VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 79
Lord Balarâma Slays Balvala and Visits the Holy Places
This chapter describes how Lord Baladeva satisfied the brāhmaṇas by killing Balvala, bathed at various holy pilgrimage sites and attempted to dissuade Bhīmasena and Duryodhana from fighting.
At the sacrificial arena of the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya forest, a harsh wind began to blow on the new-moon day, spreading the obnoxious smell of pus and obscuring everything with dust. The demon Balvala then appeared there with a trident in his hand, his massive body pitch black and his face very frightening. Lord Baladeva caught the demon with His plow and then struck him a ferocious blow on the head with His club, killing him. The sages chanted Lord Baladeva's glories and presented Him with lavish gifts.
Lord Balarāma then began His pilgrimage, during which He visited many holy tīrthas. When He heard news of the battle between the Kurus and Pāṇḍavas, the Lord went to Kurukṣetra to try to stop the duel between Bhīma and Duryodhana. But He could not dissuade them from fighting, so deep was their enmity. Understanding that the fight was the arrangement of fate, Lord Baladeva left the battlefield and returned to Dvārakā.
Some time later, Balarāma again went to the Naimiṣāraṇya forest, where the sages performed a number of fire sacrifices on His behalf. Lord Baladeva reciprocated by granting the sages transcendental knowledge and revealing to them His eternal identity.
10.79.1
bhīmo vāyur abhūd rājan
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Then, on de day of the new moon, arose a fierce wind scattering dust, o King, with the smell of pus everywhere.
10.79.2
(2) Following came down upon the sacrificial arena a rain of abominable things produced by Balvala, after which he himself appeared carrying a trident.
10.79.3-4
bhinnāñjana-cayopamam
(3-4) The sight of that immense body looking like a heap of charcoal with a topknot and beard of burning copper, fearsome teeth and a face with contracted eyebrows, made Râma think of His club, which tears apart opposing armies, and His plow, which subdues the Daityas; they both stood forthwith at His side.
10.79.5
mūṣalenāhanat kruddho
(5) With the tip of His plow got He hold of Balvala who moved about in the sky, and with His club struck Balarâma angrily the harasser of the brahmins on the head.
10.79.6
lalāṭo 'sṛk samutsṛjan
(6) He, releasing a cry of agony, fell with his forehead cracked open gushing blood to the ground like a red mountain struck by a thunderbolt.
According to the ācāryas, the demon appeared reddish with blood, like a mountain red with oxide.
10.79.7
saḿstutya munayo rāmaḿ
prayujyāvitathāśiṣaḥ
(7) The sages together being of praise awarded Râma with practical benedictions and ceremonially sprinkled Him with water, just like the great souls did with [Indra] the killer of Vritrâsura [Indra, see 6.13].
10.79.8
vaijayantīḿ dadur mālāḿ
divyāny ābharaṇāni ca
(8) They gave Râma a Vaijayantî flower garland of unfading lotuses in which S'rî resided and a divine pair of garments together with heavenly jewelry.
10.79.9
atha tair abhyanujñātaḥ
(9) Then given leave by them went He together with the brahmins to the Kaus'ikî river where they took a bath. Next He headed for the lake from which the Sarayû flows.
10.79.10
jagāma pulahāśramam
(10) Following the course of the Sarayû arrived He in Prayâga where He bathed to propitiate the demigods and others. Thereafter He went to the hermitage of Pulaha Rishi [see also 5.7: 8-9].
Pulahāśrama is also known as Hari-kṣetra.
10.79.11-15
upaspṛśya mahendrādrau
dṛṣṭvādriḿ veńkaṭaḿ prabhuḥ
(11-15) Having immersed Himself in the Gomatî, the Gandakî, the S'ona and Vipâs'â river, He went to Gayâ, to worship His forefathers and to the mouth of the Ganges for ritual ablutions. At Mount Mahendra seeing and honoring Lord Paras'urâma He next bathed in the Saptagodâvarî ['seven Godâvarîs'] as well as in the rivers the Venâ, the Pampâ and the Bhîmarathî. After seeing Lord Skanda [Kârttikeya] visited Râma S'rî-s'aila, the residence of the Lord Giris'a [S'iva], and saw the Master in Dravida-des'a [the southern provinces] the hill most sacred, the Venkatha [of Bâlajî]. After [seeing] the cities of Kâmakoshnî and Kâñcî went He to the river the Kâverî and to the greatest of them all, the most holy S'rî-ranga, where the Lord manifested [as Ranganâtha]. Going to the place of the Lord the mountain Rishabha, He went to southern Mathurâ [Madurai where the goddess Mînâkshî resides] and to Setubandha [Cape Comorin], where the gravest sins are destroyed.
