Causelessmercy - Ebook - Srimad-Bhagavatam - Canto 3 - 14.1

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Fourteen

SB3.14.25

TEXT 25

smasana-cakranila-dhuli-dhumra-

vikirna-vidyota-jata-kalapah

bhasmavagunthamala-rukma-deho

devas tribhih pasyati devaras te

SYNONYMS

smasana—burning crematorium; cakra-anila—whirlwind; dhuli—dust; dhumra—smoky; vikirna-vidyota—thus smeared over beauty; jata-kalapah—bunches of matted hair; bhasma—ashes; avaguntha—covered by; amala—stainless; rukma—reddish; dehah—body; devah—the demigod; tribhih—with three eyes; pasyati—sees; devarah—younger brother of the husband; te—your.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva’s body is reddish, and he is unstained, but he is covered with ashes. His hair is dusty from the whirlwind dust of the burning crematorium. He is the younger brother of your husband, and he sees with his three eyes.

PURPORT

Lord Siva is not an ordinary living entity, nor is he in the category of Visnu, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is far more powerful than any living entity up to the standard of Brahma, yet he is not on an equal level with Visnu. Since he is almost like Lord Visnu, Siva can see past, present and future. One of his eyes is like the sun, another is like the moon, and his third eye, which is between his eyebrows, is like fire. He can generate fire from his middle eye, and he is able to vanquish any powerful living entity, including Brahma, yet he does not live pompously in a nice house, etc., nor does he possess any material properties, although he is master of the material world. He lives mostly in the crematorium, where dead bodies are burnt, and the whirlwind dust of the crematorium is his bodily dress. He is unstained by material contamination. Kasyapa took him as his younger brother because the youngest sister of Diti (Kasyapa’s wife) was married to Lord Siva. The husband of one’s sister is considered one’s brother. By that social relationship, Lord Siva happened to be the younger brother of Kasyapa. Kasyapa warned his wife that because Lord Siva would see their sex indulgence, the time was not appropriate. Diti might argue that they would enjoy sex life in a private place, but Kasyapa reminded her that Lord Siva has three eyes, called the sun, moon and fire, and one cannot escape his vigilance any more than one can escape Visnu. Although seen by the police, a criminal is sometimes not immediately punished; the police wait for the proper time to apprehend him. The forbidden time for sexual intercourse would be noted by Lord Siva, and Diti would meet with proper punishment by giving birth to a child of ghostly character or a godless impersonalist. Kasyapa foresaw this, and thus he warned his wife Diti.

na yasya loke sva-janah paro va

natyadrto nota kascid vigarhyah

vayam vratair yac-caranapaviddham

asasmahe ’jam bata bhukta-bhogam

na—never; yasya—of whom; loke—in the world; sva-janah—kinsman; parah—unconnected; va—nor; na—neither; ati—greater; adrtah—favorable; na—not; uta—or; kascit—anyone; vigarhyah—criminal; vayam—we; vrataih—by vows; yat—whose; carana—feet; apaviddham—rejected; asasmahe—respectfully worship; ajam—maha-prasada; bata—certainly; bhukta-bhogam—remnants of foodstuff.

Lord Siva regards no one as his relative, yet there is no one who is not connected with him; he does not regard anyone as very favorable or abominable. We respectfully worship the remnants of his foodstuff, and we vow to accept what is rejected by him.

Kasyapa informed his wife that just because Lord Siva happened to be his brother-in-law, that should not encourage her in her offense towards him. Kasyapa warned her that actually Lord Siva is not connected with anyone, nor is anyone his enemy. Since he is one of the three controllers of the universal affairs, he is equal to everyone. His greatness is incomparable because he is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said that among all the devotees of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Siva is the greatest. Thus the remnants of foodstuff left by him are accepted by other devotees as maha-prasada, or great spiritual foodstuff. The remnants of foodstuff offered to Lord Krsna are called prasada, but when the same prasada is eaten by a great devotee like Lord Siva, it is called maha-prasada. Lord Siva is so great that he does not care for the material prosperity for which every one of us is so eager. Parvati, who is the powerful material nature personified, is under his full control as his wife, yet he does not use her even to build a residential house. He prefers to remain without shelter, and his great wife also agrees to live with him humbly. People in general worship goddess Durga, the wife of Lord Siva, for material prosperity, but Lord Siva engages her in his service without material desire. He simply advises his great wife that of all kinds of worship, the worship of Visnu is the highest, and greater than that is the worship of a great devotee or anything in relation with Visnu.

yasyanavadyacaritam manisino

grnanty avidya-patalam bibhitsavah

nirasta-samyatisayo ’pi yat svayam

pisaca-caryam acarad gatih satam

yasya—whose; anavadya—unimpeachable; acaritam—character; manisinah—great sages; grnanti—follow; avidya—nescience; patalam—mass; bibhitsavah—desiring to dismantle; nirasta—nullified; samya—equality; atisayah—greatness; api—in spite of; yat—as; svayam—personally; pisaca—devil; caryam—activities; acarat—performed; gatih—destination; satam—of the devotees of the Lord.

