Chapter Twenty-four

                   The Renunciation of Kardama Muni

 

                                TEXT 1

 

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                            maitreya uvaca

                         nirveda-vadinim evam

                        manor duhitaram munih

                         dayaluh salinim aha

                       suklabhivyahrtam smaran

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   maitreyah--the great sage Maitreya; uvaca--said; nirveda-vadinim--who was speaking words full of renunciation; evam--thus; manoh--of Svayambhuva Manu; duhitaram--to the daughter; munih--the sage Kardama; dayaluh--merciful; salinim--who was worthy of praise; aha--replied; sukla--by Lord Visnu; abhivyahrtam--what was said; smaran--recalling.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Recalling the words of Lord Visnu, the merciful sage Kardama replied as follows to Svayambhuva Manu's praiseworthy daughter, Devahuti, who was speaking words full of renunciation.

 

                                TEXT 2

 

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                              rsir uvaca

                       ma khido raja-putrittham

                        atmanam praty anindite

                     bhagavams te 'ksaro garbham

                        adurat samprapatsyate

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   rsih uvaca--the sage said; ma khidah--do not be disappointed; raja-putri--O princess; ittham--in this way; atmanam--yourself; prati--toward; anindite--O praiseworthy Devahuti; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; te--your; aksarah--infallible; garbham--womb; adurat--without delay; samprapatsyate--will enter.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The sage said: Do not be disappointed with yourself, O princess. You are actually praiseworthy. The infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead will shortly enter your womb as your son.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Kardama Muni encouraged his wife not to be sorry, thinking herself unfortunate, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His incarnation, was going to come from her body.

 

                                TEXT 3

 

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                       dhrta-vratasi bhadram te

                          damena niyamena ca

                        tapo-dravina-danais ca

                       sraddhaya cesvaram bhaja

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   dhrta-vrata asi--you have undertaken sacred vows; bhadram te--may God bless you; damena--by control of the senses; niyamena--by religious observances; ca--and; tapah--austerities; dravina--of money; danaih--by giving in charity; ca--and; sraddhaya--with great faith; ca--and; isvaram--the Supreme Lord; bhaja--worship.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   You have undertaken sacred vows. God will bless you. Hence you should worship the Lord with great faith, through sensory control, religious observances, austerities and gifts of your money in charity.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In order to spiritually advance or to achieve the mercy of the Lord, one must be self-controlled in the following manner: he must be restrained in sense gratification and must follow the rules and regulations of religious principles. Without austerity and penance and without sacrificing one's riches, one cannot achieve the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Kardama Muni advised his wife: "You have to factually engage in devotional service with austerity and penance, following the religious principles and giving charity. Then the Supreme Lord will be pleased with you, and He will come as your son."

 

                                TEXT 4

 

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                        sa tvayaradhitah suklo

                        vitanvan mamakam yasah

                      chetta te hrdaya-granthim

                       audaryo brahma-bhavanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sah--He; tvaya--by you; aradhitah--being worshiped; suklah--the Personality of Godhead; vitanvan--spreading; mamakam--my; yasah--fame; chetta--He will cut; te--your; hrdaya--of the heart; granthim--knot; audaryah--your son; brahma--knowledge of Brahman; bhavanah--teaching.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Personality of Godhead, being worshiped by you, will spread my name and fame. He will vanquish the knot of your heart by becoming your son and teaching knowledge of Brahman.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes to disseminate spiritual knowledge for the benefit of all people, He generally descends as the son of a devotee, being pleased by the devotee's devotional service. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the father of everyone. No one, therefore, is His father, but by His inconceivable energy He accepts some of the devotees as His parents and descendants. It is explained here that spiritual knowledge vanquishes the knot of the heart. Matter and spirit are knotted by false ego. This identification of oneself with matter, which is called hrdaya-granthi, exists for all conditioned souls, and it becomes more and more tightened when there is too much affection for sex life. The explanation was given by Lord Rsabha to His sons that this material world is an atmosphere of attraction between male and female. That attraction takes the shape of a knot in the heart, and by material affection it becomes still more tight. For people who hanker after material possessions, society, friendship and love, this knot of affection becomes very strong. It is only by brahma-bhavana--the instruction by which spiritual knowledge is enhanced--that the knot in the heart is cut to pieces. No material weapon is needed to cut this knot, but it requires bona fide spiritual instruction. Kardama Muni instructed his wife, Devahuti, that the Lord would appear as her son and disseminate spiritual knowledge to cut the knot of material identification.

 

                                TEXT 5

 

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                            maitreya uvaca

                        devahuty api sandesam

                         gauravena prajapateh

                       samyak sraddhaya purusam

                       kuta-stham abhajad gurum

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   maitreyah uvaca--Maitreya said; devahuti--Devahuti; api--also; sandesam--the direction; gauravena--with great respect; prajapateh--of Kardama; samyak--complete; sraddhaya--having faith in; purusam--the Supreme personality of Godhead; kuta-stham--situated in everyone's heart; abhajat--worshiped; gurum--most worshipable.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Maitreya said: Devahuti was fully faithful and respectful toward the direction of her husband, Kardama, who was one of the Prajapatis, or generators of human beings in the universe. O great sage, she thus began to worship the master of the universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in everyone's heart.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This is the process of spiritual realization; one has to receive instruction from a bona fide spiritual master. Kardama Muni was Devahuti's husband, but because he instructed her on how to achieve spiritual perfection, he naturally became her spiritual master also. There are many instances wherein the husband becomes the spiritual master. Lord Siva also is the spiritual master of his consort, Parvati. A husband should be so enlightened that he should become the spiritual master of his wife in order to enlighten her in the advancement of Krsna consciousness. Generally stri, or woman, is less intelligent than man; therefore, if the husband is intelligent enough, the woman gets a great opportunity for spiritual enlightenment.

   Here it is clearly said (samyak sraddhaya) that with great faith one should receive knowledge from the spiritual master and with great faith execute the performance of service. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in his commentary on Bhagavad-gita, has especially stressed the instruction of the spiritual master. One should accept the instruction of the spiritual master as one's life and soul. Whether one is liberated or not liberated, one should execute the instruction of the spiritual master with great faith. It is also stated that the Lord is situated in everyone's heart. One does not have to seek the Lord outside; He is already there. One simply has to concentrate on one's worship in good faith, as instructed by the bona fide spiritual master, and one's efforts will come out successfully. It is also clear that the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not appear as an ordinary child; He appears as He is. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, He appears by His own internal potency, atma-maya. And how does He appear? He appears when pleased by the worship of a devotee. A devotee may ask the Lord to appear as her son. The Lord is already sitting within the heart, and if He comes out from the body of a devotee it does not mean that the particular woman becomes His mother in the material sense. He is always there, but in order to please His devotee, He appears as her son.

 

                                TEXT 6

 

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                        tasyam bahu-tithe kale

                        bhagavan madhusudanah

                        kardamam viryam apanno

                        jajne 'gnir iva daruni

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tasyam--in Devahuti; bahu-tithe kale--after many years; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; madhu-sudanah--the killer of the demon Madhu; kardamam--of Kardama; viryam--the semen; apannah--entered; jajne--He appeared; agnih--fire; iva--like; daruni--in wood.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After many, many years, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusudana, the killer of the demon Madhu, having entered the semen of Kardama, appeared in Devahuti just as fire comes from wood in a sacrifice.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It is clearly stated here that the Lord is always the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although He appeared as the son of Kardama Muni. Fire is already present in wood, but by a certain process, fire is kindled. Similarly, God is all-pervading. He is everywhere, and since He may come out from everything, He appeared in His devotee's semen. Just as an ordinary living entity takes his birth by taking shelter of the semen of a certain living entity, the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts the shelter of the semen of His devotee and comes out as His son. This manifests His full independence to act in any way, and it does not mean that He is an ordinary living entity forced to take birth in a certain type of womb. Lord Nrsimha appeared from the pillar of Hiranyakasipu's palace, Lord Varaha appeared from the nostril of Brahma, and Lord Kapila appeared from the semen of Kardama, but this does not mean that the nostril of Brahma or the pillar of Hiranyakasipu's palace or the semen of Kardama Muni is the source of the appearance of the Lord. The Lord is always the Lord. Bhagavan madhusudanah--He is the killer of all kinds of demons, and He always remains the Lord, even if He appears as the son of a particular devotee. The word kardamam is significant, for it indicates that the Lord had some devotional affection or relationship in devotional service with Kardama and Devahuti. But we should not mistakenly understand that He was born just like an ordinary living entity from the semen of Kardama Muni in the womb of Devahuti.

 

                                TEXT 7

 

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                        avadayams tada vyomni

                        vaditrani ghanaghanah

                      gayanti tam sma gandharva

                        nrtyanty apsaraso muda

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   avadayan--sounded; tada--at that time; vyomni--in the sky; vaditrani--musical instruments; ghanaghanah--the rain clouds; gayanti--sang; tam--to Him; sma--certainly; gandharvah--the Gandharvas; nrtyanti--danced; apsarasah--the Apsaras; muda--in joyful ecstasy.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   At the time of His descent on earth, demigods in the form of raining clouds sounded musical instruments in the sky. The celestial musicians, the Gandharvas, sang the glories of the Lord, while celestial dancing girls known as Apsaras danced in joyful ecstasy.

