Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Eighteen

SB1.18.29

TEXT 29

abhuta-purvah sahasa

ksut-trdbhyam arditatmanah

brahmanam praty abhud brahman

matsaro manyur eva ca

SYNONYMS

abhuta-purvah—unprecedented; sahasa—circumstantially; ksut—hunger; trdbhyam—as well as by thirst; ardita—being distressed; atmanah—of his self; brahmanam—unto a brahmana; prati—against; abhut—became; brahman—O brahmanas; matsarah—envious; manyuh—angry; eva—thus; ca—and.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, the King’s anger and envy, directed toward the brahmana sage, were unprecedented, being that circumstances had made him hungry and thirsty.

PURPORT

For a king like Maharaja Pariksit to become angry and envious, especially at a sage and brahmana, was undoubtedly unprecedented. The King knew well that brahmanas, sages, children, women and old men are always beyond the jurisdiction of punishment. Similarly, the king, even though he commits a great mistake, is never to be considered a wrongdoer. But in this case, Maharaja Pariksit became angry and envious at the sage due to his thirst and hunger, by the will of the Lord. The King was right to punish his subject for coldly receiving him or neglecting him, but because the culprit was a sage and a brahmana, it was unprecedented. As the Lord is never envious of anyone, so also the Lord’s devotee is never envious of anyone. The only justification for Maharaja Pariksit’s behavior is that it was ordained by the Lord.

SB1.18.30

TEXT 30

sa tu brahma-rser amse

gatasum uragam rusa

vinirgacchan dhanus-kotya

nidhaya puram agatah

SYNONYMS

sah—the King; tu—however; brahma-rseh—of the brahmana sage; amse—on the shoulder; gata-asum—lifeless; uragam—snake; rusa—in anger; vinirgacchan—while leaving; dhanuh-kotya—with the front of the bow; nidhaya—by placing it; puram—palace; agatah—returned.

TRANSLATION

While leaving, the King, being so insulted, picked up a lifeless snake with his bow and angrily placed it on the shoulder of the sage. Then he returned to his palace.

PURPORT

The King thus treated the sage tit for tat, although he was never accustomed to such silly actions. By the will of the Lord, the King, while going away, found a dead snake in front of him, and he thought that the sage, who had coldly received him, thus might be coldly rewarded by being offered a garland of a dead snake. In the ordinary course of dealing, this was not very unnatural, but in the case of Maharaja Pariksit’s dealing with a brahmana sage, this was certainly unprecedented. It so happened by the will of the Lord.

SB1.18.31

TEXT 31

esa kim nibhrtasesa-

karano militeksanah

mrsa-samadhir ahosvit

kim nu syat ksatra-bandhubhih

SYNONYMS

esah—this; kim—whether; nibhrta-asesa—meditative mood; karanah—senses; milita—closed; iksanah—eyes; mrsa—false; samadhih—trance; aho—remains; svit—if it is so; kim—either; nu—but; syat—may be; ksatra-bandhubhih—by the lower ksatriya.

TRANSLATION

Upon returning, he began to contemplate and argue within himself whether the sage had actually been in meditation, with senses concentrated and eyes closed, or whether he had just been feigning trance just to avoid receiving a lower ksatriya.

PURPORT

The King, being a devotee of the Lord, did not approve of his own action, and thus he began to wonder whether the sage was really in a trance or was just pretending in order to avoid receiving the King, who was a ksatriya and therefore lower in rank. Repentance comes in the mind of a good soul as soon as he commits something wrong. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Jiva Gosvami do not believe that the King’s action was due to his past misdeeds. The arrangement was so made by the Lord just to call the King back home, back to Godhead.

According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, the plan was made by the will of the Lord, and by the will of the Lord the situation of frustration was created. The plan was that for his so-called misdeed the King could be cursed by an inexperienced brahmana boy infected by the influence of Kali, and thus the King would leave his hearth and home for good. His connections with Srila Sukadeva Gosvami would enable the presentation of the great Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is considered to be the book incarnation of the Lord. This book incarnation of the Lord gives much fascinating information of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, like His rasa-lila with the spiritual cowherd damsels of Vrajabhumi. This specific pastime of the Lord has a special significance because anyone who properly learns about this particular pastime of the Lord will certainly be dissuaded from mundane sex desire and be placed on the path of sublime devotional service to the Lord. The pure devotee’s mundane frustration is meant to elevate the devotee to a higher transcendental position. By placing Arjuna and the Pandavas in frustration due to the intrigue of their cousin-brothers, the prelude of the Battle of Kuruksetra was created by the Lord. This was to incarnate the sound representative of the Lord, Bhagavad-gita. So by placing King Pariksit in an awkward position, the incarnation of Srimad-Bhagavatam was created by the will of the Lord. Being distressed by hunger and thirst was only a show, because the King endured much, even in the womb of his mother. He was never disturbed by the glaring heat of the brahmastra released by Asvatthama. The King’s distressed condition was certainly unprecedented. The devotees like Maharaja Pariksit are powerful enough to forbear such distresses, by the will of the Lord, and they are never disturbed. The situation, in this case, was therefore all planned by the Lord.

