Chapter Twenty-one
Conversation Between Manu and Kardama
TEXT 1
TEXT
vidura uvaca
svayambhuvasya ca manor
vamsah parama-sammatah
kathyatam bhagavan yatra
maithunenaidhire prajah
SYNONYMS
vidurah uvaca--Vidura said; svayambhuvasya--of Svayambhuva; ca--and; manoh--of Manu; vamsah--the dynasty; parama--most; sammatah--esteemed; kathyatam--kindly describe; bhagavan--O worshipful sage; yatra--in which; maithunena--through sexual intercourse; edhire--multiplied; prajah--the progeny.
TRANSLATION
Vidura said: The line of Svayambhuva Manu was most esteemed. O worshipful sage, I beg you--give me an account of this race, whose progeny multiplied through sexual intercourse.
PURPORT
Regulated sex life to generate good population is worth accepting. Actually, Vidura was not interested in hearing the history of persons who merely engaged in sex life, but he was interested in the progeny of Svayambhuva Manu because in that dynasty, good devotee kings appeared who protected their subjects very carefully with spiritual knowledge. By hearing the history of their activities, therefore, one becomes more enlightened. An important word used in this connection is parama-sammatah, which indicates that the progeny created by Svayambhuva Manu and his sons was approved of by great authorities. In other words, sex life for creating exemplary population is acceptable to all sages and authorities of Vedic scripture.
TEXT 2
TEXT
priyavratottanapadau
sutau svayambhuvasya vai
yatha-dharmam jugupatuh
sapta-dvipavatim mahim
SYNONYMS
priyavrata--Maharaja Priyavrata; uttanapadau--and Maharaja Uttanapada; sutau--the two sons; svayambhuvasya--of Svayambhuva Manu; vai--indeed; yatha--according to; dharmam--religious principles; jugupatuh--ruled; sapta-dvipa-vatim--consisting of seven islands; mahim--the world.
TRANSLATION
The two great sons of Svayambhuva Manu--Priyavrata and Uttanapada--ruled the world, consisting of seven islands, just according to religious principles.
PURPORT
Srimad-Bhagavatam is also a history of the great rulers of different parts of the universe. In this verse the names of Priyavrata and Uttanapada, sons of Svayambhuva, are mentioned. They ruled this earth, which is divided into seven islands. These seven islands are still current, as Asia, Europe, Africa, America, Australia and the North and South Poles. There is no chronological history of all the Indian kings in Srimad-Bhagavatam, but the deeds of the most important kings, such as Priyavrata and Uttanapada, and many others, like Lord Ramacandra and Maharaja Yudhisthira, are recorded because the activities of such pious kings are worth hearing; people may benefit by studying their histories.
TEXT 3
TEXT
tasya vai duhita brahman
devahutiti visruta
patni prajapater ukta
kardamasya tvayanagha
SYNONYMS
tasya--of that Manu; vai--indeed; duhita--the daughter; brahman--O holy brahmana; devahuti--named Devahuti; iti--thus; visruta--was known; patni--wife; prajapateh--of the lord of created beings; ukta--has been spoken of; kardamasya--of Kardama Muni; tvaya--by you; anagha--O sinless one.
TRANSLATION
O holy brahmana, O sinless one, you have spoken of his daughter, known by the name Devahuti, as the wife of the sage Kardama, the lord of created beings.
PURPORT
Here we are speaking of Svayambhuva Manu, but in Bhagavad-gita we hear about Vaivasvata Manu. The present age belongs to the Vaivasvata Manu. Svayambhuva Manu was previously ruling, and his history begins from the Varaha age, or the millennium when the Lord appeared as the boar. There are fourteen Manus in one day of the life of Brahma, and in the life of each Manu there are particular incidents. The Vaivasvata Manu of Bhagavad-gita is different from Svayambhuva Manu.
TEXT 4
TEXT
tasyam sa vai maha-yogi
yuktayam yoga-laksanaih
sasarja katidha viryam
tan me susrusave vada
SYNONYMS
tasyam--in her; sah--Kardama Muni; vai--in fact; maha-yogi--great mystic yogi; yuktayam--endowed; yoga-laksanaih--with the eightfold symptoms of yogic perfection; sasarja--propagated; katidha--how many times; viryam--offspring; tat--that narration; me--to me; susrusave--who am eager to hear; vada--tell.
TRANSLATION
How many offspring did that great yogi beget through the princess, who was endowed with eightfold perfection in the yoga principles? Oh, pray tell me this, for I am eager to hear it.
PURPORT
Here Vidura inquired about Kardama Muni and his wife, Devahuti, and about their children. It is described here that Devahuti was very much advanced in the performance of eightfold yoga. The eight divisions of yoga performance are described as (1) control of the senses, (2) strict following of the rules and regulations, (3) practice of the different sitting postures, (4) control of the breath, (5) withdrawing the senses from sense objects, (6) concentration of the mind, (7) meditation and (8) self-realization. After self-realization there are eight further perfectional stages, which are called yoga-siddhis. The husband and wife, Kardama and Devahuti, were advanced in yoga practice; the husband was a maha-yogi, great mystic, and the wife was a yoga-laksana, or one advanced in yoga. They united and produced children. Formerly, after making their lives perfect, great sages and saintly persons used to beget children, otherwise they strictly observed the rules and regulations of celibacy. Brahmacarya (following the rules and regulations of celibacy) is required for perfection of self-realization and mystic power. There is no recommendation in the Vedic scriptures that one can go on enjoying material sense gratification at one's whims, as one likes, and at the same time become a great meditator by paying a rascal some money.
TEXT 5
TEXT
rucir yo bhagavan brahman
dakso va brahmanah sutah
yatha sasarja bhutani
labdhva bharyam ca manavim
SYNONYMS
rucih--Ruci; yah--who; bhagavan--worshipful; brahman--O holy sage; daksah--Daksa; va--and; brahmanah--of Lord Brahma; sutah--the son; yatha--in what way; sasarja--generated; bhutani--offspring; labdhva--after securing; bharyam--as their wives; ca--and; manavim--the daughters of Svayambhuva Manu.
TRANSLATION
O holy sage, tell me how the worshipful Ruci and Daksa, the son of Brahma, generated children after securing as their wives the other two daughters of Svayambhuva Manu.
PURPORT
All the great personalities who increased the population in the beginning of the creation are called Prajapatis. Brahma is also known as Prajapati, as were some of his later sons. Svayambhuva Manu is also known as Prajapati, as is Daksa, another son of Brahma. Svayambhuva had two daughters, Akuti and Prasuti. The Prajapati Ruci married Akuti, and Daksa married Prasuti. These couples and their children produced immense numbers of children to populate the entire universe. Vidura's inquiry was, "How did they beget the population in the beginning?"
TEXT 6
TEXT
maitreya uvaca
prajah srjeti bhagavan
kardamo brahmanoditah
sarasvatyam tapas tepe
sahasranam sama dasa
SYNONYMS
maitreyah uvaca--the great sage Maitreya said; prajah--children; srja--beget; iti--thus; bhagavan--the worshipful; kardamah--Kardama Muni; brahmana--by Lord Brahma; uditah--commanded; sarasvatyam--on the bank of the River Sarasvati; tapah--penance; tepe--practiced; sahasranam--of thousands; samah--years; dasa--ten.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Maitreya replied: Commanded by Lord Brahma to beget children in the worlds, the worshipful Kardama Muni practiced penance on the bank of the River Sarasvati for a period of ten thousand years.
PURPORT
It is understood herein that Kardama Muni meditated in yoga for ten thousand years before attaining perfection. Similarly, we have information that Valmiki Muni also practiced yoga meditation for sixty thousand years before attaining perfection. Therefore, yoga practice can be successfully performed by persons who have a very long duration of life, such as one hundred thousand years; in that way it is possible to have perfection in yoga. Otherwise, there is no possibility of attaining the real perfection. Following the regulations, controlling the senses and practicing the different sitting postures are merely the preliminary practices. We do not know how people can be captivated by the bogus yoga system in which it is stated that simply by meditating fifteen minutes daily one can attain the perfection of becoming one with God. This age (Kali-yuga) is the age of bluffing and quarrel. Actually there is no possibility of attaining yoga perfection by such paltry proposals. The Vedic literature, for emphasis, clearly states three times that in this age of Kali--kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva--there is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative than harer nama, chanting the holy name of the Lord.
TEXT 7
TEXT
tatah samadhi-yuktena
kriya-yogena kardamah
samprapede harim bhaktya
prapanna-varadasusam
SYNONYMS
tatah--then, in that penance; samadhi-yuktena--in trance; kriya-yogena--by bhakti-yoga worship; kardamah--the sage Kardama; samprapede--served; harim--the Personality of Godhead; bhaktya--in devotional service; prapanna--to the surrendered souls; varadasusam--the bestower of all blessings.
TRANSLATION
During that period of penance, the sage Kardama, by worship through devotional service in trance, propitiated the Personality of Godhead, who is the quick bestower of all blessings upon those who flee to Him for protection.
PURPORT
The significance of meditation is described here. Kardama Muni practiced mystic yoga meditation for ten thousand years just to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. Therefore, whether one practices yoga or speculates and does research to find God, one's efforts must be mixed with the process of devotion. Without devotion, nothing can be perfect. The target of perfection and realization is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that one who constantly engages in Krsna consciousness is the topmost yogi. The Personality of Godhead, Hari, also fulfills the desires of His surrendered devotee. One has to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, Hari, or Krsna, in order to achieve real success. Devotional service, or engagement in Krsna consciousness, is the direct method, and all other methods, although recommended, are indirect. In this age of Kali the direct method is especially more feasible than the indirect because people are short-living, their intelligence is poor, and they are poverty-stricken and embarrassed by so many miserable disturbances. Lord Caitanya, therefore, has given the greatest boon: in this age one simply has to chant the holy name of God to attain perfection in spiritual life.
The words samprapede harim mean that in various ways Kardama Muni satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, by his devotional service. Devotional service is also expressed by the word kriya-yogena. Kardama Muni not only meditated but also engaged in devotional service; to attain perfection in yoga practice or meditation, one must act in devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, etc. Remembering is meditation also. But who is to be remembered? One should remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not only must one remember the Supreme Person; one must hear about the activities of the Lord and chant His glories. This information is in the authoritative scriptures. After engaging himself for ten thousand years in performing different types of devotional service, Kardama Muni attained the perfection of meditation, but that is not possible in this age of Kali, wherein it is very difficult to live for as much as one hundred years. At the present moment, who will be successful in the rigid performance of the many yoga rules and regulations? Moreover, perfection is attained only by those who are surrendered souls. Where there is no mention of the Personality of Godhead, where is there surrender? And where there is no meditation upon the Personality of Godhead, where is the yoga practice? Unfortunately, people in this age, especially persons who are of a demoniac nature, want to be cheated. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead sends great cheaters who mislead them in the name of yoga and render their lives useless and doomed. In Bhagavad-gita, therefore, it is clearly stated, in the Sixteenth Chapter, verse 17, that rascals of self-made authority, being puffed up by illegally collected money, perform yoga without following the authoritative books. They are very proud of the money they have plundered from innocent persons who wanted to be cheated.
TEXT 8
TEXT
tavat prasanno bhagavan
puskaraksah krte yuge
darsayam asa tam ksattah
sabdam brahma dadhad vapuh
SYNONYMS
tavat--then; prasannah--being pleased; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puskara-aksah--lotus-eyed; krte yuge--in the Satya-yuga; darsayam asa--showed; tam--to that Kardama Muni; ksattah--O Vidura; sabdam--which is to be understood only through the Vedas; brahma--the Absolute Truth; dadhat--exhibiting; vapuh--His transcendental body.
