert others to become devotees by his transcendental instructions.
Maharaja Pariksit was, therefore, a devotee of the first order, and thus he
used to consult great sages and learned brahmanas, who could advise him by
the
sastras how to execute the state administration. Such great kings were more
responsible than modern elected executive heads because they obliged the
great
authorities by following their instructions left in Vedic literatures. There
was no need for impractical fools to enact daily a new legislative bill and to
conveniently alter it again and again to serve some purpose. The rules and
regulations were already set forth by great sages like Manu, Yajnavalkya,
Parasara and other liberated sages, and the enactments were all suitable for
all ages in all places. Therefore the rules and regulations were standard and
without flaw or defect. Kings like Maharaja Pariksit had their council of
advisers, and all the members of that council were either great sages or
brahmanas of the first order. They did not accept any salary, nor had they any
necessity for such salaries. The state would get the best advice without
expenditure. They were themselves sama-darsi, equal to everyone, both man
and
animal. They would not advise the king to give protection to man and instruct
him to kill the poor animals. Such council members were not fools or
representatives to compose a fool's paradise. They were all self-realized
souls, and they knew perfectly well how all living beings in the state would
be happy, both in this life and in the next. They were not concerned with the
hedonistic philosophy of eat, drink, be merry and enjoy. They were
philosophers in the real sense, and they knew well what is the mission of
human life. Under all these obligations, the advisory council of the king
would give correct directions, and the king or executive head, being himself a
qualified devotee of the Lord, would scrutinizingly follow them for the
welfare of the state. The state in the days of Maharaja Yudhisthira or
Maharaja Pariksit was a welfare state in the real sense of the term because no
 590

one was unhappy in that state, be he man or animal. Maharaja Pariksit was an
ideal king for a welfare state of the world.

TEXT 2

sa uttarasya tanayam
upayema iravatim
janamejayadims caturas
tasyam utpadayat sutan

sah--he; uttarasya--of King Uttara; tanayam--daughter; upayeme--married;

iravatim--Iravati; janamejaya-adin--headed by Maharaja Janamejaya;
caturah--four; tasyam--in her; utpadayat--begot; sutan--sons.

TRANSLATION

King Pariksit married the daughter of King Uttara and begot four sons,
headed by Maharaja Janamejaya.

PURPORT

Maharaja Uttara was the son of Virata and maternal uncle of Maharaja
Pariksit. Iravati, being the daughter of Maharaja Uttara, was the
cousin-sister of Maharaja Pariksit, but cousin-brothers and -sisters were
allowed to get married if they did not belong to the same gotra, or family. In
the Vedic system of marriage, the importance of the gotra, or family, was
stressed. Arjuna also married Subhadra, although she was his maternal
cousin-sister.
Janamejaya: One of the rajarsi kings and the famous son of Maharaja
Pariksit. His mother's name was Iravati, or according to some, Madravati.
Maharaja Janamejaya begot two sons of the names Jnatanika and Sankukarna.
He
celebrated several sacrifices in the Kuruksetra pilgrimage site, and he had
three younger brothers named Srutasena, Ugrasena and Bhimasena II. He
invaded
Taksala (Ajanta), and he decided to avenge the unlawful curse upon his great
father, Maharaja Pariksit. He performed a great sacrifice called Sarpa-yajna,
to kill the race of serpents, including the taksaka, which had bitten his
father to death. On request from many influential demigods and sages, he had
to change his decision to kill the race of snakes, but despite stopping the
sacrifice, he satisfied everyone concerned in the sacrifice by rewarding them
properly. In the ceremony, Mahamuni Vyasadeva also was present, and he
personally narrated the history of the Battle of Kuruksetra before the King.
Later on by the order of Vyasadeva, his disciple Vaisampayana narrated
before
the King the subject matter of Mahabharata. He was much affected by his
great
father's untimely death and was very anxious to see him again, and he
expressed his desire before the great sage Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva also fulfilled
his desire. His father was present before him, and he worshiped both his
father and Vyasadeva with great respect and pomp. Being fully satisfied, he
most munificently gave charities to the brahmanas present at the sacrifice.
 591

TEXT 3

ajaharasva-medhams trin
gangayam bhuri-daksinan
saradvatam gurum krtva
deva yatraksi-gocarah

ajahara--performed; asva-medhan--horse sacrifices; trin--three; gangayam--the

bank of the Ganges; bhuri--sufficiently; daksinan--rewards; saradvatam--unto
Krpacarya; gurum--spiritual master; krtva--having selected; devah--the
demigods; yatra--wherein; aksi--eyes; gocarah--within the purview.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit, after having selected Krpacarya for guidance as his

spiritual master, performed three horse sacrifices on the banks of the Ganges.
These were executed with sufficient rewards for the attendants. And at these
sacrifices, even the common man could see demigods.

PURPORT

It appears from this verse that interplanetary travel by the denizens of

higher planets is easy. In many statements in Bhagavatam, we have observed
that the demigods from heaven used to visit this earth to attend sacrifices
performed by influential kings and emperors. Herein also we find that during
the time of the horse sacrifice ceremony of Maharaja Pariksit, the demigods
from other planets were visible even to the common man, due to the sacrificial
ceremony. The demigods are not generally visible to common men, as the
Lord is
not visible. But as the Lord, by His causeless mercy, descends to be visible
to the common man, similarly the demigods also become visible to the
common
man by their own grace. Although celestial beings are not visible to the naked
eyes of the inhabitants of this earth, it was due to the influence of Maharaja
Pariksit that the demigods also agreed to be visible. The kings used to spend
lavishly during such sacrifices, as a cloud distributes rains. A cloud is
nothing but another form of water, or, in other words, the waters of the earth
transform into clouds. Similarly, the charity made by the kings in such
sacrifices are but another form of the taxes collected from the citizens. But,
as the rains fall down very lavishly and appear to be more than necessary, the
charity made by such kings also seems to be more than what the citizen
needs.
Satisfied citizens will never organize agitation against the king, and thus
there was no need in changing the monarchial state.
Even for a king like Maharaja Pariksit there was need of a spiritual
master for guidance. Without such guidance one cannot make progress in
spiritual life. The spiritual master must be bona fide, and one who wants to
have self-realization must approach and take shelter of a bona fide spiritual
master to achieve real success.

TEXT 4
 592

nijagrahaujasa virah
kalim digvijaye kvacit
nrpa-linga-dharam sudram
ghnantam go-mithunam pada

nijagraha--sufficiently punished; ojasa--by prowess; virah--valiant hero;

kalim--unto Kali, the master of the age; digvijaye--on his way to conquer the
world; kvacit--once upon a time; nrpa-linga-dharam--one who passes in the
dress of a king; sudram--the lower class; ghnantam--hurting; go-mithunam--a
cow and bull; pada--on the leg.

TRANSLATION

Once, when Maharaja Pariksit was on his way to conquer the world, he saw
the master of Kali-yuga, who was lower than a sudra, disguised as a king and
hurting the legs of a cow and bull. The King at once caught hold of him to
deal sufficient punishment.

PURPORT

The purpose of a king's going out to conquer the world is not for
self-aggrandizement. Maharaja Pariksit went out to conquer the world after his
ascendance to the throne, but this was not for the purpose of aggression on
other states. He was the Emperor of the world, and all small states were
already under his regime. His purpose in going out was to see how things were
going on in terms of the godly state. The king, being the representative of
the Lord, has to execute the will of the Lord duly. There is no question of
self-aggrandizement. Thus as soon as Maharaja Pariksit saw that a lower-class
man in the dress of a king was hurting the legs of a cow and a bull, at once
he arrested and punished him. The king cannot tolerate insults to the most
important animal, the cow, nor can he tolerate disrespect for the most
important man, the brahmana. Human civilization means to advance the
cause of
brahminical culture, and to maintain it, cow protection is essential. There is
a miracle in milk, for it contains all the necessary vitamins to sustain human
physiological conditions for higher achievements. Brahminical culture can
advance only when man is educated to develop the quality of goodness, and
for
this there is a prime necessity of food prepared with milk, fruits and grains.
Maharaja Pariksit was astonished to see that a black sudra, dressed like a
ruler, was mistreating a cow, the most important animal in human society.
The age of Kali means mismanagement and quarrel. And the root cause of
all mismanagement and quarrel is that worthless men with the modes of
lower-class men, who have no higher ambition in life, come to the helm of the
state management. Such men at the post of a king are sure to first hurt the
cow and the brahminical culture, thereby pushing all society towards hell.
Maharaja Pariksit, trained as he was, got the scent of this root cause of all
quarrel in the world. Thus he wanted to stop it in the very beginning.

TEXT 5
 593

saunaka uvaca
kasya hetor nijagraha
kalim digvijaye nrpah
nrdeva-cihna-dhrk sudra-
ko 'sau gam yah padahanat
tat kathyatam maha-bhaga
yadi krsna-kathasrayam

saunakah uvaca--Saunaka Rsi said; kasya--for what; hetoh--reason;

nijagraha--sufficiently punished; kalim--the master of the age of Kali;
digvijaye--during the time of his world tour; nrpah--the King; nr-deva--royal
person; cihna-dhrk--decorated like; sudrakah--lowest of the sudras; asau--he;
gam--cow; yah--one who; pada ahanat--struck on the leg; tat--all that;
kathyatam--please describe; maha-bhaga--O greatly fortunate one; yadi--if,
however; krsna--about Krsna; katha-asrayam--related with His topics.

TRANSLATION

Saunaka Rsi inquired: Why did Maharaja Pariksit simply punish him, since
he was the lowest of the sudras, having dressed as a king and having struck a
cow on the leg? Please describe all these incidents if they relate to the
topics of Lord Krsna.

PURPORT

Saunaka and the rsis were astonished to hear that the pious Maharaja
Pariksit simply punished the culprit and did not kill him. This suggests that
a pious king like Maharaja Pariksit should have at once killed an offender who
wanted to cheat the public by dressing like a king and at the same time daring
to insult the purest of the animals, a cow. The rsis in those days, however,
could not even imagine that in the advanced days of the age of Kali the lowest
of the sudras will be elected as administrators and will open organized
slaughterhouses for killing cows. Anyway, although hearing about a sudraka
who
was a cheat and insulter of a cow was not very interesting to the great rsis,
they nevertheless wanted to hear about it to see if the event had any
connection with Lord Krsna. They were simply interested in the topics of Lord
Krsna, for anything that is dovetailed with the narration of Krsna is worth
hearing. There are many topics in the Bhagavatam about sociology, politics,
economics, cultural affairs, etc., but all of them are in relation with Krsna,
and therefore all of them are worth hearing. Krsna is the purifying ingredient
in all matters, regardless of what they are. In the mundane world, everything
is impure due to its being a product of the three mundane qualities. The
purifying agent, however, is Krsna.

TEXT 6

athavasya padambhoja-
makaranda-liham satam
kim anyair asad-alapair
ayuso yad asad-vyayah
 594

athava--otherwise; asya--of His (Lord Krsna's); pada-ambhoja--lotus feet;

makaranda-liham--of those who lick the honey from such a lotus flower;
satam--of those who are to exist eternally; kim anyaih--what is the use of
anything else; asat--illusory; alapaih--topics; ayusah--of the duration of
life; yat--that which is; asat-vyayah--unnecessary waste of life.

TRANSLATION

The devotees of the Lord are accustomed to licking up the honey available
from the lotus feet of the Lord. What is the use of topics which simply waste
one's valuable life?

PURPORT

Lord Krsna and His devotees are both on the transcendental plane;
therefore the topics of Lord Krsna and of His pure devotees are equally good.
The Battle of Kuruksetra is full of politics and diplomacy, but because the
topics are related with Lord Krsna, the Bhagavad-gita is therefore adored all
over the world. There is no need to eradicate politics, economics, sociology,
etc., which are mundane to the mundaners. To a pure devotee, who is actually
related with the Lord, such mundane things are transcendental if dovetailed
with the Lord or with His pure devotees. We have heard and talked about the
activities of the Pandavas, and we now are dealing with the topics of Maharaja
Pariksit, but because all these topics are related to the Lord Sri Krsna, they
are all transcendental, and pure devotees have great interest in hearing them.
We have already discussed this matter in connection with the prayers of
Bhismadeva.
Our duration of life is not very long, and there is no certainty of when
we shall be ordered to leave everything for the next stage. Thus it is our
duty to see that not a moment of our life is wasted in topics which are not
related with Lord Krsna. Any topic, however pleasant, is not worth hearing if
it is devoid of its relation to Krsna.
The spiritual planet, Goloka Vrndavana, the eternal abode of Lord Krsna,
is shaped like the whorl of a lotus flower. Even when the Lord descends to any
one of the mundane planets, He does so by manifesting His own abode as it is.
Thus His feet remain always on the same big whorl of the lotus flower. His
feet are also as beautiful as the lotus flower. Therefore it is said that Lord
Krsna has lotus feet.
A living being is eternal by constitution. He is, so to speak, in the
whirlpool of birth and death due to his contact with material energy. Freed
from such material energy, a living entity is liberated and is eligible to
return home, back to Godhead. Those who want to live forever without
changing
their material bodies should not waste valuable time with topics other than
those relating to Lord Krsna and His devotees.

TEXT 7

ksudrayusam nrnam anga

martyanam rtam icchatam
ihopahuto bhagavan
mrtyuh samitra-karmani
 595

ksudra--very small; ayusam--of the duration of life; nrnam--of the human

beings; anga--O Suta Gosvami; martyanam--of those who are sure to meet
death;
rtam--eternal life; icchatam--of those who desire it; iha--herein;
upahutah--called for being present; bhagavan--representing the Lord;
mrtyuh--the controller of death, Yamaraja; samitra--suppressing;
karmani--performances.

TRANSLATION

O Suta Gosvami, there are those amongst men who desire freedom from
death
and get eternal life. They escape the slaughtering process by calling the
controller of death, Yamaraja.

PURPORT

The living entity, as he develops from lower animal life to a higher

human being and gradually to higher intelligence, becomes anxious to get free
from the clutches of death. Modern scientists try to avoid death by
physiochemical advancement of knowledge, but alas, the controller of death,
Yamaraja, is so cruel that he does not spare even the very life of the
scientist himself. The scientist, who puts forward the theory of stopping
death by advancement of scientific knowledge, becomes himself a victim of
death when he is called by Yamaraja. What to speak of stopping death, no one
can enhance the short period of life even by a fraction of a moment. The only
hope of suspending the cruel slaughtering process of Yamaraja is to call him
to hear and chant the holy name of the Lord. Yamaraja is a great devotee of
the Lord, and he likes to be invited to kirtanas and sacrifices by the pure
devotees, who are constantly engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.
Thus the great sages, headed by Saunaka and others, invited Yamaraja to
attend
the sacrifice performed at Naimisaranya. This was good for those who did not
want to die.

TEXT 8

na kascin mriyate tavad

yavad asta ihantakah
etad-artham hi bhagavan
ahutah paramarsibhih
aho nr-loke piyeta
hari-lilamrtam vacah

na--not; kascit--anyone; mriyate--will die; tavat--so long; yavat--as long as;

aste--is present; iha--herein; antakah--one who causes the end of life;
etat--this; artham--reason; hi--certainly; bhagavan--the representative of the
Lord; ahutah--invited; parama-rsibhih--by the great sages; aho--alas;
nr-loke--in human society; piyeta--let them drink; hari-lila--transcendental
pastimes of the Lord; amrtam--nectar for eternal life; vacah--narrations.
 596

TRANSLATION

As long as Yamaraja, who causes everyone's death, is present here, no one

shall meet with death. The great sages have invited the controller of death,
Yamaraja, who is the representative of the Lord. Living beings who are under
his grip should take advantage by hearing the deathless nectar in the form of
this narration of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord.

PURPORT

Every human being dislikes meeting death, but he does not know how to
get
rid of death. The surest remedy for avoiding death is to accustom oneself to
hearing the nectarean pastimes of the Lord as they are systematically
narrated
in the text of Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is advised herein, therefore, that any
human being who desires freedom from death should take to this course of life
as recommended by the rsis headed by Saunaka.

TEXT 9

mandasya manda-prajnasya
vayo mandayusas ca vai
nidraya hriyate naktam
diva ca vyartha-karmabhih

mandasya--of the lazy; manda--paltry; prajnasya--of intelligence; vayah--age;

manda--short; ayusah--of duration of life; ca--and; vai--exactly; nidraya--by
sleeping; hriyate--passes away; naktam--night; diva--daytime; ca--also;
vyartha--for nothing; karmabhih--by activities.

TRANSLATION

Lazy human beings with paltry intelligence and a short duration of life
pass the night sleeping and the day performing activities that are for naught.

PURPORT

The less intelligent do not know the real value of the human form of
life. The human form is a special gift of material nature in the course of her
enforcing stringent laws of miseries upon the living being. It is a chance to
achieve the highest boon of life, namely to get out of the entanglement of
repeated birth and death. The intelligent take care of this important gift by
strenuously endeavoring to get out of the entanglement. But the less
intelligent are lazy and unable to evaluate the gift of the human body to
achieve liberation from the material bondage; they become more interested in
so-called economic development and work very hard throughout life simply for
the sense enjoyment of the temporary body. Sense enjoyment is also allowed
to
the lower animals by the law of nature, and thus a human being is also
destined to a certain amount of sense enjoyment according to his past or
present life. But one should definitely try to understand that sense enjoyment
 597

is not the ultimate goal of human life. Herein it is said that during the
daytime one works "for nothing" because the aim is nothing but sense
enjoyment. We can particularly observe how the human being is engaged for
nothing in the great cities and industrial towns. There are so many things
manufactured by human energy, but they are all meant for sense enjoyment,
and
not for getting out of material bondage. And after working hard during the
daytime, a tired man either sleeps or engages in sex habits at night. That is
the program of materialistic civilized life for the less intelligent.
Therefore they are designated herein as lazy, unfortunate and short-lived.

TEXT 10

suta uvaca
yada pariksit kuru-jangale 'vasat
kalim pravistam nija-cakravartite
nisamya vartam anatipriyam tatah
sarasanam samyuga-saundir adade

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; yada--when; pariksit--Maharaja Pariksit;

kuru-jangale--in the capital of Kuru's empire; avasat--was residing;
kalim--the symptoms of the age of Kali; pravistam--entered;
nija-cakravartite--within his jurisdiction; nisamya--thus hearing;
vartam--news; anati-priyam--not very palatable; tatah--thereafter;
sarasanam--arrows and bow; samyuga--having gotten a chance for;
saundih--martial activities; adade--took up.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: While Maharaja Pariksit was residing in the capital of
the Kuru empire, the symptoms of the age of Kali began to infiltrate within
the jurisdiction of his state. When he learned about this, he did not think
the matter very palatable. This did, however, give him a chance to fight. He
took up his bow and arrows and prepared himself for military activities.

PURPORT

The state administration of Maharaja Pariksit was so perfect that he was

sitting in his capital peacefully. But he got the news that the symptoms of
the age of Kali had already infiltrated into the jurisdiction of his state,
and he did not like this news. What are the symptoms of the age of Kali? They
are (1) illicit connection with women, (2) indulgence in meat-eating, (3)
intoxication and (4) taking pleasure in gambling. The age of Kali literally
means the age of quarrel, and the abovementioned four symptoms in human
society are the root causes for all kinds of quarrel. Maharaja Pariksit heard
that some of the people of the state had already taken to those symptoms,
and
he wanted to take immediate steps against such causes of unrest. This means
that at least up to the regime of Maharaja Pariksit, such symptoms of public
life were practically unknown, and as soon as they were slightly detected, he
wanted to root them out. The news was not palatable for him, but in a way it
was, because Maharaja Pariksit got a chance to fight. There was no need to
 598

fight with small states because everyone was peacefully under his
subordination, but the Kali-yuga miscreants gave his fighting spirit a chance
for exhibition. A perfect ksatriya king is always jubilant as soon as he gets
a chance to fight, just as a sportsman is eager when there is a chance for a
sporting match. It is no argument that in the age of Kali such symptoms are
predestined. If so, then why was there preparation for fighting out such
symptoms? Such arguments are offered by lazy and unfortunate men. In the
rainy
season, rain is predestined, and yet people take precautions to protect
themselves. Similarly, in the age of Kali the symptoms as above mentioned
are
sure to infiltrate into social life, but it is the duty of the state to save
the citizens from the association of the agents of the age of Kali. Maharaja
Pariksit wanted to punish the miscreants indulging in the symptoms of Kali,
and thus save the innocent citizens who were pure in habit by culture of
religion. It is the duty of the king to give such protection, and Maharaja
Pariksit was perfectly right when he prepared himself to fight.

TEXT 11

svalankrtam syama-turanga-yojitam
ratham mrgendra-dhvajam asritah purat
vrto rathasva-dvipapatti-yuktaya
sva-senaya digvijayaya nirgatah

su-alankrtam--very well decorated; syama--black; turanga--horses;

yojitam--tackled; ratham--chariot; mrga-indra--lion; dhvajam--flagged;
asritah--under the protection; purat--from the capital; vrtah--surrounded by;
ratha--charioteers; asva--cavalry; dvipapatti--elephants; yuktaya--thus being
equipped; sva-senaya--along with infantry; digvijayaya--for the purpose of
conquering; nirgatah--went out.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit sat on a chariot drawn by black horses. His flag was
marked with the sign of a lion. Being so decorated and surrounded by
charioteers, cavalry, elephants and infantry soldiers, he left the capital to
conquer in all directions.

PURPORT

Maharaja Pariksit is distinguished from his grandfather Arjuna, for black

horses pulled his chariot instead of white horses. He marked his flag with the
mark of a lion, and his grandfather marked his with the mark of Hanumanji. A
royal procession like that of Maharaja Pariksit surrounded by well-decorated
chariots, cavalry, elephants, infantry and band not only is pleasing to the
eyes, but also is a sign of a civilization that is aesthetic even on the
fighting front.

TEXT 12

bhadrasvam ketumalam ca
 599

bharatam cottaran kurun

kimpurusadini varsani
vijitya jagrhe balim

bhadrasvam--Bhadrasva; ketumalam--Ketumala; ca--also; bharatam--Bharata;

ca--and; uttaran--the northern countries; kurun--the kingdom of the Kuru
dynasty; kimpurusa-adini--a country beyond the northern side of the
Himalayas;
varsani--parts of the earth planet; vijitya--conquering; jagrhe--exacted;
balim--strength.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit then conquered all parts of the earthly

planet--Bhadrasva, Ketumala, Bharata, the northern Kuru, Kimpurusa, etc.--
and
exacted tributes from their respective rulers.

PURPORT

Bhadrasva: It is a tract of land near Meru Parvata, and it extends from

Gandha-madana Parvata to the saltwater ocean. There is a description of this
varsa in the Mahabharata (Bhisma-parva 7.14-18). The description was
narrated
by Sanjaya to Dhrtarastra.
Maharaja Yudhisthira also conquered this varsa, and thus the province was
included within the jurisdiction of his empire. Maharaja Pariksit was formerly
declared to be the emperor of all lands ruled by his grandfather, but still he
had to establish his supremacy while he was out of his capital to exact
tribute from such states.
Ketumala: This earth planet is divided into seven dvipas by seven oceans,
and the central dvipa, called Jambudvipa, is divided into nine varsas, or
parts, by eight huge mountains. Bharata-varsa is one of the above-mentioned
nine varsas, and Ketumala is also described as one of the above varsas. It is
said that in Ketumala varsa, women are the most beautiful. This varsa was
conquered by Arjuna also. A description of this part of the world is available
in the Mahabharata (Sabha 28.6).
It is said that this part of the world is situated on the western side of
the Meru Parvata, and inhabitants of this province used to live up to ten
thousand years (Bhisma-parva 6.31). Human beings living in this part of the
globe are of golden color, and the women resemble the angels of heaven. The
inhabitants are free from all kinds of diseases and grief.
Bharata-varsa: This part of the world is also one of the nine varsas of
the Jambudvipa. A description of Bharata-varsa is given in the Mahabharata
(Bhisma-parva, Chapters 9 and 10).
In the center of Jambudvipa is Ilavrta-varsa, and south of Ilavrtavarsa
is Hari-varsa. The description of these varsas is given in the Mahabharata
(Sabha-parva 28.7-8) as follows:

nagarams ca vanams caiva

nadis ca vimalodakah
purusan deva-kalpams ca
 600

naris ca priya-darsanah
adrsta-purvan subhagan
sa dadarsa dhananjayah
sadanani ca subhrani
naris capsarasam nibhah

It is mentioned here that the women in both these varsas are beautiful,
and some of them are equal to the Apsaras, or heavenly women.
Uttarakuru: According to Vedic geography the northernmost portion of
Jambudvipa is called Uttarakuru-varsa. It is surrounded by the saltwater ocean
from three sides and divided by Srngavan Mountain from the Hiranmaya-
varsa.
Kimpurusa-varsa: It is stated to be situated north of the great Himalaya
Mountain, which is eighty thousand miles in length and height and which
covers
sixteen thousand miles in width. These parts of the world were also conquered
by Arjuna (Sabha 28.1-2). The Kimpurusas are descendants of a daughter of
Daksa. When Maharaja Yudhisthira performed a horse sacrifice yajna, the
inhabitants of these countries were also present to take part in the festival,
and they paid tributes to the Emperor. This part of the world is called
Kimpurusa-varsa, or sometimes the Himalayan provinces (Himavati). It is said
that Sukadeva Gosvami was born in these Himalayan provinces and that he
came
to Bharatavarsa after crossing the Himalayan countries.
In other words, Maharaja Pariksit conquered all the world. He conquered
all the continents adjoining all the seas and oceans in all directions, namely
the eastern, western, northern and southern parts of the world.

TEXT 13-15

tatra tatropasrnvanah
sva-purvesam mahatmanam
pragiyamanam ca yasah
krsna-mahatmya-sucakam

atmanam ca paritratam
asvatthamno 'stra-tejasah
sneham ca vrsni-parthanam
tesam bhaktim ca kesave

tebhyah parama-santustah
prity-ujjrmbhita-locanah
maha-dhanani vasamsi
dadau haran maha-manah

tatra tatra--everywhere the King visited; upasrnvanah--continuously he heard;

sva-purvesam--about his own forefathers; maha-atmanam--who were all great
devotees of the Lord; pragiyamanam--unto those who were thus addressing;
ca--also; yasah--glories; krsna--Lord Krsna; mahatmya--glorious acts;
sucakam--indicating; atmanam--his personal self; ca--also;
paritratam--delivered; asvatthamnah--of Asvatthama; astra--weapon;
tejasah--powerful rays; sneham--affection; ca--also; vrsni-parthanam--between
 601

descendants of Vrsni and those of Prtha; tesam--of all of them;

bhaktim--devotion; ca--also; kesave--unto Lord Krsna; tebhyah--unto them;
parama--extremely; santustah--pleased; priti--attraction;
ujjrmbhita--pleasingly open; locanah--one who has such eyes;
maha-dhanani--valuable riches; vasamsi--clothing; dadau--gave in charity;
haran--necklace; maha-manah--one who has a broader outlook.

TRANSLATION

Wherever the King visited, he continuously heard the glories of his great
forefathers, who were all devotees of the Lord, and also of the glorious acts
of Lord Krsna. He also heard how he himself had been protected by the Lord
from the powerful heat of the weapon of Asvatthama. People also mentioned
the
great affection between the descendants of Vrsni and Prtha due to the latter's
great devotion to Lord Kesava. The King, being very pleased with the singers
of such glories, opened his eyes in great satisfaction. Out of magnanimity he
was pleased to award them very valuable necklaces and clothing.

PURPORT

Kings and great personalities of the state are presented with welcome
addresses. This is a system from time immemorial, and Maharaja Pariksit,
since
he was one of the well-known emperors of the world, was also presented with
addresses of welcome in all parts of the world as he visited those places. The
subject matter of those welcome addresses was Krsna. Krsna means Krsna and
His
eternal devotees, as the king means the king and his confidential associates.
Krsna and His unalloyed devotees cannot be separated, and therefore
glorifying the devotee means glorifying the Lord and vice versa. Maharaja
Pariksit would not have been glad to hear about the glories of his forefathers
like Maharaja Yudhisthira and Arjuna had they not been connected with the
acts
of Lord Krsna. The Lord descends specifically to deliver His devotees
(paritranaya sadhunam). The devotees are glorified by the presence of the
Lord
because they cannot live for a moment without the presence of the Lord and
His
different energies. The Lord is present for the devotee by His acts and
glories, and therefore Maharaja Pariksit felt the presence of the Lord when He
was glorified by His acts, especially when he was saved by the Lord in the
womb of his mother. The devotees of the Lord are never in danger, but in the
material world which is full of dangers at every step, the devotees are
apparently placed into dangerous positions, and when they are saved by the
Lord, the Lord is glorified. Lord Krsna would not have been glorified as the
speaker of the Bhagavad-gita had His devotees like the Pandavas not been
entangled in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. All such acts of the Lord were
mentioned in the addresses of welcome, and Maharaja Pariksit, in full
satisfaction, rewarded those who presented such addresses. The difference
between the presentation of welcome addresses today and in those days is
that
 602

formerly the welcome addresses were presented to a person like Maharaja

Pariksit. The welcome addresses were full of facts and figures, and those who
presented such addresses were sufficiently rewarded, whereas in the present
days the welcome addresses are presented not always with factual statements
but to please the postholder, and often they are full of flattering lies. And
rarely are those who present such welcome addresses rewarded by the poor
receiver.

TEXT 16

sarathya-parasada-sevana-sakhya-dautya-
virasananugamana-stavana-pranaman
snigdhesu pandusu jagat-pranatim ca visnor
bhaktim karoti nr-patis caranaravinde

sarathya--acceptance of the post of a chariot driver; parasada--acceptance of

the presidency in the assembly of the Rajasuya sacrifice; sevana--engaging
the
mind constantly in the service of the Lord; sakhya--to think of the Lord as a
friend; dautya--acceptance of the post of a messenger; vira-asana--acceptance
of the post of a watchman with a drawn sword at night; anugamana--following
in
the footsteps; stavana--offering of prayers; pranaman--offering obeisances;
snigdhesu--unto them who are malleable to the will of the Lord; pandusu--unto
the sons of Pandu; jagat--the universal; pranatim--one who is obeyed; ca--and;
visnoh--of Visnu; bhaktim--devotion; karoti--does; nr-patih--the King;
carana-aravinde--unto His lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit heard that out of His causeless mercy Lord Krsna
[Visnu], who is universally obeyed, rendered all kinds of service to the
malleable sons of Pandu by accepting posts ranging from chariot driver to
president to messenger, friend, night watchman, etc., according to the will of
the Pandavas, obeying them like a servant and offering obeisances like one
younger in years. When he heard this, Maharaja Pariksit became overwhelmed
with devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord.

PURPORT

Lord Krsna is everything to the unalloyed devotees like the Pandavas. The
Lord was for them the Supreme Lord, the spiritual master, the worshipable
Deity, the guide, the chariot driver, the friend, the servant, the messenger
and everything they could conceive of. And thus the Lord also reciprocated the
feelings of the Pandavas. Maharaja Pariksit, as a pure devotee of the Lord,
could appreciate the Lord's transcendental reciprocation of the feelings of
His devotees, and thus he himself also was overwhelmed with the dealings of
the Lord. Simply by appreciating the dealings of the Lord with His pure
devotees, one can attain salvation. The Lord's dealings with His devotees
appear to be ordinary human dealings, but one who knows them in truth
becomes
at once eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. The Pandavas were so
 603

malleable to the will of the Lord that they could sacrifice any amount of
energy for the service of the Lord, and by such unalloyed determination they
could secure the Lord's mercy in any shape they desired.

TEXT 17

tasyaivam vartamanasya
purvesam vrttim anvaham
natidure kilascaryam
yad asit tan nibodha me

tasya--of Maharaja Pariksit; evam--thus; vartamanasya--remaining absorbed in

such thought; purvesam--of his forefathers; vrttim--good engagement;
anvaham--day after day; na--not; ati-dure--far off; kila--verily;
ascaryam--astonishing; yat--that; asit--was; tat--which; nibodha--know it;
me--from me.

TRANSLATION

Now you may hear from me of what happened while Maharaja Pariksit was
passing his days hearing of the good occupations of his forefathers and being
absorbed in thought of them.

TEXT 18

dharmah padaikena caran

vicchayam upalabhya gam
prcchati smasru-vadanam
vivatsam iva mataram

dharmah--the personality of religious principles; pada--leg; ekena--on one

only; caran--wandering; vicchayam--overtaken by the shadow of grief;
upalabhya--having met; gam--the cow; prcchati--asking; sma--with;
asru-vadanam--with tears on the face; vivatsam--one who has lost her
offspring; iva--like; mataram--the mother.

TRANSLATION

The personality of religious principles, Dharma, was wandering about in

the form of a bull. And he met the personality of earth in the form of a cow
who appeared to grieve like a mother who had lost her child. She had tears in
her eyes, and the beauty of her body was lost. Thus Dharma questioned the
earth as follows.

PURPORT

The bull is the emblem of the moral principle, and the cow is the
representative of the earth. When the bull and the cow are in a joyful mood,
it is to be understood that the people of the world are also in a joyful mood.
The reason is that the bull helps production of grains in the agricultural
field, and the cow delivers milk, the miracle of aggregate food values. The
 604

human society, therefore, maintains these two important animals very

carefully
so that they can wander everywhere in cheerfulness. But at the present
moment
in this age of Kali both the bull and the cow are now being slaughtered and
eaten up as foodstuff by a class of men who do not know the brahminical
culture. The bull and the cow can be protected for the good of all human
society simply by the spreading of brahminical culture as the topmost
perfection of all cultural affairs. By advancement of such culture, the morale
of society is properly maintained, and so peace and prosperity are also
attained without extraneous effort. When brahminical culture deteriorates, the
cow and bull are mistreated, and the resultant actions are prominent by the
following symptoms.

TEXT 19

dharma uvaca
kaccid bhadre 'namayam atmanas te
vicchayasi mlayatesan mukhena
alaksaye bhavatim antaradhim
dure bandhum socasi kancanamba

dharmah uvaca--Dharma inquired; kaccit--whether; bhadre--madam;

anamayam--quite hale and hearty; atmanah--self; te--unto you; vicchaya
asi--appear to be covered with the shadow of grief; mlayata--which darkens;
isat--slightly; mukhena--by the face; alaksaye--you look; bhavatim--unto
yourself; antaradhim--some disease within; dure--long distant;
bandhum--friend; socasi--thinking of; kancana--someone; amba--O mother.

TRANSLATION

Dharma [in the form of a bull] asked: Madam, are you not hale and hearty?
Why are you covered with the shadow of grief? It appears by your face that
you
have become black. Are you suffering from some internal disease, or are you
thinking of some relative who is away in a distant place?

PURPORT

The people of the world in this age of Kali are always full of anxieties.
Everyone is diseased with some kind of ailment. From the very faces of the
people of this age, one can find out the index of the mind. Everyone feels the
absence of his relative who is away from home. The particular symptom of the
age of Kali is that no family is now blessed to live together. To earn a
livelihood, the father lives at a place far away from the son, or the wife
lives far away from the husband and so on. There are sufferings from internal
diseases, separation from those near and dear, and anxieties for maintaining
the status quo. These are but some important factors which make the people
of
this age always unhappy.

TEXT 20
 605

padair nyunam socasi maika-padam

atmanam va vrsalair bhoksyamanam
aho suradin hrta-yajna-bhagan
praja uta svin maghavaty avarsati

padaih--by three legs; nyunam--diminished; socasi--if you are lamenting for

that; ma--my; eka-padam--only one leg; atmanam--own body; va--or; vrsalaih--
by
the unlawful meat-eaters; bhoksyamanam--to be exploited; ahoh--in sacrifice;
sura-adin--the authorized demigods; hrta-yajna--devoid of sacrificial;
bhagan--share; prajah--the living beings; uta--increasing; svit--whether;
maghavati--in famine and scarcity; avarsati--because of rainlessness.

TRANSLATION

I have lost my three legs and am now standing on one only. Are you
lamenting for my state of existence? Or are you in great anxiety because
henceforward the unlawful meat-eaters will exploit you? Or are you in a sorry
plight because the demigods are now bereft of their share of sacrificial
offerings because no sacrifices are being performed at present? Or are you
grieving for living beings because of their sufferings due to famine and
drought?

