brihad bhagavatamrita 1

8/14/2019 Brihad Bhagavatamrita 1

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B hauma:O n the E arth


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TEXT1JaYaiTa iNaJaPadaBJaPa[eMadaNaavTaqaGavi-XaaaaUTaSYa cETaNYadeve TaiTPa[Ya


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BHAUMA:On the EARTH / 31

bhagavad-bhakti-strm aya srasya sagraha

anubhtasya caitanya- deve tat-priya-rpata

bhagavat -bhakti -strm of the scriptures teaching devo-tional service rendered to the Supreme Lord; ayam this;srasya of the essence; sagraha the collection;anubhtasya which (essence) was realized; caitanya -deve under

the auspices of Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu;tat His; priya from the dear devotee; rpata r Rpa.

This book collects the essence of the scriptures teachingdevotional service rendered to the Supreme Lord. Theseessential teachings I have personally realized under theshelter of Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu. I received them from His dear devotee r Rpa.

COMMENTARY: Having praised Lord r Ka, His best devotees,His personal abode, and His devotional service, rla SantanaGosvm now introduces the theme of his book. r Bhad- bhgavatmta is not speculative ction or fantasy. It is authori-tative because it distills from the Vedic literature the essentialteachings that describe the pure science of rendering loving

service to the Supreme Person. r Bhad-bhgavatmta some-times quotes scriptural texts directly, sometimes interweavesselected phrases and words, and sometimes paraphrases toexpress scriptural ideas.

The author, rla Santana Gosvm, an unalloyed devotee with no material motives, has fully realized the science of prema-bhakti. He has expertly molded the presentation in ele-gant poetry, transparently, without superuous impositions of his own. In trying to translate and explain this great work inEnglish, and in trying to understand it properly, we can only pray to rla Santana Gosvm for the spiritual strength to carry out in good faith our respective responsibilities as translatorand as readers.


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How has rla Santana been able to collect the gist of many devotional scriptures under one title? For years he diligently en-gaged his mind in studying many scriptures and engaged hisheart in devotional meditation. He conducted this outward andinward research under the compassionate guidance and protec-tion of the Lord of consciousness (caitanya-deva ), Kas ex-pansion as the Supersoul, r Vsudeva. rla Santana Gosvmimbibed the full mercy of Lord Vsudeva by meditating uponHim and actively serving Him in His transcendental activities as

the Supreme Person, r Ka, Nanda-nandana, who enjoysplaying His ute and whose charming body bends in threeplaces. By the causeless mercy of r Ka, one can successfully x ones attention on Him and with higher vision see for oneself the purports of all revealed knowledge.

An alternative and more condential understanding of caitanya-deve and tat-priya-rpata is that Lord Ka is nowconducting His sakrtana mission as the son of acdev. Oneobtains His complete mercy by meditating intensely on His all-attractive golden form ( priya-rpa ), which is dressed in the saf-fron of a sannys. Or tat-priya-rpata may refer to r RpaGosvm, the very dear servant of Lord Caitanya and devotionalco-worker of r Santana. Although r Rpa considered his el-der brother, Santana, his spiritual master, here rla Santanacredits Rpa with helping him nd his way on the path of prema-

bhakti. One can ascertain the essence of spiritual truth only by the kind mercy of the Supreme Lord and His pure devotees.

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vantu may they hear; vaiav the Vaiavas;stram scripture; idam this; bhgavata-amtam r Bhgava- tmta; su -gopyam most condential; prha spoke; yat

which; prem with love; jaimini Jaimini i; janameja- yam to King Janamejaya.

May the Vaiavas kindly hear this condential scripture,r Bhgavatmta. Jaimini i spoke it to King Janamejaya in the enthusiasm of pure love.

COMMENTARY: Unlike books of ction, this book carries the au-thority of revealed scripture. Its purpose is not to entertain thereaders or edify them with some pious ethical message, but toteach the highest principles of spiritual life and to help those

who faithfully read it enter the path to absolute perfection. Thename Bhgavatmta is appropriate because this book consistsof the most relishable essence (amta ) of revealed texts concern-ing devotion to the Supreme Lord (bhagavn ). Gradually weshall see more clearly how appropriate this name is.

r Santana Gosvm says that only the Vaiavas, devoteesof God, should read this book, because others will misunderstandit. He says this out of compassion for the nondevotees. Becausepersons who have no taste for the personal service of Lord Viuhave impure hearts, most likely they will disbelieve what is spo-

ken here and react offensively. Furthermore, although the termvaiava technically refers to anyone initiated into the worship of the Supreme Lord, in its present context the word vaiava refersto a more restricted group the devotees who know the taste of devotional reciprocations and are eager to enjoy the nectar foundat the lotus feet of r Ka, the darling son of Nanda Mahrja.

The standard denition of vaiava is given in the Padma Pura (Svarga-khaa . ):

sga sa-mudra sa-nysa sa-i-cchanda-daivatam

sa-dk-vidhi sa-dhyna sa-yantra dvdakaram


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akaram athnya v ye mantra samupsate

jeys te vaiav lok viv-arcana-rat sad

Vaiavas should be understood to be those who regularly wor-ship Lord Viu and chant either the twelve-syllableviu-mantra, the eight-syllablemantra, or some other mantra of His. They should have properly received the mantra through initiation and,

along with the mantra , should have been instructed in the sec-ondary rituals and the hand gestures and bodily markings pertain-ing to the mantra. Such Vaiavas should know about the meterin which the mantra is recited, the sage who transmitted the mantra, the Deity the mantra worships, the method of preliminary meditation on the mantra, and the symbol by which the mantra is

visually represented. In general we may accept any initiated wor-shiper of Viu as a Vaiava, or even more liberally any mono-theist, but we can expect only the pure devotees of r Nanda-kiora to relish much pleasure in readingBhad-bhgavatmta.

May the Vaiavas kindly hear: Although rla Santana isclose to the Vaiavas, always engaged in their intimate service,he addresses them in this formal, somewhat distant languagebecause he has great respect for the Lords servants and consid-ers himself unworthy to approach them.

The condential message of the rst part of this book will beconveyed through an ancient conversation between two exalted Vaiavas Jaimini i and King Janamejaya. In theBhagavad- gt ( . ) Lord Ka afrms the sage Jaiminis reputation as agreat devotee. Vedn sma-vedo smi: Among the Vedas Iam the Sma Veda. Jaimini became the rst teacher of this bestof the four Vedas under the authority of rla Veda-vysa. Thismeans that Vysadeva recognized him as an expert knower of the purport of the Sma Veda, which centers on devotional ser-

vice to the Supreme Lord. Jaiminis teachings strongly emphasizethe execution of sacricial duties, but they do so to help materi-alistic brhmaas gradually prepare themselves for the higher,devotional understanding of the Vedas revealed in the Upaniads


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and the Vednta-stra. Jaimini is known, too, for his descriptionof the glories of Lord Jaganntha, the celebrated Deity form of Ka worshiped at Pur in Orissa. r Janamejaya, a worthy sonof Mahrja Parkit, was also a pure devotee of Ka; he had anardent afnity for hearing about Lord Viu and the Vaiavas.Out of eager love for the Personality of Godhead and His devo-tees, Jaimini spoke the condential topics of theBhgavatmta to Janamejaya. No material motive would have justied discuss-ing such secret matters publicly.