Although no one in the material world is equal to or greater than Lord Siva, and although his unimpeachable character is followed by great souls to dismantle the mass of nescience, he nevertheless remains as if a devil to give salvation to all devotees of the Lord.

Lord Siva’s uncivilized, devilish characteristics are never abominable because he teaches the sincere devotees of the Lord how to practice detachment from material enjoyment. He is called Mahadeva, or the greatest of all demigods, and no one is equal to or greater than him in the material world. He is almost equal with Lord Visnu. Although he always associates with Maya, Durga, he is above the reactionary stage of the three modes of material nature, and although he is in charge of devilish characters in the mode of ignorance, he is not affected by such association.

hasanti yasyacaritam hi durbhagah

svatman-ratasyavidusah samihitam

yair vastra-malyabharananulepanaih

sva-bhojanam svatmatayopalalitam

hasanti—laugh at; yasya—whose; acaritam—activity; hi—certainly; durbhagah—the unfortunate; sva-atman—in the self; ratasya—of one engaged; avidusah—not knowing; samihitam—his purpose; yaih—by whom; vastra—clothing; malya—garlands; abharana—ornaments; anu—such luxurious; lepanaih—with ointments; sva-bhojanam—eatable by the dogs; sva-atmataya—as if the self; upalalitam—fondled.

Unfortunate, foolish persons, not knowing that he is engaged in his own self, laugh at him. Such foolish persons engage in maintaining the body—which is eatable by dogs—with dresses, ornaments, garlands and ointments.

Lord Siva never accepts any luxurious dress, garland, ornament or ointment. But those who are addicted to the decoration of the body, which is finally eatable by dogs, very luxuriously maintain it as the self. Such persons do not understand Lord Siva, but they approach him for luxurious material comforts. There are two kinds of devotees of Lord Siva. One class is the gross materialist seeking only bodily comforts from Lord Siva, and the other class desires to become one with him. They are mostly impersonalists and prefer to chant sivo’ham, “I am Siva,” or “After liberation I shall become one with Lord Siva.” In other words, the karmis and jnanis are generally devotees of Lord Siva, but they do not properly understand his real purpose in life. Sometimes so-called devotees of Lord Siva imitate him in using poisonous intoxicants. Lord Siva once swallowed an ocean of poison, and thus his throat became blue. The imitation Sivas try to follow him by indulging in poisons, and thus they are ruined. The real purpose of Lord Siva is to serve the Soul of the soul, Lord Krsna. He desires that all luxurious articles, such as nice garments, garlands, ornaments and cosmetics, be given to Lord Krsna only, because Krsna is the real enjoyer. He refuses to accept such luxurious items himself because they are only meant for Krsna. However, since they do not know this purpose of Lord Siva, foolish persons either laugh at him or profitlessly try to imitate him.

brahmadayo yat-krta-setu-pala

yat-karanam visvam idam ca maya

ajna-kari yasya pisaca-carya

aho vibhumnas caritam vidambanam

brahma-adayah—demigods like Brahma; yat—whose; krta—activities; setu—religious rites; palah—observers; yat—one who is; karanam—the origin of; visvam—the universe; idam—this; ca—also; maya—material energy; ajna-kari—order carrier; yasya—whose; pisaca—devilish; carya—activity; aho—O my lord; vibhumnah—of the great; caritam—character; vidambanam—simply imitation.

Demigods like Brahma also follow the religious rites observed by him. He is the controller of the material energy, which causes the creation of the material world. He is great, and therefore his devilish characteristics are simply imitation.

