Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Canto 3
Chapter 14: The Impregnation of Diti in the Evening
3.14.1
niśamya
kauṣāraviṇopavarṇitāḿ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'After
hearing from sage Maitreya the description of the story about the Supreme
Personality who for the sake of lifting up the world appeared as a boar,
Vidura, vowed as he was, requested him with folded hands for more, since he
didn't feel completely satisfied.
3.14.2
ādi-daityo hiraṇyākṣo
hata ity anuśuśruma
(2) Vidura said: 'O first
among the sages, I heard you say that the demon Hiranyâksha was slain by the
Lord, the original object of all sacrifices.
3.14.3
tasya coddharataḥ kṣauṇīḿ
kasmād dhetor abhūn mṛdhaḥ
(3) For what reason He in His pastime of
lifting the planet earth up on His tusks o brahmin, had a fight with the king
of the demons?
3.14.4
(4) Please tell this
faithful person, this devotee, in detail about His appearance o great sage, for
I, with my so very curious mind, am not yet satisfied.'
3.14.5
maitreya uvāca
(5) Maitreya said: 'Dear devotee, o great hero, that what you ask me about the topics concerning the Supreme Personality, constitutes for those who are destined to die the source of liberation from birth and death.
3.14.6
yayottānapadaḥ putro
muninā
gītayārbhakaḥ
(6) The son of
king Uttânapâda [Dhruva] was as a child enlightened by Nârada about these
subjects, and placed when he [at his death] left to ascend for the abode of the
Lord, his foot upon the head of Mrityu [the god of death, as a footboard to
enter the vimâna of Nanda and Sunanda, see 4.12: 30].
3.14.7
athātrāpītihāso 'yaḿ
śruto me varṇitaḥ purā
(7) Concerning this matter
[of the appearance of Lord Varâha] I heard from Brahmâ, the god of gods, the
following story that was told by him a long time ago because of questions asked
by the demigods.
3.14.8
ditir dākṣāyaṇī
kṣattar
sandhyāyāḿ
hṛc-chayārditā
(8) O Vidura, one evening Diti, the daughter of Daksha, in distress because of sexual desire begged her husband Kas'yapa, the son of Marîci, to father a child.
3.14.9
(9)
After worshiping the Original Personality of All Sacrifices with oblations to
His tongue which is the sacrificial fire, he sat fully absorbed in the temple
room while the sun was setting.
3.14.10
ditir uvāca
(10) Diti said: 'O learned one, Cupid has with eyes for you aimed all his arrows at me and thus distresses my poor self like a mad elephant attacking a banana tree.
3.14.11
(11) Be so good to me, it hurts me to see the children and
well-being of your co-wives, please grant [also] me and yourself [therewith] in
every respect that wellness.
3.14.12
bhartary āptorumānānāḿ
patir bhavad-vidho yāsāḿ
(12) The fame of a husband who loves his wife will spread in the
world because from the children of a good husband like yourself,
society surely will expand.
3.14.13
(13) Long ago our father, the most opulent Daksha,
affectionately asked each of his daughters: 'Whom would you like for your
husband, my child?'
3.14.14
sa viditvātmajānāḿ no
trayodaśādadāt tāsāḿ
(14) He, as the well-wisher of his
children, handed, with respect for their wishes, all the thirteen of them over
to you; they who are now all faithful to you.
3.14.15
ārtopasarpaṇaḿ bhūmann
(15) Therefore be so kind to fulfill my desire o lotus-eyed one;
the pleas of those who in distress approach a person of stature o great one,
surely wouldn't be in vain, would they?'
3.14.16
pratyāhānunayan vācā
pravṛddhānańga-kaśmalām
(16) Thus o hero, the son of Marîci replied with pacifying words for she, poor and talkative, was highly agitated because of the lust that took possession of her.
3.14.17
siddhis traivargikī yataḥ
(17) 'I'll answer your plea and do what you want me to do my
tormented sweetheart! Who would not grant the wishes of the one who stands for
the realization of the three aims of life [of dharma, artha and kâma: of
regulating the religion, the economy and sense gratification]?
3.14.18
sarvāśramān upādāya
svāśrameṇa kalatravān
vyasanārṇavam atyeti
jala-yānair yathārṇavam
(18) Living with a
companion a person following his vocation and completing all stages of life,
can cross over the dangerous ocean of material existence like one crosses over
an ocean with seaworthy vessels.
3.14.19
(19) With someone who
is the other half of one's body all desires can be steered in the right
direction and with entrusting responsibilities to the other person one can
lead a [relatively] carefree life.
3.14.20
yām āśrityendriyārātīn
durjayān
itarāśramaiḥ
(20) The senses are
for orders of life other than the householders difficult to conquer enemies; we
who thus take shelter can conquer them easily like a fort commander can
with invading plunderers.
3.14.21
anukartuḿ
gṛheśvari
(21) Never will we be able
to do for you what you have done for us o queen of the house, not in all our
life nor in the next one, nor will anyone else who appreciates your qualities.
3.14.22
(22) With that being said, let me forthwith take care of this
sexual interest of yours to beget a child; but first wait a few seconds so that
I am beyond reproach.
3.14.23
bhūteśānucarāṇi ha
(23) This very time is the time least
favorable for it, it is the horrid time at which the ghastly spirits and their
master are one's constant companion.
3.14.24
parīto bhūta-parṣadbhir
vṛṣeṇāṭati bhūtarāṭ
(24) At this time of the day o chaste one, at
dusk, [S'iva] the Lord and well-wisher of the ghostly ones who surround him,
goes about as their king on the back of the bull [Nandî].
3.14.25
bhasmāvaguṇṭhāmala-rukma-deho
(25) With the beauty of the spotless radiating
body of the demigod smeared with the dust and smoke that blew from the
cremation of the dead, and with his matted hair covered by ashes, your
[sister's, viz. Satî's] husband looks [upon all] with his triple vision [of
sun, moon and fire].