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MauNaqNd]aEiMaNae" [uTva >aarTaa u TaMa( )Parqi+aNdNaae_Pa*C^taiT%l&/ [v


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other Mahbhratas was narrated by Jaimini i to the same Janamejaya who had heard the Mahbhrata from Vaiampyana.Hearing this second version had a wonderful effect on Janamejaya,for it was like nothing he had ever heard before. He therefore ea-gerly inquired if there was some supplement he could also hear,and Jaimini was able to fulll his request. AsHari -vaa is thekhila (supplement) to Vaiampyanas Mahbhrata, r Bhad- bhgavatmta is the khila to Jaiminis.

TEXT14[qJaNaMaeJaYa ovac

Na vEXaMPaaYaNaaTPa[aae b]Na( Yaae Tvtaae l/BDa" Sa TaC^ez& MaDaure


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sented his other Mahbhrata to appeal to the widest possibleaudience frivolous women, uncultured men, and materialisticbrhmaas and so in the course of telling his epic he had forthe most part hidden Lord Kas glories. In theMahbhrata narrated by Vaiampyana Ka usually acts subordinate tothe Pavas, as their friend and adviser, rarely showing Hissupremacy. On the testimony of Janamejaya, recorded for us by rla Santana Gosvm, JaiminisMahbhrata is by contrast apurely devotional scripture on the sublime level of Vysadevas

later masterpiece rmad-Bhgavatam.rla Santana is a transcendental genius, an eternal residentof Goloka Vndvana, and an intimate companion of the Person-ality of Godheads internal pleasure potency. He can easily perceive anything he wants to, in the past, present, or future, in-cluding lost scriptures from previous ages. If we have condencein this, we shall discover in r Bhad-bhgavatmta morethan the subtle sense gratication sometimes called nectar by immature devotees; we shall discover our own eternal selves.

Janamejaya addresses Jaimini with the wordbrahman, whichordinarily means Obrhmaa. But here it can also appropri-ately mean O personication of Brahman, the Vedic sound.

The king makes a request an audience has a right to make of a speaker that the recitation end with something especially delightful.Madhurea sampayet (One should end on a sweet

note) is a common saying among connoisseurs of devotionalpoetry. Here the element of madhura asked for is specically rasa, the ecstatic taste known only between the Supreme Lordand His pure devotees in their various personal reciprocations.

Janamejayas hearing from Jaimini will aptly conclude with thisrasa, just as a good meal ends well with a dessert like rka.

TEXTS1517[qJaEiMaiNavac

Xauk-devaePadeXaeNa iNahTaaXaezSaaSaMYaKPa[aSaMaSTaaQa| [qk*-Z


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Saik*-iNaJaa>aqPadaraeh


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r Jaimini said: By hearing the instructions of ukadeva Gosvm, rmn Parkit was relieved of all fear. All hisambitions satised, he was absorbed in pure love for r Ka. Now, as the time came near for the king to ascend tothe destination he desired, his mother, Viras daughter, a surrendered devotee of Ka, approached him in great distress while he was alone. After Parkit had consoled and pleased her by his greetings, she asked of him as fol-lows, immersed in love for her son.

COMMENTARY: To satisfy King Janamejayas sincere desire, Jaimini recalls how Janamejayas saintly father, Parkit, some years before, had nished hearing rmad-Bhgavatam fromukadeva Gosvm and the hour had come for Parkit to pre-pare for his fated death. Jaimini i here divulges that MahrjaParkits mother came to see her son just at that moment. Eventhough Parkit was sitting several miles from his palace and very little time remained, his mother, Uttar, was impelled to see himjust once more, knowing she would never see him again andeager not to lose the last opportunity to hear from him topicsabout Ka.

After ukadeva taughtrmad-Bhgavatam to MahrjaParkit, Parkit no longer feared the monstrous snake-bird, norany material illusion. He wasrmn, blessed by the Lords di-

vine consort r. He had effortlessly achieved the benets of each of the essential human endeavors religiosity, economicdevelopment, sense enjoyment, and liberation. And beyondthose benets, he was immersed in a ood of prema-rasa at thelotus feet of r Ka. His mother approached him while he wasabsorbed in that ecstasy.

A mother about to lose her son is naturally forlorn. ButUttars sorrow was eclipsed by her eagerness to hear what herson had just heard from ukadeva Gosvm about Lord Kasglories. Because she wanted to hear the condential essence of ukadevas instructions, she approached her son as he sat alone.

With a pacifying greeting and a brief philosophical reminderabout the illusory nature of birth and death, Mahrja Parkit


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quickly dispelled whatever motherly anxiety she felt. Thus she was now joyful and xed in affection for r Ka and for herson, the great devotee of Ka.

TEXT18

[qotaraevac YaC^uke-NaaePaid& Tae vTSa iNaZk*==

Saar& Pa[k-aXaYa i+aPa[& +aqraM>aaeDar-uttarovca

yac chukenopadia te vatsa nikya tasya me

sra prakaya kipra krmbhodher ivmtam

r -uttar uvca rmat Uttar said; yat which;ukena by ukadeva;upadiam taught; te to you; vatsa dearson; nikya extracting; tasya of it; me for me; sram

the essence; prakaya please show; kipram quickly;kra-ambhodhe from the Milk Ocean;iva like; amtam

the nectar.

Blessed Uttar said: My dear son, please extract the essenceof what ukadeva has taught you and quickly reveal it tome, as if churning the nectar of immortality from theOcean of Milk.

COMMENTARY:rmad-Bhgavatam is the ripe fruit of the Vedicdesire tree (nigama-kalpataror galita phalam ). Everythingspoken by r ukadeva to Mahrja Parkit is essential. It repre-sents the best of the Vedic teachings, chosen and arranged toguide students of the Bhgavatam quickly and surely towardpure devotional service to Ka. But Uttar does not have sevendays to hear the whole Bhgavatam from her son; only if he cancondense for her the essence of this essence and speak it to her


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in the short time remaining will her hankering for the unalloyednectar of prema-bhakti be satised.

Someone might suggest that Parkit need only repeat to hera single condential pastime of Ka in Vndvana, but that

would be inappropriate. One can properly relish the most inti-mate loving dealings of the Lord only after rst submitting onesheart to a thorough cleansing. Therefore ukadeva Gosvmspoke nine cantos of rmad-Bhgavatam just to prepareParkit Mahrja for full understanding before beginning to nar-

rate Kasvndvana-ll. Mother Uttar now soberly asks herson to use his discrimination to remove her misunderstandingsand elevate her to Ka consciousness. As a farmer takes severalcanes of sugar to extract a cup of sweet juice, Parkit shouldcarefully consider his realization of the entireBhgavatam andextract its essence. Or, using Uttars own metaphor, his narra-tion should be like the nectar of immortality that the demigodsand demons churned with great effort from the Ocean of Milk.

