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svam—own; lokam—abode; na—never; viduh—know; te—such persons; vai—certainly; yatra—where; devah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; janardanah—Krsna, or Visnu; ahuh—speak; dhumra-dhiyah—the less intelligent class of men; vedam—the four Vedas; sa-karmakam—full of ritualistic ceremonies; a-tat-vidah—persons who are not in knowledge.

Those who are less intelligent accept the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies as all in all. They do not know that the purpose of the Vedas is to understand one’s own home, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead lives. Not being interested in their real home, they are illusioned and search after other homes.

Generally people are not aware of their interest in life—to return home, back to Godhead. People do not know about their real home in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there are many Vaikuntha planets, and the topmost planet is Krsnaloka, Goloka Vrndavana. Despite the so-called advancement of civilization, there is no information of the Vaikunthalokas, the spiritual planets. At the present moment so-called advanced civilized men are trying to go to other planets, but they do not know that even if they go to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, they have to come back again to this planet. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (8.16):

abrahma-bhuvanal lokah
punar avartino ’rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.”

If one goes to the highest planetary system within this universe he still has to return after the effects of pious activities are finished. Space vehicles may go very high in the sky, but as soon as their fuel is finished, they have to return to this earthly planet. All these activities are performed in illusion. The real attempt should now be to return home, back to Godhead. The process is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita. Yanti mad-yajino ’pi mam: those who engage in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead return home, back to Godhead. Human life is very valuable, and one should not waste it in vain exploration of other planets. One should be intelligent enough to return to Godhead. One should be interested in information about the spiritual Vaikuntha planets, and in particular the planet known as Goloka Vrndavana, and should learn the art of going there by the simple method of devotional service, beginning with hearing (sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]). This is also confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51):

kaler dosa-nidhe rajann
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet

One can go to the supreme planet (param vrajet) simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. This is especially meant for the people of this age (kaler dosa-nidhe). It is the special advantage of this age that simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra one can become purified of all material contamination and return home, back to Godhead. There is no doubt about this.

SB4.29.49

TEXT 49

astirya darbhaih prag-agraih

kartsnyena ksiti-mandalam

stabdho brhad-vadhan mani

karma navaisi yat param

tat karma hari-tosam yat

sa vidya tan-matir yaya

astirya—having covered; darbhaih—by kusa grass; prak-agraih—with the points facing east; kartsnyena—altogether; ksiti-mandalam—the surface of the world; stabdhah—proud upstart; brhat—great; vadhat—by killing; mani—thinking yourself very important; karma—activity; na avaisi—you do not know; yat—which; param—supreme; tat—that; karma—activity; hari-tosam—satisfying the Supreme Lord; yat—which; sa—that; vidya—education; tat—unto the Lord; matih—consciousness; yaya—by which.

My dear King, the entire world is covered with the sharp points of kusa grass, and on the strength of this you have become proud because you have killed various types of animals in sacrifices. Because of your foolishness, you do not know that devotional service is the only way one can please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You cannot understand this fact. Your only activities should be those that can please the Personality of Godhead. Our education should be such that we can become elevated to Krsna consciousness.

In this verse the great sage Narada Muni directly insults the King because he was engaged in performing sacrifices that entail the killing of a great number of animals. The King was thinking that he was great for having performed so many sacrifices, but the great sage Narada directly chastises him, informing him that his animal-killing only leads to his being puffed up with false prestige. Actually, anything that is done which does not lead to Krsna consciousness is a sinful activity, and any education that does not lead one to understand Krsna is false education. If Krsna consciousness is missing, one is simply engaged in false activities and false educational pursuits.

SB4.29.50

TEXT 50

harir deha-bhrtam atma

svayam prakrtir isvarah

tat-pada-mulam saranam

yatah ksemo nrnam iha

harih—Sri Hari; deha-bhrtam—of living entities who have accepted material bodies; atma—the Supersoul; svayam—Himself; prakrtih—material nature; isvarah—the controller; tat—His; pada-mulam—feet; saranam—shelter; yatah—from which; ksemah—good fortune; nrnam—of men; iha—in this world.

Sri Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Supersoul and guide of all living entities who have accepted material bodies within this world. He is the supreme controller of all material activities in material nature. He is also our best friend, and everyone should take shelter at His lotus feet. In doing so, one’s life will be auspicious.

In Bhagavad-gita (18.61) it is said, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati: “The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna.” The living entity is within the body, and the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is also there. He is called antaryami and caitya-guru. As Lord Krsna states in Bhagavad-gita (15.15), He is controlling everything.

sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
matah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.”

