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evam—thus; sah—he; vira-pravarah—the chief of the heroes; samyojya—applying; atmanam—mind; atmani—unto the Supersoul; brahma-bhutah—being liberated; drdham—firmly; kale—in due course of time; tatyaja—gave up; svam—own; kalevaram—body.

In due course of time, when Prthu Maharaja was to give up his body, he fixed his mind firmly upon the lotus feet of Krsna, and thus, completely situated on the brahma-bhuta platform, he gave up the material body.

sampidya payum parsnibhyam

According to a Bengali proverb, whatever spiritual progress one makes in life will be tested at the time of death. In Bhagavad-gita (8.6) it is also confirmed: yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram/ tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad-bhava-bhavitah. Those who are practicing Krsna consciousness know that their examination will be held at the time of death. If one can remember Krsna at death, he is immediately transferred to Goloka Vrndavana, or Krsnaloka, and thus his life becomes successful. Prthu Maharaja, by the grace of Krsna, could understand that the end of his life was near, and thus he became very jubilant and proceeded to completely give up his body on the brahma-bhuta stage by practicing the yogic process. It is thoroughly described in the following verses how one can voluntarily give up this body and return home, back to Godhead. The yogic process practiced by Prthu Maharaja at the time of death accelerates the giving up of this body while one is in sound health physically and mentally. Every devotee desires to give up the body while it is sound physically and mentally. This desire was also expressed by King Kulasekhara in his Mukunda-mala-stotra:

krsna tvadiya-padapankaja-panjarantam
adyaiva me visatu manasa-raja-hamsah
prana-prayana-samaye kapha-vata-pittaih
kanthavarodhana-vidhau smaranam kutas te

King Kulasekhara wanted to give up his body while in a healthy state, and he thus prayed to Krsna to let him die immediately while he was in good health and while his mind was sound. When a man dies, he is generally overpowered by mucus and bile, and thus he chokes. Since it is very difficult to vibrate any sound while choking, it is simply by Krsna’s grace that one can chant Hare Krsna at the time of death. However, by situating oneself in the muktasana position, a yogi can immediately give up his body and go to whatever planet he desires. A perfect yogi can give up his body whenever he desires through the practice of yoga.

SB4.23.14

TEXT 14

vayum utsarayan chanaih

nabhyam kosthesv avasthapya

hrd-urah-kantha-sirsani

sampidya—by blocking; payum—the door of the anus; parsnibhyam—by the calves; vayum—the air which goes up; utsarayan—pushing upward; sanaih—gradually; nabhyam—by the navel; kosthesu—in the heart and in the throat; avasthapya—fixing; hrt—in the heart; urah—upward; kantha—throat; sirsani—between the two eyebrows.

When Maharaja Prthu practiced a particular yogic sitting posture, he blocked the doors of his anus with his ankles, pressed his right and left calves and gradually raised his life air upward, passing it on to the circle of his navel, up to his heart and throat, and finally pushed it upward to the central position between his two eyebrows.

The sitting posture described herein is called muktasana. In the yoga process, after following the strict regulative principles controlling sleeping, eating and mating, one is allowed to practice the different sitting postures. The ultimate aim of yoga is to enable one to give up this body according to his own free will. One who has attained the ultimate summit of yoga practice can live in the body as long as he likes or, as long as he is not completely perfect, leave the body to go anywhere within or outside the universe. Some yogis leave their bodies to go to the higher planetary systems and enjoy the material facilities therein. However, intelligent yogis do not wish to waste their time within this material world at all; they do not care for the material facilities in higher planetary systems, but are interested in going directly to the spiritual sky, back home, back to Godhead.

From the description in this verse, it appears that Maharaja Prthu had no desire to promote himself to the higher planetary systems. He wanted to return home immediately, back to Godhead. Although Maharaja Prthu stopped all practice of mystic yoga after realizing Krsna consciousness, he took advantage of his previous practice and immediately placed himself on the brahma-bhuta platform in order to accelerate his return to Godhead. The aim of this particular system of asana, known as the sitting posture for liberation, or muktasana, is to attain success in kundalini-cakra and gradually raise the life from the muladhara-cakra to the svadhisthana-cakra, then to the manipura-cakra, the anahata-cakra, the visuddha-cakra, and finally to the ajna-cakra. When the yogi reaches the ajna-cakra, between the two eyebrows, he is able to penetrate the brahma-randhra, or the hole in his skull, and go to any planet he desires, up to the spiritual kingdom of Vaikuntha, or Krsnaloka. The conclusion is that one has to come to the brahma-bhuta stage for going back to Godhead. However, those who are in Krsna consciousness, or who are practicing bhakti-yoga (sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam [SB 7.5.23]), can return to Godhead without even practicing the muktasana process. The purpose of muktasana practice is to come to the brahma-bhuta stage, for without being on the brahma-bhuta stage, one cannot be promoted to the spiritual sky. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