Lord Siva is the husband of Durga, the controller of the material energy. Durga is personified material energy, and Lord Siva, being her husband, is the controller of the material energy. He is also the incarnation of the mode of ignorance and one of the three deities representing the Supreme Lord. As His representative, Lord Siva is identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is very great, and his renunciation of all material enjoyment is an ideal example of how one should be materially unattached. One should therefore follow in his footsteps and be unattached to matter, not imitate his uncommon acts like drinking poison.

saivam samvidite bhartra

manmathonmathitendriya

jagraha vaso brahmarser

vrsaliva gata-trapa

maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; sa—she; evam—thus; samvidite—in spite of being informed; bhartra—by her husband; manmatha—by Cupid; unmathita—being pressed; indriya—senses; jagraha—caught hold of; vasah—clothing; brahma-rseh—of the great brahmana-sage; vrsali—public prostitute; iva—like; gata-trapa—without shame.

Maitreya said: Diti was thus informed by her husband, but she was pressed by Cupid for sexual satisfaction. She caught hold of the clothing of the great brahmana sage, just like a shameless public prostitute.

The difference between a married wife and a public prostitute is that one is restrained in sex life by the rules and regulations of the scriptures, whereas the other is unrestricted in sex life and is conducted solely by the strong sex urge. Although very enlightened, Kasyapa, the great sage, became a victim of his prostitute wife. Such is the strong force of material energy.

sa viditvatha bharyayas

tam nirbandham vikarmani

natva distaya rahasi

tayathopavivesa hi

sah—he; viditva—understanding; atha—thereupon; bharyayah—of the wife; tam—that; nirbandham—obstinacy; vikarmani—in the forbidden act; natva—offering obeisances; distaya—unto worshipable fate; rahasi—in a secluded place; taya—with her; atha—thus; upavivesa—lay; hi—certainly.

Understanding his wife’s purpose, he was obliged to perform the forbidden act, and thus after offering his obeisances unto worshipable fate, he lay with her in a secluded place.

It appears from the talks of Kasyapa with his wife that he was a worshiper of Lord Siva, and although he knew that Lord Siva would not be pleased with him for such a forbidden act, he was obliged to act by his wife’s desire, and thus he offered his obeisances unto fate. He knew that the child born of such untimely sexual intercourse would certainly not be a good child, but could not protect himself because he was too obligated to his wife. In a similar case, however, when Thakura Haridasa was tempted by a public prostitute at the dead of night, he avoided the allurement because of his perfection in Krsna consciousness. That is the difference between a Krsna conscious person and others. Kasyapa Muni was greatly learned and enlightened, and he knew all the rules and regulations of systematic life, yet he failed to protect himself from the attack of sex desire. Thakura Haridasa was not born of a brahmana family, nor was he himself brahmana, yet he could protect himself from such an attack due to his being Krsna conscious. Thakura Haridasa used to chant the holy name of the Lord three hundred thousand times daily.

athopasprsya salilam

pranan ayamya vag-yatah

dhyayan jajapa virajam

brahma jyotih sanatanam

atha—thereafter; upasprsya—touching or taking bath in water; salilam—water; pranan ayamya—practicing trance; vak-yatah—controlling speech; dhyayan—meditating; jajapa—chanted within the mouth; virajam—pure; brahma—Gayatri hymns; jyotih—effulgence; sanatanam—eternal.

Thereafter the brahmana took his bath in the water and controlled his speech by practicing trance, meditating on the eternal effulgence and chanting the holy Gayatri hymns within his mouth.

As one has to take bath after using the toilet, so one has to wash himself with water after sexual intercourse, especially when at a forbidden time. Kasyapa Muni meditated on the impersonal brahmajyoti by chanting the Gayatri mantra within his mouth. When a Vedic mantra is chanted within the mouth so that only the chanter can hear, the chanting is called japa. But when such mantras are chanted loudly, it is called kirtana. The Vedic hymn Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare can be chanted both softly to oneself or loudly; therefore it is called the maha-mantra, or the great hymn.

Kasyapa Muni appears to be an impersonalist. Comparing his character with that of Thakura Haridasa as referred to above, it is clear that the personalist is stronger in sense control than the impersonalist. This is explained in Bhagavad-gita as param drstva nivartate; i.e., one ceases to accept lower grade things when one is situated in a superior condition. One is supposed to be purified after taking bath and chanting Gayatri, but the maha-mantra is so powerful that one can chant loudly or softly, in any condition, and he is protected from all the evils of material existence.

ditis tu vridita tena

karmavadyena bharata

upasangamya viprarsim

adho-mukhy abhyabhasata

ditih—Diti, the wife of Kasyapa; tu—but; vridita—ashamed; tena—by that; karma—act; avadyena—faulty; bharata—O son of the Bharata family; upasangamya—going nearer to; vipra-rsim—the brahmana—sage; adhah-mukhi—with her face lowered; abhyabhasata—politely said.

