Chapter Eighteen

              Maharaja Pariksit Cursed by a Brahmana Boy

 

                                TEXT 1

 

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                              suta uvaca

                     yo vai drauny-astra-viplusto

                         na matur udare mrtah

                         anugrahad bhagavatah

                       krsnasyadbhuta-karmanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sutah uvaca--Sri Suta Gosvami said; yah--one who; vai--certainly; drauni-astra--by the weapon of the son of Drona; viplustah--burned by; na--never; matuh--of the mother; udare--in the womb; mrtah--met his death; anugrahat--by the mercy; bhagavatah--of the Personality of Godhead; krsnasya--Krsna; adbhuta-karmanah--who acts wonderfully.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Suta Gosvami said: Due to the mercy of the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, who acts wonderfully, Maharaja Pariksit, though struck by the weapon of the son of Drona in his mother's womb, could not be burned.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The sages of Naimisaranya became struck with wonder after hearing about the wonderful administration of Maharaja Pariksit, especially in reference to his punishing the personality of Kali and making him completely unable to do any harm within the kingdom. Suta Gosvami was equally anxious to describe Maharaja Pariksit's wonderful birth and death, and this verse is stated by Suta Gosvami to increase the interest of the sages of Naimisaranya.

 

                                TEXT 2

 

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                      brahma-kopotthitad yas tu

                       taksakat prana-viplavat

                         na sammumohorubhayad

                        bhagavaty arpitasayah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   brahma-kopa--fury of a brahmana; utthitat--caused by; yah--what was; tu--but; taksakat--by the snake-bird; prana-viplavat--from dissolution of life; na--never; sammumoha--was overwhelmed; uru-bhayat--great fear; bhagavati--unto the Personality of Godhead; arpita--surrendered; asayah--consciousness.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Furthermore, Maharaja Pariksit was always consciously surrendered to the Personality of Godhead, and therefore he was neither afraid nor overwhelmed by fear due to a snake-bird which was to bite him because of the fury of a brahmana boy.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   A self-surrendered devotee of the Lord is called narayana-parayana. Such a person is never afraid of any place or person, not even of death. For him nothing is as important as the Supreme Lord, and thus he gives equal importance to heaven and hell. He knows well that both heaven and hell are creations of the Lord, and similarly life and death are different conditions of existence created by the Lord. But in all conditions and in all circumstances, remembrance of Narayana is essential. The narayana-parayana practices this constantly. Maharaja Pariksit was such a pure devotee. He was wrongfully cursed by an inexperienced son of a brahmana, who was under the influence of Kali, and Maharaja Pariksit took this to be sent by Narayana. He knew that Narayana (Lord Krsna) had saved him when he was burned in the womb of his mother, and if he were to be killed by a snake bite, it would also take place by the will of the Lord. The devotee never goes against the will of the Lord; anything sent by God is a blessing for the devotee. Therefore Maharaja Pariksit was neither afraid of nor bewildered by such things. That is the sign of a pure devotee of the Lord.

 

                                TEXT 3

 

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                       utsrjya sarvatah sangam

                        vijnatajita-samsthitih

                        vaiyasaker jahau sisyo

                       gangayam svam kalevaram

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   utsrjya--after leaving aside; sarvatah--all around; sangam--association; vijnata--being understood; ajita--one who is never conquered (the Personality of Godhead); samsthitih--actual position; vaiyasakeh--unto the son of Vyasa; jahau--gave up; sisyah--as a disciple; gangayam--on the bank of the Ganges; svam--his own; kalevaram--material body.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Furthermore, after leaving all his associates, the King surrendered himself as a disciple to the son of Vyasa [Sukadeva Gosvami], and thus he was able to understand the actual position of the Personality of Godhead.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The word ajita is significant here. The Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, is known as Ajita, or unconquerable, and He is so in every respect. No one can know His actual position. He is unconquerable by knowledge also. We have heard about His dhama, or place, eternal Goloka Vrndavana, but there are many scholars who interpret this abode in different ways. But by the grace of a spiritual master like Sukadeva Gosvami, unto whom the King gave himself up as a most humble disciple, one is able to understand the actual position of the Lord, His eternal abode, and His transcendental paraphernalia in that dhama, or abode. Knowing the transcendental position of the Lord and the transcendental method by which one can approach that transcendental dhama, the King was confident about his ultimate destination, and by knowing this he could leave aside everything material, even his own body, without any difficulty of attachment. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is stated, param drstva nivartate: one can give up all connection with material attachment when one is able to see the param, or the superior quality of things. From Bhagavad-gita we understand the quality of the Lord's energy that is superior to the material quality of energy, and by the grace of a bona fide spiritual master like Sukadeva Gosvami, it is quite possible to know everything of the superior energy of the Lord by which the Lord manifests His eternal name, quality, pastimes, paraphernalia and variegatedness. Unless one thoroughly understands this superior or eternal energy of the Lord, it is not possible to leave the material energy, however one may theoretically speculate on the true nature of the Absolute Truth. By the grace of Lord Krsna, Maharaja Pariksit was able to receive the mercy of such a personality as Sukadeva Gosvami, and thus he was able to know the actual position of the unconquerable Lord. It is very difficult to find the Lord from the Vedic literatures, but it is very easy to know Him by the mercy of a liberated devotee like Sukadeva Gosvami.

 

                                TEXT 4

 

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                        nottamasloka-vartanam

                        jusatam tat-kathamrtam

                     syat sambhramo 'nta-kale 'pi

                       smaratam tat-padambujam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   na--never; uttama-sloka--the Personality of Godhead, of whom the Vedic hymns sing; vartanam--of those who live on them; jusatam--of those who are engaged in; tat--His; katha-amrtam--transcendental topics about Him; syat--it so happens; sambhramah--misconception; anta--at the end; kale--in time; api--also; smaratam--remembering; tat--His; pada-ambujam--lotus feet.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   This was so because those who have dedicated their lives to the transcendental topics of the Personality of Godhead, of whom the Vedic hymns sing, and who are constantly engaged in remembering the lotus feet of the Lord, do not run the risk of having misconceptions even at the last moment of their lives.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The highest perfection of life is attained by remembering the transcendental nature of the Lord at the last moment of one's life. This perfection of life is made possible by one who has learned the actual transcendental nature of the Lord from the Vedic hymns sung by a liberated soul like Sukadeva Gosvami or someone in that line of disciplic succession. There is no gain in hearing the Vedic hymns from some mental speculator. When the same is heard from an actual self-realized soul and is properly understood by service and submission, everything becomes transparently clear. Thus a submissive disciple is able to live transcendentally and continue to the end of life. By scientific adaptation, one is able to remember the Lord even at the end of life, when the power of remembrance is slackened due to derangement of bodily membranes. For a common man, it is very difficult to remember things as they are at the time of death, but by the grace of the Lord and His bona fide devotees, the spiritual masters, one can get this opportunity without difficulty. And it was done in the case of Maharaja Pariksit.

 

                                TEXT 5

 

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                       tavat kalir na prabhavet

                       pravisto 'piha sarvatah

                        yavad iso mahan urvyam

                         abhimanyava eka-rat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tavat--so long; kalih--the personality of Kali; na--cannot; prabhavet--flourish; pravistah--entered in; api--even though; iha--here; sarvatah--everywhere; yavat--as long as; isah--the lord; mahan--great; urvyam--powerful; abhimanyavah--the son of Abhimanyu; eka-rat--the one emperor.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   As long as the great, powerful son of Abhimanyu remains the Emperor of the world, there is no chance that the personality of Kali will flourish.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   As we have already explained, the personality of Kali had entered the jurisdiction of this earth long ago, and he was looking for an opportunity to spread his influence all over the world. But he could not do so satisfactorily due to the presence of Maharaja Pariksit. That is the way of good government. The disturbing elements like the personality of Kali will always try to extend their nefarious activities, but it is the duty of the able state to check them by all means. Although Maharaja Pariksit allotted places for the personality of Kali, at the same time he gave no chance for the citizens to be swayed by the personality of Kali.

 

                                TEXT 6

 

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                       yasminn ahani yarhy eva

                        bhagavan utsasarja gam

                        tadaivehanuvrtto 'sav

                       adharma-prabhavah kalih

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yasmin--on that; ahani--very day; yarhi eva--in the very moment; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; utsasarja--left aside; gam--the earth; tada--at that time; eva--certainly; iha--in this world; anuvrttah--followed; asau--he; adharma--irreligion; prabhavah--accelerating; kalih--the personality of quarrel.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The very day and moment the Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna, left this earth, the personality of Kali, who promotes all kinds of irreligious activities, came into this world.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The Personality of Godhead and His holy name, qualities, etc., are all identical. The personality of Kali was not able to enter the jurisdiction of the earth due to the presence of the Personality of Godhead. And similarly, if there is an arrangement for the constant chanting of the holy names, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no chance at all for the personality of Kali to enter. That is the technique of driving away the personality of Kali from the world. In modernized human society there are great advancements of material science, and they have invented the radio to distribute sound in the air. So instead of vibrating some nuisance sound for sense enjoyment, if the state arranges to distribute transcendental sound by resounding the holy name, fame and activities of the Lord, as they are authorized in the Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, then a favorable condition will be created, the principles of religion in the world will be reestablished, and thus the executive heads, who are so anxious to drive away corruption from the world, will be successful. Nothing is bad if properly used for the service of the Lord.

 

                                TEXT 7

 

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                       nanudvesti kalim samrat

                        saranga iva sara-bhuk

                       kusalany asu siddhyanti

                         netarani krtani yat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   na--never; anudvesti--envious; kalim--unto the personality of Kali; samrat--the Emperor; saram-ga--realist, like the bees; iva--like; sara-bhuk--one who accepts the substance; kusalani--auspicious objects; asu--immediately; siddhyanti--become successful; na--never; itarani--which are inauspicious; krtani--being performed; yat--as much as.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Maharaja Pariksit was a realist, like the bees who only accept the essence [of a flower]. He knew perfectly well that in this age of Kali, auspicious things produce good effects immediately, whereas inauspicious acts must be actually performed [to render effects]. So he was never envious of the personality of Kali.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The age of Kali is called the fallen age. In this fallen age, because the living beings are in an awkward position, the Supreme Lord has given some special facilities to them. So by the will of the Lord, a living being does not become a victim of a sinful act until the act is actually performed. In other ages, simply by thinking of performing a sinful act, one used to become a victim of the act. On the contrary, a living being in this age is awarded with the results of pious acts simply by thinking of them. Maharaja Pariksit, being the most learned and experienced king by the grace of the Lord, was not unnecessarily envious of the personality of Kali because he did not intend to give him any chance to perform any sinful act. He protected his subjects from falling prey to the sinful acts of the age of Kali, and at the same time he gave full facility to the age of Kali by allotting him some particular places. At the end of the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that even though all nefarious activities of the personality of Kali are present, there is a great advantage in the age of Kali. One can attain salvation simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Thus Maharaja Pariksit made an organized effort to propagate the chanting of the Lord's holy name, and thus he saved the citizens from the clutches of Kali. It is for this advantage only that great sages sometimes wish all good for the age of Kali. In the Vedas also it is said that by discourse on Lord Krsna's activities, one can get rid of all the disadvantages of the age of Kali. In the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is also said that by the recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Supreme Lord becomes at once arrested within one's heart. These are some of the great advantages of the age of Kali, and Maharaja Pariksit took all the advantages and did not think any ill of the age of Kali, true to his Vaisnavite cult.

