Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Sixteen
SB1.16.13-15
TEXTS 13–15
tatra tatropasrnvanah
sva-purvesam mahatmanam
pragiyamanam ca yasah
krsna-mahatmya-sucakam
atmanam ca paritratam
asvatthamno ’stra-tejasah
sneham ca vrsni-parthanam
tesam bhaktim ca kesave
tebhyah parama-santustah
prity-ujjrmbhita-locanah
maha-dhanani vasamsi
dadau haran maha-manah
SYNONYMS
tatra tatra—everywhere the King visited; upasrnvanah—continuously he heard; sva-purvesam—about his own forefathers; maha-atmanam—who were all great devotees of the Lord; pragiyamanam—unto those who were thus addressing; ca—also; yasah—glories; krsna—Lord Krsna; mahatmya—glorious acts; sucakam—indicating; atmanam—his personal self; ca—also; paritratam—delivered; asvatthamnah—of Asvatthama; astra—weapon; tejasah—powerful rays; sneham—affection; ca—also; vrsni-parthanam—between descendants of Vrsni and those of Prtha; tesam—of all of them; bhaktim—devotion; ca—also; kesave—unto Lord Krsna; tebhyah—unto them; parama—extremely; santustah—pleased; priti—attraction; ujjrmbhita—pleasingly open; locanah—one who has such eyes; maha-dhanani—valuable riches; vasamsi—clothing; dadau—gave in charity; haran—necklace; maha-manah—one who has a broader outlook.
TRANSLATION
Wherever the King visited, he continuously heard the glories of his great forefathers, who were all devotees of the Lord, and also of the glorious acts of Lord Krsna. He also heard how he himself had been protected by the Lord from the powerful heat of the weapon of Asvatthama. People also mentioned the great affection between the descendants of Vrsni and Prtha due to the latter’s great devotion to Lord Kesava. The King, being very pleased with the singers of such glories, opened his eyes in great satisfaction. Out of magnanimity he was pleased to award them very valuable necklaces and clothing.
PURPORT
Kings and great personalities of the state are presented with welcome addresses. This is a system from time immemorial, and Maharaja Pariksit, since he was one of the well-known emperors of the world, was also presented with addresses of welcome in all parts of the world as he visited those places. The subject matter of those welcome addresses was Krsna. Krsna means Krsna and His eternal devotees, as the king means the king and his confidential associates.
Krsna and His unalloyed devotees cannot be separated, and therefore glorifying the devotee means glorifying the Lord and vice versa. Maharaja Pariksit would not have been glad to hear about the glories of his forefathers like Maharaja Yudhisthira and Arjuna had they not been connected with the acts of Lord Krsna. The Lord descends specifically to deliver His devotees (paritranaya sadhunam). The devotees are glorified by the presence of the Lord because they cannot live for a moment without the presence of the Lord and His different energies. The Lord is present for the devotee by His acts and glories, and therefore Maharaja Pariksit felt the presence of the Lord when He was glorified by His acts, especially when he was saved by the Lord in the womb of his mother. The devotees of the Lord are never in danger, but in the material world which is full of dangers at every step, the devotees are apparently placed into dangerous positions, and when they are saved by the Lord, the Lord is glorified. Lord Krsna would not have been glorified as the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita had His devotees like the Pandavas not been entangled in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra. All such acts of the Lord were mentioned in the addresses of welcome, and Maharaja Pariksit, in full satisfaction, rewarded those who presented such addresses. The difference between the presentation of welcome addresses today and in those days is that formerly the welcome addresses were presented to a person like Maharaja Pariksit. The welcome addresses were full of facts and figures, and those who presented such addresses were sufficiently rewarded, whereas in the present days the welcome addresses are presented not always with factual statements but to please the postholder, and often they are full of flattering lies. And rarely are those who present such welcome addresses rewarded by the poor receiver. SB1.16.16 TEXT 16 sarathya-parasada-sevana-sakhya-dautya- virasananugamana-stavana-pranaman snigdhesu pandusu jagat-pranatim ca visnor bhaktim karoti nr-patis caranaravinde SYNONYMS sarathya—acceptance of the post of a chariot driver; parasada—acceptance of the presidency in the assembly of the Rajasuya sacrifice; sevana—engaging the mind constantly in the service of the Lord; sakhya—to think of the Lord as a friend; dautya—acceptance