TEXT - SB 2.1.37
brahmānanaṁ kṣatra-bhujo mahātmā
viḍ ūrur aṅghri-śrita-kṛṣṇa-varṇaḥ
nānābhidhābhījya-gaṇopapanno
dravyātmakaḥ karma vitāna-yogaḥ
SYNONYMS
brahma—the brāhmaṇas; ānanam—the face; kṣatra—the kṣatriyas; bhujaḥ—the arms; mahātmā—the virāṭ-puruṣa; viṭ—the vaiśyas; ūruḥ—the thighs; aṅghri-śrita—under the protection of His feet; kṛṣṇa-varṇaḥ—the śūdras; nānā—various; abhidhā—by names; abhījya-gaṇa—the demigods; upapannaḥ—being overtaken; dravya-ātmakaḥ—with feasible goods; karma—activities; vitāna-yogaḥ—performances of sacrifice.
TRANSLATION
The virāṭ-puruṣa's face is the brāhmaṇas, His arms are the kṣatriyas, His thighs are the vaiśyas, and the śūdras are under the protection of His feet. All the worshipable demigods are also overtaken by Him, and it is the duty of everyone to perform sacrifices with feasible goods to appease the Lord.
PURPORT
Monotheism is practically suggested here. Offering sacrifices to many demigods under different names is mentioned in the Vedic literatures, but the suggestion made in this verse is that all those varieties of demigods are included in the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; they are only the parts and parcels of the original whole. Similarly, the divisions of the orders of human society, namely the brāhmaṇas (the intelligent class), the kṣatriyas (the administrators), the vaiśyas (the mercantile community) and the śūdras (the laborer class), are all included in the body of the Supreme. As such, sacrifice by every one of them in terms of pleasing the Supreme by feasible goods is recommended. Generally, the sacrifice is offered with clarified butter and grains, but with the progress of time, human society has produced varieties of goods by transforming materials supplied by God's material nature. Human society, therefore, must learn to offer sacrifices not only with clarified butter, but also with other manufactured goods in the propagation of the Lord's glory, and that will bring about perfection in human society. The intelligent class of men, or brāhmaṇas, may give direction for such sacrifices in consultation with the previous ācāryas; the administrators may give all facilities to perform such sacrifices; the vaiśya class or mercantile community, who produce such goods, may offer them for sacrifice; and the śūdra class may offer their manual labor for the successful termination of such sacrifice. Thus by the cooperation of all classes of human beings, the sacrifice recommended in this age, namely the sacrifice of congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord, may be executed for the common welfare of all the people of the world.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.1.37
brahmānanaṁ kṣatra-bhujo mahātmā
viḍ ūrur aṅghri-śrita-kṛṣṇa-varṇaḥ |
nānābhidhābhījya-gaṇopapanno
dravyātmakaḥ karma vitāna-yogaḥ ||
Brahmā means brāhmaṇa. His arms are the kṣatriyas (kṣatraḥ). Vaiśyas (viṭ) are his thighs. Those who are black, śūdras, take shelter of his feet. Methods of sacrifice, with ingredients for oblations, endowed with groups of devatās with many names such as the Rudras and Vasus, are his prescribed duties.
TEXT - SB 2.1.38
iyān asāv īśvara-vigrahasya
yaḥ sanniveśaḥ kathito mayā te
sandhāryate 'smin vapuṣi sthaviṣṭhe
manaḥ sva-buddhyā na yato 'sti kiñcit
SYNONYMS
iyān—all these; asau—that; īśvara—Supreme Lord; vigrahasya—of the form; yaḥ—whatsoever; sanniveśaḥ—as they are located; kathitaḥ—explained; mayā—by me; te—unto you; sandhāryate—one may concentrate; asmin—in this; vapuṣi—form of virāṭ; sthaviṣṭhe—in the gross; manaḥ—mind; sva-buddhyā—by one's intelligence; na—not; yataḥ—beyond Him; asti—there is; kiñcit—anything else.
TRANSLATION
I have thus explained to you the gross material gigantic conception of the Personality of Godhead. One who seriously desires liberation concentrates his mind on this form of the Lord, because there is nothing more than this in the material world.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), the Supreme Personality of Godhead has verily explained that the material nature is only an order-carrying agent of His. She is one of the different potencies of the Lord, and she acts under His direction only. As the supreme transcendental Lord, He simply casts a glance over the material principle, and thus the agitation of matter begins, and the resultant actions are manifested one after another by six kinds of gradual differentiations. All material creation is moving in that way, and thus it appears and disappears in due course.
Less intelligent persons with a poor fund of knowledge cannot accommodate the thought of this inconceivable potency of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by which He appears just like a human being (Bg. 9.11). His appearance in the material world as one of us is also His causeless mercy upon the fallen souls. He is transcendental to all material conceptions, but by His unbounded mercy upon His pure devotees, He comes down and manifests Himself as the Personality of Godhead. Materialistic philosophers and scientists are too much engrossed with atomic energy and the gigantic situation of the universal form, and they offer respect more seriously to the external phenomenal feature of material manifestations than to the noumenal principle of spiritual existence. The transcendental form of the Lord is beyond the jurisdiction of such materialistic activities, and it is very difficult to conceive that the Lord can be simultaneously localized and all-pervasive, because the materialistic philosophers and scientists think of everything in terms of their own experience. Because they are unable to accept the personal feature of the Supreme Lord, the Lord is kind enough to demonstrate the virāṭ feature of His transcendental form, and herein Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has vividly described this form of the Lord. He concludes that there is nothing beyond this gigantic feature of the Lord. None of the materialistic thoughtful men can go beyond this conception of the gigantic form. The minds of the materialistic men are flickering and constantly changing from one aspect to another. Therefore, one is advised to think of the Lord by thinking of any part of His gigantic body, and by one's intelligence only one can think of Him in any manifestation of the material world—the forest, the hill, the ocean, the man, the animal, the demigod, the bird, the beast or anything else. Each and every item of the material manifestation entails a part of the body of the gigantic form, and thus the flickering mind can be fixed in the Lord only and nothing else. This process of concentrating on the different bodily parts of the Lord will gradually diminish the demoniac challenge of godlessness and bring about gradual development of devotional service to the Lord. Everything being a part and parcel of the Complete Whole, the neophyte student will gradually realize the hymns of Īśopaniṣad which state that the Supreme Lord is everywhere, and thus he will learn the art of not committing any offense to the body of the Lord. This sense of God-mindedness will diminish one's pride in challenging the existence of God. Thus one can learn to show respect to everything, for all things are parts and parcels of the supreme body.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.1.38
iyān asāv īśvara-vigrahasya
yaḥ sanniveśaḥ kathito mayā te |
sandhāryate ’smin vapuṣi sthaviṣṭhe
manaḥ sva-buddhyā na yato ’sti kiñcit ||
This much (iyān) -- this form of the Lord which has various limbs (sanniveśaḥ) -- has been described by me to you. The mind is concentrated by the yogīs. Other than this there is nothing else. The meaning is this. Wherever the mind wanders because of its fickle nature, it should consider using the intelligence and think: “This is so and so limb of the Lord.” All the objects of which the mind thinks thus are limbs of the Lord. This leads to all thoughts becoming thoughts of the Lord. Hatred and envy and other bad qualities do not appear in the mind because one meditates on these sentiments present in humans and Gandharvas as limbs of the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.1.39
sa sarva-dhī-vṛtty-anubhūta-sarva
ātmā yathā svapna-janekṣitaikaḥ
taṁ satyam ānanda-nidhiṁ bhajeta
nānyatra sajjed yata ātma-pātaḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He (the Supreme Person); sarva-dhī-vṛtti—the process of realization by all sorts of intelligence; anubhūta—cognizant; sarve—everyone; ātmā—the Supersoul; yathā—as much as; svapna-jana—a person dreaming; īkṣita—seen by; ekaḥ—one and the same; tam—unto Him; satyam—the Supreme Truth; ānanda-nidhim—the ocean of bliss; bhajeta—must one worship; na—never; anyatra—anything else; sajjet—be attached; yataḥ—whereby; ātma-pātaḥ—degradation of oneself.
TRANSLATION
One should concentrate his mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who alone distributes Himself in so many manifestations just as ordinary persons create thousands of manifestations in dreams. One must concentrate the mind on Him, the only all-blissful Absolute Truth. Otherwise one will be misled and will cause his own degradation.
PURPORT
In this verse, the process of devotional service is indicated by the great Gosvāmī, Śrīla Śukadeva. He tries to impress upon us that instead of diverting our attention to several branches of self-realization, we should concentrate upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the supreme object of realization, worship and devotion. Self-realization is, as it were, offering a fight for eternal life against the material struggle for existence, and therefore by the illusory grace of the external energy, the yogī or the devotee is faced with many allurements which can entangle a great fighter again in the bondage of material existence. A yogī can attain miraculous successes in material achievements, such as aṇimā and laghimā, by which one can become more minute than the minutest or lighter than the lightest, or in the ordinary sense, one may achieve material benedictions in the shape of wealth and women. But one is warned against such allurements because entanglement again in such illusory pleasure means degradation of the self and further imprisonment in the material world. By this warning, one should follow one's vigilant intelligence only.
The Supreme Lord is one, and His expansions are various. He is therefore the Supersoul of everything. When a man sees anything, he must know that his seeing is secondary and the Lord's seeing is primary. One cannot see anything without the Lord's having first seen it. That is the instruction of the Vedas and the Upaniṣads. So whatever we see or do, the Supersoul of all acts of seeing or doing is the Lord. This theory of simultaneous oneness and difference between the individual soul and the Supersoul is propounded by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. The virāṭ-rūpa, or the gigantic feature of the Supreme Lord, includes everything materially manifested, and therefore the virāṭ or gigantic feature of the Lord is the Supersoul of all living and nonliving entities. But the virāṭ-rūpa is also the manifestation of Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu, and going further on and on one will eventually see that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate Supersoul of everything that be. The conclusion is that one should unhesitatingly become a worshiper of Lord Kṛṣṇa, or, for that matter, His plenary expansion Nārāyaṇa, and none else. In the Vedic hymns, it is clearly said that first of all Nārāyaṇa cast a glance over matter and thus there was creation. Before creation, there was neither Brahmā nor Śiva, and what to speak of others. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has definitely accepted this, that Nārāyaṇa is beyond the material creation and that all others are within the material creation. The whole material creation, therefore, is one with and different from Nārāyaṇa, simultaneously, and this supports the acintya-bhedābheda-tattva philosophy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Being an emanation from the glancing potency of Nārāyaṇa, the whole material creation is nondifferent from Him. But because it is the effect of His external energy (bahiraṅgā māyā) and is aloof from the internal potency (ātma-māyā), the whole material creation is different from Him at the same time. The example given in this verse very nicely is that of the dreaming man. The dreaming man creates many things in his dream, and thus he himself becomes the entangled seer of the dream and is also affected by the consequences. This material creation is also exactly a dreamlike creation of the Lord, but He, being the transcendental Supersoul, is neither entangled nor affected by the reactions of such a dreamlike creation. He is always in His transcendental position, but essentially He is everything, and nothing is apart from Him. As a part of Him, one should therefore concentrate on Him only, without deviation; otherwise one is sure to be overcome by the potencies of the material creation, one after another. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.7) as follows:
sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya
prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām
kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni
kalpādau visṛjāmy aham
"O son of Kuntī, at the end of the millennium every material manifestation enters into My nature, and at the beginning of another millennium, by My potency, I again create."
The human life, however, is an opportunity to get out of this repetition of creation and annihilation. It is a means whereby one may escape the Lord's external potency and enter into His internal potency.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.1.39
sa sarva-dhī-vṛtty-anubhūta-sarva
ātmā yathā svapna-janekṣitaikaḥ |
taṁ satyam ānanda-nidhiṁ bhajeta
nānyatra sajjed yata ātma-pātaḥ ||
Accompanying this meditation on the Lord there will appear certain results such as enjoyment and power. Should the yogī enjoy these or not? If he enjoys, then that indicates a lax yogī. It is said:
yadā na yogopacitāsu ceto
māyāsu siddhasya viṣajjate ’ṅga
ananya-hetuṣv atha me gatiḥ syād
ātyantikī yatra na mṛtyu-hāsaḥ
When the yogī's heart is no longer attracted to the abundant enjoyments available only through yoga he can attain final liberation, where death can show no pride. SB 3.27.30
If he does not enjoy those things, it is still difficult to reject those enjoyments which arrive. By discrimination alone all becomes easy. The method of discrimination is then shown.
The yogī (saḥ) is filled with old impressions from his senses in his mind lasting from thousands of births in the past concerning enjoyment and powers as a lord of devatās and humans. What is the use of experiencing those things again? They have no permanence. An example is given. They are just like creations of various people, soldiers, friends, and ministers with all sorts of enjoyments experienced by the jīva in a dream. Thus, he should worship the Lord, an ocean of bliss, existing in all time and places (satyam). He does not become attached to other things, to the happiness of the material world, because it is limited in time and space, and without an ocean of bliss.
Meditating on the Puruṣa in the Heart
Jiva's tika ||2.1.39||
sa sarva-dhī-vṛtty-anubhūta-sarva ātmā yathā svapna-janekṣitaikaḥ | taṃ satyam ānanda-nidhiṃ bhajeta nānyatra sajjed yata ātma-pātaḥ ||
TRANSLATION The Lord is like a person experiencing all sorts of things in a dream, but he is not attached. The yogī, having realized everything about the universal form by using his senses, should worship the Lord, an ocean of bliss, eternal in time and space, and nothing else, since those things will cause degradation, just he sees things in a dream.
After describing meditation on the universal form (in the same chapter), bhakti is then recommended, while rejecting other forms of meditation. The yogī (saḥ), perfecting dhāraṇa on the universal form, having realized everything in the universal form (sarvātmā) by all his senses (dhī-vṛtti) should worship Nārāyaṇa, the antaryāmī of the universal form, the ocean of eternal bliss (saytam ānandam nidhim). He should not be attached to anything else, to the universal form, to any secondary results, since that attachment will cause falling into saṃsāra.
An example is given. A single jīva, the seer of the dream (eka īkṣitā), sees many people and things in a dream (svapna-jana).
Bhakti Sandarbha 26:
The exaxmple may refer to the Lord. The Lord glanced (Aitareya Upaniṣad 1.1.2) and has natural jnāna, strength and action. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8) The Lord’s knowledge does not depend on others. Sandhya sṛṣṭīr āha hi: the Lord creates objects in dreams because that is stated in the text. (Brahma-sūtra 3.2.1)
māyā-mātraṃ tu kārtsneynānahivyakta-svarūpatvāt
The cause is the Lord's māyā because the dreams by nature are not revealed to everyone. (Brahma-sūtra 3.2.3)
The Lord has the special quality of being complete as the creator of the world in its waking and dream states. The words satyam and ānanda-nidhim indicate that the Lord is the highest goal.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, First Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The First Step in God Realization."
2. The Lord in the Heart
verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37
TEXT - SB 2.2.1
śrī-śuka uvāca
evaṁ purā dhāraṇayātma-yonir
naṣṭāṁ smṛtiṁ pratyavarudhya tuṣṭāt
tathā sasarjedam amogha-dṛṣṭir
yathāpyayāt prāg vyavasāya-buddhiḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evam—just in the same way; purā—prior to the manifestation of the cosmos; dhāraṇayā—by such a conception; ātma-yoniḥ—of Brahmājī; naṣṭām—lost; smṛtim—remembrance; pratyavarudhya—by regaining consciousness; tuṣṭāt—because of appeasing the Lord; tathā—thereafter; sasarja—created; idam—this material world; amogha-dṛṣṭiḥ—one who has attained clear vision; yathā—as; apyayāt—created; prāk—as formerly; vyavasāya—ascertained; buddhiḥ—intelligence.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Formerly, prior to the manifestation of the cosmos, Lord Brahmā, by meditating on the virāṭ-rūpa, regained his lost consciousness by appeasing the Lord. Thus he was able to rebuild the creation as it was before.
PURPORT
The example cited herein of Śrī Brahmājī is one of forgetfulness. Brahmājī is the incarnation of one of the mundane attributes of the Lord. Being the incarnation of the passion mode of material nature, he is empowered by the Lord to generate the beautiful material manifestation. Yet due to his being one of the numerous living entities, he is apt to forget the art of his creative energy. This forgetfulness of the living being—beginning from Brahmā down to the lowest insignificant ant—is a tendency which can be counteracted by meditation on the virāṭ-rūpa of the Lord. This chance is available in the human form of life, and if a human being follows the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and begins to meditate upon the virāṭ-rūpa, then revival of his pure consciousness and counteraction of the tendency to forget his eternal relationship with the Lord can follow simultaneously. And as soon as this forgetfulness is removed, the vyavasāya-buddhi, as mentioned here and in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.41), follows at once. This ascertained knowledge of the living being leads to loving service to the Lord, which the living being requires. The kingdom of God is unlimited; therefore the number of the assisting hands of the Lord is also unlimited. The Bhagavad-gītā (13.14) asserts that the Lord has His hands, legs, eyes and mouths in every nook and corner of His creation, This means that the expansions of differentiated parts and parcels, called jīvas or living entities, are assisting hands of the Lord, and all of them are meant for rendering a particular pattern of service to the Lord. The conditioned soul, even in the position of a Brahmā, forgets this by the influence of illusory, material energy generated out of false egoism. One can counteract such false egoism by invoking God consciousness. Liberation means getting out of the slumber of forgetfulness and becoming situated in the real loving service of the Lord, as exemplified in the case of Brahmā. The service of Brahmā is the sample of service in liberation distinguished from the so-called altruistic services full of mistakes and forgetfulness. Liberation is never inaction, but service without human mistakes.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.1
śrī-śuka uvāca—
evaṁ purā dhāraṇayātma-yonir
naṣṭāṁ smṛtiṁ pratyavarudhya tuṣṭāt |
tathā sasarjedam amogha-dṛṣṭir
yathāpyayāt prāg vyavasāya-buddhiḥ pādau ||
In the second chapter, the spiritual body of the Lord, practice of dhāraṇā by the perfected yogī, the two paths for merging into the Lord for those who desire to give up their bodies, dhāraṇā on visible material objects which infer the presence of the Lord, and dhāraṇā on Bhagavān are described.
The intermediate results of yoga are here described. Gaining (praty avaruddhya) his lost memory, by satisfying the Supreme Lord (tuṣṭāt), Brahmā again created the universe as it was before the destruction (apyayāt). He had fixed (vyavasāya) intelligence, “I will create it by the inspiration of the Lord.”
TEXT - SB 2.2.2
śābdasya hi brahmaṇa eṣa panthā
yan nāmabhir dhyāyati dhīr apārthaiḥ
paribhramaṁs tatra na vindate 'rthān
māyāmaye vāsanayā śayānaḥ
SYNONYMS
śābdasya—of the Vedic sound; hi—certainly; brahmaṇaḥ—of the Vedas; eṣaḥ—these; panthāḥ—the way; yat—what is; nāmabhiḥ—by different names; dhyāyati—ponders; dhīḥ—intelligence; apārthaiḥ—by meaningless ideas; paribhraman—wandering; tatra—there; na—never; vindate—enjoys; arthān—realities; māyā-maye—in illusory things; vāsanayā—by different desires; śayānaḥ—as if dreaming in sleep.
TRANSLATION
The way of presentation of the Vedic sounds is so bewildering that it directs the intelligence of the people to meaningless things like the heavenly kingdoms. The conditioned souls hover in dreams of such heavenly illusory pleasures, but actually they do not relish any tangible happiness in such places.
PURPORT
The conditioned soul is always engaged in laying out plans for happiness within the material world, even up to the end of the universal limit. He is not even satisfied with available amenities on this planet earth, where he has exploited the resources of nature to the best of his ability. He wants to go to the moon or the planet Venus to exploit resources there. But the Lord has warned us in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16) about the worthlessness of all the innumerable planets of this universe, as well as those planets within other systems. There are innumerable universes and also innumerable planets in each of them. But none of them is immune to the chief miseries of material existence, namely the pangs of birth, the pangs of death, the pangs of old age and the pangs of disease. The Lord says that even the topmost planet, known as the Brahmaloka or Satyaloka, (and what to speak of other planets, like the heavenly planets) is not a happy land for residential purposes, due to the presence of material pangs, as above mentioned. Conditioned souls are strictly under the laws of fruitive activities, and as such they sometimes go up to Brahmaloka and again come down to Pātālaloka, as if they were unintelligent children on a merry-go-round. The real happiness is in the kingdom of God, where no one has to undergo the pangs of material existence. Therefore, the Vedic ways of fruitive activities for the living entities are misleading. One thinks of a superior way of life in this country or that, or on this planet or another, but nowhere in the material world can he fulfill his real desire of life, namely eternal life, full intelligence and complete bliss. Indirectly, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī affirms that Mahārāja Parīkṣit, in the last stage of life, should not desire to transfer himself to the so-called heavenly planets, but should prepare himself for going back home, back to Godhead. None of the material planets, nor the amenities available there for living conditions, is everlasting; therefore one must have a factual reluctance to enjoy such temporary happiness as they afford.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.2
śābdasya hi brahmaṇa eṣa panthā
yan nāmabhir dhyāyati dhīr apārthaiḥ |
paribhramaṁs tatra na vindate ’rthān
māyāmaye vāsanayā śayānaḥ ||
This is the path of the Vedas in which the intelligence concentrates on various names which are useless. A sleeping person, desiring happiness, does not enjoy objects as he wanders around in his dream.
What should the dying person do? In answer to this some sages want to say, “Do karma alone with sacrifices for going to Svarga. This is proved by the Vedas.” This verse answers them. This is the path of the Vedas made up of sound, in which the intelligence of the sādhaka becomes engaged in names such as Svarga. He thinks, “I will attain happiness in Svarga.” But it is useless (apārthaiḥ). This is described. With a desire for happiness, the person in a dream wandering around does not enjoy objects. Though he attains those planets, he does not get excellent happiness since it is perishable.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.2||
śābdasya hi brahmaṇa eṣa panthā yan nāmabhir dhyāyati dhīr apārthaiḥ | paribhramaṃs tatra na vindate ’rthān
māyāmaye vāsanayā śayānaḥ ||
TRANSLATION This is the path of the Vedas in which the intelligence concentrates on various names which are useless. A sleeping person, desiring happiness, does not enjoy objects as he wanders around in his dream.
This is the path of the Vedas, hearing which (yat) one concentrates on various names uselessly.
TEXT - SB 2.2.3
ataḥ kavir nāmasu yāvad arthaḥ
syād apramatto vyavasāya-buddhiḥ
siddhe 'nyathārthe na yateta tatra
pariśramaṁ tatra samīkṣamāṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
ataḥ—for this reason; kaviḥ—the enlightened person; nāmasu—in names only; yāvat—minimum; arthaḥ—necessity; syāt—must be; apramattaḥ—without being mad after them; vyavasāya-buddhiḥ—intelligently fixed; siddhe—for success; anyathā—otherwise; arthe—in the interest of; na—should never; yateta—endeavor for; tatra—there; pariśramam—laboring hard; tatra—there; samīkṣamāṇaḥ—one who sees practically.
TRANSLATION
For this reason the enlightened person should endeavor only for the minimum necessities of life while in the world of names. He should be intelligently fixed and never endeavor for unwanted things, being competent to perceive practically that all such endeavors are merely hard labor for nothing.
PURPORT
The bhāgavata-dharma, or the cult of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is perfectly distinct from the way of fruitive activities, which are considered by the devotees to be merely a waste of time. The whole universe, or for that matter all material existence, is moving on as jagat, simply for planning business to make one's position very comfortable or secure, although everyone sees that this existence is neither comfortable nor secure and can never become comfortable or secure at any stage of development. Those who are captivated by the illusory advancement of material civilization (following the way of phantasmagoria) are certainly madmen. The whole material creation is a jugglery of names only; in fact, it is nothing but a bewildering creation of matter like earth, water and fire. The buildings, furniture, cars, bungalows, mills, factories, industries, peace, war or even the highest perfection of material science, namely atomic energy and electronics, are all simply bewildering names of material elements with their concomitant reactions of the three modes. Since the devotee of the Lord knows them perfectly well, he is not interested in creating unwanted things for a situation which is not at all reality, but simply names of no more significance than the babble of sea waves. The great kings, leaders and soldiers fight with one another in order to perpetuate their names in history. They are forgotten in due course of time, and they make a place for another era in history. But the devotee realizes how much history and historical persons are useless products of flickering time. The fruitive worker aspires after a big fortune in the matter of wealth, woman and worldly adoration, but those who are fixed in perfect reality are not at all interested in such false things. For them it is all a waste of time. Since every second of human life is important, an enlightened man should be very careful to utilize time very cautiously. One second of human life wasted in the vain research of planning for happiness in the material world can never be replaced, even if one spends millions of coins of gold. Therefore, the transcendentalist desiring freedom from the clutches of māyā, or the illusory activities of life, is warned herewith not to be captivated by the external features of fruitive actors. Human life is never meant for sense gratification, but for self-realization. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam instructs us solely on this subject from the very beginning to the end. Human life is simply meant for self-realization. The civilization which aims at this utmost perfection never indulges in creating unwanted things, and such a perfect civilization prepares men only to accept the bare necessities of life or to follow the principle of the best use of a bad bargain. Our material bodies and our lives in that connection are bad bargains because the living entity is actually spirit, and spiritual advancement of the living entity is absolutely necessary. Human life is intended for the realization of this important factor, and one should act accordingly, accepting only the bare necessities of life and depending more on God's gift without diversion of human energy for any other purpose, such as being mad for material enjoyment. The materialistic advancement of civilization is called "the civilization of the demons," which ultimately ends in wars and scarcity. The transcendentalist is specifically warned herewith to be fixed in mind, so that even if there is difficulty in plain living and high thinking he will not budge even an inch from his stark determination. For a transcendentalist, it is a suicidal policy to be intimately in touch with the sense gratifiers of the world, because such a policy will frustrate the ultimate gain of life. Śukadeva Gosvāmī met Mahārāja Parīkṣit when the latter felt a necessity for such a meeting. It is the duty of a transcendentalist to help persons who desire real salvation and to support the cause of salvation. One might note that Śukadeva Gosvāmī never met Mahārāja Parīkṣit while he was ruling as a great king. For a transcendentalist, the mode of activities is explained in the next śloka.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.3
ataḥ kavir nāmasu yāvad arthaḥ
syād apramatto vyavasāya-buddhiḥ |
siddhe’nyathārthe na yateta tatra
pariśramaṁ tatra samīkṣamāṇaḥ ||
Having criticized severely the path of the karmīs as being material, he now speaks about the necessity of attaining perfection in yoga, which rejects the results of karma, and which is common to the devotees and the jñānīs as well. The intelligent person does not meditate on material objects of pleasure and does not endeavor for them. It is said:
kāmasya nendriya-prītir lābho jīveta yāvatā |
jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ ||
Life’s desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal of one’s works. SB 1.2.10
One should accept as many material objects as one needs to support the body (yāvad artha), because one is attentive (apramattaḥ) to perfecting one’s sādhana. Though one sees many obstacles, one does not deviate from one’s practice (vyavasāya-buddhiḥ). He concludes, “Whatever happens, simply happens. Whatever I have decided, that is certain.” The amount needed to support the body of a young person is not the same as one’s own needs. Though there are other ways of supporting the body, one does not attempt them, because in such efforts there is labor of worshipping wealthy men etc. It is like grinding what has already been ground.[99]
TEXT - SB 2.2.4
satyāṁ kṣitau kiṁ kaśipoḥ prayāsair
bāhau svasiddhe hy upabarhaṇaiḥ kim
saty añjalau kiṁ purudhānna-pātryā
dig-valkalādau sati kiṁ dukūlaiḥ
SYNONYMS
satyām—being in possession; kṣitau—earthly flats; kim—where is the necessity; kaśipoḥ—of beds and cots; prayāsaiḥ—endeavoring for; bāhau—the arms; sva-siddhe—being self-sufficient; hi—certainly; upabarhaṇaiḥ—bed and bedstead; kim—what is the use; sati—being present; añjalau—the palms of the hands; kim—what is the use; purudhā—varieties of; anna—eatables; pātryā—by the utensils; dik—open space; valkala-ādau—skins of trees; sati—being existent; kim—what is the use of; dukūlaiḥ—clothes.
TRANSLATION
When there are ample earthly flats to lie on, what is the necessity of cots and beds? When one can use his own arms, what is the necessity of a pillow? When one can use the palms of his hands, what is the necessity of varieties of utensils? When there is ample covering, or the skins of trees, what is the necessity of clothing?
PURPORT
The necessities of life for the protection and comfort of the body must not be unnecessarily increased. Human energy is spoiled in a vain search after such illusory happiness. If one is able to lie down on the floor, then why should one endeavor to get a good bedstead or soft cushion to lie on? If one can rest without any pillow and make use of the soft arms endowed by nature, there is no necessity of searching after a pillow. If we make a study of the general life of the animals, we can see that they have no intelligence for building big houses, furniture, and other household paraphernalia, and yet they maintain a healthy life by lying down on the open land. They do not know how to cook or prepare foodstuff, yet they still live healthy lives more easily than the human being. This does not mean that human civilization should revert to animal life or that the human being should live naked in the jungles without any culture, education and sense of morality. An intelligent human cannot live the life of an animal; rather, man should try to utilize his intelligence in arts and science, poetry and philosophy. In such a way he can further the progressive march of human civilization. But here the idea given by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī is that the reserve energy of human life, which is far superior to that of animals, should simply he utilized for self-realization. Advancement of human civilization must be towards the goal of establishing our lost relationship with God, which is not possible in any form of life other than the human. One must realize the nullity of the material phenomenon, considering it a passing phantasmagoria, and must endeavor to make a solution to the miseries of life. Self-complacence with a polished type of animal civilization geared to sense gratification is delusion, and such a "civilization" is not worthy of the name. In pursuit of such false activities, a human being is in the clutches of māyā, or illusion. Great sages and saints in the days of yore were not living in palatial buildings furnished with good furniture and so-called amenities of life. They used to live in huts and groves and sit on the flat ground, and yet they have left immense treasures of high knowledge with all perfection. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī were high-ranking ministers of state, but they were able to leave behind them immense writings on transcendental knowledge, while residing only for one night underneath one tree. They did not live even two nights under the same tree, and what to speak of well-furnished rooms with modern amenities. And still they were able to give us most important literatures of self-realization. So-called comforts of life are not actually helpful for progressive civilization; rather, they are detrimental to such progressive life. In the system of sanātana-dharma, of four divisions of social life and four orders of progressive realization, there are ample opportunities and sufficient directions for a happy termination of the progressive life, and the sincere followers are advised therein to accept a voluntary life of renunciation in order to achieve the desired goal of life. If one is not accustomed to abiding by the life of renunciation and self-abnegation from the beginning, one should try to get into the habit at a later stage of life as recommended by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and that will help one to achieve the desired success.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.4
satyāṁ kṣitau kiṁ kaśipoḥ prayāsair
bāhau sva-siddhe hy upabarhaṇaiḥ kim |
saty añjalau kiṁ purudhānna-pātryā
dig-valkalādau sati kiṁ dukūlaiḥ ||
If there is the earth, why do you need a bed? If you have arms, why do you need a pillow? If you have your palms of your hands, why do you need many dishes? If you have the directions and tree bark, why do you need clothing?
Here is described the only way of attaining perfection for the competent person. Kaśipoḥ means “of a bed.” Upabarhaṇaiḥ means “for pillows.” What is the need of many types of (purudhā) dishes for food?
TEXT - SB 2.2.5
cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ
naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ sarito 'py aśuṣyan
ruddhā guhāḥ kim ajito 'vati nopasannān
kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān
SYNONYMS
cīrāṇi—torn clothes; kim—whether; pathi—on the road; na—not; santi—there is; diśanti—give in charity; bhikṣām—alms; na—not; eva—also; aṅghripāḥ—the trees; para-bhṛtaḥ—one who maintains others; saritaḥ—the rivers; api—also; aśuṣyan—have dried up; ruddhāḥ—closed; guhāḥ—caves; kim—whether; ajitaḥ—the Almighty Lord; avati—give protection; na—not; upasannān—the surrendered soul; kasmāt—what for, then; bhajanti—flatters; kavayaḥ—the learned; dhana—wealth; durmada-andhān—too intoxicated by.
TRANSLATION
Are there no torn clothes lying on the common road? Do the trees, which exist for maintaining others, no longer give alms in charity? Do the rivers, being dried up, no longer supply water to the thirsty? Are the caves of the mountains now closed, or, above all, does the Almighty Lord not protect the fully surrendered souls? Why then do the learned sages go to flatter those who are intoxicated by hard-earned wealth?
PURPORT
The renounced order of life is never meant for begging or living at the cost of others as a parasite. According to the dictionary, a parasite is a sycophant who lives at the cost of society without making any contribution to that society. The renounced order is meant for contributing something substantial to society and not depending on the earnings of the householders. On the contrary, acceptance of alms from the householders by the bona fide mendicant is an opportunity afforded by the saint for the tangible benefit of the donor. In the sanātana-dharma institution, alms-giving to the mendicant is part of a householder's duty, and it is advised in the scriptures that the householders should treat the mendicants as their family children and should provide them with food, clothing, etc., without being asked. Pseudomendicants, therefore, should not take advantage of the charitable disposition of the faithful householders. The first duty of a person in the renounced order of life is to contribute some literary work for the benefit of the human being in order to give him realized direction toward self-realization. Amongst the other duties in the renounced order of life of Śrīla Sanātana, Śrīla Rūpa and the other Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, the foremost duty discharged by them was to hold learned discourses amongst themselves at Sevākuñja, Vṛndāvana (the spot where Śrī Rādhā-Dāmodara Temple was established by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and where the actual samādhi tombs of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī are laid). For the benefit of all in human society, they left behind them immense literatures of transcendental importance. Similarly, all the ācāryas who voluntarily accepted the renounced order of life aimed at benefiting human society and not at living a comfortable or irresponsible life at the cost of others. However, those who cannot give any contribution should not go to the householders for food, for such mendicants asking bread from the householders are an insult to the highest order. Śukadeva Gosvāmī gave this warning especially for those mendicants who adopt this line of profession to solve their economic problems. Such mendicants are in abundance in the age of Kali. When a man becomes a mendicant willfully or by circumstances, he must be of firm faith and conviction that the Supreme Lord is the maintainer of all living beings everywhere in the universe. Why, then, would He neglect the maintenance of a surrendered soul who is cent percent engaged in the service of the Lord? A common master looks to the necessities of his servant, so how much more would the all-powerful, all-opulent Supreme Lord look after the necessities of life for a fully surrendered soul. The general rule is that a mendicant devotee will accept a simple small loincloth without asking anyone to give it in charity. He simply salvages it from the rejected torn cloth thrown in the street. When he is hungry he may go to a magnanimous tree which drops fruits, and when he is thirsty he may drink water from the flowing river. He does not require to live in a comfortable house, but should find a cave in the hills and not be afraid of jungle animals, keeping faith in God, who lives in everyone's heart. The Lord may dictate to tigers and other jungle animals not to disturb His devotee. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee of Lord Śrī Caitanya, used to live in such a cave, and by chance a great venomous snake was a co-partner of the cave. Some admirer of Ṭhākura Haridāsa who had to visit the Ṭhākura every day feared the snake and suggested that the Ṭhākura leave that place. Because his devotees were afraid of the snake and they were regularly visiting the cave, Ṭhākura Haridāsa agreed to the proposal on their account. But as soon as this was settled, the snake actually crawled out of its hole in the cave and left the cave for good before everyone present. By the dictation of the Lord, who lived also within the heart of the snake, the snake gave preference to Haridāsa and decided to leave the place and not disturb him. So this is a tangible example of how the Lord gives protection to a bona fide devotee like Ṭhākura Haridāsa. According to the regulations of the sanātana-dharma institution, one is trained from the beginning to depend fully on the protection of the Lord in all circumstances. The path of renunciation is recommended for acceptance by one who is fully accomplished and fully purified in his existence. This stage is described also in the Bhagavad-gītā (16.5) as daivī sampat. A human being is required to accumulate daivī sampat, or spiritual assets; otherwise, the next alternative, āsurī sampat, or material assets, will overcome him disproportionately, and thus one will be forced into the entanglement of different miseries of the material world. A sannyāsī should always live alone, without company, and he must be fearless. He should never be afraid of living alone, although he is never alone. The Lord is residing in everyone's heart, and unless one is purified by the prescribed process, one will feel that he is alone. But a man in the renounced order of life must be purified by the process; thus he will feel the presence of the Lord everywhere and will have nothing to fear (such as being without any company). Everyone can become a fearless and honest person if his very existence is purified by discharging the prescribed duty for each and every order of life. One can become fixed in one's prescribed duty by faithful aural reception of Vedic instructions and assimilation of the essence of Vedic knowledge by devotional service to the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.5
cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ
naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ sarito ’py aśuṣyan |
ruddhā guhāḥ kim ajito ’vati nopasannān
kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān ||
Are there not torn clothes on the road? Are not the trees, sustainers of others, giving alms? Have the rivers gone dry? Have the caves all closed? Does not Viṣṇu protect his devotees? Why should the wise worship the blind men infatuated with money?
“But how can I get rid of cold?” Angry at such an objection, he speaks. “Is there not torn cloth lying on the road?” “How can I relieve my hunger?” “Do the trees, which nourish others, not give alms? Men should not give you anything!” “I have to find some water!” “What bad intelligence you have! Have the rivers gone dry?” “But I will have to protect myself from the hail. A grass hut is necessary.” “Have the caves closed?” “But if I go in a cave, there may be tigers!” “Does not Viṣṇu protect his devotees? The Lord in the heart is in the tiger. Why will the Lord, affectionate to the devotee, send the tiger to attack the devotee?”
TEXT - SB 2.2.6
evaṁ sva-citte svata eva siddha
ātmā priyo 'rtho bhagavān anantaḥ
taṁ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta
saṁsāra-hetūparamaś ca yatra
SYNONYMS
evam—thus; sva-citte—in one's own heart; svataḥ—by His omnipotency; eva—certainly; siddhaḥ—fully represented; ātmā—the Supersoul; priyaḥ—very dear; arthaḥ—substance; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anantaḥ—the eternal unlimited; tam—unto Him; nirvṛtaḥ—being detached from the world; niyata—permanent; arthaḥ—the supreme gain; bhajeta—one must worship; saṁsāra-hetu—the cause of the conditioned state of existence; uparamaḥ—cessation; ca—certainly; yatra—in which.
TRANSLATION
Thus being fixed, one must render service unto the Supersoul situated in one's own heart by His omnipotency. Because He is the Almighty Personality of Godhead, eternal and unlimited, He is the ultimate goal of life, and by worshiping Him one can end the cause of the conditioned state of existence.
PURPORT
As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61), the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the all-pervading omnipresent Supersoul. Therefore one who is a yogī can worship only Him because He is the substance and not illusion. Every living creature is engaging in the service of something else. A living being's constitutional position is to render service, but in the atmosphere of māyā, or illusion, or the conditional state of existence, the conditioned soul seeks the service of illusion. A conditioned soul works in the service of his temporary body, bodily relatives like the wife and children, and the necessary paraphernalia for maintaining the body and bodily relations, such as the house, land, wealth, society and country, but he does not know that all such renderings of service are totally illusory. As we have discussed many times before, this material world is itself an illusion, like a mirage in the desert. In the desert there is an illusion of water, and the foolish animals become entrapped by such an illusion and run after water in the desert, although there is no water at all. But because there is no water in the desert, one does not conclude that there is no water at all. The intelligent person knows well that there is certainly water, water in the seas and oceans, but such vast reservoirs of water are far, far away from the desert. One should therefore search for water in the vicinity of seas and oceans and not in the desert. Every one of us is searching after real happiness in life, namely eternal life, eternal or unlimited knowledge and unending blissful life. But foolish people who have no knowledge of the substance search after the reality of life in the illusion. This material body does not endure eternally, and everything in relation with this temporary body, such as the wife, children, society and country, also changes along with the change of body. This is called saṁsāra, or repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. We would like to find a solution for all these problems of life, but we do not know the way. Herein it is suggested that anyone who wants to make an end to these miseries of life, namely repetition of birth, death, disease, and old age, must take to this process of worshiping the Supreme Lord and not others, as it is also ultimately suggested in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.65). If we at all want to end the cause of our conditioned life, we must take to the worship of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is present in everyone's heart by His natural affection for all living beings, who are actually the parts and parcels of the Lord (Bg. 18.61). The baby in the lap of his mother is naturally attached to the mother, and the mother is attached to the child. But when the child grows up and becomes overwhelmed by circumstances, he gradually becomes detached from the mother, although the mother always expects some sort of service from the grown-up child and is equally affectionate toward her child, even though the child is forgetful. Similarly, because we are all part and parcel of the Lord, the Lord is always affectionate to us, and He always tries to get us back home, back to Godhead. But we, the conditioned souls, do not care for Him and run instead after the illusory bodily connections. We must therefore extricate ourselves from all illusory connections of the world and seek reunion with the Lord, trying to render service unto Him because He is the ultimate truth. Actually we are hankering after Him as the child seeks the mother. And to search out the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we need not go anywhere else, because the Lord is within our hearts. This does not suggest, however, that we should not go to the places of worship, namely the temples, churches and mosques. Such holy places of worship are also occupied by the Lord because the Lord is omnipresent. For the common man these holy places are centers of learning about the science of God. When the temples are devoid of activities, the people in general become uninterested in such places, and consequently the mass of people gradually become godless, and a godless civilization is the result. Such a hellish civilization artificially increases the conditions of life, and existence becomes intolerable for everyone. The foolish leaders of a godless civilization try to devise various plans to bring about peace and prosperity in the godless world under a patent trademark of materialism, and because such attempts are illusory only, the people elect incompetent, blind leaders, one after another, who are incapable of offering solutions. If we want at all to end this anomaly of a godless civilization, we must follow the principles of revealed scriptures like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and follow the instruction of a person like Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī who has no attraction for material gain.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.6
evaṁ sva-citte svata eva siddha
ātmā priyo ’rtho bhagavān anantaḥ |
taṁ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta
saṁsāra-hetūparamaś ca yatra ||
“Is it necessary for the yogī to search out the ingredients for worshipping the Lord?” This verse answers. It is already accomplished because Vāsudeva (ātmā) is already in his heart. It is not necessary to follow procedures like avāhana to call the Lord. Priya, artha, bhagavān and ananta are modifiers of ātmā, the Lord. The Lord is naturally the shelter of prema. Thus he is called priya. Though he is the shelter of prema, he has no unwanted accessories like sons, since he is the supreme object (arthaḥ). Though he is the supreme object, he is not just in the heart. He is Bhagavān, observed with beauty and other qualities. He is not restricted in place at all. He is situated in all places since he is all-pervading (anantaḥ). There is no effort needed in worshiping the Lord. The devotee is absorbed completely in the bliss of his worship (nirvṛtaḥ). He has prema as the fixed goal of his bhakti (niyatārthaḥ). Or niyatārthaḥ can mean he has fixed the number of names he chants, how many stories he will hear, how many obeisances he will offer, how much time he will meditate. By that worship, ignorance, the cause of saṁsāra, should be destroyed, as an unsought result for the devotee. For the jñānīs and yogīs however this is a sought result. The word ca is added to complete the meter.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.6||
evaṃ sva-citte svata eva siddha ātmā priyo ’rtho bhagavān anantaḥ | taṃ nirvṛto niyatārtho bhajeta saṃsāra-hetūparamaś ca yatra ||
TRANSLATION The Lord, who is filled with prema, who is most valued, who is full of all qualities and who is everywhere, appears spontaneously in his heart. The yogī, filled with bliss and aiming for prema, should worship him. By this worship, ignorance, the cause of repeated births, is destroyed.
When the conclusion of Bhagavān manifests in the heart, will Bhagavān become the object of service as the highest goal? That is explained with enthusiasm in this verse. What was stated in the first chapter with tasmād bhārata sarvātma is repeated here. The word ca indicates a secondary result, the destruction of ignorance.
TEXT - SB 2.2.7
kas tāṁ tv anādṛtya parānucintām
ṛte paśūn asatīṁ nāma kuryāt
paśyañ janaṁ patitaṁ vaitaraṇyāṁ
sva-karmajān paritāpāñ juṣāṇam
SYNONYMS
kaḥ—who else; tām—that; tu—but; anādṛtya—by neglecting; para-anucintām—transcendental thoughts; ṛte—without; paśūn—the materialists; asatīm—in the nonpermanent; nāma—name; kuryāt—will adopt; paśyan—seeing definitely; janam—the general mass of people; patitam—fallen; vaitaraṇyām—in Vaitaraṇī, the river of suffering; sva-karma-jān—produced from one's own work; paritāpān—suffering; juṣāṇam—being overtaken by.
TRANSLATION
Who else but the gross materialists will neglect such transcendental thought and take to the nonpermanent names only, seeing the mass of people fallen in the river of suffering as the consequence of accruing the result of their own work?
PURPORT
In the Vedas it is said that persons who are attached to demigods to the exclusion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are like the animals who follow the herdsman even though they are taken to the slaughterhouse. The materialists, like animals, also do not know how they are being misdirected by neglecting the transcendental thought of the Supreme person. No one can remain vacant of thought. It is said that an idle brain is a devil's workshop because a person who cannot think in the right way must think of something which may bring about disaster. The materialists are always worshiping some minor demigods, although this is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20). As long as a person is illusioned by material gains, he petitions the respective demigods to draw some particular benefit which is, after all, illusory and nonpermanent. The enlightened transcendentalist is not captivated by such illusory things; therefore he is always absorbed in the transcendental thought of the Supreme in different stages of realization, namely Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. In the previous verse it is suggested that one should think of the Supersoul, which is one step higher than the impersonal thought of Brahman, as it was suggested in the case of contemplating the virāṭ-rūpa of the Personality of Godhead.
Intelligent persons who can see properly may look into the general conditions of the living entities who are wandering in the cycle of the 8,400,000 spieces of life, as well as in different classes of human beings. It is said that there is an everlasting belt of water called the River Vaitaraṇī at the entrance of the plutonic planet of Yamarāja, who punishes sinners in different manners. After being subjected to such sufferings, a sinner is awarded a particular species of life according to his deeds in the past. Such living entities as are punished by Yamarāja are seen in different varieties of conditioned life. Some of them are in heaven, and some of them are in hell. Some of them are brāhmaṇas, and some of them are misers. But no one is happy in this material world, and all of them are either class A, B or C prisoners suffering because of their own deeds. The Lord is impartial to all circumstances of the sufferings of the living entities, but to one who takes shelter at His lotus feet, the Lord gives proper protection, and He takes such a living entity back home, back to Himself.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.7
kas tāṁ tv anādṛtya parānucintām
ṛte paśūn asatīṁ nāma kuryāt |
paśyañ janaṁ patitaṁ vaitaraṇyāṁ
sva-karmajān paritāpāñ juṣāṇam ||
This verse states the opposite. Para refers to the Lord. Who except those involved in material life (paśūn) would unsuitably disrespect bhakti and think of material objects (asatīm)?
Jiva's tika ||2.2.7||
kas tāṃ tv anādṛtya parānucintām ṛte paśūn asatīṃ nāma kuryāt | paśyan janaṃ patitaṃ vaitaraṇyāṃ sva-karmajān paritāpān juṣāṇam ||
TRANSLATION Seeing people experiencing suffering from their own actions while sinking in the river of hell, who except persons indulging in material life would disregard bhakti, which concentrates on the Lord, and meditate instead on material objects?
The point is emphasized by stating the opposite.
TEXT - SB 2.2.8
kecit sva-dehāntar-hṛdayāvakāśe
prādeśa-mātraṁ puruṣaṁ vasantam
catur-bhujaṁ kañja-rathāṅga-śaṅkha-
gadā-dharaṁ dhāraṇayā smaranti
SYNONYMS
kecit—others; sva-deha-antaḥ—within the body; hṛdaya-avakāśe—in the region of the heart; prādeśa-mātram—measuring only eight inches; puruṣam—the Personality of Godhead; vasantam—residing; catuḥ-bhujam—with four hands; kañja—lotus; ratha-aṅga—the wheel of a chariot; śaṅkha—conchshell; gadā-dharam—and with a club in the hand; dhāraṇayā—conceiving in that way; smaranti—do meditate upon Him.
TRANSLATION
Others conceive of the Personality of Godhead residing within the body in the region of the heart and measuring only eight inches, with four hands carrying a lotus, a wheel of a chariot, a conchshell and a club respectively.
PURPORT
The all-pervading Personality of Godhead resides as Paramātmā in the heart of each and every living entity. The measurement of the localized Personality of Godhead is estimated to expand from the ring finger to the end of the thumb, more or less eight inches. The form of the Lord described in this verse with distribution of different symbols—beginning from the lower right hand up and down to the lower left hand with lotus, wheel of a chariot, conchshell and club respectively—is called Janārdana, or the plenary portion of the Lord who controls the general mass. There are many other forms of the Lord with varied situations of the symbols of lotus, conchshell, etc., and they are differently known as Puruṣottama, Acyuta, Narasiṁha, Trivikrama, Hṛṣīkeśa, Keśava, Mādhava, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Śrīdhara, Vāsudeva, Dāmodara, Janārdana, Nārāyaṇa, Hari, Padmanābha, Vāmana, Madhusūdana, Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇumūrti, Adhokṣaja and Upendra. These twenty-four forms of the localized Personality of Godhead are worshiped in different parts of the planetary system, and in each system there is an incarnation of the Lord having a different Vaikuṇṭha planet in the spiritual sky, which is called the paravyoma. There are many other hundreds and scores of different forms of the Lord, and each and every one of them has a particular planet in the spiritual sky, of which this material sky is only a fragmental offshoot. The Lord exists as puruṣa, or the male enjoyer, although there is no comparing Him to any male form in the material world. But all such forms are advaita, nondifferent from one another, and each of them is eternally young. The young Lord with four hands is nicely decorated, as described below.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.8
kecit sva-dehāntar-hṛdayāvakāśe
prādeśa-mātraṁ puruṣaṁ vasantam |
catur-bhujaṁ kañja-rathāṅga-śaṅkha-
gadā-dharaṁ dhāraṇayā smaranti ||
Some yogīs meditate upon the Paramātmā measuring one pradeśa, who is residing in the heart within the body, and who holds the lotus, wheel, conch and club in his four hands.
Having shown bhakti and the presence and absence of bhakti, Śukadeva now speaks again about the process of dhāraṇā of the yogīs on the form of the Paramātmā, which is superior to the universal form previously described. “Some (kecit)” refers to those who are superior to the yogīs who meditate on the universal form, or to those who by practicing meditation on the universal form which has been described have become purified and then meditate on the spiritual form of Paramātmā. There are four types of yogīs who practice dhāraṇā. The first type meditates on prāṇa and the mind without using the form of the Lord. This is not approved by the Bhāgavatam. The second type becomes purified by meditating on the universal form just described, and then meditates on the four armed form of Paramātmā, Garbhodakaśāyī-viṣṇu, described in the Third Canto (SB 3.8.23).
mṛṇāla-gaurāyata-śeṣa-bhoga-
paryaṅka ekaṁ puruṣaṁ śayānam
phaṇātapatrāyuta-mūrdha-ratna-
dyubhir hata-dhvānta-yugānta-toye
He saw the one lord sleeping on the broad bed of Śeṣa, white like a water lily, in the waters of devastation whose darkness was dissipated by the light from the jewels on top of the thousands of umbrella-like hoods of Śesā.
The third type, after meditating on the universal form, meditates on the vyaṣṭi-virāṭ, the Lord in the heart with four arms. The fourth type is pure in heart already. Some say that kecit refers to those who from the beginning, being pure in heart, meditate on the vyaṣṭi-virāṭ in the heart. Prādeṣa-mātram means the heart has a dimension of one prādeśa. One meditates on the form who assumes that size in the heart of one pradeśa. Though he is that size, by his inconceivable energy, he has a form of a man fifteen years old, for it is said santaṁ vayasi kaiśore: he is fifteen years old (SB 3.28.17) Vasantam means “who has made his residence there as the Paramātmā.”
Jiva's tika ||2.2.8||
kecit sva-dehāntar-hṛdayāvakāśe prādeśa-mātraṃ puruṣaṃ vasantam | catur-bhujaṃ kanja-rathānga-śankhagadā-dharaṃ dhāraṇayā smaranti ||
TRANSLATION Some yogīs meditate upon the Paramātmā measuring one pradeśa, who is residing in the heart within the body, and who holds the lotus, wheel, conch and club in his four hands.
One opinion is stated in four and a half verse, describing meditation on the antaryāmī within each person. This is similar to the meditation on the antaryāmī of all jīvas, Garbhodakaśāyī, in the Third Canto. It refers to the form mentioned in Chapter One .Tam satyam ānanda-nidhim: one should worship that ocean of eternal bliss. (SB 2.1.39)
TEXT - SB 2.2.9
prasanna-vaktraṁ nalināyatekṣaṇaṁ
kadamba-kiñjalka-piśaṅga-vāsasam
lasan-mahā-ratna-hiraṇmayāṅgadaṁ
sphuran-mahā-ratna-kirīṭa-kuṇḍalam
SYNONYMS
prasanna—expresses happiness; vaktram—mouth; nalina-āyata—spread like the petals of a lotus; īkṣaṇam—eyes; kadamba—kadamba flower; kiñjalka—saffron; piśaṅga—yellow; vāsasam—garments; lasat—hanging; mahā-ratna—valuable jewels; hiraṇmaya—made of gold; aṅgadam—ornament; sphurat—glowing; mahā-ratna—valuable jewels; kirīṭa—head dress; kuṇḍalam—earrings.
TRANSLATION
His mouth expresses His happiness. His eyes spread like the petals of a lotus, and His garments, yellowish like the saffron of a kadamba flower, are bedecked with valuable jewels. His ornaments are all made of gold, set with jewels, and He wears a glowing head dress and earrings.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.9
prasanna-vaktraṁ nalināyatekṣaṇaṁ
kadamba-kiñjalka-piśaṅga-vāsasam
lasan-mahā-ratna-hiraṇmayāṅgadaṁ
sphuran-mahā-ratna-kirīṭa-kuṇḍalam ||
This form has a smiling face, eyes wide like blue lotus petals, cloth yellow like kadamba pollen, gold arm bands with sparkling rubies, and earrings and crown made of dazzling gems.
Mahā-ratna means valuable gems like the ruby.
TEXT - SB 2.2.10
unnidra-hṛt-paṅkaja-karṇikālaye
yogeśvarāsthāpita-pāda-pallavam
śrī-lakṣaṇaṁ kaustubha-ratna-kandharam
amlāna-lakṣmyā vana-mālayācitam
SYNONYMS
unnidra—blooming; hṛt—heart; paṅkaja—lotus flower; karṇikā-ālaye—on the surface of the whorl; yoga-īśvara—the great mystics; āsthāpita—placed; pāda-pallavam—lotus feet; śrī—the goddess of fortune, or a beautiful calf; lakṣaṇam—marked in that way; kaustubha—the Kaustubha jewel; ratna—other jewels; kandharam—on the shoulder; amlāna—quite fresh; lakṣmyā—beauty; vana-mālayā—by a flower garland; ācitam—spread over.
TRANSLATION
His lotus feet are placed over the whorls of the lotuslike hearts of great mystics. On His chest is the Kaustubha jewel, engraved with a beautiful calf, and there are other jewels on His shoulders. His complete torso is garlanded with fresh flowers.
PURPORT
The ornaments, flowers, clothing and all the other decorations on the transcendental body of the Personality of Godhead are identical with the body of the Lord. None of them are made of material ingredients; otherwise there would be no chance of their decorating the body of the Lord. As such, in the paravyoma, spiritual varieties are also distinguished from the material variegatedness.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.10
unnidra-hṛt-paṅkaja-karṇikālaye
yogeśvarāsthāpita-pāda-pallavam |
śrī-lakṣmaṇaṁ kaustubha-ratna-kandharam
amlāna-lakṣmyā vana-mālayācitam ||
He has feet which are placed by great yogīs in the center of the blossoming lotus in their hearts. One should thus meditate upon his devotees, the great yogīs. The mark of Lakṣmī is a golden line on the left chest of the Lord. The word lakṣmaṇam is formed from lakṣma (mark) with the ending ṇa, meaning “possessing.” This is according to Pāṇini 5.2.100 for words starting with pāman. The Kaustubha hangs from his neck by a gold string. Ācitam means spread.
TEXT - SB 2.2.11
vibhūṣitaṁ mekhalayāṅgulīyakair
mahā-dhanair nūpura-kaṅkaṇādibhiḥ
snigdhāmalākuñcita-nīla-kuntalair
virocamānānana-hāsa-peśalam
SYNONYMS
vibhūṣitam—well decorated; mekhalayā—with an ornamental wreath about the waist; aṅgulīyakaiḥ—by finger rings; mahā-dhanaiḥ—all highly valuable; nūpura—ringing leglets; kaṅkaṇa-ādibhiḥ—also by bangles; snigdha—slick; amala—spotless; ākuñcita—curling; nīla—bluish; kuntalaiḥ—hair; virocamāna—very pleasing; ānana—face; hāsa—smile; peśalam—beautiful.
TRANSLATION
He is well decorated with an ornamental wreath about His waist and rings studded with valuable jewels on His fingers. His leglets, His bangles, His oiled hair, curling with a bluish tint, and His beautiful smiling face are all very pleasing.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most beautiful person amongst all others, and Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes every part of His transcendental beauty, one after another, in order to teach the impersonalist that the Personality of Godhead is not an imagination by the devotee for facility of worship, but is the Supreme Person in fact and figure. The impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth is but His radiation, as the sun rays are but radiations from the sun.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.11
vibhūṣitaṁ mekhalayāṅgulīyakair
mahā-dhanair nūpura-kaṅkaṇādibhiḥ |
snigdhāmalākuñcita-nīla-kuntalair[100]
virocamānānana-hāsa-peśalam ||
Mahā-dhanaiḥ means “valuable.” He has an attractive (peśalam) smile on his face which shines with glossy locks of hair.
TEXT - SB 2.2.12
adīna-līlā-hasitekṣaṇollasad-
bhrū-bhaṅga-saṁsūcita-bhūry-anugraham
īkṣeta cintāmayam enam īśvaraṁ
yāvan mano dhāraṇayāvatiṣṭhate
SYNONYMS
adīna—very magnanimous; līlā—pastimes ; hasita—smiling; īkṣaṇa—by glancing over; ullasat—glowing; bhrū-bhaṅga—signals of the eyebrow; saṁsūcita—indicated; bhūri—extensive; anugraham—benediction; īkṣeta—one must concentrate on; cintāmayam—transcendental; enam—this particular; īśvaram—the Supreme Lord; yāvat—as long as; manaḥ—the mind; dhāraṇayā—by meditation; avatiṣṭhate—can be fixed.
TRANSLATION
The Lord's magnanimous pastimes and the glowing glancing of His smiling face are all indications of His extensive benedictions. One must therefore concentrate on this transcendental form of the Lord, as long as the mind can be fixed on Him by meditation.
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gītā (12.5) it is said that the impersonalist undergoes a series of difficult programs on account of his impersonal meditation. But the devotee, due to the Lord's personal service, progresses very easily. Impersonal meditation is therefore a source of suffering for the impersonalist. Here, the devotee has an advantage over the impersonalist philosopher. The impersonalist is doubtful about the personal feature of the Lord, and therefore he always tries to meditate upon something which is not objective. For this reason there is an authentic statement in the Bhāgavatam regarding the positive concentration of the mind on the factual form of the Lord.
The process of meditation recommended herein is bhakti-yoga, or the process of devotional service after one is liberated from the material conditions. Jñāna-yoga is the process of liberation from the material conditions. After one is liberated from the conditions of material existence, i.e., when one is nivṛtta, as previously stated herein, or when one is freed from all material necessities, one becomes qualified to discharge the process of bhakti-yoga. Therefore bhakti-yoga includes jñāna-yoga, or, in other words, the process of pure devotional service simultaneously serves the purpose of jñāna-yoga; liberation from material conditions is automatically achieved by the gradual development of pure devotional service. These effects of bhakti-yoga are called anartha-nivṛtti. Things which are artificially acquired gradually disappear along with the progress of bhakti-yoga. Meditation on the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, the first processional step, must show its effect by anartha-nivṛtti. The grossest type of anartha which binds the conditioned soul in material existence is sex desire, and this sex desire gradually develops in the union of the male and female. When the male and female are united, the sex desire is further aggravated by the accumulation of buildings, children, friends, relatives and wealth. When all these are acquired, the conditioned soul becomes overwhelmed by such entanglements, and the false sense of egoism, or the sense of "myself" and "mine," becomes prominent, and the sex desire expands to various political, social, altruistic, philanthropic and many other unwanted engagements, resembling the foam of the sea waves, which becomes very prominent at one time and at the next moment vanishes as quickly as a cloud in the sky. The conditioned soul is encircled by such products, as well as products of sex desire, and therefore bhakti-yoga leads to gradual evaporation of the sex desire, which is summarized in three headings, namely profit, adoration and distinction. All conditioned souls are mad after these different forms of sex desire, and one shall see for himself how much he has been freed from such material hankerings based primarily on the sex desire. As a person feels his hunger satisfied after eating each morsel of foodstuff, he must similarly be able to see the degree to which he has been freed from sex desire. The sex desire is diminished along with its various forms by the process of bhakti-yoga because bhakti-yoga automatically, by the grace of the Lord, effectively results in knowledge and renunciation, even if the devotee is not materially very well educated. Knowledge means knowing things as they are, and if by deliberation it is found that there are things which are at all unnecessary, naturally the person who has acquired knowledge leaves aside such unwanted things. When the conditioned soul finds by culture of knowledge that material necessities are unwanted things, he becomes detached from such unwanted things. This stage of knowledge is called vairāgya, or detachment from unwanted things. We have previously discussed that the transcendentalist is required to be self-sufficient and should not beg from the rich blind persons to fulfill the bare necessities of life. Śukadeva Gosvāmī has suggested some alternatives for the bare necessities of life, namely the problem of eating, sleeping and shelter, but he has not suggested any alternative for sex satisfaction. One who has the sex desire still with him should not at all try to accept the renounced order of life. For one who has not attained to this stage, there is no question of a renounced order of life. So by the gradual process of devotional service under the guidance of a proper spiritual master, and following the principles of the Bhāgavatam, one must be able at least to control the gross sex desire before one accepts the renounced order of life factually.
So purification means getting free gradually from sex desire, and this is attained by meditation on the person of the Lord as described herein, beginning from the feet. One should not try to go upwards artificially without seeing for himself how much he has been released from the sex desire. The smiling face of the Lord is the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and there are many upstarts who at once try to begin with the Tenth Canto and especially with the five chapters which delineate the rāsa-līlā of the Lord. This is certainly improper. By such improper study or hearing of Bhāgavatam, the material opportunists have played havoc by indulgence in sex life in the name of Bhāgavatam. This vilification of Bhāgavatam is rendered by the acts of the so-called devotees; one should be free from all kinds of sex desire before he tries to make a show of recital of Bhāgavatam. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura clearly defines the import of purification as cessation from sex indulgence. He says, yathā yathā dhīś ca śudhyati viṣaya-lāmpaṭyaṁ tyajati, tathā tathā dhārayed iti citta-śuddhi-tāratamyenaiva dhyāna-tāratamyam uktam. And as one gets free from the intoxication of sex indulgence by purification of intelligence, one should step forward for the next meditation, or in other words, the progress of meditation on the different limbs of the transcendental body of the Lord should be enhanced in proportion to the progress of purification of the heart. The conclusion is that those who are still entrapped by sex indulgence should never progress to meditation above the feet of the Lord; therefore recital of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by them should be restricted to the First and Second Cantos of the great literature. One must complete the purificatory process by assimilating the contents of the first nine cantos. Then one should be admitted into the realm of the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.12
adīna-līlā-hasitekṣaṇollasad-
bhrū-bhaṅga-saṁsūcita-bhūry-anugraham
īkṣeta cintāmayam enam īśvaraṁ
yāvan mano[101] dhāraṇayāvatiṣṭhate ||
His mercy is indicated by his smiling, playful, sweet (adīnam) glance and the movement of his shining eyebrows. Cintāmayam means “which appears by meditation.”
TEXT - SB 2.2.13
ekaikaśo 'ṅgāni dhiyānubhāvayet
pādādi yāvad dhasitaṁ gadābhṛtaḥ
jitaṁ jitaṁ sthānam apohya dhārayet
paraṁ paraṁ śuddhyati dhīr yathā yathā
SYNONYMS
eka-ekaśaḥ—one to one, or one after another; aṅgāni—limbs; dhiyā—by attention; anubhāvayet—meditate upon; pāda-ādi—legs, etc.; yāvat—until; hasitam—smiling; gadā-bhṛtaḥ—the Personality of Godhead; jitam jitam—gradually controlling the mind; sthānam—place; apohya—leaving; dhārayet—meditate upon; param param—higher and higher; śuddhyati—purified; dhīḥ—intelligence; yathā yathā—as much as.
TRANSLATION
The process of meditation should begin from the lotus feet of the Lord and progress to His smiling face. The meditation should be concentrated upon the lotus feet, then the calves, then the thighs, and in this way higher and higher. The more the mind becomes fixed upon the different parts of the limbs, one after another, the more the intelligence becomes purified.
PURPORT
The process of meditation recommended in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not to fix one's attention on something impersonal or void. The meditation should concentrate on the person of the Supreme Godhead, either in His virāṭ-rūpa, the gigantic universal form, or in His sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], as described in the scriptures. There are authorized descriptions of Viṣṇu forms, and there are authorized representations of Deities in the temples. Thus one can practice meditating upon the Deity, concentrating his mind on the lotus feet of the Lord and gradually rising higher and higher, up to His smiling face.
According to the Bhāgavata school, the Lord's rāsa dancing is the smiling face of the Lord. Since it is recommended in this verse that one should gradually progress from the lotus feet up to the smiling face, we shall not jump at once to understand the Lord's pastimes in the rāsa dance. It is better to practice concentrating our attention by offering flowers and tulasi to the lotus feet of the Lord. In this way, we gradually become purified by the arcanā process. We dress the Lord, bathe Him, etc., and all these transcendental activities help us purify our existence. When we reach the higher standard of purification, if we see the smiling face of the Lord or hear the rāsa dance pastimes of the Lord, then we can relish His activities. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, therefore, the rāsa dance pastimes are delineated in the Tenth Canto (Chapters 29-34).
The more one concentrates on the transcendental form of the Lord, either on the lotus feet, the calves, the thighs or the chest, the more one becomes purified. In this verse it is clearly stated, "the more the intelligence becomes purified," which means the more one becomes detached from sense gratification. Our intelligence in the present conditioned state of life is impure due to being engaged in sense gratification. The result of meditation on the transcendental form of the Lord will be manifested by one's detachment from sense gratification. Therefore, the ultimate purpose of meditation is purification of one's intelligence.
Those who are too engrossed in sense gratification cannot be allowed to participate in arcanā or to touch the transcendental form of the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu Deities. For them it is better to meditate upon the gigantic virāṭ-rūpa of the Lord, as recommended in the next verse. The impersonalists and the voidists are therefore recommended to meditate upon the universal form of the Lord, whereas the devotees are recommended to meditate on the Deity worship in the temple. Because the impersonalists and the voidists are not sufficiently purified in their spiritual activities, arcanā is not meant for them.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.13
One should firmly (nu) meditate (bhāvayet). Repeatedly meditating on each limb (jitam jitam), such as the feet or ankles one should give that up and meditate on a higher limb such as the shanks or knee, using one’s mind. One should meditate to the degree that the intelligence becomes purified and gives up lust for material objects. According to the purity of consciousness, one will have effective meditation. One who has a very contaminated consciousness cannot perform this meditation. He should meditate on the universal form.
TEXT - SB 2.2.14
yāvan na jāyeta parāvare 'smin
viśveśvare draṣṭari bhakti-yogaḥ
tāvat sthavīyaḥ puruṣasya rūpaṁ
kriyāvasāne prayataḥ smareta
SYNONYMS
yāvat—as long as; na—does not; jāyeta—develop; para—transcendental; avare—mundane; asmin—in this form of; viśva-īśvare—the Lord of all worlds; draṣṭari—unto the seer; bhakti-yogaḥ—devotional service; tāvat—so long; sthavīyaḥ—the gross materialist; puruṣasya—of the virāṭ-puruṣa; rūpam—universal form; kriyā-avasāne—at the end of one's prescribed duties; prayataḥ—with proper attention; smareta—one should remember.
TRANSLATION
Unless the gross materialist develops a sense of loving service unto the Supreme Lord, the seer of both the transcendental and material worlds, he should remember or meditate upon the universal form of the Lord at the end of his prescribed duties.
PURPORT
The Supreme Lord is the seer of all worlds, both material and transcendental. In other words, the Supreme Lord is the ultimate beneficiary and enjoyer of all worlds, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (5.29). The spiritual world is the manifestation of His internal potency, and the material world is the manifestation of His external potency. The living entities are also His marginal potency, and by their own choice they can live in either the transcendental or material worlds. The material world is not a fit place for living entities because they are spiritually one with the Lord and in the material world the living entities become conditioned by the laws of the material world. The Lord wants all living entities, who are His parts and parcels, to live with Him in the transcendental world, and for enlightening conditioned souls in the material world, all the Vedas and the revealed scriptures are there—expressly to recall the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead. Unfortunately, the conditioned living entities, although suffering continually the threefold miseries of conditioned life, are not very serious about going back to Godhead. It is due to their misguided way of living, complicated by sins and virtues. Some of them who are virtuous by deeds begin to reestablish the lost relation with the Lord, but they are unable to understand the personal feature of the Lord. The real purpose of life is to make contact with the Lord and be engaged in His service. That is the natural position of living entities. But those who are impersonalists and are unable to render any loving service to the Lord have been advised to meditate upon His impersonal feature, the virāṭ-rūpa, or universal form. Some way or other, one must try to reestablish one's forgotten relation with the Lord if one at all desires to gain real happiness in life, and to reclaim his natural unfettered condition. For the less intelligent beginners, meditation on the impersonal feature, the virāṭ-rūpa, or universal form of the Lord, will gradually qualify one to rise to personal contact. One is advised herewith to meditate upon the virāṭ-rūpa specified in the previous chapters in order to understand how the different planets, seas, mountains, rivers, birds, beasts, human beings, demigods and all that we can conceive are but different parts and limbs of the Lord's virāṭ form. This sort of thinking is also a type of meditation on the Absolute Truth, and as soon as such meditation begins, one develops one's godly qualities, and the whole world appears to be a happy and peaceful residence for all the people of the world. Without such meditation on God, either personal or impersonal, all good qualities of the human being become covered with misconceptions regarding his constitutional position, and without such advanced knowledge, the whole world becomes a hell for the human being.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.14
yāvan na jāyeta parāvare ’smin
viśveśvare draṣṭari bhakti-yogaḥ |
tāvat sthavīyaḥ puruṣasya rūpaṁ
kriyāvasāne prayataḥ smareta ||
As long as one cannot meditate on this form because of impure consciousness, one should meditate on the universal form. Parāvare means “he to whom Brahmā and others are inferior.” Why? He is the Lord of the universe, and the witness, whom no one can see. Bhakti-yogaḥ means that the meditation, an aṅga of yoga, has an element of bhakti. Kriyāvasāne means after performing karmas which are necessary for purification.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.14||
yāvan na jāyeta parāvare ’smin viśveśvare draṣṭari bhakti-yogaḥ | tāvat sthavīyaḥ puruṣasya rūpaṃ kriyāvasāne prayataḥ smareta ||
TRANSLATION As long as meditation on the Lord and the witness of all beings, superior to even Brahmā, which has bhakti as an element, does not manifest, one should remember the gross universal form after performing necessary rites of karmayoga.
The bhakt-yoga mentioned in this verse refers to SB 2.2.8.
TEXT - SB 2.2.15
sthiraṁ sukhaṁ cāsanam āsthito yatir
yadā jihāsur imam aṅga lokam
kāle ca deśe ca mano na sajjayet
prāṇān niyacchen manasā jitāsuḥ
SYNONYMS
sthiram—without being disturbed; sukham—comfortable; ca—also; āsanam—sitting accommodation; āsthitaḥ—being situated; yatiḥ—the sage; yadā—whenever; jihāsuḥ—desires to give up; imam—this; aṅga—O King; lokam—this body; kāle—in time; ca—and; deśe—in a proper place; ca—also; manaḥ—the mind; na—not; sajjayet—may not be perplexed; prāṇān—the senses; niyacchet—must control; manasā—by the mind; jita-asuḥ—conquering the life air.
TRANSLATION
O King, whenever the yogī desires to leave this planet of human beings, he should not be perplexed about the proper time or place, but should comfortably sit without being disturbed and, regulating the life air, should control the senses by the mind.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.14) it is clearly stated that a person who is totally engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and who constantly remembers Him at every step, easily obtains the mercy of the Lord by entering into His personal contact. Such devotees do not need to seek an opportune moment to leave the present body. But those who are mixed devotees, alloyed with fruitive action or empirical philosophical speculation, require an opportune moment for quitting this body. For them the opportune moments are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.23-26). But these opportune moments are not as important as one's being a successful yogī who is able to quit his body as he likes. Such a yogī must be competent to control his senses by the mind. The mind is easily conquered simply by engaging it at the lotus feet of the Lord. Gradually, by such service, all the senses become automatically engaged in the service of the Lord. That is the way of merging into the Supreme Absolute.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.15
This verse describes giving up the body by the bhakti-miśra-yogī. When he desires to give up the body (lokam) he should not be attached to time such as uttarāyaṇa or a holy place. For the yogī, time and place are not causes of perfection. Yoga alone is the cause of perfection. With great determination, he controls the senses (prāṇān) by the mind. This implies he merges the subtle senses in the mind.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.15||
sthiraṃ sukhaṃ cāsanam āsthito yatir yadā jihāsur imam anga lokam | kāle ca deśe ca mano na sajjayet prāṇān niyacchen manasā jitāsuḥ ||
TRANSLATION O King! When the renounced yogī, seated comfortably on his seat, desires to give up his body, he does not attach the mind to time or place. Conquering life,
he controls the senses by the mind.
If one obtains the mercy of a great devotee, one will obtain special realization. Otherwise, one will merge into the impersonal Brahman, consciousness alone. Their meditation is here described.
TEXT - SB 2.2.16
manaḥ sva-buddhyāmalayā niyamya
kṣetra-jña etāṁ ninayet tam ātmani
ātmānam ātmany avarudhya dhīro
labdhopaśāntir virameta kṛtyāt
SYNONYMS
manaḥ—the mind; sva-buddhyā—by his own intelligence; amalayā—unalloyed; niyamya—by regulating; kṣetra-jñe—unto the living entity; etām—all of them; ninayet—merge; tam—that; ātmani—the self; ātmānam—the self; ātmani—in the Superself; avarudhya—being locked up; dhīraḥ—the fully satisfied; labdha-upaśāntiḥ—one who has attained full bliss; virameta—ceases from; kṛtyāt—all other activities.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, the yogī should merge his mind, by his unalloyed intelligence, into the living entity, and then merge the living entity into the Superself. And by doing this, the fully satisfied living entity becomes situated in the supreme stage of satisfaction, so that he ceases from all other activities.
PURPORT
The functions of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing. When the mind is materialistic, or absorbed in material contact, it acts for material advancement of knowledge, destructively ending in discovery of nuclear weapons. But when the mind acts under spiritual urge, it acts wonderfully for going back home, back to Godhead, for life in complete bliss and eternity. Therefore the mind has to be manipulated by good and unalloyed intelligence. Perfect intelligence is to render service unto the Lord. One should be intelligent enough to understand that the living being is, in all circumstances, a servant of the circumstances. Every living being is serving the dictates of desire, anger, lust, illusion, insanity and enviousness—all materially affected. But even while executing such dictations of different temperaments, he is perpetually unhappy. When one actually feels this and turns his intelligence to inquiring about it from the right sources, he gets information of the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Instead of serving materially for the abovementioned different humors of the body, the living entity's intelligence then becomes freed from the unhappy illusion of materialistic temperament, and thus, by unalloyed intelligence, the mind is brought into the service of the Lord. The Lord and His service are identical, being on the absolute plane. Therefore the unalloyed intelligence and the mind are merged into the Lord, and thus the living entity does not remain a seer himself but becomes seen by the Lord transcendentally. When the living entity is directly seen by the Lord, the Lord dictates to him to act according to His desire, and when the living entity follows Him perfectly, the living entity ceases to discharge any other duty for his illusory satisfaction. In his pure unalloyed state, the living being attains the stage of full bliss, labdhopaśānti, and ceases all material hankerings.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.16
manaḥ sva-buddhyāmalayā niyamya
kṣetra-jña etāṁ ninayet tam ātmani |
ātmānam ātmany avarudhya dhīro
labdhopaśāntir virameta kṛtyāt ||
Then he merges the mind into the intelligence. He then merges the intelligence into the jīva, which witnesses intelligence and other elements. He merges that jīva into the pure jīva, and merges the pure jīva into the brahman. He makes them one. Having attained destruction of all elements, (labhopaśāntiḥ), he stops all actions, because there is nothing left for the liberated person to do.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.16||
manaḥ sva-buddhyāmalayā niyamya kṣetra-jna etāṃ ninayet tam ātmani | ātmānam ātmany avarudhya dhīro labdhopaśāntir virameta kṛtyāt ||
TRANSLATION He merges the mind into the pure intelligence, and merges the intelligence into the witnessing jīva. He merges the witnessing jīva into the pure jīva, and merges the pure jīva into the Brahman. Having done so, the yogī, attaining cessation of material life, withdraws from all action.
He merges mind with the intelligence derived from the ātmā (sva-buddhyā). He merges the witnessing jīva into the pure jīva (ātmani), devoid of identity as the witness.
TEXT - SB 2.2.17
na yatra kālo 'nimiṣāṁ paraḥ prabhuḥ
kuto nu devā jagatāṁ ya īśire
na yatra sattvaṁ na rajas tamaś ca
na vai vikāro na mahān pradhānam
SYNONYMS
na—not; yatra—wherein; kālaḥ—destructive time; animiṣām—of the heavenly demigods; paraḥ—superior; prabhuḥ—controller; kutaḥ—where is there; nu—certainly; devāḥ—the demigods; jagatām—the mundane creatures; ye—those; īśire—rules; na—not; yatra—therein; sattvam—mundane goodness; na—nor; rajaḥ—mundane passion; tamaḥ—mundane ignorance; ca—also; na—nor; vai—certainly; vikāraḥ—transformation; na—nor; mahān—the material Causal Ocean; pradhānam—material nature.
TRANSLATION
In that transcendental state of labdhopaśānti, there is no supremacy of devastating time, which controls even the celestial demigods who are empowered to rule over mundane creatures. (And what to speak of the demigods themselves?) Nor is there the mode of material goodness, nor passion, nor ignorance, nor even the false ego, nor the material Causal Ocean, nor the material nature.
PURPORT
Devastating time, which controls even the celestial demigods by its manifestations of past, present and future, does not act on the transcendental plane. The influence of time is exhibited by the symptoms of birth, death, old age and disease, and these four principles of material conditions are present everywhere in any part of the material cosmos up to the planet Brahmaloka, where the duration of life of the inhabitants appears to us to be fabulous. Insurmountable time even brings about the death of Brahmā, so what to speak of other demigods like Indra, Candra, Sūrya, Vāyu and Varuṇa? The astronomical influence directed by the different demigods over mundane creatures is also conspicuous by its absence. In material existence, the living entities are afraid of Satanic influence, but for a devotee on the transcendental plane there is no such fear at all. The living entities change their material bodies in different shapes and forms under the influence of the different modes of material nature, but in the transcendental state the devotee is guṇa-tīta, or above the material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Thus the false ego of "I am the lord of all I survey" does not arise there. In the material world the false ego of the living being trying to lord it over the material nature is something like the moth's falling in a blazing fire. The moth is captivated by the glaring beauty of the fire, and when he comes to enjoy it, the blazing fire consumes him. In the transcendental state the living being is pure in his consciousness, and as such he has no false ego to lord it over the material nature. Rather, his pure consciousness directs him to surrender unto the Supreme Lord, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19): vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. All this indicates that in the transcendental state there is neither material creation nor the Causal Ocean for material nature.
The above-mentioned state of affairs is factual on the transcendental plane, but is factually revealed in a transcendentalist's knowledge of the advanced state of pure consciousness. Such transcendentalists are of two types, namely the impersonalists and the devotees. For the impersonalist the ultimate goal or destination is the brahmajyoti of the spiritual sky, but for the devotees the ultimate goal is the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The devotees experience the above-mentioned state of affairs by attainment of spiritual forms for activity in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. But the impersonalist, because of his neglecting the association of the Lord, does not develop a spiritual body for spiritual activity, but remains a spiritual spark only, merged in the effulgent spiritual rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is the full-fledged form of eternity, bliss and knowledge, but the formless brahmajyoti is simply eternity and knowledge. The Vaikuṇṭha planets are also forms of eternity, bliss and knowledge, and therefore the devotees of the Lord, who are admitted into the abode of the Lord, also get bodies of eternity, bliss and knowledge. As such there is no difference between one and another. The Lord's abode, name, fame, entourage, etc., are of the same transcendental quality, and how this transcendental quality differs from the material world is explained herewith in this verse. In the Bhagavad-gītā, three principal subjects have been explained by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, namely karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga, but one can reach the Vaikuṇṭha planets by the practice of bhakti-yoga only. The other two are incompetent in helping one reach the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, although they can, however, conveniently take one to the effulgent brahmajyoti, as described above.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.17
na yatra kālo ’nimiṣāṁ paraḥ prabhuḥ
kuto nu devā jagatāṁ ya īśire
na yatra sattvaṁ na rajas tamaś ca
na vai vikāro na mahān pradhānam ||
No one can disturb this person. When he has attained brahman as his svarūpa, time, which is superior (paraḥ) to the devatās (animiṣām), has no influence (na prabhuḥ). How then can devatās, who control this material world, influence him? What is the nature of that brahman? In that state of brahman there are no guṇas and no false ego (vikāraḥ).
Jiva's tika ||2.2.17||
na yatra kālo ’nimiṣāṃ paraḥ prabhuḥ kuto nu devā jagatāṃ ya īśire na yatra sattvaṃ na rajas tamaś ca na vai vikāro na mahān pradhānam ||
TRANSLATION In this person, time, the controller of the devatās, has no influence. What influence can the devatās, who control the material realm, have over him? In him there is not sattva, rajas or tamas, no false ego, no mahat-tattva, and no prakṛti.
There are two types of results: merging in Brahman, from jnāna aided by bhakti to reach merging, and attaining Vaikuṇṭha, from jnāna filled with bhakti. The first type was already described. The second type is now described in two verses, to show the manifestation of Vaikuṇṭha as in the case of Ajāmila. The Lord has stated that Vaikuṇṭha is eternity, knowledge and bliss.
evam etān mayā diṣṭān anutiṣṭhanti me pathaḥ kṣemaṃ vindanti mat-sthānaṃ yad brahma paramaṃ viduḥ
Persons who seriously follow these methods of achieving me, which I have personally taught, attain peace, my abode Vaikuṇṭha, or liberation in Brahman. (SB 11.20.37)
The paths of jnāna, karma and bhakti were the methods to attain me. However, jnāna and karma are only slight assistants sometimes for the devotees. Kṣemam means being auspicious with devotion to me. That place they know as the supreme Brahman (brahma paramam viduḥ). That is illustrated in the Tenth Canto:
iti sancintya bhagavān mahā-kāruṇiko hariḥ darśayām āsa lokaṃ svaṃ gopānāṃ tamasaḥ param
Thus, deeply considering the situation, the all-merciful Supreme Lord revealed to the cowherd men his abode, which is beyond prakṛti. (SB 10.28.14)
satyaṃ jnānam anantaṃ yad brahma-jyotiḥ sanātanam yad dhi paśyanti munayo guṇāpāye samāhitāḥ
Kṛṣṇa revealed the place which was existence, knowledge, infinity, eternity, and self-effulgent. Sages see that place in trance, when their consciousness is free of the modes of material nature. (SB 10.28.15)
It is difficult to derive another other meaning to these two verses by adding “and” etc. Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that tamasaḥ prakṛteḥ param is a description of Vaikuṇṭha.
TEXT - SB 2.2.18
paraṁ padaṁ vaiṣṇavam āmananti tad
yan neti netīty atad utsisṛkṣavaḥ
visṛjya daurātmyam ananya-sauhṛdā
hṛdopaguhyārha-padaṁ pade pade
SYNONYMS
param—the supreme; padam—situation; vaiṣṇavam—in relation with the Personality of Godhead; āmananti—do they know; tat—that; yat—which; na iti—not this; na iti—not this; iti—thus; atat—godless; utsisṛkṣavaḥ—those who desire to avoid; visṛjya—giving it up completely; daurātmyam—perplexities; ananya—absolutely; sauhṛdāḥ—in good will; hṛdā upaguhya—taking them into his heart; arha—that which is only worshipable; padam—lotus feet; pade pade—at every moment.
TRANSLATION
The transcendentalists desire to avoid everything godless, for they know that supreme situation in which everything is related with the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore a pure devotee who is in absolute harmony with the Lord does not create perplexities, but worships the lotus feet of the Lord at every moment, taking them into his heart.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā, mad-dhāma ("My abode") is mentioned several times, and according to the version of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa there exists the unlimited spiritual sky, wherein the planets are called Vaikuṇṭhas, or the abode of the Personality of Godhead. In that sky, which is far, far beyond the material sky and its sevenfold coverings, there is no need of the sun or the moon, nor is there necessity of electricity for illumination, because the planets are self-illuminating and more brilliant than the material suns. pure devotees of the Lord are absolutely in harmony with the Personality of Godhead, or in other words, they always think of the Lord as their only dependable friend and well-wisher. They do not care for any mundane creature, up to the status of Brahmā, the lord of the universe. Only they can definitely have a clear vision of the Vaikuṇṭha planets. Such pure devotees, being perfectly directed by the Supreme Lord, do not create any artificial perplexity in the matter of transcendental understanding by wasting time in discussing what is Brahman and what is non-Brahman, or māyā, nor do they falsely think of themselves as one with the Lord, or argue that there is no existence of the Lord separately, or that there is no God at all, or that living beings are themselves God, or that when God incarnates Himself He assumes a material body. Nor do they concern themselves with many obscure speculative theories, which are in actuality so many stumbling blocks on the path of transcendental understanding. Apart from the class of impersonalists or nondevotees, there are also classes who pose themselves as devotees of the Lord but at heart maintain the idea of salvation by becoming one with the impersonal Brahman. They wrongly manufacture their own way of devotional service by open debauchery and mislead others who are simpletons or debauchees like themselves. All these nondevotees and debauchees are, according to Viśvanātha Cakravartī, durātmās, or crooked souls in the dress of mahātmās, or great souls. Such nondevotees and debauchees are completely excluded from the list of transcendentalists by the presentation of this particular verse by Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
So the Vaikuṇṭha planets are factually the supreme residential places called the paraṁ padam. The impersonal brahmajyoti is also called the paraṁ padam due to its being the rays of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, as the sun rays are the rays of the sun. In the Bhagavad-gītā (14.27) it is clearly said that the impersonal brahmajyoti rests on the person of the Lord, and because everything rests on the brahmajyoti directly and indirectly, everything is generated from the Lord, everything rests on Him, and after annihilation, everything is merged in Him only. Therefore, nothing is independent of Him. A pure devotee of the Lord no longer wastes valuable time in discriminating the Brahman from non-Brahman because he knows perfectly well that the Lord Parabrahman, by His Brahman energy, is interwoven in everything, and thus everything is looked upon by a devotee as the property of the Lord. The devotee tries to engage everything in His service and does not create perplexities by falsely lording it over the creation of the Lord. He is so faithful that he engages himself, as well as everything else, in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In everything, the devotee sees the Lord, and he sees everything in the Lord. The specific disturbance created by a durātmā, or crooked soul, is due to his maintaining that the transcendental form of the Lord is something material.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.18
paraṁ padaṁ vaiṣṇavam āmananti tad
yan neti netīty atad utsisṛkṣavaḥ
visṛjya daurātmyam ananya-sauhṛdā
hṛdopaguhyārha-padaṁ pade pade ||
The yogīs, desiring to give up the world which is not brahman, thoroughly know that impersonal aspect of Viṣṇu, defined as “not this,” by avoiding erring intelligence concerning the Lord’s nature and avoiding everything not related to the Lord, while embracing at every moment the worshippable lotus feet of the Lord with their whole heart.
Why do the guṇas not exist in him? He is superior to prakṛti (paraṁ). He has attained the impersonal form of Viṣṇu (vaiṣṇavam padam). That is famous. But the devotees like Nārada understand this much more than the jñānīs do. Desiring to give up the false world (atat), they know completely know (āmananti) that brahman, which is defined as “not this.” What do they do to attain this? They give up the bad intelligence (daurātmyam) of the jñānīs involved in impersonal Brahman alone. How? They do not have affection for things not related to Viṣṇu (ananya-sauhṛdā). The yogīs embrace the lotus feet of Viṣṇu who is worthy of worship (arha) at every moment with his heart, considering that as all in all. When they desire to realize only the brahman aspect of the Lord, they desire to give up the atat, everything except that. But they do not give up the visible world because it is useful for serving the Lord. Thus the words “desire to give” rather than “give up” are used. The word daurātmyam means those fools who think that the body of Viṣṇu is material.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.18||
paraṃ padaṃ vaiṣṇavam āmananti tad yan neti netīty atad utsisṛkṣavaḥ visṛjya daurātmyam ananya-sauhṛdā hṛdopaguhyārha-padaṃ pade pade ||
TRANSLATION The yogīs, desiring to give up the world which is not brahman, thoroughly know that impersonal aspect of Viṣṇu, defined as “not this,” by avoiding erring intelligence concerning the Lord’s nature and avoiding everything not related to the Lord, while embracing at every moment the worshippable lotus feet of the
Lord with their whole heart.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 73:
Desiring to give up that which is not spiritual (neti neti), giving up the idea of the Lord and jīva being the same (visṛjya daurātmyam), embracing the worthy lotus feet of the Lord which appears at every moment in the heart, having friendship with no one else (ananya-sauhrḍāḥ), they know (āmananti) Vaikuṇṭha (vaiṣṇavam padam). This is the svarūpa of Brahman. By the indications of prema, the impersonal form is rejected. The author of Muktā-phala, though an impersonalist, has commented “They know the abode of Viṣṇu which is supreme. It is supreme since it is like a king who rules over others including Brahmaloka. Because it is ruled by Viṣṇu, it is supreme. Vaiṣṇavam padam means the place ruled by Viṣṇu.”
Śruti also establishes the greatness of Vaikuṇṭha.
sa bhagavaḥ kasmin pratiṣṭhita iti sve mahimni
Dear sir, in what is the supreme Lord situated? He is situated in his own glorious abode. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.24.1)
yasya brahma ca kṣātraṃ ca ubhe bhavataḥ odanaḥ mṛtyur yasyopasecanaṃ ka itthā veda yatra saḥ
Brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas are his food. Death is the topping sprinkled on the food. Who knows where this person dwells? (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.25)
TEXT - SB 2.2.19
itthaṁ munis tūparamed vyavasthito
vijñāna-dṛg-vīrya-surandhitāśayaḥ
sva-pārṣṇināpīḍya gudaṁ tato 'nilaṁ
sthāneṣu ṣaṭsūnnamayej jita-klamaḥ
SYNONYMS
ittham—thus, by Brahman realization; muniḥ—the philosopher; tu—but; uparamet—should retire; vyavasthitaḥ—well situated; vijñāna-dṛk—by scientific knowledge; vīrya—strength; su-randhita—well regulated; āśayaḥ—aim of life; sva-pārṣṇinā—with the heel of one's foot; āpīḍya—by blocking; gudam—the air hole; tataḥ—thereafter; anilam—life air; sthāneṣu—in the places; ṣaṭsu—six primary; unnamayet—must be lifted; jita-klamaḥ—by extinguishing material desires.
TRANSLATION
By the strength of scientific knowledge, one should be well situated in absolute realization and thus be able to extinguish all material desires. One should then give up the material body by blocking the air hole [through which stool is evacuated] with the heel of one's foot and by lifting the life air from one place to another in the six primary places.
PURPORT
There are many durātmās who claim to have realized themselves as Brahman and yet are unable to conquer material desires. In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.54) it is clearly explained that an absolutely self-realized soul becomes completely aloof from all material desires. Material desires are based on the false ego of the living being and are exhibited by his childish and useless activities to conquer the laws of material nature and by his desire to lord it over the resources of the five elements. With such a mentality, one is led to believe in the strength of material science, with its discovery of atomic energy and space travel by mechanical vehicles, and by such tiny advancements in material science the false egoist tries to challenge even the strength of the Supreme Lord, who can finish all man's tiny endeavors in less than a second. The well-situated self, or Brahman-realized soul, perfectly understands that the Supreme Brahman, or the Personality of Godhead, is the all-powerful Vāsudeva and that he (the self-realized living being) is a part and parcel of the supreme whole. As such, his constitutional position is to cooperate with Him in all respects in the transcendental relation of the served and the servitor. Such a self-realized soul ceases to exhibit his useless activities of attempting to lord it over material nature. Being scientifically well informed, he fully engages himself in faithful devotion to the Lord.
The expert yogī who has thoroughly practiced the control of the life air by the prescribed method of the yoga system is advised to quit the body as follows. He should plug up the evacuating hole with the heel of the foot and then progressively move the life air on and on to six places: the navel, abdomen, heart, chest, palate, eyebrows and cerebral pit. Controlling the life air by the prescribed yogic process is mechanical, and the practice is more or less a physical endeavor for spiritual perfection. In olden days such practice was very common for the transcendentalist, for the mode of life and character in those days were favorable. But in modern days, when the influence of Kali Age is so disturbing, practically everyone is untrained in this art of bodily exercise. Concentration of the mind is more easily attained in these days by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The results are more effective than those derived from the inner exercise of the life air.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.19
itthaṁ munis tūparamed vyavasthito
vijñāna-dṛg-vīrya-surandhitāśayaḥ
sva-pārṣṇināpīḍya gudaṁ tato’nilaṁ
sthāneṣu ṣaṭsūnnamayej jita-klamaḥ ||
Ittham means situated in Brahman. The word tu indicates that he must make great endeavor for this compared to what will be explained later. His subtle desires are destroyed by strength of his vision gained through realization. The method of giving up the body is then described. Pressing the mulādhāra-cakra with his heel, he should lead the prāṇa through six places--the navel, heart, chest, base of the palate, forehead between the brows and brahma-randhra. Starting below the navel, passing the svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra, one raises the air to the navel with the maṇipūraka-cakra, then to the heart with the anāhata-cakra, and then to the chest, to the viśuddha-cakra, situated below the throat.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.19||
itthaṃ munis tūparamed vyavasthito vijnāna-dṛg-vīrya-surandhitāśayaḥ sva-pārṣṇināpīḍya gudaṃ tato’nilaṃ sthāneṣu ṣaṭsūnnamayej jita-klamaḥ ||
TRANSLATION In this way the yogī, situated in Brahman, having destroyed all subtle desires by the strength of his vision of realization, gives up everything, though it is difficult. Pressing the mulādhāra-cakra with his heel, without fatigue, he raises the air through the six places.
The verses following describe the same thing.
TEXT - SB 2.2.20
nābhyāṁ sthitaṁ hṛdy adhiropya tasmād
udāna-gatyorasi taṁ nayen muniḥ
tato 'nusandhāya dhiyā manasvī
sva-tālu-mūlaṁ śanakair nayeta
SYNONYMS
nābhyām—on the navel; sthitam—situated; hṛdi—in the heart; adhiropya—by placing; tasmāt—from there; udāna—soaring; gatya—force; urasi—on the chest; tam—thereafter; nayet—should draw; muniḥ—the meditative devotee; tataḥ—them; anusandhāya—just to search out; dhiyā—by intelligence; manasvī—the meditative; sva-tālu-mūlam—at the root of the palate; śanakaiḥ—slowly; nayeta—may be brought in.
TRANSLATION
The meditative devotee should slowly push up the life air from the navel to the heart, from there to the chest and from there to the root of the palate. He should search out the proper places with intelligence.
PURPORT
There are six circles of the movement of the life air, and the intelligent bhakti-yogī should search out these places with intelligence and in a meditative mood. Among these, mentioned above is the svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra, or the powerhouse of the life air, and above this, just below the abdomen and navel, is the maṇi-pūraka-cakra. When upper space is further searched out in the heart, one reaches the anāhata-cakra, and further up, when the life air is placed at the root of the palate, one reaches the viśuddhi-cakra.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.20
nābhyāṁ sthitaṁ hṛdy adhiropya tasmād
udāna-gatyorasi taṁ nayen muniḥ
tato ’nusandhāya dhiyā manasvī
sva-tālu-mūlaṁ śanakair nayeta ||
The yogī raises the air situated in the navel (svādhiṣṭhāna-cakra and maṇipūraka-cakra) to the heart (anāhata-cakra), and then the throat (viśuddha-cakra), through the movement of the udāna air which flows upwards. The yogī having controlled his consciousness, searching out with intelligence, leads the air gradually to the base of the palate.
Manasvī means “one who has conquered the consciousness.” The base of the palate indicates a place preceding the actually cakra. The movement is performed slowly (śanaiḥ) because of the possibility of the air going in many directions.
TEXT - SB 2.2.21
tasmād bhruvor antaram unnayeta
niruddha-saptāyatano 'napekṣaḥ
sthitvā muhūrtārdham akuṇṭha-dṛṣṭir
nirbhidya mūrdhan visṛjet paraṁ gataḥ
SYNONYMS
tasmāt—from there; bhruvoḥ—of the eyebrows; antaram—in between; unnayeta—should be brought in; niruddha—by blocking; sapta—seven; āyatanaḥ—outlets of the life air; anapekṣaḥ—independent of all material enjoyment; sthitvā—by keeping; muhūrta—of a moment; ardham—half; akuṇṭha—back home, back to Godhead; dṛṣṭiḥ—one whose aim is targeted like that; nirbhidya—punching; mūrdhan—the cerebral hole; visṛjet—should give up his body; param—the Supreme; gataḥ—having gone to.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter the bhakti-yogī should push the life air up between the eyebrows, and then, blocking the seven outlets of the life air, he should maintain his aim for going back home, back to Godhead. If he is completely free from all desires for material enjoyment, he should then reach the cerebral hole and give up his material connections, having gone to the Supreme.
PURPORT
The process of giving up all material connections and returning home, back to Godhead, the Supreme, is recommended herein. The condition is that one should be completely freed from desire for material enjoyment. There are different grades of material enjoyments in respect to duration of life and sensual gratification. The highest plane of sensual enjoyment for the longest period of life is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.20). All are but material enjoyments, and one should be thoroughly convinced that he has no need of such a long duration of life, even in the Brahmaloka planet. He must return home, back to Godhead, and must not be attracted by any amount of material facilities. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.59) it is said that this sort of material detachment is possible to attain when one is acquainted with the supreme association of life. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. One cannot be freed from material attraction unless he has complete understanding of the nature of spiritual life. The propaganda by a certain class of impersonalists that spiritual life is void of all varieties is dangerous propaganda to mislead the living beings into becoming more and more attracted by material enjoyments. As such, persons with a poor fund of knowledge cannot have any conception of the param, the Supreme; they try to stick to the varieties of material enjoyments, although they may flatter themselves as being Brahman-realized souls. Such less intelligent persons cannot have any conception of the param, as mentioned in this verse, and therefore they cannot reach the Supreme. The devotees have full knowledge of the spiritual world, the Personality of Godhead and His transcendental association in unlimited spiritual planets called Vaikuṇṭhalokas. Herein akuṇṭha-dṛṣṭiḥ is mentioned. Akuṇṭha and vaikuṇṭha convey the same import, and only one who has his aim fixed upon that spiritual world and personal association with the Godhead can give up his material connections even while living in the material world. This param and the paraṁ dhāma mentioned in several places in the Bhagavad-gītā are one and the same thing. One who goes to the paraṁ dhāma does not return to the material world. This freedom is not possible even by reaching the topmost loka of the material world.
The life air passes through seven openings, namely two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and one mouth. Generally it passes through the mouth at the time of an ordinary man's death. But the yogī, as above mentioned, who controls the life air in his own way, generally releases the life air by puncturing the cerebral hole in the head. The yogī therefore blocks up all the above-mentioned seven openings, so that the life air will naturally burst forth through the cerebral hole. This is the sure sign of a great devotee's leaving the material connection.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.21
tasmād bhruvor antaram unnayeta
niruddha-saptāyatano ’napekṣaḥ
sthitvā muhūrtārdham akuṇṭha-dṛṣṭir
nirbhidya mūrdhan visṛjet paraṁ gataḥ ||
Then he leads the air to the ājñā-cakra between the eyebrows. He blocks the seven roads: the two ears, two eyes, two nostrils and mouth. These are the paths by which the prāṇa can exit. Being unattached, not being interested in experiencing the enjoyments of Brahma-loka, as the krama-muktas are, he pierces the brahma-randhra and gives up the body (gross) and senses (subtle body).
Jiva's tika ||2.2.21||
tasmād bhruvor antaram unnayeta niruddha-saptāyatano ’napekṣaḥ sthitvā muhūrtārdham akuṇṭha-dṛṣṭir nirbhidya mūrdhan visṛjet paraṃ gataḥ ||
TRANSLATION He leads the air to the point between the brows (ājnā-cakra) and blocks the seven pathways. Situated there for a moment, unattached, with clear vision, absorbed in the Brahman, he then pierces the brahma-randhra and gives up the senses and body.
The verses should be taken together.
TEXT - SB 2.2.22
yadi prayāsyan nṛpa pārameṣṭhyaṁ
vaihāyasānām uta yad vihāram
aṣṭādhipatyaṁ guṇa-sannivāye
sahaiva gacchen manasendriyaiś ca
SYNONYMS
yadi—however; prayāsyan—maintaining a desire; nṛpa—O King; pārameṣṭhyam—the governing planet of the material world; vaihāyasānām—of the beings known as the Vaihāyasas; uta—it is said; yat—what is; vihāram—place of enjoyment; aṣṭa-ādhipatyam—lording it over with eightfold achievements; guṇa-sannivāye—in the world of three modes of nature; saha—along with; eva—certainly; gacchet—should go; manasā—accompanied by the mind; indriyaiḥ—and the senses; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
However, O King, if a yogī maintains a desire for improved material enjoyments, like transference to the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, or the achievement of the eightfold perfections, travel in outer space with the Vaihāyasas, or a situation in one of the millions of planets, then he has to take away with him the materially molded mind and senses.
PURPORT
In the upper status of the planetary systems there are facilities thousands and thousands of times greater for material enjoyments than in the lower planetary systems. The topmost planetary systems consist of planets like Brahmaloka and Dhruvaloka (the polestar), and all of them are situated beyond Maharloka. The inhabitants of those planets are empowered with eightfold achievements of mystic perfection. They do not have to learn and practice the mystic processes of yoga perfection and achieve the power of becoming small like a particle (aṇimā-siddhi), or lighter than a soft feather (laghimā-siddhi). They do not have to get anything and everything from anywhere and everywhere (prāpti-siddhi), to become heavier than the heaviest (mahimā-siddhi), to act freely even to create something wonderful or to annihilate anything at will (īśitva-siddhi), to control all material elements (vaśitva-siddhi), to possess such power as will never be frustrated in any desire (prākāmya-siddhi), or to assume any shape or form one may even whimsically desire (kāmāvasāyitā-siddhi). All these expediencies are as common as natural gifts for the inhabitants of those higher planets. They do not require any mechanical help to travel in outer space, and they can move and travel at will from one planet to any other planet within no time. The inhabitants of the earth cannot move even to the nearest planet except by mechanical vehicles like spacecraft, but the highly talented inhabitants of such higher planets can do everything very easily.
Since a materialist is generally inquisitive to experience what is actually in such planetary systems, he wants to see everything personally. As inquisitive persons tour all over the world to gain direct local experience, the less intelligent transcendentalist similarly desires to have some experience of those planets about which he has heard so many wonderful things. The yogī can, however, easily fulfill his desire by going there with the present materialistic mind and senses. The prime inclination of the materialistic mind is to lord it over the material world, and all the siddhis mentioned above are features of domination over the world. The devotees of the Lord are not ambitious to dominate a false and temporary phenomenon. On the contrary, a devotee wants to be dominated by the supreme predominator, the Lord. A desire to serve the Lord, the supreme predominator, is spiritual or transcendental, and one has to attain this purification of the mind and the senses to get admission into the spiritual kingdom. With the materialistic mind one can reach the best planet in the universe, but no one can enter into the kingdom of God. Senses are called spiritually purified when they are not involved in sense gratification. Senses require engagements, and when the senses are engaged totally in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they have no chance to become contaminated by material infections.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.22
yadi prayāsyan nṛpa pārameṣṭhyaṁ
vaihāyasānām uta yad vihāram
aṣṭādhipatyaṁ guṇa-sannivāye
sahaiva gacchen manasendriyaiś ca ||
Having spoken of instant liberation, Śukadeva now describes gradual liberation (krama-mukti). If one desires to attain Brahma-loka (pārameṣṭhyam) or the playgrounds of the Khecaras (flying beings) who have eight mystic powers, in this universe filled with all qualities (guṇa-sannivāye), at the time of giving up the body, one does not give up the mind and senses. Rather with the mind and senses, one goes to enjoy those planets.
TEXT - SB 2.2.23
yogeśvarāṇāṁ gatim āhur antar-
bahis-tri-lokyāḥ pavanāntar-ātmanām
na karmabhis tāṁ gatim āpnuvanti
vidyā-tapo-yoga-samādhi-bhājām
SYNONYMS
yoga-īśvarāṇām—of the great saints and devotees; gatim—destination; āhuḥ—it is said; antaḥ—within; bahiḥ—without; tri-lokyāḥ—of the three planetary systems; pavana-antaḥ—within the air; ātmanām—of the subtle body; na—never; karmabhiḥ—by fruitive activities; tām—that; gatim—speed; āpnuvanti—achieve; vidyā—devotional service; tapaḥ—austerities; yoga—mystic power; samādhi—knowledge; bhājām—of those who entertain.
TRANSLATION
The transcendentalists are concerned with the spiritual body. As such, by the strength of their devotional service, austerities, mystic power and transcendental knowledge, their movements are unrestricted, within and beyond the material worlds. The fruitive workers, or the gross materialists, can never move in such an unrestricted manner.
PURPORT
The materialistic scientist's endeavor to reach other planets by mechanical vehicles is only a futile attempt. One can, however, reach heavenly planets by virtuous activities, but one can never expect to go beyond Svarga or Janaloka by such mechanical or materialistic activities, either gross or subtle. The transcendentalists who have nothing to do with the gross material body can move anywhere within or beyond the material worlds. Within the material worlds they move in the planetary systems of the Mahar-, Janas-, Tapas- and Satya-loka, and beyond the material worlds they can move in the Vaikuṇṭhas as unrestricted spacemen. Nārada Muni is one of the examples of such spacemen, and Durvāsā Muni is one of such mystics. By the strength of devotional service, austerities, mystic powers and transcendental knowledge, everyone can move like Nārada Muni or Durvāsā Muni. It is said that Durvāsā Muni traveled throughout the entirety of material space and part of spiritual space within one year only. The speed of the transcendentalists can never be attained by the gross or subtle materialists.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.23
yogeśvarāṇāṁ gatim āhur antar-
bahis-tri-lokyāḥ pavanāntar-ātmanām
na karmabhis tāṁ gatim āpnuvanti
vidyā-tapo-yoga-samādhi-bhājām ||
They say that the great yogīs who possess subtle bodies and worship the Lord, follow dharma and practice aṣṭāṅga-yoga and jñāna go anywhere inside and outside the universe. They do not attain such places by performance of karma.
Though the yogīs may enjoy, that is not the same enjoyment experienced by the karmīs. They say that the great yogīs can go inside the universe to places like Mahar-loka and outside the universe as well, because they have subtle bodies (pavanāntar-ātmanām). They perform worship of the Lord (vidyā), follow the rules of the Lord (tapo) practice aṣṭāṅga-yoga (yoga) and jñāna as well (samādhi).
TEXT - SB 2.2.24
vaiśvānaraṁ yāti vihāyasā gataḥ
suṣumṇayā brahma-pathena śociṣā
vidhūta-kalko 'tha harer udastāt
prayāti cakraṁ nṛpa śaiśumāram
SYNONYMS
vaiśvānaram—the controlling deity of fire; yāti—goes; vihāyasā—by the path in the sky (the Milky Way); gataḥ—by passing over; suṣumṇayā—by the Suṣumṇā; brahma—Brahmaloka; pathena—on the way to; śociṣā—illuminating; vidhūta—being washed off; kalkaḥ—dirt; atha—thereafter; hareḥ—of Lord Hari; udastāt—upwards; prayāti—does reach; cakram—circle; nṛpa—O King; śaiśumāram—named Śiśumāra.
TRANSLATION
O King, when such a mystic passes over the Milky Way by the illuminating Suṣumṇā to reach the highest planet, Brahmaloka, he goes first to Vaiśvānara, the planet of the deity of fire, wherein he becomes completely cleansed of all contaminations, and thereafter he still goes higher, to the circle of Śiśumāra, to relate with Lord Hari, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The polar star of the universe and the circle thereof is called the Śiśumāra circle, and therein the local residential planet of the Personality of Godhead (Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu) is situated. Before reaching there, the mystic passes over the Milky Way to reach Brahmaloka, and while going there he first reaches Vaiśvānara-loka, where the demigod controls fire. On Vaiśvānara-loka the yogī becomes completely cleansed of all dirty sins acquired while in contact with the material world. The Milky Way in the sky is indicated herein as the way leading to Brahmaloka, the highest planet of the universe.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.24
vaiśvānaraṁ yāti vihāyasā gataḥ
suṣumṇayā brahma-pathena śociṣā
vidhūta-kalko ’tha harer udastāt
prayāti cakraṁ nṛpa śaiśumāram ||
First they go to the presiding deity of fire, Vaiśvānara,[102] by means of the ākāśa (vihāyasā), through the suṣumna-nāḍī, by the path to Brahma-loka (brahma-pathena). That nāḍī is located outside the body, since it is filled with luminaries (śociṣā). Having given up all impurities (vidhūta-kalkaḥ), not being attached to anything, they proceed to the circle of stars located higher, in the form of a dolphin, which is related to the Lord. That circle starts with stars such as Āditya (Punarvasu) and ends with the Dhruva star.[103]
TEXT - SB 2.2.25
tad viśva-nābhiṁ tv ativartya viṣṇor
aṇīyasā virajenātmanaikaḥ
namaskṛtaṁ brahma-vidām upaiti
kalpāyuṣo yad vibudhā ramante
SYNONYMS
tat—that; viśva-nābhim—navel of the universal Personality of Godhead; tu—but; ativartya—crossing over; viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Viṣṇu, the Personality of Godhead; aṇīyasā—due to mystic perfection; virajena—by the purified; ātmanā—by the living entity; ekaḥ—alone; namaskṛtam—worshipable; brahma-vidām—by those who are transcendentally situated; upaiti—reaches; kalpa-āyuṣaḥ—a period of 4,300,000,000 solar years; yat—the place; vibudhāḥ—self-realized souls; ramante—do enjoy.
TRANSLATION
This Śiśumāra is the pivot for the turning of the complete universe, and it is called the navel of Viṣṇu [Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu]. The yogī alone goes beyond this circle of Śiśumāra and attains the planet [Maharloka] where purified saints like Bhṛgu enjoy a duration of life of 4,300,000,000 solar years. This planet is worshipable even for the saints who are transcendentally situated.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.25
tad viśva-nābhiṁ tv ativartya viṣṇor
aṇīyasā virajenātmanaikaḥ
namaskṛtaṁ brahma-vidām upaiti
kalpāyuṣo yad vibudhā ramante ||
Passing through this circle of stars belonging to Viṣṇu, which is the navel of the universal form (viśva-nābhim) with a subtle body which is very subtle (aṇiyasā) and pure (virajena), he alone (ekaḥ), separate from others because he does not go to Svarga, arrives at Mahar-loka (brahma-vidām) worthy of worship (namaskṛtam), where the sages who live for a mahā-kalpa (lifetime of Brahmā) enjoy.
TEXT - SB 2.2.26
atho anantasya mukhānalena
dandahyamānaṁ sa nirīkṣya viśvam
niryāti siddheśvara-yuṣṭa-dhiṣṇyaṁ
yad dvai-parārdhyaṁ tad u pārameṣṭhyam
SYNONYMS
atho—thereupon; anantasya—of Ananta, the resting incarnation of Godhead; mukha-analena—by the fire emanating from His mouth; dandahyamānam—burning to ashes; saḥ—he; nirīkṣya—by seeing this; viśvam—the universe; niryāti—goes out; siddheśvara-yuṣṭa-dhiṣṇyam—airplanes used by the great purified souls; yat—the place; dvai-parārdhyam—15,480,000,000,000 solar years; tat—that; u—the exalted; pārameṣṭhyam—Satyaloka, where Brahmā resides.
TRANSLATION
At the time of the final devastation of the complete universe [the end of the duration of Brahmā's life], a flame of fire emanates from the mouth of Ananta [from the bottom of the universe]. The yogī sees all the planets of the universe burning to ashes, and thus he leaves for Satyaloka by airplanes used by the great purified souls. The duration of life in Satyaloka is calculated to be 15,480,000,000,000 years.
PURPORT
It is indicated herein that the residents of Maharloka, where the purified living entities or demigods possess a duration of life calculated to be 4,300,000,000 solar years, have airships by which they reach Satyaloka, the topmost planet of the universe. In other words, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives us many clues about other planets far, far away from us which modern planes and spacecraft cannot reach, even by imaginary speeds. The statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are accepted by great ācāryas like Śrīdhara Svāmī, Rāmānujācārya and Vallabhācārya. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu specifically accepts Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the spotless Vedic authority, and as such no sane man can ignore the statements of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when it is spoken by the self-realized soul Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who follows in the footsteps of his great father, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the compiler of all Vedic literatures. In the creation of the Lord there are many wonderful things we can see with our own eyes every day and night, but we are unable to reach them equipped by modern materialistic science. We should not, therefore, depend on the fragmentary authority of materialistic science for knowing things beyond the range of scientific purview. For a common man, both modern science and Vedic wisdom are simply to be accepted because none of the statements either of modern science or of Vedic literature can be verified by him. The alternative for a common man is to believe either of them or both of them. The Vedic way of understanding, however, is more authentic because it has been accepted by the ācāryas, who are not only faithful and learned men, but are also liberated souls without any of the flaws of conditioned souls. The modern scientists, however, are conditioned souls liable to so many errors and mistakes; therefore the safe side is to accept the authentic version of Vedic literatures, like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is accepted unanimously by the great ācāryas.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.26
atho anantasya mukhānalena
dandahyamānaṁ sa nirīkṣya viśvam
niryāti siddheśvara-yuṣṭa-dhiṣṇyaṁ
yad dvai-parārdhyaṁ tad u pārameṣṭhyam ||
After this (athaḥ), if he desires, out of curiosity, to stay there until the end of the day of Brahmā, at the end of the day, seeing the three worlds (viśvam) burning, he departs from Mahar-loka because of the heat and goes upward to Brahma-loka (pārameṣṭhyam) that lasts for two parārdhas (Brahmā’s life), in which there are space vehicles used by the perfected beings.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.26||
atho anantasya mukhānalena dandahyamānaṃ sa nirīkṣya viśvam niryāti siddheśvara-yuṣṭa-dhiṣṇyaṃ yad dvai-parārdhyaṃ tad u pārameṣṭhyam ||
TRANSLATION After this, seeing the three worlds (including Svarga) burning because of the fire emanating from the mouth of Ananta, he departs for Brahma-loka which lasts two parārdhas, and where there are flying vehicles used by perfected beings.
After enjoying with a suitable body, he departs.
TEXT - SB 2.2.27
na yatra śoko na jarā na mṛtyur
nārtir na codvega ṛte kutaścit
yac cit tato 'daḥ kṛpayānidaṁ-vidāṁ
duranta-duḥkha-prabhavānudarśanāt
SYNONYMS
na—never; yatra—there are; śokaḥ—bereavement; na—nor; jarā—old age; na—nor; mṛtyuḥ—death; na—nor; artiḥ—pains; na—nor; ca—also; udvegaḥ—anxieties; ṛte—save and except; kutaścit—sometimes; yat—because of; cit—consciousness; tataḥ—therefore; adaḥ—compassion; kṛpayā—out of heartfelt sympathy; an-idam-vidām—of those who are ignorant of the process of devotional service; duranta—unsurpassable; duḥkha—misery; prabhava—repeated birth and death; anudarśanāt—by successive experience.
TRANSLATION
In that planet of Satyaloka, there is neither bereavement, nor old age nor death. There is no pain of any kind, and therefore there are no anxieties, save that sometimes, due to consciousness, there is a feeling of compassion for those unaware of the process of devotional service, who are subjected to unsurpassable miseries in the material world.
PURPORT
Foolish men of materialistic temperament do not take advantage of successive authorized knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is authorized and is acquired not by experiment but by authentic statements of the Vedic literatures explained by bona fide authorities. Simply by becoming an academic scholar one cannot understand the Vedic statements; one has to approach the real authority who has received the Vedic knowledge by disciplic succession, as clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.2). Lord Kṛṣṇa affirmed that the system of knowledge as explained in the Bhagavad-gītā was explained to the sun-god, and the knowledge descended by disciplic succession from the sun-god to his son Manu, and from Manu to King Ikṣvāku (the forefather of Lord Rāmacandra), and thus the system of knowledge was explained down the line of great sages, one after another. But in due course of time the authorized succession was broken, and therefore, just to reestablish the true spirit of the knowledge, the Lord again explained the same knowledge to Arjuna, who was a bona fide candidate for understanding due to his being a pure devotee of the Lord. Bhagavad-gītā, as it was understood by Arjuna, is also explained (Bg. 10.12-13), but there are many foolish men who do not follow in the footsteps of Arjuna in understanding the spirit of Bhagavad-gītā. They create instead their own interpretations, which are as foolish as they themselves, and thereby only help to put a stumbling block on the path of real understanding, misdirecting the innocent followers who are less intelligent, or the śūdras. It is said that one should become a brāhmaṇa before one can understand the Vedic statements, and this stricture is as important as the stricture that no one shall become a lawyer who has not qualified himself as a graduate. Such a stricture is not an impediment in the path of progress for anyone and everyone, but it is necessary for an unqualified understanding of a particular science. Vedic knowledge is misinterpreted by those who are not qualified brāhmaṇas. A qualified brāhmaṇa is one who has undergone strict training under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master.
The Vedic wisdom guides us to understanding our relation with the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and to acting accordingly in order to achieve the desired result of returning home, back to Godhead. But materialistic men do not understand this. They want to make a plan to become happy in a place where there is no happiness. For false happiness they try to reach other planets, either by Vedic rituals or by spacecraft, but they should know for certain that any amount of materialistic adjustment for becoming happy in a place which is meant for distress cannot benefit the misguided man because, after all, the whole universe with all its paraphernalia will come to an end after a certain period. Then all plans of materialistic happiness will automatically come to an end. The intelligent person therefore makes a plan to return home, back to Godhead. Such an intelligent person surpasses all the pangs of material existence, like birth, death, disease and old age. He is actually happy because he has no anxieties of material existence, but as a compassionate sympathizer he feels unhappiness for the suffering materialistic men, and thus he occasionally comes before the materialistic men to teach them the necessity of going back to Godhead. All the bona fide ācāryas preach this truth of returning home, back to Godhead, and warn men not to make a false plan for happiness in a place where happiness is only a myth.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.27
na yatra śoko na jarā na mṛtyur
nārtir na codvega ṛte kutaścit |
yac cittato ’daḥ kṛpayānidaṁ-vidāṁ
duranta-duḥkha-prabhavānudarśanāt ||
This is a glorification of Satya-loka. In that place there is no lamentation, old age, death, suffering (artiḥ) or fear (udvegaḥ), except for suffering in the mind (cittataḥ). Why? How does that arise? It is because of compassion arising from seeing the influence of insurmountable suffering of those in the three worlds who do not know the process of devotional yoga. This is praise in disguise for the great compassion of the inhabitants of Satya-loka.
TEXT - SB 2.2.28
tato viśeṣaṁ pratipadya nirbhayas
tenātmanāpo 'nala-mūrtir atvaran
jyotirmayo vāyum upetya kāle
vāyv-ātmanā khaṁ bṛhad ātma-liṅgam
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter; viśeṣam—particularly; pratipadya—by obtaining; nirbhayaḥ—without any doubt; tena—by that; ātmanā—pure self; āpaḥ—water; anala—fire; mūrtiḥ—forms; atvaran—by surpassing; jyotiḥ-mayaḥ—effulgent; vāyum—atmosphere; upetya—having reached there; kāle—in due course of time; vāyu—air; ātmanā—by the self; kham—ethereal; bṛhat—great; ātma-liṅgam—the real form of the self.
TRANSLATION
After reaching Satyaloka, the devotee is specifically able to be incorporated fearlessly by the subtle body in an identity similar to that of the gross body, and one after another he gradually attains stages of existence from earthly to watery, fiery, glowing and airy, until he reaches the ethereal stage.
PURPORT
Anyone who can reach Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka, by dint of spiritual perfection and practice is qualified to attain three different types of perfection. One who has attained a specific planet by dint of pious activities attains places in terms of his comparative pious activities. One who has attained the place by dint of virāṭ or Hiraṇyagarbha worship is liberated along with the liberation of Brahmā. But one who attains the place by dint of devotional service is specifically mentioned here, in relation to how he can penetrate into the different coverings of the universe and thus ultimately disclose his spiritual identity in the absolute atmosphere of supreme existence.
According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, all the universes are clustered together up and down, and each and every one of them is separately sevenfold-covered. The watery portion is beyond the sevenfold coverings, and each covering is ten times more expansive than the previous covering. The Personality of Godhead who creates all such universes by His breathing period lies above the cluster of the universes. The water of the Causal Ocean is differently situated than the covering water of the universe. The water that serves as covering for the universe is material, whereas the water of the Causal Ocean is spiritual. As such, the watery covering mentioned herein is considered to be the false egoistic covering of all living entities, and the gradual process of liberation from the material coverings, one after another, as mentioned herein, is the gradual process of being liberated from false egoistic conceptions of the material gross body, and then being absorbed in the identification of the subtle body till the attainment of the pure spiritual body in the absolute realm of the kingdom of God.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī confirms that a part of the material nature, after being initiated by the Lord, is known as the mahat-tattva. A fractional portion of the mahat-tattva is called the false ego. A portion of the ego is the vibration of sound, and a portion of sound is atmospheric air. A portion of the airy atmosphere is turned into forms, and the forms constitute the power of electricity or heat. Heat produces the smell of the aroma of the earth, and the gross earth is produced by such aroma. And all these combined together constitute the cosmic phenomenon. The extent of the cosmic phenomenon is calculated to be diametrically (both ways) four billion miles. Then the coverings of the universe begin. The first stratum of the covering is calculated to extend eighty million miles, and the subsequent coverings of the universe are respectively of fire, effulgence, air and ether, one after another, each extending ten times further than the previous. The fearless devotee of the Lord penetrates each one of them and ultimately reaches the absolute atmosphere where everything is of one and the same spiritual identity. Then the devotee enters one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where he assumes exactly the same form as the Lord and engages in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of devotional life. Beyond this there is nothing to be desired or achieved by the perfect yogī.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.28
tato viśeṣaṁ pratipadya nirbhayas
tenātmanāpo ’nala-mūrtir atvaran |
jyotirmayo vāyum upetya kāle
vāyv-ātmanā khaṁ bṛhad ātma-liṅgam ||
If the yogī desires to stay until the end of Brahma’s life, he attains liberation at that time with Brahmā. If he desires liberation before that, he pierces the seven coverings of the universe and enters brahman. That is now described. First he attains the first layer of earth (viśeṣam), five billion yojanas thick, covering the universe measuring five billion yojanas in width. How does he do this? He takes a form of earth (ātmanā). Attaining the other layers should be understood in the same way. He is devoid of any fear of suffering to the body from burning or other dangers. Then he attains the layer of water which is ten times thicker than the earth layer, with a water body. Then with a form of fire (anala-mūritḥ), he attains the layer of fire ten times thicker than the water layer. Atvaran means “becomes.” He attains these various forms to enjoy the sense objects of each layer. In earth with an earth body he can enjoy the sense object of smell, and in the water layer with a water body he can enjoy the sense object of taste. After some time, with that fiery body, he attains the layer of air ten times thicker than the fire layer, with an air body. He then attains the layer of ether ten times thicker than the air layer. It is a form of the great soul (bṛhad-ātma-liṅgam), since it is worshipped as a form of Paramātmā. Or it is called the great soul because ether’s essence is sound, which is the Vedas. It proves the Vedas by being the sound of the Vedas.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.28||
tato viśeṣaṃ pratipadya nirbhayas tenātmanāpo ’nala-mūrtir atvaran | jyotirmayo vāyum upetya kāle vāyv-ātmanā khaṃ bṛhad ātma-lingam ||
TRANSLATION Then he attains the layer of earth without fear with a body of earth, then the layer of water, with a body of water, and then the layer of fire with a body of fire. In time he attains layer of air with an air body and then the layer of ether, which is worshipped as a form of Paramātmā.
This description is for one universe. Many universes however are similar. All the
universes exist in a circular shape, in higher and lower positions. They each have a separate layer of earth. Outside that circle is a covering of water, ten times thicker than the earth later. Above all that the cause of all the universe, Kāraṇārnava-śayī sleeps. Whatever water enters within the globe is not considered part of the covering as it is nowhere described in this way. All these coverings cover all beings in the universe.
As with the ancient gross body, he attains the subtle body. By that subtle body (ātmanā) he attains the covering of water. Just as he overcame the gross body, he overcomes that body and identifies with the water body. Then he identifies with the fire body etc. If he wants to enjoy in different places, he takes an appropriate body.
TEXT - SB 2.2.29
ghrāṇena gandhaṁ rasanena vai rasaṁ
rūpaṁ ca dṛṣṭyā śvasanaṁ tvacaiva
śrotreṇa copetya nabho-guṇatvaṁ
prāṇena cākūtim upaiti yogī
SYNONYMS
ghrāṇena—by smelling; gandham—aroma; rasanena—by taste; vai—exactly; rasam—palate; rūpam—forms; ca—also; dṛṣṭyā—by vision; śvasanam—contact; tvacā—touch; eva—as it were; śrotreṇa—by vibration of the ear; ca—also; upetya—by achieving; nabhaḥ-guṇatvam—identification of ether; prāṇena—by sense organs; ca—also; ākūtim—material activities; upaiti—attains; yogī—the devotee.
TRANSLATION
The devotee thus surpasses the subtle objects of different senses like aroma by smelling, the palate by tasting, vision by seeing forms, touch by contacting, the vibrations of the ear by ethereal identification, and the sense organs by material activities.
PURPORT
Beyond the sky there are subtle coverings, resembling the elementary coverings of the universes. The gross coverings are a development of partial ingredients of the subtle causes. So the yogī or devotee, along with liquidation of the gross elements, relinquishes the subtle causes like aroma by smelling. The pure spiritual spark, the living entity, thus becomes completely cleansed of all material contamination to become eligible for entrance into the kingdom of God.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.29
ghrāṇena gandhaṁ rasanena vai rasaṁ
rūpaṁ ca dṛṣṭyā śvasanaṁ tvacaiva |
śrotreṇa copetya nabho-guṇatvaṁ
prāṇena cākūtim upaiti yogī ||
The yogī attains smell, taste, form, touch, and sound, as well as the actions of the various action senses.
He surpasses the subtle sense objects. He attains fragrance, perceived by the nose, then taste, perceived by the tongue. He attains touch (śvasanam) and then sound (nabho-guṇatvam). He attains the various actions of the action senses (prāṇena). These sense objects reside in the various layers. Smell resides in the earth layer for instance. They are explained here, but are attained along with the various layers.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.29||
ghrāṇena gandhaṃ rasanena vai rasaṃ rūpaṃ ca dṛṣṭyā śvasanaṃ tvacaiva | śrotreṇa copetya nabho-guṇatvaṃ prāṇena cākūtim upaiti yogī ||
TRANSLATION The yogī attains smell, taste, form, touch, and sound, as well as the actions of the various action senses.
After the covering of ether, he attains very subtle coverings. That is logical. One attains outer covers which are the cause of the previous cause. Supplying portions of these causes, the Lord creates the universe as the effect. As with gandha-tanmātra (to create water), by supplying a portion of water, he creates earth. But because the tanmātras are subtle, none of this can be seen. It is invisible just like ether. Since there are eight coverings counted, the subtler coverings (smell etc.) are included within ether. That is how the statement should be considered. By smelling, he attains fragrance etc.
TEXT - SB 2.2.30
sa bhūta-sūkṣmendriya-sannikarṣaṁ
manomayaṁ devamayaṁ vikāryam
saṁsādya gatyā saha tena yāti
vijñāna-tattvaṁ guṇa-sannirodham
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he (the devotee); bhūta—the gross; sūkṣma—and the subtle; indriya—senses; sannikarṣam—the point of neutralization; manaḥ-mayam—the mental plane; deva-mayam—in the mode of goodness; vikāryam—egoism; saṁsādya—surpassing; gatyā—by the progress; saha—along with; tena—them; yāti—goes; vijñāna—perfect knowledge; tattvam—truth; guṇa—the material modes; sannirodham—completely suspended.
TRANSLATION
The devotee, thus surpassing the gross and the subtle forms of coverings, enters the plane of egoism. And in that status he merges the material modes of nature [ignorance and passion] in this point of neutralization and thus reaches egoism in goodness. After this, all egoism is merged in the mahat-tattva, and he comes to the point of pure self-realization.
PURPORT
Pure self-realization, as we have several times discussed, is the pure consciousness of admitting oneself to be the eternal servitor of the Lord. Thus one is reinstated in his original position of transcendental loving service to the Lord, as will be clearly explained in the following verse. This stage of rendering transcendental loving service to the Lord without any hopes of emolument from the Lord, or any other way, can be attained when the material senses are purified and the original pure state of the senses is revived. It is suggested herein that the process of purifying the senses is by the yogic way, namely the gross senses are merged in the mode of ignorance, and the subtle senses are merged in the mode of passion. The mind belongs to the mode of goodness and therefore is called devamaya, or godly. perfect purification of the mind is made possible when one is fixed in the conviction of being the eternal servitor of the Lord. Therefore simple attainment of goodness is also a material mode; one has to surpass this stage of material goodness and reach the point of purified goodness, or vasudeva-sattva. This vasudeva-sattva helps one to enter into the kingdom of God.
We may also remember in this connection that the process of gradual emancipation by the devotees in the manner mentioned above, although authoritative, is not viable in the present age because of people's being primarily unaware of yoga practice. The so-called yoga practice by the professional protagonists may be physiologically beneficial, but such small successes cannot help one in the attainment of spiritual emancipation as mentioned herein. Five thousand years ago, when the social status of human society was in perfect Vedic order, the yoga process mentioned herein was a common affair for everyone because everyone, and especially the brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya, was trained in the transcendental art under the care of the spiritual master far away from home, in the status of brahmacarya. Modern man, however, is incompetent to understand it perfectly.
Lord Śrī Caitanya, therefore, made it easier for the prospective devotee of the present age in the following specific manner. Ultimately there is no difference in the result. The first and foremost point is that one must understand the prime importance of bhakti-yoga. The living beings in different species of life are undergoing different terms of encagement according to their fruitive actions and reactions. But in the execution of different activities, one who secures some resources in bhakti-yoga can understand the importance of service to the Lord through the causeless mercy of the Lord, as well as that of the spiritual master. A sincere soul is helped by the Lord through meeting a bona fide spiritual master, the representative of the Lord. By the instruction of such a spiritual master, one gets the seed of bhakti-yoga. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that the devotee sow the seed of bhakti-yoga in his heart and nurture it by the watering of hearing and chanting the holy name, fame, etc., of the Lord. The simple process of offenselessly chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord will gradually promote one very soon to the stage of emancipation. There are three stages in chanting the holy name of the Lord. The first stage is the offensive chanting of the holy name, and the second is the reflective stage of chanting the holy name. The third stage is the offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord. In the second stage only, the stage of reflection, between the offensive and offenseless stages, one automatically attains the stage of emancipation. And in the offenseless stage, one actually enters into the kingdom of God, although physically he may apparently be within the material world. To attain the offenseless stage, one must be on guard in the following manner.
When we speak of hearing and chanting, it means that not only should one chant and hear of the holy name of the Lord as Rāma, Kṛṣṇa (or systematically the sixteen names Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare), but one should also read and hear the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the association of devotees. The primary practice of bhakti-yoga will cause the seed already sowed in heart to sprout, and by a regular watering process, as mentioned above, the bhakti-yoga creeper will begin to grow. By systematic nurturing, the creeper will grow to such an extent that it will penetrate the coverings of the universe, as we have heard in the previous verses, reach the effulgent sky, the brahmajyoti, and go farther and farther and reach the spiritual sky, where there are innumerable spiritual planets called Vaikuṇṭhalokas. Above all of them is Kṛṣṇaloka, or Goloka Vṛndāvana, wherein the growing creeper enters and takes repose at the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead. When one reaches the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa at Goloka Vṛndāvana, the watering process of hearing and reading, as also chanting of the holy name in the pure devotional stage, fructifies, and the fruits grown there in the form of love of God are tangibly tasted by the devotee, even though he is here in this material world. The ripe fruits of love of God are relished only by the devotees constantly engaged in the watering process as described above. But the working devotee must always be mindful so that the creeper which has so grown will not be cut off. Therefore he should be mindful of the following considerations:
(1) Offense by one at the feet of a pure devotee may be likened to the mad elephant who devastates a very good garden if it enters.
(2) One must be very careful to guard himself against such offenses at the feet of pure devotees, just as one protects a creeper by all-around fencing.
(3) It so happens that by the watering process some weeds are also grown, and unless such weeds are uprooted, the nurturing of the main creeper, or the creeper of bhakti-yoga, may be hampered.
(4) Actually these weeds are material enjoyment, merging of the self in the Absolute without separate individuality, and many other desires in the field of religion, economic development, sense enjoyment and emancipation.
(5) There are many other weeds, like disobedience to the tenets of the revered scriptures, unnecessary engagements, killing animals, and hankering after material gain, prestige and adoration.
(6) If sufficient care is not taken, then the watering process may only help to breed the weeds, stunting the healthy growth of the main creeper and resulting in no fructification of the ultimate requirement: love of God.
(7) The devotee must therefore be very careful to uproot the different weeds in the very beginning. Only then will the healthy growth of the main creeper not be stunted.
(8) And by so doing, the devotee is able to relish the fruit of love of God and thus live practically with Lord Kṛṣṇa, even in this life, and be able to see the Lord in every step.
The highest perfection of life is to enjoy life constantly in the association of the Lord, and one who can relish this does not aspire after any temporary enjoyment of the material world via other media.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.30
sa bhūta-sūkṣmendriya-sannikarṣaṁ
manomayaṁ devamayaṁ vikāryam |
saṁsādya gatyā saha tena yāti
vijñāna-tattvaṁ guṇa-sannirodham ||
Having described surpassing the gross and subtle elements, Śukadeva describes how the yogī attains the layer of false ego and then the layer of mahat-tattva. He attains the layer of false ego (vikāryam). Vikāryam means having various effects. In that false ego are merged (sannikarṣaḥ) the senses (indriya) and the sense objects (bhūta-sukṣma). The sense objects (as well as the elements) are merged into false ego in tamas. The senses are merged into false ego in rajas. The mind and the devatās of the senses (manomayam devamayam) are merged in the false ego in sattva. Then along with the false ego which remains, he goes to the layer of mahat-tattva (vijñāna-tattvam). He merges the false ego into the mahat-tattva. He then merges the mahat-tattva into pradhāna in which the guṇas stop functioning.[104]
Jiva's tika ||2.2.30||
sa bhūta-sūkṣmendriya-sannikarṣaṃ manomayaṃ devamayaṃ vikāryam | saṃsādya gatyā saha tena yāti vijnāna-tattvaṃ guṇa-sannirodham ||
TRANSLATION
The yogī attains the layer of false ego in which the sense objects, senses, mind and sense devatās are merged into the guṇas of tamas, rajas and sattva. He merges the false ego into the mahat-tattva layer. He then merges the mahat-tattva into the pradhāna, in which the guṇas have stopped functioning.
Tena means ahankāra. That merges into mahat-tattva (vijnāna-tattvam).
TEXT - SB 2.2.31
tenātmanātmānam upaiti śāntam
ānandam ānandamayo 'vasāne
etāṁ gatiṁ bhāgavatīṁ gato yaḥ
sa vai punar neha viṣajjate 'ṅga
SYNONYMS
tena—by that purified; ātmanā—by the self; ātmānam—the Supersoul; upaiti—attains; śāntam—rest; ānandam—satisfaction; ānanda-mayaḥ—naturally so being; avasāne—being freed from all material contamination; etām—such; gatim—destination; bhāgavatīm—devotional; gataḥ—attained by; yaḥ—the person; saḥ—he; vai—certainly; punaḥ—again; na—never; iha—in this material world; viṣajjate—becomes attracted; aṅga—O Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
TRANSLATION
Only the purified soul can attain the perfection of associating with the Personality of Godhead in complete bliss and satisfaction in his constitutional state. Whoever is able to renovate such devotional perfection is never again attracted by this material world, and he never returns.
PURPORT
We should specially note in this verse the description of gatiṁ bhāgavatīm. To become merged in the rays of the Parabrahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as desired by the brahmavādī impersonalist, is not bhāgavatīm perfection. The bhāgavatas never accept merging in the impersonal rays of the Lord, but always aspire after personal association with the Supreme Lord in one of the Vaikuṇṭha spiritual planets in the spiritual sky. The whole of the spiritual sky, of which the total number of the material skies is only an insignificant part, is full of unlimited numbers of Vaikuṇṭha planets. The destination of the devotee (the bhāgavata) is to enter into one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, in each of which the Personality of Godhead, in His unlimited personal expansions, enjoys Himself in the association of unlimited numbers of pure devotee associates. The conditioned souls in the material world, after gaining emancipation by devotional service, are promoted to these planets. But the number of ever-liberated souls is far, far greater than the number of conditioned souls in the material world, and the ever-liberated souls in the Vaikuṇṭha planets never care to visit this miserable material world.
The impersonalists, who aspire to merge in the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence of the Supreme Lord but have no conception of loving devotional service to Him in His personal form in the spiritual manifestation, may be compared to certain species of fish, who, being born in the rivers and rivulets, migrate to the great ocean. They cannot stay in the ocean indefinitely, for their urge for sense gratification brings them back to the rivers and streams to spawn. Similarly, when the materialist becomes frustrated in his attempts to enjoy himself in the limited material world, he may seek impersonal liberation by merging either with the Causal Ocean or with the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence. However, as neither the Causal Ocean nor the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence affords any superior substitute for association and engagement of the senses, the impersonalist will fall again into the limited material world to become entangled once more in the wheel of births and deaths, drawn on by the inextinguishable desire for sensual engagement. But any devotee who enters the kingdom of God by transcendental engagement of his senses in devotional service, and who associates with the liberated souls and the Personality of Godhead there, will never be attracted to the limited surroundings of the material world.
In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.15) also the same is confirmed, as the Lord says, "The great mahātmās, or the bhakti-yogīs, after attaining My association, never come back to this material world, which is full of miseries and is nonpermanent." The highest perfection of life, therefore, is to attain His association, and nothing else. The bhakti-yogī, being completely engaged in the Lord's service, has no attraction for any other process of liberation like jñāna or yoga. A pure devotee is a one hundred percent devotee of the Lord and nothing more.
We should further note in this verse the two words śāntam and ānandam, which denote that devotional service of the Lord can really bestow upon the devotee two important benedictions, namely peace and satisfaction. The impersonalist is desirous of becoming one with the Supreme, or in other words, he wants to become the Supreme. This is a myth only. The mystic yogīs become encumbered by various mystic powers and so have neither peace nor satisfaction. So neither the impersonalists nor the yogi can have real peace and satisfaction, but the devotee can become fully peaceful and satisfied because of his association with the complete whole. Therefore, merging in the Absolute or attaining some mystic powers has no attraction for the devotee.
Attainment of love of Godhead means complete freedom from all other attractions. The conditioned soul has many aspirations such as becoming a religious man, a rich man, or a first-class enjoyer or becoming God himself, or becoming powerful like the mystics and acting wonderfully by getting anything or doing anything, but all these aspirations should be rejected by the prospective devotee who actually wants to revive his dormant love of God. The impure devotee aspires after all of the abovementioned material things by perfection of devotion. But a pure devotee has none of the tinges of the above contaminations, which are the influence of material desires, impersonal speculations and attainment of mystic powers. One can attain the stage of love of God by pure devotional service, or by "a learned labor of love," for the sake of the devotee's lovable object, the Personality of Godhead.
To be more clear, if one wants to attain the stage of love of Godhead, he must give up all desires for material enjoyment, he should refrain from worshiping any of the demigods, and he should devote himself only to the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He must give up the foolish idea of becoming one with the Lord and the desire to have some wonderful powers just to get the ephemeral adoration of the world. The pure devotee is only favorably engaged in the service of the Lord, without any hope of emolument. This will bring about love of Godhead, or the stage of śāntam and ānandam, as stated in this verse.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.31
tenātmanātmānam upaiti śāntam
ānandam ānandamayo ’vasāne
etāṁ gatiṁ bhāgavatīṁ gato yaḥ
sa vai punar neha viṣajjate ’ṅga ||
O King! He merges his svarūpa along with pradhāna into the blissful, unchanging form of Mahā-viṣṇu. With that termination, he remains blissful. He who has attained this goal does not return to the material world.
Along with pradhāna (tena), in his svarūpa (atmanā), he attains the supreme brahman, the ādi-puruṣa (ātmānam), full of bliss, who is beyond the layer of prakṛti. This is the abode of Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī-viṣṇu. Finally he becomes bliss (ānandamayaḥ avasāne). This means that he merges into the Lord. He does not return to the material world.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.31||
tenātmanātmānam upaiti śāntam ānandam ānandamayo ’vasāne etāṃ gatiṃ bhāgavatīṃ gato yaḥ sa vai punar neha viṣajjate ’nga ||
TRANSLATION O King! He merges his svarūpa along with pradhāna into the blissful, unchanging form of Mahā-viṣṇu. With that termination, he remains blissful. He who has attained this goal does not return to the material world.
He merges pradhāna (tena) along with the pure ātmā (ātmanā) into Paramātmā, lord of Vaikuṇṭha (ātmanam). This is the meaning since the next line mentioned bhāgavatīm gatim. Śrīdhara Svāmī says that the worshippers of Bhagavān pierce the universe by their will and ascend to the place of Viṣṇu. According to him, beyond the coverings of prakṛti lies Mahā-vaikuṇṭha-loka. The covering of prakṛti is considered to be spread out.
TEXT - SB 2.2.32
ete sṛtī te nṛpa veda-gīte
tvayābhipṛṣṭe ca sanātane ca
ye vai purā brahmaṇa āha tuṣṭa
ārādhito bhagavān vāsudevaḥ
SYNONYMS
ete—all that is described; sṛtī—way; te—unto you; nṛpa—O Mahārāja Parīkṣit; veda-gīte—according to the version of the Vedas; tvayā—by Your Majesty; abhipṛṣṭe—being properly inquired; ca—also; sanātane—in the matter of eternal truth; ca—verily; ye—which; vai—certainly; purā—before; brahmaṇe—unto Lord Brahmā; āha—said; tuṣṭaḥ—being satisfied; ārādhitaḥ—being worshiped; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; vāsudevaḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa.
TRANSLATION
Your Majesty Mahārāja Parīkṣit, know that all that I have described in reply to your proper inquiry is just according to the version of the Vedas, and it is eternal truth. This was described personally by Lord Kṛṣṇa unto Brahmā, with whom the Lord was satisfied upon being properly worshiped.
PURPORT
The two different ways of reaching the spiritual sky and thereby getting emancipation from all material bondage, namely either the direct process of reaching the kingdom of God or the gradual process through the other higher planets of the universe, are set forth exactly according to the version of the Vedas. The Vedic versions in this connection are, yadā sarve pramucyante kāmā ye 'sya hṛdi śritāḥ/ atha martyo 'mṛto bhavaty atra brahma samaśnute (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.7) and te 'rcir abhisambhavanti (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 6.2.15): "Those who are free from all material desires, which are diseases of the heart, are able to conquer death and enter the kingdom of God through the Arci planets." These Vedic versions corroborate the version of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the latter is further confirmed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who affirms that the truth was disclosed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, to Brahmā, the first authority on the Vedas. The disciplic succession holds that the Vedas were uttered by Lord Kṛṣṇa to Brahmā, by Brahmā to Nārada, and by Nārada to Vyāsadeva, and then by Vyāsadeva to Śukadeva Gosvāmī and so on. So there is no difference between the versions of all the authorities. The truth is eternal, and as such there cannot be any new opinion about the truth. That is the way of knowing the knowledge contained in the Vedas. It is not a thing to be understood by one's erudite scholarship or by the fashionable interpretations of mundane scholars. There is nothing to be added and nothing to be subtracted, because the truth is the truth. One has to accept, after all, some authority. The modern scientists are also authorities for the common man for some scientific truths. The common man follows the version of the scientist. This means that the common man follows the authority. The Vedic knowledge is also received in that way. The common man cannot argue about what is beyond the sky or beyond the universe; he must accept the versions of the Vedas as they are understood by the authorized disciplic succession. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same process of understanding the Gītā is stated in the Fourth Chapter. If one does not follow the authoritative version of the ācāryas, he will vainly search after the truth mentioned in the Vedas.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.32
ete sṛtī te nṛpa veda-gīte
tvayābhipṛṣṭe ca sanātane ca |
ye vai purā brahmaṇa āha tuṣṭa
ārādhito bhagavān vāsudevaḥ ||
Vāsudeva, being satisfied, described to Brahmā long ago these two eternal paths to attain brahman, described in the Vedas, which were asked by you.
These are the paths to brahman. The first path is direct liberation. This is described in verse 21 with the words nirbhidya mūrdhan visṛjet paraṁ gataḥ. The second path is gradual liberation which was described starting with verse 22. These paths are described in the Vedas, not observed by me. The Vedas describe direct liberation:
yadā sarve pramucyante kāmā ye’sya hrdi sthitāḥ |
atha martyo’mṛto bhavaty atra brahma samaśnute ||
When one is free from all desires situated in the heart, then one becomes immortal and attains brahman. Katha Upaniṣad 2.3.14
Gradual liberation is described also in the Vedas with the section starting with te ’rcir abhisambhavanti: they reach the sun planet. (Brḥad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad)
Parīkṣit previously asked what a person who is dying should do. This answers the question.
TEXT - SB 2.2.33
na hy ato 'nyaḥ śivaḥ panthā
viśataḥ saṁsṛtāv iha
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogo yato bhavet
SYNONYMS
na—never; hi—certainly; ataḥ—beyond this; anyaḥ—any other; śivaḥ—auspicious; panthāḥ—means; viśataḥ—wandering; saṁsṛtau—in the material world; iha—in this life; vāsudeve—unto Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa; bhagavati—the Personality of Godhead; bhakti-yogaḥ—direct devotional service; yataḥ—wherein; bhavet—may result in.
TRANSLATION
For those who are wandering in the material universe, there is no more auspicious means of deliverance than what is aimed at in the direct devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
PURPORT
As will be clarified in the next verse, devotional service, or direct bhakti-yoga, is the only absolute and auspicious means of deliverance from the grip of material existence. There are many indirect methods for deliverance from the clutches of material existence, but none of them is as easy and auspicious as bhakti-yoga. The means of jñāna and yoga and other allied disciplines are not independent in delivering a performer. Such activities help one to reach the stage of bhakti-yoga after many, many years. In the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5) it is said that those who are attached to the impersonal feature of the Absolute are liable to many troubles in the pursuit of their desired goal, and the empiricist philosophers, searching after the Absolute Truth, realize the importance of Vāsudeva realization as all in all after many, many births (Bg. 7.19). As far as yoga systems are concerned, it is also said in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.47) that amongst the mystics who pursue the Absolute Truth, the one who is always engaged in the service of the Lord is the greatest of all. And the last instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) advises fully surrendering unto the Lord, leaving aside all other engagements or different processes for self-realization and liberation from material bondage. And the purport of all Vedic literatures is to induce one to accept the transcendental loving service of the Lord by all means.
As already explained in the texts of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (First Canto), either direct bhakti-yoga or the means which ultimately culminate in bhakti-yoga, without any tinge of fruitive activity, constitutes the highest form of religion. Everything else is simply a waste of time for the performer.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī and all other ācāryas, like Jīva Gosvāmī, agree that bhakti-yoga is not only easy, simple, natural and free from trouble, but is the only source of happiness for the human being.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.33
na hy ato ’nyaḥ śivaḥ panthā viśataḥ saṁsṛtāv iha |
vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogo yato bhavet ||
Now the path to attain the ultimate perfection of all is described. Because it produces bhakti-yoga or prema, there is no other auspicious path, a path without obstacles. Just as the two paths just described produce liberation, this path produces prema. Because this path produces the most excellent result, prema, even that path leading to the attainment of prema is far superior to the liberation attained by the two paths. Bhakti-yoga cannot be described as a method to attain liberation since its goal is prema.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.33||
na hy ato ’nyaḥ śivaḥ panthā viśataḥ saṃsṛtāv iha | vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogo yato bhavet ||
TRANSLATION There is no other auspicious path for those suffering in the material world, because this path produces prema for Bhagavān Vāsudeva.
Bhakti Sandarbha 28:
It was said:
sthiraṃ sukhaṃ cāsanam āsthito yatir yadā jihāsur imam anga lokam | kāle ca deśe ca mano na sajjayet prāṇān niyacchen manasā jitāsuḥ ||
O King! When the renounced yogī, seated comfortably on his seat, desires to give up his body, he does not attach the mind to time or place. Conquering life, he controls the senses by the mind. (SB 2.2.15)
yadi prayāsyan nṛpa pārameṣṭhyaṃ vaihāyasānām uta yad vihāram aṣṭādhipatyaṃ guṇa-sannivāye sahaiva gacchen manasendriyaiś ca ||
O King! If one endeavors for Brahma-loka or the playgrounds of the aerial beings who are endowed with eight mystic powers in the variegated universe, one goes to those places with the mind and senses. (SB 2.2.22)
Having spoken of immediate liberation and gradual liberation (krama-mukti) in jnāna and aṣṭānga-yoga (in the verse above), and having spoken of what is superior to that--offering actions to the Lord as a cause of bhakti-yoga, it must be concluded that direct bhakti-yoga is even better.
The commentary says, “Many people are on the path of liberation or austerity or yoga. However the wise accept this action (which pleases the Lord). That is expressed in this verse. From this action, bhakti-yoga arises. There is no other path without obstacles; there is no easier path (śivaḥ). What is indicated by yataḥ are activities performed to please the Lord. From these activities of bhakti (yataḥ) arises prema (bhakti-yogaḥ), for it is said sa vai puṃsāṃ paro dharma: this highest dharma is that which pleases the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.2.34
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena
trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā
tad adhyavasyat kūṭa-stho
ratir ātman yato bhavet
SYNONYMS
bhagavān—the great personality Brahmā; brahma—the Vedas; kārtsnyena—by summarization; triḥ—three times; anvīkṣya—scrutinizingly examined; manīṣayā—with scholarly attention; tat—that; adhyavasyat—ascertained it; kūṭa-sthaḥ—with concentration of the mind; ratiḥ—attraction; ātman (ātmani)-unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa; yataḥ—by which; bhavet—it so happens.
TRANSLATION
The great personality Brahmā, with great attention and concentration of the mind, studied the Vedas three times, and after scrutinizingly examining them, he ascertained that attraction for the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the highest perfection of religion.
PURPORT
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī is referring to the highest Vedic authority, Lord Brahmā, who is the qualitative incarnation of Godhead. The Vedas were taught to Brahmājī in the beginning of the material creation. Although Brahmājī was to hear Vedic instructions directly from the Personality of Godhead, in order to satisfy the inquisitiveness of all prospective students of the Vedas, Brahmājī, just like a scholar, studied the Vedas three times, as generally done by all scholars. He studied with great attention, concentrating on the purpose of the Vedas, and after scrutinizingly examining the whole process, he ascertained that becoming a pure, unalloyed devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the topmost perfection of all religious principles. And this is the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā directly presented by the Personality of Godhead. The Vedic conclusion is thus accepted by all ācāryas, and those who are against this conclusion are only veda-vāda-ratas, as explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.42).
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.34
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā |
tad adhyavasyat kūṭa-stho ratir ātman yato bhavet ||
“You are determining the path which is the essences of everything with your intelligence. Is there another path? Do I have any other path?”
The Lord himself first determined this with his intelligence. The Lord, endowed with independent omniscience, though he is the Supreme Lord, examined the Vedas (brahma) which come from his breathing three times. Just as sages go over the scriptures two or three times to gather the purport, the Lord, enacting the pastime of a sage, clarifying what was hard to understanding for the people in the meaning of the Vedas, reviewed everything three times, in a pastime to extract the essence of all the Vedic instructions. The śruti says sa munir bhūtvā samacintayat: the Lord became a sage and contemplated. But by this he gets a view of infinite Vedas recited by infinite Brahmās, with descriptions of infinite glories of Vaikuṇṭha. The Lord is not bewildered by this, for he is described as kūṭastha, unchanging. Amara-koṣa says kāla-vyāpī sa kūṭastha eka-rūpatayaiva yaḥ: kūṭastha means that which pervaded time with one form. The Lord himself says:
kiṁ vidhatte kim ācaṣṭe kim anūdya vikalpayet |
ity asyā hṛdayaṁ loke nānyo mad veda kaścana ||
What do the Vedas instruct as action? What is the final meaning of the Vedas? What alternatives do the Vedas raise? No one except me or my dear devotee knows the intended meaning of the Vedas. SB 11.21.42
He determined (adhyavasāt) that thing which is explained in all the Vedas, from which permanent (kūṭasthaḥ) prema (ratiḥ) arises in the self. Rati is the first stage of prema.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.34||
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā | tad adhyavasyat kūṭa-stho ratir ātman yato bhavet ||
TRANSLATION The unchanging Lord reviewed three times the Vedas completely with his intelligence, and determined that process which produces prema in the self.
Bhakti Sandarbha 29:
Bhakti-yoga is the perfection of all the Vedas. Brahmā, unchanging, with fixed mind (kūṭasthaḥ), reviewed the Vedas three times thoroughly and by his intelligence determined bhakti-yoga by which rati for the Lord (ātman) develops. The word ātman refers to the Lord since that is in agreement with the concluding statement later. The derivation of ātmā indicates this. Ātmā indicates the
supreme Lord since he spreads everywhere (ātatvāt) and creates everything like a mother (mātrṛtvāt).
Or the Lord himself, endowed with all qualities like omniscience and selfrevelation (Bhagavān), reviewed the Vedas (brahma) as a pastime to extract the meaning of all the Vedas, imitating sages who do so. Only the Lord can review the Vedas recited by unlimited Brahmās and composed of the qualities of unlimited Vaikuṇṭhas. In this meaning kuṭasthaḥ means the Lord is fixed in one form over all time. The Lord himself says:
kiṃ vidhatte kim ācaṣṭe kim anūdya vikalpayet ity asyā hṛdayaṃ loke nānyo mad veda kaścana
What do the Vedas instruct as action? What is the final meaning of the Vedas? What alternatives do the Vedas raise? No one except me or my dear devotee knows the intended meaning of the Vedas. (SB 11.21.42)
Śukadeva says nigama-kṛd upajahre bhṛnga-vad veda-sāram: like a bee He has collected this nectarean essence of all knowledge and self-realization. (SB 11.29.49)
TEXT - SB 2.2.35
bhagavān sarva-bhūteṣu
lakṣitaḥ svātmanā hariḥ
dṛśyair buddhy-ādibhir draṣṭā
lakṣaṇair anumāpakaiḥ
SYNONYMS
bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; sarva—all; bhūteṣu—in the living entities; lakṣitaḥ—is visible; sva-ātmanā—along with the self; hariḥ—the Lord; dṛśyaiḥ—by what is seen; buddhi-ādibhiḥ—by intelligence; draṣṭā—one who sees; lakṣaṇaiḥ—by different signs; anumāpakaiḥ—by hypothesis.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is in every living being along with the individual soul. And this fact is perceived and hypothesized in our acts of seeing and taking help from the intelligence.
PURPORT
The general argument of the common man is that since the Lord is not visible to our eyes, how can one either surrender unto Him or render transcendental loving service unto Him? To such a common man, here is a practical suggestion given by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī as to how one can perceive the Supreme Lord by reason and perception. Actually the Lord is not perceivable by our present materialized senses, but when one is convinced of the presence of the Lord by a practical service attitude, there is a revelation by the Lord's mercy, and such a pure devotee of the Lord can perceive the Lord's presence always and everywhere. He can perceive that intelligence is the form-direction of the Paramātmā plenary portion of the Personality of Godhead. The presence of Paramātmā in everyone's company is not very difficult to realize, even for the common man. The procedure is as follows. One can perceive one's self-identification and feel positively that he exists. He may not feel it very abruptly, but by using a little intelligence, he can feel that he is not the body. He can feel that the hand, the leg, the head, the hair and the limbs are all his bodily parts and parcels, but as such the hand, the leg, the head, etc., cannot be identified with his self. Therefore just by using intelligence he can distinguish and separate his self from other things that he sees. So the natural conclusion is that the living being, either man or beast, is the seer, and he sees besides himself all other things. So there is a difference between the seer and the seen. Now, by a little use of intelligence we can also readily agree that the living being who sees the things beyond himself by ordinary vision has no power to see or to move independently. All our ordinary actions and perceptions depend on various forms of energy supplied to us by nature in various combinations. Our senses of perception and of action, that is to say, our five perceptive senses of (1) hearing, (2) touch, (3) sight, (4) taste and (5) smell, as well as our five senses of action, namely (1) hands, (2) legs, (3) speech, (4) evacuation organs and (5) reproductive organs, and also our three subtle senses, namely (1) mind, (2) intelligence and (3) ego (thirteen senses in all), are supplied to us by various arrangements of gross or subtle forms of natural energy. And it is equally evident that our objects of perception are nothing but the products of the inexhaustible permutations and combinations of the forms taken by natural energy. As this conclusively proves that the ordinary living being has no independent power of perception or of motion, and as we undoubtedly feel our existence being conditioned by nature's energy, we conclude that he who sees is spirit, and that the senses as well as the objects of perception are material. The spiritual quality of the seer is manifest in our dissatisfaction with the limited state of materially conditioned existence. That is the difference between spirit and matter. There are some less intelligent arguments that matter develops the power of seeing and moving as a certain organic development, but such an argument cannot be accepted because there is no experimental evidence that matter has anywhere produced a living entity. Trust no future, however pleasant. Idle talks regarding future development of matter into spirit are actually foolish because no matter has ever developed the power of seeing or moving in any part of the world. Therefore it is definite that matter and spirit are two different identities, and this conclusion is arrived at by the use of intelligence. Now we come to the point that the things which are seen by a little use of intelligence cannot be animate unless we accept someone as the user of or director of the intelligence. Intelligence gives one direction like some higher authority, and the living being cannot see or move or eat or do anything without the use of intelligence. When one fails to take advantage of intelligence he becomes a deranged man, and so a living being is dependent on intelligence or the direction of a superior being. Such intelligence is all-pervading. Every living being has his intelligence, and this intelligence, being the direction of some higher authority, is just like a father giving direction to his son. The higher authority, who is present and residing within every individual living being, is the Superself.
At this point in our investigation, we may consider the following question: on the one hand we realize that all our perceptions and activities are conditioned by arrangements of material nature, yet we also ordinarily feel and say, "I am perceiving" or "I am doing." Therefore we can say that our material senses of perception and action are moving because we are identifying the self with the material body, and that the superior principle of Superself is guiding and supplying us according to our desire. By taking advantage of the guidance of Superself in the form of intelligence, we can either continue to study and to put into practice our conclusion that "I am not this body," or we can choose to remain in the false material identification, fancying ourselves to be the possessors and doers. Our freedom consists in orienting our desire either toward the ignorant, material misconception or the true, spiritual conception. We can easily attain to the true, spiritual conception by recognizing the Superself (Paramātmā) to be our friend and guide and by dovetailing our intelligence with the superior intelligence of Paramātmā. The Superself and the individual self are both spirit, and therefore the Superself and the individual self are both qualitatively one and distinct from matter. But the Superself and the individual self cannot be on an equal level because the Superself gives direction or supplies intelligence and the individual self follows the direction, and thus actions are performed properly. The individual is completely dependent on the direction of the Superself because in every step the individual self follows the direction of the Superself in the matter of seeing, hearing, thinking, feeling, willing, etc.
So far as common sense is concerned, we come to the conclusion that there are three identities, namely matter, spirit and Superspirit. Now if we go to the Bhagavad-gītā, or the Vedic intelligence, we can further understand that all three identities, namely matter, individual spirit, and the Superspirit, are all dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Superself is a partial representation or plenary portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Bhagavad-gītā affirms that the Supreme Personality of Godhead dominates all over the material world by His partial representation only. God is great, and He cannot be simply an order supplier of the individual selves; therefore the Superself cannot be a full representation of the Supreme Self, Puruṣottama, the Absolute Personality of Godhead. Realization of the Superself by the individual self is the beginning of self-realization, and by the progress of such self-realization one is able to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead by intelligence, by the help of authorized scriptures, and, principally, by the grace of the Lord. The Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary conception of the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the further explanation of the science of Godhead. So if we stick to our determination and pray for the mercy of the director of intelligence sitting within the same bodily tree, like a bird sitting with another bird (as explained in the Upaniṣads), certainly the purport of the revealed information in the Vedas becomes clear to our vision, and there is no difficulty in realizing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. The intelligent man therefore, after many births of such use of intelligence, surrenders himself at the lotus feet of Vāsudeva, as confirmed by the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19).
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.35
bhagavān sarva-bhūteṣu lakṣitaḥ svātmanā hariḥ |
dṛśyair buddhy-ādibhir draṣṭā lakṣaṇair anumāpakaiḥ ||
That rati takes five forms: śānti, prīti, sakhya, vātsalya and priyatā. The Lord explains this later.
na karhicin mat-parāḥ śānta-rūpe
naṅkṣyanti no me ’nimiṣo leḍhi hetiḥ
yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca
sakhā guruḥ suhṛdo daivam iṣṭam
The devotees in the spiritual world are not deprived of any enjoyment. My wheel of time does not afflict those devotees, for whom I am a lover, the ātmā, son, friend, elder, companion or worshipable deity. SB 3.25.38
First the unique shelter and object of śānti-rati is described. The Lord Bhagavān (hariḥ) is seen by the śānta devotees in himself and all others, since the Lord is all-pervading, by means of the antaryāmī (svātmanā). The Lord says viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat: by my portion I am situated everywhere in this universe. (BG 10.42)
How is the jīva or the antaryāmī by whom Kṛṣṇa is seen to be known? This takes place by inference. The jīva (draṣṭā) is known to exist by seeing his intelligence (dṛśyaiḥ buddhyādibhiḥ). The proposition is “Because we observe material intelligence, there is a conscious seer, the jīva.” The invariable concomitance to support this is “Intelligence and other factors necessarily accompany the jīva because they are causes of fulfilling his goals.” Similarly the antaryāmī is inferred by certain qualities (such as superior intelligence) which define him. All jīvas are dependent in their enjoying and acting, and even if they do the same activity, there are differing results for different jīvas, and sometimes no results for some jīvas. Thus the symptoms of the jīva will vary. That should be understood by the word ādi. The jīva, a doer and controller, is like a carpenter king, because he gets proportionate results as allotted by his master and sometimes no results, since he is not independent.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.35||
bhagavān sarva-bhūteṣu lakṣitaḥ svātmanā hariḥ | dṛśyair buddhy-ādibhir draṣṭā lakṣaṇair anumāpakaiḥ ||
TRANSLATION The śānta-bhakta sees the Supreme Lord in all beings by the mercy of Paramātmā. The Lord and jīva are inferred by symptoms such as their observable intelligence “How can others develop faith in the Lord?” That is explained in this verse.
Paramātmā Sandarbha 110:
First, the jīva (draṣṭā) is known (lakṣitaḥ) by intelligence and other means (buddhy-ādibhiḥ). Two ways are shown. The jīva is known by inconclusive reasoning (lakṣaṇaiḥ) concerning a conscious seer: perception (dṛśyaiḥ) of insentient objects like intelligence cannot take place without a seer who is selfrevealing or conscious. The jīva is also known by conclusive reasoning or vyāpti (anumāpakaiḥ): intelligence must be employed by an agent, just as an axe needs
a person holding it in order to cut a tree.
Bhagavān is also known. How? By antaryāmī (svātmanā), his aṃśa, who has entered into all beings who are the seers (sarva-bhūteṣu). First, antaryāmī is known by all seers. Then by that knowledge, Bhagavān is understood. That is inferred in two ways as previously. Antaryāmī is perceived by preliminary logic: the action of all the jīvas cannot occur without a particular inner instigator, since one sees that the doer and enjoyer (jīva) is not independent and since karma as a cause of his actions is insentient.
eṣa hy anenātmanā cakṣuṣā darśayati. srotreṇa śrāvayati. manasā mānayati. buddhyā bodhayati. tasmād etāv āhuḥ sṛtir asṛtiḥ
The Paramātmā makes the jīva see by the eye, hear by the ear, contemplate by the mind, become aware by the intelligence. Therefore they call one the known (jīva) and the other the unknown (Lord). (Bhāllaveya-śruti)
Next, Bhagavān is provisionally inferred by his aṃśa, antaryāmī, since antaryāmī cannot be concluded as the final being by the following logic: if the Lord enters with all his aṃśas into the jīvas (instead of just a portion of his whole self) for showing his power as antaryāmī, then he could not be the Lord, since he would no longer be complete. Gītā says:
atha vā bahunaitena kiṃ jnātena tavārjuna | viṣṭabhyāham idaṃ kṛtsnam ekāṃśena sthito jagat ||
But what is the use of knowing all these individual vibhūtis, Arjuna? Please understand: by just one portion of myself, I am firmly established in this universe. (BG 10.42)
Viṣṇu Purāṇa says sva-śakti-leśāvrta-bhūta-sargaḥ: all beings and creations are pervaded by a particle of the Lord’s śakti.
It should be concluded that the jīva is an entity who is impelled by a doer acting as the instigator since he is not independent. He is like a carpenter. In this way, just as antaryāmī has been proved by invariable concomitance (vyāpti), so Bhagavān is also proved by the same means: antaryāmī who dwells in the jīva of insignificant power is īśvara, but antaryāmī takes shelter of Bhagavān who is his shelter and source, just as the power of the carpenter to act takes shelter of the power of the king.
The following is also said in Bhāgavatam:
yathendriyaiḥ pṛthag-dvārair artho bahu-guṇāśrayaḥ eko nāneyate tadvad bhagavān śāstra-vartmabhiḥ
Just as one object, the substrate of many qualities, is perceived by the various senses in various ways, so Bhagavān is perceived variously by the various scriptural practices. (SB 3.32.33)
By this, it is proved that the goal of all scriptures is the same (Bhagavān).
TEXT - SB 2.2.36
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan
hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca
smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām
SYNONYMS
tasmāt—therefore; sarva—all; ātmanā—soul; rājan—O King; hariḥ—the Lord; sarvatra—everywhere; sarvadā—always; śrotavyaḥ—must be heard; kīrtitavyaḥ—glorified; ca—also; smartavyaḥ—be remembered; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; nṛṇām—by the human being.
TRANSLATION
O King, it is therefore essential that every human being hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, always and everywhere.
PURPORT
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī begins this verse with the word tasmāt, or "therefore," because in the previous verse he has already explained that there is no auspicious means for salvation other than the sublime process of bhakti-yoga. The bhakti-yoga process is practiced by the devotees in different methods like hearing, chanting, remembering, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, worshiping, praying, rendering service in love, becoming friendly, and offering all that one may possess. All nine methods are bona fide methods, and either all of them, some of them or even one of them can bring about the desired result for the sincere devotee. But out of all the nine different methods, the first one, namely hearing, is the most important function in the process of bhakti-yoga. Without hearing sufficiently and properly, no one can make any progress by any of the methods of practice. And for hearing only, all the Vedic literatures are there, compiled by authorized persons like Vyāsadeva, who is the powerful incarnation of Godhead. And since it has been ascertained that the Lord is the Supersoul of everything, He should therefore be heard and glorified everywhere and always. That is the special duty of the human being. When the human being gives up the process of hearing about the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, he becomes victim to hearing rubbish transmitted by man-made machines. Machinery is not bad because through the machine one can take advantage of hearing about the Lord, but because machinery is used for ulterior purposes, it is creating rapid degradation in the standard of human civilization. It is said here that it is incumbent upon the human beings to hear because the scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are made for that purpose. Living beings other than human beings have no ability to hear such Vedic literatures. If human society gives itself to the process of hearing the Vedic literature, it will not become a victim to the impious sounds vibrated by impious men who degrade the standards of the total society. Hearing is solidified by the process of chanting. One who has perfectly heard from the perfect source becomes convinced about the all-pervading Personality of Godhead and thus becomes enthusiastic in glorifying the Lord. All the great ācāryas, like Rāmānuja, Madhva, Caitanya, Sarasvatī Ṭhākura or even, in other countries, Muhammad, Christ and others, have all extensively glorified the Lord by chanting always and in every place. Because the Lord is all-pervading, it is essential to glorify Him always and everywhere. In the process of glorifying the Lord there should be no restriction of time and space. This is called sanātana-dharma or bhāgavata-dharma. Sanātana means eternal, always and everywhere. Bhāgavata means pertaining to Bhagavān, the Lord. The Lord is the master of all time and all space, and therefore the Lord's holy name must be heard, glorified and remembered everywhere in the world. That will bring about the desired peace and prosperity so eagerly awaited by the people of the world. The word ca includes all the remaining processes or methods of bhakti-yoga, as mentioned above.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.36
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā |
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām ||
O King! Therefore, at all times and all places without restriction men should hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord with full concentration of mind.
This verse describes the sādhana which were mentioned in verses 33 and 34. Since there is no other auspicious path (as mentioned in verse 33), therefore (tasmād), one must hear about the Lord. Or tasmāt can indicate a conclusion to verse 35, “Since the Lord is seen in all beings by the śānta-bhakta, one should hear about the Lord to realize him.” One should do this at all times and places (sarvatra sarvadā). This indicates there is no restriction on time and place. One should do it with the complete mind (sarvātmanā), not with some parts of the mind being attached to karma and jñāna.
tasmād ekena manasā bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ |
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadā ||
Therefore, with mind dedicated only to bhakti, devoid of karma and jñāna, one should constantly hear about, glorify and meditate upon the Supreme Lord, master of the devotees. SB 1.2.14
Because the same items are repeated in both verses, one should understand that these are the chief items of bhakti. However other items such as serving the lotus feet are also indicated though not explicitly stated.
Jiva's tika ||2.2.36||
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā | śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām ||
TRANSLATION O King! Therefore, at all times and all places without restriction men should hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord with full concentration of mind
Since rati manifests, the conclusion is expressed this verse through answering the question posed in SB 1.19.38:
yac chrotavyam atho japyaṃ yat kartavyaṃ nṛbhiḥ prabho | smartavyaṃ bhajanīyaṃ vā brūhi yad vā viparyayam ||
O master! Please tell me what men must hear, chant, remember and worship, or what they should not hear, chant, remember or worship.
The word ca indicates other actions, like serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.2.37
pibanti ye bhagavata ātmanaḥ satāṁ
kathāmṛtaṁ śravaṇa-puṭeṣu sambhṛtam
punanti te viṣaya-vidūṣitāśayaṁ
vrajanti tac-caraṇa-saroruhāntikam
SYNONYMS
pibanti—who drink; ye—those; bhagavataḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; ātmanaḥ—of the most dear; satām—of devotees; kathā-amṛtam—the nectar of the messages; śravaṇa-puṭeṣu—within the earholes; sambhṛtam—fully filled; punanti—purify; te—their; viṣaya—material enjoyment; vidūṣita-āśayam—polluted aim of life; vrajanti—do go back; tat—the Lord's; caraṇa—feet; saroruha-antikam—near the lotus.
TRANSLATION
Those who drink through aural reception, fully filled with the nectarean message of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the beloved of the devotees, purify the polluted aim of life known as material enjoyment and thus go back to Godhead, to the lotus feet of Him [the Personality of Godhead].
PURPORT
The sufferings of human society are due to a polluted aim of life, namely lording it over the material resources. The more human society engages in the exploitation of undeveloped material resources for sense gratification, the more it will be entrapped by the illusory, material energy of the Lord, and thus the distress of the world will be intensified instead of diminished. The human necessities of life are fully supplied by the Lord in the shape of food grains, milk, fruit, wood, stone, sugar, silk, jewels, cotton, salt, water, vegetables, etc., in sufficient quantity to feed and care for the human race of the world as well as the living beings on each and every planet within the universe. The supply source is complete, and only a little energy by the human being is required to get his necessities into the proper channel. There is no need of machines and tools or huge steel plants for artificially creating comforts of life. Life is never made comfortable by artificial needs, but by plain living and high thinking. The highest perfectional thinking for human society is suggested here by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, namely, sufficiently hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. For men in this age of Kali, when they have lost the perfect vision of life, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the torchlight by which to see the real path. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhupāda has commented on the kathāmṛtam mentioned in this verse and has indicated Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to be the nectarean message of the Personality of Godhead. By sufficient hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the polluted aim of life, namely lording it over matter, will subside, and the people in general in all parts of the world will be able to live a peaceful life of knowledge and bliss.
For a pure devotee of the Lord, any topics in relation with His name, fame, quality, entourage, etc., are all pleasing, and because such topics have been approved by great devotees like Nārada, Hanumān, Nanda Mahārāja and other inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, certainly such messages are transcendental and pleasing to the heart and soul.
And by the constant hearing of the messages of the Bhagavad-gītā, and later of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one is assured herein by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī that he will reach the Personality of Godhead and render Him transcendental loving service in the spiritual planet of the name Goloka Vṛndāvana, which resembles a huge lotus flower.
Thus by the process of bhakti-yoga, directly accepted, as suggested in this verse, by sufficient hearing of the transcendental message of the Lord, the material contamination is directly eliminated without one's attempting to contemplate the impersonal virāṭ conception of the Lord. And by practicing bhakti-yoga, if the performer is not purified from the material contamination, he must be a pseudodevotee. For such an imposter there is no remedy for being freed from material entanglement.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.2.37
pibanti ye bhagavata ātmanaḥ satāṁ
kathāmṛtaṁ śravaṇa-puṭeṣu sambhṛtam |
punanti te viṣaya-vidūṣitāśayaṁ
vrajanti tac-caraṇa-saroruhāntikam ||
Those who drink the sweet pastimes of the Lord and his devotees held in the cups of their ears clean their hearts of all contamination and attain the lotus feet of the Lord for service.
Speaking of the common experience in prema of the four other types of rati, this verse shows the result. Those who hear the sweet pastimes of Bhagavān himself become purified. Bhagavān here indicates Nārāyaṇa, Rāma or Kṛṣṇa; or it can indicate in Kṛṣṇa himself, the form worshipped according to one’s bhāva: the bālya, paugaṇḍa or kaiśora form. And according to the form of the Lord, they hear the sweet pastimes of his devotees, such as Nārada, Hanumān, Nanda, and Śrīdāma. The word “drink” indicates that these devotees have developed rati, for that word “drinking” is used aptly to describe those have reached perfection in relishing sweetness. Those who have not developed rati are directed to sādhana to attain rati, such as the previous verse. Those who drink the topics of the Lord wash out their antaḥ-karaṇa (āśayam), (which is already pure). This is the unsought result. They attain the lotus feet of the Lord, in order to serve the Lord. This is the sought result. This answers the question what is the highest perfection asked in SB 1.19.37.
Worship of Devatās
Jiva's tika ||2.2.37||
pibanti ye bhagavata ātmanaḥ satāṃ kathāmṛtaṃ śravaṇa-puṭeṣu sambhṛtam | punanti te viṣaya-vidūṣitāśayaṃ vrajanti tac-caraṇa-saroruhāntikam ||
TRANSLATION Those who drink the sweet pastimes of the Lord and his devotees held in the cups of their ears clean their hearts of all contamination and attain the lotus feet of the Lord for service.
Paramātmā Sandarbha 108:
Showing the appearance of rati through mainly hearing, the height of greatness of hearing is described. Those who drink the sweet topics of the devotees (satām) and the lord of their life (ātmanaḥ), or those who drink the sweet topics of the devotees of the Lord who is their own, clean their hearts of all contamination. The devotees have great possessiveness of the Lord as their master. They clean their hearts through hearing, not meditating on the gross universal form mentioned previously, since bhakti-yoga purifies by its very nature, without effort. The sweet topics means mainly Bhāgavatam, which is being praised.
It was said: yasyāṃ vai śrūyamāṇāyāṃ kṛṣṇe parama-pūruṣe | bhaktir utpadyate puṃsaḥ śoka-moha-bhayāpahā ||
By hearing Bhāgavatam, bhakti for the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa appears. Hearing it also destroys lamentation, illusion and fear in the human being. SB 1.7.7.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Second Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Lord in the Heart."
3. Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart
verses: 1, 2-7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
TEXT - SB 2.3.1
śrī-śuka uvāca
evam etan nigaditaṁ
pṛṣṭavān yad bhavān mama
nṛṇāṁ yan mriyamāṇānāṁ
manuṣyeṣu manīṣiṇām
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evam—so; etat—all these; nigaditam—answered; pṛṣṭavān—as you inquired; yat—what; bhavān—your good self; mama—unto me; nṛṇām—of the human being; yat—one; mriyamāṇānām—on the threshold of death; manuṣyeṣu—amongst the human beings; manīṣiṇām—of the intelligent men.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Parīkṣit, as you have inquired from me as to the duty of the intelligent man who is on the threshold of death, so I have answered you.
PURPORT
In human society all over the world there are millions and billions of men and women, and almost all of them are less intelligent because they have very little knowledge of spirit soul. Almost all of them have a wrong conception of life, for they identify themselves with the gross and subtle material bodies, which they are not, in fact. They may be situated in different high and low positions in the estimation of human society, but one should know definitely that unless one inquires about his own self beyond the body and the mind, all his activities in human life are total failures. Therefore out of thousands and thousands of men, one may inquire about his spirit self and thus consult the revealed scriptures like Vedānta-sūtras, Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But in spite of reading and hearing such scriptures, unless one is in touch with a realized spiritual master, he cannot actually realize the real nature of self, etc. And out of thousands and hundreds of thousands of men, someone may know what Lord Kṛṣṇa is in fact. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 20.122-123) it is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy, prepared the Vedic literatures in the incarnation of Vyāsadeva for reading by the intelligent class of men in a human society which is almost totally forgetful of the genuine relation with Kṛṣṇa. Even such an intelligent class of men may be forgetful in their relation with the Lord. The whole bhakti-yoga process is therefore a revival of the lost relation. This revival is possible in the human form of life, which is obtained only out of the evolutionary cycle of 8,400,000 species of life. The intelligent class of human being must take a serious note of this opportunity. Not all human beings are intelligent, so the importance of human life is not always understood. Therefore manīṣiṇām, meaning "thoughtful," is particularly used here. A manīṣiṇām person, like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, must therefore take to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa and fully engage himself in devotional service, hearing, chanting, etc., of the holy name and pastimes of the Lord, which are all hari-kathāmṛta. This action is especially recommended when one is preparing for death.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.1
śrī-śuka uvāca—
evam etan nigaditaṁ pṛṣṭavān yad bhavān mama |
nṛṇāṁ yan mriyamāṇānāṁ manuṣyeṣu manīṣiṇām ||
In the Third Chapter it is explained that the results of worshipping devatās is insignificant and that senses are useless without being employed in bhakti to the Lord.