 

                                TEXT 8

 

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                        petuh sumanaso divyah

                        khe-carair apavarjitah

                       prasedus ca disah sarva

                        ambhamsi ca manamsi ca

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   petuh--fell; sumanasah--flowers; divyah--beautiful; khe-caraih--by the demigods who fly in the sky; apavarjitah--dropped; praseduh--became satisfied; ca--and; disah--directions; sarvah--all; ambhamsi--waters; ca--and; manamsi--minds; ca--and.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   At the time of the Lord's appearance, the demigods flying freely in the sky showered flowers. All the directions, all the waters and everyone's mind became very satisfied.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It is learned herewith that in the higher sky there are living entities who can travel through the air without being hampered. Although we can travel in outer space, we are hampered by so many impediments, but they are not. We learn from the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam that the inhabitants of the planet called Siddhaloka can travel in space from one planet to another without impediment. They showered flowers on the earth when Lord Kapila, the son of Kardama, appeared.

 

                                TEXT 9

 

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                        tat kardamasrama-padam

                        sarasvatya parisritam

                       svayambhuh sakam rsibhir

                       maricy-adibhir abhyayat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tat--that; kardama--of Kardama; asrama-padam--to the place of the hermitage; sarasvatya--by the River Sarasvati; parisritam--surrounded; svayambhuh--Brahma (the self-born); sakam--along with; rsibhih--the sages; marici--the great sage Marici; adibhih--and others; abhyayat--he came there.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Brahma, the first-born living being, went along with Marici and other sages to the place of Kardama's hermitage, which was surrounded by the River Sarasvati.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Brahma is called Svayambhu because he is not born of any material father and mother. He is the first living creature and is born from the lotus which grows from the abdomen of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Garbhodakasayi Visnu. Therefore he is called Svayambhu, self-born.

 

                               TEXT 10

 

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                       bhagavantam param brahma

                       sattvenamsena satru-han

                     tattva-sankhyana-vijnaptyai

                       jatam vidvan ajah svarat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bhagavantam--the Lord; param--supreme; brahma--Brahman; sattvena--having an uncontaminated existence; amsena--by a plenary portion; satru-han--O killer of the enemy, Vidura; tattva-sankhyana--the philosophy of the twenty-four material elements; vijnaptyai--for explaining; jatam--appeared; vidvan--knowing; ajah--the unborn (Lord Brahma); sva-rat--independent.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Maitreya continued: O killer of the enemy, the unborn Lord Brahma, who is almost independent in acquiring knowledge, could understand that a portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His quality of pure existence, had appeared in the womb of Devahuti just to explain the complete state of knowledge known as sankhya-yoga.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter, it is stated that the Lord Himself is the compiler of Vedanta-sutra, and He is the perfect knower of Vedanta-sutra. Similarly, the Sankhya philosophy is compiled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His appearance as Kapila. There is an imitation Kapila who has a Sankhya philosophical system, but Kapila the incarnation of God is different from that Kapila. Kapila the son of Kardama Muni, in His system of Sankhya philosophy, very explicitly explained not only the material world but also the spiritual world. Brahma could understand this fact because he is svarat, almost independent in receiving knowledge. He is called svarat because he did not go to any school or college to learn but learned everything from within. Because Brahma is the first living creature within this universe, he had no teacher; his teacher was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, who is seated in the heart of every living creature. Brahma acquired knowledge directly from the Supreme Lord within the heart; therefore he is sometimes called svarat and aja.

   Another important point is stated here. Sattvenamsena: when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, He brings with Him all His paraphernalia of Vaikuntha; therefore His name, His form, His quality, His paraphernalia and His entourage all belong to the transcendental world. Real goodness is in the transcendental world. Here in the material world, the quality of goodness is not pure. Goodness may exist, but there must also be some tinges of passion and ignorance. In the spiritual world the unalloyed quality of goodness prevails; there the quality of goodness is called suddha-sattva, pure goodness. Another name for suddha-sattva is vasudeva because God is born from Vasudeva. Another meaning is that when one is purely situated in the qualities of goodness, he can understand the form, name, quality, paraphernalia and entourage of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The word amsena also indicates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, appeared as Kapiladeva in a portion of His portion. God expands either as kala or as amsa. Amsa means "direct expansion," and kala means "expansion of the expansion." There is no difference between the expansion, the expansion of the expansion, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly, as there is no difference between one candle and another--but still the candle from which the others are lit is called the original. Krsna, therefore, is called the Parabrahman, or the ultimate Godhead and cause of all causes.

 

                               TEXT 11

 

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                        sabhajayan visuddhena

                        cetasa tac-cikirsitam

                        prahrsyamanair asubhih

                       kardamam cedam abhyadhat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sabhajayan--worshiping; visuddhena--pure; cetasa--with a heart; tat--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; cikirsitam--the intended activities; prahrsyamanaih--gladdened; asubhih--with senses; kardamam--to Kardama Muni; ca--and Devahuti; idam--this; abhyadhat--spoke.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After worshiping the Supreme Lord with gladdened senses and a pure heart for His intended activities as an incarnation, Brahma spoke as follows to Kardama and Devahuti.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   As explained in Bhagavad-gita, Fourth Chapter, anyone who understands the transcendental activities, the appearance and the disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be considered liberated. Brahma, therefore, is a liberated soul. Although he is in charge of this material world, he is not exactly like the common living entity. Since he is liberated from the majority of the follies of the common living entities, he was in knowledge of the appearance of the Supreme personality of Godhead, and he therefore worshiped the Lord's activities, and with a glad heart he also praised Kardama Muni because the Supreme personality of Godhead, as Kapila, had appeared as his son. One who can become the father of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly a great devotee. There is a verse spoken by a brahmana in which he says that he does not know what the Vedas and what the puranas are, but while others might be interested in the Vedas or puranas, he is interested in Nanda Maharaja, who appeared as the father of Krsna. The brahmana wanted to worship Nanda Maharaja because the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as a child, crawled in the yard of his house. These are some of the good sentiments of devotees. If a recognized devotee brings forth the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his son, how he should be praised! Brahma, therefore, not only worshiped the incarnation of Godhead Kapila but also praised His so-called father, Kardama Muni.

 

                               TEXT 12

 

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                              brahmovaca

                        tvaya me 'pacitis tata

                        kalpita nirvyalikatah

                       yan me sanjagrhe vakyam

                        bhavan manada manayan

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   brahma--Lord Brahma; uvaca--said; tvaya--by you; me--my; apacitih--worship; tata--O son; kalpita--is accomplished; nirvyalikatah--without duplicity; yat--since; me--my; sanjagrhe--have completely accepted; vakyam--instructions; bhavan--you; mana-da--O Kardama (one who offers honor to others); manayan--respecting.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Brahma said: My dear son Kardama, since you have completely accepted my instructions without duplicity, showing them proper respect, you have worshiped me properly. Whatever instructions you took from me you have carried out, and thereby you have honored me.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Lord Brahma, as the first living entity within the universe, is supposed to be the spiritual master of everyone, and he is also the father, the creator, of all beings. Kardama Muni is one of the Prajapatis, or creators of the living entities, and he is also a son of Brahma. Brahma praises Kardama because he carried out the orders of the spiritual master in toto and without cheating. A conditioned soul in the material world has the disqualification of cheating. He has four disqualifications: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is sure to be illusioned, he is prone to cheat others, and his senses are imperfect. But if one carries out the order of the spiritual master by disciplic succession, or the parampara system, he overcomes the four defects. Therefore, knowledge received from the bona fide spiritual master is not cheating. Any other knowledge which is manufactured by the conditioned soul is cheating only. Brahma knew well that Kardama Muni exactly carried out the instructions received from him and that he actually honored his spiritual master. To honor the spiritual master means to carry out his instructions word for word.

 

                               TEXT 13

 

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                         etavaty eva susrusa

                        karya pitari putrakaih

                        badham ity anumanyeta

                        gauravena guror vacah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   etavati--to this extent; eva--exactly; susrusa--service; karya--ought to be rendered; pitari--to the father; putrakaih--by the sons; badham iti--accepting, "Yes, sir"; anumanyeta--he should obey; gauravena--with due deference; guroh--of the guru; vacah--commands.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sons ought to render service to their father exactly to this extent. One should obey the command of his father or spiritual master with due deference, saying, "Yes, sir."

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Two words in this verse are very important; one word is pitari, and another word is guroh. The son or disciple should accept the words of his spiritual master and father without hesitation. Whatever the father and the spiritual master order should be taken without argument: "Yes." There should be no instance in which the disciple or the son says, "This is not correct. I cannot carry it out." When he says that, he is fallen. The father and the spiritual master are on the same platform because a spiritual master is the second father. The higher classes are called dvija, twice-born. Whenever there is a question of birth, there must be a father. The first birth is made possible by the actual father, and the second birth is made possible by the spiritual master. Sometimes the father and the spiritual master may be the same man, and sometimes they are different men. In any case, the order of the father or the order of the spiritual master must be carried out without hesitation, with an immediate yes. There should be no argument. That is real service to the father and to the spiritual master. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has stated that the order of the spiritual master is the life and soul of the disciples. As a man cannot separate his life from his body, a disciple cannot separate the order of the spiritual master from his life. If a disciple follows the instruction of the spiritual master in that way, he is sure to become perfect. This is confirmed in the Upanisads: the import of Vedic instruction is revealed automatically only to one who has implicit faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and in his spiritual master. One may be materially considered an illiterate man, but if he has faith in the spiritual master as well as in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then the meaning of scriptural revelation is immediately manifested before him.