iśvanātha Cakravartī explains, although Lord Balarāma's father and grandfather were still alive, it was on His father's order that He carefully worshiped His forefathers at Gayā. Drawing insight from the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī, the ācārya further explains that although Lord Balarāma was in the immediate proximity of Jagannātha Purī, He did not go there, since He wanted to avoid the embarrassment of having to worship Himself among the forms of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Balabhadra and Subhadrā.
10.79.16-17
tatrāyutam adād dhenūr
brāhmaṇebhyo halāyudhaḥ
tatrāgastyaḿ samāsīnaḿ
namaskṛtyābhivādya ca
yojitas tena cāśīrbhir
anujñāto gato 'rṇavam
dakṣiṇaḿ tatra kanyākhyāḿ
(16-17) There gave the Wielder of the Plow, Halâyudha, a great number of cows away to the brahmins. Going to the rivers the Kritamâlâ and Tâmraparnî and the Malaya mountain range, He bowed down paying respect to Âgastya Muni who sitting there in meditation gave Him his blessings. Leaving with his permission He went to the southern ocean to Kanyâkumârî ['chaste girl'] where he saw the goddess Durgâ [known as Kanyâ].
10.79.18
pañcāpsarasam uttamam
snātvāsparśad gavāyutam
(18) Then reaching Phâlguna and taking a bath in the sacred lake of the five Apsaras where Lord Vishnu manifested, gave He again away a myriad of cows.10.79.19-21
tato 'bhivrajya bhagavān
keralāḿs tu trigartakān
śūrpārakam agād balaḥ
upaspṛśyātha daṇḍakam
(19-21) Next traveled the Supreme Lord through Kerala and Trigarta and came then to Gokarna [northern Karnataka], a place sacred because of the manifestation of Dhûrjathi ['he with a load of matted locks'], S'iva. Seeing the honored goddess [Pârvatî] residing on an island off the coast went Balarâma to S'ûrpâraka where He touched the waters of the Tâpî, the Payoshnî and the Nirvindhyâ. Next entering the Dandaka forest went He to the Revâ where the city of Mâhishmatî is found, touched He the water of Manu-tîrtha and returned He to Prabhâsa.
10.79.22
(22) From the brahmins He heard about the battle [at Kurukshetra] between the Kurus and the Pândavas where all the kings were annihilating each other. He concluded that the earth was being relieved of her burden [see also e.g. 10.50: 9].
10.79.23
gadābhyāḿ yudhyator mṛdhe
(23) He, the beloved Son of the Yadus, then went to the battle where He tried to stop Bhîma and Duryodhana who with their maces were fighting each other on the field [see also 10.57: 26].
10.79.24
abhivādyābhavaḿs tuṣṇīḿ
kiḿ vivakṣur ihāgataḥ
(24) But when Yudhishthhira, the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, Krishna and Arjuna saw Him, were they silent in offering their obeisances with the burning question: 'What does He, coming here, want to tell us?'
The reason why they were silent was that Lord Balarāma was somewhat affectionate toward Duryodhana, and Duryodhana had learned from Balarāmajī the art of fighting with a club. Thus, when the fighting was going on, King Yudhiṣṭhira and the others thought that Balarāma might have come there to say something in favor of Duryodhana, and therefore they remained silent."
10.79.25
saḿrabdhau vijayaiṣiṇau
(25) Seeing the two with clubs in their hands, skillfully moving in circles, furiously striving for the victory, said He this:
10.79.26
utaikaḿ śikṣayādhikam
(26) 'O King, o Great Eater, the two of you warriors are equal in prowess; one I think is of a greater physical power, while the other one is technically of a better training.
Bhīma was physically more powerful, but Duryodhana was more advanced in terms of technique.
10.79.27
tasmād ekatarasyeha
viramatv aphalo raṇaḥ
(27) I do not see how from any of you here, equal in prowess, then a victory or the contrary could be seen; so stop this useless fighting.'
10.79.28
anusmarantāv anyonyaḿ
(28) The two, even though they were sensible people, did, fixed in their enmity keeping in mind each others harsh words and misdeeds, not take heed of His words, o King.
