Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 14
King Purûravâ Enchanted by Urvas'î
The summary of this Fourteenth Chapter is given as follows. This chapter describes Soma and how he kidnapped the wife of Bṛhaspati and begot in her womb a son named Budha. Budha begot Purūravā, who begot six sons, headed by Āyu, in the womb of Urvaśī.
Lord Brahmā was born from the lotus that sprouted from the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Brahmā had a son named Atri, and Atri's son was Soma, the king of all drugs and stars. Soma became the conqueror of the entire universe, and, being inflated with pride, he kidnapped Tārā, who was the wife of Bṛhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods. A great fight ensued between the demigods and the asuras, but Brahmā rescued Bṛhaspati's wife from the clutches of Soma and returned her to her husband, thus stopping the fighting. In the womb of Tārā, Soma begot a son named Budha, who later begot in the womb of Ilā a son named Aila, or Purūravā. Urvaśī was captivated by Purūravā's beauty, and therefore she lived with him for some time, but when she left his company he became almost like a madman. While traveling all over the world, he met Urvaśī again at Kurukṣetra, but she agreed to join with him for only one night in a year.
One year later, Purūravā saw Urvaśī at Kurukṣetra and was glad to be with her for one night, but when he thought of her leaving him again, he was overwhelmed by grief. Urvaśī then advised Purūravā to worship the Gandharvas. Being satisfied with Purūravā, the Gandharvas gave him a woman known as Agnisthālī. Purūravā mistook Agnisthālī for Urvaśī, but while he was wandering in the forest his misunderstanding was cleared, and he immediately gave up her company. After returning home and meditating upon Urvaśī all night, he wanted to perform a Vedic ritualistic ceremony to satisfy his desire. Thereafter he went to the same place where he had left Agnisthālī, and there he saw that from the womb of a śamī tree had come an aśvattha tree. Purūravā made two sticks from this tree and thus produced a fire. By such a fire one can satisfy all lusty desires. The fire was considered the son of Purūravā. In Satya-yuga there was only one social division, called haḿsa; there were no divisions of varṇa like brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. The Veda was the oḿkāra. The various demigods were not worshiped, for only the Supreme Personality of Godhead was the worshipable Deity.
9.14.1
yasminn ailādayo bhūpāḥ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'And now after this [after the stories about the dynasty of the sun-god] hear about, o King, the dynasty of the moon, for to listen to the purifying descriptions of the kings headed by Aila [Purûravâ] of that dynasty, is a glorious thing.
9.14.2
jātasyāsīt suto dhātur
(2) From the Supreme Spirit who has thousands of heads, Dhâtu [the 'original element' or Lord Brahmâ], who had appeared on the lotus that sprang from the lake of the navel [of Vishnu], there was a son called Atri with the same qualities as his father.
9.14.3
somo 'mṛtamayaḥ kila
(3) From his tears of jubilation was born a son [see also 4.1: 15]: Soma, the god of the moon with its nectarine rays who indeed by Brahmâ was appointed as the supreme authority over the learned, the medicinal herbs and the luminaries [see also B.G. 10: 21 and 6.6: 23].
According to the Vedic description, Soma, the moon-god, was born from the mind of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (candramā manaso jātaḥ). But here we find that Soma was born from the tears in the eyes of Atri. This appears contradictory to the Vedic information, but actually it is not, for this birth of the moon is understood to have taken place in another millennium. When tears appear in the eyes because of jubilation, the tears are soothing. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, dṛgbhya ānandāśrubhya ata evāmṛtamayaḥ: "Here the word dṛgbhyaḥ means 'from tears of jubilation.' Therefore the moon-god is called amṛtamayaḥ, 'full of soothing rays.' " In the Fourth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.1.15) we find this verse:
atreḥ patny anasūyā trīñ
This verse describes that Anasūyā, the wife of Atri Ṛṣi, bore three sons — Soma, Durvāsā and Dattātreya. It is said that at the time of conception Anasūyā was impregnated by the tears of Atri.