Everything is being directed by the Supersoul within the body; therefore the better part of valor is to take His direction and be happy. To take His directions, one needs to be a devotee, and this is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (10.10):

tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

Although the Supersoul is in everyone’s heart (isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]), He talks only to the pure devotees who constantly engage in His service. In Caitanya-bhagavata (Antya 3.45) it is said:

tahare se bali vidya, mantra, adhyayana
krsna-pada-padme ye karaye sthira mana

“One who has fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Krsna is to be understood as having the best education and as having studied all the Vedas.” There are also other appropriate quotes in Caitanya-bhagavata:

sei se vidyara phala janiha niscaya
krsna-pada-padme yadi citta-vrtti raya

“The perfect result of an education is the fixing of one’s mind on the lotus feet of Krsna.” (Adi 13.178)

’dig-vijaya kariba,’——vidyara karya nahe
isvare bhajile, sei vidya ’satya’ kahe

“Conquering the world by means of material education is not desirable. If one engages himself in devotional service, his education is perfected.” (Adi 13.173)

pade kene loka——krsna-bhakti janibare
se yadi nahila, tabe vidyaya ki kare

“The purpose of education is to understand Krsna and His devotional service. If one does not do so, then education is false.” (Adi 12.49)

tahare se bali dharma, karma sadacara
isvare se priti janme sammata sabara

“Being cultured, educated, very active and religious means developing natural love for Krsna.” (Antya 3.44) Everyone has dormant love for Krsna, and by culture and education that has to be awakened. That is the purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement. Once Lord Caitanya asked Sri Ramananda Raya what the best part of education was, and Ramananda Raya replied that the best part of education is advancement in Krsna consciousness.

SB4.29.51

TEXT 51

sa vai priyatamas catma

yato na bhayam anv api

iti veda sa vai vidvan

yo vidvan sa gurur harih

sah—He; vai—certainly; priya-tamah—the most dear; ca—also; atma—Supersoul; yatah—from whom; na—never; bhayam—fear; anu—little; api—even; iti—thus; veda—(one who) knows; sah—he; vai—certainly; vidvan—educated; yah—he who; vidvan—educated; sah—he; guruh—spiritual master; harih—not different from the Lord.

One who is engaged in devotional service has not the least fear in material existence. This is because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supersoul and friend of everyone. One who knows this secret is actually educated, and one thus educated can become the spiritual master of the world. One who is an actually bona fide spiritual master, representative of Krsna, is not different from Krsna.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says: saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih **. The spiritual master is described in every scripture as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The spiritual master is accepted as identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead because he is the most confidential servant of the Lord (kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya). The purport is that both the Supersoul and the individual soul are very dear to everyone. Everyone loves himself, and when he becomes more advanced, he loves the Supersoul also. A person who is self-realized does not recommend the worship of anyone but the Supersoul. He knows that to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead is easier than to worship various demigods under the influence of lust and the desire for material enjoyment. The devotee is therefore always engaged in the loving devotional service of the Lord. Such a person is a true guru. In Padma Purana it is said:

sat-karma-nipuno vipro
mantra-tantra-visaradah
avaisnavo gurur na syad
vaisnavah sva-paco guruh

“Even if a brahmana is very learned in Vedic scriptures and knows the six occupational duties of a brahmana, he cannot become a guru, or spiritual master, unless he is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, if one is born in a family of dog-eaters but is a pure devotee of the Lord, he can become a spiritual master.” The conclusion is that one cannot become a spiritual master unless he is a pure devotee of the Lord. One who is a spiritual master in accordance with the above descriptions of devotional service is to be understood as the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally present. According to the words mentioned here (gurur harih), consulting a bona fide spiritual master means consulting the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally. One should therefore take shelter of such a bona fide spiritual master. Success in life means accepting a spiritual master who knows Krsna as the only supreme beloved personality. One should worship such a confidential devotee of the Lord.

SB4.29.52

TEXT 52

narada uvaca

prasna evam hi sanchinno

bhavatah purusarsabha

atra me vadato guhyam

nisamaya suniscitam

naradah uvaca—Narada said; prasnah—question; evam—thus; hi—certainly; sanchinnah—answered; bhavatah—your; purusa-rsabha—O great personality; atra—here; me vadatah—as I am speaking; guhyam—confidential; nisamaya—hear; su-niscitam—perfectly ascertained.

