daivatāni rudantīva
svidyanti hy uccalanti ca
ime jana-padā grāmāḥ
purodyānākarāśramāḥ
bhraṣṭa-śriyo nirānandāḥ
kim aghaḿ darśayanti naḥ
SYNONYMS
daivatāni — the Deities in the temples; rudanti — seem to be crying; iva — like that; svidyanti — perspiring; hi — certainly; uccalanti — as if going out; ca — also; ime — these; jana-padāḥ — cities; grāmāḥ — villages; pura — towns; udyāna — gardens; ākara — mines; āśramāḥ — hermitages, etc.; bhraṣṭa — devoid of; śriyaḥ — beauty; nirānandāḥ — bereft of all happiness; kim — what sort of; agham — calamities; darśayanti — shall manifest; naḥ — to us.
TRANSLATION
The Deities seem to be crying in the temple, lamenting and perspiring. They seem about to leave. All the cities, villages, towns, gardens, mines and hermitages are now devoid of beauty and bereft of all happiness. I do not know what sort of calamities are now awaiting us.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.19
na pibanti stanaḿ vatsā
na duhyanti ca mātaraḥ
rudanty aśru-mukhā gāvo
na hṛṣyanty ṛṣabhā vraje
SYNONYMS
na — does not; pibanti — suck; stanam — breast; vatsāḥ — the calves; na — do not; duhyanti — allow milking; ca — also; mātaraḥ — the cows; rudanti — crying; aśru-mukhāḥ — with a tearful face; gāvaḥ — the cows; na — do not; hṛṣyanti — take pleasure; ṛṣabhāḥ — the bulls; vraje — in the pasturing ground.
TRANSLATION
The calves do not suck the teats of the cows, nor do the cows give milk. They are standing, crying, tears in their eyes, and the bulls take no pleasure in the pasturing grounds.
na duhyanti ca mātaraḥ
rudanty aśru-mukhā gāvo
na hṛṣyanty ṛṣabhā vraje
SYNONYMS
na — does not; pibanti — suck; stanam — breast; vatsāḥ — the calves; na — do not; duhyanti — allow milking; ca — also; mātaraḥ — the cows; rudanti — crying; aśru-mukhāḥ — with a tearful face; gāvaḥ — the cows; na — do not; hṛṣyanti — take pleasure; ṛṣabhāḥ — the bulls; vraje — in the pasturing ground.
TRANSLATION
The calves do not suck the teats of the cows, nor do the cows give milk. They are standing, crying, tears in their eyes, and the bulls take no pleasure in the pasturing grounds.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.18
nadyo nadāś ca kṣubhitāḥ
sarāḿsi ca manāḿsi ca
na jvalaty agnir ājyena
kālo 'yaḿ kiḿ vidhāsyati
SYNONYMS
nadyaḥ — rivers; nadāḥ ca — and the tributaries; kṣubhitāḥ — all perturbed; sarāḿsi — reservoirs of water; ca — and; manāḿsi — the mind; ca — also; na — does not; jvalati — ignite; agniḥ — fire; ājyena — with the help of butter; kālaḥ — the time; ayam — extraordinary it is; kim — what; vidhāsyati — going to happen.
TRANSLATION
Rivers, tributaries, ponds, reservoirs and the mind are all perturbed. Butter no longer ignites fire. What is this extraordinary time? What is going to happen?
sarāḿsi ca manāḿsi ca
na jvalaty agnir ājyena
kālo 'yaḿ kiḿ vidhāsyati
SYNONYMS
nadyaḥ — rivers; nadāḥ ca — and the tributaries; kṣubhitāḥ — all perturbed; sarāḿsi — reservoirs of water; ca — and; manāḿsi — the mind; ca — also; na — does not; jvalati — ignite; agniḥ — fire; ājyena — with the help of butter; kālaḥ — the time; ayam — extraordinary it is; kim — what; vidhāsyati — going to happen.
TRANSLATION
Rivers, tributaries, ponds, reservoirs and the mind are all perturbed. Butter no longer ignites fire. What is this extraordinary time? What is going to happen?
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.17
sūryaḿ hata-prabhaḿ paśya
graha-mardaḿ mitho divi
sasańkulair bhūta-gaṇair
jvalite iva rodasī
SYNONYMS
sūryam — the sun; hata-prabham — its rays declining; paśya — just see; graha-mardam — clashes of the stars; mithaḥ — among one another; divi — in the sky; sa-sańkulaiḥ — being mixed with; bhūta-gaṇaiḥ — by the living entities; jvalite — being ignited; iva — as if; rodasī — crying.
TRANSLATION
The rays of the sun are declining, and the stars appear to be fighting amongst themselves. Confused living entities appear to be ablaze and weeping.
graha-mardaḿ mitho divi
sasańkulair bhūta-gaṇair
jvalite iva rodasī
SYNONYMS
sūryam — the sun; hata-prabham — its rays declining; paśya — just see; graha-mardam — clashes of the stars; mithaḥ — among one another; divi — in the sky; sa-sańkulaiḥ — being mixed with; bhūta-gaṇaiḥ — by the living entities; jvalite — being ignited; iva — as if; rodasī — crying.
TRANSLATION
The rays of the sun are declining, and the stars appear to be fighting amongst themselves. Confused living entities appear to be ablaze and weeping.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.16
vāyur vāti khara-sparśo
rajasā visṛjaḿs tamaḥ
asṛg varṣanti jaladā
bībhatsam iva sarvataḥ
SYNONYMS
vāyuḥ — wind; vāti — blowing; khara-sparśaḥ — sharply; rajasā — by the dust; visṛjan — creating; tamaḥ — darkness; asṛk — blood; varṣanti — are raining; jaladāḥ — the clouds; bībhatsam — disastrous; iva — like; sarvataḥ — everywhere.
TRANSLATION
The wind blows violently, blasting dust everywhere and creating darkness. Clouds are raining everywhere with bloody disasters.
rajasā visṛjaḿs tamaḥ
asṛg varṣanti jaladā
bībhatsam iva sarvataḥ
SYNONYMS
vāyuḥ — wind; vāti — blowing; khara-sparśaḥ — sharply; rajasā — by the dust; visṛjan — creating; tamaḥ — darkness; asṛk — blood; varṣanti — are raining; jaladāḥ — the clouds; bībhatsam — disastrous; iva — like; sarvataḥ — everywhere.
TRANSLATION
The wind blows violently, blasting dust everywhere and creating darkness. Clouds are raining everywhere with bloody disasters.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.15
dhūmrā diśaḥ paridhayaḥ
kampate bhūḥ sahādribhiḥ
nirghātaś ca mahāḿs tāta
sākaḿ ca stanayitnubhiḥ
SYNONYMS
dhūmrāḥ — smoky; diśaḥ — all directions; paridhayaḥ — encirclement; kampate — throbbing; bhūḥ — the earth; saha adribhiḥ — along with the hills and mountains; nirghātaḥ — bolt from the blue; ca — also; mahān — very great; tāta — O Bhīma; sākam — with; ca — also; stanayitnubhiḥ — thundering sound without any cloud.
TRANSLATION
Just see how the smoke encircles the sky. It appears that the earth and mountains are throbbing. Just hear the cloudless thunder and see the bolts from the blue.
kampate bhūḥ sahādribhiḥ
nirghātaś ca mahāḿs tāta
sākaḿ ca stanayitnubhiḥ
SYNONYMS
dhūmrāḥ — smoky; diśaḥ — all directions; paridhayaḥ — encirclement; kampate — throbbing; bhūḥ — the earth; saha adribhiḥ — along with the hills and mountains; nirghātaḥ — bolt from the blue; ca — also; mahān — very great; tāta — O Bhīma; sākam — with; ca — also; stanayitnubhiḥ — thundering sound without any cloud.
TRANSLATION
Just see how the smoke encircles the sky. It appears that the earth and mountains are throbbing. Just hear the cloudless thunder and see the bolts from the blue.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.14
mṛtyu-dūtaḥ kapoto 'yam
ulūkaḥ kampayan manaḥ
pratyulūkaś ca kuhvānair
viśvaḿ vai śūnyam icchataḥ
SYNONYMS
mṛtyu — death; dūtaḥ — messenger of; kapotaḥ — pigeon; ayam — this; ulūkaḥ — owl; kampayan — trembling; manaḥ — mind; pratyulūkaḥ — the rivals of owls (crows); ca — and; kuhvānaiḥ — shrieking scream; viśvam — the cosmos; vai — either; śūnyam — void; icchataḥ — wishing.
TRANSLATION
Just see! This pigeon is like a messenger of death. The shrieks of the owls and their rival crows make my heart tremble. It appears that they want to make a void of the whole universe.
ulūkaḥ kampayan manaḥ
pratyulūkaś ca kuhvānair
viśvaḿ vai śūnyam icchataḥ
SYNONYMS
mṛtyu — death; dūtaḥ — messenger of; kapotaḥ — pigeon; ayam — this; ulūkaḥ — owl; kampayan — trembling; manaḥ — mind; pratyulūkaḥ — the rivals of owls (crows); ca — and; kuhvānaiḥ — shrieking scream; viśvam — the cosmos; vai — either; śūnyam — void; icchataḥ — wishing.
TRANSLATION
Just see! This pigeon is like a messenger of death. The shrieks of the owls and their rival crows make my heart tremble. It appears that they want to make a void of the whole universe.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.13
śastāḥ kurvanti māḿ savyaḿ
dakṣiṇaḿ paśavo 'pare
vāhāḿś ca puruṣa-vyāghra
lakṣaye rudato mama
SYNONYMS
śastāḥ — useful animals like the cow; kurvanti — are keeping; mām — me; savyam — on the left; dakṣiṇam — circumambulating; paśavaḥ apare — other lower animals like asses; vāhān — the horses (carriers); ca — also; puruṣa-vyāghra — O tiger among men; lakṣaye — I see; rudataḥ — weeping; mama — of mine.
TRANSLATION
O Bhīmasena, tiger amongst men, now useful animals like cows are passing me on my left side, and lower animals like the asses are circumambulating me. My horses appear to weep upon seeing me.
dakṣiṇaḿ paśavo 'pare
vāhāḿś ca puruṣa-vyāghra
lakṣaye rudato mama
SYNONYMS
śastāḥ — useful animals like the cow; kurvanti — are keeping; mām — me; savyam — on the left; dakṣiṇam — circumambulating; paśavaḥ apare — other lower animals like asses; vāhān — the horses (carriers); ca — also; puruṣa-vyāghra — O tiger among men; lakṣaye — I see; rudataḥ — weeping; mama — of mine.
TRANSLATION
O Bhīmasena, tiger amongst men, now useful animals like cows are passing me on my left side, and lower animals like the asses are circumambulating me. My horses appear to weep upon seeing me.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.12
śivaiṣodyantam ādityam
abhirauty analānanā
mām ańga sārameyo 'yam
abhirebhaty abhīruvat
SYNONYMS
śivā — jackal; eṣā — this; udyantam — rising; ādityam — unto the sun; abhi — towards; rauti — crying; anala — fire; ānanā — face; mām — unto me; ańga — O Bhīma; sārameyaḥ — dog; ayam — this; abhirebhati — barks towards; abhīru-vat — without fear.
TRANSLATION
Just see, O Bhīma, how the she jackal cries at the rising sun and vomits fire, and how the dog barks at me fearlessly.
PURPORT
These are some bad omens indicating something undesirable in the near future.
abhirauty analānanā
mām ańga sārameyo 'yam
abhirebhaty abhīruvat
SYNONYMS
śivā — jackal; eṣā — this; udyantam — rising; ādityam — unto the sun; abhi — towards; rauti — crying; anala — fire; ānanā — face; mām — unto me; ańga — O Bhīma; sārameyaḥ — dog; ayam — this; abhirebhati — barks towards; abhīru-vat — without fear.
TRANSLATION
Just see, O Bhīma, how the she jackal cries at the rising sun and vomits fire, and how the dog barks at me fearlessly.
PURPORT
These are some bad omens indicating something undesirable in the near future.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.11
ūrv-akṣi-bāhavo mahyaḿ
sphuranty ańga punaḥ punaḥ
vepathuś cāpi hṛdaye
ārād dāsyanti vipriyam
SYNONYMS
ūru — thighs; akṣi — eyes; bāhavaḥ — the arms; mahyam — in my; sphuranti — quivering; ańga — left side of the body; punaḥ punaḥ — again and again; vepathuḥ — palpitations; ca — also; api — certainly; hṛdaye — in the heart; ārāt — due to fear; dāsyanti — indicating; vipriyam — undesirables.
TRANSLATION
The left side of my body, my thighs, arms and eyes are all quivering again and again. I am having heart palpitations due to fear. All this indicates undesirable happenings.
PURPORT
Material existence is full of undesirables. Things we do not want are forced upon us by some superior energy, and we do not see that these undesirables are under the grip of the three modes of material nature. When a man's eyes, arms and thighs all quiver constantly, one must know that something is going to happen which is undesirable. These undesirables are compared to fire in a forest. No one goes into the forest to set fires, but fires automatically take place in the forest, creating inconceivable calamities for the living beings of the forest. Such a fire cannot be extinguished by any human efforts. The fire can be extinguished only by the mercy of the Lord, who sends clouds to pour water on the forest. Similarly, undesirable happenings in life cannot be checked by any number of plans. Such miseries can be removed only by the mercy of the Lord, who sends His bona fide representatives to enlighten human beings and thus save them from all calamities.
sphuranty ańga punaḥ punaḥ
vepathuś cāpi hṛdaye
ārād dāsyanti vipriyam
SYNONYMS
ūru — thighs; akṣi — eyes; bāhavaḥ — the arms; mahyam — in my; sphuranti — quivering; ańga — left side of the body; punaḥ punaḥ — again and again; vepathuḥ — palpitations; ca — also; api — certainly; hṛdaye — in the heart; ārāt — due to fear; dāsyanti — indicating; vipriyam — undesirables.
TRANSLATION
The left side of my body, my thighs, arms and eyes are all quivering again and again. I am having heart palpitations due to fear. All this indicates undesirable happenings.
PURPORT
Material existence is full of undesirables. Things we do not want are forced upon us by some superior energy, and we do not see that these undesirables are under the grip of the three modes of material nature. When a man's eyes, arms and thighs all quiver constantly, one must know that something is going to happen which is undesirable. These undesirables are compared to fire in a forest. No one goes into the forest to set fires, but fires automatically take place in the forest, creating inconceivable calamities for the living beings of the forest. Such a fire cannot be extinguished by any human efforts. The fire can be extinguished only by the mercy of the Lord, who sends clouds to pour water on the forest. Similarly, undesirable happenings in life cannot be checked by any number of plans. Such miseries can be removed only by the mercy of the Lord, who sends His bona fide representatives to enlighten human beings and thus save them from all calamities.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.10
paśyotpātān nara-vyāghra
divyān bhaumān sadaihikān
dāruṇān śaḿsato 'dūrād
bhayaḿ no buddhi-mohanam
SYNONYMS
paśya — just see; utpātān — disturbances; nara-vyāghra — O man of tigerlike strength; divyān — happenings in the sky or by planetary influence; bhaumān — happenings on the earth; sa-daihikān — happenings of the body and the mind; dāruṇān — awfully dangerous; śaḿsataḥ — indicating; adūrāt — in the near future; bhayam — danger; naḥ — our; buddhi — intelligence; mohanam — deluding.
TRANSLATION
Just see, O man with a tiger's strength, how many miseries due to celestial influences, earthly reactions and bodily pains — all very dangerous in themselves — are foreboding danger in the near future by deluding our intelligence.
PURPORT
Material advancement of civilization means advancement of the reactions of the threefold miseries due to celestial influence, earthly reactions and bodily or mental pains. By the celestial influence of the stars there are many calamities like excessive heat, cold, rains or no rains, and the aftereffects are famine, disease and epidemic. The aggregate result is agony of the body and the mind. Man-made material science cannot do anything to counteract these threefold miseries. They are all punishments from the superior energy of māyā under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Therefore our constant touch with the Lord by devotional service can give us relief without our being disturbed in the discharge of our human duties. The asuras, however, who do not believe in the existence of God, make their own plans to counteract all these threefold miseries, and so they meet with failures every time. The Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) clearly states that the reaction of material energy is never to be conquered, because of the binding effects of the three modes. They can simply be overcome by one who surrenders fully in devotion under the lotus feet of the Lord.
divyān bhaumān sadaihikān
dāruṇān śaḿsato 'dūrād
bhayaḿ no buddhi-mohanam
SYNONYMS
paśya — just see; utpātān — disturbances; nara-vyāghra — O man of tigerlike strength; divyān — happenings in the sky or by planetary influence; bhaumān — happenings on the earth; sa-daihikān — happenings of the body and the mind; dāruṇān — awfully dangerous; śaḿsataḥ — indicating; adūrāt — in the near future; bhayam — danger; naḥ — our; buddhi — intelligence; mohanam — deluding.
TRANSLATION
Just see, O man with a tiger's strength, how many miseries due to celestial influences, earthly reactions and bodily pains — all very dangerous in themselves — are foreboding danger in the near future by deluding our intelligence.
PURPORT
Material advancement of civilization means advancement of the reactions of the threefold miseries due to celestial influence, earthly reactions and bodily or mental pains. By the celestial influence of the stars there are many calamities like excessive heat, cold, rains or no rains, and the aftereffects are famine, disease and epidemic. The aggregate result is agony of the body and the mind. Man-made material science cannot do anything to counteract these threefold miseries. They are all punishments from the superior energy of māyā under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Therefore our constant touch with the Lord by devotional service can give us relief without our being disturbed in the discharge of our human duties. The asuras, however, who do not believe in the existence of God, make their own plans to counteract all these threefold miseries, and so they meet with failures every time. The Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) clearly states that the reaction of material energy is never to be conquered, because of the binding effects of the three modes. They can simply be overcome by one who surrenders fully in devotion under the lotus feet of the Lord.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.9
yasmān naḥ sampado rājyaḿ
dārāḥ prāṇāḥ kulaḿ prajāḥ
āsan sapatna-vijayo
lokāś ca yad-anugrahāt
SYNONYMS
yasmāt — from whom; naḥ — our; sampadaḥ — opulence; rājyam — kingdom; dārāḥ — good wives; prāṇāḥ — existence of life; kulam — dynasty; prajāḥ — subjects; āsan — have become possible; sapatna — competitors; vijayaḥ — conquering; lokāḥ — future accommodation in higher planets; ca — and; yat — by whose; anugrahāt — by the mercy of.
TRANSLATION
From Him only, all our kingly opulence, good wives, lives, progeny, control over our subjects, victory over our enemies, and future accommodations in higher planets have become possible. All this is due to His causeless mercy upon us.
PURPORT
Material prosperity consists of a good wife, good home, sufficient land, good children, aristocratic family relations, victory over competitors and, by pious work, attainment of accommodations in the higher celestial planets for better facilities of material amenities. These facilities are earned not only by one's hard manual labor or by unfair means, but by the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Prosperity earned by one's personal endeavor also depends on the mercy of the Lord. Personal labor must be there in addition to the Lord's benediction, but without the Lord's benediction no one is successful simply by personal labor. The modernized man of Kali-yuga believes in personal endeavor and denies the benediction of the Supreme Lord. Even a great sannyāsī of India delivered speeches in Chicago protesting the benedictions of the Supreme Lord. But as far as Vedic śāstras are concerned, as we find in the pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the ultimate sanction for all success rests in the hands of the Supreme Lord. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira admits this truth in his personal success, and it behooves one to follow in the footsteps of a great king and devotee of the Lord to make life a full success. If one could achieve success without the sanction of the Lord then no medical practitioner would fail to cure a patient. Despite the most advanced treatment of a suffering patient by the most up-to-date medical practitioner, there is death, and even in the most hopeless case, without medical treatment, a patient is cured astonishingly. Therefore the conclusion is that God's sanction is the immediate cause for all happenings, good or bad. Any successful man should feel grateful to the Lord for all he has achieved.
dārāḥ prāṇāḥ kulaḿ prajāḥ
āsan sapatna-vijayo
lokāś ca yad-anugrahāt
SYNONYMS
yasmāt — from whom; naḥ — our; sampadaḥ — opulence; rājyam — kingdom; dārāḥ — good wives; prāṇāḥ — existence of life; kulam — dynasty; prajāḥ — subjects; āsan — have become possible; sapatna — competitors; vijayaḥ — conquering; lokāḥ — future accommodation in higher planets; ca — and; yat — by whose; anugrahāt — by the mercy of.
