Chapter Twenty-six

King Puranjana Goes to the Forest to Hunt, and His Queen Becomes Angry

 

                              TEXTS 1-3

 

                                 TEXT

 

                             narada uvaca

                          sa ekada mahesvaso

                       ratham pancasvam asu-gam

                      dvisam dvi-cakram ekaksam

                      tri-venum panca-bandhuram

 

                        eka-rasmy eka-damanam

                        eka-nidam dvi-kubaram

                       panca-praharanam sapta-

                       varutham panca-vikramam

 

                         haimopaskaram aruhya

                       svarna-varmaksayesudhih

                         ekadasa-camu-nathah

                      panca-prastham agad vanam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   naradah uvaca--Narada said; sah--King Puranjana; ekada--once upon a time; maha-isvasah--carrying his strong bow and arrows; ratham--chariot; panca-asvam--five horses; asu-gam--going very swiftly; dvi-isam--two arrows; dvi-cakram--two wheels; eka--one; aksam--axle; tri--three; venum--flags; panca--five; bandhuram--obstacles; eka--one; rasmi--rope, rein; eka--one; damanam--chariot driver; eka--one; nidam--sitting place; dvi--two; kubaram--posts to which the harnesses are fixed; panca--five; praharanam--weapons; sapta--seven; varutham--coverings or ingredients of the body; panca--five; vikramam--processes; haima--golden; upaskaram--ornaments; aruhya--riding on; svarna--golden; varma--armor; aksaya--inexhaustible; isu-dhih--quiver; ekadasa--eleven; camu-nathah--commanders; panca--five; prastham--destinations, objectives; agat--went; vanam--to the forest.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The great sage Narada continued: My dear King, once upon a time King Puranjana took up his great bow, and equipped with golden armor and a quiver of unlimited arrows and accompanied by eleven commanders, he sat on his chariot driven by five swift horses and went to the forest named Panca-prastha. He took with him in that chariot two explosive arrows. The chariot itself was situated on two wheels and one revolving axle. On the chariot were three flags, one rein, one chariot driver, one sitting place, two poles to which the harness was fixed, five weapons and seven coverings. The chariot moved in five different styles, and five obstacles lay before it. All the decorations of the chariot were made of gold.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   These three verses explain how the material body of the living entity is under the control of the three qualities of the external energy. The body itself is the chariot, and the living entity is the owner of the body, as explained in Bhagavad-gita (2.13): dehino 'smin yatha dehe. The owner of the body is called the dehi, and he is situated within this body, specifically within the heart. The living entity is driven by one chariot driver. The chariot itself is made of three gunas, three qualities of material nature, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (18.61): yantrarudhani mayaya. The word yantra means "carriage." The body is given by material nature, and the driver of that body is Paramatma, the Supersoul. The living entity is seated within the chariot. This is the actual position.

   The living entity is always being influenced by the three qualities--sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance). This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (7.13). Tribhir gunamayair bhavaih: the living entity is bewildered by the three qualities of material nature. These three qualities are described in this verse as three flags. By a flag, one can come to know who the owner of the chariot is; similarly, by the influence of the three qualities of material nature, one can easily know the direction in which the chariot is moving. In other words, one who has eyes to see can understand how the body is being driven, influenced by the particular type of quality of material nature. In these three verses the activity of the living entity is described to prove how the body becomes influenced by the quality of ignorance, even when a person wants to be religious. Narada Muni wanted to prove to King Pracinabarhisat that the King was being influenced by the tamo-guna, the quality of ignorance, even though the King was supposed to be very religious.

   According to karma-kandiya, the process of fruitive activities, a person performs various sacrifices directed by the Vedas, and in all those sacrifices animal-killing, or experimenting on the life of animals to test the power of Vedic mantras, is enjoined. Animal-killing is certainly conducted under the influence of the mode of ignorance. Even though one may be religiously inclined, animal sacrifice is recommended in the sastras, not only in the Vedas but even in the modern scriptures of other sects. These animal sacrifices are recommended in the name of religion, but actually animal sacrifice is meant for persons in the mode of ignorance. When such people kill animals, they can at least do so in the name of religion. However, when the religious system is transcendental, like the Vaisnava religion, there is no place for animal sacrifice. Such a transcendental religious system is recommended by Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (18.66):

 

                       sarva-dharman parityajya

                        mam ekam saranam vraja

                       aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

                        moksayisyami ma sucah

 

   "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." Because King Pracinabarhisat was engaged in performing various sacrifices in which animals were killed, Narada Muni pointed out that such sacrifices are influenced by the mode of ignorance. From the very beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.2) it is said: projjhita-kaitavo 'tra. All kinds of religious systems that are involved in cheating are completely kicked out of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the bhagavad-dharma, the religion dealing with one's relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, animal sacrifice is not recommended. In the performance of sankirtana-yajna--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--there is no recommendation for animal sacrifices.

   In these three verses, King Puranjana's going to the forest to kill animals is symbolic of the living entity's being driven by the mode of ignorance and thus engaging in different activities for sense gratification. The material body itself indicates that the living entity is already influenced by the three modes of material nature and that he is driven to enjoy material resources. When the body is influenced by the mode of ignorance, its infection becomes very acute. When it is influenced by the mode of passion, the infection is at the symptomatic stage. However, when the body is influenced by the mode of goodness, the materialistic infection becomes purified. The ritualistic ceremonies recommended in religious systems are certainly on the platform of goodness, but because within this material world even the mode of goodness is sometimes polluted by the other qualities (namely passion and ignorance), a man in goodness is sometimes driven by the influence of ignorance.

   It is herein described that King Puranjana once went to the forest to kill animals. This means that he, the living entity, came under the influence of the mode of ignorance. The forest in which King Puranjana engaged in hunting was named Panca-prastha. The word panca means "five," and this indicates the objects of the five senses. The body has five working senses, namely the hands, the legs, the tongue, the rectum and the genitals. By taking full advantage of these working senses, the body enjoys material life. The chariot is driven by five horses, which represent the five sense organs--namely the eyes, ears, nose, skin and tongue. These sense organs are very easily attracted by the sense objects. Consequently, the horses are described as moving swiftly. On the chariot King Puranjana kept two explosive weapons, which may be compared to ahankara, or false ego. This false ego is typified by two attitudes: "I am this body" (ahanta), and "Everything in my bodily relationships belongs to me" (mamata).

   The two wheels of the chariot may be compared to the two moving facilities--namely sinful life and religious life. The chariot is decorated with three flags, which represent the three modes of material nature. The five kinds of obstacles, or uneven roads, represent the five kinds of air passing within the body. These are prana, apana, udana, samana and vyana. The body itself is covered by seven coverings, namely skin, muscle, fat, blood, marrow, bone and semen. The living entity is covered by three subtle material elements and five gross material elements. These are actually obstacles placed before the living entity on the path of liberation from material bondage.

   The word rasmi ("rope") in this verse indicates the mind. The word nida is also significant, for nida indicates the nest where a bird takes rest. In this case nida is the heart, where the living entity is situated. The living entity sits in one place only. The causes of his bondage are two: namely lamentation and illusion. In material existence the living entity simply hankers to get something he can never get. Therefore he is in illusion. As a result of being in this illusory situation, the living entity is always lamenting. Thus lamentation and illusion are described herein as dvi-kubara, the two posts of bondage.

   The living entity carries out various desires through five different processes, which indicate the working of the five working senses. The golden ornaments and dress indicate that the living entity is influenced by the quality of rajo-guna, passion. One who has a good deal of money or riches is especially driven by the mode of passion. Being influenced by the mode of passion, one desires so many things for enjoyment in this material world. The eleven commanders represent the ten senses and the mind. The mind is always making plans with the ten commanders to enjoy the material world. The forest named Panca-prastha, where the King went to hunt, is the forest of the five sense objects: form, taste, sound, smell and touch. Thus in these three verses Narada Muni describes the position of the material body and the encagement of the living entity within it.