SB1.18.32

TEXT 32

tasya putro ’titejasvi

viharan balako ’rbhakaih

rajnagham prapitam tatam

srutva tatredam abravit

SYNONYMS

tasya—his (the sage’s); putrah—son; ati—extremely; tejasvi—powerful; viharan—while playing; balakah—with boys; arbhakaih—who were all childish; rajna—by the King; agham—distress; prapitam—made to have; tatam—the father; srutva—by hearing; tatra—then and there; idam—this; abravit—spoke.

TRANSLATION

The sage had a son who was very powerful, being a brahmana’s son. While he was playing with inexperienced boys, he heard of his father’s distress, which was occasioned by the King. Then and there the boy spoke as follows.

PURPORT

Due to Maharaja Pariksit’s good government, even a boy of tender age, who was playing with other inexperienced boys, could become as powerful as a qualified brahmana. This boy was known as Srngi, and he achieved good training in brahmacarya by his father so that he could be as powerful as a brahmana, even at that age. But because the age of Kali was seeking an opportunity to spoil the cultural heritage of the four orders of life, the inexperienced boy gave a chance for the age of Kali to enter into the field of Vedic culture. Hatred of the lower orders of life began from this brahmana boy, under the influence of Kali, and thus cultural life began to dwindle day after day. The first victim of brahminical injustice was Maharaja Pariksit, and thus the protection given by the King against the onslaught of Kali was slackened.

SB1.18.33

TEXT 33

aho adharmah palanam

pivnam bali-bhujam iva

svaminy agham yad dasanam

dvara-panam sunam iva

SYNONYMS

aho—just look at; adharmah—irreligion; palanam—of the rulers; pivnam—of one who is brought up; bali-bhujam—like the crows; iva—like; svamini—unto the master; agham—sin; yat—what is; dasanam—of the servants; dvara-panam—keeping watch at the door; sunam—of the dogs; iva—like.

TRANSLATION

[The brahmana’s son, Srngi, said:] O just look at the sins of the rulers who, like crows and watchdogs at the door, perpetrate sins against their masters, contrary to the principles governing servants.

PURPORT

The brahmanas are considered to be the head and brains of the social body, and the ksatriyas are considered to be the arms of the social body. The arms are required to protect the body from all harm, but the arms must act according to the directions of the head and brain. That is a natural arrangement made by the supreme order, for it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that four social orders or castes, namely the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, are set up according to quality and work done by them. Naturally the son of a brahmana has a good chance to become a brahmana by the direction of his qualified father, as a son of a medical practitioner has a very good chance to become a qualified medical practitioner. So the caste system is quite scientific. The son must take advantage of the father’s qualification and thus become a brahmana or medical practitioner, and not otherwise. Without being qualified, one cannot become a brahmana or medical practitioner, and that is the verdict of all scriptures and social orders. Herein Srngi, a qualified son of a great brahmana, attained the required brahminical power both by birth and by training, but he was lacking in culture because he was an inexperienced boy. By the influence of Kali, the son of a brahmana became puffed up with brahminical power and thus wrongly compared Maharaja Pariksit to crows and watchdogs. The King is certainly the watchdog of the state in the sense that he keeps vigilant eyes over the border of the state for its protection and defense, but to address him as a watchdog is the sign of a less-cultured boy. Thus the downfall of the brahminical powers began as they gave importance to birthright without culture. The downfall of the brahmana caste began in the age of Kali. And since brahmanas are the heads of the social order, all other orders of society also began to deteriorate. This beginning of brahminical deterioration was highly deplored by the father of Srngi, as we will find.

