Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Eleven

Svayambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Maharaja to Stop Fighting

SB4.11.1

TEXT 1

maitreya uvaca

nisamya gadatam evam

rsinam dhanusi dhruvah

sandadhe ’stram upasprsya

yan narayana-nirmitam

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—the sage Maitreya continued to speak; nisamya—having heard; gadatam—the words; evam—thus; rsinam—of the sages; dhanusi—upon his bow; dhruvah—Dhruva Maharaja; sandadhe—fixed; astram—an arrow; upasprsya—after touching water; yat—that which; narayana—by Narayana; nirmitam—was made.

TRANSLATION

Sri Maitreya said: My dear Vidura, when Dhruva Maharaja heard the encouraging words of the great sages, he performed the acamana by touching water and then took up his arrow made by Lord Narayana and fixed it upon his bow.

PURPORT

Dhruva Maharaja was given a specific arrow made by Lord Narayana Himself, and he now fixed it upon his bow to finish the illusory atmosphere created by the Yaksas. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita (7.14), mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te. Without Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no one is able to overcome the action of the illusory energy. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has also given us a nice weapon for this age, as stated in the Bhagavatam: sangopangastra—in this age, the narayanastra, or weapon to drive away maya, is the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra in pursuance of the associates of Lord Caitanya, such as Advaita Prabhu, Nityananda, Gadadhara and Srivasa.

SB4.11.2

TEXT 2

sandhiyamana etasmin

maya guhyaka-nirmitah

ksipram vinesur vidura

klesa jnanodaye yatha

SYNONYMS

sandhiyamane—while joining to his bow; etasmin—this nararayanastra; mayah—the illusions; guhyaka-nirmitah—created by the Yaksas; ksipram—very soon; vinesuh—were destroyed; vidura—O Vidura; klesah—illusory pains and pleasures; jnana-udaye—upon the arising of knowledge; yatha—just as.

TRANSLATION

As soon as Dhruva Maharaja joined the narayanastra arrow to his bow, the illusion created by the Yaksas was immediately vanquished, just as all material pains and pleasures are vanquished when one becomes fully cognizant of the self.

PURPORT

Krsna is like the sun, and maya, or the illusory energy of Krsna, is like darkness. Darkness means absence of light; similarly, maya means absence of Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness and maya are always there, side by side. As soon as there is awakening of Krsna consciousness, all the illusory pains and pleasures of material existence are vanquished. Mayam etam taranti te: [Bg. 7.14] constant chanting of the maha-mantra will bkeep us always aloof from the illusory energy of maya.

SB4.11.3

TEXT 3

tasyarsastram dhanusi prayunjatah

suvarna-punkhah kalahamsa-vasasah

vinihsrta avivisur dvisad-balam

yatha vanam bhima-ravah sikhandinah

SYNONYMS

tasya—while Dhruva; arsa-astram—the weapon given by Narayana Rsi; dhanusi—on his bow; prayunjatah—fixed; suvarna-punkhah—(arrows) with golden shafts; kalahamsa-vasasah—with feathers like the wings of a swan; vinihsrtah—sprang out; avivisuh—entered; dvisat-balam—the soldiers of the enemy; yatha—just as; vanam—into a forest; bhima-ravah—making a tumultuous sound; sikhandinah—peacocks.

TRANSLATION

Even as Dhruva Maharaja fixed the weapon made by Narayana Rsi onto his bow, arrows with golden shafts and feathers like the wings of a swan flew out from it. They entered the enemy soldiers with a great hissing sound, just as peacocks enter a forest with tumultuous crowing.

