Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Four
SB4.4.14
TEXT 14
yad dvy-aksaram nama gireritam nrnam
sakrt prasangad agham asu hanti tat
pavitra-kirtim tam alanghya-sasanam
bhavan aho dvesti sivam sivetarah
SYNONYMS
yat—which; dvi-aksaram—consisting of two letters; nama—named; gira iritam—merely being pronounced by the tongue; nrnam—persons; sakrt—once; prasangat—from the heart; agham—sinful activities; asu—immediately; hanti—destroys; tat—that; pavitra-kirtim—whose fame is pure; tam—him; alanghya-sasanam—whose order is never neglected; bhavan—you; aho—oh; dvesti—envy; sivam—Lord Siva; siva-itarah—who are inauspicious.
TRANSLATION
Sati continued: My dear father, you are committing the greatest offense by envying Lord Siva, whose very name, consisting of two syllables, si and va, purifies one of all sinful activities. His order is never neglected. Lord Siva is always pure, and no one but you envies him.
PURPORT
Since Lord Siva is the greatest soul among the living entities within this material world, his name, Siva, is very auspicious for persons who identify the body with the soul. If such persons take shelter of Lord Siva, gradually they will understand that they are not the material body but are spirit soul. Siva means mangala, or auspicious. Within the body the soul is auspicious. Aham brahmasmi: “I am Brahman.” This realization is auspicious. As long as one does not realize his identity as the soul, whatever he does is inauspicious. Siva means “auspicious,” and devotees of Lord Siva gradually come to the platform of spiritual identification, but that is not all. Auspicious life begins from the point of spiritual identification. But there are still more duties—one has to understand one’s relationship with the Supreme Soul. If one is actually a devotee of Lord Siva, he comes to the platform of spiritual realization, but if he is not intelligent enough, then he stops at that point, only realizing that he is spirit soul (aham brahmasmi). If he is intelligent enough, however, he should continue to act in the way of Lord Siva, for Lord Siva is always absorbed in the thought of Vasudeva. As previously explained, sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam: Lord Siva is always in meditation on the lotus feet of Vasudeva, Sri Krsna. Thus the auspicious position of Lord Siva is realized if one takes to the worship of Visnu, because Lord Siva says in the Siva Purana that the topmost worship is worship of Lord Visnu. Lord Siva is worshiped because he is the greatest devotee of Lord Visnu. One should not, however, make the mistake of considering Lord Siva and Lord Visnu to be on the same level. That is also an atheistic idea. It is also enjoined in the Vaisnaviya Purana that Visnu, or Narayana, is the exalted Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no one should be compared to Him as equal, even Lord Siva or Lord Brahma, not to speak of other demigods. SB4.4.15 TEXT 15 yat-pada-padmam mahatam mano-’libhir nisevitam brahma-rasasavarthibhih lokasya yad varsati casiso ’rthinas tasmai bhavan druhyati visva-bandhave SYNONYMS yat-pada-padmam—the lotus feet of whom; mahatam—of the higher personalities; manah-alibhih—by the bees of the mind; nisevitam—being engaged at; brahma-rasa—of transcendental bliss (brahmananda); asava-arthibhih—seeking the nectar; lokasya—of the common man; yat—which; varsati—he fulfills; ca—and; asisah—desires; arthinah—seeking; tasmai—towards him (Lord Siva); bhavan—you; druhyati—are envious; visva-bandhave—unto the friend of all living entities within the three worlds. TRANSLATION You are envious of Lord Siva, who is the friend of all living entities within the three worlds. For the common man he fulfills all desires, and because of their engagement in thinking of his lotus feet, he also blesses higher personalities who are seeking after brahmananda [transcendental bliss]. PURPORT Ordinarily there are two classes of men. One class, who are grossly materialistic, want material prosperity, and their desires are fulfilled if they worship Lord Siva. Lord Siva, being very quickly satisfied, satisfies the material desires of the common man very quickly; therefore it is seen that ordinary men are very much apt to worship him. Next, those who are disgusted or frustrated with the materialistic way of life worship Lord Siva to attain salvation, which entails freedom from material identification. One who understands that he is not the material body but is spirit soul is liberated from ignorance. Lord Siva also offers that facility. People generally