SB1.18.34

TEXT 34

brahmanaih ksatra-bandhur hi

grha-palo nirupitah

sa katham tad-grhe dvah-sthah

sabhandam bhoktum arhati

SYNONYMS

brahmanaih—by the brahminical order; ksatra-bandhuh—the sons of the ksatriyas; hi—certainly; grha-palah—the watchdog; nirupitah—designated; sah—he; katham—on what grounds; tat-grhe—in the home of him (the master); dvah-sthah—keeping at the door; sa-bhandam—in the same pot; bhoktum—to eat; arhati—deserves.

TRANSLATION

The descendants of the kingly orders are definitely designated as watchdogs, and they must keep themselves at the door. On what grounds can dogs enter the house and claim to dine with the master on the same plate?

PURPORT

The inexperienced brahmana boy certainly knew that the King asked for water from his father and the father did not respond. He tried to explain away his father’s inhospitality in an impertinent manner befitting an uncultured boy. He was not at all sorry for the King’s not being well received. On the contrary, he justified the wrong act in a way characteristic of the brahmanas of Kali-yuga. He compared the King to a watchdog, and so it was wrong for the King to enter the home of a brahmana and ask for water from the same pot. The dog is certainly reared by its master, but that does not mean that the dog shall claim to dine and drink from the same pot. This mentality of false prestige is the cause of downfall of the perfect social order, and we can see that in the beginning it was started by the inexperienced son of a brahmana. As the dog is never allowed to enter within the room and hearth, although it is reared by the master, similarly, according to Srngi, the King had no right to enter the house of Samika Rsi. According to the boy’s opinion, the King was on the wrong side and not his father, and thus he justified his silent father.

SB1.18.35

TEXT 35

krsne gate bhagavati

sastary utpatha-gaminam

tad bhinna-setun adyaham

sasmi pasyata me balam

SYNONYMS

krsne—Lord Krsna; gate—having departed from this world; bhagavati—the Personality of Godhead; sastari—the supreme ruler; utpatha-gaminam—of those who are upstarts; tat bhinna—being separated; setun—the protector; adya—today; aham—myself; sasmi—shall punish; pasyata—just see; me—my; balam—prowess.

TRANSLATION

After the departure of Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead and supreme ruler of everyone, these upstarts have flourished, our protector being gone. Therefore I myself shall take up this matter and punish them. Just witness my power.

PURPORT

The inexperienced brahmana, puffed up by a little brahma-tejas, became influenced by the spell of Kali-yuga. Maharaja Pariksit gave license to Kali to live in four places as mentioned hereinbefore, but by his very expert government the personality of Kali could hardly find the places allotted him. The personality of Kali-yuga, therefore, was seeking the opportunity to establish authority, and by the grace of the Lord he found a hole in the puffed-up, inexperienced son of a brahmana. The little brahmana wanted to show his prowess in destruction, and he had the audacity to punish such a great king as Maharaja Pariksit. He wanted to take the place of Lord Krsna after His departure. These are the principal signs of upstarts who want to take the place of Sri Krsna under the influence of the age of Kali. An upstart with a little power wants to become an incarnation of the Lord. There are many false incarnations after the departure of Lord Krsna from the face of the globe, and they are misleading the innocent public by accepting the spiritual obedience of the general mass of people to maintain false prestige. In other words, the personality of Kali got the opportunity to reign through this son of a brahmana, Srngi.

SB1.18.36

TEXT 36

ity uktva rosa-tamrakso

vayasyan rsi-balakah

kausiky-apa upasprsya

vag-vajram visasarja ha

SYNONYMS

iti—thus; uktva—saying; rosa-tamra-aksah—with red-hot eyes due to being angry; vayasyan—unto the playmates; rsi-balakah—the son of a rsi; kausiki—the River Kausika; apah—water; upasprsya—by touching; vak—words; vajram—thunderbolt; visasarja—threw; ha—in the past.

TRANSLATION

The son of the rsi, his eyes red-hot with anger, touched the water of the River Kausika while speaking to his playmates and discharged the following thunderbolt of words.

PURPORT

The circumstances under which Maharaja Pariksit was cursed were simply childish, as it appears from this verse. Srngi was showing his impudency amongst his playmates, who were innocent. Any sane man would have prevented him from doing such great harm to all human society. By killing a king like Maharaja Pariksit, just to make a show of acquired brahminical power, the inexperienced son of a brahmana committed a great mistake.

