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pramanam—extent and measurement; anda-kosasya—of the universe; bahya—outer space; abhyantara—inner space; bhedatah—by division of; mahatam—of the great souls; ca—also; anucaritam—character and activities; varna—castes; asrama—orders of life; viniscayah—specifically describe.

Also, please describe the inner and outer space of the universe by specific divisions, as well as the character and activities of the great souls, and also the characteristics of the different classifications of the castes and orders of social life.

Maharaja Pariksit is a typical devotee of Lord Krsna, and as such he is anxious to know the complete significance of the creation of the Lord. He wants to know the inner and outer space of the universal form. It is quite fitting for the real searcher of knowledge to know all about this. Those who are of the opinion that the devotees of the Lord are satisfied with mere sentiments can find in the inquiries of Maharaja Pariksit good lessons as to how inquisitive a pure devotee is to know things in their true perfection. The modern scientist is unable to know about the inner space of the universal horizon, and what to speak of the space which covers the universe.

Maharaja Pariksit is not satisfied with only material knowledge. He is inquisitive about the character and activities of the great souls, the devotees of the Lord. The glories of the Lord and the glories of His devotees, combined together, comprise the complete knowledge of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Lord Krsna showed His mother the complete universal creation within His mouth, while she, completely charmed by her son, wanted to look inside the mouth of the Lord just to see how much earth the child had eaten. By the grace of the Lord the devotees are able to see everything in the universe within the mouth of the Lord.

The very idea of the scientific divisions of four classes of human society and four orders of life is also inquired about herewith on the basis of individual personal quality. The four divisions are exactly like the four divisions of one’s personal body. The parts and parcels of the body are nondifferent from the body, but by themselves they are only parts. That is the significance of the whole scientific system of four castes and four social orders. The value of such scientific divisions of human society can be ascertained only in terms of the proportionate development of devotional service to the Lord. Any person employed in government service, including the president, is a part and parcel of the entire government. Everyone is a government servant, but no one is the government himself. That is the position of all living entities in the government of the Supreme Lord. No one can artificially claim the supreme position of the Lord, but everyone is meant to serve the purpose of the supreme whole.

SB2.8.17

TEXT 17

yugani yuga-manam ca

dharmo yas ca yuge yuge

avataranucaritam

yad ascaryatamam hareh

yugani—the different ages; yuga-manam—the duration of each age; ca—as well as; dharmah—the particular occupational duty; yah ca—and which; yuge yuge—in each and every yuga, or particular age; avatara—the incarnation; anucaritam—and the activities of the incarnation; yat—which; ascaryatamam—the most wonderful activities; hareh—of the Supreme Lord.

Please explain all the different ages in the duration of the creation, and also the duration of such ages. Also tell me about the different activities of the different incarnations of the Lord in different ages.

Lord Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, and all the incarnations of the Supreme Lord, although nondifferent from Him, are emanations from the Supreme. Maharaja Pariksit inquired from the great and learned sage Sukadeva Gosvami about the different activities of such incarnations so that the incarnation of the Lord might be confirmed by His activities in the authoritative scriptures. Maharaja Pariksit was not to be carried away by the sentiments of the common man to accept an incarnation of the Lord very cheaply. Instead he wished to accept the incarnation of the Lord by symptoms mentioned in the Vedic literatures and confirmed by an acarya like Sukadeva Gosvami. The Lord descends by His internal energy without any obligation to the laws of material nature, and thus His activities are also uncommon. The specific activities of the Lord are mentioned, and one should know that the activities of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical due to being on the absolute plane. Thus to hear the activities of the Lord means to associate with the Lord directly, and association with the Lord directly means purification from material contamination. We have already discussed this point in the previous volume.

SB2.8.18

TEXT 18

nrnam sadharano dharmah

savisesas ca yadrsah

sreninam rajarsinam ca

dharmah krcchresu jivatam

nrnam—of human society; sadharanah—general; dharmah—religious affiliation; sa-visesah—specific; ca—also; yadrsah—as they are; sreninam—of the particular three classes; rajarsinam—of the saintly royal order; ca—also; dharmah—occupational duty; krcchresu—in the matter of distressed conditions; jivatam—of the living beings.

Please also explain what may generally be the common religious affiliations of human society, as well as their specific occupational duties in religion, the classification of the social orders as well as the administrative royal orders, and the religious principles for one who may be in distress.

The common religion of all classes of human beings, regardless of whosoever and whatsoever one may be, is devotional service. Even the animals may be included in devotional service to the Lord, and the best example is set by Sri Vajrangaji, or Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Sri Rama. As we have already discussed, even the aborigines and cannibals can also be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord if they happen to be under the guidance of a genuine devotee of the Lord. In the Skanda Purana there is a narration that a hunter in the jungle became the most enlightened devotee of the Lord by the guidance of Sri Narada Muni. Therefore devotional service to the Lord can be equally shared by every living being.