What you asked about duties of the dying person I have explained in terms of the two paths for the yogī. Among those person, from those who are wise and dying, such as you, I have described the process of hearing, glorifying and remembering the sweet pastimes of the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.3.2-7
brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu
yajeta brahmaṇaḥ patim
indram indriya-kāmas tu
prajā-kāmaḥ prajāpatīn
devīṁ māyāṁ tu śrī-kāmas
tejas-kāmo vibhāvasum
vasu-kāmo vasūn rudrān
vīrya-kāmo 'tha vīryavān
annādya-kāmas tv aditiṁ
svarga-kāmo 'diteḥ sutān
viśvān devān rājya-kāmaḥ
sādhyān saṁsādhako viśām
āyuṣ-kāmo 'śvinau devau
puṣṭi-kāma ilāṁ yajet
pratiṣṭhā-kāmaḥ puruṣo
rodasī loka-mātarau
rūpābhikāmo gandharvān
strī-kāmo 'psara urvaśīm
ādhipatya-kāmaḥ sarveṣāṁ
yajeta parameṣṭhinam
yajñaṁ yajed yaśas-kāmaḥ
kośa-kāmaḥ pracetasam
vidyā-kāmas tu giriśaṁ
dāmpatyārtha umāṁ satīm
SYNONYMS
brahma—the absolute; varcasa—effulgence; kāmaḥ tu—but one who desires in that way; yajeta—do worship; brahmaṇaḥ—of the Vedas; patim—the master; indram—the King of heaven; indriya-kāmaḥ tu—but one who desires strong sense organs; prajā-kāmaḥ—one who desires many offspring; prajāpatīn—the Prajāpatis; devīm—the goddess; māyām—unto the mistress of the material world; tu—but; śrī-kāmaḥ—one who desires beauty; tejaḥ—power; kāmaḥ—one who so desires; vibhāvasum—the fire-god; vasu-kāmaḥ—one who wants wealth; vasūn—the Vasu demigods; rudrān—the Rudra expansions of Lord Śiva; vīrya-kāmaḥ—one who wants to be very strongly built; atha—therefore; vīryavān—the most powerful; anna-adya—grains; kāmaḥ—one who so desires; tu—but; aditim—Aditi, mother of the demigods; svarga—heaven; kāmaḥ—so desiring; aditeḥ sutān—the sons of Aditi; viśvān—Viśvadeva; devān—demigods; rājya-kāmaḥ—those who hanker for kingdoms; sādhyān—the Sādhya demigods; saṁsādhakaḥ—what fulfills the wishes; viśām—of the mercantile community; āyuḥ-kāmaḥ—desirous of long life; aśvinau—the two demigods known as the Aśvinī brothers; devau—the two demigods; puṣṭi-kāmaḥ—one who desires a strongly built body; ilām—the earth; yajet—must worship; pratiṣṭhā-kāmaḥ—one who desires good fame, or stability in a post; puruṣaḥ—such men; rodasī—the horizon; loka-mātarau—and the earth; rūpa—beauty; abhikāmaḥ—positively aspiring for; gandharvān—the residents of the Gandharva planet, who are very beautiful and are expert in singing; strī-kāmaḥ—one who desires a good wife; apsaraḥ urvaśīm—the society girls of the heavenly kingdom; ādhipatya-kāmaḥ—one who desires to dominate others; sarveṣām—everyone; yajeta—must worship; parameṣṭhinam—Brahmā, the head of the universe; yajñam—the Personality of Godhead; yajet—must worship; yaśaḥ-kāmaḥ—one who desires to be famous; kośa-kāmaḥ—one who desires a good bank balance; pracetasam—the treasurer of heaven, known as Varuṇa; vidyā-kāmaḥ tu—but one who desires education; giriśam—the lord of the Himalayas, Lord Śiva; dāmpatya-arthaḥ—and for conjugal love; umām satīm—the chaste wife of Lord Śiva, known as Umā.
TRANSLATION
One who desires to be absorbed in the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence should worship the master of the Vedas [Lord Brahmā or Bṛhaspati, the learned priest], one who desires powerful sex should worship the heavenly King, Indra, and one who desires good progeny should worship the great progenitors called the Prajāpatis. One who desires good fortune should worship Durgādevī, the superintendent of the material world. One desiring to be very powerful should worship fire, and one who aspires only after money should worship the Vasus. One should worship the Rudra incarnations of Lord Śiva if he wants to be a great hero. One who wants a large stock of grains should worship Aditi. One who desires to attain the heavenly planets should worship the sons of Aditi. One who desires a worldly kingdom should worship Viśvadeva, and one who wants to be popular with the general mass of population should worship the Sādhya demigod. One who desires a long span of life should worship the demigods known as the Aśvinī-kumāras, and a person desiring a strongly built body should worship the earth. One who desires stability in his post should worship the horizon and the earth combined. One who desires to be beautiful should worship the beautiful residents of the Gandharva planet, and one who desires a good wife should worship the Apsarās and the Urvaśī society girls of the heavenly kingdom. One who desires domination over others should worship Lord Brahmā, the head of the universe. One who desires tangible fame should worship the Personality of Godhead, and one who desires a good bank balance should worship the demigod Varuṇa. If one desires to be a greatly learned man he should worship Lord Śiva, and if one desires a good marital relation he should worship the chaste goddess Umā, the wife of Lord Śiva.
PURPORT
There are different modes of worship for different persons desiring success in particular subjects. The conditioned soul living within the purview of the material world cannot be an expert in every type of materially enjoyable asset, but one can have considerable influence over a particular matter by worshiping a particular demigod, as mentioned above. Rāvaṇa was made a very powerful man by worshiping Lord Śiva, and he used to offer severed heads to please Lord Śiva. He became so powerful by the grace of Lord Śiva that all the demigods were afraid of him, until he at last challenged the Personality of Godhead Śrī Rāmacandra and thus ruined himself. In other words, all such persons who aspire after gaining some or all of the material objects of enjoyment, or the gross materialistic persons, are on the whole less intelligent, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20). It is said there that those who are bereft of all good sense, or those whose intelligence is withdrawn by the deluding energy of māyā, aspire to achieve all sorts of material enjoyment in life by pleasing the various demigods, or by advancing in material civilization under the heading of scientific progress. The real problem of life in the material world is to solve the question of birth, death, old age and disease. No one wants to change his birthright, no one wants to meet death, no one wants to be old or invalid, and no one wants diseases. But these problems are solved neither by the grace of any demigod nor by the so-called advancement of material science. In the Bhagavad-gītā, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, such less intelligent persons have been described as devoid of all good sense. Śukadeva Gosvāmī said that out of the 8,400,000 species of living entities, the human form of life is rare and valuable, and out of those rare human beings those who are conscious of the material problems are rarer still, and the still more rare persons are those who are conscious of the value of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which contains the messages of the Lord and His pure devotees. Death is inevitable for everyone, intelligent or foolish. But Parīkṣit Mahārāja has been addressed by the Gosvāmī as the manīṣī, or the man of highly developed mind, because at the time of death he left all material enjoyment and completely surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord by hearing His messages from the right person, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. But aspirations for material enjoyment by endeavoring persons are condemned. Such aspirations are something like the intoxication of the degraded human society. Intelligent persons should try to avoid these aspirations and seek instead the permanent life by returning home, back to Godhead.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.2-7
Now hear the activities for those who are not intelligent among men. Or this section can be said to be supplied as an explanation of who should be worshipped, by first showing the deities whom the foolish worship. This description continues until verse 9. Brahmaṇaḥ patim means “the master of the Vedas.” The Prajāpatis are the sons of Brahmā such as Dakṣa.
Māyām means Durgā, vibhāvasum is Agni. The strong man (vīryavān) who desires abundant semen to enjoy with many women (vīrya-kāmaḥ) should worship the Rudras.
Annādyam means to feed others or to eat. Aditi’s sons are the twelve Ādityas. Viśām saṁṣādhakaḥ means those engaged in agriculture and trading.
Ilām means earth. Pratiṣṭhām means they do not want to fall from their position. Rodasī means the heaven and earth.
Apsara urvaśīm means the Apsarās and Urvaśī.
Yajñam is a name of Indra. Dampatyārthaḥ means a person desiring mutual affection between a man and woman.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.3|| devīṃ māyāṃ tu śrī-kāmas tejas-kāmo vibhāvasum | vasu-kāmo vasūn rudrān vīrya-kāmo ’tha vīryavān ||
TRANSLATION The person who desires prosperity should worship Durgā, and the person desiring energy should worship Agni. The person desiring wealth should worship eight Vasus, and the strong person desiring virility should worship the Rudras.
Vīryavān means a person bold enough to cut throats.
TEXT - SB 2.3.8
dharmārtha uttama-ślokaṁ
tantuḥ tanvan pitṝn yajet
rakṣā-kāmaḥ puṇya-janān
ojas-kāmo marud-gaṇān
SYNONYMS
dharma-arthaḥ—for spiritual advancement; uttama-ślokam—the Supreme Lord or persons attached to the Supreme Lord; tantuḥ—for offspring; tanvan—and for their protection; pitṝn—the residents of Pitṛloka; yajet—must worship; rakṣā-kāmaḥ—one who desires protection; puṇya-janān—pious persons; ojaḥ-kāmaḥ—one who desires strength should worship; marut-gaṇān—the demigods.
TRANSLATION
One should worship Lord Viṣṇu or His devotee for spiritual advancement in knowledge, and for protection of heredity and advancement of a dynasty one should worship the various demigods.
PURPORT
The path of religion entails making progress on the path of spiritual advancement, ultimately reviving the eternal relation with Lord Viṣṇu in His impersonal effulgence, His localized Paramātmā feature, and ultimately His personal feature by spiritual advancement in knowledge. And one who wants to establish a good dynasty and be happy in the progress of temporary bodily relations should take shelter of the Pitās and the demigods in other pious planets. Such different classes of worshipers of different demigods may ultimately reach the respective planets of those demigods within the universe, but he who reaches the spiritual planets in the brahmajyoti achieves the highest perfection.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.8
dharmārtha uttama-ślokaṁ tantuḥ tanvan pitṝn yajet |
rakṣā-kāmaḥ puṇya-janān ojas-kāmo marud-gaṇān ||
Uttamaḥ-ślokam means Dharma. Tantuḥ tanvan means desiring increase of descendents. Puṇya-janān means the Yakṣas. The Maruts are devatās.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.8||
dharmārtha uttama-ślokaṃ tantuḥ tanvan pitčn yajet | rakṣā-kāmaḥ puṇya-janān ojas-kāmo marud-gaṇān ||
TRANSLATION The person desiring dharma should worship Dharma. The person desiring many descendants should worship the Pitṛs. The person desiring protection should
worship the Yakṣas. The person desiring strong senses should worship the Maruts.
Utttamaśloka refers to Viṣṇu. That name or the name Puṇyaśloka applied to Nala is an upādhi. Or uttamaśloka means the person famous for performing dharma (Dharmarāja).
TEXT - SB 2.3.9
rājya-kāmo manūn devān
nirṛtiṁ tv abhicaran yajet
kāma-kāmo yajet somam
akāmaḥ puruṣaṁ param
SYNONYMS
rājya-kāmaḥ—anyone desiring an empire or kingdom; manūn—the Manus, semi-incarnations of God; devān—demigods; nirṛtim—demons; tu—but; abhicaran—desiring victory over the enemy; yajet—should worship; kāma-kāmaḥ—one who desires sense gratification; yajet—should worship; somam—the demigod named Candra; akāmaḥ—one who has no material desires to be fulfilled; puruṣam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; param—the Supreme.
TRANSLATION
One who desires domination over a kingdom or an empire should worship the Manus. One who desires victory over an enemy should worship the demons, and one who desires sense gratification should worship the moon. But one who desires nothing of material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
For a liberated person, all the enjoyments listed above are considered to be absolutely useless. Only those who are conditioned by the material modes of external energy are captivated by different types of material enjoyment. In other words, the transcendentalist has no material desires to be fulfilled, whereas the materialist has all types of desires to be fulfilled. The Lord has proclaimed that the materialists, who desire material enjoyment and thus seek the favor of different demigods, as above mentioned, are not in control of their senses and so give themselves to nonsense. One should therefore not desire any sort of material enjoyment, being sensible enough to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The leaders of nonsensical persons are still more nonsensical because they preach openly and foolishly that one can worship any form of demigod and get the same result. This sort of preaching is not only against the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā, or those of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but is also foolish, just as it is foolish to claim that with the purchase of any travel ticket one may reach the same destination. No one can reach Bombay from Delhi by purchasing a ticket for Baroda. It is clearly defined herein that persons impregnated with different desires have different modes of worship, but one who has no desire for material enjoyment should worship the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. And this worshiping process is called devotional service. Pure devotional service means service to the Lord without any tinge of material desires, including desire for fruitive activity and empiric speculation. For fulfillment of material desires one may worship the Supreme Lord, but the result of such worship is different, as will be explained in the next verse. Generally the Lord does not fulfill anyone's material desires for sense enjoyment, but He awards such benedictions to worshipers of the Lord, for they ultimately come to the point of not desiring material enjoyment. The conclusion is that one must minimize the desires for material enjoyment, and for this one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described here as param, or beyond anything material. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has also stated, nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktāt: the Supreme Lord is beyond the material encirclement.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.9
rājya-kāmo manūn devān nirṛtiṁ tv abhicaran yajet |
kāma-kāmo yajet somam akāmaḥ puruṣaṁ param ||
Rājya means “desire to be a king.” This is distinguished from desiring a kingdom for which one worships the Viśva-devas mentioned in verse 4. Manūn refers to the Manus who protect the Manvantaras (seventy-one yuga cycles each). Abhicaran means killing enemies. Nirṛtim is a Rākṣasa. Kāma-kāmaḥ means desiring sense gratification. Having mentioned the activities of the foolish people, Śukadeva then mentions the activity of the intelligent person. The person desiring to destroy all material desires (akāmaḥ) should worship the supreme person, Bhagavān.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.9|| rājya-kāmo manūn devān nirṛtiṃ tv abhicaran yajet | kāma-kāmo yajet somam akāmaḥ puruṣaṃ param ||
TRANSLATION The person desiring to be a king should worship the Manus. The person desiring to kill enemies should worship Nirṛti, a Rākṣasa. The person desiring sense gratification should worship Soma. The person desiring to destroy all material desires should worship the Supreme Lord.
Akāma means desiring to destroy all desires. According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, puruṣam means the Lord, who exists when prakṛti is negated. After projecting some relationship, one then thinks of its absence. That is the negation of prakṛti. With the negation, the Lord remains.
TEXT - SB 2.3.10
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param
SYNONYMS
akāmaḥ—one who has transcended all material desires; sarva-kāmaḥ—one who has the sum total of material desires; vā—either; mokṣa-kāmaḥ—one who desires liberation; udāra-dhīḥ—with broader intelligence; tīvreṇa—with great force; bhakti-yogena—by devotional service to the Lord; yajeta—should worship; puruṣam—the Lord; param—the supreme whole.
TRANSLATION
A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as puruṣottama, or the Supreme Personality. It is He only who can award liberation to the impersonalists by absorbing such aspirants in the brahmajyoti, the bodily rays of the Lord. The brahmajyoti is not separate from the Lord, as the glowing sun ray is not independent of the sun disc. Therefore one who desires to merge into the supreme impersonal brahmajyoti must also worship the Lord by bhakti-yoga, as recommended here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhakti-yoga is especially stressed here as the means of all perfection. In the previous chapters it has been stated that bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal of both karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga, and in the same way in this chapter it is emphatically declared that bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal of the different varieties of worship of the different demigods. Bhakti-yoga, thus being the supreme means of self-realization, is recommended here. Everyone must therefore seriously take up the methods of bhakti-yoga, even though one aspires for material enjoyment or liberation from material bondage.
Akāmaḥ is one who has no material desire. A living being, naturally being the part and parcel of the supreme whole puruṣaṁ pūrṇam, has as his natural function to serve the Supreme Being, just as the parts and parcels of the body, or the limbs of the body, are naturally meant to serve the complete body. Desireless means, therefore, not to be inert like the stone, but to be conscious of one's actual position and thus desire satisfaction only from the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this desirelessness as bhajanīya-parama-puruṣa-sukha-mātra-sva-sukhatvam in his Sandarbha. This means that one should feel happy only by experiencing the happiness of the Supreme Lord. This intuition of the living being is sometimes manifested even during the conditioned stage of a living being in the material world, and such intuition is expressed in the manner of altruism, philanthropy, socialism, communism, etc., by the undeveloped minds of less intelligent persons. In the mundane field such an outlook of doing good to others in the form of society, community, family, country or humanity is a partial manifestation of the same original feeling in which a pure living entity feels happiness by the happiness of the Supreme Lord. Such superb feelings were exhibited by the damsels of Vrajabhūmi for the happiness of the Lord. The gopīs loved the Lord without any return, and this is the perfect exhibition of the akāmaḥ spirit. Kāma spirit, or the desire for one's own satisfaction, is fully exhibited in the material world, whereas the spirit of akāmaḥ is fully exhibited in the spiritual world.
Thoughts of becoming one with the Lord, or being merged in the brahmajyoti, can also be exhibitions of kāma spirit if they are desires for one's own satisfaction to be free from the material miseries. A pure devotee does not want liberation so that he may be relieved from the miseries of life. Even without so-called liberation, a pure devotee is aspirant for the satisfaction of the Lord. Influenced by the kāma spirit, Arjuna declined to fight in the Kurukṣetra battlefield because he wanted to save his relatives for his own satisfaction. But being a pure devotee, he agreed to fight on the instruction of the Lord because he came to his senses and realized that satisfaction of the Lord at the cost of his own satisfaction was his prime duty. Thus he became akāma. That is the perfect stage of a perfect living being.
Udāra-dhīḥmeans one who has a broader outlook. people with desires for material enjoyment worship small demigods, and such intelligence is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) as hṛta jñāna, the intelligence of one who has lost his senses. One cannot obtain any result from demigods without getting sanction from the Supreme Lord. Therefore a person with a broader outlook can see that the ultimate authority is the Lord, even for material benefits. Under the circumstances, one with a broader outlook, even with the desire for material enjoyment or for liberation, should take to the worship of the Lord directly. And everyone, whether an akāma or sakāma or mokṣa-kāma, should worship the Lord with great expedience. This implies that bhakti-yoga may be perfectly administered without any mixture of karma and jñāna. As the unmixed sun ray is very forceful and is therefore called tīvra, similarly unmixed bhakti-yoga of hearing, chanting, etc., may be performed by one and all regardless of inner motive.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.10
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ |
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param ||
Not only those persons who have a desire to destroy all material desires should worship the Supreme Lord, but also those with all desires and those with no desires should worship Bhagavān. According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, akāmaḥ means a pure devotee. Jīva Gosvāmī in his Sandarbha says that akāmaḥ means a person whose only happiness is the happiness of the Supreme Lord. The word sarva-kāma includes all desires in general. Mokṣa-kāma is mentioned separately in order to cut down peoples’ thought that they are without desire (since they desire liberation). Or the word can indicate than the person desiring liberation is even more filled with desire than the person desiring material comforts, since it follows directly after the word sarva-kāmaḥ. The word kāma itself indicates a desire to destroy suffering and attain happiness. Those desires are shown to be stronger in the jñānis engaged in destroying the suffering of their saṁsāra and anxious for the experience of the happiness of brahman than in the karmīs who desire to destroy temporary suffering and gain temporary happiness of Svarga by worshipping devatās. But the devotees are engaged only in giving happiness to their worshippable Lord. The word niṣkāma is applicable to them. This is understood from their statements:
nātha yoni-sahasreṣu yeṣu yeṣu vrajāmy aham |
teṣu teṣv acyutā bhaktir acyutāstu sadā tvayi ||
Wherever I may wander, O master, among thousands of species of life, in each situation may I have firmly fixed devotion to you, O Acyuta. Viṣṇu Purāṇa
sva-karma-phala-nirdiṣṭāṁ yāṁ yāṁ yoniṁ vrajāmy aham |
tasyāṁ tasyāṁ hṛṣīkeśa tvayi bhaktir dṛḍhāstu me ||
May I have firm devotion to you in whatever birth I take allotted by my karmas.
tan naḥ samādiśopāyaṁ yena te caraṇābjayoḥ |
smṛtir yathā na viramed api saṁsaratām iha ||
Please tell us how we may constantly remember your lotus feet, though we continue in the cycle of birth and death in this world. SB 10.73.15
King Parīkṣit also said, as he began his fast:
punaś ca bhūyād bhagavaty anante ratiḥ prasaṅgaś ca tad-āśrayeṣu |
mahatsu yāṁ yām upayāmi sṛṣṭiṁ maitry astu sarvatra namo dvijebhyaḥ ||
On the other hand, in whatever birth I receive, may I have rati for the unlimited Lord, excellent association with his devotees who take shelter of him and friendship with all living beings! I offer respects to the brāhmaṇas. SB 1.19.16
Udāra-dhīḥ means very intelligent. To make Bhagavān the subject of one\s devotion whether it is without desires or with desires is a sign of good intelligence. Not worshipping the Lord is a sign of foolish intelligence. That bhakti should be strong (tīvreṇa), without the mixture of jñāna or karma, like the rays of the sun unmixed with clouds.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.10||
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ | tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṃ param ||
TRANSLATION The person desiring destruction of all desires, the person with all desires, and even the person with an intense desire for liberation, if he has good intelligence, will worship the Supreme Lord with pure bhakti.
Bhakti is superior to karma, jnāna and yoga mentioned in the previous two chapters. In the next chapter also, bhakti is said to be superior to worship of devatās. Thus bhakti is the final process (abhidheya).
Bhakti Sandarbha 31:
The commentary says, “Akāmaḥ means the devoted bhakta. Sarva-kāmaḥ means a person with stated or unstated desires. One should worship the complete person who is without upādhis (puruṣam).”
Tivreṇa means firmly, naturally, without weakness, without obstacles. Desires will also be fulfilled. It is said in Mahābhārata:
bhakta-kṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇo viṣṇoḥ smṛtiḥ sevā sva-veśmani | sva-bhogyasyārpaṇaṃ dānaṃ phalam indrādi-durlabham ||
When the devotee is present, Viṣṇu is present. One serves the Lord by remembering him in one’s house. “Giving” means offering to the Lord what one will enjoy. The result of such giving cannot be attained even by Indra.
Kapila says to Kardama:
na vai jātu mṛṣaiva syāt prajādhyakṣa mad-arhaṇam bhavad-vidheṣv atitarāṃ mayi sangṛbhitātmanām
Director of the progeny! The worship of persons such as you who fully concentrate on me in their hearts is never fruitless. (SB 3.21.24)
Or another meaning of the verse is that the person with material desires should worship the Lord intently. This will produce pure bhakti in the end. With this intention the verse teaches bhakti of different types. If the process of bhakti is effective for even a person with all desires how much more it is effective as the abhidheya for those with pure bhakti and for those desiring liberation? It is a process for all people.
Or akāma can means being happy with the happiness of the supreme Lord. If it meant just bhakti, it would overlap with the later statement concerning worship of the Lord. The word tīvreṇa means “by the most effect among all goals.”
TEXT - SB 2.3.11
etāvān eva yajatām
iha niḥśreyasodayaḥ
bhagavaty acalo bhāvo
yad bhāgavata-saṅgataḥ
SYNONYMS
etāvān—all these different kinds of worshipers; eva—certainly; yajatām—while worshiping; iha—in this life; niḥśreyasa—the highest benediction; udayaḥ—development; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; acalaḥ—unflinching; bhāvaḥ—spontaneous attraction; yat—which; bhāgavata—the pure devotee of the Lord; saṅgataḥ—association.
TRANSLATION
All the different kinds of worshipers of multidemigods can attain the highest perfectional benediction, which is spontaneous attraction unflinchingly fixed upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by the association of the pure devotee of the Lord.
PURPORT
All living entities in different statuses of life within the material creation, beginning from the first demigod, Brahmā, down to the small ant, are conditioned under the law of material nature, or the external energy of the Supreme Lord. The living entity in his pure state is conscious of the fact that he is a part and parcel of the Lord, but when he is thrown into the material world on account of his desire to lord it over material energy, he becomes conditioned by the three modes of material nature and thus struggles for existence for the highest benefit. This struggle for existence is something like following the will-o'-the-wisp under the spell of material enjoyment. All plans for material enjoyment, either by worship of different demigods as described in the previous verses of this chapter or by modernized advancement of scientific knowledge without the help of God or demigod, are illusory only, for despite all such plans for happiness, the conditioned living being within the compass of material creation can never solve the problems of life, namely birth, death, old age and disease. The history of the universe is full of such planmakers, and many kings and emperors come and go, leaving a planmaking story only. But the prime problems of life remain unsolved despite all endeavors by such planmakers.
Actually human life is meant for making a solution to the problems of life. One can never solve such problems by satisfying the different demigods, by different modes of worship, or by so-called scientific advancement in knowledge without the help of God or the demigods. Apart from the gross materialists, who care very little either for God or for the demigods, the Vedas recommend worship of different demigods for different benefits, and so the demigods are neither false nor imaginary. The demigods are as factual as we are, but they are much more powerful due to their being engaged in the direct service of the Lord in managing different departments in the universal government. The Bhagavad-gītā affirms this, and the different planets of the demigods are mentioned there, including the one of the supreme demigod, Lord Brahmā. The gross materialists do not believe in the existence of God or the demigods. Nor do they believe that different planets are dominated by different demigods. They are creating a great commotion about reaching the closest celestial body, Candraloka, or the moon, but even after much mechanical research they have only very scanty information of this moon, and in spite of much false advertisement for selling land on the moon, the puffed-up scientists or gross materialists cannot live there, and what to speak of reaching the other planets, which they are unable even to count. However, the followers of the Vedas have a different method of acquiring knowledge. They accept the statements of the Vedic literatures as authority in toto, as we have already discussed in Canto One, and therefore they have full and reasonable knowledge of God and demigods and of their different residential planets situated within the compass of the material world and beyond the limit of the material sky. The most authentic Vedic literature, accepted by the great Indian ācāryas like Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhva, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka and Caitanya and studied by all important personalities of the world, is the Bhagavad-gītā, in which the worship of the demigods and their respective residential planets are mentioned. The Bhagavad-gītā (9.25) affirms:
yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām
"The worshipers of demigods reach the respective planets of the demigods, and the worshipers of forefathers reach the planets of the forefathers. The gross materialist remains in the different material planets, but the devotees of the Lord reach the kingdom of God."
We also have information from the Bhagavad-gītā that all the planets within the material world, including Brahmaloka, are but temporarily situated, and after a fixed period they are all annihilated. Therefore the demigods and their followers are all annihilated at the period of devastation, but one who reaches the kingdom of God gets a permanent share in eternal life. That is the verdict of Vedic literature. The worshipers of the demigods have one facility more than the unbelievers due to their being convinced of the Vedic version, by which they can get information of the benefit of worshiping the Supreme Lord in the association of the devotees of the Lord. The gross materialist, however, without any faith in the Vedic version, remains eternally in darkness, driven by a false conviction on the basis of imperfect experimental knowledge, or so-called material science, which can never reach into the realm of transcendental knowledge.
Therefore unless the gross materialists or the worshipers of the temporary demigods come in contact with a transcendentalist like the pure devotee of the Lord, their attempts are simply a waste of energy. Only by the grace of the divine personalities, the pure devotees of the Lord, can one achieve pure devotion, which is the highest perfection of human life. Only a pure devotee of the Lord can show one the right way of progressive life. Otherwise both the materialistic way of life, without any information of God or the demigods, and the life engaged in the worship of demigods, in pursuit of temporary material enjoyments, are different phases of phantasmagoria. They are nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā also, but the Bhagavad-gītā can be understood in the association of pure devotees only, and not by the interpretations of politicians or dry philosophical speculators.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.11
etāvān eva yajatām iha niḥśreyasodayaḥ |
bhagavaty acalo bhāvo yad bhāgavata-saṅgataḥ ||
After the worshippers of various devatās have their desires fulfilled what goal do they achieve? Nothing. But if they receive mercy of devotees then they attain bhakti. The worshippers of devatās (yajatām) will attain the highest good (niḥśreyasoḍayaḥ), if (yad) an attitude of service (bhāvaḥ) to the Lord arises because of association with devotees. Otherwise no good arises, because the devatās cannot bestow the highest good. The Lord says:
ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ |
te ’pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam ||
ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca |
na tu mām abhijānanti tattvenātaś cyavanti te ||
Those who are devoted to other gods and with faith worship them--they also worship me, but by the wrong method, O son of Kuntī.
I am the enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Those who do not know me in truth fall down. BG 9.23-24
Worship of the devatās is not a cause of developing bhakti to the Lord at all. Association with devotees is the only method. That association is unpredictable as explained before.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.11||
etāvān eva yajatām iha niḥśreyasodayaḥ | bhagavaty acalo bhāvo yad bhāgavata-sangataḥ ||
TRANSLATION Auspiciousness arises for the worshippers of devatās if firm devotion for the Lord arises from association with devotees.
Bhakti Sandarhba 32:
The commentary says, “The worship of various devatās previously mentioned results in bhakti-yoga by specific association. If bhakti (bhāvaḥ) should result from association of devotees in the various worships (iha) performed by
worshippers (yajatām), one attains the highest goal (niḥśreyasodayaḥ). Otherwise everything is insignificant.” It was mentioned that by worship of Indra one can attain satisfaction of the senses. Sharpness of the senses is the unique result. By connection with devotees the result is bhakti, just as, by using a pot of khādira wood, the sacrifice gives special results.
TEXT - SB 2.3.12
jñānaṁ yad āpratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram
ātma-prasāda uta yatra guṇeṣv asaṅgaḥ
kaivalya-sammata-pathas tv atha bhakti-yogaḥ
ko nirvṛto hari-kathāsu ratiṁ na kuryāt
SYNONYMS
jñānam—knowledge; yat—that which; ā—up to the limit of; pratinivṛtta—completely withdrawn; guṇa-ūrmi—the waves of the material modes; cakram—whirlpool; ātma-prasādaḥ—self-satisfaction; uta—moreover; yatra—where there is; guṇeṣu—in the modes of nature; asaṅgaḥ—no attachment; kaivalya—transcendental; sammata—approved; pathaḥ—path; tu—but; atha—therefore; bhakti-yogaḥ—devotional service; kaḥ—who; nirvṛtaḥ—absorbed in; hari-kathāsu—in the transcendental topics of the Lord; ratim—attraction; na—shall not; kuryāt—do.
TRANSLATION
Transcendental knowledge in relation with the Supreme Lord Hari is knowledge resulting in the complete suspension of the waves and whirlpools of the material modes. Such knowledge is self-satisfying due to its being free from material attachment, and being transcendental it is approved by authorities. Who could fail to be attracted?
PURPORT
According to Bhagavad-gītā (10.9) the characteristics of pure devotees are wonderful. The complete functional activities of a pure devotee are always engaged in the service of the Lord, and thus the pure devotees exchange feelings of ecstasy between themselves and relish transcendental bliss. This transcendental bliss is experienced even in the stage of devotional practice (sādhana-avasthā), if properly undertaken under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. And in the mature stage the developed transcendental feeling culminates in realization of the particular relationship with the Lord by which a living entity is originally constituted (up to the relationship of conjugal love with the Lord, which is estimated to be the highest transcendental bliss). Thus bhakti-yoga, being the only means of God realization, is called kaivalya. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī quotes the Vedic version (eko nārāyaṇo devaḥ, parāvarāṇāṁ parama āste kaivalya-saṁjñitaḥ) in this connection and establishes that Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is known as kaivalya, and the means which enables one to approach the Lord is called the kaivalya-panthā, or the only means of attainment of Godhead. This kaivalya-panthā begins from śravaṇa, or hearing those topics that relate to the Personality of Godhead, and the natural consequence of hearing such hari-kathā is attainment of transcendental knowledge, which causes detachment from all mundane topics, for which a devotee has no taste at all. For a devotee, all mundane activities, social and political, become unattractive, and in the mature state such a devotee becomes uninterested even in his own body, and what to speak of bodily relatives. In such a state of affairs one is not agitated by the waves of the material modes. There are different modes of material nature, and all mundane functions in which a common man is very much interested or in which he takes part become unattractive for the devotee. This state of affairs is described herein as pratinivṛtta-guṇormi, and it is possible by ātma-prasāda, or complete self-satisfaction without any material connection. The first-class devotee of the Lord attains this stage by devotional service, but despite his loftiness, for the Lord's satisfaction he may play the voluntary part of a preacher of the Lord's glory and dovetail all into devotional service, even mundane interest, just to give the neophytes a chance to transform mundane interest into transcendental bliss. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described this action of a pure devotee as nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. Even mundane activities dovetailed with service to the Lord are also calculated to be transcendental or approved kaivalya affairs.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.12
jñānaṁ yad āpratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram
āt ma-prasāda uta yatra guṇeṣv asaṅgaḥ |
kaivalya-sammata-pathas tv atha bhakti-yogaḥ
ko nirvṛto hari-kathāsu ratiṁ na kuryāt ||
“It is improper take shelter of one deity at the end of life after taking shelter of someone else for one’s whole life. How can it be proper to make the person who has always worshipped some devatā develop devotion to the Lord at the end?”
Such worshippers of devatās are actually very low, because even the worshippers of brahman take to the worship of the Lord. The progression is shown in this verse.
When (yad) there arises jñāna, which destroys the multitude of whirlpools of the guṇas, which brings satisfaction of the self, by which there is detachment from material enjoyment, and which is the path approved for merging, then bhakti-yoga arises.
One should not worry that one cannot attain association of devotees since that mercy is spontaneous, as explained previously. By the mercy of the Lord, Sanaka and others attained bhakti. By the mercy of devotees, persons such as Śukadeva attained bhakti through kīrtana and other processes. Who absorbed in the happiness of bhakti (nirvṛtaḥ) would not have attachment (ratim) for topics of the Lord? This means that the person without attachment for the topics of the Lord is not happy at all. Here the superiority of pure bhakti to karma, jñāna, yoga and worship of devatās is shown. And whatever they aim to achieve in those processes is accomplished by bhakti alone. And for all those persons practicing various methods, the highest result (prema) is finally attained by only bhakti. Thus pure bhakti which disregards karma and jñāna, without any of those desires, whose principle activities are hearing, glorifying and remembering the Lord, is the method of producing prema. This is the opinion of Śukadeva. Among those methods, chanting the name of the Lord is the supreme method. Thus five items (karma, jñāna, yoga, bhakti and prema) have been delineated. This is the meaning of the section in summary.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.12||
jnānaṃ yad āpratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram ātma-prasāda uta yatra guṇeṣv asangaḥ | kaivalya-sammata-pathas tv atha bhakti-yogaḥ ko nirvṛto hari-kathāsu ratiṃ na kuryāt ||
TRANSLATION If jnāna, the path approved for attaining the Lord, which creates indifference to the multitude of material guṇas, arises and is followed by satisfaction of the self, which creates complete detachment from the guṇas, then bhakti-yoga should arise. Experiencing bliss in bhakti, how can that person not have attraction for topics of the Lord?
The path of kaivalya accepted by the learned because it is beyond matter is a method of attaining the Lord.
eko nārāyaṇo devaḥ pūrva-sṛṣṭaṃ sva-māyayā saṃhṛtya kāla-kalayā kalpānta idam īśvaraḥ eka evādvitīyo ’bhūd ātmādhāro ’khilāśrayaḥ
The one form of Viṣṇu withdrew the universe previously created by his māyā through his time śakti at the end of Brahmā’s life, and remained alone, the support of himself and shelter of all his śaktis. (SB 11.9.16)
kālenātmānubhāvena sāmyaṃ nītāsu śaktiṣu sattvādiṣv ādi-puruṣaḥ pradhāna-puruṣeśvaraḥ
parāvarāṇāṃ parama āste kaivalya-saṃjnitaḥ kevalānubhavānanda- sandoho nirupādhikaḥ
When he brought his energies such as sattva to equilibrium by his powerful energy of time, the Lord, who enjoys in himself, who is the controller of prakṛti and the jīvas, who is known as kaivalya, remained in the form of complete bliss, without māyā. (SB 11.9.17)
One attains Nārāyaṇa by kaivalya. This approved path is thus bhakti-yoga and prema.
TEXT - SB 2.3.13
śaunaka uvāca
ity abhivyāhṛtaṁ rājā
niśamya bharatarṣabhaḥ
kim anyat pṛṣṭavān bhūyo
vaiyāsakim ṛṣiṁ kavim
SYNONYMS
śaunakaḥ uvāca—Śaunaka said; iti—thus; abhivyāhṛtam—all that was spoken; rājā—the King; niśamya—by hearing; bharata-ṛṣabhaḥ—Mahārāja Parīkṣit; kim—what; anyat—more; pṛṣṭavān—did he inquire from him; bhūyaḥ—again; vaiyāsakim—unto the son of Vyāsadeva; ṛṣim—one who is well versed; kavim—poetic.
TRANSLATION
Śaunaka said: The son of Vyāsadeva, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, was a highly learned sage and was able to describe things in a poetic manner. What did Mahārāja Parīkṣit again inquire from him after hearing all that he had said?
PURPORT
A pure devotee of the Lord automatically develops all godly qualities, and some of the prominent features of those qualities are as follows: he is kind, peaceful, truthful, equable, faultless, magnanimous, mild, clean, nonpossessive, a well-wisher to all, satisfied, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, without hankering, simple, fixed, self-controlled, a balanced eater, sane, mannerly, prideless, grave, sympathetic, friendly, poetic, expert and silent. Out of these twenty-six prominent features of a devotee, as described by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja in his Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the qualification of being poetic is especially mentioned herein in relation to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. The presentation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by his recitation is the highest poetic contribution. He was a self-realized learned sage. In other words, he was a poet amongst the sages.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.13
śaunaka uvāca—
ity abhivyāhṛtaṁ rājā niśamya bharatarṣabhaḥ |
kim anyat pṛṣṭavān bhūyo vaiyāsakim ṛṣiṁ kavim ||
In saying this he expresses wonder, since all the questions were answered properly. Ṛṣim means he who sees the supreme brahman. Kavim means that among the sages he the most expert at describing the Lord.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.13||
śaunaka uvāca— ity abhivyāhṛtaṃ rājā niśamya bharatarṣabhaḥ | kim anyat pṛṣṭavān bhūyo vaiyāsakim ṛṣiṃ kavim ||
TRANSLATION Śaunaka said: Hearing the explanations, what else did the King, best of the Bharata lineage, ask the wise sage Śukadeva?
Iti means after considering he asked the question.
TEXT - SB 2.3.14
etac chuśrūṣatāṁ vidvan
sūta no 'rhasi bhāṣitum
kathā hari-kathodarkāḥ
satāṁ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam
SYNONYMS
etat—this; śuśrūṣatām—of those eager to hear; vidvan—O learned; sūta—Sūta Gosvāmī; naḥ—unto us; arhasi—may you do it; bhāṣitum—just to explain it; kathāḥ—topics; hari-kathā-udarkāḥ—result in the topics of the Lord; satām—of the devotees; syuḥ—may be; sadasi—in the assembly of; dhruvam—certainly.
TRANSLATION
O learned Sūta Gosvāmī! Please continue to explain such topics to us because we are all eager to hear. Besides that, topics which result in the discussion of the Lord Hari should certainly be discussed in the assembly of devotees.
PURPORT
As we have already quoted above from the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu of Rūpa Gosvāmī, even mundane things, if dovetailed in the service of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, are accepted as transcendental. For example, the epics or the histories of Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, which are specifically recommended for the less intelligent classes (women, śūdras and unworthy sons of the higher castes), are also accepted as Vedic literature because they are compiled in connection with the activities of the Lord. Mahābhārata is accepted as the fifth division of the Vedas after its first four divisions, namely Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva. The less intelligent do not accept Mahābhārata as part of the Vedas, but great sages and authorities accept it as the fifth division of the Vedas. Bhagavad-gītā is also part of the Mahābhārata, and it is full of the Lord's instruction for the less intelligent class of men. Some less intelligent men say that Bhagavad-gītā is not meant for householders, but such foolish men forget that Bhagavad-gītā was explained to Arjuna, a gṛhastha (family man), and spoken by the Lord in His role as a gṛhastha. So Bhagavad-gītā, although containing the high philosophy of the Vedic wisdom, is for the beginners in the transcendental science, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is for graduates and postgraduates in the transcendental science. Therefore literatures like Mahābhārata, the, purāṇas and similar other literatures which are full of the pastimes of the Lord, are all transcendental literatures, and they should be discussed with full confidence in the society of great devotees.
The difficulty is that such literatures, when discussed by professional men, appear to be mundane literature like histories or epics because there are so many historical facts and figures. It is said here, therefore, that such literatures should be discussed in the assembly of devotees. Unless they are discussed by devotees, such literatures cannot be relished by the higher class of men. So the conclusion is that the Lord is not impersonal in the ultimate issue. He is the Supreme Person, and He has His different activities. He is the leader of all living entities, and He descends at His will and by His personal energy to reclaim the fallen souls. Thus He plays exactly like the social, political or religious leaders. Because such roles ultimately culminate in the discussion of topics of the Lord, all such preliminary topics are also transcendental. That is the way of spiritualizing the civic activities of human society. Men have inclinations for studying history and many other mundane literatures—stories, fiction, dramas, magazines, newspapers, etc.—so let them be dovetailed with the transcendental service of the Lord, and all of them will turn to the topics relished by all devotees. The propaganda that the Lord is impersonal, that He has no activity and that He is a dumb stone without any name and form has encouraged people to become godless, faithless demons, and the more they deviate from the transcendental activities of the Lord, the more they become accustomed to mundane activities that only clear their path to hell instead of return them home, back to Godhead. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins from the history of the Pāṇḍavas (with necessary politics and social activities), and yet Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is said to be the Pāramahaṁsa-saṁhitā, or the Vedic literature meant for the topmost transcendentalist, and it describes paraṁ jñānam, the highest transcendental knowledge. pure devotees of the Lord are all paramahaṁsas, and they are like the swans, who know the art of sucking milk out of a mixture of milk and water.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.14
etac chuśrūṣatāṁ vidvan sūta no ’rhasi bhāṣitum |
kathā hari-kathodarkāḥ satāṁ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam ||
Having understood that hearing and chanting are necessary, what else did Parīkṣit ask? They hoped that he would ask about the topic of Kṛṣṇa that should be heard and chanted. One cannot say the other topics even about creation and sub-creation, Manvantaras and kings are unrelated. Even those topics about creation and sub-creation which conclude in discussion of the Lord should be heard because they end with the discussion of Kṛṣṇa.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.14||
etac chuśrūṣatāṃ vidvan sūta no ’rhasi bhāṣitum | kathā hari-kathodarkāḥ satāṃ syuḥ sadasi dhruvam ||
TRANSLATION O learned Sūta! You should tell that to us, who desire to hear. Topics which conclude in discussion of the Lord will certainly appear in the assembly of great devotees.
Even material topics which conclude in the Lord will appear in the assembly of great devotees. Topics directly concerning the Lord from the beginning will manifest in the assembly.
TEXT - SB 2.3.15
sa vai bhāgavato rājā
pāṇḍaveyo mahā-rathaḥ
bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ krīḍan
kṛṣṇa-krīḍāṁ ya ādade
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he; vai—certainly; bhāgavataḥ—a great devotee of the Lord; rājā—Mahārāja Parīkṣit; pāṇḍaveyaḥ—grandson of the Pāṇḍavas; mahā-rathaḥ—a great fighter; bāla—while a child; krīḍanakaiḥ—with play dolls; krīḍan—playing; kṛṣṇa—Lord Kṛṣṇa; krīḍām—activities; yaḥ—who; ādade—accepted.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the grandson of the Pāṇḍavas, was from his very childhood a great devotee of the Lord. Even while playing with dolls, he used to worship Lord Kṛṣṇa by imitating the worship of the family Deity.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā (6.41) it is stated that even a person who has failed in the proper discharge of yoga practice is given a chance to take birth in the house of devout brāhmaṇas or in the houses of rich men like kṣatriya kings or rich merchants. But Mahārāja Parīkṣit was more than that because he had been a great devotee of the Lord since his previous birth, and as such he took his birth in an imperial family of the Kurus, and especially that of the Pāṇḍavas. So from the very beginning of his childhood he had the chance to know intimately the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa in his own family. The Pāṇḍavas, all being devotees of the Lord, certainly venerated family Deities in the royal palace for worship. Children who appear in such families fortunately generally imitate such worship of the Deities, even in the way of childhood play. By the grace of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, we had the chance of being born in a Vaiṣṇava family, and in our childhood we imitated the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa by imitating our father. Our father encouraged us in all respects to observe all functions such as the Ratha-yātrā and Dola-yātrā ceremonies, and he used to spend money liberally for distributing prasāda to us children and our friends. Our spiritual master, who also took his birth in a Vaiṣṇava family, got all inspirations from his great Vaiṣṇava father, Ṭhākura Bhaktivinoda. That is the way of all lucky Vaiṣṇava families. The celebrated Mīrā Bāī was a staunch devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the great lifter of Govardhana Hill.
The life history of many such devotees is almost the same because there is always symmetry between the early lives of all great devotees of the Lord. According to Jīva Gosvāmī, Mahārāja Parīkṣit must have heard about the childhood pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa at Vṛndāvana, for he used to imitate the pastimes with his young playmates. According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, Mahārāja Parīkṣit used to imitate the worship of the family Deity by elderly members. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī also confirms the viewpoint of Jīva Gosvāmī. So accepting either of them, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was naturally inclined to Lord Kṛṣṇa from his very childhood. He might have imitated either of the above-mentioned activities, and all of them establish his great devotion from his very childhood, a symptom of a mahā-bhāgavata. Such mahā-bhāgavatas are called nitya-siddhas, or souls liberated from birth. But there are also others, who may not be liberated from birth but who develop a tendency for devotional service by association, and they are called sādhana-siddhas. There is no difference between the two in the ultimate issue, and so the conclusion is that everyone can become a sādhana-siddha, a devotee of the Lord, simply by association with the pure devotees. The concrete example is our great spiritual master Śrī Nārada Muni. In his previous life he was simply a boy of a maidservant, but through association with great devotees he became a devotee of the Lord of his own standard, unique in the history of devotional service.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.15
sa vai bhāgavato rājā pāṇḍaveyo mahā-rathaḥ |
bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ krīḍan kṛṣṇa-krīḍāṁ ya ādade ||
That King, grandson of the Pāṇḍavas, and a mahā-ratha, who, while playing as a child with toys, would enact Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, was a great devotee.
That assembly of devotees, among mature and immature assemblies, was the best of all. There the hearer and the speaker were most extraordinary. That is explained in two verses. While a child, Parīkṣit would enact Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.15||
sa vai bhāgavato rājā pāṇḍaveyo mahā-rathaḥ | bāla-krīḍanakaiḥ krīḍan kṛṣṇa-krīḍāṃ ya ādade ||
TRANSLATION That King, grandson of the Pāṇḍavas, and a mahā-ratha, who, while playing as a child with toys, would enact Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, was a great devotee.
Whatever pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana and other places he heard, having sentiments of friendliness, he would enact with absorption in prema.
TEXT - SB 2.3.16
vaiyāsakiś ca bhagavān
vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ
urugāya-guṇodārāḥ
satāṁ syur hi samāgame
SYNONYMS
vaiyāsakiḥ—the son of Vyāsadeva; ca—also; bhagavān—full in transcendental knowledge; vāsudeva—Lord Kṛṣṇa; parāyaṇaḥ—attached to; urugāya—of the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is glorified by great philosophers; guṇa-udārāḥ—great qualities; satām—of the devotees; syuḥ—must have been; hi—as a matter of fact; samāgame—by the presence of.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Vyāsadeva, was also full in transcendental knowledge and was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva. So there must have been discussion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is glorified by great philosophers and in the company of great devotees.
PURPORT
The word satām is very important in this verse. Satām means the pure devotees, who have no other desire than to serve the Lord. Only in the association of such devotees are the transcendental glories of Lord Kṛṣṇa properly discussed. It is said by the Lord that His topics are all full of spiritual significance, and once one properly hears about Him in the association of the satām, certainly one senses the great potency and so automatically attains to the devotional stage of life. As already described, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a great devotee of the Lord from his very birth, and so was Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Both of them were on the same level, although it appeared that Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a great king accustomed to royal facilities whereas Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a typical renouncer of the world, so much so that he did not even put a cloth on his body. Superficially, Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī might seem to be opposites, but basically they were both unalloyed pure devotees of the Lord. When such devotees are assembled together, there can be no topics save discussions of the glories of the Lord, or bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, when there were talks between the Lord and His devotee Arjuna, there could not be any topic other than bhakti-yoga, however the mundane scholars may speculate on it in their own ways. The use of the word ca after vaiyāsakiḥ suggests, according to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, that both Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit were of the same category, settled long before, although one was playing the part of the master and the other the disciple. Since Lord Kṛṣṇa is the center of the topics, the word vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ, or "devotee of Vāsudeva," suggests devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the common aim. Although there were many others who assembled at the place where Mahārāja Parīkṣit was fasting, the natural conclusion is that there was no topic other than the glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa, because the principal speaker was Śukadeva Gosvāmī and the chief audience was Mahārāja Parīkṣit. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as it was spoken and heard by two principal devotees of the Lord, is only for the glorification of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.16
vaiyāsakiś ca bhagavān vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ |
urugāya-guṇodārāḥ satāṁ[105] syur hi samāgame ||
Bhagavān means omniscient. In the meeting of devotees, there will be topics containing Kṛṣṇa’s qualities which generously fulfill (udārāḥ) the mind’s desires. Those qualities of the Lord are fixed for devotees in the present and future. Thus at that place he will produce those qualities of Kṛṣṇa. Topics which give rise to talks about Kṛṣṇa are relished by the devotees.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.16||
vaiyāsakiś ca bhagavān vāsudeva-parāyaṇaḥ | urugāya-guṇodārāḥ satāṃ syur hi samāgame ||
TRANSLATION Omniscient Śukadeva was surrendered to Vāsudeva. In the meeting of such devotees there will arise talks containing abundant qualities of Kṛṣṇa, which fulfill all the mind’s desires.
After describing Parīkṣit’s attachment to Kṛṣṇa as a child, Śukadeva is described as having attraction to Kṛṣṇa similar to the king’s. The word ca indicates that Śukadeva’s attraction to Kṛṣṇa was similar to Parīkṣit’s. Thus the word Vāsudeva in this case also indicates the son of Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa (instead of Viṣṇu). At a meeting of devotees there are talks (guṇodārāḥ) about Kṛṣṇa. This means that, with the two devotees present, the talks would be mainly about Kṛṣṇa.
TEXT - SB 2.3.17
āyur harati vai puṁsām
udyann astaṁ ca yann asau
tasyarte yat-kṣaṇo nīta
uttama-śloka-vārtayā
SYNONYMS
āyuḥ—duration of life; harati—decreases; vai—certainly; puṁsām—of the people; udyan—rising; astam—setting; ca—also; yan—moving; asau—the sun; tasya—of one who glorifies the Lord; ṛte—except; yat—by whom; kṣaṇaḥ—time; nītaḥ—utilized; uttama-śloka—the all-good Personality of Godhead; vārtayā—in the topics of.
TRANSLATION
Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
This verse indirectly confirms the greater importance of utilizing the human form of life to realize our lost relationship with the Supreme Lord by acceleration of devotional service. Time and tide wait for no man. So the time indicated by the sunrise and the sunset will be uselessly wasted if such time is not properly utilized for realizing identification of spiritual values. Even a fraction of the duration of life wasted cannot be compensated by any amount of gold. Human life is simply awarded to a living entity (jīva) so that he can realize his spiritual identity and his permanent source of happiness. A living being, especially the human being, is seeking happiness because happiness is the natural situation of the living entity. But he is vainly seeking happiness in the material atmosphere. A living being is constitutionally a spiritual spark of the complete whole, and his happiness can be perfectly perceived in spiritual activities. The Lord is the complete spirit whole, and His name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage and personality are all identical with Him. Once a person comes into contact with any one of the above-mentioned energies of the Lord through the proper channel of devotional service, the door to perfection is immediately opened. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.40) the Lord has explained such contact in the following words: "Endeavors in devotional service are never baffled. Nor is there failure. A slight beginning of such activities is sufficient even to deliver a person from the great ocean of material fears." As a highly potent drug injected intravenously acts at once on the whole body, the transcendental topics of the Lord injected through the ear of the pure devotee of the Lord can act very efficiently. Aural realization of the transcendental messages implies total realization, just as fructification of one part of a tree implies fructification of all other parts. This realization for a moment in the association of pure devotees like Śukadeva Gosvāmī prepares one's complete life for eternity. And thus the sun fails to rob the pure devotee of his duration of life, inasmuch as he is constantly busy in the devotional service of the Lord, purifying his existence. Death is a symptom of the material infection of the eternal living being; only due to material infection is the eternal living entity subjected to the law of birth, death, old age and disease.
The materialistic way of pious activities like charity is recommended in the smṛti-śāstras as quoted by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Money given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next life. Such charity is recommended to be given to a brāhmaṇa. If the money is given in charity to a non-brāhmaṇa (without brahminical qualification) the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brāhmaṇa, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and a thousand times, and if the money is given to a veda-pāraga (one who has factually realized the path of the Vedas), it is returned by unlimited multiplication. The ultimate end of Vedic knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]). There is a guarantee of money's being returned if given in charity, regardless of the proportion. Similarly, a moment passed in the association of a pure devotee by hearing and chanting the transcendental messages of the Lord is a perfect guarantee for eternal life, for returning home, back to Godhead. Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. In other words, a devotee of the Lord is guaranteed eternal life. A devotee's old age or disease in the present life is but an impetus to such guaranteed eternal life.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.17
āyur harati vai puṁsām udyann astaṁ ca yann asau |
tasyarte yat-kṣaṇo nīta uttama-śloka-vārtayā ||
This is not an activity which can be delayed. The sun rises and sets. It steals away men’s lives except the life where there arises the opportunity (kṣaṇaḥ) for hearing topics of Kṛṣṇa. Or the sun steals way life, except the life where even just a moment is spent in the topics of the Lord. By this alone, life becomes successful. It is said that when one branch of the tree bears fruit, the whole tree becomes successful. What then to speak of all the branches bearing fruit. If one spent one’s whole life absorbed in Kṛṣṇa’s topics, how wonderful it would be! “If that is so, and life is not taken away by hearing about Kṛṣṇa, from the moment of hearing about Kṛṣṇa, a person should not die.” That is true. It is said that the wealth of those of good character is imperishable wealth, since others spend their wealth in unlimited pleasures. The smṛti says:
samam abrāhmaṇe dānaṁ dviguṇaṁ brāhmaṇa-bruve |
adhīte śata-sāhasram anantaṁ veda-pārage ||
In giving to the non-brāhmaṇa the amount remains the same. In giving to a brāhmaṇa in name only the amount doubles. In giving to a brāhmaṇa who knows the Vedas thoroughly, the amount multiplies by a hundred thousand. Manu-smṛti 7.85
The devotee, blessed with long life by Kṛṣṇa, then becomes the associate of the Lord. Certainly his life is indestructible. Thus the devotee of Kṛṣṇa does not have his life stolen away. The devotees’ old age, death and sickness appear by the will of the Lord for increasing his longing for the Lord, for letting the opinions of others not be destroyed[106] and for protecting the confidential nature of his devotees. They are not caused by time or karma. This has been explained in the chapter concerning Bhīṣma’s disappearance.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.17||
āyur harati vai puṃsām udyann astaṃ ca yann asau | tasyarte yat-kṣaṇo nīta uttama-śloka-vārtayā ||
TRANSLATION Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the Supreme Lord.
Bhakti Sandarbha 33: After this, Śaunaka confirms that bhakti is the abhidheya by negative expression. The sun (asau) takes away life when it raises and sets. It takes away life because time passes uselessly. The sun appears to destroy life. This is true except (ṛte) for the time used for speaking about the Lord. When that happens, everything becomes successful.
Though the whole of life becomes generally successful by talks about the Lord even for a moment, there should be unique condition of success, just as a tree has a fruit on a particular branch. That is the purpose of my question.
TEXT - SB 2.3.18
taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti
bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta
na khādanti na mehanti
kiṁ grāme paśavo 'pare
SYNONYMS
taravaḥ—the trees; kim—whether; na—do not; jīvanti—live; bhastrāḥ—bellows; kim—whether; na—do not; śvasanti—breathe; uta—also; na—do not; khādanti—eat; na—do not; mehanti—discharge semen; kim—whether; grāme—in the locality; paśavaḥ—beastly living being; apare—others.
TRANSLATION
Do the trees not live? Do the bellows of the blacksmith not breathe? All around us, do the beasts not eat and discharge semen?
PURPORT
The materialistic man of the modern age will argue that life, or part of it, is never meant for discussion of theosophical or theological arguments. Life is meant for the maximum duration of existence for eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, making merry and enjoying life. The modern man wants to live forever by the advancement of material science, and there are many foolish theories for prolonging life to the maximum duration. But the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam affirms that life is not meant for so-called economic development or advancement of materialistic science for the hedonistic philosophy of eating, mating, drinking and merrymaking. Life is solely meant for tapasya, for purifying existence so that one may enter into eternal life just after the end of the human form of life.
The materialists want to prolong life as much as possible because they have no information of the next life. They want to get the maximum comforts in this present life because they think conclusively that there is no life after death. This ignorance about the eternity of the living being and the change of covering in the material world has played havoc in the structure of modern human society. Consequently there are many problems, multiplied by various plans of modernized man. The plans for solving the problems of society have only aggravated the troubles. Even if it is possible to prolong life more than one hundred years, advancement of human civilization does not necessarily follow. The Bhāgavatam says that certain trees live for hundreds and thousands of years. At Vṛndāvana there is a tamarind tree (the place is known as Imlitala) which is said to have existed since the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the Calcutta Botanical Garden there is a banyan tree said to be older than five hundred years, and there are many such trees all over the world. Svāmī Śaṅkarācārya lived only thirty-two years, and Lord Caitanya lived forty-eight years. Does it mean that the prolonged lives of the abovementioned trees are more important than Śaṅkara or Caitanya? Prolonged life without spiritual value is not very important. One may doubt that trees have life because they do not breathe. But modern scientists like Bose have already proved that there is life in plants, so breathing is no sign of actual life. The Bhāgavatam says that the bellows of the blacksmith breathes very soundly, but that does not mean that the bellows has life. The materialist will argue that life in the tree and life in the man cannot be compared because the tree cannot enjoy life by eating palatable dishes or by enjoying sexual intercourse. In reply to this, the Bhāgavatam asks whether other animals like the dogs and hogs, living in the same village with human beings, do not eat and enjoy sexual life. The specific utterance of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in regard to "other animals" means that persons who are simply engaged in planning a better type of animal life consisting of eating, breathing and mating are also animals in the shape of human beings. A society of such polished animals cannot benefit suffering humanity, for an animal can easily harm another animal but rarely do good.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.18
taravaḥ kiṁ na jīvanti bhastrāḥ kiṁ na śvasanty uta |
na khādanti na mehanti kiṁ grāme paśavo ’pare ||
The person whose life is not stolen away does not receive rebirth in this world. Do not the trees live? They live much longer than the humans. But they do not breathe. Does not the bellows breathe? The bellows breathe more strongly than the humans. But the bellows do not eat. Do not the animals eat and mate? They can eat more than the humans. Apare indicates animals in human form.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.18||
taravaḥ kiṃ na jīvanti bhastrāḥ kiṃ na śvasanty uta | na khādanti na mehanti kiṃ grāme paśavo ’pare ||
TRANSLATION Do not the trees live long life? Do not the bellows breathe? Do not the village animals and animal-like men eat and mate?
Two verses criticize the materialistic people related to the aspect of their life span, and thus confirm the facts. The trees do not even breathe. They are in the lowest position. The bellows breathes, but is insignificant, since it does not even have life. The trees do not have enjoyment from taste etc. But animals and humans eat. Do not the animals and others –people who are like animals (pare) mate (mehanti)?
TEXT - SB 2.3.19
śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ
saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ
na yat-karṇa-pathopeto
jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ
SYNONYMS
śva—a dog; viṭ-varāha—the village hog who eats stool; uṣṭra—the camel; kharaiḥ—and by the asses; saṁstutaḥ—perfectly praised; puruṣaḥ—a person; paśuḥ—animal; na—never; yat—of him; karṇa—ear; patha—path; upetaḥ—reached; jātu—at any time; nāma—the holy name; gadāgrajaḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa, the deliver from all evils.
TRANSLATION
Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer from evils.
PURPORT
The general mass of people, unless they are trained systematically for a higher standard of life in spiritual values, are no better than animals, and in this verse they have particularly been put on the level of dogs, hogs, camels and asses. Modern university education practically prepares one to acquire a doggish mentality with which to accept the service of a greater master. After finishing a so-called education, the so-called educated persons move like dogs from door to door with applications for some service, and mostly they are driven away, informed of no vacancy. As dogs are negligible animals and serve the master faithfully for bits of bread, a man serves a master faithfully without sufficient rewards.
Persons who have no discrimination in the matter of foodstuff and who eat all sorts of rubbish are compared to hogs. Hogs are very much attached to eating stools. So stool is a kind of foodstuff for a particular type of animal. And even stones are eatables for a particular type of animal or bird. But the human being is not meant for eating everything and anything; he is meant to eat grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, sugar, etc. Animal food is not meant for the human being. For chewing solid food, the human being has a particular type of teeth meant for cutting fruits and vegetables. The human being is endowed with two canine teeth as a concession for persons who will eat animal food at any cost. It is known to everyone that one man's food is another man's poison. Human beings are expected to accept the remnants of food offered to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and the Lord accepts foodstuff from the categories of leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. (Bg. 9.26). As prescribed by Vedic scriptures, no animal food is offered to the Lord. Therefore, a human being is meant to eat a particular type of food. He should not imitate the animals to derive so-called vitamin values. Therefore, a person who has no discrimination in regard to eating is compared to a hog.
The camel is a kind of animal that takes pleasure in eating thorns. A person who wants to enjoy family life or the worldly life of so-called enjoyment is compared to the camel. Materialistic life is full of thorns, and so one should live only by the prescribed method of Vedic regulations just to make the best use of a bad bargain. Life in the material world is maintained by sucking one's own blood. The central point of attraction for material enjoyment is sex life. To enjoy sex life is to suck one's own blood, and there is not much more to be explained in this connection. The camel also sucks its own blood while chewing thorny twigs. The thorns the camel eats cut the tongue of the camel, and so blood begins to flow within the camel's mouth. The thorns, mixed with fresh blood, create a taste for the foolish camel, and so he enjoys the thorn-eating business with false pleasure. Similarly, the great business magnates, industrialists who work very hard to earn money by different ways and questionable means, eat the thorny results of their actions mixed with their own blood. Therefore the Bhāgavatam has situated these diseased fellows along with the camels.
The ass is an animal who is celebrated as the greatest fool, even amongst the animals. The ass works very hard and carries burdens of the maximum weight without making profit for itself. Footnote. The ass is generally engaged by the washerman, whose social position is not very respectable. And the special qualification of the ass is that it is very much accustomed to being kicked by the opposite sex. When the ass begs for sexual intercourse, he is kicked by the fair sex, yet he still follows the female for such sexual pleasure. A henpecked man is compared, therefore, to the ass. The general mass of people work very hard, especially in the age of Kali. In this age the human being is actually engaged in the work of an ass, carrying heavy burdens and driving ṭhelā and rickshaws. The so-called advancement of human civilization has engaged a human being in the work of an ass. The laborers in great factories and workshops are also engaged in such burdensome work, and after working hard during the day, the poor laborer has to be again kicked by the fair sex, not only for sex enjoyment but also for so many household affairs.
So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam's categorization of the common man without any spiritual enlightenment into the society of dogs, hogs, camels and asses is not at all an exaggeration. The leaders of such ignorant masses of people may feel very proud of being adored by such a number of dogs and hogs, but that is not very flattering. The Bhāgavatam openly declares that although a person may be a great leader of such dogs and hogs disguised as men, if he has no taste for being enlightened in the science of Kṛṣṇa, such a leader is also an animal and nothing more. He may be designated as a powerful, strong animal, or a big animal, but in the estimation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam he is never given a place in the category of man, on account of his atheistic temperament. Or, in other words, such godless leaders of dogs and hoglike men are bigger animals with the qualities of animals in greater proportion.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.19
śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ |
na yat-karṇa-pathopeto jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ ||
Their animalistic life is to be condemned. They are glorified profusely by dogs, pigs, camels and donkeys. He as one person accepts the qualities of us four (animals), whereas we are all incapable of taking up another animal’s qualities. He, being a human, can take up so many qualities of animals, and we being animals, cannot take up even one quality of another animal. Overstepping his scripture ordained by dharma, he accepts our qualities with passion. We however are fixed in our qualities by destiny. He is aware of the hell into which he will be born by following our qualities, whereas we are dull-witted and cannot understand anything of the future. In this way the animals praise him in four ways. The dog’s quality is to become angry without reason. The pigs quality is eat impure items. The quality of the camel is carrying heavy burdens. The quality of the donkey is to get kicked by his mate. Kṛṣṇa has never gone in that person’s ears. Gadāgraja means “he who appears in front of sickness (gada) as its enemy.” Thus he will appear and destroy the sickness of anger and other bad qualities of the animalistic man.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.19||
śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṃstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ | na yat-karṇa-pathopeto jātu nāma gadāgrajaḥ ||
TRANSLATION This human animal, whose ear has never heard about Kṛṣṇa, is praised by dogs, hogs, camels and donkeys.
Bhakti sandarbha 35:
The human who is praised lavishly (saṃstutaḥ) by associates who are like dogs, hogs, camels and donkeys is an animal. If he is the best among them, he is just a great animal.
Or the person lavishly (sam) praised (stutaḥ) by dogs, hogs, camels and donkeys indicates all of us, with all your qualities.
TEXT - SB 2.3.20
bile batorukrama-vikramān ye
na śṛṇvataḥ karṇa-puṭe narasya
jihvāsatī dārdurikeva sūta
na copagāyaty urugāya-gāthāḥ
SYNONYMS
bile—snake holes; bata—like; urukrama—the Lord, who acts marvelously; vikramān—prowess; ye—all these; na—never; śṛṇvataḥ—heard; karṇa-puṭe—the earholes; narasya—of the man; jihvā—tongue; asatī—useless; dārdurikā—of the frogs; iva—exactly like that; sūta—O Sūta Gosvāmī; na—never; ca—also; upagāyati—chants loudly; urugāya—worth singing; gāthāḥ—songs.
TRANSLATION
One who has not listened to the messages about the prowess and marvelous acts of the Personality of Godhead and has not sung or chanted loudly the worthy songs about the Lord is to be considered to possess earholes like the holes of snakes and a tongue like the tongue of a frog.
PURPORT
Devotional service to the Lord is rendered by all limbs or parts of the body. It is the transcendental dynamic force of the spirit soul; therefore a devotee is engaged one hundred percent in the service of the Lord. One can engage in devotional service when the senses of the body are purified in relation with the Lord, and one can render service to the Lord with the help of all the senses. As such, the senses and the action of the senses are to be considered impure or materialistic as long as they are employed only in sense gratification. The purified senses are engaged not in sense gratification but in the service of the Lord in toto. The Lord is the Supreme with all senses, and the servitor, who is part and parcel of the Lord, also has the same senses. Service to the Lord is the completely purified use of the senses, as described in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord imparted instructions with full senses, and Arjuna received them with full senses, and thus there was a perfect exchange of sensible and logical understanding between the master and the disciple. Spiritual understanding is nothing like an electrical charge from the master to the disciple, as foolishly claimed by some propaganda-mongers. Everything is full of sense and logic, and the exchange of views between the master and disciple is possible only when the reception is submissive and real. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that one should receive the teaching of Lord Caitanya with intellect and full senses so that one can logically understand the great mission.
In the impure state of a living being, the various senses are fully engaged in mundane affairs. If the ear is not engaged in the service of the Lord by hearing about Him from Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, certainly the holes of the ear will be filled with some rubbish. Therefore the messages of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be preached all over the world very loudly. That is the duty of a pure devotee who has actually heard about them from the perfect sources. Many want to speak something to others, but because they are not trained to speak on the subject matter of Vedic wisdom they are all speaking nonsense, and people are receiving them with no sense. There are hundreds and thousands of sources for distributing mundane news of the world, and people of the world are also receiving it. Similarly, the people of the world should be taught to hear the transcendental topics of the Lord, and the devotee of the Lord must speak loudly so that they can hear. The frogs loudly croak, with the result that they invite the snakes to eat them. The human tongue is especially given for chanting the Vedic hymns and not for croaking like frogs. The word asatī used in this verse is also significant. Asatī means a woman who has become a prostitute. A prostitute has no reputation for good womanly qualities. Similarly, the tongue, which is given to the human being for chanting the Vedic hymns, will be considered a prostitute when engaged in chanting some mundane nonsense.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.20
bile batorukrama-vikramān ye
na śṛṇvataḥ karṇa-puṭe narasya |
jihvāsatī dārdurikeva sūta
na copagāyaty urugāya-gāthāḥ ||
After the whole person has been criticized, the parts of his body are criticized in five verses. Oh! How lamentable! (bata) The ears of a man who has not heard the glories of the Lord are holes fit for snakes to live. The tongue which does not chant the glories of the Lord is offensive (asatī) like that of a frog. Or it is like an unchaste woman, which destroys all of one’s piety. Though a person becomes successful by performing bhakti with even one of these limbs, they are criticized since they are otherwise useless.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.20||
bile batorukrama-vikramān ye na śṛṇvataḥ karṇa-puṭe narasya | jihvāsatī dārdurikeva sūta na copagāyaty urugāya-gāthāḥ ||
TRANSLATION Sūta! How lamentable! The ears of a person who has not heard the glories of the Lord are like snake holes. The tongue which does not chant the glories of the Lord is as offensive as a frog’s tongue.
Three verses explain the futility of our limbs by giving examples of particular useless lives. The ears of a person who has not heard about the Lord are useless holes (snake holes). The tongue is wicked (asatī) if it does not chant the Lord’s glories.
TEXT - SB 2.3.21
bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam
apy uttamāṅgaṁ na namen mukundam
śāvau karau no kurute saparyāṁ
harer lasat-kāñcana-kaṅkaṇau vā
SYNONYMS
bhāraḥ—a great burden; param—heavy; paṭṭa—silk; kirīṭa—turban; juṣṭam—dressed with; api—even; uttama—upper; aṅgam—parts of the body; na—never; namet—bow down; mukundam—Lord Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer; śāvau—dead bodies; karau—hands; no—do not; kurute—do; saparyām—worshiping; hareḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; lasat—glittering; kāñcana—made of gold; kaṅkaṇau—bangles; vā—even though.
TRANSLATION
The upper portion of the body, though crowned with a silk turban, is only a heavy burden if not bowed down before the Personality of Godhead who can award mukti [freedom]. And the hands, though decorated with glittering bangles, are like those of a dead man if not engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead Hari.
PURPORT
As stated hereinbefore, there are three kinds of devotees of the Lord. The first-class devotee does not at all see anyone who is not in the service of the Lord, but the second-class devotee makes distinctions between devotees and nondevotees. The second-class devotees are therefore meant for preaching work, and as referred to in the above verse, they must loudly preach the glories of the Lord. The second-class devotee accepts disciples from the section of third-class devotees or nondevotees. Sometimes the first-class devotee also comes down to the category of the second-class devotee for preaching work. But the common man, who is expected to become at least a third-class devotee, is advised herein to visit the temple of the Lord and bow down before the Deity, even though he may be a very rich man or even a king with a silk turban or crown. The Lord is the Lord of everyone, including the great kings and emperors, and men who are rich in the estimation of mundane people must therefore make it a point to visit the temple of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and regularly bow down before the Deity. The Lord in the temple in the worshipable form is never to be considered to be made of stone or wood, for the Lord in His arcā incarnation as the Deity in the temple shows immense favor to the fallen souls by His auspicious presence. By the hearing process, as mentioned hereinbefore, this realization of the presence of the Lord in the temple is made possible. As such, the first process in the routine work of devotional service—hearing—is the essential point. Hearing by all classes of devotees from the authentic sources like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is essential. The common man who is puffed up with his material position and does not bow down before the Deity of the Lord in the temple, or who defies temple worship without any knowledge of the science, must know that his so-called turban or crown will only succeed in further drowning him in the water of the ocean of material existence. A drowning man with a heavy weight on his head is sure to go down more swiftly than those who have no heavy weight. A foolish, puffed-up man defies the science of God and says that God has no meaning for him, but when he is in the grip of God's law and is caught by some disease like cerebral thrombosis, that godless man sinks into the ocean of nescience by the weight of his material acquisition. Advancement of material science without God consciousness is a heavy load on the head of human society, and so one must take heed of this great warning.
The common man, if he has no time to worship the Lord, may at least engage his hands for a few seconds in washing or sweeping the Lord's temple. Mahārāja Pratāparudra, the greatly powerful king of Orissa, was always very busy with heavy state responsibilities, yet he made it a point to sweep the temple of Lord Jagannātha at Purī once a year during the festival of the Lord. The idea is that however important a man one may be he must accept the supremacy of the Supreme Lord. This God consciousness will help a man even in his material prosperity. Mahārāja Pratāparudra's subordination before Lord Jagannātha made him a powerful king, so much so that even the great Pathan in his time could not enter into Orissa on account of the powerful Mahārāja Pratāparudra. And at last Mahārāja Pratāparudra was graced by Lord Śrī Caitanya on the very grounds of his acceptance of subordination to the Lord of the universe. So even though a rich man's wife has glittering bangles made of gold on her hands, she must engage herself in rendering service to the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.21
bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam
apy uttamāṅgaṁ na namen mukundam|
śāvau karau no kurute saparyāṁ
harer lasat-kāñcana-kaṅkaṇau vā ||
The topmost limb, the head, is simply a burden decorated with crown and turban. It drowns him in the ocean of saṁsāra. The hands are those of a dead person. The devatās and Pitṛṣ do not accept water given by that person because he is impure.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.21||
bhāraḥ paraṃ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam apy uttamāngaṃ na namen mukundam| śāvau karau no kurute saparyāṃ harer lasat-kāncana-kankaṇau vā ||
TRANSLATION The head, decorated with turban and crown, which does not bow to Kṛṣṇa, is simply a heavy weight which will sink the person in saṃsāra. The hands which do not make offerings to the Lord, though decorated with glittering gold bracelets, are those of a dead person.
The head decorated with a turban or crown is simply a weight. Api means “or.”
TEXT - SB 2.3.22
barhāyite te nayane narāṇāṁ
liṅgāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣato ye
pādau nṛṇāṁ tau druma-janma-bhājau
kṣetrāṇi nānuvrajato harer yau
SYNONYMS
barhāyite—like plumes of a peacock; te—those; nayane—eyes; narāṇām—of men; liṅgāni—forms; viṣṇoḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; na—does not; nirīkṣataḥ—look upon; ye—all such; pādau—legs; nṛṇām—of men; tau—those; druma-janma—being born of the tree; bhājau—like that; kṣetrāṇi—holy places; na—never; anuvrajataḥ—goes after; hareḥ—of the Lord; yau—which.
TRANSLATION
The eyes which do not look at the symbolic representations of the Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu [His forms, name, quality, etc.] are like those printed on the plumes of the peacock, and the legs which do not move to the holy places [where the Lord is remembered] are considered to be like tree trunks.
PURPORT
Especially for the householder devotees, the path of Deity worship is strongly recommended. As far as possible, every householder, by the direction of the spiritual master, must install the Deity of Viṣṇu, forms like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa or Sītā-Rāma especially, or any other form of the Lord, like Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Gaura-Nitāi, Matsya, Kūrma, śālagrāma-śilā and many other forms of Viṣṇu, like Trivikrama, Keśava, Acyuta, Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa and Dāmodara, as recommended in the Vaiṣṇava-tantras or Purāṇas, and one's family should worship strictly following the directions and regulations of arcana-vidhi. Any member of the family who is above twelve years of age should be initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, and all the members of the household should be engaged in the daily service of the Lord, beginning from morning (4 a.m.) till night (10 p.m.) by performing maṅgala-ārātrika, nirañjana, arcana, pūjā, kīrtana, śṛṅgāra, bhoga-vaikāli, sandhyā-ārātrika, pāṭha, bhoga (at night), śayana-ārātrika, etc. Engagement in such worship of the Deity, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, will greatly help the householders to purify their very existence and make rapid progress in spiritual knowledge. Simple theoretical book knowledge is not sufficient for a neophyte devotee. Book knowledge is theoretical, whereas the arcana process is practical. Spiritual knowledge must be developed by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, and that is the guaranteed way for attainment of spiritual perfection. The training of devotional service for a neophyte devotee completely depends on the expert spiritual master who knows how to lead his disciple to make gradual progress towards the path back home, back to Godhead. One should not become a pseudo spiritual master as a matter of business to meet one's family expenditures; one must be an expert spiritual master to deliver the disciple from the clutches of impending death. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has defined the bona fide qualities of a spiritual master, and one of the verses in that description reads:
śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-
śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau
yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
Śrī-vigrahais the arcā, or suitable worshipable form of the Lord, and the disciple should be engaged in worshiping the Deity regularly by śṛṅgāra, by proper decoration and dressing, as also by mandira-mārjana, the matter of cleansing the temple. The spiritual master teaches the neophyte devotee all these kindly and personally to help him gradually in the realization of the transcendental name, quality, form, etc., of the Lord.
Only attention engaged in the service of the Lord, especially in dressing and decorating the temple, accompanied by musical kīrtana and spiritual instructions from scriptures, can save the common man from the hellish cinema attractions and rubbish sex-songs broadcast everywhere by radios. If one is unable to maintain a temple at home, he should go to another's temple where all the above performances are regularly executed. Visiting the temple of a devotee and looking at the profusely decorated forms of the Lord well dressed in a well-decorated, sanctified temple naturally infuse the mundane mind with spiritual inspiration. People should visit holy places like Vṛndāvana where such temples and worship of the Deity are specifically maintained. Formerly all rich men like kings and rich merchants constructed such temples under the direction of expert devotees of the Lord, like the six Gosvāmīs, and it is the duty of the common man to take advantage of these temples and festivals observed in the holy places of pilgrimage by following in the footsteps of great devotees (anuvraja). One should not visit all these sanctified pilgrimage places and temples with sightseeing in mind, but one must go to such temples and sanctified places immortalized by the transcendental pastimes of the Lord and be guided by proper men who know the science. This is called anuvraja. Anu means to follow. It is therefore best to follow the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master, even in visiting temples and the holy places of pilgrimage. One who does not move in that way is as good as a standing tree condemned by the Lord not to move. The moving tendency of the human being is misused by visiting places for sightseeing. The best purpose of such traveling tendencies could be fulfilled by visiting the holy places established by great ācāryas and thereby not being misled by the atheistic propaganda of moneymaking men who have no knowledge of spiritual matters.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.22
barhāyite te nayane narāṇāṁ
liṅgāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣato ye |
pādau nṛṇāṁ tau druma-janma-bhājau
kṣetrāṇi nānuvrajato harer yau ||
The eyes which do not see the deity form of Viṣṇu are like those on the peacock feather. Those persons whose eyes do not see the path of deliverance for the self fall into the thorn field of saṁsāra. The feet of men who do not go to holy places are born as trees. They are similar to the bases of trees, cut by the axes of the Yama-dūtas.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.22||
barhāyite te nayane narāṇāṃ lingāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣato ye | pādau nṛṇāṃ tau druma-janma-bhājau kṣetrāṇi nānuvrajato harer yau ||
TRANSLATION Men’s eyes which do not see the form of the Lord are like the eyes on the peacock feather, and they fall on the thorny field of saṃsāra. Men’s feet which do not walk to the places of the Lord are like the bases of trees, to be cut by the axes of Yama-dūtas.
Feet which do not go the temple are like bases of trees (druma-janma-bhājau).
TEXT - SB 2.3.23
jīvañ chavo bhāgavatāṅghri-reṇuṁ
na jātu martyo 'bhilabheta yas tu
śrī-viṣṇu-padyā manujas tulasyāḥ
śvasañ chavo yas tu na veda gandham
SYNONYMS
jīvan—while living; śavaḥ—a dead body; bhāgavata-aṅghri-reṇum—the dust of the feet of a pure devotee; na—never; jātu—at any time; martyaḥ—mortal; abhilabheta—particularly received; yaḥ—a person; tu—but; śrī—with opulence; viṣṇu-padyāḥ—of the lotus feet of Viṣṇu; manu-jaḥ—a descendant of Manu (a man); tulasyāḥ—leaves of the tulasi tree; śvasan—while breathing; śavaḥ—still a dead body; yaḥ—who; tu—but; na veda—never experienced; gandham—the aroma.
TRANSLATION
The person who has not at any time received the dust of the feet of the Lord's pure devotee upon his head is certainly a dead body. And the person who has never experienced the aroma of the tulasī leaves from the lotus feet of the Lord is also a dead body, although breathing.
PURPORT
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the breathing dead body is a ghost. When a man dies, he is called dead, but when he again appears in a subtle form not visible to our present vision and yet acts, such a dead body is called a ghost. Ghosts are always very bad elements, always creating a fearful situation for others. Similarly, the ghostlike nondevotees who have no respect for the pure devotees, nor for the Viṣṇu Deity in the temples, create a fearful situation for the devotees at all times. The Lord never accepts any offering by such impure ghosts. There is a common saying that one should first love the dog of the beloved before one shows any loving sentiments for the beloved. The stage of pure devotion is attained by sincerely serving a pure devotee of the Lord. The first condition of devotional service to the Lord is therefore to be a servant of a pure devotee, and this condition is fulfilled by the statement "reception of the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee who has also served another pure devotee." That is the way of pure disciplic succession, or devotional paramparā.
Mahārāja Rahūgaṇa inquired from the great saint Jaḍa Bharata as to how he had attained such a liberated stage of a paramahaṁsa, and in answer the great saint replied as follows (SB 5.12.12):
rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti
na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā
na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair
vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam
"O King Rahūgaṇa, the perfectional stage of devotional service, or the paramahaṁsa stage of life, cannot be attained unless one is blessed by the dust of the feet of great devotees. It is never attained by tapasya [austerity], the Vedic worshiping process, acceptance of the renounced order of life, the discharge of the duties of household life, the chanting of the Vedic hymns, or the performance of penances in the hot sun, within cold water or before the blazing fire."
In other words, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the property of His pure unconditional devotees, and as such only the devotees can deliver Kṛṣṇa to another devotee; Kṛṣṇa is never obtainable directly. Lord Caitanya therefore designated Himself as gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc. Madhya 13.80], or "the most obedient servant of the servants of the Lord, who maintains the gopī damsels at Vṛndāvana." A pure devotee therefore never approaches the Lord directly, but tries to please the servant of the Lord's servants, and thus the Lord becomes pleased, and only then can the devotee relish the taste of the tulasī leaves stuck to His lotus feet. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord is never to be found by becoming a great scholar of the Vedic literatures, but He is very easily approachable through His pure devotee. In Vṛndāvana all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is a tenderhearted feminine counterpart of the supreme whole, resembling the perfectional stage of the worldly feminine nature. Therefore, the mercy of Rādhārāṇī is available very readily to the sincere devotees, and once She recommends such a devotee to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Lord at once accepts the devotee's admittance into His association. The conclusion is, therefore, that one should be more serious about seeking the mercy of the devotee than that of the Lord directly, and by one's doing so (by the good will of the devotee) the natural attraction for the service of the Lord will be revived.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.23
jīvañ chavo bhāgavatāṅghri-reṇuṁ
na jātu martyo ’bhilabheta yas tu|
śrī-viṣṇu-padyā manujas tulasyāḥ
śvasañ chavo yas tu na veda gandham ||
After criticism of various parts of the body, there is now criticism of all of them together. The person who does not touch (abhilabheta) the dust of the devotees’ feet, who does not smear that dust on his body, is like a living corpse --a departed soul (śavaḥ), who frightens the devotees by his presence. This means that the Lord does not accept the service from his hands. The person who is not eager to smell the fragrance of tulasī attached to the Lord’s feet is also a breathing corpse.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.23||
jīvan chavo bhāgavatānghri-reṇuṃ na jātu martyo ’bhilabheta yas tu| śrī-viṣṇu-padyā manujas tulasyāḥ śvasan chavo yas tu na veda gandham ||
TRANSLATION That person who does not smear his body with the dust from the devotees’ feet is a ghost, whose offerings are not accepted by the Lord. That person who does not smell the fragrance of the tulasī on Viṣṇu’s feet is similarly a ghost.
Without a special cause, hearing about the Lord does not take place. Smearing the limbs with the dust from the devotee’s feet causes offering respects. The
smell of tulasī causes the heart to transform, causing hairs standing on end etc. With this intention the verse is spoken. A person who has not attained the dust attached to the Lord’s feet is a corpse.
TEXT - SB 2.3.24
tad aśma-sāraṁ hṛdayaṁ batedaṁ
yad gṛhyamāṇair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ
na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro
netre jalaṁ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ
SYNONYMS
tat—that; aśma-sāram—is steel-framed; hṛdayam—heart; bata idam—certainly that; yat—which; gṛhyamāṇaiḥ—in spite of chanting; hari-nāma—the holy name of the Lord; dheyaiḥ—by concentration of the mind; na—does not; vikriyeta—change; atha—thus; yadā—when; vikāraḥ—reaction; netre—in the eyes; jalam—tears; gātra-ruheṣu—at the pores; harṣaḥ—eruptions of ecstasy.
TRANSLATION
Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one's chanting the holy name of the Lord with concentration, does not change when ecstasy takes place, tears fill the eyes and the hairs stand on end.
PURPORT
We should note with profit that in the first three chapters of the Second Canto a gradual process of development of devotional service is being presented. In the First Chapter the first step in devotional service for God consciousness by the process of hearing and chanting has been stressed, and a gross conception of the Personality of Godhead in His universal form for the beginners is recommended. By such a gross conception of God through the material manifestations of His energy, one is enabled to spiritualize the mind and the senses and gradually concentrate the mind upon Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme, who is present as the Supersoul in every heart and everywhere, in every atom of the material universe. The system of pañca-upāsanā, recommending five mental attitudes for the common man, is also enacted for this purpose, namely gradual development, worship of the superior that may be in the form of fire, electricity, the sun, the mass of living beings, Lord Śiva and, at last, the impersonal Supersoul, the partial representation of Lord Viṣṇu. They are all nicely described in the Second Chapter, but in the Third Chapter further development is prescribed after one has actually reached the stage of Viṣṇu worship, or pure devotional service, and the mature stage of Viṣṇu worship is suggested herein in relation to the change of heart.
The whole process of spiritual culture is aimed at changing the heart of the living being in the matter of his eternal relation with the Supreme Lord as subordinate servant, which is his eternal constitutional position. So with the progress of devotional service, the reaction of change in the heart is exhibited by gradual detachment from the sense of material enjoyment by a false sense of lording it over the world and an increase in the attitude of rendering loving service to the Lord. Vidhi-bhakti, or regulated devotional service by the limbs of the body (namely the eyes, the ears, the nose, the hands and the legs, as already explained hereinbefore), is now stressed herein in relation to the mind, which is the impetus for all activities of the limbs of the body. It is expected by all means that by discharging regulated devotional service one must manifest the change of heart. If there is no such change, the heart must be considered steel-framed, for it is not melted even when there is chanting of the holy name of the Lord. We must always remember that hearing and chanting are the basic principles of discharging devotional duties, and if they are properly performed there will follow the reactional ecstasy with signs of tears in the eyes and standing of the hairs on the body. These are natural consequences and are the preliminary symptoms of the bhāva stage, which occurs before one reaches the perfectional stage of prema, love of Godhead.
If the reaction does not take place, even after continuous hearing and chanting of the holy name of the Lord, it may be considered to be due to offenses only. That is the opinion of the Sandarbha. In the beginning of chanting of the holy name of the Lord, if the devotee has not been very careful about evading the ten kinds of offenses at the feet of the holy name, certainly the reaction of feelings of separation will not be visible by tears in the eyes and standing of the hair on end.
The bhāva stage is manifested by eight transcendental symptoms, namely inertness, perspiration, standing of hairs on end, failing in the voice, trembling, paleness of the body, tears in the eyes and finally trance. The Nectar of Devotion, a summary study of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī's Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, explains those symptoms and vividly describes other transcendental developments, both in steady and accelerating manifestations.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has very critically discussed all these bhāva displays in connection with some unscrupulous neophyte's imitating the above symptoms for cheap appreciation. Not only Viśvanātha Cakravartī but also Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī treated them very critically. Sometimes all the above eight symptoms of ecstasy are imitated by the mundane devotees (prākṛta-sahajiyās), but the pseudo symptoms are at once detected when one sees the pseudodevotee addicted to so many forbidden things. Even though decorated with the signs of a devotee, a person addicted to smoking, drinking or illegitimate sex with women cannot have all the above-mentioned ecstatic symptoms. But it is seen that sometimes these symptoms are willfully imitated, and for this reason Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī accuses the imitators of being stonehearted men. They are sometimes even affected by the reflection of such transcendental symptoms, yet if they still do not give up the forbidden habits, then they are hopeless cases for transcendental realization.
When Lord Caitanya met Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya of Kavaur on the bank of the Godāvarī, the Lord developed all these symptoms, but because of the presence of some nondevotee brāhmaṇas who were attendants of the Rāya, the Lord suppressed these symptoms. So sometimes they are not visible even in the body of the first-class devotee for certain circumstantial reasons. Therefore real, steady bhāva is definitely displayed in the matter of cessation of material desires (kṣānti), utilization of every moment in the transcendental loving service of the Lord (avyārtha-kālatvam [Cc. Madhya 23.18-19]), eagerness for glorifying the Lord constantly (nāma-gāne sadā ruci [Cc. Madhya 23.32]), attraction for living in the land of the Lord (prītis tad-vasati sthale Prītis tad vasati sthāle), complete detachment from material happiness (virakti), and pridelessness (māna-śūnyatā). One who has developed all these transcendental qualities is really possessed of the bhāva stage, as distinguished from the stonehearted imitator or mundane devotee.
The whole process can be summarized as follows: The advanced devotee who chants the holy name of the Lord in a perfectly offenseless manner and is friendly to everyone can actually relish the transcendental taste of glorifying the Lord. And the result of such realization is reflected in the cessation of all material desires, etc., as mentioned above. The neophytes, due to their being in the lower stage of devotional service, are invariably envious, so much so that they invent their own ways and means of devotional regulations without following the ācāryas. As such, even if they make a show of constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord, they cannot relish the transcendental taste of the holy name. Therefore, the show of tears in the eyes, trembling, perspiration or unconsciousness, etc., is condemned. They can, however, get in touch with a pure devotee of the Lord and rectify their bad habits; otherwise they shall continue to be stonehearted and unfit for any treatment. A complete progressive march on the return path home, back to Godhead, will depend on the instructions of the revealed scriptures directed by a realized devotee.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.24
tad aśma-sāraṁ hṛdayaṁ batedaṁ
yad gṛhyamāṇair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ |
na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro
netre jalaṁ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ ||
The external limbs individually and collectively have been criticized. Now the internal nature of the person indifferent to the Lord’s glories is criticized. That heart which does not transform by the many names of the Lord being chanted (gṛhyamāṇaiḥ) is iron (aśma-sāram). The transformation is described. The body hair should stand up. The Sandarbha says that if one continually chants but the heart does not melt, that is a sign of nāmāparadha. However it should not be said that simply by tears and hairs standing on end that a person has a melted heart. Rūpa Gosvāmī has said:
nisarga-picchila-svānte tad-abhyāsa-pare’pi ca |
sattvābhāsaṁ vināpi syuḥ kvāpy aśru-pulakādayaḥ ||
When a person has a hard heart and practices exhibiting the sāttvika-bhāvas, without even a touch of emotion, the appearance of tears or other symptoms are called niḥsattva. BRS 2.3.89
And in devotees with very deep experience of prema, external tears and hairs standing on end may not be seen, even though they have melted hearts. Therefore this verse should be explained as follows. That heart which does not transform with chanting, but still has tears in the eyes and hairs standing on end (imitation), should be considered an iron heart.
The extraordinary symptoms of transformation of the heart should be the list of items starting with kṣānti:
kṣāntir avyartha-kālatvaṁ viraktir māna-śunyatā |
āśā-bandhaḥ samutkaṇṭhā nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ ||
āsaktis tad-guṇākhyāne prītis tad-vasati-sthale |
ity ādayo ’nubhāvāḥ syur jāta-bhāvāṅkure jane ||
The anubhāvas or characteristics of a person who has developed the bud of bhāva are as follows: tolerance, not wasting time, detachment from enjoy ment, pridelessness, confidence in the Lord’s mercy, longing for the Lord, taste for chanting the name of the Lord, attachment to discussing about the Lord’s qualities, and attachment to living in the abode of the Lord. Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.3.25-6
Tears and hair standing on end are the ordinary symptoms of the heart melting. When the uttamādhikārīs who are nirmatsara chant, they will experience the sweetness of the name. In that state there will be the symptoms such as tolerance and tears. When the majority of kaniṣṭādhikārīs with matsara chant, they will not experience the sweetness of the name, and transformation of the heart will not take place. The symptoms starting with tolerance do not appear. Even though they may show tears or hairs standing on end, they should be criticized as having iron hearts. However, by association with devotees, when they pass through the stages of anartha-nivrṭti, niṣṭhā, ruci and āsakti, with time, the heart will melt, and the iron heart will dissolve. Those whose hearts melt but remain iron-like are hard to cure. This is explained in relation to sa-bīja-yoga-dhyāna in the Third Canto:
evaṁ harau bhagavati pratilabdha-bhāvo
bhaktyā dravad-dhṛdaya utpulakaḥ pramodāt |
autkaṇṭhya-bāṣpa-kalayā muhur ardyamānas
tac cāpi citta-baḍiśaṁ śanakair viyuṅkte ||
The unfortunate yogī who has developed love for the Lord, full of all sweet qualities, whose heart is somewhat soft because of devotion, whose body hairs stand on end in ecstasy, who is constantly overcome with intense tears of joy, gradually withdraws his hook-like mind from the Lord's form. SB 3.28.34
Dravad-dhṛdaya means his heart has melted. However baḍiśa (fish hook) means it is still iron since the fish hook is made of iron. The bhāva that he attains and the melting of the heart are ābhāsas or semblances only, since he gradually withdraws the mind from the Lord. Why give up the Lord who is the real goal of life? By the bhakti in this meditation, he cannot be called a devotee but a yogī since he gives pain to the limbs of the Lord, the object of his meditation, by his fish hook heart, which is hard and bent.
The ideas present here are supported later in the text:
sā vāg yayā tasya guṇān gṛṇīte
karau ca tat-karma-karau manaś ca
smared vasantaṁ sthira-jaṅgameṣu
śṛṇoti tat-puṇya-kathāḥ sa karṇaḥ
Actual speech is that which describes the qualities of the Lord, real hands are those that work for him, a true mind is that which always remembers him dwelling within everything moving and nonmoving, and actual ears are those that listen to sanctifying topics about him. SB 10.80.3
These statements, by negative expression, confirm the necessity of practicing bhakti which is the conclusion of the scriptures.
Jiva's tika ||2.3.24||
tad aśma-sāraṃ hṛdayaṃ batedaṃ yad gṛhyamāṇair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ | na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro netre jalaṃ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ ||
TRANSLATION That heart which does not transform on hearing the names of the Lord, even though he shows tears in the eyes and hair standing on end, is made of iron.
Bhakti Sandarbha 36:
The heart which does not transform is hard (sāram), like iron. When there is transformation then there will be tears in the eyes. Parīkṣit will confirm this later.
sā vāg yayā tasya guṇān gṛṇīte karau ca tat-karma-karau manaś ca smared vasantaṃ sthira-jangameṣu śṛṇoti tat-puṇya-kathāḥ sa karṇaḥ
Actual speech is that which describes the qualities of the Lord, real hands are those that work for Him, a true mind is that which always remembers him dwelling within everything moving and nonmoving, and actual ears are those that listen to sanctifying topics about him.
śiras tu tasyobhaya-lingam ānamet tad eva yat paśyati tad dhi cakṣuḥ angāni viṣṇor atha taj-janānāṃ pādodakaṃ yāni bhajanti nityam
An actual head is one that bows down to the Lord in his manifestations among the moving and nonmoving creatures, real eyes are those that see only the Lord, and actual limbs are those which regularly honor the water that has bathed the Lord’s feet or those of his devotees. (SB 10.80.3-4)
Thus, in the chapter where Śukadeva begins speaking, bhakti is mentioned as the abhidheya.
The commentary says, “In the first chapter of the second canto, it is explained that one should concentrate the mind on the universal form of the Lord. In the second chapter it is explained that the controlled mind should meditate on Viṣṇu, the witness of all beings, the Lord of all beings, rather than the universal form. In the third chapter the superiority of Śaunaka’s bhakti and engagement in hearing about the activities of the Lord with great devotion are described.”
TEXT - SB 2.3.25
athābhidhehy aṅga mano-'nukūlaṁ
prabhāṣase bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ
yad āha vaiyāsakir ātma-vidyā-
viśārado nṛpatiṁ sādhu pṛṣṭaḥ
SYNONYMS
atha—therefore; abhidhehi—please explain; aṅga—O Sūta Gosvāmī; manaḥ—mind; anukūlam—favorable to our mentality; prabhāṣase—you do speak; bhāgavata—the great devotee; pradhānaḥ—the chief; yat āha—what he spoke; vaiyāsakiḥ—Śukadeva Gosvāmī; ātma-vidyā—transcendental knowledge; viśāradaḥ—expert; nṛpatim—unto the King; sādhu—very good; pṛṣṭaḥ—being asked.
TRANSLATION
O Sūta Gosvāmī, your words are pleasing to our minds. Please therefore explain this to us as it was spoken by the great devotee Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who is very expert in transcendental knowledge, and who spoke to Mahārāja Parīkṣit upon being asked.
PURPORT
Knowledge explained by the previous ācārya like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and followed by the next like Sūta Gosvāmī is always powerful transcendental knowledge, and it is therefore penetrating and useful to all submissive students.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.3.25
athābhidhehy aṅga mano-'nukūlaṁ
prabhāṣase bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ |
yad āha vaiyāsakir ātma-vidyā-
viśārado nṛpatiṁ sādhu pṛṣṭaḥ ||
“Therefore, because of this, please tell us.” “What should I tell you?” “According to your inclination, you speak what Śukadeva said. There is nothing else to say.”
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart."
4. The Process of Creation
verses: 1, 2, 3-4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
TEXT - SB 2.4.1
sūta uvāca
vaiyāsaker iti vacas
tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ
upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe
auttareyaḥ satīṁ vyadhāt
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta Gosvāmī said; vaiyāsakeḥ—of Śukadeva Gosvāmī; iti—thus; vacaḥ—speeches; tattva-niścayam—that which verifies the truth; ātmanaḥ—in the self; upadhārya—just having realized; matim—concentration of the mind; kṛṣṇe—unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; auttareyaḥ—the son of Uttarā; satīm—chaste; vyadhāt—applied.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the son of Uttarā, after hearing the speeches of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, which were all about the truth of the self, applied his concentration faithfully upon Lord Kṛṣṇa.
PURPORT
The word satīm is very significant. This means "existing" and "chaste." And both imports are perfectly applicable in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one's attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa without any diversion, as instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15). Fortunately Mahārāja Parīkṣit had already been attracted to the Lord from the very beginning of his body, in the womb of his mother. In the womb of his mother he was struck by the brahmāstra atomic bomb released by Aśvatthāmā, but by the grace of the Lord he was saved from being burnt by the fiery weapon, and since then the King continuously concentrated his mind upon Lord Kṛṣṇa, which made him perfectly chaste in devotional service. So by natural sequence he was a chaste devotee of the Lord, and when he further heard from Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī that one should worship the Lord only and no one else, even though full of all desires or desireless, his natural affection for Kṛṣṇa was strengthened. We have already discussed these topics.
To become a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, two things are very much essential, namely having a chance to be born in the family of a devotee and having the blessings of a bona fide spiritual master. By the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Parīkṣit Mahārāja had both opportunities. He was born in a family of such devotees as the Pāṇḍavas, and just to continue the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas and show them special favor, the Lord specifically saved Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who later on, by the arrangement of the Lord, was cursed by the boy of a brāhmaṇa and was able to get the association of such a spiritual master as Śukadeva Gosvāmī. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that a fortunate person, by the mercy of the spiritual master and Lord Kṛṣṇa, achieves the path of devotional service. This was perfectly applicable in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. By way of being born in a family of devotees, he automatically came in touch with Kṛṣṇa, and after being so contacted he constantly remembered Him. Consequently Lord Kṛṣṇa gave the King a further chance for development in devotional service by introducing him to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, a stalwart devotee of the Lord with perfect knowledge in self-realization. And by hearing from a bona fide spiritual master, he was perfectly able to concentrate his chaste mind further upon Lord Kṛṣṇa, as a matter of course.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.1
sūta uvāca—
vaiyāsaker iti vacas tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ |
upadhārya matiṁ kṛṣṇe auttareyaḥ satīṁ vyadhāt ||
In the Fourth Chapter, Śukadeva, being asked by Parīkṣit, describes the creation through the conversation of Brahmā and Nārada, after offering respects to his guru Kṛṣṇa.
Hearing words from which he could discern the truth about the soul, he particularly (vi) concentrated his mind which was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, because he was the son of Uttarā (auttareyaḥ). From the time that Kṛṣṇa entered her womb to save him, he remembered Kṛṣṇa. Or satīm matim can mean “undeviating mind.”
Jiva's tika ||2.4.1||
sūta uvāca— vaiyāsaker iti vacas tattva-niścayam ātmanaḥ | upadhārya matiṃ kṛṣṇe auttareyaḥ satīṃ vyadhāt ||
TRANSLATION Sūta said: Hearing the words of Śukadeva by which he could discern the truth about the soul, Parīkṣit concentrated his mind which was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa . He especially concentrated (vi) his mind, which was fixed on Kṛṣṇa. Understanding the general import with verses like akāma sarva-kāmo vai, he understood the conclusion and concentrated on Kṛṣṇa especially.
TEXT - SB 2.4.2
ātma-jāyā-sutāgāra-
paśu-draviṇa-bandhuṣu
rājye cāvikale nityaṁ
virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau
SYNONYMS
ātma—body; jāyā—wife; suta—son; āgāra—palace; paśu—horses and elephants; draviṇa—treasury house; bandhuṣu—unto friends and relatives; rājye—in the kingdom; ca—also; avikale—without being disturbed; nityam—constant; virūḍhām—deep-rooted; mamatām—affinity; jahau—gave up.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, as a result of his wholehearted attraction for Lord Kṛṣṇa, was able to give up all deep-rooted affection for his personal body, his wife, his children, his palace, his animals like horses and elephants, his treasury house, his friends and relatives, and his undisputed kingdom.
PURPORT
To become liberated means to become free from dehātma-buddhi, the illusory attachment for personal bodily coverings and everything connected with the body, namely wife, children and all other entanglements. One selects a wife for bodily comforts, and the result is children. For wife and children one requires a dwelling place, and as such a residential house is also necessary. Animals like horses, elephants, cows and dogs are all household animals, and a householder has to keep them as household paraphernalia. In modern civilization the horses and elephants have been replaced by cars and conveyances with considerable horsepower. To maintain all the household affairs, one has to increase the bank balance and be careful about the treasury house, and in order to display the opulence of material assets, one has to keep good relations with friends and relatives, as well as become very careful about maintaining the status quo. This is called material civilization of material attachment. Devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa means negation of all material attachments as detailed above. By the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was awarded all material amenities and an undisputed kingdom in which to enjoy the undisturbed position of king, but by the grace of the Lord he was able to give up all connections with material attachment. That is the position of a pure devotee. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, due to his natural affection for Lord Kṛṣṇa as a devotee of the Lord, was always executing his royal duties on behalf of the Lord, and as a responsible king of the world he was always careful to see that the influence of Kali would not enter his kingdom. A devotee of the Lord never thinks of his household paraphernalia as his own, but surrenders everything for the service of the Lord. Thereby living entities under a devotee's care get the opportunity for God realization by the management of a devotee-master.
Attachment for household paraphernalia and for Lord Kṛṣṇa go poorly together. One attachment is the path of darkness, and the other attachment is the path of light. Where there is light, there is no darkness, and where there is darkness, there is no light. But an expert devotee can turn everything to the path of light by an attitude of service to the Lord, and the best example here is the Pāṇḍavas. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and householders like him can turn everything to light by dovetailing so-called material assets in the service of the Lord, but one who is not trained or is unable to turn everything to the service of the Lord (nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe) must give up all material connections before he can be fit to hear and chant the glories of the Lord, or in other words, one who has seriously heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for even one day, like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, from a fit personality like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, may be able to lose all affinity for material things. There is no utility simply in imitating Mahārāja Parīkṣit and hearing Bhāgavatam from professional men, even for seven hundred years. To take Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as a means of maintaining family expenditure is the grossest type of nāmāparādha offense at the feet of the Lord (sarva-śubha-kriyā-sāmyam api pramādaḥ).
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.2
ātma-jāyā-sutāgāra- paśu-draviṇa-bandhuṣu |
rājye cāvikale[107] nityaṁ virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau ||
Ātma means body.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.2||
ātma-jāyā-sutāgāra- paśu-draviṇa-bandhuṣu | rājye cāvikale nityaṃ virūḍhāṃ mamatāṃ jahau ||
TRANSLATION He completely gave up attachment to body, wife, sons, house, animals, wealth, friends, kingdom, which is constant and strong in others.
He had previously given up these attachments. Considering now, he rejected them even more as disgusting. Jiva's tika ||2.4.4|| saṃsthāṃ vijnāya sannyasya karma trai-vargikaṃ ca yat | vāsudeve bhagavati ātma-bhāvaṃ dṛḍhaṃ gataḥ ||
TRANSLATION Knowing his impending death, giving up all actions of dharma, artha and kāma,
he became firmly fixed in prema to Kṛṣṇa.
He became firmly fixed in prema (ātmā-bhāvam) for Kṛṣṇa.
TEXT - SB 2.4.3-4
papraccha cemam evārthaṁ
yan māṁ pṛcchatha sattamāḥ
kṛṣṇānubhāva-śravaṇe
śraddadhāno mahā-manāḥ
saṁsthāṁ vijñāya sannyasya
karma trai-vargikaṁ ca yat
vāsudeve bhagavati
ātma-bhāvaṁ dṛḍhaṁ gataḥ
SYNONYMS
papraccha—asked; ca—also; imam—this; eva—exactly like; artham—purpose; yat—that; mām—unto me; pṛcchatha—you are asking; sattamāḥ—O great sages; kṛṣṇa-anubhāva—rapt in thought of Kṛṣṇa; śravaṇe—in hearing; śraddadhānaḥ—full of faith; mahā-manāḥ—the great soul; saṁsthām—death; vijñāya—being informed; sannyasya—renouncing; karma—fruitive activities; trai-vargikam—the three principles religion, economic development and sense gratification; ca—also; yat—what it may be; vāsudeve—unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; bhagavati—the Personality of Godhead; ātma-bhāvam—attraction of love; dṛḍham—firmly fixed; gataḥ—achieved.
TRANSLATION
O great sages, the great soul Mahārāja Parīkṣit, constantly rapt in thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa, knowing well of his imminent death, renounced all sorts of fruitive activities, namely acts of religion, economic development and sense gratification, and thus fixed himself firmly in his natural love for Kṛṣṇa and asked all these questions, exactly as you are asking me.
PURPORT
The three activities of religion, economic development and sense gratification are generally attractive for conditioned souls struggling for existence in the material world. Such regulated activities prescribed in the Vedas are called the karma-kāṇḍīya conception of life, and householders are generally recommended to follow the rules just to enjoy material prosperity both in this life and in the next. Most people are attracted by such activities. Even in the activities of their modern godless civilization, people are more concerned with economic development and sense gratification without any religious sentiments. As a great emperor of the world, Mahārāja Parīkṣit had to observe such regulations of the Vedic karma-kāṇḍīya section, but by his slight association with Śukadeva Gosvāmī he could perfectly understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Personality of Godhead (Vāsudeva), for whom he had a natural love since his birth, is everything, and thus he fixed his mind firmly upon Him, renouncing all modes of Vedic karma-kāṇḍīya activities. This perfectional stage is attained by a jñānī after many, many births. The jñānīs, or the empiric philosophers endeavoring for liberation, are thousands of times better than the fruitive workers, and out of hundreds of thousands of such jñānīs one is liberated factually. And out of hundreds of thousands of such liberated persons, even one person is rarely found who can firmly fix his mind unto the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as declared by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19). Mahārāja Parīkṣit is specially qualified with the word mahā-manāḥ, which puts him on an equal level with the mahātmās described in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the later age also there have been many mahātmās of this type, and they also gave up all karma-kāṇḍīya conceptions of life' solely and wholly depending on the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya, who is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, taught us in His Śikṣāṣṭaka (8):
āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām
adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā
yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo
mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ
"Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the lover of many devotees (women), may embrace this fully surrendered maidservant or may trample me with His feet, or He may render me brokenhearted by not being present before me for a long duration of time, but still He is nothing less than the Absolute Lord of my heart."
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī spoke thus:
viracaya mayi daṇḍaṁ dīna-bandho dayāṁ vā
gatir iha na bhavattaḥ kācid anyā mamāsti
nipatatu śata-koṭir nirmalaṁ vā navāmbhas
tad api kila payodaḥ stūyate cātakena
"O Lord of the poor, do what you like with me, give me either mercy or punishment, but in this world I have none to look to except Your Lordship. The cātaka bird always prays for the cloud, regardless of whether it showers rains or throws a thunderbolt."
Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī, the grand-spiritual master of Lord Caitanya, took leave of all karma-kāṇḍīya obligations in the following words:
sandhyā-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoḥ snāna tubhyaṁ namo
bho devāḥ pitaraś ca tarpaṇa-vidhau nāhaṁ kṣamaḥ kṣamyatām
yatra kvāpi niṣadya yādava-kulottaṁsasya kaṁsa-dviṣaḥ
smāraṁ smāram aghaṁ harāmi tad alaṁ manye kim anyena me
"O my evening prayer, all good unto you. O my morning bath, I bid you good-bye. O demigods and forefathers, please excuse me. I am unable to perform any more offerings for your pleasure. Now I have decided to free myself from all reactions to sins simply by remembering anywhere and everywhere the great descendant of Yadu and the great enemy of Kaṁsa [Lord Kṛṣṇa]. I think that this is sufficient for me. So what is the use of further endeavors?"
Śrīla Mādhavendra Purī said further:
mugdhaṁ māṁ nigadantu nīti-nipuṇā bhrāntaṁ muhur vaidikā
mandaṁ bāndhava-sañcayā jaḍa-dhiyaṁ muktādarāḥ sodarāḥ
unmattaṁ dhanino viveka-caturāḥ kāmam mahā-dāmbhikam
moktuṁ na kṣāmate manāg api mano govinda-pāda-spṛhām
"Let the sharp moralist accuse me of being illusioned; I do not mind. Experts in Vedic activities may slander me as being misled, friends and relatives may call me frustrated, my brothers may call me a fool, the wealthy mammonites may point me out as mad, and the learned philosophers may assert that I am much too proud; still my mind does not budge an inch from the determination to serve the lotus feet of Govinda, though I be unable to do it."
And also Prahlāda Mahārāja said:
dharmārtha-kāma iti yo 'bhihitas trivarga
īkṣā trayī naya-damau vividhā ca vārtā
manye tad etad akhilaṁ nigamasya satyaṁ
svātmārpaṇaṁ sva-suhṛdaḥ paramasya puṁsaḥ
"Religion, economic development and sense gratification are celebrated as three means of attaining the path of salvation. Of these, īkṣā trayī especially, i.e., knowledge of the self, knowledge of fruitive acts and logic and also politics and economics, are different means of livelihood. All these are different subjects of Vedic education, and therefore I consider them temporary engagements. On the other hand, surrendering unto the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu is a factual gain in life, and I consider it the ultimate truth." (SB 7.6.26)
The whole matter is concluded in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.41) as vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ, or the absolute path of perfection. Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, a great Vaiṣṇava scholar, defines this as bhagavad-arcanā-rūpaika-niṣkāma-karmabhir viśuddha-cittaḥ—accepting transcendental loving service to the Lord as the prime duty, free from fruitive reaction.
So Mahārāja Parīkṣit was perfectly right when he firmly accepted the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, renouncing all karma-kāṇḍīya conceptions of life.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.3-4
“What you have asked” refers to the request the sages made in the last chapter “Please tell us everything which is related to Kṛṣṇa,” expressed in verses such as āyur harati vai puṁsām. The King asked Śukadeva the same thing.
Understanding he was going to die (saṁsthām), giving up (sannyasya) all material activities, he attained firm prema (bhāvam), though it was already present.
TEXT - SB 2.4.5
rājovāca
samīcīnaṁ vaco brahman
sarva-jñasya tavānagha
tamo viśīryate mahyaṁ
hareḥ kathayataḥ kathām
SYNONYMS
rājā uvāca—the King said; samīcīnam—perfectly right; vacaḥ—speeches; brahman—O learned brāhmaṇa; sarva-jñasya—one who knows all; tava—your; anagha—without any contamination; tamaḥ—the darkness of ignorance; viśīryate—gradually disappearing; mahyam—unto me; hareḥ—of the Lord; kathayataḥ—as you are speaking; kathām—topics.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Parīkṣit said: O learned brāhmaṇa, you know everything because you are without material contamination. Therefore whatever you have spoken to me appears perfectly right. Your speeches are gradually destroying the darkness of my ignorance, for you are narrating the topics of the Lord.
PURPORT
The practical experience of Mahārāja Parīkṣit is disclosed herein, revealing that transcendental topics of the Lord act like injections when received by the sincere devotee from a person who is perfectly uncontaminated by material tinges. In other words, reception of the messages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from professional men, heard by a karma-kāṇḍīya audience, never acts miraculously as stated here. Devotional hearing of the messages of the Lord is not like hearing ordinary topics; therefore the action will be felt by the sincere hearer by experience of the gradual disappearance of ignorance.
yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
[ŚU 6.23]
When a hungry man is given food to eat, he feels satiation of hunger and the pleasure of dining simultaneously. Thus he does not have to ask whether he has actually been fed or not. The crucial test of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is that one should get positive enlightenment by such an act.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.5
rājovāca—
samīcīnaṁ vaco brahman sarva-jñasya tavānagha |
tamo viśīryate mahyaṁ hareḥ kathayataḥ kathām ||
Tamaḥ means ignorance. Mahyam means mama (my).
Jiva's tika ||2.4.5||
rājovāca— samīcīnaṃ vaco brahman sarva-jnasya tavānagha | tamo viśīryate mahyaṃ hareḥ kathayataḥ kathām ||
TRANSLATION The King said: O sinless brāhmaṇa! Because my ignorance is destroyed when you, full of knowledge, speak topics of the Lord, those words are fitting.
Because my ignorance is destroyed, when you, having all knowledge, begin to speak topics of the Lord, your words are proper.
TEXT - SB 2.4.6
bhūya eva vivitsāmi
bhagavān ātma-māyayā
yathedaṁ sṛjate viśvaṁ
durvibhāvyam adhīśvaraiḥ
SYNONYMS
bhūyaḥ—again; eva—also; vivitsāmi—I wish to learn; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; ātma—personal; māyayā—by the energies; yathā—as; idam—this phenomenal world; sṛjate—does create; viśvam—universe; durvibhāvyam—inconceivable; adhīśvaraiḥ—by the great demigods.
TRANSLATION
I beg to know from you how the Personality of Godhead, by His personal energies, creates these phenomenal universes as they are, which are inconceivable even to the great demigods.
PURPORT
In every inquisitive mind the important question of the creation of the phenomenal world arises, and therefore for a personality like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was to know all the activities of the Lord from his spiritual master, such an inquiry is not uncommon. For every unknown thing, we have to learn and inquire from a learned personality. The question of creation is also one of such inquiries to be made to the right person. The spiritual master, therefore, must be one who is sama jña, as stated hereinbefore in connection with Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Thus all inquiries on God which are unknown to the disciple may be made from the qualified spiritual master, and here the practical example is set by Mahārāja Parīkṣit. It was, however, already known to Mahārāja Parīkṣit that everything we see is born out of the energy of the Lord, as we have all learned in the very beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]). So Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to know the process of creation. The origin of creation was known to him; otherwise he would not have inquired how the Personality of Godhead, by His different energies, creates this phenomenal world. The common man also knows that the creation is made by some creator and is not created automatically. We have no experience in the practical world that a thing is created automatically. Foolish people say that the creative energy is independent and acts automatically, as electrical energy works. But the intelligent man knows that even the electrical energy is generated by an expert engineer in the localized powerhouse, and thus the energy is distributed everywhere under the resident engineer's supervision. The Lord's supervision in connection with creation is mentioned even in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), and it is clearly said there that material energy is a manifestation of one of many such energies of the Supreme (parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]). An inexperienced boy may be struck with wonder by seeing the impersonal actions of electronics or many other wonderful things conducted by electrical energy, but an experienced man knows that behind the action is a living man who creates such energy. Similarly the so-called scholars and philosophers of the world may, by mental speculation, present so many utopian theories about the impersonal creation of the universe, but an intelligent devotee of the Lord, by studying the Bhagavad-gītā, can know that behind the creation is the hand of the Supreme Lord, just as in the generating electrical powerhouse there is the resident engineer. The research scholar finds out the cause and the effect of everything, but research scholars as great as Brahmā, Śiva, Indra and many other demigods are sometimes bewildered by seeing the wonderful creative energy of the Lord, so what to speak of the tiny mundane scholars dealing in petty things. As there are differences in the living conditions of different planets of the universe, and as one planet is superior to others, the brains of the living entities in those respective planets are also of different categorical values. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, one can compare the long duration of life of the inhabitants of Brahmā's planet, which is inconceivable to the inhabitants of this planet earth, to the categorical value of the brain of Brahmājī, also inconceivable to any great scientist of this planet. And with such high brain power, even Brahmājī has described in his great saṁhitā (Bs. 5.1) as follows:
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
"There are many personalities possessing the qualities of Bhagavān, but Kṛṣṇa is the supreme because none can excel Him. He is the Supreme Person, and His body is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. He is the primeval Lord Govinda and the cause of all causes."
Brahmājī admits Lord Kṛṣṇa to be the supreme cause of all causes. But persons with tiny brains within this petty planet earth think of the Lord as one of them. Thus when the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā that He (Lord Kṛṣṇa) is all in all, the speculative philosophers and the mundane wranglers deride Him, and the Lord regretfully says:
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram
"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be." (Bg. 9.11) Brahmā and Śiva (and what to speak of other demigods) are bhūtas, or powerful created demigods who manage universal affairs, much like ministers appointed by a king. The ministers may be īśvaras, or controllers, but the Supreme Lord is maheśvara, or the creator of the controllers. Persons with a poor fund of knowledge do not know this, and therefore they have the audacity to deride Him because He comes before us by His causeless mercy occasionally as a human being. The Lord is not like a human being. He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha[Bs. 5.1], or the Absolute Personality of Godhead, and there is no difference between His body and His soul. He is both the power and the powerful.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit did not ask his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, to narrate Lord Kṛṣṇa's pastimes in Vṛndāvana; he wanted to hear first about the creation of the Lord. Śukadeva Gosvāmī did not say that the King should hear about the direct transcendental pastimes of the Lord. The time was very short, and naturally Śukadeva Gosvāmī could have gone directly to the Tenth Canto to make a shortcut of the whole thing, as generally done by the professional reciters. But neither the King nor the great speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam jumped up like the organizers of Bhāgavatam; both of them proceeded systematically, so that both future readers and hearers might take lessons from the example of the procedure of reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Those who are in control of the external energy of the Lord, or in other words those who are in the material world, must first of all know how the external energy of the Lord is working under the direction of the Supreme Personality, and afterwards one may try to enter into the activities of His internal energy. The mundaners are mostly worshipers of Durgā-devī, the external energy of Kṛṣṇa, but they do not know that Durgā-devī is but the shadow energy of the Lord. Behind her astonishing display of material workings is the direction of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10). The Brahma-saṁhitā affirms that Durgā-śakti is working by the direction of Govinda, and without His sanction the powerful Durgā-śakti cannot move even a blade of grass. Therefore the neophyte devotee, instead of jumping at once to the platform of transcendental pastimes presented by the internal energy of the Lord, may know how great the Supreme Lord is by inquiring about the process of His creative energy. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta also, descriptions of the creative energy and the Lord's hand in it are explained, and the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta has warned the neophyte devotees to be seriously on guard against the pitfall of neglecting knowledge about Kṛṣṇa in regard to how great He is. Only when one knows Lord Kṛṣṇa's greatness can one firmly put one's unflinching faith in Him; otherwise, like the common man, even the great leaders of men will mistake Lord Kṛṣṇa for one of the many demigods, or a historical personality, or a myth only. The transcendental pastimes of the Lord in Vṛndāvana, or even at Dvārakā, are relishable for persons who have already qualified themselves in advanced spiritual techniques, and the common man may be able to attain to such a plane by the gradual process of service and inquiries, as we shall see in the behavior of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.6
bhūya eva vivitsāmi[109] bhagavān ātma-māyayā |
yathedaṁ sṛjate viśvaṁ durvibhāvyam adhīśvaraiḥ[110] ||
This is the King’s intention. You have described that I should hear and chant at the point of death. The subjects of hearing and chanting are Kṛṣṇa’s qualities, forms and pastimes. First I will ask about the pastimes of creation by his māyā-śakti. Then I will ask about his pastimes such as lifting Govardhana using his cit-śakti. Again I desire to know. The verb form vivitsāmi is poetic license (the other being vividisāmi). The universe is hard to meditate upon (durvibhāvyam).
Jiva's tika ||2.4.6||
bhūya eva vivitsāmi bhagavān ātma-māyayā | yathedaṃ sṛjate viśvaṃ durvibhāvyam adhīśvaraiḥ ||
TRANSLATION Again, I desire to know how the Lord, by his energy, creates this universe which is hard to meditate on by even the devatās.
I also desire to know about the Lord. If he hears directly about the activities of Kṛṣṇa, there will be suffering in separation from those topics. Thus he asks this question about the Lord’s powers to produce steadiness in himself.
TEXT - SB 2.4.7
yathā gopāyati vibhur
yathā saṁyacchate punaḥ
yāṁ yāṁ śaktim upāśritya
puru-śaktiḥ paraḥ pumān
ātmānaṁ krīḍayan krīḍan
karoti vikaroti ca
SYNONYMS
yathā—as; gopāyati—maintains; vibhuḥ—the great; yathā—as; saṁyacchate—winds up; punaḥ—again; yām yām—as; śaktim—energies; upāśritya—by employing; puru-śaktiḥ—the all-powerful; paraḥ—the Supreme; pumān—Personality of Godhead; ātmānam—plenary expansion; krīḍayan—having engaged them; krīḍan—as also personally being engaged; karoti—does them; vikaroti—and causes to be done; ca—and.
TRANSLATION
Kindly describe how the Supreme Lord, who is all-powerful, engages His different energies and different expansions in maintaining and again winding up the phenomenal world in the sporting spirit of a player.
PURPORT
In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.2.13) the Supreme Lord is described as the chief eternal being amongst all other eternal individual beings (nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām) and the one Supreme Lord who maintains innumerable other individual living beings (eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān). So all living entities, both in the conditioned state and in the liberated state, are maintained by the Almighty Supreme Lord. Such maintenance is effected by the Lord through His different expansions of Self and three principal energies, namely the internal, external and marginal energies. The living entities are His marginal energies, and some of them, in the confidence of the Lord, are entrusted with the work of creation also, as are Brahmā, Marīci, etc., and the acts of creation are inspired by the Lord unto them (tene brahma hṛdā). The external energy (māyā) is also impregnated with the jīvas, or conditioned souls. The unconditioned marginal potency acts in the spiritual kingdom, and the Lord, by His different plenary expansions, maintains them in different transcendental relations displayed in the spiritual sky. So the one Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests Himself in many (bahu syām), and thus all diversities are in Him, and He is in all diversities, although He is nevertheless different from all of them. That is the inconceivable mystic power of the Lord, and as such everything is simultaneously one with and different from Him by His inconceivable potencies (acintya-bhedābheda-tattva).
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.7
Gopāyati means “maintains.” Samyacchate means “destroys.” The Lord possesses many śaktis such as the taṭaṣthā-śakti, bahiraṅga-śakti and antaraṅga-śakti related to the jīva, matter and the spiritual world. He sports with māyā-śakti (krīḍan) and creates a form of himself (ātmānam karoti) in the form of mahat-tattva, false ego and other elements. This is a question about sarga, primary creation. He engages others, the devatās such as Brahmā and Marīci, in sporting (krīḍayan), and creates a form of himself (ātmānam vikaroti) in the form of the devatās, animals, and humans. This is secondary creation.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.7||
yathā gopāyati vibhur yathā saṃyacchate punaḥ | yāṃ yāṃ śaktim upāśritya puru-śaktiḥ paraḥ pumān | ātmānaṃ krīḍayan krīḍan karoti vikaroti ca || nūnaṃ bhagavato brahman harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ | durvibhāvyam ivābhāti kavibhiś cāpi ceṣṭitam ||
TRANSLATION I desire to know how the Lord maintains and then destroys the universe again. By which śaktis does this possessor of many śaktis, the supreme person, sport with māyā and create the elements, and then employing the devatās create the bodies of the living entities? O brāhmaṇa! The activities of the Lord, performer
of astonishing activities, certainly appear hard to understand for even the wise.
The verses go together.
TEXT - SB 2.4.8
nūnaṁ bhagavato brahman
harer adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ
durvibhāvyam ivābhāti
kavibhiś cāpi ceṣṭitam
SYNONYMS
nūnam—still insufficient; bhagavataḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; brahman—O learned brāhmaṇa; hareḥ—of the Lord; adbhuta—wonderful; karmaṇaḥ—one who acts; durvibhāvyam—inconceivable; iva—like that; ābhāti—appears; kavibhiḥ—even by the highly learned; ca—also; api—in spite of; ceṣṭitam—being endeavored for.
TRANSLATION
O learned brāhmaṇa, the transcendental activities of the Lord are all wonderful, and they appear inconceivable because even great endeavors by many learned scholars have still proved insufficient for understanding them.
PURPORT
The acts of the Supreme Lord, in the creation of just this one universe, appear inconceivably wonderful. And there are innumerable universes, and all of them aggregated together are known as the created material world. And this part of His creation is only a fractional portion of the complete creation. The material world stands as a part only (ekāṁśena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]). Supposing that the material world is a display of one part of His energy, the remaining three parts consist of the vaikuṇṭha jagat or spiritual world described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mad-dhāma or sanātana-dhāma, or the eternal world. We have marked in the previous verse that He creates and again winds up the creation. This action is applicable only in the material world because the other, greater part of His creation, namely the Vaikuṇṭha world, is neither created nor annihilated; otherwise the Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma would not have been called eternal. The Lord exists with dhāma; His eternal name, quality, pastimes, entourage and personality are all a display of His different energies and expansions. The Lord is called anādi, or having no creator, and ādi, or the origin of all. We think in our own imperfect way that the Lord is also created, but the Vedānta informs us that He is not created. Rather, everything else is created by Him (nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktāt). Therefore, for the common man these are all very wonderful matters for consideration. Even for great scholars they are inconceivable, and thus such scholars present theories contradictory to one another. Even for the insignificant part of His creation, this particular universe, they have no complete information as to how far this limited space extends, or how many stars and planets are there, or the different conditions of those innumerable planets. Modern scientists have insufficient knowledge of all this. Some of them assert that there are one hundred million planets scattered all over space. In a news release from Moscow dated 2/21/60, the following piece of knowledge was relayed:
"Russia's well-known professor of astronomy Boris Vorontsov-Veliaminov said that there must be an infinite number of planets in the universe inhabited by beings endowed with reason.
"It could be that life similar to that on earth flourishes on such planets.
"Doctor of Chemistry Nikolai Zhirov, covering the problem of atmosphere on other planets, pointed out that the organism of a Martian, for instance, could very well adapt itself to normal existence with a low body temperature.
"He said that he felt that the gaseous composition of Martian atmosphere was quite suitable to sustain life of beings which have become adapted to it."
This adaptability of an organism to different varieties of planets is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as vibhūti-bhinnam; i.e., each and every one of the innumerable planets within the universe is endowed with a particular type of atmosphere, and the living beings there are more perfectly advanced in science and psychology because of a better atmosphere. Vibhūti means "specific powers," and bhinnam means "variegated." Scientists who are attempting to explore outer space and are trying to reach other planets by mechanical arrangements must know for certain that organisms adapted to the atmosphere of earth cannot exist in the atmospheres of other planets (Easy Journey to Other planets). One has to prepare himself, therefore, to be transferred to a different planet after being relieved of the present body, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.25):
yānti deva-vratā devān
pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām
"Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods, those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings, and those who worship Me will live with Me."
Mahārāja Parīkṣit's statement regarding the workings of the creative energy of the Lord discloses that he knew everything of the process of creation. Why then did he ask Śukadeva Gosvāmī for such information? Mahārāja Parīkṣit, being a great emperor, a descendant of the Pāṇḍavas and a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, was quite able to know considerably about the creation of the world, but that much knowledge was not sufficient. He said therefore that even greatly learned scholars fail to know about that, even after great effort. The Lord is unlimited, and His activities are also unfathomed. With a limited source of knowledge and with imperfect senses, any living being, up to the standard of Brahmājī, the highest perfect living being within the universe, can never imagine knowing about the unlimited. We can know something of the unlimited when it is explained by the unlimited, as has been done by the Lord Himself in the unique statements of the Bhagavad-gītā, and it can also be known to some extent from realized souls like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who learned it from Vyāsadeva, a disciple of Nārada, and thus the perfect knowledge can descend by the chain of disciplic succession only, and not by any form of experimental knowledge, old or modern.
TEXT - SB 2.4.9
yathā guṇāṁs tu prakṛter
yugapat kramaśo 'pi vā
bibharti bhūriśas tv ekaḥ
kurvan karmāṇi janmabhiḥ
SYNONYMS
yathā—as they are; guṇān—the modes of; tu—but; prakṛteḥ—of the material energy; yugapat—simultaneously; kramaśaḥ—gradually; api—also; vā—either; bibharti—maintains; bhūriśaḥ—many forms; tu—but; ekaḥ—the supreme one; kurvan—acting; karmāṇi—activities; janmabhiḥ—by incarnations.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one, whether He alone acts with the modes of material nature, or simultaneously expands in many forms, or expands consecutively to direct the modes of nature.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.9
yathā guṇāṁs tu prakṛter yugapat kramaśo ’pi vā |
bibharti bhūriśas tv ekaḥ kurvan karmāṇi janmabhiḥ ||
Just as the Lord, as one, as the puruṣa, supports the guṇas of prākṛti at one time, or, without being contaminated, as one puruṣa, activates the guṇas with his glance and maintain them, he also maintains the guṇas as many (bhūriśaḥ), by the appearance (janmabhiḥ) of Brahmā, Marīci and others. Does he do this gradually in sequence? How does he support the gūnas? He performs activities of creation.
TEXT - SB 2.4.10
vicikitsitam etan me
bravītu bhagavān yathā
śābde brahmaṇi niṣṇātaḥ
parasmiṁś ca bhavān khalu
SYNONYMS
vicikitsitam—doubtful inquiry; etat—this; me—of me; bravītu—just clear up; bhagavān—powerful like the Lord; yathā—as much as; śābde—sound transcendental; brahmaṇi—Vedic literature; niṣṇātaḥ—fully realized; parasmin—in transcendence; ca—also; bhavān—your good self; khalu—as a matter of fact.
TRANSLATION
Kindly clear up all these doubtful inquiries, because you are not only vastly learned in the Vedic literatures and self-realized in transcendence, but are also a great devotee of the Lord and are therefore as good as the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Supreme Absolute Truth, Govinda, the Personality of Godhead, although one without a second, is infallibly expanded by innumerable forms nondifferent from one another, and although He is the original person, He is still ever young with permanent youthful energy. He is very difficult to know simply by learning the transcendental science of the Vedas, but He is very easily realized by His pure devotees.
The expansions of different forms of the Lord, as from Kṛṣṇa to Baladeva to Saṅkarṣaṇa, from Saṅkarṣaṇa to Vāsudeva, from Vāsudeva to Aniruddha, from Aniruddha to Pradyumna and then again to second Saṅkarṣaṇa and from Him to the Nārāyaṇa puruṣāvatāras, and innumerable other forms, which are compared to the constant flowing of the uncountable waves of a river, are all one and the same. They are like lamps of equal power which kindle from one lamp to another. That is the transcendental potency of the Lord. The Vedas say that He is so complete that even though the whole complete identity emanates from Him, He still remains the same complete whole (pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate [Īśo Invocation]). As such, there is no validity in a material conception of the Lord produced by the mental speculator. Thus He remains always a mystery for the mundane scholar, even if he is vastly learned in the Vedic literatures (vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]). Therefore, the Lord is beyond the limit of conception for mundane learned scholars, philosophers or scientists. He is easily understandable for the pure devotee because the Lord declares in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.54) that after surpassing the stage of knowledge, when one is able to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, then only can one know the true nature of the Lord. One cannot have any clear conception of the Lord or His holy name, form, attributes, pastimes, etc., unless one is engaged in His transcendental loving service. The statement of the Bhagavad-gītā that one must first of all surrender unto the Lord, being freed from all other engagements, means that one must become a pure, unconditional devotee of the Lord. Only then can one know Him by the strength of devotional service.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit admitted in the previous verse that the Lord is inconceivable even for the greatest learned scholars. Why then should he again request Śukadeva Gosvāmī to clarify his insufficient knowledge about the Lord? The reason is clear. Not only was Śukadeva Gosvāmī vastly learned in the Vedic literatures, but he was also a great self-realized soul and a powerful devotee of the Lord. A powerful devotee of the Lord is, by the grace of the Lord, more than the Lord Himself. The Personality of Godhead Śrī Rāmacandra attempted to bridge the Indian Ocean to reach the island of Laṅkā, but Śrī Hanumānjī, the unalloyed devotee of the Personality of Godhead, could cross the ocean simply by jumping over it. The Lord is so merciful upon His pure devotee that He presents His beloved devotee as more powerful than Himself. The Lord expressed Himself to be unable to save Durvāsā Muni, although the Muni was so powerful that he could reach the Lord directly under material conditions. But Durvāsā Muni was saved by Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, a devotee of the Lord. Therefore, not only is a devotee of the Lord more powerful than the Lord, but also worship of the devotee is considered more effective than direct worship of the Lord (mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā [SB 11.19.21]).
The conclusion is, therefore, that a serious devotee must first approach a spiritual master who not only is well versed in the Vedic literatures but is also a great devotee with factual realization of the Lord and His different energies. Without the help of such a devotee spiritual master, one cannot make progress in the transcendental science of the Lord. And a bona fide spiritual master like Śukadeva Gosvāmī does not speak about the Lord only in the matter of His internal potencies, but also explains how He associates with His external potencies.
The Lord's pastimes in the internal potency are displayed in His activities in Vṛndāvana, but His external potential works are directed in His features of Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī offers his good counsel to the interested Vaiṣṇavas when he says that they should not be interested in hearing only about the Lord's activities (like rāsa-līlā), but must be keenly interested in His pastimes in His features of the puruṣāvatāras in connection with sṛṣṭi-tattva, creational functions, following the examples of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the ideal disciple, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the ideal spiritual master.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.10
vicikitsitam etan me bravītu bhagavān yathā |
śābde brahmaṇi niṣṇātaḥ parasmiṁś ca bhavān khalu ||
Vicikitsitam means doubt. “If this is hard for the wise to understand, how do you know that I know?” “Just as Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, knows, you, his devotee, also know.” You are expert in discerning the Vedas (brahmaṇi) and in realizing Kṛṣṇa (parasmin). Other writers of scripture do not all realize Kṛṣṇa. They do not know. The Lord says:
kiṁ vidhatte kim ācaṣṭe kim anūdya vikalpayet |
ity asyā hṛdayaṁ loke nānyo mad veda kaścana ||
What do the Vedas instruct as action? What is the final meaning of the Vedas? What alternatives do the Vedas raise? No one except me or my dear devotee knows the intended meaning of the Vedas. SB 11.21.42
The Vaiṣṇavas should hear the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and the avatāras involving the cit-śakti and but should similarly hear the pastimes of the puruṣāvatāras such as creating the universe, involving māyā-śakti. Those pastimes should not be leered at. The hearer Parīkṣit and the speaker Śukadeva intended that those pastimes should be known.
TEXT - SB 2.4.11
sūta uvāca
ity upāmantrito rājñā
guṇānukathane hareḥ
hṛṣīkeśam anusmṛtya
prativaktuṁ pracakrame
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca—Sūta Gosvāmī said; iti—thus; upāmantritaḥ—being requested; rājñā—by the King; guṇa-anukathane—in describing the transcendental attributes of the Lord; hareḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; hṛṣīkeśam—the master of the senses; anusmṛtya—properly remembering; prativaktum—just to reply; pracakrame—executed the preliminaries.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: When Śukadeva Gosvāmī was thus requested by the King to describe the creative energy of the Personality of Godhead, he then systematically remembered the master of the senses [Śrī Kṛṣṇa], and to reply properly he spoke thus.
PURPORT
The devotees of the Lord, while delivering speeches and describing the transcendental attributes of the Lord, do not think that they can do anything independently. They think that they can speak only what they are induced to speak by the Supreme Lord, the master of the senses. The senses of the individual being are not his own; the devotee knows that such senses belong to the Supreme Lord and that they can be properly used when they are employed for the service of the Lord. The senses are instruments, and elements are ingredients, all endowed by the Lord; therefore whatever an individual can do, speak, see, etc., is under the direction of the Lord only. The Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) confirms this: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. No one is free to act freely and independently, and as such, one should always seek the permission of the Lord to act or eat or speak, and by the blessing of the Lord everything done by a devotee is beyond the principles of the four defects typical of the conditioned soul.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.11
sūta uvāca—
ity upāmantrito rājñā guṇānukathane hareḥ |
hṛṣīkeśam anusmṛtya prativaktuṁ pracakrame ||
Hṛṣīkeśa is the person who inspires all the senses. May the Lord become situated in my words and answer you! While offering respects to the Lord and guru, he begins to answer.
TEXT - SB 2.4.12
śrī-śuka uvāca
namaḥ parasmai puruṣāya bhūyase
sad-udbhava-sthāna-nirodha-līlayā
gṛhīta-śakti-tritayāya dehinām
antarbhavāyānupalakṣya-vartmane
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; namaḥ—offering obeisances; parasmai—the Supreme; puruṣāya—Personality of Godhead; bhūyase—unto the complete whole; sad-udbhava—the creation of the material world; sthāna—its maintenance; nirodha—and its winding up; līlayā—by the pastime of; gṛhīta—having accepted; śakti—power; tritayāya—three modes; dehinām—of all who possess material bodies; antaḥ-bhavāya—unto Him who resides within; anupalakṣya—inconceivable; vartmane—one who has such ways.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead who, for the creation of the material world, accepts the three modes of nature. He is the complete whole residing within the body of everyone, and His ways are inconceivable.
PURPORT
This material world is a manifestation of the three modes goodness, passion and ignorance, and the Supreme Lord, for the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material world, accepts three predominating forms as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śaṅkara (Śiva). As Viṣṇu He enters into every body materially created. As Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu He enters into every universe, and as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu He enters the body of every living being. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being the origin of all viṣṇu-tattvas, is addressed here as paraḥ pumān, or Puruṣottama, as described in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.18). He is the complete whole. The puruṣāvatāras are therefore His plenary expansions. Bhakti-yoga is the only process by which one can become competent to know Him. Because the empiric philosophers and mystic yogīs cannot conceive of the Personality of Godhead, He is called anupalakṣya-vartmane, the Lord of the inconceivable way, or bhakti-yoga.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.12
śrī-śuka uvāca—
namaḥ parasmai puruṣāya bhūyase
sad-udbhava-sthāna-nirodha-līlayā |
gṛhīta-śakti-tritayāya dehinām
antar-bhavāyānupalakṣya-vartmane ||
He offers respects in thirteen verses. I offer my respects to the supreme person, Kṛṣṇa. First he speaks of the power of Kṛṣṇa. I offer respects to the unlimited power of the puruṣāvatāras (bhūyase). He then describes a pastime of the first puruṣāvatāra: creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe using the three guṇas or sattva, rajas and tamas (gṛhīta-śakti-tritayāya). He then describes the second and third puruṣas. He is the antaryāmī of the whole universe and all the living beings within (antarbhavāya). He can be realized by bhakti, but is unknown to the yogīs (anupalakṣya-vartmane).
Jiva's tika ||2.4.12||
śrī-śuka uvāca— namaḥ parasmai puruṣāya bhūyase sad-udbhava-sthāna-nirodha-līlayā | gṛhīta-śakti-tritayāya dehinām antar-bhavāyānupalakṣya-vartmane ||
TRANSLATION Śukadeva said: I offer my respects to the supreme person Kṛṣṇa, whose powerful expansion is Mahā-viṣṇu, performing pastimes of creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe through accepting the three guṇas, whose second and third expansions act as the inner soul of the universe and the jīvas, and who can be realized by the path of bhakti, but cannot be realized by other paths.
First, in describing the nature of the Lord, he offers respects in thirteen verses. I offer respects to Svayam Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa (parasmai) because he is more complete than anyone else (bhūyase). I offer respects to his aṃśa, the puruṣa avatāra, and to the person who cannot be perceived by other paths.
TEXT - SB 2.4.13
bhūyo namaḥ sad-vṛjina-cchide 'satām
asambhavāyākhila-sattva-mūrtaye
puṁsāṁ punaḥ pāramahaṁsya āśrame
vyavasthitānām anumṛgya-dāśuṣe
SYNONYMS
bhūyaḥ—again; namaḥ—my obeisances; sat—of the devotees or the pious; vṛjina—distresses; chide—the liberator; asatām—of the atheists, the nondevotee-demons; asambhavāya—cessation of further unhappiness; akhila—complete; sattva—goodness; mūrtaye—unto the Personality; puṁsām—of the transcendentalists; punaḥ—again; pāramahaṁsye—the highest stage of spiritual perfection; āśrame—in the status; vyavasthitānām—particularly situated; anumṛgya—the destination; dāśuṣe—one who delivers.
TRANSLATION
I again offer my respectful obeisances unto the form of complete existence and transcendence, who is the liberator of the pious devotees from all distresses and the destroyer of the further advances in atheistic temperament of the nondevotee-demons. For the transcendentalists who are situated in the topmost spiritual perfection, He grants their specific destinations.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the complete form of all existence, both material and spiritual. Akhila means complete, or that which is not khila, inferior. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, there are two kinds of nature (prakṛti), namely the material nature and the spiritual nature, or the external and internal potencies of the Lord. The material nature is called aparā, or inferior, and the spiritual nature is called superior or transcendental. Therefore the form of the Lord is not of the inferior, material nature. He is complete transcendence. And He is mūrti, or having transcendental form. The less intelligent men, who are unaware of His transcendental form, describe Him as impersonal Brahman. But Brahman is simply the rays of His transcendental body (yasya prabhā [Bs. 5.40]). The devotees, who are aware of His transcendental form, render Him service; therefore the Lord also reciprocates by His causeless mercy and thus delivers His devotees from all distresses. The pious men who follow the rulings of the Vedas are also dear to Him, and therefore the pious men of this world are also protected by Him. The impious and the nondevotees are against the principles of the Vedas, and so such persons are always hampered from making advances in their nefarious activities. Some of them, who are specially favored by the Lord, are killed by Him personally, as in the cases of Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu and Kaṁsa, and thus such demons get salvation and are thereby checked from further progress in their demoniac activities. Just like a kind father, either in His favor upon the devotees or His punishment of the demons He is ever kind to everyone because He is the complete existence for all individual existence.
The paramahaṁsa stage of existence is the highest perfectional stage of spiritual values. According to Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī, the Lord is factually understood by the paramahaṁsas only. As there is gradual realization of the transcendence from impersonal Brahman to localized Paramātmā to the Personality of Godhead, Puruṣottama, Lord Kṛṣṇa, similarly there is gradual promotion of one's situation in the spiritual life of sannyāsa. Kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, parivrājakācārya and paramahaṁsa are gradual progressive stages in the renounced order of life, sannyāsa, and Queen Kuntīdevī, the mother of the Pāṇḍavas, has spoken about them in her prayers for Lord Kṛṣṇa (Canto One, Chapter Eight). The paramahaṁsas are generally found among both the impersonalists and the devotees, but according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (as clearly stated by Kuntīdevī), pure bhakti-yoga is understood by the paramahaṁsas, and Kuntīdevī has especially mentioned that the Lord descends (paritrāṇāya sādhūnām [Bg. 4.8]) especially to award bhakti-yoga to the paramahaṁsas. So ultimately the paramahaṁsas, in the true sense of the term, are unalloyed devotees of the Lord. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has directly accepted that the highest destination is bhakti-yoga, by which one accepts the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Those who accept the path of bhakti-yoga are the factual paramahaṁsas.
Since the Lord is very kind to everyone, the impersonalists, who accept bhakti as the means of merging in the existence of the Lord in His impersonal brahmajyoti, are also awarded their desired destination. He has assured everyone in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11): ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, there are two classes of paramahaṁsas, namely the brahmānandīs (impersonalists) and the premānandīs (devotees), and both are awarded their desired destinations, although the premānandīs are more fortunate than the brahmānandīs. But both the brahmānandīs and the premānandīs are transcendentalists, and they have nothing to do with the inferior, material nature full of the existential miseries of life.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.13
bhūyo namaḥ sad-vṛjina-cchide ’satām
asambhavāyākhila-sattva-mūrtaye |
puṁsāṁ punaḥ pāramahaṁsya āśrame
vyavasthitānām anumṛgya-dāśuṣe ||
The sweetness of the Lord’s mercy is now described. Again I offer respects to you who destroy the suffering of your devotee by appearing as Rāma and Kṛṣṇa (sad-vṛjina-cchide). You destroy the suffering of material existence (abhavāya) for the sinful (asatām), non-devotee rāṣaksas and asuras, by personally killing them.
Khila-sattva means inferior, material existence. Akhila-sattva means superior, spiritual existence. You have a body of śuddha-sattva. You are the shelter of the mood of the paramahaṁsas. You are the giver of the bliss of brahman to the bhakti-miśra-jñānīs and the giver of the bliss of prema to the pure devotees (vyavasthitānām), who are under your shelter.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.13||
bhūyo namaḥ sad-vṛjina-cchide ’satām asambhavāyākhila-sattva-mūrtaye | puṃsāṃ punaḥ pāramahaṃsya āśrame vyavasthitānām anumṛgya-dāśuṣe ||
TRANSLATION Again I offer respects to you, the destroyer of suffering of the devotees and giver of liberation to the demons, the form of śuddha-sattva, the shelter of those with the mood of the paramahaṃsas, the giver of Brahman to the bhakti-miśra-jnānīs and prema to the pure devotees.
Two verses show the goal of the Lord in the form of his līlāvatāras. He destroys suffering of the devatās who follow the Vedic path (satām). He gives liberation (asambhavāya) to the demons or materialistic people (asatām). He gives (dāśuṣe) what is sought (anumṛgya), his lotus feet, tasted only by bhakti-yoga. Paramhaṃsas are described as follows:
tathā paramahaṃsānāṃ munīnām amalātmanām | bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṃ kathaṃ paśyema hi striyaḥ ||
How can we women hope to see you, the object of bhakti for the omniscient, liberated sages? (SB 1.8.20)
evaṃ tadaiva bhagavān aravinda-nābhaḥ svānāṃ vibudhya sad-atikramam ārya-hṛdyaḥ tasmin yayau paramahaṃsa-mahā-munīnām anveṣaṇīya-caraṇau calayan saha-śrīḥ
At that moment, the Lord, with lotus navel, who appears within the hearts of the deserving, understanding that his servants had offended the Kumāras, came to the seventh gate with Lakṣmī, moving his feet which should be sought by the great renounced sages. (SB 3.15.37)
TEXT - SB 2.4.14
namo namas te 'stv ṛṣabhāya sātvatāṁ
vidūra-kāṣṭhāya muhuḥ kuyoginām
nirasta-sāmyātiśayena rādhasā
sva-dhāmani brahmaṇi raṁsyate namaḥ
SYNONYMS
namaḥ namaḥ te—let me offer my obeisances unto You; astu—are; ṛṣabhāya—unto the great associate; sātvatām—of the members of the Yadu dynasty; vidūra-kāṣṭhāya—one who is far from mundane wranglers; muhuḥ—always; ku-yoginām—of the nondevotees; nirasta—vanquished; sāmya—equal status; atiśayena—by greatness; rādhasā—by opulence; sva-dhāmani—in His own abode; brahmaṇi—in the spiritual sky; raṁsyate—enjoys; namaḥ—I do bow down.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Him who is the associate of the members of the Yadu dynasty and who is always a problem for the nondevotees. He is the supreme enjoyer of both the material and spiritual worlds, yet He enjoys His own abode in the spiritual sky. There is no one equal to Him because His transcendental opulence is immeasurable.
PURPORT
There are two sides of the transcendental manifestations of the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. For the pure devotees He is the constant companion, as in the case of His becoming one of the family members of the Yadu dynasty, or His becoming the friend of Arjuna, or His becoming the associate neighbor of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, as the son of Nanda-Yaśodā, the friend of Sudāmā, Śrīdāmā and Madhumaṅgala, or the lover of the damsels of Vrajabhūmi, etc. That is part of His personal features. And by His impersonal feature He expands the rays of the brahmajyoti, which is limitless and all-pervasive. Part of this all-pervasive brahmajyoti, which is compared to the sun rays, is covered by the darkness of the mahat-tattva, and this insignificant part is known as the material world. In this material world there are innumerable universes like the one we can experience, and in each of them there are hundreds of thousands of planets like the one we are inhabiting. The mundaners are more or less captivated by the unlimited expansion of the rays of the Lord, but the devotees are concerned more with His personal form, from which everything is emanating (janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]). As the sun rays are concentrated in the sun disc, the brahmajyoti is concentrated in Goloka Vṛndāvana, the topmost spiritual planet in the spiritual sky. The immeasurable spiritual sky is full of spiritual planets, named Vaikuṇṭhas, far beyond the material sky. The mundaners have insufficient information of even the mundane sky, so what can they think of the spiritual sky? Therefore the mundaners are always far, far away from Him. Even if in the future they are able to manufacture some machine whose speed may be accelerated to the velocity of the wind or mind, the mundaners will still be unable to imagine reaching the planets in the spiritual sky. So the Lord and His residential abode will always remain a myth or a mysterious problem, but for the devotees the Lord will always be available as an associate.
In the spiritual sky His opulence is immeasurable. The Lord resides in all the spiritual planets, the innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, by expanding His plenary portions along with His liberated devotee associates, but the impersonalists who want to merge in the existence of the Lord are allowed to merge as one of the spiritual sparks of the brahmajyoti. They have no qualifications for becoming associates of the Lord either in the Vaikuṇṭha planets or in the supreme planet, Goloka Vṛndāvana, described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mad-dhāma and here in this verse as the sva-dhāma of the Lord.
This mad-dhāma or sva-dhāma is described in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.6) as follows:
na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
The Lord's sva-dhāma does not require any sunlight or moonlight or electricity for illumination. That dhāma, or place, is supreme, and whoever goes there never comes back to this material world.
The Vaikuṇṭha planets and the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet are all self-illuminating, and the rays scattered by those sva-dhāma of the Lord constitute the existence of the brahmajyoti. As further confirmed in the Vedas like the Muṇḍaka (2.2.10), Kaṭha (2.2.15) and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣads (6.14):
na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārakaṁ
nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto 'yam agniḥ
tam eva bhāntam anu bhāti sarvaṁ
tasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti
In the sva-dhāma of the Lord there is no need of sun, moon or stars for illumination. Nor is there need of electricity, so what to speak of ignited lamps? On the other hand, it is because those planets are self-illuminating that all effulgence has become possible, and whatever there is that is dazzling is due to the reflection of that sva-dhāma.
One who is dazzled by the effulgence of the impersonal brahmajyoti cannot know the personal transcendence; therefore in the Īśopaniṣad (15) it is prayed that the Lord shift His dazzling effulgence so that the devotee can see the real reality. It is spoken thus:
hiraṇmayena pātreṇa
satyasyāpihitaṁ mukham
tat tvaṁ pūṣann apāvṛṇu
satya-dharmāya dṛṣṭaye
"O Lord, You are the maintainer of everything, both material and spiritual, and everything flourishes by Your mercy. Your devotional service, or bhakti-yoga, is the actual principle of religion, satya-dharma, and I am engaged in that service. So kindly protect me by showing Your real face. Please, therefore, remove the veil of Your brahmajyoti rays so that I can see Your form of eternal bliss and knowledge."
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.14
namo namas te ’stv ṛṣabhāya sātvatāṁ
vidūra-kāṣṭhāya muhuḥ kuyoginām |
nirasta-sāmyātiśayena rādhasā
sva-dhāmani brahmaṇi raṁsyate namaḥ ||
You are filled with power and sweetness. Continually I offer respects (namo namaḥ). By using the second person case (te), he implies that the Lord is directly his worshippable deity. I offer respects to the son of Vasudeva (ṛṣabhāya), of the Yadu dynasty (sātvatām). The phrase ṛṣabhāya sātvatām also implies the meaning “protector of the devotees” in connection with the previous verse. You are a distant for those without bhakti (kuyoginām). But you are not distant or hidden. There is no one equal or greater than you in power (rādhasā). You are the enjoyer (raṁsyate) in your dhāma of Mathurā-maṇḍala, along with those persons qualified for that enjoyment. What type of dhāma is that? It is the very form of brahman. Tāsāṁ madhye sākṣād brahma gopāla-purī hi: in the center is the town of the cowherd Kṛṣṇa, which is directly brahman. (Gopāla-tāpinī Upaniṣad) Rādhasā indicates his power and raṁsyate indicates his sweetness.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.14||
namo namas te ’stv ṛṣabhāya sātvatāṃ vidūra-kāṣṭhāya muhuḥ kuyoginām | nirasta-sāmyātiśayena rādhasā sva-dhāmani brahmaṇi raṃsyate namaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I continually offer respects to you, son of Vasudeva of the Yadus, who remain forever distant from the non-devotees, who are the enjoyer in your spiritual abode in Mathurā and Vraja with your devotees, displaying powers that are unequalled and unsurpassed.
The internal spiritual goal is described. You are the best person among the Yādavas (sātvatām). You have appeared in order to play in various ways with them. You are far away from materialistic persons fixed in yoga. His position is again indicated. He enjoys in his abode Vaikuṇṭha, the very form of Brahman.
TEXT - SB 2.4.15
yat-kīrtanaṁ yat-smaraṇaṁ yad-īkṣaṇaṁ
yad-vandanaṁ yac-chravaṇaṁ yad-arhaṇam
lokasya sadyo vidhunoti kalmaṣaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ
SYNONYMS
yat—whose; kīrtanam—glorification; yat—whose; smaraṇam—remembrances; yat—whose; īkṣaṇam—audience; yat—whose; vandanam—prayers; yat—whose; śravaṇam—hearing about; yat—whose; arhaṇam—worshiping; lokasya—of all people; sadyaḥ—forthwith; vidhunoti—specifically cleanses; kalmaṣam—effects of sins; tasmai—unto Him; subhadra—all-auspicious; śravase—one who is heard; namaḥ—my due obeisances; namaḥ—again and again.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, about whom glorification, remembrances, audience, prayers, hearing and worship can at once cleanse the effects of all sins of the performer.
PURPORT
The sublime form of religious performances to free oneself from all reactions of sins is suggested herein by the greatest authority, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Kīrtanam, or glorifying the Lord, can be performed in very many ways, such as remembering, visiting temples to see the Deity, offering prayers in front of the Lord, and hearing recitations of glorification of the Lord as they are mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kīrtanam can be performed both by singing the glories of the Lord in accompaniment with melodious music and by recitation of scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā.
The devotees need not be disappointed in the physical absence of the Lord, though they may think of not being associated with Him. The devotional process of chanting, hearing, remembering, etc., (either all or some of them, or even one of them) can give us the desired result of associating with the Lord by discharging the transcendental loving service of the Lord in the above manner. Even the very sound of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa or Rāma can at once surcharge the atmosphere spiritually. We must know definitely that the Lord is present wherever such pure transcendental service is performed, and thus the performer of offenseless kīrtanam has positive association with the Lord. Similarly, remembrance and prayers also can give us the desired result if they are properly done under expert guidance. One should not concoct forms of devotional service. One may worship the form of the Lord in a temple, or one may impersonally offer the Lord devotional prayers in a mosque or a church. One is sure to get free from the reactions of sins provided one is very careful about not committing sins willingly in expectation of getting free from the reactions of sins by worshiping in the temple or by offering prayers in the church. This mentality of committing sins willfully on the strength of devotional service is called nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ, and it is the greatest offense in the discharge of devotional service. Hearing, therefore, is essential in order to keep oneself strictly on guard against such pitfalls of sins. And in order to give special stress to the hearing process, the Gosvāmī invokes all auspicious fortune in this matter.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.15
yat-kīrtanaṁ[112] yat-smaraṇaṁ yad-īkṣaṇaṁ
yad-vandanaṁ yac-chravaṇaṁ yad-arhaṇam |
lokasya sadyo vidhunoti kalmaṣaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ ||
All the impurities blocking attainment of the Lord are destroyed by glorifying and remembering the Lord. Yad-īkṣaṇam refers to seeing the deity form of the Lord. He has all auspicious qualities (subhadra-śravase).
Jiva's tika ||2.4.15||
yat-kīrtanaṃ yat-smaraṇaṃ yad-īkṣaṇaṃ yad-vandanaṃ yac-chravaṇaṃ yad-arhaṇam | lokasya sadyo vidhunoti kalmaṣaṃ tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ ||
TRANSLATION
I offer continual respects to the Lord with all auspicious qualities, whose glorification, remembrance, deity form, topics and worship immediately destroy the impurities of man.
He destroys impurities, not only when he comes as avatāra. Repeating words in the singular even once destroys the impurities.
TEXT - SB 2.4.16
vicakṣaṇā yac-caraṇopasādanāt
saṅgaṁ vyudasyobhayato 'ntar-ātmanaḥ
vindanti hi brahma-gatiṁ gata-klamās
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ
SYNONYMS
vicakṣaṇāḥ—highly intellectual; yat—whose; caraṇa-upasādanāt—simply dedicating oneself unto the lotus feet; saṅgam—attachment; vyudasya—giving up completely; ubhayataḥ—for present and future existence; antaḥ-ātmanaḥ—of the heart and soul; vindanti—moves progressively; hi—certainly; brahma-gatim—toward spiritual existence; gata-klamāḥ—without difficulty; tasmai—unto Him; subhadra—all-auspicious; śravase—unto one who is heard; namaḥ—my due obeisances; namaḥ—again and again.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances again and again unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The highly intellectual, simply by surrendering unto His lotus feet, are relieved of all attachments to present and future existences and without difficulty progress toward spiritual existence.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has repeatedly instructed Arjuna, or for that matter everyone concerned with becoming His unalloyed devotee. In the last phase of His instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.64-66) He instructed most confidentially as follows:
sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ
śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ
iṣṭo 'si me dṛḍham iti
tato vakṣyāmi te hitam
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo 'si me
[Bg. 18.65]
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
"My dear Arjuna, you are very dear to Me, and therefore only for your good I will disclose the most secret part of My instructions. It is simply this: become a pure devotee of Mine and give yourself unto Me only, and I promise you full spiritual existence, by which you may gain the eternal right of transcendental loving service unto Me. Just give up all other ways of religiosity and exclusively surrender unto Me and believe that I will protect you from your sinful acts, and I shall deliver you. Do not worry any more."
Persons who are intelligent take serious notice of this last instruction of the Lord. Knowledge of the self is the first step in spiritual realization, which is called confidential knowledge, and a step further is God realization, which is called more confidential knowledge. The culmination of the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā is God realization, and when one attains this stage of God realization, he naturally, voluntarily becomes a devotee of the Lord to render Him loving transcendental service. This devotional service to the Lord is always based on love of God and is distinct from the nature of routine service as prescribed in karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga. In the Bhagavad-gītā there are different instructions for such men of different categories, and there are various descriptions for varṇāśrama-dharma, sannyāsa-dharma, yati-dharma, the renounced order of life, controlling the senses, meditation, perfection of mystic powers, etc., but one who fully surrenders unto the Lord to render service unto Him, out of spontaneous love for Him, factually assimilates the essence of all knowledge described in the Vedas. One who adopts this method very skillfully attains perfection of life at once. And this perfection of human life is called brahma-gati, or the progressive march in spiritual existence. As enunciated by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī on the basis of Vedic assurances, brahma-gati means to attain a spiritual form as good as that of the Lord, and in that form the liberated living being eternally lives on one of the spiritual planets situated in the spiritual sky. Attainment of this perfection of life is easily available to a pure devotee of the Lord without his undergoing any difficult method of perfection. Such a devotional life is full of kīrtanam, smaraṇam, īkṣaṇam, etc., as mentioned in the previous verse. One must therefore adopt this simple way of devotional life in order to attain the highest perfection available in any category of the human form of life in any part of the world. When Lord Brahmā met Lord Kṛṣṇa as a playful child at Vṛndāvana, he offered his prayer in which he said:
śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām
(SB 10.14.4)
Bhakti-yogais the highest quality of perfection to be achieved by the intelligent person in lieu of performing a large quantity of spiritual activities. The example cited here is very appropriate. A handful of real paddy is more valuable than heaps of paddy skins without any substance within. Similarly, one should not be attracted by the jugglery of karma-kāṇḍa or jñāna-kāṇḍa or even the gymnastic performances of yoga, but skillfully should take to the simple performances of kīrtanam, smaraṇam, etc., under a bona fide spiritual master, and without any difficulty attain the highest perfection.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.16
vicakṣaṇā yac-caraṇopasādanāt
saṅgaṁ vyudasyobhayato ’ntar-ātmanaḥ |
vindanti hi brahma-gatiṁ gata-klamās
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ ||
Even the jñānīs, whose impurities are destroyed, worship him. Ubhayataḥ means in this life and the next. Vyudasya means destroying. Antar-ātmaḥ means the antaḥ-karaṇa. Those who do not worship the Lord’s feet become exhausted. It is said:
śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām
My dear Lord, devotional service unto you is the best path for self-realization. If someone gives up that path and engages in the cultivation of speculative knowledge, he will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve his desired result. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realization. His only gain is trouble. SB 10.14.4
Jiva's tika ||2.4.16||
vicakṣaṇā yac-caraṇopasādanāt sangaṃ vyudasyobhayato ’ntar-ātmanaḥ | vindanti hi brahma-gatiṃ gata-klamās tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I offer repeated respects to the Lord with all auspicious qualities. By worshipping his feet the jnānīs destroy the attachments of this world and the next which reside in the heart, and attain their spiritual goal of Brahman without fatigue.
Surrendering the Lord fulfills one’s desires. This is stated in Gītā with manmano bhava bhakto and sarva-dharmam parityajya. The jnānīs attain the place they desire to go to (gatim), Brahman (brahma).
TEXT - SB 2.4.17
tapasvino dāna-parā yaśasvino
manasvino mantra-vidaḥ sumaṅgalāḥ
kṣemaṁ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ
SYNONYMS
tapasvinaḥ—the great learned sages; dāna-parāḥ—the great performer of charity; yaśasvinaḥ—the great worker of distinction; manasvinaḥ—the great philosophers or mystics; mantra-vidaḥ—the great chanter of the Vedic hymns; su-maṅgalāḥ—strict followers of Vedic principles; kṣemam—fruitful result; na—never; vindanti—attain; vinā—without; yat-arpaṇam—dedication; tasmai—unto Him; subhadra—auspicious; śravase—hearing about Him; namaḥ—my obeisances; namaḥ—again and again.
TRANSLATION
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa again and again because the great learned sages, the great performers of charity, the great workers of distinction, the great philosophers and mystics, the great chanters of the Vedic hymns and the great followers of Vedic principles cannot achieve any fruitful result without dedication of such great qualities to the service of the Lord.
PURPORT
Advancement of learning, a charitable disposition, political, social or religious leadership of human society, philosophical speculations, the practice of the yoga system, expertise in the Vedic rituals, and all similar high qualities in man serve one in the attainment of perfection only when they are employed in the service of the Lord. Without such dovetailing, all such qualities become sources of trouble for people in general. Everything can be utilized either for one's own sense gratification or in the service of one other than oneself. There are two kinds of self-interest also, namely personal selfishness and extended selfishness. But there is no qualitative difference between personal and extended selfishness. Theft for personal interest or for the family interest is of the same quality—namely, criminal. A thief pleading not guilty because of committing theft not for personal interest but for the interest of society or country has never been excused by the established law of any country. People in general have no knowledge that the self-interest of a living being attains perfection only when such an interest coincides with the interest of the Lord. For example, what is the interest of maintaining body and soul together? One earns money for maintenance of the body (personal or social), but unless there is God consciousness, unless the body is being properly maintained to realize one's relation with God, all good efforts to maintain body and soul together are similar to the attempts of the animals to maintain body and soul together. The purpose of maintaining the human body is different from that of the animals. Similarly, advancement of learning, economic development, philosophical research, study in the Vedic literature or even the execution of pious activities (like charity, opening of hospitals, and the distribution of food grains) should be done in relation with the Lord. The aim of all such acts and endeavors must be the pleasure of the Lord and not the satisfaction of any other identity, individual or collective (saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam [SB 1.2.13]). In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.27) the same principle is confirmed where it is said that whatever we may give in charity and whatever we may observe in austerity must be given over to the Lord or be done on His account only. The expert leaders of a godless human civilization cannot bring about a fruitful result in all their different attempts at educational advancement or economic development unless they are God conscious. And to become God conscious one has to hear about the all-auspicious Lord, as He is described in literature like the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.17
tapasvino dāna-parā yaśasvino
manasvino mantra-vidaḥ sumaṅgalāḥ |
kṣemaṁ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ ||
Without bhakti the practices of even great souls, being useless, are condemned. The jñānīs (tapasvinaḥ), the karmīs (dāna-parāḥ), the special karmīs who perform horse sacrifices (yaśasvinaḥ), the yogīs (manasvinaḥ), the studiers of the Vedas (mantra-vidaḥ), the followers of proper conduct (sumaṅgalāḥ) cannot attain benefit without worshipping the Lord. The phrase subhadra-śravase is repeated with each verse to show the predominance of hearing and chanting the glories (śravase) of the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.4.18
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ
ye 'nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ
SYNONYMS
kirāta—a province of old Bhārata; hūṇa—part of Germany and Russia; āndhra—a province of southern India; pulinda—the Greeks; pulkaśāḥ—another province; ābhīra—part of old Sind; śumbhāḥ—another province; yavanāḥ—the Turks; khasa-ādayaḥ—the Mongolian province; ye—even those; anye—others; ca—also; pāpāḥ—addicted to sinful acts; yat—whose; apāśraya-āśrayāḥ—having taken shelter of the devotees of the Lord; śudhyanti—at once purified; tasmai—unto Him; prabhaviṣṇave—unto the powerful Viṣṇu; namaḥ—my respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.
PURPORT
Kirāta: A province of old Bhārata-varṣa mentioned in the Bhīṣma-parva of Mahābhārata. Generally the Kirātas are known as the aboriginal tribes of India, and in modern days the Santal Parganas in Bihar and Chota Nagpur might comprise the old province named Kirāta.
Hūṇa: The area of East Germany and part of Russia is known as the province of the Hūṇas. Accordingly, sometimes a kind of hill tribe is known as the Hūṇas.
Āndhra: A province in southern India mentioned in the Bhīṣma-parva of Mahābhārata. It is still extant under the same name.
Pulinda:It is mentioned in the Mahābhārata (Ādi-parva 174.38), viz., the inhabitants of the province of the name Pulinda. This country was conquered by Bhīmasena and Sahadeva. The Greeks are known as Pulindas, and it is mentioned in the Vana-parva of Mahābhārata that the non-Vedic race of this part of the world would rule over the world. This Pulinda province was also one of the provinces of Bhārata, and the inhabitants were classified amongst the kṣatriya kings. But later on, due to their giving up the brahminical culture, they were mentioned as mlecchas (just as those who are not followers of the Islamic culture are called kafirs and those who are not followers of the Christian culture are called heathens).
Ābhīra:This name also appears in the Mahābhārata, both in the Sabhā-parva and Bhīṣma-parva. It is mentioned that this province was situated on the River Sarasvatī in Sind. The modern Sind province formerly extended on the other side of the Arabian Sea, and all the inhabitants of that province were known as the Ābhīras. They were under the domination of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, and according to the statements of Mārkaṇḍeya the mlecchas of this part of the world would also rule over Bhārata. Later on this proved to be true, as in the case of the Pulindas. On behalf of the Pulindas, Alexander the Great conquered India, and on behalf of the Ābhīras, Muhammad Ghori conquered India. These Ābhīras were also formerly kṣatriyas within the brahminical culture, but they gave up the connection. The kṣatriyas who were afraid of Paraśurāma and had hidden themselves in the Caucasian hilly regions later on became known as the Ābhīras, and the place they inhabited was known as Ābhīradeśa.
Śumbhasor Kaṅkas: The inhabitants of the Kaṅka province of old Bhārata, mentioned in the Mahābhārata.
Yavanas:Yavana was the name of one of the sons of Mahārāja Yayāti who was given the part of the world known as Turkey to rule. Therefore the Turks are Yavanas due to being descendants of Mahārāja Yavana. The Yavanas were therefore kṣatriyas, and later on, by giving up the brahminical culture, they became mleccha-yavanas. Descriptions of the Yavanas are in the Mahābhārata (Ādi-parva 85.34). Another prince called Turvasu was also known as Yavana, and his country was conquered by Sahadeva, one of the Pāṇḍavas. The western Yavana joined with Duryodhana in the Battle of Kurukṣetra under the pressure of Karṇa. It is also foretold that these Yavanas also would conquer India, and it proved to be true.
Khasa:The inhabitants of the Khasadeśa are mentioned in the Mahābhārata (Droṇa-parva). Those who have a stunted growth of hair on the upper lip are generally called Khasas. As such, the Khasa are the Mongolians, the Chinese and others who are so designated.
The above-mentioned historical names are different nations of the world. Even those who are constantly engaged in sinful acts are all corrigible to the standard of perfect human beings if they take shelter of the devotees of the Lord. Jesus Christ and Muhammad, two powerful devotees of the Lord, have done tremendous service on behalf of the Lord on the surface of the globe. And from the version of Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī it appears that instead of running a godless civilization in the present context of the world situation, if the leadership of world affairs is entrusted to the devotees of the Lord, for which a worldwide organization under the name and style of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has already been started, then by the grace of the Almighty Lord there can be a thorough change of heart in human beings all over the world because the devotees of the Lord are able authorities to effect such a change by purifying the dust-worn minds of the people in general. The politicians of the world may remain in their respective positions because the pure devotees of the Lord are not interested in political leadership or diplomatic implications. The devotees are interested only in seeing that the people in general are not misguided by political propaganda and in seeing that the valuable life of a human being is not spoiled in following a type of civilization which is ultimately doomed. If the politicians, therefore, would be guided by the good counsel of the devotees, then certainly there would be a great change in the world situation by the purifying propaganda of the devotees, as shown by Lord Caitanya. As Śukadeva Gosvāmī began his prayer by discussing the word yat-kīrtanam, so also Lord Caitanya recommended that simply by glorifying the Lord's holy name, a tremendous change of heart can take place by which the complete misunderstanding between the human nations created by politicians can at once be extinguished. And after the extinction of the fire of misunderstanding, other profits will follow. The destination is to go back home, back to Godhead, as we have several times discussed in these pages.
According to the cult of devotion, generally known as the Vaiṣṇava cult, there is no bar against anyone's advancing in the matter of God realization. A Vaiṣṇava is powerful enough to turn into a Vaiṣṇava even the Kirāta, etc., as above mentioned. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.32) it is said by the Lord that there is no bar to becoming a devotee of the Lord (even for those who are lowborn, or women, śūdras or vaiśyas), and by becoming a devotee everyone is eligible to return home, back to Godhead. The only qualification is that one take shelter of a pure devotee of the Lord who has thorough knowledge in the transcendental science of Kṛṣṇa (Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam). Anyone from any part of the world who becomes well conversant in the science of Kṛṣṇa becomes a pure devotee and a spiritual master for the general mass of people and may reclaim them by purification of heart. Though a person be even the most sinful man, he can at once be purified by systematic contact with a pure Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava, therefore, can accept a bona fide disciple from any part of the world without any consideration of caste and creed and promote him by regulative principles to the status of a pure Vaiṣṇava who is transcendental to brahminical culture. The system of caste, or varṇāśrama-dharma, is no longer regular even amongst the so-called followers of the system. Nor is it now possible to reestablish the institutional function in the present context of social, political and economic revolution. Without any reference to the particular custom of a country, one can be accepted to the Vaiṣṇava cult spiritually, and there is no hindrance in the transcendental process. So by the order of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the cult of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the Bhagavad-gītā can be preached all over the world, reclaiming all persons willing to accept the transcendental cult. Such cultural propaganda by the devotees will certainly be accepted by all persons who are reasonable and inquisitive, without any particular bias for the custom of the country. The Vaiṣṇava never accepts another Vaiṣṇava on the basis of birthright, just as he never thinks of the Deity of the Lord in a temple as an idol. And to remove all doubts in this connection, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has invoked the blessings of the Lord, who is all-powerful (prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ). As the all-powerful Lord accepts the humble service of His devotee in devotional activities of the arcana, His form as the worshipable Deity in the temple, similarly the body of a pure Vaiṣṇava changes transcendentally at once when he gives himself up to the service of the Lord and is trained by a qualified Vaiṣṇava. The injunction of Vaiṣṇava regulation in this connection runs as follows: arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ śrī-viṣṇor nāmni śabda-sāmānya-buddhiḥ, etc. "One should not consider the Deity of the Lord as worshiped in the temple to be an idol, nor should one consider the authorized spiritual master an ordinary man. Nor should one consider a pure Vaiṣṇava to belong to a particular caste, etc." (Padma Purāṇa)
The conclusion is that the Lord, being all-powerful, can, under any and every circumstance, accept anyone from any part of the world, either personally or through His bona fide manifestation as the spiritual master. Lord Caitanya accepted many devotees from communities other than the varṇāśramites, and He Himself declared, to teach us, that He does not belong to any caste or social order of life, but that He is the eternal servant of the servant of the Lord who maintains the damsels of Vṛndāvana (Lord Kṛṣṇa) [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. That is the way of self-realization.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.18
kirāta[113]-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ[114] |
ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-upāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ ||
Even the condemned sinners, by just a trace of bhakti become successful. Those born in the tribes mentioned are considered sinful by birth. Others are sinful by actions. They all become purified. Upāśraya refers to the devotees. Those who surrender to the devotees accepting those devotees as gurus become purified. Just by taking shelter of the proper guru, sinners by birth or action become purified. This indicates that bhakti destroys the prārabdha and aprārabdha karmas. The low birth is the cause of impurity for the persons mentioned. The present experience of low birth is the prārabdha-pāpa or prārabdha-karma. The word śudhyanti means they are purified. If they are purified, their bad birth must be destroyed. If their bad birth has been destroyed their prārabdha-karmas must have been destroyed. When they are called by those names it should be understood to be for practical purposes. It is not their spiritual designation, for it is forbidden to identify devotees by their birth. arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ: It is an offense to see the deity form as stone, to see the guru as an ordinary man, and to see the Vaiṣṇava according to his birth. (Padma Purāṇa) The rule is that though they have had low birth, they should be taught bhakti. It will be said:
dūre hari-kathāḥ kecid dūre cācyuta-kīrtanāḥ
striyaḥ śūdrādayaś caiva te ’nukampyā bhavādṛśām
Persons devoid of devotee association and who cannot appreciate glorification of the Lord, women and śūdras, deserve your mercy. SB 11.5.4
The word ādyaḥ in the verse indicates those of low birth. In order to remove the objection that the Lord cannot possibility consider all low cases, the word prabhaviṣṇave is used. The Lord has natural ability (prabhutā). It is not subject to logic.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.18||
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ| ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-upāśrayāśrayāḥ śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I offer respects to the Lord of inconceivable power. The Kirātas, Hūṇas, Andhras, Pulindas, Pulkaśas, Abhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas, Khasas and others of low birth, and those sinful by actions, by taking shelter of the devotees who take shelter of the powerful Lord, become purified of their prārabdha-karmas.
The Lord causes the highest purification of even sinful jīvas, who have taken shelter of bhakti. Those who have a desire to surrender obtain this effect (apāśrayāśrayāḥ). Though one may have a desire for the highest goal, previous to surrender to the Lord one may take shelter of something other than bhakti. But there is no distinction.
TEXT - SB 2.4.19
sa eṣa ātmātmavatām adhīśvaras
trayīmayo dharmamayas tapomayaḥ
gata-vyalīkair aja-śaṅkarādibhir
vitarkya-liṅgo bhagavān prasīdatām
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; eṣaḥ—it is; ātmā—the Supersoul; ātmavatām—of the self-realized souls; adhīśvaraḥ—the Supreme Lord; trayī-mayaḥ—personified Vedas; dharma-mayaḥ—personified religious scripture; tapaḥ-mayaḥ—personified austerity; gata-vyalīkaiḥ—by those who are above all pretensions; aja—Brahmājī; śaṅkara-ādibhiḥ—by Lord Śiva and others; vitarkya-liṅgaḥ—one who is observed with awe and veneration; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; prasīdatām—be kind toward me.
TRANSLATION
He is the Supersoul and the Supreme Lord of all self-realized souls. He is the personification of the Vedas, religious scriptures and austerities. He is worshiped by Lord Brahmā and Śiva and all those who are transcendental to all pretensions. Being so revered with awe and veneration, may that Supreme Absolute be pleased with me.
PURPORT
The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, although the Lord of all followers of different paths of self-realization, is knowable only by those who are above all pretensions. Everyone is searching for eternal peace or eternal life, and with an aim to this destination everyone is either studying the Vedic scriptures or other religious scriptures or undergoing severe austerity as empiric philosophers, as mystics yogīs or as unalloyed devotees, etc. But the Supreme Lord is perfectly realized only by the devotees because they are above all pretensions. Those who are on the path of self-realization are generally classified as karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs, or devotees of the Lord. The karmīs, who are much attracted by the fruitive activities of the Vedic rituals, are called bhukti-kāmī, or those who desire material enjoyment. The jñānīs, who try to become one with the Supreme by mental speculation, are called mukti-kāmī, or those who desire liberation from material existence. The mystic yogīs, who practice different types of austerities for attainment of eight kinds of material perfection and who ultimately meet the Supersoul (Paramātmā) in trance, are called siddhi-kāmī, or those who desire the perfection of becoming finer than the finest, becoming heavier than the heaviest, getting everything desired, having control over everyone, creating everything liked, etc. All these are abilities of a powerful yogī. But the devotees of the Lord do not want anything like that for self-satisfaction. They want only to serve the Lord because the Lord is great and as living entities they are eternally subordinate parts and parcels of the Lord. This perfect realization of the self by the devotee helps him to become desireless, to desire nothing for his personal self, and thus the devotees are called niṣkāmī, without any desire. A living entity, by his constitutional position, cannot be void of all desires (the bhukti-kāmī, mukti-kāmī and siddhi-kāmī all desire something for personal satisfaction), but the niṣkāmī devotees of the Lord desire everything for the satisfaction of the Lord. They are completely dependent on the orders of the Lord and are always ready to discharge their duty for the satisfaction of the Lord.
In the beginning Arjuna placed himself as one of those who desire self-satisfaction, for he desired not to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, but to make him desireless the Lord preached the Bhagavad-gītā, in which the ways of karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, haṭha-yoga and also bhakti-yoga were explained. Because Arjuna was without any pretension, he changed his decision and satisfied the Lord by agreeing to fight (kariṣye vacanaṁ tava) [Bg. 18.73], and thus he became desireless.
The examples of Brahmā and Lord Śiva are specifically cited here because Brahmājī, Lord Śiva, Śrīmatī Lakṣmījī and the four Kumāras (Sanaka, Sanātana, etc.) are leaders of the four desireless Vaiṣṇava sampradāyas. They are all freed from all pretensions. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī interprets the word gata-vyalīkaiḥ as projjhita-kaitavaiḥ, or those who are freed from all pretensions (the unalloyed devotees only). In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 19.149) it is said:
kṛṣṇa-bhakta—niṣkāma, ata eva 'śānta'
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī, sakali 'aśānta'
Those who are after fruitive results for their pious activities, those who desire salvation and identity with the Supreme, and those who desire material perfections of mystic power are all restless because they want something for themselves, but the devotee is completely peaceful because he has no demand for himself and is always ready to serve the desire of the Lord. The conclusion is, therefore, that the Lord is for everyone because no one can achieve the result of his respective desires without His sanction, but as stated by the Lord in Bhagavad-gītā (8.9), all such results are awarded by Him only, for the Lord is adhīśvara (the original controller) of everyone, namely the Vedāntists, the great karma-kāṇḍīyas, the great religious leaders, the great performers of austerity and all who are striving for spiritual advancement. But ultimately He is realized by the pretensionless devotees only. Therefore special stress is given to the devotional service of the Lord by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.19
sa eṣa ātmātmavatām adhīśvaras
trayīmayo dharmamayas tapomayaḥ |
gata-vyalīkair aja-śaṅkarādibhir
vitarkya-liṅgo bhagavān prasīdatām ||
The excellence of those with bhakti was shown by negative and positive statements in the last two verses. The Lord is now shown to be worshipped by others for attaining their particular goals. He is the Lord. He is worshipped as the ātmā by the jñānīs and yogīs (ātmavatām). He is worshipped by the followers of the Vedas, the followers of dharma and the followers of austerity. His qualities cannot be known with certainty even by those free of deceit such as Brahmā and Śiva. What then to speak of knowing his form which holds those qualities? And what to speak of those jñānīs and yogīs who are not free of deceit knowing his qualities or form!
Jiva's tika ||2.4.19||
sa eṣa ātmātmavatām adhīśvaras trayīmayo dharmamayas tapomayaḥ | gata-vyalīkair aja-śankarādibhir vitarkya-lingo bhagavān prasīdatām ||
TRANSLATION He alone is the Supreme Lord. He is worshipped as the ātmā by the jnānīs and yogīs. He is to be worshipped by the followers of karma-kāṇḍa, the followers of dharma and the followers of upāsana-kāṇḍa. May the Lord whose qualities cannot be known even by those free of deceit such as Brahmā and Śiva be merciful to me!