of the post of a messenger; vira-asana—acceptance of the post of a watchman with a drawn sword at night; anugamana—following in the footsteps; stavana—offering of prayers; pranaman—offering obeisances; snigdhesu—unto them who are malleable to the will of the Lord; pandusu—unto the sons of Pandu; jagat—the universal; pranatim—one who is obeyed; ca—and; visnoh—of Visnu; bhaktim—devotion; karoti—does; nr-patih—the King; carana-aravinde—unto His lotus feet. TRANSLATION Maharaja Pariksit heard that out of His causeless mercy Lord Krsna [Visnu], who is universally obeyed, rendered all kinds of service to the malleable sons of Pandu by accepting posts ranging from chariot driver to president to messenger, friend, night watchman, etc., according to the will of the Pandavas, obeying them like a servant and offering obeisances like one younger in years. When he heard this, Maharaja Pariksit became overwhelmed with devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord. PURPORT Lord Krsna is everything to the unalloyed devotees like the Pandavas. The Lord was for them the Supreme Lord, the spiritual master, the worshipable Deity, the guide, the chariot driver, the friend, the servant, the messenger and everything they could conceive of. And thus the Lord also reciprocated the feelings of the Pandavas. Maharaja Pariksit, as a pure devotee of the Lord, could appreciate the Lord’s transcendental reciprocation of the feelings of His devotees, and thus he himself also was overwhelmed with the dealings of the Lord. Simply by appreciating the dealings of the Lord with His pure devotees, one can attain salvation. The Lord’s dealings with His devotees appear to be ordinary human dealings, but one who knows them in truth becomes at once eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. The Pandavas were so malleable to the will of the Lord that they could sacrifice any amount of energy for the service of the Lord, and by such unalloyed determination they could secure the Lord’s mercy in any shape they desired. SB1.16.17 TEXT 17 tasyaivam vartamanasya purvesam vrttim anvaham natidure kilascaryam yad asit tan nibodha me SYNONYMS tasya—of Maharaja Pariksit; evam—thus; vartamanasya—remaining absorbed in such thought; purvesam—of his forefathers; vrttim—good engagement; anvaham—day after day; na—not; ati-dure—far off; kila—verily; ascaryam—astonishing; yat—that; asit—was; tat—which; nibodha—know it; me—from me. TRANSLATION Now you may hear from me of what happened while Maharaja Pariksit was passing his days hearing of the good occupations of his forefathers and being absorbed in thought of them. SB1.16.18 TEXT 18 dharmah padaikena caran vicchayam upalabhya gam prcchati smasru-vadanam vivatsam iva mataram SYNONYMS dharmah—the personality of religious principles; pada—leg; ekena—on one only; caran—wandering; vicchayam—overtaken by the shadow of grief; upalabhya—having met; gam—the cow; prcchati—asking; sma—with; asru-vadanam—with tears on the face; vivatsam—one who has lost her offspring; iva—like; mataram—the mother. TRANSLATION The personality of religious principles, Dharma, was wandering about in the form of a bull. And he met the personality of earth in the form of a cow who appeared to grieve like a mother who had lost her child. She had tears in her eyes, and the beauty of her body was lost. Thus Dharma questioned the earth as follows. PURPORT The bull is the emblem of the moral principle, and the cow is the representative of the earth. When the bull and the cow are in a joyful mood, it is to be understood that the people of the world are also in a joyful mood. The reason is that the bull helps production of grains in the agricultural field, and the cow delivers milk, the miracle of aggregate food values. The human society, therefore, maintains these two important animals very carefully so that they can wander everywhere in cheerfulness. But at the present moment in this age of Kali both the bull and the cow are now being slaughtered and eaten up as foodstuff by a class of men who do not know the brahminical culture. The bull and the cow can be protected for the good of all human society simply by the spreading of brahminical culture as the topmost perfection of all cultural affairs. By advancement of such culture, the morale of society is properly maintained, and so peace and prosperity are also attained without extraneous effort. When brahminical culture deteriorates, the cow and bull are mistreated, and the resultant actions are prominent by the following symptoms. SB1.16.19 TEXT 19 dharma uvaca kaccid bhadre ’namayam atmanas te vicchayasi mlayatesan mukhena alaksaye bhavatim antaradhim dure