Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Canto 6
Chapter 14: King Citraketu's Lamentation
In this Fourteenth Chapter, Parīkṣit Mahārāja asks his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, how such a demon as Vṛtrāsura could become an exalted devotee. In this connection the previous life of Vṛtrāsura is discussed. This involves the story of Citraketu and how he was victimized by lamentation because of the death of his son.
Among many millions of living entities, the number of human beings is extremely small, and among human beings who are actually religious, only some are eager to be liberated from material existence. Among many thousands of people who desire relief from material existence, one is freed from the association of unwanted persons or is relieved of material contamination. And among many millions of such liberated persons, one may become a devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Therefore such devotees are extremely rare. Since bhakti, devotional service, is not ordinary, Parīkṣit Mahārāja was astonished that an asura could rise to the exalted position of a devotee. Being doubtful, Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who then described Vṛtrāsura with reference to his previous birth as Citraketu, the King of Śūrasena.
Citraketu, who had no sons, got an opportunity to meet the great sage Ańgirā. When Ańgirā inquired from the King about his welfare, the King expressed his moroseness, and therefore by the grace of the great sage, the King's first wife, Kṛtadyuti, gave birth to a son, who was the cause of both happiness and lamentation. Upon the birth of this son, the King and all the residents of the palace were very happy. The co-wives of Kṛtadyuti, however, were envious, and later they administered poison to the child. Citraketu was overwhelmed by shock at his son's death. Then Nārada Muni and Ańgirā went to see him.
6.14.1
rajas-tamaḥ-svabhāvasya
(1) S'rî Parîkchit said: 'How could Vritrâsura with a nature of passion and ignorance and being that sinful minded oh brahmin, have such a strong determination in Nârâyana, the Supreme Person?
6.14.2
ṛṣīṇāḿ cāmalātmanām
na prāyeṇopajāyate
(2) With [even] the gods whose minds are of pure goodness and the saints who have unblemished souls, only rarely is observed that they develop devotion for the lotus feet of Mukunda, the Lord of Liberation.
6.14.3
śreyo vai manujādayaḥ
(3) In this material world there are as many living entities as there are atoms, some of them are human or related to the human form and among them only a few act to do good.
6.14.4
prāyo mumukṣavas teṣāḿ
kecanaiva dvijottama
(4) Oh best of the twice-born, one always sees that among those who believe in liberation only a few desire liberation and that among the thousands of them only a few are really liberated, are really perfect.
There are four classes of men, namely karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs and bhaktas. This statement pertains especially to karmīs and jñānīs. A karmī tries to he happy within this material world by changing from one body to another. His objective is bodily comfort, either in this planet or in another. When such a person becomes a jñānī, however, be aspires for liberation from material bondage. Among many such persons who aspire for liberation, one may actually be liberated during his life. Such a person gives up his attachment for society, friendship, love, country, family, wife and children. Among many such persons, who are in the vānaprastha stage, one may understand the value of becoming a sannyāsī, completely accepting the renounced order of life.
6.14.5
sudurlabhaḥ praśāntātmā
(5) And among the millions and trillions [of living beings] you in the midst of those who found liberation and perfection oh great sage, will very rarely find someone who considers Nârâyana the Supreme One and has a mind that is completely peaceful [compare B.G. 7: 3 & 7: 26].
There are two kinds of jñānīs. One is inclined to devotional service and the other to impersonal realization. Impersonalists generally undergo great endeavor for no tangible benefit, and therefore it is said that they are husking paddy that has no grain (sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinaḥ). The other class of jñānīs, whose jñāna is mixed with bhakti, are also of two kinds — those who are devoted to the so-called false form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and those who understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], the actual spiritual form. The Māyāvādī devotees worship Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu with the idea that Viṣṇu has accepted a form of māyā and that the ultimate truth is actually impersonal. The pure devotee, however, never thinks that Viṣṇu has accepted a body of māyā; instead, he knows perfectly well that the original Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person. Such a devotee is actually situated in knowledge. He never merges in the Brahman effulgence. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32):
patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-ańghrayaḥ
"O Lord, the intelligence of those who think themselves liberated but who have no devotion is impure. Even though they rise to the highest point of liberation by dint of severe penances and austerities, they are sure to fall down again into material existence, for they do not take shelter at Your lotus feet."
There is no distinction between Kṛṣṇa's body and His soul, but because less intelligent men see Kṛṣṇa as a human being, they deride Him. They cannot imagine how a person like Kṛṣṇa could be the origin of everything (govindam ādi-puruṣaḿ tam ahaḿ bhajāmi **). Such persons are described as moghāśāḥ, baffled in their hopes. Whatever they desire for the future will be baffled. Even if they apparently engage in devotional service, they are described as moghāśāḥ because they ultimately desire to merge into the Brahman effulgence.
Those who aspire to be elevated to the heavenly planets by devotional service will also be frustrated, because this is not the result of devotional service. However, they are also given a chance to engage in devotional service and be purified. As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17):
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi
"Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted."
