Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.14

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.14

tasyaiva me 'ghasya parāvareśo

vyāsakta-cittasya gṛheṣv abhīkṣṇam

nirveda-mūlo dvija-śāpa-rūpo

yatra prasakto bhayam āśu dhatte

SYNONYMS

tasya — his; eva — certainly; me — mine; aghasya — of the sinful; parā — transcendental; avara — mundane; īśaḥ — controller, the Supreme Lord; vyāsakta — overly attached; cittasya — of the mind; gṛheṣu — to family affairs; abhīkṣṇam — always; nirveda-mūlaḥ — the source of detachment; dvija-śāpa — cursing by the brāhmaṇa; rūpaḥ — form of; yatra — whereupon; prasaktaḥ — one who is affected; bhayam — fearfulness; āśu — 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 brāhmaṇa'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

Mahārāja Parīkṣit, although born in a family of great devotees, the Pāṇḍavas, 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 welcomed the presence of the great ṛṣis as a mark of favor of the Supreme Lord.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.13

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.13

rājovāca

aho vayaḿ dhanyatamā nṛpāṇāḿ

mahattamānugrahaṇīya-śīlāḥ

rājñāḿ kulaḿ brāhmaṇa-pāda-śaucād

dūrād visṛṣṭaḿ bata garhya-karma

SYNONYMS

rājā uvāca — the fortunate King said; aho — ah; vayam — we; dhanya-tamāḥ — most thankful; nṛpāṇām — of all the kings; mahat-tama — of the great souls; anugrahaṇīya-śīlāḥ — trained to get favors; rājñām — of the royal; kulam — orders; brāhmaṇa-pāda — feet of the brāhmaṇas; śaucāt — refuse after cleaning; dūrāt — at a distance; visṛṣṭam — 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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu 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 not, therefore, very much captivated by royal opulence or anything like that. But in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the situation was different. Apparently the King was condemned to death by an inexperienced brāhmaṇa 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit's fasting unto death, were quite anxious to see him, for he was going back to Godhead. Mahārāja Parīkṣit also could understand that the great sages who assembled there were all kind to his forefathers, the Pāṇḍavas, 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.12

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.12

sukhopaviṣṭeṣv atha teṣu bhūyaḥ

kṛta-praṇāmaḥ sva-cikīrṣitaḿ yat

vijñāpayām āsa vivikta-cetā

upasthito 'gre 'bhigṛhīta-pāṇiḥ

SYNONYMS

sukha — happily; upaviṣṭeṣu — all sitting down; atha — thereupon; teṣu — unto them (the visitors); bhūyaḥ — again; kṛta-praṇāmaḥ — having offered obeisances; sva — his own; cikīrṣitam — decision of fasting; yat — who; vijñāpayām āsa — submitted; vivikta-cetāḥ — one whose mind is detached from worldly affairs; upasthitaḥ — being present; agre — before them; abhigṛhīta-pāṇiḥ — humbly with folded hands.

TRANSLATION

After all the ṛṣis and others had seated themselves comfortably, the 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, as a perfect king, followed the principles by consulting the authorities, even up to the last days of his life.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.11

anye ca devarṣi-brahmarṣi-varyā

rājarṣi-varyā aruṇādayaś ca

nānārṣeya-pravarān sametān

abhyarcya rājā śirasā vavande

SYNONYMS

anye — many others; ca — also; devarṣi — saintly demigods; brahmarṣi — saintly brāhmaṇas; varyāḥ — topmost; rājarṣi-varyāḥ — topmost saintly kings; aruṇa-ādayaḥ — a special rank of rājarṣis; ca — and; nānā — many others; ārṣeya-pravarān — chief amongst the dynasties of the sages; sametān — assembled together; abhyarcya — by worshiping; rājā — the Emperor; śirasā — bowed his head to the ground; vavande — welcomed.

TRANSLATION

There were also many other saintly demigods, kings and special royal orders called aruṇādayas [a special rank of rājarṣis] from different dynasties of sages. When they all assembled together to meet the Emperor [Parīkṣit], 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit, although honored by all the ṛṣis 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit implored everyone's good will for going back home, back to Godhead.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.9-10

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.9-10

atrir vasiṣṭhaś cyavanaḥ śaradvān

ariṣṭanemir bhṛgur ańgirāś ca

parāśaro gādhi-suto 'tha rāma

utathya indrapramadedhmavāhau

medhātithir devala ārṣṭiṣeṇo

bhāradvājo gautamaḥ pippalādaḥ

maitreya aurvaḥ kavaṣaḥ kumbhayonir

dvaipāyano bhagavān nāradaś ca

SYNONYMS

atri to nārada — 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, Śaradvān, Ariṣṭanemi, Bhṛgu, Vasiṣṭha, Parāśara, Viśvāmitra, Ańgirā, Paraśurāma, Utathya, Indrapramada, Idhmavāhu, Medhātithi, Devala, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Bhāradvāja, Gautama, Pippalāda, Maitreya, Aurva, Kavaṣa, Kumbhayoni, Dvaipāyana and the great personality Nārada.

PURPORT

Cyavana: A great sage and one of the sons of Bhṛgu Muni. He was born prematurely when his pregnant mother was kidnapped. Cyavana is one of the six sons of his father.

Bhṛgu: When Brahmājī was performing a great sacrifice on behalf of Varuṇa, Maharṣi Bhṛgu was born from the sacrificial fire. He was a great sage, and his very dear wife was Pulomā. He could travel in space like Durvāsā, Nārada and others, and he used to visit all the planets of the universe. Before the Battle of Kurukṣetra, he tried to stop the battle. Sometimes he instructed Bhāradvāja Muni about astronomical evolution, and he is the author of the great Bhṛgu-saḿhitā, 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 (Mahābhārata). 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 varṇāśrama institution. He converted the kṣatriya king Vītahavya into a brāhmaṇa.

Vasiṣṭha: See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.6.

Parāśara: He is the grandson of Vasiṣṭha Muni and father of Vyāsadeva. He is the son of Maharṣi Śakti, and his mother's name was Adṛśyatī. 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, Kalmāṣapāda, and to avenge this he wanted to annihilate the whole world. He was restrained, however, by his grandfather Vasiṣṭha. He then performed a Rākṣasa-killing yajña, but Maharṣi Pulastya restrained him. He begot Vyāsadeva, being attracted by Satyavatī, who was to become the wife of Mahārāja Śāntanu. By the blessings of Parāśara, Satyavatī became fragrant for miles. He was present also during the time of Bhīṣma's death. He was spiritual master of Mahārāja Janaka and a great devotee of Lord Śiva. He is the author of many Vedic scriptures and sociological directions.

