Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 2: “The Cosmic Manifestation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eight
Questions by King Pariksit
SB2.8.1
TEXT 1
rajovaca
brahmana codito brahman
gunakhyane ’gunasya ca
yasmai yasmai yatha praha
narado deva-darsanah
SYNONYMS
raja—the King; uvaca—inquired; brahmana—by Lord Brahma; coditah—being instructed; brahman—O learned brahmana (Sukadeva Gosvami); guna-akhyane—in narrating the transcendental qualities; agunasya—of the Lord, who is without material qualities; ca—and; yasmai yasmai—and whom; yatha—as much as; praha—explained; naradah—Narada Muni; deva-darsanah—one whose audience is as good as that of any demigod.
TRANSLATION
King Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva Gosvami: How did Narada Muni, whose hearers are as fortunate as those instructed by Lord Brahma, explain the transcendental qualities of the Lord, who is without material qualities, and before whom did he speak?
PURPORT
Devarsi Narada was directly instructed by Brahmaji, who was also directly instructed by the Supreme Lord; therefore the instructions imparted by Narada to his various disciples are as good as those of the Supreme Lord. That is the way of understanding Vedic knowledge. It comes down from the Lord by disciplic succession, and this transcendental knowledge is distributed to the world by this descending process. There is no chance, however, to receive the Vedic knowledge from mental speculators. Therefore, wherever Narada Muni goes, he represents himself as authorized by the Lord, and his appearance is as good as that of the Supreme Lord. Similarly, the disciplic succession which strictly follows the transcendental instruction is the bona fide chain of disciplic succession, and the test for such bona fide spiritual masters is that there should be no difference between the instruction of the Lord originally imparted to His devotee and that which is imparted by the authority in the line of disciplic succession. How Narada Muni distributed the transcendental knowledge of the Lord will be explained in later cantos.
It will appear also that the Lord existed prior to the material creation, and therefore His transcendental name, quality, etc., do not represent any material quality. Whenever, therefore, the Lord is described as aguna, or without any quality, it does not mean that He has no quality, but that He has no material quality, such as the modes of goodness, passion or ignorance, as the conditioned souls have. He is transcendental to all material conceptions, and thus He is described as aguna. SB2.8.2 TEXT 2 etad veditum icchami tattvam tattva-vidam vara harer adbhuta-viryasya katha loka-sumangalah SYNONYMS etat—this; veditum—to understand; icchami—I wish; tattvam—truth; tattva-vidam—of those who are well versed in the Absolute Truth; vara—O best; hareh—of the Lord; adbhuta-viryasya—of the one who possesses wonderful potencies; kathah—narrations; loka—for all planets; su-mangalah—auspicious. TRANSLATION The King said: I wish to know. Narrations concerning the Lord, who possesses wonderful potencies, are certainly auspicious for living beings in all planets. PURPORT Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is full of narrations of the activities of the Supreme Lord, is auspicious for all living beings residing in every planet. One who takes it as belonging to a particular sect is certainly mistaken. Srimad-Bhagavatam is certainly a very dear scripture for all the devotees of the Lord, but it is auspicious even for the nondevotees also because it explains that even the nondevotees hovering under the spell of material energy can be delivered from such clutches if they hear the narration of the Srimad-Bhagavatam with devotion and attention from the right source representing the Lord by disciplic succession. SB2.8.3 TEXT 3 kathayasva mahabhaga yathaham akhilatmani krsne nivesya nihsangam manas tyaksye kalevaram SYNONYMS kathayasva—please continue speaking; mahabhaga—O greatly fortunate one; yatha—as much as; aham—I; akhila-atmani—unto the Supreme Soul; krsne—unto Lord Sri Krsna; nivesya—having placed; nihsangam—being freed from material qualities; manah—mind; tyaksye—may relinquish; kalevaram—body. TRANSLATION O greatly fortunate Sukadeva Gosvami, please continue narrating Srimad-Bhagavatam so that I can place my mind upon the Supreme Soul, Lord Krsna, and, being completely freed from material qualities, thus relinquish this body. PURPORT To be fully engaged in hearing the transcendental narration described in the text of Srimad-Bhagavatam means to constantly associate with the Supreme Soul, Sri Krsna. And to constantly associate with the Supreme Lord Krsna means to be liberated from the qualities of matter. Lord Krsna is like the sun, and material contamination is like darkness. As the presence of the sun dissipates darkness, constant engagement in the association of the Lord Sri Krsna frees one from the contamination of the material