10.79.29
rāmo dvāravatīḿ yayau
ugrasenādibhiḥ prītair
(29) Deciding that it was their fate went Râma to Dvârakâ were He was greeted by a delighted family headed by Ugrasena.
that the word diṣṭam, "fate," indicates that the battle between Bhīma and Duryodhana had been enjoined by Lord Kṛṣṇa and set into motion by Him.
10.79.30
kratv-ańgaḿ kratubhiḥ sarvair
nivṛttākhila-vigraham
(30) With Him returning again to Naimishâranya engaged the sages Him, the Embodiment of All Sacrifice who had renounced all warfare, with pleasure in all the different sorts of rituals [*].
"[When Lord Balarāma] went to the holy place of pilgrimage at Naimiṣāraṇya,... the sages, saintly persons and brāhmaṇas all received Him standing. They understood that Lord Balarāma, although a kṣatriya, was now retired from the fighting business. The brāhmaṇas and the sages, who were always for peace and tranquillity, were very pleased at this. All of them embraced Balarāma with great affection and induced Him to perform various kinds of sacrifices in that sacred spot of Naimiṣāraṇya. Actually Lord Balarāma had no business performing the sacrifices recommended for ordinary human beings; He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He Himself is the enjoyer of all such sacrifices. As such, His exemplary action in performing sacrifices was only to give a lesson to the common man, to show how one should abide by the injunctions of the Vedas."
10.79.31
tebhyo viśuddhaḿ vijñānaḿ
yenaivātmany ado viśvam
(31) The Almighty Supreme Lord bestowed upon them the perfectly pure spiritual knowledge by which they indeed could perceive this universe as residing within Him and also see Him as pervading the creation.
10.79.32
sva-patyāvabhṛtha-snāto
su-vāsāḥ suṣṭhv alańkṛtaḥ
(32) Together with His wife [Revatî: see 9.3: 29-33] having executed the concluding ritual avabhritha bath appeared He, well dressed, nicely adorned and surrounded by His family members and other relatives and friends, as splendid as the moon in its full glory [full and with the stars around].
"Lord Balarāma then took the avabhṛtha bath, which is accepted after finishing sacrificial performances. After taking His bath, He dressed Himself in new silken garments and decorated Himself with beautiful jewelry amidst His relatives and friends. He appeared to be a shining full moon amidst the luminaries in the sky."
10.79.33
īdṛg-vidhāny asańkhyāni
anantasyāprameyasya
(33) Of this sort [of pastimes] of the mighty, unlimited and unfathomable Balarâma, who by the power of His illusory energy appears as a human being, there sure are countless others.
10.79.34
yo 'nusmareta rāmasya
karmāṇy adbhuta-karmaṇaḥ
(34) Whoever regularly remembers at dawn and dusk the activities of Râma which are all amazing, will become dear to Lord Vishnu.'
"Lord Balarāma is the original Viṣṇu; therefore anyone remembering these pastimes of Lord Balarāma in the morning and evening will certainly become a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus his life will become successful in all respects."
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Seventy-ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Balarāma Goes on Pilgrimage."
Canto 10
Chapter 80
An Old Brahmin, Sudhama Friend Visits Krishna
(The Brāhmaṇa Sudāmā Visits Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā)
This chapter relates how Lord Kṛṣṇa worshiped His brāhmaṇa friend Sudāmā, who came to His palace seeking charity, and how the two of them discussed the pastimes they had shared while living at the home of their spiritual master, Sāndīpani Muni.
The brāhmaṇa Sudāmā, a personal friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa's, was completely free of material desires. He maintained himself and his wife with whatever came of its own accord, and thus they were poverty-stricken. One day Sudāmā's wife, unable to find any food to prepare for her husband, went to him and asked that he visit his friend Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā and beg some charity. Sudāmā was reluctant, but when she persisted he agreed to go, reflecting that an opportunity to see the Lord was extremely auspicious. His wife begged a few handfuls of flattened rice as a gift for Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and Sudāmā set off for Dvārakā.