 

                                TEXT 8

 

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                         kim nu balesu surena

                         kalina dhira-bhiruna

                        apramattah pramattesu

                         yo vrko nrsu vartate

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kim--what; nu--may be; balesu--among the less intelligent persons; surena--by the powerful; kalina--by the personality of Kali; dhira--self-controlled; bhiruna--by one who is afraid of; apramattah--one who is careful; pramattesu--among the careless; yah--one who; vrkah--tiger; nrsu--among men; vartate--exists.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Maharaja Pariksit considered that less intelligent men might find the personality of Kali to be very powerful, but that those who are self-controlled would have nothing to fear. The King was powerful like a tiger and took care for the foolish, careless persons.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Those who are not devotees of the Lord are careless and unintelligent. Unless one is thoroughly intelligent, one cannot be a devotee of the Lord. Those who are not devotees of the Lord fall prey to the actions of Kali. It will not be possible to bring about a saner condition in society unless we are prepared to accept the modes of action adopted by Maharaja Pariksit, i.e., propagation of the devotional service of the Lord to the common man.

 

                                TEXT 9

 

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                         upavarnitam etad vah

                        punyam pariksitam maya

                         vasudeva-kathopetam

                        akhyanam yad aprcchata

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   upavarnitam--almost everything described; etat--all these; vah--unto you; punyam--pious; pariksitam--about Maharaja Pariksit; maya--by me; vasudeva--of Lord Krsna; katha--narrations; upetam--in connection with; akhyanam--statements; yat--what; aprcchata--you asked from me.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O sages, as you did ask me, now I have described almost everything regarding the narrations about Lord Krsna in connection with the history of the pious Maharaja Pariksit.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Srimad-Bhagavatam is the history of the activities of the Lord. And the activities of the Lord are performed in relation with the devotees of the Lord. Therefore, the history of the devotees is not different from the history of Lord Krsna's activities. A devotee of the Lord regards both the activities of the Lord and those of His pure devotees on an equal level, for they are all transcendental.

 

                               TEXT 10

 

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                       ya yah katha bhagavatah

                         kathaniyoru-karmanah

                       guna-karmasrayah pumbhih

                       samsevyas ta bubhusubhih

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yah--whatever; yah--and whatsoever; kathah--topics; bhagavatah--about the Personality of Godhead; kathaniya--were to be spoken by me; uru-karmanah--of Him who acts wonderfully; guna--transcendental qualities; karma--uncommon deeds; asrayah--involving; pumbhih--by persons; samsevyah--ought to be heard; tah--all of them; bubhusubhih--by those who want their own welfare.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Those who are desirous of achieving complete perfection in life must submissively hear all topics that are connected with the transcendental activities and qualities of the Personality of Godhead, who acts wonderfully.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The systematic hearing of the transcendental activities, qualities and names of Lord Sri Krsna pushes one towards eternal life. Systematic hearing means knowing Him gradually in truth and fact, and this knowing Him in truth and fact means attaining eternal life, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Such transcendental, glorified activities of Lord Sri Krsna are the prescribed remedy for counteracting the process of birth, death, old age and disease, which are considered to be material awards for the conditioned living being. The culmination of such a perfectional stage of life is the goal of human life and the attainment of transcendental bliss.

 

                               TEXT 11

 

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                              rsaya ucuh

                        suta jiva samah saumya

                        sasvatir visadam yasah

                      yas tvam samsasi krsnasya

                       martyanam amrtam hi nah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   rsayah ucuh--the good sages said; suta--O Suta Gosvami; jiva--we wish you life for; samah--many years; saumya--grave; sasvatih--eternal; visadam--particularly; yasah--in fame; yah tvam--because you; samsasi--speaking nicely; krsnasya--of Lord Sri Krsna; martyanam--of those who die; amrtam--eternity of life; hi--certainly; nah--our.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The good sages said: O grave Suta Gosvami! May you live many years and have eternal fame, for you are speaking very nicely about the activities of Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. This is just like nectar for mortal beings like us.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When we hear about the transcendental qualities and activities of the Personality of Godhead, we may always remember what has been spoken by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9). His acts, even when He acts in human society, are all transcendental, for they are all accentuated by the spiritual energy of the Lord, which is distinguished from His material energy. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, such acts are called divyam. This means that He does not act or take His birth like an ordinary living being under the custody of material energy. Nor is His body material or changeable like that of ordinary living beings. And one who understands this fact, either from the Lord or from authorized sources, is not reborn after leaving the present material body. Such an enlightened soul is admitted into the spiritual realm of the Lord and engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Therefore, the more we hear about the transcendental activities of the Lord, as they are stated in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, the more we can know about His transcendental nature and thus make definite progress on the path back to Godhead.

 

                               TEXT 12

 

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                       karmany asminn anasvase

                      dhuma-dhumratmanam bhavan

                          apayayati govinda-

                        pada-padmasavam madhu

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   karmani--performance of; asmin--in this; anasvase--without certainty; dhuma--smoke; dhumra-atmanam--tinged body and mind; bhavan--your good self; apayayati--very much pleasing; govinda--the Personality of Godhead; pada--feet; padma-asavam--nectar of the lotus flower; madhu--honey.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   We have just begun the performance of this fruitive activity, a sacrificial fire, without certainty of its result due to the many imperfections in our action. Our bodies have become black from the smoke, but we are factually pleased by the nectar of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, which you are distributing.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The sacrificial fire kindled by the sages of Naimisaranya was certainly full of smoke and doubts because of so many flaws. The first flaw is that there is an acute scarcity of expert brahmanas able to carry out such performances successfully in this age of Kali. Any discrepancy in such sacrifices spoils the whole show, and the result is uncertain, like agricultural enterprises. The good result of tilling the paddy field depends on providential rain, and therefore the result is uncertain. Similarly, performance of any kind of sacrifice in this age of Kali is also uncertain. Unscrupulous greedy brahmanas of the age of Kali induce the innocent public to such uncertain sacrificial shows without disclosing the scriptural injunction that in the age of Kali there is no fruitful sacrificial performance but the sacrifice of the congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Suta Gosvami was narrating the transcendental activities of the Lord before the congregation of sages, and they were factually perceiving the result of hearing these transcendental activities. One can feel this practically, as one can feel the result of eating food. Spiritual realization acts in that way.

   The sages of Naimisaranya were practically sufferers from the smoke of a sacrificial fire and were doubtful about the result, but by hearing from a realized person like Suta Gosvami, they were fully satisfied. In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Visnu tells Siva that in the age of Kali, men full of anxieties of various kinds can vainly labor in fruitive activity and philosophical speculations, but when they are engaged in devotional service, the result is sure and certain, and there is no loss of energy. In other words, nothing performed for spiritual realization or for material benefit can be successful without the devotional service to the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 13

 

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                          tulayama lavenapi

                      na svargam napunar-bhavam

                       bhagavat-sangi-sangasya

                        martyanam kim utasisah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tulayama--to be balanced with; lavena--by a moment; api--even; na--never; svargam--heavenly planets; na--nor; apunah-bhavam--liberation from matter; bhagavat-sangi--devotee of the Lord; sangasya--of the association; martyanam--those who are meant for death; kim--what is there; uta--to speak of; asisah--worldly benediction.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The value of a moment's association with the devotee of the Lord cannot even be compared to the attainment of heavenly planets or liberation from matter, and what to speak of worldly benedictions in the form of material prosperity, which are for those who are meant for death.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When there are some similar points, it is possible to compare one thing to another. One cannot compare the association of a pure devotee to anything material. Men who are addicted to material happiness aspire to reach the heavenly planets like the moon, Venus and Indraloka, and those who are advanced in material philosophical speculations aspire after liberation from all material bondage. When one becomes frustrated with all kinds of material advancement, one desires the opposite type of liberation, which is called apunar-bhava, or no rebirth. But the pure devotees of the Lord do not aspire after the happiness obtained in the heavenly kingdom, nor do they aspire after liberation from material bondage. In other words, for the pure devotees of the Lord the material pleasures obtainable in the heavenly planets are like phantasmagoria, and because they are already liberated from all material conceptions of pleasure and distress, they are factually liberated even in the material world. This means that the pure devotees of the Lord are engaged in a transcendental existence, namely in the loving service of the Lord, both in the material world and in the spiritual world. As a government servant is always the same, either in the office or at home or at any place, so a devotee has nothing to do with anything material, for he is exclusively engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord. Since he has nothing to do with anything material, what pleasure can he derive from material benedictions like kingship or other overlordships, which are finished quickly with the end of the body? Devotional service is eternal; it has no end, because it is spiritual. Therefore, since the assets of a pure devotee are completely different from material assets, there is no comparison between the two. Suta Gosvami was a pure devotee of the Lord, and therefore his association with the rsis in Naimisaranya is unique. In the material world, association with gross materialists is veritably condemned. The materialist is called yosit-sangi, or one who is much attached to material entanglement (women and other paraphernalia). Such attachment is conditioned because it drives away the benedictions of life and prosperity. And just the opposite is bhagavata-sangi, or one who is always in the association with the Lord's name, form, qualities, etc. Such association is always desirable; it is worshipable, it is praiseworthy, and one may accept it as the highest goal of life.

 

                               TEXT 14

 

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                   ko nama trpyed rasavit kathayam

                     mahattamaikanta-parayanasya

                    nantam gunanam agunasya jagmur

                   yogesvara ye bhava-padma-mukhyah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kah--who is he; nama--specifically; trpyet--get full satisfaction; rasa-vit--expert in relishing mellow nectar; kathayam--in the topics of; mahat-tama--the greatest amongst the living beings; ekanta--exclusively; parayanasya--of one who is the shelter of; na--never; antam--end; gunanam--of attributes; agunasya--of the Transcendence; jagmuh--could ascertain; yoga-isvarah--the lords of mystic power; ye--all they; bhava--Lord Siva; padma--Lord Brahma; mukhyah--heads.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna [Govinda], is the exclusive shelter for all great living beings, and His transcendental attributes cannot even be measured by such masters of mystic powers as Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. Can anyone who is expert in relishing nectar [rasa] ever be fully satiated by hearing topics about Him?