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[qJaEiMaiNavac ovac Saadr& raJaa Parqi+aNa( MaaTa*vT[uTaaTYa u TaGaaeivNdk-Qaa:YaaNarSaaeTSau

r-jaiminir uvca uvca sdara rj

parkin mt-vatsala rutty-adbhuta-govinda-

kathkhyna-rasotsuka

r - jaimini uvca r Jaimini said;uvca spoke; sa-daram with respect; rj parkit King Parkit;mt-vatsala

affectionate to his mother;ruta which he had heard; ati -adbhuta very wonderful; govinda of Lord Govinda;kathkhyna of recounting the narrations; rasa to relish thetaste; utsuka eager.


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r Jaimini said: King Parkit, feeling affection for hismother, answered her respectfully, eager to enjoy recount-ing the wonderful narrations he had just heard about Lord Govinda.

COMMENTARY:Because the Bhgavatam had aroused in him atranscendental attraction, Parkit was quite willing to satisfy his mothers request. Added to his already great enthusiasmto keep hearing and chanting the Bhgavatam, his natural

affection for his mother made him all the more eager to speak.In this mood he was ready to reveal the essence of rmad- Bhgavatam.

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[qivZ


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TEXTS2123

Gaurae" Pa[SaadTaSTaSYa [qMaTaae baPa[


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nity; nicitam decided; mahatm by the great souls; ma- tam favorably judged;mah -guhya-mayam full of con-dential truths; samyak faithfully;kathaymi I shall recite;avadhraya please give your attention.

I shall speak by the mercy of my spiritual master, rmn Bdaryai [ukadeva Gosvm]. First let me offer respectsto our Lord and master, r Acyuta, who granted the gift of life to you and your son. His compassionate grace inspired

the best of His pure devotees in the great effort to extract the nectar of rmad-Bhgavatam. The greatest sages haveapproved this resulting work, which is full of condential truth. Please listen with attention as I faithfully repeat it to

you.

COMMENTARY: The original Vedic rutis and their derivativesmtis mostly reect the general interests of human beings, whostrive for material progress, rarely inquiring philosophically intothe purpose of life. The condential science of pure devotionalservice is taught explicitly only in a few Vedic scriptures littleknown to the public. Among these rare texts are the Gopla- tpan Upaniad, the Nrada Pacartra, the Garga Sahit,the Viu Pura, the Hari-vaa Upapura, the Uttara- khaa of the Padma Pura, and the Bhgavata Mah-

pura. Parkit Mahrja now offers to recite to his mother what he calls rmad-bhgavatmta: the relishable cream of allthe Vedic scriptures that teach pure bhakti. These exceptionalscriptures are rmat rich in spiritual value and have thepotency to give knowledge, renunciation, and devotion. The dis-tilled essence of these scriptures is amta, a heavenly beveragethat bestows immortality, like the nectar churned from the MilkOcean, from which all sorts of priceless treasures spontaneously arose.

During the seven days in which Parkit Mahrja had pre-pared for death, ukadeva Gosvm had spoken only rmad- Bhgavatam. But because rmad-Bhgavatam is the sum andsubstance of all bhakti scriptures, those scriptures revealed their


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conclusions during the discussion. Uttar wants to hear theessence of all devotional literature, and her son will answeraccordingly.

The Bhgavatam spoken by ukadeva is all-beautiful, bothin text and in purport. Nothing in rmad-Bhgavatam is super-uous:

nigama-kalpataror galita phala uka-mukhd amta-drava-sayutam

pibata bhgavata rasam -laya muhur aho rasik bhuvi bhvuk

O expert and thoughtful men, relish rmad-Bhgavatam, themature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated fromthe lips of r ukadeva Gosvm. Therefore this fruit has becomeeven more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relish-able for all, including liberated souls. (Bhgavatam . .)

Authorities like Sta Gosvm testify to this truth from theirown experience. Nonetheless, perfect devotees may feel in-clined to listen to some parts of the Bhgavatam more thanothers. The extraordinary Vaiavas who have developed anunquenchable thirst for the honey owing directly from rGopnthas lotus feet feel no attraction for hearing anythingother than rmad-Bhgavatam, just as even beginners in the

process of devotional service no longer want to hear about jna-yoga and impersonal liberation, or as those striving forliberation lose interest in topics of material development and

worldly pleasures. Every discussion inrmad-Bhgavatam infact glories Ka, the lover of thegops.But pure devoteessometimes consider the passages not directly describing thoseintimate glories less important. The self-realized Vaiavas mustbe allowed their preferences, but neophyte devotees should notcheaply imitate them. Devotees not free from faults shouldstrictly follow the complete course of the instructions of rmad- Bhgavatam, from the rst chapter of Canto One through thelast chapter of Canto Twelve. By repeated systematic study of theentire Bhgavatam and its authorized explanations, devotees


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can aspire to gradually become t to taste the immortal nectarhidden within it.

ukadeva, Nrada, and other Vaiavas of their caliber con-tributed to this Bhad-bhgavatmta, and it is approved by great sages like Parara and Vysadeva. It presents the AbsoluteTruth clearly, not vaguely like some textbooks on mantras and

yoga, or dishonestly like unauthorized pseudospiritual works. Itpresents the truth thoroughly, not supercially like the works of unqualied authors who have little to say and who say less, out

of fear of losing their readers attention. The essence of rmad -Bhgavatam as explained by Mahrja Parkit to his motherforms the ultimate summary of Vedic knowledge.

TEXTS2425

Wk-da TaqQaRMaUDaRNYae Pa[YaaGae MMaagae Pa[aTa" k*-TaaNaa" [qMaaDavSoPaiva Maudaiva MaNYaMaaNaa" k*-Taak*-Z


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full of happiness;manyamn considering;kta-arthatm the goals of their life fullled;kasya of Ka;dayita therecipient of the mercy;asi you are; iti thus;lghante sma they were praising; parasparam one another.

Once a group of exalted sages were at Prayga, the best of pilgrimage sites, during the month of Mgha. The sageshad taken their bath and were happily seated before theDeity of r Mdhava. Feeling satised, as if all their goals

in life had been fullled, they were praising one another,saying, You are the recipient of Lord Kas mercy.

COMMENTARY: These sages at Prayga were humble devoteesof Ka. Each of them disliked hearing himself praised and

was thus trying to divert the praise to someone else. Apprecia-tive of one anothers good qualities, they could honestly tellone another, You are the Lords dearmost devotee. When

Vaiavas are friendly to one another like this, their community prospers.

Prayga is calledtrtha-mrdhanya, the chief of holy places,because it is located at the conuence of the rivers Gag and

Yamun. The sages were there at the most auspicious time forbathing the month of Mgha ( January-February). As Datttreya,the incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, has explained:

vrata-dna-tapobhi ca na tath pryate hari

mghe majjana-mtrea yath prti mdhava

The Supreme Lord Mdhava is not as pleased by vows, charity,or austere penances as by ones simply taking a bath in themonth of Mgha. (Padma Pura, Uttara-khaa . ) rMdhava is the presiding Deity of Prayga-trtha. After bathing,the sages were sitting in front of Lord Mdhava feeling ex-tremely fortunate to be together in such a sacred place at sucha time.