3.14.26
nātyādṛto nota kaścid vigarhyaḥ
vayaḿ vratair
yac-caraṇāpaviddhām
(26) He regards no one in
this world as his relative nor is anyone in his vision standing apart from him;
he considers nobody greater nor does he regard anyone a criminal. Faithfully we
duly honor his feet and assure us of the remnants of that what he has rejected
of the food that was sacrificed.
3.14.27
yasyānavadyācaritaḿ manīṣiṇo
(27) Even though in
respect of his irreproachable character, that is followed by the sages in their
desire to put an end to the nescience of the masses, there is no one who is as
great, he nevertheless, for the attainment of the devotees, personally performs
like an antagonist [walking naked and smeared with ashes].
3.14.28
svātman-ratasyāviduṣaḥ samīhitam
yair vastra-mālyābharaṇānulepanaiḥ
(28) The unfortunate ones
who with what they do factually laugh about him, not being aware of his purpose
of engagement in the self, cherish with luxuries as clothing, garlands and
ointments their body as if it would be their true self, the body that
ultimately serves as food for the dogs.
3.14.29
(29) Brahmâ as well as the
other gods keep to the ritual code of conduct of him, the ruler over the
material energy, the mâyâ resorting under his authority. Oh, the unruly
actions of this great character are nothing but a diversion [in which he takes
the karma upon himself]!'
3.14.30
maitreya uvāca
manmathonmathitendriyā
(30) Maitreya said: 'In spite of thus being informed by her husband, she, with her senses pressured by Cupid, grabbed the great brahmin sage by his clothes like she was a shameless public woman.
3.14.31
sa viditvātha bhāryāyās
tayāthopaviveśa hi
(31) He then, with
understanding for his wife's obstinacy to the forbidden act, offered providence
his obeisances and lay with her in seclusion.
3.14.32
athopaspṛśya salilaḿ
(32) Thereafter he took a bath and meditated,
in prayer [with the Gâyatrî] controlling his breath and voice, on the light of
eternity with the help of the pure spirit of the Absolute.
3.14.33
karmāvadyena bhārata
adho-mukhy abhyabhāṣata
(33) O son of Bharata,
Diti, ashamed of the faulty act approached the learned sage with her face
turned downwards and spoke politely to him.
3.14.34
ditir uvāca
bhūtānām ṛṣabho
'vadhīt
yasyākaravam aḿhasam
(34) Diti said: 'Let this
pregnancy of mine o brahmin, o noblest of all, not be ended by Rudra, for I
have committed an offense against the master of the living beings.
3.14.35
devāyogrāya mīḍhuṣe
(35) My obeisances to
Rudra, the ferocious, great demigod who fulfills all desires, the
all-auspicious and forgiving one who immediately angrily chastises.
3.14.36
bhagavān urv-anugrahaḥ
vyādhasyāpy anukampyānāḿ
(36) May he, the supreme,
great and merciful person and brother-in-law married to Satî ['the chaste one',
the sister of Diti] be pleased with us, he who is a god to all women for whom
even the lowest have sympathy.'
3.14.37
maitreya uvāca
(37) Maitreya said: 'The wife trembling [out of fear] because of having avoided the rules and regulations of the evening wished the welfare of her children in the world and was [then] addressed by this father of mankind.
3.14.38
aprāyatyād ātmanas te
man-nideśāticāreṇa
devānāḿ
cātihelanāt
(38) Kas'yapa said: 'Because of your polluted mind, your
defiling the holiness of the moment and also because you were too negligent
about my directions, you were insufficiently attentive towards the gods as
well.
3.14.39
bhaviṣyatas tavābhadrāv
abhadre
jāṭharādhamau
muhur ākrandayiṣyataḥ
(39) O unlucky one, from
your condemned womb two mischievous sons will take birth and they, o haughty
one, will cause constant lamentation among the rulers of the three worlds.
3.14.40
dīnānām akṛtāgasām
(40) They will kill
poor and innocent living entities, torment women and enrage the great souls.
PURPORT
Demoniac activities are predominant when innocent, faultless living entities
are killed, women are tortured, and the great souls engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are enraged. In a
demoniac society, innocent animals are killed to satisfy the tongue, and women
are tortured by unnecessary sexual indulgence. Where there are women and meat,
there must be liquor and sex indulgence. When these are prominent in society,
by God's grace one can expect a change in the social order by the Lord Himself
or by His bona fide representative.
3.14.41
tadā viśveśvaraḥ kruddho
haniṣyaty avatīryāsau
yathādrīn śataparva-dhṛk
(41) When that happens the
Supreme Personality and Lord of the Universe who desires the welfare of
the common people, will descend in person and kill the both of them in
great anger as if He were the mountain smasher with the thunderbolt himself [Indra].'
3.14.42
ditir uvāca
sunābhodāra-bāhunā
(42) Diti said: 'It is a great honor to be killed on the spot by the discus in the hand of the Fortunate One, I 'm [only] praying that my sons may never find their end as a consequence of the rage of the brahmins, o my husband.
3.14.43
nārakāś cānugṛhṇanti
(43) A person who by a brahmin is chastised
with a curse and he who creates fear among other living beings, does not carry
the approval of the ones living in hell, nor of any of the other life forms an
offender might take birth among.'
3.14.44-45
kṛta-śokānutāpena
putrasyaiva ca putrāṇāḿ
(44-45) Kas'yapa said: 'Because you immediately proved to be sorry with a proper confession and have a great adoration for the Supreme Personality, for Lord S'iva and also respect me, from one of the two sons [Hiranyakas'ipu] a son will be born [Prahlâda] who will carry the approval of the devotees. His transcendental glory will be recognized as being equal to the glory of the Supreme Lord.
