Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Sixteen
The Two Doorkeepers of Vaikuntha, Jaya and Vijaya, Cursed by the Sages
SB3.16.1
TEXT 1
brahmovaca
iti tad grnatam tesam
muninam yoga-dharminam
pratinandya jagadedam
vikuntha-nilayo vibhuh
SYNONYMS
brahma uvaca—Lord Brahma said; iti—thus; tat—speech; grnatam—praising; tesam—of them; muninam—those four sages; yoga-dharminam—engaged in linking with the Supreme; pratinandya—after congratulating; jagada—said; idam—these words; vikuntha-nilayah—whose abode is bereft of anxiety; vibhuh—the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
Lord Brahma said: After thus congratulating the sages for their nice words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose abode is in the kingdom of God, spoke as follows.
SB3.16.2
TEXT 2
sri-bhagavan uvaca
etau tau parsadau mahyam
jayo vijaya eva ca
kadarthi-krtya mam yad vo
bahv akratam atikramam
SYNONYMS
sri-bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; etau—these two; tau—they; parsadau—attendants; mahyam—of Mine; jayah—named Jaya; vijayah—named Vijaya; eva—certainly; ca—and; kadarthi-krtya—by ignoring; mam—Me; yat—which; vah—against you; bahu—great; akratam—have committed; atikramam—offense.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead said: These attendants of Mine, Jaya and Vijaya by name, have committed a great offense against you because of ignoring Me.
PURPORT
To commit an offense at the feet of a devotee of the Lord is a great wrong. Even when a living entity is promoted to Vaikuntha, there is still the chance that he may commit offenses, but the difference is that when one is in a Vaikuntha planet, even if by chance one commits an offense, he is protected by the Lord. This is the remarkable fact in the dealings of the Lord and the servitor, as seen in the present incident concerning Jaya and Vijaya. The word atikramam used herein indicates that in offending a devotee one neglects the Supreme Lord Himself.
By mistake the doormen held the sages from entering Vaikunthaloka, but because they were engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, their annihilation was not expected by advanced devotees. The Lord’s presence on the spot was very pleasing to the hearts of the devotees. The Lord understood that the trouble was due to His lotus feet not being seen by the sages, and therefore He wanted to please them by personally going there. The Lord is so merciful that even if there is some impediment for the devotee, He Himself manages matters in such a way that the devotee is not bereft of having audience at His lotus feet. There is a very good example in the life of Haridasa Thakura. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was residing at Jagannatha puri, Haridasa Thakura, who happened to be Muhammadan by birth, was with Him. In Hindu temples, especially in those days, no one but a Hindu was allowed to enter. Although Haridasa Thakura was the greatest of all Hindus in his behavior, he considered himself a Muhammadan and did not enter the temple. Lord Caitanya could understand his humility, and since he did not go to see the temple, Lord Caitanya Himself, who is nondifferent from Jagannatha, used to come and sit with Haridasa Thakura daily. Here in Srimad-Bhagavatam we also find this same behavior of the Lord. His devotees were prevented from seeing His lotus feet, but the Lord Himself came to see them on the same lotus feet for which they aspired. It is also significant that He was accompanied by the goddess of fortune. The goddess of fortune is not to be seen by ordinary persons, but the Lord was so kind that although the devotees did not aspire for such an honor, He appeared before them with the goddess of fortune. SB3.16.3 TEXT 3 yas tv etayor dhrto dando bhavadbhir mam anuvrataih sa evanumato ’smabhir munayo deva-helanat SYNONYMS yah—which; tu—but; etayoh—regarding both Jaya and Vijaya; dhrtah—has been given; dandah—punishment; bhavadbhih—by you; mam—Me; anuvrataih—devoted to; sah—that; eva—certainly; anumatah—is approved; asmabhih—by Me; munayah—O great sages; deva—against you; helanat—because of an offense. TRANSLATION O great sages, I approve of the punishment that you who are devoted to Me have meted out to them. SB3.16.4 TEXT 4 tad vah prasadayamy adya brahma daivam param hi me tad dhity atma-krtam manye yat sva-pumbhir asat-krtah SYNONYMS tat—therefore; vah—you sages; prasadayami—I am seeking your forgiveness; adya—just now; brahma—the brahmanas; daivam—most beloved personalities; param—highest; hi—because; me—My; tat—that offense; hi—because; iti—thus; atma-krtam—done by Me; manye—I consider; yat—which; sva-pumbhih—by My own attendants; asat-krtah—having been disrespected. TRANSLATION To Me, the brahmana is the highest and most beloved personality. The disrespect shown by My attendants has actually been displayed by Me because the doormen are My servitors. I take this to be an offense by Myself; therefore I seek your forgiveness for the incident that has arisen. PURPORT The Lord is always in favor of the