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TEXT26

MaaTaSTadaNaq=& Ta}aEv ivPa[vYaR" SdXaaMaeiDake- TaqQaeR >aGavi-TaTmtas tadn tatraiva

vipra-varya samgata davamedhike trthe

bhagavad-bhakti-tatpara

mta dear mother; tadnm at that time; tatra eva there; vipra-varya a rst-classbrhmaa; samgata ar-rived;davamedhike trthe at the site called Davamedha-trtha;bhagavat -bhakti in the practice of devotional service tothe Supreme Lord;tat - para xed.

Dear mother, at that time a rst-class brhmaa arrived at that holy site, called Davamedha-trtha. He was fully absorbed in devotional service to the Supreme Lord.

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SaeivTaae_XaezSaMPaiSTaeXaSYaaiDv*Ta" PairJaNaEivRPa[>aaeJaNaaQa| k*-T

sevito ea-sampadbhis tad-deasydhikra-vn

vta parijanair vipra- bhojanrtha ktodyama

sevita served; aea by all; sampadbhi assets; tat -deasya of that region; adhikra-vn the possesor of spiri-tual authority; vta surrounded; parijanai by subordi-nates; vipra the brhmaas; bhojana-artham for feeding;kta-udyama making preparations.


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Richly endowed with all assets, he was the spiritual leader of that region. His retinue surrounded him as he prepared to distribute food to the local brhmaas.

TEXT28

ivic}aaeTk*==vSTaUiNa Sa iNaZPaa MAavXYak&- SaMaaPYaadaE Sa&Sk*-TYa

vicitrotka-vastni sa nipdya mah-man vayaka sampydau

sasktya mahat sthalm

vicitra various;utka excellent;vastni items;sa he (thebrhmaa ); nipdya collecting; mah -man generous;vayakam what was required; sampya executing;dau rst; sasktya purifying;mahatm large; sthalm an area.

Having collected all sorts of valuable items for worship of the Lord, the generous brhmaa then saw to the prelimi-naries, rst by purifying a large area on the ground.

TEXT29

SaTvr& cTvr& Ta}a MaDYae iNaMaaRYaoPail/PYa SvhSTaeNa ivTaaNaaNYaudTaa

satvara catvara tatra madhye nirmya sundaram

upalipya sva-hastena

vitnny udatnayat satvaram rapidly;catvaram an altar; tatra there;madhye

in the middle; nirmya building;sundaram handsome;upalipya smearing it;sva -hastena with his own hand; vit- nni canopy covers; udatnayat he spread.


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There he swiftly built a handsome altar, which he smeared with mud with his own hand and covered with a canopy.

COMMENTARY: The unnamed brhmaa who came to conductpublic worship of Lord Ka at Davamedha-gha was theacknowledged spiritual authority of that area. Although rich andinuential, with ample means for a comfortable life, he was afully surrendered Vaiava. Everything he had he used only forLord Kas pleasure. By his heartfelt service, he satised theLord and everyone else. At this same Davamedha-gha atPrayga, rla Rpa Gosvm later received personal instructionsfrom Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu for ten days.

TEXT30

Xaal/Ga]aMaiXal/aPa& k*-Z


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in the Himlayan foothills. So precise is the science of arcana that an expert brhmaa can recognize each lagrma-il as aspecic incarnation of Lord Viu by unique markings.

TEXT31

>aaeGaaMbraidSaaMaGa]qMaPaRiYaTvaGSvYa& Na*TYaNa( GaqTavaaidi>ae- M

bhogmbardi-smagrm arpayitvgrato hare svaya ntyan gta-vdy-

dibhi cakre mahotsavam

bhoga-ambara-di of food, clothing, and so on; smagrm offerings;arpayitv presenting; agrata in front; hare of Lord Hari;svayam himself;ntyan dancing;gta-vdya- dibhi with singing, instrumental music, and so on;cakre he made; mah-utsavam a great festival.

In front of Lord Hari he placed food, clothes, and other offerings. He made a one-man festival by dancing, singing,playing music, and so on.

COMMENTARY: When worshiping the Deity of the Supreme Lord,one should rst greet Him as an honorable guest with water for washing His feet, scented water for drinking, and other itemsprescribed by standard etiquette. One should feed the Deity nicely and offer gifts of cloth and other valuables such as per-fumes and incense. The lamp offered in the rati ceremony rep-resents the light one would show at the entrance of ones housefor a guest arriving at night (-rtrikam ).

TEXT32

TaTaae vedPauraavaRdk-ivPa[aNa( Pa[


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tato veda-purdi- vykhybhir vda-kovidn

viprn praamya yatino ghio brahma-cria

tata then; veda-pura-di of the Vedas, Puras, and soon; vykhybhi by explanations;vda in argument;kovidn who were expert; viprn to the brhmaas; praamya

offering respects; yatina to the sannyss; ghia the

householders; brahma-cria and the brahmacrs.He then offered homage to the brhmaas present who

were expert in arguing from the Vedas, Puras, and other texts. He also offered respects to the sannyss, household-ers, and brahmacrs.

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TEXT34

PaadXaaEcJal&/ Taeza& DaarYaNa( iXar>aGavTYaiPaRTaESTadaidi>arPaUJaY pda-auca-jala te

dhrayan irasi svayam bhagavaty arpitais tadvad

anndibhir apjayat

pda -auca that had washed the feet; jalam the water;tem their; dhrayan placing; irasi on his head; sva-

yam personally; bhagavati to the Supreme Lord;arpitai which was offered; tadvat likewise;anna-dibhi withthe food and so on; apjayat he worshiped them.

After placing on his head the water that had washed their feet, he worshiped those persons with the food and other items he had presented to the Supreme Lord.

COMMENTARY: One class of learned brhmaas like to display their knowledge by defeating others in argument. But anotherclass of brhmaas, the pure Vaiavas, prefer to use theirenergy to hear and chant about Ka.

Some Vaiavas are also brhmaas by birth and externalbehavior, but pure Vaiavas of any social status, even those

who come from lower castes, are always better situated spiritu-ally than ordinary brhmaas. Pure Vaiavas bother to enterdebates only when the cause of Ka consciousness can beadvanced, when criticisms of other Vaiavas or the SupremeLord have to be answered, or when victims of misconceptionshave to be saved.

The brhmaa Vaiava conducting this festival honored thebrhmaas and Vaiavas with pleasant, encouraging wordsand with respectful behavior bowing down to them, washingtheir feet, offering them rati, and so on.


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TEXT35

>aaeJaiYaTva TaTaae dqNaaNaNTYaJaaNaATaaezYaQaaNYaaYa& Xa*Gaal/%Gaibhojayitv tato dnn

antyajn api sdaram atoayad yath-nyya

va-gla-khaga-krimn

bhojayitv feeding; tata then; dnn wretched persons;antya-jn outcastes; api even; sa-daram respectfully;atoayat he satised; yath -nyyam in suitable ways;va dogs; gla jackals;khaga birds;krimn and worms.