Unless the dirt within the core of one's heart is cleansed away, one cannot become a pure devotee. Therefore the word sudurlabhaḥ ("very rarely found") is used in this verse. Not only among hundreds and thousands, but among millions of perfectly liberated souls, a pure devotee is hardly ever found. Therefore the words koṭiṣv api are used herein. Śrīla Madhvācārya gives the following quotations from the Tantra Bhāgavata:
nārāyaṇāyanāḥ sarve
"There are ninety million demigods and seventy million sages, who are all called nārāyaṇāyana, devotees of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Among them, only a few are called nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa."
nārāyaṇāyanā devā
ṛṣy-ādyās tat-parāyaṇāḥ
brahmādyāḥ kecanaiva syuḥ
The difference between the siddhas and nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇas is that direct devotees are called nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇas whereas those who perform various types of mystic yoga are called siddhas.
6.14.6
sarva-lokopatāpanaḥ
(6) How, [with the truth of this,] could Vritra then, being so sinful and the cause of such suffering all over the world, in the full of his fire of giving battle have an intelligence that was fixed on Krishna?
6.14.7
chrotuḿ kautūhalaḿ prabho
sahasrākṣam atoṣayat
(7) I am in great doubt about this and would very much like to hear oh master, how he managed to please the Thousand-eyed One in battle with his bravery and strength.' "
6.14.8
parīkṣito 'tha sampraśnaḿ
pratinandya vaco 'bravīt
(8) S'rî Sûta said: "After the powerful son of Vyâsa had listened to the inquiry of the devout Parîkchit he expressed his compliments and explained it to him.
6.14.9
śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājann
nāradād devalād api
(9) S'rî S'uka said: 'Please listen carefully oh King, to the story about this as heard from the mouths of Vyâsa, Nârada Muni and Devala Rishi.
6.14.10
āsīd rājā sārvabhaumaḥ
citraketur iti khyāto
yasyāsīt kāmadhuń mahī
(10) Once there was a king, an emperor over all the earth who lived in S'ûrasena and was named Citraketu ['the light of excellence']. During his rule the earth delivered everything one could wish for oh King.
Here the most significant statement is that the earth completely produced all the necessities of life during the time of King Citraketu. As stated in the Īśopaniṣad (Mantra 1):
"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong." Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller, has created the material world, which is completely perfect and free from scarcity. The Lord supplies the necessities of all living entities. These necessities come from the earth, and thus the earth is the source of supply. When there is a good ruler, that source produces the necessities of life abundantly. However, when there is not such a good ruler, there will be scarcity. This is the significance of the word kāmadhuk. Elsewhere in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.10.4) it is said, kāmaḿ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dughā mahī: "During the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the clouds showered all the water that people needed, and the earth produced all the necessities of men in profusion." We have experience that in some seasons the rains produce abundance and in other seasons there is scarcity. We have no control over the earth's productiveness, for it is naturally under the full control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By His order, the Lord can make the earth produce sufficiently or insufficiently. If a pious king rules the earth according to the śāstric injunctions, there will naturally be regular rainfall and sufficient produce to provide for all men. There will be no question of exploitation, for everyone will have enough. Black-marketeering and other corrupt dealings will then automatically stop. Simply ruling the land cannot solve man's problems unless the leader has spiritual capabilities. He must be like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Parīkṣit Mahārāja or Rāmacandra. Then all the inhabitants of the land will be extremely happy
6.14.11
sahasrāṇi daśābhavan
sāntānikaś cāpi nṛpo
(11) He had thousands and thousands of wives, but from none of them the king got a single child, even though they were very well capable of giving birth.
6.14.12
rūpaudārya-vayo-janma-
vidyaiśvarya-śriyādibhiḥ
sampannasya guṇaiḥ sarvaiś
(12) With all his beauty, magnanimity, youth, good birth, education, opulence, welfare and all other good qualities he was endowed with, he was full of anxiety in his role of being the spouse to that many wives bearing no children.
It appears that the King first married one wife, but she could not bear a child. Then he married a second, a third, a fourth and so on, but none of the wives could bear children. In spite of the material assets of janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī — birth in an aristocratic family with full opulence, wealth, education and beauty — he was very much aggrieved because in spite of having so many wives, he had no son. Certainly his grief was natural. Gṛhastha life does not mean having a wife and no children. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, putra-hīnaḿ gṛhaḿ śūnyam: if a family man has no son, his home is no better than a desert. The King was certainly most unhappy that he could not get a son, and this is why he had married so many times. Kṣatriyas especially are allowed to marry more than one wife, and this King did so. Nonetheless, he had no issue.
6.14.13
sārvabhaumasya bhūś ceyam
(13) Neither his great opulence nor all his queens with their beautiful eyes, nor all the lands he ruled as the Emperor could make him happy.
6.14.14
upāgacchad yadṛcchayā
(14) One day however Angirâ, the very powerful sage who traveled around in his countries, unexpectedly arrived at the palace.