PURPORT

With the progress of the age of Kali, four things particularly, namely
the duration of life, mercy, the power of recollection, and moral or religious
principles will gradually diminish. Since Dharma, or the principles of
religion, would be lost in the proportion of three out of four, the symbolic
bull was standing on one leg only. When three fourths of the population of the
whole world become irreligious, the situation is converted into hell for the
animals. In the age of Kali, godless civilizations will create so many
so-called religious societies in which the Personality of Godhead will be
directly or indirectly defied. And thus faithless societies of men will make
the world uninhabitable for the saner section of people. There are gradations
of human beings in terms of proportionate faith in the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. The first-class faithful men are the Vaisnavas and the brahmanas,
then the ksatriyas, then the vaisyas, then the sudras, then the mlecchas, the
yavanas and at last the candalas. The degradation of the human instinct
begins
from the mlecchas, and the candala state of life is the last word in human
degradation. All the above terms mentioned in the Vedic literatures are never
meant for any particular community or birth. They are different qualifications
of human beings in general. There is no question of birthright or community.
One can acquire the respective qualifications by one's own efforts, and thus
the son of a Vaisnava can become a mleccha, or the son of a candala can
become
more than a brahmana, all in terms of their association and intimate relation
with the Supreme Lord.
The meat-eaters are generally called mlecchas. But all meat-eaters are
not mlecchas. Those who accept meat in terms of scriptural injunctions are not
 606

mlecchas, but those who accept meat without restriction are called mlecchas.
Beef is forbidden in the scriptures, and the bulls and cows are offered
special protection by followers of the Vedas. But in this age of Kali, people
will exploit the body of the bull and the cow as they like, and thus they will
invite sufferings of various types.
The people of this age will not perform any sacrifice. The mleccha
population will care very little for performances of sacrifices, although
performance of sacrifice is essential for persons who are materially engaged
in sense enjoyment. In the Bhagavad-gita performance of sacrifices is strongly
recommended (Bg. 3.14-16).
The living beings are created by the creator Brahma, and just to maintain
the created living being progressively towards the path back to Godhead, the
system of performing sacrifice is also created by him. The system is that
living beings live on the produce of grains and vegetables, and by eating such
foodstuff they get vital power of the body in the shape of blood and semen,
and from blood and semen one living being is able to create other living
beings. But the production of grains, grass, etc. becomes possible by rain,
and this rain is made to shower properly by performance of recommended
sacrifices. Such sacrifices are directed by the rites of the Vedas, namely
Sama, Yajur, Rg and Atharva. In the Manu-smrti it is recommended that by
offerings of sacrifice on the altar of the fire, the sun-god is pleased. When
the sun-god is pleased, he properly collects water from the sea, and thus
sufficient clouds collect on the horizon and rains fall. After sufficient
rains fall, there is sufficient production of grains for men and all animals,
and thus there is energy in the living being for progressive activity. The
mlecchas, however, make plans to install slaughterhouses for killing bulls and
cows along with other animals, thinking that they will prosper by increasing
the number of factories and live on animal food without caring for
performance
of sacrifices and production of grains. But they must know that even for the
animals they must produce grass and vegetables, otherwise the animals
cannot
live. And to produce grass for the animals, they require sufficient rains.
Therefore they have to depend ultimately on the mercy of the demigods like
the
sun-god, Indra and Candra, and such demigods must be satisfied by
performances
of sacrifice.
This material world is a sort of prison house, as we have several times
mentioned. The demigods are the servants of the Lord who see to the proper
upkeep of the prison house. These demigods want to see that the rebel living
beings, who want to survive faithlessly, are gradually turned towards the
supreme power of the Lord. Therefore, the system of offering sacrifice is
recommended in the scriptures.
The materialistic men want to work hard and enjoy fruitive results for
sense enjoyment. Thus they are committing many types of sins at every step
of
life. Those, however, who are consciously engaged in the devotional service of
the Lord are transcendental to all varieties of sin and virtue. Their
activities are free from the contamination of the three modes of material
nature. For the devotees there is no need for performance of prescribed
sacrifices because the very life of the devotee is a symbol of sacrifice. But
 607

persons who are engaged in fruitive activities for sense enjoyment must
perform the prescribed sacrifices because that is the only means to get free
from the reaction of all sins committed by fruitive workers. Sacrifice is the
means for counteracting such accumulated sins. The demigods are pleased
when
such sacrifices are performed, just as prison officers are satisfied when the
prisoners are turned into obedient subjects. Lord Caitanya, however, has
recommended only one yajna, or sacrifice, called the sankirtana-yajna, the
chanting of Hare Krsna, in which everyone can take part. Thus both devotees
and fruitive workers can derive equal benefit from the performances of
sankirtana-yajna.

TEXT 21

araksyamanah striya urvi balan

socasy atho purusadair ivartan
vacam devim brahma-kule kukarmany
abrahmanye raja-kule kulagryan

araksyamanah--unprotected; striyah--women; urvi--on the earth;

balan--children; socasi--you are feeling compassion; atho--as such;,
purusa-adaih--by men; iva--like that; artan--those who are unhappy;
vacam--vocabulary; devim--the goddess; brahma-kule--in the family of the
brahmana; kukarmani--acts against the principles of religion;
abrahmanye--persons against the brahminical culture; raja-kule--in the
administrative family; kula-agryan--most of all the families (the brahmanas).

TRANSLATION

Are you feeling compunction for the unhappy women and children who are
left forlorn by unscrupulous persons? Or are you unhappy because the
goddess
of learning is being handled by brahmanas addicted to acts against the
principles of religion? Or are you sorry to see that the brahmanas have taken
shelter of administrative families that do not respect brahminical culture?

PURPORT

In the age of Kali, the women and the children, along with brahmanas and
cows, will be grossly neglected and left unprotected. In this age illicit
connection with women will render many women and children uncared for.
Circumstantially, the women will try to become independent of the protection
of men, and marriage will be performed as a matter of formal agreement
between
man and woman. In most cases, the children will not be taken care of properly.
The brahmanas are traditionally intelligent men, and thus they will be able to
pick up modern education to the topmost rank, but as far as moral and
religious principles are concerned, they shall be the most fallen. Education
and bad character go ill together, but such things will run parallel. The
administrative heads as a class will condemn the tenets of Vedic wisdom and
will prefer to conduct a so-called secular state, and the so-called educated
brahmanas will be purchased by such unscrupulous administrators. Even a
 608

philosopher and writer of many books on religious principles may also accept
an exalted post in a government which denies all the moral codes of the
sastras. The brahmanas are specifically restricted from accepting such
service. But in this age they will not only accept service, but they will do
so even if it is of the meanest quality. These are some of the symptoms of the
Kali age which are harmful to the general welfare of human society.

TEXT 22

kim ksatra-bandhun kalinopasrstan

rastrani va tair avaropitani
itas tato vasana-pana-vasah-
snana-vyavayonmukha-jiva-lokam

kim--whether; ksatra-bandhun--the unworthy administrators; kalina--by the

influence of the age of Kali; upasrstan--bewildered; rastrani--state affairs;
va--or; taih--by them; avaropitani--put into disorder; itah--here;
tatah--there; va--or; asana--accepting foodstuff; pana--drink;
vasah--residence; snana--bath; vyavaya--sexual intercourse; unmukha--
inclined;
jiva-lokam--human society.

TRANSLATION

The so-called administrators are now bewildered by the influence of this

age of Kali, and thus they have put all state affairs into disorder. Are you
now lamenting this disorder? Now the general populace does not follow the
rules and regulations for eating, sleeping, drinking, mating, etc., and they
are inclined to perform such anywhere and everywhere. Are you unhappy
because
of this?

PURPORT

There are some necessities of life on a par with those of the lower
animals, and they are eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. These bodily
demands are for both the human beings and the animals. But the human
being has
to fulfill such desires not like animals, but like a human being. A dog can
mate with a bitch before the public eyes without hesitation, but if a human
being does so the act will be considered a public nuisance, and the person
will be criminally prosecuted. Therefore for the human being there are some
rules and regulations, even for fulfilling common demands. The human society
avoids such rules and regulations when it is bewildered by the influence of
the age of Kali. In this age, people are indulging in such necessities of life
without following the rules and regulations, and this deterioration of social
and moral rules is certainly lamentable because of the harmful effects of such
beastly behavior. In this age, the fathers and the guardians are not happy
with the behavior of their wards. They should know that so many innocent
children are victims of bad association awarded by the influence of this age
of Kali. We know from Srimad-Bhagavatam that Ajamila, an innocent son of a
brahmana, was walking down a road and saw a sudra pair sexually embracing.
 609

This attracted the boy, and later on the boy became a victim of all
debaucheries. From a pure brahmana, he fell down to the position of a
wretched
urchin, and it was all due to bad association. There was but one victim like
Ajamila in those days, but in this age of Kali the poor innocent students are
daily victims of cinemas which attract men only for sex indulgence. The
so-called administrators are all untrained in the affairs of a ksatriya. The
ksatriyas are meant for administration, as the brahmanas are meant for
knowledge and guidance. The word ksatra-bandhu refers to the so-called
administrators or persons promoted to the post of the administrator without
proper training by culture and tradition. Nowadays they are promoted to such
exalted posts by the votes of the people who are themselves fallen in the
rules and regulations of life. How can such people select a proper man when
they are themselves fallen in the standard of life? Therefore, by the
influence of the age of Kali, everywhere, politically, socially or
religiously, everything is topsy-turvy, and therefore for the sane man it is
all regrettable.

TEXT 23

yadvamba te bhuri-bharavatara-
krtavatarasya harer dharitri
antarhitasya smarati visrsta
karmani nirvana-vilambitani

yadva--that may be; amba--O mother; te--your; bhuri--heavy; bhara--load;

avatara--decreasing the load; krta--done; avatarasya--one who incarnated;
hareh--of Lord Sri Krsna; dharitri--O earth; antarhitasya--of Him who is now
out of sight; smarati--while thinking of; visrsta--all that were performed;
karmani--activities; nirvana--salvation; vilambitani--that which entails.

TRANSLATION

O mother earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, incarnated

Himself as Lord Sri Krsna just to unload your heavy burden. All His activities
here are transcendental, and they cement the path of liberation. You are now
bereft of His presence. You are probably now thinking of those activities and
feeling sorry in their absence.

PURPORT

The activities of the Lord include liberation, but they are more
relishable than the pleasure derived from nirvana, or liberation. According to
Srila Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the word used here is
nirvana-vilambitani, that which minimizes the value of liberation. To attain
nirvana, liberation, one has to undergo a severe type of tapasya, austerity,
but the Lord is so merciful that He incarnates to diminish the burden of the
earth. Simply by remembering such activities, one can defy the pleasure
derived from nirvana and reach the transcendental abode of the Lord to
associate with Him, eternally engaged in His blissful loving service.

TEXT 24
 610

idam mamacaksva tavadhi-mulam

vasundhare yena vikarsitasi
kalena va te balinam baliyasa
surarcitam kim hrtam amba saubhagam

idam--this; mama--unto me; acaksva--kindly inform; tava--your; adhimulam--

the
root cause of your tribulations; vasundhare--O reservoir of all riches;
yena--by which; vikarsita asi--reduced to much weakness; kalena--by the
influence of time; va--or; te--your; balinam--very powerful; baliyasa--more
powerful; sura-arcitam--adored by the demigods; kim--whether; hrtam--taken
away; amba--mother; saubhagam--fortune.

TRANSLATION

Mother, you are the reservoir of all riches. Please inform me of the root
cause of your tribulations by which you have been reduced to such a weak
state. I think that the powerful influence of time, which conquers the most
powerful, might have forcibly taken away all your fortune, which was adored
even by the demigods.

PURPORT

By the grace of the Lord, each and every planet is created fully
equipped. So not only is this earth fully equipped with all the riches for the
maintenance of its inhabitants, but also when the Lord descends on the earth
the whole earth becomes so enriched with all kinds of opulences that even the
denizens of heaven worship it with all affection. But by the will of the Lord,
the whole earth can at once be changed. He can do and undo a thing by His
sweet will. Therefore no one should consider himself to be self-sufficient or
independent of the Lord.

TEXT 25

dharany uvaca
bhavan hi veda tat sarvam
yan mam dharmanuprcchasi
caturbhir vartase yena
padair loka-sukhavahaih

dharani uvaca--mother earth replied; bhavan--your good self; hi--certainly;

veda--know; tat sarvam--all that you have inquired from me; yat--that;
mam--from me; dharma--O personality of religious principles; anuprcchasi--you
have inquired one after another; caturbhih--by four; vartase--you exist;
yena--by which; padaih--by the legs; loka--in each and every planet;
sukha-avahaih--increasing the happiness.

TRANSLATION

The earthly deity [in the form of a cow] thus replied to the personality
of religious principles [in the form of a bull]: O Dharma, whatever you have
 611

inquired from me shall be known to you. I shall try to reply to all those
questions. Once you too were maintained by your four legs, and you increased
happiness all over the universe by the mercy of the Lord.

PURPORT

The principles of religion are laid down by the Lord Himself, and the
executor of such laws is Dharmaraja, or Yamaraja. Such principles work fully
in the age of Satya-yuga; in the Treta-yuga they are reduced by a fraction of
one fourth; in the Dvapara-yuga they are reduced to one half, and in the
Kali-yuga they are reduced to one fourth, gradually diminishing to the zero
point, and then devastation takes place. Happiness in the world depends
proportionately on the maintenance of the religious principles, individually
or collectively. The best part of valor is to maintain the principles despite
all kinds of odds. Thus one can be happy during the span of life and
ultimately return to Godhead.

TEXT 26-30

satyam saucam daya ksantis

tyagah santosa arjavam
samo damas tapah samyam
titiksoparatih srutam

jnanam viraktir aisvaryam

sauryam tejo balam smrtih
svatantryam kausalam kantir
dhairyam mardavam eva ca

pragalbhyam prasrayah silam

saha ojo balam bhagah
gambhiryam sthairyam astikyam
kirtir mano 'nahankrtih

ete canye ca bhagavan

nitya yatra maha-gunah
prarthya mahattvam icchadbhir
na viyanti sma karhicit

tenaham guna-patrena
sri-nivasena sampratam
socami rahitam lokam
papmana kalineksitam

satyam--truthfulness; saucam--cleanliness; daya--intolerance of others'

unhappiness; ksantih--self-control even if there is cause of anger;
tyagah--magnanimity; santosah--self-satisfaction;
arjavam--straightforwardness; samah--fixing of the mind; damah--control of
the
sense organs; tapah--trueness to one's responsibility;
samyam--indiscrimination between friend and foe; titiksa--tolerance of the
offenses of others; uparatih--indifference to loss and gain; srutam--following
 612

scriptural injunctions; jnanam--knowledge (self-realization);

viraktih--detachment from sense enjoyment; aisvaryam--leadership;
sauryam--chivalry; tejah--influence; balam--to render possible that which is
impossible; smrtih--to find one's proper duty; svatantryam--not to depend on
others; kausalam--dexterity in all activities; kantih--beauty;
dhairyam--freedom from disturbance; mardavam--kindheartedness; eva--thus;
ca--also; pragalbhyam--ingenuity; prasrayah--gentility; silam--mannerliness;
sahah--determination; ojah--perfect knowledge; balam--proper execution;
bhagah--object of enjoyment; gambhiryam--joyfulness; sthairyam--
immovability;
astikyam--faithfulness; kirtih--fame; manah--worthy of being worshiped;
anahankrtih--pridelessness; ete--all these; ca anye--also many others;
ca--and; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; nityah--everlasting;
yatra--where; maha-gunah--great qualities; prarthyah--worthy to possess;
mahattvam--greatness; icchadbhih--those who desire so; na--never;
viyanti--deteriorates; sma--ever; karhicit--at any time; tena--by Him;
aham--myself; guna-patrena--the reservoir of all qualities; sri--the goddess
of fortune; nivasena--by the resting place; sampratam--very recently;
socami--I am thinking of; rahitam--bereft of; lokam--planets; papmana--by the
store of all sins; kalina--by Kali; iksitam--is seen.

TRANSLATION

In Him reside (1) truthfulness, (2) cleanliness, (3) intolerance of

another's unhappiness, (4) the power to control anger, (5) self-satisfaction,
(6) straightforwardness, (7) steadiness of mind, (8) control of the sense
organs, (9) responsibility, (10) equality, (11) tolerance, (12) equanimity,
(13) faithfulness, (14) knowledge, (15) absence of sense enjoyment, (16)
leadership, (17) chivalry, (18) influence, (19) the power to make everything
possible, (20) the discharge of proper duty, (21) complete independence, (22)
dexterity, (23) fullness of all beauty, (24) serenity, (25) kindheartedness,
(26) ingenuity, (27) gentility, (28) magnanimity, (29) determination, (30)
perfection in all knowledge, (31) proper execution, (32) possession of all
objects of enjoyment, (33) joyfulness, (34) immovability, (35) fidelity, (36)
fame, (37) worship, (38) pridelessness, (39) being (as the Personality of
Godhead), (40) eternity, and many other transcendental qualities which are
eternally present and never to be separated from Him. That Personality of
Godhead, the reservoir of all goodness and beauty, Lord Sri Krsna, has now
closed His transcendental pastimes on the face of the earth. In His absence
the age of Kali has spread its influence everywhere, so I am sorry to see this
condition of existence.

PURPORT

Even if it were possible to count the atoms after smashing the earth into
powder, still it would not be possible to estimate the unfathomable
transcendental qualities of the Lord. It is said that Lord Anantadeva has
tried to expound the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Lord with His
numberless tongues, and that for numberless years together it has been
impossible to estimate the qualities of the Lord. The above statement of the
qualities of the Lord is just to estimate His qualities as far as a human
being is able to see Him. But even if it is so, the above qualities can be
 613

divided into many subheadings. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the third
quality, intolerance of another's unhappiness, can be subdivided into (1)
protection of the surrendered souls and (2) well wishes for the devotees. In
the Bhagavad-gita the Lord states that He wants every soul to surrender unto
Him only, and He assures everyone that if one does so He will give protection
from the reactions of all sins. Unsurrendered souls are not devotees of the
Lord, and thus there is no particular protection for everyone in general. For
the devotees He has all good wishes, and for those who are actually engaged
in
loving transcendental service of the Lord, He gives particular attention. He
gives direction to such pure devotees to help them discharge their
responsibilities on the path back to Godhead. By equality (10), the Lord is
equally kind to everyone, as the sun is equal in distributing its rays over
everyone. Yet there are many who are unable to take advantage of the sun's
rays. Similarly, the Lord says that surrendering unto Him is the guarantee for
all protection from Him, but unfortunate persons are unable to accept this
proposition, and therefore they suffer from all material miseries. So even
though the Lord is equally well-wishing to everyone, the unfortunate living
being, due to bad association only, is unable to accept His instructions in
toto, and for this the Lord is never to be blamed. He is called the
well-wisher for the devotees only. He appears to be partial to His devotees,
but factually the matter rests on the living being to accept or reject equal
treatment by the Lord.
The Lord never deviates from His word of honor. When He gives assurance
for protection, the promise is executed in all circumstances. It is the duty
of the pure devotee to be fixed in the discharge of the duty entrusted to him
by the Lord or the Lord's bona fide representative, the spiritual master. The
rest is carried on by the Lord without a break.
The responsibility of the Lord is also unique. The Lord has no
responsibility because all His work is done by His different appointed
energies. But still He accepts voluntary responsibilities in displaying
different roles in His transcendental pastimes. As a boy, He was playing the
part of a cowboy. As the son of Nanda Maharaja, He discharged responsibility
perfectly. Similarly, when He was playing the part of a ksatriya as the son of
Maharaja Vasudeva, He displayed all the skill of a martially spirited
ksatriya. In almost all cases, the ksatriya king has to secure a wife by
fighting or kidnapping. This sort of behavior for a ksatriya is praiseworthy
in the sense that a ksatriya must show his power of chivalry to his would-be
wife so that the daughter of a ksatriya can see the valor of her would-be
husband. Even the Personality of Godhead Sri Rama displayed such a spirit of
chivalry during His marriage. He broke the strongest bow, called Haradhanur,
and achieved the hand of Sitadevi, the mother of all opulence. The ksatriya
spirit is displayed during marriage festivals, and there is nothing wrong in
such fighting. Lord Sri Krsna discharged such responsibility fully because
although He had more than sixteen thousand wives, in each and every case
He
fought like a chivalrous ksatriya and thus secured a wife. To fight sixteen
thousand times to secure sixteen thousand wives is certainly possible only for
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, He displayed full
responsibility in every action of His different transcendental pastimes.
The fourteenth quality, knowledge, can be further extended into five
subheadings, namely (1) intelligence, (2) gratefulness, (3) power of
 614

understanding the circumstantial environments of place, object and time, (4)

perfect knowledge of everything, and (5) knowledge of the self. Only fools are
ungrateful to their benefactors. The Lord, however, does not require benefit
from anyone besides Himself because He is full in Himself; still He feels
benefited by the unalloyed services of His devotees. The Lord feels grateful
to His devotees for such unsophisticated, unconditional service and tries to
reciprocate it by rendering service, although the devotee also has no such
desire in his heart. The transcendental service of the Lord is itself a
transcendental benefit for the devotee, and therefore the devotee has nothing
to expect from the Lord. On the assertion of the Vedic aphorism sarvam khalv
idam brahma, we can understand that the Lord, by the omnipresent rays of
His
effulgence, called brahmajyoti, is all-pervading inside or outside of
everything, like the omnipresent material sky, and thus He is also omniscient.
As far as the beauty of the Lord is concerned, He has some special
features that distinguish Him from all other living beings, and over and above
that He has some special attractive beautiful features by which He attracts
the mind of even Radharani, the supermost beautiful creation of the Lord. He
is known, therefore, as Madana-mohana, or one who attracts the mind of even
Cupid. Srila Jiva Gosvami Prabhu has scrutinizingly analyzed other
transcendental qualities of the Lord and affirms that Lord Sri Krsna is the
Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead (Parabrahman). He is omnipotent
by His
inconceivable energies, and therefore He is the Yogesvara, or the supreme
master of all mystic powers. Being the Yogesvara, His eternal form is
spiritual, a combination of eternity, bliss and knowledge. The nondevotee
class cannot understand the dynamic nature of His knowledge because they
are
satisfied to reach up to His eternal form of knowledge. All great souls aspire
to be equal in knowledge with Him. This means that all other knowledge is
ever
insufficient, flexible and measurable, whereas the knowledge of the Lord is
ever fixed and unfathomable. Srila Suta Gosvami affirms in the Bhagavatam
that
although He was observed by the citizens of Dvaraka every day, they were
ever
increasingly anxious to see Him again and again. The living beings can
appreciate the qualities of the Lord as the ultimate goal, but they cannot
attain the status quo of such equality. This material world is a product of
the mahat-tattva, which is a state of the Lord's dreaming condition in His
yoga-nidra mystic slumber in the Causal Ocean, and yet the whole creation
appears to be a factual presentation of His creation. This means that the
Lord's dreaming conditions are also factual manifestations. He can therefore
bring everything under His transcendental control, and thus whenever and
wherever He does appear, He does so in His fullness.
The Lord, being all that is described above, maintains the affairs of the
creation, and by His so doing He gives salvation even to His enemies who are
killed by Him. He is attractive even to the topmost liberated soul, and thus
He is worshipable even by Brahma and Siva, the greatest of all demigods.
Even
in His incarnation of purusa-avatara He is the Lord of the creative energy.
The creative material energy is working under His direction, as confirmed in
 615

the Bhagavad-gita (9.10). He is the control switch of the material energy, and
to control the material energy in the innumerable universes, He is the root
cause of innumerable incarnations in all the universes. There are more than
five hundred thousand incarnations of Manu in only one universe, besides
other
incarnations in different universes. In the spiritual world, however, beyond
the mahat-tattva, there is no question of incarnations, but there are plenary
expansions of the Lord in different Vaikunthas. The planets in the spiritual
sky are at least three times the number of those within the innumerable
universes in the mahat-tattva. And all the Narayana forms of the Lord are but
expansions of His Vasudeva feature, and thus He is Vasudeva, Narayana and
Krsna simultaneously. He is sri-krsna govinda hare murare, he natha narayana
vasudeva, all in one. His qualities, therefore, cannot be counted by anyone,
however great one may be.

TEXT 31

atmanam canusocami
bhavantam camarottamam
devan pitrn rsin sadhun
sarvan varnams tathasraman

atmanam--myself; ca--also; anusocami--lamenting; bhavantam--yourself; ca--

as
well as; amara-uttamam--the best amongst the demigods; devan--about the
demigods; pitrn--about the denizens of the Pitrloka planet; rsin--about the
sages; sadhun--about the devotees; sarvan--all of them; varnan--sections;
tatha--as also; asraman--orders of human society.

TRANSLATION

I am thinking about myself and also, O best amongst the demigods, about
you, as well as about all the demigods, sages, denizens of Pitrloka, devotees
of the Lord and all men obedient to the system of varna and asrama in human
society.

PURPORT

To effect the perfection of human life there is cooperation between men

and demigods, sages, denizens of the Pitrloka, devotees of the Lord and the
scientific system of varna and asrama orders of life. The distinction between
human life and animal life therefore begins with the scientific system of
varna and asrama, guided by the experience of the sages in relation with the
demigods, gradually rising to the summit of reestablishing our eternal
relation with the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri
Krsna. When God-made varnasrama-dharma, which is strictly meant for
developing
animal consciousness into human consciousness and human consciousness
into
godly consciousness, is broken by advancement of foolishness, the whole
system
of peaceful and progressive life is at once disturbed. In the age of Kali, the
 616

first attack of the venomous snake strikes against the God-made

varnasrama-dharma, and thus a person properly qualified as a brahmana is
called a sudra, and a sudra by qualification is passing as a brahmana, all on
a false birthright claim. To become a brahmana by a birthright claim is not at
all bona fide, although it may be a fulfillment of one of the conditions. But
the real qualification of a brahmana is to control the mind and the senses,
and to cultivate tolerance, simplicity, cleanliness, knowledge, truthfulness,
devotion and faith in the Vedic wisdom. In the present age, consideration of
the necessary qualification is being neglected, and the false birthright claim
is being supported even by a popular, sophisticated poet, the author of
Rama-carita-manasa.
This is all due to the influence of the age of Kali. Thus mother earth,
represented as a cow, was lamenting the regrettable condition.

TEXT 32-33

brahmadayo bahu-titham yad-apanga-moksa-

kamas tapah samacaran bhagavat-prapannah
sa srih sva-vasam aravinda-vanam vihaya
yat-pada-saubhagam alam bhajate 'nurakta

tasyaham abja-kulisankusa-ketu-ketaih
srimat-padair bhagavatah samalankrtangi
trin atyaroca upalabhya tato vibhutim
lokan sa mam vyasrjad utsmayatim tad-ante

brahma-adayah--demigods such as Brahma; bahu-titham--for many days; yat--

of
Laksmi, the goddess of fortune; apanga-moksa--glance of grace; kamah--being
desirous of; tapah--penances; samacaran--executing; bhagavat--unto the
Personality of Godhead; prapannah--surrendered; sa--she (the goddess of
fortune); srih--Laksmiji; svavasam--her own abode; aravinda-vanam--the forest
of lotus flowers; vihaya--leaving aside; yat--whose; pada--feet;
saubhagam--all-blissful; alam--without hesitation; bhajate--worships;
anurakta--being attached; tasya--His; aham--myself; abja--lotus flower;
kulisa--thunderbolt; ankusa--rod for driving elephants; ketu--flag;
ketaih--impressions; srimat--the owner of all opulence; padaih--by the soles
of the feet; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead; samalankrta-angi--one
whose body is so decorated; trin--three; ati--superseding; aroce--beautifully
decorated; upalabhya--having obtained; tatah--thereafter; vibhutim--specific
powers; lokan--planetary systems; sah--He; mam--me; vyasrjat--gave up;
utsmayatim--while feeling proud; tat-ante--at the end.

TRANSLATION

Laksmiji, the goddess of fortune, whose glance of grace was sought by

demigods like Brahma and for whom they surrendered many a day unto the
Personality of Godhead, gave up her own abode in the forest of lotus flowers
and engaged herself in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord. I was
endowed with specific powers to supersede the fortune of all the three
planetary systems by being decorated with the impressions of the flag,
thunderbolt, elephant-driving rod and lotus flower, which are signs of the
 617

lotus feet of the Lord. But at the end, when I felt I was so fortunate, the
Lord left me.

PURPORT

The beauty and opulence of the world can be enhanced by the grace of the
Lord and not by any man-made planning. When the Lord Sri Krsna was present
on
this earth, the impressions of the special signs of His lotus feet were
stamped on the dust, and as a result of this specific grace, the whole earth
was made as perfect as possible. In other words, the rivers, the seas, the
forests, the hills and the mines, which are the supplying agents for the
necessities of men and animals, were fully discharging their respective
duties. Therefore the riches of the world surpassed all the riches of all
other planets in the three planetary systems of the universe. One should,
therefore, ask that the grace of the Lord always be present on earth so that
we may be favored with His causeless mercy and be happy, having all
necessities of life. One may ask how we can detain the Supreme Lord on this
earth after His mission is fulfilled and He has left this earth for His own
abode. The answer is that there is no need to detain the Lord. The Lord, being
omnipresent, can be present with us if we want Him at all. By His
onmipresence, He can always be with us if we are attached to His devotional
service by hearing, chanting, remembering, etc.
There is nothing in the world with which the Lord is disconnected. The
only thing we must learn is to excavate the source of connection and thus be
linked with Him by offenseless service. We can be connected with Him by the
transcendental sound representation of the Lord. The holy name of the Lord
and
the Lord Himself are identical, and one who chants the holy name of the Lord
in an offenseless manner can at once realize that the Lord is present before
him. Even by the vibration of radio sound, we can partially realize sound
relativity, and by resounding the sound of transcendence we can verily feel
the presence of the Lord. In this age, when everything is polluted by the
contamination of Kali, it is instructed in the scriptures and preached by Lord
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu that by chanting the holy name of the Lord, we can
at
once be free from contamination and gradually rise to the status of
transcendence and go back to Godhead. The offenseless chanter of the holy
name
of the Lord is as auspicious as the Lord Himself, and the movement of pure
devotees of the Lord all over the world can at once change the troublesome
face of the world. Only by the propagation of the chanting of the holy name of
the Lord can we be immune from all effects of the age of Kali.

TEXT 34

yo vai mamatibharam asura-vamsa-rajnam

aksauhini-satam apanudad atma-tantrah
tvam duhstham una-padam atmani paurusena
sampadayan yadusu ramyam abibhrad angam

yah--He who; vai--certainly; mama--mine; ati-bharam--too burdensome;

 618

asura-vamsa--unbelievers; rajnam--of the kings; aksauhini--one military

division; satam--hundreds of such divisions; apanudat--extirpated;
atma-tantrah--self-sufficient; tvam--unto you; duhstham--put into difficulty;
una-padam--devoid of strength to stand; atmani--internal; paurusena--by dint
of energy; sampadayan--for executing; yadusu--in the Yadu dynasty;
ramyam--transcendentally beautiful; abibhrat--accepted; angam--body.

TRANSLATION

O personality of religion, I was greatly overburdened by the undue

military phalanxes arranged by atheistic kings, and I was relieved by the
grace of the Personality of Godhead. Similarly you were also in a distressed
condition, weakened in your standing strength, and thus He also incarnated by
His internal energy in the family of the Yadus to relieve you.

PURPORT

The asuras want to enjoy a life of sense gratification, even at the cost
of others' happiness. In order to fulfill this ambition, the asuras,
especially atheistic kings or state executive heads, try to equip themselves
with all kinds of deadly weapons to bring about a war in a peaceful society.
They have no ambition other than personal aggrandizement, and thus mother
earth feels overburdened by such undue increases of military strength. By
increase of the asuric population, those who follow the principles of religion
become unhappy, especially the devotees, or devas.
In such a situation, the Personality of Godhead incarnates to vanquish
the unwanted asuras and to reestablish the true principles of religion. This
was the mission of Lord Sri Krsna, and He fulfilled it.

TEXT 35

ka va saheta viraham purusottamasya

premavaloka-rucira-smita-valgu-jalpaih
sthairyam samanam aharan madhu-manininam
romotsavo mama yad-anghri-vitankitayah

ka--who; va--either; saheta--can tolerate; viraham--separation;

purusa-uttamasya--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prema--loving;
avaloka--glancing; rucira-smita--pleasing smile; valgu-jalpaih--hearty
appeals; sthairyam--gravity; sa-manam--along with passionate wrath;
aharat--conquered; madhu--sweethearts; manininam--women such as
Satyabhama;
roma-utsavah--hair standing on end out of pleasure; mama--mine; yat--whose;
anghri--feet; vitankitayah--imprinted with.

TRANSLATION

Who, therefore, can tolerate the pangs of separation from that Supreme
Personality of Godhead? He could conquer the gravity and passionate wrath of
His sweethearts like Satyabhama by His sweet smile of love, pleasing glance
and hearty appeals. When He traversed my [earth's] surface, I would be
immersed in the dust of His lotus feet and thus would be sumptuously covered
 619

with grass which appeared like hairs standing on me out of pleasure.

PURPORT

There were chances of separation between the Lord and His thousands of
queens because of the Lord's being absent from home, but as far as His
connection with earth was concerned, the Lord would traverse the earth with
His lotus feet, and therefore there was no chance of separation. When the Lord
left the surface of the earth to return to His spiritual abode, the earth's
feelings of separation were therefore more acute.

TEXT 36

tayor evam kathayatoh

prthivi-dharmayos tada
pariksin nama rajarsih
praptah pracim sarasvatim

tayoh--between them; evam--thus; kathayatoh--engaged in conversation;

prthivi--earth; dharmayoh--and the personality of religion; tada--at that
time; pariksit--King Pariksit; nama--of the name; rajarsih--a saint amongst
kings; praptah--arrived; pracim--flowing towards the east; sarasvatim--River
Sarasvati.

TRANSLATION

While the earth and the personality of religion were thus engaged in
conversation, the saintly King Pariksit reached the shore of the Sarasvati
River, which flowed towards the east.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Sixteenth

Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "How Pariksit Received the Age
of
Kali."

Chapter Seventeen

Punishment and Reward of Kali

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
tatra go-mithunam raja
hanyamanam anathavat
danda-hastam ca vrsalam
dadrse nrpa-lanchanam

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; tatra--thereupon; go-mithunam--a cow

and a
 620

bull; raja--the King; hanyamanam--being beaten; anatha-vat--appearing to be

bereft of their owner; danda-hastam--with a club in hand; ca--also;
vrsalam--lower-caste sudra; dadrse--observed; nrpa--a king; lanchanam--
dressed
like.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: After reaching that place, Maharaja Pariksit observed
that a lower-caste sudra, dressed like a king, was beating a cow and a bull
with a club, as if they had no owner.

PURPORT

The principal sign of the age of Kali is that lower-caste sudras, i.e.,
men without brahminical culture and spiritual initiation, will be dressed like
administrators or kings, and the principal business of such non-ksatriya
rulers will be to kill the innocent animals, especially the cows and the
bulls, who shall be unprotected by their masters, the bona fide vaisyas, the
mercantile community. In the Bhagavad-gita (18.44), it
is said that the vaisyas are meant to deal in agriculture, cow protection
and trade. In the age of Kali, the degraded vaisyas, the mercantile men, are
engaged in supplying cows to slaughterhouses. The ksatriyas are meant to
protect the citizens of the state, whereas the vaisyas are meant to protect
the cows and bulls and utilize them to produce grains and milk. The cow is
meant to deliver milk, and the bull is meant to produce grains. But in the age
of Kali, the sudra class of men are in the posts of administrators, and the
cows and bulls, or the mothers and the fathers, unprotected by the vaisyas,
are subjected to the slaughterhouses organized by the sudra administrators.

TEXT 2

vrsam mrnala-dhavalam
mehantam iva bibhyatam
vepamanam padaikena
sidantam sudra-taditam

vrsam--the bull; mrnala-dhavalam--as white as a white lotus;

mehantam--urinating; iva--as if; bibhyatam--being too afraid;
vepamanam--trembling; pada ekena--standing on only one leg;
sidantam--terrified; sudra-taditam--being beaten by a sudra.

TRANSLATION

The bull was as white as a white lotus flower. He was terrified of the
sudra who was beating him, and he was so afraid that he was standing on one
leg, trembling and urinating.

PURPORT

The next symptom of the age of Kali is that principles of religion, which
are all spotlessly white, like the white lotus flower, will be attacked by the
 621

uncultured sudra population of the age. They may be descendants of

brahmana or
ksatriya forefathers, but in the age of Kali, for want of sufficient education
and culture of Vedic wisdom, such a sudra-like population will defy the
principles of religion, and persons who are religiously endowed will be
terrified by such men. They will declare themselves as adherents of no
religious principles, and many "isms" and cults will spring up in Kali-yuga
only to kill the spotless bull of religion. The state will be declared to be
secular, or without any particular principle of religion, and as a result
there will be total indifference to the principles of religion. The citizens
will be free to act as they like, without respect for sadhu, sastra and guru.
The bull standing on one leg indicates that the principles of religion are
gradually diminishing. Even the fragmental existence of religious principles
will be embarrassed by so many obstacles as if in the trembling condition of
falling down at any time.

TEXT 3

gam ca dharma-dugham dinam

bhrsam sudra-padahatam
vivatsam asru-vadanam
ksamam yavasam icchatim

gam--the cow; ca--also; dharma-dugham--beneficial because one can draw

religion from her; dinam--now rendered poor; bhrsam--distressed; sudra--the
lower caste; pada-ahatam--beaten on the legs; vivatsam--without any calf;
asru-vadanam--with tears in her eyes; ksamam--very weak; yavasam--grass;
icchatim--as if desiring to have some grass to eat.

TRANSLATION

Although the cow is beneficial because one can draw religious principles
from her, she was now rendered poor and calfless. Her legs were being beaten
by a sudra. There were tears in her eyes, and she was distressed and weak.
She
was hankering after some grass in the field.

PURPORT

The next symptom of the age of Kali is the distressed condition of the
cow. Milking the cow means drawing the principles of religion in a liquid
form. The great rsis and munis would live only on milk. Srila Sukadeva
Gosvami
would go to a householder while he was milking a cow, and he would simply
take
a little quantity of it for subsistence. Even fifty years ago, no one would
deprive a sadhu of a quart or two of milk, and every householder would give
milk like water. For a Sanatanist (a follower of Vedic principles) it is the
duty of every householder to have cows and bulls as household paraphernalia,
not only for drinking milk, but also for deriving religious principles. The
Sanatanist worships cows on religious principles and respects brahmanas. The
cow's milk is required for the sacrificial fire, and by performing sacrifices
 622

the householder can be happy. The cow's calf not only is beautiful to look at,
but also gives satisfaction to the cow, and so she delivers as much milk as
possible. But in the Kali-yuga, the calves are separated from the cows as
early as possible for purposes which may not be mentioned in these pages of
Srimad-Bhagavatam. The cow stands with tears in her eyes, the sudra
milkman
draws milk from the cow artificially, and when there is no milk the cow is
sent to be slaughtered. These greatly sinful acts are responsible for all the
troubles in present society. People do not know what they are doing in the
name of economic development. The influence of Kali will keep them in the
darkness of ignorance. Despite all endeavors for peace and prosperity, they
must try to see the cows and the bulls happy in all respects. Foolish people
do not know how one earns happiness by making the cows and bulls happy,
but it
is a fact by the law of nature. Let us take it from the authority of
Srimad-Bhagavatam and adopt the principles for the total happiness of
humanity.

TEXT 4

papraccha ratham arudhah

kartasvara-paricchadam
megha-gambhiraya vaca
samaropita-karmukah

papraccha--inquired; ratham--chariot; arudhah--seated on; kartasvara--gold;

paricchadam--embossed with; megha--cloud; gambhiraya--exonerating;
vaca--sound; samaropita--well equipped; karmukah--arrows and bow.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit, well equipped with arrows and bow and seated on a
gold-embossed chariot, spoke to him [the sudra] with a deep voice sounding
like thunder.

PURPORT

An administrative head or king like Maharaja Pariksit, with full majestic

authority, well equipped with weapons to chastise miscreants, can challenge
the agents of the age of Kali. Then only will it be possible to counteract the
degraded age. And in the absence of such strong executive heads, there is
always disruption of tranquillity. The elected show-bottle executive head, as
representative of a degraded public, cannot be equal with a strong king like
Maharaja Pariksit. The dress or style of royal order does not count. It is
one's actions which are counted.