Next he respectfully fed everyone else, including the most fallen outcastes. In suitable ways, he satised even the

dogs, jackals, birds, and insects.

COMMENTARY:dras and outcastes are commonly consideredfallen, and men who are poor and hungry are usually identiedas wretched, but the real criterion of a persons fallen, wretchedcondition is his lack of devotion to the Supreme Lord.Amnin mna-dena/ krtanya sad hari (ikaka ): One who

wants to worship Lord Hari perpetually by nma-sakrtana must give up demanding respect for himself and must practiceshowing respect to every living creature. But the respect oneshows must be appropriate for each individual. Only a fool

would embrace a hungry tiger in the name of brotherly love. And so a devotee endeavoring for pure Ka consciousnessshould keep a respectful distance from persons of dubiouscharacter and faith.

TEXT36

Wv& SaNTaiPaRTaaXaez" SaMaaidae_QaPairvarE" SaMa& Xaez& Sahz| bu>auJae_M


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eva santarpitea samdio tha sdhubhi

parivrai sama ea sa-hara bubhuje mtam

evam thus; santarpita having satised;aea everyone;samdia invited; atha then; sdhubhi by the holy men; parivrai with his family and followers;samam to-gether; eam the remnants; sa-haram with delight;bubhuje he enjoyed; amtam nectarean.

When he had thus satised everyone, the holy men invited him to take the remnants of the sacrice. With his family and followers, that leader of brhmaas then enjoyed thenectarean prasda with great delight.

COMMENTARY: Only after every living being in the vicinity was

fed and pleased did the host, with his family and servants, honorLord Mdhavas prasda. This food was now amta, the elixir of immortality, a sheer delight to taste, because it had been offeredto Lord Ka in devotional sacrice.

TEXT37

TaTaae_i>aMau%MaaGaTYa k*-Z


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After this, he again went before the lagrma Deity of Lord Ka. And with folded hands he offered to the Lord all the pious credit he had earned by the sacrice.

COMMENTARY:In sacricial offerings, themantras chanted de-clare that the oblations, after being offered, belong to the deitiesbeing worshiped: idam indrya na mama (This is for Indra; itis no longer mine). But most performers of Vedic rituals, even

while verbally declaring surrender, maintain the subtle ambition

to possess not only the oblations themselves but the fruits, theoutcome, of the sacrice. Pure devotional service begins whenone makes offerings only for the pleasure of the Supreme, withno hidden motive.

TEXT38

Sau%& Sa&veXYa dev& Ta& SvGa*h& GdUraC^\qNaardae d*aeiTQaTaae MauiNaS

sukha saveya deva ta sva-gha gantum udyatam

drc chr-nrado dvo- tthito muni-samjata

sukham comfortably;saveya putting to rest; devam the Deity; tam Him; sva -gham to his own residence;gantum to go; udyatam prepared; drt from a dis-tance; r -nrada r Nrada Muni;dv who had been

watching; utthita stood up; muni -samjata from theassembly of sages.

The leader of the brhmaas put the Deity comfortably torest and got ready to return home. r Nrada, however,had been watching him at a distance from within the as-sembly of sages. Just then Nrada stood up.


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TEXTS3940

AYaMaev MahaivZ


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announce his realizations. All the Lords devotees are dear to theLord, as implied here by the word janam, which can mean ei-ther people in general or some specic person. Nrada knows

whom the Lord most favors, and thus the word janam also ex-presses a more condential idea in Nradas mind. He is ulti-mately referring to the dearest servant of r Ka, rmatRdhr. Thebrhmaa and the other devotees Nrada willpraise are also aware of their own lesser devotional standing.Nrada here speaks mainly to enlighten the public but also to

gain the impetus for his expedition to the far ends of the uni- verse in search of r Kas best devotees.

TEXT41

[qNaard ovac

>avaNa( ivPa[eNd] k*-Z


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TEXT42

SaMaaRPaadk&- Ta SavRMaev Mahad*& ih Saa+aadSMaai>ariSMa&STaqQasad-dharmpdaka tac ca

sarvam eva mah-mate da hi skd asmbhir

asmis trtha-vare dhun

sat -dharma pure religiosity;pdakam serving to estab-lish; tat these; ca and; sarvam all; eva only; mah -mate O wise one; dam seen; hi certainly; skt directly;asmbhi by us; asmin in this; trtha -vare bestof holy places; adhun now.

O wise one, in this best of holy places we have now seen for ourselves that you are using all these assets exclusively to establish pure religion.

COMMENTARY: The brhmaas personal opulence is the para-phernalia showing his status his vehicles, special items of clothing, and so on and his entourage of family members,associates, and subordinates. His pure religion is devotionalservice to the Personality of Godhead. The brhmaa did notabuse any of his apparently material assets by employing themfor material purposes. These assets had come to him as by-products of his devotional service, without his striving for them.He could hardly keep them hidden, as Nrada here remarks, butstill he was happy to put them to transcendental use.

TEXT43

ivre


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vidvad-varea tenokto nanv ida sa mah-muni

svmin ki mayi kasya kp-lakaam kitam

vidvat -varea by the most learned person; tena the brhmaa; ukta addressed; nanu indeed; idam thus; sa

he; mah -muni the best of sages; svmin O master;kim what;mayi in me; kasya of Ka;kp of the

mercy;lakaam

sign;kitam

seen. That most learned brhmaa then replied to the best of sages: O master, what signs of Kas mercy have youseen in me?

TEXT44

Ah& vrak-" k-ae Nau SYaa& daTau& Xa-avE>av& vTaRTae ik&- Mae >aGavJaNa&

aha varka ko nu sy dtu aknomi v kiyat

vaibhava vartate ki me bhagavad-bhajana kuta

aham I; varka a wretched person; ka who; nu but; sym am; dtum to give; aknomi I am able; v or; kiyat how much; vaibhavam riches;vartate are there;kim what; me my; bhagavat -bhajanam worship of theSupreme Lord;kuta where.

Who am I but a most wretched person? How much charity am I able to give? What opulence do I have? And how haveI ever reciprocated with the Lord in devotional service?

COMMENTARY: Any true devotee of Ka considers himself in-signicant, thinking himself one of countless jvas who are mere


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sparks of Gods splendor. The devotee is sorry for having fool-ishly rebelled against his creator. And reecting on this rebel-lion, he thinks that his relative inuence among other fallen jvas means little.

TEXT45

ik-NTau di+aYaak*-ZauaNaa >a]MaiNTa

sarvato bhikavo yatra

tairthikbhygatdaya krpitnna bhujn bhramanti sukhina sad

sarvata from everywhere;bhikava saintly mendicants; yatra where; tairthika along with pilgrims;abhygata other


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visitors;daya and so on; ka-arpita which has been of-fered to Ka;annam food;bhujn eating;bhramanti

they wander around; sukhina happily;sad always.

Saintly mendicants come to his kingdom from all direc-tions, along with pilgrims and other visitors. They wander happily, sustained by food that has been offered to Ka.