6.14.15
pratyutthānārhaṇādibhiḥ
kṛtātithyam upāsīdat
sukhāsīnaḿ samāhitaḥ
(15) In order to pay his respects according to the customs, he stood up from his throne and offered him worship. After thus having proven his hospitality he offered him a comfortable seat and sat down next to him in proper self-restraint.
6.14.16
praśrayāvanataḿ kṣitau
samābhāṣyedam abravīt
(16) Then oh Mahârâja the great rishi himself bowed down complimenting him who in all humility sat beside him on the ground and addressed him speaking as follows.
6.14.17
ańgirā uvāca
prakṛtīnāḿ tathātmanaḥ
(17) Angirâ said: 'Is everything all right with your health and the material order of the state, the order of the king [in the form of priests, ministers, territories, subjects, fortresses, the treasury, the police and the army] that is so much alike the seven material layers protecting the living being [consisting of the totality, the ego and the five objects of the senses; mahat-tattva, ahankâra and tanmâtras]?
svāmy-amātyau janapadā
A king is not alone. He first has his spiritual master, the supreme guide. Then come his ministers, his kingdom, his fortifications, his treasury, his system of law and order, and his friends or allies. If these seven are properly maintained, the king is happy. Similarly, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā (dehino 'smin yathā dehe [Bg. 2.13]), the living entity, the soul, is within the material covering of the mahat-tattva, ego and pañca-tanmātrā, the five objects of sense gratification. When these seven are in proper order, the living entity is in a mood of pleasure. Generally when the associates of the king are quiet and obedient, the king can be happy. Therefore the great sage Ańgirā Ṛṣi inquired about the King's personal health and the good fortune of his seven associates. When we inquire from a friend whether everything is well, we are concerned not only with his personal self but also with his family, his source of income, and his assistants or servants. All of them must be well, and then a person can be happy.
6.14.18
naradevāhitādhayaḥ
(18) The king submitting himself to [the needs and demands] of these elements of his rule can achieve welfare and prosperity oh god of man, and so will each and all who depending on him offer their wealth and services.
6.14.19
bhṛtyāḥ śreṇyo 'tha mantriṇaḥ
(19) Is it so that your wives, citizens, secretaries, servants, merchants as also your ministers, intimates, governors, landholders and offspring, all comply with your rule?
6.14.20
(20) When the mind [of the king] is controlled all the subjects will comply and then everyone, including the governors, no longer being negligent, will make his contribution.
6.14.21
(21) From the anxiety of your pale face I can tell that something is bothering you, that you for some or another reason aren't quite happy mentally.'
6.14.22
praśrayāvanato 'bhyāha
(22) He [Citraketu] who desired offspring and this way was questioned by the muni despite of his greater learning oh King, bowed deeply before the sage in great humility and replied as follows.
6.14.23
citraketur uvāca
tapo-jñāna-samādhibhiḥ
(23) King Citraketu said: 'Oh great one, what of the external and internal affairs of the embodied souls would not be understood by yogis who by dint of their austerity, spiritual knowledge and meditative absorption are freed from all sins?
6.14.24
bhavato viduṣaś cāpi
coditas tvad-anujñayā
(24) Nevertheless, even though you know everything, you ask me what's on my mind oh brahmin. Let me now with your permission dilate on what you asked me.
6.14.25
sāmrājyaiśvarya-sampadaḥ
(25) Having a great empire even desirable to the demigods, all the wealth and the upkeep doesn't give me any pleasure because I have no son. To me it is all like trying to satisfy one's hunger and thirst with everything else but food and drink.
6.14.26
(26) Save therefore me and my forefathers from getting lost in the darkness oh great wise. Make it so that we get a son and thus may defeat that [threat] which is so difficult to overcome.'
6.14.27
kṛpālur brahmaṇaḥ sutaḥ
tvaṣṭāram ayajad vibhuḥ
(27) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus being beseeched, the most powerful and merciful son of Brahmâ made him cook a preparation of sweet rice for Tvashthâ [the demigod father of Vis'varûpa, see 6.8], which he then offered in worship of him.
6.14.28
yajñocchiṣṭam adād dvijaḥ
(28) The sage then offered the remnants of the sacrifice to the first and most perfect queen of all the king's queens who was called Kritadyuti, oh best of the Bhâratas.
6.14.29
bhavitaikas tavātmajaḥ
(29) Thereafter he said to the king: 'Oh King, there will be one son who will be the cause of jubilation as also lamentation for you', whereupon the son of Brahmâ left.