TRANSLATION
From Him only, all our kingly opulence, good wives, lives, progeny, control over our subjects, victory over our enemies, and future accommodations in higher planets have become possible. All this is due to His causeless mercy upon us.
PURPORT
Material prosperity consists of a good wife, good home, sufficient land, good children, aristocratic family relations, victory over competitors and, by pious work, attainment of accommodations in the higher celestial planets for better facilities of material amenities. These facilities are earned not only by one's hard manual labor or by unfair means, but by the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Prosperity earned by one's personal endeavor also depends on the mercy of the Lord. Personal labor must be there in addition to the Lord's benediction, but without the Lord's benediction no one is successful simply by personal labor. The modernized man of Kali-yuga believes in personal endeavor and denies the benediction of the Supreme Lord. Even a great sannyāsī of India delivered speeches in Chicago protesting the benedictions of the Supreme Lord. But as far as Vedic śāstras are concerned, as we find in the pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the ultimate sanction for all success rests in the hands of the Supreme Lord. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira admits this truth in his personal success, and it behooves one to follow in the footsteps of a great king and devotee of the Lord to make life a full success. If one could achieve success without the sanction of the Lord then no medical practitioner would fail to cure a patient. Despite the most advanced treatment of a suffering patient by the most up-to-date medical practitioner, there is death, and even in the most hopeless case, without medical treatment, a patient is cured astonishingly. Therefore the conclusion is that God's sanction is the immediate cause for all happenings, good or bad. Any successful man should feel grateful to the Lord for all he has achieved.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.8
api devarṣiṇādiṣṭaḥ
sa kālo 'yam upasthitaḥ
yadātmano 'ńgam ākrīḍaḿ
bhagavān utsisṛkṣati
SYNONYMS
api — whether; deva-ṛṣiṇā — by the demigod-saint (Nārada); ādiṣṭaḥ — instructed; saḥ — that; kālaḥ — eternal time; ayam — this; upasthitaḥ — arrived; yadā — when; ātmanaḥ — of His own self; ańgam — plenary portion; ākrīḍam — manifestation; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; utsisṛkṣati — is going to quit.
TRANSLATION
Is He going to quit His earthly pastimes, as Devarṣi Nārada indicated? Has that time already arrived?
PURPORT
As we have discussed many times, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has many plenary expansions, and each and every one of them, although equally powerful, executes different functions. In Bhagavad-gītā there are different statements by the Lord, and each of these statements is meant for different plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions. For example, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, says in Bhagavad-gītā:
"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself." (Bg. 4.7)
"To deliver the faithful, to annihilate the miscreants and also to reestablish the principles of occupational duty, I appear in every age." (Bg. 4.8)
"If I should cease to work, then all humanity would be misdirected. I would also be the cause of creating unwanted population, and I would thereby destroy the peace of all sentient beings." (Bg. 3.24)
"Whatever action a great man performs, common men will follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." (Bg. 3.21)
All the above statements by the Lord apply to different plenary portions of the Lord, namely His expansions such as Sańkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Nārāyaṇa. These are all He Himself in different transcendental expansions, and still the Lord as Śrī Kṛṣṇa functions in a different sphere of transcendental exchange with different grades of devotees. And yet Lord Kṛṣṇa as He is appears once every twenty-four hours of Brahmā's time (or after a lapse of 8,640,000,000 solar years) in each and every universe, and all His transcendental pastimes are displayed in each and every universe in a routine spool. But in that routine spool the functions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Vāsudeva, etc., are complex problems for the layman. There is no difference between the Lord's Self and the Lord's transcendental body. The expansions execute differential activities. When the Lord, however, appears in His person as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, His other plenary portions also join in Him by His inconceivable potency called yogamāyā, and thus the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Vṛndāvana is different from the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Mathurā or the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā. The virāṭ-rūpa of Lord Kṛṣṇa is also different from Him, by His inconceivable potency. The virāṭ-rūpa exhibited on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra is the material conception of His form. Therefore it should be understood that when Lord Kṛṣṇa was apparently killed by the bow and arrow of the hunter, the Lord left His so-called material body in the material world. The Lord is kaivalya, and for Him there is no difference between matter and spirit because everything is created from Him. Therefore His quitting one sort of body or accepting another body does not mean that He is like the ordinary living being. All such activities are simultaneously one and different by His inconceivable potency. When Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was lamenting the possibility of His disappearance, it was just in pursuance of a custom of lamenting the disappearance of a great friend, but factually the Lord never quits His transcendental body, as is misconceived by less intelligent persons. Such less intelligent persons have been condemned by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā, and they are known as the mūḍhas. That the Lord left His body means that He left again His plenary portions in the respective dhāmas (transcendental abodes), as He left His virāṭ-rūpa in the material world.
sa kālo 'yam upasthitaḥ
yadātmano 'ńgam ākrīḍaḿ
bhagavān utsisṛkṣati
SYNONYMS
api — whether; deva-ṛṣiṇā — by the demigod-saint (Nārada); ādiṣṭaḥ — instructed; saḥ — that; kālaḥ — eternal time; ayam — this; upasthitaḥ — arrived; yadā — when; ātmanaḥ — of His own self; ańgam — plenary portion; ākrīḍam — manifestation; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; utsisṛkṣati — is going to quit.
TRANSLATION
Is He going to quit His earthly pastimes, as Devarṣi Nārada indicated? Has that time already arrived?
PURPORT
As we have discussed many times, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has many plenary expansions, and each and every one of them, although equally powerful, executes different functions. In Bhagavad-gītā there are different statements by the Lord, and each of these statements is meant for different plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions. For example, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, says in Bhagavad-gītā:
"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself." (Bg. 4.7)
"To deliver the faithful, to annihilate the miscreants and also to reestablish the principles of occupational duty, I appear in every age." (Bg. 4.8)
"If I should cease to work, then all humanity would be misdirected. I would also be the cause of creating unwanted population, and I would thereby destroy the peace of all sentient beings." (Bg. 3.24)
"Whatever action a great man performs, common men will follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." (Bg. 3.21)
All the above statements by the Lord apply to different plenary portions of the Lord, namely His expansions such as Sańkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Nārāyaṇa. These are all He Himself in different transcendental expansions, and still the Lord as Śrī Kṛṣṇa functions in a different sphere of transcendental exchange with different grades of devotees. And yet Lord Kṛṣṇa as He is appears once every twenty-four hours of Brahmā's time (or after a lapse of 8,640,000,000 solar years) in each and every universe, and all His transcendental pastimes are displayed in each and every universe in a routine spool. But in that routine spool the functions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Vāsudeva, etc., are complex problems for the layman. There is no difference between the Lord's Self and the Lord's transcendental body. The expansions execute differential activities. When the Lord, however, appears in His person as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, His other plenary portions also join in Him by His inconceivable potency called yogamāyā, and thus the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Vṛndāvana is different from the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Mathurā or the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā. The virāṭ-rūpa of Lord Kṛṣṇa is also different from Him, by His inconceivable potency. The virāṭ-rūpa exhibited on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra is the material conception of His form. Therefore it should be understood that when Lord Kṛṣṇa was apparently killed by the bow and arrow of the hunter, the Lord left His so-called material body in the material world. The Lord is kaivalya, and for Him there is no difference between matter and spirit because everything is created from Him. Therefore His quitting one sort of body or accepting another body does not mean that He is like the ordinary living being. All such activities are simultaneously one and different by His inconceivable potency. When Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was lamenting the possibility of His disappearance, it was just in pursuance of a custom of lamenting the disappearance of a great friend, but factually the Lord never quits His transcendental body, as is misconceived by less intelligent persons. Such less intelligent persons have been condemned by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā, and they are known as the mūḍhas. That the Lord left His body means that He left again His plenary portions in the respective dhāmas (transcendental abodes), as He left His virāṭ-rūpa in the material world.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.7
gatāḥ saptādhunā māsā
bhīmasena tavānujaḥ
nāyāti kasya vā hetor
nāhaḿ vededam añjasā
SYNONYMS
gatāḥ — has gone; sapta — seven; adhunā — to date; māsāḥ — months; bhīmasena — O Bhīmasena; tava — your; anujaḥ — younger brother; na — does not; āyāti — come back; kasya — for what; vā — or; hetoḥ — reason; na — not; aham — I; veda — know; idam — this; añjasā — factually.
TRANSLATION
Since he departed, seven months have passed, yet he has not returned. I do not know factually how things are going there.
bhīmasena tavānujaḥ
nāyāti kasya vā hetor
nāhaḿ vededam añjasā
SYNONYMS
gatāḥ — has gone; sapta — seven; adhunā — to date; māsāḥ — months; bhīmasena — O Bhīmasena; tava — your; anujaḥ — younger brother; na — does not; āyāti — come back; kasya — for what; vā — or; hetoḥ — reason; na — not; aham — I; veda — know; idam — this; añjasā — factually.
TRANSLATION
Since he departed, seven months have passed, yet he has not returned. I do not know factually how things are going there.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.6
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
sampreṣito dvārakāyāḿ
jiṣṇur bandhu-didṛkṣayā
jñātuḿ ca puṇya-ślokasya
kṛṣṇasya ca viceṣṭitam
SYNONYMS
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said; sampreṣitaḥ — has gone to; dvārakāyām — Dvārakā; jiṣṇuḥ — Arjuna; bandhu — friends; didṛkṣayā — for the sake of meeting; jñātum — to know; ca — also; puṇya-ślokasya — of the Personality of Godhead; kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; ca — and; viceṣṭitam — program of work.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said to his younger brother Bhīmasena, I sent Arjuna to Dvārakā to meet his friends and to learn from the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa of His program of work.
sampreṣito dvārakāyāḿ
jiṣṇur bandhu-didṛkṣayā
jñātuḿ ca puṇya-ślokasya
kṛṣṇasya ca viceṣṭitam
SYNONYMS
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said; sampreṣitaḥ — has gone to; dvārakāyām — Dvārakā; jiṣṇuḥ — Arjuna; bandhu — friends; didṛkṣayā — for the sake of meeting; jñātum — to know; ca — also; puṇya-ślokasya — of the Personality of Godhead; kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; ca — and; viceṣṭitam — program of work.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said to his younger brother Bhīmasena, I sent Arjuna to Dvārakā to meet his friends and to learn from the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa of His program of work.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.5
nimittāny atyariṣṭāni
kāle tv anugate nṛṇām
lobhādy-adharma-prakṛtiḿ
dṛṣṭvovācānujaḿ nṛpaḥ
SYNONYMS
nimittāni — causes; ati — very serious; ariṣṭāni — bad omens; kāle — in course of time; tu — but; anugate — passing away; nṛṇām — of humanity at large; lobha-ādi — such as greed; adharma — irreligious; prakṛtim — habits; dṛṣṭvā — having observed; uvāca — said; anujam — younger brother; nṛpaḥ — the King.
TRANSLATION
In course of time it came to pass that people in general became accustomed to greed, anger, pride, etc. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, observing all these omens, spoke to his younger brother.
PURPORT
Such a pious king as Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira at once became perturbed when there were such inhuman symptoms as greed, anger, irreligiosity and hypocrisy rampant in society. It appears from this statement that all these symptoms of degraded society were unknown to the people of the time, and it was astonishing for them to have experienced them with the advent of the Kali-yuga, or the age of quarrel.
kāle tv anugate nṛṇām
lobhādy-adharma-prakṛtiḿ
dṛṣṭvovācānujaḿ nṛpaḥ
SYNONYMS
nimittāni — causes; ati — very serious; ariṣṭāni — bad omens; kāle — in course of time; tu — but; anugate — passing away; nṛṇām — of humanity at large; lobha-ādi — such as greed; adharma — irreligious; prakṛtim — habits; dṛṣṭvā — having observed; uvāca — said; anujam — younger brother; nṛpaḥ — the King.
TRANSLATION
In course of time it came to pass that people in general became accustomed to greed, anger, pride, etc. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, observing all these omens, spoke to his younger brother.
PURPORT
Such a pious king as Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira at once became perturbed when there were such inhuman symptoms as greed, anger, irreligiosity and hypocrisy rampant in society. It appears from this statement that all these symptoms of degraded society were unknown to the people of the time, and it was astonishing for them to have experienced them with the advent of the Kali-yuga, or the age of quarrel.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.4
jihma-prāyaḿ vyavahṛtaḿ
śāṭhya-miśraḿ ca sauhṛdam
pitṛ-mātṛ-suhṛd-bhrātṛ-
dam-patīnāḿ ca kalkanam
SYNONYMS
jihma-prāyam — cheating; vyavahṛtam — in all ordinary transactions; śāṭhya — duplicity; miśram — adulterated in; ca — and; sauhṛdam — regarding friendly well-wishers; pitṛ — father; mātṛ — regarding the mother; suhṛt — well-wishers; bhrātṛ — one's own brother; dam-patīnām — regarding husband and wife; ca — also; kalkanam — mutual quarrel.
TRANSLATION
All ordinary transactions and dealings became polluted with cheating, even between friends. And in familial affairs, there was always misunderstanding between fathers, mothers and sons, between well-wishers, and between brothers. Even between husband and wife there was always strain and quarrel.
PURPORT
A conditioned living being is endowed with four principles of malpractice, namely errors, insanity, inability and cheating. These are signs of imperfection, and out of the four the propensity to cheat others is most prominent. And this cheating practice is there in the conditioned souls because the conditioned souls are primarily in the material world imbued with an unnatural desire to lord it over the material world. A living being in his pure state is not conditioned by the laws because in his pure state he is conscious that a living being is eternally subservient to the Supreme Being, and thus it is always good for him to remain subservient, instead of falsely trying to lord it over the property of the Supreme Lord. In the conditioned state the living being is not satisfied even if he actually becomes the lord of all that he surveys, which he never becomes, and therefore he becomes the victim of all kinds of cheating, even with his nearest and most intimate relations. In such an unsatisfactory state of affairs, there is no harmony, even between father and sons or between husband and wife. But all these contending difficulties can be mitigated by one process, and that is the devotional service of the Lord. The world of hypocrisy can be checked only by counteraction through devotional service to the Lord and nothing else. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, having observed the disparities, conjectured the disappearance of the Lord from the earth.
śāṭhya-miśraḿ ca sauhṛdam
pitṛ-mātṛ-suhṛd-bhrātṛ-
dam-patīnāḿ ca kalkanam
SYNONYMS
jihma-prāyam — cheating; vyavahṛtam — in all ordinary transactions; śāṭhya — duplicity; miśram — adulterated in; ca — and; sauhṛdam — regarding friendly well-wishers; pitṛ — father; mātṛ — regarding the mother; suhṛt — well-wishers; bhrātṛ — one's own brother; dam-patīnām — regarding husband and wife; ca — also; kalkanam — mutual quarrel.
TRANSLATION
All ordinary transactions and dealings became polluted with cheating, even between friends. And in familial affairs, there was always misunderstanding between fathers, mothers and sons, between well-wishers, and between brothers. Even between husband and wife there was always strain and quarrel.
PURPORT
A conditioned living being is endowed with four principles of malpractice, namely errors, insanity, inability and cheating. These are signs of imperfection, and out of the four the propensity to cheat others is most prominent. And this cheating practice is there in the conditioned souls because the conditioned souls are primarily in the material world imbued with an unnatural desire to lord it over the material world. A living being in his pure state is not conditioned by the laws because in his pure state he is conscious that a living being is eternally subservient to the Supreme Being, and thus it is always good for him to remain subservient, instead of falsely trying to lord it over the property of the Supreme Lord. In the conditioned state the living being is not satisfied even if he actually becomes the lord of all that he surveys, which he never becomes, and therefore he becomes the victim of all kinds of cheating, even with his nearest and most intimate relations. In such an unsatisfactory state of affairs, there is no harmony, even between father and sons or between husband and wife. But all these contending difficulties can be mitigated by one process, and that is the devotional service of the Lord. The world of hypocrisy can be checked only by counteraction through devotional service to the Lord and nothing else. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, having observed the disparities, conjectured the disappearance of the Lord from the earth.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.3
kālasya ca gatiḿ raudrāḿ
viparyastartu-dharmiṇaḥ
pāpīyasīḿ nṛṇāḿ vārtāḿ
krodha-lobhānṛtātmanām
SYNONYMS
kālasya — of eternal time; ca — also; gatim — direction; raudrām — fearful; viparyasta — reversed; ṛtu — seasonal; dharmiṇaḥ — regularities; pāpīyasīm — sinful; nṛṇām — of the human being; vārtām — means of livelihood; krodha — anger; lobha — greed; anṛta — falsehood; ātmanām — of the people.
TRANSLATION
He saw that the direction of eternal time had changed, and this was very fearful. There were disruptions in the seasonal regularities. The people in general had become very greedy, angry and deceitful. And he saw that they were adopting foul means of livelihood.
PURPORT
When civilization is disconnected from the loving relation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, symptoms like changes of seasonal regulations, foul means of livelihood, greed, anger and fraudulence become rampant. The change of seasonal regulations refers to one season's atmosphere becoming manifest in another season — for example the rainy season's being transferred to autumn, or the fructification of fruits and flowers from one season in another season. A godless man is invariably greedy, angry and fraudulent. Such a man can earn his livelihood by any means, black or white. During the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, all the above symptoms were conspicuous by their absence. But Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was astonished to experience even a slight change in the godly atmosphere of his kingdom, and at once he suspected the disappearance of the Lord. Foul means of livelihood implies deviation from one's occupational duty. There are prescribed duties for everyone, such as the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, but anyone who deviates from his prescribed duty and declares another's duty to be his own is following a foul and improper duty. A man becomes too greedy for wealth and power when he has no higher objective in life and when he thinks that this earthly life of a few years is all in all. Ignorance is the cause for all these anomalies in human society, and to remove this ignorance, especially in this age of degradation, the powerful sun is there to distribute light in the shape of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
viparyastartu-dharmiṇaḥ
pāpīyasīḿ nṛṇāḿ vārtāḿ
krodha-lobhānṛtātmanām
SYNONYMS
kālasya — of eternal time; ca — also; gatim — direction; raudrām — fearful; viparyasta — reversed; ṛtu — seasonal; dharmiṇaḥ — regularities; pāpīyasīm — sinful; nṛṇām — of the human being; vārtām — means of livelihood; krodha — anger; lobha — greed; anṛta — falsehood; ātmanām — of the people.
TRANSLATION
He saw that the direction of eternal time had changed, and this was very fearful. There were disruptions in the seasonal regularities. The people in general had become very greedy, angry and deceitful. And he saw that they were adopting foul means of livelihood.