The bhakti-yogi, practicing bhakti-yoga, is always situated on the brahma-bhuta stage (brahma-bhuyaya kalpate). If a devotee is able to continue on the brahma-bhuta platform, he enters the spiritual sky automatically after death and returns to Godhead. Consequently a devotee need not feel sorry for not having practiced the kundalini-cakra, or not penetrating the six cakras one after another. As far as Maharaja Prthu was concerned, he had already practiced this process, and since he did not want to wait for the time when his death would occur naturally, he took advantage of the sat-cakra penetration process and thus gave up the body according to his own free will and immediately entered the spiritual sky.

SB4.23.15

TEXT 15

utsarpayams tu tam murdhni

kramenavesya nihsprhah

vayum vayau ksitau kayam

tejas tejasy ayuyujat

utsarpayan—thus placing; tu—but; tam—the air; murdhni—on the head; kramena—gradually; avesya—placing; nihsprhah—being freed from all material desires; vayum—the air portion of the body; vayau—in the total air covering the universe; ksitau—in the total covering of earth; kayam—this material body; tejah—the fire in the body; tejasi—in the total fire of the material covering; ayuyujat—mixed.

In this way, Prthu Maharaja gradually raised his air of life up to the hole in his skull, whereupon he lost all desire for material existence. Gradually he merged his air of life with the totality of air, his body with the totality of earth, and the fire within his body with the totality of fire.

When the spiritual spark, which is described as one ten-thousandth part of the tip of a hair, is forced into material existence, that spark is covered by gross and subtle material elements. The material body is composed of five gross elements—earth, water, fire, air and ether—and three subtle elements—mind, intelligence and ego. When one attains liberation, he is freed from these material coverings. Indeed, success in yoga involves getting free from these material coverings and entering into spiritual existence. Lord Buddha’s teachings of nirvana are based on this principle. Lord Buddha instructed his followers to give up these material coverings by means of meditation and yoga. Lord Buddha did not give any information about the soul, but if one follows his instructions strictly, he will ultimately become free from the material coverings and attain nirvana.

When a living entity gives up the material coverings, he remains a spirit soul. This spirit soul must enter into the spiritual sky to merge into the Brahman effulgence. Unfortunately, unless the living entity has information of the spiritual world and the Vaikunthas, there is a 99.9 percent chance of his falling down again into material existence. There is, however, a small chance of being promoted to a spiritual planet from the Brahman effulgence, or the brahmajyoti. This brahmajyoti is considered by impersonalists to be without variety, and the Buddhists consider it to be void. In either case, whether one accepts the spiritual sky as being without variety or void, there is none of the spiritual bliss which is enjoyed in the spiritual planets, the Vaikunthas or Krsnaloka. In the absence of varieties of enjoyment, the spirit soul gradually feels an attraction to enjoy a life of bliss, and not having any information of Krsnaloka or Vaikunthaloka, he naturally falls down to material activities in order to enjoy material varieties.

SB4.23.16

TEXT 16

khany akase dravam toye

yatha-sthanam vibhagasah

ksitim ambhasi tat tejasy

ado vayau nabhasy amum

khani—the different holes in the body for the sense organs; akase—in the sky; dravam—the liquid substance; toye—in the water; yatha-sthanam—according to proper situation; vibhagasah—as they are divided; ksitim—earth; ambhasi—in the water; tat—that; tejasi—in the fire; adah—the fire; vayau—in the air; nabhasi—in the sky; amum—that.

In this way, according to the different positions of the various parts of the body, Prthu Maharaja merged the holes of his senses with the sky; his bodily liquids, such as blood and various secretions, with the totality of water; and he merged earth with water, then water with fire, fire with air, air with sky, and so on.

