Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Five
SB1.5.25
TEXT 25
ucchista-lepan anumodito dvijaih
sakrt sma bhunje tad-apasta-kilbisah
evam pravrttasya visuddha-cetasas
tad-dharma evatma-rucih prajayate
SYNONYMS
ucchista-lepan—the remnants of foodstuff; anumoditah—being permitted; dvijaih—by the Vedantist brahmanas; sakrt—once upon a time; sma—in the past; bhunje—took; tat—by that action; apasta—eliminated; kilbisah—all sins; evam—thus; pravrttasya—being engaged; visuddha-cetasah—of one whose mind is purified; tat—that particular; dharmah—nature; eva—certainly; atma-rucih—transcendental attraction; prajayate—was manifested.
TRANSLATION
Once only, by their permission, I took the remnants of their food, and by so doing all my sins were at once eradicated. Thus being engaged, I became purified in heart, and at that time the very nature of the transcendentalist became attractive to me.
PURPORT
Pure devotion is as much infectious, in a good sense, as infectious diseases. A pure devotee is cleared from all kinds of sins. The Personality of Godhead is the purest entity, and unless one is equally pure from the infection of material qualities, one cannot become a pure devotee of the Lord. The bhakti-vedantas as above mentioned were pure devotees, and the boy became infected with their qualities of purity by their association and by eating once the remnants of the foodstuff taken by them. Such remnants may be taken even without permission of the pure devotees. There are sometimes pseudodevotees, and one should be very much cautious about them. There are many things which hinder one from entering devotional service. But by the association of pure devotees all these obstacles are removed. The neophyte devotee becomes practically enriched with the transcendental qualities of the pure devotee, which means attraction for the Personality of Godhead’s name, fame, quality, pastimes, etc. Infection of the qualities of the pure devotee means to imbibe the taste of pure devotion always in the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead. This transcendental taste at once makes all material things distasteful. Therefore a pure devotee is not at all attracted by material activities. After the elimination of all sins or obstacles on the path of devotional service, one can become attracted, one can have steadiness, one can have perfect taste, one can have transcendental emotions, and at last one can be situated on the plane of loving service of the Lord. All these stages develop by the association of pure devotees, and that is the purport of this stanza. SB1.5.26 TEXT 26 tatranvaham krsna-kathah pragayatam anugrahenasrnavam manoharah tah sraddhaya me ’nupadam visrnvatah priyasravasy anga mamabhavad rucih SYNONYMS tatra—thereupon; anu—every day; aham—I; krsna-kathah—narration of Lord Krsna’s activities; pragayatam—describing; anugrahena—by causeless mercy; asrnavam—giving aural reception; manah-harah—attractive; tah—those; sraddhaya—respectfully; me—unto me; anupadam—every step; visrnvatah—hearing attentively; priyasravasi—of the Personality of Godhead; anga—O Vyasadeva; mama—mine; abhavat—it so became; rucih—taste. TRANSLATION O Vyasadeva, in that association and by the mercy of those great Vedantists, I could hear them describe the attractive activities of Lord Krsna And thus listening attentively, my taste for hearing of the Personality of Godhead increased at every step. PURPORT Lord Sri Krsna, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is attractive not only in His personal features, but also in His transcendental activities. It is so because the Absolute is absolute by His name, fame, form, pastimes, entourage, paraphernalia, etc. The Lord descends on this material world out of His causeless mercy and displays His various transcendental pastimes as a human being so that human beings attracted towards Him become able to go back to Godhead. Men are naturally apt to hear histories and narrations of various personalities performing mundane activities, without knowing that by such association one simply wastes valuable time and also becomes addicted to the three qualities of mundane nature. Instead of wasting time, one can get spiritual success by turning his attention to the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. By hearing the narration of the pastimes of the Lord, one contacts directly the Personality of Godhead, and, as explained before, by hearing about the Personality of Godhead, from within, all accumulated sins of the mundane creature are cleared. Thus being cleared of all sins, the hearer gradually becomes liberated from mundane association and becomes attracted to the features of the Lord. Narada Muni has just explained this by his personal experience. The whole idea is that simply by hearing about the Lord’s pastimes one can become one of the associates of the Lord. Narada Muni has eternal life, unlimited knowledge and unfathomed bliss, and he can travel all over the material and spiritual worlds without restriction. One can attain to the highest perfection of life simply by attentive hearing of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord from the right sources, as Sri Narada heard them from the pure devotees (bhakti-vedantas) in his previous life. This process of hearing in the association of the devotees is