 

                               TEXT 14

 

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                         ima duhitarah satyas

                        tava vatsa sumadhyamah

                     sargam etam prabhavaih svair

                        brmhayisyanty anekadha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   imah--these; duhitarah--daughters; satyah--chaste; tava--your; vatsa--O my dear son; su-madhyamah--thin-waisted; sargam--creation; etam--this; prabhavaih--by descendants; svaih--their own; brmhayisyanti--they will increase; aneka-dha--in various ways.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Brahma then praised Kardama Muni's nine daughters, saying: All your thin-waisted daughters are certainly very chaste. I am sure they will increase this creation by their own descendants in various ways.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In the beginning of creation, Brahma was concerned more or less with increasing the population, and when he saw that Kardama Muni had already begotten nine nice daughters, he was hopeful that through the daughters many children would come who would take charge of the creative principle of the material world. He was therefore happy to see them. The word sumadhyama means "a good daughter of a beautiful woman." If she has a thin waist, a woman is considered very beautiful. All the daughters of Kardama Muni were of the same beautiful feature.

 

                               TEXT 15

 

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                       atas tvam rsi-mukhyebhyo

                        yatha-silam yatha-ruci

                        atmajah paridehy adya

                         vistrnihi yaso bhuvi

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   atah--therefore; tvam--you; rsi-mukhyebhyah--unto the foremost sages; yatha-silam--according to temperament; yatha-ruci--according to taste; atma-jah--your daughters; paridehi--please give away; adya--today; vistrnihi--spread; yasah--fame; bhuvi--over the universe.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Therefore, today please give away your daughters to the foremost of the sages, with due regard for the girls' temperaments and likings, and thereby spread your fame all over the universe.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The nine principal rsis, or sages, are Marici, Atri, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrgu, Vasistha and Atharva. All these rsis are most important, and Brahma desired that the nine daughters already born of Kardama Muni be handed over to them. Here two words are used very significantly--yatha-silam and yatha-ruci. The daughters should be handed over to the respective rsis, not blindly, but according to the combination of character and taste. That is the art of combining a man and woman. Man and woman should not be united simply on the consideration of sex life. There are many other considerations, especially character and taste. If the taste and character differ between the man and woman, their combination will be unhappy. Even about forty years ago, in Indian marriages, the taste and character of the boy and girl were first of all matched, and then they were allowed to marry. This was done under the direction of the respective parents. The parents used to astrologically determine the character and tastes of the boy and girl, and when they corresponded, the match was selected: "This girl and this boy are just suitable, and they should be married." Other considerations were less important. The same system was also advised in the beginning of the creation by Brahma: "Your daughters should be handed over to the rsis according to taste and character."

   According to astrological calculation, a person is classified according to whether he belongs to the godly or demoniac quality. In that way the spouse was selected. A girl of godly quality should be handed over to a boy of godly quality. A girl of demoniac quality should be handed over to a boy of demoniac quality. Then they will be happy. But if the girl is demoniac and the boy is godly, then the combination is incompatible; they cannot be happy in such a marriage. At the present moment, because boys and girls are not married according to quality and character, most marriages are unhappy, and there is divorce.

   It is foretold in the Twelfth Canto of the Bhagavatam that in this age of Kali married life will be accepted on the consideration of sex only; when the boy and girl are pleased in sex, they get married, and when there is deficiency in sex, they separate. That is not actual marriage, but a combination of men and women like cats and dogs. Therefore, the children produced in the modern age are not exactly human beings. Human beings must be twice-born. A child is first born of a good father and mother, and then he is born again of the spiritual master and the Vedas. The first mother and father bring about his birth into the world; then the spiritual master and the Vedas become his second father and mother. According to the Vedic system of marriage for producing children, every man and woman was enlightened in spiritual knowledge, and at the time of their combination to produce a child, everything was scrutinizingly and scientifically done.

 

                               TEXT 16

 

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                        vedaham adyam purusam

                         avatirnam sva-mayaya

                       bhutanam sevadhim deham

                        bibhranam kapilam mune

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   veda--know; aham--I; adyam--the original; purusam--enjoyer; avatirnam--incarnated; sva-mayaya--by His own internal energy; bhutanam--of all the living entities; sevadhim--the bestower of all desired, who is just like a vast treasure; deham--the body; bibhranam--assuming; kapilam--Kapila Muni; mune--O sage Kardama.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O Kardama, I know that the original Supreme Personality of Godhead has now appeared as an incarnation by His internal energy. He is the bestower of all desired by the living entities, and He has now assumed the body of Kapila Muni.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In this verse we find the words purusam avatirnam sva-mayaya. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is everlastingly, eternally the form of purusa, the predominator or enjoyer, and when He appears He never accepts anything of this material energy. The spiritual world is a manifestation of His personal, internal potency, whereas the material world is a manifestation of His material, or differentiated, energy. The word sva-mayaya, "by His own internal potency," indicates that whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends, He comes in His own energy. He may assume the body of a human being, but that body is not material. In Bhagavad-gita, therefore, it is clearly stated that only fools and rascals, mudhas, consider the body of Krsna to be the body of a common human being. The word sevadhim means that He is the original bestower of all the necessities of life upon the living entities. In the Vedas also it is stated that He is the chief living entity and that He bestows all the desired necessities of other living entities. Because He is the bestower of the necessities of all others, He is called God. The Supreme is also a living entity; He is not impersonal. As we are individual, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also individual--but He is the supreme individual. That is the difference between God and the ordinary living entities.

 

                               TEXT 17

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         jnana-vijnana-yogena

                       karmanam uddharan jatah

                       hiranya-kesah padmaksah

                        padma-mudra-padambujah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   jnana--of scriptural knowledge; vijnana--and application; yogena--by means of mystic yoga; karmanam--of material actions; uddharan--uprooting; jatah--the roots; hiranya-kesah--golden hair; padma-aksah--lotus-eyed; padma-mudra--marked with the sign of the lotus; pada-ambujah--having lotus feet.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   By mystic yoga and the practical application of knowledge from the scriptures, Kapila Muni, who is characterized by His golden hair, His eyes just like lotus petals and His lotus feet, which bear the marks of lotus flowers, will uproot the deep-rooted desire for work in this material world.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In this verse the activities and bodily features of Kapila Muni are very nicely described. The activities of Kapila Muni are forecast herein: He will present the philosophy of Sankhya in such a way that by studying His philosophy people will be able to uproot the deep-rooted desire for karma, fruitive activities. Everyone in this material world engages in achieving the fruits of his labor. A man tries to be happy by achieving the fruits of his own honest labor, but actually he becomes more and more entangled. One cannot get out of this entanglement unless he has perfect knowledge, or devotional service.

   Those who are trying to get out of the entanglement by speculation are also doing their best, but in the Vedic scriptures we find that if one has taken to the devotional service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness, he can very easily uproot the deep-rooted desire for fruitive activities. Sankhya philosophy will be broadcast by Kapila Muni for that purpose. His bodily features are also described herein. Jnana does not refer to ordinary research work. Jnana entails receiving knowledge from the scriptures through the spiritual master by disciplic succession. In the modern age there is a tendency to do research by mental speculation and concoction. But the man who speculates forgets that he himself is subject to the four defects of nature: he is sure to commit mistakes, his senses are imperfect, he is sure to fall into illusion, and he is cheating. Unless one has perfect knowledge from disciplic succession, he simply puts forth some theories of his own creation; therefore he is cheating people. Jnana means knowledge received through disciplic succession from the scriptures, and vijnana means practical application of such knowledge. Kapila Muni's Sankhya system of philosophy is based on jnana and vijnana.

 

                               TEXT 18

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        esa manavi te garbham

                       pravistah kaitabhardanah

                       avidya-samsaya-granthim

                       chittva gam vicarisyati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   esah--the same Supreme Personality of Godhead; manavi--O daughter of Manu; te--your; garbham--womb; pravistah--has entered; kaitabha-ardanah--the killer of the demon Kaitabha; avidya--of ignorance; samsaya--and of doubt; granthim--the knot; chittva--cutting off; gam--the world; vicarisyati--He will travel over.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Lord Brahma then told Devahuti: My dear daughter of Manu, the same Supreme Personality of Godhead who killed the demon Kaitabha is now within your womb. He will cut off all the knots of your ignorance and doubt. Then He will travel all over the world.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Here the word avidya is very significant. Avidya means forgetfulness of one's identity. Every one of us is a spirit soul, but we have forgotten. We think, "I am this body." This is called avidya. Samsaya-granthi means "doubtfulness." The knot of doubtfulness is tied when the soul identifies with the material world. That knot is also called ahankara, the junction of matter and spirit. By proper knowledge received from the scriptures in disciplic succession and by proper application of that knowledge, one can free himself from this binding combination of matter and spirit. Brahma assures Devahuti that her son will enlighten her, and after enlightening her He will travel all over the world, distributing the system of Sankhya philosophy.

   The word samsaya means "doubtful knowledge." Speculative and pseudo yogic knowledge is all doubtful. At the present moment the so-called yoga system is prosecuted on the understanding that by agitation of the different stations of the bodily construction one can find that he is God. The mental speculators think similarly, but they are all doubtful. Real knowledge is expounded in Bhagavad-gita: "Just become Krsna conscious. Just worship Krsna and become a devotee of Krsna." That is real knowledge, and anyone who follows that system becomes perfect without a doubt.

 

                               TEXT 19

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        ayam siddha-ganadhisah

                      sankhyacaryaih susammatah

                        loke kapila ity akhyam

                       ganta te kirti-vardhanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ayam--this Personality of Godhead; siddha-gana--of the perfected sages; adhisah--the head; sankhya-acaryaih--by acaryas expert in Sankhya philosophy; su-sammatah--approved according to Vedic principles; loke--in the world; kapilah iti--as Kapila; akhyam--celebrated; ganta--He will go about; te--your; kirti--fame; vardhanah--increasing.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Your son will be the head of all the perfected souls. He will be approved by the acaryas expert in disseminating real knowledge, and among the people He will be celebrated by the name Kapila. As the son of Devahuti, He will increase your fame.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Sankhya philosophy is the philosophical system enunciated by Kapila, the son of Devahuti. The other Kapila, who is not the son of Devahuti, is an imitation. This is the statement of Brahma, and because we belong to Brahma's disciplic succession we should accept his statement that the real Kapila is the son of Devahuti and that real Sankhya philosophy is the system of philosophy which He introduced and which will be accepted by the acaryas, the directors of spiritual discipline. The word susammata means "accepted by persons who are counted upon to give their good opinion."

