VedaVyasa
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 63
The Fever in Conflict and Bâna Defeated
(Lord Kṛṣṇa Fights with Bāṇāsura)
This chapter describes the battle between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Śiva, as well as Śiva's glorification of Kṛṣṇa after the Lord had cut off Bāṇāsura's arms.
When Aniruddha did not return from Śoṇitapura, His family and friends passed the four months of the rainy season in extreme distress. When they finally heard from Nārada Muni how Aniruddha had been captured, a large army of the best Yādava warriors, under Kṛṣṇa's protection, set off for Bāṇāsura's capital and laid siege to it. Bāṇāsura fiercely opposed them with his own army of equal size. To help Bāṇāsura, Lord Śiva, accompanied by Kārtikeya and a horde of mystic sages, took up arms against Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa. Bāṇa began fighting against Sātyaki, and Bāṇa's son fought against Sāmba. All the demigods assembled in the sky to witness the battle. With His arrows Lord Kṛṣṇa harassed the followers of Lord Śiva, and by putting Lord Śiva into a state of confusion He was able to destroy Bāṇāsura's army. Kārtikeya was so strongly beaten by Pradyumna that he fled the battlefield, while the remnants of Bāṇāsura's army, harried by the blows of Lord Balarāma's club, scattered in all directions.
Enraged to see his army's destruction, Bāṇāsura rushed Kṛṣṇa to attack Him. But the Lord immediately killed Bāṇa's chariot driver and broke his chariot and bow, and then He sounded His Pāñcajanya conchshell. Next Bāṇāsura's mother, trying to save her son, appeared naked in front of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who averted His face to avoid looking at her. Seeing his chance, Bāṇa fled into his city.
After Lord Kṛṣṇa had thoroughly defeated the ghosts and hobgoblins fighting under Lord Śiva, the Śiva-jvara weapon — a personification of fever with three heads and three legs — approached Lord Kṛṣṇa to fight Him. Seeing the Śiva-jvara, Kṛṣṇa released His Viṣṇu-jvara. The Śiva-jvara was overwhelmed by the Viṣṇu-jvara; having nowhere else to turn for shelter, the Śiva-jvara began to address Lord Kṛṣṇa, glorifying Him and asking for mercy. Lord Kṛṣṇa was pleased with the Śiva-jvara, and after the Lord had promised him freedom from fear, the Śiva-jvara bowed down to Him and departed.
Next Bāṇāsura returned and attacked Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa again, wielding all kinds of weapons in his thousand hands. But Lord Kṛṣṇa took His Sudarśana disc and began cutting off all the demon's arms Lord Śiva approached Kṛṣṇa to pray for Bāṇāsura's life, and when the Lord agreed to spare him, He spoke as follows to Śiva: "Bāṇāsura does not deserve to die, since he was born in the family of Prahlāda Mahārāja. I have severed all but four of Bāṇa's arms just to destroy his false pride, and I have annihilated his army because they were a burden to the earth. Henceforward he will be free from old age and death, and remaining fearless in all circumstances, he will be one of your principal attendants."
Assured he had nothing to fear, Bāṇāsura then offered his obeisances to Lord Kṛṣṇa and had Ūṣā and Aniruddha seated on their wedding chariot and brought before the Lord. Kṛṣṇa then set off for Dvārakā with Aniruddha and His bride leading the procession. When the newlyweds arrived at the Lord's capital, they were honored by the citizens, the Lord's relatives and the brāhmaṇas.
10.63.1
apaśyatāḿ cāniruddhaḿ
vyatīyur anuśocatām
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Thus not seeing Aniruddha, o son of Bharata, passed His relatives in constant lamentation the four months of the rainy season.
10.63.2
(2) Hearing from Nârada the news of what He had done and that He had been captured, went the Vrishnis, who had Krishna as their worshipable deity, to S'onitapura.