SB4.11.4

TEXT 4

tais tigma-dharaih pradhane sili-mukhair

itas tatah punya-jana upadrutah

tam abhyadhavan kupita udayudhah

suparnam unnaddha-phana ivahayah

SYNONYMS

taih—by those; tigma-dharaih—which had a sharp point; pradhane—on the battlefield; sili-mukhaih—arrows; itah tatah—here and there; punya-janah—the Yaksas; upadrutah—being greatly agitated; tam—towards Dhruva Maharaja; abhyadhavan—rushed; kupitah—being angry; udayudhah—with upraised weapons; suparnam—towards Garuda; unnaddha-phanah—with upraised hoods; iva—like; ahayah—serpents.

TRANSLATION

Those sharp arrows dismayed the enemy soldiers, who became almost unconscious, but various Yaksas on the battlefield, in a rage against Dhruva Maharaja, somehow or other collected their weapons and attacked. Just as serpents agitated by Garuda rush towards Garuda with upraised hoods, all the Yaksa soldiers prepared to overcome Dhruva Maharaja with their upraised weapons.

SB4.11.5

TEXT 5

sa tan prsatkair abhidhavato mrdhe

nikrtta-bahuru-sirodharodaran

ninaya lokam param arka-mandalam

vrajanti nirbhidya yam urdhva-retasah

SYNONYMS

sah—he (Dhruva Maharaja); tan—all the Yaksas; prsatkaih—by his arrows; abhidhavatah—coming forward; mrdhe—in the battlefield; nikrtta—being separated; bahu—arms; uru—thighs; sirah-dhara—necks; udaran—and bellies; ninaya—delivered; lokam—to the planet; param—supreme; arka-mandalam—the sun globe; vrajanti—go; nirbhidya—piercing; yam—to which; urdhva-retasah—those who do not discharge semen at any time.

TRANSLATION

When Dhruva Maharaja saw the Yaksas coming forward, he immediately took his arrows and cut the enemies to pieces. Separating their arms, legs, heads and bellies from their bodies, he delivered the Yaksas to the planetary system which is situated above the sun globe and which is attainable only by first-class brahmacaris, who have never discharged their semen.

PURPORT

To be killed by the Lord or by His devotees is auspicious for nondevotees. The Yaksas were killed indiscriminately by Dhruva Maharaja, but they attained the planetary system attainable only for brahmacaris who never discharged their semen. As the impersonalist jnanis or the demons killed by the Lord attain Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka, persons killed by a devotee of the Lord also attain Satyaloka. To reach the Satyaloka planetary system described here, one has to be elevated above the sun globe. Killing, therefore, is not always bad. If the killing is done by the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotee or in great sacrifices, it is for the benefit of the entity killed in that way. Material so-called nonviolence is very insignificant in comparison to killing done by the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His devotees. Even when a king or the state government kills a person who is a murderer, that killing is for the benefit of the murderer, for thus he may become cleared of all sinful reactions.

An important word in this verse is urdhva-retasah, which means brahmacaris who have never discharged semen. Celibacy is so important that even though one does not undergo any austerities, penances or ritualistic ceremonies prescribed in the Vedas, if one simply keeps himself a pure brahmacari, not discharging his semen, the result is that after death he goes to the Satyaloka. Generally, sex life is the cause of all miseries in the material world. In the Vedic civilization sex life is restricted in various ways. Out of the whole population of the social structure, only the grhasthas are allowed restricted sex life. All others refrain from sex. The people of this age especially do not know the value of not discharging semen. As such, they are variously entangled with material qualities and suffer an existence of struggle only. The word urdhva-retasah especially indicates the Mayavadi sannyasis, who undergo strict principles of austerity. But in the Bhagavad-gita (8.16) the Lord says that even if one goes up to Brahmaloka, he again comes back (abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna). Therefore, actual mukti, or liberation, can be attained only by devotional service, because by devotional service one can go above Brahmaloka, or to the spiritual world, wherefrom he never comes back. Mayavadi sannyasis are very proud of becoming liberated, but actual liberation is not possible unless one is in touch with the Supreme Lord in devotional service. It is said, harim vina na srtim taranti: without Krsna’s mercy, no one can have liberation.