3.14.46
yogair hemeva durvarṇaḿ
nirvairādibhir ātmānaḿ
yac-chīlam anuvartitum
(46) Like the way gold of
an inferior quality is rectified, saintly persons, who seek purification in
striving for freedom from animosity and such, will follow in the footsteps of
this disposition and character.
3.14.47
(47) He, the
Supreme Personality by whose grace the universe finds its happiness, will in
the special care for that character in His devotees, be very pleased with
someone with such a rock-solid belief.
3.14.48
mahānubhāvo mahatāḿ mahiṣṭhaḥ
pravṛddha-bhaktyā hy anubhāvitāśaye
(48) He will certainly be
the topmost devotee, the greatest soul with the greatest influence and be well
matured by devotional service [*]. With his mind in ecstatic love, he will no
doubt reach Vaikunthha [the ultimate reality, paradise, heaven] when he leaves
this material world.
3.14.49
alampaṭaḥ śīla-dharo guṇākaro
hṛṣṭaḥ
pararddhyā vyathito duḥkhiteṣu
naidāghikaḿ tāpam ivoḍurājaḥ
(49) He will be a virtuous
and qualified reservoir of all good qualities, he will rejoice in the happiness
of others and be distressed when others are unhappy. He will have no enemies
and put an end to all lamentation in the world just like the pleasant moon does
after the distress of the summer sun.
3.14.50
(50) Your grandson will, inside and outside of
himself, behold the spotless form [of the Lord] with the lotus eyes, who
assumes any form His devotee desires and who with a face decorated with
brilliant earrings is the eminence of the beautiful Goddess of Fortune.'
3.14.51
maitreya uvāca
(51) Maitreya said: 'Hearing that her grandson would be a great devotee Diti was delighted and found piece of mind in knowing that Krishna would kill her two sons.'
* Well matured means matured in three stages: sthâyi-bhâva, to have a certain emotional relationship with God; anubhâva, to experience certain emotions in that relationship, and mahâbhâva or the stage in which one experiences ecstatic feelings of love for God.
Canto 3
Chapter 15: Description of the Kingdom of God
3.15.1
maitreya uvāca
śańkamānā
surārdanāt
(1) Maitreya said: 'Diti was afraid that she by the power of [the seed of] the great Prajâpati for the time of a century would destroy the power of others and distress the God-fearing people.
3.15.2
loke tenāhatāloke
(2) The world was deprived of light because of this [threat] and thus the local authorities who saw their power diminished consulted with the creator of the universe [Lord Brahmâ] about the darkness that expanded in all directions.
3.15.3
kālenāspṛṣṭa-vartmanaḥ
(3) The demigods said: 'You, o mighty one, must be knowing about this darkness we are so very afraid of. Your supreme divinity is not affected by time and thus nothing is hidden for you.
3.15.4
(4) O god of gods, sustainer of the universe, you as the crown jewel of all the guardians of the spiritual and material worlds know about the intentions of all living beings.
3.15.5
māyayedam upeyuṣe
(5) We offer you whose strength is found in wisdom our obeisances. Having obtained this body composed of external energy and in acceptance of your distinguished mode [of passion], we pay our respects o unseen source.
3.15.6
(6) The ones who are unfaltering in their devotion meditate upon you, the origin of all beings, the absolute consisting of the true and untrue and the self in which all worlds are connected.
3.15.7
jita-śvāsendriyātmanām
(7) For those who are mature in the practice of yoga and have attained your mercy in controlling the senses and mind by means of their breath, there is no defeat in any way.
3.15.8
gāvas tantyeva yantritāḥ
(8) Him whose directions are the lead for all living entities the way a rope is the lead for a bull, him under whose authority offerings are presented, that most important personality, you, we offer our obeisances.
3.15.9
āpannān
arhasīkṣitum
(9) Because of this darkness we can't get around to our prescribed duties. We ask you to act to our good fortune o great Lord, please grant us surrendered souls, the magnanimous mercy of your glance.
3.15.10
vardhate 'gnir
ivaidhasi
(10) O god, this semen of Kas'yapa deposited in the womb of Diti, causes complete darkness in all directions like a fire loaded with too much firewood.'
3.15.11
maitreya uvāca
pratyācaṣṭātma-bhūr devān
(11) Maitreya said: 'O mighty-armed one, he, the self-born one who in the prayers was addressed as the Supreme Lord, with a smile satisfied the godly ones and gave a reply in sweet words.
3.15.12
brahmovāca
pūrvajāḥ
sanakādayaḥ
cerur vihāyasā lokāl
(12) Brahmâ said: 'They who before you were born from my mind and are headed by Sanaka [Sanâtana, Sanandana en Sanat-kumâra], traveled free from expectations the distances between the people of the spiritual and material worlds.
3.15.13
vaikuṇṭhasyāmalātmanaḥ
yayur vaikuṇṭha-nilayaḿ
(13) One day they who are free from all material contamination entered Vaikunthha, the eternal abode of Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, the realm for which one prays in all the worlds.
3.15.14
dharmeṇārādhayan harim
(14) All the persons living there have the same form as the Lord of Vaikunthha and live free from any desire because of their devotional service of continuous worship of the Supreme Personality.
3.15.15
(15) The Lord of all Fortune, the original person who is understood through the scriptures, dwells there as the personification of the religious principles in order to accept in His goodness our purity to the greater happiness of us who belong to Him.
3.15.16
sarvartu-śrībhir vibhrājat
(16) In that realm where everything is spiritual and personal, there are forests that for the sake of happiness yield to all desires with [desire] trees full of splendid flowers and fruits throughout all the seasons.
3.15.17
(17) Living in palaces with their wives the devotees free from all inauspicious qualities are always singing there about the Supreme Lord, and try to ignore the mind blowing fragrance that is carried by the wind of the mâdhavî flowers that full of nectar are blossoming in the midst of the water.