9.14.4
so 'yajad rājasūyena
(4) He, after conquering the three worlds, performed a râjasûya sacrifice and kidnapped in his arrogance with force the wife of Brihaspati named Târâ.
9.14.5
yācito 'bhīkṣṇaśo madāt
(5) When over and over the spiritual master of the godly pleaded with him did he in his lust not release her and was there because of this a fight between the Suras and the Dânavas.
9.14.6
śukro bṛhaspater dveṣād
agrahīt sāsuroḍupam
(6) Because of the enmity of S'ukra ['semen', the spiritual master of the Asuras] towards Brihaspati took S'ukra with the Asuras the side of the moon-god, but S'iva with the hideous and ghostly following him sided affectionately with [Brihaspati,] the son of his guru [who was Angirâ from whom he had learned]
The moon-god is one of the demigods, but to fight against the other demigods he took the assistance of the demons. Śukra, being an enemy of Bṛhaspati, also joined the moon-god to retaliate in wrath against Bṛhaspati. To counteract this situation, Lord Śiva, who was affectionate toward Bṛhaspati, joined Bṛhaspati. The father of Bṛhaspati was Ańgirā, from whom Lord Śiva had received knowledge. Therefore Lord Śiva had some affection for Bṛhaspati and joined his side in this fight. Śrīdhara Svāmī remarks, ańgirasaḥ sakāśāt prāpta-vidyo hara iti prasiddhaḥ: "Lord Śiva is well known to have received knowledge from Ańgirā."
9.14.7
surāsura-vināśo 'bhūt
samaras tārakāmayaḥ
. (7) The great Indra followed by all the different demigods joined the spiritual master [Brihaspati] and the fight that so ensued brought, just because of Târâ, great destruction over Sura and Asura. (8) The Mover of the Universe, Lord Brahmâ, who was fully informed about this by Angirâ severely chastised Soma and delivered Târâ unto her husband who found out she was pregnant.
9.14.8
nivedito 'thāńgirasā
(9) [Brihaspati said to her:] 'You foolish woman, deliver now, deliver immediately from that womb that was meant for me; though impregnated by another shall I not put you, unfaithful as you are, on the stake since you were a woman in want of a child.'
9.14.9
tyaja tyajāśu duṣprajñe
(10) Târâ deeply ashamed delivered a child that had an effulgence like that of gold, and that made Brihaspati and Soma desire the child
Tārā was married to Bṛhaspati, and therefore as a chaste woman she should have been impregnated by him. But instead she preferred to be impregnated by Soma, the moon-god, and therefore she was unchaste. Although Bṛhaspati accepted Tārā from Brahmā, when he saw that she was pregnant he wanted her to deliver a son immediately. Tārā certainly very much feared her husband, and she thought she might be punished after giving birth. Thus Bṛhaspati assured her that he would not punish her, for although she was unchaste and had become pregnant illicitly, she wanted a son.
9.14.10
9.14.11
mamāyaḿ na tavety uccais
papracchur ṛṣayo devā
9.14.12
kupito 'līka-lajjayā
ātmāvadyaḿ vadāśu me
(12) The child said angered to its mother: 'What is the need for this shame, why don't you speak up and do you keep it a secret; tell me right now what mistake you've made!'
9.14.13
(13) Putting her at ease took Lord Brahmâ her separate and asked he her about the details upon which she admitted hesitantly: 'This child belongs to Soma'. Immediately took Soma then charge of it.
9.14.14
tasyātma-yonir akṛta
putreṇāpoḍurāṇ mudam
(14) Because of its profound intelligence was the god of the moon in great jubilation about having gotten such a son and honored Lord Brahmâ it with the name Budha.