SB4.11.6

TEXT 6

tan hanyamanan abhiviksya guhyakan

anagasas citra-rathena bhurisah

auttanapadim krpaya pitamaho

manur jagadopagatah saharsibhih

SYNONYMS

tan—those Yaksas; hanyamanan—being killed; abhiviksya—seeing; guhyakan—the Yaksas; anagasah—offenseless; citra-rathena—by Dhruva Maharaja, who had a beautiful chariot; bhurisah—greatly; auttanapadim—unto the son of Uttanapada; krpaya—out of mercy; pita-mahah—the grandfather; manuh—Svayambhuva Manu; jagada—gave instructions; upagatah—approached; saha-rsibhih—with great sages.

TRANSLATION

When Svayambhuva Manu saw that his grandson Dhruva Maharaja was killing so many of the Yaksas who were not actually offenders, out of his great compassion he approached Dhruva with great sages to give him good instruction.

PURPORT

Dhruva Maharaja attacked Alakapuri, the city of the Yaksas, because his brother was killed by one of them. Actually only one of the citizens, not all of them, was guilty of killing his brother, Uttama. Dhruva Maharaja, of course, took a very serious step when his brother was killed by the Yaksas. War was declared, and the fighting was going on. This sometimes happens in present days also—for one man’s fault a whole state is sometimes attacked. This kind of wholesale attack is not approved by Manu, the father and lawgiver of the human race. He therefore wanted to stop his grandson Dhruva from continuing to kill the Yaksa citizens who were not offenders.

SB4.11.7

TEXT 7

manur uvaca

alam vatsatirosena

tamo-dvarena papmana

yena punya-janan etan

avadhis tvam anagasah

SYNONYMS

manuh uvaca—Manu said; alam—enough; vatsa—my dear boy; atirosena—with excessive anger; tamah-dvarena—the path of ignorance; papmana—sinful; yena—by which; punya-janan—the Yaksas; etan—all these; avadhih—you have killed; tvam—you; anagasah—offenseless.

TRANSLATION

Lord Manu said: My dear son, please stop. It is not good to become unnecessarily angry—it is the path to hellish life. Now you are going beyond the limit by killing Yaksas who are actually not offenders.

PURPORT

In this verse the word atirosena means “with unnecessary anger.” When Dhruva Maharaja went beyond the limits of necessary anger, his grandfather, Svayambhuva Manu, immediately came to protect him from further sinful action. From this we can understand that killing is not bad, but when killing is done unnecessarily or when an offenseless person is killed, such killing opens the path to hell. Dhruva Maharaja was saved from such sinful action because he was a great devotee.

A ksatriya is allowed to kill only for maintenance of the law and order of the state; he is not allowed to kill or commit violence without reason. Violence is certainly a path leading to a hellish condition of life, but it is also required for maintenance of the law and order of the state. Here Lord Manu prohibited Dhruva Maharaja from killing the Yaksas because only one of them was punishable for killing his brother, Uttama; not all of the Yaksa citizens were punishable. We find in modern warfare, however, that attacks are made upon innocent citizens who are without fault. According to the law of Manu, such warfare is a most sinful activity. Furthermore, at the present moment civilized nations are unnecessarily maintaining many slaughterhouses for killing innocent animals. When a nation is attacked by its enemies, the wholesale slaughter of the citizens should be taken as a reaction to their own sinful activities. That is nature’s law.

SB4.11.8

TEXT 8

nasmat-kulocitam tata

karmaitat sad-vigarhitam

vadho yad upadevanam

arabdhas te ’krtainasam

SYNONYMS

na—not; asmat-kula—our family; ucitam—befitting; tata—my dear son; karma—action; etat—this; sat—by authorities on religion; vigarhitam—forbidden; vadhah—the killing; yat—which; upadevanam—of the Yaksas; arabdhah—was undertaken; te—by you; akrta-enasam—of those who are sinless.