TEXT 5

kas tvam mac-charane loke

balad dhamsy abalan bali
nara-devo 'si vesena
natavat karmana 'dvijah
 623

kah--who are; tvam--you; mat--my; sarane--under protection; loke--in this

world; balat--by force; hamsi--killing; abalan--those who are helpless;
bali--although full of strength; nara-devah--man-god; asi--appear to be;
vesena--by your dress; nata-vat--like a theatrical player; karmana--by deeds;
advi-jah--a man not twice-born by culture.

TRANSLATION

Oh, who are you? You appear to be strong and yet you dare kill, within my
protection, those who are helpless! By your dress you pose yourself to be a
godly man [king], but by your deeds you are opposing the principles of the
twice-born ksatriyas.

PURPORT

The brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas are called twice-born because for
these higher classes of men there is one birth by parental conjugation and
there is another birth of cultural rejuvenation by spiritual initiation from
the bona fide acarya, or spiritual master. So a ksatriya is also twice-born
like a brahmana, and his duty is to give protection to the helpless. The
ksatriya king is considered to be the representative of God to give protection
to the helpless and chastise the miscreants. Whenever there are anomalies in
this routine work by the administrators, there is an incarnation of the Lord
to reestablish the principles of a godly kingdom. In the age of Kali, the poor
helpless animals, especially the cows, which are meant to receive all sorts of
protection from the administrative heads, are killed without restriction. Thus
the administrative heads under whose noses such things happen are
representatives of God in name only. Such powerful administrators are rulers
of the poor citizens by dress or office, but factually they are worthless,
lower-class men without the cultural assets of the twice-born. No one can
expect justice or equality of treatment from once-born (spiritually
uncultured) lower-class men. Therefore in the age of Kali everyone is unhappy
due to the maladministration of the state. The modern human society is not
twice-born by spiritual culture. Therefore the people's government, by the
people who are not twice-born, must be a government of Kali in which
everyone
is unhappy.

TEXT 6

yas tvam krsne gate duram

saha-gandiva-dhanvana
socyo 'sy asocyan rahasi
praharan vadham arhasi

yah--on account of; tvam--you rogue; krsne--Lord Krsna; gate--having gone

away; duram--out of sight; saha--along with; gandiva--the bow named
Gandiva;
dhanvana--the carrier, Arjuna; socyah--culprit; asi--you are considered;
asocyan--innocent; rahasi--in a secluded place; praharan--beating; vadham--to
be killed; arhasi--deserve.
 624

TRANSLATION

You rogue, do you dare beat an innocent cow because Lord Krsna and
Arjuna, the carrier of the Gandiva bow, are out of sight? Since you are
beating the innocent in a secluded place, you are considered a culprit and
therefore deserve to be killed.

PURPORT

In a civilization where God is conspicuously banished, and there is no

devotee warrior like Arjuna, the associates of the age of Kali take advantage
of this lawless kingdom and arrange to kill innocent animals like the cow in
secluded slaughterhouses. Such murderers of animals stand to be condemned
to
death by the order of a pious king like Maharaja Pariksit. For a pious king,
the culprit who kills an animal in a secluded place is punishable by the death
penalty, exactly like a murderer who kills an innocent child in a secluded
place.

TEXT 7

tvam va mrnala-dhavalah
padair nyunah pada caran
vrsa-rupena kim kascid
devo nah parikhedayan

tvam--you; va--either; mrnala-dhavalah--as white as a lotus; padaih--of three

legs; nyunah--being deprived; pada--on one leg; caran--moving; vrsa--bull;
rupena--in the form of; kim--whether; kascit--someone; devah--demigod;
nah--us; parikhedayan--causing grief.

TRANSLATION

Then he [Maharaja Pariksit] asked the bull: Oh, who are you? Are you a
bull as white as a white lotus, or are you a demigod? You have lost three of
your legs and are moving on only one. Are you some demigod causing us grief
in
the form of a bull?

PURPORT

At least up to the time of Maharaja Pariksit, no one could imagine the

wretched conditions of the cow and the bull. Maharaja Pariksit, therefore, was
astonished to see such a horrible scene. He inquired whether the bull was not
a demigod assuming such a wretched condition to indicate the future of the
cow
and the bull.

TEXT 8

na jatu kauravendranam
 625

dordanda-parirambhite
bhu-tale 'nupatanty asmin
vina te praninam sucah

na--not; jatu--at any time; kaurava-indranam--of the kings in the Kuru

dynasty; dordanda--strength of arms; parirambhite--protected by; bhu-tale--on
the surface of the earth; anupatanti--grieving; asmin--up till now; vina--save
and except; te--you; praninam--of the living being; sucah--tears in the eyes.

TRANSLATION

Now for the first time in a kingdom well protected by the arms of the
kings of the Kuru dynasty, I see you grieving with tears in your eyes. Up till
now no one on earth has ever shed tears because of royal negligence.

PURPORT

The protection of the lives of both the human beings and the animals is
the first and foremost duty of a government. A government must not
discriminate in such principles. It is simply horrible for a pure-hearted soul
to see organized animal-killing by the state in this age of Kali. Maharaja
Pariksit was lamenting for the tears in the eyes of the bull, and he was
astonished to see such an unprecedented thing in his good kingdom. Men and
animals were equally protected as far as life was concerned. That is the way
in God's kingdom.

TEXT 9

ma saurabheyatra suco
vyetu te vrsalad bhayam
ma rodir amba bhadram te
khalanam mayi sastari

ma--do not; saurabheya--O son of Surabhi; atra--in my kingdom;

sucah--lamentation; vyetu--let there be; te--your; vrsalat--by the sudra;
bhayam--cause of fear; ma--do not; rodih--cry; amba--mother cow; bhadram--
all
good; te--unto you; khalanam--of the envious; mayi--while I am living;
sastari--the ruler or subduer.

TRANSLATION

O son of Surabhi, you need lament no longer now. There is no need to fear
this low-class sudra. And, O mother cow, as long as I am living as the ruler
and subduer of all envious men, there is no cause for you to cry. Everything
will be good for you.

PURPORT

Protection of bulls and cows and all other animals can be possible only
when there is a state ruled by an executive head like Maharaja Pariksit.
Maharaja Pariksit addresses the cow as mother, for he is a cultured,
 626

twice-born, ksatriya king. Surabhi is the name of the cows which exist in the
spiritual planets and are especially reared by Lord Sri Krsna Himself. As men
are made after the form and features of the Supreme Lord, so also the cows
are
made after the form and features of the surabhi cows in the spiritual kingdom.
In the material world the human society gives all protection to the human
being, but there is no law to protect the descendants of Surabhi, who can give
all protection to men by supplying the miracle food, milk. But Maharaja
Pariksit and the Pandavas were fully conscious of the importance of the cow
and bull, and they were prepared to punish the cow-killer with all
chastisement, including death. There has sometimes been agitation for the
protection of the cow, but for want of pious executive heads and suitable
laws, the cow and the bull are not given protection. The human society should
recognize the importance of the cow and the bull and thus give all protection
to these important animals, following in the footsteps of Maharaja Pariksit.
For protecting the cows and brahminical culture, the Lord, who is very kind to
the cow and the brahmanas (go-brahmana-hitaya), will be pleased with us and
will bestow upon us real peace.

TEXT 10-11

yasya rastre prajah sarvas

trasyante sadhvy asadhubhih
tasya mattasya nasyanti
kirtir ayur bhago gatih

esa rajnam paro dharmo

hy artanam arti-nigrahah
ata enam vadhisyami
bhuta-druham asattamam

yasya--one whose; rastre--in the state; prajah--living beings; sarvah--one and

all; trasyante--are terrified; sadhvi--O chaste one; asadhubhih--by the
miscreants; tasya--his; mattasya--of the illusioned; nasyanti--vanishes;
kirtih--fame; ayuh--duration of life; bhagah--fortune; gatih--good rebirth;
esah--these are; rajnam--of the kings; parah--superior; dharmah--occupation;
hi--certainly; artanam--of the sufferers; arti--sufferings;
nigrahah--subduing; atah--therefore; enam--this man; vadhisyami--I shall kill;
bhuta-druham--revolter against other living beings; asat-tamam--the most
wretched.

TRANSLATION

O chaste one, the king's good name, duration of life and good rebirth
vanish when all kinds of living beings are terrified by miscreants in his
kingdom. It is certainly the prime duty of the king to subdue first the
sufferings of those who suffer. Therefore I must kill this most wretched man
because he is violent against other living beings.

PURPORT

When there is some disturbance caused by wild animals in a village or

 627

town, the police or others take action to kill them. Similarly, it is the duty
of the government to kill at once all bad social elements such as thieves,
dacoits and murderers. The same punishment is also due to animal-killers
because the animals of the state are also the praja. Praja means one who has
taken birth in the state, and this includes both men and animals. Any living
being who takes birth in a state has the primary right to live under the
protection of the king. The jungle animals are also subject to the king, and
they also have a right to live. So what to speak of domestic animals like the
cows and bulls.
Any living being, if he terrifies other living beings, is a most wretched
subject, and the king should at once kill such a disturbing element. As the
wild animal is killed when it creates disturbances, similarly any man who
unnecessarily kills or terrifies the jungle animals or other animals must be
punished at once. By the law of the Supreme Lord, all living beings, in
whatever shape they may be, are the sons of the Lord, and no one has any
right
to kill another animal, unless it is so ordered by the codes of natural law.
The tiger can kill a lower animal for his subsistence, but a man cannot kill
an animal for his subsistence. That is the law of God, who has created the law
that a living being subsists by eating another living being. Thus the
vegetarians are also living by eating other living beings. Therefore, the law
is that one should live only by eating specific living beings, as ordained by
the law of God. The Isopanisad directs that one should live by the direction
of the Lord and not at one's sweet will. A man can subsist on varieties of
grains, fruits and milk ordained by God, and there is no need of animal food,
save and except in particular cases.
The illusioned king or executive head, even though sometimes advertised
as a great philosopher and learned scholar, will allow slaughterhouses in the
state without knowing that torturing poor animals clears the way to hell for
such foolish kings or executive heads. The executive head must always be
alert
to the safety of the prajas, both man and animal, and inquire whether a
particular living being is harassed at any place by another living being. The
harassing living being must at once be caught and put to death, as shown by
Maharaja Pariksit.
The people's government, or government by the people, should not allow
killing of innocent animals by the sweet will of foolish government men. They
must know the codes of God, as mentioned in the revealed scriptures.
Maharaja
Pariksit quotes here that according to the codes of God the irresponsible king
or state executive jeopardizes his good name, duration of life, power and
strength and ultimately his progressive march towards a better life and
salvation after death. Such foolish men do not even believe in the existence
of a next life.
While commenting on this particular verse, we have in our presence the
statement of a great modern politician who has recently died and left his
will, which discloses his poor fund of knowledge of the codes of God mentioned
by Maharaja Pariksit. The politician was so ignorant of the codes of God that
he writes: "I do not believe in any such ceremonies, and to submit to them,
even as a matter of form, would be hypocrisy and an attempt to delude
ourselves and others... I have no religious sentiment in the matter."
Contrasting these statements of a great politician in the modern age with
 628

those of Maharaja Pariksit, we find a vast difference. Maharaja Pariksit was

pious according to the scriptural codes, whereas the modern politician goes by
his personal belief and sentiments. Any great man of the material world is,
after all, a conditioned soul. He is bound by his hands and feet by the ropes
of material nature, and still the foolish conditioned soul thinks of himself
as free to act by his whimsical sentiments. The conclusion is that people in
the time of Maharaja Pariksit were happy, and the animals were given proper
protection because the executive head was not whimsical or ignorant of God's
law. Foolish, faithless creatures try to avoid the existence of the Lord and
proclaim themselves secular at the cost of valuable human life. The human life
is especially meant for knowing the science of God, but foolish creatures,
especially in this age of Kali, instead of knowing God scientifically, make
propaganda against religious belief as well as the existence of God, even
though they are always bound by the laws of God by the symptoms of birth,
death, old age and disease.

TEXT 12

ko 'vrscat tava padams trin

saurabheya catus-pada
ma bhuvams tvadrsa rastre
rajnam krsnanuvartinam

kah--who is he; avrscat--cut off; tava--your; padan--legs; trin--three;

saurabheya--O son of Surabhi; catuh-pada--you are four-legged; ma--never to
be; bhuvan--it so happened; tvadrsah--as yourself; rastre--in the state;
rajnam--of the kings; krsna-anuvartinam--those who follow the codes of Krsna,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

He [Maharaja Pariksit] repeatedly addressed and questioned the bull thus:

O son of Surabhi, who has cut off your three legs? In the state of the kings
who are obedient to the laws of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna,
there is no one as unhappy as you.

PURPORT

The kings or the executive heads of all states must know the codes of
Lord Krsna (generally Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam) and must act
accordingly in order to fulfill the mission of human life, which is to make an
end to all miseries of material conditions. One who knows the codes of Lord
Krsna can achieve this end without any difficulty. In the Bhagavad-gita, in a
synopsis, we can understand the codes of Godhead, and in the Srimad-
Bhagavatam
the same codes are explained further.
In a state where the codes of Krsna are followed, no one is unhappy.
Where such codes are not followed, the first sign is that three legs of the
representative of religion are cut off, and thereby all miseries follow. When
Krsna was personally present, the codes of Krsna were being followed without
question, but in His absence such codes are presented in the pages of
 629

Srimad-Bhagavatam for the guidance of the blind persons who happen to be

at
the helm of all affairs.

TEXT 13

akhyahi vrsa bhadram vah

sadhunam akrtagasam
atma-vairupya-kartaram
parthanam kirti-dusanam

akhyahi--just let me know; vrsa--O bull; bhadram--good; vah--for you;

sadhunam--of the honest; akrta-agasam--of those who are offenseless;
atma-vairupya--deformation of the self; kartaram--the doer; parthanam--of the
sons of Prtha; kirti-dusanam--blackmailing the reputation.

TRANSLATION

O bull, you are offenseless and thoroughly honest; therefore I wish all
good to you. Please tell me of the perpetrator of these mutilations, which
blackmail the reputation of the sons of Prtha.

PURPORT

The reputation of the reign of Maharaja Ramacandra and that of the kings
who followed in the footsteps of Maharaja Ramacandra, like the Pandavas and
their descendants, are never to be forgotten because in their kingdom
offenseless and honest living beings were never in trouble. The bull and the
cow are the symbols of the most offenseless living beings because even the
stool and urine of these animals are utilized to benefit human society. The
descendants of the sons of Prtha, like Maharaja Pariksit, were afraid of
losing their reputations, but in the modern days the leaders are not even
afraid of killing such offenseless animals. Herein lies the difference between
the reign of those pious kings and the modern states ruled by irresponsible
executive heads without knowledge of the codes of God.

TEXT 14

jane 'nagasy agham yunjan

sarvato 'sya ca mad-bhayam
sadhunam bhadram eva syad
asadhu-damane krte

jane--to the living beings; anagasi--those who are offenseless;

agham--sufferings; yunjan--by applying; sarvatah--anywhere and everywhere;
asya--of such offenders; ca--and; mat-bhayam--fear me; sadhunam--of the
honest
persons; bhadram--good fortune; eva--certainly; syat--will take place;
asadhu--dishonest miscreants; damane--curbed; krte--being so done.

TRANSLATION
 630

Whoever causes offenseless living beings to suffer must fear me anywhere

and everywhere in the world. By curbing dishonest miscreants, one
automatically benefits the offenseless.

PURPORT

Dishonest miscreants flourish because of cowardly and impotent executive

heads of state. But when the executive heads are strong enough to curb all
sorts of dishonest miscreants, in any part of the state, certainly they cannot
flourish. When the miscreants are punished in an exemplary manner,
automatically all good fortune follows. As said before, it is the prime duty
of the king or the executive head to give protection in all respects to the
peaceful, offenseless citizens of the state. The devotees of the Lord are by
nature peaceful and offenseless, and therefore it is the prime duty of the
state to arrange to convert everyone to become a devotee of the Lord. Thus
automatically there will be peaceful, offenseless citizens. Then the only duty
of the king will be to curb the dishonest miscreants. That will bring about
peace and harmony all over human society.

TEXT 15

anagahsv iha bhutesu

ya agas-krn nirankusah
ahartasmi bhujam saksad
amartyasyapi sangadam

anagahsu iha--to the offenseless; bhutesu--living beings; yah--the person;

agah-krt--commits offense; nirankusah--upstart; aharta asmi--I shall bring
forth; bhujam--arms; saksat--directly; amartyasya api--even one who is a
demigod; sa-angadam--with decorations and armor.

TRANSLATION

An upstart living being who commits offenses by torturing those who are
offenseless shall be directly uprooted by me, even though he be a denizen of
heaven with armor and decorations.

PURPORT

The denizens of the heavenly kingdom are called amara, or deathless, due
to their possessing a long span of life, far greater than that of the human
beings. For a human being, who has only a maximum one-hundred-year
duration of
life, a span of life spreading over millions of years is certainly considered
to be deathless. For example, from the Bhagavad-gita we learn that on the
Brahmaloka planet the duration of one day is calculated to be 4,300,000 x
1,000 solar years. Similarly, in other heavenly planets one day is calculated
to be six months of this planet, and the inhabitants get a life of ten million
of their years. Therefore, in all higher planets, since the span of life is
far greater than that of the human being, the denizens are called deathless by
imagination, although actually no one within the material universe is
deathless.
 631

Maharaja Pariksit challenges even such denizens of heaven if they torture

the offenseless. This means that the state executive head must be as strong
as
Maharaja Pariksit so that he may be determined to punish the strongest
offenders. It should be the principle of a state executive head that the
offender of the codes of God is always punished.

TEXT 16

rajno hi paramo dharmah

sva-dharma-sthanupalanam
sasato 'nyan yatha-sastram
anapady utpathan iha

rajnah--of the king or the executive head; hi--certainly; paramah--supreme;

dharmah--occupational duty; sva-dharma-stha--one who is faithful to his
prescribed duty; anupalanam--giving protection always; sasatah--while ruling;
anyan--others; yatha--according to; sastram--rulings of scriptures;
anapadi--without danger; utpathan--persons going astray; iha--as a matter of
fact.

TRANSLATION

The supreme duty of the ruling king is to give all protection to

law-abiding persons and to chastise those who stray from the ordinances of
the
scriptures in ordinary times, when there is no emergency.

PURPORT

In the scriptures there is mention of apad-dharma, or occupational duty

at times of extraordinary happenings. It is said that sometimes the great sage
Visvamitra had to live on the flesh of dogs in some extraordinary dangerous
position. In cases of emergency, one may be allowed to live on the flesh of
animals of all description, but that does not mean that there should be
regular slaughterhouses to feed the animal-eaters and that this system should
he encouraged by the state. No one should try to live on flesh in ordinary
times simply for the sake of the palate. If anyone does so, the king or the
executive head should punish him for gross enjoyment.
There are regular scriptural injunctions for different persons engaged in
different occupational duties, and one who follows them is called
svadharma-stha, or faithful in one's prescribed duties. In the Bhagavad-gita
(18.48) it is advised that one should not give up his occupational prescribed
duties, even if they are not always flawless. Such sva-dharma might be
violated in cases of emergency, if one is forced by circumstances, but they
cannot be violated in ordinary times. The state executive head is to see that
such sva-dharma is not changed by the follower, whatever it may be, and he
should give all protection to the follower of sva-dharma. The violator is
subject to punishment in terms of the sastra, and the duty of the king is to
see that everyone strictly follows his occupational duty, as prescribed in the
scripture.
 632

TEXT 17

dharma uvaca
etad vah pandaveyanam
yuktam artabhayam vacah
yesam guna-ganaih krsno
dautyadau bhagavan krtah

dharmah uvaca--the personality of religion said; etat--all these; vah--by you;

pandaveyanam--of those who are in the Pandava dynasty; yuktam--just
befitting;
arta--the sufferer; abhayam--freedom from all fears; vacah--speeches;
yesam--those; guna-ganaih--by the qualifications; krsnah--even Lord Krsna;
dautya-adau--the duty of a messenger, etc.; bhagavan--the Personality of
Godhead; krtah--performed.

TRANSLATION

The personality of religion said: These words just spoken by you befit a
person of the Pandava dynasty. Captivated by the devotional qualities of the
Pandavas, even Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, performed duties as a
messenger.

PURPORT

The assurances and challenges made by Maharaja Pariksit are never

exaggerations of his real power. The Maharaja said that even the denizens of
heaven could not escape his stringent government if they were violators of
religious principles. He was not falsely proud, for a devotee of the Lord is
equally as powerful as the Lord or sometimes more powerful by His grace, and
any promise made by a devotee, though it may be ordinarily very difficult to
fulfill, is properly executed by the grace of the Lord. The Pandavas, by their
unalloyed devotional service and full surrender unto the Lord, made it
possible for the Lord to become a chariot driver or sometimes their letter
messenger. Such duties executed by the Lord for His devotee are always very
pleasing to the Lord because the Lord wants to render service to His unalloyed
devotee, whose life has no other engagement than to serve the Lord with full
love and devotion. Maharaja Pariksit, grandson of Arjuna, the celebrated
friendly servitor of the Lord, was a pure devotee of the Lord like his
grandfather, and therefore the Lord was always with him, even from the time
when he was helplessly lying in the womb of his mother and was attacked by
the
blazing brahmastra weapon of Asvatthama. A devotee is always under the
protection of the Lord, and therefore the assurance of protection by Maharaja
Pariksit could never be without meaning. The personality of religion accepted
this fact and thus thanked the King for his being true to his exalted
position.

TEXT 18

na vayam klesa-bijani
yatah syuh purusarsabha
 633

purusam tam vijanimo

vakya-bheda-vimohitah

na--not; vayam--we; klesa-bijani--the root cause of sufferings;

yatah--wherefrom; syuh--it so happens; purusa-rsabha--O greatest of all
human
beings; purusam--the person; tam--that; vijanimah--know;
vakya-bheda--difference of opinion; vimohitah--bewildered by.

TRANSLATION

O greatest among human beings, it is very difficult to ascertain the

particular miscreant who has caused our sufferings, because we are
bewildered
by all the different opinions of theoretical philosophers.

PURPORT

There are many theoretical philosophers in the world who put forward
their own theories of cause and effect especially about the cause of suffering
and its effect on different living beings. Generally there are six great
philosophers: Kanada, the author of Vaisesika philosophy; Gautama, the
author
of logic; Patanjali, the author of mystic yoga; Kapila, the author of Sankhya
philosophy; Jaimini, the author of Karmamimamsa; and Vyasadeva, the author
of
Vedanta-darsana.
Although the bull, or the personality of religion, and the cow, the
personality of the earth, knew perfectly well that the personality of Kali was
the direct cause of their sufferings, still, as devotees of the Lord, they
knew well also that without the sanction of the Lord no one could inflict
trouble upon them. According to the Padma Purana, our present trouble is due
to the fructifying of seedling sins, but even those seedling sins also
gradually fade away by execution of pure devotional service. Thus even if the
devotees see the mischief-mongers, they do not accuse them for the
sufferings
inflicted. They take it for granted that the mischief-monger is made to act by
some indirect cause, and therefore they tolerate the sufferings, thinking them
to be God-given in small doses, for otherwise the sufferings should have been
greater.
Maharaja Pariksit wanted to get a statement of accusation against the
direct mischief-monger, but they declined to give it on the abovementioned
grounds. Speculative philosophers, however, do not recognize the sanction of
the Lord; they try to find out the cause of sufferings in their own way, as
will be described in the following verses. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami,
such speculators are themselves bewildered, and thus they cannot know that
the
ultimate cause of all causes is the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead.

TEXT 19

kecid vikalpa-vasana
 634

ahur atmanam atmanah

daivam anye 'pare karma
svabhavam apare prabhum

kecit--some of them; vikalpa-vasanah--those who deny all kinds of duality;

ahuh--declare; atmanam--own self; atmanah--of the self; daivam--
superhuman;
anye--others; apare--someone else; karma--activity; svabhavam--material
nature; apare--many other; prabhum--authorities.

TRANSLATION

Some of the philosophers, who deny all sorts of duality, declare that
one's own self is responsible for his personal happiness and distress. Others
say that superhuman powers are responsible, while yet others say that activity
is responsible, and the gross materialists maintain that nature is the
ultimate cause.

PURPORT

As referred to above, philosophers like Jaimini and his followers

establish that fruitive activity is the root cause of all distress and
happiness, and that even if there is a superior authority, some superhuman
powerful God or gods, He or they are also under the influence of fruitive
activity because they reward result according to one's action. They say that
action is not independent because action is performed by some performer;
therefore, the performer himself is the cause of his own happiness or
distress. In the Bhagavad-gita (6.5) also it is confirmed that by one's mind,
freed from material affection, one can deliver himself from the sufferings of
material pangs. So one should not entangle oneself in matter by the mind's
material affections. Thus one's own mind is one's friend or enemy in one's
material happiness and distress.
Atheistic, materialistic Sankhyaites conclude that material nature is the
cause of all causes. According to them, combinations of material elements are
the causes of material happiness and distress, and disintegration of matter is
the cause of freedom from all material pangs. Gautama and Kanada find that
atomic combination is the cause of everything, and impersonalists like
Astavakra discover that the spiritual effulgence of Brahman is the cause of
all causes. But in the Bhagavad-gita the Lord Himself declares that He is the
source of impersonal Brahman, and therefore He, the Personality of Godhead,
is
the ultimate cause of all causes. It is also confirmed in the Brahma-samhita
that Lord Krsna is the ultimate cause of all causes.

TEXT 20

apratarkyad anirdesyad
iti kesv api niscayah
atranurupam rajarse
vimrsa sva-manisaya

apratarkyat--beyond the power of reasoning; anirdesyat--beyond the power of

 635

thinking; iti--thus; kesu--someone; api--also; niscayah--definitely concluded;

atra--herein; anurupam--which of them is right; raja-rse--O sage amongst the
kings; vimrsa--judge yourself; sva--by your own; manisaya--power of
intelligence.

TRANSLATION

There are also some thinkers who believe that no one can ascertain the
cause of distress by argumentation, nor know it by imagination, nor express it
by words. O sage amongst kings, judge for yourself by thinking over all this
with your own intelligence.

PURPORT

The Vaisnavites, the devotees of the Lord, do believe, as above

explained, that nothing can take place without the sanction of the Supreme
Lord. He is the supreme director, for He confirms in the Bhagavad-gita (15.15)
that He, as all-pervading Paramatma, stays in everyone's heart and keeps
vigilance over all actions and witnesses all activities. The argument of the
atheist that one cannot be punished for one's misdeeds unless proved before
a
qualified justice is refuted herein, for we accept the perpetual witness and
constant companion of the living being. A living being may forget all that he
might have done in his past or present life, but one must know that in the
same tree of the material body, the individual soul and the Supreme Soul as
Paramatma are sitting like two birds. One of them, the living being, is
enjoying the fruits of the tree, whereas the Supreme Being is there to witness
the activities. Therefore the Paramatma feature, the Supreme Soul, is actually
the witness of all activities of the living being, and only by His direction
can the living being remember or forget what he might have done in the past.
He is, therefore, both the all-pervading impersonal Brahman and the localized
Paramatma in everyone's heart. He is the knower of all past, present and
future, and nothing can be concealed from Him. The devotees know this truth,
and therefore they discharge their duties sincerely, without being overly
anxious for rewards. Besides that, one cannot estimate the Lord's reactions,
either by speculation or by scholarship. Why does He put some into difficulty
and not others? He is the supreme knower of the Vedic knowledge, and thus
He
is the factual Vedantist. At the same time He is the compiler of the Vedanta.
No one is independent of Him, and everyone is engaged in His service in
different ways. In the conditioned state, such services are rendered by the
living being under force of the material nature, whereas in the liberated
state the living being is helped by the spiritual nature in the voluntary
loving service of the Lord. There is no incongruity or inebriety in His
actions. All are on the path of Absolute Truth. Bhismadeva correctly estimated
the inconceivable actions of the Lord. The conclusion is, therefore, that the
sufferings of the representative of religion and the representative of the
earth, as present before Maharaja Pariksit, were planned to prove that
Maharaja Pariksit was the ideal executive head because he knew well how to
give protection to the cows (the earth) and the brahmanas (religious
principles), the two pillars of spiritual advancement. Everyone is under the
full control of the Lord. He is quite correct in His action when He desires
 636

something to be done by someone, irrespective of the consideration of the

particular case. Maharaja Pariksit was thus put to test for his greatness. Now
let us see how he solves it by his sagacious mind.

TEXT 21

suta uvaca
evam dharme pravadati
sa samrad dvija-sattamah
samahitena manasa
vikhedah paryacasta tam

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; evam--so; dharme--the personality of

religion;
pravadati--thus having spoken; sah--he; samrat--the Emperor; dvija-sattamah--
O
best among the brahmanas; samahitena--with proper attention; manasa--by
the
mind; vikhedah--without any mistake; paryacasta--counterreplied; tam--unto
him.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: O best among the brahmanas, the Emperor Pariksit,
thus
hearing the personality of religion speak, was fully satisfied, and without
mistake or regret he gave his reply.

PURPORT

The statement of the bull, the personality of religion, was full of

philosophy and knowledge, and the King was satisfied, since he could
understand that the suffering bull was not an ordinary one. Unless one is
perfectly conversant with the law of the Supreme Lord, one cannot speak such
things touching philosophical truths. The Emperor, being also on an equal
level of sagacity, replied to the point, without doubts or mistakes.

TEXT 22

rajovaca
dharmam bravisi dharma-jna
dharmo 'si vrsa-rupa-dhrk
yad adharma-krtah sthanam
sucakasyapi tad bhavet

raja uvaca--the King said; dharmam--religion; bravisi--as you speak;

dharma-jna--O one who knows the codes of religion; dharmah--the personality
of
religion; asi--you are; vrsa-rupa-dhrk--in the disguise of a bull;
yat--whatever; adharma-krtah--one who acts irreligiously; sthanam--place;
sucakasya--of the identifier; api--also; tat--that; bhavet--becomes.
 637

TRANSLATION

The King said: O you, who are in the form of a bull! You know the truth
of religion, and you are speaking according to the principle that the
destination intended for the perpetrator of irreligious acts is also intended
for one who identifies the perpetrator. You are no other than the personality
of religion.

PURPORT

A devotee's conclusion is that no one is directly responsible for being a

benefactor or mischief-monger without the sanction of the Lord; therefore he
does not consider anyone to be directly responsible for such action. But in
both the cases he takes it for granted that either benefit or loss is
God-sent, and thus it is His grace. In case of benefit, no one will deny that
it is God-sent, but in case of loss or reverses one becomes doubtful about how
the Lord could be so unkind to His devotee as to put him in great difficulty.
Jesus Christ was seemingly put into such great difficulty, being crucified by
the ignorant, but he was never angry at the mischief-mongers. That is the way
of accepting a thing, either favorable or unfavorable. Thus for a devotee the
identifier is equally a sinner, like the mischief-monger. By God's grace, the
devotee tolerates all reverses. Maharaja Pariksit observed this, and therefore
he could understand that the bull was no other than the personality of
religion himself. In other words, a devotee has no suffering at all because
so-called suffering is also God's grace for a devotee who sees God in
everything. The cow and bull never placed any complaint before the King for
being tortured by the personality of Kali, although everyone lodges such
complaints before the state authorities. The extraordinary behavior of the
bull made the King conclude that the bull was certainly the personality of
religion, for no one else could understand the finer intricacies of the codes
of religion.

TEXT 23

athava deva-mayaya
nunam gatir agocara
cetaso vacasas capi
bhutanam iti niscayah

athava--alternatively; deva--the Lord; mayayah--energies; nunam--very little;

gatih--movement; agocara--inconceivable; cetasah--either by the mind;
vacasah--by words; ca--or; api--also; bhutanam--of all living beings;
iti--thus; niscayah--concluded.

TRANSLATION

Thus it is concluded that the Lord's energies are inconceivable. No one

can estimate them by mental speculation or by word jugglery.

PURPORT

A question may be raised as to why a devotee should refrain from

 638

identifying an actor, although he knows definitely that the Lord is the

ultimate doer of everything. Knowing the ultimate doer, one should not pose
himself as ignorant of the actual performer. To answer this doubt, the reply
is that the Lord is also not directly responsible, for everything is done by
His deputed maya-sakti, or material energy. The material energy is always
provoking doubts about the supreme authority of the Lord. The personality of
religion knew perfectly well that nothing can take place without the sanction
of the Supreme Lord, and still he was put into doubts by the deluding energy,
and thus he refrained from mentioning the supreme cause. This doubtfulness
was
due to the contamination of both Kali and the material energy. The whole
atmosphere of the age of Kali is magnified by the deluding energy, and the
proportion of measurement is inexplicable.

TEXT 24

tapah saucam daya satyam

iti padah krte krtah
adharmamsais trayo bhagnah
smaya-sanga-madais tava

tapah--austerity; saucam--cleanliness; daya--mercy; satyam--truthfulness;

iti--thus; padah--legs; krte--in the age of Satya; krtah--established;
adharma--irreligiosity; amsaih--by the parts; trayah--three combined;
bhagnah--broken; smaya--pride; sanga--too much association with women;
madaih--intoxication; tava--your.

TRANSLATION

In the age of Satya [truthfulness] your four legs were established by the
four principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. But it
appears that three of your legs are broken due to rampant irreligion in the
form of pride, lust for women, and intoxication.

PURPORT

The deluding energy, or material nature, can act upon the living beings
proportionately in terms of the living beings' falling prey to the deluding
attraction of maya. Moths are captivated by the glaring brightness of light,
and thus they become prey to the fire. Similarly, the deluding energy is
always captivating the conditioned souls to become prey to the fire of
delusion, and the Vedic scriptures warn the conditioned souls not to become
prey to delusion but to get rid of it. The Vedas warn us to go not to the
darkness of ignorance but to the progressive path of light. The Lord Himself
also warns that the deluding power of material energy is too powerful to
overcome, but one who completely surrenders unto the Lord can easily do so.
But to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is also not very easy. Such
surrender is possible by persons of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and
truthfulness. These four principles of advanced civilization were remarkable
features in the age of Satya. In that age, every human being was practically a
qualified brahmana of the highest order, and in the social orders of life they
were all paramahamsas, or the topmost in the renounced order. By cultural
 639

standing, the human beings were not at all subjected to the deluding energy.
Such strong men of character were competent enough to get away from the
clutches of maya. But gradually, as the basic principles of brahminical
culture, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, became
curtailed by proportionate development of pride, attachment for women and
intoxication, the path of salvation or the path of transcendental bliss
retreated far, far away from human society. With the progression of the age of
Kali, people are becoming very proud, and attached to women and
intoxication.
By the influence of the age of Kali, even a pauper is proud of his penny, the
women are always dressed in an overly attractive fashion to victimize the
minds of men, and the man is addicted to drinking wine, smoking, drinking tea
and chewing tobacco, etc. All these habits, or so-called advancement of
civilization, are the root causes of all irreligiosities, and therefore it is
not possible to check corruption, bribery and nepotism. Man cannot check all
these evils simply by statutory acts and police vigilance, but he can cure the
disease of the mind by the proper medicine, namely advocating the principles
of brahminical culture or the principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and
truthfulness. Modern civilization and economic development are creating a
new
situation of poverty and scarcity with the result of blackmailing the
consumer's commodities. If the leaders and the rich men of the society spend
fifty percent of their accumulated wealth mercifully for the misled mass of
people and educate them in God consciousness, the knowledge of
Bhagavatam,
certainly the age of Kali will be defeated in its attempt to entrap the
conditioned souls. We must always remember that false pride, or too high an
estimation of one's own values of life, undue attachment to women or
association with them, and intoxication will divert human civilization from
the path of peace, however much the people clamor for peace in the world.
The
preaching of the Bhagavatam principles will automatically render all men
austere, clean both inside and outside, merciful to the suffering, and
truthful in daily behavior. That is the way of correcting the flaws of human
society, which are very prominently exhibited at the present moment.

TEXT 25

idanim dharma padas te

satyam nirvartayed yatah
tam jighrksaty adharmo 'yam
anrtenaidhitah kalih

idanim--at the present moment; dharma--O personality of religion; padah--leg;

te--of you; satyam--truthfulness; nirvartayet--hobbling along somehow or
other; yatah--whereby; tam--that; jighrksati--trying to destroy; adharmah--the
personality of irreligion; ayam--this; anrtena--by deceit;
edhitah--flourishing; kalih--quarrel personified.

TRANSLATION

You are now standing on one leg only, which is your truthfulness, and you
 640

are somehow or other hobbling along. But quarrel personified [Kali],

flourishing by deceit, is also trying to destroy that leg.

PURPORT

The principles of religion do not stand on some dogmas or man-made

formulas, but they stand on four primary regulative observances, namely
austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. The mass of people must be
taught to practice these principles from childhood. Austerity means to accept
voluntarily things which may not be very comfortable for the body but are
conducive for spiritual realization, for example, fasting. Fasting twice or
four times a month is a sort of austerity which may be voluntarily accepted
for spiritual realization only, and not for any other purposes, political or
otherwise. Fastings which are meant not for self-realization but for some
other purposes are condemned in the Bhagavad-gita (17.5-6). Similarly,
cleanliness is necessary both for the mind and for the body. Simply bodily
cleanliness may help to some extent, but cleanliness of the mind is necessary,
and it is effected by glorifying the Supreme Lord. No one can cleanse the
accumulated mental dust without glorifying the Supreme Lord. A godless
civilization cannot cleanse the mind because it has no idea of God, and for
this simple reason people under such a civilization cannot have good
qualifications, however they may be materially equipped. We have to see
things
by their resultant action. The resultant action of human civilization in the
age of Kali is dissatisfaction, so everyone is anxious to get peace of mind.
This peace of mind was complete in the Satya age because of the existence of
the above-mentioned attributes of the human beings. Gradually these
attributes
have diminished in the Treta-yuga to three fourths, in the Dvapara to half,
and in this age of Kali to one fourth, which is also gradually diminishing on
account of prevailing untruthfulness. By pride, either artificial or real, the
resultant action of austerity is spoiled; by too much affection for female
association, cleanliness is spoiled; by too much addiction to intoxication,
mercy is spoiled; and by too much lying propaganda, truthfulness is spoiled.
The revival of bhagavata-dharma can save human civilization from falling prey
to evils of all description.

TEXT 26

iyam ca bhumir bhagavata

nyasitoru-bhara sati
srimadbhis tat-pada-nyasaih
sarvatah krta-kautuka

iyam--this; ca--and; bhumih--surface of the earth; bhagavata--by the

Personality of Godhead; nyasita--being performed personally as well as by
others; uru--great; bhara--burden; sati--being so done; srimadbhih--by the
all-auspicious; tat--that; pada-nyasaih--footprints; sarvatah--all around;
krta--done; kautuka--good fortune.