10.63.3-4
pradyumno yuyudhānaś ca
nandopananda-bhadrādyā
rāma-kṛṣṇānuvartinaḥ
akṣauhiṇībhir dvādaśabhiḥ
samantāt sātvatarṣabhāḥ
(3-4) The best of the Sâtvatas knowing Pradyumna, Yuyudhâna [Sâtyaki], Gada, Sâmba, and Sârana; Nanda, Upananda, Bhadra and others, assembled under the lead of Râma and Krishna with twelve akshauhinîs and besieged on all sides Bâna's city completely.
10.63.5
bhajyamāna-purodyāna-
prākārāṭṭāla-gopuram
prekṣamāṇo ruṣāviṣṭas
tulya-sainyo 'bhiniryayau
(5) Seeing the city gardens, the city walls and watchtowers ravaged appeared he, fuming with anger, on the scene to meet them with an army just as big.
10.63.6
(6) Bhagavân S'iva appeared from the city on the back of Nandi, his bull, together with his son [Kârtikeya, his general] and was accompanied by the Pramathas [his different mystic attendants] to fight against Râma and Krishna at the side of Bâna.
the word bhagavān is used here to indicate that Lord Śiva is by nature all-knowing and thus well aware of Lord Kṛṣṇa's greatness. Still, although Śiva knew Lord Kṛṣṇa would defeat him, he joined the battle against Him to demonstrate the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura states that Lord Śiva entered the battle for two reasons: first, to increase Lord Kṛṣṇa's pleasure and enthusiasm; and second, to demonstrate that the Lord's incarnation as Kṛṣṇa, although enacting humanlike pastimes, is superior to other avatāras, such as Lord Rāmacandra. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further states in this regard that Yogamāyā, Lord Kṛṣṇa's internal potency, bewildered Lord Śiva just as she had bewildered Brahmā. In support of this statement, the ācārya cites the phrase brahma-rudrādi-mohanam from Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Of course, Yogamāyā's job is to make fine arrangements for the Lord's pastimes, and thus Śiva became enthusiastic to battle the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
10.63.7
(7) What took place, o King, was a tumultuous, astonishing and hair-raising fight of Krishna against S'ankara and Pradyumna against Kârtikeya.
10.63.8
(8) Kumbhânda and Kûpakarna had a fight with Balarâma, Sâmba with the son of Bâna and Sâtyaki with Bâna himself.
10.63.9
brahmādayaḥ surādhīśā
gandharvāpsaraso yakṣā
(9) Headed by Lord Brahmâ came to witness in their celestial vehicles the leaders of the godly, the sages, the perfected and the venerable; the singers and dancing girls of heaven as well as the spirits.
10.63.10-11
śańkarānucarān śaurir
ḍākinīr yātudhānāḿś ca
(10-11) Discharging sharp-pointed arrows from His bow, the S'ârnga, drove S'auri [Krishna] away the Bhûtas [spirits of the dead], the Pramathas [mystic spirits], the Guhyakas [the wealth-keepers of Kuvera], the Dâkinîs [female imps of Kâlî] the Yâtudhânas [practicioners of black magic], Vetâlas [vampires], the Vinâyakas [demons of education, distracters, humiliaters], the Pretas [ghosts, hobgoblins], the Mâtâs [demoniac mothers], the Pis'âcas [child-demons], the Kushmândas [meditation-disturbers, diseasing demons] and the Brahmâ-râkshasas [fallen brahmins as in 9.9: 25] who followed S'ankara.
10.63.12
śārńga-pāṇir avismitaḥ
(12) The holder of the trident [Pinâkî or S'iva] using different types of weapons against the Wielder of S'ârnga saw them neutralized with befitting counterweapons; they couldn't daunt the Carrier of S'ârnga.
10.63.13
brahmāstrasya ca brahmāstraḿ
(13) He used a brahmâstra against a brahmâstra, a mountain-weapon against a wind-weapon, a rain-weapon against a fire-weapon and His nârâyanâstra [His personal weapon] against S'iva's [personal] pâs'upatâstra [the 'beaststrap'-weapon].