9.14.15-16
śrutvorvaśīndra-bhavane
gīyamānān surarṣiṇā
(15-16) From him was, as I said [in 9.1], from Ilâ [formerly Sudyumna] born Purûravâ. When Urvas'î [see also 9.13: 6] in Indra's court heard Nârada speaking about his beauty, qualities, magnanimity, behavior, wealth and power was he approached by the devî struck by the arrows of Cupid.
9.14.17-18
mitrā-varuṇayoḥ śāpād
harṣeṇotphulla-locanaḥ
(17-18) From Mitra and Varuna's cursing had the woman acquired human habits and thus sought she, patiently and submissively, his company the moment she saw the best of males who was as beautiful as Cupid. He, the king, when he met the divine woman, addressed her enthused with sweet words, bright eyes and his hairs erect in jubilation
9.14.19
śrī-rājovāca
. (19) The honorable king said: 'Be welcome o greatest of all beauty, please be seated, what can I do for you? Keep me company and share my bed for many many years!'
9.14.20
urvaśy uvāca
(20) Urvas'î said: 'What woman would not be attracted by the sight and thought of you, o beautiful man, and desist from enjoying your chest in lust and love? [see also 7.9: 45]
When a beautiful man and a beautiful woman unite together and embrace one another, how within these three worlds can they check their sexual relationship? Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.9.45) says, yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaḿ hi tuccham.
9.14.21
(21) These two lambs, o King, have fallen down and need your protection, o honorable host; in the company of a superior husband so one says may a woman enjoy the sexual union.
As stated in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.40), yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. There are various planets and various atmospheres within this universe. The atmosphere of the heavenly planet from which Urvaśī descended after being cursed by Mitra and Varuṇa was different from the atmosphere of this earth. Indeed, the inhabitants of the heavenly planets are certainly far superior to the inhabitants of earth. Nonetheless, Urvaśī agreed to remain the consort of Purūravā, although she belonged to a superior community. A woman who finds a man with superior qualities may accept such a man as her husband. Similarly, if a man finds a woman who is from an inferior family but who has good qualities, he can accept such a brilliant wife, as advised by Śrī Cāṇakya Paṇḍita (strī-ratnaḿ duṣkulād api). The combination of male and female is worthwhile if the qualities of both are on an equal level.
9.14.22
ghṛtaḿ me vīra bhakṣyaḿ syān
nekṣe tvānyatra maithunāt
vivāsasaḿ tat tatheti
(22) What is prepared with ghee, o hero of mine, shall be my food and I will not see you at any other time naked but at the time of intercourse.'That is how it shall be' promised the great soul.
9.14.23
(23) 'See your beauty and your poise, no one on earth is as attractive, who can withstand such a goddess that in person has arrived among the human beings!'
It appears from the words of Urvaśī that the standard of living, eating, behavior and speech are all different on the heavenly planets from the standards on this planet earth. The inhabitants of the heavenly planets do not eat such abominable things as meat and eggs; everything they eat is prepared in clarified butter. Nor do they like to see either men or women naked, except at the time of sexual intercourse. To live naked or almost naked is uncivilized, but on this planet earth it has now become fashionable to dress half naked, and sometimes those like hippies live completely naked. Indeed, there are many clubs and societies for this purpose. Such conduct is not allowed, however, on the heavenly planets. The inhabitants of the heavenly planets, aside from being very beautiful, both in complexion and bodily features, are well behaved and long-living, and they eat first-class food in goodness. These are some of the distinctions between the inhabitants of the heavenly planets and the inhabitants of earth.
9.14.24
ramayantyā yathārhataḥ
kāmaḿ caitrarathādiṣu
(24) With her enjoyed he, the best among the humans, whatever there was to enjoy to his desire in the best of all places and gardens like Caitraratha [see also 5.16: 13-14].
9.14.25
tan-mukhāmoda-muṣito
(25) Delighted with her and ever more aroused by the fragrance of her beautiful face, enjoyed he it every day to live with her for a long time, she the gift of God as sweet as the saffron of a lotus.