TRANSLATION
 641

The burden of the earth was certainly diminished by the Personality of

Godhead and by others as well. When He was present as an incarnation, all
good
was performed because of His auspicious footprints.

TEXT 27

socaty asru-kala sadhvi

durbhagevojjhita sati
abrahmanya nrpa-vyajah
sudra bhoksyanti mam iti

socati--lamenting; asru-kala--with tears in the eyes; sadhvi--the chaste;

durbhaga--as if the most unfortunate; iva--like; ujjhita--forlorn; sati--being
so done; abrahmanyah--devoid of brahminical culture; nrpa-vyajah--posed as
the
ruler; sudrah--lower class; bhoksyanti--would enjoy; mam--me; iti--thus.

TRANSLATION

Now she, the chaste one, being unfortunately forsaken by the Personality
of Godhead, laments her future with tears in her eyes, for now she is being
ruled and enjoyed by lower-class men who pose as rulers.

PURPORT

The ksatriya, or the man who is qualified to protect the sufferers, is

meant to rule the state. Untrained lower-class men, or men without ambition
to
protect the sufferers, cannot be placed on the seat of an administrator.
Unfortunately, in the age of Kali the lower-class men, without training,
occupy the post of a ruler by strength of popular votes, and instead of
protecting the sufferers, such men create a situation quite intolerable for
everyone. Such rulers illegally gratify themselves at the cost of all comforts
of the citizens, and thus the chaste mother earth cries to see the pitiable
condition of her sons, both men and animals. That is the future of the world
in the age of Kali, when irreligiosity prevails most prominently. And in the
absence of a suitable king to curb irreligious tendencies, educating the
people systematically in the teaching of Srimad-Bhagavatam will clear up the
hazy atmosphere of corruption, bribery, blackmail, etc.

TEXT 28

iti dharmam mahim caiva

santvayitva maha-rathah
nisatam adade khadgam
kalaye 'dharma-hetave

iti--thus; dharmam--the personality of religion; mahim--the earth; ca--also;

eva--as; santvayitva--after pacifying; maha-rathah--the general who could
fight alone with thousands of enemies; nisatam--sharp; adade--took up;
 642

khadgam--sword; kalaye--to kill the personified Kali; adharma--irreligion;

hetave--the root cause.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit, who could fight one thousand enemies singlehandedly,

thus pacified the personality of religion and the earth. Then he took up his
sharp sword to kill the personality of Kali, who is the cause of all
irreligion.

PURPORT

As described above, the personality of Kali is he who deliberately

commits all kinds of sinful acts which are forbidden in the revealed
scriptures. This age of Kali will certainly be full of all activities of Kali,
but this does not mean that the leaders of society, the executive heads, the
learned and intelligent men, or above all the devotees of the Lord should sit
down tightly and become callous to the reactions of the age of Kali. In the
rainy season certainly there will be profuse rainfalls, but that does not mean
that men should not take means to protect themselves from the rains. It is the
duty of the executive heads of state and others to take all necessary actions
against the activities of Kali or the persons influenced by the age of Kali;
and Maharaja Pariksit is the ideal executive head of the state, for at once he
was ready to kill the personality of Kali with his sharp sword. The
administrators should not simply pass resolutions for anticorruptional steps,
but they must be ready with sharp swords to kill the persons creating
corruptions from the angle of vision of the recognized sastras. The
administrators cannot prevent corrupt activities by allowing wine shops. They
must at once close all shops of intoxicating drugs and wine and force
punishment even by death for those who indulge in habits of intoxication of
all description. That is the way of stopping the activities of Kali, as
exhibited herein by Maharaja Pariksit, the maha-ratha.

TEXT 29

tam jighamsum abhipretya

vihaya nrpa-lanchanam
tat-pada-mulam sirasa
samagad bhaya-vihvalah

tam--him; jighamsum--willing to kill; abhipretya--knowing it well;

vihaya--leaving aside; nrpa-lanchanam--the dress of a king; tat-pada-mulam--
at
his feet; sirasa--by the head; samagat--fully surrendered;
bhaya-vihvalah--under pressure of fearfulness.

TRANSLATION

When the personality of Kali understood that the King was willing to kill
him, he at once abandoned the dress of a king and, under pressure of fear,
completely surrendered to him, bowing his head.
 643

PURPORT

The royal dress of the personality of Kali is artificial. The royal dress
is suitable for a king or ksatriya, but when a lower-class man artificially
dresses himself as a king, his real identity is disclosed by the challenge of
a bona fide ksatriya like Maharaja Pariksit. A real ksatriya never surrenders.
He accepts the challenge of his rival ksatriya, and he fights either to die or
to win. Surrender is unknown to a real ksatriya. In the age of Kali there are
so many pretenders dressed and posed like administrators or executive heads,
but their real identity is disclosed when they are challenged by a real
ksatriya. Therefore when the artificially dressed personality of Kali saw that
to fight Maharaja Pariksit was beyond his ability, he bowed down his head like
a subordinate and gave up his royal dress.

TEXT 30

patitam padayor virah

krpaya dina-vatsalah
saranyo navadhic chlokya
aha cedam hasann iva

patitam--fallen; padayoh--at the feet; virah--the hero; krpaya--out of

compassion; dina-vatsalah--kind to the poor; saranyah--one who is qualified to
accept surrender; na--not; avadhit--did kill; slokyah--one who is worthy of
being sung; aha--said; ca--also; idam--this; hasan--smiling; iva--like.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit, who was qualified to accept surrender and worthy of

being sung in history, did not kill the poor surrendered and fallen Kali, but
smiled compassionately, for he was kind to the poor.

PURPORT

Even an ordinary ksatriya does not kill a surrendered person, and what to
speak of Maharaja Pariksit, who was by nature compassionate and kind to the
poor. He was smiling because the artificially dressed Kali had disclosed his
identity as a lower-class man, and he was thinking how ironic it was that
although no one was saved from his sharp sword when he desired to kill, the
poor lower-class Kali was spared by his timely surrender. Maharaja Pariksit's
glory and kindness are therefore sung in history. He was a kind and
compassionate emperor, fully worthy of accepting surrender even from his
enemy. Thus the personality of Kali was saved by the will of Providence.

TEXT 31

rajovaca
na te gudakesa-yaso-dharanam
baddhanjaler vai bhayam asti kincit
na vartitavyam bhavata kathancana
ksetre madiye tvam adharma-bandhuh
 644

raja uvaca--the King said; na--not; te--your; gudakesa--Arjuna;

yasah-dharanam--of us who inherited the fame; baddha-anjaleh--one with
folded
hands; vai--certainly; bhayam--fear; asti--there is; kincit--even a slight;
na--neither; vartitavyam--can be allowed to live; bhavata--by you;
kathancana--by all means; ksetre--in the land; madiye--in my kingdom;
tvam--you; adharma-bandhuh--the friend of irreligion.

TRANSLATION

The King thus said: We have inherited the fame of Arjuna; therefore since
you have surrendered yourself with folded hands you need not fear for your
life. But you cannot remain in my kingdom, for you are the friend of
irreligion.

PURPORT

The personality of Kali, who is the friend of all kinds of

irreligiosities, may be excused if he surrenders, but in all circumstances he
cannot be allowed to live as a citizen in any part of a welfare state. The
Pandavas were entrusted representatives of the Personality of Godhead, Lord
Krsna, who practically brought into being the Battle of Kuruksetra, but not
for any personal interest. He wanted an ideal king like Maharaja Yudhisthira
and his descendants like Maharaja Pariksit to rule the world, and therefore a
responsible king like Maharaja Pariksit could not allow the friend of
irreligiosity to flourish in his kingdom at the cost of the good fame of the
Pandavas. That is the way of wiping out corruption in the state, and not
otherwise. The friends of irreligiosity should be banished from the state, and
that will save the state from corruption.

TEXT 32

tvam vartamanam nara-deva-dehesv

anupravrtto 'yam adharma-pugah
lobho 'nrtam cauryam anaryam amho
jyestha ca maya kalahas ca dambhah

tvam--you; vartamanam--while present; nara-deva--a man-god, or a king;

dehesu--in the body; anupravrttah--taking place everywhere; ayam--all these;
adharma--irreligious principles; pugah--in the masses; lobhah--greed;
anrtam--falsity; cauryam--robbery; anaryam--incivility; amhah--treachery;
jyestha--misfortune; ca--and; maya--cheating; kalahah--quarrel; ca--and;
dambhah--vanity.

TRANSLATION

If the personality of Kali, irreligion, is allowed to act as a man-god or

an executive head, certainly irreligious principles like greed, falsehood,
robbery, incivility, treachery, misfortune, cheating, quarrel and vanity will
abound.

PURPORT
 645

The principles of religion, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and

truthfulness, as we have already discussed, may be followed by the follower of
any faith. There is no need to turn from Hindu to Mohammedan to Christian or
some other faith and thus become a renegade and not follow the principles of
religion. The Bhagavatam religion urges following the principles of religion.
The principles of religion are not the dogmas or regulative principles of a
certain faith. Such regulative principles may be different in terms of the
time and place concerned. One has to see whether the aims of religion have
been achieved. Sticking to the dogmas and formulas without attaining the real
principles is not good. A secular state may be impartial to any particular
type of faith, but the state cannot be indifferent to the principles of
religion as above-mentioned. But in the age of Kali, the executive heads of
state will be indifferent to such religious principles, and therefore under
their patronage the opponents of religious principles, such as greed,
falsehood, cheating and pilfery, will naturally follow, and so there will be
no meaning to propaganda crying to stop corruption in the state.

TEXT 33

na vartitavyam tad adharma-bandho

dharmena satyena ca vartitavye
brahmavarte yatra yajanti yajnair
yajnesvaram yajna-vitana-vijnah

na--not; vartitavyam--deserve to remain; tat--therefore;

adharma--irreligiosity; bandho--friend; dharmena--with religion; satyena--with
truth; ca--also; vartitavye--being situated in; brahma-avarte--place where
sacrifice is performed; yatra--where; yajanti--duly perform; yajnaih--by
sacrifices or devotional services; yajna-isvaram--unto the Supreme Lord, the
Personality of Godhead; yajna--sacrifice; vitana--spreading; vijnah--experts.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, O friend of irreligion, you do not deserve to remain in a

place where experts perform sacrifices according to truth and religious
principles for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

Yajnesvara, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the beneficiary of

all kinds of sacrificial ceremonies. Such sacrificial ceremonies are
prescribed differently in the scriptures for different ages. In other words,
sacrifice means to accept the supremacy of the Lord and thereby perform acts
by which the Lord may be satisfied in all respects. The atheists do not
believe in the existence of God, and they do not perform any sacrifice for the
satisfaction of the Lord. Any place or country where the supremacy of the Lord
is accepted and thus sacrifice is performed is called brahmavarta. There are
different countries in different parts of the world, and each and every
country may have different types of sacrifice to please the Supreme Lord, but
the central point in pleasing Him is ascertained in the Bhagavatam, and it is
truthfulness. The basic principle of religion is truthfulness, and the
 646

ultimate goal of all religions is to satisfy the Lord. In this age of Kali,
the greatest common formula of sacrifice is the sankirtana-yajna. That is the
opinion of the experts who know how to propagate the process of yajna. Lord
Caitanya preached this method of yajna, and it is understood from this verse
that the sacrificial method of sankirtana-yajna may be performed anywhere
and
everywhere in order to drive away the personality of Kali and save human
society from falling prey to the influence of the age.

TEXT 34

yasmin harir bhagavan ijyamana

ijyatma-murtir yajatam sam tanoti
kaman amoghan sthira-jangamanam
antar bahir vayur ivaisa atma

yasmin--in such sacrificial ceremonies; harih--the Supreme Lord; bhagavan--

the
Personality of Godhead; ijyamanah--being worshiped; ijya-atma--the soul of all
worshipable deities; murtih--in the forms; yajatam--those who worship;
sam--welfare; tanoti--spreads; kaman--desires; amoghan--inviolable;
sthira-jangamanam--of all the moving and nonmoving; antah--within;
bahih--outside; vayuh--air; iva--like; esah--of all of them; atma--spirit
soul.

TRANSLATION

In all sacrificial ceremonies, although sometimes a demigod is worshiped,

the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is worshiped because He is the
Supersoul of everyone, and exists both inside and outside like the air. Thus
it is He only who awards all welfare to the worshiper.

PURPORT

It is even sometimes seen that demigods like Indra and Candra are
worshiped and offered sacrificial awards, yet the rewards of all such
sacrifices are awarded to the worshiper by the Supreme Lord, and it is the
Lord only who can offer all welfare to the worshiper. The demigods, although
worshiped, cannot do anything without the sanction of the Lord because the
Lord is the Supersoul of everyone, both moving and nonmoving.
In Bhagavad-gita (9.23) the Lord Himself confirms this in the following
sloka:

ye 'py anya-devata-bhakta
yajante sraddhayanvitah
te 'pi mam eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-purvakam

"Whatever a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kunti, is really

meant for Me alone, but it is offered without true understanding."
The fact is that the Supreme Lord is one without a second. There is no
God other than the Lord Himself. Thus the Supreme Lord is eternally
 647

transcendental to the material creation. But there are many who worship the
demigods like the sun, the moon and Indra, who are only material
representatives of the Supreme Lord. These demigods are indirect, qualitative
representations of the Supreme Lord. A learned scholar or devotee, however,
knows who is who. Therefore he directly worships the Supreme Lord and is not
diverted by the material, qualitative representations. Those who are not so
learned worship such qualitative, material representations, but their worship
is unceremonious because it is irregular.

TEXT 35

suta uvaca
pariksitaivam adistah
sa kalir jata-vepathuh
tam udyatasim ahedam
danda-panim ivodyatam

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; pariksita--by Maharaja Pariksit;

evam--thus; adistah--being ordered; sah--he; kalih--the personality of Kali;
jata--there was; vepathuh--trembling; tam--him; udyata--raised; asim--sword;
aha--said; idam--thus; danda-panim--Yamaraja, the personality of death;
iva--like; udyatam--almost ready.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: The personality of Kali, thus being ordered by
Maharaja Pariksit, began to tremble in fear. Seeing the King before him like
Yamaraja, ready to Kill him, Kali spoke to the King as follows.

PURPORT

The King was ready to kill the personality of Kali at once, as soon as he
disobeyed his order. Otherwise the King had no objection to allowing him to
prolong his life. The personality of Kali also, after attempting to get rid of
the punishment in various ways, decided that he must surrender unto him,
and
thus he began to tremble in fear of his life. The king, or the executive head,
must be so strong as to stand before the personality of Kali like the
personality of death, Yamaraja. The King's order must be obeyed, otherwise
the
culprit's life is in risk. That is the way to rule the personalities of Kali
who create disturbance in the normal life of the state citizens.

TEXT 36

kalir uvaca
yatra kva vatha vatsyami
sarva-bhauma tavajnaya
laksaye tatra tatrapi
tvam attesu-sarasanam

kalih uvaca--the personality of Kali said; yatra--anywhere; kva--and

 648

everywhere; va--either; atha--thereof; vatsyami--I shall reside;

sarva-bhauma--O lord (or emperor) of the earth; tava--your; ajnaya--by the
order; laksaye--I see; tatra tatra--anywhere and everywhere; api--also;
tvam--Your Majesty; atta--taken over; isu--arrows; sarasanam--bows.

TRANSLATION

O Your Majesty, though I may live anywhere and everywhere under your
order, I shall but see you with bow and arrows wherever I look.

PURPORT

The personality of Kali could see that Maharaja Pariksit was the emperor
of all lands all over the world, and thus anywhere he might live he would have
to meet with the same mood of the King. The personality of Kali was meant for
mischief, and Maharaja Pariksit was meant for subduing all kinds of
mischief-mongers, especially the personality of Kali. It was better,
therefore, for the personality of Kali to have been killed by the King then
and there instead of being killed elsewhere. He was, after all, a surrendered
soul before the King, and it was for the King to do what was required.

TEXT 37

tan me dharma-bhrtam srestha

sthanam nirdestum arhasi
yatraiva niyato vatsya
atisthams te 'nusasanam

tat--therefore; me--me; dharma-bhrtam--of all the protectors of religion;

srestha--O chief; sthanam--place; nirdestum--fix; arhasi--may you do so;
yatra--where; eva--certainly; nityatah--always; vatsye--can reside;
atisthan--permanently situated; te--your; anusasanam--under your rule.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, O chief amongst the protectors of religion, please fix some

place for me where I can live permanently under the protection of your
government.

PURPORT

The personality of Kali addressed Maharaja Pariksit as the chief amongst

the protectors of religiosity because the King refrained from killing a person
who surrendered unto him. A surrendered soul should be given all protection,
even though he may be an enemy. That is the principle of religion. And we can
just imagine what sort of protection is given by the Personality of Godhead to
the person who surrenders unto Him, not as an enemy but as a devoted
servitor.
The Lord protects the surrendered soul from all sins and all resultant
reactions of sinful acts (Bg. 18.66).

TEXT 38
 649

suta uvaca
abhyarthitas tada tasmai
sthanani kalaye dadau
dyutam panam striyah suna
yatradharmas catur-vidhah

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; abhyarthitah--thus being petitioned; tada--at

that time; tasmai--unto him; sthanani--places; kalaye--to the personality of
Kali; dadau--gave him permission; dyutam--gambling; panam--drinking;
striyah--illicit association with women; suna--animal slaughter;
yatra--wherever; adharmah--sinful activities; catuh-vidhah--four kinds of.

TRANSLATION

Suta Gosvami said: Maharaja Pariksit, thus being petitioned by the

personality of Kali, gave him permission to reside in places where gambling,
drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter were performed.

PURPORT

The basic principles of irreligiosity, such as pride, prostitution,

intoxication and falsehood, counteract the four principles of religion, namely
austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. The personality of Kali was
given permission to live in four places particularly mentioned by the King,
namely the place of gambling, the place of prostitution, the place of drinking
and the place of animal slaughter.
Srila Jiva Gosvami directs that drinking against the principles of
scriptures, such as the sautramani-yajna, association with women outside
marriage, and killing animals against the injunctions of scriptures are
irreligious. In the Vedas two different types of injunctions are there for the
pravrttas, or those who are engaged in material enjoyment, and for the
nivrttas, or those who are liberated from material bondage. The Vedic
injunction for the pravrttas is to gradually regulate their activities towards
the path of liberation. Therefore, for those who are in the lowest stage of
ignorance and who indulge in wine, women and flesh, drinking by performing
sautramani-yajna, association of women by marriage and flesh-eating by
sacrifices are sometimes recommended. Such recommendations in the Vedic
literature are meant for a particular class of men, and not for all. But
because they are injunctions of the Vedas for particular types of persons,
such activities by the pravrttas are not considered adharma. One man's food
may be poison for others; similarly, what is recommended for those in the
mode
of ignorance may be poison for those in the mode of goodness. Srila Jiva
Gosvami Prabhu, therefore, affirms that recommendations in the scriptures for
a certain class of men are never to be considered adharma, or irreligious. But
such activities are factually adharma, and they are never to be encouraged.
The recommendations in the scriptures are not meant for the encouragement
of
such adharma, but for regulating the necessary adharma gradually toward the
path of dharma.
Following in the footsteps of Maharaja Pariksit, it is the duty of all
 650

executive heads of states to see that the principles of religion, namely

austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, are established in the state,
and that the principles of irreligion, namely pride, illicit female
association or prostitution, intoxication and falsity, are checked by all
means. And to make the best use of a bad bargain, the personality of Kali may
be transferred to places of gambling, drinking, prostitution and
slaughterhouses, if there are any places like that. Those who are addicted to
these irreligious habits may be regulated by the injunctions of the scripture.
In no circumstances should they be encouraged by any state. In other words,
the state should categorically stop all sorts of gambling, drinking,
prostitution and falsity. The state which wants to eradicate corruption by
majority may introduce the principles of religion in the following manner:
1. Two compulsory fasting days in a month, if not more (austerity). Even
from the economic point of view, such two fasting days in a month in the state
will save tons of food, and the system will also act very favorably on the
general health of the citizens.
2. There must be compulsory marriage of young boys and girls attaining
twenty-four years of age and sixteen years of age respectively. There is no
harm in coeducation in the schools and colleges, provided the boys and girls
are duly married, and in case there is any intimate connection between a male
and female student, they should be married properly without illicit relation.
The divorce act is encouraging prostitution, and this should be abolished.
3. The citizens of the state must give in charity up to fifty percent of
their income for the purpose of creating a spiritual atmosphere in the state
or in human society, both individually and collectively. They should preach
the principles of Bhagavatam by (a) karma-yoga, or doing everything for the
satisfaction of the Lord, (b) regular hearing of the Srimad-Bhagavatam from
authorized persons or realized souls, (c) chanting of the glories of the Lord
congregationally at home or at places of worship, (d) rendering all kinds of
service to bhagavatas engaged in preaching Srimad-Bhagavatam and (e)
residing
in a place where the atmosphere is saturated with God consciousness. If the
state is regulated by the above process, naturally there will be God
consciousness everywhere.
Gambling of all description, even speculative business enterprise, is
considered to be degrading, and when gambling is encouraged in the state,
there is a complete disappearance of truthfulness. Allowing young boys and
girls to remain unmarried more than the above-mentioned ages and licensing
animal slaughterhouses of all description should be at once prohibited. The
flesh-eaters may be allowed to take flesh as mentioned in the scriptures, and
not otherwise. Intoxication of all description--even smoking cigarettes,
chewing tobacco or the drinking of tea--must be prohibited.

TEXT 39

punas ca yacamanaya
jata-rupam adat prabhuh
tato 'nrtam madam kamam
rajo vairam ca pancamam

punah--again; ca--also; yacamanaya--to the beggar; jata-rupam--gold;

adat--gave away; prabhuh--the King; tatah--whereby; anrtam--falsehood;
 651

madam--intoxication; kamam--lust; rajah--on account of a passionate mood;

vairam--enmity; ca--also; pancamam--the fifth one.

TRANSLATION

The personality of Kali asked for something more, and because of his
begging, the King gave him permission to live where there is gold because
wherever there is gold there is also falsity, intoxication, lust, envy and
enmity.

PURPORT

Although Maharaja Pariksit gave Kali permission to live in four places,

it was very difficult for him to find the places because during the reign of
Maharaja Pariksit there were no such places. Therefore Kali asked the King to
give him something practical which could be utilized for his nefarious
purposes. Maharaja Pariksit thus gave him permission to live in a place where
there is gold, because wherever there is gold there are all the
above-mentioned four things, and over and above them there is enmity also.
So
the personality of Kali became gold-standardized. According to
Srimad-Bhagavatam, gold encourages falsity, intoxication, prostitution, envy
and enmity. Even a gold-standard exchange and currency is bad. Gold-
standard
currency is based on falsehood because the currency is not on a par with the
reserved gold. The basic principle is falsity because currency notes are
issued in value beyond that of the actual reserved gold. This artificial
inflation of currency by the authorities encourages prostitution of the state
economy. The price of commodities becomes artificially inflated because of
bad
money, or artificial currency notes. Bad money drives away good money.
Instead
of paper currency, actual gold coins should be used for exchange, and this
will stop prostitution of gold. Gold ornaments for women may be allowed by
control, not by quality, but by quantity. This will discourage lust, envy and
enmity. When there is actual gold currency in the form of coins, the influence
of gold in producing falsity, prostitution, etc., will automatically cease.
There will be no need of an anticorruption ministry for another term of
prostitution and falsity of purpose.

TEXT 40

amuni panca sthanani

hy adharma-prabhavah kalih
auttareyena dattani
nyavasat tan-nidesa-krt

amuni--all those; panca--five; sthanani--places; hi--certainly;

adharma--irreligious principles; prabhavah--encouraging; kalih--the age of
Kali; auttareyena--by the son of Uttara; dattani--delivered; nyavasat--dwelt;
tat--by him; nidesa-krt--directed.
 652

TRANSLATION

Thus the personality of Kali, by the directions of Maharaja Pariksit, the

son of Uttara, was allowed to live in those five places.

PURPORT

Thus the age of Kali began with gold standardization, and therefore
falsity, intoxication, animal slaughter and prostitution are rampant all over
the world, and the saner section is eager to drive out corruption. The
counteracting process is suggested above, and everyone can take advantage
of
this suggestion.

TEXT 41

athaitani na seveta
bubhusuh purusah kvacit
visesato dharma-silo
raja loka-patir guruh

atha--therefore; etani--all these; na--never; seveta--come in contact;

bubhusuh--those who desire well-being; purusah--person; kvacit--in any
circumstances; visesatah--specifically; dharma-silah--those who are on the
progressive path of liberation; raja--the king; loka-patih--public leader;
guruh--the brahmanas and the sannyasis.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, whoever desires progressive well-being, especially kings,

religionists, public leaders, brahmanas and sannyasis, should never come in
contact with the four above-mentioned irreligious principles.

PURPORT

The brahmanas are the religious preceptors for all other castes, and the
sannyasis are the spiritual masters for all the castes and orders of society.
So also are the king and the public leaders who are responsible for the
material welfare of all people. The progressive religionists and those who are
responsible human beings or those who do not want to spoil their valuable
human lives should refrain from all the principles of irreligiosity,
especially illicit connection with women. If a brahmana is not truthful, all
his claims as a brahmana at once become null and void. If a sannyasi is
illicitly connected with women, all his claims as a sannyasi at once become
false. Similarly, if the king and the public leader are unnecessarily proud or
habituated to drinking and smoking, certainly they become disqualified to
discharge public welfare activities. Truthfulness is the basic principle for
all religions. The four leaders of the human society, namely the sannyasis,
the brahmana, the king and the public leader, must be tested crucially by
their character and qualification. Before one can be accepted as a spiritual
or material master of society, he must be tested by the above-mentioned
criteria of character. Such public leaders may be less qualified in academic
 653

qualifications, but it is necessary primarily that they be free from the

contamination of the four disqualifications, namely gambling, drinking,
prostitution and animal slaughter.

TEXT 42

vrsasya nastams trin padan

tapah saucam dayam iti
pratisandaha asvasya
mahim ca samavardhayat

vrsasya--of the bull (the personality of religion); nastan--lost; trin--three;

padan--legs; tapah--austerity; saucam--cleanliness; dayam--mercy; iti--thus;
pratisandadhe--reestablished; asvasya--by encouraging activities; mahim--the
earth; ca--and; samavardhayat--perfectly improved.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter the King reestablished the lost legs of the personality of

religion [the bull], and by encouraging activities he sufficiently improved
the condition of the earth.

PURPORT

By designating particular places for the personality of Kali, Maharaja

Pariksit practically cheated Kali. In the presence of Kali, Dharma (in the
shape of a bull), and the earth (in the shape of a cow), he could actually
estimate the general condition of his kingdom, and therefore he at once took
proper steps to reestablish the legs of the bull, namely austerity,
cleanliness and mercy. And for the general benefit of the people of the world,
he saw that the gold stock might be employed for stabilization. Gold is
certainly a generator of falsity, intoxication, prostitution, enmity and
violence, but under the guidance of a proper king or public leader, or a
brahmana or sannyasi, the same gold can be properly utilized to reestablish
the lost legs of the bull, the personality of religion.
Maharaja Pariksit, therefore, like his grandfather Arjuna, collected all
illicit gold kept for the propensities of Kali and employed it in the
sankirtana-yajna, as per instruction of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. As we have
suggested before, one's accumulated wealth may be divided into three parts
for
distribution, namely fifty percent for the service of the Lord, twenty-five
percent for the family members and twenty-five percent for personal
necessities. Spending fifty percent for the service of the Lord or for
propagation of spiritual knowledge in society by way of the sankirtana-yajna
is the maximum display of human mercy. people of the world are generally in
darkness regarding spiritual knowledge, especially in regard to the devotional
service of the Lord, and therefore to propagate the systematic transcendental
knowledge of devotional service is the greatest mercy that one can show in
this world. When everyone is taught to sacrifice fifty percent of his
accumulated gold for the Lord's service, certainly austerity, cleanliness and
mercy automatically ensue, and thus the lost three legs of the personality of
religion are automatically established. When there is sufficient austerity,
 654

cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, naturally mother earth is completely

satisfied, and there is very little chance for Kali to infiltrate the
structure of human society.

TEXT 43-44

sa esa etarhy adhyasta

asanam parthivocitam
pitamahenopanyastam
rajnaranyam viviksata

aste 'dhuna sa rajarsih

kauravendra-sriyollasan
gajahvaye maha-bhagas
cakravarti brhac-chravah

sah--he; esah--this; etarhi--at the present; adhyaste--is ruling over;

asanam--the throne; parthiva-ucitam--just befitting a king; pitamahena--by the
grandfather; upanyastam--being handed over; rajna--by the King;
aranyam--forest; viviksata--desiring; aste--is there; adhuna--at present;
sah--that; raja-rsih--the sage amongst the kings; kaurava-indra--the chief
amongst the Kuru kings; sriya--glories; ullasan--spreading; gajahvaye--in
Hastinapura; maha-bhagah--the most fortunate; cakravarti--the Emperor;
brhat-sravah--highly famous.

TRANSLATION

The most fortunate Emperor Maharaja Pariksit, who was entrusted with the
kingdom of Hastinapura by Maharaja Yudhisthira when he desired to retire to
the forest, is now ruling the world with great success due to his being
glorified by the deeds of the kings of the Kuru dynasty.

PURPORT

The prolonged sacrificial ceremonies undertaken by the sages of

Naimisaranya were begun shortly after the demise of Maharaja Pariksit. The
sacrifice was to continue for one thousand years, and it is understood that in
the beginning some of the contemporaries of Baladeva, the elder brother of
Lord Krsna, also visited the sacrificial place. According to some authorities,
the present tense is also used to indicate the nearest margin of time from the
past. In that sense, the present tense is applied to the reign of Maharaja
Pariksit here. For a continuous fact, also, present tense can be used. The
principles of Maharaja Pariksit can be still continued, and human society can
still be improved if there is determination by the authorities. We can still
purge out from the state all the activities of immorality introduced by the
personality of Kali if we are determined to take action like Maharaja
Pariksit. He allotted some place for Kali, but in fact Kali could not find
such places in the world at all because Maharaja Pariksit was strictly
vigilant to see that there were no places for gambling, drinking, prostitution
and animal slaughter. Modern administrators want to banish corruption from
the
state, but fools as they are, they do not know how to do it. They want to
 655

issue licenses for gambling houses, wine and other intoxicating drug houses,
brothels, hotel prostitution and cinema houses, and falsity in every dealing,
even in their own, and they want at the same time to drive out corruption from
the state. They want the kingdom of God without God consciousness. How can
it
be possible to adjust two contradictory matters? If we want to drive out
corruption from the state, we must first of all organize society to accept the
principles of religion, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness,
and to make the condition favorable we must close all places of gambling,
drinking, prostitution and falsity. These are some of the practical lessons
from the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 45

ittham-bhutanubhavo 'yam
abhimanyu-suto nrpah
yasya palayatah ksaunim
yuyam satraya diksitah

ittham-bhuta--being thus; anubhavah--experience; ayam--of this;

abhimanyu-sutah--son of Abhimanyu; nrpah--the king; yasya--whose;
palayatah--on account of his ruling; ksaunim--on the earth; yuyam--you all;
satraya--in performing sacrifices; diksitah--initiated.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit, the son of Abhimanyu, is so experienced that by dint

of his expert administration and patronage, it has been possible for you to
perform a sacrifice such as this.

PURPORT

The brahmanas and the sannyasis are expert in the spiritual advancement
of society, whereas the ksatriyas or the administrators are expert in the
material peace and prosperity of human society. Both of them are the pillars
of all happiness, and therefore they are meant for full cooperation for common
welfare. Maharaja Pariksit was experienced enough to drive away Kali from his
field of activities and thereby make the state receptive to spiritual
enlightenment. If the common people are not receptive, it is very difficult to
impress upon them the necessity of spiritual enlightenment. Austerity,
cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, the basic principles of religion, prepare
the ground for the reception of advancement in spiritual knowledge, and
Maharaja Pariksit made this favorable condition possible. Thus the rsis of
Naimisaranya were able to perform the sacrifices for a thousand years. In
other words, without state support, no doctrines of philosophy or religious
principles can progressively advance. There should be complete cooperation
between the brahmanas and the ksatriyas for this common good. Even up to
Maharaja Asoka, the same spirit was prevailing. Lord Buddha was sufficiently
supported by King Asoka, and thus his particular cult of knowledge was spread
all over the world.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Seventeenth
 656

Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Punishment and Reward of

Kali."

Chapter Eighteen

Maharaja Pariksit Cursed by a Brahmana Boy

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
yo vai drauny-astra-viplusto
na matur udare mrtah
anugrahad bhagavatah
krsnasyadbhuta-karmanah

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; yah--one who; vai--certainly;

drauni-astra--by the weapon of the son of Drona; viplustah--burned by;
na--never; matuh--of the mother; udare--in the womb; mrtah--met his death;
anugrahat--by the mercy; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead;
krsnasya--Krsna; adbhuta-karmanah--who acts wonderfully.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: Due to the mercy of the Personality of Godhead,
Sri Krsna, who acts wonderfully, Maharaja Pariksit, though struck by the
weapon of the son of Drona in his mother's womb, could not be burned.

PURPORT

The sages of Naimisaranya became struck with wonder after hearing about
the wonderful administration of Maharaja Pariksit, especially in reference to
his punishing the personality of Kali and making him completely unable to do
any harm within the kingdom. Suta Gosvami was equally anxious to describe
Maharaja Pariksit's wonderful birth and death, and this verse is stated by
Suta Gosvami to increase the interest of the sages of Naimisaranya.

TEXT 2

brahma-kopotthitad yas tu
taksakat prana-viplavat
na sammumohorubhayad
bhagavaty arpitasayah

brahma-kopa--fury of a brahmana; utthitat--caused by; yah--what was; tu--but;

taksakat--by the snake-bird; prana-viplavat--from dissolution of life;
na--never; sammumoha--was overwhelmed; urubhayat--great fear; bhagavati--
unto
the Personality of Godhead; arpita--surrendered; asayah--consciousness.
 657

TRANSLATION

Furthermore, Maharaja Pariksit was always consciously surrendered to the

Personality of Godhead, and therefore he was neither afraid nor overwhelmed
by
fear due to a snake-bird which was to bite him because of the fury of a
brahmana boy.

PURPORT

A self-surrendered devotee of the Lord is called narayana-parayana. Such

a person is never afraid of any place or person, not even of death. For him
nothing is as important as the Supreme Lord, and thus he gives equal
importance to heaven and hell. He knows well that both heaven and hell are
creations of the Lord, and similarly life and death are different conditions
of existence created by the Lord. But in all conditions and in all
circumstances, remembrance of Narayana is essential. The narayana-
parayana
practices this constantly. Maharaja Pariksit was such a pure devotee. He was
wrongfully cursed by an inexperienced son of a brahmana, who was under the
influence of Kali, and Maharaja Pariksit took this to be sent by Narayana. He
knew that Narayana (Lord Krsna) had saved him when he was burned in the
womb
of his mother, and if he were to be killed by a snake bite, it would also take
place by the will of the Lord. The devotee never goes against the will of the
Lord; anything sent by God is a blessing for the devotee. Therefore Maharaja
Pariksit was neither afraid of nor bewildered by such things. That is the sign
of a pure devotee of the Lord.

TEXT 3

utsrjya sarvatah sangam

vijnatajita-samsthitih
vaiyasaker jahau sisyo
gangayam svam kalevaram

utsrjya--after leaving aside; sarvatah--all around; sangam--association;

vijnata--being understood; ajita--one who is never conquered (the Personality
of Godhead); samsthitih--actual position; vaiyasakeh--unto the son of Vyasa;
jahau--gave up; sisyah--as a disciple; gangayam--on the bank of the Ganges;
svam--his own; kalevaram--material body.

TRANSLATION

Furthermore, after leaving all his associates, the King surrendered

himself as a disciple to the son of Vyasa [Sukadeva Gosvami], and thus he was
able to understand the actual position of the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

The word ajita is significant here. The Personality of Godhead, Sri

Krsna, is known as Ajita, or unconquerable, and He is so in every respect. No
 658

one can know His actual position. He is unconquerable by knowledge also. We

have heard about His dhama, or place, eternal Goloka Vrndavana, but there
are
many scholars who interpret this abode in different ways. But by the grace of
a spiritual master like Sukadeva Gosvami, unto whom the King gave himself
up
as a most humble disciple, one is able to understand the actual position of
the Lord, His eternal abode, and His transcendental paraphernalia in that
dhama, or abode. Knowing the transcendental position of the Lord and the
transcendental method by which one can approach that transcendental
dhama, the
King was confident about his ultimate destination, and by knowing this he
could leave aside everything material, even his own body, without any
difficulty of attachment. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is stated, param drstva
nivartate: one can give up all connection with material attachment when one
is
able to see the param, or the superior quality of things. From Bhagavad-gita
we understand the quality of the Lord's energy that is superior to the
material quality of energy, and by the grace of a bona fide spiritual master
like Sukadeva Gosvami, it is quite possible to know everything of the superior
energy of the Lord by which the Lord manifests His eternal name, quality,
pastimes, paraphernalia and variegatedness. Unless one thoroughly
understands
this superior or eternal energy of the Lord, it is not possible to leave the
material energy, however one may theoretically speculate on the true nature
of
the Absolute Truth. By the grace of Lord Krsna, Maharaja Pariksit was able to
receive the mercy of such a personality as Sukadeva Gosvami, and thus he
was
able to know the actual position of the unconquerable Lord. It is very
difficult to find the Lord from the Vedic literatures, but it is very easy to
know Him by the mercy of a liberated devotee like Sukadeva Gosvami.

TEXT 4

nottamasloka-vartanam
jusatam tat-kathamrtam
syat sambhramo 'nta-kale 'pi
smaratam tat-padambujam

na--never; uttama-sloka--the Personality of Godhead, of whom the Vedic

hymns
sing; vartanam--of those who live on them; jusatam--of those who are
engaged
in; tat--His; katha-amrtam--transcendental topics about Him; syat--it so
happens; sambhramah--misconception; anta--at the end; kale--in time;
api--also; smaratam--remembering; tat--His; pada-ambujam--lotus feet.