 

                                TEXT 4

 

                                 TEXT

 

                         cacara mrgayam tatra

                        drpta attesu-karmukah

                       vihaya jayam atad-arham

                         mrga-vyasana-lalasah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   cacara--executed; mrgayam--hunting; tatra--there; drptah--being proud; atta--having taken; isu--arrows; karmukah--bow; vihaya--giving up; jayam--his wife; a-tat-arham--although impossible; mrga--hunting; vyasana--evil activities; lalasah--being inspired by.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   It was almost impossible for King Puranjana to give up the company of his Queen even for a moment. Nonetheless, on that day, being very much inspired by the desire to hunt, he took up his bow and arrow with great pride and went to the forest, not caring for his wife.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   One form of hunting is known as woman-hunting. A conditioned soul is never satisfied with one wife. Those whose senses are very much uncontrolled especially try to hunt for many women. King Puranjana's abandoning the company of his religiously married wife is representative of the conditioned soul's attempt to hunt for many women for sense gratification. Wherever a king goes, he is supposed to be accompanied by his queen, but when the king, or conditioned soul, becomes greatly overpowered by the desire for sense gratification, he does not care for religious principles. Instead, with great pride, he accepts the bow and arrow of attachment and hatred. Our consciousness is always working in two ways--the right way and the wrong way. When one becomes too proud of his position, influenced by the mode of passion, he gives up the right path and accepts the wrong one. Ksatriya kings are sometimes advised to go to the forest to hunt ferocious animals just to learn how to kill, but such forays are never meant for sense gratification. Killing animals to eat their flesh is forbidden for human beings.

 

                                TEXT 5

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        asurim vrttim asritya

                        ghoratma niranugrahah

                       nyahanan nisitair banair

                         vanesu vana-gocaran

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   asurim--demoniac; vrttim--occupation; asritya--taken shelter of; ghora--horrible; atma--consciousness, heart; niranugrahah--without mercy; nyahanat--killed; nisitaih--by sharp; banaih--arrows; vanesu--in the forests; vana-gocaran--the forest animals.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   At that time King Puranjana was very much influenced by demoniac propensities. Because of this, his heart became very hard and merciless, and with sharp arrows he killed many innocent animals in the forest, taking no consideration.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When a man becomes too proud of his material position, he tries to enjoy his senses in an unrestricted way, being influenced by the modes of passion and ignorance. He is thus described as asuric, or demoniac. When people are demoniac in spirit, they are not merciful toward the poor animals. Consequently, they maintain various animal slaughterhouses. This is technically called suna, or himsa, which means the killing of living beings. In Kali-yuga, due to the increase of the modes of passion and ignorance, almost all men are asuric, or demoniac; therefore they are very much fond of eating flesh, and for this end they maintain various kinds of animal slaughterhouses.

   In this age of Kali the propensity for mercy is almost nil. Consequently there is always fighting and wars between men and nations. Men do not understand that because they unrestrictedly kill so many animals, they also must be slaughtered like animals in big wars. This is very much evident in the Western countries. In the West, slaughterhouses are maintained without restriction, and therefore every fifth or tenth year there is a big war in which countless people are slaughtered even more cruelly than the animals. Sometimes during war, soldiers keep their enemies in concentration camps and kill them in very cruel ways. These are reactions brought about by unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse and by hunters in the forest. Proud, demoniac persons do not know the laws of nature, or the laws of God. Consequently, they unrestrictedly kill poor animals, not caring for them at all. In the Krsna consciousness movement, animal-killing is completely prohibited. One is not accepted as a bona fide student in this movement unless he promises to follow the four regulative principles: no animal-killing, no intoxication, no illicit sex and no gambling. This Krsna consciousness movement is the only means by which the sinful activities of men in this Kali-yuga can be counteracted.

 

                                TEXT 6

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        tirthesu pratidrstesu

                       raja medhyan pasun vane

                       yavad-artham alam lubdho

                         hanyad iti niyamyate

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tirthesu--in holy places; pratidrstesu--according to the direction of the Vedas; raja--a king; medhyan--fit for sacrifice; pasun--animals; vane--in the forest; yavat--so much as; artham--required; alam--not more than that; lubdhah--being greedy; hanyat--one may kill; iti--thus; niyamyate--it is regulated.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   If a king is too attracted to eating flesh, he may, according to the directions of the revealed scriptures on sacrificial performances, go to the forest and kill some animals that are recommended for killing. One is not allowed to kill animals unnecessarily or without restrictions. The Vedas regulate animal-killing to stop the extravagance of foolish men influenced by the modes of passion and ignorance.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The question may be raised why a living being should be restricted in sense gratification. If a king, to learn how to kill, may go to the forest and kill animals, why should a living entity, who has been given senses, not be allowed unrestricted sense gratification? At the present moment this argument is put forward even by so-called svamis and yogis who publicly say that because we have senses we must satisfy them by sense gratification. These foolish svamis and yogis, however, do not know the injunctions of the sastras. Indeed, sometimes these rascals come out to defy the sastras. They even publicly announce that there should be no more sastras, no more books. "Just come to me," they say, "and I shall touch you, and you will become immediately spiritually advanced."

   Because demoniac people want to be cheated, so many cheaters are present to cheat them. At the present moment in this age of Kali-yuga, the entire human society has become an assembly of cheaters and cheated. For this reason the Vedic scriptures have given us the proper directions for sense gratification. Everyone is inclined in this age to eat meat and fish, drink liquor and indulge in sex life, but according to the Vedic injunctions, sex is allowed only in marriage, meat-eating is allowed only when the animal is killed and offered before the goddess Kali, and intoxication is allowed only in a restricted way. In this verse the word niyamyate indicates that all these things--namely animal-killing, intoxication and sex--should be regulated.

   Regulations are meant for human beings, not for animals. The traffic regulations on the street, telling people to keep to the right or the left, are meant for human beings, not for animals. If an animal violates such a law, he is never punished, but a human being is punished. The Vedas are not meant for the animals, but for the understanding of human society. A person who indiscriminately violates the rules and regulations given by the Vedas is liable to be punished. One should therefore not enjoy his senses according to his lusty desires, but should restrict himself according to the regulative principles given in the Vedas. If a king is allowed to hunt in a forest, it is not for his sense gratification. We cannot simply experiment in the art of killing. If a king, being afraid to meet rogues and thieves, kills poor animals and eats their flesh comfortably at home, he must lose his position. Because in this age kings have such demoniac propensities, monarchy is abolished by the laws of nature in every country.

   people have become so degraded in this age that on the one hand they restrict polygamy and on the other hand they hunt for women in so many ways. Many business concerns publicly advertise that topless girls are available in this club or in that shop. Thus women have become instruments of sense enjoyment in modern society. The Vedas enjoin, however, that if a man has the propensity to enjoy more than one wife--as is sometimes the propensity for men in the higher social order, such as the brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas, and even sometimes the sudras--he is allowed to marry more than one wife. Marriage means taking complete charge of a woman and living peacefully without debauchery. At the present moment, however, debauchery is unrestricted. Nonetheless, society makes a law that one should not marry more than one wife. This is typical of a demoniac society.

 

                                TEXT 7

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        ya evam karma niyatam

                        vidvan kurvita manavah

                        karmana tena rajendra

                        jnanena na sa lipyate

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   yah--anyone who; evam--thus; karma--activities; niyatam--regulated; vidvan--learned; kurvita--should perform; manavah--a human being; karmana--by such activities; tena--by this; raja-indra--O King; jnanena--by advancement of knowledge; na--never; sah--he; lipyate--becomes involved.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Narada Muni continued to speak to King Pracinabarhisat: My dear King, any person who works according to the directions of the Vedic scriptures does not become involved in fruitive activities.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Just as a government may issue trade licenses in order for its citizens to act in a certain way, the Vedas contain injunctions that restrain and regulate all of our fruitive activities. All living entities have come into this material world to enjoy themselves. Consequently, the Vedas are given to regulate sense enjoyment. One who enjoys his senses under the Vedic regulative principles does not become entangled in the actions and reactions of his activities. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (3.9), yajnarthat karmanah: one should act only for the performance of yajna, or to satisfy Lord Visnu. Anyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah: otherwise any action will produce a reaction by which the living entity will be bound. A human being is especially meant to attain liberation from the bondage of birth, death, old age and disease. He is therefore directed by the Vedic regulative principles to work in such a way that he may fulfill his desires for sense gratification and at the same time gradually become freed from material bondage. Action according to such principles is called knowledge. Indeed, the word veda means "knowledge." The words jnanena na sa lipyate indicate that by following the Vedic principles, one does not become involved in the actions and reactions of his fruitive activities.