In this verse two words are very important: yatha-sthanam vibhagasah. In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Second Canto, Fifth Chapter, Lord Brahma clearly explained to Narada how the creation took place, and he explained one step after another the proper divisions of the senses, the controller of the senses, the objects of the senses, and the material elements, and he also explained how they are created one after another: the air from the sky, the fire from the air, the water from the fire, the earth from the water, etc. It is important to know thoroughly the process of creation as it applies to this cosmic manifestation. Similarly, this body is also created according to the same process by the Supreme Lord. The Personality of Godhead, after entering the universe, creates the cosmic manifestations one after another. Similarly, the living entity, after entering a womb of a mother, also collects his gross and subtle bodies, taking ingredients from the totality of sky, air, fire, water and earth. The words yatha-sthanam vibhagasah indicate that one should know the process of creation and should meditate upon the creative process inversely and thus become free from material contamination.

SB4.23.17

TEXT 17

indriyesu manas tani

tan-matresu yathodbhavam

bhutadinamuny utkrsya

mahaty atmani sandadhe

indriyesu—in the sense organs; manah—the mind; tani—the sense organs; tat-matresu—in the objects of the senses; yatha-udbhavam—wherefrom they generated; bhuta-adina—by the five elements; amuni—all those sense objects; utkrsya—taking out; mahati—in the mahat-tattva; atmani—unto the ego; sandadhe—amalgamated.

He amalgamated the mind with the senses and the senses with the sense objects, according to their respective positions, and he also amalgamated the material ego with the total material energy, mahat-tattva.

In respect to the ego, the total material energy is sundered in two parts—one agitated by the mode of ignorance and the other agitated by the modes of passion and goodness. Due to agitation by the mode of ignorance, the five gross elements are created. Due to agitation by the mode of passion, the mind is created, and due to agitation by the mode of goodness, false egoism, or identification with matter, is created. The mind is protected by a particular type of demigod. Sometimes the mind (manah) is also understood to have a controlling deity or demigod. In this way the total mind, namely the material mind controlled by material demigods, was amalgamated with the senses. The senses, in turn, were amalgamated with the sense objects. The sense objects are forms, tastes, smells, sounds, etc. Sound is the ultimate source of the sense objects. The mind was attracted by the senses and the senses by the sense objects, and all of them were ultimately amalgamated in the sky. The creation is so arranged that cause and effect follow one after the other. The merging process involves amalgamating the effect with the original cause. Since the ultimate cause in the material world is mahat-tattva, everything was gradually wound up and amalgamated with the mahat-tattva. This may be compared to sunya-vada, or voidism, but this is the process for cleansing the real spiritual mind, or consciousness.

When the mind is completely washed of all material contamination, the pure consciousness acts. The sound vibration from the spiritual sky can automatically cleanse all material contaminations, as confirmed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu: ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. We need only take the advice of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and chant the Hare Krsna mantra to cleanse the mind of all material contamination, and this may be considered the summary of this difficult verse. As soon as the whole material contamination is washed away by this process of chanting, all desires and reactions to material activities become immediately vanquished, and real life, peaceful existence, begins. In this age of Kali it is very difficult to adopt the yogic process mentioned in this verse. Unless one is very expert in such yoga, the best course is to adopt the ways and means of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, sri-krsna-sankirtanam. Thus one can gloriously become freed from all material contamination by the simple process of chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Just as life in this material world has its beginning in material sound, similarly a spiritual life has its beginning in this spiritual sound vibration.

SB4.23.18

TEXT 18

tam sarva-guna-vinyasam

jive mayamaye nyadhat

tam canusayam atma-stham

asav anusayi puman

jnana-vairagya-viryena

svarupa-stho ’jahat prabhuh

tam—unto Him; sarva-guna-vinyasam—the reservoir of all qualities; jive—unto the designations; maya-maye—the reservoir of all potencies; nyadhat—placed; tam—that; ca—also; anusayam—designation; atma-stham—situated in self-realization; asau—he; anusayi—the living entity; puman—the enjoyer; jnana—knowledge; vairagya—renunciation; viryena—by the prowess of; svarupa-sthah—being situated in one’s constitutional position; ajahat—returned home; prabhuh—the controller.

Prthu Maharaja then offered the total designation of the living entity unto the supreme controller of illusory energy. Being released from all the designations by which the living entity became entrapped, he became free by knowledge and renunciation and by the spiritual force of his devotional service. In this way, being situated in his original constitutional position of Krsna consciousness, he gave up this body as a prabhu, or controller of the senses.