The word harṣa means "jubilation," and śoka means "lamentation." The King was overwhelmed with joy when he understood that he would have a son. Because of his great jubilation, he could not actually understand the statement of the sage Ańgirā. He accepted it to mean that there would certainly be jubilation because of the birth of his future son, but that he would be the King's only son and, being very proud of his great wealth and empire, would not be very obedient to his father. Thus the King was satisfied, thinking, "Let there be a son. It does not matter if he is not very obedient." In Bengal there is a proverb that instead of having no maternal uncle, it is better to have a maternal uncle who is blind. The King accepted this philosophy, thinking that a disobedient son would be better than no son at all. The great sage Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says:
"What is the use of a son who is neither a learned scholar nor a devotee? Such a son is like a blind, diseased eye, which always causes suffering." Nevertheless, the material world is so polluted that one wants to have a son even though he is useless. This attitude was represented in the history of King Citraketu.
6.14.30
citraketor adhārayat
kṛttikāgner ivātmajam
(30) After having eaten the food of the offering Kritadyuti proved to be impregnated by Citraketu, the way the goddess Krittikâ received a son [named Skanda] from Agni.
6.14.31
vavṛdhe śūraseneśa-
(31) Her fetus gradually developed little by little from the semen of the king of S'ûrasena, just like the moon does during the bright fortnight of the month.
6.14.32
(32) And thus in due course of time a son was born who created the greatest delight among the inhabitants of S'ûrasena when they heard about it.
6.14.33
snātaḥ śucir alańkṛtaḥ
vācayitvāśiṣo vipraiḥ
(33) The king, very happy with his newly born son, bathed and decorated himself with ornaments and then arranged for the brahmins to perform the birth ceremony with many benedictory words.
6.14.34
tebhyo hiraṇyaḿ rajataḿ
vāsāḿsy ābharaṇāni ca
(34) He donated to the brahmins gold, silver, garments, ornaments as also villages, horses, elephants and sixty crores of cows.
6.14.35
(35) In order to increase the opulence, the reputation and longevity of his newly born son, he with great attention like a raincloud showered all one could wish for.
6.14.36
yathā niḥsvasya kṛcchrāpte
dhane sneho 'nvavardhata
(36) Just like a poor man who has an increasing affection for the riches he gained with great difficulty, the pious king, as a father, day after day felt more love for the son he with so much difficulty had received.
6.14.37
sneho moha-samudbhavaḥ
(37) Also the mother developed ignorantly an excessive affection for the son and that led, with all the co-wives of Kritadyuti, to a feverish desire to have sons as well.
6.14.38
citraketor atiprītir
yathā dāre prajāvati
bālaḿ lālayato 'nvaham
(38) As good as he all day cared about the son, king Citraketu was also extraordinarily attracted to the wife who gave him the son and not so much to the other wives.
6.14.39
garhayantyo 'bhyasūyayā
rājñaś cānādareṇa ca
(39) Because of having no sons and being unhappy for being neglected by the king, they then lamented, condemning themselves out of envy.
6.14.40
patyuś cāgṛha-sammatām
suprajābhiḥ sapatnībhir
(40) A woman who has no son is at home by her husband and the co-wives who do have sons, disrespected and burdened with the load of sin. She is then despised like a maid-servant.
6.14.41
dāsyā dāsīva durbhagāḥ
(41) What would a maid-servant have to lament when she finds her honor in faithfully serving her husband? But if she is there like a maid-servant to the maid-servants, she is most unfortunate.
6.14.42
rājño 'sammata-vṛttīnāḿ
(42) The queens, who burned [in lamentation and envy] because their king enjoyed the wealth of a son from their rival Kritadyuti, having fallen out of grace thus developed a very strong hatred.
6.14.43
(43) As their envy increased, they lost their intelligence. Being extremely hardhearted and unable to tolerate the King's neglect, they finally administered poison to the son.
6.14.44
kṛtadyutir ajānantī
44) Kritadyuti walking around the house was not aware of the sin committed by the co-wives and thought, looking upon her son, that he was fast asleep.
6.14.45
(45) When the boy had lied down a long time she, as a sensible woman, therefore gave the nurse the order: 'Please oh friend, bring me my son.'
6.14.46
prāṇendriyātmabhis tyaktaḿ
hatāsmīty apatad bhuvi
(46) Looking after him the nurse saw him lying down with his eyes turned upwards and his life force, mind and senses gone. She then falling to the ground cried: 'I'm doomed!'
6.14.47
tasyās tadākarṇya bhṛśāturaḿ svaraḿ
(47) As soon as the queen heard that she with an agitated voice in loud words of regret was striking her breast with both her hands, she also hurried in and saw, upon approaching her son, that her child unexpectedly had deceased.
6.14.48
mumoha vibhraṣṭa-śiroruhāmbarā
(48) Overcome by grief she fell unconscious to the ground with her hair and dress in disarray
6.14.49
tato nṛpāntaḥpura-vartino janā
. (49) Next oh ruler of man, all the inhabitants of the palace and all the people, men and women who had heard the loud crying nearby, came and all lamented greatly being equally aggrieved, just as did pretentiously the ones who had committed the crime.