   Everyone is therefore advised to act in terms of the Vedic injunctions and not irresponsibly. When a person within a state acts according to the laws and licenses of the government, he does not become involved in criminal activities. Man-made laws, however, are always defective because they are made by men who are prone to committing mistakes, being illusioned, cheating and having imperfect senses. The Vedic instructions are different because they do not have these four defects. Vedic instructions are not subject to mistakes. The knowledge of the Vedas is knowledge received directly from God, and there is consequently no question of illusion, cheating, mistakes or imperfect senses. All Vedic knowledge is perfect because it is received directly from God by the parampara, disciplic succession. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.1.1) it is said: tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. The original creature of this universe, known as the adi-kavi, or Lord Brahma, was instructed by Krsna through the heart. After receiving these Vedic instructions from Lord Krsna Himself, Brahma distributed the knowledge by the parampara system to Narada, and Narada in turn distributed the knowledge to Vyasa. In this way Vedic knowledge is perfect. If we act according to Vedic knowledge, there is no question of being involved in sinful activities.

 

                                TEXT 8

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        anyatha karma kurvano

                         manarudho nibadhyate

                         guna-pravaha-patito

                      nasta-prajno vrajaty adhah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   anyatha--otherwise; karma--fruitive activities; kurvanah--while acting; mana-arudhah--being influenced by false prestige; nibadhyate--one becomes entangled; guna-pravaha--by the influence of the material qualities; patitah--fallen; nasta-prajnah--bereft of all intelligence; vrajati--thus he goes; adhah--down.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Otherwise, a person who acts whimsically falls down due to false prestige. Thus he becomes involved in the laws of nature, which are composed of the three qualities [goodness, passion and ignorance]. In this way a living entity becomes devoid of his real intelligence and becomes perpetually lost in the cycle of birth and death. Thus he goes up and down from a microbe in stool to a high position in the Brahmaloka planet.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   There are many important words in this verse. The first is anyatha, "otherwise," which indicates one who does not care for the Vedic rules and regulations. The rules and regulations laid down in the Vedas are called sastra-vidhi. Bhagavad-gita clearly states that one who does not accept the sastra-vidhi, or rules and regulations mentioned in the Vedic scriptures, and acts whimsically or puffed up with false pride never attains perfection in this life, nor does he attain happiness or liberation from the material condition.

 

                      yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya

                         vartate kama-karatah

                        na sa siddhim avapnoti

                       na sukham na param gatim

 

   "He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection nor happiness nor the supreme destination." (Bg. 16.23) Thus one who is deliberately transgressing the rules and regulations of the sastras is simply involving himself more and more in material existence in the three modes of material nature. Human society should therefore follow the Vedic principles of life, which are summarized in Bhagavad-gita. Otherwise life in material existence will continue. Foolish persons do not know that the soul is passing through comes to the human form of life, he is supposed to follow the rules and regulations laid down in the Vedas. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that the living entity, since time immemorial, is suffering the threefold miseries of material nature due to his demoniac attitude, which is his spirit of revolt against the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna also confirms this in Bhagavad-gita (15.7):

 

                         mamaivamso jiva-loke

                        jiva-bhutah sanatanah

                        manah-sasthanindriyani

                        prakrti-sthani karsati

 

   "The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind." Every living entity is part and parcel of God. There is no reason for the living entity's being put into the miserable threefold condition of material existence but that he voluntarily accepts material existence on the false pretext of becoming an enjoyer. To save him from this horrible condition, the Lord has given all the Vedic literatures in His incarnation of Vyasadeva. It is therefore said:

 

                krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha

                 ataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkha

 

   "By forgetting Krsna, the living entity has become materialistic since time immemorial. Therefore the illusory energy of Krsna is giving him different types of miseries in material existence." (Cc. Madhya 20.117)

 

              maya-mugdha jivera nahi svatah krsna-jnana

                jivere krpaya kaila krsna veda-purana

 

   "When a living entity is enchanted by the external energy, he cannot revive his original Krsna consciousness independently. Due to such circumstances, Krsna has kindly given him the Vedic literatures, such as the four Vedas and eighteen Puranas." (Cc. Madhya 20.122) Every human being should therefore take advantage of the Vedic instructions; otherwise one will be bound by his whimsical activities and will be without any guide.

   The word manarudhah is also very significant in this verse. Under the pretext of becoming great philosophers and scientists, men throughout the whole world are working on the mental platform. Such men are generally nondevotees, due to not caring for the instructions given by the Lord to the first living creature, Lord Brahma. The Bhagavatam (5.18.12) therefore says:

 

                   harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna

                    mano-rathenasati dhavato bahih

 

   A person who is a nondevotee has no good qualifications because he acts on the mental platform. One who acts on the mental platform has to change his standard of knowledge periodically. We consequently see that one philosopher may disagree with another philosopher, and one scientist may put forward a theory contradicting the theory of another scientist. All of this is due to their working on the mental platform without a standard of knowledge. In the Vedic instructions, however, the standard of knowledge is accepted, even though it may sometimes appear that the statements are contradictory. Because the Vedas are the standard of knowledge, even though they may appear contradictory, they should be accepted. If one does not accept them, he will be bound by the material conditions.

   The material conditions are described in this verse as guna-pravaha, the flowing of the three modes of material nature. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura therefore says in a song, miche mayara vase, yaccha bhese', khaccha habudubu, bhai: "Why are you suffering? Why are you sometimes being drowned in the waves of material nature and sometimes coming to the surface?" Jiva krsna-dasa, ei visvasa, karle ta' ara duhkha nai: "Please therefore accept yourself as the servant of Krsna. Then you will be freed from all miseries." As soon as one surrenders to Krsna and accepts the perfect standard of knowledge, which is Bhagavad-gita as it is, he then comes out of the material modes of nature and does not fall down and lose his knowledge.

   Nasta-prajnah. The word prajna means "perfect knowledge," and nasta-prajna means "one who has no perfect knowledge." One who does not have perfect knowledge has only mental speculation. By such mental speculation one falls down and down into a hellish condition of life. By transgressing the laws laid down in the sastras, one cannot become pure in heart. When one's heart is not purified, one acts according to the three material modes of nature. These activities are very nicely explained in verses 1 through 6 of the Seventeenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita (2.45) further explains:

 

                        traigunya-visaya veda

                       nistraigunyo bhavarjuna

                     nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho

                        niryoga-ksema atmavan

 

   "The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the Self." The entire world and all material knowledge is within the three modes of material nature. One has to transcend these modes, and to attain that platform of transcendence one must follow the instruction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become perfect in life. Otherwise one will be knocked down by the waves of the material nature's three modes. This is further explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.30) in the words of Prahlada Maharaja:

 

                   matir na krsne paratah svato va

                   mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam

                    adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram

                    punah punas carvita-carvananam

 

   Materialistic persons, who are too much engaged in material enjoyment and who do not know anything beyond their material experiences, are carried by the whims of material nature. They live a life characterized by chewing the chewed, and they are controlled by their uncontrolled senses. Thus they go down to the darkest regions of hellish life.