10.63.14
jṛmbhaṇāstreṇa jṛmbhitam
jaghānāsi-gadeṣubhiḥ
(14) Then bewildering lord S'iva making him yawn with a yawning weapon, struck S'auri Bâna's army with His sword, club and arrows.
10.63.15
asṛg vimuñcan gātrebhyaḥ
śikhināpakramad raṇāt
(15) Kârtikeya distressed by Pradyumna's arrows raining from all sides, fled on his peakcock-carrier from the battlefield, with blood streaming from his limbs.
10.63.16
kumbhāṇḍa-kūpakarṇaś ca
petatur muṣalārditau
(16) Kumbhânda and Kûpakarna tormented by the club [of Râma] fell and their armies, whose leaders were killed, fled in all directions.
10.63.17
dṛṣṭvā bāṇo 'ty-amarṣitaḥ
(17) Bâna seeing his troops torn apart, left Sâtyaki whom he was fighting aside, crossed with his chariot the battlefield and most furiously attacked Krishna.
10.63.18
dhanūḿṣy ākṛṣya yugapad
(18) Bâna, in a frenzy because of the fighting, with fixing two arrows on each, simultaneously bent the complete of his fivehundred bows.
10.63.19
dhanūḿsi yugapad dhariḥ
(19) These bows were by Bhagavân all at once split and after hitting the chariot, the horses and the charioteer, blew He His conch shell.
10.63.20
puro 'vatasthe kṛṣṇasya
(20) [then] Hoping to save her son's life, positioned his mother, named Kotharâ, herself naked, with her hair loosened, in front of Krishna.
10.63.21
tatas tiryań-mukho nagnām
bāṇaś ca tāvad virathaś
(21) When Lord Gadâgraja then turned His face away not to look at the naked woman, took Bâna without his chariot and with his bow broken, the opportunity to escape into the city.
10.63.22
(22) But with S'iva's followers driven away rushed Jvara, the [personification of S'iva's hot] fever with three heads and three feet, forward to the descendant of Dâs'arha like setting fire to the ten directions [see *].
10.63.23
māheśvaro vaiṣṇavaś ca
(23) Lord Nârâyana, seeing him, thereupon released His fever [of extreme cold instead] so that the two Jvaras of Mâhes'vara and Vishnu came to fight each other.
10.63.24
vaiṣṇavena balārditaḥ
alabdhvābhayam anyatra
bhīto māheśvaro jvaraḥ
śaraṇārthī hṛṣīkeśaḿ
tuṣṭāva prayatāñjaliḥ
(24) The one of Mâhes'vara had to cry out in pain being tormented by the force of the one of Vishnu and not finding a safe refuge anywhere started Mâhes'vara's Jvara thirsting for protection next devout to praise Hrishîkes'a with folded hands.
it is significant that the Śiva-jvara had to leave the side of his master, Lord Śiva, and directly take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa.
10.63.25
(25) The Jvara said: 'I bow down to You, the Supreme Lord Unlimited in His Potencies, the Soul of All of Pure Conciousness, the Cause to the totality of the universe it's creation, dissolution and maintenance; You the Absolute Truth of Perfect Peace to whom the Vedas indirectly refer.
Previously the Śiva-jvara felt himself to be unlimitedly powerful and thus attempted to burn Śrī Kṛṣṇa. But now he himself has been burned, and understanding that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, he humbly approaches to bow down and offer praise to the Absolute Truth.
According to the ācāryas, the word sarvātmānam indicates that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul, the giver of consciousness to all living beings. Kṛṣṇa confirms this in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15): mataḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaḿ ca. "From Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.''
that the Śiva-jvara has realized in many ways Lord Kṛṣṇa's supremacy over his own master, Lord Śiva. Thus the Śiva-jvara addresses Kṛṣṇa as ananta-śakti, "possessor of unlimited potency"; pareśa, "the supreme controller"; and sarvātmā, "the Supersoul of all beings '' — even of Lord Śiva.