6.14.50-51
vimūrcchito 'nuprakṛtir dvijair vṛtaḥ
(50-51) Hearing that his son had died for reasons unknown, the king couldn't see properly anymore. Followed by his entourage of ministers and brahmins he on his way constantly fell and slipped. Because of his affection his lamentation grew [like fire] so that he fell unconscious down at the feet of the dead boy. Heavily breathing with his hair and dress disheveled, he [coming to] wasn't capable of uttering a single word anymore because of his choked up voice and the tears he cried.
6.14.52
(52) The queen, seeing her husband crying heavily in his grief over the deceased child, the only son of the family, cried along in every possible way and thus added to the anguish of all the people, including the officers and ministers, who had gathered there.
6.14.53
(53) The flowers in her scattered hair slipped down while her two with kumkum powdered breasts got wet from the teardrops that, mixed with her make-up, fell from her eyes. She lamented about her son with a sound that reminded one of the sweet cries of a kurarî bird.
6.14.54
6.14.54
(54) 'Alas, oh Creator of my fate, how much You fail in Your wisdom! With the father alive while his offspring is dead You prove to be someone who acts against His own creation. Such a contradiction makes You an opponent.
This is the way a conditioned soul condemns the supreme creator when he meets reverses. Sometimes he accuses the Supreme Personality of Godhead of being crooked because some people are happy and some are not. Here the Queen blames supreme providence for her son's death. Following the creative laws, a father should die first and then his son. If the creative laws are changed according to the whims of providence, then providence certainly should not be considered merciful, but must be considered inimical to the created being. Actually it is not the creator, but the conditioned soul who is inexperienced. He does not know how the subtle laws of fruitive activity work, and without knowledge of these laws of nature, he ignorantly criticizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
6.14.55
(55) If there in this world is no regular order to the death and birth of the ones embodied, then let it be so that things happen as a result of one's karma. [But with] this [taking away of my son] You personally are cutting away the bond of love that You created for the growth of Your creation!
As stated in the Brahma-saḿhitā, karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām: [Bs. 5.54] one who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, is not affected by the results of karma. In this verse, karma has been stressed on the basis of karma-mīmāḿsā philosophy, which says that one must act according to his karma and that a supreme controller must give the results of karma. The subtle laws of karma, which are controlled by the Supreme, cannot be understood by ordinary conditioned souls. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that one who can understand Him and how He is acting, controlling everything by subtle laws, immediately becomes freed by His grace. That is the statement of Brahma-saḿhitā (karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām [Bs. 5.54]). One should take to devotional service without reservations and surrender everything to the supreme will of the Lord. That will make one happy in this life and the next.
6.14.56
(56) And you my dear son, shouldn't give up on me. I am so miserable without you as my protector. Look what grief you gave your father. With you we can easily overcome the darkness that is so difficult to defeat without a son. Please don't abandon us any longer, do not go away with the merciless Lord of Death.
6.14.57
(57) Get up my sweet son, all the children, all your playmates are calling for you to come and play with them oh prince of mine. You've slept so long and must be really hungry by now. Please take my breast to drink and drive away the grief of your relatives.
6.14.58
(58) How unfortunate not to see the charming smiles any longer of you who were born from my flesh. Have you, now that you've closed the eyes of your lotus face, really left for the other world, the place of no return? Have you been taken away by the cruel Lord of Death? No longer I can hear your sweet prattle.... .'
6.14.59
citraketur bhṛśaḿ tapto
(59) S'rî S'uka said: 'Citraketu, with the woman bewailing her dead son this way in several lamentations, was very much aggrieved and cried loudly.
6.14.60
tayor vilapatoḥ sarve
dampatyos tad-anuvratāḥ
(60) With the king and his wife thus lamenting, all their subjects cried equally aloud and thus all the men and women of the kingdom were out of their wits of sadness.
6.14.61
jñātvāńgirā nāma ṛṣir
ājagāma sanāradaḥ
(61) Sage Angirâ, who knew that they because of the misery that fell upon them had lost their senses and were helpless, then visited them together with Nârada Muni.'
Canto 6
In this chapter, Ańgirā Ṛṣi, along with Nārada, consoles Citraketu as far as possible. Ańgirā and Nārada Ṛṣi came to relieve the King from excessive lamentation by instructing him about the spiritual significance of life.
The great saints Ańgirā and Nārada explained that the relationship between father and son is not factual; it is simply a representation of the illusory energy. The relationship did not exist before, nor will it stay in the future. By the arrangement of time, the relationship exists only in the present. One should not lament for temporary relationships. The entire cosmic manifestation is temporary; although not unreal, it is not factual. By the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everything created in the material world is transient. By a temporary arrangement, a father begets a child, or a living entity becomes the child of a so-called father. This temporary arrangement is made by the Supreme Lord. Neither the father nor the son exists independently.
As the King listened to the great sages, he was relieved from his false lamentation, and then he inquired about their identity. The great sages presented who they were and instructed that all sufferings are due to the bodily conception of life. When one understands his spiritual identity and surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme spiritual person, one becomes actually happy. When one searches for happiness in matter, one must certainly lament for bodily relationships. Self-realization means spiritual realization of one's relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Such realization ends one's miserable material life.