qualities. Contamination by the material qualities is the cause of repeated birth and death, and liberation from material qualities is transcendence. Maharaja Pariksit was now a realized soul by this secret of liberation, through the grace of Sukadeva Gosvami, for the latter had informed the King that the highest perfection of life is to be in remembrance of Narayana at the end of life. Maharaja Pariksit was destined to give up his body at the end of seven days, and thus he decided to continue remembering the Lord by His association with the topics of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and thus to quit his body in full consciousness of the presence of the Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Soul. The hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam performed by professional men is different from the transcendental hearing of Maharaja Pariksit. Maharaja Pariksit was a soul realized in the Absolute Truth, Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. The fruitive materialist is not a realized soul; he wants to derive some material benefit from his so-called hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Undoubtedly such an audience, hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam from the professional men, can derive some material benefit as they desire, but that does not mean that such a pretense of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam for a week is as good as the hearing of Maharaja Pariksit. It is the duty of the sane to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam from a self-realized soul and not be duped by professional men. One should continue such hearing till the end of one’s life so that one can actually have the transcendental association of the Lord and thus be liberated simply by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam. Maharaja Pariksit had already given up all his connections with his kingdom and family, the most attractive features of materialism, but still he was conscious of his material body. He wanted to be free of such bondage also by the constant association of the Lord. SB2.8.4 TEXT 4 srnvatah sraddhaya nityam grnatas ca sva-cestitam kalena natidirghena bhagavan visate hrdi SYNONYMS srnvatah—of those who hear; sraddhaya—in earnestness; nityam—regularly, always; grnatah—taking the matter; ca—also; sva-cestitam—seriously by one’s own endeavor; kalena—duration; na—not; ati-dirghena—very prolonged time; bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna; visate—becomes manifest; hrdi—within one’s heart. TRANSLATION Persons who hear Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna manifested in their hearts within a short time. PURPORT Cheap devotees or materialistic devotees of the Lord are very much desirous to see the Lord personally without meeting the requisite qualifications. Such third-grade devotees should know well that material attachment and seeing the Lord face to face cannot go together. It is not such a mechanical process that the professional Bhagavatam reciters can do the job on behalf of the third-grade materialistic pseudo-devotee. The professional men are useless in this connection because they are neither self-realized nor interested in the liberation of the audience. They are simply interested in maintaining the material establishment of family attachment and earning some material benefits out of the profession. Maharaja Pariksit had no more than seven days to live, but for others Maharaja Pariksit personally recommends that one hear Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly, nityam, always by one’s own effort and with serious devotion also. That will help one to see the Lord Sri Krsna manifested in one’s heart within no time. The pseudo-devotee, however, is very anxious to see the Lord according to his whims, not making any serious effort to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and without detachment from material benefit. That is not the way recommended by an authority like Maharaja Pariksit, who heard and benefited by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam. SB2.8.5 TEXT 5 pravistah karna-randhrena svanam bhava-saroruham dhunoti samalam krsnah salilasya yatha sarat SYNONYMS pravistah—thus being entered; karna-randhrena—through the holes of the ears; svanam—according to one’s liberated position; bhava—constitutional relationship; sarah-ruham—the lotus flower; dhunoti—cleanses; samalam—material qualities like lust, anger, avarice and hankering; krsnah—Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; salilasya—of the reservoir of waters; yatha—as it were; sarat—the autumn season. TRANSLATION The sound incarnation of Lord Krsna, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Srimad-Bhagavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water. PURPORT It is said that a single pure devotee of the Lord can deliver all the fallen souls of the world. Thus one who is actually in the confidence of