PURPORT
When civilization is disconnected from the loving relation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, symptoms like changes of seasonal regulations, foul means of livelihood, greed, anger and fraudulence become rampant. The change of seasonal regulations refers to one season's atmosphere becoming manifest in another season — for example the rainy season's being transferred to autumn, or the fructification of fruits and flowers from one season in another season. A godless man is invariably greedy, angry and fraudulent. Such a man can earn his livelihood by any means, black or white. During the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, all the above symptoms were conspicuous by their absence. But Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was astonished to experience even a slight change in the godly atmosphere of his kingdom, and at once he suspected the disappearance of the Lord. Foul means of livelihood implies deviation from one's occupational duty. There are prescribed duties for everyone, such as the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, but anyone who deviates from his prescribed duty and declares another's duty to be his own is following a foul and improper duty. A man becomes too greedy for wealth and power when he has no higher objective in life and when he thinks that this earthly life of a few years is all in all. Ignorance is the cause for all these anomalies in human society, and to remove this ignorance, especially in this age of degradation, the powerful sun is there to distribute light in the shape of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.2
vyatītāḥ katicin māsās
tadā nāyāt tato 'rjunaḥ
dadarśa ghora-rūpāṇi
nimittāni kurūdvahaḥ
SYNONYMS
vyatītāḥ — after passing; katicit — a few; māsāḥ — months; tadā — at that time; na āyāt — did not return; tataḥ — from there; arjunaḥ — Arjuna; dadarśa — observed; ghora — fearful; rūpāṇi — appearances; nimittāni — various causes; kuru-udvahaḥ — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
TRANSLATION
A few months passed, and Arjuna did not return. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira then began to observe some inauspicious omens, which were fearful in themselves.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ad infinitum, more powerful than the most powerful sun of our experience. Millions and billions of suns are created by Him and annihilated by Him within His one breathing period. In the material world the sun is considered to be the source of all productivity and material energy, and only due to the sun can we have the necessities of life. Therefore, during the personal presence of the Lord on the earth, all paraphernalia for our peace and prosperity, especially religion and knowledge, were in full display because of the Lord's presence, just as there is a full flood of light in the presence of the glowing sun. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira observed some discrepancies in his kingdom, and therefore he became very anxious about Arjuna, who was long absent, and there was also no news about Dvārakā's well-being. He suspected the disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa, otherwise there would have been no possibility of fearful omens.
tadā nāyāt tato 'rjunaḥ
dadarśa ghora-rūpāṇi
nimittāni kurūdvahaḥ
SYNONYMS
vyatītāḥ — after passing; katicit — a few; māsāḥ — months; tadā — at that time; na āyāt — did not return; tataḥ — from there; arjunaḥ — Arjuna; dadarśa — observed; ghora — fearful; rūpāṇi — appearances; nimittāni — various causes; kuru-udvahaḥ — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
TRANSLATION
A few months passed, and Arjuna did not return. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira then began to observe some inauspicious omens, which were fearful in themselves.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ad infinitum, more powerful than the most powerful sun of our experience. Millions and billions of suns are created by Him and annihilated by Him within His one breathing period. In the material world the sun is considered to be the source of all productivity and material energy, and only due to the sun can we have the necessities of life. Therefore, during the personal presence of the Lord on the earth, all paraphernalia for our peace and prosperity, especially religion and knowledge, were in full display because of the Lord's presence, just as there is a full flood of light in the presence of the glowing sun. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira observed some discrepancies in his kingdom, and therefore he became very anxious about Arjuna, who was long absent, and there was also no news about Dvārakā's well-being. He suspected the disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa, otherwise there would have been no possibility of fearful omens.
Canto 1: Creation Chapter 14: The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.14.1
sūta uvāca
samprasthite dvārakāyāḿ
jiṣṇau bandhu-didṛkṣayā
jñātuḿ ca puṇya-ślokasya
kṛṣṇasya ca viceṣṭitam
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said; samprasthite — having gone to; dvārakāyām — the city of Dvārakā; jiṣṇau — Arjuna; bandhu — friends and relatives; didṛkṣayā — for meeting them; jñātum — to know; ca — also; puṇya-ślokasya — of one whose glories are sung by Vedic hymns; kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; ca — and; viceṣṭitam — further programs of work.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Arjuna went to Dvārakā to see Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and other friends and also to learn from the Lord of His next activities.
PURPORT
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord descended on earth for the protection of the faithful and annihilation of the impious, so after the Battle of Kurukṣetra and establishment of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the mission of the Lord was complete. The Pāṇḍavas, especially Śrī Arjuna, were eternal companions of the Lord, and therefore Arjuna went to Dvārakā to hear from the Lord of His next program of work.
samprasthite dvārakāyāḿ
jiṣṇau bandhu-didṛkṣayā
jñātuḿ ca puṇya-ślokasya
kṛṣṇasya ca viceṣṭitam
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said; samprasthite — having gone to; dvārakāyām — the city of Dvārakā; jiṣṇau — Arjuna; bandhu — friends and relatives; didṛkṣayā — for meeting them; jñātum — to know; ca — also; puṇya-ślokasya — of one whose glories are sung by Vedic hymns; kṛṣṇasya — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; ca — and; viceṣṭitam — further programs of work.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Arjuna went to Dvārakā to see Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and other friends and also to learn from the Lord of His next activities.
PURPORT
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord descended on earth for the protection of the faithful and annihilation of the impious, so after the Battle of Kurukṣetra and establishment of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the mission of the Lord was complete. The Pāṇḍavas, especially Śrī Arjuna, were eternal companions of the Lord, and therefore Arjuna went to Dvārakā to hear from the Lord of His next program of work.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.60
ity uktvāthāruhat svargaḿ
nāradaḥ saha-tumburuḥ
yudhiṣṭhiro vacas tasya
hṛdi kṛtvājahāc chucaḥ
SYNONYMS
iti — thus; uktvā — having addressed; atha — thereafter; āruhat — ascended; svargam — into outer space; nāradaḥ — the great sage Nārada; saha — along with; tumburuḥ — his stringed instrument; yudhiṣṭhiraḥ — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; vacaḥ — instructions; tasya — of his; hṛdi kṛtvā — keeping in the heart; ajahāt — gave up; śucaḥ — all lamentations.
TRANSLATION
Having spoken thus, the great sage Nārada, along with his vīṇā, ascended into outer space. Yudhiṣṭhira kept his instruction in his heart and so was able to get rid of all lamentations.
PURPORT
Śrī Nāradajī is an eternal spaceman, having been endowed with a spiritual body by the grace of the Lord. He can travel in the outer spaces of both the material and spiritual worlds without restriction and can approach any planet in unlimited space within no time. We have already discussed his previous life as the son of a maidservant. Because of his association with pure devotees, he was elevated to the position of an eternal spaceman and thus had freedom of movement. One should therefore try to follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni and not make a futile effort to reach other planets by mechanical means. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was a pious king, and therefore he could see Nārada Muni occasionally; anyone who desires to see Nārada Muni must first be pious and follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Dhṛtarāṣṭra Quits Home."
nāradaḥ saha-tumburuḥ
yudhiṣṭhiro vacas tasya
hṛdi kṛtvājahāc chucaḥ
SYNONYMS
iti — thus; uktvā — having addressed; atha — thereafter; āruhat — ascended; svargam — into outer space; nāradaḥ — the great sage Nārada; saha — along with; tumburuḥ — his stringed instrument; yudhiṣṭhiraḥ — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; vacaḥ — instructions; tasya — of his; hṛdi kṛtvā — keeping in the heart; ajahāt — gave up; śucaḥ — all lamentations.
TRANSLATION
Having spoken thus, the great sage Nārada, along with his vīṇā, ascended into outer space. Yudhiṣṭhira kept his instruction in his heart and so was able to get rid of all lamentations.
PURPORT
Śrī Nāradajī is an eternal spaceman, having been endowed with a spiritual body by the grace of the Lord. He can travel in the outer spaces of both the material and spiritual worlds without restriction and can approach any planet in unlimited space within no time. We have already discussed his previous life as the son of a maidservant. Because of his association with pure devotees, he was elevated to the position of an eternal spaceman and thus had freedom of movement. One should therefore try to follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni and not make a futile effort to reach other planets by mechanical means. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was a pious king, and therefore he could see Nārada Muni occasionally; anyone who desires to see Nārada Muni must first be pious and follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Thirteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Dhṛtarāṣṭra Quits Home."
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.59
viduras tu tad āścaryaḿ
niśāmya kuru-nandana
harṣa-śoka-yutas tasmād
gantā tīrtha-niṣevakaḥ
SYNONYMS
viduraḥ — Vidura also; tu — but; tat — that incident; āścaryam — wonderful; niśāmya — seeing; kuru-nandana — O son of the Kuru dynasty; harṣa — delight; śoka — grief; yutaḥ — affected by; tasmāt — from that place; gantā — will go away; tīrtha — place of pilgrimage; niṣevakaḥ — for being enlivened.
TRANSLATION
Vidura, being affected with delight and grief, will then leave that place of sacred pilgrimage.
PURPORT
Vidura was astonished to see the marvelous departure of his brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra as a liberated yogī, for in his past life he was much attached to materialism. Of course it was only due to Vidura that his brother attained the desirable goal of life. Vidura was therefore glad to learn about it. But he was sorry that he could not make his brother turn into a pure devotee. This was not done by Vidura because of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's being inimical to the Pāṇḍavas, who were all devotees of the Lord. An offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava is more dangerous than an offense at the lotus feet of the Lord. Vidura was certainly very liberal to bestow mercy upon his brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whose past life was very materialistic. But ultimately the result of such mercy certainly depended on the will of the Supreme Lord in the present life; therefore Dhṛtarāṣṭra attained liberation only, and after many such liberated states of life one can attain to the stage of devotional service. Vidura was certainly very mortified by the death of his brother and sister-in-law, and the only remedy to mitigate such lamentation was to go out to pilgrimage. Thus Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira had no chance to call back Vidura, his surviving uncle.
niśāmya kuru-nandana
harṣa-śoka-yutas tasmād
gantā tīrtha-niṣevakaḥ
SYNONYMS
viduraḥ — Vidura also; tu — but; tat — that incident; āścaryam — wonderful; niśāmya — seeing; kuru-nandana — O son of the Kuru dynasty; harṣa — delight; śoka — grief; yutaḥ — affected by; tasmāt — from that place; gantā — will go away; tīrtha — place of pilgrimage; niṣevakaḥ — for being enlivened.
TRANSLATION
Vidura, being affected with delight and grief, will then leave that place of sacred pilgrimage.
PURPORT
Vidura was astonished to see the marvelous departure of his brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra as a liberated yogī, for in his past life he was much attached to materialism. Of course it was only due to Vidura that his brother attained the desirable goal of life. Vidura was therefore glad to learn about it. But he was sorry that he could not make his brother turn into a pure devotee. This was not done by Vidura because of Dhṛtarāṣṭra's being inimical to the Pāṇḍavas, who were all devotees of the Lord. An offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava is more dangerous than an offense at the lotus feet of the Lord. Vidura was certainly very liberal to bestow mercy upon his brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra, whose past life was very materialistic. But ultimately the result of such mercy certainly depended on the will of the Supreme Lord in the present life; therefore Dhṛtarāṣṭra attained liberation only, and after many such liberated states of life one can attain to the stage of devotional service. Vidura was certainly very mortified by the death of his brother and sister-in-law, and the only remedy to mitigate such lamentation was to go out to pilgrimage. Thus Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira had no chance to call back Vidura, his surviving uncle.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.58
dahyamāne 'gnibhir dehe
patyuḥ patnī sahoṭaje
bahiḥ sthitā patiḿ sādhvī
tam agnim anu vekṣyati
SYNONYMS
dahyamāne — while it is burning; agnibhiḥ — by the fire; dehe — the body; patyuḥ — of the husband; patnī — the wife; saha-uṭaje — along with the thatched cottage; bahiḥ — outside; sthitā — situated; patim — unto the husband; sādhvī — the chaste lady; tam — that; agnim — fire; anu vekṣyati — looking with great attention will enter the fire.
TRANSLATION
While outside observing her husband, who will burn in the fire of mystic power along with his thatched cottage, his chaste wife will enter the fire with rapt attention.
PURPORT
Gāndhārī was an ideal chaste lady, a life companion of her husband, and therefore when she saw her husband burning in the fire of mystic yoga along with his cottage of leaves, she despaired. She left home after losing her one hundred sons, and in the forest she saw that her most beloved husband was also burning. Now she actually felt alone, and therefore she entered the fire of her husband and followed her husband to death. This entering of a chaste lady into the fire of her dead husband is called the satī rite, and the action is considered to be most perfect for a woman. In a later age, this satī rite became an obnoxious criminal affair because the ceremony was forced upon even an unwilling woman. In this fallen age it is not possible for any lady to follow the satī rite as chastely as it was done by Gāndhārī and others in past ages. A chaste wife like Gāndhārī would feel the separation of her husband to be more burning than actual fire. Such a lady can observe the satī rite voluntarily, and there is no criminal force by anyone. When the rite became a formality only and force was applied upon a lady to follow the principle, actually it became criminal, and therefore the ceremony was to be stopped by state law. This prophecy of Nārada Muni to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira forbade him to go to his widowed aunt.
patyuḥ patnī sahoṭaje
bahiḥ sthitā patiḿ sādhvī
tam agnim anu vekṣyati
SYNONYMS
dahyamāne — while it is burning; agnibhiḥ — by the fire; dehe — the body; patyuḥ — of the husband; patnī — the wife; saha-uṭaje — along with the thatched cottage; bahiḥ — outside; sthitā — situated; patim — unto the husband; sādhvī — the chaste lady; tam — that; agnim — fire; anu vekṣyati — looking with great attention will enter the fire.
TRANSLATION
While outside observing her husband, who will burn in the fire of mystic power along with his thatched cottage, his chaste wife will enter the fire with rapt attention.
PURPORT
Gāndhārī was an ideal chaste lady, a life companion of her husband, and therefore when she saw her husband burning in the fire of mystic yoga along with his cottage of leaves, she despaired. She left home after losing her one hundred sons, and in the forest she saw that her most beloved husband was also burning. Now she actually felt alone, and therefore she entered the fire of her husband and followed her husband to death. This entering of a chaste lady into the fire of her dead husband is called the satī rite, and the action is considered to be most perfect for a woman. In a later age, this satī rite became an obnoxious criminal affair because the ceremony was forced upon even an unwilling woman. In this fallen age it is not possible for any lady to follow the satī rite as chastely as it was done by Gāndhārī and others in past ages. A chaste wife like Gāndhārī would feel the separation of her husband to be more burning than actual fire. Such a lady can observe the satī rite voluntarily, and there is no criminal force by anyone. When the rite became a formality only and force was applied upon a lady to follow the principle, actually it became criminal, and therefore the ceremony was to be stopped by state law. This prophecy of Nārada Muni to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira forbade him to go to his widowed aunt.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.57
sa vā adyatanād rājan
parataḥ pañcame 'hani
kalevaraḿ hāsyati svaḿ
tac ca bhasmī-bhaviṣyati
SYNONYMS
saḥ — he; vā — in all probability; adya — today; tanāt — from; rājan — O King; parataḥ — ahead; pañcame — on the fifth; ahani — day; kalevaram — body; hāsyati — shall quit; svam — his own; tat — that; ca — also; bhasmī — ashes; bhaviṣyati — will turn into.
TRANSLATION
O King, he will quit his body, most probably on the fifth day from today. And his body will turn to ashes.
PURPORT
Nārada Muni's prophecy prohibited Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja from going to the place where his uncle was staying because even after quitting the body by his own mystic power, Dhṛtarāṣṭra would not be in need of any funeral ceremony; Nārada Muni indicated that his body by itself would burn to ashes. The perfection of the yoga system is attained by such mystic power. The yogī is able to quit his body by his own choice of time and can attain any planet he desires by turning the present body into ashes by self-made fire.
parataḥ pañcame 'hani
kalevaraḿ hāsyati svaḿ
tac ca bhasmī-bhaviṣyati
SYNONYMS
saḥ — he; vā — in all probability; adya — today; tanāt — from; rājan — O King; parataḥ — ahead; pañcame — on the fifth; ahani — day; kalevaram — body; hāsyati — shall quit; svam — his own; tat — that; ca — also; bhasmī — ashes; bhaviṣyati — will turn into.
TRANSLATION
O King, he will quit his body, most probably on the fifth day from today. And his body will turn to ashes.
PURPORT
Nārada Muni's prophecy prohibited Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja from going to the place where his uncle was staying because even after quitting the body by his own mystic power, Dhṛtarāṣṭra would not be in need of any funeral ceremony; Nārada Muni indicated that his body by itself would burn to ashes. The perfection of the yoga system is attained by such mystic power. The yogī is able to quit his body by his own choice of time and can attain any planet he desires by turning the present body into ashes by self-made fire.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.56
dhvasta-māyā-guṇodarko
niruddha-karaṇāśayaḥ
nivartitākhilāhāra
āste sthāṇur ivācalaḥ
tasyāntarāyo maivābhūḥ
sannyastākhila-karmaṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
dhvasta — being destroyed; māyā-guṇa — the modes of material nature; udarkaḥ — after effects; niruddha — being suspended; karaṇa-āśayaḥ — the senses and the mind; nivartita — stopped; akhila — all; āhāraḥ — food for the senses; āste — is sitting; sthāṇuḥ — immovable; iva — like; acalaḥ — fixed; tasya — his; antarāyaḥ — hindrances; mā eva — never like that; abhūḥ — be; sannyasta — renounced; akhila — all sorts; karmaṇaḥ — material duties.
TRANSLATION
He will have to suspend all the actions of the senses, even from the outside, and will have to be impervious to interactions of the senses, which are influenced by the modes of material nature. After renouncing all material duties, he must become immovably established, beyond all sources of hindrances on the path.
PURPORT
Dhṛtarāṣṭra had attained, by the yogic process, the stage of negation of all sorts of material reaction. The effects of the material modes of nature draw the victim to indefatigable desires of enjoying matter, but one can escape such false enjoyment by the yogic process. Every sense is always busy in searching for its food, and thus the conditioned soul is assaulted from all sides and has no chance to become steady in any pursuit. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was advised by Nārada not to disturb his uncle by attempting to bring him back home. He was now beyond the attraction of anything material. The material modes of nature (the guṇas) have their different modes of activities, but above the material modes of nature is a spiritual mode, which is absolute. Nirguṇa means without reaction. The spiritual mode and its effect are identical; therefore the spiritual quality is distinguished from its material counterpart by the word nirguṇa. After complete suspension of the material modes of nature, one is admitted to the spiritual sphere, and action dictated by the spiritual modes is called devotional service, or bhakti. Bhakti is therefore nirguṇa attained by direct contact with the Absolute.
niruddha-karaṇāśayaḥ
nivartitākhilāhāra
āste sthāṇur ivācalaḥ
tasyāntarāyo maivābhūḥ
sannyastākhila-karmaṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
dhvasta — being destroyed; māyā-guṇa — the modes of material nature; udarkaḥ — after effects; niruddha — being suspended; karaṇa-āśayaḥ — the senses and the mind; nivartita — stopped; akhila — all; āhāraḥ — food for the senses; āste — is sitting; sthāṇuḥ — immovable; iva — like; acalaḥ — fixed; tasya — his; antarāyaḥ — hindrances; mā eva — never like that; abhūḥ — be; sannyasta — renounced; akhila — all sorts; karmaṇaḥ — material duties.
TRANSLATION
He will have to suspend all the actions of the senses, even from the outside, and will have to be impervious to interactions of the senses, which are influenced by the modes of material nature. After renouncing all material duties, he must become immovably established, beyond all sources of hindrances on the path.
PURPORT
Dhṛtarāṣṭra had attained, by the yogic process, the stage of negation of all sorts of material reaction. The effects of the material modes of nature draw the victim to indefatigable desires of enjoying matter, but one can escape such false enjoyment by the yogic process. Every sense is always busy in searching for its food, and thus the conditioned soul is assaulted from all sides and has no chance to become steady in any pursuit. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was advised by Nārada not to disturb his uncle by attempting to bring him back home. He was now beyond the attraction of anything material. The material modes of nature (the guṇas) have their different modes of activities, but above the material modes of nature is a spiritual mode, which is absolute. Nirguṇa means without reaction. The spiritual mode and its effect are identical; therefore the spiritual quality is distinguished from its material counterpart by the word nirguṇa. After complete suspension of the material modes of nature, one is admitted to the spiritual sphere, and action dictated by the spiritual modes is called devotional service, or bhakti. Bhakti is therefore nirguṇa attained by direct contact with the Absolute.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.55
vijñānātmani saḿyojya
kṣetrajñe pravilāpya tam
brahmaṇy ātmānam ādhāre
ghaṭāmbaram ivāmbare
SYNONYMS
vijñāna — purified identity; ātmani — in intelligence; saḿyojya — perfectly fixing; kṣetra-jñe — in the matter of the living being; pravilāpya — merging; tam — him; brahmaṇi — in the Supreme; ātmānam — pure living being; ādhāre — in the reservoir; ghaṭa-ambaram — sky within the block; iva — like; ambare — in the supreme sky.
TRANSLATION
Dhṛtarāṣṭra will have to amalgamate his pure identity with intelligence and then merge into the Supreme Being with knowledge of his qualitative oneness, as a living entity, with the Supreme Brahman. Being freed from the blocked sky, he will have to rise to the spiritual sky.