Chapter 15: The Sages Nârada and Angirâ Instruct King Citraketu
6.15.1
ūcatur mṛtakopānte
patitaḿ mṛtakopamam
śokābhibhūtaḿ rājānaḿ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'They [the sages Nârada and Angirâ] in order to give instruction in spiritual terms, spoke to the king who like a dead man fallen at the side of the corpse was so very much aggrieved.
6.15.2
(2) 'Oh best of kings, the person you are lamenting about, who is that actually oh lord, who has he been in his previous birth, who is he now and who will he be hereafter?
The instructions given by Nārada and Ańgirā Muni are the true spiritual instructions for the illusioned conditioned soul. This world is temporary, but because of our previous karma we come here and accept bodies, creating temporary relationships in terms of society, friendship, love, nationality and community, which are all finished at death. These temporary relationships did not exist in the past, nor will they exist in the future. Therefore at the present moment the so-called relationships are illusions.
6.15.3
(3) Just like grains of sand wash ashore and drift apart by the force of the waves, the embodied souls are united and separated by time [compare B.G. 2: 13].
6.15.4
coditānīśa-māyayā
(4) Just as from seeds sometimes grains grow and sometimes not grow, the living entities, impelled by the material potency of the Supreme Lord, sometimes produce other living beings and sometimes not.
Mahārāja Citraketu was actually not destined to get a son. Therefore although he married hundreds and thousands of wives, all of them proved barren, and he could not beget even one child. When Ańgirā Ṛṣi came to see the King, the King requested the great sage to enable him to have at least one son. Because of the blessing of Ańgirā Ṛṣi, a child was sent by the grace of māyā, but the child was not to live for long. Therefore in the beginning Ańgirā Ṛṣi told the King that he would beget a child who would cause jubilation and lamentation.
King Citraketu was not destined to get a child by providence, or the will of the Supreme. Just as sterile grain cannot produce more grain, a sterile person, by the will of the Supreme Lord, cannot beget a child. Sometimes a child is born even to an impotent father and sterile mother, and sometimes a potent father and fertile mother are childless. Indeed, sometimes a child is born despite contraceptive methods, and therefore the parents kill the child in the womb. In the present age, killing children in the womb has become a common practice. Why? When contraceptive methods are taken, why don't they act? Why is a child sometimes produced so that the father and mother have to kill it in the womb? We must conclude that our arrangement of so-called scientific knowledge cannot determine what will take place; what is enacted actually depends on the supreme will. It is by the supreme will that we are situated in certain conditions in terms of family, community and personality. These are all arrangements of the Supreme Lord according to our desires under the spell of māyā, illusion. In devotional life, therefore, one should not desire anything, since everything depends on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11):
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaḿ
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
[Madhya 19.167]
"One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service." One should act only to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For everything else, one should fully depend upon the Supreme Person. We should not create plans that will ultimately make us frustrated.
6.15.5
tulya-kālāś carācarāḥ
prāń naivam adhunāpi bhoḥ
(5) We, you and also the other creatures moving and not moving about here at the moment oh King, were not together before this birth, nor will we be together after we died, despite of our sharing the same present.
The Māyāvādī philosophers say, brahma satyaḿ jagan mithyā: Brahman, the living being, is factual, but his present bodily situation is false. According to the Vaiṣṇava philosophy, however, the present situation is not false but temporary. It is like a dream. A dream does not exist before one falls asleep, nor does it continue after one awakens. The period for dreaming exists only between these two, and therefore it is false in the sense that it is impermanent. Similarly, the entire material creation, including our own creation and those of others, is impermanent. We do not lament for the situation in a dream before the dream takes place or after it is over, and so during the dream, or during a dreamlike situation, one should not accept it as factual and lament about it. This is real knowledge.
6.15.6
bhūtair bhūtāni bhūteśaḥ
ātma-sṛṣṭair asvatantrair
anapekṣo 'pi bālavat
(6) The Ruler of All, as indifferent as a [playing] boy, creates, maintains and destroys living beings through other living beings; they who were created by Him do not exist independent of Him [compare B.G. 3: 27].
6.15.7
dehād deho 'bhijāyate
(7) By the body of the embodied soul a body is created from another body, just as indeed from one seed another seed is generated. The [this way temporally] embodied [individual soul] is eternal, just as the constituent elements of matter are [see B.G. 8: 17-22].
From Bhagavad-gītā we understand that there are two energies, namely the superior energy and inferior energy. Inferior energy consists of the five gross and three subtle material elements. The living entity. who represents the superior energy, appears in different types of bodies through these elements by the manipulation or supervision of the material energy. Actually both the material and spiritual energies — matter and spirit — exist eternally as potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The potent entity is the Supreme Person. Since the spiritual energy, the living being, who is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, desires to enjoy this material world, the Lord gives him a chance to accept different types of material bodies and enjoy or suffer in different material conditions. Factually, the spiritual energy, the living entity who desires to enjoy material things, is manipulated by the Supreme Lord. The so-called father and mother have nothing to do with the living entity. As a result of his own choice and karma, the living being takes different bodies through the agency of so-called fathers and mothers.