a pure devotee like Narada or Sukadeva Gosvami and thus is empowered by one’s spiritual master, as Narada was by Brahmaji, can not only deliver himself from the clutches of maya, or illusion, but can deliver the whole world by his pure and empowered devotional strength. The comparison to the autumnal rain that falls on muddy reservoirs of water is very appropriate. During the rainy season, all the waters of the rivers become muddy, but in the month of July-August, the autumn season, when there is a slight rainfall, the muddy waters of the rivers all over the world become at once clear. By addition of some chemical, a small reservoir of water like that of a metropolitan waterworks tank can be cleared, but by such a tiny effort it is not possible to clear up all the reservoirs of water like the rivers. A powerful pure devotee of the Lord, however, can deliver not only his personal self but also many others in his association. In other words, the cleansing of the polluted heart by other methods (like the culture of empiric knowledge or mystic gymnastics) can simply cleanse one’s own heart, but devotional service to the Lord is so powerful that it can cleanse the hearts of the people in general, by the devotional service of the pure, empowered devotee. A true representative of the Lord like Narada, Sukadeva Gosvami, Lord Caitanya, the six Gosvamis and later Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, etc., can deliver all people by their empowered devotional service. By sincere efforts to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam one realizes his constitutional relationship with the Lord in the transcendental humor of servitude, friendship, paternal affection or conjugal love, and by such self-realization one becomes situated at once in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Not only were all the pure devotees like Narada self-realized souls, but they were engaged in preaching work automatically by spiritual impetus, and thus they delivered many poor souls entangled in the material modes. They became so powerful because they sincerely followed the Bhagavatam principles by regular hearing and worshiping. By such actions the accumulated material lusts, etc., become cleansed by the personal endeavor of the Lord within the heart. The Lord is always within the heart of the living being, but He becomes manifested by one’s devotional service. Purification of the heart by culture of knowledge or mystic yoga may be all right for the time being for an individual person, but it is like the cleansing of a small quantity of stagnant water by chemical processes. Such clarification of water may stand for the time being and the sediments settle down, but by a slight agitation everything becomes muddy. The idea is that devotional service to the Lord is the only method of cleansing the heart for good. Whereas other methods may be superficially good for the time being, there is a risk of becoming muddy again due to agitation of the mind. Devotional service to the Lord, with specific attention for hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly and always, is the best recommended method for liberation from the clutches of illusion. SB2.8.6 TEXT 6 dhautatma purusah krsna- pada-mulam na muncati mukta-sarva-pariklesah panthah sva-saranam yatha SYNONYMS dhauta-atma—whose heart has been cleansed; purusah—the living being; krsna—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pada-mulam—the shelter of the lotus feet; na—never; muncati—gives up; mukta—liberated; sarva—all; pariklesah—of all miseries of life; panthah—the traveler; sva-saranam—in his own abode; yatha—as it were. TRANSLATION A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey. PURPORT One who is not a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord Krsna is not completely cleansed in the heart. But a perfectly cleansed person never quits the devotional service of the Lord. In discharging such devotional service, as ordered by Brahmaji to Narada in the preaching of Srimad-Bhagavatam, sometimes a representative of the Lord engaged in preaching work meets various so-called difficulties. This was exhibited by Lord Nityananda when He delivered the two fallen souls Jagai and Madhai, and similarly Lord Jesus Christ was crucified by the nonbelievers. But such difficulties are very gladly suffered by the devotees in preaching because in such activities, although apparently very severe, the devotees of the Lord feel transcendental pleasure because the Lord is satisfied. Prahlada Maharaja suffered greatly, but still he never forgot the lotus feet of the Lord. This is because a pure devotee of the Lord is so purified in his heart that he cannot leave the shelter of Lord Krsna in any circumstances. There is no self-interest in such service. The progress of culturing knowledge by the jnanis or the bodily gymnastics by the yogis are ultimately given up by the respective performers, but a devotee of the Lord cannot give up