especially recommended in this age of quarrel (Kali). SB1.5.27 TEXT 27 tasmims tada labdha-rucer maha-mate priyasravasy askhalita matir mama yayaham etat sad-asat sva-mayaya pasye mayi brahmani kalpitam pare SYNONYMS tasmin—it being so; tada—at that time; labdha—achieved; ruceh—taste; maha-mate—O great sage; priyasravasi—upon the Lord; askhalita matih—uninterrupted attention; mama—mine; yaya—by which; aham—I; etat—all these; sat-asat—gross and subtle; sva-mayaya—one’s own ignorance; pasye—see; mayi—in me; brahmani—the Supreme; kalpitam—is accepted; pare—in the Transcendence. TRANSLATION O great sage, as soon as I got a taste for the Personality of Godhead, my attention to hear of the Lord was unflinching. And as my taste developed, I could realize that it was only in my ignorance that I had accepted gross and subtle coverings, for both the Lord and I are transcendental. PURPORT Ignorance in material existence is compared to darkness, and in all Vedic literatures the Personality of Godhead is compared to the sun. Wherever there is light there cannot be darkness. Hearing of the Lord’s pastimes is itself transcendental association with the Lord because there is no difference between the Lord and His transcendental pastimes. To become associated with the supreme light is to dissipate all ignorance. By ignorance only, the conditioned soul wrongly thinks that both he and the Lord are products of material nature. But in fact the Personality of Godhead and the living beings are transcendental, and they have nothing to do with the material nature. When ignorance is removed and it is perfectly realized that there is nothing existing without the Personality of Godhead, then nescience is removed. Since the gross and subtle bodies are emanations from the Personality of Godhead, the knowledge of light permits one to engage both of them in the service of the Lord. The gross body should be engaged in acts of rendering service to the Lord (as in bringing water, cleansing the temple or making obeisances, etc.). The path of arcana, or worshiping the Lord in the temple, involves engaging one’s gross body in the service of the Lord. Similarly, the subtle mind should be engaged in hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, thinking about them, chanting His name, etc. All such activities are transcendental. None of the gross or subtle senses should otherwise be engaged. Such realization of transcendental activities is made possible by many, many years of apprenticeship in the devotional service, but simply attraction of love for the Personality of Godhead, as it was developed in Narada Muni, by hearing, is highly effective. SB1.5.28 TEXT 28 ittham sarat-pravrsikav rtu harer visrnvato me ’nusavam yaso ’malam sankirtyamanam munibhir mahatmabhir bhaktih pravrttatma-rajas-tamopaha SYNONYMS ittham—thus; sarat—autumn; pravrsikau—rainy season; rtu—two seasons; hareh—of the Lord; visrnvatah—continuously hearing; me—myself; anusavam—constantly; yasah amalam—unadulterated glories; sankirtyamanam—chanted by; munibhih—the great sages; maha-atmabhih—great souls; bhaktih—devotional service; pravrtta—began to flow; atma—living being; rajah—mode of passion; tama—mode of ignorance; upaha—vanishing. TRANSLATION Thus during two seasons—the rainy season and autumn—I had the opportunity to hear these great-souled sages constantly chant the unadulterated glories of the Lord Hari. As the flow of my devotional service began, the coverings of the modes of passion and ignorance vanished. PURPORT Transcendental loving service for the Supreme Lord is the natural inclination of every living being. The instinct is dormant in everyone, but due to the association of material nature the modes of passion and ignorance cover this from time immemorial. If, by the grace of the Lord and the great-souled devotees of the Lord, a living being becomes fortunate enough to associate with the unadulterated devotees of the Lord and gets a chance to hear the unadulterated glories of the Lord, certainly the flow of devotional service takes place like the flow of a river. As the river flows on till she reaches the sea, similarly pure devotional service flows by the association of pure devotees till it reaches the ultimate goal, namely, transcendental love of God. Such a flow of devotional service cannot stop. On the contrary, it increases more and more without limitation. The flow of devotional service is so potent that any onlooker also becomes liberated from the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance. These two qualities of nature are thus removed, and the living being is liberated, being situated in his original position. SB1.5.29 TEXT 29 tasyaivam me ’nuraktasya prasritasya hatainasah sraddadhanasya balasya dantasyanucarasya ca SYNONYMS tasya—his; evam—thus; me—mine; anuraktasya—attached to them; prasritasya—obediently; hata—freed from; enasah—sins; sraddadhanasya—of the faithful; balasya—of the boy; dantasya—subjugated; anucarasya—strictly following the instructions; ca—and. TRANSLATION I was very much attached to those sages. I was gentle in behavior, and all my sins were eradicated in their service. In my heart I had strong faith in them. I had subjugated the senses, and I was strictly following them with body and mind. PURPORT These are the necessary qualifications of a prospective