bandhum socasi kancanamba SYNONYMS dharmah uvaca—Dharma inquired; kaccit—whether; bhadre—madam; anamayam—quite hale and hearty; atmanah—self; te—unto you; vicchaya asi—appear to be covered with the shadow of grief; mlayata—which darkens; isat—slightly; mukhena—by the face; alaksaye—you look; bhavatim—unto yourself; antaradhim—some disease within; dure—long distant; bandhum—friend; socasi—thinking of; kancana—someone; amba—O mother. TRANSLATION Dharma [in the form of a bull] asked: Madam, are you not hale and hearty? Why are you covered with the shadow of grief? It appears by your face that you have become black. Are you suffering from some internal disease, or are you thinking of some relative who is away in a distant place? PURPORT The people of the world in this age of Kali are always full of anxieties. Everyone is diseased with some kind of ailment. From the very faces of the people of this age, one can find out the index of the mind. Everyone feels the absence of his relative who is away from home. The particular symptom of the age of Kali is that no family is now blessed to live together. To earn a livelihood, the father lives at a place far away from the son, or the wife lives far away from the husband and so on. There are sufferings from internal diseases, separation from those near and dear, and anxieties for maintaining the status quo. These are but some important factors which make the people of this age always unhappy. SB1.16.20 TEXT 20 padair nyunam socasi maika-padam atmanam va vrsalair bhoksyamanam aho suradin hrta-yajna-bhagan praja uta svin maghavaty avarsati SYNONYMS padaih—by three legs; nyunam—diminished; socasi—if you are lamenting for that; ma—my; eka-padam—only one leg; atmanam—own body; va—or; vrsalaih—by the unlawful meat-eaters; bhoksyamanam—to be exploited; ahoh—in sacrifice; sura-adin—the authorized demigods; hrta-yajna—devoid of sacrificial; bhagan—share; prajah—the living beings; uta—increasing; svit—whether; maghavati—in famine and scarcity; avarsati—because of rainlessness. TRANSLATION I have lost my three legs and am now standing on one only. Are you lamenting for my state of existence? Or are you in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat-eaters will exploit you? Or are you in a sorry plight because the demigods are now bereft of their share of sacrificial offerings because no sacrifices are being performed at present? Or are you grieving for living beings because of their sufferings due to famine and drought? PURPORT With the progress of the age of Kali, four things particularly, namely the duration of life, mercy, the power of recollection, and moral or religious principles will gradually diminish. Since Dharma, or the principles of religion, would be lost in the proportion of three out of four, the symbolic bull was standing on one leg only. When three fourths of the population of the whole world become irreligious, the situation is converted into hell for the animals. In the age of Kali, godless civilizations will create so many so-called religious societies in which the Personality of Godhead will be directly or indirectly defied. And thus faithless societies of men will make the world uninhabitable for the saner section of people. There are gradations of human beings in terms of proportionate faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The first-class faithful men are the Vaisnavas and the brahmanas, then the ksatriyas, then the vaisyas, then the sudras, then the mlecchas, the yavanas and at last the candalas. The degradation of the human instinct begins from the mlecchas, and the candala state of life is the last word in human degradation. All the above terms mentioned in the Vedic literatures are never meant for any particular community or birth. They are different qualifications of human beings in general. There is no question of birthright or community. One can acquire the respective qualifications by one’s own efforts, and thus the son of a Vaisnava can become a mleccha, or the son of a candala can become more than a brahmana, all in terms of their association and intimate relation with the Supreme Lord. The meat-eaters are generally called mlecchas. But all meat-eaters are not mlecchas. Those who accept meat in terms of scriptural injunctions are not mlecchas, but those who accept meat without restriction are called mlecchas. Beef is forbidden in the scriptures, and the bulls and cows are offered special protection by followers of the Vedas. But in this age of Kali, people will exploit the body of the bull and the cow as they like, and thus they will invite sufferings of various types. The people of this age will not perform