the service of the Lord, for he is ordered by his spiritual master. Pure devotees like Narada and Nityananda Prabhu take up the order of the spiritual master as the sustenance of life. They do not mind what becomes of the future of their lives. They take the matter very seriously as the order comes from the higher authority, from the representative of the Lord, or from the Lord Himself. The example set herein is very appropriate. A traveler leaves home to search for wealth in far distant places, sometimes in the forest and sometimes on the ocean and sometimes on hilltops. Certainly there are many troubles for the traveler when he is in such unknown places. But all such troubles are at once mitigated as soon as the sense of his family affection is remembered, and as soon as he returns home he forgets all such troubles on the way. A pure devotee of the Lord is exactly in a family tie with the Lord, and therefore he is undeterred in discharging his duty in a full affectionate tie with the Lord. SB2.8.7 TEXT 7 yad adhatu-mato brahman deharambho ’sya dhatubhih yadrcchaya hetuna va bhavanto janate yatha SYNONYMS yat—as it is; adhatu-matah—without being materially constituted; brahman—O learned brahmana; deha—the material body; arambhah—the beginning of; asya—of the living being; dhatubhih—by matter; yadrcchaya—without cause, accidental; hetuna—due to some cause; va—either; bhavantah—your good self; janate—as you may know it; yatha—so you inform me. TRANSLATION O learned brahmana, the transcendental spirit soul is different from the material body. Does he acquire the body accidentally or by some cause? Will you kindly explain this, for it is known to you. PURPORT Maharaja Pariksit, being a typical devotee, is not only satisfied by confirming the importance of hearing the Srimad-Bhagavatam from the representative of Brahmaji by disciplic succession, but he is still more anxious to establish the philosophical basis of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the science of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such all questions that may arise in the mind of a serious student must be cleared by the statements of the authority. A person on the path of devotional service may inquire from his spiritual master all about the spiritual position of God and the living beings. From the Bhagavad-gita, as well as from the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is known that qualitatively the Lord and the living beings are one. The living being in the conditioned state of material existence is subjected to many transmigrations by continuous changing of the material body. But what are the causes of the material embodiment of the part and parcel of the Lord? Maharaja Pariksit inquires about this very important matter for the benefit of all classes of candidates on the path of self-realization and devotional service to the Lord. Indirectly it is confirmed that the Supreme Being, the Lord, makes no such material changes of body. He is spiritually whole, with no difference between His body and His soul, unlike the conditioned soul. The liberated living beings, who associate with the Lord in person, are also exactly like the Lord. Only the conditioned souls awaiting liberation are subjected to change of bodies. How was the process first begun? In the process of devotional service, the first step is to take shelter of the spiritual master and then inquire from the spiritual master all about the process. This inquiry is essential for immunity to all kinds of offenses on the path of devotional service. Even if one is fixed in devotional service like Maharaja Pariksit, he must still inquire from the realized spiritual master all about this. In other words, the spiritual master must also be well versed and learned so that he may be able to answer all these inquiries from the devotees. Thus one who is not well versed in the authorized scriptures and not able to answer all such relevant inquiries should not pose as a spiritual master for the matter of material gain. It is illegal to become a spiritual master if one is unable to deliver the disciple. SB2.8.8 TEXT 8 asid yad-udarat padmam loka-samsthana-laksanam yavan ayam vai purusa iyattavayavaih prthak tavan asav iti proktah samsthavayavavan iva SYNONYMS asit—as it grew; yat-udarat—from whose abdomen; padmam—lotus flower; loka—world; samsthana—situation; laksanam—possessed of; yavan—as it were; ayam—this; vai—certainly; purusah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iyatta—measurement; avayavaih—by embodiments; prthak—different; tavan—so; asau—that; iti proktah—it is so said; samstha—situation; avayavavan—embodiment; iva—like. TRANSLATION If the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whose abdomen the lotus stem sprouted, is possessed of a gigantic body according to His own caliber and measurement, then what is the specific difference between the body of the Lord and those of common living entities? PURPORT One should