TRANSLATION
Then, in the Satya-yuga, the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead, being pleased, showed Himself to that Kardama Muni and displayed His transcendental form, which can be understood only through the Vedas.
PURPORT
Here two points are very significant. The first is that Kardama Muni attained success by yoga practice in the beginning of Satya-yuga, when people used to live for one hundred thousand years. Kardama Muni attained success, and the Lord, being pleased with him, showed him His form, which is not imaginary. Sometimes the impersonalists recommend that one can arbitrarily concentrate one's mind on some form he imagines or which pleases him. But here it is very clearly said that the form which the Lord showed to Kardama Muni by His divine grace is described in the Vedic literature. Sabdam brahma: the forms of the Lord are clearly indicated in the Vedic literature. Kardama Muni did not discover any imaginary form of God, as alleged by rascals; he actually saw the eternal, blissful and transcendental form of the Lord.
TEXT 9
TEXT
sa tam virajam arkabham
sita-padmotpala-srajam
snigdha-nilalaka-vrata-
vaktrabjam virajo 'mbaram
SYNONYMS
sah--that Kardama Muni; tam--Him; virajam--without contamination; arka-abham--effulgent like the sun; sita--white; padma--lotuses; utpala--water lilies; srajam--garland; snigdha--slick; nila--blackish-blue; alaka--of locks of hair; vrata--an abundance; vaktra--face; abjam--lotuslike; virajah--spotless; ambaram--clothing.
TRANSLATION
Kardama Muni saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is free from material contamination, in His eternal form, effulgent like the sun, wearing a garland of white lotuses and water lilies. The Lord was clad in spotless yellow silk, and His lotus face was fringed with slick dark locks of curly hair.
TEXT 10
TEXT
kiritinam kundalinam
sankha-cakra-gada-dharam
svetotpala-kridanakam
manah-sparsa-smiteksanam
SYNONYMS
kiritinam--adorned with a crown; kundalinam--wearing earrings; sankha--conch; cakra--disc; gada--mace; dharam--holding; sveta--white; utpala--lily; kridanakam--plaything; manah--heart; sparsa--touching; smita--smiling; iksanam--and glancing.
TRANSLATION
Adorned with a crown and earrings, He held His characteristic conch, disc and mace in three of His hands and a white lily in the fourth. He glanced about in a happy, smiling mood whose sight captivates the hearts of all devotees.
TEXT 11
TEXT
vinyasta-caranambhojam
amsa-dese garutmatah
drstva khe 'vasthitam vaksah-
sriyam kaustubha-kandharam
SYNONYMS
vinyasta--having been placed; carana-ambhojam--lotus feet; amsa-dese--on the shoulders; garutmatah--of Garuda; drstva--having seen; khe--in the air; avasthitam--standing; vaksah--on His chest; sriyam--auspicious mark; kaustubha--the Kaustubha gem; kandharam--neck.
TRANSLATION
A golden streak on His chest, the famous Kaustubha gem suspended from His neck, He stood in the air with His lotus feet placed on the shoulders of Garuda.
PURPORT
The descriptions in verses 9-11 of the Lord in His transcendental, eternal form are understood to be descriptions from the authoritative Vedic version. These descriptions are certainly not the imagination of Kardama Muni. The decorations of the Lord are beyond material conception, as admitted even by impersonalists like Sankaracarya: Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has nothing to do with the material creation. The varieties of the transcendental Lord--His body, His form, His dress, His instruction, His words--are not manufactured by the material energy, but are all confirmed in the Vedic literature. By performance of yoga Kardama Muni actually saw the Supreme Lord as He is. There was no point in seeing an imagined form of God after practicing yoga for ten thousand years. The perfection of yoga, therefore, does not terminate in voidness or impersonalism; on the contrary, the perfection of yoga is attained when one actually sees the Personality of Godhead in His eternal form. The process of Krsna consciousness is to deliver the form of Krsna directly. The form of Krsna is described in the authoritative Vedic literature Brahma-samhita: His abode is made of cintamani stone, and the Lord plays there as a cowherd boy and is served by many thousands of gopis. These descriptions are authoritative, and a Krsna conscious person takes them directly, acts on them, preaches them and practices devotional service as enjoined in the authoritative scriptures.
TEXT 12
TEXT
jata-harso 'patan murdhna
ksitau labdha-manorathah
girbhis tv abhyagrnat priti-
svabhavatma krtanjalih
SYNONYMS
jata-harsah--naturally jubilant; apatat--he fell down; murdhna--with his head; ksitau--on the ground; labdha--having been achieved; manah-rathah--his desire; girbhih--with prayers; tu--and; abhyagrnat--he satisfied; priti-svabhava-atma--whose heart is by nature always full of love; krta-anjalih--with folded hands.
TRANSLATION
When Kardama Muni actually realized the Supreme Personality of Godhead in person, he was greatly satisfied because his transcendental desire was fulfilled. He fell on the ground with his head bowed to offer obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord. His heart naturally full of love of God, with folded hands he satisfied the Lord with prayers.
PURPORT
The realization of the personal form of the Lord is the highest perfectional stage of yoga. In the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, where yoga practice is described, this realization of the personal form of the Lord is called the perfection of yoga. After practicing the sitting postures and other regulative principles of the system, one finally reaches the stage of samadhi--absorption in the Supreme. In the samadhi stage one can see the Supreme personality of Godhead in His partial form as Paramatma, or as He is. Samadhi is described in authoritative yoga scriptures, such as the Patanjali-sutras, to be a transcendental pleasure. The yoga system described in the books of Patanjali is authoritative, and the modern so-called yogis who have manufactured their own ways, not consulting the authorities, are simply ludicrous. The Patanjali yoga system is called astanga-yoga. Sometimes impersonalists pollute the Patanjali yoga system because they are monists. Patanjali describes that the soul is transcendentally pleased when he meets the Supersoul and sees Him. If the existence of the Supersoul and the individual is admitted, then the impersonalist theory of monism is nullified. Therefore some impersonalists and void philosophers twist the Patanjali system in their own way and pollute the whole yoga process.
According to Patanjali, when one becomes free from all material desires he attains his real, transcendental situation, and realization of that stage is called spiritual power. In material activities a person engages in the modes of material nature. The aspirations of such people are (1) to be religious, (2) to be economically enriched, (3) to be able to gratify the senses and, at last, (4) to become one with the Supreme. According to the monists, when a yogi becomes one with the Supreme and loses his individual existence, he attains the highest stage, called kaivalya. But actually, the stage of realization of the Personality of Godhead is kaivalya. The oneness of understanding that the Supreme Lord is fully spiritual and that in full spiritual realization one can understand what He is--the Supreme Personality of Godhead--is called kaivalya, or, in the language of Patanjali, realization of spiritual power. His proposal is that when one is freed from material desires and fixed in spiritual realization of the self and the Superself, that is called cit-sakti. In full spiritual realization there is a perception of spiritual happiness, and that happiness is described in Bhagavad-gita as the supreme happiness, which is beyond the material senses. Trance is described to be of two kinds, samprajnata and asamprajnata, or mental speculation and self-realization. In samadhi or asamprajnata one can realize, by his spiritual senses, the spiritual form of the Lord. That is the ultimate goal of spiritual realization.
According to Patanjali, when one is fixed in constant realization of the supreme form of the Lord, one has attained the perfectional stage, as attained by Kardama Muni. Unless one attains this stage of perfection--beyond the perfection of the preliminaries of the yoga system--there is no ultimate realization. There are eight perfections in the astanga-yoga system. One who has attained them can become lighter than the lightest and greater than the greatest, and he can achieve whatever he likes. But even achieving such material success in yoga is not the perfection or the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is described here: Kardama Muni saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His eternal form. Devotional service begins with the relationship of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, or Krsna and Krsna's devotees, and when one attains it there is no question of falling down. If, through the yoga system, one wants to attain the stage of seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, but is attracted instead to attainment of some material power, then he is detoured from proceeding further. Material enjoyment, as encouraged by bogus yogis, has nothing to do with the transcendental realization of spiritual happiness. Real devotees of bhakti-yoga accept only the material necessities of life absolutely needed to maintain the body and soul together; they refrain completely from all exaggerated material sense gratification. They are prepared to undergo all kinds of tribulation, provided they can make progress in the realization of the Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 13
TEXT
rsir uvaca
justam batadyakhila-sattva-raseh
samsiddhyam aksnos tava darsanan nah
yad-darsanam janmabhir idya sadbhir
asasate yogino rudha-yogah
SYNONYMS
rsih uvaca--the great sage said; justam--is attained; bata--ah; adya--now; akhila--all; sattva--of goodness; raseh--who are the reservoir; samsiddhyam--the complete success; aksnoh--of the two eyes; tava--of You; darsanat--from the sight; nah--by us; yat--of whom; darsanam--sight; janmabhih--through births; idya--O worshipable Lord; sadbhih--gradually elevated in position; asasate--aspire; yoginah--yogis; rudha-yogah--having obtained perfection in yoga.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Kardama said: O supreme worshipful Lord, my power of sight is now fulfilled, having attained the greatest perfection of the sight of You, who are the reservoir of all existences. Through many successive births of deep meditation, advanced yogis aspire to see Your transcendental form.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here as the reservoir of all goodness and all pleasure. Unless one is situated in the mode of goodness, there is no real pleasure. When, therefore, one's body, mind and activities are situated in the service of the Lord, one is on the highest perfectional stage of goodness. Kardama Muni says, "Your Lordship is the reservoir of all that can be understood by the nomenclature of goodness, and by experiencing You face to face, eye to eye, the perfection of sight has now been attained." These statements are the pure devotional situation; for a devotee, the perfection of the senses is to engage in the service of the Lord. The sense of sight, when engaged in seeing the beauty of the Lord, is perfected; the power to hear, when engaged in hearing the glories of the Lord, is perfected; the power to taste, when one enjoys by eating prasada, is perfected. When all the senses engage in relationship with the Personality of Godhead, one's perfection is technically called bhakti-yoga, which entails detaching the senses from material indulgence and attaching them to the service of the Lord. When one is freed from all designated conditional life and fully engages in the service of the Lord, one's service is called bhakti-yoga. Kardama Muni admits that seeing the Lord personally in bhakti-yoga is the perfection of sight. The exalted perfection of seeing the Lord is not exaggerated by Kardama Muni. He gives evidence that those who are actually elevated in yoga aspire in life after life to see this form of the Personality of Godhead. He was not a fictitious yogi. Those who are actually on the advanced path aspire only to see the eternal form of the Lord.
TEXT 14
TEXT
ye mayaya te hata-medhasas tvat-
padaravindam bhava-sindhu-potam
upasate kama-lavaya tesam
rasisa kaman niraye 'pi ye syuh
SYNONYMS
ye--those persons; mayaya--by the deluding energy; te--of You; hata--has been lost; medhasah--whose intelligence; tvat--Your; pada-aravindam--lotus feet; bhava--of mundane existence; sindhu--the ocean; potam--the boat for crossing; upasate--worship; kama-lavaya--for obtaining trivial pleasures; tesam--their; rasi--You bestow; isa--O Lord; kaman--desires; niraye--in hell; api--even; ye--which desires; syuh--can be available.
TRANSLATION
Your lotus feet are the true vessel to take one across the ocean of mundane nescience. Only persons deprived of their intelligence by the spell of the deluding energy will worship those feet with a view to attain the trivial and momentary pleasures of the senses, which even persons rotting in hell can attain. However, O my Lord, You are so kind that You bestow mercy even upon them.