Gādhi-suta, or Viśvāmitra: A great sage of austerity and mystic power. He is famous as Gādhi-suta because his father was Gādhi, a powerful king of the province of Kanyākubja (part of Uttara Pradesh). Although he was a kṣatriya by birth, he became a brāhmaṇa in the very same body by the power of his spiritual achievements. He picked a quarrel with Vasiṣṭha Muni when he was a kṣatriya king and performed a great sacrifice in cooperation with Magańga Muni and thus was able to vanquish the sons of Vasiṣṭha. He became a great yogī, and yet he failed to check his senses and thus was obliged to become the father of Śakuntalā, the beauty queen of world history. Once, when he was a kṣatriya king, he visited the hermitage of Vasiṣṭha Muni, and he was given a royal reception. Viśvāmitra wanted from Vasiṣṭha a cow named Nandinī, and the Muni refused to deliver it. Viśvāmitra stole the cow, and thus there was a quarrel between the sage and the King. Viśvāmitra was defeated by the spiritual strength of Vasiṣṭha, and thus the King decided to become a brāhmaṇa. Before becoming a brāhmaṇa he underwent severe austerity on the bank of the Kauśika. He was also one who tried to stop the Kurukṣetra war.

Ańgirā: He is one of the six mental sons of Brahmā and the father of Bṛhaspati, the great learned priest of the demigods in the heavenly planets. He was born of the semen of Brahmājī given to a cinder of fire. Utathya and Saḿvarta 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 Alokānanda on the banks of the Ganges.

Paraśurāma: See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.6.

Utathya: One of the three sons of Maharṣi Ańgirā. He was the spiritual master of Mahārāja Mandhātā. He married Bhadrā, the daughter of Soma (moon). Varuṇa kidnapped his wife Bhadrā, and to retaliate the offense of the god of water, he drank all the water of the world.

Medhātithi: An old sage of yore. An assembly member of the heavenly King Indradeva. His son was Kaṇva Muni, who brought up Śakuntalā in the forest. He was promoted to the heavenly planet by strictly following the principles of retired life (vānaprastha).

Devala: A great authority like Nārada Muni and Vyāsadeva. His good name is on the list of authorities mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā when Arjuna acknowledged Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He met Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira after the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and he was the elder brother of Dhaumya, the priest of the Pāṇḍava family. Like the kṣatriyas, he also allowed his daughter to select her own husband in a svayaḿvara meeting, and at that ceremony all the bachelor sons of the ṛṣis were invited. According to some, he is not Asita Devala.

Bhāradvāja: See Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.9.6.

Gautama: One of the seven great sages of the universe. Śaradvān Gautama was one of his sons. Persons in the Gautama-gotra (dynasty) today are either his family descendants or in his disciplic succession. The brāhmaṇas who profess Gautama-gotra are generally family descendants, and the kṣatriyas and vaiśyas who profess Gautama-gotra are all in the line of his disciplic succession. He was the husband of the famous Ahalyā who turned into stone when Indradeva, the King of the heaven, molested her. Ahalyā was delivered by Lord Rāmacandra. Gautama was the grandfather of Kṛpācārya, one of the heroes of the Battle of Kurukṣetra.

Maitreya: A great ṛṣi of yore. He was spiritual master of Vidura and a great religious authority. He advised Dhṛtarāṣṭra to keep good relations with the Pāṇḍavas. Duryodhana disagreed and thus was cursed by him. He met Vyāsadeva and had religious discourses with him.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.8

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.8

tatropajagmur bhuvanaḿ punānā

mahānubhāvā munayaḥ sa-śiṣyāḥ

prāyeṇa tīrthābhigamāpadeśaiḥ

svayaḿ hi tīrthāni punanti santaḥ

SYNONYMS

tatra — there; upajagmuḥ — arrived; bhuvanam — the universe; punānāḥ — those who can sanctify; mahā-anubhāvāḥ — great minds; munayaḥ — thinkers; sa-śiṣyāḥ — along with their disciples; prāyeṇa — almost; tīrtha — place of pilgrimage; abhigama — journey; apadeśaiḥ — on the plea of; svayam — personally; hi — certainly; tīrthāni — all the places of pilgrimage; punanti — sanctify; santaḥ — 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit because they could foresee that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam would be spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. All of them wanted to take advantage of the great occasion.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.7

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.7

iti vyavacchidya sa pāṇḍaveyaḥ

prāyopaveśaḿ prati viṣṇu-padyām

dadhau mukundāńghrim ananya-bhāvo

muni-vrato mukta-samasta-sańgaḥ

SYNONYMS

iti — thus; vyavacchidya — having decided; saḥ — the King; pāṇḍaveyaḥ — worthy descendant of the Pāṇḍavas; prāya-upaveśam — for fasting until death; prati — toward; viṣṇu-padyām — on the bank of the Ganges (emanating from the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu); dadhau — gave himself up; mukunda-ańghrim — unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa; ananya — without deviation; bhāvaḥ — spirit; muni-vrataḥ — with the vows of a sage; mukta — liberated from; samasta — all kinds of; sańgaḥ — association.

TRANSLATION

Thus the King, the worthy descendant of the Pāṇḍavas, 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 Kṛṣṇa, 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 Viṣṇu. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of the principle of viṣṇu-tattva, and therefore shelter of His lotus feet can deliver one from all sins, including an offense committed by a king unto a brāhmaṇa. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, therefore, decided to meditate upon the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is Mukunda, or the giver of liberations of all description. The banks of the Ganges or the Yamunā give one a chance to remember the Lord continuously. Mahārāja Parīkṣit freed himself from all sorts of material association and meditated upon the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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-pāda-mūlaḿ bhajataḥ priyasya

tyaktāny abhāvasya hariḥ pareśaḥ

vikarma yac cotpatitaḿ kathañcid

dhunoti sarvaḿ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ

(Bhāg. 11.5.42)

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.6

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.6

yā vai lasac-chrī-tulasī-vimiśra-

kṛṣṇāńghri-reṇv-abhyadhikāmbu-netrī

punāti lokān ubhayatra seśān

kas tāḿ na seveta mariṣyamāṇaḥ

SYNONYMS

yā — the river which; vai — always; lasat — floating with; śrī-tulasī — tulasī leaves; vimiśra — mixed; kṛṣṇa-ańghri — the lotus feet of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; reṇu — dust; abhyadhika — auspicious; ambu — water; netrī — that which is carrying; punāti — sanctifies; lokān — planets; ubhayatra — both the upper and lower or inside and outside; sa-īśān — along with Lord Śiva; kaḥ — who else; tām — that river; na — does not; seveta — worship; mariṣyamāṇaḥ — 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 tulasī leaves. Therefore that water sanctifies the three worlds inside and outside and even sanctifies Lord Śiva and other demigods. Consequently everyone who is destined to die must take shelter of this river.