9.14.26
apaśyann urvaśīm indro
āsthānaḿ nātiśobhate
(26) Not seeing Urvas'î told Indra the singers of heaven: 'Without my Urvas'î is my abode not as beautiful'.
9.14.27
(27) Thus came they in the dead of night, when it was dark all around, to steal Urvas'î's two lambs that she had entrusted the king being his wife.
"The dead of night" refers to midnight. The mahā-niśā is described in this smṛti-mantra: mahā-niśā dve ghaṭike rātrer madhyama-yāmayoḥ, "Twelve o'clock midnight is called the dead of night."
9.14.28
niśamyākranditaḿ devī
putrayor nīyamānayoḥ
hatāsmy ahaḿ kunāthena
(28) Hearing them, whom she treated as her sons, cry when they were taken away said she: 'I am finished with such a bad eunuch of a husband who considers himself a hero!
9.14.29
hṛtāpatyā ca dasyubhiḥ
(29) I've now lost my two 'sons' depending on him who, during the day a male, lies down at night as a woman afraid of plunderers.'
9.14.30
vivastro 'bhyadravad ruṣā
(30) Pierced by the arrows of her harsh words took he, like an elephant fired up, in the dark up a sword and went he out naked and angry.
9.14.31
(31) They [the Gandharvas], after giving up the lambs, lit, shining like lightening, the place up so that Urvas'î could see her husband naked returning with the two in his hands [and so she left].
9.14.32
babhrāmonmattavan mahīm
(32) He not seeing his wife in bed, very morose in his attachment to her, totally upset lamented and started to roam the earth like a madman.
9.14.33
(33) He spotted Urvas'î in Kurukshetra [a place of pilgrimage, see also B.G. 1: 1] at the Sarasvatî with five companions and happy and smiling all over addressed Purûravâ her with sweet words:
9.14.34
māḿ tvam adyāpy anirvṛtya
(34) 'Ah, my wife, stay, stay o cruel one. You shouldn't have given up on me because I thus far didn't make you happy. Let's talk a little.
9.14.35
tvat-prasādasya nāspadam
(35) This nice body, taken far far away from home by you, will drop dead on the spot o devî, and the foxes and vultures will eat it if it is not worthy your grace!'
9.14.36
urvaśy uvāca
(36) Urvas'î said: 'You're a man, don't adhere to death, do not let these foxes of the senses eat you up; you can't always count on the friendship of women who with the heart can be like wolves.
Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has advised, viśvāso naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca: "Never place your faith in a woman or a politician." Unless elevated to spiritual consciousness, everyone is conditioned and fallen, what to speak of women, who are less intelligent than men. Women have been compared to śūdras and vaiśyas (striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrāḥ). On the spiritual platform, however, when one is elevated to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whether one is a man, woman, śūdra or whatever, everyone is equal. Otherwise, Urvaśī, who was a woman herself and who knew the nature of women, said that a woman's heart is like that of a sly fox. If a man cannot control his senses, he becomes a victim of such sly foxes. But if one can control the senses, there is no chance of his being victimized by sly, foxlike women. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has also advised that if one has a wife like a sly fox, he must immediately give up his life at home and go to the forest.
mātā yasya gṛhe nāsti
(Cāṇakya-śloka 57)
Kṛṣṇa conscious gṛhasthas must be very careful of the sly fox woman. If the wife at home is obedient and follows her husband in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the home is welcome. Otherwise one should give up one's home and go to the forest.hitvātma-pātaḿ gṛham andha-kūpaḿ
(Bhāg. 7.5.5)
One should go to the forest and take shelter of the lotus feet of Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
9.14.37
striyo hy akaruṇāḥ krūrā
ghnanty alpārthe 'pi viśrabdhaḿ
(37) Beware, [when men forsake their duty, see B.G. 1: 40] women are merciless, cunning, hard to handle, dare to do whatever pleases them and put you indeed as a faithful husband and brother down for the smallest reason so one says.