TRANSLATION

My dear son, the killing of the sinless Yaksas which you have undertaken is not at all approved by authorities, and it does not befit our family, which is supposed to know the laws of religion and irreligion.

SB4.11.9

TEXT 9

nanv ekasyaparadhena

prasangad bahavo hatah

bhratur vadhabhitaptena

tvayanga bhratr-vatsala

SYNONYMS

nanu—certainly; ekasya—of one (Yaksa); aparadhena—with the offense; prasangat—because of their association; bahavah—many; hatah—have been killed; bhratuh—of your brother; vadha—by the death; abhitaptena—being aggrieved; tvaya—by you; anga—my dear son; bhratr-vatsala—affectionate to your brother.

TRANSLATION

My dear son, it has been proved that you are very much affectionate towards your brother and are greatly aggrieved at his being killed by the Yaksas, but just consider—for one Yaksa’s offense, you have killed many others, who are innocent.

SB4.11.10

TEXT 10

nayam margo hi sadhunam

hrsikesanuvartinam

yad atmanam parag grhya

pasuvad bhuta-vaisasam

SYNONYMS

na—never; ayam—this; margah—path; hi—certainly; sadhunam—of honest persons; hrsikesa—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anuvartinam—following the path; yat—which; atmanam—self; parak—the body; grhya—thinking to be; pasu-vat—like animals; bhuta—of living entities; vaisasam—killing.

TRANSLATION

One should not accept the body as the self and thus, like the animals, kill the bodies of others. This is especially forbidden by saintly persons, who follow the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

The words sadhunam hrsikesanuvartinam are very significant. Sadhu means “a saintly person.” But who is a saintly person? A saintly person is he who follows the path of rendering service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hrsikesa. In the Narada-pancaratra it is said, hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] the process of rendering favorable service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead with one’s senses is called bhakti, or devotional service. Therefore, why should a person who is already engaged in the service of the Lord engage himself in personal sense gratification? Dhruva Maharaja is advised here by Lord Manu that he is a pure servitor of the Lord. Why should he unnecessarily engage, like the animals, in the bodily concept of life? An animal thinks that the body of another animal is his food; therefore, in the bodily concept of life, one animal attacks another. A human being, especially one who is a devotee of the Lord, should not act like this. A sadhu, a saintly devotee, is not supposed to kill animals unnecessarily.

SB4.11.11

TEXT 11

sarva-bhutatma-bhavena

bhutavasam harim bhavan

aradhyapa duraradhyam

visnos tat paramam padam

SYNONYMS

sarva-bhuta—in all living entities; atma—upon the Supersoul; bhavena—with meditation; bhuta—of all existence; avasam—the abode; harim—Lord Hari; bhavan—you; aradhya—by worshiping; apa—have achieved; duraradhyam—very difficult to propitiate; visnoh—of Lord Visnu; tat—that; paramam—supreme; padam—situation.

TRANSLATION

It is very difficult to achieve the spiritual abode of Hari, in the Vaikuntha planets, but you are so fortunate that you are already destined to go to that abode by worshiping Him as the supreme abode of all living entities.

PURPORT

The material bodies of all living entities cannot exist unless sheltered by the spirit soul and the Supersoul. The spirit soul is dependent on the Supersoul, who is present even within the atom. Therefore, since anything, material or spiritual, is completely dependent on the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Lord is referred to here as bhutavasa. Dhruva Maharaja, as a ksatriya, could have argued with his grandfather, Manu, when Manu requested him to stop fighting. But even though Dhruva could have argued that as a ksatriya it was his duty to fight with the enemy, he was informed that since every living entity is a residence of the Supreme Lord and can be considered a temple of the Lord, the unnecessary killing of any living entity is not permitted.