any sacrifice. The mleccha population will care very little for performances of sacrifices, although performance of sacrifice is essential for persons who are materially engaged in sense enjoyment. In the Bhagavad-gita performance of sacrifices is strongly recommended (Bg. 3.14–16). The living beings are created by the creator Brahma, and just to maintain the created living being progressively towards the path back to Godhead, the system of performing sacrifice is also created by him. The system is that living beings live on the produce of grains and vegetables, and by eating such foodstuff they get vital power of the body in the shape of blood and semen, and from blood and semen one living being is able to create other living beings. But the production of grains, grass, etc. becomes possible by rain, and this rain is made to shower properly by performance of recommended sacrifices. Such sacrifices are directed by the rites of the Vedas, namely Sama, Yajur, Rg and Atharva. In the Manu-smrti it is recommended that by offerings of sacrifice on the altar of the fire, the sun-god is pleased. When the sun-god is pleased, he properly collects water from the sea, and thus sufficient clouds collect on the horizon and rains fall. After sufficient rains fall, there is sufficient production of grains for men and all animals, and thus there is energy in the living being for progressive activity. The mlecchas, however, make plans to install slaughterhouses for killing bulls and cows along with other animals, thinking that they will prosper by increasing the number of factories and live on animal food without caring for performance of sacrifices and production of grains. But they must know that even for the animals they must produce grass and vegetables, otherwise the animals cannot live. And to produce grass for the animals, they require sufficient rains. Therefore they have to depend ultimately on the mercy of the demigods like the sun-god, Indra and Candra, and such demigods must be satisfied by performances of sacrifice. This material world is a sort of prison house, as we have several times mentioned. The demigods are the servants of the Lord who see to the proper upkeep of the prison house. These demigods want to see that the rebel living beings, who want to survive faithlessly, are gradually turned towards the supreme power of the Lord. Therefore, the system of offering sacrifice is recommended in the scriptures. The materialistic men want to work hard and enjoy fruitive results for sense enjoyment. Thus they are committing many types of sins at every step of life. Those, however, who are consciously engaged in the devotional service of the Lord are transcendental to all varieties of sin and virtue. Their activities are free from the contamination of the three modes of material nature. For the devotees there is no need for performance of prescribed sacrifices because the very life of the devotee is a symbol of sacrifice. But persons who are engaged in fruitive activities for sense enjoyment must perform the prescribed sacrifices because that is the only means to get free from the reaction of all sins committed by fruitive workers. Sacrifice is the means for counteracting such accumulated sins. The demigods are pleased when such sacrifices are performed, just as prison officers are satisfied when the prisoners are turned into obedient subjects. Lord Caitanya, however, has recommended only one yajna, or sacrifice, called the sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of Hare Krsna, in which everyone can take part. Thus both devotees and fruitive workers can derive equal benefit from the performances of sankirtana-yajna. SB1.16.21 TEXT 21 araksyamanah striya urvi balan socasy atho purusadair ivartan vacam devim brahma-kule kukarmany abrahmanye raja-kule kulagryan SYNONYMS araksyamanah—unprotected; striyah—women; urvi—on the earth; balan—children; socasi—you are feeling compassion; atho—as such; purusa-adaih—by men; iva—like that; artan—those who are unhappy; vacam—vocabulary; devim—the goddess; brahma-kule—in the family of the brahmana; kukarmani—acts against the principles of religion; abrahmanye—persons against the brahminical culture; raja-kule—in the administrative family; kula-agryan—most of all the families (the brahmanas). TRANSLATION Are you feeling compunction for the unhappy women and children who are left forlorn by unscrupulous persons? Or are you unhappy because the goddess of learning is being handled by brahmanas addicted to acts against the principles of religion? Or are you sorry to see that the brahmanas have taken shelter of administrative families that do not respect brahminical