SB1.18.37

TEXT 37

iti langhita-maryadam

taksakah saptame ’hani

danksyati sma kulangaram

codito me tata-druham

SYNONYMS

iti—thus; langhita—surpassing; maryadam—etiquette; taksakah—snake-bird; saptame—on the seventh; ahani—day; danksyati—will bite; sma—certainly; kula-angaram—the wretched of the dynasty; coditah—having done; me—my; tata-druham—enmity towards the father.

TRANSLATION

The brahmana’s son cursed the King thus: On the seventh day from today a snake-bird will bite the most wretched one of that dynasty [Maharaja Pariksit] because of his having broken the laws of etiquette by insulting my father.

PURPORT

Thus the beginning of the misuse of brahminical power began, and gradually the brahmanas in the age of Kali became devoid of both brahminical powers and culture. The brahmana boy considered Maharaja Pariksit to be kulangara, or the wretched of the dynasty, but factually the brahmana boy himself was so because only from him did the brahmana caste become powerless, like the snake whose poisoned teeth are broken. The snake is fearful as long as his poison teeth are there, otherwise he is fearful only to children. The personality of Kali conquered the brahmana boy first, and gradually the other castes. Thus the whole scientific system of the orders of society in this age has assumed the form of a vitiated caste system, which is now being uprooted by another class of men similarly influenced by the age of Kali. One should see to the root cause of vitiation and not try to condemn the system as it is, without knowledge of its scientific value.

SB1.18.38

TEXT 38

tato ’bhyetyasramam balo

gale sarpa-kalevaram

pitaram viksya duhkharto

mukta-kantho ruroda ha

SYNONYMS

tatah—thereafter; abhyetya—after entering into; asramam—the hermitage; balah—boy; gale sarpa—the snake on the shoulder; kalevaram—body; pitaram—unto the father; viksya—having seen; duhkha-artah—in a sorry plight; mukta-kanthah—loudly; ruroda—cried; ha—in the past.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, when the boy returned to the hermitage, he saw a snake on his father’s shoulder, and out of his grief he cried very loudly.

PURPORT

The boy was not happy because he committed a great mistake, and he wanted to be relieved of the burden on his heart by crying. So after entering the hermitage and seeing his father in that condition, he cried loudly so that he might be relieved. But it was too late. The father regretted the whole incident.

SB1.18.39

TEXT 39

sa va angiraso brahman

srutva suta-vilapanam

unmilya sanakair netre

drstva camse mrtoragam

SYNONYMS

sah—he; vai—also; angirasah—the rsi born in the family of Angira; brahman—O Saunaka; srutva—on hearing; suta—his son; vilapanam—crying in distress; unmilya—opening; sanakaih—gradually; netre—by the eyes; drstva—by seeing; ca—also; amse—on the shoulder; mrta—dead; uragam—snake.

TRANSLATION

O brahmanas, the rsi, who was born in the family of Angira Muni, hearing his son crying, gradually opened his eyes and saw the dead snake around his neck.

SB1.18.40

TEXT 40

visrjya tam ca papraccha

vatsa kasmad dhi rodisi

kena va te ’pakrtam

ity uktah sa nyavedayat

SYNONYMS

visrjya—throwing aside; tam—that; ca—also; papraccha—asked; vatsa—my dear son; kasmat—what for; hi—certainly; rodisi—crying; kena—by whom; va—otherwise; te—they; apakrtam—misbehaved; iti—thus; uktah—being asked; sah—the boy; nyavedayat—informed of everything.

TRANSLATION

He threw the dead snake aside and asked his son why he was crying, whether anyone had done him harm. On hearing this, the son explained to him what had happened.

PURPORT

The father did not take the dead snake on his neck very seriously. He simply threw it away. Actually there was nothing seriously wrong in Maharaja Pariksit’s act, but the foolish son took it very seriously, and being influenced by Kali he cursed the King and thus ended a chapter of happy history.

SB1.18.41

TEXT 41

nisamya saptam atad-arham narendram

sa brahmano natmajam abhyanandat

aho batamho mahad adya te krtam

alpiyasi droha urur damo dhrtah

SYNONYMS

nisamya—after hearing; saptam—cursed; atat-arham—never to be condemned; nara-indram—unto the King, best of humankind; sah—that; brahmanahbrahmana-rsi; na—not; atma-jam—his own son; abhyanandat—congratulated; aho—alas; bata—distressing; amhah—sins; mahat—great; adya—today; te—yourself; krtam—performed; alpiyasi—insignificant; drohe—offense; uruh—very great; damah—punishment; dhrtah—awarded.