candidate who can expect to be elevated to the position of a pure unadulterated devotee. Such a candidate must always seek the association of pure devotees. One should not be misled by a pseudodevotee. He himself must be plain and gentle to receive the instructions of such a pure devotee. A pure devotee is a completely surrendered soul unto the Personality of Godhead. He knows the Personality of Godhead as the supreme proprietor and all others as His servitors. And by the association of pure devotees only, one can get rid of all sins accumulated by mundane association. A neophyte devotee must faithfully serve the pure devotee, and he should be very much obedient and strictly follow the instructions. These are the signs of a devotee who is determined to achieve success even in the existing duration of life. SB1.5.30 TEXT 30 jnanam guhyatamam yat tat saksad bhagavatoditam anvavocan gamisyantah krpaya dina-vatsalah SYNONYMS jnanam—knowledge; guhyatamam—most confidential; yat—what is; tat—that; saksat—directly; bhagavata uditam—propounded by the Lord Himself; anvavocan—gave instruction; gamisyantah—while departing from; krpaya—by causeless mercy; dina-vatsalah—those who are very kind to the poor and meek. TRANSLATION As they were leaving, those bhakti-vedantas, who are very kind to poor-hearted souls, instructed me in that most confidential subject which is instructed by the Personality of Godhead Himself. PURPORT A pure Vedantist, or a bhakti-vedanta, instructs followers exactly according to the instructions of the Lord Himself. The Personality of Godhead, both in the Bhagavad-gita and in all other scriptures, has definitely instructed men to follow the Lord only. The Lord is the creator, maintainer and annihilator of everything. The whole manifested creation is existing by His will, and by His will when the whole show is finished He will remain in His eternal abode with all His paraphernalia. Before the creation He was there in the eternal abode, and after the annihilation He will continue to remain. He is not, therefore, one of the created beings. He is transcendental. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that long, long before the instruction was imparted to Arjuna, the same was instructed to the sun-god, and in course of time, the same instruction, being wrongly handled and being broken, was again instructed to Arjuna because he was His perfect devotee and friend. Therefore, the instruction of the Lord can be understood by the devotees only and no one else. The impersonalist, who has no idea of the transcendental form of the Lord, cannot understand this most confidential message of the Lord. The expression “most confidential” is significant here because knowledge of devotional service is far, far above knowledge of impersonal Brahman. Jnanam means ordinary knowledge or any branch of knowledge. This knowledge develops up to the knowledge of impersonal Brahman. Above this, when it is partially mixed with devotion, such knowledge develops to knowledge of Paramatma, or the all-pervading Godhead. This is more confidential. But when such knowledge is turned into pure devotional service and the confidential part of transcendental knowledge is attained, it is called the most confidential knowledge. This most confidential knowledge was imparted by the Lord to Brahma, Arjuna, Uddhava, etc. SB1.5.31 TEXT 31 yenaivaham bhagavato vasudevasya vedhasah mayanubhavam avidam yena gacchanti tat-padam SYNONYMS yena—by which; eva—certainly; aham—I; bhagavatah—of the Personality of Godhead; vasudevasya—of Lord Sri Krsna; vedhasah—of the supreme creator; maya—energy; anubhavam—influence; avidam—easily understood; yena—by which; gacchanti—they go; tat-padam—at the lotus feet of the Lord. TRANSLATION By that confidential knowledge, I could understand clearly the influence of the energy of Lord Sri Krsna, the creator, maintainer and annihilator of everything. By knowing that, one can return to Him and personally meet Him. PURPORT By devotional service or by the most confidential knowledge, one can understand very easily how the different energies of the Lord are working. One part of energy is manifesting the material world; the other (superior) part of His energy is manifesting the spiritual world. And the via medium energy is manifesting the living entities who are serving either of the above-mentioned energies. The living entities serving material energy are struggling hard for existence and happiness, which is presented to them as illusion. But those in the spiritual energy are placed under the direct service of the Lord in eternal life, complete knowledge and perpetual bliss. The Lord desires, as He has directly said in the Bhagavad-gita, that all conditioned souls, rotting in the kingdom of material energy, come back to Him by giving up all engagements in the material world. This is the most confidential part of knowledge. But this can be understood only by the pure devotees, and only such devotees enter the kingdom of God to see Him personally and serve Him personally. The concrete example is Narada Himself, who attained this stage of eternal knowledge and eternal bliss. And the ways and means are open to all, provided one agrees to follow in the footsteps of Sri Narada Muni. According to sruti, the Supreme Lord has unlimited energies (without effort by