Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Seven
SB4.7.44
TEXT 44
vidyadhara ucuh
tvan-mayayartham abhipadya kalevare ’smin
krtva mamaham iti durmatir utpathaih svaih
ksipto ’py asad-visaya-lalasa atma-moham
yusmat-kathamrta-nisevaka udvyudasyet
SYNONYMS
vidyadharah—the Vidyadharas; ucuh—said; tvat-mayaya—by Your external potency; artham—the human body; abhipadya—after obtaining; kalevare—in the body; asmin—in this; krtva—having misidentified; mama—mine; aham—I; iti—thus; durmatih—the ignorant person; utpathaih—by wrong roads; svaih—by one’s own belongings; ksiptah—distracted; api—even; asat—temporary; visaya-lalasah—having his happiness in sense objects; atma-moham—the illusion of the body as the self; yusmat—Your; katha—topics; amrta—nectar; nisevakah—relishing; ut—from a long distance; vyudasyet—can be delivered.
TRANSLATION
The Vidyadharas said: Dear Lord, this human form of body is meant for attaining the highest perfectional objective, but, impelled by Your external energy, the living entity misidentifies himself with his body and with the material energy, and therefore, influenced by maya, he wants to become happy by material enjoyment. He is misled and always attracted by temporary, illusory happiness. But Your transcendental activities are so powerful that if one engages in the hearing and chanting of such topics, he can be delivered from illusion.
PURPORT
The human form of life is called arthada because the body can very nicely help the embodied soul to achieve the highest perfection. Prahlada Maharaja said that even though temporary, the body can give us the highest perfectional achievement. In the process of evolution from the lower to the higher grade of living, the human form of life is a great boon. But maya is so strong that in spite of achieving this great boon of the human form of life, we are influenced by temporary material happiness, and we forget our goal of life. We are attracted by things which will cease to exist. The beginning of such attraction is the temporary body. In this horrible condition of life there is only one way of liberation—to engage in the activities of transcendental chanting and hearing of the holy name of the Supreme Lord: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The words yusmat-kathamrta-nisevakah mean “those who engage in relishing the nectar of the topics of Your Lordship.” There are two narrative books which especially concern the words and activities of Krsna. Bhagavad-gita is the instruction given by Krsna, and Srimad-Bhagavatam is the book containing topics exclusively about Krsna and His devotees. These two books are the special nectar of the words of Krsna. For those who engage in the preaching of these two Vedic literatures it is very easy to get out of the illusory conditional life imposed upon us by maya. The illusion is that the conditioned soul does not try to understand his spiritual identity. He is more interested in his external body, which is only a flash and which will be finished as soon as the time is designated. The whole atmosphere will change when the living entity has to transmigrate from one body to another. Under the spell of maya, he will again be satisfied in a different atmosphere. This spell of maya is called avaranatmika sakti because it is so strong that the living entity is satisfied in any abominable condition. Even if he is born as a worm living within the intestine or abdomen in the midst of urine and stool, still he is satisfied. This is the covering influence of maya. But the human form of life is a chance to understand, and if one misses this opportunity, he is most unfortunate. The way to get out of illusory maya is to engage in the topics of Krsna. Lord Caitanya advocated a process whereby everyone may remain in his present position without change but simply hear from the proper authoritative sources about Krsna. Lord Caitanya advised everyone to spread the word of Krsna. He advised, “All of you become spiritual masters. Your duty is simply to talk to whomever you meet of Krsna or of the instructions given by Krsna.” The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is operating for this purpose. We do not ask anyone to first change his position and then come to us. Instead, we invite everyone to come with us and simply chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, because we know that if one simply chants and hears the topics of Krsna, one’s life will change; he will see a new light, and his life will be successful.
