Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Fifteen

SB3.15.42

TEXT 42

atropasrstam iti cotsmitam indirayah

svanam dhiya viracitam bahu-sausthavadhyam

mahyam bhavasya bhavatam ca bhajantam angam

nemur niriksya na vitrpta-drso muda kaih

SYNONYMS

atra—here, in the matter of the beauty; upasrstam—curbed down; iti—thus; ca—and; utsmitam—the pride of her beauty; indirayah—of the goddess of fortune; svanam—of His own devotees; dhiya—by intelligence; viracitam—meditated on; bahu-sausthava-adhyam—very beautifully decorated; mahyam—of me; bhavasya—of Lord Siva; bhavatam—of all of you; ca—and; bhajantam—worshiped; angam—the figure; nemuh—bowed down; niriksya—after seeing; na—not; vitrpta—satiated; drsah—eyes; muda—joyously; kaih—by their heads.

TRANSLATION

The exquisite beauty of Narayana, being many times magnified by the intelligence of His devotees, was so attractive that it defeated the pride of the goddess of fortune in being the most beautiful. My dear demigods, the Lord who thus manifested Himself is worshipable by me, by Lord Siva and by all of you. The sages regarded Him with unsated eyes and joyously bowed their heads at His lotus feet.

PURPORT

The beauty of the Lord was so enchanting that it could not be sufficiently described. The goddess of fortune is supposed to be the most beautiful sight within the spiritual and material creations of the Lord; she has a sense of being the most beautiful, yet her beauty was defeated when the Lord appeared. In other words, the beauty of the goddess of fortune is secondary in the presence of the Lord. In the words of Vaisnava poets, it is said that the Lord’s beauty is so enchanting that it defeats hundreds of thousands of Cupids. He is therefore called Madana-mohana. It is also described that the Lord sometimes becomes mad after the beauty of Radharani. Poets describe that under those circumstances, although Lord Krsna is Madana-mohana, He becomes Madana-daha, or enchanted by the beauty of Radharani. Actually the Lord’s beauty is superexcellent, surpassing even the beauty of Laksmi in Vaikuntha. The devotees of the Lord in the Vaikuntha planets want to see the Lord as the most beautiful, but the devotees in Gokula or Krsnaloka want to see Radharani as more beautiful than Krsna. The adjustment is that the Lord, being bhakta-vatsala, or one who wants to please His devotees, assumes such features so that devotees like Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and other demigods may be pleased. Here also, for the devotee-sages, the Kumaras, the Lord appeared in His most beautiful feature, and they continued to see Him without satiation and wanted to continue seeing Him more and more.

SB3.15.43

TEXT 43

tasyaravinda-nayanasya padaravinda-

kinjalka-misra-tulasi-makaranda-vayuh

antar-gatah sva-vivarena cakara tesam

sanksobham aksara-jusam api citta-tanvoh

SYNONYMS

tasya—of Him; aravinda-nayanasya—of the lotus-eyed Lord; pada-aravinda—of the lotus feet; kinjalka—with the toes; misra—mixed; tulasi—the tulasi leaves; makaranda—fragrance; vayuh—breeze; antah-gatah—entered within; sva-vivarena—through their nostrils; cakara—made; tesam—of the Kumaras; sanksobham—agitation for change; aksara-jusam—attached to impersonal Brahman realization; api—even though; citta-tanvoh—in both mind and body.

TRANSLATION

When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves from the toes of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead entered the nostrils of those sages, they experienced a change both in body and in mind, even though they were attached to the impersonal Brahman understanding.

PURPORT

It appears from this verse that the four Kumaras were impersonalists or protagonists of the philosophy of monism, becoming one with the Lord. But as soon as they saw the Lord’s features, their minds changed. In other words, the impersonalist who feels transcendental pleasure in striving to become one with the Lord is defeated when he sees the beautiful transcendental features of the Lord. Because of the fragrance of His lotus feet, carried by the air and mixed with the aroma of tulasi, their minds changed; instead of becoming one with the Supreme Lord, they thought it wise to be devotees. Becoming a servitor of the lotus feet of the Lord is better than becoming one with the Lord.