O son of the Bharata family, Diti, after this, went nearer to her husband, her face lowered because of her faulty action. She spoke as follows.

When one is ashamed of an abominable action, one naturally becomes down-faced. Diti came to her senses after the abominable sexual intercourse with her husband. Such sexual intercourse is condemned as prostitution. In other words, sex life with one’s wife is equal to prostitution if the regulations are not properly followed.

na me garbham imam brahman

bhutanam rsabho ’vadhit

rudrah patir hi bhutanam

yasyakaravam amhasam

ditih uvaca—the beautiful Diti said; na—not; me—my; garbham—pregnancy; imam—this; brahman—O brahmana; bhutanam—of all living entities; rsabhah—the noblest of all living entities; avadhit—let him kill; rudrah—Lord Siva; patih—master; hi—certainly; bhutanam—of all living entities; yasya—whose; akaravam—I have done; amhasam—offense.

The beautiful Diti said: My dear brahmana, kindly see that my embryo is not killed by Lord Siva, the lord of all living entities, because of the great offense I have committed against him.

Diti was conscious of her offense and was anxious to be excused by Lord Siva. Lord Siva has two popular names, Rudra and Asutosa. He is very prone to anger as well as quickly pacified. Diti knew that because of his being quickly angered he might spoil the pregnancy she had so unlawfully achieved. But because he was also Asutosa, she implored her brahmana husband to help her in pacifying Lord Siva, for her husband was a great devotee of Lord Siva. In other words, Lord Siva might have been angry with Diti because she obliged her husband to transgress the law, but he would not refuse her husband’s prayer. Therefore the application for excuse was submitted through her husband. She prayed to Lord Siva as follows.

namo rudraya mahate

devayograya midhuse

sivaya nyasta-dandaya

dhrta-dandaya manyave

namah—all obeisances unto; rudraya—unto the angry Lord Siva; mahate—unto the great; devaya—unto the demigod; ugraya—unto the ferocious; midhuse—unto the fulfiller of all material desires; sivaya—unto the all-auspicious; nyasta-dandaya—unto the forgiving; dhrta-dandaya—unto the immediate chastiser; manyave—unto the angry.

Let me offer my obeisances unto the angry Lord Siva, who is simultaneously the very ferocious great demigod and the fulfiller of all material desires. He is all-auspicious and forgiving, but his anger can immediately move him to chastise.

Diti prayed for the mercy of Lord Siva very cleverly. She prayed: “The lord can cause me to cry, but if he likes he can also stop my crying because he is Asutosa. He is so great that if he likes he can immediately destroy my pregnancy, but by his mercy he can also fulfill my desire that my pregnancy not be spoiled. Because he is all-auspicious, it is not difficult for him to excuse me from being punished, although he is now ready to punish me because I have moved his great anger. He appears like a man, but he is the lord of all men.”

sa nah prasidatam bhamo

bhagavan urv-anugrahah

vyadhasyapy anukampyanam

strinam devah sati-patih

sah—he; nah—with us; prasidatam—be pleased; bhamah—brother-in-law; bhagavan—the personality of all opulences; uru—very great; anugrahah—merciful; vyadhasya—of the hunter; api—also; anukampyanam—of the objects of mercy; strinam—of the women; devah—the worshipable lord; sati-patih—the husband of Sati (the chaste).

Let him be pleased with us, since he is my brother-in-law, the husband of my sister Sati. He is also the worshipable lord of all women. He is the personality of all opulences and can show mercy towards women, who are excused even by the uncivilized hunters.

Lord Siva is the husband of Sati, one of the sisters of Diti. Diti invoked the pleasure of her sister Sati so that Sati would request her husband to excuse her. Besides that, Lord Siva is the worshipable lord of all women. He is naturally very kind towards women, on whom even the uncivilized hunters also show their mercy. Since Lord Siva is himself associated with women, he knows very well their defective nature, and he might not take very seriously Diti’s unavoidable offense, which occurred due to her faulty nature. Every virgin girl is supposed to be a devotee of Lord Siva. Diti remembered her childhood worship of Lord Siva and begged his mercy.

sva-sargasyasisam lokyam

asasanam pravepatim

nivrtta-sandhya-niyamo

bharyam aha prajapatih

maitreyah uvaca—the great sage Maitreya said; sva-sargasya—of her own children; asisam—welfare; lokyam—in the world; asasanam—desiring; pravepatim—while trembling; nivrtta—averted from; sandhya-niyamah—the rules and regulations of evening; bharyam—unto the wife; aha—said; prajapatih—the progenitor.