 

                                TEXT 9

 

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                       tatra nirbhinna-gatranam

                       citra-vajaih silimukhaih

                      viplavo 'bhud duhkhitanam

                        duhsahah karunatmanam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tatra--there; nirbhinna--being pierced; gatranam--whose bodies; citra-vajaih--with variegated feathers; sili-mukhaih--by the arrows; viplavah--destruction; abhut--was done; duhkhitanam--of the most aggrieved; duhsahah--unbearable; karuna-atmanam--for persons who are very merciful.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   When King Puranjana was hunting in this way, many animals within the forest lost their lives with great pain, being pierced by the sharp arrowheads. Upon seeing these devastating, ghastly activities performed by the King, all the people who were merciful by nature became very unhappy. Such merciful persons could not tolerate seeing all this killing.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When demoniac persons engage in animal-killing, the demigods, or devotees of the Lord, are very much afflicted by this killing. Demoniac civilizations in this modern age maintain various types of slaughterhouses all over the world. Rascal svamis and yogis encourage foolish persons to go on eating flesh and killing animals and at the same time continue their so-called meditation and mystical practices. All these affairs are ghastly, and a compassionate person, namely a devotee of the Lord, becomes very unhappy to see such a sight. The hunting process is also carried on in a different way, as we have already explained. Hunting women, drinking different types of liquor, becoming intoxicated, killing animals and enjoying sex all serve as the basis of modern civilization. Vaisnavas are unhappy to see such a situation in the world, and therefore they are very busy spreading this Krsna consciousness movement.

   The devotees are pained to see the hunting and killing of animals in the forest, the wholesale slaughter of animals in the slaughterhouses, and the exploitation of young girls in brothels that function under different names as clubs and societies. Being very much compassionate upon the killing of animals in sacrifice, the great sage Narada began his instructions to King Pracinabarhisat. In these instructions, Narada Muni explained that devotees like him are very much afflicted by all the killing that goes on in human society. Not only are saintly persons afflicted by this killing, but even God Himself is afflicted and therefore comes down in the incarnation of Lord Buddha. Jayadeva Gosvami therefore sings: sadaya-hrdaya-darsita-pasu-ghatam. Simply to stop the killing of animals, Lord Buddha compassionately appeared. Some rascals put forward the theory that an animal has no soul or is something like dead stone. In this way they rationalize that there is no sin in animal-killing. Actually animals are not dead stone, but the killers of animals are stonehearted. Consequently no reason or philosophy appeals to them. They continue keeping slaughterhouses and killing animals in the forest. The conclusion is that one who does not care for the instructions of saintly persons like Narada and his disciplic succession surely falls into the category of nasta-prajna and thus goes to hell.

 

                               TEXT 10

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        sasan varahan mahisan

                        gavayan ruru-salyakan

                      medhyan anyams ca vividhan

                      vinighnan sramam adhyagat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sasan--rabbits; varahan--boars; mahisan--buffalo; gavayan--bison; ruru--black deer; salyakan--porcupines; medhyan--game animals; anyan--others; ca--and; vividhan--various; vinighnan--by killing; sramam adhyagat--became very tired.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   In this way King Puranjana killed many animals, including rabbits, boars, buffalo, bison, black deer, porcupines and other game animals. After killing and killing, the King became very tired.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   A person in the mode of ignorance commits many sinful activities. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami explains that a man becomes sinful out of ignorance only. The resultant effect of sinful life is suffering. Those who are not in knowledge, who commit violations of the standard laws, are subject to be punished under criminal laws. Similarly, the laws of nature are very stringent. If a child touches fire without knowing the effect, he must be burned, even though he is only a child. If a child violates the law of nature, there is no compassion. Only through ignorance does a person violate the laws of nature, and when he comes to knowledge he does not commit any more sinful acts.

   The King became tired after killing so many animals. When a man comes in contact with a saintly person, he becomes aware of the stringent laws of nature and thus becomes a religious person. Irreligious persons are like animals, but in this Krsna consciousness movement such persons can come to a sense of understanding things as they are and abandon the four principles of prohibited activities--namely illicit sex life, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. This is the beginning of religious life. Those who are so-called religious and indulge in these four principles of prohibited activities are pseudoreligionists. Religious life and sinful activity cannot parallel one another. If one is serious in accepting a religious life, or the path of salvation, he must adhere to the four basic rules and regulations. However sinful a man may be, if he receives knowledge from the proper spiritual master and repents his past activities in his sinful life and stops them, he immediately becomes eligible to return home, back to Godhead. This is made possible just by following the rules and regulations given by the sastra and following the bona fide spiritual master.

   At present the whole world is on the verge of retiring from a blind materialistic civilization, which may be likened to hunting animals in the forest. People should take advantage of this Krsna consciousness movement and leave their troublesome life of killing. It is said that the killers of animals should neither live nor die. If they live only to kill animals and enjoy women, life is not very prosperous. And as soon as a killer dies, he enters the cycle of birth and death in the lower species of life. That also is not desirable. The conclusion is that killers should retire from the killing business and take to this Krsna consciousness movement to make life perfect. A confused, frustrated man cannot get relief by committing suicide because suicide will simply lead him to take birth in the lower species of life or to remain a ghost, unable to attain a gross material body. Therefore the perfect course is to retire altogether from sinful activities and take up Krsna consciousness. In this way one can become completely perfect and go back home, back to Godhead.

 

                               TEXT 11

 

                                 TEXT

 

                      tatah ksut-trt-parisranto

                         nivrtto grham eyivan

                         krta-snanocitaharah

                        samvivesa gata-klamah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tatah--thereafter; ksut--by hunger; trt--thirst; parisrantah--being too fatigued; nivrttah--having ceased; grham eyivan--came back to his home; krta--taken; snana--bath; ucita-aharah--exactly required foodstuffs; samvivesa--took rest; gata-klamah--freed from all fatigue.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After this, the King, very much fatigued, hungry and thirsty, returned to his royal palace. After returning, he took a bath and had an appropriate dinner. Then he took rest and thus became freed from all restlessness.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   A materialistic person works throughout the whole week very, very hard. He is always asking, "Where is money? Where is money?" Then, at the end of the week, he wants to retire from these activities and go to some secluded place to rest. King Puranjana returned to his home because he was very much fatigued from hunting animals in the forest. In this way his conscience came to stop him from committing further sinful activities and make him return home. In Bhagavad-gita materialistic persons are described as duskrtinah, which indicates those who are always engaged in sinful activities. When a person comes to his senses and understands how he is engaging in sinful activities, he returns to his conscience, which is herein figuratively described as the palace. Generally a materialistic person is infected by the material modes of passion and ignorance. The results of passion and ignorance are lust and greed. In the life of a materialist, activity means working in lust and greed. However, when he comes to his senses, he wants to retire. According to Vedic civilization, such retirement is positively recommended, and this portion of life is called vanaprastha. Retirement is absolutely necessary for a materialist who wants to become free from the activities of a sinful life.

   King Puranjana's coming home, taking bath and having an appropriate dinner indicate that a materialistic person must retire from sinful activities and become purified by accepting a spiritual master and hearing from him about the values of life. If one would do this, he would feel completely refreshed, just as one feels after taking a bath. After receiving initiation from a bona fide spiritual master, one must abandon all kinds of sinful activities, namely illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating.

   The word ucitaharah used in this verse is important. Ucita means "appropriate." One must eat appropriately and not take after food as hogs take after stool. For a human being there are eatables described in Bhagavad-gita (17.8) as sattvika-ahara, or food in the mode of goodness. One should not indulge in eating food in the modes of passion and ignorance. This is called ucitahara, or appropriate eating. One who is always eating meat or drinking liquor, which is eating and drinking in passion and ignorance, must give these things up so that his real consciousness may be awakened. In this way one may become peaceful and refreshed. If one is restless or fatigued, one cannot understand the science of God. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.20):

 

                         evam prasanna-manaso

                       bhagavad-bhakti-yogatah

                       bhagavat-tattva-vijnanam

                        mukta-sangasya jayate

 

   Unless one can become free from the influence of passion and ignorance, he cannot be pacified, and without being pacified, one cannot understand the science of God. King Puranjana's returning home is indicative of man's returning to his original consciousness, known as Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness is absolutely necessary for one who has committed a lot of sinful activities, especially killing animals or hunting in the forest.