Him), and these are described under three principal headings, as above mentioned. SB1.5.32 TEXT 32 etat samsucitam brahmams tapa-traya-cikitsitam yad isvare bhagavati karma brahmani bhavitam SYNONYMS etat—this much; samsucitam—decided by the learned; brahman—O brahmana Vyasa; tapa-traya—three kinds of miseries; cikitsitam—remedial measures; yat—what; isvare—the supreme controller; bhagavati—unto the Personality of Godhead; karma—one’s prescribed activities; brahmani—unto the great; bhavitam—dedicated. TRANSLATION O Brahmana Vyasadeva, it is decided by the learned that the best remedial measure for removing all troubles and miseries is to dedicate one’s activities to the service of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead [Sri Krsna]. PURPORT Sri Narada Muni personally experienced that the most feasible and practical way to open the path of salvation or get relief from all miseries of life is to hear submissively the transcendental activities of the Lord from the right and bona fide sources. This is the only remedial process. The entire material existence is full of miseries. Foolish people have manufactured, out of their tiny brains, many remedial measures for removing the threefold miseries pertaining to the body and mind, pertaining to the natural disturbances and in relation with other living beings. The whole world is struggling very hard to exist out of these miseries, but men do not know that without the sanction of the Lord no plan or no remedial measure can actually bring about the desired peace and tranquillity. The remedial measure to cure a patient by medical treatment is useless if it is not sanctioned by the Lord. To cross the river or the ocean by a suitable boat is no remedial measure if it is not sanctioned by the Lord. We should know for certain that the Lord is the ultimate sanctioning officer, and we must therefore dedicate our attempts to the mercy of the Lord for ultimate success or to get rid of the obstacles on the path of success. The Lord is all-pervading, all-powerful, omniscient and omnipresent. He is the ultimate sanctioning agent of all good or bad effects. We should, therefore, learn to dedicate our activities unto the mercy of the Lord and accept Him either as impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It does not matter what one is. One must dedicate everything in the service of the Lord. If one is a learned scholar, scientist, philosopher, poet, etc., then he should employ his learning to establish the supremacy of the Lord. Try to study the energy of the Lord in every sphere of life. Do not decry Him and try to become like Him or take His position simply by fragmental accumulation of knowledge. If one is an administrator, statesman, warrior, politician, etc., then one should try to establish the Lord’s supremacy in statesmanship. Fight for the cause of the Lord as Sri Arjuna did. In the beginning, Sri Arjuna, the great fighter, declined to fight, but when he was convinced by the Lord that the fighting was necessary, Sri Arjuna changed his decision and fought for His cause. Similarly, if one is a businessman, an industrialist, an agriculturist, etc., then one should spend his hard-earned money for the cause of the Lord. Think always that the money which is accumulated is the wealth of the Lord. Wealth is considered to be the goddess of fortune (Laksmi), and the Lord is Narayana, or the husband of Laksmi. Try to engage Laksmi in the service of Lord Narayana and be happy. That is the way to realize the Lord in every sphere of life. The best thing is, after all, to get relief from all material activities and engage oneself completely in hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. But in case of the absence of such an opportunity, one should try to engage in the service of the Lord everything for which one has specific attraction, and that is the way of peace and prosperity. The word samsucitam in this stanza is also significant. One should not think for a moment that the realization of Narada was childish imagination only. It is not like that. It is so realized by the expert and erudite scholars, and that is the real import of the word samsucitam. SB1.5.33 TEXT 33 amayo yas ca bhutanam jayate yena suvrata tad eva hy amayam dravyam na punati cikitsitam SYNONYMS amayah—diseases; yah ca—whatever; bhutanam—of the living being; jayate—become possible; yena—by the agency; suvrata—O good soul; tat—that; eva—very; hi—certainly; amayam—disease; dravyam—thing; na—does it not; punati—cure; cikitsitam—treated with. TRANSLATION O good soul, does not a thing, applied therapeutically, cure a disease which was caused by that very same thing? PURPORT An expert physician treats his patient with a therapeutic diet. For example, milk preparations sometimes cause disorder of the bowels, but the very same milk converted into curd and mixed with some other remedial ingredients cures such disorders. Similarly, the threefold miseries of material existence cannot be mitigated simply by material activities. Such activities have to be spiritualized, just as by fire iron is made red-hot, and thereby the action of fire begins. Similarly, the material conception of a thing is at once changed as soon as it is put into the service of the Lord. That is the secret of spiritual success. We should not try to lord it