TRANSLATION

This was so because those who have dedicated their lives to the
transcendental topics of the Personality of Godhead, of whom the Vedic hymns
 659

sing, and who are constantly engaged in remembering the lotus feet of the
Lord, do not run the risk of having misconceptions even at the last moment of
their lives.

PURPORT

The highest perfection of life is attained by remembering the

transcendental nature of the Lord at the last moment of one's life. This
perfection of life is made possible by one who has learned the actual
transcendental nature of the Lord from the Vedic hymns sung by a liberated
soul like Sukadeva Gosvami or someone in that line of disciplic succession.
There is no gain in hearing the Vedic hymns from some mental speculator.
When
the same is heard from an actual self-realized soul and is properly understood
by service and submission, everything becomes transparently clear. Thus a
submissive disciple is able to live transcendentally and continue to the end
of life. By scientific adaptation, one is able to remember the Lord even at
the end of life, when the power of remembrance is slackened due to
derangement
of bodily membranes. For a common man, it is very difficult to remember
things
as they are at the time of death, but by the grace of the Lord and His bona
fide devotees, the spiritual masters, one can get this opportunity without
difficulty. And it was done in the case of Maharaja Pariksit.

TEXT 5

tavat kalir na prabhavet

pravisto 'piha samatah
yavad iso mahan urvyam
abhimanyava eka-rat

tavat--so long; kalih--the personality of Kali; na--cannot;

prabhavet--flourish; pravistah--entered in; api--even though; iha--here;
sarvatah--everywhere; yavat--as long as; isah--the lord; mahan--great;
urvyam--powerful; abhimanyavah--the son of Abhimanyu; eka-rat--the one
emperor.

TRANSLATION

As long as the great, powerful son of Abhimanyu remains the Emperor of

the world, there is no chance that the personality of Kali will flourish.

PURPORT

As we have already explained, the personality of Kali had entered the

jurisdiction of this earth long ago, and he was looking for an opportunity to
spread his influence all over the world. But he could not do so satisfactorily
due to the presence of Maharaja Pariksit. That is the way of good government.
The disturbing elements like the personality of Kali will always try to extend
their nefarious activities, but it is the duty of the able state to check them
by all means. Although Maharaja Pariksit allotted places for the personality
 660

of Kali, at the same time he gave no chance for the citizens to be swayed by
the personality of Kali.

TEXT 6

yasminn ahani yarhy eva

bhagavan utsasarja gam
tadaivehanuvrtto 'sav
adharma-prabhavah kalih

yasmin--on that; ahani--very day; yarhi eva--in the very moment; bhagavan--
the
Personality of Godhead; utsasarja--left aside; gam--the earth; tada--at that
time; eva--certainly; iha--in this world; anuvrttah--followed; asau--he;
adharma--irreligion; prabhavah--accelerating; kalih--the personality of
quarrel.

TRANSLATION

The very day and moment the Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, left
this earth, the personality of Kali, who promotes all kinds of irreligious
activities, came into this world.

PURPORT

The Personality of Godhead and His holy name, qualities, etc., are all
identical. The personality of Kali was not able to enter the jurisdiction of
the earth due to the presence of the Personality of Godhead. And similarly, if
there is an arrangement for the constant chanting of the holy names,
qualities, etc., of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no chance at
all for the personality of Kali to enter. That is the technique of driving
away the personality of Kali from the world. In modernized human society
there
are great advancements of material science, and they have invented the radio
to distribute sound in the air. So instead of vibrating some nuisance sound
for sense enjoyment, if the state arranges to distribute transcendental sound
by resounding the holy name, fame and activities of the Lord, as they are
authorized in the Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, then a favorable
condition will be created, the principles of religion in the world will be
reestablished, and thus the executive heads, who are so anxious to drive away
corruption from the world, will be successful. Nothing is bad if properly used
for the service of the Lord.

TEXT 7

nanudvesti kalim samrat

saranga iva sara-bhuk
kusalany asu siddhyanti
netarani krtani yat

na--never; anudvesti--envious; kalim--unto the personality of Kali;

samrat--the Emperor; saram-ga--realist, like the bees; iva--like;
 661

sara-bhuk--one who accepts the substance; kusalani--auspicious objects;

asu--immediately; siddhyanti--become successful; na--never; itarani--which are
inauspicious; krtani--being performed; yat--as much as.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit was a realist, like the bees who only accept the
essence [of a flower]. He knew perfectly well that in this age of Kali,
auspicious things produce good effects immediately, whereas inauspicious
acts
must be actually performed [to render effects]. So he was never envious of the
personality of Kali.

PURPORT

The age of Kali is called the fallen age. In this fallen age, because the
living beings are in an awkward position, the Supreme Lord has given some
special facilities to them. So by the will of the Lord, a living being does
not become a victim of a sinful act until the act is actually performed. In
other ages, simply by thinking of performing a sinful act, one used to become
a victim of the act. On the contrary, a living being in this age is awarded
with the results of pious acts simply by thinking of them. Maharaja Pariksit,
being the most learned and experienced king by the grace of the Lord, was
not
unnecessarily envious of the personality of Kali because he did not intend to
give him any chance to perform any sinful act. He protected his subjects from
falling prey to the sinful acts of the age of Kali, and at the same time he
gave full facility to the age of Kali by allotting him some particular places.
At the end of the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that even though all nefarious
activities of the personality of Kali are present, there is a great advantage
in the age of Kali. One can attain salvation simply by chanting the holy name
of the Lord. Thus Maharaja Pariksit made an organized effort to propagate the
chanting of the Lord's holy name, and thus he saved the citizens from the
clutches of Kali. It is for this advantage only that great sages sometimes
wish all good for the age of Kali. In the Vedas also it is said that by
discourse on Lord Krsna's activities, one can get rid of all the disadvantages
of the age of Kali. In the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is also said
that by the recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Supreme Lord becomes at
once
arrested within one's heart. These are some of the great advantages of the
age
of Kali, and Maharaja Pariksit took all the advantages and did not think any
ill of the age of Kali, true to his Vaisnavite cult.

TEXT 8

kim nu balesu surena

kalina dhira-bhiruna
apramattah pramattesu
yo vrko nrsu vartate

kim--what; nu--may be; balesu--among the less intelligent persons; surena--by

 662

the powerful; kalina--by the personality of Kali; dhira--self-controlled;

bhiruna--by one who is afraid of; apramattah--one who is careful;
pramattesu--among the careless; yah--one who; vrkah--tiger; nrsu--among
men;
vartate--exists.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit considered that less intelligent men might find the
personality of Kali to be very powerful, but that those who are
self-controlled would have nothing to fear. The King was powerful like a tiger
and took care for the foolish, careless persons.

PURPORT

Those who are not devotees of the Lord are careless and unintelligent.
Unless one is thoroughly intelligent, one cannot be a devotee of the Lord.
Those who are not devotees of the Lord fall prey to the actions of Kali. It
will not be possible to bring about a saner condition in society unless we are
prepared to accept the modes of action adopted by Maharaja Pariksit, i.e.,
propagation of the devotional service of the Lord to the common man.

TEXT 9

upavarnitam etad vah

punyam pariksitam maya
vasudeva-kathopetam
akhyanam yad aprcchata

upavarnitam--almost everything described; etat--all these; vah--unto you;

punyam--pious; pariksitam--about Maharaja Pariksit; maya--by me; vasudeva--
of
Lord Krsna; katha--narrations; upetam--in connection with;
akhyanam--statements; yat--what; aprcchata--you asked from me.

TRANSLATION

O sages, as you did ask me, now I have described almost everything
regarding the narrations about Lord Krsna in connection with the history of
the pious Maharaja Pariksit.

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the history of the activities of the Lord. And the

activities of the Lord are performed in relation with the devotees of the
Lord. Therefore, the history of the devotees is not different from the history
of Lord Krsna's activities. A devotee of the Lord regards both the activities
of the Lord and those of His pure devotees on an equal level, for they are all
transcendental.

TEXT 10
 663

ya yah katha bhagavatah

kathaniyoru-karmanah
guna-karmasrayah pumbhih
samsevyas ta bubhusubhih

yah--whatever; yah--and whatsoever; kathah--topics; bhagavatah--about the

Personality of Godhead; kathaniya--were to be spoken by me; uru-karmanah--
of
Him who acts wonderfully; guna--transcendental qualities; karma--uncommon
deeds; asrayah--involving; pumbhih--by persons; samsevyah--ought to be
heard;
tah--all of them; bubhusubhih--by those who want their own welfare.

TRANSLATION

Those who are desirous of achieving complete perfection in life must

submissively hear all topics that are connected with the transcendental
activities and qualities of the Personality of Godhead, who acts wonderfully.

PURPORT

The systematic hearing of the transcendental activities, qualities and

names of Lord Sri Krsna pushes one towards eternal life. Systematic hearing
means knowing Him gradually in truth and fact, and this knowing Him in truth
and fact means attaining eternal life, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Such
transcendental, glorified activities of Lord Sri Krsna are the prescribed
remedy for counteracting the process of birth, death, old age and disease,
which are considered to be material awards for the conditioned living being.
The culmination of such a perfectional stage of life is the goal of human life
and the attainment of transcendental bliss.

TEXT 11

rsaya ucuh
suta jiva samah saumya
sasvatir visadam yasah
yas tvam samsasi krsnasya
martyanam amrtam hi nah

rsayah ucuh--the good sages said; suta--O Suta Gosvami; jiva--we wish you life
for; samah--many years; saumya--grave; sasvatih--eternal;
visadam--particularly; yasah--in fame; yah tvam--because you;
samsasi--speaking nicely; krsnasya--of Lord Sri Krsna; martyanam--of those
who
die; amrtam--eternity of life; hi--certainly; nah--our.

TRANSLATION

The good sages said: O grave Suta Gosvami! May you live many years and
have eternal fame, for you are speaking very nicely about the activities of
Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. This is just like nectar for mortal
beings like us.
 664

PURPORT

When we hear about the transcendental qualities and activities of the

Personality of Godhead, we may always remember what has been spoken by
the
Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9). His acts, even when He acts in human
society, are all transcendental, for they are all accentuated by the spiritual
energy of the Lord, which is distinguished from His material energy. As stated
in the Bhagavad-gita, such acts are called divyam. This means that He does
not
act or take His birth like an ordinary living being under the custody of
material energy. Nor is His body material or changeable like that of ordinary
living beings. And one who understands this fact, either from the Lord or from
authorized sources, is not reborn after leaving the present material body.
Such an enlightened soul is admitted into the spiritual realm of the Lord and
engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Therefore, the more
we hear about the transcendental activities of the Lord, as they are stated in
the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, the more we can know about His
transcendental nature and thus make definite progress on the path back to
Godhead.

TEXT 12

karmany asminn anasvase

dhuma-dhumratmanam bhavan
apayayati govinda-
pada-padmasavam madhu

karmani--performance of; asmin--in this; anasvase--without certainty;

dhuma--smoke; dhumra-atmanam--tinged body and mind; bhavan--your good
self;
apayayati--very much pleasing; govinda--the Personality of Godhead;
pada--feet; padma-asavam--nectar of the lotus flower; madhu--honey.

TRANSLATION

We have just begun the performance of this fruitive activity, a

sacrificial fire, without certainty of its result due to the many
imperfections in our action. Our bodies have become black from the smoke,
but
we are factually pleased by the nectar of the lotus feet of the Personality of
Godhead, Govinda, which you are distributing.

PURPORT

The sacrificial fire kindled by the sages of Naimisaranya was certainly

full of smoke and doubts because of so many flaws. The first flaw is that
there is an acute scarcity of expert brahmanas able to carry out such
performances successfully in this age of Kali. Any discrepancy in such
sacrifices spoils the whole show, and the result is uncertain, like
agricultural enterprises. The good result of tilling the paddy field depends
 665

on providential rain, and therefore the result is uncertain. Similarly,

performance of any kind of sacrifice in this age of Kali is also uncertain.
Unscrupulous greedy brahmanas of the age of Kali induce the innocent public
to
such uncertain sacrificial shows without disclosing the scriptural injunction
that in the age of Kali there is no fruitful sacrificial performance but the
sacrifice of the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Suta
Gosvami was narrating the transcendental activities of the Lord before the
congregation of sages, and they were factually perceiving the result of
hearing these transcendental activities. One can feel this practically, as one
can feel the result of eating food. Spiritual realization acts in that way.
The sages of Naimisaranya were practically sufferers from the smoke of a
sacrificial fire and were doubtful about the result, but by hearing from a
realized person like Suta Gosvami, they were fully satisfied. In the
Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Visnu tells Siva that in the age of Kali, men full of
anxieties of various kinds can vainly labor in fruitive activity and
philosophical speculations, but when they are engaged in devotional service,
the result is sure and certain, and there is no loss of energy. In other
words, nothing performed for spiritual realization or for material benefit can
be successful without the devotional service to the Lord.

TEXT 13

tulayama lavenapi
na svargam napunar-bhavam
bhagavat-sangi-sangasya
martyanam kim utasisah

tulayama--to be balanced with; lavena--by a moment; api--even; na--never;

svargam--heavenly planets; na--nor; apunah-bhavam--liberation from matter;
bhagavat-sangi--devotee of the Lord; sangasya--of the association;
martyanam--those who are meant for death; kim--what is there; uta--to speak
of; asisah--worldly benediction.

TRANSLATION

The value of a moment's association with the devotee of the Lord cannot
even be compared to the attainment of heavenly planets or liberation from
matter, and what to speak of worldly benedictions in the form of material
prosperity, which are for those who are meant for death.

PURPORT

When there are some similar points, it is possible to compare one thing
to another. One cannot compare the association of a pure devotee to anything
material. Men who are addicted to material happiness aspire to reach the
heavenly planets like the moon, Venus and Indraloka, and those who are
advanced in material philosophical speculations aspire after liberation from
all material bondage. When one becomes frustrated with all kinds of material
advancement, one desires the opposite type of liberation, which is called
apunar-bhava, or no rebirth. But the pure devotees of the Lord do not aspire
after the happiness obtained in the heavenly kingdom, nor do they aspire after
 666

liberation from material bondage. In other words, for the pure devotees of the
Lord the material pleasures obtainable in the heavenly planets are like
phantasmagoria, and because they are already liberated from all material
conceptions of pleasure and distress, they are factually liberated even in the
material world. This means that the pure devotees of the Lord are engaged in
a
transcendental existence, namely in the loving service of the Lord, both in
the material world and in the spiritual world. As a government servant is
always the same, either in the office or at home or at any place, so a devotee
has nothing to do with anything material, for he is exclusively engaged in the
transcendental service of the Lord. Since he has nothing to do with anything
material, what pleasure can he derive from material benedictions like kingship
or other overlordships, which are finished quickly with the end of the body?
Devotional service is eternal; it has no end, because it is spiritual.
Therefore, since the assets of a pure devotee are completely different from
material assets, there is no comparison between the two. Suta Gosvami was a
pure devotee of the Lord, and therefore his association with the rsis in
Naimisaranya is unique. In the material world, association with gross
materialists is veritably condemned. The materialist is called yosit-sangi, or
one who is much attached to material entanglement (women and other
paraphernalia). Such attachment is conditioned because it drives away the
benedictions of life and prosperity. And just the opposite is bhagavata-sangi,
or one who is always in the association with the Lord's name, form, qualities,
etc. Such association is always desirable; it is worshipable, it is
praiseworthy, and one may accept it as the highest goal of life.

TEXT 14

ko nama trpyed rasavit kathayam

mahattamaikanta-parayanasya
nantam gunanam agunasya jagmur
yogesvara ye bhava-padma-mukhyah

kah--who is he; nama--specifically; trpyet--get full satisfaction;

rasa-vit--expert in relishing mellow nectar; kathayam--in the topics of;
mahat-tama--the greatest amongst the living beings; ekanta--exclusively;
parayanasya--of one who is the shelter of; na--never; antam--end; gunanam--
of
attributes; agunasya--of the Transcendence; jagmuh--could ascertain;
yoga-isvarah--the lords of mystic power; ye--all they; bhava--Lord Siva;
padma--Lord Brahma; mukhyah--heads.

TRANSLATION

The Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna [Govinda], is the exclusive

shelter for all great living beings, and His transcendental attributes cannot
even be measured by such masters of mystic powers as Lord Siva and Lord
Brahma. Can anyone who is expert in relishing nectar [rasa] ever be fully
satiated by hearing topics about Him?

PURPORT
 667

Lord Siva and Lord Brahma are two chiefs of the demigods. They are full
of mystic powers. For example, Lord Siva drank an ocean of poison of which
one
drop was sufficient to kill an ordinary living being. Similarly, Brahma could
create many powerful demigods, including Lord Siva. So they are isvaras, or
lords of the universe. But they are not the supreme powerful. The supreme
powerful is Govinda, Lord Krsna. He is the Transcendence, and His
transcendental attributes cannot be measured even by such powerful isvaras
as
Siva and Brahma. Therefore Lord Krsna is the exclusive shelter of the greatest
of all living beings. Brahma is counted amongst the living beings, but he is
the greatest of all of us. And why is the greatest of all the living beings so
much attached to the transcendental topics of Lord Krsna? Because He is the
reservoir of all enjoyment. Everyone wants to relish some kind of taste in
everything, but one who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the
Lord can derive unlimited pleasure from such engagement. The Lord is
unlimited, and His name, attributes, pastimes, entourage, variegatedness, etc.
are unlimited, and those who relish them can do so unlimitedly and still not
feel satiated. This fact is confirmed in the Padma Purana:

ramante yogino 'nante satyananda-cid-atmani

iti rama-padenasau param brahmabhidhiyate

"The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute

Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead,
is also known as Rama."
There is no end to such transcendental discourses. In mundane affairs
there is the law of satiation, but in transcendence there is no such
satiation. Suta Gosvami desired to continue the topics of Lord Krsna before
the sages of Naimisaranya, and the sages also expressed their readiness to
hear from him continuously. Since the Lord is transcendence and His attributes
are transcendental, such discourses increase the receptive mood of the
purified audience.

TEXT 15

tan no bhavan vai bhagavat-pradhano

mahattamaikanta-parayanasya
harer udaram caritam visuddham
susrusatam no vitanotu vidvan

tat--therefore; nah--of us; bhavan--your good self; vai--certainly;

bhagavat--in relation with the Personality of Godhead; pradhanah--chiefly;
mahat-tama--the greatest of all greats; ekanta--exclusively; parayanasya--of
the shelter; hareh--of the Lord; udaram--impartial; caritam--activities;
visuddham--transcendental; susrusatam--those who are receptive;
nah--ourselves; vitanotu--kindly describe; vidvan--O learned one.

TRANSLATION

O Suta Gosvami, you are a learned and pure devotee of the Lord because
the Personality of Godhead is your chief object of service. Therefore please
 668

describe to us the pastimes of the Lord, which are above all material
conception, for we are anxious to receive such messages.

PURPORT

The speaker on the transcendental activities of the Lord should have only
one object of worship and service, Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. And the audience for such topics should be anxious to hear about
Him.
When such a combination is possible, namely a qualified speaker and a
qualified audience, it is then and there very much congenial to continue
discourses on the Transcendence. Professional speakers and a materially
absorbed audience cannot derive real benefit from such discourses.
Professional speakers make a show of Bhagavata-saptaha for the sake of
family
maintenance, and the materially disposed audience hears such discourses of
Bhagavata-saptaha for some material benefit, namely religiosity, wealth,
gratification of the senses, or liberation. Such Bhagavatam discourses are not
purified from the contamination of the material qualities. But the discourses
between the saints of Naimisaranya and Sri Suta Gosvami are on the
transcendental level. There is no motive for material gain. In such
discourses, unlimited transcendental pleasure is relished both by the audience
and by the speaker, and therefore they can continue the topics for many
thousands of years. Now Bhagavata-saptahas are held for seven days only,
and
after finishing the show, both the audience and the speaker become engaged
in
material activities as usual. They can do so because the speaker is not
bhagavat-pradhana and the audience is not susrusatam, as explained above.

TEXT 16

sa vai maha-bhagavatah pariksid

yenapavargakhyam adabhra-buddhih
jnanena vaiyasaki-sabditena
bheje khagendra-dhvaja-pada-mulam

sah--he; vai--certainly; maha-bhagavatah--first-class devotee; pariksit--the

King; yena--by which; apavarga-akhyam--by the name of liberation;
adabhra--fixed; buddhih--intelligence; jnanena--by knowledge; vaiyasaki--the
son of Vyasa; sabditena--vibrated by; bheje--taken to; khaga-indra--Garuda,
the king of the birds; dhvaja--flag; pada-mulam--soles of the feet.

TRANSLATION

O Suta Gosvami, please describe those topics of the Lord by which

Maharaja Pariksit, whose intelligence was fixed on liberation, attained the
lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of Garuda, the king of birds. Those
topics were vibrated by the son of Vyasa [Srila Sukadeva].

PURPORT
 669

There is some controversy amongst the students on the path of liberation.

Such transcendental students are known as impersonalists and devotees of
the
Lord. The devotee of the Lord worships the transcendental form of the Lord,
whereas the impersonalist meditates upon the glaring effulgence, or the bodily
rays of the Lord, known as the brahmajyoti. Here in this verse it is said that
Maharaja Pariksit attained the lotus feet of the Lord by instructions in
knowledge delivered by the son of Vyasadeva, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami.
Sukadeva
Gosvami was also an impersonalist in the beginning, as he himself has
admitted
in the Bhagavatam (2.1.9), but later on he was attracted by the
transcendental
pastimes of the Lord and thus became a devotee. Such devotees with perfect
knowledge are called maha-bhagavatas, or first-class devotees. There are
three
classes of devotees, namely the prakrta, madhyama, and maha-bhagavata.
The
prakrta, or third-class devotees, are temple worshipers without specific
knowledge of the Lord and the Lord's devotees. The madhyama, or the
second-class devotee, knows well the Lord, the Lord's devotees, the
neophytes,
and the nondevotees also. But the maha-bhagavata, or the first-class devotee,
sees everything in relation with the Lord and the Lord present in everyone's
relation. The maha-bhagavata, therefore, does not make any distinction,
particularly between a devotee and nondevotee. Maharaja Pariksit was such a
maha-bhagavata devotee because he was initiated by a maha-bhagavata
devotee,
Sukadeva Gosvami. He was equally kind, even to the personality of Kali, and
what to speak of others.
So there are many instances in the transcendental histories of the world
of an impersonalist who has later become a devotee. But a devotee has never
become an impersonalist. This very fact proves that on the transcendental
steps, the step occupied by a devotee is higher than the step occupied by an
impersonalist. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita (12.5) that persons
stuck on the impersonal step undergo more sufferings than achievement of
reality. Therefore knowledge imparted by Sukadeva Gosvami unto Maharaja
Pariksit helped him attain the service of the Lord. And this stage of
perfection is called apavarga, or the perfect stage of liberation. Simple
knowledge of liberation is material knowledge. Actual freedom from material
bondage is called liberation, but attainment of the transcendental service of
the Lord is called the perfect stage of liberation. Such a stage is attained
by knowledge and renunciation, as we have already explained (SB. 1.2.12),
and
perfect knowledge, as delivered by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, results in the
attainment of the transcendental service of the Lord.

TEXT 17

tan nah parum punyam asamvrtartham

akhyanam atyadbhuta-yoga-nistham
akhyahy anantacaritopapannam
 670

pariksitam bhagavatabhiramam

tat--therefore; nah--unto us; param--supreme; punyam--purifying;

asamvrta-artham--as it is; akhyanam--narration; ati--very; adbhuta--wonderful;
yoga-nistham--compact in bhakti-yoga; akhyahi--describe; ananta--the
Unlimited; acarita--activities; upapannam--full of; pariksitam--spoken to
Maharaja Pariksit; bhagavata--of the pure devotees; abhiramam--particularly
very dear.

TRANSLATION

Thus please narrate to us the narrations of the Unlimited, for they are
purifying and supreme. They were spoken to Maharaja Pariksit, and they are
very dear to the pure devotees, being full of bhakti-yoga.

PURPORT

What was spoken to Maharaja Pariksit and what is very dear to the pure
devotees is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is mainly full of the
narrations of the activities of the Supreme Unlimited, and therefore it is the
science of bhakti-yoga, or the devotional service of the Lord. Thus it is
para, or supreme, because although it is enriched with all knowledge and
religion, it is specifically enriched with the devotional service of the Lord.

TEXT 18

suta uvaca
aho vayam janma-bhrto 'dya hasma
vrddhanuvrttyapi viloma jatah
dauskulyam adhim vidhunoti sighram
mahattamanam abhidhana-yogah

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; aho--how; vayam--we; janma-bhrtah--

promoted in
birth; adya--today; ha--clearly; asma--have become; vrddha-anuvrttya--by
serving those who are advanced in knowledge; api--although; viloma-jatah--
born
in a mixed caste; dauskulyam--disqualification of birth; adhim--sufferings;
vidhunoti--purifies; sighram--very soon; mahat-tamanam--of those who are
great; abhidhana--conversation; yogah--connection.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: O God, although we are born in a mixed caste, we
are still promoted in birthright simply by serving and following the great who
are advanced in knowledge. Even by conversing with such great souls, one can
without delay cleanse oneself of all disqualifications resulting from lower
births.

PURPORT

Suta Gosvami did not take his birth in a brahmana family. He was born in
 671

a family of mixed caste, or an uncultured low family. But because of higher

association, like Sri Sukadeva Gosvami and the great rsis of Naimisaranya,
certainly the disqualification of inferior birth was washed off. Lord Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu followed this principle in pursuance of the Vedic usages,
and by His transcendental association He elevated many lowborn, or those
disqualified by birth or action, to the status of devotional service and
established them in the position of acaryas, or authorities. He clearly stated
that any man, whatever he may be, whether a brahmana or sudra by birth, or
a
householder or mendicant in the order of society, if he is conversant with the
science of Krsna, he can be accepted as an acarya or guru, a spiritual master.
Suta Gosvami learned the science of Krsna from great rsis and authorities
like Sukadeva and Vyasadeva and he was so qualified that even the sages of
Naimisaranya eagerly wanted to hear from him the science of Krsna in the
form
of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So he had the double association of great souls by
hearing and preaching. Transcendental science, or the science of Krsna, has to
be learned from the authorities, and when one preaches the science, he
becomes
still more qualified. So Suta Gosvami had both the advantages, and thus
undoubtedly he was completely freed from all disqualifications of low birth
and mental agonies. This verse definitely proves that Srila Sukadeva Gosvami
did not refuse to teach Suta Gosvami about the transcendental science nor did
the sages of Naimisaranya refuse to hear lessons from him because of his
inferior birth. This means that thousands of years ago there was no bar to
learning or preaching the transcendental science because of inferior birth.
The rigidity of the so-called caste system in Hindu society became prominent
within only one hundred years or so when the number of dvija-bandhus, or
disqualified men in the families of higher castes, increased. Lord Sri
Caitanya revived the original Vedic system, and He elevated Thakura Haridasa
to the position of namacarya, or the authority in preaching the glories of the
holy name of the Lord, although His Holiness Srila Haridasa Thakura was
pleased to appear in a family of Mohammedans.
Such is the power of pure devotees of the Lord. The Ganges water is
accepted as pure, and one can become purified after taking a bath in the
waters of the Ganges. But as far as the great devotees of the Lord are
concerned, they can purify a degraded soul even by being seen by the
lowborn,
and what to speak of association. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to
purify the whole atmosphere of the polluted world by sending qualified
preachers all over the world, and it remains with the Indians to take up this
task scientifically and thus do the best kind of humanitarian work. The mental
diseases of the present generation are more acute than bodily diseases; it is
quite fit and proper to take up the preaching of Srimad-Bhagavatam all over
the world without delay. Mahattamanam abhidhana also means dictionary of
great
devotees, or a book full of the words of great devotees. Such a dictionary of
the words of great devotees and those of the Lord are in the Vedas and allied
literatures, specifically the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

TEXT 19
 672

kutah punar grnato nama tasya

mahattamaikanta-parayanasya
yo 'nanta-saktir bhagavan ananto
mahad-gunatvad yam anantam ahuh

kutah--what to say; punah--again; grnatah--one who chants; nama--holy name;

tasya--His; mahat-tama--great devotees; ekanta--exclusive; parayanasya--of
one
who takes shelter of; yah--He who; ananta--is the Unlimited; saktih--potency;
bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; anantah--immeasurable; mahat--great;
gunatvat--on account of such attributes; yam--whom; anantam--by the name
ananta; ahuh--is called.

TRANSLATION

And what to speak of those who are under the direction of the great
devotees, chanting the holy name of the Unlimited, who has unlimited
potency?
The Personality of Godhead, unlimited in potency and transcendental by
attributes, is called the ananta [Unlimited].

PURPORT

The dvija-bandhu, or the less intelligent, uncultured men born of higher

castes, put forward many arguments against the lower-caste men becoming
brahmanas in this life. They argue that birth in a family of sudras or less
than sudras is made possible by one's previous sinful acts and that one
therefore has to complete the terms of disadvantages due to lower birth. And
to answer these false logicians, Srimad-Bhagavatam asserts that one who
chants
the holy name of the Lord under the direction of a pure devotee can at once
get free from the disadvantages due to a lower-caste birth. A pure devotee of
the Lord does not commit any offense while chanting the holy name of the
Lord.
There are ten different offenses in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
To chant the holy name under the direction of a pure devotee is offenseless
chanting. Offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord is transcendental,
and, therefore, such chanting can at once purify one from the effects of all
kinds of previous sins. This offenseless chanting indicates that one has fully
understood the transcendental nature of the holy name and has thus
surrendered
unto the Lord. Transcendentally the holy name of the Lord and the Lord
Himself
are identical, being absolute. The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the
Lord. The Lord is the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, and He has
innumerable names, which are all nondifferent from Him and are equally
powerful also. In the last word of the Bhagavad-gita the Lord asserts that one
who surrenders fully unto Him is protected from all sins by the grace of the
Lord. Since His name and He Himself are identical, the holy name of the Lord
can protect the devotee from all effects of sins. The chanting of the holy
name of the Lord can undoubtedly deliver one from the disadvantages of a
lower-caste birth. The Lord's unlimited power is extended on and on by the
 673

unlimited expansion of the devotees and incarnations, and thus every devotee
of the Lord and incarnations also can be equally surcharged with the potency
of the Lord. Since the devotee is surcharged with the potency of the Lord,
even fractionally, the disqualification due to lower birth cannot stand in the
way.

TEXT 20

etavatalam nanu sucitena

gunair asamyanatisayanasya
hitvetaran prarthayato vibhutir
yasyanghri-renum jusate 'nabhipsoh

etavata--so far; alam--unnecessary; nanu--if at all; sucitena--by description;

gunaih--by attributes; asamya--immeasurable; anatisayanasya--of one who is
unexcelled; hitva--leaving aside; itaran--others; prarthayatah--of those who
ask for; vibhutih--favor of the goddess of fortune; yasya--one whose;
anghri--feet; renum--dust; jusate--serves; anabhipsoh--of one who is
unwilling.

TRANSLATION

It is now ascertained that He [the Personality of Godhead] is unlimited

and there is none equal to Him. Consequently no one can speak of Him
adequately. Great demigods cannot obtain the favor of the goddess of fortune
even by prayers, but this very goddess renders service unto the Lord,
although
He is unwilling to have such service.

PURPORT

The Personality of Godhead, or the Paramesvara Parabrahman, according

to
the srutis, has nothing to do. He has no equal. Nor does anyone excel Him. He
has unlimited potencies, and His every action is carried out systematically in
His natural and perfect ways. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full
in Himself, and He has nothing to accept from anyone else, including the great
demigods like Brahma. Others ask for the favor of the goddess of fortune, and
despite such prayers she declines to award such favors. But still she renders
service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although He has nothing to
accept from her. The Personality of Godhead in His Garbhodakasayi Visnu
feature begets Brahma, the first created person in the material world, from
His navel lotus stem and not in the womb of the goddess of fortune, who is
eternally engaged in His service. These are some of the instances of His
complete independence and perfection. That He has nothing to do does not
mean
that He is impersonal. He is transcendentally so full of inconceivable
potencies that simply by His willing, everything is done without physical or
personal endeavor. He is called, therefore, Yogesvara, or the Lord of all
mystic powers.

TEXT 21
 674

athapi yat-pada-nakhavasrstam
jagad virincopahrtarhanambhah
sesam punaty anyatamo mukundat
ko nama loke bhagavat-padarthah

atha--therefore; api--certainly; yat--whose; pada-nakha--nails of the feet;

avasrstam--emanating; jagat--the whole universe; virinca--Brahmaji;
upahrta--collected; arhana--worship; ambhah--water; sa--along with; isam--
Lord
Siva; punati--purifies; anyatamah--who else; mukundat--besides the
Personality
of Godhead Sri Krsna; kah--who; nama--name; loke--within the world;
bhagavat--Supreme Lord; pada--position; arthah--worth.

TRANSLATION

Who can be worthy of the name of the Supreme Lord but the Personality of
Godhead Sri Krsna? Brahmaji collected the water emanating from the nails of
His feet in order to award it to Lord Siva as a worshipful welcome. This very
water [the Ganges] is purifying the whole universe, including Lord Siva.

PURPORT

The conception of many gods in the Vedic literatures by the ignorant is

completely wrong. The Lord is one without a second, but He expands Himself
in
many ways, and this is confirmed in the Vedas. Such expansions of the Lord
are
limitless, but some of them are the living entities. The living entities are
not as powerful as the Lord's plenary expansions, and therefore there are two
different types of expansions. Lord Brahma is generally one of the living
entities, and Lord Siva is the via medium between the Lord and the living
entities. In other words, even demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, who
are the chief amongst all demigods, are never equal to or greater than Lord
Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The goddess of fortune, Laksmi,
and
all-powerful demigods like Brahma and Siva are engaged in the worship of
Visnu
or Lord Krsna; therefore who can be more powerful than Mukunda (Lord Krsna)
to
be factually called the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The goddess of
fortune, Laksmiji, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are not independently powerful;
they are powerful as expansions of the Supreme Lord, and all of them are
engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and so also are the
living entities. There are four sects of worshipful devotees of the Lord, and
the chief amongst them are the Brahma-sampradaya, Rudra-sampradaya and
Sri-sampradaya, descending directly from Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and the
goddess of fortune, Laksmi, respectively. Besides the above-mentioned three
sampradayas, there is the Kumara-sampradaya, descending from Sanat-
kumara. All
of the four original sampradayas are still scrupulously engaged in the
 675

transcendental service of the Lord up to date, and they all declare that Lord
Krsna, Mukunda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no other
personality is equal to Him or greater than Him.

TEXT 22

yatranuraktah sahasaiva dhira

vyapohya dehadisu sangam udham
vrajanti tat parama-hamsyam antyam
yasminn ahimsopasamah sva-dharmah

yatra--unto whom; anuraktah--firmly attached; sahasa--all of a sudden;

eva--certainly; dhirah--self-controlled; vyapohya--leaving aside; deha--the
gross body and subtle mind; adisu--relating to; sangam--attachment;
udham--taken to; vrajanti--go away; tat--that; parama-hamsyam--the highest
stage of perfection; antyam--and beyond that; yasmin--in which;
ahimsa--nonviolence; upasamah--and renunciation; sva-dharmah--
consequential
occupation.

TRANSLATION

Self-controlled persons who are attached to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna
can all of a sudden give up the world of material attachment, including the
gross body and subtle mind, and go away to attain the highest perfection of
the renounced order of life, by which nonviolence and renunciation are
consequential.

PURPORT

Only the self-controlled can gradually be attached to the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Self-controlled means not indulging in sense
enjoyment
more than is necessary. And those who are not self-controlled are given over
to sense enjoyment. Dry philosophical speculation is a subtle sense enjoyment
of the mind. Sense enjoyment leads one to the path of darkness. Those who
are
self-controlled can make progress on the path of liberation from the
conditional life of material existence. The Vedas, therefore, enjoin that one
should not go on the path of darkness but should make a progressive march
towards the path of light or liberation. Self-control is actually achieved not
by artificially stopping the senses from material enjoyment, but by becoming
factually attached to the Supreme Lord by engaging one's unalloyed senses in
the transcendental service of the Lord. The senses cannot be forcibly curbed,
but they can be given proper engagement. Purified senses, therefore, are
always engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord. This perfectional
stage of sense engagement is called bhakti-yoga. So those who are attached
to
the means of bhakti-yoga are factually self-controlled and can all of a sudden
give up their homely or bodily attachment for the service of the Lord. This is
called the paramahamsa stage. Hamsas, or swans, accept only milk out of a
mixture of milk and water. Similarly, those who accept the service of the Lord
 676

instead of maya's service are called the paramahamsas. They are naturally
qualified with all the good attributes, such as pridelessness, freedom from
vanity, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, respectability, worship, devotion
and sincerity. All these godly qualities exist in the devotee of the Lord
spontaneously. Such paramahamsas, who are completely given up to the
service
of the Lord, are very rare. They are very rare even amongst the liberated
souls. Real nonviolence means freedom from envy. In this world everyone is
envious of his fellow being. But a perfect paramahamsa, being completely
given
up to the service of the Lord, is perfectly nonenvious. He loves every living
being in relation with the Supreme Lord. Real renunciation means perfect
dependence on God. Every living being is dependent on someone else
because he
is so made. Actually everyone is dependent on the mercy of the Supreme
Lord,
but when one forgets his relation with the Lord, he becomes dependent on the
conditions of material nature. Renunciation means renouncing ones
dependence
on the conditions of material nature and thus becoming completely dependent
on
the mercy of the Lord. Real independence means complete faith in the mercy
of
the Lord without dependence on the conditions of matter. This paramahamsa
stage is the highest perfectional stage in bhakti-yoga, the process of
devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

TEXT 23

aham hi prsto 'ryamano bhavadbhir

acaksa atmavagamo 'tra yavan
nabhah patanty atma-samam patattrinas
tatha samam visnu-gatim vipascitah

aham--my humble self; hi--certainly; prstah--asked by you; aryamanah--as

powerful as the sun; bhavadbhih--by you; acakse--may describe;
atma-avagamah--as far as my knowledge is concerned; atra--herein; yavan--so
far; nabhah--sky; patanti--fly; atma-samam--as far as it can; patattrinah--the
birds; tatha--thus; samam--similarly; visnu-gatim--knowledge of Visnu;
vipascitah--even though learned.

TRANSLATION

O rsis, who are as powerfully pure as the sun, I shall try to describe to
you the transcendental pastimes of Visnu as far as my knowledge is
concerned.
As the birds fly in the sky as far as their capacity allows, so do the learned
devotees describe the Lord as far as their realization allows.