 

                               TEXT 12

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        atmanam arhayam cakre

                        dhupalepa-srag-adibhih

                       sadhv-alankrta-sarvango

                        mahisyam adadhe manah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   atmanam--himself; arhayam--as it ought to be done; cakre--did; dhupa--incense; alepa--smearing the body with sandalwood pulp; srak--garlands; adibhih--beginning with; sadhu--saintly, beautifully; alankrta--being decorated; sarva-angah--all over the body; mahisyam--unto the Queen; adadhe--he gave; manah--mind.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After this, King Puranjana decorated his body with suitable ornaments. He also smeared scented sandalwood pulp over his body and put on flower garlands. In this way he became completely refreshed. After this, he began to search out his Queen.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When a man comes into good consciousness and accepts a saintly person as a spiritual master, he hears many Vedic instructions in the form of philosophy, stories, narrations about great devotees and transactions between God and His devotees. In this way a man becomes refreshed in mind, exactly like a person who smears scented sandalwood pulp all over his body and decorates himself with ornaments. These decorations may be compared to knowledge of religion and the self. Through such knowledge one becomes detached from a materialistic way of life and engages himself in always hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita and other Vedic literatures. The word sadhv-alankrta used in this verse indicates that one must be absorbed in knowledge gathered from the instructions of saintly persons. Just as King Puranjana began to search out his better half, the Queen, one who is decorated with knowledge and instructions from saintly persons should try to search out his original consciousness, Krsna consciousness. One cannot return to Krsna consciousness unless he is favored by the instructions of a saintly person. Therefore Srila Narottama dasa Thakura sings: sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, cittete kariya aikya. If we want to become saintly persons, or if we want to return to our original Krsna consciousness, we must associate with sadhu (a saintly person), sastra (authoritative Vedic literature) and guru (a bona fide spiritual master). This is the process.

 

                               TEXT 13

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       trpto hrstah sudrptas ca

                        kandarpakrsta-manasah

                        na vyacasta vararoham

                        grhinim grha-medhinim

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   trptah--satisfied; hrstah--joyful; su-drptah--being very proud; ca--also; kandarpa--by Cupid; akrsta--attracted; manasah--his mind; na--did not; vyacasta--try; vara-aroham--higher consciousness; grhinim--wife; grha-medhinim--one who keeps her husband in material life.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   After taking his dinner and having his thirst and hunger satisfied, King Puranjana felt some joy within his heart. Instead of being elevated to a higher consciousness, he became captivated by Cupid, and was moved by a desire to find his wife, who kept him satisfied in his household life.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   This verse is very significant for those desiring to elevate themselves to a higher level of Krsna consciousness. When a person is initiated by a spiritual master, he changes his habits and does not eat undesirable eatables or engage in the eating of meat, the drinking of liquor, illicit sex or gambling. Sattvika-ahara, foodstuffs in the mode of goodness, are described in the sastras as wheat, rice, vegetables, fruits, milk, sugar, and milk products. Simple food like rice, dhal, capatis, vegetables, milk and sugar constitute a balanced diet, but sometimes it is found that an initiated person, in the name of prasada, eats very luxurious foodstuffs. Due to his past sinful life he becomes attracted by Cupid and eats good food voraciously. It is clearly visible that when a neophyte in Krsna consciousness eats too much, he falls down. Instead of being elevated to pure Krsna consciousness, he becomes attracted by Cupid. The so-called brahmacari becomes agitated by women, and the vanaprastha may again become captivated into having sex with his wife. Or he may begin to search out another wife. Due to some sentiment, he may give up his own wife and come into the association of devotees and a spiritual master, but due to his past sinful life he cannot stay. Instead of being elevated to Krsna consciousness, he falls down, being attracted by Cupid, and takes to another wife for sex enjoyment. The fall of the neophyte devotee from the path of Krsna consciousness down to material life is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.17) by Narada Muni.

 

                tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer

                 bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi

                 yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim

                ko vartha apto 'bhajatam sva-dharmatah

 

   This indicates that although a neophyte devotee may fall down from the path of Krsna consciousness due to his immaturity, his service to Krsna never goes in vain. However, a person who remains steadfast in his family duty or so-called social or family obligation but does not take to Krsna consciousness receives no profit. One who comes to Krsna consciousness must be very cautious and refrain from prohibited activities, as defined by Rupa Gosvami in his Upadesamrta:

 

                        atyaharah prayasas ca

                        prajalpo niyamagrahah

                      jana-sangas ca laulyam ca

                      sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati

 

   A neophyte devotee should neither eat too much nor collect more money than necessary. Eating too much or collecting too much is called atyahara. For such atyahara one must endeavor very much. This is called prayasa. Superficially one may show himself to be very much faithful to the rules and regulations, but at the same time not be fixed in the regulative principles. This is called niyamagraha. By mixing with undesirable persons, or jana-sanga, one becomes tainted with lust and greed and falls down from the path of devotional service.

 

                               TEXT 14

 

                                 TEXT

 

                      antahpura-striyo 'prcchad

                          vimana iva vedisat

                        api vah kusalam ramah

                        sesvarinam yatha pura

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   antah-pura--household; striyah--women; aprcchat--he asked; vimanah--being very much anxious; iva--like; vedisat--O King Pracinabarhi; api--whether; vah--your; kusalam--good fortune; ramah--O you beautiful women; sa-isvarinam--with your mistress; yatha--as; pura--before.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   At that time King Puranjana was a little anxious, and he inquired from the household women: My dear beautiful women, are you and your mistress all very happy like before, or not?

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In this verse the word vedisat indicates King Pracinabarhi. When a man becomes refreshed by association with devotees and awakes to Krsna consciousness, he consults the activities of his mind--namely thinking, feeling and willing--and decides whether he should return to his material activities or stay steady in spiritual consciousness. The word kusalam refers to that which is auspicious. One can make his home perfectly auspicious when he engages in devotional service to Lord Visnu. When one is engaged in activities other than visnu-bhakti, or in other words when one is engaged in material activities, he is always filled with anxieties. A sane man should consult his mind, its thinking, feeling and willing processes, and decide how these processes should be utilized. If one always thinks of Krsna, feels how to serve Him and wills to execute the order of Krsna, it should be known that he has taken good instruction from his intelligence, which is called the mother. Although the King was refreshed, he nonetheless inquired about his wife. Thus he was consulting, thinking and willing how he could return to his steady good consciousness. The mind may suggest that by visaya-bhoga, or sense enjoyment, one can become happy, but when one becomes advanced in Krsna consciousness, he does not derive happiness from material activities. This is explained in Bhagavad-gita (2.59):

 

                         visaya vinivartante

                         niraharasya dehinah

                      rasa-varjam raso 'py asya

                        param drstva nivartate

 

   "The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness." One cannot be unattached to the sense objects unless he finds better engagement in devotional service. param drstva nivartate. One can cease from material activities only when one actually engages in devotional service.

 

                               TEXT 15

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        na tathaitarhi rocante

                         grhesu grha-sampadah

                        yadi na syad grhe mata

                         patni va pati-devata

                       vyange ratha iva prajnah

                         ko namasita dinavat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   na--not; tatha--like before; etarhi--at this moment; rocante--become pleasing; grhesu--at home; grha-sampadah--all household paraphernalia; yadi--if; na--not; syat--there is; grhe--at home; mata--mother; patni--wife; va--or; pati-devata--devoted to the husband; vyange--without wheels; rathe--in a chariot; iva--like; prajnah--learned man; kah--who is that; nama--indeed; asita--would sit; dina-vat--like a poverty-stricken creature.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   King Puranjana said: I do not understand why my household paraphernalia does not attract me as before. I think that if there is neither a mother nor devoted wife at home, the home is like a chariot without wheels. Where is the fool who will sit down on such an unworkable chariot?