3.15.18
(18) When the king of the bumblebees loudly sings the glories of the Lord, the tumult of the pigeons, cuckoos, cranes, cakravâkas and gallinules, swans, parrots, partridges and peacocks stops for a while.
3.15.19
(19) The fragrant mandâra, kunda, kurabaka, utpala, campaka, arna, punnâga, nâgakes'ara, bakula, lily and pârijâta, all agree that the tulsî plant [the basil plant the Lord adorns Himself with and] which in the form of a garland is appreciated [by Him] for her smell, best of them all honors the good spirit of renunciation out there.
3.15.20
(20) By simply being of obeisance to the Lord His feet the devotees earned the palaces standing everywhere that are made of lapis lazuli with emeralds and gold whose [female] inhabitants have large hips and beautiful smiling faces. But they, with their friendly laughing and joking, with their minds absorbed in Krishna never give rise to any lust.
3.15.21
(21) In that house of the Lord [sometimes], reflected in the crystal clear walls inlaid with gold, the Goddess of Fortune is seen who is free from all faults. She then assumes a beautiful form with tinkling [bangles at her] feet and playing with a lotus flower; and that grace of her is something for which the other ladies manifest themselves with the greatest zeal as true scrubwomen.
3.15.22
uccheṣitaḿ
bhagavatety amatāńga yac-chrīḥ
(22) They surrounded by maidservants worship in their gardens on coral banks to ponds with pellucid, nectarean water the Supreme Lord with tulsî and imagine, seeing the beauty reflected in the water of the goddess her locks, that the Lord kisses her face.
3.15.23
(23) How unfortunate are they who never get to this Vaikunthha creation of the Vanquisher of All Sin, but rather hear about other subject matters phrased in bad words that kill one's intelligence. Alas, such persons far removed from the values of life are, devoid of all shelter, cast into the deepest darkness.
3.15.24
nārādhanaḿ bhagavato vitaranty amuṣya
(24) They who are not of worship for the Supreme Lord and have not realized the human way of life and acquired knowledge about the Absolute and the proper code of conduct [dharma] the way we [Lord Brahmâ and the demigods] desired it, are alas bewildered by His omnipresent, illusory energy.
3.15.25
bhartur mithaḥ suyaśasaḥ kathanānurāga-
(25) [But] following in the footsteps of [me] the chief of the demigods they will go to Vaikunthha, the realm situated above mine, who attracted to each other in discussions about the Lord His desirable, supreme qualities and glories feel ecstasy, have tears in their eyes and shiver with their bodies, and thus keep Yamarâja [the Lord of death] at a distance.'
3.15.26
(26) [Brahmâ continued:] 'When the
sages [headed by Sanaka] by dint of their spiritual potency reached Vaikunthha,
they experienced a transcendental ecstasy they never had experienced before. It
was the place, radiating with the palaces of the most deserving and learned
devotees, where the teacher of the universe rules who is the object of worship
in all the worlds.
3.15.27
(27) After passing there through six gates
without taking much interest, they at the seventh gate ran into two demigods of
the same age who carried valuable maces, bracelets, earrings, helmets and
beautiful garments.
3.15.28
(28) Placed around their
necks there was between their four blue arms a garland of forest flowers with
intoxicated bees around them. But looking about with their arched eyebrows,
restless breathing and reddish eyes they seemed somewhat agitated.
3.15.29
dvāry etayor niviviśur miṣator apṛṣṭvā
ye sañcaranty avihatā vigatābhiśańkāḥ
29) Seeing the both of
them standing at the gate the sons of Brahmâ, as they did before, passed
without taking any notice the golden and diamond doors; they were the great
sages who on their own accord moved everywhere without being checked or
doubted.
3.15.30
(30) When they saw them, four naked boys of
age who had realized the truth of the self but who looked as if they weren't
older than five years, the two gatekeepers in disregard of the glory and the
etiquette, in an attitude offensive to the Lord wrongfully blocked their way
with their staffs.
3.15.31
(31) Being faced with the
slight hindrance of the two doorkeepers who refused them before the eyes of the
inhabitants of Vaikunthha, despite of them being by far the fittest of the
Lord, their eyes in their eagerness to see their most beloved one suddenly
turned red out of anger ['the younger brother of lust'].
3.15.32
munaya ūcuḥ
(32) The sages said: 'Who are the two of you, who by dint of their actions in the past have attained the service of the Supreme Lord? Whoever of the devotees who in Him are without anxiety and enmity, can be as falsely engaged as you? Who in the world is of such a crude mentality that betrays the confidence?
3.15.33
(33) No one here is
strange to the Supreme Personality who contains all in His abdomen; the living
entity has its place in the Supersoul the way the small portion of air in one's
lungs is part of the air outside. As a sober person seeing the two of you
dressed up like inhabitants of Vaikunthha, like awakend people who discriminate
between body and soul, one wonders how such a terrible thing can exist. How in
the world could this have risen with Him?
3.15.34
(34) Therefore, in order
to secure the grace of the Lord of Vaikunthha, according to our opinion the
appropriate measure for you antipathetic minds who see things in opposition, is
that the both of you depart from here for the material world where one lives
with this threefold sinfulness that is the enemy of the living being [lust,
anger and greed, see B.G. 16: 21].'
3.15.35
(35) The two [doorkeepers] who understood that a terrible brahmin curse had been pronounced by them, a curse that cannot be countered by any weapon, at once stricken with fear for the devotees of the Lord fell down to grasp their feet in great anxiety.
3.15.36
(36) 'Let it be so that
you have punished us for our sins. A lack of respect for great sages like you
cannot go unpunished. But we pray that we, with a bit of your infinite
compassion for our repentance, not in a state of illusion will lose the memory
of the Supreme Lord when we have to descend in the material world.'