Religious affiliation in terms of different countries and cultural circumstances is obviously not the common religion of the human being; rather, the basic principle is devotional service. Even if a particular type of religious principle does not recognize the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the followers still have to obey the disciplinary principles laid down by a particular leader. Such a leader of a religious sect is never the supreme leader because such a circumstantial leader comes to the position of leadership after undergoing some penance. The Supreme Personality of Godhead does not, however, require to be under disciplinary action to become leader, as we see in the activities of Lord Krsna.

The occupational duties of the castes and the orders of society, following the principles of livelihood, also depend on the principle of devotional service. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that a person can achieve the highest perfection of life simply by awarding the results of his occupational duty unto the devotional service of the Lord. People following the principles of devotional service to the Lord can never be put into difficulty, and thus there cannot be any question of apad-dharma, or religion in distress. As will be explained in this book by the greatest authority, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, there is no religion save and except the devotional service of the Lord, though this may be presented in different forms.

SB2.8.19

TEXT 19

tattvanam parisankhyanam

laksanam hetu-laksanam

purusaradhana-vidhir

yogasyadhyatmikasya ca

tattvanam—of the elements that constitute the creation; parisankhyanam—of the number of such elements; laksanam—symptoms; hetu-laksanam—the symptoms of the causes; purusa—of the Lord; aradhana—of devotional service; vidhih—rules and regulations; yogasya—of cultivation of the yoga system; adhyatmikasya—spiritual methods leading to devotional service; ca—also.

Kindly explain all about the elementary principles of creation, the number of such elementary principles, their causes, and their development, and also the process of devotional service and the method of mystic powers.

SB2.8.20

TEXT 20

yogesvaraisvarya-gatir

linga-bhangas tu yoginam

vedopaveda-dharmanam

itihasa-puranayoh

SYNONYMS

yoga-isvara—of the master of the mystic powers; aisvarya—opulence; gatih—advancement; linga—astral body; bhangah—detachment; tu—but; yoginam—of the mystics; veda—transcendental knowledge; upaveda—knowledge in pursuance of the Veda indirectly; dharmanam—of the religiosities; itihasa—history; puranayoh—of the Puranas.

TRANSLATION

What are the opulences of the great mystics, and what is their ultimate realization? How does the perfect mystic become detached from the subtle astral body? What is the basic knowledge of the Vedic literatures, including the branches of history and the supplementary Puranas?

PURPORT

The yogesvara, or the master of mystic powers, can exhibit eight kinds of wonders of perfection by becoming smaller than the atom or lighter than a feather, getting anything and everything he desires, going anywhere and everywhere he likes, creating even a planet in the sky, etc. There are many yogesvaras having different proficiencies in these wonderful powers, and the topmost of all of them is Lord Siva. Lord Siva is the greatest yogi, and he can perform such wonderful things, far beyond the ordinary living beings. The devotees of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, do not directly practice the process of mystic powers, but, by the grace of the Lord, His devotee can defeat even a great yogesvara like Durvasa Muni, who picked a quarrel with Maharaja Ambarisa and wanted to show the wonderful achievements of his mystic powers. Maharaja Ambarisa was a pure devotee of the Lord, and thus without any effort on his part the Lord saved him from the wrath of Yogesvara Durvasa Muni, and the latter was obliged to beg pardon from the King. Similarly, at the time of Draupadi’s precarious position, when she was attacked by the Kurus who wanted to see her naked in the open assembly of the royal order, the Lord saved her from being stripped by supplying an unlimited length of sari to cover her. And Draupadi knew nothing of mystic powers. Therefore the devotees are also yogesvaras by the unlimited power of the Lord, just as a child is powerful by the strength of the parents. They do not try to protect themselves by any artificial means, but are saved by the mercy of the parents.

Maharaja Pariksit inquired from the learned brahmana Sukadeva Gosvami about the ultimate destination of such great mystics or how they attain such extraordinary powers by their own efforts or by the grace of the Lord. He inquired also about their detachment from the subtle and gross material bodies. He inquired also about the purports of the Vedic knowledge. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (15.15), the whole purport of all the Vedas is to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus become a transcendental loving servant of the Lord.

SB2.8.21

TEXT 21

samplavah sarva-bhutanam

vikramah pratisankramah

ista-purtasya kamyanam

tri-vargasya ca yo vidhih

samplavah—the perfect means or complete devastation; sarva-bhutanam—of all living beings; vikramah—specific power or situation; pratisankramah—ultimate destruction; ista—performance of Vedic rituals; purtasya—pious acts in terms of religion; kamyanam—rituals for economic development; tri-vargasya—the three means of religion, economic development and sense satisfaction; ca—also; yah—whatsoever; vidhih—procedures.

Please explain unto me how the living beings are generated, how they are maintained, and how they are annihilated. Tell me also of the advantages and disadvantages of discharging devotional service unto the Lord. What are the Vedic rituals and injunctions of the supplementary Vedic rites, and what are the procedures of religion, economic development and sense satisfaction?