tvam kratus tvam havis tvam hutasah svayam
tvam hi mantrah samid-darbha-patrani ca
tvam sadasyartvijo dampati devata
agnihotram svadha soma ajyam pasuh
In this statement Lord Visnu’s all-pervasiveness is partially explained. It is said in the Visnu Purana that as a fire situated in one place emanates its heat and illumination everywhere, so whatever we see within the material or spiritual worlds is nothing but a manifestation of different energies emanating from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The brahmanas’ statement is that Lord Visnu is everything—the fire, the offering, the clarified butter, the utensils, the place of sacrifice and the kusa. He is everything. It is confirmed herein that the performance of sankirtana-yajna in this age is as good as all other yajnas in all other ages. If one performs sankirtana-yajna by chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, there is no need to arrange elaborate paraphernalia for the prescribed sacrificial ceremonies recommended in the Vedas. In the chant of the holy names, Hare and Krsna, Hare means the energy of Krsna, and Krsna is the visnu-tattva. Combined together they are everything. In this age, persons are harassed by the influence of Kali-yuga and cannot arrange for all the requisite paraphernalia for performing sacrifice as recommended in the Vedas. But if one simply chants Hare Krsna, it is to be understood that he is performing all kinds of yajna because there is nothing within our vision except Hare (the energy of Krsna) and Krsna. There is no difference between Krsna and His energies. Thus since everything is a manifestation of His energy, it is to be understood that everything is Krsna. One simply has to accept everything in Krsna consciousness, and he is a liberated person. One should not misunderstand that because everything is Krsna, Krsna has no personal identity. Krsna is so full that in spite of keeping Himself separate from everything by His energy, He is everything. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, Ninth Chapter. He is spread throughout the creation as everything, but still He is not everything. The philosophy recommended by Lord Caitanya is that He is simultaneously one and different.
tvam pura gam rasaya maha-sukaro
damstraya padminim varanendro yatha
stuyamano nadal lilaya yogibhir
vyujjahartha trayi-gatra yajna-kratuh
A significant word used in this verse is trayi-gatra, which means that the transcendental form of the Lord is the Vedas. Anyone who engages in the worship of the Deity, or the form of the Lord in the temple, is understood to be studying all the Vedas twenty-four hours a day. Simply by decorating the Deities of the Lord, Radha and Krsna, in the temple, one very minutely studies the injunctions of the Vedas. Even a neophyte devotee who simply engages in the worship of the Deity is understood to be in direct touch with the purport of Vedic knowledge. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah: the purport of the Vedas is to understand Him, Krsna. One who worships and serves Krsna directly has understood the truths of the Vedas.
sa prasida tvam asmakam akanksatam
darsanam te paribhrasta-sat-karmanam
kirtyamane nrbhir namni yajnesa te
yajna-vighnah ksayam yanti tasmai namah
The brahmana priests were very hopeful that their sacrifice would be carried out without obstacles now that Lord Visnu was present. It is significant in this verse that the brahmanas say, “Simply by chanting Your holy name we can surpass the obstacles, but now You are personally present.” The performance of yajna by Daksa was obstructed by the disciples and followers of Lord Siva. The brahmanas indirectly criticized the followers of Lord Siva, but because the brahmanas were always protected by Lord Visnu, Siva’s followers could not do any harm to their prosecution of the sacrificial process. There is a saying that when Krsna protects someone, no one can do him harm, and when Krsna wants to kill someone, no one can protect him. The vivid example was Ravana. Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Siva, but when Lord Ramacandra wanted to kill him, Lord Siva could not protect him. If some demigod, even Lord Siva or Lord Brahma, wants to do harm to a devotee, Krsna protects the devotee. But when Krsna wants to kill someone, such as Ravana or Hiranyakasipu, no demigod can protect him.
SB4.7.49
TEXT 49
bhagavan svena bhagena
sarvatma sarva-bhaga-bhuk
daksam babhasa abhasya
priyamana ivanagha
SYNONYMS
bhagavan—Lord Visnu; svena—with His own; bhagena—with the share; sarva-atma—the Supersoul of all living entities; sarva-bhaga-bhuk—the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices; daksam—Daksa; babhase—said; abhasya—addressing; priyamanah—being satisfied; iva—as; anagha—O sinless Vidura.
TRANSLATION
Maitreya continued: My dear sinless Vidura, Lord Visnu is actually the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices. Yet because of His being the Supersoul of all living entities, He was satisfied simply with His share of the sacrificial offerings. He therefore addressed Daksa in a pleasing attitude.