TRANSLATION

The father heard from his son that the King had been cursed, although he should never have been condemned, for he was the best amongst all human beings. The rsi did not congratulate his son, but, on the contrary, began to repent, saying: Alas! What a great sinful act was performed by my son. He has awarded heavy punishment for an insignificant offense.

PURPORT

The king is the best of all human beings. He is the representative of God, and he is never to be condemned for any of his actions. In other words, the king can do no wrong. The king may order hanging of a culprit son of a brahmana, but he does not become sinful for killing a brahmana. Even if there is something wrong with the king, he is never to be condemned. A medical practitioner may kill a patient by mistaken treatment, but such a killer is never condemned to death. So what to speak of a good and pious king like Maharaja Pariksit? In the Vedic way of life, the king is trained to become a rajarsi, or a great saint, although he is ruling as king. It is the king only by whose good government the citizens can live peacefully and without any fear. The rajarsis would manage their kingdoms so nicely and piously that their subjects would respect them as if they were the Lord. That is the instruction of the Vedas. The king is called narendra, or the best amongst the human beings. How then could a king like Maharaja Pariksit be condemned by an inexperienced, puffed-up son of a brahmana, even though he had attained the powers of a qualified brahmana?

Since Samika Rsi was an experienced, good brahmana, he did not approve of the actions of his condemned son. He began to lament for all that his son had done. The king was beyond the jurisdiction of curses as a general rule, and what to speak of a good king like Maharaja Pariksit. The offense of the King was most insignificant, and his being condemned to death was certainly a very great sin for Srngi. Therefore Rsi Samika regretted the whole incident.

SB1.18.42

TEXT 42

na vai nrbhir nara-devam parakhyam

sammatum arhasy avipakva-buddhe

yat-tejasa durvisahena gupta

vindanti bhadrany akutobhayah prajah

SYNONYMS

na—never; vai—as a matter of fact; nrbhih—by any man; nara-devam—unto a man-god; para-akhyam—who is transcendental; sammatum—place on equal footing; arhasi—by the prowess; avipakva—unripe or immature; buddhe—intelligence; yat—of whom; tejasa—by the prowess; durvisahena—unsurpassable; guptah—protected; vindanti—enjoys; bhadrani—all prosperity; akutah-bhayah—completely defended; prajah—the subjects.

TRANSLATION

O my boy, your intelligence is immature, and therefore you have no knowledge that the king, who is the best amongst human beings, is as good as the Personality of Godhead. He is never to be placed on an equal footing with common men. The citizens of the state live in prosperity, being protected by his unsurpassable prowess.

SB1.18.43

TEXT 43

alaksyamane nara-deva-namni

rathanga-panav ayam anga lokah

tada hi caura-pracuro vinanksyaty

araksyamano ’vivaruthavat ksanat

SYNONYMS

alaksyamane—being abolished; nara-deva—monarchical; namni—of the name; ratha-anga-panau—the representative of the Lord; ayam—this; anga—O my boy; lokah—this world; tada hi—at once; caura—thieves; pracurah—too much; vinanksyati—vanquishes; araksyamanah—being not protected; avivarutha-vat—like lambs; ksanat—at once.

TRANSLATION

My dear boy, the Lord, who carries the wheel of a chariot, is represented by the monarchical regime, and when this regime is abolished the whole world becomes filled with thieves, who then at once vanquish the unprotected subjects like scattered lambs.

PURPORT

According to Srimad-Bhagavatam the monarchical regime represents the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. The king is said to be the representative of the Absolute Personality of Godhead because he is trained to acquire the qualities of God to protect the living beings. The Battle of Kuruksetra was planned by the Lord to establish the real representative of the Lord, Maharaja Yudhisthira. An ideal king thoroughly trained by culture and devotional service with the martial spirit makes a perfect king. Such a personal monarchy is far better than the so-called democracy of no training and responsibility. The thieves and rogues of modern democracy seek election by misrepresentation of votes, and the successful rogues and thieves devour the mass of population. One trained monarch is far better than hundreds of useless ministerial rogues, and it is hinted herein that by abolition of a monarchical regime like that of Maharaja Pariksit, the mass of people become open to many attacks of the age of Kali. They are never happy in an overly advertised form of democracy. The result of such a kingless administration is described in the following verses.