over the material nature, nor should we reject material things. The best way to make the best use of a bad bargain is to use everything in relation with the supreme spiritual being. Everything is an emanation from the Supreme Spirit, and by His inconceivable power He can convert spirit into matter and matter into spirit. Therefore a material thing (so-called) is at once turned into a spiritual force by the great will of the Lord. The necessary condition for such a change is to employ so-called matter in the service of the spirit. That is the way to treat our material diseases and elevate ourselves to the spiritual plane where there is no misery, no lamentation and no fear. When everything is thus employed in the service of the Lord, we can experience that there is nothing except the Supreme Brahman. The Vedic mantra that “everything is Brahman” is thus realized by us. SB1.5.34 TEXT 34 evam nrnam kriya-yogah sarve samsrti-hetavah ta evatma-vinasaya kalpante kalpitah pare SYNONYMS evam—thus; nrnam—of the human being; kriya-yogah—all activities; sarve—everything; samsrti—material existence; hetavah—causes; te—that; eva—certainly; atma—the tree of work; vinasaya—killing; kalpante—become competent; kalpitah—dedicated; pare—unto the Transcendence. TRANSLATION Thus when all a man’s activities are dedicated to the service of the Lord, those very activities which caused his perpetual bondage become the destroyer of the tree of work. PURPORT Fruitive work which has perpetually engaged the living being is compared to the banyan tree in the Bhagavad-gita, for it is certainly very deeply rooted. As long as the propensity for enjoying the fruit of work is there, one has to continue the transmigration of the soul from one body or place to another, according to one’s nature of work. The propensity for enjoyment may be turned into the desire for serving the mission of the Lord, By doing so, one’s activity is changed into karma-yoga, or the way by which one can attain spiritual perfection while engaging in the work for which he has a natural tendency. Here the word atma indicates the categories of all fruitive work. The conclusion is that when the result of all fruitive and other work is dovetailed with the service of the Lord, it will cease to generate further karma and will gradually develop into transcendental devotional service, which will not only cut off completely the root of the banyan tree of work but will also carry the performer to the lotus feet of the Lord. The summary is that one has to, first of all, seek the association of pure devotees who not only are learned in the Vedanta but are self-realized souls and unalloyed devotees of Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. In that association, the neophyte devotees must render loving service physically and mentally without reservation. This service attitude will induce the great souls to be more favorable in bestowing their mercy, which injects the neophyte with all the transcendental qualities of the pure devotees. Gradually this is developed into a strong attachment to hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, which makes him able to catch up the constitutional position of the gross and subtle bodies and beyond them the knowledge of pure soul and his eternal relation with the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead. After the relation is ascertained by establishment of the eternal relation, pure devotional service to the Lord begins gradually developing into perfect knowledge of the Personality of Godhead beyond the purview of impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma. By such purusottama-yoga, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, one is made perfect even during the present corporeal existence, and one exhibits all the good qualities of the Lord to the highest percentage. Such is the gradual development by association of pure devotees. SB1.5.35 TEXT 35 yad atra kriyate karma bhagavat-paritosanam jnanam yat tad adhinam hi bhakti-yoga-samanvitam SYNONYMS yat—whatever; atra—in this life or world; kriyate—does perform; karma—work; bhagavat—unto the Personality of Godhead; paritosanam—satisfaction of; jnanam—knowledge; yat tat—what is so called; adhinam—dependent; hi—certainly; bhakti-yoga—devotional; samanvitam—dovetailed with bhakti-yoga. TRANSLATION Whatever work is done here in this life for the satisfaction of the mission of the Lord is called bhakti-yoga, or transcendental loving service to the Lord, and what is called knowledge becomes a concomitant factor. PURPORT The general and popular notion is that by discharging fruitive work in terms of the direction of the scriptures one becomes perfectly able to acquire transcendental knowledge for spiritual realization. Bhakti-yoga is considered by some to be another form of karma. But factually bhakti-yoga is above both karma and jnana. Bhakti-yoga is independent of jnana or karma; on the other hand, jnana and karma are dependent on bhakti-yoga. This kriya-yoga or karma-yoga, as recommended by Sri Narada to Vyasa, is specifically recommended because the principle is to satisfy the Lord. The Lord does not want His sons, the living beings, to suffer the threefold miseries of life. He desires that all of them come to Him and live with Him, but going back to Godhead means that one must