practice religion for economic development, to get some money, for by getting money they can satisfy their senses. But when they are frustrated they want spiritual brahmananda, or merging into the Supreme. These four principles of material life—religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation—exist, and Lord Siva is the friend of both the ordinary man and the man who is elevated in spiritual knowledge. Thus it was not good for Daksa to create enmity towards him. Even Vaisnavas, who are above both the ordinary and the elevated men in this world, also worship Lord Siva as the greatest Vaisnava. Thus he is the friend of everyone—the common men, the elevated men and the devotees of the Lord—so no one should disrespect or create enmity towards Lord Siva. SB4.4.16 TEXT 16 kim va sivakhyam asivam na vidus tvad anye brahmadayas tam avakirya jatah smasane tan-malya-bhasma-nrkapaly avasat pisacair ye murdhabhir dadhati tac-caranavasrstam SYNONYMS kim va—whether; siva-akhyam—named Siva; asivam—inauspicious; na viduh—do not know; tvat anye—other than you; brahma-adayah—Brahma and others; tam—him (Lord Siva); avakirya—scattered; jatah—having twisted hair; smasane—in the crematorium; tat-malya-bhasma-nr-kapali—who is garlanded with human skulls and smeared with ashes; avasat—associated; pisacaih—with demons; ye—who; murdhabhih—with the head; dadhati—place; tat-carana-avasrstam—fallen from his lotus feet. TRANSLATION Do you think that greater, more respectable personalities than you, such as Lord Brahma, do not know this inauspicious person who goes under the name Lord Siva? He associates with the demons in the crematorium, his locks of hair are scattered all over his body, he is garlanded with human skulls and smeared with ashes from the crematorium, but in spite of all these inauspicious qualities, great personalities like Brahma honor him by accepting the flowers offered to his lotus feet and placing them with great respect on their heads. PURPORT It is useless to condemn a great personality like Lord Siva, and this is being stated by his wife, Sati, to establish the supremacy of her husband. First she said, “You call Lord Siva inauspicious because he associates with demons in crematoriums, covers his body with the ashes of the dead, and garlands himself with the skulls of human beings. You have shown so many defects, but you do not know that his position is always transcendental. Although he appears inauspicious, why do personalities like Brahma respect the dust of his lotus feet and place on their heads with great respect those very garlands which are condemned by you?” Since Sati was a chaste woman and the wife of Lord Siva, it was her duty to establish the elevated position of Lord Siva, not only by sentiment but by facts. Lord Siva is not an ordinary living entity. This is the conclusion of Vedic scripture. He is neither on the level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead nor on the level of the ordinary living entities. Brahma is in almost all cases an ordinary living entity. Sometimes, when there is no ordinary living entity available, the post of Brahma is occupied by an expansion of Lord Visnu, but generally this post is occupied by a greatly pious living entity within this universe. Thus Lord Siva’s position is constitutionally higher than that of Lord Brahma, although Lord Siva appeared as the son of Brahma. Here it is mentioned that even personalities like Brahma accept the so-called inauspicious flowers and the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Siva. Great sages like Marici, Atri, Bhrgu and the others among the nine great sages who are descendants of Brahma also respect Lord Siva in such a way because they all know that Lord Siva is not an ordinary living entity. In many Puranas it is sometimes asserted that a demigod is elevated to such a high position that he is almost on an equal level with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the conclusion that Lord Visnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead is confirmed in every scripture. Lord Siva is described in the Brahma-samhita to be like curd or yogurt. Curd is not different from milk. Since milk is transformed into curd, in one sense curd is also milk. Similarly, Lord Siva is in one sense the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but in another sense he is not, just as curd is milk although we have to distinguish between the two. These descriptions are in the Vedic literature. Whenever we find that a demigod occupies a position apparently more elevated than that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is just to draw the devotee’s attention to that particular demigod. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita (9.25) that if one wants to worship a particular demigod, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is sitting in everyone’s heart, gives one greater and greater attachment for that demigod so that one may be elevated to the demigod’s abode. Yanti deva-vrata devan. By worshiping demigods one can elevate himself to the abodes of the demigods; similarly, by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead one can be elevated to the spiritual kingdom. This is stated in different places in Vedic literature. Here Lord Siva is praised by Sati, partially due to her personal respect for Lord Siva, since he is her husband, and partially due to his exalted position, which exceeds that of ordinary living entities, even Lord Brahma. The position of Lord Siva is accepted by Lord Brahma, so Daksa, Sati’s father, should also recognize him. That was the point of Sati’s statement. She did not actually come to her father’s house to participate in the function, although before coming she pleaded with her husband that she wanted to see her sisters and her mother. That was a plea only, for actually at heart she maintained the idea that she would convince her father, Daksa, that it was useless to continue being envious of Lord Siva. That was her main purpose. When she was unable to convince her father, she gave up the body he had given her, as will be seen in the following verses. SB4.4.17 TEXT 17 karnau pidhaya nirayad yad akalpa ise dharmavitary asrnibhir nrbhir asyamane chindyat prasahya rusatim asatim prabhus cej jihvam asun api tato visrjet sa dharmah SYNONYMS karnau—both ears; pidhaya—blocking; nirayat—one should go away; yat—if; akalpah—unable; ise—the master; dharma-avitari—the controller of religion; asrnibhih—by irresponsible; nrbhih—persons; asyamane—being blasphemed; chindyat—he should cut; prasahya—by force; rusatim—vilifying; asatim—of the blasphemer; prabhuh—one is able; cet—if; jihvam—tongue; asun—(his own) life; api—certainly; tatah—then; visrjet—should give up; sah—that; dharmah—is the process. TRANSLATION Sati continued: If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the master and controller of religion, one should block his ears and go away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender, and after that one should give up his own life. PURPORT The argument offered by Sati is that a person who vilifies a great personality is the lowest of all creatures. But, by the same argument, Daksa could also defend himself by saying that since he was a Prajapati, the master of many living creatures and one of the great officers of the great universal affairs, his position was so exalted that Sati should accept his good qualities instead of vilifying him. The answer to that argument is that Sati was not vilifying but defending. If possible she should have cut out Daksa’s tongue because he blasphemed Lord Siva. In other words, since Lord Siva is the protector of religion, a person who vilifies him should be killed at once, and after killing such a person, one should give up one’s life. That is the process, but because Daksa happened to be the father of Sati, she decided not to kill him but to give up her own life in order to compensate for the great sin she had committed by hearing blasphemy of Lord Siva. The instruction set forth here in Srimad-Bhagavatam is that one should not tolerate at any cost the activities of a person who vilifies or blasphemes an authority. If one is a brahmana he should not give up his body because by doing so he would be responsible for killing a brahmana; therefore a brahmana should leave the place or block his ears so that he will not hear the blasphemy. If one happens to be a ksatriya he has the power to punish any man; therefore a ksatriya should at once cut out the tongue of the vilifier and kill him. But as far as the vaisyas and sudras are concerned, they should immediately give up their bodies. Sati decided to give up her body because she thought herself to be among the sudras and vaisyas. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.32), striyo vaisyas tatha sudrah. Women, laborers and the mercantile class are on the same level. Thus since it is recommended that vaisyas and sudras should immediately give up their bodies upon hearing blasphemy of an exalted person like Lord Siva, she decided to give up her life. SB4.4.18 TEXT 18 atas tavotpannam idam kalevaram na dharayisye siti-kantha-garhinah jagdhasya mohad dhi visuddhim andhaso jugupsitasyoddharanam pracaksate SYNONYMS atah—therefore; tava—from you; utpannam—received; idam—this; kalevaram—body; na dharayisye—I shall not bear; siti-kantha-garhinah—who have blasphemed Lord Siva; jagdhasya—which has been eaten; mohat—by mistake; hi—because; visuddhim—the purification; andhasah—of food; jugupsitasya—poisonous; uddharanam—vomiting; pracaksate—declare. TRANSLATION Therefore I shall no longer bear this unworthy body, which has been received from you, who have blasphemed Lord Siva. If someone has taken food which is poisonous, the best treatment is to vomit. PURPORT Since Sati was the representation of the external potency of the Lord, it was in her power to vanquish many universes, including many Daksas, but in order to save her husband from the charge that he employed his wife, Sati, to kill Daksa because he could not do so due to his inferior position, she decided to give up her body. SB4.4.19 TEXT 19 na veda-vadan anuvartate matih sva eva loke ramato maha-muneh yatha gatir deva-manusyayoh prthak sva eva dharme na param ksipet sthitah SYNONYMS na—not; veda-vadan—rules and regulations of the Vedas; anuvartate—follow; matih—the mind; sve—in his own; eva—certainly; loke—in the self; ramatah—enjoying; maha-muneh—of elevated transcendentalists; yatha—as; gatih—the way; deva-manusyayoh—of the men and the demigods; prthak—separately; sve—in your own; eva—alone; dharme—occupational duty; na—not; param—another; ksipet—should criticize; sthitah—being situated. TRANSLATION It is better to execute one’s own occupational duty than to criticize others’. Elevated transcendentalists may sometimes forgo the rules and regulations of the Vedas, since they do not need to follow them, just as the demigods travel in space whereas ordinary men travel on the surface of the earth. PURPORT The behavior of the most elevated transcendentalist and that of the most fallen conditioned soul appears to be the same. The elevated transcendentalist can surpass all the regulations of the Vedas, just as the demigods traveling in space surpass all the jungles and rocks on the surface of the globe, although a common man, who has no such ability to travel in space, has to face all those impediments. Although the most dear Lord Siva appears not to observe all the rules and regulations of the Vedas, he is not affected by such disobedience, but a common man who wants to imitate Lord Siva is mistaken. A common man must observe all the rules and regulations of the Vedas which a person who is in the transcendental position does not need to observe. Daksa found fault with Lord Siva for not observing all the strict rules and regulations of the Vedas, but Sati asserted that he had no need to observe such rules. It is said that for one who is powerful like the sun or the fire, there is no consideration of purity or impurity. The sunshine can sterilize an impure place, whereas if someone else were to pass such a place he would be affected. One should not try to imitate Lord Siva; rather, one should strictly follow one’s prescribed occupational duties. One should never vilify a great personality like Lord Siva. SB4.4.20 TEXT 20 karma pravrttam ca nivrttam apy rtam vede vivicyobhaya-lingam asritam virodhi tad yaugapadaika-kartari dvayam tatha brahmani karma narcchati SYNONYMS karma—activities; pravrttam—attached to material enjoyment; ca—and; nivrttam—materially detached; api—certainly; rtam—true; vede—in the Vedas; vivicya—distinguished; ubhaya-lingam—symptoms of both; asritam—directed; virodhi—contradictory; tat—that; yaugapada-eka-kartari—both activities in one person; dvayam—two; tatha—so; brahmani—in one who is transcendentally situated; karma—activities; na rcchati—are neglected. TRANSLATION In the Vedas there are directions for two kinds of activities—activities for those who are attached to material enjoyment and activities for those who are materially detached. In consideration of these two kinds of activities, there are two kinds of people, who have different symptoms. If one wants to see two kinds of activities in one person, that is contradictory. But both kinds of activities may be neglected by a person who is transcendentally situated. PURPORT The Vedic activities are so designed that the conditioned soul who has come to enjoy the material world may do so under direction so that at the end he becomes detached from such material enjoyment and is eligible to enter into the transcendental