SB4.11.12

TEXT 12

sa tvam harer anudhyatas

tat-pumsam api sammatah

katham tv avadyam krtavan

anusiksan satam vratam

SYNONYMS

sah—that person; tvam—you; hareh—by the Supreme Lord; anudhyatah—being always remembered; tat—His; pumsam—by the devotees; api—also; sammatah—esteemed; katham—why; tu—then; avadyam—abominable (act); krtavan—you have undertaken; anusiksan—setting the example; satam—of saintly persons; vratam—a vow.

TRANSLATION

Because you are a pure devotee of the Lord, the Lord is always thinking of you, and you are also recognized by all His confidential devotees. Your life is meant for exemplary behavior. I am therefore surprised—why have you undertaken such an abominable task?

PURPORT

Dhruva Maharaja was a pure devotee and was accustomed to always thinking of the Lord. Reciprocally, the Lord always thinks of those pure devotees who think of Him only, twenty-four hours a day. As a pure devotee does not know anything beyond the Lord, so the Lord does not know anything beyond His pure devotee. Svayambhuva Manu pointed out this fact to Dhruva Maharaja: “Not only are you a pure devotee, but you are recognized by all pure devotees of the Lord. You should always act in such an exemplary way that others may learn from you. Under the circumstances, it is surprising that you have killed so many faultless Yaksas.”

SB4.11.13

TEXT 13

titiksaya karunaya

maitrya cakhila-jantusu

samatvena ca sarvatma

bhagavan samprasidati

SYNONYMS

titiksaya—by tolerance; karunaya—by mercy; maitrya—by friendship; ca—also; akhila—universal; jantusu—unto the living entities; samatvena—by equilibrium; ca—also; sarva-atma—the Supersoul; bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; samprasidati—becomes very satisfied.

TRANSLATION

The Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality.

PURPORT

It is the duty of an advanced devotee in the second stage of devotional perfection to act in accordance with this verse. There are three stages of devotional life. In the lowest stage, a devotee is simply concerned with the Deity in the temple, and he worships the Lord with great devotion, according to rules and regulations. In the second stage the devotee is cognizant of his relationship with the Lord, his relationship with fellow devotees, his relationship with persons who are innocent and his relationship with persons who are envious. Sometimes devotees are ill-treated by envious persons. It is advised that an advanced devotee should be tolerant; he should show complete mercy to persons who are ignorant or innocent. A preacher-devotee is meant to show mercy to innocent persons, whom he can elevate to devotional service. Everyone, by constitutional position, is an eternal servant of God. Therefore, a devotee’s business is to awaken everyone’s Krsna consciousness. That is his mercy. As for a devotee’s treatment of other devotees who are his equals, he should maintain friendship with them. His general view should be to see every living entity as part of the Supreme Lord. Different living entities appear in different forms of dress, but according to the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, a learned person sees all living entities equally. Such treatment by the devotee is very much appreciated by the Supreme Lord. lt is said, therefore, that a saintly person is always tolerant and merciful, he is a friend to everyone, never an enemy to anyone, and he is peaceful. These are some of the good qualities of a devotee.

SB4.11.14

TEXT 14

samprasanne bhagavati

purusah prakrtair gunaih

vimukto jiva-nirmukto

brahma nirvanam rcchati

SYNONYMS

samprasanne—upon satisfaction; bhagavati—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; purusah—a person; prakrtaih—from the material; gunaih—modes of nature; vimuktah—being liberated; jiva-nirmuktah—freed from the subtle body also; brahma—unlimited; nirvanam—spiritual bliss; rcchati—achieves.

TRANSLATION

One who actually satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead during one’s lifetime becomes liberated from the gross and subtle material conditions. Thus being freed from all material modes of nature, he achieves unlimited spiritual bliss.

PURPORT

In the previous verse it has been explained that one should treat all living entities with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality. By such behavior one satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and upon His satisfaction the devotee immediately becomes free from all material conditions. The Lord also confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita: “Anyone who sincerely and seriously engages in My service immediately becomes situated in the transcendental stage wherein he can enjoy unlimited spiritual bliss.” Everyone in this material world is struggling hard in order to achieve blissful life. Unfortunately, people do not know how to achieve it. Atheists do not believe in God, and certainly they do not please Him. Here it is clearly said that upon pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead one immediately attains to the spiritual platform and enjoys unlimited blissful life. To become free from material existence means to become free from the influence of material nature.