note how Maharaja Pariksit intelligently put questions before his spiritual master for scientific understanding of the transcendental body of the Lord. It has been described in many places before this that the Lord assumed a gigantic body, like that of Karanodakasayi Visnu, from whose hair pores innumerable universes have generated. The body of Garbhodakasayi Visnu is described as sprouting the lotus stem within which all the planets of the universe remain, and at the top of the stem is the lotus flower on which Lord Brahma is born. In the creation of the material world the Supreme Lord undoubtedly assumes a gigantic body, and living entities also get bodies, big or small, according to necessity. For example, an elephant gets a gigantic body according to its needs, and so also an ant gets its body according to its needs. Similarly, if the Personality of Godhead assumes a gigantic body to accommodate the universes or the planets of a particular universe, there is no difference in the principle of assuming or accepting a particular type of body in terms of necessity. A living being and the Lord cannot be distinguished simply by the difference in the magnitude of the body. So the answer depends on the specific significance of the body of the Lord, as distinguished from the body of the common living being. SB2.8.9 TEXT 9 ajah srjati bhutani bhutatma yad-anugrahat dadrse yena tad-rupam nabhi-padma-samudbhavah SYNONYMS ajah—one who is born without a material source; srjati—creates; bhutani—all those materially born; bhuta-atma—having a body of matter; yat—whose; anugrahat—by the mercy of; dadrse—could see; yena—by whom; tat-rupam—His form of body; nabhi—navel; padma—lotus flower; samudbhavah—being born of. TRANSLATION Brahma, who was not born of a material source but of the lotus flower coming out of the navel abdomen of the Lord, is the creator of all those who are materially born. Of course, by the grace of the Lord, Brahma was able to see the form of the Lord. PURPORT The first living creature, Brahma, is called ajah because he did not take his birth from the womb of a mother materially born. He was directly born from the bodily expansion of the lotus flower of the Lord. Thus it is not readily understandable whether the body of the Lord and that of Brahma are of the same quality or different. This must also be clearly understood. One thing is, however, certain: Brahma was completely dependent on the mercy of the Lord because after his birth he could create living beings by the Lord’s grace only, and he could see the form of the Lord. Whether the form seen by Brahma is of the same quality as that of Brahma is a bewildering question, and Maharaja Pariksit wanted to get clear answers from Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. SB2.8.10 TEXT 10 sa capi yatra puruso visva-sthity-udbhavapyayah muktvatma-mayam mayesah sete sarva-guhasayah SYNONYMS sah—He; ca—also; api—as He is; yatra—where; purusah—the Personality of Godhead; visva—the material worlds; sthiti—maintenance; udbhava—creation; apyayah—annihilation; muktva—without being touched; atma-mayam—own energy; maya-isah—the Lord of all energies; sete—does lie on; sarva-guha-sayah—one who lies in everyone s heart. TRANSLATION Please also explain the Personality of Godhead, who lies in every heart as the Supersoul, and as the Lord of all energies, but is untouched by His external energy. PURPORT Undoubtedly the form of the Lord who was seen by Brahma must be transcendental, otherwise how could He simply look upon the creative energy without being touched? It is understood also that the same purusa lies in the heart of every living entity. This also requires proper explanation. SB2.8.11 TEXT 11 purusavayavair lokah sapalah purva-kalpitah lokair amusyavayavah sa-palair iti susruma SYNONYMS purusa—the universal form of the Lord (virat-purusah); avayavaih—by different parts of the body; lokah—the planetary system; sa-palah—with respective governors; purva—formerly; kalpitah—discussed; lokaih—by the different planetary systems; amusya—His; avayavah—different parts of the body; sa-palaih—with the governors; iti—thus; susruma—I heard. TRANSLATION O learned brahmana, it was formerly explained that all the planets of the universe with their respective governors are situated in the different parts of the gigantic body of the virat-purusa. I have also heard that the different planetary systems are supposed to be in the gigantic body of the virat-purusa. But what is their actual position ? Will you please explain that? SB2.8.12 TEXT 12 yavan kalpo vikalpo va yatha kalo ’numiyate bhuta-bhavya-bhavac-chabda ayur-manam ca yat satah SYNONYMS yavan—as it is; kalpah—the duration of time between creation and annihilation; vikalpah—subsidiary creation and annihilation; va—either; yatha—as also; kalah—the time; anumiyate—is measured; bhuta—past; bhavya—future; bhavat—present; sabdah—sound; ayuh—duration of life; manam—measurement; ca—also; yat—which; satah—of all living