SB3.15.44

TEXT 44

te va amusya vadanasita-padma-kosam

udviksya sundarataradhara-kunda-hasam

labdhasisah punar aveksya tadiyam anghri-

dvandvam nakharuna-mani-srayanam nidadhyuh

SYNONYMS

te—those sages; vai—certainly; amusya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vadana—face; asita—blue; padma—lotus; kosam—inside; udviksya—after looking up; sundara-tara—more beautiful; adhara—lips; kunda—jasmine flower; hasam—smiling; labdha—achieved; asisah—aims of life; punah—again; aveksya—looking down; tadiyam—His; anghri-dvandvam—pair of lotus feet; nakha—nails; aruna—red; mani—rubies; srayanam—shelter; nidadhyuh—meditated.

TRANSLATION

The Lord’s beautiful face appeared to them like the inside of a blue lotus, and the Lord’s smile appeared to be a blossoming jasmine flower. After seeing the face of the Lord, the sages were fully satisfied, and when they wanted to see Him further, they looked upon the nails of His lotus feet, which resembled rubies. Thus they viewed the Lord’s transcendental body again and again, and so they finally achieved meditation on the Lord’s personal feature.

SB3.15.45

TEXT 45

pumsam gatim mrgayatam iha yoga-margair

dhyanaspadam bahu-matam nayanabhiramam

paumsnam vapur darsayanam ananya-siddhair

autpattikaih samagrnan yutam asta-bhogaih

SYNONYMS

pumsam—of those persons; gatim—liberation; mrgayatam—who are searching; iha—here in this world; yoga-margaih—by the process of astanga-yoga; dhyana-aspadam—object of meditation; bahu—by the great yogis; matam—approved; nayana—eyes; abhiramam—pleasing; paumsnam—human; vapuh—form; darsayanam—displaying; ananya—not by others; siddhaih—perfected; autpattikaih—eternally present; samagrnan—praised; yutam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is endowed; asta-bhogaih—with eight kinds of achievement.

TRANSLATION

This is the form of the Lord which is meditated upon by the followers of the yoga process, and it is pleasing to the yogis in meditation. It is not imaginary but factual, as proved by great yogis. The Lord is full in eight kinds of achievement, but for others these achievements are not possible in full perfection.

PURPORT

The success of the yoga process is very nicely described here. It is specifically mentioned that the form of the Lord as four-handed Narayana is the object of meditation for the followers of yoga-marga. In the modern age there are so many so-called yogis who do not target their meditation on the four-handed Narayana form. Some of them try to meditate on something impersonal or void, but that is not approved by the great yogis who follow the standard method. The real yoga-marga process is to control the senses, sit in a solitary and sanctified place and meditate on the four-handed form of Narayana, decorated as described in this chapter as He appeared before the four sages. This Narayana form is Krsna’s expansion; therefore the Krsna consciousness movement which is now spreading is the real, topmost process of yoga practice.

Krsna consciousness is the highest yoga performance by trained devotional yogis. Despite all the allurement of yoga practice, the eight kinds of yogic perfections are hardly achievable by the common man. But here it is described that the Lord, who appeared before the four sages, is Himself full of all eight of those perfections. The highest yoga-marga process is to concentrate the mind twenty-four hours a day on Krsna. This is called Krsna consciousness. The yoga system, as described in Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita or as recommended in the Patanjali yoga process, is different from the nowadays-practiced hatha-yoga as it is generally understood in the Western countries. Real yoga practice is to control the senses and, after such control is established, to concentrate the mind on the Narayana form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Lord Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, and all the other Visnu forms—with four hands decorated with conch, lotus, club and wheel—are plenary expansions of Krsna. In Bhagavad-gita it is recommended that one meditate upon the form of the Lord. To practice concentration of the mind, one has to sit with the head and the back in a straight line, and one must practice in a secluded place, sanctified by a sacred atmosphere. The yogi should observe the rules and regulations of brahmacarya—to strictly live a life of self-restraint and celibacy. One cannot practice yoga in a congested city, living a life of extravagancy, including unrestricted sex indulgence and adultery of the tongue. Yoga practice necessitates controlling the senses, and the beginning of sense control is to control the tongue. One who can control the tongue can also have control over the other senses. One cannot allow the tongue to take all kinds of forbidden food and drink and at the same time advance in the practice of yoga. It is a very regrettable fact that many unauthorized so-called yogis come to the Western countries and exploit people’s inclination towards yoga practice. Such unauthorized yogis even dare to say publicly that one can indulge in the habit of drinking and at the same time practice meditation.