King Purūravā was greatly attached to Urvaśī. Yet despite his faithfulness to her, she had left him. Now, considering that the King was wasting his rarely achieved human form of life, Urvaśī frankly explained the nature of a woman. Because of her nature, a woman can respond to even a slight offense from her husband by not only leaving him but even killing him if required. To say nothing of her husband, she can even kill her brother. That is a woman's nature. Therefore, in the material world, unless women are trained to be chaste and faithful to their husbands, there cannot be peace or prosperity in society.
9.14.38
vidhāyālīka-viśrambham
(38) They [in their politics] establish false hopes in the unsuspecting, run [when they're dissatisfied] away from their well-wishers, ever desire for newer and newer things, are easily allured and are [if they have to] real captains of independence.
Because women are easily seduced, the Manu-saḿhitā enjoins that they should not be given freedom. A woman must always be protected, either by her father, by her husband, or by her elderly son. If women are given freedom to mingle with men like equals, which they now claim to be, they cannot keep their propriety. The nature of a woman, as personally described by Urvaśī, is to establish false friendship with someone and then seek new male companions, one after another, even if this means giving up the company of a sincere well-wisher.
9.14.39
(39) At the end of every year may your good self count on one night only with me, my husband, to have sex so that you one after the other can have children in this world, my dearest [see also 6.18: 38-42].'
Although Urvaśī had adversely explained the nature of woman, Mahārāja Purūravā was very much attached to her, and therefore she wanted to give the King some concession by agreeing to be his wife for one night at the end of each year.
9.14.40
punas tatra gato 'bdānte
(40) Seeing that Urvas'î was pregnant returned he to his palace to meet at the end of the year at that very spot Urvas'î, the mother of a hero, again.
9.14.41
kṛpaṇaḿ virahāturam
(41) Getting her association he in great jubilation reunited with her enjoying her company. When the night had passed said Urvas'î to the poor-hearted one who was afflicted by the thought of being separated from her:
9.14.42
gandharvān upadhāvemāḿs
(42) 'Go and take shelter with the singers of heaven, the Gandharvas, they will deliver you the like of me when you satisfy them with prayers', and that [agnisthâlî] girl delivered from the fire of sacrifice o King, made him, walking the forest, think that she was real.
usty. Immediately after getting the Agnisthālī girl, he wanted to have sex with her, but during sexual intercourse he could understand that the girl was Agnisthālī, not Urvaśī. This indicates that every man attached to a particular woman knows the particular characteristics of that woman during sex life. Thus Purūravā understood during sexual intercourse that the Agnisthālī girl was not Urvaśī.
9.14.43
(43) Giving up the substitute girl [sthâlî means substitute] started he, returning from the forest, at home to meditate the entire night during the time that Tretâ Yuga was about to begin and were before his mind's eye the three [trikânda principles of the Vedas, of upâsanâ: sacrifice, song and prayer; karma: fruitive labor and jñâna: spiritual knowledge] revealed.
It is said, tretāyāḿ yajato makhaiḥ: in Tretā-yuga, if one performed yajñas, he would get the results of those yajñas. By performing viṣṇu-yajña specifically, one could even achieve the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Of course, yajña is intended to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. While Purūravā was meditating upon Urvaśī, the Tretā-yuga began, and therefore the Vedic yajñas were revealed in his heart. But Purūravā was a materialistic man, especially interested in enjoying the senses. Yajñas for enjoyment of the senses are called karma-kāṇḍīya-yajñas. Therefore, he decided to perform karma-kāṇḍīya-yajñas to fulfill his lusty desires. In other words, karma-kāṇḍīya-yajñas are meant for sensuous persons, whereas yajña should actually be performed to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To please the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Kali-yuga, the sańkīrtana-yajña is recommended. Yajñaiḥ sańkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]. Only those who are very intelligent take to sańkīrtana-yajña to fulfill all their desires, material and spiritual, whereas those who are lusty for sense enjoyment perform karma-kāṇḍīya-yajñas.