 

                               TEXT 20

 

                                 TEXT

 

                            maitreya uvaca

                       tav asvasya jagat-srasta

                        kumaraih saha-naradah

                         hamso hamsena yanena

                       tri-dhama-paramam yayau

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   maitreyah uvaca--Maitreya said; tau--the couple; asvasya--having reassured; jagat-srasta--the creator of the universe; kumaraih--along with the Kumaras; saha-naradah--with Narada; hamsah--Lord Brahma; hamsena yanena--by his swan carrier; tri-dhama-paramam--to the highest planetary system; yayau--went.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Maitreya said: After thus speaking to Kardama Muni and his wife Devahuti, Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, who is also known as Hamsa, went back to the highest of the three planetary systems on his swan carrier with the four Kumaras and Narada.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The words hamsena yanena are very significant here. Hamsa-yana, the airplane by which Brahma travels all over outer space, resembles a swan. Brahma is also known as Hamsa because he can grasp the essence of everything. His abode is called tri-dhama-paramam. There are three divisions of the universe--the upper planetary system, the middle planetary system and the lower planetary system--but his abode is above even Siddhaloka, the upper planetary system. He returned to his own planet with the four Kumaras and Narada because they were not going to be married. The other rsis who came with him, such as Marici and Atri, remained there because they were to be married to the daughters of Kardama, but his other sons-- Sanat, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Narada--went back with him in his swan-shaped airplane. The four Kumaras and Narada are naisthika-brahmacaris. Naisthika-brahmacari refers to one who never wastes his semen at any time. They were not to attend the marriage ceremony of their other brothers, Marici and the other sages, and therefore they went back with their father, Hamsa.

 

                               TEXT 21

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       gate sata-dhrtau ksattah

                        kardamas tena coditah

                        yathoditam sva-duhitrh

                       pradad visva-srjam tatah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gate--after he departed; sata-dhrtau--Lord Brahma; ksattah--O Vidura; kardamah--Kardama Muni; tena--by him; coditah--ordered; yatha-uditam--as told; sva-duhitrh--his own daughters; pradat--handed over; visva-srjam--to the creators of the world's population; tatah--thereafter.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O Vidura, after the departure of Brahma, Kardama Muni, having been ordered by Brahma, handed over his nine daughters, as instructed, to the nine great sages who created the population of the world.

 

                             TEXTS 22-23

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        maricaye kalam pradad

                          anasuyam athatraye

                      sraddham angirase 'yacchat

                        pulastyaya havirbhuvam

 

                        pulahaya gatim yuktam

                       kratave ca kriyam satim

                     khyatim ca bhrgave 'yacchad

                       vasisthayapy arundhatim

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   maricaye--unto Marici; kalam--Kala; pradat--he handed over; anasuyam--Anasuya; atha--then; atraye--unto Atri; sraddham--Sraddha; angirase--unto Angira; ayacchat--he gave away; pulastyaya--unto Pulastya; havirbhuvam--Havirbhu; pulahaya--unto Pulaha; gatim--Gati; yuktam--suitable; kratave--unto Kratu; ca--and; kriyam--Kriya; satim--virtuous; khyatim--Khyati; ca--and; bhrgave--unto Bhrgu; ayacchat--he gave away; vasisthaya--unto the sage Vasistha; api--also; arundhatim--Arundhati.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Kardama Muni handed over his daughter Kala to Marici, and another daughter, Anasuya, to Atri. He delivered Sraddha to Angira, and Havirbhu to Pulastya. He delivered Gati to Pulaha, the chaste Kriya to Kratu, Khyati to Bhrgu, and Arundhati to Vasistha.

 

                               TEXT 24

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       atharvane 'dadac chantim

                         yaya yajno vitanyate

                       viprarsabhan krtodvahan

                         sadaran samalalayat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   atharvane--to Atharva; adadat--he gave away; santim--Santi; yaya--by whom; yajnah--sacrifice; vitanyate--is performed; vipra-rsabhan--the foremost brahmanas; krta-udvahan--married; sa-daran--with their wives; samalalayat--maintained them.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He delivered Santi to Atharva. Because of Santi, sacrificial ceremonies are well performed. Thus he got the foremost brahmanas married, and he maintained them along with their wives.

 

                               TEXT 25

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       tatas ta rsayah ksattah

                       krta-dara nimantrya tam

                      pratisthan nandim apannah

                      svam svam asrama-mandalam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tatah--then; te--they; rsayah--the sages; ksattah--O Vidura; krta-darah--thus married; nimantrya--taking leave of; tam--Kardama; pratisthan--they departed; nandim--joy; apannah--obtained; svam svam--each to his own; asrama-mandalam--hermitage.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thus married, the sages took leave of Kardama and departed full of joy, each for his own hermitage, O Vidura.

 

                               TEXT 26

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       sa cavatirnam tri-yugam

                        ajnaya vibudharsabham

                         vivikta upasangamya

                         pranamya samabhasata

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sah--the sage Kardama; ca--and; avatirnam--descended; tri-yugam--Visnu; ajnaya--having understood; vibudha-rsabham--the chief of the demigods; vivikte--in a secluded place; upasangamya--having approached; pranamya--offering obeisances; samabhasata--he spoke.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When Kardama Muni understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the chief of all the demigods, Visnu, had descended, Kardama approached Him in a secluded place, offered obeisances and spoke as follows.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Lord Visnu is called tri-yuga. He appears in three yugas--Satya, Treta and Dvapara--but in Kali-yuga He does not appear. From the prayers of Prahlada Maharaja, however, we understand that He appears garbed as a devotee in Kali-yuga. Lord Caitanya is that devotee. Krsna appeared in the form of a devotee, but although He never disclosed Himself, Rupa Gosvami could understand His identity, for the Lord cannot hide Himself from a pure devotee. Rupa Gosvami detected Him when he offered his first obeisances to Lord Caitanya. He knew that Lord Caitanya was Krsna Himself and therefore offered his obeisances with the following words: "I offer my respects to Krsna, who has now appeared as Lord Caitanya." This is also confirmed in the prayers of Prahlada Maharaja: in Kali-yuga He does not directly appear, but He appears as a devotee. Visnu, therefore, is known as tri-yuga. Another explanation of tri-yuga is that He has three pairs of divine attributes, namely power and affluence, piety and renown, and wisdom and dispassion. According to Sridhara Svami, His three pairs of opulences are complete riches and complete strength, complete fame and complete beauty, and complete wisdom and complete renunciation. There are different interpretations of tri-yuga, but it is accepted by all learned scholars that tri-yuga means Visnu. When Kardama Muni understood that his son, Kapila, was Visnu Himself, he wanted to offer his obeisances. Therefore, when Kapila was alone he offered his respects and expressed his mind as follows.

 

                               TEXT 27

 

                                 TEXT

 

                          aho papacyamananam

                       niraye svair amangalaih

                         kalena bhuyasa nunam

                         prasidantiha devatah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   aho--oh; papacyamananam--with those being much afflicted; niraye--in the hellish material entanglement; svaih--their own; amangalaih--by misdeeds; kalena bhuyasa--after a long time; nunam--indeed; prasidanti--they are pleased; iha--in this world; devatah--the demigods.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Kardama Muni said: Oh, after a long time the demigods of this universe have become pleased with the suffering souls who are in material entanglement because of their own misdeeds.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This material world is a place for suffering, which is due to the misdeeds of the inhabitants, the conditioned souls themselves. The sufferings are not extraneously imposed upon them; rather, the conditioned souls create their own suffering by their own acts. In the forest, fire takes place automatically. It is not that someone has to go there and set a fire; because of friction among various trees, fire occurs automatically. When there is too much heat from the forest fire of this material world, the demigods, including Brahma himself, being harassed, approach the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and appeal to Him to alleviate the condition. Then the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends. In other words, when the demigods become distressed by the sufferings of the conditioned souls, they approach the Lord to remedy the suffering, and the Personality of Godhead descends. When the Lord descends, all the demigods become enlivened. Therefore Kardama Muni said, "After many, many years of human suffering, all the demigods are now satisfied because Kapiladeva, the incarnation of Godhead, has appeared."

 

                               TEXT 28

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         bahu-janma-vipakvena

                        samyag-yoga-samadhina

                       drastum yatante yatayah

                        sunyagaresu yat-padam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   bahu--many; janma--after births; vipakvena--which is mature; samyak--perfect; yoga-samadhina--by trance in yoga; drastum--to see; yatante--they endeavor; yatayah--the yogis; sunya-agaresu--in secluded places; yat--whose; padam--feet.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After many births, mature yogis, by complete trance in yoga, endeavor in secluded places to see the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Some important things are mentioned here about yoga. The word bahu janma-vipakvena means "after many, many births of mature yoga practice." And another word, samyag-yoga-samadhina, means "by complete practice of the yoga system." Complete practice of yoga means bhakti-yoga; unless one comes to the point of bhakti-yoga, or surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one's yoga practice is not complete. This same point is corroborated in the Srimad Bhagavad-gita. Bahunam janmanam ante: after many, many births, the jnani who has matured in transcendental knowledge surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kardama Muni repeats the same statement. After many, many years and many, many births of complete practice of yoga, one can see the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord in a secluded place. It is not that after one practices some sitting postures he immediately becomes perfect. One has to perform yoga a long time--"many, many births"--to become mature, and a yogi has to practice in a secluded place. One cannot practice yoga in a city or in a public park and declare that he has become God simply by some exchange of dollars. This is all bogus propaganda. Those who are actually yogis practice in a secluded place, and after many, many births they become successful, provided they surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the completion of yoga.