PURPORT

Mahārāja Parīkṣit, 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 Yamunā River. Generally it is said that the King took shelter on the bank of the Ganges, but according to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the King took shelter on the bank of the Yamunā. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī's statement appears to be more accurate because of the geographical situation. Mahārāja Parīkṣit resided in his capital Hastināpura, situated near present Delhi, and the River Yamunā flows down past the city. Naturally the King would take shelter of the River Yamunā because she was flowing past his palace door. And as far as sanctity is concerned, the River Yamunā is more directly connected with Lord Kṛṣṇa than the Ganges. The Lord sanctified the River Yamunā from the beginning of His transcendental pastimes in the world. While His father Vasudeva was crossing the Yamunā with the baby Lord Kṛṣṇa for a safe place at Gokula on the other bank of the river from Mathurā, 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit took shelter of that particular river which is beautifully flowing, carrying the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, mixed with tulasī leaves. Lord Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet are always besmeared with the tulasī leaves, and thus as soon as His lotus feet contact the water of the Ganges and the Yamunā, the rivers become at once sanctified. The Lord, however, contacted the River Yamunā more than the Ganges. According to the Varāha Purāṇa, as quoted by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, there is no difference between the water of the Ganges and the Yamunā, but when the water of the Ganges is sanctified one hundred times, it is called the Yamunā. Similarly, it is said in the scriptures that one thousand names of Viṣṇu are equal to one name of Rāma, and three names of Lord Rāma are equal to one name of Kṛṣṇa.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.5

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.5

atho vihāyemam amuḿ ca lokaḿ

vimarśitau heyatayā purastāt

kṛṣṇāńghri-sevām adhimanyamāna

upāviśat prāyam amartya-nadyām

SYNONYMS

atho — thus; vihāya — giving up; imam — this; amum — and the next; ca — also; lokam — planets; vimarśitau — all of them being judged; heyatayā — because of inferiority; purastāt — hereinbefore; kṛṣṇa-ańghri — the lotus feet of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa; sevām — transcendental loving service; adhimanyamānaḥ — one who thinks of the greatest of all achievements; upāviśat — sat down firmly; prāyam — for fasting; amartya-nadyām — on the bank of the transcendental river (the Ganges or the Yamunā).

TRANSLATION

Mahārāja Parīkṣit sat down firmly on the banks of the Ganges to concentrate his mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, rejecting all other practices of self-realization, because transcendental loving service to Kṛṣṇa is the greatest achievement, superseding all other methods.

PURPORT

For a devotee like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, none of the material planets, even the topmost Brahmaloka, is as desirable as Goloka Vṛndāvana, the abode of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 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 ācāryas, 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 Vaikuṇṭha planets or in Goloka Vṛndāvana, the planet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was already aware of all this information due to his accumulated piety and birth in a high family of devotees, Vaiṣṇavas, 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 Kṛṣṇa by complete fasting on the bank of the transcendental River Yamunā, which flows down by the capital of Hastināpura (in the Delhi state). Both the Ganges and the Yamunā are amartyā (transcendental) rivers, and Yamunā is still more sanctified for the following reasons.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.4

sa cintayann ittham athāśṛṇod yathā

muneḥ sutokto nirṛtis takṣakākhyaḥ

sa sādhu mene na cireṇa takṣakā-

nalaḿ prasaktasya virakti-kāraṇam

SYNONYMS

saḥ — he, the King; cintayan — thinking; ittham — like this; atha — now; aśṛṇot — heard; yathā — as; muneḥ — of the sage; suta-uktaḥ — uttered by the son; nirṛtiḥ — death; takṣaka-ākhyaḥ — in relation with the snake-bird; saḥ — he (the King); sādhu — well and good; mene — accepted; na — not; cireṇa — very long time; takṣaka — snake-bird; analam — fire; prasaktasya — for one who is too attached; virakti — indifference; kāraṇam — 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 brāhmaṇa boy, although unwise, was a blessing upon him, being the cause of detachment from worldly affairs, both political and social. Śamīka 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. Śamīka Muni sent news to the King that foolish Śṛńgi, his son, although a powerful brāhmaṇa 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 Śamīka Muni and the King were self-realized souls. Śamīka Muni was a mystic, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a devotee. Therefore there was no difference between them in self-realization. Neither of them was afraid of meeting death. Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 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 varṇāśrama-dharma every man and woman is trained for this purpose. In other words, the system of varṇāśrama-dharma is known also as sanātana-dharma, or the eternal occupation. The system of varṇāśrama-dharma prepares a man for going back to Godhead, and thus a householder is ordered to go to the forest as vānaprastha to acquire complete knowledge and then to take sannyāsa prior to his inevitable death. Parīkṣit Mahārāja 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit, 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.3

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.3

adyaiva rājyaḿ balam ṛddha-kośaḿ

prakopita-brahma-kulānalo me

dahatv abhadrasya punar na me 'bhūt

pāpīyasī dhīr dvija-deva-gobhyaḥ

SYNONYMS

adya — this day; eva — on the very; rājyam — kingdom; balam ṛddha — strength and riches; kośam — treasury; prakopita — ignited by; brahma-kula — by the brāhmaṇa community; analaḥ — fire; me dahatu — let it burn me; abhadrasya — inauspiciousness; punaḥ — again; na — not; me — unto me; abhūt — may occur; pāpīyasī — sinful; dhīḥ — intelligence; dvija — brāhmaṇas; deva — the Supreme Lord; gobhyaḥ — 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 brāhmaṇa'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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit was induced to disregard the brahminical culture due to a slight provocation of hunger and thirst. Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.2

dhruvaḿ tato me kṛta-deva-helanād

duratyayaḿ vyasanaḿ nāti-dīrghāt

tad astu kāmaḿ hy agha-niṣkṛtāya me

yathā na kuryāḿ punar evam addhā

SYNONYMS

dhruvam — sure and certain; tataḥ — therefore; me — my; kṛta-deva-helanāt — because of disobeying the orders of the Lord; duratyayam — very difficult; vyasanam — calamity; na — not; ati — greatly; dīrghāt — far off; tat — that; astu — let it be; kāmam — desire without reservations; hi — certainly; agha — sins; niṣkṛtāya — for getting free; me — my; yathā — so that; na — never; kuryām — shall I do it; punaḥ — again; evam — as I have done; addhā — directly.