purify himself from material infections. When work is performed, therefore, to satisfy the Lord, the performer becomes gradually purified from the material affection. This purification means attainment of spiritual knowledge. Therefore knowledge is dependent on karma, or work, done on behalf of the Lord. Other knowledge, being devoid of bhakti-yoga or satisfaction of the Lord, cannot lead one back to the kingdom of God, which means that it cannot even offer salvation, as already explained in connection with the stanza naiskarmyam apy acyuta-bhava-varjitam (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.12). The conclusion is that a devotee engaged in the unalloyed service of the Lord, specifically in hearing and chanting of His transcendental glories, becomes simultaneously spiritually enlightened by the divine grace, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. SB1.5.36 TEXT 36 kurvana yatra karmani bhagavac-chiksayasakrt grnanti guna-namani krsnasyanusmaranti ca SYNONYMS kurvanah—while performing; yatra—thereupon; karmani—duties; bhagavat—the Personality of Godhead; siksaya—by the will of; asakrt—constantly; grnanti—takes on; guna—qualities; namani—names; krsnasya—of Krsna; anusmaranti—constantly remembers; ca—and. TRANSLATION While performing duties according to the order of Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one constantly remembers Him, His names and His qualities. PURPORT An expert devotee of the Lord can mold his life in such a way that while performing all kinds of duties either for this or the next life, he can constantly remember the Lord’s name, fame, qualities, etc. The order of the Lord is distinctly there in the Bhagavad-gita: one should work only for the Lord in all spheres of life. In every sphere of life the Lord should be situated as the proprietor. According to the Vedic rites, even in the worship of some demigods like Indra, Brahma, Sarasvati and Ganesa, the system is that in all circumstances the representation of Visnu must be there as yajnesvara, or the controlling power of such sacrifices. It is recommended that a particular demigod be worshiped for a particular purpose, but still the presence of Visnu is compulsory in order to make the function proper. Apart from such Vedic duties, even in our ordinary dealings (for example, in our household affairs or in our business or profession) we must consider that the result of all activities must be given over to the supreme enjoyer, Lord Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord has declared Himself to be the supreme enjoyer of everything, the supreme proprietor of every planet and the supreme friend of all beings. No one else but Lord Sri Krsna can claim to be the proprietor of everything within His creation. A pure devotee remembers this constantly, and in doing so he repeats the transcendental name, fame and qualities of the Lord, which means that he is constantly in touch with the Lord. The Lord is identical with His name, fame, etc., and therefore to be associated with His name, fame, etc., constantly, means actually to associate with the Lord. The major portion of our monetary income, not less than fifty percent, must be spent to carry out the order of Lord Krsna. Not only should we give the profit of our earning to this cause, but we must also arrange to preach this cult of devotion to others because that is also one of the orders of the Lord. The Lord definitely says that no one is more dear to Him than one who is always engaged in the preaching work of the Lord’s name and fame all over the world. The scientific discoveries of the material world can also be equally engaged in carrying out His order. He wants the message of the Bhagavad-gita to be preached amongst His devotees. It may not be so done amongst those who have no credit of austerities, charity, education, etc. Therefore, the attempt must go on to convert unwilling men to become His devotees. Lord Caitanya has taught a very simple method in this connection. He has taught the lesson for preaching the transcendental message through singing, dancing and refreshment. As such, fifty percent of our income may be spent for this purpose. In this fallen age of quarrel and dissension, if only the leading and wealthy persons of society agree to spend fifty percent of their income in the service of the Lord, as it is taught by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, there is absolute certainty of converting this hell of pandemonium to the transcendental abode of the Lord. No one will disagree to partake in a function where good singing, dancing and refreshment are administered. Everyone will attend such a function, and everyone is sure to feel individually the transcendental presence of the Lord. This alone will help the attendant associate with the Lord and thereby purify himself in spiritual realization. The only condition for successfully executing such spiritual activities is that they must be conducted under the guidance of a pure devotee who is completely free from all mundane desires, fruitive activities and dry speculations about the nature of the Lord. No one has to discover the nature of the Lord. It is already spoken by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita especially and in all other Vedic literatures generally. We have simply to accept them