culture? PURPORT In the age of Kali, the women and the children, along with brahmanas and cows, will be grossly neglected and left unprotected. In this age illicit connection with women will render many women and children uncared for. Circumstantially, the women will try to become independent of the protection of men, and marriage will be performed as a matter of formal agreement between man and woman. In most cases, the children will not be taken care of properly. The brahmanas are traditionally intelligent men, and thus they will be able to pick up modern education to the topmost rank, but as far as moral and religious principles are concerned, they shall be the most fallen. Education and bad character go ill together, but such things will run parallel. The administrative heads as a class will condemn the tenets of Vedic wisdom and will prefer to conduct a so-called secular state, and the so-called educated brahmanas will be purchased by such unscrupulous administrators. Even a philosopher and writer of many books on religious principles may also accept an exalted post in a government which denies all the moral codes of the sastras. The brahmanas are specifically restricted from accepting such service. But in this age they will not only accept service, but they will do so even if it is of the meanest quality. These are some of the symptoms of the Kali age which are harmful to the general welfare of human society. SB1.16.22 TEXT 22 kim ksatra-bandhun kalinopasrstan rastrani va tair avaropitani itas tato vasana-pana-vasah- snana-vyavayonmukha-jiva-lokam SYNONYMS kim—whether; ksatra-bandhun—the unworthy administrators; kalina—by the influence of the age of Kali; upasrstan—bewildered; rastrani—state affairs; va—or; taih—by them; avaropitani—put into disorder; itah—here; tatah—there; va—or; asana—accepting foodstuff; pana—drink; vasah—residence; snana—bath; vyavaya—sexual intercourse; unmukha—inclined; jiva-lokam—human society. TRANSLATION The so-called administrators are now bewildered by the influence of this age of Kali, and thus they have put all state affairs into disorder. Are you now lamenting this disorder? Now the general populace does not follow the rules and regulations for eating, sleeping, drinking, mating, etc., and they are inclined to perform such anywhere and everywhere. Are you unhappy because of this? PURPORT There are some necessities of life on a par with those of the lower animals, and they are eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. These bodily demands are for both the human beings and the animals. But the human being has to fulfill such desires not like animals, but like a human being. A dog can mate with a bitch before the public eyes without hesitation, but if a human being does so the act will be considered a public nuisance, and the person will be criminally prosecuted. Therefore for the human being there are some rules and regulations, even for fulfilling common demands. The human society avoids such rules and regulations when it is bewildered by the influence of the age of Kali. In this age, people are indulging in such necessities of life without following the rules and regulations, and this deterioration of social and moral rules is certainly lamentable because of the harmful effects of such beastly behavior. In this age, the fathers and the guardians are not happy with the behavior of their wards. They should know that so many innocent children are victims of bad association awarded by the influence of this age of Kali. We know from Srimad-Bhagavatam that Ajamila, an innocent son of a brahmana, was walking down a road and saw a sudra pair sexually embracing. This attracted the boy, and later on the boy became a victim of all debaucheries. From a pure brahmana, he fell down to the position of a wretched urchin, and it was all due to bad association. There was but one victim like Ajamila in those days, but in this age of Kali the poor innocent students are daily victims of cinemas which attract men only for sex indulgence. The so-called administrators are all untrained in the affairs of a ksatriya. The ksatriyas are meant for administration, as the brahmanas are meant for knowledge and guidance. The word ksatra-bandhu refers to the so-called administrators or persons promoted to the post of the administrator without proper training by culture and tradition. Nowadays they are promoted to such exalted posts by the votes of the people who are themselves fallen in the rules and regulations of life. How can such people select a proper man when they are themselves fallen in the standard of life? Therefore, by the influence of the age of Kali, everywhere, politically, socially