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gita (5.29) it is said, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam: Lord Visnu, or Krsna, is the supreme enjoyer of all the results of sacrifices, austerities and penances; in whatever one may engage, the ultimate goal is Visnu. If a person does not know that, he is misled. As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu has nothing to demand from anyone. He is self-satisfied, self-sufficient, but He accepts the offerings of yajna because of His friendly attitude toward all living entities. When His share of the sacrificial results was offered to Him, He appeared very pleased. It is said in Bhagavad-gita (9.26), patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati: if any devotee offers Him even a small leaf, or a flower or water, if it is offered with love and affection, the Lord accepts it and is pleased. Although He is self-sufficient and does not need anything from anyone, He accepts such offerings because, as Supersoul, He has such a friendly attitude toward all living entities. Another point here is that He does not encroach upon another’s share. ln the yajna there is a share for the demigods, Lord Siva, and Lord Brahma, and a share for Lord Visnu. He is satisfied with His own share and does not encroach upon others’. Indirectly, He indicated that He was not satisfied with Daksa’s trying to deny Lord Siva his share. Maitreya addressed Vidura as sinless because Vidura was a pure Vaisnava and never committed any offense to any demigod. Although Vaisnavas accept Lord Visnu as the Supreme, they are not prone to offend demigods. They give the demigods proper respect. Vaisnavas accept Lord Siva as the best Vaisnava. For a Vaisnava there is no possibility of offending any demigods, and the demigods are also pleased with the Vaisnava because they are faultless devotees of Lord Visnu.
In Bhagavad-gita (10.2) Lord Krsna states, aham adir hi devanam: Lord Visnu, or Krsna, is the origin of all demigods, including Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. In another place in Bhagavad-gita (10.8) Krsna states, aham sarvasya prabhavah: “Everything is generated from Me.” This includes all the demigods. Similarly, in the Vedanta-sutra: janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. And in the Upanisads is the statement yato va imani bhutani jayante. Everything is generated from Lord Visnu, everything is maintained by Him, and everything is annihilated by His energy. Therefore, by their actions and reactions, the energies which come from Him create the cosmic manifestations and also dissolve the whole creation. Thus the Lord is the cause and also the effect. Whatever effect we see is the interaction of His energy, and because the energy is generated from Him, He is both cause and effect. Simultaneously, everything is different and the same. It is said that everything is Brahman: sarvam khalv idam brahma. In the highest vision, nothing is beyond Brahman, and therefore Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are certainly nondifferent from Him.
As explained in Bhagavad-gita (7.5), jiva-bhutam maha-baho: the whole world is energy released from the supreme source, the Personality of Godhead, who, it is further stated in Bhagavad-gita, acts in superior energies and inferior energies. The superior energy is the living entity, who is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. As parts and parcels, the living entities are not different from the Supreme Lord; the energy emanated from Him is not different from Him. But in the actual activity of this material world, the living entity is under the different qualities of material energy and in different forms. There are 8,400,000 life forms. The same living entity acts under the influence of the different qualities of material nature. The entities have different bodies, but originally, in the beginning of creation, Lord Visnu is alone. For the purpose of creation, Brahma is manifested, and for annihilation there is Lord Siva. As far as the spiritual entrance into the material world is concerned, all beings are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, but under the covering of different material qualities they have different names. Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are qualitative incarnations of Visnu, as guna-avataras, and Visnu with them accepts control of the quality of goodness; therefore He is also a qualitative incarnation like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. Actually the different names exist for different directions, otherwise the origin is one only.
The living entities, including Brahma, are not independently separated, but are counted within the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord, being the Supersoul in every living entity, including Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, is directing everyone in the activities of the material modes of nature. No one can act independently of the sanction of the Lord, and therefore, indirectly, no one is different from the Supreme Person—certainly not Brahma and Rudra, who are incarnations of the material nature’s modes of passion and ignorance.