Maitreya said: The great sage Kasyapa thus addressed his wife, who was trembling because of fear that her husband was offended. She understood that he had been dissuaded from his daily duties of offering evening prayers, yet she desired the welfare of her children in the world.

SB3.14.38

TEXT 38

kasyapa uvaca

aprayatyad atmanas te

dosan mauhurtikad uta

man-nidesaticarena

devanam catihelanat

SYNONYMS

kasyapah uvaca—the learned brahmana Kasyapa said; aprayatyat—because of the pollution; atmanah—of the mind; te—your; dosat—because of defilement; mauhurtikat—in terms of the moment; uta—also; mat—my; nidesa—direction; aticarena—being too neglectful; devanam—of the demigods; ca—also; atihelanat—being too apathetic.

TRANSLATION

The learned Kasyapa said: Because of your mind’s being polluted, because of defilement of the particular time, because of your negligence of my directions, and because of your being apathetic to the demigods, everything was inauspicious.

PURPORT

The conditions for having good progeny in society are that the husband should be disciplined in religious and regulative principles and the wife should be faithful to the husband. In Bhagavad-gita (7.11) it is said that sexual intercourse according to religious principles is a representation of Krsna consciousness. Before engaging in sexual intercourse, both the husband and the wife must consider their mental condition, the particular time, the husband’s direction, and obedience to the demigods. According to Vedic society, there is a suitable auspicious time for sex life, which is called the time for garbhadhana. Diti neglected all the principles of scriptural injunction, and therefore, although she was very anxious for auspicious children, she was informed that her children would not be worthy to be the sons of a brahmana. There is a clear indication herein that a brahmana’s son is not always a brahmana. Personalities like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu were actually born of brahmanas, but they were not accepted as brahmanas because their fathers did not follow the regulative principles for their birth. Such children are called demons, or Raksasas. There were only one or two Raksasas in the previous ages due to negligence of the disciplinary methods, but during the age of Kali there is no discipline in sex life. How, then, can one expect good children? Certainly unwanted children cannot be a source of happiness in society, but through the Krsna consciousness movement they can be raised to the human standard by chanting the holy name of God. That is the unique contribution of Lord Caitanya to human society.

bhavisyatas tavabhadrav

abhadre jatharadhamau

lokan sa-palams trims candi

muhur akrandayisyatah

bhavisyatah—will take birth; tava—your; abhadrau—two contemptuous sons; abhadre—O unlucky one; jathara-adhamau—born of a condemned womb; lokan—all planets; sa-palan—with their rulers; trin—three; candi—haughty one; muhuh—constantly; akran-dayisyatah—will cause lamentation.

O haughty one, you will have two contemptuous sons born of your condemned womb. Unlucky woman, they will cause constant lamentation to all the three worlds!

Contemptuous sons are born of the condemned womb of their mother. In Bhagavad-gita (1.40) it is said, “When there is deliberate negligence of the regulative principles of religious life, the women as a class become polluted, and as a result there are unwanted children.” This is especially true for boys; if the mother is not good, there cannot be good sons. The learned Kasyapa could foresee the character of the sons who would be born of the condemned womb of Diti. The womb was condemned because of the mother’s being too sexually inclined and thus transgressing all the laws and injunctions of the scriptures. In a society where such women are predominant, one should not expect good children.

praninam hanyamananam

dinanam akrtagasam

strinam nigrhyamananam

kopitesu mahatmasu

praninam—when the living entities; hanyamananam—being killed; dinanam—of the poor; akrta-agasam—of the faultless; strinam—of the women; nigrhyamananam—being tortured; kopitesu—being enraged; mahatmasu—when the great souls.

They will kill poor, faultless living entities, torture women and enrage the great souls.

Demoniac activities are predominant when innocent, faultless living entities are killed, women are tortured, and the great souls engaged in Krsna consciousness are enraged. In a demoniac society, innocent animals are killed to satisfy the tongue, and women are tortured by unnecessary sexual indulgence. Where there are women and meat, there must be liquor and sex indulgence. When these are prominent in society, by God’s grace one can expect a change in the social order by the Lord Himself or by His bona fide representative.

tada visvesvarah kruddho

bhagaval loka-bhavanah

hanisyaty avatiryasau

yathadrin sataparva-dhrk

tada—at that time; visva-isvarah—the Lord of the universe; kruddhah—in great anger; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; loka-bhavanah—desiring the welfare of the people in general; hanisyati—will kill; avatirya—descending Himself; asau—He; yatha—as if; adrin—the mountains; sata-parva-dhrk—the controller of the thunderbolt (Indra).