6.15.8
(8) To consider this body separate from its indweller is, just like separating the individual from the group, the product of an age-long form of ignorance, such a separation is just like the separation of souls - of the essence - an imaginary one.'
6.15.9
citraketur dvijoktibhiḥ
(9) S'rî S'uka said: 'King Citraketu, consoled by what the twice-born ones thus told him, wiped his shriveled face with his hand and spoke.
6.15.10
śrī-rājovāca
(10) The honorable king said: 'The two of you who arrived here in the dress of renunciates, are accomplished in spiritual knowledge and the greatest of the greatest.
6.15.11
bodhāyonmatta-lińginaḥ
(11) You as brahmins dear to the Lord [as Vaishnavas] dressed up like madmen wander the surface of the earth as you like in order to enlighten those who, like me, are of a worldly intelligence.
6.15.12-15
kumāro nārada ṛbhur
ańgirā devalo 'sitaḥ
apāntaratamā vyāso
mārkaṇḍeyo 'tha gautamaḥ
kapilo bādarāyaṇiḥ
durvāsā yājñavalkyaś ca
jātukarṇas tathāruṇiḥ
romaśaś cyavano datta
āsuriḥ sapatañjaliḥ
(12-15) Sanat-kumâra, Nârada, Ribhu, Angirâ, Devala, Asita, Apântaratamâ [an early name of Vyâsadeva], Mârkandeya and Gautama; Vasishthha, Bhagavân Paras'urâma, Kapila, S'ukadeva, Durvâsâ, Yâjñavalkya and Jâtukarna as also Aruni, Romas'a, Cyavana, Dattâtreya, Âsuri, Patañjali, the sage Dhaumya head of the Vedas and the wise Pañcas'ikha, Hiranyanâbha, Kaus'alya, S'rutadeva and Ritadhvaja; all these and other masters of perfection are the wandering spiritual educators.
The word jñāna-hetavaḥ is very significant because great personalities like those listed in these verses wander on the surface of the globe not to mislead the populace, but to distribute real knowledge. Without this knowledge, human life is wasted. The human form of life is meant for realization of one's relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God. One who lacks this knowledge is categorized among the animals. The Lord Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15):
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me."
Ignorance is the bodily conception of life (yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. ...sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13]). Practically everyone throughout the universe, especially on this planet, Bhūrloka, thinks that there is no separate existence of the body and soul and therefore no need of self-realization. But that is not a fact. Therefore all the brāhmaṇas listed here, being devotees, travel all over the world to awaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the hearts of such foolish materialists.
The ācāryas mentioned in these verses are described in the Mahābhārata. The word pañcaśikha is also important. One who is liberated from the conceptions of annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, vijñānamaya and ānandamaya and who is perfectly aware of the subtle coverings of the soul is called pañcaśikha. According to the statements of the Mahābhārata (Sānti-parva, Chapters 218-219), an ācārya named Pañcaśikha took birth in the family of Mahārāja Janaka, the ruler of Mithila. The Sāńkhya philosophers accept Pañcaśikhācārya as one of them. Real knowledge pertains to the living entity dwelling within the body. Unfortunately, because of ignorance, the living entity identifies himself with the body and therefore feels pleasure and pain.
6.15.16
(16) Therefore, let me be enlightened by your torchlight of spiritual knowledge oh masters, for I am but a foolish village dog bereft of vision in the darkness.' [*]
This is the way to receive knowledge. One must submit oneself at the lotus feet of great personalities who can actually deliver transcendental knowledge. It is therefore said, tasmād guruḿ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam: [SB 11.3.21] "One who is inquisitive to understand the highest goal and benefit of life must approach a bona fide spiritual master and surrender unto him." Only one who is actually eager to receive knowledge to eradicate the darkness of ignorance is eligible to approach a guru, or spiritual master. The guru should not be approached for material benefits. One should not approach a guru just to cure some disease or receive some miraculous benefit. This is not the way to approach the guru. Tad-vijñānārtham: one should approach the guru to understand the transcendental science of spiritual life. Unfortunately, in this age of Kali there are many bogus gurus who display magic to their disciples, and many foolish disciples want to see such magic for material benefits. These disciples are not interested in pursuing spiritual life to save themselves from the darkness of ignorance. It is said:
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaḿ yena
"I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him." This gives the definition of the guru. Everyone is in the darkness of ignorance. Therefore everyone needs to be enlightened with transcendental knowledge. One who enlightens his disciple and saves him from rotting in the darkness of ignorance in this material world is a true guru.
6.15.17
putrado 'smy ańgirā nṛpa
(17) S'rî Angirâ said: 'I am [the same] Angirâ who granted you the son you wanted oh King and this son of Brahmâ here is the great sage Nârada in person.