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Lord Siva and Lord Brahma are two chiefs of the demigods. They are full of mystic powers. For example, Lord Siva drank an ocean of poison of which one drop was sufficient to kill an ordinary living being. Similarly, Brahma could create many powerful demigods, including Lord Siva. So they are isvaras, or lords of the universe. But they are not the supreme powerful. The supreme powerful is Govinda, Lord Krsna. He is the Transcendence, and His transcendental attributes cannot be measured even by such powerful isvaras as Siva and Brahma. Therefore Lord Krsna is the exclusive shelter of the greatest of all living beings. Brahma is counted amongst the living beings, but he is the greatest of all of us. And why is the greatest of all the living beings so much attached to the transcendental topics of Lord Krsna? Because He is the reservoir of all enjoyment. Everyone wants to relish some kind of taste in everything, but one who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord can derive unlimited pleasure from such engagement. The Lord is unlimited, and His name, attributes, pastimes, entourage, variegatedness, etc. are unlimited, and those who relish them can do so unlimitedly and still not feel satiated. This fact is confirmed in the Padma Purana:

 

                        ramante yogino 'nante

                        satyananda-cid-atmani

                          iti rama-padenasau

                        param brahmabhidhiyate

 

   "The mystics derive unlimited transcendental pleasures from the Absolute Truth, and therefore the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is also known as Rama."

   There is no end to such transcendental discourses. In mundane affairs there is the law of satiation, but in transcendence there is no such satiation. Suta Gosvami desired to continue the topics of Lord Krsna before the sages of Naimisaranya, and the sages also expressed their readiness to hear from him continuously. Since the Lord is transcendence and His attributes are transcendental, such discourses increase the receptive mood of the purified audience.

 

                               TEXT 15

 

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                 tan no bhavan vai bhagavat-pradhano

                     mahattamaikanta-parayanasya

                    harer udaram caritam visuddham

                    susrusatam no vitanotu vidvan

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tat--therefore; nah--of us; bhavan--your good self; vai--certainly; bhagavat--in relation with the Personality of Godhead; pradhanah--chiefly; mahat-tama--the greatest of all greats; ekanta--exclusively; parayanasya--of the shelter; hareh--of the Lord; udaram--impartial; caritam--activities; visuddham--transcendental; susrusatam--those who are receptive; nah--ourselves; vitanotu--kindly describe; vidvan--O learned one.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O Suta Gosvami, you are a learned and pure devotee of the Lord because the Personality of Godhead is your chief object of service. Therefore please describe to us the pastimes of the Lord, which are above all material conception, for we are anxious to receive such messages.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The speaker on the transcendental activities of the Lord should have only one object of worship and service, Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the audience for such topics should be anxious to hear about Him. When such a combination is possible, namely a qualified speaker and a qualified audience, it is then and there very much congenial to continue discourses on the Transcendence. Professional speakers and a materially absorbed audience cannot derive real benefit from such discourses. Professional speakers make a show of Bhagavata-saptaha for the sake of family maintenance, and the materially disposed audience hears such discourses of Bhagavata-saptaha for some material benefit, namely religiosity, wealth, gratification of the senses, or liberation. Such Bhagavatam discourses are not purified from the contamination of the material qualities. But the discourses between the saints of Naimisaranya and Sri Suta Gosvami are on the transcendental level. There is no motive for material gain. In such discourses, unlimited transcendental pleasure is relished both by the audience and by the speaker, and therefore they can continue the topics for many thousands of years. Now Bhagavata-saptahas are held for seven days only, and after finishing the show, both the audience and the speaker become engaged in material activities as usual. They can do so because the speaker is not bhagavat-pradhana and the audience is not susrusatam, as explained above.

 

                               TEXT 16

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   sa vai maha-bhagavatah pariksid

                   yenapavargakhyam adabhra-buddhih

                     jnanena vaiyasaki-sabditena

                  bheje khagendra-dhvaja-pada-mulam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sah--he; vai--certainly; maha-bhagavatah--first-class devotee; pariksit--the King; yena--by which; apavarga-akhyam--by the name of liberation; adabhra--fixed; buddhih--intelligence; jnanena--by knowledge; vaiyasaki--the son of Vyasa; sabditena--vibrated by; bheje--taken to; khaga-indra--Garuda, the king of the birds; dhvaja--flag; pada-mulam--soles of the feet.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O Suta Gosvami, please describe those topics of the Lord by which Maharaja Pariksit, whose intelligence was fixed on liberation, attained the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of Garuda, the king of birds. Those topics were vibrated by the son of Vyasa [Srila Sukadeva].

 

                               PURPORT

 

   There is some controversy amongst the students on the path of liberation. Such transcendental students are known as impersonalists and devotees of the Lord. The devotee of the Lord worships the transcendental form of the Lord, whereas the impersonalist meditates upon the glaring effulgence, or the bodily rays of the Lord, known as the brahmajyoti. Here in this verse it is said that Maharaja Pariksit attained the lotus feet of the Lord by instructions in knowledge delivered by the son of Vyasadeva, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. Sukadeva Gosvami was also an impersonalist in the beginning, as he himself has admitted in the Bhagavatam (2.1.9), but later on he was attracted by the transcendental pastimes of the Lord and thus became a devotee. Such devotees with perfect knowledge are called maha-bhagavatas, or first-class devotees. There are three classes of devotees, namely the prakrta, madhyama, and maha-bhagavata. The prakrta, or third-class devotees, are temple worshipers without specific knowledge of the Lord and the Lord's devotees. The madhyama, or the second-class devotee, knows well the Lord, the Lord's devotees, the neophytes, and the nondevotees also. But the maha-bhagavata, or the first-class devotee, sees everything in relation with the Lord and the Lord present in everyone's relation. The maha-bhagavata, therefore, does not make any distinction, particularly between a devotee and nondevotee. Maharaja Pariksit was such a maha-bhagavata devotee because he was initiated by a maha-bhagavata devotee, Sukadeva Gosvami. He was equally kind, even to the personality of Kali, and what to speak of others.

   So there are many instances in the transcendental histories of the world of an impersonalist who has later become a devotee. But a devotee has never become an impersonalist. This very fact proves that on the transcendental steps, the step occupied by a devotee is higher than the step occupied by an impersonalist. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita (12.5) that persons stuck on the impersonal step undergo more sufferings than achievement of reality. Therefore knowledge imparted by Sukadeva Gosvami unto Maharaja Pariksit helped him attain the service of the Lord. And this stage of perfection is called apavarga, or the perfect stage of liberation. Simple knowledge of liberation is material knowledge. Actual freedom from material bondage is called liberation, but attainment of the transcendental service of the Lord is called the perfect stage of liberation. Such a stage is attained by knowledge and renunciation, as we have already explained (Bhag. 1.2.12), and perfect knowledge, as delivered by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, results in the attainment of the transcendental service of the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 17

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tan nah param punyam asamvrtartham

                   akhyanam atyadbhuta-yoga-nistham

                     akhyahy anantacaritopapannam

                     pariksitam bhagavatabhiramam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tat--therefore; nah--unto us; param--supreme; punyam--purifying; asamvrta-artham--as it is; akhyanam--narration; ati--very; adbhuta--wonderful; yoga-nistham--compact in bhakti-yoga; akhyahi--describe; ananta--the Unlimited; acarita--activities; upapannam--full of; pariksitam--spoken to Maharaja Pariksit; bhagavata--of the pure devotees; abhiramam--particularly very dear.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thus please narrate to us the narrations of the Unlimited, for they are purifying and supreme. They were spoken to Maharaja Pariksit, and they are very dear to the pure devotees, being full of bhakti-yoga.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   What was spoken to Maharaja Pariksit and what is very dear to the pure devotees is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is mainly full of the narrations of the activities of the Supreme Unlimited, and therefore it is the science of bhakti-yoga, or the devotional service of the Lord. Thus it is para, or supreme, because although it is enriched with all knowledge and religion, it is specifically enriched with the devotional service of the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 18

 

                                 TEXT

 

                              suta uvaca

                   aho vayam janma-bhrto 'dya hasma

                    vrddhanuvrttyapi viloma-jatah

                  dauskulyam adhim vidhunoti sighram

                     mahattamanam abhidhana-yogah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sutah uvaca--Suta Gosvami said; aho--how; vayam--we; janma-bhrtah--promoted in birth; adya--today; ha--clearly; asma--have become; vrddha-anuvrttya--by serving those who are advanced in knowledge; api--although; viloma-jatah--born in a mixed caste; dauskulyam--disqualification of birth; adhim--sufferings; vidhunoti--purifies; sighram--very soon; mahat-tamanam--of those who are great; abhidhana--conversation; yogah--connection.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Suta Gosvami said: O God, although we are born in a mixed caste, we are still promoted in birthright simply by serving and following the great who are advanced in knowledge. Even by conversing with such great souls, one can without delay cleanse oneself of all disqualifications resulting from lower births.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Suta Gosvami did not take his birth in a brahmana family. He was born in a family of mixed caste, or an uncultured low family. But because of higher association, like Sri Sukadeva Gosvami and the great rsis of Naimisaranya, certainly the disqualification of inferior birth was washed off. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu followed this principle in pursuance of the Vedic usages, and by His transcendental association He elevated many lowborn, or those disqualified by birth or action, to the status of devotional service and established them in the position of acaryas, or authorities. He clearly stated that any man, whatever he may be, whether a brahmana or sudra by birth, or a householder or mendicant in the order of society, if he is conversant with the science of Krsna, he can be accepted as an acarya or guru, a spiritual master.

   Suta Gosvami learned the science of Krsna from great rsis and authorities like Sukadeva and Vyasadeva and he was so qualified that even the sages of Naimisaranya eagerly wanted to hear from him the science of Krsna in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So he had the double association of great souls by hearing and preaching. Transcendental science, or the science of Krsna, has to be learned from the authorities, and when one preaches the science, he becomes still more qualified. So Suta Gosvami had both the advantages, and thus undoubtedly he was completely freed from all disqualifications of low birth and mental agonies. This verse definitely proves that Srila Sukadeva Gosvami did not refuse to teach Suta Gosvami about the transcendental science nor did the sages of Naimisaranya refuse to hear lessons from him because of his inferior birth. This means that thousands of years ago there was no bar to learning or preaching the transcendental science because of inferior birth. The rigidity of the so-called caste system in Hindu society became prominent within only one hundred years or so when the number of dvija-bandhus, or disqualified men in the families of higher castes, increased. Lord Sri Caitanya revived the original Vedic system, and He elevated Thakura Haridasa to the position of namacarya, or the authority in preaching the glories of the holy name of the Lord, although His Holiness Srila Haridasa Thakura was pleased to appear in a family of Mohammedans.