As Sudāmā approached the palace of Lord Kṛṣṇa's principal wife, Rukmiṇī-devī, the Lord saw him from a distance. Kṛṣṇa immediately rose from His seat on Rukmiṇī's bed and embraced His friend with great joy. Then He sat Sudāmā down on the bed, washed his feet with His own hands and sprinkled the wash water on His head. After this He presented him with various gifts and worshiped him with incense, lamps and so on. Meanwhile, Rukmiṇī fanned the shabbily dressed brāhmaṇa with a yaktail whisk. All of this astonished the residents of the palace.
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa then took the hand of His friend, and the two of them reminisced about the things they had done together long ago, while living in the school of their spiritual master. Sudāmā pointed out that Kṛṣṇa engages in the pastime of acquiring an education only to set an example for human society.
10.80.1
śrī-rājovāca
(1) The honorable king said: 'My lord, I would like to hear some more about the valorous deeds, o master, of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Soul of Unlimited Powers.
10.80.2
uttamaḥśloka-sat-kathāḥ
(2) How can anyone who is disgusted with running after material desires and knows the essence, o brahmin, desist from listening to the transcendental topics of the Lord Hailed in the Scriptures after repeatedly having heard them?
that we see many persons who, even after hearing the topics of the Lord repeatedly, give up their spiritual dedication. The ācārya replies that the word viśeṣa-jña is therefore significant here. Those who have actually understood the essence of life do not give up Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A further qualification is to be viṣaṇṇaḥ kāma-mārgaṇaiḥ, disgusted with material sense gratification. These two qualities are complementary. One who has experienced the real taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness automatically becomes disgusted with the inferior taste of material pleasure. Such a genuine hearer of the topics of Kṛṣṇa cannot give up hearing about the Lord's fascinating pastimes.
10.80.3
smared vasantaḿ sthira-jańgameṣu
(3) The actual power of speech is the one describing His qualities, the factual hands are the ones that do His work, the true mind is the mind remembering Him as dwelling with the moving and unmoving, and what really hears is the ear turned to His sanctifying topics [compare 2.3: 20-24].
While continuing from the previous verse to glorify the sense of hearing dedicated to the Lord, King Parīkṣit mentions the other senses also, so that we gain a complete picture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here he declares that without any connection to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, all the organs of the body become useless. A similar statement is made by Śaunaka Ṛṣi in the Second Canto, Third Chapter, verses 20 to 24.
that the senses should work together in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In other words, whatever the eyes or the ears experience, the mind should simply remember Kṛṣṇa, who is within all things.
10.80.4
(4) It is about the head that bows to both the manifestations [moving/nonmoving] of Him, the eye indeed that sees Him only and the limbs which regularly honor the water that washed the feet of Vishnu or His devotees'."
10.80.5
nimagna-hṛdayo 'bravīt
(5) Sûta [1.2: 1] said: "Well questioned by Vishnurâta [Parîkchit as being Vishnu-sent] spoke the powerful sage, the son of Vyâsa whose heart was fully absorbed in Vâsudeva.
10.80.6
kṛṣṇasyāsīt sakhā kaścid
virakta indriyārtheṣu
praśāntātmā jitendriyaḥ
(6) S'rî S'uka said: 'There was a certain friend of Krishna [called Sudâmâ, not the same as mentioned in 10.41: 43], a brahmin well versed in the Vedas, who peaceful of mind and in control with the senses was detached from the sense objects.
10.80.7
yadṛcchayopapannena
vartamāno gṛhāśramī
(7) Existing as a householder by what came on its own accord was his wife, just like him, poorly dressed and emaciated of hunger.
Sudāmā's chaste wife was also poorly dressed, and whatever food she obtained she gave to her husband. Thus she remained fatigued from hunger.
10.80.8
vepamānābhigamya ca
(8) With her face dried up, distressed of the poverty trembling, approached she, faithful to her husband, him and said:
the chaste lady was especially unhappy because she could not obtain food to feed her husband. Further, she was fearful to approach her husband because she knew that he did not want to beg for anything other than devotion to the Supreme Lord.