TRANSLATION

[King Parīkṣit 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 brāhmaṇas and cows must be given all protection. The Lord is Himself very much inclined to do good to brāhmaṇas and cows (go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca). Mahārāja Parīkṣit knew all this, and thus he concluded that his insulting a powerful brāhmaṇa 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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. Mahārāja Prahlāda saved his demon father by his personal devotional service. A devotee son in the family is the greatest boon or blessing of the Lord.

Canto 1: Creation Chapter 19: The Appearance of Śukadeva Gosvāmī Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.1

Canto 1: Creation Chapter 19: The Appearance of Śukadeva Gosvāmī
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.19.1

sūta uvāca

mahī-patis tv atha tat-karma garhyaḿ

vicintayann ātma-kṛtaḿ sudurmanāḥ

aho mayā nīcam anārya-vat kṛtaḿ

nirāgasi brahmaṇi gūḍha-tejasi

SYNONYMS

sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; mahī-patiḥ — the King; tu — but; atha — thus (while coming back home); tat — that; karma — act; garhyam — abominable; vicintayan — thus thinking; ātma-kṛtam — done by himself; su-durmanāḥ — very much depressed; aho — alas; mayā — by me; nīcam — heinous; anārya — uncivilized; vat — like; kṛtam — done; nirāgasi — unto one who is faultless; brahmaṇi — unto a brāhmaṇa; gūḍha — grave; tejasi — unto the powerful.

TRANSLATION

Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: While returning home, the King [Mahārāja Parīkṣit] felt that the act he had committed against the faultless and powerful brāhmaṇa was heinous and uncivilized. Consequently he was distressed.

PURPORT

The pious King regretted his accidental improper treatment of the powerful brāhmaṇa, who was faultless. Such repentance is natural for a good 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.50

prāyaśaḥ sādhavo loke

parair dvandveṣu yojitāḥ

na vyathanti na hṛṣyanti

yata ātmāguṇāśrayaḥ

SYNONYMS

prāyaśaḥ — generally; sādhavaḥ — saints; loke — in this world; paraiḥ — by others; dvandveṣu — in duality; yojitāḥ — being engaged; na — never; vyathanti — distressed; na — nor; hṛṣyanti — takes pleasure; yataḥ — because; ātmā — self; aguṇa-āśrayaḥ — 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

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, Paramātmā and Bhagavān 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 ṛṣi 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 Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Mahārāja Parīkṣit Cursed by a Brāhmaṇa Boy."

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.49

iti putra-kṛtāghena

so 'nutapto mahā-muniḥ

svayaḿ viprakṛto rājñā

naivāghaḿ tad acintayat

SYNONYMS

iti — thus; putra — son; kṛta — done by; aghena — by the sin; saḥ — he (the muni); anutaptaḥ — regretting; mahā-muniḥ — the sage; svayam — personally; viprakṛtaḥ — being so insulted; rājñā — 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit's garlanding the sage with a dead snake was not at all a very serious offense, but Śṛńgi'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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit also did not mind the curse offered to him by a foolish brāhmaṇa. On the contrary, he took full advantage of the awkward situation, and by the great will of the Lord, Mahārāja Parīkṣit achieved the highest perfection of life through the grace of Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Actually it was the desire of the Lord, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Ṛṣi Śamīka and his son Śṛńgi 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.48

tiraskṛtā vipralabdhāḥ

śaptāḥ kṣiptā hatā api

nāsya tat pratikurvanti

tad-bhaktāḥ prabhavo 'pi hi

SYNONYMS

tiraḥ-kṛtāḥ — being defamed; vipralabdhāḥ — being cheated; śaptāḥ — being cursed; kṣiptāḥ — disturbed by negligence; hatāḥ — or even being killed; api — also; na — never; asya — for all these acts; tat — them; pratikurvanti — counteract; tat — the Lord's; bhaktāḥ — devotees; prabhavaḥ — powerful; api — although; hi — certainly.

TRANSLATION

The devotees of the Lord are so forbearing that even though they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves.

PURPORT

Ṛṣi Śamīka 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 Śamīka Ṛṣi 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 brāhmaṇas are powerful enough to award curses or blessings upon the subordinates; the devotee of the Lord, even though he may not be a brāhmaṇa, is more powerful than a brāhmaṇa. 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.47

apāpeṣu sva-bhṛtyeṣu

bālenāpakva-buddhinā

pāpaḿ kṛtaḿ tad bhagavān

sarvātmā kṣantum arhati

SYNONYMS

apāpeṣu — unto one who is completely free from all sins; sva-bhṛtyeṣu — unto one who is subordinate and deserves to be protected; bālena — by a child; apakva — who is immature; buddhinā — by intelligence; pāpam — sinful act; kṛtam — has been done; tat bhagavān — therefore the Personality of Godhead; sarva-ātmā — who is all-pervading; kṣantum — just to pardon; arhati — deserve.

TRANSLATION

Then the ṛṣi 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. Ṛṣi Śamīka could foresee that his son had committed a great sin by cursing Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who deserved to be protected by the brāhmaṇas, 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 brāhmaṇas, 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 brāhmaṇa may furiously curse a subordinate kṣatriya or vaiśya, etc., but in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit there were no grounds, as already explained. The foolish boy had done it out of sheer vanity in being a brāhmaṇa'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 Śṛńgi had committed not only a sin but also the greatest offense. Therefore the ṛṣi 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 Parīkṣit Mahārāja be put into that awkward position so that he might be delivered from material existence, then why was a brāhmaṇa'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 brāhmaṇa community as a whole was made responsible for allowing Kali into the world affairs, the answer is given in the Varāha Purāṇa 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 brāhmaṇas 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 brāhmaṇas 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 brāhmaṇas. The typical example is the son of Śamīka Ṛṣi, and all the foolish sons of brāhmaṇas are warned hereby not to become as foolish as Śṛńgi 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 Śamīka Ṛṣi, will be put into great difficulty if they misuse the advantages obtained by birth in a brāhmaṇa family.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.46

dharma-pālo nara-patiḥ

sa tu samrāḍ bṛhac-chravāḥ

sākṣān mahā-bhāgavato

rājarṣir haya-medhayāṭ

kṣut-tṛṭ-śrama-yuto dīno

naivāsmac chāpam arhati

SYNONYMS

dharma-pālaḥ — the protector of religion; nara-patiḥ — the King; saḥ — he; tu — but; samrāṭ — Emperor; bṛhat — highly; śravāḥ — celebrated; sākṣāt — directly; mahā-bhāgavataḥ — the first-class devotee of the Lord; rāja-ṛṣiḥ — saint amongst the royal order; haya-medhayāṭ — great performer of horse sacrifices; kṣut — hunger; tṛṭ — thirst; śrama-yutaḥ — tired and fatigued; dīnaḥ — stricken; na — never; eva — thus; asmat — by us; śāpam — curse; arhati — deserves.