   Such is the power of pure devotees of the Lord. The Ganges water is accepted as pure, and one can become purified after taking a bath in the waters of the Ganges. But as far as the great devotees of the Lord are concerned, they can purify a degraded soul even by being seen by the lowborn, and what to speak of association. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to purify the whole atmosphere of the polluted world by sending qualified preachers all over the world, and it remains with the Indians to take up this task scientifically and thus do the best kind of humanitarian work. The mental diseases of the present generation are more acute than bodily diseases; it is quite fit and proper to take up the preaching of Srimad-Bhagavatam all over the world without delay. Mahattamanam abhidhana also means dictionary of great devotees, or a book full of the words of great devotees. Such a dictionary of the words of great devotees and those of the Lord are in the Vedas and allied literatures, specifically the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

 

                               TEXT 19

 

                                 TEXT

 

                    kutah punar grnato nama tasya

                     mahattamaikanta-parayanasya

                   yo 'nanta-saktir bhagavan ananto

                   mahad-gunatvad yam anantam ahuh

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kutah--what to say; punah--again; grnatah--one who chants; nama--holy name; tasya--His; mahat-tama--great devotees; ekanta--exclusive; parayanasya--of one who takes shelter of; yah--He who; ananta--is the Unlimited; saktih--potency; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; anantah--immeasurable; mahat--great; gunatvat--on account of such attributes; yam--whom; anantam--by the name ananta; ahuh--is called.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   And what to speak of those who are under the direction of the great devotees, chanting the holy name of the Unlimited, who has unlimited potency? The Personality of Godhead, unlimited in potency and transcendental by attributes, is called the ananta [Unlimited].

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The dvija-bandhu, or the less intelligent, uncultured men born of higher castes, put forward many arguments against the lower-caste men becoming brahmanas in this life. They argue that birth in a family of sudras or less than sudras is made possible by one's previous sinful acts and that one therefore has to complete the terms of disadvantages due to lower birth. And to answer these false logicians, Srimad-Bhagavatam asserts that one who chants the holy name of the Lord under the direction of a pure devotee can at once get free from the disadvantages due to a lower-caste birth. A pure devotee of the Lord does not commit any offense while chanting the holy name of the Lord. There are ten different offenses in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. To chant the holy name under the direction of a pure devotee is offenseless chanting. Offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord is transcendental, and, therefore, such chanting can at once purify one from the effects of all kinds of previous sins. This offenseless chanting indicates that one has fully understood the transcendental nature of the holy name and has thus surrendered unto the Lord. Transcendentally the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, being absolute. The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the Lord. The Lord is the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, and He has innumerable names, which are all nondifferent from Him and are equally powerful also. In the last word of the Bhagavad-gita the Lord asserts that one who surrenders fully unto Him is protected from all sins by the grace of the Lord. Since His name and He Himself are identical, the holy name of the Lord can protect the devotee from all effects of sins. The chanting of the holy name of the Lord can undoubtedly deliver one from the disadvantages of a lower-caste birth. The Lord's unlimited power is extended on and on by the unlimited expansion of the devotees and incarnations, and thus every devotee of the Lord and incarnations also can be equally surcharged with the potency of the Lord. Since the devotee is surcharged with the potency of the Lord, even fractionally, the disqualification due to lower birth cannot stand in the way.

 

                               TEXT 20

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       etavatalam nanu sucitena

                      gunair asamyanatisayanasya

                   hitvetaran prarthayato vibhutir

                  yasyanghri-renum jusate 'nabhipsoh

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   etavata--so far; alam--unnecessary; nanu--if at all; sucitena--by description; gunaih--by attributes; asamya--immeasurable; anati-sayanasya--of one who is unexcelled; hitva--leaving aside; itaran--others; prarthayatah--of those who ask for; vibhutih--favor of the goddess of fortune; yasya--one whose; anghri--feet; renum--dust; jusate--serves; anabhipsoh--of one who is unwilling.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   It is now ascertained that He [the Personality of Godhead] is unlimited and there is none equal to Him. Consequently no one can speak of Him adequately. Great demigods cannot obtain the favor of the goddess of fortune even by prayers, but this very goddess renders service unto the Lord, although He is unwilling to have such service.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The Personality of Godhead, or the Paramesvara Parabrahman, according to the srutis, has nothing to do. He has no equal. Nor does anyone excel Him. He has unlimited potencies, and His every action is carried out systematically in His natural and perfect ways. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full in Himself, and He has nothing to accept from anyone else, including the great demigods like Brahma. Others ask for the favor of the goddess of fortune, and despite such prayers she declines to award such favors. But still she renders service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although He has nothing to accept from her. The Personality of Godhead in His Garbhodakasayi Visnu feature begets Brahma, the first created person in the material world, from His navel lotus stem and not in the womb of the goddess of fortune, who is eternally engaged in His service. These are some of the instances of His complete independence and perfection. That He has nothing to do does not mean that He is impersonal. He is transcendentally so full of inconceivable potencies that simply by His willing, everything is done without physical or personal endeavor. He is called, therefore, Yogesvara, or the Lord of all mystic powers.

 

                               TEXT 21

 

                                 TEXT

 

                    athapi yat-pada-nakhavasrstam

                    jagad virincopahrtarhanambhah

                    sesam punaty anyatamo mukundat

                   ko nama loke bhagavat-padarthah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   atha--therefore; api--certainly; yat--whose; pada-nakha--nails of the feet; avasrstam--emanating; jagat--the whole universe; virinca--Brahmaji; upahrta--collected; arhana--worship; ambhah--water; sa--along with; isam--Lord Siva; punati--purifies; anyatamah--who else; mukundat--besides the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna; kah--who; nama--name; loke--within the world; bhagavat--Supreme Lord; pada--position; arthah--worth.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

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

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The conception of many gods in the Vedic literatures by the ignorant is completely wrong. The Lord is one without a second, but He expands Himself in many ways, and this is confirmed in the Vedas. Such expansions of the Lord are limitless, but some of them are the living entities. The living entities are not as powerful as the Lord's plenary expansions, and therefore there are two different types of expansions. Lord Brahma is generally one of the living entities, and Lord Siva is the via medium between the Lord and the living entities. In other words, even demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, who are the chief amongst all demigods, are never equal to or greater than Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The goddess of fortune, Laksmi, and all-powerful demigods like Brahma and Siva are engaged in the worship of Visnu or Lord Krsna; therefore who can be more powerful than Mukunda (Lord Krsna) to be factually called the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The goddess of fortune, Laksmiji, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are not independently powerful; they are powerful as expansions of the Supreme Lord, and all of them are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and so also are the living entities. There are four sects of worshipful devotees of the Lord, and the chief amongst them are the Brahma-sampradaya, Rudra-sampradaya and Sri-sampradaya, descending directly from Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, respectively. Besides the above-mentioned three sampradayas, there is the Kumara-sampradaya, descending from Sanat-kumara. All of the four original sampradayas are still scrupulously engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord up to date, and they all declare that Lord Krsna, Mukunda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no other personality is equal to Him or greater than Him.

 

                               TEXT 22

 

                                 TEXT

 

                    yatranuraktah sahasaiva dhira

                    vyapohya dehadisu sangam udham

                  vrajanti tat parama-hamsyam antyam

                  yasminn ahimsopasamah sva-dharmah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yatra--unto whom; anuraktah--firmly attached; sahasa--all of a sudden; eva--certainly; dhirah--self-controlled; vyapohya--leaving aside; deha--the gross body and subtle mind; adisu--relating to; sangam--attachment; udham--taken to; vrajanti--go away; tat--that; parama-hamsyam--the highest stage of perfection; antyam--and beyond that; yasmin--in which; ahimsa--nonviolence; upasamah--and renunciation; sva-dharmah--consequential occupation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Self-controlled persons who are attached to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna can all of a sudden give up the world of material attachment, including the gross body and subtle mind, and go away to attain the highest perfection of the renounced order of life, by which nonviolence and renunciation are consequential.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Only the self-controlled can gradually be attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Self-controlled means not indulging in sense enjoyment more than is necessary. And those who are not self-controlled are given over to sense enjoyment. Dry philosophical speculation is a subtle sense enjoyment of the mind. Sense enjoyment leads one to the path of darkness. Those who are self-controlled can make progress on the path of liberation from the conditional life of material existence. The Vedas, therefore, enjoin that one should not go on the path of darkness but should make a progressive march towards the path of light or liberation. Self-control is actually achieved not by artificially stopping the senses from material enjoyment, but by becoming factually attached to the Supreme Lord by engaging one's unalloyed senses in the transcendental service of the Lord. The senses cannot be forcibly curbed, but they can be given proper engagement. Purified senses, therefore, are always engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord. This perfectional stage of sense engagement is called bhakti-yoga. So those who are attached to the means of bhakti-yoga are factually self-controlled and can all of a sudden give up their homely or bodily attachment for the service of the Lord. This is called the paramahamsa stage. Hamsas, or swans, accept only milk out of a mixture of milk and water. Similarly, those who accept the service of the Lord instead of maya's service are called the paramahamsas. They are naturally qualified with all the good attributes, such as pridelessness, freedom from vanity, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, respectability, worship, devotion and sincerity. All these godly qualities exist in the devotee of the Lord spontaneously. Such paramahamsas, who are completely given up to the service of the Lord, are very rare. They are very rare even amongst the liberated souls. Real nonviolence means freedom from envy. In this world everyone is envious of his fellow being. But a perfect paramahamsa, being completely given up to the service of the Lord, is perfectly nonenvious. He loves every living being in relation with the Supreme Lord. Real renunciation means perfect dependence on God. Every living being is dependent on someone else because he is so made. Actually everyone is dependent on the mercy of the Supreme Lord, but when one forgets his relation with the Lord, he becomes dependent on the conditions of material nature. Renunciation means renouncing ones dependence on the conditions of material nature and thus becoming completely dependent on the mercy of the Lord. Real independence means complete faith in the mercy of the Lord without dependence on the conditions of matter. This paramahamsa stage is the highest perfectional stage in bhakti-yoga, the process of devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

 

                               TEXT 23

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  aham hi prsto 'ryamano bhavadbhir

                     acaksa atmavagamo 'tra yavan

                nabhah patanty atma-samam patattrinas

                  tatha samam visnu-gatim vipascitah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   aham--my humble self; hi--certainly; prstah--asked by you; aryamanah--as powerful as the sun; bhavadbhih--by you; acakse--may describe; atma-avagamah--as far as my knowledge is concerned; atra--herein; yavan--so far; nabhah--sky; patanti--fly; atma-samam--as far as it can; patattrinah--the birds; tatha--thus; samam--similarly; visnu-gatim--knowledge of Visnu; vipascitah--even though learned.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O rsis, who are as powerfully pure as the sun, I shall try to describe to you the transcendental pastimes of Visnu as far as my knowledge is concerned. As the birds fly in the sky as far as their capacity allows, so do the learned devotees describe the Lord as far as their realization allows.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The Supreme Absolute Truth is unlimited. No living being can know about the unlimited by his limited capacity. The Lord is impersonal, personal and localized. By His impersonal feature He is all-pervading Brahman, by His localized feature He is present in everyone's heart as the Supreme Soul, and by His ultimate personal feature He is the object of transcendental loving service by His fortunate associates the pure devotees. The pastimes of the Lord in different features can only be estimated partly by the great learned devotees. So Srila Suta Gosvami has rightly taken this position in describing the pastimes of the Lord as far as he has realized. Factually only the Lord Himself can describe Himself, and His learned devotee also can describe Him as far as the Lord gives him the power of description.