PURPORT
As stated in Bhagavad-gita, Seventh Chapter, there are two kinds of devotees--those who desire material pleasures and those who desire nothing but service to the Lord. Material pleasures can be attained even by hogs and dogs, whose condition of life is hellish. The hog also eats, sleeps and enjoys sex life to the full extent, and it is also very satisfied with such hellish enjoyment of material existence. Modern yogis advise that because one has senses, one must enjoy to the fullest extent like cats and dogs, yet one can go on and practice yoga. This is condemned here by Kardama Muni; he says that such material pleasures are available for cats and dogs in a hellish condition. The Lord is so kind that if so-called yogis are satisfied by hellish pleasures, He can give them facilities to attain all the material pleasures they desire, but they cannot attain the perfectional stage attained by Kardama Muni.
Hellish and demoniac persons do not actually know what is the ultimate attainment in perfection, and therefore they think that sense gratification is the highest goal of life. They advise that one can satisfy the senses and at the same time, by reciting some mantra and by some practice, can cheaply aspire for perfection. Such persons are described here as hata-medhasah, which means "those whose brains are spoiled." They aspire for material enjoyment by perfection of yoga or meditation. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated by the Lord that the intelligence of those who worship the demigods has been spoiled. Similarly, here too it is stated by Kardama Muni that one who aspires after material enjoyment by practice of yoga has spoiled his brain substance and is fool number one. Actually, the intelligent practitioner of yoga should aspire for nothing else but to cross over the ocean of nescience by worshiping the Personality of Godhead and to see the lotus feet of the Lord. The Lord is so kind, however, that even today persons whose brain substance is spoiled are given the benediction to become cats, dogs or hogs and enjoy material happiness from sex life and sense gratification. The Lord confirms this benediction in Bhagavad-gita: "Whatever a person aspires to receive from Me, I offer him as he desires."
TEXT 15
TEXT
tatha sa caham parivodhu-kamah
samana-silam grhamedha-dhenum
upeyivan mulam asesa-mulam
durasayah kama-dughanghripasya
SYNONYMS
tatha--similarly; sah--myself; ca--also; aham--I; parivodhu-kamah--desiring to marry; samana-silam--a girl of like disposition; grha-medha--in married life; dhenum--a cow of plenty; upeyivan--have approached; mulam--the root (lotus feet); asesa--of everything; mulam--the source; durasayah--with lustful desire; kama-dugha--yielding all desires; anghripasya--(of You) who are the tree.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, desiring to marry a girl of like disposition who may prove to be a veritable cow of plenty in my married life, to satisfy my lustful desire I too have sought the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the source of everything, for You are like a desire tree.
PURPORT
In spite of his condemning persons who approach the Lord for material advantages, Kardama Muni expressed his material inability and desire before the Lord by saying, "Although I know that nothing material should be asked from You, I nevertheless desire to marry a girl of like disposition." The phrase "like disposition" is very significant. Formerly, boys and girls of similar dispositions were married; the similar natures of the boy and girl were united in order to make them happy. Not more than twenty-five years ago, and perhaps it is still current, parents in India used to consult the horoscope of the boy and girl to see whether there would be factual union in their psychological conditions. These considerations are very important. Nowadays marriage takes place without such consultation, and therefore, soon after the marriage, there is divorce and separation. Formerly husband and wife used to live together peacefully throughout their whole lives, but nowadays it is a very difficult task.
Kardama Muni wanted to have a wife of like disposition because a wife is necessary to assist in spiritual and material advancement. It is said that a wife yields the fulfillment of all desires in religion, economic development and sense gratification. If one has a nice wife, he is to be considered a most fortunate man. In astrology, a man is considered fortunate who has great wealth, very good sons or a very good wife. Of these three, one who has a very good wife is considered the most fortunate. Before marrying, one should select a wife of like disposition and not be enamored by so-called beauty or other attractive features for sense gratification. In the Bhagavatam, Twelfth Canto, it is said that in the Kali-yuga marriage will be based on the consideration of sex life; as soon as there is deficiency in sex life, the question of divorce will arise.
Kardama Muni could have asked his benediction from Uma, for it is recommended in the scriptures that if anyone wants a good wife, he should worship Uma. But he preferred to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead because it is recommended in the Bhagavatam that everyone, whether he is full of desires, has no desire or desires liberation, should worship the Supreme Lord. Of these three classes of men, one tries to be happy by fulfillment of material desires, another wants to be happy by becoming one with the Supreme, and another, the perfect man, is a devotee. He does not want anything in return from the personality of Godhead; he only wants to render transcendental loving service. In any case, everyone should worship the Supreme personality of Godhead, for He will fulfill everyone's desire. The advantage of worshiping the Supreme Person is that even if one has desires for material enjoyment, if he worships Krsna he will gradually become a pure devotee and have no more material hankering.
TEXT 16
TEXT
prajapates te vacasadhisa tantya
lokah kilayam kama-hato 'nubaddhah
aham ca lokanugato vahami
balim ca suklanimisaya tubhyam
SYNONYMS
prajapateh--who are the master of all living entities; te--of You; vacasa--under the direction; adhisa--O my Lord; tantya--by a rope; lokah--conditioned souls; kila--indeed; ayam--these; kama-hatah--conquered by lusty desires; anubaddhah--are bound; aham--I; ca--and; loka-anugatah--following the conditioned souls; vahami--offer; balim--oblations; ca--and; sukla--O embodiment of religion; animisaya--existing as eternal time; tubhyam--to You.
TRANSLATION
O my Lord, You are the master and leader of all living entities. Under Your direction, all conditioned souls, as if bound by rope, are constantly engaged in satisfying their desires. Following them, O embodiment of religion, I also bear oblations for You, who are eternal time.
PURPORT
In the Katha Upanisad it is stated that the Supreme Lord is the leader of all living entities. He is their sustainer and the awarder of all their necessities and desires. No living entity is independent; all are dependent on the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Therefore the Vedic instruction is that one should enjoy life under the direction of the supreme leader, the Personality of Godhead. Vedic literatures like Isopanisad direct that since everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should not encroach upon another's property, but should enjoy one's individual allotment. The best program for every living entity is to take direction from the Supreme Lord and enjoy material or spiritual life.
A question may be raised: Since Kardama Muni was advanced in spiritual life, why then did he not ask the Lord for liberation? Why did he want to enjoy material life in spite of his personally seeing and experiencing the Supreme Lord? The answer is that not everyone is competent to be liberated from material bondage. It is everyone's duty, therefore, to enjoy according to his present position, but under the direction of the Lord or the Vedas. The Vedas are considered to be the direct words of the Lord. The Lord gives us the opportunity to enjoy material life as we want, and at the same time He gives directions for the modes and processes of abiding by the Vedas so that gradually one may be elevated to liberation from material bondage. The conditioned souls who have come to the material world to fulfill their desires to lord it over material nature are bound by the laws of nature. The best course is to abide by the Vedic rules; that will help one to be gradually elevated to liberation.
Kardama Muni addresses the Lord as suka, which means "the leader of religion." One who is pious should follow the rules of religion, for such rules are prescribed by the Lord Himself. No one can manufacture or concoct a religion; "religion" refers to the injunctions or laws of the Lord. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that religion means to surrender unto Him. Therefore one should follow the Vedic regulations and surrender unto the Supreme Lord because that is the ultimate goal of perfection in human life. One should live a life of piety, follow the religious rules and regulations, marry and live peacefully for elevation to the higher status of spiritual realization.
TEXT 17
TEXT
lokams ca lokanugatan pasums ca
hitva sritas te caranatapatram
parasparam tvad-guna-vada-sidhu-
piyusa-niryapita-deha-dharmah
SYNONYMS
lokan--worldly affairs; ca--and; loka-anugatan--the followers of worldly affairs; pasun--beastly; ca--and; hitva--having given up; sritah--taken shelter; te--Your; carana--of lotus feet; atapatram--the umbrella; parasparam--with one another; tvat--Your; guna--of qualities; vada--by discussion; sidhu--intoxicating; piyusa--by the nectar; niryapita--extinguished; deha-dharmah--the primary necessities of the body.
TRANSLATION
However, persons who have given up stereotyped worldly affairs and the beastly followers of these affairs, and who have taken shelter of the umbrella of Your lotus feet by drinking the intoxicating nectar of Your qualities and activities in discussions with one another, can be freed from the primary necessities of the material body.
PURPORT
After describing the necessity of married life, Kardama Muni asserts that marriage and other social affairs are stereotyped regulations for persons who are addicted to material sense enjoyment. The principles of animal life--eating, sleeping, mating and defending--are actually necessities of the body, but those who engage in transcendental Krsna consciousness, giving up all the stereotyped activities of this material world, are freed from social conventions. Conditioned souls are under the spell of material energy, or eternal time--past, present and future--but as soon as one engages in Krsna consciousness, he transcends the limits of past and present and becomes situated in the eternal activities of the soul. One has to act in terms of the Vedic injunctions in order to enjoy material life, but those who have taken to the devotional service of the Lord are not afraid of the regulations of this material world. Such devotees do not care for the conventions of material activities; they boldly take to that shelter which is like an umbrella against the sun of repeated birth and death.
Constant transmigration of the soul from one body to another is the cause of suffering in material existence. This conditional life in material existence is called samsara. One may perform good work and take his birth in a very nice material condition, but the process under which birth and death take place is like a terrible fire. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in his prayer to the spiritual master, has described this. Samsara, or the repetition of birth and death, is compared to a forest fire. A forest fire takes place automatically, without anyone's endeavor, by the friction of dried wood, and no fire department or sympathetic person can extinguish it. The raging forest fire can be extinguished only when there is a constant downpour of water from a cloud. The cloud is compared to the mercy of the spiritual master. By the grace of the spiritual master the cloud of the mercy of the Personality of Godhead is brought in, and then only, when the rains of Krsna consciousness fall, can the fire of material existence be extinguished. This is also explained here. In order to find freedom from the stereotyped conditional life of material existence, one has to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, not in the manner in which the impersonalists indulge, but in devotional service, chanting and hearing of the activities of the Lord. Only then can one be freed from the actions and reactions of material existence. It is recommended here that one should give up the conditional life of this material world and the association of so-called civilized human beings who are simply following, in a polished way, the same stereotyped principles of eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Chanting and hearing of the glories of the Lord is described here as tvad-guna-vada-sidhu. Only by drinking the nectar of chanting and hearing the pastimes of the Lord can one forget the intoxication of material existence.
TEXT 18
TEXT
na te 'jaraksa-bhramir ayur esam
trayodasaram tri-satam sasti-parva
san-nemy ananta-cchadi yat tri-nabhi
karala-sroto jagad acchidya dhavat
SYNONYMS
na--not; te--Your; ajara--of imperishable Brahman; aksa--on the axle; bhramih--rotating; ayuh--span of life; esam--of the devotees; trayodasa--thirteen; aram--spokes; tri-satam--three hundred; sasti--sixty; parva--functions; sat--six; nemi--rims; ananta--innumerable; chadi--leaves; yat--which; tri--three; nabhi--naves; karala-srotah--with tremendous velocity; jagat--the universe; acchidya--cutting short; dhavat--running.
TRANSLATION
Your wheel, which has three naves, rotates around the axis of the imperishable Brahman. It has thirteen spokes, 360 joints, six rims and numberless leaves carved upon it. Though its revolution cuts short the life-span of the entire creation, this wheel of tremendous velocity cannot touch the life-span of the devotees of the Lord.