The great saint Narada continued: O great personality, I have replied properly about all that you have asked me. Now hear another narration that is accepted by saintly persons and is very confidential.

ksudram caram sumanasam sarane mithitva

Sri Narada Muni is personally acting as the spiritual master of King Barhisman. It was Narada Muni’s intention that through his instructions the King would immediately give up all engagement in fruitive activity and take to devotional service. However, although the King understood everything, he was still not prepared to give up his engagements. As the following verses will show, the King was contemplating sending for his sons, who were away from home executing austerities and penances. After their return, he would entrust his kingdom to them and then leave home. This is the position of most people. They accept a bona fide spiritual master and listen to him, but when the spiritual master indicates that they should leave home and fully engage in devotional service, they hesitate. The duty of the spiritual master is to instruct the disciple as long as he does not come to the understanding that this materialistic way of life, fruitive activity, is not at all beneficial. Actually, one should take to devotional service from the beginning of life, as Prahlada Maharaja advised: kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha (Bhag. 7.6.1). According to all the instructions of the Vedas, we can understand that unless one takes to Krsna consciousness and devotional service, he is simply wasting his time engaging in the fruitive activities of material existence. Narada Muni therefore decided to relate another allegory to the King so that he might be induced to give up family life within material existence.

SB4.29.53

TEXT 53

raktam sadanghri-gana-samasu lubdha-karnam

agre vrkan asu-trpo ’viganayya yantam

prsthe mrgam mrgaya lubdhaka-bana-bhinnam

ksudram—on grass; caram—grazing; sumanasam—of a beautiful flower garden; sarane—under the protection; mithitva—being united with a woman; raktam—attached; sat-anghri—of bumblebees; gana—of groups; samasu—to the singing; lubdha-karnam—whose ear is attracted; agre—in front; vrkan—tigers; asu-trpah—who live at the cost of another’s life; aviganayya—neglecting; yantam—moving; prsthe—behind; mrgam—the deer; mrgaya—search out; lubdhaka—of a hunter; bana—by the arrows; bhinnam—liable to be pierced.

My dear King, please search out that deer who is engaged in eating grass in a very nice flower garden along with his wife. That deer is very much attached to his business, and he is enjoying the sweet singing of the bumblebees in his garden. Just try to understand his position. He is unaware that before him is a tiger, which is accustomed to living at the cost of another’s flesh. Behind the deer is a hunter, who is threatening to pierce him with sharp arrows. Thus the deer’s death is imminent.

Here is an allegory in which the King is advised to find a deer that is always in a dangerous position. Although threatened from all sides, the deer simply eats grass in a nice flower garden, unaware of the danger all around him. All living entities, especially human beings, think themselves very happy in the midst of families. As if living in a flower garden and hearing the sweet humming of bumblebees, everyone is centered around his wife, who is the beauty of family life. The bumblebees’ humming may be compared to the talk of children. The human being, just like the deer, enjoys his family without knowing that before him is the factor of time, which is represented by the tiger. The fruitive activities of a living entity simply create another dangerous position and oblige him to accept different types of bodies. For a deer to run after a mirage of water in the desert is not unusual. The deer is also very fond of sex. The conclusion is that one who lives like a deer will be killed in due course of time. Vedic literatures therefore advise that we should understand our constitutional position and take to devotional service before death comes. According to the Bhagavatam (11.9.29):

labdhva sudurlabham idam bahu-sambhavante
manusyam arthadam anityam apiha dhirah
turnam yateta na pated anumrtyu yavan
nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat

After many births we have attained this human form; therefore before death comes, we should engage ourselves in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. That is the fulfillment of human life.

SB4.29.54

TEXT 54

sumanah-sama-dharmanam strinam sarana asrame puspa-madhu-gandhavat ksudratamam kamya-karma-vipakajam kama-sukha-lavam jaihvyaupasthyadi vicinvantam mithuni-bhuya tad-abhinivesita-manasam sadanghri-gana-sama-gitavad atimanohara-vanitadi-janalapesv atitaram atipralobhita-karnam agre vrka-yuthavad atmana ayur harato ’ho-ratran tan kala-lava-visesan aviganayya grhesu viharantam prsthata eva paroksam anupravrtto lubdhakah krtanto ’ntah sarena yam iha paravidhyati tam imam atmanam aho rajan bhinna-hrdayam drastum arhasiti.