He manifests as if personally present. He is worshiped by followers of karmakāṇḍa (trayimayaḥ). He is worshipped by followers of dharma-śāstra (dharmamayaḥ). He is worshipped by followers of upāsana-kāṇḍa (tapomayaḥ). Even those who have the highest bhakti (gata-vyalīkaiḥ), not desiring even liberation, free of all cheating, cannot know that form clearly.
TEXT - SB 2.4.20
śriyaḥ patir yajña-patiḥ prajā-patir
dhiyāṁ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ
patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṁ
prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ
SYNONYMS
śriyaḥ—all opulence; patiḥ—the owner; yajña—of sacrifice; patiḥ—the director; prajā-patiḥ—the leader of all living entities; dhiyām—of intelligence; patiḥ—the master; loka-patiḥ—the proprietor of all planets; dharā—earth; patiḥ—the supreme; patiḥ—head; gatiḥ—destination; ca—also; andhaka—one of the kings of the Yadu dynasty; vṛṣṇi—the first king of the Yadu dynasty; sātvatām—the Yadus; prasīdatām—be merciful; me—upon me; bhagavān—Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; satām—of all devotees; patiḥ—the Lord.
TRANSLATION
May Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable Lord of all devotees, the protector and glory of all the kings like Andhaka and Vṛṣṇi of the Yadu dynasty, the husband of all goddesses of fortune, the director of all sacrifices and therefore the leader of all living entities, the controller of all intelligence, the proprietor of all planets, spiritual and material, and the supreme incarnation on the earth (the supreme all in all), be merciful upon me.
PURPORT
Since Śukadeva Gosvāmī is one of the prominent gata-vyalīkas, who are freed from all misconceptions, he therefore expresses his own realized perception of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as being the sum total of all perfection, the Personality of Godhead. Everyone is seeking the favor of the goddess of fortune, but people do not know that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the beloved husband of all goddesses of fortune. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord, in His transcendental abode Goloka Vṛndāvana, is accustomed to herding the surabhi cows and is served there by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune. All these goddesses of fortune are manifestations of His transcendental pleasure potency (hlādinī-śakti) in His internal energy, and when the Lord manifested Himself on this earth He partially displayed the activities of His pleasure potency in His rāsa-līlā just to attract the conditioned souls, who are all after the phantasmagoria pleasure potency in degraded sex enjoyment. The pure devotees of the Lord like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who was completely detached from the abominable sex life of the material world, discussed this act of the Lord's pleasure potency certainly not in relation to sex, but to relish a transcendental taste inconceivable to the mundaners who are after sex life. Sex life in the mundane world is the root-cause of being conditioned by the shackles of illusion, and certainly Śukadeva Gosvāmī was never interested in the sex life of the mundane world. Nor does the manifestation of the Lord's pleasure potency have any connection with such degraded things. Lord Caitanya was a strict sannyāsī, so much so that He did not allow any woman to come near Him, not even to bow down and offer respects. He never even heard the prayers of the deva-dāsīs offered in the temple of Jagannātha because a sannyāsī is forbidden to hear songs sung by the fair sex. Yet even in the rigid position of a sannyāsī He recommended the mode of worship preferred by the gopīs of Vṛndāvana as the topmost loving service possible to be rendered to the Lord. And Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the principal head of all such goddesses of fortune, and therefore She is the pleasure counterpart of the Lord and is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa.
In the Vedic rituals there are recommendations for performing different types of sacrifice in order to achieve the greatest benefit in life. Such benedictions as the results of performing great sacrifices are, after all, favors given by the goddess of fortune, and the Lord, being the husband or lover of the goddess of fortune, is factually the Lord of all sacrifices also. He is the final enjoyer of all kinds of yajña; therefore Yajña-pati is another name of Lord Viṣṇu. It is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā that everything be done for the Yajña-pati (yajñārtāt karmaṇaḥ), for otherwise one's acts will be the cause of conditioning by the law of material nature. Those who are not freed from all misconceptions (vyalīkam) perform sacrifices to please the minor demigods, but the devotees of the Lord know very well that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer of all performances of sacrifice; therefore they perform the saṅkīrtana-yajña (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]), which is especially recommended in this age of Kali. In Kali-yuga, performance of other types of sacrifice is not feasible due to insufficient arrangements and inexpert priesthood.
We have information from the Bhagavad-gītā (3.10-11) that Lord Brahmā, after giving rebirth to the conditioned souls within the universe, instructed them to perform sacrifices and to lead a prosperous life. With such sacrificial performances the conditioned souls will never be in difficulty in keeping body and soul together. Ultimately they can purify their existence. They will find natural promotion into spiritual existence, the real identity of the living being. A conditioned soul should never give up the practice of sacrifice, charity and austerity, in any circumstances. The aim of all such sacrifices is to please the Yajña-pati, the Personality of Godhead; therefore the Lord is also Prajā-pati. According to the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, the one Lord is the leader of the innumerable living entities. The living entities are maintained by the Lord (eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān). The Lord is therefore called the supreme Bhūta-bhṛt, or maintainer of all living beings.
Living beings are proportionately endowed with intelligence in terms of their previous activities. All living beings are not equally endowed with the same quality of intelligence because behind such development of intelligence is the control of the Lord, as declared in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15). As Paramātmā, Supersoul, the Lord is living in everyone's heart, and from Him only does one's power of remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness follow (mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca). One person can sharply remember past activities by the grace of the Lord while others cannot. One is highly intelligent by the grace of the Lord, and one is a fool by the same control. Therefore the Lord is Dhiyām-pati, or the Lord of intelligence.
The conditioned souls strive to become lords of the material world. Everyone is trying to lord it over the material nature by applying his highest degree of intelligence. This misuse of intelligence by the conditioned soul is called madness. One's full intelligence should be applied to get free from the material clutches. But the conditioned soul, due to madness only, engages his full energy and intelligence in sense gratification, and to achieve this end of life he willfully commits all sorts of misdeeds. The result is that instead of attaining an unconditional life of full freedom, the mad conditioned soul is entangled again and again in different types of bondage in material bodies. Everything we see in the material manifestation is but the creation of the Lord. Therefore He is the real proprietor of everything in the universes. The conditioned soul can enjoy a fragment of this material creation under the control of the Lord, but not self-sufficiently. That is the instruction in the Īśopaniṣad. One should be satisfied with things awarded by the Lord of the universe. It is out of madness only that one tries to encroach upon another's share of material possessions.
The Lord of the universe, out of His causeless mercy upon the conditioned souls, descends by His own energy (ātma-māyā) to reestablish the eternal relation of the conditioned souls with Him. He instructs all to surrender unto Him instead of falsely claiming to be enjoyers for a certain limit under His control. When He so descends He proves how much greater is His ability to enjoy, and He exhibits His power of enjoyment by (for instance) marrying sixteen thousand wives at once. The conditioned soul is very proud of becoming the husband of even one wife, but the Lord laughs at this; the intelligent man can know who is the real husband. Factually, the Lord is the husband of all the women in His creation, but a conditioned soul under the control of the Lord feels proud to be the husband of one or two wives.
All these qualifications as the different types of pati mentioned in this verse are meant for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī has therefore especially mentioned the pati and gati of the Yadu dynasty. The members of the Yadu dynasty knew that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is everything, and all of them intended to return to Lord Kṛṣṇa after He had finished His transcendental pastimes on the earth. The Yadu dynasty was annihilated by the will of the Lord because its members had to return home with the Lord. The annihilation of the Yadu dynasty was a material show created by the Supreme Lord; otherwise the Lord and the members of the Yadu dynasty are all eternal associates. The Lord is therefore the guide of all devotees, and as such, Śukadeva Gosvāmī offered Him due respects with love-laden feelings.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.20
śriyaḥ patir yajña-patiḥ prajā-patir
dhiyāṁ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ |
patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṁ
prasīdatāṁ me bhagavān satāṁ patiḥ ||
The Lord is protector of all. Details are given. He is the master and the goal to be attained, as a Yādava in his aprakaṭa form.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.20||
śriyaḥ patir yajna-patiḥ prajā-patir dhiyāṃ patir loka-patir dharā-patiḥ | patir gatiś cāndhaka-vṛṣṇi-sātvatāṃ prasīdatāṃ me bhagavān satāṃ patiḥ ||
TRANSLATION He is the protector of prosperity, sacrifice, the citizens, the intelligent, the planets, and the earth. He is the protector and goal to be attained for the Andhakas, Vṛṣṇis and Yadus. May the Lord, master of the devotees, be pleased with me!
Hinting at his special object of worship secretly, he indicates clearly the object, being overcome with the highest prema. He is the master of the goddess of all wealth. He gives results for all excellent sādhanas (yajna-patiḥ). He is the ruler of all citizens (prajā-patiḥ), since he is the antaryāmī of all intelligences (dhiyām patiḥ). He is the enjoyer of all places of enjoyment (loka-patiḥ). He appears by his mercy and manifests pastimes to show himself the master of the earth (dharāpatiḥ). Who is this person? He is the protector (patiḥ) and the eternal shelter (gatiḥ) of the Vṛṣṇis. What is the proof? He is the shelter of persons who have realization (satām patiḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.4.21
yad-aṅghry-abhidhyāna-samādhi-dhautayā
dhiyānupaśyanti hi tattvam ātmanaḥ
vadanti caitat kavayo yathā-rucaṁ
sa me mukundo bhagavān prasīdatām
SYNONYMS
yat-aṅghri—whose lotus feet; abhidhyāna—thinking of, at every second; samādhi—trance; dhautayā—being washed off; dhiyā—by such clean intelligence; anupaśyanti—does see by following authorities; hi—certainly; tattvam—the Absolute Truth; ātmanaḥ—of the Supreme Lord and of oneself; vadanti—they say; ca—also; etat—this; kavayaḥ—philosophers or learned scholars; yathā-rucam—as he thinks; saḥ—He; me—mine; mukundaḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa (who gives liberation); bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; prasīdatām—be pleased with me.
TRANSLATION
It is the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa who gives liberation. By thinking of His lotus feet at every second, following in the footsteps of authorities, the devotee in trance can see the Absolute Truth. The learned mental speculators, however, think of Him according to their whims. May the Lord be pleased with me.
PURPORT
The mystic yogīs, after a strenuous effort to control the senses, may be situated in a trance of yoga just to have a vision of the Supersoul within everyone, but the pure devotee, simply by remembering the Lord's lotus feet at every second, at once becomes established in real trance because by such realization his mind and intelligence are completely cleansed of the diseases of material enjoyment. The pure devotee thinks himself fallen into the ocean of birth and death and incessantly prays to the Lord to lift him up. He only aspires to become a speck of transcendental dust at the lotus feet of the Lord. The pure devotee, by the grace of the Lord, absolutely loses all attraction for material enjoyment, and to keep free from contamination he always thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord. King Kulaśekhara, a great devotee of the Lord, prayed:
kṛṣṇa tvadīya-pada-paṅkaja-pañjarāntam
adyaiva me viśatu mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ
prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ
kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaṁ kutas te
[MM 33]
"My Lord Kṛṣṇa, I pray that the swan of my mind may immediately sink down to the stems of the lotus feet of Your Lordship and be locked in their network; otherwise at the time of my final breath, when my throat is choked up with cough, how will it be possible to think of You?"
There is an intimate relationship between the swan and the lotus stem. So the comparison is very appropriate: without becoming a swan, or paramahaṁsa, one cannot enter into the network of the lotus feet of the Lord. As stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, the mental speculators, even by dint of learned scholarship, cannot even dream of the Absolute Truth by speculating over it for eternity. The Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to such mental speculators. And because they cannot enter into network stem of the lotus stem of the Lord, all material speculators differ in conclusions, and at the end they make a useless compromise by saying, "as many conclusions, as many ways," according to one's own inclination. (yathā-rucam). But the Lord is not like a shopkeeper trying to please all sorts of customers in the mental speculator exchange. The Lord is what He is, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, and He demands absolute surrender unto Him only. The pure devotee, however, by following the ways of previous ācāryas, or authorities, can see the Supreme Lord through the transparent medium of a bona fide spiritual master (anupaśyanti). The pure devotee never tries to see the Lord by mental speculation, but by following in the footsteps of the ācāryas (mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]). Therefore there is no difference of conclusions amongst the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas regarding the Lord and the devotees. Lord Caitanya asserts that the living entity (jīva) is eternally the servitor of the Lord and that he is simultaneously one with and different from the Lord. This tattva of Lord Caitanya's is shared by all four sampradāyas of the Vaiṣṇava school (all accepting eternal servitude to the Lord even after salvation), and there is no authorized Vaiṣṇava ācārya who may think of the Lord and himself as one.
This humbleness of the pure devotee, who is one hundred percent engaged in His service, puts the devotee of the Lord in a trance by which to realize everything, because to the sincere devotee of the Lord, the Lord reveals Himself, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10). The Lord, being the Lord of intelligence in everyone (even in the nondevotee), favors His devotee with proper intelligence so that automatically the pure devotee is enlightened with the factual truth about the Lord and His different energies. the Lord is revealed not by one's speculative power or by one's verbal jugglery over the Absolute Truth. Rather, He reveals Himself to a devotee when He is fully satisfied by the devotee's service attitude. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is not a mental speculator or compromiser of the theory of "as many ways, as many conclusions." Rather, he prays to the Lord only, invoking His transcendental pleasure. That is the way of knowing the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.21
yad-aṅghry-abhidhyāna-samādhi-dhautayā
dhiyānupaśyanti hi tattvam ātmanaḥ |
vadanti caitat kavayo yathā-rucaṁ
sa me mukundo bhagavān prasīdatām ||
May Kṛṣṇa give me knowledge! Those purified by samādhi at the Lord’s feet see the true form of Paramātmā. But (ca) other learned people speak of him according to their taste, by the power of their learning. Some say he is Paramātmā but others will speak of him as having form, having no form, the jīva who is small, or an all-pervading jīva. Or others will speak of the universe as false though it appears true and eternal. They speak according to their intelligence, but their intelligence has not been purified. Therefore they do not see the truth about the ātmā.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.21||
yad-anghry-abhidhyāna-samādhi-dhautayā dhiyānupaśyanti hi tattvam ātmanaḥ | vadanti caitat kavayo yathā-rucaṃ sa me mukundo bhagavān prasīdatām ||
TRANSLATION May Mukunda be pleased with me! Purified by meditation on his feet the wise sages see with their intelligence the truth about Paramātmā and while others speak of him according to their impure intelligence.
The cause of such realization is described. The wise see the truth about Bhagavān (ātmanaḥ tattvam). Otherwise those who think they are learned speak as they please (yathā-rucam). Or the wise speak according to how the Lord revealed himself to them, since he has unlimited glories.
TEXT - SB 2.4.22
pracoditā yena purā sarasvatī
vitanvatājasya satīṁ smṛtiṁ hṛdi
sva-lakṣaṇā prādurabhūt kilāsyataḥ
sa me ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhaḥ prasīdatām
SYNONYMS
pracoditā—inspired; yena—by whom; purā—in the beginning of creation; sarasvatī—the goddess of learning; vitanvatā—amplified; ajasya—of Brahmā, the first created living being; satīm smṛtim—potent memory; hṛdi—in the heart; sva—in his own; lakṣaṇā—aiming at; prādurabhūt—was generated; kila—as if; āsyataḥ—from the mouth; saḥ—he; me—unto me; ṛṣīṇām—of the teachers; ṛṣabhaḥ—the chief; prasīdatām—be pleased.
TRANSLATION
May the Lord, who in the beginning of the creation amplified the potent knowledge of Brahmā from within his heart and inspired him with full knowledge of creation and of His own Self, and who appeared to be generated from the mouth of Brahmā, be pleased with me.
PURPORT
As we have already discussed hereinbefore, the Lord, as the Supersoul of all living beings from Brahmā to the insignificant ant, endows all with the required knowledge potent in every living being. A living being is sufficiently potent to possess knowledge from the Lord in the proportion of fifty sixty-fourths, or seventy-eight percent of the full knowledge acquirable. Since the living being is constitutionally part and parcel of the Lord, he is unable to assimilate all the knowledge that the Lord possesses Himself. In the conditioned state, the living being is subject to forget everything after a change of body known as death. This potent knowledge is again inspired by the Lord from within the heart of every living being, and it is known as the awakening of knowledge, for it is comparable to awakening from sleep or unconsciousness. This awakening of knowledge is under the full control of the Lord, and therefore we find in the practical world different grades of knowledge in different persons. This awakening of knowledge is neither an automatic nor a material interaction. The supply source is the Lord Himself (dhiyāṁ patiḥ), for even Brahmā is also subject to this regulation of the supreme creator. In the beginning of the creation, Brahmā is born first without any father and mother because before Brahmā there were no other living beings. Brahmā is born from the lotus which grows from the abdomen of the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and therefore he is known as Aja. This Brahmā, or Aja, is also a living being, part and parcel of the Lord, but being the most pious devotee of the Lord, Brahmā is inspired by the Lord to create, subsequent to the main creation by the Lord, through the agency of material nature. Therefore neither the material nature nor Brahmā is independent of the Lord. The material scientists can merely observe the reactions of the material nature without understanding the direction behind such activities, as a child can see the action of electricity without any knowledge of the powerhouse engineer. This imperfect knowledge of the material scientist is due to a poor fund of knowledge. The Vedic knowledge was therefore first impregnated within Brahmā, and it appears that Brahmā distributed the Vedic knowledge. Brahmā is undoubtedly the speaker of the Vedic knowledge, but actually he was inspired by the Lord to receive such transcendental knowledge, as it directly descends from the Lord. The Vedas are therefore called apauruṣeya, or not imparted by any created being. Before the creation the Lord was there (nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktāt), and therefore the words spoken by the Lord are vibrations of transcendental sound. There is a gulf of difference between the two qualities of sound, namely prākṛta and aprākṛta. The physicist can deal only with the prākṛta sound, or sound vibrated in the material sky, and therefore we must know that the Vedic sounds recorded in symbolic expressions cannot be understood by anyone within the universe unless and until one is inspired by the vibration of supernatural (aprākṛta) sound, which descends in the chain of disciplic succession from the Lord to Brahmā, from Brahmā to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsa and so on. No mundane scholar can translate or reveal the true import of the Vedic mantras (hymns). They cannot be understood unless one is inspired or initiated by the authorized spiritual master. The original spiritual master is the Lord Himself, and the succession comes down through the sources of paramparā, as clearly stated in the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. So unless one receives the transcendental knowledge from the authorized paramparā, one should be considered useless (viphalā matāḥ), even though one may be greatly qualified in the mundane advancements of arts or science.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is praying from the Lord by dint of being inspired from within by the Lord so that he could rightly explain the facts and figures of creation as inquired by Mahārāja Parīkṣit. A spiritual master is not a theoretical speculator, like the mundane scholar, but is śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham [MU 1.2.12].
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.22
pracoditā yena purā sarasvatī
vitanvatājasya satīṁ smṛtiṁ hṛdi |
sva-lakṣaṇā prādurabhūt kilāsyataḥ
sa me ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhaḥ prasīdatām ||
“Just as the Lord made the Vedas flow from the mouth of Brahmā, may he let the description of his pastimes flow from my mouth!” That wish is expressed in this verse. Inspired by the Lord, Sarasvatī, the form of the Vedas, appeared (prādurabhūta) from Brahmā’s mouth (āsyataḥ) at the beginning of the kalpa (purā), and revealed (vitanvatā) proper memory in his heart. Sarasvatī shows (laksaṇā) Kṛṣṇa (sva) as the object of worship. The Lord says:
kālena naṣṭā pralaye vāṇīyaṁ veda-saṁjñitā |
mayādau brahmaṇe proktā dharmo yasyāṁ mad-ātmakaḥ ||
By the influence of time, the Vedic knowledge was lost at the time of annihilation. Therefore, when the subsequent creation took place, I spoke to Brahmā the Vedic knowledge in which bhakti is the essence. SB 11.14.3
Jiva's tika ||2.4.22||
pracoditā yena purā sarasvatī vitanvatājasya satīṃ smṛtiṃ hṛdi | sva-lakṣaṇā prādurabhūt kilāsyataḥ sa me ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhaḥ prasīdatām ||
TRANSLATION May the Lord, the best of the sages, be pleased with me! Inspired by him, at the beginning of the kalpa, Sarasvatī, whose aim is to reveal Kṛṣṇa, appeared from the mouth of Brahmā and revealed proper memory to carry out creation in his heart.
The Lord is all the ingredients of any description about him. That is explained in two verses.
TEXT - SB 2.4.23
bhūtair mahadbhir ya imāḥ puro vibhur
nirmāya śete yad amūṣu pūruṣaḥ
bhuṅkte guṇān ṣoḍaśa ṣoḍaśātmakaḥ
so 'laṅkṛṣīṣṭa bhagavān vacāṁsi me
SYNONYMS
bhūtaiḥ—by the elements; mahadbhiḥ—of material creation; yaḥ—He who; imāḥ—all these; puraḥ—bodies; vibhuḥ—of the Lord; nirmāya—for being set up; śete—lie down; yat amūṣu—one who incarnated; pūruṣaḥ—Lord Viṣṇu; bhuṅkte—causes to be subjected; guṇān—the three modes of nature; ṣoḍaśa—in sixteen divisions; ṣoḍaśa-ātmakaḥ—being the generator of these sixteen; saḥ—He; alaṅkṛṣīṣṭa—may decorate; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; vacāṁsi—statements; me—mine.
TRANSLATION
May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who enlivens the materially created bodies of the elements by lying down within the universe, and who in His puruṣa incarnation causes the living being to be subjected to the sixteen divisions of material modes which are his generator, be pleased to decorate my statements.
PURPORT
As a fully dependent devotee, Śukadeva Gosvāmī (unlike a mundane man who is proud of his own capability) invokes the pleasure of the Personality of Godhead so that his statements may be successful and be appreciated by the hearers. The devotee always thinks of himself as instrumental for anything successfully carried out, and he declines to take credit for anything done by himself. The godless atheist wants to take all credit for activities, not knowing that even a blade of grass cannot move without the sanction of the Supreme Spirit, the Personality of Godhead. Śukadeva Gosvāmī therefore wants to move by the direction of the Supreme Lord, who inspired Brahmā to speak the Vedic wisdom. The truths described in the Vedic literatures are not theories of mundane imagination, nor are they fictitious, as the less intelligent class of men sometimes think. The Vedic truths are all perfect descriptions of the factual truth without any mistake or illusion, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī wants to present the truths of creation not as a metaphysical theory of philosophical speculation, but as the actual facts and figures of the subject, since he would be dictated to by the Lord exactly in the same manner as Brahmājī was inspired. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), the Lord is Himself the father of the Vedānta knowledge, and it is He only who knows the factual purport of the Vedānta philosophy. So there is no greater truth than the principles of religion mentioned in the Vedas. Such Vedic knowledge or religion is disseminated by authorities like Śukadeva Gosvāmī because he is a humble devotional servitor of the Lord who has no desire to become a self-appointed interpreter without authority. That is the way of explaining the Vedic knowledge, technically known as the paramparā system, or descending process.
The intelligent man can see without mistake that any material creation (whether one's own body or a fruit or flower) cannot beautifully grow up without the spiritual touch. The greatest intelligent man of the world or the greatest man of science can present everything very beautifully only insofar as the spirit life is there or insomuch as the spiritual touch is there. Therefore the source of all truths is the Supreme Spirit, and not gross matter as wrongly conceived by the gross materialist. We get information from the Vedic literature that the Lord Himself first entered the vacuum of the material universe, and thus all things gradually developed one after another. Similarly, the Lord is situated as localized Paramātmā in every individual being; hence everything is done by Him very beautifully. The sixteen principal creative elements, namely earth, water, fire, air, sky, and the eleven sense organs, first developed from the Lord Himself and were thereby shared by the living entities. Thus the material elements were created for the enjoyment of the living entities. The beautiful arrangement behind all material manifestations is therefore made possible by the energy of the Lord, and the individual living entity can only pray to the Lord to understand it properly. Since the Lord is the supreme entity, different from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the prayer can be offered to Him. The Lord helps the living entity to enjoy material creation, but He is aloof from such false enjoyment. Śukadeva prays for the mercy of the Lord, not only for being helped personally in presenting the truth, but also for helping others to whom he would like to speak.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.23
bhūtair mahadbhir ya imāḥ puro vibhur
nirmāya śete yad amūṣu pūruṣaḥ |
bhuṅkte guṇān ṣoḍaśa ṣoḍaśātmakaḥ
so ’laṅkṛṣīṣṭa bhagavān vacāṁsi me ||
“Now may my words, created by him, by his presence in them, create beauty with literary ornaments and qualities invoking mādhurya, karauṇa and other rasas, to bring joy to the listeners!” May the Lord ornament my words by being present in them, just as the Lord after creating bodies for humans and others, personally resides in those bodies and makes them successful. Having created the bodies (imāḥ puraḥ) by mahat-tattva and other elements, he dwells (śete) in those bodies (amūṣu) as the antaryāmī. The meaning of puruṣa is then proved. He can to this, because as the puruṣa he enjoys the guṇas in the form of the eleven senses and five gross elements without contamination, since he enjoys by his glances. May he also enjoy the qualities of my words! Ṣoḍaśātmakaḥ means “one who gives life to the sixteen elements.” The ending kaḥ has the same meaning as the word without kaḥ.Those bodies, endowed with ornaments and clothing, but without the Lord’s presence, are untouchable by the devotees. May my words not be without your presence!
TEXT - SB 2.4.24
namas tasmai bhagavate
vāsudevāya vedhase
papur jñānam ayaṁ saumyā
yan-mukhāmburuhāsavam
SYNONYMS
namaḥ—my obeisances; tasmai—unto Him; bhagavate—unto the Personality of Godhead; vāsudevāya—unto Vāsudeva or His incarnations; vedhase—the compiler of the Vedic literatures; papuḥ—drunk; jñānam—knowledge; ayam—this Vedic knowledge; saumyāḥ—the devotees, especially the consorts of Lord Kṛṣṇa; yat—from whose; mukha-amburuha—the lotuslike mouth; āsavam—nectar from His mouth.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the incarnation of Vāsudeva who compiled the Vedic scriptures. The pure devotees drink up the nectarean transcendental knowledge dropping from the lotuslike mouth of the Lord.
PURPORT
In pursuance of the specific utterance vedhase, or "the compiler of the system of transcendental knowledge," Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī has commented that the respectful obeisances are offered to Śrīla Vyāsadeva, who is the incarnation of Vāsudeva. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has agreed to this, but Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has made a further advance, namely that the nectar from the mouth of Lord Kṛṣṇa is transferred to His different consorts, and thus they learn the finer arts of music, dance, dressing, decorations and all such things which are relished by the Lord. Such music, dance and decorations enjoyed by the Lord are certainly not anything mundane, because the Lord is addressed in the very beginning as para, or transcendental. This transcendental knowledge is unknown to the forgotten conditioned souls. Śrīla Vyāsadeva, who is the incarnation of the Lord, thus compiled the Vedic literatures to revive the lost memory of the conditioned souls about their eternal relation with the Lord. One should therefore try to understand the Vedic scriptures, or the nectar transferred by the Lord to His consorts in the conjugal humor, from the lotuslike mouth of Vyāsadeva or Śukadeva. By gradual development of transcendental knowledge, one can rise to the stage of the transcendental arts of music and dance displayed by the Lord in His rāsa-līlā. But without having the Vedic knowledge one can hardly understand the transcendental nature of the Lord's rāsa dance and music. The pure devotees of the Lord, however, can equally relish the nectar in the form of the profound philosophical discourses and in the form of kissing by the Lord in the rāsa dance, as there is no mundane distinction between the two.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.24
namas tasmai bhagavate vāsudevāya vedhase |
papur jñānam ayaṁ saumyā yan-mukhāmburuhāsavam ||
He offers respects to his guru Vyāsadeva, who is the avatāra of Vāsudeva (vāsudevāya), who is the maker of scriptures (vedhase), whose lotus mouth nectar, filled with knowledge, the devotees drink. Or Vāsudeva can mean Kṛṣṇa. Then saumyāḥ refers to gopīs of Kṛṣṇa. Jñānam means filled with knowledge. Just by drinking the nectar of his lotus mouth, filled with the most extraordinary knowledge, filled with ornaments, rasa, and skill in dancing, singing, music, and art, which they knew nothing about, the gopīs attained full realization of it. Let us, following them, also attain that knowledge. This is the confidential meaning.
Jiva's tika ||2.4.24||
namas tasmai bhagavate vāsudevāya vedhase | papur jnānam ayaṃ saumyā yan-mukhāmburuhāsavam ||
TRANSLATION I offer respects to the avatāra of Vāsudeva, Vyāsadeva, the writer of scriptures, whose lotus mouth nectar, topics about Kṛṣṇa, filled with knowledge, the devotees drink.
He offers respects to Śrī Vyāsa. The devotees drink the nectar because it is tasty. He was also the speaker of the four verses catuḥślokī as explained later.
TEXT - SB 2.4.25
etad evātma-bhū rājan
nāradāya vipṛcchate
veda-garbho 'bhyadhāt sākṣād
yad āha harir ātmanaḥ
SYNONYMS
etat—on this matter; eva—exactly; ātma-bhūḥ—the firstborn (Brahmājī); rājan—my dear King; nāradāya—unto Nārada Muni; vipṛcchate—having inquired about it from; veda-garbhaḥ—one who is impregnated with Vedic knowledge from birth; abhyadhāt—apprised; sākṣāt—directly; yat āha—what he spoke; hariḥ—the Lord; ātmanaḥ—unto His own (Brahmā).
TRANSLATION
My dear King, Brahmā, the firstborn, on being questioned by Nārada, exactly apprised him on this subject, as it was directly spoken by the Lord to His own son, who was impregnated with Vedic knowledge from his very birth.
PURPORT
As soon as Brahmā was born of the abdominal lotus petals of Viṣṇu, he was impregnated with Vedic knowledge, and therefore he is known as veda-garbha, or a Vedāntist from the embryo. Without Vedic knowledge, or perfect, infallible knowledge, no one can create anything. All scientific knowledge and perfect knowledge are Vedic. One can get all types of information from the Vedas, and as such, Brahmā was impregnated with all-perfect knowledge so that it was possible for him to create. Thus Brahmā knew the perfect description of creation, as it was exactly apprised to him by the Supreme Lord Hari. Brahmā, on being questioned by Nārada, told Nārada exactly what he had heard directly from the Lord. Nārada again told exactly the same thing to Vyāsa, and Vyāsa also told Śukadeva exactly what he heard from Nārada. And Śukadeva was going to repeat the same statements as he had heard them from Vyāsa. That is the way of Vedic understanding. The language of the Vedas can be revealed only by the above-mentioned disciplic succession, and not otherwise.
There is no use in theories. Knowledge must be factual. There are many things that are complicated, and one cannot understand them unless they are explained by one who knows. The Vedic knowledge is also very difficult to know and must be learned by the above-mentioned system; otherwise it is not at all understood.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī, therefore, prayed for the mercy of the Lord so that he might be able to repeat the very same message that was spoken directly by the Lord to Brahmā, or what was directly spoken by Brahmā to Nārada. Therefore the statements of creation explained by Śukadeva Gosvāmī are not at all, as the mundaners suggest, theoretical, but are perfectly correct. One who hears these messages and tries to assimilate them gets perfect information of the material creation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.4.25
etad evātma-bhū rājan nāradāya vipṛcchate |
veda-garbho ’bhyadhāt sākṣād yad āha harir ātmanaḥ ||
He praises the conversation between Brahmā and Nārada, which contained questions and answers. Brahmā, who at his birth was filled with the Vedas (veda-garbhaḥ), spoke this knowledge which the Lord himself had taught to him (ātmanaḥ).
Jiva's tika ||2.4.25||
etad evātma-bhū rājan nāradāya vipṛcchate | veda-garbho ’bhyadhāt sākṣād yad āha harir ātmanaḥ ||
TRANSLATION O King! Brahmā, filled with the Vedas, taught this knowledge, which the Lord had directly spoke to him, to Nārada who asked about it.
The Lord spoke the knowledge to Brahmā (ātmanaḥ).
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Fourth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The process of Creation."
5. The Cause of All Causes
verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26-29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40-41, 42
TEXT - SB 2.5.1
nārada uvāca
deva-deva namas te 'stu
bhūta-bhāvana pūrvaja
tad vijānīhi yaj jñānam
ātma-tattva-nidarśanam
SYNONYMS
nāradaḥ uvāca—Śrī Nārada said; deva—of all demigods; deva—the demigod; namaḥ—obeisances; te—unto you as; astu—are; bhūta-bhāvana—the generator of all living beings; pūrva-ja—the firstborn; tat vijānīhi—please explain that knowledge; yat jñānam—which knowledge; ātma-tattva—transcendental; nidarśanam—specifically directs.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Nārada Muni asked Brahmājī: O chief amongst the demigods, O firstborn living entity, I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto you. Please tell me that transcendental knowledge which specifically directs one to the truth of the individual soul and the Supersoul.
PURPORT
The perfection of the paramparā system, or the path of disciplic succession, is further confirmed. In the previous chapter it has been established that Brahmājī, the firstborn living entity, received knowledge directly from the Supreme Lord, and the same knowledge was imparted to Nārada, the next disciple. Nārada asked to receive the knowledge, and Brahmājī imparted it upon being asked. Therefore, asking for transcendental knowledge from the right person and receiving it properly is the regulation of the disciplic succession. This process is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.2). The inquisitive student must approach a qualified spiritual master to receive transcendental knowledge by surrender, submissive inquiries and service. Knowledge received by submissive inquiries and service is more effective than knowledge received in exchange for money. A spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from Brahmā and Nārada has no demand for dollars and cents. A bona fide student has to satisfy him by sincere service to obtain knowledge of the relation and nature of the individual soul and the Supersoul.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.1
nārada uvāca—
deva-deva namas te ’stu bhūta-bhāvana pūrvaja |
tad vijānīhi yaj jñānam ātma-tattva-nidarśanam ||
In the Fifth Chapter Brahmā explains the creation of elements to Nārada and the universal form with the planets as his various limbs.
Bhūta-bhāvanaḥ means he who creates the bodies of the living entities. Pūrva-jāh means he is born before Marīci and others, from who appeared my brothers. You know in detail (vijānīhi) that knowledge which reveals the truth about ātmā and Paramātmā. The imperative here stands for the present tense. Or it can stand for the causative, “Please let me know.”
TEXT - SB 2.5.2
yad rūpaṁ yad adhiṣṭhānaṁ
yataḥ sṛṣṭam idaṁ prabho
yat saṁsthaṁ yat paraṁ yac ca
tat tattvaṁ vada tattvataḥ
SYNONYMS
yat—what; rūpam—the symptoms of manifestation; yat—what; adhiṣṭhānam—background; yataḥ—from where; sṛṣṭam—created; idam—this world; prabho—O my father; yat—in which; saṁstham—conserved; yat—what; param—under control; yat—what are; ca—and; tat—of this; tattvam—the symptoms; vada—please describe; tattvataḥ—factually.
TRANSLATION
My dear father, please describe factually the symptoms of this manifest world. What is its background? How is it created? How is it conserved? And under whose control is all this being done?
PURPORT
The inquiries by Nārada Muni on the basis of factual cause and effect appear very reasonable. The atheists, however, put forward many self-made theories without any touch of cause and effect. The manifested world, as well as the spirit soul, is still unexplained by the godless atheists through the medium of experimental knowledge, although they have put forward many theories manufactured by their fertile brains. Contrary to such mental speculative theories of creation, however, Nārada Muni wanted to know all the facts of creation in truth, and not by theories.
Transcendental knowledge regarding the soul and the Supersoul includes knowledge of the phenomenal world and the basis of its creation. In the phenomenal world three things are factually observed by any intelligent man: the living beings, the manifest world, and the ultimate control over them. The intelligent man can see that neither the living entity nor the phenomenal world are creations of chance. The symmetry of creation and its regulative actions and reactions suggests the plan of an intelligent brain behind them, and by genuine inquiry one may find out the ultimate cause with the help of one who knows them factually.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.2
yad rūpaṁ yad adhiṣṭhānaṁ yataḥ sṛṣṭam idaṁ prabho |
yat saṁsthaṁ yat paraṁ yac ca tat tattvaṁ vada tattvataḥ ||
Speak the truth about this universe (idam) its characteristics (rūpam), its shelter (adhiṣṭhānām), by what ingredients it is created, in what it merges at destruction (yat saṁstham), upon what it depends (yat param), what it is made of (yac ca).
TEXT - SB 2.5.3
sarvaṁ hy etad bhavān veda
bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ
karāmalaka-vad viśvaṁ
vijñānāvasitaṁ tava
SYNONYMS
sarvam—all and everything; hi—certainly; etat—this; bhavān—your good self; veda—know; bhūta—all that is created or born; bhavya—all that will be created or born; bhavat—all that is being created; prabhuḥ—you, the master of everything; kara-āmalaka-vat—just like a walnut within your grip; viśvam—the universe; vijñāna-avasitam—within your knowledge scientifically; tava—your.
TRANSLATION
My dear father, all this is known to you scientifically because whatever was created in the past, whatever will be created in the future, or whatever is being created at present, as well as everything within the universe, is within your grip, just like a walnut.
PURPORT
Brahmā is the direct creator of the manifested universe and everything within the universe. He therefore knows what happened in the past, what will happen in the future, and what is happening at present. Three principal items, namely the living being, the phenomenal world and the controller, are all in continuous action—past, present and future—and the direct manager is supposed to know everything of such actions and reactions, as one knows about a walnut within the grip of one's palm. The direct manufacturer of a particular thing is supposed to know how he learned the art of manufacturing, where he got the ingredients, how he set it up and how the products in the manufacturing process are being turned out. Because Brahmā is the firstborn living being, naturally he is supposed to know everything about creative functions.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.3
sarvaṁ hy etad bhavān veda bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ |
karāmalaka-vad viśvaṁ vijñānāvasitaṁ tava ||
You know everything. You know three things: Paramātmā, jīvātmā and the material universe. Because you are the master of all entities born in the past, of all born in the future, and all existing now, you know (avasitam) with detailed (vi) knowledge (jñāna) this universe like an āmalakī in your hand.
TEXT - SB 2.5.4
yad-vijñāno yad-ādhāro
yat-paras tvaṁ yad-ātmakaḥ
ekaḥ sṛjasi bhūtāni
bhūtair evātma-māyayā
SYNONYMS
yat-vijñānaḥ—the source of knowledge; yat-ādhāraḥ—under whose protection; yat-paraḥ—under whose subordination; tvam—you; yat-ātmakaḥ—in what capacity; ekaḥ—alone; sṛjasi—you are creating; bhūtāni—the living entities; bhūtaiḥ—with the help of the material elements; eva—certainly; ātma—self; māyayā—by potency.
TRANSLATION
My dear father, what is the source of your knowledge? Under whose protection are you standing? And under whom are you working? What is your real position? Do you alone create all entities with material elements by your personal energy?
PURPORT
It was known to Śrī Nārada Muni that Lord Brahmā attained creative energy by undergoing severe austerities. As such, he could understand that there was someone else superior to Brahmājī who invested Brahmā with the power of creation. Therefore he asked all the above questions. Discoveries of progressive scientific achievements are therefore not independent. The scientist has to attain the knowledge of a thing already existing by means of the wonderful brain made by someone else. A scientist can work with the help of such an awarded brain, but it is not possible for the scientist to create his own or a similar brain. Therefore no one is independent in the matter of any creation, nor is such creation automatic.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.4
yad-vijñāno yad-ādhāro yat-paras tvaṁ yad-ātmakaḥ |
ekaḥ sṛjasi bhūtāni bhūtair evātma-māyayā ||
Let the universe be! Please explain something about yourself. You are your source of knowledge (yad-vijñānaḥ), your own shelter (yad-ādhāraḥ), dependent on yourself alone (yat-paraḥ) and you are your own ātmā. I think that you are the independent Supreme Lord. Ekaḥ means “without help from anyone.”
Jiva's tika ||2.5.4||
yad-vijnāno yad-ādhāro yat-paras tvaṃ yad-ātmakaḥ | ekaḥ sṛjasi bhūtāni bhūtair evātma-māyayā ||
TRANSLATION You, the source of your own knowledge, your own shelter, dependent on yourself, with yourself as your soul, without help create the living beings with the elements coming from your own energy.
Please explain about yourself. To me you alone (ekaḥ) appear as the various forms.
TEXT - SB 2.5.5
ātman bhāvayase tāni
na parābhāvayan svayam
ātma-śaktim avaṣṭabhya
ūrṇanābhir ivāklamaḥ
SYNONYMS
ātman (ātmani)-by self; bhāvayase—manifest; tāni—all those; na—not; parābhāvayan—being defeated; svayam—yourself; ātma-śaktim—self-sufficient power; avaṣṭabhya—being employed; ūrṇa-nābhiḥ—the spider; iva—like; aklamaḥ—without help.
TRANSLATION
As the spider very easily creates the network of its cobweb and manifests its power of creation without being defeated by others, so also you yourself, by employment of your self-sufficient energy, create without any other's help.
PURPORT
The best example of self-sufficiency is the sun. The sun does not require to be illuminated by any other body. Rather, it is the sun which helps all other illuminating agents, for in the presence of the sun no other illuminating agent becomes prominent. Nārada compared the position of Brahmā to the self-sufficiency of the spider, who creates its own field of activities without any other's help by employment of its own energetic creation of saliva.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.5
ātman bhāvayase tāni na parābhāvayan svayam |
ātma-śaktim avaṣṭabhya ūrṇanābhir ivāklamaḥ ||
You protect (bhāvayase) in yourself (ātman) these living beings. You do not get destroyed, just as a spider, situated in his own energy, creates his web. You are without fatigue (aklamaḥ).
Jiva's tika ||2.5.5||
ātman bhāvayase tāni na parābhāvayan svayam | ātma-śaktim avaṣṭabhya ūrṇanābhir ivāklamaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Situated in your own energy like a spider creating his web, without fatigue, you protect the living beings within yourself, without being destroyed.
You protect the living beings in yourself (ātman) without being destroyed (parābhāvayan), since you have great powers. The lamp is destroyed in the presence of the sun. This means you are the material cause. In the presence of the sun, the rays cannot be seen.
TEXT - SB 2.5.6
nāhaṁ veda paraṁ hy asmin
nāparaṁ na samaṁ vibho
nāma-rūpa-guṇair bhāvyaṁ
sad-asat kiñcid anyataḥ
SYNONYMS
na—do not; aham—myself; veda—know; param—superior; hi—for; asmin—in this world; na—neither; aparam—inferior; na—nor; samam—equal; vibho—O great one; nāma—name; rūpa—characteristics; guṇaiḥ—by qualification; bhāvyam—all that is created; sat—eternal; asat—temporary; kiñcit—or anything like that; anyataḥ—from any other source.
TRANSLATION
Whatever we can understand by the nomenclature, characteristics and features of a particular thing—superior, inferior or equal, eternal or temporary—is not created from any source other than that of Your Lordship, thou so great.
PURPORT
The manifested world is full of varieties of created beings in 8,400,00 species of life, and some of them are superior and inferior to others. In human society the human being is considered to be the superior living being, and amongst the human beings there are also different varieties: good, bad, equal, etc. But Nārada Muni took for granted that none of them has any source of generation besides his father, Brahmājī. Therefore he wanted to know all about them from Lord Brahmā.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.6
nāhaṁ veda paraṁ hy asmin nāparaṁ na samaṁ vibho |
nāma-rūpa-guṇair bhāvyaṁ sad-asat kiñcid anyataḥ ||
Whatever is superior, inferior or medium in this world, created (bhāvyam) with names such as human, forms such as two legged forms, and qualities such as white color, whatever is gross and subtle (sad-asat), I do not know from where else it can come. I think that everything comes from you alone.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.6||
nāhaṃ veda paraṃ hy asmin nāparaṃ na samaṃ vibho | nāma-rūpa-guṇair bhāvyaṃ sad-asat kincid anyataḥ ||
TRANSLATION O Lord! I do not know from where else everything can arise whether it is superior, inferior or medium, produced with name, form and qualities, gross or subtle.
He says this and the next verse to teach from Brahmā’s mouth about another entity being the cause.
TEXT - SB 2.5.7
sa bhavān acarad ghoraṁ
yat tapaḥ susamāhitaḥ
tena khedayase nas tvaṁ
parā-śaṅkāṁ ca yacchasi
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he; bhavān—your good self; acarat—undertook; ghoram—severe; yat tapaḥ—meditation; su-samāhitaḥ—in perfect discipline; tena—for that reason; khedayase—gives pain; naḥ—ourselves; tvam—your good self; parā—the ultimate truth; śaṅkām—doubts; ca—and; yacchasi—giving us a chance.
TRANSLATION
Yet we are moved to wonder about the existence of someone more powerful than you when we think of your great austerities in perfect discipline, although your good self is so powerful in the matter of creation.
PURPORT
Following in the footsteps of Śrī Nārada Muni, one should not blindly accept his spiritual master as God Himself. A spiritual master is duly respected on a par with God, but a spiritual master claiming to be God Himself should at once be rejected. Nārada Muni accepted Brahmā as the Supreme due to Lord Brahmā's wonderful acts in creation, but doubts arose in him when he saw that Lord Brahmā also worshiped some superior authority. The Supreme is supreme, and He has no worshipable superior. The ahaṅgrahopāsitā, or the one who worships himself with the idea of becoming God Himself, is misleading, but the intelligent disciple can at once detect that the Supreme God does not need to worship anyone, including Himself, in order to become God. Ahaṅgrahopāsanā may be one of the processes for transcendental realization, but the ahaṅgrahopāsitā can never be God Himself. No one becomes God by undergoing a process of transcendental realization. Nārada Muni thought of Brahmājī as the Supreme Person, but when he saw Brahmājī engaged in the process of transcendental realization, doubts arose in him. So he wanted to be clearly informed.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.7
sa bhavān acarad ghoraṁ yat tapaḥ susamāhitaḥ |
tena khedayase nas tvaṁ parā-śaṅkāṁ ca yacchasi ||
Though you are like this, you produce the doubt that there is some other Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.5.8
etan me pṛcchataḥ sarvaṁ
sarva-jña sakaleśvara
vijānīhi yathaivedam
ahaṁ budhye 'nuśāsitaḥ
SYNONYMS
etat—all those; me—unto me; pṛcchataḥ—inquisitive; sarvam—all that is inquired; sarva-jña—one who knows everything; sakala—over all; īśvara—the controller; vijānīhi—kindly explain; yathā—as; eva—they are; idam—this; aham—myself; budhye—can understand; anuśāsitaḥ—just learning from you.
TRANSLATION
My dear father, you know everything, and you are the controller of all. Therefore may all that I have inquired from you be kindly instructed to me so that I may be able to understand it as your student.
PURPORT
The inquiries made by Nārada Muni are very important for everyone concerned, and as such Nārada requested Brahmājī to deem them suitable so that all others who may come in the line of disciplic succession of the Brahma-sampradāya may also know them properly without any difficulty.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.8
etan me pṛcchataḥ sarvaṁ sarva-jña sakaleśvara |
vijānīhi yathaivedam ahaṁ budhye ’nuśāsitaḥ ||
Considering carefully, tell me (vijānīhi) all the things indicated in my questions. Moreover, say it in such a way that, after being taught, I can comprehend completely. This means “Give the answer without obstructions.”
TEXT - SB 2.5.9
brahmovāca
samyak kāruṇikasyedaṁ
vatsa te vicikitsitam
yad ahaṁ coditaḥ saumya
bhagavad-vīrya-darśane
SYNONYMS
brahmā uvāca—Lord Brahmā said; samyak—perfectly; kāruṇikasya—of you, who are very kind; idam—this; vatsa—my dear boy; te—your; vicikitsitam—inquisitiveness; yat—by which; aham—myself; coditaḥ—inspired; saumya—O gentle one; bhagavat—of the Personality of Godhead; vīrya—prowess; darśane—in the matter of.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā said: My dear boy Nārada, being merciful to all (including me) you have asked all these questions because I have been inspired to see into the prowess of the Almighty Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
Brahmājī, being so questioned by Nāradajī, congratulated him, for it is usual for the devotees to become very enthusiastic whenever they are questioned concerning the Almighty Personality of Godhead. That is the sign of a pure devotee of the Lord. Such discourses on the transcendental activities of the Lord purify the atmosphere in which such discussions are held, and the devotees thus become enlivened while answering such questions. It is purifying both for the questioners and for one who answers the questions. The pure devotees are not only satisfied by knowing everything about the Lord, but are also eager to broadcast the information to others, for they want to see that the glories of the Lord are known to everyone. Thus the devotee feels satisfied when such an opportunity is offered to him. This is the basic principle of missionary activities.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.9
brahmovāca—
samyak kāruṇikasyedaṁ vatsa te vicikitsitam |
yad ahaṁ coditaḥ saumya bhagavad-vīrya-darśane ||
Brahmā is overjoyed with the question. O son (vatsa)! Your doubt (viciktisitam) is proper (samyak). You, in questioning me, though you have all knowledge, have been merciful (kāruṇikasya) to me, your father. Since you told me to consider (vijānīhi) and answer, please know that I was inspired by seeing the Lord’s power in creating the universe. For a moment I see that in my mind. In this way he rejoiced.
TEXT - SB 2.5.10
nānṛtaṁ tava tac cāpi
yathā māṁ prabravīṣi bhoḥ
avijñāya paraṁ matta
etāvat tvaṁ yato hi me
SYNONYMS
na—not; anṛtam—false; tava—of yours; tat—that; ca—also; api—as you have stated; yathā—in the matter of; mām—of myself; prabravīṣi—as you describe; bhoḥ—O my son; avijñāya—without knowing; param—the Supreme; mattaḥ—beyond myself; etāvat—all that you have spoken; tvam—yourself; yataḥ—for the reason of; hi—certainly; me—about me.
TRANSLATION
Whatever you have spoken about me is not false because unless and until one is aware of the Personality of Godhead, who is the ultimate truth beyond me, one is sure to be illusioned by observing my powerful activities.
PURPORT
"The frog in the well" logic illustrates that a frog residing in the atmosphere and boundary of a well cannot imagine the length and breadth of the gigantic ocean. Such a frog, when informed of the gigantic length and breadth of the ocean, first of all does not believe that there is such an ocean, and if someone assures him that factually there is such a thing, the frog then begins to measure it by imagination by means of pumping its belly as far as possible, with the result that the tiny abdomen of the frog bursts and the poor frog dies without any experience of the actual ocean. Similarly, the material scientists also want to challenge the inconceivable potency of the Lord by measuring Him with their froglike brains and their scientific achievements, but at the end they simply die unsuccessfully, like the frog.
Sometimes a materially powerful man is accepted as God or the incarnation of God without any knowledge of the factual God. Such a material assessment may be gradually extended, and the attempt may reach to the highest limit of Brahmājī, who is the topmost living being within the universe and has a duration of life unimaginable to the material scientist. As we get information from the most authentic book of knowledge, the Bhagavad-gītā (8.17), Brahmājī's one day and night is calculated to be some hundreds of thousands of years on our planet. This long duration of life may not be believed by "the frog in the well," but persons who have a realization of the truths mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā accept the existence of a great personality who creates the variegatedness of the complete universe. It is understood from the revealed scriptures that the Brahmājī of this universe is younger than all the other Brahmās in charge of the many, many universes beyond this, but none of them can be equal to the Personality of Godhead.
Nāradajī is one of the liberated souls, and after his liberation he was known as Nārada; otherwise, before his liberation, he was simply a son of a maidservant. The questions may be asked why Nāradajī was not aware of the Supreme Lord and why he mis-conceived Brahmājī to be the Supreme Lord, although factually he was not. A liberated soul is never bewildered by such a mistaken idea, so why did Nāradajī ask all those questions just like an ordinary man with a poor fund of knowledge? There was such bewilderment in Arjuna also, although he is eternally the associate of the Lord. Such bewilderment in Arjuna or in Nārada takes place by the will of the Lord so that other, nonliberated persons may realize the real truth and knowledge of the Lord. The doubt arising in the mind of Nārada about Brahmājī's becoming all-powerful is a lesson for the frogs in the well, that they may not be bewildered in misconceiving the identity of the Personality of Godhead (even by comparison to a personality like Brahmā, so what to speak of ordinary men who falsely pose themselves as God or an incarnation of God). The Supreme Lord is always the Supreme, and as we have tried to establish many times in these purports, no living being, even up to the standard of Brahmā, can claim to be one with the Lord. One should not be misled when people worship a great man as God after his death as a matter of hero worship. There were many kings like Lord Rāmacandra, the King of Ayodhyā, but none of them are mentioned as God in the revealed scriptures. To be a good king is not necessarily the qualification for being Lord Rāma, but to be a great personality like Kṛṣṇa is the qualification for being the Personality of Godhead. If we scrutinize the characters who took part in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, we may find that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was no less a pious king than Lord Rāmacandra, and by character study Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was a better moralist than Lord Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa asked Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to lie, but Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira protested. But that does not mean that Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira could be equal to Lord Rāmacandra or Lord Kṛṣṇa. The great authorities have estimated Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to be a pious man, but they have accepted Lord Rāma or Kṛṣṇa as the Personality of Godhead. The Lord is therefore a different identity in all circumstances, and no idea of anthropomorphism can be applied to Him. The Lord is always the Lord, and a common living being can never be equal to Him.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.10
nānṛtaṁ tava tac cāpi yathā māṁ prabravīṣi bhoḥ |
avijñāya paraṁ matta etāvat tvaṁ yato hi me ||
Moreover, O son! It is not untrue when you say that I alone create the living beings (ekaḥ sṛjasi bhūtāni), because if one does not know the difference between myself and the Lord, it will appear that I am in that position. Using two different subjects for the participle and the main verb is poetic license. Or it can mean “because of not distinguishing the Supreme Lord (param) from me (mattaḥ), people think me to be that Supreme Lord (etāvat).” Though you are omniscient, you speak as they speak, just in order to educate them. It should not be said that Nārada speaks like this because he does not understand the difference between the Lord and Brahmā. It would be improper for Brahmā to think that Nārada was ignorant.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.10||
nānṛtaṃ tava tac cāpi yathā māṃ prabravīṣi bhoḥ | avijnāya paraṃ matta etāvat tvaṃ yato hi me ||
TRANSLATION O son! What you say about me is not untrue, because people, not knowing the difference between me and the Lord say that I have that power.
Brahmā in distress says that what Nārada says is ignorance.
TEXT - SB 2.5.11
yena sva-rociṣā viśvaṁ
rocitaṁ rocayāmy aham
yathārko 'gnir yathā somo
yatharkṣa-graha-tārakāḥ
SYNONYMS
yena—by whom; sva-rociṣā—by His own effulgence; viśvam—all the world; rocitam—already created potentially; rocayāmi—do manifest; aham—I; yathā—as much; arkaḥ—the sun; agniḥ—fire; yathā—as; somaḥ—the moon; yathā—as also; ṛkṣa—the firmament; graha—the influential planets; tārakāḥ—the stars.
TRANSLATION
I create after the Lord's creation by His personal effulgence [known as the brahmajyoti], just as when the sun manifests its fire, the moon, the firmament, the influential planets and the twinkling stars also manifest their brightness.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmājī said to Nārada that his impression that Brahmā was not the supreme authority in the creation was correct. Sometimes less intelligent men have the foolish impression that Brahmā is the cause of all causes. But Nārada wanted to clear the matter by the statements of Brahmājī, the supreme authority in the universe. As the decision of the supreme court of a state is final, similarly the judgment of Brahmājī, the supreme authority in the universe, is final in the Vedic process of acquiring knowledge. As we have already affirmed in the previous verse, Nāradajī was a liberated soul; therefore, he was not one of the less intelligent men who accept a false god or gods in their own ways. He represented himself as less intelligent and yet intelligently presented a doubt to be cleared by the supreme authority so that the uninformed might take note of it and be rightly informed about the intricacies of the creation and the creator.
In this verse Brahmājī clears up the wrong impression held by the less intelligent and affirms that he creates the universal variegatedness after the potential creation by the glaring effulgence of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Brahmājī has also separately given this statement in the saṁhitā known as the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40), where he says:
yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-
koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"I serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental bodily effulgence, known as the brahmajyoti, which is unlimited, unfathomed and all-pervasive, is the cause of the creation of unlimited numbers of planets, etc., with varieties of climates and specific conditions of life."
The same statement is in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.27). Lord Kṛṣṇa is the background of the brahmajyoti (brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham). In the Nirukti, or Vedic dictionary, the import of pratiṣṭhā is mentioned as "that which establishes." So the brahmajyoti is not independent or self-sufficient. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is ultimately the creator of the brahmajyoti, mentioned in this verse as sva-rociṣā, or the effulgence of the transcendental body of the Lord. This brahmajyoti is all-pervading, and all creation is made possible by its potential power; therefore the Vedic hymns declare that everything that exists is being sustained by the brahmajyoti (sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma). Therefore the potential seed of all creation is the brahmajyoti, and the same brahmajyoti, unlimited and unfathomed, is established by the Lord. Therefore the Lord (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) is ultimately the supreme cause of all creation (ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg. 10.8]).
One should not expect the Lord to create like a blacksmith with a hammer and other instruments. The Lord creates by His potencies. He has His multifarious potencies (parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]). Just as the small seed of a banyan fruit has the potency to create a big banyan tree, the Lord disseminates all varieties of seeds by His potential brahmajyoti (sva-rociṣā), and the seeds are made to develop by the watering process of persons like Brahmā. Brahmā cannot create the seeds, but he can manifest the seed into a tree, just as a gardener helps plants and orchards to grow by the watering process. The example cited here of the sun is very appropriate. In the material world the sun is the cause of all illumination: fire, electricity, the rays of the moon, etc. All luminaries in the sky are creations of the sun, the sun is the creation of the brahmajyoti, and the brahmajyoti is the effulgence of the Lord. Thus the ultimate cause of creation is the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.11
yena sva-rociṣā viśvaṁ rocitaṁ rocayāmy aham |
yathārko ’gnir yathā somo yatharkṣa-graha-tārakāḥ ||
Actually I am very insignificant. I manifest the universe which is already manifested by the self-manifesting Lord (sva-rociṣā), like grinding what is already ground, just as the sun and other luminaries reveal what is already revealed by the Lord. The śruti says:
na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra-tārakaṁ
nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto ’yam agniḥ |
tam eva bhāntam anu bhāti sarvaṁ
tasya bhāsā sarvam idaṁ vibhāti ||
There, the sun, the moon, the stars, fire and lightning do not shine. They all shine only by following the shining Lord. His light illuminates all these. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 5.15
Jiva's tika ||2.5.11|| yena sva-rociṣā viśvaṃ rocitaṃ rocayāmy aham | yathārko ’gnir yathā somo yatharkṣa-graha-tārakāḥ ||
TRANSLATION I manifest the universe which is manifested by the self-manifesting Lord, just as the sun, fire, moon, constellations, planets and stars illuminate only what the Lord chooses to illuminate.
The sun and other bodies are manifested by the Lord and illuminate by his effulgence alone.
TEXT - SB 2.5.12
tasmai namo bhagavate
vāsudevāya dhīmahi
yan-māyayā durjayayā
māṁ vadanti jagad-gurum
SYNONYMS
tasmai—unto Him; namaḥ—offer my obeisances; bhagavate—unto the Personality of Godhead; vāsudevāya—unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; dhīmahi—do meditate upon Him; yat—by whose; māyayā—potencies; durjayayā—invincible; mām—unto me; vadanti—they say; jagat—the world; gurum—the master.
TRANSLATION
I offer my obeisances and meditate upon Lord Kṛṣṇa [Vāsudeva], the Personality of Godhead, whose invincible potency influences them [the less intelligent class of men] to call me the supreme controller.
PURPORT
As will be more clearly explained in the next verse, the illusory potency of the Lord bewilders the less intelligent to accept Brahmājī, or for that matter any other person, as the Supreme Lord. Brahmājī, however, refuses to be called this, and he directly offers his respectful obeisances unto Lord Vāsudeva, or Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, as he has already offered the same respects to Him in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.1):
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
"The Supreme Lord is the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Lord in His transcendental body, the ultimate cause of all causes. I worship that primeval Lord Govinda."
Brahmājī is conscious of his actual position, and he knows how less intelligent persons, bewildered by the illusory energy of the Lord, whimsically accept anyone and everyone as God. A responsible personality like Brahmājī refuses to be addressed as the Supreme Lord by his disciples or subordinates, but foolish persons praised by men of the nature of dogs, hogs, camels and asses feel flattered to be addressed as the Supreme Lord. Why such persons take pleasure in being addressed as God, or why such persons are addressed as God by foolish admirers, is explained in the following verse.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.12
tasmai namo bhagavate vāsudevāya dhīmahi |
yan-māyayā durjayayā māṁ vadanti jagad-gurum ||
But are you not known everywhere as the guru of the universe who creates the worlds? With surprise and derision he speaks.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.12||
tasmai namo bhagavate vāsudevāya dhīmahi | yan-māyayā durjayayā māṃ vadanti jagad-gurum ||
TRANSLATION I meditate on the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva, by whose insurmountable māyā
people call me the guru of the universe.
I am filled with fault, being influenced by tamas and other guṇas. People are bewildered by that māyā which is ashamed to stand before the Lord, who is without fault, being endowed with eternity, knowledge and bliss. The unintelligent praise me.
TEXT - SB 2.5.13
vilajjamānayā yasya
sthātum īkṣā-pathe 'muyā
vimohitā vikatthante
mamāham iti durdhiyaḥ
SYNONYMS
vilajjamānayā—by one who is ashamed; yasya—whose; sthātum—to stay; īkṣā-pathe—in front; amuyā—by the bewildering energy; vimohitāḥ—those who are bewildered; vikatthante—talk nonsense; mama—it is mine; aham—I am everything; iti—thus vituperating; durdhiyaḥ—thus ill conceived.
TRANSLATION
The illusory energy of the Lord cannot take precedence, being ashamed of her position, but those who are bewildered by her always talk nonsense, being absorbed in thoughts of "It is I" and "It is mine."
PURPORT
The invincibly powerful deluding energy of the Personality of God, or the third energy, representing nescience, can bewilder the entire world of animation, but still she is not strong enough to be able to stand in front of the Supreme Lord. Nescience is behind the Personality of Godhead, where she is powerful enough to mislead the living beings, and the primary symptom of bewildered persons is that they talk nonsense. Nonsensical talks are not supported by the principles of Vedic literatures, and first-grade nonsense talk is "It is I, it is mine." A godless civilization is exclusively conducted by such false ideas, and such persons, without any factual realization of God, accept a false God or falsely declare themselves to be God to mislead persons who are already bewildered by the deluding energy. Those who are before the Lord, however, and who surrender unto Him, cannot be influenced by the deluding energy; therefore they are free from the misconception of "It is I, it is mine," and therefore they do not accept a false God or pose themselves as equal to the Supreme Lord. Identification of the bewildered person is distinctly given in this verse.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.13
vilajjamānayā yasya sthātum īkṣā-pathe ’muyā |
vimohitā vikatthante mamāham iti durdhiyaḥ ||
Are those who respect you as the guru of the universe and its creator bewildered by māyā? Yes. Those who give respect and receive respect without reference to the Lord are bewildered by māyā who is situated at the back of the Lord, beyond his vision. That is expressed in this verse. Knowing that she deceives, she is ashamed to stand in sight, like a deceitful woman, she stands behind the Lord. Bewildered by her, people boast. Being situated behind the Lord also indicates that she is not facing the Lord. Because she is not facing the Lord her influence does not approach him at all.
TEXT - SB 2.5.14
dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca
svabhāvo jīva eva ca
vāsudevāt paro brahman
na cānyo 'rtho 'sti tattvataḥ
SYNONYMS
dravyam—the ingredients (earth, water, fire, air and sky); karma—the interaction; ca—and; kālaḥ—eternal time; ca—also; sva-bhāvaḥ—intuition or nature; jīvaḥ—the living being; eva—certainly; ca—and; vāsudevāt—from Vāsudeva; paraḥ—differentiated parts; brahman—O brāhmaṇa; na—never; ca—also; anyaḥ—separate; arthaḥ—value; asti—there is; tattvataḥ—in truth.
TRANSLATION
The five elementary ingredients of creation, the interaction thereof set up by eternal time, and the intuition or nature of the individual living beings are all differentiated parts and parcels of the Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, and in truth there is no other value in them.
PURPORT
This phenomenal world is impersonally the representation of Vāsudeva because the ingredients of its creation, their interaction and the enjoyer of the resultant action, the living being, are all produced by the external and internal energies of Lord Kṛṣṇa. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.4-5). The ingredients, namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, as well as the conception of material identity, intelligence and the mind, are produced of the external energy of the Lord. The living entity who enjoys the interaction of the above gross and subtle ingredients, as set up by eternal time, is an offshoot of internal potency, with freedom to remain either in the material world or in the spiritual world. In the material world the living entity is enticed by deluding nescience, but in the spiritual world he is in the normal condition of spiritual existence without any delusion. The living entity is known as the marginal potency of the Lord. But in all circumstances, neither the material ingredients nor the spiritual parts and parcels are independent of the Personality of Godhead Vāsudeva, for all things, whether products of the external, internal or marginal potencies of the Lord, are simply displays of the same effulgence of the Lord, just as light, heat and smoke are displays of fire. None of them are separate from the fire—all of them combine together to be called fire; similarly, all phenomenal manifestations, as well as the effulgence of the body of Vāsudeva, are His impersonal features, whereas He eternally exists in His transcendental form called sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1], distinct from all conceptions of the material ingredients mentioned above.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.14
dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca svabhāvo jīva eva ca |
vāsudevāt paro brahman na cānyo ’rtho ’sti tattvataḥ ||
Ten questions were asked about the universe, starting with its characteristics (yad-rūpam). To answer this, first it is explained that nothing exists other than the Lord. Dravyam means the elements, the substance of matter (upādāna). Karma is the cause of birth. Kāla is the agitator of the guṇas. Svabhāva is the cause of the change in the guṇas. Jīva is the enjoyer. None of these exist apart from the Lord, because the items, except the jīva, are the effects of māyā, and māyā and the jīva are energies of the Lord. The universe is thus a form of Vāsudeva. Thus the answer to the question about the characteristic of the universe (yad-rūpam) is given.
TEXT - SB 2.5.15
nārāyaṇa-parā vedā
devā nārāyaṇāṅgajāḥ
nārāyaṇa-parā lokā
nārāyaṇa-parā makhāḥ
SYNONYMS
nārāyaṇa—the Supreme Lord; parāḥ—is the cause and is meant for; vedāḥ—knowledge; devāḥ—the demigods; nārāyaṇa—the Supreme Lord; aṅga-jāḥ—assisting hands; nārāyaṇa—the Personality of Godhead; parāḥ—for the sake of; lokāḥ—the planets; nārāyaṇa—the Supreme Lord; parāḥ—just to please Him; makhāḥ—all sacrifices.
TRANSLATION
The Vedic literatures are made by and are meant for the Supreme Lord, the demigods are also meant for serving the Lord as parts of His body, the different planets are also meant for the sake of the Lord, and different sacrifices are performed just to please Him.
PURPORT
According to the Vedānta-sūtras (śāstra-yonitvāt), the Supreme Lord is the author of all revealed scriptures, and all revealed scriptures are for knowing the Supreme Lord. Veda means knowledge that leads to the Lord. The Vedas are made just to revive the forgotten consciousness of the conditioned souls, and any literature not meant for reviving God consciousness is rejected at once by the nārāyaṇa-para devotees. Such deluding books of knowledge, not having Nārāyaṇa as their aim, are not at all knowledge, but are the playgrounds for crows who are interested in the rejected refuse of the world. Any book of knowledge (science or art) must lead to the knowledge of Nārāyaṇa; otherwise it must be rejected. That is the way of advancement of knowledge. The supreme worshipable Deity is Nārāyaṇa. The demigods are recommended secondarily for worship in relation to Nārāyaṇa because the demigods are assisting hands in the management of the universal affairs. As the officers of a kingdom are respected due to their relation to the king, the demigods are worshiped due to their relation to the Lord. Without the Lord's relation, worship of the demigods is unauthorized (avidhi-pūrvakam), just as it is improper to water the leaves and branches of a tree without watering its root. Therefore the demigods are also dependent on Nārāyaṇa. The lokas, or different planets, are attractive because they have different varieties of life and bliss partially representing the sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Everyone wants the eternal life of bliss and knowledge. In the material world such an eternal life of bliss and knowledge is progressively realized in the upper planets, but after reaching there one is inclined to achieve further progress along the path back to Godhead. Duration of life, with a proportionate quantity of bliss and knowledge, may be increased from one planet to another. One can increase the duration of life to thousands and hundreds of thousands of years in different planets, but nowhere is there eternal life. But one who can reach the highest planet, that of Brahmā, can aspire to reach the planets in the spiritual sky, where life is eternal. Therefore, the progressive journey from one planet to another culminates in reaching the supreme planet of the Lord (mad-dhāma), where life is eternal and full of bliss and knowledge. All different kinds of sacrifice are performed just to satisfy Lord Nārāyaṇa with a view to reach Him, and the best sacrifice recommended in this age of Kali is saṅkīrtana-yajña, the mainstay of the devotional service of a nārāyaṇa-para devotee.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.15
nārāyaṇa-parā vedā devā nārāyaṇāṅgajāḥ |
nārāyaṇa-parā lokā nārāyaṇa-parā makhāḥ ||
The Vedas are dependent on Nārāyaṇa. The devatās are the born from the limbs of Nārāyaṇa. The planets and sacrifices are dependent on Nārāyaṇa.
Nārāyaṇa is the cause (paraḥ) of these. This is proof of the Lord, and also indicates his qualities such as omniscience. This affirms the statement śāstra-yonitvāt. Everything is nārāyaṇa-paraḥ because everything is situated in Nārāyaṇa and dependent on Nārāyaṇa. This answers the questions about the shelter of the universe and dependence of the universe.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.15||
nārāyaṇa-parā vedā devā nārāyaṇāngajāḥ | nārāyaṇa-parā lokā nārāyaṇa-parā makhāḥ ||
TRANSLATION The Vedas are conclude in Nārāyaṇa. The devatās are the born from the limbs of Nārāyaṇa. The planets and sacrifices are dependent on Nārāyaṇa.
Two verses give the conclusion of scriptures. The Vedas’ conclusion is that Nārāyaṇa is to be worshipped. “But the Vedas also prescribe other devas as objects of worship.” That is true. They are described as having power as limbs of Nārāyaṇa. The devatās’ planets are dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Sacrifices to attain those places are dependent on him since the devatās are shadow portions of his bliss and become effective because of him.
TEXT - SB 2.5.16
nārāyaṇa-paro yogo
nārāyaṇa-paraṁ tapaḥ
nārāyaṇa-paraṁ jñānaṁ
nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ
SYNONYMS
nārāyaṇa-paraḥ—just to know Nārāyaṇa; yogaḥ—concentration of mind; nārāyaṇa-param—just with an aim to achieve Nārāyaṇa; tapaḥ—austerity; nārāyaṇa-param—just to realize a glimpse of Nārāyaṇa; jñānam—culture of transcendental knowledge; nārāyaṇa-parā—the path of salvation ends by entering the kingdom of Nārāyaṇa; gatiḥ—progressive path.
TRANSLATION
All different types of meditation or mysticism are means for realizing Nārāyaṇa. All austerities are aimed at achieving Nārāyaṇa. Culture of transcendental knowledge is for getting a glimpse of Nārāyaṇa, and ultimately salvation is entering the kingdom of Nārāyaṇa.
PURPORT
In meditation, there are two systems of yoga, namely aṣṭāṅga-yoga and sāṅkhya-yoga. Aṣṭāṅga-yoga is practice in concentrating the mind, releasing oneself from all engagements by the regulative processes of meditation, concentration, sitting postures, blocking the movements of the internal circulation of air, etc. Sāṅkhya-yoga is meant to distinguish the truth from ephemerals. But ultimately both the systems are meant for realizing the impersonal Brahman, which is but a partial representation of Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead. As we have explained before, the impersonal Brahman effulgence is only a part of the Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman is situated on the person of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such, Brahman is the glorification of the personality of the Godhead. This is confirmed both in the Bhagavad-gītā and in the Matsya Purāṇa. Gati refers to the ultimate destination, or the last word in liberation. Oneness with the impersonal brahmajyoti is not ultimate liberation; superior to that is the sublime association of the Personality of Godhead in one of the innumerable spiritual planets in the Vaikuṇṭha sky. Therefore the conclusion is that Nārāyaṇa, or the Personality of Godhead, is the ultimate destination for all kinds of yoga systems as well as all kinds of liberation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.16
nārāyaṇa-paro yogo nārāyaṇa-paraṁ tapaḥ |
nārāyaṇa-paraṁ jñānaṁ nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ ||
Yoga is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Austerity is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Knowledge is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Liberation is dependent on Nārāyaṇa.
Gatiḥ means liberation.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.16|| nārāyaṇa-paro yogo nārāyaṇa-paraṃ tapaḥ | nārāyaṇa-paraṃ jnānaṃ nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ ||
TRANSLATION Yoga is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Austerity is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Knowledge is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Liberation is dependent on Nārāyaṇa.
Yoga and sānkhya are dependent on him. Concentration (tapaḥ) is for attaining him. Brahma-jnāna is dependent on him, since it reveals his general form. Jnāna, yoga and tapas are for attaining him. What to speak of the goal Brahman realization. It is also dependent on him, since it manifests because of him, as a general form. Matysa says to Satyavrata:
madīyaṃ mahimānaṃ ca parabrahmeti śabditam vetsyasy anugṛhītaṃ me sampraśnair vivṛtaṃ hṛdi
By my mercy, you will realize my power known as the impersonal Brahman, which will be disclosed in your heart through questions and answers. (SB 8.24.38)
The processes like sacrifice are portions of his śakti. Since bliss is supposed to their result, the goals are portions of the Lord’s bliss.
TEXT - SB 2.5.17
tasyāpi draṣṭur īśasya
kūṭa-sthasyākhilātmanaḥ
sṛjyaṁ sṛjāmi sṛṣṭo 'ham
īkṣayaivābhicoditaḥ
SYNONYMS
tasya—His; api—certainly; draṣṭuḥ—of the seer; īśasya—of the controller; kūṭa-sthasya—of the one who is over everyone's intelligence; akhila-ātmanaḥ—of the Supersoul; sṛjyam—that which is already created; sṛjāmi—do I discover; sṛṣṭaḥ—created; aham—myself; īkṣayā—by glance over; eva—exactly; abhicoditaḥ—being inspired by Him.
TRANSLATION
Inspired by Him only, I discover what is already created by Him [Nārāyaṇa] under His vision as the all-pervading Supersoul, and I also am created by Him only.
PURPORT
Even Brahmā, the creator of the universe, admits that he is not the actual creator but is simply inspired by the Lord Nārāyaṇa and therefore creates under His superintendence those things already created by Him, the Supersoul of all living entities. Two identities of soul, the Supersoul and the individual soul, are admitted to be in the living entity, even by the greatest authority of the universe. The Supersoul is the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, whereas the individual soul is the eternal servitor of the Lord. The Lord inspires the individual soul to create what is already created by the Lord, and by the good will of the Lord a discoverer of something in the world is accredited as the discoverer. It is said that Columbus discovered the Western Hemisphere, but actually the tract of land was not created by Columbus. The vast tract of land was already there by the omnipotency of the Supreme Lord, and Columbus, by dint of his past service unto the Lord, was blessed with the credit of discovering America. Similarly, no one can create anything without the sanction of the Lord, since everyone sees according to his ability. This ability is also awarded by the Lord according to one's willingness to render service unto the Lord. One must therefore be voluntarily willing to render service unto the Lord, and thus the Lord will empower the doer in proportion to his surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord. Lord Brahmā is a great devotee of the Lord; therefore he has been empowered or inspired by the Lord to create such a universe as the one manifested before us. The Lord also inspired Arjuna to fight in the field of Kurukṣetra as follows:
tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva
jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddham
mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva
nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin
(Bg. 11.33)
The Battle of Kurukṣetra, or any other battle at any place or at any time, is made by the will of the Lord, for no one can arrange such mass annihilation without the sanction of the Lord. The party of Duryodhana insulted Draupadī, a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and she appealed to the Lord as well as to all the silent observers of this unwarranted insult. Arjuna was then advised by the Lord to fight and take credit; otherwise the party of Duryodhana would be killed anyway by the will of the Lord. So Arjuna was advised just to become the agent and take the credit for killing great generals like Bhīṣma and Karṇa.
In the Vedic writings such as the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, the Lord is described as the sarva-bhūta-antarātmā, or the Personality of Godhead who resides in everyone's body and who directs everything for one who is a soul surrendered unto Him. Those who are not surrendered souls are put under the care of the material nature (bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā [Bg. 18.61]); therefore, they are allowed to do things on their own account and suffer the consequences themselves. Devotees like Brahmā and Arjuna do not do anything on their own account, but as fully surrendered souls they always await indications from the Lord; therefore they attempt to do something which appears very wonderful to ordinary vision. One of the Lord's names is Urukrama, or one whose actions are very wonderful and are beyond the imagination of the living being, so the actions of His devotees sometimes appear very wonderful due to the direction of the Lord. Beginning from Brahmā, the topmost intelligent living entity within the universe, down to the smallest ant, every living entity's intelligence is overseen by the Lord in His transcendental position as the witness of all actions. The subtle presence of the Lord is felt by the intelligent man who can study the psychic effects of thinking, feeling and willing.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.17
tasyāpi draṣṭur īśasya kūṭa-sthasyākhilātmanaḥ |
sṛjyaṁ sṛjāmi sṛṣṭo ’ham īkṣayaivābhicoditaḥ ||
Then what do you do? I create what he has already created. Do you do this by your own decision? No, I do it by his glance, by his direction (īkṣayā). It cannot be otherwise since he witnesses what I do (draṣṭuḥ) and controls it, and he is the soul (kūṭa-sthasya) within all beings. This indicates that he is the Lord and Brahmā is a jīva. Śruti says:
eko devaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu gūḍhaḥ
sarva-vyāpī sarva-bhūtāntarātmā |
karmādhyakṣaḥ sarva-bhūtādhivāsaḥ
sākṣī cetā kevalo nirguṇaś ca ||
He is the one Lord situated in all beings. He is all-pervading, dwelling within all beings as their soul. He is the controller of action, the abode of all beings, the witness, the consciousness, pure, without any trace of material qualities. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11
eṣa bhūtādhipatir eṣa lokeśvaro loka-pālaḥ
He is the Lord of all beings, the Lord of all planets and the protector of all planets. Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.22
Because he is present in the intelligence of all entities, without distinction from Brahmā to the ant, and recognized as such, he is said to be kūtastha, uniformly situated.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.17||
tasyāpi draṣṭur īśasya kūṭa-sthasyākhilātmanaḥ | sṛjyaṃ sṛjāmi sṛṣṭo ’ham īkṣayaivābhicoditaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I am created by him. Inspired by the Lord’s glance, I create what is suitable for creating by the Lord -- the witness, the soul situated in all beings.
I create what is suitable for creating (śrjyam). Jiva's tika ||2.5.18|| sattvaṃ rajas tama iti nirguṇasya guṇās trayaḥ | sthiti-sarga-nirodheṣu gṛhītā māyayā vibhoḥ||
TRANSLATION The three guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas, belonging to the Lord without guṇas, are accepted by the māyā of the Lord for creation, maintenance and destruction.
“How does the relationship of the jīva as the inspired and the Lord as the inspirer take place?” That is explained in three verses. By ashamed māyā (SB 2.5.18), the external śakti of the Lord who pervades everywhere by his natural śakti and who is not touched by the guṇas, the guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas are accepted for creation, maintenance and destruction.
TEXT - SB 2.5.18
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
nirguṇasya guṇās trayaḥ
sthiti-sarga-nirodheṣu
gṛhītā māyayā vibhoḥ
SYNONYMS
sattvam—the mode of goodness; rajaḥ—the mode of passion; tamaḥ—the mode of ignorance; iti—all these; nirguṇasya—of the Transcendence; guṇāḥ trayaḥ—are three qualities; sthiti—maintenance; sarga—creation; nirodheṣu—in destruction; gṛhītāḥ—accepted; māyayā—by the external energy; vibhoḥ—of the Supreme.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Lord is pure spiritual form, transcendental to all material qualities, yet for the sake of the creation of the material world and its maintenance and annihilation, He accepts through His external energy the material modes of nature called goodness, passion and ignorance.
PURPORT
The Supreme Lord is the master of the external energy manifested by the three material modes, namely goodness, passion and ignorance, and as master of this energy He is ever unaffected by the influence of such bewildering energy. The living entities, the jīvas, however, are affected by or susceptible to being influenced by such modes of material nature—that is the difference between the Lord and the living entities. The living entities are subjected by those qualities, although originally the living entities are qualitatively one with the Lord. In other words, the material modes of nature, being products of the energy of the Lord, are certainly connected with the Lord, but the connection is just like that between the master and the servants. The Supreme Lord is the controller of the material energy, whereas the living entities, who are entangled in the material world, are neither masters nor controllers. Rather, they become subordinate to or controlled by such energy. Factually the Lord is eternally manifested by His internal potency or spiritual energy just like the sun and its rays in the clear sky, but at times He creates the material energy, as the sun creates a cloud in the clear sky. As the sun is ever increasingly unaffected by a spot of cloud, so also the unlimited Lord is unaffected by the spot of material energy manifested at times in the unlimited span of the Lord's rays of brahmajyoti.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.18
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti nirguṇasya guṇās trayaḥ |
sthiti-sarga-nirodheṣu gṛhītā māyayā vibhoḥ[115] ||
How does this distinction between the jīva and īśvara come about? Is it because you are inspired and he inspires? Three verses explain the cause of distinction. The three guṇas belong to the Lord who has no material guṇas. How is this? They are accepted by māyā of the Lord for creation, maintenance and destruction. They are his guṇas since they are the guṇas of his śakti, māyā. Though māyā eternally possesses this form as the guṇas, the word “accepts” is used, as if it has a beginning. The usage is the same as tasyecchayātta-vapuṣaḥ: Kṛṣṇa accepts a body by his will. (SB 10.33.34) Actually Kṛṣṇa eternally has the form of a human. This simply follows common expression.
TEXT - SB 2.5.19
kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve
dravya-jñāna-kriyāśrayāḥ
badhnanti nityadā muktaṁ
māyinaṁ puruṣaṁ guṇāḥ
SYNONYMS
kārya—effect; kāraṇa—cause; kartṛtve—in activities; dravya—material; jñāna—knowledge; kriyā-āśrayāḥ—manifested by such symptoms; badhnanti—conditions; nityadā—eternally; muktam—transcendental; māyinam—affected by material energy; puruṣam—the living entity; guṇāḥ—the material modes.
TRANSLATION
These three modes of material nature, being further manifested as matter, knowledge and activities, put the eternally transcendental living entity under conditions of cause and effect and make him responsible for such activities.
PURPORT
Because they are between the internal and external potencies, the eternally transcendental living entities are called the marginal potency of the Lord. Factually, the living entities are not meant to be so conditioned by material energy, but due to their being affected by the false sense of lording it over the material energy, they come under the influence of such potency and thus become conditioned by the three modes of material nature. This external energy of the Lord covers up the pure knowledge of the living entities eternally existing with Him, but the covering is so constant that it appears that the conditioned soul is eternally ignorant. Such is the wonderful action of māyā, or external energy manifested as if materially produced. By the covering power of the material energy, the material scientist cannot look beyond the material causes, but factually, behind the material manifestations, there are adhibhūta, adhyātma and adhidaiva actions, which the conditioned soul in the mode of ignorance cannot see. The adhibhūta manifestation entails repetitions of births and deaths with old age and diseases, the adhyātma manifestation conditions the spirit soul, and the adhidaiva manifestation is the controlling system. These are the material manifestations of cause and effect and the sense of responsibility of the conditioned actors. They are, after all, manifestations of the conditioned state, and the human being's freedom from such a conditioned state is the highest perfectional attainment.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.19
kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve dravya-jñāna-kriyāśrayāḥ |
badhnanti nityadā muktaṁ māyinaṁ puruṣaṁ guṇāḥ ||
The guṇas -- the cause of matter, senses and the sense devatās -- binds the jīva who is associated with māyā, but who is actually composed of knowledge, with false identities of body, senses and mind.
These guṇas bind the jīva (puruṣam), a function of the Lord’s taṭastha-śakti, who associates with māyā (māyinam). By the logic of the previous statement, it is possible for the jīvas who are situated behind the Lord to be influenced independently by māyā who is also situated behind the Lord. The jīva is called eternally liberated because he has beginningless knowledge just as he has beginningless ignorance. This will be made clear at the end of the seventh chapter. How does he get bound? The states of the guṇas are present as adhibhūta (kārya), adhyātmā (kāraṇa) and adhidaiva (kartṛtve). The guṇas are the shelter or causes of matter (dravya), the senses (kriyā) and the devatās (jñāna). The guṇas bind the jīva by these identities. The order of jñāna and kriya in the text should be reversed for proper understanding.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.19||
kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve dravya-jnāna-kriyāśrayāḥ | badhnanti nityadā muktaṃ māyinaṃ puruṣaṃ guṇāḥ ||
TRANSLATION The guṇas -- the cause of matter, senses and the sense devatās -- bind the jīva who is associated with māyā, while others are eternally liberated.
The guṇas bind the jīva (puruṣam) in the form of kāryā, kāraṇa and kartṛtva, also identified as dravya, kriyā and jnāna. Kārya refers to gross matter or adhibhūta. Kāraṇam refers to the senses or adhyātma. Kartrī is the devatā or adhidaiva, which causes the senses to function. What type of jīva is bound up? Some jīvas
are always liberated (nityadā muktam). But some jīvas are in illusion (māyinam). This is without beginning, since the jīva opposed to the Lord is controlled by māyā. Absorbed in the guṇas, the jīva is bound up by the Lord. It follows that the nitya-mukta has no bondage.
TEXT - SB 2.5.20
sa eṣa bhagavāl̐ liṅgais
tribhir etair adhokṣajaḥ
svalakṣita-gatir brahman
sarveṣāṁ mama ceśvaraḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; eṣaḥ—this; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; liṅgaiḥ—by the symptoms; tribhiḥ—by the three; etaiḥ—by all these; adhokṣajaḥ—the Superseer Transcendence; su-alakṣita—veritably unseen; gatiḥ—movement; brahman—O Nārada; sarveṣām—of everyone; mama—mine; ca—as also; īśvaraḥ—the controller.
TRANSLATION
O Brāhmaṇa Nārada, the Superseer, the transcendent Lord, is beyond the perception of the material senses of the living entities because of the above-mentioned three modes of nature. But He is the controller of everyone, including me.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.24-25) the Lord has declared very clearly that the impersonalist, who gives more importance to the transcendental rays of the Lord as brahmajyoti and who concludes that the Absolute Truth is ultimately impersonal and only manifests a form at a time of necessity, is less intelligent than the personalist, however much the impersonalist may be engaged in studying the Vedānta. The fact is that such impersonalists are covered by the above-mentioned three modes of material nature; therefore, they are unable to approach the transcendental Personality of the Lord. The Lord is not approachable by everyone because He is curtained by His yogamāyā potency. But one should not wrongly conclude that the Lord was formerly unmanifested and has now manifested Himself in the human form. This misconception of the formlessness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is due to the yogamāyā curtain of the Lord and can be removed only by the Supreme Will, as soon as the conditioned soul surrenders unto Him. The devotees of the Lord who are transcendental to the above-mentioned three modes of material nature can see the all-blissful transcendental form of the Lord with their vision of love in the attitude of pure devotional service.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.20
sa eṣa bhagavān liṅgais tribhir etair adhokṣajaḥ |
svalakṣita-gatir brahman sarveṣāṁ mama ceśvaraḥ ||
The Lord, who is brahman, who is the controller of me and all beings, is not known because of the covering of the three guṇas on the jīva.
The Lord is the possessor of māyā-śakti. His nature (gatiḥ) is not known (su alakṣita) because of the coverings of the three guṇas on the jīvas. Or he is not known by the three guṇas. However he is known by his devotees with knowledge.
sattvaṁ na ced dhātar idaṁ nijaṁ bhaved
vijñānam ajñāna-bhidāpamārjanam
guṇa-prakāśair anumīyate bhavān
prakāśate yasya ca yena vā guṇaḥ
O Lord, cause of all causes, if your transcendental body were not beyond the modes of material nature, one could not understand the difference between matter and transcendence. Only by your presence can one understand the transcendental nature of your Lordship, who are the controller of material nature. Your transcendental nature is very difficult to understand unless one is influenced by the presence of your transcendental form. SB 10.2.35
Jiva's tika ||2.5.20||
sa eṣa bhagavān lingais tribhir etair adhokṣajaḥ | svalakṣita-gatir brahman sarveṣāṃ mama ceśvaraḥ ||
TRANSLATION The Lord, who is brahman, who is the controller of me and all beings, is not known because of the covering of the three guṇas on the jīva.
The Lord’s movements are completely (su) invisible (alakṣita-gatiḥ), somewhat inferrable by the three gunas.
sattvaṃ na ced dhātar idaṃ nijaṃ bhaved vijnānam ajnāna-bhid āpamārjanam guṇa-prakāśair anumīyate bhavān prakāśate yasya ca yena vā guṇaḥ
O Lord, possessor of śaktis! If your body were not beyond the modes of material nature, knowledge of your true nature, which destroys ignorance, would be destroyed. You can be inferred by sattva-guṇa, for one can realize that sattvaguṇa is related to you and that by you alone does it function. (SB 10.2.35)
Or, bhagavān sarva-bhūteṣu lakṣitaḥ svātmanā hariḥ | dṛśyair buddhy-ādibhir draṣṭā lakṣaṇair anumāpakaiḥ ||
The śānta-bhakta sees the Supreme Lord in all beings by the mercy of Paramātmā. The Lord and jīva are inferred by symptoms such as their observable intelligence. (SB 2.2.35)
The Lord, characterized by kārya, kāraṇam and katṛtva in the guṇas, has a form which is known by the devotees (sva-lakṣitaḥ) by inference. This is also explained in the Third Canto.
TEXT - SB 2.5.21
kālaṁ karma svabhāvaṁ ca
māyeśo māyayā svayā
ātman yadṛcchayā prāptaṁ
vibubhūṣur upādade
SYNONYMS
kālam—eternal time; karma—the fate of the living entity; svabhāvam—nature; ca—also; māyā—potency; īśaḥ—the controller; māyayā—by the energy; svayā—of His own; ātman (ātmani)-unto His Self; yadṛcchayā—independently; prāptam—being merged in; vibubhūṣuḥ—appearing differently; upādade—accepted for being created again.
TRANSLATION
The Lord, who is the controller of all energies, thus creates, by His own potency, eternal time, the fate of all living entities, and their particular nature, for which they were created, and He again merges them independently.
PURPORT
The creation of the material world, wherein the conditioned souls are allowed to act subordinately by the Supreme Lord, takes place again and again after being repeatedly annihilated. The material creation is something like a cloud in the unlimited sky. The real sky is the spiritual sky, eternally filled with the rays of the brahmajyoti, and a portion of this unlimited sky is covered by the mahat-tattva cloud of the material creation, in which the conditioned souls, who want to lord it against the will of the Lord, are put into play as they desire under the control of the Lord by the agency of His external energy. As the rainy season appears and disappears regularly, the creation takes place and is again annihilated under the control of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.19). So the creation and annihilation of the material worlds is a regular action of the Lord just to allow the conditioned souls to play as they like and thereby create their own fate of being differently created again in terms of their independent desires at the time of annihilation. The creation, therefore, takes place at a historical date (as we are accustomed to think of everything which has a beginning in our tiny experience). The process of creation and annihilation is called anādi, or without reference to date regarding the time the creation first took place, because the duration of even a partial creation is 8,640,000,000 years. The law of creation is, however, as mentioned in the Vedic literatures, that it is created at certain intervals and is again annihilated by the will of the Lord. The whole material or even the spiritual creation is a manifestation of the energy of the Lord, just as the light and heat of a fire are different manifestations of the fire's energy. The Lord therefore exists in His impersonal form by such expansion of energy, and the complete creation rests on His impersonal feature. Nonetheless He keeps Himself distinct from such creation as the pūrṇam (or complete), and so no one should wrongly think that His personal feature is not existent due to His impersonal unlimited expansions. The impersonal expansion is a manifestation of His energy, and He is always in His personal feature despite His innumerable unlimited expansions of impersonal energies (Bg. 9.5-7). For human intelligence it is very difficult to conceive how the whole creation rests on His expansion of energy, but the Lord has given a very good example in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is said that although the air and the atoms rest within the huge expansion of the sky, which is like the resting reservoir of everything materially created, still the sky remains separate and unaffected. Similarly although the Supreme Lord maintains everything created by His expansion of energy, He always remains separate. This is accepted even by Śaṅkarācārya, the great advocate of the impersonal form of the Absolute. He says nārāyaṇaḥ paro 'vyaktāt, or Nārāyaṇa exists separately, apart from the impersonal creative energy. The whole creation thus merges within the body of transcendental Nārāyaṇa at the time of annihilation, and the creation emanates from His body again with the same unchanging categories of fate and individual nature. The individual living entities, being parts and parcels of the Lord, are sometimes described as ātmā, qualitatively one in spiritual constitution. But because such living entities are apt to be attracted to the material creation, actively and subjectively, they are therefore different from the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.21
kālaṁ karma svabhāvaṁ ca māyeśo māyayā svayā |
ātman yadṛcchayā prāptaṁ vibubhūṣur upādade ||
The Lord of māyā, desiring to become many, by his own will, accepts time which was merged in himself, as well as karma and svabhāva which were merged in the jīva, through the agency of māyā.
It has been stated that the Lord produces the universe by means of his energy māyā. Now the process (yatḥa sṛsṭam idam) is given. The Lord, desiring to become many (vibubhūṣuḥ) by his own will (yadṛcchayā), accepts for creation (upāḍade) time, which was merged in him (ātman prāptam kālam), karma (the fate of the jīvas) and svabhāvam which were merged in the jīva. This does not take place spontaneously, but by māyā.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.21||
kālaṃ karma svabhāvaṃ ca māyeśo māyayā svayā |
ātman yadṛcchayā prāptaṃ vibubhūṣur upādade ||
TRANSLATION The Lord of māyā, desiring to become many, by his own will, accepts time which was merged in himself, as well as karma and svabhāva which were merged in the jīva, through the agency of māyā.
Time, karma and svabhāva were merged (prāptam) in the Lord (ātman). The Lord accepts them by his independent will (yadṛcchayā) for creation. He does not accept directly but through māyā.
TEXT - SB 2.5.22
kālād guṇa-vyatikaraḥ
pariṇāmaḥ svabhāvataḥ
karmaṇo janma mahataḥ
puruṣādhiṣṭhitād abhūt
SYNONYMS
kālāt—from eternal time; guṇa-vyatikaraḥ—transformation of the modes by reaction; pariṇāmaḥ—transformation; svabhāvataḥ—from the nature; karmaṇaḥ—of activities; janma—creation; mahataḥ—of the mahat-tattva; puruṣa-adhiṣṭhitāt—because of the puruṣa incarnation of the Lord; abhūt—it took place.
TRANSLATION
After the incarnation of the first puruṣa [Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu], the mahat-tattva, or the principles of material creation, take place, and then time is manifested, and in course of time the three qualities appear. Nature means the three qualitative appearances. They transform into activities.
PURPORT
By the omnipotency of the Supreme Lord, the whole material creation evolves by the process of transformation and reactions one after another, and by the same omnipotency, they are wound up again one after another and conserved in the body of the Supreme. Kāla, or time, is the synonym of nature and is the transformed manifestation of the principles of material creation. As such, kāla may be taken as the first cause of all creation, and by transformation of nature different activities of the material world become visible. These activities may be taken up as the natural instinct of each and every living being, or even of the inert objects, and after the manifestation of activities there are varieties of products and by-products of the same nature. Originally these are all due to the Supreme Lord. The Vedānta-sūtras and the Bhāgavatam thus begin with the Absolute Truth as the beginning of all creations (janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]).
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.22
kālād guṇa-vyatikaraḥ pariṇāmaḥ svabhāvataḥ |
karmaṇo janma mahataḥ puruṣādhiṣṭhitād abhūt ||
The functions of time and other factors are discussed. Time is the agitator of the guṇas. This means giving up equilibrium. Pariṇāmaḥ means attaining another form. Mahataḥ is mahat-tattva. Puruṣādhiṣṭhitād modifies all the three items.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.22||
kālād guṇa-vyatikaraḥ pariṇāmaḥ svabhāvataḥ | karmaṇo janma mahataḥ puruṣādhiṣṭhitād abhūt ||
TRANSLATION The guṇas are agitated from a state of equilibrium by time. They are transformed into another form by svabhāva. The mahat-tattva appears by action. All this is under the direction of the Lord.
Time is the first cause, since it was in the beginning merged into the Lord as a form of the Lord’s power. Then svabhāva, a cause of transformation (change), manifests a particular quality, action. It becomes a cause. This happens because of the will of the Lord (puruṣādhiṣṭhitād).
TEXT - SB 2.5.23
mahatas tu vikurvāṇād
rajaḥ-sattvopabṛṁhitāt
tamaḥ-pradhānas tv abhavad
dravya-jñāna-kriyātmakaḥ
SYNONYMS
mahataḥ—of the mahat-tattva; tu—but; vikurvāṇāt—being transformed; rajaḥ—the material mode of passion; sattva—the mode of goodness; upabṛṁhitāt—because of being increased; tamaḥ—the mode of darkness; pradhānaḥ—being prominent; tu—but; abhavat—took place; dravya—matter; jñāna—material knowledge; kriyā-ātmakaḥ—predominantly material activities.
TRANSLATION
Material activities are caused by the mahat—tattva's being agitated. At first there is transformation of the modes of goodness and passion, and later—due to the mode of ignorance-matter, its knowledge, and different activities of material knowledge come into play.
PURPORT
Material creations of every description are more or less due to the development of the mode of passion (rajas). The mahat-tattva is the principle of material creation, and when it is agitated by the will of the Supreme at first the modes of passion and goodness are prominent, and afterwards the mode of passion, being generated in due course by material activities of different varieties, becomes prominent, and the living entities are thus involved more and more in ignorance. Brahmā is the representation of the mode of passion, and Viṣṇu is the representation of the mode of goodness, while the mode of ignorance is represented by Lord Śiva, the father of material activities. Material nature is called the mother, and the initiator for materialistic life is the father, Lord Śiva. All material creation by the living entities is therefore initiated by the mode of passion. With the advancement of the duration of life in a particular millennium, the different modes act by gradual development. In the age of Kali (when the mode of passion is most prominent) material activities of different varieties, in the name of advancement of human civilization, take place, and the living entities become more and more involved in forgetting their real identity—the spiritual nature. By a slight cultivation of the mode of goodness, a glimpse of spiritual nature is perceived, but due to the prominence of the mode of passion, the mode of goodness becomes adulterated. Therefore one cannot transcend the limits of the material modes, and therefore realization of the Lord, who is always transcendental to the modes of material nature, becomes very difficult for the living entities, even though prominently situated in the mode of goodness through cultivation of the various methods. In other words, the gross matters are adhibhūtam, their maintenance is adhidaivam, and the initiator of material activities is called adhyātmam. In the material world these three principles act as prominent features, namely as raw material, its regular supplies, and its use in different varieties of material creations for sense enjoyment by the bewildered entities.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.23
mahatas tu vikurvāṇād rajaḥ-sattvopabṛṁhitāt |
tamaḥ-pradhānas tv abhavad dravya-jñāna-kriyātmakaḥ ||
From the transformation called mahat-tattva predominated by rajas and sattva, a substance predominated by tamas, ahaṅkāra, arose, composed of adhibhūta, adhyātma and. adhidaiva.
Mahat-tattva has all the three guṇas but there is a predominance of rajas and sattva, because of kriyā and jñāna śaktis. From this state of transformation, namely, mahat-tattva which has a predominance of rajas and sattva and which is produced by time, svabhāva and karma, a substance predominated by tamas (ahaṅkāra) arises. The word yaḥ can be added to connect this verse with saḥ in the next verse. Drayva refers to adhibhūtam, jñānam to adhidaivam and kriyā to adhyātman. These are three causes of illusion for the living entities.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.23||
mahatas tu vikurvāṇād rajaḥ-sattvopabṛṃhitāt | tamaḥ-pradhānas tv abhavad dravya-jnāna-kriyātmakaḥ ||
TRANSLATION From the transformation called mahat-tattva predominated by rajas and sattva, a substance predominated by tamas, ahankāra, arose, composed of adhibhūta, adhyātma and. adhidaiva.
From mahat-tattva, which is specially made (vikurvānāt), predominance of tamas manifested. It was not previously predominant. Yaḥ can be added to this verse to connect with saḥ in the next verse.
TEXT - SB 2.5.24
so 'haṅkāra iti prokto
vikurvan samabhūt tridhā
vaikārikas taijasaś ca
tāmasaś ceti yad-bhidā
dravya-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir
jñāna-śaktir iti prabho
SYNONYMS
saḥ—the very same thing; ahaṅkāraḥ—ego; iti—thus; proktaḥ—said; vikurvan—being transformed; samabhūt—became manifested; tridhā—in three features; vaikārikaḥ—in the mode of goodness; taijasaḥ—in the mode of passion; ca—and; tāmasaḥ—in the mode of ignorance; ca—also; iti—thus; yat—what is; bhidā—divided; dravya-śaktiḥ—powers that evolve matter; kriyā-śaktiḥ—initiation that creates; jñāna-śaktiḥ—intelligence that guides; iti—thus; prabho—O master.
TRANSLATION
The self-centered materialistic ego, thus being transformed into three features, becomes known as the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance in three divisions, namely the powers that evolve matter, knowledge of material creations, and the intelligence that guides such materialistic activities. Nārada, you are quite competent to understand this.
PURPORT
Materialistic ego, or the sense of identification with matter, is grossly self-centered, devoid of clear knowledge of the existence of God. And this self-centered egoism of the materialistic living entities is the cause of their being conditioned by the other paraphernalia and continuing their bondage of material existence. In the Bhagavad-gītā this self-centered egoism is very nicely explained in the Seventh Chapter (verses 24 through 27). The self-centered impersonalist, without a clear conception of the Personality of Godhead, concludes in his own way that the Personality of Godhead takes a material shape from His original impersonal spiritual existence for a particular mission. And this misleading conception of the Supreme Lord by the self-centered impersonalist continues, even though he is seen to be very interested in the Vedic literatures such as the Brahma-sūtras and other highly intellectual sources of knowledge. This ignorance of the personal feature of the Lord is due simply to ignorance of the mixture of different modes. The impersonalist thus cannot conceive of the Lord's eternal spiritual form of eternal knowledge, bliss and existence. The reason is that the Lord reserves the right of not exposing Himself to the nondevotee who, even after a thorough study of literature like the Bhagavad-gītā, remains an impersonalist simply by obstinacy. This obstinacy is due to the action of yogamāyā, a personal energy of the Lord that acts like an aide-de-camp by covering the vision of the obstinate impersonalist. Such a bewildered human being is described as mūḍha, or grossly ignorant, because he is unable to understand the transcendental form of the Lord as being unborn and unchangeable. If the Lord takes a form or material shape from His original impersonal feature, then it means that He is born and changeable from impersonal to personal. But He is not changeable. Nor does He ever take a new birth like a conditioned soul. The conditioned soul may take a form birth after birth due to his conditional existence in matter, but the self-centered impersonalists, by their gross ignorance, accept the Lord as one of them because of self-centered egoism, even after so-called advancement of knowledge in the Vedānta. The Lord, being situated in the heart of every individual living entity, knows very well the tendency of such conditioned souls in terms of past, present and future, but the bewildered conditioned soul hardly can know Him in His eternal form. By the will of the Lord, therefore, the impersonalist, even after knowing the Brahman and Paramātmā features of the Lord, remains ignorant of His eternal personal feature as ever-existent Nārāyaṇa, transcendental to all material creation.
The cause of such gross ignorance is constant engagement by the materialistic man in the matter of artificially increasing material demands. To realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to purify the materialistic senses by devotional service. The mode of goodness, or the brahminical culture recommended in the Vedic literatures, is helpful to such spiritual realization, and thus the jñāna-śakti stage of the conditioned soul is comparatively better than the other two stages, namely dravya-śakti and kriyā-śakti. The whole material civilization is manifested by a huge accumulation of materials, or, in other words, raw materials for industrial purposes, and the industrial enterprises (kriyā-śakti) are all due to gross ignorance of spiritual life. In order to rectify this great anomaly of materialistic civilization, based on the principles of dravya-śakti and kriyā-śakti, one has to adopt the process of devotional service of the Lord by adoption of the principles of karma-yoga, mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.27) as follows:
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam
"O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me."
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.24
so ’haṅkāra iti prokto vikurvan samabhūt tridhā |
vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś ceti yad-bhidā |
dravya-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir jñāna-śaktir iti prabho ||
That ahaṅkāra transforms into three types: derived from sattva, rajas and tamas, called jñāna-śakti, kriyā-śakti and dravya-śakti.
The three divisions are described: that derived from sattva-guṇa (vaikārikaḥ), from rajoguṇa (taijasaḥ) and from tamoguṇa (tāmasaḥ). The qualities in verse order are drayva, kriyā and jñāna śaktis. The dravya-śakti has the capacity to produce the five gross elements starting with ether. The kriyā-śakti has the capacity to produce the senses. The jñāna-śakti has the capacity to produce the sense devatās. O Nārada (prabho)! You know all of this. The state of equilibrium is pradhāna. By the agitation of time, the predominance of sattva produces the mahat-tattva. Predominance of rajas produces the sūtra-tattva, a type of mahat-tattva. Predominance of tamas produces ahaṅkāra. The effect of ahaṅkāra, with predominance of tamas and with rajas and sattva elements in much less amount, produces the five gross elements. In this covering on the jīva (ahaṅkāra), there is a predominance of tamas.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.24||
so ’hankāra iti prokto vikurvan samabhūt tridhā |
vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś ceti yad-bhidā | dravya-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir jnāna-śaktir iti prabho ||
TRANSLATION That ahankāra transforms into three types: derived from sattva, rajas and tamas, called jnāna-śakti, kriyā-śakti and dravya-śakti.
Three lines are taken together. Vaikārika means without (vigata) disturbance (kāra) or peaceful. This it refers to sattva. Ahankāra when it acts by sattva is called vaikārika. Because it causes agitation or tejas it is called taijasa. The meaning tamasa is clear. Since rajas is a cause of change, when the effects of sattva or tamas manifest, there is portion of rajas there as well.
TEXT - SB 2.5.25
tāmasād api bhūtāder
vikurvāṇād abhūn nabhaḥ
tasya mātrā guṇaḥ śabdo
liṅgaṁ yad draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ
SYNONYMS
tāmasāt—from the darkness of false ego; api—certainly; bhūta-ādeḥ—of the material elements; vikurvāṇāt—because of transformation; abhūt—generated; nabhaḥ—the sky; tasya—its; mātrā—subtle form; guṇaḥ—quality; śabdaḥ—sound; liṅgam—characteristics; yat—as its; draṣṭṛ—the seer; dṛśyayoḥ—of what is seen.
TRANSLATION
From the darkness of false ego, the first of the five elements, namely the sky, is generated. Its subtle form is the quality of sound, exactly as the seer is in relationship with the seen.
PURPORT
The five elements, namely sky, air, fire, water and earth, are all but different qualities of the darkness of false ego. This means that the false ego in the sum total form of mahat-tattva is generated from the marginal potency of the Lord, and due to this false ego of lording it over the material creation, ingredients are generated for the false enjoyment of the living being. The living being is practically the dominating factor over the material elements as the enjoyer, though the background is the Supreme Lord. Factually, save and except the Lord, no one can be called the enjoyer, but the living entity falsely desires to become the enjoyer. This is the origin of false ego. When the bewildered living being desires this, the shadow elements are generated by the will of the Lord, and the living entities are allowed to run after them as after a phantasmagoria.
It is said that first the tan-mātrā sound is created and then the sky, and in this verse it is confirmed that actually it is so, but sound is the subtle form of the sky, and the distinction is like that between the seer and the seen. The sound is the representation of the actual object, as the sound produced speaking of the object gives an idea of the description of the object. Therefore sound is the subtle characteristic of the object. Similarly, sound representation of the Lord, in terms of His characteristics, is the complete form of the Lord, as was seen by Vasudeva and Mahārāja Daśaratha, the fathers of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Rāma. The sound representation of the Lord is nondifferent from the Lord Himself because the Lord and His representation in sound are absolute knowledge. Lord Caitanya has instructed us that in the holy name of the Lord, as sound representation of the Lord, all the potencies of the Lord are invested. Thus one can immediately enjoy the association of the Lord by the pure vibration of the sound representation of His holy name, and the concept of the Lord is immediately manifested before the pure devotee. A pure devotee, therefore, is not aloof from the Lord even for a moment. The holy name of the Lord, as recommended in the śāstras—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—may therefore be constantly chanted by the devotee aspiring to be constantly in touch with the Supreme Lord. One who is thus able to associate with the Lord is sure to be delivered from the darkness of the created world, which is a product of false ego (tamasi mā jyotir gama).
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.25
tāmasād api bhūtāder vikurvāṇād abhūn nabhaḥ |
tasya mātrā guṇaḥ śabdo liṅgaṁ yad draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ ||
From the darkness of false ego, the first of the five elements, namely, ether (sky), is generated. Its subtle form is the quality of sound. This arose before ether. Sound represents objects unseen (or objects from the past) and seen in the present as well.
This describes the details of ahaṅkāra in tamas. Is it not well known that, first, sound arises from this mode? That is true. That is the subtle form (mātrā) of ether. That is its distinguishing quality (guṇa). By sound, ether is produced. This should be understood for the other verses concerning the elements as well. The quality of sound is described. It represents things unseen in the past and things in the present or future. Because it is modifying liṅgam, yad is in the neuter form.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.25||
tāmasād api bhūtāder vikurvāṇād abhūn nabhaḥ | tasya mātrā guṇaḥ śabdo lingaṃ yad draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ ||
TRANSLATION From the darkness of false ego, the first of the five elements, namely, ether (sky), is generated. Its subtle form is the quality of sound. This arose before ether. Sound represents objects unseen (or objects from the past) and seen in the present as well.
As a cause of manifestation sound is called tan-mātrā. When the effect is manifested, sound becomes its natural quality (guṇaḥ). Sound causes understanding of the seer and and what will be seen.
TEXT - SB 2.5.26-29
nabhaso 'tha vikurvāṇād
abhūt sparśa-guṇo 'nilaḥ
parānvayāc chabdavāṁś ca
prāṇa ojaḥ saho balam
vāyor api vikurvāṇāt
kāla-karma-svabhāvataḥ
udapadyata tejo vai
rūpavat sparśa-śabdavat
tejasas tu vikurvāṇād
āsīd ambho rasātmakam
rūpavat sparśavac cāmbho
ghoṣavac ca parānvayāt
viśeṣas tu vikurvāṇād
ambhaso gandhavān abhūt
parānvayād rasa-sparśa-
śabda-rūpa-guṇānvitaḥ
SYNONYMS
nabhasaḥ—of the sky; atha—thus; vikurvāṇāt—being transformed; abhūt—generated; sparśa—touch; guṇaḥ—quality; anilaḥ—air; para—previous; anvayāt—by succession; śabdavān—full of sound; ca—also; prāṇaḥ—life; ojaḥ—sense perception; sahaḥ—fat; balam—strength; vāyoḥ—of the air; api—also; vikurvāṇāt—by transformation; kāla—time; karma—reaction of the past; svabhāvataḥ—on the basis of nature; udapadyata—generated; tejaḥ—fire; vai—duly; rūpavat—with form; sparśa—touch; śabdavat—with sound also; tejasaḥ—of the fire; tu—but; vikurvāṇāt—on being transformed; āsīt—it so happened; ambhaḥ—water; rasa-ātmakam—composed of juice; rūpavat—with form; sparśavat—with touch; ca—and; ambhaḥ—water; ghoṣavat—with sound; ca—and; para—previous; anvayāt—by succession; viśeṣaḥ—variegatedness; tu—but; vikurvāṇāt—by transformation; ambhasaḥ—of water; gandhavān—odorous; abhūt—became; para—previous; anvayāt—by succession; rasa—juice; sparśa—touch; śabda—sound; rūpa-guṇa-anvitaḥ—qualitative.
TRANSLATION
Because the sky is transformed, the air is generated with the quality of touch, and by previous succession the air is also full of sound and the basic principles of duration of life: sense perception, mental power and bodily strength. When the air is transformed in course of time and nature's course, fire is generated, taking shape with the sense of touch and sound. Since fire is also transformed, there is a manifestation of water, full of juice and taste. As previously, it also has form and touch and is also full of sound. And water, being transformed from all variegatedness on earth, appears odorous and, as previously, becomes qualitatively full of juice, touch, sound and form respectively.
PURPORT
The whole process of creation is an act of gradual evolution and development from one element to another, reaching up to the variegatedness of the earth as so many trees, plants, mountains, rivers, reptiles, birds, animals and varieties of human beings. The quality of sense perception is also evolutionary, namely generated from sound, then touch, and from touch to form. Taste and odor are also generated along with the gradual development of sky, air, fire, water and earth. They are all mutually the cause and effect of one another, but the original cause is the Lord Himself in plenary portion, as Mahā-Viṣṇu lying in the causal water of the mahat-tattva. As such, Lord Kṛṣṇa is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as the cause of all causes, and this is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8) as follows:
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
The qualities of sense perception are fully represented in the earth, and they are manifested in other elements to a lesser extent. In the sky there is sound only, whereas in the air there are sound and touch. In the fire there are sound, touch and shape, and in the water there is taste also, along with the other perceptions, namely sound, touch and shape. In the earth, however, there are all the above-mentioned qualities with an extra development of odor also. Therefore on the earth there is a full display of variegatedness of life, which is originally started with the basic principle of air. Diseases of the body take place due to derangement of air within the earthly body of the living beings. Mental diseases result from special derangement of the air within the body, and as such, yogic exercise is especially beneficial to keep the air in order so that diseases of the body become almost nil by such exercises. When they are properly done the duration of life also increases, and one can have control over death also by such practices. A perfect yogī can have command over death and quit the body at the right moment, when he is competent to transfer himself to a suitable planet. The bhakti-yogi, however, surpasses all the yogīs because, by dint of his devotional service, he is promoted to the region beyond the material sky and is placed in one of the planets in the spiritual sky by the supreme will of the Lord, the controller of everything.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.26-29
From ether arose the subtle touch and the element air. Air also holds the previous quality of sound. Air is the cause of prāṇa, which gives strength to the senses, mind and body.
Ether is the cause of air. Air contains the previous quality of sound. The character of air is the prāṇa, which supports the body. Ojas is sharpness of the senses. Sahas is sharpness of the mind, and balam is health of the body. Prāṇa is the cause of these.
Under the influence of time, karma and svabhāva, by a transformation of air, arose the subtle aspect called form and fire. Touch and sound also exist in fire.
Fire, as well as form, possesses sound and touch, the causes of ether and air respectively. Water and earth also possess the subtle forms of the previous elements in them.
From the transformation of fire arose taste and water. Water contains form, as well as touch and sound from the previous elements.
From the transformation of water arose smell and earth. Earth contains the subtle aspects -- taste, touch, form and sound -- of the previous elements.
Viśeṣaḥ means earth.
TEXT - SB 2.5.30
vaikārikān mano jajñe
devā vaikārikā daśa
dig-vātārka-praceto 'śvi-
vahnīndropendra-mitra-kāḥ
SYNONYMS
vaikārikāt—from the mode of goodness; manaḥ—the mind; jajñe—generated; devāḥ—demigods; vaikārikāḥ—in the mode of goodness; daśa—ten; dik—the controller of directions; vāta—the controller of air; arka—the sun; pracetaḥ—Varuṇa; aśvi—the Aśvinī-kumāras; vahni—the fire-god; indra—the King of heaven; upendra—the deity in heaven; mitra—one of the twelve Ādityas; kāḥ—Prajāpati Brahmā.
TRANSLATION
From the mode of goodness the mind is generated and becomes manifest, as also the ten demigods controlling the bodily movements. Such demigods are known as the controller of directions, the controller of air, the sun-god, the father of Dakṣa Prajāpati, the Aśvinī-kumāras, the fire-god, the King of heaven, the worshipable deity in heaven, the chief of the Ādityas, and Brahmājī, the Prajāpati. All come into existence.
PURPORT
Vaikārika is the neutral stage of creation, and tejas is the initiative of creation, while tamas is the full display of material creation under the spell of the darkness of ignorance. Manufacture of the "necessities of life" in factories and workshops, excessively prominent in the age of Kali, or in the age of the machine, is the summit stage of the quality of darkness. Such manufacturing enterprises by human society are in the mode of darkness because factually there is no necessity for the commodities manufactured. Human society primarily requires food for subsistence, shelter for sleeping, defense for protection, and commodities for satisfaction of the senses. The senses are the practical signs of life, as will be explained in the next verse. Human civilization is meant for purifying the senses, and objects of sense satisfaction should be supplied as much as absolutely required, but not for aggravating artificial sensory needs. Food, shelter, defense and sense gratification are all needs in material existence. Otherwise, in his pure, uncontaminated state of original life, the living entity has no such needs. The needs are therefore artificial, and in the pure state of life there are no such needs. As such, increasing the artificial needs, as is the standard of material civilization, or advancing the economic development of human society, is a sort of engagement in darkness, without knowledge. By such engagement, human energy is spoiled, because human energy is primarily meant for purifying the senses in order to engage them in satisfying the senses of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord, being the supreme possessor of spiritual senses, is the master of the senses, Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīka means the senses, and īśa means the master. The Lord is not the servant of the senses, or, in other words, He is not directed by the dictation of the senses, but the conditioned souls or the individual living entities are servants of the senses. They are conducted by the direction or dictation of the senses, and therefore material civilization is a kind of engagement in sense gratification only. The standard of human civilization should be to cure the disease of sense gratification, and one can do this simply by becoming an agent for satisfying the spiritual senses of the Lord. The senses are never to be stopped in their engagements, but one should purify them by engaging them in the pure service of sense gratification of the master of the senses. This is the instruction of the whole Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna wanted first of all to satisfy his own senses by his decision not to fight with his kinsmen and friends, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa taught him the Bhagavad-gītā just to purify Arjuna's decision for sense gratification. Therefore Arjuna agreed to satisfy the senses of the Lord, and thus he fought the Battle of Kurukṣetra, as the Lord desired.
The Vedas instruct us to get out of the existence of darkness and go forward on the path of light (tamasi mā jyotir gama). The path of light is therefore to satisfy the senses of the Lord. Misguided men, or less intelligent men, follow the path of self-realization without any attempt to satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord by following the path shown by Arjuna and other devotees of the Lord. On the contrary, they artificially try to stop the activities of the senses (yoga system), or they deny the transcendental senses of the Lord (jñāna system). The devotees, however, are above the yogīs and the jñānīs because pure devotees do not deny the senses of the Lord; they want to satisfy the senses of the Lord. Only because of the darkness of ignorance do the yogīs and jñānīs deny the senses of the Lord and thus artificially try to control the activities of the diseased senses. In the diseased condition of the senses there is too much engagement of the senses in increasing material needs. When one comes to see the disadvantage of aggravating the sense activities, one is called a jñānī, and when one tries to stop the activities of the senses by the practice of yogic principles, he is called a yogi, but when one is fully aware of the transcendental senses of the Lord and tries to satisfy His senses, one is called a devotee of the Lord. The devotees of the Lord do not try to deny the senses of the Lord, nor do they artificially stop the actions of the senses. But they do voluntarily engage the purified senses in the service of the master of the senses, as was done by Arjuna, thereby easily attaining the perfection of satisfying the Lord, the ultimate goal of all perfection.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.30
vaikārikān[117] mano jajñe devā vaikārikā daśa |
dig-vātārka-praceto ’śvi- vahnīndropendra-mitra-kāḥ ||
From ahaṅkāra in sattva arose the mind and it deity as well as the ten presiding deities of the senses: the directions, Vāyu, the sun, Varuṇa, the two Aśvini-kumāras, Agni, Indra, Upendra, Mitra and Prajāpati Dakṣa.
From ahaṅkāra in sattva arose mind, and its devatā the moon. The other sense devatās are mentioned: directions for ear, Vāyu for the skin, the sun for the eyes, Varuṇa for the tongue and the two Aśvinis for the nose, Agni for the voice, Indra for the hands, Upendra for the feet, Mitra for the anus and Prajāpati for the penis.[118]
Jiva's tika ||2.5.30||
vaikārikān mano jajne devā vaikārikā daśa | dig-vātārka-praceto ’śvi- vahnīndropendra-mitra-kāḥ ||
TRANSLATION From ahankāra in sattva arose the mind and it deity as well as the ten presiding deities of the senses: the directions, Vāyu, the sun, Varuṇa, the two Aśvinikumāras, Agni, Indra, Upendra, Mitra and Prajāpati Dakṣa.
Mind is not much different from citta. Both are sattvika. Kapila says:
svacchatvam avikāritvaṃ śāntatvam iti cetasaḥ vṛttibhir lakṣaṇaṃ proktaṃ yathāpāṃ prakṛtiḥ parā
Citta is known to have purity, changelessness and peacefulness as its qualities by nature, just like the nature of pure water. (SB 3.26.22)
Upendra is an empowered devatā (not Viṣṇu) since verse 32 mentions that these devatās lack the śakti of the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.5.31
taijasāt tu vikurvāṇād
indriyāṇi daśābhavan
jñāna-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir
buddhiḥ prāṇaś ca taijasau
śrotraṁ tvag-ghrāṇa-dṛg-jihvā
vāg-dor-meḍhrāṅghri-pāyavaḥ
SYNONYMS
taijasāt—by the passionate egoism; tu—but; vikurvāṇāt—transformation of; indriyāṇi—the senses; daśa—ten; abhavan—generated; jñāna-śaktiḥ—the five senses for acquiring knowledge; kriyā-śaktiḥ—the five senses of activities; buddhiḥ—intelligence; prāṇaḥ—the living energy; ca—also; taijasau—all products of the mode of passion; śrotram—the sense for hearing; tvak—the sense for touching; ghrāṇa—the sense for smelling; dṛk—the sense for seeing; jihvāḥ—the sense for tasting; vāk—the sense for speaking; doḥ—the sense for handling; meḍhra—the genitals; aṅghri—the legs; pāyavaḥ—the sense for evacuating.
TRANSLATION
By further transformation of the mode of passion, the sense organs like the ear, skin, nose, eyes, tongue, mouth, hands, genitals, legs, and the outlet for evacuating, together with intelligence and living energy, are all generated.
PURPORT
The living condition in material existence depends more or less on one's intelligence and powerful living energy. Intelligence to counteract the hard struggle for existence is assisted by the senses for acquiring knowledge, and the living energy maintains himself by manipulating the active organs, like the hands and legs. But on the whole, the struggle for existence is an exertion of the mode of passion. Therefore all the sense organs, headed by intelligence and the living energy, prāṇa, are different products and by-products of the second mode of nature, called passion. This mode of passion, however, is the product of the air element, as described before.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.31
taijasāt tu vikurvāṇād indriyāṇi daśābhavan |
jñāna-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir buddhiḥ prāṇaś ca taijasau |
śrotraṁ tvag-ghrāṇa-dṛg-jihvā vāg-dor-meḍhrāṅghri-pāyavaḥ ||
From ahaṅkāra in rajas arose the intelligence (the śakti of the five knowledge senses), prāṇa (the śakti of the five action senses), and the ten senses. The ten senses are the ear, skin, nose, eye, tongue, voice, hands, feet, anus and penis.
From the transformation of ahaṅkāra in rajas arose the ten senses. The śakti of the five knowledge senses is intelligence (buddhiḥ).[119] The śakti of the five action senses is prāṇa. Buddhi and prāṇa arise from ahaṅkāra in rajas, and buddhi becomes particularized as the five knowledge senses. Prāṇa becomes particularized as the five action senses. It should be understood that air in the form of prāṇa arising from the ahaṅkāra in tamas is also an effect of ahaṅkāra in rajas. Doḥ means hands. Meḍhra is the penis. Pāyuḥ is the anus. They are not in proper order.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.31||
taijasāt tu vikurvāṇād indriyāṇi daśābhavan | jnāna-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir buddhiḥ prāṇaś ca taijasau | śrotraṃ tvag-ghrāṇa-dṛg-jihvā vāg-dor-meḍhrānghri-pāyavaḥ ||
TRANSLATION From ahankāra in rajas arose the intelligence (the śakti of the five knowledge senses), prāṇa (the śakti of the five action senses), and the ten senses. The ten senses are the ear, skin, nose, eye, tongue, voice, hands, feet, anus and penis.
Three lines are taken together. Since prāṇa arises from taijasa, the action senses are also taijasa. Since buddhi is taijasa, the knowledge senses are also taijasa. In the Third Canto it is said:
saṃśayo 'tha viparyāso niścayaḥ smṛtir eva ca svāpa ity ucyate buddher lakṣaṇaṃ vṛttitaḥ pṛthak
The characteristics of buddhi by its various functions are doubt, false knowledge, ascertaining correct knowledge, remembrance and sleep. (SB 3.26.30)
TEXT - SB 2.5.32
yadaite 'saṅgatā bhāvā
bhūtendriya-mano-guṇāḥ
yadāyatana-nirmāṇe
na śekur brahma-vittama
SYNONYMS
yadā—as long as; ete—all these; asaṅgatāḥ—without being assembled; bhāvāḥ—remained so situated; bhūta—elements; indriya—senses; manaḥ—mind; guṇāḥ—modes of nature; yadā—so long; āyatana—the body; nirmāṇe—in being formed; na śekuḥ—was not possible; brahma-vit-tama—O Nārada, the best knower of transcendental knowledge.
TRANSLATION
O Nārada, best of the transcendentalists, the forms of the body cannot take place as long as these created parts, namely the elements, senses, mind and modes of nature, are not assembled.
PURPORT
The different types of bodily construction of the living entities are exactly like different types of motorcars manufactured by assembling the allied motor parts. When the car is ready, the driver sits in the car and moves it as he desires. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.61): the living entity is as if seated on the machine of the body, and the car of the body is moving by the control of material nature, just as the railway trains are moving under the direction of the controller. The living entities, however, are not the bodies; they are separate from the cars of the body. But the less intelligent material scientist cannot understand the process of assembling the parts of the body, namely the senses, the mind and the qualities of the material modes. Every living entity is a spiritual spark, part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and by the kindness of the Lord, for the Father is kind to His sons, the individual living beings are given a little freedom to act according to their will to lord it over the material nature. Just as a father gives some playthings to the crying child to satisfy him, the whole material creation is made possible by the will of the Lord to allow the bewildered living entities to lord it over things as they desire, although under the control of the agent of the Lord. The living entities are exactly like small children playing the material field under the control of the maidservant of the Lord (nature). They accept the māyā, or the maidservant, as all in all and thus wrongly conceive the Supreme Truth to be feminine (goddess Durgā, etc.). The foolish, childlike materialists cannot reach beyond the conception of the maidservant, material nature, but the intelligent grown-up sons of the Lord know well that all the acts of material nature are controlled by the Lord, just as a maidservant is under the control of the master, the father of the undeveloped children.
The parts of the body, such as the senses, are the creation of the mahat-tattva, and when they are assembled by the will of the Lord, the material body comes into existence, and the living entity is allowed to use it for further activities. This is explained as follows.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.32
yadaite ’saṅgatā[120] bhāvā bhūtendriya-mano-guṇāḥ |
yadāyatana-nirmāṇe na śekur brahma-vittama ||
tadā saṁhatya cānyonyaṁ bhagavac-chakti-coditāḥ |
sad-asattvam upādāya cobhayaṁ sasṛjur hy adaḥ ||
O best of the brāhmaṇas! As long as the gross elements, senses and mind were not mixed together, it was not possible for them to produce material bodies. Coming together by the impulse of the Lord’s energy, accepting primary and secondary forms, they created the body of the whole universe and the individual bodies in it.
The kāraṇa-sṛṣṭi has been described. Now the kārya-sṛṣṭi is described. When these ingredients were unmixed (asaṅgatā), and when it was not possible for them to make the bodies (āyatana), then the Lord entered them. They became combined by his compacting energy, and taking primary and secondary forms, created the body of the universe as a whole and the individual bodies.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.32||
yadaite ’sangatā bhāvā bhūtendriya-mano-guṇāḥ | yadāyatana-nirmāṇe na śekur brahma-vittama ||
tadā saṃhatya cānyonyaṃ bhagavac-chakti-coditāḥ | sad-asattvam upādāya cobhayaṃ sasṛjur hy adaḥ ||
TRANSLATION O best of the brāhmaṇas! As long as the gross elements, senses and mind were not mixed together, it was not possible for them to produce material bodies. Coming together by the impulse of the Lord’s energy, accepting primary and secondary forms, they created the body of the whole universe and the individual bodies in it.
Two verses are taken together. Sad-asattvam means primary and secondary
forms. Impelled by the śakti that causes conglomeration, belonging to the first puruṣa who is an aṃśa of Bhagavān (bhagavat-śakti-coditaḥ) and who entered into the various elements, they created the body of the universe and the individuals.
TEXT - SB 2.5.33
tadā saṁhatya cānyonyaṁ
bhagavac-chakti-coditāḥ
sad-asattvam upādāya
cobhayaṁ sasṛjur hy adaḥ
SYNONYMS
tadā—all those; saṁhatya—being assembled; ca—also; anyonyam—one another; bhagavat—by the Personality of Godhead; śakti—energy; coditāḥ—being applied; sat-asattvam—primarily and secondarily; upādāya—accepting; ca—also; ubhayam—both; sasṛjuḥ—came into existence; hi—certainly; adaḥ—this universe.
TRANSLATION
Thus when all these became assembled by force of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this universe certainly came into being by accepting both the primary and secondary causes of creation.
PURPORT
In this verse it is clearly mentioned that the Supreme Personality of Godhead exerts His different energies in the creation; it is not that He Himself is transformed into material creations. He expands Himself by His different energies, as well as by His plenary portions. In a corner of the spiritual sky of brahmajyoti a spiritual cloud sometimes appears, and the covered portion is called the mahat-tattva. The Lord then, by His plenary portion as Mahā-Viṣṇu, lies down within the water of the mahat-tattva, and the water is called the Causal Ocean (Kāraṇa-jala). While Mahā-Viṣṇu sleeps within the Causal Ocean, innumerable universes are generated along with His breathing. These universes are floating, and they are scattered all over the Causal Ocean. They stay only during the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu. In each and every universal globe, the same Mahā-Viṣṇu enters again as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and lies there on the serpentlike Śeṣa incarnation. From His navel sprouts a lotus stem, and on the lotus, Brahmā, the lord of the universe, is born. Brahmā creates all forms of living beings of different shapes in terms of different desires within the universe. He also creates the sun, moon and other demigods.
Therefore the chief engineer of the material creation is the Lord Himself, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10). It is He only who directs the material nature to produce all sorts of moving and nonmoving creations.
There are two modes of material creation: the creation of the collective universes, as stated above, done by the Mahā-Viṣṇu, and the creation of the single universe. Both are done by the Lord, and thus the universal shape, as we can see, takes place.
TEXT - SB 2.5.34
varṣa-pūga-sahasrānte
tad aṇḍam udake śayam
kāla-karma-svabhāva-stho
jīvo 'jīvam ajīvayat
SYNONYMS
varṣa-pūga—many years; sahasra-ante—of thousands of years; tat—that; aṇḍam—the universal globe; udake—in the causal water; śayam—being drowned; kāla—eternal time; karma—action; svabhāva-sthaḥ—according to the modes of nature; jīvaḥ—the Lord of the living beings; ajīvam—nonanimated; ajīvayat—caused to be animated.
TRANSLATION
Thus all the universes remained thousands of eons within the water [the Causal Ocean], and the Lord of living beings, entering in each of them, caused them to be fully animated.
PURPORT
The Lord is described here as the jīva because He is the leader of all other jīvas (living entities). In the Vedas He is described as the nitya, the leader of all other nityas. The Lord's relation with the living entities is like that of the father with the sons. The sons and the father are qualitatively equal, but the father is never the son, nor is the son ever the father who begets. So, as described above, the Lord as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu or Hiraṇyagarbha Supersoul enters into each and every universe and causes it to be animated by begetting the living entities within the womb of the material nature, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.3). After each annihilation of the material creation, all the living entities are merged within the body of the Lord, and after creation they are again impregnated within the material energy. In material existence, therefore, the material energy is seemingly the mother of the living entities, and the Lord is the father. When, however, the animation takes place, the living entities revive their own natural activities under the spell of time and energy, and thus the varieties of living beings are manifested. The Lord, therefore, is ultimately the cause of all animation in the material world.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.34
varṣa-pūga-sahasrānte tad aṇḍam udake śayam |
kāla-karma-svabhāva-stho jīvo ’jīvam ajīvayat ||
After a thousand years, the Lord, situated in time, karma and svabhāva, brought to life the non-living universe which was lying in the water.
After a thousand years, the purusaḥ (jīvaḥ), the soul of the mass of jīvas (Hiraṇyagarbha), one who gives life, brought to life (ajīvayat) the non-living universe (ajīvam). This shows the connection of the universe with the Lord.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.34||
varṣa-pūga-sahasrānte tad aṇḍam udake śayam | kāla-karma-svabhāva-stho jīvo ’jīvam ajīvayat ||
TRANSLATION After a thousand years, the Lord, situated in time, karma and svabhāva, brought to life the non-living universe which was lying in the water.
The Lord (jīvaḥ), the puruṣa situated for creation, using time, karma and svabhāva, so-called because he brings to life, entering the universe by his portion, brought to life the universe which did not manifest life symptoms (ajīvam aṇḍam) by manifesting the totality of jīvas.
TEXT - SB 2.5.35
sa eva puruṣas tasmād
aṇḍaṁ nirbhidya nirgataḥ
sahasrorv-aṅghri-bāhv-akṣaḥ
sahasrānana-śīrṣavān
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He (the Lord); eva—Himself; puruṣaḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tasmāt—from within the universe; aṇḍam—Hiraṇyagarbha; nirbhidya—dividing; nirgataḥ—came out; sahasra—thousands; ūru—thighs; aṅghri—legs; bāhu—arms; akṣaḥ—eyes; sahasra—thousands of; ānana—mouths; śīrṣavān—with heads also.
TRANSLATION
The Lord [Mahā-Viṣṇu], although lying in the Causal Ocean, came out of it, and dividing Himself as Hiraṇyagarbha, He entered into each universe and assumed the virāṭ-rūpa, with thousands of legs, arms, mouths, heads, etc.
PURPORT
The expansions of the planetary systems within each and every universe are situated in the different parts of the virāṭ-rūpa (universal form) of the Lord, and they are described as follows.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.35
sa eva puruṣas tasmād aṇḍaṁ nirbhidya nirgataḥ |
sahasrorv-aṅghri-bāhv-akṣaḥ sahasrānana-śīrṣavān ||
That puruṣa pierced the universe and went outside. There he resides with a thousand legs, feet, arms, eyes, faces and heads.
Everything is pervaded by the Lord. This puruṣa is the antaryāmī of the totality of jīvas (hiraṇyagarbha). Tasmād represents a missing verb participle “having entered the universe.” He, entering into the total jīvas, and being situated there (tasmād), pierced the universe, and became situated outside. How is he situated outside? His form without material guṇas lying on the Kāraṇa Ocean is described.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.35||
sa eva puruṣas tasmād aṇḍaṃ nirbhidya nirgataḥ | sahasrorv-anghri-bāhv-akṣaḥ sahasrānana-śīrṣavān ||
TRANSLATION That puruṣa pierced the universe and went outside. There he resides with a thousand legs, feet, arms, eyes, faces and heads.
That puruṣa, who was the doer (saḥ), pierced and went outside (nirbhidya nirgataḥ) the universe. He is situated inside and outside since he is all-pervading. His form is described. He is celebrated as Nārāyaṇa in the puruṣa-sūkta.
TEXT - SB 2.5.36
yasyehāvayavair lokān
kalpayanti manīṣiṇaḥ
kaṭy-ādibhir adhaḥ sapta
saptordhvaṁ jaghanādibhiḥ
SYNONYMS
yasya—whose; iha—in the universe; avayavaiḥ—by the limbs of the body; lokān—all the planets; kalpayanti—imagine; manīṣiṇaḥ—great philosophers; kaṭi-ādibhiḥ—down from the waist; adhaḥ—downwards; sapta—seven systems; sapta ūrdhvam—and seven systems upwards; jaghana-ādibhiḥ—front portion.
TRANSLATION
Great philosophers imagine that the complete planetary systems in the universe are displays of the different upper and lower limbs of the universal body of the Lord.
PURPORT
The word kalpayanti, or "imagine," is significant. The virāṭ universal form of the Absolute is an imagination of the speculative philosophers who are unable to adjust to the eternal two-handed form of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Although the universal form, as imagined by the great philosophers, is one of the features of the Lord, it is more or less imaginary. It is said that the seven upper planetary systems are situated above the waist of the universal form, whereas the lower planetary systems are situated below His waist. The idea impressed herein is that the Supreme Lord is conscious of every part of His body, and nowhere in the creation is there anything beyond His control.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.36
yasyehāvayavair lokān kalpayanti manīṣiṇaḥ |
kaṭy-ādibhir adhaḥ sapta saptordhvaṁ jaghanādibhiḥ ||
Within the universe (iha) is the puruṣa made of the planets (loka-maya-puruṣaḥ) whose limbs the wise imagine to be the planets. This sentence continues until verse 41. Kaṭi means buttocks. Jaghanam means the hips. The lower seven planets start with Atala. Upwards are Bhū and the other planets.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.36||
yasyehāvayavair lokān kalpayanti manīṣiṇaḥ | kaṭy-ādibhir adhaḥ sapta saptordhvaṃ jaghanādibhiḥ ||
TRANSLATION Within the universe, the wise imagine the planets as his limbs. The buttocks and below are the lower seven planets starting with Atala, and hips and above are the seven upper planets starting with earth.
The imagined form is described.
TEXT - SB 2.5.37
puruṣasya mukhaṁ brahma
kṣatram etasya bāhavaḥ
ūrvor vaiśyo bhagavataḥ
padbhyāṁ śūdro vyajāyata
SYNONYMS
puruṣasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mukham—mouth; brahma—is the brāhmaṇas; kṣatram—the royal order; etasya—of Him; bāhavaḥ—the arms; ūrvoḥ—the thighs; vaiśyaḥ—are the mercantile men; bhagavataḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; padbhyām—from His legs; śūdraḥ—the laborer class; vyajāyata—became manifested.
TRANSLATION
The brāhmaṇas represent His mouth, the kṣatriyas His arms, the vaiśyas His thighs, and the śūdras are born of His legs.
PURPORT
All living beings are stated to be the parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, and how they are so is explained in this verse. The four divisions of human society, namely the intelligent class (the brāhmaṇas), the administrative class (the kṣatriyas), the mercantile class (the vaiśyas), and the laborer class (the śūdras), are all in different parts of the body of the Lord. As such, no one is different from the Lord. The mouth of the body and the legs of the body are nondifferent constitutionally, but the mouth or the head of the body is qualitatively more important than the legs. At the same time, the mouth, the legs, the arms and the thighs are all component parts of the body. These limbs of the body of the Lord are meant to serve the complete whole. The mouth is meant for speaking and eating, the arms are meant for the protection of the body, the legs are meant for carrying the body, and the waist of the body is meant for maintaining the body. The intelligent class in society, therefore, must speak on behalf of the body, as well as accept foodstuff to satisfy the hunger of the body. The hunger of the Lord is to accept the fruits of sacrifice. The brāhmaṇas, or the intelligent class, must be very expert in performing such sacrifices, and the subordinate classes must join in such sacrifices. To speak for the Supreme Lord means to glorify the Lord by means of propagating the knowledge of the Lord as it is, broadcasting the factual nature of the Lord and the factual position of all other parts of the whole body. The brāhmaṇas, therefore, are required to know the Vedas, or the ultimate source of knowledge. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the end of it. According to Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord is the source of everything (ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg. 10.8]), and thus the end of all knowledge (Vedānta) is to know the Lord, to know our relationship with Him and to act according to that relationship only. The parts of the body are related to the body; similarly, the living being must know his relationship with the Lord. The human life is especially meant for this purpose, namely to know the factual relationship of every living being with the Supreme Lord. Without knowing this relationship, the human life is spoiled. The intelligent class of men, the brāhmaṇas, are therefore especially responsible for broadcasting this knowledge of our relationship with the Lord and leading the general mass of people to the right path. The administrative class is meant for protecting the living beings so that they can serve this purpose; the mercantile class is meant for producing food grains and distributing them to the complete human society so that the whole population is given a chance to live comfortably and discharge the duties of human life. The mercantile class is also required to give protection to the cows in order to get sufficient milk and milk products, which alone can give the proper health and intelligence to maintain a civilization perfectly meant for knowledge of the ultimate truth. And the laborer class, who are neither intelligent nor powerful, can help by physical services to the other higher classes and thus be benefited by their cooperation. Therefore the universe is a complete unit in relationship with the Lord, and without this relationship with the Lord the whole human society is disturbed and is without any peace and prosperity. This is confirmed in the Vedas: brāhmaṇo 'sya mukham āsīd, bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.37
puruṣasya[121] mukhaṁ brahma kṣatram etasya bāhavaḥ |
ūrvor vaiśyo bhagavataḥ padbhyāṁ śūdro vyajāyata ||
Incidentally, the varṇas also arose from his limbs. Literally the brāhmaṇas are his face. The cause, the face and the effect, the brāhmaṇas, are taken as non-different. Kṣatram means kṣatriyas. The śruti says brāhmaṇo ’sya mukham āsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ: the brāhmaṇas were his face, and the kṣatriyas acted as his arms.
TEXT - SB 2.5.38
bhūrlokaḥ kalpitaḥ padbhyāṁ
bhuvarloko 'sya nābhitaḥ
hṛdā svarloka urasā
maharloko mahātmanaḥ
SYNONYMS
bhūḥ—the lower planetary systems up to the stratum of the earth; lokaḥ—the planets; kalpitaḥ—it is so imagined or said; padbhyām—out of the legs; bhuvaḥ—the upper; lokaḥ—the planetary system; asya—of Him (the Lord); nābhitaḥ—from the navel abdomen; hṛdā—by the heart; svarlokaḥ—the planetary systems occupied by the demigods; urasā—by the chest; maharlokaḥ—the planetary system occupied by great sages and saints; mahā-ātmanaḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
The lower planetary systems, up to the limit of the earthly stratum, are said to be situated in His legs. The middle planetary systems, beginning from Bhuvarloka, are situated in His navel. And the still higher planetary systems, occupied by the demigods and highly cultured sages and saints, are situated in the chest of the Supreme Lord.
PURPORT
There are fourteen spheres of planetary systems within this universe. The lower systems are called Bhūrloka, the middle systems are called Bhuvarloka, and the higher planetary systems, up to Brahmaloka, the highest planetary system of the universe, are called Svarloka. And all of them are situated on the body of the Lord. In other words, no one within this universe is without a relationship with the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.38
bhūr-lokaḥ[122] kalpitaḥ padbhyāṁ bhuvar-loko[123] ’sya nābhitaḥ |
hṛdā svarloka urasā maharloko mahātmanaḥ ||
Showing the differences in imagining the planets for purposes of worship, two verses describe the body composed of seven planets. The planets from Pātala to earth are imagined to extend from the two feet to the two hips.
TEXT - SB 2.5.39
grīvāyāṁ janaloko 'sya
tapolokaḥ stana-dvayāt
mūrdhabhiḥ satyalokas tu
brahmalokaḥ sanātanaḥ
SYNONYMS
grīvāyām—up to the neck; janalokaḥ—the Janaloka planetary system; asya—of Him; tapolokaḥ—the Tapoloka planetary system; stana-dvayāt—beginning from the breast; mūrdhabhiḥ—by the head; satyalokaḥ—the Satyaloka planetary system; tu—but; brahmalokaḥ—the spiritual planets; sanātanaḥ—eternal.
TRANSLATION
From the forefront of the chest up to the neck of the universal form of the Lord are situated the planetary systems named Janaloka and Tapoloka, whereas Satyaloka, the topmost planetary system, is situated on the head of the form. The spiritual planets, however, are eternal.
PURPORT
Many times in these pages we have discussed the spiritual planets situated beyond the material sky, and the description is corroborated in this verse. The word sanātana is significant. This very idea of eternity is expressed in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.20), where it is said that beyond the material creation is the spiritual sky, where everything is eternal. Sometimes Satyaloka, the planet in which Brahmā resides, is also called Brahmaloka. But the Brahmaloka mentioned here is not the same as the Satyaloka planetary system. This Brahmaloka is eternal, whereas the Satyaloka planetary system is not eternal. And to distinguish between the two, the adjective sanātana has been used in this case. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, this Brahmaloka is the loka or abode of Brahman, or the Supreme Lord. In the spiritual sky all the planets are as good as the Lord Himself. The Lord is all spirit, and His name, fame, glories, qualities, pastimes, etc., are all nondifferent from Him because He is absolute. As such, the planets in the kingdom of God are also nondifferent from Him. In those planets there is no difference between the body and the soul, nor is there any influence of time as we experience it in the material world. And in addition to there being no influence of time, the planets in, Brahmaloka, due to being spiritual, are never annihilated. All variegatedness in the spiritual planets is also one with the Lord, and therefore the Vedic aphorism ekam evādvitīyam is fully realized in that sanātana atmosphere of spiritual variegatedness. This material world is only a shadow phantasmagoria of the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, and because it is a shadow it is never eternal; the variegatedness in the material world of duality (spirit and matter) cannot be compared to that of the spiritual world. Because of a poor fund of knowledge, less intelligent persons sometimes mistake the conditions of the shadow world to be equivalent to those of the spiritual world, and thus they mistake the Lord and His pastimes in the material world to be one with the conditioned souls and their activities. The Lord condemns such less intelligent persons in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.11):
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram
Whenever the Lord incarnates, He does so in His full internal potency (ātma-māyā), and less intelligent persons mistake Him to be one of the material creations. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, therefore, rightly commenting on this verse, says that the Brahmaloka mentioned here is Vaikuṇṭha, the kingdom of God, which is sanātana, or eternal, and is therefore not exactly like the material creations described above. The virāṭ universal form of the Lord is an imagination for the material world. It has nothing to do with the spiritual world, or the kingdom of God.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.39
grīvāyāṁ janaloko ’sya tapolokaḥ stana-dvayāt |
mūrdhabhiḥ satyalokas tu brahmalokaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Janaloka is on the neck, Tapaloka is on the breast and Satyaloka is on the heads of that form. Above this is the Lord’s planet which is eternal.
For the purpose of worship it is not a fault to reverse the limbs (breast after neck). However, stana (nipple) can also mean the lips. Above Satyaloka is the planet of the Lord, Vaikuṇṭha. But this is not the object of meditation as a limb of the universal form because it is eternal. Though it exists within the universe it is like the Lord, eternal.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.39||
grīvāyāṃ janaloko ’sya tapolokaḥ stana-dvayāt | mūrdhabhiḥ satyalokas tu brahmalokaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Janaloka is on the neck, Tapaloka is on the breast and Satyaloka is on the heads of that form. Above this is the Lord’s planet which is eternal.
Actually the breast should be Janaloka and the neck should be Tapaloka. The planet of Bhagavān or the planet which is the very form of Brahman (brahmalokaḥ) is eternal.
TEXT - SB 2.5.40-41
tat-kaṭyāṁ cātalaṁ kḷptam
ūrubhyāṁ vitalaṁ vibhoḥ
jānubhyāṁ sutalaṁ śuddhaṁ
jaṅghābhyāṁ tu talātalam
mahātalaṁ tu gulphābhyāṁ
prapadābhyāṁ rasātalam
pātālaṁ pāda-talata
iti lokamayaḥ pumān
SYNONYMS
tat—in His; kaṭyām—waist; ca—also; atalam—the first planetary system below the earth; kḷptam—situated; ūrubhyām—on the thighs; vitalam—the second planetary system below; vibhoḥ—of the Lord; jānubhyām—on the ankles; sutalam—the third planetary system below; śuddham—purified; jaṅghābhyām—on the joints; tu—but; talātalam—the fourth planetary system below; mahātalam—the fifth planetary system below; tu—but; gulphābhyām—situated on the calves; prapadābhyām—on the upper or front portion of the feet; rasātalam—the sixth planetary system below; pātālam—the seventh planetary system below; pāda-talataḥ—on the bottom or soles of the feet; iti—thus; loka-mayaḥ—full of planetary systems; pumān—the Lord.
TRANSLATION
My dear son Nārada, know from me that there are seven lower planetary systems out of the total fourteen. The first planetary system, known as Atala, is situated on the waist; the second, Vitala, is situated on the thighs; the third, Sutala, on the knees; the fourth, Talātala, on the shanks; the fifth, Mahātala, on the ankles; the sixth, Rasātala, on the upper portion of the feet; and the seventh, Pātāla, on the soles of the feet. Thus the virāṭ form of the Lord is full of all planetary systems.
PURPORT
Modern enterprisers (the astronauts who travel in space) may take information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that in space there are fourteen divisions of planetary systems. The situation is calculated from the earthly planetary system, which is called Bhūrloka. Above Bhūrloka is Bhuvarloka, and the topmost planetary system is called Satyaloka. These are the upper seven lokas, or planetary systems. And similarly, there are seven lower planetary systems, known as Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala and Pātāla lokas. All these planetary systems are scattered over the complete universe, which occupies an area of two billion times two billion square miles. The modern astronauts can travel only a few thousand miles away from the earth, and therefore their attempt to travel in the sky is something like child's play on the shore of an expansive ocean. The moon is situated in the third status of the upper planetary system, and in the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we shall be able to know the distant situation of the various planets scattered over the vast material sky. There are innumerable universes beyond the one in which we are put, and all these material universes cover only an insignificant portion of the spiritual sky, which is described above as sanātana Brahmaloka. The Supreme Lord very kindly invites the intelligent human beings to return home, back to Godhead, in the following verse of the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16):
ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino 'rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate
Beginning from Satyaloka, the topmost planet of the universe, situated just below the eternal Brahmaloka, as described above, all the planets are material. And one's situation in any of the many material planets is still subject to the laws of material nature, namely birth, death, old age and disease. But one can get complete liberation from all the above-mentioned material pangs when one enters into the eternal Brahmaloka sanātana atmosphere, the kingdom of God. Therefore liberation, as contemplated by the speculative philosophers and the mystics, is possible only when one becomes a devotee of the Lord. Anyone who is not a devotee cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Only by attainment of a service attitude in the transcendental position can one enter into the kingdom of Godhead. Therefore the speculative philosophers, as well as the mystics, must first of all be attracted to the devotional cult before they can factually attain liberation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.40-41
tat-kaṭyāṁ cātalaṁ kḷptam ūrubhyāṁ vitalaṁ vibhoḥ |
jānubhyāṁ sutalaṁ śuddhaṁ jaṅghābhyāṁ tu talātalam ||
mahātalaṁ tu gulphābhyāṁ prapadābhyāṁ rasātalam |
pātālaṁ pāda-talata iti lokamayaḥ pumān ||
Atala is the buttocks of the Lord. Vitala is his thighs. Pure Sutala is his knees. Talātala is his shanks. Mahātala is his ankles, Rasātala is the top of his feet, and Pātāla is the soles of his feet.
Now the method of meditation on fourteen planets is described. The seven upper planets were already described. The seven lower planets are now described in two verses. Sutalam is considered pure because Prahlāda, Bali and other devotees reside there.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.40-41||
tat-kaṭyāṃ cātalaṃ k˙ptam ūrubhyāṃ vitalaṃ vibhoḥ | jānubhyāṃ sutalaṃ śuddhaṃ janghābhyāṃ tu talātalam ||
mahātalaṃ tu gulphābhyāṃ prapadābhyāṃ rasātalam | pātālaṃ pāda-talata iti lokamayaḥ pumān ||
TRANSLATION Atala is the buttocks of the Lord. Vitala is his thighs. Pure Sutala is his knees. Talātala is his shanks. Mahātala is his ankles, Rasātala is the top of his feet, and Pātāla is the soles of his feet.
Two verses are taken together.
TEXT - SB 2.5.42
bhūrlokaḥ kalpitaḥ padbhyāṁ
bhuvarloko 'sya nābhitaḥ
svarlokaḥ kalpito mūrdhnā
iti vā loka-kalpanā
SYNONYMS
bhūrlokaḥ—the entire planetary system from Pātāla to the earthly planetary system; kalpitaḥ—imagined; padbhyām—situated on the legs; bhuvarlokaḥ—the Bhuvarloka planetary system; asya—of the universal form of the Lord; nābhitaḥ—out of the navel abdomen; svarlokaḥ—the higher planetary system, beginning with the heavenly planets; kalpitaḥ—imagined; mūrdhnā—from the chest to the head; iti—thus; vā—either; loka—the planetary systems; kalpanā—imagination.
TRANSLATION
Others may divide the whole planetary system into three divisions, namely the lower planetary systems on the legs [up to the earth], the middle planetary systems on the navel, and the upper planetary systems [Svarloka] from the chest to the head of the Supreme Personality.
PURPORT
The three divisions of the complete planetary systems are here mentioned; fourteen are imagined by others, and that is also explained.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.5.42
bhūr-lokaḥ kalpitaḥ padbhyāṁ bhuvar-loko ’sya nābhitaḥ |
svar-lokaḥ[124] kalpito mūrdhnā iti vā loka-kalpanā ||
Now the universal form is described in three parts. Bhūloka is considered with all the lower planets.
Jiva's tika ||2.5.42||
bhūr-lokaḥ kalpitaḥ padbhyāṃ bhuvar-loko ’sya nābhitaḥ | svar-lokaḥ kalpito mūrdhnā iti vā loka-kalpanā ||
TRANSLATION Earth and the lower planets are imagined to extend from the feet. Bhuvarloka is up to the abdomen. Svarga-loka is imaged to be from the heart to the head. This is how others imagine the planets on the universal form.
From the feet to the waist is the earth and lower planet. Up to the abdomen (nābhitaḥ) is Bhuvarloka. From the heart to the head (mūrdhnā) is Svarga-loka. Chapter Six
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Fifth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Cause of All Causes."
6. Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed
verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13-16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40-41, 42, 43-45, 46
TEXT - SB 2.6.1
brahmovāca
vācāṁ vahner mukhaṁ kṣetraṁ
chandasāṁ sapta dhātavaḥ
havya-kavyāmṛtānnānāṁ
jihvā sarva-rasasya ca
SYNONYMS
brahmā uvāca—Lord Brahmā said; vācām—of the voice; vahneḥ—of fire; mukham—the mouth; kṣetram—the generating center; chandasām—of the Vedic hymns, such as Gāyatrī; sapta—seven; dhātavaḥ—skin and six other layers; havya-kavya—offerings for the demigods and the forefathers; amṛta—food for human beings; annānām—of all sorts of foodstuffs; jihvā—the tongue; sarva—all; rasasya—of all delicacies; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā said: The mouth of the virāṭ-puruṣa [the universal form of the Lord] is the generating center of the voice, and the controlling deity is fire. His skin and six other layers are the generating centers of the Vedic hymns, and His tongue is the productive center of different foodstuffs and delicacies for offering to the demigods, the forefathers and the general mass of people.
PURPORT
The opulences of the universal form of the Lord are described herein. It is said that His mouth is the generating center of all kinds of voices, and its controlling deity is the fire demigod. And His skin and other six layers of bodily construction are the representative generating centers of the seven kinds of Vedic hymns, like the Gāyatrī. Gāyatrī is the beginning of all Vedic mantras, and it is explained in the first volume of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Since the generating centers are the different parts of the universal form of the Lord, and since the form of the Lord is transcendental to the material creation, it is to be understood that the voice, the tongue, the skin, etc., suggest that the Lord in His transcendental form is not without them. The material voice, or the energy of taking in foodstuff, is generated originally from the Lord; such actions are but perverted reflections of the original reservoirs—the transcendental situation is not without spiritual variegatedness. In the spiritual world, all the perverted forms of material variegatedness are fully represented in their original spiritual identity. The only difference is that material activities are contaminated by the three modes of material nature, whereas the potencies in the spiritual world are all pure because they are engaged in the unalloyed transcendental loving service of the Lord. In the spiritual world, the Lord is the sublime enjoyer of everything, and the living entities there are all engaged in His transcendental loving service without any contamination of the modes of material nature. The activities in the spiritual world are without any of the inebrieties of the material world, but there is no question of impersonal voidness on the spiritual platform, as suggested by the impersonalists. Devotional service is defined in the Nārada-pañcarātra as follows:
sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate
[Cc. Madhya 19.170]
Originally, since all the senses are produced of the Lord's reservoir of senses, the sensual activities of the material world are to be purified by the process of devotional service, and thus the perfection of life can be attained simply by purifying the present position of our material activities. And the purifying process begins from the stage of being liberated from the conception of different designations. Every living entity is engaged in some sort of service, either for the self, or for the family, or for the society, country, etc., but, unfortunately, all such services are rendered due to material attachment. The attachments of the material affinity may be simply changed to the service of the Lord, and thus the treatment of being freed from material attachment begins automatically. The process of liberation is therefore easier through devotional service than by any other methods, for in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5) it is said that one is subjected to various kinds of tribulations if one is impersonally attached: kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.1
brahmovāca—
vācāṁ vahner[125] mukhaṁ kṣetraṁ chandasāṁ sapta dhātavaḥ |
havya-kavyāmṛtānnānāṁ jihvā sarva-rasasya ca ||
In the sixth chapter the speech and other elements arising from the universal form’s limbs and the three fourths and one quarter powers are described.
From the Lord, who was accompanied by māyā-śakti, the universal form arose. This is explained.
Akrūra says:
bhūs toyam agniḥ pavanaṁ kham ādir
mahān ajādir mana indriyāṇi |
sarvendriyārthā vibudhāś ca sarve
ye hetavas te jagato ’ṅga-bhūtāḥ ||
Earth; water; fire; air; ether and its source, false ego; the mahat-tattva, the total material nature and her source, the Supreme Lord’s puruṣa expansion; the mind; the senses; the sense objects; and the senses’ presiding deities—all these causes of the cosmic manifestation are born from your transcendental body. SB 10.40.2
Which limbs of the universal form arose from which limbs of the Supreme Lord? Speech of the universal form and the individual living beings, their organs of speaking, and the presiding deity of the voice organ, namely fire, arose from the mouth of the Lord. The words are modifying the word hareḥ in the seventh verse. Kṣetram means the place of origination. Though speech and fire etc. arise from material ahaṅkāra, they are said to arise from the mouth and other bodily parts of the Lord because they are vibhūtis of the Lord’s various limbs such as the mouth. Māyā is also the śakti of the Lord and therefore non-different from him. śakti-śaktimator abhedāt śakteḥ kāryaṁ śaktimato ’pi bhavati: because of non-difference between the śakti and the possessor of the śakti, the effect of the śakti becomes non-different from the possessor of the śakti. Speech, fire etc. and all their expansions in the spiritual world are eternal and full of consciousness since they are part of the spiritual pastimes. But their vibhūtis in the material world are māyā and temporary.
There are seven meters such as gāyatrī. The seven dhātus of the Lord such as skin, being the places of origination, became the seven meters. The place of origination is in the nominative case and the items arising are in the possessive case. The meaning is “From the place of origination arose that particular devatā and sense organ.” This should be understood for all the items listed. Havyam is food for the devatās. Kavyam is food for the Pitṛs. Amṛtam is the remnants of food from both, which becomes food for men. From the organ of taste of the Supreme Lord arose the six types of taste in the universal form (and water). Ca indicates that Varuṇa, the devatā of the tongue (and the tongue of the universal form) arose from the palate, place of tasting on the Lord.[126]
Jiva's tika ||2.6.1||
brahmovāca— vācāṃ vahner mukhaṃ kṣetraṃ chandasāṃ sapta dhātavaḥ | havya-kavyāmṛtānnānāṃ jihvā sarva-rasasya ca ||
TRANSLATION Brahmā said: From the mouth of the Lord arose speech, the speech organ, and Agni in the universal form. From his seven dhātus arose the seven Vedic meters. From the Lord’s tongue arose the remnants of offerings to devatās and Pitṛs, the six tastes, and from the Lord’s place of tasting arose the tongue and Varuṇa.
The form of the totality of jīvas is made of sattvika and rajasic ahankāra. The mouth is mentioned first (as a cause) because of being the main item. This is so for other organs in the list also.
TEXT - SB 2.6.2
sarvāsūnāṁ ca vāyoś ca
tan-nāse paramāyaṇe
aśvinor oṣadhīnāṁ ca
ghrāṇo moda-pramodayoḥ
SYNONYMS
sarva—all; asūnām—different kinds of life air; ca—and; vāyoḥ—of the air; ca—also; tat—His; nāse—in the nose; parama-āyaṇe—in the transcendental generating center; aśvinoḥ—of the Aśvinī-kumāra demigods; oṣadhīnām—of all medicinal herbs; ca—also; ghrāṇaḥ—His smelling power; moda—pleasure; pramodayoḥ—specific sport.
TRANSLATION
His two nostrils are the generating centers of our breathing and of all other airs, His smelling powers generate the Aśvinī-kumāra demigods and all kinds of medicinal herbs, and His breathing energies produce different kinds of fragrance.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.2
sarvāsūnāṁ ca vāyoś ca tan-nāse paramāyaṇe |
aśvinor oṣadhīnāṁ[127] ca ghrāṇo moda-pramodayoḥ ||
Tan-nāse refers to the Lord’s nostrils. Aśvinis and herbs are connected to the nostrils. Moda and pramoda are general and special perfumes. Ghṛāṇaḥ refers to the sense organ of the Lord.[128]
TEXT - SB 2.6.3
rūpāṇāṁ tejasāṁ cakṣur
divaḥ sūryasya cākṣiṇī
karṇau diśāṁ ca tīrthānāṁ
śrotram ākāśa-śabdayoḥ
SYNONYMS
rūpāṇām—for all kinds of forms; tejasām—of all that is illuminating; cakṣuḥ—the eyes; divaḥ—that which glitters; sūryasya—of the sun; ca—also; akṣiṇī—the eyeballs; karṇau—the ears; diśām—of all directions; ca—and; tīrthānām—of all the Vedas; śrotram—the sense of hearing; ākāśa—the sky; śabdayoḥ—of all sounds.
TRANSLATION
His eyes are the generating centers of all kinds of forms, and they glitter and illuminate. His eyeballs are like the sun and the heavenly planets. His ears hear from all sides and are receptacles for all the Vedas, and His sense of hearing is the generating center of the sky and of all kinds of sound.
PURPORT
The word tīrthānām is sometimes interpreted to mean the places of pilgrimage, but Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that it means the reception of the Vedic transcendental knowledge. The propounders of the Vedic knowledge are also known as the tīrthas.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.3
rūpāṇāṁ tejasāṁ cakṣur divaḥ[129] sūryasya cākṣiṇī |
karṇau diśāṁ ca tīrthānāṁ śrotram ākāśa-śabdayoḥ ||
Cakṣus refers to the Lord’s seeing organ. Akṣinī refers to his eye-balls. Karṇau refers to the Lord’s place of hearing, and śrotram refers to his hearing organ.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.3||
rūpāṇāṃ tejasāṃ cakṣur divaḥ sūryasya cākṣiṇī | karṇau diśāṃ ca tīrthānāṃ śrotram ākāśa-śabdayoḥ ||
TRANSLATION From the Lord’s seeing organ arose form and fire. From his place of seeing, the eye-balls, arose the divine sun deity (and the sense organ of seeing in the universal form). From his place of hearing arose the direction devatās and scriptures (and the sense organ of hearing in the universal form) and from his organ of hearing arose ether and sound.
Tīrthānām means scriptures.
TEXT - SB 2.6.4
tad-gātraṁ vastu-sārāṇāṁ
saubhagasya ca bhājanam
tvag asya sparśa-vāyoś ca
sarva-medhasya caiva hi
SYNONYMS
tat—His; gātram—bodily surface; vastu-sārāṇām—of the active principles of all articles; saubhagasya—of all auspicious opportunities; ca—and; bhājanam—the field of production; tvak—skin; asya—His; sparśa—touch; vāyoḥ—of the moving airs; ca—also; sarva—all kinds of; medhasya—of sacrifices; ca—also; eva—certainly; hi—exactly.
TRANSLATION
His bodily surface is the breeding ground for the active principles of everything and for all kinds of auspicious opportunities. His skin, like the moving air, is the generating center for all kinds of sense of touch and is the place for performing all kinds of sacrifice.
PURPORT
The air is the moving agent of all the planets, and as such the generating centers for promotion to the deserving planets, the sacrifices, are His bodily surface and are naturally the origin of all auspicious opportunities.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.4
tad-gātraṁ vastu-sārāṇāṁ saubhagasya ca bhājanam |
tvag asya sparśa-vāyoś ca sarva-medhasya caiva hi ||
From his body, the place of auspiciousness, arose the śaktis of things. From the Lord’s touch organ arose the sense object touch and all sacrifices, and from the place of his organ of touch arose its deity Vāyu.
With mention of the skin, the place of the organ should be understood as well as the sense organ. (From the sense organ of touch of the Lord arose the touch sensation and air, and from the place of the smelling organ arose Vāyu devatā and the smelling organ of the universal form.) The actual dual form should be sparśa-vāyvoḥ, but for metrical reasons the “v” is dropped. Medhasya means “of sacrifice.” Vastu-sārāṇām means “of the powers of things.”
Jiva's tika ||2.6.4||
tad-gātraṃ vastu-sārāṇāṃ saubhagasya ca bhājanam | tvag asya sparśa-vāyoś ca sarva-medhasya caiva hi ||
TRANSLATION From his body, the place of auspiciousness, arose the śaktis of things. From the Lord’s touch organ arose the sense object touch and all sacrifices, and from the place of his organ of touch arose its deity Vāyu.
The chief agent becomes the skin, the shelter of Vāyu. It is the shelter of sacrifices as well, which lead to Vāyu-loka.
TEXT - SB 2.6.5
romāṇy udbhijja-jātīnāṁ
yair vā yajñas tu sambhṛtaḥ
keśa-śmaśru-nakhāny asya
śilā-lohābhra-vidyutām
SYNONYMS
romāṇi—hairs on the body; udbhijja—vegetables; jātīnām—of the kingdoms; yaiḥ—by which; vā—either; yajñaḥ—sacrifices; tu—but; sambhṛtaḥ—particularly served; keśa—hairs on the head; śmaśru—facial hair; nakhāni—nails; asya—of Him; śilā—stones; loha—iron ores; abhra—clouds; vidyutām—electricity.
TRANSLATION
The hairs on His body are the cause of all vegetation, particularly of those trees which are required as ingredients for sacrifice. The hairs on His head and face are reservoirs for the clouds, and His nails are the breeding ground of electricity, stones and iron ores.
PURPORT
The polished nails of the Lord generate electricity, and the clouds rest on the hairs of His head. One can therefore collect all sorts of necessities of life from the person of the Lord, and therefore the Vedas affirm that everything that is produced is caused by the Lord. The Lord is the supreme cause of all causes.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.5
romāṇy udbhijja-jātīnāṁ yair vā yajñas tu sambhṛtaḥ |
keśa-śmaśru-nakhāny asya śilā-lohābhra-vidyutām ||
From his hair arose all trees (udbhijja-jātīnām) by which sacrifice is undertaken and not other trees. From his hair arose clouds. It has already been said īśasya keśān vidur ambuvāhān: they know the Lord’s hair is the clouds. (SB 2.1.34) His beard is also the clouds because of similar color. His nails, shining brightly are said to be lightning, white and red minerals, and metals, because of similarity.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.5||
romāṇy udbhijja-jātīnāṃ yair vā yajnas tu sambhṛtaḥ |
keśa-śmaśru-nakhāny asya śilā-lohābhra-vidyutām ||
TRANSLATION From his body hairs arose all trees by which sacrifice is performed. From his hair and beard arose clouds and from his nails arose lightning, minerals and metals.
The word vā means all. By trees and material like ghee sacrifice is performed. The word tu is added for metrical reason.
TEXT - SB 2.6.6
bāhavo loka-pālānāṁ
prāyaśaḥ kṣema-karmaṇām
SYNONYMS
bāhavaḥ—arms; loka-pālānām—of the governing deities of the planets, the demigods; prāyaśaḥ—almost always; kṣema-karmaṇām—of those who are leaders and protectors of the general mass.
TRANSLATION
The Lord's arms are the productive fields for the great demigods and other leaders of the living entities who protect the general mass.
PURPORT
This important verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is corroborated and nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.41-42) as follows:
yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ
śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ
mama tejo-'ṁśa-sambhavam
athavā bahunaitena
kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
ekāṁśena sthito jagat
There are many powerful kings, leaders, learned scholars, scientists, artists, engineers, inventors, excavators, archaeologists, industrialists, politicians, economists, business magnates, and many more powerful deities or demigods like Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Candra, Sūrya, Varuṇa and Marut, who are all protecting the interest of the universal affairs of maintenance, in different positions, and all of them are different powerful parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the father of all living entities, who are placed in different high and low positions according to their desires or aspirations. Some of them, as particularly mentioned above, are specifically endowed with powers by the will of the Lord. A sane person must know for certain that a living being, however powerful he may be, is neither absolute nor independent. All living beings must accept the origin of their specific power as mentioned in this verse. And if they act accordingly, then simply by discharging their respective occupational duties they can achieve the highest perfection of life, namely eternal life, complete knowledge and inexhaustible blessings. As long as the powerful men of the world do not accept the origin of their respective powers, namely the Personality of Godhead, the actions of māyā (illusion) will continue to act. The actions of māyā are such that a powerful person, misled by the illusory, material energy, wrongly accepts himself as all in all and does not develop God consciousness. As such, the false sense of egoism (namely myself and mine) has become overly prominent in the world, and there is a hard struggle for existence in human society. The intelligent class of men, therefore, must admit the Lord as the ultimate source of all energies and thus pay tribute to the Lord for His good blessings. Simply by accepting the Lord as the supreme proprietor of everything, since He is actually so, one can achieve the highest perfection of life. Whatever a person may be in the estimation of the social order of things, if a person tries to reciprocate a feeling of love towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is satisfied with the blessings of the Lord, he will at once feel the highest peace of mind for which he is hankering life after life. Peace of mind, or in other words the healthy state of mind, can be achieved only when the mind is situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The parts and parcels of the Lord are endowed with specific powers for rendering service unto the Lord, just as a big business magnate's sons are empowered with specific powers of administration. The obedient son of the father never goes against the will of the father and therefore passes life very peacefully in concurrence with the head of the family, the father. Similarly, the Lord being the father, all living beings should fully and satisfactorily discharge the duty and will of the father, as faithful sons. This very mentality will at once bring peace and prosperity to human society.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.6
bāhavo loka-pālānāṁ prāyaśaḥ kṣema-karmaṇām ||[130]
Jiva's tika ||2.6.6||
bāhavo loka-pālānāṃ prāyaśaḥ kṣema-karmaṇām ||
TRANSLATION From his arms arose the Loka-palas, who protect the people.
His arms are the place of the loka-pālas who protect of people effectively (prāyaśaḥ) by actions which create security (kṣema-karmanām).
TEXT - SB 2.6.7
vikramo bhūr bhuvaḥ svaś ca
kṣemasya śaraṇasya ca
sarva-kāma-varasyāpi
hareś caraṇa āspadam
SYNONYMS
vikramaḥ—forward steps; bhūḥ bhuvaḥ—of the lower and upper planets; svaḥ—as well as of heaven; ca—also; kṣemasya—of protection of all that we have; śaraṇasya—of fearlessness; ca—also; sarva-kāma—all that we need; varasya—of all benedictions; api—exactly; hareḥ—of the Lord; caraṇaḥ—the lotus feet; āspadam—shelter.
TRANSLATION
Thus the forward steps of the Lord are the shelter for the upper, lower and heavenly planets, as well as for all that we need. His lotus feet serve as protection from all kinds of fear.
PURPORT
For absolute protection from all sorts of fear, as well as for all our needs of life, we must take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, not only in this planet but also in all the upper, lower and heavenly planets. This absolute dependence on the lotus feet of the Lord is called pure devotional service, and it is directly hinted at within this passage. No one should have any kind of doubt in this matter, nor should one be inclined to seek the help of any other demigods, because all of them are dependent on Him only. Everyone, except the Lord Himself, is dependent on the mercy of the Lord; even the all-pervading Supersoul is also dependent on the supreme aspect of Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.7
vikramo bhūr bhuvaḥ svaś ca kṣemasya śaraṇasya ca |
sarva-kāma-varasyāpi hareś caraṇa āspadam ||
From his steps arose Bhūr-loka, Bhuvar-loka and Svarga-loka. From the abode of the Lord’s feet arose auspiciousness, items which give protection, and bestowal of all desires.
From his footsteps (vikramaḥ) arose Bhūr, Bhuvar and Svarga. Because they are indeclinables, they are not put in the possessive case. From his feet arose auspiciousness, protective items (śaraṇasya) and fulfillment of all desires.[132]
Jiva's tika ||2.6.7||
vikramo bhūr bhuvaḥ svaś ca kṣemasya śaraṇasya ca | sarva-kāma-varasyāpi hareś caraṇa āspadam ||
TRANSLATION From his steps arose Bhūr-loka, Bhuvar-loka and Svarga-loka. From the abode of the Lord’s feet arose auspiciousness, items which give protection, and bestowal of all desires.
The universal form and Paramātmā are considered non-different when using of the word vikrama (steps or Vāmana).
TEXT - SB 2.6.8
apāṁ vīryasya sargasya
parjanyasya prajāpateḥ
puṁsaḥ śiśna upasthas tu
prajāty-ānanda-nirvṛteḥ
SYNONYMS
apām—of water; vīryasya—of the semen; sargasya—of the generative; parjanyasya—of rains; prajāpateḥ—of the creator; puṁsaḥ—of the Lord; śiśnaḥ—the genitals; upasthaḥ tu—the place where the genitals are situated; prajāti—due to begetting; ānanda—pleasure; nirvṛteḥ—cause.
TRANSLATION
From the Lord's genitals originate water, semen, generatives, rains, and the procreators. His genitals are the cause of a pleasure that counteracts the distress of begetting.
PURPORT
The genitals and the pleasure of begetting counteract the distresses of family encumbrances. One would cease to generate altogether if there were not, by the grace of the Lord, a coating, a pleasure-giving substance, on the surface of the generative organs. This substance gives a pleasure so intense that it counteracts fully the distress of family encumbrances. A person is so captivated by this pleasure-giving substance that he is not satisfied by begetting a single child, but increases the number of children, with great risk in regard to maintaining them, simply for this pleasure-giving substance. This pleasure-giving substance is not false, however, because it originates from the transcendental body of the Lord. In other words, the pleasure-giving substance is a reality, but it has taken on an aspect of pervertedness on account of material contamination. In the material world, sex life is the cause of many distresses on account of material contact. Therefore, the sex life in the material world should not be encouraged beyond the necessity. There is a necessity for generating progeny even in the material world, but such generation of children must be carried out with full responsibility for spiritual values. The spiritual values of life can be realized in the human form of material existence, and the human being must adopt family planning with reference to the context of spiritual values, and not otherwise. The degraded form of family restriction by use of contraceptives, etc., is the grossest type of material contamination. Materialists who use these devices want to fully utilize the pleasure potency of the coating on the genitals by artificial means, without knowing the spiritual importance. And without knowledge of spiritual values, the less intelligent man tries to utilize only the material sense pleasure of the genitals.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.8
apāṁ vīryasya sargasya parjanyasya prajāpateḥ |
puṁsaḥ śiśna upasthas tu prajāty-ānanda-nirvṛteḥ ||
Vīryasya means of semen. From the place of the penis (śiṣnaḥ) arose rain showers (parjanyasya). From the organ of generation (upasthaḥ) arose destruction of pain (nirvṛteḥ) through union for producing offspring (the action of this organ).
Jiva's tika ||2.6.8||
apāṃ vīryasya sargasya parjanyasya prajāpateḥ | puṃsaḥ śiśna upasthas tu prajāty-ānanda-nirvṛteḥ ||
TRANSLATION From the location of his penis arose water, semen, creation, showers and Prajāpati Dakṣa, its presiding deity. From his sense organ of generation arose the destruction of pain (production of bliss) through sexual union for producing offspring.
The organ of generation is the place of destruction of pain by sexual union and production of offspring (prajātyānanda-nirvṛteḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.6.9
pāyur yamasya mitrasya
parimokṣasya nārada
hiṁsāyā nirṛter mṛtyor
nirayasya gudaṁ smṛtaḥ
SYNONYMS
pāyuḥ—the evacuating outlet; yamasya—the controlling deity of death; mitrasya—of Mitra; parimokṣasya—of the evacuating hole; nārada—O Nārada; hiṁsāyāḥ—of envy; nirṛteḥ—of misfortune; mṛtyoḥ—of death; nirayasya—of hell; gudam—the rectum; smṛtaḥ—is understood.
TRANSLATION
O Nārada, the evacuating outlet of the universal form of the Lord is the abode of the controlling deity of death, Mitra, and the evacuating hole and the rectum of the Lord is the place of envy, misfortune, death, hell, etc.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.9
pāyur yamasya mitrasya parimokṣasya nārada |
hiṁsāyā nirṛter mṛtyor nirayasya gudaṁ smṛtaḥ ||
O Nārada! From the Lord’s evacuation organ arose Yama, Mitra and evacuation. From the place of evacuation arose violence, poverty, its presiding deity Mṛtyu and hell.
Pāyuḥ is the sense organ of evacuation. Guḍam is the place of evacuation. Parimokṣasya means evacuation. Niṛṛteḥ means of poverty. Mṛtyoḥ indicates the presiding deity of the place of evacuation. However, from a previous verse (SB 2.5.30) it was indicated that Mitra was the presiding deity of the anus. In support of the present verse, later it is said gudaṁ mṛtyur apānena nodatiṣṭhet tato virāṭ (SB 3.26.66): Mṛtyu entered with apāṇa but the Lord did not arise. In the present verse Mitra is also mentioned, but it should be understood that he is an assistant to Mṛtyu. To say that Mitra is the presiding deity of the evacuating organ (whereas Mṛtyu is the presiding deity of the place of evacuation) is not accepted since it will break the regularity of presentation in the descriptions (by introducing a second deity for an organ).
TEXT - SB 2.6.10
parābhūter adharmasya
tamasaś cāpi paścimaḥ
nāḍyo nada-nadīnāṁ ca
gotrāṇām asthi-saṁhatiḥ
SYNONYMS
parābhūteḥ—of frustration; adharmasya—of immorality; tamasaḥ—of ignorance; ca—and; api—as also; paścimaḥ—the back; nāḍyaḥ—of the intestines; nada—of the great rivers; nadīnām—of the rivulets; ca—also; gotrāṇām—of the mountains; asthi—bones; saṁhatiḥ—accumulation.
TRANSLATION
The back of the Lord is the place for all kinds of frustration and ignorance, as well as for immorality. From His veins flow the great rivers and rivulets, and on His bones are stacked the great mountains.
PURPORT
In order to defy the impersonal conception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a systematic analysis of the physiological and anatomical constitution of His transcendental body is given here. It is clear from the available description of the body of the Lord (His universal form) that the form of the Lord is distinct from the forms of ordinary mundane conception. In any case, He is never a formless void. Ignorance is the back of the Lord, and therefore the ignorance of the less intelligent class of men is also not separate from His bodily conception. Since His body is the complete whole of everything that be, one cannot assert that He is impersonal only. On the contrary, the perfect description of the Lord holds that He is both impersonal and personal simultaneously. The Personality of Godhead is the original feature of the Lord, and His impersonal emanation is but the reflection of His transcendental body. Those who are fortunate enough to have a view of the Lord from the front can realize His personal feature, whereas those who are frustrated and are thus kept on the ignorance side of the Lord, or, in other words, those who have the view of the Lord from the back, realize Him in His impersonal feature.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.10
parābhūter adharmasya tamasaś cāpi paścimaḥ |
nāḍyo nada-nadīnāṁ ca gotrāṇām asthi-saṁhatiḥ ||
From the Lord’s back arose destruction, irreligion, and ignorance. From his veins arose the rivers and streams. From his bones arose mountains.
Tamasaḥ means ignorance. It arose from his back (paścimaḥ). Gotrānām means mountains.
TEXT - SB 2.6.11
avyakta-rasa-sindhūnāṁ
bhūtānāṁ nidhanasya ca
udaraṁ viditaṁ puṁso
hṛdayaṁ manasaḥ padam
SYNONYMS
avyakta—the impersonal feature; rasa-sindhūnām—of the seas and oceans of water; bhūtānām—of those who take birth in the material world; nidhanasya—of the annihilation; ca—also; udaram—His belly; viditam—is known by the intelligent class of men; puṁsaḥ—of the great personality; hṛdayam—the heart; manasaḥ—of the subtle body; padam—the place.