 

                               TEXT 29

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         sa eva bhagavan adya

                        helanam na ganayya nah

                        grhesu jato gramyanam

                       yah svanam paksa-posanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sah eva--that very same; bhagavan--Supreme Personality of Godhead; adya--today; helanam--negligence; na--not; ganayya--considering high and low; nah--our; grhesu--in the houses; jatah--appeared; gramyanam--of ordinary householders; yah--He who; svanam--of His own devotees; paksa-posanah--who supports the party.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Not considering the negligence of ordinary householders like us, that very same Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in our homes just to support His devotees.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Devotees are so affectionate toward the Personality of Godhead that although He does not appear before those who practice yoga in a secluded place even for many, many births, He agrees to appear in a householder's home where devotees engage in devotional service without material yoga practice. In other words, devotional service to the Lord is so easy that even a householder can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one of the members of his household, as his son, as Kardama Muni experienced. He was a householder, although a yogi, but he had the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kapila Muni as his son.

   Devotional service is such a powerful transcendental method that it surpasses all other methods of transcendental realization. The Lord says, therefore, that He lives neither in Vaikuntha nor in the heart of a yogi, but He lives where His pure devotees are always chanting and glorifying Him. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as bhakta-vatsala. He is never described as jnani-vatsala or yogi-vatsala. He is always described as bhakta-vatsala because He is more inclined toward His devotees than toward other transcendentalists. In Bhagavad-gita it is confirmed that only a devotee can understand Him as He is. Bhaktya mam abhijanati: "One can understand Me only by devotional service, not otherwise." That understanding alone is real because although jnanis, mental speculators, can realize only the effulgence, or the bodily luster, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and yogis can realize only the partial representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a bhakta not only realizes Him as He is but also associates with the Personality of Godhead face to face.

 

                               TEXT 30

 

                                 TEXT

 

                      sviyam vakyam rtam kartum

                         avatirno 'si me grhe

                       cikirsur bhagavan jnanam

                       bhaktanam mana-vardhanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sviyam--Your own; vakyam--words; rtam--true; kartum--to make; avatirnah--descended; asi--You are; me grhe--in my house; cikirsuh--desirous of disseminating; bhagavan--the Personality of Godhead; jnanam--knowledge; bhaktanam--of the devotees; mana--the honor; vardhanah--who increases.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Kardama Muni said: You, my dear Lord, who are always increasing the honor of Your devotees, have descended in my home just to fulfill Your word and disseminate the process of real knowledge.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When the Lord appeared before Kardama Muni after his mature yoga practice, He promised that He would become Kardama's son. He descended as the son of Kardama Muni in order to fulfill that promise. Another purpose of His appearance is cikirsur bhagavan jnanam, to distribute knowledge. Therefore, He is called bhaktanam mana-vardhanah, "He who increases the honor of His devotees." By distributing Sankhya He would increase the honor of the devotees; therefore, Sankhya philosophy is not dry mental speculation. Sankhya philosophy means devotional service. How could the honor of the devotees be increased unless Sankhya were meant for devotional service? Devotees are not interested in speculative knowledge; therefore, the Sankhya enunciated by Kapila Muni is meant to establish one firmly in devotional service. Real knowledge and real liberation is to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage in devotional service.

 

                               TEXT 31

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        tany eva te 'bhirupani

                        rupani bhagavams tava

                         yani yani ca rocante

                         sva-jananam arupinah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tani--those; eva--truly; te--Your; abhirupani--suitable; rupani--forms; bhagavan--O Lord; tava--Your; yani yani--whichever; ca--and; rocante--are pleasing; sva-jananam--to Your own devotees; arupinah--of one with no material form.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My dear Lord, although You have no material form, You have Your own innumerable forms. They truly are Your transcendental forms, which are pleasing to Your devotees.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In the Brahma-samhita it is stated that the Lord is one Absolute, but He has ananta, or innumerable, forms. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam. The Lord is the original form, but still He has multiforms. Those multiforms are manifested by Him transcendentally, according to the tastes of His multidevotees. It is understood that once Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Ramacandra, said that he knew that Narayana, the husband of Laksmi, and Rama, the husband of Sita, are one and the same, and that there is no difference between Laksmi and Sita, but as for himself, he liked the form of Lord Rama. In a similar way, some devotees worship the original form of Krsna. When we say "Krsna" we refer to all forms of the Lord--not only Krsna, but Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, Narayana, etc. The varieties of transcendental forms exist simultaneously. That is also stated in the Brahma-samhita: ramadi-murtisu. .. nanavataram. He already exists in multiforms, but none of the forms are material. Sridhara Svami has commented that arupinah, "without form," means without material form. The Lord has form, otherwise how can it be stated here, tany eva te 'bhirupani rupani bhagavams tava: "You have Your forms, but they are not material. Materially You have no form, but spiritually, transcendentally, You have multiforms"? Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand these transcendental forms of the Lord, and being disappointed, they say that the Supreme Lord is impersonal. But that is not a fact; whenever there is form there is a person. Many times in many Vedic literatures the Lord is described as purusa, which means "the original form, the original enjoyer." The conclusion is that the Lord has no material form, and yet, according to the liking of different grades of devotees, He simultaneously exists in multiforms, such as Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, Narayana and Mukunda. There are many thousands and thousands of forms, but they are all visnu-tattva, Krsna.

 

                               TEXT 32

 

                                 TEXT

 

                 tvam suribhis tattva-bubhutsayaddha

                     sadabhivadarhana-pada-pitham

                   aisvarya-vairagya-yaso-'vabodha-

                   virya-sriya purtam aham prapadye

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tvam--unto You; suribhih--by the great sages; tattva--the Absolute Truth; bubhutsaya--with a desire to understand; addha--certainly; sada--always; abhivada--of worshipful respects; arhana--which are worthy; pada--of Your feet; pitham--to the seat; aisvarya--opulence; vairagya--renunciation; yasah--fame; avabodha--knowledge; virya--strength; sriya--with beauty; purtam--who are full; aham--I; prapadye--surrender.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My dear Lord, Your lotus feet are the reservoir that always deserves to receive worshipful homage from all great sages eager to understand the Absolute Truth. You are full in opulence, renunciation, transcendental fame, knowledge, strength and beauty, and therefore I surrender myself unto Your lotus feet.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Actually, those who are searching after the Absolute Truth must take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and worship Him. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna advised Arjuna many times to surrender unto Him, especially at the end of the Ninth Chapter--man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah: "If you want to be perfect, just always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your obeisances to Me. In this way you will understand Me, the Personality of Godhead, and ultimately you will come back to Me, back to Godhead, back home." Why is it so? The Lord is always full in six opulences, as mentioned herein: wealth, renunciation, fame, knowledge, strength and beauty. The word purtam means "in full." No one can claim that all wealth belongs to him, but Krsna can claim it, since He has full wealth. Similarly, He is full in knowledge, renunciation, strength and beauty. He is full in everything, and no one can surpass Him. Another one of Krsna's names is asamaurdhva, which means that no one is equal to or greater than Him.

 

                               TEXT 33

 

                                 TEXT

 

                   param pradhanam purusam mahantam

                   kalam kavim tri-vrtam loka-palam

                     atmanubhutyanugata-prapancam

                  svacchanda-saktim kapilam prapadye

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   param--transcendental; pradhanam--supreme; purusam--person; mahantam--who is the origin of the material world; kalam--who is time; kavim--fully cognizant; tri-vrtam--three modes of material nature; loka-palam--who is the maintainer of all the universes; atma--in Himself; anubhutya--by internal potency; anugata--dissolved; prapancam--whose material manifestations; sva-chanda--independently; saktim--who is powerful; kapilam--to Lord Kapila; prapadye--I surrender.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   I surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, descended in the form of Kapila, who is independently powerful and transcendental, who is the Supreme Person and the Lord of the sum total of matter and the element of time, who is the fully cognizant maintainer of all the universes under the three modes of material nature, and who absorbs the material manifestations after their dissolution.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The six opulences--wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation--are indicated here by Kardama Muni, who addresses Kapila Muni, his son, as param. The word param is used in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the phrase param satyam, to refer to the summum bonum, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. param is explained further by the next word, pradhanam, which means the chief, the origin, the source of everything--sarva-karana-karanam--the cause of all causes. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not formless; He is purusam, or the enjoyer, the original person. He is the time element and is all-cognizant. He knows everything--past, present and future--as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. The Lord says, "I know everything--present, past and future--in every corner of the universe." The material world, which is moving under the spell of the three modes of nature, is also a manifestation of His energy. parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate: everything that we see is an interaction of His energies (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8). parasya brahmanah saktis tathedam akhilam jagat. This is the version of the Visnu purana. We can understand that whatever we see is an interaction of the three modes of material nature, but actually it is all an interaction of the Lord's energy. Loka-palam: He is actually the maintainer of all living entities. Nityo nityanam: He is the chief of all living entities; He is one, but He maintains many, many living entities. God maintains all other living entities, but no one can maintain God. That is His svacchanda-sakti; He is not dependent on others. Someone may call himself independent, but he is still dependent on someone higher. The Personality of Godhead, however, is absolute; there is no one higher than or equal to Him.