 

                             TEXTS 24-25

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         ekada dhanur udyamya

                         vicaran mrgayam vane

                        mrgan anugatah srantah

                       ksudhitas trsito bhrsam

 

                         jalasayam acaksanah

                        pravivesa tam asramam

                         dadarsa munim asinam

                        santam milita-locanam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ekada--once upon a time; dhanuh--arrows and bow; udyamya--taking firmly; vicaran--following; mrgayam--hunting excursion; vane--in the forest; mrgan--stags; anugatah--while following; srantah--fatigued; ksudhitah--hungry; trsitah--being thirsty; bhrsam--extremely; jala-asayam--reservoir of water; acaksanah--while searching for; pravivesa--entered into; tam--that famous; asramam--hermitage of Samika Rsi; dadarsa--saw; munim--the sage; asinam--seated; santam--all silent; milita--closed; locanam--eyes.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Once upon a time Maharaja Pariksit, while engaged in hunting in the forest with bow and arrows, became extremely fatigued, hungry and thirsty while following the stags. While searching for a reservoir of water, he entered the hermitage of the well-known Samika Rsi and saw the sage sitting silently with closed eyes.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The Supreme Lord is so kind to His pure devotees that in proper time He calls such devotees up to Him and thus creates an auspicious circumstance for the devotee. Maharaja Pariksit was a pure devotee of the Lord, and there was no reason for him to become extremely fatigued, hungry and thirsty because a devotee of the Lord never becomes perturbed by such bodily demands. But by the desire of the Lord, even such a devotee can become apparently fatigued and thirsty just to create a situation favorable for his renunciation of worldly activities. One has to give up all attachment for worldly relations before one is able to go back to Godhead, and thus when a devotee is too much absorbed in worldly affairs, the Lord creates a situation to cause indifference. The Supreme Lord never forgets His pure devotee, even though he may be engaged in so-called worldly affairs. Sometimes He creates an awkward situation, and the devotee becomes obliged to renounce all worldly affairs. The devotee can understand by the signal of the Lord, but others take it to be unfavorable and frustrating. Maharaja Pariksit was to become the medium for the revelation of Srimad-Bhagavatam by Lord Sri Krsna, as his grandfather Arjuna was the medium for the Bhagavad-gita. Had Arjuna not been taken up with an illusion of family affection by the will of the Lord, the Bhagavad-gita would not have been spoken by the Lord Himself for the good of all concerned. Similarly, had Maharaja Pariksit not been fatigued, hungry and thirsty at this time, Srimad-Bhagavatam would not have been spoken by Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, the prime authority of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So this is a prelude to the circumstances under which Srimad-Bhagavatam was spoken for the benefit of all concerned. The prelude, therefore, begins with the words "once upon a time."

 

                               TEXT 26

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       pratiruddhendriya-prana-

                        mano-buddhim uparatam

                     sthana-trayat param praptam

                       brahma-bhutam avikriyam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   pratiruddha--restrained; indriya--the sense organs; prana--air of respiration; manah--the mind; buddhim--intelligence; uparatam--inactive; sthana--places; trayat--from the three; param--transcendental; praptam--achieved; brahma-bhutam--qualitatively equal with the Supreme Absolute; avikriyam--unaffected.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The muni's sense organs, breath, mind and intelligence were all restrained from material activities, and he was situated in a trance apart from the three [wakefulness, dream and unconsciousness], having achieved a transcendental position qualitatively equal with the Supreme Absolute.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It appears that the muni, in whose hermitage the King entered, was in yogic trance. The transcendental position is attained by three processes, namely the process of jnana, or theoretical knowledge of transcendence, the process of yoga, or factual realization of trance by manipulation of the physiological and psychological functions of the body, and the most approved process of bhakti-yoga, or the engagement of senses in the devotional service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita also we have the information of the gradual development of perception from matter to a living entity. Our material mind and body develop from the living entity, the soul, and being influenced by the three qualities of matter, we forget our real identity. The jnana process theoretically speculates about the reality of the soul. But bhakti-yoga factually engages the spirit soul in activities. The perception of matter is transcended to still subtler states of the senses. The senses are transcended to the subtler mind, and then to breathing activities and gradually to intelligence. Beyond the intelligence, the living soul is realized by the mechanical activities of the yoga system, or practice of meditation restraining the senses, regulating the breathing system and applying intelligence to rise to the transcendental position. This trance stops all material activities of the body. The King saw the muni in that position. He also saw the muni as follows.

 

                               TEXT 27

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       viprakirna-jatacchannam

                          rauravenajinena ca

                        visusyat-talur udakam

                         tatha-bhutam ayacata

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   viprakirna--all scattered; jata-acchannam--covered with compressed, long hair; rauravena--by the skin of a stag; ajinena--by the skin; ca--also; visusyat--dried up; taluh--palate; udakam--water; tatha-bhutam--in that state; ayacata--asked for.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The sage, in meditation, was covered by the skin of a stag, and long, compressed hair was scattered all over him. The King, whose palate was dry from thirst, asked him for water.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The King, being thirsty, asked the sage for water. That such a great devotee and king asked for water from a sage absorbed in trance was certainly providential. Otherwise there was no chance of such a unique happening. Maharaja Pariksit was thus placed in an awkward position so that gradually Srimad-Bhagavatam could be revealed.

 

                               TEXT 28

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       alabdha-trna-bhumy-adir

                       asampraptarghya-sunrtah

                         avajnatam ivatmanam

                         manyamanas cukopa ha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   alabdha--having not received; trna--seat of straw; bhumi--place; adih--and so on; asamprapta--not properly received; arghya--water for reception; sunrtah--sweet words; avajnatam--thus being neglected; iva--like that; atmanam--personally; manyamanah--thinking like that; cukopa--became angry; ha--in that way.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The King, not received by any formal welcome by means of being offered a seat, place, water and sweet addresses, considered himself neglected, and so thinking he became angry.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The law of reception in the codes of the Vedic principles states that even if an enemy is received at home, he must be received with all respects. He should not be given a chance to understand that he has come into the house of an enemy. When Lord Krsna, accompanied by Arjuna and Bhima, approached Jarasandha in Magadha, the respectable enemies were given a royal reception by King Jarasandha. The guest enemy, namely Bhima, was to fight with Jarasandha, and yet they were given a grand reception. At night they used to sit down together as friends and guests, and in the day they used to fight, risking life and death. That was the law of reception. The reception law enjoins that a poor man, who has nothing to offer his guest, should be good enough to offer a straw mat for sitting, a glass of water for drinking and some sweet words. Therefore, to receive a guest, either friend or foe, there is no expense. It is only a question of good manners.

   When Maharaja Pariksit entered the door of Samika Rsi, he did not expect a royal reception by the rsi because he knew that saints and rsis are not materially rich men. But he never expected that a seat of straw, a glass of water and some sweet words would be denied to him. He was not an ordinary guest, nor was he an enemy of the rsi, and therefore the cold reception by the rsi astonished the King greatly. As a matter of fact, the King was right to get angry with the rsi when he needed a glass of water very badly. To become angry in such a grave situation was not unnatural for the King, but because the King himself was not less than a great saint, his becoming angry and taking action were astonishing. So it must be accepted that it was so ordained by the supreme will of the Lord. The King was a great devotee of the Lord, and the saint was also as good as the King. But by the will of the Lord, the circumstances were so created that they became ways to the King's becoming unattached to family connection and governmental activities and thus becoming a completely surrendered soul unto the lotus feet of Lord Krsna. The merciful Lord sometimes creates such awkward positions for his pure devotees in order to drag them towards Himself from the mire of material existence. But outwardly the situations appear to be frustrating to the devotees. The devotees of the Lord are always under the protection of the Lord, and in any condition, frustration or success, the Lord is the supreme guide for the devotees. The pure devotees, therefore, accept all conditions of frustration as blessings from the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 29

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         abhuta-purvah sahasa

                      ksut-trdbhyam arditatmanah

                    brahmanam praty abhud brahman

                        matsaro manyur eva ca

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   abhuta-purvah--unprecedented; sahasa--circumstantially; ksut--hunger; trdbhyam--as well as by thirst; ardita--being distressed; atmanah--of his self; brahmanam--unto a brahmana; prati--against; abhut--became; brahman--O brahmanas; matsarah--envious; manyuh--angry; eva--thus; ca--and.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

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

 

                               PURPORT

 

   For a king like Maharaja Pariksit to become angry and envious, especially at a sage and brahmana, was undoubtedly unprecedented. The King knew well that brahmanas, sages, children, women and old men are always beyond the jurisdiction of punishment. Similarly, the king, even though he commits a great mistake, is never to be considered a wrongdoer. But in this case, Maharaja Pariksit became angry and envious at the sage due to his thirst and hunger, by the will of the Lord. The King was right to punish his subject for coldly receiving him or neglecting him, but because the culprit was a sage and a brahmana, it was unprecedented. As the Lord is never envious of anyone, so also the Lord's devotee is never envious of anyone. The only justification for Maharaja Pariksit's behavior is that it was ordained by the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 30