TRANSLATION
The impersonal feature of the Lord is the abode of great oceans, and His belly is the resting place for the materially annihilated living entities. His heart is the abode of the subtle material bodies of living beings. Thus it is known by the intelligent class of men.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.17-18) it is stated that according to human calculations one day of Brahmā is equal to one thousand ages of four millenniums (4,300,000 years) each, and the same period is calculated to be his night also. A Brahmā lives for one hundred such years and then dies. A Brahmā, who is generally a great devotee of the Lord, attains liberation after such a downfall. The universe (called the brahmāṇḍa, or the round football-like domain controlled by a Brahmā) is thus annihilated, and thus the inhabitants of a particular planet, or of the whole universe, are also annihilated. Avyakta, mentioned here in this verse, means the night of Brahmā, when partial annihilation takes place and the living entities of that particular brahmāṇḍa, up to the planets of Brahmaloka, along with the big oceans, etc., all repose in the belly of the virāṭ-puruṣa. At the end of a Brahmā's night, the creation again takes place, and the living entities, reserved within the belly of the Lord, are let loose to play their respective parts as if being awakened from a deep slumber. Since the living entities are never destroyed, the annihilation of the material world does not annihilate the existence of the living entities, but until liberation is attained one has to accept one material body after another, again and again. The human life is meant for making a solution to this repeated change of bodies and thereby attaining a place in the spiritual sky, where everything is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. In other words, the subtle forms of the living entities take place in the heart of the Supreme Being, and such forms take tangible shape at the time of creation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.11
avyakta-rasa-sindhūnāṁ bhūtānāṁ nidhanasya ca |
udaraṁ viditaṁ puṁso hṛdayaṁ manasaḥ padam ||
From his belly arose oceans, juice in food, pradhāna, and destruction of all entities. From his heart arose the mind of man.
Avyakta indicates pradhāna. Rasa means the juice in food. Bhūtānāṁ nidhānasya means the destruction of all living beings.
TEXT - SB 2.6.12
dharmasya mama tubhyaṁ ca
kumārāṇāṁ bhavasya ca
vijñānasya ca sattvasya
parasyātmā parāyaṇam
SYNONYMS
dharmasya—of religious principles, or of Yamarāja; mama—mine; tubhyam—of yours; ca—and; kumārāṇām—of the four Kumāras; bhavasya—Lord Śiva; ca—and also; vijñānasya—of transcendental knowledge; ca—also; sattvasya—of truth; parasya—of the great personality; ātmā—consciousness; parāyaṇam—dependent.
TRANSLATION
Also, the consciousness of that great personality is the abode of religious principles—mine, yours, and those of the four bachelors Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanat-kumāra and Sanandana. That consciousness is also the abode of truth and transcendental knowledge.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.12
dharmasya mama tubhyaṁ ca kumārāṇāṁ bhavasya ca |
vijñānasya ca sattvasya parasyātmā parāyaṇam ||
His antaḥkaraṇa is the shelter of dharma, me, you, the Kumāras, Śiva, intelligence and citta.
Tubhyam means of you. Kumārāṇām means Sanaka and his brothers. Bhavasya means Śiva. Vijñānasya means intelligence. Sattvasya means citta. Ātmā means the antaḥkaraṇa.
TEXT - SB 2.6.13-16
ahaṁ bhavān bhavaś caiva
ta ime munayo 'grajāḥ
surāsura-narā nāgāḥ
khagā mṛga-sarīsṛpāḥ
gandharvāpsaraso yakṣā
rakṣo-bhūta-gaṇoragāḥ
paśavaḥ pitaraḥ siddhā
vidyādhrāś cāraṇā drumāḥ
anye ca vividhā jīvā
jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ
graharkṣa-ketavas tārās
taḍitaḥ stanayitnavaḥ
sarvaṁ puruṣa evedaṁ
bhūtaṁ bhavyaṁ bhavac ca yat
tenedam āvṛtaṁ viśvaṁ
vitastim adhitiṣṭhati
SYNONYMS
aham—myself; bhavān—yourself; bhavaḥ—Lord Śiva; ca—also; eva—certainly; te—they; ime—all; munayaḥ—the great sages; agra-jāḥ—born before you; sura—the demigods; asura—the demons; narāḥ—the human beings; nāgāḥ—the inhabitants of the Nāga planet; khagāḥ—birds; mṛga—beasts; sarīsṛpāḥ—reptiles; gandharva-apsarasaḥ, yakṣāḥ, rakṣaḥ-bhūta-gaṇa-uragāḥ, paśavaḥ, pitaraḥ, siddhāḥ, vidyādhrāḥ, cāraṇāḥ—all inhabitants of different planets; drumāḥ—the vegetable kingdom; anye—many others; ca—also; vividhāḥ—of different varieties; jīvāḥ—living entities; jala—water; sthala—land; nabha-okasaḥ—the inhabitants of the sky, or the birds; graha—the asteroids; ṛkṣa—the influential stars; ketavaḥ—the comets; tārāḥ—the luminaries; taḍitaḥ—the lightning; stanayitnavaḥ—the sound of the clouds; sarvam—everything; puruṣaḥ—the Personality of Godhead; eva idam—certainly all these; bhūtam—whatever is created; bhavyam—whatever will be created; bhavat—and whatever was created in the past; ca—also; yat—whatever; tena idam—it is all by Him; āvṛtam—covered; viśvam—universally comprehending; vitastim—half a cubit; adhitiṣṭhati—situated.
TRANSLATION
Beginning from me [Brahmā] down to you and Bhava [Śiva], all the great sages who were born before you, the demigods, the demons, the Nāgas, the human beings, the birds, the beasts, as well as the reptiles, etc., and all phenomenal manifestations of the universes, namely the planets, stars, asteroids, luminaries, lightning, thunder, and the inhabitants of the different planetary systems, namely the Gandharvas, Apsarās, Yakṣas, Rakṣas, Bhūtagaṇas, Uragas, Paśus, Pitās, Siddhas, Vidyādharas, Cāraṇas, and all other different varieties of living entities, including the birds, beasts, trees and everything that be, are all covered by the universal form of the Lord at all times, namely past, present and future, although He is transcendental to all of them, eternally existing in a form not exceeding nine inches.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His partial representation, measuring not more than nine inches as Supersoul, expands by His potential energy in the shape of the universal form, which includes everything manifested in different varieties of organic and inorganic materials. The manifested varieties of the universe are therefore not different from the Lord, just as golden ornaments of different shapes and forms are nondifferent from the original stock reserve of gold. In other words, the Lord is the Supreme Person who controls everything within the creation, and still He remains the supreme separate identity, distinct from all manifested material creation. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4-5) He is therefore said to be Yogeśvara. Everything rests on the potency of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and still the Lord is different from and transcendental to all such identities. In the Vedic Puruṣa-sūkta of the Ṛg mantra, this is also confirmed. This philosophical truth of simultaneous oneness and difference was propounded by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and it is known as acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. Brahmā, Nārada and all others are simultaneously one with the Lord and different from the Supreme Lord. We are all one with Him, just as the gold ornaments are one in quality with the stock gold, but the individual gold ornament is never equal in quantity with the stock gold. The stock gold is never exhausted even if there are innumerable ornaments emanating from the stock because the stock is pūrṇam, complete; even if pūrṇam is deducted from the pūrṇam, still the supreme pūrṇam remains the same pūrṇam. This fact is inconceivable to our present imperfect senses. Lord Caitanya therefore defined His theory of philosophy as acintya (inconceivable), and as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā as well as in the Bhāgavatam, Lord Caitanya's theory of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva is the perfect philosophy of the Absolute Truth.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.13-16
ahaṁ bhavān bhavaś caiva ta ime munayo ’grajāḥ |
surāsura-narā nāgāḥ[133] khagā mṛga-sarīsṛpāḥ ||
gandharvāpsaraso yakṣā rakṣo-bhūta-gaṇoragāḥ |
paśavaḥ pitaraḥ siddhā vidyādharāś cāraṇā drumāḥ ||
anye ca vividhā jīvājala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ |
graharkṣa[134]-ketavas tārās taḍitaḥ stanayitnavaḥ ||
sarvaṁ puruṣa evedaṁ bhūtaṁ bhavyaṁ bhavac ca yat |
tenedam āvṛtaṁ viśvaṁ vitastim adhitiṣṭhati ||
Because the Supreme Lord is the possessor of the māyā-śakti, everything in this world is non-different from him. This confirms the meaning of the Puruṣa-sūkta. The line starting sahasra-śīrṣā and three verses starting with brāhmaṇo ’sya mukham āsīt in the Puruṣa-sūkta were described in the previous chapter. (SB 2.5.37) Now puruṣa evedaṁ sarvam (the Lord is everything in the universe) from the Puruṣa-sūkta is illustrated in three and half verses. After showing that the Supreme Lord is the cause of the material world, Brahmā states that the Lord is beyond the material world, and limits the whole world: this world is covered by the Supreme Lord, because he exists (tiṣṭhati) greater than (adhi) this world. He remains, exceeding it by ten fingers (vitastim). This is stated to express his superiority to the universe, not to express his dimension, since he cannot be measured, being unlimited. This illustrates the Puruṣa-sūkta line sa bhūmiṁ sarvataḥ spṛṣṭvā atyatiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam:touching the earth (universe), he extended himself beyond it by ten fingers. Bhūmin means viśvam in the context, and daśāṅgulam means vitastim. Atyatiṣṭhad means adhitiṣṭhati.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.13-16||
ahaṃ bhavān bhavaś caiva ta ime munayo ’grajāḥ | surāsura-narā nāgāḥ khagā mṛga-sarīsṛpāḥ || gandharvāpsaraso yakṣā rakṣo-bhūta-gaṇoragāḥ | paśavaḥ pitaraḥ siddhā vidyādharāś cāraṇā drumāḥ || anye ca vividhā jīvājala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ | graharkṣa-ketavas tārās taḍitaḥ stanayitnavaḥ ||
sarvaṃ puruṣa evedaṃ bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ bhavac ca yat | tenedam āvṛtaṃ viśvaṃ vitastim adhitiṣṭhati ||
TRANSLATION I, you, Śiva, the sages, the Kumāras, the devatās, asuras, humans, Nāgas, birds, beasts, reptiles, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Yakṣas, Rakṣas, Bhūtas, Uragas, cows, Pitṛs, Siddhas, Vidyādharas, Cāraṇas, trees, planets, constellations, comets, stars, lightning, clouds--all these are only the Lord. Whatever existed in the past, whatever exists in the present and whatever will exist in the future, is covered by the Lord. He extends beyond the universe by ten fingers.
Three verses are taken together.
Having described the Lord as the cause of the universe, he is now show to be beyond the universe. The verse refers to the puruṣa-sūkta statement sa bhūmin sarvato sprṣtvā atyatīṣṭhad daśāngulam. Viśvam in this verse means bhūmim. Vitastam refers to daśāngulam. Adhi tiṣṭhati means ati tiṣṭhati: the Lord extends much beyond. Ten fingers means ten times ten. There are many coverings of the universe, each ten times thicker than the previous covering. That is the meaning, since ten fingers by itself is very small. That is the meaning of vitasti also. He surpasses ten fingers and remains (ati-tiṣṭhati).
TEXT - SB 2.6.17
sva-dhiṣṇyaṁ pratapan prāṇo
bahiś ca pratapaty asau
evaṁ virājaṁ pratapaṁs
tapaty antar bahiḥ pumān
SYNONYMS
sva-dhiṣṇyam—radiation; pratapan—by expansion; prāṇaḥ—living energy; bahiḥ—external; ca—also; pratapati—illuminated; asau—the sun; evam—in the same way; virājam—the universal form; pratapan—by expansion of; tapati—enlivens; antaḥ—internally; bahiḥ—externally; pumān—the Supreme Personality.
TRANSLATION
The sun illuminates both internally and externally by expanding its radiation; similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by expanding His universal form, maintains everything in the creation both internally and externally.
PURPORT
The universal form of the Lord, or the impersonal feature of the Lord known as the brahmajyoti, is clearly explained here and compared to the radiation of the sun. The sunshine may expand all over the universe, but the source of the sunshine, namely the sun planet or the deity known as Sūrya-nārāyaṇa, is the basis of such radiation. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa is the basis of the impersonal brahmajyoti radiation, or the impersonal feature of the Lord. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.27). So the universal form of the Lord is the secondary imagination of the impersonal form of the Lord, but the primary form of the Lord is Śyāmasundara, with two hands, playing on His eternal flute. Seventy-five percent of the expansive radiation of the Lord is manifested in the spiritual sky (tripād-vibhūti), and twenty-five percent of His personal radiation comprehends the entire expansion of the material universes. This is also explained and stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.42). Thus the seventy-five percent expansion of His radiation is called His internal energy, whereas the twenty-five percent expansion is called the external energy of the Lord. The living entities, who are residents of the spiritual as well as the material expansions, are His marginal energy (taṭastha-śakti), and they are at liberty to live in either of the energies, external or internal. Those who live within the spiritual expansion of the Lord are called liberated souls, whereas the residents of the external expansion are called the conditioned souls. We can just make an estimate of the number of the residents of the internal expansions in comparison with the number of residents in the external energy and may easily conclude that the liberated souls are far more numerous than the conditioned souls.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.17
sva-dhiṣṇyaṁ pratapan prāṇo bahiś ca pratapaty asau |
evaṁ virājaṁ pratapaṁs tapaty antar bahiḥ pumān ||
Just as the life air energizes the body inside and spreads its influence outside as well, the Lord energizes the universe inside and outside as well.
An example is given. The life air energizes the interior of the body, and spreads its heat outside as well. The Lord situated in the universal form as the antaryāmī, energizes in the sense of empowering it with his jñāna, kriyā and dravya śaktis, and thus spreads his influence inside and outside as well.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.17||
sva-dhiṣṇyaṃ pratapan prāṇo bahiś ca pratapaty asau | evaṃ virājaṃ pratapaṃs tapaty antar bahiḥ pumān ||
TRANSLATION Just as the life air manifests the body inside and spreads its influence outside as well, the Lord manifests the material and spiritual worlds.
Praised as the manifestor of (pratapan) the universal form, the supreme Lord manifests (tapati) the tripāda vibhūti of the spiritual world (antar) and the ekapāda vibhūti of the material realm (bahiḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.6.18
so 'mṛtasyābhayasyeśo
martyam annaṁ yad atyagāt
mahimaiṣa tato brahman
puruṣasya duratyayaḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He (the Lord); amṛtasya—of deathlessness; abhayasya—of fearlessness; īśaḥ—the controller; martyam—dying; annam—fruitive action; yat—one who has; atyagāt—has transcended; mahimā—the glories; eṣaḥ—of Him; tataḥ—therefore; brahman—O brāhmaṇa Nārada; puruṣasya—of the Supreme Personality; duratyayaḥ—immeasurable.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the controller of immortality and fearlessness, and He is transcendental to death and the fruitive actions of the material world. O Nārada, O brāhmaṇa, it is therefore difficult to measure the glories of the Supreme Person.
PURPORT
The glories of the Lord, in the transcendental seventy-five percent of the Lord's internal potency, are stated in the Padma Purāṇa (Uttara-khaṇḍa). It is said there that those planets in the spiritual sky, which comprises the seventy-five percent expansion of the internal potency of the Lord, are far, far greater than those planets in the total universes composed of the external potency of the Lord. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the total universes in the external potency of the Lord are compared to a bucketful of mustard seeds. One mustard seed is calculated to be a universe itself. In one of the universes, in which we are now living, the number of planets cannot be counted by human energy, and so how can we think of the sum total in all the universes, which are compared to a bucketful of mustard seeds? And the planets in the spiritual sky are at least three times the number of those in the material sky. Such planets, being spiritual, are in fact transcendental to the material modes; therefore they are constituted in the mode of unalloyed goodness only. The conception of spiritual bliss (brahmānanda) is fully present in those planets. Each of them is eternal, indestructible and free from all kinds of inebrieties experienced in the material world. Each of them is self-illuminating and more powerfully dazzling than (if we can imagine) the total sunshine of millions of mundane suns. The inhabitants of those planets are liberated from birth, death, old age and diseases and have full knowledge of everything; they are all godly and free from all sorts of material hankerings. They have nothing to do there except to render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, who is the predominating Deity of such Vaikuṇṭha planets. Those liberated souls are engaged incessantly in singing songs mentioned in the Sāma Veda (vedaiḥ sāṅga-pada-kramopaniṣadair gāyanti yaṁ sāmagāḥ). All of them are personifications of the five Upaniṣads. Tripād-vibhūti, or the seventy-five percent known as the internal potency of the Lord, is to be understood as the kingdom of God far beyond the material sky; and when we speak of pāda-vibhūti, or the twenty-five percent comprising His external energy, we should understand that this refers to the sphere of the material world. It is also said in the Padma Purāṇa that the kingdom of tripād-vibhūti is transcendental, whereas the pāda-vibhūti is mundane; tripād-vibhūti is eternal, whereas the pāda-vibhūti is transient. The Lord and His eternal servitors in the transcendental kingdom all have eternal forms which are auspicious, infallible, spiritual and eternally youthful. In other words, there is no birth, death, old age and disease. That eternal land is full of transcendental enjoyment and full of beauty and bliss. This very fact is also corroborated in this verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the transcendental nature is described as amṛta. As described in the Vedas, utāmṛtatvasyeśānaḥ: the Supreme Lord is the Lord of immortality, or in other words, the Lord is immortal, and because He is the Lord of immortality He can award immortality to His devotees. In the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16) the Lord also assures that whoever may go to His abode of immortality shall never return to this mortal land of threefold miseries. The Lord is not like the mundane lord. The mundane master or lord never enjoys equally with his subordinates, nor is a mundane lord immortal, nor can he award immortality to his subordinate. The Supreme Lord, who is the leader of all living entities, can award all the qualities of His personality unto His devotees, including immortality and spiritual bliss. In the material world there is always anxiety or fearfulness in the hearts of all living entities, but the Lord, being Himself the supreme fearless, also awards the same quality of fearlessness to His pure devotees. Mundane existence is itself a kind of fear because in all mundane bodies the effects of birth, death, old age and disease always keep a living being compact in fear. In the mundane world, there is always the influence of time, which changes things from one stage to another, and the living entity, originally being avikāra, or unchangeable, suffers a great deal on account of changes due to the influence of time. The changing effects of eternal time are conspicuously absent in the immortal kingdom of God, which should therefore be understood to have no influence of time and therefore no fear whatsoever. In the material world, so-called happiness is the result of one's own work. One can become a rich man by dint of one's own hard labor, and there are always fear and doubts as to the duration of such acquired happiness. But in the kingdom of God, no one has to endeavor to attain a standard of happiness. Happiness is the nature of the spirit, as stated in the Vedānta-sūtras: ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt—the spirit is by nature full of happiness. Happiness in spiritual nature always increases in volume with a new phase of appreciation; there is no question of decreasing the bliss. Such unalloyed spiritual bliss is nowhere to be found within the orbit of the material universe, including the Janaloka planets, or, for that matter, the Maharloka or Satyaloka planets, because even Lord Brahmā is subject to the laws of fruitive actions and the law of birth and death. It is therefore stated here: duratyayaḥ, or, in other words, spiritual happiness in the eternal kingdom of God cannot be imagined even by the great brahmacārīs or sannyāsīs who are eligible to be promoted to the planets beyond the region of heaven. Or, the greatness of the Supreme Lord is so great that it cannot be imagined even by the great brahmacārīs or sannyāsīs, but such happiness is factually attained by the unalloyed devotees of the Lord, by His divine grace.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.18
so ’mṛtasyābhayasyeśo martyam annaṁ yad atyagāt |
mahimaiṣa tato brahman puruṣasya duratyayaḥ ||
The Supreme Lord is the lord of bliss—the enjoyer and the giver of enjoyment. The nectar of Svarga is excluded from the meaning by saying that the amṛta is devoid of fear of saṁṣāra (abhayasya). Why is he the Lord of amṛta? He surpasses material happiness which ends in death (martyam annam). In partaking of amṛta there is no chewing the chewed. If he sometimes chews it, then he does so without attachment. Thus as antaryāmī he chews: aham hi sarva-yajñānām bhoktā ca prabhur eva ca: I am the enjoyer and the master of all sacrifices. (BG 9.24) Though he is sometimes designated as the enjoyer, he surpasses material enjoyment (annam). Ekas tayoḥ khādati pippalānnam anyo niranno ’pi balena bhūyān (SB 11.11.6): one of the two eats the fruit of the Pippala tree, and the other, though he does not eat, remains strong. Nirannaḥ means that he is not attached at all to material enjoyment. This verse explains the Puruṣa-sūkta verse utāmṛtatvasyeśāno yad annenātirohati: he is the master of amṛta, who surpasses material enjoyment. Amṛtatvasya means the same as amṛtasya. Annena means annam, according to the rule that other case endings can substitute for the accusative endings but retain the same meaning. Atirohati means atyakrāmat. The reason is given. The glory of the Supreme Lord is unlimited (duratyayaḥ). This explains the meaning of the Puruṣa-sūkta line etāvān asya mahimāto jyāyāṁś ca pūruṣaḥ: such are the powers of the Supreme Person.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.18||
so ’mṛtasyābhayasyeśo martyam annaṃ yad atyagāt | mahimaiṣa tato brahman puruṣasya duratyayaḥ ||
TRANSLATION O brāhmaṇa! He is the Lord of spiritual bliss, beyond material existence, because he surpasses material happiness. The power of the Supreme Lord is unlimited.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 82:
Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa says:
tripād-vibhūter lokās tu asankhyāḥ parikīrtitāḥ | śuddha-sattva-mayāḥ sarve brahmānanda-sukhāhvayāḥ || sarve nityā nirvikārā heya-rāga-vivarjitāḥ | sarve hiraṇmayāḥ śuddhāḥ koṭi-sūrya-sama-prabhāḥ || sarve vedamayā divyāḥ kāma-krodhādi-varjitāḥ | nārāyaṇa-padāmbhoja-bhakty-eka-rasa-sevinaḥ || nirantaraṃ sāma-gāna-paripūrṇa-sukhaṃ śritāḥ | sarve pancopaniṣada-svarūpayā veda-varcasaḥ ||
The spiritual worlds are unlimited in number. They are all śuddha-sattva, filled with spiritual bliss, eternal, without change, and devoid of material passion. They are pure gold, shining like millions of suns, personifying Vedic knowledge, filled with pastimes and devoid of lust and anger. These places exclusively serve the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa, and are always blissfully singing verses. They are the essence of the Vedas, embodying the five Upaniṣads. (Padma Purāṇa)
The word tripad-vibhūti means the spiritual world. Pāda-vibhūti means the material world since it is said:
tripād-vyāptiḥ paraṃ dhāmni pādo’syehābhavat punaḥ | tripād-vibhūter nityaṃ syāt anityaṃ pādam aiśvaram || nityaṃ tad-rūpam īśasya paraṃ dhāmni sthitaṃ śubham | acyutaṃ śāśvataṃ divyaṃ sadā yauvanam āśritam ||
nityaṃ sambhogam īśvaryā śriyā bhūmyā ca saṃvṛttam ||
The spiritual realm is spread over three parts. One part is this world. The three part spiritual world is eternal. The power of the one part is temporary. The eternal form of the Supreme Lord is situated in that glorious place. That form of the Lord is without decay, eternal, full of pastimes, eternally young, eternally enjoying and surrounded by Srī, Bhūmī and Īśvarī. (Padma Purāṇa)
According to this concept of tripad-vibhūti, the following statement in the Second Canto should be understood.
so ’mṛtasyābhayasyeśo martyam annaṃ yad atyagāt | mahimaiṣa tato brahman puruṣasya duratyayaḥ ||
O brāhmaṇa! He is the Lord of spiritual bliss, fearless, beyond material enjoyment, because he surpasses material happiness. The power of the Supreme Lord is beyond human endeavor. (SB 2.6.18)
Amṛta (full of bliss) and abhaya (fearless), two qualities, should also include kṣema or security (represented by martyam annaṃ yad atyagāt), to make a third quality (and thus Vaikuṇṭha is tripād). When śruti says utāmṛtatvasyeśāna, it includes kṣema and abhaya also. The sentence emphasizes the dharmī, the object being described by various terms.
tasmai sva-lokaṃ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ sandarśayām āsa paraṃ na yat-param | vyapeta-sankleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṃ sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir vibudhair abhiṣṭutam ||
The Lord, gratified by his worship, showed Brahmā Mahā-vaikuṇṭha, to which nothing is superior, which is free of suffering, confusion and fear of offenses and which is praised by the devatās who constantly see the self. (SB 2.9.9)
The above quotation indicates a place full of bliss (amṛta). A synonym for amṛta is viṣṇu-mandiram.
Vaikuṇṭha is free of fear (abhayam):
pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ sattvaṃ ca miśraṃ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ
In Vaikuṇṭha there are no rajas or tamas, and no sattva mixed with rajas and
tamas. There is no influence of time. (SB 2.9.10)
ātapatraṃ tu vaikuṇṭhaṃ dvijā dhāmākuto-bhayam tri-vṛd vedaḥ suparṇākhyo yajnaṃ vahati pūruṣam
O brāhmaṇas! The Lord's umbrella represents fearlessness found in Vaikuṇṭha, and Garuḍa, who carries the Lord of sacrifice, is the sacrifice mentioned in the three Vedas. (SB 12.11.19)
Kṣemam is described in the following:
na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ ||
There is no influence of māyā at all, what to speak of its products such as material elements. In Vaikuṇṭha the inhabitants are fully dedicated to the Lord and are worshipable by the devas, asuras and devotees. (SB 2.9.10)
Kṣemam means it is auspicious for worshipping the Lord since it is devoid of material forms and qualities.
sarva-mangala-mūrdhanyā pūrṇānanda-mayī sadā | dvijendra tava mayy astu bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī ||
O best of the brāhmaṇas, may you have undeviating bhakti (bhāva) for me. That bhakti is the crest jewel of all auspiciousness and full of bliss eternally. (Nāradīya Purāṇa)
evam etān mayā diṣṭān anutiṣṭhanti me pathaḥ kṣemaṃ vindanti mat-sthānaṃ yad brahma paramaṃ viduḥ
Persons who seriously follow these methods of achieving me, which I have personally taught, attain kṣemam, my abode Vaikuṇṭha, or the supreme Brahman. (SB 11.20.37)
By interpreting these words with lakṣaṇā one can say that places like Janaloka are meant. But there is good reason to refute such meanings: those places are all subject to death.
lokānāṃ loka-pālānāṃ mad bhayaṃ kalpa-jīvinām brahmaṇo ’pi bhayaṃ matto dvi-parārdha-parāyuṣaḥ
All the planetary systems and all of the great devatās who live for one thousand yuga cycles fear me. Even Brahmā, who possesses the supreme life span of 311,040,000,000,000 years, is afraid of me. (SB 11.10.30)
The phrase martyam annaṃ yad atyagāt means that the Lord, surpassing the results of karma which is present in the three worlds, resides in Vaikuṇṭha. Mahimaiṣa tato brahman puruṣasya duratyayaḥ (SB 2.6.18) means the form which is blissful, fearless and secure cannot be approached by the mind, brahmacārya etc.
TEXT - SB 2.6.19
pādeṣu sarva-bhūtāni
puṁsaḥ sthiti-pado viduḥ
amṛtaṁ kṣemam abhayaṁ
tri-mūrdhno 'dhāyi mūrdhasu
SYNONYMS
pādeṣu—in the one fourth; sarva—all; bhūtāni—living entities; puṁsaḥ—of the Supreme Person; sthiti-padaḥ—the reservoir of all material opulence; viduḥ—you should know; amṛtam—deathlessness; kṣemam—all happiness, free from the anxiety of old age, diseases, etc.; abhayam—fearlessness; tri-mūrdhnaḥ—beyond the three higher planetary systems; adhāyi—exist; mūrdhasu—beyond the material coverings.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be known as the supreme reservoir of all material opulences by the one fourth of His energy in which all the living entities exist. Deathlessness, fearlessness and freedom from the anxieties of old age and disease exist in the kingdom of God, which is beyond the three higher planetary systems and beyond the material coverings.
PURPORT
Out of the total manifestations of the sandhinī energy of the Lord, one fourth is displayed in the material world, and three fourths are displayed in the spiritual world. The Lord's energy is divided into three component parts, namely sandhinī, saṁvit and hlādinī; in other words, He is the full manifestation of existence, knowledge and bliss. In the material world such a sense of existence, knowledge and pleasure is meagerly exhibited, and all living entities, who are minute parts and parcels of the Lord, are eligible to relish such consciousness of existence, knowledge and bliss very minutely in the liberated stage, whereas in the conditioned stage of material existence they can hardly appreciate what is the factual, existential, cognizable and pure happiness of life. The liberated souls, who exist in far greater numerical strength than those souls in the material world, can factually experience the potency of the above-mentioned sandhinī, saṁvit and hlādinī energies of the Lord in the matter of deathlessness, fearlessness and freedom from old age and disease.
In the material world, the planetary systems are arranged in three spheres, called triloka, or Svarga, Martya and Pātāla, and all of them constitute only one fourth of the total sandhinī energy. Beyond that is the spiritual sky where the Vaikuṇṭha planets exist beyond the coverings of seven material strata. In none of the triloka planetary systems can one experience the status of immortality, full knowledge and full bliss. The upper three planetary systems are called sāttvika planets because they provide facilities for a long duration of life and relative freedom from disease and old age, as well as a sense of fearlessness. The great sages and saints are promoted beyond the heavenly planets to Maharloka, but that also is not the place of complete fearlessness because at the end of one kalpa the Maharloka is annihilated and the inhabitants have to transport themselves to still higher planets. Yet even on these planets no one is immune to death. There may be a comparative extension of life, expansion of knowledge and sense of full bliss, but factual deathlessness, fearlessness and freedom from old age, diseases, etc., are possible only beyond the material spheres of the coverings of the material sky. Such things are situated on the head (adhāyi mūrdhasu).
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.19
pādeṣu sarva-bhūtāni puṁsaḥ sthiti-pado viduḥ |
amṛtaṁ kṣemam abhayaṁ tri-mūrdhno ’dhāyi mūrdhasu ||
The wise know that the living beings are situated within the portions designated by the Lord, whose feet protect all places. Eternity, absence of sickness, and absence of fear of committing offense are fixed in the spiritual world situated above the three guṇas.
Two verses distinguish the material and spiritual vibhūtis. The wise know that all living beings, whether conditioned or liberated, reside within either the material or spiritual portions (pādeṣu) of the Lord, whose feet (padaḥ) act as the protector (sthiti) of all planets. In the places in the spiritual sky, situated above (mūrdhasu) the topmost places of the three guṇas, above the coverings of the universe (tri-mūdhnoḥ), there is no death (amrṭam), no sickness (kṣemam), and no fear arising from offenses to the Lord among the persons there. Absence of fear from time is already covered in the word amṛtam. This is established (adhāyi) there. In the place of the three guṇas, death, sickness and fear of offense are well established. One should understand that the material world is temporary and the spiritual world is eternal. The spiritual world will be described later. Na ca kāla-vikramaḥ na yatra māyā: in the spiritual world there is no influence of time or māyā. (SB 2.9.10)
This verse explains the Puruṣa-sūkta phrases pādo ’sya viśvā-bhūtāni tripādasyāmṛtaṁ divi: the living entities of the universe are one quarter and in the spiritual world of three parts everything is eternal. Pādo ’sya, the place and the living entities are linked with a copula verb because of non-difference between the place and the person residing. Tripādasya is in the singular to express the whole. In the spiritual place (divi) there is eternity situated in his place of three vibhūtis.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.19||
pādeṣu sarva-bhūtāni puṃsaḥ sthiti-pado viduḥ | amṛtaṃ kṣemam abhayaṃ tri-mūrdhno ’dhāyi mūrdhasu ||
TRANSLATION The wise know that the living beings are situated within the portions designated by the Lord, whose feet protect all places. Eternity, absence of sickness, and absence of fear of committing offense are fixed in the spiritual world situated above the three guṇas.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 83:
The four parts of the Lord’s manifestation (catuṣpād-aiśvarya) composed of three parts in the spiritual world and one part in the material world is described. Sthiti-padaḥ means having places (pāda) of four parts where all beings reside. In the four parts (pādeṣu) reside all beings up to the associates of the Lord (sarvabhūtāni). Those pādas are shown. Amrṭa, kṣema and abhaya reside in the Vaikuṇṭha planets existing above the objects predominated by any of the three guṇas.
Verse 17 describes one pāda since it is the place for results of karma (martyam annam). Verse 18 describes the other three pādas since it lists three items starting with amṛta. This illustrates the meaning of pādo’sya viśvā bhūtāni tripādasyāmṛtaṃ divi: three parts are in the spiritual world and one part made of all the beings is in the material world. (Puruṣa-sūkta) The place and the master of the place (the Lord) are expressed as one entity.
TEXT - SB 2.6.20
pādās trayo bahiś cāsann
aprajānāṁ ya āśramāḥ
antas tri-lokyās tv aparo
gṛha-medho 'bṛhad-vrataḥ
SYNONYMS
pādāḥ trayaḥ—the cosmos of three fourths of the Lord's energy; bahiḥ—thus situated beyond; ca—and for all; āsan—were; aprajānām—of those who are not meant for rebirth; ye—those; āśramāḥ—status of life; antaḥ—within; tri-lokyāḥ—of the three worlds; tu—but; aparaḥ—others; gṛha-medhaḥ—attached to family life; abṛhat-vrataḥ—without strictly following a vow of celibacy.
TRANSLATION
The spiritual world, which consists of three fourths of the Lord's energy, is situated beyond this material world, and it is especially meant for those who will never be reborn. Others, who are attached to family life and who do not strictly follow celibacy vows, must live within the three material worlds.
PURPORT
The climax of the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, or sanātana-dharma, is clearly expressed here in this particular verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The highest benefit that can be awarded to a human being is to train him to be detached from sex life, particularly because it is only due to sex indulgence that the conditioned life of material existence continues birth after birth. Human civilization in which there is no control of sex life is a fourth-class civilization because in such an atmosphere there is no liberation of the soul encaged in the material body. Birth, death, old age and disease are related to the material body, and they have nothing to do with the spirit soul. But as long as the bodily attachment for sensual enjoyment is encouraged, the individual spirit soul is forced to continue the repetition of birth and death on account of the material body, which is compared to garments subjected to the law of deterioration.
In order to award the highest benefit of human life, the varṇāśrama system trains the follower to adopt the vow of celibacy beginning from the order of brahmacārī. The brahmacārī life is for students who are educated to follow strictly the vow of celibacy. Youngsters who have had no taste of sex life can easily follow the vow of celibacy, and once fixed in the principle of such a life, one can very easily continue to the highest perfectional stage, attaining the kingdom of the three-fourths energy of the Lord. It is already explained that in the cosmos of three-fourths energy of the Lord there is neither death nor fear, and one is full of the blissful life of happiness and knowledge. A householder attached to family life can easily give up such a life of sex indulgence if he has been trained in the principles of the life of a brahmacārī. A householder is recommended to quit home at the end of fifty years (pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet) and live a life in the forest; then, being fully detached from family affection, he may accept the order of renunciation as a sannyāsī fully engaged in the service of the Lord. Any form of religious principles in which the followers are trained to pursue the vow of celibacy is good for the human being because only those who are trained in that way can end the miserable life of material existence. The principles of nirvāṇa, as recommended by Lord Buddha, are also meant for ending the miserable life of material existence. And this process, in the highest degree, is recommended here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, with clear perception of ideal perfection, although basically there is no difference between the process of Buddhists, Śaṅkarites and Vaiṣṇavites. For promotion to the highest status of perfection, namely freedom from birth and death, anxiety and fearfulness, not one of these processes allows the follower to break the vow of celibacy.
The householders and persons who have deliberately broken the vow of celibacy cannot enter into the kingdom of deathlessness. The pious householders or the fallen yogīs or the fallen transcendentalists can be promoted to the higher planets within the material world (one fourth of the energy of the Lord), but they will fail to enter into the kingdom of deathlessness. Abṛhad-vratas are those who have broken the vow of celibacy. The vānaprasthas, or those retired from family life, and the sannyāsīs, or the renounced persons, cannot break the vow of celibacy if they want success in the process. The brahmacārīs, vānaprasthas and sannyāsīs do not intend to take rebirth (apraja), nor are they meant for secretly indulging in sex life. Such a falldown by the spiritualist may be compensated by another chance for human life in good families of learned brāhmaṇas or of rich merchants for another term of elevation, but the best thing is to attain the highest perfection of deathlessness as soon as the human form of life is attained; otherwise the whole policy of human life will prove to be a total failure. Lord Caitanya was very strict in advising His followers in this matter of celibacy. One of His personal attendants, Choṭa Haridāsa, was severely punished by Lord Caitanya because of his failure to observe the vow of celibacy. For a transcendentalist, therefore, who at all wants to be promoted to the kingdom beyond material miseries, it is worse than suicide to deliberately indulge in sex life, especially in the renounced order of life. Sex life in the renounced order of life is the most perverted form of religious life, and such a misguided person can only be saved if, by chance, he meets a pure devotee.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.20
pādās trayo bahiś cāsann aprajānāṁ ya āśramāḥ |
antas tri-lokyās tv aparo gṛha-medho ’bṛhad-vrataḥ ||
Beyond the material realm lies the spiritual realm with the abodes of the liberated souls. In the material realm of the three guṇas the materialists devoid of bhakti to the Lord reside.
This verse explains the previous verse. Beyond the coverings of prakṛti (bahiḥ) described by the words trimūdha (top of the three guṇas), exists spiritual world described as three parts (trayo pādāḥ). The word ca after bahiḥ indicates that sometimes that the three parts exist within the material world in places like Mathurā. Here are the places (āśṛamāḥ) of those who do not take birth at all (aprajānām), those liberated from saṁsāra. The places and the inhabitants are eternal, since the previous verse said that the place was without death and sickness. But within prakṛti made of the worlds of three guṇas (trilokyāḥ) exists the fourth part (aparaḥ), where the karmīs live, without being devotees of the Lord (abṛhad-vrataḥ). But if they become devotees, then they exist in the other three parts. This verse explains the Puruṣa-sūkta line tripād-ūrdhva udait puruṣaḥ pādo ’syehābhavat punaḥ: tthe three quarters portion of the Lord transcended the material portion; the Lord in the one quarter portion manifested the universe again, as he had done repeatedly before. The smṛti also says:
tripād-vibhūter lokās tu asaṅkhyāḥ parikīrtitāḥ |
śuddha-sattva-mayāḥ sarve brahmānanda-sukhāhvayāḥ ||
sarve nityā nirvikārā heya-rāga-vivarjitāḥ |
sarve hiraṇmayāḥ śuddhāḥ koṭi-sūrya-sama-prabhāḥ ||
sarve vedamayā divyāḥ kāma-krodhādi-varjitāḥ |
nārāyaṇa-padāmbhoja-bhakty-eka-rasa-sevinaḥ ||
nirantaraṁ sāma-gāna-paripūrṇa-sukhaṁ śritāḥ |
sarve pañcopaniṣada-svarūpayā veda-varcasaḥ || ity ādi ||
The spiritual worlds are unlimited in number. They are all śuddha-sattva, filled with spiritual bliss, eternal, without change, and devoid of low passions. They are pure gold, shining like millions of suns, personifying Vedic knowledge, filled with pastimes and devoid of lust and anger. These places exclusively serve the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa, and are always blissfully singing verses. They are the essence of the Vedas, embodying the five Upaniṣads.
The word tripad-vibhūti means the spiritual world and pāda-vibhūti means the material world. The Sandarbha quotes Padma Purāṇa in this regard:
tripād-vyāptiḥ paraṁ dhāmni pādo syehābhavat punaḥ |
tripād-vibhūter nityaṁ syāt anityaṁ pādam aiśvaram ||
nityaṁ tad-rūpam īśasya paraṁ dhāmni sthitaṁ śubham |
acyutaṁ śāśvataṁ divyaṁ sadā yauvanam āśritam ||
nityaṁ sambhogam īśvaryā śriyā bhūmyā ca saṁvṛttam ||
The spiritual realm is spread over three parts. One part is this world. The three part spiritual world is eternal. The power of one part is temporary. The eternal form of the Supreme Lord is situated in that glorious place. That form of the Lord is undecaying, eternal, full of pastimes, eternally young, eternally enjoying and surrounded by Srī, Bhūmī and Īśvarī.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.20||
pādās trayo bahiś cāsann aprajānāṃ ya āśramāḥ | antas tri-lokyās tv aparo gṛha-medho ’bṛhad-vrataḥ ||
TRANSLATION Beyond the material realm lies the spiritual realm with the abodes of the liberated souls. In the material realm of the three guṇas the materialists devoid of bhakti to the Lord reside.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 84: One of the four pādas, consisting of the three worlds, is shown to be the place of material actions:
The word ca indicates that the three parts are taken as one unit. The three pādas exist beyond the material world (bahiḥ). The three worlds are one pāda, beyond which the other three pādas exist, being contrary to the one pada. That exclusion is indicated by the word punaḥ in the Vedic mantra. Pādo ’syehābhavat punaḥ: one pāda of the Lord appeared. (Puruṣa-sūkta)
The place of tripād is attained by persons belonging to āśramas with no offspring: brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Since it is attained by three āśramas, it is also called tripād out of the four. The other part, the fourth part, is within the three worlds. It is attained by householders since they do not practice brahmacārya (abṛhad-vrataḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.6.21
sṛtī vicakrame viśvam
sāśanānaśane ubhe
yad avidyā ca vidyā ca
puruṣas tūbhayāśrayaḥ
SYNONYMS
sṛtī—the destination of the living entities; vicakrame—exists comprehensively; viśvaṅ—the all-pervading Personality of Godhead; sāśana—activities of lording it over; anaśane—activities in devotional service; ubhe—both; yat—what is; avidyā—nescience; ca—as well as; vidyā—factual knowledge; ca—and; puruṣaḥ—the Supreme Person; tu—but; ubhaya—for both of them; āśrayaḥ—the master.
TRANSLATION
By His energies, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead is thus comprehensively the master in the activities of controlling and in devotional service. He is the ultimate master of both nescience and factual knowledge of all situations.
PURPORT
The word viśvaṅ is significant in this verse. One who travels perfectly in every field of activity is called the puruṣa or kṣetrajña. These two terms, kṣetrajña and puruṣa, are equally applicable to both the individual self and the Supreme Self, the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā (13.3) the matter is explained as follows:
kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi
sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata
kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ
yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
kṣetrameans the place, and one who knows the place is called the kṣetrajña. The individual self knows about his limited field of activities, but the Supreme Self, the Lord, knows about the unlimited field of activities. The individual soul knows about his own thinking, feeling and willing activities, but the Supersoul, or the Paramātmā, the supreme controller, being present everywhere, knows everyone's thinking, feeling and willing activities, and as such the individual living entity is the minute master of his personal affairs whereas the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the master of everyone's affairs, past, present and future (vedāhaṁ samatītāni, etc. [Bg. 7.26]). Only the ignorant person does not know this difference between the Lord and the living entities. The living entities, as distinguished from incognizant matter, may be qualitatively equal to the Lord in cognizance, but the living entity can never be equal to the Lord in full knowledge of past, present and future.
And because the living entity is partially cognizant, he is therefore sometimes forgetful of his own identity. This forgetfulness is specifically manifested in the field of the ekapād-vibhūti of the Lord, or in the material world, but in the tripād-vibhūti field of actions, or in the spiritual world, there is no forgetfulness by the living entities, who are free from all kinds of contaminations resulting from the forgetful state of existence. The material body is the symbol of the gross and subtle form of forgetfulness; therefore the whole atmosphere of the material world is called avidyā, or nescience, whereas the whole atmosphere of the spiritual world is called vidyā, or full of knowledge. There are different stages of avidyā, and they are called dharma, artha and mokṣa. The idea of mokṣa, or liberation, held by the monist in the matter of oneness of the living entity and the Lord by ultimate merging in one, is also the last stage of materialism or forgetfulness. Knowledge of the qualitative oneness of the self and Superself is partial knowledge and ignorance also because there is no knowledge of quantitative difference, as explained above. The individual self can never be equal to the Lord in cognizance; otherwise he could not be placed in the state of forgetfulness. So, because there is a stage of forgetfulness of the individual selves, or the living entities, there is always a gulf of difference between the Lord and the living entity, as between the part and the whole. The part is never equal to the whole. So the conception of one hundred percent equality of the living being with the Lord is also nescience.
In the field of nescience, activities are directed toward lording it over the creation. In the material world, therefore, everyone is engaged in acquiring material opulence to lord it over the material world. Therefore there is always clash and frustration, which are the symptoms of nescience. But in the field of knowledge, there is devotional service to the Lord (bhakti). Therefore there is no chance of being contaminated by the influence of nescience or forgetfulness (avidyā) in the liberated stage of devotional activities. The Lord is thus the proprietor of the fields both of nescience and of cognition, and it remains the choice of the living entity to exist in either of the above regions.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.21
sṛtī vicakrame viśvaṅ sāśanānaśane ubhe |
yad avidyā ca vidyā ca puruṣas tūbhayāśrayaḥ ||
The jīva, qualified by ignorance and knowledge, wanders on two paths--for attaining enjoyment and liberation. The Lord is the shelter of both paths.
The jīva attains these two places by specific qualities. He who wanders in the universe is called viśvaṅ, the jīva. The jīva wanders on these two paths (sṛtī). The perfect tense is used to mean the present. These paths are followed to attain enjoyment and liberation (sāśanānaśane). The qualification is mentioned. He who has avidyā attains the material realm and he who has vidyā attains the spiritual world. However, the spiritual world is actually attained by accepting bhakti after giving up vidyā also. Bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ: I am only attained by bhakti. (SB 11.14.21) The Supreme Lord however is the shelter of both paths. He is the shelter of māyā who has functions of avidyā and vidyā. Thus the two paths are dependent on the Lord. This verse describes the Puruṣa-sūkta line tato viśvaṅ vyakrāmat sāśanāśanaśane ubhe: the jīva traverses the two paths of enjoyment and liberation.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.21||
sṛtī vicakrame viśvan sāśanānaśane ubhe | yad avidyā ca vidyā ca puruṣas tūbhayāśrayaḥ ||
TRANSLATION The jīva, qualified by ignorance and knowledge, wanders on two paths--for attaining enjoyment and liberation. The Lord is the shelter of both paths.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 85:
Both types combine to constitute the four pādas. The all-pervading (viśvan) supreme Lord (puruṣaḥ) surpasses (vicakrame) the two paths of material and spiritual worlds for the jīva (ete sṛtī). These paths are for enjoying fruits of karma and renouncing fruits of karma (sācanānaśane). The reason that the Lord surpasses these paths is given. The Lord is the shelter of avidyā or māyā and vidyā or the cit-śakti on these two paths.
It is then said:
yasmād aṇḍaṃ virāḍ jajne bhūtendriya-guṇātmakaḥ | tad dravyam atyagād viśvaṃ gobhiḥ sūrya ivātapan ||
From the Lord the universe was born. The Lord, possessing elements, senses and guṇas, after entering the universe, surpassed that material universe and remained in the spiritual world, just as the sun illuminates the universe with its rays while remaining in his planet. (SB 2.6.22)
Thus the four pādas consists of three parts with all the Lord’s qualities and one part with partial qualities manifest.
TEXT - SB 2.6.22
yasmād aṇḍaṁ virāḍ jajñe
bhūtendriya-guṇātmakaḥ
tad dravyam atyagād viśvaṁ
gobhiḥ sūrya ivātapan
SYNONYMS
yasmāt—from whom; aṇḍam—the universal globes; virāṭ—and the gigantic universal form; jajñe—appeared; bhūta—elements; indriya—senses; guṇa-ātmakaḥ—qualitative; tat dravyam—the universes and the universal form, etc.; atyagāt—surpassed; viśvam—all the universes; gobhiḥ—by the rays; sūryaḥ—the sun; iva—like; ātapan—distributed rays and heat.
TRANSLATION
From that Personality of Godhead, all the universal globes and the universal form with all material elements, qualities and senses are generated. Yet He is aloof from such material manifestations, like the sun, which is separate from its rays and heat.
PURPORT
The supreme truth has been ascertained in the previous verse as puruṣa or the puruṣottama, the Supreme person. The Absolute person is the īśvara, or the supreme controller, by His different energies. The ekapād-vibhūti manifestation of the material energy of the Lord is just like one of the many mistresses of the Lord, by whom the Lord is not so much attracted, as indicated in the language of the Gītā (bhinnā prakṛtiḥ). But the region of the tripād-vibhūti, being a pure spiritual manifestation of the energy of the Lord, is, so to speak, more attractive to Him. The Lord, therefore, generates the material manifestations by impregnating the material energy, and then, within the manifestation, He expands Himself as the gigantic form of the viśva-rūpa. The viśva-rūpa, as it was shown to Arjuna, is not the original form of the Lord. The original form of the Lord is the transcendental form of Puruṣottama, or Kṛṣṇa Himself. It is very nicely explained herein that He expands Himself just like the sun. The sun expands itself by its terrible heat and rays, yet the sun is always aloof from such rays and heat. The impersonalist takes into consideration the rays of the Lord without any information of the tangible, transcendental, eternal form of the Lord, known as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, in His supreme personal form, with two hands and flute, is bewildering for the impersonalists who can accommodate only the gigantic viśva-rūpa of the Lord. They should know that the rays of the sun are secondary to the sun, and similarly the impersonal gigantic form of the Lord is also secondary to the personal form as Puruṣottama. The Brahma-saṁhitā (5.37) confirms this statement as follows:
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the one who enlivens the senses of everyone by His personal bodily rays, resides in His transcendental abode, called Goloka. Yet He is present in every nook and corner of His creation by expansion of happy spiritual rays, equal in power to His personal potency of bliss." He is therefore simultaneously personal and impersonal by His inconceivable potency, or He is the one without a second, displaying complete unity in a diversity of material and spiritual manifestations. He is separate from everything, and still nothing is different from Him.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.22
yasmād aṇḍaṁ virāḍ jajñe bhūtendriya-guṇātmakaḥ |
tad dravyam atyagād viśvaṁ gobhiḥ sūrya ivātapan ||
The spiritual world of three parts is a display of the cit-śakti. The Supreme Lord is attached to this place. The material world of one part is a display of the māyā-śakti. The Lord is not attached to this place, and merely assists it. From that puruṣa this material realm (aṇḍam virāḍ) was born.
The Lord endowed with matter, senses and guṇas, entering the universal form (dravyam), manifesting it, surpassed it (atyagāt) since he is unattached to it. This means, having gone there, he still remains eternally in his spiritual abode of three parts. An example is given. He is like the sun, which, situated in its globe, illuminates the universe.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.22||
yasmād aṇḍaṃ virāḍ jajne bhūtendriya-guṇātmakaḥ | tad dravyam atyagād viśvaṃ gobhiḥ sūrya ivātapan ||
TRANSLATION From the Lord the universe was born. The Lord, possessing elements, senses and guṇas, after entering the universe, surpassed that material universe, and remained in the spiritual world, just as the sun illuminates the universe with its rays while remaining in his planet.
Yasmāt means “from the previously mentioned Lord.”
TEXT - SB 2.6.23
yadāsya nābhyān nalinād
aham āsaṁ mahātmanaḥ
nāvidaṁ yajña-sambhārān
puruṣāvayavān ṛte
SYNONYMS
yadā—at the time of; asya—His; nābhyāt—from the abdomen; nalināt—from the lotus flower; aham—myself; āsam—took my birth; mahā-ātmanaḥ—of the great person; na avidam—did not know; yajña—sacrificial; sambhārān—ingredients; puruṣa—of the Lord; avayavān—personal bodily limbs; ṛte—except.
TRANSLATION
When I was born from the abdominal lotus flower of the Lord [Mahā-Viṣṇu], the great person, I had no ingredients for sacrificial performances except the bodily limbs of the great Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā, the creator of the cosmic manifestation, is known as Svayambhū, or one who is born without father and mother. The general process is that a living creature is born out of the sex combination of the male father and the female mother. But Brahmā, the firstborn living being, is born out of the abdominal lotus flower of the Mahā-Viṣṇu plenary expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The abdominal lotus flower is part of the Lord's bodily limbs, and Brahmā is born out of the lotus flower. Therefore Lord Brahmā is also a part of the Lord's body. Brahmā, after his appearance in the gigantic hollow of the universe, saw darkness and nothing else. He felt perplexity, and from his heart he was inspired by the Lord to undergo austerity, thereby acquiring the ingredients for sacrificial performances. But there was nothing besides the two of them, namely the Personality of Mahā-Viṣṇu and Brahmā himself, born of the bodily part of the Lord. For sacrificial performances many ingredients were in need, especially animals. The animal sacrifice is never meant for killing the animal, but for achieving the successful result of the sacrifice. The animal offered in the sacrificial fire is, so to speak, destroyed, but the next moment it is given a new life by dint of the Vedic hymns chanted by the expert priest. When such an expert priest is not available, the animal sacrifice in the fire of the sacrificial altar is forbidden. Thus Brahmā created even the sacrificial ingredients out of the bodily limbs of the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, which means that the cosmic order was created by Brahmā himself. Also, nothing is created out of nothing, but everything is created from the person of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8), ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate. "Everything is made from My bodily limbs, and I am therefore the original source of all creations."
The impersonalists argue that there is no use in worshiping the Lord when everything is nothing but the Lord Himself. The personalist, however, worships the Lord out of a great sense of gratitude, utilizing the ingredients born out of the bodily limbs of the Lord. The fruits and flowers are available from the body of the earth, and yet mother earth is worshiped by the sensible devotee with ingredients born from the earth. Similarly, mother Ganges is worshiped by the water of the Ganges, and yet the worshiper enjoys the result of such worship. Worship of the Lord is also performed by the ingredients born from the bodily limbs of the Lord, and yet the worshiper, who is himself a part of the Lord, achieves the result of devotional service to the Lord. While the impersonalist wrongly concludes that he is the Lord himself, the personalist, out of a great gratitude, worships the Lord in devotional service, knowing perfectly well that nothing is different from the Lord. The devotee therefore endeavors to apply everything in the service of the Lord because he knows that everything is the property of the Lord and that no one can claim anything as one's own. This perfect conception of oneness helps the worshiper in being engaged in His loving service, whereas the impersonalist, being falsely puffed up, remains a nondevotee forever, without being recognized by the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.23
yadāsya nābhyān nalinād aham āsaṁ mahātmanaḥ |
nāvidaṁ yajña-sambhārān puruṣāvayavān ṛte ||
When I appeared from the lotus in the Lord’s navel, I could not see any ingredients for sacrifice other than the limbs of the Lord.
If the Lord is everything, then how can I serve him with a method to attaining him since there is no differentiation of materials, articles of worship and even his worshippers? That is true. Because it is necessary to worship him, and because there is nothing except him, one should perform worship of him with articles which are also him, just as one worships earth with scent and flowers made of earth. His order alone is the authority. To show this he gives himself as an example. When I appeared from the Lotus in his navel, there were no ingredients for sacrifice.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.23||
yadāsya nābhyān nalinād aham āsaṃ mahātmanaḥ | nāvidaṃ yajna-sambhārān puruṣāvayavān ṛte ||
TRANSLATION When I appeared from the lotus in the Lord’s navel, I could not see any ingredients for sacrifice other than the limbs of the Lord.
He appeared from the lotus in the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī (asya). He used the limbs of the Lord since animals and other ingredients had not appeared.
TEXT - SB 2.6.24
teṣu yajñasya paśavaḥ
savanaspatayaḥ kuśāḥ
idaṁ ca deva-yajanaṁ
kālaś coru-guṇānvitaḥ
SYNONYMS
teṣu—in such sacrifices; yajñasya—of the sacrificial performance; paśavaḥ—the animals or the sacrificial ingredients; sa-vanaspatayaḥ—along with flowers and leaves; kuśāḥ—the straw; idam—all these; ca—as also; deva-yajanam—the sacrificial altar; kālaḥ—a suitable time; ca—as also; uru—great; guṇa-anvitaḥ—qualified.
TRANSLATION
For performing sacrificial ceremonies, one requires sacrificial ingredients, such as flowers, leaves and straw, along with the sacrificial altar and a suitable time [spring].
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.24
teṣu yajñasya paśavaḥ savanaspatayaḥ kuśāḥ |
idaṁ ca deva-yajanaṁ kālaś coru-guṇānvitaḥ ||
vastūny oṣadhayaḥ snehā rasa-loha-mṛdo jalam |
ṛco yajūṁṣi sāmāni cātur-hotraṁ ca sattama ||
nāma-dheyāni mantrāś ca dakṣiṇāś ca vratāni ca |
devatānukramaḥ kalpaḥ saṅkalpas tantram eva ca ||
By using the limbs of the Lord, I assembled the following ingredients: animals, the sacrificial posts, the kuśa grass, the proper place and the proper time such as spring; plates and other utensils, plants like rice, ghee, honey, metals like gold, earth, water, verses of the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas, the various offerings of oblations; the names of the sacrifices like jyostiṣṭoma, the mantras, gifts, vows, assigning the regions of the devatās, the sacrificial manuals, ritual vows, and the modes of performance.
This sentence continues for four verses. In order to make ingredients (teṣu) for sacrifice, I produced the ingredients from the Lord’s limbs (saṁbharāḥ sambhṛtāḥ). The end of the sentence is in verse 28. Vanaspatayaḥ means sacrificial posts. Deva-yajanam is a sacrificial ground, for it is said that one should sit in a place worthy of sacrifice. Bahu-guṇānvitaḥ means times like spring. Vastūni means plates and other utensils. Oṣadhayaḥ means plants like rice. Snehā means oils like ghee. Rasa means liquids like honey. Loha means metals like gold. Cātur-hotram means acts like offering oblations.
Nāmadheyāni means the names of the sacrifices such as jyotiṣṭoma. Devatānukrama means assigning the locations of the devatās. Kalpa means a practical guide to the actions such as Baudhāyana-śrauta-sūtras. Saṁkalpa means the utterance of a ritual vow, such as “Now I perform this ceremony.” Tantram means the method of performance.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.24||
teṣu yajnasya paśavaḥ savanaspatayaḥ kuśāḥ | idaṃ ca deva-yajanaṃ kālaś coru-guṇānvitaḥ ||
vastūny oṣadhayaḥ snehā rasa-loha-mṛdo jalam | ṛco yajūṃṣi sāmāni cātur-hotraṃ ca sattama ||
nāma-dheyāni mantrāś ca dakṣiṇāś ca vratāni ca | devatānukramaḥ kalpaḥ sankalpas tantram eva ca || gatayo matayaś caiva prāyaścittaṃ samarpaṇam | puruṣāvayavair ete sambhārāḥ sambhṛtā mayā ||
TRANSLATION By using the limbs of the Lord, I assembled the following ingredients: animals, the sacrificial posts, the kuśa grass, the proper place and the proper time such as spring; plates and other utensils, plants like rice, ghee, honey, metals like gold, earth, water, verses of the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas, the various offerings of oblations; the names of the sacrifices like jyostiṣṭoma, the mantras, gifts, vows, assigning the regions of the devatās, the sacrificial manuals, ritual vows, and the modes of performance.
By using the limbs of the Lord, I assembled the movements, the prayers, the atonements and the final offering. Catur-hotram also included the four priest: udgātrī brahma, adhvaryu and hotrī.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.24||
teṣu yajnasya paśavaḥ savanaspatayaḥ kuśāḥ | idaṃ ca deva-yajanaṃ kālaś coru-guṇānvitaḥ ||
vastūny oṣadhayaḥ snehā rasa-loha-mṛdo jalam | ṛco yajūṃṣi sāmāni cātur-hotraṃ ca sattama ||
nāma-dheyāni mantrāś ca dakṣiṇāś ca vratāni ca | devatānukramaḥ kalpaḥ sankalpas tantram eva ca || gatayo matayaś caiva prāyaścittaṃ samarpaṇam | puruṣāvayavair ete sambhārāḥ sambhṛtā mayā ||
TRANSLATION By using the limbs of the Lord, I assembled the following ingredients: animals, the sacrificial posts, the kuśa grass, the proper place and the proper time such as spring; plates and other utensils, plants like rice, ghee, honey, metals like gold, earth, water, verses of the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas, the various offerings of oblations; the names of the sacrifices like jyostiṣṭoma, the mantras, gifts, vows, assigning the regions of the devatās, the sacrificial manuals, ritual vows, and the modes of performance.
By using the limbs of the Lord, I assembled the movements, the prayers, the atonements and the final offering. Catur-hotram also included the four priest: udgātrī brahma, adhvaryu and hotrī.
TEXT - SB 2.6.25
vastūny oṣadhayaḥ snehā
rasa-loha-mṛdo jalam
ṛco yajūṁṣi sāmāni
cātur-hotraṁ ca sattama
SYNONYMS
vastūni—utensils; oṣadhayaḥ—grains; snehāḥ—clarified butter; rasa-loha-mṛdaḥ—honey, gold and earth; jalam—water; ṛcaḥ—the Ṛg Veda; yajūṁṣi—the Yajur Veda; sāmāni—the Sāma Veda; cātuḥ-hotram—four persons conducting the performance; ca—all these; sattama—O most pious one.
TRANSLATION
Other requirements are utensils, grains, clarified butter, honey, gold, earth, water, the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda and Sāma Veda and four priests to perform the sacrifice.
PURPORT
To perform a sacrifice successfully, at least four expert priests are needed: one who can offer (hotā), one who can chant (udgātā), one who can kindle the sacrificial fire without the aid of separate fire (adhvaryu), and one who can supervise (brahmā). Such sacrifices were conducted from the birth of Brahmā, the first living creature, and were carried on till the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. But such expert brāhmaṇa priests are very rare in this age of corruption and quarrel, and therefore in the present age only the yajña of chanting the holy name of the Lord is recommended. The scriptures enjoin:
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
[Cc. Ādi 17.21]
TEXT - SB 2.6.26
nāma-dheyāni mantrāś ca
dakṣiṇāś ca vratāni ca
devatānukramaḥ kalpaḥ
saṅkalpas tantram eva ca
SYNONYMS
nāma-dheyāni—invoking the names of the demigods; mantrāḥ—specific hymns to offer to a particular demigod; ca—also; dakṣiṇāḥ—reward; ca—and; vratāni—vows; ca—and; devatā-anukramaḥ—one demigod after another; kalpaḥ—the specific scripture; saṅkalpaḥ—the specific purpose; tantram—a particular process; eva—as they are; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
Other necessities include invoking the different names of the demigods by specific hymns and vows of recompense, in accordance with the particular scripture, for specific purposes and by specific processes.
PURPORT
The whole process of offering sacrifice is under the category of fruitive action, and such activities are extremely scientific. They mainly depend on the process of vibrating sounds with a particular accent. It is a great science, and due to being out of proper use for more than four thousand years, for want of qualified brāhmaṇas, such performances of sacrifice are no longer effective. Nor are they recommended in this fallen age. Any such sacrifice undertaken in this age as a matter of show may simply be a cheating process by the clever priestly order. But such a show of sacrifices cannot be effective at any stage. Fruitive action is being carried on by the help of material science and to a little extent by gross material help, but the materialists await a still more subtle advancement in the process of vibrating sounds on which the Vedic hymns are established. Gross material science cannot divert the real purpose of human life. They can only increase the artificial needs of life without any solution to the problems of life; therefore the way of materialistic life leads to the wrong type of human civilization. Since the ultimate aim of life is spiritual realization, the direct way of invoking the holy name of the Lord, as mentioned above, is precisely recommended by Lord Caitanya, and people of the modern age can easily take advantage of this simple process, which is tenable for the condition of the complicated social structure.
TEXT - SB 2.6.27
gatayo matayaś caiva
prāyaścittaṁ samarpaṇam
puruṣāvayavair ete
sambhārāḥ sambhṛtā mayā
SYNONYMS
gatayaḥ—progress to the ultimate goal (Viṣṇu); matayaḥ—worshiping the demigods; ca—as also; eva—certainly; prāyaścittam—compensation; samarpaṇam—ultimate offering; puruṣa—the Personality of Godhead; avayavaiḥ—from the parts of the body of the Personality of Godhead; ete—these; sambhārāḥ—the ingredients; sambhṛtāḥ—were arranged; mayā—by me.
TRANSLATION
Thus I had to arrange all these necessary ingredients and paraphernalia of sacrifice from the personal bodily parts of the Personality of Godhead. By invocation of the demigods' names, the ultimate goal, Viṣṇu, was gradually attained, and thus compensation and ultimate offering were complete.
PURPORT
In this verse, special stress is given to the person of the Supreme Lord, and not to His impersonal brahmajyoti, as being the source of all supplies. Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord, is the goal of sacrificial results, and therefore the Vedic hymns are ultimately meant for attaining this goal. Human life is thus made successful by pleasing Nārāyaṇa and getting entrance into the direct association of Nārāyaṇa in the spiritual kingdom of Vaikuṇṭha.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.27
gatayo matayaś caiva prāyaścittaṁ samarpaṇam |
puruṣāvayavair ete sambhārāḥ sambhṛtā mayā ||
By using the limbs of the Lord, I assembled the movements, the prayers, the atonements and the final offering.
Gatayaḥ means movements like the three steps taken by the sacrificer. Matayaḥ means meditation verses for devatās. Samarpaṇam means offering of the sacrifice to the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.6.28
iti sambhṛta-sambhāraḥ
puruṣāvayavair aham
tam eva puruṣaṁ yajñaṁ
tenaivāyajam īśvaram
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; sambhṛta—executed; sambhāraḥ—equipped myself well; puruṣa—the Personality of Godhead; avayavaiḥ—by the parts and parcels; aham—I; tam eva—unto Him; puruṣam—the Personality of Godhead; yajñam—the enjoyer of all sacrifices; tena eva—by all those; ayajam—worshiped; īśvaram—the supreme controller.
TRANSLATION
Thus I created the ingredients and paraphernalia for offering sacrifice out of the parts of the body of the Supreme Lord, the enjoyer of the sacrifice, and I performed the sacrifice to satisfy the Lord.
PURPORT
People in general are always anxious to have peace of mind or peace in the world, but they do not know how to achieve such a standard of peace in the world. Such peace in the world is obtainable by performances of sacrifice and by practice of austerity. In the Bhagavad-gītā (5.29) the following prescription is recommended:
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
"The karma-yogīs know that the Supreme Lord is the factual enjoyer and maintainer of all sacrifices and of the austere life. They also know that the Lord is the ultimate proprietor of all the planets and is the factual friend of all living entities. Such knowledge gradually converts the karma-yogīs into pure devotees of the Lord through the association of unalloyed devotees, and thus they are able to be liberated from material bondage."
Brahmā, the original living being within the material world, taught us the way of sacrifice. The word "sacrifice" suggests dedication of one's own interests for satisfaction of a second person. That is the way of all activities. Every man is engaged in sacrificing his interests for others, either in the form of family, society, community, country or the entire human society. But perfection of such sacrifices is attained when they are performed for the sake of the Supreme Person, the Lord. Because the Lord is the proprietor of everything, because the Lord is the friend of all living creatures, and because He is the maintainer of the performer of sacrifice, as well as the supplier of the ingredients of sacrifices, it is He only and no one else who should be satisfied by all sacrifices.
The whole world is engaged in sacrificing energy for advancement of learning, social upliftment, economic development and plans for total improvement of the human condition, but no one is interested in sacrificing for the sake of the Lord, as it is advised in the Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore, there is no peace in the world. If men at all want peace in the world, they must practice sacrifice in the interest of the supreme proprietor and friend of all.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.28
iti sambhṛta-sambhāraḥ puruṣāvayavair aham |
tam eva puruṣaṁ yajñaṁ tenaivāyajam īśvaram ||
By these ingredients assembled through the limbs of the Lord, I performed sacrifice to the Lord.
Concerning sacrifice the śruti says yajño vai viṣṇuḥ: sacrifice is Viṣṇu. This verse refers to the Puruṣa-sūkta lines yat puruṣeṇa haviṣā deva yajnam atanvata: the devatās performed sacrifice using the Lord as the oblations; and yajñena yajñam ayajanta: they performed sacrifice using the Lord.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.28||
iti sambhṛta-sambhāraḥ puruṣāvayavair aham | tam eva puruṣaṃ yajnaṃ tenaivāyajam īśvaram ||
TRANSLATION By these ingredients assembled through the limbs of the Lord, I performed sacrifice to the Lord.
Being equipped with those ingredients mentioned, in the form of the puruṣa’s limbs which manifested the ingredients for sacrifice by worship, he performed sacrifice.
TEXT - SB 2.6.29
tatas te bhrātara ime
prajānāṁ patayo nava
ayajan vyaktam avyaktaṁ
puruṣaṁ su-samāhitāḥ
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter; te—your; bhrātaraḥ—brothers; ime—these; prajānām—of the living creatures; patayaḥ—masters; nava—nine; ayajan—performed; vyaktam—manifested; avyaktam—nonmanifested; puruṣam—personalities; su-samāhitāḥ—with proper rituals.
TRANSLATION
My dear son, thereafter your nine brothers, who are the masters of living creatures, performed the sacrifice with proper rituals to satisfy both the manifested and nonmanifested personalities.
PURPORT
The manifested personalities are the demigods like the ruler of the heavenly kingdom, Indra, and his associates; and the nonmanifested personality is the Lord Himself. The manifested personalities are mundane controllers of the material affairs, whereas the nonmanifested Personality of Godhead is transcendental, beyond the range of the material atmosphere. In this age of Kali the manifested demigods are also not to be seen, for space travel has completely stopped. So both the powerful demigods and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are nonmanifested to the covered eyes of the modern man. Modern men want to see everything with their eyes, although they are not sufficiently qualified. Consequently, they disbelieve in the existence of the demigods or of the Supreme God. They should see through the pages of authentic scriptures and should not simply believe their unqualified eyes. Even in these days, God can also be seen by qualified eyes tinged with the ointment of love of God.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.29
tatas te bhrātara ime prajānāṁ patayo nava |
ayajan vyaktam avyaktaṁ puruṣaṁ su-samāhitāḥ ||
Then your brothers, the nine Prajāpatis, with concentrated minds, worshipped visible persons like Indra and the invisible Lord.
Vyaktam means persons like Indra, and avyaktam indicates the Lord. This verse illustrates the meaning of puruṣaṁ jātam agrataḥ tena devā ayajanta: placing the Lord in front of them, the devatās worshipped him by the sacrifice.
TEXT - SB 2.6.30
tataś ca manavaḥ kāle
ījire ṛṣayo 'pare
pitaro vibudhā daityā
manuṣyāḥ kratubhir vibhum
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter; ca—also; manavaḥ—the Manus, the fathers of mankind; kāle—in due course of time; ījire—worshiped; ṛṣayaḥ—great sages; apare—others; pitaraḥ—the forefathers; vibudhāḥ—the learned scholars; daityāḥ—great devotees of the demigods; manuṣyāḥ—mankind; kratubhiḥ vibhum—by performance of sacrifices to please the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, the Manus, the fathers of mankind, the great sages, the forefathers, the learned scholars, the Daityas and mankind performed sacrifices meant to please the Supreme Lord.
PURPORT
The daityas are devotees of the demigods because they want to derive the greatest possible material facilities from them. The devotees of the Lord are eka-niṣṭha, or absolutely attached to the devotional service of the Lord. Therefore they have practically no time to seek the benefits of material facilities. Because of their realization of their spiritual identity, they are more concerned with spiritual emancipation than with material comforts.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.30
tataś ca manavaḥ kāle ījire ṛṣayo ’pare |
pitaro vibudhā daityā manuṣyāḥ kratubhir vibhum ||
Then the Manus, sages, Pitṛs, the devatās, the Daityas and humans, on different occasions worshipped the Lord using sacrifice.
Kāle means “when they had the opportunity.”
TEXT - SB 2.6.31
nārāyaṇe bhagavati
tad idaṁ viśvam āhitam
gṛhīta-māyoru-guṇaḥ
sargādāv aguṇaḥ svataḥ
SYNONYMS
nārāyaṇe—unto Nārāyaṇa; bhagavati—the Personality of Godhead; tat idam—all these material manifestations; viśvam—all the universes; āhitam—situated; gṛhīta—having accepted; māyā—material energies; uru-guṇaḥ—greatly powerful; sarga-ādau—in creation, maintenance and destruction; aguṇaḥ—without affinity for the material modes; svataḥ—self-sufficiently.
TRANSLATION
All the material manifestations of the universes are therefore situated in His powerful material energies, which He accepts self-sufficiently, although He is eternally without affinity for the material modes.
PURPORT
The question put by Nārada before Brahmā concerning the sustenance of the material creation is thus answered. Material actions and reactions, as the material scientist can superficially observe, are not basically ultimate truth in regard to creation, maintenance and destruction. The material energy is a potency of the Lord which is displayed in time, accepting the three qualities of goodness, passion and ignorance in the forms of Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva. The material energy thus works under the supreme spell of His Lordship, although He is always transcendental to all such material activities. A rich man constructs a big house by spending his energy in the shape of resources, and similarly he destroys a big house by his resources, but the maintenance is always under his personal care. The Lord is the richest of the rich because He is always fully complete in six opulences. Therefore He is not required to do anything personally, but everything in the material world is carried out by His wishes and direction; therefore, the entire material manifestation is situated in Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The impersonal conception of the supreme truth is due to lack of knowledge only, and this fact is clearly explained by Brahmājī, who is supposed to be the creator of the universal affairs. Brahmājī is the highest authority in Vedic wisdom, and his assertion in this connection is therefore the supreme information.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.31
nārāyaṇe bhagavati tad idaṁ viśvam āhitam |
gṛhīta-māyoru-guṇaḥ sargādāv aguṇaḥ svataḥ ||
The universe is situated in Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord. By nature the Lord is beyond the guṇas of prakṛti, but for creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe, he has many guṇas by accepting māyā through the forms of the devatās.
This verse summarizes the answer to the question given in SB 2.5.2 yad adhiṣthānam: what is shelter of the universe. Āhitam means situated. The Lord naturally has no guṇas but has many guṇas by accepting māyā in the form of devatās like Brahmā and Śiva.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.31||
nārāyaṇe bhagavati tad idaṃ viśvam āhitam | gṛhīta-māyoru-guṇaḥ sargādāv aguṇaḥ svataḥ ||
TRANSLATION The universe is situated in Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord. By nature the Lord is beyond the guṇas of prakṛti, but for creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe, he has many guṇas by accepting māyā through the forms of the devatās.
The universe, endowed with māyā, is entrusted with creation by the Lord
endowed with six qualities, beyond māyā, who is naturally untouched by the guṇas, but who, at creation, by his chance glance, accepts the guṇas of māyā.
TEXT - SB 2.6.32
sṛjāmi tan-niyukto 'haṁ
haro harati tad-vaśaḥ
viśvaṁ puruṣa-rūpeṇa
paripāti tri-śakti-dhṛk
SYNONYMS
sṛjāmi—do create; tat—by His; niyuktaḥ—appointment; aham—I; haraḥ—Lord Śiva; harati—destroys; tat-vaśaḥ—under His subordination; viśvam—the whole universe; puruṣa—the Personality of Godhead; rūpeṇa—by His eternal form; paripāti—maintains; tri-śakti-dhṛk—the controller of three energies.
TRANSLATION
By His will, I create, Lord Śiva destroys, and He Himself, in His eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, maintains everything. He is the powerful controller of these three energies.
PURPORT
The conception of one without a second is clearly confirmed here. The one is Lord Vāsudeva, and only by His different energies and expansions are different manifestations, both in the material and in the spiritual worlds, maintained. In the material world also, Lord Vāsudeva is everything, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19). Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: everything is Vāsudeva only. In the Vedic hymns also the same Vāsudeva is held to be supreme. It is said in the Vedas, vāsudevāt paro brahman na cānyo 'rtho 'sti tattvataḥ: in fact there is no greater truth than Vāsudeva. And Lord Kṛṣṇa affirms the same truth in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.7). Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: "There is nothing above Me [Lord Kṛṣṇa]." So the conception of oneness, as overly stressed by the impersonalist, is also accepted by the personalist devotee of the Lord. The difference is that the impersonalist denies personality in the ultimate issue, whereas the devotee gives more importance to the Personality of Godhead. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explains this truth in the verse under discussion: Lord Vāsudeva is one without a second, but because He is all-powerful, He can expand Himself as well as display His omnipotencies. The Lord is described here as omnipotent by three energies (tri-śakti-dhṛk). So primarily His three energies are internal, marginal and external. This external energy is also displayed in the three modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Similarly, the internal potency is also displayed in three spiritual modes—saṁvit, sandhinī and hlādinī. The marginal potency, or the living entities, is also spiritual (prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām), but the living entities are never equal to the Lord. The Lord is nirasta-sāmya-atiśaya; in other words, no one is greater than or equal to the Supreme Lord. So the living entities, including even such great personalities as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, are all subordinate to the Lord. In the material world also, in His eternal form of Viṣṇu, He maintains and controls all the affairs of the demigods, including Brahmā and Śiva.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.32
sṛjāmi tan-niyukto ’haṁ haro harati tad-vaśaḥ |
viśvaṁ puruṣa-rūpeṇa paripāti tri-śakti-dhṛk ||
I create under his order, and Śiva destroys under his order. Holding his three energies, he protects the universe as the Paramātmā.
This verse elaborates the creation, maintenance and destruction mentioned in the previous verse. It also answers the question yat paras tvam: on whom do you, Brahmā, depend? Brahmā and Śiva are different from Viṣṇu because of their contact with rajas and tamas, since they are under the control of Viṣṇu. Though Viṣṇu is connected with sattva-guṇa, he is śuddha-sattva., He is not actually in contact with sattva-guṇa since he is indifferent to it and since sattva does not have a harmful nature. Because he is thus beyond the guṇas, he is shown to be the Lord, Paramātmā, who holds māyā-śakti having three guṇas (tri-śakti-dhṛk). Or this can mean he holds the internal, external and taṭastha śaktis.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.32||
sṛjāmi tan-niyukto ’haṃ haro harati tad-vaśaḥ | viśvaṃ puruṣa-rūpeṇa paripāti tri-śakti-dhṛk ||
TRANSLATION I create under his order, and Śiva destroys under his order. Holding his three energies, he protects the universe as the Paramātmā. Having spoken of himself and Śiva as being controlled, Brahmā now shows that Viṣṇu is the controller directly. In the form of Parmātmā, avatāra of Viṣṇu, the puruṣa alone who possess three śaktis protects the universe. This is not like creation and destruction carried out by his empowered portions. Jiva's tika ||2.6.34|| na bhāratī me ’nga mṛṣopalakṣyate na vai kvacin me manaso mṛṣā gatiḥ | na me hṛṣīkāṇi patanty asat-pathe yan me hṛdautkaṇṭhyavatā dhṛto hariḥ ||
TRANSLATION O Nārada! My words are never false. The working of the mind is never false. My senses do not fall onto the wrong path. This is because I hold the Lord in my heart, filled great zeal.
He manifests because of my intense bhakti.
TEXT - SB 2.6.33
iti te 'bhihitaṁ tāta
yathedam anupṛcchasi
nānyad bhagavataḥ kiñcid
bhāvyaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam
SYNONYMS
iti—thus; te—unto you; abhihitam—explained; tāta—my dear son; yathā—as; idam—all these; anupṛcchasi—as you have inquired; na—never; anyat—anything else; bhagavataḥ—beyond the Personality of Godhead; kiñcit—nothing; bhāvyam—to be thought ever; sat—cause; asat—effect; ātmakam—in the matter of.
TRANSLATION
My dear son, whatever you inquired from me I have thus explained unto you, and you must know for certain that whatever there is (either as cause or as effect, both in the material and spiritual worlds) is dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The complete cosmic situation, both in the material and in the spiritual manifestations of the energies of the Lord, is working and moving first as the cause and then as the effect. But the original cause is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Effects of the original cause become the causes of other effects, and thus everything, either permanent or temporary, is working as cause and effect. And because the Lord is the primeval cause of all persons and all energies, He is called the cause of all causes, as confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā as well as in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Brahma-saṁhitā (5.1) affirms:
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
And in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8) it is said:
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
So the original primeval cause is vigraha, the personal, and the impersonal spiritual effulgence, brahmajyoti, is also an effect of the Supreme Brahman (brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham [14.27]), Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.33
iti te ’bhihitaṁ tāta yathedam anupṛcchasi |
nānyad bhagavataḥ kiñcid bhāvyaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam ||
O son! I have answered according to your questions. You should not think that there is anything, either as effect or as cause, other than the Supreme Lord.
This summarizes the section. Sad-asad-ātmakam means composed of effect and cause, and also the spiritual world and material world. You should not think (na bhāvyam) that there is anything except the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.6.34
na bhāratī me 'ṅga mṛṣopalakṣyate
na vai kvacin me manaso mṛṣā gatiḥ
na me hṛṣīkāṇi patanty asat-pathe
yan me hṛdautkaṇṭhyavatā dhṛto hariḥ
SYNONYMS
na—never; bhāratī—statements; me—mind; aṅga—O Nārada; mṛṣā—untruth; upalakṣyate—prove to be; na—never; vai—certainly; kvacit—at any time; me—mine; manasaḥ—of the mind; mṛṣā—untruth; gatiḥ—progress; na—nor; me—mine; hṛṣīkāṇi—senses; patanti—degrades; asat-pathe—in temporary matter; yat—because; me—mine; hṛdā—heart; autkaṇṭhyavatā—by great earnestness; dhṛtaḥ—caught hold of; hariḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
O Nārada, because I have caught hold of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, with great zeal, whatever I say has never proved to have been false. Nor is the progress of my mind ever deterred. Nor are my senses ever degraded by temporary attachment to matter.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā is the original speaker of Vedic wisdom to Nārada, and Nārada is the distributor of transcendental knowledge all over the world through his various disciples, like Vyāsadeva and others. The followers of Vedic wisdom accept the statements of Brahmājī as gospel truth, and transcendental knowledge is thus being distributed all over the world by the process of disciplic succession from time immemorial, since the beginning of the creation. Lord Brahmā is the perfect liberated living being within the material world, and any sincere student of transcendental knowledge must accept the words and statements of Brahmājī as infallible. The Vedic knowledge is infallible because it comes down directly from the Supreme Lord unto the heart of Brahmā, and since he is the most perfect living being, Brahmājī is always correct to the letter. And this is because Lord Brahmā is a great devotee of the Lord who has earnestly accepted the lotus feet of the Lord as the supreme truth. In the Brahma-saṁhitā, which is compiled by Brahmājī, he repeats the aphorism govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi: "I am a worshiper of the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the primeval Lord." So whatever he says, whatever he thinks, and whatever he does normally in his mood are to be accepted as truth because of his direct and very intimate connection with Govinda, the primeval Lord. Śrī Govinda, who pleasingly accepts the loving transcendental service of His devotees, gives all protection to the words and actions of His devotees. The Lord declares in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.31), kaunteya pratijānīhi: "O son of Kuntī, please declare it." The Lord asks Arjuna to declare, and why? Because sometimes the declaration of Govinda Himself may seem contradictory to mundane creatures, but the mundaner will never find any contradiction in the words of the Lord's devotees. The devotees are especially protected by the Lord so that they may remain infallible. Therefore the process of devotional service always begins in the service of the devotee who appears in disciplic succession. The devotees are always liberated, but that does not mean that they are impersonal. The Lord is a person eternally, and the devotee of the Lord is also a person eternally. Because the devotee has his sense organs even at the liberated stage, he is therefore a person always. And because the devotee's service is accepted by the Lord in full reciprocation, the Lord is also a person in His complete spiritual embodiment. The devotee's senses, being engaged in the service of the Lord, never go astray under the attraction of false material enjoyment. The plans of the devotee never go in vain, and all this is due to the faithful attachment of the devotee for the service of the Lord. This is the standard of perfection and liberation. Anyone, beginning from Brahmājī down to the human being, is at once put on the path of liberation simply by his attachment in great earnestness for the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Lord. The Lord affirms this in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
Anyone, therefore, who is earnestly serious in heart and soul about being in intimate touch with the Personality of Godhead in the relationship of transcendental loving service will always be infallible in words and action. The reason is that the Supreme Lord is Absolute Truth, and anything earnestly dovetailed with the Absolute Truth attains the same transcendental quality. On the other hand, any amount of mental speculation on the strength of material science and knowledge without any bona fide touch with the Absolute Truth is sure to be a mundane untruth and failure, simply due to not being in touch with the Absolute Truth. Such godless, unfaithful words and actions, however materially enriched, are never to be trusted. That is the purport of this important verse. A grain of devotion is more valuable than tons of faithlessness.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.34
na bhāratī me ’ṅga mṛṣopalakṣyate
na vai kvacin me manaso mṛṣā gatiḥ |
na me hṛṣīkāṇi patanty asat-pathe
yan me hṛdautkaṇṭhyavatā dhṛto hariḥ ||
“You say that the spiritual world is eternal, beyond the three guṇas in such verses as amṛtaṁ kṣemam abhayaṁ tri-mūrdhno’dhāyi mūrdhasu. (SB 2.6.19) You have also said that the one quarter portion, the material world of three guṇas, is not false, though it is temporary, being the effect of the external energy māyā in such verses as vilajjamānayā. (SB 2.5.13) You also imply that the objects of the material world are real since they are used in sādhana. But others learned in scripture say that this whole universe is illusory, since it is a play of the mind, and that the existence of the Lord is temporary since it has only secondary qualities of existence. What to speak of his abode of three portions! Should I believe your words or theirs?”
The words I have spoken to you are not false. The reason is that the Lord, the cause of everything, is held in my zealous mind. Where there is the Lord, there is truth. Believe my words. Others learned in scriptures do not hold the Lord in their minds. Thus the working of their minds is false, and their words are false. Do not accept the opinions of such liars!
TEXT - SB 2.6.35
so 'haṁ samāmnāyamayas tapomayaḥ
prajāpatīnām abhivanditaḥ patiḥ
āsthāya yogaṁ nipuṇaṁ samāhitas
taṁ nādhyagacchaṁ yata ātma-sambhavaḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ aham—myself (the great Brahmā); samāmnāya-mayaḥ—in the chain of disciplic succession of Vedic wisdom; tapaḥ-mayaḥ—successfully having undergone all austerities; prajāpatīnām—of all the forefathers of living entities; abhivanditaḥ—worshipable; patiḥ—master; āsthāya—successfully practiced; yogam—mystic powers; nipuṇam—very expert; samāhitaḥ—self-realized; tam—the Supreme Lord; na—did not; adhyagaccham—properly understood; yataḥ—from whom; ātma—self; sambhavaḥ—generated.
TRANSLATION
Although I am known as the great Brahmā, perfect in the disciplic succession of Vedic wisdom, and although I have undergone all austerities and am an expert in mystic powers and self-realization, and although I am recognized as such by the great forefathers of the living entities, who offer me respectful obeisances, still I cannot understand Him, the Lord, the very source of my birth.
PURPORT
Brahmā, the greatest of all living creatures within the universe, is admitting his failure to know the Supreme Lord despite his vast learning in the Vedic wisdom, despite his austerity, penance, mystic powers and self-realization, and despite being worshiped by the great Prajāpatis, the forefathers of the living entities. So these qualifications are not sufficient to know the Supreme Lord. Brahmājī could understand the Lord to a little extent only when he was trying to serve Him by the eagerness of his heart (hṛdautkaṇṭhyavatā), which is the devotional service mood. Therefore, the Lord can be known only by the sincere mood of eagerness for service, and not by any amount of material qualification as scientist or speculative philosopher or by attainment of mystic powers. This fact is clearly corroborated in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.54-55):
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
viśate tad-anantaram
Only self-realization, by attainment of the above high qualifications of Vedic wisdom, austerity, etc., can help one on the path of devotional service. But failing in devotional service, one remains still imperfect because even in that position of self-realization one cannot factually know the Supreme Lord. By self-realization, one is qualified to become a devotee, and the devotee, by service mood (bhaktyā) only, can gradually know the Personality of Godhead. One should not, however, misunderstand the import of viśate ("enters into") as referring to merging into the existence of the Supreme. Even in material existence, one is merged in the existence of the Lord. No materialist can disentangle self from matter, for the self is merged in the external energy of the Lord. As no layman can separate butter from milk, no one can extricate the merged self from matter by acquiring some material qualification. This viśate by devotion (bhaktyā) means to be able to participate in the association of the Lord in person. Bhakti, or devotional service to the Lord, means to become free from material entanglement and then to enter into the kingdom of God, becoming one like Him. Losing one's individuality is not the aim of bhakti-yoga or of the devotees of the Lord. There are five types of liberation, one of which is called sāyujya-mukti, or being merged into the existence or body of the Lord. The other forms of liberation maintain the individuality of the particle soul and involve being always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The word viśate, used in the verses of the Bhagavad-gītā, is thus meant for the devotees who are not at all anxious for any kind of liberation. The devotees are satisfied simply in being engaged in the service of the Lord, regardless of the situation.
Lord Brahmā is the first living being, who directly learned the Vedic wisdom from the Lord (tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]). Therefore, who can be a more learned Vedāntist than Lord Brahmā? He admits that in spite of his perfect knowledge in the Vedas, he was unable to know the glories of the Lord. Since no one can be more than Lord Brahmā, how can a so-called Vedāntist be perfectly cognizant of the Absolute Truth? The so-called Vedāntist, therefore, cannot enter into the existence of the Lord without being trained in the matter of bhakti-vedānta, or Vedānta plus bhakti. Vedānta means self-realization, and bhakti means realization of the Personality of Godhead, to some extent. No one can know the Personality of Godhead in full, but at least to a certain extent one can know the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, by self-surrender and a devotional attitude, and by nothing else. In the Brahma-saṁhitā also, it is said, vedeṣu durlabham, or simply by study of Vedānta one can hardly find out the existence of the Personality of Godhead, but the Lord is adurlabham ātma-bhaktau, very easily available to His devotee. Śrīla Vyāsadeva, therefore, was not satisfied simply with compiling the Vedānta-sūtras, but over and above this, by the advice of his spiritual master, Nārada, he compiled the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in order to understand the real import of Vedānta. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam therefore, is the absolute medium by which to understand the Absolute Truth.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.35
so ’haṁ samāmnāya-mayas tapo-mayaḥ
prajāpatīnām abhivanditaḥ patiḥ |
āsthāya yogaṁ nipuṇaṁ samāhitas
taṁ nādhyagacchaṁ yata ātma-sambhavaḥ ||
“Those learned in the conclusions of all the Vedas think that they know the form of the Supreme Lord. Do they understand other things by their reasoning?”
I, as described in the previous verse, holding the Lord in my zealous heart (so ’ham), am filled with the Vedas (samāmnāya-mayaḥ). The Vedas came out of my mouths at the beginning. Others ask the meaning of these Vedas even today. I am the first to perform austerity.
sa cintayan dvy-akṣaram ekadāmbhasy
upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṁ vaco vibhuḥ
sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṁśaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ nṛpa yad dhanaṁ viduḥ
While Brahmā was contemplating how to carry out the creation of the universe, he heard close by in the water a word of two syllables tapa composed of the sixteenth and twenty-first sounds of the alphabet, which is known as the wealth of the devotees with no material desire. SB 2.9.6
I performed austerity first, ordered by the Lord. Having gained knowledge of the Lord, I received powers from the Lord. I am worshipped by the Prajāpatis. Do not say that I do not have powers of yoga. With concentrated mind I practiced skilful yoga. But I did not know the Lord, because he is my creator. Oh! Then how can those created by me, though they think they know something, know him? Those who say that the existence of the Lord is secondary are blind.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.35||
so ’haṃ samāmnāya-mayas tapo-mayaḥ prajāpatīnām abhivanditaḥ patiḥ | āsthāya yogaṃ nipuṇaṃ samāhitas taṃ nādhyagacchaṃ yata ātma-sambhavaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I, being of this nature, and being filled with the Vedas, filled with austerity, a master worshipped by the Prajāpatis, performing yoga with fixed mind, did not know the Lord, since I was created by him.
Though I performed many sādhanas previously, the Lord did not appear without bhakti.
TEXT - SB 2.6.36
nato 'smy ahaṁ tac-caraṇaṁ samīyuṣāṁ
bhavac-chidaṁ svasty-ayanaṁ sumaṅgalam
yo hy ātma-māyā-vibhavaṁ sma paryagād
yathā nabhaḥ svāntam athāpare kutaḥ
SYNONYMS
nataḥ—let me offer my obeisances; asmi—am; aham—I; tat—the Lord's; caraṇam—feet; samīyuṣām—of the surrendered soul; bhavat-chidam—that which stops repetition of birth and death; svasti-ayanam—perception of all happiness; su-maṅgalam—all-auspicious; yaḥ—one who; hi—exactly; ātma-māyā—personal energies; vibhavam—potency; sma—certainly; paryagāt—cannot estimate; yathā—as much as; nabhaḥ—the sky; sva-antam—its own limit; atha—therefore; apare—others; kutaḥ—how.
TRANSLATION
Therefore it is best for me to surrender unto His feet, which alone can deliver one from the miseries of repeated birth and death. Such surrender is all-auspicious and allows one to perceive all happiness. Even the sky cannot estimate the limits of its own expansion. So what can others do when the Lord Himself is unable to estimate His own limits?
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā, the greatest of all learned living beings, the greatest sacrificer, the greatest observer of the austere life, and the greatest self-realized mystic, advises us, as the supreme spiritual master of all living beings, that one should simply surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord in order to achieve all success, even up to the limit of being liberated from the miseries of material life and being endowed with all-auspicious spiritual existence. Lord Brahmā is known as the pitāmaha, or the father's father. A young man consults his experienced father about discharging his duties. So the father is naturally a good advisor. But Lord Brahmā is the father of all fathers. He is the father of the father of Manu, who is the father of mankind all over the universal planets. Therefore the men of this insignificant planet should kindly accept the instruction of Brahmājī and would do well to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord rather than try to estimate the length and breadth of the Lord's potencies. His potencies are immeasurable, as confirmed in the Vedas. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8 [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]). He is the greatest of all, and all others, even the greatest of all living beings, namely Brahmājī, admits that the best thing for us is to surrender unto Him. Therefore only those persons with a very poor fund of knowledge claim that they themselves are lords of all that they survey. And what can they survey? They cannot survey even the length and breadth of a small sky in one small universe. The so-called material scientist says that he would need to live forty thousand years to reach the highest planet of the universe, being carried by a sputnik. This is also utopian because no one can be expected to live forty thousand years. Besides, when the space pilot returned from his travel, none of his friends would be present to receive him back as the greatest astronaut, as has become fashionable for modern bewildered scientific men. One scientific man, who had no belief in God, was very much enthusiastic in making plans for his material existence and therefore opened a hospital to save the living. But after opening the hospital, he himself died within six months. So one should not spoil his human life, species of life, simply for the concocted material happiness of life through increasing artificial needs in the name of advancement of economic development and scientific knowledge. Rather, one should simply surrender unto the feet of the Lord to make a solution to all miseries of life. That is the instruction of Lord Kṛṣṇa directly in the Bhagavad-gītā, and that is the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Brahmājī, the supreme father of all living beings.
Anyone denying this surrendering process as recommended both in the Bhagavad-gītā and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—and, for that matter, in all authorized scriptures—will be forced to surrender unto the laws of material nature. The living entity, by his constitutional position, is not independent. He must surrender, either unto the Lord or unto material nature. Material nature is also not independent of the Lord, since the Lord Himself has claimed material nature as mama māyā, or "My energy" (Bg. 7.14), and as me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā, or "My separated energy in eight divisions" (Bg. 7.4). Therefore material nature is also controlled by the Lord, as He has claimed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10). Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sacarācaram: "Under My direction only is material nature working, and thus are all things moving." And the living entities, being superior energy to matter, have choice and discrimination either to surrender unto the Lord or to surrender unto material nature. By surrendering unto the Lord, one is happy and liberated, but by surrendering unto material nature the living entity suffers. So the end of all suffering means surrendering unto the Lord because the surrendering process itself is bhava-cchidam (liberation from all material miseries), svasty-ayanam (perception of all happiness), and sumaṅgalam (the source of everything auspicious).
Therefore liberty, happiness and all good fortune can be attained only by surrendering unto the Lord because He is full liberty, full happiness and full auspiciousness. Such liberation and happiness are also unlimited, and they have been compared to the sky, although such liberation and happiness are infinitely greater than the sky. In our present position we can simply understand the magnitude of greatness when it is compared to the sky. We fail to measure the sky, but the happiness and liberty obtained in association with the Lord are far greater than the sky. That spiritual happiness is so great that it cannot be measured, even by the Lord Himself, not to speak of others.
It is said in the scriptures, brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam: spiritual happiness is unlimited. Here it is said that even the Lord cannot measure such happiness. This does not mean that the Lord cannot measure it and is therefore imperfect in that sense. The actual position is that the Lord can measure it, but the happiness in the Lord is also identical with the Lord on account of absolute knowledge. So the happiness derived from the Lord may be measured by the Lord, but the happiness increases again, and the Lord measures it again, and then again the happiness increases more and more, and the Lord measures it more and more, and as such there is eternally a competition between increment and measurement, so much so that the competition is never stopped, but goes on unlimitedly ad infinitum. Spiritual happiness is ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, or the ocean of happiness which increases. The material ocean is stagnant, but the spiritual ocean is dynamic. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, (Ādi-līlā, Fourth Chapter) Kavirāja Gosvāmī has very nicely described this dynamic increment of the ocean of spiritual happiness in the transcendental person of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the pleasure potency of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.36
nato ’smy ahaṁ tac-caraṇaṁ samīyuṣāṁ
bhavac-chidaṁ svasty-ayanaṁ sumaṅgalam |
yo hy ātma-māyā-vibhavaṁ sma paryagād
yathā nabhaḥ svāntam athāpare kutaḥ ||
I offer my respects to lotus feet of the Lord, which destroy material existence for the devotees and bestow the bliss of prema, and which deliver the goals of other sādhanas. Even that Lord does not know the extent of his yoga-māyā, just as space does not know its limits. What then can others know about the Lord?
The inexperienced fools prattle when they speak about the Supreme Lord, because even the Lord cannot know about himself. Brahmā offers him respect with great devotion. I offer respects to the Lord’s feet which cut the suffering of material life for the devotees (samīyuṣām). This is an unsought result for the devotees. Those feet give the happiness of prema (svastyayanam). This is the sought result. Those feet cause most auspiciousness (sumaṅgalam), because without some mixture of bhakti the karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs get no results from their practice. He also does not know (paryāgat) the extent of his yoga-māyā (ātmā-māyā-vibhavam). Pari here is a negative. Thus pariyāgat means he cannot know. How then can others understand?
But how can the omniscient Lord not know? It is because he has no limits. An example is given. Space does not know its own end. Not being able to see a sky flower does not destroy omniscience. Thus it is said:
dyupataya eva te na yayur antam anantatayā
tvam api yad antarāṇḍa-nicayā nanu sāvaraṇāḥ
Because you are unlimited, neither the lords of heaven nor even you yourself can ever reach the end of your glories. The countless universes, each enveloped in its shell, are compelled by the wheel of time to wander within you, like particles of dust blowing about in the sky. SB 10.87.41
The śruti says:
yo ’syādhyakṣaḥ parame vyoman so ’ṅga veda yadi vā na veda
If a person says he knows that Supreme Lord in the spiritual sky, he does not know him.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.36||
nato ’smy ahaṃ tac-caraṇaṃ samīyuṣāṃ bhavac-chidaṃ svasty-ayanaṃ sumangalam | yo hy ātma-māyā-vibhavaṃ sma paryagād yathā nabhaḥ svāntam athāpare kutaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I offer my respects to lotus feet of the Lord, which destroy material existence for the devotees and bestow the bliss of prema, and which deliver the goals of other sādhanas. Even that Lord does not know the extent of his yoga-māyā, just as space does not know its limits. What then can others know about the Lord?
Bhakti filled with offering of respects is suitable for Brahmā, whereas efforts in jnāna are not suitable. Even he does not know the greatness of his svarūpa – śakti (ātmamāyā-vibhavam). The example of the sky recalls śruti statements, giving a sweet taste. The example is given only for immediate understanding since the sky is actually limited.
TEXT - SB 2.6.37
nāhaṁ na yūyaṁ yad-ṛtāṁ gatiṁ vidur
na vāmadevaḥ kim utāpare surāḥ
tan-māyayā mohita-buddhayas tv idaṁ
vinirmitaṁ cātma-samaṁ vicakṣmahe
SYNONYMS
na—neither; aham—I; na—nor; yūyam—all you sons; yat—whose; ṛtām—factual; gatim—movements; viduḥ—do know; na—nor; vāmadevaḥ—Lord Śiva; kim—what; uta—else; apare—others; surāḥ—demigods; tat—by His; māyayā—by the illusory energy; mohita—bewildered; buddhayaḥ—with such intelligence; tu—but; idam—this; vinirmitam—what is created; ca—also; ātma-samam—by dint of one's personal ability; vicakṣmahe—observe.
TRANSLATION
Since neither Lord Śiva nor you nor I could ascertain the limits of spiritual happiness, how can other demigods know it? And because all of us are bewildered by the illusory external energy of the Supreme Lord, we can see only this manifested cosmos according to our individual ability.
PURPORT
We have many times mentioned the names of twelve selected authorities (dvādaśa-mahājana), of which Brahmā, Nārada and Lord Śiva head the list as the first, second and third in order of merit of those who know something of the Supreme Lord. Other demigods, semi-demigods, Gandharvas, Cāraṇas, Vidyādharas, human beings or asuras cannot possibly know fully about the potencies of the Absolute Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The demigods, semi-demigods, Gandharvas, etc., are all highly intelligent persons in the upper planets, the human beings are inhabitants of the intermediate planets, and the asuras are inhabitants of the lower planets. All of them have their respective conceptions and estimations of the Absolute Truth, as does the scientist or the empiric philosopher in human society. All such living entities are creatures of the material nature, and consequently they are bewildered by the wonderful display of the three modes of material nature. Such bewilderment is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.13). Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair ebhiḥ samam idaṁ jagat: every entity, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant, is individually bewildered by the three modes of material nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. Everyone thinks, in terms of individual capacity, that this universe, which is manifested before us, is all in all. And so the scientist in the human society of the twentieth century calculates the beginning and end of the universe in his own way. But what can the scientists know? Even Brahmā himself was once bewildered, thinking himself the only one Brahmā favored by the Lord, but later on, by the grace of the Lord, he came to know that there are innumerable more powerful Brahmās as well, in far bigger universes beyond this universe, and all of these universes combined together form ekapād-vibhūti, or one fourth of the manifestation of the Lord's creative energy. The other three fourths of His energy are displayed in the spiritual world, and so what can the tiny scientist with a tiny brain know of the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa? The Lord says, therefore, mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam: [Bg. 7.13] bewildered by such modes of material nature, they cannot understand that beyond these manifestations is a Supreme Person who is the absolute controller of everything. Brahmā, Nārada and Lord Śiva know about the Lord to a considerable extent, and therefore one should follow the instructions of these great personalities instead of being satisfied with a tiny brain and its playful discoveries such as spacecraft and similar products of science. As the mother is the only authority to identify the father of a child, so the mother Vedas, presented by the recognized authority such as Brahmā, Nārada or Śiva, is the only authority to inform us about the Absolute Truth.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.37
nāhaṁ[135] na yūyaṁ yad-ṛtāṁ gatiṁ vidur
na vāmadevaḥ kim utāpare surāḥ |
tan-māyayā mohita-buddhayas tv idaṁ
vinirmitaṁ cātma-samaṁ vicakṣmahe ||
I, you, and Śiva do not know the three part spiritual world and the one part material world, what to speak of others. Bewildered in intelligence, we speak about the material realm only, and do that according to our limited knowledge.
Brahmā expresses his low position in two verses. Vāmadevaḥ is Śiva. I, you and Śiva do not know the truth about the spiritual and material worlds. What then to speak of others knowing? With confused intelligence, we speak of the one quarter portion made of māyā, but only according to our own knowledge (ātmā-samam). We do not know everything.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.37||
nāhaṃ na yūyaṃ yad-ṛtāṃ gatiṃ vidur na vāmadevaḥ kim utāpare surāḥ | tan-māyayā mohita-buddhayas tv idaṃ vinirmitaṃ cātma-samaṃ vicakṣmahe ||
TRANSLATION I, you, and Śiva do not know the three part spiritual world and the one part material world, what to speak of others. Bewildered in intelligence, we speak about the material realm only, and do that according to our limited knowledge.
This is a statement spoken in humility. Ṛtām gatim means Vaikuṇṭha. We do not know Vaikuṇṭha. We speak about the material world made of the Lord’s māyā which is suitable for us, since our minds are bewildered by his māyā.
TEXT - SB 2.6.38
yasyāvatāra-karmāṇi
gāyanti hy asmad-ādayaḥ
na yaṁ vidanti tattvena
tasmai bhagavate namaḥ
SYNONYMS
yasya—whose; avatāra—incarnation; karmāṇi—activities; gāyanti—chant in glorification; hi—indeed; asmat-ādayaḥ—persons like us; na—do not; yam—whom; vidanti—know; tattvena—cent percent as He is; tasmai—unto Him; bhagavate—unto the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa; namaḥ—respectful obeisances.
TRANSLATION
Let us offer our respectful obeisances unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose incarnations and activities are chanted by us for glorification, though He can hardly be fully known as He is.
PURPORT
It is said that the transcendental name, form, quality, pastimes, paraphernalia, personality, etc., cannot possibly be perceived by the gross materialistic senses. But when the senses are purified by the process of hearing, chanting, remembering, and worshiping the lotus feet of the holy Deity, etc., the Lord reveals Himself proportionately to the advancement of the quality of devotional service (ye yathā māṁ prapadyante [Bg. 4.11]). One should not expect the Lord to be an order-supplying agent who must be present before us as soon as we desire to see Him. We must be ready to undergo the prescribed devotional duties, following the path shown by the predecessors in the disciplic succession from Brahmā, Nārada and similar authorities. As the senses are progressively purified by bona fide devotional service, the Lord reveals His identity according to the spiritual advancement of the devotee. But one who is not in the line of devotional service can hardly perceive Him simply by calculations and philosophical speculations. Such a hard worker can present a jugglery of words before an audience, but can never know the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His personal feature. The Lord has clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that one can know Him only by devotional service. No one can know the Lord by any puffed-up material process of challenge, but the humble devotee can please the Lord by his earnest devotional activities. Thus the Lord reveals Himself proportionately before the devotee. Lord Brahmā therefore offers his respectful obeisances as a bona fide spiritual master and advises us to follow the process of śravaṇa and kīrtana. Simply by this process, or simply by hearing and chanting the glories of the activities of the Lord's incarnation, one can certainly see within himself the identity of the Lord. We have already discussed this subject in volume one of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in connection with this verse:
tac chraddadhānā munayo
jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā
paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ
bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā
(SB 1.2.12)
The conclusion is that one cannot know the Supreme Personality of Godhead fully by any method, but He can be seen and felt partially by the devotional service process of hearing, chanting, etc.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.38
yasyāvatāra-karmāṇi gāyanti hy asmad-ādayaḥ |
na yaṁ vidanti tattvena tasmai bhagavate namaḥ ||
I and others offer respects to the Supreme Lord, whom we do not know but whose activities we glorify when he appears as various avatāras.
Even if we do not know about these things in truth we can still practice bhakti with processes like chanting. We speak about the activities of his avatāras. Please listen.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.38||
yasyāvatāra-karmāṇi gāyanti hy asmad-ādayaḥ |
na yaṃ vidanti tattvena tasmai bhagavate namaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I and others offer respects to the Supreme Lord, whom we do not know but whose activities we glorify when he appears as various avatāras.
We do not know in reality about the extent of his śakti and his svarūpa (tattvena).
TEXT - SB 2.6.39
sa eṣa ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ
kalpe kalpe sṛjaty ajaḥ
ātmātmany ātmanātmānaṁ
sa saṁyacchati pāti ca
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; eṣaḥ—the very; ādyaḥ—the original Personality of Godhead; puruṣaḥ—the Mahā-Viṣṇu incarnation, a plenary portion of Govinda, Lord Kṛṣṇa; kalpe kalpe—in each and every millennium; sṛjati—creates; ajaḥ—the unborn; ātmā—self; ātmani—upon the self; ātmanā—by His own self; ātmānam—own self; saḥ—He; saṁyacchati—absorbs; pāti—maintains; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
That supreme original Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, expanding His plenary portion as Mahā-Viṣṇu, the first incarnation, creates this manifested cosmos, but He is unborn. The creation, however, takes place in Him, and the material substance and manifestations are all Himself. He maintains them for some time and absorbs them into Himself again.
PURPORT
The creation is nondifferent from the Lord, and still He is not in the creation. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) as follows:
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ
jagad avyakta-mūrtinā
mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni
na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ
The impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth is also a form of the Lord called avyakta-mūrti. Mūrti means "form," but because His impersonal feature is inexplicable to our limited senses, He is the avyakta-mūrti form, and in that inexplicable form of the Lord the whole creation is resting; or, in other words, the whole creation is the Lord Himself, and the creation is also nondifferent from Him, but simultaneously He, as the original Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is aloof from the created manifestation. The impersonalist gives stress to the impersonal form or feature of the Lord and does not believe in the original personality of the Lord, but the Vaiṣṇavas accept the original form of the Lord, of whom the impersonal form is merely one of the features. The impersonal and personal conceptions of the Lord are existing simultaneously, and this fact is clearly described both in the Bhagavad-gītā and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and also in other Vedic scriptures. Inconceivable to human intelligence, the idea must simply be accepted on the authority of the scriptures, and it can only be practically realized by the progress of devotional service unto the Lord, and never by mental speculation or inductive logic. The impersonalists depend more or less on inductive logic, and therefore they always remain in darkness about the original Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Their conception of Kṛṣṇa is not clear, although everything is clearly mentioned in all the Vedic scriptures. A poor fund of knowledge cannot comprehend the existence of an original personal form of the Lord when He is expanded in everything. This imperfectness is due, more or less, to the material conception that a substance distributed widely in parts can no longer exist in the original form.
The original Personality of Godhead (ādyaḥ), Govinda, expands Himself as the Mahā-Viṣṇu incarnation and rests in the Causal Ocean, which He Himself creates. The Brahma-saṁhitā (5.47) confirms this as follows:
yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-
nidrām ananta-jagad-aṇḍa-saroma-kūpaḥ
ādhāra-śaktim avalambya parāṁ sva-mūrtiṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Lord Brahmājī says in his Brahma-saṁhitā, "I worship the primeval Lord Govinda, who lies down in the Causal Ocean in His plenary portion as Mahā-Viṣṇu, with all the universes generating from the pores of hair on His transcendental body, and who accepts the mystic slumber of eternity."
So this Mahā-Viṣṇu is the first incarnation in the creation, and from Him all the universes are generated and all material manifestations are produced, one after another. The Causal Ocean is created by the Lord as the mahat-tattva, as a cloud in the spiritual sky, and is only a part of His different manifestations. The spiritual sky is an expansion of His personal rays, and He is the mahat-tattva cloud also. He lies down and generates the universes by His breathing, and again, by entering into each universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, He creates Brahmā, Śiva and many other demigods for maintenance of the universe and again absorbs the whole thing into His person as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.7):
sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya
prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām
kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni
kalpādau visṛjāmy aham
"O son of Kuntī, when the kalpa, or the duration of the life of Brahmā, is ended, then all the created manifestations enter into My prakṛti, or energy, and again, when I desire, the same creation takes place by My personal energy."
The conclusion is that these are all but displays of the Lord's inconceivable personal energies, of which no one can have any full information. This point we have already discussed.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.39
sa eṣa ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ kalpe kalpe sṛjaty ajaḥ |
ātmātmany ātmanātmānaṁ sa saṁyacchati pāti ca ||
Mahā-viṣṇu, without birth, the soul of all beings, creates, maintains and destroys himself (the universe) by himself in himself.
Brahmā summarizes the activities of the first puruṣāvatāra. The puruṣāvatara (ādhyaḥ puruṣaḥ), the unborn self, creates himself by himself in himself, at the beginning of every mahā-kalpa (kalpe kalpe). He, the subject, creates the object, himself (the universe).
Jiva's tika ||2.6.39||
sa eṣa ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ kalpe kalpe sṛjaty ajaḥ | ātmātmany ātmanātmānaṃ sa saṃyacchati pāti ca ||
TRANSLATION Mahā-viṣṇu, without birth, the soul of all beings, creates, maintains and destroys himself (the universe) by himself in himself.
He attempts to describe the Lord’s most extraordinary power.
TEXT - SB 2.6.40-41
viśuddhaṁ kevalaṁ jñānaṁ
pratyak samyag avasthitam
satyaṁ pūrṇam anādy-antaṁ
nirguṇaṁ nityam advayam
ṛṣe vidanti munayaḥ
praśāntātmendriyāśayāḥ
yadā tad evāsat-tarkais
tirodhīyeta viplutam
SYNONYMS
viśuddham—without any material tinge; kevalam—pure and perfect; jñānam—knowledge; pratyak—all-pervading; samyak—in fullness; avasthitam—situated; satyam—truth; pūrṇam—absolute; anādi—without any beginning; antam—and so also without any end; nirguṇam—devoid of material modes; nityam—eternal; advayam—without any rival; ṛṣe—O Nārada, O great sage; vidanti—they can only understand; munayaḥ—the great thinkers; praśānta—pacified; ātma—self; indriya—senses; āśayāḥ—sheltered; yadā—while; tat—that; eva—certainly; asat—untenable; tarkaiḥ—arguments; tiraḥ-dhīyeta—disappears; viplutam—distorted.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead is pure, being free from all contaminations of material tinges. He is the Absolute Truth and the embodiment of full and perfect knowledge. He is all-pervading, without beginning or end, and without rival. O Nārada, O great sage, the great thinkers can know Him when completely freed from all material hankerings and when sheltered under undisturbed conditions of the senses. Otherwise, by untenable arguments, all is distorted, and the Lord disappears from our sight.
PURPORT
Here is an estimation of the Lord apart from His transcendental activities in the temporary, material creations. Māyāvāda philosophy tries to designate the Lord as contaminated by a material body when He accepts forms of incarnation. This sort of interpolation is completely denied herein by the explanation that the Lord's position is pure and unalloyed in all circumstances. According to Māyāvāda philosophy, the spirit soul, when covered by nescience, is designated as jīva, but when freed from such ignorance or nescience he merges in the impersonal existence of the Absolute Truth. But here it is said that the Lord is eternally the symbol of full and perfect knowledge. This is His speciality: perpetual freedom from all material contaminations. This distinguishes the Lord from the individual, common living entities who have the aptitude for being subordinated by nescience and thus becoming materially designated. In the Vedas it is said that the Lord is vijñānam ānandam, full of bliss and knowledge. The conditioned souls are never to be compared to Him because such individual souls have the tendency to become contaminated. Although after liberation the living entity can become one with the same quality of existence as the Lord, his very tendency to become contaminated, which the Lord never has, makes the individual living entity different from the Lord. In the Vedas it is said, śuddham apāpa-viddham: the individual ātmā becomes polluted by sin, but the Lord is never contaminated by sins. The Lord is compared to the powerful sun. The sun is never contaminated by anything infectious because it is so powerful. On the contrary, infected things are sterilized by the rays of the sun. Similarly, the Lord is never contaminated by sins; on the contrary, the sinful living entities become sterilized by contact with the Lord. This means that the Lord is also all-pervading like the sun, and as such the word pratyak is used in this verse. Nothing is excluded from the existence of the Lord's potential expansions. The Lord is within everything, and He is all-covering also, without being disturbed by the activities of the individual souls. He is therefore infinite, and the living entities are infinitesimal. In the Vedas it is said that only the Lord alone exists, and all others' existences depend on Him. He is the generating reservoir for everyone's existential capacity; He is the Supreme Truth of all other categorical truths. He is the source of everyone's opulence, and therefore no one can equal Him in opulence. Being full of all opulences, namely wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, certainly He is the Supreme Person. And because He is a person, He has many personal qualities, although He is transcendental to the material modes. We have already discussed the statement, itthaṁ-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ (SB 1.7.10). His transcendental qualities are so attractive that even the liberated souls (ātmārāmas) are also attracted by them. Although possessed of all personal qualities, He is nevertheless omnipotent. Therefore, personally He has nothing to do, for everything is being carried out by His omnipotent energies. This is confirmed by the Vedic mantras: parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. This suggests His specific spiritual form, which can never be experienced by the material senses. He can be seen only when the senses are purified by devotional service (yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena -labhyaḥ Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23). As such, there are basic differences between the Lord and the living entities, in so many respects. No one can be compared to the Lord, as the Vedas declare (ekam evādvitīyaṁ brahma, dvaitād vai bhayaṁ bhavati). The Lord has no competitor, and He has nothing to fear from any other being, nor can anyone be equal to Him. Although He is the root of all other beings, there are basic differences between Him and other beings. Otherwise there would have been no necessity for the statement in the previous verse that no one can know Him one hundred percent as He is (na yaṁ vidanti tattvena). That no one can fully understand Him is explained also in this verse, but the qualification for understanding to some degree is mentioned here. Only the praśāntas, or the unalloyed devotees of the Lord, can know Him to a greater extent. The reason is that the devotees have no demands in their lives but to be obedient servants of the Lord, while all others, namely the empiric philosophers, the mystics and the fruitive workers, all basically have some demand, and as such they cannot be pacified. The fruitive worker wants reward for his work, the mystic wants some perfection of life, and the empiric philosopher wants to merge in the existence of the Lord. Somehow or other, as long as there is a demand for sense satisfaction, there is no chance for pacification; on the contrary, by unnecessary dry speculative arguments, the whole matter becomes distorted, and thus the Lord moves still further away from our understanding. The dry speculators, however, because of their following the principles of austerity and penance, can have knowledge of the impersonal features of the Lord to some extent, but there is no chance of their understanding His ultimate form as Govinda because only the amalātmanas, or the completely sinless persons, can accept pure devotional service to the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.28):
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.40-41
“But you have said you do not know the Lord in verse 38. Is it the impersonal form that you do not know?” This verse answers. Jñānam is the word modified by the other words. It means a form of bliss, since the śruti says vijñānam ānandam brahma: the Lord is knowledge and bliss. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.9.28) This jñānam is kevala because it lacks subject, object and instrument since knowledge simply knows (or simply is). (It does not need another object to carry out recognition, and has no object other than itself.) It is without coverings (viśuddham). It is separate from everything else (pratyak). But it is situated properly because it pervades everywhere. Though it pervades everywhere, it is still in its same excellent form (satyam). It is without lesser degrees (pūrṇam). It is without birth and change (anādi-anantam). It is not mixed with the material guṇas (nirguṇam). It remains in one form throughout all time (nityam). Nothing else can compare to it (advayam).
O sage! The contemplative sages know that impersonal form of the Lord when they have controlled their mind, senses and body. That form disappears when assailed by false logic.
O sage! O Nārada! The contemplative sages (munayaḥ), when their minds, senses and bodies become peaceful, know him as described above. That Lord as knowledge disappears when troubled by false logic. This form as knowledge refers to his impersonal aspect. They know him to a certain degree, but not in his personal form. This is explained in the Tenth Canto:
Nondevotees, however, cannot realize you in your full personal feature. Nevertheless, it may be possible for them to realize your expansion as the impersonal Supreme by cultivating direct perception of the self within the heart. But they can do this only by purifying their mind and senses of all conceptions of material distinctions and all attachment to material sense objects. Only in this way will your impersonal feature manifest itself to them. SB 10.14.6
Jiva's tika ||2.6.40||
viśuddhaṃ kevalaṃ jnānaṃ pratyak samyag avasthitam | satyaṃ pūrṇam anādy-antaṃ nirguṇaṃ nityam advayam ||
TRANSLATION The Lord is that knowledge which is full of bliss, śuddha-sattva, beyond subject, object and instrument, distinguished from all else, situated everywhere in its true form, complete at all times, without beginning or end, without material guṇas, eternal and without comparison.
The unique qualities of the svarūpa of the Lord are described in two verses. The Lord is jnānam and the very form of happiness. Śruti says vijnānam ānandaṃ brahma: Brahman is knowledge and bliss. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad) This is qualified by adjectives to distinguish the lord from the jīva. He is especially pure (viśuddham kevalam), not contaminated with ignorance. Śruti says ayam ātmā ’pahatapāpma: the Lord is free of sin. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 8.1.5) This is because he is different from all else (pratyak).
Śruti says ya ātmani tiṣṭhan ātmānam antaro yamayati: he who resides in the jīva controls the jīva from within. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.7.22) He is situated everywhere (avasthitam) without being disturbed (samyak). He is not covered by something else and disturbed. And he is not a small particle. Eko devaḥ: he is the one Lord. (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad)
He is really existing (satyam), giving existence to all else. By his nature he is the chief of all existing things and nothing else. Śruti says satyaṃ cāmṛtaṃ ca satya-satyam evābhavat: The Lord is truth and sweetness, the existence on which all others exist. He is endowed with qualities of Bhagavān (pūrṇam). He is not lacking in any qualities. His form is with no beginning or end (anādyantam).
He is devoid of material guṇas (nirguṇam), but has six great qualities. Śruti says na tasya kāryaṃ karaṇanca vidyate: he has no body and no senses. (Śvetāsvatara Upaniṣad) He has a form with spiritual qualities. na sandṛśe tiṣṭhati rūpam asya: the Lord is not visible. (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.3.9) yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṃ svām: The Lord does not resemble others. The Lord reveals his form to whom he chooses. (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23)
Because he has a form which gives existence to everything else, he is eternal (nityam). There is nothing different from him (advayam). He is without fear. Śruti says ekam evādvitītyaṃ brahma dvitīyād vai bhayaṃ bhavati: there is only one Brahman and he has no fear of a second entity. (Chāndogya Upaniṣad)
He is thus different from everything else. Otherwise the following statement would be useless: yasyāvatāra-karmāṇi gāyanti hy asmad-ādayaḥ | na yaṃ vidanti tattvena tasmai bhagavate namaḥ ||
I and others offer respects to the Supreme Lord, whom we do not know but whose activities we glorify when he appears as various avatāras. (SB 2.6.38)
Jiva's tika ||2.6.41||
ṛṣe vidanti munayaḥ praśāntātmendriyāśayāḥ | yadā tad evāsat-tarkais tirodhīyeta viplutam ||
TRANSLATION O sage! The contemplative sages know that i form of the Lord when they have fixed their mings onhim. That form disappears when assailed by false logic.
The cause of other groups not being able to know the Lord is explained. Those who are fixed in the Lord (praśāntātma) know him.
tad vā idaṃ bhuvana-mangala mangalāya dhyāne sma no darśitaṃ ta upāsakānām tasmai namo bhagavate ’nuvidhema tubhyaṃ yo ’nādṛto naraka-bhāgbhir asat-prasangaiḥ
O lord of auspiciousness for the whole world! This personal form is for the benefit of the world, and it was shown to me, your worshipper, by meditation. Therefore I offer respects to that personal form. Let me only serve you, who are not respected by those who will go to hell, proclaiming that your personal form is false. (SB 3.9.4)
He, being violated (viplutam), disappears by false logic (asat-tarkaiḥ) concerning his form etc. Considering this, four lines describe how the svarūpa of the Lord, having many forms, becomes various forms in this world. Those who are ignorant do not glorify these forms and do not attain happiness. There are many verses praising that knowledge:
pariniṣṭhito ’pi nairguṇya uttama-śloka-līlayā | gṛhīta-cetā rājarṣe ākhyānaṃ yad adhītavān ||
tad ahaṃ te ’bhidhāsyāmi mahā-pauruṣiko bhavān | yasya śraddadhatām āśu syān mukunde matiḥ sate ||
Though I was fixed in Brahman and beyond the guṇas, my mind became attracted to the pastimes of the Lord. I thus learned about his pastimes. I will tell them to you. You are a great personality, who, among the faithful, will quickly fix your pure mind on Kṛṣṇa. (SB 2.1.9-10)
TEXT - SB 2.6.42
ādyo 'vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya
kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sad-asan-manaś ca
dravyaṁ vikāro guṇa indriyāṇi
virāṭ svarāṭ sthāsnu cariṣṇu bhūmnaḥ
SYNONYMS
ādyaḥ—first; avatāraḥ—incarnation; puruṣaḥ—Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu; parasya—of the Lord; kālaḥ—time; svabhāvaḥ—space; sat—result; asat—cause; manaḥ—mind; ca—also; dravyam—elements; vikāraḥ—material ego; guṇaḥ—modes of nature; indriyāṇi—senses; virāṭ—the complete whole body; svarāṭ—Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; sthāsnu—immovable; cariṣṇu—movable; bhūmnaḥ—of the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu is the first incarnation of the Supreme Lord, and He is the master of eternal time, space, cause and effects, mind, the elements, the material ego, the modes of nature, the senses, the universal form of the Lord, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and the sum total of all living beings, both moving and nonmoving.
PURPORT
That the material creation is not permanent has been discussed many times hereinbefore. The material creation is but a temporary exhibition of the material energy of the Almighty God. This material manifestation is necessary to give a chance to the conditioned souls who are unwilling to associate with the Lord in the relationship of loving transcendental service. Such unwilling conditioned souls are not allowed to enter into the liberated life of spiritual existence because at heart they are not willing to serve. Instead, they want to enjoy themselves as imitation Gods. The living entities are constitutionally eternal servitors of the Lord, but some of them, because of misusing their independence, do not wish to serve; therefore they are allowed to enjoy the material nature, which is called māyā, or illusion. It is called illusion because the living beings under the clutches of māyā are not factually enjoyers, although they think that they are, being illusioned by māyā. Such illusioned living entities are given a chance at intervals to rectify their perverted mentality of becoming false masters of the material nature, and they are imparted lessons from the Vedas about their eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]). So the temporary creation of the material manifestation is an exhibition of the material energy of the Lord, and to manage the whole show the Supreme Lord incarnates Himself as the Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu just as a magistrate is deputed by the government to manage affairs temporarily. This Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu causes the manifestation of material creation by looking over His material energy (sa aikṣata). In the first volume of this book we have already discussed to some extent the explanation of the verse jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpam. The duration of the illusory play of material creation is called a kalpa, and we have already discussed the creation's taking place in kalpa after kalpa. By His incarnation and potential activities, the complete ingredients of creation, namely time, space, cause, result, mind, the gross and subtle elements and their interactional modes of nature—goodness, passion and ignorance—and then the senses and their reservoir source, the gigantic universal form as the second incarnation Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and all living beings, both moving and standing, which come out of the second incarnation, all became manifested. Ultimately, all these creative elements and the creation itself are but potential manifestations of the Supreme Lord; nothing is independent of the control of the Supreme Being. This first incarnation in the material creation, namely Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, is the plenary part of the original Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, described in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.48) as follows:
yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
All the innumerable universes are maintained only during the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, or Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu, who is only a plenary part of Govinda, the original Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.42
ādyo ’vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya
kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sad-asan manaś ca |
dravyaṁ vikāro guṇa indriyāṇi
virāṭ svarāṭ sthāsnu cariṣṇu bhūmnaḥ ||
Mahā-viṣṇu, an expansion of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, is time, svabhāva, effect and cause, mahat-tattva, the five gross elements, false ego, the three guṇas, the senses, the universal form, the totality of jīvas, the individual jīvas as non-moving and moving beings. All of these are related to the Supreme Lord.
In four and half verses the first puruṣāvatāra mentioned in verse 38 is described in more detail. That first puruṣāvatāra, who lies on the Kāraṇa Ocean and glances at prakṛti, is expanded from the Lord residing in the spiritual sky (parasya). That was explained in the First Canto with jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ bhagavān: the Lord accepted the form of the first puruṣa. (SB 1.3.1) Time and svabhāva are his products. They are identified with the Lord as in the previous statement kalpe kalpe sṛjaty ajaḥ ātmātmany ātmanātmānam: the Lord creates himself by himself in himself in every mahā-kalpa. (SB 2.6.39) This means that by his māyā-śakti he becomes many. He is the whole universe composed of effect and cause (sad-asat). This aspect is then detailed. He is mahat-tattva (manaḥ).[136] The exact sequence of creation is not followed here. He is the five gross elements (dravyam). He is the false ego (vikāraḥ). He is the three guṇas. He is the universal form, consisting of Pātāla and other planets. He is the total of all jīvas, called Hiraṇyagarbha. He is all non-moving beings (sthāsnu) and moving beings (cariṣṇu), the individual bodies. These are all related to the Supreme Lord (bhūmnaḥ).
Jiva's tika ||2.6.42||
ādyo ’vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sad-asan manaś ca | dravyaṃ vikāro guṇa indriyāṇi virāṭ svarāṭ sthāsnu cariṣṇu bhūmnaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Mahā-viṣṇu, an expansion of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, is time, svabhāva, effect and cause, mahat-tattva, the five gross elements, false ego, the three guṇas, the senses, the universal form, the totality of jīvas, the individual jīvas as nonmoving and moving beings. All of these are related to the Supreme Lord.
The previous meaning is made clear in the following verses. The avatāra is an expansion of the great (bhūmnaḥ) supreme Lord (parasya), greater than all others, having many forms. This avatāra manifests with material powers by his will. The list of items are all described by the word param tattvam in verse 45.
TEXT - SB 2.6.43-45
ahaṁ bhavo yajña ime prajeśā
dakṣādayo ye bhavad-ādayaś ca
svarloka-pālāḥ khagaloka-pālā
nṛloka-pālās talaloka-pālāḥ
gandharva-vidyādhara-cāraṇeśā
ye yakṣa-rakṣoraga-nāga-nāthāḥ
ye vā ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhāḥ pitṝṇāṁ
daityendra-siddheśvara-dānavendrāḥ
anye ca ye preta-piśāca-bhūta-
kūṣmāṇḍa-yādo-mṛga-pakṣy-adhīśāḥ
yat kiñca loke bhagavan mahasvad
ojaḥ-sahasvad balavat kṣamāvat
śrī-hrī-vibhūty-ātmavad adbhutārṇaṁ
tattvaṁ paraṁ rūpavad asva-rūpam
SYNONYMS
aham—myself (Brahmājī); bhavaḥ—Lord Śiva; yajñaḥ—Lord Viṣṇu; ime—all these; prajā-īśāḥ—the father of the living beings; dakṣa-ādayaḥ—Dakṣa, Marīci, Manu, etc.; ye—those; bhavat—yourself; ādayaḥ ca—and the bachelors (Sanat-kumāra and his brothers); svarloka-pālāḥ—the leaders of the heavenly planets; khagaloka-pālāḥ—the leaders of space travelers; nṛloka-pālāḥ—the leaders of mankind; talaloka-pālāḥ—the leaders of the lower planets; gandharva—the residents of Gandharvaloka; vidyādhara—the residents of the Vidyādhara planet; cāraṇa-īśāḥ—the leaders of the Cāraṇas; ye—as also others; yakṣa—the leaders of the Yakṣas; rakṣa—demons; uraga—snakes; nāga-nāthāḥ—the leaders of Nāgaloka (below the earth); ye—others; vā—also; ṛṣīṇām—of the sages; ṛṣabhāḥ—the chief; pitṝṇām—of the forefathers; daitya-indra—leaders of the atheists; siddha-īśvara—leaders of the Siddhaloka planets (spacemen); dānava-indrāḥ—leaders of the non-Āryans; anye—besides them; ca—also; ye—those; preta—dead bodies; piśāca—evil spirits; bhūta—jinn; kūṣmāṇḍa—a special type of evil spirit; yādaḥ—aquatics; mṛga—animals; pakṣi-adhīśāḥ—giant eagles; yat—anything; kim ca—and everything; loke—in the world; bhagavat—possessed of bhaga, or extraordinary power; mahasvat—of a special degree; ojaḥ-sahasvat—specific mental and sensual dexterity; balavat—possessed of strength; kṣamāvat—possessed of forgiveness; śrī—beauty; hrī—ashamed of impious acts; vibhūti—riches; ātmavat—possessed of intelligence; adbhuta—wonderful; arṇam—race; tattvam—specific truth; param—transcendental; rūpavat—as if the form of; asva-rūpam—not the form of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
I myself [Brahmā], Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, great generators of living beings like Dakṣa and Prajāpati, yourselves [Nārada and the Kumāras], heavenly demigods like Indra and Candra, the leaders of the Bhūrloka planets, the leaders of the earthly planets, the leaders of the lower planets, the leaders of the Gandharva planets, the leaders of the Vidyādhara planets, the leaders of the Cāraṇaloka planets, the leaders of the Yakṣas, Rakṣas and Uragas, the great sages, the great demons, the great atheists and the great spacemen, as well as the dead bodies, evil spirits, satans, jinn, kūṣmāṇḍas, great aquatics, great beasts and great birds, etc.—in other words, anything and everything which is exceptionally possessed of power, opulence, mental and perceptual dexterity, strength, forgiveness, beauty, modesty, opulence, and breeding, whether in form or formless—may appear to be the specific truth and the form of the Lord, but actually they are not so. They are only a fragment of the transcendental potency of the Lord.
PURPORT
Those in the list given above, beginning from the name Brahmājī, the first living creature within the universe, down to Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, Nārada and other powerful demigods, men, supermen, sages, ṛṣis, and other lower creatures of extraordinary strength and opulence, including the dead bodies, satans, evil spirits, jinn, aquatics, birds and beasts, may appear to be the Supreme Lord, but factually none of them is the Supreme Lord; every one of them possesses only a fragment of the great potencies of the Supreme Lord. The less intelligent man is surprised to see the wonderful actions of material phenomena, as the aborigines are fearful of a great thunderbolt, a great and gigantic banyan tree, or a great lofty mountain in the jungle. For such undeveloped human beings, merely the slight display of the Lord's potency is captivating. A still more advanced person is captivated by the powers of the demigods and goddesses. Therefore, those who are simply astonished by the powers of anything in the creation of the Lord, without any factual information of the Lord Himself, are known as śāktas, or worshipers of the great powers. The modern scientist is also captivated by the wonderful actions and reactions of natural phenomena and therefore is also a śākta. These lower-grade persons gradually rise to become saurīyas (worshipers of the sun-god) or gāṇapatyas (worshipers of the mass of people as janatā janārdana or daridra-nārāyaṇa, etc., in the form of Gaṇapati) and then rise to the platform of worshiping Lord Śiva in search for the ever-existing soul, and then to the stage of worshiping Lord Viṣṇu, the Supersoul, etc., without any information of Govinda, Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the original Lord Viṣṇu. In other ways some are worshipers of race, nationality, birds, beasts, evil spirits, satans, etc. The general worship of Śanideva, the lord of distressful condition, and Sītalādevī, the goddess of smallpox, is also common to the mass of people, and there are many foolish men who worship the mass of people or the poor class of men. So different persons, societies and communities, etc., worship some of the potent manifestations of the Lord, wrongly accepting the powerful object as God. But in this verse it is advised by Brahmājī that none of them is the Supreme Lord; they are only borrowed plumes from the original Almighty Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When the Lord advises in Bhagavad-gītā to worship Him alone, it is to be understood that worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa includes worshiping all that is mentioned, because He, Lord Kṛṣṇa, includes everyone.
When the Lord is described as formless in the Vedic literatures, it is to be understood that all these forms mentioned above, within the experience of universal knowledge, are different exhibitions of the Lord's transcendental potencies only, and none of them factually represents the transcendental form of the Lord. But when the Lord actually descends on the earth or anywhere within the universe, the less intelligent class of men also mistake Him to be one of them, and thus they imagine the Transcendence to be formless or impersonal. Factually, the Lord is not formless, nor does He belong to any of the multiforms experienced within the universal forms. One should try to know the truth about the Lord by following the instruction of Brahmājī.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.43-45
ahaṁ bhavo yajña ime prajeśā
dakṣādayo ye bhavad-ādayaś ca |
svarloka-pālāḥ khaga-loka-pālā[137]
nṛloka-pālās talaloka-pālāḥ ||
gandharva-vidyādhara-cāraṇeśā
ye yakṣa-rakṣoraga-nāga-nāthāḥ |
ye vā ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhāḥ pitṝṇāṁ
daityendra[138]-siddheśvara-dānavendrāḥ |
anye ca ye preta-piśāca[139]-bhūta-
kūṣmāṇḍa-yādo-mṛga-pakṣy-adhīśāḥ ||
yat kiṁ ca loke bhagavan mahasvad
ojaḥ-sahasvad balavat kṣamāvat |
śrī-hrī-vibhūty-ātmavad adbhutārṇaṁ
tattvaṁ paraṁ rūpavad asva-rūpam ||
Āham means Brahmā. Tad-ādayaḥ means the three guṇāvatāras. Khaga-loka-pālaḥ means the protectors within (ga) bhuvar-loka (kha). Tala-loka-pālāḥ means the lords of Pātāla and other lower planets. The sandhi in rakṣoraga is poetic license.
What more can be said? Amara-koṣa says bhagaṁ śrī-kāma-māhātmya-vīrya-yatnārka-kīrtiṣu: bhaga means prosperity, love, glory, potency, effort, the sun, and fame. Thus bhagavat means whatever possesses glory. Mahasvat means endowed with tejas or influence. Ojasvat, sahasvat, balavat mean possessor of fitness of senses, mind and body. Hṛīḥ means disgust with sinful acts. Atmā means intelligence. Adbhutārṇam means astonishing syllable. All these things (tattvam), with form like us (rūpavat), and the formless as well (param), such as time, these two types of things, though forms of the Supreme Lord, do not arise from his svarūpa. That is because they do not have the functions of the svarūpa-śakti. Though time and other factors are the effects of the puruṣāvatāra, they are his śaktis. Brahmā and Śiva are his guṇāvataras, the Prajāpatis and others are his vibhūtis. All these, and the jñānīs, yogīs, karmīs, the fools, the moving and non-moving beings, should be understood to be the entourage for the creation, maintenance and destruction pastimes of the purusāvatāra.
Jiva's tika ||2.6.43-45||
ahaṃ bhavo yajna ime prajeśā dakṣādayo ye bhavad-ādayaś ca | svarloka-pālāḥ khaga-loka-pālā nṛloka-pālās talaloka-pālāḥ ||
gandharva-vidyādhara-cāraṇeśā ye yakṣa-rakṣoraga-nāga-nāthāḥ | ye vā ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhāḥ pitčṇāṃ daityendra-siddheśvara-dānavendrāḥ | anye ca ye preta-piśāca-bhūtakūṣmāṇḍa-yādo-mṛga-pakṣy-adhīśāḥ ||
yat kiṃ ca loke bhagavan mahasvad ojaḥ-sahasvad balavat kṣamāvat | śrī-hrī-vibhūty-ātmavad adbhutārṇaṃ tattvaṃ paraṃ rūpavad asva-rūpam ||
TRANSLATION I, Ńiva, Viṣṇu, the Prajāpatis such as Dakṣa, you, Nārada, and others like the Kumāras, the protectors of Svarga, Bhuvar-loka, Bhū-loka and the lower planets, leaders of the Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, and Cāraṇas, the leaders of the Yakṣas, Rakṣas, Uragas and Nāgas, the best of the sages and Pitrṣ, the leaders of the Daityas, Dānavas and Siddhas, the leaders of the Pretas, Piśācas, Bhūtas, Kūṣmāṇdas, aquatics, beasts and birds— whatever in this universe possesses glory, influence, strength of mind, senses and body; whatever is endowed with patience, beauty, shame at doing the sinful, excellence, intelligence, or astonishing syllables: whatever has form or no form—none of these are the svarūpa of the Lord.
Yajna refers to the avatāra of Viṣṇu. Brahmā and Śiva are āveśāvataras (empowered entities). Others are forms of effects of his śakti. The Lord is nondifferent from them.
What more can be said? For this purpose the Bhāgavatam appeared:
bhavatānudita-prāyaṃ yaśo bhagavato ’malam | yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta manye tad darśanaṃ khilam ||
Nārada said: You have not sufficiently described the glories of the spotless Lord Kṛṣṇa. Because your mind could never be satisfied with Vedānta, I think that writing the Vedānta-sūtras is insufficient. (SB 1.5.8)
atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk śuci-śravāḥ satya-rato dhṛta-vrataḥ | urukramasyākhila-bandha-muktaye samādhinānusmara tad-viceṣṭitam ||
Fortunate one! Therefore, since you have useful knowledge, spotless character, dedication to truth and determined vows, remember with attention the pastimes of the Lord which bring about liberation from all bondage. (SB 1.5.13)
TEXT - SB 2.6.46
prādhānyato yān ṛṣa āmananti
līlāvatārān puruṣasya bhūmnaḥ
āpīyatāṁ karṇa-kaṣāya-śoṣān
anukramiṣye ta imān supeśān
SYNONYMS
prādhānyataḥ—chiefly; yān—all those; ṛṣe—O Nārada; āmananti—worship; līlā—pastimes; avatārān—incarnations; puruṣasya—of the Personality of Godhead; bhūmnaḥ—the Supreme; āpīyatām—in order to be relished by you; karṇa—ears; kaṣāya—foul matter; śoṣān—that which evaporates; anukramiṣye—shall state one after another; te—they; imān—as they are in my heart; su-peśān—all pleasing to hear.
TRANSLATION
O Nārada, now I shall state, one after another, the transcendental incarnations of the Lord known as līlā-avatāras. Hearing of their activities counteracts all foul matters accumulated in the ear. These pastimes are pleasing to hear and are to be relished. Therefore they are in my heart.
PURPORT
As it was said in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.8), one cannot be fully satisfied by hearing unless and until one is given a chance to hear of the transcendental activities of the Lord. So Brahmājī is also trying, in this verse, to stress the importance of narrating the transcendental pastimes of the Lord as He comes and manifests Himself here on the surface of the material planets. Every living entity has a tendency to hear pleasing messages, and as such almost every one of us is inclined to hear news and talks broadcast by the radio stations. But the difficulty is that no one is satisfied at heart by hearing all those messages. The cause of such dissatisfaction is the incompatibility of the message with the innermost stratum of the living soul. This transcendental literature is especially prepared by Śrīla Vyāsadeva to give the utmost satisfaction to the people in general by narration of the activities of the Lord, as instructed by Śrī Nārada Muni to Śrīla Vyāsadeva. Such activities of the Lord are principally of two varieties. One concerns the mundane manifestation of the material creative force, and the other deals with His pastimes in the form of different incarnations in terms of the time and place. There are innumerable incarnations of the Lord, like the waves of the river flowing constantly in and out. Less intelligent persons take more interest in the creative forces of the Lord in the material world, and, being disconnected from their relationship with the Lord, they put forward many theories of the creation in the name of scientific research. The devotees of the Lord, however, know well how the creative forces work concurrently by the action and reaction of the material energy of the Lord. Therefore they take more interest in the transcendental activities of the Lord as He incarnates Himself on the surface of the material world. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the history of such activities of the Lord, and people who take interest in hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam clear their hearts of accumulated mundane filth. There are a thousand and one rash literatures on the market, but one who has taken interest in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam loses all interest in such filthy literatures. Śrī Brahmājī is thus attempting to narrate the principal incarnations of the Lord so that they may be drunk by Nārada as transcendental nectar.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.6.46
prādhānyato yān ṛṣa āmananti
līlāvatārān puruṣasya bhūmnaḥ |
āpīyatāṁ karṇa-kaṣāya-śoṣān
anukramiṣye ta imān supeśān[144] ||
The puruṣāvatāra has been described but this topic is predominantly concerning māyā-śakti. Now the līlāvatāras who are composed of the cit-śakti are described. I will speak about the līlāvatāras whom the sages glorify prominently for their worshippable aspects (prādhānyataḥ). These topics dry up the desire to hear other topics (karṇa-kaśāya-śoṣān). O Nārada! I will speak the topics in order (anukramiṣye). You should drink the nectar of these topics (āpīyatām).
Jiva's tika ||2.6.46||
prādhānyato yān ṛṣa āmananti līlāvatārān puruṣasya bhūmnaḥ | āpīyatāṃ karṇa-kaṣāya-śoṣān anukramiṣye ta imān supeśān ||
TRANSLATION I will now speak in order about the beautiful līlāvatāras of the Supreme Lord, whose topics dry up the desire to hear anything else and which the sages glorify for their valuable content.
The Lord has two types of pastimes: those of creation and those in which the Lord performs pleasing pastimes. The latter are more praiseworthy. With that intention this verse is spoken.
Though previously I have described the puruṣa, his śaktis, his effects like mind, the guṇāvatāras like Brahmā, and his vibhūtis like Dakṣa, which are part of the pastimes of creation, the sages mainly glorify the pastimes of the supreme Lord performing other pastimes. These have attracted my heart. Those pastimes remove attraction for other topics (karṇa-kaśāya-śoṣān) and are most attractive (supeśān). They should be completely drunk one by one.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Sixth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed."
7. Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions
verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34-35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43-45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53
TEXT - SB 2.7.1
brahmovāca
yatrodyataḥ kṣiti-taloddharaṇāya bibhrat
krauḍīṁ tanuṁ sakala-yajña-mayīm anantaḥ
antar-mahārṇava upāgatam ādi-daityaṁ
taṁ daṁṣṭrayādrim iva vajra-dharo dadāra
SYNONYMS
brahmā uvāca—Lord Brahmā said; yatra—at that time (when); udyataḥ—attempted; kṣiti-tala—the planet earth; uddharaṇāya—for the matter of lifting; bibhrat—assumed; krauḍīm—pastimes; tanum—form; sakala—total; yajña-mayīm—all-inclusive sacrifices; anantaḥ—the Unlimited; antar—within the universe; mahā-arṇave—the great Garbha Ocean; upāgatam—having arrived at; ādi—the first; daityam—demon; tam—him; daṁṣṭrayā—by the tusk; adrim—the flying mountains; iva—like; vajra-dharaḥ—the controller of the thunderbolts; dadāra—pierced.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā said: When the unlimitedly powerful Lord assumed the form of a boar as a pastime, just to lift the planet earth, which was drowned in the great ocean of the universe called the Garbhodaka, the first demon [Hiraṇyākṣa] appeared, and the Lord pierced him with His tusk.
PURPORT
Since the beginning of creation, the demons and the demigods, or the Vaiṣṇavas, are always the two classes of living beings to dominate the planets of the universes. Lord Brahmā is the first demigod, and Hiraṇyākṣa is the first demon in this universe. Only under certain conditions do the planets float as weightless balls in the air, and as soon as these conditions are disturbed, the planets may fall down in the Garbhodaka Ocean, which covers half the universe. The other half is the spherical dome within which the innumerable planetary systems exist. The floating of the planets in the weightless air is due to the inner constitution of the globes, and the modernized drilling of the earth to exploit oil from within is a sort of disturbance by the modern demons and can result in a greatly harmful reaction to the floating condition of the earth. A similar disturbance was created formerly by the demons headed by Hiraṇyākṣa (the great exploiter of the gold rush), and the earth was detached from its weightless condition and fell down into the Garbhodaka Ocean. The Lord, as maintainer of the whole creation of the material world, therefore assumed the gigantic form of a boar with a proportionate snout and picked up the earth from within the water of Garbhodaka. Śrī Jayadeva Gosvāmī, the great Vaiṣṇava poet, sang as follows:
vasati daśana-śikhare dharaṇī tava lagnā
śaśini kalaṅka-kaleva nimagnā
keśava dhṛta-śūkara-rūpa
jaya jagadīśa hare
"O Keśava! O Supreme Lord who have assumed the form of a boar! O Lord! The planet earth rested on Your tusks, and it appeared like the moon engraved with spots."
Such is the symptom of an incarnation of the Lord. The incarnation of the Lord is not the concocted idea of fanciful men who create an incarnation out of imagination. The incarnation of the Lord appears under certain extraordinary circumstances like the above-mentioned occasion, and the incarnation performs a task which is not even imaginable by the tiny brain of mankind. The modern creators of the many cheap incarnations may take note of the factual incarnation of God as the gigantic boar with a suitable snout to carry the planet earth.
When the Lord appeared to pick up the earth, the demon of the name Hiraṇyākṣa tried to create a disturbance in the methodical functions of the Lord, and therefore he was killed by being pierced by the Lord's tusk. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the demon Hiraṇyākṣa was killed by the hand of the Lord. Therefore his version is that after being killed by the hand of the Lord, the demon was pierced by the tusk. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura confirms this version.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.1
brahmovāca—
yatrodyataḥ kṣiti-taloddharaṇāya bibhrat
krauḍīṁ tanuṁ sakala-yajña-mayīm anantaḥ |
antar-mahārṇava upāgatam ādi-daityaṁ
taṁ daṁṣṭrayādrim iva vajra-dharo dadāra ||
In the seventh chapter, the avatāras starting with Varāha, along with their activities, vibhūtis and their devotees, are described in summary.
This verse describes Varāha. In the great ocean where he strove (udayataḥ) to lift up the earth, the Lord took the form of a boar and pierced Hiraṇyākṣa who had come there with his tusks (daṁṣṭrayā). First he used his hands, then his tusks, according to a later description.
taṁ muṣṭibhir vinighnantaṁ vajra-sārair adhokṣajaḥ
kareṇa karṇa-mūle ’han yathā tvāṣṭraṁ marut-patiḥ
The demon now began to strike the Lord with his hard fists, but Lord Adhokṣaja slapped him in the root of the ear, just as Indra, the lord of the Maruts, had hit the demon Vṛtra. SB 3.19.25
Jiva's tika ||2.7.1||
brahmovāca— yatrodyataḥ kṣiti-taloddharaṇāya bibhrat krauḍīṃ tanuṃ sakala-yajna-mayīm anantaḥ | antar-mahārṇava upāgatam ādi-daityaṃ taṃ daṃṣṭrayādrim iva vajra-dharo dadāra ||
TRANSLATION Brahmā said: In the great ocean where he strove to lift up the earth, the infinite Lord took the form of a boar, the form of all sacrifice, and pierced Hiraṇyākṣa who had come there with his tusks, just as Indra pierces a mountain with his thunderbolt.
It will be explained later that he first struck the demon on the ear with his hand (SB 3.19.25). Then he pierced him with his tusks.
TEXT - SB 2.7.2
jāto rucer ajanayat suyamān suyajña
ākūti-sūnur amarān atha dakṣiṇāyām
loka-trayasya mahatīm aharad yad ārtiṁ
svāyambhuvena manunā harir ity anūktaḥ
SYNONYMS
jātaḥ—was born; ruceḥ—of the wife of Prajāpati; ajanayat—gave birth; suyamān—headed by Suyama; suyajñaḥ—Suyajña; ākūti-sūnuḥ—of the son of Ākūti; amarān—the demigods; atha—thus; dakṣiṇāyām—unto the wife of the name Dakṣiṇā; loka—the planetary systems; trayasya—of the three; mahatīm—very great; aharat—diminished; yat—all those; ārtim—distresses; svāyambhuvena—by the Manu named Svāyambhuva; manunā—by the father of mankind; hariḥ—Hari; iti—thus; anūktaḥ—named.
TRANSLATION
The Prajāpati first begot Suyajña, in the womb of his wife Ākūti, and then Suyajña begot demigods, headed by Suyama, in the womb of his wife Dakṣiṇā. Suyajña, as the Indradeva, diminished very great miseries in the three planetary systems [upper, lower and intermediate], and because he so diminished the miseries of the universe, he was later called Hari by the great father of mankind, namely Svāyambhuva Manu.
PURPORT
In order to guard against the invention of unauthorized incarnations of God by the fanciful, less intelligent persons, the name of the father of the bona fide incarnation is also mentioned in the authorized revealed scriptures. No one, therefore, can be accepted as an incarnation of the Lord if his father's name, as well as the name of the village or place in which he appears, is not mentioned by the authorized scriptures. In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa the name of the Kalki incarnation, which is to take place in almost four hundred thousand years, is mentioned along with the name of His father and the name of the village in which He will appear. A sane man, therefore, does not accept any cheap edition of an incarnation without reference to the authorized scriptures.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.2
jāto rucer ajanayat suyamān suyajña
ākūti-sūnur amarān atha dakṣiṇāyām |
loka-trayasya mahatīm aharad yad ārtiṁ
svāyambhuvena manunā harir ity anūktaḥ ||
This verse describes Yajña. He was born from Prajāpati Ruci and gave birth to the devatās called Suyamās. He was called Suyajña. His mother was Ākūti, the daughter of Svāyambhuva. His wife was Dakṣiṇā. He became Indra. When he relieved (aharat) the three worlds of suffering, he was named Hari by Manu, his grandfather. Previously he was named Suyajña. In the following descriptions the birth, activities, parents, and name of each avatāra is mentioned.
TEXT - SB 2.7.3
jajñe ca kardama-gṛhe dvija devahūtyāṁ
strībhiḥ samaṁ navabhir ātma-gatiṁ sva-mātre
ūce yayātma-śamalaṁ guṇa-saṅga-paṅkam
asmin vidhūya kapilasya gatiṁ prapede
SYNONYMS
jajñe—took birth; ca—also; kardama—the Prajāpati named Kardama; gṛhe—in the house of; dvija—O brāhmaṇa; devahūtyām—in the womb of Devahūti; strībhiḥ—by women; samam—accompanied by; navabhiḥ—by nine; ātma-gatim—spiritual realization; sva-mātre—unto His own mother; ūce—uttered; yayā—by which; ātma-śamalam—coverings of the spirit soul; guṇa-saṅga—associated with the modes of nature; paṅkam—mud; asmin—this very life; vidhūya—being washed off; kapilasya—of Lord Kapila; gatim—liberation; prapede—achieved.
TRANSLATION
The Lord then appeared as the Kapila incarnation, being the son of the prajāpati brāhmaṇa Kardama and his wife, Devahūti, along with nine other women [sisters]. He spoke to His mother about self-realization, by which, in that very lifetime, she became fully cleansed of the mud of the material modes and thereby achieved liberation, the path of Kapila.
PURPORT
The instructions of Lord Kapila to His mother Devahūti are fully described in the Third Canto (Chapters 25-32) of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and anyone who follows the instructions can achieve the same liberation obtained by Devahūti. The Lord spoke Bhagavad-gītā, and thereby Arjuna achieved self-realization, and even today anyone who follows the path of Arjuna can also attain the same benefit as Śrī Arjuna. The scriptures are meant for this purpose. Foolish, unintelligent persons make their own interpretations by imagination and thus mislead their followers, causing them to remain in the dungeon of material existence. However, simply by following the instructions imparted by Lord Kṛṣṇa or Lord Kapila, one can obtain the highest benefit, even today.
The word ātma-gatim is significant in the sense of perfect knowledge of the Supreme. One should not be satisfied simply by knowing the qualitative equality of the Lord and the living being. One should know the Lord as much as can be known by our limited knowledge. It is impossible for the Lord to be known perfectly as He is, even by such liberated persons as Śiva or Brahmā, so what to speak of other demigods or men in this world. Still, by following the principles of the great devotees and the instructions available in the scriptures, one can know to a considerable extent the features of the Lord. His Lordship Kapila, the incarnation of the Lord, instructed His mother fully about the personal form of the Lord, and thereby she realized the personal form of the Lord and was able to achieve a place in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka where, Lord Kapila predominates. Every incarnation of the Lord has His own abode in the spiritual sky. Therefore Lord Kapila also has His separate Vaikuṇṭha planet. The spiritual sky is not void. There are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, and in each of them the Lord, by His innumerable expansions, predominates, and the pure devotees who are there also live in the same style as the Lord and His eternal associates.
When the Lord descends personally or by His personal plenary expansions, such incarnations are called aṁśa, kalā, guṇa, yuga and manvantara incarnations, and when the Lord's associates descend by the order of the Lord, such incarnations are called śaktyāveśa incarnations. But in all cases all the incarnations are supported by the invulnerable statements of the authorized scriptures, and not by any imagination of some self-interested propagandist. Such incarnations of the Lord, in either of the above categories, always declare the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be the ultimate truth. The impersonal conception of the supreme truth is just a process of negation of the form of the Lord from the mundane conception of the supreme truth.
The living entities, by their very constitution, are spiritually as good as the Lord, and the only difference between them is that the Lord is always supreme and pure, without contamination by the modes of material nature, whereas the living entities are apt to be contaminated by association with the material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. This contamination by the material modes can be washed off completely by knowledge, renunciation and devotional service. Devotional service to the Lord is the ultimate issue, and therefore those who are directly engaged in the devotional service of the Lord not only acquire the necessary knowledge in spiritual science, but also attain detachment from material connection and are thus promoted to the kingdom of God by complete liberation, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
Even in the nonliberated stage, a living entity can be directly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa or His plenary expansions like Rāma and Narasiṁha. Thus, with the proportionate improvement of such transcendental devotional service, the devotee makes definite progress toward brahma-gatim or ātma-gatim, and ultimately attains kapilasya gatim, or the abode of the Lord, without difficulty. The antiseptic potency of devotional service to the Lord is so great that it can neutralize the material infection even in the present life of a devotee. A devotee does not need to wait for his next birth for complete liberation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.3
jajñe ca kardama-gṛhe dvija devahūtyāṁ
strībhiḥ samaṁ navabhir ātma-gatiṁ sva-mātre |
ūce yayātma-śamalaṁ guṇa-saṅga-paṅkam
asmin vidhūya kapilasya gatiṁ prapede ||
O Nārada! The Lord was born in the house of Kardama to Devahūtī along with nine sisters, and spoke spiritual knowledge to his mother, by which people of this world became purified of the mud of material association which contaminates the soul and were able to attain the planet of Kapila in the spiritual world.
This describes Kapila. O Nārada (dvije)! He was born (jajñe) in the house of Kardama from Devahūtī, along with (samam) nine sisters. He taught her spiritual knowledge by which people in this world (asmin), purified of the mud of material association which contaminates (śamalam) the soul, attained the planet of Kapila in the spiritual world.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.3||
jajne ca kardama-gṛhe dvija devahūtyāṃ strībhiḥ samaṃ navabhir ātma-gatiṃ sva-mātre | ūce yayātma-śamalaṃ guṇa-sanga-pankam asmin vidhūya kapilasya gatiṃ prapede ||
TRANSLATION O Nārada! The Lord was born in the house of Kardama to Devahūtī along with nine sisters, and spoke spiritual knowledge to his mother, by which people of this world became purified of the mud of material association which contaminates the soul and were able to attain the planet of Kapila in the spiritual world.
He spoke knowledge of the form of Bhagavān (ātmanaḥ gatim) to his mother. She attained Kapila’s place (gatim), a special expansion of the eternal abode of Vaikuṇṭha.
TEXT - SB 2.7.4
atrer apatyam abhikāṅkṣata āha tuṣṭo
datto mayāham iti yad bhagavān sa dattaḥ
yat-pāda-paṅkaja-parāga-pavitra-dehā
yogarddhim āpur ubhayīṁ yadu-haihayādyāḥ
SYNONYMS
atreḥ—of the sage Atri; apatyam—issue; abhikāṅkṣataḥ—having prayed for; āha—said it; tuṣṭaḥ—being satisfied; dattaḥ—given over; mayā—by me; aham—myself; iti—thus; yat—because; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; saḥ—He; dattaḥ—Dattātreya; yat-pāda—one whose feet; paṅkaja—lotus; parāga—dust; pavitra—purified; dehāḥ—body; yoga—mystic; ṛddhim—opulence; āpuḥ—got; ubhayīm—for both the worlds; yadu—the father of the Yadu dynasty; haihaya-ādyāḥ—and others, like King Haihaya.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Atri prayed for offspring, and the Lord, being satisfied with him, promised to incarnate as Atri's son, Dattātreya [Datta, the son of Atri]. And by the grace of the lotus feet of the Lord, many Yadus, Haihayas, etc., became so purified that they obtained both material and spiritual blessings.
PURPORT
Transcendental relations between the Personality of Godhead and the living entities are eternally established in five different affectionate humors, which are known as śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. The sage Atri was related with the Lord in the affectionate vātsalya humor, and therefore, as a result of his devotional perfection, he was inclined to have the Personality of Godhead as his son. The Lord accepted his prayer, and He gave Himself as the son of Atri. Such a relation of sonhood between the Lord and His pure devotees can be cited in many instances. And because the Lord is unlimited, He has an unlimited number of father-devotees. Factually the Lord is the father of all living entities, but out of transcendental affection and love between the Lord and His devotees, the Lord takes more pleasure in becoming the son of a devotee than in becoming one's father. The father actually serves the son, whereas the son only demands all sorts of services from the father; therefore a pure devotee who is always inclined to serve the Lord wants Him as the son, and not as the father. The Lord also accepts such service from the devotee, and thus the devotee becomes more than the Lord. The impersonalists desire to become one with the Supreme, but the devotee becomes more than the Lord, surpassing the desire of the greatest monist. Parents and other relatives of the Lord achieve all mystic opulences automatically because of their intimate relationship with the Lord. Such opulences include all details of material enjoyment, salvation and mystic powers. Therefore, the devotee of the Lord does not seek them separately, wasting his valuable time in life. The valuable time of one's life must therefore be fully engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Then other desirable achievements are automatically gained. But even after obtaining such achievements, one should be on guard against the pitfall of offenses at the feet of the devotees. The vivid example is Haihaya, who achieved all such perfection in devotional service but, because of his offense at the feet of a devotee, was killed by Lord Paraśurāma. The Lord became the son of the great sage Atri and became known as Dattātreya.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.4
atrer[145] apatyam abhikāṅkṣata āha tuṣṭo
datto mayāham iti yad bhagavān sa dattaḥ |
yat-pāda-paṅkaja-parāga-pavitra-dehā
yogarddhim[146] āpur ubhayīṁ yadu-haihayādyāḥ ||
This verse describes Dattātreya. The possessive case of atreḥ indicates the dative case. He said to Atri who wanted a son, “I have given (dattaḥ) myself to you.” Therefore he was named Datta, son of Atri (atreya). Those who purified their bodies by the dust of his lotus feet attained perfection of yoga in order to enjoy in this world or the next world or in order to gain enjoyment or liberation. Among those persons (who were thus purified), Paraśurāma killed Haihaya in anger because of his great offense, even though Haihaya had attained an elevated status in yoga.
TEXT - SB 2.7.5
taptaṁ tapo vividha-loka-sisṛkṣayā me
ādau sanāt sva-tapasaḥ sa catuḥ-sano 'bhūt
prāk-kalpa-samplava-vinaṣṭam ihātma-tattvaṁ
samyag jagāda munayo yad acakṣatātman
SYNONYMS
taptam—having undergone austerities; tapaḥ—penance; vividha-loka—different planetary systems; sisṛkṣayā—desiring to create; me—of mine; ādau—at first; sanāt—from the Personality of Godhead; sva-tapasaḥ—by dint of my own penances; saḥ—He (the Lord); catuḥ-sanaḥ—the four bachelors named Sanat-kumāra, Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanātana; abhūt—appeared; prāk—previous; kalpa—creation; samplava—in the inundation; vinaṣṭam—devastated; iha—in this material world; ātma—the spirit; tattvam—truth; samyak—in complete; jagāda—became manifested; munayaḥ—sages; yat—that which; acakṣata—saw clearly; ātman—the spirit.
TRANSLATION
To create different planetary systems I had to undergo austerities and penance, and the Lord, thus being pleased with me, incarnated in four sanas [Sanaka, Sanat-kumāra, Sanandana and Sanātana]. In the previous creation the spiritual truth was devastated, but the four sanas explained it so nicely that the truth at once became clearly perceived by the sages.
PURPORT
The Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma prayers mention the Lord's name as sanāt and sanātanatama. The Lord and the living entities are both qualitatively sanātana, or eternal, but the Lord is sanātana-tama or the eternal in the superlative degree. The living entities are positively sanātana, but not superlatively, because the living entities are apt to fall to the atmosphere of noneternity. Therefore, the living entities are quantitatively different from the superlative sanātana, the Lord.
The word san is also used in the sense of charity; therefore when everything is given up in charity unto the Lord, the Lord reciprocates by giving Himself unto the devotee. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11): ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. Brahmājī wanted to create the whole cosmic situation as it was in the previous millennium, and because, in the last devastation, knowledge of the Absolute Truth was altogether erased from the universe, he desired that the same knowledge again be renovated; otherwise there would be no meaning in the creation. Because transcendental knowledge is a prime necessity, the ever-conditioned souls are given a chance for liberation in every millennium of creation. This mission of Brahmājī was fulfilled by the grace of the Lord when the four sanas, namely Sanaka, Sanat-kumāra, Sanandana and Sanātana, appeared as his four sons. These four sanas were incarnations of the knowledge of the Supreme Lord, and as such they explained transcendental knowledge so explicitly that all the sages could at once assimilate this knowledge without the least difficulty. By following in the footsteps of the four Kumāras, one can at once see the Supreme Personality of Godhead within oneself.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.5
taptaṁ tapo vividha-loka-sisṛkṣayā me[147]
ādau sanāt sva-tapasaḥ sa catuḥ-sano ’bhūt |
prāk-kalpa-samplava-vinaṣṭam ihātma-tattvaṁ
samyag jagāda munayo yad acakṣatātman ||
I performed austerities for creation of the various planets in the beginning. From that austerity, which continued for a long time, the Lord became the four Kumāras. In this day of Brahmā, they thoroughly explained knowledge of the soul which was lost during the inundation at the end of the previous day (of Brahmā) and which sages saw directly in their minds.
This describes the Kumāras. Because of the austerity that I performed in the beginning, lasting for a long time (sanāt) for creating the worlds, the Lord became the four Sanas. Sana means the four Kumāras, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanatkumāra. Sana means to spread out. In the sahasra-nāma-stotra the Lord is called Sanātana-tamaḥ, the most ancient. In this kalpa of Brahmā (asmin), they spoke spiritual knowledge which had been lost during the devastation of the previous kalpa. Sages saw directly (realized) in their minds (ātman) what they had spoken.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.5||
taptaṃ tapo vividha-loka-sisṛkṣayā me ādau sanāt sva-tapasaḥ sa catuḥ-sano ’bhūt | prāk-kalpa-samplava-vinaṣṭam ihātma-tattvaṃ samyag jagāda munayo yad acakṣatātman ||
TRANSLATION
I performed austerities for creation of the various planets in the beginning. From that austerity, which continued for a long time, the Lord became the four Kumāras. In this day of Brahmā, they thoroughly explained knowledge of the soul which was lost during the inundation at the end of the previous day (of Brahmā) and which sages saw directly in their minds.
Sanāt and Sanātanatama are names of the Lord in the thousand names of Viṣṇu. This is a name of Bhagavān. The Lord (sanāt) became the four Kumāras.
TEXT - SB 2.7.6
dharmasya dakṣa-duhitary ajaniṣṭa mūrtyāṁ
nārāyaṇo nara iti sva-tapaḥ-prabhāvaḥ
dṛṣṭvātmano bhagavato niyamāvalopaṁ
devyas tv anaṅga-pṛtanā ghaṭituṁ na śekuḥ
SYNONYMS
dharmasya—of Dharma (the controller of religious principles); dakṣa—Dakṣa, one of the Prajāpatis; duhitari—unto the daughter; ajaniṣṭa—took birth; mūrtyām—of the name Mūrti; nārāyaṇaḥ—Nārāyaṇa; naraḥ—Nara; iti—thus; sva-tapaḥ—personal penances; prabhāvaḥ—strength; dṛṣṭvā—by seeing; ātmanaḥ—of His own; bhagavataḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; niyama-avalopam—breaking the vow; devyaḥ—celestial beauties; tu—but; anaṅga-pṛtanāḥ—companion of Cupid; ghaṭitum—to happen; na—never; śekuḥ—made possible.
TRANSLATION
To exhibit His personal way of austerity and penance, He appeared in twin forms as Nārāyaṇa and Nara in the womb of Mūrti, the wife of Dharma and the daughter of Dakṣa. Celestial beauties, the companions of Cupid, went to try to break His vows, but they were unsuccessful, for they saw that many beauties like them were emanating from Him, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The Lord, being the source of everything that be, is the origin of all austerities and penances also. Great vows of austerity are undertaken by sages to achieve success in self-realization. Human life is meant for such tapasya, with the great vow of celibacy, or brahmacarya. In the rigid life of tapasya, there is no place for the association of women. And because human life is meant for tapasya, for self-realization, factual human civilization, as conceived by the system of sanātana-dharma or the school of four castes and four orders of life, prescribes rigid dissociation from woman in three stages of life. In the order of gradual cultural development, one's life may be divided into four divisions: celibacy, household life, retirement, and renunciation. During the first stage of life, up to twenty-five years of age, a man may be trained as a brahmacārī under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master just to understand that woman is the real binding force in material existence. If one wants to get freedom from the material bondage of conditional life, he must get free from the attraction for the form of woman. Woman, or the fair sex, is the enchanting principle for the living entities, and the male form, especially in the human being, is meant for self-realization. The whole world is moving under the spell of womanly attraction, and as soon as a man becomes united with a woman, he at once becomes a victim of material bondage under a tight knot. The desires for lording it over the material world, under the intoxication of a false sense of lordship, specifically begin just after the man's unification with a woman. The desires for acquiring a house, possessing land, having children and becoming prominent in society, the affection for community and the place of birth, and the hankering for wealth, which are all like phantasmagoria or illusory dreams, encumber a human being, and he is thus impeded in his progress toward self-realization, the real aim of life. The brahmacāri, or a boy from the age of five years, especially from the higher castes, namely from the scholarly parents (the brāhmaṇas), the administrative parents (the kṣatriyas), or the mercantile or productive parents (the vaiśyas), is trained until twenty-five years of age under the care of a bona fide guru or teacher, and under strict observance of discipline he comes to understand the values of life along with taking specific training for a livelihood. The brahmacārī is then allowed to go home and enter householder life and get married to a suitable woman. But there are many brahmacārīs who do not go home to become householders but continue the life of naiṣṭhika-brahmacārīs, without any connection with women. They accept the order of sannyāsa, or the renounced order of life, knowing well that combination with women is an unnecessary burden that checks self-realization. Since sex desire is very strong at a certain stage of life, the guru may allow the brahmacārī to marry; this license is given to a brahmacārī who is unable to continue the way of naiṣṭhika-brahmacarya, and such discriminations are possible for the bona fide guru. A program of so-called family planning is needed. The householder who associates with woman under scriptural restrictions, after a thorough training of brahmacarya, cannot be a householder like cats and dogs. Such a householder, after fifty years of age, would retire from the association of woman as a vānaprastha to be trained to live alone without the association of woman. When the practice is complete, the same retired householder becomes a sannyāsī, strictly separate from woman, even from his married wife. Studying the whole scheme of disassociation from women, it appears that a woman is a stumbling block for self-realization, and the Lord appeared as Nārāyaṇa to teach the principle of womanly disassociation with a vow in life. The demigods, being envious of the austere life of the rigid brahmacārīs, would try to cause them to break their vows by dispatching soldiers of Cupid. But in the case of the Lord, it became an unsuccessful attempt when the celestial beauties saw that the Lord can produce innumerable such beauties by His mystic internal potency and that there was consequently no need to be attracted by others externally. There is a common proverb that a confectioner is never attracted by sweetmeats. The confectioner, who is always manufacturing sweetmeats, has very little desire to eat them; similarly, the Lord, by His pleasure potential powers, can produce innumerable spiritual beauties and not be the least attracted by the false beauties of material creation. One who does not know alleges foolishly that Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoyed women in His rāsa-līlā in Vṛndāvana, or with His sixteen thousand married wives at Dvārakā.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.6
dharmasya dakṣa-duhitary ajaniṣṭa mūrtyāṁ
nārāyaṇo nara iti sva-tapaḥ-prabhāvaḥ |
dṛṣṭvātmano bhagavato niyamāvalopaṁ
devyas tv anaṅga-pṛtanā ghaṭituṁ na śekuḥ ||
This describes Nara-nārāyaṇa. The Lord appeared as Nārāyaṇa and Nara in Mūrti, the wife of Dharma. Two forms were born. Thes forms possessed extraordinary (sva) power of austerity. The army of Cupid, consisting of many Apsarās, came to break their austerity. Seeing the impossibility of breaking their austerity because they were the two Supreme Lords, they could not move. They became paralyzed with the fear of getting cursed. Atmanaḥ is in the singular instead of dual to express one type—they are both the Supreme Lord. According to Bhāṇḍari, the syllable ava indicates a negation, instead of using the syllable a. Thus avalopa means “not breaking.” Or the verse can mean “Seeing the replica forms of the Apsarās and Urvasī emanating from the Lord (atmanaḥ) and seeing that they could not break their vow, they became stunned in astonishment.”
TEXT - SB 2.7.7
kāmaṁ dahanti kṛtino nanu roṣa-dṛṣṭyā
roṣaṁ dahantam uta te na dahanty asahyam
so 'yaṁ yad antaram alaṁ praviśan bibheti
kāmaḥ kathaṁ nu punar asya manaḥ śrayeta
SYNONYMS
kāmam—lust; dahanti—chastise; kṛtinaḥ—great stalwarts; nanu—but; roṣa-dṛṣṭyā—by wrathful glance; roṣam—wrath; dahantam—being overwhelmed; uta—although; te—they; na—cannot; dahanti—subjugate; asahyam—intolerable; saḥ—that; ayam—Him; yat—because; antaram—within; alam—however; praviśan—entering; bibheti—is afraid of; kāmaḥ—lust; katham—how; nu—as a matter of fact; punaḥ—again; asya—His; manaḥ—mind; śrayeta—take shelter of.
TRANSLATION
Great stalwarts like Lord Śiva can, by their wrathful glances, overcome lust and vanquish him, yet they cannot be free from the overwhelming effects of their own wrath. Such wrath can never enter into the heart of Him [the Lord], who is above all this. So how can lust take shelter in His mind?
PURPORT
When Lord Śiva was engaged in severely austere meditation, Cupid, the demigod of lust, threw his arrow of sex desire. Lord Śiva, thus being angry at him, glanced at Cupid in great wrath, and at once the body of Cupid was annihilated. Although Lord Śiva was so powerful, he was unable to get free from the effects of such wrath. But in the behavior of Lord Viṣṇu there is no incident of such wrath at any time. On the contrary, Bhṛgu Muni tested the tolerance of the Lord by purposely kicking His chest, but instead of being angry at Bhṛgu Muni the Lord begged his pardon, saying that Bhṛgu Muni's leg might have been badly hurt because His chest is too hard. The Lord has the sign of the foot of bhṛgupāda as the mark of tolerance. The Lord, therefore, is never affected by any kind of wrath, so how can there be any place for lust, which is less strong than wrath? When lust or desire is not fulfilled, there is the appearance of wrath, but in the absence of wrath how can there be any place for lust? The Lord is known as āpta-kāma, or one who can fulfill His desires by Himself. He does not require anyone's help to satisfy His desires. The Lord is unlimited, and therefore His desires are also unlimited. All living entities but the Lord are limited in every respect; how then can the limited satisfy the desires of the unlimited? The conclusion is that the Absolute Personality of Godhead has neither lust nor anger, and even if there is sometimes a show of lust and anger by the Absolute, it should be considered an absolute benediction.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.7
kāmaṁ dahanti kṛtino nanu roṣa-dṛṣṭyā
roṣaṁ dahantam uta te na dahanty asahyam |
so ’yaṁ yad antaram alaṁ praviśan bibheti
kāmaḥ kathaṁ nu punar asya manaḥ śrayeta ||
Rudra burns Cupid by his angry glance, but he cannot destroy the intolerable anger which burns even himself. But anger fears to enter the Lord’s pure mind. How can lust then take shelter of his mind?
It is not astonishing that the Lord conquers Cupid, because he does not become angry. He conquers anger which is difficult for others to conquer. Accomplished persons, headed by Rudra, burn up Cupid by angry glances. But they do not burn up the anger by which they themselves are consumed. This means that they cannot control that anger. Oh (nu)! That anger (so ’yam) is afraid of entering within (antaram) the Lord. Or it fears to enter his mind (antar). Why? His mind is pure (amalam).
TEXT - SB 2.7.8
viddhaḥ sapatny-udita-patribhir anti rājño
bālo 'pi sann upagatas tapase vanāni
tasmā adād dhruva-gatiṁ gṛṇate prasanno
divyāḥ stuvanti munayo yad upary-adhastāt
SYNONYMS
viddhaḥ—pinched by; sapatni—a co-wife; udita—uttered by; patribhiḥ—by sharp words; anti—just before; rājñaḥ—of the king; bālaḥ—a boy; api—although; san—being so; upagataḥ—took to; tapase—severe penances; vanāni—in a great forest; tasmai—therefore; adāt—gave as a reward; dhruva-gatim—a path to the Dhruva planet; gṛṇate—on being prayed for; prasannaḥ—being satisfied; divyāḥ—denizens of higher planets; stuvanti—do pray; munayaḥ—great sages; yat—thereupon; upari—up; adhastāt—down.
TRANSLATION
Being insulted by sharp words spoken by the co-wife of the king, even in his presence, Prince Dhruva, though only a boy, took to severe penances in the forest. And the Lord, being satisfied by his prayer, awarded him the Dhruva planet, which is worshiped by great sages, both upward and downward.
PURPORT
When he was only five years old, Prince Dhruva, a great devotee and the son of Mahārāja Uttānapāda, was sitting on the lap of his father. His stepmother did not like the King's patting her stepson, so she dragged him out, saying that he could not claim to sit on the lap of the King because he was not born out of her womb. The little boy felt insulted by this act of his stepmother. Nor did his father make any protest, for he was too attached to his second wife. After this incident, Prince Dhruva went to his own mother and complained. His real mother also could not take any step against this insulting behavior, and so she wept. The boy inquired from his mother how he could sit on the royal throne of his father, and the poor queen replied that only the Lord could help him. The boy inquired where the Lord could be seen, and the queen replied that it is said that the Lord is sometimes seen by great sages in the dense forest. The child prince decided to go into the forest to perform severe penances in order to achieve his objective.
Prince Dhruva performed a stringent type of penance under the instruction of his spiritual master, Śrī Nārada Muni, who was specifically deputed for this purpose by the Personality of Godhead. Prince Dhruva was initiated by Nārada into chanting the hymn composed of eighteen letters, namely oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, and Lord Vāsudeva incarnated Himself as Pṛśnigarbha, the Personality of Godhead with four hands, and awarded the prince a specific planet above the seven stars. Prince Dhruva, after achieving success in his undertakings, saw the Lord face to face, and he was satisfied that all his needs were fulfilled.
The planet awarded to Prince Dhruva Mahārāja is a fixed Vaikuṇṭha planet, installed in the material atmosphere by the will of the Supreme Lord, Vāsudeva. This planet, although within the material world, will not be annihilated at the time of devastation, but will remain fixed in its place. And because it is a Vaikuṇṭha planet never to be annihilated, it is worshiped even by the denizens of the seven stars situated below the Dhruva planet, as well as by the planets which are even above the Dhruva planet. Maharṣi Bhṛgu's planet is situated above the Dhruva planet.
So the Lord incarnated Himself as Pṛśnigarbha just to satisfy a pure devotee of the Lord. And Prince Dhruva achieved this perfection simply by chanting the hymn mentioned above, after being initiated by another pure devotee, Nārada. A serious personality can thus achieve the highest perfection of meeting the Lord and attain his objective simply by being guided by a pure devotee, who automatically approaches by dint of one's serious determination to meet the Lord by all means.
The description of Prince Dhruva's activities can be read in detail in the Fourth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.8
viddhaḥ sapatny-udita-patribhir anti rājño
bālo ’pi sann upagatas tapase vanāni |
tasmā adād dhruva-gatiṁ gṛṇate prasanno
divyāḥ stuvanti munayo yad upary-adhastāt ||
Pierced by the arrows of the words of his step-mother, Dhruva, only a boy, left the King and went to the forest to perform penance. Being pleased with Dhruva who offered prayers, the Lord gave him Dhurva-loka, which the seven sages situated above and below in the sky praise.
This verse described Pṛṣnigarbha. Pierced by the arrows of words of Suruci, the co-wife of his mother, Dhruva left the presence (anti) of King Uttānapada and went to the forest for performing austerity (tapase). Pleased with Dhruva who offered him prayers (gṛṇate), the Lord gave him Dhurva-loka, an eternal planet, which the seven sages, situated in the sky (divyāḥ) above and below, praise. Or it can mean, “Bhṛgu, who is situated above, and the seven sages, who are situated below, praise that planet.”
This form is called Pṛśnigarbha, an avatāra of Vāsudeva. He is mentioned in the Tenth Canto:
tvam eva pūrva-sarge ’bhūḥ pṛśniḥ svāyambhuve sati
tadāyaṁ sutapā nāma prajāpatir akalmaṣaḥ
My dear mother, best of the chaste, in your previous birth, in the Svāyambhuva millennium, you were known as Pṛśni, and Vasudeva, who was the most pious Prajāpati, was named Sutapā. SB 10.3.32
adṛṣṭvānyatamaṁ loke śīlaudārya-guṇaiḥ samam
ahaṁ suto vām abhavaṁ pṛśnigarbha iti śrutaḥ
Since I found no one else as highly elevated as you in simplicity and other qualities of good character, I appeared in this world as Pṛśnigarbha, or one who is celebrated as having taken birth from Pṛśni. SB 10.3.41
His birth but not his activities are mentioned in the Tenth Canto.. His activities but not his birth are mentioned in the present verse. By comparing the birth and activities, both can be combined consistently. Laghu-bhāgavatamṛta says:
asyātra caritānuktyā nāmānuktyā ca tatra vai |
parasparam apekṣitvād yuktā caikatra saṅgatiḥ ||
Since the activities of the son of Pṛśni are not mentioned in the quotation from the Tenth Canto and Pṛśni’s name is not mentioned in the Second Canto quote, the two can be taken as the same person because of the need for both name and activities for avatāra descriptions. Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.3.56
One should not say that this verse describes how Nārāyaṇa came from Vaikuṇṭha for Dhruva, and thus this is a separate avatāra called Dhruva-priya. The same scripture also says:
atrāgamana-mātreṇa yadi syād avatāratā |
anyatrāpi prasajyeta yatheṣṭaṁ tat-prakalpanā || 57||
If one were to argue that the Lord could be considered a separate avatāra for just approaching Dhruva, this should apply to other forms of the Lord also. Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.3.57
Jiva's tika ||2.7.8||
viddhaḥ sapatny-udita-patribhir anti rājno bālo ’pi sann upagatas tapase vanāni | tasmā adād dhruva-gatiṃ gṛṇate prasanno divyāḥ stuvanti munayo yad upary-adhastāt ||
TRANSLATION Pierced by the arrows of the words of his step-mother, Dhruva, only a boy, left the King and went to the forest to perform penance. Being pleased with Dhruva who offered prayers, the Lord gave him Dhurva-loka, which the seven sages situated above and below in the sky praise.