The word samprasanne, which is used in this verse, means “being satisfied.” A person should act in such a way that the Lord is satisfied by the activity; it is not that he himself is to be satisfied. Of course, when the Lord is satisfied, the devotee automatically becomes satisfied. This is the secret of the process of bhakti-yoga. Outside of bhakti-yoga, everyone is trying to satisfy himself. No one is trying to satisfy the Lord. Karmis grossly try to satisfy their senses, but even those who are elevated to the platform of knowledge also try to satisfy themselves, in a subtle form. Karmis try to satisfy themselves by sense gratification, and jnanis try to satisfy themselves by subtle activities or mental speculation and thinking themselves to be God. Yogis also try to satisfy themselves, by thinking that they can achieve different mystic perfections. But only devotees try to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotees’ process of self-realization is completely different from the processes of the karmis, jnanis and yogis. Everyone else is trying to satisfy himself, whereas the devotee tries only to satisfy the Lord. The devotional process is completely different from the others; by working to please the Lord by engaging his senses in the Lord’s loving service, the devotee is immediately situated on the transcendental platform, and he enjoys unlimited blissful life.

SB4.11.15

TEXT 15

bhutaih pancabhir arabdhair

yosit purusa eva hi

tayor vyavayat sambhutir

yosit-purusayor iha

SYNONYMS

bhutaih—by the material elements; pancabhih—five; arabdhaih—developed; yosit—woman; purusah—man; eva—just so; hi—certainly; tayoh—of them; vyavayat—by sexual life; sambhutih—the further creation; yosit—of women; purusayoh—and of men; iha—in this material world.

TRANSLATION

The creation of the material world begins with the five elements, and thus everything, including the body of a man or a woman, is created of these elements. By the sexual life of man and woman, the number of men and women in this material world is further increased.

PURPORT

When Svayambhuva Manu saw that Dhruva Maharaja understood the philosophy of Vaisnavism and yet was still dissatisfied because of his brother’s death, he gave him an explanation of how this material body is created by the five elements of material nature. In the Bhagavad-gita it is also confirmed, prakrteh kriyamanani: everything is created, maintained and annihilated by the material modes of nature. In the background, of course, there is the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (mayadhyaksena [Bg. 9.10]). In the Ninth Chapter, Krsna says, “Under My superintendence material nature is acting.” Svayambhuva Manu wanted to impress on Dhruva Maharaja that the death of the material body of his brother was not actually the Yaksas’ fault; it was an act of the material nature. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has immense varieties of potencies, and they act in different gross and subtle ways.

It is by such powerful potencies that the universe is created, although grossly it appears to be no more than the five elements—earth, water, fire, air and ether. Similarly, the bodies of all species of living entities, whether human beings or demigods, animals or birds, are also created by the same five elements, and by sexual union they expand into more and more living entities. That is the way of creation, maintenance and annihilation. One should not be disturbed by the waves of material nature in this process. Dhruva Maharaja was indirectly advised not to be afflicted by the death of his brother because our relationship with the body is completely material. The real self, spirit soul, is never annihilated or killed by anyone.

SB4.11.16

TEXT 16

evam pravartate sargah

sthitih samyama eva ca

guna-vyatikarad rajan

mayaya paramatmanah

SYNONYMS

evam—thus; pravartate—occurs; sargah—creation; sthitih—maintenance; samyamah—annihilation; eva—certainly; ca—and; guna—of the modes; vyatikarat—by interaction; rajan—O King; mayaya—by the illusory energy; parama-atmanah—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

Manu continued: My dear King Dhruva, it is simply by the illusory, material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by the interaction of the three modes of material nature that creation, maintenance and annihilation take place.