   Kapila Muni appeared as the son of Kardama Muni, but because Kapila is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kardama Muni offered respectful obeisances unto Him with full surrender. Another word in this verse is very important: atmanubhutyanugata-prapancam. The Lord descends either as Kapila or Rama, Nrsimha or Varaha, and whatever forms He assumes in the material world are all manifestations of His own personal internal energy. They are never forms of the material energy. The ordinary living entities who are manifested in this material world have bodies created by the material energy, but when Krsna or any one of His expansions or parts of the expansions descends on this material world, although He appears to have a material body, His body is not material. He always has a transcendental body. But fools and rascals, who are called mudhas, consider Him one of them, and therefore they deride Him. They refuse to accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead because they cannot understand Him. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, avajananti mam mudhah: "Those who are rascals and fools deride Me." When God descends in a form, this does not mean that He assumes His form with the help of the material energy. He manifests His spiritual form as He exists in His spiritual kingdom.

 

                               TEXT 34

 

                                 TEXT

 

                  a smabhiprcche 'dya patim prajanam

                     tvayavatirnarna utapta-kamah

                   parivrajat-padavim asthito 'ham

                   carisye tvam hrdi yunjan visokah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   a sma abhiprcche--I am inquiring; adya--now; patim--the Lord; prajanam--of all created beings; tvaya--by You; avatirna-rnah--free from debts; uta--and; apta--fulfilled; kamah--desires; parivrajat--of an itinerant mendicant; padavim--the path; asthitah--accepting; aham--I; carisye--I shall wander; tvam--You; hrdi--in my heart; yunjan--keeping; visokah--free from lamentation.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Today I have something to ask from You, who are the Lord of all living entities. Since I have now been liberated by You from my debts to my father, and since all my desires are fulfilled, I wish to accept the order of an itinerant mendicant. Renouncing this family life, I wish to wander about, free from lamentation, thinking always of You in my heart.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Actually, sannyasa, or renunciation of material household life, necessitates complete absorption in Krsna consciousness and immersion in the self. One does not take sannyasa, freedom from family responsibility in the renounced order of life, to make another family or to create an embarrassing transcendental fraud in the name of sannyasa. The sannyasi's business is not to become proprietor of so many things and amass money from the innocent public. A sannyasi is proud that he is always thinking of Krsna within himself. Of course, there are two kinds of devotees of the Lord. One is called gosthy-anandi, which means those who are preachers and have many followers for preaching the glories of the Lord and who live among those many, many followers just to organize missionary activities. Other devotees are atmanandi, or self-satisfied, and do not take the risk of preaching work. They remain, therefore, alone with God. In this classification was Kardama Muni. He wanted to be free from all anxieties and remain alone within his heart with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Parivraja means "an itinerant mendicant." A mendicant sannyasi should not live anywhere for more than three days. He must be always moving because his duty is to move from door to door and enlighten people about Krsna consciousness.

 

                               TEXT 35

 

                                 TEXT

 

                          sri-bhagavan uvaca

                       maya proktam hi lokasya

                        pramanam satya-laukike

                        athajani maya tubhyam

                         yad avocam rtam mune

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; maya--by Me; proktam--spoken; hi--in fact; lokasya--for the people; pramanam--authority; satya--spoken in scripture; laukike--and in ordinary speech; atha--therefore; ajani--there was birth; maya--by Me; tubhyam--to you; yat--that which; avocam--I said; rtam--true; mune--O sage.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The Personality of Godhead Kapila said: Whatever I speak, whether directly or in the scriptures, is authoritative in all respects for the people of the world. O Muni, because I told you before that I would become your son, I have descended to fulfill this truth.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Kardama Muni was to leave his family life to completely engage in the service of the Lord. But since he knew that the Lord Himself, as Kapila, had taken birth in his home as his own son, why was he preparing to leave home to search out self-realization or God realization? God Himself was present in his home--why should he leave home? Such a question may certainly arise. But here it is said that whatever is spoken in the Vedas and whatever is practiced in accordance with the injunctions of the Vedas is to be accepted as authoritative in society. Vedic authority says that a householder must leave home after his fiftieth year. Pancasordhvam vanam vrajet: one must leave his family life and enter the forest after the age of fifty. This is an authoritative statement of the Vedas, based on the division of social life into four departments of activity--brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa.

   Kardama Muni practiced yoga very rigidly as a brahmacari before his marriage, and he became so powerful and attained so much mystic power that his father, Brahma, ordered him to marry and beget children as a householder. Kardama did that also; he begot nine good daughters and one son, Kapila Muni, and thus his householder duty was also performed nicely, and now his duty was to leave. Even though he had the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his son, he had to respect the authority of the Vedas. This is a very important lesson. Even if one has God in his home as his son, one should still follow the Vedic injunctions. It is stated, mahajano yena gatah sa panthah: one should traverse the path which is followed by great personalities.

   Kardama Muni's example is very instructive, for in spite of having the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his son, he left home just to obey the authority of the Vedic injunction. Kardama Muni states here the main purpose of his leaving home: while traveling all over the world as a mendicant, he would always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart and thereby be freed from all the anxieties of material existence. In this age of Kali-yuga sannyasa is prohibited because persons in this age are all sudras and cannot follow the rules and regulations of sannyasa life. It is very commonly found that so-called sannyasis are addicted to nonsense--even to having private relationships with women. This is the abominable situation in this age. Although they dress themselves as sannyasis, they still cannot free themselves from the four principles of sinful life, namely illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Since they are not freed from these four principles, they are cheating the public by posing as svamis.

   In Kali-yuga the injunction is that no one should accept sannyasa. Of course, those who actually follow the rules and regulations must take sannyasa. Generally, however, people are unable to accept sannyasa life, and therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu stressed, kalau nasty eva nasty eva na-sty eva gatir anyatha. In this age there is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative than to chant the holy name of the Lord: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. The main purpose of sannyasa life is to be in constant companionship with the Supreme Lord, either by thinking of Him within the heart or hearing of Him through aural reception. In this age, hearing is more important than thinking because one's thinking may be disturbed by mental agitation, but if one concentrates on hearing, he will be forced to associate with the sound vibration of Krsna. Krsna and the sound vibration "Krsna" are nondifferent, so if one loudly vibrates Hare Krsna, he will be able to think of Krsna immediately. This process of chanting is the best process of self-realization in this age; therefore Lord Caitanya preached it so nicely for the benefit of all humanity.

 

                               TEXT 36

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       etan me janma loke 'smin

                         mumuksunam durasayat

                       prasankhyanaya tattvanam

                         sammatayatma-darsane

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   etat--this; me--My; janma--birth; loke--in the world; asmin--in this; mumuksunam--by those great sages seeking liberation; durasayat--from unnecessary material desires; prasankhyanaya--for explaining; tattvanam--of the truths; sammataya--which is highly esteemed; atma-darsane--in self-realization.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My appearance in this world is especially to explain the philosophy of Sankhya, which is highly esteemed for self-realization by those desiring freedom from the entanglement of unnecessary material desires.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Here the word durasayat is very significant. Dur refers to trouble or duhkha, miseries. Asayat means "from the shelter." We conditioned souls have taken shelter of the material body, which is full of troubles and miseries. Foolish people cannot understand the situation, and this is called ignorance, illusion, or the spell of maya. Human society should very seriously understand that the body itself is the source of all miserable life. Modern civilization is supposed to be making advancement in scientific knowledge, but what is this scientific knowledge? It is based on bodily comforts only, without knowledge that however comfortably one maintains his body, the body is destructible. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, antavanta ime dehah: these bodies are destined to be destroyed. Nityasyoktah saririnah refers to the living soul, or the living spark, within the body. That soul is eternal, but the body is not eternal. For our activity we must have a body; without a body, without sense organs, there is no activity. But people are not inquiring whether it is possible to have an eternal body. Actually they aspire for an eternal body because even though they engage in sense enjoyment, that sense enjoyment is not eternal. They are therefore in want of something which they can enjoy eternally, but they do not understand how to attain that perfection. Sankhya philosophy, therefore, as stated herein by Kapiladeva, is tattvanam. The Sankhya philosophy system is designed to afford understanding of the real truth. What is that real truth? The real truth is knowledge of how to get out of the material body, which is the source of all trouble. Lord Kapila's incarnation, or descent, is especially meant for this purpose. That is clearly stated here.

 

                               TEXT 37

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        esa atma-patho 'vyakto

                        nastah kalena bhuyasa

                       tam pravartayitum deham

                       imam viddhi maya bhrtam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   esah--this; atma-pathah--path of self-realization; avyaktah--difficult to be known; nastah--lost; kalena bhuyasa--in the course of time; tam--this; pravartayitum--to introduce again; deham--body; imam--this; viddhi--please know; maya--by Me; bhrtam--assumed.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   This path of self-realization, which is difficult to understand, has now been lost in the course of time. Please know that I have assumed this body of Kapila to introduce and explain this philosophy to human society again.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It is not true that Sankhya philosophy is a new system of philosophy introduced by Kapila as material philosophers introduce new kinds of mental speculative thought to supersede that of another philosopher. On the material platform, everyone, especially the mental speculator, tries to be more prominent than others. The field of activity of the speculators is the mind; there is no limit to the different ways in which one can agitate the mind. The mind can be unlimitedly agitated, and thus one can put forward an unlimited number of theories. Sankhya philosophy is not like that; it is not mental speculation. It is factual, but at the time of Kapila it was lost.