SB1.18.44

TEXT 44

tad adya nah papam upaity ananvayam

yan nasta-nathasya vasor vilumpakat

parasparam ghnanti sapanti vrnjate

pasun striyo ’rthan puru-dasyavo janah

SYNONYMS

tat—for this reason; adya—from this day; nah—upon us; papam—reaction of sin; upaiti—will overtake; ananvayam—disruption; yat—because; nasta—abolished; nathasya—of the monarch; vasoh—of wealth; vilumpakat—being plundered; parasparam—between one another; ghnanti—will kill; sapanti—will do harm; vrnjate—will steal; pasun—animals; striyah—women; arthan—riches; puru—greatly; dasyavah—thieves; janah—the mass of people.

TRANSLATION

Due to the termination of the monarchical regimes and the plundering of the people’s wealth by rogues and thieves, there will be great social disruptions. People will be killed and injured, and animals and women will be stolen. And for all these sins we shall be responsible.

PURPORT

The word nah (we) is very significant in this verse. The sage rightly takes the responsibility of the brahmanas as a community for killing monarchical government and thus giving an opportunity to the so-called democrats, who are generally plunderers of the wealth of the state subjects. The so-called democrats capture the administrative machine without assuming responsibility for the prosperous condition of the citizens. Everyone captures the post for personal gratification, and thus instead of one king, a number of irresponsible kings grow up to tax the citizens. It is foretold herein that in the absence of good monarchical government, everyone will be the cause of disturbance for others by plundering riches, animals, women, etc.

SB1.18.45

TEXT 45

tadarya-dharmah praviliyate nrnam

varnasramacara-yutas trayimayah

tato ’rtha-kamabhinivesitatmanam

sunam kapinam iva varna-sankarah

SYNONYMS

tada—at that time; arya—progressive civilization; dharmah—engagement; praviliyate—is systematically vanquished; nrnam—of humankind; varna—caste; asrama—orders of society; acara-yutah—composed in a good manner; trayi-mayah—in terms of the Vedic injunction; tatah—thereafter; artha—economic development; kama-abhinivesita—fully absorbed in sense gratification; atmanam—of men; sunam—like dogs; kapinam—like monkeys; iva—thus; varna-sankarah—unwanted population.

TRANSLATION

At that time the people in general will fall systematically from the path of a progressive civilization in respect to the qualitative engagements of the castes and the orders of society and the Vedic injunctions. Thus they will be more attracted to economic development for sense gratification, and as a result there will be an unwanted population on the level of dogs and monkeys.

PURPORT

It is foretold herein that in the absence of a monarchical regime, the general mass of people will be an unwanted population like dogs and monkeys. As the monkeys are too sexually inclined and dogs are shameless in sexual intercourse, the general mass of population born of illegitimate connection will systematically go astray from the Vedic way of good manners and qualitative engagements in the castes and orders of life.

The Vedic way of life is the progressive march of the civilization of the Aryans. The Aryans are progressive in Vedic civilization. The Vedic civilization’s destination is to go back to Godhead, back home, where there is no birth, no death, no old age and no disease. The Vedas direct everyone not to remain in the darkness of the material world but to go towards the light of the spiritual kingdom far beyond the material sky. The qualitative caste system and the orders of life are scientifically planned by the Lord and His representatives, the great rsis. The perfect way of life gives all sorts of instruction in things both material and spiritual. The Vedic way of life does not allow any man to be like the monkeys and dogs. A degraded civilization of sense gratification and economic development is the by-product of a godless or kingless government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The people should not, therefore, begrudge the poor administrations they themselves elect.

SB1.18.46

TEXT 46

dharma-palo nara-patih

sa tu samrad brhac-chravah

saksan maha-bhagavato

rajarsir haya-medhayat

ksut-trt-srama-yuto dino

naivasmac chapam arhati

SYNONYMS

dharma-palah—the protector of religion; nara-patih—the King; sah—he; tu—but; samrat—Emperor; brhat—highly; sravah—celebrated; saksat—directly; maha-bhagavatah—the first-class devotee of the Lord; raja-rsih—saint amongst the royal order; haya-medhayat—great performer of horse sacrifices; ksut—hunger; trt—thirst; srama-yutah—tired and fatigued; dinah—stricken; na—never; eva—thus; asmat—by us; sapam—curse; arhati—deserves.