10.80.9
bhagavān sātvatarṣabhaḥ
(9) 'Isn't it, o brahmin, that your friend, o master of devotion, the Husband of S'rî who is compassionate with the brahmins, as the best of the Sâtvatas is willing to give shelter?
how the brāhmaṇa's wife anticipated every possible objection her husband might make to her request that he go to Lord Kṛṣṇa to beg charity. If the brāhmaṇa might say, "How could the husband of the goddess of fortune befriend a fallen soul like myself?" she replies by saying that Lord Kṛṣṇa is brahmaṇya, very favorably disposed toward the brāhmaṇas. If Sudāmā might claim to have no real devotion for the Lord, she replies by saying that he is a great and wise personality who would surely obtain the shelter and mercy of the Lord. If the brāhmaṇa might object that Lord Kṛṣṇa is equally disposed to all the countless unhappy conditioned souls suffering the fruits of their own karma, she replies that Lord Kṛṣṇa is especially the Lord of the devotees, and thus even if He Himself did not grant Sudāmā His mercy, certainly the devotees engaged in serving the Lord would mercifully give him some charity. Since the Lord protects the Sātvatas, the members of the Yadu dynasty, what difficulty would there be for Him to protect a humble brāhmaṇa like Sudāmā, and what fault would there be in His doing so?
10.80.10
(10) Approach Him, my most gracious, and He, the Ultimate Shelter of the Saintly, will give wealth in plenty to you who is suffering to maintain a family.
10.80.11
bhoja-vṛṣṇy-andhakeśvaraḥ
nāty-abhīṣṭān jagad-guruḥ
(11) If the Lord of the Bhojas, Vrishnis and Andhakas who is now present in Dvârakâ, gives even Himself to the one who remembers the lotusfeet of Him, the Master of the Universe, what wouldn't He do then for he ones of worship who are not that eager for economic success and sensual gratification?'
The brāhmaṇa's wife here implies that since Lord Kṛṣṇa is the ruler of the Bhojas, Vṛṣṇis and Andhakas, if these opulent rulers merely acknowledge Sudāmā as a personal friend of Kṛṣṇa's, they could give him everything he required.
In this connection Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī comments that since Lord Kṛṣṇa had at this point put aside His weapons, He no longer traveled outside His own capital of Dvārakā. Thus Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: "[The brāhmaṇa's wife said: ] 'I have heard that He never leaves His capital city, Dvārakā. He is living there without outside engagements.' "
As mentioned here, material wealth and sense gratification are not very desirable. The reason for this is that in the long run they give no real satisfaction. Still, Sudāmā's wife thought, even if Sudāmā went to Dvārakā and simply remained silent before the Lord, He would certainly give him abundant wealth, as well as shelter at His lotus feet, which was Sudāmā's real objective.
10.80.12-13
apy asty upāyanaḿ kiñcid
(12-13) The brahmin this way repeatedly in various ways entreated by his wife thus thought: 'The sight of Uttamas'loka indeed is the highest attainment', and having made up his mind to go he asked her: 'Is there anything in the house I can take as a gift my good woman, please give it to me!'
Sudāmā was naturally humble, and thus although at first he was dissatisfied with his wife's proposal, finally he settled his mind and decided to go. Now the last detail was that he had to take a gift for his friend.
10.80.14
(14) She begged four fists of husked and parched rice from the other brahmins, wrapped them in a piece of cloth and gave that to her husband for a gift.
10.80.15
(15) He, the best of the learned, took it with him and wondered on his way to Dvârakâ: 'How will this audience with Krishna ever happen to me?'
Among other things, Sudāmā assumed that the gatekeepers would stop him.
10.80.16-17
vipro 'gamyāndhaka-vṛṣṇīnāḿ
gṛheṣv acyuta-dharmiṇām
viveśaikatamaḿ śrīmad
brahmānandaḿ gato yathā
(16-17) Passing with a couple of local brahmins three gates and guard stations, walked he between the houses of Acyuta's faithful followers, the Andakas and Vrishnis. One normally couldn't go there and so felt he as if he had attained the bliss of the Pure Spirit. He then entered one of the opulent sixteen thousand residences of the Lord His queens [*].
When the saintly brāhmaṇa entered the precincts of Lord Kṛṣṇa's palaces and then actually entered one of the palaces, he completely forgot everything else, and thus his state of mind is compared to that of one who has just achieved the bliss of spiritual liberation. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī quotes from the Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, wherein we learn that the brāhmaṇa actually entered the palace of Rukmiṇī: sa tu rukmiṇy-antaḥ-pura-dvāri kṣaṇaḿ tūṣṇīḿ sthitaḥ. "He stood for a moment in silence at the doorway of Queen Rukmiṇī's palace."
10.80.18
sahasotthāya cābhyetya
(18) Acyuta sitting on His consort's bed, seeing him from a distance immediately rose and came forward to close him gladly in His arms.