PURPORT
The time factor cannot affect the span of life of the devotees. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that a little execution of devotional service saves one from the greatest danger. The greatest danger is transmigration of the soul from one body to another, and only devotional service to the Lord can stop this process. It is stated in the Vedic literatures, harim vina na srtim taranti: without the mercy of the Lord, one cannot stop the cycle of birth and death. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that only by understanding the transcendental nature of the Lord and His activities, His appearance and disappearance, can one stop the cycle of death and go back to Him. The time factor is divided into many fractions of moments, hours, months, years, periods, seasons, etc. All the divisions in this verse are determined according to the astronomical calculations of Vedic literature. There are six seasons, called rtus, and there is the period of four months called caturmasya. Three periods of four months complete one year. According to Vedic astronomical calculations, there are thirteen months. The thirteenth month is called adhi-masa or mala-masa and is added every third year. The time factor, however, cannot touch the lifespan of the devotees. In another verse it is stated that when the sun rises and sets it takes away the life of all living entities, but it cannot take away the life of those who are engaged in devotional service. Time is compared here to a big wheel which has 360 joints, six rims in the shape of seasons, and numberless leaves in the shape of moments. It rotates on the eternal existence, Brahman.
TEXT 19
TEXT
ekah svayam san jagatah sisrksaya-
dvitiyayatmann adhi-yogamayaya
srjasy adah pasi punar grasisyase
yathorna-nabhir bhagavan sva-saktibhih
SYNONYMS
ekah--one; svayam--Yourself; san--being; jagatah--the universes; sisrksaya--with a desire to create; advitiyaya--without a second; atman--in Yourself; adhi--controlling; yoga-mayaya--by yogamaya; srjasi--You create; adah--those universes; pasi--You maintain; punah--again; grasisyase--You will wind up; yatha--like; urna-nabhih--a spider; bhagavan--O Lord; sva-saktibhih--by its own energy.
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, You alone create the universes. O Personality of Godhead, desiring to create these universes, You create them, maintain them and again wind them up by Your own energies, which are under the control of Your second energy, called yogamaya, just as a spider creates a cobweb by its own energy and again winds it up.
PURPORT
In this verse two important words nullify the impersonalist theory that everything is God. Here Kardama says, "O Personality of Godhead, You are alone, but You have various energies." The example of the spider is very significant also. The spider is an individual living entity, and by its energy it creates a cobweb and plays on it, and whenever it likes it winds up the cobweb, thus ending the play. When the cobweb is manufactured by the saliva of the spider, the spider does not become impersonal. Similarly, the creation and manifestation of the material or spiritual energy does not render the creator impersonal. Here the very prayer suggests that God is sentient and can hear the prayers and fulfill the desires of the devotee. Therefore, He is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, the form of bliss, knowledge and eternity.
TEXT 20
TEXT
naitad batadhisa padam tavepsitam
yan mayaya nas tanuse bhuta-suksmam
anugrahayastv api yarhi mayaya
lasat-tulasya bhagavan vilaksitah
SYNONYMS
na--not; etat--this; bata--indeed; adhisa--O Lord; padam--material world; tava--Your; ipsitam--desire; yat--which; mayaya--by Your external energy; nah--for us; tanuse--You manifest; bhuta-suksmam--the elements, gross and subtle; anugrahaya--for bestowing mercy; astu--let it be; api--also; yarhi--when; mayaya--through Your causeless mercy; lasat--splendid; tulasya--with a wreath of tulasi leaves; bhagavan--the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vilaksitah--is perceived.
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, although it is not Your desire, You manifest this creation of gross and subtle elements just for our sensual satisfaction. Let Your causeless mercy be upon us, for You have appeared before us in Your eternal form, adorned with a splendid wreath of tulasi leaves.
PURPORT
It is clearly stated here that the material world is not created by the personal will of the Supreme Lord; it is created by His external energy because the living entities want to enjoy it. This material world is not created for those who do not want to enjoy sense gratification, who constantly remain in transcendental loving service and who are eternally Krsna conscious. For them, the spiritual world is eternally existing, and they enjoy there. Elsewhere in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that for those who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this material world is useless; because this material world is full of danger at every step, it is not meant for the devotees but for living entities who want to lord it over the material energy at their own risk. Krsna is so kind that He allows the sense-enjoying living entities a separate world created by Him to enjoy as they like, yet at the same time He appears in His personal form. The Lord unwillingly creates this material world, but He descends in His personal form or sends one of His reliable sons or a servant or a reliable author like Vyasadeva to give instruction. He Himself also instructs in His speeches of Bhagavad-gita. This propaganda work goes on side by side with the creation to convince the misguided living entities who are rotting in this material world to come back to Him and surrender unto Him. Therefore the last instruction of Bhagavad-gita is this: "Give up all your manufactured engagements in the material world and just surrender unto Me. I shall protect you from all sinful reactions."
TEXT 21
TEXT
tam tvanubhutyoparata-kriyartham
sva-mayaya vartita-loka-tantram
namamy abhiksnam namaniya-pada-
sarojam alpiyasi kama-varsam
SYNONYMS
tam--that; tva--You; anubhutya--by realizing; uparata--disregarded; kriya--enjoyment of fruitive activities; artham--in order that; sva-mayaya--by Your own energy; vartita--brought about; loka-tantram--the material worlds; namami--I offer obeisances; abhiksnam--continuously; namaniya--worshipable; pada-sarojam--lotus feet; alpiyasi--on the insignificant; kama--desires; varsam--showering.
TRANSLATION
I continuously offer my respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet, of which it is worthy to take shelter, because You shower all benedictions on the insignificant. To give all living entities detachment from fruitive activity by realizing You, You have expanded these material worlds by Your own energy.
PURPORT
Everyone, therefore, whether he desires material enjoyment, liberation or the transcendental loving service of the Lord, should engage himself, offering obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, because the Lord can award everyone his desired benediction. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord affirms, ye yatha mam prapadyante: anyone who desires to be a successful enjoyer in this material world is awarded that benediction by the Lord, anyone who wants to be liberated from the entanglement of this material world is given liberation by the Lord, and anyone who desires to constantly engage in His service in full Krsna consciousness is awarded that benediction by the Lord. For material enjoyment He has prescribed so many ritualistic sacrificial performances in the Vedas, and thus people may take advantage of those instructions and enjoy material life in higher planets or in a noble aristocratic family. These processes are mentioned in the Vedas, and one can take advantage of them. It is similar with those who want to be liberated from this material world.
Unless one is disgusted with the enjoyment of this material world, he cannot aspire for liberation. Liberation is for one who is disgusted with material enjoyment. Vedanta-sutra says, therefore, athato brahma-jijnasa: those who have given up the attempt to be happy in this material world can inquire about the Absolute Truth. For those who want to know the Absolute Truth, the Vedanta-sutra is available, as is Srimad-Bhagavatam, the actual explanation of Vedanta-sutra. Since Bhagavad-gita is also Vedanta-sutra, by understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vedanta-sutra or Bhagavad-gita one can obtain real knowledge. When one obtains real knowledge, he becomes theoretically one with the Supreme, and when he actually begins the service of Brahman, or Krsna consciousness, he is not only liberated but situated in his spiritual life. Similarly, for those who want to lord it over material nature, there are so many departments of material enjoyment; material knowledge and material science are available, and the Lord provides for persons who want to enjoy them. The conclusion is that one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for any benediction. The word kama-varsam is very significant, for it indicates that He satisfies the desires of anyone who approaches Him. But one who sincerely loves Krsna and yet wants material enjoyment is in perplexity. Krsna, being very kind toward him, gives him an opportunity to engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and so he gradually forgets the hallucination.
TEXT 22
TEXT
rsir uvaca
ity avyalikam pranuto 'bja-nabhas
tam ababhase vacasamrtena
suparna-paksopari rocamanah
prema-smitodviksana-vibhramad-bhruh
SYNONYMS
rsih uvaca--the great sage Maitreya said; iti--thus; avyalikam--sincerely; pranutah--having been praised; abja-nabhah--Lord Visnu; tam--to Kardama Muni; ababhase--replied; vacasa--with words; amrtena--as sweet as nectar; suparna--of Garuda; paksa--the shoulders; upari--upon; rocamanah--shining; prema--of affection; smita--with a smile; udviksana--looking; vibhramat--gracefully moving; bhruh--eyebrows.
TRANSLATION
Maitreya resumed: Sincerely extolled in these words, Lord Visnu, shining very beautifully on the shoulders of Garuda, replied with words as sweet as nectar. His eyebrows moved gracefully as He looked at the sage with a smile full of affection.
PURPORT
The word vacasamrtena is significant. Whenever the Lord speaks, He speaks from the transcendental world. He does not speak from the material world. Since He is transcendental, His speech is also transcendental, as is His activity; everything in relation to Him is transcendental. The word amrta refers to one who does not meet with death. The words and activities of the Lord are deathless; therefore they are not manufactured of this material world. The sound of this material world and that of the spiritual world are completely different. The sound of the spiritual world is nectarean and eternal, whereas the sound of the material world is hackneyed and subject to end. The sound of the holy name--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare--everlastingly increases the enthusiasm of the chanter. If one repeats monotonous material words, he will feel exhausted, but if he chants Hare Krsna twenty-four hours a day, he will never feel exhausted; rather, he will feel encouraged to continue chanting more and more. When the Lord replied to the sage Kardama, the word vacasamrtena is specifically mentioned, since He spoke from the transcendental world. He replied in transcendental words, and when He spoke His eyebrows moved with great affection. When a devotee praises the glories of the Lord, the Lord is very satisfied, and He bestows His transcendental benediction upon the devotee without reservation because He is always causelessly merciful toward His devotee.
TEXT 23
TEXT
sri-bhagavan uvaca
viditva tava caityam me
puraiva samayoji tat
yad-artham atma-niyamais
tvayaivaham samarcitah
SYNONYMS
sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Lord said; viditva--understanding; tava--your; caityam--mental condition; me--by Me; pura--previously; eva--certainly; samayoji--was arranged; tat--that; yat-artham--for the sake of which; atma--of the mind and senses; niyamaih--by discipline; tvaya--by you; eva--only; aham--I; samarcitah--have been worshiped.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Lord said: Having come to know what was in your mind, I have already arranged for that for which you have worshiped Me well through your mental and sensory discipline.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Paramatma feature is situated in everyone's heart. He knows, therefore, the past, present and future of every individual person as well as his desires, activities and everything about him. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that He is seated in the heart as a witness. The Personality of Godhead knew the heart's desire of Kardama Muni, and He had already arranged for the fulfillment of his desires. He never disappoints a sincere devotee, regardless of what he wants, but He never allows anything which will be detrimental to the individual's devotional service.
TEXT 24
TEXT
na vai jatu mrsaiva syat
prajadhyaksa mad-arhanam
bhavad-vidhesv atitaram
mayi sangrbhitatmanam
SYNONYMS
na--not; vai--indeed; jatu--ever; mrsa--useless; eva--only; syat--it may be; praja--of the living entities; adhyaksa--O leader; mat-arhanam--worship of Me; bhavat-vidhesu--unto persons like you; atitaram--entirely; mayi--on Me; sangrbhita--are fixed; atmanam--of those whose minds.
TRANSLATION
The Lord continued: My dear rsi, O leader of the living entities, for those who serve Me in devotion by worshiping Me, especially persons like you who have given up everything unto Me, there is never any question of frustration.