position. The four different social orders—brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa—gradually train a person to come to the platform of transcendental life. The activities and dress of a grhastha, or householder, are different from those of a sannyasi, one in the renounced order of life. lt is impossible for one person to adopt both orders. A sannyasi cannot act like a householder, nor can a householder act like a sannyasi, but above these two kinds of persons, one who engages in material activities and one who has renounced material activities, there is the person who is transcendental to both. Lord Siva is in the transcendental position because, as stated before, he is always absorbed in the thought of Lord Vasudeva within himself. Therefore neither the activities of the grhastha nor those of the sannyasi in the renounced order can be applicable for him. He is in the paramahamsa stage, the highest perfectional stage of life. The transcendental position of Lord Siva is also explained in Bhagavad-gita (2.52–53). It is stated there that when one fully engages in the transcendental service of the Lord by performing activities without fruitive results, one is elevated to the transcendental position. At that time he has no obligation to follow the Vedic injunctions or the different rules and regulations of the Vedas. When one is above the directions of the Vedic ritualistic injunctions for attaining different allurements and is fully absorbed in transcendental thought, which means thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in devotional service, one is in the position called buddhi-yoga, or samadhi, ecstasy. For a person who has attained this stage, neither the Vedic activities for realizing material enjoyment nor those for renunciation are applicable. SB4.4.21 TEXT 21 ma vah padavyah pitar asmad-asthita ya yajna-salasu na dhuma-vartmabhih tad-anna-trptair asu-bhrdbhir idita avyakta-linga avadhuta-sevitah SYNONYMS ma—are not; vah—yours; padavyah—opulences; pitah—O father; asmat-asthitah—possessed by us; yah—which (opulences); yajna-salasu—in the sacrificial fire; na—not; dhuma-vartmabhih—by the path of sacrifices; tat-anna-trptaih—satisfied by the foodstuff of the sacrifice; asu-bhrdbhih—satisfying bodily necessities; iditah—praised; avyakta-lingah—whose cause is unmanifested; avadhuta-sevitah—achieved by the self-realized souls. TRANSLATION My dear father, the opulence we possess is impossible for either you or your flatterers to imagine, for persons who engage in fruitive activities by performing great sacrifices are concerned with satisfying their bodily necessities by eating foodstuff offered as a sacrifice. We can exhibit our opulences simply by desiring to do so. This can be achieved only by great personalities who are renounced, self-realized souls. PURPORT Sati’s father was under the impression that he was exalted in both prestige and opulence and that he had offered his daughter to a person who was not only poor but devoid of all culture. Her father might have been thinking that although she was a chaste woman, greatly adherent to her husband, her husband was in a deplorable condition. To counteract such thoughts, Sati said that the opulence possessed by her husband could not be understood by materialistic persons like Daksa and his followers, who were flatterers and were engaged in fruitive activities. Her husband’s position was different. He possessed all opulences, but he did not like to exhibit them. Therefore such opulences are called avyakta, or unmanifested. But if required, simply by willing, Lord Siva can show his wonderful opulences, and such an event is predicted here, for it would soon occur. The opulence Lord Siva possesses is enjoyable in renunciation and love of God, not in material exhibition of sense gratificatory methods. Such opulences are possessed by personalities like the Kumaras, Narada and Lord Siva, not by others. In this verse the performers of the Vedic rituals are condemned. They have been described here as dhuma-vartmabhih, those who maintain themselves on the remnants of sacrificial foodstuff. There are two kinds of foodstuff offered in sacrifice. One kind is food offered in fruitive ritualistic sacrifices, and the other, the best, is food offered to Visnu. Although in all cases Visnu is the chief Deity on the sacrificial altar, the performers of fruitive rituals aim to satisfy various demigods to achieve in return some material prosperity. Real sacrifice, however, is to satisfy Lord Visnu, and the remnants of such