The words kevalaḿ jñapti-mātram indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa possesses pure omniscience. According to our limited understanding, we act in this world, but Lord Kṛṣṇa, with His unlimited understanding, performs infinite works of creation, maintenance and annihilation. As Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī points out, even the functions of the gross elements, such as air, depend on Him. The Taittirīya Upaniṣad (2.8.1) confirms this: bhīṣāsmād vātaḥ-pavate. "Out of fear of Him, the wind blows." Thus Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of worship for all living beings.
10.63.26
tvan-māyaiṣā tan-niṣedhaḿ prapadye
(26) I approach You for Your being the negation of this mâyâ of Time, fate, the workload of karma, the propensities to it, the subtle elements, the field that is the body, the life-air, the sense of I, the transformations [the eleven senses] and the aggregate of all of this [as the subtle body, the linga], that is there in a constant flow of seed and sprout.
The word bīja-roha-pravāha is explained as follows: The conditioned soul accepts a material body, with which he attempts to enjoy the material world. That body is the seed (bīja) of future material existence because when a person acts with that body he creates further reactions (karma), which grow (roha) into the obligation to accept another material body. In other words, material life is a chain of actions and reactions. The simple decision to surrender to the Supreme Lord releases the conditioned soul from this futile repetition of material growth and reaction.
According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the words tan-niṣedhaḿ prapadye indicate that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, is niṣedhāvadhi-bhūtam, "the limit of negation." In other words, after all illusion is negated, the Absolute Truth remains.
The process of education may be succinctly described as a way of eradicating ignorance through the attainment of knowledge. Through inductive, deductive and intuitive means, we attempt to refute the specious, the illusory and the imperfect and elevate ourselves to a platform of full knowledge. Ultimately, when all illusion is negated, that which remains firmly in place is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the previous text, the Śiva-jvara described the Supreme Lord as sarvātmānaḿ kevalaḿ jñapti-mātram, "pure, concentrated spiritual consciousness." Now the Śiva-jvara concludes his philosophical description of the Lord by saying in this text that the various aspects of material existence are also potencies of the Supreme Lord.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī mentions that the Supreme Lord's own body and senses, as implied here by the word tan-niṣedham, are nondifferent from the Lord's pure spiritual existence. The Lord's body and senses are not external to Him, nor do they cover Him, but rather the Lord is identical with His spiritual form and senses. The full Absolute Truth, unlimited in fascinating diversity, is Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
10.63.27
nānā-bhāvair līlayaivopapannair
haḿsy unmārgān hiḿsayā vartamānān
(27) You with various intentions indeed are there to take up missions of divine engagement [lîlâs] to maintain the godly, the sages, and the codes of conduct in the world and put to death the ones who left the path and live by violence; Your incarnating like this is there to relieve the earth of its burden [see also B.G. 9: 29 and 4: 8]
As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.29),
samo 'haḿ sarva-bhūteṣu
"I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend — is in Me — and I am also a friend to him."
The demigods and sages (devān sādhūn) are dedicated to executing the will of the Supreme Lord. The demigods act as cosmic administrators, and the sages, by their teachings and their good example, illumine the path of self-realization and holiness. But those who transgress the natural law, the law of God, and live by committing violence against others are vanquished by the Supreme Lord in His various pastime incarnations. As the Lord states in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11), ye yathā māḿ prapadyante tāḿs tathaiva bhajāmy aham. He is impartial, but He responds appropriately to the actions of the living beings.
10.63.28
tapto 'ham te tejasā duḥsahena
no severan yāvad āśānubaddhāḥ
. (28) I am tormented by this most terrible fever of Your power that unbearably cold yet is burning, for indeed, as long as the embodied souls do not serve the soles of Your feet must they suffer, continually being bound in desires.'