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The great politician Canakya Pandita said:

 

                        mata yasya grhe nasti

                        bharya capriya-vadini

                        aranyam tena gantavyam

                       yatharanyam tatha grham

 

   "If a person has neither a mother nor a pleasing wife at home, he should leave home and go to the forest, because for him there is no difference between the forest and home." The real mata, or mother, is devotional service to the Lord, and the real patni, or devoted wife, is a wife who helps her husband execute religious principles in devotional service. These two things are required for a happy home.

   Actually, a woman is supposed to be the energy of the man. Historically, in the background of every great man there is either a mother or a wife. One's household life is very successful if he has both a good wife and mother. In such a case, everything about household affairs and all the paraphernalia in the house becomes very pleasing. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu had both a good mother and pleasing wife, and He was very happy at home. Nonetheless, for the benefit of the whole human race, He took sannyasa and left both His mother and wife. In other words, it is essential that one have both a good mother and wife in order to become perfectly happy at home. Otherwise home life has no meaning. Unless one is religiously guided by intelligence and renders devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his home can never become very pleasing to a saintly person. In other words, if a man has a good mother or a good wife, there is no need of his taking sannyasa--that is, unless it is absolutely necessary, as it was for Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

 

                               TEXT 16

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        kva vartate sa lalana

                        majjantam vyasanarnave

                       ya mam uddharate prajnam

                         dipayanti pade pade

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   kva--where; vartate--is now staying; sa--she; lalana--woman; majjantam--while drowning; vyasana-arnave--in the ocean of danger; ya--who; mam--me; uddharate--delivers; prajnam--good intelligence; dipayanti--enlightening; pade pade--in every step.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Kindly let me know the whereabouts of that beautiful woman who always saves me when I am drowning in the ocean of danger. By giving me good intelligence at every step, she always saves me.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   There is no difference between a good wife and good intelligence. One who possesses good intelligence can deliberate properly and save himself from many dangerous conditions. In material existence there is danger at every step. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.58) it is said: padam padam yad vipadam na tesam. This material world is not actually a place of residence for an intelligent person or a devotee because here there is danger at every step. Vaikuntha is the real home for the devotee, for there is no anxiety and no danger. Good intelligence means becoming Krsna conscious. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said: krsna ye bhaje se bada catura. Unless one is Krsna conscious, he cannot be called an intelligent person.

   Herein we see that King Puranjana was searching after his good wife, who always helped him out of the dangerous situations that always occur in material existence. As already explained, a real wife is dharma-patni. That is, a woman accepted in marriage by ritualistic ceremony is called dharma-patni, which signifies that she is accepted in terms of religious principles. Children born of dharma-patni, or a woman married according to religious principles, inherit the property of the father, but children born of a woman who is not properly married do not inherit the father's property. The word dharma-patni also refers to a chaste wife. A chaste wife is one who never had any connection with men before her marriage. Once a woman is given the freedom to mingle with all kinds of men in her youth, it is very difficult for her to keep chaste. She generally cannot remain chaste. When butter is brought into the proximity of fire, it melts. The woman is like fire, and man is like the butter. But if one gets a chaste wife, accepted through a religious marriage ritual, she can be of great help when one is threatened by the many dangerous situations of life. Actually such a wife can become the source of all good intelligence. With such a good wife, the family's engagement in the devotional service of the Lord actually makes a home a grhastha-asrama, or household dedicated to spiritual cultivation.

 

                               TEXT 17

 

                                 TEXT

 

                              rama ucuh

                        nara-natha na janimas

                      tvat-priya yad vyavasyati

                         bhutale niravastare

                       sayanam pasya satru-han

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   ramah ucuh--the women thus spoke; nara-natha--O King; na janimah--we do not know; tvat-priya--your beloved; yat vyavasyati--why she has taken to this sort of life; bhu-tale--on the ground; niravastare--without bedding; sayanam--lying down; pasya--look; satru-han--O killer of enemies.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   All the women addressed the King: O master of the citizens, we do not know why your dear wife has taken on this sort of existence. O killer of enemies, kindly look! She is lying on the ground without bedding. We cannot understand why she is acting this way.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   When a person is devoid of devotional service, or visnu-bhakti, he takes to many sinful activities. King Puranjana left home, neglected his own wife and engaged himself in killing animals. This is the position of all materialistic men. They do not care for a married chaste wife. They take the wife only as an instrument for sense enjoyment, not as a means for devotional service. To have unrestricted sex life, the karmis work very hard. They have concluded that the best course is to have sex with any woman and simply pay the price for her, as though she were a mercantile commodity. Thus they engage their energy in working very hard for such material acquisitions. Such materialistic people have lost their good intelligence. They must search out their intelligence within the heart. A person who does not have a chaste wife accepted by religious principles always has a bewildered intelligence.

   The wife of King Puranjana was lying on the ground because she was neglected by her husband. Actually the woman must always be protected by her husband. We always speak of the goddess of fortune as being placed on the chest of Narayana. In other words, the wife must remain embraced by her husband. Thus she becomes beloved and well protected. Just as one saves his money and places it under his own personal protection, one should similarly protect his wife by his own personal supervision. Just as intelligence is always within the heart, so a beloved chaste wife should always have her place on the chest of a good husband. This is the proper relationship between husband and wife. A wife is therefore called ardhangani, or half of the body. One cannot remain with only one leg, one hand or only one side of the body. He must have two sides. Similarly, according to nature's way, husband and wife should live together. In the lower species of life, among birds and animals, it is seen that by nature's arrangement the husband and wife live together. It is similarly ideal in human life for the husband and wife to live together. The home should be a place for devotional service, and the wife should be chaste and accepted by a ritualistic ceremony. In this way one can become happy at home.

 

                               TEXT 18

 

                                 TEXT

 

                             narada uvaca

                        puranjanah sva-mahisim

                        niriksyavadhutam bhuvi

                       tat-sangonmathita-jnano

                       vaiklavyam paramam yayau

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   naradah uvaca--the great sage Narada spoke; puranjanah--King Puranjana; sva-mahisim--his own Queen; niriksya--after seeing; avadhutam--appearing like a mendicant; bhuvi--on the ground; tat--her; sanga--by association; unmathita--encouraged; jnanah--whose knowledge; vaiklavyam--bewilderment; paramam--supreme; yayau--obtained.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The great sage Narada continued: My dear King Pracinabarhi, as soon as King Puranjana saw his Queen lying on the ground, appearing like a mendicant, he immediately became bewildered.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   In this verse the word avadhutam is especially significant, for it refers to a mendicant who does not take care of his body. Since the Queen was lying on the ground without bedding and proper dress, King Puranjana became very much aggrieved. In other words, he repented that he had neglected his intelligence and had engaged himself in the forest in killing animals. In other words, when one's good intelligence is separated or neglected, he fully engages in sinful activities. Due to neglecting one's good intelligence, or Krsna consciousness, one becomes bewildered and engages in sinful activities. Upon realizing this, a man becomes repentant. Such repentance is described by Narottama dasa Thakura:

 

                   hari hari viphale janama gonainu

          manusya-janama paiya,     radha-krsna na bhajiya,

                      janiya suniya visa khainu

 

   Narottama dasa Thakura herein says that he repents for having spoiled his human life and knowingly drunk poison. By not being Krsna conscious, one willingly drinks the poison of material life. The purport is that one certainly becomes addicted to sinful activities when he becomes devoid of his good chaste wife, or when he has lost his good sense and does not take to Krsna consciousness.