brahmanas and the cows, and therefore it is said, go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Lord Krsna, or Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is also the worshipable Deity of the brahmanas. In the Vedic literature, in the rg-mantra hymns of the Rg Veda, it is stated that those who are actually brahmanas always look to the lotus feet of Visnu: om tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayah. Those who are qualified brahmanas worship only the Visnu form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means Krsna, Rama and all Visnu expansions. A so-called brahmana who is born in the family of brahmanas but performs activities aimed against the Vaisnavas cannot be accepted as a brahmana, because brahmana means Vaisnava and Vaisnava means brahmana. One who has become a devotee of the Lord is also a brahmana. The formula is brahma janatiti brahmanah. A brahmana is one who has understood Brahman, and a Vaisnava is one who has understood the personality of Godhead. Brahman realization is the beginning of realization of the Personality of Godhead. One who understands the Personality of Godhead also knows the impersonal feature of the Supreme, which is Brahman. Therefore one who becomes a Vaisnava is already a brahmana. It should be noted that the glories of the brahmana described in this chapter by the Lord Himself refer to His devotee-brahmana, or the Vaisnava. It should never be misunderstood that the so-called brahmanas who are born in brahmana families but have no brahminical qualifications are referred to in this connection. SB3.16.5 TEXT 5 yan-namani ca grhnati loko bhrtye krtagasi so ’sadhu-vadas tat-kirtim hanti tvacam ivamayah SYNONYMS yat—of whom; namani—the names; ca—and; grhnati—take; lokah—people in general; bhrtye—when a servant; krta-agasi—has committed something wrong; sah—that; asadhu-vadah—blame; tat—of that person; kirtim—the reputation; hanti—destroys; tvacam—the skin; iva—as; amayah—leprosy. TRANSLATION A wrong act committed by a servant leads people in general to blame his master, just as a spot of white leprosy on any part of the body pollutes all of the skin. PURPORT A Vaisnava, therefore, should be fully qualified. As stated in the Bhagavatam, anyone who has become a Vaisnava has developed all the good qualities of the demigods. There are twenty-six qualifications mentioned in the Caitanya-caritamrta. A devotee should always see that his Vaisnava qualities increase with the advancement of his Krsna consciousness. A devotee should be blameless because any offense by the devotee is a scar on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotee’s duty is to be always conscious in his dealings with others, especially with another devotee of the Lord. SB3.16.6 TEXT 6 yasyamrtamala-yasah-sravanavagahah sadyah punati jagad asvapacad vikunthah so ’ham bhavadbhya upalabdha-sutirtha-kirtis chindyam sva-bahum api vah pratikula-vrttim SYNONYMS yasya—of whom; amrta—nectar; amala—uncontaminated; yasah—glories; sravana—hearing; avagahah—entering into; sadyah—immediately; punati—purifies; jagat—the universe; asva-pacat—including even the dog-eaters; vikunthah—without anxiety; sah—that person; aham—I am; bhavadbhyah—from you; upalabdha—obtained; su-tirtha—the best place of pilgrimage; kirtih—the fame; chindyam—would cut off; sva-bahum—My own arm; api—even; vah—towards you; pratikula-vrttim—acting inimically. TRANSLATION Anyone in the entire world, even down to the candala, who lives by cooking and eating the flesh of the dog, is immediately purified if he takes bath in hearing through the ear the glorification of My name, fame, etc. Now you have realized Me without doubt; therefore I will not hesitate to lop off My own arm if its conduct is found hostile to you. PURPORT Real purification can take place in human society if its members take to Krsna consciousness. This is clearly stated in all Vedic literature. Anyone who takes to Krsna consciousness in all sincerity, even if he is not very advanced in good behavior, is purified. A devotee can be recruited from any section of human society, although it is not expected that everyone in all segments of society is well behaved. As stated in this verse and in many places in Bhagavad-gita, even if one is not born in a brahmana family, or even if he is born in a family of candalas, if he simply takes to Krsna consciousness he is immediately purified. In Bhagavad-gita, Ninth Chapter, verses 30–32, it is clearly stated that even though a man is not well behaved, if he simply takes to Krsna consciousness he is understood to be a saintly person. As long as a person is in this material world he has two different relationships in his dealings with others—one relationship pertains to the body, and the other pertains to the spirit. As far as bodily affairs or social activities are concerned, although a person is purified on the spiritual platform, it is sometimes seen that he acts in terms of his bodily relationships. If a devotee born in the family of a candala (the lowest caste) is