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        sa tu brahma-rser amse

                         gatasum uragam rusa

                      vinirgacchan dhanus-kotya

                         nidhaya puram agatah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sah--the King; tu--however; brahma-rseh--of the brahmana sage; amse--on the shoulder; gata-asum--lifeless; uragam--snake; rusa--in anger; vinirgacchan--while leaving; dhanuh-kotya--with the front of the bow; nidhaya--by placing it; puram--palace; agatah--returned.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   While leaving, the King, being so insulted, picked up a lifeless snake with his bow and angrily placed it on the shoulder of the sage. Then he returned to his palace.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The King thus treated the sage tit for tat, although he was never accustomed to such silly actions. By the will of the Lord, the King, while going away, found a dead snake in front of him, and he thought that the sage, who had coldly received him, thus might be coldly rewarded by being offered a garland of a dead snake. In the ordinary course of dealing, this was not very unnatural, but in the case of Maharaja Pariksit's dealing with a brahmana sage, this was certainly unprecedented. It so happened by the will of the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 31

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         esa kim nibhrtasesa-

                         karano militeksanah

                        mrsa-samadhir ahosvit

                    kim nu syat ksatra-bandhubhih

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   esah--this; kim--whether; nibhrta-asesa--meditative mood; karanah--senses; milita--closed; iksanah--eyes; mrsa--false; samadhih--trance; aho--remains; svit--if it is so; kim--either; nu--but; syat--may be; ksatra-bandhubhih--by the lower ksatriya.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Upon returning, he began to contemplate and argue within himself whether the sage had actually been in meditation, with senses concentrated and eyes closed, or whether he had just been feigning trance just to avoid receiving a lower ksatriya.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The King, being a devotee of the Lord, did not approve of his own action, and thus he began to wonder whether the sage was really in a trance or was just pretending in order to avoid receiving the King, who was a ksatriya and therefore lower in rank. Repentance comes in the mind of a good soul as soon as he commits something wrong. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Jiva Gosvami do not believe that the King's action was due to his past misdeeds. The arrangement was so made by the Lord just to call the King back home, back to Godhead.

   According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, the plan was made by the will of the Lord, and by the will of the Lord the situation of frustration was created. The plan was that for his so-called misdeed the King could be cursed by an inexperienced brahmana boy infected by the influence of Kali, and thus the King would leave his hearth and home for good. His connections with Srila Sukadeva Gosvami would enable the presentation of the great Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is considered to be the book incarnation of the Lord. This book incarnation of the Lord gives much fascinating information of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, like His rasa-lila with the spiritual cowherd damsels of Vrajabhumi. This specific pastime of the Lord has a special significance because anyone who properly learns about this particular pastime of the Lord will certainly be dissuaded from mundane sex desire and be placed on the path of sublime devotional service to the Lord. The pure devotee's mundane frustration is meant to elevate the devotee to a higher transcendental position. By placing Arjuna and the Pandavas in frustration due to the intrigue of their cousin-brothers, the prelude of the Battle of Kuruksetra was created by the Lord. This was to incarnate the sound representative of the Lord, Bhagavad-gita. So by placing King Pariksit in an awkward position, the incarnation of Srimad-Bhagavatam was created by the will of the Lord. Being distressed by hunger and thirst was only a show, because the King endured much, even in the womb of his mother. He was never disturbed by the glaring heat of the brahmastra released by Asvatthama. The King's distressed condition was certainly unprecedented. The devotees like Maharaja Pariksit are powerful enough to forbear such distresses, by the will of the Lord, and they are never disturbed. The situation, in this case, was therefore all planned by the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 32

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        tasya putro 'titejasvi

                       viharan balako 'rbhakaih

                       rajnagham prapitam tatam

                       srutva tatredam abravit

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tasya--his (the sage's); putrah--son; ati--extremely; tejasvi--powerful; viharan--while playing; balakah--with boys; arbhakaih--who were all childish; rajna--by the King; agham--distress; prapitam--made to have; tatam--the father; srutva--by hearing; tatra--then and there; idam--this; abravit--spoke.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The sage had a son who was very powerful, being a brahmana's son. While he was playing with inexperienced boys, he heard of his father's distress, which was occasioned by the King. Then and there the boy spoke as follows.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Due to Maharaja Pariksit's good government, even a boy of tender age, who was playing with other inexperienced boys, could become as powerful as a qualified brahmana. This boy was known as Srngi, and he achieved good training in brahmacarya by his father so that he could be as powerful as a brahmana, even at that age. But because the age of Kali was seeking an opportunity to spoil the cultural heritage of the four orders of life, the inexperienced boy gave a chance for the age of Kali to enter into the field of Vedic culture. Hatred of the lower orders of life began from this brahmana boy, under the influence of Kali, and thus cultural life began to dwindle day after day. The first victim of brahminical injustice was Maharaja Pariksit, and thus the protection given by the King against the onslaught of Kali was slackened.

 

                               TEXT 33

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         aho adharmah palanam

                        pivnam bali-bhujam iva

                      svaminy agham yad dasanam

                        dvara-panam sunam iva

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   aho--just look at; adharmah--irreligion; palanam--of the rulers; pivnam--of one who is brought up; bali-bhujam--like the crows; iva--like; svamini--unto the master; agham--sin; yat--what is; dasanam--of the servants; dvara-panam--keeping watch at the door; sunam--of the dogs; iva--like.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   [The brahmana's son, Srngi, said:] O just look at the sins of the rulers who, like crows and watchdogs at the door, perpetrate sins against their masters, contrary to the principles governing servants.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The brahmanas are considered to be the head and brains of the social body, and the ksatriyas are considered to be the arms of the social body. The arms are required to protect the body from all harm, but the arms must act according to the directions of the head and brain. That is a natural arrangement made by the supreme order, for it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that four social orders or castes, namely the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, are set up according to quality and work done by them. Naturally the son of a brahmana has a good chance to become a brahmana by the direction of his qualified father, as a son of a medical practitioner has a very good chance to become a qualified medical practitioner. So the caste system is quite scientific. The son must take advantage of the father's qualification and thus become a brahmana or medical practitioner, and not otherwise. Without being qualified, one cannot become a brahmana or medical practitioner, and that is the verdict of all scriptures and social orders. Herein Srngi, a qualified son of a great brahmana, attained the required brahminical power both by birth and by training, but he was lacking in culture because he was an inexperienced boy. By the influence of Kali, the son of a brahmana became puffed up with brahminical power and thus wrongly compared Maharaja Pariksit to crows and watchdogs. The King is certainly the watchdog of the state in the sense that he keeps vigilant eyes over the border of the state for its protection and defense, but to address him as a watchdog is the sign of a less-cultured boy. Thus the downfall of the brahminical powers began as they gave importance to birthright without culture. The downfall of the brahmana caste began in the age of Kali. And since brahmanas are the heads of the social order, all other orders of society also began to deteriorate. This beginning of brahminical deterioration was highly deplored by the father of Srngi, as we will find.

 

                               TEXT 34

 

                                 TEXT

 

                     brahmanaih ksatra-bandhur hi

                         grha-palo nirupitah

                    sa katham tad-grhe dvah-sthah

                       sabhandam bhoktum arhati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   brahmanaih--by the brahminical order; ksatra-bandhuh--the sons of the ksatriyas; hi--certainly; grha-palah--the watchdog; nirupitah--designated; sah--he; katham--on what grounds; tat-grhe--in the home of him (the master); dvah-sthah--keeping at the door; sa-bhandam--in the same pot; bhoktum--to eat; arhati--deserves.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The descendants of the kingly orders are definitely designated as watchdogs, and they must keep themselves at the door. On what grounds can dogs enter the house and claim to dine with the master on the same plate?

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The inexperienced brahmana boy certainly knew that the King asked for water from his father and the father did not respond. He tried to explain away his father's inhospitality in an impertinent manner befitting an uncultured boy. He was not at all sorry for the King's not being well received. On the contrary, he justified the wrong act in a way characteristic of the brahmanas of Kali-yuga. He compared the King to a watchdog, and so it was wrong for the King to enter the home of a brahmana and ask for water from the same pot. The dog is certainly reared by its master, but that does not mean that the dog shall claim to dine and drink from the same pot. This mentality of false prestige is the cause of downfall of the perfect social order, and we can see that in the beginning it was started by the inexperienced son of a brahmana. As the dog is never allowed to enter within the room and hearth, although it is reared by the master, similarly, according to Srngi, the King had no right to enter the house of Samika Rsi. According to the boy's opinion, the King was on the wrong side and not his father, and thus he justified his silent father.

 

                               TEXT 35

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         krsne gate bhagavati

                       sastary utpatha-gaminam

                       tad bhinna-setun adyaham

                        sasmi pasyata me balam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   krsne--Lord Krsna; gate--having departed from this world; bhagavati--the Personality of Godhead; sastari--the supreme ruler; utpatha-gaminam--of those who are upstarts; tat bhinna--being separated; setun--the protector; adya--today; aham--myself; sasmi--shall punish; pasyata--just see; me--my; balam--prowess.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After the departure of Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead and supreme ruler of everyone, these upstarts have flourished, our protector being gone. Therefore I myself shall take up this matter and punish them. Just witness my power.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The inexperienced brahmana, puffed up by a little brahma-tejas, became influenced by the spell of Kali-yuga. Maharaja Pariksit gave license to Kali to live in four places as mentioned hereinbefore, but by his very expert government the personality of Kali could hardly find the places allotted him. The personality of Kali-yuga, therefore, was seeking the opportunity to establish authority, and by the grace of the Lord he found a hole in the puffed-up, inexperienced son of a brahmana. The little brahmana wanted to show his prowess in destruction, and he had the audacity to punish such a great king as Maharaja Pariksit. He wanted to take the place of Lord Krsna after His departure. These are the principal signs of upstarts who want to take the place of Sri Krsna under the influence of the age of Kali. An upstart with a little power wants to become an incarnation of the Lord. There are many false incarnations after the departure of Lord Krsna from the face of the globe, and they are misleading the innocent public by accepting the spiritual obedience of the general mass of people to maintain false prestige. In other words, the personality of Kali got the opportunity to reign through this son of a brahmana, Srngi.