   In due course of time, a particular type of knowledge may be lost or may be covered for the time being; that is the nature of this material world. A similar statement was made by Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita. Sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah: "In course of time the yoga system as stated in Bhagavad-gita was lost." It was coming in parampara, in disciplic succession, but due to the passage of time it was lost. The time factor is so pressing that in the course of time everything within this material world is spoiled or lost. The yoga system of Bhagavad-gita was lost before the meeting of Krsna and Arjuna. Therefore Krsna again enunciated the same ancient yoga system to Arjuna, who could actually understand Bhagavad-gita. Similarly, Kapila also said that the system of Sankhya philosophy was not exactly being introduced by Him; it was already current, but in course of time it was mysteriously lost, and therefore He appeared to reintroduce it. That is the purpose of the incarnation of Godhead. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata. Dharma means the real occupation of the living entity. When there is a discrepancy in the eternal occupation of the living entity, the Lord comes and introduces the real occupation of life. Any so-called religious system that is not in the line of devotional service is called adharma-samsthapana. When people forget their eternal relationship with God and engage in something other than devotional service, their engagement is called irreligion. How one can get out of the miserable condition of material life is stated in Sankhya philosophy, and the Lord Himself is explaining this sublime system.

 

                               TEXT 38

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        gaccha kamam mayaprsto

                        mayi sannyasta-karmana

                       jitva sudurjayam mrtyum

                         amrtatvaya mam bhaja

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   gaccha--go; kamam--as you wish; maya--by Me; aprstah--sanctioned; mayi--to Me; sannyasta--completely surrendered; karmana--with your activities; jitva--having conquered; sudurjayam--insurmountable; mrtyum--death; amrtatvaya--for eternal life; mam--unto Me; bhaja--engage in devotional service.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Now, being sanctioned by Me, go as you desire, surrendering all your activities to Me. Conquering insurmountable death, worship Me for eternal life.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The purpose of Sankhya philosophy is stated herein. If anyone wants real, eternal life, he has to engage himself in devotional service, or Krsna consciousness. To become free from birth and death is not an easy task. Birth and death are natural to this material body. Sudurjayam means "very, very difficult to overcome." The modern so-called scientists do not have sufficient means to understand the process of victory over birth and death. Therefore, they set aside the question of birth and death; they do not consider it. They simply engage in the problems of the material body, which is transient and sure to end.

   Actually, human life is meant for conquering the insurmountable process of birth and death. That can be done as stated here. Mam bhaja: one must engage in the devotional service of the Lord. In Bhagavad-gita also the Lord says, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah: "Just become My devotee. Just worship Me." But foolish so-called scholars say that it is not Krsna whom we must worship and to whom we must surrender; it is something else. Without Krsna's mercy, therefore, no one can understand the Sankhya philosophy or any philosophy which is especially meant for liberation. Vedic knowledge confirms that one becomes entangled in this material life because of ignorance and that one can become free from material embarrassment by becoming situated in factual knowledge. Sankhya means that factual knowledge by which one can get out of the material entanglement.

 

                               TEXT 39

 

                                 TEXT

 

                      mam atmanam svayam-jyotih

                        sarva-bhuta-guhasayam

                        atmany evatmana viksya

                        visoko 'bhayam rcchasi

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   mam--Me; atmanam--the Supreme Soul, or Paramatma; svayam-jyotih--self-effulgent; sarva-bhuta--of all beings; guha--in the hearts; asayam--dwelling; atmani--in your own heart; eva--indeed; atmana--through your intellect; viksya--always seeing, always thinking; visokah--free from lamentation; abhayam--fearlessness; rcchasi--you will achieve.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In your own heart, through your intellect, you will always see Me, the supreme self-effulgent soul dwelling within the hearts of all living entities. Thus you will achieve the state of eternal life, free from all lamentation and fear.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   People are very anxious to understand the Absolute Truth in various ways, especially by experiencing the brahmajyoti, or Brahman effulgence, by meditation and by mental speculation. But Kapiladeva uses the word mam to emphasize that the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate feature of the Absolute Truth. In Bhagavad-gita the Personality of Godhead always says mam, "unto Me," but the rascals misinterpret the clear meaning. Mam is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He appears in different incarnations and understand that He has not assumed a material body but is present in His own eternal, spiritual form, then one can understand the nature of the Personality of Godhead. Since the less intelligent cannot understand this point, it is stressed everywhere again and again. Simply by seeing the form of the Lord as He presents Himself by His own internal potency as Krsna or Rama or Kapila, one can directly see the brahmajyoti, because the brahmajyoti is no more than the effulgence of His bodily luster. Since the sunshine is the luster of the sun planet, by seeing the sun one automatically sees the sunshine; similarly, by seeing the Supreme personality of Godhead one simultaneously sees and experiences the Paramatma feature as well as the impersonal Brahman feature of the Supreme.

   The Bhagavatam has already enunciated that the Absolute Truth is present in three features--in the beginning as the impersonal Brahman, in the next stage as the Paramatma in everyone's heart, and, at last, as the ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who sees the Supreme Person can automatically realize the other features, namely the Paramatma and Brahman features of the Lord. The words used here are visoko 'bhayam rcchasi. Simply by seeing the personality of Godhead one realizes everything, and the result is that one becomes situated on the platform where there is no lamentation and no fear. This can be attained simply by devotional service to the Personality of Godhead.

 

                               TEXT 40

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       matra adhyatmikim vidyam

                        samanim sarva-karmanam

                         vitarisye yaya casau

                         bhayam catitarisyati

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   matre--to My mother; adhyatmikim--which opens the door of spiritual life; vidyam--knowledge; samanim--ending; sarva-karmanam--all fruitive activities; vitarisye--I shall give; yaya--by which; ca--also; asau--she; bhayam--fear; ca--also; atitarisyati--will overcome.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   I shall also describe this sublime knowledge, which is the door to spiritual life, to My mother, so that she also can attain perfection and self-realization, ending all reactions to fruitive activities. Thus she also will be freed from all material fear.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Kardama Muni was anxious about his good wife, Devahuti, while leaving home, and so the worthy son promised that not only would Kardama Muni be freed from the material entanglement, but Devahuti would also be freed by receiving instruction from her son. A very good example is set here: the husband goes away, taking the sannyasa order for self-realization, but his representative, the son, who is equally educated, remains at home to deliver the mother. A sannyasi is not supposed to take his wife with him. At the vanaprastha stage of retired life, or the stage midway between householder life and renounced life, one may keep his wife as an assistant without sex relations, but in the sannyasa order of life one cannot keep his wife with him. Otherwise, a person like Kardama Muni could have kept his wife with him, and there would have been no hindrance to his prosecution of self-realization.

   Kardama Muni followed the Vedic injunction that no one in sannyasa life can have any kind of relationship with women. But what is the position of a woman who is left by her husband? She is entrusted to the son, and the son promises that he will deliver his mother from entanglement. A woman is not supposed to take sannyasa. So-called spiritual societies concocted in modern times give sannyasa even to women, although there is no sanction in the Vedic literature for a woman's accepting sannyasa. Otherwise, if it were sanctioned, Kardama Muni could have taken his wife and given her sannyasa. The woman must remain at home. She has only three stages of life: dependency on the father in childhood, dependency on the husband in youth and, in old age, dependency on the grown-up son, such as Kapila. In old age the progress of woman depends on the grown-up son. The ideal son, Kapila Muni, is assuring His father of the deliverance of His mother so that His father may go peacefully without anxiety for his good wife.

 

                               TEXT 41

 

                                 TEXT

 

                            maitreya uvaca

                         evam samuditas tena

                         kapilena prajapatih

                       daksini-krtya tam prito

                         vanam eva jagama ha

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   maitreyah uvaca--the great sage Maitreya said; evam--thus; samuditah--addressed; tena--by Him; kapilena--by Kapila; prajapatih--the progenitor of human society; daksini-krtya--having circumambulated; tam--Him; pritah--being pacified; vanam--to the forest; eva--indeed; jagama--he left; ha--then.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Sri Maitreya said: Thus when Kardama Muni, the progenitor of human society, was spoken to in fullness by his son, Kapila, he circumambulated Him, and with a good, pacified mind he at once left for the forest.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Going to the forest is compulsory for everyone. It is not a mental excursion upon which one person goes and another does not. Everyone should go to the forest at least as a vanaprastha. Forest-going means to take one-hundred-percent shelter of the Supreme Lord, as explained by Prahlada Maharaja in his talks with his father. Sada samudvigna-dhiyam (Bhag. 7.5.5). People who have accepted a temporary, material body are always full of anxieties. One should not, therefore, be very much affected by this material body, but should try to be freed. The preliminary process to become freed is to go to the forest or give up family relationships and exclusively engage in Krsna consciousness. That is the purpose of going to the forest. Otherwise, the forest is only a place of monkeys and wild animals. To go to the forest does not mean to become a monkey or a ferocious animal. It means to accept exclusively the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engage oneself in full service. One does not actually have to go to the forest. At the present moment this is not at all advisable for a man who has spent his life all along in big cities. As explained by Prahlada Maharaja (hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam), one should not remain always engaged in the responsibilities of family life because family life without Krsna consciousness is just like a blind well. Alone in a field, if one falls into a blind well and no one is there to save him, he may cry for years, and no one will see or hear where the crying is coming from. Death is sure. Similarly, those who are forgetful of their eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord are in the blind well of family life; their position is very ominous. Prahlada Maharaja advised that one should give up this well somehow or other and take to Krsna consciousness and thus be freed from material entanglement, which is full of anxieties.