PURPORT
The living being, by his desiring to lord it over the material world and declining to cooperate with the Supreme Lord, contacts the sum total of the material world, namely the mahat-tattva, and from the mahat-tattva his false identity with the material world, intelligence, mind and senses is developed. This covers his pure spiritual identity. By the yogic process, when his pure identity is realized in self-realization, one has to revert to the original position by amalgamating the five gross elements and the subtle elements, mind and intelligence, into the mahat-tattva again. Thus getting freed from the clutches of the mahat-tattva, he has to merge in the existence of the Supersoul. In other words, he has to realize that qualitatively he is nondifferent from the Supersoul, and thus he transcends the material sky by his pure identical intelligence and thus becomes engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. This is the highest perfectional development of spiritual identity, which was attained by Dhṛtarāṣṭra by the grace of Vidura and the Lord. The Lord's mercy was bestowed upon him by his personal contact with Vidura, and when he was actually practicing the instructions of Vidura, the Lord helped him to attain the highest perfectional stage.
A pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His so-called material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual current of the Lord's identical interest, and thus he is permanently freed from all contaminations of the sum total of the mahat-tattva. He is always in the spiritual sky, which he attains by being transcendental to the sevenfold material covering by the effect of his devotional service. The conditioned souls are within the coverings, whereas the liberated soul is far beyond the cover.
kṣetrajñe pravilāpya tam
brahmaṇy ātmānam ādhāre
ghaṭāmbaram ivāmbare
SYNONYMS
vijñāna — purified identity; ātmani — in intelligence; saḿyojya — perfectly fixing; kṣetra-jñe — in the matter of the living being; pravilāpya — merging; tam — him; brahmaṇi — in the Supreme; ātmānam — pure living being; ādhāre — in the reservoir; ghaṭa-ambaram — sky within the block; iva — like; ambare — in the supreme sky.
TRANSLATION
Dhṛtarāṣṭra will have to amalgamate his pure identity with intelligence and then merge into the Supreme Being with knowledge of his qualitative oneness, as a living entity, with the Supreme Brahman. Being freed from the blocked sky, he will have to rise to the spiritual sky.
PURPORT
The living being, by his desiring to lord it over the material world and declining to cooperate with the Supreme Lord, contacts the sum total of the material world, namely the mahat-tattva, and from the mahat-tattva his false identity with the material world, intelligence, mind and senses is developed. This covers his pure spiritual identity. By the yogic process, when his pure identity is realized in self-realization, one has to revert to the original position by amalgamating the five gross elements and the subtle elements, mind and intelligence, into the mahat-tattva again. Thus getting freed from the clutches of the mahat-tattva, he has to merge in the existence of the Supersoul. In other words, he has to realize that qualitatively he is nondifferent from the Supersoul, and thus he transcends the material sky by his pure identical intelligence and thus becomes engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. This is the highest perfectional development of spiritual identity, which was attained by Dhṛtarāṣṭra by the grace of Vidura and the Lord. The Lord's mercy was bestowed upon him by his personal contact with Vidura, and when he was actually practicing the instructions of Vidura, the Lord helped him to attain the highest perfectional stage.
A pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His so-called material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual current of the Lord's identical interest, and thus he is permanently freed from all contaminations of the sum total of the mahat-tattva. He is always in the spiritual sky, which he attains by being transcendental to the sevenfold material covering by the effect of his devotional service. The conditioned souls are within the coverings, whereas the liberated soul is far beyond the cover.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.54
jitāsano jita-śvāsaḥ
pratyāhṛta-ṣaḍ-indriyaḥ
hari-bhāvanayā dhvasta-
rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-malaḥ
SYNONYMS
jita-āsanaḥ — one who has controlled the sitting posture; jita-śvāsaḥ — one who has controlled the breathing process; pratyāhṛta — turning back; ṣaṭ — six; indriyaḥ — senses; hari — the Absolute Personality of Godhead; bhāvanayā — absorbed in; dhvasta — conquered; rajaḥ — passion; sattva — goodness; tamaḥ — ignorance; malaḥ — contaminations.
TRANSLATION
One who has controlled the sitting postures [the yogic āsanas] and the breathing process can turn the senses toward the Absolute Personality of Godhead and thus become immune to the contaminations of the modes of material nature, namely mundane goodness, passion and ignorance.
PURPORT
The preliminary activities of the way of yoga are āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, etc. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was to attain success in those preliminary actions because he was seated in a sanctified place and was concentrating upon one objective, namely the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Hari). Thus all his senses were being engaged in the service of the Lord. This process directly helps the devotee to get freedom from the contaminations of the three material modes of nature. Even the highest mode, the material mode of goodness, is also a cause of material bondage, and what to speak of the other qualities, namely passion and ignorance. Passion and ignorance increase the material propensities of hankering for material enjoyment, and a strong sense of lust provokes the accumulation of wealth and power. One who has conquered these two base mentalities and has raised himself to the platform of goodness, which is full of knowledge and morality, cannot also control the senses, namely the eyes, the tongue, the nose, the ear and touch. But one who has surrendered himself unto the lotus feet of Lord Hari, as above mentioned, can transcend all influences of the modes of material nature and be fixed in the service of the Lord. The bhakti-yoga process, therefore, directly applies the senses to the loving service of the Lord. This prohibits the performer from engaging in material activities. This process of turning the senses from material attachment to the loving transcendental service of the Lord is called pratyāhāra, and the very process is called prāṇāyāma, ultimately ending in samādhi, or absorption in pleasing the Supreme Lord Hari by all means.
pratyāhṛta-ṣaḍ-indriyaḥ
hari-bhāvanayā dhvasta-
rajaḥ-sattva-tamo-malaḥ
SYNONYMS
jita-āsanaḥ — one who has controlled the sitting posture; jita-śvāsaḥ — one who has controlled the breathing process; pratyāhṛta — turning back; ṣaṭ — six; indriyaḥ — senses; hari — the Absolute Personality of Godhead; bhāvanayā — absorbed in; dhvasta — conquered; rajaḥ — passion; sattva — goodness; tamaḥ — ignorance; malaḥ — contaminations.
TRANSLATION
One who has controlled the sitting postures [the yogic āsanas] and the breathing process can turn the senses toward the Absolute Personality of Godhead and thus become immune to the contaminations of the modes of material nature, namely mundane goodness, passion and ignorance.
PURPORT
The preliminary activities of the way of yoga are āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, etc. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was to attain success in those preliminary actions because he was seated in a sanctified place and was concentrating upon one objective, namely the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Hari). Thus all his senses were being engaged in the service of the Lord. This process directly helps the devotee to get freedom from the contaminations of the three material modes of nature. Even the highest mode, the material mode of goodness, is also a cause of material bondage, and what to speak of the other qualities, namely passion and ignorance. Passion and ignorance increase the material propensities of hankering for material enjoyment, and a strong sense of lust provokes the accumulation of wealth and power. One who has conquered these two base mentalities and has raised himself to the platform of goodness, which is full of knowledge and morality, cannot also control the senses, namely the eyes, the tongue, the nose, the ear and touch. But one who has surrendered himself unto the lotus feet of Lord Hari, as above mentioned, can transcend all influences of the modes of material nature and be fixed in the service of the Lord. The bhakti-yoga process, therefore, directly applies the senses to the loving service of the Lord. This prohibits the performer from engaging in material activities. This process of turning the senses from material attachment to the loving transcendental service of the Lord is called pratyāhāra, and the very process is called prāṇāyāma, ultimately ending in samādhi, or absorption in pleasing the Supreme Lord Hari by all means.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.53
snātvānusavanaḿ tasmin
hutvā cāgnīn yathā-vidhi
ab-bhakṣa upaśāntātmā
sa āste vigataiṣaṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
snātvā — by taking bath; anusavanam — regularly three times (morning, noon and evening); tasmin — in that Ganges divided into seven; hutvā — by performing the Agni-hotra sacrifice; ca — also; agnīn — in the fire; yathā-vidhi — just according to the tenets of the scripture; ap-bhakṣaḥ — fasting by drinking only water; upaśānta — completely controlled; ātmā — the gross senses and the subtle mind; saḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; āste — would be situated; vigata — devoid of; eṣaṇaḥ — thoughts in relation with family welfare.
TRANSLATION
On the banks at Saptasrota, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is now engaged in beginning aṣṭāńga-yoga by bathing three times daily, in the morning, noon and evening, by performing the Agni-hotra sacrifice with fire and by drinking only water. This helps one control the mind and the senses and frees one completely from thoughts of familial affection.
PURPORT
The yoga system is a mechanical way to control the senses and the mind and divert them from matter to spirit. The preliminary processes are the sitting posture, meditation, spiritual thoughts, manipulation of air passing within the body, and gradual situation in trance, facing the Absolute Person, Paramātmā. Such mechanical ways of rising to the spiritual platform prescribe some regulative principles of taking bath daily three times, fasting as far as possible, sitting and concentrating the mind on spiritual matters and thus gradually becoming free from viṣaya, or material objectives. Material existence means to be absorbed in the material objective, which is simply illusory. House, country, family, society, children, property, and business are some of the material coverings of the spirit, ātmā, and the yoga system helps one to become free from all these illusory thoughts and gradually turn towards the Absolute Person, Paramātmā. By material association and education, we learn simply to concentrate on flimsy things, but yoga is the process of forgetting them altogether. Modern so-called yogīs and yoga systems manifest some magical feats, and ignorant persons are attracted by such false things, or they accept the yoga system as a cheap healing process for diseases of the gross body. But factually the yoga system is the process of learning to forget what we have acquired throughout the struggle for existence. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was all along engaged in improving family affairs by raising the standard of living of his sons or by usurping the property of the Pāṇḍavas for the sake of his own sons. These are common affairs for a man grossly materialistic and without knowledge of the spiritual force. He does not see how this can drag one from heaven to hell. By the grace of his younger brother Vidura, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was enlightened and could see his grossly illusory engagements, and by such enlightenment he was able to leave home for spiritual realization. Śrī Nāradadeva was just foretelling the way of his spiritual progress in a place which was sanctified by the flow of the celestial Ganges. Drinking water only, without solid food, is also considered fasting. This is necessary for advancement of spiritual knowledge. A foolish man wants to be a cheap yogī without observing the regulative principles. A man who has no control over the tongue at first can hardly become a yogī. Yogī and bhogī are two opposite terms. The bhogī, or the merry man who eats and drinks, cannot be a yogī, for a yogī is never allowed to eat and drink unrestrictedly. We may note with profit how Dhṛtarāṣṭra began his yoga system by drinking water only and sitting calmly in a place with a spiritual atmosphere, deeply absorbed in the thoughts of the Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.
hutvā cāgnīn yathā-vidhi
ab-bhakṣa upaśāntātmā
sa āste vigataiṣaṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
snātvā — by taking bath; anusavanam — regularly three times (morning, noon and evening); tasmin — in that Ganges divided into seven; hutvā — by performing the Agni-hotra sacrifice; ca — also; agnīn — in the fire; yathā-vidhi — just according to the tenets of the scripture; ap-bhakṣaḥ — fasting by drinking only water; upaśānta — completely controlled; ātmā — the gross senses and the subtle mind; saḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; āste — would be situated; vigata — devoid of; eṣaṇaḥ — thoughts in relation with family welfare.
TRANSLATION
On the banks at Saptasrota, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is now engaged in beginning aṣṭāńga-yoga by bathing three times daily, in the morning, noon and evening, by performing the Agni-hotra sacrifice with fire and by drinking only water. This helps one control the mind and the senses and frees one completely from thoughts of familial affection.
PURPORT
The yoga system is a mechanical way to control the senses and the mind and divert them from matter to spirit. The preliminary processes are the sitting posture, meditation, spiritual thoughts, manipulation of air passing within the body, and gradual situation in trance, facing the Absolute Person, Paramātmā. Such mechanical ways of rising to the spiritual platform prescribe some regulative principles of taking bath daily three times, fasting as far as possible, sitting and concentrating the mind on spiritual matters and thus gradually becoming free from viṣaya, or material objectives. Material existence means to be absorbed in the material objective, which is simply illusory. House, country, family, society, children, property, and business are some of the material coverings of the spirit, ātmā, and the yoga system helps one to become free from all these illusory thoughts and gradually turn towards the Absolute Person, Paramātmā. By material association and education, we learn simply to concentrate on flimsy things, but yoga is the process of forgetting them altogether. Modern so-called yogīs and yoga systems manifest some magical feats, and ignorant persons are attracted by such false things, or they accept the yoga system as a cheap healing process for diseases of the gross body. But factually the yoga system is the process of learning to forget what we have acquired throughout the struggle for existence. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was all along engaged in improving family affairs by raising the standard of living of his sons or by usurping the property of the Pāṇḍavas for the sake of his own sons. These are common affairs for a man grossly materialistic and without knowledge of the spiritual force. He does not see how this can drag one from heaven to hell. By the grace of his younger brother Vidura, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was enlightened and could see his grossly illusory engagements, and by such enlightenment he was able to leave home for spiritual realization. Śrī Nāradadeva was just foretelling the way of his spiritual progress in a place which was sanctified by the flow of the celestial Ganges. Drinking water only, without solid food, is also considered fasting. This is necessary for advancement of spiritual knowledge. A foolish man wants to be a cheap yogī without observing the regulative principles. A man who has no control over the tongue at first can hardly become a yogī. Yogī and bhogī are two opposite terms. The bhogī, or the merry man who eats and drinks, cannot be a yogī, for a yogī is never allowed to eat and drink unrestrictedly. We may note with profit how Dhṛtarāṣṭra began his yoga system by drinking water only and sitting calmly in a place with a spiritual atmosphere, deeply absorbed in the thoughts of the Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.52
srotobhiḥ saptabhir yā vai
svardhunī saptadhā vyadhāt
saptānāḿ prītaye nānā
sapta-srotaḥ pracakṣate
SYNONYMS
srotobhiḥ — by currents; saptabhiḥ — by seven (divisions); yā — the river; vai — certainly; svardhunī — the sacred Ganges; saptadhā — seven branches; vyadhāt — created; saptānām — of the seven; prītaye — for the satisfaction of; nānā — various; sapta-srotaḥ — seven sources; pracakṣate — known by name.
TRANSLATION
The place is called Saptasrota ["divided by seven"] because there the waters of the sacred Ganges were divided into seven branches. This was done for the satisfaction of the seven great ṛṣis.
svardhunī saptadhā vyadhāt
saptānāḿ prītaye nānā
sapta-srotaḥ pracakṣate
SYNONYMS
srotobhiḥ — by currents; saptabhiḥ — by seven (divisions); yā — the river; vai — certainly; svardhunī — the sacred Ganges; saptadhā — seven branches; vyadhāt — created; saptānām — of the seven; prītaye — for the satisfaction of; nānā — various; sapta-srotaḥ — seven sources; pracakṣate — known by name.
TRANSLATION
The place is called Saptasrota ["divided by seven"] because there the waters of the sacred Ganges were divided into seven branches. This was done for the satisfaction of the seven great ṛṣis.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.51
dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ saha bhrātrā
gāndhāryā ca sva-bhāryayā
dakṣiṇena himavata
ṛṣīṇām āśramaḿ gataḥ
SYNONYMS
dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; saha — along with; bhrātrā — his brother Vidura; gāndhāryā — Gāndhārī also; ca — and; sva-bhāryayā — his own wife; dakṣiṇena — by the southern side; himavataḥ — of the Himalaya Mountains; ṛṣīṇām — of the ṛṣis; āśramam — in shelter; gataḥ — he has gone.
TRANSLATION
O King, your uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra, his brother Vidura and his wife Gāndhārī have gone to the southern side of the Himalaya Mountains, where there are shelters of the great sages.
PURPORT
To pacify the mourning Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Nārada first of all spoke from the philosophical point of view, and then he began to describe the future movements of his uncle, which he could see by his foreseeing powers, and thus began to describe as follows.
gāndhāryā ca sva-bhāryayā
dakṣiṇena himavata
ṛṣīṇām āśramaḿ gataḥ
SYNONYMS
dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; saha — along with; bhrātrā — his brother Vidura; gāndhāryā — Gāndhārī also; ca — and; sva-bhāryayā — his own wife; dakṣiṇena — by the southern side; himavataḥ — of the Himalaya Mountains; ṛṣīṇām — of the ṛṣis; āśramam — in shelter; gataḥ — he has gone.
TRANSLATION
O King, your uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra, his brother Vidura and his wife Gāndhārī have gone to the southern side of the Himalaya Mountains, where there are shelters of the great sages.
PURPORT
To pacify the mourning Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Nārada first of all spoke from the philosophical point of view, and then he began to describe the future movements of his uncle, which he could see by his foreseeing powers, and thus began to describe as follows.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.50
niṣpāditaḿ deva-kṛtyam
avaśeṣaḿ pratīkṣate
tāvad yūyam avekṣadhvaḿ
bhaved yāvad iheśvaraḥ
SYNONYMS
niṣpāditam — performed; deva-kṛtyam — what was to be done on behalf of the demigods; avaśeṣam — the rest; pratīkṣate — being awaited; tāvat — up to that time; yūyam — all of you Pāṇḍavas; avekṣadhvam — observe and wait; bhavet — may; yāvat — as long as; iha — in this world; īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
The Lord has already performed His duties to help the demigods, and He is awaiting the rest. You Pāṇḍavas may wait as long as the Lord is here on earth.
PURPORT
The Lord descends from His abode (Kṛṣṇaloka), the topmost planet in the spiritual sky, in order to help the demigod administrators of this material world when they are greatly vexed by the asuras, who are envious not only of the Lord but also of His devotees. As referred to above, the conditioned living beings contact material association by their own choice, dictated by a strong desire to lord it over the resources of the material world and become imitation lords of all they survey. Everyone is trying to become an imitation God; there is keen competition amongst such imitation gods, and such competitors are generally known as asuras. When there are too many asuras in the world, then it becomes a hell for those who are devotees of the Lord. Due to the growth of the asuras, the mass of people who are generally devoted to the Lord by nature and the pure devotees of the Lord, including the demigods in higher planets, pray to the Lord for relief, and the Lord either descends personally from His abode or deputes some of His devotees to remodel the fallen condition of human society, or even animal society. Such disruptions take place not only in human society but also among animals, birds or other living beings, including the demigods in the higher planets. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended personally to vanquish asuras like Kaḿsa, Jarāsandha and Śiśupāla, and during the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira almost all these asuras were killed by the Lord. Now he was awaiting the annihilation of His own dynasty, called the Yadu-vaḿśa, who appeared by His will in this world. He wanted to take them away before His own departure to His eternal abode. Nārada, like Vidura, did not disclose the imminent annihilation of the Yadu dynasty, but indirectly gave a hint to the King and his brothers to wait till the incident happened and the Lord departed.
avaśeṣaḿ pratīkṣate
tāvad yūyam avekṣadhvaḿ
bhaved yāvad iheśvaraḥ
SYNONYMS
niṣpāditam — performed; deva-kṛtyam — what was to be done on behalf of the demigods; avaśeṣam — the rest; pratīkṣate — being awaited; tāvat — up to that time; yūyam — all of you Pāṇḍavas; avekṣadhvam — observe and wait; bhavet — may; yāvat — as long as; iha — in this world; īśvaraḥ — the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
The Lord has already performed His duties to help the demigods, and He is awaiting the rest. You Pāṇḍavas may wait as long as the Lord is here on earth.
PURPORT
The Lord descends from His abode (Kṛṣṇaloka), the topmost planet in the spiritual sky, in order to help the demigod administrators of this material world when they are greatly vexed by the asuras, who are envious not only of the Lord but also of His devotees. As referred to above, the conditioned living beings contact material association by their own choice, dictated by a strong desire to lord it over the resources of the material world and become imitation lords of all they survey. Everyone is trying to become an imitation God; there is keen competition amongst such imitation gods, and such competitors are generally known as asuras. When there are too many asuras in the world, then it becomes a hell for those who are devotees of the Lord. Due to the growth of the asuras, the mass of people who are generally devoted to the Lord by nature and the pure devotees of the Lord, including the demigods in higher planets, pray to the Lord for relief, and the Lord either descends personally from His abode or deputes some of His devotees to remodel the fallen condition of human society, or even animal society. Such disruptions take place not only in human society but also among animals, birds or other living beings, including the demigods in the higher planets. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended personally to vanquish asuras like Kaḿsa, Jarāsandha and Śiśupāla, and during the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira almost all these asuras were killed by the Lord. Now he was awaiting the annihilation of His own dynasty, called the Yadu-vaḿśa, who appeared by His will in this world. He wanted to take them away before His own departure to His eternal abode. Nārada, like Vidura, did not disclose the imminent annihilation of the Yadu dynasty, but indirectly gave a hint to the King and his brothers to wait till the incident happened and the Lord departed.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.49
so 'yam adya mahārāja
bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
kāla-rūpo 'vatīrṇo 'syām
abhāvāya sura-dviṣām
SYNONYMS
saḥ — that Supreme Lord; ayam — the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; adya — at present; mahārāja — O King; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; bhūta-bhāvanaḥ — the creator or the father of everything created; kāla-rūpaḥ — in the disguise of all-devouring time; avatīrṇaḥ — descended; asyām — upon the world; abhāvāya — for eliminating; sura-dviṣām — those who are against the will of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
That Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the guise of all-devouring time [kāla-rūpa] has now descended on earth to eliminate the envious from the world.