PURPORT

The Supreme Absolute Truth is unlimited. No living being can know about
 677

the unlimited by his limited capacity. The Lord is impersonal, personal and
localized. By His impersonal feature He is all-pervading Brahman, by His
localized feature He is present in everyone's heart as the Supreme Soul, and
by His ultimate personal feature He is the object of transcendental loving
service by His fortunate associates the pure devotees. The pastimes of the
Lord in different features can only be estimated partly by the great learned
devotees. So Srila Suta Gosvami has rightly taken this position in describing
the pastimes of the Lord as far as he has realized. Factually only the Lord
Himself can describe Himself, and His learned devotee also can describe Him
as
far as the Lord gives him the power of description.

TEXT 24-25

ekada dhanur udyamya

vicaran mrgayam vane
mrgan anugatah srantah
ksudhitas trsito bhrsam

jalasayam acaksanah
pravivesa tam asramam
dadarsa munim asinam
santam milita-locanam

ekada--once upon a time; dhanuh--arrows and bow; udyamya--taking firmly;

vicaran--following; mrgayam--hunting excursion; vane--in the forest;
mrgan--stags; anugatah--while following; srantah--fatigued; ksudhitah--hungry;
trsitah--being thirsty; bhrsam--extremely; jala-asayam--reservoir of water;
acaksanah--while searching for; pravivesa--entered into; tam--that famous;
asramam--hermitage of Samika Rsi; dadarsa--saw; munim--the sage;
asinam--seated; santam--all silent; milita--closed; locanam--eyes.

TRANSLATION

Once upon a time Maharaja Pariksit, while engaged in hunting in the

forest with bow and arrows, became extremely fatigued, hungry and thirsty
while following the stags. While searching for a reservoir of water, he
entered the hermitage of the well-known Samika Rsi and saw the sage sitting
silently with closed eyes.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord is so kind to His pure devotees that in proper time He
calls such devotees up to Him and thus creates an auspicious circumstance for
the devotee. Maharaja Pariksit was a pure devotee of the Lord, and there was
no reason for him to become extremely fatigued, hungry and thirsty because a
devotee of the Lord never becomes perturbed by such bodily demands. But by
the
desire of the Lord, even such a devotee can become apparently fatigued and
thirsty just to create a situation favorable for his renunciation of worldly
activities. One has to give up all attachment for worldly relations before one
 678

is able to go back to Godhead, and thus when a devotee is too much absorbed
in
worldly affairs, the Lord creates a situation to cause indifference. The
Supreme Lord never forgets His pure devotee, even though he may be
engaged in
so-called worldly affairs. Sometimes He creates an awkward situation, and the
devotee becomes obliged to renounce all worldly affairs. The devotee can
understand by the signal of the Lord, but others take it to be unfavorable and
frustrating. Maharaja Pariksit was to become the medium for the revelation of
Srimad-Bhagavatam by Lord Sri Krsna, as his grandfather Arjuna was the
medium
for the Bhagavad-gita. Had Arjuna not been taken up with an illusion of family
affection by the will of the Lord, the Bhagavad-gita would not have been
spoken by the Lord Himself for the good of all concerned. Similarly, had
Maharaja Pariksit not been fatigued, hungry and thirsty at this time,
Srimad-Bhagavatam would not have been spoken by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami,
the
prime authority of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So this is a prelude to the
circumstances under which Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken for the benefit of
all
concerned. The prelude, therefore, begins with the words "once upon a time."

TEXT 26

pratiruddhendriya-prana-
mano-buddhim uparatam
sthana-trayat param praptam
brahma-bhutam avikriyam

pratiruddha--restrained; indriya--the sense organs; prana--air of respiration;

manah--the mind; buddhim--intelligence; uparatam--inactive; sthana--places;
trayat--from the three; param--transcendental; praptam--achieved;
brahma-bhutam--qualitatively equal with the Supreme Absolute;
avikriyam--unaffected.

TRANSLATION

The muni's sense organs, breath, mind and intelligence were all
restrained from material activities, and he was situated in a trance apart
from the three [wakefulness, dream and unconsciousness], having achieved a
transcendental position qualitatively equal with the Supreme Absolute.

PURPORT

It appears that the muni, in whose hermitage the King entered, was in
yogic trance. The transcendental position is attained by three processes,
namely the process of jnana, or theoretical knowledge of transcendence, the
process of yoga, or factual realization of trance by manipulation of the
physiological and psychological functions of the body, and the most approved
process of bhakti-yoga, or the engagement of senses in the devotional service
of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita also we have the information of the gradual
development of perception from matter to a living entity. Our material mind
 679

and body develop from the living entity, the soul, and being influenced by the
three qualities of matter, we forget our real identity. The jnana process
theoretically speculates about the reality of the soul. But bhakti-yoga
factually engages the spirit soul in activities. The perception of matter is
transcended to still subtler states of the senses. The senses are transcended
to the subtler mind, and then to breathing activities and gradually to
intelligence. Beyond the intelligence, the living soul is realized by the
mechanical activities of the yoga system, or practice of meditation
restraining the senses, regulating the breathing system and applying
intelligence to rise to the transcendental position. This trance stops all
material activities of the body. The King saw the muni in that position. He
also saw the muni as follows.

TEXT 27

viprakirna jatacchannam
rauravenajinena ca
visusyat-talur udakam
tatha-bhutam ayacata

viprakirna--all scattered; jata-acchannam--covered with compressed, long hair;

rauravena--by the skin of a stag; ajinena--by the skin; ca--also;
visusyat--dried up; taluh--palate; udakam--water; tatha-bhutam--in that state;
ayacata--asked for.

TRANSLATION

The sage, in meditation, was covered by the skin of a stag, and long,
compressed hair was scattered all over him. The King, whose palate was dry
from thirst, asked him for water.

PURPORT

The King, being thirsty, asked the sage for water. That such a great
devotee and king asked for water from a sage absorbed in trance was
certainly
providential. Otherwise there was no chance of such a unique happening.
Maharaja Pariksit was thus placed in an awkward position so that gradually
Srimad-Bhagavatam could be revealed.

TEXT 28

alabdha-trna-bhumy-adir
asampraptarghya-sunrtah
avajnatam ivatmanam
manyamanas cukopa ha

alabdha--having not received; trna--seat of straw; bhumi--place; adih--and so

on; asamprapta--not properly received; arghya--water for reception;
sunrtah--sweet words; avajnatam--thus being neglected; iva--like that;
atmanam--personally; manyamanah--thinking like that; cukopa--became
angry;
 680

ha--in that way.

TRANSLATION

The King, not received by any formal welcome by means of being offered a
seat, place, water and sweet addresses, considered himself neglected, and so
thinking he became angry.

PURPORT

The law of reception in the codes of the Vedic principles states that
even if an enemy is received at home, he must be received with all respects.
He should not be given a chance to understand that he has come into the
house
of an enemy. When Lord Krsna, accompanied by Arjuna and Bhima,
approached
Jarasandha in Magadha, the respectable enemies were given a royal reception
by
King Jarasandha. The guest enemy, namely Bhima, was to fight with
Jarasandha,
and yet they were given a grand reception. At night they used to sit down
together as friends and guests, and in the day they used to fight, risking
life and death. That was the law of reception. The reception law enjoins that
a poor man, who has nothing to offer his guest, should be good enough to
offer
a straw mat for sitting, a glass of water for drinking and some sweet words.
Therefore, to receive a guest, either friend or foe, there is no expense. It
is only a question of good manners.
When Maharaja Pariksit entered the door of Samika Rsi, he did not expect
a royal reception by the rsi because he knew that saints and rsis are not
materially rich men. But he never expected that a seat of straw, a glass of
water and some sweet words would be denied to him. He was not an ordinary
guest, nor was he an enemy of the rsi, and therefore the cold reception by the
rsi astonished the King greatly. As a matter of fact, the King was right to
get angry with the rsi when he needed a glass of water very badly. To become
angry in such a grave situation was not unnatural for the King, but because
the King himself was not less than a great saint, his becoming angry and
taking action were astonishing. So it must be accepted that it was so ordained
by the supreme will of the Lord. The King was a great devotee of the Lord, and
the saint was also as good as the King. But by the will of the Lord, the
circumstances were so created that they became ways to the King's becoming
unattached to family connection and governmental activities and thus
becoming
a completely surrendered soul unto the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. The merciful
Lord sometimes creates such awkward positions for his pure devotees in order
to drag them towards Himself from the mire of material existence. But
outwardly the situations appear to be frustrating to the devotees. The
devotees of the Lord are always under the protection of the Lord, and in any
condition, frustration or success, the Lord is the supreme guide for the
devotees. The pure devotees, therefore, accept all conditions of frustration
as blessings from the Lord.
 681

TEXT 29

abhuta-purvah sahasa
ksut-trdbhyam arditatmanah
brahmanam praty abhud brahman
matsaro manyur eva ca

abhuta-purvah--unprecedented; sahasa--circumstantially; ksut--hunger;

trdbhyam--as well as by thirst; ardita--being distressed; atmanah--of his
self; brahmanam--unto a brahmana; prati--against; abhut--became; brahman--
O
brahmanas; matsarah--envious; manyuh--angry; eva--thus; ca--and.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, the King's anger and envy, directed toward the brahmana
sage, were unprecedented, being that circumstances had made him hungry
and
thirsty.

PURPORT

For a king like Maharaja Pariksit to become angry and envious, especially
at a sage and brahmana, was undoubtedly unprecedented. The King knew well
that
brahmanas, sages, children, women and old men are always beyond the
jurisdiction of punishment. Similarly, the king, even though he commits a
great mistake, is never to be considered a wrongdoer. But in this case,
Maharaja Pariksit became angry and envious at the sage due to his thirst and
hunger, by the will of the Lord. The King was right to punish his subject for
coldly receiving him or neglecting him, but because the culprit was a sage and
a brahmana, it was unprecedented. As the Lord is never envious of anyone, so
also the Lord's devotee is never envious of anyone. The only justification for
Maharaja Pariksit's behavior is that it was ordained by the Lord.

TEXT 30

sa tu brahma-rser amse
gatasum uragam rusa
vinirgacchan dhanus-kotya
nidhaya puram agatah

sah--the King; tu--however; brahma-rseh--of the brahmana sage; amse--on the

shoulder; gata-asum--lifeless; uragam--snake; rusa--in anger;
vinirgacchan--while leaving; dhanuh-kotya--with the front of the bow;
nidhaya--by placing it; puram--palace; agatah--returned.

TRANSLATION

While leaving, the King, being so insulted, picked up a lifeless snake

with his bow and angrily placed it on the shoulder of the sage. Then he
returned to his palace.
 682

PURPORT

The King thus treated the sage tit for tat, although he was never
accustomed to such silly actions. By the will of the Lord, the King, while
going away, found a dead snake in front of him, and he thought that the sage,
who had coldly received him, thus might be coldly rewarded by being offered a
garland of a dead snake. In the ordinary course of dealing, this was not very
unnatural, but in the case of Maharaja Pariksit's dealing with a brahmana
sage, this was certainly unprecedented. It so happened by the will of the
Lord.

TEXT 31

esa kim nibhrtasesa-

karano militeksanah
mrsa-samadhir ahosvit
kim nu syat ksatra-bandhubhih

esah--this; kim--whether; nibhrta-asesa--meditative mood; karanah--senses;

milita--closed; iksanah--eyes; mrsa--false; samadhih--trance; aho--remains;
svit--if it is so; kim--either; nu--but; syat--may be; ksatra-bandhubhih--by
the lower ksatriya.

TRANSLATION

Upon returning, he began to contemplate and argue within himself whether

the sage had actually been in meditation, with senses concentrated and eyes
closed, or whether he had just been feigning trance just to avoid receiving a
lower ksatriya.

PURPORT

The King, being a devotee of the Lord, did not approve of his own action,
and thus he began to wonder whether the sage was really in a trance or was
just pretending in order to avoid receiving the King, who was a ksatriya and
therefore lower in rank. Repentance comes in the mind of a good soul as soon
as he commits something wrong. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila
Jiva Gosvami do not believe that the King's action was due to his past
misdeeds. The arrangement was so made by the Lord just to call the King back
home, back to Godhead.
According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, the plan was made by the will
of the Lord, and by the will of the Lord the situation of frustration was
created. The plan was that for his so-called misdeed the King could be cursed
by an inexperienced brahmana boy infected by the influence of Kali, and thus
the King would leave his hearth and home for good. His connections with Srila
Sukadeva Gosvami would enable the presentation of the great Srimad-
Bhagavatam,
which is considered to be the book incarnation of the Lord. This book
incarnation of the Lord gives much fascinating information of the
transcendental pastimes of the Lord, like His rasa-lila with the spiritual
cowherd damsels of Vrajabhumi. This specific pastime of the Lord has a special
 683

significance because anyone who properly learns about this particular pastime
of the Lord will certainly be dissuaded from mundane sex desire and be placed
on the path of sublime devotional service to the Lord. The pure devotee's
mundane frustration is meant to elevate the devotee to a higher
transcendental
position. By placing Arjuna and the Pandavas in frustration due to the
intrigue of their cousin-brothers, the prelude of the Battle of Kuruksetra was
created by the Lord. This was to incarnate the sound representative of the
Lord, Bhagavad-gita. So by placing King Pariksit in an awkward position, the
incarnation of Srimad-Bhagavatam was created by the will of the Lord. Being
distressed by hunger and thirst was only a show, because the King endured
much, even in the womb of his mother. He was never disturbed by the glaring
heat of the brahmastra released by Asvatthama. The King's distressed
condition
was certainly unprecedented. The devotees like Maharaja Pariksit are powerful
enough to forbear such distresses, by the will of the Lord, and they are never
disturbed. The situation, in this case, was therefore all planned by the Lord.

TEXT 32

tasya putro 'titejasvi

viharan balako 'rbhakaih
rajnagham prapitam tatam
srutva tatredam abravit

tasya--his (the sage's); putrah--son; ati--extremely; tejasvi--powerful;

viharan--while playing; balakah--with boys; arbhakaih--who were all childish;
rajna--by the King; agham--distress; prapitam--made to have; tatam--the
father; srutva--by hearing; tatra--then and there; idam--this; abravit--spoke.

TRANSLATION

The sage had a son who was very powerful, being a brahmana's son. While
he was playing with inexperienced boys, he heard of his father's distress,
which was occasioned by the King. Then and there the boy spoke as follows.

PURPORT

Due to Maharaja Pariksit's good government, even a boy of tender age,

who
was playing with other inexperienced boys, could become as powerful as a
qualified brahmana. This boy was known as Srngi, and he achieved good
training
in brahmacarya by his father so that he could be as powerful as a brahmana,
even at that age. But because the age of Kali was seeking an opportunity to
spoil the cultural heritage of the four orders of life, the inexperienced boy
gave a chance for the age of Kali to enter into the field of Vedic culture.
Hatred of the lower orders of life began from this brahmana boy, under the
influence of Kali, and thus cultural life began to dwindle day after day. The
first victim of brahminical injustice was Maharaja Pariksit, and thus the
protection given by the King against the onslaught of Kali was slackened.
 684

TEXT 33

aho adharmah palanam

pivnam bali-bhujam iva
svaminy agham yad dasanam
dvara-panam sunam iva

aho--just look at; adharmah--irreligion; palanam--of the rulers; pivnam--of

one who is brought up; bali-bhujam--like the crows; iva--like; svamini--unto
the master; agham--sin; yat--what is; dasanam--of the servants;
dvara-panam--keeping watch at the door; sunam--of the dogs; iva--like.

TRANSLATION

[The brahmana's son, Srngi, said:] O just look at the sins of the rulers
who, like crows and watchdogs at the door, perpetrate sins against their
masters, contrary to the principles governing servants.

PURPORT

The brahmanas are considered to be the head and brains of the social
body, and the ksatriyas are considered to be the arms of the social body. The
arms are required to protect the body from all harm, but the arms must act
according to the directions of the head and brain. That is a natural
arrangement made by the supreme order, for it is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gita that four social orders or castes, namely the brahmanas, the
ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, are set up according to quality and
work done by them. Naturally the son of a brahmana has a good chance to
become
a brahmana by the direction of his qualified father, as a son of a medical
practitioner has a very good chance to become a qualified medical
practitioner. So the caste system is quite scientific. The son must take
advantage of the father's qualification and thus become a brahmana or
medical
practitioner, and not otherwise. Without being qualified, one cannot become a
brahmana or medical practitioner, and that is the verdict of all scriptures
and social orders. Herein Srngi, a qualified son of a great brahmana, attained
the required brahminical power both by birth and by training, but he was
lacking in culture because he was an inexperienced boy. By the influence of
Kali, the son of a brahmana became puffed up with brahminical power and
thus
wrongly compared Maharaja Pariksit to crows and watchdogs. The King is
certainly the watchdog of the state in the sense that he keeps vigilant eyes
over the border of the state for its protection and defense, but to address
him as a watchdog is the sign of a less-cultured boy. Thus the downfall of the
brahminical powers began as they gave importance to birthright without
culture. The downfall of the brahmana caste began in the age of Kali. And
since brahmanas are the heads of the social order, all other orders of society
also began to deteriorate. This beginning of brahminical deterioration was
highly deplored by the father of Srngi, as we will find.

TEXT 34
 685

brahmanaih ksatra-bandhur hi
grha-palo nirupitah
sa katham tad-grhe dvah-sthah
sabhandam bhoktum arhati

brahmanaih--by the brahminical order; ksatra-bandhuh--the sons of the

ksatriyas; hi--certainly; grha-palah--the watchdog; nirupitah--designated;
sah--he; katham--on what grounds; tat-grhe--in the home of him (the master);
dvah-sthah--keeping at the door; sa-bhandam--in the same pot; bhoktum--to
eat;
arhati--deserves.

TRANSLATION

The descendants of the kingly orders are definitely designated as

watchdogs, and they must keep themselves at the door. On what grounds can
dogs
enter the house and claim to dine with the master on the same plate?

PURPORT

The inexperienced brahmana boy certainly knew that the King asked for
water from his father and the father did not respond. He tried to explain away
his father's inhospitality in an impertinent manner befitting an uncultured
boy. He was not at all sorry for the King's not being well received. On the
contrary, he justified the wrong act in a way characteristic of the brahmanas
of Kali-yuga. He compared the King to a watchdog, and so it was wrong for the
King to enter the home of a brahmana and ask for water from the same pot.
The
dog is certainly reared by its master, but that does not mean that the dog
shall claim to dine and drink from the same pot. This mentality of false
prestige is the cause of downfall of the perfect social order, and we can see
that in the beginning it was started by the inexperienced son of a brahmana.
As the dog is never allowed to enter within the room and hearth, although it
is reared by the master, similarly, according to Srngi, the King had no right
to enter the house of Samika Rsi. According to the boy's opinion, the King was
on the wrong side and not his father, and thus he justified his silent father.

TEXT 35

krsne gate bhagavati

sastary utpatha-gaminam
tad bhinna-setun adyaham
sasmi pasyata me balam

krsne--Lord Krsna; gate--having departed from this world; bhagavati--the

Personality of Godhead; sastari--the supreme ruler; utpatha-gaminam--of
those
who are upstarts; tat bhinna--being separated; setun--the protector;
adya--today; aham--myself; sasmi--shall punish; pasyata--just see; me--my;
balam--prowess.
 686

TRANSLATION

After the departure of Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead and
supreme ruler of everyone, these upstarts have flourished, our protector being
gone. Therefore I myself shall take up this matter and punish them. Just
witness my power.

PURPORT

The inexperienced brahmana, puffed up by a little brahma-tejas, became

influenced by the spell of Kali-yuga. Maharaja Pariksit gave license to Kali
to live in four places as mentioned hereinbefore, but by his very expert
government the personality of Kali could hardly find the places allotted him.
The personality of Kali-yuga, therefore, was seeking the opportunity to
establish authority, and by the grace of the Lord he found a hole in the
puffed-up, inexperienced son of a brahmana. The little brahmana wanted to
show
his prowess in destruction, and he had the audacity to punish such a great
king as Maharaja Pariksit. He wanted to take the place of Lord Krsna after His
departure. These are the principal signs of upstarts who want to take the
place of Sri Krsna under the influence of the age of Kali. An upstart with a
little power wants to become an incarnation of the Lord. There are many false
incarnations after the departure of Lord Krsna from the face of the globe, and
they are misleading the innocent public by accepting the spiritual obedience
of the general mass of people to maintain false prestige. In other words, the
personality of Kali got the opportunity to reign through this son of a
brahmana, Srngi.

TEXT 36

ity uktva rosa-tamrakso

vayasyan rsi-balakah
kausiky-apa upasprsya
vag-vajram visasarja ha

iti--thus; uktva--saying; rosa-tamra-aksah--with red-hot eyes due to being

angry; vayasyan--unto the playmates; rsi-balakah--the son of a rsi;
kausiki--the River Kausika; apah--water; upasprsya--by touching; vak--words;
vajram--thunderbolt; visasarja--threw; ha--in the past.

TRANSLATION

The son of the rsi, his eyes red-hot with anger, touched the water of the
River Kausika while speaking to his playmates and discharged the following
thunderbolt of words.

PURPORT

The circumstances under which Maharaja Pariksit was cursed were simply
childish, as it appears from this verse. Srngi was showing his impudency
 687

amongst his playmates, who were innocent. Any sane man would have
prevented
him from doing such great harm to all human society. By killing a king like
Maharaja Pariksit, just to make a show of acquired brahminical power, the
inexperienced son of a brahmana committed a great mistake.

TEXT 37

iti langhita-maryadam
taksakah saptame 'hani
danksyati sma kulangaram
codito me tata-druham

iti--thus; langhita--surpassing; maryadam--etiquette; taksakah--snake-bird;

saptame--on the seventh; ahani--day; danksyati--will bite; sma--certainly;
kula-angaram--the wretched of the dynasty; coditah--having done; me--my;
tata-druham--enmity towards the father.

TRANSLATION

The brahmana's son cursed the King thus: On the seventh day from today a
snake-bird will bite the most wretched one of that dynasty [Maharaja Pariksit]
because of his having broken the laws of etiquette by insulting my father.

PURPORT

Thus the beginning of the misuse of brahminical power began, and

gradually the brahmanas in the age of Kali became devoid of both brahminical
powers and culture. The brahmana boy considered Maharaja Pariksit to be
kulangara, or the wretched of the dynasty, but factually the brahmana boy
himself was so because only from him did the brahmana caste become
powerless,
like the snake whose poisoned teeth are broken. The snake is fearful as long
as his poison teeth are there, otherwise he is fearful only to children. The
personality of Kali conquered the brahmana boy first, and gradually the other
castes. Thus the whole scientific system of the orders of society in this age
has assumed the form of a vitiated caste system, which is now being uprooted
by another class of men similarly influenced by the age of Kali. One should
see to the root cause of vitiation and not try to condemn the system as it is,
without knowledge of its scientific value.

TEXT 38

tato 'bhyetyasramam balo

gale sarpa-kalevaram
pitaram viksya duhkharto
mukta-kantho ruroda ha

tatah--thereafter; abhyetya--after entering into; asramam--the hermitage;

balah--boy; gale sarpa--the snake on the shoulder; kalevaram--body;
pitaram--unto the father; viksya--having seen; duhkha-artah--in a sorry
plight; mukta-kanthah--loudly; ruroda--cried; ha--in the past.
 688

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, when the boy returned to the hermitage, he saw a snake on his
father's shoulder, and out of his grief he cried very loudly.

PURPORT

The boy was not happy because he committed a great mistake, and he
wanted
to be relieved of the burden on his heart by crying. So after entering the
hermitage and seeing his father in that condition, he cried loudly so that he
might be relieved. But it was too late. The father regretted the whole
incident.

TEXT 39

sa va angiraso brahman
srutva suta-vilapanam
unmilya sanakair netre
drstva camse mrtoragam

sah--he; vai--also; angirasah--the rsi born in the family of Angira;

brahman--O Saunaka; srutva--on hearing; suta--his son; vilapanam--crying in
distress; unmilya--opening; sanakaih--gradually; netre--by the eyes;
drstva--by seeing; ca--also; amse--on the shoulder; mrta--dead; uragam--
snake.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, the rsi, who was born in the family of Angira Muni, hearing
his son crying, gradually opened his eyes and saw the dead snake around his
neck.

TEXT 40

visrjya tam ca papraccha

vatsa kasmad dhi rodisi
kena va te 'pakrtam
ity uktah sa nyavedayat

visrjya--throwing aside; tam--that; ca--also; papraccha--asked; vatsa--my dear

son; kasmat--what for; hi--certainly; rodisi--crying; kena--by whom;
va--otherwise; te--they; apakrtam--misbehaved; iti--thus; uktah--being asked;
sah--the boy; nyavedayat--informed of everything.

TRANSLATION

He threw the dead snake aside and asked his son why he was crying,
whether anyone had done him harm. On hearing this, the son explained to him
what had happened.
 689

PURPORT

The father did not take the dead snake on his neck very seriously. He
simply threw it away. Actually there was nothing seriously wrong in Maharaja
Pariksit's act, but the foolish son took it very seriously, and being
influenced by Kali he cursed the King and thus ended a chapter of happy
history.

TEXT 41

nisamya saptam atad-arham narendram

sa brahmano natmajam abhyanandat
aho batamho mahad adya te krtam
alpiyasi droha urur damo dhrtah

nisamya--after hearing; saptam--cursed; atat-arham--never to be condemned;

nara-indram--unto the King, best of humankind; sah--that;
brahmanah--brahmana-rsi; na--not; atma-jam--his own son;
abhyanandat--congratulated; aho--alas; bata--distressing; amhah--sins;
mahat--great; adya--today; te--yourself; krtam--performed;
alpiyasi--insignificant; drohe--offense; uruh--very great; damah--punishment;
dhrtah--awarded.

TRANSLATION

The father heard from his son that the King had been cursed, although he
should never have been condemned, for he was the best amongst all human
beings. The rsi did not congratulate his son, but, on the contrary, began to
repent, saying: Alas! What a great sinful act was performed by my son. He has
awarded heavy punishment for an insignificant offense.

PURPORT

The king is the best of all human beings. He is the representative of

God, and he is never to be condemned for any of his actions. In other words,
the king can do no wrong. The king may order hanging of a culprit son of a
brahmana, but he does not become sinful for killing a brahmana. Even if there
is something wrong with the king, he is never to be condemned. A medical
practitioner may kill a patient by mistaken treatment, but such a killer is
never condemned to death. So what to speak of a good and pious king like
Maharaja Pariksit? In the Vedic way of life, the king is trained to become a
rajarsi, or a great saint, although he is ruling as king. It is the king only
by whose good government the citizens can live peacefully and without any
fear. The rajarsis would manage their kingdoms so nicely and piously that
their subjects would respect them as if they were the Lord. That is the
instruction of the Vedas. The king is called narendra, or the best amongst the
human beings. How then could a king like Maharaja Pariksit be condemned by
an
inexperienced, puffed-up son of a brahmana, even though he had attained the
powers of a qualified brahmana?
 690

Since Samika Rsi was an experienced, good brahmana, he did not approve
of
the actions of his condemned son. He began to lament for all that his son had
done. The king was beyond the jurisdiction of curses as a general rule, and
what to speak of a good king like Maharaja Pariksit. The offense of the King
was most insignificant, and his being condemned to death was certainly a very
great sin for Srngi. Therefore Rsi Samika regretted the whole incident.

TEXT 42

na vai nrbhir nara-devam parakhyam

sammatum arhasy avipakva-buddhe
yat-tejasa durvisahena gupta
vindanti bhadrany akutobhayah prajah

na--never; vai--as a matter of fact; nrbhih--by any man; nara-devam--unto a

man-god; para-akhyam--who is transcendental; sammatum--place on equal
footing;
arhasi--by the prowess; avipakva--unripe or immature; buddhe--intelligence;
yat--of whom; tejasa--by the prowess; durvisahena--unsurpassable;
guptah--protected; vindanti--enjoys; bhadrani--all prosperity;
akutah-bhayah--completely defended; prajah--the subjects.

TRANSLATION

O my boy, your intelligence is immature, and therefore you have no

knowledge that the king, who is the best amongst human beings, is as good as
the Personality of Godhead. He is never to be placed on an equal footing with
common men. The citizens of the state live in prosperity, being protected by
his unsurpassable prowess.

TEXT 43

alaksyamane nara-deva-namni
rathanga-panav ayam anga lokah
tada hi caura-pracuro vinanksyaty
araksyamano 'vivaruthavat ksanat

alaksyamane--being abolished; nara-deva--monarchical; namni--of the name;

ratha-anga-panau--the representative of the Lord; ayam--this; anga--O my
boy;
lokah--this world; tada hi--at once; caura--thieves; pracurah--too much;
vinanksyati--vanquishes; araksyamanah--being not protected;
avivarutha-vat--like lambs; ksanat--at once.

TRANSLATION

My dear boy, the Lord, who carries the wheel of a chariot, is represented
by the monarchical regime, and when this regime is abolished the whole world
becomes filled with thieves, who then at once vanquish the unprotected
subjects like scattered lambs.
 691

PURPORT

According to Srimad-Bhagavatam the monarchical regime represents the

Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. The king is said to be the
representative of the Absolute Personality of Godhead because he is trained to
acquire the qualities of God to protect the living beings. The Battle of
Kuruksetra was planned by the Lord to establish the real representative of the
Lord, Maharaja Yudhisthira. An ideal king thoroughly trained by culture and
devotional service with the martial spirit makes a perfect king. Such a
personal monarchy is far better than the so-called democracy of no training
and responsibility. The thieves and rogues of modern democracy seek election
by misrepresentation of votes, and the successful rogues and thieves devour
the mass of population. One trained monarch is far better than hundreds of
useless ministerial rogues, and it is hinted herein that by abolition of a
monarchical regime like that of Maharaja Pariksit, the mass of people become
open to many attacks of the age of Kali. They are never happy in an overly
advertised form of democracy. The result of such a kingless administration is
described in the following verses.

TEXT 44

tad adya nah papam upaity ananvayam

yan nasta-nathasya vasor vilumpahat
parasparam ghnanti sapanti vrnjate
pasun striyo 'rthan puru-dasyavo janah

tat--for this reason; adya--from this day; nah--upon us; papam--reaction of

sin; upaiti--will overtake; ananvayam--disruption; yat--because;
nasta--abolished; nathasya--of the monarch; vasoh--of wealth;
vilumpakat--being plundered; parasparam--between one another; ghnanti--will
kill; sapanti--will do harm; vrnjate--will steal; pasun--animals;
striyah--women; arthan--riches; puru--greatly; dasyavah--thieves; janah--the
mass of people.

TRANSLATION

Due to the termination of the monarchical regimes and the plundering of

the people's wealth by rogues and thieves, there will be great social
disruptions. People will be killed and injured, and animals and women will be
stolen. And for all these sins we shall be responsible.

PURPORT

The word nah (we) is very significant in this verse. The sage rightly
takes the responsibility of the brahmanas as a community for killing
monarchical government and thus giving an opportunity to the so-called
democrats, who are generally plunderers of the wealth of the state subjects.
The so-called democrats capture the administrative machine without assuming
responsibility for the prosperous condition of the citizens. Everyone captures
the post for personal gratification, and thus instead of one king, a number of
irresponsible kings grow up to tax the citizens. It is foretold herein that in
 692

the absence of good monarchical government, everyone will be the cause of

disturbance for others by plundering riches, animals, women, etc.

TEXT 45

tadarya-dharmah praviliyate nrnam

varnasramacara-yutas trayimayah
tato 'rtha-kamabhinivesitatmanam
sunam kapinam iva varna-sankarah

tada--at that time; arya--progressive civilization; dharmah--engagement;

praviliyate--is systematically vanquished; nrnam--of humankind; varna--caste;
asrama--orders of society; acara-yutah--composed in a good manner;
trayi-mayah--in terms of the Vedic injunction; tatah--thereafter;
artha--economic development; kama-abhinivesita--fully absorbed in sense
gratification; atmanam--of men; sunam--like dogs; kapinam--like monkeys;
iva--thus; varna-sankarah--unwanted population.

TRANSLATION

At that time the people in general will fall systematically from the path
of a progressive civilization in respect to the qualitative engagements of the
castes and the orders of society and the Vedic injunctions. Thus they will be
more attracted to economic development for sense gratification, and as a
result there will be an unwanted population on the level of dogs and monkeys.

PURPORT

It is foretold herein that in the absence of a monarchical regime, the

general mass of people will be an unwanted population like dogs and
monkeys.
As the monkeys are too sexually inclined and dogs are shameless in sexual
intercourse, the general mass of population born of illegitimate connection
will systematically go astray from the Vedic way of good manners and
qualitative engagements in the castes and orders of life.
The Vedic way of life is the progressive march of the civilization of the
Aryans. The Aryans are progressive in Vedic civilization. The Vedic
civilization's destination is to go back to Godhead, back home, where there is
no birth, no death, no old age and no disease. The Vedas direct everyone not
to remain in the darkness of the material world but to go towards the light of
the spiritual kingdom far beyond the material sky. The qualitative caste
system and the orders of life are scientifically planned by the Lord and His
representatives, the great rsis. The perfect way of life gives all sorts of
instruction in things both material and spiritual. The Vedic way of life does
not allow any man to be like the monkeys and dogs. A degraded civilization of
sense gratification and economic development is the by-product of a godless
or
kingless government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The
people should not, therefore, begrudge the poor administrations they
themselves elect.

TEXT 46
 693

dharma-palo nara-patih
sa tu samrad brhac-chravah
saksan maha-bhagavato
rajarsir haya-medhayat
ksut-trt-srama-yuto dino
naivasmac chapam arhati

dharma-palah--the protector of religion; nara-patih--the King; sah--he;

tu--but; samrat--Emperor; brhat--highly; sravah--celebrated; saksat--directly;
maha-bhagavatah--the first-class devotee of the Lord; raja-rsih--saint amongst
the royal order; haya-medhayat--great performer of horse sacrifices;
ksut--hunger; trt--thirst; srama-yutah--tired and fatigued; dinah--stricken;
na--never; eva--thus; asmat--by us; sapam--curse; arhati--deserves.

TRANSLATION

The Emperor Pariksit is a pious king. He is highly celebrated and is a

first-class devotee of the Personality of Godhead. He is a saint amongst
royalty, and he has performed many horse sacrifices. When such a king is tired
and fatigued, being stricken with hunger and thirst, he does not at all
deserve to be cursed.

PURPORT

After explaining the general codes relating to the royal position and
asserting that the king can do no wrong and therefore is never to be
condemned, the sage Samika wanted to say something about Emperor Pariksit
specifically. The specific qualification of Maharaja Pariksit is summarized
herein. The King, even calculated as a king only, was most celebrated as a
ruler who administered the religious principles of the royal order. In the
sastras the duties of all castes and orders of society are prescribed. All the
qualities of a ksatriya mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (18.43) were present in
the person of the Emperor. He was also a great devotee of the Lord and a
self-realized soul. Cursing such a king, when he was tired and fatigued with
hunger and thirst, was not at all proper. Samika Rsi thus admitted from all
sides that Maharaja Pariksit was cursed most unjustly. Although all the
brahmanas were aloof from the incident, still for the childish action of a
brahmana boy the whole world situation was changed. Thus Rsi Samika, a
brahmana, took responsibility for all deterioration of the good orders of the
world.

TEXT 47

apapesu sva-bhrtyesu
balenapakva-buddhina
papam krtam tad bhagavan
sarvatma ksantum arhati

apapesu--unto one who is completely free from all sins; sva-bhrtyesu--unto

one
who is subordinate and deserves to be protected; balena--by a child;
 694

apakva--who is immature; buddhina--by intelligence; papam--sinful act;

krtam--has been done; tat bhagavan--therefore the Personality of Godhead;
sarva-atma--who is all-pervading; ksantum--just to pardon; arhati--deserve.

TRANSLATION

Then the rsi prayed to the all-pervading Personality of Godhead to pardon

his immature boy, who had no intelligence and who committed the great sin of
cursing a person who was completely free from all sins, who was subordinate
and who deserved to be protected.

PURPORT

Everyone is responsible for his own action, either pious or sinful. Rsi
Samika could foresee that his son had committed a great sin by cursing
Maharaja Pariksit, who deserved to be protected by the brahmanas, for he was
a
pious ruler and completely free from all sins because of his being a
first-class devotee of the Lord. When an offense is done unto the devotee of
the Lord, it is very difficult to overcome the reaction. The brahmanas, being
at the head of the social orders, are meant to give protection to their
subordinates and not to curse them. There are occasions when a brahmana
may
furiously curse a subordinate ksatriya or vaisya, etc., but in the case of
Maharaja Pariksit there were no grounds, as already explained. The foolish boy
had done it out of sheer vanity in being a brahmana's son, and thus he
became
liable to be punished by the law of God. The Lord never forgives a person who
condemns His pure devotee. Therefore, by cursing a king the foolish Srngi had
committed not only a sin but also the greatest offense. Therefore the rsi
could foresee that only the Supreme Personality of Godhead could save his
boy
from his sinful act. He therefore directly prayed for pardon from the Supreme
Lord, who alone can undo a thing which is impossible to change. The appeal
was
made in the name of a foolish boy who had developed no intelligence at all.
A question may be raised herein that since it was the desire of the Lord
that Pariksit Maharaja be put into that awkward position so that he might be
delivered from material existence, then why was a brahmana's son made
responsible for this offensive act? The answer is that the offensive act was
performed by a child only so that he could be excused very easily, and thus
the prayer of the father was accepted. But if the question is raised why the
brahmana community as a whole was made responsible for allowing Kali into
the
world affairs, the answer is given in the Varaha Purana that the demons who
acted inimically toward the Personality of Godhead but were not killed by the
Lord were allowed to take birth in the families of brahmanas to take
advantage
of the age of Kali. The all-merciful Lord gave them a chance to have their
births in the families of pious brahmanas so that they could progress toward
salvation. But the demons, instead of utilizing the good opportunity, misused
the brahminical culture due to being puffed up by vanity in becoming
 695

brahmanas. The typical example is the son of Samika Rsi, and all the foolish
sons of brahmanas are warned hereby not to become as foolish as Srngi and
be
always on guard against the demoniac qualities which they had in their
previous births. The foolish boy was, of course, excused by the Lord, but
others, who may not have a father like Samika Rsi, will be put into great
difficulty if they misuse the advantages obtained by birth in a brahmana
family.