beings in all planets. TRANSLATION Also please explain the duration of time between creation and annihilation, and that of other subsidiary creations, as well as the nature of time, indicated by the sound of past, present and future. Also, please explain the duration and measurement of life of the different living beings known as the demigods, the human beings, etc., in different planets of the universe. PURPORT Past, present and future are different features of time to indicate the duration of life for the universe and all its paraphernalia, including the different living beings in different planets. SB2.8.13 TEXT 13 kalasyanugatir ya tu laksyate ’nvi brhaty api yavatyah karma-gatayo yadrsir dvija-sattama SYNONYMS kalasya—of eternal time; anugatih—beginning; ya tu—as they are; laksyate—experienced; anvi—small; brhati—great; api—even; yavatyah—as long as; karma-gatayah—in terms of the work performed; yadrsih—as it may; dvija-sattama—O purest of all brahmanas. TRANSLATION O purest of the brahmanas, please also explain the cause of the different durations of time, both short and long, as well as the beginning of time, following the course of action. SB2.8.14 TEXT 14 yasmin karma-samavayo yatha yenopagrhyate gunanam guninam caiva parinamam abhipsatam SYNONYMS yasmin—in which; karma—actions; samavayah—accumulation; yatha—as far as; yena—by which; upagrhyate—takes over; gunanam—of the different modes of material nature; guninam—of the living beings; ca—also; eva—certainly; parinamam—resultant; abhipsatam—of the desires. TRANSLATION Then again, kindly describe how the proportionate accumulation of the reactions resulting from the different modes of material nature act upon the desiring living being, promoting or degrading him among the different species of life, beginning from the demigods down to the most insignificant creatures. PURPORT The actions and reactions of all works in the material modes of nature, either in the minute form or in the gigantic form, are accumulated, and thus the result of such accumulated actions and reactions of karma, or work, become manifested in the same proportion. How such actions and reactions take place, what the different procedures are, and in what proportion they act are all subject matters of Maharaja Pariksit’s inquiries from the great brahmana Sukadeva Gosvami. Life in the higher planets, known as the abodes of the denizens of heaven, is obtained not by the strength of spacecraft (as is now being contemplated by the inexperienced scientists), but by works done in the mode of goodness. Even on the very planet where we are now living, there are restrictions upon the entrance of foreigners into a country where the citizens are more prosperous. For example, the American government has many restrictions for the entrance of foreigners from less prosperous countries. The reason is that the Americans do not wish to share their prosperity with any foreigner who has not qualified himself as a citizen of America. Similarly, the same mentality is prevailing in every other planet where there are more intelligent living beings residing. The higher planetary living conditions are all in the mode of goodness, and anyone desiring to enter the higher planets like the moon, sun and Venus must qualify thoroughly by activity in complete goodness. Maharaja Pariksit’s inquiries are on the basis of proportionate actions of goodness which qualify one in this planet to be promoted to the highest regions of the universe. Even on this planet of our present residence, one cannot achieve a good position within the social order without being qualified with proportionate good work. One cannot forcibly sit on the chair of a high-court judge without being qualified for the post. Similarly, one cannot enter into the higher planetary systems without being qualified by good works in this life. Persons addicted to the habits of passion and ignorance have no chance of entering the higher planetary systems simply by an electronic mechanism. According to the statement of the Bhagavad-gita (9.25), persons trying to qualify themselves for promotion to the higher, heavenly planets can go there; similarly, persons trying for the Pitrlokas can go there; similarly, persons trying to improve the conditions on this earth can also do that, and persons who are engaged in going back home, back to Godhead, can achieve that result. The various actions and reactions of work in the mode of goodness are generally known as pious work with devotional service, culture of knowledge with devotional service, mystic powers with devotional service and (at last) devotional service unmixed with any other varieties of goodness. This unmixed devotional service is transcendental and is called para bhakti. It alone can promote a person to the transcendental kingdom of God. Such a transcendental kingdom is not a myth, but is as factual as the moon. One must have transcendental qualities to understand the kingdom of God and God Himself.