PURPORT
There are two classes of human beings, namely the envious and the obedient. Since the Supreme Lord is one and the father of all living beings, the envious living beings are also His sons, but they are known as the asuras. But the living beings who are obedient to the supreme father are called devatās, or demigods, because they are not contaminated by the material conception of life. Not only are the asuras envious of the Lord in even denying the existence of the Lord, but they are also envious of all other living beings. The predominance of asuras in the world is occasionally rectified by the Lord when He eliminates them from the world and establishes a rule of devatās like the Pāṇḍavas. His designation as kāla in disguise is significant. He is not at all dangerous, but He is the transcendental form of eternity, knowledge and bliss. For the devotees His factual form is disclosed, and for the nondevotees He appears like kāla-rūpa, which is causal form. This causal form of the Lord is not at all pleasing to the asuras, and therefore they think of the Lord as formless in order to feel secure that they will not be vanquished by the Lord.
bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ
kāla-rūpo 'vatīrṇo 'syām
abhāvāya sura-dviṣām
SYNONYMS
saḥ — that Supreme Lord; ayam — the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; adya — at present; mahārāja — O King; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; bhūta-bhāvanaḥ — the creator or the father of everything created; kāla-rūpaḥ — in the disguise of all-devouring time; avatīrṇaḥ — descended; asyām — upon the world; abhāvāya — for eliminating; sura-dviṣām — those who are against the will of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
That Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the guise of all-devouring time [kāla-rūpa] has now descended on earth to eliminate the envious from the world.
PURPORT
There are two classes of human beings, namely the envious and the obedient. Since the Supreme Lord is one and the father of all living beings, the envious living beings are also His sons, but they are known as the asuras. But the living beings who are obedient to the supreme father are called devatās, or demigods, because they are not contaminated by the material conception of life. Not only are the asuras envious of the Lord in even denying the existence of the Lord, but they are also envious of all other living beings. The predominance of asuras in the world is occasionally rectified by the Lord when He eliminates them from the world and establishes a rule of devatās like the Pāṇḍavas. His designation as kāla in disguise is significant. He is not at all dangerous, but He is the transcendental form of eternity, knowledge and bliss. For the devotees His factual form is disclosed, and for the nondevotees He appears like kāla-rūpa, which is causal form. This causal form of the Lord is not at all pleasing to the asuras, and therefore they think of the Lord as formless in order to feel secure that they will not be vanquished by the Lord.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.48
tad idaḿ bhagavān rājann
eka ātmātmanāḿ sva-dṛk
antaro 'nantaro bhāti
paśya taḿ māyayorudhā
SYNONYMS
tat — therefore; idam — this manifestation; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; rājan — O King; ekaḥ — one without a second; ātmā — the Supersoul; ātmanām — by His energies; sva-dṛk — qualitatively like Him; antaraḥ — without; anantaraḥ — within and by Himself; bhāti — so manifests; paśya — look; tam — unto Him only; māyayā — by manifestations of different energies; urudhā — appears to be many.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, O King, you should look to the Supreme Lord only, who is one without a second and who manifests Himself by different energies and is both within and without.
PURPORT
The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is one without a second, but He manifests Himself by different energies because He is by nature blissful. The living beings are also manifestations of His marginal energy, qualitatively one with the Lord, and there are innumerable living beings both within and without the external and internal energies of the Lord. Since the spiritual world is a manifestation of the Lord's internal energy, the living beings within that internal potency are qualitatively one with the Lord without contamination from the external potency. Although qualitatively one with the Lord, the living being, due to contamination of the material world, is pervertedly manifested, and therefore he experiences so-called happiness and distress in the material world. Such experiences are all ephemeral and do not affect the spirit soul. The perception of such ephemeral happiness and distress is due only to the forgetfulness of his qualities, which are equal to the Lord's. There is, however, a regular current from the Lord Himself, from within and without, by which to rectify the fallen condition of the living being. From within He corrects the desiring living beings as localized Paramātmā, and from without He corrects by His manifestations, the spiritual master and the revealed scriptures. One should look unto the Lord; one should not be disturbed by the so-called manifestations of happiness or distress, but he should try to cooperate with the Lord in His outward activities for correcting the fallen souls. By His order only, one should become a spiritual master and cooperate with the Lord. One should not become a spiritual master for one's personal benefit, for some material gain or as an avenue of business or occupation for earning livelihood. Bona fide spiritual masters who look unto the Supreme Lord to cooperate with Him are actually qualitatively one with the Lord, and the forgetful ones are perverted reflections only. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is advised by Nārada, therefore, not to be disturbed by the affairs of so-called happiness and distress, but to look only unto the Lord to execute the mission for which the Lord has descended. That was his prime duty.
eka ātmātmanāḿ sva-dṛk
antaro 'nantaro bhāti
paśya taḿ māyayorudhā
SYNONYMS
tat — therefore; idam — this manifestation; bhagavān — the Personality of Godhead; rājan — O King; ekaḥ — one without a second; ātmā — the Supersoul; ātmanām — by His energies; sva-dṛk — qualitatively like Him; antaraḥ — without; anantaraḥ — within and by Himself; bhāti — so manifests; paśya — look; tam — unto Him only; māyayā — by manifestations of different energies; urudhā — appears to be many.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, O King, you should look to the Supreme Lord only, who is one without a second and who manifests Himself by different energies and is both within and without.
PURPORT
The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is one without a second, but He manifests Himself by different energies because He is by nature blissful. The living beings are also manifestations of His marginal energy, qualitatively one with the Lord, and there are innumerable living beings both within and without the external and internal energies of the Lord. Since the spiritual world is a manifestation of the Lord's internal energy, the living beings within that internal potency are qualitatively one with the Lord without contamination from the external potency. Although qualitatively one with the Lord, the living being, due to contamination of the material world, is pervertedly manifested, and therefore he experiences so-called happiness and distress in the material world. Such experiences are all ephemeral and do not affect the spirit soul. The perception of such ephemeral happiness and distress is due only to the forgetfulness of his qualities, which are equal to the Lord's. There is, however, a regular current from the Lord Himself, from within and without, by which to rectify the fallen condition of the living being. From within He corrects the desiring living beings as localized Paramātmā, and from without He corrects by His manifestations, the spiritual master and the revealed scriptures. One should look unto the Lord; one should not be disturbed by the so-called manifestations of happiness or distress, but he should try to cooperate with the Lord in His outward activities for correcting the fallen souls. By His order only, one should become a spiritual master and cooperate with the Lord. One should not become a spiritual master for one's personal benefit, for some material gain or as an avenue of business or occupation for earning livelihood. Bona fide spiritual masters who look unto the Supreme Lord to cooperate with Him are actually qualitatively one with the Lord, and the forgetful ones are perverted reflections only. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is advised by Nārada, therefore, not to be disturbed by the affairs of so-called happiness and distress, but to look only unto the Lord to execute the mission for which the Lord has descended. That was his prime duty.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.47
ahastāni sahastānām
apadāni catuṣ-padām
phalgūni tatra mahatāḿ
jīvo jīvasya jīvanam
SYNONYMS
ahastāni — those who are devoid of hands; sa-hastānām — of those who are endowed with hands; apadāni — those who are devoid of legs; catuḥ-padām — of those who have four legs; phalgūni — those who are weak; tatra — there; mahatām — of the powerful; jīvaḥ — the living being; jīvasya — of the living being; jīvanam — subsistence.
TRANSLATION
Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for another.
PURPORT
A systematic law of subsistence in the struggle for existence is there by the supreme will, and there is no escape for anyone by any amount of planning. The living beings who have come to the material world against the will of the Supreme Being are under the control of a supreme power called māyā-śakti, the deputed agent of the Lord, and this daivī māyā is meant to pinch the conditioned souls by threefold miseries, one of which is explained here in this verse: the weak are the subsistence of the strong. No one is strong enough to protect himself from the onslaught of a stronger, and by the will of the Lord there are systematic categories of the weak, the stronger and the strongest. There is nothing to be lamented if a tiger eats a weaker animal, including a man, because that is the law of the Supreme Lord. But although the law states that a human being must subsist on another living being, there is the law of good sense also, for the human being is meant to obey the laws of the scriptures. This is impossible for other animals. The human being is meant for self-realization, and for that purpose he is not to eat anything which is not first offered to the Lord. The Lord accepts from His devotee all kinds of food preparations made of vegetables, fruits, leaves and grains. Fruits, leaves and milk in different varieties can be offered to the Lord, and after the Lord accepts the foodstuff, the devotee can partake of the prasāda, by which all suffering in the struggle for existence will be gradually mitigated. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.26). Even those who are accustomed to eat animals can offer foodstuff, not to the Lord directly, but to an agent of the Lord, under certain conditions of religious rites. Injunctions of the scriptures are meant not to encourage the eaters of animals, but to restrict them by regulated principles.
The living being is the source of subsistence for other, stronger living beings. No one should be very anxious for his subsistence in any circumstances because there are living beings everywhere, and no living being starves for want of food at any place. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is advised by Nārada not to worry about his uncles' suffering for want of food, for they could live on vegetables available in the jungles as prasāda of the Supreme Lord and thus realize the path of salvation.
Exploitation of the weaker living being by the stronger is the natural law of existence; there is always an attempt to devour the weak in different kingdoms of living beings. There is no possibility of checking this tendency by any artificial means under material conditions; it can be checked only by awakening the spiritual sense of the human being by practice of spiritual regulations. The spiritual regulative principles, however, do not allow a man to slaughter weaker animals on one side and teach others peaceful coexistence. If man does not allow the animals peaceful coexistence, how can he expect peaceful existence in human society? The blind leaders must therefore understand the Supreme Being and then try to implement the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, or Rāma-rājya, is impossible without the awakening of God consciousness in the mass mind of the people of the world.
apadāni catuṣ-padām
phalgūni tatra mahatāḿ
jīvo jīvasya jīvanam
SYNONYMS
ahastāni — those who are devoid of hands; sa-hastānām — of those who are endowed with hands; apadāni — those who are devoid of legs; catuḥ-padām — of those who have four legs; phalgūni — those who are weak; tatra — there; mahatām — of the powerful; jīvaḥ — the living being; jīvasya — of the living being; jīvanam — subsistence.
TRANSLATION
Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for another.
PURPORT
A systematic law of subsistence in the struggle for existence is there by the supreme will, and there is no escape for anyone by any amount of planning. The living beings who have come to the material world against the will of the Supreme Being are under the control of a supreme power called māyā-śakti, the deputed agent of the Lord, and this daivī māyā is meant to pinch the conditioned souls by threefold miseries, one of which is explained here in this verse: the weak are the subsistence of the strong. No one is strong enough to protect himself from the onslaught of a stronger, and by the will of the Lord there are systematic categories of the weak, the stronger and the strongest. There is nothing to be lamented if a tiger eats a weaker animal, including a man, because that is the law of the Supreme Lord. But although the law states that a human being must subsist on another living being, there is the law of good sense also, for the human being is meant to obey the laws of the scriptures. This is impossible for other animals. The human being is meant for self-realization, and for that purpose he is not to eat anything which is not first offered to the Lord. The Lord accepts from His devotee all kinds of food preparations made of vegetables, fruits, leaves and grains. Fruits, leaves and milk in different varieties can be offered to the Lord, and after the Lord accepts the foodstuff, the devotee can partake of the prasāda, by which all suffering in the struggle for existence will be gradually mitigated. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.26). Even those who are accustomed to eat animals can offer foodstuff, not to the Lord directly, but to an agent of the Lord, under certain conditions of religious rites. Injunctions of the scriptures are meant not to encourage the eaters of animals, but to restrict them by regulated principles.
The living being is the source of subsistence for other, stronger living beings. No one should be very anxious for his subsistence in any circumstances because there are living beings everywhere, and no living being starves for want of food at any place. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is advised by Nārada not to worry about his uncles' suffering for want of food, for they could live on vegetables available in the jungles as prasāda of the Supreme Lord and thus realize the path of salvation.
Exploitation of the weaker living being by the stronger is the natural law of existence; there is always an attempt to devour the weak in different kingdoms of living beings. There is no possibility of checking this tendency by any artificial means under material conditions; it can be checked only by awakening the spiritual sense of the human being by practice of spiritual regulations. The spiritual regulative principles, however, do not allow a man to slaughter weaker animals on one side and teach others peaceful coexistence. If man does not allow the animals peaceful coexistence, how can he expect peaceful existence in human society? The blind leaders must therefore understand the Supreme Being and then try to implement the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, or Rāma-rājya, is impossible without the awakening of God consciousness in the mass mind of the people of the world.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.46
kāla-karma-guṇādhīno
deho 'yaḿ pāñca-bhautikaḥ
katham anyāḿs tu gopāyet
sarpa-grasto yathā param
SYNONYMS
kāla — eternal time; karma — action; guṇa — modes of nature; adhīnaḥ — under the control of; dehaḥ — material body and mind; ayam — this; pāñca-bhautikaḥ — made of the five elements; katham — how; anyān — others; tu — but; gopāyet — give protection; sarpa-grastaḥ — one who is bitten by the snake; yathā — as much as; param — others.
TRANSLATION
This gross material body made of five elements is already under the control of eternal time [kāla], action [karma] and the modes of material nature [guṇa]. How, then, can it, being already in the jaws of the serpent, protect others?
PURPORT
The world's movements for freedom through political, economic, social, and cultural propaganda can do no benefit to anyone, for they are controlled by superior power. A conditioned living being is under the full control of material nature, represented by eternal time and activities under the dictation of different modes of nature. There are three material modes of nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. Unless one is situated in the mode of goodness, one cannot see things as they are. The passionate and the ignorant cannot even see things as they are. Therefore a person who is passionate and ignorant cannot direct his activities on the right path. Only the man in the quality of goodness can help to a certain extent. Most persons are passionate and ignorant, and therefore their plans and projects can hardly do any good to others. Above the modes of nature is eternal time, which is called kāla because it changes the shape of everything in the material world. Even if we are able to do something temporarily beneficial, time will see that the good project is frustrated in course of time. The only thing possible to be done is to get rid of eternal time, kāla, which is compared to kāla-sarpa, or the cobra snake, whose bite is always lethal. No one can be saved from the bite of a cobra. The best remedy for getting out of the clutches of the cobralike kāla or its integrity, the modes of nature, is bhakti-yoga, as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26). The highest perfectional project of philanthropic activities is to engage everyone in the act of preaching bhakti-yoga all over the world because that alone can save the people from the control of māyā, or the material nature represented by kāla, karma and guṇa, as described above. The Bhagavad-gītā (14.26) confirms this definitely.
deho 'yaḿ pāñca-bhautikaḥ
katham anyāḿs tu gopāyet
sarpa-grasto yathā param
SYNONYMS
kāla — eternal time; karma — action; guṇa — modes of nature; adhīnaḥ — under the control of; dehaḥ — material body and mind; ayam — this; pāñca-bhautikaḥ — made of the five elements; katham — how; anyān — others; tu — but; gopāyet — give protection; sarpa-grastaḥ — one who is bitten by the snake; yathā — as much as; param — others.
TRANSLATION
This gross material body made of five elements is already under the control of eternal time [kāla], action [karma] and the modes of material nature [guṇa]. How, then, can it, being already in the jaws of the serpent, protect others?
PURPORT
The world's movements for freedom through political, economic, social, and cultural propaganda can do no benefit to anyone, for they are controlled by superior power. A conditioned living being is under the full control of material nature, represented by eternal time and activities under the dictation of different modes of nature. There are three material modes of nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. Unless one is situated in the mode of goodness, one cannot see things as they are. The passionate and the ignorant cannot even see things as they are. Therefore a person who is passionate and ignorant cannot direct his activities on the right path. Only the man in the quality of goodness can help to a certain extent. Most persons are passionate and ignorant, and therefore their plans and projects can hardly do any good to others. Above the modes of nature is eternal time, which is called kāla because it changes the shape of everything in the material world. Even if we are able to do something temporarily beneficial, time will see that the good project is frustrated in course of time. The only thing possible to be done is to get rid of eternal time, kāla, which is compared to kāla-sarpa, or the cobra snake, whose bite is always lethal. No one can be saved from the bite of a cobra. The best remedy for getting out of the clutches of the cobralike kāla or its integrity, the modes of nature, is bhakti-yoga, as it is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26). The highest perfectional project of philanthropic activities is to engage everyone in the act of preaching bhakti-yoga all over the world because that alone can save the people from the control of māyā, or the material nature represented by kāla, karma and guṇa, as described above. The Bhagavad-gītā (14.26) confirms this definitely.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.45
tasmāj jahy ańga vaiklavyam
ajñāna-kṛtam ātmanaḥ
kathaḿ tv anāthāḥ kṛpaṇā
varteraḿs te ca māḿ vinā
SYNONYMS
tasmāt — therefore; jahi — give up; ańga — O King; vaiklavyam — mental disparity; ajñāna — ignorance; kṛtam — due to; ātmanaḥ — of yourself; katham — how; tu — but; anāthāḥ — helpless; kṛpaṇāḥ — poor creatures; varteran — be able to survive; te — they; ca — also; mām — me; vinā — without.
TRANSLATION
Therefore give up your anxiety due to ignorance of the self. You are now thinking of how they, who are helpless poor creatures, will exist without you.
PURPORT
When we think of our kith and kin as being helpless and dependent on us, it is all due to ignorance. Every living creature is allowed all protection by the order of the Supreme Lord in terms of each one's acquired position in the world. The Lord is known as bhūta-bhṛt, one who gives protection to all living beings. One should discharge his duties only, for no one but the Supreme Lord can give protection to anyone else. This is explained more clearly in the following verse.
ajñāna-kṛtam ātmanaḥ
kathaḿ tv anāthāḥ kṛpaṇā
varteraḿs te ca māḿ vinā
SYNONYMS
tasmāt — therefore; jahi — give up; ańga — O King; vaiklavyam — mental disparity; ajñāna — ignorance; kṛtam — due to; ātmanaḥ — of yourself; katham — how; tu — but; anāthāḥ — helpless; kṛpaṇāḥ — poor creatures; varteran — be able to survive; te — they; ca — also; mām — me; vinā — without.
TRANSLATION
Therefore give up your anxiety due to ignorance of the self. You are now thinking of how they, who are helpless poor creatures, will exist without you.
PURPORT
When we think of our kith and kin as being helpless and dependent on us, it is all due to ignorance. Every living creature is allowed all protection by the order of the Supreme Lord in terms of each one's acquired position in the world. The Lord is known as bhūta-bhṛt, one who gives protection to all living beings. One should discharge his duties only, for no one but the Supreme Lord can give protection to anyone else. This is explained more clearly in the following verse.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.44
yan manyase dhruvaḿ lokam
adhruvaḿ vā na cobhayam
sarvathā na hi śocyās te
snehād anyatra mohajāt
SYNONYMS
yat — even though; manyase — you think; dhruvam — Absolute Truth; lokam — persons; adhruvam — nonreality; vā — either; na — or not; ca — also; ubhayam — or both; sarvathā — in all circumstances; na — never; hi — certainly; śocyāḥ — subject for lamentation; te — they; snehāt — due to affection; anyatra — or otherwise; moha-jāt — due to bewilderment.
TRANSLATION
O King, in all circumstances, whether you consider the soul to be an eternal principle, or the material body to be perishable, or everything to exist in the impersonal Absolute Truth, or everything to be an inexplicable combination of matter and spirit, feelings of separation are due only to illusory affection and nothing more.