Five thousand years ago Lord Krsna recommended yoga practice to Arjuna, but Arjuna frankly expressed his inability to follow the stringent rules and regulations of the yoga system. One should be very practical in every field of activities and should not waste his valuable time in practicing useless gymnastic feats in the name of yoga. Real yoga is to search out the four-handed Supersoul within one’s heart and see Him perpetually in meditation. Such continued meditation is called samadhi, and the object of this meditation is the four-handed Narayana, with bodily decorations as described in this chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam. If, however, one wants to meditate upon something void or impersonal, it will take a very long time before he achieves success in yoga practice. We cannot concentrate our mind on something void or impersonal. Real yoga is to fix the mind on the form of the Lord, the four-handed Narayana who is sitting in everyone’s heart.

By meditation one can understand that God is seated within one’s heart. Even if one does not know it, God is seated within the heart of everyone. Not only is He seated in the heart of the human being, but He is also within the hearts of cats and dogs. Bhagavad-gita certifies this fact by the declaration of the Lord, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese [Bg. 18.61]. The isvara, the supreme controller of the world, is seated in the heart of everyone. Not only is He in everyone’s heart, but He is also present within the atom. No place is vacant or devoid of the presence of the Lord. That is the statement of Isopanisad. God is present everywhere, and His right of proprietorship applies to everything. The feature of the Lord by which He is present everywhere is called Paramatma. Atma means the individual soul, and Paramatma means the individual Supersoul; both atma and Paramatma are individual persons. The difference between atma and Paramatma is that the atma, or the soul, is present only in a particular body, whereas the Paramatma is present everywhere. In this connection, the example of the sun is very nice. An individual person may be situated in one place, but the sun, even though a similar individual entity, is present on the head of every individual person. In Bhagavad-gita this is explained. Therefore even though the qualities of all entities, including the Lord, are equal, the Supersoul is different from the individual soul by quantitative power of expansion. The Lord, or the Supersoul, can expand Himself into millions of different forms, whereas the individual soul cannot do so.

The Supersoul, being seated in everyone’s heart, can witness everyone’s activities—past, present and future. In the Upanisads the Supersoul is described as being seated with the individual soul as friend and witness. As a friend, the Lord is always anxious to get back His friend, the individual soul, and bring him back home, back to Godhead. As a witness He is the bestower of all benedictions, and He endows each individual with the result of his actions. The Supersoul gives the individual soul all facilities to achieve whatever he desires to enjoy in this material world. Suffering is a reaction to the living entity’s propensity to try to lord it over the material world. But the Lord instructs His friend, the individual soul, who is also His son, to give up all other engagements and simply surrender unto Him for perpetual bliss and an eternal life full of knowledge. This is the last instruction of Bhagavad-gita, the most authorized and widely read book on all varieties of yoga. Thus the last word of Bhagavad-gita is the last word in the perfection of yoga.