Samplavah, in the sense of “perfect means,” is employed to denote the discharging of devotional service, and pratisamplavah means just the opposite, or that which destroys the progress of devotional service. One who is firmly situated in the devotional service of the Lord can very easily execute the function of conditional life. Living the conditional life is just like plying a boat in the middle of the ocean. One is completely at the mercy of the ocean, and at every moment there is every chance of being drowned in the ocean by slight agitation. If the atmosphere is all right, the boat can ply very easily, undoubtedly, but if there is some storm, fog, wind or cloud, there is every possibility of being drowned in the ocean. No one can control the whims of the ocean, however one may be materially well equipped. One who has crossed the oceans by ship may have sufficient experience of such dependence upon the mercy of the ocean. But one can ply over the ocean of material existence by the grace of the Lord very easily, without any fear of storm or fog. It all depends on the will of the Lord; no one can help if there is some unfortunate danger in the state of conditional life. The devotees of the Lord, however, cross the ocean of material existence without anxiety because a pure devotee is always protected by the Lord (Bg. 9.13). The Lord gives special attention to His devotees in their activities within material, conditional life (Bg. 9.29). Therefore everyone should take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord and be a pure devotee of the Lord by all means.

One should know, therefore, from the expert spiritual master, the advantages and disadvantages of discharging devotional service, just as Maharaja Pariksit asked his spiritual master, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami. According to Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, the science of devotional service, one should not eat more than what he requires to maintain body and soul together. Vegetable diets and milk are sufficient for maintenance of the human body, and therefore one has no need to eat anything more to satisfy the palate. One should also not accumulate money to become puffed up in the material world. One should earn his livelihood easily and honestly, for it is better to become a coolie for an honest livelihood than to become a great man in society by hook and crook. There is no harm if one becomes the richest man in the world by honest dealings, but one should not sacrifice the honest means of livelihood simply to accumulate wealth. Such an endeavor is harmful to devotional service. One should not talk nonsense. A devotee’s business is to earn the favor of the Lord. Therefore a devotee should always glorify the Lord in His wonderful creations. A devotee should not decry the creation of the Lord, defying Him by saying that He has created a false world. The world is not false. Factually we have to take so many things from the world for our maintenance, so how we can say that the world is false? Similarly, how can one think of the Lord as being without form? How can one become formless and at the same time have all intelligence and consciousness, direct and indirect? So there are many things for a pure devotee to learn, and he should learn them perfectly from a bona fide personality like Sukadeva Gosvami.

The favorable conditions for discharging devotional service are that one should be very enthusiastic in serving the Lord. The Lord in His form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted the cult of devotional service to the Lord to be preached all over the world, in every nook and corner, and therefore a pure devotee’s duty is to discharge this order as far as possible. Every devotee should be very enthusiastic, not only in performing his daily rituals of devotional service, but in trying to preach the cult peacefully by following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya. If he is not superficially successful in such an attempt, he should not be deterred from the discharge of his duty. Success or failure has no meaning for a pure devotee because he is a soldier in the field. Preaching the cult of devotional service is something like declaring war against materialistic life. There are different kinds of materialists, such as the fruitive workers, the mental speculators, the mystic jugglers, and so many others. All of them are against the existence of Godhead. They would declare that they are themselves God, although in every step and in every action they are dependent on the mercy of the Lord. Therefore a pure devotee may not associate with such gangs of atheists. A strong devotee of the Lord will not be misled by such atheistic propaganda of the nondevotees, but a neophyte devotee should be very cautious about them. A devotee should see to the right discharge of devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master and should not stick only to the formalities. Under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, one should see how much service is being executed, and not simply in the matter of rituals. A devotee should not hanker after anything, but he should be satisfied with things that may automatically come to him by the will of the Lord. That should be the principle of a devotional life. And all these principles are easily learned under the guidance of a spiritual master like Sukadeva Gosvami. Maharaja Pariksit inquired from Sukadeva correctly, and one should follow his example.

Maharaja Pariksit inquired about the process of creation, maintenance and destruction of the material world, the process of Vedic rituals and the method of executing pious activities in terms of the supplementary Vedas like the Puranas and Mahabharata. As explained before, the Mahabharata is the history of ancient India, and so also are the Puranas. Pious acts are prescribed in the supplementary Vedas (smrtis), which specifically mention digging tanks and wells for the water supply of the people in general. To plant trees on the public roads, to construct public temples and places of worship of God, to establish places of charity where the poor destitutes can be provided with foodstuff, and similar activities are called purta.

Similarly, the process of fulfilling the natural desires for sense gratification was also inquired about by the King for the benefit of all concerned.

SB2.8.22

TEXT 22

yo vanusayinam sargah

pasandasya ca sambhavah

atmano bandha-moksau ca

vyavasthanam sva-rupatah