PURPORT
Even if he has some desires, one engaged in the service of the Lord is never frustrated. Those engaged in His service are called sakama and akama. Those who approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead with desires for material enjoyment are called sakama, and those devotees who have no material desires for sense gratification but serve the Supreme Lord out of spontaneous love for Him are called akama. Sakama devotees are divided into four classes--those in distress, those in need of money, the inquisitive and the wise. Someone worships the Supreme Lord because of bodily or mental distress, someone else worships the Supreme Lord because he is in need of money, someone else worships the Lord out of inquisitiveness to know Him as He is, and someone wants to know the Lord as a philosopher can know Him, by the research work of his wisdom. There is no frustration for any of these four classes of men; each is endowed with the desired result of his worship.
TEXT 25
TEXT
prajapati-sutah samran
manur vikhyata-mangalah
brahmavartam yo 'dhivasan
sasti saptarnavam mahim
SYNONYMS
prajapati-sutah--the son of Lord Brahma; samrat--the Emperor; manuh--Svayambhuva Manu; vikhyata--well known; mangalah--whose righteous acts; brahmavartam--Brahmavarta; yah--he who; adhivasan--living in; sasti--rules; sapta--seven; arnavam--oceans; mahim--the earth.
TRANSLATION
The Emperor Svayambhuva Manu, the son of Lord Brahma, who is well known for his righteous acts, has his seat in Brahmavarta and rules over the earth with its seven oceans.
PURPORT
Sometimes it is stated that Brahmavarta is a part of Kuruksetra or that Kuruksetra itself is situated in Brahmavarta, because the demigods are recommended to perform spiritual ritualistic performances in Kuruksetra. But in others' opinion, Brahmavarta is a place in Brahmaloka, where Svayambhuva ruled. There are many places on the surface of this earth which are also known in the higher planetary systems; we have places on this planet like Vrndavana, Dvaraka and Mathura, but they are also eternally situated in Krsnaloka. There are many similar names on the surface of the earth, and it may be that in the Boar age Svayambhuva Manu ruled this planet, as stated here. The word mangalah is significant. Mangala means one who is elevated in every respect in the opulences of religious performances, ruling power, cleanliness and all other good qualities. Vikhyata means "celebrated." Svayambhuva Manu was celebrated for all good qualities and opulences.
TEXT 26
TEXT
sa ceha vipra rajarsir
mahisya satarupaya
ayasyati didrksus tvam
parasvo dharma-kovidah
SYNONYMS
sah--Svayambhuva Manu; ca--and; iha--here; vipra--O holy brahmana; raja-rsih--the saintly king; mahisya--along with his queen; satarupaya--called Satarupa; ayasyati--will come; didrksuh--desiring to see; tvam--you; parasvah--the day after tomorrow; dharma--in religious activities; kovidah--expert.
TRANSLATION
The day after tomorrow, O brahmana, that celebrated emperor, who is expert in religious activities, will come here with his queen, Satarupa, wishing to see you.
TEXT 27
TEXT
atmajam asitapangim
vayah-sila-gunanvitam
mrgayantim patim dasyaty
anurupaya te prabho
SYNONYMS
atma-jam--his own daughter; asita--black; apangim--eyes; vayah--grown-up age; sila--with character; guna--with good qualities; anvitam--endowed; mrgayantim--searching for; patim--a husband; dasyati--he will give; anurupaya--who are suitable; te--unto you; prabho--My dear sir.
TRANSLATION
He has a grown-up daughter whose eyes are black. She is ready for marriage, and she has good character and all good qualities. She is also searching for a good husband. My dear sir, her parents will come to see you, who are exactly suitable for her, just to deliver their daughter as your wife.
PURPORT
The selection of a good husband for a good girl was always entrusted to the parents. Here it is clearly stated that Manu and his wife were coming to see Kardama Muni to offer their daughter because the daughter was well qualified and the parents were searching out a similarly qualified man. This is the duty of parents. Girls are never thrown into the public street to search out their husband, for when girls are grown up and are searching after a boy, they forget to consider whether the boy they select is actually suitable for them. Out of the urge of sex desire, a girl may accept anyone, but if the husband is chosen by the parents, they can consider who is to be selected and who is not. According to the Vedic system, therefore, the girl is given over to a suitable boy by the parents; she is never allowed to select her own husband independently.
TEXT 28
TEXT
samahitam te hrdayam
yatreman parivatsaran
sa tvam brahman nrpa-vadhuh
kamam asu bhajisyati
SYNONYMS
samahitam--has been fixed; te--your; hrdayam--heart; yatra--on whom; iman--for all these; parivatsaran--years; sa--she; tvam--you; brahman--O brahmana; nrpa-vadhuh--the princess; kamam--as you desire; asu--very soon; bhajisyati--will serve.
TRANSLATION
That princess, O holy sage, will be just the type you have been thinking of in your heart for all these long years. She will soon be yours and will serve you to your heart's content.
PURPORT
The Lord awards all benedictions according to the heart's desire of a devotee, so the Lord informed Kardama Muni, "The girl who is coming to be married with you is a princess, the daughter of Emperor Svayambhuva, and so just suitable for your purpose." Only by God's grace can one get a nice wife just as he desires. Similarly, it is only by God's grace that a girl gets a husband suitable to her heart. Thus it is said that if we pray to the Supreme Lord in every transaction of our material existence, everything will be done very nicely and just suitable to our heart's desire. In other words, in all circumstances we must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and depend completely on His decision. Man proposes, God disposes. The fulfillment of desires, therefore, should be entrusted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; that is the nicest solution. Kardama Muni desired only a wife, but because he was a devotee of the Lord, the Lord selected a wife for him who was the Emperor's daughter, a princess. Thus Kardama Muni got a wife beyond his expectation. If we depend on the choice of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we will receive benedictions in greater opulence than we desire.
It is also significantly noted here that Kardama Muni was a brahmana, whereas Emperor Svayambhuva was a ksatriya. Therefore, intercaste marriage was current even in those days. The system was that a brahmana could marry the daughter of a ksatriya, but a ksatriya could not marry the daughter of a brahmana. We have evidences from the history of the Vedic age that Sukracarya offered his daughter to Maharaja Yayati, but the King had to refuse to marry the daughter of a brahmana; only with the special permission of the brahmana could they marry. Intercaste marriage, therefore, was not prohibited in the olden days, many millions of years ago, but there was a regular system of social behavior.
TEXT 29
TEXT
ya ta atma-bhrtam viryam
navadha prasavisyati
virye tvadiye rsaya
adhasyanty anjasatmanah
SYNONYMS
ya--she; te--by you; atma-bhrtam--sown in her; viryam--the seed; nava-dha--nine daughters; prasavisyati--will bring forth; virye tvadiye--in the daughters begotten by you; rsayah--the sages; adhasyanti--will beget; anjasa--in total; atmanah--children.
TRANSLATION
She will bring forth nine daughters from the seed sown in her by you, and through the daughters you beget, the sages will duly beget children.
TEXT 30
TEXT
tvam ca samyag anusthaya
nidesam ma usattamah
mayi tirthi-krtasesa-
kriyartho mam prapatsyase
SYNONYMS
tvam--you; ca--and; samyak--properly; anusthaya--having carried out; nidesam--command; me--My; usattamah--completely cleansed; mayi--unto Me; tirthi-krta--having resigned; asesa--all; kriya--of actions; arthah--the fruits; mam--to Me; prapatsyase--you will attain.
TRANSLATION
With your heart cleansed by properly carrying out My command, resigning to Me the fruits of all your acts, you will finally attain to Me.
PURPORT
Here the words tirthi-krtasesa-kriyarthah are significant. Tirtha means a sanctified place where charity is given. People used to go to places of pilgrimage and give munificently in charity. This system is still current. Therefore the Lord said, "In order to sanctify your activities and the results of your actions, you will offer everything unto Me." This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita: "Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you sacrifice, the result should be given to Me only." In another place in Bhagavad-gita the Lord said, "I am the enjoyer of all sacrifices, all penances and everything done for the welfare of mankind or society." All activities, therefore, whether for the welfare of family, society, country or humanity at large, must be performed in Krsna consciousness. That is the instruction given by the Lord to Kardama Muni. Maharaja Yudhisthira welcomed Narada Muni: "Wherever you are present, that place becomes sanctified because the Lord Himself is always seated in your heart." Similarly, if we act in Krsna consciousness under the direction of the Lord and His representative, then everything is sanctified. This is the indication given to Kardama Muni, who acted on it and therefore received the most excellent wife and child, as will be disclosed in later verses.
TEXT 31
TEXT
krtva dayam ca jivesu
dattva cabhayam atmavan
mayy atmanam saha jagad
draksyasy atmani capi mam
SYNONYMS
krtva--having shown; dayam--compassion; ca--and; jivesu--toward living beings; dattva--having given; ca--and; abhayam--assurance of safety; atma-van--self-realized; mayi--in Me; atmanam--yourself; saha jagat--along with the universe; draksyasi--you will perceive; atmani--in yourself; ca--and; api--also; mam--Me.
TRANSLATION
Showing compassion to all living entities, you will attain self-realization. Giving assurance of safety to all, you will perceive your own self as well as all the universes in Me, and Myself in you.
PURPORT
The simple process of self-realization for every living entity is described here. The first principle to be understood is that this world is a product of the supreme will. There is an identity of this world with the Supreme Lord. This identity is accepted in a misconceived way by the impersonalists; they say that the Supreme Absolute Truth, transforming Himself into the universe, loses His separate existence. Thus they accept the world and everything in it to be the Lord. That is pantheism, wherein everything is considered to be the Lord. This is the view of the impersonalist. But those who are personal devotees of the Lord take everything to be the property of the Supreme Lord. Everything, whatever we see, is the manifestation of the Supreme Lord; therefore, everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. This is oneness. The difference between the impersonalist and the personalist is that the impersonalist does not accept the separate existence of the Lord, but the personalist accepts the Lord; he understands that although He distributes Himself in so many ways, He has His separate personal existence. This is described in Bhagavad-gita: "I am spread all over the universe in My impersonal form. Everything is resting on Me, but I am not present." There is a nice example regarding the sun and the sunshine. The sun, by its sunshine, is spread all over the universe, and all the planets rest on the sunshine. But all the planets are different from the sun planet; one cannot say that because the planets are resting on the sunshine, these planets are also the sun. Similarly, the impersonal or pantheistic view that everything is God is not a very intelligent proposal. The real position, as explained by the Lord Himself, is that although nothing can exist without Him, it is not a fact that everything is Him. He is different from everything. So here also the Lord says: "You will see everything in the world to be nondifferent from Me." This means that everything should be considered a product of the Lord's energy, and therefore everything should be employed in the service of the Lord. One's energy should be utilized for one's self-interest. That is the perfection of the energy.
This energy can be utilized for real self-interest if one is compassionate. A person in Krsna consciousness, a devotee of the Lord, is always compassionate. He is not satisfied that only he himself is a devotee, but he tries to distribute the knowledge of devotional service to everyone. There are many devotees of the Lord who faced many risks in distributing the devotional service of the Lord to people in general. That should be done.
It is also said that a person who goes to the temple of the Lord and worships with great devotion, but who does not show sympathy to people in general or show respect to other devotees, is considered to be a third-class devotee. The second-class devotee is he who is merciful and compassionate to the fallen soul. The second-class devotee is always cognizant of his position as an eternal servant of the Lord; he therefore makes friendships with devotees of the Lord, acts compassionately toward the general public in teaching them devotional service, and refuses to cooperate or associate with nondevotees. As long as one is not compassionate to people in general in his devotional service to the Lord, he is a third-class devotee. The first-class devotee gives assurance to every living being that there is no fear of this material existence: "Let us live in Krsna consciousness and conquer the nescience of material existence."