It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that a person who is always absorbed in Krsna consciousness is the topmost yogi. What is Krsna consciousness? As the individual soul is present by his consciousness throughout his entire body, so the Supersoul, or Paramatma, is present throughout the whole creation by superconsciousness. This superconscious energy is imitated by the individual soul, who has limited consciousness. I can understand what is going on within my limited body, but I cannot feel what is going on in another’s body. I am present throughout my body by my consciousness, but my consciousness is not present in another’s body. The Supersoul, or Paramatma, however, being present everywhere and within everyone, is also conscious of everyone’s existence. The theory that the soul and the Supersoul are one is not acceptable because it is not confirmed by authoritative Vedic literature. The individual soul’s consciousness cannot act in superconsciousness. This superconsciousness can be achieved, however, by dovetailing individual consciousness with the consciousness of the Supreme. This dovetailing process is called surrender, or Krsna consciousness. From the teachings of Bhagavad-gita we learn very clearly that Arjuna, in the beginning, did not want to fight with his brothers and relatives, but after understanding Bhagavad-gita he dovetailed his consciousness with the superconsciousness of Krsna. He was then in Krsna consciousness.

A person in full Krsna consciousness acts by the dictation of Krsna. In the beginning of Krsna consciousness, dictation is received through the transparent medium of the spiritual master. When one is sufficiently trained and acts in submissive faith and love for Krsna under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, the dovetailing process becomes more firm and accurate. This stage of devotional service by the devotee in Krsna consciousness is the most perfect stage of the yoga system. At this stage, Krsna, or the Supersoul, dictates from within, while from without the devotee is helped by the spiritual master, who is the bona fide representative of Krsna. From within He helps the devotee as caitya, for He is seated within the heart of everyone. Understanding that God is seated within everyone’s heart is not, however, sufficient. One has to be acquainted with God from both within and without, and one must take dictation from within and without to act in Krsna consciousness. This is the highest perfectional stage of the human form of life and the topmost perfection of all yoga.

For a perfect yogi, there are eight kinds of superachievements: one can become lighter than air, one can become smaller than the atom, one can become bigger than a mountain, one can achieve whatever he desires, one can control like the Lord, and so on. But when one rises to the perfectional stage of receiving dictation from the Lord, that is greater than any stage of material achievements above mentioned. The breathing exercise of the yoga system which is generally practiced is just the beginning. Meditation on the Supersoul is just another step forward. But to obtain direct contact with the Supersoul and take dictation from Him is the highest perfectional stage. The breathing exercises of meditation practice were very difficult even five thousand years ago, otherwise Arjuna would not have rejected the proposal of Krsna that he adopt this system. This age of Kali is called the fallen age. In this age, people in general are short-living and very slow to understand self-realization or spiritual life; they are mostly unfortunate, and therefore if someone is a little bit interested in self-realization he is likely to be misguided by so many frauds. The only way to realize the perfect stage of yoga is to follow the principles of Bhagavad-gita as practiced by Lord Caitanya. This is the simplest and highest perfection of yoga practice. Lord Caitanya demonstrated this Krsna consciousness yoga system in a practical manner simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna, as prescribed in the Vedanta, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and many important Puranas.

The largest number of Indians follow this yoga process, and in the United States it is gradually spreading in many cities. It is very easy and practical for this age, especially for those who are serious about success in yoga. No other process of yoga can be successful in this age. The meditation process was possible in the golden age, Satya-yuga, because people in that age used to live for hundreds of thousands of years. If one wants success in practical yoga practice, it is advised that he take to the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, and he will actually feel himself making progress. In Bhagavad-gita this practice of Krsna consciousness is prescribed as raja-vidya, or the king of all erudition.

Those who have taken to this most sublime bhakti-yoga system, who practice devotional service in transcendental love of Krsna, can testify to its happy and easy execution. The four sages Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara also became attracted by the features of the Lord and the transcendental aroma of the dust of His lotus feet, as already described in verse 43.

Yoga necessitates controlling the senses, and bhakti-yoga, or Krsna consciousness, is the process of purifying the senses. When the senses are purified, they are automatically controlled. One cannot stop the activities of the senses by artificial means, but if one purifies the senses by engaging in the service of the Lord, the senses not only can be controlled from rubbish engagement, but can be engaged in the Lord’s transcendental service, as aspired to by the four sages Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara. Krsna consciousness is not, therefore, a manufactured concoction of the speculative mind. It is the process enjoined in Bhagavad-gita (9.34): man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65].