sometimes found engaged in his habitual activities, he is not to be considered a candala. In other words, a Vaisnava should not be evaluated in terms of his body. The sastra states that no one should think the Deity in the temple to be made of wood or stone, and no one should think that a person coming from a lower-caste family who has taken to Krsna consciousness is still of the same low caste. These attitudes are forbidden because anyone who takes to Krsna consciousness is understood to be fully purified. He is at least engaged in the process of purification, and if he sticks to the principle of Krsna consciousness he will very soon be fully purified. The conclusion is that if one takes to Krsna consciousness with all seriousness, he is to be understood as already purified, and Krsna is ready to give him protection by all means. The Lord assures herein that He is ready to give protection to His devotee even if there is need to cut off part of His own body. SB3.16.7 TEXT 7 yat-sevaya carana-padma-pavitra-renum sadyah ksatakhila-malam pratilabdha-silam na srir viraktam api mam vijahati yasyah preksa-lavartha itare niyaman vahanti SYNONYMS yat—of whom; sevaya—by the service; carana—feet; padma—lotus; pavitra—sacred; renum—the dust; sadyah—immediately; ksata—wiped out; akhila—all; malam—sins; pratilabdha—acquired; silam—disposition; na—not; srih—the goddess of fortune; viraktam—have no attachment; api—even though; mam—Me; vijahati—leave; yasyah—of the goddess of fortune; preksa-lava-arthah—for obtaining a slight favor; itare—others, like Lord Brahma; niyaman—sacred vows; vahanti—observe. TRANSLATION The Lord continued: Because I am the servitor of My devotees, My lotus feet have become so sacred that they immediately wipe out all sin, and I have acquired such a disposition that the goddess of fortune does not leave Me, even though I have no attachment for her and others praise her beauty and observe sacred vows to secure from her even a slight favor. PURPORT The relationship between the Lord and His devotee is transcendentally beautiful. As the devotee thinks that it is due to being a devotee of the Lord that he is elevated in all good qualities, so the Lord also thinks that it is because of His devotion to the servitor that all His transcendental glories have increased. In other words, as the devotee is always anxious to render service to the Lord, so the Lord is ever anxious to render service to the devotee. The Lord admits herein that although He certainly has the quality that anyone who receives a slight particle of the dust of His lotus feet becomes at once a great personality, this greatness is due to His affection for His devotee. It is because of this affection that the goddess of fortune does not leave Him and that not only one but many thousands of goddesses of fortune engage in His service. In the material world, simply to get a little favor from the goddess of fortune, people observe many rigid regulations of austerity and penance. The Lord cannot tolerate any inconvenience on the part of the devotee. He is therefore famous as bhakta-vatsala. SB3.16.8 TEXT 8 naham tathadmi yajamana-havir vitane scyotad-ghrta-plutam adan huta-bhun-mukhena yad brahmanasya mukhatas carato ’nughasam tustasya mayy avahitair nija-karma-pakaih SYNONYMS na—not; aham—I; tatha—on the other hand; admi—I eat; yajamana—by the sacrificer; havih—the oblations; vitane—in the sacrificial fire; scyotat—pouring; ghrta—ghee; plutam—mixed; adan—eating; huta-bhuk—the sacrificial fire; mukhena—by the mouth; yat—as; brahmanasya—of the brahmana; mukhatah—from the mouth; caratah—acting; anughasam—morsels; tustasya—satisfied; mayi—to Me; avahitaih—offered; nija—own; karma—activities; pakaih—by the results. TRANSLATION I do not enjoy the oblations offered by the sacrificers in the sacrificial fire, which is one of My own mouths, with the same relish as I do the delicacies overflowing with ghee which are offered to the mouths of the brahmanas who have dedicated to Me the results of their activities and who are ever satisfied with My prasada. PURPORT The devotee of the Lord, or the Vaisnava, does not take anything without offering it to the Lord. Since a Vaisnava dedicates all the results of his activities to the Lord, he does not taste anything eatable which is not first offered to Him. The Lord also relishes giving to the Vaisnava’s mouth all eatables offered to Him. It is clear from this verse that the Lord eats through the sacrificial fire and the brahmana’s mouth. So many articles—grains, ghee, etc.