In the previous verse, the Śiva-jvara stated that those who live by violence will suffer similar violence at the hands of the Lord. But here he further states that those who do not surrender to the Supreme Lord are especially liable to punishment. Although the Śiva-jvara himself had acted violently up till now, since he has surrendered to the Lord and rectified himself, he hopes to receive the Lord's mercy. In other words, he has now become the Lord's devotee.
10.63.29
yo nau smarati saḿvādaḿ
(29) The Supreme Lord said: 'O three-headed one, I am satisfied with you, may your fear raised by My fever leave you; for anyone who remembers our conversation will there be no reason to fear you.'
Here the Lord accepts the Śiva-jvara as His devotee and gives him his first order — that he should never frighten, by hot fever, those who faithfully hear this pastime of the Lord's.
10.63.30
gato māheśvaro jvaraḥ
prāgād yotsyan janārdanam
(30) Thus addressed bowed the Mâhes'vara's Jvara down to Acyuta and went away, but Bâna, riding his chariot, came forward with the intent to fight Janârdana.
10.63.31
tato bāhu-sahasreṇa
nānāyudha-dharo 'suraḥ
bāṇāḿś cakrāyudhe nṛpa
(31) Thereupon, o King, with his thousand arms carrying numerous weapons, released the demon, fuming of anger, arrows at Him Whose Weapon was the Cakra.
10.63.32
tasyāsyato 'strāṇy asakṛc
(32) Of him, over and over hurling weapons, cut the Supreme Lord with the razor-sharp edge of His disc the arms as if they were the branches of a tree.
10.63.33
bhaktānakampy upavrajya
cakrāyudham abhāṣata
(33) As Bâna's arms were being severed, approached the great lord Bhava [- of existence, S'iva] out of compassion for his devotee and spoke he to the Wielder of the Disc.
10.63.34
yaḿ paśyanty amalātmāna
(34) S'rî Rudra said: 'You alone are the Absolute Truth, the Light of the Supreme hidden in the lingual expressions of the Absolute [of the Veda]; they whose hearts are spotless see You, pure as the blue sky.
The Absolute Truth is the source of all light and is therefore the supreme light, self-luminous. This Absolute Truth is explained confidentially in the Vedas and is therefore difficult for an ordinary reader to understand. The following statements quoted by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī from the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad show how the Vedic sounds occasionally reveal the Absolute: Te hocur upāsanam etasya parātmano govindasyākhilādhāriṇo brūhi (Pūrva-khaṇḍa 17): "They [the four Kumāras] said [to Brahmā], 'Please tell us how to worship Govinda, the Supreme Soul and the foundation of all that exists.' " Cetanaś cetanānām (Pūrva-khaṇḍa 21): "He is the chief of all living beings." And taḿ ha devam ātma-vṛtti-prakāśam (Pūrva-khaṇḍa 23): "One realizes that Supreme Godhead by first realizing one's own self." The great ācārya Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes a verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.10.48) — gūḍhaḿ paraḿ brahma manuṣya-lińgam — which refers to "the Supreme Truth concealed in a humanlike form."
Since the Lord is pure, why do some people perceive Kṛṣṇa's form and activities as impure? Ācārya Jīva explains that those whose own hearts are impure cannot understand the pure Lord. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further quotes the Lord's own instruction to Arjuna in Śrī Hari-vaḿśa:
tat-paraḿ paramaḿ brahma
"Superior to that [total material nature] is the Supreme Brahman, from which this entire creation expands. O descendant of Bharata, you should know that the Supreme Brahman consists of My concentrated effulgence."
Thus, to save his devotee, Śiva now glorifies the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, his eternal worshipable master. The Lord's bewildering potency induced Śiva to fight with Lord Kṛṣṇa, but now the fight is over, and to save his devotee Lord Śiva offers these beautiful prayers.