in toto and abide by the orders of the Lord. That will guide us to the path of perfection. One can remain in his own position. No one has to change his position, especially in this age of variegated difficulties. The only condition is that one must give up the habit of dry speculation aimed at becoming one with the Lord. And after giving up such lofty puffed-up vanities, one may very submissively receive the orders of the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita or Bhagavatam from the lips of a bona fide devotee whose qualification is mentioned above. That will make everything successful, without a doubt. SB1.5.37 TEXT 37 om namo bhagavate tubhyam vasudevaya dhimahi pradyumnayaniruddhaya namah sankarsanaya ca SYNONYMS om—the sign of chanting the transcendental glory of the Lord; namah—offering obeisances unto the Lord; bhagavate—unto the Personality of Godhead; tubhyam—unto You; vasudevaya—unto the Lord, the son of Vasudeva; dhimahi—let us chant; pradyumnaya, aniruddhaya and sankarsanaya—all plenary expansions of Vasudeva; namah—respectful obeisances; ca—and. TRANSLATION Let us all chant the glories of Vasudeva along with His plenary expansions Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarsana. PURPORT According to Pancaratra, Narayana is the primeval cause of all expansions of Godhead. These are Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Vasudeva and Sankarsana are on the middle left and right, Pradyumna is on the right of Sankarsana, and Aniruddha is on the left of Vasudeva, and thus the four Deities are situated. They are known as the four aides-de-camp of Lord Sri Krsna. This is a Vedic hymn or mantra beginning with omkara pranava, and thus the mantra is established by the transcendental chanting process, namely, om namo dhimahi, etc. The purport is that any transaction, either in the field of fruitive work or in empiric philosophy, which is not ultimately aimed at transcendental realization of the Supreme Lord, is considered to be useless. Naradaji has therefore explained the nature of unalloyed devotional service by his personal experience in the development of intimacy between the Lord and the living entity by a gradual process of progressive devotional activities. Such a progressive march of transcendental devotion for the Lord culminates in the attainment of loving service of the Lord, which is called prema in different transcendental variegatedness called rasas (tastes). Such devotional service is also executed in mixed forms, namely mixed with fruitive work or empiric philosophical speculations. Now the question which was raised by the great rsis headed by Saunaka regarding the confidential part of Suta’s achievement through the spiritual master is explained herein by the chanting of this hymn consisting of thirty-three letters. And this mantra is addressed to the four Deities, or the Lord with His plenary expansions. The central figure is Lord Sri Krsna because the plenary portions are His aides-de-camp. The most confidential part of the instruction is that one should always chant and remember the glories of the Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, along with His different plenary portions expanded as Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Those expansions are the original Deities for all other truths, namely either visnu-tattva or sakti-tattvas. SB1.5.38 TEXT 38 iti murty-abhidhanena mantra-murtim amurtikam yajate yajna-purusam sa samyag darsanah puman SYNONYMS iti—thus; murti—representation; abhidhanena—in sound; mantra-murtim—form representation of transcendental sound; amurtikam—the Lord, who has no material form; yajate—worship; yajna—Visnu; purusam—the Personality of Godhead; sah—he alone; samyak—perfectly; darsanah—one who has seen; puman—person. TRANSLATION Thus he is the actual seer who worships, in the form of transcendental sound representation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, who has no material form. PURPORT Our present senses are all made of material elements, and therefore they are imperfect in realizing the transcendental form of Lord Visnu. He is therefore worshiped by sound representation via the transcendental method of chanting. Anything which is beyond the scope of experience by our imperfect senses can be realized fully by the sound representation. A person transmitting sound from a far distant place can be factually experienced. If this is materially possible, why not spiritually? This experience is not a vague impersonal experience. It is actually an experience of the transcendental Personality of Godhead, who possesses the pure form of eternity, bliss and knowledge. In the Amarakosa Sanskrit dictionary the word murti carries import in twofold meanings, namely, form and difficulty. Therefore amurtikam is explained by Acarya Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura as meaning “without difficulty.” The transcendental form of eternal bliss and knowledge can be experienced by our original spiritual senses, which can be revived by chanting of the holy mantras, or transcendental sound representations. Such sound should be received from the transparent agency of the bona fide spiritual master, and the chanting may be practiced by the direction of the spiritual master. That will gradually lead us nearer to the Lord. This method