As stated in the Vedas, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of material energy. Consequently He is sometimes called maya-maya, or the Supreme person, who can create His pastimes through His potency known as the material energy. The jiva, or the individual living entity, becomes entrapped by the material energy by the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gita (18.61) we understand:

isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya

Isvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated within the heart of all conditioned souls, and by His supreme will the living entity, or individual soul, gets the facility to lord it over material nature in various types of bodies, which are known as yantra, or the moving vehicle offered by the total material energy, maya. Although the individual living entity (jiva) and the Lord are both situated within the material energy, the Lord is directing the movements of the jiva soul by offering him different types of bodies through the material energy, and thus the living entity is wandering throughout the universes in various forms of body and becomes implicated in different situations, partaking of the reactions of fruitive activities.

When Prthu Maharaja became spiritually powerful by the enhancement of his spiritual knowledge (jnana) and renunciation of material desires, he became a prabhu, or master of his senses (sometimes called gosvami or svami). This means that he was no longer controlled by the influence of material energy. When one is strong enough to give up the influence of material energy, he is called prabhu. In this verse the word svarupa-sthah is also very significant. The real identity of the individual soul lies in understanding or attaining the knowledge that he is eternally a servant of Krsna. This understanding is called svarupopalabdhi. By culturing devotional service, the devotee gradually comes to understand his actual relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding of one’s pure spiritual position is called svarupopalabdhi, and when one attains that stage he can understand how he is related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a servant or friend or as a parent or conjugal lover. This stage of understanding is called svarupa-sthah. Prthu Maharaja realized this svarupa completely, and it will be clear in the later verses that he personally left this world, or this body, by riding on a chariot sent from Vaikuntha.

In this verse the word prabhu is also significant. As stated before, when one is completely self-realized and acts according to that position, he can be called prabhu. The spiritual master is addressed as “Prabhupada” because he is a completely self-realized soul. The word pada means “position,” and Prabhupada indicates that he is given the position of prabhu, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for he acts on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unless one is a prabhu, or controller of the senses, he cannot act as spiritual master, who is authorized by the supreme prabhu, or Lord Krsna. In his verses praising the spiritual master, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura writes:

saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair
uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih **

“The spiritual master is honored as much as the Supreme Lord because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord.” Thus Prthu Maharaja can also be called Prabhupada, or, as described herein, prabhu. Another question may be raised in this connection. Since Prthu Maharaja was a power incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, saktyavesa-avatara, why did he have to execute the regulative principles in order to become a prabhu? Because he appeared on this earth as an ideal king and because it is the duty of the king to instruct the citizens in the execution of devotional service, he followed all the regulative principles of devotional service in order to teach others. Similarly, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, although Krsna Himself, taught us how to approach Krsna as a devotee. It is said, apani acari’ bhakti sikhainu sabare. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructed others in the process of devotional service by setting the example Himself through His own personal actions. Similarly, Prthu Maharaja, although a saktyavesa-avatara incarnation, still behaved exactly as a devotee in order to achieve the position of prabhu. Furthermore, svarupa-sthah means “complete liberation.” As it is said (Bhag. 2.10.6), hitvanyatha-rupam svarupena vyavasthitih: when a living entity abandons the activities of maya and attains the position from which he can execute devotional service, his state is called svarupa-sthah, or complete liberation.

SB4.23.19

TEXT 19

arcir nama maha-rajni

tat-patny anugata vanam

sukumary atad-arha ca

yat-padbhyam sparsanam bhuvah

arcih nama—of the name Arci; maha-rajni—the Queen; tat-patni—the wife of Maharaja Prthu; anugata—who followed her husband; vanam—in the forest; su-kumari—very delicate body; a-tat-arha—who did not deserve; ca—also; yat-padbhyam—by the touch of whose feet; sparsanam—touching; bhuvah—on the earth.

The Queen, the wife of Prthu Maharaja, whose name was Arci, followed her husband into the forest. Since she was a queen, her body was very delicate. Although she did not deserve to live in the forest, she voluntarily touched her lotus feet to the ground.