At that time the Lord of the universe, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the well-wisher of all living entities, will descend and kill them, just as Indra smashes the mountains with his thunderbolts.

As stated in Bhagavad-gita (4.8), the Lord descends as an incarnation to deliver the devotees and kill the miscreants. The Lord of the universe and of everything would appear to kill the sons of Diti because of their offending the devotees of the Lord. There are many agents of the Lord, such as Indra, Candra, Varuna, goddess Durga, and Kali, who can chastise any formidable miscreants in the world. The example of mountains being smashed by a thunderbolt is very appropriate. The mountain is considered the most strongly built body within the universe, yet it can be easily smashed by the arrangement of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not need to descend in order to kill any strongly built body; He comes down just for the sake of His devotees. Everyone is subject to the miseries offered by material nature, but because the activities of miscreants, such as killing innocent people and animals or torturing women, are harmful to everyone and are therefore a source of pain for the devotees, the Lord comes down. He descends only to give relief to His ardent devotees. The killing of the miscreant by the Lord is also the mercy of the Lord towards the miscreant, although apparently the Lord takes the side of the devotee. Since the Lord is absolute, there is no difference between His activities of killing the miscreants and favoring the devotees.

vadham bhagavata saksat

sunabhodara-bahuna

asase putrayor mahyam

ma kruddhad brahmanad prabho

ditih uvaca—Diti said; vadham—the killing; bhagavata—by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; saksat—directly; sunabha—with His Sudarsana weapon; udara—very magnanimous; bahuna—by the arms; asase—I desire; putrayoh—of the sons; mahyam—of mine; ma—never be it so; kruddhat—by the rage; brahmanat—of the brahmanas; prabho—O my husband.

Diti said: It is very good that my sons will be magnanimously killed by the arms of the Personality of Godhead with His Sudarsana weapon. O my husband, may they never be killed by the wrath of the brahmana devotees.

When Diti heard from her husband that the great souls would be angered by the activities of her sons, she was very anxious. She thought that her sons might be killed by the wrath of the brahmanas. The Lord does not appear when the brahmanas become angry at someone, because the wrath of a brahmana is sufficient in itself. He certainly appears, however, when His devotee simply becomes sorry. A devotee of the Lord never prays to the Lord to appear for the sake of the troubles the miscreants cause for him, and he never bothers Him by asking for protection. Rather, the Lord is anxious to give protection to the devotees. Diti knew well that the killing of her sons by the Lord would also be His mercy, and therefore she says that the wheel and arms of the Lord are magnanimous. If someone is killed by the wheel of the Lord and is thus fortunate enough to see the arms of the Lord, that is sufficient for his liberation. Such good fortune is not achieved even by the great sages.

na brahma-danda-dagdhasya

na bhuta-bhayadasya ca

narakas canugrhnanti

yam yam yonim asau gatah

na—never; brahma-danda—punishment by a brahmana; dagdhasya—of one who is so punished; na—neither; bhuta-bhaya-dasya—of one who is always fearful to the living entities; ca—also; narakah—those condemned to hell; ca—also; anugrhnanti—do any favor; yam yam—whichever; yonim—species of life; asau—the offender; gatah—goes.

A person who is condemned by a brahmana or is always fearful to other living entities is not favored either by those who are already in hell or by those in the species in which he is born.

A practical example of a condemned species of life is the dog. Dogs are so condemned that they never show any sympathy to their contemporaries.

krta-sokanutapena

sadyah pratyavamarsanat

bhagavaty uru-manac ca

bhave mayy api cadarat

putrasyaiva ca putranam

bhavitaikah satam matah

gasyanti yad-yasah suddham

bhagavad-yasasa samam

kasyapah uvaca—the learned Kasyapa said; krta-soka—having lamented; anutapena—by penitence; sadyah—immediately; pratyavamarsanat—by proper deliberation; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; uru—great; manat—adoration; ca—and; bhave—unto Lord Siva; mayi api—unto me also; ca—and; adarat—by respect; putrasya—of the son; eva—certainly; ca—and; putranam—of the sons; bhavita—shall be born; ekah—one; satam—of the devotees; matah—approved; gasyanti—will broadcast; yat—of whom; yasah—recognition; suddham—transcendental; bhagavat—of the Personality of Godhead; yasasa—with recognition; samam—equally.