TRANSLATION

The Emperor Parīkṣit 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 Śamīka wanted to say something about Emperor Parīkṣit specifically. The specific qualification of Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 śāstras the duties of all castes and orders of society are prescribed. All the qualities of a kṣatriya mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā (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. Śamīka Ṛṣi thus admitted from all sides that Mahārāja Parīkṣit was cursed most unjustly. Although all the brāhmaṇas were aloof from the incident, still for the childish action of a brāhmaṇa boy the whole world situation was changed. Thus Ṛṣi Śamīka, a brāhmaṇa, took responsibility for all deterioration of the good orders of the world.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.45

tadārya-dharmaḥ pravilīyate nṛṇāḿ

varṇāśramācāra-yutas trayīmayaḥ

tato 'rtha-kāmābhiniveśitātmanāḿ

śunāḿ kapīnām iva varṇa-sańkaraḥ

SYNONYMS

tadā — at that time; ārya — progressive civilization; dharmaḥ — engagement; pravilīyate — is systematically vanquished; nṛṇām — of humankind; varṇa — caste; āśrama — orders of society; ācāra-yutaḥ — composed in a good manner; trayī-mayaḥ — in terms of the Vedic injunction; tataḥ — thereafter; artha — economic development; kāma-abhiniveśita — fully absorbed in sense gratification; ātmanām — of men; śunām — like dogs; kapīnām — like monkeys; iva — thus; varṇa-sańkaraḥ — 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 Āryans. The Āryans 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 ṛṣis. 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.44

tad adya naḥ pāpam upaity ananvayaḿ

yan naṣṭa-nāthasya vasor vilumpakāt

parasparaḿ ghnanti śapanti vṛñjate

paśūn striyo 'rthān puru-dasyavo janāḥ

SYNONYMS

tat — for this reason; adya — from this day; naḥ — upon us; pāpam — reaction of sin; upaiti — will overtake; ananvayam — disruption; yat — because; naṣṭa — abolished; nāthasya — of the monarch; vasoḥ — of wealth; vilumpakāt — being plundered; parasparam — between one another; ghnanti — will kill; śapanti — will do harm; vṛñjate — will steal; paśūn — animals; striyaḥ — women; arthān — riches; puru — greatly; dasyavaḥ — thieves; janāḥ — 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 naḥ (we) is very significant in this verse. The sage rightly takes the responsibility of the brāhmaṇas 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 the absence of good monarchical government, everyone will be the cause of disturbance for others by plundering riches, animals, women, etc.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.43

alakṣyamāṇe nara-deva-nāmni

rathāńga-pāṇāv ayam ańga lokaḥ

tadā hi caura-pracuro vinańkṣyaty

arakṣyamāṇo 'vivarūthavat kṣaṇāt

SYNONYMS

alakṣyamāṇe — being abolished; nara-deva — monarchical; nāmni — of the name; ratha-ańga-pāṇau — the representative of the Lord; ayam — this; ańga — O my boy; lokaḥ — this world; tadā hi — at once; caura — thieves; pracuraḥ — too much; vinańkṣyati — vanquishes; arakṣyamāṇaḥ — being not protected; avivarūtha-vat — like lambs; kṣaṇāt — 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.

PURPORT

According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 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 Kurukṣetra was planned by the Lord to establish the real representative of the Lord, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit, 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.42

na vai nṛbhir nara-devaḿ parākhyaḿ

sammātum arhasy avipakva-buddhe

yat-tejasā durviṣaheṇa guptā

vindanti bhadrāṇy akutobhayāḥ prajāḥ

SYNONYMS

na — never; vai — as a matter of fact; nṛbhiḥ — by any man; nara-devam — unto a man-god; para-ākhyam — who is transcendental; sammātum — place on equal footing; arhasi — by the prowess; avipakva — unripe or immature; buddhe — intelligence; yat — of whom; tejasā — by the prowess; durviṣaheṇa — unsurpassable; guptāḥ — protected; vindanti — enjoys; bhadrāṇi — all prosperity; akutaḥ-bhayāḥ — completely defended; prajāḥ — 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.41

niśamya śaptam atad-arhaḿ narendraḿ

sa brāhmaṇo nātmajam abhyanandat

aho batāḿho mahad adya te kṛtam

alpīyasi droha urur damo dhṛtaḥ

SYNONYMS

niśamya — after hearing; śaptam — cursed; atat-arham — never to be condemned; nara-indram — unto the King, best of humankind; saḥ — that; brāhmaṇaḥ — brāhmaṇa-ṛṣi; na — not; ātma-jam — his own son; abhyanandat — congratulated; aho — alas; bata — distressing; aḿhaḥ — sins; mahat — great; adya — today; te — yourself; kṛtam — performed; alpīyasi — insignificant; drohe — offense; uruḥ — very great; damaḥ — punishment; dhṛtaḥ — 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 ṛṣi 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 brāhmaṇa, but he does not become sinful for killing a brāhmaṇa. 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit? In the Vedic way of life, the king is trained to become a rājarṣi, 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 rājarṣis 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit be condemned by an inexperienced, puffed-up son of a brahmaṇa, even though he had attained the powers of a qualified brāhmaṇa?

Since Śamīka Ṛṣi was an experienced, good brāhmaṇa, 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The offense of the King was most insignificant, and his being condemned to death was certainly a very great sin for Śṛńgi. Therefore Ṛṣi Śamīka regretted the whole incident.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.40

visṛjya taḿ ca papraccha

vatsa kasmād dhi rodiṣi

kena vā te 'pakṛtam

ity uktaḥ sa nyavedayat

SYNONYMS

visṛjya — throwing aside; tam — that; ca — also; papraccha — asked; vatsa — my dear son; kasmāt — what for; hi — certainly; rodiṣi — crying; kena — by whom; vā — otherwise; te — they; apakṛtam — misbehaved; iti — thus; uktaḥ — being asked; saḥ — 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.

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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit'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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.39

sa vā āńgiraso brahman

śrutvā suta-vilāpanam

unmīlya śanakair netre

dṛṣṭvā cāḿse mṛtoragam

SYNONYMS

saḥ — he; vai — also; āńgirasaḥ — the ṛṣi born in the family of Ańgirā; brahman — O Śaunaka; śrutvā — on hearing; suta — his son; vilāpanam — crying in distress; unmīlya — opening; śanakaiḥ — gradually; netre — by the eyes; dṛṣṭvā — by seeing; ca — also; aḿse — on the shoulder; mṛta — dead; uragam — snake.