Vāsudeva appeared for Dhruva, and is situated on Dhruva-loka, for by chanting his twelve syllable mantra one attains that planet.
TEXT - SB 2.7.9
yad venam utpatha-gataṁ dvija-vākya-vajra-
niṣpluṣṭa-pauruṣa-bhagaṁ niraye patantam
trātvārthito jagati putra-padaṁ ca lebhe
dugdhā vasūni vasudhā sakalāni yena
SYNONYMS
yat—when; venam—unto King Vena; utpatha-gatam—going astray from the righteous path; dvija—of the brāhmaṇas; vākya—words of cursing; vajra—thunderbolt; niṣpluṣṭa—being burnt by; pauruṣa—great deeds; bhagam—opulence; niraye—into hell; patantam—going down; trātvā—by delivering; arthitaḥ—so being prayed for; jagati—on the world; putra-padam—the position of the son; ca—as well as; lebhe—achieved; dugdhā—exploited; vasūni—produce; vasudhā—the earth; sakalāni—all kinds of; yena—by whom.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Vena went astray from the path of righteousness, and the brāhmaṇas chastised him by the thunderbolt curse. By this King Vena was burnt with his good deeds and opulence and was en route to hell. The Lord, by His causeless mercy, descended as his son, by the name of Pṛthu, delivered the condemned King Vena from hell, and exploited the earth by drawing all kinds of crops as produce.
PURPORT
According to the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, the pious and learned brāhmaṇas were the natural guardians of society. The brāhmaṇas, by their learned labor of love, would instruct the administrator-kings how to rule the country in complete righteousness, and thus the process would go on as a perfect welfare state. The kings or the kṣatriya administrators would always consult the council of learned brāhmaṇas. They were never autocratic monarchs. The scriptures like Manu-saṁhitā and other authorized books of the great sages were guiding principles for ruling the subjects, and there was no need for less intelligent persons to manufacture a code of law in the name of democracy. The less intelligent mass of people have very little knowledge of their own welfare, as a child has very little knowledge of its future well-being. The experienced father guides the innocent child towards the path of progress, and the childlike mass of people need similar guidance. The standard welfare codes are already there in the Manu-saṁhitā and other Vedic literatures. The learned brāhmaṇas would advise the king in terms of those standard books of knowledge and with reference to the particular situation of time and place. Such brāhmaṇas were not paid servants of the king, and therefore they had the strength to dictate to the king on the principles of scriptures. This system continued even up to the time of Mahārāja Candragupta, and the brāhmaṇa Cāṇakya was his unpaid prime minister.
Mahārāja Vena did not adhere to this principle of ruling, and he disobeyed the learned brāhmaṇas. The broad-minded brāhmaṇas were not self-interested, but looked to the interest of complete welfare for all the subjects. They wanted to chastise King Vena for his misconduct and so prayed to the Almighty Lord as well as cursed the king.
Long life, obedience, good reputation, righteousness, prospects of being promoted to higher planets, and blessings of great personalities are all vanquished simply by disobedience to a great soul. One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls. Mahārāja Vena became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully neglected the great souls, he was punished by the loss of all the above-mentioned acquisitions. In the Vāmana Purāṇa the history of Mahārāja Vena and his degradation are fully described. When Mahārāja Pṛthu heard about the hellish condition of his father, Vena, who was suffering from leprosy in the family of a mleccha, he at once brought the former king to Kurukṣetra for his purification and relieved him of all sufferings.
Mahārāja Pṛthu, the incarnation of God, descended by the prayer of the brāhmaṇas to rectify the disorders on earth. He produced all kinds of crops. But, at the same time, he performed the duty of a son who delivers his father from hellish conditions. The word putra means one who delivers from hell, called put. That is a worthy son.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.9
yad venam utpatha-gataṁ dvija-vākya-vajra-
niṣpluṣṭa-pauruṣa-bhagaṁ niraye patantam |
trātvārthito jagati putra-padaṁ ca lebhe
dugdhā vasūni vasudhā sakalāni yena ||
When the brāhmaṇas prayed for his appearance, Pṛthu appeared and delivered his father Vena who had fallen to hell and whose powers had been burned up by the thunderbolt words of the brāhmaṇas. Thus he was worthy of the name putra (son). He milked the earth of food and other items.
This described Pṛthu. When (yad) prayed for (arthitaḥ) by the sages, the Lord appeared, and having delivered Vena, who had fallen to hell, he got the name putra. The word putra is derived as follows:
puṁ-nāmno narakādy asmāt pitaraṁ trāyate sutaḥ |
tasmāt putra iti proktaḥ svayam eva svayaṁbhuvā ||
The son delivers (trāyate) his father from the hell called put. Thus he is called putra.
How did he do this? It is described in the Vāmana Purāṇa that Prthu heard from Nārada that his father, whose powers had been burned up by the thunderbolt curse of the brāhmaṇas, after suffering in hell, had attained a low body of a leper. Pṛthu brought him to Pṛthu lake at Kurukṣetra and, by bathing him there, delivered him from his unremitting suffering. After that, he milked the earth for food and other items (vūsuni).
Jiva's tika ||2.7.9||
yad venam utpatha-gataṃ dvija-vākya-vajraniṣpluṣṭa-pauruṣa-bhagaṃ niraye patantam | trātvārthito jagati putra-padaṃ ca lebhe dugdhā vasūni vasudhā sakalāni yena ||
TRANSLATION When the brāhmaṇas prayed for his appearance, Pṛthu appeared and delivered his father Vena who had fallen to hell and whose powers had been burned up by the thunderbolt words of the brāhmaṇas. Thus he was worthy of the name putra (son). He milked the earth of food and other items.
He not only saved his father from falling repeatedly to hell but attained the name putra. This was a show of mercy of elevated sages. The verb for trātvā indicates the past, but here it indicates the certainty of the event in the future. In the Seventh Canto it is stated that his father fell to hell because of the brāhmaṇas,
since he criticized the Lord. Prthu heard from Nārada that his father, whose powers had been burned up by the thunderbolt curse of the brāhmaṇas, after suffering in hell, had attained a low body of a leper. Pṛthu brought him to Pṛthu Lake at Kurukṣetra and, by bathing him there, delivered him from his unremitting suffering. This is described in Vāmana Purāṇa.
TEXT - SB 2.7.10
nābher asāv ṛṣabha āsa sudevi-sūnur
yo vai cacāra sama-dṛg jaḍa-yoga-caryām
yat pāramahaṁsyam ṛṣayaḥ padam āmananti
svasthaḥ praśānta-karaṇaḥ parimukta-saṅgaḥ
SYNONYMS
nābheḥ—by Mahārāja Nābhi; asau—the Personality of Godhead; ṛṣabhaḥ—Ṛṣabha; āsa—became; sudevi—Sudevī; sūnuḥ—the son of; yaḥ—who; vai—certainly; cacāra—performed; sama-dṛk—equibalanced; jaḍa—material; yoga-caryām—performance of yoga; yat—which; pāramahaṁsyam—the highest stage of perfection; ṛṣayaḥ—the learned sages; padam—situation; āmananti—do accept; svasthaḥ—self-reposed; praśānta—suspended; karaṇaḥ—the material senses; parimukta—perfectly liberated; saṅgaḥ—material contamination.
TRANSLATION
The Lord appeared as the son of Sudevī, the wife of King Nābhi, and was known as Ṛṣabhadeva. He performed materialistic yoga to equibalance the mind. This stage is also accepted as the highest perfectional situation of liberation, wherein one is situated in one's self and is completely satisfied.
PURPORT
Out of many types of mystic performances for self-realization, the process of jaḍa-yoga is also one accepted by authorities. This jaḍa-yoga involves practicing becoming like a dumb stone and not being affected by material reactions. Just as a stone is indifferent to all kinds of attacks and reattacks of external situations, similarly one practices jaḍa-yoga by tolerating voluntary infliction of pain upon the material body. Such yogīs, out of many self-infliction methods, practice plucking out the hairs on their heads, without shaving and without any instrumental help. But the real purpose of such jaḍa-yoga practice is to get free from all material affection and to be completely situated in the self. At the last stage of his life, Emperor Ṛṣabhadeva wandered like a dumb madman, unaffected by all kinds of bodily mistreatment. Seeing him like a madman, wandering naked with long hair and a long beard, less intelligent children and men in the street used to spit on him and urinate on his body. He used to lie in his own stool and never move. But the stool of his body was fragrant like the smell of fragrant flowers, and a saintly person would recognize him as a paramahaṁsa, one in the highest state of human perfection. One who is not able to make his stool fragrant should not, however, imitate Emperor Ṛṣabhadeva. The practice of jaḍa-yoga was possible for Ṛṣabhadeva and others on the same level of perfection, but such an uncommon practice is impossible for an ordinary man.
The real purpose of jaḍa-yoga, as mentioned here in this verse, is praśānta-karaṇaḥ, or subduing the senses. The whole process of yoga, under whatever heading it may be, is to control the unbridled material senses and thus prepare oneself for self-realization. In this age specifically, this jaḍa-yoga cannot be of any practical value, but on the other hand the practice of bhakti-yoga is feasible because it is just suitable for this age. The simple method of hearing from the right source, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, will lead one to the highest perfectional stage of yoga. Ṛṣabhadeva was the son of King Nābhi and the grandson of King Āgnīdhra, and he was the father of King Bharata, after whose name this planet earth was called Bhārata-varṣa. Ṛṣabhadeva's mother was also known as Merudevī, although her name is mentioned here as Sudevī. It is sometimes proposed that Sudevī was another wife of King Nābhi, but since King Ṛṣabhadeva is mentioned elsewhere as the son of Merudevī, it is clear that Merudevī and Sudevī are the same person under different names.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.10
nābher asāv ṛṣabha āsa sudevi-sūnur
yo vai cacāra sama-dṛg jaḍa-yoga-caryām |
yat pāramahaṁsyam ṛṣayaḥ padam āmananti
svasthaḥ praśānta-karaṇaḥ parimukta-saṅgaḥ ||
Ṛṣabha, who performed jaḍa-yoga, and whose renunciation is practiced by other sages, was the son of Sudevī and King Nābhi. He was situated in himself, had controlled senses, and gave up all material association.
This verse describes Ṛṣabhadeva. He appeared as the son of Sudevi and Nābhi. He practiced yoga as if he was inanimate (jaḍa). The sages practice the characteristics of his renunciation. What type of person was he? He was situated in himself (svasthaḥ).
One may object that after renouncing everything he again attained worldy connection by gaining worshippers. He gave up completely the association of those sages who followed his renunciation. He had no affection for them, thinking that they did not understand his type of renunciation. Thus they became dried up. One should see the story (in the Fifth Canto) for the details.
TEXT - SB 2.7.11
satre mamāsa bhagavān haya-śīraṣātho
sākṣāt sa yajña-puruṣas tapanīya-varṇaḥ
chandomayo makhamayo 'khila-devatātmā
vāco babhūvur uśatīḥ śvasato 'sya nastaḥ
SYNONYMS
satre—in the sacrificial ceremony; mama—of mine; āsa—appeared; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; haya-śīraṣā—with His horselike head; atha—thus; sākṣāt—directly; saḥ—He; yajña-puruṣaḥ—the person who is pleased by performances of sacrifice; tapanīya—golden; varṇaḥ—hue; chandaḥ-mayaḥ—personified Vedic hymns; makha-mayaḥ—personified sacrifices; akhila—all that be; devatā-ātmā—the soul of the demigods; vācaḥ—sounds; babhūvuḥ—become audible; uśatīḥ—very pleasing to hear; śvasataḥ—while breathing; asya—His; nastaḥ—through the nostrils.
TRANSLATION
The Lord appeared as the Hayagrīva incarnation in a sacrifice performed by me [Brahmā]. He is the personified sacrifices, and the hue of His body is golden. He is the personified Vedas as well, and the Supersoul of all demigods. When He breathed, all the sweet sounds of the Vedic hymns came out of His nostrils.
PURPORT
The Vedic hymns are generally meant for sacrifices performed by fruitive workers who also want to satisfy the demigods to achieve their fruitive result. But the Lord is the personified sacrifices and personified Vedic hymns. Therefore one who is directly a devotee of the Lord is a person who has automatically both served the purposes of sacrifices and pleased the demigods. The devotees of the Lord may not perform any sacrifice or may not please the demigods as per Vedic injunctions, and still the devotees are on a higher level than the fruitive workers or the worshipers of different demigods.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.11
satre mamāsa bhagavān haya-śīraṣātho
sākṣāt sa yajña-puruṣas tapanīya-varṇaḥ |
chandomayo makhamayo ’khila-devatātmā
vāco babhūvur uśatīḥ śvasato ’sya nastaḥ ||
Hayagrīva is described. At my sacrifice (satre), the Lord appeared as Hayagrīva. From the exhaling (śvasataḥ) of Hayagrīva (asya) through his nostrils (nastaḥ) the pleasant (uśatīh) words of the Vedas appeared. The three words chandomayo makhamayo ’khila-devatātmā describe karma-kāṇdā, jñāna-kāṇḍā and devatā kāṇdā śrutis. Instead of makhamaya sometimes amṛtamaya is seen.
TEXT - SB 2.7.12
matsyo yugānta-samaye manunopalabdhaḥ
kṣoṇīmayo nikhila-jīva-nikāya-ketaḥ
visraṁsitān uru-bhaye salile mukhān me
ādāya tatra vijahāra ha veda-mārgān
SYNONYMS
matsyaḥ—incarnation of the fish; yuga-anta—at the end of the millennium; samaye—at the time of; manunā—the would-be Vaivasvata Manu; upalabdhaḥ—seen; kṣoṇīmayaḥ—up to the earthly planets; nikhila—all; jīva—living entities; nikāya-ketaḥ—shelter for; visraṁsitān—emanating from; uru—great; bhaye—out of fear; salile—in the water; mukhāt—from the mouth; me—mine; ādāya—having taken to; tatra—there; vijahāra—enjoyed; ha—certainly; veda-mārgān—all the Vedas.
TRANSLATION
At the end of the millennium, the would-be Vaivasvata Manu, of the name Satyavrata, would see that the Lord in the fish incarnation is the shelter of all kinds of living entities, up to those in the earthly planets. Because of my fear of the vast water at the end of the millennium, the Vedas come out of my [Brahmā's] mouth, and the Lord enjoys those vast waters and protects the Vedas.
PURPORT
During one day of Brahmā there are fourteen Manus, and at the end of each Manu there is devastation up to the earthly planets, and the vast water is fearful even to Brahmā. So in the beginning of the would-be Vaivasvata Manu, such devastation would be seen by him. There would be many other incidents also, such as the killing of the famous Śaṅkhāsura. This foretelling is by the past experience of Brahmājī, who knew that in that fearful devastating scene, the Vedas would come out of his mouth, but the Lord in His fish incarnation not only would save all living entities, namely the demigods, animals, men and great sages, but would also save the Vedas.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.12
matsyo yugānta-samaye manunopalabdhaḥ
kṣoṇī-mayo nikhila-jīva-nikāya-ketaḥ |
visraṁsitān uru-bhaye salile mukhān me
ādāya tatra vijahāra ha veda-mārgān ||
Matsya is described. He was seen by the future Vaivasvata Manu at the end of the Yuga. He became the shelter of the earth and others as well as the four types of jīvas. He took up the Vedas which has dropped from my mouth into the frightening waters and played in that water.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.12||
matsyo yugānta-samaye manunopalabdhaḥ kṣoṇī-mayo nikhila-jīva-nikāya-ketaḥ | visraṃsitān uru-bhaye salile mukhān me ādāya tatra vijahāra ha veda-mārgān ||
TRANSLATION Matsya, appearing at the end of the manvantara, seen by the future Vaivasvata Manu, acted as the shelter for the earth and all the living beings, and taking up the Vedas which has slipped from my (Brahmā’s) mouth into the water, played in the frightening waters.
He was seen by Satyavrata who would be Vaivasvata Manu in the future. His killing other demons is not mentioned, as that is well known.
TEXT - SB 2.7.13
kṣīrodadhāv amara-dānava-yūthapānām
unmathnatām amṛta-labdhaya ādi-devaḥ
pṛṣṭhena kacchapa-vapur vidadhāra gotraṁ
nidrākṣaṇo 'dri-parivarta-kaṣāṇa-kaṇḍūḥ
SYNONYMS
kṣīra—milk; udadhau—in the ocean of; amara—the demigods; dānava—the demons; yūtha-pānām—of the leaders of both hosts; unmathnatām—while churning; amṛta—nectar; labdhaya—for gaining; ādi-devaḥ—the primeval Lord; pṛṣṭhena—by the backbone; kacchapa—tortoise; vapuḥ—body; vidadhāra—assumed; gotram—the Mandara Hill; nidrākṣaṇaḥ—while partly sleeping; adri-parivarta—rolling the hill; kaṣāṇa—scratching; kaṇḍūḥ—itching.
TRANSLATION
The primeval Lord then assumed the tortoise incarnation in order to serve as a resting place [pivot] for the Mandara Mountain, which was acting as a churning rod. The demigods and demons were churning the ocean of milk with the Mandara Mountain in order to extract nectar. The mountain moved back and forth, scratching the back of Lord Tortoise, who, while partially sleeping, was experiencing an itching sensation.
PURPORT
Although it is not in our experience, there is a milk ocean within this universe. Even the modern scientist accepts that there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of planets hovering over our heads, and each of them has different kinds of climatic conditions. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives much information which may not tally with our present experience. But as far as Indian sages are concerned, knowledge is received from the Vedic literatures, and the authorities accept without any hesitation that we should look through the pages of authentic books of knowledge (śāstra-cakṣurvat). So we cannot deny the existence of the ocean of milk as stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam unless and until we have experimentally seen all the planets hovering in space. Since such an experiment is not possible, naturally we have to accept the statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as it is because it is so accepted by spiritual leaders like Śrīdhara Svāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī and others. The Vedic process is to follow in the footsteps of great authorities, and that is the only process for knowing that which is beyond our imagination.
The primeval Lord, being all-powerful, can do whatever He likes, and therefore His assuming the incarnation of a tortoise or a fish for serving a particular purpose is not at all astonishing. Therefore we should not have any hesitation whatsoever in accepting the statements of the authentic scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The gigantic work of churning the milk ocean by the combined effort of the demigods and the demons required a gigantic resting ground or pivot for the gigantic Mandara Hill. Thus to help the attempt of the demigods the primeval Lord assumed the incarnation of a gigantic tortoise, swimming in the ocean of milk. At the same time, the mountain scratched His backbone as He was partially sleeping and thus relieved His itching sensation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.13
kṣīrodadhāv amara-dānava-yūthapānām
unmathnatām amṛta-labdhaya ādi-devaḥ |
pṛṣṭhena kacchapa-vapur vidadhāra gotraṁ
nidrākṣaṇo ’dri-parivarta-kaṣāṇa-kaṇḍūḥ ||
This describes Kūrma. The lord, who took the opportunity to sleep, or was joyfully sleeping, held up the Mandara Mountain (gotram) for attaining nectar from the milk ocean, to relieve his itching by the turning of the mountain. The verb kaṣ means to destroy. The form kaṣāṇa is poetic license.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.13||
kṣīrodadhāv amara-dānava-yūthapānām unmathnatām amṛta-labdhaya ādi-devaḥ | pṛṣṭhena kacchapa-vapur vidadhāra gotraṃ nidrākṣaṇo ’dri-parivarta-kaṣāṇa-kaṇḍūḥ ||
TRANSLATION In the form of a turtle, the Lord held up Mandara Mountain on his back so that the devatās and Dānavas could obtain nectar from churning the milk ocean, while he took the opportunity to sleep and developed itching by the turning of the mountain on his back.
He developed itching by the scraping when the mountain turned.
TEXT - SB 2.7.14
trai-piṣṭaporu-bhaya-hā sa nṛsiṁha-rūpaṁ
kṛtvā bhramad-bhrukuṭi-daṁṣṭra-karāla-vaktram
daityendram āśu gadayābhipatantam ārād
ūrau nipātya vidadāra nakhaiḥ sphurantam
SYNONYMS
trai-piṣṭapa—the demigods; uru-bhaya-hā—one who vanquishes great fears; saḥ—He (the Personality of Godhead); nṛsiṁha-rūpam—assuming the incarnation Nṛsiṁha; kṛtvā—doing so; bhramat—by rolling; bhru-kuṭi—eyebrows; daṁṣṭra—teeth; karāla—greatly fearful; vaktram—mouth; daitya-indram—the king of the demons; āśu—immediately; gadayā—with club in hand; abhipatantam—while falling down; ārāt—nearby; ūrau—on the thighs; nipātya—placing on; vidadāra—pierced; nakhaiḥ—by the nails; sphurantam—while challenging.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead assumed the incarnation of Nṛsiṁhadeva in order to vanquish the great fears of the demigods. He killed the king of the demons [Hiraṇyakaśipu], who challenged the Lord with a club in his hand, by placing the demon on His thighs and piercing him with His nails, rolling His eyebrows in anger and showing His fearful teeth and mouth.
PURPORT
The history of Hiraṇyakaśipu and his great devotee-son Prahlāda Mahārāja is narrated in the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Hiraṇyakaśipu became very powerful by material achievements and thought himself to be immortal by the grace of Brahmājī. Brahmājī declined to award him the benediction of immortality because he himself is not an immortal being. But Hiraṇyakaśipu derived Brahmājī's benediction in a roundabout way, almost equal to becoming an immortal being. Hiraṇyakaśipu was sure that he would not be killed by any man or demigod or by any kind of known weapon, nor would he die in day or night. The Lord, however, assumed the incarnation of half-man and half-lion, which was beyond the imagination of a materialistic demon like Hiraṇyakaśipu, and thus, keeping pace with the benediction of Brahmājī, the Lord killed him. He killed him on His lap, so that he was killed neither on the land nor on the water nor in the sky. The demon was pierced by Nṛsiṁha's nails, which were beyond the human weapons imaginable by Hiraṇyakaśipu. The literal meaning of Hiraṇyakaśipu is one who is after gold and soft bedding, the ultimate aim of all materialistic men. Such demonic men, who have no relationship with God, gradually become puffed up by material acquisitions and begin to challenge the authority of the Supreme Lord and torture those who are devotees of the Lord. Prahlāda Mahārāja happened to be the son of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and because the boy was a great devotee, his father tortured him to the best of his ability. In this extreme situation, the Lord assumed the incarnation of Nṛsiṁhadeva, and just to finish the enemy of the demigods, the Lord killed Hiraṇyakaśipu in a manner beyond the demon's imagination. Materialistic plans of godless demons are always frustrated by the all-powerful Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.14
traipiṣṭaporu-bhaya-hā sa nṛsiṁha-rūpaṁ
kṛtvā bhramad-bhrukuṭi-daṁṣṭra-karāla-vaktram |
daityendram āśu gadayābhipatantam ārād
ūrau nipātya vidadāra nakhaiḥ sphurantam ||
This verse describes Nṛsiṁha. This form destroyed the great fears of the devatās (traipiṣṭapa). With his club, the king of the Daityas, Hiraṇyakaśipu, rushed close (ārāt) to the Lord, who had a frightening face with fangs and frowns.
TEXT - SB 2.7.15
antaḥ-sarasy uru-balena pade gṛhīto
grāheṇa yūtha-patir ambuja-hasta ārtaḥ
āhedam ādi-puruṣākhila-loka-nātha
tīrtha-śravaḥ śravaṇa-maṅgala-nāmadheya
SYNONYMS
antaḥ-sarasi—within the river; uru-balena—by superior strength; pade—leg; gṛhītaḥ—being taken up; grāheṇa—by the crocodile; yūtha-patiḥ—of the leader of the elephants; ambuja-hastaḥ—with a lotus flower in the hand; ārtaḥ—greatly aggrieved; āha—addressed; idam—like this; ādi-puruṣa—the original enjoyer; akhila-loka-nātha—the Lord of the universe; tīrtha-śravaḥ—as famous as a place of pilgrimage; śravaṇa-maṅgala—all good simply by hearing the name; nāma-dheya—whose holy name is worth chanting.
TRANSLATION
The leader of the elephants, whose leg was attacked in a river by a crocodile of superior strength, was much aggrieved. Taking a lotus flower in his trunk, he addressed the Lord, saying, "O original enjoyer, Lord of the universe! O deliverer, as famous as a place of pilgrimage! All are purified simply by hearing Your holy name, which is worthy to be chanted."
PURPORT
The history of delivering the leader of the elephants, whose leg was attacked in the river by the superior strength of a crocodile, is described in the Eighth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Since the Lord is absolute knowledge, there is no difference between His holy name and the Personality of Godhead. The leader of the elephants was much distressed when he was attacked by the crocodile. Although the elephant is always stronger than the crocodile, the latter is stronger than the elephant when it is in the water. And because the elephant was a great devotee of the Lord in his previous birth, he was able to chant the holy name of the Lord by dint of his past good deeds. Every living entity is always distressed in this material world because this place is such that at every step one has to meet with some kind of distress. But one who is supported by his past good deeds engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.16). Those who are supported by impious acts cannot be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, even though they are distressed. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.15). The Personality of Godhead Hari appeared at once on the back of His eternal bearer, Garuḍa, and delivered the elephant.
The elephant was conscious of his relation with the Supreme Lord. He addressed the Lord as ādi-puruṣa, or the original enjoyer. Both the Lord and the living beings are conscious and are therefore enjoyers, but the Lord is the original enjoyer because He is the creator of everything. In a family, both the father and his sons are undoubtedly enjoyers but the father is the original enjoyer, and the sons are subsequent enjoyers. A pure devotee knows well that everything in the universe is the property of the Lord and that a living entity can enjoy a thing as ordained by the Lord. A living being cannot even touch a thing which is not allotted to him. This idea of the original enjoyer is explained very nicely in the Īśopaniṣad. One who knows this difference between the Lord and himself never accepts anything without first offering it to the Lord.
The elephant addressed the Lord as akhila-loka-nātha, or the Lord of the universe, who is therefore the Lord of the elephant also. The elephant, being a pure devotee of the Lord, specifically deserved to be saved from the attack of the crocodile, and because it is a promise of the Lord that His devotee will never be vanquished, it was quite befitting that the elephant called upon the Lord to protect him, and the merciful Lord also at once responded. The Lord is the protector of everyone, but He is the first protector of one who acknowledges the superiority of the Lord instead of being so falsely proud as to deny the superiority of the Lord or to claim to be equal to Him. He is ever superior. A pure devotee of the Lord knows this difference between the Lord and himself. Therefore a pure devotee is given first preference because of his full dependence, whereas the person who denies the existence of the Lord and declares himself the Lord is called asura, and as such he is given protection by the strength of limited power subject to the sanction of the Lord. Since the Lord is superior to everyone, His perfection is also superior. No one can imagine it.
The elephant addressed the Lord as tīrtha-śravaḥ, or "as famous as a place of pilgrimage." People go to places of pilgrimage in order to be delivered from the reactions of unknown sinful acts. But one can be freed from all sinful reactions simply by remembering His holy name. The Lord is therefore as good as the holy places of pilgrimage. One can be free from all sinful reactions after reaching a place of pilgrimage, but one can have the same benefit at home or at any place simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. For a pure devotee, there is no need to go to the holy place of pilgrimage. He can be delivered from all sinful acts simply by remembering the Lord in earnestness. A pure devotee of the Lord never commits any sinful acts, but because the whole world is full of the sinful atmosphere, even a pure devotee may commit a sin unconsciously, as a matter of course. One who commits sinful acts consciously cannot be worthy of being a devotee of the Lord, but a pure devotee who unconsciously does something sinful is certainly delivered by the Lord because a pure devotee remembers the Lord always.
The Lord's holy name is called śravaṇa-maṅgala. This means that one receives everything auspicious simply by hearing the holy name. In another place in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, His holy name is described as puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana. It is a pious act simply to chant and hear all about the Lord. The Lord descends on this earth and acts like others in connection with the activities of the world just to create subject matters for hearing about Him; otherwise the Lord has nothing to do in this world, nor has He any obligation to do anything. He comes out of His own causeless mercy and acts as He desires, the Vedas and purāṇas are full of descriptions of His different activities so that people in general may naturally be eager to hear and read something about His activities. Generally, however, the modern fictions and novels of the world occupy a greater part of people's valuable time. Such literatures cannot do good to anyone; on the contrary, they agitate the young mind unnecessarily and increase the modes of passion and ignorance, leading to increasing bondage to the material conditions. The same aptitude for hearing and reading is better utilized in hearing and reading of the Lord's activities. This will give one all-around benefit.
It is concluded, therefore, that the holy name of the Lord and topics in relation with Him are always worth hearing, and therefore He is called here in this verse nāma-dheya, or one whose holy name is worth chanting.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.15
antaḥ-sarasy uru-balena pade gṛhīto
grāheṇa yūtha-patir ambuja-hasta ārtaḥ |
āhedam ādi-puruṣākhila-loka-nātha
tīrtha-śravaḥ śravaṇa-maṅgala-nāmadheya ||
Two verses describe the avatāra Hari. The elephant calls out four names of the Lord. “You possess a human form from the beginning (ādi-puruṣa) but I, because of being a jīva, had a human form previously but now have an elephant form. You are the master of all people (akhila-loka-nātha). You can also be my master. You are famous for purifying (tīrtha-śravaḥ), and, therefore, you should purify me of the sin of this low birth. I have heard your auspicious name (śravaṇa-maṅgala) from the mouth of my guru. How, then, can I be in this inauspicious position now?”
Jiva's tika ||2.7.15||
antaḥ-sarasy uru-balena pade gṛhīto grāheṇa yūtha-patir ambuja-hasta ārtaḥ | āhedam ādi-puruṣākhila-loka-nātha tīrtha-śravaḥ śravaṇa-mangala-nāmadheya ||
TRANSLATION When the king of the elephants was bitten on his foot by a powerful crocodile while in the water and suffering because of that, taking a lotus in his trunk, he cried out, “O first person, master of all people, famous for purifying, auspicious to the ear!”
His prayer is stated in the Eighth Canto, ending in SB 8.3.32.
TEXT - SB 2.7.16
śrutvā haris tam araṇārthinam aprameyaś
cakrāyudhaḥ patagarāja-bhujādhirūḍhaḥ
cakreṇa nakra-vadanaṁ vinipāṭya tasmād
dhaste pragṛhya bhagavān kṛpayojjahāra
SYNONYMS
śrutvā—by hearing; hariḥ—the Personality of Godhead; tam—him; araṇa-arthinam—one who is in need of help; aprameyaḥ—the unlimitedly powerful Lord; cakra—wheel; āyudhaḥ—equipped with His weapon; pataga-rāja—the king of the birds (Garuḍa); bhuja-adhirūḍhaḥ—being seated on the wings of; cakreṇa—by the wheel; nakra-vadanam—the mouth of the crocodile; vinipāṭya—cutting in two; tasmāt—from the mouth of the crocodile; haste—in the hands; pragṛhya—taking hold of the trunk; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; kṛpayā—out of causeless mercy; ujjahāra—delivered him.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead, after hearing the elephant's plea, felt that the elephant needed His immediate help, for he was in great distress. Thus at once the Lord appeared there on the wings of the king of birds, Garuḍa, fully equipped with His weapon, the wheel [cakra]. With the wheel He cut to pieces the mouth of the crocodile to save the elephant, and He delivered the elephant by lifting him by his trunk.
PURPORT
The Lord resides in His Vaikuṇṭha planet. No one can estimate how far away this planet is situated. It is said, however, that anyone trying to reach that planet by airships or by mindships, traveling for millions of years, will find it still unknown. Modern scientists have invented airships which are material, and the yogīs make a still finer material attempt to travel by mindships. The yogīs can reach any distant place very quickly with the help of mindships. But neither the airship nor the mindship has access to the kingdom of God in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, situated far beyond the material sky. Since this is the situation, how was it possible for the prayers of the elephant to be heard from such an unlimitedly distant place, and how could the Lord at once appear on the spot? These things cannot be calculated by human imagination. All this was possible by the unlimited power of the Lord, and therefore the Lord is described here as aprameya, for not even the best human brain can estimate His powers and potencies by mathematical calculation. The Lord can hear from such a distant place, He can eat from there, and He can appear simultaneously in all places at a moment's notice. Such is the omnipotency of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.16
śrutvā haris tam araṇārthinam aprameyaś
cakrāyudhaḥ patagarāja-bhujādhirūḍhaḥ |
cakreṇa nakra-vadanaṁ vinipāṭya tasmād
dhaste pragṛhya bhagavān kṛpayojjahāra ||
Araṇārthinam means longing for surrender.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.16||
śrutvā haris tam araṇārthinam aprameyaś cakrāyudhaḥ patagarāja-bhujādhirūḍhaḥ | cakreṇa nakra-vadanaṃ vinipāṭya tasmād dhaste pragṛhya bhagavān kṛpayojjahāra ||
TRANSLATION The immeasurable Hari, hearing his desire to surrender, holding the cakra in his hand and mounted on Garuḍa, attacked the mouth of the crocodile, grabbed the elephant by his trunk and mercifully delivered him.
The Lord was seated on his back, between the wings (bhuja) of Garuḍa.
TEXT - SB 2.7.17
jyāyān guṇair avarajo 'py aditeḥ sutānāṁ
lokān vicakrama imān yad athādhiyajñaḥ
kṣmāṁ vāmanena jagṛhe tripada-cchalena
yācñām ṛte pathi caran prabhubhir na cālyaḥ
SYNONYMS
jyāyān—the greatest; guṇaiḥ—by qualities; avarajaḥ—transcendental; api—although He is so; aditeḥ—of Aditi; sutānām—of all the sons (known as Ādityas); lokān—all the planets; vicakrame—surpassed; imān—in this universe; yat—one who; atha—therefore; adhiyajñaḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kṣmām—all the lands; vāmanena—in the incarnation of Vāmana; jagṛhe—accepted; tripada—three steps; chalena—by pretension; yācñām—begging; ṛte—without; pathi caran—passing over the right path; prabhubhiḥ—by authorities; na—never to be; cālyaḥ—to be bereft of.
TRANSLATION
The Lord, although transcendental to all material modes, still surpassed all the qualities of the sons of Aditi, known as the Ādityas. The Lord appeared as the youngest son of Aditi. And because He surpassed all the planets of the universe, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the pretense of asking for a measurement of three footsteps of land, He took away all the lands of Bali Mahārāja. He asked simply because without begging, no authority can take one's rightful possession.
PURPORT
The history of Bali Mahārāja and his charity to Vāmanadeva is described in the Eighth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bali Mahārāja conquered all the planets of the universe by rightful possession. A king can conquer other kings by strength, and such possession is considered to be rightful. So Bali Mahārāja possessed all the lands of the universe, and he happened to be charitably disposed toward the brāhmaṇas. The Lord therefore pretended to be a beggar brāhmaṇa, and He asked Bali Mahārāja for a measurement of three footsteps of land. The Lord, as the proprietor of everything, could take from Bali Mahārāja all the land he possessed, but he did not do so because Bali Mahārāja possessed all those lands by king's rights. When Bali Mahārāja was asked by Lord Vāmana for such small charity, Bali Mahārāja's spiritual master, namely Śukrācārya, objected to this proposal because he knew that Vāmanadeva was Viṣṇu Himself, pretending to be a beggar. Bali Mahārāja did not agree to abide by the order of his spiritual master when he understood that the beggar was Viṣṇu Himself, and he at once agreed to give Him in charity the land requested. By this agreement Lord Vāmana covered all the lands of the universe with His first two steps and then asked Bali Mahārāja where to place the third step. Bali Mahārāja was very glad to receive the Lord's remaining step upon his head, and thus Bali Mahārāja, instead of losing everything he possessed, was blessed by the Lord's becoming his constant companion and doorman. So, by giving everything to the cause of the Lord, one does not lose anything, but he gains everything that he could never otherwise expect.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.17
jyāyān guṇair avarajo ’py aditeḥ sutānāṁ
lokān vicakrama imān yad athādhiyajñaḥ |
kṣmāṁ vāmanena jagṛhe tripada-cchalena
yācñām ṛte pathi caran prabhubhir na cālyaḥ ||
Though the controller of sacrifices, in the form of Vāmana, was younger than the other sons of Aditi (the twelve Ādityas), he was the best in qualities.
How can the Lord practice deception and beg land? Without begging, he who follows dharma could not be induced to give up his wealth.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.17||
jyāyān guṇair avarajo ’py aditeḥ sutānāṃ lokān vicakrama imān yad athādhiyajnaḥ | kṣmāṃ vāmanena jagṛhe tripada-cchalena yācnām ṛte pathi caran prabhubhir na cālyaḥ ||
TRANSLATION The Lord of sacrifice, though younger than the other sons of Aditi, taking the form of Vāmana, surpassing all the worlds by his step, took the whole earth on the pretext of begging three steps. Without Vāmana begging from him, Bali who followed the path of dharma, could not be made to give up his wealth.
Because his qualities surpass all others, he can surpass everything. Vāmana took not only the earth (kṣmam) but the three worlds.
TEXT - SB 2.7.18
nārtho baler ayam urukrama-pāda-śaucam
āpaḥ śikhā-dhṛtavato vibudhādhipatyam
yo vai pratiśrutam ṛte na cikīrṣad anyad
ātmānam aṅga manasā haraye 'bhimene
SYNONYMS
na—never; arthaḥ—of any value in comparison with; baleḥ—of strength; ayam—this; urukrama-pāda-śaucam—the water washed from the feet of the Personality of Godhead; āpaḥ—water; śikhā-dhṛtavataḥ—of one who has kept it on his head; vibudha-adhipatyam—supremacy over the kingdom of the demigods; yaḥ—one who; vai—certainly; pratiśrutam—what was duly promised; ṛte na—besides that; cikīrṣat—tried for; anyat—anything else; ātmānam—even his personal body; aṅga—O Nārada; manasā—within his mind; haraye—unto the Supreme Lord; abhimene—dedicated.
TRANSLATION
Bali Mahārāja, who put on his head the water washed from the lotus feet of the Lord, did not think of anything besides his promise, in spite of being forbidden by his spiritual master. The king dedicated his own personal body to fulfill the measurement of the Lord's third step. For such a personality, even the kingdom of heaven, which he conquered by his strength, was of no value.
PURPORT
Bali Mahārāja, by gaining the transcendental favor of the Lord in exchange for his great material sacrifice, was able to have a place in Vaikuṇṭhaloka with equal or greater facilities of eternal enjoyment; therefore he was not at all the loser by sacrificing the kingdom of heaven, which he had possessed by his material strength. In other words, when the Lord snatches away one's hard-earned material possessions and favors one with His personal transcendental service for eternal life, bliss and knowledge, such taking away by the Lord should be considered a special favor upon such a pure devotee.
Material possessions, however alluring they may be, cannot be permanent possessions. Therefore one has to voluntarily give up such possessions, or one has to leave such possessions at the time of quitting this material body. The sane man knows that all material possessions are temporary and that the best use of such possessions is to engage them in the service of the Lord so that the Lord may be pleased with him and award him a permanent place in His paraṁ dhāma.
In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.5-6), the paraṁ dhāma of the Lord is described as follows:
nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣā
adhyātma-nityā vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ
dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-saṁjñair
gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat
na tad bhāsayate sūryo
na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ
yad gatvā na nivartante
tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
One who possesses more in this material world, in the shape of houses, land, children, society, friendship and wealth, possesses these things only for the time being. One cannot possess all this illusory paraphernalia, created by māyā, permanently. Such a possessor is more illusioned in the matter of his self-realization; therefore one should possess less or nothing, so that one may be free from artificial prestige. We are contaminated in the material world by association with the three modes of material nature. Therefore, the more one spiritually advances by devotional service to the Lord, in exchange for his temporary possessions, the more one is freed from the attachment of material illusion. To achieve this stage of life one must be firmly convinced about spiritual existence and its permanent effects. To know exactly the permanency of spiritual existence, one must voluntarily practice possessing less or only the minimum to maintain one's material existence without difficulty. One should not create artificial needs. That will help one be satisfied with the minimum. Artificial needs of life are activities of the senses. The modern advancement of civilization is based on these activities of the senses, or, in other words, it is a civilization of sense gratification. Perfect civilization is the civilization of ātmā, or the soul proper. The civilized man of sense gratification is on an equal level with animals because animals cannot go beyond the activities of the senses. Above the senses is the mind. The civilization of mental speculation is also not the perfect stage of life because above the mind is the intelligence, and the Bhagavad-gītā gives us information of the intellectual civilization. The Vedic literatures give different directions for the human civilization, including the civilization of the senses, of the mind, of the intelligence, and of the soul proper. The Bhagavad-gītā primarily deals with the intelligence of man, leading one to the progressive path of civilization of the spirit soul. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the complete human civilization dealing with the subject matter of the soul proper. As soon as a man is raised to the status of the civilization of the soul, he is fit to be promoted to the kingdom of God, which is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as per the above verses.
The primary information of the kingdom of God informs us that there is no need of sun, moon or electricity, which are all necessary in this material world of darkness. And the secondary information of the kingdom of God explains that anyone able to reach that kingdom by adoption of the civilization of the soul proper, or, in other words, by the method of bhakti-yoga, attains the highest perfection of life. One is then situated in the permanent existence of the soul, with full knowledge of transcendental loving service for the Lord. Bali Mahārāja accepted this civilization of the soul in exchange for his great material possessions and thus became fit for promotion to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of heaven, which he achieved by dint of his material power, was considered most insignificant in comparison with the kingdom of God.
Those who have attained the comforts of a material civilization made for sense gratification should try to attain the kingdom of God by following in the footsteps of Bali Mahārāja, who exchanged his acquired material strength, adopting the process of bhakti-yoga as recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā and further explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.18
nārtho baler ayam urukrama-pāda-śaucam
āpaḥ śikhā[148]-dhṛtavato vibudhādhipatyam |
yo vai pratiśrutam ṛte na cikīrṣad anyad
ātmānam aṅga manasā haraye ’ bhimene ||
One may worry that it is improper to remove Bali’s wealth by begging. But the Lord takes away with the intention of giving much more, such as his own planet. The kingdom of heaven, which was previously taken by force, was not Bali’s objective now, even if it were to be given. Why? He held completely (ā) the water (apaḥ) from the feet of Vāmana on his head, even though he was cursed by Śukrācārya. O Nārada (aṅga)! He did not want to do anything except fulfill his promise. Acikīrṣat is the proper form. Cikīrṣad is poetic license. He agreed to give his body, his identity, to the Lord for fulfilling the third step.
TEXT - SB 2.7.19
tubhyaṁ ca nārada bhṛśaṁ bhagavān vivṛddha-
bhāvena sādhu parituṣṭa uvāca yogam
jñānaṁ ca bhāgavatam ātma-satattva-dīpaṁ
yad vāsudeva-śaraṇā vidur añjasaiva
SYNONYMS
tubhyam—unto you; ca—also; nārada—O Nārada; bhṛśam—very nicely; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; vivṛddha—developed; bhāvena—by transcendental love; sādhu—your goodness; parituṣṭaḥ—being satisfied; uvāca—described; yogam—service; jñānam—knowledge; ca—also; bhāgavatam—the science of God and His devotional service; ātma—the self; sa-tattva—with all details; dīpam—just like the light in the darkness; yat—that which; vāsudeva-śaraṇāḥ—those who are souls surrendered unto Lord Vāsudeva; viduḥ—know them; añjasā—perfectly well; eva—as it is.
TRANSLATION
O Nārada, you were taught about the science of God and His transcendental loving service by the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation of Haṁsāvatāra. He was very much pleased with you, due to your intense proportion of devotional service. He also explained unto you, lucidly, the full science of devotional service, which is especially understandable by persons who are souls surrendered unto Lord Vāsudeva, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
The devotee and devotional service are two correlative terms. Unless one is inclined to be a devotee of the Lord, he cannot enter into the intricacies of devotional service. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa wanted to explain the Bhagavad-gītā, which is the science of devotional service, unto Śrī Arjuna because Arjuna was not only His friend but a great devotee as well. The whole process is that all living entities, being constitutionally parts and parcels of the supreme living being, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, have proportionately minute independence of action also. So the preliminary qualification for entering into the devotional service of the Lord is that one become a willing cooperator, and as such one should voluntarily cooperate with persons who are already engaged in the transcendental devotional service of the Lord. By cooperating with such persons, the prospective candidate will gradually learn the techniques of devotional service, and with the progress of such learning one becomes proportionately free from the contamination of material association. Such a purificatory process will establish the prospective candidate in firm faith and gradually elevate him to the stage of transcendental taste for such devotional service. Thus he acquires a genuine attachment for the devotional service of the Lord, and his conviction carries him on to the point of ecstasy, just prior to the stage of transcendental love.
Such knowledge of devotional service may be divided into two sections, namely preliminary knowledge of the nature of devotional service and the secondary knowledge of its execution. Bhāgavatam is in relation with the Personality of Godhead, His beauty, fame, opulence, dignity, attraction and transcendental qualities which attract one towards Him for exchanges of love and affection. There is a natural affinity of the living entity for the loving service of the Lord. This affinity becomes artificially covered by the influence of material association, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam helps one very genuinely remove that artificial covering. Therefore it is particularly mentioned herein that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam acts like the lamp of transcendental knowledge. These two sections of transcendental knowledge in devotional service become revealed to a person who is a soul surrendered unto Vāsudeva; as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19), such a great soul, fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of Vāsudeva, is very, very rare.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.19
tubhyaṁ ca nārada bhṛśaṁ bhagavān vivṛddha-
bhāvena sādhu parituṣṭa uvāca yogam |
jñānaṁ ca bhāgavatam ātma-satattva-dīpaṁ
yad vāsudeva-śaraṇā vidur añjasaiva ||
This verse describes Haṁsa. The Lord as Haṁsa, satisfied by your prema (vivṛddha-bhāvena) spoke bhakti-yoga (yogam) and jñāna to you. There are two types of knowledge; one that has Kṛṣṇa, who is the object of devotion, as the subject, and two, that which has the jīva, who is the shelter of bhakti, as the subject. These are defined by two descriptive terms in the verse. Bhāgavatam refers to information for understanding about the Lord’s beauty, fragrance, voice, young age, sweetness and attractive qualities in order to attain prema. The other type is that which removes the covering of ignorance and reveals (pradīpam) the nature of the jīva (such as knowledge and bliss), who is the shelter of bhakti. These are the two types of knowledge. The pure devotees joyfully (añjasā) understand this knowledge. Everywhere in the scriptures, words such as knowledge are used without distinguishing whether they are used to describe another element, or as the main element, with conventional meaning (rūḍha), such as in the word brahma-jñāna. Similarly pañhkaja refers to lotus (the common usage) and other things (anything growing from mud). In other places, however, the words are used according to strict derivation (yaugika) as in the following examples:
purā mayā proktam ajāya nābhye
padme niṣaṇṇāya mamādi-sarge
jñānaṁ paraṁ man-mahimāvabhāsaṁ
yat sūrayo bhāgavataṁ vadanti
Previously at the beginning of creation, I spoke to Brahmā sitting on his lotus in lake of my navel the highest knowledge which reveals my pastimes, and which the devotees call the four essential verses of Bhāgavatam. SB 3.4.13
vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
Bhakti dedicated to Lord Kṛṣṇa, endowed with special moods, quickly produces detachment from material goals and knowledge of the Lord devoid of the desire for liberation. SB 1.2.7
aho bhāgyam aho bhāgyaṁ nanda-gopa-vrajaukasām
yan-mitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇaṁ brahma sanātanam
How greatly fortunate are Nanda Mahārāja, the cowherd men and all the other inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi! There is no limit to their good fortune, because the Absolute Truth, the source of transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahman, has become their friend. SB 10.14.32
Other examples are pañkajam vartma durgamam: the road which has become muddy (pañkajam---instead of meaning a lotus) is difficult to pass. Maṇḍapaṁ bhojayej janam: the man should enjoy the hall. Bhojayet also means “should eat”.
In Viṣṇu-dharmottara it is said that the Lord as Haṁsa spoke bhakti-yoga to Nārada, not impersonal jñāna. However it is also said:
yadā tvaṁ sanakādibhyo yena rūpeṇa keśava |
yogam ādiṣṭavān etad rūpam icchāmi veditum ||
O Keśava! I desire to know that form of yoga which you taught to the Kumāras.
That Haṁsa taught jñāna to the Kumāṛas. It should be understood to be a different Haṁṣa. Tubhyaṁ ca (unto you also) in the verse indicates that the Lord spoke bhakti-yoga to Nārada who was also an avatāra. Thus Brahmā indicates that Nārada is also an avatāra.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.19||
tubhyaṃ ca nārada bhṛśaṃ bhagavān vivṛddhabhāvena sādhu parituṣṭa uvāca yogam |
jnānaṃ ca bhāgavatam ātma-satattva-dīpaṃ yad vāsudeva-śaraṇā vidur anjasaiva ||
TRANSLATION O Nārada! The Lord as Hamṣa, greatly pleased with your prema, spoke about bhakti-yoga, knowledge about himself and also that knowledge which removes ignorance in the jīva, both of which the pure devotees understand with joy.
The Lord as Haṃsa spoke bhakti to Nārada in Viṣṇu-dharmottara.
TEXT - SB 2.7.20
cakraṁ ca dikṣv avihataṁ daśasu sva-tejo
manvantareṣu manu-vaṁśa-dharo bibharti
duṣṭeṣu rājasu damaṁ vyadadhāt sva-kīrtiṁ
satye tri-pṛṣṭha uśatīṁ prathayaṁś caritraiḥ
SYNONYMS
cakram—the Sudarśana wheel of the Lord; ca—as well as; dikṣu—in all directions; avihatam—without being deterred; daśasu—ten sides; sva-tejaḥ—personal strength; manvantareṣu—in different incarnations of Manu; manu-vaṁśa-dharaḥ—as the descendant of the Manu dynasty; bibharti—rules over; duṣṭeṣu—unto the miscreants; rājasu—upon the kings of that type; damam—subjection; vyadadhāt—performed; sva-kīrtim—personal glories; satye—in the Satyaloka planet; tri-pṛṣṭhe—the three planetary systems; uśatīm—glorious; prathayan—established; caritraiḥ—characteristics.
TRANSLATION
As the incarnation of Manu, the Lord became the descendant of the Manu dynasty and ruled over the miscreant kingly order, subduing them by His powerful wheel weapon. Undeterred in all circumstances, His rule was characterized by His glorious fame, which spread over the three lokas, and above them to the planetary system of Satyaloka, the topmost in the universe.
PURPORT
We have already discussed the incarnations of Manu in the First Canto. In one day of Brahmā there are fourteen Manus, changing one after another. In that way there are 420 Manus in a month of Brahmā and 5,040 Manus in one year of Brahmā. Brahmā lives for one hundred years according to his calculation, and as such there are 504,000 Manus in the jurisdiction of one Brahmā. There are innumerable Brahmās, and all of them live only during one breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu. So we can just imagine how the incarnations of the Supreme Lord work all over the material worlds, which comprehend only one-fourth of the total energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The manvantara incarnation chastises all the miscreant rulers of different planets with as much power as that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who punishes the miscreants with His wheel weapon. The manvantara incarnations disseminate the transcendental glories of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.20
cakraṁ ca dikṣv avihataṁ daśasu sva-tejo
manvantareṣu manu-vaṁśa-dharo bibharti |
duṣṭeṣu rājasu damaṁ vyadadhāt sva-kīrtiṁ
satye tri-pṛṣṭha uśatīṁ prathayaṁś caritraiḥ ||
This verse describes the manvantara-avatāra.[149] The Lord, as the protector of Manu’s family, assumed great power like the Sudarśana-cakra which is unimpeded in the ten directions, He punished the evil kings. He spread his attractive glories even up to Satya-loka which is above the three worlds.
TEXT - SB 2.7.21
dhanvantariś ca bhagavān svayam eva kīrtir
nāmnā nṛṇāṁ puru-rujāṁ ruja āśu hanti
yajñe ca bhāgam amṛtāyur-avāvarundha
āyuṣya-vedam anuśāsty avatīrya loke
SYNONYMS
dhanvantariḥ—the incarnation of God named Dhanvantari; ca—and; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; svayam eva—personally Himself; kīrtiḥ—fame personified; nāmnā—by the name; nṛṇām puru-rujām—of the diseased living entities; rujaḥ—diseases; āśu—very soon; hanti—cures; yajñe—in the sacrifice; ca—also; bhāgam—share; amṛta—nectar; āyuḥ—duration of life; ava—from; avarundhe—obtains; āyuṣya—of duration of life; vedam—knowledge; anuśāsti—directs; avatīrya—incarnating; loke—in the universe.
TRANSLATION
The Lord in His incarnation of Dhanvantari very quickly cures the diseases of the ever-diseased living entities simply by his fame personified, and only because of him do the demigods achieve long lives. Thus the Personality of Godhead becomes ever glorified. He also exacted a share from the sacrifices, and it is he only who inaugurated the medical science or the knowledge of medicine in the universe.
PURPORT
As stated in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, everything emanates from the ultimate source of the Personality of Godhead; it is therefore understood in this verse that medical science or knowledge in medicine was also inaugurated by the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation Dhanvantari, and thus the knowledge is recorded in the Vedas. The Vedas are the source of all knowledge, and thus knowledge in medical science is also there for the perfect cure of the diseases of the living entity. The embodied living entity is diseased by the very construction of his body. The body is the symbol of diseases. The disease may differ from one variety to another, but disease must be there just as there is birth and death for everyone. So, by the grace of the Personality of Godhead, not only are diseases of the body and mind cured, but also the soul is relieved of the constant repetition of birth and death. The name of the Lord is also called bhavauṣadhi, or the source of curing the disease of material existence.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.21
dhanvantariś ca bhagavān svayam eva kīrtir
nāmnā nṛṇāṁ puru-rujāṁ ruja āśu hanti |
yajñe ca bhāgam amṛtāyur avāvarundha[150]
āyuṣya-vedam anuśāsty avatīrya loke ||
This verse describes Dhanvantari. The Lord by the name Dhanvantari is the embodiment of fame (svayam kīrtiḥ). He was the cause of making people live as if immortally, by making them free of disease (amṛtāyuḥ). He took the portion previously taken by the demons (if the version reads avāpa ruddham). He obtained the portion taken from the demons (avāvarundha). He propagated the Veda concerning healthy life.
TEXT - SB 2.7.22
kṣatraṁ kṣayāya vidhinopabhṛtaṁ mahātmā
brahma-dhrug ujjhita-pathaṁ narakārti-lipsu
uddhanty asāv avanikaṇṭakam ugra-vīryas
triḥ-sapta-kṛtva urudhāra-paraśvadhena
SYNONYMS
kṣatram—the royal order; kṣayāya—for the sake of diminishing; vidhinā—by destination; upabhṛtam—increased in proportion; mahātmā—the Lord in the form of the great sage Paraśurāma; brahma-dhruk—the ultimate truth in Brahman; ujjhita-patham—those who have given up the path of the Absolute Truth; naraka-ārti-lipsu—desirous to suffer pain in hell; uddhanti—exacts; asau—all those; avanikaṇṭakam—thorns of the world; ugra-vīryaḥ—awfully powerful; triḥ-sapta—thrice seven times; kṛtvaḥ—performed; urudhāra—very sharp; paraśvadhena—by the great chopper.
TRANSLATION
When the ruling administrators, who are known as the kṣatriyas, turned astray from the path of the Absolute Truth, being desirous to suffer in hell, the Lord, in His incarnation as the sage Paraśurāma, uprooted those unwanted kings, who appeared as the thorns of the earth. Thus He thrice seven times uprooted the kṣatriyas with His keenly sharpened chopper.
PURPORT
The kṣatriyas, or the ruling administrators of any part of the universe, either on this planet or on other planets, are factually the representatives of the Almighty Personality of Godhead, and they are meant to lead the subjects towards the path of God realization. Every state and its administrators, regardless of the nature of the administration—monarchy or democracy, oligarchy or dictatorship or autocracy—have the prime responsibility to lead the citizens toward God realization. This is essential for all human beings, and it is the duty of the father, spiritual master, and ultimately the state to take up the responsibility of leading the citizens towards this end. The whole creation of material existence is made for this purpose, just to give a chance to the fallen souls who rebelled against the will of the Supreme Father and thus became conditioned by material nature. The force of material nature gradually leads one to a hellish condition of perpetual pains and miseries. Those going against the prescribed rules and regulations of conditional life are called brahmojjhita-pathas, or persons going against the path of the Absolute Truth, and they are liable to be punished. Lord Paraśurāma, the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, appeared in such a state of worldly affairs and killed all the miscreant kings twenty-one times. Many kṣatriya kings fled from India to other parts of the world at that time, and according to the authority of the Mahābhārata, the kings of Egypt originally migrated from India because of Paraśurāma's program of chastisement. The kings or administrators are similarly chastised in all circumstances whenever they become godless and plan a godless civilization. That is the order of the Almighty.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.22
kṣatraṁ kṣayāya vidhinopabhṛtaṁ mahātmā
brahma-dhrug ujjhita-pathaṁ narakārti-lipsu |
uddhanty asāv avani-kaṇṭakam ugra-vīryas[151]
triḥ-sapta-kṛtva urudhāra-paraśvadhena ||
With his sharp axe, the greatly powerful Lord twenty-one times killed the kṣatriyas, thorns in the earth, who had committed violence against the brāhmaṇas, had strayed from the path of the Vedas, had desired suffering in hell, and thus became an offering to death according to the rules.
This verse describes Paraśurāma. He killed the kṣatriyas, who were an offering (upabhṛtam) to death (kṣayāya) according to the rules. This means that they were offered up as a gift to Paraśurāma who was filled with raudra-rasa. The kṣatriyas committed violence against the brāhmaṇas. That was the reason why he killed them.
TEXT - SB 2.7.23
asmat-prasāda-sumukhaḥ kalayā kaleśa
ikṣvāku-vaṁśa avatīrya guror nideśe
tiṣṭhan vanaṁ sa-dayitānuja āviveśa
yasmin virudhya daśa-kandhara ārtim ārcchat
SYNONYMS
asmat—unto us, beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant; prasāda—causeless mercy; sumukhaḥ—so inclined; kalayā—with His plenary extensions; kaleśaḥ—the Lord of all potencies; ikṣvāku—Mahārāja Ikṣvāku, in the dynasty of the sun; vaṁśe—family; avatīrya—by descending in; guroḥ—of the father or spiritual master; nideśe—under the order of; tiṣṭhan—being situated in; vanam—in the forest; sa-dayitā-anujaḥ—along with His wife and younger brother; āviveśa—entered; yasmin—unto whom; virudhya—being rebellious; daśa-kandharaḥ—Rāvaṇa, who had ten heads; ārtim—great distress; ārcchat—achieved.
TRANSLATION
Due to His causeless mercy upon all living entities within the universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His plenary extensions, appeared in the family of Mahārāja Ikṣvāku as the Lord of His internal potency, Sītā. Under the order of His father, Mahārāja Daśaratha, He entered the forest and lived there for considerable years with His wife and younger brother. Rāvaṇa, who was very materially powerful, with ten heads on his shoulders, committed a great offense against Him and was thus ultimately vanquished.
PURPORT
Lord Rāma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His brothers, namely Bharata, Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna, are His plenary expansions. All four brothers are viṣṇu-tattva and were never ordinary human beings. There are many unscrupulous and ignorant commentators on Rāmāyaṇa who present the younger brothers of Lord Rāmacandra as ordinary living entities. But here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the most authentic scripture on the science of Godhead, it is clearly stated that His brothers were His plenary expansions. Originally Lord Rāmacandra is the incarnation of Vāsudeva, Lakṣmaṇa is the incarnation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, Bharata is the incarnation of Pradyumna, and Śatrughna is the incarnation of Aniruddha, expansions of the Personality of Godhead. Lakṣmījī Sītā is the internal potency of the Lord and is neither an ordinary woman nor the external potency incarnation of Durgā. Durgā is the external potency of the Lord, and she is associated with Lord Śiva.
As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.7), the Lord appears when there are discrepancies in the discharge of factual religion. Lord Rāmacandra also appeared under the same circumstances, accompanied by His brothers, who are expansions of the Lord's internal potency, and by Lakṣmījī Sītādevī.
Lord Rāmacandra was ordered by His father, Mahārāja Daśaratha, to leave home for the forest under awkward circumstances, and the Lord, as the ideal son of His father, carried out the order, even on the occasion of His being declared the King of Ayodhyā. One of His younger brothers, Lakṣmaṇajī, desired to go with Him, and so also His eternal wife, Sītājī, desired to go with Him. The Lord agreed to both of them, and all together they entered the Daṇḍakāraṇya Forest, to live there for fourteen years. During their stay in the forest, there was some quarrel between Rāmacandra and Rāvaṇa, and the latter kidnapped the Lord's wife, Sītā. The quarrel ended in the vanquishing of the greatly powerful Rāvaṇa, along with all his kingdom and family.
Sītā is Lakṣmījī, or the goddess of fortune, but she is never to be enjoyed by any living being. She is meant for being worshiped by the living being along with her husband, Śrī Rāmacandra. A materialistic man like Rāvaṇa does not understand this great truth, but on the contrary he wants to snatch Sītādevī from the custody of Rāma and thus incurs great miseries. The materialists, who are after opulence and material prosperity, may take lessons from the Rāmāyaṇa that the policy of exploiting the nature of the Lord without acknowledging the supremacy of the Supreme Lord is the policy of Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was very advanced materially, so much so that he turned his kingdom, Laṅkā, into pure gold, or full material wealth. But because he did not recognize the supremacy of Lord Rāmacandra and defied Him by stealing His wife, Sītā, Rāvaṇa was killed, and all his opulence and power were destroyed.
Lord Rāmacandra is a full incarnation with six opulences in full, and He is therefore mentioned in this verse as kaleśaḥ, or master of all opulence.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.23
asmat-prasāda-sumukhaḥ kalayā kaleśa
ikṣvāku-vaṁśa avatīrya guror nideśe |
tiṣṭhan vanaṁ sa-dayitānuja āviveśa
yasmin virudhya daśa-kandhara ārtim ārcchat ||
The kind Lord, merciful to all of us, the Llord of all parts, appeared in the Ikṣvāku dynasty along with his brothers, and, following the order of his guru, lived in the forest with Lakṣmaṇa. By opposing Rāma, Rāvaṇa lost his life.
Rāma is described in three verses. Rāma was kind (sumukhaḥ), showing mercy (prasāda) to all of us, from Brahmā to the non-moving entities. This indicates Rāma’s very merciful nature. He appeared in the Ikṣvāku dynasty along with Lakṣmaṇa and his brothers (kalayā). He was the Lord of parts (kaleśaḥ) and he was perfect. Śruti says cinmaye ’smin mahā-viṣṇau jāte dāśarathe harau: the Lord, Mahā-viṣṇu, was born as Rāma, and was fully spiritual. (Rāma-tāpaṇi Upaniṣad) Smṛti says: nṛṣiṁha-rāma-kṛṣṇeṣu ṣāḍguṇyaṁ paripūritam: Nṛsiṁha, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are complete with all good qualities. (Padma Purāṇa) Rāvaṇa achieved destruction (ārtim ārcchat) by Rāma.
TEXT - SB 2.7.24
yasmā adād udadhir ūḍha-bhayāṅga-vepo
mārgaṁ sapady ari-puraṁ haravad didhakṣoḥ
dūre suhṛn-mathita-roṣa-suśoṇa-dṛṣṭyā
tātapyamāna-makaroraga-nakra-cakraḥ
SYNONYMS
yasmai—unto whom; adāt—gave; udadhiḥ—the great Indian Ocean; ūḍha-bhaya—affected by fear; aṅga-vepaḥ—bodily trembling; mārgam—way; sapadi—quickly; ari-puram—the city of the enemy; hara-vat—like that of Hara (Mahādeva); didhakṣoḥ—desiring to burn to ashes; dūre—at a long distance; su-hṛt—intimate friend; mathita—being aggrieved by; roṣa—in anger; su-śoṇa—red-hot; dṛṣṭyā—by such a glance; tātapyamāna—burning in heat; makara—sharks; uraga—snakes; nakra—crocodiles; cakraḥ—circle.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead Rāmacandra, being aggrieved for His distant intimate friend [Sītā], glanced over the city of the enemy Rāvaṇa with red-hot eyes like those of Hara [who wanted to burn the kingdom of heaven]. The great ocean, trembling in fear, gave Him His way because its family members, the aquatics like the sharks, snakes and crocodiles, were being burnt by the heat of the angry red-hot eyes of the Lord.
PURPORT
The Personality of Godhead has every sentiment of a sentient being, like all other living beings, because He is the chief and original living entity, the supreme source of all other living beings. He is the nitya, or the chief eternal amongst all other eternals. He is the chief one, and all others are the dependent many. The many eternals are supported by the one eternal, and thus both the eternals are qualitatively one. Due to such oneness, both the eternals constitutionally have a complete range of sentiments, but the difference is that the sentiments of the chief eternal are different in quantity from the sentiments of the dependent eternals. When Rāmacandra was angry and showed His red-hot eyes, the whole ocean became heated with that energy, so much so that the aquatics within the great ocean felt the heat, and the personified ocean trembled in fear and offered the Lord an easy path for reaching the enemy's city. The impersonalists will see havoc in this red-hot sentiment of the Lord because they want to see negation in perfection. Because the Lord is absolute, the impersonalists imagine that in the Absolute the sentiment of anger, which resembles mundane sentiments, must be conspicuous by absence. Due to a poor fund of knowledge, they do not realize that the sentiment of the Absolute Person is transcendental to all mundane concepts of quality and quantity. Had Lord Rāmacandra's sentiment been of mundane origin, how could it disturb the whole ocean and its inhabitants? Can any mundane red-hot eye generate heat in the great ocean? These are factors to be distinguished in terms of the personal and impersonal conceptions of the Absolute Truth. As it is said in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Absolute Truth is the source of everything, so the Absolute Person cannot be devoid of the sentiments that are reflected in the temporary mundane world. Rather, the different sentiments found in the Absolute, either in anger or in mercy, have the same qualitative influence, or, in other words, there is no mundane difference of value because these sentiments are all on the absolute plane. Such sentiments are definitely not absent in the Absolute, as the impersonalists think, making their mundane estimation of the transcendental world.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.24
yasmā adād udadhir ūḍha-bhayāṅga-vepo
mārgaṁ sapady ari-puraṁ haravad didhakṣoḥ |
dūre suhṛn-mathita-roṣa-suśoṇa-dṛṣṭyā
tātapyamāna-makaroraga-nakra-cakraḥ ||
The ocean, trembling in fear, filled with groups of crocodiles, snakes and makaras burning from his hot glances caused by his rising anger which was due to separation from Sītā who was far away, immediately gave a path to Rāma, who desired to burn Laṅka, just as Śiva burned Tripura.
The ocean, trembling in fear, gave a path to Rāma, who desired to burn Laṅka, just as Śiva burned Tripura. The possessive case (didhakṣoḥ) here represents the dative case. That ocean was filled with groups of crocodiles, snakes and makaras which werescorched by his red glances, caused by his frightening anger, which was due to separation from Sītā (suhṛn) who was far away.
TEXT - SB 2.7.25
vakṣaḥ-sthala-sparśa-rugna-mahendra-vāha-
dantair viḍambita-kakubjuṣa ūḍha-hāsam
sadyo 'subhiḥ saha vineṣyati dāra-hartur
visphūrjitair dhanuṣa uccarato 'dhisainye
SYNONYMS
vakṣaḥ-sthala—chest; sparśa—touched by; rugna—broken; mahā-indra—the King of heaven; vāha—the conveyor; dantaiḥ—by the trunk; viḍambita—illuminated; kakup-juṣaḥ—all directions thus being served; ūḍha-hāsam—overtaken by laughter; sadyaḥ—within no time; asubhiḥ—by the life; saha—along with; vineṣyati—was killed; dāra-hartuḥ—of the one who kidnapped the wife; visphūrjitaiḥ—by the tingling of the bow; dhanuṣaḥ—bow; uccarataḥ—strolling fast; adhisainye—in the midst of the fighting soldiers of both sides.
TRANSLATION
When Rāvaṇa was engaged in the battle, the trunk of the elephant which carried the King of heaven, Indra, broke in pieces, having collided with the chest of Rāvaṇa, and the scattered broken parts illuminated all directions. Rāvaṇa therefore felt proud of his prowess and began to loiter in the midst of the fighting soldiers, thinking himself the conqueror of all directions. But his laughter, overtaken by joy, along with his very air of life, suddenly ceased with the tingling sound of the bow of Rāmacandra, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
However powerful a living being may be, when he is condemned by God no one can save him, and, similarly, however weak one may be, if he is protected by the Lord no one can annihilate him.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.25
vakṣaḥ-sthala-sparśa-rugna-mahendra-vāha-
dantair viḍambita-kakubjuṣa ūḍha-hāsam |
sadyo ’subhiḥ saha vineṣyati dāra-hartur
visphūrjitair dhanuṣa uccarato ’dhisainye ||
Rāma would immediately remove the loud laugh of Rāvaṇa, who turned the directions white with the fragments of Airāvata’s tusk which broke when it collided with his chest, just by the twang of his bow which moved wonderfully through the battlefield.
Rāvaṇa had turned the directions white with the tusks of Indra’s elephant, which broke on contacting his chest. The pieces of broken tusk fled in all directions or served all directions (kakub juṣaḥ). Rāvaṇa, who stole his wife (dāra-hartuḥ), gave a loud laugh. Rāma would immediately remove the pride of Rāvaṇa, who thought “There is no one equal to me” along with his life airs, by the twang of his bow, which moved wonderfully among the troops of both sides. There is another version with kakub-jaya-rūḍha-hāsam: pride which increased his victory in all directions.
TEXT - SB 2.7.26
bhūmeḥ suretara-varūtha-vimarditāyāḥ
kleśa-vyayāya kalayā sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ
jātaḥ kariṣyati janānupalakṣya-mārgaḥ
karmāṇi cātma-mahimopanibandhanāni
SYNONYMS
bhūmeḥ—of the entire world; sura-itara—other than godly persons; varūtha—soldiers; vimarditāyāḥ—distressed by the burden; kleśa—miseries; vyayāya—for the matter of diminishing; kalayā—along with His plenary expansion; sita-kṛṣṇa—not only beautiful but also black; keśaḥ—with such hairs; jātaḥ—having appeared; kariṣyati—would act; jana—people in general; anupalakṣya—rarely to be seen; mārgaḥ—path; karmāṇi—activities; ca—also; ātma-mahimā—glories of the Lord Himself; upanibandhanāni—in relation to.
TRANSLATION
When the world is overburdened by the fighting strength of kings who have no faith in God, the Lord, just to diminish the distress of the world, descends with His plenary portion. The Lord comes in His original form, with beautiful black hair. And just to expand His transcendental glories, He acts extraordinarily. No one can properly estimate how great He is.
PURPORT
This verse is especially describing the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His immediate expansion, Lord Baladeva. Both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Baladeva are one Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is omnipotent, and He expands Himself in innumerable forms and energies, and the whole unit is known as the one Supreme Brahman. Such extensions of the Lord are divided into two divisions, namely personal and differential. The personal expansions are called the viṣṇu-tattvas, and the differential expansions are called the jīva-tattvas. And in such expansional activity, Lord Baladeva is the first personal expansion of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, as well as in the Mahābhārata, both Kṛṣṇa and Baladeva are mentioned as having beautiful black hair, even in Their advanced age. The Lord is called anupalakṣya-mārgaḥ or, in still more technical Vedic terms, avāṅ-manasā gocaraḥ: one who is never to be seen or realized by the limited sense perception of the people in general. In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.25) it is said by the Lord, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. In other words, He reserves the right of not being exposed to anyone and everyone. Only the bona fide devotees can know Him by His specific symptoms, and out of many, many such symptoms, one symptom is mentioned here in this verse, that the Lord is sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ, or one who is observed always with beautiful black hair. Both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Baladeva have such hair on Their heads, and thus even in advanced age They appeared like young boys sixteen years old. That is the particular symptom of the Personality of Godhead. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that although He is the oldest personality among all living entities, He always looks like a new, youthful boy. That is the characteristic of a spiritual body. The material body is symptomized by birth, death, old age and diseases, but the spiritual body is conspicuous by the absence of those symptoms. Living entities who reside in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas in eternal life and bliss have the same type of spiritual body, without being affected by any signs of old age. It is described in the Bhāgavatam (Canto Six) that the party of Viṣṇudūtas who came to deliver Ajāmila from the clutches of the party of Yamarāja appeared like youthful boys, corroborating the description in this verse. It is ascertained thus that the spiritual bodies in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, either of the Lord or of the other inhabitants, are completely distinct from the material bodies of this world. Therefore, when the Lord descends from that world to this world, He descends in His spiritual body of ātma-māyā, or internal potency, without any touch of the bahiraṅgā-māyā, or external, material energy. The allegation that the impersonal Brahman appears in this material world by accepting a material body is quite absurd. Therefore the Lord, when He comes here, has not a material body, but a spiritual body. The impersonal brahmajyoti is only the glaring effulgence of the body of the Lord, and there is no difference in quality between the body of the Lord and the impersonal ray of the Lord, called brahmajyoti.
Now the question is why the Lord, who is omnipotent, comes here to diminish the burden created upon the world by the unscrupulous kingly order. Certainly the Lord does not need to come here personally for such purposes, but He actually descends to exhibit His transcendental activities in order to encourage His pure devotees, who want to enjoy life by chanting the glories of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.13-14) it is stated that the mahātmās, great devotees of the Lord, take pleasure in chanting of the activities of the Lord. All Vedic literatures are meant for turning one's attention towards the Lord and His transcendental activities. Thus the activities of the Lord, in His dealings with worldly people, create a subject matter for discussion by His pure devotees.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.26
bhūmeḥ suretara-varūtha-vimarditāyāḥ
kleśa-vyayāya kalayā sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ |
jātaḥ kariṣyati janānupalakṣya-mārgaḥ
karmāṇi cātma-mahimopanibandhanāni ||
Kṛṣṇa, with skillfully bound up hair, whose method of attainment is unknown to men, having made his appearance to relieve the earth of the suffering caused by the armies of demons, and to relieve the devotees of their pain of separation, will perform activities whose sweetness will hide his powers.
Now Kṛṣṇa is described in ten verses. He made his appearance to remove the suffering of the earth and the suffering due to saṁsāra, and to relieve the devotees, on this earth, of suffering caused by separation from the Lord. When the earth is afflicted by the troops of kings who are demons (suretara), he, who has a course that cannot be detected by us, will appear.
“Though an object is known, a person can fix its nature by giving it a name and form according to his intelligence. For instance, one can say, ‘This Kaustubha jewel is actually a ruby.’ Or ‘Though this is a ruby, actually it is coral.’ Thus though this avatāra remains unknown in svarūpa, that svarūpa is described in the Purāṇas, is it not? This person who is very ancient has white and black hair appeared in his portion as Kṛṣṇa. Viṣṇu Purāṇa (5.1.59) says ujjahārātmanaḥ keśau sita-kṛṣṇau mahāmune: O great sage, he pulled out black and white hairs from himself. Mahābhārata 1.189.31-32 also says:
sa cāpi keśau harir udbabarha
śuklam ekam aparaṁ cāpi kṛṣṇam |
tau cāpi keśāvāviśetāṁ yadūnāṁ
kule striyau rohiṇīṁ devakīṁ ca ||
tayor eko balabhadro babhūva
yo ’sau śvetas tasya devasya keśaḥ |
kṛṣṇo dvitīyaḥ keśavaḥ sambabhūva
keśo yo ’sau varṇataḥ kṛṣṇa uktaḥ ||
Viṣṇu took two hairs, one white and black. These two hairs entered the wombs of Rohiṇī and Devakī in the Yadu family. The white hair became Balarāma and the black hair became Kṛṣṇa.”
If one examines the superficial meanings of these statements, they are contradictory and therefore should be rejected. Though Nārāyaṇa has a body of bliss and knowledge, totally unaffected by the three guṇas, he is described as having white and black hair, because of getting old. However he is described as being eternally young in statements such as santaṁ vayasi kaiśore: he has a young age. (SB 3.28.17) And Kṛṣṇa is stated to be the original form of Bhagavān with the statement kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam whereas here it says he arose from Viṣṇu’s hair. Therefore the wise will explain these verses differently.
Sīta-kṛṣṇa-keśa does not mean white and black hair but only expresses its beauty. How does one explain the quotation from Mahābhārata? With the idea of “Let my two hairs become successful” Viṣṇu pulled out two hairs, to indicate the colors of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa (the hairs were not actually black and white). If this explanation is not accepted, the contradiction mentioned above exists about Viṣṇu’s age and as well the contradiction to the statement kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Śrīdhara Svāmī says kalayā rāmeṇa saha svayaṁ sita-kṛṣṇa-keśo bhagavān eva jātaḥ: the Llord with beautiful black hair appeared with Balarāma (kalayā).
kalayā śilpa-naipuṇya-viśeṣa-vidhinā sitāḥ |
baddhāḥ kṛṣṇā atiśyāmāḥ keśā yeneti vigrahaḥ |
sa evetyasya vaidagdhī-viśeṣotkarṣa īritaḥ ||157||
kiṁ vā yaḥ kalayāṁśena syāt sita-śyāma-keśakaḥ |
sa evātrāvatīrṇo ’bhūt śrī-līlā-puruṣottamaḥ ||158||
Kṛṣṇa is described as having a form with black hair (kṛṣṇa) bound up (sitāḥ) with skill (kalayā). This is a description of his excellent beauty. Kṛṣṇa, called līlā-puruṣottama, with bound up, black hair then appeared along with Lord Kṣīrodakaśāyī as his aṁśa. Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.157-158
Jīva Gosvāmī says:
aṁśavo ye prakāśante mama te keśa-saṁjñitāḥ iti smṛter mac-chiro-dhāryau sita-kṛṣṇa-kiraṇau dvau prabhū avatariṣyata iti sūcanārthaṁ keśa-dvayoddharaṇam
Smṛti says “Keśa means the rays which emanate from me.” Thus, when Viṣṇu pulled out two hairs he indicated, “The two Lords whose two rays, black and white, maintain my head, will appear.” Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha
Not using the word keśa to indicate hair (which is the conventional meaning) is an indication that the sages who wrote the scriptures are following the Bhāgavatam statement parokṣa-vādā ṛṣayaḥ parokṣaṁ mama ca priyam: the Vedic seers and mantras deal in esoteric terms, and I also am pleased by such confidential descriptions. (SB 11.21.35)
The Viṣṇu Purāṇa quotation can be explained as follows. From the antaḥ-karaṇa, the two Lords, white and black, forms of happiness (ka means happiness īśa means lord), being pleased with many prayers, became visible (ujjahāra). O great sage! By contemplation the meaning should be understood. (Muni means “one who contemplates.”) According to Nāmārtha-varga the word ka means happiness, the head and water. The two verses from Mahābhārata should be explained in the same way.
For relieving the earth’s suffering with (sita) just one his one parts, Kṛṣṇa, the form of happiness (ka) and the controller (īśa), having both sweetness and power, appeared along with Balarāma. Another meaning of sīta is Śiva, another meaning of kṛṣṇa is Viṣṇu, and another meaning of ka is Brahmā. Thus sita-krsna-keśaḥ means “lord of Ṣiva, Viṣṇu and Brahmā.” Later it will be said sa yāvad urvyā bharam īśvareśvaraḥ: the Lord of lords will move about on earth as long as there is suffering (SB 10.1.22)
What type of activities does Kṛṣṇa perform? These activities completely cover up his great powers. That means that his great powers exist but are covered by the sweetness of his activities. Or the activities cause complete bondage to his glory. This means that his activities bind up everyone’s minds by their sweetness. The path unseen by men (janānupalakṣya-mārga) indicates the confidential path of rāgānuga-bhakti.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.26||
bhūmeḥ suretara-varūtha-vimarditāyāḥ kleśa-vyayāya kalayā sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ | jātaḥ kariṣyati janānupalakṣya-mārgaḥ karmāṇi cātma-mahimopanibandhanāni ||
TRANSLATION Kṛṣṇa, with skillfully bound up hair, whose method of attainment is unknown to men, having made his appearance to relieve the earth of the suffering caused by the armies of demons, and to relieve the devotees of their pain of separation, will perform activities whose sweetness will hide his powers.
Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha 63:
To remove the suffering of earth afflicted by demon armies, the Lord, whose method of attainment cannot be understood by us since he is superior to Paramātmā, will appear (jātaḥ) and will perform activities (kariṣyati karmāṇi). Who is he? He comes with bound black hair and with his aṃśa (kalayā). Because his aṃśa is mentioned, it means that the Lord is Svayam Bhagavān. In other scriptures it is well known that two persons with bound black hair were seen by the devatās. Balarāma is also indicated since Kṛṣṇa does not appear without him.
“Why would Bhagavān who is superior to the puruṣas appear personally just to remove the burden of the earth?” He will perform activities whose abundant sweetness, superior to his powers, will be discussed profusely (upanibadhanāni) by the devotees. Though removing the earth’s burden can be easily done by his aṃśa or a shadow of his desire, he will appear and manifest his pastimes for showering his sweetness, giving joy to devotees who maintain their lives by his lotus feet. That is made clear when his pastimes are described in the verse after
that (SB 2.7.27). Also it is made clear in the following:
tathāyaṃ cāvatāras te bhuvo bhāra-jihīrṣayā | svānāṃ cānanya-bhāvānām anudhyānāya cāsakṛt ||
You appear in this world in this way, in your spiritual form, with a desire to relieve the burden of the earth and to give continuous happiness to your dedicated devotees by letting them worship you. (SB 1.7.25)
This is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī. “Does not relieving the burden of the earth take place by my desire alone? (Kṛṣṇa asks the question.) You come to give happiness to your devotees.” In SB 10.90.48 it is said that though he can relieve the earth of its burden by his desire alone, while playing he destroys adharma with his arms. From the verse (SB 2.7.26) it is clear that Brahmā was absorbed in describing the astonishing nature of only Kṛṣṇa. Thus he says:
tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṃ yad gokule ’pi katamānghri-rajo-’bhiṣekam yaj-jīvitaṃ tu nikhilaṃ bhagavān mukundas tv adyāpi yat-pada-rajaḥ śruti-mṛgyam eva
My greatest possible good fortune would be to take any birth whatever in this forest of Gokula and have my head bathed by the dust falling from the lotus feet of any of its residents. Their entire life and soul is the Lord, Mukunda, the dust of whose lotus feet is sought even today by the Upaniṣads. (SB 10.14.34)
TEXT - SB 2.7.27
tokena jīva-haraṇaṁ yad ulūki-kāyās
trai-māsikasya ca padā śakaṭo 'pavṛttaḥ
yad riṅgatāntara-gatena divi-spṛśor vā
unmūlanaṁ tv itarathārjunayor na bhāvyam
SYNONYMS
tokena—by a child; jīva-haraṇam—killing a living being; yat—one which; ulūki-kāyāḥ—assumed the giant body of a demon; trai-māsikasya—of one who is only three months old; ca—also; padā—by the leg; śakaṭaḥ apavṛttaḥ—turned over the cart; yat—one who; riṅgatā—while crawling; antara-gatena—being overtaken; divi—high in the sky; spṛśoḥ—touching; vā—either; unmūlanam—uprooting; tu—but; itarathā—anyone else than; arjunayoḥ—of the two arjuna trees; na bhāvyam—was not possible.
TRANSLATION
There is no doubt about Lord Kṛṣṇa's being the Supreme Lord, otherwise how was it possible for Him to kill a giant demon like Pūtanā when He was just on the lap of His mother, to overturn a cart with His leg when He was only three months old, to uproot a pair of arjuna trees, so high that they touched the sky, when He was only crawling? All these activities are impossible for anyone other than the Lord Himself.
PURPORT
One cannot manufacture a God by one's mental speculation or by numerical votes, as has become a practice for the less intelligent class of men. God is God eternally, and an ordinary living entity is eternally a part and parcel of God. God is one without a second, and the ordinary living entities are many without number. All such living entities are maintained by God Himself, and that is the verdict of the Vedic literatures. When Kṛṣṇa was on the lap of His mother, the demon Pūtanā appeared before His mother and prayed to nurture the child in her lap. Mother Yaśodā agreed, and the child was transferred onto the lap of Pūtanā, who was in the garb of a respectable lady. Pūtanā wanted to kill the child by smearing poison on the nipple of her breast. But when everything was complete, the Lord sucked her breast along with her very air of life, and the demon's gigantic body, said to be as long as six miles, fell down. But Lord Kṛṣṇa did not need to expand Himself to the length of the she-demon Pūtanā, although He was quite competent to extend Himself more than six miles long. In His Vāmana incarnation He posed Himself as a dwarf brāhmaṇa, but when He took possession of His land, promised by Bali Mahārāja, He expanded His footstep to the top of the universe, extending over thousands and millions of miles. So it was not very difficult for Kṛṣṇa to perform a miracle by extending His bodily feature, but He had no desire to do it because of His deep filial love for His mother, Yaśodā. If Yaśodā had seen Kṛṣṇa in her lap extending six miles to cope with the she-demon Pūtanā, then the natural filial love of Yaśodā would have been hurt because in that way Yaśodā would have come to know that her so-called son, Kṛṣṇa, was God Himself. And with the knowledge of the Godhood of Kṛṣṇa, Yaśodāmayī would have lost the temper of her love for Kṛṣṇa as a natural mother. But as far as Lord Kṛṣṇa is concerned, He is God always, either as a child on the lap of His mother, or as the coverer of the universe, Vāmanadeva. He does not require to become God by undergoing severe penances, although some men think of becoming God in that way. By undergoing severe austerities and penances, one cannot become one or equal with God, but one can attain most of the godly qualities. A living being can attain godly qualities to a large extent, but he cannot become God, whereas Kṛṣṇa, without undergoing any type of penance, is God always, either in the lap of His mother or growing up or at any stage of growth.
So at the age of only three months He killed the Śakaṭāsura, who had remained hidden behind a cart in the house of Yaśodāmayī. And when He was crawling and was disturbing His mother from doing household affairs, the mother tied Him with a grinding pestle, but the naughty child dragged the pestle up to a pair of very high arjuna trees in the yard of Yaśodāmayī, and when the pestle was stuck between the pair of trees, they fell down with a horrible sound. When Yaśodāmayī came to see the happenings, she thought that her child had been saved from the falling trees by the mercy of the Lord, without knowing that the Lord Himself, crawling in her yard, had wreaked the havoc. So that is the way of reciprocation of love affairs between the Lord and His devotees. Yaśodāmayī wanted to have the Lord as her child, and the Lord played exactly like a child in her lap, but at the same time played the part of the Almighty Lord whenever it was so required. The beauty of such pastimes was that the Lord fulfilled everyone's desire. In the case of felling the gigantic arjuna trees, the Lord's mission was to deliver the two sons of Kuvera, who were condemned to become trees by the curse of Nārada, as well as to play like a crawling child in the yard of Yaśodā, who took transcendental pleasure in seeing such activities of the Lord in the very yard of her home.
The Lord in any condition is Lord of the universe, and He can act as such in any form, gigantic or small, as He likes.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.27
tokena jīva-haraṇaṁ yad ulūki-kāyās
trai-māsikasya ca padā śakaṭo ’pavṛttaḥ |
yad riṅgatāntara-gatena divi-spṛśor vā
unmūlanaṁ tv itarathārjunayor na bhāvyam ||
He killed Pūtanā when he was just an infant; he overturned the cart with his three- month-old foot; simply by his crawling between the two Arjuna trees which touched the heavens, he uprooted them. Such activities are not possible for other forms of the Lord.
Here his activities are described. He killed Pūtanā when he was a small baby (tokena), not when he was bigger in body, but when he was very small, and could be killed easily. He did not show a form like Vāmana, who had great power and was very strong and large, extending over the universe, and therefore a more suitable target for being killed. By his foot, which was very tender at three months, he overturned the cart. He was not like Nṛsiṁha who showed huge, tough feet for killing Hiraṇyakaśipu. He uprooted the Arjuna trees by crawling between them while being tied to a mortar, unlike Varāha, who took great care to lift up the earth. These examples of his activities are given to illustrate how Kṛṣṇa’s activities cover his powers with their sweetness. These activities are not possible (na bhāvyam) for the other avatāras.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.27||
tokena jīva-haraṇaṃ yad ulūki-kāyās trai-māsikasya ca padā śakaṭo ’pavṛttaḥ | yad ringatāntara-gatena divi-spṛśor vā unmūlanaṃ tv itarathārjunayor na bhāvyam ||
TRANSLATION He killed Pūtanā when he was just an infant; he overturned the cart with his three- month-old foot; simply by his crawling between the two Arjuna trees which touched the heavens, he uprooted them. Such activities are not possible for other forms of the Lord.
Kṛṣna Sandarbha 63:
That is made clear when his pastimes are described in the verse after that (SB 2.7.27). Also it is made clear in the following:
tathāyaṃ cāvatāras te bhuvo bhāra-jihīrṣayā | svānāṃ cānanya-bhāvānām anudhyānāya cāsakṛt ||
You appear in this world in this way, in your spiritual form, with a desire to relieve the burden of the earth and to give continuous happiness to your dedicated devotees by letting them worship you. (SB 1.7.25)
This is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī. “Does not relieving the burden of the earth take place by my desire alone? (Kṛṣṇa asks the question.) You come to give happiness to your devotees.” In SB 10.90.48 it is said that though he can relieve the earth of its burden by his desire alone, while playing he destroys adharma with his arms. From the verse (SB 2.7.26) it is clear that Brahmā was absorbed in describing the astonishing nature of only Kṛṣṇa. Thus he says:
tad bhūri-bhāgyam iha janma kim apy aṭavyāṃ yad gokule ’pi katamānghri-rajo-’bhiṣekam yaj-jīvitaṃ tu nikhilaṃ bhagavān mukundas tv adyāpi yat-pada-rajaḥ śruti-mṛgyam eva
My greatest possible good fortune would be to take any birth whatever in this forest of Gokula and have my head bathed by the dust falling from the lotus feet of any of its residents. Their entire life and soul is the Lord, Mukunda, the dust of whose lotus feet is sought even today by the Upaniṣads. (SB 10.14.34)
Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha 29
Śrīdhara Svāmī has explained the phrase sita-kṛṣṇa-keṣa. The same meaning can applied here. Why do you use the devatās for having me appear in this world? Aniruddha who resides in Śvetadvīpa indicates that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma will appear. Relieving the burden of the earth is a small job for them. He took two hairs on his head. “Why do you want me to appear, O devatās? Since I live on Śvetadvīpa on the milk ocean as the puruṣa form named Aniruddha, the forms Vāsudeva and Sankarṣaṇa, will personally appear in this world. They are worthy of placing on my head in respect, like two hairs. They will easily remove the burden of the earth.” The phrase ujjahārātmaṇaḥ keśāu is explained in Muktāphala commentary in this way: the puruṣa manifested from himself the two happy (ka) lords (īśau), who were white and black.
Those who have explained the verses to mean that Kṛṣṇa is a hair of Viṣṇu have not considered the matter thoroughly since it is well known that even devatās do not grow old (and get white hair). It is impossible for Viṣṇu who is beyond time to get white hair because of old age. And there is no scriptural proof that the Lord has natural white and black hair. Thus, in Nṛsiṃha Purāṇa (53.30-31) the word śakti is used instead of keśa (hair). vasudevāc ca devakyām avatīrya yadoḥ kule | sita-kṛṣṇe ca mac-chaktī kaṃsādyān ghātayiṣyataḥ ||
The white and black forms, my śaktis, appearing from Vasudeva in Devakī’s womb in the Yadu dynasty, will kill Kaṃsa and other demons.
“Therefore, let the word keśa stand for aṃśa. Kṛṣṇa is an aṃśa of Viṣṇu.” That is not so, since it is also ascertained that Kṛṣṇa is full of inexhaustible śaktis and is the origin of the puruṣa forms. Furthermore, the names Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu are often used interchangeably.
No avatāra and no other person has a famous birthday called jayantī. Thus it is said in Mahābhārata 1.1.193:
bhagavān vāsudevaś ca kīrtyate’tra sanātanaḥ | śāśvataṃ brahma paramaṃ yogi-dhyeyaṃ niranjanam ||
Eternal Bhagavān Vāsudeva is glorified in this book. He is the pure, eternal supreme Brahman, the object of yogīs’ meditation.
He is beyond time. Devakī says:
yo ’yaṃ kālas tasya te ’vyakta-bandho ceṣṭām āhuś ceṣṭate yena viśvam nimeṣādir vatsarānto mahīyāṃs taṃ tveśānaṃ kṣema-dhāma prapadye
O inaugurator of the material energy! Time which starts with second and ends with years, which rotate to make the life time of Brahmā, and by which the universe moves, is said to be your movement. I surrender to the Supreme Lord, the abode of fearlessness and happiness. (SB 10.3.26)
The residents of Dvārakā say:
natāḥ sma te nātha sadānghri-pankajaṃ
virinca-vairincya-surendra-vanditam | parāyaṇaṃ kṣemam ihecchatāṃ paraṃ na yatra kālaḥ prabhavet paraḥ prabhuḥ ||
O master! We continually offer respects to your lotus feet, the supreme shelter for those desiring the highest benefit, which are worshipped by Brahmā, the Kumāras, and Indra, and which cannot be influenced by time, though time controls even Brahmā. (SB 1.11.6)
We should see the meaning of the word from Vaiṣṇava works.
aṃśavo ye prakāśante mama te keśa-saṃjnitāḥ | sarvajnāḥ keśavaṃ tasmān mām āhur muni-sattama ||
The rays which manifest from me are called keśa. The wise call me Keśava for this reason, O best of sages! (Mahābhārata 12.328.43)
According to this verse from the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra, keśa means “ray.” Since other words (like rays or effulgence) are used instead of keśa in other scriptures and it is well known from Mokṣa-dharma that Nārada saw many colored rays of the Lord, the meaning of keśa should be “ray” in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa verse. The two rays (keśa) are understood to be Vāsudeva and Sankarṣaṇa. It is acceptable that these two forms manifest from Aniruddha (dwelling in the Milk Ocean) since the avatāras are included within the effulgence (rays) of the avatarī (Kṛṣṇa).
The form described in the First Canto is the puruṣa called Aniruddha:
sattvaṃ rajas tama iti prakṛter guṇās tair yuktaḥ parama-puruṣa eka ihāsya dhatte | sthity-ādaye hari-virinci-hareti saṃjnāḥ śreyāṃsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nčṇāṃ syuḥ ||
The one supreme puruṣa, accepting the guṇas of prakṛti known as sattva, rajas and tamas, for creation, maintenance and destruction, is called Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva. The best results for the devotees will come from Viṣṇu with śuddhasattva body. (SB 1.2.23)
According to the Fifth Canto, Sankarṣaṇa is described as the object of Śiva’s worship:
bhavānī-nāthaiḥ strī-gaṇārbuda-sahasrair avarudhyamāno bhagavataś caturmūrter mahā-puruṣasya turīyāṃ tāmasīṃ mūrtiṃ prakṛtim ātmanaḥ sankarṣaṇasaṃjnām ātma-samādhi-rūpeṇa sannidhāpyaitad abhigṛṇan bhava upadhāvati
In Ilāvṛta-varṣa, Lord Śiva is always encircled by ten billion maidservants of goddess Durgā. Uttering the following mantra in meditation, Śiva worships Sankarṣaṇa, his source, the spiritual form in charge of ignorance, among the four forms of the Lord. (SB 5.17.16)
Therefore the meaning of “taking two hairs” in Viṣṇu Purāṇa is this: from himself (ātmanaḥ) he manifested (ujjahāra) two rays (keśau) which are aṃśas of Vāsudeva and Sankarṣaṇa. The example is given of Sumeru. By seeing part of the mountain one can define the whole Meru. Similarly by seeing his light, one can understand the complete manifestation of the Lord.
The sentence sa cāpi keśau harir udbabarha śuklam ekam aparaṃ cāpi kṛṣṇam (Mahābhārata 1.189.31-32) should be explained. Drawing out them from himself by the power of yoga (udvavarha), he showed two rays, one white and one black. The word ca indicates previous reference: the Lord was requested by the devatās. The word api (even) indicates that Viṣṇu is an aṃśa of the two, Bhagavān and Sankarṣaṇa.
tau cāpi keśau viśatāṃ yadūnāṃ kule striyau rohiṇīṃ devakīṃ ca
The word ca (indicating an unspoken whole) in tau cāpi indicates that the two, Bhagavān and Sankarṣaṇa personally entered the wombs of Rohinī and Devakī and later Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma entered, by becoming one with the first two forms. The word api means “where he is joined with his aṃśas.” This means that these two were also Kṛṣṇa’s aṃśas. Thus it is said next in the passage “Of the two, one became Balabhadra.” This is in the manner of the statement naro nārāyaṇo bhavet harir eva bhaven naraḥ: nara becomes Nārāyaṇa, and the lord becomes Nara. This statement is made instead of since the two (Nara [a jīva] and Nārāyaṇa) are considered one.
Keśava is famous as the deity at the mahā-yoga-pīṭha in Mathurā called Keśavasthāna. That form is Kṛṣṇa. This is explained in SB 2.7.26 with the words kalayā sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ: Kṛṣṇa has skillfully bound up hair. Nṛsiṃha Purāṇa says sitāsite ca mac-chaktī: my two śaktis are white and black. This indicates that the white and black rays are equated with his śakti.
TEXT - SB 2.7.28
yad vai vraje vraja-paśūn viṣatoya-pītān
pālāṁs tv ajīvayad anugraha-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyā
tac-chuddhaye 'ti-viṣa-vīrya-vilola-jihvam
uccāṭayiṣyad uragaṁ viharan hradinyām
SYNONYMS
yat—one who; vai—certainly; vraje—at Vṛndāvana; vraja-paśūn—the animals thereof; viṣa-toya—poisoned water; pītān—those who drank; pālān—the cowherd men; tu—also; ajīvayat—brought to life; anugraha-dṛṣṭi—merciful glance; vṛṣṭyā—by the showers of; tat—that; śuddhaye—for purification; ati—exceedingly; viṣa-vīrya—highly potent poison; vilola—lurking; jihvam—one who has such a tongue; uccāṭayiṣyat—severely punished; uragam—unto the snake; viharan—taking it as a pleasure; hradinyām—in the river.
TRANSLATION
Then also when the cowherd boys and their animals drank the poisoned water of the River Yamunā, and after the Lord [in His childhood] revived them by His merciful glance, just to purify the water of the River Yamunā He jumped into it as if playing and chastised the venomous Kāliya snake, which was lurking there, its tongue emitting waves of poison. Who can perform such herculean tasks but the Supreme Lord ?
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.28
yad[152] vai vraje vraja-paśūn viṣa-toya-pītān[153]
pālāṁs tv ajīvayad anugraha-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyā |
tac-chuddhaye’ti-viṣa-vīrya-vilola-jihvam
uccāṭayiṣyad uragaṁ viharan hradinyām ||
He will bring to life the cows and cowherds who drank the poisonous water by the shower of his merciful, sweet glance. He will drive the snake, whose trembling tongue was full of poison, from the Yamunā, so that he can play in its waters to purify it of the poison.
By the shower of his sweet glance of mercy, he brought back to life the cows and the cowherd boys who had drunk poisonous water. This activity also shows his sweetness hiding his powers. He drove the snake from the Yamunā so that he could play in her waters to purify it of the poison.
TEXT - SB 2.7.29
tat karma divyam iva yan niśi niḥśayānaṁ
dāvāgninā śuci-vane paridahyamāne
unneṣyati vrajam ato 'vasitānta-kālaṁ
netre pidhāpya sabalo 'nadhigamya-vīryaḥ
SYNONYMS
tat—that; karma—activity; divyam—superhuman; iva—like; yat—which; niśi—at night; niḥśayānam—sleeping carefreely; dāva-agninā—by the glare of the forest fire; śuci-vane—in the dry forest; paridahyamāne—being set ablaze; unneṣyati—would deliver; vrajam—all the inhabitants of Vraja; ataḥ—hence; avasita—surely; anta-kālam—last moments of life; netre—on the eyes; pidhāpya—simply by closing; sa-balaḥ—along with Baladeva; anadhigamya—unfathomable; vīryaḥ—prowess.
TRANSLATION
On the very night of the day of the chastisement of the Kāliya snake, when the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi were sleeping carefreely, there was a forest fire ablaze due to dry leaves, and it appeared that all the inhabitants were sure to meet their death. But the Lord, along with Balarāma, saved them simply by closing His eyes. Such are the superhuman activities of the Lord.
PURPORT
Although in this verse the Lord's activity has been described as superhuman, it should be noted that the Lord's activities are always superhuman, and that distinguishes Him from the ordinary living being. Uprooting a gigantic banyan or arjuna tree and extinguishing a blazing forest fire simply by closing one's eyes are certainly impossible by any kind of human endeavor. But not only are these activities amazing to hear, but in fact all other activities of the Lord, whatever He may do, are all superhuman, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.9). Whoever knows the superhuman activities of the Lord, due to their very transcendental nature, becomes eligible to enter the kingdom of Kṛṣṇa, and as such, after quitting this present material body, the knower of the transcendental activities of the Lord goes back home, back to Godhead.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.29
tat karma divyam iva[154] yan niśi niḥśayānaṁ
dāvāgninā śuci-vane paridahyamāne |
unneṣyati vrajam ato ’vasitānta-kālaṁ
netre pidhāpya sa-balo ’nadhigamya-vīryaḥ ||
When that same night, a fire burns up the forest of reeds dry from the summer heat, he whose strength cannot be understood, along with Balarāma, will rescue the dozing inhabitants of Vraja for whom death is certain, by having them close their eyes.
To mention that his activities appear to be transcendental is customary speech. Actually all his activities are spiritual. The Lord says janma karma ca me divyam. (BG 4.9) On the night that Kāliya was killed, when the forest, dry from the summer heat (śuci), is burning due to a forest fire, he will deliver (unneṣyati) the inhabitants who are certain (avasita) to die. The forest was composed of dry reeds. He made them close their eyes.
TEXT - SB 2.7.30
gṛhṇīta yad yad upabandham amuṣya mātā
śulbaṁ sutasya na tu tat tad amuṣya māti
yaj jṛmbhato 'sya vadane bhuvanāni gopī
saṁvīkṣya śaṅkita-manāḥ pratibodhitāsīt
SYNONYMS
gṛhṇīta—by taking up; yat yat—whatsoever; upabandham—ropes for tying; amuṣya—His; mātā—mother; śulbam—ropes; sutasya—of her son; na—not; tu—however; tat tat—by and by; amuṣya—His; māti—was sufficient; yat—that which; jṛmbhataḥ—opening the mouth; asya—of Him; vadane—in the mouth; bhuvanāni—the worlds; gopī—the cowherd woman; saṁvīkṣya—so seeing it; śaṅkita-manāḥ—doubtful in mind; pratibodhitā—convinced in a different way; āsīt—was so done.
TRANSLATION
When the cowherd woman [Kṛṣṇa's foster mother, Yaśodā] was trying to tie the hands of her son with ropes, she found the rope to be always insufficient in length, and when she finally gave up, Lord Kṛṣṇa, by and by, opened His mouth, wherein the mother found all the universes situated. Seeing this, she was doubtful in her mind, but she was convinced in a different manner of the mystic nature of her son.
PURPORT
One day Lord Kṛṣṇa as the naughty child disturbed His mother Yaśodā, and she began to tie up the child with ropes just to punish Him. But no matter how much rope she used, she found it always insufficient. Thus she became fatigued, but in the meantime the Lord opened His mouth, and the affectionate mother saw within the mouth of her son all the universes situated together. The mother was astonished, but out of her deep affection for Kṛṣṇa she thought that the Almighty Godhead Nārāyaṇa had kindly looked after her son just to protect Him from all the continuous calamities happening to Him. Because of her deep affection for Kṛṣṇa, she could never think that her very son was Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead Himself. That is the action of yogamāyā, the internal potency of the Supreme Lord, which acts to perfect all the pastimes of the Lord with His different types of devotees. Who could play such wonders without being God?
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.30
gṛhṇīta yad yad upabandham amuṣya mātā
śulbaṁ sutasya na tu tat tad amuṣya māti |
yaj jṛmbhato ’sya vadane bhuvanāni gopī
saṁvīkṣya śaṅkita-manāḥ pratibodhitāsīt ||
Yaśodā took rope to bind him up but the rope was not sufficient to tie him. She also saw in his gaping mouth the universe, and then, with a worried mind, recovered her affection for him as her son.
Mother Yaśoḍā took a rope (śulbam) to tie him up, but it was not big (na māti) enough to tie him. Yaśoḍā (gopī), seeing all the worlds in his open mouth, was first astonished. Kiṁ svapna etad uta deva-māyā: was this a dream or some illusion of the devatās? (SB 10.8.40) Then she understood that her child had great powers. atho amuṣyaiva mamārbhakasya yaḥ kaścanautpattika ātma-yogaḥ: has this been manifested by my own intelligence, or is it some mystic power exhibited by my child? (SB 10.8.40) Did Kṛṣṇa do this? Then after that, she recovered (pratibodhitā). She realized the sweetness of her affection for her child, which counteracted her realization of his powers. She had previously thought “He is Nārāyaṇa. Let him destroy my materialistic affection for him, seeing him as my child” with such words as praṇatāsmi tat-padam (SB 10.8.40): I pay respects to his lotus feet.
TEXT - SB 2.7.31
nandaṁ ca mokṣyati bhayād varuṇasya pāśād
gopān bileṣu pihitān maya-sūnunā ca
ahny āpṛtaṁ niśi śayānam atiśrameṇa
lokaṁ vikuṇṭham upaneṣyati gokulaṁ sma
SYNONYMS
nandam—unto Nanda (the father of Kṛṣṇa); ca—also; mokṣyati—saves; bhayāt—from the fear of; varuṇasya—of Varuṇa, the demigod of water; pāśāt—from the clutches of; gopān—the cowherd men; bileṣu—in the caves of the mountain; pihitān—placed; maya-sūnunā—by the son of Maya; ca—also; ahni āpṛtam—being very engaged during the daytime; niśi—at night; śayānam—lying down; atiśrameṇa—because of hard labor; lokam—planet; vikuṇṭham—the spiritual sky; upaneṣyati—He awarded; gokulam—the highest planet; sma—certainly.
TRANSLATION
Lord Kṛṣṇa saved His foster father, Nanda Mahārāja, from the fear of the demigod Varuṇa and released the cowherd boys from the caves of the mountain, for they were placed there by the son of Maya. Also, to the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, who were busy working during daytime and sleeping soundly at night because of their hard labor in the day, Lord Kṛṣṇa awarded promotion to the highest planet in the spiritual sky. All these acts are transcendental and certainly prove without any doubt His Godhood.
PURPORT
Nanda Mahārāja, the foster father of Lord Kṛṣṇa, went to take his bath in the River Yamunā in the dead of night, mistakenly thinking that the night was already over; thus the demigod Varuṇa took him to the Varuṇa planet just to have a look at the Personality of Godhead Lord Kṛṣṇa, who appeared there to release His father. Actually there was no arrest of Nanda Mahārāja by Varuṇa because the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana were always engaged in thinking of Kṛṣṇa, in constant meditation on the Personality of Godhead in a particular form of samadhi, or trance of bhakti-yoga. They had no fear of the miseries of material existence. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is confirmed that to be in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead by full surrender in transcendental love frees one from the miseries inflicted by the laws of material nature. Here it is clearly mentioned that the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana were extensively busy in the hard labor of their day's work, and due to the day's hard labor they were engaged in sound sleep at night. So practically they had very little time to devote to meditation or to the other paraphernalia of spiritual activities. But factually they were engaged in the highest spiritual activities only. Everything done by them was spiritualized because everything was dovetailed in their relationship with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The central point of activities was Kṛṣṇa, and as such the so-called activities in the material world were saturated with spiritual potency. That is the advantage of the way of bhakti-yoga. One should discharge one's duty on Lord Kṛṣṇa's behalf, and all one's actions will be saturated with Kṛṣṇa thought, the highest pattern of trance in spiritual realization.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.31
nandaṁ ca mokṣyati bhayād varuṇasya pāśād
gopān bileṣu pihitān maya-sūnunā ca |
ahny āpṛtaṁ niśi śayānam atiśrameṇa
lokaṁ[155] vikuṇṭham upaneṣyati gokulaṁ sma ||
He will deliver Nanda from the fearful ropes of Varuṇa and deliver the cowherd boys hidden in caves by Vyoma. He will take the inhabitants of Vraja, who will be busy looking for Nanda and Kṛṣṇa all day, and fall asleep exhausted at night, to Vaikuṇṭha-loka.
He will deliver Nanda from the fearful ropes of Varuṇa. Nanda will fear that Varuṇa, binding him with ropes, will keep him in his planet because he had bathed at a forbidden time. But actually Nanda would not be bound up by Varuṇa, but would be taken to his planet for a few moments, so that Varuṇa could see Kṛṣṇa. And he delivered the cowherd boys hidden in the caves by Vyoma (maya-sūnunā). He will take the inhabitants of Vraja, who will be engaged all day long in looking for Kṛṣṇa and Nanda (who will be with Varuṇa) and fall asleep at night exhausted, to Vaikuṇṭha.[156]
Jiva's tika ||2.7.31||
nandaṃ ca mokṣyati bhayād varuṇasya pāśād gopān bileṣu pihitān maya-sūnunā ca | ahny āpṛtaṃ niśi śayānam atiśrameṇa lokaṃ vikuṇṭham upaneṣyati gokulaṃ sma ||
TRANSLATION He will deliver Nanda from the fearful ropes of Varuṇa and deliver the cowherd boys hidden in caves by Vyoma. He will take the inhabitants of Vraja, who will be busy looking for Nanda and Kṛṣṇa all day, and fall asleep exhausted at night, to Vaikuṇṭha-loka.
Actually Nanda did not have fear of the ropes of Varuṇa. He brought the inhabitants to Brahma-hrada and eternal holy place of Akrūra. They would sleep or enter samādhi, thinking of Kṛṣṇa after many endeavors filled with love for Kṛṣṇa.
eṣāṃ ghoṣa-nivāsinām uta bhavān kiṃ deva rāteti naś ceto viśva-phalāt phalaṃ tvad-aparaṃ kutrāpy ayan muhyati sad-veṣād iva pūtanāpi sa-kulā tvām eva devāpitā yad-dhāmārtha-suhṛt-priyātma-tanaya-prāṇāśayās tvat-kṛte
O Lord! What can you give to the people of Vraja whose houses, possessions, friends, dear ones, bodies, sons, life airs and hearts are dedicated only to you, since there is nothing superior to you or Vraja (which you have already given)? Thinking of this, my mind becomes bewildered. You awarded yourself even to Pūtanā and her family members because she wore the disguise of a nurse. (SB 10.14.35)
iti nandādayo gopāḥ kṛṣṇa-rāma-kathāṃ mudā kurvanto ramamāṇāś ca nāvindan bhava-vedanām
In this way all the cowherd men, headed by Nanda Mahārāja, enjoyed topics about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and played with them. They never perceived material tribulations. (SB 10.11.58)
According to another opinion from the commentary, after searching for Nanda at
night they slept from fatigue (samādhi). Then they saw Vaikuṇṭha. The pastime shows that Kṛṣṇa fulfills the desires of his devotees. At the end by this incident, it is indicated that they attained Goloka, as in the pastimes of swallowing the fire.
TEXT - SB 2.7.32
gopair makhe pratihate vraja-viplavāya
deve 'bhivarṣati paśūn kṛpayā rirakṣuḥ
dhartocchilīndhram iva sapta-dināni sapta-
varṣo mahīdhram anaghaika-kare salīlam
SYNONYMS
gopaiḥ—by the cowherd men; makhe—in offering a sacrifice to the King of heaven; pratihate—being hampered; vraja-viplavāya—for devastating the whole existence of Vrajabhūmi, the land of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes; deve—by the King of heaven; abhivarṣati—having poured down heavy rain; paśūn—the animals; kṛpayā—by causeless mercy upon them; rirakṣuḥ—desired to protect them; dharta—held up; ucchilīndhram—uprooted as an umbrella; iva—exactly like that; sapta-dināni—continuously for seven days; sapta-varṣaḥ—although He was only seven years old; mahīdhram—the Govardhana Hill; anagha—without being tired; eka-kare—in one hand only; salīlam—playfully.
TRANSLATION
When the cowherd men of Vṛndāvana, under instruction of Kṛṣṇa, stopped offering sacrifice to the heavenly King, Indra, the whole tract of land known as Vraja was threatened with being washed away by constant heavy rains for seven days. Lord Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy upon the inhabitants of Vraja, held up the hill known as Govardhana with one hand only, although He was only seven years old. He did this to protect the animals from the onslaught of water.
PURPORT
Children play with an umbrella generally known as a frog's umbrella, and Lord Kṛṣṇa, when He was only seven years old, could snatch the great hill known as the Govardhana Parvata at Vṛndāvana and hold it for seven days continuously with one hand, just to protect the animals and the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana from the wrath of Indra, the heavenly King, who had been denied sacrificial offerings by the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi.
Factually there is no need of offering sacrifices to the demigods for their services if one is engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord. Sacrifices recommended in the Vedic literature for satisfaction of the demigods are a sort of inducement to the sacrificers to realize the existence of higher authorities. The demigods are engaged by the Lord as controlling deities of material affairs, and according to the Bhagavad-gītā, when a demigod is worshiped the process is accepted as the indirect method for worshiping the Supreme Lord. But when the Supreme Lord is worshiped directly there is no need of worshiping the demigods or offering them sacrifices as recommended in particular circumstances. Lord Kṛṣṇa therefore advised the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi not to offer any sacrifices to the heavenly King Indra. But Indra, not knowing Lord Kṛṣṇa in Vrajabhūmi, was angry at the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi and tried to avenge the offense. But, competent as the Lord was, He saved the inhabitants and animals of Vrajabhūmi by His personal energy and proved definitely that anyone directly engaged as a devotee of the Supreme Lord need not satisfy any other demigods, however great, even to the level of Brahmā, or Śiva. Thus this incident definitely proved without a doubt that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Personality of Godhead and that He was so in all circumstances, as a child on the lap of His mother, as a boy 7 years old, and as an old man of 125 years of age. In either case He was never on the level of the ordinary man, and even in His advanced age He appeared a young boy 16 years old. These are the particular features of the transcendental body of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.32
gopair makhe pratihate vraja-viplavāya
deve ’bhivarṣati paśūn kṛpayā rirakṣuḥ |
dhartocchilīndhram iva sapta-dināni sapta-
varṣo mahīdhram anaghaika-kare salīlam ||
Deve means Indra. Kṛṣṇa desired to protect them (rirakṣuḥ should be rirakṣiṣuḥ). Ucchilīndhram means “like an open umbrella.” Anaghaika-kare means “with one hand without getting tired.”
TEXT - SB 2.7.33
krīḍan vane niśi niśākara-raśmi-gauryāṁ
rāsonmukhaḥ kala-padāyata-mūrcchitena
uddīpita-smara-rujāṁ vraja-bhṛd-vadhūnāṁ
hartur hariṣyati śiro dhanadānugasya
SYNONYMS
krīḍan—while engaged in His pastimes; vane—in the forest of Vṛndāvana; niśi—nocturnal; niśākara—the moon; raśmi-gauryām—white moonshine; rāsa-unmukhaḥ—desiring to dance with; kala-padāyata—accompanied by sweet songs; mūrcchitena—and melodious music; uddīpita—awakened; smara-rujām—sexual desires; vraja-bhṛt—the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi; vadhūnām—of the wives; hartuḥ—of the kidnappers; hariṣyati—will vanquish; śiraḥ—the head; dhanada-anugasya—of the follower of the rich Kuvera.
TRANSLATION
When the Lord was engaged in His pastimes of the rāsa dance in the forest of Vṛndāvana, enlivening the sexual desires of the wives of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana by sweet and melodious songs, a demon of the name Śaṅkhacūḍa, a rich follower of the treasurer of heaven [Kuvera], kidnapped the damsels, and the Lord severed his head from his trunk.
PURPORT
We should carefully note that the statements described herein are the statements of Brahmājī to Nārada, and he was speaking to Nārada of events that would happen in the future, during the advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The pastimes of the Lord are known to the experts who are able to see past, present and future, and Brahmājī, being one of them, foretold what would happen in the future. The killing of Śaṅkhacūḍa by the Lord is a more recent incident, after the rāsa-līlā, and not exactly a simultaneous affair. In the previous verses we have seen also that the Lord's engagement in the affairs of the forest fire was described along with His pastimes of punishing the Kāliya snake, and similarly the pastimes of the rāsa dance and the killing of Śaṅkhacūḍa are also described herein. The adjustment is that all these incidents would take place in the future, after the time when it was being foretold by Brahmājī to Nārada. The demon Śaṅkhacūḍa was killed by the Lord during His pastimes at Horikā in the month of Phālguna, and the same ceremony is still observed in India by the burning of the effigy of Śaṅkhacūḍa one day prior to the Lord's pastimes at Horikā, generally known as Holi.
Generally the future appearance and the activities of the Lord or His incarnations are foretold in the scriptures, and thus the pseudoincarnations are unable to cheat persons who are in knowledge of the events as they are described in the authoritative scriptures.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.33
krīḍan vane niśi niśākara-raśmi-gauryāṁ
rāsonmukhaḥ[157] kala-padāyata-mūrcchitena |
uddīpita-smara-rujāṁ vraja-bhṛd-vadhūnāṁ
hartur hariṣyati śiro dhanadānugasya ||
Inclined to perform the rāsa dance, Kṛṣṇa will sport in the night made white by the rays of the moon, and will cut off the head of Śaṅkhacūḍa, follower of Kuvera, who will attempt to steal the cowherd men’s wives whose love for Kṛṣṇa was incited by the modulations coming from the sweet, low melodies of his flute.
What kind of night will it be? It will be made white by the rays of the moon. Inclined to perform the rāsa dance, he will sport. On another day in the future, the killing of Śaṅkhacūḍa will take place. It is mentioned together with the rāsa dance because it will take place near the place of the rāsa dance on another day. He will cut off the head of Śaṅkhacūḍa who will steal the wives of the cowherd men (vraja-bhṛt), whose love for Kṛṣṇa will be excited by the modulations coming from low, sweet songs. Or, he will perform rāsa dance in the middle of the night, after killing Śaṅkhacūḍa, since it is first mentioned that he will become inclined to the rāsa dance (rasonmukhaḥ).
Jiva's tika ||2.7.33||
krīḍan vane niśi niśākara-raśmi-gauryāṃ rāsonmukhaḥ kala-padāyata-mūrcchitena | uddīpita-smara-rujāṃ vraja-bhṛd-vadhūnāṃ hartur hariṣyati śiro dhanadānugasya ||
TRANSLATION Inclined to perform the rāsa dance, Kṛṣṇa will sport in the night made white by the rays of the moon, and will cut off the head of Śankhacūḍa, follower of Kuvera, who will attempt to steal the cowherd men’s wives whose love for Kṛṣṇa was incited by the modulations coming from the sweet, low melodies of his flute.
The pastime of horika is combined with the rāsa dance.
TEXT - SB 2.7.34-35
ye ca pralamba-khara-dardura-keśy-ariṣṭa-
mallebha-kaṁsa-yavanāḥ kapi-pauṇḍrakādyāḥ
anye ca śālva-kuja-balvala-dantavakra-
saptokṣa-śambara-vidūratha-rukmi-mukhyāḥ
ye vā mṛdhe samiti-śālina ātta-cāpāḥ
kāmboja-matsya-kuru-sṛñjaya-kaikayādyāḥ
yāsyanty adarśanam alaṁ bala-pārtha-bhīma-
vyājāhvayena hariṇā nilayaṁ tadīyam
SYNONYMS
ye—all those; ca—totally; pralamba—the demon named Pralamba; khara—Dhenukāsura; dardura—Bakāsura; keśī—the Keśī demon; ariṣṭa—the demon Ariṣṭāsura; malla—a wrestler in the court of Kaṁsa; ibha—Kuvalayāpīḍa; kaṁsa—the King of Mathurā and maternal uncle of Kṛṣṇa; yavanāḥ—the kings of Persia and other adjoining places; kapi—Dvivida; pauṇḍraka-ādyāḥ—Pauṇḍraka and others; anye—others; ca—as much as; śālva—King Śālva; kuja—Narakāsura; balvala—King Balvala; dantavakra—the brother of Śiśupāla, a dead rival of Kṛṣṇa's; saptokṣa—King Saptokṣa; śambara—King Śambara; vidūratha—King Vidūratha; rukmi-mukhyāḥ—the brother of Rukmiṇī, the first queen of Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā; ye—all those; vā—either; mṛdhe—in the battlefield; samiti-śālinaḥ—all very powerful; ātta-cāpāḥ—well equipped with bows and arrows; kāmboja—the King of Kāmboja; matsya—the King of Dvarbhaṅga; kuru—the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; sṛñjaya—King Sṛñjaya; kaikaya-ādyāḥ—the King of Kekaya and others; yāsyanti—would attain; adarśanam—impersonal merging within the brahmajyoti; alam—what to speak of; bala—Baladeva, the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa; pārtha—Arjuna; bhīma—the second Pāṇḍava; vyāja-āhvayena—by the false names; hariṇā—by Lord Hari; nilayam—the abode; tadīyam—of Him.
TRANSLATION
All demonic personalities like Pralamba, Dhenuka, Baka, Keśī, Ariṣṭa, Cāṇūra, Muṣṭika, Kuvalayāpīḍa elephant, Kaṁsa, Yavana, Narakāsura and Pauṇḍraka, great marshals like Sālva, Dvivida monkey and Balvala, Dantavakra, the seven bulls, Śambara, Vidūratha and Rukmī, as also great warriors like Kāmboja, Matsya, Kuru, Sṛñjaya and Kekaya, would all fight vigorously, either with the Lord Hari directly or with Him under His names of Baladeva, Arjuna, Bhīma, etc. And the demons, thus being killed, would attain either the impersonal brahmajyoti or His personal abode in the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
PURPORT
All manifestations, in both the material and spiritual worlds, are demonstrations of the different potencies of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Personality of Godhead Baladeva is His immediate personal expansion, and Bhīma, Arjuna, etc., are His personal associates. The Lord would appear (and He does so whenever He appears) with all His associates and potencies. Therefore the rebellious souls, like the demons and demoniac men, mentioned by names like Pralamba, would be killed either by the Lord Himself or by His associates. All these affairs will be clearly explained in the Tenth Canto. But we should know well that all the above-mentioned living entities killed would attain salvation either by being merged in the brahmajyoti of the Lord or being allowed to enter into the abodes of the Lord called Vaikuṇṭhas. This has already been explained by Bhīṣmadeva (First Canto). All persons who participated in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra or otherwise with the Lord or with Baladeva, etc., would benefit by attaining spiritual existence according to the situation of their minds at the time of death. Those who recognized the Lord would enter Vaikuṇṭha, and those who estimated the Lord as only a powerful being would attain salvation by merging into the spiritual existence of the impersonal brahmajyoti of the Lord. But every one of them would get release from material existence. Since such is the benefit of those who played with the Lord inimically, one can imagine what would be the position of those who devoutly served the Lord in transcendental relationship with Him.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.34-35
ye ca pralamba-khara-dardura-keśy-ariṣṭa-
mallebha-kaṁsa-yavanāḥ kapi-pauṇḍrakādyāḥ |
anye ca śālva-kuja-balvala-dantavakra-
saptokṣa-śambara-vidūratha-rukmi-mukhyāḥ ||
ye vā mṛdhe samiti-śālina ātta-cāpāḥ
kāmboja-matsya-kuru-sṛñjaya-kaikayādyāḥ |
yāsyanty adarśanam alaṁ[158] bala-pārtha-bhīma-
vyājāhvayena hariṇā nilayaṁ tadīyam ||
The demons headed by Pralambha, Dhenuka, Baka, Keśī, Ariṣṭa, the wrestlers, Kuvalayāpīḍa, Kaṁṣa, Kālayavana, Dvivida, Pauṇḍraka, Śālva, Narakāsura, Balvala, Dantavakra, the seven bulls, Śambara, Vidūratha and Rukmi, as well as those with bow in hand glorious in fighting on the battlefield, such as the Kāmbojas, Matsyas, Kurus, Sṛñjayas, and Kaikayas will attain sāyujya or Vaikuṇṭha by the Lord or through his instruments Balarāma, Arjuna, Bhīma and others.
Vyāsa, having described somewhat the Vṛndāvana pastimes because of their extreme sweetness, indicates in summary the other pastimes -- the killing of demons -- in two verses. Some of these demons will attain sāyujya and some will attain Vaikuṇṭha. Kharaḥ refers to Dhenuka, Darduraḥ refers to Baka. Ibha refers to Kuvalayāpīḍa. Kuja means Narakāsura. Kapi means Dvivida. Samiti-śālinaḥ means those who shine in battle. Pralamba, Dhenuka, Dvivida, Balvala, and Rukmi were killed by Balarāma. Bhīma and Arjuna killed the Kāmbojas and others. Pradyumna killed Śambara. Mucukunda killed Yavana. The Lord did not kill them. Thus their names are also mentioned in the phrase bala-pārtha-bhīma-vyājāhvayena:they will attain liberation by the Lord who is also called Balarāma, Arjuna and Bhīma. Subdued by him, the seven bulls will attain liberation at another time (since they were animals). Among the demons Pralamba, Dhenuka and others will get sāyujya and Pauṇḍraka, Dantavakra and others will get Vaikuṇṭha. This will be understood from later statements.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.34-35||
ye ca pralamba-khara-dardura-keśy-ariṣṭamallebha-kaṃsa-yavanāḥ kapi-pauṇḍrakādyāḥ | anye ca śālva-kuja-balvala-dantavakrasaptokṣa-śambara-vidūratha-rukmi-mukhyāḥ ||
ye vā mṛdhe samiti-śālina ātta-cāpāḥ kāmboja-matsya-kuru-sṛnjaya-kaikayādyāḥ | yāsyanty adarśanam alaṃ bala-pārtha-bhīmavyājāhvayena hariṇā nilayaṃ tadīyam ||
TRANSLATION The demons headed by Pralambha, Dhenuka, Baka, Keśī, Ariṣṭa, the wrestlers, Kuvalayāpīḍa, Kaṃṣa, Kālayavana, Dvivida, Pauṇḍraka, Śālva, Narakāsura, Balvala, Dantavakra, the seven bulls, Śambara, Vidūratha and Rukmi, as well as those with bow in hand glorious in fighting on the battlefield, such as the Kāmbojas, Matsyas, Kurus, Sṛnjayas, and Kaikayas will attain sāyujya or Vaikuṇṭha by the Lord or through his instruments Balarāma, Arjuna, Bhīma and others.
Bhīṣma says:
vijaya-ratha-kuṭumba ātta-totre dhṛta-haya-raśmini tac-chriyekṣaṇīye | bhagavati ratir astu me mumūrṣor yam iha nirīkṣya hatā gatāḥ sva-rūpam ||
Desiring to die, may I have prema for the Lord who protected Arjuna’s chariot while holding a whip in his right hand, the reins in his left hand, whose beauty must be seen, and who bestowed liberation to those who died on the battle field after seeing him. (SB 1.9.39)
Some attain invisibility, merging in Brahman and others attain the Lord’s abode.
TEXT - SB 2.7.36
kālena mīlita-dhiyām avamṛśya nṝṇāṁ
stokāyuṣāṁ sva-nigamo bata dūra-pāraḥ
āvirhitas tv anuyugaṁ sa hi satyavatyāṁ
veda-drumaṁ viṭa-paśo vibhajiṣyati sma
SYNONYMS
kālena—in course of time; mīlita-dhiyām—of the less intelligent persons; avamṛśya—considering the difficulties; nṝṇām—of humanity at large; stoka-āyuṣām—of the short-living persons; sva-nigamaḥ—the Vedic literatures compiled by Him; bata—exactly; dūra-pāraḥ—greatly difficult; āvirhitaḥ—having appeared as; tu—but; anuyugam—in terms of the age; saḥ—He (the Lord); hi—certainly; satyavatyām—in the womb of Satyavatī; veda-drumam—the desire tree of the Vedas; viṭa-paśaḥ—by division of branches; vibhajiṣyati—will divide; sma—as it were.
TRANSLATION
The Lord Himself in His incarnation as the son of Satyavatī [Vyāsadeva] will consider his compilation of the Vedic literature to be very difficult for the less intelligent persons with short life, and thus He will divide the tree of Vedic knowledge into different branches, according to the circumstances of the particular age.
PURPORT
Herein Brahmā mentions the future compilation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for the short-lived persons of the Kali age. As explained in the First Canto, the less intelligent persons of the age of Kali would be not only short-lived, but also perplexed with so many problems of life due to the awkward situation of the godless human society. Advancement of material comforts of the body is activity in the mode of ignorance according to the laws of material nature. Real advancement of knowledge means progress of knowledge in self-realization. But in the age of Kali the less intelligent men mistakenly consider the short lifetime of one hundred years (now factually reduced to about forty or sixty years) to be all in all. They are less intelligent because they have no information of the eternity of life; they identify with the temporary material body existing for forty years and consider it the only basic principle of life. Such persons are described as equal to the asses and bulls. But the Lord, as the compassionate father of all living beings, imparts unto them the vast Vedic knowledge in short treatises like the Bhagavad-gītā and, for the graduates, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata are also similarly made by Vyāsadeva for the different types of men in the modes of material nature. But none of them are independent of the Vedic principles.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.36
kālena mīlita-dhiyām avamṛśya nṝṇāṁ
stokāyuṣāṁ sva-nigamo bata dūra-pāraḥ |
āvirhitas tv anuyugaṁ sa hi satyavatyāṁ
veda-drumaṁ viṭa-paśo vibhajiṣyati sma ||
The Lord, seeing that the ocean of the Vedas composed by himself will be difficult to cross by people whose lives are short and whose intelligence has been limited by time, will appear in every kalpa as the son of Satyavatī and divide the tree of the Vedas into branches.
This verse describes Vyāsadeva. Considering that the ocean of the Vedas written by himself was difficult to cross (dūra-pāraḥ) for the men with short lives and whose intelligence has been reduced by time, Vyāsa appears in every kalpa to Satyavatī and divides the Vedas into branches. Anuyugam means every kalpa or day of Brahmā.[159]
TEXT - SB 2.7.37
deva-dviṣāṁ nigama-vartmani niṣṭhitānāṁ
pūrbhir mayena vihitābhir adṛśya-tūrbhiḥ
lokān ghnatāṁ mati-vimoham atipralobhaṁ
veṣaṁ vidhāya bahu bhāṣyata aupadharmyam
SYNONYMS
deva-dviṣām—of those who were envious of the devotees of the Lord; nigama—the Vedas; vartmani—on the path of; niṣṭhitānām—of the well situated; pūrbhiḥ—by rockets; mayena—made by the great scientist Maya; vihitābhiḥ—made by; adṛśya-tūrbhiḥ—unseen in the sky; lokān—the different planets; ghnatām—of the killers; mati-vimoham—bewilderment of the mind; atipralobham—very attractive; veṣam—dress; vidhāya—having done so; bahu bhāṣyate—will talk very much; aupadharmyam—subreligious principles.
TRANSLATION
When the atheists, after being well versed in the Vedic scientific knowledge, annihilate inhabitants of different planets, flying unseen in the sky on well-built rockets prepared by the great scientist Maya, the Lord will bewilder their minds by dressing Himself attractively as Buddha and will preach on subreligious principles.
PURPORT
This incarnation of Lord Buddha is not the same Buddha incarnation we have in the present history of mankind. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the Buddha incarnation mentioned in this verse appeared in a different Kali age. In the duration of life of one Manu there are more than seventy-two Kali-yugas, and in one of them the particular type of Buddha mentioned here would appear. Lord Buddha incarnates at a time when the people are most materialistic and preaches common-sense religious principles. Such ahiṁsā is not a religious principle itself, but it is an important quality for persons who are actually religious. It is a common-sense religion because one is advised to do no harm to any other animal or living being because such harmful actions are equally harmful to he who does the harm. But before learning these principles of nonviolence one has to learn two other principles, namely to be humble and to be prideless. Unless one is humble and prideless, one cannot be harmless and nonviolent. And after being nonviolent one has to learn tolerance and simplicity of living. One must offer respects to the great religious preachers and spiritual leaders and also train the senses for controlled action, learning to be unattached to family and home, and enacting devotional service to the Lord, etc. At the ultimate stage one has to accept the Lord and become His devotee; otherwise there is no religion. In religious principles there must be God in the center; otherwise simple moral instructions are merely subreligious principles, generally known as upadharma, or nearness to religious principles.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.37
deva-dviṣāṁ nigama-vartmani niṣṭhitānāṁ
pūrbhir mayena vihitābhir adṛśya-tūrbhiḥ |
lokān ghnatāṁ mati-vimoham atipralobhaṁ
veṣaṁ vidhāya bahu bhāṣyata aupadharmyam ||
When the demons, fixed in Vedic learning,[160] kill people using fortresses traveling at great speeds so that they are not seen by the enemy, built by Maya, the Lord will take the dress of a non-believer and will speak many alluring heretical doctrines to bewilder their minds.
This verse describes Buddha. When the demons fixed in the path of the Vedas kill people from fortresses made by Maya and travel at speeds so that they cannot be seen by the enemy, the Lord, wearing the dress of a non-believer, will speak many heretical teachings (aupadharmyam) which will bewilder them, being very alluring to their minds. Aupadharmyam means related to upadharma.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.37||
deva-dviṣāṃ nigama-vartmani niṣṭhitānāṃ pūrbhir mayena vihitābhir adṛśya-tūrbhiḥ | lokān ghnatāṃ mati-vimoham atipralobhaṃ veṣaṃ vidhāya bahu bhāṣyata aupadharmyam ||
TRANSLATION When the demons, fixed in Vedic learning, kill people using fortresses traveling at great speeds so that they are not seen by the enemy, built by Maya, the Lord will take the dress of a non-believer and will speak many alluring heretical doctrines to bewilder their minds.
This describes Buddha, an avatāra in Kali-yuga, since persons who hate devatās, mentioned in the verse, act in this way in Kali-yuga.
TEXT - SB 2.7.38
yarhy ālayeṣv api satāṁ na hareḥ kathāḥ syuḥ
pāṣaṇḍino dvija-janā vṛṣalā nṛdevāḥ
svāhā svadhā vaṣaḍ iti sma giro na yatra
śāstā bhaviṣyati kaler bhagavān yugānte
SYNONYMS
yarhi—when it happens; ālayeṣu—in the residence of; api—even; satām—civilized gentlemen; na—no; hareḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; kathāḥ—topics; syuḥ—will take place; pāṣaṇḍinaḥ—atheists; dvija-janāḥ—persons declaring themselves to be the higher three classes (brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas); vṛṣalāḥ—the lower class śūdras; nṛ-devāḥ—ministers of the government; svāhā—hymns to perform sacrifices; svadhā—the ingredients to perform sacrifices; vaṣaṭ—the altar of sacrifice; iti—all these; sma—shall; giraḥ—words; na—never; yatra—anywhere; śāstā—the chastiser; bhaviṣyati—will appear; kaleḥ—of the Kali age; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; yuga-ante—at the end of.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, at the end of Kali-yuga, when there exist no topics on the subject of God, even at the residences of so-called saints and respectable gentlemen of the three higher castes, and when the power of government is transferred to the hands of ministers elected from the lowborn śūdra class or those less than them, and when nothing is known of the techniques of sacrifice, even by word, at that time the Lord will appear as the supreme chastiser.
PURPORT
The symptoms of the worst conditions of the material world, at the last stage of this age, called Kali-yuga, are stated herein. The sum and substance of such conditions is godlessness. Even the so-called saints and higher castes of the social orders, generally known as the dvija janas or the twice-born, will become atheists. As such, all of them will practically forget even the holy name of the Lord, and what to speak of His activities. The higher castes of society, namely the intelligent class of men guiding the destinies of the social orders, the administrative class of men guiding the law and order of the society, and the productive class of men guiding the economic development of the society, must all be properly well versed in knowledge of the Supreme Lord, knowing factually His name, quality, pastimes, entourage, paraphernalia and personalities. The saints and the higher castes or orders of the society are judged by their proportion of knowledge in the science of God, or tattva jñāna, and not by any kind of birthright or bodily designations. Such designations, without any knowledge of the science of God and practical knowledge of devotional service, are considered to be all decorations of dead bodies. And when there is too much inflation of these decorated dead bodies in society, there develop so many anomalies in the progressive, peaceful life of the human being. Because of the lack of training or culture in the upper section of the social orders, they are no more to be designated as the dvija janas, or the twice-born. The significance of being twice-born has been explained in many places in these great literatures, and again one is reminded herewith that birth, executed by the sex life of the father and the mother, is called animal birth. But such animal birth and progress of life on the animal principles of eating, sleeping, fearing and mating (without any scientific culture of spiritual life) is called the śūdra life, or, to be more explicit, the uncultured life of the lower class of men. It is stated herein that the governmental power of society in the Kali-yuga will be passed over to the uncultured, godless laborer classes of men, and thus the nṛdevas (or the ministers of the government) will be the vṛṣalas, or the uncultured lower-class men of society. No one can expect any peace and prosperity in a human society full of uncultured lower classes of men. The symptoms of such uncultured social animals are already in vogue, and it is the duty of the leaders of men to take note of it and try to reform the social order by introducing the principles of twice-born men trained in the science of God consciousness. This can be done by expanding the culture of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over the world. In the degraded condition of human society, the Lord incarnates as the Kalki avatāra and kills all the demonic without mercy.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.38
yarhy ālayeṣv api satāṁ na hareḥ kathāḥ syuḥ
pāṣaṇḍino dvija-janā vṛṣalā[161] nṛ-devāḥ |
svāhā svadhā vaṣaḍ iti sma giro na yatra
śāstā bhaviṣyati kaler bhagavān yugānte ||
When the topics of the Lord are not heard in the houses of the devotees, when the brāhmaṇas are heretical, the kings are śūdras and the words of sacrifice svāhā, svadhā and vaṣaṭ are not uttered, the Lord will appear as Kalki at the end of Kali-yuga as the punisher.
This verse describes Kalki. Vṛṣalāḥ means śūdras. Nṛ-devāḥ means kings. At the end of Kali-yuga (kaler yugānte) the Lord will appear. The particular avatāras should be seen in proper perspective. In the conversation between Brahmā and Nārada, Varāha and others had already appeared in the past. Some of the Manvantara-avatāras had appeared in the past and some will appear in the future. Dhanvantari and Paraśurāma existed then. Rāma and others are in the future. In the verses, sometimes the tenses do not reflect this, because of necessities of meter.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.38||
yarhy ālayeṣv api satāṃ na hareḥ kathāḥ syuḥ pāṣaṇḍino dvija-janā vṛṣalā nṛ-devāḥ | svāhā svadhā vaṣaḍ iti sma giro na yatra śāstā bhaviṣyati kaler bhagavān yugānte ||
TRANSLATION When the topics of the Lord are not heard in the houses of the devotees, when the brāhmaṇas are heretical, the kings are śūdras and the words of sacrifice svāhā, svadhā and vaṣaṭ are not uttered, the Lord will appear as Kalki at the end of Kali-yuga as the punisher.
When there is no speaking about the Lord in āśramas of people belonging to the four castes, the three varṇas become pākhaṇḍas. Śūdras become mleccha kings.
TEXT - SB 2.7.39
sarge tapo 'ham ṛṣayo nava ye prajeśāḥ
sthāne 'tha dharma-makha-manv-amarāvanīśāḥ
ante tv adharma-hara-manyu-vaśāsurādyā
māyā-vibhūtaya imāḥ puru-śakti-bhājaḥ
SYNONYMS
sarge—in the beginning of the creation; tapaḥ—penance; aham—myself; ṛṣayaḥ—sages; nava—nine; ye prajeśāḥ—those who would generate; sthāne—in the middle while maintaining the creation; atha—certainly; dharma—religion; makha—Lord Viṣṇu; manu—the father of mankind; amara—the demigods deputed to control the affairs of maintenance; avanīśāḥ—and the kings of different planets; ante—at the end; tu—but; adharma—irreligion; hara—Lord Śiva; manyu-vaśa—subjected to anger; asura-ādyāḥ—atheists, the enemies of the devotees; māyā—energy; vibhūtayaḥ—powerful representatives; imāḥ—all of them; puru-śakti-bhājaḥ—of the supreme powerful Lord.
TRANSLATION
At the beginning of creation there are penance, myself [Brahmā], and the Prajāpatis, the great sages who generate; then, during the maintenance of the creation, there are Lord Viṣṇu, the demigods with controlling powers, and the kings of different planets. But at the end there is irreligion, and then Lord Śiva and the atheists full of anger, etc. All of them are different representative manifestations of the energy of the supreme power, the Lord.
PURPORT
The material world is created by the energy of the Lord, which is manifested in the beginning of the creation by the penance of Brahmājī, the first living being in the creation, and then there are the nine Prajāpatis, known as great sages. In the stage when the creation is maintained, there are devotional service to Lord Viṣṇu, or factual religion, the different demigods, and the kings of different planets who maintain the world. At last, when the creation is preparing to wind up, there is first the principle of irreligion, then Lord Śiva along with the atheists, full of anger. But all of them are but different manifestations of the Supreme Lord. Therefore Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Mahādeva (Śiva) are different incarnations of the different modes of material nature. Viṣṇu is the Lord of the mode of goodness. Brahmā is the lord of the mode of passion, and Śiva is the lord of the mode of ignorance. Ultimately, the material creation is but a temporary manifestation meant to give the chance of liberation to the conditioned souls, who are entrapped in the material world, and one who develops the mode of goodness under the protection of Lord Viṣṇu has the greatest chance of being liberated by following the Vaiṣṇava principles and thus being promoted to the kingdom of God, no more to return to this miserable material world.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.39
sarge tapo ’ham ṛṣayo nava ye prajeśāḥ
sthāne ’tha dharma-makha-manv-amarāvanīśāḥ |
ante tv adharma-hara-manyu-vaśāsurādyā[162]
māyā-vibhūtaya imāḥ puru-śakti-bhājaḥ ||
This verse describes the vibhūtis of the guṇāvatāras within the material world according to divisions. For maintenance (sthāne) there are dharma, sacrifices, the Manus, the devatās, and kings. Ante means destruction. Manyu-vaśāḥ means snakes and others who are controlled by anger.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.39||
sarge tapo ’ham ṛṣayo nava ye prajeśāḥ sthāne ’tha dharma-makha-manv-amarāvanīśāḥ | ante tv adharma-hara-manyu-vaśāsurādyā māyā-vibhūtaya imāḥ puru-śakti-bhājaḥ ||
TRANSLATION The vibhūtis of māyā, filled with great śakti, are austerity, myself, the sages and the nine Prajāpatis for creation; dharma, sacrifice, the Manus, the devatās, and kings for maintenance; and adharma, Śiva, the snakes, and demons for destruction.
Instead of sarge sometimes the word viṣṇor is seen. The statement is made from the point of view of the material designations (actually the Lord controls everything) for it has been said:
sṛjāmi tan-niyukto ’haṃ haro harati tad-vaśaḥ | viśvaṃ puruṣa-rūpeṇa paripāti tri-śakti-dhṛk ||
I create under his order, and Śiva destroys under his order. Holding his three energies, he protects the universe as the Paramātmā. (SB 2.6.32)
TEXT - SB 2.7.40
viṣṇor nu vīrya-gaṇanāṁ katamo 'rhatīha
yaḥ pārthivāny api kavir vimame rajāṁsi
caskambha yaḥ sva-rahasāskhalatā tri-pṛṣṭhaṁ
yasmāt tri-sāmya-sadanād uru-kampayānam
SYNONYMS
viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Viṣṇu; nu—but; vīrya—prowess; gaṇanām—in the matter of accounting; katamaḥ—who else; arhati—is able to do it; iha—in this world; yaḥ—one who; pārthivāni—the atoms; api—also; kaviḥ—great scientist; vimame—might have counted; rajāṁsi—particles; caskambha—could catch; yaḥ—one who; sva-rahasā—by His own leg; askhalatā—without being hampered; tri-pṛṣṭham—the topmost planetary space; yasmāt—by which; tri-sāmya—the neutral state of the three modes; sadanāt—up to that place; uru-kampayānam—moving very greatly.
TRANSLATION
Who can describe completely the prowess of Viṣṇu? Even the scientist, who might have counted the particles of the atoms of the universe, cannot do so. Because it is He only who in His form of Trivikrama moved His leg effortlessly beyond the topmost planet, Satyaloka, up to the neutral state of the three modes of material nature. And all were moved.
PURPORT
The highest scientific advancement of the material scientists is atomic energy. But the material scientist is not able to have an estimation of the particles of atoms contained in the whole universe. But even if one is able to count such atomic particles or is able to roll up the sky like one's bedding, even then one is unable to estimate the extent of the prowess and energy of the Supreme Lord. He is known as Trivikrama because once, in His incarnation of Vāmana, He expanded His leg beyond the highest planetary system, Satyaloka, and reached the neutral state of the modes of nature called the covering of the material world. There are seven layers of material coverings over the material sky, and the Lord could penetrate even those coverings. With His toe He made a hole through which the water of the Causal Ocean filters into the material sky, and the current is known as the sacred Ganges, which purifies the planets of the three worlds. In other words, no one is equal to the transcendentally powerful Viṣṇu. He is omnipotent, and no one is equal to or greater than Him.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.40
viṣṇor nu vīrya-gaṇanāṁ katamo ’rhatīha
yaḥ pārthivāny api kavir vimame rajāṁsi |
caskambha yaḥ sva-raṁhasāskhalatā[163] tri-pṛṣṭhaṁ
yasmāt tri-sāmya-sadanād uru-kampayānam ||
Can even a person who is able to count the particles of dust on earth estimate the glories of Viṣṇu, who paralyzed the universe by his swift, firm step, which caused trembling starting from the outermost layer of prakṛti?
It is not possible to explain completely the līlāvatāras of the Lord. Is it possible to estimate the power of Viṣṇu? The word kartum is missing. He paralyzed the universe with the swiftness of his foot as Trivikrama, which caused tremendous trembling starting from the outermost layer of prakṛti (tri-sāmya-sadanād). There is the Vedic mantra:
viṣṇor vīryāṇi kiṁ prāvocaṁ yaḥ pārthivāny api vimane rajāṁsi
yo ’skambhayad uttaraṁ sadhasthaṁ vicakramāṇas tredhorugāya
Can even he, who measures the dust of the earth, describe the powers of much praised Viṣṇu who took three steps and paralyzed the upper worlds along with the devatās?
Here is the meaning. Can even he, who measures the dust of the earth, describe the powers of much praised Viṣṇu who took three steps and paralyzed the upper worlds (uttaram) along with the devatās (sadhastham)? Stham means devatās and sadha means “with.”
Jiva's tika ||2.7.40||
viṣṇor nu vīrya-gaṇanāṃ katamo ’rhatīha yaḥ pārthivāny api kavir vimame rajāṃsi | caskambha yaḥ sva-raṃhasāskhalatā tri-pṛṣṭhaṃ yasmāt tri-sāmya-sadanād uru-kampayānam ||
TRANSLATION Can even a person who is able to count the particles of dust on earth estimate the glories of Viṣṇu, who paralyzed the universe by his swift, firm step, which caused trembling starting from the outermost layer of prakṛti?
Fearing that one may equate Viṣṇu with others mentioned as vibhūtis of māyā, this verse negates that conception. Viṣṇu has unlimited powers, much greater than anything made within prakṛti.
TEXT - SB 2.7.41
nāntaṁ vidāmy aham amī munayo 'gra-jās te
māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto 'varā ye
gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana ādi-devaḥ
śeṣo 'dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram
SYNONYMS
na—never; antam—end; vidāmi—do I know; aham—myself; amī—and all those; munayaḥ—great sages; agra-jāḥ—born prior to you; te—you; māyā-balasya—of the omnipotent; puruṣasya—of the Personality of Godhead; kutaḥ—what to speak of others; avarāḥ—born after us; ye—those; gāyan—by singing; guṇān—the qualities; daśa-śata-ānanaḥ—one who has ten hundred faces; ādi-devaḥ—the first incarnation of the Lord; śeṣaḥ—known as Śeṣa; adhunā—until now; api—even; samavasyati—can achieve; na—not; asya—of Him; pāram—limit.
TRANSLATION
Neither I nor all the sages born before you know fully the omnipotent Personality of Godhead. So what can others, who are born after us, know about Him? Even the first incarnation of the Lord, namely Śeṣa, has not been able to reach the limit of such knowledge, although He is describing the qualities of the Lord with ten hundred faces.
PURPORT
The omnipotent Personality of Godhead has primarily three potential manifestations, namely internal, external, and marginal potencies, with unlimited expansions of these three energies. As such, the potential expansions can never be calculated by anyone because even the Personality of God Himself, as the incarnation of Śeṣa, cannot estimate the potencies, although He has been describing them continuously with His one thousand faces.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.41
nāntaṁ vidāmy aham amī munayo ’gra-jās te
māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto ’varā ye |
gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana ādi-devaḥ
śeṣo ’dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram ||
I and the sages such as the Kumāras, who are your elder brothers, do not know the limit of the strength of the Lord’s material energy, what to speak of others. Even Śeṣa, who has been singing the glories of the Lord till the present with his thousand heads, has not been able to find an end to them.
This is further explained. I do not know the end of the strength of his māyā-śakti, what to speak of his spiritual energy. Śeśa does not attain an end to singing his qualities pertaining to the material and spiritual worlds.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.41||
nāntaṃ vidāmy aham amī munayo ’gra-jās te māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto ’varā ye | gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana ādi-devaḥ śeṣo ’dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram ||
TRANSLATION I and the sages such as the Kumāras, who are your elder brothers, do not know the limit of the strength of the Lord’s material energy, what to speak of others. Even Śeṣa, who has been singing the glories of the Lord till the present with his thousand heads, has not been able to find an end to them.
His powers in the spiritual and material realms are unlimited.
TEXT - SB 2.7.42
yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ
sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam
te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye
SYNONYMS
yeṣām—unto those only; saḥ—the Lord; eṣaḥ—the; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; dayayet—does bestow His mercy; anantaḥ—the unlimited potential; sarva-ātmanā—by all means, without reservation; āśrita-padaḥ—surrendered soul; yadi—if such surrender; nirvyalīkam—without pretension; te—those only; dustarām—insurmountable; atitaranti—can overcome; ca—and the paraphernalia; deva-māyām—diverse energies of the Lord; na—not; eṣām—of them; mama—mine; aham—myself; iti—thus; dhīḥ—conscious; śva—dogs; śṛgāla—jackals; bhakṣye—in the matter of eating.
TRANSLATION
But anyone who is specifically favored by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, due to unalloyed surrender unto the service of the Lord, can overcome the insurmountable ocean of illusion and can understand the Lord. But those who are attached to this body, which is meant to be eaten at the end by dogs and jackals, cannot do so.
PURPORT
The unalloyed devotees of the Lord know the glories of the Lord in the sense that they can understand how great the Lord is and how great is His expansion of diverse energy. Those who are attached to the perishable body can hardly enter into the realm of the science of Godhead. The whole materialistic world, based on the conception of the material body as the self, is ignorant of the science of God. The materialist is always busy working for the welfare of the material body, not only his own but also those of his children, kinsmen, communitymen, countrymen, etc. The materialists have many branches of philanthropic and altruistic activities from a political, national and international angle of vision, but none of the field work can go beyond the jurisdiction of the misconception of identifying the material body with the spirit soul. Unless, therefore, one is saved from the wrong conception of the body and the soul, there is no knowledge of Godhead, and unless there is knowledge of God, all advancement of material civilization, however dazzling, should be considered a failure.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.42
yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ
sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam |
te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye ||
“If you cannot know the Lord then realization of him is without foundation.” That is answered in this verse. Only those person to whom the Lord shows mercy saying, “Let these persons know me,” cross the ocean of māyā and know the Lord. The śruti says:
nāyām ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhās tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṁ svām
The Lord is not attained by speaking or intelligence or much hearing. The Lord is attained by that person alone whom the Lord chooses. He reveals his own form to that person. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3
What are the symptoms of his mercy? There should be persons without material desires (nirvyalīkam), who take shelter of the Lord’s feet with indifference to karma and jñāna (sarvātmanā). The principal function of his śakti of mercy is to manifest pure bhakti. That pure bhakti is manifested in people by his devotees. (Thus mercy is obtained by getting association of devotees.) If they attain that association then they cross māyā and attain knowledge of the Lord. Gaining knowledge of the Lord is indicated by the word ca. By what symptoms should māyā’s affliction and freedom from that affliction (knowledge) be known? One thinks of “me” and “mine,” -- of one’s own body and the bodies of children and others, which are worthy food for dogs and jackals. Those who attain mercy are free from this conception.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.42|| yeṣāṃ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam | te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṃ naiṣāṃ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye ||
TRANSLATION Those to whom the infinite Lord shows mercy -- when they attain devotees who are surrendered completely to the lotus feet of the Lord and who have no material desires -- cross the insurmountable ocean of māyā and understand the Lord. They are devoid of the intelligence which thinks in terms of “my body” and the “bodies of my family members” which are worthy food for dogs and jackals.
How will people become liberated, since they lack knowledge of the powers of māyā to be overcome and the spiritual powers used in the sādhana for overcoming māyā? This verse answers. Or, giving up the quest for māyā by proper knowledge, one should worship the Lord with pure intentions. This verse then explained what happens. They cross over māyā, difficult to surpass and know that the Lord is unlimited. This is indicated by the word ca.
TEXT - SB 2.7.43-45
vedāham aṅga paramasya hi yoga-māyāṁ
yūyaṁ bhavaś ca bhagavān atha daitya-varyaḥ
patnī manoḥ sa ca manuś ca tad-ātmajāś ca
prācīnabarhir ṛbhur aṅga uta dhruvaś ca
ikṣvākur aila-mucukunda-videha-gādhi-
raghv-ambarīṣa-sagarā gaya-nāhuṣādyāḥ
māndhātr-alarka-śatadhanv-anu-rantidevā
devavrato balir amūrttarayo dilīpaḥ
saubhary-utaṅka-śibi-devala-pippalāda-
sārasvatoddhava-parāśara-bhūriṣeṇāḥ
ye 'nye vibhīṣaṇa-hanūmad-upendradatta-
pārthārṣṭiṣeṇa-vidura-śrutadeva-varyāḥ
SYNONYMS
veda—know it; aham—myself; aṅga—O Nārada; paramasya—of the Supreme; hi—certainly; yoga-māyām—potency; yūyam—yourself; bhavaḥ—Śiva; ca—and; bhagavān—the great demigod; atha—as also; daitya-varyaḥ—Prahlāda Mahārāja, the great devotee of the Lord born in the family of an atheist; patnī—Śatarūpā; manoḥ—of Manu; saḥ—he; ca—also; manuḥ—Svāyambhuva; ca—and; tat-ātma-jāḥ ca—and his children like Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Devahūti, etc.; prācīnabarhiḥ—Prācīnabarhi; ṛbhuḥ—Ṛbhu; aṅgaḥ—Aṅga; uta—even; dhruvaḥ—Dhruva; ca—and; ikṣvākuḥ—Ikṣvāku; aila—Aila; mucukunda—Mucukunda; videha—Mahārāja Janaka; gādhi—Gādhi; raghu—Raghu; ambarīṣa—Ambarīṣa; sagarāḥ—Sagara; gaya—Gaya; nāhuṣa—Nāhuṣa; ādyāḥ—and so on; māndhātṛ—Māndhātā; alarka—Alarka; śatadhanu—Śatadhanu; anu—Anu; rantidevāḥ—Rantideva; devavrataḥ—Bhīṣma; baliḥ—Bali; amūrttarayaḥ—Amūrttaraya; dilīpaḥ—Dilīpa; saubhari—Saubhari; utaṅka—Utaṅka; śibi—Śibi; devala—Devala; pippalāda—Pippalāda; sārasvata—Sārasvata; uddhava—Uddhava; parāśara—Parāśara; bhūriṣeṇāḥ—Bhūriṣeṇa; ye—those who; anye—others; vibhīṣaṇa—Vibhīṣaṇa; hanūmat—Hanumān; upendra-datta—Śukadeva Gosvāmī; pārtha—Arjuna; ārṣṭiṣeṇa—Arṣṭiṣeṇa; vidura—Vidura; śrutadeva—Śrutadeva; varyāḥ—the foremost.
TRANSLATION
O Nārada, although the potencies of the Lord are unknowable and immeasurable, still, because we are all surrendered souls, we know how He acts through yogamāyā potencies. And, similarly, the potencies of the Lord are also known to the all-powerful Śiva, the great king of the atheist family, namely Prahlāda Mahārāja, Svāyambhuva Manu, his wife Śatarūpā, his sons and daughters like Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasūti, Prācīnabarhi, Ṛbhu, Aṅga the father of Vena, Mahārāja Dhruva, Ikṣvāku, Aila, Mucukunda, Mahārāja Janaka, Gādhi, Raghu, Ambarīṣa, Sagara, Gaya, Nāhuṣa, Māndhātā, Alarka, Śatadhanve, Anu, Rantideva, Bhīṣma, Bali, Amūrttaraya, Dilīpa, Saubhari, Utaṅka, Śibi, Devala, Pippalāda, Sārasvata, Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriṣeṇa, Vibhīṣaṇa, Hanumān, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Arjuna, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Vidura, Śrutadeva, etc.
PURPORT
All the great devotees of the Lord, as mentioned above, who flourished in the past or present, and all the devotees of the Lord who will come in the future, are aware of the different potencies of the Lord along with the potency of His name, quality, pastimes, entourage, personality, etc. And how do they know? Certainly it is not by mental speculation, nor by any attempt by dint of limited instruments of knowledge. By the limited instruments of knowledge (either the senses or the material instruments like microscopes and telescopes) one cannot even fully know the Lord's material potencies, which are manifested before our eyes. For example there are many millions and billions of planets far, far beyond the scientist's calculation. But these are only the manifestations of the Lord's material energy. What can the scientist hope to know of the spiritual potency of the Lord by such material efforts? Mental speculations, by adding some dozens of "if's" and "maybe's," cannot aid the advancement of knowledge—on the contrary, such mental speculations will only end in despair by dismissing the case abruptly and declaring the nonexistence of God. The sane person, therefore, ceases to speculate on subjects beyond the jurisdiction of his tiny brain, and as a matter of course he tries to learn to surrender unto the Supreme Lord, who alone can lead one to the platform of real knowledge. In the Upaniṣads it is clearly said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never be known simply by working very hard and taxing the good brain, nor can He be known simply by mental speculation and jugglery of words. The Lord is knowable only by one who is a surrendered soul. Herein Brahmājī, the greatest of all material living beings, acknowledges this truth. Therefore, the fruitless spoiling of energy by pursuing the path of experimental knowledge must be given up. One should gain knowledge by surrendering unto the Lord and by acknowledging the authority of the persons mentioned herein. The Lord is unlimited and, by the grace of the yogamāyā, helps the surrendered soul to know Him proportionately with the advance of one's surrender.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.43-45
vedāham aṅga paramasya hi yoga-māyāṁ
yūyaṁ bhavaś ca bhagavān atha daitya-varyaḥ |
patnī manoḥ sa ca manuś ca tad-ātmajāś ca
prācīnabarhir ṛbhur aṅga uta dhruvaś ca ||
ikṣvākur aila-mucukunda-videha-gādhi-
raghv-ambarīṣa-sagarā gaya-nāhuṣādyāḥ |
māndhātr-alarka-śatadhanv-anu-rantidevā
devavrato balir amūrttarayo dilīpaḥ ||
saubhary-utaṅka[164]-śibi-devala-pippalāda-
sārasvatoddhava[165]-parāśara-bhūriṣeṇāḥ |
ye ’nye vibhīṣaṇa-hanūmad-upendradatta-
pārthārṣṭiṣeṇa-vidura-śrutadeva-varyāḥ ||
“Who has attained identity without me and mine? Where can we see the symptoms of the Lord’s mercy?” Because the Lord has shown mercy to me, I know. I speak with the agreement of the knowledgeable devotees. I know according to my realization. I do not know the end of his glories. That was revealed by me previously. Daitya-varyāḥ is Prahlāda. Patnī is Śatarūpā. Manu is Svāyambhuva. His children are Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Devahūtī and others. Prācīnabarhiṣaḥ drops the visargas for metrical reasons. Sometimes Rantidevā and Devavrata are reversed. The loss of ā in Śatadhanvā is poetic license. Devavrata is Bhīṣma. Upendradatta is Śuka.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.43||
vedāham anga paramasya hi yoga-māyāṃ yūyaṃ bhavaś ca bhagavān atha daitya-varyaḥ | patnī manoḥ sa ca manuś ca tad-ātmajāś ca
prācīnabarhir ṛbhur anga uta dhruvaś ca ||
ikṣvākur aila-mucukunda-videha-gādhiraghv-ambarīṣa-sagarā gaya-nāhuṣādyāḥ | māndhātr-alarka-śatadhanv-anu-rantidevā devavrato balir amūrttarayo dilīpaḥ ||
saubhary-utanka-śibi-devala-pippalādasārasvatoddhava-parāśara-bhūriṣeṇāḥ | ye ’nye vibhīṣaṇa-hanūmad-upendradattapārthārṣṭiṣeṇa-vidura-śrutadeva-varyāḥ ||
TRANSLATION O Nārada! I, you, Śiva, Prahlāda, Śatarūpā, Svāyambhuva, his sons, Prācīnabarhi, Ṛbhu, Anga, Dhruva, Ikṣvaku, Aila, Mucukunda, Janaka, Gādhi, Raghu, Ambarīṣa, Sagara, Gaya, Nāhuṣa, Mandhātā, Alarka, Śatadhanvā, Anu, Rantidevā, Bhīṣma, Bali, Amūrttaraya, Dilīpa, Saubhari, Utanka, Śibi, Devala, Pippalāda, Dadhīci, Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriśeṇa, Vibhīṣaṇa, Hanumān, Śuka, Arjuna, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Vidura, and Śrutadeva know the power of the Lord.
Since the power of māyā is unlimited how can one cross it? One can cross only by the Lord’s mercy, since one can then give up material identity by knowledge that the world is insubstantial. After concluding that, examples of persons qualified with knowledge are given in three verses. Or I and others know the power of yogamāyā, according to our qualification, according to the degree of the Lord’s mercy.
TEXT - SB 2.7.46
te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ
yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās
tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye
SYNONYMS
te—such persons; vai—undoubtedly; vidanti—do know; atitaranti—surpass; ca—also; deva-māyām—the covering energy of the Lord; strī—such as women; śūdra—the laborer class of men; hūṇa—the mountaineers; śabarāḥ—the Siberians, or those lower than the śūdras; api—although; pāpa-jīvāḥ—sinful living beings; yadi—provided; adbhuta-krama—one whose acts are so wonderful; parāyaṇa—those who are devotees; śīla—behavior; śikṣāḥ—trained by; tiryak-janāḥ—even those who are not human beings; api—also; kim—what; u—to speak of; śruta-dhāraṇāḥ—those who have taken to the idea of the Lord by hearing about Him; ye—those.
TRANSLATION
Surrendered souls, even from groups leading sinful lives, such as women, the laborer class, the mountaineers and the Siberians, or even the birds and beasts, can also know about the science of Godhead and become liberated from the clutches of the illusory energy by surrendering unto the pure devotees of the Lord and by following in their footsteps in devotional service.
PURPORT
Sometimes there are inquiries as to how one can surrender unto the Supreme Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) the Lord asked Arjuna to surrender unto Him, and therefore persons unwilling to do so question where God is and to whom they should surrender. The answer to such questions or inquiries is given herein very properly. The Personality of Godhead may not be present before one's eyes, but if one is sincere in wanting such guidance the Lord will send a bona fide person who can guide one properly back home, back to Godhead. There is no need of material qualifications for making progress on the path of spiritual realization. In the material world, when one accepts some particular type of service, he is required to possess some particular type of qualification also. Without this one is unfit for such service. But in the devotional service of the Lord the only qualification required is surrender. Surrendering oneself is in one's own hand. If one likes, he can surrender immediately, without delay, and that begins his spiritual life. The bona fide representative of God is as good as God Himself. Or, in other words, the loving representative of the Lord is more kind and more easy to approach. A sinful soul cannot approach the Lord directly, but such a sinful man can very easily approach a pure devotee of the Lord. And if one agrees to put himself under the guidance of such a devotee of the Lord, he can also understand the science of God and can also become like the transcendental pure devotee of the Lord and thus get his liberation back to Godhead, back home for eternal happiness.
So realization of the science of Godhead and relief from the unnecessary, useless struggle for existence are not at all difficult for the willing candidate. But they are very difficult for persons who are not surrendered souls but only simple, profitless speculators.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.46
te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ |
yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās
tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye ||
Women, śūdras, Hūṇas, Śabaras and other sinfully born persons also certainly cross over the material world and know the Lord if they learn about the qualities of the devotees of the Lord. If even animals can understand, how much more quickly can humans, who hear from the mouth of guru, understand the Lord?
Not only those great persons but even lower persons have realized his powers. If they learn about the qualities of those devotees who have surrendered to the Supreme Lord, who takes great steps; if they learn about devotees who do not discriminate between high and low, they also know the powers of the Lord, even if they are swans, elephants, parrots or cranes (tiryag-janā). What then to speak of how quickly humans, who hear the name and form of the Lord from the mouth of a guru, can know the Lord?
TEXT - SB 2.7.47
śaśvat praśāntam abhayaṁ pratibodha-mātraṁ
śuddhaṁ samaṁ sad-asataḥ paramātma-tattvam
śabdo na yatra puru-kārakavān kriyārtho
māyā paraity abhimukhe ca vilajjamānā
tad vai padaṁ bhagavataḥ paramasya puṁso
brahmeti yad vidur ajasra-sukhaṁ viśokam
SYNONYMS
śaśvat—eternal; praśāntam—without disturbance; abhayam—without fear; pratibodha-mātram—a consciousness opposed to the material counterpart; śuddham—uncontaminated; samam—without distinction; sat-asataḥ—of the cause and effect; paramātma-tattvam—the principle of primeval cause; śabdaḥ—speculative sound; na—not; yatra—where there is; puru-kārakavān—resulting in fruitive action; kriyā-arthaḥ—for the matter of sacrifice; māyā—illusion; paraiti—flies away; abhimukhe—in front of; ca—also; vilajjamānā—being ashamed of; tat—that; vai—is certainly; padam—ultimate phase; bhagavataḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; paramasya—of the Supreme; puṁsaḥ—of the person; brahma—the Absolute; iti—thus; yat—which; viduḥ—known as; ajasra—unlimited; sukham—happiness; viśokam—without grief.
TRANSLATION
What is realized as the Absolute Brahman is full of unlimited bliss without grief. That is certainly the ultimate phase of the supreme enjoyer, the Personality of Godhead. He is eternally void of all disturbances and fearless. He is complete consciousness as opposed to matter. Uncontaminated and without distinctions, He is the principle primeval cause of all causes and effects, in whom there is no sacrifice for fruitive activities and in whom the illusory energy does not stand.
PURPORT
The supreme enjoyer, the Personality of Godhead, is the Supreme Brahman or the summum bonum because of His being the supreme cause of all causes. The conception of impersonal Brahman realization is the first step, due to His distinction from the illusory conception of material existence. In other words, impersonal Brahman is a feature of the Absolute distinct from the material variegatedness, just as light is a conception distinct from its counterpart, darkness. But the light has its variegatedness, which is seen by those who further advance in the light, and thus the ultimate realization of Brahman is the source of the Brahman light, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the summum bonum or the ultimate source of everything. Therefore, meeting the Personality of Godhead includes the realization of the impersonal Brahman as realized at first in contrast with material inebriety. The Personality of Godhead is the third step of Brahman realization. As explained in the First Canto, one must understand all three features of the Absolute—Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān.
Pratibodha-mātram is just the opposite conception of material existence. In matter there are material miseries, and thus in the first realization of Brahman there is the negation of such material inebrieties, and there is a feeling of eternal existence distinct from the pangs of birth and death, disease and old age. That is the primary conception of impersonal Brahman.
The Supreme Lord is the Supreme Soul of everything, and therefore in the supreme conception affection is realized. The conception of affection is due to the relationship of soul to soul. A father is affectionate to his son because there is some relationship of nearness between the son and the father. But that sort of affection in the material world is full of inebriety. When the Personality of Godhead is met, the fullness of affection becomes manifested because of the reality of the affectionate relationship. He is not the object of affection by material tinges of body and mind, but He is the full, naked, uncontaminated object of affection for all living entities because He is the Supersoul, or Paramātmā, within everyone's heart. In the liberated state of affairs, the full-fledged affection for the Lord is awakened.
As such, there is an unlimited flow of everlasting happiness, without the fear of its being broken as we have experienced here in the material world. The relationship with the Lord is never broken; thus there is no grief and no fear. Such happiness is inexplicable by words, and there can be no attempt to generate such happiness by fruitive activities by arrangements and sacrifices. But we must also know that happiness, unbroken happiness exchanged with the Supreme Person, the Personality of Godhead as described in this verse, transcends the impersonal conception of the Upaniṣads. In the Upaniṣads the description is more or less negation of the material conception of things, but this is not denial of the transcendental senses of the Supreme Lord. Herein also the same is affirmed in the statements about the material elements; they are all transcendental, free from all contamination of material identification. And also the liberated souls are not devoid of senses; otherwise there cannot be any reciprocation of unhampered spiritual happiness exchanged between them in spontaneous unbroken joy. All the senses, both of the Lord and of the devotees, are without material contamination. They are so because they are beyond the material cause and effects, as clearly mentioned herein (sad-asataḥ param). The illusory, material energy cannot work there, being ashamed before the Lord and His transcendental devotees. In the material world the sense activities are not without grief, but here it is clearly said that the senses of the Lord and the devotees are without any grief. There is a distinct difference between the material and spiritual senses. And one should understand it without denying the spiritual senses because of a material conception.
The senses in the material world are surcharged with material ignorance. In every way, the authorities have recommended purification of the senses from the material conception. In the material world the senses are manipulated for individual and personal satisfaction, whereas in the spiritual world the senses are properly used for the purpose for which they were originally meant, namely the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. Such sensual activities are natural, and therefore sense gratification there is uninterrupted and unbroken by material contamination because the senses are spiritually purified. And such satisfaction of the senses is equally shared by the transcendental reciprocators. Since the activities are unlimited and constantly increasing, there is no scope for material attempts or artificial arrangements. Such happiness of transcendental quality is called brahma-saukhyam, which will be clearly described in the Fifth Canto.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.47
śaśvat praśāntam abhayaṁ pratibodha-mātraṁ
śuddhaṁ samaṁ sad-asataḥ paramātma-tattvam |
śabdo na yatra puru-kārakavān kriyārtho
māyā paraity abhimukhe ca vilajjamānā ||
tad vai padaṁ bhagavataḥ paramasya puṁso
brahmeti yad vidur ajasra-sukhaṁ viśokam |
Paramātmā is eternally peaceful and fearless, bestows knowledge, is pure, and equal to all. Brahman which is known as unlimited happiness and freedom from grief is one aspect of the Supreme Lord, which words with action as their object and words with many case relations cannot describe. Māyā, being ashamed, cannot stand before the Lord.
“The Lord is revealed in three forms according to the person’s qualification as mentioned in the statement brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). From SB 2.6.45 until SB 2.7.42, ending with the description of Kalki, the unlimited qualities of Bhagavān have been described. The worshippers of Bhagavān have been described from SB 2.6.42-46. Is it necessary then to speak about Paramātmā and brahman now?” This verse answers.
Paramātmā in all the jīvas from high to low (sad-asataḥ), from Brahmā to the plants, has an impartial disposition (samam). He is always (śaśvat) extremely (pra) peaceful (śāntam). This word (having the same meaning as sama) is used to describe his control of sattva-guṇa as in the following:
guṇāḥ sattvādayaḥ śānta-ghora-mūḍhāḥ svabhāvataḥ
viṣṇu-brahma-śivānāṁ ca guṇa-yantṛ-svarūpiṇām
The modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, whose individual natures are peaceful, violent and foolish, are personally regulated by Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva respectively.
The words śaśvat (always) and pra (extremely) further distinguish sama, the effect of sattva-guṇa. He is fearless, presiding over the fearful jīva. Though he possesses knowledge, he is described by the words pratibodha-mātram. This means that he reveals awareness (bodha), an effect of sattva-guṇa.[166] This is emphasized by the words prati (in regard to) and mātra (fully). He is pure, presiding over the impure jīva.
Paramātmā has been described. Now brahman is described. Words indicating objects and implying relationship along with action cannot describe brahman.[167] “But you talk about brahman in this way. If you say na yatra puru-kārakavān, does this not contradict your own words?” The answer is given. Brahman is one aspect (pada) of the Lord, behind whom stands bashful māyā. It is the aspect without qualities, the initial phase of realization of the Lord -- who has spiritual variety, form and qualities. The Lord says madīyaṁ mahimānaṁ ca paraṁ brahmeti śabditam: that which is my greatness is called brahman. (SB 8.24.38) This means that brahman is the greatness of the Lord and is characterized by all-pervasion.
This is the meaning. Words cannot define Bhagavān who possess non-material form and qualities, since sound is a quality of material ether. Thus māyā cannot stand before the Lord. However, there are descriptions such as megha-śyāmaḥ kanaka-paridhiḥ: he has a dark complexion like a cloud and yellow garments (SB 8.7.17); paṅkajākṣo ’yam ātmā: he has lotus eyes. To some degree such words can convey about the Lord to people’s minds, by comparison to material objects such as clouds and gold. And people become joyful thinking that they are meditating on the Lord though they, in fact, possess only a semblance of the Lord by their concentration. The Lord, however, under the control of waves of unprecedented mercy, thinks “That devotee is meditating on me”. Then he brings that devotee to his feet so that the devotee can serve the Lord. The Lord’s svarūpa being inexpressible by words becomes accomplished by the Lord’s mercy. But how can the svarūpa of brahman be expressed by words, since it is devoid of material and spiritual qualities? That is the meaning of śabdo na yatra. Because brahman lacks quality and classification and hence lacks meaningful use of words to correspond to the object (brahman), words indicating actions and relationships cannot describe it. Thus the word brahman is used simply to denote that object. Though brahman is beyond words, it is the formless aspect of Bhagavān who can be described. Since it can be expressed in relation to the Lord for common understanding, even brahman becomes expressible through words. This will be explained in SB 10.87. From realization of this brahman one attains unrestricted happiness and dissipation of grief (viśokam). How much more can the form of Bhagavān give happiness and dissipation of grief!
Jiva's tika ||2.7.47||
śaśvat praśāntam abhayaṃ pratibodha-mātraṃ śuddhaṃ samaṃ sad-asataḥ paramātma-tattvam | śabdo na yatra puru-kārakavān kriyārtho māyā paraity abhimukhe ca vilajjamānā ||
tad vai padaṃ bhagavataḥ paramasya puṃso brahmeti yad vidur ajasra-sukhaṃ viśokam |
TRANSLATION Paramātmā is eternally peaceful and fearless, bestows knowledge, is pure, and equal to all. Brahman which is known as unlimited happiness and freedom from grief is one aspect of the Supreme Lord, which words with action as their object
and words with many case relations cannot describe. Māyā, being ashamed, cannot stand before the Lord.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 5:
The meaning is this. The sages know Brahman which spreads everywhere to be the manifestation of the supreme Lord, since it is an introductory realization of the Lord, with no qualities, being the formless aspect of Bhagavān. Realization of Bhagavān, endowed with qualities and form, takes place after that. Brahman which arises from Bhagavān’s svarūpa is the basis for realizing Bhagavān. That is the meaning.
The svarūpa-lakṣaṇa of Brahman is given. It is awareness alone (pratibodhamātram). It is perpetual happiness (ajasra-sukham). It is perceived as the opposite (pratiyogī) of material sorrow and insentience. It is eternal (yat). It is the ātmā who is the basis of all ātmās (paramātmā-tattvam). Ātmā means he who has a form having awareness of himself and which is the abode of the highest, pure prema.
The cause of perpetual happiness is mentioned: it is eternal and without disturbance (śāśvat praśāntam), without fear (abhayam), and without lamentation (viśokam). This happiness is not produced from pious acts: results of sacrifices (kriyārthaḥ) and words indicating many pious actions (puru-kārakavān śabdaḥ) are not useful to realize it. You are revealed through the Upaniṣads only. Taṃ tv aupaniṣadaṃ puruṣam pṛcchāmi: I ask about the Lord revealed through the Upaniṣads. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad) This form of happiness is not produced by the material senses: it is pure, without fault (śuddham) and without high and low aspects (samam). It is situated beyond cause and effect. In front of Brahman, in the presence of liberated souls, māyā, embarrassed, flees (paraiti).
One should understand the Lord through these outstanding qualities. Since the jīva is touched by ignorance he is subject to agitation, feat and lamentation. His form of happiness and knowledge become covered. Purity and peace go away. He becomes interested in karma-kāṇḍa.
Because Brahman is the greatest and spreads everywhere, is supreme above all else and is the highest goal, it cannot be subject to ignorance. By its śakti you cannot be subject to māyā. Rather it is to be conquered by you.
TEXT - SB 2.7.48
sadhryaṅ niyamya yatayo yama-karta-hetiṁ
jahyuḥ svarāḍ iva nipāna-khanitram indraḥ
SYNONYMS
sadhryak—artificial mental speculation or meditation; niyamya—controlling; yatayaḥ—the mystics; yama-karta-hetim—the process of spiritual culture; jahyuḥ—are given up; svarāṭ—fully independent; iva—as; nipāna—well; khanitram—trouble for digging; indraḥ—the controlling demigod supplying rains.
TRANSLATION
In such a transcendental state there is no need of artificial control of the mind, mental speculation or meditation, as performed by the jñānīs and yogīs. One gives up such processes, as the heavenly King, Indra, forgoes the trouble to dig a well.
PURPORT
A poor man in want of water digs a well and undertakes the trouble of digging. Similarly, those who are poor in transcendental realization speculate on the mind or meditate by controlling the senses. But they do not know that such control of the senses and achievement of spiritual perfection are simultaneously made possible as soon as one is factually engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Person, the Personality of Godhead. It is for this reason that the great liberated souls also desire to be associated in hearing and chanting the activities of the Lord. The example of Indra is very appropriate in this connection. King Indra of heaven is the controlling deity or demigod for arranging clouds and supplying rains in the universe, and as such he does not have to take the trouble to dig a well for his personal water supply. For him, digging a well for a water supply is simply ludicrous. Similarly, those who are factually engaged in the loving service of the Lord have attained the ultimate goal of life, and for them there is no need of mental speculation to find out the true nature of God or His activities. Nor do such devotees have to meditate upon the imaginary or real identity of the Lord. Because they are factually engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the Lord's pure devotees have already achieved the results of mental speculation and meditation. The real perfection of life is therefore to be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.48
sadhryaṅ niyamya yatayo yam akarta-hetiṁ
jahyuḥ svarāḍ iva nipāna-khanitram indraḥ ||
The yogīs and sannyāsīs, who concentrated their mind on brahman and Paramātmā, finally give up the sādhana of seeing non-difference, being indifferent to that practice, as much as Indra is indifferent to digging a well.
The worshippers of Paramātmā and brahman are described as having the same general form. Sadhryak means “that which accompanies,” the mind. Masculine gender of yam is poetic license. The yogīs and sannyāsis (yatayaḥ), concentrating their minds (sadhṛyak) on Paramātmā and brahman, should give up the practice (hetim) of no distinctions (akarta). They do not respect it because it is considered unsuitable. An example is given of losing interest in a process because it is no longer useful. It is like Indra who is the very form of rain (svarāṭ), having no interest in digging a well (nipāna). Or svarāṭ can mean who exists by himself, with wealth. A poor man who becomes wealthy like Indra gives up his shovel which he used when he was a laborer. The devotees of the Lord however respect their sādhana twice as much when they attain prema. The devotees cannot be included in above statement at all.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.48||
sadhryan niyamya yatayo yam akarta-hetiṃ jahyuḥ svarāḍ iva nipāna-khanitram indraḥ ||
TRANSLATION The yogīs and sannyāsīs, who concentrated their mind on the Lord, give up the sādhana of seeing non-difference, being indifferent to that practice, as much as Indra is indifferent to digging a well.
Pointing out that the impersonal goal is hard to achieve, he points out the Lord is easy to achieve, with his form endowed with his easily available, merciful svarūpa-śakti. Concentrating the mind (sadhryak) on the Lord, the sannyāsīs, previously endeavoring in jnāna, should give up the sādhana for liberation, jnāna (akartahetim). By that mercy they attain unlimited qualities such as knowledge. This is the wealth of bhakti to the Lord. This is because the Lord has great qualities:
ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame | kurvanty ahaitukīṃ bhaktim ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ ||
Some sages who are ātmārāmas, beyond the scriptures, false ego and rules, also practice unmotivated, pure bhakti to the master of pure bhakti, Kṛṣṇa, since he possesses qualities attractive to even them. (SB 1.7.10)
The rejection of jnāna is illustrated with the example of Indra, who is not interested in digging a well.