6.15.18-19
atad-arham anusmṛtya
brahmaṇyo bhagavad-bhakto
nāvāsāditum arhasi
(18-19) This because of your grief about your son being merged in a difficult to overcome darkness does not befit you. You are supposed to remember the Supreme Personality. The two of us have arrived here visibly before your eyes in order to support you oh King. You, as someone anchored in Brahman and devoted to the Lord, we have to tell that you don't deserve it to come down like this.
6.15.20
jñātvānyābhiniveśaḿ te
(20) The first time I came to your home, I could have given you the spiritual knowledge of transcendence, but, since you were absorbed in other matters, I could only give you a son.
6.15.21-23
adhunā putriṇāḿ tāpo
bhavataivānubhūyate
vividhaiśvarya-sampadaḥ
śabdādayaś ca viṣayāś
bhṛtyāmātya-suhṛj-janāḥ
sarve 'pi śūraseneme
(21-23) And now you undergo the tribulation of someone with children, a nice wife, a home, riches and various assets and luxuries. The objects of the senses of concern to you, like a kingdom, opulence, land and royalty, power and a treasury with servants, ministers and allies, all belong to the temporality. All of this oh Ruler of S'ûrasena, constitutes a lamentable illusion giving rise to fears and distress; these are figments concocted by the mind, preoccupations in the form of castles in the air.
This verse describes the entanglement of material existence. In material existence, the living entity possesses many things — the material body, children, wife and so on (dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu). One may think that these will give him protection, but that is impossible. In spite of all these possessions, the spirit soul has to give up his present situation and accept another. The next situation may be unfavorable, but even if it is favorable, one must give it up and again accept another body. In this way, one's tribulation in material existence continues. A sane man should he perfectly aware that these things will never be able to give him happiness. One must be situated in his spiritual identity and eternally serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a devotee. Ańgirā Ṛṣi and Nārada Muni gave this instruction to Mahārāja Citraketu.
6.15.24
dṛśyamānā vinārthena
karmabhir dhyāyato nānā-
(24) That what you're so concerned about is without any substance, that what you meditate upon are fabrications born from profit-minded actions. All these sorts of karmic engagements originate from the mind.
6.15.25
santāpa-kṛd udāhṛtaḥ
(25) This body of the living entity consists of material elements and senses of action and perception. These are declared to be the cause of the various sufferings and pains of the living entity [see also B.G 15: 7-11].
In the Fifth Canto (5.5.4), while instructing his sons, Ṛṣabhadeva said, asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ: the body, although temporary, is the cause of all the miseries of material existence. As already discussed in the previous verse, the entire material creation is based on mental concoction. The mind sometimes induces us to think that if we purchase an automobile we can enjoy the physical elements, such as earth, water, air and fire, combined in forms of iron, plastic, petrol and so on. Working with the five material elements (pañca-bhūtas), as well as with our five knowledge-gathering senses like the eyes, ears and tongue and our five active senses like the hands and legs, we become involved in the material condition. Thus we are subjected to the tribulations known as adhyātmika, adhidaivika and adhibhautika. The mind is the center because the mind creates all these things. As soon as the material object is struck, however, the mind is affected, and we suffer. For example, with the material elements, the working senses and the knowledge-gathering senses we create a very nice car, and when the car is accidentally smashed in a collision, the mind suffers, and through the mind the living entity suffers.
The fact is that the living entity, while concocting with the mind, creates the material condition. Because matter is destructible, through the material condition the living entity suffers. Otherwise, the living entity is detached from all material conditions. When one comes to the Brahman platform, the platform of spiritual life, fully understanding that he is a spiritual soul (ahaḿ brahmāsmi), he is no longer affected by lamentation or hankering.
6.15.26
dvaite dhruvārtha-viśrambhaḿ
tyajopaśamam āviśa
(26) Therefore be careful with the things of the mind and consider your real position, give up your belief in the duality as being something permanent; take to the peaceful condition.'
6.15.27
etāḿ mantropaniṣadaḿ
(27) S'rî Nârada said: 'Listen good and accept from me this mantra containing the secret of Vedic philosophy [see 8.16: 18-25] which, if you concentrate on it for seven nights, will give you the vision of the all-pervading Lord Sankarshana ['the One with the plough'; see 5.25].
6.15.28
(28) All others [all the other men of God], giving up on this illusion of duality and finding shelter at His lotus feet oh King, in the past immediately attained His unequaled and unsurpassed glories. Likewise you will soon obtain the Transcendence.'
*: Before lecturing Vaishnavas pray the following prayer in which they describe the role of the guru:
'om ajñâna-timirândhasya
jñânâñjana-s'alâkayâ
cakshur unmîlitam yena
tasmai s'rî-gurave namah'
jñânâñjana-s'alâkayâ
cakshur unmîlitam yena
tasmai s'rî-gurave namah'
"I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."
No comments:
Post a Comment