 

                               TEXT 19

 

                                 TEXT

 

                       santvayan slaksnaya vaca

                          hrdayena viduyata

                      preyasyah sneha-samrambha-

                       lingam atmani nabhyagat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   santvayan--pacifying; slaksnaya--by sweet; vaca--words; hrdayena--with a heart; viduyata--regretting very much; preyasyah--of his beloved; sneha--from affection; samrambha--of anger; lingam--symptom; atmani--in her heart; na--did not; abhyagat--arouse.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   The King, with aggrieved mind, began to speak to his wife with very pleasing words. Although he was filled with regret and tried to pacify her, he could not see any symptom of anger caused by love within the heart of his beloved wife.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   The King very much regretted having left his Queen and having gone to the forest to execute sinful activities. When a person regrets his sinful activities, the abandoning of Krsna consciousness and good intelligence, his path of deliverance from the path of material clutches is opened. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.5): parabhavas tavad abodha jato yavan na jijnasata atma-tattvam. When a person loses his Krsna consciousness and loses interest in self-realization, he must engage in sinful activities. All one's activities in a life devoid of Krsna consciousness simply lead to defeat and misuse of one's life. Naturally one who comes to Krsna consciousness regrets his previous sinful activities in the human form. Only by this process can one be delivered from the clutches of nescience or ignorance in materialistic life.

 

                               TEXT 20

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        anuninye 'tha sanakair

                         viro 'nunaya-kovidah

                        pasparsa pada-yugalam

                         aha cotsanga-lalitam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   anuninye--began to flatter; atha--thus; sanakaih--gradually; virah--the hero; anunaya-kovidah--one who is very expert in flattery; pasparsa--touched; pada-yugalam--both the feet; aha--he said; ca--also; utsanga--on his lap; lalitam--thus being embraced.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   Because the King was very expert in flattery, he began to pacify his Queen very slowly. First he touched her two feet, then embraced her nicely, seating her on his lap, and began to speak as follows.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   One has to awaken his Krsna consciousness by first regretting his past deeds. Just as King Puranjana began to flatter his Queen, one should, by deliberate consideration, raise himself to the platform of Krsna consciousness. To attain such an end, one must touch the lotus feet of the spiritual master. Krsna consciousness cannot be achieved by self-endeavor. One must therefore approach a self-realized, Krsna conscious person and touch his lotus feet. Prahlada Maharaja therefore said:

 

                  naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim

                   sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah

                    mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam

                    niskincananam na vrnita yavat

 

   (Bhag. 7.5.32)

 

   One cannot come to the precincts of Krsna consciousness unless he touches the dust of the lotus feet of a person who has become a mahatma, a great devotee. This is the beginning of the surrendering process. Lord Krsna wants everyone to surrender unto Him, and this surrendering process begins when one touches the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master. By sincerely rendering service to a bona fide spiritual master, one begins his spiritual life in Krsna consciousness. Touching the lotus feet of a spiritual master means giving up one's false prestige and unnecessarily puffed-up position in the material world. Those who remain in the darkness of material existence due to their falsely prestigious positions--so-called scientists and philosophers--are actually atheists. They do not know the ultimate cause of everything. Although bewildered, they are not ready to surrender themselves to the lotus feet of a person who knows things in their proper perspective. In other words, one cannot arouse Krsna consciousness simply by his own mental speculation. One must surrender to a bona fide spiritual master. Only this process will help one.

 

                               TEXT 21

 

                                 TEXT

 

                           puranjana uvaca

                       nunam tv akrta-punyas te

                      bhrtya yesv isvarah subhe

                       krtagahsv atmasat krtva

                       siksa-dandam na yunjate

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   puranjanah uvaca--Puranjana said; nunam--certainly; tu--then; akrta-punyah--those who are not pious; te--such; bhrtyah--servants; yesu--unto whom; isvarah--the masters; subhe--O most auspicious one; krta-agahsu--having committed an offense; atmasat--accepting as their own; krtva--doing so; siksa--instructive; dandam--punishment; na yunjate--do not give.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   King Puranjana said: My dear beautiful wife, when a master accepts a servant as his own man, but does not punish him for his offenses, the servant must be considered unfortunate.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   According to Vedic civilization, domestic animals and servants are treated exactly like one's own children. Animals and children are sometimes punished not out of vengeance but out of love. Similarly, a master sometimes punishes his servant, not out of vengeance but out of love, to correct him and bring him to the right point. Thus King Puranjana took his punishment dealt by his wife, the Queen, as mercy upon him. He considered himself the most obedient servant of the Queen. She was angry at him for his sinful activities--namely, hunting in the forest and leaving her at home. King Puranjana accepted the punishment as actual love and affection from his wife. In the same way, when a person is punished by the laws of nature, by the will of God, he should not be disturbed. A real devotee thinks in this way. When a devotee is put into an awkward position, he takes it as the mercy of the Supreme Lord.

 

                    tat te 'nukampam susamiksamano

                    bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam

                 hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te

                  jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

 

   (Bhag. 10.14.8)

 

   This verse states that the devotee accepts a reversal of his position in life as a benediction by the Lord and consequently offers the Lord more obeisances and prayers, thinking that the punishment is due to his past misdeeds and that the Lord is punishing him very mildly. The punishment awarded by the state or by God for one's own faults is actually for one's benefit. In the Manu-samhita it is said that the King should be considered merciful when he condemns a murderer to death because a murderer punished in this life becomes freed from his sinful activity and in the next life takes birth cleared of all sins. If one accepts punishment as a reward dealt by the master, he becomes intelligent enough not to commit the same mistake again.

 

                               TEXT 22

 

                                 TEXT

 

                        paramo 'nugraho dando

                       bhrtyesu prabhunarpitah

                        balo na veda tat tanvi

                       bandhu-krtyam amarsanah

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   paramah--supreme; anugrahah--mercy; dandah--punishment; bhrtyesu--upon the servants; prabhuna--by the master; arpitah--awarded; balah--foolish; na--does not; veda--know; tat--that; tanvi--O slender maiden; bandhu-krtyam--the duty of a friend; amarsanah--angry.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My dear slender maiden, when a master chastises his servant, the servant should accept this as great mercy. One who becomes angry must be very foolish not to know that such is the duty of his friend.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   It is said that when a foolish man is instructed in something very nice, he generally cannot accept it. Indeed, he actually becomes angry. Such anger is compared to the poison of a serpent, for when a serpent is fed milk and bananas, its poison actually increases. Instead of becoming merciful or sober, the serpent increases its poisonous venom when fed nice foodstuffs. Similarly, when a fool is instructed, he does not rectify himself, but actually becomes angry.

 

                               TEXT 23

 

                                 TEXT

 

             sa tvam mukham sudati subhrv anuraga-bhara-

                 vrida-vilamba-vilasad-dhasitavalokam

                 nilalakalibhir upaskrtam unnasam nah

               svanam pradarsaya manasvini valgu-vakyam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   sa--that (you, my wife); tvam--you; mukham--your face; su-dati--with beautiful teeth; su-bhru--with beautiful eyebrows; anuraga--attachment; bhara--loaded by; vrida--feminine shyness; vilamba--hanging down; vilasat--shining; hasita--smiling; avalokam--with glances; nila--bluish; alaka--with hair; alibhih--beelike; upaskrtam--thus being beautiful; unnasam--with a raised nose; nah--to me; svanam--who am yours; pradarsaya--please show; manasvini--O most thoughtful lady; valgu-vakyam--with sweet words.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My dear wife, your teeth are very beautifully set, and your attractive features make you appear very thoughtful. Kindly give up your anger, be merciful upon me, and please smile upon me with loving attachment. When I see a smile on your beautiful face, and when I see your hair, which is as beautiful as the color blue, and see your raised nose and hear your sweet talk, you will become more beautiful to me and thus attract me and oblige me. You are my most respected mistress.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   An effeminate husband, simply being attracted by the external beauty of his wife, tries to become her most obedient servant. Sripada Sankaracarya has therefore advised that we not become attracted by a lump of flesh and blood. The story is told that at one time a man, very much attracted to a beautiful woman, wooed the woman in such a way that she devised a plan to show him the ingredients of her beauty. The woman made a date to see him, and before seeing him she took a purgative, and that whole day and night she simply passed stool, and she preserved that stool in a pot. The next night, when the man came to see her, she appeared very ugly and emaciated. When the man inquired from her about the woman with whom he had an engagement, she replied, "I am that very woman." The man refused to believe her, not knowing that she had lost all her beauty due to the violent purgative that caused her to pass stool day and night. When the man began to argue with her, the woman said that she was not looking beautiful because she was separated from the ingredients of her beauty. When the man asked how she could be so separated, the woman said, "Come on, and I will show you." She then showed him the pot filled with liquid stool and vomit. Thus the man became aware that a beautiful woman is simply a lump of matter composed of blood, stool, urine and similar other disgusting ingredients. This is the actual fact, but in a state of illusion, man becomes attracted by illusory beauty and becomes a victim of maya.