TEXT - SB 2.7.49
sa śreyasām api vibhur bhagavān yato 'sya
bhāva-svabhāva-vihitasya sataḥ prasiddhiḥ
dehe sva-dhātu-vigame 'nuviśīryamāṇe
vyomeva tatra puruṣo na viśīryate 'jaḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; śreyasām—all auspiciousness; api—also; vibhuḥ—the master; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; yataḥ—because; asya—of the living entity; bhāva—natural modes; sva-bhāva—own constitution; vihitasya—performances; sataḥ—all good work; prasiddhiḥ—ultimate success; dehe—of the body; sva-dhātu—forming elements; vigame—being vanquished; anu—after; viśīryamāṇe—having given up; vyoma—sky; iva—like; tatra—thereupon; puruṣaḥ—the living entity; na—never; viśīryate—becomes vanquished; ajaḥ—due to being unborn.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead is the supreme master of everything auspicious because the results of whatever actions are performed by the living being, in either the material or spiritual existence, are awarded by the Lord. As such, He is the ultimate benefactor. Every individual living entity is unborn, and therefore even after the annihilation of the material elementary body, the living entity exists, exactly like the air within the body.
PURPORT
The living entity is unborn and eternal, and as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.30), the living entity is not exhausted even though the material elementary body is vanquished. As long as the living entity is in material existence, actions performed by him are rewarded in the next life, or even in the present life. Similarly, in his spiritual life also actions are rewarded by the Lord by the five kinds of liberation. Even the impersonalist cannot achieve the desired merging into the existence of the Supreme without being favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) that the Lord awards similar results, as one desires, in one's present life. The living entities are given freedom to make their choice, and the Lord awards them accordingly.
It is the duty of everyone, therefore, to worship devoutly only the Personality of Godhead to achieve his desired goal. The impersonalist, instead of speculating or meditating, can directly execute the routine devotional service of the Lord and thus easily obtain the desired goal.
The devotees, however, are naturally inclined to become associates of the Lord and not merge in the spiritual existence, as conceived by the impersonalist. The devotees, therefore, following their constitutional instincts, achieve the desired goal of becoming servitors, friends, fathers, mothers or conjugal lovers of the Lord. The devotional service of the Lord involves nine transcendental processes, such as hearing and chanting, and by performing such easy and natural devotional services the devotees achieve the highest perfectional results, far, far superior to merging into the existence of Brahman. The devotees are therefore never advised to indulge in speculating upon the nature of the Supreme or artificially meditating on the the void.
One should not, however, mistakenly think that after the annihilation of this present body there is no body by which one can associate with the Lord face to face. The living entity is unborn. It is not that he is manifest with the creation of the material body. On the other hand, it is true that the material body develops only by the desire of the living entity. The evolution of the material body is due to the desires of the living being. According to the desires of the living being, the material body develops. So from the spirit soul the material body comes into existence, generated from the living force. Since the living being is eternal, he exists just like the air within the body. Air is within and without the body. Therefore when the external covering, the material body, is vanquished, the living spark, like the air within the body, continues to exist. And by the direction of the Lord, because He is the ultimate benefactor, the living entity is at once awarded the necessary spiritual body befitting his association with the Lord in the manner of sārūpya (equal bodily feature), sālokya (equal facility to live on the same planet with the Lord), sārṣṭi (equal possession of opulence like the Lord), and sāmīpya (equal association with the Lord).
The Lord is so kind that even if a devotee of the Lord cannot fulfill the complete course of devotional service unalloyed and uncontaminated by material association, he is given another chance in the next life by being awarded a birth in the family of a devotee or rich man so that without being engaged in the struggle for material existence the devotee can finish the remaining purification of his existence and thus immediately, after relinquishing the present body, go back home, back to Godhead. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā.
In this connection detailed information is available in the Bhagavat-sandarbha of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. Once achieving the spiritual existence, the devotee is eternally situated there, as already discussed in the previous verse.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.49
sa śreyasām api vibhur bhagavān yato ’sya
bhāva-svabhāva-vihitasya sataḥ prasiddhiḥ |
dehe sva-dhātu-vigame ’nu viśīryamāṇe
vyomeva tatra puruṣo na viśīryate ’jaḥ ||
Bhagavān is the bestower of results for all processes, and from him alone the highest perfection of sādhana prescribed by the nature of one’s bhāva appears. When the body dissolves after the departure of the dhātus, the jīva, being unborn, is not dissolved, like the ether in the body.
Without worship of the Supreme Lord, worshippers of Paramātmā and brahman cannot attain results. The Lord is the giver (vibhuḥ) of liberation, Svarga and other goals (śreyasām). Therefore yogīs, jñānīs and karmīs must worship the Lord in order to attain their respective results. From Bhagavān, not from brahman or Paramātmā, comes the highest perfection (prasiddhiḥ) of the highest sādhana (hearing, chanting, etc.) prescribed by the nature of the devotee’s bhāva (dāsya, sakhya etc.). This means that the devotees of the Lord should not perform yoga or jñāna for attaining their result, namely, prema for the Lord.
If a devotee gives up his body before attaining perfection of his sādhana of bhakti, yoga or jñāna, what happens? When he is separated from his dhātus, and after that (anu), the body is dissolved, the jīva (puruṣaḥ), like the ether in the body, is not dissolved, because it is actually unborn (ajaḥ). It is not born with the body. Taking a suitable body again in a suitable place coming from the impressions of bhakti, jñāna or yoga, he will perfect himself by performing sādhana. It is said yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ saṁsiddhau kurunandana: O son of the Kurus, that person born again will try for perfection. (BG 6.43)
Jiva's tika ||2.7.49||
sa śreyasām api vibhur bhagavān yato ’sya bhāva-svabhāva-vihitasya sataḥ prasiddhiḥ | dehe sva-dhātu-vigame ’nu viśīryamāṇe vyomeva tatra puruṣo na viśīryate ’jaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Bhagavān is the bestower of results for all processes, and from him alone the highest perfection of sādhana prescribed by the nature of one’s bhāva appears. When the body dissolves after the departure of the dhātus, the jīva, being unborn, is not dissolved, like the ether in the body.
Bhagavān is the giver (vibhu) of five types of liberation and other human goals (śreyasām). From him (yataḥ) all things suitable (vihitasya) to the particular
nature (svabhāva) of bhakti (bhāva) manifest (prasiddhiḥ) to the devotee (asya), who is present in the wealth of his svarūpa. When the upādhis of māyā are destroyed is the jīva destroyed? Or does the jīva remain? When the body, with its gross and subtle elements, is dissolved, when the causal elements (dhātu) are destroyed (vigame), the jīva (puruṣaḥ) is not destroyed since he is unborn (ajaḥ).
Or śaśvat praśāntam (verse 47) indicates the great nature of Vaikuṇṭha. The verse mainly indicates the supreme abode of Bhagavān. This is shown in Bhagavat Sandarbha as well. Brahmā was shown the nature of Vaikuṇṭha.
tasmai sva-lokaṃ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ sandarśayām āsa paraṃ na yat-param | vyapeta-sankleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṃ sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir vibudhair abhiṣṭutam ||
The Lord, gratified by his worship, showed Brahmā Mahā-vaikuṇṭha, to which nothing is superior, which is free of suffering, confusion and fear of offenses and which is praised by the devatās who constantly see the self. (SB 2.9.9)
TEXT - SB 2.7.50
so 'yaṁ te 'bhihitas tāta
bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ
samāsena harer nānyad
anyasmāt sad-asac ca yat
SYNONYMS
saḥ—that; ayam—the same; te—unto you; abhihitaḥ—explained by me; tāta—my dear son; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; viśva-bhāvanaḥ—the creator of the manifested worlds; samāsena—in brief; hareḥ—without Hari, the Lord; na—never; anyat—anything else; anyasmāt—being the cause of; sat—manifested or phenomenal; asat—noumenal; ca—and; yat—whatever there may be.
TRANSLATION
My dear son, I have now explained in brief the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is creator of the manifested worlds. Without Him, Hari, the Lord, there are no other causes of the phenomenal and noumenal existences.
PURPORT
Since we generally have the experience of the temporary, material world and conditioned souls trying to lord it over the material worlds, Brahmājī explained to Nāradadeva that this temporary world is the work of the external potency of the Lord and that the conditioned souls struggling here for existence are the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. There is no cause for all these phenomenal activities but Him, Hari, the Supreme Lord, who is the primeval cause of all causes. This does not mean, however, that the Lord Himself is distributed impersonally. He is aloof from all these interactions of the external and marginal potencies. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) it is confirmed that by His potencies alone He is present everywhere and anywhere. Everything that is manifested rests on His potency only, but He, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always aloof from everything. The potency and the potent are simultaneously one and different from one another.
One should not deprecate the Supreme Lord for the creation of this miserable world, just as one should not blame the king for creating a prisonhouse in the government. The prisonhouse is a necessary institution of the governmental establishment for those who are disobedient to the laws of the government. Similarly, this material world, full of miseries, is a temporary creation of the Lord for those who have forgotten Him and are trying to lord it over the false manifestation. He, however, is always anxious to get the fallen souls back home, back to Godhead, and for this He has given so many chances to the conditioned souls via the authoritative scriptures, His representatives, and personal incarnations also. Since He has no direct attachment to this material world, He is not to be blamed for its creation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.50
so ’yaṁ te ’bhihitas tāta bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ |
samāsena harer nānyad anyasmāt sad-asac ca yat ||
Bhagavān, maintainer of the universe, has thus been described in summary. The universe and jīvas are none other than the Lord, but arise from the Lord who is different from them.
This summarizes the meaning of three chapters. Bhagavān has been described in summary. How is he described? Sat means the effect: the universe in totality and in its parts. Asat means the cause: the jīvas. All of this is none other than the Lord, since the śaktis of māyā and jīva are non-different from the possessor of the śakti and the effects of the śakti are none other than the śakti itself. How do they arise from the Lord? The Lord is different from them (anyasmāt). Because the Lord is indifferent to these two śaktis – taṭasthā and bahiraṅga -- the Lord has no fault in his relationship to them. Their non-difference will be shown later in the Bhāgavatam.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.50||
so ’yaṃ te ’bhihitas tāta bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ | samāsena harer nānyad anyasmāt sad-asac ca yat ||
TRANSLATION Bhagavān, maintainer of the universe, has thus been described in summary. The universe and jīvas are none other than the Lord, but arise from the Lord who is different from them.
The Lord has been described in brief. How? He is described through tataṣṭhalakṣaṇa in this verse. Sat is the gross effect, the impure jīva and the world, conscious and unconscious entities. Asat means the subtle cause, the pure jīva and pradhāna, conscious and unconscious entities. The sat and asat are none other than the Lord since the subtle aspect (asat) is his śakti and the gross aspect is its effect. Though the world is not different from the Lord, the pure Lord is not contaminated with its faults. He is different (anyasmāt).
TEXT - SB 2.7.51
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma
yan me bhagavatoditam
saṅgraho 'yaṁ vibhūtīnāṁ
tvam etad vipulī kuru
SYNONYMS
idam—this; bhāgavatam—the science of Godhead; nāma—of the name; yat—that which; me—unto me; bhagavatā—by the Personality of Godhead; uditam—enlightened; saṅgrahaḥ—is the accumulation of; ayam—His; vibhūtīnām—of the diverse potencies; tvam—your good self; etat—this science of Godhead; vipulī—expand; kuru—do it.
TRANSLATION
O Nārada, this science of God, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, was spoken to me in summary by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it was spoken as the accumulation of His diverse potencies. Please expand this science yourself.
PURPORT
The Bhāgavatam in a nutshell, spoken by the Personality of Godhead in about half a dozen verses, which will appear ahead, is the science of God, and it is the potent representation of the Personality of Godhead. He, being absolute, is nondifferent from the science of God, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Brahmājī received this science of Godhead from the Lord directly, and he handed over the same to Nārada, who in his turn ordered Śrīla Vyāsadeva to expand it. So the transcendental knowledge of the Supreme Lord is not mental speculation by the mundane wranglers, but is uncontaminated, eternal, perfect knowledge beyond the jurisdiction of material modes. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is therefore the direct incarnation of the Lord in the form of transcendental sound, and one should receive this transcendental knowledge from the bona fide representative of the Lord in the chain of disciplic succession from the Lord to Brahmājī, from Brahmājī to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsa, from Vyāsadeva to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, from Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Sūta Gosvāmī. The ripened fruit of the Vedic tree drops from one hand to another without being broken by falling suddenly from a high branch down to the earth. Therefore unless one hears the science of Godhead from the bona fide representative of the disciplic succession, as above mentioned, for one to understand the theme of the science of Godhead will be a difficult job. It should never be heard from the professional Bhāgavatam reciters who earn their livelihood by gratifying the senses of the audience.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.51
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma yan me bhagavatoditam |
saṅgraho ’yaṁ vibhūtīnāṁ tvam etad vipulī kuru ||
This work called Bhāgavatam, spoken to me by the Lord, is a collection of the Lord’s vibhūtis. You should distribute it everywhere.
Are you reciting something astonishing, never heard before? Yes, but I alone do not speak it. The Lord spoke to me this work called the Bhāgavatam. Do not consider it just a scripture. It is a collection of vibhūtis or powers of the Lord, because in the Gītā and other works the word vibhūti means a partial avatāra of the Lord. The Lord directly remains in this form of scripture. Therefore you should distribute it everywhere. That is Nārada’s service.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.51||
idaṃ bhāgavataṃ nāma yan me bhagavatoditam | sangraho ’yaṃ vibhūtīnāṃ tvam etad vipulī kuru ||
TRANSLATION This work called Bhāgavatam, spoken to me by the Lord, is a collection of the Lord’s vibhūtis. You should distribute it everywhere.
This Bhāgavatam composed of four verses is a collection of the Lord’s vibhūtis. It was spoken by the Lord to Brahmā.
TEXT - SB 2.7.52
yathā harau bhagavati
nṛṇāṁ bhaktir bhaviṣyati
sarvātmany akhilādhāre
iti saṅkalpya varṇaya
SYNONYMS
yathā—as much as; harau—unto the Personality of Godhead; bhagavati—unto the Lord; nṛṇām—for human beings; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; bhaviṣyati—become enlightened; sarva-ātmani—the Absolute Whole; akhila-ādhāre—unto the summum bonum; iti—thus; saṅkalpya—by determination; varṇaya—describe.
TRANSLATION
Please describe the science of Godhead with determination and in a manner by which it will be quite possible for the human being to develop transcendental devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead Hari, the Supersoul of every living being and the summum bonum source of all energies.
PURPORT
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the philosophy of devotional service and the scientific presentation of man's relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prior to the age of Kali there was no need for such a book of knowledge to know the Lord and His potential energies, but with the beginning of the age of Kali human society gradually became influenced by four sinful principles, namely illegitimate connection with women, intoxication, gambling and unnecessary killing of animals. Because of these basic sinful acts, man gradually became forgetful of his eternal relation with God. Therefore man became blind, so to speak, to his ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is not to pass a life of irresponsibility like the animals and indulge in a polished way in the four animal principles, namely eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. For such a blind human society in the darkness of ignorance, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the torchlight to see things in proper perspective. Therefore it was necessary to describe the science of God from the very beginning, or from the very birth of the phenomenal world.
As we have already explained, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so scientifically presented that any sincere student of this great science will be able to understand the science of God simply by reading it with attention or simply by regularly hearing it from the bona fide speaker. Everyone is hankering after happiness in life, but in this age the members of human society, blind as they are, do not have the proper vision that the Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of all happiness because He is the ultimate source of everything (janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]). Happiness in complete perfection without hindrance can be achieved only by our devotional relationship with Him. And it is only by His association that we can get free of distressful material existence. Even those who are after the enjoyment of this material world can also take shelter of the great science of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and they will be successful at the end. Nārada is therefore requested or ordered by his spiritual master to present this science with determination and in good plan. Nārada was never advised to preach the principles of Bhāgavatam to earn a livelihood; he was ordered by his spiritual master to take the matter very seriously in a missionary spirit.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.52
yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṁ bhaktir bhaviṣyati |
sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti saṅkalpya varṇaya ||
After making a saṅkalpa, you should speak the Bhāgavatam in such a way that devotion to Hari, attractor of the mind, Bhagavān, the blissful object of worship, the essence of all worship and the fulfiller of all desires, will appear in the people of Kali-yuga.
But in front of me, the guru, you should follow one rule in distributing it. You should speak it so that there will arise devotion in men who will be born in Kali-yuga,. Bhaviṣyati stands for bhavet (potential form). It is directed to the people of Kali-yuga because it has been said naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa purāṇārko ’dhunoditaḥ: this Purāṇa has now risen for those who have lost sight. (SB 1.3.43) The word harau, meaning “to Hari,” indicates that the Lord attracts the mind by prema and the Lord takes away material life. Bhagavati “to Bhagavān,” indicates that this form is easy to worship or is blissfully worshipped (since he possesses all wonderful qualities). The Lord is the essence of all forms (sarvātmani). By devotion to him, all types of worship are perfected. By devotion to him, all desires are achieved, even material desires (akhilādhāre). He should utter a statement of saṅkalpa,“Starting from today, I will describe devotion to the Lord.”
TEXT - SB 2.7.53
māyāṁ varṇayato 'muṣya
īśvarasyānumodataḥ
śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ
māyayātmā na muhyati
SYNONYMS
māyām—affairs of the external energy; varṇayataḥ—while describing; amuṣya—of the Lord; īśvarasya—of the Personality of Godhead; anumodataḥ—thus appreciating; śṛṇvataḥ—thus hearing; śraddhayā—with devotion; nityam—regularly; māyayā—by the illusory energy; ātmā—the living entity; na—never; muhyati—becomes illusioned.
TRANSLATION
The Lord's activities in association with His different energies should be described, appreciated and heard in accordance with the teachings of the Supreme Lord. If this is done regularly with devotion and respect, one is sure to get out of the illusory energy of the Lord.
PURPORT
The science of learning a subject matter seriously is different from the sentiments of fanatics. Fanatics or fools may consider the Lord's activities in relation with the external energy to be useless for them, and they may falsely claim to be higher participants in the internal energy of the Lord, but factually the Lord's activities in relation with the external energy and the internal energy are equally good. On the other hand, those who are not completely free from the clutches of the Lord's external energy should devoutly hear regularly about the activities of the Lord in relation with the external energy. They should not foolishly jump up to the activities of the internal energy, falsely attracted by the Lord's internal potential activities like His rāsa-līlā. The cheap reciters of the Bhāgavatam are very much enthusiastic about the Lord's internal potential activities, and the pseudodevotees, absorbed in material sense enjoyment, falsely jump to the stage of liberated souls and thus fall down deeply into the clutches of external energy.
Some of them think that to hear about the pastimes of the Lord means to hear about His activities with the gopīs or about His pastimes like lifting the Govardhana Hill, and they have nothing to do with the Lord's plenary expansions as the puruṣāvatāras and Their pastimes of the creation, maintenance or annihilation of the material worlds. But a pure devotee knows that there is no difference between the pastimes of the Lord, either in rāsa-līlā or in creation, maintenance or destruction of the material world. Rather, the descriptions of such activities of the Lord as the puruṣāvatāras are specifically meant for persons who are in the clutches of the external energy. Topics like the rāsa-līlā are meant for the liberated souls and not for the conditioned souls. The conditioned souls, therefore, must hear with appreciation and devotion the Lord's pastimes in relationship with the external energy, and such acts are as good as the hearing of rāsa-līlā in the liberated stage. A conditioned soul should not imitate the activities of liberated souls. Lord Śrī Caitanya never indulged in hearing the rāsa-līla with ordinary men.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the science of God, the first nine cantos prepare the ground for hearing the Tenth Canto. This will be further explained in the last chapter of this canto. In the Third Canto it will be more explicit. A pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, must begin reading or hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the very beginning, and not from the Tenth Canto. We have several times been requested by some so-called devotees to take up the Tenth Canto immediately, but we have refrained from such an action because we wish to present Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the science of Godhead and not as a sensuous understanding for the conditioned souls. This is forbidden by such authorities as Śrī Brahmājī. By reading and hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as a scientific presentation, the conditioned souls will gradually be promoted to the higher status of transcendental knowledge after being freed from the illusory energy based on sense enjoyment.
Jiva's tika ||2.7.52||
yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṃ bhaktir bhaviṣyati | sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti sankalpya varṇaya ||
TRANSLATION After making a sankalpa, you should speak the Bhāgavatam in such a way that devotion to Hari, attractor of the mind, Bhagavān, the blissful object of worship, the essence of all worship and the fulfiller of all desires, will appear in the people of Kali-yuga.
The goal of the work is bhakti. It is excellent because of descriptions of pastimes filled with the svarūpa-śakti.
sva-sukha-nibhṛta-cetās tad-vyudastānya-bhāvo 'py ajita-rucira-līlākṛṣṭa-sāras tadīyam vyatanuta kṛpayā yas tattva-dīpaṃ purāṇaṃ tam akhila-vṛjina-ghnaṃ vyāsa-sūnuṃ nato 'smi
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the son of Vyāsadeva, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who destroys of all sin, and who, though fixed in his own bliss with no distractions, became attracted to the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and mercifully spread the Bhāgavatam which describes Kṛṣṇa and reveals the rasa of his pastimes. (SB 12.12.69)
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.7.53
māyāṁ[168] varṇayato ’muṣya īśvarasyānumodataḥ
śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ māyayātmā na muhyati
“Bhakti characterized by hearing and chanting the pastimes and whose subjects are the names and pastimes of the Lord -- such as lifting Govardhana -- and his līlāvatāras are all spiritual and full of bliss. But the pastimes of the puruṣāvatāras dealing with māyā-śakti predominantly, with his glance over prakṛti, the production of mahat-tattva and then ahaṅkāra, are all related to māyā. Should one describe māyā or not?” This verse answers. The description of māyā as an assistance to the processes of chanting (varṇatyaḥ), remembering (anumodataḥ) and hearing (śṛnvataḥ) is also bhakti. He should have faith that even māyā-śakti of the Lord, along with her expansion as mahat-tattva and other elements, is a devotee with the greatest devotion. This will be explained in the Third Canto in the verses recited by the elements. Thus the pure devotees should hear about māyā and mahat-tattva with this way of thinking. The jīva (ātmā) is not bewildered by māyā. Pastimes of the Lord related to māyā are not māyā. Rather they are transcendental. Man-niketaṁ tu nirguṇam: residence in a place where I reside is transcendental. (SB 11.25.25)
Jiva's tika ||2.7.53||
māyāṃ varṇayato ’muṣya īśvarasyānumodataḥ śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṃ māyayātmā na muhyati
TRANSLATION If the jīva constantly describes māyā in relation to the Lord, remembers māyā or hears about māya with proper faith, he will not be bewildered by māyā.
If one does not have attraction to the pastimes of the Lord, to purify the heart one should describe the Lord’s powers related to māyā, the universal form. This is like offering karmas to the Lord if one does not have a taste for pure bhakti.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions."
8. Questions by King Parīkṣit
verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
TEXT - SB 2.8.1
rājovāca
brahmaṇā codito brahman
guṇākhyāne 'guṇasya ca
yasmai yasmai yathā prāha
nārado deva-darśanaḥ
SYNONYMS
rājā—the King; uvāca—inquired; brahmaṇā—by Lord Brahmā; coditaḥ—being instructed; brahman—O learned brāhmaṇa (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); guṇa-ākhyāne—in narrating the transcendental qualities; aguṇasya—of the Lord, who is without material qualities; ca—and; yasmai yasmai—and whom; yathā—as much as; prāha—explained; nāradaḥ—Nārada Muni; deva-darśanaḥ—one whose audience is as good as that of any demigod.
TRANSLATION
King Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī: How did Nārada Muni, whose hearers are as fortunate as those instructed by Lord Brahmā, explain the transcendental qualities of the Lord, who is without material qualities, and before whom did he speak?
PURPORT
Devarṣi Nārada was directly instructed by Brahmājī, who was also directly instructed by the Supreme Lord; therefore the instructions imparted by Nārada to his various disciples are as good as those of the Supreme Lord. That is the way of understanding Vedic knowledge. It comes down from the Lord by disciplic succession, and this transcendental knowledge is distributed to the world by this descending process. There is no chance, however, to receive the Vedic knowledge from mental speculators. Therefore, wherever Nārada Muni goes, he represents himself as authorized by the Lord, and his appearance is as good as that of the Supreme Lord. Similarly, the disciplic succession which strictly follows the transcendental instruction is the bona fide chain of disciplic succession, and the test for such bona fide spiritual masters is that there should be no difference between the instruction of the Lord originally imparted to His devotee and that which is imparted by the authority in the line of disciplic succession. How Nārada Muni distributed the transcendental knowledge of the Lord will be explained in later cantos.
It will appear also that the Lord existed prior to the material creation, and therefore His transcendental name, quality, etc., do not represent any material quality. Whenever, therefore, the Lord is described as aguṇa, or without any quality, it does not mean that He has no quality, but that He has no material quality, such as the modes of goodness, passion or ignorance, as the conditioned souls have. He is transcendental to all material conceptions, and thus He is described as aguṇa.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.1
brahmaṇā codito brahman guṇākhyāne ’guṇasya ca |
yasmai yasmai yathā prāha nārado deva-darśanaḥ ||
etad veditum icchāmi tattvaṁ tattva-vidāṁ vara |
harer adbhuta-vīryasya kathā loka-sumaṅgalāḥ ||
In the eighth chapter, Parīkṣit, revealing clearly his enthusiasm for topics about Kṛṣṇa, asks Śukadeva, who destroys all doubts, about various topics.
Aguṇasya means “devoid of material guṇas.” Deva refers to Kṛṣṇa.
TEXT - SB 2.8.2
etad veditum icchāmi
tattvaṁ tattva-vidāṁ vara
harer adbhuta-vīryasya
kathā loka-sumaṅgalāḥ
SYNONYMS
etat—this; veditum—to understand; icchāmi—I wish; tattvam—truth; tattva-vidām—of those who are well versed in the Absolute Truth; vara—O best; hareḥ—of the Lord; adbhuta-vīryasya—of the one who possesses wonderful potencies; kathāḥ—narrations; loka—for all planets; su-maṅgalāḥ—auspicious.
TRANSLATION
The King said: I wish to know. Narrations concerning the Lord, who possesses wonderful potencies, are certainly auspicious for living beings in all planets.
PURPORT
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is full of narrations of the activities of the Supreme Lord, is auspicious for all living beings residing in every planet. One who takes it as belonging to a particular sect is certainly mistaken. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is certainly a very dear scripture for all the devotees of the Lord, but it is auspicious even for the nondevotees also because it explains that even the nondevotees hovering under the spell of material energy can be delivered from such clutches if they hear the narration of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with devotion and attention from the right source representing the Lord by disciplic succession.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.1-2||
rājovāca— brahmaṇā codito brahman guṇākhyāne ’guṇasya ca | yasmai yasmai yathā prāha nārado deva-darśanaḥ ||
etad veditum icchāmi tattvaṃ tattva-vidāṃ vara | harer adbhuta-vīryasya kathā loka-sumangalāḥ ||
TRANSLATION The King said: O brāhmaṇa! O best of knowers of truth! I desire to know exactly the truth that Nārada -- seer of Kṛṣṇa and taught by Brahmā -- spoke to others while explaining the qualities of the Lord who is without material qualities. Topics of the Lord who has astonishing powers are all-auspicious for the world.
He spoke about the qualities of the Lord who is without material qualities. The answer is given in the various Cantos where Nārada speaks. He particularly desires to hear topics about the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.8.3
kathayasva mahābhāga
yathāham akhilātmani
kṛṣṇe niveśya niḥsaṅgaṁ
manas tyakṣye kalevaram
SYNONYMS
kathayasva—please continue speaking; mahābhāga—O greatly fortunate one; yathā—as much as; aham—I; akhila-ātmani—unto the Supreme Soul; kṛṣṇe—unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa; niveśya—having placed; niḥsaṅgam—being freed from material qualities; manaḥ—mind; tyakṣye—may relinquish; kalevaram—body.
TRANSLATION
O greatly fortunate Śukadeva Gosvāmī, please continue narrating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so that I can place my mind upon the Supreme Soul, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and, being completely freed from material qualities, thus relinquish this body.
PURPORT
To be fully engaged in hearing the transcendental narration described in the text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam means to constantly associate with the Supreme Soul, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And to constantly associate with the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa means to be liberated from the qualities of matter. Lord Kṛṣṇa is like the sun, and material contamination is like darkness. As the presence of the sun dissipates darkness, constant engagement in the association of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa frees one from the contamination of the material qualities. Contamination by the material qualities is the cause of repeated birth and death, and liberation from material qualities is transcendence. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was now a realized soul by this secret of liberation, through the grace of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, for the latter had informed the King that the highest perfection of life is to be in remembrance of Nārāyaṇa at the end of life. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was destined to give up his body at the end of seven days, and thus he decided to continue remembering the Lord by His association with the topics of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and thus to quit his body in full consciousness of the presence of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul.
The hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam performed by professional men is different from the transcendental hearing of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a soul realized in the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The fruitive materialist is not a realized soul; he wants to derive some material benefit from his so-called hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Undoubtedly such an audience, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the professional men, can derive some material benefit as they desire, but that does not mean that such a pretense of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for a week is as good as the hearing of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
It is the duty of the sane to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from a self-realized soul and not be duped by professional men. One should continue such hearing till the end of one's life so that one can actually have the transcendental association of the Lord and thus be liberated simply by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit had already given up all his connections with his kingdom and family, the most attractive features of materialism, but still he was conscious of his material body. He wanted to be free of such bondage also by the constant association of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.3
kathayasva mahābhāga yathāham akhilātmani |
kṛṣṇe niveśya niḥsaṅgaṁ manas tyakṣye kalevaram ||
O great soul! Please speak so that I can give up the body absorbing my mind, devoid of material desires, in Kṛṣṇa who is the soul of all beings.
Here Parīkṣit indicates that his objects of attachment such as kingdom have been given up. Whatever attachment is left for the body, he wishes to give up by concentrating his mind on Kṛṣṇa. This shows his efforts to remember Kṛṣṇa.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.3||
kathayasva mahābhāga yathāham akhilātmani | kṛṣṇe niveśya niḥsangaṃ manas tyakṣye kalevaram ||
TRANSLATION O great soul! Please speak so that I can give up the body absorbing my mind, devoid of material desires, in Kṛṣṇa who is the soul of all beings.
TEXT - SB 2.8.4
śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ
gṛṇataś ca sva-ceṣṭitam
kālena nātidīrgheṇa
bhagavān viśate hṛdi
SYNONYMS
śṛṇvataḥ—of those who hear; śraddhayā—in earnestness; nityam—regularly, always; gṛṇataḥ—taking the matter; ca—also; sva-ceṣṭitam—seriously by one's own endeavor; kālena—duration; na—not; ati-dīrgheṇa—very prolonged time; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa; viśate—becomes manifest; hṛdi—within one's heart.
TRANSLATION
Persons who hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested in their hearts within a short time.
PURPORT
Cheap devotees or materialistic devotees of the Lord are very much desirous to see the Lord personally without meeting the requisite qualifications. Such third-grade devotees should know well that material attachment and seeing the Lord face to face cannot go together. It is not such a mechanical process that the professional Bhāgavatam reciters can do the job on behalf of the third-grade materialistic pseudo-devotee. The professional men are useless in this connection because they are neither self-realized nor interested in the liberation of the audience. They are simply interested in maintaining the material establishment of family attachment and earning some material benefits out of the profession. Mahārāja Parīkṣit had no more than seven days to live, but for others Mahārāja Parīkṣit personally recommends that one hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly, nityam, always by one's own effort and with serious devotion also. That will help one to see the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested in one's heart within no time.
The pseudo-devotee, however, is very anxious to see the Lord according to his whims, not making any serious effort to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and without detachment from material benefit. That is not the way recommended by an authority like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who heard and benefited by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.4
śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ gṛṇataś ca sva-ceṣṭitam |
kālena nātidīrgheṇa bhagavān viśate hṛdi ||
The Lord quickly enters the heart of the devotee who with faith continually hears and chants about the Lord’s activities.
Effort in remembering Kṛṣṇa is not necessary for the devotee who hears and chants. Even without great effort, the Lord spontaneously enters into the heart. Hearing and chanting here indicates remembering.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.4||
śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṃ gṛṇataś ca sva-ceṣṭitam | kālena nātidīrgheṇa bhagavān viśate hṛdi ||
TRANSLATION The Lord quickly enters the heart of the devotee who with faith continually hears and chants about the Lord’s activities.
The power of hearing is shown. By that power one begins to chant.
TEXT - SB 2.8.5
praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa
svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham
dhunoti śamalaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ
salilasya yathā śarat
SYNONYMS
praviṣṭaḥ—thus being entered; karṇa-randhreṇa—through the holes of the ears; svānām—according to one's liberated position; bhāva—constitutional relationship; saraḥ-ruham—the lotus flower; dhunoti—cleanses; śamalam—material qualities like lust, anger, avarice and hankering; kṛṣṇaḥ—Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; salilasya—of the reservoir of waters; yathā—as it were; śarat—the autumn season.
TRANSLATION
The sound incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water.
PURPORT
It is said that a single pure devotee of the Lord can deliver all the fallen souls of the world. Thus one who is actually in the confidence of a pure devotee like Nārada or Śukadeva Gosvāmī and thus is empowered by one's spiritual master, as Nārada was by Brahmājī, can not only deliver himself from the clutches of māyā, or illusion, but can deliver the whole world by his pure and empowered devotional strength. The comparison to the autumnal rain that falls on muddy reservoirs of water is very appropriate. During the rainy season, all the waters of the rivers become muddy, but in the month of July-August, the autumn season, when there is a slight rainfall, the muddy waters of the rivers all over the world become at once clear. By addition of some chemical, a small reservoir of water like that of a metropolitan waterworks tank can be cleared, but by such a tiny effort it is not possible to clear up all the reservoirs of water like the rivers. A powerful pure devotee of the Lord, however, can deliver not only his personal self but also many others in his association.
In other words, the cleansing of the polluted heart by other methods (like the culture of empiric knowledge or mystic gymnastics) can simply cleanse one's own heart, but devotional service to the Lord is so powerful that it can cleanse the hearts of the people in general, by the devotional service of the pure, empowered devotee. A true representative of the Lord like Nārada, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Lord Caitanya, the six Gosvāmīs and later Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, etc., can deliver all people by their empowered devotional service.
By sincere efforts to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam one realizes his constitutional relationship with the Lord in the transcendental humor of servitude, friendship, paternal affection or conjugal love, and by such self-realization one becomes situated at once in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Not only were all the pure devotees like Nārada self-realized souls, but they were engaged in preaching work automatically by spiritual impetus, and thus they delivered many poor souls entangled in the material modes. They became so powerful because they sincerely followed the Bhāgavatam principles by regular hearing and worshiping. By such actions the accumulated material lusts, etc., become cleansed by the personal endeavor of the Lord within the heart. The Lord is always within the heart of the living being, but He becomes manifested by one's devotional service.
Purification of the heart by culture of knowledge or mystic yoga may be all right for the time being for an individual person, but it is like the cleansing of a small quantity of stagnant water by chemical processes. Such clarification of water may stand for the time being and the sediments settle down, but by a slight agitation everything becomes muddy. The idea is that devotional service to the Lord is the only method of cleansing the heart for good. Whereas other methods may be superficially good for the time being, there is a risk of becoming muddy again due to agitation of the mind. Devotional service to the Lord, with specific attention for hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and always, is the best recommended method for liberation from the clutches of illusion.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.5
praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham |
dhunoti śamalaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ salilasya yathā śarat ||
Kṛṣṇa, entering the lotus of the heart through the ears of the devotees, washes away all contamination until it is completely pure like the pools of water in the autumn seasons.
Kṛṣṇa in the form of topics enters the lotus of the heart (bhāva-saroruham) through the ears. Though Paramātmā is always situated in the heart, he is neutral. This implies that Kṛṣṇa, entering though the ears, attaches the jīva to himself. Bhāva indicates relationships like dāsya and sakhya. Thus bhāva-saroruham can also mean the lotus of various sentiments for the Lord. Kṛṣṇa washes way the faults (śamalam) such as lust and anger.
“But this is not so remarkable, because jñāna and yoga can do this also.” By mixing a substance in a jar of water, that water alone is purified, but not all the water in rivers or ponds. The contamination also remains in the jar and is not completely destroyed. By shaking the jar, the dirt becomes disturbed again. Jñāna and yoga purify some people but not all, and even then not completely. They purify the heart to some degree. It is said:
yamādibhir yoga-pathaiḥ kāma-lobha-hato muhuḥ |
mukunda-sevayā yadvat tathātmāddhā na śāmyati ||
The ātmā constantly afflicted by lust and greed will not be satisifed by aṣṭaṅga-yoga and other paths as much as by direct service to Mukunda. SB 1.6.35
But Kṛṣṇa, just by entering, purifies everything with no impurities remaining. That is the meaning of the example.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.5||
praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa svānāṃ bhāva-saroruham | dhunoti śamalaṃ kṛṣṇaḥ salilasya yathā śarat ||
TRANSLATION Kṛṣṇa, entering the lotus of the heart through the ears of the devotees, washes away all contamination until it is completely pure like the pools of water in the autumn seasons.
When Kṛṣṇa enters the heart, the devotee endowed with bhakti purifies the world. The Lord purifies the world through this system. That is explained in this verse.
He enters the hearts of the devotees (svānām) who have accepted him. The hearts hold particular bhāva (bhāva-saroruham). They are called lotuses because they are excellent places for giving happiness to the Lord. The example of water in the autumn season illustrates his ability to purify everything.
TEXT - SB 2.8.6
dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-
pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati
mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ
pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā
SYNONYMS
dhauta-ātmā—whose heart has been cleansed; puruṣaḥ—the living being; kṛṣṇa—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pāda-mūlam—the shelter of the lotus feet; na—never; muñcati—gives up; mukta—liberated; sarva—all; parikleśaḥ—of all miseries of life; pānthaḥ—the traveler; sva-śaraṇam—in his own abode; yathā—as it were.
TRANSLATION
A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey.
PURPORT
One who is not a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is not completely cleansed in the heart. But a perfectly cleansed person never quits the devotional service of the Lord. In discharging such devotional service, as ordered by Brahmājī to Nārada in the preaching of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sometimes a representative of the Lord engaged in preaching work meets various so-called difficulties. This was exhibited by Lord Nityānanda when He delivered the two fallen souls Jagāi and Mādhāi, and similarly Lord Jesus Christ was crucified by the nonbelievers. But such difficulties are very gladly suffered by the devotees in preaching because in such activities, although apparently very severe, the devotees of the Lord feel transcendental pleasure because the Lord is satisfied. Prahlāda Mahārāja suffered greatly, but still he never forgot the lotus feet of the Lord. This is because a pure devotee of the Lord is so purified in his heart that he cannot leave the shelter of Lord Kṛṣṇa in any circumstances. There is no self-interest in such service. The progress of culturing knowledge by the jñānīs or the bodily gymnastics by the yogīs are ultimately given up by the respective performers, but a devotee of the Lord cannot give up the service of the Lord, for he is ordered by his spiritual master. Pure devotees like Nārada and Nityānanda Prabhu take up the order of the spiritual master as the sustenance of life. They do not mind what becomes of the future of their lives. They take the matter very seriously as the order comes from the higher authority, from the representative of the Lord, or from the Lord Himself.
The example set herein is very appropriate. A traveler leaves home to search for wealth in far distant places, sometimes in the forest and sometimes on the ocean and sometimes on hilltops. Certainly there are many troubles for the traveler when he is in such unknown places. But all such troubles are at once mitigated as soon as the sense of his family affection is remembered, and as soon as he returns home he forgets all such troubles on the way.
A pure devotee of the Lord is exactly in a family tie with the Lord, and therefore he is undeterred in discharging his duty in a full affectionate tie with the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.6
dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-pāda-mūlaṁ na muñcati |
mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṁ yathā ||
The person with a pure heart does not give up the root of the feet of Kṛṣṇa. He is like a traveler, who, giving up all sufferings after earning wealth, does not leave his house.
This verse describes the person with a purified heart. He does not give up the root of the feet of Kṛṣṇa.
evaṁ harau bhagavati pratilabdha-bhāvo
bhaktyā dravad-dhṛdaya utpulakaḥ pramodāt
autkaṇṭhya-bāṣpa-kalayā muhur ardyamānas
tac cāpi citta-baḍiśaṁ śanakair viyuṅkte
The unfortunate yogī who has developed love for the Lord, full of all sweet qualities, whose heart is somewhat soft because of devotion, whose body hairs stand on end in ecstasy, who is constantly overcome with intense tears of joy, gradually withdraws his hook-like mind from the Lord's form. SB 3.28.34
This verse describes a yogī who thinks he has a pure heart, not a person with a pure heart. It is just as the traveler returning from a journey does not give up his house. “But do we not see that the traveler after some time leaves his house to go out and earn wealth?” The traveler is further described. He is freed from all suffering, having earned wealth.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.6||
dhautātmā puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇa-pāda-mūlaṃ na muncati | mukta-sarva-parikleśaḥ pānthaḥ sva-śaraṇaṃ yathā ||
TRANSLATION The person with a pure heart does not give up the root of the feet of Kṛṣṇa. He is like a traveler, who, giving up all sufferings after earning wealth, does not leave his house.
A person with heart purified by that method, any person, does not give up Kṛṣṇa’s feet. This is unlike karma or jnāna, which on attainment of the result, are given up by the practitioner. Attaining the Lord gives the highest happiness by his very nature.
TEXT - SB 2.8.7
yad adhātu-mato brahman
dehārambho 'sya dhātubhiḥ
yadṛcchayā hetunā vā
bhavanto jānate yathā
SYNONYMS
yat—as it is; adhātu-mataḥ—without being materially constituted; brahman—O learned brāhmaṇa; deha—the material body; ārambhaḥ—the beginning of; asya—of the living being; dhātubhiḥ—by matter; yadṛcchayā—without cause, accidental; hetunā—due to some cause; vā—either; bhavantaḥ—your good self; jānate—as you may know it; yathā—so you inform me.
TRANSLATION
O learned brāhmaṇa, the transcendental spirit soul is different from the material body. Does he acquire the body accidentally or by some cause? Will you kindly explain this, for it is known to you.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, being a typical devotee, is not only satisfied by confirming the importance of hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the representative of Brahmājī by disciplic succession, but he is still more anxious to establish the philosophical basis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such all questions that may arise in the mind of a serious student must be cleared by the statements of the authority. A person on the path of devotional service may inquire from his spiritual master all about the spiritual position of God and the living beings. From the Bhagavad-gītā, as well as from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is known that qualitatively the Lord and the living beings are one. The living being in the conditioned state of material existence is subjected to many transmigrations by continuous changing of the material body. But what are the causes of the material embodiment of the part and parcel of the Lord? Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquires about this very important matter for the benefit of all classes of candidates on the path of self-realization and devotional service to the Lord.
Indirectly it is confirmed that the Supreme Being, the Lord, makes no such material changes of body. He is spiritually whole, with no difference between His body and His soul, unlike the conditioned soul. The liberated living beings, who associate with the Lord in person, are also exactly like the Lord. Only the conditioned souls awaiting liberation are subjected to change of bodies. How was the process first begun?
In the process of devotional service, the first step is to take shelter of the spiritual master and then inquire from the spiritual master all about the process. This inquiry is essential for immunity to all kinds of offenses on the path of devotional service. Even if one is fixed in devotional service like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he must still inquire from the realized spiritual master all about this. In other words, the spiritual master must also be well versed and learned so that he may be able to answer all these inquiries from the devotees. Thus one who is not well versed in the authorized scriptures and not able to answer all such relevant inquiries should not pose as a spiritual master for the matter of material gain. It is illegal to become a spiritual master if one is unable to deliver the disciple.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.7
yad adhātu-mato brahman dehārambho ’sya dhātubhiḥ |
yadṛcchayā hetunā vā bhavanto jānate yathā
O brāhmaṇa! Please explain whether the body of the jīva made of elements takes place by chance or by any specific cause as you understand it.
Having expressed his enthusiasm for hearing about Kṛṣṇa, the first aṅga of pure bhakti that he cherishes, Parīkṣit inquires about subjects to the extent that they may contribute to the accomplishment of the goals of pure or mixed bhakti. These questions continue till the end of the chapter. Wherever even a trace of bhakti appears, it should be established without aparādha, otherwise Bhakti-devī will not show mercy. It is shown here that one should desire to know about examples and more examples of bhakti performed by pure devotees who are fixed in, and cherish, hearing and chanting about the sweetness of the Lord for the purpose of producing prema.
The jīva who does not have a relationship with the material elements (adhātu-mataḥ) takes up a body made of material elements. Is this body produced by chance or for some reason? These topics should be explained by you as you have understood them. Persons other than you do not know this. Why should I ask them?
Jiva's tika ||2.8.7||
yad adhātu-mato brahman dehārambho ’sya dhātubhiḥ | yadṛcchayā hetunā vā bhavanto jānate yathā
TRANSLATION O brāhmaṇa! Please explain whether the body of the jīva made of elements takes place by chance or by any specific cause as you understand it.
Showing his eagerness to hear about the Lord, he asks about other topics, predominated by topics of the Lord, which will assist others in understanding the Lord. He asks about the jīva to indicate the eternality of the Lord’s form and abode.
TEXT - SB 2.8.8
āsīd yad-udarāt padmaṁ
loka-saṁsthāna-lakṣaṇam
yāvān ayaṁ vai puruṣa
iyattāvayavaiḥ pṛthak
tāvān asāv iti proktaḥ
saṁsthāvayavavān iva
SYNONYMS
āsīt—as it grew; yat-udarāt—from whose abdomen; padmam—lotus flower; loka—world; saṁsthāna—situation; lakṣaṇam—possessed of; yāvān—as it were; ayam—this; vai—certainly; puruṣaḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iyattā—measurement; avayavaiḥ—by embodiments; pṛthak—different; tāvān—so; asau—that; iti proktaḥ—it is so said; saṁsthā—situation; avayavavān—embodiment; iva—like.
TRANSLATION
If the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whose abdomen the lotus stem sprouted, is possessed of a gigantic body according to His own caliber and measurement, then what is the specific difference between the body of the Lord and those of common living entities?
PURPORT
One should note how Mahārāja Parīkṣit intelligently put questions before his spiritual master for scientific understanding of the transcendental body of the Lord. It has been described in many places before this that the Lord assumed a gigantic body, like that of Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from whose hair pores innumerable universes have generated. The body of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is described as sprouting the lotus stem within which all the planets of the universe remain, and at the top of the stem is the lotus flower on which Lord Brahmā is born. In the creation of the material world the Supreme Lord undoubtedly assumes a gigantic body, and living entities also get bodies, big or small, according to necessity. For example, an elephant gets a gigantic body according to its needs, and so also an ant gets its body according to its needs. Similarly, if the Personality of Godhead assumes a gigantic body to accommodate the universes or the planets of a particular universe, there is no difference in the principle of assuming or accepting a particular type of body in terms of necessity. A living being and the Lord cannot be distinguished simply by the difference in the magnitude of the body. So the answer depends on the specific significance of the body of the Lord, as distinguished from the body of the common living being.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.8
āsīd yad-udarāt padmaṁ loka-saṁsthāna-lakṣaṇam |
yāvān ayaṁ vai puruṣa iyattāvayavaiḥ pṛthak |
tāvān asāv iti proktaḥ saṁsthāvayavavān iva ||
The puruṣa from whose belly a lotus appears has been described as having planets as his limbs. Though different from the material human form which is endowed with limited limbs, he seems similar since he also has limbs. What is the difference between these two?
It has been explained that the Lord of the jīva has a body similar to the jīva. How is the Lord then different from the jīva? Three lines ask this question. The Lord from whose navel a lotus appears has been described as being composed of the planets. But this Lord has been described as different from the material person endowed with limited limbs, though the Lord is endowed with limbs such as hands and feet which are suitably thick, thin, long and short similar to the jīvas. Though the Lord’s hands and feet are different from those of the jīva, they are described as similar. What is the actual difference?
Jiva's tika ||2.8.8||
āsīd yad-udarāt padmaṃ loka-saṃsthāna-lakṣaṇam | yāvān ayaṃ vai puruṣa iyattāvayavaiḥ pṛthak | tāvān asāv iti proktaḥ saṃsthāvayavavān iva ||
TRANSLATION The puruṣa from whose belly a lotus appears has been described as having planets as his limbs. Though different from the material human form which is endowed with limited limbs, he seems similar since he also has limbs. What is the difference between these two?
This shows the Lord as the cause and the jīva as the effect. In that sense, this is not a question, but a presentation of the truth.
TEXT - SB 2.8.9
ajaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni
bhūtātmā yad-anugrahāt
dadṛśe yena tad-rūpaṁ
nābhi-padma-samudbhavaḥ
SYNONYMS
ajaḥ—one who is born without a material source; sṛjati—creates; bhūtāni—all those materially born; bhūta-ātmā—having a body of matter; yat—whose; anugrahāt—by the mercy of; dadṛśe—could see; yena—by whom; tat-rūpam—His form of body; nābhi—navel; padma—lotus flower; samudbhavaḥ—being born of.
TRANSLATION
Brahmā, who was not born of a material source but of the lotus flower coming out of the navel abdomen of the Lord, is the creator of all those who are materially born. Of course, by the grace of the Lord, Brahmā was able to see the form of the Lord.
PURPORT
The first living creature, Brahmā, is called ajaḥ because he did not take his birth from the womb of a mother materially born. He was directly born from the bodily expansion of the lotus flower of the Lord. Thus it is not readily understandable whether the body of the Lord and that of Brahmā are of the same quality or different. This must also be clearly understood. One thing is, however, certain: Brahmā was completely dependent on the mercy of the Lord because after his birth he could create living beings by the Lord's grace only, and he could see the form of the Lord. Whether the form seen by Brahmā is of the same quality as that of Brahmā is a bewildering question, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to get clear answers from Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.9
ajaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni bhūtātmā yad-anugrahāt |
dadṛśe yena tad-rūpaṁ nābhi-padma-samudbhavaḥ ||
By the mercy of the Lord, Brahmā, the controller of the bodies within this universe, arising from the lotus in the Lord’s navel, created those bodies and saw that form.
Certainly you should explain the difference. Brahmā (ajaḥ) is the controller of the individual bodies (bhūtāmā) since he represents the totality of bodies. Since he has come from the lotus in the navel of the Lord, by the Lord’s mercy alone he creates. And the Lord is not without form, because Brahmā saw that form. Though Brahmā is unborn, he appeared from the lotus in the Lord’s navel. Is the form of the Lord similar to that of the material body of Brahmā, or is it different? That you should explain.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.9|| ajaḥ sṛjati bhūtāni bhūtātmā yad-anugrahāt | dadṛśe yena tad-rūpaṃ nābhi-padma-samudbhavaḥ ||
TRANSLATION By the mercy of the Lord, Brahmā, the controller of the bodies within this universe, arising from the lotus in the Lord’s navel, created those bodies and saw that form.
By the Lord’s mercy Brahmā saw that form. Because of that mercy alone, there was some unique features to what he saw.
TEXT - SB 2.8.10
sa cāpi yatra puruṣo
viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ
muktvātma-māyāṁ māyeśaḥ
śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; ca—also; api—as He is; yatra—where; puruṣaḥ—the Personality of Godhead; viśva—the material worlds; sthiti—maintenance; udbhava—creation; apyayaḥ—annihilation; muktvā—without being touched; ātma-māyām—own energy; māyā-īśaḥ—the Lord of all energies; śete—does lie on; sarva-guhā-śayaḥ—one who lies in everyone s heart.
TRANSLATION
Please also explain the Personality of Godhead, who lies in every heart as the Supersoul, and as the Lord of all energies, but is untouched by His external energy.
PURPORT
Undoubtedly the form of the Lord who was seen by Brahmā must be transcendental, otherwise how could He simply look upon the creative energy without being touched? It is understood also that the same puruṣa lies in the heart of every living entity. This also requires proper explanation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.10
sa cāpi yatra puruṣo viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ |
muktvātma-māyāṁ māyeśaḥ śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ ||
Now he asks a different question. Please describe the place where the Lord, who glances over prakṛti,lies. Though he is the Lord of māyā, the master of māyā, he does not touch her since she is his external energy?
Jiva's tika ||2.8.10||
sa cāpi yatra puruṣo viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ | muktvātma-māyāṃ māyeśaḥ śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Please describe where this puruṣa, the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the universe, the Lord of māyā, dwelling within all beings, but untouched by his māyā, lies down.
That form is described using kaimutya. That place is untouched by māyā (muktātman-māyam). There the Lord remains, closing his eyes to prakṛti in a place hard to see by all people.
TEXT - SB 2.8.11
puruṣāvayavair lokāḥ
sapālāḥ pūrva-kalpitāḥ
lokair amuṣyāvayavāḥ
sa-pālair iti śuśruma
SYNONYMS
puruṣa—the universal form of the Lord (virāṭ-puruṣaḥ); avayavaiḥ—by different parts of the body; lokāḥ—the planetary system; sa-pālāḥ—with respective governors; pūrva—formerly; kalpitāḥ—discussed; lokaiḥ—by the different planetary systems; amuṣya—His; avayavāḥ—different parts of the body; sa-pālaiḥ—with the governors; iti—thus; śuśruma—I heard.
TRANSLATION
O learned brāhmaṇa, it was formerly explained that all the planets of the universe with their respective governors are situated in the different parts of the gigantic body of the virāṭ-puruṣa. I have also heard that the different planetary systems are supposed to be in the gigantic body of the virāṭ-puruṣa. But what is their actual position ? Will you please explain that?
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.11
puruṣāvayavair lokāḥ sapālāḥ pūrva-kalpitāḥ |
lokair amuṣyāvayavāḥ sa-pālair iti śuśruma ||
The planets and their protectors were previously identified with limbs of the puruṣa and the limbs of the puruṣa were identified with the planets. This I have heard. If there are more details please explain them.
Now Parīkṣit asks another question. The planets were previously imagined as limbs of the puruṣa starting in SB 2.5.36. The limbs of the puruṣa were equated with the planets starting in SB 2.1.26. I have heard this from your mouth. If there are some other details concerning this, please tell that. I asked about the jīva controlled by the Lord and the second puruṣa situated in the universe (SB 2.8.8). I have asked about the first puruṣa, creator of the mahat-tattva (SB 2.8.10) and the third puruṣa situated in all living entities (SB 2.8.10). It is said in the smṛti:
viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ |
ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ dvitīyaṁ tantu-saṁsthitam |
tṛtīyaṁ sarva-bhūtasthaṁ tāni jñātvā vimucyate ||
The three forms of Viṣṇu are called puruṣas. The first is the creator of the mahat-tattva. The second is situated in the universe, and the third is situated in all living entities. One who knows them becomes liberated.
I have also asked about the totality of jīvas in the present question about the limbs of the puruṣa. These five questions are suitable for śānta and dāsya bhakti. These questions indicate that Śukadeva should tell how the form of the Lord, that Brahmā saw, is distinct from the jīva. This is desired in prīti-bhakti or dāsya-bhakti.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.11||
puruṣāvayavair lokāḥ sapālāḥ pūrva-kalpitāḥ | lokair amuṣyāvayavāḥ sa-pālair iti śuśruma ||
TRANSLATION The planets and their protectors were previously identified with limbs of the puruṣa and the limbs of the puruṣa were identified with the planets. This I have heard. If there are more details please explain them.
He shows a seed of doubt in this verse.
TEXT - SB 2.8.12
yāvān kalpo vikalpo vā
yathā kālo 'numīyate
bhūta-bhavya-bhavac-chabda
āyur-mānaṁ ca yat sataḥ
SYNONYMS
yāvān—as it is; kalpaḥ—the duration of time between creation and annihilation; vikalpaḥ—subsidiary creation and annihilation; vā—either; yathā—as also; kālaḥ—the time; anumīyate—is measured; bhūta—past; bhavya—future; bhavat—present; śabdaḥ—sound; āyuḥ—duration of life; mānam—measurement; ca—also; yat—which; sataḥ—of all living beings in all planets.
TRANSLATION
Also please explain the duration of time between creation and annihilation, and that of other subsidiary creations, as well as the nature of time, indicated by the sound of past, present and future. Also, please explain the duration and measurement of life of the different living beings known as the demigods, the human beings, etc., in different planets of the universe.
PURPORT
Past, present and future are different features of time to indicate the duration of life for the universe and all its paraphernalia, including the different living beings in different planets.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.12
yāvān[169] kalpo vikalpo vā yathā kālo ’numīyate |
bhūta-bhavya-bhavac-chabda āyur-mānaṁ ca yat sataḥ ||
Speak of the kalpas and their subdivisions, how time is perceived in the past present and future and about the life spans of the humans, devatās and Pitṛs.
Speak also about the great time spans (kalpaḥ) and their divisions (vikalpaḥ), how time in past, future and present is perceived, and the life spans of the humans, Pitṛs and devatās, who think they are their bodies (sataḥ)
Jiva's tika ||2.8.12||
yāvān kalpo vikalpo vā yathā kālo ’numīyate | bhūta-bhavya-bhavac-chabda āyur-mānaṃ ca yat sataḥ ||
TRANSLATION Speak of the kalpas and their subdivisions, how time is perceived in the past present and future and about the life spans of the humans, devatās and Pitṛs.
Since destruction will be described, the time between creation and destruction should be described. Thus the word kalpa is used. Past, present and future (bhūta-bhavya-bhavat) come into being from time.
TEXT - SB 2.8.13
kālasyānugatir yā tu
lakṣyate 'ṇvī bṛhaty api
yāvatyaḥ karma-gatayo
yādṛśīr dvija-sattama
SYNONYMS
kālasya—of eternal time; anugatiḥ—beginning; yā tu—as they are; lakṣyate—experienced; aṇvī—small; bṛhatī—great; api—even; yāvatyaḥ—as long as; karma-gatayaḥ—in terms of the work performed; yādṛśīḥ—as it may; dvija-sattama—O purest of all brāhmaṇas.
TRANSLATION
O purest of the brāhmaṇas, please also explain the cause of the different durations of time, both short and long, as well as the beginning of time, following the course of action.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.13
kālasyānugatir yā tu lakṣyate ’ṇvī bṛhaty api |
yāvatyaḥ karma-gatayo yādṛśīr dvija-sattama ||
O brāhmaṇa! Speak about the progress of time with large and small divisions and the number and types of destinations achieved by karma.
The progress (anugatiḥ) of time has very small divisions (anvī) like the paramāṇu and large divisions (bṛhati) like years. Karma-gatayaḥ refers to the destinations achieved by sinful or pious acts. Yādṛśīḥ stands for yadṛśyaḥ (what type). All of the places achieved by karma are ultimately devoured by the small and large divisions of time. These two questions are suitable for pure bhakti in order to become indifferent to all karma. The Lord says jāta-śraddho mat-kathāsu nirviṇṇaḥ sarva-karmasu:he who has developed faith in my topics and is indifferent to all karmas. (SB 11.20.27)
TEXT - SB 2.8.14
yasmin karma-samāvāyo
yathā yenopagṛhyate
guṇānāṁ guṇināṁ caiva
pariṇāmam abhīpsatām
SYNONYMS
yasmin—in which; karma—actions; samāvāyaḥ—accumulation; yathā—as far as; yena—by which; upagṛhyate—takes over; guṇānām—of the different modes of material nature; guṇinām—of the living beings; ca—also; eva—certainly; pariṇāmam—resultant; abhīpsatām—of the desires.
TRANSLATION
Then again, kindly describe how the proportionate accumulation of the reactions resulting from the different modes of material nature act upon the desiring living being, promoting or degrading him among the different species of life, beginning from the demigods down to the most insignificant creatures.
PURPORT
The actions and reactions of all works in the material modes of nature, either in the minute form or in the gigantic form, are accumulated, and thus the result of such accumulated actions and reactions of karma, or work, become manifested in the same proportion. How such actions and reactions take place, what the different procedures are, and in what proportion they act are all subject matters of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's inquiries from the great brāhmaṇa Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
Life in the higher planets, known as the abodes of the denizens of heaven, is obtained not by the strength of spacecraft (as is now being contemplated by the inexperienced scientists), but by works done in the mode of goodness.
Even on the very planet where we are now living, there are restrictions upon the entrance of foreigners into a country where the citizens are more prosperous. For example, the American government has many restrictions for the entrance of foreigners from less prosperous countries. The reason is that the Americans do not wish to share their prosperity with any foreigner who has not qualified himself as a citizen of America. Similarly, the same mentality is prevailing in every other planet where there are more intelligent living beings residing. The higher planetary living conditions are all in the mode of goodness, and anyone desiring to enter the higher planets like the moon, sun and Venus must qualify thoroughly by activity in complete goodness.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit's inquiries are on the basis of proportionate actions of goodness which qualify one in this planet to be promoted to the highest regions of the universe.
Even on this planet of our present residence, one cannot achieve a good position within the social order without being qualified with proportionate good work. One cannot forcibly sit on the chair of a high-court judge without being qualified for the post. Similarly, one cannot enter into the higher planetary systems without being qualified by good works in this life. Persons addicted to the habits of passion and ignorance have no chance of entering the higher planetary systems simply by an electronic mechanism.
According to the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā (9.25), persons trying to qualify themselves for promotion to the higher, heavenly planets can go there; similarly, persons trying for the Pitṛlokas can go there; similarly, persons trying to improve the conditions on this earth can also do that, and persons who are engaged in going back home, back to Godhead, can achieve that result. The various actions and reactions of work in the mode of goodness are generally known as pious work with devotional service, culture of knowledge with devotional service, mystic powers with devotional service and (at last) devotional service unmixed with any other varieties of goodness. This unmixed devotional service is transcendental and is called parā bhakti. It alone can promote a person to the transcendental kingdom of God. Such a transcendental kingdom is not a myth, but is as factual as the moon. One must have transcendental qualities to understand the kingdom of God and God Himself.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.14
yasmin karma-samāvāyo yathā yenopagṛhyate |
guṇānāṁ guṇināṁ caiva pariṇāmam abhīpsatām ||
Speak about the bodies desired by the jīvas, in which topic you should explain which jīva, by which actions, receives various results.
The transformation of the guṇas refers to the bodies of devatās and others desired by the particular jīva (guṇinām). Speak about the all the activities of sin and piety, yoga, jñāna and bhakti, which are transformation of the guṇas. This refers particularly to the human bodies. And speak about the particular actions that should be performed by the particular jīva (yena) for receiving that body. In the human form, through activities of karma, jñāna or bhakti, what type of person performs what activities and receives what results. This question is suitable for karma-miśra, jñāna-miśra, yoga-miśra and pure bhakti.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.14||
yasmin karma-samāvāyo yathā yenopagṛhyate | guṇānāṃ guṇināṃ caiva pariṇāmam abhīpsatām ||
TRANSLATION Explain how, among the jīvas with desires for different guṇas, a certain jīva receives a certain body.
Please explain, among the jīvas (guṇinām) having latent desires (abhīpsitām) for transformation of the guṇas (gunānām pariṇāmam), which collection of karmas is received by which jīva (yena) by which method (yathā), caused by transformation.
TEXT - SB 2.8.15
bhū-pātāla-kakub-vyoma-
graha-nakṣatra-bhūbhṛtām
sarit-samudra-dvīpānāṁ
sambhavaś caitad-okasām
SYNONYMS
bhū-pātāla—underneath the land; kakup—the four sides of the heavens; vyoma—the sky; graha—the planets; nakṣatra—the stars; bhūbhṛtām—of the hills; sarit—the river; samudra—the sea; dvīpānām—of the islands; sambhavaḥ—appearance; ca—also; etat—their; okasām—of the inhabitants.
TRANSLATION
O best of the brāhmaṇas, please also describe how the creation of the globes throughout the universe, the four directions of the heavens, the sky, the planets, the stars, the mountains, the rivers, the seas and the islands, as well as their different kinds of inhabitants, takes place.
PURPORT
The inhabitants of different varieties of land, etc., are differently situated, and not all of them are equal in all respects. The inhabitants of the land are different from the inhabitants of the water or the sky, and similarly the inhabitants of the different planets and stars in the sky are also different from one another. By the laws of the Lord, no place is vacant, but the creatures of one particular place are different from those of other places. Even in human society the inhabitants of the jungles or the deserts are different from those of the cities and villages. They are so made according to different qualities of the modes of nature. Such adjustment by the laws of nature is not blind. There is a great plan behind the arrangement. Mahārāja Parīkṣit requests the great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī to explain all these authoritatively, in accordance with proper understanding.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.15
bhū-pātāla-kakub-vyoma-graha-nakṣatra-bhūbhṛtām |
sarit-samudra-dvīpānāṁ sambhavaś caitad-okasām ||
Speak also about the creation of the earth, Pātala-loka, the directions, the sky, the planets, constellations, mountains, rivers, oceans and islands, the creation of the various inhabitants and what jīvas attain those places.
Yathā from the previous verse should be understood in this verse also. Speak also about the creation of the various planets and who lives there and how the inhabitants achieve those planets. This question is suitable for all devotees, since all planets are the shelter of various types of devotees and devotees are in charge of those planets.
TEXT - SB 2.8.16
pramāṇam aṇḍa-kośasya
bāhyābhyantara-bhedataḥ
mahatāṁ cānucaritaṁ
varṇāśrama-viniścayaḥ
SYNONYMS
pramāṇam—extent and measurement; aṇḍa-kośasya—of the universe; bāhya—outer space; abhyantara—inner space; bhedataḥ—by division of; mahatām—of the great souls; ca—also; anucaritam—character and activities; varṇa—castes; āśrama—orders of life; viniścayaḥ—specifically describe.
TRANSLATION
Also, please describe the inner and outer space of the universe by specific divisions, as well as the character and activities of the great souls, and also the characteristics of the different classifications of the castes and orders of social life.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Parīkṣit is a typical devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and as such he is anxious to know the complete significance of the creation of the Lord. He wants to know the inner and outer space of the universal form. It is quite fitting for the real searcher of knowledge to know all about this. Those who are of the opinion that the devotees of the Lord are satisfied with mere sentiments can find in the inquiries of Mahārāja Parīkṣit good lessons as to how inquisitive a pure devotee is to know things in their true perfection. The modern scientist is unable to know about the inner space of the universal horizon, and what to speak of the space which covers the universe.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit is not satisfied with only material knowledge. He is inquisitive about the character and activities of the great souls, the devotees of the Lord. The glories of the Lord and the glories of His devotees, combined together, comprise the complete knowledge of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lord Kṛṣṇa showed His mother the complete universal creation within His mouth, while she, completely charmed by her son, wanted to look inside the mouth of the Lord just to see how much earth the child had eaten. By the grace of the Lord the devotees are able to see everything in the universe within the mouth of the Lord.
The very idea of the scientific divisions of four classes of human society and four orders of life is also inquired about herewith on the basis of individual personal quality. The four divisions are exactly like the four divisions of one's personal body. The parts and parcels of the body are nondifferent from the body, but by themselves they are only parts. That is the significance of the whole scientific system of four castes and four social orders. The value of such scientific divisions of human society can be ascertained only in terms of the proportionate development of devotional service to the Lord. Any person employed in government service, including the president, is a part and parcel of the entire government. Everyone is a government servant, but no one is the government himself. That is the position of all living entities in the government of the Supreme Lord. No one can artificially claim the supreme position of the Lord, but everyone is meant to serve the purpose of the supreme whole.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.16
pramāṇam aṇḍa-kośasya bāhyābhyantara-bhedataḥ |
mahatāṁ cānucaritaṁ varṇāśrama-viniścayaḥ ||
Speak about the dimensions of universe outside and inside, the activities of great souls and the definition of varṇāśrama.
The question about dimensions of the universe is for bhakti with predominance of aiśvarya. What types of universes exist in the Lord’s belly? Varṇāśrama rules are applicable to mixed devotees. Also describe the condition without these rules. This question is suitable for karma-miśra and jñāna-miśra-bhakti.
TEXT - SB 2.8.17
yugāni yuga-mānaṁ ca
dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge
avatārānucaritaṁ
yad āścaryatamaṁ hareḥ
SYNONYMS
yugāni—the different ages; yuga-mānam—the duration of each age; ca—as well as; dharmaḥ—the particular occupational duty; yaḥ ca—and which; yuge yuge—in each and every yuga, or particular age; avatāra—the incarnation; anucaritam—and the activities of the incarnation; yat—which; āścaryatamam—the most wonderful activities; hareḥ—of the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
Please explain all the different ages in the duration of the creation, and also the duration of such ages. Also tell me about the different activities of the different incarnations of the Lord in different ages.
PURPORT
Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and all the incarnations of the Supreme Lord, although nondifferent from Him, are emanations from the Supreme. Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired from the great and learned sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the different activities of such incarnations so that the incarnation of the Lord might be confirmed by His activities in the authoritative scriptures. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was not to be carried away by the sentiments of the common man to accept an incarnation of the Lord very cheaply. Instead he wished to accept the incarnation of the Lord by symptoms mentioned in the Vedic literatures and confirmed by an ācārya like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. The Lord descends by His internal energy without any obligation to the laws of material nature, and thus His activities are also uncommon. The specific activities of the Lord are mentioned, and one should know that the activities of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical due to being on the absolute plane. Thus to hear the activities of the Lord means to associate with the Lord directly, and association with the Lord directly means purification from material contamination. We have already discussed this point in the previous volume.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.17
yugāni yuga-mānaṁ ca dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge |
avatārānucaritaṁ yad āścaryatamaṁ hareḥ ||
This question includes not only the yugāvatāras but also the type of bhakti that they institute.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.17||
yugāni yuga-mānaṃ ca dharmo yaś ca yuge yuge | avatārānucaritaṃ yad āścaryatamaṃ hareḥ ||
TRANSLATION Please describe the various yugas, their durations, their dharmas, and the astonishing activities of the yugāvatāras of the Lord.
Please describe the astonishing activates of the avatāras of Kṛṣṇa (hareḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.8.18
nṛṇāṁ sādhāraṇo dharmaḥ
saviśeṣaś ca yādṛśaḥ
śreṇīnāṁ rājarṣīṇāṁ ca
dharmaḥ kṛcchreṣu jīvatām
SYNONYMS
nṛṇām—of human society; sādhāraṇaḥ—general; dharmaḥ—religious affiliation; sa-viśeṣaḥ—specific; ca—also; yādṛśaḥ—as they are; śreṇīnām—of the particular three classes; rājarṣīṇām—of the saintly royal order; ca—also; dharmaḥ—occupational duty; kṛcchreṣu—in the matter of distressed conditions; jīvatām—of the living beings.
TRANSLATION
Please also explain what may generally be the common religious affiliations of human society, as well as their specific occupational duties in religion, the classification of the social orders as well as the administrative royal orders, and the religious principles for one who may be in distress.
PURPORT
The common religion of all classes of human beings, regardless of whosoever and whatsoever one may be, is devotional service. Even the animals may be included in devotional service to the Lord, and the best example is set by Śrī Vajrāṅgajī, or Hanumān, the great devotee of Lord Śrī Rāma. As we have already discussed, even the aborigines and cannibals can also be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord if they happen to be under the guidance of a genuine devotee of the Lord. In the Skanda Purāṇa there is a narration that a hunter in the jungle became the most enlightened devotee of the Lord by the guidance of Śrī Nārada Muni. Therefore devotional service to the Lord can be equally shared by every living being.
Religious affiliation in terms of different countries and cultural circumstances is obviously not the common religion of the human being; rather, the basic principle is devotional service. Even if a particular type of religious principle does not recognize the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the followers still have to obey the disciplinary principles laid down by a particular leader. Such a leader of a religious sect is never the supreme leader because such a circumstantial leader comes to the position of leadership after undergoing some penance. The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not, however, require to be under disciplinary action to become leader, as we see in the activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
The occupational duties of the castes and the orders of society, following the principles of livelihood, also depend on the principle of devotional service. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that a person can achieve the highest perfection of life simply by awarding the results of his occupational duty unto the devotional service of the Lord. People following the principles of devotional service to the Lord can never be put into difficulty, and thus there cannot be any question of āpad-dharma, or religion in distress. As will be explained in this book by the greatest authority, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, there is no religion save and except the devotional service of the Lord, though this may be presented in different forms.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.18
nṛṇāṁ sādhāraṇo dharmaḥ saviśeṣaś ca yādṛśaḥ |
śreṇīnāṁ rājarṣīṇāṁ ca dharmaḥ kṛcchreṣu jīvatām ||
Speak about the general dharma for all men, bhakti, and the various dharmas according to birth. Speak of the dharmas of the vaiśya and kings, and the dharma when it is impossible to perform one’s regular occupation.
Please describe about bhakti (sādhāraṇaḥ dharmaḥ) for men, including even the outcastes. Saviśeṣaḥ refers to dharmas according to birth. Even these persons become devotees. This is illustrated in the verse kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā. (SB 2.4.18) Also describe the dharma of the vaiśyas (śreṇīnām) and kings. These people should also take up bhakti without offense. What is the dharma in emergency situations when it is difficult to act according to varṇa? This question is suitable for all types of bhakti.
TEXT - SB 2.8.19
tattvānāṁ parisaṅkhyānaṁ
lakṣaṇaṁ hetu-lakṣaṇam
puruṣārādhana-vidhir
yogasyādhyātmikasya ca
SYNONYMS
tattvānām—of the elements that constitute the creation; parisaṅkhyānam—of the number of such elements; lakṣaṇam—symptoms; hetu-lakṣaṇam—the symptoms of the causes; puruṣa—of the Lord; ārādhana—of devotional service; vidhiḥ—rules and regulations; yogasya—of cultivation of the yoga system; adhyātmikasya—spiritual methods leading to devotional service; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
Kindly explain all about the elementary principles of creation, the number of such elementary principles, their causes, and their development, and also the process of devotional service and the method of mystic powers.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.19
tattvānāṁ parisaṅkhyānaṁ lakṣaṇaṁ hetu-lakṣaṇam |
puruṣārādhana-vidhir yogasyādhyātmikasya ca ||
Please enumerate the elements and describe their principal qualities as well as their effects. Describe the rules for worshipping the puruṣāvatāras. Describe their activities, and the rules for aṣṭāṅga-yoga mixed with bhakti.
Enumerate the elements (tattvānām) and their svarūpas (lakṣaṇam), and how they give rise to various effects (hetu-lakṣaṇam). Puruṣa here refers to the puruṣāvatāras and their activities. Yoga indicates yoga-miśra-bhakti.
TEXT - SB 2.8.20
yogeśvaraiśvarya-gatir
liṅga-bhaṅgas tu yoginām
vedopaveda-dharmāṇām
itihāsa-purāṇayoḥ
SYNONYMS
yoga-īśvara—of the master of the mystic powers; aiśvarya—opulence; gatiḥ—advancement; liṅga—astral body; bhaṅgaḥ—detachment; tu—but; yoginām—of the mystics; veda—transcendental knowledge; upaveda—knowledge in pursuance of the Veda indirectly; dharmāṇām—of the religiosities; itihāsa—history; purāṇayoḥ—of the Purāṇas.
TRANSLATION
What are the opulences of the great mystics, and what is their ultimate realization? How does the perfect mystic become detached from the subtle astral body? What is the basic knowledge of the Vedic literatures, including the branches of history and the supplementary Purāṇas?
PURPORT
The yogeśvara, or the master of mystic powers, can exhibit eight kinds of wonders of perfection by becoming smaller than the atom or lighter than a feather, getting anything and everything he desires, going anywhere and everywhere he likes, creating even a planet in the sky, etc. There are many yogeśvaras having different proficiencies in these wonderful powers, and the topmost of all of them is Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva is the greatest yogī, and he can perform such wonderful things, far beyond the ordinary living beings. The devotees of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, do not directly practice the process of mystic powers, but, by the grace of the Lord, His devotee can defeat even a great yogeśvara like Durvāsā Muni, who picked a quarrel with Mahārāja Ambarīṣa and wanted to show the wonderful achievements of his mystic powers. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was a pure devotee of the Lord, and thus without any effort on his part the Lord saved him from the wrath of Yogeśvara Durvāsā Muni, and the latter was obliged to beg pardon from the King. Similarly, at the time of Draupadī's precarious position, when she was attacked by the Kurus who wanted to see her naked in the open assembly of the royal order, the Lord saved her from being stripped by supplying an unlimited length of sari to cover her. And Draupadī knew nothing of mystic powers. Therefore the devotees are also yogeśvaras by the unlimited power of the Lord, just as a child is powerful by the strength of the parents. They do not try to protect themselves by any artificial means, but are saved by the mercy of the parents.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired from the learned brāhmaṇa Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the ultimate destination of such great mystics or how they attain such extraordinary powers by their own efforts or by the grace of the Lord. He inquired also about their detachment from the subtle and gross material bodies. He inquired also about the purports of the Vedic knowledge. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), the whole purport of all the Vedas is to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become a transcendental loving servant of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.20
yogeśvaraiśvarya-gatir liṅga-bhaṅgas tu yoginām |
vedopaveda-dharmāṇām itihāsa-purāṇayoḥ ||
Speak about the position of power achieved by great devotees, about the destruction of the subtle bodies of the yogīs, and about the conclusions of Vedas, Upavedas, itihāsas and Purāṇas.
Yogeśvara refers to great devotees like Śiva. They have attained positions of great power. The description of the destruction of the subtle bodies is suitable for śānta-bhakti. The word tātparyam should be supplied in the last line for the words in possessive case. That conclusion (of Vedas, etc.), of course, is only bhakti, and is a suitable question for all types of bhakti.
TEXT - SB 2.8.21
samplavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
vikramaḥ pratisaṅkramaḥ
iṣṭā-pūrtasya kāmyānāṁ
tri-vargasya ca yo vidhiḥ
SYNONYMS
samplavaḥ—the perfect means or complete devastation; sarva-bhūtānām—of all living beings; vikramaḥ—specific power or situation; pratisaṅkramaḥ—ultimate destruction; iṣṭā—performance of Vedic rituals; pūrtasya—pious acts in terms of religion; kāmyānām—rituals for economic development; tri-vargasya—the three means of religion, economic development and sense satisfaction; ca—also; yaḥ—whatsoever; vidhiḥ—procedures.
TRANSLATION
Please explain unto me how the living beings are generated, how they are maintained, and how they are annihilated. Tell me also of the advantages and disadvantages of discharging devotional service unto the Lord. What are the Vedic rituals and injunctions of the supplementary Vedic rites, and what are the procedures of religion, economic development and sense satisfaction?
PURPORT
Samplavaḥ, in the sense of "perfect means," is employed to denote the discharging of devotional service, and pratisamplavaḥ means just the opposite, or that which destroys the progress of devotional service. One who is firmly situated in the devotional service of the Lord can very easily execute the function of conditional life. Living the conditional life is just like plying a boat in the middle of the ocean. One is completely at the mercy of the ocean, and at every moment there is every chance of being drowned in the ocean by slight agitation. If the atmosphere is all right, the boat can ply very easily, undoubtedly, but if there is some storm, fog, wind or cloud, there is every possibility of being drowned in the ocean. No one can control the whims of the ocean, however one may be materially well equipped. One who has crossed the oceans by ship may have sufficient experience of such dependence upon the mercy of the ocean. But one can ply over the ocean of material existence by the grace of the Lord very easily, without any fear of storm or fog. It all depends on the will of the Lord; no one can help if there is some unfortunate danger in the state of conditional life. The devotees of the Lord, however, cross the ocean of material existence without anxiety because a pure devotee is always protected by the Lord (Bg. 9.13). The Lord gives special attention to His devotees in their activities within material, conditional life (Bg. 9.29). Therefore everyone should take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord and be a pure devotee of the Lord by all means.
One should know, therefore, from the expert spiritual master, the advantages and disadvantages of discharging devotional service, just as Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked his spiritual master, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī. According to Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the science of devotional service, one should not eat more than what he requires to maintain body and soul together. Vegetable diets and milk are sufficient for maintenance of the human body, and therefore one has no need to eat anything more to satisfy the palate. One should also not accumulate money to become puffed up in the material world. One should earn his livelihood easily and honestly, for it is better to become a coolie for an honest livelihood than to become a great man in society by hook and crook. There is no harm if one becomes the richest man in the world by honest dealings, but one should not sacrifice the honest means of livelihood simply to accumulate wealth. Such an endeavor is harmful to devotional service. One should not talk nonsense. A devotee's business is to earn the favor of the Lord. Therefore a devotee should always glorify the Lord in His wonderful creations. A devotee should not decry the creation of the Lord, defying Him by saying that He has created a false world. The world is not false. Factually we have to take so many things from the world for our maintenance, so how we can say that the world is false? Similarly, how can one think of the Lord as being without form? How can one become formless and at the same time have all intelligence and consciousness, direct and indirect? So there are many things for a pure devotee to learn, and he should learn them perfectly from a bona fide personality like Śukadeva Gosvāmī.
The favorable conditions for discharging devotional service are that one should be very enthusiastic in serving the Lord. The Lord in His form of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted the cult of devotional service to the Lord to be preached all over the world, in every nook and corner, and therefore a pure devotee's duty is to discharge this order as far as possible. Every devotee should be very enthusiastic, not only in performing his daily rituals of devotional service, but in trying to preach the cult peacefully by following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya. If he is not superficially successful in such an attempt, he should not be deterred from the discharge of his duty. Success or failure has no meaning for a pure devotee because he is a soldier in the field. Preaching the cult of devotional service is something like declaring war against materialistic life. There are different kinds of materialists, such as the fruitive workers, the mental speculators, the mystic jugglers, and so many others. All of them are against the existence of Godhead. They would declare that they are themselves God, although in every step and in every action they are dependent on the mercy of the Lord. Therefore a pure devotee may not associate with such gangs of atheists. A strong devotee of the Lord will not be misled by such atheistic propaganda of the nondevotees, but a neophyte devotee should be very cautious about them. A devotee should see to the right discharge of devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master and should not stick only to the formalities. Under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, one should see how much service is being executed, and not simply in the matter of rituals. A devotee should not hanker after anything, but he should be satisfied with things that may automatically come to him by the will of the Lord. That should be the principle of a devotional life. And all these principles are easily learned under the guidance of a spiritual master like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva correctly, and one should follow his example.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquired about the process of creation, maintenance and destruction of the material world, the process of Vedic rituals and the method of executing pious activities in terms of the supplementary Vedas like the Purāṇas and Mahābhārata. As explained before, the Mahābhārata is the history of ancient India, and so also are the Purāṇas. Pious acts are prescribed in the supplementary Vedas (smṛtis), which specifically mention digging tanks and wells for the water supply of the people in general. To plant trees on the public roads, to construct public temples and places of worship of God, to establish places of charity where the poor destitutes can be provided with foodstuff, and similar activities are called pūrta.
Similarly, the process of fulfilling the natural desires for sense gratification was also inquired about by the King for the benefit of all concerned.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.21
samplavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ vikramaḥ pratisaṅkramaḥ |
iṣṭā-pūrtasya kāmyānāṁ tri-vargasya ca yo vidhiḥ ||
Please describe the deliverance from saṁsāra (bhakti), what is favorable and unfavorable for bhakti, and the rules for vedic, smārta and kāmya activities as well as for artha, dharma and kāma.
What is the deliverance of the living beings from the ocean of saṁsāra (samplavaḥ)? What is the prowess (vikramaḥ) necessary for that? What destroys it? This is a question about what is favorable and unfavorable for bhakti. Or samplava-vikrama-pratisaṅkramaḥ can refer to creation, maintenance and destruction. Speak also about the Vedic (iṣṭā), smārta (pūrtasya) and kāmya-karmas.
vāpī-kūpa-taḍāgādi devatā-yatanāni ca |
anna-pradānam ārāmaḥ pūrtam ity abhidhīyate ||
Pūrta refers to making ponds, wells and tanks, worship of devatās, giving food and pleasure.
And speak of dharma, artha and kāma (trivargasya). Vidhiḥ refers to those rules without contradiction to bhakti. These questions are suitable for karma-miśra-bhakti.
TEXT - SB 2.8.22
yo vānuśāyināṁ sargaḥ
pāṣaṇḍasya ca sambhavaḥ
ātmano bandha-mokṣau ca
vyavasthānaṁ sva-rūpataḥ
SYNONYMS
yaḥ—all those; vā—either; anuśāyinām—merged into the body of the Lord; sargaḥ—creation; pāṣaṇḍasya—of the infidels; ca—and; sambhavaḥ—appearance; ātmanaḥ—of the living beings; bandha—conditioned; mokṣau—being liberated; ca—also; vyavasthānam—being situated; sva-rūpataḥ—in an unconditioned state.
TRANSLATION
Please also explain how, merged in the body of the Lord, living beings are created, and how the infidels appear in the world. Also please explain how the unconditioned living entities exist.
PURPORT
The progressive devotee of the Lord must inquire from the bona fide spiritual master how living entities merged in the body of the Lord again come back at the time of creation. There are two kinds of living entities. There are the ever-liberated, unconditioned living beings as well as the ever-conditioned living beings. Of the ever-conditioned living beings, there are two divisions. They are the faithful and the infidels. Of the faithful there are again two divisions, namely the devotees and the mental speculators. The mental speculators desire to merge into the existence of the Lord, or to become one with the Lord, whereas the devotees of the Lord desire to keep separate identities and constantly engage in the service of the Lord. The devotees who are not fully purified, as well as the empiric philosophers, become conditioned again during the next creation for further purification. Such conditioned souls become liberated by further progress of devotional service to the Lord. Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked all these questions from the bona fide spiritual master in order to become fully equipped in the science of God.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.22
yo vānuśāyināṁ sargaḥ pāṣaṇḍasya ca sambhavaḥ |
ātmano bandha-mokṣau ca vyavasthānaṁ sva-rūpataḥ ||
Please describe the appearance of the jīvas who were merged in the Lord at devastation and the creation of the imposters. Describe bondage and liberation of the conditioned jīvas and the condition of the eternally liberated jīvas.
Also describe the appearance (sargaḥ) of jīvas (anuśāyinām) who were merged in the Lord at mahā-pralaya. This is a question about the sādhaka-bhaktas who want to attainperfection of their sādhana. The question about the heretics (pāṣaṇḍasya) concerns those without bhakti. The question about bondage and liberation of the jīvas touched by māyā (ātmanaḥ) concerns jñāna mixed with bhakti or bhakti mixed with jñāna. Vyavasthānām svarūpataḥ means the condition of the eternally liberated souls, untouched by māyā. This concerns the eternal bhakti of jīva associates of the Lord such as Viśvaksena.
TEXT - SB 2.8.23
yathātma-tantro bhagavān
vikrīḍaty ātma-māyayā
visṛjya vā yathā māyām
udāste sākṣivad vibhuḥ
SYNONYMS
yathā—as; ātma-tantraḥ—independent; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; vikrīḍati—enjoys His pastimes; ātma-māyayā—by His internal potency; visṛjya—giving up; vā—as also; yathā—as He desires; māyām—the external potency; udāste—remains; sākṣivat—just as the witness; vibhuḥ—the almighty.
TRANSLATION
The independent Personality of Godhead enjoys His pastimes by His internal potency and at the time of annihilation gives them up to the external potency, and He remains a witness to it all.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead and fountainhead of all other incarnations, is the only independent person. He enjoys His pastimes by creation as He desires and gives them up to the external energy at the time of annihilation. By His internal potency only, He kills the demon Pūtanā, even though enjoying His pastimes in the lap of His mother Yaśodā. And when He desires to leave this world He creates the pastimes of killing His own family members (Yadu-kula) and remains unaffected by such annihilation. He is the witness of everything that is happening, and yet He has nothing to do with anything. He is independent in every respect. Mahārāja Parīkṣit desired to know more perfectly, for a pure devotee ought to know well.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.23
yathātma-tantro bhagavān vikrīḍaty ātma-māyayā |
visṛjya vā yathā māyām udāste sākṣivad vibhuḥ ||
Describe how the supremely independent Kṛṣṇa carries out pastimes using his yoga-māyā potency, and after creating special pastimes of disappearance, remains indifferent to them, like a superficial witness.
Describe how the Lord carries out pastimes of creation, having given up the universe at the time of destruction. Or describe how independent (ātma-tantraḥ) Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, the source of all avatāras, performs pastimes starting with killing Pūtanā using his yoga-māyā potency. His supreme position is shown when Mahā-viṣṇu steals the sons of the brāhmaṇa in order to see Kṛṣṇa. And describe how, after creating special pastimes of disappearance (visṛjya), he remains indifferent to them, making pretence of being a witness only to those pastimes.
TEXT - SB 2.8.24
sarvam etac ca bhagavan
pṛcchato me 'nupūrvaśaḥ
tattvato 'rhasy udāhartuṁ
prapannāya mahā-mune
SYNONYMS
sarvam—all these; etat—inquiries; ca—also that I have not been able to ask; bhagavan—O great sage; pṛcchataḥ—of the inquisitive; me—myself; anupūrvaśaḥ—from the beginning; tattvataḥ—just in accordance with the truth; arhasi—may kindly be explained; udāhartum—as you will let know; prapannāya—one who is surrounded; mahā-mune—O great sage.
TRANSLATION
O great sage, representative of the Lord, kindly satisfy my inquisitiveness in all that I have inquired from you and all that I may not have inquired from you from the very beginning of my questionings. Since I am a soul surrendered unto you, please impart full knowledge in this connection.
PURPORT
The spiritual master is always prepared to impart knowledge to the disciple and specifically when the disciple is very inquisitive. inquisitiveness on the part of a disciple is greatly necessary for the progressive disciple. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is a typical disciple because he is perfectly inquisitive. If one is not very inquisitive about self-realization, one need not approach a spiritual master simply to make a show of discipleship. Not only is Mahārāja Parīkṣit inquisitive concerning all he has inquired about, but he is also anxious to know about what he has not been able to inquire. Factually it is not possible for a man to inquire about everything from the spiritual master, but the bona fide spiritual master is able to enlighten the disciple in every way for the disciple's benefit.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.24
sarvam etac ca bhagavan pṛcchato me ’nupūrvaśaḥ |
tattvato ’rhasy udāhartuṁ prapannāya mahā-mune ||
O great sage! O lord! You should truthfully declare all of this and even what I have not asked in sequence to me, who have asked, as a soul surrendered to you.
The word ca indicates what was not asked.
TEXT - SB 2.8.25
atra pramāṇaṁ hi bhavān
parameṣṭhī yathātma-bhūḥ
apare cānutiṣṭhanti
pūrveṣāṁ pūrva-jaiḥ kṛtam
SYNONYMS
atra—in this matter; pramāṇam—evidential facts; hi—certainly; bhavān—yourself; parameṣṭhī—Brahmā, the creator of the universe; yathā—as; ātma-bhūḥ—born directly from the Lord; apare—others; ca—only; anutiṣṭhanti—just to follow; pūrveṣām—as a matter of custom; pūrva-jaiḥ—knowledge suggested by a previous philosopher; kṛtam—having been done.
TRANSLATION
O great sage, you are as good as Brahmā, the original living being. Others follow custom only, as followed by the previous philosophical speculators.
PURPORT
It may be argued that Śukadeva Gosvāmī is not the only authority of perfect knowledge in transcendence because there are many other sages and their followers. Contemporary to Vyāsadeva or even prior to him there were many other great sages, such as Gautama, Kaṇāda, Jaimini, Kapila and Aṣṭāvakra, and all of them have presented a philosophical path by themselves. Patañjali is also one of them, and all these six great ṛṣis have their own way of thinking, exactly like the modern philosophers and mental speculators. The difference between the six philosophical paths put forward by the renowned sages above mentioned and that of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, as presented in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is that all the six sages mentioned above speak the facts according to their own thinking, but Śukadeva Gosvāmī presents the knowledge which comes down directly from Brahmājī, who is known as ātma-bhūḥ, or born of and educated by the Almighty Personality of Godhead.
Vedic transcendental knowledge descends directly from the Personality of Godhead. By His mercy, Brahmā, the first living being in the universe, was enlightened, and from Brahmājī, Nārada was enlightened, and from Nārada, Vyāsa was enlightened. Śukadeva Gosvāmī received such transcendental knowledge directly from his father, Vyāsadeva. Thus the knowledge, being received from the chain of disciplic succession, is perfect. One cannot be a spiritual master in perfection unless and until one has received the same by disciplic succession. That is the secret of receiving transcendental knowledge. The six great sages mentioned above may be great thinkers, but their knowledge by mental speculation is not perfect. However perfect an empiric philosopher may be in presenting a philosophical thesis, such knowledge is never perfect because it is produced by an imperfect mind. Such great sages also have their disciplic successions, but they are not authorized because such knowledge does not come directly from the independent Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. No one can be independent except Nārāyaṇa; therefore no one's knowledge can be perfect, for everyone's knowledge is dependent on the flickering mind. Mind is material and thus knowledge presented by material speculators is never transcendental and can never become perfect. Mundane philosophers, being imperfect in themselves, disagree with other philosophers because a mundane philosopher is not a philosopher at all unless he presents his own theory. Intelligent persons like Mahārāja Parīkṣit do not recognize such mental speculators, however great they may be, but hear from the authorities like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who is nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the paramparā system, as is specially stressed in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.25
atra pramāṇaṁ hi bhavān parameṣṭhī yathātma-bhūḥ |
apare cānutiṣṭhanti pūrveṣāṁ pūrva-jaiḥ kṛtam ||
Among all sages, you are the authority like Brahmā, while others among the previous sages perform actions in accordance to what was done by previous knowers.
“Previously you have understood all of this from other great sages directly. Why do you ask me again?” Among all the sages (atra), definitely (hi), you are authoritative. Though I know these subjects, I ask out of longing for the answers coming from your lotus mouth. You are like Brahmā, who by the mercy of the Lord became knowledgeable of the meaning of the self-evident Vedas. Others undertake action after studying and studying it, and seeing what was done by previous knowers.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.25||
atra pramāṇaṃ hi bhavān parameṣṭhī yathātma-bhūḥ | apare cānutiṣṭhanti pūrveṣāṃ pūrva-jaiḥ kṛtam ||
TRANSLATION Among all sages, you are the authority like Brahmā, while others among the previous sages perform actions in accordance to what was done by previous knowers.
Brahmā arose from Nārāyaṇa and received knowledge from him. Thus he is an authority. “But I just received knowledge in the guru parampara.” But others do what others did previously.
TEXT - SB 2.8.26
na me 'savaḥ parāyanti
brahmann anaśanād amī
pibato 'cyuta-pīyūṣam
tad vākyābdhi-viniḥsṛtam
SYNONYMS
na—never; me—mine; asavaḥ—life; parāyanti—becomes exhausted; brahman—O learned brāhmaṇa; anaśanāt amī—because of fasting; pibataḥ—because of my drinking; acyuta—of the infallible; pīyūṣam—nectar; tat—your; vākya-abdhi—ocean of speech; viniḥsṛtam—flowing down from.
TRANSLATION
O learned brāhmaṇa, because of my drinking the nectar of the message of the infallible Personality of Godhead, which is flowing down from the ocean of your speeches, I do not feel any sort of exhaustion due to my fasting.
PURPORT
The disciplic succession from Brahmā, Nārada, Vyāsa and Śukadeva Gosvāmī is particularly different from others. The disciplic successions from other sages are simply a waste of time, being devoid of acyuta-kathā, or the message of the infallible Lord. The mental speculators can present their theories very nicely by reason and arguments, but such reasons and arguments are not infallible, for they are defeated by better mental speculators. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was not interested in the dry speculation of the flickering mind, but he was interested in the topics of the Lord because factually he felt that by hearing such a nectarean message from the mouth of Śukadeva Gosvāmī he was not feeling any exhaustion, even though he was fasting because of his imminent death.
One can indulge in hearing the mental speculators, but such hearing cannot endure for any length of time. One will be exhausted very soon from hearing such hackneyed ways of thinking, and no one in the world can be satisfied simply by hearing such useless speculations. The message of the Lord, especially from a personality like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, can never be tiring, even though one may be exhausted from other causes.
In some editions of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the text of the last line of this verse reads anyatra kupitād dvijāt, which means that the King might be overwhelmed by the thought of his imminent death by snakebite. The snake is also twice-born, and its anger is compared to the cursing brāhmaṇa boy who was without good intelligence. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was not at all afraid of death, for he was fully encouraged by the message of the Lord. One who is fully absorbed in acyuta-kathā can never be afraid of anything in this world.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.26
na[170] me ’savaḥ parāyanti brahmann anaśanād amī[171] |
pibato ’cyuta-pīyūṣam anyatra kupitād dvijāt ||
O brāhmaṇa! My life airs are not disturbed from fasting since I am drinking the nectar of Kṛṣṇa. I will be disturbed by the brāhmaṇa’s death curse in seven days. Therefore quickly tell me Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes.
In this endeavor you should not worry about my difficulties. My life airs are not disturbed from fasting (na parāyanti). What is the reason? I drink the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. The angry brāhmaṇa will come in seven days in the form of Takṣaka, and due to that, my life airs will be disturbed (my life will end). Then I will not be able to drink the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Therefore do not delay in telling about Kṛṣṇa.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.26||
na me ’savaḥ parāyanti brahmann anaśanād amī | pibato ’cyuta-pīyūṣam anyatra kupitād dvijāt ||
TRANSLATION O brāhmaṇa! My life airs are not disturbed from fasting orr the brāhmaṇa’s death curse since I am drinking the nectar of Kṛṣṇa.
Though other topics have been asked, do not speak anything except topics of Kṛṣṇa. My life airs do not leave from fasting and the curse of the brāhmaṇa. This is because I am drinking nectar of the Lord. At any other place or time, my life airs would leave.
TEXT - SB 2.8.27
sūta uvāca
sa upāmantrito rājñā
kathāyām iti sat-pateḥ
brahmarāto bhṛśaṁ prīto
viṣṇurātena saṁsadi
SYNONYMS
sūtaḥ uvāca—Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī said; saḥ—he (Śukadeva Gosvāmī); upāmantritaḥ—thus being inquired; rājñā—by the King; kathāyām—in the topics; iti—thus; sat-pateḥ—of the highest truth; brahma-rātaḥ—Śukadeva Gosvāmī; bhṛśam—very much; prītaḥ—pleased; viṣṇu-rātena—by Mahārāja Parīkṣit; saṁsadi—in the meeting.
TRANSLATION
Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thus Śukadeva Gosvāmī, being invited by Mahārāja Parīkṣit to speak on topics of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa with the devotees, was very much pleased.
PURPORT
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can be legitimately discussed only among the devotees of the Lord. As the Bhagavad-gītā was authoritatively discussed between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna (the Lord and the devotee respectively), similarly Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the postgraduate study of the Bhagavad-gītā, can also be discussed between the scholars and devotees like Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Otherwise the real taste of the nectar cannot be relished. Śukadeva Gosvāmī was pleased with Mahārāja Parīkṣit because he was not at all tired of hearing the topics of the Lord and was more and more anxious to hear them on and on with interest. Foolish interpreters unnecessarily tackle the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when they have no access to the subject matter. There is no use in nondevotees' meddling with the two topmost Vedic literatures, and therefore Śaṅkarācārya did not touch Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for commentation. In his commentation on the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but later on he commented from the impersonalist's view. But, being conscious of his position, he did not comment on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was protected by Lord Kṛṣṇa (vide Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa), and therefore he is known as Brahmarāta, and Śrīmān Parīkṣit Mahārāja was protected by Viṣṇu, and thus he is known as Viṣṇurāta. As devotees of the Lord, they are always protected by the Lord. It is clear also in this connection that a Viṣṇurāta should hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Brahmarāta and no one else because others misrepresent the transcendental knowledge and thus spoil one's valuable time.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.27
sūta uvāca—
sa upāmantrito rājñā kathāyām iti sat-pateḥ |
brahmarāto[172] bhṛśaṁ prīto viṣṇurātena saṁsadi ||
Sūta said: Being requested by the King in the assembly about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, Śukadeva was greatly pleased.
Sat-pateḥ means Kṛṣṇa. Brahma-rataḥ refers to Śukadeva. Sūta here testifies that the Kṛṣṇa is being discussed in the questions and answers.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.27||
sūta uvāca— sa upāmantrito rājnā kathāyām iti sat-pateḥ | brahmarāto bhṛśaṃ prīto viṣṇurātena saṃsadi ||
TRANSLATION Sūta said: Being requested by the King in the assembly about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, Śukadeva was greatly pleased.
Brahma-rātaḥ (Śukadeva) means he who was given by Kṛṣṇa. The story is told in Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa.
TEXT - SB 2.8.28
prāha bhāgavataṁ nāma
purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam
brahmaṇe bhagavat-proktaṁ
brahma-kalpa upāgate
SYNONYMS
prāha—he said; bhāgavatam—the science of the Personality of Godhead; nāma—of the name; purāṇam—the supplement of the Vedas; brahma-sammitam—just in pursuance of the Vedas; brahmaṇe—unto Lord Brahmā; bhagavat-proktam—was spoken by the Personality of Godhead; brahma-kalpe—the millennium in which Brahmā was first generated; upāgate—just in the beginning.
TRANSLATION
He began to reply to the inquiries of Mahārāja Parīkṣit by saying that the science of the Personality of Godhead was spoken first by the Lord Himself to Brahmā when he was first born. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the supplementary Vedic literature, and it is just in pursuance of the Vedas.
PURPORT
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the science of the Personality of Godhead. The impersonalist always tries to misrepresent the personal feature of the Lord, not knowing the science of this great knowledge, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is in pursuance of the Vedas and scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. To learn this science one should take shelter of the representative of Śrī Śukadeva and follow in the footsteps of Mahārāja Parīkṣit without foolishly attempting to interpret, thereby committing a great offense at the feet of the Lord. The dangerous ways of interpretations by the nondevotee class of men have played havoc in understanding the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the careful student should be always alert in this matter if he at all wants to learn the science of Godhead.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.28
prāha bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam |
brahmaṇe bhagavat-proktaṁ brahma-kalpa upāgate ||
He spoke the scripture called Bhāgavatam, the essence of the Vedas, which was spoken by the Lord to Brahmā in the first kalpa.
Śukadeva then commenced to give the answers by reciting the Bhāgavatam. Brahma-kalpe means in the first day of Brahmā.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.28||
prāha bhāgavataṃ nāma purāṇaṃ brahma-sammitam | brahmaṇe bhagavat-proktaṃ brahma-kalpa upāgate ||
TRANSLATION He spoke the scripture called Bhāgavatam, the essence of the Vedas, which was spoken by the Lord to Brahmā in the first kalpa.
Brahma-kalpa was the birth kalpa of Brahmā. In that kalpa Brahmā received the Bhāgavatam in summary from the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.8.29
yad yat parīkṣid ṛṣabhaḥ
pāṇḍūnām anupṛcchati
ānupūrvyeṇa tat sarvam
ākhyātum upacakrame
SYNONYMS
yat yat—whatsoever; parīkṣit—the King; ṛṣabhaḥ—the best; pāṇḍūnām—in the dynasty of Pāṇḍu; anupṛcchati—goes on inquiring; ānupūrvyeṇa—the beginning to the end; tat—all those; sarvam—fully; ākhyātum—to describe; upacakrame—he just prepared himself.
TRANSLATION
He also prepared himself to reply to all that King Parīkṣit had inquired from him. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was the best in the dynasty of the Pāṇḍus, and thus he was able to ask the right questions from the right person.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked many questions, some of them very curiously, to know things as they are, but it is not necessary for the master to answer them in the order of the disciple's inquiries, one after the other. But Śukadeva Gosvāmī, experienced teacher that he was, answered all the questions in a systematic way as they were received from the chain of disciplic succession. And he answered all of them without exception.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.8.29
yad yat parīkṣid ṛṣabhaḥ pāṇḍūnām anupṛcchati |
ānupūrvyeṇa tat sarvam ākhyātum upacakrame ||
Śukadeva began to explain according to topic all that Parīkṣit, the best of the Pāṇḍavas, has asked.
The sequence is according to topic, not according to the order of the questions.
Jiva's tika ||2.8.29||
yad yat parīkṣid ṛṣabhaḥ pāṇḍūnām anupṛcchati | ānupūrvyeṇa tat sarvam ākhyātum upacakrame ||
TRANSLATION Śukadeva began to explain according to topic all that Parīkṣit, the best of the Pāṇḍavas, has asked.
He recited according to the order of the topics, not the order of the questions.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Eighth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Questions by King Parīkṣit."
9. Answers by Citing the Lord's Version
verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46
TEXT - SB 2.9.1
śrī-śuka uvāca
ātma-māyām ṛte rājan
parasyānubhavātmanaḥ
na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ
svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ātma—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; māyām—energy; ṛte—without; rājan—O King; parasya—of the pure soul; anubhava-ātmanaḥ—of the purely conscious; na—never; ghaṭeta—it can so happen; artha—meaning; sambandhaḥ—relation with the material body; svapna—dream; draṣṭuḥ—of the seer; iva—like; añjasā—completely.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, unless one is influenced by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no meaning to the relationship of the pure soul in pure consciousness with the material body. That relationship is just like a dreamer's seeing his own body working.
PURPORT
Mahārāja Parīkṣit's question as to how a living entity began his material life, although he is apart from the material body and mind, is perfectly answered. The spirit soul is distinct from the material conception of his life, but he is absorbed in such a material conception because of being influenced by the external energy of the Lord, called ātma-māyā. This has already been explained in the First Canto in connection with Vyāsadeva's realization of the Supreme Lord and His external energy. The external energy is controlled by the Lord, and the living entities are controlled by the external energy—by the will of the Lord. Therefore, although the living entity is purely conscious in his pure state, he is subordinate to the will of the Lord in being influenced by the external energy of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) also the same thing is confirmed; the Lord is present within the heart of every living entity, and all the living entity's consciousness and forgetfulness are influenced by the Lord.
Now the next question automatically made will be why the Lord influences the living entity to such consciousness and forgetfulness. The answer is that the Lord clearly wishes that every living entity be in his pure consciousness as a part and parcel of the Lord and thus be engaged in the loving service of the Lord as he is constitutionally made; but because the living entity is partially independent also, he may not be willing to serve the Lord, but may try to become as independent as the Lord is. All the nondevotee living entities are desirous of becoming equally as powerful as the Lord, although they are not fit to become so. The living entities are illusioned by the will of the Lord because they wanted to become like Him. Like a person who thinks of becoming a king without possessing the necessary qualification, when the living entity desires to become the Lord Himself, he is put in a condition of dreaming that he is a king. Therefore the first sinful will of the living entity is to become the Lord, and the consequent will of the Lord is that the living entity forget his factual life and thus dream of the land of utopia where he may become one like the Lord. The child cries to have the moon from the mother, and the mother gives the child a mirror to satisfy the crying and disturbing child with the reflection of the moon. Similarly, the crying child of the Lord is given over to the reflection, the material world, to lord it over as karmī and to give this up in frustration to become one with the Lord. Both these stages are dreaming illusions only. There is no necessity of tracing out the history of when the living entity desired this. But the fact is that as soon as he desired it, he was put under the control of ātma-māyā by the direction of the Lord. Therefore the living entity in his material condition is dreaming falsely that this is "mine" and this is "I." The dream is that the conditioned soul thinks of his material body as "I" or falsely thinks that he is the Lord and that everything in connection with that material body is "mine." Thus only in dream does the misconception of "I" and "mine" persist life after life. This continues life after life, as long as the living entity is not purely conscious of his identity as the subordinate part and parcel of the Lord.
In his pure consciousness, however, there is no such misconceived dream, and in that pure conscious state the living entity does not forget that he is never the Lord, but that he is eternally the servitor of the Lord in transcendental love.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.1
śrī-śuka uvāca
ātma-māyām ṛte rājan parasyānubhavātmanaḥ |
na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ svapna-draṣṭur ivāñjasā ||
Śukadeva said: A relationship of the jīva with his body and senses does not actually take place through avidyā-śakti of the Lord, because the jīva is superior to matter, being full of knowledge. He is like the dreamer seeing his dream body.
In the Ninth Chapter the first and second questions are answered and the four basic verses of Bhāgavatam are spoken. Verse 2.8.7 asked whether the jīva’s relation to the body is with or without cause. This verse answers. A relationship of the jīva with the body and senses (artha) does not actually occur through the beginningless avidyā-śakti (māyā) of the Lord (ātma), just as there is no relation of the dreamer with his dream body except through ignorance, because the jīva is superior (parasya) to the body, being composed of knowledge (anubhavātmanaḥ). The relationship occurs by the inconceivable energy of the Lord which is expert at doing the impossible.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.1||
śrī-śuka uvāca ātma-māyām ṛte rājan parasyānubhavātmanaḥ |
na ghaṭetārtha-sambandhaḥ svapna-draṣṭur ivānjasā ||
TRANSLATION Śukadeva said: A relationship of the jīva with his body and senses does not actually take place except through the Lord’s māyā, because the jīva is superior to matter, being full of knowledge. He is like the dreamer seeing his dream body.
yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṃ tri-guṇātmakam | paro ’pi manute ’narthaṃ tat-kṛtaṃ cābhipadyate ||
Bewildered by that māyā, the jīva, though separate from the three guṇas, considers himself made of the three guṇas and takes on material existence created by the guṇas. (SB 1.7.5)
According to such verse the jīva is in illusion. But the jīva is conscious by his own śakti. The conclusion is now given. There is no relationship with māyā (artha) with the jīva in his pure state, just as there is no relationship between the dream and the seer.
TEXT - SB 2.9.2
bahu-rūpa ivābhāti
māyayā bahu-rūpayā
ramamāṇo guṇeṣv asyā
mamāham iti manyate
SYNONYMS
bahu-rūpaḥ—multiforms; iva—as it were; ābhāti—manifested; māyayā—by the influence of the exterior energy; bahu-rūpayā—in multifarious forms; ramamāṇaḥ—enjoying as it were; guṇeṣu—in the modes of different qualities; asyāḥ—of the external energy; mama—mine; aham—I; iti—thus; manyate—thinks.
TRANSLATION
The illusioned living entity appears in so many forms offered by the external energy of the Lord. While enjoying in the modes of material nature, the encaged living entity misconceives, thinking in terms of "I" and "mine."
PURPORT
The different forms of the living entities are different dresses offered by the illusory, external energy of the Lord according to the modes of nature the living being desires to enjoy. The external, material energy is represented by her three modes, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. So even in the material nature there is a chance of an independent choice by the living entity, and according to his choice the material energy offers him different varieties of material bodies. There are bodies, 1,100,000 worms and reptiles, 1,000,000 forms of birds, together there are 8,400,000 varieties of bodies in different planets of the universe, and the living entity is traveling by so many transmigrations according to different modes of enjoying spirit within himself. Even in one particular body the living entity changes from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youth, from youth to old age and from old age to another body created by his own action. The living entity creates his own body by his personal desires, and the external energy of the Lord supplies him the exact form by which he can enjoy his desires to the fullest extent. The tiger wanted to enjoy the blood of another animal, and therefore, by the grace of the Lord, the material energy supplied him the body of the tiger with facilities for enjoying blood from another animal. Similarly, a living entity desiring to get the body of a demigod in a higher planet can also get it by the grace of the Lord. And if he is intelligent enough, he can desire to get a spiritual body to enjoy the company of the Lord, and he will get it. So the minute freedom of the living entity can be fully utilized, and the Lord is so kind that He will award the living entity the same type of body he desires. The living entity's desiring is like dreaming of a golden mountain. A person knows what a mountain is, and he knows also what gold is. Out of his desire only, he dreams of a golden mountain, and when the dream is over he sees something else in his presence. He finds in his awakened state that there is neither gold nor a mountain, and what to speak of a golden mountain.
The different positions of the living entities in the material world under multifarious manifestations of bodies are due to the misconception of "mine" and "I." The karmī thinks of this world as "mine," and the jñānī thinks "I am" everything. The whole material conception of politics, sociology, philanthropy, altruism, etc., conceived by the conditioned souls is on the basis of this misconceived "I" and "mine," which are products of a strong desire to enjoy material life. Identification with the body and the place where the body is obtained under different conceptions of socialism, nationalism, family affection, and so on and so forth is all due to forgetfulness of the real nature of the living entity, and the whole misconception of the bewildered living entity can be removed by the association of Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, as all this is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.2
bahu-rūpa ivābhāti māyayā bahu-rūpayā |
ramamāṇo guṇeṣv asyā mamāham iti manyate ||
The jīva appears to be of many different forms through māyā because of the variety of dispositions of the jīva. The jīva, enjoying the guṇas,thinks in terms of “me” and “mine.”
What happens to the jīva when he has a relationship with the body through unexpected association with māyā? The jīva appears to have many forms, such as infant, adolescent, devatā or human bodies. This is not actually the fact, because the jīva is a spiritual particle. The many forms occur because of the many dispositions of the jīva. It is said yā yā kṣetrajña-śaktiḥ sā tāratamyena vartate: the jīvas exist with differences.
TEXT - SB 2.9.3
yarhi vāva mahimni sve
parasmin kāla-māyayoḥ
rameta gata-sammohas
tyaktvodāste tadobhayam
SYNONYMS
yarhi—at any time; vāva—certainly; mahimni—in the glory; sve—of himself; parasmin—in the Supreme; kāla—time; māyayoḥ—of the material energy; rameta—enjoys; gata-sammohaḥ—being freed from the misconception; tyaktvā—giving up; udāste—in fullness; tadā—then; ubhayam—both (the misconceptions of I and mine).
TRANSLATION
As soon as the living entity becomes situated in his constitutional glory and begins to enjoy the transcendence beyond time and material energy, he at once gives up the two misconceptions of life [I and mine] and thus becomes fully manifested as the pure self.
PURPORT
The two misconceptions of life, namely "I" and "mine," are verily manifested in two classes of men. In the lower state the conception of "mine" is very prominent, and in the higher state the misconception of "I" is prominent. In the animal state of life the misconception of "mine" is perceivable even in the category of cats and dogs, who fight with one another with the same misconception of "mine." In the lower stage of human life the same misconception is also prominent in the shape of "It is my body," "It is my house," "It is my family," "It is my caste," "It is my nation," "It is my country," and so on. And in the higher stage of speculative knowledge, the same misconception of "mine" is transformed into "I am," or "It is all I am," etc. There are many classes of men comprehending the same misconception of "I" and "mine', in different colors. But the real significance of "I" can be realized only when one is situated in the consciousness of "I am the eternal servitor of the Lord." This is pure consciousness, and the whole Vedic literatures teach us this conception of life.
The misconception of "I am the Lord," or "I am the Supreme," is more dangerous than the misconception of "mine." Although there are sometimes directions in the Vedic literatures to think oneself one with the Lord, that does not mean that one becomes identical with the Lord in every respect. Undoubtedly there is oneness of the living entity with the Lord in many respects, but ultimately the living entity is subordinate to the Lord, and he is constitutionally meant for satisfying the senses of the Lord. The Lord therefore asks the conditioned souls to surrender unto Him. Had the living entities not been subordinate to the supreme will, why would the living entity be asked to surrender? Had the living being been equal in all respects, then why was he put under the influence of māyā? We have already discussed many times that the material energy is controlled by the Lord. The Bhagavad-gītā (9.10) confirms this controlling power of the Lord over the material nature. Can a living entity who claims to be as good as the Supreme Being control the material nature? The foolish "I" would reply that he will do so in the future. Even accepting that in the future one will be as good a controller of material nature as the Supreme Being, then why is one now under the control of material nature? The Bhagavad-gītā says that one can be freed from the control of the material nature by surrendering unto the Supreme Lord, but if there is no surrender, then the living entity will never be able to control the material nature. So one must also give up this misconception of "I" by practicing the way of devotional service or firmly being situated in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. A poor man without any employment or occupation may undergo so many troubles in life, but if by chance the same man gets a good service under the government, he at once becomes happy. There is no profit in denying the supremacy of the Lord, who is the controller of all energies, but one should be constitutionally situated in one's own glory, namely to be situated in the pure consciousness of being the eternal servitor of the Lord. In his conditional life the living entity is servant of the illusory māyā, and in his liberated state he is the pure, unqualified servant of the Lord. To become untinged by the modes of material nature is the qualification for entering into the service of the Lord. As long as one is a servant of mental concoctions, one cannot be completely free from the disease of "I" and "mine."
The Supreme Truth is uncontaminated by the illusory energy because He is the controller of that energy. The relative truths are apt to be engrossed in illusory energy. The best purpose is served, however, when one is directly facing the Supreme Truth, as when one faces the sun. The sun overhead in the sky is full of light, but when the sun is not in the visible sky, all is in darkness. Similarly, when one is face to face with the Supreme Lord, he is freed from all illusions, and one who is not so is in the darkness of illusory māyā. The Bhagavad-gītā (14.26) confirms this as follows:
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
So the science of bhakti-yoga, of worshiping the Lord, glorifying the Lord, hearing the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the right sources (not from the professional man but from a person who is Bhāgavatam in life) and being always in the association of pure devotees, should be adopted in earnestness. One should not be misled by misconceptions of "I" and "mine." The karmīs are fond of the conception of "mine," the jñānīs are fond of the conception of "I," and both of them are unqualified to be free from the bondage of the illusory energy. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and, primarily, the Bhagavad-gītā are both meant for delivering a person from the misconception of "I" and "mine," and Śrīla Vyāsadeva transcribed them for the deliverance of the fallen souls. The living entity has to be situated in the transcendental position where there is no more influence of time nor of the material energy. In conditioned life the living entity is subjected to the influence of time in the dream of past, present and future. The mental speculator tries to conquer the influence of time by future speculations of becoming Vāsudeva or the Supreme Lord himself by means of culturing knowledge and conquering over ego. But the process is not perfect. The perfect process is to accept Lord Vāsudeva as the Supreme in everything, and the best perfection in culturing knowledge is to surrender unto Him because He is the source of everything. Only in that conception can one get rid of the misconception of I and mine. Both Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam confirm it. Śrīla Vyāsadeva has specifically contributed to the illusioned living entities the science of God and the process of bhakti-yoga in his great literature Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the conditioned soul should fully take advantage of this great science.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.3
yarhi vāva mahimni sve parasmin kāla-māyayoḥ |
rameta gata-sammohas tyaktvodāste tadobhayam ||
Certainly when the jīva becomes attached to the great Lord who is different from time and māyā, having given up both time and māyā, free of illusion, he remains detached.
Just as the jīva endures countless births through the unexpected influence of māyā, by the unexpected influence of bhakti, by the appearance of prema, the jīva terminates those countless births. Vāva means certainly. Certainly the jīva should enjoy in his glory different from time and māyā, having given up the enjoyment of body, the shelter of me and mine, and replaced that with the real shelter of possessiveness, the Lord. Mahimni means “having a great form,” because of possessing the greatest qualities. The Lord is devoid of the transformations created by time and the elements such as mahat-tattva created by māyā (kāla-māyayoḥ parasmin). The jīva should become attached to (rameta) that form. In other statements (SB 1.11.6, 2.9.10) as well, these qualities are also understood to be possessed by his dhāma and followers. Attainment of bhakti is called unexpected in order to show that bhakti is necessary for the deliverance of the jīva enjoying in the material world. Having given up changes created by time and bodies created by māyā (ubhayam), he remains unattached (udāste). It is said:
yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam |
paro ’pi manute ’narthaṁ tat-kṛtaṁ cābhipadyate ||
anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje |
lokasyājanato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām ||
Bewildered by that māyā, the jīva, though separate from the three guṇas, considers himself made of the three guṇas and takes on material existence created by the guṇas.
And Vyāsa saw bhakti-yoga to the Lord which effectively destroys jīva's saṁsāra. Learned Vyāsa then wrote the Bhāgavatam for ignorant people. SB 1.7.5-6
Jiva's tika ||2.9.3||
yarhi vāva mahimni sve parasmin kāla-māyayoḥ | rameta gata-sammohas tyaktvodāste tadobhayam ||
TRANSLATION Certainly when the jīva becomes attached to the great Lord who is different from time and māyā, having given up both time and māyā, free of illusion, he remains detached.
The jīva should become attached to the cause of glory (sve mahimni), who is the shelter of all, different from (parasmin) time and māyā. Gītā says:
mām eva ye prapadyante māyāmetāṃ taranti te
Those who surrender to me cross over māyā. (BG 7.14)
evaṃ manaḥ karma-vaśaṃ prayunkte avidyayātmany upadhīyamāne prītir na yāvan mayi vāsudeve na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat
Thus, karmas make the mind fixed upon further action. Since the jīva is engaged
in action by ignorance, having accepted a subtle body, as long as he does not have devotion for me, Vāsudeva, he will not be liberated from the body. (SB 5.5.6)
He remains detached from both māyā and forms like the body (ubhayam).
TEXT - SB 2.9.4
ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-arthaṁ
yad āha bhagavān ṛtam
brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam
avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ
SYNONYMS
ātma-tattva—the science of God or that of the living entity; viśuddhi—purification; artham—goal; yat—that which; āha—said; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; ṛtam—in reality; brahmaṇe—unto Lord Brahmā; darśayan—by showing; rūpam—eternal form; avyalīka—without any deceptive motive; vrata—vow; ādṛtaḥ—worshiped.
TRANSLATION
O King, the Personality of Godhead, being very much pleased with Lord Brahmā because of his nondeceptive penance in bhakti-yoga, presented His eternal and transcendental form before Brahmā. And that is the objective goal for purifying the conditioned soul.
PURPORT
Ātma-tattva is the science of both God and the living entity. Both the Supreme Lord and the living entity are known as ātmā. The Supreme Lord is called Paramātmā, and the living entity is called the ātmā, the brahma or the jīva. Both the Paramātmā and the jīvātmā, being transcendental to the material energy, are called ātmā. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī explains this verse with the aim of purifying the truth of both the Paramātmā and the jīvātmā. Generally people have many wrong conceptions about both of them. The wrong conception of the jīvātmā is to identify the material body with the pure soul, and the wrong conception of Paramātmā is to think Him on an equal level with the living entity. But both misconceptions can be removed by one stroke of bhakti-yoga, just as in the sunlight both the sun and the world and everything within the sunlight are properly seen. In the darkness one cannot see the sun, nor himself, nor the world. But in the sunlight one can see the sun, himself and the world around him. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī therefore says that for purification of both wrong conceptions, the Lord presented His eternal form before Brahmājī, being fully satisfied by Brahmā's nondeceptive vow of discharging bhakti-yoga. Except for bhakti-yoga, any method for realization of ātma-tattva, or the science of ātmā, will prove deceptive in the long run.
In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that only by bhakti-yoga can one know Him perfectly, and then one can enter into the science of God. Brahmājī undertook great penance in performing bhakti-yoga, and thus he was able to see the transcendental form of the Lord. His transcendental form is one hundred percent spiritual, and one can see Him only by spiritualized vision after proper discharge of tapasya or penance, in pure bhakti-yoga. The form of the Lord manifested before Brahmā is not one of the forms with which we have experience in the material world. Brahmājī did not perform such severe types of penance just to see a form of material production. Therefore the question by Mahārāja Parīkṣit about the form of the Lord is answered. The form of the Lord is sac-cid-ānanda[Bs. 5.1], or eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. But the material form of the living being is neither eternal, nor full of knowledge, nor blissful. That is the distinction between the form of the Lord and that of the conditioned soul. The conditioned soul, however, can regain his form of eternal knowledge and bliss simply by seeing the Lord by means of bhakti-yoga.
The summary is that due to ignorance the conditioned soul is encaged in the temporary varieties of material forms. But the Supreme Lord has no such temporary form like the conditioned souls. He is always possessed of an eternal form of knowledge and bliss, and that is the difference between the Lord and the living entity. One can understand this difference by the process of bhakti-yoga. Brahmā was then told by the Lord the gist of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in four original verses. Thus Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not a creation of the mental speculators. The sound of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is transcendental, and the resonance of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is as good as that of the Vedas. Thus the topic of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the science of both the Lord and the living entity. Regular reading or hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also performance of bhakti-yoga, and one can attain the highest perfection simply by the association of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Both Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit attained perfection through the medium of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.4
ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-arthaṁ yad āha bhagavān ṛtam |
brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ ||
Worshipped by sincere devotion, revealing his true, spiritual form, the Lord spoke to Brahmā the four essential verses of Bhāgavatam in order to give knowledge about himself.
What is that which is beyond time and māyā to which one should be come attached? This verse answers. The Lord spoke for giving knowledge (viśuddhi) about his own nature (ātma-tattva). Or he spoke for the purification of the components like citta (tattva) of the jīva (ātma). Showing Brahmā his form which was true or spiritual (ṛtam), he spoke the four verses of Bhāgavatam. What is the cause? He was worshipped with sincere bhakti (avyalīka-vrata). The word yat does not relate with a correlative tat in a later verse. The meaning is expressed by Śrīdhara Svāmī.
jīvasyāvidayā āvidyaka-deha-sambandhaḥ |
īśvarasya tu yoga-māyayā cid-ghana-līlā-vigrahāvirbhāva iti mahān viśeṣa uktaḥ
The jīva is related with a body of ignorance by avidyā. By yoga-māyā of the Lord, the Lord’s form of knowledge and pastimes appeared. This great difference is expressed in this verse.
This answers the second question about the difference between the body of the Lord and the jīva (SB 2.8.8)
Jiva's tika ||2.9.4||
ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-arthaṃ yad āha bhagavān ṛtam | brahmaṇe darśayan rūpam avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Worshipped by sincere devotion, revealing his true, spiritual form, the Lord spoke to Brahmā the four essential verses of Bhāgavatam in order to give knowledge about himself.
Directly showing the form of the supreme Brahman, the truth, enjoying in his glory, the Lord spoke to Brahma. He taught the four verses, which he revealed by realized sound, in order define the true nature of the jīva (ātmā-tattva). By that he would be able to understand what is beyond the jīva. Or he taught the truth about himself Bhagavān (ātmā-tattva). The cause of such mercy is mentioned: the Lord had been worshipped with devotion (avyalīka-vratādṛtaḥ). The question concerning the form of the Lord is recalled.
TEXT - SB 2.9.5
sa ādi-devo jagatāṁ paro guruḥ
svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya sisṛkṣayaikṣata
tāṁ nādhyagacchad dṛśam atra sammatāṁ
prapañca-nirmāṇa-vidhir yayā bhavet
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he; ādi-devaḥ—the first demigod; jagatām—of the universe; paraḥ—supreme; guruḥ—spiritual master; svadhiṣṇyam—his lotus seat; āsthāya—to find the source of it; sisṛkṣayā—for the matter of creating the universal affairs; aikṣata—began to think; tām—in that matter; na—could not; adhyagacchat—understand; dṛśam—the direction; atra—therein; sammatām—just the proper way; prapañca—material; nirmāṇa—construction; vidhiḥ—process; yayā—as much as; bhavet—should be.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā, the first spiritual master, supreme in the universe, could not trace out the source of his lotus seat, and while thinking of creating the material world, he could not understand the proper direction for such creative work, nor could he find out the process for such creation.
PURPORT
This verse is the prelude for explaining the transcendental nature of the form and the abode of the Lord. In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it has already been said that the Supreme Absolute Truth exists in His own abode without any touch of the deluding energy. Therefore the kingdom of God is not a myth but factually a different and transcendental sphere of planets known as the Vaikuṇṭhas. This will also be explained in this chapter.
Such knowledge of the spiritual sky far above this material sky and its paraphernalia can be known only by dint of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. The power of creation by Lord Brahmā was also achieved by bhakti-yoga. Brahmājī was bewildered in the matter of creation, and he could not even trace out the source of his own existence. But all this knowledge was fully achieved by him through the medium of bhakti-yoga. By bhakti-yoga one can know the Lord, and by knowing the Lord as the Supreme, one is able to know everything else. One who knows the Supreme knows everything else. That is the version of all Vedas. Even the first spiritual master of the universe was enlightened by the grace of the Lord, so who else can attain perfect knowledge of everything without the mercy of the Lord? If anyone desires to seek perfect knowledge of everything, he must seek the mercy of the Lord, and there is no other means. To seek knowledge on the strength of one's personal attempt is a sheer waste of time.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.5
sa ādi-devo jagatāṁ paro guruḥ
svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya sisṛkṣayaikṣata|
tāṁ nādhyagacchad dṛśam atra sammatāṁ
prapañca-nirmāṇa-vidhir yayā bhavet ||
Not only the Lord’s form, but his planet and his devotees are also beyond time and māyā. To show this fact he begins to praise the Lord in four verses. Brahmā, the instructor about the secret teachings of bhakti (paro guruḥ), was situated on a lotus (svadhiṣnyam). Previously he was submerged in the water in order to find his residence. After, he became situated on the lotus. He considered (aikṣata) how to carry out the creation. He could not understand the knowledge (tām dṛṣam) in the matter of creation (atra), by which there would be a method of constructing the universe.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.5||
sa ādi-devo jagatāṃ paro guruḥ svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya sisṛkṣayaikṣata| tāṃ nādhyagacchad dṛśam atra sammatāṃ prapanca-nirmāṇa-vidhir yayā bhavet ||
TRANSLATION Brahmā, the original devatā, the instructor of bhakti for the world, situated on his lotus, considered how to carry out creation. He could not attain the knowledge by which the universe could be created.
How the Lord revealed himself is described in order to explain the instructions.
TEXT - SB 2.9.6
sa cintayan dvy-akṣaram ekadāmbhasy
upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṁ vaco vibhuḥ
sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṁśaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ nṛpa yad dhanaṁ viduḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—he; cintayan—while thus thinking; dvi—two; akṣaram—syllables; ekadā—once upon a time; ambhasi—in the water; upāśṛṇot—heard it nearby; dviḥ—twice; gaditam—uttered; vacaḥ—words; vibhuḥ—the great; sparśeṣu—in the sparśa letters; yat—which; ṣoḍaśam—the sixteenth; ekaviṁśam—and the twenty-first; niṣkiñcanānām—of the renounced order of life; nṛpa—O King; yat—what is; dhanam—wealth; viduḥ—as it is known.
TRANSLATION
While thus engaged in thinking, in the water, Brahmājī heard twice from nearby two syllables joined together. One of the syllables was taken from the sixteenth and the other from the twenty-first of the sparśa alphabets, and both joined to become the wealth of the renounced order of life.
PURPORT
In Sanskrit language, the consonant alphabets are divided into two divisions, namely the sparśa-varṇas and the tālavya-varṇas. From ka to ma the letters are known as the sparśa-varṇas, and the sixteenth of the group is called ta, whereas the twenty-first letter is called pa. So when they are joined together, the word tapa, or penance, is constructed. This penance is the beauty and wealth of the brāhmaṇas and the renounced order of life. According to Bhāgavata philosophy, every human being is meant simply for this tapa and for no other business, because by penance only can one realize his self; and self-realization, not sense gratification, is the business of human life. This tapa, or penance, was begun from the very beginning of the creation, and it was first adopted by the supreme spiritual master, Lord Brahmā. By tapasya only can one get the profit of human life, and not by a polished civilization of animal life. The animal does not know anything except sense gratification in the jurisdiction of eat, drink, be merry and enjoy. But the human being is made to undergo tapasya for going back to Godhead, back home.
When Lord Brahmā was perplexed about how to construct the material manifestations in the universe and went down within the water to find out the means and the source of his lotus seat, he heard the word tapa vibrated twice. Taking the path of tapa is the second birth of the desiring disciple. The word upāśṛṇot is very significant. It is similar to upanayana, or bringing the disciple nearer to the spiritual master for the path of tapa. So Brahmājī was thus initiated by Lord Kṛṣṇa, and this fact is corroborated by Brahmājī himself in his book the Brahma-saṁhitā. In the Brahma-saṁhitā Lord Brahmā has sung in every verse govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi . Thus Brahmā was initiated by the Kṛṣṇa mantra, by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, and thus he became a Vaiṣṇava, or a devotee of the Lord, before he was able to construct the huge universe. It is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā that Lord Brahmā was initiated into the eighteen-letter Kṛṣṇa mantra, which is generally accepted by all the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. We follow the same principle because we belong to the Brahmā sampradāya, directly in the disciplic chain from Brahmā to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsa, from Vyāsa to Madhva Muni, from Madhva Muni to Mādhavendra Purī, from Mādhavendra Purī to Īśvara Purī, from Īśvara Purī to Lord Caitanya and gradually to His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, our divine master.
One who is thus initiated in the disciplic succession is able to achieve the same result or power of creation. Chanting of this holy mantra is the only shelter of the desireless pure devotee of the Lord. Simply by such tapasya, or penance, the devotee of the Lord achieves all perfections like Lord Brahmā.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.6
sa cintayan dvy-akṣaram ekadāmbhasy
upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṁ vaco vibhuḥ |
sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṁśaṁ
niṣkiñcanānāṁ nṛpa yad dhanaṁ viduḥ ||
While contemplating how to carry out the creation, on one occasion he heard nearby (upāśṛṇot), in the water, a word of two syllables repeated twice (dvir gaditam). The word is explained indirectly just like the mantras. Sparṣa refers to the consonants from ka to ma in the Sanskrit alphabet. The sixteenth consonant is ta. The twenty-first is pa. This forms the word tapa. This is singular, second person imperative verb meaning “perform meditation or austerity.” This was spoken two times. This is called wealth (dhanam) because the brāhmaṇas are called a wealth of austerity.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.6||
sa cintayan dvy-akṣaram ekadāmbhasy upāśṛṇod dvir-gaditaṃ vaco vibhuḥ | sparśeṣu yat ṣoḍaśam ekaviṃśaṃ
niṣkincanānāṃ nṛpa yad dhanaṃ viduḥ ||
TRANSLATION While Brahmā was contemplating how to carry out the creation of the universe, he heard twice close by in the water a word of two syllables, tapa, composed of the sixteenth and twenty-first sounds of the alphabet, which is known as the wealth of the devotees with no material desire.
Teaching him the eight syllable Kṛṣṇa mantra, he instructed him that he would attain perfection by performing penance. This intention is shown in Brahmasaṃhitā. The wise know that this tapas in the form of worshiping the Lord is the wealth of the devotees having no material desires (niṣkinocanānām). Jiva's tika ||2.9.7|| niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ | svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya tad-dhitaṃ tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Hearing those words, he looked in all directions, desiring to see the speaker of those words, but could not see anything except himself. He again sat on the lotus and, considering the instruction to be beneficial, he concentrated his mind on meditation.
According to Sambandhokti, the word is vaktra (mouth) instead of vaktṛ (speaker). He wanted to see the mouth from whom the words emanated.
TEXT - SB 2.9.7
niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo
vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ
svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya tad-dhitaṁ
tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ
SYNONYMS
niśamya—after hearing; tat—that; vaktṛ—the speaker; didṛkṣayā—just to find out who spoke; diśaḥ—all sides; vilokya—seeing; tatra—there; anyat—any other; apaśyamānaḥ—not to be found; svadhiṣṇyam—on his lotus seat; āsthāya—sit down; vimṛśya—thinking; tat—it; hitam—welfare; tapasi—in penance; upādiṣṭaḥ—as he was instructed; iva—in pursuance of; ādadhe—gave; manaḥ—attention.
TRANSLATION
When he heard the sound, he tried to find the speaker, searching on all sides. But when he was unable to find anyone besides himself, he thought it wise to sit down on his lotus seat firmly and give his attention to the execution of penance, as he was instructed.
PURPORT
To achieve success in life, one should follow the example of Lord Brahmā, the first living creature in the beginning of creation. After being initiated by the Supreme Lord to execute tapasya, he was fixed in his determination to do it, and although he could not find anyone besides himself, he could rightly understand that the sound was transmitted by the Lord Himself. Brahmā was the only living being at that time because there was no other creation and none could be found there except himself. In the beginning of the First Canto, in the First Chapter, first verse, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it has already been mentioned that Brahmā was initiated by the Lord from within. The Lord is within every living entity as the Supersoul, and He initiated Brahmā because Brahmā was willing to receive the initiation. The Lord can similarly initiate everyone who is inclined to have it.
As already stated, Brahmā is the original spiritual master for the universe, and since he was initiated by the Lord Himself, the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is coming down by disciplic succession, and in order to receive the real message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam one should approach the current link, or spiritual master, in the chain of disciplic succession. After being initiated by the proper spiritual master in that chain of succession, one should engage himself in the discharge of tapasya in the execution of devotional service. One should not, however, think himself on the level of Brahmā to be initiated directly by the Lord from inside because in the present age no one can be accepted to be as pure as Brahmā. The post of Brahmā to officiate in the creation of the universe is offered to the most pure living being, and unless one is so qualified one cannot expect to be treated like Brahmājī directly. But one can have the same facility through unalloyed devotees of the Lord, through scriptural instructions (as revealed in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam especially), and also through the bona fide spiritual master available to the sincere soul. The Lord Himself appears as the spiritual master to a person who is sincere in heart about serving the Lord. Therefore the bona fide spiritual master who happens to meet the sincere devotee should be accepted as the most confidential and beloved representative of the Lord. If a person is posted under the guidance of such a bona fide spiritual master, it may be accepted without any doubt that the desiring person has achieved the grace of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.7
niśamya tad-vaktṛ-didṛkṣayā diśo
vilokya tatrānyad apaśyamānaḥ |
svadhiṣṇyam āsthāya vimṛśya tad-dhitaṁ
tapasy upādiṣṭa ivādadhe manaḥ ||
“Someone has clearly ordered me to perform austerity. It seems I am being directly ordered.” Considering that it was for his benefit he then concentrated his mind on meditation.
TEXT - SB 2.9.8
divyaṁ sahasrābdam amogha-darśano
jitānilātmā vijitobhayendriyaḥ
atapyata smākhila-loka-tāpanaṁ
tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ
SYNONYMS
divyam—pertaining to the demigods in the higher planets; sahasra—one thousand; abdam—years; amogha—spotless, without a tinge of impurity; darśanaḥ—one who has such a vision of life; jita—controlled; anila—life; ātmā—mind; vijita—controlled over; ubhaya—both; indriyaḥ—one who has such senses; atapyata—executed penance; sma—in the past; akhila—all; loka—planet; tāpanam—enlightening; tapaḥ—penance; tapīyān—extremely hard penance; tapatām—of all the executors of penances; samāhitaḥ—thus situated.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā underwent penances for one thousand years by the calculations of the demigods. He heard this transcendental vibration from the sky, and he accepted it as divine. Thus he controlled his mind and senses, and the penances he executed were a great lesson for the living entities. Thus he is known as the greatest of all ascetics.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā heard the occult sound tapa, but he did not see the person who vibrated the sound. And still he accepted the instruction as beneficial for him, and therefore he engaged himself in meditation for one thousand celestial years. One celestial year is equal to 6 x 30 x 12 x 1000 of our years. His acceptance of the sound was due to his pure vision of the absolute nature of the Lord. And due to his correct vision, he made no distinction between the Lord and the Lord's instruction. There is no difference between the Lord and sound vibration coming from Him, even though He is not personally present. The best way of understanding is to accept such divine instruction, and Brahmā, the prime spiritual master of everyone, is the living example of this process of receiving transcendental knowledge. The potency of transcendental sound is never minimized because the vibrator is apparently absent. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā or any revealed scripture in the world is never to be accepted as an ordinary mundane sound without transcendental potency.
One has to receive the transcendental sound from the right source, accept it as a reality and prosecute the direction without hesitation. The secret of success is to receive the sound from the right source of a bona fide spiritual master. Mundane manufactured sound has no potency, and as such, seemingly transcendental sound received from an unauthorized person also has no potency. One should be qualified enough to discern such transcendental potency, and either by discriminating or by fortunate chance if one is able to receive the transcendental sound from the bona fide spiritual master, his path of liberation is guaranteed. The disciple, however, must be ready to execute the order of the bona fide spiritual master as Lord Brahmā executed the instruction of his spiritual master, the Lord Himself. Following the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the only duty of the disciple, and this completely faithful execution of the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the secret of success.
Lord Brahmā controlled his two grades of senses by means of sense perception and sense organs because he had to engage such senses in the execution of the order of the Lord. Therefore controlling the senses means engaging them in the transcendental service of the Lord. The Lord's order descends in disciplic succession through the bona fide spiritual master, and thus execution of the order of the bona fide spiritual master is factual control of the senses. Such execution of penance in full faith and sincerity made Brahmājī so powerful that he became the creator of the universe. And because he was able to attain such power, he is called the best amongst all the tapasvīs.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.8
divyaṁ sahasrābdam amogha-darśano
jitānilātmā vijitobhayendriyaḥ |
atapyata smākhila-loka-tāpanaṁ
tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ ||
Brahmā, the best among the meditators, having fruitful vision, concentrating his mind, controlling his prāṇas, action senses and knowledge senses, performed meditation, which would manifest all the planets, for a thousand celestial years.
Akhila-loka-tāpanaṁ means “which manifests all the planets.” Tapīyāṁs tapatām means “the greatest meditator among all meditators.”
TEXT - SB 2.9.9
tasmai sva-lokaṁ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ
sandarśayām āsa paraṁ na yat-param
vyapeta-saṅkleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṁ
sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir puruṣair abhiṣṭutam
SYNONYMS
tasmai—unto him; sva-lokam—His own planet or abode; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; sabhājitaḥ—being pleased by the penance of Brahmā; sandarśayām āsa—manifested; param—the supreme; na—not; yat—of which; param—further supreme; vyapeta—completely given up; saṅkleśa—five kinds of material afflictions; vimoha—without illusion; sādhvasam—fear of material existence; sva-dṛṣṭa-vadbhiḥ—by those who have perfectly realized the self; puruṣaiḥ—by persons; abhiṣṭutam—worshiped by.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead, being thus very much satisfied with the penance of Lord Brahmā, was pleased to manifest His personal abode, Vaikuṇṭha, the supreme planet above all others. This transcendental abode of the Lord is adored by all self-realized persons freed from all kinds of miseries and fear of illusory existence.
PURPORT
The troubles of penance accepted by Lord Brahmā were certainly in the line of devotional service (bhakti). Otherwise there was no chance that Vaikuṇṭha or svalokam, the Lord's personal abodes, would become visible to Brahmājī. The personal abodes of the Lord, known as Vaikuṇṭhas, are neither mythical nor material, as conceived by the impersonalists. But realization of the transcendental abodes of the Lord is possible only through devotional service, and thus the devotees enter into such abodes. There is undoubtedly trouble in executing penance. But the trouble accepted in executing bhakti-yoga is transcendental happiness from the very beginning, whereas the trouble of penance in other processes of self-realization (jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, etc.), without any Vaikuṇṭha realization, ends in trouble only and nothing more. There is no profit in beating husks without grains. Similarly, there is no profit in executing troublesome penances other than bhakti-yoga for self-realization.
Executing bhakti-yoga is exactly like sitting on the lotus sprouted out of the abdomen of the transcendental Personality of Godhead, for Lord Brahmā was seated there. Brahmājī was able to please the Lord, and the Lord was also pleased to show Brahmājī His personal abode. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, in the comments of his Krama-sandarbha annotation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, cites quotations from the Garga Upaniṣad Vedic evidence. It is said that Yājñavalkya described the transcendental abode of the Lord to Gārgī, and that the abode of the Lord is situated above the highest planet of the universe, namely Brahmaloka. This abode of the Lord, although described in revealed scriptures like the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, remains only a myth for the less intelligent class of men with a poor fund of knowledge. Herein the word sva-dṛṣṭavadbhiḥ is very significant. One who has actually realized his self realizes the transcendental form of one's self. Impersonal realization of self and the Supreme is not complete, because it is just an opposite conception of material personalities. The Personality of Godhead and the personalities of devotees of the Lord are all transcendental; they do not have material bodies. The material body is overcast with five kinds of miserable conditions, namely ignorance, material conception, attachment, hatred and absorption. As long as one is overwhelmed by those five kinds of material miseries, there is no question of entering into the Vaikuṇṭhalokas. The impersonal conception of one's self is just the negation of material personality and is far from the positive existence of personal form. The personal forms of the transcendental abode will be explained in the following verses. Brahmājī also described the highest planet of the Vaikuṇṭhaloka as Goloka Vṛndāvana, where the Lord resides as a cowherd boy keeping transcendental surabhi cows and surrounded by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.29)
The statement of the Bhagavad-gītā, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama [Bg. 15.6], is also confirmed herewith. param means transcendental Brahman. Therefore, the abode of the Lord is also Brahman, nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is known as Vaikuṇṭha, and His abode is also known as Vaikuṇṭha. Such Vaikuṇṭha realization and worship can be made possible by transcendental form and sense.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.9
tasmai sva-lokaṁ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ[173]
sandarśayām āsa paraṁ na yat-param |
vyapeta-saṅkleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṁ
sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir[174] vibudhair[175] abhiṣṭutam[176] ||
The Lord, gratified by his worship, showed Brahmā Mahā-vaikuṇṭha, to which nothing is superior, which is free of suffering, confusion and fear of offenses and which is praised by the devatās who constantly see the self.
The Lord showed Brahmā Mahā-vaikuṇṭha (sva-lokam) to which nothing is superior, which is absolutely (vi) free of (apeta) suffering (saṁkleśa). The kleśas are avidyā ’smitā-rāga-dveṣābhiniveśāḥ: ignorance, ego, attachment, hatred and clinging to life. (Yoga-sūtras 2.3) There is no intense mental confusion (vimoha) from not seeing the Lord. It is free of fear of offenses in serving the Lord (sādhvasam). It is praised by Indra and others (vibudhaiḥ). Svadṛṣṭavadbhiḥ indicates that these persons have continual vision of the self. This negates the idea that Indra and others are purely material.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.9||
tasmai sva-lokaṃ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ sandarśayām āsa paraṃ na yat-param | vyapeta-sankleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṃ sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir vibudhair abhiṣṭutam ||
TRANSLATION The Lord, gratified by his worship, showed Brahmā Mahā-vaikuṇṭha, to which nothing is superior, which is free of suffering, confusion and fear of offenses and which is praised by the devatās who constantly see the self.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 8:
The Lord was satisfied with Brahmā (sabhājitaḥ) because Brahmā had worshipped him with austerities that satisfied him, following the Lord’s order while situated on the lotus in Nārāyaṇa’s navel. The Lord was brought under control by that worship and showed Brahmā his planet Vaikuṇṭha, the best world, to which (yat) nothing is superior (param) since this was the highest of the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Paraṃ na yat param is taken from the Upaniṣad where Gārgī asks questions. Yājnavakya gave answers to her question about the antarikṣa up to Prajāpatiloka. When she asked about the planet above the planet of the Lord called Brahma-loka, he was about to utter a curse. Hearing that, she then stopped asking because she had attained knowledge and specialized knowledge.
Or he showed Brahmā his planet which was not different from the highest tattva (param) called Brahman. This means that it was not covered by māyā since it was manifested through his special svarūpa-śakti. This will be explained later.
The reasons for its superiority are given. It is devoid of the five kleśas (sufferings): avidyā (ignorance), asmitā (false identity), rāga (attraction), dveṣa (hatred) and abhiniveśa (absorption). It is devoid of various delusions (vimoha) caused by the kleśas and fear (sādhvasam). It is thoroughly praised (abhistutam) by knowers of ātmā who had seen it. For instance it is said:
atha te munayo dṛṣṭvā nayanānanda-bhājanam vaikuṇṭhaṃ tad-adhiṣṭhānaṃ vikuṇṭhaṃ ca svayaṃ-prabham
bhagavantaṃ parikramya praṇipatyānumānya ca pratijagmuḥ pramuditāḥ śaṃsanto vaiṣṇavīṃ śriyam
The sages, having seen the object of bliss for their eyes, the self-illuminated Lord and his abode Vaikuṇṭha, circumambulated the Lord and offered him respects, and, taking his permission, left that place with great joy, praising the greatness of the Vaiṣṇavas. (SB 3.16.27-28)
TEXT - SB 2.9.10
pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ
sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ
na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer
anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ
SYNONYMS
pravartate—prevail; yatra—wherein; rajaḥ tamaḥ—the modes of passion and ignorance; tayoḥ—of both of them; sattvam—the mode of goodness; ca—and; miśram—mixture; na—never; ca—and; kāla—time; vikramaḥ—influence; na—neither; yatra—therein; māyā—illusory, external energy; kim—what; uta—there is; apare—others; hareḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; anuvratāḥ—devotees; yatra—wherein; sura—by the demigods; asura—and the demons; arcitāḥ—worshiped.
TRANSLATION
In that personal abode of the Lord, the material modes of ignorance and passion do not prevail, nor is there any of their influence in goodness. There is no predominance of the influence of time, so what to speak of the illusory, external energy; it cannot enter that region. Without discrimination, both the demigods and the demons worship the Lord as devotees.
PURPORT
The kingdom of God, or the atmosphere of the Vaikuṇṭha nature, which is called the tripād-vibhūti, is three times bigger than the material universes and is described here, as also in the Bhagavad-gītā, in a nutshell. This universe, containing billions of stars and planets, is one of the billions of such universes clustered together within the compass of the mahat-tattva. And all these millions and billions of universes combined together constitute only one fourth of the magnitude of the whole creation of the Lord. There is the spiritual sky also; beyond this sky are the spiritual planets under the names of Vaikuṇṭha, and all of them constitute three fourths of the entire creation of the Lord. God's creations are always innumerable. Even the leaves of a tree cannot be counted by a man, nor can the hairs on his head. However, foolish men are puffed up with the idea of becoming God Himself, though unable to create a hair of their own bodies. Man may discover so many wonderful vehicles of journey, but even if he reaches the moon by his much advertised spacecraft, he cannot remain there. The sane man, therefore, without being puffed up, as if he were the God of the universe, abides by the instructions of the Vedic literature, the easiest way to acquire knowledge in transcendence. So let us know through the authority of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam of the nature and constitution of the transcendental world beyond the material sky. In that sky the material qualities, especially the modes of ignorance and passion, are completely absent. The mode of ignorance influences a living entity to the habit of lust and hankering, and this means that in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas the living entities are free from these two things. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the brahma-bhūta [SB 4.30.20] stage of life one becomes free from hankering and lamentation. Therefore the conclusion is that the inhabitants of the Vaikuṇṭha planets are all brahma-bhūta living entities, as distinguished from the mundane creatures who are all compact in hankering and lamentation. When one is not in the modes of ignorance and passion, one is supposed to be situated in the mode of goodness in the material world. Goodness in the material world also at times becomes contaminated by touches of the modes of passion and ignorance. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, it is unalloyed goodness only.
The whole situation there is one of freedom from the illusory manifestation of the external energy. Although illusory energy is also part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, illusory energy is differentiated from the Lord. The illusory energy is not, however, false, as claimed by the monist philosophers. The rope accepted as a snake may be an illusion to a particular person, but the rope is a fact, and the snake is also a fact. The illusion of water on the hot desert may be illusion for the ignorant animal searching for water in the desert, but the desert and water are actual facts. Therefore the material creation of the Lord may be an illusion to the nondevotee, but to a devotee even the material creation of the Lord is a fact, as the manifestation of His external energy. But this energy of the Lord is not all. The Lord has His internal energy also, which has another creation known to be the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, where there is no ignorance, no passion, no illusion and no past and present. With a poor fund of knowledge one may be unable to understand the existence of such things as the Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere, but that does not nullify its existence. That spacecraft cannot reach these planets does not mean that there are no such planets, for they are described in the revealed scriptures.
As quoted by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, we can know from the Nārada-pañcarātra that the transcendental world or Vaikuṇṭha atmosphere is enriched with transcendental qualities. These transcendental qualities, as revealed through the devotional service of the Lord, are distinct from the mundane qualities of ignorance, passion and goodness. Such qualities are not attainable by the nondevotee class of men. In the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, it is stated that beyond the one-fourth part of God's creation is the three-fourths manifestation. The marginal line between the material manifestation and the spiritual manifestation is the Virajā River, and beyond the Virajā, which is a transcendental current flowing from the perspiration of the body of the Lord, there is the three-fourths manifestation of God's creation. This part is eternal, everlasting, without deterioration, and unlimited, and it contains the highest perfectional stage of living conditions. In the Sāṅkhya-kaumudī it is stated that unalloyed goodness or transcendence is just opposite to the material modes. All living entities there are eternally associated without any break, and the Lord is the chief and prime entity. In the Āgama Purāṇas also, the transcendental abode is described as follows: The associated members there are free to go everywhere within the creation of the Lord, and there is no limit to such creation, particularly in the region of the three-fourths magnitude. Since the nature of that region is unlimited, there is no history of such association, nor is there end of it.
The conclusion may be drawn that because of the complete absence of the mundane qualities of ignorance and passion, there is no question of creation nor of annihilation. In the material world everything is created, and everything is annihilated, and the duration of life between the creation and annihilation is temporary. In the transcendental realm there is no creation and no destruction, and thus the duration of life is eternal unlimitedly. In other words, everything in the transcendental world is everlasting, full of knowledge and bliss without deterioration. Since there is no deterioration, there is no past, present and future in the estimation of time. It is clearly stated in this verse that the influence of time is conspicuous by its absence. The whole material existence is manifested by actions and reactions of elements which make the influence of time prominent in the matter of past, present and future. There are no such actions and reactions of cause and effects there, so the cycle of birth, growth, existence, transformations, deterioration and annihilation—the six material changes—are not existent there. It is the unalloyed manifestation of the energy of the Lord, without illusion as experienced here in the material world. The whole Vaikuṇṭha existence proclaims that everyone there is a follower of the Lord. The Lord is the chief leader there, without any competition for leadership, and the people in general are all followers of the Lord. It is confirmed in the Vedas, therefore, that the Lord is the chief leader and all other living entities are subordinate to Him, for only the Lord satisfies all the needs of all other living entities.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.10
pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ
sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ |
na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer
anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ ||
In Vaikuṇṭha there is no influence of rajas and tamas. This means that there is no creation and no destruction. There is also no material sattva which is mixed with these two. With absence of material sattva there is no maintenance of temporary Svarga-loka and other planets. However there is śuddha-sattva, composed of eternity and knowledge, related to the svarūpa-śakti of the Lord. In Nārada Pañcarātra, Jitanta-stotra it is said:
lokaṁ vaikuṇṭha-nāmānaṁ divya-ṣaḍ-guṇa-saṁyutam |
avaiṣṇavānām aprāpyaṁ guṇa-traya-vivarjitam ||
Vaikuṇṭha is endowed with six transcendental qualities, is devoid of the three material guṇas and is not attainable for the non-vaiṣṇavas.
In the Padma Purāṇa it is said:
tripād-vibhūti-rūpaṁ tu śṛṇu bhūdhara-nandini ||
pradhāna-parama-vyomnor antare virajā nadī |
vedāṅgasvedajanita-toyaiḥ prasrāvitā śubhā ||
tasyāḥ pāre para-vyomni tripād-bhūtaṁ sanātanam |
amṛtaṁ śāśvataṁ nityam anantaṁ paraṁ padam ||
śuddha-sattva-mayaṁ divyam akṣaraṁ brahmaṇaḥ padam ||
sarva-vedamayaṁ śubhraṁ sarva-pralaya-varjitam |
asaṅkhyam ajaraṁ satyaṁ jāgrat-svapnādi-varjitam ||
na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ |
yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ hareḥ ||
nānā-jana-padākīrṇaṁ vaikuṇṭhaṁ tad dhareḥ padam ||
Hear about the form of the spiritual world. Between the material realm and the spiritual sky, the splendid river called Virajā flows with water produced from the perspiration of the Vedas. Beyond the river lies the place called tripād. This supreme abode is eternally sweet, young, and eternally blissful. This abode of the Lord is śuddha-sattva, full of pastimes and without decay. It is all the Vedas, without contamination, and never subject to destruction. It is beyond measure, without old age, truth, and devoid of the stages of material consciousness —waking, sleeping and deep sleep. There the sun, the moon and fire do not shine. Having gone to the supreme abode of the Lord, one does not return. This abode of the Lord is filled with many inhabitants.
There is no influence of time, which causes six types of transformation, because the place is under the influence of the Lord’s qualities. What else can be said? There, the guṇas are cut out at the root. Māyā, the material cause of creation and destruction of the material world, a śakti of the Lord, does not have any deluding influence at all in Vaikuṇṭha. This is understood since it is already stated that rajas and tamas cannot exist there. What to speak of the absence of other things (kim utāpare), such as the expansions of māyā like mahat-tattva? This also means that the bodies in that place do not have a beginning produced of the material elements. After a description of Vaikuṇṭha, the inhabitants are described. In that place there are associates of the Lord, those who act in compliance to the Lord (anuvratā). This means that everyone there acts for the pleasure of the Lord. It has already been stated in the third verse that the Lord is beyond time and māyā. Now it is stated that Vaikuṇṭha and the devotees there are beyond time and māyā. The devotees there (since they are beyond time and māyā) should be worshipped by the devatās, demons and devotees.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.10||
pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ sattvaṃ ca miśraṃ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ | na yatra māyā kim utāpare harer anuvratā yatra surāsurārcitāḥ ||
TRANSLATION In Vaikuṇṭha there is no rajas or tamas, and no sattva mixed with rajas and tamas. There is no influence of time. There is no influence of māyā at all, what to speak of its products such as material elements. In Vaikuṇṭha the inhabitants are fully dedicated to the Lord and are worshippable by the devas, asuras and devotees.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 8:
Again the place is described in this verse. In Vaikuṇṭha (yatra) rajas and tamas do not function. And material sattva, mixed with rajas and tamas, does not function. Another form functions there. The Lord’s svarūpa-śakti, superior to māyā, will be established later. Śuddha-sattva of the spiritual nature functions. This will be discussed in the section concerning the Lord’s associates. Thus the material guṇas are absent, but śuddha-sattva acts in Vaikuṇṭha. That is the meaning.
lokaṃ vaikuṇṭha-nāmānaṃ divya-ṣaḍ-guṇa-saṃyutam | avaiṣṇavānām aprāpyaṃ guṇa-traya-vivarjitam ||
Vaikuṇṭha is endowed with six spiritual qualities, is devoid of the three material guṇas, and is not attainable for the non-vaiṣṇavas. (Nārada Pancarātra, Jitantastotra)
Padma Purāṇa shows that in Vaikuṇṭha sattva exists in a spiritual form:
evaṃ prākṛta-rūpāyā vibhūte rūpam uttamam | tripād-vibhūti-rūpaṃ tu śṛṇu bhūdhara-nandini || pradhāna-parama-vyomnor antare virajā nadī | vedāngasvedajanita-toyaiḥ prasrāvitā śubhā || tasyāḥ pāre para-vyomni tripād-bhūtaṃ sanātanam | amṛtaṃ śāśvataṃ nityam anantaṃ paraṃ padam || śuddha-sattva-mayaṃ divyam akṣaraṃ brahmaṇaḥ padam ||
Having heard about the powers in the material world, now hear about the form of the spiritual world. Between the material realm and the spiritual sky, the splendid river called Virajā flows with water produced from the perspiration of the Vedas. Beyond the river lies the place called tripād. This supreme abode is eternally sweet, young, and eternally blissful. This abode of the Lord is śuddhasattva, full of pastimes and without decay. (Padma Purāṇa)
The material guṇas do not function in Vaikuṇṭha. These guṇas are explained in Sānkhya-kaumudī. Anyonya-mithuna-vṛttayaḥ: there is invariable interaction of guṇas. The commentary says “Anonya means invariable.” Āgama says:
anyonya-mithunāḥ sarve sarve sarvatra-gāminaḥ | rajaso mithunaṃ sattvam || naiṣām ādiś ca saṃyogo viyogo copalabhyate ||
The guṇas, tamas, rajas and sattva, are invariably mixed with each other at all times and all places. There is no beginning, no initial combination and no separation.
Since there is no rajas, there is no creation in Vaikuṇṭha. Since there is no tamas, there is no destruction. Since there is no material sattva, its form is eternity, knowledge and bliss. The reason is given: there is no influence of time, which causes guṇas to function by agitating them. Since time has no influence in Vaikuṇṭha, the guṇa have no influence there.
To eliminate all this at the root, it is then said that māyā does not exist there. The Lord’s śakti which causes the creation and destruction of the material world is absent. Its deluding influence is absent, since it was already stated that sattva, rajas and tamas were absent. Or another meaning is “There is no sattva related to rajas and tamas.” Pradhāna is a mixture of all the guṇas in which they cannot be separated. Later the difference between māyā and pradhāna will be discussed.
The meaning is reinforced by kaimutya. What to speak of other things being present then in Vaikuṇṭha? The mixture of sattva with rajas and tamas cannot exit there. Why repeat it? Rajas and tamas were already excluded.
“Since there are no guṇas, the spiritual planet should be devoid of qualities.” The play of the Lord’s śakti which is non-different from his svarūpa, composed of śuddha-sattva, is indicated. The inhabitants are worthy of worship by person of sattva (sura), of rajas and of tamas (asura) since the inhabitants are beyond the guṇas.
TEXT - SB 2.9.11
śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ
piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ
sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi-
praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ
SYNONYMS
śyāma—sky-bluish; avadātāḥ—glowing; śata-patra—lotus flower; locanāḥ—eyes; piśaṅga—yellowish; vastrāḥ—clothing; su-rucaḥ—greatly attractive; su-peśasaḥ—growing youthful; sarve—all of them; catuḥ—four; bāhavaḥ—hands; unmiṣan—rising luster; maṇi—pearls; praveka—superior quality; niṣka-ābharaṇāḥ—ornamental medallions; su-varcasaḥ—effulgent.
TRANSLATION
The inhabitants of the Vaikuṇṭha planets are described as having a glowing sky-bluish complexion. Their eyes resemble lotus flowers, their dress is of yellowish color, and their bodily features very attractive. They are just the age of growing youths, they all have four hands, they are all nicely decorated with pearl necklaces with ornamental medallions, and they all appear to be effulgent.
PURPORT
The inhabitants in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are all personalities with spiritual bodily features not to be found in the material world. We can find the descriptions in the revealed scriptures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Impersonal descriptions of transcendence in the scriptures indicate that the bodily features in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are never to be seen in any part of the universe. As there are different bodily features in different places of a particular planet, or as there are different bodily features between bodies in different planets, similarly the bodily features of the inhabitants in Vaikuṇṭhaloka are completely different from those in the material universe. For example, the four hands are distinct from the two hands in this world.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.11
śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ
piśaṅga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ |
sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇi-
praveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ |
pravāla-vaidūrya-mṛṇāla-varcasaḥ
parisphurat-kuṇḍala-mauli-mālinaḥ ||
The inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha are dark in complexion and effulgent. They have lotus eyes, yellow cloth, and pleasing demeanor and are youthful. They all have four arms and wear ornaments of the best shining jewels. They have all splendors. Some are colored red, yellow or white. They wear glittering earrings, crowns and garlands.
They are dark in complexion, and shining (avadātā) with lotus eyes and yellow cloth. They are pleasing and very young (supeśasaḥ). They wear ornaments with the best (praveka) shining (unmiṣat) jewels, and are extremely glorious. They have colors of coral, vaidūrya and the water lily. The Bhagavat-sandarbha explains that those devotees have forms like the Lord with colors like red and yellow.
harer anuvratā yatra śyāmāruṇa-harit-sitāḥ |
tat-tad-varṇam upāsyeśaṁ tat-sārūpyam upāgatāḥ ||
In that place the Lord’s associates are black, reddish, green or white in complexion. By worshipping the Lord with a particular complexion the devotee attains a form with a similar complexion. Laghu-bhagavatāmṛta 237
They have earrings, crowns and garlands which glitter.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.11||
śyāmāvadātāḥ śata-patra-locanāḥ piśanga-vastrāḥ surucaḥ supeśasaḥ | sarve catur-bāhava unmiṣan-maṇipraveka-niṣkābharaṇāḥ suvarcasaḥ |
pravāla-vaidūrya-mṛṇāla-varcasaḥ parisphurat-kuṇḍala-mauli-mālinaḥ ||
TRANSLATION The inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha are dark in complexion and effulgent. They have lotus eyes, yellow cloth, and pleasing demeanor and are youthful. They all have four arms and wear ornaments of the best shining jewels. They have all splendors. Some are colored red, yellow or white. They wear glittering earrings, crowns and garlands.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 8:
The inhabitants are then described. They are dark and effulgent (avadātāḥ). They wear yellow cloth and are very youthful (supeśasaḥ). They wear ornaments like niṣkas (type of ornament) having the finest gems (maṇipraveka) which shine (unmiṣan). They are full of splendor (suvarcasaḥ). Some are reddish in complexion. Some are different from the inhabitants having sārūpya, having complexions like coral, vaidūrya or a white lotus.
TEXT - SB 2.9.12
pravāla-vaidūrya-mṛṇāla-varcasaḥ
parisphurat-kuṇḍala-mauli-mālinaḥ
SYNONYMS
pravāla—coral; vaidūrya—a special diamond; mṛṇāla—celestial lotus; varcasaḥ—rays; parisphurat—blooming; kuṇḍala—earring; mauli—heads; mālinaḥ—with garlands.
TRANSLATION
Some of them are effulgent like coral and diamonds in complexion and have garlands on their heads, blooming like lotus flowers, and some wear earrings.
PURPORT
There are some inhabitants who have attained the liberation of sārūpya, or possessing bodily features like those of the Personality of Godhead. The vaidūrya diamond is especially meant for the Personality of Godhead, but one who achieves the liberation of bodily equality with the Lord is especially favored with such diamonds on his body.
TEXT - SB 2.9.13
bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate
lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām
vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ
savidyud abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ
SYNONYMS
bhrājiṣṇubhiḥ—by the glowing; yaḥ—the Vaikuṇṭhalokas; paritaḥ—surrounded by; virājate—thus situated; lasat—brilliant; vimāna—airplanes; avalibhiḥ—assemblage; mahā-ātmanām—of the great devotees of the Lord; vidyotamānaḥ—beautiful like lightning; pramada—ladies; uttama—celestial; adyubhiḥ—by complexion; sa-vidyut—with electric lightning; abhrāvalibhiḥ—with clouds in the sky; yathā—as it were; nabhaḥ—the sky.
TRANSLATION
The Vaikuṇṭha planets are also surrounded by various airplanes, all glowing and brilliantly situated. These airplanes belong to the great mahātmās or devotees of the Lord. The ladies are as beautiful as lightning because of their celestial complexions, and all these combined together appear just like the sky decorated with both clouds and lightning.
PURPORT
It appears that in the Vaikuṇṭha planets there are also airplanes brilliantly glowing, and they are occupied by the great devotees of the Lord with ladies of celestial beauty as brilliant as lightning. As there are airplanes, so there must be different types of carriages like airplanes, but they may not be driven machines, as we have experience in this world. Because everything is of the same nature of eternity, bliss and knowledge, the airplanes and carriages are of the same quality as Brahman. Although there is nothing except Brahman, one should not mistakenly think that there is only void and no variegatedness. Thinking like that is due to a poor fund of knowledge; otherwise no one would have such a misconception of voidness in Brahman. As there are airplanes, ladies and gentlemen, so there must be cities and houses and everything else just suitable to the particular planets. One should not carry the ideas of imperfection from this world to the transcendental world and not take into consideration the nature of the atmosphere, as completely free from the influence of time, etc., as described previously.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.13
bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate
lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām |
vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ
savidyud abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ ||
That place is filled with shining air vehicles belonging to the inhabitants, and shines with the forms of divine women. The planet appears to be a sky filled with clouds and flashing lightning.
After a description of the inhabitants the place is again described. The place is filled with shining (bhrājiṣṇubhiḥ) air vehicles and shines with celestial women. The place is like the sky filled with clouds (air vehicles) and flashes of lightning (the women).
Jiva's tika ||2.9.13||
bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām | vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ savidyud abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ ||
TRANSLATION That place is filled with shining air vehicles belonging to the inhabitants, and shines with the forms of divine women. The planet appears to be a sky filled with clouds and flashing lightning.
TEXT - SB 2.9.14
śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ
karoti mānaṁ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ
preṅkhaṁ śritā yā kusumākarānugair
vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī
SYNONYMS
śrīḥ—the goddess of fortune; yatra—in the Vaikuṇṭha planets; rūpiṇī—in her transcendental form; urugāya—the Lord, who is sung of by the great devotees; pādayoḥ—under the lotus feet of the Lord; karoti—does; mānam—respectful services; bahudhā—in diverse paraphernalia; vibhūtibhiḥ—accompanied by her personal associates; preṅkham—movement of enjoyment; śritā—taken shelter of; yā—who; kusumākara—spring; anugaiḥ—by the black bees; vigīyamānā—being followed by the songs; priya-karma—activities of the dearmost; gāyatī—singing.
TRANSLATION
The goddess of fortune in her transcendental form is engaged in the loving service of the Lord's lotus feet, and being moved by the black bees, followers of spring, she is not only engaged in variegated pleasure—service to the Lord, along with her constant companions—but is also engaged in singing the glories of the Lord's activities.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.14
śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ
karoti mānaṁ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ |
preṅkhaṁ śritā yā kusumākarānugair
vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī ||
Beautiful Lakṣmī worships the feet of the Lord along with her many associates. Sitting on a swing, praised by the bees, she sings about the activities of the Lord.
The consort of the Lord is described. She is the svarūpa-śakti of the Lord (śrīḥ), and very beautiful (rūpiṇī). She worships (mānam) his feet along with her associates (vibhūtibhīḥ). Being praised variously (vigīyamānā) by bees (kusumākarānugaiḥ), she sings about the activities of the Lord.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.14||
śrīr yatra rūpiṇy urugāya-pādayoḥ karoti mānaṃ bahudhā vibhūtibhiḥ | prenkhaṃ śritā yā kusumākarānugair vigīyamānā priya-karma gāyatī ||
TRANSLATION Beautiful Lakṣmī worships the feet of the Lord along with her many associates. Sitting on a swing, praised by the bees, she sings about the activities of the Lord.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 8:
Śrī is the Lord’s svarūpa-śakti, the form of his beloved (rūpiṇī). She worships the Lord’s feet along with her friends (vibhūtibhiḥ). For amusement she sits on a swing. She is praised in various ways by bees, followers of spring, while she sings about the activities of the Lord, her lover.
TEXT - SB 2.9.15
dadarśa tatrākhila-sātvatāṁ patiṁ
śriyaḥ patiṁ yajña-patiṁ jagat-patim
sunanda-nanda-prabalārhaṇādibhiḥ
sva-pārṣadāgraiḥ parisevitaṁ vibhum
SYNONYMS
dadarśa—Brahmā saw; tatra—there (in Vaikuṇṭhaloka); akhila—entire; sātvatām—of the great devotees; patim—the Lord; śriyaḥ—of the goddess of fortune; patim—the Lord; yajña—of sacrifice; patim—the Lord; jagat—of the universe; patim—the Lord; sunanda—Sunanda; nanda—Nanda; prabala—Prabala; arhaṇa—Arhaṇa; ādibhiḥ—by them; sva-pārṣada—own associates; agraiḥ—by the foremost; parisevitam—being served in transcendental love; vibhum—the great Almighty.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā saw in the Vaikuṇṭha planets the Personality of Godhead, who is the Lord of the entire devotee community, the Lord of the goddess of fortune, the Lord of all sacrifices, and the Lord of the universe, and who is served by the foremost servitors like Nanda, Sunanda, Prabala and Arhaṇa, His immediate associates.
PURPORT
When we speak of a king it is naturally understood that the king is accompanied by his confidential associates, like his secretary, private secretary, aide-de-camp, ministers and advisers. So also when we see the Lord we see Him with His different energies, associates, confidential servitors, etc. So the Supreme Lord, who is the leader of all living entities, the Lord of all devotee sects, the Lord of all opulences, the Lord of sacrifices and the enjoyer of everything in His entire creation, is not only the Supreme Person, but also is always surrounded by His immediate associates, all engaged in their loving transcendental service to Him.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.15
dadarśa tatrākhila-sātvatāṁ patiṁ
śriyaḥ patiṁ yajña-patiṁ jagat-patim |
sunanda-nanda-prabalārhaṇādibhiḥ
sva-pārṣadāgraiḥ parisevitaṁ vibhum ||
Having described Lakṣmī, Śukadeva now describes the Lord.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.15|| dadarśa tatrākhila-sātvatāṃ patiṃ śriyaḥ patiṃ yajna-patiṃ jagat-patim | sunanda-nanda-prabalārhaṇādibhiḥ sva-pārṣadāgraiḥ parisevitaṃ vibhum ||
TRANSLATION Brahmā saw the Lord, the Lord of all the devotees in Vaikuṇṭha, the Lord of Lakṣmī, the Lord of sacrifice and the Lord of the universe, served by his chief followers such as Sunanda, Nanda, Prabala and Arhaṇa.
The previous verses described this place. Brahmā saw in Vaikuṇṭha (tatra) the Lord of all the Sātvatas, the Yadu warriors (akhila-sātvatāṃ patim). This is described in three verses.
TEXT - SB 2.9.16
bhṛtya-prasādābhimukhaṁ dṛg-āsavaṁ
prasanna-hāsāruṇa-locanānanam
kirīṭinaṁ kuṇḍalinaṁ catur-bhujaṁ
pītāṁśukaṁ vakṣasi lakṣitaṁ śriyā
SYNONYMS
bhṛtya—the servitor; prasāda—affection; abhimukham—favorably facing; dṛk—the very sight; āsavam—an intoxication; prasanna—very much pleased; hāsa—smile; aruṇa—reddish; locana—eyes; ānanam—face; kirīṭinam—with helmet; kuṇḍalinam—with earrings; catuḥ-bhujam—with four hands; pīta—yellow; aṁśukam—dress; vakṣasi—on the chest; lakṣitam—marked; śriyā—with the goddess of fortune.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead, seen leaning favorably towards His loving servitors, His very sight intoxicating and attractive, appeared to be very much satisfied. He had a smiling face decorated with an enchanting reddish hue. He was dressed in yellow robes and wore earrings and a helmet on his head. He had four hands, and His chest was marked with the lines of the goddess of fortune.
PURPORT
In the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, there is a full description of the yoga-pīṭha, or the particular place where the Lord is in audience to His eternal devotees. In that yoga-pīṭha, the personifications of religion, knowledge, opulence and renunciation are all seated at the lotus feet of the Lord. The four Vedas, namely Ṛk, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva, are present there personally to advise the Lord. The sixteen energies headed by Caṇḍa are all present there. Caṇḍa and Kumuda are the first two doorkeepers, at the middle door are the doorkeepers named Bhadra and Subhadra, and at the last door are Jaya and Vijaya. There are other doorkeepers also, named Kumuda, Kumudākṣa, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Śaṅkukarṇa, Sarvanetra, Sumukha, etc. The Lord's palace is well decorated and protected by the above-mentioned doorkeepers.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.16
bhṛtya-prasādābhimukhaṁ dṛg-āsavaṁ
prasanna-hāsāruṇa-locanānanam |
kirīṭinaṁ kuṇḍalinaṁ catur-bhujaṁ
pitāmbaraṁ[177] vakṣasi lakṣitaṁ śriyā ||
He is the giver of joy for those who see him (dṛg-āsavam). With the mention of yellow cloth, his dark complexion should also be understood. He is decorated with a golden line on the left side of his chest (śriyā).
Jiva's tika ||2.9.16||
bhṛtya-prasādābhimukhaṃ dṛg-āsavaṃ prasanna-hāsāruṇa-locanānanam | kirīṭinaṃ kuṇḍalinaṃ catur-bhujaṃ pitāmbaraṃ vakṣasi lakṣitaṃ śriyā ||
TRANSLATION The Lord, desiring to give mercy to his servants, was a joy to the eyes of the devotees. He had a joyful smile and eyes tinged with red. He had a crown on his head, and wore earrings. He had four arms, wore yellow cloth and on the left side of his chest was a golden line.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 8:
The Lord gave joy to the beholders, like nectar for the eyes. He was marked with a golden line on the left side of his chest.
TEXT - SB 2.9.17
adhyarhaṇīyāsanam āsthitaṁ paraṁ
vṛtaṁ catuḥ-ṣoḍaśa-pañca-śaktibhiḥ
yuktaṁ bhagaiḥ svair itaratra cādhruvaiḥ
sva eva dhāman ramamāṇam īśvaram
SYNONYMS
adhyarhaṇīya—greatly worshipable; āsanam—throne; āsthitam—seated on it; param—the Supreme; vṛtam—surrounded by; catuḥ—four, namely prakṛti, puruṣa, mahat and ego; ṣoḍaśa—the sixteen; pañca—the five; śaktibhiḥ—by the energies; yuktam—empowered with; bhagaiḥ—His opulences; svaiḥ—personal; itaratra—other minor prowesses; ca—also; adhruvaiḥ—temporary; sve—own; eva—certainly; dhāman—abode; ramamāṇam—enjoying; īśvaram—the Supreme Lord.
TRANSLATION
The Lord was seated on His throne and was surrounded by different energies like the four, the sixteen, the five, and the six natural opulences, along with other insignificant energies of the temporary character. But He was the factual Supreme Lord, enjoying His own abode.
PURPORT
The Lord is naturally endowed with His six opulences. Specifically, He is the richest, He is the most powerful, He is the most famous, He is the most beautiful, He is the greatest in knowledge, and He is the greatest renouncer as well. And for His material creative energies, He is served by four, namely the principles of prakṛti, puruṣa, mahat-tattva and ego. He is also served by the sixteen, namely the five elements (earth, water, air, fire and sky), the five perceptive sense organs (the eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin), and the five working sense organs (the hand, the leg, the stomach, the evacuation outlet and the genitals), and the mind. The five includes the sense objects, namely form, taste, smell, sound and touch. All these twenty-five items serve the Lord in the material creation, and all of them are personally present to serve the Lord. The insignificant opulences numbering eight (the aṣṭa-siddhis, attained by yogīs for temporary overlordship) are also under His control, but He is naturally full with all such powers without any effort, and therefore He is the Supreme Lord.
The living being, by severe penance and performance of bodily exercises, can temporarily attain some wonderful power, but that does not make him the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord, by His own potency, is unlimitedly more powerful than any yogī, He is unlimitedly more learned than any jñānī, He is unlimitedly richer than any wealthy person, He is unlimitedly more beautiful than any beautiful living being, and He is unlimitedly more charitable than any philanthropist. He is above all; no one is equal to or greater than Him. Nor can anyone reach His level of perfection in any of the above powers by any amount of penance or yogic demonstrations. The yogīs are dependent on His mercy. Out of His immensely charitable disposition He can award some temporary powers to the yogīs because of the yogīs hankering after them, but to His unalloyed devotees, who do not want anything from the Lord save and except His transcendental service, the Lord is so pleased that He gives Himself in exchange for unalloyed service.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.17
adhyarhaṇīyāsanam āsthitaṁ paraṁ
vṛtaṁ catuḥ-ṣoḍaśa-pañca-śaktibhiḥ |
yuktaṁ bhagaiḥ svair itaratra cādhruvaiḥ
sva eva dhāman ramamāṇam īśvaram ||
The four śaktis are dharma, jñāna, aiśvarya and vairāgya. These are described in the Padma Purāṇa in the description of the center of Vaikuṇṭha:
dharma-jñāna tathaiśvarya-vairāgyaiḥ pāda-vigrahaiḥ |
ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvāṇa-rūpair nityaṁ vṛtaṁ kramād ||
The place is surrounded by the dharma, jñāna, aiśvarya and vairāgya, and the personifications of the Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva Vedas.
The sixteen śaktis are Caṇḍa and others. They are also described in the Padma Purāṇa:
caṇḍa-pracaṇḍau prāg-dvāre yāmye bhadra-subhadrakau |
vāruṇyāṁ jaya-vijayau saumye dhātṛ-vidhātarau ||
kumudaḥ kumudākṣaś ca puṇḍarīko’tha vāmanaḥ |
śaṅku-karṇaḥ sarva-netraḥ sumukhaḥ supratiṣṭhitaḥ ||
ete dik-patayaḥ proktāḥ puryām atra suśobhane ||
At the eastern gate are Caṇḍa and Pracaṇḍa. At the southern gate are Bhadra and Subhadra. At the western gate are Jaya and Vijaya. At the northern gate are Dhātā and Vidhātā. In the directions starting from east are Kumuda, Kumudakṣa, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Śaṅkukarṇa, Sarvanetra, Sumukha, and Supratiṣṭhita. Padmā Purāṇa 6.228.13-15
The five śaktis are as follows:
kūrmaś ca nāgarājaś ca vanateyas trayīśvaraḥ |
chandāṁsi sarva-mantrāś ca pīṭha-rūpatvam āsthitā ||
Kūrma, Ananta, Garuḍa -- who is lord of the Vedas --, the Vedic meters and all the mantras are situated as the form of the pīṭha. Padma Purāṇa 6.228.24
The four can also refer to prakṛti, puruṣa, mahat-tattva and ahaṅkāra. The sixteen can refer to the ten senses with the mind and the five gross elements. The five can refer to the five tan-mātrās. Śrīdhara Svāmī gives this explanation, which is acceptable. In this case, even māyā along with mahat-tattva and other elements remain there, offering devotion to the Lord. This can be explained by the fact that the spiritual world, composed of the svarūpa-śakti of the Lord, is the shelter of all śaktis including the material śaktis. It has already been stated in verse 10 that māyā and her products cannot bewilder the jīva in the spiritual world. This should be understood when the verse says that the place is not influenced by time (kāla-vikramaḥ). This should also be understood when Brahmā saw Kṛṣṇa’s expansions as Viṣṇu forms:
aṇimādyair mahimabhir ajādyābhir vibhūtibhiḥ
catur-viṁśatibhis tattvaiḥ parītā mahad-ādibhiḥ
All the viṣṇu-mūrtis were surrounded by the opulences, headed by aṇimā-siddhi; by the mystic potencies, headed by Ajā; and by the twenty-four elements for the creation of the material world, headed by the mahat-tattva. SB 10.13.52
The Lord was also endowed with his natural powers (svaiḥ bhagaiḥ) and the temporary powers (adhruvaiḥ) of Brahmā and others (itaratra). He saw the Lord who enjoys in Vaikuṇṭha (dhāman) with its own form (sve).