SB3.15.46

TEXT 46

kumara ucuh

yo ’ntarhito hrdi gato ’pi duratmanam tvam

so ’dyaiva no nayana-mulam ananta raddhah

yarhy eva karna-vivarena guham gato nah

pitranuvarnita-raha bhavad-udbhavena

SYNONYMS

kumarah ucuh—the Kumaras said; yah—He who; antarhitah—not manifested; hrdi—in the heart; gatah—is seated; api—even though; duratmanam—to the rascals; tvam—You; sah—He; adya—today; eva—certainly; nah—of us; nayana-mulam—face to face; ananta—O unlimited one; raddhah—attained; yarhi—when; eva—certainly; karna-vivarena—through the ears; guham—intelligence; gatah—have attained; nah—our; pitra—by our father; anuvarnita—described; rahah—mysteries; bhavat-udbhavena—by Your appearance.

TRANSLATION

The Kumaras said: Our dear Lord, You are not manifested to rascals, even though You are seated within the heart of everyone. But as far as we are concerned, we see You face to face, although You are unlimited. The statements we have heard about You from our father, Brahma, through the ears have now been actually realized by Your kind appearance.

PURPORT

The so-called yogis who concentrate their mind or meditate upon the impersonal or void are described here. This verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam describes persons who are expected to be very expert yogis engaged in meditation but who do not find the Supreme Personality of Godhead seated within the heart. These persons are described here as duratma, which means a person who has a very crooked heart, or a less intelligent person, just opposite to a mahatma, which means one who has a broad heart. Those so-called yogis who, although engaged in meditation, are not broad hearted cannot find the four-handed Narayana form, even though He is seated within their heart. Although the first realization of the Supreme Absolute Truth is impersonal Brahman, one should not remain satisfied with experiencing the impersonal effulgence of the Supreme Lord. In the Isopanisad also, the devotee prays that the glaring effulgence of Brahman may be removed from his eyes so that he can see the real, personal feature of the Lord and thus satisfy himself fully. Similarly, although the Lord is not visible in the beginning because of His glaring bodily effulgence, if a devotee sincerely wants to see Him, the Lord is revealed to him. It is said in Bhagavad-gita that the Lord cannot be seen by our imperfect eyes, He cannot be heard by our imperfect ears, and He cannot be experienced by our imperfect senses; but if one engages in devotional service with faith and devotion, then God reveals Himself.

Here the four sages Sanat-kumara, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanaka are described as actually sincere devotees. Although they had heard from their father, Brahma, about the personal feature of the Lord, only the impersonal feature—Brahman—was revealed to them. But because they were sincerely searching for the Lord, they finally saw His personal feature directly, which corresponded with the description given by their father. They thus became fully satisfied. Here they express their gratitude because although they were foolish impersonalists in the beginning, by the grace of the Lord they could now have the good fortune to see His personal feature. Another significant aspect of this verse is that the sages describe their experience of hearing from their father, Brahma, who was born of the Lord directly. In other words, the disciplic succession from the Lord to Brahma and from Brahma to Narada and from Narada to Vyasa, and so on, is accepted here. Because the Kumaras were sons of Brahma, they had the opportunity to learn Vedic knowledge from the disciplic succession of Brahma, and therefore, in spite of their impersonalist beginnings, they became, in the end, direct seers of the personal feature of the Lord.

SB3.15.47

TEXT 47

tam tvam vidama bhagavan param atma-tattvam

sattvena samprati ratim racayantam esam

yat te ’nutapa-viditair drdha-bhakti-yogair

udgranthayo hrdi vidur munayo viragah

SYNONYMS

tam—Him; tvam—You; vidama—we know; bhagavan—O Supreme Personality of Godhead; param—the Supreme; atma-tattvam—Absolute Truth; sattvena—by Your form of pure goodness; samprati—now; ratim—love of God; racayantam—creating; esam—of all of them; yat—which; te—Your; anutapa—mercy; viditaih—understood; drdha—unflinching; bhakti-yogaih—through devotional service; udgranthayah—without attachment, free from material bondage; hrdi—in the heart; viduh—understood; munayah—great sages; viragah—not interested in material life.