   King Puranjana begged his Queen to return to her original beauty. He tried to revive her just as a living entity tries to revive his original consciousness, Krsna consciousness, which is very beautiful. All the beautiful features of the Queen could be compared to the beautiful features of Krsna consciousness. When one returns to his original Krsna consciousness, he actually becomes steady, and his life becomes successful.

 

                               TEXT 24

 

                                 TEXT

 

               tasmin dadhe damam aham tava vira-patni

              yo 'nyatra bhusura-kulat krta-kilbisas tam

              pasye na vita-bhayam unmuditam tri-lokyam

                anyatra vai mura-ripor itaratra dasat

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tasmin--unto him; dadhe--shall give; damam--punishment; aham--I; tava--to you; vira-patni--O wife of the hero; yah--one who; anyatra--besides; bhu-sura-kulat--from the group of demigods on this earth (the brahmanas); krta--done; kilbisah--offense; tam--him; pasye--I see; na--not; vita--without; bhayam--fear; unmuditam--without anxiety; tri-lokyam--within the three worlds; anyatra--elsewhere; vai--certainly; mura-ripoh--of the enemy of Mura (Krsna); itaratra--on the other hand; dasat--than the servant.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   O hero's wife, kindly tell me if someone has offended you. I am prepared to give such a person punishment as long as he does not belong to the brahmana caste. But for the servant of Muraripu [Krsna], I excuse no one within or beyond these three worlds. No one can freely move after offending you, for I am prepared to punish him.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   According to Vedic civilization, a brahmana, or one who is properly qualified to understand the Absolute Truth--that is, one belonging to the most intelligent social order--as well as the devotee of Lord Krsna, who is known as Muradvisa, enemy of a demon named Mura, is not subject to the rules and regulations of the state. In other words, upon breaking the laws of the state, everyone can be punished by the government except the brahmanas and Vaisnavas. Brahmanas and Vaisnavas never transgress the laws of the state or the laws of nature because they know perfectly well the resultant reactions caused by such law-breaking. Even though they may sometimes appear to violate the laws, they are not to be punished by the king. This instruction was given to King Pracinabarhisat by Narada Muni. King Puranjana was a representative of King Pracinabarhisat, and Narada Muni was reminding King Pracinabarhisat of his forefather, Maharaja Prthu, who never chastised a brahmana or a Vaisnava.

   One's pure intelligence, or pure Krsna consciousness, becomes polluted by material activities. Pure consciousness can be revived by the process of sacrifice, charity, pious activities, etc., but when one pollutes his Krsna consciousness by offending a brahmana or a Vaisnava, it is very difficult to revive. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has described the vaisnava-aparadha, or offense to a Vaisnava, as "the mad elephant offense." One should be very careful not to offend a Vaisnava or a brahmana. Even the great yogi Durvasa was harassed by the Sudarsana cakra when he offended the Vaisnava Maharaja Ambarisa, who was neither a brahmana nor a sannyasi but an ordinary householder. Maharaja Ambarisa was a Vaisnava, and consequently Durvasa Muni was chastised.

   The conclusion is that if Krsna consciousness is covered by material sins, one can eliminate the sins simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, but if one pollutes his Krsna consciousness by offending a brahmana or a Vaisnava, one cannot revive it until one properly atones for the sin by pleasing the offended Vaisnava or brahmana. This was the course that Durvasa Muni had to follow, for he surrendered unto Maharaja Ambarisa. A vaisnava-aparadha cannot be atoned for by any means other than by begging the pardon of the offended Vaisnava.

 

                               TEXT 25

 

                                 TEXT

 

               vaktram na te vitilakam malinam viharsam

                samrambha-bhimam avimrstam apeta-ragam

                 pasye stanav api sucopahatau sujatau

                bimbadharam vigata-kunkuma-panka-ragam

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   vaktram--face; na--never; te--your; vitilakam--without being decorated; malinam--unclean; viharsam--morose; samrambha--with anger; bhimam--dangerous; avimrstam--without luster; apeta-ragam--without affection; pasye--I have seen; stanau--your breasts; api--also; suca-upahatau--wet because of your tears; su-jatau--so nice; bimba-adharam--red lips; vigata--without; kunkuma-panka--saffron; ragam--color.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My dear wife, until this day I have never seen your face without tilaka decorations, nor have I seen you so morose and without luster or affection. Nor have I seen your two nice breasts wet with tears from your eyes. Nor have I ever before seen your lips, which are ordinarily as red as the bimba fruit, without their reddish hue.

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Every woman looks very beautiful when decorated with tilaka and vermillion. A woman generally becomes very attractive when her lips are colored with reddish saffron or vermillion. But when one's consciousness and intelligence are without any brilliant thoughts about Krsna, they become morose and lusterless, so much so that one cannot derive any benefit despite sharp intelligence.

 

                               TEXT 26

 

                                 TEXT

 

                tan me prasida suhrdah krta-kilbisasya

                svairam gatasya mrgayam vyasanaturasya

                ka devaram vasa-gatam kusumastra-vega-

               visrasta-paumsnam usati na bhajeta krtye

 

                               SYNONYMS

 

   tat--therefore; me--unto me; prasida--be kind; su-hrdah--intimate friend; krta-kilbisasya--having committed sinful activities; svairam--independently; gatasya--who went; mrgayam--hunting; vyasana-aturasya--being influenced by sinful desire; ka--what woman; devaram--the husband; vasa-gatam--under her control; kusuma-astra-vega--pierced by the arrow of Cupid; visrasta--scattered; paumsnam--his patience; usati--very beautiful; na--never; bhajeta--would embrace; krtye--in proper duty.

 

                             TRANSLATION

 

   My dear Queen, due to my sinful desires I went to the forest to hunt without asking you. Therefore I must admit that I have offended you. Nonetheless, thinking of me as your most intimate subordinate, you should still be very much pleased with me. Factually I am very much bereaved, but being pierced by the arrow of Cupid, I am feeling lusty. But where is the beautiful woman who would give up her lusty husband and refuse to unite with him?

 

                               PURPORT

 

   Both man and woman desire one another; that is the basic principle of material existence. Women in general always keep themselves beautiful so that they can be attractive to their lusty husbands. When a lusty husband comes before his wife, the wife takes advantage of his aggressive activities and enjoys life. Generally when a woman is attacked by a man--whether her husband or some other man--she enjoys the attack, being too lusty. In other words, when one's intelligence is properly utilized, both the intellect and the intelligent person enjoy one another with great satisfaction. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.9.45):

 

              yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham

                kanduyanena karayor iva duhkha-duhkham

 

   The actual happiness of the karmis is sex life. They work very hard outside the home, and to satiate their hard labor, they come home to enjoy sex life. King Puranjana went to the forest to hunt, and after his hard labor he returned home to enjoy sex life. If a man lives outside the home and spends a week in a city or somewhere else, at the end of the week he becomes very anxious to return home and enjoy sex with his wife. This is confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam: yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham. Karmis work very hard simply to enjoy sex. Modern human society has improved the materialistic way of life simply by inducing unrestricted sex life in many different ways. This is most prominently visible in the Western world.

 

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Twenty-sixth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "King Puranjana Goes to the Forest to Hunt, and His Queen Becomes Angry."