 

                               TEXT 42

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       vratam sa asthito maunam

                         atmaika-sarano munih

                       nihsango vyacarat ksonim

                          anagnir aniketanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vratam--vow; sah--he (Kardama); asthitah--accepted; maunam--silence; atma--by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; eka--exclusively; saranah--being sheltered; munih--the sage; nihsangah--without association; vyacarat--he traveled; ksonim--the earth; anagnih--without fire; aniketanah--without shelter.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The sage Kardama accepted silence as a vow in order to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and take shelter of Him exclusively. Without association, he traveled over the surface of the globe as a sannyasi, devoid of any relationship with fire or shelter.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Here the words anagnir aniketanah are very significant. A sannyasi should be completely detached from fire and any residential quarters. A grhastha has a relationship with fire, either for offering sacrifices or for cooking, but a sannyasi is freed from these two responsibilities. He does not have to cook or offer fire for sacrifice because he is always engaged in Krsna consciousness; therefore he has already accomplished all ritualistic performances of religion. Aniketanah means "without lodging." He should not have his own house, but should depend completely on the Supreme Lord for his food and lodging. He should travel.

   Mauna means "silence." Unless one becomes silent, he cannot think completely about the pastimes and activities of the Lord. It is not that because one is a fool and cannot speak nicely he therefore takes the vow of mauna. Rather, one becomes silent so that people will not disturb him. It is said by Canakya Pandita that a rascal appears very intelligent as long as he does not speak. But speaking is the test. The so-called silence of a silent impersonalist svami indicates that he has nothing to say; he simply wants to beg. But the silence adopted by Kardama Muni was not like that. He became silent for relief from nonsensical talk. One is called a muni when he remains grave and does not talk nonsense. Maharaja Ambarisa set a very good example; whenever he spoke, he spoke about the pastimes of the Lord. Mauna necessitates refraining from nonsensical talking, and engaging the talking facility in the pastimes of the Lord. In that way one can chant and hear about the Lord in order to perfect his life. Vratam means that one should take a vow as explained in Bhagavad-gita, amanitvam adambhitvam, without hankering for personal respect and without being proud of one's material position. A himsa means not being violent. There are eighteen processes for attaining knowledge and perfection, and by his vow, Kardama Muni adopted all the principles of self-realization.

 

                               TEXT 43

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        mano brahmani yunjano

                       yat tat sad-asatah param

                          gunavabhase viguna

                         eka-bhaktyanubhavite

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   manah--mind; brahmani--on the Supreme; yunjanah--fixing; yat--which; tat--that; sat-asatah--cause and effect; param--beyond; guna-avabhase--who manifests the three modes of material nature; vigune--who is beyond the material modes; eka-bhaktya--by exclusive devotion; anubhavite--who is perceived.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He fixed his mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, who is beyond cause and effect, who manifests the three modes of material nature, who is beyond those three modes, and who is perceived only through unfailing devotional service.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Whenever there is bhakti, there must be three things present--the devotee, the devotion and the Lord. Without these three--bhakta, bhakti and Bhagavan--there is no meaning to the word bhakti. Kardama Muni fixed his mind on the Supreme Brahman and realized Him through bhakti, or devotional service. This indicates that he fixed his mind on the personal feature of the Lord because bhakti cannot be executed unless one has realization of the personal feature of the Absolute Truth. Gunavabhase: He is beyond the three modes of material nature, but it is due to Him that the three modes of material nature are manifested. In other words, although the material energy is an emanation of the Supreme Lord, He is not affected, as we are, by the modes of material nature. We are conditioned souls, but He is not affected, although the material nature has emanated from Him. He is the supreme living entity and is never affected by maya, but we are subordinate, minute living entities, prone to be affected by the limitations of maya. If he is in constant contact with the Supreme Lord by devotional service, the conditioned living entity also becomes freed from the infection of maya. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita: sa gunan samatityaitan. A person engaged in Krsna consciousness is at once liberated from the influence of the three modes of material nature. In other words, once the conditioned soul engages himself in devotional service, he also becomes liberated like the Lord.

 

                               TEXT 44

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       nirahankrtir nirmamas ca

                     nirdvandvah sama-drk sva-drk

                     pratyak-prasanta-dhir dhirah

                        prasantormir ivodadhih

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   nirahankrtih--without false ego; nirmamah--without material affection; ca--and; nirdvandvah--without duality; sama-drk--seeing equality; sva-drk--seeing himself; pratyak--turned inward; prasanta--perfectly composed; dhih--mind; dhirah--sober, not disturbed; prasanta--calmed; urmih--whose waves; iva--like; udadhih--the ocean.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Thus he gradually became unaffected by the false ego of material identity and became free from material affection. Undisturbed, equal to everyone and without duality, he could indeed see himself also. His mind was turned inward and was perfectly calm, like an ocean unagitated by waves.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When one's mind is in full Krsna consciousness and one fully engages in rendering devotional service to the Lord, he becomes just like an ocean unagitated by waves. This very example is also cited in Bhagavad-gita: one should become like the ocean. The ocean is filled by many thousands of rivers, and millions of tons of its water evaporates into clouds, yet the ocean is the same unagitated ocean. The laws of nature may work, but if one is fixed in devotional service at the lotus feet of the Lord, he is not agitated, for he is introspective. He does not look outside to material nature, but he looks in to the spiritual nature of his existence; with a sober mind, he simply engages in the service of the Lord. Thus he realizes his own self without false identification with matter and without affection for material possessions. Such a great devotee is never in trouble with others because he sees everyone from the platform of spiritual understanding; he sees himself and others in the right perspective.

 

                               TEXT 45

 

                                 TEXT

 

                          vasudeve bhagavati

                       sarva-jne pratyag-atmani

                        parena bhakti-bhavena

                      labdhatma mukta-bandhanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vasudeve--to Vasudeva; bhagavati--the Personality of Godhead; sarva-jne--omniscient; pratyak-atmani--the Supersoul within everyone; parena--transcendental; bhakti-bhavena--by devotional service; labdha-atma--being situated in himself; mukta-bandhanah--liberated from material bondage.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He thus became liberated from conditioned life and became self-situated in transcendental devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, the omniscient Supersoul within everyone.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When one engages in the transcendental devotional service of the Lord one becomes aware that his constitutional position, as an individual soul, is to be eternally a servitor of the Supreme Lord, Vasudeva. Self-realization does not mean that because the Supreme Soul and the individual soul are both souls they are equal in every respect. The individual soul is prone to be conditioned, and the Supreme Soul is never conditioned. When the conditioned soul realizes that he is subordinate to the Supreme Soul, his position is called labdhatma, self-realization, or mukta-bandhana, freedom from material contamination. Material contamination continues as long as one thinks that he is as good as the Supreme Lord or is equal with Him. This condition is the last snare of maya. Maya always influences the conditioned soul. Even after much meditation and speculation, if one continues to think himself one with the Supreme Lord, it is to be understood that he is still in the last snares of the spell of maya.

   The word parena is very significant. para means "transcendental, untinged by material contamination." Full consciousness that one is an eternal servant of the Lord is called para bhakti. If one has any identification with material things and executes devotional service for attainment of some material gain, that is viddha bhakti, contaminated bhakti. One can actually become liberated by execution of para bhakti.

   Another word mentioned here is sarva jne. The Supersoul sitting within the heart is all-cognizant. He knows. I may forget my past activities due to the change of body, but because the Supreme Lord as Paramatma is sitting within me, He knows everything; therefore the result of my past karma, or past activities, is awarded to me. I may forget, but He awards me suffering or enjoyment for the misdeeds or good deeds of my past life. One should not think that he is freed from reaction because he has forgotten the actions of his past life. Reactions will take place, and what kind of reactions there will be is judged by the Supersoul, the witness.

 

                               TEXT 46

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        atmanam sarva-bhutesu

                        bhagavantam avasthitam

                        apasyat sarva-bhutani

                        bhagavaty api catmani

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   atmanam--the Supersoul; sarva-bhutesu--in all living beings; bhagavantam--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; avasthitam--situated; apasyat--he saw; sarva-bhutani--all living beings; bhagavati--in the Supreme Personality of Godhead; api--moreover; ca--and; atmani--on the Supersoul.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   He began to see that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is seated in everyone's heart, and that everyone is existing on Him, because He is the Supersoul of everyone.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   That everyone is existing on the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not mean that everyone is also Godhead. This is also explained in Bhagavad-gita: everything is resting on Him, the Supreme Lord, but that does not mean that the Supreme Lord is also everywhere. This mysterious position has to be understood by highly advanced devotees. There are three kinds of devotees--the neophyte devotee, the intermediate devotee and the advanced devotee. The neophyte devotee does not understand the techniques of devotional science, but simply offers devotional service to the Deity in the temple; the intermediate devotee understands who God is, who is a devotee, who is a nondevotee and who is innocent, and he deals with such persons differently. But a person who sees that the Lord is sitting as Paramatma in everyone's heart and that everything is depending or existing on the transcendental energy of the Supreme Lord is in the highest devotional position.

 

                               TEXT 47

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         iccha-dvesa-vihinena

                         sarvatra sama-cetasa

                       bhagavad-bhakti-yuktena

                        prapta bhagavati gatih

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   iccha--desire; dvesa--and hatred; vihinena--freed from; sarvatra--everywhere; sama--equal; cetasa--with the mind; bhagavat--unto the Personality of Godhead; bhakti-yuktena--by discharging devotional service; prapta--was attained; bhagavati gatih--the destination of the devotee (going back home, back to Godhead).

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Freed from all hatred and desire, Kardama Muni, being equal to everyone because of discharging uncontaminated devotional service, ultimately attained the path back to Godhead.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   As stated in Bhagavad-gita, only by devotional service can one understand the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord and, after understanding Him perfectly in His transcendental position, enter into the kingdom of God. The process of entering into the kingdom of God is tri-pada-bhuti-gati, or the path back home, back to Godhead, by which one can attain the ultimate goal of life. Kardama Muni, by his perfect devotional knowledge and service, achieved this ultimate goal, which is known as bhagavati gatih.

 

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Twenty-fourth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "The Renunciation of Kardama Muni."