9.14.44-45
urvaśīḿ mantrato dhyāyann
adharāraṇim uttarām
(44-45) Going to where he left his sthâlî woman saw he that an As'vattha had sprouted from the inside of a s'amî tree. From the both of them made he, desiring to get to were Urvas'î was, two sticks [to ignite fire] and meditated he, the master of the kingdom, with mantras [*] on Urvas'î as the lower stick, himself as the upper one and what was between them as the child he had begotten.
The Vedic fire for performing yajña was not ignited with ordinary matches or similar devices. Rather, the Vedic sacrificial fire was ignited by the araṇis, or two sacred pieces of wood, which produced fire by friction with a third. Such a fire is necessary for the performance of yajña. If successful, a yajña will fulfill the desire of its performer. Thus Purūravā took advantage of the process of yajña to fulfill his lusty desires. He thought of the lower araṇi as Urvaśī, the upper one as himself, and the middle one as his son. A relevant Vedic mantra quoted herein by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura is śamī-garbhād agniḿ mantha. A similar mantra is urvaśyām urasi purūravāḥ. Purūravā wanted to have children continuously by the womb of Urvaśī. His only ambition was to have sex life with Urvaśī and thereby get a son. In other words, he had so much lust in his heart that even while performing yajña he thought of Urvaśī, instead of thinking of the master of yajña, Yajñeśvara, Lord Viṣṇu.
9.14.46
tasya nirmanthanāj jāto
(46) From the friction was born a fire, the fire that so became the king's son from which there is the [jâtavedâ] vedic fufillment in the three respects known [of having a life with one's physical father, one's spiritual master and one's sacrifices, but also with the three letters AUM and the three sacrificial fires called Âhavanîya, Gârhapatya and Dâkashinâgni].
According to the Vedic process, one can get a son through semen (śukra), one can get a bona fide disciple through initiation (sāvitra), or one can get a son or disciple through the fire of sacrifice (yajña). Thus when Mahārāja Purūravā generated the fire by rubbing the araṇis, the fire became his son. Either by semen, by initiation or by yajña one may get a son. The Vedic mantra oḿkāra, or praṇava, consisting of the letters a-u-m, can call each of these three methods into existence. Therefore the words nirmanthanāj jātaḥ indicate that by the rubbing of the araṇis a son was born.
9.14.47
tenāyajata yajñeśaḿ
(47) That way he worshiped, desirous to reach Urvas'î's place, the Controller of the Sacrifices, the Supreme Personality of Godhead beyond the senses that is the Lord, the Reservoir of all Demigods [see also B.G. 3: 10].
As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, bhoktāraḿ yajña-tapasāḿ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: [Bg. 5.29] any loka, or planet, to which one wants to go is the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the enjoyer of the performance of sacrifice. The purpose of yajña is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this age, as we have explained many times, the yajña of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is the only sacrifice that can satisfy the Supreme Lord. When the Lord is satisfied, one can fulfill any desire, material or spiritual. Bhagavad-gītā (3.14) also says, yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ: by offering sacrifices to Lord Viṣṇu, one can have sufficient rainfall. When there is sufficient rainfall, the earth becomes fit to produce everything (sama-kāma-dughā mahī). If one can utilize the land properly, one can get all the necessities of life from the land, including food grains, fruits, flowers and vegetables. Everything one gets for material wealth is produced from the earth, and therefore it is said, sarva-kāma-dughā mahī (Bhāg. 1.10.4). Everything is possible by performing yajña. Therefore although Purūravā desired something material, he factually performed yajña to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is adhokṣaja, beyond the perception of Purūravā and everyone else. Consequently, some kind of yajña must be performed to fulfill the desires of the living entity. Yajñas can be performed in human society only when society is divided by varṇāśrama-dharma into four varṇas and four āśramas. Without such a regulative process, no one can perform yajñas, and without the performance of yajñas, no material plans can make human society happy at any time. Everyone should therefore be induced to perform yajñas. In this age of Kali, the yajña recommended is sańkīrtana, the individual or collective chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This will bring the fulfillment of all necessities for human society.