It is indicated here that Kardama Muni was directed by the Lord to be very compassionate and liberal in his householder life and to give assurance to the people in his renounced life. A sannyasi, one in the renounced order of life, is meant to give enlightenment to the people. He should travel, going from home to home to enlighten. The householder, by the spell of maya, becomes absorbed in family affairs and forgets his relationship with Krsna. If he dies in forgetfulness, like the cats and dogs, then his life is spoiled. It is the duty of a sannyasi, therefore, to go and awaken the forgetful souls with enlightenment of their eternal relationship with the Lord and to engage them in devotional service. The devotee should show mercy to the fallen souls and also give them the assurance of fearlessness. As soon as one becomes a devotee of the Lord, he is convinced that he is protected by the Lord. Fear itself is afraid of the Lord; therefore, what has he to do with fearfulness?
To award fearlessness to the common man is the greatest act of charity. A sannyasi, or one who is in the renounced order of life, should wander from door to door, from village to village, from town to town and from country to country, all over the world as far as he is able to travel, and enlighten the householders about Krsna consciousness. A person who is a householder but is initiated by a sannyasi has the duty to spread Krsna consciousness at home; as far as possible, he should call his friends and neighbors to his house and hold classes in Krsna consciousness. Holding a class means chanting the holy name of Krsna and speaking from Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam. There are immense literatures for spreading Krsna consciousness, and it is the duty of each and every householder to learn about Krsna from his sannyasi spiritual master. There is a division of labor in the Lord's service. The householder's duty is to earn money because a sannyasi is not supposed to earn money but is completely dependent on the householder. The householder should earn money by business or by profession and spend at least fifty percent of his income to spread Krsna consciousness; twenty-five percent he can spend for his family, and twenty-five percent he should save to meet emergencies. This example was shown by Rupa Gosvami, so devotees should follow it.
Actually, to be one with the Supreme Lord means to be one with the interest of the Lord. Becoming one with the Supreme Lord does not imply becoming as great as the Supreme Lord. It is impossible. The part is never equal to the whole. The living entity is always a minute part. Therefore his oneness with the Lord is that he is interested in the one interest of the Lord. The Lord wants every living entity to always think about Him, to be His devotee and always worship Him. This is clearly stated in Bhagavad-gita: man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. Krsna wants everyone always to think of Him. Everyone should always offer obeisances to Krsna. This is the will of the Supreme Lord, and devotees should try to fulfill His desire. Since the Lord is unlimited, His desire is also unlimited. There is no stoppage, and therefore the service of the devotee is also unlimited. In the transcendental world there is unlimited competition between the Lord and the servitor. The Lord wants to fulfill His desires unlimitedly, and the devotee also serves Him to fulfill His unlimited desires. There is an unlimited oneness of interest between the Lord and His devotee.
TEXT 32
TEXT
sahaham svamsa-kalaya
tvad-viryena maha-mune
tava ksetre devahutyam
pranesye tattva-samhitam
SYNONYMS
saha--with; aham--I; sva-amsa-kalaya--My own plenary portion; tvat-viryena--by your semen; maha-mune--O great sage; tava ksetre--in your wife; devahutyam--in Devahuti; pranesye--I shall instruct; tattva--of the ultimate principles; samhitam--the doctrine.
TRANSLATION
O great sage, I shall manifest My own plenary portion through your wife, Devahuti, along with your nine daughters, and I shall instruct her in the system of philosophy that deals with the ultimate principles or categories.
PURPORT
Herein the word svamsa-kalaya indicates that the Lord would appear as the son of Devahuti and Kardama Muni as Kapiladeva, the first propounder of the Sankhya philosophy, which is mentioned here as tattva-samhita. The Lord foretold to Kardama Muni that He would appear in His incarnation Kapiladeva and would propagate the philosophy of Sankhya. Sankhya philosophy is very well known in the world as propagated by another Kapiladeva, but that Sankhya philosophy is different from the Sankhya which was propounded by the Lord Himself. There are two kinds of Sankhya philosophy: one is godless Sankhya philosophy, and the other is godly Sankhya philosophy. The Sankhya propagated by Kapiladeva, son of Devahuti, is godly philosophy.
There are different manifestations of the Lord. He is one, but He has become many. He divides Himself into two different expansions, one called kala and the other vibhinnamsa. Ordinary living entities are called vibhinnamsa expansions, and the unlimited expansions of visnu-tattva, such as Vamana, Govinda, Narayana, Pradyumna, Vasudeva and Ananta, are called svamsa-kala. Svamsa refers to a direct expansion, and kala denotes an expansion from the expansion of the original Lord. Baladeva is an expansion of Krsna, and from Baladeva the next expansion is Sankarsana; thus Sankarsana is kala, but Baladeva is svamsa. There is no difference, however, among Them. This is very nicely explained in the Brahma-samhita (5.46): diparcir eva hi dasantaram abhyupetya. With one candle one may light a second candle, with the second a third and then a fourth, and in this way one can light up thousands of candles, and no candle is inferior to another in distributing light. Every candle has the full potential candlepower, but there is still the distinction that one candle is the first, another the second, another the third and another the fourth. Similarly, there is no difference between the immediate expansion of the Lord and His secondary expansion. The Lord's names are considered in exactly the same way; since the Lord is absolute, His name, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia and His quality all have the same potency. In the absolute world, the name Krsna is the transcendental sound representation of the Lord. There is no potential difference between His quality, name, form, etc. If we chant the name of the Lord, Hare Krsna, that has as much potency as the Lord Himself. There is no potential difference between the form of the Lord whom we worship and the form of the Lord in the temple. One should not think that one is worshiping a doll or statue of the Lord, even if others consider it to be a statue. Because there is not potential difference, one gets the same result by worshiping the statue of the Lord or the Lord Himself. This is the science of Krsna consciousness.
TEXT 33
TEXT
maitreya uvaca
evam tam anubhasyatha
bhagavan pratyag-aksajah
jagama bindusarasah
sarasvatya parisritat
SYNONYMS
maitreyah uvaca--the great sage Maitreya said; evam--thus; tam--to him; anubhasya--having spoken; atha--then; bhagavan--the Lord; pratyak--directly; aksa--by senses; jah--who is perceived; jagama--went away; bindu-sarasah--from Lake Bindu-sarovara; sarasvatya--by the River Sarasvati; parisritat--encircled.
TRANSLATION
Maitreya went on: Thus having spoken to Kardama Muni, the Lord, who reveals Himself only when the senses are in Krsna consciousness, departed from that lake called Bindu-sarovara, which was encircled by the River Sarasvati.
PURPORT
One word in this verse is very significant. The Lord is stated here to be pratyag-aksaja. He is imperceptible to material senses, but still He can be seen. This appears to be contradictory. We have material senses, but how can we see the Supreme Lord? He is called adhoksaja, which means that He cannot be seen by the material senses. Aksaja means "knowledge perceived by material senses." Because the Lord is not an object that can be understood by speculation with our material senses, He is also called ajita; He will conquer, but no one can conquer Him. What does it mean, then, that still He can be seen? It is explained that no one can hear the transcendental name of Krsna, no one can understand His transcendental form, and no one can assimilate His transcendental pastimes. It is not possible. Then how is it possible that He can be seen and understood? When one is trained in devotional service and renders service unto Him, gradually one's senses are purified of material contamination. When one's senses are thus purified, then one can see, one can understand, one can hear and so on. The purification of the material senses and perception of the transcendental form, name and quality of Krsna are combined together in one word, pratyag-aksaja, which is used here.
TEXT 34
TEXT
niriksatas tasya yayav asesa-
siddhesvarabhistuta-siddha-margah
akarnayan patra-rathendra-paksair
uccaritam stomam udirna-sama
SYNONYMS
niriksatah tasya--while he was looking on; yayau--He left; asesa--all; siddha-isvara--by liberated souls; abhistuta--is praised; siddha-margah--the way to the spiritual world; akarnayan--hearing; patra-ratha-indra--of Garuda (king of birds); paksaih--by the wings; uccaritam--vibrated; stomam--hymns; udirna-sama--forming the Sama Veda.
TRANSLATION
While the sage stood looking on, the Lord left by the pathway leading to Vaikuntha, a path extolled by all great liberated souls. The sage stood listening as the hymns forming the basis of the Sama Veda were vibrated by the flapping wings of the Lord's carrier, Garuda.
PURPORT
In the Vedic literature it is stated that the two wings of the transcendental bird Garuda, who carries the Lord everywhere, are two divisions of the Sama Veda known as brhat and rathantara. Garuda works as the carrier of the Lord; therefore he is considered the transcendental prince of all carriers. With his two wings Garuda began to vibrate the Sama Veda, which is chanted by great sages to pacify the Lord. The Lord is worshiped by Brahma, by Lord Siva, by Garuda and other demigods with selected poems, and great sages worship Him with the hymns of Vedic literatures, such as the Upanisads and Sama Veda. These Sama Veda utterances are automatically heard by the devotee when another great devotee of the Lord, Garuda, flaps his wings.
It is clearly stated here that the sage Kardama began to look to the path by which the Lord was being carried to Vaikuntha. It is thus confirmed that the Lord descends from His abode, Vaikuntha, in the spiritual sky, and is carried by Garuda. The path which leads to Vaikuntha is not worshiped by the ordinary class of transcendentalists. Only those who are already liberated from material bondage can become devotees of the Lord. Those who are not liberated from material bondage cannot understand transcendental devotional service. In Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated, yatatam api siddhanam. There are many persons who are trying to attain perfection by striving for liberation from material bondage, and those who are actually liberated are called brahma-bhuta or siddha. Only the siddhas, or persons liberated from material bondage, can become devotees. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita: anyone who is engaged in Krsna consciousness, or devotional service, is already liberated from the influence of the modes of material nature. Here it is also confirmed that the path of devotional service is worshiped by liberated persons, not the conditioned souls. The conditioned soul cannot understand the devotional service of the Lord. Kardama Muni was a liberated soul who saw the Supreme Lord in person, face to face. There was no doubt that he was liberated, and thus he could see Garuda carrying the Lord on the way to Vaikuntha and hear the flapping of his wings vibrating the sound of Hare Krsna, the essence of the Sama Veda.
TEXT 35
TEXT
atha samprasthite sukle
kardamo bhagavan rsih
aste sma bindusarasi
tam kalam pratipalayan
SYNONYMS
atha--then; samprasthite sukle--when the Lord had gone; kardamah--Kardama Muni; bhagavan--the greatly powerful; rsih--sage; aste sma--stayed; bindu-sarasi--on the bank of Lake Bindu-sarovara; tam--that; kalam--time; pratipalayan--awaiting.
TRANSLATION
Then, after the departure of the Lord, the worshipful sage Kardama stayed on the bank of Bindu-sarovara, awaiting the time of which the Lord had spoken.
TEXT 36
TEXT
manuh syandanam asthaya
satakaumbha-paricchadam
aropya svam duhitaram
sa-bharyah paryatan mahim
SYNONYMS
manuh--Svayambhuva Manu; syandanam--the chariot; asthaya--having mounted; satakaumbha--made of gold; paricchadam--the outer cover; aropya--putting on; svam--his own; duhitaram--daughter; sa-bharyah--along with his wife; paryatan--traveling all over; mahim--the globe.
TRANSLATION
Svayambhuva Manu, with his wife, mounted his chariot, which was decorated with golden ornaments. Placing his daughter on it with them, he began traveling all over the earth.
PURPORT
The Emperor Manu, as the great ruler of the world, could have engaged an agent to find a suitable husband for his daughter, but because he loved her just as a father should, he himself left his state on a golden chariot, with only his wife, to find her a suitable husband.