Because Prthu Maharaja’s wife was the Queen and also a daughter of a king, she never experienced walking on the ground, for queens used to never come out of the palace. They certainly never went to the forests and tolerated all the difficulties of living in the wilderness. In Vedic civilization there are hundreds of similar examples of such renunciation on the part of queens and dedication to the husband. The goddess of fortune mother Sita followed her husband, Ramacandra, when He went to the forest. Lord Ramacandra went to the forest in compliance with the order of His father, Maharaja Dasaratha, but mother Sita was not so ordered. Nonetheless, she voluntarily accepted the path of her husband. Similarly, Gandhari, the wife of King Dhrtarastra, also followed her husband into the forest. Being the wives of great personalities like Prthu, Lord Ramacandra and Dhrtarastra, these were ideal chaste women. Such queens also instructed the general people by showing them how to become a chaste wife and follow the husband in every stage of life. When the husband is king, she sits beside him as the queen, and when he goes to the forest, she also follows, despite having to tolerate all kinds of difficulties in living in the forest. Therefore it is said here (atad-arha) that although she did not want to touch her feet to the ground, she nonetheless accepted all difficulties when she went to the forest with her husband.

SB4.23.20

TEXT 20

ativa bhartur vrata-dharma-nisthaya

susrusaya carsa-deha-yatraya

navindatartim parikarsitapi sa

preyaskara-sparsana-mana-nirvrtih

ativa—very much; bhartuh—of the husband; vrata-dharma—vow to serve him; nisthaya—by determination; susrusaya—by serving; ca—also; arsa—like the great saintly sages; deha—body; yatraya—living condition; na—did not; avindata—perceive; artim—any difficulty; parikarsita api—although transformed to become lean and thin; sa—she; preyah-kara—very pleasing; sparsana—touching; mana—engaged; nirvrtih—pleasure.

Although she was not accustomed to such difficulties, Queen Arci followed her husband in the regulative principles of living in the forest like great sages. She lay down on the ground and ate only fruits, flowers and leaves, and because she was not fit for these activities, she became frail and thin. Yet because of the pleasure she derived in serving her husband, she did not feel any difficulties.

The words bhartur vrata-dharma-nisthaya indicate that a woman’s duty, or religious principle, is to serve her husband in all conditions. In Vedic civilization a man is taught from the beginning of his life to become a brahmacari, then an ideal grhastha, then vanaprastha, then sannyasi, and the wife is taught just to follow the husband strictly in all conditions of life. After the period of brahmacarya, a man accepts a householder’s life, and the woman is also taught by her parents to be a chaste wife. Thus when a girl and boy are united, both are trained for a life dedicated to a higher purpose. The boy is trained to execute his duty in accordance with the higher purpose of life, and the girl is trained to follow him. The chaste wife’s duty is to keep her husband pleased in householder life in all respects, and when the husband retires from family life, she is to go to the forest and adopt the life of vanaprastha, or vana-vasi. At that time the wife is to follow her husband and take care of him, just as she took care of him in householder life. But when the husband takes the renounced order of life, namely sannyasa, the wife is to return home and become a saintly woman, setting an example for her children and daughters-in-law and showing them how to live a life of austerity.

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, His wife, Visnupriyadevi, although only sixteen years old, also took the vow of austerity due to her husband’s leaving home. She chanted her beads, and after finishing one round, she collected one grain of rice. In this way, as many rounds as she chanted, she would receive the same number of rice grains and then cook them and so take prasada. This is called austerity. Even today in India, widows or women whose husbands have taken sannyasa follow the principles of austerity, even though they live with their children. Prthu Maharaja’s wife, Arci, was steadily determined to execute the duty of a wife, and while her husband was in the forest, she followed him in eating only fruits and leaves and lying down on the ground. Since a woman’s body is considerably more delicate than a man’s, Queen Arci became very frail and thin, parikarsita. When one engages in austerities, his body generally becomes lean and thin. Becoming fat is not a very good qualification in spiritual life because a person who is engaged in spiritual life must reduce the comforts of the body—namely eating, sleeping and mating—to a minimum. Although Queen Arci became very thin from living in the forest according to regulative principles, she was not unhappy, for she was enjoying the honor of serving her great husband.

SB4.23.21

TEXT 21

deham vipannakhila-cetanadikam

patyuh prthivya dayitasya catmanah

alaksya kincic ca vilapya sa sati

citam atharopayad adri-sanuni

deham—body; vipanna—completely failing; akhila—all; cetana—feeling; adikam—symptoms; patyuh—of her husband; prthivyah—the world; dayitasya—of the merciful; ca atmanah—also of herself; alaksya—by seeing; kincit—very little; ca—and; vilapya—lamenting; sa—she; sati—the chaste; citam—unto the fire; atha—now; aropayat—placed; adri—hill; sanuni—on the top.

When Queen Arci saw that her husband, who had been so merciful to her and the earth, no longer showed symptoms of life, she lamented for a little while and then built a fiery pyre on top of a hill and placed the body of her husband on it.