Jiva's tika ||2.9.17||
adhyarhaṇīyāsanam āsthitaṃ paraṃ vṛtaṃ catuḥ-ṣoḍaśa-panca-śaktibhiḥ | yuktaṃ bhagaiḥ svair itaratra cādhruvaiḥ sva eva dhāman ramamāṇam īśvaram ||
TRANSLATION He saw the Lord seated on his praiseworthy throne, who was surrounded by the four, sixteen and five energies, who was endowed with natural powers and the temporary powers of all other powerful beings, and who enjoyed in that spiritual abode.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 8:
The four śaktis are dharma, jnāna, aiśvarya and vairāgya. These are described in Padma Purāṇa. Adharma etc. are not material.
dharma-jnāna-tathaiśvarya- vairāgyaiḥ pāda-vigrahaiḥ | ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvāṇa- rūpair nityaṃ vṛtaṃ kramād ||
The place is surrounded by the dharma, jnāna, aiśvarya and vairāgya, and the personifications of the Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma and Atharva Vedas. (Padma Purāṇa)
The word tathā in the middle of the compound starting with dharma-jnāna is poetic license. The sixteen śaktis are those starting with Caṇḍa. Caṇḍādi-dvārapālais tu kumudādyaiḥ surakṣitā: the place is protected by Caṇḍa and other door keepers and Kumuda and others. (Padma Purāṇa)
caṇḍa-pracaṇḍau prāg-dvāre yāmye bhadra-subhadrakau | vāruṇyāṃ jaya-vijayau saumye dhātṛ-vidhātarau || kumudaḥ kumudākṣaś ca puṇḍarīko’tha vāmanaḥ | śanku-karṇaḥ sarva-netraḥ sumukhaḥ supratiṣṭhitaḥ || ete dik-patayaḥ proktāḥ puryām atra suśobhane ||
At the eastern gate are Caṇḍa and Pracaṇḍa. At the southern gate are Bhadra and Subhadra. At the western gate are Jaya and Vijaya. At the northern gate are Dhātā and Vidhātā. In the splendid city Kumuda, Kumudakṣa, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Śankukarṇa, Sarvanetra, Sumukha, and Supratiṣṭhita are situated (in the other directions). (Padma Purāṇa 6.228.13-15)
The pairs starting with Kumuda are door keepers in the ordinal directions (southeast etc.) The five śaktis as these:
kūrmaś ca nāgarājaś ca vanateyas trayīśvaraḥ | chandāṃsi sarva-mantrāś ca pīṭha-rūpatvam āsthitā ||
Kūrma, Ananta, Garuḍa -- who is lord of the Vedas – as well as the Vedic meters and all the mantras are situated as the form of the pīṭha. (Padma Purāṇa 6.228.24)
Trayīśvaraḥ (Vedas) modifies vainateyaḥ (Garuḍa) since he is composed of the Vedic meters.
The Lord was endowed with his powers arising from his svarūpa (svaiḥ) as well as other temporary powers found in yogīs. Brahmā saw the Lord (īśvaram), not dependent on anyone, enjoying in Vaikuṇṭha (dhāman), which arose from his svarūpa (sva).
TEXT - SB 2.9.18
tad-darśanāhlāda-pariplutāntaro
hṛṣyat-tanuḥ prema-bharāśru-locanaḥ
nanāma pādāmbujam asya viśva-sṛg
yat pāramahaṁsyena pathādhigamyate
SYNONYMS
tat—by that audience of the Lord; darśana—audience; āhlāda—joy; paripluta—overwhelmed; antaraḥ—within the heart; hṛṣyat—full in ecstasy; tanuḥ—body; prema-bhara—in full transcendental love; aśru—tears; locanaḥ—in the eyes; nanāma—bowed down; pāda-ambujam—under the lotus feet; asya—of the Lord; viśva-sṛk—the creator of the universe; yat—which; pāramahaṁsyena—by the great liberated soul; pathā—the path; adhigamyate—is followed.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā, thus seeing the Personality of Godhead in His fullness, was overwhelmed with joy within his heart, and thus in full transcendental love and ecstasy, his eyes filled with tears of love. He thus bowed down before the Lord. That is the way of the highest perfection for the living being [paramahaṁsa].
PURPORT
In the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that this great literature is meant for the paramahaṁsas. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām [SB 1.1.2], i.e. the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is meant for persons completely free from malice. In the conditioned life the malicious life begins from the top, namely bearing malice against the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Personality of Godhead is an established fact in all the revealed scriptures, and in the Bhagavad-gītā the personal feature of the Supreme Lord is especially mentioned, so much so that the last portion of the great literature has emphatically stressed that one should surrender unto the Personality of Godhead to be saved from the miseries of life. Unfortunately, persons with impious backgrounds do not believe in the Personality of Godhead, and everyone wants to become God himself without any qualification. This malicious nature in the conditioned soul continues even up to the stage when a person wants to be one with the Lord, and thus even the greatest of the empiric philosophers speculating on becoming one with the Supreme Lord cannot become a paramahaṁsa because the malicious mind is there. Therefore the paramahaṁsa stage of life can be attained only by those who are fixed in the practice of bhakti-yoga. This bhakti-yoga begins if a person has the firm conviction that simply discharging devotional service to the Lord in full transcendental love can elevate him to the highest perfectional stage of life. Brahmājī believed in this art of bhakti-yoga; he believed in the instruction of the Lord to execute tapa, and he discharged the function with great penance and thus achieved the great success of seeing the Vaikuṇṭhalokas and the Lord also by personal experience. No one can reach the abode of the Supreme Lord by any mechanical means of the mind or machine, but one can reach the abode of the Vaikuṇṭhalokas simply by following the process of bhakti-yoga because the Lord can be realized only through the bhakti-yoga process. Lord Brahmājī was actually sitting on his lotus seat, and from there, by executing the process of bhakti-yoga in great seriousness, he could see the Vaikuṇṭhalokas with all variegatedness as well as the Lord in person and His associates.
Following in the footsteps of Lord Brahmā, any person, even up to this day, can attain the same perfection by following the path of the paramahaṁsa as recommended herein. Lord Caitanya also approved of this method of self-realization for men in this age. One should first, with all conviction, believe in the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and without making efforts to realize Him by speculative philosophy, one should prefer to hear about Him from the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā and later from the text of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. One should hear such discourses from a person Bhāgavatam and not from the professional man, or from the karmī, jñānī or yogī. That is the secret of learning the science. One does not need to be in the renounced order of life; he can remain in his present condition of life, but he must search out the association of a bona fide devotee of the Lord and hear from him the transcendental message of the Lord with faith and conviction. That is the path of the paramahaṁsa recommended herein. Amongst various holy names of the Lord, He is also called ajita, or one who can never be conquered by anyone else. Yet He can be conquered by the paramahaṁsa path, as practically realized and shown by the great spiritual master Lord Brahmā. Lord Brahmā has personally recommended this paramahaṁsa-panthāḥ in his own words as follows:
jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir
ye prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām
Lord Brahmā said, "O my Lord Kṛṣṇa, a devotee who abandons the path of empiric philosophical speculation aimed at merging in the existence of the Supreme and engages himself in hearing Your glories and activities from a bona fide sādhu, or saint, and who lives an honest life in the occupational engagement of his social life, can conquer Your sympathy and mercy even though You are ajita, or unconquerable." (SB 10.14.3) That is the path of the paramahaṁsas, which was personally followed by Lord Brahmā and later recommended by him for attaining perfect success in life.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.18
tad-darśanāhlāda-pariplutāntaro
hṛṣyat-tanuḥ prema-bharāśru-locanaḥ|
nanāma pādāmbujam asya viśva-sṛg
yat pāramahaṁsyena pathādhigamyate ||
The word paramahaṁsa refers to devotees. This is understood from verses such as:
kiṁ vā bhāgavatā dharma na prāyeṇa nirūpitāḥ
priyāḥ paramahaṁsānāṁ ta eva hy acyuta-priyāḥ
This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord. SB 1.4.31
bhāgavata-paramahaṁsa-dayita-kathāṁ kiñcid antarāya-vihatāṁ svāṁ śivatamāṁ padavīṁ na prāyeṇa hinvanti
One who is attached to the nectarean honey of the Lord’s lotus feet, and whose mind is always absorbed in his glories, may sometimes be checked by some impediment, but he still never gives up the exalted position he has acquired. SB 5.1.5
The condition of such paramahaṁsas is called bhakti-yoga or pāramahaṁsya. The lotus feet of the Lord are attained by the path of bhakti-yoga. The Lord says bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ: I am attained by bhakti alone. (SB 11.14.21)
Jiva's tika ||2.9.18||
tad-darśanāhlāda-pariplutāntaro hṛṣyat-tanuḥ prema-bharāśru-locanaḥ| nanāma pādāmbujam asya viśva-sṛg yat pāramahaṃsyena pathādhigamyate ||
TRANSLATION The creator of the universe, Brahmā, filled with joy on seeing the Lord, with hair standing on end and tears in his eyes, offered respects to the feet of the Lord which are attained by the path of bhakti.
This verse shows that the Lord is full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. On seeing him, in joy Brahmā’s hairs stood on end and in prema he shed tears. The Lord’s feet are attained by bhakti. Paramahaṃsena refers to great devotees as in the Fifth Canto:
bāḍham uktaṃ bhagavata uttamaślokasya śrīmac-caraṇāravinda-makaranda-rasa āveśita-cetaso bhāgavata-paramahaṃsa-dayita-kathāṃ kincid antarāya-vihatāṃ svāṃ śivatamāṃ padavīṃ na prāyeṇa hinvanti.
What you have said is true, but those whose minds are absorbed in the sweet
taste of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord do not generally give up the auspicious path of topics of the Lord, who is dear to the greatest devotees, though there may be some obstacle. (SB 5.1.5)
TEXT - SB 2.9.19
taṁ prīyamāṇaṁ samupasthitaṁ kaviṁ
prajā-visarge nija-śāsanārhaṇam
babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śociṣā girā
priyaḥ priyaṁ prīta-manāḥ kare spṛśan
SYNONYMS
tam—unto Lord Brahmā; prīyamāṇam—worthy of being dear; samupasthitam—present before; kavim—the great scholar; prajā—living entities; visarge—in the matter of creation; nija—His own; śāsana—control; arhaṇam—just suitable; babhāṣe—addressed; īṣat—mild; smita—smiling; śociṣā—with enlightening; girā—words; priyaḥ—the beloved; priyam—the counterpart of love; prīta-manāḥ—being very much pleased; kare—by the hand; spṛśan—shaking.
TRANSLATION
And seeing Brahmā present before Him, the Lord accepted him as worthy to create living beings, to be controlled as He desired, and thus being much satisfied with him, the Lord shook hands with Brahmā and, slightly smiling, addressed him thus.
PURPORT
The creation of the material world is not blind or accidental. The living entities who are ever conditioned, or nitya-baddha, are thus given a chance for liberation under the guidance of His own representative like Brahmā. The Lord instructs Brahmā in Vedic knowledge in order to diffuse this knowledge to the conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are forgetful souls in their relationship with the Lord, and thus a period of creation and the process of dissemination of Vedic knowledge are necessary activities of the Lord. Lord Brahmā has a great responsibility in delivering the conditioned souls, and therefore he is very dear to the Lord.
Brahmā also does his duty very perfectly, not only by generating the living entities but also by spreading his party for reclaiming the fallen souls. The party is called the Brahma-sampradāya, and any member of this party to date is naturally engaged in reclaiming the fallen souls back to Godhead, back home. The Lord is very much anxious to get back His parts and parcels, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. No one is more dear than the one who takes the task of reclaiming the fallen souls back to Godhead.
There are many renegades from the Brahma-sampradāya whose only business is to make men more forgetful of the Lord and thus entangle them more and more in material existence. Such persons are never dear to the Lord, and the Lord sends them deeper into the darkest region of matter so that such envious demons may not be able to know the Supreme Lord.
Anyone, however, preaching the mission of the Lord in the line of the Brahma-sampradāya is always dear to the Lord, and the Lord, being satisfied with such a preacher of the authorized bhakti cult, shakes hands with him in great satisfaction.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.19
taṁ prīyamāṇaṁ samupasthitaṁ kaviṁ
prajā-visarge nija-śāsanārhaṇam|
babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śociṣā girā
priyaḥ priyaṁ prīta-manāḥ kare spṛśan ||[178]
Brahmā was fit to follow the orders of the Lord (nija-śāsanārhaṇam). The Lord’s words were lit with a slight smile.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.19||
taṃ prīyamāṇaṃ samupasthitaṃ kaviṃ prajā-visarge nija-śāsanārhaṇam| babhāṣa īṣat-smita-śociṣā girā priyaḥ priyaṃ prīta-manāḥ kare spṛśan ||
TRANSLATION The Lord, overjoyed, filled with prema for Brahmā, touching Brahmā with his hand because of his love for him, with words lit by a slight smile, spoke to Brahmā, who was filled with prema on seeing the Lord, and who was worthy of following the Lord’s command for creating the universe.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 8:
The Lord spoke to Brahmā, who had prema for the Lord, and was qualified to follow the order (śāsanārhanam) of the puruṣa who is Kṛṣṇa’s aṃśa (nija) for creating progeny.
“The puruṣa can give mercy to Brahmā. But since Bhagavān is superior to the puruṣa, he has no relation to material creation. Brahmā should relate to the agent for material creation.” But Bhagavān is very affectionate to his devotee. He spoke to Brahmā from whom he had great prema (priyam), since he is controlled by prema (priyaḥ). Brahmā was overjoyed with prema (prīyamāṇam) and the Lord was extremely pleased (prītamanāḥ). The Lord’s great joy is indicated by the Lord’s actions: he smiled slightly and touched Brahmā’s hand.
TEXT - SB 2.9.20
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
tvayāhaṁ toṣitaḥ samyag
veda-garbha sisṛkṣayā
ciraṁ bhṛtena tapasā
dustoṣaḥ kūṭa-yoginām
SYNONYMS
śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the all-beautiful Personality of Godhead said; tvayā—by you; aham—I am; toṣitaḥ—pleased; samyak—complete; veda-garbha—impregnated with the Vedas; sisṛkṣayā—for creating; ciram—for a long time; bhṛtena—accumulated; tapasā—by penance; dustoṣaḥ—very hard to please; kūṭa-yoginām—for the pseudo mystics.
TRANSLATION
The beautiful Personality of Godhead addressed Lord Brahmā: O Brahmā, impregnated with the Vedas, I am very much pleased with your long accumulated penance with the desire for creation. Hardly am I pleased with the pseudo mystics.
PURPORT
There are two kinds of penance: one for sense gratification and the other for self-realization. There are many pseudo mystics who undergo severe penances for their own satisfaction, and there are others who undergo severe penances for the satisfaction of the senses of the Lord. For example, the penances undertaken to discover nuclear weapons will never satisfy the Lord because such a penance is never satisfactory. By nature's own way, everyone has to meet death, and if such a process of death is accelerated by anyone's penances, there is no satisfaction for the Lord. The Lord wants every one of His parts and parcels to attain eternal life and bliss by coming home to Godhead, and the whole material creation is meant for that objective. Brahmā underwent severe penances for that purpose, namely to regulate the process of creation so that the Lord might be satisfied. Therefore the Lord was very much pleased with him, and for this Brahmā was impregnated with Vedic knowledge. The ultimate purpose of Vedic knowledge is to know the Lord and not to misuse the knowledge for any other purposes. Those who do not utilize Vedic knowledge for that purpose are known as kūṭa-yogīs, or pseudo transcendentalists who spoil their lives with ulterior motives.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.20
śrī-bhagavān uvāca —
tvayāhaṁ toṣitaḥ samyag[179] veda-garbha sisṛkṣayā |
ciraṁ bhṛtena tapasā dustoṣaḥ kūṭa-yoginām ||
Veda-garbha means that Brahmā, fully understanding the Vedas, imparts them to others. He had undertaken penance for a long time for creating the universe (sisṛkṣayā). The yogīs cannot satisfy me in the same way. Sadhryuk means samyak.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.20||
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — tvayāhaṃ toṣitaḥ samyag veda-garbha sisṛkṣayā | ciraṃ bhṛtena tapasā dustoṣaḥ kūṭa-yoginām ||
TRANSLATION The Lord said: O Brahmā! I am completely satisfied with you for performing long penance in order to carry out creation of the universe. I cannot be satisfied with the penances of the false yogīs, carried out for a long time.
Penance with a desire to carry out creation is not the real reason the Lord is satisfied. It is secondary to Brahmā’s bhakti. Thus he says he is not satisfied with the austerities of false yogīs, who have not given up other desires.
TEXT - SB 2.9.21
varaṁ varaya bhadraṁ te
vareśaṁ mābhivāñchitam
brahmañ chreyaḥ-pariśrāmaḥ
puṁsāṁ mad-darśanāvadhiḥ
SYNONYMS
varam—benediction; varaya—just ask from; bhadram—auspicious; te—unto you; vara-īśam—the giver of all benediction; mā (mām)-from Me; abhivāñchitam—wishing; brahman—O Brahmā; śreyaḥ—the ultimate success; pariśrāmaḥ—for all penances; puṁsām—for everyone; mat—My; darśana—realization; avadhiḥ—up to the limit of.
TRANSLATION
I wish you good luck. O Brahmā, you may ask from Me, the giver of all benediction, all that you may desire. You may know that the ultimate benediction, as the result of all penances, is to see Me by realization.
PURPORT
The ultimate realization of the Supreme Truth is knowing and seeing face to face the Personality of Godhead. Realization of the impersonal Brahman and localized Paramātmā features of the Personality of Godhead is not ultimate realization, When one realizes the Supreme Lord, one does not struggle hard to perform such penances. The next stage of life is to discharge devotional service to the Lord just to satisfy Him. In other words, one who has realized and seen the Supreme Lord has attained all perfection because everything is included in that highest perfectional stage. The impersonalists and the pseudo mystics, however, cannot reach this state.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.21
varaṁ varaya bhadraṁ te vareśaṁ mābhivāñchitam |
brahmañ chreyaḥ-pariśrāmaḥ puṁso[180] mad-darśanāvadhiḥ ||
Mā means mām. Ask for your desired object. Endeavors for gaining results from the best processes such as hearing and chanting culminate in seeing me. This is because my devotees do not accept any result other than seeing me.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.21||
varaṃ varaya bhadraṃ te vareśaṃ mābhivānchitam | brahman chreyaḥ-pariśrāmaḥ puṃso mad-darśanāvadhiḥ ||
TRANSLATION O Brahmā! All auspiciousness to you! Please ask your desired benediction from me, who can award all benedictions. Endeavors in the process of bhakti end in seeing me.
All results are included in seeing me (mad-darśanāvadhiḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.9.22
manīṣitānubhāvo 'yaṁ
mama lokāvalokanam
yad upaśrutya rahasi
cakartha paramaṁ tapaḥ
SYNONYMS
manīṣita—ingenuity; anubhāvaḥ—perception; ayam—this; mama—My; loka—abode; avalokanam—seeing by actual experience; yat—because; upaśrutya—hearing; rahasi—in great penance; cakartha—having performed; paramam—highest; tapaḥ—penance.
TRANSLATION
The highest perfectional ingenuity is the personal perception of My abodes, and this has been possible because of your submissive attitude in the performance of severe penance according to My order.
PURPORT
The highest perfectional stage of life is to know the Lord by actual perception, by the grace of the Lord. This can be attained by everyone who is willing to discharge the act of devotional service to the Lord as enjoined in the revealed scriptures that are standard and accepted by the bona fide ācāryas, spiritual masters. For example, the Bhagavad-gītā is the approved Vedic literature accepted by all the great ācāryas, such as Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhva, Caitanya, Viśvanātha, Baladeva, Siddhānta Sarasvatī and many others. In that Bhagavad-gītā the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, asks that one always be mindful of Him, always be His devotee, always worship Him only, and always bow down before the Lord. And by doing so one is sure to go back home, back to Godhead, without any doubt. In other places also the same order is there, that one give up all other engagements and fully surrender unto the Lord without hesitation. And the Lord will give such a devotee all protection. These are the secrets of attaining the highest perfectional stage. Lord Brahmā exactly followed these principles without any superiority complex, and thus he attained the highest perfectional stage of experiencing the abode of the Lord and the Lord Himself with all His paraphernalia. Impersonal realization of the effulgence of the Lord's body is not the highest perfectional stage, nor is the stage of Paramātmā realization. The word manīṣita is significant. Everyone is falsely or factually proud of his so-called learning. But the Lord says that the highest perfectional stage of learning is to know Him and His abode, devoid of all illusion.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.22
manīṣitānubhāvo ’yaṁ mama lokāvalokanam |
yad upaśrutya rahasi cakartha paramaṁ tapaḥ ||
Seeing my planet reveals all knowledge. Also by my mercy, you previously heard my instructions when you were all alone and performed the greatest austerity.
Seeing my planet, rather than study of scriptures, reveals wisdom (manīṣitā). Not only now do I have affection for you, but previously also. I spoke the words tapa tapa. All alone, hearing those words, you performed the greatest austerity.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.22||
manīṣitānubhāvo ’yaṃ mama lokāvalokanam | yad upaśrutya rahasi cakartha paramaṃ tapaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Seeing my planet reveals all knowledge. Also by my mercy, you previously heard my instructions when you were all alone and performed the greatest austerity.
This is taken with the next verse.
TEXT - SB 2.9.23
pratyādiṣṭaṁ mayā tatra
tvayi karma-vimohite
tapo me hṛdayaṁ sākṣād
ātmāhaṁ tapaso 'nagha
SYNONYMS
pratyādiṣṭam—ordered; mayā—by Me; tatra—because of; tvayi—unto you; karma—duty; vimohite—being perplexed; tapaḥ—penance; me—Me; hṛdayam—heart; sākṣāt—directly; ātmā—life and soul; aham—Myself; tapasaḥ—of one who is engaged in penance; anagha—O sinless one.
TRANSLATION
O sinless Brahmā, you may know from Me that it was I who first ordered you to undergo penance when you were perplexed in your duty. Such penance is My heart and soul, and therefore penance and I are nondifferent.
PURPORT
The penance by which one can see the Personality of Godhead face to face is to be understood as devotional service to the Lord and nothing else because only by discharging devotional service in transcendental love can one approach the Lord. Such penance is the internal potency of the Lord and is nondifferent from Him. Such acts of internal potency are exhibited by nonattachment for material enjoyment. The living entities are encaged in the conditions of material bondage because of their propensity for overlordship. But by engagement in the devotional service of the Lord one becomes detached from this enjoying spirit. The devotees automatically become detached from worldly enjoyment, and this detachment is the result of perfect knowledge. Therefore the penance of devotional service includes knowledge and detachment, and that is the manifestation of the transcendental potency.
One cannot enjoy material illusory prosperity if he desires to return home, back to Godhead. One who has no information of the transcendental bliss in the association of the Lord foolishly desires to enjoy this temporary material happiness. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that if someone sincerely wants to see the Lord and at the same time wants to enjoy this material world, he is considered to be a fool only. One who wants to remain here in the material world for material enjoyment has no business entering into the eternal kingdom of God. The Lord favors such a foolish devotee by snatching all that he may possess in the material world. If such a foolish devotee of the Lord tries to recoup his position, then the merciful Lord again snatches away all that he may have possessed. By such repeated failures in material prosperity he becomes very unpopular with his family members and friends. In the material world the family members and friends honor persons who are very successful in accumulating wealth by any means. The foolish devotee of the Lord is thus put into forcible penance by the grace of the Lord, and at the end the devotee becomes perfectly happy, being engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore penance in devotional service of the Lord, either by voluntary submission or by being forced by the Lord, is necessary for attaining perfection, and thus such penance is the internal potency of the Lord.
One cannot, however, be engaged in the penance of devotional service without being completely free from all sins. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, only a person who is completely free from all reactions of sins can engage himself in the worship of the Lord. Brahmājī was sinless, and therefore he faithfully discharged the advice of the Lord, "tapa tapa," and the Lord, being satisfied with him, awarded him the desired result. Therefore only love and penance combined can please the Lord, and thus one is able to attain His complete mercy. He directs the sinless, and the sinless devotee attains the highest perfection of life.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.23
pratyādiṣṭaṁ mayā tatra tvayi karma-vimohite |
tapo me hṛdayaṁ sākṣād ātmāhaṁ tapaso’nagha ||
Those words were spoken by me when you were bewildered about how to create the universe in the beginning. O sinless Brahmā! Austerity for attaining me is my heart, and I am the soul of that austerity.
I only spoke instructions to you. When? I spoke at the beginning of creation (tatra) when you where bewildered about what to do. Austerity indeed is my śakti. It is my heart. This means that I desire that the jīva give up enjoyment of material life, since that is favorable for bhakti. Yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ: I will gradually take away the wealth from the person to whom I show mercy. (SB 10.88.8) These words are well known. If that austerity is performed for attaining me, it is my heart, but not otherwise. Without me as the goal, austerity is without life, like a corpse. This is true for the materialists who perform austerity with a desire for material pleasure. Even though you have performed austerity with a desire to create the universe, because I have inspired that desire, and that austerity is pleasing to me, it is actually performed without desire. Thus I have showed you my planet.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.23||
pratyādiṣṭaṃ mayā tatra tvayi karma-vimohite | tapo me hṛdayaṃ sākṣād ātmāhaṃ tapaso’nagha ||
TRANSLATION Those words were spoken by me when you were bewildered about how to create the universe in the beginning. O sinless Brahmā! Austerity for attaining me is my heart, and I am the soul of that austerity.
Tapas here means austerity filled with bhakti. That tapas is my heart, since I identify with it completely by absorption in it. I am the ātmā of tapas since it is my śakti.
TEXT - SB 2.9.24
sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṁ
grasāmi tapasā punaḥ
bibharmi tapasā viśvaṁ
vīryaṁ me duścaraṁ tapaḥ
SYNONYMS
sṛjāmi—I create; tapasā—by the same energy of penance; eva—certainly; idam—this; grasāmi tapasā—I do withdraw also by the same energy; punaḥ—again; bibharmi—do maintain; tapasā—by penance; viśvam—the cosmos; vīryam—potency; me—My; duścaram—severe; tapaḥ—penance.
TRANSLATION
I create this cosmos by such penance, I maintain it by the same energy, and I withdraw it all by the same energy. Therefore the potential power is penance only.
PURPORT
In executing penance, one must be determined to return home, back to Godhead, and must decide to undergo all types of tribulations for that end. Even for material prosperity, name and fame, one has to undergo severe types of penance, otherwise no one can become an important figure in this material world. Why, then, are there severe types of penance for the perfection of devotional service? An easygoing life and attainment of perfection in transcendental realization cannot go together. The Lord is more clever than any living entity; therefore He wants to see how painstaking the devotee is in devotional service. The order is received from the Lord, either directly or through the bona fide spiritual master, and to execute that order, however painstaking, is the severe type of penance. One who follows the principle rigidly is sure to achieve success in attaining the Lord's mercy.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.24
sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṁ grasāmi tapasā punaḥ |
bibharmi tapasā viśvaṁ vīryaṁ me duścaraṁ tapaḥ ||
By austerity I create, destroy and maintain the universe again and again. My power arises from intense austerity.
I am always a performer of austerity, since I renounce material enjoyment, being the master of the spiritual hlādinī-śakti. That is stated in this verse. It also indicates that from this detachment arises my ability to create and destroy the worlds.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.24||
sṛjāmi tapasaivedaṃ grasāmi tapasā punaḥ | bibharmi tapasā viśvaṃ vīryaṃ me duścaraṃ tapaḥ ||
TRANSLATION By austerity I create, destroy and maintain the universe again and again. My power arises from intense austerity.
By that austerity or tapas, by that desire for the devotee, which is my impetus for everything, I create, destroy and maintain the universe. My śakti is tapas (desire for the devotee) alone.
TEXT - SB 2.9.25
brahmovāca
bhagavan sarva-bhūtānām
adhyakṣo 'vasthito guhām
veda hy apratiruddhena
prajñānena cikīrṣitam
SYNONYMS
brahmā uvāca—Lord Brahmā said; bhagavan—O my Lord; sarva bhūtānām—of all living entities; adhyakṣaḥ—director; avasthitaḥ—situated; guhām—within the heart; veda—know; hi—certainly; apratiruddhena—without hindrance; prajñānena—by superintelligence; cikīrṣitam—endeavors.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahmā said: O Personality of Godhead, You are situated in every living entity's heart as the supreme director, and therefore You are aware of all endeavors by Your superior intelligence, without any hindrance whatsoever.
PURPORT
The Bhagavad-gītā confirms that the Lord is situated in everyone's heart as the witness, and as such He is the supreme director of sanction. The director is not the enjoyer of the fruits of action, for without the Lord's sanction no one can enjoy. For example, in a prohibited area a habituated drunkard puts forward his application to the director of drinking, and the director, considering his case, sanctions only a certain amount of liquor for drinking. Similarly, the whole material world is full of many drunkards, in the sense that each and every one of the living entities has something in his mind to enjoy, and everyone desires the fulfillment of his desires very strongly. The almighty Lord, being very kind to the living entity, as the father is kind to the son, fulfills the living entity's desire for his childish satisfaction. With such desires in mind, the living entity does not actually enjoy, but he serves the bodily whims unnecessarily, without profit. The drunkard does not derive any profit out of drinking, but because he has become a servant of the drinking habit and does not wish to get out of it, the merciful Lord gives him all facilities to fulfill such desires.
The impersonalists recommend that one should become desireless, and others recommend banishing desires altogether. That is impossible; no one can banish desires altogether because desiring is the living symptom. Without having desires a living entity would be dead, which he is not. Therefore, living conditions and desire go together. Perfection of desires may be achieved when one desires to serve the Lord, and the Lord also desires that every living entity banish all personal desires and cooperate with His desires. That is the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā. Brahmājī agreed to this proposal, and therefore he is given the responsible post of creating generations in the vacant universe. Oneness with the Lord therefore consists of dovetailing one's desires with the desires of the Supreme Lord. That makes for the perfection of all desires.
The Lord, as the Supersoul in the heart of every living being, knows what is in the mind of each living entity, and no one can do anything without the knowledge of the Lord within. By His superior intelligence, the Lord gives everyone the chance to fulfill his desires to the fullest extent, and the resultant reaction is also awarded by the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.25
bhagavan sarva-bhūtānām adhyakṣo’vasthito guhām |
veda hy apratiruddhena[181] prajñānena cikīrṣitam ||
Guhām stands for guhāyām and means “in the intelligence.” Veda stands for vettha “you know.”
Jiva's tika ||2.9.25||
brahmovāca — bhagavan sarva-bhūtānām adhyakṣo’vasthito guhām | veda hy apratiruddhena prajnānena cikīrṣitam ||
TRANSLATION Brahmā said: O Supreme Lord! You, the controller of all beings, are situated in their intelligence. You know what all beings desire to do by unimpaired intelligence. Veda should be vettha (you know).
TEXT - SB 2.9.26
tathāpi nāthamānasya
nātha nāthaya nāthitam
parāvare yathā rūpe
jānīyāṁ te tv arūpiṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
tathā api—in spite of that; nāthamānasya—of the one who is asking for; nātha—O Lord; nāthaya—please award; nāthitam—as it is desired; para-avare—in the matter of mundane and transcendental; yathā—as it is; rūpe—in the form; jānīyām—may it be known; te—Your; tu—but; arūpiṇaḥ—one who is formless.
TRANSLATION
In spite of that, my Lord, I am praying to You to kindly fulfill my desire. May I please be informed how, in spite of Your transcendental form, You assume the mundane form, although You have no such form at all.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.26
tathāpi nāthamānasya[182] nātha nāthaya nāthitam |
parāvare yathā rūpe jānīyāṁ te tv[183] arūpiṇaḥ ||
O master! Please bestow what is requested to me, who am requesting, so that I can understand the spiritual and material forms of you who have no material form.
O master (nātha), please grant (nāthaya) what is requested (nāthitam) by me, who am requesting (nāthamānasya). Nāthamānasya can also mean “of me, undergoing penance.” Brahmā then explains what he is requesting. Make me such that I can understand your subtle and gross form.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.26||
tathāpi nāthamānasya nātha nāthaya nāthitam | parāvare yathā rūpe jānīyāṃ te tv arūpiṇaḥ ||
TRANSLATION O master! Please bestow what is requested to me, who am requesting, so that I can understand the spiritual and material forms of you who have no material form.
Arūpinaḥ means “having a spiritual form.” I should understand your spiritual (para) and material (avara) forms of you who have a spiritual form (arūpinaḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.9.27
yathātma-māyā-yogena
nānā-śakty-upabṛṁhitam
vilumpan visṛjan gṛhṇan
bibhrad ātmānam ātmanā
SYNONYMS
yathā—as much as; ātma—own; māyā—potency; yogena—by combination; nānā—various; śakti—energy; upabṛṁhitam—by combination and permutation; vilumpan—in the matter of annihilation; visṛjan—in the matter of generation; gṛhṇan—in the matter of acceptance; bibhrat—in the matter of maintenance; ātmānam—own self; ātmanā—by the self.
TRANSLATION
And [please inform me] how You, by Your own Self, manifest different energies for annihilation, generation, acceptance and maintenance by combination and permutation.
PURPORT
The whole manifestation is the Lord Himself by diffusion of His different energies only, namely the internal, external and marginal, just as the sunlight is the manifestation of the energy of the sun planet. Such energy is simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, just as the sunshine is simultaneously one with and different from the sun planet. The energies are acting by combination and permutation by the indication of the Lord, and the acting agents, like Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, are also different incarnations of the Lord. In other words, there is nothing but the Lord, and still the Lord is different from all such manifestive activities. How it is so will be explained later on.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.27
yathātma-māyā-yogena nānā-śakty-upabṛṁhitam |
vilumpan visṛjan gṛhṇan bibhrad ātmānam ātmanā ||
krīḍasy amogha-saṅkalpa ūrṇanābhir yathorṇute |
tathā tad-viṣayāṁ[184] dhehi manīṣāṁ mayi mādhava ||
O Lord whose desire is never obstructed! O Mādhava! Destroying, creating, and maintaining the material world composed of various energies by your material energy, and, manifesting your spiritual form by your own power, you perform pastimes, just as a spider creates a web. And by your spiritual energy, by hiding or manifesting various forms and maintaining those forms for your devotees, you perform pastimes, like a spider making a web. Give me the intelligence to understand how you do this.
Ātma-māyā-yogena means “by your external energy and by your yoga-māyā potency.” The two items are expressed within this one phrase. By the external energy you destroy and create with variety (visṛjan) the universe endowed with dravya, jñāna and kriyā śaktis and maintain it also. By yourself you manifest your svarūpa (ātmānam gṛhṇan) and perform pastimes, just as a spider creates an extended web (ūrṇute). With your yoga-māyā potency, even within the material world, you accept yourself (ātmānam), the real substance, filled with various energies such as the hlādinī-śakti, by yourself, since you are the highest perfection. By yoga-māyā, the internal energy, you slightly decrease that form (vilumpan), hiding it from some devotees, and sometimes manifest it in a variety of ways (visṛjan). And maintaining (bibhrat) that appearance for some time, you perform pastimes. The example of the spider is material, but thus in both cases, one should understand that it indicates that the Lord is the independent cause of all actions, spiritual and material. Let me know all about māyā, yoga-māyā and what is produced by each (mayi dhehi).
TEXT - SB 2.9.28
krīḍasy amogha-saṅkalpa
ūrṇanābhir yathorṇute
tathā tad-viṣayāṁ dhehi
manīṣāṁ mayi mādhava
SYNONYMS
krīḍasi—as You play; amogha—infallible; saṅkalpa—determination; ūrṇanābhiḥ—the spider; yathā—as much as; ūrṇute—covers; tathā—so and so; tat-viṣayām—in the subject of all those; dhehi—do let me know; manīṣām—philosophically; mayi—unto me; mādhava—O master of all energies.
TRANSLATION
O master of all energies, please tell me philosophically all about them. You play like a spider that covers itself by its own energy, and Your determination is infallible.
PURPORT
By the inconceivable energy of the Lord, every creative element has its own potencies, known as the potency of the element, potency of knowledge and potency of different actions and reactions. By a combination of such potential energies of the Lord there is the manifestation of creation, maintenance and annihilation in due course of time and by different agents like Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara. Brahmā creates, Viṣṇu maintains, and Lord Śiva destroys. But all such agents and creative energies are emanations from the Lord, and as such there is nothing except the Lord, or the one supreme source of different diversities. The exact example is the spider and spider's web. The web is created by the spider, and it is maintained by the spider, and as soon as the spider likes, the whole thing is wound up within the spider. The spider is covered within the web. If an insignificant spider is so powerful as to act according to its will, why can't the Supreme Being act by His supreme will in the creation, maintenance and destruction of the cosmic manifestations? By the grace of the Lord, a devotee like Brahmā, or one in his chain of disciplic succession, can understand the almighty Personality of Godhead eternally engaged in His transcendental pastimes in the region of different energies.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.27-28||
yathātma-māyā-yogena nānā-śakty-upabṛṃhitam | vilumpan visṛjan gṛhṇan bibhrad ātmānam ātmanā ||
krīḍasy amogha-sankalpa ūrṇanābhir yathorṇute | tathā tad-viṣayāṃ dhehi manīṣāṃ mayi mādhava ||
TRANSLATION O Lord whose desire is never obstructed! O Mādhava! Destroying, creating, and maintaining the material world composed of various energies by your material energy, and, manifesting your spiritual form by your own power, you perform pastimes, just as a spider creates a web. And by your spiritual energy, by hiding or manifesting various forms and maintaining those forms for your devotees, you perform pastimes, like a spider making a web. Give me the intelligence to understand how you do this.
Two verses are taken together. You perform pastimes like a spider making a web (ūrnūte).
yathorṇanābhir hṛdayād ūrṇāṃ santatya vaktrataḥ tayā vihṛtya bhūyas tāṃ grasaty evaṃ maheśvaraḥ
Just as from within himself the spider expands thread through his mouth, plays with it for some time and eventually swallows it, similarly, the Supreme Lord produces the universe and then withdraw)s it. (SB 11.9.21
The inquiry about spiritual form is answered in verse 31 and the inquiry about the material form is answered in verse 34. In verse 27 Brahmā expresses the idea of the Lord and his material energy being one. This is confirmed in verse 32
TEXT - SB 2.9.29
bhagavac-chikṣitam ahaṁ
karavāṇi hy atandritaḥ
nehamānaḥ prajā-sargaṁ
badhyeyaṁ yad-anugrahāt
SYNONYMS
bhagavat—by the Personality of Godhead; śikṣitam—taught; aham—myself; karavāṇi—by acting; hi—certainly; atandritaḥ—instrumental; na—never; ihamānaḥ—although acting; prajā-sargam—generation of the living entities; badhyeyam—be conditioned; yat—as a matter of fact; anugrahāt—by the mercy of.
TRANSLATION
Please tell me so that I may be taught in the matter by the instruction of the Personality of Godhead and may thus act instrumentally to generate living entities, without being conditioned by such activities.
PURPORT
Brahmājī does not want to become a speculator dependent on the strength of his personal knowledge and conditioned to material bondage. Everyone should know in clear consciousness that one is, in the execution of all activities, an instrument. A conditioned soul is instrumental in the hands of the external energy, guṇa-mayī māyā, or the illusory energy of the Lord, and in the liberated stage the living entity is instrumental to the will of the Personality of Godhead directly. To be instrumental to the direct will of the Lord is the natural constitutional position of the living entity, whereas to be an instrument in the hands of the illusory energy of the Lord is material bondage for the living entity. In that conditioned state, the living entity speculates on the Absolute Truth and His different activities. But in the unconditioned stage the living entity directly receives knowledge from the Lord, and such a liberated soul acts flawlessly, without any speculative habit. The Bhagavad-gītā (10.10-11) confirms emphatically that the pure devotees, who are constantly engaged in the loving transcendental service of the Lord, are directly advised by the Lord, so much so that the devotee unwaveringly makes progress on the path home, back to Godhead. Pure devotees of the Lord are therefore not proud of their definite progress, whereas the nondevotee speculator is in the darkness of illusory energy and is very much proud of his misleading knowledge based on speculation without any definite path. Lord Brahmā wanted to be saved from that pitfall of pride, although he was posted in the most exalted position within the universe.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.29
bhagavac-chikṣitam ahaṁ karavāṇi hy atandritaḥ |
nehamānaḥ prajā-sargaṁ badhyeyaṁ yad-anugrahāt ||
Without lethargy may I carry out instructions on how to worship you as given by you, because by your mercy alone I will not be bound by false ego when I carry out the creation.
May I carry out instructions given by the Lord. Since you are my guru, please give me, your disciple, some instructions on how to worship you, because by your mercy, though I carry out creation of the offspring, I should not be bound by false ego.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.29||
bhagavac-chikṣitam ahaṃ karavāṇi hy atandritaḥ | nehamānaḥ prajā-sargaṃ badhyeyaṃ yad-anugrahāt ||
TRANSLATION Without lethargy may I carry out instructions on how to worship you as given by you, because by your mercy alone I will not be bound by false ego when I carry out the creation.
The instruction is given in verse 37.
TEXT - SB 2.9.30
yāvat sakhā sakhyur iveśa te kṛtaḥ
prajā-visarge vibhajāmi bho janam
aviklavas te parikarmaṇi sthito
mā me samunnaddha-mado 'ja māninaḥ
SYNONYMS
yāvat—as it is; sakhā—friend; sakhyuḥ—unto the friend; iva—like that; īśa—O Lord; te—You; kṛtaḥ—have accepted; prajā—the living entities; visarge—in the matter of creation; vibhajāmi—as I shall do it differently; bhoḥ—O my Lord; janam—those who are born; aviklavaḥ—without being perturbed; te—Your; parikarmaṇi—in the matter of service; sthitaḥ—thus situated; mā—may it never be; me—unto me; samunnaddha—resulting arise; madaḥ—madness; aja—O unborn one; māninaḥ—thus being thought of.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, the unborn, You have shaken hands with me just as a friend does with a friend [as if equal in position]. I shall be engaged in the creation of different types of living entities, and I shall be occupied in Your service. I shall have no perturbation, but I pray that all this may not give rise to pride, as if I were the Supreme.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā is definitely situated in the humor of friendship with the Lord. Every living being is eternally related with the Personality of Godhead in one of five different transcendental humors, namely śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. We have already discussed these five kinds of humors in relationship with the Personality of Godhead. It is clearly exhibited herein that Lord Brahmā is related to the Personality of Godhead in the transcendental humor of friendship. A pure devotee may be related with the Lord in any one of the transcendental humors, even in the humor of parenthood, but the devotee of the Lord is always a transcendental servitor. No one is equal to or greater than the Lord. That is the version of the Bhagavad-gītā. Brahmājī, although eternally related with the Lord in the transcendental humor of friendship, and although entrusted with the most exalted post of creating different grades of living entities, is still conscious of his position, that he is neither the Supreme Lord nor supremely powerful. It is possible that some extremely powerful personality, within or without the universe, may sometimes show more power than the Lord Himself. Still the pure devotee knows that this power is a vibhūti delegated by the Lord, and such a delegated powerful living entity is never independent. Śrī Hanumānjī crossed the Indian Ocean by jumping over the sea, and Lord Śrī Rāmacandra engaged Himself in marching over the bridge, but this does not mean that Hanumānjī was more powerful than the Lord. Sometimes the Lord gives extraordinary powers to His devotee, but the devotee knows always that the power belongs to the Personality of Godhead and that the devotee is only an instrument. The pure devotee is never puffed up like the nondevotee class of men who falsely think that they are God. It is astonishing to see how a person who is being kicked by the laws of the Lord's illusory energy at every step can falsely think of becoming one with the Lord. Such thinking is the last snare of the illusory energy offered to the conditioned soul. The first illusion is that he wants to become Lord of the material world by accumulating wealth and power, but when he is frustrated in that attempt he wants to be one with the Lord. So both becoming the most powerful man in the material world and desiring to become one with the Lord are different illusory snares. And because the pure devotees of the Lord are surrendered souls, they are above the illusory snares of māyā. Because Lord Brahmā is a pure devotee, even though the first dominating deity in the material world and therefore able to do many wonderful things, he would never, like the nondevotee with a poor fund of knowledge, have the audacity to think of becoming one with the Lord. People with a poor fund of knowledge should take lessons from Brahmā when they are puffed up with the false notion of becoming God.
Factually Lord Brahmā does not create the living entities. In the beginning of the creation he is empowered to give different bodily shapes to the living entities according to their work during the last millennium. Brahmājī's duty is just to wake the living entities from their slumber and to engage them in their proper duty. The different grades of living entities are not created by Brahmājī by his capricious whims, but he is entrusted with the task of giving the living entities different grades of body so that they can work accordingly. And still he is conscious that he is only instrumental, so that he may not think of himself as the Supreme Powerful Lord.
Devotees of the Lord are engaged in the specific duty offered by the Lord, and such duties are successfully carried out without hindrance because they are ordained by the Lord. The credit of success goes not to the doer but to the Lord. But persons with a poor fund of knowledge take the credit of success into their own accounts and give nothing to the credit of the Lord. That is the symptom of the nondevotee class of men.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.30
yāvat sakhā sakhyur iveśa te kṛtaḥ
prajā-visarge vibhajāmi bho janam |
aviklavas te parikarmaṇi sthito
mā me samunnaddha-mado ’ja-māninaḥ ||
Brahmā, revealing his desire, prays to the Lord. O Lord! You have treated me as a friend treats a friend, by touching me with your hand, though I am just a shadow of a servant! May I attain bhakti with a feeling of friendship! O Lord (bho)! As long as I live, while creating the bodies of the living entities, I will create divisions of high, medium and low, while being situated with attention (aviklavaḥ) in serving you. May I not become overcome with excessive pride. The extent of Brahmā’s life is expressed by yāvad-adhikāram avasthitir ādhikārikāṇām: those who hold powers in this world as controllers remain in this world until their tenure has expired. (Brahma-sūtra 3.3.33)
Jiva's tika ||2.9.30||
yāvat sakhā sakhyur iveśa te kṛtaḥ prajā-visarge vibhajāmi bho janam | aviklavas te parikarmaṇi sthito mā me samunnaddha-mado ’ja-māninaḥ ||
TRANSLATION I have been treated by you as a friend treats a friend. O Lord! As long as my tenure lasts, without lethargy, being situated in your service, I will create various types of living entities in the matter of carrying out creation. May I not be overcome by excessive pride in this endeavor.
As long as I am in charge of creation (yāvāt), I will create various living entities. yāvad adhikāram avasthitir ādhikārikāṇām: the rulers of the universe remain in the universe till the end of their designated period. (Brahma-sūtra 3.3.3) Then I will be liberated.
TEXT - SB 2.9.31
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
jñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me
yad vijñāna-samanvitam
sarahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca
gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā
SYNONYMS
śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Personality of Godhead said; jñānam—knowledge acquired; parama—extremely; guhyam—confidential; me—of Me; yat—which is; vijñāna—realization; samanvitam—coordinated; sa-rahasyam—with devotional service; tat—of that; aṅgam ca—necessary paraphernalia; gṛhāṇa—just try to take up; gaditam—explained; mayā—by Me.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead said: Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā is the topmost devotee of the Lord within the universe, and therefore the Personality of Godhead replied to his four principal inquiries in four important statements, which are known as the original Bhāgavatam in four verses. These were Brahmā's questions: (1) What are the forms of the Lord both in matter and in transcendence? (2) How are the different energies of the Lord working? (3) How does the Lord play with His different energies? (4) How may Brahmā be instructed to discharge the duty entrusted to Him? The prelude to the answers is this verse under discussion, wherein the Lord informs Brahmā that knowledge of Him, the Supreme Absolute Truth, as it is stated in the revealed scriptures, is very subtle and cannot be understood unless one is self-realized by the grace of the Lord. The Lord says that Brahmā may take the answers as He explains them. This means that transcendental knowledge of the absolute Supreme Being can be known if it is made known by the Lord Himself. By the mental speculation of the greatest mundane thinkers, the Absolute Truth cannot be understood. The mental speculators can reach up to the standard of impersonal Brahman realization, but, factually, complete knowledge of transcendence is beyond the knowledge of impersonal Brahman. Thus it is called the supreme confidential wisdom. Out of many liberated souls, someone may be qualified to know the Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said by the Lord Himself that out of many hundreds of thousands of people, one may try for perfection in human life, and out of many liberated souls, one may know Him as He is. Therefore, the knowledge of the Personality of Godhead may be attained by devotional service only. Rahasyam means devotional service. Lord Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gītā because He found Arjuna to be a devotee and friend. Without such qualifications, one cannot enter into the mystery of the Bhagavad-gītā Therefore, one cannot understand the Personality of Godhead unless one becomes a devotee and discharges devotional service. This mystery is love of Godhead. Therein lies the main qualification for knowing the mystery of the Personality of Godhead. And to attain the stage of transcendental love of Godhead, regulative principles of devotional service must be followed. The regulative principles are called vidhi-bhakti, or the devotional service of the Lord, and they can be practiced by a neophyte with his present senses. Such regulative principles are mainly based on hearing and chanting of the glories of the Lord. And such hearing and chanting of the glories of the Lord can be made possible in the association of devotees only. Lord Caitanya therefore recommended five main principles for attaining perfection in the devotional service of the Lord. The first is association with devotees (hearing); second is chanting the glories of the Lord; third, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the pure devotee; fourth, residing in a holy place connected with the Lord; and fifth, worshiping the Deity of the Lord with devotion. Such rules and regulations are parts of devotional service. So, as requested by Lord Brahmā, the Personality of Godhead will explain all about the four questions put forward by Brahmā, and others also which are parts and parcels of the same questions.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.31
śrī-bhagavān uvāca—
jñānaṁ parama-guhyaṁ me yad vijñāna-samanvitam |
sa-rahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca gṛhāṇa gaditaṁ mayā ||
The Lord said: Please understand the most secret knowledge of my form, along with realization of that form, and also understand about prema-bhakti and sādhana-bhakti which will be spoken by me.
Brahmā has asked four questions. In verse 26 he asked about the spiritual and material forms of the Lord. In verse 27 he asked about māyā and yoga-māyā. In verse 28, he asked how the Lord carries out pastimes in relation to māyā and yoga-māyā. In verse 29, he asked for instructions for attaining his desired goal. The Lord promises in the present verse to answer these questions in order with four verses.
The Bhāgavatam, composed of these four verses given as answers by the Lord, is famous since itis spoken by the Lord himself. That is expressed in this verse. Not only will I give you knowledge of my form, but also realization as well. Moreover, this form is rarely understood (paramam guhyam), much superior to knowledge of the impersonal brahman. I will explain what is intimate (rahasyam), prema bhakti. Realize prema-bhakti which is accomplished by that knowledge of my form (sa). Prema is well known as rahasya from statements such as sugopyam api vakṣyāmi: I will speak to you the most secret knowledge. (SB 11.11.49) I will also explain by my mercy about sādhana-bhakti, an aṅga of prema, though you did not ask. Thus I will explain three things: my form, prema-bhakti and sādhana-bhakti. Moreover, though you asked about these three through instructions from me (verse 29) I will explain this in four verses so that materialistic people do not understand, since it is confidential. By mention of prema and sādhana-bhakti it should be understood that the Lord also teaches about chanting the name of the Lord which is explained in the First Canto and which is more secret and more excellent than the most secret knowledge of the Lord’s forms. The Lord will especially give understanding to Brahmā, and therefore he instructs him to try to understand, even though he is already attentive (mayā grḥāṇa).
Jiva's tika ||2.9.31||
śrī-bhagavān uvāca— jnānaṃ parama-guhyaṃ me yad vijnāna-samanvitam | sa-rahasyaṃ tad-angaṃ ca gṛhāṇa gaditaṃ mayā ||
TRANSLATION The Lord said: Please understand the most secret knowledge of my form, along with realization of that form, and also understand about prema-bhakti and sādhana-bhakti which will be spoken by me.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 102:
By teaching about knowledge of the Lord, the Lord indicates himself. To teach his own scripture called Bhāgavatam to Brahmā, the greatest devotee, the Lord promised four items that should be explained.
Understand knowledge about me the Lord (jnānam me), understood correctly by śabda, spoken by me (gaditam māyā). Others do not understand this. Only I understand, since it is most secret. It is more secret than brahma-jnāna:
muktānām api siddhānāṃ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ su-durlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahā-mune
O great sage! Greater than those who are jīvanmukta and greater than those who attain liberation is the devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Such a devotee, who is in śānta or other rasas, is very rare, even among ten million people. (SB 6.14.5)
That knowledge is combined with its realization (vijnāna-samanvitam). Not only that, it should be understood along with something which is secret in it (sa-
rahasyam). This is later explained to be prema-bhakti. Also understand its anga. If there is offense, realization and prema do not appear quickly. Therefore also understand the assistant (anga) to the knowledge (to avoid offense). This is later explained to be sādhana bhakti such as hearing. Or sa-rahasyam can modify angam (understand sādhana bhakti along with prema) since the two, sādhana and prema are situated together, causing mutual increase in the same person.
TEXT - SB 2.9.32
yāvān ahaṁ yathā-bhāvo
yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ
tathaiva tattva-vijñānam
astu te mad-anugrahāt
SYNONYMS
yāvān—as I am in eternal form; aham—Myself; yathā—as much as; bhāvaḥ—transcendental existence; yat—those; rūpa—various forms and colors; guṇa—qualities; karmakaḥ—activities; tathā—so and so; eva—certainly; tattva-vijñānam—factual realization; astu—let it be; te—unto you; mat—My; anugrahāt—by causeless mercy.
TRANSLATION
All of Me, namely My actual eternal form and My transcendental existence, color, qualities and activities—let all be awakened within you by factual realization, out of My causeless mercy.
PURPORT
The secret of success in understanding the intricacies of knowledge of the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is the causeless mercy of the Lord. Even in the material world, the father of many sons discloses the secret of his position to the pet sons. The father discloses the confidence unto the son whom he thinks worthy. An important man in the social order can be known by his mercy only. Similarly, one must be very dear to the Lord in order to know the Lord. The Lord is unlimited; no one can know Him completely, but one's advancement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord can make one eligible to know the Lord. Here we can see that the Lord is sufficiently pleased with Brahmājī, and therefore He offers His causeless mercy to him so that Brahmājī may have the factual realization of the Lord by His mercy only.
In the Vedas also it is said that a person cannot know the Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead simply by dint of mundane education or intellectual gymnastics. One can know the Supreme Truth if one has unflinching faith in the bona fide spiritual master as well as in the Lord. Such a faithful person, even though illiterate in the mundane sense, can know the Lord automatically by the mercy of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said that the Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone, and He keeps Himself concealed from the faithless by His yoga-māyā potency.
To the faithful the Lord reveals Himself in His form, quality and pastimes. The Lord is not formless, as wrongly conceived by the impersonalist, but His form is not like one that we have experienced. The Lord discloses His form, even to the extent of measurement, to His pure devotees, and that is the meaning of yāvān, as explained by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, the greatest scholar of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
The Lord discloses the transcendental nature of His existence. The mundane wranglers make mundane conceptions of the form of the Lord. It is said in the revealed scriptures that the Lord has no mundane form; therefore persons with a poor fund of knowledge conclude that He must be formless. They cannot distinguish between the mundane form and the spiritual form. According to them, without a mundane form one must be formless. This conclusion is also mundane because formlessness is the opposite conception of form. Negation of the mundane conception does not establish a transcendental fact. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord has a transcendental form and that He can utilize any one of His senses for any purpose. For example, He can eat with His eyes, and He can see with His leg. In the mundane conception of form, one cannot eat with one's eyes or see with his leg. That is the difference between the mundane body and the spiritual body of sac-cid-ānanda [Bs. 5.1]. A spiritual body is not formless; it is a different type of body, of which we cannot conceive with our present mundane senses. Formless therefore means devoid of mundane form, or possessing a spiritual body of which the nondevotee can have no conception by the speculative method.
The Lord discloses to the devotee His unlimited varieties of transcendental bodies, all identical with one another with different kinds of bodily features. Some of the transcendental bodies of the Lord are blackish, and some of them are whitish. Some of them are reddish, and some are yellowish. Some of them are four-handed and some of them two-handed. Some of them are like the fish, and some are like the lion. All these different transcendental bodies of the Lord, without any differential category, are disclosed to the devotees of the Lord by the mercy of the Lord, and thus the impersonalists' false arguments claiming the formlessness of the Supreme Truth do not appeal to a devotee of the Lord, even though such a devotee may not be very advanced in devotional service.
The Lord has unlimited numbers of transcendental qualities, and one of them is His affection for His unalloyed devotee. In the history of the mundane world we can appreciate His transcendental qualities. The Lord incarnates Himself for the protection of His devotees and for the annihilation of the faithless. His activities are in relationship with His devotees. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of such activities of the Lord in relationship with His devotees, and the nondevotees have no knowledge of such pastimes. The Lord lifted the Govardhana Hill when He was only seven years old and protected His pure devotees at Vṛndāvana from the wrath of Indra, who was overflooding the place with rain. Now this lifting of the Govardhana Hill by a seven-year-old boy may be unbelievable for the faithless, but for the devotees it is absolutely believable. The devotee believes in the almighty potency of the Lord, while the faithless say that the Lord is almighty but do not believe it. Such men with a poor fund of knowledge do not know that the Lord is the Lord eternally and that one cannot become the Lord by meditation for millions of years or by mental speculation for billions of years.
The impersonal interpretation of the mundane wranglers is completely refuted in this verse because it is clearly stated here that the Supreme Lord has His qualities, form, pastimes and everything that a person has. All these descriptions of the transcendental nature of the Personality of Godhead are factual realizations by the devotee of the Lord, and by the causeless mercy of the Lord they are revealed to His pure devotee, and to no one else.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.32
yāvān ahaṁ yathā-bhāvo yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ |
tathaiva tattva-vijñānam astu te mad-anugrahāt ||
Jiva's tika ||2.9.32||
yāvān ahaṃ yathā-bhāvo yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ | tathaiva tattva-vijnānam astu te mad-anugrahāt ||
TRANSLATION By my mercy, may you attain perfect realization of whatever dimensions, intentions, forms, qualities and pastimes I manifest.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 103:
The Lord gives blessings for the appearance of the attainments vijnāna and rahasya. My size in my svarūpa (yāvāt), my very existence (yathā-bhāvaḥ), my spiritual forms such as the four armed form, my qualities such as affection for devotees, and my activities-- true realization in all these ways-- should be yours by my mercy. The Lord in this way rejects an impersonal interpretation of the catuḥ-ślokī. The Lord who taught the catuḥ-ślokī says to Uddhava:
purā mayā proktam ajāya nābhye padme niṣaṇṇāya mamādi-sarge jnānaṃ paraṃ man-mahimāvabhāsaṃ yat sūrayo bhāgavataṃ vadanti
Previously at the beginning of creation, I spoke to Brahmā sitting on his lotus in lake of my navel the highest knowledge--which reveals my pastimes, and which the devotees call the four essential verses of Bhāgavatam. (SB 3.4.13)
By the word vijnānam (realization, not material knowledge) it is clear that the form, qualities and activities of the Lord arise from his svarūpa. The verse is clearly a blessing for realization. It is also a blessing for prema, because prema must arise by realization of everything related to the Lord endowed with the highest bliss (qualities, form etc.)
TEXT - SB 2.9.33
aham evāsam evāgre
nānyad yat sad-asat param
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca
yo 'vaśiṣyeta so 'smy aham
SYNONYMS
aham—I, the Personality of Godhead; eva—certainly; āsam—existed; eva—only; agre—before the creation; na—never; anyat—anything else; yat—all those; sat—the effect; asat—the cause; param—the supreme; paścāt—at the end; aham—I, the Personality of Godhead; yat—all these; etat—creation; ca—also; yaḥ—everything; avaśiṣyeta—remains; saḥ—that; asmi—I am; aham—I, the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.
PURPORT
We should note very carefully that the Personality of Godhead is addressing Lord Brahmā and specifying with great emphasis Himself, pointing out that it is He, the Personality of Godhead, who existed before the creation, it is He only who maintains the creation, and it is He only who remains after the annihilation of the creation. Brahmā is also a creation of the Supreme Lord. The impersonalist puts forth the theory of oneness in the sense that Brahmā, also being the same principle of "I" because he is an emanation from the I, the Absolute Truth, is identical with the Lord, the principle of I, and that there is thus nothing more than the principle of I, as explained in this verse. Accepting the argument of the impersonalist, it is to be admitted that the Lord is the creator I and that the Brahmā is the created I. Therefore there is a difference between the two "I's," namely the predominator I and the predominated I. Therefore there are still two I's, even accepting the argument of the impersonalist. But we must note carefully that these two I's are accepted in the Vedic literature (Kaṭhopaniṣad) in the sense of quality. The Kaṭhopaniṣad says:
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān
The creator "I" and the created "I" are both accepted in the Vedas as qualitatively one because both of them are nityas and cetanas. But the singular "I" is the creator "I," and the created "I's" are of plural number because there are many "I's" like Brahmā and those generated by Brahmā. It is the simple truth. The father creates or begets a son, and the son also creates many other sons, and all of them may be one as human beings, but at the same time from the father, the son and the grandsons are all different. The son cannot take the place of the father, nor can the grandsons. Simultaneously the father, the son and the grandson are one and different also. As human beings they are one, but as relativities they are different. Therefore the relativities of the creator and the created or the predominator and the predominated have been differentiated in the Vedas by saying that the predominator "I" is the feeder of the predominated "I's," and thus there is a vast difference between the two principles of "I."
In another feature of this verse, no one can deny the personalities of both the Lord and Brahmā. Therefore in the ultimate issue both the predominator and predominated are persons. This conclusion refutes the conclusion of the impersonalist that in the ultimate issue everything is impersonal. This impersonal feature stressed by the less intelligent impersonalist school is refuted by pointing out that the predominator "I" is the Absolute Truth and that He is a person. The predominated "I," Brahmā, is also a person, but he is not the Absolute. For realization of one's self in spiritual psychology it may be convenient to assume oneself to be the same principle as the Absolute Truth, but there is always the difference of the predominated and the predominator, as clearly pointed out here in this verse, which is grossly misused by the impersonalists. Brahmā is factually seeing face to face his predominator Lord, who exists in His transcendental eternal form, even after the annihilation of the material creation. The form of the Lord, as seen by Brahmā, existed before the creation of Brahmā, and the material manifestation with all the ingredients and agents of material creation are also energetic expansions of the Lord, and after the exhibition of the Lord's energy comes to a close, what remains is the same Personality of Godhead. Therefore the form of the Lord exists in all circumstances of creation, maintenance and annihilation. The Vedic hymns confirm this fact in the statement vāsudevo vā idam agra āsīn na brahmā na ca śaṅkara eko nārāyaṇa āsīn na brahmā neśāna, etc. Before the creation there was none except Vāsudeva. There was neither Brahmā nor Śaṅkara. Only Nārāyaṇa was there and no one else, neither Brahmā nor Īśāna. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya also confirms in his comments on the Bhagavad-gītā that Nārāyaṇa, or the Personality of Godhead, is transcendental to all creation, but that the whole creation is the product of avyakta. Therefore the difference between the created and the creator is always there, although both the creator and created are of the same quality.
The other feature of the statement is that the supreme truth is Bhagavān, or the Personality of Godhead. The Personality of Godhead and His kingdom have already been explained. The kingdom of Godhead is not void as conceived by the impersonalists. The Vaikuṇṭha planets are full of transcendental variegatedness, including the four-handed residents of those planets, with great opulence of wealth and prosperity, and there are even airplanes and other amenities required for high-grade personalities. Therefore the Personality of Godhead exists before the creation, and He exists with all transcendental variegatedness in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas. The Vaikuṇṭhalokas, also accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā as being of the sanātana nature, are not annihilated even after the annihilation of the manifested cosmos. Those transcendental planets are of a different nature altogether, and that nature is not subjected to the rules and regulations of material creation, maintenance or annihilation. The existence of the Personality of Godhead implies the existence of the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, as the existence of a king implies the existence of a kingdom.
In various places in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in other revealed scriptures the existence of the Personality of Godhead is mentioned. For example, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.8.10), Mahārāja Parīkṣit asks:
sa cāpi yatra puruṣo
viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ
muktvātma-māyāṁ māyeśaḥ
śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ
"How does the Personality of Godhead, the cause of creation, maintenance and annihilation, who is always freed from the influence of the illusory energy and is the controller of the same, lie in everyone's heart?" Similar also is a question of Vidura's:
tattvānāṁ bhagavaṁs teṣāṁ
katidhā pratisaṅkramaḥ
tatremaṁ ka upāsīran
ka u svid anuśerate
(SB 3.7.37)
Śrīdhara Svāmī explains this in his notes: "During the annihilation of the creation, who serves the Lord lying on the Śeṣa, etc." This means that the transcendental Lord with all His name, fame, quality and paraphernalia exists eternally. The same confirmation is also in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa in connection with dhruva-carita. It is said there:
na cyavante 'pi yad-bhaktā
mahatyāṁ pralayāpadi
ato 'cyuto 'khile loke
sa ekaḥ sarvago 'vyayaḥ
Even the devotees of the Personality of Godhead are not annihilated during the period of the entire annihilation of the material world, not to speak of the Lord Himself. The Lord is ever-existent in all three stages of material change.
The impersonalist adduces no activity in the Supreme, but in this discussion between Brahmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead the Lord is said to have activities also, as He has His form and quality. The activities of Brahmā and other demigods during the maintenance of the creation are to be understood as the activities of the Lord. The king, or the head executive of a state, may not be seen in the government offices, for he may be engaged in royal comforts. Yet it should be understood that everything is being done under his direction and everything is at his command. The Personality of Godhead is never formless. In the material world He may not be visible in His personal form to the less intelligent class of men, and therefore He may sometimes be called formless. But actually He is always in His eternal form in His Vaikuṇṭha planets as well as in other planets of the universes as different incarnations. The example of the sun is very appropriate in this connection. The sun in the night may not be visible to the eyes of men in the darkness, but the sun is visible wherever it has risen. That the sun is not visible to the eyes of the inhabitants of a particular part of the earth does not mean that the sun has no form.
In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.4.1) there is the hymn ātmaivedam agra āsīt puruṣa-vidhaḥ. This mantra indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Kṛṣṇa) even before the appearance of the puruṣa incarnation. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.18) it is said that Lord Kṛṣṇa is Puruṣottama because He is the supreme puruṣa, transcendental even to the puruṣa-akṣara and the puruṣa-kṣara. The akṣara-puruṣa, or the Mahā-Viṣṇu, throws His glance over prakṛti, or material nature, but the Puruṣottama existed even before that. The Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad therefore confirms the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Person (Puruṣottama).
In some of the Vedas it is also said that in the beginning only the impersonal Brahman existed. However, according to this verse, the impersonal Brahman, which is the glowing effulgence of the body of the Supreme Lord, may be called the immediate cause, but the cause of all causes, or the remote cause, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord's impersonal feature is existent in the material world because by material senses or material eyes the Lord cannot be seen or perceived. One has to spiritualize the senses before one can expect to see or perceive the Supreme Lord. But He is always engaged in His personal capacity, and He is eternally visible to the inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭhaloka, eye to eye. Therefore He is materially impersonal, just as the executive head of the state may be impersonal in the government offices, although he is not impersonal in the government house. Similarly, the Lord is not impersonal in His abode, which is always nirasta-kuhakam, as stated in the very beginning of the Bhāgavatam. Therefore both the impersonal and personal features of the Lord are acceptable, as mentioned in the revealed scriptures. This Personality of Godhead is very emphatically explained in the Bhagavad-gītā in connection with the verse brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham (Bg. 14.27). Therefore in all ways the confidential part of spiritual knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, and not His impersonal Brahman feature. One should therefore have his ultimate aim of realization not in the impersonal feature but in the personal feature of the Absolute Truth. The example of the sky within the pot and the sky outside the pot may be helpful to the student for his realization of the all-pervading quality of the cosmic consciousness of the Absolute Truth. But that does not mean that the individual part and parcel of the Lord becomes the Supreme by a false claim. It means only that the conditioned soul is a victim of the illusory energy in her last snare. To claim to be one with the cosmic consciousness of the Lord is the last trap set by the illusory energy, or daivī māyā. Even in the impersonal existence of the Lord, as it is in the material creation, one should aspire for personal realization of the Lord, and that is the meaning of paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca yo 'vaśiṣyeta so 'smy aham.
Brahmājī also accepted the same truth when he was instructing Nārada. He said:
so 'yaṁ te 'bhihitas tāta
bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ
(SB 2.7.50)
There is no other cause of all causes than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. Therefore this verse aham eva never indicates anything other than the Supreme Lord, and one should therefore follow the path of the Brahma-sampradāya, or the path from Brahmājī to Nārada, to Vyāsadeva, etc., and make it a point in life to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, or Lord Kṛṣṇa. This very confidential instruction to the pure devotees of the Lord was also given to Arjuna and to Brahmā in the beginning of the creation. The demigods like Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Indra, Candra and Varuṇa are undoubtedly different forms of the Lord for execution of different functions; the different elemental ingredients of material creation, as well as the multifarious energies, also may be of the same Personality of Godhead, but the root of all of them is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. One should be attached to the root of everything rather than bewildered by the branches and leaves. That is the instruction given in this verse.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.33
aham evāsam evāgre nānyad yat sad-asat-param |
paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham ||
After promising knowledge and giving qualification by blessings in the two introductory verses, the Lord now teaches the first aspect of knowledge concerning the spiritual and material forms (asked in verse 26). Touching his forefinger to his chest the Lord says, “I alone existed before the creation.” By the word eva he excludes all others. Nothing of my category existed at that time. The most attractive form which you now see, a sweet ocean of form and quality existed before the creation, at the time of great devastation of all the universes. The śruti says:
vāsudevo vā idam agra āsīn na brahmā na ca śaṅkaraḥ
Vāsudeva exists previous to the universe. Brahmā and Śiva did not exist.
puruṣo ha vai nārāyaṇaḥ
The Lord is Nārāyaṇa.
eko ha vai nārāyaṇa āsīt
Nārāyaṇa alone existed.
puruṣo ha vai nārāyaṇo ’kāmayata |
atha nārāyaṇād ajo ’jāyata, yataḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni |
nārāyaṇaḥ paraṁ brahma, tattvaṁ nārāyaṇaḥ param |
ṛtaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ brahma puruṣaṁ kṛṣṇa-piṅgalam
The Lord Nārāyaṇa desired. From Nārāyaṇa was born Brahmā, from who all living entities arise. Nārāyaṇa is the supreme brahman, the supreme principle. He is most worthy of worship, the highest truth, the supreme brahman, dark in complexion with yellow cloth.
eko nārāyaṇa āsīn na brahmā neśānaḥ
Nārāyaṇa alone existed. Brahmā and Śiva did not exist. Mahā Upaniṣad
Bhāgavatam says:
bhagavān eka āsedam agra ātmātmanāṁ vibhuḥ
ātmecchānugatāv ātmā nānā-maty-upalakṣaṇaḥ
Bhagavān, who exists in the form of Paramātmā and brahman according to the viewpoint, alone existed before the creation of the universe, when the desire to create bodies of the jīvas was absent. . SB 3.5.23
When the Lord says he alone existed, it also means that his associates in Vaikuṇṭha also existed, since they are his parts. This is similar to saying “the king goes” meaning that the king goes with his attendants. The associates of the Lord are in a condition similar to the Lord. Parīkṣit asked:
sa cāpi yatra puruṣo viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ |
muktvātma-māyāṁ māyeśaḥ śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ ||
Please describe where this puruṣa, the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the universe, the Lord of māyā, dwelling within all beings, but untouched by his māyā, lies down. SB 2.8.10
Vidura asks:
tattvānāṁ bhagavaṁs teṣāṁ katidhā pratisaṅkramaḥ |
tatremaṁ ka upāsīran ka u svid anuśerate ||
Please describe how many dissolutions there are for the elements of material nature and who survives after the dissolutions to serve the Lord while he is asleep? SB 3.7.37
Śrīdhara Svāmī explains tatra pralaye imaṁ parameśvaraṁ śayānaṁ rājānam iva cāmara-grāhiṇaḥ ke upāsīran ke vā tad anuśerate śayānam anusvapanti: at the time of dissolution, who will worship the Supreme Lord as a king by waving a cāmara, and who will accompany the Lord in sleep?
Kāsī-khaṇḍa says:
na cyavante hi mad-bhaktā mahatyāṁ pralayāpadi |
ato ’cyuto ’khile loke sa ekaḥ sarvago ’vyayaḥ ||
My devotees do not perish even at the time of universal destruction. The Lord alone is indestructible and all-pervading in all planets. Skanda Purāṇa
The word āsam (I existed) excludes anything without substance. The verb as indicates something existing. Because of my existing, complete non-existence is not at all possible. This should be understood from the verb. I alone existed. This however does not mean that I did not do anything. The statement does not exclude other actions since the verb as is connected with all other verb roots. If one says “Caitra existed in that village last year” it does not mean that he did not eat, sit or sleep there. Though eva can indicate absence of these activities (he only existed), by the sense of the statement, it means he performed these activities. The Bhagavat-sandarbha says:
āsam eveti brahmādi-bahirjana-jñāna-gocara-sṛṣṭy-ādi-lakṣaṇa-kriyāntarasyaiva vyāvṛttiḥ |
na tu svāntaraṅga-līlāyā api |
yathādhunāsau rājā kāryaṁ na kiñcit karotīty ukte rājya-sambandhi-kāryam eva niṣidhyate na tu śayana-bhojanādikam apīti tadvad
The words āsam eva exclude actions such as creation which are subject to the awareness of persons with material bodies such as Brahmā. However the words do not exclude the Lord’s spiritual pastimes. If one says that presently the king does not perform any activities, it means he does not perform his activities as a king, but does not mean that he does not eat or sleep.
Sometimes it is said that only the impersonal brahman existed. In answer to this it is said in this verse that brahman which is superior to effect (sat) and cause (asat) is not different from me. This means that I alone appear as the impersonal brahman in some scriptures which cannot express the various qualities arising from my svarūpa because the readers are not qualified. But you should know me, endowed with form and qualities because you have my blessings and mercy, as expressed in the previous verse.
“After the creation, that universe alone is observed and not you.” In answer to this the verse says, even after the creation, only I exist. I exist as Bhagavān in Vaikuṇṭha and as Paramātmā within the universes, and as various avatāras such as Matsya at certain times.
“You are not the earth, devatās or the animals. Does that mean that you are incomplete?” The verse answers. I alone am this universe (etat) as a whole and composed of individuals. Because the universe is generated from my energy, it is my material form. You have asked to know about my spiritual and material forms. This is the material form. I alone am the Supreme Lord expressed by the words yo ’vaśiṣyeta. bhavān ekaḥ śiṣyate śeṣa-saṁjñaḥ: you alone remain, and you are known as Ananta Śeṣa-nāga. (SB 10.3.25) The word aham is repeated three times to define the Lord, who has a supreme form situated through all three phases of time, and endowed with form and qualities, and which is visible at creation and destruction as the inferior form of the world made of matter. Thus knowledge of the superior and inferior forms of the Lord has been explained. Brahmā should have realization (vijñānam) of the first, the superior, spiritual form. This realization will occur when Brahmā can relish the sweetness of the Lord’s form and qualities by prema-bhakti produced through hearing and chanting. This will be explained in the fourth verse.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.33||
aham evāsam evāgre nānyad yat sad-asat-param | paścād ahaṃ yad etac ca yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham ||
TRANSLATION I alone, who am non-different from that which is superior to all cause and effect, existed previous to creation of the universe. I alone exist as the universe after the creation of the universe, and I alone remain at the destruction.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 104:
Having outlined what will be taught in the four verses, first the Lord explains his qualities which are the subject of knowledge and realization in two verses. For knowledge he recites this verse.
The word aham indicates a speaker having a form. It is not unqualified Brahman since Brahman can never be an entity indicated by “I.” In relation to knowledge of ātmā such as the sentence tat tvam asi, it is suitable to say “You are that.” (But Brahman cannot say “I did this.”) Thus the meaning is correct. Appearing in front of you now, I, this supremely attractive form, also existed at the time of great destruction (agre).
vāsudevo vā idam agra āsīn na brahmā na ca śankaraḥ | eko nārāyaṇa āsīn na brahmā neśānaḥ
Vāsudeva existed before the world, not Brahmā or Śiva. The one Nārāyaṇa exists, not Brahmā or Śiva. (Mahā Upaniṣad)
bhagavān eka āsedam agra ātmātmanāṃ vibhuḥ ātmecchānugatāv ātmā nānā-maty-upalakṣaṇaḥ
Bhagavān, who exists in the form of Paramātmā and Brahman according to the viewpoint, alone existed before the creation of the universe, when the desire to create bodies of the jīvas was absent. (SB 3.5.23)
The word aham should be understood to include the Lord's Vaikuṇṭha associates, since they are his subordinates, just as one includes the king’s followers when one says “The king departs.” Thus the associates also remain during pralaya.
Parīkṣit asks: sa cāpi yatra puruṣo viśva-sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ |
muktvātma-māyāṃ māyeśaḥ śete sarva-guhāśayaḥ ||
Please describe where this puruṣa, the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the universe, the Lord of māyā, dwelling within all beings, but untouched by his māyā, lies down. (SB 2.8.10)
Vidura asks: tattvānāṃ bhagavaṃs teṣāṃ katidhā pratisankramaḥ tatremaṃ ka upāsīran ka u svid anuśerate
How many types of destruction are there for the various elements? Who remains serving the Lord during destruction, and who goes to sleep? (SB 3.7.37)
In the story of Dhruva, in Kāśī-khaṇḍa it is said:
na cyavante hi mad-bhaktā mahatyāṃ pralayāpadi | ato’cyuto’khile loke sa ekaḥ sarvago’vyayaḥ ||
My devotees are not destroyed at the time of the final destruction of the universe. Eternal Acyuta alone pervades the world.
The word eva (only) indicates that there is no other agent or doer, even something without form. Āsam eva (I existed alone or only) indicates that the Lord existing alone is not impossible. It is actual. In SB 2.9.32 the Lord already stated that he has activities.
yāvān ahaṃ yathā-bhāvo yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ | tathaiva tattva-vijnānam astu te mad-anugrahāt ||
By my mercy, may you attain perfect realization of whatever dimensions, intentions, forms, qualities and pastimes I manifest. (SB 2.9.32)
Or the word eva excludes actions of creation by material knowledge of Brahmā and others. But it does not exclude actions of his spiritual pastimes. If one says “The king does not do any duties” it means he does not do actions related to ruling the kingdom, but this does not forbid actions like sleeping and eating. Or the meaning can be “I, existing with all details of form that you see now, stood there at that time. ” Since the verb as can have the meaning going, shining or accepting according to Pāṇini, it indicates “I was existing brilliantly” then as now. This refutes any impersonal interpretation.
What was said in this verse is also explained in Muktā-phala commentary
concerning Viṣṇu as having form and not having form. “This does not exclude forms for Viṣṇu, since his forms surpass material forms.”
Śruti says ātmaivedam agra āsīt puruṣa-vidhaḥ: the Lord with a human form existed during pralaya. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.1.1) Before the puruṣa glances at prakṛti, Bhagavān exists superior even to the puruṣa.
“Sometimes it is said in scriptures that only unqualified Brahman existed previous to creation.” Brahman which is superior to effect (sat) and cause (asat) is not different (anyat) from me. Certain scriptures or some persons, not able to accept the manifestation of qualities from the Lord’s svarūpa, appreciate the Lord in his impersonal aspect only. Or, now in the world, I exist as unqualified consciousness alone but in Vaikuṇṭha exist as the Lord with qualities. Scripture describes both conditions. This same knowledge of the Lord is also taught by the Lord in brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham: I am the basis of Brahman. (BG 14.27) Therefore it is called the most secret knowledge.
“After creation of the world you cannot be perceived.” After the creation (paścāt) I exist in the form of Bhagavān in Vaikuṇṭha and as antaryāmī in the world.
sthity-udbhava-pralaya-hetur ahetur asya yat svapna-jāgara-suṣuptiṣu sad bahiś ca dehendriyāsu-hṛdayāni caranti yena sanjīvitāni tad avehi paraṃ narendra
One should know Nārāyaṇa who is the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe and is without cause, who remains present during the conditions of dream, waking and deep sleep, and beyond those states as well, and who makes the body, senses, life airs and mind move and come to life. (SB 11.3.35)
The above verse is the same knowledge that the Lord teaches in the catuḥślokī.
“Pots and cloth seen everywhere are not your forms. Thus this means that you are not complete.” No, this universe (yad etat) is me alone. Since nothing exists except me, it is also me.
so ’yaṃ te ’bhihitas tāta bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ | samāsena harer nānyad anyasmāt sad-asac ca yat ||
Bhagavān, maintainer of the universe, has thus been described in summary. The universe and jīvas are none other than the Lord, but also arise from the Lord who is different from them. (SB 2.7.50)
In this above verse the Lord teaches the same knowledge of the Lord. What exists at destruction is also me alone. The same knowledge is taught in the following:
bhagavān eka āsedam agra ātmātmanāṃ vibhuḥ ātmecchānugatāv ātmā nānā-maty-upalakṣaṇaḥ
Bhagavān, who exists in the form of Paramātmā and Brahman according to the viewpoint, alone existed before the creation of the universe, when the desire to create bodies of the jīvas was absent. (SB 3.5.23)
Thus what was promised “to be revealed by mercy” was to show that the Lord’s measurement (yāvat aham) is beyond all time and place. Nānyad yat sad-asat param, indicating brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham, explains yathā bhāvam. By indicating the Lord’s form with limbs in order to show that the Lord has extraordinary, unlimited forms, yad-rūpam is explained. By indicating that the Lord is the shelter of everything, to show his extraordinary, unlimited qualities, yad-guṇam is explained. By indicating that the Lord is the shelter of various actions such as creation, maintenance and destruction, to show his extraordinary, unlimited actions, yat-karmakaḥ is explained.
TEXT - SB 2.9.34
ṛte 'rthaṁ yat pratīyeta
na pratīyeta cātmani
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ
yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ
SYNONYMS
ṛte—without; artham—value; yat—that which; pratīyeta—appears to be; na—not; pratīyeta—appears to be; ca—and; ātmani—in relation to Me; tat—that; vidyāt—you must know; ātmanaḥ—My; māyām—illusory energy; yathā—just as; ābhāsaḥ—the reflection; yathā—as; tamaḥ—the darkness.
TRANSLATION
O Brahmā, whatever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. Know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.
PURPORT
In the previous verse it has already been concluded that in any stage of the cosmic manifestation—its appearance, its sustenance, its growth, its interactions of different energies, its deterioration and its disappearance—all has its basic relation with the existence of the Personality of Godhead. And as such, whenever there is forgetfulness of this prime relation with the Lord, and whenever things are accepted as real without being related to the Lord, that conception is called a product of the illusory energy of the Lord. Because nothing can exist without the Lord, it should be known that the illusory energy is also an energy of the Lord. The right conclusion of dovetailing everything in relationship with the Lord is called yoga-māyā, or the energy of union, and the wrong conception of detaching a thing from its relationship with the Lord is called the Lord's daivī māyā, or mahā-māyā. Both the māyās also have connections with the Lord because nothing can exist without being related to Him. As such, the wrong conception of detaching relationships from the Lord is not false but illusory.
Misconceiving one thing for another thing is called illusion. For example, accepting a rope as a snake is illusion, but the rope is not false. The rope, as it exists in the front of the illusioned person, is not at all false, but the acceptance is illusory. Therefore the wrong conception of accepting this material manifestation as being divorced from the energy of the Lord is illusion, but it is not false. And this illusory conception is called the reflection of the reality in the darkness of ignorance. Anything that appears as apparently not being "produced out of My energy" is called māyā. The conception that the living entity is formless or that the Supreme Lord is formless is also illusion. In the Bhagavad-gītā (2.12) it was said by the Lord in the midst of the battlefield that the warriors standing in front of Arjuna, Arjuna himself, and even the Lord had all existed before, they were existing on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and they would all continue to be individual personalities in the future also, even after the annihilation of the present body and even after being liberated from the bondage of material existence. In all circumstances, the Lord and the living entities are individual personalities, and the personal features of both the Lord and living beings are never abolished; only the influence of the illusory energy, the reflection of light in the darkness, can, by the mercy of the Lord, be removed. In the material world, the light of the sun is also not independent, nor is that of the moon. The real source of light is the brahmajyoti, which diffuses light from the transcendental body of the Lord, and the same light is reflected in varieties of light: the light of the sun, the light of the moon, the light of fire, or the light of electricity. So the identity of the self as being unconnected with the Supreme Self, the Lord, is also illusion, and the false claim "I am the Supreme" is the last illusory snare of the same māyā, or the external energy of the Lord.
The Vedānta-sūtra in the very beginning affirms that everything is born from the Supreme, and thus, as explained in the previous verse, all individual living entities are born from the energy of the supreme living being, the Personality of Godhead. Brahmā himself was born from the energy of the Lord, and all other living entities are born from the energy of the Lord through the agency of Brahmā; none of them has any existence without being dovetailed with the Supreme Lord.
The independence of the individual living entity is not real independence, but is just the reflection of the real independence existing in the Supreme Being, the Lord. The false claim of supreme independence by the conditioned souls is illusion, and this conclusion is admitted in this verse.
Persons with a poor fund of knowledge become illusioned, and therefore the so-called scientists, physiologists, empiric philosophers, etc., become dazzled by the glaring reflection of the sun, moon, electricity, etc., and deny the existence of the Supreme Lord, putting forward theories and different speculations about the creation, maintenance and annihilation of everything material. The medical practitioner may deny the existence of the soul in the physiological bodily construction of an individual person, but he cannot give life to a dead body, even though all the mechanisms of the body exist even after death. The psychologist makes a serious study of the physiological conditions of the brain, as if the construction of the cerebral lump were the machine of the functioning mind, but in the dead body the psychologist cannot bring back the function of the mind. These scientific studies of the cosmic manifestation or the bodily construction independent of the Supreme Lord are different reflective intellectual gymnastics only, but at the end they are all illusion and nothing more. All such advancement of science and knowledge in the present context of material civilization is but an action of the covering influence of the illusory energy. The illusory energy has two phases of existence, namely the covering influence and the throwing influence. By the throwing influence the illusory energy throws the living entities into the darkness of ignorance, and by the covering influence she covers the eyes of men with a poor fund of knowledge about the existence of the Supreme Person who enlightened the supreme individual living being, Brahmā. The identity of Brahmā with the Supreme Lord is never claimed herein, and therefore such a foolish claim by the man with a poor fund of knowledge is another display of the illusory energy of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (16.18-20) that demoniac persons who deny the existence of the Lord are thrown more and more into the darkness of ignorance, and thus such demoniac persons transmigrate life after life without any knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The sane man, however, is enlightened in the disciplic succession from Brahmājī, who was personally instructed by the Lord, or in the disciplic succession from Arjuna, who was personally instructed by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gītā. He accepts this statement of the Lord:
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
(Bg. 10.8)
The Lord is the original source of all emanations, and everything that is created, maintained and annihilated exists by the energy of the Lord. The sane man who knows this is actually learned, and therefore he becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Although the reflectory energy of the Lord displays various illusions to the eyes of persons with a poor fund of knowledge, the sane person knows clearly that the Lord can act, even from far, far beyond our vision, by His different energies, just as fire can diffuse heat and light from a distant place. In the medical science of the ancient sages, known as the Āyur-veda, there is definite acceptance of the Lord s supremacy in the following words:
jagad-yoner anicchasya
cid-ānandaika-rūpiṇaḥ
puṁso 'sti prakṛtir nityā
praticchāyeva bhāsvataḥ
acetanāpi caitanya-
yogena paramātmanaḥ
akarod viśvam akhilam
anityam nāṭakākṛtim
There is one Supreme Person who is the progenitor of this cosmic manifestation and whose energy acts as prakṛti, or the material nature, dazzling like a reflection. By such illusory action of prakṛti, even dead matter is caused to move by the cooperation of living energy of the Lord, and the material world appears like a dramatic performance to the ignorant eyes. The ignorant person, therefore, may even be a scientist or physiologist in the drama of prakṛti, while the sane person knows prakṛti as the illusory energy of the Lord. By such a conclusion, as confirmed by the Bhagavad-gītā, it is clear that the living entities are also a display of the Lord's superior energy (parā prakṛti), just as the material world is a display of the Lord's inferior energy (aparā prakṛti). The superior energy of the Lord cannot be as good as the Lord, although there is very little difference between the energy and the possessor of the energy, or the fire and the heat. Fire is possessed of heat, but heat is not fire. This simple thing is not understood by the man with a poor fund of knowledge who falsely claims that the fire and heat are the same. This energy of the fire (namely heat) is explained here as a reflection, and not directly fire. Therefore the living energy represented by the living entities is the reflection of the Lord, and never the Lord Himself. Being the reflection of the Lord, the existence of the living entity is dependent on the Supreme Lord, who is the original light. This material energy may be compared to darkness, as actually it is darkness, and the activities of the living entities in the darkness are reflections of the original light. The Lord should be understood by the context of this verse. Nondependence of both the energies of the Lord is explained as māyā, or illusion. No one can make a solution of the darkness of ignorance simply by the reflection of light. Similarly, no one can come out of material existence simply by the reflected light of the common man; one has to receive the light from the original light itself. The reflection of sunlight in the darkness is unable to drive out the darkness, but the sunlight outside the reflection can drive out the darkness completely. In darkness no one can see the things in a room. Therefore a person in the dark is afraid of snakes and scorpions, although there may not be such things. But in the light the things in the room can be clearly seen, and the fear of snakes and scorpions is at once removed. Therefore one has to take shelter of the light of the Lord, as in the Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and not the reflective personalities who have no touch with the Lord. No one should hear Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from a person who does not believe in the existence of the Lord. Such a person is already doomed, and any association with such a doomed person makes the associater also doomed.
According to the Padma Purāṇa, within the material compass there are innumerable material universes, and all of them are full of darkness. Any living being, beginning from the Brahmās (there are innumerable Brahmās in innumerable universes) to the insignificant ant, are all born in darkness, and they require factual light from the Lord to see Him directly, just as the sun can be seen only by the direct light of the sun. No lamp or man-made torchlight, however powerful it may be, can help one see the sun. The sun reveals itself. Therefore the action of different energies of the Lord, or the Personality of Godhead Himself, can be realized by the light manifested by the causeless mercy of the Lord. The impersonalists say that God cannot be seen. God can be seen by the light of God and not by man-made speculations. Here this light is specifically mentioned as vidyāt, which is an order by the Lord to Brahmā. This direct order of the Lord is a manifestation of His internal energy, and this particular energy is the means of seeing the Lord face to face. Not only Brahmā but anyone who may be graced by the Lord to see such merciful direct internal energy can also realize the Personality of Godhead without any mental speculation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.34
rte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta na pratīyeta cātmani |
tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ ||
One should understand my māyā by whose power real objects are perceived through vidyā and false objects are perceived through avidyā, in relation to the self, just as light reveals objects and darkness hides them. One should understand my yoga-māyā by whose power some objects are revealed and some objects hidden from the person who has realized the Lord, just as light reveals objects and darkness hides them.
Māyā (material energy) acts partly favorably and partly unfavorably towards the jīva trying to attain knowledge and realization of Paramātmā. When you realize me (Paramātmā), then only yoga-māyā functions. Thus yoga-māyā acts only favorably. Since both of these should be defined in the verse, I will impart this knowledge to you. In verse 27 you have asked about the qualities of māyā and yoga-māyā (yathātma-māyā-yogena). I am now giving the answer by taking two meanings to the verse.
By this māyā nothing is perceived except a real object (artham); that is, only a real object is perceived. And by this māyā (yat) there is perception without a real object. This means that by this māyā real objects are not perceived, but rather; false objects are perceived. The liberated and conditioned souls know it as my (ātmanaḥ) māyā-śakti which has two functions of vidyā (for the liberated soul) and avidyā (for the conditioned soul), existing in relation to the self (ātmani).
An example of vidyā is given. It is like the illumination coming from a lamp (yathābhāsaḥ). In a house, an existing pot or cloth is perceived because of the light of a lamp, but by taking the lamp away, the pot or cloth which previously existed does not become non-existent. A snake or scorpion which was a cause of fear is perceived as non-existent at that time. By the function of vidyā, the liberated jīva perceives knowledge and bliss in relation to the self. It is not like the state of avidyā, where this perception (about knowledge and bliss) is absent. In that state, body and its related lamentation and illusion, which are actually not related to the self, are not perceived.
An example of avidyā is given. It is like darkness. Because of darkness a pot or cloth in the house are not perceived to exist. However, a snake or thief, though not existing there, cause fear because of their possible existence, and thus, are perceived to exist where they actually do not exist. Because of avidyā, the conditioned jīva does not perceive knowledge and bliss, even though they exist with an eternal relationship to the self. The conditioned jīva perceives the body, and lamentation and confusion related to the body appear to be related to self, though actually they are not related to the self.
Though flowers and horns exist, because they are not related to sky and rabbit, a flower in the sky and a rabbit with horns are false. Similarly, though bodies and lamentation, confusion, happiness and distress all exist as expansions of real matter, the body, lamentation, confusion, happiness and distress are all called false in the scriptures because they have no real relation to the jīva. Though the relationship of the jīva with the body is false, it is produced by avidyā and destroyed by vidyā. Thus vidyā is compared to light and avidyā is compared to darkness. In the Eighth Canto this is proved in the statement chāyā-tapau yatra na gṛdhra-pakṣau: the Lord is constantly witnessing, but not affected, and has no vidyā or avidyā. (SB 8.5.27)
Some explain the example this way. The example of darkness refers to the covering or obscuring portion of māyā. Examples of the obscuring and confusion aspects are being overcome with fear of snakes, tigers or being possessed by a ghost. These are accepted by taking the meaning of tamas as ignorance. Some explain the qualities of avidyā -- obscuring and confusion (āvaraṇa and vikṣepa) -- as non-apprehension of real objects and apprehension of unreal objects.
The word artha can also mean wealth. Like a merchant who has attained wealth through good fortune, the liberated soul gains knowledge and bliss through vidyā and is considered wealthy. Like the merchant who by misfortune has not attained wealth, the conditioned soul, having knowledge and bliss covered by avidyā is considered poor. By vidyā the jīva realizes that he is ātmā or tvam.[185] He does not realize Paramātmā or tat by vidyā (which is sattva). Because the Lord is beyond the guṇas, he realizes the Lord only by pure bhakti which is beyond the guṇas, for the Lord says bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ: I am achieved only by bhakti. (SB 11.14.21) He also says kaivalyaṁ sāttvikaṁ jñānam: jñāna, which gives liberation, is in the mode of goodness. (SB 11.25.24) One cannot realize Paramātmā who is beyond the guṇas by vidyā which belongs to sattva-guṇa, and which means knowledge of ātmā separate from body. Rather this vidyā is destroyed by bhakti. The Lord says:
dravyaṁ deśaḥ phalaṁ kālo jñānaṁ karma ca kārakaḥ |
śraddhāvasthākṛtir niṣṭhā trai-guṇyaḥ sarva eva hi ||
yeneme nirjitāḥ saumya guṇā jīvena citta-jāḥ |
bhakti-yogena man-niṣṭho mad-bhāvāya prapadyate ||
Therefore material substance, place, result of activity, time, knowledge, work, the performer of work, faith, state of consciousness, species of life and destination after death are all based on the three modes of material nature. The living entity who conquers these modes, manifested from the mind, can dedicate himself to me by the process of devotional service and thus attain pure love for me. SB 11.25.30, 32
Must the liberated jīva obtain bhakti in order to realize Paramātmā directly? For the person qualified for jñāna, vidyā is produced by sāṅkhya, yoga, austerity and other methods mixed with bhakti. That vidyā destroys avidyā and produces realization of ātmā or tvam. The person freed from avidyā gradually becomes increasingly indifferent to vidyā, like a fire without fuel wood, while the small portion of bhakti previously performed loses its covering and makes its appearance like the moon coming out of eclipse. Only by repeated bhakti,gradually, the realization of Paramātmā or tat appears. The Lord says in Gītā:
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati |
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām ||
Having attained the state of brahman, being a pure soul, he does not lament in loss of what he had nor does he desire what he does not have, and looks upon all beings as equal. He then manifests pure bhakti. BG 18.54
In the Gītā verse parām means “best” or “only” since it is now devoid of its previous secondary status. It is said in the next verse bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: only by bhakti can a person know me as brahman. Thus by amount and type of bhakti, that person realizes impersonal brahman by that small portion of bhakti but not the qualified brahman with knowledge and bliss, Bhagavān. It is like a person with weak eyesight who sees only the general form of a deity decorated with jewels, and not all the details such as face, nose, eyes and ears. When there is complete cessation of vidyā, by the bhakti which appears in the person now beyond the guṇas, the person achieves the perfection of realization of the impersonal brahman. This is called nirvāṇa or oneness of jīva and brahman. In the Gītā it is stated tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram: then, knowing me as brahman by that bhakti, he merges with me. (BG 18.55)
When pure bhakti, which is mercy of the Lord incarnate and the essence of the cit-śakti, becomes very strong and prominent by amount and type, it is completely independent, and does not consider good or bad, and may appear suddenly within conditioned jīvas, even of bad conduct, or who are born as Rākṣasas, Pulindas or Pukkaśas, whereas it may not appear within brāhmaṇas or sannyasīs even if they are liberated. By that bhakti alone, all suffering including avidyā is destroyed. It is said:
jarayaty āśu yā kośaṁ nigīrṇam analo yathā
Bhakti, devotional service, dissolves the subtle body of the living entity without separate effort, just as fire in the stomach digests all that we eat. SB 3.25.33
By that bhakti alone, a person will realize directly Bhagavān filled with bliss and knowledge, just as a person with strong eyesight by good fortune can see the general form of the beautiful deity and also the details of the face, nose, eyes and ears.
Bhakti is of two types: bhakti without material guṇas and bhakti mixed with the guṇas. By the first type, which in its mature state is called prema-bhakti, one brings the Lord under control. Through this a person realizes the sweet pastimes, form and qualities of the Lord composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss. By the second type of bhakti, mixed with sattva-guṇa, after it loses its sattva-guṇa, a person realizes only the bliss of impersonal brahman. Material māyā has jurisdiction over the jīvas previous to the state of realizing the bliss of brahman.
The verse could have been easily expressed by the following words satyam eva pratītaṁ syād yato ’satyaṁ tathā yataḥ tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ. Thus, a desire for another meaning in this verse has arisen, using the words ṛte and artha without changing their meaning. By this interpretation, the verse speaks of the qualities of yoga-māyā, the śakti arising from the Lord’s svarūpa, which functions to reveal and cover his form, qualities and pastimes under his will and which clearly acts even upon people who have realization of brahman. Ātmani ṛte means “knowing or realizing me, Paramātmā.” Ṛta can mean path or knowledge, and thus indicates direct realization. Yat corresponds to the word tat and means yataḥ.
Thus the meaning is as follows. Understand my internal energy called yoga-māyā. By this yoga-māya (yataḥ) spiritual or material objects (artham) useful for a certain purpose are revealed (pratīyeta) to a person who has directly realized Paramātmā and by this same yoga-māyā these objects are not perceived, or are covered now or at some other time, when a person has realized Paramātmā (ṛte ātmani). One should understand that material māyā covers objects from view without a spiritual purpose, whereas yoga-māyā covers objects with a specific spiritual purpose. In the case of yoga-māyā, yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ means “Just as a pot or cloth lit by a lamp is visible, and when it is covered by darkness it is not perceived.” That yoga-māyā by my will has qualities of revealing and obscuring, like light and darkness.
An example may be given. In order to show that Yaśodā’s love could not be restricted by a show of Kṛṣṇa’s power, yoga-māyā revealed the material universe within his stomach while simultaneously revealing the spiritual forms of Gokula, Yaśodā and Kṛṣṇa. Bewildered by yoga-māyā, Yaśodā perceived that directly, and after a moment did not perceive it, since yoga-māyā covered that realization.
In order show how prema is restricted by realization of power, Arjuna realized the universal form and the form of Paramātmā when it was revealed by yoga-māya. Because of the covering of yoga-māyā, he did not experience the svarūpa of Kṛṣṇa which was still present. At other times he did not experience either the universal form or Paramātmā, which was covered by yoga-māyā, but experienced Kṛṣṇa’s two armed form. At one time one form of the Lord was revealed, while another was covered. This is how it is different from yoga-māya acting on Yaśodā in the first example.
Here is another example. In order to destroy Brahmā’s thinking that he was the controller, yoga-māyā, by showing sweetness and power, made the real calves and cowherd boys invisible and showed calves and boys who were Kṛṣṇa himself, and then made those forms invisible and showed forms of Viṣṇu with four arms. Then yoga-māyā made those Viṣṇu forms disappear and showed the form of Kṛṣṇa. Brahmā was bewildered by these acts of yoga-māyā. The unique quality of yoga-māyā’s action here is that the one form of Brahmā observed repeated coverings and revelations of various forms of the Lord.
In order to show the inconceivable nature of his form, being both limited and unlimited by its very nature, and in order to show that he is brought under control by the efforts of pure service and by his mercy arising from seeing those efforts, yoga-māyā assisted in the Damodāra pastime. Yaśodā wanted to bind Kṛṣṇa, and at the same time, Kṛṣṇa did not want to be bound up. Simultaneously covering his power, yoga-māyā allowed Yaśodā to tie a string of bells around his waist, but displaying his power, did not allow her to tie a rope around his waist. The rope was always two fingers too short. Yaśodā, bewildered by yoga-māyā, which made it impossible for her to bind Kṛṣṇa according to his wish, experienced great astonishment for a moment. This power was then covered by yoga-māyā by Kṛṣṇa’s consent, in order to fulfill Yaśodā’s desire. Then she bound up Kṛṣṇa. The outstanding feature of yoga-māyā in this case is the simultaneous covering of and displaying of the power in Kṛṣṇa.
In order to fulfill invitations to each party, Kṛṣṇa simultaneously manifested his form to Śrutadev and Bahulāśva, and to Rukmiṇī and Satyabhāmā in their houses. By yoga-māyā he could perform his pastimes in each place by hiding the other form and revealing one form to each party. Simultaneously manifesting two different forms for Śrutadeva and Bahulāśva and hiding one form from each is different from yoga-māyā acting only upon one person such as Yāśodā. All of this is performed by yoga-māyā not the material māyā, since the persons who become bewildered by yoga-māyā get to see at least Paramātmā.
Those with bhakti-mīśra-jñānaParamātmā, after having destroyed vidyā and avidyā, seeing Kṛṣṇa with some devotion, by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, realize him as Paramātmā when Kṛṣṇa descends on earth, though they do not have prema., and. Only those who have prema directly see Kṛṣṇa or Rāma according to Bhāgavatam. Yoga-māyā alone acts upon them as well, not material māyā. However persons like Kaṁsa, who see Kṛṣṇa by his desire, do not experience Paramātmā because of the hatred and other faults in their hearts. This is like persons with jaundice who eat sugar candy but do not taste the sweetness of the sugar. They are affected by material māyā, not yoga-māyā. The material māyā actually arises from yoga-māyā and is its vibhūti or expansion. It is said in Nārada-pañcarātra, in the speech of Śruti-vidyā:
asyā āvaraṇikā śaktir mahā-māyākhileśvarī |
yayā mugdhaṁ jagat sarvaṁ sarva-dehābhimāninaḥ || iti |
Material māyā, the controller of all beings in the material world is the covering energy of yoga-māyā. By her the whole universe becomes bewildered and everyone thinks they are their bodies.
Yoga-māyā-śakti, a spiritual potency, is identified by the Lord with his spiritual body. Māyā-śakti, the material potency, a portion of yoga-māyā, which is different from his spiritual form, is not identified with his spiritual form, by the will of the Lord. When the snake gives up his skin which arises from him, that skin becomes material and inactive, as if arising from a non-living source. Śruti says:
sa yad ajayā tv ajām anuśayīta guṇāṁś ca juṣan
bhajati sarūpatāṁ tad anu mṛtyum apeta-bhagaḥ
tvam uta jahāsi tām ahir iva tvacam ātta-bhago
mahasi mahīyase ’ṣṭa-guṇite ’parimeya-bhagaḥ
The illusory material nature attracts the minute living entity to embrace her, and as a result he assumes forms composed of her qualities. Subsequently, he loses all his spiritual qualities and must undergo repeated deaths. You, however, avoid the material energy in the same way that a snake abandons its old skin. Glorious in your possession of eight mystic perfections, you enjoy unlimited opulences. SB 10.87.38
Material māyā has three forms: pradhāna, avidyā and vidyā. The nature of pradhāna is described in the story of Jāyanteya. The various objects are created by pradhāna. They are real. The imposition of identity with bodies by the jīvas is created by avidyā. That is unreal. By vidyā that identity with the body is destroyed. These are the effects of the three śaktis. The world is made of these three. Part is true and part is untrue.
Because the jīvas are eternal and the Lord, his abode and other assistants to bhakti are beyond the material guṇas, certain portions within the material world are also eternal. However the world is described by various philosophers in various ways according to their own perspective.
kāryaṁ prādhānikaṁ satyaṁ kāryam avidyakaṁ mṛṣā |
nityaṁ tad-bhakti-sambandham idaṁ tat tritayātmakam ||
prādhānikāḥ syur dehās tad-dharmā āvidyakāḥ punaḥ |
jīveṣu tat-tat-sambando bhaktiś cen nirguṇāś ca te ||
cij-jīva-māyā nityāḥ syus tisraḥ kṛṣṇasya śaktayaḥ |
tad-vṛttayaś ca tābhiḥ sa bhāty ekaḥ parameśvaraḥ |
kārya-kāraṇayor aikyāc chakti-śaktimator api |
ekam evādvayaṁ brahma neha nānāsti kiṁcana ||
bhaktānām eva siddhāntaś catuḥślokīyam īritā |
śīlitā bhagavad-bhaktais tair eva na kilāparaiḥ ||
The products of pradhāna (and vidyā) are real.[186] The products of avidyā are false. Those things related to the Lord and devotion are eternal. These three constitute the universe. The bodies are products of pradhāna and their nature is avidyā. If the jīvas’ bodies are related to bhakti, then they transcend the guṇas. The three śaktis of Kṛṣṇa -- cit-śakti, jīva-śakti and māyā śakti -- and their functions are eternal. The one Lord manifests his power by these śaktis. Because the effect and cause are one, and the śakti and the source of the śakti are one, it is said that there is only one, non-dual substance called brahman, and that there is no variety of objects at all in this world. This is the conclusion of the devotees, which is described in the four essential verses and cultivated by the devotees and not by others.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.34||
rte ’rthaṃ yat pratīyeta na pratīyeta cātmani | tad vidyād ātmano māyāṃ yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ ||
TRANSLATION One should understand my māyā to be anything other than me which is perceived, and which cannot be perceived without me. It is like reflected light or darkness.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 16:
In order to show the Lord’s endowment of form and qualities, māyā’s qualities are explained as a contrast.
The object (artham) which is perceived without me, who am the highest spiritual object and (which would not be perceived at all if I am perceived) and which is
not perceived in relation to the Lord (or without relation to ātmā), but rather independently of the Lord--know that to be māyā-śakti, composed of jīva-māyā and guṇa-māyā, belonging to me, the supreme Lord (ātmanaḥ). The pure jīva, being also a conscious form, like the ray of the sun, is included in the Lord in this statement.
Since māyā is defined in two forms (jīva-māyā and guṇa-māyā), there are two examples given. First is the example of jīva-māyā. This example refutes the impossibility or non-existence of it. An ābhāsa is a vivid image or reflection in another place caused by the original object through light. It appears externally and cannot be perceived without the original object. Jīva-māyā is of this nature. Since it has the nature of an ābhāsa or reflection, this māyā is also called ābhāsa. Sometimes its effect (material creation) is called ābhāsa as in ābhāsaś ca nirodhaś: creation and destruction. (SB 2.10.7) Sometimes that image, being very bright, obstructs vision in the eye. By that bright light, the image gives pain to the beholder’s eye and produces various colors in the vicinity. Sometimes that reflected image transforms into other forms by various means. Similarly this jīva-māyā covers the knowledge of the jīva.
Guṇa-māyā, with sattva and other guṇas in equilibrium, produces material prakṛti. It transforms into various entities composed of the guṇas. It is said:
eka-deśa-sthitasyāgner jyotsnā vistāriṇī yathā parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathedam akhilaṃ jagat
Just as the light of a fire situated in one place spreads its illumination, the śakti of the supreme Brahman spreads out as the whole universe. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.22.55)
jagad-yoner acintyasya cid-ānandaika-rūpiṇaḥ | puṃso’sti prakṛtir nityā praticchāyeva bhāsvataḥ || acetanāpi caitanya-yogena paramātmanaḥ | akarod viśvam akhilam anityaṃ nāṭakākṛtir ||
Prakṛti is eternal, like a reflection of the sun, and belongs to the inconceivable Lord, who is cause of the universe, and is endowed with a form of knowledge and bliss. Though unconscious, by combining with the consciousness of Paramātmā, prakṛti, like a dramatic player, has produced the temporary universe. Āyur-veda
The nimittāṃśa or jīva-māyā and the upādānāṃśa or guṇa-māyā will be discussed later (in Paramātmā Sandarbha). Guṇa-māyā is illustrated with the example of darkness. This means that the previously mentioned variety of colors becomes almost complete darkness. When the original light is absent, without that shelter, the image cannot appear.
Or one māyā is illustrated with two examples, image and darkness. The example of the image or ābhāsa was explained. The example of darkness is explained in terms of general māyā. Darkness is perceived because of light somewhere else. Without light even darkness cannot be perceived. Darkness is perceived by the eye, which is also composed of light and not by the back or any other limb. Māyā is similar. (It cannot be perceived without knowledge.)
Māyā has two divisions because of its differing functions, not because of the examples. Sometimes jīva-māyā is called ābhāsa or chāyā and guṇa-māyā is called tamas according to these two examples.
sasarja cchāyayāvidyāṃ panca-parvāṇam agrataḥ tāmisram andha-tāmisraṃ tamo moho mahā-tamaḥ
First Brahmā created ignorance of five types by his chāyā (jīva-māyā): tamas, moha mahātamas tāmisram, and andha-tāmisram. (SB 3.20.18)
kvāhaṃ tamo-mahad-ahaṃ-kha-carāgni-vār-bhūsaṃveṣṭitāṇḍa-ghaṭa-sapta-vitasti-kāyaḥ kvedṛg-vidhāvigaṇitāṇḍa-parāṇu-caryāvātādhva-roma-vivarasya ca te mahitvam
What am I, a small creature measuring seven spans of my own hand, enclosed in a potlike universe composed of material nature, the total material energy (tamas), false ego, ether, air, fire, water and earth? And what is your glory, when unlimited universes pass through the pores of your body just as particles of dust pass through the openings of a screened window when you create and destroy? (SB 10.14.11)
Jīva-māyā is so called because its aim is the jīva (his bewilderment), and its māyā arises from the functions of vidyā and avidyā of the Lord’s nimitta-śakti. Taking support of this jīva-māyā, at the beginning of creation, Brahmā manifested avidyā.
vidyāvidye mama tanū viddhy uddhava śarīriṇām
mokṣa-bandha-karī ādye māyayā me vinirmite
O Uddhava! Understand that vidyā and avidyā are my śaktis. They are created by my māyā, are without beginning, and create liberation and bondage for the living beings. (SB 11.11.3)
Different manifestations of vidyā and avidyā are described in scriptures. The devatās praise māyā:
iti stutavantas te devās tejo-maṇḍala-saṃsthitam | dadṛśur gagane tatra tejo-vyāpta-dig-antaram || tan-madhyād bhāratīṃ sarve śuśruvur vyoma-cāriṇīm | aham eva tridhā bhinnā tiṣṭhāmi trividhair guṇaiḥ ||
Praising vidyā, the devatās then saw in the sky something within a glowing orb, spreading light in all directions. They heard a message in the sky emanating from that orb. “I remain in three forms with three guṇas.” (Padma Purāṇa)
Avidyā is described:
asankhyaṃ prakṛti-sthānaṃ niviḍa-dhvāntam avayayam
This ignorance is of numerous types, situated in prakṛti, indestructible and dense with darkness. (Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa)
Bhagavat Sandarbha 105:
What is perceived elsewhere, other than seeing me, who produces the highest puruṣārtha (artham ṛte), and what cannot be perceived without me, know that to be the māya of me, the supreme Lord. An example is given. It is like rays of a reflection. It is like darkness. Māyā’s resemblance to a reflection is clear. Because of seeing light one can perceive darkness: without the eye which is a form of light, one cannot see. (Similarly, without the Lord, objects do not exist.) One should know this (vidyāt). This is an instruction for others. You however, by the śakti given by me, can directly realize it. And surpassing this vision of māyā, you should realize me with form. This is an indication of realization by describing the opposite. One cannot realize the real svarūpa described in scripture by being absorbed in the effects of māyā. Thus for realization you must reject māyā. In the absense of māyā you realize prema.
TEXT - SB 2.9.35
yathā mahānti bhūtāni
bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu
praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni
tathā teṣu na teṣv aham
SYNONYMS
yathā—just as; mahānti—the universal; bhūtāni—elements; bhūteṣu ucca-avaceṣu—in the minute and gigantic; anu—after; praviṣṭāni—entered; apraviṣṭāni—not entered; tathā—so; teṣu—in them; na—not; teṣu—in them; aham—Myself.
TRANSLATION
O Brahmā, please know that the universal elements enter into the cosmos and at the same time do not enter into the cosmos; similarly, I Myself also exist within everything created, and at the same time I am outside of everything.
PURPORT
The great elements of material creation, namely earth, water, fire, air and ether, all enter into the body of all manifested entities—the seas, mountains, aquatics, plants, reptiles, birds, beasts, human beings, demigods and everyone materially manifested—and at the same time such elements are differently situated. In the developed stage of consciousness, the human being can study both physiological and physical science, but the basic principles of such sciences are nothing but the material elements and nothing more. The body of the human being and the body of the mountain, as also the bodies of the demigods, including Brahmā, are all of the same ingredients—earth, water, etc.—and at the same time the elements are beyond the body. The elements were created first, and therefore they entered into the bodily construction later, but in both circumstances they entered the cosmos and also did not enter. Similarly, the Supreme Lord, by His different energies, namely the internal and external, is within everything in the manifested cosmos, and at the same time He is outside of everything, situated in the kingdom of God (Vaikuṇṭhaloka) as described before. This is very nicely stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.37) as follows:
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis
tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ
goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who, by expansion of His internal potency of transcendental existence, knowledge and bliss, enjoys in His own and expanded forms. Simultaneously He enters into every atom of the creation."
This expansion of His plenary parts is also more definitely explained in the same Brahma-saṁhitā (5.35) as follows:
eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ
aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"I worship the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who, by one of His plenary portions, enters into the existence of every universe and every particle of the atoms and thus unlimitedly manifests His infinite energy all over the material creation."
The impersonalists can imagine or even perceive that the Supreme Brahman is thus all-pervading, and therefore they conclude that there is no possibility of His personal form. Herein lies the mystery of His transcendental knowledge. This mystery is transcendental love of Godhead, and one who is surcharged with such transcendental love of Godhead can without difficulty see the Personality of Godhead in every atom and every movable or immovable object. And at the same time he can see the Personality of Godhead in His own abode, Goloka, enjoying eternal pastimes with His eternal associates, who are also expansions of His transcendental existence. This vision is the real mystery of spiritual knowledge, as stated by the Lord in the beginning (sarahasyaṁ tad-aṅgaṁ ca). This mystery is the most confidential part of the knowledge of the Supreme, and it is impossible for the mental speculators to discover by dint of intellectual gymnastics. The mystery can be revealed through the process recommended by Brahmājī in his Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38) as follows:
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
"I worship the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, whom the pure devotees, their eyes smeared with the ointment of love of Godhead, always observe within their hearts. This Govinda, the original Personality of Godhead, is Śyāmasundara with all transcendental qualities."
Therefore, although He is present in every atom, the Supreme Personality of Godhead may not be visible to the dry speculators; still the mystery is unfolded before the eyes of the pure devotees because their eyes are anointed with love of Godhead. And this love of Godhead can be attained only by the practice of transcendental loving service of the Lord, and nothing else. The vision of the devotees is not ordinary; it is purified by the process of devotional service. In other words, as the universal elements are both within and without, similarly the Lord's name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage, etc., as they are described in the revealed scriptures or as performed in the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, far, far beyond the material cosmic manifestation, are factually being televised in the heart of the devotee. The man with a poor fund of knowledge cannot understand, although by material science one can see things far away by means of television. Factually, the spiritually developed person is able to have the television of the kingdom of God always reflected within his heart. That is the mystery of knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.
The Lord can award anyone and everyone liberation (mukti) from the bondage of material existence, yet He rarely awards the privilege of love of Godhead, as confirmed by Nārada (muktiṁ dadhāti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam). This transcendental devotional service of the Lord is so wonderful that the occupation keeps the deserving devotee always rapt in psychological activities, without deviation from the absolute touch. Thus love of Godhead, developed in the heart of the devotee, is a great mystery. Brahmājī previously told Nārada that the desires of Brahmājī are never unfulfilled because he is always absorbed in the transcendental loving service of the Lord; nor has he any desire in his heart save and except the transcendental service of the Lord. That is the beauty and mystery of the process of bhakti-yoga. As the Lord's desire is infallible because He is acyuta, similarly the desires of the devotees in the transcendental service of the Lord are also acyuta, infallible. This is very difficult, however, for the layman to understand without knowledge of the mystery of devotional service, as it is very difficult to know the potency of touchstone. As touchstone is rarely found, a pure devotee of the Lord is also rarely to be seen, even amongst millions of liberated souls (koṭiṣv api mahāmune). Out of all kinds of perfections attained by the process of knowledge, yoga perfection in devotional service is the highest of all and the most mysterious also, even more mysterious than the eight kinds of mystic perfection attained by the process of yogic performances. In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.64) the Lord therefore advised Arjuna about this bhakti-yoga:
sarva-guhyatamaṁ bhūyaḥ
śṛṇu me paramaṁ vacaḥ
"Just hear from Me again about the most confidential part of the instructions in Bhagavad-gītā." The same was confirmed by Brahmājī to Nārada in the following words:
idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma
yan me bhagavatoditam
saṅgraho 'yaṁ vibhūtīnāṁ
tvam etad vipulīkuru
Brahmājī said to Nārada, "Whatever I have spoken to you about the Bhāgavatam was explained to me by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and I am advising you to expand these topics nicely so that people may easily understand the mysterious bhakti-yoga by transcendental loving service to the Lord." It is to be noted here that the mystery of bhakti-yoga was disclosed to Brahmājī by the Lord Himself. Brahmājī explained the same mystery to Nārada, Nārada explained it to Vyāsa, Vyāsa explained it to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and that same knowledge is coming down in the unalloyed chain of disciplic succession. If one is fortunate enough to have received the knowledge in the transcendental disciplic succession, surely he will have the chance to understand the mystery of the Lord and that of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the sound incarnation of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.35
yathā mahānti bhūtāni bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu |
praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni tathā teṣu na teṣv aham ||
Just as the elements enter into all beings and also remain separate, I enter into all beings and remain separate when I perform my pastimes. In pastimes related to the material world I remain detached and in pastimes related to devotees, I am attached.
Having described māyā and yoga-māyā by taking two meanings to the previous verse, the Lord now describes how he performs pastimes in the material and spiritual worlds which are subject to māyā and yoga-mayā respectively. This answers Brahṁā’s question in verse 28.
Just as the elements such as ether enter into living beings such as devatās, men and animals, since they are acquired by the jīvas, and at the same time do not enter into them, since they maintain a separate existence, I also enter into the elements and the living beings and also do not enter them, remaining separately in my abode which is śuddha-sattva.
The entrance of the elements into the living beings is without attachment since the elements are not conscious. Like the ether, though I am conscious, like a man who lives in his house without attachment, I remain without attachment while entering, regulating and protecting all beings. My pastimes are without attachment in relation to the elements and the living beings within the material world.
But I desire to show my self to my obedient devotees who have entered my heart, who have perfected themselves and bow to me. Remaining separate, not entering their hearts, I desire to offer my beauty to their eyes. I desire that my fragrance enters their nostrils and desire to fill their ears with the nectar of my sweet voice, speaking with them and answering them. I desire to make their limbs experience the sweet softness of my body by touching and embracing them. Thus situated inside my devotees and externally as well, I perform pastimes with great attachment for my pure devotees beyond the guṇas, whom I cannot give up.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.35||
yathā mahānti bhūtāni bhūteṣūccāvaceṣv anu | praviṣṭāny apraviṣṭāni tathā teṣu na teṣv aham ||
TRANSLATION Just as the elements enter into all beings and also remain separate, I enter into all beings and remain separate when I perform my pastimes. In pastimes related to the material world I remain detached and in pastimes related to devotees, I am attached.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 106:
The secret of prema is described. Just as the great elements are situated outside all beings and also are situated in all beings, so I, being situated in Vaikuṇṭha beyond the material world, do not enter into the world’s guṇas but still am situated in the hearts of surrendered beings. The elements do not enter all beings, but enter by their portions into all beings. However, the Lord enters his devotees in different complete manifestations. That is the difference between the Lord and the elements. The example of the material elements is used simply to show entering and not entering. Prema bhakti of the devotees which controls the Lord is the secret.
ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi
I worship the Supreme Lord Govinda who, though regarding all the inhabitants as his very self, resides in Goloka exclusively with the young gopīs, who are embodiments of madhura-rasa. He accepts them as his wives, while they respond to his conjugal affection reciprocally. (Brahma-saṃhitā 5.37)
premānjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti | yaṃ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṃ govindam ādi-puruṣaṃ tam ahaṃ bhajāmi ||
I worship the Supreme Lord Govinda of beautiful dark complexion, filled with inconceivable qualities, whom the devotees constantly see in their mind during samādhi permeated with prema. (Brahma-saṃhitā 5.38)
The devotees see the Lord’s form endowed with inconceivable qualities by eyes of bhakti which shine brightly (cchurita) with the ointment of prema.
samo ’haṃ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ | ye bhajanti tu māṃ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpy aham ||
I am equal to all living beings. I do not hate anyone nor do I favor anyone. But those who worship me with devotion are in me, and I am in them. (BG 9.29)
There is another meaning. Just as the elements appear situated outside all beings but also inside, I appear to the devotees inside by the mind and outside through the senses of the devotee.This self-manifesting prema filled with bliss, cause of the selfless, fully surrendered conduct of my devotees, is my secret. Brahmā says:
na bhāratī me ’nga mṛṣopalakṣyate na vai kvacin me manaso mṛṣā gatiḥ | na me hṛṣīkāṇi patanty asat-pathe yan me hṛdautkaṇṭhyavatā dhṛto hariḥ ||
O Nārada! My words are never false. The working of the mind is never false. My senses do not fall onto the wrong path. This is because I hold the Lord in my heart, filled great zeal. (SB 2.6.34)
Though in this other explanation the meaning is concealed, even then the conclusion is the same, since it fulfills the four promises and does not stray from them. However the phrase na teṣu (not in them) is extra and has no meaning since the meaning is fulfilled by the verbs entering and not entering.
Rahasya or secret means something extremely rare which is covered by other ordinary objects in order to hide it from the view of indifferent or hostile persons. For instance a cintāmaṇi gem is hidden in a box. The Lord says:
vedā brahmātma-viṣayās tri-kāṇḍa-viṣayā ime parokṣa-vādā ṛṣayaḥ parokṣaṃ mama ca priyam
The Vedas, divided into three divisions, ultimately reveal worship of the Lord. The Vedic sages and mantras, however, state this indirectly, since they know that I prefer this indirect method. (SB 11.21.35)
Thus a valuable, rare object which should not be given everywhere is hidden or made parokṣa. Muktiṃ dadāti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam: the Lord gives
liberation but rarely prema-bhakti. (SB 5.6.18)
idaṃ bhāgavataṃ nāma yan me bhagavatoditam | sangraho ’yaṃ vibhūtīnāṃ tvam etad vipulī kuru ||
This work called Bhāgavatam, spoken to me by the Lord, is a collection of the Lord’s vibhūtis. You should distribute it everywhere.
yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṃ bhaktir bhaviṣyati | sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti sankalpya varṇaya ||
After making a sankalpa, you should speak the Bhāgavatam in such a way that devotion to Hari, attractor of the mind, Bhagavān, the bliss object of worship, the essence of all worship and the fulfiller of all desires, will appear in the people of Kali-yuga. (SB 2.7.51-52)
Therefore Śrīdhara Svāmī has correctly explained bhakti as rahasya.
TEXT - SB 2.9.36
etāvad eva jijñāsyaṁ
tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ
anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṁ
yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā
SYNONYMS
etāvat—up to this; eva—certainly; jijñāsyam—is to be inquired; tattva—the Absolute Truth; jijñāsunā—by the student; ātmanaḥ—of the Self; anvaya—directly; vyatirekābhyām—indirectly; yat—whatever; syāt—it may be; sarvatra—in all space and time; sarvadā—in all circumstances.
TRANSLATION
A person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly.
PURPORT
To unfold the mystery of bhakti-yoga, as it is explained in the previous verse, is the ultimate stage of all inquiries or the highest objective for the inquisitive. Everyone is searching after self-realization in different ways—by karma-yoga, by jñāna-yoga, by dhyāna-yoga, by rāja-yoga, by bhakti-yoga, etc. To engage in self-realization is the responsibility of every living entity developed in consciousness. One who is developed in consciousness certainly makes inquiries into the mystery of the self, of the cosmic situation and of the problems of life, in all spheres and fields—social, political, economic, cultural, religious, moral, etc.—and in their different branches. But here the goal of all such inquiries is explained.
The Vedānta-sūtra philosophy begins with this inquiry about life, and the Bhāgavatam answers such inquiries up to this point, or the mystery of all inquiries. Lord Brahmā wanted to be perfectly educated by the Personality of Godhead, and here is the answer by the Lord, finished in four nutshell verses, from aham eva to this verse, etāvad eva. This is the end of all self-realization processes. Men do not know that the ultimate goal of life is Viṣṇu, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, due to being bewildered by the glaring reflection in the darkness, and as such everyone is entering into the darkest region of material existence, driven by the uncontrolled senses. The whole material existence has sprung up because of sense gratification, desires based principally on the sex desire, and the result is that in spite of all advancement of knowledge, the final goal of all the activities of the living entities is sense gratification. But here is the real goal of life, and everyone should know it by inquiries put before a bona fide spiritual master expert in the science of bhakti-yoga, or from a living personality of Bhāgavatam life. Everyone is engaged in various kinds of scriptural inquiries, but the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives answers to all of the various students of self-realization: this ultimate objective of life is not to be searched out without great labor or perseverance. One who is imbued with such sincere inquiries must ask the bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession from Brahmājī, and that is the direction given here. Because the mystery was disclosed before Brahmājī by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the mystery of all such inquiries regarding self-realization must be put before such a spiritual master, who is directly the representative of the Lord, acknowledged in that disciplic succession. Such a bona fide spiritual master is able to clear up the whole thing by evidence from the revealed scriptures, both direct and indirect. Although everyone is free to consult the revealed scriptures in this connection, one still requires the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and that is the direction in this verse. The bona fide spiritual master is the most confidential representative of the Lord, and one must receive direction from the spiritual master in the same spirit that Brahmājī received it from the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. The bona fide spiritual master in that bona fide chain of disciplic succession never claims to be the Lord Himself, although such a spiritual master is greater than the Lord in the sense that he can deliver the Lord by his personally realized experience. The Lord is not to be found simply by education or by a good fertile brain, but surely He can be found by the sincere student through the transparent medium of the bona fide spiritual master.
The revealed scriptures give directions directly to this end, but because the bewildered living entities are blinded by the glaring reflection in the darkness, they are unable to find the truth of the revealed scriptures. For example, in the Bhagavad-gītā the whole direction is targeted toward the Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but for want of a bona fide spiritual master in the line of Brahmājī or the direct hearer, Arjuna, there are different distortions of the revealed knowledge by many unauthorized persons who just want to satisfy their own whims. Undoubtedly the Bhagavad-gītā is accepted as one of the most brilliant stars in the horizon of the spiritual sky, yet the interpretations of this great book of knowledge have so grossly been distorted that every student of the Bhagavad-gītā is still in the same darkness of glaring material reflections. Such students are hardly enlightened by the Bhagavad-gītā. In the Gītā practically the same instruction is imparted as in the four prime verses of the Bhāgavatam, but due to wrong and fashionable interpretations by unauthorized persons, one cannot reach the ultimate conclusion. In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.61) it is clearly said:
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
The Lord is situated in the hearts of all living beings (as Paramātmā), and He is controlling all of them in the material world under the agency of His external energy. Therefore it is clearly mentioned that the Lord is the supreme controller and that the living entities are controlled by the Lord. In the same Bhagavad-gītā (18.65) the Lord directs as follows:
man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
pratijāne priyo 'si me
It is clear from this verse of the Bhagavad-gītā that the direction of the Lord is that one should be God-minded, a devotee of the Lord, a worshiper of the Lord, and must offer all obeisances unto Lord Kṛṣṇa. By so doing, the devotee will undoubtedly go back to Godhead, back to home.
Indirectly it is said that the whole Vedic social construction of human society is so made that everyone acts as a part and parcel of the complete body of the Lord. The intelligent class of men, or the brāhmaṇas, are situated on the face of the Lord; the administrative class of men, the kṣatriyas, are situated on the arms of the Lord; the productive class of men, the vaiśyas, are situated on the belt of the Lord; and the laborer class of men, the śūdras, are situated on the legs of the Lord. Therefore the complete social construction is the body of the Lord, and all the parts of the body, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras, are meant to serve the Lord's whole body conjointly; otherwise the parts become unfit to be coordinated with the supreme consciousness of oneness. Universal consciousness is factually achieved by coordinated service of all concerned to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that alone can insure total perfection. Therefore even the great scientists, the great philosophers, the great mental speculators, the great politicians, the great industrialists, the great social reformers, etc., cannot give any relief to the restless society of the material world because they do not know the secret of success as mentioned in this verse of the Bhāgavatam, namely that one must know the mystery of bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.15) also it is said:
na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
Because the so-called great leaders of human society are ignorant of this great knowledge of bhakti-yoga and are always engaged in ignoble acts of sense gratification, bewildered by the external energy of the Lord, they are stubborn rebels against the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they never agree to surrender unto Him because they are fools, miscreants and the lowest type of human beings. Such faithless nonbelievers may be highly educated in the material sense of the term, but factually they are the greatest fools of the world because by the influence of the external, material nature all their so-called acquisition of knowledge has been made null and void. Therefore all advancement of knowledge in the present context of things is being misused by cats and dogs fighting with one another for sense gratification, and all acquisition of knowledge in science, philosophy, fine arts, nationalism, economic development, religion and great activities are being spoiled by being used as dresses for dead men. There is no utility in the dresses used for covering a coffin of a dead body save getting false applause from the ignorant public. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam therefore says again and again that without attainment of the status of bhakti-yoga, all the activities of human society are to be considered absolute failures only. It is said:
parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto
yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam
yāvat kriyās tāvad idaṁ mano vai
karmātmakaṁ yena śarīra-bandhaḥ
(SB 5.5.5)
As long as one is blind to inquiring after self-realization, all material activities, however great they may be, are all different kinds of defeat because the aim of human life is not fulfilled by such unwanted and profitless activities. The function of the human body is to attain freedom from material bondage, but as long as one is fully absorbed in material activities, his mind will be overwhelmed in the whirlpool of matter, and thus he will continue to be encaged in material bodies life after life.
evaṁ manaḥ karma-vaśaṁ prayuṅkte
avidyayātmany upadhīyamāne
prītir na yāvan mayi vāsudeve
na mucyate deha-yogena tāvat
(SB 5.5.6)
It is one's mind that generates different kinds of bodies for suffering different kinds of material pangs. Therefore as long as the mind is absorbed in fruitive activities, the mind is understood to be absorbed in nescience, and thus one is sure to be subjected to material bondage in different bodies again and again until one develops a transcendental love for Godhead, Vāsudeva, the Supreme Person. To become absorbed in the transcendental name, quality, form and activities of the Supreme Person, Vāsudeva, means to change the temper of the mind from matter to absolute knowledge, which leads one to the path of absolute realization and thus frees one from the bondage of material contact and encagements in different material bodies.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhupāda therefore comments on the words sarvatra sarvadā in the sense that the principles of bhakti-yoga, or devotional service to the Lord, are apt in all circumstances; i.e., bhakti-yoga is recommended in all the revealed scriptures, it is performed by all authorities, it is important in all places, it is useful in all causes and effects, etc. As far as all the revealed scriptures are concerned, he quotes from the Skanda Purāṇa on the topics of Brahmā and Nārada as follows:
saṁsāre 'smin mahā-ghore
janma-mṛtyu-samākule
pūjanaṁ vāsudevasya
tārakaṁ vādibhiḥ smṛtam
In the material world, which is full of darkness and dangers, combined with birth and death and full of different anxieties, the only way to get out of the great entanglement is to accept loving transcendental devotional service to Lord Vāsudeva. This is accepted by all classes of philosophers.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes another common passage, which is found in three Purāṇas, namely the Padma Purāṇa, Skanda Purāṇa and Liṅga Purāṇa. It runs as follows:
āloḍya sarva-śāstrāni
vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ
idam ekaṁ suniṣpannaṁ
dhyeyo nārāyaṇaḥ sadā
"By scrutinizingly reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging them again and again, it is now concluded that Lord Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, and thus He alone should be worshiped."
The same truth is also indirectly described in the Garuḍa Purāṇa as follows:
pāraṁ gato 'pi vedānāṁ
sarva-śāstrārtha-vedy api
yo na sarveśvare bhaktas
taṁ vidyāt puruṣādhamam
"Even though one may have gone to the other side of all the Vedas, and even though one is well versed in all the revealed scriptures, if one is not a devotee of the Supreme Lord, he must be considered the lowest of mankind." Similarly, it is also stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.18.12) indirectly as follows:
yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
mano-rathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ
One who has unflinching devotion unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead must have all the good qualities of the demigods, and contrarily one who is not a devotee of the Lord must be hovering in the darkness of mental speculation and thus must be engaged in material impermanence. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.11.18) says:
śabda-brahmaṇi niṣṇāto
na niṣṇāyāt pare yadi
śramas tasya śrama-phalo
hy adhenum iva rakṣataḥ
"One may be well versed in all the transcendental literature of the Vedas, but if he fails to be acquainted with the Supreme, then it must be concluded that all of his education is like the burden of a beast or like one's keeping a cow without milking capacity."
Similarly, the liberty of discharging loving transcendental service to the Lord is invested in everyone, even the women, the śūdras, the forest tribes, or any other living beings born in sinful conditions.
te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ
yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīlaśikṣās
tiryag-janā api kimu śruta-dhāraṇā ye
(SB 2.7.46)
The lowest of human beings can be elevated to the highest stage of devotional life if they are trained by the bona fide spiritual master well versed in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. If the lowest can be so elevated, then what to speak of the highest, who are well versed in the Vedic knowledge? The conclusion is that devotional service to the Lord is open for all, regardless of who they are. That is the confirmation of its application for all kinds of performers of the service.
Therefore the devotional service of the Lord with perfect knowledge through the training of a bona fide spiritual master is advised for everyone, even if one happens not to be a human being. This is confirmed in the Garuḍa Purāṇa as follows:
kīṭa-pakṣi-mṛgāṇāṁ ca
harau sannyasta-cetasām
ūrdhvām eva gatiṁ manye
kiṁ punar jñānināṁ nṛṇām
"Even the worms, birds and beasts are assured of elevation to the highest perfectional life if they are completely surrendered to the transcendental loving service of the Lord, so what to speak of the philosophers amongst the human beings?"
Therefore there is no need to seek properly qualified candidates for discharging devotional service to the Lord. Let them be either well behaved or ill trained, let them be either learned or fools, let them be either grossly attached or in the renounced order of life, let them be liberated souls or desirous of salvation, let them be inexpert in the discharge of devotional service or expert in the same, all of them can be elevated to the supreme position by discharging devotional service under the proper guidance. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.30, 32) as follows:
api cet su-durācāro
bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ
samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
Even if a person is fully addicted to all sorts of sinful acts, if he happens to be engaged in the loving transcendental service of the Lord under proper guidance, he is to be considered the most perfect holy man without a doubt. And thus any person, whatsoever and whosoever he or she may be—even the fallen woman, the less intelligent laborer, the dull mercantile man, or even a man lower than all these—can attain the highest perfection of life by going back home, back to Godhead, provided he or she takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord in all earnestness. This sincere earnestness is the only qualification that can lead one to the highest perfectional stage of life, and unless and until such real earnestness is aroused, there is a difference between cleanliness or uncleanliness, learning or nonlearning, in the material estimation. Fire is always fire, and thus if someone touches the fire, knowingly or unknowingly, the fire will act in its own way without discrimination. The principle is: harir harati pāpāni duṣṭa-cittair api smṛtaḥ. The all-powerful Lord can purify the devotee of all sinful reactions, just as the sun can sterilize all sorts of infections by its powerful rays. "Attraction for material enjoyment cannot act upon a pure devotee of the Lord." There are hundreds and thousands of aphorisms in the revealed scriptures. Ātmārāmāś ca munayaḥ: "Even the self-realized souls are also attracted by the transcendental loving service of the Lord." Kecit kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ: [SB 6.1.15] "Simply by hearing and chanting, one becomes a great devotee of Lord Vāsudeva." Na calati bhagavat-padāravindāl lavanimiṣārdham api sa vaiṣṇavāgryaḥ: "A person who does not move from the lotus feet of the Lord even for a moment or a second is to be considered the greatest of all Vaiṣṇavas." Bhagavat-pārṣadatāṁ prāpte mat-sevayā pratītaṁ te: "The pure devotees are convinced of attaining the association of the Personality of Godhead, and thus they are always engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord." Therefore in all continents, in all planets, in all universes, devotional service to the Lord, or bhakti-yoga, is current, and that is the statement of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and allied scriptures. Everywhere means in every part of the creation of the Lord. The Lord can be served by all the senses, or even simply by the mind. The South Indian brāhmaṇa who served the Lord simply on the strength of his mind also factually realized the Lord. Success is guaranteed for a devotee who fully engages any one of his senses in the mode of devotional service. The Lord can be served by any ingredient, even the most common commodity—a flower, a leaf, a fruit or a little water, which are available in any part of the universe and without cost—and thus the Lord is served universally by the universal entities. He can be served simply by hearing, He can be served simply by chanting or reading about His activities, He can be served simply by adoring Him and accepting Him.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that one can serve the Lord by offering the result of one's own work; it does not matter what one does. Generally men may say that whatever they are doing is inspired by God, but that is not all. One should actually work on behalf of God as a servant of God. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.27):
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam
Do whatever you like or whatever may be easier for you to do, eat whatever you may eat, sacrifice whatever you can sacrifice, give whatever you may give in charity, and do whatever you may undertake in penance, but everything must be done for Him only. If you do business or if you accept some employment, do so on behalf of the Lord. Whatever you may eat, you may offer the same to the Lord and be assured that He will return the food after eating it Himself. He is the complete whole, and therefore whatever He may eat as offered by the devotee is accepted because of the devotee's love, but again it is returned as prasāda for the devotee so that he can be happy by eating. In other words, be a servant of God and live peacefully in that consciousness, ultimately returning home, back to Godhead.
It is said in the Skanda Purāṇa:
yasya smṛtyā ca nāmoktyā
tapo-yajña-kriyādiṣu
nūnaṁ sampūrṇatām eti
sadyo vande tam acyutam
"I offer my obeisances unto Him, the infallible, because simply by either remembering Him or vibrating His holy name one can attain the perfection of all penances, sacrifices or fruitive activities, and this process can be universally followed." It is enjoined (SB 2.3.10):
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
yajeta puruṣaṁ param
Though a person be full of desires or have no desires, he may follow this path of infallible bhakti-yoga for complete perfection." One need not be anxious to propitiate each and every demigod and goddess because the root of all of them is the Personality of Godhead. As by pouring water on the root of the tree one serves and enlivens all the branches and leaves, so by rendering service unto the Supreme Lord one automatically serves every god and goddess without extraneous effort. The Lord is all-pervading, and therefore service unto Him is also all-pervading. This fact is corroborated in the Skanda Purāṇa as follows:
arcite deva-deveśe
śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dhare
arcitāḥ sarva-devāḥ syur
yataḥ sarva-gato hariḥ
When the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, who carries in His hands a conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower, is worshiped, certainly all other demigods are worshiped automatically because Hari, the Personality of Godhead, is all-pervading. Therefore, in all cases, namely nominative, objective, causative, dative, ablative, possessive and supportive, everyone is benefited by such transcendental loving service to the Lord. The man who worships the Lord, the Lord Himself who is worshiped, the cause for which the Lord is worshiped, the source of supply, the place where such worship is done, etc.—everything is benefited by such an action.
Even during the annihilation of the material world, the process of bhakti-yoga can be applied. Kālena naṣṭā pralaye vāṇīyam: the Lord is worshiped in devastation because He protects the Vedas from being annihilated. He is worshiped in every millennium or yuga. As it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.52):
kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is written:
sa hānis tan mahac chidraṁ
sa mohaḥ sa ca vibhramaḥ
yan-muhūrtaṁ kṣaṇaṁ vāpi
vāsudevaṁ na cintayet
"If even for a moment remembrance of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is missed, that is the greatest loss, that is the greatest illusion, and that is the greatest anomaly." The Lord can be worshiped in all stages of life. For instance, even in the wombs of their mothers Mahārāja Prahlāda and Mahārāja Parīkṣit worshiped the Lord; even in his very childhood, at the age of only five years, Dhruva Mahārāja worshiped the Lord; even in full youth, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa worshiped the Lord; and even at the last stage of his frustration and old age Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra worshiped the Lord. Ajāmila worshiped the Lord even at the point of death, and Citraketu worshiped the Lord even in heaven and in hell. In the Narasiṁha Purāṇa it is said that as the hellish inhabitants began to chant the holy name of the Lord they began to be elevated from hell towards heaven. Durvāsā Muni has also supported this view: mucyeta yan-nāmny udite nārako 'pi. "Simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord the inhabitants of hell became released from their hellish persecution." So the conclusion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, is:
etan nirvidyamānānām
icchatām akuto-bhayam
yogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁ
harer nāmānukīrtanam
"O King, it is finally decided that everyone, namely those in the renounced order of life, the mystics, and the enjoyers of fruitive work, should chant the holy name of the Lord fearlessly to achieve the desired success in their pursuits." (SB 2.1.11)
Similarly, as indicated indirectly in various places in revealed scriptures:
1. Even though one is well versed in all the Vedas and scriptures, if one is not a devotee of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, he is considered to be the lowest of mankind.
2. In the Garuḍa Purāṇa, Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa and Padma Purāṇa, the same is repeated: What is the use of Vedic knowledge and penances for one who is devoid of devotional service to the Lord?
3. What is the comparison of thousands of prajāpatis to one devotee of the Lord?
4. Śukadeva Gosvāmī said (SB 2.4.17) that neither the ascetic, nor one who is greatly munificent, nor one who is famous, nor the great philosopher, nor the great occultist, nor anyone else can achieve the desired result without being engaged in the service of the Lord.
5. Even if a place is more glorious than heaven, if there is no glorification of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha or His pure devotee, it should at once be quitted.
6. The pure devotee refuses to accept all the five different types of liberation in order to be engaged in the service of the Lord.
The final conclusion, therefore, is that the glories of the Lord must be always and everywhere proclaimed. One should hear about His glories, one should chant about His glories, and one should always remember His glories because that is the highest perfectional stage of life. As far as fruitive work is concerned, it is limited to an enjoyable body; as far as yoga is concerned, it is limited to the acquirement of mystic power; as far as empiric philosophy is concerned, it is limited to the attainment of transcendental knowledge; and as far as transcendental knowledge is concerned, it is limited to attainment of salvation. Even if they are adopted, there is every chance of discrepancies in discharging the particular type of functions. But adoption of the transcendental devotional service of the Lord has no limit, nor is there fear of falling down. The process automatically reaches the final stage by the grace of the Lord. In the preliminary stage of devotional service there is an apparent requisite for knowledge, but in the higher stage there is no necessity of such knowledge. The best and guaranteed path of progress is therefore engagement in bhakti-yoga, pure devotional service.
The cream of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the foregoing four ślokas is sometimes squeezed out by the impersonalist for different interpretations in their favor, but it should be carefully noted that the four ślokas were first described by the Personality of Godhead Himself, and thus the impersonalist has no scope to enter into them because he has no conception of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, the impersonalist may squeeze out any interpretations from them, but such interpretations will never be accepted by those who are taught in the disciplic succession from Brahmā, as will be cleared up in the following verses. Besides that, the śruti confirms that the Supreme Truth Absolute Personality of Godhead never reveals Himself to anyone who is falsely proud of his academic knowledge. The śruti-mantra clearly says (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23):
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo
na medhayā na bahudhā śrutena
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas
tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanuṁ svām
The whole matter is explained by the Lord Himself, and one who has no approach to the Lord in His personal feature can rarely understand the purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam without being taught by the bhāgavatas in the disciplic succession.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.36
etāvad eva jijñāsyaṁ tattva-jijñāsunātmanaḥ |
anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṁ yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā ||
The person desiring to know the best sādhana and the goal of that sādhana must learn by surrender to guru about this truth which is determined as the best by obtaining positive results through performance and by lack of results through non-performance, and by performance at all times and all places. The person desiring the highest truth must experience rasa, which produces bliss through meeting and separation and continues in all places eternally.
In verse 29 Brahmā requesting instructions with bhagavac-chikṣitam ahaṁ karavāṇi hy atandritaḥ. The Lord now speaks on the sādhana for attaining the Lord, but because it is very confidential, it is not understood by materialistic persons. One should not be dependent on extensive study of scriptures. Persons desiring to know the best sādhana for the self should learn from the feet of the guru (jijñāsyam).
This means: “You will understand by my mercy alone.” What is this? Among the sādhanas of karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti, bhakti should be fixed as the process through positive results by performance and lack of results by non-performance. Karma, jñāna and yoga by themselves cannot give even Svarga or liberation, and even without these practices one can attain those goals. Therefore these are not the sādhana.
tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
ko vārtha āpto ’bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ
If someone gives up his occupational duties and works in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then falls down on account of not completing his work, what loss is there on his part? And what can one gain if one performs his material activities perfectly? SB 1.5.17
śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho
kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye
teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate
nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām
My dear Lord, devotional service unto you is the best path for self-realization. If someone gives up that path and engages in the cultivation of speculative knowledge, he will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve his desired result. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realization. His only gain is trouble. SB 10.14.4
pureha bhūman bahavo ’pi yoginas
tvad-arpitehā nija-karma-labdhayā
vibudhya bhaktyaiva kathopanītayā
prapedire ’ñjo ’cyuta te gatiṁ parām
O almighty Lord, in the past many yogīs in this world achieved the platform of devotional service by offering all their endeavors unto you and faithfully carrying out their prescribed duties. Through such devotional service, perfected by the processes of hearing and chanting about you, they came to understand you, O infallible one, and could easily surrender to you and achieve your supreme abode. SB 10.14.5
yat karmabhir yat tapasā jñāna-vairāgyataś ca yat
yogena dāna-dharmeṇa śreyobhir itarair api
sarvaṁ mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto labhate ’ñjasā
svargāpavargaṁ mad-dhāma kathañcid yadi vāñchati
Everything that can be achieved by fruitive activities, penance, knowledge, detachment, mystic yoga, charity, religious duties and all other means of perfecting life is easily achieved by my devotee through loving service unto me. If somehow or other my devotee desires promotion to heaven, liberation, or residence in my abode, he easily achieves such benedictions. SB 11.20.32-33
yā vai sādhana-sampattiḥ puruṣārtha-catuṣṭaye |
tayā vinā tad āpnoti naro nārāyaṇāśrayaḥ ||
A wealth of sādhana brings about the four human goals. Without that, however, a man who surrenders to the Lord attains all of that. Mokṣa-dharma
By pure bhakti alone, the highest results can be achieved, and without bhakti, the highest results cannot be achieved. Thus bhakti is fixed as the best among all sādhanas by showing what is achieved by it positively and what is not achieved by its absence (anvaya-vyatirekābhyām). The positive aspect is shown in the following statement:
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ |
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param ||
The person desiring destruction of all desires, the person with all desires, even the person with the intense desire for liberation, if he has good intelligence, will worship the Supreme Lord with pure bhakti. SB 2.3.10
The sharpness (tīvreṇa) of pure bhakti is service which is like the sun unobstructed by clouds. The verse quoted above -- SB 11.20.32 -- also illustrates the positive aspect.
The negative aspect, in the absence of bhakti, is illustrated in the following:
mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha
catvāro jajñire varṇā guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak
ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ
Each of the four social orders, headed by the brāhmaṇas, was born through different combinations of the modes of nature, from the face, arms, thighs and feet of the Supreme Lord in his universal form, along with the āśramas. If any of the members of the four varṇas and four āśramas fail to worship or disrespect the Lord, who is the source of their own creation, they will fall down from their āśrama. SB 11.5.2-3
tapasvino dāna-parā yaśasvino
manasvino mantra-vidaḥ sumaṅgalāḥ
kṣemaṁ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ
I offer continual respects to the Lord full of auspicious qualities. Without worshipping him, the jñānīs, karmīs, specialized karmīs, yogīs, scholars of the Vedas and followers of proper conduct cannot attain any benefit. SB 2.4.17
There are no restrictions of place and time concerning this sādhana. In all places, with all candidates, and at all times this should be performed with steadiness. However, one must perform karma with purity in a pure place and one can attain jñāna only with a pure mind. Karma and jñāna cannot be performed in all places and at all times. Śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sukham āsanam ātmanaḥ |
yuñjyād yogam ātma-viśuddhaye: the yogī should perform yoga after establishing himself comfortably on a seat in a pure place (BG 6.11) In terms of time, karma is practiced only until one attains detachment from enjoyment. Yoga is practiced only until one has attained siddhis. Sāṅkhya is performed only until one has attained knowledge. Jñāna is performed only until liberation. These methods are not practiced at all times. Bhakti however is well known for being practiced at all times and at all places.
na deśa-niyamas tatra na kāla-nirṇayas tathā |
nocchiṣṭādau niṣedho’sti śrī-harer nāmni lubdhake ||
In chanting the name of the Lord, there are no restrictions concerning place or time, or restrictions on performance because of impurity.
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā |
śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām ||
O King! Therefore, at all times and all places without restriction men should hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord with full concentration of mind. BG 2.2.36
The practice of bhakti is also applicable to all types of people including the practitioners of karma and jñāna. It is even to be performed by the most fallen by birth or activities:
kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā
ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ[187] |
ye’nye ca pāpā yad-upāśrayāśrayāḥ
śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ ||
I offer respects to the lord of inconceivable power. The Kirātas, Hūṇa,s Andhras, Pulindas, Pulkaśas, Abhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas, Khasas and others of low birth, and those sinful by actions, by taking shelter of the devotees who take shelter of the powerful Lord, become purified of their prārabdha-karmas. SB 2.4.18
Bhakti can be practiced in all stages of life. Prahlāda practiced in the womb. Dhruva practiced when he was a child. Ambarīṣa practiced as a youth. It can be practiced even in hell. Mucyeta yan nāmny udite nārako ’pi: even a person in hell will be liberated by chanting the name of the Lord.
yathā yathā harer nāma kīrtayanti ca nārakāḥ |
tathā tathā harau bhaktim udvahanto divaṁ yayuḥ ||
When those in hell chant the name of the Lord they develop bhakti to the Lord and go to the spiritual world. Nṛsiṁha Purāṇa
In this way bhakti has been distinguished as the proper sādhana.
Bhakti in the form of prema is also indicated by reading an extra meaning in the verse. Prema is indicated by the word etāvad (so much). The person desiring to know about the truth should inquire about the best (etāvad) among material enjoyment, liberation and prema, which will be supreme at all times and all places by positive and negative indications. Material enjoyment of Svarga and liberation are not shown as supreme by results in performance and lack of results by non-performance. Prema however is shown to be supreme by the effects of its performance, and the effects of its non-performance. Because prema can also be included in the word bhakti, by sādhana-bhakti one attains sādhya-bhakti, and prema is that sādhya or perfection. Prema is thus considered to be the perfection of bhakti. Bhaktyā sañjātayā bhaktyā bibhraty utpulakāṁ tanum: by prema-bhakti produced from sādhana-bhakti, the devotee develops ecstatic symptoms. (SB 11.3.31) Thus prema-bhakti and sādhana-bhakti, which the Lord had promised to explain in verse 31 by the words rahasyam and tad-aṅgam,have both been explained confidentially in this verse. The Lord’s instruction is thus that one should perform sādhana-bhakti to attain prema, and not to attain Svarga or liberation.
Because Brahmā prayed bhagavac-chikṣitam ahaṁ karavāṇi: may I follow your instructions.(SB 2.9.29), he will attain realization of the sweet rasa of the Lord’s form and qualities through prema-bhakti produced by pure sādhana-bhakti, since prema-bhakti is a form of realization. Thus realizations arising from prema-bhakti and sādhana-bhakti are also described in this verse (as promised by the Lord in verse 31). The Taittirīya Upaniṣad states raso vai saḥ: the Lord is rasa. It also states saiṣānandasya mimāṁsā bhavati: this is the examination of bliss. The highest form of the Lord is rasa incarnate. The root form of rasa is shown to be Kṛṣṇa in the Bhāgavatam:
mallānām aśanir nṛṇāṁ nara-varaḥ strīṇāṁ smaro mūrtimān
gopānāṁ sva-jano ’satāṁ kṣiti-bhujāṁ śāstā sva-pitroḥ śiśuḥ
mṛtyur bhoja-pater virāḍ aviduṣāṁ tattvaṁ paraṁ yogināṁ
vṛṣṇīnāṁ para-devateti vidito raṅgaṁ gataḥ sāgrajaḥ
The various groups of people in the arena regarded Kṛṣṇa in different ways when e entered it with his elder brother. The wrestlers saw Kṛṣṇa as a lightning bolt, the men of Mathurā as the best of males, the women as Cupid in person, the cowherd men as their relative, the impious rulers as a chastiser, his parents as their child, the King of the Bhojas as death, the unintelligent as the Supreme Lord’s universal form, the yogīs as the Absolute Truth and the Vṛṣṇis as their supreme worshipable Deity. SB 10.43.17
Realization of this rasa of Kṛṣṇa is also stated in this verse. Among all things desired to be known, one should desire the highest realization of rasa (etavād), which will be tasted in dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and śṛṅgāra rasas by direct contact (anvaya) and in separation (vyatirekha) in all places, in all universes in places like Vṛndāvana, in the presence of servants, friends, elders and gopīs, at all times, continually even after the dissolution of the universe. The meaning of the verse indicating the most confidential prema-bhakti-rasa has been covered over by the Lord himself with another meaning indicating ātma-jñāna, just as cintāmaṇi is covered by a golden box so that it is not exposed to materialistic people. Śruti says concerning ātmā:
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo
na medhayā na bahunā śrutena |
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas
tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām ||
Ātma is not attained by speaking, by intelligence or by profuse hearing. He reveals himself to the person whom he chooses. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23
The meaning indicating knowledge of ātmā is as follows. The person desiring to know the truth about ātmā should seek out ātmā which exists in all places at all times, perceived directly in the universe which is non-different from its cause, the ātmā (anvaya), and in the ātmā different from the universe (vyatireka). Anvaya also refers to the ātmā as the witness in all states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. Vyatikreka refers to states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep belonging to the ātmā.
etāvad eva jijnāsyaṃ tattva-jijnāsunātmanaḥ | anvaya-vyatirekābhyāṃ yat syāt sarvatra sarvadā ||
TRANSLATION The person desiring to know the best sādhana and the goal of that sādhana must learn by surrender to guru about this truth which is determined as the best by obtaining positive results through performance and by lack of results through non-performance, and by performance at all times and all places. The person desiring the highest truth must experience rasa, which produces bliss through meeting and separation and continues in all places eternally.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 115:
The person who is inquisitive about the Lord’s (ātmanaḥ) truth (tattva-jijnāsunā), who desires to realize the secret, prema, should inquire this much only (jijnāsyam). This means he should learn from the feet of śrī-guru. How will the guru do this? It will be accomplished by positive rules and negative statements (anvayena vyatirekena). An example of direct rule is as follows:
etāvān eva loke ’smin puṃsāṃ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ bhakti-yogo bhagavati tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ
Pure bhakti to the Supreme Lord, beginning with the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is the real dharma, the supreme object for the human living in this world. (SB 6.3.22)
An example of vyatireka (negative statement) is as follows:
mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha catvāro jajnire varṇa guṇair viprādayaḥ pṛthak
Each of the four social orders, headed by the brāhmaṇas, was born through different combinations of the modes of nature, from the face, arms, thighs and feet of the Supreme Lord in his universal form, along with the āśramas.
ya eṣāṃ puruṣaṃ sākṣād ātma-prabhavam īśvaram na bhajanty avajānanti sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ
If any of the members of the four varṇas and four āśramas fail to worship the Lord and thus disrespect the Lord, who is the source of their own creation, they will fall down from their āśrama. (SB 11.5.3)
na māṃ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ | māyayāpahṛta-jnānā āsuraṃ bhāvam āśritāḥ ||
The falsely intelligent, consisting of the foolish humans who think that I am a material being, the fallen humans who absorb themselves in material knowledge, the speculators who come to wrong conclusions about God, and the demons who think that I have no form and qualities, do not surrender to me. (BG 7.15)
yāvaj jano bhajati no bhuvi viṣṇu-bhaktivārtā-sudhā-rasam aśeṣa-rasaika-sāram | tāvaj jarā-maraṇa-janma-śatābhighātaduḥkhāni tāni labhate bahu-dehajāni ||
If a person on earth does not partake of the essence of unlimited rasa, the sweet rasa of messages of bhakti to Viṣṇu he will attain many births of suffering old age, death, birth, and hundreds of injuries. (Padma Purāṇa 5.85.33)
Where is this performed? It is performed in all scriptures, by all agents, in all places, by all senses, using all objects, in all actions, in all religious rites and with all results (sarvatra sarvadā).
“All scriptures” is illustrated in Skanda Purāṇa in the discussion between Brahmā and Nārada:
saṃsāre ’smin mahā-ghore janma-mṛtyu-samākule | pūjanaṃ vāsudevasya tārakaṃ vādibhiḥ smṛtam ||
In this frightening saṃsāra filled with birth and death, worship of Vāsudeva is known as the means of deliverance by the wise.
This is confirmed positively with the following:
bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena trir anvīkṣya manīṣayā | tad adhyavasyat kūṭa-stho ratir ātman yato bhavet ||
The unchanging Brahmā reviewed three times the Vedas completely with his intelligence, and determined that process which produces premain the self. (SB 2.2.34)
āloḍya sarva-śāstrāṇi vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ | idam ekaṃ saniṣpannaṃ dhyeyo nārāyaṇaḥ sadā ||
Reviewing all scriptures again and again, it is definitely concluded that Nārāyaṇa should be the object of meditation. (Skanda Purāṇa)
It is confirmed by negative statements:
pāraṃ gato ’pi vedānāṃ sarva-śāstrārtha-vedy api | yo na sarveśvare bhaktas taṃ vidyāt puruṣādhamam ||
The person who has studied all the Vedas and other scriptures is the worst of men if he is not a devotee of the Lord. (Garuḍa Purāṇa 1.231.17)
From this, everything is understood. This will be explained at the end.
Here are examples of different performers of bhakti:
te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṃ strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ | yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye ||
Women, śūdras, Hūṇas, Śabaras and other sinfully born persons also certainly
cross over the material world and know the Lord if they learn about the qualities of the devotees of the Lord. If even animals can understand, how much more quickly can humans, who hear from the mouth of guru, understand the Lord? (SB 2.7.46)
kīṭa-pakṣi-mṛgāṇāṃ ca harau sannyasta-cetasām | ūrdhvam eva gatiṃ manye kiṃ punar jnānināṃ nčṇām ||
I think that insects, birds and animals which give their lives to the Lord have a superior destination. What then is the destination of men with knowledge? (Garuḍa Purāṇa 1.234.31)
Bhakti can be performed by anyone since it is seen that a person of good or bad conduct, possessing or not possessing knowledge, being detached or attached, desiring liberation or having achieved liberation, having not perfected bhakti or having perfected bhakti, by a person who has become an associate of the Lord, and by an eternal associate of the Lord—all of them attain success in bhakti.
Bad conduct or good conduct is illustrated in the following:
api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk | sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ ||
If the most sinful person worships me with no other desire than to please me, I still consider that person to be my devotee, since he has fixed himself completely in me. (BG 9.30)
The meaning here is that if a person with bad conduct can attain the Lord, what can be said of a person with good conduct?
Persons with knowledge or without knowledge attain success in bhakti:
jnātvājnātvātha ye vai māṃ yāvān yaś cāsmi yādṛśaḥ bhajanty ananya-bhāvena te me bhaktatamā matāḥ
Those who may or may not know the extent of my powers, my forms and my nature, but who worship me with great possessiveness, I consider to be the best of devotees. (SB 11.11.33)
harir harati pāpāni duṣṭa-cittair api smṛtaḥ
It is said that the Lord destroys sins of people with sinful hearts. (Nārada Purāṇa)
Bhakti is performed by the detached and the attached:
bādhyamāno ’pi mad-bhakto viṣayair ajitendriyaḥ prāyaḥ pragalbhayā bhaktyā viṣayair nābhibhūyate
If my devotee has not fully conquered his senses, he may be harassed by material desires, but because of his generally strong bhakti, he will not be defeated by sense gratification. (SB 11.14.18)
The word api indicates that the person not tempted by material objects will definitely not be defeated by sense enjoyment.
Persons desiring liberation and liberated persons perform bhakti:
mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān hitvā bhūta-patīn atha | nārāyaṇa-kalāḥ śāntā bhajanti hy anasūyavaḥ ||
Rejecting the frightful forms Śiva or others devatās, persons desirous of liberation (what to speak of the devotees), without criticizing those devatās, worship the avatāras of Nārāyaṇa. (SB 1.2.26)
ātmārāmāś ca munayo nirgranthā apy urukrame | kurvanty ahaitukīṃ bhaktim ittham-bhūta-guṇo hariḥ||
Some sages who are ātmārāmas, beyond the scriptures, false ego and rules, also practice unmotivated, pure bhakti to the master of pure bhakti, Kṛṣṇa, since he possesses qualities attractive to even them. (SB 1.7.10)
Those who have not perfected bhakti and those who have perfected bhakti perform bhakti:
kecit kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ aghaṃ dhunvanti kārtsnyena nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ
Persons who surrender to Kṛṣṇa completely destroy sins by pure bhakti alone, just as the sun destroys fog. (SB 6.1.15)
tri-bhuvana-vibhava-hetave ’py akuṇṭhasmṛtir ajitātma-surādibhir vimṛgyāt na calati bhagavat-padāravindāl lava-nimiṣārdham api yaḥ sa vaiṣṇavāgryaḥ
He, whose remembrance is not lured by dominion over the three worlds, and who does move for half a minute or half a second from the Lord’s lotus feet which are sought by the devatās who also meditate on the Lord, is the best of devotees. (SB 11.2.53)
Those who have become associates of the Lord perform bhakti:
mat-sevayā pratītaṃ te sālokyādi-catuṣṭayam necchanti sevayā pūrṇāḥ kuto ’nyat kāla-viplutam
My devotees, who are always satisfied to be engaged in my service, are not interested even in the four principles of liberation [sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi], although these are automatically achieved by their service. What then is to be said of any perishable happiness? (SB 9.4.67)
The eternal associates perform bhakti:
vāpīṣu vidruma-taṭāsv amalāmṛtāpsu preṣyānvitā nija-vane tulasībhir īśam abhyarcatī svalakam unnasam īkṣya vaktram uccheṣitaṃ bhagavatety amatānga yac-chrīḥ
Before worshipping the Lord with tulasī leaves, surrounded by servants, she gazes at her face with beautiful locks and raised nose, reflected in the water of a pond filled with pure, sweet water whose banks are made of coral. She considers that this face has been kissed by the Lord. (SB 3.15.22)
The devotees mentioned above perform worship of the Lord in all varṣas, in all worlds, in all universes and beyond the universes. This is proof that bhakti is performed in all places.
All the senses are used in bhakti:
mānasenopacāreṇa paricarya hariṃ mudā | pare ’vān-manasāgamyaṃ taṃ sākṣāt pratipedire ||
Serving the Lord joyfully by mind and articles of worship fortunate persons directly meet the Lord who is beyond words and mind. (Quoted in BRS 1.2.182 from a Purāṇa)
It is well known that one can reach perfection in bhakti by using external senses,
mind or words.
An example of using all materials in bhakti is given:
patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyaṃ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati | tad ahaṃ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ||
I accept what is offered with devotion by the unmotivated devotee—a leaf, flower, fruit or water. (BG 9.26)
Bhakti involves all types of activity:
śruto ’nupaṭhito dhyāta ādṛto vānumoditaḥ sadyaḥ punāti sad-dharmo deva-viśva-druho ’pi hi
Pure devotional service rendered to the Supreme Lord, consisting of hearing, chanting, meditating, accepting it with faith, or praising others who perform it, immediately purifies even those who are envious of the Lord and the universe. (SB 11.2.12)
yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat | yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam ||
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you sacrifice, whatever you give, and whatever austerity you perform, offer it to me, O son of Kuntī. (BG 9.27)
Examples of Ajāmila and the mouse (who nibbled on a ghee wick which then lit up the deity) indicate that activities even of bhakty-ābhāsa or aparādha caused by bhakty-ābhāsa have good effect.
Bhakti should be performed in all religious acts:
yasya smṛtyā ca nāmoktyā tapo-yajna-kriyādiṣu | nūnaṃ sampūrṇatāṃ yāti sadyo vande tam acyutam ||
I offer respects to the Lord. By remembering him or his name all austerities, sacrifices and duties become complete. (Skanda Purāṇa)
All results are achieved:
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ | tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṃ param ||
The person desiring destruction of all desires, the person with all desires, and even the person with an intense desire for liberation, if he has good intelligence, will worship the Supreme Lord with pure bhakti. (SB 2.3.10)
yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇāṃ tathaiva sarvārhaṇam acyutejyā
Just as the branches and twigs are satisfied by watering the root, and just as the senses are satisfied by nourishing the life air, by worshipping the Supreme Lord all worship is accomplished. (SB 4.31.14)
It is said in this verse that by performing worship of the Lord the worship of all devatās is also accomplished. Thus bhakti includes all results. In Skanda Purāṇa in the discussion between Brahmā and Nārada it is said:
arcite deva-deveśa śankha-cakra-gadādhare | arcitāḥ sarva-devāḥ syur yataḥ sarva-gato hariḥ ||
In worshipping the Lord, holder of the conch and cakra, worship of all the devatās is accomplished since the Lord is all-pervading.
It is seen in the Purāṇas that anyone who performs bhakti is successful. As well, the object like a cow which is given to the Lord becomes successful. The person who becomes a means for another person to perform bhakti, or who accepts an object to please the Lord or who gives something which is then offered to the Lord becomes successful. The place or family in which a person performs bhakti becomes successful. A person related to bhakti as agent, object, instrument, receiver, giver or place becomes successful. Thus bhakti is effective in all cases (sarvatra in SB 2.9.36).
Bhakti should be performed at all times (sarvadā in SB 2.9.36).
kālena naṣṭā pralaye vāṇīyaṃ veda-saṃjnitā mayādau brahmaṇe proktā dharmo yasyāṃ mad-ātmakaḥ
By the influence of time, the Vedic knowledge was lost at the time of annihilation. Therefore, when the subsequent creation took place, I spoke to Brahmā the Vedic knowledge in which bhakti is the essence. (SB 11.14.3)
It is performed in all yugas:
kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṃ tretāyāṃ yajato makhaiḥ dvāpare paricaryāyāṃ kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt
Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretāyuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by deity worship, can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting about the Lord. (SB 12.3.52)
sā hānis tan mahac chidraṃ sa mohaḥ sa ca vibhramaḥ | yan-muhūrtaṃ kṣaṇaṃ vāpi vāsudevo na cintyate ||
The moment that one does not think of Vāsudeva, that moment becomes destructive, full of fault, illusion and mistakes. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa)
Bhakti occurs in all conditions of time. Prahlāda hearing from Nārada in the womb is famous. Dhruva performed bhakti in his childhood. Ambarīṣa performed bhakti in his youth. Dhṛtarāṣṭra performed bhakti in old age. Ajāmila performed bhakti (ābhāsa) when dying. Citraketu performed bhakti in Svarga. Bhakti can be performed in hellish condition:
yathā yathā harer nāma kīrtayanti sma nārakāḥ | tathā tathā harau bhaktim udvahanto divaṃ yayuḥ ||
Those who chant the name of the Lord in hell, developing bhakti, attain the spiritual world. (Nṛsiṃha Purāṇa 8.31)
Durvāsā says: ajānatā te paramānubhāvaṃ kṛtaṃ mayāghaṃ bhavataḥ priyāṇām vidhehi tasyāpacitiṃ vidhātar mucyeta yan-nāmny udite nārako ’pi
O supreme controller! Without knowledge of your unlimited prowess, I have offended your most dear devotees. O Lord by whose name a person in hell becomes liberated! Please do something to nullify this offense. (SB 9.4.62)
Also it is said: etan nirvidyamānānām icchatām akuto-bhayam | yogināṃ nṛpa nirṇītaṃ harer nāmānukīrtanam ||
O King! Continuous chanting of the name of the Lord has been prescribed for
devotees, for those with desires for liberation and material elevation, and for those satisfied with the self. (SB 2.1.11)
Negative examples are also seen:
kiṃ vedaiḥ kim u śāstrair vā kiṃ vā tīrtha-niṣevaṇaiḥ | viṣṇu-bhakti-vihīnānāṃ kiṃ tapobhiḥ kim adhvaraiḥ ||
That is the use of the Vedas, other scriptures, serving holy places, performing austerities or sacrifices if one is devoid of bhakti to Viṣṇu? (Nārada Purāṇa 1.30.111)
kiṃ tasya bahubhiḥ śāstraiḥ kiṃ tapobhiḥ kim adhvaraiḥ | vājapeya-sahasrair vā bhaktir yasya janārdane ||
What is the use of many scriptures, austerities or thousands of horse sacrifices for a person who has bhakti to Viṣṇu? (Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa)
tapasvino dāna-parā yaśasvino manasvino mantra-vidaḥ sumangalāḥ | kṣemaṃ na vindanti vinā yad-arpaṇaṃ tasmai subhadra-śravase namo namaḥ ||
I offer continual respects to the Lord full of auspicious qualities. Without worshipping him, the jnānīs, karmīs, specialized karmīs, yogīs, scholars of the Vedas and followers of proper conduct cannot attain any benefit. (SB 2.4.17)
na yatra vaikuṇṭha-kathā-sudhāpagā na sādhavo bhāgavatās tadāśrayāḥ na yatra yajneśa-makhā mahotsavāḥ sureśa-loko ’pi na vai sa sevyatām
Even Brahmaloka should not be accepted as a residence if there are no rivers of sweet topics about the Lord, no devotees who take shelter of those topics, and no great festivals or sacrifices of chanting the name of the Lord. (SB 5.19.24)
yayāca ānamya kirīṭa-koṭibhiḥ pādau spṛśann acyutam artha-sādhanam siddhārtha etena vigṛhyate mahān aho surāṇāṃ ca tamo dhig āḍhyatām
Even after Indra had bowed down to Acyuta, touched his feet with the tips of his
crown and begged the Lord to fulfill his desire, that exalted devatā, having achieved his purpose, chose to fight with the Supreme Lord. What ignorance there is among the gods! To hell with their opulence! (SB 10.59.41)
sālokya-sārṣṭi-sāmīpya- sārūpyaikatvam apy uta dīyamānaṃ na gṛhṇanti vinā mat-sevanaṃ janāḥ
The devotees do not accept living on my planet, having similar powers, staying close to me, or having a similar form, what to speak of merging into me, when these things are offered, unless it involves service to me. (SB 3.29.13)
nālaṃ dvijatvaṃ devatvam ṛṣitvaṃ vāsurātmajāḥ prīṇanāya mukundasya na vṛttaṃ na bahu-jnatā
na dānaṃ na tapo nejyā na śaucaṃ na vratāni ca prīyate ’malayā bhaktyā harir anyad viḍambanam
O sons of demons! Being a brāhmaṇa, devatā or sage, good conduct, learning, charity, austerity, worship, cleanliness and vows cannot please the Lord. The Lord is pleased by pure bhakti. Other than bhakti, everything else is a cause of mockery. (SB 7.7.51-52)
naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṃ na śobhate jnānam alaṃ niranjanam | kutaḥ punaḥ śaśvad abhadram īśvare na cārpitaṃ karma yad apy akāraṇam ||
Even the stage of jnāna without the bondage of karma is not glorious if it is devoid of bhakti to the Supreme Lord. What is the use of having destroyed ignorance? What then to speak of sakāma-karma which causes suffering, both during practice and at the stage perfection, and niṣkāma-karma, when not offered to the Lord? (SB 1.5.12)
nātyantikaṃ vigaṇayanty api te prasādaṃ kimv anyad arpita-bhayaṃ bhruva unnayais te ye ’nga tvad-anghri-śaraṇā bhavataḥ kathāyāḥ kīrtanya-tīrtha-yaśasaḥ kuśalā rasa-jnāḥ
Persons who have realized you do not regard attainment of impersonal liberation as your mercy, what to speak of attaining a material position like Indra which is subject to fear caused by the Lord raising his eyebrow. O Lord! Those devotees,
surrendered to your lotus feet, are expert knowers of rasa derived from narrations about your fame, which should be chanted and which purify everyone like a tīrtha. (SB 3.15.48)
The words sarvatra and sarvadā in SB 2.9.36 should also be taken together as in the following:
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā | śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām ||
O King! Therefore, at all times and all places without restriction men should hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord with full concentration of mind. (SB 2.2.36)
Sarvatra and sarvadā are also linked to positive and negative statements:
smartavyaḥ satataṃ viṣṇur vismartavyo na jātucit | sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etasyaiva vidhinkarāḥ ||
One should always remember Viṣṇu and never forget him. All rules and negative injunctions are servants of this rule. (Padma Purāṇa 6.71.100)
This covers all conditions. The introduction is as follows:
na hy ato ’nyaḥ śivaḥ panthā viśataḥ saṃsṛtāv iha | vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogo yato bhavet ||
There is no other auspicious path for those suffering in the material world, because this path produces prema for Bhagavān Vāsudeva. (SB 2.2.33)
The conclusion is as follows:
tasmāt sarvātmanā rājan hariḥ sarvatra sarvadā | śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyo bhagavān nṛṇām ||
O King! Therefore, at all times and all places without restriction men should hear about, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord with full concentration of mind. (SB 2.2.36)
Nṛṇām means all jīvas in this verse for it is said:
iti nṛ-gatiṃ vivicya kavayo nigamāvapanaṃ
bhavata upāsate ’nghrim abhavam bhuvi viśvasitāḥ
Having determined this to be the status of the living entity, learned sages become imbued with faith and worship your lotus feet, to which all Vedic sacrifices in this world are offered, and which are the source of liberation. (SB 10.87.20)
The following should be said. Karma lasts till one renounces the body as a source of enjoyment. Yoga culminates in siddhis. Sānkhya culminates in knowledge of ātmā. Jnāna culminates in liberation. These are the respective qualifications. All these processes involve limits, with transgression if one goes beyond the limit, according to scripture. Since bhakti is recommended at all times and places by positive and negative statements, because of its greatness, it is suitable to speak of it as a limb of prema, which is the secret (rahasya) mentioned in the catuḥ-ślokī. Thus, since it is limb of prema (which is confidential), it is covered up by the form of jnāna in the verse.
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Brahmā who taught the Bhāgavatam in summary to Nārada made Nārada take this vow:
yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṃ bhaktir bhaviṣyati | sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti sankalpya varṇaya ||
After making a sankalpa, you should speak the Bhāgavatam in such a way that devotion to Hari, attractor of the mind, Bhagavān, the blissful object of worship, the essence of all worship and the fulfiller of all desires, will appear in the people of Kali-yuga. (SB 2.7.52)
Making a vow, accepting a principle, that bhakti will definitely appear in all beings, you should speak it.
Bhagavat Sandarbha 107:
Because it is hidden with the meaning of ātmā-vidyā, sometimes sādhana-bhakti appears superficially to be brahma-jnāna. The system is to receive sādhanabhakti first from a guru since it is all-pervasive and to be practiced at all times. In performance, the extremal practice is accompanied by a cultivation of detachment (ātmā-jnāna-vijnāna). Because of being of this nature, bhakti
accompanies jnāna as in brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (Bg 18.55) and ātmārāmāś ca munayaḥ. (SB 1.7.11) Thus jnāna and vijnāṇa are related to Bhagavān.
Thus in the catuḥślokī, through teachings about knowledge of the Lord, realization, prema and bhakti, Bhagavān is taught.
The word Bhagavān is found here:
tasmai sva-lokaṃ bhagavān sabhājitaḥ sandarśayām āsa paraṃ na yat-param | vyapeta-sankleśa-vimoha-sādhvasaṃ sva-dṛṣṭavadbhir vibudhair abhiṣṭutam ||
Bhagavān, gratified by his worship, showed Brahmā Mahā-vaikuṇṭha, to which nothing is superior, which is free of suffering, confusion and fear of offenses and which is praised by the devatās who constantly see the self. (SB 2.9.9)
dadarśa tatrākhila-sātvatāṃ patiṃ śriyaḥ patiṃ yajna-patiṃ jagat-patim | sunanda-nanda-prabalārhaṇādibhiḥ sva-pārṣadāgraiḥ parisevitaṃ vibhum ||
Brahmā saw the Lord, the Lord of all the devotees, the Lord of Lakṣmī, the Lord of sacrifice and the Lord of the universe, served by his chief followers such as Sunanda, Nanda, Prabala and Arhaṇa. (SB 2.9.15)
The speaker of the catuḥ-ślokī is clearly said to be Kṛṣṇa, in accordance with śrutis and tāpanīs. The speaker is not Nārāyaṇa, his aṃśa, situated on the Garbhodaka Ocean. Therefore (because Kṛṣṇa spoke it) the Mahā-purāṇa is called Śrīmad-bhāgavatam. It is said:
kasmai yena vibhāsito ’yam atulo jnāna-pradīpaḥ purā tad-rūpeṇa ca nāradāya munaye kṛṣṇāya tad-rūpiṇā yogīndrāya tad-ātmanātha bhagavad-rātāya kāruṇyatas tac chuddhaṃ vimalaṃ viśokam amṛtaṃ satyaṃ paraṃ dhīmahi
I meditate upon that pure, spotless, supreme form (Kṛṣṇa), who is free from suffering and death and who previously revealed this incomparable lamp of knowledge to Brahmā. Brahmā then spoke it to the sage Nārada, who narrated it to Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. Śrīla Vyāsa revealed this Bhāgavatam to the greatest of sages, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śukadeva mercifully spoke it to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. (SB 12.13.19)
Here the word param in satyam param means the speaker Bhagavān (Kṛṣṇa.) The word parasya distinguishes him from Viṣṇu in the following:
ādyo ’vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sad-asan manaś ca | dravyaṃ vikāro guṇa indriyāṇi virāṭ svarāṭ sthāsnu cariṣṇu bhūmnaḥ ||
Mahā-viṣṇu, an expansion of Kṛṣṇa (parasya), is time, svabhāva, effect and cause, mahat-tattva, the five gross elements, false ego, the three guṇas, the senses, the universal form, the totality of jīvas, the individual jīvas as nonmoving and moving beings. All of these are related to the Supreme Lord. (SB 2.6.42)
The word Bhagavān is used to refer to the speaker of Bhāgavatam in the following:
idaṃ bhagavatā pūrvaṃ brahmaṇe nābhi-pankaje sthitāya bhava-bhītāya kāruṇyāt samprakāśitam
Bhagavān (Kṛṣṇa) first revealed the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Brahmā. At the time, Brahmā, frightened by material existence, was sitting on the lotus flower that had grown from the Lord's navel. (SB 12.13.10)
Bhagavān (Kṛṣṇa), after showing Mahā-vaikuṇṭha, showed the Purāṇa to Brahmā situated on the lotus. This follows the narration in the Second Canto.
May Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary on the catuḥ-ślokī of the Bhāgavatam, which is my life and soul, remain victorious?
TEXT - SB 2.9.37
etan mataṁ samātiṣṭha
parameṇa samādhinā
bhavān kalpa-vikalpeṣu
na vimuhyati karhicit
SYNONYMS
etat—this; matam—the conclusion; samātiṣṭha—remain fixed; parameṇa—by the supreme; samādhinā—concentration of the mind; bhavān—yourself; kalpa—intermediate devastation; vikalpeṣu—in the final devastation; na vimuhyati—will never bewilder; karhicit—anything like complacence.
TRANSLATION
O Brahmā, just follow this conclusion by fixed concentration of mind, and no pride will disturb you, neither in the partial nor in the final devastation.