3.15.37
(37) That very moment the Supreme Lord from whose navel the lotus sprouted learned about the offense against the righteous sages and came to their delight to the place accompanied by His Goddess of Fortune, walking with the very same lotus feet that are sought by the hermits and the wise.
3.15.38
(38) Seeing Him coming forward with all His associates and
paraphernalia, the sages, now seeing the one whom they always had been looking
for, fell into ecstasy over the sight of the câmaras [fans of yak-tail]
that like beautiful swans waved a cool breeze that moved the pearls of His
white umbrella, making them look like drops of water to a reflected moon.
3.15.39
cūḍāmaṇiḿ subhagayantam
ivātma-dhiṣṇyam
(39) Blessing all with His
auspicious face as the desirable shelter, He affectionately looked upon them
and touched them expanding in their hearts. With His blackish skin and His
broad chest decorated by the Goddess of Fortune, He spread the good fortune as
the summit of the spiritual worlds and the abode of the soul.
3.15.40
(40) Covered by yellow cloth He had a brightly shining girdle
around His hips and humming bees about His garland of forest flowers. On His
wrists he had lovely bracelets and while one of His hands rested on the
shoulder of the son of Vinatâ [Garuda] He waved with another one a lotus
flower.
3.15.41
(41) Shining brighter than
lightening, the decoration of His alligator shaped earrings completed the
countenance of His cheeks and straight nose. He wore a gem-studded crown,
carried a charming most precious necklace between His stout arms and the Kaustubha
jewel adorned His neck.
3.15.42
atropasṛṣṭam iti cotsmitam indirāyāḥ
(42) With His presence He
outshone the smiles of the Goddess of Beauty thus thought His devotees in their
meditation. The sages couldn't get enough of the sight of the very beautiful
figure so worshipable for me and for S'iva as well as for all of you, and that
made them joyously bow down their heads.
3.15.43
tasyāravinda-nayanasya
padāravinda-
(43) When the breeze, carrying the fragrance
of tulsî leaves from the toes of the lotus feet, entered their nostrils, they
experienced an inner transformation, even though they in body and mind were
devoted to [the impersonal realization of] words.
3.15.44
(44) Thereafter looking up
they saw His face that resembled the inside of a blue lotus and also saw the
even more beautiful jasmine flower lips smiling. Thus having achieved their
life's aim they again looked down at the ruby red nails of His lotus feet and
then meditated upon their shelter.
3.15.45
(45) For those people who seek liberation in
this world by the paths of yoga He is the object of meditation approved by the
great ones. With the display of His human form pleasing the eyes He, eternally
present as the Connecting One, is praised as the perfection of the eight
achievements, a perfection that cannot be achieved by others [the so-called
eight perfections or siddhis are: animâ: smallness, mahimâ:
greatness, garimâ: weight, laghimâ: lightness, prâpti:
free access, prâkâmyam: doing at wish, vas'itva: control over the
elements and îs'itvam: lordship over all].
PURPORT
The success of the yoga process is
very nicely described here. It is specifically mentioned that the form of the
Lord as four-handed Nārāyaṇa is the
object of meditation for the followers of yoga-mārga. In the modern age there are so many
so-called yogīs who do not target their meditation on the four-handed Nārāyaṇa form. Some of them try to
meditate on something impersonal or void, but that is not approved by the great
yogīs who follow the standard method. The real yoga-mārga process is to control the senses, sit in
a solitary and sanctified place and meditate on the four-handed form of Nārāyaṇa, decorated as described in this
chapter as He appeared before the four sages. This Nārāyaṇa form is Kṛṣṇa's expansion; therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement which is now
spreading is the real, topmost process of yoga practice.Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the highest yoga performance by trained devotional yogīs. Despite all the allurement of yoga practice, the eight kinds of yogic perfections are hardly achievable by the common man. But here it is described that the Lord, who appeared before the four sages, is Himself full of all eight of those perfections. The highest yoga-mārga process is to concentrate the mind twenty-four hours a day on Kṛṣṇa. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The yoga system, as described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā or as recommended in the Patañjali yoga process, is different from the nowadays-practiced haṭha-yoga as it is generally understood in the Western countries. Real yoga practice is to control the senses and, after such control is established, to concentrate the mind on the Nārāyaṇa form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead, and all the other Viṣṇu forms — with four hands decorated with conch, lotus, club and wheel — are plenary expansions of Kṛṣṇa. In Bhagavad-gītā it is recommended that one meditate upon the form of the Lord. To practice concentration of the mind, one has to sit with the head and the back in a straight line, and one must practice in a secluded place, sanctified by a sacred atmosphere. The yogī should observe the rules and regulations of brahmacarya — to strictly live a life of self-restraint and celibacy. One cannot practice yoga in a congested city, living a life of extravagancy, including unrestricted sex indulgence and adultery of the tongue. Yoga practice necessitates controlling the senses, and the beginning of sense control is to control the tongue. One who can control the tongue can also have control over the other senses. One cannot allow the tongue to take all kinds of forbidden food and drink and at the same time advance in the practice of yoga. It is a very regrettable fact that many unauthorized so-called yogīs come to the Western countries and exploit people's inclination towards yoga practice. Such unauthorized yogīs even dare to say publicly that one can indulge in the habit of drinking and at the same time practice meditation.
Five thousand years ago Lord Kṛṣṇa recommended yoga practice to Arjuna, but Arjuna frankly expressed his inability to follow the stringent rules and regulations of the yoga system. One should be very practical in every field of activities and should not waste his valuable time in practicing useless gymnastic feats in the name of yoga. Real yoga is to search out the four-handed Supersoul within one's heart and see Him perpetually in meditation. Such continued meditation is called samādhi, and the object of this meditation is the four-handed Nārāyaṇa, with bodily decorations as described in this chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If, however, one wants to meditate upon something void or impersonal, it will take a very long time before he achieves success in yoga practice. We cannot concentrate our mind on something void or impersonal. Real yoga is to fix the mind on the form of the Lord, the four-handed Nārāyaṇa who is sitting in everyone's heart.