PURPORT
The actual fact is that every living being is an individual part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and his constitutional position is subordinate cooperative service. Either in his conditional material existence or in his liberated position of full knowledge and eternity, the living entity is eternally under the control of the Supreme Lord. But those who are not conversant with factual knowledge put forward many speculative propositions about the real position of the living entity. It is admitted, however, by all schools of philosophy, that the living being is eternal and that the covering body of the five material elements is perishable and temporary. The eternal living entity transmigrates from one material body to another by the law of karma, and material bodies are perishable by their fundamental structures. Therefore there is nothing to be lamented in the case of the soul's being transferred into another body, or the material body's perishing at a certain stage. There are others also who believe in the merging of the spirit soul in the Supreme Spirit when it is uncovered by the material encagement, and there are others also who do not believe in the existence of spirit or soul, but believe in tangible matter. In our daily experience we find so many transformations of matter from one form to another, but we do not lament such changing features. In either of the above cases, the force of divine energy is uncheckable; no one has any hand in it, and thus there is no cause of grief.
adhruvaḿ vā na cobhayam
sarvathā na hi śocyās te
snehād anyatra mohajāt
SYNONYMS
yat — even though; manyase — you think; dhruvam — Absolute Truth; lokam — persons; adhruvam — nonreality; vā — either; na — or not; ca — also; ubhayam — or both; sarvathā — in all circumstances; na — never; hi — certainly; śocyāḥ — subject for lamentation; te — they; snehāt — due to affection; anyatra — or otherwise; moha-jāt — due to bewilderment.
TRANSLATION
O King, in all circumstances, whether you consider the soul to be an eternal principle, or the material body to be perishable, or everything to exist in the impersonal Absolute Truth, or everything to be an inexplicable combination of matter and spirit, feelings of separation are due only to illusory affection and nothing more.
PURPORT
The actual fact is that every living being is an individual part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and his constitutional position is subordinate cooperative service. Either in his conditional material existence or in his liberated position of full knowledge and eternity, the living entity is eternally under the control of the Supreme Lord. But those who are not conversant with factual knowledge put forward many speculative propositions about the real position of the living entity. It is admitted, however, by all schools of philosophy, that the living being is eternal and that the covering body of the five material elements is perishable and temporary. The eternal living entity transmigrates from one material body to another by the law of karma, and material bodies are perishable by their fundamental structures. Therefore there is nothing to be lamented in the case of the soul's being transferred into another body, or the material body's perishing at a certain stage. There are others also who believe in the merging of the spirit soul in the Supreme Spirit when it is uncovered by the material encagement, and there are others also who do not believe in the existence of spirit or soul, but believe in tangible matter. In our daily experience we find so many transformations of matter from one form to another, but we do not lament such changing features. In either of the above cases, the force of divine energy is uncheckable; no one has any hand in it, and thus there is no cause of grief.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.43
yathā krīḍopaskarāṇāḿ
saḿyoga-vigamāv iha
icchayā krīḍituḥ syātāḿ
tathaiveśecchayā nṛṇām
SYNONYMS
yathā — as much as; krīḍa-upaskarāṇām — playthings; saḿyoga — union; vigamau — disunion; iha — in this world; icchayā — by the will of; krīḍituḥ — just to play a part; syātām — takes place; tathā — so also; eva — certainly; īśa — the Supreme Lord; icchayā — by the will of; nṛṇām — of the human beings.
TRANSLATION
As a player sets up and disperses his playthings according to his own sweet will, so the supreme will of the Lord brings men together and separates them.
PURPORT
We must know for certain that the particular position in which we are now set up is an arrangement of the supreme will in terms of our own acts in the past. The Supreme Lord is present as the localized Paramātmā in the heart of every living being, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (13.23), and therefore he knows everything of our activities in every stage of our lives. He rewards the reactions of our actions by placing us in some particular place. A rich man gets his son born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but the child who came as the rich man's son deserved such a place, and therefore he is placed there by the will of the Lord. And at a particular moment when the child has to be removed from that place, he is also carried by the will of the Supreme, even if the child or the father does not wish to be separated from the happy relation. The same thing happens in the case of a poor man also. Neither rich man nor poor man has any control over such meetings or separations of living beings. The example of a player and his playthings should not be misunderstood. One may argue that since the Lord is bound to award the reactionary results of our own actions, the example of a player cannot be applied. But it is not so. We must always remember that the Lord is the supreme will, and He is not bound by any law. Generally the law of karma is that one is awarded the result of one's own actions, but in special cases, by the will of the Lord, such resultant actions are changed also. But this change can be affected by the will of the Lord only, and no other. Therefore, the example of the player cited in this verse is quite appropriate, for the Supreme Will is absolutely free to do whatever He likes, and because He is all-perfect, there is no mistake in any of His actions or reactions. These changes of resultant actions are especially rendered by the Lord when a pure devotee is involved. It is assured in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.30-31) that the Lord saves a pure devotee who has surrendered unto Him without reservation from all sorts of reactions of sins, and there is no doubt about this. There are hundreds of examples of reactions changed by the Lord in the history of the world. If the Lord is able to change the reactions of one's past deeds, then certainly He is not Himself bound by any action or reaction of His own deeds. He is perfect and transcendental to all laws.
saḿyoga-vigamāv iha
icchayā krīḍituḥ syātāḿ
tathaiveśecchayā nṛṇām
SYNONYMS
yathā — as much as; krīḍa-upaskarāṇām — playthings; saḿyoga — union; vigamau — disunion; iha — in this world; icchayā — by the will of; krīḍituḥ — just to play a part; syātām — takes place; tathā — so also; eva — certainly; īśa — the Supreme Lord; icchayā — by the will of; nṛṇām — of the human beings.
TRANSLATION
As a player sets up and disperses his playthings according to his own sweet will, so the supreme will of the Lord brings men together and separates them.
PURPORT
We must know for certain that the particular position in which we are now set up is an arrangement of the supreme will in terms of our own acts in the past. The Supreme Lord is present as the localized Paramātmā in the heart of every living being, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (13.23), and therefore he knows everything of our activities in every stage of our lives. He rewards the reactions of our actions by placing us in some particular place. A rich man gets his son born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but the child who came as the rich man's son deserved such a place, and therefore he is placed there by the will of the Lord. And at a particular moment when the child has to be removed from that place, he is also carried by the will of the Supreme, even if the child or the father does not wish to be separated from the happy relation. The same thing happens in the case of a poor man also. Neither rich man nor poor man has any control over such meetings or separations of living beings. The example of a player and his playthings should not be misunderstood. One may argue that since the Lord is bound to award the reactionary results of our own actions, the example of a player cannot be applied. But it is not so. We must always remember that the Lord is the supreme will, and He is not bound by any law. Generally the law of karma is that one is awarded the result of one's own actions, but in special cases, by the will of the Lord, such resultant actions are changed also. But this change can be affected by the will of the Lord only, and no other. Therefore, the example of the player cited in this verse is quite appropriate, for the Supreme Will is absolutely free to do whatever He likes, and because He is all-perfect, there is no mistake in any of His actions or reactions. These changes of resultant actions are especially rendered by the Lord when a pure devotee is involved. It is assured in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.30-31) that the Lord saves a pure devotee who has surrendered unto Him without reservation from all sorts of reactions of sins, and there is no doubt about this. There are hundreds of examples of reactions changed by the Lord in the history of the world. If the Lord is able to change the reactions of one's past deeds, then certainly He is not Himself bound by any action or reaction of His own deeds. He is perfect and transcendental to all laws.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.42
yathā gāvo nasi protās
tantyāḿ baddhāś ca dāmabhiḥ
vāk-tantyāḿ nāmabhir baddhā
vahanti balim īśituḥ
SYNONYMS
yathā — as much as; gāvaḥ — cow; nasi — by the nose; protāḥ — strung; tantyām — by the thread; baddhāḥ — bound by; ca — also; dāmabhiḥ — by ropes; vāk-tantyām — in the network of Vedic hymns; nāmabhiḥ — by nomenclatures; baddhāḥ — conditioned; vahanti — carry on; balim — orders; īśituḥ — for being controlled by the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
As a cow, bound through the nose by a long rope, is conditioned, so also human beings are bound by different Vedic injunctions and are conditioned to obey the orders of the Supreme.
PURPORT
Every living being, whether a man or an animal or a bird, thinks that he is free by himself, but actually no one is free from the severe laws of the Lord. The laws of the Lord are severe because they cannot be disobeyed in any circumstance. The man-made laws may be evaded by cunning outlaws, but in the codes of the supreme lawmaker there is not the slightest possibility of neglecting the laws. A slight change in the course of God-made law can bring about a massive danger to be faced by the lawbreaker. Such laws of the Supreme are generally known as the codes of religion, under different conditions, but the principle of religion everywhere is one and the same, namely, obey the orders of the Supreme God, the codes of religion. That is the condition of material existence. All living beings in the material world have taken up the risk of conditioned life by their own selection and are thus entrapped by the laws of material nature. The only way to get out of the entanglement is to agree to obey the Supreme. But instead of becoming free from the clutches of māyā, or illusion, foolish human beings become bound up by different nomenclatures, being designated as brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, Hindus, Mohammedans, Indians, Europeans, Americans, Chinese, and many others, and thus they carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord under the influence of respective scriptural or legislative injunctions. The statutory laws of the state are imperfect imitation replicas of religious codes. The secular state, or the godless state, allows the citizens to break the laws of God, but restricts them from disobeying the laws of the state; the result is that the people in general suffer more by breaking the laws of God than by obeying the imperfect laws made by man. Every man is imperfect by constitution under conditions of material existence, and there is not the least possibility that even the most materially advanced man can enact perfect legislation. On the other hand, there is no such imperfection in the laws of God. If leaders are educated in the laws of God, there is no necessity of a makeshift legislative council of aimless men. There is necessity of change in the makeshift laws of man, but there is no change in the God-made laws because they are made perfect by the all-perfect Personality of Godhead. The codes of religion, scriptural injunctions, are made by liberated representatives of God in consideration of different conditions of living, and by carrying out the orders of the Lord, the conditioned living beings gradually become free from the clutches of material existence. The factual position of the living being is, however, that he is the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. In his liberated state he renders service to the Lord in transcendental love and thus enjoys a life of full freedom, even sometimes on an equal level with the Lord or sometimes more than the Lord. But in the conditioned material world, every living being wants to be the Lord of other living beings, and thus by the illusion of māyā this mentality of lording it over becomes a cause of further extension of conditional life. So in the material world the living being is still more conditioned, until he surrenders unto the Lord by reviving his original state of eternal servitorship. That is the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā and all other recognized scriptures of the world.
tantyāḿ baddhāś ca dāmabhiḥ
vāk-tantyāḿ nāmabhir baddhā
vahanti balim īśituḥ
SYNONYMS
yathā — as much as; gāvaḥ — cow; nasi — by the nose; protāḥ — strung; tantyām — by the thread; baddhāḥ — bound by; ca — also; dāmabhiḥ — by ropes; vāk-tantyām — in the network of Vedic hymns; nāmabhiḥ — by nomenclatures; baddhāḥ — conditioned; vahanti — carry on; balim — orders; īśituḥ — for being controlled by the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
As a cow, bound through the nose by a long rope, is conditioned, so also human beings are bound by different Vedic injunctions and are conditioned to obey the orders of the Supreme.
PURPORT
Every living being, whether a man or an animal or a bird, thinks that he is free by himself, but actually no one is free from the severe laws of the Lord. The laws of the Lord are severe because they cannot be disobeyed in any circumstance. The man-made laws may be evaded by cunning outlaws, but in the codes of the supreme lawmaker there is not the slightest possibility of neglecting the laws. A slight change in the course of God-made law can bring about a massive danger to be faced by the lawbreaker. Such laws of the Supreme are generally known as the codes of religion, under different conditions, but the principle of religion everywhere is one and the same, namely, obey the orders of the Supreme God, the codes of religion. That is the condition of material existence. All living beings in the material world have taken up the risk of conditioned life by their own selection and are thus entrapped by the laws of material nature. The only way to get out of the entanglement is to agree to obey the Supreme. But instead of becoming free from the clutches of māyā, or illusion, foolish human beings become bound up by different nomenclatures, being designated as brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, Hindus, Mohammedans, Indians, Europeans, Americans, Chinese, and many others, and thus they carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord under the influence of respective scriptural or legislative injunctions. The statutory laws of the state are imperfect imitation replicas of religious codes. The secular state, or the godless state, allows the citizens to break the laws of God, but restricts them from disobeying the laws of the state; the result is that the people in general suffer more by breaking the laws of God than by obeying the imperfect laws made by man. Every man is imperfect by constitution under conditions of material existence, and there is not the least possibility that even the most materially advanced man can enact perfect legislation. On the other hand, there is no such imperfection in the laws of God. If leaders are educated in the laws of God, there is no necessity of a makeshift legislative council of aimless men. There is necessity of change in the makeshift laws of man, but there is no change in the God-made laws because they are made perfect by the all-perfect Personality of Godhead. The codes of religion, scriptural injunctions, are made by liberated representatives of God in consideration of different conditions of living, and by carrying out the orders of the Lord, the conditioned living beings gradually become free from the clutches of material existence. The factual position of the living being is, however, that he is the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. In his liberated state he renders service to the Lord in transcendental love and thus enjoys a life of full freedom, even sometimes on an equal level with the Lord or sometimes more than the Lord. But in the conditioned material world, every living being wants to be the Lord of other living beings, and thus by the illusion of māyā this mentality of lording it over becomes a cause of further extension of conditional life. So in the material world the living being is still more conditioned, until he surrenders unto the Lord by reviving his original state of eternal servitorship. That is the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā and all other recognized scriptures of the world.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.41
nārada uvāca
mā kañcana śuco rājan
yad īśvara-vaśaḿ jagat
lokāḥ sapālā yasyeme
vahanti balim īśituḥ
sa saḿyunakti bhūtāni
sa eva viyunakti ca
SYNONYMS
nāradaḥ uvāca — Nārada said; mā — never; kañcana — by all means; śucaḥ — do you lament; rājan — O King; yat — because; īśvara-vaśam — under the control of the Supreme Lord; jagat — world; lokāḥ — all living beings; sa-pālāḥ — including their leaders; yasya — whose; ime — all these; vahanti — do bear; balim — means of worship; īśituḥ — for being protected; saḥ — He; saḿyunakti — gets together; bhūtāni — all living beings; saḥ — He; eva — also; viyunakti — disperses; ca — and.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Nārada said: O pious King, do not lament for anyone, for everyone is under the control of the Supreme Lord. Therefore all living beings and their leaders carry on worship to be well protected. It is He only who brings them together and disperses them.
PURPORT
Every living being, either in this material world or in the spiritual world, is under the control of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. Beginning from Brahmājī, the leader of this universe, down to the insignificant ant, all are abiding by the order of the Supreme Lord. Thus the constitutional position of the living being is subordination under the control of the Lord. The foolish living being, especially man, artificially rebels against the law of the Supreme and thus becomes chastised as an asura, or lawbreaker. A living being is placed in a particular position by the order of the Supreme Lord, and he is again shifted from that place by the order of the Supreme Lord or His authorized agents. Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Candra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira or, in modern history, Napoleon, Akbar, Alexander, Gandhi, Shubhash and Nehru all are servants of the Lord, and they are placed in and removed from their respective positions by the supreme will of the Lord. None of them is independent. Even though such men or leaders rebel so as not to recognize the supremacy of the Lord, they are put under still more rigorous laws of the material world by different miseries. Only the foolish man, therefore, says that there is no God. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was being convinced of this naked truth because he was greatly overwhelmed by the sudden departure of his old uncles and aunt. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was placed in that position according to his past deeds; he had already suffered or enjoyed the benefits accrued to him in the past, but due to his good luck, somehow or other he had a good younger brother, Vidura, and by his instruction he left to achieve salvation by closing all accounts in the material world.
Ordinarily one cannot change the course of one's due happiness and distress by plan. Everyone has to accept them as they come under the subtle arrangement of kāla, or invincible time. There is no use trying to counteract them. The best thing is, therefore, that one should endeavor to achieve salvation, and this prerogative is given only to man because of his developed condition of mental activities and intelligence. Only for man are there different Vedic instructions for attainment of salvation during the human form of existence. One who misuses this opportunity of advanced intelligence is verily condemned and put into different types of miseries, either in this present life or in the future. That is the way the Supreme controls everyone.
mā kañcana śuco rājan
yad īśvara-vaśaḿ jagat
lokāḥ sapālā yasyeme
vahanti balim īśituḥ
sa saḿyunakti bhūtāni
sa eva viyunakti ca
SYNONYMS
nāradaḥ uvāca — Nārada said; mā — never; kañcana — by all means; śucaḥ — do you lament; rājan — O King; yat — because; īśvara-vaśam — under the control of the Supreme Lord; jagat — world; lokāḥ — all living beings; sa-pālāḥ — including their leaders; yasya — whose; ime — all these; vahanti — do bear; balim — means of worship; īśituḥ — for being protected; saḥ — He; saḿyunakti — gets together; bhūtāni — all living beings; saḥ — He; eva — also; viyunakti — disperses; ca — and.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Nārada said: O pious King, do not lament for anyone, for everyone is under the control of the Supreme Lord. Therefore all living beings and their leaders carry on worship to be well protected. It is He only who brings them together and disperses them.
PURPORT
Every living being, either in this material world or in the spiritual world, is under the control of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. Beginning from Brahmājī, the leader of this universe, down to the insignificant ant, all are abiding by the order of the Supreme Lord. Thus the constitutional position of the living being is subordination under the control of the Lord. The foolish living being, especially man, artificially rebels against the law of the Supreme and thus becomes chastised as an asura, or lawbreaker. A living being is placed in a particular position by the order of the Supreme Lord, and he is again shifted from that place by the order of the Supreme Lord or His authorized agents. Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Candra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira or, in modern history, Napoleon, Akbar, Alexander, Gandhi, Shubhash and Nehru all are servants of the Lord, and they are placed in and removed from their respective positions by the supreme will of the Lord. None of them is independent. Even though such men or leaders rebel so as not to recognize the supremacy of the Lord, they are put under still more rigorous laws of the material world by different miseries. Only the foolish man, therefore, says that there is no God. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was being convinced of this naked truth because he was greatly overwhelmed by the sudden departure of his old uncles and aunt. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was placed in that position according to his past deeds; he had already suffered or enjoyed the benefits accrued to him in the past, but due to his good luck, somehow or other he had a good younger brother, Vidura, and by his instruction he left to achieve salvation by closing all accounts in the material world.
Ordinarily one cannot change the course of one's due happiness and distress by plan. Everyone has to accept them as they come under the subtle arrangement of kāla, or invincible time. There is no use trying to counteract them. The best thing is, therefore, that one should endeavor to achieve salvation, and this prerogative is given only to man because of his developed condition of mental activities and intelligence. Only for man are there different Vedic instructions for attainment of salvation during the human form of existence. One who misuses this opportunity of advanced intelligence is verily condemned and put into different types of miseries, either in this present life or in the future. That is the way the Supreme controls everyone.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.40
karṇadhāra ivāpāre
bhagavān pāra-darśakaḥ
athābabhāṣe bhagavān
nārado muni-sattamaḥ
SYNONYMS
karṇa-dhāraḥ — captain of the ship; iva — like; apāre — in the extensive oceans; bhagavān — representative of the Lord; pāra-darśakaḥ — one who can give directions to the other side; atha — thus; ābabhāṣe — began to say; bhagavān — the godly personality; nāradaḥ — the great sage Nārada; muni-sat-tamaḥ — the greatest among the devotee philosophers.
TRANSLATION
You are like a captain of a ship in a great ocean and you can direct us to our destination. Thus addressed, the godly personality, Devarṣi Nārada, greatest of the philosopher devotees, began to speak.