of worship is recommended in the pancaratrika system, which is both recognized and authorized. The pancaratrika system has the most authorized codes for transcendental devotional service. Without the help of such codes, one cannot approach the Lord, certainly not by dry philosophical speculation. The pancaratrika system is both practical and suitable for this age of quarrel. The Pancaratra is more important than the Vedanta for this modern age. SB1.5.39 TEXT 39 imam sva-nigamam brahmann avetya mad-anusthitam adan me jnanam aisvaryam svasmin bhavam ca kesavah SYNONYMS imam—thus; sva-nigamam—confidential knowledge of the Vedas in respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; brahman—O brahmana (Vyasadeva); avetya—knowing it well; mat—by me; anusthitam—executed; adat—bestowed upon me; me—me; jnanam—transcendental knowledge; aisvaryam—opulence; svasmin—personal; bhavam—intimate affection and love; ca—and; kesavah—Lord Krsna. TRANSLATION O brahmana, thus by the Supreme Lord Krsna I was endowed first with the transcendental knowledge of the Lord as inculcated in the confidential parts of the Vedas, then with the spiritual opulences, and then with His intimate loving service. PURPORT Communion with the Lord by transmission of the transcendental sound is nondifferent from the whole spirit Lord Sri Krsna. It is a completely perfect method for approaching the Lord. By such pure contact with the Lord, without offense of material conceptions (numbering ten), the devotee can rise above the material plane to understand the inner meaning of the Vedic literatures, including the Lord’s existence in the transcendental realm. The Lord reveals His identity gradually to one who has unflinching faith, both in the spiritual master and in the Lord. After this, the devotee is endowed with mystic opulences, which are eight in number. And above all, the devotee is accepted in the confidential entourage of the Lord and is entrusted with specific service of the Lord through the agency of the spiritual master. A pure devotee is more interested in serving the Lord than in showing an exhibition of the mystic powers dormant in him. Sri Narada has explained all these from his personal experience, and one can obtain all the facilities which Sri Narada obtained by perfecting the chanting process of the sound representation of the Lord. There is no bar for chanting this transcendental sound by anyone, provided it is received through Narada’s representative, coming down by the chain of disciplic succession, or the parampara system. SB1.5.40 TEXT 40 tvam apy adabhra-sruta visrutam vibhoh samapyate yena vidam bubhutsitam prakhyahi duhkhair muhur arditatmanam sanklesa-nirvanam usanti nanyatha SYNONYMS tvam—your good soul; api—also; adabhra—vast; sruta—Vedic literatures; visrutam—have heard also; vibhoh—of the Almighty; samapyate—satisfied; yena—by which; vidam—of the learned; bubhutsitam—who always desire to learn transcendental knowledge; prakhyahi—describe; duhkhaih—by miseries; muhuh—always; ardita-atmanam—suffering mass of people; sanklesa—sufferings; nirvanam—mitigation; usanti na—do not get out of; anyatha—by other means. TRANSLATION Please, therefore, describe the Almighty Lord’s activities which you have learned by your vast knowledge of the Vedas, for that will satisfy the hankerings of great learned men and at the same time mitigate the miseries of the masses of common people who are always suffering from material pangs. Indeed, there is no other way to get out of such miseries. PURPORT Sri Narada Muni from practical experience definitely asserts that the prime solution of all problems of material work is to broadcast very widely the transcendental glories of the Supreme Lord. There are four classes of good men, and there are four classes of bad men also. The four classes of good men acknowledge the authority of the Almighty God, and therefore such good men (1) when they are in difficulty, (2) when they are in need of money, (3) when they are advanced in knowledge and (4) when they are inquisitive to know more and more about God, intuitively take shelter of the Lord. As such, Naradaji advises Vyasadeva to broadcast the transcendental knowledge of God in terms of the vast Vedic knowledge which he had already attained. As far as the bad men are concerned, they are also four in number: (1) those who are simply addicted to the mode of progressive fruitive work and thus are subjected to the accompanying miseries, (2) those who are simply addicted to vicious work for sense satisfaction and so suffer the consequence, (3) those who are materially very much advanced in knowledge, but who suffer because they do not have the sense to acknowledge the authority of the Almighty Lord, and (4) the class of men who are known as atheists and who therefore purposely hate the very name of God, although they are always in difficulty. Sri Naradaji advised Vyasadeva to describe the glories of the Lord just to do good to all eight classes of men, both good and bad. Srimad-Bhagavatam is therefore not meant for any particular class of men or sect. It is for the sincere soul who actually wants his own welfare and peace of mind. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Fifth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Narada’s Instructions on Srimad-Bhagavatam for Vyasadeva.”