 

                               TEXT 36

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       ity uktva rosa-tamrakso

                         vayasyan rsi-balakah

                        kausiky-apa upasprsya

                       vag-vajram visasarja ha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   iti--thus; uktva--saying; rosa-tamra-aksah--with red-hot eyes due to being angry; vayasyan--unto the playmates; rsi-balakah--the son of a rsi; kausiki--the River Kausika; apah--water; upasprsya--by touching; vak--words; vajram--thunderbolt; visasarja--threw; ha--in the past.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

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

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The circumstances under which Maharaja Pariksit was cursed were simply childish, as it appears from this verse. Srngi was showing his impudency amongst his playmates, who were innocent. Any sane man would have prevented him from doing such great harm to all human society. By killing a king like Maharaja Pariksit, just to make a show of acquired brahminical power, the inexperienced son of a brahmana committed a great mistake.

 

                               TEXT 37

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        iti langhita-maryadam

                        taksakah saptame 'hani

                       danksyati sma kulangaram

                        codito me tata-druham

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   iti--thus; langhita--surpassing; maryadam--etiquette; taksakah--snake-bird; saptame--on the seventh; ahani--day; danksyati--will bite; sma--certainly; kula-angaram--the wretched of the dynasty; coditah--having done; me--my; tata-druham--enmity towards the father.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The brahmana's son cursed the King thus: On the seventh day from today a snake-bird will bite the most wretched one of that dynasty [Maharaja Pariksit] because of his having broken the laws of etiquette by insulting my father.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Thus the beginning of the misuse of brahminical power began, and gradually the brahmanas in the age of Kali became devoid of both brahminical powers and culture. The brahmana boy considered Maharaja Pariksit to be kulangara, or the wretched of the dynasty, but factually the brahmana boy himself was so because only from him did the brahmana caste become powerless, like the snake whose poisoned teeth are broken. The snake is fearful as long as his poison teeth are there, otherwise he is fearful only to children. The personality of Kali conquered the brahmana boy first, and gradually the other castes. Thus the whole scientific system of the orders of society in this age has assumed the form of a vitiated caste system, which is now being uprooted by another class of men similarly influenced by the age of Kali. One should see to the root cause of vitiation and not try to condemn the system as it is, without knowledge of its scientific value.

 

                               TEXT 38

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       tato 'bhyetyasramam balo

                         gale sarpa-kalevaram

                       pitaram viksya duhkharto

                        mukta-kantho ruroda ha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tatah--thereafter; abhyetya--after entering into; asramam--the hermitage; balah--boy; gale sarpa--the snake on the shoulder; kalevaram--body; pitaram--unto the father; viksya--having seen; duhkha-artah--in a sorry plight; mukta-kanthah--loudly; ruroda--cried; ha--in the past.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thereafter, when the boy returned to the hermitage, he saw a snake on his father's shoulder, and out of his grief he cried very loudly.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The boy was not happy because he committed a great mistake, and he wanted to be relieved of the burden on his heart by crying. So after entering the hermitage and seeing his father in that condition, he cried loudly so that he might be relieved. But it was too late. The father regretted the whole incident.

 

                               TEXT 39

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        sa va angiraso brahman

                        srutva suta-vilapanam

                        unmilya sanakair netre

                        drstva camse mrtoragam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sah--he; vai--also; angirasah--the rsi born in the family of Angira; brahman--O Saunaka; srutva--on hearing; suta--his son; vilapanam--crying in distress; unmilya--opening; sanakaih--gradually; netre--by the eyes; drstva--by seeing; ca--also; amse--on the shoulder; mrta--dead; uragam--snake.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

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

 

                               TEXT 40

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       visrjya tam ca papraccha

                       vatsa kasmad dhi rodisi

                         kena va te 'pakrtam

                       ity uktah sa nyavedayat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   visrjya--throwing aside; tam--that; ca--also; papraccha--asked; vatsa--my dear son; kasmat--what for; hi--certainly; rodisi--crying; kena--by whom; va--otherwise; te--they; apakrtam--misbehaved; iti--thus; uktah--being asked; sah--the boy; nyavedayat--informed of everything.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He threw the dead snake aside and asked his son why he was crying, whether anyone had done him harm. On hearing this, the son explained to him what had happened.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The father did not take the dead snake on his neck very seriously. He simply threw it away. Actually there was nothing seriously wrong in Maharaja Pariksit's act, but the foolish son took it very seriously, and being influenced by Kali he cursed the King and thus ended a chapter of happy history.

 

                               TEXT 41

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 nisamya saptam atad-arham narendram

                   sa brahmano natmajam abhyanandat

                   aho batamho mahad adya te krtam

                   alpiyasi droha urur damo dhrtah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nisamya--after hearing; saptam--cursed; atat-arham--never to be condemned; nara-indram--unto the King, best of humankind; sah--that; brahmanah--brahmana-rsi; na--not; atma-jam--his own son; abhyanandat--congratulated; aho--alas; bata--distressing; amhah--sins; mahat--great; adya--today; te--yourself; krtam--performed; alpiyasi--insignificant; drohe--offense; uruh--very great; damah--punishment; dhrtah--awarded.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The father heard from his son that the King had been cursed, although he should never have been condemned, for he was the best amongst all human beings. The rsi did not congratulate his son, but, on the contrary, began to repent, saying: Alas! What a great sinful act was performed by my son. He has awarded heavy punishment for an insignificant offense.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The king is the best of all human beings. He is the representative of God, and he is never to be condemned for any of his actions. In other words, the king can do no wrong. The king may order hanging of a culprit son of a brahmana, but he does not become sinful for killing a brahmana. Even if there is something wrong with the king, he is never to be condemned. A medical practitioner may kill a patient by mistaken treatment, but such a killer is never condemned to death. So what to speak of a good and pious king like Maharaja Pariksit? In the Vedic way of life, the king is trained to become a rajarsi, or a great saint, although he is ruling as king. It is the king only by whose good government the citizens can live peacefully and without any fear. The rajarsis would manage their kingdoms so nicely and piously that their subjects would respect them as if they were the Lord. That is the instruction of the Vedas. The king is called narendra, or the best amongst the human beings. How then could a king like Maharaja Pariksit be condemned by an inexperienced, puffed-up son of a brahmana, even though he had attained the powers of a qualified brahmana?

   Since Samika Rsi was an experienced, good brahmana, he did not approve of the actions of his condemned son. He began to lament for all that his son had done. The king was beyond the jurisdiction of curses as a general rule, and what to speak of a good king like Maharaja Pariksit. The offense of the King was most insignificant, and his being condemned to death was certainly a very great sin for Srngi. Therefore Rsi Samika regretted the whole incident.

 

                               TEXT 42

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  na vai nrbhir nara-devam parakhyam

                   sammatum arhasy avipakva-buddhe

                     yat-tejasa durvisahena gupta

                 vindanti bhadrany akutobhayah prajah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   na--never; vai--as a matter of fact; nrbhih--by any man; nara-devam--unto a man-god; para-akhyam--who is transcendental; sammatum--place on equal footing; arhasi--by the prowess; avipakva--unripe or immature; buddhe--intelligence; yat--of whom; tejasa--by the prowess; durvisahena--unsurpassable; guptah--protected; vindanti--enjoys; bhadrani--all prosperity; akutah-bhayah--completely defended; prajah--the subjects.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O my boy, your intelligence is immature, and therefore you have no knowledge that the king, who is the best amongst human beings, is as good as the Personality of Godhead. He is never to be placed on an equal footing with common men. The citizens of the state live in prosperity, being protected by his unsurpassable prowess.

 

                               TEXT 43

 

                                 TEXT

 

                     alaksyamane nara-deva-namni

                    rathanga-panav ayam anga lokah

                  tada hi caura-pracuro vinanksyaty

                   araksyamano 'vivaruthavat ksanat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   alaksyamane--being abolished; nara-deva--monarchical; namni--of the name; ratha-anga-panau--the representative of the Lord; ayam--this; anga--O my boy; lokah--this world; tada hi--at once; caura--thieves; pracurah--too much; vinanksyati--vanquishes; araksyamanah--being not protected; avivarutha-vat--like lambs; ksanat--at once.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My dear boy, the Lord, who carries the wheel of a chariot, is represented by the monarchical regime, and when this regime is abolished the whole world becomes filled with thieves, who then at once vanquish the unprotected subjects like scattered lambs.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   According to Srimad-Bhagavatam the monarchical regime represents the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. The king is said to be the representative of the Absolute Personality of Godhead because he is trained to acquire the qualities of God to protect the living beings. The Battle of Kuruksetra was planned by the Lord to establish the real representative of the Lord, Maharaja Yudhisthira. An ideal king thoroughly trained by culture and devotional service with the martial spirit makes a perfect king. Such a personal monarchy is far better than the so-called democracy of no training and responsibility. The thieves and rogues of modern democracy seek election by misrepresentation of votes, and the successful rogues and thieves devour the mass of population. One trained monarch is far better than hundreds of useless ministerial rogues, and it is hinted herein that by abolition of a monarchical regime like that of Maharaja Pariksit, the mass of people become open to many attacks of the age of Kali. They are never happy in an overly advertised form of democracy. The result of such a kingless administration is described in the following verses.

 

                               TEXT 44

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tad adya nah papam upaity ananvayam

                 yan nasta-nathasya vasor vilumpakat

                  parasparam ghnanti sapanti vrnjate

                pasun striyo 'rthan puru-dasyavo janah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tat--for this reason; adya--from this day; nah--upon us; papam--reaction of sin; upaiti--will overtake; ananvayam--disruption; yat--because; nasta--abolished; nathasya--of the monarch; vasoh--of wealth; vilumpakat--being plundered; parasparam--between one another; ghnanti--will kill; sapanti--will do harm; vrnjate--will steal; pasun--animals; striyah--women; arthan--riches; puru--greatly; dasyavah--thieves; janah--the mass of people.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Due to the termination of the monarchical regimes and the plundering of the people's wealth by rogues and thieves, there will be great social disruptions. People will be killed and injured, and animals and women will be stolen. And for all these sins we shall be responsible.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The word nah (we) is very significant in this verse. The sage rightly takes the responsibility of the brahmanas as a community for killing monarchical government and thus giving an opportunity to the so-called democrats, who are generally plunderers of the wealth of the state subjects. The so-called democrats capture the administrative machine without assuming responsibility for the prosperous condition of the citizens. Everyone captures the post for personal gratification, and thus instead of one king, a number of irresponsible kings grow up to tax the citizens. It is foretold herein that in the absence of good monarchical government, everyone will be the cause of disturbance for others by plundering riches, animals, women, etc.