TEXT 48

tiraskrta vipralabdhah
saptah ksipta hata api
nasya tat pratikurvanti
tad-bhaktah prabhavo 'pi hi

tirah-krtah--being defamed; vipralabdhah--being cheated; saptah--being

cursed;
ksiptah--disturbed by negligence; hatah--or even being killed; api--also;
na--never; asya--for all these acts; tat--them; pratikurvanti--counteract;
tat--the Lord's; bhaktah--devotees; prabhavah--powerful; api--although;
hi--certainly.

TRANSLATION

The devotees of the Lord are so forbearng that even though they are
defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never
inclined to avenge themselves.

PURPORT

Rsi Samika also knew that the Lord does not forgive a person who has
committed an offense at the feet of a devotee. The Lord can only give
direction to take shelter of the devotee. He thought within himself that if
Maharaja Pariksit would countercurse the boy, he might be saved. But he knew
also that a pure devotee is callous about worldly advantages or reverses. As
such, the devotees are never inclined to counteract personal defamation,
curses, negligence, etc. As far as such things are concerned, in personal
affairs the devotees do not care for them. But in the case of their being
performed against the Lord and His devotees, then the devotees take very
strong action. It was a personal affair, and therefore Samika Rsi knew that
the King would not take counteraction. Thus there was no alternative than to
place an appeal to the Lord for the immature boy.
It is not that only the brahmanas are powerful enough to award curses or
blessings upon the subordinates; the devotee of the Lord, even though he may
not be a brahmana, is more powerful than a brahmana. But a powerful
devotee
never misuses the power for personal benefit. Whatever power the devotee
may
have is always utilized in service towards the Lord and His devotees only.

TEXT 49
 696

iti putra-krtaghena
so 'nutapto maha-munih
svayam viprakrto rajna
naivagham tad acintayat

iti--thus; putra--son; krta--done by; aghena--by the sin; sah--he (the muni);
anutaptah--regretting; maha-munih--the sage; svayam--personally;
viprakrtah--being so insulted; rajna--by the King; na--not; eva--certainly;
agham--the sin; tat--that; acintayat--thought of it.

TRANSLATION

The sage thus regretted the sin committed by his own son. He did not take
the insult paid by the King very seriously.

PURPORT

The whole incident is now cleared up. Maharaja Pariksit's garlanding the
sage with a dead snake was not at all a very serious offense, but Srngi's
cursing the King was a serious offense. The serious offense was committed by
a
foolish child only; therefore he deserved to be pardoned by the Supreme Lord,
although it was not possible to get free from the sinful reaction. Maharaja
Pariksit also did not mind the curse offered to him by a foolish brahmana. On
the contrary, he took full advantage of the awkward situation, and by the
great will of the Lord, Maharaja Pariksit achieved the highest perfection of
life through the grace of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. Actually it was the desire
of the Lord, and Maharaja Pariksit, Rsi Samika and his son Srngi were all
instrumental in fulfilling the desire of the Lord. So none of them were put
into difficulty because everything was done in relation with the Supreme
Person.

TEXT 50

prayasah sadhavo loke

parair dvandvesu yojitah
na vyathanti na hrsyanti
yata atma 'gunasrayah

prayasah--generally; sadhavah--saints; loke--in this world; paraih--by others;

dvandvesu--in duality; yojitah--being engaged; na--never;
vyathanti--distressed; na--nor; hrsyanti--takes pleasure; yatah--because;
atma--self; aguna-asrayah--transcendental.

TRANSLATION

Generally the transcendentalists, even though engaged by others in the

dualities of the material world, are not distressed. Nor do they take pleasure
[in worldly things], for they are transcendentally engaged.

PURPORT
 697

The transcendentalists are the empiric philosophers, the mystics and the
devotees of the Lord. Empiric philosophers aim at the perfection of merging
into the being of the Absolute, mystics aim at perceiving the all-pervading
Supersoul, and the devotees of the Lord are engaged in the transcendental
loving service of the Personality of Godhead. Since Brahman, Paramatma and
Bhagavan are different phases of the same Transcendence, all these
transcendentalists are beyond the three modes of material nature. Material
distresses and happinesses are products of the three modes, and therefore the
causes of such material distress and happiness have nothing to do with the
transcendentalists. The King was a devotee, and the rsi was a mystic.
Therefore both of them were unattached to the accidental incident created by
the supreme will. The playful child was an instrument in fulfilling the Lord's
will.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Eighteenth
Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Maharaja Pariksit Cursed by a
Brahmana Boy."

Chapter Nineteen

The Appearance of Sukadeva Gosvami

TEXT 1

suta uvaca
mahi-patis tv atha tat-karma garhyam
vicintayann atma-krtam sudurmanah
aho maya nicam anarya-vat krtam
niragasi brahmani gudha-tejasi-

sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; mahi-patih--the King; tu--but; atha--thus

(while coming back home); tat--that; karma--act; garhyam--abominable;
vicintayan--thus thinking; atma-krtam--done by himself; su-durmanah--very
much
depressed; aho--alas; maya--by me; nicam--heinous; anarya--uncivilized;
vat--like; krtam--done; niragasi--unto one who is faultless; brahmani--unto a
brahmana; gudha--grave; tejasi--unto the powerful.

TRANSLATION

Sri Suta Gosvami said: While returning home, the King [Maharaja Pariksit]
felt that the act he had committed against the faultless and powerful
brahmana
was heinous and uncivilized. Consequently he was distressed.

PURPORT

The pious King regretted his accidental improper treatment of the

powerful brahmana, who was faultless. Such repentance is natural for a good
 698

man like the King, and such repentance delivers a devotee from all kinds of
sins accidentally committed. The devotees are naturally faultless. Accidental
sins committed by a devotee are sincerely regretted, and by the grace of the
Lord all sins unwillingly committed by a devotee are burnt in the fire of
repentance.

TEXT 2

dhruvam tato me krta-deva-helanad

duratyayam vyasanam nati-dirghat
tad astu kamam hy agha-niskrtaya me
yatha na kuryam punar evam addha

dhruvam--sure and certain; tatah--therefore; me--my;

krta-deva-helanat--because of disobeying the orders of the Lord;
duratyayam--very difficult; vyasanam--calamity; na--not; ati--greatly;
dirghat--far off; tat--that; astu--let it be; kamam--desire without
reservations; hi--certainly; agha--sins; niskrtaya--for getting free; me--my;
yatha--so that; na--never; kuryam--shall I do it; punah--again; evam--as I
have done; addha--directly.

TRANSLATION

[King Pariksit thought:] Due to my neglecting the injunctions of the

Supreme Lord I must certainly expect some difficulty to overcome me in the
near future. I now desire without reservation that the calamity come now, for
in this way I may be freed of the sinful action and not commit such an offense
again.

PURPORT

The Supreme Lord enjoins that brahmanas and cows must be given all
protection. The Lord is Himself very much inclined to do good to brahmanas
and
cows (go-brahmana-hitaya ca). Maharaja Pariksit knew all this, and thus he
concluded that his insulting a powerful brahmana was certainly to be punished
by the laws of the Lord, and he was expecting something very difficult in the
very near future. He therefore desired the imminent calamity to fall on him
and not on his family members. A man's personal misconduct affects all his
family members. Therefore Maharaja Pariksit desired the calamity to fall on
him alone. By suffering personally he would be restrained from future sins,
and at the same time the sin which he had committed would be counteracted
so
that his descendants would not suffer. That is the way a responsible devotee
thinks. The family members of a devotee also share the effects of a devotee's
service unto the Lord. Maharaja Prahlada saved his demon father by his
personal devotional service. A devotee son in the family is the greatest boon
or blessing of the Lord.

TEXT 3

adyaiva rajyam balam rddha-kosam

 699

prakopita-brahma-kulanalo me
dahatv abhadrasya punar na me 'bhut
papiyasi dhir dvija-deva-gobhyah

adya--this day; eva--on the very; rajyam--kingdom; balam rddha--strength and

riches; kosam--treasury; prakopita--ignited by; brahma-kula--by the brahmana
community; analah--fire; me dahatu--let it burn me;
abhadrasya--inauspiciousness; punah--again; na--not; me--unto me; abhut--
may
occur; papiyasi--sinful; dhih--intelligence; dvija--brahmanas; deva--the
Supreme Lord; gobhyah--and the cows.

TRANSLATION

I am uncivilized and sinful due to my neglect of brahminical culture, God

consciousness and cow protection. Therefore I wish that my kingdom, strength
and riches burn up immediately by the fire of the brahmana's wrath so that in
the future I may not be guided by such inauspicious attitudes.

PURPORT

Progressive human civilization is based on brahminical culture, God

consciousness and protection of cows. All economic development of the state
by
trade, commerce, agriculture and industries must be fully utilized in relation
to the above principles, otherwise all so-called economic development
becomes
a source of degradation. Cow protection means feeding the brahminical
culture,
which leads towards God consciousness, and thus perfection of human
civilization is achieved. The age of Kali aims at killing the higher
principles of life, and although Maharaja Pariksit strongly resisted the
domination of the personality of Kali within the world, the influence of the
age of Kali came at an opportune moment, and even a strong king like
Maharaja
Pariksit was induced to disregard the brahminical culture due to a slight
provocation of hunger and thirst. Maharaja Pariksit lamented the accidental
incident, and he desired that all his kingdom, strength and accumulation of
wealth would be burned up for not being engaged in brahminical culture, etc.
Where wealth and strength are not engaged in the advancement of
brahminical culture, God consciousness and cow protection, the state and
home
are surely doomed by Providence. If we want peace and prosperity in the
world,
we should take lessons from this verse; every state and every home must
endeavor to advance the cause of brahminical culture for self-purification,
God consciousness for self-realization and cow protection for getting
sufficient milk and the best food to continue a perfect civilization.

TEXT 4

sa cintayann ittham athasrnod yatha

 700

muneh sutokto nirrtis taksakakhyah

sa sadhu mene na cirena taksaka-
nalam prasaktasya virakti-karanam

sah--he, the King; cintayan--thinking; ittham--like this; atha--now;

asrnot--heard; yatha--as; muneh--of the sage; suta-uktah--uttered by the son;
nirrtih--death; taksaka-akhyah--in relation with the snake-bird; sah--he (the
King); sadhu--well and good; mene--accepted; na--not; cirena--very long time;
taksaka--snake-bird; analam--fire; prasaktasya--for one who is too attached;
virakti--indifference; karanam--cause.

TRANSLATION

While the King was thus repenting, he received news of his imminent
death, which would be due to the bite of a snake-bird, occasioned by the curse
spoken by the sage's son. The King accepted this as good news, for it would be
the cause of his indifference toward worldly things.

PURPORT

Real happiness is achieved by spiritual existence or by cessation of the

repetition of birth and death. One can stop the repetition of birth and death
only by going back to Godhead. In the material world, even by attaining the
topmost planet (Brahmaloka), one cannot get rid of the conditions of repeated
birth and death, but still we do not accept the path of attaining perfection.
The path of perfection frees one from all material attachments, and thus one
becomes fit to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Therefore, those who are
materially poverty-stricken are better candidates than those who are
materially prosperous. Maharaja Pariksit was a great devotee of the Lord and a
bona fide candidate for entering into the kingdom of God, but even though he
was so, his material assets as the Emperor of the world were setbacks to
perfect attainment of his rightful status as one of the associates of the Lord
in the spiritual sky. As a devotee of the Lord, he could understand that the
cursing of the brahmana boy, although unwise, was a blessing upon him, being
the cause of detachment from worldly affairs, both political and social.
Samika Muni also, after regretting the incident, conveyed the news to the King
as a matter of duty so that the King would be able to prepare himself to go
back to Godhead. Samika Muni sent news to the King that foolish Srngi, his
son, although a powerful brahmana boy, unfortunately had misused his
spiritual
power by cursing the King unwarrantedly. The incident of the King's garlanding
the muni was not sufficient cause for being cursed to death, but since there
was no way to retract the curse, the King was informed to prepare for death
within a week. Both Samika Muni and the King were self-realized souls. Samika
Muni was a mystic, and Maharaja Pariksit was a devotee. Therefore there was
no
difference between them in self-realization. Neither of them was afraid of
meeting death. Maharaja Pariksit could have gone to the muni to beg his
pardon, but the news of imminent death was conveyed to the King with so
much
regret by the muni that the King did not want to shame the muni further by his
presence there. He decided to prepare himself for his imminent death and find
 701

out the way to go back to Godhead.

The life of a human being is a chance to prepare oneself to go back to
Godhead, or to get rid of the material existence, the repetition of birth and
death. Thus in the system of varnasrama-dharma every man and woman is
trained
for this purpose. In other words, the system of varnasrama-dharma is known
also as sanatana-dharma, or the eternal occupation. The system of
varnasrama-dharma prepares a man for going back to Godhead, and thus a
householder is ordered to go to the forest as vanaprastha to acquire complete
knowledge and then to take sannyasa prior to his inevitable death. Pariksit
Maharaja was fortunate to get a seven-day notice to meet his inevitable death.
But for the common man there is no definite notice, although death is
inevitable for all. Foolish men forget this sure fact of death and neglect the
duty of preparing themselves for going back to Godhead. They spoil their lives
in animal propensities to eat, drink, be merry and enjoy. Such an
irresponsible life is adopted by the people in the age of Kali because of a
sinful desire to condemn brahminical culture, God consciousness and cow
protection, for which the state is responsible. The state must employ revenue
to advance these three items and thus educate the populace to prepare for
death. The state which does so is the real welfare state. The state of India
should better follow the examples of Maharaja Pariksit, the ideal executive
head, than to imitate other materialistic states which have no idea of the
kingdom of Godhead, the ultimate goal of human life. Deterioration of the
ideals of Indian civilization has brought about the deterioration of civic
life, not only in India but also abroad.

TEXT 5

atho vihayemam amum ca lokam

vimarsitau heyataya purastat
krsnanghri-sevam adhimanyamana
upavisat prayam amartya-nadyam

atho--thus; vihaya--giving up; imam--this; amum--and the next; ca--also;

lokam--planets; vimarsitau--all of them being judged; heyataya--because of
inferiority; purastat--hereinbefore; krsna-anghri--the lotus feet of the Lord,
Sri Krsna; sevam--transcendental loving service; adhimanyamanah--one who
thinks of the greatest of all achievements; upavisat--sat down firmly;
prayam--for fasting; amartya-nadyam--on the bank of the transcendental river
(the Ganges or the Yamuna).

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit sat down firmly on the banks of the Ganges to

concentrate his mind in Krsna consciousness, rejecting all other practices of
self-realization, because transcendental loving service to Krsna is the
greatest achievement, superseding all other methods.

PURPORT

For a devotee like Maharaja Pariksit, none of the material planets, even
 702

the topmost Brahmaloka, is as desirable as Goloka Vrndavana, the abode of

Lord
Sri Krsna, the primeval Lord and original Personality of Godhead. This earth
is one of the innumerable material planets within the universe, and there are
innumerable universes also within the compass of the mahat-tattva. The
devotees are told by the Lord and His representatives, the spiritual masters
or acaryas, that not one of the planets within all the innumerable universes
is suitable for the residential purposes of a devotee. The devotee always
desires to go back home, back to Godhead, just to become one of the
associates
of the Lord in the capacity of servitor, friend, parent or conjugal lover of
the Lord, either in one of the innumerable Vaikuntha planets or in Goloka
Vrndavana, the planet of Lord Sri Krsna. All these planets are eternally
situated in the spiritual sky, the paravyoma, which is on the other side of
the Causal Ocean within the mahat-tattva. Maharaja Pariksit was already
aware
of all this information due to his accumulated piety and birth in a high
family of devotees, Vaisnavas, and thus he was not at all interested in the
material planets. Modern scientists are very eager to reach the moon by
material arrangements, but they cannot conceive of the highest planet of this
universe. But a devotee like Maharaja Pariksit does not care a fig for the
moon or, for that matter, any of the material planets. So when he was assured
of his death on a fixed date, he became more determined in the
transcendental
loving service of Lord Krsna by complete fasting on the bank of the
transcendental River Yamuna, which flows down by the capital of Hastinapura
(in the Delhi state). Both the Ganges and the Yamuna are amartya
(transcendental) rivers, and Yamuna is still more sanctified for the following
reasons.

TEXT 6

ya vai lasac-chri-tulasi-vimisra-
krsnanghri-renv-abhyadhikambu-netri
punati lokan ubhayatra sesan
kas tam na seveta marisyamanah

ya--the river which; vai--always; lasat--floating with; sri-tulasi--tulasi

leaves; vimisra--mixed; krsna-anghri--the lotus feet of the Lord, Sri Krsna;
renu--dust; abhyadhika--auspicious; ambu--water; netri--that which is
carrying; punati--sanctifies; lokan--planets; ubhayatra--both the upper and
lower or inside and outside; sa-isan--along with Lord Siva; kah--who else;
tam--that river; na--does not; seveta--worship; marisyamanah--one who is to
die at any moment.

TRANSLATION

The river [Ganges, by which the King sat to fast] carries the most
auspicious water, which is mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord
and tulasi leaves. Therefore that water sanctifies the three worlds inside and
outside and even sanctifies Lord Siva and other demigods. Consequently
everyone who is destined to die must take shelter of this river.
 703

PURPORT

Maharaja Pariksit, just after receiving the news of his death within
seven days, at once retired from family life and shifted himself to the sacred
bank of the Yamuna River. Generally it is said that the King took shelter on
the bank of the Ganges, but according to Srila Jiva Gosvami, the King took
shelter on the bank of the Yamuna. Srila Jiva Gosvami's statement appears to
be more accurate because of the geographical situation. Maharaja Pariksit
resided in his capital Hastinapura, situated near present Delhi, and the River
Yamuna flows down past the city. Naturally the King would take shelter of the
River Yamuna because she was flowing past his palace door. And as far as
sanctity is concerned, the River Yamuna is more directly connected with Lord
Krsna than the Ganges. The Lord sanctified the River Yamuna from the
beginning
of His transcendental pastimes in the world. While His father Vasudeva was
crossing the Yamuna with the baby Lord Krsna for a safe place at Gokula on
the
other bank of the river from Mathura, the Lord fell down in the river, and by
the dust of His lotus feet the river at once became sanctified. It is
especially mentioned herein that Maharaja Pariksit took shelter of that
particular river which is beautifully flowing, carrying the dust of the lotus
feet of Lord Krsna, mixed with tulasi leaves. Lord Krsna's lotus feet are
always besmeared with the tulasi leaves, and thus as soon as His lotus feet
contact the water of the Ganges and the Yamuna, the rivers become at once
sanctified. The Lord, however, contacted the River Yamuna more than the
Ganges. According to the Varaha Purana, as quoted by Srila Jiva Gosvami,
there
is no difference between the water of the Ganges and the Yamuna, but when
the
water of the Ganges is sanctified one hundred times, it is called the Yamuna.
Similarly, it is said in the scriptures that one thousand names of Visnu are
equal to one name of Rama, and three names of Lord Rama are equal to one
name
of Krsna.

TEXT 7

iti vyavacchidya sa pandaveyah

prayopavesam prati visnu-padyam
dadhau mukundanghrim ananya-bhavo
muni-vrato mukta-samasta-sangah

iti--thus; vyavacchidya--having decided; sah--the King; pandaveyah--worthy

descendant of the Pandavas; praya-upavesam--for fasting until death;
prati--toward; visnu-padyam--on the bank of the Ganges (emanating from the
lotus feet of Lord Visnu); dadhau--gave himself up; mukunda-anghrim--unto
the
lotus feet of Lord Krsna; ananya--without deviation; bhavah--spirit;
muni-vratah--with the vows of a sage; mukta--liberated from; samasta--all
kinds of; sangah--association.
 704

TRANSLATION

Thus the King, the worthy descendant of the Pandavas, decided once and
for all and sat on the Ganges' bank to fast until death and give himself up to
the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, who alone is able to award liberation. So,
freeing himself from all kinds of associations and attachments, he accepted
the vows of a sage.

PURPORT

The water of the Ganges sanctifies all the three worlds, including the
gods and the demigods, because it emanates from the lotus feet of the
Personality of Godhead Visnu. Lord Krsna is the fountainhead of the principle
of visnu-tattva, and therefore shelter of His lotus feet can deliver one from
all sins, including an offense committed by a king unto a brahmana. Maharaja
Pariksit, therefore, decided to meditate upon the lotus feet of Lord Sri
Krsna, who is Mukunda, or the giver of liberations of all description. The
banks of the Ganges or the Yamuna give one a chance to remember the Lord
continuously. Maharaja Pariksit freed himself from all sorts of material
association and meditated upon the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, and that is the
way of liberation. To be free from all material association means to cease
completely from committing any further sins. To meditate upon the lotus feet
of the Lord means to become free from the effects of all previous sins. The
conditions of the material world are so made that one has to commit sins
willingly or unwillingly, and the best example is Maharaja Pariksit himself,
who was a recognized sinless, pious king. But he also became a victim of an
offense, even though he was ever unwilling to commit such a mistake. He was
cursed also, but because he was a great devotee of the Lord, even such
reverses of life became favorable. The principle is that one should not
willingly commit any sin in his life and should constantly remember the lotus
feet of the Lord without deviation. Only in such a mood will the Lord help the
devotee make regular progress toward the path of liberation and thus attain
the lotus feet of the Lord. Even if there are accidental sins committed by the
devotee, the Lord saves the surrendered soul from all sins, as confirmed in
all scriptures.

sva-pada-mulam bhajatah priyasya

tyaktany abhavasya harih paresah
vikarma yac cotpatitam kathancid
dhunoti sarvam hrdi sannivistah
(SB. 11.5.42)

TEXT 8

tatropajagmur bhuvanam punana

mahanubhava munayah sa-sisyah
prayena tirthabhigamapadesaih
svayam hi tirthani punanti santah
 705

tatra--there; upajagmuh--arrived; bhuvanam--the universe; punanah--those

who
can sanctify; maha-anubhavah--great minds; munayah--thinkers; sa-sisyah--
along
with their disciples; prayena--almost; tirtha--place of pilgrimage;
abhigama--journey; apadesaih--on the plea of; svayam--personally;
hi--certainly; tirthani--all the places of pilgrimage; punanti--sanctify;
santah--sages.

TRANSLATION

At that time all the great minds and thinkers, accompanied by their
disciples, and sages who could verily sanctify a place of pilgrimage just by
their presence, arrived there on the plea of making a pilgrim's journey.

PURPORT

When Maharaja Pariksit sat down on the bank of the Ganges, the news
spread in all directions of the universe, and the great-minded sages, who
could follow the importance of the occasion, all arrived there on the plea of
pilgrimage. Actually they came to meet Maharaja Pariksit and not to take a
bath of pilgrimage because all of them were competent enough to sanctify the
places of pilgrimage. Common men go to pilgrimage sites to get themselves
purified of all sins. Thus the places of pilgrimage become overburdened with
the sins of others. But when such sages visit overburdened places of
pilgrimage, they sanctify the places by their presence. Therefore the sages
who came to meet Maharaja Pariksit were not very much interested in getting
themselves purified like common men, but on the plea of taking a bath in that
place they came to meet Maharaja Pariksit because they could foresee that
Srimad-Bhagavatam would be spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami. All of them
wanted to
take advantage of the great occasion.

TEXT 9-10

atrir vasisthas cyavanah saradvan

aristanemir bhrgur angiras ca
parasaro gadhi-suto 'tha rama
utathya indrapramadedhmavahau

medhatithir devala arstiseno

bharadvajo gautamah pippaladah
maitreya aurvah kavasah kumbhayonir
dvaipayano bhagavan naradas ca

atri to narada--all names of the different saintly personalities who arrived

there from different parts of the universe.

TRANSLATION

From different parts of the universe there arrived great sages like Atri,
Cyavana, Saradvan, Aristanemi, Bhrgu, Vasistha, Parasara, Visvamitra, Angira,
 706

Parasurama, Utathya, Indrapramada, Idhmavahu, Medhatithi, Devala,

Arstisena,
Bharadvaja, Gautama, Pippalada, Maitreya, Aurva, Kavasa, Kumbhayoni,
Dvaipayana and the great personality Narada.

PURPORT

Cyavana: A great sage and one of the sons of Bhrgu Muni. He was born
prematurely when his pregnant mother was kidnapped. Cyavana is one of the
six
sons of his father.
Bhrgu: When Brahmaji was performing a great sacrifice on behalf of
Varuna, Maharsi Bhrgu was born from the sacrificial fire. He was a great sage,
and his very dear wife was Puloma. He could travel in space like Durvasa,
Narada and others, and he used to visit all the planets of the universe.
Before the Battle of Kuruksetra, he tried to stop the battle. Sometimes he
instructed Bharadvaja Muni about astronomical evolution, and he is the author
of the great Bhrgu-samhita, the great astrological calculation. He explained
how air, fire, water and earth are generated from ether. He explained how the
air in the stomach works and regulates the intestines. As a great philosopher,
he logically established the eternity of the living entity (Mahabharata). He
was also a great anthropologist, and the theory of evolution was long ago
explained by him. He was a scientific propounder of the four divisions and
orders of human society known as the varnasrama institution. He converted
the
ksatriya king Vitahavya into a brahmana.
Vasistha: See Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.6.
Parasara: He is the grandson of Vasistha Muni and father of Vyasadeva. He
is the son of Maharsi Sakti, and his mother's name was Adrsyati. He was in the
womb of his mother when she was only twelve years old. And from within the
womb of his mother he learned the Vedas. His father was killed by a demon,
Kalmasapada, and to avenge this he wanted to annihilate the whole world. He
was restrained, however, by his grandfather Vasistha. He then performed a
Raksasa-killing yajna, but Maharsi Pulastya restrained him. He begot
Vyasadeva, being attracted by Satyavati, who was to become the wife of
Maharaja Santanu. By the blessings of Parasara, Satyavati became fragrant for
miles. He was present also during the time of Bhisma's death. He was spiritual
master of Maharaja Janaka and a great devotee of Lord Siva. He is the author
of many Vedic scriptures and sociological directions.
Gadhi-suta, or Visvamitra: A great sage of austerity and mystic power. He
is famous as Gadhi-suta because his father was Gadhi, a powerful king of the
province of Kanyakubja (part of Uttara Pradesh). Although he was a ksatriya
by
birth, he became a brahmana in the very same body by the power of his
spiritual achievements. He picked a quarrel with Vasistha Muni when he was a
ksatriya king and performed a great sacrifice in cooperation with Maganga
Muni
and thus was able to vanquish the sons of Vasistha. He became a great yogi,
and yet he failed to check his senses and thus was obliged to become the
father of Sakuntala, the beauty queen of world history. Once, when he was a
ksatriya king, he visited the hermitage of Vasistha Muni, and he was given a
 707

royal reception. Visvamitra wanted from Vasistha a cow named Nandini, and
the
Muni refused to deliver it. Visvamitra stole the cow, and thus there was a
quarrel between the sage and the King. Visvamitra was defeated by the
spiritual strength of Vasistha, and thus the King decided to become a
brahmana. Before becoming a brahmana he underwent severe austerity on
the bank
of the Kausika. He was also one who tried to stop the Kuruksetra war.
Angira: He is one of the six mental sons of Brahma and the father of
Brhaspati, the great learned priest of the demigods in the heavenly planets.
He was born of the semen of Brahmaji given to a cinder of fire. Utathya and
Samvarta are his sons. It is said that he is still performing austerity and
chanting the holy name of the Lord at a place known as Alokananda on the
banks
of the Ganges.
Parasurama: See Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.6.
Utathya: One of the three sons of Maharsi Angira. He was the spiritual
master of Maharaja Mandhata. He married Bhadra, the daughter of Soma
(moon).
Varuna kidnapped his wife Bhadra, and to retaliate the offense of the god of
water, he drank all the water of the world.
Medhatithi: An old sage of yore. An assembly member of the heavenly King
Indradeva. His son was Kanva Muni, who brought up Sakuntala in the forest.
He
was promoted to the heavenly planet by strictly following the principles of
retired life (vanaprastha).
Devala: A great authority like Narada Muni and Vyasadeva. His good name
is on the list of authorities mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita when Arjuna
acknowledged Lord Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He met
Maharaja
Yudhisthira after the Battle of Kuruksetra, and he was the elder brother of
Dhaumya, the priest of the Pandava family. Like the ksatriyas, he also allowed
his daughter to select her own husband in a svayamvara meeting, and at that
ceremony all the bachelor sons of the rsis were invited. According to some, he
is not Asita Devala.
Bharadvaja: See Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.9.6.
Gautama: One of the seven great sages of the universe. Saradvan
Gautama
was one of his sons. Persons in the Gautama-gotra (dynasty) today are either
his family descendants or in his disciplic succession. The brahmanas who
profess Gautama-gotra are generally family descendants, and the ksatriyas
and
vaisyas who profess Gautama-gotra are all in the line of his disciplic
succession. He was the husband of the famous Ahalya who turned into stone
when
Indradeva, the King of the heaven, molested her. Ahalya was delivered by Lord
Ramacandra. Gautama was the grandfather of Krpacarya, one of the heroes of
the
Battle of Kuruksetra.
Maitreya: A great rsi of yore. He was spiritual master of Vidura and a
great religious authority. He advised Dhrtarastra to keep good relations with
the Pandavas. Duryodhana disagreed and thus was cursed by him. He met
 708

Vyasadeva and had religious discourses with him.

TEXT 11

anye ca devarsi-brahmarsi-varya
rajarsi-varya arunadayas ca
nanarseya-pravaran sametan
abhyarcya raja sirasa vavande

anye--many others; ca--also; devarsi--saintly demigods; brahmarsi--saintly

brahmanas; varyah--topmost; rajarsi-varyah--topmost saintly kings;
aruna-adayah--a special rank of rajarsis; ca--and; nana--many others;
arseya-pravaran--chief amongst the dynasties of the sages; sametan--
assembled
together; abhyarcya--by worshiping; raja--the Emperor; sirasa--bowed his head
to the ground; vavande--welcomed.

TRANSLATION

There were also many other saintly demigods, kings and special royal
orders called arunadayas [a special rank of rajarsis] from different dynasties
of sages. When they all assembled together to meet the Emperor [Pariksit], he
received them properly and bowed his head to the ground.

PURPORT

The system of bowing the head to the ground to show respect, to superiors
is an excellent etiquette which obliges the honored guest deep into the heart.
Even the first-grade offender is excused simply by this process, and Maharaja
Pariksit, although honored by all the rsis and kings, welcomed all the big men
in that humble etiquette in order to be excused from any offenses. Generally
at the last stage of one's life this humble method is adopted by every
sensible man in order to be excused before departure. In this way Maharaja
Pariksit implored everyone's good will for going back home, back to Godhead.

TEXT 12

sukhopavistesv atha tesu bhuyah

krta-pranamah sva-cikirsitam yat
vijnapayam asa vivikta-ceta
upasthito 'gre 'bhigrhita-panih

sukha--happily; upavistesu--all sitting down; atha--thereupon; tesu--unto them

(the visitors); bhuyah--again; krta-pranamah--having offered obeisances;
sva--his own; cikirsitam--decision of fasting; yat--who; vijnapayam
asa--submitted; vivikta-cetah--one whose mind is detached from worldly
affairs; upasthitah--being present; agre--before them;
abhigrhita-panih--humbly with folded hands.

TRANSLATION

After all the rsis and others had seated themselves comfortably, the
 709

King, humbly standing before them with folded hands, told them of his
decision
to fast until death.

PURPORT

Although the King had already decided to fast until death on the bank of
the Ganges, he humbly expressed his decision to elicit the opinions of the
great authorities present there. Any decision, however important, should be
confirmed by some authority. That makes the matter perfect. This means that
the monarchs who ruled the earth in those days were not irresponsible
dictators. They scrupulously followed the authoritative decisions of the
saints and sages in terms of Vedic injunction. Maharaja Pariksit, as a perfect
king, followed the principles by consulting the authorities, even up to the
last days of his life.

TEXT 13

rajovaca
aho vayam dhanyatama nrpanam
mahattamanugrahaniya-silah
rajnam kulam brahmana-pada-saucad
durad visrstam bata garhya-karma

raja uvaca--the fortunate King said; aho--ah; vayam--we; dhanya-tamah--most

thankful; nrpanam--of all the kings; mahat-tama--of the great souls;
anugrahaniya-silah--trained to get favors; rajnam--of the royal;
kulam--orders; brahmana-pada--feet of the brahmanas; saucat--refuse after
cleaning; durat--at a distance; visrstam--always left out; bata--on account
of; garhya--condemnable; karma--activities.

TRANSLATION

The fortunate King said: Indeed, we are the most grateful of all the
kings who are trained to get favors from the great souls. Generally you
[sages] consider royalty as refuse to be rejected and left in a distant place.

PURPORT

According to religious principles, stool, urine, wash water, etc., must

be left at a long distance. Attached bathrooms, urinals, etc. may be very
convenient amenities of modern civilization, but they are ordered to be
situated at a distance from residential quarters. That very example is cited
herein in relation to the kingly order for those who are progressively
marching back to Godhead. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that to be in
intimate touch with dollars-and-cents men, or the kingly order, is worse than
suicide for one who desires to go back to Godhead. In other words, the
transcendentalists do not generally associate with men who are too enamored
by
the external beauty of God's creation. By advanced knowledge in spiritual
realization, the transcendentalist knows that this beautiful material world is
nothing but a shadowy reflection of the reality, the kingdom of God. They are
 710

not, therefore, very much captivated by royal opulence or anything like that.
But in the case of Maharaja Pariksit, the situation was different. Apparently
the King was condemned to death by an inexperienced brahmana boy, but
factually he was called by the Lord to return to Him. Other
transcendentalists, the great sages and mystics who assembled together
because
of Maharaja Pariksit's fasting unto death, were quite anxious to see him, for
he was going back to Godhead. Maharaja Pariksit also could understand that
the
great sages who assembled there were all kind to his forefathers, the
Pandavas, because of their devotional service to the Lord. He therefore felt
grateful to the sages for being present there at the last stage of his life,
and he felt that it was all due to the greatness of his late forefathers or
grandfathers. He felt proud, therefore, that he happened to be the descendant
of such great devotees. Such pride for the devotees of the Lord is certainly
not equal to the puffed-up sense of vanity for material prosperity. The first
is reality, whereas the other is false and vain.

TEXT 14

tasyaiva me 'ghasya paravareso

vyasakta-cittasya grhesv abhiksnam
nirveda-mulo dvija-sapa-rupo
yatra prasakto bhayam asu dhatte

tasya--his; eva--certainly; me--mine; aghasya--of the sinful;

para--transcendental; avara--mundane; isah--controller, the Supreme Lord;
vyasakta--overly attached; cittasya--of the mind; grhesu--to family affairs;
abhiksnam--always; nirveda-mulah--the source of detachment;
dvija-sapa--cursing by the brahmana; rupah--form of; yatra--whereupon;
prasaktah--one who is affected; bhayam--fearfulness; asu--very soon;
dhatte--take place.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of both the

transcendental and mundane worlds, has graciously overtaken me in the form
of
a brahmana's curse. Due to my being too much attached to family life, the
Lord, in order to save me, has appeared before me in such a way that only out
of fear I will detach myself from the world.

PURPORT

Maharaja Pariksit, although born in a family of great devotees, the

Pandavas, and although securely trained in transcendental attachment for the
association of the Lord, still found the allurement of mundane family life so
strong that he had to be detached by a plan of the Lord. Such direct action is
taken by the Lord in the case of a special devotee. Maharaja Pariksit could
understand this by the presence of the topmost transcendentalists in the
universe. The Lord resides with His devotees, and therefore the presence of
the great saints indicated the presence of the Lord. The King therefore
 711

welcomed the presence of the great rsis as a mark of favor of the Supreme
Lord.

TEXT 15

tam mopayatam pratiyantu vipra

ganga ca devi dhrta-cittam ise
dvijopasrstah kuhakas taksako va
dasatv alam gayata visnu-gathah

tam--for that reason; ma--me; upayatam--taken shelter of; pratiyantu--just

accept me; viprah--O brahmanas; ganga--mother Ganges; ca--also; devi--direct
representative of the Lord; dhrta--taken into; cittam--heart; ise--unto the
Lord; dvija-upasrstah--created by the brahmana; kuhakah--something magical;
taksakah--the snakebird; va--either; dasatu--let it bite; alam--without
further delay; gayata--please go on singing; visnu-gathah--narration of the
deeds of Visnu.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, just accept me as a completely surrendered soul, and let

mother Ganges, the representative of the Lord, also accept me in that way, for
I have already taken the lotus feet of the Lord into my heart. Let the
snake-bird--or whatever magical thing the brahmana created--bite me at once.
I
only desire that you all continue singing the deeds of Lord Visnu.

PURPORT

As soon as one is given up completely unto the lotus feet of the Supreme
Lord, he is not at all afraid of death. The atmosphere created by the presence
of great devotees of the Lord on the bank of the Ganges and Maharaja
Pariksit's complete acceptance of the Lord's lotus feet were sufficient
guarantee to the King for going back to Godhead. He thus became absolutely
free from all fear of death.

TEXT 16

punas ca bhuyad bhagavaty anante

ratih prasangas ca tad-asrayesu
mahatsu yam yam upayami srstim
maitry astu sarvatra namo dvijebhyah

punah--again; ca--and; bhuyat--let it be; bhagavati--unto Lord Sri Krsna;

anante--who has unlimited potency; ratih--attracting; prasangah--association;
ca--also; tat--His; asrayesu--with those who are His devotees; mahatsu--within
the material creation; yam yam--wherever; upayami--I may take; srstim--my
birth; maitri--friendly relation; astu--let it be; sarvatra--everywhere;
namah--my obeisances; dvijebhyah--unto the brahmanas.

TRANSLATION
 712

Again, offering obeisances unto all you brahmanas, I pray that if I

should again take my birth in the material world I will have complete
attachment to the unlimited Lord Krsna, association with His devotees and
friendly relations with all living beings.

PURPORT

That a devotee of the Lord is the only perfect living being is explained
herein by Maharaja Pariksit. A devotee of the Lord is no one's enemy, although
there may be many enemies of a devotee. A devotee of the Lord does not like
to
associate with nondevotees, although he has no enmity with them. He desires
association with the devotees of the Lord. This is perfectly natural because
birds of the same feather mix together. And the most important function of a
devotee is to have complete attachment for Lord Sri Krsna, the father of all
living beings. As a good son of the father behaves in a friendly way with all
his other brothers, so also the devotee of the Lord, being a good son of the
supreme father, Lord Krsna, sees all other living beings in relation with the
supreme father. He tries to bring back the upstart sons of the father to a
saner stage and to get them to accept the supreme fatherhood of God.
Maharaja
Pariksit was certainly going back to Godhead, but even if he were not to go
back, he prayed for a pattern of life which is the most perfect way in the
material world. A pure devotee does not desire the company of a personality
as
great as Brahma, but he prefers the association of a petty living being,
provided he is a devotee of the Lord.