By meditation one can understand that God is seated within one's heart. Even if one does not know it, God is seated within the heart of everyone. Not only is He seated in the heart of the human being, but He is also within the hearts of cats and dogs. Bhagavad-gītā certifies this fact by the declaration of the Lord, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāḿ hṛd-deśe [Bg. 18.61]. The īśvara, the supreme controller of the world, is seated in the heart of everyone. Not only is He in everyone's heart, but He is also present within the atom. No place is vacant or devoid of the presence of the Lord. That is the statement of Īśopaniṣad. God is present everywhere, and His right of proprietorship applies to everything. The feature of the Lord by which He is present everywhere is called Paramātmā. Ātmā means the individual soul, and Paramātmā means the individual Supersoul; both ātmā and Paramātmā are individual persons. The difference between ātmā and Paramātmā is that the ātmā, or the soul, is present only in a particular body, whereas the Paramātmā is present everywhere. In this connection, the example of the sun is very nice. An individual person may be situated in one place, but the sun, even though a similar individual entity, is present on the head of every individual person. In Bhagavad-gītā this is explained. Therefore even though the qualities of all entities, including the Lord, are equal, the Supersoul is different from the individual soul by quantitative power of expansion. The Lord, or the Supersoul, can expand Himself into millions of different forms, whereas the individual soul cannot do so.
The Supersoul, being seated in everyone's heart, can witness everyone's activities — past, present and future. In the Upaniṣads the Supersoul is described as being seated with the individual soul as friend and witness. As a friend, the Lord is always anxious to get back His friend, the individual soul, and bring him back home, back to Godhead. As a witness He is the bestower of all benedictions, and He endows each individual with the result of his actions. The Supersoul gives the individual soul all facilities to achieve whatever he desires to enjoy in this material world. Suffering is a reaction to the living entity's propensity to try to lord it over the material world. But the Lord instructs His friend, the individual soul, who is also His son, to give up all other engagements and simply surrender unto Him for perpetual bliss and an eternal life full of knowledge. This is the last instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, the most authorized and widely read book on all varieties of yoga. Thus the last word of Bhagavad-gītā is the last word in the perfection of yoga.
It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā that a person who is always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the topmost yogī. What is Kṛṣṇa consciousness? As the individual soul is present by his consciousness throughout his entire body, so the Supersoul, or Paramātmā, is present throughout the whole creation by superconsciousness. This superconscious energy is imitated by the individual soul, who has limited consciousness. I can understand what is going on within my limited body, but I cannot feel what is going on in another's body. I am present throughout my body by my consciousness, but my consciousness is not present in another's body. The Supersoul, or Paramātmā, however, being present everywhere and within everyone, is also conscious of everyone's existence. The theory that the soul and the Supersoul are one is not acceptable because it is not confirmed by authoritative Vedic literature. The individual soul's consciousness cannot act in superconsciousness. This superconsciousness can be achieved, however, by dovetailing individual consciousness with the consciousness of the Supreme. This dovetailing process is called surrender, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. From the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā we learn very clearly that Arjuna, in the beginning, did not want to fight with his brothers and relatives, but after understanding Bhagavad-gītā he dovetailed his consciousness with the superconsciousness of Kṛṣṇa. He was then in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
A person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness acts by the dictation of Kṛṣṇa. In the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, dictation is received through the transparent medium of the spiritual master. When one is sufficiently trained and acts in submissive faith and love for Kṛṣṇa under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, the dovetailing process becomes more firm and accurate. This stage of devotional service by the devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the most perfect stage of the yoga system. At this stage, Kṛṣṇa, or the Supersoul, dictates from within, while from without the devotee is helped by the spiritual master, who is the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa. From within He helps the devotee as caitya, for He is seated within the heart of everyone. Understanding that God is seated within everyone's heart is not, however, sufficient. One has to be acquainted with God from both within and without, and one must take dictation from within and without to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the highest perfectional stage of the human form of life and the topmost perfection of all yoga.
For a perfect yogī, there are eight kinds of superachievements: one can become lighter than air, one can become smaller than the atom, one can become bigger than a mountain, one can achieve whatever he desires, one can control like the Lord, and so on. But when one rises to the perfectional stage of receiving dictation from the Lord, that is greater than any stage of material achievements above mentioned. The breathing exercise of the yoga system which is generally practiced is just the beginning. Meditation on the Supersoul is just another step forward. But to obtain direct contact with the Supersoul and take dictation from Him is the highest perfectional stage. The breathing exercises of meditation practice were very difficult even five thousand years ago, otherwise Arjuna would not have rejected the proposal of Kṛṣṇa that he adopt this system. This age of Kali is called the fallen age. In this age, people in general are short-living and very slow to understand self-realization or spiritual life; they are mostly unfortunate, and therefore if someone is a little bit interested in self-realization he is likely to be misguided by so many frauds. The only way to realize the perfect stage of yoga is to follow the principles of Bhagavad-gītā as practiced by Lord Caitanya. This is the simplest and highest perfection of yoga practice. Lord Caitanya demonstrated this Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga system in a practical manner simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, as prescribed in the Vedānta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, and many important Purāṇas.
The largest number of Indians follow this yoga process, and in the United States it is gradually spreading in many cities. It is very easy and practical for this age, especially for those who are serious about success in yoga. No other process of yoga can be successful in this age. The meditation process was possible in the golden age, Satya-yuga, because people in that age used to live for hundreds of thousands of years. If one wants success in practical yoga practice, it is advised that he take to the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and he will actually feel himself making progress. In Bhagavad-gītā this practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is prescribed as rāja-vidyā, or the king of all erudition.