COMMENTARY: The brhmaa describes the great king as a

mahrja, a ruler of several other kings in his area. He was notthe emperor of the entire continent, the cakravart; that higherposition was occupied at the time by the Pava Yudhihira.Later in this chapter, the southern king will also be calledsrvabhauma because his kingdom occupied a large area. Many accomplished saints migrated to his kingdom, attracted by itsspiritual features. Other people also came, including ordinary

visitors, renounced pilgrims traveling to purify themselves, anddistressed persons in search of food and shelter. All of them tookadvantage of the sacred, deliciouska-prasda freely availablethroughout the kingdom.

TEXT47

raJaDaaNaqSaMaqPae c SaidaNaNdivGa]Saa+aaidvaSTae >aGavaNa( k-a


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constantly introduced, and, more important, the devotees inter-est in pleasing the Lord was also ever fresh. Thus the displays of

worship pleased both the Deity and the public.

TEXT49

ivZaaeJYaNTae TaeNa S

vior niveditais tais tu sarve tad-dea-vsina

vaideik ca bahavo bhojyante tena sdaram

vio of Lord Viu;niveditai with the remnants of of-ferings; tai those; tu and; sarve all; tat -dea of thatcountry;vsina the residents; vaideik the foreign visi-tors; ca and; bahava many; bhojyante are fed; tena by him (the king); sa-daram respectfully.

The king respectfully feeds all the residents of his country and the many foreign visitors with the remnants of Lord

Vius worship.

COMMENTARY: To accommodate all the residents and travelers,the king maintained many Viu temples throughout the coun-try. But the main temple in the capital was especially famous forits worship and prasda.

TEXTS5051

PauaaeGaSau%ai

SaaDauSaiTal/a>aa NaaNaadeXaaTSaMiNavSaiNTa Sada Ta}a SaNTaae ivZ


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puarkka-devasya tasya darana-lobhata

mah-prasda-rpnndy- upabhoga-sukhptita

sdhu-sagati-lbhc ca nn-det samgat

nivasanti sad tatra santo viu-parya

puarka-aka lotus-eyed; devasya of the Lord;tasya Him;darana for the audience; lobhata out of eagerness;mah - prasda which are the Lords kind gifts to His devo-tees; rpa the beauty of His form;anna the remnants of food offered to Him; di and so on; upabhoga from enjoy-ing afterward; sukha happiness; ptita due to obtaining;sdhu -sagati association of spiritually advanced persons;lbht because of achieving;ca and; nn -det from

various countries; samgat coming; nivasanti they re-side; sad constantly;tatra there; santa saintly;viu-

parya devotees of Lord Viu.

Saintly devotees of Lord Viu come from various coun-tries to reside permanently in the kingdom. They come out of eagerness to see the lotus-eyed Deity of the Lord, torelish the food and other special remnants from theLord, and to obtain the association of spiritually advanced persons.

COMMENTARY: Besides pure devotees of Viu, other spiritual-ists also came. Those dressed as holy men but spiritually notfully qualied were also treated with respect. Even cats and dogsshould receive Lord Kas prasda, but for spiritual guidanceone should approach only bona de followers of the Vaiava

parampar.


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TEXT52

deXa devivPa[e>Yaae raja dtaae iv>aJYa SaNaaePad]vae_iSTa TaeXae k-ae_iPa Xaaekdea ca deva-viprebhyo

rj datto vibhajya sa nopadravo sti tad-dee

ko pi oko tha v bhayam

dea the kingdom; ca and; deva to the demigods; vipre- bhya and the brhmaas; rj by the king; datta hasbeen given; vibhajya dividing it;sa he; na never; upa- drava social disruption;asti there is; tat -dee in thatkingdom; ka api any; oka sorrow; atha v or; bha-

yam fear.

The king has given his kingdom away to the demigods and brhmaas, dividing it among them. His kingdom is com-pletely free from sorrow, social disruption, and fear.

COMMENTARY: The king granted to the presiding deities of localtemples and to the brhmaas of each region ofcial title to the

various parts of the country. He considered himself merely thecaretaker of the kingdom, under authority from its legal owners.

TEXT53

Ak*-PaCYaa Saa >aUiMavR*iSTa}a YaQ

waiNa f-l/MaUl/aiNa Saul/>aaNYaMbrai


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aka without being tilled; pacy yielding crops;s that;bhmi land; vi the rain; tatra in that kingdom;

yath-sukham only as wanted; ii which are desired; phala -mlni fruits and roots; su -labhni easily available;ambari clothing;ca also.

In that kingdom, the earth yields crops without beingtilled, rain falls just enough for peoples comfort, and

whatever fruits, vegetables, and clothing one desires are

easily to be had.

COMMENTARY: In the Bible (Genesis : ) we read that Godpunished Adam for rebellion by cursing him that outside theGarden of Eden he would have to till the earth to earn his foodby the sweat of his face. Previously, the Bible tells us, Adamand Eve had enjoyed the fruits of Eden without having to farm.The same ideal condition prevailed thousands of years agoin this South Indian kingdom. Rain fell just enough to makegood crops, but mostly at night, when it would least disturb thecitizens.

TEXT54

SvSvDaMaRk*-Ta" Sava" Saui%NYa" k*-Pa[JaaSTaMaNauvTaRNTae MaharaJa& Ysva-sva-dharma-kta sarv

sukhinya ka-tatpar prajs tam anuvartante

mah-rja yath sut

sva -sva -dharma each his own social duties; kta perform-ing; sarv all; sukhinya happy; ka -tat-par de-

voted to Lord Ka; praj the citizens; tam him; anuvartante they follow;mah -rjam the king; yath like;sut children.


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The citizens all happily follow the king as if they were hischildren. They perform their own social duties and aredevoted to Lord Ka.

COMMENTARY:Like children who love and respect their parents,the citizens not only obeyed the kings directions but also wantedto follow the example of his good character.

TEXT55

Sa caGavR" Sada NaqcYaaeGYaSaevai>arC>aJaMaaNaae_i%l/aNa( l/aek-aNa( rMaYaT

sa cgarva sad nca- yogya-sevbhir acyutam

bhajamno khiln lokn ramayaty acyuta-priya

sa he; ca and;agarva prideless;sad always;nca for a menial servant; yogya suitable; sevbhi withservices; acyutam Lord Acyuta;bhajamna worshiping;akhiln all; lokn the people; ramayati pleases; acyuta -

priya dear to Lord Acyuta.

The king is always prideless. Worshiping Lord Acyuta with services a menial assistant would perform, he pleases all the people and is dear to the Lord.

COMMENTARY: So vast and rich a domain and such a reputationfor religious accomplishments would make an ordinary kingproud, but this mahrja was a pure Vaiava. He was happy toserve the Supreme Lord in the humblest ways washing anddecorating the oors of His temples, keeping the temple lampslled with oil, and so on. As the term acyuta-priya indicates,he did this not to make a show of humility but purely out of devotional enthusiasm.