TEXT 17

iti sma rajadhyavasaya-yuktah

pracina-mulesu kusesu dhirah
udan-mukho daksina-kula aste
samudra-patnyah sva-suta-nyasta-bharah

iti--thus; sma--as in the past; raja--the King; adhyavasaya--perseverance;

yuktah--being engaged; pracina--eastern; mulesu--with the root; kusesu--on a
seat made of kusa straw; dhirah--self-controlled; udak-mukhah--facing the
northern side; daksina--on the southern; kule--bank; aste--situated;
samudra--the sea; patnyah--wife of (the Ganges); sva--own; suta--son;
nyasta--given over; bharah--the charge of administration.

TRANSLATION

In perfect self-control, Maharaja Pariksit sat down on a seat of straw,

with straw-roots facing the east, placed on the southern bank of the Ganges,
and he himself faced the north. Just previously he had given charge of his
kingdom over to his son.

PURPORT

The River Ganges is celebrated as the wife of the sea. The seat of kusa
 713

straw is considered to be sanctified if the straw is taken out of the earth

complete with root, and if the root is pointed toward the east it is
considered to be auspicious. Facing the north is still more favorable for
attaining spiritual success. Maharaja Pariksit handed over the charge of
administration to his son before leaving home. He was thus fully equipped for
all favorable conditions.

TEXT 18

evam ca tasmin nara-deva-deve

prayopaviste divi deva-sanghah
prasasya bhumau vyakiran prasunair
muda muhur dundubhayas ca neduh

evam--thus; ca--and; tasmin--in that; nara-deva-deve--upon the King's;

praya-upaviste--being engaged in fasting to death; divi--in the sky;
deva--demigods; sanghah--all of them; prasasya--having praised the action;
bhumau--on the earth; vyakiran--scattered; prasunaih--with flowers; muda--in
pleasure; muhuh--continually; dundubhayah--celestial drums; ca--also;
neduh--beaten.

TRANSLATION

Thus the King, Maharaja Pariksit, sat to fast until death. All the
demigods of the higher planets praised the King's actions and in pleasure
continually scattered flowers over the earth and beat celestial drums.

PURPORT

Even up to the time of Maharaja Pariksit there were interplanetary

communications, and the news of Maharaja Pariksit's fasting unto death to
attain salvation reached the higher planets in the sky where the intelligent
demigods live. The demigods are more luxurious than human beings, but all of
them are obedient to the orders of the Supreme Lord. There is no one in the
heavenly planets who is an atheist or nonbeliever. Thus any devotee of the
Lord on the surface of the earth is always praised by them, and in the case of
Maharaja Pariksit they were greatly delighted and thus gave tokens of honor
by
scattering flowers over the earth and by beating celestial drums. A demigod
takes pleasure in seeing someone go back to Godhead. He is always pleased
with
a devotee of the Lord, so much so that by his adhidaivic powers he may help
the devotees in all respects. And by their actions, the Lord is pleased with
them. There is an invisible chain of complete cooperation between the Lord,
the demigods and the devotee of the Lord on earth.

TEXT 19

maharsayo vai samupagata ye

prasasya sadhv ity anumodamanah
ucuh prajanugraha-sila-sara
yad uttama-sloka-gunabhirupam
 714

maharsayah--the great sages; vai--as a matter of course;

samupagatah--assembled there; ye--those who; prasasya--by praising;
sadhu--quite all right; iti--thus; anumodamanah--all approving; ucuh--said;
praja-anugraha--doing good to the living being; sila-sarah--qualitatively
powerful; yat--because; uttama-sloka--one who is praised by selected poems;
guna-abhirupam--as beautiful as godly qualities.

TRANSLATION

All the great sages who were assembled there also praised the decision of
Maharaja Pariksit and they expressed their approval by saying, "Very good."
Naturally the sages are inclined to do good to common men, for they have all
the qualitative powers of the Supreme Lord. Therefore they were very much
pleased to see Maharaja Pariksit, a devotee of the Lord, and they spoke as
follows.

PURPORT

The natural beauty of a living being is enhanced by rising up to the

platform of devotional service. Maharaja Pariksit was absorbed in attachment
for Lord Krsna. Seeing this, the great sages assembled were very pleased, and
they expressed their approval by saying, "Very good." Such sages are
naturally
inclined to do good to the common man, and when they see a personality like
Maharaja Pariksit advance in devotional service, their pleasure knows no
bounds, and they offer all blessings in their power. The devotional service of
the Lord is so auspicious that all demigods and sages, up to the Lord Himself,
became pleased with the devotee, and therefore the devotee finds everything
auspicious. All inauspicious matters are removed from the path of a
progressive devotee. Meeting all the great sages at the time of death was
certainly auspicious for Maharaja Pariksit, and thus he was blessed by the
so-called curse of a brahmana's boy.

TEXT 20

na va idam rajarsi-varya citram

bhavatsu krsnam samanuvratesu
ye 'dhyasanam raja-kirita justam
sadyo jahur bhagavat-parsva-kamah

na--neither; va--like this; idam--this; rajarsi--saintly king; varya--the

chief; citram--astonishing; bhavatsu--unto all of you; krsnam--Lord Krsna;
samanuvratesu--unto those who are strictly in the line of; ye--who;
adhyasanam--seated on the throne; raja-kirita--helmets of kings;
justam--decorated; sadyah--immediately; jahuh--gave up; bhagavat--the
Personality of Godhead; parsva-kamah--desiring to achieve association.

TRANSLATION

[The sages said:] O chief of all the saintly kings of the Pandu dynasty
who are strictly in the line of Lord Sri Krsna! It is not at all astonishing
 715

that you give up your throne, which is decorated with the helmets of many
kings, to achieve eternal association with the Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

Foolish politicians who hold political administrative posts think that

the temporary posts they occupy are the highest material gain of life, and
therefore they stick to those posts even up to the last moment of life,
without knowing that achievement of liberation as one of the associates of the
Lord in His eternal abode is the highest gain of life. The human life is meant
for achieving this end. The Lord has assured us in the Bhagavad-gita many
times that going back to Godhead, His eternal abode, is the highest
achievement. Prahlada Maharaja, while praying to Lord Nrsimha, said, "O my
Lord, I am very much afraid of the materialistic way of life, and I am not the
least afraid of Your present ghastly ferocious feature as Nrsimhadeva. This
materialistic way of life is something like a grinding stone, and we are being
crushed by it. We have fallen into this horrible whirlpool of the tossing
waves of life, and thus, my Lord, I pray at Your lotus feet to call me back to
Your eternal abode as one of Your servitors. This is the summit liberation of
this materialistic way of life. I have very bitter experience of the
materialistic way of life. In whichever species of life I have taken birth,
compelled by the force of my own activities, I have very painfully experienced
two things, namely separation from my beloved and meeting with what is not
wanted. And to counteract them, the remedies which I undertook were more
dangerous than the disease itself. So I drift from one point to another birth
after birth, and I pray to You therefore to give me a shelter at Your lotus
feet."
The Pandava kings, who are more than many saints of the world, knew the
bitter results of the materialistic way of life. They were never captivated by
the glare of the imperial throne they occupied, and they sought always the
opportunity of being called by the Lord to associate with Him eternally.
Maharaja Pariksit was the worthy grandson of Maharaja Yudhisthira. Maharaja
Yudhisthira gave up the imperial throne to his grandson, and similarly
Maharaja Pariksit, the grandson of Maharaja Yudhisthira, gave up the imperial
throne to his son Janamejaya. That is the way of all the kings in the dynasty
because they are all strictly in the line of Lord Krsna. Thus the devotees of
the Lord are never enchanted by the glare of materialistic life, and they live
impartially, unattached to the objects of the false, illusory materialistic
way of life.

TEXT 21

sarve vayam tavad ihasmahe 'tha

kalevaram yavad asau vihaya
lokam param virajaskam visokam
yasyaty ayam bhagavata-pradhanah

sarve--all; vayam--of us; tavat--as long as; iha--at this place; asmahe--shall
stay; atha--hereafter; kalevaram--the body; yavat--so long; asau--the King;
vihaya--giving up; lokam--the planet; param--the supreme;
virajaskam--completely free from mundane contamination; visokam--
completely
 716

freed from all kinds of lamentation; yasyati--returns; ayam--this;

bhagavata--devotee; pradhanah--the foremost.

TRANSLATION

We shall all wait here until the foremost devotee of the Lord, Maharaja
Pariksit, returns to the supreme planet, which is completely free from all
mundane contamination and all kinds of lamentation.

PURPORT

Beyond the limitation of the material creation, which is compared to the

cloud in the sky, there is the paravyoma, or the spiritual sky, full of
planets called Vaikunthas. Such Vaikuntha planets are also differently known
as the Purusottamaloka, Acyutaloka, Trivikramaloka, Hrsikesaloka, Kesavaloka,
Aniruddhaloka, Madhavaloka, Pradyumnaloka, Sankarsanaloka, Sridharaloka,
Vasudevaloka, Ayodhyaloka, Dvarakaloka and many other millions of spiritual
lokas wherein the Personality of Godhead predominates; all the living entities
there are liberated souls with spiritual bodies as good as that of the Lord.
There is no material contamination; everything there is spiritual, and
therefore there is nothing objectively lamentable. They are full of
transcendental bliss, and are without birth, death, old age and disease. And
amongst all the above-mentioned Vaikunthalokas, there is one supreme loka
called Goloka Vrndavana, which is the abode of the Lord Sri Krsna and His
specific associates. Maharaja Pariksit was destined to achieve this particular
loka, and the great rsis assembled there could foresee this. All of them
consulted among themselves about the great departure of the great King, and
they wanted to see him up to the last moment because they would no more be
able to see such a great devotee of the Lord. When a great devotee of the
Lord
passes away, there is nothing to be lamented because the devotee is destined
to enter into the kingdom of God. But the sorry plight is that such great
devotees leave our sight, and therefore there is every reason to be sorry. As
the Lord is rarely to be seen by our present eyes, so also are the great
devotees. The great rsis, therefore, correctly decided to remain on the spot
till the last moment.

TEXT 22

asrutya tad rsi-gana-vacah pariksit

samam madhu-cyud guru cavyalikam
abhasatainan abhinandya yuktan
susrusamanas caritani visnoh

asrutya--just after hearing; tat--that; rsi-gana--the sages assembled;

vacah--speaking; pariksit--Maharaja Pariksit; samam--impartial;
madhu-cyut--sweet to hear; guru--grave; ca--also; avyalikam--perfectly true;
abhasata--said; enan--all of them; abhinandya--congratulated;
yuktan--appropriately presented; susrusamanah--being desirous to hear;
caritani--activities of; visnoh--the Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION
 717

All that was spoken by the great sages was very sweet to hear, full of
meaning and appropriately presented as perfectly true. So after hearing them,
Maharaja Pariksit, desiring to hear of the activities of Lord Sri Krsna, the
Personality of Godhead, congratulated the great sages.

TEXT 23

samagatah sarvata eva sarve

veda yatha murti-dharas tri-prsthe
nehatha namutra ca kascanartha
rte paranugraham atma-silam

samagatah--assembled; sarvatah--from all directions; eva--certainly;

sarve--all of you; vedah--supreme knowledge; yatha--as;
murti-dharah--personified; tri-prsthe--on the planet of Brahma (which is
situated above the three planetary systems, namely the upper, intermediate
and
lower worlds); na--not; iha--in this world; atha--thereafter; na--nor;
amutra--in the other world; ca--also; kascana--any other; arthah--interest;
rte--save and except; para--others; anugraham--doing good to; atma-silam--
own
nature.

TRANSLATION

The King said: O great sages, you have all very kindly assembled here,
having come from all parts of the universe. You are all as good as supreme
knowledge personified, who resides in the planet above the three worlds
[Satyaloka]. Consequently you are naturally inclined to do good to others, and
but for this you have no interest, either in this life or in the next.

PURPORT

Six kinds of opulences, namely wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge

and renunciation, are all originally the different attributes pertaining to
the Absolute Personality of Godhead. The living beings, who are
part-and-parcel entities of the Supreme Being, have all these attributes
partially, up to the full strength of seventy-eight percent. In the material
world these attributes (up to seventy-eight percent of the Lord's attributes)
are covered by the material energy, as the sun is covered by a cloud. The
covered strength of the sun is very dim, compared to the original glare, and
similarly the original color of the living beings with such attributes becomes
almost extinct. There are three planetary systems, namely the lower worlds,
the intermediate worlds and the upper worlds. The human beings on earth are
situated at the beginning of the intermediate worlds, but living beings like
Brahma and his contemporaries live in the upper worlds, of which the topmost
is Satyaloka. In Satyaloka the inhabitants are fully cognizant of Vedic
wisdom, and thus the mystic cloud of material energy is cleared. Therefore
they are known as the Vedas personified. Such persons, being fully aware of
knowledge both mundane and transcendental, have no interest in either the
 718

mundane or transcendental worlds. They are practically desireless devotees.

In
the mundane world they have nothing to achieve, and in the transcendental
world they are full in themselves. Then why do they come to the mundane
world?
They descend on different planets as messiahs by the order of the Lord to
deliver the fallen souls. On the earth they come down and do good to the
people of the world in different circumstances under different climatic
influences. They have nothing to do in this world save and except reclaim the
fallen souls rotting in material existence, deluded by material energy.

TEXT 24

tatas ca vah prcchyam imam viprcche

visrabhya vipra iti krtyatayam
sarvatmana mriyamanais ca krtyam
suddham ca tatramrsatabhiyuktah

tatah--as such; ca--and; vah--unto you; prcchyam--that which is to be asked;

imam--this; viprcche--beg to ask you; visrabhya--trustworthy;
viprah--brahmanas; iti--thus; krtyatayam--out of all different duties;
sarva-atmana--by everyone; mriyamanaih--especially those who are just about
to
die; ca--and; krtyam--dutiful; suddham--perfectly correct; ca--and;
tatra--therein; amrsata--by complete deliberation; abhiyuktah--just befitting.

TRANSLATION

O trustworthy brahmanas, I now ask you about my immediate duty. Please,

after proper deliberation, tell me of the unalloyed duty of everyone in all
circumstances, and specifically of those who are just about to die.

PURPORT

In this verse the King has placed two questions before the learned sages.
The first question is what is the duty of everyone in all circumstances, and
the second question is what is the specific duty of one who is to die very
shortly. Out of the two, the question relating to the dying man is most
important because everyone is a dying man, either very shortly or after one
hundred years. The duration of life is immaterial, but the duty of a dying man
is very important. Maharaja Pariksit placed these two questions before
Sukadeva Gosvami also on his arrival, and practically the whole of the
Srimad-Bhagavatam, beginning from the Second Canto up to the last Twelfth
Canto, deals with these two questions. The conclusion arrived at thereof is
that devotional service of the Lord Sri Krsna, as it is confirmed by the Lord
Himself in the last phases of the Bhagavad-gita, is the last word in relation
to everyone's permanent duty in life. Maharaja Pariksit was already aware of
this fact, but he wanted the great sages assembled there to unanimously give
their verdict on his conviction so that he might be able to go on with his
confirmed duty without controversy. He has especially mentioned the word
suddha, or perfectly correct. For transcendental realization or
self-realization, many processes are recommended by various classes of
 719

philosophers. Some of them are first-class methods, and some of them are
second- or third-class methods. The first-class method demands that one give
up all other methods and surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord and thus be
saved from all sins and their reactions.

TEXT 25

tatrabhavad bhagavan vyasa-putro

yadrcchaya gam atamano 'napeksah
alaksya-lingo nija-labha-tusto
vrtas ca balair avadhuta-vesah

tatra--there; abhavat--appeared; bhagavan--powerful; vyasa-putrah--son of

Vyasadeva; yadrcchaya--as one desires; gam--the earth; atamanah--while
traveling; anapeksah--disinterested; alaksya--unmanifested; lingah--
symptoms;
nija-labha--self-realized; tustah--satisfied; vrtah--surrounded; ca--and;
balaih--by children; avadhuta--neglected by others; vesah--dressed.

TRANSLATION

At that moment there appeared the powerful son of Vyasadeva, who

traveled
over the earth disinterested and satisfied with himself. He did not manifest
any symptoms of belonging to any social order or status of life. He was
surrounded with women and children, and he dressed as if others had
neglected
him.

PURPORT

The word bhagavan is sometimes used in relation with some of the great
devotees of the Lord, like Sukadeva Gosvami. Such liberated souls are
disinterested in the affairs of this material world because they are
self-satisfied by the great achievements of devotional service. As explained
before, Sukadeva Gosvami never accepted any formal spiritual master, nor did
he undergo any formal reformatory performances. His father, Vyasadeva, was
his
natural spiritual master because Sukadeva Gosvami heard Srimad-
Bhagavatam from
him. After this, he became completely self-satisfied. Thus he was not
dependent on any formal process. The formal processes are necessary for
those
who are expected to reach the stage of complete liberation, but Sri Sukadeva
Gosvami was already in that status by the grace of his father. As a young boy
he was expected to be properly dressed, but he went about naked and was
uninterested in social customs. He was neglected by the general populace,
and
inquisitive boys and women surrounded him as if he were a madman. He thus
appears on the scene while traveling on the earth of his own accord. It
appears that upon the inquiry of Maharaja Pariksit, the great sages were not
unanimous in their decision as to what was to be done. For spiritual salvation
 720

there were many prescriptions according to the different modes of different

persons. But the ultimate aim of life is to attain the highest perfectional
stage of devotional service to the Lord. As doctors differ, so also sages
differ in their different prescriptions. While such things were going on, the
great and powerful son of Vyasadeva appeared on the scene.

TEXT 26

tam dvyasta-varsam su-kumara-pada-

karoru-bahv-amsa-kapola-gatram
carv-ayataksonnasa-tulya-karna-
subhrv-ananam kambu-sujata-kantham

tam--him; dvi-asta--sixteen; varsam--years; su-kumara--delicate; pada--legs;

kara--hands; uru--thighs; bahu--arms; amsa--shoulders; kapola--forehead;
gatram--body; caru--beautiful; ayata--broad; aksa--eyes; unnasa--high nose;
tulya--similar; karna--ears; subhru--nice brows; ananam--face;
kambu--conchshell; sujata--nicely built; kantham--neck.

TRANSLATION

This son of Vyasadeva was only sixteen years old. His legs, hands,
thighs, arms, shoulders, forehead and the other parts of his body were all
delicately formed. His eyes were beautifully wide, and his nose and ears were
highly raised. He had a very attractive face, and his neck was well formed and
beautiful like a conchshell.

PURPORT

A respectable personality is described beginning with the legs, and this

honored system is observed here with Sukadeva Gosvami. He was only sixteen
years of age. A person is honored for his achievements and not for advanced
age. A person can be older by experience and not by age. Sri Sukadeva
Gosvami,
who is described herein as the son of Vyasadeva, was by his knowledge more
experienced than all the sages present there, although he was only sixteen
years old.

TEXT 27

nigudha-jatrum prthu-tunga-vaksasam
avarta-nabhim vali-valgudaram ca
dig-ambaram vaktra-vikirna-kesam
pralamba-bahum svamarottamabham

nigudha--covered; jatrum--collarbone; prthu--broad; tunga--swollen;

vaksasam--chest; avarta--whirled; nabhim--navel; vali-valgu--striped;
udaram--abdomen; ca--also; dik-ambaram--dressed by all directions (naked);
vaktra--curled; vikirna--scattered; kesam--hair; pralamba--elongated;
hahum--hands; su-amara-uttama--the best among the gods (Krsna); abham--
hue.
 721

TRANSLATION

His collarbone was fleshy, his chest broad and thick, his navel deep and
his abdomen beautifully striped. His arms were long, and curly hair was strewn
over his beautiful face. He was naked, and the hue of his body reflected that
of Lord Krsna.

PURPORT

His bodily features indicate him to be different from common men. All the
signs described in connection with the bodily features of Sukadeva Gosvami
are
uncommon symptoms, typical of great personalities, according to
physiognomical
calculations. His bodily hue resembled that of Lord Krsna, who is the supreme
among the gods, demigods and all living beings.

TEXT 28

syamam sadapivya-vayo-'nga-laksmya
strinam mano-jnam rucira-smitena
pratyutthitas te munayah svasanebhyas
tal-laksana-jna api gudha-varcasam

syamam--blackish; sada--always; apivya--excessively; vayah--age;

anga--symptoms; laksmya--by the opulence of; strinam--of the fair sex;
manah-jnam--attractive; rucira--beautiful; smitena--smiling;
pratyutthitah--stood up; te--all of them; munayah--the great sages; sva--own;
asanebhyah--from the seats; tat--those; laksana-jnah--expert in the art of
physiognomy; api--even; gudha-varcasam--covered glories.

TRANSLATION

He was blackish and very beautiful due to his youth. Because of the
glamor of his body and his attractive smiles, he was pleasing to women.
Though
he tried to cover his natural glories, the great sages present there were all
expert in the art of physiognomy, and so they honored him by rising from their
seats.

TEXT 29

sa visnu-rato 'tithaya agataya

tasmai saparyam sirasajahara
tato nivrtta hy abudhah striyo 'rbhaka
mahasane sopavivesa pujitah

sah--he; visnu-ratah--Maharaja Pariksit (who is always protected by Lord

Visnu); atithaye--to become a guest; agataya--one who arrived there;
tasmai--unto him; saparyam--with the whole body; sirasa--with bowed head;
ajahara--offered obeisances; tatah--thereafter; nivrttah--ceased;
 722

hi--certainly; abudhah--less intelligent; striyah--women; arbhakah--boys;

maha-asane--exalted seat; sa--he; upavivesa--sat down; pujitah--being
respected.

TRANSLATION

Maharaja Pariksit, who is also known as Visnurata [one who is always

protected by Visnu], bowed his head to receive the chief guest, Sukadeva
Gosvami. At that time all the ignorant women and boys ceased following Srila
Sukadeva. Receiving respect from all, Sukadeva Gosvami took his exalted
seat.

PURPORT

On Sukadeva Gosvami's arrival at the meeting, everyone, except Srila

Vyasadeva, Narada and a few others, stood up, and Maharaja Pariksit, who
was
glad to receive a great devotee of the Lord, bowed down before him with all
the limbs of his body. Sukadeva Gosvami also exchanged the greetings and
reception by embrace, shaking of hands, nodding and bowing down, especially
before his father and Narada Muni. Thus he was offered the presidential seat
at the meeting. When he was so received by the king and sages, the street
boys
and less intelligent women who followed him were struck with wonder and
fear.
So they retired from their frivolous activities, and everything was full of
gravity and calm.

TEXT 30

sa samvrtas tatra mahan mahiyasam

brahmarsi-rajarsi-devarsi-sanghaih
vyarocatalam bhagavan yathendur
graharksa-tara-nikaraih paritah

sah--Sri Sukadeva Gosvami; samvrtah--surrounded by; tatra--there;

mahan--great; mahiyasam--of the greatest; brahmarsi--saint among the
brahmanas; rajarsi--saint among the kings; devarsi--saint among the
demigods;
sanghaih--by the assembly of; vyarocata--well deserved; alam--able;
bhagavan--powerful; yatha--as; induh--the moon; graha--planets; rksa--
heavenly
bodies; tara--stars; nikaraih--by the assembly of; paritah--surrounded by.

TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami was then surrounded by saintly sages and demigods

just
as the moon is surrounded by stars, planets and other heavenly bodies. His
presence was gorgeous, and he was respected by all.

PURPORT
 723

In the great assembly of saintly personalities, there was Vyasadeva the

brahmarsi, Narada the devarsi, Parasurama the great ruler of the ksatriya
kings, etc. Some of them were powerful incarnations of the Lord. Sukadeva
Gosvami was not known as brahmarsi, rajarsi or devarsi, nor was he an
incarnation like Narada, Vyasa or Parasurama. And yet he excelled them in
respects paid. This means that the devotee of the Lord is more honored in the
world than the Lord Himself. One should therefore never minimize the
importance of a devotee like Sukadeva Gosvami.

TEXT 31

prasantam asinam akuntha-medhasam

munim nrpo bhagavato 'bhyupetya
pranamya murdhnavahitah krtanjalir
natva gira sunrtayanvaprcchat

prasantam--perfectly pacified; asinam--sitting; akuntha--without hesitation;

medhasam--one who has sufficient intelligence; munim--unto the great sage;
nrpah--the King (Maharaja Pariksit); bhagavatah--the great devotee;
abhyupetya--approaching him; pranamya--bowing down; murdhna--his head;
avahitah--properly; krta-anjalih--with folded hands; natva--politely, gira--by
words; sunrtaya--in sweet voices; anvaprcchat--inquired.

TRANSLATION

The sage Sri Sukadeva Gosvami sat perfectly pacified, intelligent and
ready to answer any question without hesitation. The great devotee, Maharaja
Pariksit, approached him, offered his respects by bowing before him, and
politely inquired with sweet words and folded hands.

PURPORT

The gesture now adopted by Maharaja Pariksit of questioning a master is

quite befitting in terms of scriptural injunctions. The scriptural injunction
is that one should humbly approach a spiritual master to understand the
transcendental science. Maharaja Pariksit was now prepared for meeting his
death, and within the very short time of seven days he was to know the
process
of entering the kingdom of God. In such important cases, one is required to
approach a spiritual master. There is no necessity of approaching a spiritual
master unless one is in need of solving the problems of life. One who does not
know how to put questions before the spiritual master has no business seeing
him. And the qualification of the spiritual master is perfectly manifested in
the person of Sukadeva Gosvami. Both the spiritual master and the disciple,
namely Sri Sukadeva Gosvami and Maharaja Pariksit, attained perfection
through
the medium of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sukadeva Gosvami learned Srimad-
Bhagavatam
from his father, Vyasadeva, but he had no chance to recite it. Before Maharaja
Pariksit he recited Srimad-Bhagavatam and answered the questions of
Maharaja
 724

Pariksit unhesitatingly, and thus both the master and the disciple got
salvation.

TEXT 32

pariksid uvaca
aho adya vayam brahman
sat-sevyah ksatra-bandhavah
krpayatithi-rupena
bhavadbhis tirthakah krtah

pariksit uvaca--the fortunate Maharaja Pariksit said; aho--ah; adya--today;

vayam--we; brahman--O brahmana; sat-sevyah--eligible to serve the devotee;
ksatra--the ruling class; bandhavah--friends; krpaya--by your mercy;
atithi-rupena--in the manner of a guest; bhavadbhih--by your good self;
tirthakah--qualified for being places of pilgrimage; krtah--done by you.

TRANSLATION

The fortunate King Pariksit said: O brahmana, by your mercy only, you
have sanctified us, making us like unto places of pilgrimage, all by your
presence here as my guest. By your mercy, we, who are but unworthy royalty,
become eligible to serve the devotee.

PURPORT

Saintly devotees like Sukadeva Gosvami generally do not approach worldly

enjoyers, especially those in royal orders. Maharaja Prataparudra was a
follower of Lord Caitanya, but when he wanted to see the Lord, the Lord
refused to see him because he was a king. For a devotee who desires to go
back
to Godhead, two things are strictly prohibited: worldly enjoyers and women.
Therefore, devotees of the standard of Sukadeva Gosvami are never
interested
in seeing kings. Maharaja Pariksit was, of course, a different case. He was a
great devotee, although a king, and therefore Sukadeva Gosvami came to see
him
in his last stage of life. Maharaja Pariksit, out of his devotional humility,
felt himself an unworthy descendant of his great ksatriya forefathers,
although he was as great as his predecessors. The unworthy sons of the royal
orders are called ksatra-bandhavas, as the unworthy sons of the brahmanas
are
called dvija-bandhus or brahma-bandhus. Maharaja Pariksit was greatly
encouraged by the presence of Sukadeva Gosvami. He felt himself sanctified
by
the presence of the great saint whose presence turns any place into a place of
pilgrimage.

TEXT 33

yesam samsmaranat pumsam

sadyah suddhyanti vai grhah
 725

kim punar darsana-sparsa-

pada-saucasanadibhih

yesam--of whom; samsmaranat--by remembrance; pumsam--of a person;

sadyah--instantly; suddhyanti--cleanses; vai--certainly; grhah--all houses;
kim--what; punah--then; darsana--meeting; sparsa--touching; pada--the feet;
sauca--washing; asana-adibhih--by offering a seat, etc.

TRANSLATION

Simply by our remembering you, our houses become instantly sanctified.

And what to speak of seeing you, touching you, washing your holy feet and
offering you a seat in our home?

PURPORT

The importance of holy places of pilgrimage is due to the presence of

great sages and saints. It is said that sinful persons go to the holy places
and leave their sins there to accumulate. But the presence of the great saints
disinfects the accumulated sins, and thus the holy places continue to remain
sanctified by the grace of the devotees and saints present there. If such
saints appear in the homes of worldly people, certainly the accumulated sins
of such worldly enjoyers become neutralized. Therefore, the holy saints
actually have no self-interest with the householders. The only aim of such
saints is to sanctify the houses of the householders, and the householders
therefore should feel grateful when such saints and sages appear at their
doors. A householder who dishonors such holy orders is a great offender. It is
enjoined, therefore, that a householder who does not bow down before a saint
at once must undergo fasting for the day in order to neutralize the great
offense.

TEXT 34

sannidhyat te maha-yogin
patakani mahanty api
sadyo nasyanti vai pumsam
visnor iva suretarah

sannidhyat--on account of the presence; te--your; maha-yogin--O great mystic;

patakani--sins; mahanti--invulnerable; api--in spite of; sadyah--immediately;
nasyanti--vanquished; vai--certainly; pumsam--of a person; visnoh--like the
presence of the Personality of Godhead; iva--like; sura-itarah--other than the
demigods.

TRANSLATION

Just as the atheist cannot remain in the presence of the Personality of

Godhead, so also the invulnerable sins of a man are immediately vanquished
in
your presence, O saint! O great mystic!

PURPORT
 726

There are two classes of human beings, namely the atheist and the
devotee
of the Lord. The devotee of the Lord, because of manifesting godly qualities,
is called a demigod, whereas the atheist is called a demon. The demon cannot
stand the presence of Visnu, the Personality of Godhead. The demons are
always
busy in trying to vanquish the Personality of Godhead, but factually as soon
as the Personality of Godhead appears, by either His transcendental name,
form, attributes, pastimes, paraphernalia or variegatedness, the demon is at
once vanquished. It is said that a ghost cannot remain as soon as the holy
name of the Lord is chanted. The great saints and devotees of the Lord are in
the list of His paraphernalia, and thus as soon as a saintly devotee is
present, the ghostly sins are at once vanquished. That is the verdict of all
Vedic literatures. One is recommended, therefore, to associate only with
saintly devotees so that worldly demons and ghosts cannot exert their sinister
influence.

TEXT 35

api me bhagavan pritah

krsnah pandu-suta-priyah
paitr-svaseya-prity-artham
tad-gotrasyatta-bandhavah

api--definitely; me--unto me; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead;

pritah--pleased; krsnah--the Lord; pandu-suta--the sons of King Pandu;
priyah--dear; paitr--in relation with the father; svaseya--the sons of the
sister; priti--satisfaction; artham--in the matter of; tat--their;
gotrasya--of the descendant; atta--accepted; bandhavah--as a friend.

TRANSLATION

Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is very dear to the sons of
King Pandu, has accepted me as one of those relatives just to please His great
cousins and brothers.

PURPORT

A pure and exclusive devotee of the Lord serves his family interest more
dexterously than others, who are attached to illusory family affairs.
Generally people are attached to family matters, and the whole economic
impetus of human society is moving under the influence of family affection.
Such deluded persons have no information that one can render better service
to
the family by becoming a devotee of the Lord. The Lord gives special
protection to the family members and descendants of a devotee, even though
such members are themselves nondevotees! Maharaja Prahlada was a great
devotee
of the Lord, but his father, Hiranyakasipu, was a great atheist and declared
enemy of the Lord. But despite all this, Hiranyakasipu was awarded salvation
due to his being the father of Maharaja Prahlada. The Lord is so kind that he
 727

gives all protection to the family members of His devotee, and thus the
devotee has no need to bother about his family members, even if one leaves
such family members aside to discharge devotional service. Maharaja
Yudhisthira and his brothers were the sons of Kunti, the paternal aunt of Lord
Krsna, and Maharaja Pariksit admits the patronage of Lord Krsna because of
his
being the only grandson of the great Pandavas.

TEXT 36

anyatha te 'vyakta-gater
darsanam nah katham nrnam
nitaram mriyamananam
samsiddhasya vaniyasah

anyatha--otherwise; te--your; avyakta-gateh--of one whose movements are

invisible; darsanam--meeting; nah--for us; katham--how; nrnam--of the people;
nitaram--specifically; mriyamananam--of those who are about to die;
samsiddhasya--of one who is all-perfect; vaniyasah--voluntary appearance.

TRANSLATION

Otherwise [without being inspired by Lord Krsna] how is it that you have
voluntarily appeared here, though you are moving incognito to the common
man
and are not visible to us who are on the verge of death?

PURPORT

The great sage Sukadeva Gosvami was certainly inspired by Lord Krsna to
appear voluntarily before Maharaja Pariksit, the great devotee of the Lord,
just to give him the teachings of Srimad-Bhagavatam. One can achieve the
nucleus of the devotional service of the Lord by the mercy of the spiritual
master and the Personality of Godhead. The spiritual master is the manifested
representative of the Lord to help one achieve ultimate success. One who is
not authorized by the Lord cannot become a spiritual master. Srila Sukadeva
Gosvami is an authorized spiritual master, and thus he was inspired by the
Lord to appear before Maharaja Pariksit and instruct him in the teachings of
Srimad-Bhagavatam. One can achieve the ultimate success of going back to
Godhead if he is favored by the Lord's sending His true representative. As
soon as a true representative of the Lord is met by a devotee of the Lord, the
devotee is assured a guarantee for going back to Godhead just after leaving
the present body. This, however, depends on the sincerity of the devotee
himself. The Lord is seated in the heart of all living beings, and thus he
knows very well the movements of all individual persons. As soon as the Lord
finds that a particular soul is very eager to go back to Godhead, the Lord at
once sends His bona fide representative. The sincere devotee is thus assured
by the Lord of going back to Godhead. The conclusion is that to get the
assistance and help of a bona fide spiritual master means to receive the
direct help of the Lord Himself.

TEXT 37
 728

atah prcchami samsiddhim

yoginam paramam gurum
purusasyeha yat karyam
mriyamanasya sarvatha

atah--therefore; prcchami--beg to inquire; samsiddhim--the way of perfection;

yoginam--of the saints; paramam--the supreme; gurum--the spiritual master;
purusasya--of a person; iha--in this life; yat--whatever; karyam--duty;
mriyamanasya--of one who is going to die; sarvatha--in every way.

TRANSLATION

You are the spiritual master of great saints and devotees. I am therefore
begging you to show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for
one who is about to die.

PURPORT

Unless one is perfectly anxious to inquire about the way of perfection,

there is no necessity of approaching a spiritual master. A spiritual master is
not a kind of decoration for a householder. Generally a fashionable
materialist engages a so-called spiritual master without any profit. The
pseudo spiritual master flatters the so-called disciple, and thereby both the
master and his ward go to hell without a doubt. Maharaja Pariksit is the right
type of disciple because he puts forward questions vital to the interest of
all men, particularly for the dying men. The question put forward by Maharaja
Pariksit is the basic principle of the complete thesis of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
Now let us see how intelligently the great master replies.

TEXT 38

yac chrotavyam atho japyam

yat kartavyam nrbhih prabho
smartavyam bhajaniyam va
bruhi yad va viparyayam

yat--whatever; srotavyam--worth hearing; atho--thereof; japyam--chanted;

yat--what also; kartavyam--executed; nrbhih--by the people in general;
prabho--O master; smartavyam--that which is remembered;
bhajaniyam--worshipable; va--either; bruhi--please explain; yad va--what it
may be; viparyayam--against the principle.

TRANSLATION

Please let me know what a man should hear, chant, remember and
worship,
and also what he should not do. Please explain all this to me.

TEXT 39
 729

nunam bhagavato brahman

grhesu grha-medhinam
na laksyate hy avasthanam
api go-dohanam kvacit

nunam--because; bhagavatah--of you, who are powerful; brahman--O

brahmana;
grhesu--in the houses; grha-medhinam--of the householders; na--not;
laksyate--are seen; hi--exactly; avasthanam--staying in; api--even;
go-dohanam--milking the cow; kvacit--rarely.

TRANSLATION

O powerful brahmana, it is said that you hardly stay in the houses of men
long enough to milk a cow.

PURPORT

Saints and sages in the renounced order of life go to the houses of the
householders at the time they milk the cows, early in the morning, and ask
some quantity of milk for subsistence. A pound of milk fresh from the milk bag
of a cow is sufficient to feed an adult with all vitamin values, and therefore
saints and sages live only on milk. Even the poorest of the householders keep
at least ten cows, each delivering twelve to twenty quarts of milk, and
therefore no one hesitates to spare a few pounds of milk for the mendicants.
It is the duty of householders to maintain the saints and sages, like the
children. So a saint like Sukadeva Gosvami would hardly stay at the house of a
householder for more than five minutes in the morning. In other words, such
saints are very rarely seen in the houses of householders, and Maharaja
Pariksit therefore prayed to him to instruct him as soon as possible. The
householders also should be intelligent enough to get some transcendental
information from visiting sages. The householder should not foolishly ask a
saint to deliver what is available in the market. That should be the
reciprocal relation between the saints and the householders.

TEXT 40

suta uvaca
evam abhasitah prstah
sa rajna slaksnaya gira
pratyabhasata dharma-jno
bhagavan badarayanih

sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; evam--thus; abhasitah--being spoken;

prstah--and asked for; sah--he; rajna--by the King; slaksnaya--by sweet;
gira--language; pratyabhasata--began to reply; dharma-jnah--one who knows
the
principles of religion; bhagavan--the powerful personality; badarayanih--son
of Vyasadeva.

TRANSLATION
 730

Sri Suta Gosvami said: The King thus spoke and questioned the sage, using
sweet language. Then the great and powerful personality, the son of
Vyasadeva,
who knew the principles of religion, began his reply.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Nineteenth

Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The Appearance of Sukadeva
Gosvami."

(c) 1991 by Bhaktivedanta Book Trust