Those who have taken to this most sublime bhakti-yoga system, who practice devotional service in transcendental love of Kṛṣṇa, can testify to its happy and easy execution. The four sages Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumāra also became attracted by the features of the Lord and the transcendental aroma of the dust of His lotus feet, as already described in verse 43.
Yoga necessitates controlling the senses, and bhakti-yoga, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is the process of purifying the senses. When the senses are purified, they are automatically controlled. One cannot stop the activities of the senses by artificial means, but if one purifies the senses by engaging in the service of the Lord, the senses not only can be controlled from rubbish engagement, but can be engaged in the Lord's transcendental service, as aspired to by the four sages Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumāra. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not, therefore, a manufactured concoction of the speculative mind. It is the process enjoined in Bhagavad-gītā (9.34): man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māḿ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]
3.15.46
(46) The Kumâras said: 'Even though You are seated in the heart You are not manifest to the ones far removed from the soul. Today, o Unlimited One, we see You face to face, You who through our ears reached our inner being when we heard our father [Brahmâ] describe the mysteries of Your appearance.
3.15.47
(47) You o Supreme Lord
who with Your personality consisting of pure goodness, brings delight to all
[who are like us], we at present know as the ultimate reality of the soul. This
reality one may, according to the understanding of the sages who are not interested
in a material life, grasp by Your grace in steadfast devotional service with a
heart free from attachments.
3.15.48
(48) They [who follow this practice] do
not even care about Your imperishable beatitude [kaivalya,
enlightenment] or about any other minor form of happiness with which they may
fear the frowning of Your eyebrows. They, o Supreme One, take shelter of Your
lotus feet and the narrations about Your pure glories so worthy to be sung by
the very expert knowers of Your rasas [the emotional mellows one may
have with You].
3.15.49
(49) From the sinful lives
we desired we may be of low births and have minds busy like bees, but if we may
be engaged at Your lotus feet and fill our ears with Your transcendental
qualities, our words will become as beautiful as the tulsî leaves at Your
mercy.
3.15.50
(50) We obtained so much satisfaction from
seeing this eternal form that You manifested o Lord of great renown. Let us
therefore offer our obeisances to You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who
is recognized by spiritual persons like us and not by those who are not
spiritual.'
Canto 3
Chapter 16: The Two Doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha, Jaya and Vijaya, Cursed by the Sages
3.16.1
brahmovāca
pratinandya
jagādedaḿ
vikuṇṭha-nilayo vibhuḥ
(1) Brahmâ said: 'After
having congratulated the four sages of yogic conscience for their words of
praise, the Almighty One from the abode of Vaikunthha spoke.
3.16.2
(2) The Supreme Lord said:
'These two attendants of Mine named Jaya and Vijaya certainly, because of
ignoring Me, committed a great offense against you.
3.16.3
yas tv etayor dhṛto daṇḍo
bhavadbhir mām anuvrataiḥ
sa evānumato 'smābhir
(3) The punishment that you, devoted ones, awarded them, I approve o
great sages, since they turned against you in offense.
3.16.4
(4) I therefore seek your
forgiveness now because that offense to you o brahmins who are the highest ones
of God, is all Mine; I consider Myself the one who offended you since they who
disrespected you are My attendants.
3.16.5
(5) In general when a
servant does something wrong, one blames the one in whose name the offense was
committed. It harms the reputation of that person as much as leprosy harms the
skin.
3.16.6
yasyāmṛtāmala-yaśaḥ-śravaṇāvagāhaḥ
(6) The nectar of the
uncontaminated glories [of My name and fame] that reach one's ears, purifies
the entire universe instantly including the lowest of the low. I am that person
of the freedom from laxity and foolishness, of Vaikunthha, and for you having
attained the glory of that superior place of pilgrimage, I would even cut off
My own arm if that place would work against you.
3.16.7
(7) Of
those who serve in the dust of My sacred lotus feet the sins are all wiped out
instantly and therefrom I acquired such a disposition that, even though I have
no attachment to her, the Goddess of Fortune never leaves Me, while others have
to observe sacred vows to obtain the slightest favor from her.
3.16.8
yad brāhmaṇasya mukhataś carato 'nughāsaḿ
(8) At the other hand I do
not as much relish the oblations in the fire by the sacrificer who offers the
ghee that is abundantly mixed with the food into that mouth of Mine, as I do
enjoy the bits of food that satisfy the mouths of the performing brahmins who
dedicated the results of their actions to Me.
3.16.9
(9) If I with the power of My infinite and unhindered internal
potency and with the Ganges water that washed from my feet with which Lord
S'iva instantly sanctifies the three worlds, can bear on My crown the holy dust
of the brahmin's feet, then who wouldn't [be capable of the same]?
3.16.10
(10) They who consider the
best of the twice-born, the cows and the defenseless creatures that are all
part of My body as different from Me because their faculty of judgment is
impaired by sin, will, just like angry snakes, be torn apart by the furious,
vulturelike messengers of the master of punishment [Yamarâja].
3.16.11
vāṇyānurāga-kalayātmajavad gṛṇantaḥ
(11) But those who with gladdened hearts and
with the nectar of their smiling, lotuslike faces intelligently, like a son
would do who pacifies by praise, with loving words manage to respect the
brahmins who are of restrictive words, are in Me, for I am controlled by those
brahmins.
3.16.12
(12) Therefore let it be so that the exile of
these two servants who oblivious to the intention of their master were in
offense with you and have to face the immediate consequences thereof, may not
be too long so that they soon will retrieve the favor of being near to Me.'
3.16.13
brahmovāca
nāsvādya manyu-daṣṭānāḿ
(13) Lord Brahmâ said: 'Even though they now had heard His loving, divine speech that was like a series of mantras, their souls being bitten by the snake of anger were not sated.