Whenever there is disease in any part of the body, the whole body takes care of the ailing part. Similarly, a devotee’s oneness is manifested in His compassion for all conditioned souls. Bhagavad-gita (5.18) says, panditah sama-darsinah: those who are learned see everyone’s conditional life equally. Devotees are compassionate to every conditioned soul, and therefore they are known as aparakya-buddhi. Because devotees are learned and know that every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, they preach Krsna consciousness to everyone so that everyone may be happy. If a particular part of the body is diseased, the whole attention of the body goes to that part. Similarly, devotees care for any person who is forgetful of Krsna and therefore in material consciousness. The equal vision of the devotee is that he works to get all living entities back home, back to Godhead.
Two words are very significant in this verse. Trayanam indicates “three,” namely Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and Lord Visnu. Bhidam means “different.” They are three, and therefore they are separate, but at the same time they are one. This is the philosophy of simultaneous oneness and difference, which is called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva. The example given in the Brahma-samhita is that milk and yogurt are simultaneously one and different; both are milk, but the yogurt has become changed. In order to achieve real peace, one should see everything and every living entity, including Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, as nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is independent. Every one of us is an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This accounts for unity in diversity. There are diverse manifestations, but, at the same time, they are one in Visnu. Everything is an expansion of Visnu’s energy.
Lord Visnu should be offered everything, and His prasada should be distributed to all the demigods. This practice is still followed in the temple of Jagannatha at Puri. There are many temples of demigods around the main temple of Jagannatha, and the prasada which is offered first to Jagannatha is distributed to all the demigods. The deity of Bhagalin is worshiped with the prasada of Visnu, and also, in the famous Lord Siva temple of Bhuvanesvara, the prasada of Lord Visnu or Lord Jagannatha is offered to the deity of Lord Siva. This is the Vaisnava principle. The Vaisnava does not deride even ordinary living entities, including the small ant; everyone is offered proper respect according to his position. The offering, however, is in relation to the center, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, or Visnu. The devotee who is highly elevated sees the relationship to Krsna in everything; he does not see anything as being independent of Krsna. That is his vision of oneness.
Lord Rudra, Siva, was properly worshiped with his share of the remnants of the yajna. Yajna is Visnu, and whatever prasada is offered to Visnu is offered to everyone, even to Lord Siva. Sridhara Svami also comments in this connection, svena bhagena: the remnants of the yajna are offered to all the demigods and others.
Although Daksa was considerably advanced in religious principles, he awaited the blessings of the demigods. Thus the great sacrifice conducted by Daksa ended in harmony and peace.
Mena is also known as Menaka and is the wife of the king of the Himalayas.
According to a verse of the Vedic mantras, parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate: the Supreme Personality of Godhead has different varieties of energies. Sakti is feminine, and the Lord is purusa, masculine. It is the duty of the female to serve under the supreme purusa. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, all living entities are marginal energies of the Supreme Lord. Therefore it is the duty of all living entities to serve this Supreme Person. Durga is the representation in the material world of both the marginal and external energies, and Lord Siva is the representation of the Supreme Person. The connection of Lord Siva and Ambika, or Durga, is eternal. Sati could not accept any husband but Lord Siva. How Lord Siva remarried Durga as Himavati, the daughter of the Himalayas, and how Karttikeya was born, is a great story in itself.
SB4.7.61
TEXT 61
idam pavitram param isa-cestitam
yasasyam ayusyam aghaugha-marsanam
yo nityadakarnya naro ’nukirtayed
dhunoty agham kaurava bhakti-bhavatah
SYNONYMS
idam—this; pavitram—pure; param—supreme; isa-cestitam—pastime of the Supreme Lord; yasasyam—fame; ayusyam—long duration of life; agha-ogha-marsanam—destroying sins; yah—who; nityada—always; akarnya—after hearing; narah—a person; anukirtayet—should narrate; dhunoti—clears off; agham—material contamination; kaurava—O descendant of Kuru; bhakti-bhavatah—with faith and devotion.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Maitreya concluded: If one hears and again narrates, with faith and devotion, this story of the Daksa yajna as it was conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, then certainly one is cleared of all contamination of material existence, O son of Kuru.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Sacrifice performed by Daksa.”