TRANSLATION

O brāhmaṇas, the ṛṣi, who was born in the family of Ańgirā Muni, hearing his son crying, gradually opened his eyes and saw the dead snake around his neck.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.38

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.38

tato 'bhyetyāśramaḿ bālo

gale sarpa-kalevaram

pitaraḿ vīkṣya duḥkhārto

mukta-kaṇṭho ruroda ha

SYNONYMS

tataḥ — thereafter; abhyetya — after entering into; āśramam — the hermitage; bālaḥ — boy; gale sarpa — the snake on the shoulder; kalevaram — body; pitaram — unto the father; vīkṣya — having seen; duḥkha-ārtaḥ — in a sorry plight; mukta-kaṇṭhaḥ — loudly; ruroda — cried; ha — in the past.

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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.37

iti lańghita-maryādaḿ

takṣakaḥ saptame 'hani

dańkṣyati sma kulāńgāraḿ

codito me tata-druham

SYNONYMS

iti — thus; lańghita — surpassing; maryādam — etiquette; takṣakaḥ — snake-bird; saptame — on the seventh; ahani — day; dańkṣyati — will bite; sma — certainly; kula-ańgāram — the wretched of the dynasty; coditaḥ — having done; me — my; tata-druham — enmity towards the father.

TRANSLATION

The brāhmaṇa's son cursed the King thus: On the seventh day from today a snake-bird will bite the most wretched one of that dynasty [Mahārāja Parīkṣit] 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 brāhmaṇas in the age of Kali became devoid of both brahminical powers and culture. The brāhmaṇa boy considered Mahārāja Parīkṣit to be kulāńgāra, or the wretched of the dynasty, but factually the brāhmaṇa boy himself was so because only from him did the brāhmaṇa 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 brāhmaṇa 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.36

ity uktvā roṣa-tāmrākṣo

vayasyān ṛṣi-bālakaḥ

kauśiky-āpa upaspṛśya

vāg-vajraḿ visasarja ha

SYNONYMS

iti — thus; uktvā — saying; roṣa-tāmra-akṣaḥ — with red-hot eyes due to being angry; vayasyān — unto the playmates; ṛṣi-bālakaḥ — the son of a ṛṣi; kauśikī — the River Kauśika; āpaḥ — water; upaspṛśya — by touching; vāk — words; vajram — thunderbolt; visasarja — threw; ha — in the past.

TRANSLATION

The son of the ṛṣi, his eyes red-hot with anger, touched the water of the River Kauśika while speaking to his playmates and discharged the following thunderbolt of words.

PURPORT

The circumstances under which Mahārāja Parīkṣit was cursed were simply childish, as it appears from this verse. Śṛńgi was showing his impudency 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit, just to make a show of acquired brahminical power, the inexperienced son of a brāhmaṇa committed a great mistake.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.35

kṛṣṇe gate bhagavati

śāstary utpatha-gāminām

tad bhinna-setūn adyāhaḿ

śāsmi paśyata me balam

SYNONYMS

kṛṣṇe — Lord Kṛṣṇa; gate — having departed from this world; bhagavati — the Personality of Godhead; śāstari — the supreme ruler; utpatha-gāminām — of those who are upstarts; tat bhinna — being separated; setūn — the protector; adya — today; aham — myself; śāsmi — shall punish; paśyata — just see; me — my; balam — prowess.

TRANSLATION

After the departure of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, 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 brāhmaṇa, puffed up by a little brahma-tejas, became influenced by the spell of Kali-yuga. Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 brāhmaṇa. The little brāhmaṇa wanted to show his prowess in destruction, and he had the audacity to punish such a great king as Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He wanted to take the place of Lord Kṛṣṇa after His departure. These are the principal signs of upstarts who want to take the place of Śrī Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa 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 brāhmaṇa, Śṛńgi.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.34

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.34

brāhmaṇaiḥ kṣatra-bandhur hi

gṛha-pālo nirūpitaḥ

sa kathaḿ tad-gṛhe dvāḥ-sthaḥ

sabhāṇḍaḿ bhoktum arhati

SYNONYMS

brāhmaṇaiḥ — by the brahminical order; kṣatra-bandhuḥ — the sons of the kṣatriyas; hi — certainly; gṛha-pālaḥ — the watchdog; nirūpitaḥ — designated; saḥ — he; katham — on what grounds; tat-gṛhe — in the home of him (the master); dvāḥ-sthaḥ — keeping at the door; sa-bhāṇḍam — 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 brāhmaṇa 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 brāhmaṇas of Kali-yuga. He compared the King to a watchdog, and so it was wrong for the King to enter the home of a brāhmaṇa 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 brāhmaṇa. As the dog is never allowed to enter within the room and hearth, although it is reared by the master, similarly, according to Śṛńgi, the King had no right to enter the house of Śamīka Ṛṣi. According to the boy's opinion, the King was on the wrong side and not his father, and thus he justified his silent father.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.33

aho adharmaḥ pālānāḿ

pīvnāḿ bali-bhujām iva

svāminy aghaḿ yad dāsānāḿ

dvāra-pānāḿ śunām iva

SYNONYMS

aho — just look at; adharmaḥ — irreligion; pālānām — of the rulers; pīvnām — of one who is brought up; bali-bhujām — like the crows; iva — like; svāmini — unto the master; agham — sin; yat — what is; dāsānām — of the servants; dvāra-pānām — keeping watch at the door; śunām — of the dogs; iva — like.

TRANSLATION

[The brāhmaṇa's son, Śṛńgi, 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 brāhmaṇas are considered to be the head and brains of the social body, and the kṣatriyas 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-gītā that four social orders or castes, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras, are set up according to quality and work done by them. Naturally the son of a brāhmaṇa has a good chance to become a brāhmaṇa 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 brāhmaṇa or medical practitioner, and not otherwise. Without being qualified, one cannot become a brāhmaṇa or medical practitioner, and that is the verdict of all scriptures and social orders. Herein Śṛńgi, a qualified son of a great brāhmaṇa, 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 brāhmaṇa became puffed up with brahminical power and thus wrongly compared Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 brāhmaṇa caste began in the age of Kali. And since brāhmaṇas 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 Śṛńgi, as we will find.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.32

tasya putro 'titejasvī

viharan bālako 'rbhakaiḥ

rājñāghaḿ prāpitaḿ tātaḿ

śrutvā tatredam abravīt

SYNONYMS

tasya — his (the sage's); putraḥ — son; ati — extremely; tejasvī — powerful; viharan — while playing; bālakaḥ — with boys; arbhakaiḥ — who were all childish; rājñā — by the King; agham — distress; prāpitam — made to have; tātam — the father; śrutvā — by hearing; tatra — then and there; idam — this; abravīt — spoke.