TRANSLATION

We know that You are the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, who manifests His transcendental form in the uncontaminated mode of pure goodness. This transcendental, eternal form of Your personality can be understood only by Your mercy, through unflinching devotional service, by great sages whose hearts have been purified in the devotional way.

PURPORT

The Absolute Truth can be understood in three features—impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma, and Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here it is admitted that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the last word in understanding the Absolute Truth. Even though the four Kumaras were instructed by their great learned father, Brahma, they could not actually understand the Absolute Truth. They could only understand the Supreme Absolute Truth when they personally saw the Personality of Godhead with their own eyes. In other words, if one sees or understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the other two features of the Absolute Truth—namely impersonal Brahman and localized Paramatma—are also automatically understood. Therefore the Kumaras confirm: “You are the ultimate Absolute Truth.” The impersonalist may argue that since the Supreme Personality of Godhead was so nicely decorated, He was therefore not the Absolute Truth. But here it is confirmed that all the variegatedness of the absolute platform is constituted of suddha-sattva, pure goodness. In the material world, any quality—goodness, passion or ignorance—is contaminated. Even the quality of goodness here in the material world is not free from tinges of passion and ignorance. But in the transcendental world, only pure goodness, without any tinge of passion or ignorance, exists; therefore the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His variegated pastimes and paraphernalia are all pure sattva-guna. Such variegatedness in pure goodness is exhibited eternally by the Lord for the satisfaction of the devotee. The devotee does not want to see the Supreme Personality of Absolute Truth in voidness or impersonalism. In one sense, absolute transcendental variegatedness is meant only for the devotees, not for others, because this distinct feature of transcendental variegatedness can be understood only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord and not by mental speculation or the ascending process. It is said that one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead when one is even slightly favored by Him; otherwise, without His mercy, a man may speculate for thousands of years and not understand what is actually the Absolute Truth. This mercy can be perceived by the devotee when he is completely freed from contamination. It is stated, therefore, that only when all contamination is rooted out and the devotee is completely detached from material attractions can he receive this mercy of the Lord.

SB3.15.48

TEXT 48

natyantikam viganayanty api te prasadam

kimv anyad arpita-bhayam bhruva unnayais te

ye ’nga tvad-anghri-sarana bhavatah kathayah

kirtanya-tirtha-yasasah kusala rasa-jnah

SYNONYMS

na—not; atyantikam—liberation; viganayanti—care for; api—even; te—those; prasadam—benedictions; kim u—what to speak; anyat—other material happinesses; arpita—given; bhayam—fearfulness; bhruvah—of the eyebrows; unnayaih—by the raising; te—Your; ye—those devotees; anga—O Supreme Personality of Godhead; tvat—Your; anghri—lotus feet; saranah—who have taken shelter; bhavatah—Your; kathayah—narrations; kirtanya—worth chanting; tirtha—pure; yasasah—glories; kusalah—very expert; rasa-jnah—knowers of the mellows or humors.

TRANSLATION

Persons who are very expert and most intelligent in understanding things as they are engage in hearing narrations of the auspicious activities and pastimes of the Lord, which are worth chanting and worth hearing. Such persons do not care even for the highest material benediction, namely liberation, to say nothing of other less important benedictions like the material happiness of the heavenly kingdom.