sumanah—flowers; sama-dharmanam—exactly like; strinam—of women; sarane—in the shelter; asrame—household life; puspa—in flowers; madhu—of honey; gandha—the aroma; vat—like; ksudra-tamam—most insignificant; kamya—desired; karma—of activities; vipaka-jam—obtained as a result; kama-sukha—of sense gratification; lavam—a fragment; jaihvya—enjoyment of the tongue; aupasthya—sex enjoyment; adi—beginning with; vicinvantam—always thinking of; mithuni-bhuya—engaging in sex life; tat—in his wife; abhinivesita—always absorbed; manasam—whose mind; sat-anghri—of bumblebees; gana—of crowds; sama—gentle; gita—the chanting; vat—like; ati—very; manohara—attractive; vanita-adi—beginning with the wife; jana—of people; alapesu—to the talks; atitaram—excessively; ati—very much; pralobhita—attracted; karnam—whose ears; agre—in front; vrka-yutha—a group of tigers; vat—like; atmanah—of one’s self; ayuh—span of life; haratah—taking away; ahah-ratran—days and nights; tan—all of them; kala-lava-visesan—the moments of time; aviganayya—without considering; grhesu—in household life; viharantam—enjoying; prsthatah—from the back; eva—certainly; paroksam—without being seen; anupravrttah—following behind; lubdhakah—the hunter; krta-antah—the superintendent of death; antah—in the heart; sarena—by an arrow; yam—whom; iha—in this world; paravidhyati—pierces; tam—that; imam—this; atmanam—yourself; aho rajan—O King; bhinna-hrdayam—whose heart is pierced; drastum—to see; arhasi—you ought; iti—thus.

My dear King, woman, who is very attractive in the beginning but in the end very disturbing, is exactly like the flower, which is attractive in the beginning and detestable at the end. With woman, the living entity is entangled with lusty desires, and he enjoys sex, just as one enjoys the aroma of a flower. He thus enjoys a life of sense gratification—from his tongue to his genitals—and in this way the living entity considers himself very happy in family life. United with his wife, he always remains absorbed in such thoughts. He feels great pleasure in hearing the talks of his wife and children, which are like the sweet humming of bumblebees that collect honey from flower to flower. He forgets that before him is time, which is taking away his life-span with the passing of day and night. He does not see the gradual diminishing of his life, nor does he care about the superintendent of death, who is trying to kill him from behind. Just try to understand this. You are in a precarious position and are threatened from all sides.

Materialistic life means forgetting one’s constitutional position as the eternal servant of Krsna, and this forgetfulness is especially enhanced in the grhastha-asrama. In the grhastha-asrama a young man accepts a young wife who is very beautiful in the beginning, but in due course of time, after giving birth to many children and becoming older and older, she demands many things from the husband to maintain the entire family. At such a time the wife becomes detestable to the very man who accepted her in her younger days. One becomes attached to the grhastha-asrama for two reasons only—the wife cooks palatable dishes for the satisfaction of her husband’s tongue, and she gives him sexual pleasure at night. A person attached to the grhastha-asrama is always thinking of these two things—palatable food and sex enjoyment. The talks of the wife, which are enjoyed as a family recreation, and the talks of the children both attract the living entity. He thus forgets that he has to die someday and has to prepare for the next life if he wants to be put into a congenial body.

The deer in the flower garden is an allegory used by the great sage Narada to point out to the King that the King himself is similarly entrapped by such surroundings. Actually everyone is surrounded by such a family life, which misleads one. The living entity thus forgets that he has to return home, back to Godhead. He simply becomes entangled in family life. Prahlada Maharaja has therefore hinted: hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta [SB 7.5.5]. Family life is considered a blind well (andha-kupam) into which a person falls and dies without help. Prahlada Maharaja recommends that while one’s senses are there and one is strong enough, he should abandon the grhastha-asrama and take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, going to the forest of Vrndavana. According to Vedic civilization, one has to give up family life at a certain age (the age of fifty), take vanaprastha and eventually remain alone as a sannyasi. That is the prescribed method of Vedic civilization known as varnasrama-dharma. When one takes sannyasa after enjoying family life, he pleases the Supreme Lord Visnu.

One has to understand one’s position in family or worldly life. That is called intelligence. One should not remain always trapped in family life to satisfy his tongue and genitals in association with a wife. In such a way, one simply spoils his life. According to Vedic civilization, it is imperative to give up the family at a certain stage, by force if necessary. Unfortunately, so-called followers of Vedic life do not give up their family even at the end of life, unless they are forced by death. There should be a thorough overhauling of the social system, and society should revert to the Vedic principles, that is, the four varnas and the four asramas.

SB4.29.55

TEXT 55

sa tvam vicaksya mrga-cestitam atmano ’ntas

cittam niyaccha hrdi karna-dhunim ca citte

jahy anganasramam asattama-yutha-gatham

prinihi hamsa-saranam virama kramena