TRANSLATION

The sage had a son who was very powerful, being a brāhmaṇa'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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit's good government, even a boy of tender age, who was playing with other inexperienced boys, could become as powerful as a qualified brāhmaṇa. This boy was known as Śṛńgi, and he achieved good training in brahmacarya by his father so that he could be as powerful as a brāhmaṇa, 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 brāhmaṇa boy, under the influence of Kali, and thus cultural life began to dwindle day after day. The first victim of brahminical injustice was Mahārāja Parīkṣit, and thus the protection given by the King against the onslaught of Kali was slackened.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.31

eṣa kiḿ nibhṛtāśeṣa-

karaṇo mīlitekṣaṇaḥ

mṛṣā-samādhir āhosvit

kiḿ nu syāt kṣatra-bandhubhiḥ

SYNONYMS

eṣaḥ — this; kim — whether; nibhṛta-aśeṣa — meditative mood; karaṇaḥ — senses; mīlita — closed; īkṣaṇaḥ — eyes; mṛṣā — false; samādhiḥ — trance; āho — remains; svit — if it is so; kim — either; nu — but; syāt — may be; kṣatra-bandhubhiḥ — by the lower kṣatriya.

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 kṣatriya.

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 kṣatriya and therefore lower in rank. Repentance comes in the mind of a good soul as soon as he commits something wrong. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī 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 Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, 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 brāhmaṇa boy infected by the influence of Kali, and thus the King would leave his hearth and home for good. His connections with Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī would enable the presentation of the great Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 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 rāsa-līla with the spiritual cowherd damsels of Vrajabhūmi. This specific pastime of the Lord has a special 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 Pāṇḍavas in frustration due to the intrigue of their cousin-brothers, the prelude of the Battle of Kurukṣetra was created by the Lord. This was to incarnate the sound representative of the Lord, Bhagavad-gītā. So by placing King Parīkṣit in an awkward position, the incarnation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 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 brahmāstra released by Aśvatthāmā. The King's distressed condition was certainly unprecedented. The devotees like Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.30

sa tu brahma-ṛṣer aḿse

gatāsum uragaḿ ruṣā

vinirgacchan dhanuṣ-koṭyā

nidhāya puram āgataḥ

SYNONYMS

saḥ — the King; tu — however; brahma-ṛṣeḥ — of the brāhmaṇa sage; aḿse — on the shoulder; gata-asum — lifeless; uragam — snake; ruṣā — in anger; vinirgacchan — while leaving; dhanuḥ-koṭyā — with the front of the bow; nidhāya — by placing it; puram — palace; āgataḥ — 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.

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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit's dealing with a brāhmaṇa sage, this was certainly unprecedented. It so happened by the will of the Lord.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.29

abhūta-pūrvaḥ sahasā

kṣut-tṛḍbhyām arditātmanaḥ

brāhmaṇaḿ praty abhūd brahman

matsaro manyur eva ca

SYNONYMS

abhūta-pūrvaḥ — unprecedented; sahasā — circumstantially; kṣut — hunger; tṛḍbhyām — as well as by thirst; ardita — being distressed; ātmanaḥ — of his self; brāhmaṇam — unto a brāhmaṇa; prati — against; abhūt — became; brahman — O brāhmaṇas; matsaraḥ — envious; manyuḥ — angry; eva — thus; ca — and.

TRANSLATION

O brāhmaṇas, the King's anger and envy, directed toward the brāhmaṇa sage, were unprecedented, being that circumstances had made him hungry and thirsty.

PURPORT

For a king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit to become angry and envious, especially at a sage and brāhmaṇa, was undoubtedly unprecedented. The King knew well that brāhmaṇas, 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, Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 brāhmaṇa, 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit's behavior is that it was ordained by the Lord.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.28

alabdha-tṛṇa-bhūmy-ādir

asamprāptārghya-sūnṛtaḥ

avajñātam ivātmānaḿ

manyamānaś cukopa ha

SYNONYMS

alabdha — having not received; tṛṇa — seat of straw; bhūmi — place; ādiḥ — and so on; asamprāpta — not properly received; arghya — water for reception; sūnṛtaḥ — sweet words; avajñātam — thus being neglected; iva — like that; ātmānam — personally; manyamānaḥ — thinking like that; cukopa — became angry; 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 Kṛṣṇa, accompanied by Arjuna and Bhīma, approached Jarāsandha in Magadha, the respectable enemies were given a royal reception by King Jarāsandha. The guest enemy, namely Bhīma, was to fight with Jarāsandha, 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 Mahārāja Parīkṣit entered the door of Śamīka Ṛṣi, he did not expect a royal reception by the ṛṣi because he knew that saints and ṛṣis 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 ṛṣi, and therefore the cold reception by the ṛṣi astonished the King greatly. As a matter of fact, the King was right to get angry with the ṛṣi 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 Kṛṣṇa. 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.27

viprakīrṇa-jaṭācchannaḿ

rauraveṇājinena ca

viśuṣyat-tālur udakaḿ

tathā-bhūtam ayācata

SYNONYMS

viprakīrṇa — all scattered; jaṭa-ācchannam — covered with compressed, long hair; rauraveṇa — by the skin of a stag; ajinena — by the skin; ca — also; viśuṣyat — dried up; tāluḥ — palate; udakam — water; tathā-bhūtam — in that state; ayācata — 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was thus placed in an awkward position so that gradually Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam could be revealed.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.26

pratiruddhendriya-prāṇa-

mano-buddhim upāratam

sthāna-trayāt paraḿ prāptaḿ

brahma-bhūtam avikriyam

SYNONYMS

pratiruddha — restrained; indriya — the sense organs; prāṇa — air of respiration; manaḥ — the mind; buddhim — intelligence; upāratam — inactive; sthāna — places; trayāt — from the three; param — transcendental; prāptam — achieved; brahma-bhūtam — 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 jñāna, 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-gītā also we have the information of the gradual development of perception from matter to a living entity. Our material mind and body develop from the living entity, the soul, and being influenced by the three qualities of matter, we forget our real identity. The jñāna 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.24-25

ekadā dhanur udyamya

vicaran mṛgayāḿ vane

mṛgān anugataḥ śrāntaḥ

kṣudhitas tṛṣito bhṛśam

jalāśayam acakṣāṇaḥ

praviveśa tam āśramam

dadarśa munim āsīnaḿ

śāntaḿ mīlita-locanam

SYNONYMS

ekadā — once upon a time; dhanuḥ — arrows and bow; udyamya — taking firmly; vicaran — following; mṛgayām — hunting excursion; vane — in the forest; mṛgān — stags; anugataḥ — while following; śrāntaḥ — fatigued; kṣudhitaḥ — hungry; tṛṣitaḥ — being thirsty; bhṛśam — extremely; jala-āśayam — reservoir of water; acakṣāṇaḥ — while searching for; praviveśa — entered into; tam — that famous; āśramam — hermitage of Śamīka Ṛṣi; dadarśa — saw; munim — the sage; āsīnam — seated; śāntam — all silent; mīlita — closed; locanam — eyes.