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TEXTS5657

TaSYaaGa]e ivivDaENaaRMaGaaQaaSaqTNa*TYaNa( idVYaaiNa GaqTaaiNa GaaYaN

>a]aTa*>aaYaaRSauTaE" PaaE}aE>aR*TYANYaE SvJaNaE" Saak&- Pa[>au& Ta& T

tasygre vividhair nma- gth-sakrtanai svayam

ntyan divyni gtni gyan vdyni vdayan

bhrt-bhry-sutai pautrair bhtymtya-purohitai

anyai ca sva-janai ska

prabhu ta toayet sad

tasya of Him (the Deity);agre in front; vividhai vari-ous; nma -gth consisting of singing the Lords names;sakrtanai with vocal glorication;svayam himself;nt-

yan dancing; divyni wonderful; gtni songs; gyan singing; vdyni instruments; vdayan playing; bhrt with his brothers;bhry wives; sutai sons; pautrai grandsons; bhtya servants; amtya ministers; purohitai and priests; anyai others; ca and; sva - janai subordinates; skam along with; prabhum the Lord; tam

Him; toayet he tries to satisfy;sad always.

He always tries to satisfy the Lord. He himself performssakrtana before the Lords Deity, chanting the Lordsnames composed in various attractive arrangements. Hedances, sings wonderful songs, and plays instruments.His sons, wives, brothers, grandsons, priests, servants,ministers, and other subordinates he has them alsotake part.


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COMMENTARY: The king did not have to force his relatives andassistants to take part in hearing and chanting the glories of theLord, because they were all rst-class Vaiavas.

TEXT58

Tae Tae TaSYa Gau


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TEXT59

[qParqi+aduvac TaTaae Na*Pavr& d]u& TaeXae NaarddevPaUJaaeTSavaSa-aSTa}a Ta}aE+aTa

r-parkid uvca tato npa-vara drau

tad-dee nrado vrajan

deva-pjotsavsakts tatra tatraikata praj

r - parkit uvca r Parkit said;tata then; npa -varam the best of kings; draum to see; tat his; dee in thecountry; nrada Nrada; vrajan moving about;deva of the Lord; pja-utsava in festive worship;sakt ab-

sorbed;tatra tatra

in various places;aikata

he observed; praj the citizens.

r Parkit said: Nrada then went to the country of that best of kings to see him. Wherever Nrada went he found the people absorbed in festive worship of the Lord.

TEXT60hzeR


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brhmaa; api even; sampayan seeing;sagamya ap-proaching; uvca he said; tam to him; npam the king.

Nrada arrived at the capital, vibrating his v with de-light. Seeing even greater splendor than the brhmaa had described , he approached the king and spoke.

TEXT61

[qNaard ovac Tv& [qk*-Zar

r-nrada uvca tva r-ka-kp-ptra

yasyedg rjya-vaibhavam

sal-loka-gua-dharmrtha- jna-bhaktibhir anvitam

r -nrada uvca r Nrada said;tvam you; r -ka of r Ka;kp-ptram recipient of the mercy; yasya

whose; dk like this; rjya of the kingdom; vaibhavam the opulence; sat -loka with the best people; gua qualities;dharma religiousness; artha prosperity; jna knowl-edge; bhaktibhi and devotion; anvitam endowed.

r Nrada said: You are the real recipient of r Kasmercy! After all, your kingdom is so opulent. It has the best citizens, endowed with the most excellent character, reli-giousness, prosperity, knowledge, and devotion to God.

COMMENTARY:A sure sign of a rulers virtue is the good qualitiesof his subjects. The people of this kingdom were not merely deco-rated with a veneer of culture; they were actually civilized accord-ing to Vedic standards. The good citizens did their prescribedduties responsibly. They contributed to the general welfare by

working, each as he was able, to introduce Ka conscious prac-


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tices everywhere. Abandoning pride and other godless tenden-cies, they gave charity by feeding sannyss and hungry people,used extra wealth for offerings in worship of the Supreme Lord,and studied the Vedic scriptures, from which they learned the

value of liberation and devotional service. The people aspiredto become pure devotees of the Lord. Thus they realized all thegoals of human life religiosity, economic development, sensegratication, liberation, and pure Ka consciousness.

TEXT62[qParqi+aduvac

TataiSTaaYaR k-QaYaaiZYaNa( >aUPaPa[XaXa&Sa GauaraaTal/aNaiMaTaMaSTa


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srvabhaumo muni-vara sampjya prarito bravt

nija-lgh-bharj jta- lajj-namita-mastaka

srvabhauma the ruler of a vast region; muni -varam thetopmost sage; sampjya worshiping; prarita humbly;abra- vt replied;nija his own; lgh of the praise; bhart due to the weight; jta created; lajj by the embarrassment;

namita bent down; mastaka whose head. The king, that ruler of a vast region, then worshiped thetopmost sage and humbly replied, his head bowed down in embarrassment by the weight of hearing his own praise.

TEXTS6465

devzeR_LPaaYauz& SvLPaEYaRMaLPaPASvTaN}a& >aYaa-aNTa& TaaPa}aYaiN

k*-Z


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independent; bhaya-krntam attacked by fear; tpa -traya by the threefold miseries;niyantritam ruled; ka- anugraha concerning Kas mercy;vkyasya of words;api even; ayogyam unworthy; avicrata due to wrongjudgment; tadya His;karu of the compassion; ptram

a recipient; katham why;mm me; manyate consid-ers; bhavn your good self.

The king said: O sage among the demigods, I am a human

being with a short life span, little opulence, and little togive others. I have no independence. I am constantly attacked by fear and ruled by the threefold miseries of material life. I would not even deserve Kas word that in the future He might show me His mercy. Why do you

wrongly consider me an object of His compassion?

COMMENTARY: The king thought Nrada could have mistakenhim to be a favored devotee of Kas only by failing to use hisnatural good discretion. Before becoming a pure devotee onehas to free oneself from illusion, but the kings opinion of him-self was that he was still Mys slave, subject to the tyranny of ritual duties. What to speak of having realized his relationship

with Lord Ka, he felt he did not even deserve that the Lordpromise I will show you My favor someday. Or, understanding

knugraha-vkyasya in another sense, he did not deserve tohave anyone say, This person is favored by Ka.

TEXT66

deva Wv dYaaPaa}a& ivZaRGavTa"PaUJYaMaaNaa NarEiNaRTYa& TaeJaaeM

dev eva day-ptra vior bhagavata kila

pjyamn narair nitya tejo-maya-arria


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dev the demigods; eva really;day - ptram recipientsof the mercy; vio of Viu;bhagavata the SupremeLord; kila indeed; pjyamn worshiped; narai by men; nityam always;teja-maya effulgent, made of subtlematter; arria whose bodies.

The demigods are the real objects of the Supreme Lord Vius mercy. They have effulgent bodies and are always worshipable by men.

TEXT67

iNaZPaaPaa" Saaitvk-a du"%rihTaa" Saui%NSvC^NdacarGaTaYaae >ae-C^avrdaYak-a"

nipp sttvik dukha- rahit sukhina sad

svacchandcra-gatayo bhaktecch-vara-dyak

nipp sinless;sttvik xed in goodness; dukha -rahi- t free from distress;sukhina happy; sad always;sva- cchanda according to their desire;cra whose behavior;gataya and movements; bhakta-icch according to their

devotees desires;vara of benedictions;dyak givers. They are sinless, xed in goodness, free from distress, and always happy. They act and travel however they like. They give their blessings by granting what their devotees desire.