The learned Kasyapa said: Because of your lamentation, penitence and proper deliberation, and also because of your unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and your adoration for Lord Siva and me, one of the sons [Prahlada] of your son [Hiranyakasipu] will be an approved devotee of the Lord, and his fame will be broadcast equally with that of the Personality of Godhead.

SB3.14.46

TEXT 46

yogair hemeva durvarnam

bhavayisyanti sadhavah

nirvairadibhir atmanam

yac-chilam anuvartitum

SYNONYMS

yogaih—by the rectifying processes; hema—gold; iva—like; durvarnam—inferior quality; bhavayisyanti—will purify; sadhavah—saintly persons; nirvaira-adibhih—by practice of freedom from animosity, etc.; atmanam—the self; yat—whose; silam—character; anuvartitum—to follow in the footsteps.

TRANSLATION

In order to follow in his footsteps, saintly persons will try to emulate his character by practicing freedom from animosity, just as the purifying processes rectify gold of inferior quality.

PURPORT

Yoga practice, the process of purifying one’s existential identity, is based mainly on self-control. Without self-control one cannot practice freedom from animosity. In the conditional state, every living being is envious of another living being, but in the liberated state there is an absence of animosity. Prahlada Maharaja was tortured by his father in so many ways, yet after the death of his father he prayed for his father’s liberation by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He did not ask any benediction that he might have asked, but he prayed that his atheistic father might be liberated. He never cursed any of the persons who engaged in torturing him at the instigation of his father.

yat-prasadad idam visvam

prasidati yad-atmakam

sa sva-drg bhagavan yasya

tosyate ’nanyaya drsa

yat—by whose; prasadat—mercy of; idam—this; visvam—universe; prasidati—becomes happy; yat—whose; atmakam—because of His omnipotence; sah—He; sva-drk—taking special care for His devotees; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yasya—whose; tosyate—becomes pleased; ananyaya—without deviation; drsa—by intelligence.

Everyone will be pleased with him because the Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller of the universe, is always satisfied with a devotee who does not wish for anything beyond Him.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated everywhere as the Supersoul, and He can dictate to anyone and everyone as He likes. The would-be grandson of Diti, who was predicted to be a great devotee, would be liked by everyone, even by the enemies of his father, because he would have no other vision besides the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A pure devotee of the Lord sees the presence of his worshipable Lord everywhere. The Lord reciprocates in such a way that all living entities in whom the Lord is dwelling as the Supersoul also like a pure devotee because the Lord is present in their hearts and can dictate to them to be friendly to His devotee. There are many instances in history wherein even the most ferocious animal became friendly to a pure devotee of the Lord.

sa vai maha-bhagavato mahatma

mahanubhavo mahatam mahisthah

pravrddha-bhaktya hy anubhavitasaye

nivesya vaikuntham imam vihasyati

sah—he; vai—certainly; maha-bhagavatah—the topmost devotee; maha-atma—expanded intelligence; maha-anubhavah—expanded influence; mahatam—of the great souls; mahisthah—the greatest; pravrddha—well matured; bhaktya—by devotional service; hi—certainly; anubhavita—being situated in the anubhava stage of ecstasy; asaye—in the mind; nivesya—entering; vaikuntham—in the spiritual sky; imam—this (material world); vihasyati—will quit.

That topmost devotee of the Lord will have expanded intelligence and expanded influence and will be the greatest of the great souls. Due to matured devotional service, he will certainly be situated in transcendental ecstasy and will enter the spiritual sky after quitting this material world.

There are three stages of transcendental development in devotional service, which are technically called sthayi-bhava, anubhava and mahabhava. Continual perfect love of Godhead is called sthayi-bhava, and when it is performed in a particular type of transcendental relationship it is called anubhava. But the stage of mahabhava is visible amongst the personal pleasure potential energies of the Lord. It is understood that the grandson of Diti, namely Prahlada Maharaja, would constantly meditate on the Lord and reiterate His activities. Because he would constantly remain in meditation, he would easily transfer himself to the spiritual world after quitting his material body. Such meditation is still more conveniently performed by chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord. This is especially recommended in this age of Kali.

alampatah sila-dharo gunakaro

hrstah pararddhya vyathito duhkhitesu

abhuta-satrur jagatah soka-harta

naidaghikam tapam ivodurajah

alampatah—virtuous; sila-dharah—qualified; guna-akarah—reservoir of all good qualities; hrstah—jolly; para-rddhya—by others’ happiness; vyathitah—distressed; duhkhitesu—in others’ unhappiness; abhuta-satruh—without enemies; jagatah—of all the universe; soka-harta—destroyer of lamentation; naidaghikam—due to the summer sun; tapam—distress; iva—likened; udu-rajah—the moon.