10.63.35-36
ahaḿ samudro jaṭharaḿ bhujendraḥ
(35-36) You with the atmosphere as Your navel, fire as Your face, water as Your semen, heaven as Your head, the directions as Your sense of hearing, the earth as Your foot, the moon as Your mind; Whose sight is the sun, Whose awareness of Self I am, with the ocean as Your abdomen and Indra as Your arm; You with the plants as the hair on Your body, the clouds as the hair on Your head, with Viriñca as Your intelligence, with the Prajâpati as Your genitals, Whose heart is the religion; Your good self indeed art the Purusha from whom all the worlds originated.
just as the tiny bugs living inside a fruit cannot comprehend the fruit, so we tiny living beings cannot understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, in whom we exist. It is difficult to understand the cosmic manifestation of the Lord, what to speak of His transcendental form as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we should surrender in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and the Lord Himself will help us understand.
10.63.37
(37) You of an unbounded glory are in this descend there to defend the dharma to the benefit of the Complete of the Living Being and we all manifest and develop enlightened by You the seven worlds [see dvîpa].
As Lord Śiva glorifies Lord Kṛṣṇa doubt may arise, since, apparently, Lord Kṛṣṇa is standing before Lord Śiva as a historical personality with a humanlike body. However, it is out of the Lord's causeless mercy that He appears to us in a form visible to our mundane eyes. If we want to understand the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, we must hear from recognized authorities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, such as Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, or from Lord Śiva, a recognized Vaiṣṇava authority, who here glorifies the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
10.63.38
(38) You are the Original Supreme Person without a second, the Transcendental Self-manifesting Cause without a prior cause, the Ruler; yet are You, for the sake of the full manifestation of Your qualities, just as well perceived in the various transformations [of the different lifeforms, gods and avatâras] of Your illusory potency.
The ācāryas comment as follows on this verse: Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that the term ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ, "the original puruṣa," indicates that Lord Kṛṣṇa expands Himself as Mahā-Viṣṇu, the first of the three puruṣas who take charge of cosmic manifestation. The Lord is eka advitīyaḥ, "one without a second," because there is no one equal to the Lord or different from Him. No one is completely equal to the Supreme Godhead, and yet because all the living beings are expansions of the potency of the Godhead, no one is qualitatively different from Him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu nicely explains this inconceivable situation by stating that the Absolute Truth and the living beings are qualitatively one but quantitatively different. The Absolute possesses infinite spiritual consciousness, whereas the living beings possess infinitesimal consciousness, which is subject to being covered by illusion.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, commenting on the term ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ, quotes from the Sātvata-tantra: viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi. "There are three forms of Viṣṇu [for cosmic manifestation, etc.]." Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes a statement of the Lord's from śruti: pūrvam evāham ihāsam. "In the beginning I alone existed in this world." This statement describes the form of the Lord called the puruṣa-avatāra, who exists before the cosmic manifestation. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī also quotes the following śruti-mantra: tat-puruṣasya puruṣatvam, which means "Such constitutes the Lord's status as puruṣa." Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the essence of the puruṣa incarnation because He is turīya, as described in the present verse. Jīva Gosvāmī explains the term turīya (literally "the fourth") by quoting Śrīdhara Svāmī's commentary to the Bhāgavatam verse 11.15.16:
virāṭ hiraṇyagarbhaś ca
kāraṇaḿ cety upādhayaḥ
"The Lord's universal form, His Hiraṇyagarbha form and the primeval causal manifestation of material nature are all relative conceptions, but because the Lord Himself is not covered by these three, intelligent authorities call Him 'the fourth.' "According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the word turīya indicates that the Lord is the fourth member of the quadruple expansion of Godhead called the Catur-vyūha. In other words, Lord Kṛṣṇa is Vāsudeva.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is sva-dṛk — that is, He alone can perceive Himself perfectly — because He is infinite spiritual existence, infinitely pure. He is hetu, the cause of everything, and yet He is ahetu, without cause. Therefore He is īśa, the supreme controller.