TRANSLATION

The Emperor Pariksit is a pious king. He is highly celebrated and is a first-class devotee of the Personality of Godhead. He is a saint amongst royalty, and he has performed many horse sacrifices. When such a king is tired and fatigued, being stricken with hunger and thirst, he does not at all deserve to be cursed.

PURPORT

After explaining the general codes relating to the royal position and asserting that the king can do no wrong and therefore is never to be condemned, the sage Samika wanted to say something about Emperor Pariksit specifically. The specific qualification of Maharaja Pariksit is summarized herein. The King, even calculated as a king only, was most celebrated as a ruler who administered the religious principles of the royal order. In the sastras the duties of all castes and orders of society are prescribed. All the qualities of a ksatriya mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita (18.43) were present in the person of the Emperor. He was also a great devotee of the Lord and a self-realized soul. Cursing such a king, when he was tired and fatigued with hunger and thirst, was not at all proper. Samika Rsi thus admitted from all sides that Maharaja Pariksit was cursed most unjustly. Although all the brahmanas were aloof from the incident, still for the childish action of a brahmana boy the whole world situation was changed. Thus Rsi Samika, a brahmana, took responsibility for all deterioration of the good orders of the world.

SB1.18.47

TEXT 47

apapesu sva-bhrtyesu

balenapakva-buddhina

papam krtam tad bhagavan

sarvatma ksantum arhati

SYNONYMS

apapesu—unto one who is completely free from all sins; sva-bhrtyesu—unto one who is subordinate and deserves to be protected; balena—by a child; apakva—who is immature; buddhina—by intelligence; papam—sinful act; krtam—has been done; tat bhagavan—therefore the Personality of Godhead; sarva-atma—who is all-pervading; ksantum—just to pardon; arhati—deserve.

TRANSLATION

Then the rsi prayed to the all-pervading Personality of Godhead to pardon his immature boy, who had no intelligence and who committed the great sin of cursing a person who was completely free from all sins, who was subordinate and who deserved to be protected.

PURPORT

Everyone is responsible for his own action, either pious or sinful. Rsi Samika could foresee that his son had committed a great sin by cursing Maharaja Pariksit, who deserved to be protected by the brahmanas, for he was a pious ruler and completely free from all sins because of his being a first-class devotee of the Lord. When an offense is done unto the devotee of the Lord, it is very difficult to overcome the reaction. The brahmanas, being at the head of the social orders, are meant to give protection to their subordinates and not to curse them. There are occasions when a brahmana may furiously curse a subordinate ksatriya or vaisya, etc., but in the case of Maharaja Pariksit there were no grounds, as already explained. The foolish boy had done it out of sheer vanity in being a brahmana’s son, and thus he became liable to be punished by the law of God. The Lord never forgives a person who condemns His pure devotee. Therefore, by cursing a king the foolish Srngi had committed not only a sin but also the greatest offense. Therefore the rsi could foresee that only the Supreme Personality of Godhead could save his boy from his sinful act. He therefore directly prayed for pardon from the Supreme Lord, who alone can undo a thing which is impossible to change. The appeal was made in the name of a foolish boy who had developed no intelligence at all.

A question may be raised herein that since it was the desire of the Lord that Pariksit Maharaja be put into that awkward position so that he might be delivered from material existence, then why was a brahmana’s son made responsible for this offensive act? The answer is that the offensive act was performed by a child only so that he could be excused very easily, and thus the prayer of the father was accepted. But if the question is raised why the brahmana community as a whole was made responsible for allowing Kali into the world affairs, the answer is given in the Varaha Purana that the demons who acted inimically toward the Personality of Godhead but were not killed by the Lord were allowed to take birth in the families of brahmanas to take advantage of the age of Kali. The all-merciful Lord gave them a chance to have their births in the families of pious brahmanas so that they could progress toward salvation. But the demons, instead of utilizing the good opportunity, misused the brahminical culture due to being puffed up by vanity in becoming brahmanas. The typical example is the son of Samika Rsi, and all the foolish sons of brahmanas are warned hereby not to become as foolish as Srngi and be always on guard against the demoniac qualities which they had in their previous births. The foolish boy was, of course, excused by the Lord, but others, who may not have a father like Samika Rsi, will be put into great difficulty if they misuse the advantages obtained by birth in a brahmana family.