sacrifices are beneficial for advancement in devotional service. The process of elevation by performing sacrifices other than those aimed at Visnu is very slow, and therefore it has been condemned in this verse. Visvanatha Cakravarti has described the ritualistic performers to be like crows because crows delight in eating the remnants of food which has been thrown into the dustbin. All the brahmanas who were present for the sacrifice were also condemned by Sati. Whether or not King Daksa and his flatterers could understand the position of Lord Siva, Sati wanted to impress upon her father that he should not think her husband to be without opulence. Sati, being the devoted wife of Lord Siva, offers all kinds of material opulences to the worshipers of Lord Siva. This fact is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the Tenth Canto. Lord Siva’s worshipers sometimes appear more opulent than the worshipers of Lord Visnu because Durga, or Sati, being the superintendent in charge of material affairs, can offer all material opulences to the worshipers of Lord Siva in order to glorify her husband, whereas the worshipers of Visnu are meant for spiritual elevation, and therefore their material opulence is sometimes found to decrease. These points are very nicely discussed in the Tenth Canto. SB4.4.22 TEXT 22 naitena dehena hare krtagaso dehodbhavenalam alam kujanmana vrida mamabhut kujana-prasangatas taj janma dhig yo mahatam avadya-krt SYNONYMS na—not; etena—by this; dehena—by the body; hare—to Lord Siva; krta-agasah—having committed offenses; deha-udbhavena—produced from your body; alam alam—enough, enough; ku-janmana—with a contemptible birth; vrida—shame; mama—my; abhut—was; ku-jana-prasangatah—from a relationship with a bad person; tat janma—that birth; dhik—shameful; yah—who; mahatam—of the great personalities; avadya-krt—an offender. TRANSLATION You are an offender at the lotus feet of Lord Siva, and unfortunately I have a body produced from yours. I am very much ashamed of our bodily relationship, and I condemn myself because my body is contaminated by a relationship with a person who is an offender at the lotus feet of the greatest personality. PURPORT Lord Siva is the greatest of all devotees of Lord Visnu. It is stated, vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh. Sambhu, Lord Siva, is the greatest of all devotees of Lord Visnu. In the previous verses, Sati has described that Lord Siva is always in a transcendental position because he is situated in pure vasudeva. Vasudeva is that state from which Krsna, Vasudeva, is born, so Lord Siva is the greatest devotee of Lord Krsna, and Sati’s behavior is exemplary because no one should tolerate blasphemy against Lord Visnu or His devotee. Sati is aggrieved not for her personal association with Lord Siva but because her body is related with that of Daksa, who is an offender at Lord Siva’s lotus feet. She feels herself to be condemned because of the body given by her father, Daksa. SB4.4.23 TEXT 23 gotram tvadiyam bhagavan vrsadhvajo daksayanity aha yada sudurmanah vyapeta-narma-smitam asu tadaham vyutsraksya etat kunapam tvad-angajam SYNONYMS gotram—family relationship; tvadiyam—your; bhagavan—the possessor of all opulences; vrsadhvajah—Lord Siva; daksayani—Daksayani (the daughter of Daksa); iti—thus; aha—calls; yada—when; sudurmanah—very morose; vyapeta—disappear; narma-smitam—my jolliness and smile; asu—immediately; tada—then; aham—I; vyutsraksye—I shall give up; etat—this (body); kunapam—dead body; tvat-anga-jam—produced from your body. TRANSLATION Because of our family relationship, when Lord Siva addresses me as Daksayani I at once become morose, and my jolliness and my smile at once disappear. I feel very much sorry that my body, which is just like a bag, has been produced by you. I shall therefore give it up. PURPORT The word daksayani means “the daughter of King Daksa.” Sometimes, when there was relaxed conversation between husband and wife, Lord Siva used to call Sati “the daughter of King Daksa,” and because this very word reminded her about her family relationship with King Daksa, she at once became ashamed because Daksa was an incarnation of all offenses. Daksa was the embodiment of envy, for he unnecessarily blasphemed a great personality, Lord Siva. Simply upon hearing the word daksayani, she felt afflicted because of reference to the context because her body was the symbol of all the offensiveness with which Daksa was endowed. Since her body was constantly a source of unhappiness, she decided to give it up.