TRANSLATION

Once upon a time Mahārāja Parīkṣit, 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 Śamīka Ṛṣi 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit 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 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. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was to become the medium for the revelation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as his grandfather Arjuna was the medium for the Bhagavad-gītā. Had Arjuna not been taken up with an illusion of family affection by the will of the Lord, the Bhagavad-gītā would not have been spoken by the Lord Himself for the good of all concerned. Similarly, had Mahārāja Parīkṣit not been fatigued, hungry and thirsty at this time, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam would not have been spoken by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the prime authority of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So this is a prelude to the circumstances under which Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken for the benefit of all concerned. The prelude, therefore, begins with the words "once upon a time."

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.23

ahaḿ hi pṛṣṭo 'ryamaṇo bhavadbhir

ācakṣa ātmāvagamo 'tra yāvān

nabhaḥ patanty ātma-samaḿ patattriṇas

tathā samaḿ viṣṇu-gatiḿ vipaścitaḥ

SYNONYMS

aham — my humble self; hi — certainly; pṛṣṭaḥ — asked by you; aryamaṇaḥ — as powerful as the sun; bhavadbhiḥ — by you; ācakṣe — may describe; ātma-avagamaḥ — as far as my knowledge is concerned; atra — herein; yāvān — so far; nabhaḥ — sky; patanti — fly; ātma-samam — as far as it can; patattriṇaḥ — the birds; tathā — thus; samam — similarly; viṣṇu-gatim — knowledge of Viṣṇu; vipaścitaḥ — even though learned.

TRANSLATION

O ṛṣis, who are as powerfully pure as the sun, I shall try to describe to you the transcendental pastimes of Viṣṇu 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 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 Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī 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.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.22

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.22

yatrānuraktāḥ sahasaiva dhīrā

vyapohya dehādiṣu sańgam ūḍham

vrajanti tat pārama-haḿsyam antyaḿ

yasminn ahiḿsopaśamaḥ sva-dharmaḥ

SYNONYMS

yatra — unto whom; anuraktāḥ — firmly attached; sahasā — all of a sudden; eva — certainly; dhīrāḥ — self-controlled; vyapohya — leaving aside; deha — the gross body and subtle mind; ādiṣu — relating to; sańgam — attachment; ūḍham — taken to; vrajanti — go away; tat — that; pārama-haḿsyam — the highest stage of perfection; antyam — and beyond that; yasmin — in which; ahiḿsā — nonviolence; upaśamaḥ — and renunciation; sva-dharmaḥ — consequential occupation.

TRANSLATION

Self-controlled persons who are attached to the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa 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 paramahaḿsa stage. Haḿsas, or swans, accept only milk out of a mixture of milk and water. Similarly, those who accept the service of the Lord instead of māyā's service are called the paramahaḿsas. 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 paramahaḿsas, 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 paramahaḿsa, 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 paramahaḿsa stage is the highest perfectional stage in bhakti-yoga, the process of devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.21

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.21

athāpi yat-pāda-nakhāvasṛṣṭaḿ

jagad viriñcopahṛtārhaṇāmbhaḥ

seśaḿ punāty anyatamo mukundāt

ko nāma loke bhagavat-padārthaḥ

SYNONYMS

atha — therefore; api — certainly; yat — whose; pāda-nakha — nails of the feet; avasṛṣṭam — emanating; jagat — the whole universe; viriñca — Brahmājī; upahṛta — collected; arhaṇa — worship; ambhaḥ — water; sa — along with; īśam — Lord Śiva; punāti — purifies; anyatamaḥ — who else; mukundāt — besides the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa; kaḥ — who; nāma — name; loke — within the world; bhagavat — Supreme Lord; pada — position; arthaḥ — worth.

TRANSLATION

Who can be worthy of the name of the Supreme Lord but the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa? Brahmājī collected the water emanating from the nails of His feet in order to award it to Lord Śiva as a worshipful welcome. This very water [the Ganges] is purifying the whole universe, including Lord Śiva.

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 Brahmā is generally one of the living entities, and Lord Śiva is the via medium between the Lord and the living entities. In other words, even demigods like Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, who are the chief amongst all demigods, are never equal to or greater than Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, and all-powerful demigods like Brahmā and Śiva are engaged in the worship of Viṣṇu or Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore who can be more powerful than Mukunda (Lord Kṛṣṇa) to be factually called the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmījī, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva 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-sampradāya, Rudra-sampradāya and Śrī-sampradāya, descending directly from Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, respectively. Besides the above-mentioned three sampradāyas, there is the Kumāra-sampradāya, descending from Sanat-kumāra. All of the four original sampradāyas are still scrupulously engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord up to date, and they all declare that Lord Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no other personality is equal to Him or greater than Him.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.20

etāvatālaḿ nanu sūcitena

guṇair asāmyānatiśāyanasya

hitvetarān prārthayato vibhūtir

yasyāńghri-reṇuḿ juṣate 'nabhīpsoḥ

SYNONYMS

etāvatā — so far; alam — unnecessary; nanu — if at all; sūcitena — by description; guṇaiḥ — by attributes; asāmya — immeasurable; anati-śāyanasya — of one who is unexcelled; hitvā — leaving aside; itarān — others; prārthayataḥ — of those who ask for; vibhūtiḥ — favor of the goddess of fortune; yasya — one whose; ańghri — feet; reṇum — dust; juṣate — serves; anabhīpsoḥ — 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 Parameśvara Parabrahman, according to the śrutis, 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 Brahmā. 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 Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu feature begets Brahmā, 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, Yogeśvara, or the Lord of all mystic powers.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.18.19

kutaḥ punar gṛṇato nāma tasya

mahattamaikānta-parāyaṇasya

yo 'nanta-śaktir bhagavān ananto

mahad-guṇatvād yam anantam āhuḥ

SYNONYMS

kutaḥ — what to say; punaḥ — again; gṛṇataḥ — one who chants; nāma — holy name; tasya — His; mahat-tama — great devotees; ekānta — exclusive; parāyaṇasya — of one who takes shelter of; yaḥ — He who; ananta — is the Unlimited; śaktiḥ — potency; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; anantaḥ — immeasurable; mahat — great; guṇatvāt — on account of such attributes; yam — whom; anantam — by the name ananta; āhuḥ — 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 brāhmaṇas in this life. They argue that birth in a family of śūdras or less than śūdras 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, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 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-gītā 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 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.