The last two lines of this verse are of special philosophical significance. Why is the Lord perceived differently by different persons, although He is one? A partial explanation is given here. By the agency of Māyā, the Lord's external potency, material nature is in a constant state of transformation, vikāra. In one sense, then, material nature is "unreal," asat. But because God is the supreme reality, and because He is present within all things and all things are His potency, material objects and energies possess a degree of reality. Therefore some people see one aspect of material energy and think, "This is reality," while other people see a different aspect of material energy and think, "No, that is reality." Being conditioned souls, we are covered by different configurations of material nature, and thus we describe the Supreme Truth or the Supreme Lord in terms of our corrupted vision. Yet even the covering qualities of material nature, such as our conditioned intelligence, mind and senses, are real (being the potency of the Supreme Lord), and therefore through all things we can perceive, in a more or less subjective way, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is why the present verse states, pratīyase: "You are perceived." Furthermore, without the manifestation of material nature's covering qualities, the creation could not fulfill its purpose — namely, to allow the conditioned souls to make their best attempt to enjoy without God so that they will finally understand the futility of such an illusory notion.
10.63.39
(39) Just as the sun in its own shade hidden from sight illumines the forms visible, do You, o All-mighty One, similarly self-luminous, illumine the qualities of the covering modes of matter for the beings with these qualities.
Here Lord Śiva further clarifies the idea expressed in the final two lines of the previous verse. The analogy of the clouds and the sun is appropriate. With its energy the sun creates clouds, which cover our vision of the sun. Yet it is the sun that allows us to see the clouds and all other things as well. Similarly, the Lord expands His illusory potency and thus prevents us from directly seeing Him. Yet it is God alone who reveals to us His covering potency — namely, the material world — and thus the Lord is ātma-pradīpa, "self-luminous." It is the reality of His existence that makes all things visible.
10.63.40
prasaktā vṛjinārṇave
(40) Those who, fully entangled in their respect for their children, wife, a home and so on, in their intelligence are bewildered by mâyâ do, in the ocean of misery, [alternately] rise to the surface and sink [again, see B.G. 9: 21].
"rising in the ocean of misery" indicates elevation to higher species, such as demigods, and that "being submerged" refers to degradation to lower species — even to immobile forms of life such as trees. As stated in the Vāyu Purāṇa, viparyayaś ca bhavati brahmatva-sthāvaratvayoḥ: "The living being rotates between the position of Brahmā and that of an unmoving creature."
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī points out that Śiva, having glorified the Lord, now pursues his original intention of securing the Lord's grace for Bāṇāsura. Thus in this and the following four verses, Lord Śiva instructs Bāṇa on his actual position in relation to the Lord. Śiva's appeal to the Lord for compassion toward Bāṇa appears in Text 45.
10.63.41
(41) By the grace of God attaining this human world is he, who uncontrolled in his senses is not willing to honor Your feet, lamentable as he is indeed someone who fools himself.
10.63.42
viparyayendriyārthārthaḿ
(42) The mortal being who in opposition for the sake of the sense-objects rejects You, his True Self and dearmost Guide, eats the poison and avoids the nectar.
The person described above is pitiable because he rejects that which is actually dear, the Lord, and accepts that which is not dear and is ungodly: temporary sense gratification, which leads to suffering and bewilderment.
10.63.43
munayaś cāmalāśayāḥ
sarvātmanā prapannās tvām
(43) I, Brahmâ as well as the demigods and the sages have a consciousness that is pure in wholeheartedly being surrendered to You, the Master, the dearmost Self.