TEXT 37
TEXT
tasmin sudhanvann ahani
bhagavan yat samadisat
upayad asrama-padam
muneh santa-vratasya tat
SYNONYMS
tasmin--on that; su-dhanvan--O great bowman Vidura; ahani--on the day; bhagavan--the Lord; yat--which; samadisat--foretold; upayat--he reached; asrama-padam--the holy hermitage; muneh--of the sage; santa--completed; vratasya--whose vows of austerity; tat--that.
TRANSLATION
O Vidura, they reached the hermitage of the sage, who had just completed his vows of austerity on the very day foretold by the Lord.
TEXTS 38-39
TEXT
yasmin bhagavato netran
nyapatann asru-bindavah
krpaya samparitasya
prapanne 'rpitaya bhrsam
tad vai bindusaro nama
sarasvatya pariplutam
punyam sivamrta-jalam
maharsi-gana-sevitam
SYNONYMS
yasmin--in which; bhagavatah--of the Lord; netrat--from the eye; nyapatan--fell down; asru-bindavah--teardrops; krpaya--by compassion; samparitasya--who was overwhelmed; prapanne--on the surrendered soul (Kardama); arpitaya--placed upon; bhrsam--extremely; tat--that; vai--indeed; bindu-sarah--lake of tears; nama--called; sarasvatya--by the River Sarasvati; pariplutam--overflowed; punyam--holy; siva--auspicious; amrta--nectar; jalam--water; maha-rsi--of great sages; gana--by hosts; sevitam--served.
TRANSLATION
The holy Lake Bindu-sarovara, flooded by the waters of the River Sarasvati, was resorted to by hosts of eminent sages. Its holy water was not only auspicious but as sweet as nectar. It was called Bindu-sarovara because drops of tears had fallen there from the eyes of the Lord, who was overwhelmed by extreme compassion for the sage who had sought His protection.
PURPORT
Kardama underwent austerities to gain the causeless mercy of the Lord, and when the Lord arrived there He was so compassionate that in pleasure He shed tears, which became Bindu-sarovara. Bindu-sarovara, therefore, is worshiped by great sages and learned scholars because, according to the philosophy of the Absolute Truth, the Lord and the tears from His eyes are not different. Just as drops of perspiration which fell from the toe of the Lord became the sacred Ganges, so teardrops from the transcendental eyes of the Lord became Bindu-sarovara. Both are transcendental entities and are worshiped by great sages and scholars. The water of Bindu-sarovara is described here as sivamrta jala. Siva means "curing." Anyone who drinks the water of Bindu-sarovara is cured of all material diseases; similarly, anyone who takes his bath in the Ganges also is relieved of all material diseases. These claims are accepted by great scholars and authorities and are still being acted upon even in this fallen age of Kali.
TEXT 40
TEXT
punya-druma-lata-jalaih
kujat-punya-mrga-dvijaih
sarvartu-phala-puspadhyam
vana-raji-sriyanvitam
SYNONYMS
punya--pious; druma--of trees; lata--of creepers; jalaih--with clusters; kujat--uttering cries; punya--pious; mrga--animals; dvijaih--with birds; sarva--in all; rtu--seasons; phala--in fruits; puspa--in flowers; adhyam--rich; vana-raji--of groves of trees; sriya--by the beauty; anvitam--adorned.
TRANSLATION
The shore of the lake was surrounded by clusters of pious trees and creepers, rich in fruits and flowers of all seasons, that afforded shelter to pious animals and birds, which uttered various cries. It was adorned by the beauty of groves of forest trees.
PURPORT
It is stated here that Bindu-sarovara was surrounded by pious trees and birds. As there are different classes of men in human society, some pious and virtuous and some impious and sinful, so also among trees and birds there are the pious and the impious. Trees which do not bear nice fruit or flowers are considered impious, and birds which are very nasty, such as crows, are considered impious. In the land surrounding Bindu-sarovara there was not a single impious bird or tree. Every tree bore fruits and flowers, and every bird sang the glories of the Lord--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
TEXT 41
TEXT
matta-dvija-ganair ghustam
matta-bhramara-vibhramam
matta-barhi-natatopam
ahvayan-matta-kokilam
SYNONYMS
matta--overjoyed; dvija--of birds; ganaih--by flocks; ghustam--resounded; matta--intoxicated; bhramara--of bees; vibhramam--wandering; matta--maddened; barhi--of peacocks; nata--of dancers; atopam--pride; ahvayat--calling one another; matta--merry; kokilam--cuckoos.
TRANSLATION
The area resounded with the notes of overjoyed birds. Intoxicated bees wandered there, intoxicated peacocks proudly danced, and merry cuckoos called one another.
PURPORT
The beauty of the pleasant sounds heard in the area surrounding Lake Bindu-sarovara is described here. After drinking honey, the black bees became maddened, and they hummed in intoxication. Merry peacocks danced just like actors and actresses, and merry cuckoos called their mates very nicely.
TEXTS 42-43
TEXT
kadamba-campakasoka-
karanja-bakulasanaih
kunda-mandara-kutajais
cuta-potair alankrtam
karandavaih plavair hamsaih
kurarair jala-kukkutaih
sarasais cakravakais ca
cakorair valgu kujitam
SYNONYMS
kadamba--kadamba flowers; campaka--campaka flowers; asoka--asoka flowers; karanja--karanja flowers; bakula--bakula flowers; asanaih--by asana trees; kunda--kunda; mandara--mandara; kutajaih--and by kutaja trees; cuta-potaih--by young mango trees; alankrtam--adorned; karandavaih--by karandava ducks; plavaih--by plavas; hamsaih--by swans; kuraraih--by ospreys; jala-kukkutaih--by waterfowl; sarasaih--by cranes; cakravakaih--by cakravaka birds; ca--and; cakoraih--by cakora birds; valgu--pleasing; kujitam--vibration of birds' sounds.
TRANSLATION
Lake Bindu-sarovara was adorned by flowering trees such as kadamba, campaka, asoka, karanja, bakula, asana, kunda, mandara, kutaja and young mango trees. The air was filled with the pleasing notes of karandava ducks, plavas, swans, ospreys, waterfowl, cranes, cakravakas and cakoras.
PURPORT
For most of the trees, flowers, fruits and birds mentioned here as surrounding Bindu-sarovara Lake, English synonyms cannot be found. All the trees mentioned are very pious in that they produce a nice aromatic flower, such as the campaka, kadamba and bakula. The sweet sounds of waterfowl and cranes made the surrounding area as pleasant as possible and created a very suitable spiritual atmosphere.
TEXT 44
TEXT
tathaiva harinaih krodaih
svavid-gavaya-kunjaraih
gopucchair haribhir markair
nakulair nabhibhir vrtam
SYNONYMS
tatha eva--likewise; harinaih--by deer; krodaih--by boars; svavit--porcupines; gavaya--a wild animal closely resembling the cow; kunjaraih--by elephants; gopucchaih--by baboons; haribhih--by lions; markaih--by monkeys; nakulaih--by mongooses; nabhibhih--by musk deer; vrtam--surrounded.
TRANSLATION
Its shores abounded with deer, boars, porcupines, gavayas, elephants, baboons, lions, monkeys, mongooses and musk deer.
PURPORT
Musk deer are not found in every forest, but only in places like Bindu-sarovara. They are always intoxicated by the aroma of musk secreted from their navels. Gavayas, the species of cow mentioned herein, bear a bunch of hair at the end of their tails. This bunch of hair is used in temple worship to fan the Deities. Gavayas are sometimes called camaris, and they are considered very sacred. In India there are still gypsies or forest mercantile people who flourish by trading kasturi, or musk, and the bunches of hair from the camaris. These are always in great demand for the higher classes of Hindu population, and such business still goes on in large cities and villages in India.
TEXTS 45-47
TEXT
pravisya tat tirtha-varam
adi-rajah sahatmajah
dadarsa munim asinam
tasmin huta-hutasanam
vidyotamanam vapusa
tapasy ugra-yuja ciram
natiksamam bhagavatah
snigdhapangavalokanat
tad-vyahrtamrta-kala-
piyusa-sravanena ca
pramsum padma-palasaksam
jatilam cira-vasasam
upasamsritya malinam
yatharhanam asamskrtam
SYNONYMS
pravisya--entering; tat--that; tirtha-varam--best of sacred places; adi-rajah--the first monarch (Svayambhuva Manu); saha-atmajah--along with his daughter; dadarsa--saw; munim--the sage; asinam--sitting; tasmin--in the hermitage; huta--being offered oblations; huta-asanam--the sacred fire; vidyotamanam--shining brilliantly; vapusa--by his body; tapasi--in penance; ugra--terribly; yuja--engaged in yoga; ciram--for a long time; na--not; atiksamam--very emaciated; bhagavatah--of the Lord; snigdha--affectionate; apanga--sidelong; avalokanat--from the glance; tat--of Him; vyahrta--from the words; amrta-kala--moonlike; piyusa--the nectar; sravanena--by hearing; ca--and; pramsum--tall; padma--lotus flower; palasa--petal; aksam--eyes; jatilam--matted locks; cira-vasasam--having rags for clothes; upasamsritya--having approached; malinam--soiled; yatha--like; arhanam--gem; asamskrtam--unpolished.
TRANSLATION
Entering that most sacred spot with his daughter and going near the sage, the first monarch, Svayambhuva Manu, saw the sage sitting in his hermitage, having just propitiated the sacred fire by pouring oblations into it. His body shone most brilliantly; though he had engaged in austere penance for a long time, he was not emaciated, for the Lord had cast His affectionate sidelong glance upon him and he had also heard the nectar flowing from the moonlike words of the Lord. The sage was tall, his eyes were large, like the petals of a lotus, and he had matted locks on his head. He was clad in rags. Svayambhuva Manu approached and saw him to be somewhat soiled, like an unpolished gem.
PURPORT
Here are some descriptions of a brahmacari-yogi. In the morning, the first duty of a brahmacari seeking spiritual elevation is huta-hutasana, to offer sacrificial oblations to the Supreme Lord. Those engaged in brahmacarya cannot sleep until seven or nine o'clock in the morning. They must rise early in the morning, at least one and a half hours before the sun rises, and offer oblations, or in this age, they must chant the holy name of the Lord, Hare Krsna. As referred to by Lord Caitanya, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha: there is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative, in this age, to chanting the holy name of the Lord. The brahmacari must rise early in the morning and, after placing himself, should chant the holy name of the Lord. From the very features of the sage, it appeared that he had undergone great austerities; that is the sign of one observing brahmacarya, the vow of celibacy. If one lives otherwise, it will be manifest in the lust visible in his face and body. The word vidyotamanam indicates that the brahmacari feature showed in his body. That is the certificate that one has undergone great austerity in yoga. A drunkard or smoker or sex-monger can never be eligible to practice yoga. Generally yogis look very skinny because of their not being comfortably situated, but Kardama Muni was not emaciated, for he had seen the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. Here the word snigdhapangavalokanat means that he was fortunate enough to see the Supreme Lord face to face. He looked healthy because he had directly received the nectarean sound vibrations from the lotus lips of the Personality of Godhead. Similarly, one who hears the transcendental sound vibration of the holy name of the Lord, Hare Krsna, also improves in health. We have actually seen that many brahmacaris and grhasthas connected with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness have improved in health, and a luster has come to their faces. It is essential that a brahmacari engaged in spiritual advancement look very healthy and lustrous. The comparison of the sage to an unpolished gem is very appropriate. Even if a gem just taken from a mine looks unpolished, the luster of the gem cannot be stopped. Similarly, although Kardama was not properly dressed and his body was not properly cleansed, his overall appearance was gemlike.