PURPORT

The transcendental bliss enjoyed by the devotees of the Lord is completely different from the material happiness enjoyed by less intelligent persons. The less intelligent persons in the material world are engaged by the four principles of benediction called dharma, artha, kama and moksa. Generally they prefer to take to religious life to achieve some material benediction, the purpose of which is to satisfy the senses. When, by that process, they become confused or frustrated in fulfilling the maximum amount of sense enjoyment, they try to become one with the Supreme, which is, according to their conception, mukti, or liberation. There are five kinds of liberation, the least important of which is called sayujya, to become one with the Supreme. Devotees don’t care for such liberation because they are actually intelligent. Nor are they inclined to accept any of the other four kinds of liberation, namely to live on the same planet as the Lord, to live with Him side by side as an associate, to have the same opulence, and to attain the same bodily features. They are concerned only with glorifying the Supreme Lord and His auspicious activities. Pure devotional service is sravanam kirtanam. Pure devotees, who take transcendental pleasure in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, do not care for any kind of liberation; even if they are offered the five liberations, they refuse to accept them, as stated in the Bhagavatam in the Third Canto. Materialistic persons aspire for the sense enjoyment of heavenly pleasure in the heavenly kingdom, but devotees reject such material pleasure at once. The devotee does not even care for the post of Indra. A devotee knows that any pleasurable material position is subject to be annihilated at a certain point. Even if one reaches the post of Indra, Candra, or any other demigod, he must be dissolved at a certain stage. A devotee is never interested in such temporary pleasure. From Vedic scriptures it is understood that sometimes even Brahma and Indra fall down, but a devotee in the transcendental abode of the Lord never falls. This transcendental stage of life, in which one feels transcendental pleasure in hearing the Lord’s pastimes, is also recommended by Lord Caitanya. When Lord Caitanya was talking with Ramananda Raya, there were varieties of suggestions offered by Ramananda regarding spiritual realization, but Lord Caitanya rejected all but one—that one should hear the glories of the Lord in association with pure devotees. That is acceptable for everyone, especially in this age. One should engage himself in hearing from pure devotees about the activities of the Lord. That is considered the supreme benediction for mankind.

SB3.15.49

TEXT 49

kamam bhavah sva-vrjinair nirayesu nah stac

ceto ’livad yadi nu te padayo rameta

vacas ca nas tulasivad yadi te ’nghri-sobhah

puryeta te guna-ganair yadi karna-randhrah

SYNONYMS

kamam—as much as deserved; bhavah—birth; sva-vrjinaih—by our own sinful activities; nirayesu—in low births; nah—our; stat—let it be; cetah—minds; ali-vat—like bees; yadi—if; nu—may be; te—Your; padayoh—at Your lotus feet; rameta—are engaged; vacah—words; ca—and; nah—our; tulasi-vat—like the tulasi leaves; yadi—if; te—Your; anghri—at Your lotus feet; sobhah—beautified; puryeta—are filled; te—Your; guna-ganaih—by transcendental qualities; yadi—if; karna-randhrah—the holes of the ears.

TRANSLATION

O Lord, we pray that You let us be born in any hellish condition of life, just as long as our hearts and minds are always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet, our words are made beautiful [by speaking of Your activities] just as tulasi leaves are beautified when offered unto Your lotus feet, and as long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities.

PURPORT

The four sages now offer their humility to the Personality of Godhead because of their having been haughty in cursing two other devotees of the Lord. Jaya and Vijaya, the two doorkeepers who checked them from entering the Vaikuntha planet, were certainly offenders, but as Vaisnavas, the four sages should not have cursed them in anger. After the incident, they became conscious that they had done wrong by cursing the devotees of the Lord, and they prayed to the Lord that even in the hellish condition of life their minds might not be distracted from the engagement of service to the lotus feet of Lord Narayana. Those who are devotees of the Lord are not afraid of any condition of life, provided there is constant engagement in the service of the Lord. It is said of the narayana-para, or those who are devotees of Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, na kutascana bibhyati (Bhag. 6.17.28). They are not afraid of entering a hellish condition, for since they are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, heaven or hell is the same for them. In material life both heaven and hell are one and the same because they are material; in either place there is no engagement in the Lord’s service. Therefore those who are engaged in the service of the Lord see no distinction between heaven and hell; it is only the materialists who prefer one to the other.