10.80.19
ańga-sańgāti-nirvṛtaḥ
netrābhyāḿ puṣkarekṣaṇaḥ
(19) The Lotus-eyed One, in contact with His dear friend's saintly and wise body, extremely ecstatic released affectionately some teardrops from His eyes.
10.80.20-22
athopaveśya paryańke
upahṛtyāvanijyāsya
pādau pādāvanejanīḥ
agrahīc chirasā rājan
candanāguru-kuńkamaiḥ
pradīpāvalibhir mudā
arcitvāvedya tāmbūlaḿ
(20-22) Having him seated on the bed fetched He some items to honor His friend and wash his feet. The water took the Supreme Lord of All the Worlds on His head, o King. Then the Purifier anointed him with divinely fragrant sandalwood and aloe-wood [lignaloes or aguru] paste and kunkuma. Glad to worship His friend with aromatic incense and series of lamps, welcomed He him, offering bethel nut and a cow.
10.80.23
devī paryacarat sākṣāc
(23) Carefully fanning with a yak's tail the dirty and poorly dressed emaciated twice-born, whose veins could be seen, was the goddess [Rukminî] personally of service.
10.80.24
kṛṣṇenāmala-kīrtinā
(24) The people in the palace seeing Krishna spotless in His glory, fell in amazement about the intense love with which the one who was so repudiate [the avadhûta] was honored:
10.80.25-26
garhitenādhamena ca
pariṣvakto 'gra-jo yathā
(25-26) 'What pious deeds performed he, this unclean, condemned and lowly mendicant deprived of all prosperity in the world, to be served with reverence by the Spiritual Master of the Three Worlds who is the abode of S'rî. Sitting on her bed embraced He him as an older brother leaving aside the goddess!'
10.80.27
(27) Taking hold of each other's hands, o King, they discussed the topics of the past in which they together lived in the school of their spiritual master [see 10.45: 31-32].
10.80.28
(28) The Supreme Lord said: 'O brahmin, after the guru received his remuneration from you and, o knower of the dharma, you returned, did you marry a suitable wife or not?
Among civilized human beings, the question of āśrama, or spiritual order, is significant. In other words, every human being must execute prescribed duties as a celibate student, a married man or woman, a retired person or a renunciant. Since Lord Kṛṣṇa could see that the brāhmaṇa was poorly dressed, He inquired if His friend had been properly married and was executing the duties of household life. Since he was not dressed as a renunciant, he would be without a suitable āśrama unless he were properly married.
10.80.29
(29) With your mind occupied by household matters were you not driven by desires, neither, so I know to be true, do you take much pleasure, o wise one, in the pursuit of material happiness.
Lord Kṛṣṇa here reveals that in fact He was well aware of His friend's situation. Sudāmā was actually learned and spiritually advanced, and therefore he was not interested in ordinary sense gratification, as is the common man.
10.80.30
tyajantaḥ prakṛtīr daivīr
(30) Some people execute their worldly duties without in their minds being disturbed by desires; acting as I do to set an example, they shake off the propensities that naturally rise.
10.80.31
(31) Do you, o brahmin, still remember our stay in the gurukula? It is there that a twice-born person learns to understand what needs to be known and thus may experience what is transcendent to the ignorance.
10.80.32
sa vai sat-karmaṇāḿ sākṣād
dvijāter iha sambhavaḥ
ādyo 'ńga yatrāśramiṇāḿ
(32) The first birth of someone twice-born, my friend, is this material life, that indeed under the direct supervision of a spiritual master, the bestower of spiritual knowledge who is as Myself, is sanctified [in a 'second birth'] by the duties he teaches for all spiritual orders [see âs'rama and 7.12]. 10.80.33
taranty añjo bhavārṇavam
(33) For sure are of those engaged in the varnâs'rama system [see also B.G. 4: 13] in this world they the expert knowers of the true welfare, o brahmin, who cross over the ocean of a material existence with the help of the words stemming from Me as the spiritual master.
One's father is a natural object of reverence, as is a religious leader who initiates one into sacred ceremonies and instructs one in general wisdom. But ultimately the bona fide spiritual master, learned in the transcendental science and thus able to take one across the ocean of birth and death to the spiritual world — such a guru is most deserving of worship and respect, for he is the direct representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as stated here.