PURPORT
There are different types of philosophers, and the greatest of all of them are those who have seen the Personality of Godhead and have surrendered themselves in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Among all such pure devotees of the Lord, Devarṣi Nārada is the chief, and therefore he has been described herein as the greatest of all philosopher devotees. Unless one has become a sufficiently learned philosopher by hearing the Vedānta philosophy from a bona fide spiritual master, one cannot be a learned philosopher devotee. One must be very faithful, learned and renounced, otherwise one cannot be a pure devotee. A pure devotee of the Lord can give us direction towards the other end of nescience. Devarṣi Nārada used to visit the palace of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira because the Pāṇḍavas were all pure devotees of the Lord, and the Devarṣi was always ready to give them good counsel whenever needed.
bhagavān pāra-darśakaḥ
athābabhāṣe bhagavān
nārado muni-sattamaḥ
SYNONYMS
karṇa-dhāraḥ — captain of the ship; iva — like; apāre — in the extensive oceans; bhagavān — representative of the Lord; pāra-darśakaḥ — one who can give directions to the other side; atha — thus; ābabhāṣe — began to say; bhagavān — the godly personality; nāradaḥ — the great sage Nārada; muni-sat-tamaḥ — the greatest among the devotee philosophers.
TRANSLATION
You are like a captain of a ship in a great ocean and you can direct us to our destination. Thus addressed, the godly personality, Devarṣi Nārada, greatest of the philosopher devotees, began to speak.
PURPORT
There are different types of philosophers, and the greatest of all of them are those who have seen the Personality of Godhead and have surrendered themselves in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Among all such pure devotees of the Lord, Devarṣi Nārada is the chief, and therefore he has been described herein as the greatest of all philosopher devotees. Unless one has become a sufficiently learned philosopher by hearing the Vedānta philosophy from a bona fide spiritual master, one cannot be a learned philosopher devotee. One must be very faithful, learned and renounced, otherwise one cannot be a pure devotee. A pure devotee of the Lord can give us direction towards the other end of nescience. Devarṣi Nārada used to visit the palace of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira because the Pāṇḍavas were all pure devotees of the Lord, and the Devarṣi was always ready to give them good counsel whenever needed.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.39
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca
nāhaḿ veda gatiḿ pitror
bhagavan kva gatāv itaḥ
ambā vā hata-putrārtā
kva gatā ca tapasvinī
SYNONYMS
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said; na — do not; aham — myself; veda — know it; gatim — departure; pitroḥ — of the uncles; bhagavan — O godly personality; kva — where; gatau — gone; itaḥ — from this place; ambā — mother aunt; vā — either; hata-putrā — bereft of her sons; ārtā — aggrieved; kva — where; gatā — gone; ca — also; tapasvinī — ascetic.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: O godly personality, I do not know where my two uncles have gone. Nor can I find my ascetic aunt who is grief-stricken by the loss of all her sons.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, as a good soul and devotee of the Lord, was always conscious of the great loss of his aunt and her sufferings as an ascetic. An ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress. Queen Gāndhārī is a typical example of an ascetic because of her marvelous character in many trying situations. She was an ideal woman as mother, wife and ascetic, and in the history of the world such character in a woman is rarely found.
nāhaḿ veda gatiḿ pitror
bhagavan kva gatāv itaḥ
ambā vā hata-putrārtā
kva gatā ca tapasvinī
SYNONYMS
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ uvāca — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said; na — do not; aham — myself; veda — know it; gatim — departure; pitroḥ — of the uncles; bhagavan — O godly personality; kva — where; gatau — gone; itaḥ — from this place; ambā — mother aunt; vā — either; hata-putrā — bereft of her sons; ārtā — aggrieved; kva — where; gatā — gone; ca — also; tapasvinī — ascetic.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira said: O godly personality, I do not know where my two uncles have gone. Nor can I find my ascetic aunt who is grief-stricken by the loss of all her sons.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, as a good soul and devotee of the Lord, was always conscious of the great loss of his aunt and her sufferings as an ascetic. An ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress. Queen Gāndhārī is a typical example of an ascetic because of her marvelous character in many trying situations. She was an ideal woman as mother, wife and ascetic, and in the history of the world such character in a woman is rarely found.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.38
athājagāma bhagavān
nāradaḥ saha-tumburuḥ
pratyutthāyābhivādyāha
sānujo 'bhyarcayan munim
SYNONYMS
atha — thereafter; ājagāma — arrived; bhagavān — the godly personality; nāradaḥ — Nārada; saha-tumburuḥ — along with his tumburu (musical instrument); pratyutthāya — having gotten up from their seats; abhivādya — offering their due obeisances; āha — said; sa-anujaḥ — along with younger brothers; abhyarcayan — thus while receiving in a proper mood; munim — the sage.
TRANSLATION
While Sañjaya was thus speaking, Śrī Nārada, the powerful devotee of the Lord, appeared on the scene carrying his tumburu. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers received him properly by getting up from their seats and offering obeisances.
PURPORT
Devarṣi Nārada is described herein as bhagavān due to his being the most confidential devotee of the Lord. The Lord and His very confidential devotees are treated on the same level by those who are actually engaged in the loving service of the Lord. Such confidential devotees of the Lord are very much dear to the Lord because they travel everywhere to preach the glories of the Lord in different capacities and try their utmost to convert the nondevotees of the Lord into devotees in order to bring them to the platform of sanity. Actually a living being cannot be a nondevotee of the Lord because of his constitutional position, but when one becomes a nondevotee or nonbeliever, it is to be understood that the person concerned is not in a sound condition of life. The confidential devotees of the Lord treat such illusioned living beings, and therefore they are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā that no one is dearer to Him than one who actually preaches the glories of the Lord to convert the nonbelievers and nondevotees. Such personalities as Nārada must be offered all due respects, like those offered to the Personality of Godhead Himself, and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his noble brothers, were examples for others in receiving a pure devotee of the Lord like Nārada, who had no other business save and except singing the glories of the Lord along with his vīṇā, a musical stringed instrument.
nāradaḥ saha-tumburuḥ
pratyutthāyābhivādyāha
sānujo 'bhyarcayan munim
SYNONYMS
atha — thereafter; ājagāma — arrived; bhagavān — the godly personality; nāradaḥ — Nārada; saha-tumburuḥ — along with his tumburu (musical instrument); pratyutthāya — having gotten up from their seats; abhivādya — offering their due obeisances; āha — said; sa-anujaḥ — along with younger brothers; abhyarcayan — thus while receiving in a proper mood; munim — the sage.
TRANSLATION
While Sañjaya was thus speaking, Śrī Nārada, the powerful devotee of the Lord, appeared on the scene carrying his tumburu. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers received him properly by getting up from their seats and offering obeisances.
PURPORT
Devarṣi Nārada is described herein as bhagavān due to his being the most confidential devotee of the Lord. The Lord and His very confidential devotees are treated on the same level by those who are actually engaged in the loving service of the Lord. Such confidential devotees of the Lord are very much dear to the Lord because they travel everywhere to preach the glories of the Lord in different capacities and try their utmost to convert the nondevotees of the Lord into devotees in order to bring them to the platform of sanity. Actually a living being cannot be a nondevotee of the Lord because of his constitutional position, but when one becomes a nondevotee or nonbeliever, it is to be understood that the person concerned is not in a sound condition of life. The confidential devotees of the Lord treat such illusioned living beings, and therefore they are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā that no one is dearer to Him than one who actually preaches the glories of the Lord to convert the nonbelievers and nondevotees. Such personalities as Nārada must be offered all due respects, like those offered to the Personality of Godhead Himself, and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, along with his noble brothers, were examples for others in receiving a pure devotee of the Lord like Nārada, who had no other business save and except singing the glories of the Lord along with his vīṇā, a musical stringed instrument.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.37
sañjaya uvāca
nāhaḿ veda vyavasitaḿ
pitror vaḥ kula-nandana
gāndhāryā vā mahā-bāho
muṣito 'smi mahātmabhiḥ
SYNONYMS
sañjayaḥ uvāca — Sañjaya said; na — not; aham — I; veda — know; vyavasitam — determination; pitroḥ — of your uncles; vaḥ — your; kula-nandana — O descendant of the Kuru dynasty; gāndhāryāḥ — of Gāndhārī; vā — or; mahā-bāho — O great King; muṣitaḥ — cheated; asmi — I have been; mahā-ātmabhiḥ — by those great souls.
TRANSLATION
Sañjaya said: My dear descendant of the Kuru dynasty, I have no information of the determination of your two uncles and Gāndhārī. O King, I have been cheated by those great souls.
PURPORT
That great souls cheat others may be astonishing to know, but it is a fact that great souls cheat others for a great cause. It is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa also advised Yudhiṣṭhira to tell a lie before Droṇācārya, and it was also for a great cause. The Lord wanted it, and therefore it was a great cause. Satisfaction of the Lord is the criterion of one who is bona fide, and the highest perfection of life is to satisfy the Lord by one's occupational duty. That is the verdict of Gītā and Bhāgavatam.* Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Vidura, followed by Gāndhārī, did not disclose their determination to Sañjaya, although he was constantly with Dhṛtarāṣṭra as his personal assistant. Sañjaya never thought that Dhṛtarāṣṭra could perform any act without consulting him. But Dhṛtarāṣṭra's going away from home was so confidential that it could not be disclosed even to Sañjaya. Sanātana Gosvāmī also cheated the keeper of the prison house while going away to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and similarly Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī also cheated his priest and left home for good to satisfy the Lord. To satisfy the Lord, anything is good, for it is in relation with the Absolute Truth. We also had the same opportunity to cheat the family members and leave home to engage in the service of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Such cheating was necessary for a great cause, and there is no loss for any party in such transcendental fraud.
nāhaḿ veda vyavasitaḿ
pitror vaḥ kula-nandana
gāndhāryā vā mahā-bāho
muṣito 'smi mahātmabhiḥ
SYNONYMS
sañjayaḥ uvāca — Sañjaya said; na — not; aham — I; veda — know; vyavasitam — determination; pitroḥ — of your uncles; vaḥ — your; kula-nandana — O descendant of the Kuru dynasty; gāndhāryāḥ — of Gāndhārī; vā — or; mahā-bāho — O great King; muṣitaḥ — cheated; asmi — I have been; mahā-ātmabhiḥ — by those great souls.
TRANSLATION
Sañjaya said: My dear descendant of the Kuru dynasty, I have no information of the determination of your two uncles and Gāndhārī. O King, I have been cheated by those great souls.
PURPORT
That great souls cheat others may be astonishing to know, but it is a fact that great souls cheat others for a great cause. It is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa also advised Yudhiṣṭhira to tell a lie before Droṇācārya, and it was also for a great cause. The Lord wanted it, and therefore it was a great cause. Satisfaction of the Lord is the criterion of one who is bona fide, and the highest perfection of life is to satisfy the Lord by one's occupational duty. That is the verdict of Gītā and Bhāgavatam.* Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Vidura, followed by Gāndhārī, did not disclose their determination to Sañjaya, although he was constantly with Dhṛtarāṣṭra as his personal assistant. Sañjaya never thought that Dhṛtarāṣṭra could perform any act without consulting him. But Dhṛtarāṣṭra's going away from home was so confidential that it could not be disclosed even to Sañjaya. Sanātana Gosvāmī also cheated the keeper of the prison house while going away to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and similarly Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī also cheated his priest and left home for good to satisfy the Lord. To satisfy the Lord, anything is good, for it is in relation with the Absolute Truth. We also had the same opportunity to cheat the family members and leave home to engage in the service of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Such cheating was necessary for a great cause, and there is no loss for any party in such transcendental fraud.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.36
vimṛjyāśrūṇi pāṇibhyāḿ
viṣṭabhyātmānam ātmanā
ajāta-śatruḿ pratyūce
prabhoḥ pādāv anusmaran
SYNONYMS
vimṛjya — smearing; aśrūṇi — tears of the eyes; pāṇibhyām — with his hands; viṣṭabhya — situated; ātmānam — the mind; ātmanā — by intelligence; ajāta-śatrum — unto Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; pratyūce — began to reply; prabhoḥ — of his master; pādau — feet; anusmaran — thinking after.
TRANSLATION
First he slowly pacified his mind by intelligence, and wiping away his tears and thinking of the feet of his master, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he began to reply to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
viṣṭabhyātmānam ātmanā
ajāta-śatruḿ pratyūce
prabhoḥ pādāv anusmaran
SYNONYMS
vimṛjya — smearing; aśrūṇi — tears of the eyes; pāṇibhyām — with his hands; viṣṭabhya — situated; ātmānam — the mind; ātmanā — by intelligence; ajāta-śatrum — unto Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; pratyūce — began to reply; prabhoḥ — of his master; pādau — feet; anusmaran — thinking after.
TRANSLATION
First he slowly pacified his mind by intelligence, and wiping away his tears and thinking of the feet of his master, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he began to reply to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.35
sūta uvāca
kṛpayā sneha-vaiklavyāt
sūto viraha-karśitaḥ
ātmeśvaram acakṣāṇo
na pratyāhātipīḍitaḥ
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; kṛpayā — out of full compassion; sneha-vaiklavyāt — mental derangement due to profound affection; sūtaḥ — Sañjaya; viraha-karśitaḥ — distressed by separation; ātma-īśvaram — his master; acakṣāṇaḥ — having not seen; na — did not; pratyāha — replied; ati-pīḍitaḥ — being too aggrieved.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Because of compassion and mental agitation, Sañjaya, not having seen his own master, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was aggrieved and could not properly reply to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
PURPORT
Sañjaya was the personal assistant of Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra for a very long time, and thus he had the opportunity to study the life of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. And when he saw at last that Dhṛtarāṣṭra had left home without his knowledge, his sorrows had no bound. He was fully compassionate toward Dhṛtarāṣṭra because in the game of the Battle of Kurukṣetra, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra had lost everything, men and money, and at last the King and the Queen had to leave home in utter frustration. He studied the situation in his own way because he did not know that the inner vision of Dhṛtarāṣṭra has been awakened by Vidura and that therefore he had left home in enthusiastic cheerfulness for a better life after departure from the dark well of home. Unless one is convinced of a better life after renunciation of the present life, one cannot stick to the renounced order of life simply by artificial dress or staying out of the home.
kṛpayā sneha-vaiklavyāt
sūto viraha-karśitaḥ
ātmeśvaram acakṣāṇo
na pratyāhātipīḍitaḥ
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca — Sūta Gosvāmī said; kṛpayā — out of full compassion; sneha-vaiklavyāt — mental derangement due to profound affection; sūtaḥ — Sañjaya; viraha-karśitaḥ — distressed by separation; ātma-īśvaram — his master; acakṣāṇaḥ — having not seen; na — did not; pratyāha — replied; ati-pīḍitaḥ — being too aggrieved.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Because of compassion and mental agitation, Sañjaya, not having seen his own master, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was aggrieved and could not properly reply to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira.
PURPORT
Sañjaya was the personal assistant of Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra for a very long time, and thus he had the opportunity to study the life of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. And when he saw at last that Dhṛtarāṣṭra had left home without his knowledge, his sorrows had no bound. He was fully compassionate toward Dhṛtarāṣṭra because in the game of the Battle of Kurukṣetra, King Dhṛtarāṣṭra had lost everything, men and money, and at last the King and the Queen had to leave home in utter frustration. He studied the situation in his own way because he did not know that the inner vision of Dhṛtarāṣṭra has been awakened by Vidura and that therefore he had left home in enthusiastic cheerfulness for a better life after departure from the dark well of home. Unless one is convinced of a better life after renunciation of the present life, one cannot stick to the renounced order of life simply by artificial dress or staying out of the home.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.34
pitary uparate pāṇḍau
sarvān naḥ suhṛdaḥ śiśūn
arakṣatāḿ vyasanataḥ
pitṛvyau kva gatāv itaḥ
SYNONYMS
pitari — upon my father; uparate — falling down; pāṇḍau — Mahārāja Pāṇḍu; sarvān — all; naḥ — of us; suhṛdaḥ — well-wishers; śiśūn — small children; arakṣatām — protected; vyasanataḥ — from all kinds of dangers; pitṛvyau — uncles; kva — where; gatau — have departed; itaḥ — from this place.
TRANSLATION
When my father, Pāṇḍu, fell down and we were all small children, these two uncles gave us protection from all kinds of calamities. They were always our good well-wishers. Alas, where have they gone from here?
sarvān naḥ suhṛdaḥ śiśūn
arakṣatāḿ vyasanataḥ
pitṛvyau kva gatāv itaḥ
SYNONYMS
pitari — upon my father; uparate — falling down; pāṇḍau — Mahārāja Pāṇḍu; sarvān — all; naḥ — of us; suhṛdaḥ — well-wishers; śiśūn — small children; arakṣatām — protected; vyasanataḥ — from all kinds of dangers; pitṛvyau — uncles; kva — where; gatau — have departed; itaḥ — from this place.
TRANSLATION
When my father, Pāṇḍu, fell down and we were all small children, these two uncles gave us protection from all kinds of calamities. They were always our good well-wishers. Alas, where have they gone from here?
Monday, June 14, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.33
ambā ca hata-putrārtā
pitṛvyaḥ kva gataḥ suhṛt
api mayy akṛta-prajñe
hata-bandhuḥ sa bhāryayā
āśaḿsamānaḥ śamalaḿ
gańgāyāḿ duḥkhito 'patat
SYNONYMS
ambā — mother aunt; ca — and; hata-putrā — who had lost all her sons; ārtā — in a sorry plight; pitṛvyaḥ — uncle Vidura; kva — where; gataḥ — gone; suhṛt — well-wisher; api — whether; mayi — unto me; akṛta-prajñe — ungrateful; hata-bandhuḥ — one who has lost all his sons; saḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; bhāryayā — with his wife; āśaḿsamānaḥ — in doubtful mind; śamalam — offenses; gańgāyām — in the Ganges water; duḥkhitaḥ — in distressed mind; apatat — fell down.
TRANSLATION
Where is my well-wisher, uncle Vidura, and mother Gāndhārī, who is very afflicted due to all her sons' demise? My uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra was also very mortified due to the death of all his sons and grandsons. Undoubtedly I am very ungrateful. Did he, therefore, take my offenses very seriously and, along with his wife, drown himself in the Ganges?
PURPORT
The Pāṇḍavas, especially Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna, anticipated the aftereffects of the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and therefore Arjuna declined to execute the fighting. The fight was executed by the will of the Lord, but the effects of family aggrievement, as they had thought of it before, had come to be true. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was always conscious of the great plight of his uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra and aunt Gāndhārī, and therefore he took all possible care of them in their old age and aggrieved conditions. When, therefore, he could not find his uncle and aunt in the palace, naturally his doubts arose, and he conjectured that they had gone down to the water of the Ganges. He thought himself ungrateful because when the Pāṇḍavas were fatherless, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra had given them all royal facilities to live, and in return he had killed all Dhṛtarāṣṭra's sons in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. As a pious man, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira took into account all his unavoidable misdeeds, and he never thought of the misdeeds of his uncle and company. Dhṛtarāṣṭra had suffered the effects of his own misdeeds by the will of the Lord, but Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was thinking only of his own unavoidable misdeeds. That is the nature of a good man and devotee of the Lord. A devotee never finds fault with others, but tries to find his own and thus rectify them as far as possible.
pitṛvyaḥ kva gataḥ suhṛt
api mayy akṛta-prajñe
hata-bandhuḥ sa bhāryayā
āśaḿsamānaḥ śamalaḿ
gańgāyāḿ duḥkhito 'patat
SYNONYMS
ambā — mother aunt; ca — and; hata-putrā — who had lost all her sons; ārtā — in a sorry plight; pitṛvyaḥ — uncle Vidura; kva — where; gataḥ — gone; suhṛt — well-wisher; api — whether; mayi — unto me; akṛta-prajñe — ungrateful; hata-bandhuḥ — one who has lost all his sons; saḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; bhāryayā — with his wife; āśaḿsamānaḥ — in doubtful mind; śamalam — offenses; gańgāyām — in the Ganges water; duḥkhitaḥ — in distressed mind; apatat — fell down.
TRANSLATION
Where is my well-wisher, uncle Vidura, and mother Gāndhārī, who is very afflicted due to all her sons' demise? My uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra was also very mortified due to the death of all his sons and grandsons. Undoubtedly I am very ungrateful. Did he, therefore, take my offenses very seriously and, along with his wife, drown himself in the Ganges?