10.63.44
samaḿ prasāntaḿ suhṛd-ātma-daivam
(44) Let us be of worship for the Godhead of You, the cause of the rise, the maintenance and the demise of the Living Being that is the Universe; He who perfectly in peace equipoised is the unique, unequalled Friend, True Self and worshipable Lord of all the worlds and all the souls, and the shelter for putting an end to a material life.
the Lord is a true friend because He sets one's proper intelligence into motion if one desires to know the truth about God and the soul. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī both emphasize that the term bhavāpavargāya indicates the highest liberation of pure love of Godhead, characterized by unalloyed devotional service unto the Lord.
the Supreme Lord is samam, "perfectly objective and balanced," whereas other living beings, having an incomplete grasp of reality, cannot be perfectly objective. Those who surrender unto the Lord also become fully objective by taking shelter of His supreme consciousness.
10.63.45
ayaḿ mameṣṭo dayito 'nuvartī
sampādyatāḿ tad bhavataḥ prasādo
(45) This one [Bâna] is my favored and dearest follower, by me awarded with fearlessness, o Lord, please grant him Your grace therefore, the way You were also of mercy with the master of the Daityas [Prahlâda].'
Lord Śiva feels inclined to help Bāṇāsura because the demon showed great devotion to Lord Śiva when he provided musical accompaniment for Śiva's tāṇḍava dance. Another reason Bāṇa is an object of Lord Śiva's favor is that he is a descendant of the great devotees Prahlāda and Bali.
10.63.46
bhavato yad vyavasitaḿ
tan me sādhv anumoditam
(46) The Supreme Lord said: 'What you've told us, o great lord, We'll do, I fully concur with that what you determined to be your pleasure.
We should not think it strange that the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, here addresses Lord Śiva as bhagavān, "lord." All living beings are part and parcel of the Lord, qualitatively one with Him, and Lord Śiva is an especially powerful, pure entity who possesses many of the Supreme Lord's qualities. Just as a father is happy to share his riches with a beloved son, so the Supreme Lord happily invests pure living beings with some of His potency and opulence. And just as a father proudly and happily observes the good qualities of his children, the Lord is most happy to glorify the pure living beings who are powerful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus the Supreme Lord is pleased to glorify Lord Śiva by addressing him as bhagavān.
10.63.47
prahrādāya varo datto
na vadhyo me tavānvayaḥ
(47) He, this son of Virocana [Bali], will be spared by Me, for I gave Prahlâda the benediction: 'Your descendants will not be killed by Me' [see 7.10: 21].
10.63.48
darpopaśamanāyāsya
pravṛkṇā bāhavo mayā
yac ca bhārāyitaḿ bhuvaḥ
(48) To subdue his pride were his arms severed by Me and was the huge military force slain which had become a burden to the earth.
10.63.49
bhaviṣyaty ajarāmaraḥ
pārṣada-mukhyo bhavato
(49) The Asura left with four of his arms, will, not aging and being immortal, of you be a principal associate who has nothing to fear on any account.'
10.63.50
iti labdhvābhayaḿ kṛṣṇaḿ
praṇamya śirasāsuraḥ
sa-vadhvo samupānayat
(50) Thus attaining freedom from fear bowed the Asura his head down to Krishna, placed he the son of Pradyumna with His wife on His chariot and led he them forward.
10.63.51
yayau rudrānumoditaḥ
(51) He [Krishna] putting Him and His wife, ornamented and with fine clothes, in front, then with the permission of S'iva left, being surrounded by an akshauhinî.
10.63.52
abhyudyataḥ paura-suhṛd-dvijātibhiḥ
(52) Entering His capital fully decorated with flags, arches of victory and with the streets and crossroads sprinkled, was He respectfully with the resounding of conch shells, side drums and kettledrums welcomed by the people of the city, His relatives and the twiceborn.
10.63.53
saḿsmaret prātar utthāya
(53) For the one who, rising at dawn, remembers thus the victory of Krishna in the battle with S'ankara, will there be no defeat.'
Thus end of the Tenth Canto, Sixty-third Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "Lord Kṛṣṇa Fights with Bāṇāsura."
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