These four devotees prayed to the Lord that although they might go to hell because they had cursed devotees, they might not forget the service of the Lord. The transcendental loving service of the Lord is performed in three ways—with the body, with the mind and with words. Here the sages pray that their words may always be engaged in glorifying the Supreme Lord. One may speak very nicely with ornamental language or one may be expert at controlled grammatical presentation, but if one’s words are not engaged in the service of the Lord, they have no flavor and no actual use. The example is given here of tulasi leaves. The tulasi leaf is very useful even from the medicinal or antiseptic point of view. It is considered sacred and is offered to the lotus feet of the Lord. The tulasi leaf has numerous good qualities, but if it were not offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, tulasi could not be of much value or importance. Similarly, one may speak very nicely from the rhetorical or grammatical point of view, which may be very much appreciated by a materialistic audience, but if one’s words are not offered to the service of the Lord, they are useless. The holes of the ears are very small and can be filled with any insignificant sound, so how can they receive as great a vibration as the glorification of the Lord? The answer is that the holes of the ears are like the sky. As the sky can never be filled up, the quality of the ear is such that one may go on pouring in vibrations of various kinds, yet it is capable of receiving more and more vibrations. A devotee is not afraid of going to hell if he has the opportunity to hear the glories of the Lord constantly. This is the advantage of chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. One may be put in any condition, but God gives him the prerogative to chant Hare Krsna. In any condition of life, if one goes on chanting he will never be unhappy.

SB3.15.50

TEXT 50

praduscakartha yad idam puruhuta rupam

tenesa nirvrtim avapur alam drso nah

tasma idam bhagavate nama id vidhema

yo ’natmanam durudayo bhagavan pratitah

SYNONYMS

praduscakartha—You have manifested; yat—which; idam—this; puruhuta—O greatly worshiped; rupam—eternal form; tena—by that form; isa—O Lord; nirvrtim—satisfaction; avapuh—obtained; alam—so much; drsah—vision; nah—our; tasmai—unto Him; idam—this; bhagavate—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; namah—obeisances; it—only; vidhema—let us offer; yah—who; anatmanam—of those who are less intelligent; durudayah—cannot be seen; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pratitah—has been seen by us.

TRANSLATION

O Lord, we therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto Your eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, which You have so kindly manifested before us. Your supreme, eternal form cannot be seen by unfortunate, less intelligent persons, but we are so much satisfied in our mind and vision to see it.

PURPORT

The four sages were impersonalists in the beginning of their spiritual life, but afterwards, by the grace of their father and spiritual master, Brahma, they understood the eternal, spiritual form of the Lord and felt completely satisfied. In other words, the transcendentalists who aspire to the impersonal Brahman or localized Paramatma are not fully satisfied and still hanker for more. Even if they are satisfied in their minds, still, transcendentally, their eyes are not satisfied. But as soon as such persons come to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are satisfied in all respects. In other words, they become devotees and want to see the form of the Lord continually. It is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita that one who has developed transcendental love of Krsna by smearing his eyes with the ointment of love sees constantly the eternal form of the Lord. The particular word used in this connection, anatmanam, signifies those who have no control over the mind and senses and who therefore speculate and want to become one with the Lord. Such persons cannot have the pleasure of seeing the eternal form of the Lord. For the impersonalists and the so-called yogis, the Lord is always hidden by the curtain of yogamaya. Bhagavad-gita says that even when Lord Krsna was seen by everyone while He was present on the surface of the earth, the impersonalists and the so-called yogis could not see Him because they were devoid of devotional eyesight. The theory of the impersonalists and so-called yogis is that the Supreme Lord assumes a particular form when He comes in touch with maya, although actually He has no form. This very conception of the impersonalists and so-called yogis checks them from seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He is. The Lord, therefore, is always beyond the sight of such nondevotees. The four sages felt so much obliged to the Lord that they offered their respectful obeisances unto Him again and again.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Fifteenth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Description of the Kingdom of God.”

Next chapter (SB 3.16)