—are offered in sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord. The Lord accepts sacrificial offerings from the brahmanas and devotees, and elsewhere it is stated that whatever is given for the brahmanas and Vaisnavas to eat is also accepted by the Lord. But here it is said that He accepts offerings to the mouths of brahmanas and Vaisnavas with even greater relish. The best example of this is found in the life of Advaita Prabhu in his dealings with Haridasa Thakura. Even though Haridasa was born of a Muhammadan family, Advaita Prabhu offered him the first dish of prasada after the performance of a sacred fire ceremony. Haridasa Thakura informed him that he was born of a Muhammadan family and asked why Advaita Prabhu was offering the first dish to a Muhammadan instead of an elevated brahmana. Out of his humbleness, Haridasa condemned himself a Muhammadan, but Advaita Prabhu, being an experienced devotee, accepted him as a real brahmana. Advaita Prabhu asserted that by offering the first dish to Haridasa Thakura, he was getting the result of feeding one hundred thousand brahmanas. The conclusion is that if one can feed a brahmana or Vaisnava, it is better than performing hundreds of thousands of sacrifices. In this age, therefore, it is recommended that harer nama [Adi 17.21]—chanting the holy name of God—and pleasing the Vaisnava are the only means to elevate oneself to spiritual life. SB3.16.9 TEXT 9 yesam bibharmy aham akhanda-vikuntha-yoga- maya-vibhutir amalanghri-rajah kiritaih viprams tu ko na visaheta yad-arhanambhah sadyah punati saha-candra-lalama-lokan SYNONYMS yesam—of the brahmanas; bibharmi—I bear; aham—I; akhanda—unbroken; vikuntha—unobstructed; yoga-maya—internal energy; vibhutih—opulence; amala—pure; anghri—of the feet; rajah—the dust; kiritaih—on My helmet; vipran—the brahmanas; tu—then; kah—who; na—not; visaheta—carry; yat—of the Supreme Lord; arhana-ambhah—water which has washed the feet; sadyah—at once; punati—sanctifies; saha—along with; candra-lalama—Lord Siva; lokan—the three worlds. TRANSLATION I am the master of My unobstructed internal energy, and the water of the Ganges is the remnant left after My feet are washed. That water sanctifies the three worlds, along with Lord Siva, who bears it on his head. If I can take the dust of the feet of the Vaisnava on My head, who will refuse to do the same? PURPORT The difference between the internal and external energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is that in the internal energy, or in the spiritual world, all the opulences are undisturbed, whereas in the external or material energy, all the opulences are temporary manifestations. The Lord’s supremacy is equal in both the spiritual and material worlds, but the spiritual world is called the kingdom of God, and the material world is called the kingdom of maya. Maya refers to that which is not actually fact. The opulence of the material world is a reflection. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that this material world is just like a tree whose roots are up and branches down. This means that the material world is the shadow of the spiritual world. Real opulence is in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world the predominating Deity is the Lord Himself, whereas in the material world there are many lords. That is the difference between the internal and external energies. The Lord says that although He is the predominating factor of the internal energy and although the material world is sanctified just by the water that has washed His feet, He has the greatest respect for the brahmana and the Vaisnava. When the Lord Himself offers so much respect to the Vaisnava and the brahmana, how can one deny such respect to such personalities? SB3.16.10 TEXT 10 ye me tanur dvija-varan duhatir madiya bhutany alabdha-saranani ca bheda-buddhya draksyanty agha-ksata-drso hy ahi-manyavas tan grdhra rusa mama kusanty adhidanda-netuh SYNONYMS ye—which persons; me—My; tanuh—body; dvija-varan—the best of the brahmanas; duhatih—cows; madiyah—relating to Me; bhutani—living entities; alabdha-saranani—defenseless; ca—and; bheda-buddhya—considering as different; draksyanti—see; agha—by sin; ksata—is impaired; drsah—whose faculty of judgment; hi—because; ahi—like a snake; manyavah—angry; tan—those same persons; grdhrah—the vulturelike messengers; rusa—angrily; mama—My; kusanti—tear; adhidanda-netuh—of the superintendent of punishment, Yamaraja. TRANSLATION The brahmanas, the cows and the defenseless creatures are My own body. Those whose faculty of judgment has been impaired by their own sin look upon these as distinct from Me. They are just like furious serpents, and they are angrily torn apart by the bills of the vulturelike messengers of Yamaraja, the superintendent of sinful persons. PURPORT The defenseless creatures, according to Brahma-samhita, are the cows, brahmanas, women, children and old men. Of these five, the brahmanas and cows are especially mentioned in this verse because the Lord is always anxious about the benefit of the brahmanas and the cows and is prayed to in this way. The Lord especially instructs, therefore, that no one should be envious of these five, especially the cows and brahmanas. In some of the Bhagavatam readings, the word duhitrh is used instead of duhatih. But in either case, the meaning is the same. Duhatih means “cow,” and duhitrh can also be used to mean “cow” because the cow is supposed to be the daughter of the sun-god. Just as children are taken care of by the parents, women