or religiously, everything is topsy-turvy, and therefore for the sane man it is all regrettable. SB1.16.23 TEXT 23 yadvamba te bhuri-bharavatara- krtavatarasya harer dharitri antarhitasya smarati visrsta karmani nirvana-vilambitani SYNONYMS yadva—that may be; amba—O mother; te—your; bhuri—heavy; bhara—load; avatara—decreasing the load; krta—done; avatarasya—one who incarnated; hareh—of Lord Sri Krsna; dharitri—O earth; antarhitasya—of Him who is now out of sight; smarati—while thinking of; visrsta—all that were performed; karmani—activities; nirvana—salvation; vilambitani—that which entails. TRANSLATION O mother earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, incarnated Himself as Lord Sri Krsna just to unload your heavy burden. All His activities here are transcendental, and they cement the path of liberation. You are now bereft of His presence. You are probably now thinking of those activities and feeling sorry in their absence. PURPORT The activities of the Lord include liberation, but they are more relishable than the pleasure derived from nirvana, or liberation. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, the word used here is nirvana-vilambitani, that which minimizes the value of liberation. To attain nirvana, liberation, one has to undergo a severe type of tapasya, austerity, but the Lord is so merciful that He incarnates to diminish the burden of the earth. Simply by remembering such activities, one can defy the pleasure derived from nirvana and reach the transcendental abode of the Lord to associate with Him, eternally engaged in His blissful loving service. SB1.16.24 TEXT 24 idam mamacaksva tavadhi-mulam vasundhare yena vikarsitasi kalena va te balinam baliyasa surarcitam kim hrtam amba saubhagam SYNONYMS idam—this; mama—unto me; acaksva—kindly inform; tava—your; adhimulam—the root cause of your tribulations; vasundhare—O reservoir of all riches; yena—by which; vikarsita asi—reduced to much weakness; kalena—by the influence of time; va—or; te—your; balinam—very powerful; baliyasa—more powerful; sura-arcitam—adored by the demigods; kim—whether; hrtam—taken away; amba—mother; saubhagam—fortune. TRANSLATION Mother, you are the reservoir of all riches. Please inform me of the root cause of your tribulations by which you have been reduced to such a weak state. I think that the powerful influence of time, which conquers the most powerful, might have forcibly taken away all your fortune, which was adored even by the demigods. PURPORT By the grace of the Lord, each and every planet is created fully equipped. So not only is this earth fully equipped with all the riches for the maintenance of its inhabitants, but also when the Lord descends on the earth the whole earth becomes so enriched with all kinds of opulences that even the denizens of heaven worship it with all affection. But by the will of the Lord, the whole earth can at once be changed. He can do and undo a thing by His sweet will. Therefore no one should consider himself to be self-sufficient or independent of the Lord. SB1.16.25 TEXT 25 dharany uvaca bhavan hi veda tat sarvam yan mam dharmanuprcchasi caturbhir vartase yena padair loka-sukhavahaih SYNONYMS dharani uvaca—mother earth replied; bhavan—your good self; hi—certainly; veda—know; tat sarvam—all that you have inquired from me; yat—that; mam—from me; dharma—O personality of religious principles; anuprcchasi—you have inquired one after another; caturbhih—by four; vartase—you exist; yena—by which; padaih—by the legs; loka—in each and every planet; sukha-avahaih—increasing the happiness. TRANSLATION The earthly deity [in the form of a cow] thus replied to the personality of religious principles [in the form of a bull]: O Dharma, whatever you have inquired from me shall be known to you. I shall try to reply to all those questions. Once you too were maintained by your four legs, and you increased happiness all over the universe by the mercy of the Lord. PURPORT The principles of religion are laid down by the Lord Himself, and the executor of such laws is Dharmaraja, or Yamaraja. Such principles work fully in the age of Satya-yuga; in the Treta-yuga they are reduced by a fraction of one fourth; in the Dvapara-yuga they are reduced to one half, and in the Kali-yuga they are reduced to one fourth, gradually diminishing to the zero point, and then devastation takes place. Happiness in the world depends proportionately on the maintenance of the religious principles, individually or collectively. The best part of valor is to maintain the principles despite all kinds of odds. Thus one can be happy during the span of life and ultimately return to Godhead.