PURPORT
The Pāṇḍavas, especially Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and Arjuna, anticipated the aftereffects of the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and therefore Arjuna declined to execute the fighting. The fight was executed by the will of the Lord, but the effects of family aggrievement, as they had thought of it before, had come to be true. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was always conscious of the great plight of his uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra and aunt Gāndhārī, and therefore he took all possible care of them in their old age and aggrieved conditions. When, therefore, he could not find his uncle and aunt in the palace, naturally his doubts arose, and he conjectured that they had gone down to the water of the Ganges. He thought himself ungrateful because when the Pāṇḍavas were fatherless, Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra had given them all royal facilities to live, and in return he had killed all Dhṛtarāṣṭra's sons in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. As a pious man, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira took into account all his unavoidable misdeeds, and he never thought of the misdeeds of his uncle and company. Dhṛtarāṣṭra had suffered the effects of his own misdeeds by the will of the Lord, but Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was thinking only of his own unavoidable misdeeds. That is the nature of a good man and devotee of the Lord. A devotee never finds fault with others, but tries to find his own and thus rectify them as far as possible.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.32
tatra sañjayam āsīnaḿ
papracchodvigna-mānasaḥ
gāvalgaṇe kva nas tāto
vṛddho hīnaś ca netrayoḥ
SYNONYMS
tatra — there; sañjayam — unto Sañjaya; āsīnam — seated; papraccha — he inquired from; udvigna-mānasaḥ — filled with anxiety; gāvalgaṇe — the son of Gavalgaṇa, Sañjaya; kva — where is; naḥ — our; tātaḥ — uncle; vṛddhaḥ — old; hīnaḥ ca — and bereft of; netrayoḥ — the eyes.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, full of anxiety, turned to Sañjaya, who was sitting there, and said: O Sañjaya, where is our uncle, who is old and blind?
papracchodvigna-mānasaḥ
gāvalgaṇe kva nas tāto
vṛddho hīnaś ca netrayoḥ
SYNONYMS
tatra — there; sañjayam — unto Sañjaya; āsīnam — seated; papraccha — he inquired from; udvigna-mānasaḥ — filled with anxiety; gāvalgaṇe — the son of Gavalgaṇa, Sañjaya; kva — where is; naḥ — our; tātaḥ — uncle; vṛddhaḥ — old; hīnaḥ ca — and bereft of; netrayoḥ — the eyes.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, full of anxiety, turned to Sañjaya, who was sitting there, and said: O Sañjaya, where is our uncle, who is old and blind?
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.31
ajāta-śatruḥ kṛta-maitro hutāgnir
viprān natvā tila-go-bhūmi-rukmaiḥ
gṛhaḿ praviṣṭo guru-vandanāya
na cāpaśyat pitarau saubalīḿ ca
SYNONYMS
ajāta — never born; śatruḥ — enemy; kṛta — having performed; maitraḥ — worshiping the demigods; huta-agniḥ — and offering fuel in the fire; viprān — the brāhmaṇas; natvā — offering obeisances; tila-go-bhūmi-rukmaiḥ — along with grains, cows, land and gold; gṛham — within the palace; praviṣṭaḥ — having entered into; guru-vandanāya — for offering respect to the elderly members; na — did not; ca — also; apaśyat — see; pitarau — his uncles; saubalīm — Gāndhārī; ca — also.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, whose enemy was never born, performed his daily morning duties by praying, offering fire sacrifice to the sun-god, and offering obeisances, grains, cows, land and gold to the brāhmaṇas. He then entered the palace to pay respects to the elderly. However, he could not find his uncles or aunt, the daughter of King Subala.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the most pious king because he personally practiced daily the pious duties for the householders. The householders are required to rise early in the morning, and after bathing they should offer respects to the Deities at home by prayers, by offering fuel in the sacred fire, by giving the brāhmaṇas in charity land, cows, grains, gold, etc., and at last offering to the elderly members due respects and obeisances. One who is not prepared to practice injunctions prescribed in the śāstras cannot be a good man simply by book knowledge. Modern householders are practiced to different modes of life, namely to rise late and then take bed tea without any sort of cleanliness and without any purificatory practices as mentioned above. The household children are taken to practice what the parents practice, and therefore the whole generation glides towards hell. Nothing good can be expected from them unless they associate with sādhus. Like Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the materialistic person may take lessons from a sādhu like Vidura and thus be cleansed of the effects of modern life.
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, however, could not find in the palace his two uncles, namely Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Vidura, along with Gāndhārī, the daughter of King Subala. He was anxious to see them and therefore asked Sañjaya, the private secretary of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
viprān natvā tila-go-bhūmi-rukmaiḥ
gṛhaḿ praviṣṭo guru-vandanāya
na cāpaśyat pitarau saubalīḿ ca
SYNONYMS
ajāta — never born; śatruḥ — enemy; kṛta — having performed; maitraḥ — worshiping the demigods; huta-agniḥ — and offering fuel in the fire; viprān — the brāhmaṇas; natvā — offering obeisances; tila-go-bhūmi-rukmaiḥ — along with grains, cows, land and gold; gṛham — within the palace; praviṣṭaḥ — having entered into; guru-vandanāya — for offering respect to the elderly members; na — did not; ca — also; apaśyat — see; pitarau — his uncles; saubalīm — Gāndhārī; ca — also.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, whose enemy was never born, performed his daily morning duties by praying, offering fire sacrifice to the sun-god, and offering obeisances, grains, cows, land and gold to the brāhmaṇas. He then entered the palace to pay respects to the elderly. However, he could not find his uncles or aunt, the daughter of King Subala.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the most pious king because he personally practiced daily the pious duties for the householders. The householders are required to rise early in the morning, and after bathing they should offer respects to the Deities at home by prayers, by offering fuel in the sacred fire, by giving the brāhmaṇas in charity land, cows, grains, gold, etc., and at last offering to the elderly members due respects and obeisances. One who is not prepared to practice injunctions prescribed in the śāstras cannot be a good man simply by book knowledge. Modern householders are practiced to different modes of life, namely to rise late and then take bed tea without any sort of cleanliness and without any purificatory practices as mentioned above. The household children are taken to practice what the parents practice, and therefore the whole generation glides towards hell. Nothing good can be expected from them unless they associate with sādhus. Like Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the materialistic person may take lessons from a sādhu like Vidura and thus be cleansed of the effects of modern life.
Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, however, could not find in the palace his two uncles, namely Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Vidura, along with Gāndhārī, the daughter of King Subala. He was anxious to see them and therefore asked Sañjaya, the private secretary of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.30
patiḿ prayāntaḿ subalasya putrī
pati-vratā cānujagāma sādhvī
himālayaḿ nyasta-daṇḍa-praharṣaḿ
manasvinām iva sat samprahāraḥ
SYNONYMS
patim — her husband; prayāntam — while leaving home; subalasya — of King Subala; putrī — the worthy daughter; pati-vratā — devoted to her husband; ca — also; anujagāma — followed; sādhvī — the chaste; himālayam — towards the Himalaya Mountains; nyasta-daṇḍa — one who has accepted the rod of the renounced order; praharṣam — object of delight; manasvinām — of the great fighters; iva — like; sat — legitimate; samprahāraḥ — good lashing.
TRANSLATION
The gentle and chaste Gāndhārī, who was the daughter of King Subala of Kandahar [or Gāndhāra], followed her husband, seeing that he was going to the Himalaya Mountains, which are the delight of those who have accepted the staff of the renounced order like fighters who have accepted a good lashing from the enemy.
PURPORT
Saubalinī, or Gāndhārī, daughter of King Subala and wife of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was ideal as a wife devoted to her husband. The Vedic civilization especially prepares chaste and devoted wives, of whom Gāndhārī is one amongst many mentioned in history. Lakṣmījī Sītādevī was also a daughter of a great king, but she followed her husband, Lord Rāmacandra, into the forest. Similarly, as a woman Gāndhārī could have remained at home or at her father's house, but as a chaste and gentle lady she followed her husband without consideration. Instructions for the renounced order of life were imparted to Dhṛtarāṣṭra by Vidura, and Gāndhārī was by the side of her husband. But he did not ask her to follow him because he was at that time fully determined, like a great warrior who faces all kinds of dangers in the battlefield. He was no longer attracted to so-called wife or relatives, and he decided to start alone, but as a chaste lady Gāndhārī decided to follow her husband till the last moment. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra accepted the order of vānaprastha, and at this stage the wife is allowed to remain as a voluntary servitor, but in the sannyāsa stage no wife can stay with her former husband. A sannyāsī is considered to be a dead man civilly, and therefore the wife becomes a civil widow without connection with her former husband. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra did not deny his faithful wife, and she followed her husband at her own risk.
The sannyāsīs accept a rod as the sign of the renounced order of life. There are two types of sannyāsīs. Those who follow the Māyāvādī philosophy, headed by Śrīpāda Śańkarācārya, accept only one rod (eka-daṇḍa), but those who follow the Vaiṣṇavite philosophy accept three combined rods (tri-daṇḍa). The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are ekadaṇḍi-svāmīs, whereas the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs are known as tridaṇḍi-svāmīs, or more distinctly, tridaṇḍi-gosvāmīs, in order to be distinguished from the Māyāvādī philosophers. The ekadaṇḍi-svāmīs are mostly fond of the Himalayas, but the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs are fond of Vṛndāvana and Purī. The Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs are narottamas, whereas the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are dhīras. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was advised to follow the dhīras because at that stage it was difficult for him to become a narottama.
pati-vratā cānujagāma sādhvī
himālayaḿ nyasta-daṇḍa-praharṣaḿ
manasvinām iva sat samprahāraḥ
SYNONYMS
patim — her husband; prayāntam — while leaving home; subalasya — of King Subala; putrī — the worthy daughter; pati-vratā — devoted to her husband; ca — also; anujagāma — followed; sādhvī — the chaste; himālayam — towards the Himalaya Mountains; nyasta-daṇḍa — one who has accepted the rod of the renounced order; praharṣam — object of delight; manasvinām — of the great fighters; iva — like; sat — legitimate; samprahāraḥ — good lashing.
TRANSLATION
The gentle and chaste Gāndhārī, who was the daughter of King Subala of Kandahar [or Gāndhāra], followed her husband, seeing that he was going to the Himalaya Mountains, which are the delight of those who have accepted the staff of the renounced order like fighters who have accepted a good lashing from the enemy.
PURPORT
Saubalinī, or Gāndhārī, daughter of King Subala and wife of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, was ideal as a wife devoted to her husband. The Vedic civilization especially prepares chaste and devoted wives, of whom Gāndhārī is one amongst many mentioned in history. Lakṣmījī Sītādevī was also a daughter of a great king, but she followed her husband, Lord Rāmacandra, into the forest. Similarly, as a woman Gāndhārī could have remained at home or at her father's house, but as a chaste and gentle lady she followed her husband without consideration. Instructions for the renounced order of life were imparted to Dhṛtarāṣṭra by Vidura, and Gāndhārī was by the side of her husband. But he did not ask her to follow him because he was at that time fully determined, like a great warrior who faces all kinds of dangers in the battlefield. He was no longer attracted to so-called wife or relatives, and he decided to start alone, but as a chaste lady Gāndhārī decided to follow her husband till the last moment. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra accepted the order of vānaprastha, and at this stage the wife is allowed to remain as a voluntary servitor, but in the sannyāsa stage no wife can stay with her former husband. A sannyāsī is considered to be a dead man civilly, and therefore the wife becomes a civil widow without connection with her former husband. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra did not deny his faithful wife, and she followed her husband at her own risk.
The sannyāsīs accept a rod as the sign of the renounced order of life. There are two types of sannyāsīs. Those who follow the Māyāvādī philosophy, headed by Śrīpāda Śańkarācārya, accept only one rod (eka-daṇḍa), but those who follow the Vaiṣṇavite philosophy accept three combined rods (tri-daṇḍa). The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are ekadaṇḍi-svāmīs, whereas the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs are known as tridaṇḍi-svāmīs, or more distinctly, tridaṇḍi-gosvāmīs, in order to be distinguished from the Māyāvādī philosophers. The ekadaṇḍi-svāmīs are mostly fond of the Himalayas, but the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs are fond of Vṛndāvana and Purī. The Vaiṣṇava sannyāsīs are narottamas, whereas the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs are dhīras. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was advised to follow the dhīras because at that stage it was difficult for him to become a narottama.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.29
evaḿ rājā vidureṇānujena
prajñā-cakṣur bodhita ājamīḍhaḥ
chittvā sveṣu sneha-pāśān draḍhimno
niścakrāma bhrātṛ-sandarśitādhvā
SYNONYMS
evam — thus; rājā — King Dhṛtarāṣṭra; vidureṇa anujena — by his younger brother Vidura; prajñā — introspective knowledge; cakṣuḥ — eyes; bodhitaḥ — being understood; ājamīḍhaḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra, scion of the family of Ajamīḍha; chittvā — by breaking; sveṣu — regarding kinsmen; sneha-pāśān — strong network of affection; draḍhimnaḥ — because of steadfastness; niścakrāma — got out; bhrātṛ — by his brother; sandarśita — direction to; adhvā — the path of liberation.
TRANSLATION
Thus Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the scion of the family of Ajamīḍha, firmly convinced by introspective knowledge [prajñā], broke at once the strong network of familial affection by his resolute determination. Thus he immediately left home to set out on the path of liberation, as directed by his younger brother Vidura.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the great preacher of the principles of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, has stressed the importance of association with sādhus, pure devotees of the Lord. He said that even by a moments association with a pure devotee, one can achieve all perfection. We are not ashamed to admit that this fact was experienced in our practical life. Were we not favored by His Divine Grace Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, by our first meeting for a few minutes only, it would have been impossible for us to accept this mighty task of describing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in English. Without seeing him at that opportune moment, we could have become a very great business magnate, but never would we have been able to walk the path of liberation and be engaged in the factual service of the Lord under instructions of His Divine Grace. And here is another practical example by the action of Vidura's association with Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was tightly bound in a network of material affinities related to politics, economy and family attachment, and he did everything in his power to achieve so-called success in his planned projects, but he was frustrated from the beginning to the end so far as his material activities were concerned. And yet, despite his life of failure, he achieved the greatest of all success in self-realization by the forceful instructions of a pure devotee of the Lord, who is the typical emblem of a sādhu. The scriptures enjoin, therefore, that one should associate with sādhus only, rejecting all other kinds of association, and by doing so one will have ample opportunity to hear the sādhus, who can cut to pieces the bonds of illusory affection in the material world. It is a fact that the material world is a great illusion because everything appears to be a tangible reality but at the next moment evaporates like the dashing foam of the sea or a cloud in the sky. A cloud in the sky undoubtedly appears to be a reality because it rains, and due to rains so many temporary green things appear, but in the ultimate issue, everything disappears, namely the cloud, rain and green vegetation, all in due course. But the sky remains, and the varieties of sky or luminaries also remain forever. Similarly, the Absolute Truth, which is compared to the sky, remains eternally, and the temporary cloudlike illusion comes and goes away. Foolish living beings are attracted by the temporary cloud, but intelligent men are more concerned with the eternal sky with all its variegatedness.
prajñā-cakṣur bodhita ājamīḍhaḥ
chittvā sveṣu sneha-pāśān draḍhimno
niścakrāma bhrātṛ-sandarśitādhvā
SYNONYMS
evam — thus; rājā — King Dhṛtarāṣṭra; vidureṇa anujena — by his younger brother Vidura; prajñā — introspective knowledge; cakṣuḥ — eyes; bodhitaḥ — being understood; ājamīḍhaḥ — Dhṛtarāṣṭra, scion of the family of Ajamīḍha; chittvā — by breaking; sveṣu — regarding kinsmen; sneha-pāśān — strong network of affection; draḍhimnaḥ — because of steadfastness; niścakrāma — got out; bhrātṛ — by his brother; sandarśita — direction to; adhvā — the path of liberation.
TRANSLATION
Thus Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the scion of the family of Ajamīḍha, firmly convinced by introspective knowledge [prajñā], broke at once the strong network of familial affection by his resolute determination. Thus he immediately left home to set out on the path of liberation, as directed by his younger brother Vidura.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the great preacher of the principles of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, has stressed the importance of association with sādhus, pure devotees of the Lord. He said that even by a moments association with a pure devotee, one can achieve all perfection. We are not ashamed to admit that this fact was experienced in our practical life. Were we not favored by His Divine Grace Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja, by our first meeting for a few minutes only, it would have been impossible for us to accept this mighty task of describing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in English. Without seeing him at that opportune moment, we could have become a very great business magnate, but never would we have been able to walk the path of liberation and be engaged in the factual service of the Lord under instructions of His Divine Grace. And here is another practical example by the action of Vidura's association with Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra was tightly bound in a network of material affinities related to politics, economy and family attachment, and he did everything in his power to achieve so-called success in his planned projects, but he was frustrated from the beginning to the end so far as his material activities were concerned. And yet, despite his life of failure, he achieved the greatest of all success in self-realization by the forceful instructions of a pure devotee of the Lord, who is the typical emblem of a sādhu. The scriptures enjoin, therefore, that one should associate with sādhus only, rejecting all other kinds of association, and by doing so one will have ample opportunity to hear the sādhus, who can cut to pieces the bonds of illusory affection in the material world. It is a fact that the material world is a great illusion because everything appears to be a tangible reality but at the next moment evaporates like the dashing foam of the sea or a cloud in the sky. A cloud in the sky undoubtedly appears to be a reality because it rains, and due to rains so many temporary green things appear, but in the ultimate issue, everything disappears, namely the cloud, rain and green vegetation, all in due course. But the sky remains, and the varieties of sky or luminaries also remain forever. Similarly, the Absolute Truth, which is compared to the sky, remains eternally, and the temporary cloudlike illusion comes and goes away. Foolish living beings are attracted by the temporary cloud, but intelligent men are more concerned with the eternal sky with all its variegatedness.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.13.28
athodīcīḿ diśaḿ yātu
svair ajñāta-gatir bhavān
ito 'rvāk prāyaśaḥ kālaḥ
puḿsāḿ guṇa-vikarṣaṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
atha — therefore; udīcīm — northern side; diśam — direction; yātu — please go away; svaiḥ — by your relatives; ajñāta — without knowledge; gatiḥ — movements; bhavān — of yourself; itaḥ — after this; arvāk — will usher in; prāyaśaḥ — generally; kālaḥ — time; puḿsām — of men; guṇa — qualities; vikarṣaṇaḥ — diminishing.
TRANSLATION
Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good qualities of men.
PURPORT
One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhīra, or leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura advised his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very quickly the age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already degraded by the material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good qualities of a man will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching. To become narottama, or a first-class human being depending completely on the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28) that a person who is completely relieved of all taints of sinful acts can alone depend on the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was advised by Vidura at least to become a dhīra in the beginning if it were impossible for him to become a sannyāsī or a narottama. Persistently endeavoring on the line of self-realization helps a person to rise to the conditions of a narottama from the stage of a dhīra. The dhīra stage is attained after prolonged practice of the yoga system, but by the grace of Vidura one can attain the stage immediately simply by willing to adopt the means of the dhīra stage, which is the preparatory stage for sannyāsa. The sannyāsa stage is the preparatory stage of paramahaḿsa, or the first-grade devotee of the Lord.
svair ajñāta-gatir bhavān
ito 'rvāk prāyaśaḥ kālaḥ
puḿsāḿ guṇa-vikarṣaṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
atha — therefore; udīcīm — northern side; diśam — direction; yātu — please go away; svaiḥ — by your relatives; ajñāta — without knowledge; gatiḥ — movements; bhavān — of yourself; itaḥ — after this; arvāk — will usher in; prāyaśaḥ — generally; kālaḥ — time; puḿsām — of men; guṇa — qualities; vikarṣaṇaḥ — diminishing.
TRANSLATION
Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good qualities of men.
PURPORT
One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhīra, or leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura advised his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very quickly the age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already degraded by the material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good qualities of a man will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching. To become narottama, or a first-class human being depending completely on the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28) that a person who is completely relieved of all taints of sinful acts can alone depend on the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was advised by Vidura at least to become a dhīra in the beginning if it were impossible for him to become a sannyāsī or a narottama. Persistently endeavoring on the line of self-realization helps a person to rise to the conditions of a narottama from the stage of a dhīra. The dhīra stage is attained after prolonged practice of the yoga system, but by the grace of Vidura one can attain the stage immediately simply by willing to adopt the means of the dhīra stage, which is the preparatory stage for sannyāsa. The sannyāsa stage is the preparatory stage of paramahaḿsa, or the first-grade devotee of the Lord.
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