as a class should be taken care of by the father, husband or grown-up son. Those who are helpless must be taken care of by their respective guardians, otherwise the guardians will be subjected to the punishment of Yamaraja, who is appointed by the Lord to supervise the activities of sinful living creatures. The assistants, or messengers, of Yamaraja are likened here to vultures, and those who do not execute their respective duties in protecting their wards are compared to serpents. Vultures deal very seriously with serpents, and similarly the messengers will deal very seriously with neglectful guardians. SB3.16.11 TEXT 11 ye brahmanan mayi dhiya ksipato ’rcayantas tusyad-dhrdah smita-sudhoksita-padma-vaktrah vanyanuraga-kalayatmajavad grnantah sambodhayanty aham ivaham upahrtas taih SYNONYMS ye—which persons; brahmanan—the brahmanas; mayi—in Me; dhiya—with intelligence; ksipatah—uttering harsh words; arcayantah—respecting; tusyat—gladdened; hrdah—hearts; smita—smiling; sudha—nectar; uksita—wet; padma—lotuslike; vaktrah—faces; vanya—with words; anuraga-kalaya—loving; atmaja-vat—like a son; grnantah—praising; sambodhayanti—pacify; aham—I; iva—as; aham—I; upahrtah—being controlled; taih—by them. TRANSLATION On the other hand, they captivate My heart who are gladdened in heart and who, their lotus faces enlightened by nectarean smiles, respect the brahmanas, even though the brahmanas utter harsh words. They look upon the brahmanas as My own Self and pacify them by praising them in loving words, even as a son would appease an angry father or as I am pacifying you. PURPORT It has been observed in many instances in the Vedic scriptures that when the brahmanas or Vaisnavas curse someone in an angry mood, the person who is cursed does not take it upon himself to treat the brahmanas or Vaisnavas in the same way. There are many examples of this. For instance, the sons of Kuvera, when cursed by the great sage Narada, did not seek revenge in the same harsh way, but submitted. Here also, when Jaya and Vijaya were cursed by the four Kumaras, they did not become harsh towards them; rather, they submitted. That should be the way of treating brahmanas and Vaisnavas. One may sometimes be faced with a grievous situation created by a brahmana, but instead of meeting him with a similar mood, one should try to pacify him with a smiling face and mild treatment. Brahmanas and Vaisnavas should be accepted as earthly representatives of Narayana. Nowadays some foolish persons have manufactured the term daridra-narayana, indicating that the poor man should be accepted as the representative of Narayana. But in Vedic literature we do not find that poor men should be treated as representatives of Narayana. Of course, “those who are unprotected” are mentioned here, but the definition of this phrase is clear from the sastras. The poor man should not be unprotected, but the brahmana should especially be treated as the representative of Narayana and should be worshiped like Him. It is specifically said that to pacify the brahmanas, one’s face should be lotuslike. A lotuslike face is exhibited when one is adorned with love and affection. In this respect, the example of the father’s being angry at the son and the son’s trying to pacify the father with smiling and sweet words is very appropriate. SB3.16.12 TEXT 12 tan me sva-bhartur avasayam alaksamanau yusmad-vyatikrama-gatim pratipadya sadyah bhuyo mamantikam itam tad anugraho me yat kalpatam acirato bhrtayor vivasah SYNONYMS tat—therefore; me—My; sva-bhartuh—of their master; avasayam—the intention; alaksamanau—not knowing; yusmat—against you; vyatikrama—offense; gatim—result; pratipadya—reaping; sadyah—immediately; bhuyah—again; mama antikam—near Me; itam—obtain; tat—that; anugrahah—a favor; me—to Me; yat—which; kalpatam—let it be arranged; aciratah—not long; bhrtayoh—of these two servants; vivasah—exile. TRANSLATION These servants of Mine have transgressed against you, not knowing the mind of their master. I shall therefore deem it a favor done to Me if you order that, although reaping the fruit of their transgression, they may return to My presence soon and the time of their exile from My abode may expire before long. PURPORT From this statement we can understand how anxious the Lord is to get his servitor back into Vaikuntha. This incident, therefore, proves that those who have once entered a Vaikuntha planet can never fall down. The case of Jaya and Vijaya is not a falldown; it is just an accident. The Lord is always anxious to get such devotees back again to the Vaikuntha planets as soon as possible. It is to be assumed that there is no possibility of a misunderstanding between the Lord and the devotees, but when there are discrepancies or disruptions between one devotee and another, one has to suffer the consequences, although that suffering is temporary. The Lord is so kind to His devotees that He took all the responsibility for the doormen’s offense and requested the sages to give them facilities to return to Vaikuntha as soon as possible.