PURPORT

First, creation takes place with the ingredients of the five elements of material nature. Then, by the interaction of the modes of material nature, maintenance also takes place. When a child is born, the parents immediately see to its maintenance. This tendency for maintenance of offspring is present not only in human society, but in animal society as well. Even tigers care for their cubs, although their propensity is to eat other animals. By the interaction of the material modes of nature, creation, maintenance and also annihilation take place inevitably. But at the same time we should know that all is conducted under the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is going on under that process. Creation is the action of the rajo-guna, the mode of passion; maintenance is the action of sattva-guna, the mode of goodness; and annihilation is the action of tamo-guna, the mode of ignorance. We can see that those who are situated in the mode of goodness live longer than those who are situated in the tamo-guna or rajo-guna. In other words, if one is elevated to the mode of goodness, he is elevated to a higher planetary system, where the duration of life is very great. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah: great rsis, sages and sannyasis who maintain themselves in sattva-guna, or the mode of material goodness, are elevated to a higher planetary system. Those who are transcendental even to the material modes of nature are situated in the mode of pure goodness; they attain eternal life in the spiritual world.

SB4.11.17

TEXT 17

nimitta-matram tatrasin

nirgunah purusarsabhah

vyaktavyaktam idam visvam

yatra bhramati lohavat

SYNONYMS

nimitta-matram—remote cause; tatra—then; asit—was; nirgunah—uncontaminated; purusa-rsabhah—the Supreme Person; vyakta—manifested; avyaktam—unmanifested; idam—this; visvam—world; yatra—where; bhramati—moves; loha-vat—like iron.

TRANSLATION

My dear Dhruva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. He is the remote cause of the creation of this material cosmic manifestation. When He gives the impetus, many other causes and effects are produced, and thus the whole universe moves, just as iron moves by the integrated force of a magnet.

PURPORT

How the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead works within this material world is explained in this verse. Everything is happening by the energy of the Supreme Lord. The atheistic philosophers, who do not agree to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the original cause of creation, think that the material world moves by the action and reaction of different material elements. A simple example of the interaction of elements occurs when we mix soda and acid and the movement of effervescence is produced. But one cannot produce life by such interaction of chemicals. There are 8,400,000 different species of life, with different wishes and different actions. How the material force is working cannot be explained just on the basis of chemical reaction. A suitable example in this connection is that of the potter and the potter’s wheel. The potter’s wheel rotates, and several varieties of earthen pots come out. There are many causes for the earthen pots, but the original cause is the potter, who sets a force on the wheel. That force comes by his superintendence. The same idea is explained in Bhagavad-gita—behind all material action and reaction there is Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna says that everything depends on His energy, and yet He is not everywhere. The pot is produced under certain conditions of action and reaction of material energy, but the potter is not in the pot. In a similar way, the material creation is set up by the Lord, but He remains aloof. As stated in the Vedas, He simply glanced over it, and the agitation of matter immediately began.

In Bhagavad-gita it is also said that the Lord impregnates the material energy with the part-and-parcel jivas, and thus the different forms and different activities immediately ensue. Because of the different desires and karmic activities of the jiva soul, different types of bodies in different species are produced. In Darwin’s theory there is no acceptance of the living entity as spirit soul, and therefore his explanation of evolution is incomplete. Varieties of phenomena occur within this universe on account of the actions and reactions of the three material modes, but the original creator, or the cause, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is mentioned here as nimitta-matram, the remote cause. He simply pushes the wheel with His energy. According to the Mayavadi philosophers, the Supreme Brahman has transformed Himself into many varieties of forms, but that is not the fact. He is always transcendental to the actions and reactions of the material gunas, although He is the cause of all causes. Lord Brahma says, therefore, in the Brahma-samhita (5.1):

isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam

There are many causes and effects, but the original cause is Sri Krsna.

Next verse (SB4.11.18)