TEXT68

Yaeza& ih >aaeGYaMaMa*Ta& Ma*TYauraSveC^YaaePaNaTa& +auta*@(baDaa>aave_

ye hi bhogyam amta mtyu-roga-jardi-ht


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svecchayopanata kut-t- bdhbhve pi tui-dam

yem whose; hi indeed; bhogyam food; amtam thenectar of immortality;mtyu death; roga disease; jar-di old age and so on; ht which removes; sva-icchay by theirown sweet will; upanatam partaken; kut of hunger; t and thirst; bdha of the obstruction;abhve in the absence;api even; tui -dam which gives them great satisfaction.

Their food is the nectar of immortality, which does away with such miseries as death, disease, and old age. Though not forced by hunger or thirst, the demigods enjoy great satisfaction in partaking of this nectar by their own sweet

will.

TEXT69vSaiNTa >aGavNa( SvGaeR Maha>aaGYaYaae Na*i>a>aaRrTae vzeR SaTPau


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COMMENTARY:The saintly king proposes that the demigodsare the most favored devotees of Ka. To demonstrate this,he contrasts them with ordinary human beings. Humans likehimself acknowledge the superiority of the demigods and wor-ship them in Vedic sacrices. The demigods, less encumberedthan humans by physical restraints, are free to travel as they like, even ying in the sky without vehicles. Some rich andpowerful humans may be famous for charity, but the demigodshave universal powers by which they can fulll all their wor-

shipers desires.The soma nectar the demigods drink frees them from death,disease, and old age and, as implied by the word di (andso on) also from fatigue, perspiration, bodily odor, and otherembarrassments. Since the demigods are never hungry or thirsty,one might question what benet they derive from drinking theirsoma. The king answers that they enjoy soma very much; theirpleasure is more subtle than the anna-maya gratication of ordi-nary eating and drinking. Compared with the mortals of earth,the inhabitants of heaven seem immortal and independent;they must therefore be most dear to Lord Ka.

TEXT70

MauNae iviXaSTa}aaiPa TaezaiMaNd" PaiNaGa]he_NauGa]he_PaqXaae v*ii>al/aeRmune viias tatrpi

tem indra purandara nigrahe nugrahe po

vibhir loka-jvana

mune my dear sage; viia the most distinguished;tatra api there; tem among them; indra purandara Purandara Indra; nigrahe in punishing;anugrahe in award-ing favor; api both; a capable; vibhi by the rain;loka - jvana who gives the world life.


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My dear sage, the most distinguished of these demigods isPurandara Indra. He has full power to reward and punish,and he gives the world life by providing rain.

COMMENTARY: Purandara is the name of the current king of heaven.

TEXT71

i}al/aek-IrTaa YaSYa YauGaaNaaMaek-SYaaMaeDaXaTaeNaaiPa SaavR>aaEMaStri-lokvarat yasya

yugnm eka-saptatim yvamedha-atenpi

srvabhaumasya durlabh

tri -loka of the three planetary systems;varat rulership; yasya whose; yugnm of celestial ages;eka -saptatim seventy-one; y which (rulership);avamedha horse sacri-ces;atena by one hundred; api even; srvabhaumasya for a mundane king; durlabh virtually impossible to obtain.

He rules the three planetary systems for seventy-one celes-tial ages, a length of sovereignty no mundane king could earn, even by one hundred horse sacrices.

TEXT72

hYa oE"[va YaSYa GaJa WeravTaae Ma

k-aMaDauGGaaEPavNa& NaNdNa& c ivhaya uccairav yasya

gaja airvato mahn kma-dhug gaur upavana

nandana ca virjate


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haya horse; uccairav Uccairav; yasya whose;gaja elephant; airvata Airvata;mahn great;kma -dhuk who can be milked for any desire; gau his cow;upavanam his garden; nandanam Nandana; ca and;virjate is resplendent.

Uccairav is his horse, and Airvata his mighty elephant.His cow can be milked for any desire, and his garden is theresplendent Nandana.

COMMENTARY: The king proposes that among all the demigodsin heaven, their king, Indra, is the most special recipient of Kas mercy. Indra is free to curse or bestow benedictions ashe likes, whereas other demigods can only respond to the spe-cic requests of their devotees. The king says, I am just the rulerof a few districts, but the king of heaven gives life to the uni-

verse. He rules the three worlds for a span of time unimaginableto a small king like me. Theoretically one can attain the post of Indra by performing one hundred faultless Avamedha sacrices,but even the rare king competent to attempt such performancesis almost sure to commit some mistake in the course of them.

Indras horse and elephant are greater than all others be-cause they were born from the churning of the Milk Ocean.

TEXT73

PaairJaaTaadYaae Ya}a vTaRNTae k-aMaPk-aMaPaDara" k-LPad]uMaa" k-LPal/Taa

prijtdayo yatra vartante kma-prak

kma-rpa-dhar kalpa- drum kalpa-latnvit

prijta-daya the prijta and so on; yatra where; vartante are present; kma all desires; prak which ful-


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ll; kma according to any desire; rpa various forms;dhar which assume; kalpa -drum desire trees; kalpa -lat with desire-fullling creepers;anvit adorned.

In that garden are desire trees like the prijta, whoseowers yield whatever one may wish. Those trees, adorned

with desire-yielding creepers, assume whatever forms onemay like.

TEXT74YaezaMaeke-Na PauZPae


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/ CHAPTER ONE82

kaniha-bhrtt yasya viur vmana-rpa-dhk

ah; kim what; vcyam can be said; param thegreatest; tasya of him (Indra); saubhgyam good fortune;bhagavn the Personality of Godhead;gata has become;kaniha younger;bhrttm the brother; yasya whose;viu Lord Viu;vmana -rpa the form of Vmana;dhk assuming.

And, oh, how can I even describe Indras greatest fortune: The Personality of Godhead Viu has taken the form of Vmanadeva and become his younger brother!

TEXT76

AaPayae YaMaSaaE r+aNa( hzRYaNa( YaSaa+aaTSvqku-Tae PaUJaa& TaeiTSa Tv

padbhyo yam asau rakan harayan yena visttm

skt sv-kurute pj tad vetsi tvam utparam

padbhya from dangers; yam whom (Indra); asau He(Vmanadeva); rakan protecting; harayan encouraging;

yena by whom; visttm elaborately offered;skt inperson; sv-kurute He accepts; pjm the worship; tat this; vetsi know; tvam you; uta and besides this; apa- ram other things.

Lord Vmanadeva encourages Indra by shielding him from dangers and by accepting in person the elaborate worshipIndra offers. But of course you already know this, and much more.


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COMMENTARY: Lord Vmana is not Indras brother only intheory. He acts as a younger brother should, allowing Indra thepleasure of taking care of Him. Indra insists on worshiping Himas God, but Vmanadeva reciprocates by gracefully acceptingthe offerings in person.

Thus ends the first chapter of Part One of rla Santana Go- svms Bhad-bhgavatmta, entitled Bhauma: On the Earth.

brihad bhagavatamrita 1

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