SB1.18.48

TEXT 48

tiraskrta vipralabdhah

saptah ksipta hata api

nasya tat pratikurvanti

tad-bhaktah prabhavo ’pi hi

SYNONYMS

tirah-krtah—being defamed; vipralabdhah—being cheated; saptah—being cursed; ksiptah—disturbed by negligence; hatah—or even being killed; api—also; na—never; asya—for all these acts; tat—them; pratikurvanti—counteract; tat—the Lord’s; bhaktah—devotees; prabhavah—powerful; api—although; hi—certainly.

TRANSLATION

The devotees of the Lord are so forbearing that even though they are defamed, cheated, cursed, disturbed, neglected or even killed, they are never inclined to avenge themselves.

PURPORT

Rsi Samika also knew that the Lord does not forgive a person who has committed an offense at the feet of a devotee. The Lord can only give direction to take shelter of the devotee. He thought within himself that if Maharaja Pariksit would countercurse the boy, he might be saved. But he knew also that a pure devotee is callous about worldly advantages or reverses. As such, the devotees are never inclined to counteract personal defamation, curses, negligence, etc. As far as such things are concerned, in personal affairs the devotees do not care for them. But in the case of their being performed against the Lord and His devotees, then the devotees take very strong action. It was a personal affair, and therefore Samika Rsi knew that the King would not take counteraction. Thus there was no alternative than to place an appeal to the Lord for the immature boy.

It is not that only the brahmanas are powerful enough to award curses or blessings upon the subordinates; the devotee of the Lord, even though he may not be a brahmana, is more powerful than a brahmana. But a powerful devotee never misuses the power for personal benefit. Whatever power the devotee may have is always utilized in service towards the Lord and His devotees only.

SB1.18.49

TEXT 49

iti putra-krtaghena

so ’nutapto maha-munih

svayam viprakrto rajna

naivagham tad acintayat

SYNONYMS

iti—thus; putra—son; krta—done by; aghena—by the sin; sah—he (the muni); anutaptah—regretting; maha-munih—the sage; svayam—personally; viprakrtah—being so insulted; rajna—by the King; na—not; eva—certainly; agham—the sin; tat—that; acintayat—thought of it.

TRANSLATION

The sage thus regretted the sin committed by his own son. He did not take the insult paid by the King very seriously.

PURPORT

The whole incident is now cleared up. Maharaja Pariksit’s garlanding the sage with a dead snake was not at all a very serious offense, but Srngi’s cursing the King was a serious offense. The serious offense was committed by a foolish child only; therefore he deserved to be pardoned by the Supreme Lord, although it was not possible to get free from the sinful reaction. Maharaja Pariksit also did not mind the curse offered to him by a foolish brahmana. On the contrary, he took full advantage of the awkward situation, and by the great will of the Lord, Maharaja Pariksit achieved the highest perfection of life through the grace of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. Actually it was the desire of the Lord, and Maharaja Pariksit, Rsi Samika and his son Srngi were all instrumental in fulfilling the desire of the Lord. So none of them were put into difficulty because everything was done in relation with the Supreme Person.

SB1.18.50

TEXT 50

prayasah sadhavo loke

parair dvandvesu yojitah

na vyathanti na hrsyanti

yata atmagunasrayah

SYNONYMS

prayasah—generally; sadhavah—saints; loke—in this world; paraih—by others; dvandvesu—in duality; yojitah—being engaged; na—never; vyathanti—distressed; na—nor; hrsyanti—takes pleasure; yatah—because; atma—self; aguna-asrayah—transcendental.

TRANSLATION

Generally the transcendentalists, even though engaged by others in the dualities of the material world, are not distressed. Nor do they take pleasure [in worldly things], for they are transcendentally engaged.

PURPORT

The transcendentalists are the empiric philosophers, the mystics and the devotees of the Lord. Empiric philosophers aim at the perfection of merging into the being of the Absolute, mystics aim at perceiving the all-pervading Supersoul, and the devotees of the Lord are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Personality of Godhead. Since Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan are different phases of the same Transcendence, all these transcendentalists are beyond the three modes of material nature. Material distresses and happinesses are products of the three modes, and therefore the causes of such material distress and happiness have nothing to do with the transcendentalists. The King was a devotee, and the rsi was a mystic. Therefore both of them were unattached to the accidental incident created by the supreme will. The playful child was an instrument in fulfilling the Lord’s will.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Maharaja Pariksit Cursed by a Brahmana Boy.”

Next chapter (SB 1.19)