3.16.14
vigāhyāgādha-gambhīrāḿ
na vidus tac-cikīrṣitam
(14) With their ears wide
open hearing the excellent and carefully chosen words of momentous import, they
had difficulty understanding them and, pondering deeply over their profundity,
couldn't fathom the Lord His intention.
3.16.15
pārameṣṭhya-mahodayam
(15) The great conclusion
the Supreme Lord had revealed from His internal potency made the four brahmins
in extreme delight with their hairs standing on end speak with folded hands.
3.16.16
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ
kṛto me 'nugrahaś ceti
(16) The sages said: 'O Fortunate One, we
don't understand o Lord what You mean to say, because You, despite of being the
ruler, spoke of [us] being merciful with You!
3.16.17
(17) You are the supreme director of the
spiritual world and the highest authority of the brahmins who teach others. You
o master of the learned ones are the God of the gods, the Fortunate One who is
the Soul, the worshipable deity.
3.16.18
tvattaḥ sanātano
dharmo
dharmasya paramo
guhyo
(18) From You there is the protection of the
eternal occupation [sanâtana dharma] in all Your different appearances,
You are the supreme objective of the religious principles; in our opinion You
are the one unchanging reality.
3.16.19
(19) Because by dint of
Your mercy the transcendentalists who break with all material desires
effortlessly conquer birth and death, it can never be so that You as such would
depend on the mercy of others.
3.16.20
(20) The Grace of Fortune [the goddess Lakshmî], of
whom others in their wish for material benefit occasionally accept the dust of
her feet on their heads, waits upon You, anxious to secure a place like the
king of the bumblebees has with the aroma of the wreath of fresh tulsî leaves
that is offered by the devotees.
3.16.21
(21) How can You, who as
the reservoir of all opulences are not that anxious about her impeccable
devotional services, You, who for the pure devotees are the object of the
greatest devotion, be sanctified by the dust on the path of the brahmins or
find fortune by the S'rîvatsa mark [the few white hairs on Your chest]?
3.16.22
(22) You, o Fortunate One, are threefold [tapas, s'auca,
dayâ] present in all the
three [previous] yugas [see 3.11] for the protection of the animate and
inanimate beings of this universe. May Your transcendental form consisting of
pure goodness for the sake of the gods and the brahmins ban all ignorance and
passion and thus bring us all the best.
3.16.23
(23) If You as the protector of the
brahmins - the highest class - do not consider them worthy, do not
consider them the best who deserve all respect and to be addressed in friendly
terms, then o God, Your auspicious path will be lost because of which the
common people would accept the authority of wisdom.
3.16.24
(24) And that is not what
You want. You, who as the reservoir of all goodness wishes to do good to the
people in general, destroyed by Your potencies the opposition. O Lord, You are
the one of the threefold of nature and the maintainer of the universe and
therefore Your potency remains undiminished [by the role You are playing now].
That submissive attitude is but [a game for] Your pleasure.
3.16.25
(25) Whatever punishment, o Lord, You think
these two deserve who are of a better life, we wholeheartedly will accept. Take
whatever measure You consider proper; we understand that we have cursed the
sinless.'
3.16.26
(26) The Supreme Lord said: 'These two will elsewhere soon take birth from a godless womb. With a focus of mind intensified by anger they will remain firmly united with Me and soon return to My presence. Know that your curse was ordained by Me alone, o learned ones.'
3.16.27
brahmovāca
nayanānanda-bhājanam
(27) Brâhma said: 'The sages now to their happiness had seen the beautiful to behold, self-illuminated realm of Vaikunthha, the abode of the irresistible Lord.
3.16.28
praṇipatyānumānya ca
śaḿsanto vaiṣṇavīḿ śriyam
(28) After
circumambulating and offering the Supreme Lord their respects, they returned
elated, applauding what they had learned about the glory of the Vaishnavas [the
attendants of Lord Vishnu].
3.16.29
(29) The Supreme Lord then
said to His two servants: 'Leave this place, let there be no fear, but live in
togetherness. Even though I am capable of nullifying a brahmin's curse, I do
not wish to do so, on the contrary, it has even My approval.
3.16.30
etat puraiva nirdiṣṭaḿ
purāpavāritā dvāri
(30) This departure has
been foreseen by Lakshmî who was angry with you when you once prevented her
from entering the gate while I was resting.
3.16.31
kālenālpīyasā punaḥ
(31) Unified in consciousness as My enemy you
will find liberation from the consequence of disrespecting the brahmins and
after only a short time return to Me.'
3.16.32
sarvātiśayayā lakṣmyā
(32) After thus having addressed the two doorkeepers the Supreme Lord returned to His abode that is decorated with rows of palaces full of the wealth of the servitude of the goddess Lakshmî.
3.16.33
(33) But that didn't apply
to the two excellent demigods who inevitably because of the curse of the
brahmins had to miss the beauty and luster of Vaikunthha and fell into gloom.
3.16.34
tayor nipatamānayoḥ
vimānāgryeṣu putrakāḥ
(34) Upon their fall from
the abode of the Lord of Vaikunthha, a great roar of disappointment rose from
all the fine palaces of the devotees.
3.16.35
diter jaṭhara-nirviṣṭaḿ
(35) These two prominent associates of the
Lord have now entered the womb of Diti through the very powerful seed of
Kas'yapa.
3.16.36
tayor asurayor adya
bhagavāḿs tad vidhitsati
(36) Because the Supreme
Lord desired this to happen, all of you are now unsettled being faced with the
prowess of these two unenlightened siblings.
3.16.37
(37) With Him being the cause of the
maintenance, creation and destruction of the universe, the bewildering yogamâyâ
potency of the most ancient one is difficult to fathom for even the masters
of yoga. But He is our Lord of Fortune and Master of the modes and will put
things right. What [else] would be the purpose of our deliberation on this
subject?'
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of
Swamyjis, Philosophic Scholars and knowledge seekers for the collection)
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