 

                               TEXT 45

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  tadarya-dharmah praviliyate nrnam

                   varnasramacara-yutas trayimayah

                   tato 'rtha-kamabhinivesitatmanam

                   sunam kapinam iva varna-sankarah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tada--at that time; arya--progressive civilization; dharmah--engagement; praviliyate--is systematically vanquished; nrnam--of humankind; varna--caste; asrama--orders of society; acara-yutah--composed in a good manner; trayi-mayah--in terms of the Vedic injunction; tatah--thereafter; artha--economic development; kama-abhinivesita--fully absorbed in sense gratification; atmanam--of men; sunam--like dogs; kapinam--like monkeys; iva--thus; varna-sankarah--unwanted population.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   At that time the people in general will fall systematically from the path of a progressive civilization in respect to the qualitative engagements of the castes and the orders of society and the Vedic injunctions. Thus they will be more attracted to economic development for sense gratification, and as a result there will be an unwanted population on the level of dogs and monkeys.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It is foretold herein that in the absence of a monarchical regime, the general mass of people will be an unwanted population like dogs and monkeys. As the monkeys are too sexually inclined and dogs are shameless in sexual intercourse, the general mass of population born of illegitimate connection will systematically go astray from the Vedic way of good manners and qualitative engagements in the castes and orders of life.

   The Vedic way of life is the progressive march of the civilization of the Aryans. The Aryans are progressive in Vedic civilization. The Vedic civilization's destination is to go back to Godhead, back home, where there is no birth, no death, no old age and no disease. The Vedas direct everyone not to remain in the darkness of the material world but to go towards the light of the spiritual kingdom far beyond the material sky. The qualitative caste system and the orders of life are scientifically planned by the Lord and His representatives, the great rsis. The perfect way of life gives all sorts of instruction in things both material and spiritual. The Vedic way of life does not allow any man to be like the monkeys and dogs. A degraded civilization of sense gratification and economic development is the by-product of a godless or kingless government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The people should not, therefore, begrudge the poor administrations they themselves elect.

 

                               TEXT 46

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        dharma-palo nara-patih

                      sa tu samrad brhac-chravah

                        saksan maha-bhagavato

                        rajarsir haya-medhayat

                       ksut-trt-srama-yuto dino

                       naivasmac chapam arhati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dharma-palah--the protector of religion; nara-patih--the King; sah--he; tu--but; samrat--Emperor; brhat--highly; sravah--celebrated; saksat--directly; maha-bhagavatah--the first-class devotee of the Lord; raja-rsih--saint amongst the royal order; haya-medhayat--great performer of horse sacrifices; ksut--hunger; trt--thirst; srama-yutah--tired and fatigued; dinah--stricken; na--never; eva--thus; asmat--by us; sapam--curse; arhati--deserves.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Emperor Pariksit is a pious king. He is highly celebrated and is a first-class devotee of the Personality of Godhead. He is a saint amongst royalty, and he has performed many horse sacrifices. When such a king is tired and fatigued, being stricken with hunger and thirst, he does not at all deserve to be cursed.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   After explaining the general codes relating to the royal position and asserting that the king can do no wrong and therefore is never to be condemned, the sage Samika wanted to say something about Emperor Pariksit specifically. The specific qualification of Maharaja Pariksit is summarized herein. The King, even calculated as a king only, was most celebrated as a ruler who administered the religious principles of the royal order. In the sastras the duties of all castes and orders of society are prescribed. All the qualities of a ksatriya mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (18.43) were present in the person of the Emperor. He was also a great devotee of the Lord and a self-realized soul. Cursing such a king, when he was tired and fatigued with hunger and thirst, was not at all proper. Samika Rsi thus admitted from all sides that Maharaja Pariksit was cursed most unjustly. Although all the brahmanas were aloof from the incident, still for the childish action of a brahmana boy the whole world situation was changed. Thus Rsi Samika, a brahmana, took responsibility for all deterioration of the good orders of the world.

 

                               TEXT 47

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         apapesu sva-bhrtyesu

                         balenapakva-buddhina

                       papam krtam tad bhagavan

                       sarvatma ksantum arhati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   apapesu--unto one who is completely free from all sins; sva-bhrtyesu--unto one who is subordinate and deserves to be protected; balena--by a child; apakva--who is immature; buddhina--by intelligence; papam--sinful act; krtam--has been done; tat bhagavan--therefore the Personality of Godhead; sarva-atma--who is all-pervading; ksantum--just to pardon; arhati--deserve.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Then the rsi prayed to the all-pervading Personality of Godhead to pardon his immature boy, who had no intelligence and who committed the great sin of cursing a person who was completely free from all sins, who was subordinate and who deserved to be protected.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Everyone is responsible for his own action, either pious or sinful. Rsi Samika could foresee that his son had committed a great sin by cursing Maharaja Pariksit, who deserved to be protected by the brahmanas, for he was a pious ruler and completely free from all sins because of his being a first-class devotee of the Lord. When an offense is done unto the devotee of the Lord, it is very difficult to overcome the reaction. The brahmanas, being at the head of the social orders, are meant to give protection to their subordinates and not to curse them. There are occasions when a brahmana may furiously curse a subordinate ksatriya or vaisya, etc., but in the case of Maharaja Pariksit there were no grounds, as already explained. The foolish boy had done it out of sheer vanity in being a brahmana's son, and thus he became liable to be punished by the law of God. The Lord never forgives a person who condemns His pure devotee. Therefore, by cursing a king the foolish Srngi had committed not only a sin but also the greatest offense. Therefore the rsi could foresee that only the Supreme Personality of Godhead could save his boy from his sinful act. He therefore directly prayed for pardon from the Supreme Lord, who alone can undo a thing which is impossible to change. The appeal was made in the name of a foolish boy who had developed no intelligence at all.

   A question may be raised herein that since it was the desire of the Lord that Pariksit Maharaja be put into that awkward position so that he might be delivered from material existence, then why was a brahmana's son made responsible for this offensive act? The answer is that the offensive act was performed by a child only so that he could be excused very easily, and thus the prayer of the father was accepted. But if the question is raised why the brahmana community as a whole was made responsible for allowing Kali into the world affairs, the answer is given in the Varaha Purana that the demons who acted inimically toward the Personality of Godhead but were not killed by the Lord were allowed to take birth in the families of brahmanas to take advantage of the age of Kali. The all-merciful Lord gave them a chance to have their births in the families of pious brahmanas so that they could progress toward salvation. But the demons, instead of utilizing the good opportunity, misused the brahminical culture due to being puffed up by vanity in becoming brahmanas. The typical example is the son of Samika Rsi, and all the foolish sons of brahmanas are warned hereby not to become as foolish as Srngi and be always on guard against the demoniac qualities which they had in their previous births. The foolish boy was, of course, excused by the Lord, but others, who may not have a father like Samika Rsi, will be put into great difficulty if they misuse the advantages obtained by birth in a brahmana family.

 

                               TEXT 48

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        tiraskrta vipralabdhah

                        saptah ksipta hata api

                       nasya tat pratikurvanti

                     tad-bhaktah prabhavo 'pi hi

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tirah-krtah--being defamed; vipralabdhah--being cheated; saptah--being cursed; ksiptah--disturbed by negligence; hatah--or even being killed; api--also; na--never; asya--for all these acts; tat--them; pratikurvanti--counteract; tat--the Lord's; bhaktah--devotees; prabhavah--powerful; api--although; hi--certainly.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

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

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Rsi Samika also knew that the Lord does not forgive a person who has committed an offense at the feet of a devotee. The Lord can only give direction to take shelter of the devotee. He thought within himself that if Maharaja Pariksit would countercurse the boy, he might be saved. But he knew also that a pure devotee is callous about worldly advantages or reverses. As such, the devotees are never inclined to counteract personal defamation, curses, negligence, etc. As far as such things are concerned, in personal affairs the devotees do not care for them. But in the case of their being performed against the Lord and His devotees, then the devotees take very strong action. It was a personal affair, and therefore Samika Rsi knew that the King would not take counteraction. Thus there was no alternative than to place an appeal to the Lord for the immature boy.

   It is not that only the brahmanas are powerful enough to award curses or blessings upon the subordinates; the devotee of the Lord, even though he may not be a brahmana, is more powerful than a brahmana. But a powerful devotee never misuses the power for personal benefit. Whatever power the devotee may have is always utilized in service towards the Lord and His devotees only.

 

                               TEXT 49

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         iti putra-krtaghena

                        so 'nutapto maha-munih

                        svayam viprakrto rajna

                       naivagham tad acintayat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   iti--thus; putra--son; krta--done by; aghena--by the sin; sah--he (the muni); anutaptah--regretting; maha-munih--the sage; svayam--personally; viprakrtah--being so insulted; rajna--by the King; na--not; eva--certainly; agham--the sin; tat--that; acintayat--thought of it.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The sage thus regretted the sin committed by his own son. He did not take the insult paid by the King very seriously.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The whole incident is now cleared up. Maharaja Pariksit's garlanding the sage with a dead snake was not at all a very serious offense, but Srngi's cursing the King was a serious offense. The serious offense was committed by a foolish child only; therefore he deserved to be pardoned by the Supreme Lord, although it was not possible to get free from the sinful reaction. Maharaja Pariksit also did not mind the curse offered to him by a foolish brahmana. On the contrary, he took full advantage of the awkward situation, and by the great will of the Lord, Maharaja Pariksit achieved the highest perfection of life through the grace of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. Actually it was the desire of the Lord, and Maharaja Pariksit, Rsi Samika and his son Srngi were all instrumental in fulfilling the desire of the Lord. So none of them were put into difficulty because everything was done in relation with the Supreme Person.

 

                               TEXT 50

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        prayasah sadhavo loke

                       parair dvandvesu yojitah

                       na vyathanti na hrsyanti

                         yata atmagunasrayah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   prayasah--generally; sadhavah--saints; loke--in this world; paraih--by others; dvandvesu--in duality; yojitah--being engaged; na--never; vyathanti--distressed; na--nor; hrsyanti--takes pleasure; yatah--because; atma--self; aguna-asrayah--transcendental.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Generally the transcendentalists, even though engaged by others in the dualities of the material world, are not distressed. Nor do they take pleasure [in worldly things], for they are transcendentally engaged.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The transcendentalists are the empiric philosophers, the mystics and the devotees of the Lord. Empiric philosophers aim at the perfection of merging into the being of the Absolute, mystics aim at perceiving the all-pervading Supersoul, and the devotees of the Lord are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Personality of Godhead. Since Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan are different phases of the same Transcendence, all these transcendentalists are beyond the three modes of material nature. Material distresses and happinesses are products of the three modes, and therefore the causes of such material distress and happiness have nothing to do with the transcendentalists. The King was a devotee, and the rsi was a mystic. Therefore both of them were unattached to the accidental incident created by the supreme will. The playful child was an instrument in fulfilling the Lord's will.

 

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Maharaja Pariksit Cursed by a  Brahmana Boy."