PURPORT
As in the Bhagavad-gītā, Tenth Chapter, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, has summarized the whole text in four verses, namely, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg. 10.8], etc., so the complete Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has also been summarized in four verses, as aham evāsam evāgre, etc. Thus the secret purpose of the most important Bhāgavatite conclusion has been explained by the original speaker of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, who was also the original speaker of the Bhagavad-gītā, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. There are many grammarians and nondevotee material wranglers who have tried to present false interpretations of these four verses of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam but the Lord Himself advised Brahmājī not to be deviated from the fixed conclusion the Lord had taught him. The Lord was the teacher of the nucleus of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in four verses, and Brahmā was the receiver of the knowledge. Misinterpretation of the word aham by the word jugglery of the impersonalist should not disturb the mind of the strict followers of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the text of the Personality of Godhead and His unalloyed devotees, who are also known as the bhāgavatas, and any outsider should have no access to this confidential literature of devotional service. But unfortunately the impersonalist, who has no relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sometimes tries to interpret Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by his poor fund of knowledge in grammar and dry speculation. Therefore, the Lord warns Brahmā (and, through Brahmā, all future devotees of the Lord in the disciplic succession of Brahmā) that one should never be misled by the conclusion of the so-called grammarians or by other men with a poor fund of knowledge, but must always fix the mind properly, via the paramparā system. No one should try to give a new interpretation by dint of mundane knowledge. And the first step, therefore, in pursuance of the system of knowledge received by Brahmā, is to approach a bona fide guru who is the representative of the Lord following the paramparā system. No one should try to squeeze out his own meaning by imperfect mundane knowledge. The guru, or the bona fide spiritual master, is competent to teach the disciple in the right path with reference to the context of all authentic Vedic literature. He does not attempt to juggle words to bewilder the student. The bona fide spiritual master, by his personal activities, teaches the disciple the principles of devotional service. Without personal service, one would go on speculating like the impersonalists and dry speculators life after life and would be unable to reach the final conclusion. By following the instructions of the bona fide spiritual master in conjunction with the principles of revealed scriptures, the student will rise to the plane of complete knowledge, which will be exhibited by development of detachment from the world of sense gratification. The mundane wranglers are surprised that one can detach himself from the world of sense gratification, and thus any attempt to be fixed in God realization appears to them to be mysticism. This detachment from the sensory world is called the brahma-bhūta [SB 4.30.20] stage of realization, the preliminary stage of transcendental devotional life (parā bhaktiḥ). The brahma-bhūta stage of life is also known as the ātmārāma stage, in which one is fully self-satisfied and does not hanker for the world of sense enjoyment. This stage of full satisfaction is the proper situation for understanding the transcendental knowledge of the Personality of Godhead. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.20) affirms this:
evaṁ prasanna-manaso
bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ
bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ
mukta-saṅgasya jāyate
Thus in the completely satisfied stage of life, exhibited by full detachment from the world of sense enjoyment as a result of performing devotional service, one can understand the science of God in the liberated stage.
In this stage of full satisfaction and detachment from the sensory world, one can know the mystery of the science of God with all its confidential intricacies, and not by grammar or academic speculation. Because Brahmā qualified himself for such reception, the Lord was pleased to disclose the purpose of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This direct instruction by the Lord to any devotee who is detached from the world of sense gratification is possible, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10):
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
Unto the devotees who are constantly engaged in the Lord's transcendental loving service (prīti-pūrvakam), the Lord, out of His causeless mercy upon the devotee, gives direct instructions so that the devotee may make accurate progress on the path returning home, back to Godhead. One should not, therefore, try to understand these four verses of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by mental speculation. Rather, by direct perception of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is able to know all about His abode, Vaikuṇṭha, as was seen and experienced by Brahmājī. Such Vaikuṇṭha realization is possible by any devotee of the Lord situated in the transcendental position as a result of devotional service.
In the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad (śruti) it is said, gopa-veśo me puruṣaḥ purastād āvirbabhuva: the Lord appeared before Brahmā as a cowboy, that is, as the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, who is later described by Brahmājī in his Brahma-saṁhitā (5.29):
cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Brahmājī desires to worship the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who resides in the topmost Vaikuṇṭha planet, known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, where He is in the habit of keeping surabhi cows as a cowboy and where He is served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune (the gopīs) with love and respect.
Therefore Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original form of the Supreme Lord (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam[SB 1.3.28]). This is also clear from this instruction. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Lord Kṛṣṇa, and not directly Nārāyaṇa or the puruṣa-avatāras, which are subsequent manifestations. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam means consciousness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the sound representation of the Lord as much as the Bhagavad-gītā is. Thus the conclusion is that Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the science of the Lord in which the Lord and His abode are perfectly realized.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.37
etan mataṁ samātiṣṭha parameṇa samādhinā |
bhavān kalpa-vikalpeṣu na vimuhyati karhicit ||
“How is it possible for me to understand the deep meaning of these four verses summarizing the Bhāgavatam? There are many opinions among those who argue.” “Undertake my directions completely (samātiṣṭha).” This means “Contemplate this with concentration.” In the mahā-kalpa lasting your lifetime (kalpa) and its subdivisions (vikalpeṣu) you will not be bewildered at any time.
Here ends the commentary on the four verses. This Sārarthadarśinī commentary written for the benefit of all humanity should be seen by persons studying devotional literature and not others.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.37||
etan mataṃ samātiṣṭha parameṇa samādhinā | bhavān kalpa-vikalpeṣu na vimuhyati karhicit ||
TRANSLATION Follow my instructions in detail, with extreme concentration. You will not be bewildered at any time during your lifetime and its subdivisions.
Brahmā who taught the Bhāgavatam in summary to Nārada made Nārada take this vow:
yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṃ bhaktir bhaviṣyati | sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti sankalpya varṇaya ||
After making a sankalpa, you should speak the Bhāgavatam in such a way that devotion to Hari, attractor of the mind, Bhagavān, the blissful object of worship, the essence of all worship and the fulfiller of all desires, will appear in the people of Kali-yuga. (SB 2.7.52)
Nārada has also taught this for manifesting Bhāgavatam: : atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk śuci-śravāḥ satya-rato dhṛta-vrataḥ | urukramasyākhila-bandha-muktaye samādhinānusmara tad-viceṣṭitam ||
Fortunate one! Therefore, since you have useful knowledge, spotless character, dedication to truth and determined vows, remember with attention the pastimes of the Lord which bring about liberation from all bondage. (SB 1.5.13)
TEXT - SB 2.9.38
śrī-śuka uvāca
sampradiśyaivam ajano
janānāṁ parameṣṭhinam
paśyatas tasya tad rūpam
ātmano nyaruṇad dhariḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; sampradiśya—fully instructing Brahmājī; evam—thus; ajanaḥ—the Supreme Lord; janānām—of the living entities; parameṣṭhinam—unto the supreme leader, Brahmā; paśyataḥ—while he was seeing; tasya—His; tat rūpam—that transcendental form; ātmanaḥ—of the Absolute; nyaruṇat—disappeared; hariḥ—the Lord, the Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, after being seen in His transcendental form, instructing Brahmājī, the leader of the living entities, disappeared.
PURPORT
In this verse it is clearly mentioned that the Lord is ajanaḥ, or the Supreme Person, and that He was showing His transcendental form (ātmano rūpam) to Brahmājī while instructing him in the summarization of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in four verses. He is ajanaḥ, or the Supreme Person, amongst janānām, or all persons. All living entities are individual persons, and amongst all such persons Lord Hari is supreme, as confirmed in the śruti-mantra, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). So there is no place for impersonal features in the transcendental world as there are impersonal features in the material world. Whenever there is cetana, or knowledge, the personal feature comes in. In the spiritual world everything is full of knowledge, and therefore everything in the transcendental world, the land, the water, the tree, the mountain, the river, the man, the animal, the bird—everything—is of the same quality, namely cetana, and therefore everything there is individual and personal. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives us this information as the supreme Vedic literature, and it was personally instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to Brahmājī so that the leader of the living entities might broadcast the message to all in the universe in order to teach the supreme knowledge of bhakti-yoga. Brahmājī in his turn instructed Nārada, his beloved son, the same message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Nārada, in his turn, taught the same to Vyāsadeva, who again taught it to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Through Śukadeva Gosvāmī's grace and by the mercy of Mahārāja Parīkṣit we are all given Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam perpetually to learn the science of the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.38
śrī-śuka uvāca
sampradiśyaivam ajano janānāṁ parameṣṭhinam |
paśyatas tasya tad rūpam ātmano nyaruṇad dhariḥ ||
Parameṣṭhinam refers to the creator, Brahmā. Ātmano rūpam means the form of the Lord and Vaikuṇṭha as well. Nyaruṇad means “made (his form) disappear.”
Jiva's tika ||2.9.38||
śrī-śuka uvāca sampradiśyaivam ajano janānāṃ parameṣṭhinam | paśyatas tasya tad rūpam ātmano nyaruṇad dhariḥ ||
TRANSLATION Śuka said: The Lord who is beyond the material world, having instructed Brahmā, the creator of the progeny, then made his form disappear while Brahmā watched.
The Lord disappeared along with Vaikuṇṭha, which is accepted as his svarūpa. The word artha in the catuḥ-ślokī means Bhagavān with his spiritual wealth.
TEXT - SB 2.9.39
antarhitendriyārthāya
haraye vihitāñjaliḥ
sarva-bhūtamayo viśvaṁ
sasarjedaṁ sa pūrvavat
SYNONYMS
antarhita—on the disappearance; indriya-arthāya—unto the Personality of Godhead, the objective of all senses; haraye—unto the Lord; vihita-añjaliḥ—in folded hands; sarva-bhūta—all living entities; mayaḥ—full of; viśvam—the universe; sasarja—created; idam—this; saḥ—he (Brahmājī); pūrva-vat—exactly like before.
TRANSLATION
On the disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who is the object of transcendental enjoyment for the senses of devotees, Brahmā, with folded hands, began to re-create the universe, full with living entities, as it was previously.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is the object for fulfilling the senses of all living entities. Illusioned by the glaring reflection of the external energy, the living entities worship the senses instead of engaging them properly in fulfilling the desires of the Supreme.
In the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (13.2) there is the following verse:
akṣṇoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-darśanaṁ hi
tanoḥ phalaṁ tvādṛśa-gātra-saṅgaḥ
jihvā-phalaṁ tvādṛśa-kīrtanaṁ hi
sudurlabhā bhāgavatā hi loke
"O devotee of the Lord, the purpose of the visual sense is fulfilled simply by seeing you, and to touch your body is the fulfillment of bodily touch. The tongue is meant for glorifying your qualities because in this world a pure devotee of the Lord is very difficult to find."
Originally the senses of the living entity were awarded for this purpose, namely to engage them in the transcendental loving service of the Lord or that of His devotees, but the conditioned souls, illusioned by the material energy, became captivated by sense enjoyment. Therefore the whole process of God consciousness is meant to rectify the conditional activities of the senses and to re-engage them in the direct service of the Lord. Lord Brahmā thus engaged his senses in the Lord by re-creating the conditioned living entities to act in the re-created universe. This material universe is thus created and annihilated by the will of the Lord. It is created to give the conditioned soul a chance to act to return home, back to Godhead, and servants like Brahmājī, Nāradajī, Vyāsajī and their company become busy with the same purpose of the Lord: to reclaim the conditioned souls from the field of sense gratification and return them to the normal stage of engaging the senses in service of the Lord. Instead of doing so, i.e. converting the actions of the senses, the impersonalists began to make the conditioned souls sense-less, and the Lord also senseless. That is improper treatment for the conditioned souls. The diseased condition of the senses may be treated by curing the defect, but not uprooting the senses altogether. When there is some disease in the eyes, the eyes may be cured to see properly. Plucking out the eyes is no treatment. Similarly, the whole material disease is based on the process of sense gratification, and liberation from the diseased condition is re-engagement of the senses to see the beauty of the Lord, hear His glories, and act on His account. Thus Brahmājī created the universal activities again.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.39
antarhitendriyārthāya haraye vihitāñjaliḥ |
sarva-bhūtamayo[188] viśvaṁ sasarjedaṁ[189] sa pūrvavat || 38||
Indriyārthāya means “unto him whose qualities such as beauty are the object of the senses.” Pūrvavat means as in the previous kalpa or day of Brahmā. By this it is understood that Brahmā’s bewilderment on seeing his daughter took place in the previous kalpa,[190] not after hearing the instructions of the four verses of Bhāgavatam, for the Lord has just said that in this kalpa Brahmā would not be bewildered. The bewilderment of Brahmā when Kṛṣṇa appeared on earth during this kalpa must be understood to be a pastime produced by the mercy of the Lord.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.39||
antarhitendriyārthāya haraye vihitānjaliḥ | sarva-bhūtamayo viśvaṃ sasarjedaṃ sa pūrvavat ||38||
TRANSLATION Brahmā folded his hands in respect to the Lord whose qualities are the object of the devotees’ senses, and who had disappeared. Brahmā, the total of all living beings, then created this universe as he had done in the previous kalpa.
Brahmā offered respects to the Lord who has a self-manifesting form, the highest goal for the senses like the eye (indriyārathāya).
TEXT - SB 2.9.40
prajāpatir dharma-patir
ekadā niyamān yamān
bhadraṁ prajānām anvicchann
ātiṣṭhat svārtha-kāmyayā
SYNONYMS
prajā-patiḥ—the forefather of all living entities; dharma-patiḥ—the father of religious life; ekadā—once upon a time; niyamān—rules and regulations; yamān—principles of control; bhadram—welfare; prajānām—of the living beings; anvicchan—desiring; ātiṣṭhat—situated; sva-artha—own interest; kāmyayā—so desiring.
TRANSLATION
Thus once upon a time the forefather of living entities and the father of religiousness, Lord Brahmā, situated himself in acts of regulative principles, desiring self-interest for the welfare of all living entities.
PURPORT
One cannot be situated in an exalted position without having undertaken a regulative life of rules and regulations. An unrestricted life of sense gratification is animal life, and Lord Brahmā, in order to teach all concerned within the jurisdiction of his generations, taught the same principles of sense control for executing higher duties. He desired the welfare of all as servants of God, and anyone desiring the welfare of the members of his family and generations must conduct a moral, religious life. The highest life of moral principles is to become a devotee of the Lord because a pure devotee of the Lord has all the good qualities of the Lord. On the other hand, one who is not a devotee of the Lord, however qualified he may be in the mundane sense of the term, cannot be qualified with any good quality worthy of the name. The pure devotees of the Lord, like Brahmā and persons in the chain of disciplic succession, do not do anything to instruct their subordinates without acting accordingly themselves.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.40
prajāpatir dharma-patir ekadā niyamān yamān |
bhadraṁ prajānām anvicchann ātiṣṭhat svārtha-kāmyayā ||
Once, Brahmā, lord of dharma, desiring the benefit of the progeny, followed rules and regulations to fulfill his desire.
After this, the conversation between Nārada and Brahmā which was previously described in SB 2.5 took place. Five verses describe this conditions under which this conversation took place. Desiring benefit for the progeny he followed rules and regulations, teaching others by his conduct, with his own purpose in mind -- “Let them also follow these rules.”
Jiva's tika ||2.9.40||
prajāpatir dharma-patir ekadā niyamān yamān | bhadraṃ prajānām anvicchann ātiṣṭhat svārtha-kāmyayā ||
TRANSLATION Once, Brahmā, lord of dharma, desiring the benefit of the progeny, followed rules and regulations to fulfill his desire.
He followed rules with a desire to carry out creation (svārtha-kāmyayā). He desired the benefit of the progeny.
buddhīndriya-manaḥ-prāṇān janānām asṛjat prabhuḥ mātrārthaṃ ca bhavārthaṃ ca ātmane ’kalpanāya ca
The Supreme Lord manifested the material intelligence, senses, mind and vital air of the living entities so that they could indulge their desires for sense gratification, take repeated births to engage in fruitive activities, become elevated in future lives and ultimately attain liberation. (SB 10.87.2)
TEXT - SB 2.9.41
taṁ nāradaḥ priyatamo
rikthādānām anuvrataḥ
śuśrūṣamāṇaḥ śīlena
praśrayeṇa damena ca
SYNONYMS
tam—unto him; nāradaḥ—the great sage Nārada; priyatamaḥ—very dear; riktha-ādānām—of the inheritor sons; anuvrataḥ—very obedient; śuśrūṣamāṇaḥ—always ready to serve; śīlena—by good behavior; praśrayeṇa—by meekness; damena—by sense control; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
Nārada, the most dear of the inheritor sons of Brahmā, always ready to serve his father, strictly follows the instructions of his father by his mannerly behavior, meekness and sense control.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.41
taṁ nāradaḥ priyatamo rikthādānām anuvrataḥ |
śuśrūṣamāṇaḥ śīlena praśrayeṇa damena ca ||
māyāṁ vividiṣan viṣṇor māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ |
mahā-bhāgavato rājan pitaraṁ paryatoṣayat ||
Riktha means inheritance. Rikthādāna means a son, who inherits the wealth of the father. Nārada was the dearest son of Brahmā. Among the wealth of karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga belonging to Brahmā, Dakṣa and others obtained karma-yoga. The Kumāras obtained jñāna-yoga. Nārada obtained bhakti-yoga, because of his outstanding qualities. Anuvrataḥ means that he was devoted to his father.
Māyām refers to the material energy, or to the mercy of the Lord. Nārada desired to understand the variegated nature of māyā. Viṣṇu is the master of material māyā. Or māyeśasya can mean “of he who controls everything by mercy (māyā).”
TEXT - SB 2.9.42
māyāṁ vividiṣan viṣṇor
māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ
mahā-bhāgavato rājan
pitaraṁ paryatoṣayat
SYNONYMS
māyām—energies; vividiṣan—desiring to know; viṣṇoḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; māyā-īśasya—of the master of all energies; mahā-muniḥ—the great sage; mahā-bhāgavataḥ—the first-class devotee of the Lord; rājan—O King; pitaram—unto his father; paryatoṣayat—very much pleased.
TRANSLATION
Nārada very much pleased his father and desired to know all about the energies of Viṣṇu, the master of all energies, for Nārada was the greatest of all sages and greatest of all devotees, O King.
PURPORT
Lord Brahmā, being the creator of all living beings in the universe, is originally the father of several well-known sons, like Dakṣa, the catuḥ-sanas, and Nārada. In three departments of human knowledge disseminated by the Vedas, namely fruitive work (karma-kāṇḍa), transcendental knowledge (jñāna-kāṇḍa), and devotional service (upāsanā-kāṇḍa), Devarṣi Nārada inherited from his father Brahmā devotional service, whereas Dakṣa inherited from his father fruitive work, and Sanaka, Sanātana, etc., inherited from their father information about jñāna-kāṇḍa, or transcendental knowledge. But out of them all, Nārada is described here as the most beloved son of Brahmā because of good behavior, obedience, meekness and readiness to render service unto the father. And Nārada is famous as the greatest of all sages because of his being the greatest of all devotees. Nārada is the spiritual master of many famous devotees of the Lord. He is the spiritual master of Prahlāda, Dhruva and Vyāsa, down to the forest animal hunter Kirāta. His only business is to turn everyone to the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Therefore all these features of Nārada make him the dearmost son of his father, and all this is due to Nārada's being a first-class devotee of the Lord. The devotees are always anxious to know more and more about the Supreme Lord, the master of all energies. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.9):
mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
The Supreme Lord is unlimited, and His energies are also unlimited. No one can know them completely. Brahmājī, being the greatest living entity within this universe and being directly instructed by the Lord, must know more than anyone within this universe, although such knowledge may not be complete. Thus it is the duty of everyone to ask about the unlimited Lord from the spiritual master in the disciplic succession of Brahmā, which descends from Nārada to Vyāsa, from Vyāsa to Śukadeva and so on.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.41-42||
taṃ nāradaḥ priyatamo rikthādānām anuvrataḥ | śuśrūṣamāṇaḥ śīlena praśrayeṇa damena ca ||
māyāṃ vividiṣan viṣṇor māyeśasya mahā-muniḥ | mahā-bhāgavato rājan pitaraṃ paryatoṣayat ||
TRANSLATION Nārada, the dearest to Brahmā among all his sons, was devoted to his father, and obedient. O King! This great devotee, this great sage, desiring to understand the mercy of Viṣṇu, the master of māyā, satisfied his father by his proper conduct, respect and sense control.
Two verses are taken together. Nārada desired to understand the variegated mercy of the Lord (viṣnor māyām), who controls all by his mercy (māyeśasya).
TEXT - SB 2.9.43
tuṣṭaṁ niśāmya pitaraṁ
lokānāṁ prapitāmaham
devarṣiḥ paripapraccha
bhavān yan mānupṛcchati
SYNONYMS
tuṣṭam—satisfied; niśāmya—after seeing; pitaram—the father; lokānām—of the whole universe; prapitāmaham—the great-grandfather; devarṣiḥ—the great sage Nārada; paripapraccha—inquired; bhavān—yourself; yat—as it is; mā—from me; anupṛcchati—inquiring.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Nārada also inquired in detail from his father, Brahmā, the great-grandfather of all the universe, after seeing him well satisfied.
PURPORT
The process of understanding spiritual or transcendental knowledge from the realized person is not exactly like asking an ordinary question from the schoolmaster. The schoolmasters in the modern days are paid agents for giving some information, but the spiritual master is not a paid agent. Nor can he impart instruction without being authorized. In the Bhagavad-gītā (4.34), the process of understanding transcendental knowledge is directed as follows:
tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
Arjuna was advised to receive transcendental knowledge from the realized person by surrender, questions and service. Receiving transcendental knowledge is not like exchanging dollars; such knowledge has to be received by service to the spiritual master. As Brahmājī received the knowledge directly from the Lord by satisfying Him fully, similarly one has to receive the transcendental knowledge from the spiritual master by satisfying him. The spiritual master's satisfaction is the means of assimilating transcendental knowledge. One cannot understand transcendental knowledge simply by becoming a grammarian. The Vedas declare (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23):
yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
[ŚU 6.23]
"Only unto one who has unflinching devotion to the Lord and to the spiritual master does transcendental knowledge become automatically revealed." Such relationship between the disciple and the spiritual master is eternal. One who is now the disciple is the next spiritual master. And one cannot be a bona fide and authorized spiritual master unless one has been strictly obedient to his spiritual master. Brahmājī, as a disciple of the Supreme Lord, received the real knowledge and imparted it to his dear disciple Nārada, and similarly Nārada, as spiritual master, handed over this knowledge to Vyāsa and so on. Therefore the so-called formal spiritual master and disciple are not facsimiles of Brahmā and Nārada or Nārada and Vyāsa. The relationship between Brahmā and Nārada is reality, while the so-called formality is the relation between the cheater and cheated. It is clearly mentioned herewith that Nārada is not only well behaved, meek and obedient, but also self-controlled. One who is not self-controlled, specifically in sex life, can become neither a disciple nor a spiritual master. One must have disciplinary training in controlling speaking, anger, the tongue, the mind, the belly and the genitals. One who has controlled the particular senses mentioned above is called a gosvāmī. Without becoming a gosvāmī one can become neither a disciple nor a spiritual master. The so-called spiritual master without sense control is certainly the cheater, and the disciple of such a so-called spiritual master is the cheated.
One should not think of Brahmājī as a dead great-grandfather, as we have experience on this planet. He is the oldest great-grandfather, and he is still living, and Nārada is also living. The age of the inhabitants of the Brahmaloka planet is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. The inhabitants of this small planet earth can hardly calculate even the duration of one day of Brahmā.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.43
tuṣṭaṁ niśāmya pitaraṁ lokānāṁ prapitāmaham |
devarṣiḥ paripapraccha bhavān yan mānupṛcchati ||
Seeing that his father, the great-grandfather of the worlds, was satisfied, Nārada asked him what you have asked me.
Niśāmya means “seeing.” Mā means mām.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.43||
tuṣṭaṃ niśāmya pitaraṃ lokānāṃ prapitāmaham |
devarṣiḥ paripapraccha bhavān yan mānupṛcchati ||
TRANSLATION Seeing that his father, the great-grandfather of the worlds, was satisfied, Nārada asked him what you have asked me.
Since the questions were exactly what the sages asked Sūta, they would hear attentively everything Brahmā taught Nārada.
TEXT - SB 2.9.44
tasmā idaṁ bhāgavataṁ
purāṇaṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam
proktaṁ bhagavatā prāha
prītaḥ putrāya bhūta-kṛt
SYNONYMS
tasmai—thereupon; idam—this; bhāgavatam—the glories of the Lord or the science of the Lord; purāṇam—Vedic supplement; daśa-lakṣaṇam—ten characteristics; proktam—described; bhagavatā—by the Personality of Godhead; prāha—said; prītaḥ—in satisfaction; putrāya—unto the son; bhūta-kṛt—the creator of the universe.
TRANSLATION
Thereupon the supplementary Vedic literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which was described by the Personality of Godhead and which contains ten characteristics, was told with satisfaction by the father [Brahmā] to his son Nārada.
PURPORT
Although the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken in four verses, it had ten characteristics, which will be explained in the next chapter. In the four verses it is first said that the Lord existed before the creation, and thus the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam includes the Vedānta aphorism janmādy asya [SB 1.1.1]. Janmādy asya is the beginning, yet the four verses in which it is said that the Lord is the root of everything that be, beginning from the creation up to the supreme abode of the Lord, naturally explain the ten characteristics. One should not misunderstand by wrong interpretations that the Lord spoke only four verses and that therefore all the rest of the 17,994 verses are useless. The ten characteristics, as will be explained in the next chapter, require so many verses just to explain them properly. Brahmājī had also advised Nārada previously that he should expand the idea he had heard from Brahmājī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed this to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in a nutshell, but the disciple Rūpa Gosvāmī expanded this very elaborately, and the same subject was further expanded by Jīva Gosvāmī and even further by Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. We are just trying to follow in the footsteps of all these authorities. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not like ordinary fiction or mundane literature. It is unlimited in strength, and however one may expand it according to one's own ability, Bhāgavatam still cannot be finished by such expansion. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, being the sound representation of the Lord, is simultaneously explained in four verses and in four billion verses all the same, inasmuch as the Lord is smaller than the atom and bigger than the unlimited sky. Such is the potency of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.44
tasmā idaṁ bhāgavataṁ purāṇaṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam |
proktaṁ bhagavatā prāha prītaḥ putrāya bhūta-kṛt ||
Brahmā, affectionate to Nārada, then spoke to his son the Bhāgavata Purāṇa which was endowed with ten characteristics and which was spoken by the Lord in four verses.
Brahmā then spoke the scripture with ten characteristics in detail, which the Lord had spoken in summary in four verses. Some say however that the Lord himself spoke the complete twelve volumes (the entire scripture) endowed with ten characteristics, after speaking the four verses as a summary.
Jiva's tika ||2.9.44||
tasmā idaṃ bhāgavataṃ purāṇaṃ daśa-lakṣaṇam | proktaṃ bhagavatā prāha prītaḥ putrāya bhūta-kṛt ||
TRANSLATION Brahmā, affectionate to Nārada, then spoke to his son the Bhāgavata Purāṇa which was endowed with ten characteristics and which was spoken by the Lord in four verses.
He did not teach the complete Bhagavatam but the catuḥślokī, since those verses included everything, including the ten topics like the first verse janmadyasya. Brahmā instructed him to expand it.
idaṃ bhāgavataṃ nāma yan me bhagavatoditam | sangraho ’yaṃ vibhūtīnāṃ tvam etad vipulī kuru ||
This work called Bhāgavatam, spoken to me by the Lord, is a collection of the Lord’s vibhūtis. You should expand it. (SB 2.7.51)
TEXT - SB 2.9.45
nāradaḥ prāha munaye
sarasvatyās taṭe nṛpa
dhyāyate brahma paramaṁ
vyāsāyāmita-tejase
SYNONYMS
nāradaḥ—the great sage Nārada; prāha—instructed; munaye—unto the great sage; sarasvatyāḥ—of the River Sarasvatī; taṭe—on the bank; nṛpa—O King; dhyāyate—unto the meditative; brahma—Absolute Truth; paramam—the Supreme; vyāsāya—unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva; amita—unlimited; tejase—unto the powerful.
TRANSLATION
In succession, O King, the great sage Nārada instructed Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam unto the unlimitedly powerful Vyāsadeva, who meditated in devotional service upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, on the bank of the River Sarasvatī.
PURPORT
In the Fifth Chapter of the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada instructed the great sage Vyāsadeva as follows:
atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk
śuci-śravāḥ satya-rato dhṛta-vrataḥ
urukramasyākhila-bandha-muktaye
samādhinānusmara tad viceṣṭitam
"O greatly fortunate, pious philosopher, your name and fame are universal, and you are fixed in the Absolute Truth with spotless character and infallible vision. I ask you to meditate upon the activities of the Personality of Godhead, whose activities are unparalleled."
So in the disciplic succession of the Brahma-sampradāya, the practice of yoga meditation is not neglected. But because the devotees are bhakti-yogīs, they do not undertake the trouble to meditate upon the impersonal Brahman; as indicated here, they meditate on brahma paramam, or the Supreme Brahman. Brahman realization begins from the impersonal effulgence, but by further progress of such meditation, manifestation of the Supreme Soul, Paramātmā realization, takes place. And progressing further, realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is fixed. Śrī Nārada Muni, as the spiritual master of Vyāsadeva, knew very well the position of Vyāsadeva, and thus he certified the qualities of Śrīla Vyāsadeva as fixed in the Absolute Truth with great vow, etc. Nārada advised meditation upon the transcendental activities of the Lord. Impersonal Brahman has no activities, but the Personality of Godhead has many activities, and all such activities are transcendental, without any tinge of material quality. If the activities of the Supreme Brahman were material activities, then Nārada would not have advised Vyāsadeva to meditate upon them. And the paraṁ brahma is Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the Tenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, when Arjuna realized the factual position of Lord Kṛṣṇa, he addressed Lord Kṛṣṇa in the following words:
paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam ajaṁ vibhum
[Bg. 10.12]
āhus tvām ṛṣayaḥ sarve
devarṣir nāradas tathā
asito devalo vyāsaḥ
svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me
[Bg. 10.13]
Arjuna summarized the purpose of the Bhagavad-gītā by his realization of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and thus said, "My dear Personality of Godhead, You are the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Original Person in the eternal form of bliss and knowledge, and this is confirmed by Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsadeva, and, above all, Your personal self has also confirmed it." (Bg. 10.12-13)
When Vyāsadeva fixed his mind in meditation, he did it in bhakti-yoga trance and actually saw the Supreme Person with māyā, the illusory energy, in contraposition. As we have discussed before, the Lord's māyā, or illusion, is also a representation because māyā has no existence without the Lord. Darkness is not independent of light. Without light, no one can experience the contraposition of darkness. However, this māyā, or illusion, cannot overcome the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but stands apart from Him (apāśrayam).
Therefore, perfection of meditation is realization of the Personality of Godhead along with His transcendental activities. Meditation on the impersonal Brahman is a troublesome business for the meditator, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5): kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.45
nāradaḥ prāha munaye sarasvatyās taṭe nṛpa |
dhyāyate brahma paramaṁ vyāsāyāmita-tejase ||
Jiva's tika ||2.9.45||
nāradaḥ prāha munaye sarasvatyās taṭe nṛpa | dhyāyate brahma paramaṃ vyāsāyāmita-tejase ||
TRANSLATION O King! Nārada spoke this to the sage Vyāsa of unlimited powers, who was meditating on the supreme Brahman on the bank of the Sarasvatī River.
Nārada instructed him:
atho mahā-bhāga bhavān amogha-dṛk śuci-śravāḥ satya-rato dhṛta-vrataḥ | urukramasyākhila-bandha-muktaye samādhinānusmara tad-viceṣṭitam ||
Fortunate one! Therefore, since you have useful knowledge, spotless character, dedication to truth and determined vows, remember with attention the pastimes of the Lord which bring about liberation from all bondage. (SB 1.5.13)
Vyāsa was meditating on the supreme Brahman, as in brahma hṛdā ya ādi kavaye: the Lord taught Brahmā about the highest truth in his heart. (SB 1.1.1). This does not mean the impersonal aspect, but what is higher.
TEXT - SB 2.9.46
yad utāhaṁ tvayā pṛṣṭo
vairājāt puruṣād idam
yathāsīt tad upākhyāste
praśnān anyāṁś ca kṛtsnaśaḥ
SYNONYMS
yat—what; uta—is, however; aham—I; tvayā—by you; pṛṣṭaḥ—I am asked; vairājāt—from the universal form; puruṣāt—from the Personality of Godhead; idam—this world; yathā—as it; āsīt—was; tat—that; upākhyāste—I shall explain; praśnān—all the questions; anyān—others; ca—as well as; kṛtsnaśaḥ—in great detail.
TRANSLATION
O King, your questions as to how the universe became manifested from the gigantic form of the Personality of Godhead, as well as other questions, I shall answer in detail by explanation of the four verses already mentioned.
PURPORT
As stated in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this great transcendental literature is the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic knowledge, and therefore all questions that can be humanly possible regarding the universal affairs, beginning from its creation, are all answered in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The answers depend only on the qualification of the person who explains them. The ten divisions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, as explained by the great speaker Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, are the limitation of all questions, and intelligent persons will derive all intellectual benefits from them by proper utilization.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.9.46
yad utāhaṁ tvayā pṛṣṭo vairājāt puruṣād idam |
yathāsīt tad upākhyāste praśnān anyāṁś ca kṛtsnaśaḥ ||
I will explain what you asked me concerning how this universe arose from the universal form and will answer all the other questions as well.
I will give the answers to your questions by the explanations given in the Bhāgavatam. You asked me about the universal form:
puruṣāvayavair lokāḥ sapālāḥ pūrva-kalpitāḥ
lokair amuṣyāvayavāḥ sa-pālair iti śuśruma
The planets and their protectors were previously identified with limbs of the puruṣa and the limbs of the puruṣa were identified with the planets. This I have heard. If there are more details please explain them. SB 2.8.11
Yathā means yathāvat (how).
and Third Description of Universal Form
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Answers by Citing the Lord's Version."
10. Bhāgavatam Is the Answer to All Questions
verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37-40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49-50, 51
TEXT - SB 2.10.1
śrī-śuka uvāca
atra sargo visargaś ca
sthānaṁ poṣaṇam ūtayaḥ
manvantareśānukathā
nirodho muktir āśrayaḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; atra—in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; sargaḥ—statement of the creation of the universe; visargaḥ—statement of subcreation; ca—also; sthānam—the planetary systems; poṣaṇam—protection; ūtayaḥ—the creative impetus; manvantara—changes of Manus; īśa-anukathāḥ—the science of God; nirodhaḥ—going back home, back to Godhead; muktiḥ—liberation; āśrayaḥ—the summum bonum.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are ten divisions of statements regarding the following: the creation of the universe, subcreation, planetary systems, protection by the Lord, the creative impetus, the change of Manus, the science of God, returning home, back to Godhead, liberation, and the summum bonum.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.1
śrī-śuka uvāca—
atra sargo visargaś ca sthānaṁ poṣaṇam ūtayaḥ |
manvantareśānukathā nirodho muktir āśrayaḥ ||
Śukadeva said: In this Purāṇa there are ten topics: creation, secondary creation, protection, mercy of the Lord, material activities, the conduct of the Manus, stories of the Lord, destruction of the universe, liberation and the ultimate shelter.
In this chapter the ten subject matters of the Bhāgavatam are described, starting with creation and sub-creation. The divisions of adhyātmā, adhibhūta and adhidaiva are also described.
At the end of the last chapter the Bhāgavatam was described as having ten characteristics. These are shown in this verse. Manvantareśānukathā is a dvandva compound indicating two items.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.1||
śrī-śuka uvāca— atra sargo visargaś ca sthānaṃ poṣaṇam ūtayaḥ | manvantareśānukathā nirodho muktir āśrayaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Śukadeva said: In this Purāṇa there are ten topics: creation, secondary creation, protection, mercy of the Lord, material activities, the conduct of the Manus, stories of the Lord, destruction of the universe, liberation and the ultimate shelter.
Tattva Sandarbha 56:
What is defined as the shelter or āśraya is described through the ten characteristics of a Mahā-purāṇa, indicating the complete conscious being (samasti) in two verses. Manvantara and īśānukathā are two separate items. Ten elements starting with sarga (primary creation) are described.
TEXT - SB 2.10.2
daśamasya viśuddhy-arthaṁ
navānām iha lakṣaṇam
varṇayanti mahātmānaḥ
śrutenārthena cāñjasā
SYNONYMS
daśamasya—of the summum bonum; viśuddhi—isolation; artham—purpose; navānām—of the other nine; iha—in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; lakṣaṇam—symptoms; varṇayanti—they describe; mahā-ātmānaḥ—the great sages; śrutena—by Vedic evidences; arthena—by direct explanation; ca—and; añjasā—summarily.
TRANSLATION
To isolate the transcendence of the summum bonum, the symptoms of the rest are described sometimes by Vedic inference, sometimes by direct explanation, and sometimes by summary explanations given by the great sages.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.2
daśamasya viśuddhy-arthaṁ navānām iha lakṣaṇam |
varṇayanti mahātmānaḥ śrutenārthena cāñjasā ||
The great devotees such as Vidura and Maitreya describe properly the nine topics in order to impart the highest knowledge of the tenth topic, through the words of the scripture and stories to illustrate their meaning.
Will there be different meanings to this in different scriptures? The devotees describe the nature of the nine topics in order to impart knowledge of the truth, unmixed with anything else, of the tenth topic -- the shelter. Other things which are excluded as the shelter include Svarga and hell, which are only the jivās’ destinations, caused by the Supreme Lord. These places indicate that only the jīvas’ bodies are subject to creation maintenance and destruction. That there is only one shelter is not a fault, since that is the conclusion of scriptures. The devotees describe these topics with meaning coming from the śrutis and by stories illustrating the meaning of the śrutis. The devotees such as Vidura and Maitreya describe these topics.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.2||
daśamasya viśuddhy-arthaṃ navānām iha lakṣaṇam | varṇayanti mahātmānaḥ śrutenārthena cānjasā ||
TRANSLATION The great devotees such as Vidura and Maitreya describe properly the nine topics in order to impart the highest knowledge of the tenth topic, through the words of the scripture and stories to illustrate their meaning.
Tattva Sandarbha 56:
In that list, in order to attain knowledge of tattva (daśamasya viśuddhy-artham)
the great devotees describe the svarūpas (lakṣaṇam) of the other nine (navānām). “But that tenth topic is not perceived here.” The devotees describe the nine to indicate the supreme tattva directly (anjasā) by various verses of praise (śrutena) and by purports of various stories (arthena).
TEXT - SB 2.10.3
bhūta-mātrendriya-dhiyāṁ
janma sarga udāhṛtaḥ
brahmaṇo guṇa-vaiṣamyād
visargaḥ pauruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ
SYNONYMS
bhūta—the five gross elements (the sky, etc.); mātrā—objects perceived by the senses; indriya—the senses; dhiyām—of the mind; janma—creation; sargaḥ—manifestation; udāhṛtaḥ—is called the creation; brahmaṇaḥ—of Brahmā, the first puruṣa; guṇa-vaiṣamyāt—by interaction of the three modes of nature; visargaḥ—re-creation; pauruṣaḥ—resultant activities; smṛtaḥ—it is so known.
TRANSLATION
The elementary creation of sixteen items of matter—namely the five elements [fire, water, land, air and sky], sound, form, taste, smell, touch, and the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and mind—is known as sarga, whereas subsequent resultant interaction of the modes of material nature is called visarga.
PURPORT
In order to explain the ten divisional symptoms of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there are seven continuous verses. The first of these under reference pertains to the sixteen elementary manifestations of earth, water, etc., with material ego composed of material intelligence and mind. The subsequent creation is a result of the reactions of the above-mentioned sixteen energies of the first puruṣa, the Mahā-Viṣṇu incarnation of Govinda, as later explained by Brahmā in his treatise Brahma-saṁhitā (5.47) as follows:
yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-
nidrām ananta-jagad-aṇḍa-sa-roma-kūpaḥ
ādhāra-śaktim avalambya parāṁ sva-mūrtiṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
The first puruṣa incarnation of Govinda, Lord Kṛṣṇa, known as the Mahā-Viṣṇu, goes into a yoga-nidrā mystic sleep, and the innumerable universes are situated in potency in each and every hair hole of His transcendental body.
As mentioned in the previous verse, śrutena (or with reference to the Vedic conclusions), the creation is made possible from the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly by manifestation of His particular energies. Without such a Vedic reference, the creation appears to be a product of material nature. This conclusion comes from a poor fund of knowledge. From Vedic reference it is concluded that the origin of all energies (namely internal, external and marginal) is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And as explained hereinbefore, the illusory conclusion is that creation is made by the inert material nature. The Vedic conclusion is transcendental light, whereas the non-Vedic conclusion is material darkness. The internal potency of the Supreme Lord is identical with the Supreme Lord, and the external potency is enlivened in contact with the internal potency. The parts and parcels of the internal potency which react in contact with the external potency are called the marginal potency, or the living entities.
Thus the original creation is directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or Parambrahman, and the secondary creation, as a reactionary result of the original ingredients, is made by Brahmā. Thus the activities of the whole universe are started.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.3
bhūta-mātrendriya-dhiyāṁ janma sarga udāhṛtaḥ |
brahmaṇo guṇa-vaiṣamyād visargaḥ pauruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Sarga refers to the manifestation of the gross material elements, the tan-mātrās, the senses, the false ego and mahat-tattva, caused when the Lord transforms the guṇas. Visarga is the creation of bodies for the jīvas carried out by Brahmā.
Each topic is described. Sarga means the manifestation of elements, tan-mātrās, senses, ahaṅkāra and mahat-tattva (dhiyām) and as well their description in the universal form, caused when the Lord (brahmaṇaḥ) creates transformation of the guṇas. Paurusaḥ refers to Brahmā. Visarga refers to the creation of moving and non-moving entities by Brahmā. “Creation of the jīvas” means giving jīvas forms with intelligence, senses and body for engaging in material enjoyment, pursuing liberation or practicing bhakti according to their qualification.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.3||
bhūta-mātrendriya-dhiyāṃ janma sarga udāhṛtaḥ | brahmaṇo guṇa-vaiṣamyād visargaḥ pauruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Sarga refers to the manifestation of the gross material elements, the tan-mātrās, the senses, the false ego and mahat-tattva, caused when the Lord transforms the guṇas. Visarga is the creation of bodies for the jīvas carried out by Brahmā.
Tattva Sandarbha 56:
In order to make the tenth topic clear, seven verses are spoken to give the meaning of the ten topics. Sarga is the creation of gross elements like ether (bhūta), senses objects (mātra), senses (indriya), ahankāra and mahat-tattva (dhiyām) caused by the Lord (brahmaṇaḥ) through transforming the guṇas (guṇa-vaiṣamyāt). Visarga, the creation of moving and non-moving beings, is done by Brahmā (pauruṣaḥ).
TEXT - SB 2.10.4
sthitir vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ
poṣaṇaṁ tad-anugrahaḥ
manvantarāṇi sad-dharma
ūtayaḥ karma-vāsanāḥ
SYNONYMS
sthitiḥ—the right situation; vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ—the victory of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha; poṣaṇam—maintenance; tat-anugrahaḥ—His causeless mercy; manvantarāṇi—the reign of the Manus; sat-dharmaḥ—perfect occupational duty; ūtayaḥ—impetus to work; karma-vāsanāḥ—desire for fruitive work.
TRANSLATION
The right situation for the living entities is to obey the laws of the Lord and thus be in perfect peace of mind under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Manus and their laws are meant to give right direction in life. The impetus for activity is the desire for fruitive work.
PURPORT
This material world is created, maintained for some time, and again annihilated by the will of the Lord. The ingredients for creation and the subordinate creator, Brahmā, are first created by Lord Viṣṇu in His first and second incarnations. The first puruṣa incarnation is Mahā-Viṣṇu, and the second puruṣa incarnation is the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, from whom Brahmā is created. The third puruṣa avatāra is the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who lives as the Supersoul of everything in the universe and maintains the creation generated by Brahmā. Śiva is one of the many sons of Brahmā, and he annihilates the creation. Therefore the original creator of the universe is Viṣṇu, and He is also the maintainer of the created beings by His causeless mercy. As such, it is the duty of all conditioned souls to acknowledge the victory of the Lord and thus become pure devotees and live peacefully in this world, where miseries and dangers are always in existence. The conditioned souls, who take this material creation as the place for satisfaction of the senses and thus are illusioned by the external energy of Viṣṇu, remain again to be subjected to the laws of material nature, creation and destruction.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that beginning from the topmost planet of this universe down to the lowest planet, Pātālaloka, all are destructible, and the conditioned souls may travel in space either by good or bad work or by modern spacecraft, but they are sure to die everywhere, although the duration of life in different planets is different. The only means to attain eternal life is to go back home, back to Godhead, where there is no more rebirth as in the material planets. The conditioned souls, being unaware of this very simple fact because of forgetting their relationship with the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, try to plan out a permanent life in this material world. Being illusioned by the external energy, they thus become engaged in various types of economic and religious development, forgetting that they are meant for going back home, back to Godhead. This forgetfulness is so strong due to the influence of māyā that the conditioned souls do not at all want to go back to Godhead. By sense enjoyment they become victims of birth and death repeatedly and thus spoil human lives which are chances for going back to Viṣṇu. The directive scriptures made by the Manus in different ages and millenniums are called sad-dharma, good guidance for the human beings, who should take advantage of all the revealed scriptures for their own interest, to make life's successful termination. The creation is not false, but it is a temporary manifestation just to give a chance for the conditioned souls to go back to Godhead. The desire to go back to Godhead and functions performed in that direction form the right path of work. When such a regulative path is accepted, the Lord gives all protection to His devotees by His causeless mercy, while the nondevotees risk their own activities to bind themselves in a chain of fruitive reactions. The word sad-dharma is significant in this connection. Sad-dharma, or duty performed for going back to Godhead and thus becoming His unalloyed devotee, is the only pious activity; all others may pretend to be pious, but actually they are not. It is for this reason only that the Lord advises in the Bhagavad-gītā that one give up all so-called religious activities and completely engage in the devotional service of the Lord to become free from all anxieties due to the dangerous life of material existence. To work situated in sad-dharma is the right direction of life. One's aim of life should be to go back home, back to Godhead, and not be subjected to repeated births and deaths in the material world by getting good or bad bodies for temporary existence. Herein lies the intelligence of human life, and one should desire the activities of life in that way.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.4
sthitir vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ poṣaṇaṁ tad-anugrahaḥ |
manvantarāṇi sad-dharma ūtayaḥ karma-vāsanāḥ ||
Sthānam (mentioned in verse 1) means protection (sthitiḥ) which shows the excellence (vijayaḥ) of the Supreme Lord (vaikuṇṭhasya) in comparison to Brahmā the creator and Śiva the destroyer. Sthitiḥ also refers to the condition of the jīvas. Or vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ can mean that the Lord destroys the suffering of the jīva, since jaya means “victory over.” After the creation, the condition the jīvas is described. In protecting the jīvas, the Lord shows his mercy to some, the devotees performing sādhana, even if they are involved in sin by accident. This is the meaning of poṣaṇam. Manvantara refers to the religious conduct of the kings reigning during the manvantara, revealed through narratives concerning them. This performance of dharma by the sāttvika-jīvas engaged in karma-yoga is considered within the conditions of the jīva in this world. Ūti refers to the impressions produced by action, “those things which are accomplished (ūyante) by actions.” It refers to the impressions arising from actions either low or high. Pious or impious acts become the cause of future happiness and distress. Within the condition of the jīvas in this world, the nature of the high and low jīvas is described.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.4||
sthitir vaikuṇṭha-vijayaḥ poṣaṇaṃ tad-anugrahaḥ | manvantarāṇi sad-dharma ūtayaḥ karma-vāsanāḥ ||
TRANSLATION Sthānam refers to the Lord protecting his devotee. This shows the excellence of the Lord. Poṣaṇam means the Lord’s mercy. Manvantara refers to the conduct of the kings ruling the manvantara periods. Ūti refers to the impressions created by the jīva’s actions which lead them to future births.
Tattva Sandarbha 56:
Sthiti or place for the living beings is the excellence (vijayaḥ) of the Lord (vaikuṇṭhasya) in maintaining the boundaries of what was created. Poṣaṇam is mercy to devotees in those places. The manvantara means the activities involving worship (sad-dharmaḥ) performed by Manus and the devotees who received their mercy living during the Manvantara periods. Utayaḥ refers to the various impressions of karma during this time.
TEXT - SB 2.10.5
avatārānucaritaṁ
hareś cāsyānuvartinām
puṁsām īśa-kathāḥ proktā
nānākhyānopabṛṁhitāḥ
SYNONYMS
avatāra—incarnation of Godhead; anucaritam—activities; hareḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; ca—also; asya—of His; anuvartinām—followers; puṁsām—of the persons; īśa-kathāḥ—the science of God; proktāḥ—is said; nānā—various; ākhyāna—narrations; upabṛṁhitāḥ—described.
TRANSLATION
The science of God describes the incarnations of the Personality of Godhead and His different activities together with the activities of His great devotees.
PURPORT
During the course of the existence of the cosmic manifestation, the chronology of history is created, recording the activities of the living entities. People in general have a tendency to learn the history and narrations of different men and times, but due to a lack of knowledge in the science of Godhead, they are not apt to study the history of the incarnations of the Personality of Godhead. It should always be remembered that the material creation is created for the salvation of the conditioned souls. The merciful Lord, out of His causeless mercy, descends to various planets in the material world and acts for the salvation of the conditioned souls. That makes the history and narrations worth reading. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam offers such transcendental topics of the Lord in relationship with great devotees. Therefore the topics of the devotees and the Lord are to be given respectful aural reception.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.5
avatārānucaritaṁ hareś cāsyānuvartinām |
puṁsām īśa-kathāḥ proktā nānākhyānopabṛṁhitāḥ ||
Īśa-kathā refers to the stories concerning the avatāras of the Lord and the devotees of the avatāras (asya anuvartinām). The avatāras and their devotees should be heard about and glorified. Thus in the material world (sthiti) the devotional aṅgas of hearing and chanting of the sādhaka devotees are described.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.5||
avatārānucaritaṃ hareś cāsyānuvartinām | puṃsām īśa-kathāḥ proktā nānākhyānopabṛṃhitāḥ ||
TRANSLATION Īśa-kathā refers to descriptions of the Lord’s avatāras and their devotees, filled with various stories. Īśānukathaḥ means stories about the avatāras of the Lord and stories about the followers of the Lord. Jiva's tika ||2.10.6|| Nirodho ’syānuśayanam ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ | muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṃ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ ||
TRANSLATION Nirodha refers to the merging of the jīva along with his material identity into the Lord at the time of final devastation of the universe. Mukti means the jīva’s attainment of his form as pure ātmā or as an associate of the Lord after giving up gross and subtle material bodies.
Nirodha means sleeping of the jīva (ātmanaḥ) with his upādhis (śaktibhiḥ) along with the Lord’s (asya) sleep (anuśayanam) at the end of the maintainance period. The sleep of the Lord means he closes his eyes to the material world. The sleeping of the jīva means merging into the Lord. Liberation, which is in the category of nirodha, is being situated with one’s svarūpa after giving up the covering of ignorance (anyathā-rūpam).
Prīti Sandarbha 1:
Being situated in one’s svarūpa (svarūpenā vyavasthitiḥ) means directly contacting the Lord’s svarūpa rather than one’s own svarūpa, since even in material conditions one is already situated as ātmā and since one develops realization of the Lord on destroying one’s other form (anyathā rūpam), consisting of ignorance. Thus the meaning of svarūpa here is Paramātmā alone.
Just as the sun is the source of many rays consisting of light particles, so the Lord is the source of the svarūpa (aṃśī-svarūpa) of the jīvas. This is stated by Garbhodaśāyī Viṣṇu to Brahmā:
yadā rahitam ātmānaṃ bhūtendriya-guṇāśayaiḥ svarūpeṇa mayopetaṃ paśyan svārājyam ṛcchati
When a person sees that ātmā is completely free from the reservoir of the guṇas in the form of the body and senses, and is endowed with a svarūpa by me, he attains dāsya-rasa. (SB 3.9.33)
Upetam means “endowed.”
The bliss of the jīva’s svarūpa is secondary to the Lord’s bliss:
tasmāt priyatamaḥ svātmā sarveṣām api dehinām tad-artham eva sakalaṃ jagad etac carācaram
Therefore it is his own self that is most dear to every embodied living being. It is simply for the satisfaction of this self that the whole material creation of moving and nonmoving entities exists.
kṛṣṇam enam avehi tvam ātmānam akhilātmanām jagad-dhitāya so ’py atra dehīvābhāti māyayā
You should know Kṛṣṇa to be the soul of all living entities. For the benefit of the whole universe, out of his causeless mercy he has appeared as an ordinary human being by the strength of his māyā. (SB 10.14.54-55)
Non-difference of jīva and the Lord was emphatically refuted in Paramātmā Sandarbha. Śruti confirms this with raso vai saḥ rasaṃ hy evāyaṃ labdhvānandī bhavati: the Lord is rasa and thejīva on attaining the Lord attains bliss. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1)
TEXT - SB 2.10.6
nirodho 'syānuśayanam
ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ
muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ
sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ
SYNONYMS
nirodhaḥ—the winding up of the cosmic manifestation; asya—of His; anuśayanam—the lying down of the puruṣa incarnation Mahā-Viṣṇu in mystic slumber; ātmanaḥ—of the living entities; saha—along with; śaktibhiḥ—with the energies; muktiḥ—liberation; hitvā—giving up; anyathā—otherwise; rūpam—form; sva-rūpeṇa—in constitutional form; vyavasthitiḥ—permanent situation.
TRANSLATION
The merging of the living entity, along with his conditional living tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Mahā-Viṣṇu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies.
PURPORT
As we have discussed several times, there are two types of living entities. Most of them are ever liberated, or nitya-muktas, while some of them are ever conditioned. The ever-conditioned souls are apt to develop a mentality of lording over the material nature, and therefore the material cosmic creation is manifested to give the ever-conditioned souls two kinds of facilities. One facility is that the conditioned soul can act according to his tendency to lord it over the cosmic manifestation, and the other facility gives the conditioned soul a chance to come back to Godhead. So after the winding up of the cosmic manifestation, most of the conditioned souls merge into the existence of the Mahā-Viṣṇu Personality of Godhead, lying in His mystic slumber, to be created again in the next creation. But some of the conditioned souls, who follow the transcendental sound in the form of Vedic literatures and are thus able to go back to Godhead, attain spiritual and original bodies after quitting the conditional gross and subtle material bodies. The material conditional bodies develop out of the living entities' forgetfulness of their relationship with Godhead, and during the course of the cosmic manifestation, the conditioned souls are given a chance to revive their original status of life with the help of revealed scriptures, so mercifully compiled by the Lord in His different incarnations. Reading or hearing of such transcendental literatures helps one become liberated even in the conditional state of material existence. All the Vedic literatures aim at devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, and as soon as one is fixed upon this point, he at once becomes liberated from conditional life. The material gross and subtle forms are simply due to the conditioned soul's ignorance and as soon as he is fixed in the devotional service of the Lord, he becomes eligible to be freed from the conditioned state. This devotional service is transcendental attraction for the Supreme on account of His being the source of all pleasing humors. Everyone is after some pleasure of humor for enjoyment, but does not know the supreme source of all attraction (raso vai saḥ rasaṁ hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī bhavati). The Vedic hymns inform everyone about the supreme source of all pleasure; the unlimited fountainhead of all pleasure is the Personality of Godhead, and one who is fortunate enough to get this information through transcendental literatures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam becomes permanently liberated to occupy his proper place in the kingdom of God.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.6
Nirodho ’syānuśayanam ātmanaḥ saha śaktibhiḥ |
muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ ||
Nirodha refers to the merging of the jīva along with his material identity into the Lord at the time of final devastation of the universe. Mukti means the jīva’s attainment of his form as pure ātmā or as an associate of the Lord after giving up gross and subtle material bodies.
Nirodha refers to the sleeping (merging) of jīva along with his subtle coverings following after the Lord’s sleep. This refers to the jīva’s merging into the Lord after the protection period (sthiti) is completed. Mukti refers to the condition in which the jīva remains in his pure form or in the form of an associate of the Lord in some cases, after giving up the gross and subtle bodies of māyā (anyathā-rūpam). Thus the nine topics related to the jīva, starting with his attaining a material body, have been described.
TEXT - SB 2.10.7
ābhāsaś ca nirodhaś ca
yato 'sty adhyavasīyate
sa āśrayaḥ paraṁ brahma
paramātmeti śabdyate
SYNONYMS
ābhāsaḥ—the cosmic manifestation; ca—and; nirodhaḥ—and its winding up; ca—also; yataḥ—from the source; asti—is; adhyavasīyate—become manifested; saḥ—He; āśrayaḥ—reservoir; param—the Supreme; brahma—Being; paramātmā—the Supersoul; iti—thus; śabdyate—called.
TRANSLATION
The supreme one who is celebrated as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Soul is the supreme source of the cosmic manifestation as well as its reservoir and winding up. Thus He is the Supreme Fountainhead, the Absolute Truth.
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
for the supreme source of all energies, as explained in the very beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, are janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1], vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam/ brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate, called Parambrahma, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. The word iti used here in this verse completes the
SYNONYMS
and thus indicates Bhagavān. This will be further explained in the later verses, but this Bhagavān ultimately means Lord Kṛṣṇa because the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has already accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]. The original source of all energies, or the summum bonum, is the Absolute Truth, which is called Parambrahma, etc., and Bhagavān is the last word of the Absolute Truth. But even with the
SYNONYMS
for Bhagavān, such as Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu and Puruṣa, the last word is Kṛṣṇa, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ samaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8], etc. Besides that, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the representation of Lord Kṛṣṇa as a sound incarnation of the Lord.
kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate
dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha
kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣaḥ
purāṇārko 'dhunoditaḥ
(SB 1.3.43)
Thus by general conclusion Lord Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate source of all energies, and the word Kṛṣṇa means that. And to explain Kṛṣṇa or the science of Kṛṣṇa, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has been prepared. In the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam this truth is indicated in the questions and answers by Sūta Gosvāmī and great sages like Śaunaka, and in the First and Second Chapters of the canto this is explained. In the Third Chapter this subject is more explicit, and in the Fourth Chapter even more explicit. In the Second Canto the Absolute Truth as the Personality of Godhead is further emphasized, and the indication is the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. The summary of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in four verses, as we have already discussed, is succinct. This Supreme Personality of Godhead in the ultimate issue is confirmed by Brahmā in his Brahma-saṁhitā as īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. So it is concluded in the Third Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The complete subject matter is elaborately explained in the Tenth and Eleventh Cantos of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In the matter of the changes of the Manus or manvantaras, such as the Svāyambhuva-manvantara and Cākṣuṣa-manvantara, as they are discussed in the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Kṛṣṇa is indicated. In the Eighth Canto the Vaivasvata-manvantara explains the same subject indirectly, and in the Ninth Canto the same purport is there. In the Twelfth Canto the same is further explained, specifically regarding the different incarnations of the Lord. Thus it is concluded by studying the complete Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate summum bonum, or the ultimate source of all energy. And according to the grades of worshipers, the indications of the nomenclature may be differently explained as Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, Paramātmā, etc.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.7
ābhāsaś ca nirodhaś ca yato ’sty adhyavasīyate |
sa āśrayaḥ paraṁ brahma paramātmeti śabdyate ||
The āśraya, Bhagavān, from whom arise creation, sub-creation, protection, mercy, karma, dharma of the kings, the appearance of avatāras, destruction and liberation is also called Paramātmā and brahman.
Having described the nature of the nine topics by indicating their subject, the Supreme Lord is described as the one shelter of these in this verse. That by which creation (ābhāsaḥ), visarga, sthiti, poṣaṇa, ūti, manvantara, īśa-kathā (ca), destruction (nirodhaḥ) and mukti (ca) are accomplished is called the āśraya, Bhagavān or Nārāyaṇa, since he looks upon the creation, maintenance and destruction. According to the method of worship he is described in different ways. Thus he is called param brahma by the jñānīs and Paramātmā by the yogīs.
TEXT - SB 2.10.8
yo 'dhyātmiko 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ
so 'sāv evādhidaivikaḥ
yas tatrobhaya-vicchedaḥ
puruṣo hy ādhibhautikaḥ
SYNONYMS
yaḥ—one who; adhyātmikaḥ—is possessed of the sense organs; ayam—this; puruṣaḥ—personality; saḥ—he; asau—that; eva—also; adhidaivikaḥ—controlling deity; yaḥ—that which; tatra—there; ubhaya—of both; vicchedaḥ—separation; puruṣaḥ—person; hi—for; ādhibhautikaḥ—the visible body or the embodied living entity.
TRANSLATION
The individual person possessing different instruments of senses is called the adhyātmic person, and the individual controlling deity of the senses is called adhidaivic. The embodiment seen on the eyeballs is called the adhibhautic person.
PURPORT
The supreme controlling summum bonum is the Personality of Godhead in His plenary portion of Paramātmā, or the Supersoul manifestation. In the Bhagavad-gītā (10.42) it is said:
athavā bahunaitena
kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna
viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam
ekāṁśena sthito jagat
All the controlling deities like Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva are different manifestations of the Paramātmā feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who exhibits himself in such manners by entering into each and every universe generated from Him. But still apparently there are divisions of the controller and controlled. For example, in the food-controlling department the controller of food is a person made of the same ingredients as the person who is controlled. Similarly, each and every individual in the material world is controlled by the higher demigods. For example, we have our senses, but the senses are controlled by superior controlling deities. We cannot see without light, and the supreme controller of light is the sun. The sun-god is in the sun planet, and we, the individual human beings or any other being on this earth, are all controlled by the sun-god as far as our eyes are concerned. Similarly, all the senses we have are controlled by the superior demigods, who are also as much living entities as we are, but one is empowered while the other is controlled. The controlled living entity is called the adhyātmic person, and the controller is called the adhidaivic person. All these positions in the material world are due to different fruitive activities. Any individual living being can become the sun-god or even Brahmā or any other god in the upper planetary system by a higher grade of pious work, and similarly one becomes controlled by the higher demigods by lower grades of fruitive activities. So every individual living entity is subject to the supreme control of the Paramātmā, who puts everyone in different positions of the controller and the controlled.
That which distinguishes the controller and controlled, i.e. the material body, is called the adhibhautic puruṣa. The body is sometimes called puruṣa, as confirmed in the Vedas in the following hymn: sa vā eṣa puruṣo 'nna-rasamayaḥ. This body is called the anna-rasa embodiment. This body depends on food. The living entity which is embodied does not eat anything, however, because the owner is spirit in essence. The material body requires replacement of matter for the wearing and tearing of the mechanical body. Therefore the distinction between the individual living entity and controlling planetary deities is in the anna-rasamaya body. The sun may have a gigantic body, and the man may have a smaller body, but all these visible bodies are made of matter; nonetheless, the sun-god and the individual person, who are related as the controller and the controlled, are the same spiritual parts and parcels of the Supreme Being, and it is the Supreme Being who places different parts and parcels in different positions. And thus the conclusion is that the Supreme Person is the shelter of all.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.7||
ābhāsaś ca nirodhaś ca yato ’sty adhyavasīyate | sa āśrayaḥ paraṃ brahma paramātmeti śabdyate ||
TRANSLATION The āśraya, Bhagavān, from whom arise creation, sub-creation, protection, mercy, karma, dharma of the kings, the appearance of avatāras, destruction and liberation is also called Paramātmā and brahman.
The famous āśraya is called Brahman and Paramātmā from whom creation (ābhāsaḥ) and destruction (nirodhaḥ) appear (adhyavasīyate) in the knowledge
senses of the jīvas. The word iti indicates “these types” and thus indicates Bhagavān as well. The āśraya will be more explicity explained in the next verses.
The ten topics are described from the First Canto onwards. The āśraya is described in general and particularly Kṛṣṇa is indicated. The whole Bhāgavatam is presented for that purpose alone. The First Canto presents the truth through questions and answers of Śaunaka and Sūta in chapters one and two. The third chapter is very clear in performing this function specifically. Starting in Chapter Four there is a description of how Śukadeva and Parīkṣit, both fully dedicated to Kṛṣṇa, met in order to speak about this.
The Second Canto praises the general concept of Bhagavān and draws the same conclusion. There, the meaning of the words of the Lord, speaker of the catuhślokī and Brahmā, indicate the same. The discussions during the Brāhmakalpa have the same meaning as to the discussions of the Padma-kalpa in the Third Canto. In discussing the previous half-life of Brahmā, the middle kalpas are understood to follow the same pattern. This is understood from the discussions in the Tenth and Eleventh Cantos. The Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Cantos discuss the Manvantaras from Svāyambhuva to Cakṣuṣa. The Eighth Canto discusses older events and Vaivasvata Manvantara. The Ninth Canto describes Vaisvasvata leading to the appearance of Kṛṣṇa. The Twelfth Canto is filled with descriptions of (Parīkṣit’s) samādhi. Other topics in those Cantos nourish the subject, particularly the description of the various avatāras. The āśraya is indicated sometimes by one and sometimes by many of the topics starting with sarga, but Kṛṣṇa is described as the most attractive of all in the Tenth and other Cantos by īśānukatha mainly.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.8
yo ’dhyātmiko ’yaṁ puruṣaḥ so ’sāv evādhidaivikaḥ |
yas tatrobhaya-vicchedaḥ puruṣo hy ādhibhautikaḥ ||
The covering on the jīva known as the subtle sense organ is not different from the presiding deities of the senses. The division of subtle sense organ and sense deity is not different from the gross organ of the material body.
The Lord has said viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat: I am situated by my portion everywhere in this world. (BG 10.42) Two verses now show the difference between this āśraya form situated as antaryāmī within all bodies and the individual jīvas. The covering known as the subtle sense organ (adhyātmikaḥ puruṣaḥ) is the controlling deity of the sense organ (adhidaivikaḥ), such as the sun deity who controls the eye, since both the eye and the presiding deity of the eye are aṁśas of the sun deity. Among all substances, that portion which has divisions of sense and sense deity (ubhaya) is not different from the covering on the jīva known as the visible organ. The gross organ and sense objects (tan-mātrās) are called the gross body. The word puruṣa is used in all these cases to indicate that these are coverings on the jīva. This meaning of puruṣa is found in śruti statements such as sa vā eṣa puruṣo ’nna-rasa-mayaḥ: the puruṣa is composed of food and taste. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.1)
Jiva's tika ||2.10.8||
yo ’dhyātmiko ’yaṃ puruṣaḥ so ’sāv evādhidaivikaḥ | yas tatrobhaya-vicchedaḥ puruṣo hy ādhibhautikaḥ ||
TRANSLATION The covering on the jīva known as the subtle sense organ is not different from the presiding deities of the senses. The division of subtle sense organ and sense deity is not different from the gross organ of the material body.
Divisions of sense perception are mentioned in order to show clearly the svarūpa of the āśraya through direct realization by means of the individual in order to praise the āśraya, Svayam Bhagavān.
The covering on the jīva known as the subtle sense organ is not distinguished from the presiding deities of the senses. The gross organ of the material body then arises, because of which the distinction between sense organ and sense deity then arises.
The seer, the jīva, who identifies with the senses such as the eye (adhyātmikaḥ puruṣaḥ) is also the presiding deity, such as the sun for the eye. There is no distinction between the sense and the deity before the creation of the material body. At that time the senses cannot act because of lack of a support. The functions of contacting objects caused by the sense and making the sense active, caused by the devatā are absent. The jīva exists without differentiation between the senses and their deities.
The body (puruṣaḥ ) which is seen, the covering on the jīva, which is represented by the gross eye (ādhibhautikaḥ) appears, because of which (yat) the senses and the controlling deities become distinct. Sa vā eṣa puruṣo’nna-rasa-mayaḥ: that body is made of food and rasa. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.1)
TEXT - SB 2.10.9
ekam ekatarābhāve
yadā nopalabhāmahe
tritayaṁ tatra yo veda
sa ātmā svāśrayāśrayaḥ
SYNONYMS
ekam—one; ekatara—another; abhāve—in the absence of; yadā—because; na—does not; upalabhāmahe—perceptible; tritayam—in three stages; tatra—there; yaḥ—the one; veda—who knows; saḥ—he; ātmā—the Supersoul; sva—own; āśraya—shelter; āśrayaḥ—of the shelter.
TRANSLATION
All three of the above-mentioned stages of different living entities are interdependent. In the absence of one, another is not understood. But the Supreme Being who sees every one of them as the shelter of the shelter is independent of all, and therefore He is the supreme shelter.
PURPORT
There are innumerable living entities, one dependent on the other in the relationship of the controlled and the controller. But without the medium of perception, no one can know or understand who is the controlled and who is the controller. For example, the sun controls the power of our vision, we can see the sun because the sun has its body, and the sunlight is useful only because we have eyes. Without our having eyes, the sunlight is useless, and without sunlight the eyes are useless. Thus they are interdependent, and none of them is independent. Therefore the natural question arises concerning who made them interdependent. The one who has made such a relationship of interdependence must be ultimately completely independent. As stated in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the ultimate source of all interdependent objectives is the complete independent subject. This ultimate source of all interdependence is the Supreme Truth or Paramātmā, the Supersoul, who is not dependent on anything else. He is svāśrayāśrayaḥ. He is only dependent on His self, and thus He is the supreme shelter of everything. Although Paramātmā and Brahman are subordinate to Bhagavān, because Bhagavān is Puruṣottama or the Superperson, He is the source of the Supersoul also. In the Bhagavad-gītā (15.18) Lord Kṛṣṇa says that He is the Puruṣottama and the source of everything, and thus it is concluded that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate source and shelter of all entities, including the Supersoul and Supreme Brahman. Even accepting that there is no difference between the Supersoul and the individual soul, the individual soul is dependent on the Supersoul for being liberated from the illusion of material energy. The individual is under the clutches of illusory energy, and therefore although qualitatively one with the Supersoul, he is under the illusion of identifying himself with matter. And to get out of this illusory conception of factual life, the individual soul has to depend on the Supersoul to be recognized as one with Him. In that sense also the Supersoul is the supreme shelter. And there is no doubt about it.
The individual living entity, the jīva, is always dependent on the Supersoul, Paramātmā, because the individual soul forgets his spiritual identity whereas the Supersoul, Paramātmā, does not forget His transcendental position. In the Bhagavad-gītā these separate positions of the jīva-ātmā and the Paramātmā are specifically mentioned. In the Fourth Chapter, Arjuna, the jīva soul, is represented as forgetful of his many, many previous births, but the Lord, the Supersoul, is not forgetful. The Lord even remembers when He taught the Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god some billions of years before. The Lord can remember such millions and billions of years, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.26) as follows:
vedāhaṁ samatītāni
vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni
māṁ tu veda na kaścana
The Lord in His eternal blissful body of knowledge is fully aware of all that happened in the past, that which is going on at the present and also what will happen in the future. But in spite of His being the shelter of both the Paramātmā and Brahman, persons with a poor fund of knowledge are unable to understand Him as He is.
The propaganda of the identity of cosmic consciousness with the consciousness of the individual living entities is completely misleading because even such a person or individual soul as Arjuna could not remember his past deeds, although he is always with the Lord. And what can the tiny ordinary man, falsely claiming to be one with the cosmic consciousness, know about his past, present and future?
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.9
ekam ekatarābhāve yadā nopalabhāmahe |
tritayaṁ tatra yo veda sa ātmā svāśrayāśrayaḥ ||
Because of the interdependence of the three items in order for them to function, they are shown to be different from the ātmā. Without the gross organ on the body, the subtle sense which is known to function by performing perception cannot function. Without the subtle sense organ, the presiding deity of the sense, whose presence is inferred from action of that sense, cannot function. Without the presiding deity of the sense, the subtle sense organ cannot operate, and without the subtle sense organ, the gross organ cannot operate. Since, in the absence of one of the three, the others cannot be ascertained, he who knows these three, who is not dependent on them, is the jīva. It is said:
deho ’savo ’kṣā manavo bhūta-mātrām
ātmānam anyaṁ ca viduḥ paraṁ yat |
sarvaṁ pumān veda guṇāṁś ca taj-jño
na veda sarva-jñam anantam īḍe ||
The body, life airs, senses, internal senses, gross elements and sense objects do not know themselves or other things or the jīva. The jīva knows all of these items and the guṇas which cause them. He also knows Paramātmā, but does not know the omniscient, unlimited Lord. I worship that Lord with infinite qualities. SB 6.4.25
Sarva refers to these three coverings on the jīva. The jīva (pumān) knows these three. It is also said:
jāgrat-svapna-suṣuptaṁ ca guṇato buddhi-vṛttayaḥ |
tāsāṁ vilakṣaṇo jīvaḥ sākṣitvena vivakṣitaḥ ||
Waking, sleeping and deep sleep, the three functions of the intelligence, are caused by the three guṇas. The jīva is ascertained to be different from these three states since it is the witness of them. SB 11.13.27
What is the nature of the jīva? The jīva takes shelter of Paramātmā (svāśraya), whose shelter is himself. The meaning is this. The jīva is the shelter of the three items -- the subtle sense, the sense deity and the gross sense in the body which are mutually dependent. The shelter of the jīva is the Paramātmā. Paramātmā is the shelter of Paramātmā. Thus Paramātmā is the ultimate shelter. Since Kṛṣṇa says that by his aṁśa he pervades the worlds, it should be understood that Kṛṣṇa is the shelter of Paramātmā. Thus Kṛṣṇa is the chief shelter. Paramātmā as his aṁśa is also called the shelter, and brahman being his impersonal form is also called a shelter. Thus the one shelter is seen in three different forms according to the type of worshipper.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.9||
ekam ekatarābhāve yadā nopalabhāmahe | tritayaṃ tatra yo veda sa ātmā svāśrayāśrayaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Since we cannot perceive one item in absence of one of the other items (subtle sense, sense deity and gross form), he who is independent of these three, is the ātmā. But the shelter of the ātmā is the Paramātmā.
Tattva Sandarbha 60:
One depends on the other. In order for each to function, they depend on each other. Without the object to be seen (adhibhautika, the gross organ or body), the sense (adhyātmika) which observes it cannot function. Without the sense, the deity (adhidaiva) which should produce the action of the sense cannot function. Without the deity, the sense does not function. Without the sense, the object to be seen has no function. If any one of these is absent, we cannot perceive the other. He who knows these three by ascertainment, who sees as the witness, is the shelter. That is Paramātmā. The three take shelter of each other. In order to distinguish Paramātmā he is described as taking shelter of himself (svāśrayaḥ). He is thus the shelter of all three. The jīva is also described as a shelter by accepting non-difference of the pure jīva and Paramātmā in the sense of the aṃśa and aṃśī.
With that in mind, there are verses like the following showing jīva as the shelter:
yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṃ tri-guṇātmakam | paro ’pi manute ’narthaṃ tat-kṛtaṃ cābhipadyate ||
Bewildered by that māyā, the jīva, though separate from the three guṇas, considers himself made of the three guṇas and takes on material existence created by the guṇas. (SB 1.7.5)
jāgrat svapnaḥ suṣuptaṃ ca guṇato buddhi-vṛttayaḥ tāsāṃ vilakṣaṇo jīvaḥ sākṣitvena viniścitaḥ
Waking, sleeping and deep sleep, the three functions of the intelligence, are caused by the three guṇas. The jīva is ascertained to be different from these three states since it is only the witness of them. (SB 11.13.27)
It is also said:
kṣetrajna etā manaso vibhūtīr jīvasya māyā-racitasya nityāḥ āvirhitāḥ kvāpi tirohitāś ca śuddho vicaṣṭe hy aviśuddha-kartuḥ
The liberated jīva, free of saṃsāra, impartially sees the transformations of the covering on the jīva known as the mind, which performs actions opposed to the Lord and which is made of māyā. These transformations are without beginning, sometimes visible and sometimes invisible. (SB 5.11.12)
(In view of SB 2.10.9) from the verse above (SB 5.11.12) one should not think that the pure jīva is the ultimate witness and the shelter.
Or an alternative meaning is this. “But the jīva is the shelter of the senses, devatās and objects.” That is true. Since the three mutually take shelter of each other, they are not taking shelter in the real sense of the term. They cannot be called “shelter” by the chief meaning of the word. Thus the next verse says that one element does not function in the absence of the others. One is not really a shelter for the other two. Therefore the witness of these three (the jīva) is the real shelter. He who knows these three is the ātmā, the witness, the jīva, who has no other shelter (svāsrayaḥ). This means he must take shelter of Paramātmā.
deho 'savo 'kṣā manavo bhūta-mātrām ātmānam anyaṃ ca viduḥ paraṃ yat sarvaṃ pumān veda guṇāṃś ca taj-jno na veda sarva-jnam anantam īḍe
The body, life airs, senses, internal senses, gross elements and sense objects do not know themselves or other things or the jīva. The jīva knows all of these items and the guṇas which cause them. He also can know Paramātmā, but does not really know the omniscient Lord. I worship that Lord with infinite qualities. SB 6.4.25
Therefore Paramātmā is the shelter as was already stated:
ābhāsaś ca nirodhaś ca yato ’sty adhyavasīyate | sa āśrayaḥ paraṃ brahma paramātmeti śabdyate ||
The āśraya, from whom arise creation, sub-creation, protection, mercy, karma, dharma of the kings, the appearance of avatāras, destruction and liberation is also called Paramātmā and Brahman. (SB 2.10.7)
TEXT - SB 2.10.10
puruṣo 'ṇḍaṁ vinirbhidya
yadāsau sa vinirgataḥ
ātmano 'yanam anvicchann
apo 'srākṣīc chuciḥ śucīḥ
SYNONYMS
puruṣaḥ—the Supreme Person, Paramātmā; aṇḍam—the universes; vinirbhidya—making them each separately situated; yadā—when; asau—the same; saḥ—He (the Lord); vinirgataḥ—came out; ātmanaḥ—of Himself; ayanam—lying in place; anvicchan—desiring; apaḥ—water; asrākṣīt—created; śuciḥ—the most pure; śucīḥ—transcendental.
TRANSLATION
After separating the different universes, the gigantic universal form of the Lord [Mahā-Viṣṇu], which came out of the causal ocean, the place of appearance for the first puruṣa-avatāra, entered into each of the separate universes, desiring to lie on the created transcendental water [Garbhodaka].
PURPORT
After analysis of the living entities and the Supreme Lord, Paramātmā, the independent source of all other living beings, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī is now presenting the prime necessity for devotional service to the Lord, which is the only occupational business of all living entities. The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and all His plenary portions and extensions of plenary portions are nondifferent from one another, and thus the supreme independence is in each and every one of them. In order to prove this, Śukadeva Gosvāmī (as promised to King Parīkṣit) describes herein the independence of the puruṣa-avatāra Personality of Godhead, even in the sphere of the material creation. Such activities of the Lord are also transcendental, and therefore they are also līlā, or pastimes, of the absolute Lord. Such pastimes of the Lord are very conducive to the hearers for self-realization in the field of devotional service. Some may argue, why not then relish the transcendental līlā of the Lord as exhibited in the land of Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, which are sweeter than anything in the world? Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura replies that the pastimes of the Lord in Vṛndāvana are meant to be relished by advanced devotees of the Lord. Neophyte devotees will misunderstand such supreme transcendental activities of the Lord, and therefore the Lord's pastimes in the material sphere related to creation, maintenance and destruction are verily relishable by the prākṛta, or mundane devotees of the Lord. As the yoga system mainly based on bodily exercises is meant for the person who is too much attached to the bodily conception of existence, similarly the Lord's pastimes related to the creation and destruction of the material world are for those who are too materially attached. For such mundane creatures the functions of the body and the functions of the cosmic world through physical laws in relationship with the Lord are also therefore included in understanding of the lawmaker, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The scientists explain the material functions by so many technological terms of material law, but such blind scientists forget the lawmaker. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam points out the lawmaker. One should not be amazed by the mechanical arrangement of the complicated engine or dynamo, but one should praise the engineer who creates such a wonderful working machine. That is the difference between the devotee and the nondevotee. Devotees are always full with praising the Lord, who directs the physical laws. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10) the direction of the Lord upon the material nature is described as follows:
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sacarācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
"The material nature full of physical laws is one of My different energies; therefore it is neither independent nor blind. Because I am transcendentally all-powerful, simply by My glancing over material nature, the physical laws of nature work so wonderfully. The actions and reactions of the physical laws work on that account, and thus the material world is created, maintained and annihilated again and again."
Men with a poor fund of knowledge, however, become astonished by studying the physical laws both within the construction of the individual body and within the cosmic manifestation, and foolishly they decry the existence of God, taking it for granted that the physical laws are independent, without any metaphysical control. The Bhagavad-gītā (9.11) replies to this foolishness in the following words:
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram
"The foolish men [mūḍhāḥ] do not know the Personality of Godhead in His eternal form of bliss and knowledge." The foolish man thinks of the transcendental body of the Lord as something like his own, and therefore he cannot think of the unlimited controlling power of the Lord, who is not visible in the acting of the physical laws. The Lord is, however, visible to the naked eyes of people in general when He descends Himself by His own personal potency. Lord Kṛṣṇa incarnated Himself as He is and played very wonderful parts as the Lord Himself, and the Bhagavad-gītā concerns such wonderful actions and knowledge. Yet foolish men will not accept Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord. Generally they consider the infinitesimal and infinite features of the Lord because they themselves are unable to become either the infinitesimal or the infinite, but one should know that the infinite and infinitesimal sizes of the Lord are not His highest glories. The most wonderful manifestation of the Lord's power is exhibited when the infinite Lord becomes visible to our eyes as one of us. Yet His activities are different from those of the finite beings. Lifting a mountain at the age of seven years and marrying sixteen thousand wives in the prime of His youth are some of the examples of His infinite energy, but the mūḍhas, after seeing them or hearing about them, decry them as legendary and take the Lord as one of them. They cannot understand that the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, although in the form of a human being by His own potency, is still the Supreme Lord with full potency as the supreme controller.
When, however, the mūḍhas give submissive and aural reception to the messages of the Lord as in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā or in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam through the channel of disciplic succession, such mūḍhas also become devotees of the Lord by the grace of His pure devotees. And for this reason only, either in the Bhagavad-gītā or in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the pastimes of the Lord in the material world are delineated for the benefit of those men with a poor fund of knowledge.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.10
puruṣo ’ṇḍaṁ vinirbhidya yadāsau sa vinirgataḥ |
ātmano ’yanam anvicchann apo’ srākṣīc chuciḥ śucīḥ ||
The difference between the jīva and the Lord has been established through the ten characteristics of a mahā-purāṇa and thus bhakti to the Lord has been hinted as the deliverance of the jīva from the world. Now Śukadeva speaks in order to explain a topic he promised with yad utāhaṁ tvayā pṛṣṭo vairājāt puruṣādidam |
yathāsīt tad-upākhyā: I will explain what you asked me concerning how this universe arose from the universal form.[191] (SB 2.9.46)
“Why do you always speak about the universal form and the self? Why is there so little sweet discussion about the qualities and forms of the līlāvatāras?”
What you observe is true. To whom should topics about the līlāvatāras be taught with relish? Those how have perfected bhakti or the nitya-siddhas constantly play spontaneously in the sweet ocean of Lord’s beauty and pastimes. But those who are sleeping on the bed of bliss of sense pleasure, and those who have fainted in the waves of suffering arising from karma, cannot be woken up. How can pastimes of the Lord be taught to them? This crest jewel of Purāṇas, being most merciful, thinking of how to give instruction to make them into sādhaka-bhaktas, constantly attempts by some trick or other, to wake them up. Just as a limb burned by fire is given relief by fire and a person haunted by a ghost is revived by a ghost mantra, so jīvas’ absorption in the sleep of māyā can be broken by topics concerning māyā. It has been said:
māyāṁ varṇayato ’muṣya īśvarasyānumodataḥ |
śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ māyayātmā na muhyati ||
If the jīva constantly describes māyā in relation to the Lord, remembers māyā or hears about māyā with proper faith, he will not be bewildered by māyā. SB 2.7.53
But even though by the shower of nectar of pastimes of the Lord obtained by the mercy of the devotee, the person sleeping in the happiness of māyā or fainting in the suffering of karmas wakes up, becomes drenched, revitalized, dances and rejoices blissfully, only those who obtain that great mercy become successful, and not others.
The low jīvas, desiring to cross the material world and have developed determination to take shelter of the lotus feet of guru, can be delivered by constantly hearing about the self. For this reasons there is repeated discussion of the self. Those who are faithful devotees of the Lord will relish the nectar of the whole Bhāgavatam.
This scripture does not only speak about Bhagavān, though he is the main topic. It also speaks about the impersonal aspect of the Lord – brahman -- and his portion, Paramātmā. It has been said at the beginning of this work brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11) Thus, repeated discussion of the self is suitable for worshippers of brahman and Paramātmā. By this means, being most generous, Bhāgavatam produces bhakti in even the worshippers of brahman and Paramātmā. Bhakti even appears in those who have reached perfection in brahman and Paramātmā. This is shown in the verse ātmārāmāś ca munayaḥ. (SB 1.7.10) Those persons, their sādhana, and the result they achieve are not rejected by the pure devotees, but looked upon with sympathy.
Kṛṣṇa who is completely full of sweetness in his form, qualities and pastimes, and possesses dharma, jñāna, bala and aiśvarya, since he contains all avatāras such as Matsya and Kūrma and the aspects of brahman and paramātmā as well, is worshipped by all types of devotees. This scripture, being non-different from Kṛṣṇa’s svarūpa, thus reveals Kṛṣṇa as the source of all avatāras, brahman and Paramātmā. It reveals his qualities, pastimes, sweetness and powers, the method to attain him, sādhana-bhakti, the goal prema-bhakti, as well as all principles such as dharma, jñāna, yoga and vairāgya. Thus everything is consistent.
When the Lord, who glances over prakṛti, having created the universe, distinguishing it from himself, situated himself outside, he desired a sleeping place (ayaṇam) for himself in the universe (tasmin), and created the Garbhodaka. The Lord, being naturally pure (śuciḥ), created water which was pure (śucīh). This distinguishes it from the milk ocean.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.10||
puruṣo ’ṇḍaṃ vinirbhidya yadāsau sa vinirgataḥ | ātmano ’yanam anvicchann apo’ srākṣīc chuciḥ śucīḥ ||
TRANSLATION When the pure puruṣa, separating himself from the universe, having arisen from Bhagavān, desiring a place to lie down in the universe, he created the pure waters of the Garbhodaka.
In order to praise the āśraya, the supreme form of Svayam Bhagavān, the powers of the puruṣa, his āṃśa is described. He arises from Bhagavān (asau vinirgataḥ):
ādyo ’vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sad-asan manaś ca | dravyaṃ vikāro guṇa indriyāṇi virāṭ svarāṭ sthāsnu cariṣṇu bhūmnaḥ ||
Mahā-viṣṇu, an expansion of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, is time, svabhāva, effect and cause, mahat-tattva, the five gross elements, false ego, the three guṇas, the
senses, the universal form, the totality of jīvas, the individual jīvas as non-oving and moving beings. All of these are related to the Supreme Lord. (SB 2.6.42)
Having merged the universe within himself, he separated it out from himself. Or he separated himself from Bhagavān, the place of his manifestation (aṇḍam), and came out (vinirgataḥ) separately. He created all the elements such as water. Earth is included in the creations.
TEXT - SB 2.10.11
tāsv avātsīt sva-sṛṣṭāsu
sahasraṁ parivatsarān
tena nārāyaṇo nāma
yad āpaḥ puruṣodbhavāḥ
SYNONYMS
tāsu—in that; avātsīt—resided; sva—own; sṛṣṭāsu—in the matter of creation; sahasram—one thousand; parivatsarān—years of His measurement; tena—for that reason; nārāyaṇaḥ—the Personality of Godhead named Nārāyaṇa; nāma—name; yat—because; āpaḥ—water; puruṣa-udbhavāḥ—emanated from the Supreme Person.
TRANSLATION
That Supreme Person is not impersonal and therefore is distinctively a nara, or person. Therefore the transcendental water created from the Supreme Nara is known as nāra. And because He lies down on that water, He is known as Nārāyaṇa.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.11
tāsv avātsīt sva-sṛṣṭāsu sahasraṁ parivatsarān |
tena nārāyaṇo nāma yad āpaḥ puruṣodbhavāḥ ||
He dwelled from many years in that water created from himself. Because of that he is called Nārāyaṇa, since the waters (nārā) arose from the puruṣa (nara).
By deriving the name Nārāyaṇa, his dwelling in the water becomes clear. By residing (tena) in that water he got the name Nārāyaṇa because the waters arose from the puruṣa. Nara means the puruṣa. Nāra is that which arises from him. He whose resting place (ayana) is that water (nāra) is called Nārāyaṇa. It is said:
āpo nārā iti proktā āpo vai nara-sūnavaḥ |
ayanaṁ tasya tāḥ pūrvaṁ tena nārāyaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
The word āpaḥ and nārā are synonymous for “water” since the waters are considered the sons of Nara, the primeval male or Mahā-viṣṇu.[192] Since these waters act as the bed (ayana) of Mahā-viṣṇu from the ancient past, he is called Nārāyaṇa. Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.4.6
Jiva's tika ||2.10.11||
tāsv avātsīt sva-sṛṣṭāsu sahasraṃ parivatsarān | tena nārāyaṇo nāma yad āpaḥ puruṣodbhavāḥ ||
TRANSLATION He dwelled from many years in that water created from himself. Because of that he is called Nārāyaṇa, since the waters (nārā) arose from the puruṣa (nara).
Beginning to create the universe, he remained inactive for some time, for the pastime of sleep.
TEXT - SB 2.10.12
dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca
svabhāvo jīva eva ca
yad-anugrahataḥ santi
na santi yad-upekṣayā
SYNONYMS
dravyam—physical elements; karma—action; ca—and; kālaḥ—time; ca—also; sva-bhāvaḥ jīvaḥ—the living entities; eva—certainly; ca—also; yat—whose; anugrahataḥ—by the mercy of; santi—exist; na—does not; santi—exist; yat-upekṣayā—by negligence.
TRANSLATION
One should definitely know that all material ingredients, activities, time and modes, and the living entities who are meant to enjoy them all, exist by His mercy only, and as soon as He does not care for them, everything becomes nonexistent.
PURPORT
The living entities are the enjoyers of the material ingredients, time, modes, etc., because they want to lord it over the material nature. The Lord is the supreme enjoyer, and the living entities are meant to assist the Lord in His enjoyment and thus participate in the transcendental enjoyment of everyone. The enjoyer and the enjoyed both participate in enjoyment, but, deluded by the illusory energy, the living entities want to become the enjoyer like the Lord, although they are not meant for such enjoyment. The jīvas, the living entities, are mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā as the Lord's superior nature, or parā prakṛti, and so also it is mentioned in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa. Therefore the living entities are never the puruṣas, or the factual enjoyers. As such, the spirit of enjoyment by the living entity in the material world is false. In the spiritual world the living entities are pure in nature, and therefore they are associates in the enjoyment of the Supreme Lord. In the material world the spirit of enjoyment of the living entities by dint of their own actions (karma) gradually fades by the laws of nature, and thus the illusory energy dictates in the ears of the conditioned souls that they should become one with the Lord. This is the last snare of the illusory energy. When the last illusion is also cleared off by the mercy of the Lord, the living entity again becomes reinstated in his original position and thus becomes actually liberated. For this attainment of liberation from the material clutches, the Lord creates the material world, maintains it for some time (one thousand years of His measurement, as stated in the previous verse), and then again annihilates it by His will. The living entities are therefore completely dependent on the mercy of the Lord, and all their so-called enjoyments by scientific improvement are crushed into dust when the Lord desires.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.12
dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca svabhāvo jīva eva ca |
yad-anugrahataḥ santi na santi yad-upekṣayā ||
By connection with the Lord, matter, karma, time, svabhāvaand the totality of jīvas can produce effects. Without his presence, they have no effect.
This verse describes the influence of the Lord who dwells in the universal form. Dravyam means the material cause (upādāna), starting with earth. Karma, kāla and svabhāva[193] are efficient causes (nimitta). Jīva refers to Hiraṇyagarbha, the enjoyer, the totality of jīvas.[194] Because of being connected to the Lord, these things exist. Without the Paramātmā, the jīva or his body cannot exist. Or without the Paramātmā, these items cannot produce effects.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.12||
dravyaṃ karma ca kālaś ca svabhāvo jīva eva ca | yad-anugrahataḥ santi na santi yad-upekṣayā ||
TRANSLATION By connection with the Lord, matter, karma, time, svabhāvaand the totality of jīvas can produce effects. Without his presence, they have no effect.
Everything was useless without the Lord.
TEXT - SB 2.10.13
eko nānātvam anvicchan
yoga-talpāt samutthitaḥ
vīryaṁ hiraṇmayaṁ devo
māyayā vyasṛjat tridhā
SYNONYMS
ekaḥ—He, one alone; nānātvam—varieties; anvicchan—so desiring; yoga-talpāt—from the bedstead of mystic slumber; samutthitaḥ—thus generated; vīryam—the semina; hiraṇmayam—golden hue; devaḥ—the demigod; māyayā—by the external energy; vyasṛjat—perfectly created; tridhā—in three features.
TRANSLATION
The Lord, while lying on His bed of mystic slumber, generated the seminal symbol, golden in hue, through external energy out of His desire to manifest varieties of living entities from Himself alone.
PURPORT
In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.7-8) the creation and annihilation of the material world are stated as follows:
sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya
prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām
kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni
kalpādau visṛjāmy aham
prakṛtiṁ svām avaṣṭabhya
visṛjāmi punaḥ punaḥ
bhūta-grāmam imaṁ kṛtsnam
avaśaṁ prakṛter vaśāt
"At the end of each millennium the creative forces, namely the material nature and the living entities who struggle in the material nature, all merge together into the transcendental body of the Lord, and again when the Lord desires to manifest them, all of them are again displayed by the Lord.
"Therefore the material nature is working under the control of the Lord. All of them, under the agency of material nature and under the control of the Lord, are thus repeatedly created and annihilated by the will of the Lord."
As such, before the creation or manifestation of the material cosmic world, the Lord exists as total energy (mahā-samaṣṭi), and thus desiring Himself to be diffused to many, He expands Himself further into multitotal energy (samaṣṭi). From the multitotal energy He further expands Himself into individuals in three dimensions, namely adhyātmic, adhidaivic and adhibhautic, as explained before (vyaṣṭi). As such, the whole creation and the creative energies are nondifferent and different simultaneously. Because everything is an emanation from Him (the Mahā-Viṣṇu or Mahā-samaṣṭi), nothing of the cosmic energies is different from Him; but all such expanded energies have specific functions and display as designed by the Lord, and therefore they are simultaneously different from the Lord. The living entities are also similar energy (marginal potency) of the Lord, and thus they are simultaneously one with and different from Him.
At the stage of nonmanifestation, the living energies remain potent in the Lord, and when they are let loose in the cosmic manifestation they are exhibited differently in terms of different desires under the modes of nature. Such differential manifestations of the living energies are conditional states of the living entities. The liberated living entities, however, in the sanātana (eternal) manifestation, are unconditionally surrendered souls, and therefore they are not subject to the conditions of creation and annihilation. So this creation takes place by the glance of the Lord from His bedstead of mystic slumber. And thus all the universes and the lord of the universe, Brahmā, are again and again manifested and annihilated.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.13
eko nānātvam anvicchan yoga-talpāt samutthitaḥ |
vīryaṁ hiraṇmayaṁ devo māyayā vyasṛjat tridhā |
adhidaivam athādhyātmam adhibhūtam iti prabhuḥ ||
The one Lord, desiring to become many, rose from his bed after the sleep of universal destruction, and created the universe shining brightly in three forms by his energy. The Lord created three forms: adhidaivam (sense devatā), adhyātmam (subtle sense organ) and adhibhūtam (gross sense form).
How did the universal form (samaṣṭi-virāḍ) arise? This verse explains. The one entity, merging the jīvas in himself at the time of destruction, was situated as one. After that (anu), at the time of creation, he desired variety (nānātvam). He then separated the jīvas from himself. From his bed of yoga, having slept at the time of destruction, representing night, the spiritual puruṣa (devaḥ) then rose up in the morning, at the time of creation. Having created the elements such as mahat-tattva by his energy (māyayā), he created by these elements the universe with its layers, shining brightly (vīryam) with golden color. This is the great creation. The creation of the universal form situated in the shell measuring five hundred million yojanas took place by combining the Lord’s energy with parts of the elements such as mahat-tattva. The puruṣa then entered the shell of the universe, filled half of it with water emanating from himself, and placing the universal form within himself, went to sleep on the Garbhodaka ocean. After that, he rose from his bed and manifested the totality of the universe, golden in color, in three forms. What are the three forms? These are adhidaivam, adhyātmam and adhibhūtam.[195]
That totatliy or samaṣṭi will become the lotus stem arising from the Lord’s navel and this lotus stem will become the gross form of the universal form with fourteen planetary systems. It will also become the subtle Hiraṇyagarbha, the form of Brahmā consisting of the totality of jīvas. It will also become the four-headed Brahmā who carries out creation. Thus Brahmā has three forms.[196] Now let us return to the topic at hand.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.13||
eko nānātvam anvicchan yoga-talpāt samutthitaḥ | vīryaṃ hiraṇmayaṃ devo māyayā vyasṛjat tridhā | adhidaivam athādhyātmam adhibhūtam iti prabhuḥ ||
TRANSLATION The one Lord, desiring to become many, rose from his bed after the sleep of universal destruction, and created the universe shining brightly in three forms by his energy. The Lord created three forms: adhidaivam (sense devatā), adhyātmam (subtle sense organ) and adhibhūtam (gross sense form).
Three lines make a statement. The creation with three upādhis for the jīvas, in the total creation, the creation within the universe (samaṣṭi) and creation of the individual body (vyāṣṭi) are considered without differentiation.
The one Lord remained during destruction, having merged all the jīvas, his aṃśas, within himself. Then, manifesting those jīvas, desiring to be many, he arose from that place of yoga-nidrā. He created the seed of all the universe (vīryam), the form of all the elements divided into parts in order to manifest the whole universe.
TEXT - SB 2.10.14
adhidaivam athādhyātmam
adhibhūtam iti prabhuḥ
athaikaṁ pauruṣaṁ vīryaṁ
tridhābhidyata tac chṛṇu
SYNONYMS
adhidaivam—the controlling entities; atha—now; adhyātmam—the controlled entities; adhibhūtam—the material bodies; iti—thus; prabhuḥ—the Lord; atha—in this way; ekam—one only; pauruṣam—of His Lordship; vīryam—potency; tridhā—in three; abhidyata—divided; tat—that; śṛṇu—just hear from me.
TRANSLATION
Just hear from me how the potency of His Lordship divides one into three, called the controlling entities, the controlled entities and the material bodies, in the manner mentioned above.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.14
athaikaṁ pauruṣaṁ vīryaṁ tridhābhidyata tac chṛṇu ||
Then the one shining puruṣa divided into three forms. Please hear about this.
These three forms (universal form, Hiraṇyagarbha and four-headed Brahmā) are different from the adhidaiva, adhyātma and adhibhūta.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.14||
athaikaṃ pauruṣaṃ vīryaṃ tridhābhidyata tac chṛṇu ||
TRANSLATION Then the one shining puruṣa divided into three forms. Please hear about this.
One line is a verse.
TEXT - SB 2.10.15
antaḥ śarīra ākāśāt
puruṣasya viceṣṭataḥ
ojaḥ saho balaṁ jajñe
tataḥ prāṇo mahān asuḥ
SYNONYMS
antaḥ śarīre—within the body; ākāśāt—from the sky; puruṣasya—of Mahā-Viṣṇu; viceṣṭataḥ—while so trying, or willing; ojaḥ—the energy of the senses; sahaḥ—mental force; balam—bodily strength; jajñe—generated; tataḥ—thereafter; prāṇaḥ—the living force; mahān asuḥ—the fountainhead of everyone's life.
TRANSLATION
From the sky situated within the transcendental body of the manifesting Mahā-Viṣṇu, sense energy, mental force and bodily strength are all generated, as well as the sum total of the fountainhead of the total living force.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.15
antaḥ śarīra ākāśāt puruṣasya viceṣṭataḥ |
ojaḥ saho balaṁ jajñe tataḥ prāṇo mahān asuḥ ||
From the ether within the body of the universal form who was acting in various ways arose the śaktis of the senses, mind and body, and from them arose the best life air called sūtra.
From the ether within the body of the universal form who was acting in various ways (viceṣṭataḥ) arose the energies of the senses (ojaḥ), the mind (sahaḥ) and the body (balam). From the subtle form of these three energies (tataḥ) arose the best life air, manifestor of life (asuḥ) called sūtra (prāṇaḥ).[197]
Jiva's tika ||2.10.15||
antaḥ śarīra ākāśāt puruṣasya viceṣṭataḥ | ojaḥ saho balaṃ jajne tataḥ prāṇo mahān asuḥ ||
TRANSLATION From the ether within the body of the universal form arose the best life air and then, when the form became active, the śaktis of the senses, mind and body manifested.
In order to describe the three forms, first prāṇa is described in two verses. Within the puruṣa, the form of great samaṣṭi (totality of jīvas), who acts as a womb (garbha), from ether, prāṇa became clearly manifested. Becoming active, ojas, saha and bala arose.
TEXT - SB 2.10.16
anuprāṇanti yaṁ prāṇāḥ
prāṇantaṁ sarva-jantuṣu
apānantam apānanti
nara-devam ivānugāḥ
SYNONYMS
anuprāṇanti—follow the living symptoms; yam—whom; prāṇāḥ—senses; prāṇantam—endeavoring; sarva-jantuṣu—in all living entities; apānantam—stop endeavoring; apānanti—all others stop; nara-devam—a king; iva—like; anugāḥ—the followers.
TRANSLATION
As the followers of a king follow their lord, similarly when the total energy is in motion, all other living entities move, and when the total energy stops endeavoring, all other living entities stop sensual activities.
PURPORT
The individual living entities are completely dependent on the total energy of the supreme puruṣa. No one has independent existence, just as no electric lamp has independent effulgence. Each and every electrical instrument depends fully on the total powerhouse, the total powerhouse depends on the reservoir of water for generating electricity, water depends on the clouds, the clouds depend on the sun, the sun depends on creation, and the creation depends on the movement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of all causes.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.16
anuprāṇanti yaṁ prāṇāḥ prāṇantaṁ sarva-jantuṣu |
apānantam apānanti nara-devam ivānugāḥ ||
The senses become active following after the action of sūtra, and become inactive when the sūtra becomes inactive, just as servants follow after a king.
This shows the greatness of the sūtra by its power to manifest life. The senses (prāṇāḥ) perform actions following after the sūtra which performs action, and they cease action when the sūtra stops action. They are like servants of a king.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.16||
anuprāṇanti yaṃ prāṇāḥ prāṇantaṃ sarva-jantuṣu | apānantam apānanti nara-devam ivānugāḥ ||
TRANSLATION The prāṇas become active following after the action of the main praṇa, and become inactive when the main prāṇa becomes inactive, just as servants follow after a king.
Prāṇas are individual types of air. By the chief prāṇa’s śakti, the śakti of individual prāṇa manifests. This is hinted unintentionally.
TEXT - SB 2.10.17
prāṇenākṣipatā kṣut tṛḍ
antarā jāyate vibhoḥ
pipāsato jakṣataś ca
prāṅ mukhaṁ nirabhidyata
SYNONYMS
prāṇena—by the living force; ākṣipatā—being agitated; kṣut—hunger; tṛṭ—thirst; antarā—from within; jāyate—generates; vibhoḥ—of the Supreme; pipāsataḥ—being desirous to quench the thirst; jakṣataḥ—being desirous to eat; ca—and; prāk—at first; mukham—the mouth; nirabhidyata—was opened.
TRANSLATION
The living force, being agitated by the virāṭ-puruṣa, generated hunger and thirst, and when He desired to drink and eat, the mouth opened.
PURPORT
The process by which all living beings in the womb of the mother develop their sense organs and sense perceptions appears to follow the same principles in the case of the virāṭ-puruṣa, the sum total of all living entities. Therefore the supreme cause of all generation is not impersonal or without desire. The desires for all kinds of sense perception and sense organs exist in the Supreme, and thus they take place in the individual persons. This desire is the nature of the supreme living being, the Absolute Truth. Because He has the sum total of all mouths, the individual living entities have mouths. Similarly with all other senses and sense organs. Here the mouth is the symbolic representation of all sense organs, for the same principles apply to the others also.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.17
prāṇenākṣipatā kṣut tṛḍ antarā jāyate vibhoḥ[198] |
pipāsato jakṣataś ca prāṅ mukhaṁ nirabhidyata ||
Being stimulated by the sūtra, hunger and thirst appeared within the universal form. He desired to drink and eat. First the mouth became distinct.
Being agitated by sūtra, hunger and thirst arose within the universal form (vibhoḥ). This form is addressed as the lord because the form is being worshipped with respect. The universal form is here being attributed to be the Supreme Lord. Then the form desired to eat and drink. First the mouth became distinct (nirabhidyata).
Jiva's tika ||2.10.17||
prāṇenākṣipatā kṣut tṛḍ antarā jāyate vibhoḥ | pipāsato jakṣataś ca prān mukhaṃ nirabhidyata ||
TRANSLATION Being stimulated by the sūtra, hunger and thirst appeared within the universal form. He desired to drink and eat. First the mouth became distinct.
He desired to drink and eat. This indicates latent desires. According to the svabhāva, various effects manifest. This is understood in later descriptions also. The total (samaṣṭi) mouth is indicated by the term mukham since the form of the total cause is being discussed. This applies to other organs as well. Or the singular is used to represent one among many mouths.
TEXT - SB 2.10.18
mukhatas tālu nirbhinnaṁ
jihvā tatropajāyate
tato nānā-raso jajñe
jihvayā yo 'dhigamyate
SYNONYMS
mukhataḥ—from the mouth; tālu—the palate; nirbhinnam—being generated; jihvā—the tongue; tatra—thereupon; upajāyate—becomes manifested; tataḥ—thereupon; nānā-rasaḥ—various tastes; jajñe—became manifested; jihvayā—by the tongue; yaḥ—which; adhigamyate—become relished.
TRANSLATION
From the mouth the palate became manifested, and thereupon the tongue was also generated. After this all the different tastes came into existence so that the tongue can relish them.
PURPORT
This gradual process of evolution suggests the explanation of the controlling deities (adhidaiva) because Varuṇa is the controlling deity for all relishable juices. Therefore the mouth becomes the resting place for the tongue, which tastes all the different juices, of which the controlling deity is Varuṇa. This suggests, therefore, that Varuṇa was also generated along with the development of the tongue. The tongue and the palate, being instrumental, are adhibhūtam, or forms of matter, but the functioning deity, who is a living entity, is adhidaiva, whereas the person undergoing the function is adhyātma. Thus the three categories are also explained as to their birth after the opening of the mouth of the virāṭ-puruṣa. The four principles mentioned in this verse serve to explain the three main principles, namely the adhyātma, adhidaiva and adhibhutam, as explained before.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.18
mukhatas tālu nirbhinnaṁ jihvā tatropajāyate |
tato nānā-raso jajñe jihvayā yo ’dhigamyate ||
After the appearance of the mouth, the palate became differentiated, and on the palate the tongue appeared. From that various tastes which are experienced by the tongue were generated.
This verse elaborates on the adhidaiva, adhibhūta and adhyātma mentioned in verse 13. After the mouth appeared (mukhataḥ), the location of the sense organ, the palate (gross organ), became differentiated. In the palate, the subtle sense organ called the tongue appeared. From that, various tastes, the sense objects for the tongue, appeared. Also the presiding deity of the tongue, Varuṇa should be understood to have appeared. In this description, the gross palate and the sense object are the adhibhūta aspect. The subtle sense organ is adhyātma, and Varuṇa, the presiding deity, is the adhidaiva aspect. Though there are four elements (gross form, sense object, subtle sense organ and deity), they are classified as three in the above manner.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.18||
mukhatas tālu nirbhinnaṃ jihvā tatropajāyate | tato nānā-raso jajne jihvayā yo ’dhigamyate ||
TRANSLATION After the appearance of the mouth, the palate became differentiated, and on the palate the tongue appeared. From that various tastes which are experienced by the tongue were generated.
Having described three manifestations, four manifestations are described (mouth, palate, tongue and taste). Various tastes arose. This is a quality in the total form (samaṣṭi).
TEXT - SB 2.10.19
vivakṣor mukhato bhūmno
vahnir vāg vyāhṛtaṁ tayoḥ
jale caitasya suciraṁ
nirodhaḥ samajāyata
SYNONYMS
vivakṣoḥ—when there was a need to speak; mukhataḥ—from the mouth; bhūmnaḥ—of the Supreme; vahniḥ—fire or the controlling deity of fire; vāk—vibration; vyāhṛtam—speeches; tayoḥ—by both; jale—in the water; ca—however; etasya—of all these; suciram—a very, very long time; nirodhaḥ—suspension; samajāyata—did continue.
TRANSLATION
When the Supreme desired to speak, speeches were vibrated from the mouth. Then the controlling deity Fire was generated from the mouth. But when He was lying in the water, all these functions remained suspended.
PURPORT
The peculiarity of the gradual development of the different senses is simultaneously supported by their controlling deities. It is to be understood, therefore, that the activities of the sense organs are controlled by the will of the Supreme. The senses are, so to speak, offering a license for the conditioned souls, who are to use them properly under the control of the controlling deity deputed by the Supreme Lord. One who violates such controlling regulations has to be punished by degradation to a lower status of life. Consider, for example, the tongue and its controlling deity, Varuṇa. The tongue is meant for eating, and men, animals and birds each have their different tastes because of different licenses. The taste of human beings and that of the swine are not on the same level. The controlling deity, however, awards or certifies a particular type of body when the particular living entity develops a taste in terms of different modes of nature. If the human being develops taste without discrimination, as does the swine, then the controlling deity is certainly certified for the next term to award him the body of a swine. The swine accepts any kind of foodstuff, including stools, and a human being who has developed such indiscriminate taste must be prepared for a degraded life in the next life. Such a life is also God's grace because the conditioned soul desired a body like that for perfectly tasting a particular type of foodstuff. If a man gets the body of a swine it must be considered the grace of the Lord because the Lord awards the facility. After death the next body is offered by superior control, not blindly. A human being, therefore, must be on his guard as to what sort of body he is going to have in the next life. An irresponsible life of indiscrimination is risky, and that is the declaration of all scriptures.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.19
vivakṣor mukhato bhūmno vahnir vāg vyāhṛtaṁ tayoḥ[199] |
jale vai tasya[200] suciraṁ nirodhaḥ[201] samajāyata ||19||
nāsike nirabhidyetāṁ dodhūyati nabhasvati |
tatra vāyur gandha-vaho ghrāṇo nasi jighṛkṣataḥ ||20||
In the location of the mouth (mukhataḥ) of the universal form appeared the devatā fire, the subtle sense organ voice and the sense object speech (vyāhrtam), which is dependent on the devatā and the sense (tayoḥ).
When obstruction took place in the water for the universal form, without breathing he could not continue existence. The nostrils are the location, the gross form, by which breathing can take place. When the life air (nabhasvati) became very active (dodhūyati), the two nostrils (gross organ) became differentiated. Air or Vāyu, who carries the fragrance, is the devatā, and fragrance is the sense object. The nose is the subtle sense object. Jighṛkṣataḥ means “of he who desired to receive smells.”
Jiva's tika ||2.10.19||
vivakṣor mukhato bhūmno vahnir vāg vyāhṛtaṃ tayoḥ | jale vai tasya suciraṃ nirodhaḥ samajāyata ||19||
nāsike nirabhidyetāṃ dodhūyati nabhasvati | tatra vāyur gandha-vaho ghrāṇo nasi jighṛkṣataḥ ||20||
TRANSLATION When the universal form desired to speak, from his mouth, the devatā of fire, the voice sense organ and speech, which is dependent on the devatā and the sense
organ, appeared. When the form resided in the water for a long time, obstruction appeared for the universal form. When the life air became active, the two nostrils became differentiated. When the universal form desired to smell, Vāyu, who carries fragrance, fragrance, and the nose appeared.
Two verses are taken together.
TEXT - SB 2.10.20
nāsike nirabhidyetāṁ
dodhūyati nabhasvati
tatra vāyur gandha-vaho
ghrāṇo nasi jighṛkṣataḥ
SYNONYMS
nāsike—in the nostrils; nirabhidyetām—being developed; dodhūyati—rapidly blowing; nabhasvati—air respiration; tatra—thereupon; vāyuḥ—air; gandha-vahaḥ—smelling odor; ghrāṇaḥ—sense of smell; nasi—in the nose; jighṛkṣataḥ—desiring to smell odors.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, when the supreme puruṣa desired to smell odors, the nostrils and respiration were generated, the nasal instrument and odors came into existence, and the controlling deity of air, carrying smell, also became manifested.
PURPORT
The nasal instrument, odor, and the controlling deity air, smelling, etc., all became manifested simultaneously when the Lord desired to smell. The Vedic mantras confirm this statement in the Upaniṣads' statement that everything is first desired by the Supreme before the subordinate living entity can act upon it. The living entity can see only when the Lord sees, the living entity can smell when the Lord smells, and so on. The idea is that the living entity cannot do anything independently. He can simply think of doing something independently, but he cannot act independently. This independence in thinking is there by the grace of the Lord, but the thinking can be given shape by the grace of the Lord, and therefore the common saying is that man proposes and God disposes. The whole explanation is on the subject of the absolute dependence of the living entities and absolute independence of the Supreme Lord. Less intelligent persons claiming to be on an equal level with God must first prove themselves to be absolute and independent, and then they must substantiate their claim to being one with God.
TEXT - SB 2.10.21
yadātmani nirālokam
ātmānaṁ ca didṛkṣataḥ
nirbhinne hy akṣiṇī tasya
jyotiś cakṣur guṇa-grahaḥ
SYNONYMS
yadā—while; ātmani—unto Himself; nirālokam—without any light; ātmānam—His own transcendental body; ca—also other bodily forms; didṛkṣataḥ—desired to look upon; nirbhinne—due to being sprouted; hi—for; akṣiṇī—of the eyes; tasya—of Him; jyotiḥ—the sun; cakṣuḥ—the eyes; guṇa-grahaḥ—the power of seeing.
TRANSLATION
Thus when everything existed in darkness, the Lord desired to see Himself and all that was created. Then the eyes, the illuminating god Sun, the power of vision and the object of sight all became manifested.
PURPORT
The universe is by nature dense darkness, and therefore the total creation is called tamas, or darkness. The night is the real feature of the universe, for then one cannot see anything, including oneself. The Lord, out of His causeless mercy, first desired to see Himself and all the creation as well, and thus the sun became manifested, the power of vision for all living entities became possible, and the objects of vision were also manifested. This means that the whole phenomenal world became visible after the creation of the sun.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.21
yadātmani nirālokam ātmānaṁ ca didṛkṣataḥ |
nirbhinne hy akṣiṇī tasya jyotiś cakṣur guṇa-grahaḥ ||
When there was no vision in the universal form, and he desired to see, the two eyes, the presiding deity known as the sun, the sense organ called the eye, which experiences form (sense object) appeared.
When there was no vision (nirālokam) within himself (ātmani), desiring to see himself and other objects (ca), the location called the gross eye, the sun devatā and the eye (subtle sense organ) which experiences form (guṇa) appeared. Form is the sense object. Nirālokam (devoid of vision) is an indeclinable word, like nirmakṣikam (free from flies).
TEXT - SB 2.10.22
bodhyamānasya ṛṣibhir
ātmanas taj jighṛkṣataḥ
karṇau ca nirabhidyetāṁ
diśaḥ śrotraṁ guṇa-grahaḥ
SYNONYMS
bodhyamānasya—desiring to understand; ṛṣibhiḥ—by the authorities; ātmanaḥ—of the Supreme Being; tat—that; jighṛkṣataḥ—when He desired to take up; karṇau—the ears; ca—also; nirabhidyetām—became manifested; diśaḥ—the direction or the god of air; śrotram—the power of hearing; guṇa-grahaḥ—and the objects of hearing.
TRANSLATION
By development of the desire of the great sages to know, the ears, the power of hearing, the controlling deity of hearing, and the objects of hearing became manifested. The great sages desired to hear about the Self.
PURPORT
As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, by advancement of knowledge one should try to know about the Supreme Lord, the summum bonum of everything. Knowledge does not mean knowledge only of the laws of nature or physical knowledge, which are working by the direction of the Lord. The scientists are eager to hear about the physical laws working in material nature. They are eager to hear through the medium of radio and television about things taking place far away from them on other planets, but they should know that the power of hearing and the instruments for hearing were given to them by the Lord for hearing about the Self, or about the Lord. Unfortunately the power of hearing is misused in hearing the vibrations of mundane affairs. The great sages were interested in hearing about the Lord through Vedic knowledge and nothing more. That is the beginning of aural reception of knowledge.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.22
bodhyamānasya ṛṣibhir ātmanas taj jighṛkṣataḥ |
karṇau ca nirabhidyetāṁ diśaḥ śrotraṁ guṇa-grahaḥ ||
When the universal form desired to understand himself, which is revealed by Vedic sound, the two gross ears, the direction devatās, and subtle ear organ, which receives sound, appeared.
When the universal form desired to receive understanding about himself which is revealed in the Vedas, the ears appeared. Guṇa-grahaḥ here means that the ears receive sound, the sense object for the ear.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.22||
bodhyamānasya ṛṣibhir ātmanas taj jighṛkṣataḥ | karṇau ca nirabhidyetāṃ diśaḥ śrotraṃ guṇa-grahaḥ
|| TRANSLATION When the universal form desired to understand himself, which is revealed by Vedic sound, the two gross ears, the direction devatās, and subtle ear organ, which receives sound, appeared.
He desired to receive understanding internally by coordination of facts (bodhyamānasya ātmanaḥ jighṛkṣataḥ) by Paramātmā, through the Vedic sound in stages of para, paśyantī madhyama and vaikārika.
TEXT - SB 2.10.23
vastuno mṛdu-kāṭhinya-
laghu-gurv-oṣṇa-śītatām
jighṛkṣatas tvaṅ nirbhinnā
tasyāṁ roma-mahī-ruhāḥ
tatra cāntar bahir vātas
tvacā labdha-guṇo vṛtaḥ
SYNONYMS
vastunaḥ—of all matter; mṛdu—softness; kāṭhinya—hardness; laghu—lightness; guru—heaviness; oṣṇa—warmness; śītatām—coldness; jighṛkṣataḥ—desiring to perceive; tvak—the touch sensation; nirbhinnā—distributed; tasyām—in the skin; roma—hairs on the body; mahī-ruhāḥ—as well as the trees, the controlling deities; tatra—there; ca—also; antaḥ—within; bahiḥ—outside; vātaḥ tvacā—the sense of touch or the skin; labdha—having been perceived; guṇaḥ—objects of sense perception; vṛtaḥ—generated.
TRANSLATION
When there was a desire to perceive the physical characteristics of matter, such as softness, hardness, warmth, cold, lightness and heaviness, the background of sensation, the skin, the skin pores, the hairs on the body and their controlling deities (the trees) were generated. Within and outside the skin is a covering of air through which sense perception became prominent.
PURPORT
The physical characteristics of matter, such as softness, are subjects of sense perception, and thus physical knowledge is the subject matter of the touch sensation. One can measure the temperature of matter by touching with the hand, and one can measure the weight of an object by lifting it with the hand and thus estimate its heaviness or lightness. The skin, the skin pores and the hairs on the body are all interdependent with the touch sensation. The air blowing within and outside the skin is also an object of sense perception. This sense perception is also a source of knowledge, and therefore it is suggested here that physical or physiological knowledge is subordinate to the knowledge of the Self, as above mentioned. Knowledge of Self can expand to the knowledge of phenomena, but physical knowledge cannot lead to knowledge of the Self.
There is, however, an intimate relation between the hairs on the body and the vegetation on the body of the earth. The vegetables are nourishment for the skin both as food and medicine, as stated in the Third Canto: tvacam asya vinirbhinnāṁ viviśur dhiṣṇyam oṣadhīḥ.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.23
vastuno mṛdu-kāṭhinya- laghu-gurv-oṣṇa-śītatām |
jighṛkṣatas tvaṅ nirbhinnā tasyāṁ roma-mahī-ruhāḥ |
tatra cāntar bahir vātas tvacā labdha-guṇo vṛtaḥ ||
When he desired to experience softness, hardness, lightness, heaviness, warmth and coolness, the gross skin became differentiated along with body hairs and plants, the sense devatās of the hairs. Vāyu, the sense devatā of the skin, along with the subtle sense organ skin, pervades internally and externally.
When the universal form desired to receive the sensations or qualities of softness, hardness, lightness, heaviness, warmth and coolness in objects, skin appeared. Oṣṇa stands for ā uṣṇa, which means slight heat. Since intense warmth is the sense object (which only arises after the desire), slight warmth is mentioned because of the desire for warmth in general. There is also a version without the prefix, gurv uṣṇa. The skin is the location of the sense organ. Because one understands the lightness or heaviness of objects by placing them in the hands, lightness and heaviness are the sense objects. This is according to the followers of the Purāṇas. In that location (adhibhūta) the devatā Vāyu (adhidaiva) is situated, extending internally and externally, by the sense organ (adhyātma) called skin which receives the sense object called touch (adhibhūta). In that location also, the hair is the sense organ, the herbs are the devatā and the sense object is itching. Thus in the skin there are two sense organs. The meaning is this. The sense organ skin is called hair when it receives touch sensation along with itching externally. The plants act as the presiding deity of that skin (hair). When the sense organ skin receives touch internally or externally it is called skin. Its deity is Vāyu or air. In the Third Canto it is said:
nirbhinnāny asya carmāṇi loka-pālo ’nilo ’viśat |
prāṇenāṁśena saṁsparśaṁ yenāsau pratipadyate ||
tvacam asya vinirbhinnāṁ viviśur dhiṣṇyam oṣadhīḥ |
aṁśena lomabhiḥ kaṇḍūṁ yair asau pratipadyate ||
When there was a manifestation of skin separated from the gigantic form, Anila, the deity directing the wind, entered with the sense organ skin, and thus the living entities can realize tactile knowledge.
When the gross skin of the universal form appeared, the presiding deities the plants (along with their portion subtle organ called body hair entered. By these body hairs, relief from itching appears. . SB 3.6.16, 18
Carmāṇi indicates skin. Prāṇena aṁśena means “with the sense organ called skin, which is spread with prāṇa-vāyu.” In the Bahvṛca-śruti this is partly described.
tvaṅ nirabhidyata tvaco lomāni lomabhya oṣadhi-vanaspatayaḥ
The skin differentiated. From that came hairs. From hairs came the plants and trees. Aitareya Upaniṣad 1.4
TEXT - SB 2.10.24
hastau ruruhatus tasya
nānā-karma-cikīrṣayā
tayos tu balavān indra
ādānam ubhayāśrayam
SYNONYMS
hastau—the hands; ruruhatuḥ—manifested; tasya—His; nānā—various; karma—work; cikīrṣayā—being so desirous; tayoḥ—of them; tu—however; balavān—to give strength; indraḥ—the demigod in heaven; ādānam—activities of the hand; ubhaya-āśrayam—dependent on both the demigod and the hand.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter when the Supreme Person desired to perform varieties of work, the two hands and their controlling strength, and Indra, the demigod in heaven, became manifested, as also the acts dependent on both the hands and the demigod.
PURPORT
In every item we can note with profit that the sense organs of the living entity are never independent at any stage. The Lord is known as the Lord of the senses (Hṛṣīkeśa). Thus the sense organs of the living entities are manifested by the will of the Lord, and each organ is controlled by a certain type of demigod. No one, therefore, can claim any proprietorship of the senses. The living entity is controlled by the senses, the senses are controlled by the demigods, and the demigods are the servants of the Supreme Lord. That is the arrangement in the system of creation. The whole thing is controlled ultimately by the Supreme Lord, and there is no independence either of the material nature or of the living entity. The illusioned living entity who claims to be the lord of his senses is under the clutches of the external energy of the Lord. As long as a living entity continues to be puffed up by his tiny existence, he is to be understood to be under the stringent control of the external energy of the Lord, and there is no question of liberation from the clutches of illusion (māyā), however much one may declare himself a liberated soul.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.24
hastau ruruhatus tasya nānā-karma-cikīrṣayā |
tayos tu balavān indra ādānam ubhayāśrayam ||
When the universal form desired to perform various activities, the two hands, their strength, the deity Indra and the sense object, namely, receiving things, which takes shelter of the devatā and the sense organ, appeared.
Strength of the hands is the sense organ. Indra is the devatā; the sense object is receiving things, which is dependent on the sense organ and the devatā (ubhayāśrayam).
Jiva's tika ||2.10.24||
hastau ruruhatus tasya nānā-karma-cikīrṣayā | tayos tu balavān indra ādānam ubhayāśrayam ||
TRANSLATION When the universal form desired to perform various activities, the two hands, their strength, the deity Indra and the sense object, namely, receiving things, which takes shelter of the devatā and the sense organ, appeared.
Ādānam means receiving things. This is the sense object of the hand.
TEXT - SB 2.10.25
gatiṁ jigīṣataḥ pādau
ruruhāte 'bhikāmikām
padbhyāṁ yajñaḥ svayaṁ havyaṁ
karmabhiḥ kriyate nṛbhiḥ
SYNONYMS
gatim—movement; jigīṣataḥ—so desiring; pādau—the legs; ruruhāte—being manifested; abhikāmikām—purposeful; padbhyām—from the legs; yajñaḥ—Lord Viṣṇu; svayam—personally Himself; havyam—the duties; karmabhiḥ—by one's occupational duty; kriyate—caused to be done; nṛbhiḥ—by different human beings.
TRANSLATION
Thereupon, because of His desiring to control movement, His legs became manifested, and from the legs the controlling deity named Viṣṇu was generated. By His personal supervision of this act, all varieties of human being are busily engaged in dutiful occupational sacrifice.
PURPORT
Every human being is engaged in his particular occupational duty, and such activities are visible as men go hither and thither. This is very prominently visible in big cities of the world: people are going all over the cities with great concern, from one place to another. This movement is not limited only to the cities, but is also visible outside the cities from one place to another, or from one city to another, by different means of vehicles. Men are moving by cars and rails on the roads, by subways within the earth and by planes in the sky for the purpose of business success. But in all these movements the real purpose is to earn wealth for comfortable life. For this comfortable life the scientist is engaged, the artist is engaged, the engineer is engaged, the technician is engaged, all in different branches of human activity. But they do not know how to make the activities purposeful to fulfill the mission of human life. Because they do not know this secret, all their activities are targeted towards the goal of sense gratification without control, and therefore by all this business they are unknowingly entering into the deep regions of darkness.
Because they have been captivated by the external energy of the Supreme Lord, they have completely forgotten the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, and thus they have taken it for granted that this life, as presently manifested under the conditions of material nature, is all in all for enjoying the highest amount of sense gratification. But such a wrong conception of life cannot give anyone the desired peace of mind, and thus in spite of all advancement in knowledge by use of the resources of nature, no one is happy in this material civilization. The secret is that at every step they should try to execute sacrifices toward the path of world peace. The Bhagavad-gītā (18.45-46) also advises the same secret in the following verses.
sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ
sva-karma-nirataḥ siddhiṁ
yathā vindati tac chṛṇu
yataḥ pravṛttir bhūtānāṁ
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya
siddhiṁ vindati mānavaḥ
The Lord said to Arjuna: "Just hear from Me how one can attain the highest perfection in life simply by discharging his specified occupational duty. Man can attain the highest perfection of life by worshiping the Supreme Lord and by performing sacrifice for the sake of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, who is all-pervading and by whose control every living being acquires his desired facilities, according to his personal propensity."
There is no harm in having different propensities in life because every human being is proportionately independent to chalk out the plan of his life by different occupations, but one should make it a point in his life to know perfectly well that he is not independent absolutely. One is certainly under the control of the Supreme Lord and under different agencies. Knowing this, one should make it a point that by his work and the result of his labor he serves the Supreme Lord as prescribed by the authorities expert in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. For performing such occupational duties of life the leg is the most important instrument of the body because without the help of the legs one cannot move from one place to another, and therefore the Lord has special control over the legs of all human beings, which are meant for performing yajñas.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.25
gatiṁ jigīṣataḥ pādau ruruhāte ’bhikāmikām |
padbhyāṁ yajñaḥ svayaṁ havyaṁ karmabhiḥ kriyate nṛbhiḥ ||
When the universal form desired movement, dear to him, two feet appeared. The devatā of the feet is Yajña. By the sense organ of feet, men go about to collect objects for sacrifice.
Desiring to move about (gatim) which was dear to him (abhikāmikām), the two feet (adhibhūta) appeared. The literal meaning of jigīṣataḥ (of one who desires to obtain) means in this case simply “of one who desires.” Yajña, empowered by Viṣṇu, is situated as the devatā of the feet. The sense organ is indicated by the word karmabhiḥ, the śakti of the action of going. By the sense organ of the feet one goes about to collect items for sacrifice. This going about is the sense object. Nṛbhiḥ indicates that all the individual jīvas perform these acts. The feet are used to obtain objects which are prescribed by the scriptures.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.25||
gatiṃ jigīṣataḥ pādau ruruhāte ’bhikāmikām | padbhyāṃ yajnaḥ svayaṃ havyaṃ karmabhiḥ kriyate nṛbhiḥ ||
TRANSLATION When the universal form desired movement, dear to him, two feet appeared. The devatā of the feet is Yajna. By the sense organ of feet, men go about to collect objects for sacrifice.
Desiring to control (jigīṣataḥ) movement, the feet appeared. Yajna, a devatā invested with Viṣṇu’s śakti, manifested along with the feet (padbhyām). Svayam indicates that the devatā is most important. Men, doing activities (of walking), gather objects for sacrifices. Karmabhiḥ is in the plural to indicate a variety of movements. Objects for sacrifice indicates the chief articles. Everything of course is meant to be offered. One goes about to collect various items.
TEXT - SB 2.10.26
nirabhidyata śiśno vai
prajānandāmṛtārthinaḥ
upastha āsīt kāmānāṁ
priyaṁ tad-ubhayāśrayam
SYNONYMS
nirabhidyata—came out; śiśnaḥ—the genitals; vai—certainly; prajā-ānanda—sex pleasure; amṛta-arthinaḥ—aspiring to taste the nectar; upasthaḥ—the male or female organ; āsīt—came into existence; kāmānām—of the lustful; priyam—very dear; tat—that; ubhaya-āśrayam—shelter for both.
TRANSLATION
Thereupon, for sexual pleasure, begetting offspring and tasting heavenly nectar, the Lord developed the genitals, and thus there is the genital organ and its controlling deity, the Prajāpati. The object of sexual pleasure and the controlling deity are under the control of the genitals of the Lord.
PURPORT
The heavenly pleasure for the conditioned soul is sexual pleasure, and this pleasure is tasted by the genitals. The woman is the object of sexual pleasure, and both the sense perception of sexual pleasure and the woman are controlled by the Prajāpati, who is under the control of the Lord's genitals. The impersonalist must know from this verse that the Lord is not impersonal, for He has His genitals, on which all the pleasurable objects of sex depend. No one would have taken the trouble to maintain children if there were no taste of heavenly nectar by means of sexual intercourse. This material world is created to give the conditioned souls a chance for rejuvenation for going back home, back to Godhead, and therefore generation of the living being is necessary for upkeep of the purpose of creation. Sexual pleasure is an impetus for such action, and as such one can even serve the Lord in the act of such sexual pleasure. The service is counted when the children born of such sexual pleasure are properly trained in God consciousness. The whole idea of material creation is to revive the dormant God consciousness of the living entity. In forms of life other than the human form, sexual pleasure is prominent without any motive of service for the mission of the Lord. But in the human form of life the conditioned soul can render service to the Lord by creating progeny suitable for the attainment of salvation. One can beget hundreds of children and enjoy the celestial pleasure of sexual intercourse, provided he is able to train the children in God consciousness. Otherwise begetting children is on the level of the swine. Rather, the swine is more expert than the human being because the swine can beget a dozen piglets at a time, whereas the human being can give birth to only one at a time. So one should always remember that the genitals, sexual pleasure, the woman and the offspring are all related in the service of the Lord, and one who forgets this relationship in the service of the Supreme Lord becomes subjected to the threefold miseries of material existence by the laws of nature. Perception of sexual pleasure is there even in the body of the dog, but there is no sense of God consciousness. The human form of life is distinct from that of the dog by the perception of God consciousness.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.26
nirabhidyata śiśno vai prajānandāmṛtārthinaḥ |
upastha āsīt kāmānāṁ priyaṁ tad-ubhayāśrayam ||
When the universal form desired offspring, sexual pleasure and enjoyment of Svarga, the penis appeared. The subtle sense organ, the devatā of the sex organ, and the pleasure of enjoyment with woman, which is dependent on the sex organ and the devatā, appeared.
When the universal form desired offspring, sexual pleasure and enjoyment like Svarga, the location of the sex organ (adhibhūta) appeared. As well as the sense organ called the penis, the devatā Prajāpati should be understood to have appeared.[202] The sense object happiness, arising from relationship with a woman, which is dependent on the sense organ and the devatā, also arose.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.26||
nirabhidyata śiśno vai prajānandāmṛtārthinaḥ | upastha āsīt kāmānāṃ priyaṃ tad-ubhayāśrayam ||
TRANSLATION When the universal form desired offspring, sexual pleasure and enjoyment of Svarga, the penis appeared. The subtle sense organ, the devatā of the sex organ, and the pleasure of enjoyment with woman, which is dependent on the sex organ and the devatā, appeared. Offspring, pleasure and Svarga (prajānandāmṛtā) are the sense objects. Ānanda means women, the cause of pleasure. Thus women are the sense objects, since they are to be enjoyed directly and are cause enjoyment by giving bliss and producing children. Svarga is produced from children, wives and follower who are treated according to gṛhastha-dharma.
TEXT - SB 2.10.27
utsisṛkṣor dhātu-malaṁ
nirabhidyata vai gudam
tataḥ pāyus tato mitra
utsarga ubhayāśrayaḥ
SYNONYMS
utsisṛkṣoḥ—desiring to evacuate; dhātu-malam—refuse of eatables; nirabhidyata—became open; vai—certainly; gudam—the evacuating hole; tataḥ—thereafter; pāyuḥ—the evacuating sense organ; tataḥ—thereafter; mitraḥ—the controlling demigod; utsargaḥ—the substance evacuated; ubhaya—both; āśrayaḥ—shelter.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, when He desired to evacuate the refuse of eatables, the evacuating hole, anus, and the sensory organ thereof developed along with the controlling deity Mitra. The sensory organ and the evacuating substance are both under the shelter of the controlling deity.
PURPORT
Even in the matter of evacuating stool, the refuse is controlled, so how can the living entity claim to be independent?
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.27
utsisṛkṣor dhātu-malaṁ nirabhidyata vai gudam |
tataḥ pāyus tato mitra utsarga ubhayāśrayaḥ ||
When the universal form desired to expel waste products, the gross anus appeared. Then the sense organ called anus, its devatā Mitra, and the sense object expulsion, dependent on the anus and Mitra, appeared.
Desiring to expel the waste products of digested food (dhātu-malam) the anus, the gross location, appeared. The sense organ of excretion (pāyuḥ), the devatā Mitra[203] and the sense object expulsion appeared.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.27||
utsisṛkṣor dhātu-malaṃ nirabhidyata vai gudam | tataḥ pāyus tato mitra utsarga ubhayāśrayaḥ ||
TRANSLATION When the universal form desired to expel waste products, the gross anus appeared. Then the sense organ called anus, its devatā Mitra, and the sense object expulsion, dependent on the anus and Mitra, appeared.
Utsarga means waste products.
TEXT - SB 2.10.28
āsisṛpsoḥ puraḥ puryā
nābhi-dvāram apānataḥ
tatrāpānas tato mṛtyuḥ
pṛthaktvam ubhayāśrayam
SYNONYMS
āsisṛpsoḥ—desiring to go everywhere; puraḥ—in different bodies; puryāḥ—from one body; nābhi-dvāram—the navel or abdominal hole; apānataḥ—was manifested; tatra—thereupon; apānaḥ—stopping of the vital force; tataḥ—thereafter; mṛtyuḥ—death; pṛthaktvam—separately; ubhaya—both; āśrayam—shelter.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, when He desired to move from one body to another, the navel and the air of departure and death were combinedly created. The navel is the shelter for both, namely death and the separating force.
PURPORT
The prāṇa-vāyu continues the life, and the apāna-vāyu stops the living force. Both the vibrations are generated from the abdominal hole, the navel. This navel is the joint from one body to the other. Lord Brahmā was born of the abdominal hole of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu as a separate body, and the same principle is followed even in the birth of any ordinary body. The body of the child develops from the body of the mother, and when the child is separated from the body of the mother, it is separated by cutting the navel joint. And that is the way the Supreme Lord manifested Himself as separated many. The living entities are therefore separated parts, and thus they have no independence.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.28
āsisṛpsoḥ puraḥ puryā nābhi-dvāram apānataḥ |
tatrāpānas tato mṛtyuḥ pṛthaktvam ubhayāśrayam ||
When the universal form desired to go from his body to another body by the path of apāna and prāṇa, the location of the opening of the navel, sense organ apāna, the devatā Mṛtyu and the sense object death, which takes shelter of the devatā and the sense organ, arose.
When the universal form desired to go from his body (puryā) into other bodies (puraḥ), by the path of apāna and also prāṇa, though not mentioned, the location of the navel, the sense organ apāna, the devatā Mṛtyu and the sense object death (pṛthaktvam), which depends on the apāna and the devatā, arose. It is well known that death involves separation from the bonds of both prāṇa and apāna in the navel region.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.28||
āsisṛpsoḥ puraḥ puryā nābhi-dvāram apānataḥ | tatrāpānas tato mṛtyuḥ pṛthaktvam ubhayāśrayam ||
TRANSLATION
When the universal form desired to go from his body to another body by the path of apāna and prāṇa, the location of the opening of the navel, sense organ apāna, the devatā Mṛtyu and the sense object death, which takes shelter of the devatā and the sense organ, arose.
When the universal form desired to go out (āsisrpsoḥ) and went out (apānataḥ) the navel opening, the apāna air, and the devatā of death and the sense object of death (mrṭyuḥ pṛthaktvam) manifested.
TEXT - SB 2.10.29
āditsor anna-pānānām
āsan kukṣy-antra-nāḍayaḥ
nadyaḥ samudrāś ca tayos
tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭis tad-āśraye
SYNONYMS
āditsoḥ—desiring to have; anna-pānānām—of food and drink; āsan—there became; kukṣi—the abdomen; antra—the intestines; nāḍayaḥ—and the arteries; nadyaḥ—the rivers; samudrāḥ—seas; ca—also; tayoḥ—of them; tuṣṭiḥ—sustenance; puṣṭiḥ—metabolism; tat—of them; āśraye—the source.
TRANSLATION
When there was a desire to have food and drink, the abdomen and the intestines and also the arteries became manifested. The rivers and seas are the source of their sustenance and metabolism.
PURPORT
The controlling deities of the intestines are the rivers, and those of the arteries, the seas. Fulfillment of the belly with food and drink is the cause of sustenance, and the metabolism of the food and drink replaces the waste of the bodily energies. Therefore, the body's health is dependent on healthy actions of the intestines and the arteries. The rivers and the seas, being the controlling deities of the two, keep the intestines and the arteries in healthy order.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.29
āditsor anna-pānānām āsan kukṣy-antra-nāḍayaḥ |
nadyaḥ samudrāś ca tayos tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭis tad-āśraye ||
When the universal form desired to take in food and drink, the location of the abdomen, the sense organs in the form of the intestines and veins, their devatās the rivers and oceans, and their sense objects, fullness from food and fullness from liquids, which take shelter of the sense organs and their devatās, appeared.
When the universal form desired to consume food and drink, the abdomen, intestine and veins appeared. The abdomen is the location. The sense organ is located in the intestines which absorbs the food. The veins are the sense organs which absorb liquids. The devatās of the veins are the rivers and the devatā of the intestines is the ocean. Tuṣṭi means the fullness of the belly and puṣṭi means fullness because of taste. Tuṣṭi is the sense object dependent on the intestines and the ocean, and puṣṭi is the sense object dependent on the veins and rivers.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.29||
āditsor anna-pānānām āsan kukṣy-antra-nāḍayaḥ | nadyaḥ samudrāś ca tayos tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭis tad-āśraye ||
TRANSLATION When the universal form desired to take in food and drink, the location of the abdomen, the sense organs in the form of the intestines and veins, their devatās the rivers and oceans, and their sense objects, fullness from food and fullness from liquids, which take shelter of the sense organs and their devatās, appeared.
Food and drink are the sense objects. Fullness and nourishment are the two sense objects.
TEXT - SB 2.10.30
nididhyāsor ātma-māyāṁ
hṛdayaṁ nirabhidyata
tato manaś candra iti
saṅkalpaḥ kāma eva ca
SYNONYMS
nididhyāsoḥ—being desirous to know; ātma-māyām—own energy; hṛdayam—the location of the mind; nirabhidyata—was manifested; tataḥ—thereafter; manaḥ—the mind; candraḥ—the controlling deity of the mind, the moon; iti—thus; saṅkalpaḥ—determination; kāmaḥ—desire; eva—as much as; ca—also.
TRANSLATION
When there was a desire to think about the activities of His own energy, then the heart (the seat of the mind), the mind, the moon, determination and all desire became manifested.
PURPORT
The heart of every living entity is the seat of the Supersoul, Paramātmā, a plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without His presence the living entity cannot get into the working energy according to his past deeds. The living entities who are conditioned in the material world are manifested in the creation in terms of respective inclinations inherent in them, and the requisite material body is offered to each and every one of them by the material energy under the direction of the Supersoul. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10). When, therefore, the Supersoul is situated in the heart of the conditioned soul, the requisite mind is manifested in the conditioned soul, and he becomes conscious of his occupation as one is conscious of his duty after waking up from slumber. Therefore the material mind of the living entity develops when the Supersoul sits on his heart, after which the mind, the controlling deity (moon), and then the activities of the mind (namely thinking, feeling and willing) all take place. The activities of the mind cannot begin without the manifestation of the heart, and the heart becomes manifested when the Lord wants to see the activities of the material creation.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.30
nididhyāsor ātma-māyāṁ hṛdayaṁ nirabhidyata |
tato manaś candra iti saṅkalpaḥ kāma eva ca ||
When the universal form desired to contemplate material objects and illusions concerning himself, the heart appeared. Then the sense organ called the mind, the devatā called Candra and the sense objects determination and desire arose.
Desiring to contemplate māyā concerning himself and objects created by māyā, the location called the heart appeared. Then sense organ called the mind, the devatā called Candra, and the sense objects determination and desire appeared. From the Third Canto (3.6.23-26) it is also understood that in the location of the heart, the senses known as cittā, false ego and intelligence, and the devatās Vāsudeva, Rudra and Brahmā also appeared. In this way, eighteen senses have been mentioned. This is known from the Eleventh Canto.[204]
Jiva's tika ||2.10.30||
nididhyāsor ātma-māyāṃ hṛdayaṃ nirabhidyata | tato manaś candra iti sankalpaḥ kāma eva ca ||
TRANSLATION When the universal form desired to contemplate material objects and illusions concerning himself, the heart appeared. Then the sense organ called the mind, the devatā called Candra and the sense objects determination and desire arose.
Before the mind was born, desire manifested (desire for eating etc.), taking support of the kāraṇam (subtle) aspect of the mind. When the universal form desires to comp˙ete māyā concerning the self, the heart appeared. This māyā is the sense object. Kama and sankalpa are desire and action (sense objects).
TEXT - SB 2.10.31
tvak-carma-māṁsa-rudhira-
medo-majjāsthi-dhātavaḥ
bhūmy-ap-tejomayāḥ sapta
prāṇo vyomāmbu-vāyubhiḥ
SYNONYMS
tvak—the thin layer on the skin; carma—skin; māṁsa—flesh; rudhira—blood; medaḥ—fat; majjā—marrow; asthi—bone; dhātavaḥ—elements; bhūmi—earth; ap—water; tejaḥ—fire; mayāḥ—predominating; sapta—seven; prāṇaḥ—breathing air; vyoma—sky; ambu—water; vāyubhiḥ—by the air.
TRANSLATION
The seven elements of the body, namely the thin layer on the skin, the skin itself, the flesh, blood, fat, marrow and bone, are all made of earth, water and fire, whereas the life breath is produced by the sky, water and air.
PURPORT
The construction of the whole material world is prominently made by three elements, namely earth, water and fire. But the living force is produced by sky, air and water. So water is the common element in both the gross and subtle forms of all material creation, and it should be noted herewith that due to necessity, water, being most prominent in the material creation, is the principal element of all the five. This material body is thus an embodiment of the five elements, and the gross manifestation is perceived because of three, namely earth, water, and fire. Sensations of touch are perceived due to the thin layer on the skin, and bone is as good as hard stone. The breathing air of life is produced of sky, air and water, and therefore open air, regular bath and ample space in which to live are favorable for healthy vitality. Fresh produce from the earth like grains and vegetables, as well as fresh water and heat, is good for the upkeep of the gross body.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.31
tvak-carma-māṁsa-rudhira- medo-majjāsthi-dhātavaḥ |
bhūmy-ap-tejomayāḥ sapta prāṇo vyomāmbu-vāyubhiḥ ||
The seven dhātus known as skin, its upper layer, muscle, blood, fat, marrow and bone,are composed of predominantly of earth, water and fire. The life airs are nourished by ether and water.
Having described the sense organs (adhyātma), gross locations, sense objects (adhibhūta) and sense devatās (adhidaiva), Śukadeva describes the nature of the dhātus and other items which arise as portions of the elements in two verses. Tvak and carma are the gross and subtle aspects of skin. The seven dhātus starting with skin and ending with bone are composed of earth, water and fire elements. Though those items have all five elements as components, because air and ether do not nourish the body through food and other items (whereas water, earth and fire do), only three elements are mentioned. The prāṇa composed of airs is nourished by ether and water. Putting all three items in plural instrumental case is poetic license.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.31||
tvak-carma-māṃsa-rudhira- medo-majjāsthi-dhātavaḥ | bhūmy-ap-tejomayāḥ sapta prāṇo vyomāmbu-vāyubhiḥ ||
TRANSLATION The seven dhātus known as skin, its upper layer, muscle, blood, fat, marrow and bone,are composed of predominantly of earth, water and fire. The life airs are composed of ether, water and air.
Tvak is gross and carma is subtle, situated above it. The prāṇas are composed of ether, water and air.
TEXT - SB 2.10.32
guṇātmakānīndriyāṇi
bhūtādi-prabhavā guṇāḥ
manaḥ sarva-vikārātmā
buddhir vijñāna-rūpiṇī
SYNONYMS
guṇa-ātmakāni—attached to the qualities; indriyāṇi—the senses; bhūta-ādi—material ego; prabhavāḥ—influenced by; guṇāḥ—the modes of material nature; manaḥ—the mind; sarva—all; vikāra—affection (happiness and distress); ātmā—form; buddhiḥ—intelligence; vijñāna—deliberation; rūpiṇī—featuring.
TRANSLATION
The sense organs are attached to the modes of material nature, and the modes of material nature are products of the false ego. The mind is subjected to all kinds of material experiences (happiness and distress), and the intelligence is the feature of the mind's deliberation.
PURPORT
Illusioned by the material nature, the living entity identifies with false ego. More clearly, when the living entity is entrapped by the material body, he at once identifies with the bodily relationships, forgetting his own identity as spirit soul. This false ego associates with different modes of material nature, and thus the senses become attached to the modes of material nature. Mind is the instrument for feeling different material experiences, but intelligence is deliberative and can change everything for the better. The intelligent person, therefore, can attain salvation from the illusion of material existence by proper use of intelligence. An intelligent person can detect the awkward position of material existence and thus begin to inquire as to what he is, why he is subjected to different kinds of miseries, and how to get rid of all miseries, and thus, by good association, an advanced intelligent person can turn towards the better life of self-realization. It is advised, therefore, that an intelligent person associate with the great sages and saints who are on the path of salvation. By such association, one can receive instructions which are able to slacken the conditioned soul's attachment for matter, and thus the intelligent man gradually gets rid of the illusion of matter and false ego and is promoted to the real life of eternity, knowledge and bliss.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.32
guṇātmakānīndriyāṇi bhūtādi-prabhavā guṇāḥ |
manaḥ sarva-vikārātmā buddhir vijñāna-rūpiṇī ||
The senses gravitate to sense objects. The sense objects appear attractive because of false ego. The mind sustains all changes. The intelligence consists of the power of discrimination.
The senses’ nature is to gravitate to sense objects (gunātmaka). The sense objects (guṇāḥ) become attractive (prabhavā) by false ego (bhūtādi). The mind sustains all changes (sarva-vikārātmā – like happiness, distress, etc.) Buddhi consists of the power of discrimination. In this way, the nature of both the mind and the intelligence has been described.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.32||
guṇātmakānīndriyāṇi bhūtādi-prabhavā guṇāḥ | manaḥ sarva-vikārātmā buddhir vijnāna-rūpiṇī ||
TRANSLATION The senses gravitate to sense objects. The sense objects appear attractive because of false ego. The mind is composed of transformations. The intelligence consists of the power of discrimination.
As a related topic, the functions of the senses are described. The senses have a natural relationship (ātmaka) with the sense objects (guṇa). The mind is composed of transformations like happiness and distress. Intelligence is the power of discrimination. They also have a spiritual function:
buddhīndriya-manaḥ-prāṇān janānām asṛjat prabhuḥ mātrārthaṃ ca bhavārthaṃ ca ātmane ’kalpanāya ca
The Supreme Lord manifested the material intelligence, senses, mind and vital air of the living entities so that they could indulge their desires for sense gratification, take repeated births to engage in fruitive activities, become elevated in future lives and ultimately attain liberation. (SB 10.87.2)
TEXT - SB 2.10.33
etad bhagavato rūpaṁ
sthūlaṁ te vyāhṛtaṁ mayā
mahy-ādibhiś cāvaraṇair
aṣṭabhir bahir āvṛtam
SYNONYMS
etat—all these; bhagavataḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; rūpam—form; sthūlam—gross; te—unto you; vyāhṛtam—explained; mayā—by me; mahī—the planets; ādibhiḥ—and so on; ca—unlimitedly; avaraṇaiḥ—by coverings; aṣṭabhiḥ—by eight; bahiḥ—external; āvṛtam—covered.
TRANSLATION
Thus by all this, the external feature of the Personality of Godhead is covered by gross forms such as those of planets, which were explained to you by me.
PURPORT
As explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.4), the separated material energy of the Personality of Godhead is covered by eight kinds of material coverings: earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence and false ego. All these are emanations from the Personality of Godhead as His external energy. These coverings are just like the covering of clouds for the sun. The cloud is a creation of the sun, yet it actually covers the eyes so that one cannot see the sun. The sun cannot be covered by the clouds. The cloud can at utmost extend a few hundreds of miles in the sky, but the sun is far greater than millions of miles. So a hundred-mile covering is not competent to cover millions of miles. Therefore, one of the various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot, of course, cover the Lord. But these coverings are created by Him to cover the eyes of the conditioned souls who want to lord it over the material nature. Actually the conditioned souls are covered by the illusory creative cloud of matter, and the Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to their eyes. Because they have no eyes of transcendental vision and because they cannot see the Personality of Godhead, they therefore deny the existence of the Lord and the transcendental form of the Lord. The covering of the gigantic material feature is accepted by such men with a poor fund of knowledge, and how this is so is explained in the following verse.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.33
etad bhagavato rūpaṁ sthūlaṁ te vyāhṛtaṁ mayā |
mahy-ādibhiś[205] cāvaraṇair aṣṭabhir bahir āvṛtam ||
I have thus described to you the composition of one universe as a form of the Lord, which is covered by eight layers of earth, water, fire, air, ether, false ego, mahat-tattva and prakṛti.
Sthūlam refers to the universal form, the totality of one universe. Mahy-ādhibhiḥ refers to the layers around the universe. The universe with its covering is called the mahā-samaṣṭi or mahā-sthūlam.
TEXT - SB 2.10.34
ataḥ paraṁ sūkṣmatamam
avyaktaṁ nirviśeṣaṇam
anādi-madhya-nidhanaṁ
nityaṁ vāṅ-manasaḥ param
SYNONYMS
ataḥ—therefore; param—transcendental; sūkṣmatamam—finer than the finest; avyaktam—unmanifested; nirviśeṣaṇam—without material features; anādi—without beginning; madhya—without an intermediate stage; nidhanam—without end; nityam—eternal; vāk—words; manasaḥ—of the mind; param—transcendental.
TRANSLATION
Therefore beyond this [gross manifestation] is a transcendental manifestation finer than the finest form. It has no beginning, no intermediate stage and no end; therefore it is beyond the limits of expression or mental speculation and is distinct from the material conception.
PURPORT
The gross external body of the Supreme is manifested at certain intervals, and thus the external feature or form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not the eternal form of the Lord, which has no beginning, no intermediate stage and no end. Anything which has a beginning, interim and end is called material. The material world is begun from the Lord, and thus the form of the Lord, before the beginning of the material world, is certainly transcendental to the finest, or the finer material conception. The ether in the material world is considered to be the finest. Finer than the ether is mind, intelligence, and false ego. But all eight of the outward coverings are explained as outer coverings of the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is therefore beyond the expression and speculation of the material conception. He is certainly transcendental to all material conceptions. This is called nirviśeṣaṇam. One should not, however, misunderstand nirviśeṣaṇam as being without any transcendental qualifications. Viśeṣaṇam means qualities. Therefore nir added to it means that he has no material qualities or variegatedness. This nullifying expression is described in four transcendental qualifications, namely unmanifested, transcendental, eternal, and beyond the conception of mind or word. Beyond the limits of words means negation of the material conception. Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is not possible to know the transcendental form of the Lord.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.34
ataḥ paraṁ sūkṣmatamam avyaktaṁ nirviśeṣaṇam |
anādi-madhya-nidhanaṁ nityaṁ vāṅ-manasaḥ param ||
Besides this there is the very subtle invisible form, without qualities or form, which has no beginning or end, remains eternally in one form and which is beyond words and mind.
Having described the gross form, now the subtle form of the universe is described. When the most subtle is mentioned, it means very subtle. The subtle body (of the universe), a form of māyā, is described by four phrases.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.34||
ataḥ paraṃ sūkṣmatamam avyaktaṃ nirviśeṣaṇam | anādi-madhya-nidhanaṃ nityaṃ vān-manasaḥ param ||
TRANSLATION Besides this there is the very subtle invisible form, without qualities or form, which has no beginning, middle or end, remains eternally in one form and which is beyond words and mind.
Since this entity is without color, form etc. (nirviśeṣaṇam) it does not manifest
along with gross universal form to the individuals in the universe. Since it has no beginning or end, it is eternal. Since it has no form or qualities, it is beyond words and mind. It is most subtle (sukṣmatamam) and thus invisible (avyaktam).
TEXT - SB 2.10.35
amunī bhagavad-rūpe
mayā te hy anuvarṇite
ubhe api na gṛhṇanti
māyā-sṛṣṭe vipaścitaḥ
SYNONYMS
amunī—all these; bhagavat—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; rūpe—in the forms; mayā—by me; te—unto you; hi—certainly; anuvarṇite—described respectively; ubhe—both; api—also; na—never; gṛhṇanti—accepts; māyā—external; sṛṣṭe—being so manifested; vipaḥ-citaḥ—the learned one who knows.
TRANSLATION
Neither of the above forms of the Lord, as just described unto you from the material angle of vision, is accepted by the pure devotees of the Lord who know Him well.
PURPORT
The impersonalists think of the Absolute Personality of Godhead in two different ways, as above mentioned. On the one hand they worship the Lord in His viśva-rūpa, or all-pervading universal form, and on the other they think of the Lord's unmanifested, indescribable, subtle form. The theories of pantheism and monism are respectively applicable to these two conceptions of the Supreme as gross and subtle, but both of them are rejected by the learned pure devotees of the Lord because they are aware of the factual position. This is very clearly mentioned in the Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, which records Arjuna's experience of the viśva-rūpa of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
adṛṣṭa-pūrvaṁ hṛṣito 'smi dṛṣṭvā
bhayena ca pravyathitaṁ mano me
tad eva me darśaya deva rūpaṁ
prasīda deveśa jagan-nivāsa
(Bg. 11.45)
Arjuna, as a pure devotee of the Lord, never previously saw the contemplated universal form of the Lord (viśva-rūpa), but when he did see it, his curiosities were satisfied. But he was not happy to see such a form of the Lord because of his attachment as a pure devotee. He was afraid to see the gigantic form of the Lord. He therefore prayed to the Lord to assume His four-handed Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa form, which alone could please Arjuna. Undoubtedly the Lord has the supreme potency to exhibit Himself in multifarious forms, but the pure devotees of the Lord are interested in His forms as eternally exhibited in the abode of the Lord, known as the tripād-vibhūti or kingdom of God. The Lord in the tripād-vibhūti abode exhibits Himself in two forms, either with four hands or with two hands. The viśva-rūpa exhibited in the material manifestation has unlimited hands and unlimited dimensions with everything unlimited. The pure devotees of the Lord worship Him in His Vaikuṇṭha forms as Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes the same Vaikuṇṭha forms of the Lord are in the material world also by His grace as Śrī Rāma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Narasiṁhadeva, etc., and thus the pure devotees also worship them. Usually the features shown in the material world have no existence in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, and thus they are not accepted by the pure devotees. What the pure devotees worship from the very beginning are eternal forms of the Lord existing in the Vaikuṇṭha planets. The nondevotee impersonalists imagine the material forms of the Lord, and ultimately they merge in the impersonal brahmajyoti of the Lord, whereas the pure devotees of the Lord are worshipers of the Lord both in the beginning and also in the perfect stage of salvation, eternally. The worship of the pure devotee never stops, whereas the worship of the impersonalist stops after his attainment of salvation, when he merges in the impersonal form of the Lord known as the brahmajyoti. Therefore the pure devotees of the Lord are described here as vipaścita, or the learned who are in the knowledge of the Lord perfectly.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.35
amunī bhagavad-rūpe mayā te hy anuvarṇite |
ubhe api na gṛhṇanti māyā-sṛṣṭe vipaścitaḥ ||
Śukadeva condemns these two forms which are imposed on the form of the Lord for purposes of worship. Dual case indicates the oneness of the gross and subtle forms of the universe (samaṣṭi) and its coverings (mahā-samaṣṭi). The wise do not accept these two forms as the object of attainment, but only as forms for worship at the beginning stage, since they are made of māyā. Even the very subtle form, the cause of the others, is material. Those who are wise, the pure devotees (vipaścitaḥ), do not accept these forms even at the first stage. They accept the forms of Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, and Nṛsiṁha made of śuddha-sattva in the stages of sādhana and perfection.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.35||
amunī bhagavad-rūpe mayā te hy anuvarṇite | ubhe api na gṛhṇanti māyā-sṛṣṭe vipaścitaḥ ||
TRANSLATION The wise do not accept these two forms of the Lord described by me since they are composed of matter.
Amunī should be amū.
TEXT - SB 2.10.36
sa vācya-vācakatayā
bhagavān brahma-rūpa-dhṛk
nāma-rūpa-kriyā dhatte
sakarmākarmakaḥ paraḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; vācya—by His forms and activities; vācakatayā—by His transcendental qualities and entourage; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; brahma—absolute; rūpa-dhṛk—by accepting visible forms; nāma—name; rūpa—form; kriyā—pastimes; dhatte—accepts; sa-karma—engaged in work; akarmakaḥ—without being affected; paraḥ—transcendence.
TRANSLATION
He, the Personality of Godhead, manifests Himself in a transcendental form, being the subject of His transcendental name, quality, pastimes, entourage and transcendental variegatedness. Although He is unaffected by all such activities, He appears to be so engaged.
PURPORT
Whenever there is a need of material creation, the transcendental Personality of Godhead accepts forms in the material world for creation, maintenance and destruction. One should be intelligent enough to know His activities in truth and not be biased to conclude that He descends to the material world by accepting a form created by material nature. Any form accepted from the material nature has its affection for everything done in the material world. A conditioned soul who accepts a material form for undergoing a certain term of material activities is subjected to the laws of matter. But here in this verse it is clearly stated that although the forms and activities of the Lord appear to be the same as those of a conditioned soul, they are supernatural and impossible for the conditioned soul. He, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always unaffected by such activities. In the Bhagavad-gītā (4.14) the Lord says:
na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti
na me karma-phale spṛhā
iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti
karmabhir na sa badhyate
The Lord is never affected by the activities which He apparently performs by His different incarnations and personalities, nor does He have any desire to achieve success by fruitive activities. The Lord is full by His different potencies of wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, and thus He has no reason for physical exertion like the conditioned soul. Therefore an intelligent person who can distinguish between the transcendental activities of the Lord and the activities of the conditioned souls is also not bound by the reactions of activities. The Lord as Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva conducts the three modes of material nature. From Viṣṇu is born Brahmā, and from Brahmā is born Śiva. Sometimes Brahmā is a separated part of Viṣṇu, and sometimes Brahmā is Viṣṇu Himself. Thus Brahmā creates the different species of life all over the universe, which means that the Lord creates the whole manifestation either by Himself or through the agency of His authorized deputies.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.36
sa vācya-vācakatayā bhagavān brahma-rūpa-dhṛk |
nāma-rūpa-kriyā dhatte sakarmākarmakaḥ paraḥ ||
Mahā-viṣṇu, Bhagavān, the Supreme lord, though not performing material actions, by accepting the form of Brahmā, performed actions. He created the forms and activities for the living entities, subject to names, and as well created the names suitable for each type of body and its activities.
Now Śukadeva describes the creation, maintenance and destruction of the individual bodies. This continues till verse 44. The puruṣaḥ who manifests mahat-tattva (saḥ), the Supreme Lord (paraḥ), thought without material actions (akarmakaḥ), accepting the form of Brahmā, taking up activities (sakarma), creating forms and activities suitable to be named (vācya) as well as names which suitably designate them (vācakatayā), for the individual jīvas existing in the universe.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.36||
sa vācya-vācakatayā bhagavān brahma-rūpa-dhṛk | nāma-rūpa-kriyā dhatte sakarmākarmakaḥ paraḥ ||
TRANSLATION Mahā-viṣṇu, Bhagavān, the Supreme lord, though not performing material actions, by accepting the form of Brahmā, performed actions. He created the forms and activities for the living entities, subject to names, and as well created the names suitable for each type of body and its activities.
All this, related to the Lord, is imagined as a form of the Lord. That is expressed in this verse. Now what was promised by the Lord in the catuḥ-ślokī is shown:
yāvān ahaṃ yathā-bhāvo yad-rūpa-guṇa-karmakaḥ | tathaiva tattva-vijnānam astu te mad-anugrahāt ||
By my mercy, may you attain perfect realization of whatever dimensions, intentions, forms, qualities and pastimes I manifest. (SB 2.9.32)
TEXT - SB 2.10.37-40
prajā-patīn manūn devān
ṛṣīn pitṛ-gaṇān pṛthak
siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvān
vidyādhrāsura-guhyakān
kinnarāpsaraso nāgān
sarpān kimpuruṣān narān
mātṝ rakṣaḥ-piśācāṁś ca
preta-bhūta-vināyakān
kūṣmāṇḍonmāda-vetālān
yātudhānān grahān api
khagān mṛgān paśūn vṛkṣān
girīn nṛpa sarīsṛpān
dvi-vidhāś catur-vidhā ye 'nye
jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ
kuśalākuśalā miśrāḥ
karmaṇāṁ gatayas tv imāḥ
SYNONYMS
prajā-patīn—Brahmā and his sons like Dakṣa and others; manūn—the periodical heads like Vaivasvata Manu; devān—like Indra, Candra and Varuṇa; ṛṣīn—like Bhṛgu and Vasiṣṭha; pitṛ-gaṇān—the inhabitants of the Pitā planets; pṛthak—separately; siddha—the inhabitants of the Siddha planet; cāraṇa—the inhabitants of the Cāraṇa planet; gandharvān—the inhabitants of the Gandharva planets; vidyādhra—the inhabitants of the Vidyādhara planet; asura—the atheists; guhyakān—the inhabitants of the Yakṣa planet; kinnara—the inhabitants of the Kinnara planet; apsarasaḥ—the beautiful angels of the Apsarā planet; nāgān—the serpentine inhabitants of Nāgaloka; sarpān—the inhabitants of Sarpaloka (snakes); kimpuruṣān—the monkey-shaped inhabitants of the Kimpuruṣa planet; narān—the inhabitants of earth; mātṛ—the inhabitants of Mātṛloka; rakṣaḥ—the inhabitants of the demoniac planet; piśācān—the inhabitants of Piśācaloka; ca—also; preta—the inhabitants of Pretaloka; bhūta—the evil spirits; vināyakān—the goblins; kūṣmāṇḍa—will-o'-the-wisp; unmāda—lunatics; vetālān—the jinn; yātudhānān—a particular type of evil spirit; grahān—the good and evil stars; api—also; khagān—the birds; mṛgān—the forest animals; paśūn—the household animals; vṛkṣān—the ghosts; girīn—the mountains; nṛpa—O King; sarīsṛpān—reptiles; dvi-vidhāḥ—the moving and the standing living entities; catuḥ-vidhāḥ—living entities born from embryos, eggs, perspiration and seeds; ye—others; anye—all; jala—water; sthala—land; nabha-okasaḥ—birds; kuśala—in happiness; akuśalāḥ—in distress; miśrāḥ—in mixed happiness and distress; karmaṇām—according to one's own past deeds; gatayaḥ—as result of; tu—but; imāḥ—all of them.
TRANSLATION
O King, know from me that all living entities are created by the Supreme Lord according to their past deeds. This includes Brahmā and his sons like Dakṣa, the periodical heads like Vaivasvata Manu, the demigods like Indra, Candra and Varuṇa, the great sages like Bhṛgu, Vyāsa and Vasiṣṭha, the inhabitants of Pitṛloka and Siddhaloka, the Cāraṇas, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, Asuras, Yakṣas, Kinnaras and angels, the serpentines, the monkey-shaped Kimpuruṣas, the human beings, the inhabitants of Mātṛloka, the demons, Piśācas, ghosts, spirits, lunatics and evil spirits, the good and evil stars, the goblins, the animals in the forest, the birds, the household animals, the reptiles, the mountains, the moving and standing living entities, the living entities born from embryos, from eggs, from perspiration and from seeds, and all others, whether they be in the water, land or sky, in happiness, in distress or in mixed happiness and distress. All of them, according to their past deeds, are created by the Supreme Lord.
PURPORT
The varieties of living entities are mentioned in this list, and, with no exception from the topmost planet down to the lowest planet of the universe, all of them in different species of life are created by the Almighty Father, Viṣṇu. Therefore no one is independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā (14.4) the Lord therefore claims all living entities as His offspring in the following verse:
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
The material nature is compared to the mother. Although every living being is seen to come out of the mother's body, it is still a fact that the mother is not the ultimate cause of such a birth. The father is the ultimate cause of birth. Without the father's seed, no mother can give birth to a child. Therefore the living beings in different varieties of forms and positions within the innumerable universes are all born of the seeds of the Almighty Father, the Personality of Godhead, and only to the man with a poor fund of knowledge they appear to be born of the material nature. Being under the material energy of the Supreme Lord, all living entities beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant are manifested in different bodies according to their past deeds.
The material nature is one of the energies of the Lord (Bg. 7.4). The material nature is inferior in comparison to the living entities, the superior nature. The superior nature and inferior nature of the Lord combine to manifest all universal affairs.
Some of the living entities are relatively happy in better conditions of life, whereas others are in distressed conditions of life. But factually, none of them are actually happy in material conditional life. No one can be happy in prison life, although one may be a first-class prisoner and another a third-class prisoner. The intelligent person should not try to be promoted from third-class prison life to first-class prison life, but should try to be released from the prison altogether. One may be promoted to first-class prisoner, but the same first-class prisoner is again degraded to a third-class prisoner in the next term. One should try to be free from prison life and go back home, back to Godhead. That is the real goal for all types of living entities.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.37-40
prajā-patīn manūn devān ṛṣīn pitṛ-gaṇān pṛthak |
siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvān vidyādhrāsura-guhyakān ||
kinnarāpsaraso nāgān sarpān kiṁpuruṣoragān [206] |
mātṛ-rakṣaḥ-piśācāṁś ca preta-bhūta-vināyakān ||
kūṣmāṇḍonmāda-vetālān yātudhānān grahān api |
khagān mṛgān paśūn vṛkṣān girīn nṛpa sarīsṛpān |
dvi-vidhāś catur-vidhā ye ’nye jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ ||
Brahmā created the Prajāpatis, the Manus, the devatās, the sages, the Pitṛs, the Siddhas, Caraṇas, Gandharvas, Vidhādharas, Asuras, Guhyakas (guardians of Kuvera), Kinnaras, Apsaras, Nāgas, Sarpas, Kimpuruṣas, Uragas, Mātṛs, Rakṣasas, Piśācas, Pretas, Bhūtas, Vināyakas, Kūṣmāṇḍas, Unmādas, Vetālas, Yātudhānas,[207] Grahas, birds, wild and domestic animals, trees, mountains and reptiles, and as well various living beings of two types, four types and three types.
These forms are now listed. The list is the object of the verb from the previous sentence. O King! Brahmā created the Prajāpatis. The created beings with two types of bodies are the non-moving and moving bodies. He created other forms. He created bodies of four types: those born from the womb, from eggs, from perspiration and sprouting from seeds. The three types are those dwelling in the water, on land and in the air.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.37||
prajā-patīn manūn devān ṛṣīn pitṛ-gaṇān pṛthak | siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvān vidyādhrāsura-guhyakān || kinnarāpsaraso nāgān sarpān kiṃpuruṣoragān | mātṛ-rakṣaḥ-piśācāṃś ca preta-bhūta-vināyakān || kūṣmāṇḍonmāda-vetālān yātudhānān grahān api |
khagān mṛgān paśūn vṛkṣān girīn nṛpa sarīsṛpān | dvi-vidhāś catur-vidhā ye ’nye jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ ||
TRANSLATION Brahmā created the Prajāpatis, the Manus, the devatās, the sages, the Pitṛs, the Siddhas, Caraṇas, Gandharvas, Vidhādharas, Asuras, Guhyakas (guardians of Kuvera), Kinnaras, Apsaras, Nāgas, Sarpas, Kimpuruṣas, Uragas, Mātṛs, Rakṣasas, Piśācas, Pretas, Bhūtas, Vināyakas, Kūṣmāṇḍas, Unmādas, Vetālas, Yātudhānas, Grahas, birds, wild and domestic animals, trees, mountains and reptiles, and as well various living beings of two types, four types and three types.
Three and a half verses are taken together.
TEXT - SB 2.10.41
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
tisraḥ sura-nṛ-nārakāḥ
tatrāpy ekaikaśo rājan
bhidyante gatayas tridhā
yadaikaikataro 'nyābhyāṁ
sva-bhāva upahanyate
SYNONYMS
sattvam—the mode of goodness; rajaḥ—the mode of passion; tamaḥ—the mode of darkness; iti—thus; tisraḥ—the three; sura—demigod; nṛ—human being; nārakāḥ—one who is suffering hellish conditions; tatra api—even there; ekaikaśaḥ—another; rājan—O King; bhidyante—divide into; gatayaḥ—movements; tridhā—three; yadā—at that time; ekaikataraḥ—one in relation with another; anyābhyām—from the other; sva-bhāvaḥ—habit; upahanyate—develops.
TRANSLATION
According to the different modes of material nature—the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of darkness—there are different living creatures, who are known as demigods, human beings and hellish living entities. O King, even a particular mode of nature, being mixed with the other two, is divided into three, and thus each kind of living creature is influenced by the other modes and acquires its habits also.
PURPORT
The living entities individually are being conducted by a particular mode of nature, but at the same time there is every chance of their being influenced by the other two. Generally, all conditioned souls in the material encagement are influenced by the mode of passion because every one of them is trying to lord it over the material nature to fulfill his individual desire. But in spite of the individual mode of passion, there is always the chance of being influenced by the other modes of nature by association. If one is in good association he can develop the mode of goodness, and if in bad association he may develop the mode of darkness or ignorance. Nothing is stereotyped. One can change his habit by good or bad association, and one has to become intelligent enough to discriminate between good and bad. The best association is the service of the devotees of the Lord, and by that association one can become the highest qualified man by the grace of the Lord's pure devotees. As we have already seen in the life of Śrīla Nārada Muni, he became the topmost devotee of the Lord simply by the association of pure devotees of the Lord. By birth he was the son of a maidservant and had no knowledge of his father and no academic education, even of the lowest status. But simply by associating with the devotees and by eating the remnants of their foodstuff, he gradually developed the transcendental qualities of the devotees. By such association, his taste for chanting and hearing the transcendental glories of the Lord became prominent, and because the glories of the Lord are nondifferent from the Lord, he got direct association with the Lord by means of sound representation. Similarly, there is the life of Ajāmila (Sixth Canto), who was the son of a brāhmaṇa and was educated and trained properly in the discharge of the duties of a brāhmaṇa, but who in spite of all this, because he contacted the bad association of a prostitute, was put into the path of the lowest quality of caṇḍāla, or the last position for a human being. Therefore the Bhāgavatam always recommends the association of the mahat, or the great soul, for opening the gate of salvation. To associate with persons engaged in lording it over the material world means to enter into the darkest region of hell. One should try to raise himself by the association of the great soul. That is the way of the perfection of life.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.41
kuśalākuśalā miśrāḥ karmaṇāṁ gatayas tv imāḥ |
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti tisraḥ sura-nṛ-nārakāḥ ||
tatrāpy ekaikaśo[208] rājan bhidyante gatayas tridhā |
yadaikaikataro’nyābhyāṁ sva-bhāva upahanyate ||
The results of action are good, bad and mixed. Because of the guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas, men become devatās, humans and inhabitants of hell. O King! These three types of beings are again divided into three when each nature is mixed with the other two guṇas.
How did he create these beings? The results of actions are three: those giving good results (kuśala), those giving suffering (akuśalā) and those giving mixed results (miśrāḥ). This indicates that the jīvas attain these results according to their individual actions. There is no fault in the creator. This is the answer to the question that Parīkṣit asked, “O brāhmaṇa! Speak about the progress of time with large and small divisions and the number and types of destinations achieved by action.” (SB 2.8.13) The cause of these results is guṇas. The result of sattva is devatā body. The result of rajas is human body. The result of tamas is hellish existence. These three results are subdivided into three each, to make nine results. Each of the three is mixed with each of the other two. Thus a human with rajas, by a mixture with a great amount of sattva becomes a brāhmaṇa and by mixture with a great amount of tamas becomes a śūdra.
TEXT - SB 2.10.42
sa evedaṁ jagad-dhātā
bhagavān dharma-rūpa-dhṛk
puṣṇāti sthāpayan viśvaṁ
tiryaṅ-nara-surādibhiḥ
SYNONYMS
saḥ—He; eva—certainly; idam—this; jagat-dhātā—the maintainer of the entire universe; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; dharma-rūpa-dhṛk—assuming the form of religious principles; puṣṇāti—maintains; sthāpayan—after establishing; viśvam—the universes; tiryak—living entities lower than the human beings; nara—the human beings; sura-ādibhiḥ—by the demigodly incarnations.
TRANSLATION
He, the Personality of Godhead, as the maintainer of all in the universe, appears in different incarnations after establishing the creation, and thus He reclaims all kinds of conditioned souls amongst the humans, the nonhumans and the demigods.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu incarnates Himself in different societies of living entities to reclaim them from the clutches of illusion, and such activities of the Lord are not limited only to human society. He incarnates Himself even as a fish, hog, tree and many other forms, but less intelligent persons who have no knowledge of Him deride Him even if He is in human society as a human being. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.11):
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā
mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam
paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto
mama bhūta-maheśvaram
As we have already discussed in the previous verses, it is concluded that the Lord is never a product of the material creation. His transcendental position is always unchanged. He is the eternal form of knowledge and bliss, and He executes His almighty will by His different energies. As such, He is never the subject of reactions for any of His acts. He is transcendental to all such conceptions of actions and reactions. Even if He is visible in the material world, the exhibition is only of His internal energy, for He is above the good and bad conceptions of this material world. In the material world the fish or the hog may be considered lower than the man, but when the Lord appears as a fish or hog, He is neither of them in the material conception. It is His causeless mercy that He appears in every society or species of life, but He is never to be considered one of them. Conceptions of the material world such as good and bad, lower and upper, important and insignificant, are estimations of the material energy, and the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all such conceptions. The words paraṁ bhāvam, or transcendental nature, can never be compared to the material conception. We should not forget that the potencies of the Almighty Lord are always the same and do not decrease because the Lord assumes the form of a lower animal. There is no difference between Lord Śrī Rāma, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His incarnations as a fish and hog. He is all-pervading and simultaneously localized at any and every place. But the foolish person with a poor fund of knowledge, for want of that paraṁ bhāvam of the Lord, cannot understand how the Supreme Lord can take the form of a man or a fish. One compares everything to one's own standard of knowledge, as the frog in the well considers the sea to be like the well. The frog in the well cannot even think of the sea, and when such a frog is informed of the greatness of the sea, it takes the conception of the sea as being a little greater than the well. As such, one who is foolish about the transcendental science of the Lord will find it difficult to understand how Lord Viṣṇu can equally manifest Himself in every society of living entities.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.42
sa evedaṁ jagad-dhātā[209] bhagavān dharma-rūpa-dhṛk |
puṣṇāti sthāpayan viśvaṁ tiryaṅ-nara-surādibhiḥ ||
The maintainer of the universe, Bhagavān, accepting the form of Viṣṇu, establishing this universe, maintains it with the animals, men and human beings expressing their own natures of maintenance.
Dharma here means Viṣṇu. From dharma there is preservation of the universe, and from lack of dharma there is destruction. The creation is endowed with dharma and adharma. The birds and beasts protect themselves, their offspring, friends and family by their nature.
Jiva's tika ||2.10.42||
sa evedaṃ jagad-dhātā bhagavān dharma-rūpa-dhṛk | puṣṇāti sthāpayan viśvaṃ tiryan-nara-surādibhiḥ ||
TRANSLATION The maintainer of the universe, Bhagavān, accepting the form of Viṣṇu, establishing this universe, protects it with avatāra forms resembling animals, men and human beings.
The Lord in the form of Viṣṇu maintains the world (jagad-dhātā). He protects dharma itself (dharma-rūpa-dhṛk). He protects the universe by forms similar to animals and humans such as Matsya.
TEXT - SB 2.10.43
tataḥ kālāgni-rudrātmā
yat sṛṣṭam idam ātmanaḥ
sanniyacchati tat kāle
ghanānīkam ivānilaḥ
SYNONYMS
tataḥ—thereafter, at the end; kāla—destruction; agni—fire; rudra-ātmā—in the form of Rudra; yat—whatever; sṛṣṭam—created; idam—all these; ātmanaḥ—of His own; sam—completely; niyacchati—annihilates; tat kāle—at the end of the millennium; ghana-anīkam—bunches of clouds; iva—like that of; anilaḥ—air.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, at the end of the millennium, the Lord Himself in the form of Rudra, the destroyer, will annihilate the complete creation as the wind displaces the clouds.
PURPORT
This creation is very appropriately compared to clouds. Clouds are created or situated in the sky, and when they are displaced they remain in the same sky without manifestation. Similarly, the whole creation is made by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His form of Brahmā, it is maintained by Him in the form of Viṣṇu, and it is destroyed by Him in the form of Rudra, or Śiva, all in due course. This creation, maintenance and destruction are nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.19-20) as follows:
bhūta-grāmaḥ sa evāyaṁ
bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate
rātry-āgame 'vaśaḥ pārtha
prabhavaty ahar-āgame
paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo
'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu
naśyatsu na vinaśyati
The nature of the material world is that it is first created very nicely, then it develops very nicely and stays for a great number of years (even beyond the calculation of the greatest mathematician), but after that it is again destroyed during the night of Brahmā, without any resistance, and at the end of the night of Brahmā it is again manifested as a creation to follow the same principles of maintenance and destruction. The foolish conditioned soul who has taken this temporary world as a permanent settlement has to learn intelligently why such creation and destruction take place. The fruitive actors in the material world are very enthusiastic in the creation of big enterprises, big houses, big empires, big industries and so many big, big things out of the energy and ingredients supplied by the material agent of the Supreme Lord. With such resources, and at the cost of valuable energy, the conditioned soul creates, satisfies his whims, but unwillingly has to depart from all his creations and enter into another phase of life to create again and again. To give hope to such foolish conditioned souls who waste their energy in this temporary material world, the Lord gives information that there is another nature, which is eternally existent without being occasionally created or destroyed, and that the conditioned soul can understand what he should do and how his valuable energy may be utilized. Instead of wasting his energy in matter, which is sure to be destroyed in due course by the supreme will, the conditioned soul should utilize his energy in the devotional service of the Lord so that he can be transferred to the other, eternal nature, where there is no birth, no death, no creation, no destruction, but permanent life instead, full of knowledge and unlimited bliss. The temporary creation is thus exhibited and destroyed just to give information to the conditioned soul who is attached to temporary things. It is also meant to give him a chance for self-realization, and not for sense gratification, which is the prime aim of all fruitive actors.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur Commentary - 2.10.43
tataḥ kālāgni-rudrātmā yat sṛṣṭam idam ātmanaḥ |
sanniyacchati kālena[210] ghanānīkam ivānilaḥ ||
Then the Lord, Kālāgni Rudra, destroys this universe which he alone created by time energy, just as the wind destroys a mass of clouds.
The Lord destroys whatever he has created. Ghanānīkam means “all the clouds.”
SB 2.1.37 - 2.10.43
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