TEXT 48
TEXT
athotajam upayatam
nrdevam pranatam purah
saparyaya paryagrhnat
pratinandyanurupaya
SYNONYMS
atha--then; utajam--the hermitage; upayatam--approached; nrdevam--the monarch; pranatam--bowed down; purah--in front; saparyaya--with honor; paryagrhnat--received him; pratinandya--greeting him; anurupaya--befitting the King's position.
TRANSLATION
Seeing that the monarch had come to his hermitage and was bowing before him, the sage greeted him with benediction and received him with due honor.
PURPORT
Emperor Svayambhuva Manu not only approached the cottage of dried leaves possessed by the hermit Kardama but also offered respectful obeisances unto him. Similarly, it was the duty of the hermit to offer blessings to kings who used to approach his hermitage in the jungle.
TEXT 49
TEXT
grhitarhanam asinam
samyatam prinayan munih
smaran bhagavad-adesam
ity aha slaksnaya gira
SYNONYMS
grhita--received; arhanam--honor; asinam--seated; samyatam--remained silent; prinayan--delighting; munih--the sage; smaran--remembering; bhagavat--of the Lord; adesam--the order; iti--thus; aha--spoke; slaksnaya--sweet; gira--with a voice.
TRANSLATION
After receiving the sage's attention, the King sat down and was silent. Recalling the instructions of the Lord, Kardama then spoke to the King as follows, delighting him with his sweet accents.
TEXT 50
TEXT
nunam cankramanam deva
satam samraksanaya te
vadhaya casatam yas tvam
hareh saktir hi palini
SYNONYMS
nunam--surely; cankramanam--the tour; deva--O lord; satam--of the virtuous; samraksanaya--for the protection; te--your; vadhaya--for killing; ca--and; asatam--of the demons; yah--the person who; tvam--you; hareh--of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; saktih--the energy; hi--since; palini--protecting.
TRANSLATION
The tour you have undertaken, O lord, is surely intended to protect the virtuous and kill the demons, since you embody the protecting energy of Sri Hari.
PURPORT
It appears from many Vedic literatures, especially histories like Srimad-Bhagavatam and the puranas, that the pious kings of old used to tour their kingdoms in order to give protection to the pious citizens and to chastise or kill the impious. Sometimes they used to kill animals in the forests to practice the killing art because without such practice they would not be able to kill the undesirable elements. Ksatriyas are allowed to commit violence in that way because violence for a good purpose is a part of their duty. Here two terms are clearly mentioned: vadhaya, "for the purpose of killing," and asatam, "those who are undesirable." The protecting energy of the king is supposed to be the energy of the Supreme Lord. In Bhagavad-gita (4.8) the Lord says, paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. The Lord descends to give protection to the pious and to kill the demons. The potency, therefore, to give protection to the pious and kill the demons or undesirables is directly an energy from the Supreme Lord, and the king or the chief executive of the state is supposed to possess such energy. In this age it is very difficult to find such a head of state who is expert in killing the undesirables. Modern heads of state sit very nicely in their palaces and try without reason to kill innocent persons.
TEXT 51
TEXT
yo 'rkendv-agnindra-vayunam
yama-dharma-pracetasam
rupani sthana adhatse
tasmai suklaya te namah
SYNONYMS
yah--you who; arka--of the sun; indu--of the moon; agni--of Agni, the fire-god; indra--of Indra, the lord of heaven; vayunam--of Vayu, the wind-god; yama--of Yama, the god of punishment; dharma--of Dharma, the god of piety; pracetasam--and of Varuna, the god of the waters; rupani--the forms; sthane--when necessary; adhatse--you assume; tasmai--unto Him; suklaya--unto Lord Visnu; te--unto you; namah--obeisances.
TRANSLATION
You assume, when necessary, the part of the sun-god; the moon-god; Agni, the god of fire; Indra, the lord of paradise; Vayu, the wind-god; Yama, the god of punishment; Dharma, the god of piety; and Varuna, the god presiding over the waters. All obeisances to you, who are none other than Lord Visnu!
PURPORT
Since the sage Kardama was a brahmana and Svayambhuva was a ksatriya, the sage was not supposed to offer obeisances to the King because socially his position was greater than the King's. But he offered his obeisances to Svayambhuva Manu because as Manu, king and emperor, he was the representative of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is always worshipable, regardless of whether one is a brahmana, a ksatriya or a sudra. As the representative of the Supreme Lord, the King deserved respectful obeisances from everyone.
TEXTS 52-54
TEXT
na yada ratham asthaya
jaitram mani-ganarpitam
visphurjac-canda-kodando
rathena trasayann aghan
sva-sainya-carana-ksunnam
vepayan mandalam bhuvah
vikarsan brhatim senam
paryatasy amsuman iva
tadaiva setavah sarve
varnasrama-nibandhanah
bhagavad-racita rajan
bhidyeran bata dasyubhih
SYNONYMS
na--not; yada--when; ratham--the chariot; asthaya--having mounted; jaitram--victorious; mani--of jewels; gana--with clusters; arpitam--bedecked; visphurjat--twanging; canda--a fearful sound just to punish the criminals; kodandah--bow; rathena--by the presence of such a chariot; trasayan--threatening; aghan--all the culprits; sva-sainya--of your soldiers; carana--by the feet; ksunnam--trampled; vepayan--causing to tremble; mandalam--the globe; bhuvah--of the earth; vikarsan--leading; brhatim--huge; senam--army; paryatasi--you roam about; amsuman--the brilliant sun; iva--like; tada--then; eva--certainly; setavah--religious codes; sarve--all; varna--of varnas; asrama--of asramas; nibandhanah--obligations; bhagavat--by the Lord; racitah--created; rajan--O King; bhidyeran--they would be broken; bata--alas; dasyubhih--by rogues.
TRANSLATION
If you did not mount your victorious jeweled chariot, whose mere presence threatens culprits, if you did not produce fierce sounds by the twanging of your bow, and if you did not roam about the world like the brilliant sun, leading a huge army whose trampling feet cause the globe of the earth to tremble, then all the moral laws governing the varnas and asramas created by the Lord Himself would be broken by the rogues and rascals.
PURPORT
It is the duty of a responsible king to protect the social and spiritual orders in human society. The spiritual orders are divided into four asramas--brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa--and the social orders, according to work and qualification, are made up of the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras. These social orders, according to the different grades of work and qualification, are described in Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately, for want of proper protection by responsible kings, the system of social and spiritual orders has now become a hereditary caste system. But this is not the actual system. Human society means that society which is making progress toward spiritual realization. The most advanced human society was known as arya; arya refers to those who are advancing. So the question is, "Which society is advancing?" Advancement does not mean creating material "necessities" unnecessarily and thus wasting human energy in aggravation over so-called material comforts. Real advancement is advancement toward spiritual realization, and the community which acted toward this end was known as the Aryan civilization. The intelligent men, the brahmanas, as exemplified by Kardama Muni, were engaged in advancing the spiritual cause, and ksatriyas like Emperor Svayambhuva used to rule the country and insure that all facilities for spiritual realization were nicely provided. It is the duty of the king to travel all over the country and see that everything is in order. Indian civilization on the basis of the four varnas and asramas deteriorated because of her dependency on foreigners, or those who did not follow the civilization of varnasrama. Thus the varnasrama system has now been degraded into the caste system.
The institution of four varnas and four asramas is confirmed herewith to be bhagavad-racita, which means "designed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead." In Bhagavad-gita this is also confirmed: catur-varnyam maya srstam. The Lord says that the institution of four varnas and four asramas "is created by Me." Anything created by the Lord cannot be closed or covered. The divisions of varnas and asramas will continue to exist, either in their original form or in degraded form, but because they are created by the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they cannot be extinguished. They are like the sun, a creation of God, and therefore will remain. Either covered by clouds or in a clear sky, the sun will continue to exist. Similarly, when the varnasrama system becomes degraded, it appears as a hereditary caste system, but in every society there is an intelligent class of men, a martial class, a mercantile class and a laborer class. When they are regulated for cooperation among communities according to the Vedic principles, then there is peace and spiritual advancement. But when there is hatred and malpractice and mutual mistrust in the caste system, the whole system becomes degraded, and as stated herein, it creates a deplorable state. At the present moment, the entire world is in this deplorable condition because of giving rights to so many interests. This is due to the degradation of the four castes of varnas and asramas.
TEXT 55
TEXT
adharmas ca samedheta
lolupair vyankusair nrbhih
sayane tvayi loko 'yam
dasyu-grasto vinanksyati
SYNONYMS
adharmah--unrighteousness; ca--and; samedheta--would flourish; lolupaih--simply hankering after money; vyankusaih--uncontrolled; nrbhih--by men; sayane tvayi--when you lie down for rest; lokah--world; ayam--this; dasyu--by the miscreants; grastah--attacked; vinanksyati--it will perish.
TRANSLATION
If you gave up all thought of the world's situation, unrighteousness would flourish, for men who hanker only after money would be unopposed. Such miscreants would attack, and the world would perish.
PURPORT
Because the scientific division of four varnas and four asramas is now being extinguished, the entire world is being governed by unwanted men who have no training in religion, politics or social order, and it is in a very deplorable condition. In the institution of four varnas and four asramas there are regular training principles for the different classes of men. Just as, in the modern age, there is a necessity for engineers, medical practitioners and electricians, and they are properly trained in different scientific institutions, similarly, in former times, the higher social orders, namely the intelligent class (the brahmanas), the ruling class (the ksatriyas) and the mercantile class (the vaisyas), were properly trained. Bhagavad-gita describes the duties of the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras. When there is no such training, one simply claims that because he is born in a brahmana or ksatriya family, he is therefore a brahmana or a ksatriya, even though he performs the duties of a sudra. Such undue claims to being a higher-caste man make the system of scientific social orders into a caste system, completely degrading the original system. Thus society is now in chaos, and there is neither peace nor prosperity. It is clearly stated herein that unless there is the vigilance of a strong king, impious, unqualified men will claim a certain status in society, and that will make the social order perish.
TEXT 56
TEXT
athapi prcche tvam vira
yad-artham tvam ihagatah
tad vayam nirvyalikena
pratipadyamahe hrda
SYNONYMS
atha api--in spite of all this; prcche--I ask; tvam--you; vira--O valiant King; yat-artham--the purpose; tvam--you; iha--here; agatah--have come; tat--that; vayam--we; nirvyalikena--without reservation; pratipadyamahe--we shall carry out; hrda--with heart and soul.
TRANSLATION
In spite of all this, I ask you, O valiant King, the purpose for which you have come here. Whatever it may be, we shall carry it out without reservation.
PURPORT
When a guest comes to a friend's house, it is understood that there is some special purpose. Kardama Muni could understand that such a great king as Svayambhuva, although traveling to inspect the condition of his kingdom, must have had some special purpose to come to his hermitage. Thus he prepared himself to fulfill the King's desire. Formerly it was customary that the sages used to go to the kings and the kings used to visit the sages in their hermitages; each was glad to fulfill the other's purpose. This reciprocal relationship is called bhakti-karya. There is a nice verse describing the relationship of mutual beneficial interest between the brahmana and the ksatriya (ksatram dvijatvam). Ksatram means "the royal order," and dvijatvam means "the brahminical order." The two were meant for mutual interest. The royal order would give protection to the brahmanas for the cultivation of spiritual advancement in society, and the brahmanas would give their valuable instruction to the royal order on how the state and the citizens can gradually be elevated in spiritual perfection.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled "Conversation Between Manu and Kardama."