10.80.34
nāham ijyā-prajātibhyāḿ
tapasopaśamena vā
tuṣyeyaḿ sarva-bhūtātmā
(34) I, the Soul of All Beings, am not as satisfied by ritual worship, brahminical initiation, austerity or self-control as I am by faithful service [compare 7.14: 17].
The word prajāti here indicates either begetting good children or the second birth obtained by ritual initiation into Vedic culture. Although both of these are praiseworthy, Lord Kṛṣṇa here states that faithful service rendered to a bona fide spiritual master is still higher.10.80.35-36
indhanānayane kvacit
praviṣṭānāḿ mahāraṇyam
(35-36) O brahmin, do you remember what we, living with our spiritual master, did when we once by the wife of our guru were sent to fetch firewood? Having entered a big forest arose, o twice-born one, all out of season, a fierce harsh thundering wind and rain.
that this storm arose during winter and was therefore unseasonal.
10.80.37
sūryaś cāstaḿ gatas tāvat
(37) With the sun having set overcome by darkness could with all the water around us not the direction nor high or low areas be recognized.
10.80.38
diśo 'vidanto 'tha parasparaḿ vane
(38) We, constantly heavily besieged by the fierce wind and water there, were in the flooding unable to make out which way to go. We then wandering distressed in the forest, held each other's hands.
that the verb paribabhrima may be understood to be the prefix pari with either the verb bhṛ or bhram. In the case of bhram, it indicates that Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā wandered all about, and in the case of bhṛ, which means "to carry," it indicates that as the two young boys wandered about, they continued to carry the firewood they had secured for their spiritual master.
10.80.39
ācāryo 'paśyad āturān
(39) Knowing this set our guru Sândîpani at sunrise out to search for us, his disciples. So found the âcârya us then in distress:
10.80.40
asmad-arthe 'ti-duḥkhitāḥ
(40) 'Oh you children, how much have you suffered because of me; in your devotion for me have you disregarded the [comfort of your own] body that indeed to all living beings is most dear!
10.80.41
sarvārthātmārpaṇaḿ gurau
(41) This now is the truth valid for disciples: to repay, perfectly pure in one's love, one's debt to the guru by offering the spiritual master one's self and one's property.
One engages one's body to realize one's purposes. The body is also the basis of the material conception of "I," while one's fortune is the basis of the conception of "mine." Thus by offering everything to the spiritual master, one realizes one's self to be an eternal servant of the Lord. The spiritual master does not exploit the disciple but rather engages him fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the disciple's eternal benefit.
10.80.42
tuṣṭo 'haḿ bho dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ
(42) Satisfied I am, my dear ones, o best of brahmins, may your desires be fulfilled and may in this world as well as in the next that what evolves from your attraction [your words, your mantras] never fade [compare 10.45: 48].'
Cooked food left sitting for three hours is called yāta-yāma, indicating that it has lost its taste, and similarly if a devotee does not remain fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the transcendental knowledge that once inspired him on the spiritual path will lose its "taste," or meaning, for him. Thus Sāndīpani Muni blesses his disciples that the Vedic mantras, which reveal the Absolute Truth, will never lose their meaning for them but will remain ever fresh in their minds.
10.80.43
guror anugraheṇaiva
(43) And many things like this happened when we were living in the home of the guru; simply by the mercy of the spiritual master is a person fulfilled in his quest for peace.'
10.80.44
kim asmābhir anirvṛttaḿ
(44) The brahmin said: 'What more is there for me to achieve in life, o God of Gods, o Guru of the Universe, than to have lived at the guru's house with You whose every desire is fulfilled?
Sudāmā Brāhmaṇa wisely understands his extraordinary good fortune of having lived with Śrī Kṛṣṇa at the residence of their spiritual master. Thus whatever external difficulties they experienced were actually an expression of the Lord's mercy, to teach the importance of service to the spiritual master.
the learned brāhmaṇa's feelings as follows: "[Sudāmā said:] 'My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are the Supreme Lord and the supreme spiritual master of everyone, and since I was fortunate enough to live with You in the house of our guru, I think I have nothing more to do in the matter of prescribed Vedic duties.' "
10.80.45
vāso 'tyanta-viḍambanam
(45) O Almighty One in Your body, that is the fertile field of all welfare, is found the praise relating to the Absolute Truth [of the Vedas]; Your residing with spiritual masters is all roleplaying [see also e.g. 10.69: 44 and 10.77: 30]!'
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Eightieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Brāhmaṇa Sudāmā Visits Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā."
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