9.14.48
praṇavaḥ sarva-vāńmayaḥ
devo nārāyaṇo nānya
(48) Formerly [during Satya-yuga] were with only one mantra, knowing the Pranava of omkâra, all oral [vedic, atharva] expressions covered, was Nârâyana the only God and was there for Agni assuredly no other varna [class, color or vocation] but one [called hamsa**].
In Satya-yuga there was only one Veda, not four. Later, before the beginning of Kali-yuga, this one Veda, the Atharva Veda (or, some say, the Yajur Veda), was divided into four — Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva — for the facility of human society. In Satya-yuga the only mantra was oḿkāra (oḿ tat sat). The same name oḿkāra is manifest in the mantra Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Unless one is a brāhmaṇa, one cannot utter oḿkāra and get the desired result. But in Kali-yuga almost everyone is a śūdra, unfit for pronouncing the praṇava, oḿkāra. Therefore the śāstras have recommended the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Oḿkāra is a mantra, or mahā-mantra, and Hare Kṛṣṇa is also a mahā-mantra. The purpose of pronouncing oḿkāra is to address the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva (oḿ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya). And the purpose of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the same. Hare: "O energy of the Lord!" Kṛṣṇa: "O Lord Kṛṣṇa!" Hare: "O energy of the Lord!" Rāma: "O Supreme Lord, O supreme enjoyer!" The only worshipable Lord is Hari, who is the goal of the Vedas (vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ [Bg. 15.15]). By worshiping the demigods, one worships the different parts of the Lord, just as one might water the branches and twigs of a tree. But worshiping Nārāyaṇa, the all-inclusive Supreme Personality of Godhead, is like pouring water on the root of the tree, thus supplying water to the trunk, branches, twigs, leaves and so on. In Satya-yuga people knew how to fulfill the necessities of life simply by worshiping Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The same purpose can be served in this age of Kali by the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, as recommended in the Bhāgavatam. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-sańgaḥ paraḿ vrajet. Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one becomes free from the bondage of material existence and thus becomes eligible to return home, back to Godhead.
9.14.49
purūravasa evāsīt
(49) Thus were there from Purûravâ the vedic three at the onset of Tretâ-yuga, o ruler of man; by simply generating as his son the sacrificial fire achieved the king the abode of the Gandharvas.'
In Satya-yuga, Lord Nārāyaṇa was worshiped by meditation (kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum). Indeed, everyone always meditated upon Lord Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, and achieved every success by this process of meditation. In the next yuga, Tretā-yuga, the performance of yajña began (tretāyāḿ yajato mukhaiḥ). Therefore this verse says, trayī tretā-mukhe. Ritualistic ceremonies are generally called fruitive activities. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that in Tretā-yuga, beginning in the Svāyambhuva-manvantara, ritualistic fruitive activities were similarly manifested from Priyavrata, etc.
* In this context are mentioned the mantra's: 's'amî-garbhâd agnim mantha' 'from within the s'amî is the fire churned' and 'urvas'yâm urasi purûravâh': 'by Urvas'î the best of Purûravâ'.
** In Satya-yuga, Lord Nârâyana was worshiped by meditation (krite yad dhyayâto vishnum): everyone meditated and achieved success contemplating Lord Vishnu, Nârâyana. In the next yuga, Tretâ-yuga, the performance of yajña began (tretâyâm yajato mukhaih). In Dvâpara-yuga is the Lord worshiped as a king, while in Kali-yuga the Lord is there as his own devotee [a covered or channa-avatâra] to lead in devotion.
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