He will be a virtuously qualified reservoir of all good qualities; he will be jolly and happy in others’ happiness, distressed in others’ distress, and will have no enemies. He will be a destroyer of the lamentation of all the universes, like the pleasant moon after the summer sun.

Prahlada Maharaja, the exemplary devotee of the Lord, had all the good qualities humanly possible. Although he was the emperor of this world, he was not profligate. Beginning from his childhood he was the reservoir of all good qualities. Without enumerating those qualities, it is said here summarily that he was endowed with all good qualities. That is the sign of a pure devotee. The most important characteristic of a pure devotee is that he is not lampata, or licentious, and another quality is that he is always eager to mitigate the miseries of suffering humanity. The most obnoxious misery of a living entity is his forgetfulness of Krsna. A pure devotee, therefore, always tries to evoke everyone’s Krsna consciousness. This is the panacea for all miseries.

antar bahis camalam abja-netram

sva-purusecchanugrhita-rupam

pautras tava sri-lalana-lalamam

drasta sphurat-kundala-manditananam

antah—within; bahih—without; ca—also; amalam—spotless; abja-netram—lotus eyes; sva-purusa—own devotee; iccha-anugrhita-rupam—accepting form according to desire; pautrah—grandchild; tava—your; sri-lalana—beautiful goddess of fortune; lalamam—decorated; drasta—will see; sphurat-kundala—with brilliant earrings; mandita—decorated; ananam—face.

Your grandson will be able to see, inside and outside, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose wife is the beautiful goddess of fortune. The Lord can assume the form desired by the devotee, and His face is always beautifully decorated with earrings.

It is predicted herewith that the grandson of Diti, Prahlada Maharaja, would not only see the Personality of Godhead within himself by meditation but would also be able to see Him personally with his eyes. This direct vision is possible only for one who is highly elevated in Krsna consciousness, for the Lord is not possible to see with material eyes. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has multifarious eternal forms such as Krsna, Baladeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Vasudeva, Narayana, Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha and Vamana, and the devotee of the Lord knows all those Visnu forms. A pure devotee becomes attached to one of the eternal forms of the Lord, and the Lord is pleased to appear before him in the form desired. A devotee does not imagine something whimsical about the form of the Lord, nor does he ever think that the Lord is impersonal and can assume a form desired by the nondevotee. The nondevotee has no idea of the form of the Lord, and thus he cannot think of any one of the above-mentioned forms. But whenever a devotee sees the Lord, he sees Him in a most beautifully decorated form, accompanied by His constant companion the goddess of fortune, who is eternally beautiful.

srutva bhagavatam pautram

amodata ditir bhrsam

putrayos ca vadham krsnad

viditvasin maha-manah

maitreyah uvaca—the sage Maitreya said; srutva—by hearing; bhagavatam—to be a great devotee of the Lord; pautram—grandson; amodata—took pleasure; ditih—Diti; bhrsam—very greatly; putrayoh—of two sons; ca—also; vadham—the killing; krsnat—by Krsna; viditva—knowing this; asit—became; maha-manah—highly pleased in mind.

The sage Maitreya said: Hearing that her grandson would be a great devotee and that her sons would be killed by Krsna, Diti was highly pleased in mind.

Diti was very aggrieved to learn that because of her untimely pregnancy her sons would be demons and would fight with the Lord. But when she heard that her grandson would be a great devotee and that her two sons would be killed by the Lord, she was very satisfied. As the wife of a great sage and the daughter of a great Prajapati, Daksa, she knew that being killed by the Personality of Godhead is a great fortune. Since the Lord is absolute, His acts of violence and nonviolence are both on the absolute platform. There is no difference in such acts of the Lord. Mundane violence and nonviolence have nothing to do with the Lord’s acts. A demon killed by Him attains the same result as one who attains liberation after many, many births of penance and austerity. The word bhrsam is significant herein because it indicates that Diti was pleased beyond her expectations.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening.”

Next chapter (SB 3.15)