ERROR: Your browser does not support scripts.

mayi—unto me; samrabhya—having become angry; vipula—unlimited; madat—out of illusion; sapam—curse; su-duhsaham—unbearable; sthatum arhasi—you may remain; na—never; ekatra—in one place; mat—my; yacna—request; vimukhah—having refused; mune—O great sage.

The great sage Narada continued: When I refused to accept her request, she became very angry at me and cursed me severely. Because I refused her request, she said that I would not be able to stay in one place for a long time.

The great sage Narada Muni has a spiritual body; therefore old age, disease, birth and death do not affect him. Narada is the most kind devotee of the Supreme Lord, and his only business is to travel all over the universe and preach God consciousness. In other words, his business is to make everyone a Vaisnava. Under the circumstances, there is ordinarily no need for him to stay in one place for more than the time he requires to preach. Since by his own free will he is already traveling all over the universe, the curse of Kalakanya is described as fortunate. Like Narada Muni, many other devotees of the Lord are engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord in different places and in different universes. Such personalities are beyond the jurisdiction of material laws.

vavre namna bhayam patim

tatah—thereafter; vihata-sankalpa—being disappointed in her determination; kanyaka—the daughter of Time; yavana-isvaram—unto the king of the untouchables; maya upadistam—indicated by me; asadya—having approached; vavre—accepted; namna—of the name; bhayam—Fear; patim—as her husband.

After she was thus disappointed by me, with my permission she approached the King of the Yavanas, whose name was Bhaya, or Fear, and she accepted him as her husband.

Being the most perfect Vaisnava, Sri Narada Muni is always willing to do good to others, even to one who curses him. Although Kalakanya, the daughter of Time, was refused by Narada Muni, she was given a shelter. Of course no one could give her shelter, but a Vaisnava gives shelter somewhere to such an unfortunate girl. When jara, or old age, attacks, everyone dwindles and deteriorates. In one stroke Narada Muni gave shelter to Kalakanya and counterattacked the ordinary karmis. If one accepts the instructions of Narada Muni, the ocean of fear (bhaya) can be very quickly removed by the grace of that great Vaisnava.

SB4.27.24

TEXT 24

rsabham yavananam tvam

vrne virepsitam patim

sankalpas tvayi bhutanam

krtah kila na risyati

rsabham—the best; yavananam—of the untouchables; tvam—you; vrne—I accept; vira—O great hero; ipsitam—desired; patim—husband; sankalpah—the determination; tvayi—unto you; bhutanam—of all living entities; krtah—if done; kila—certainly; na—never; risyati—becomes baffled.

Approaching the King of the Yavanas, Kalakanya addressed him as a great hero, saying: My dear sir, you are the best of the untouchables. I am in love with you, and I want you as my husband. I know that no one is baffled if he makes friends with you.

The words yavananam rsabham refer to the King of the Yavanas. The Sanskrit words yavana and mleccha apply to those who do not follow the Vedic principles. According to the Vedic principles, one should rise early in the morning, take bath, chant Hare Krsna, offer mangala-arati to the Deities, study Vedic literature, take prasada and engage in dressing and decorating the Deities. One must also collect money for the temple expenditures, or if one is a householder he must go to work in accordance with the prescribed duties of a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra. In this way one should live a life of spiritual understanding, and this is the Vedic way of civilization. One who does not follow all these rules and regulations is called a yavana or mleccha. One should not mistakenly think that these words refer to certain classes of men in other countries. There is no question of limitation according to nationalism. Whether one lives in India or outside of India, he is called a yavana or mleccha if he does not follow the Vedic principles. One who does not actually follow the hygienic principles prescribed in the Vedic rules and regulations will be subjected to many contagious diseases. Because the students in this Krsna consciousness movement are advised to follow the Vedic principles, they naturally become hygienic.

If a person is Krsna conscious, he can work like a young man even if he is seventy-five or eighty years old. Thus the daughter of Kala (Time) cannot overcome a Vaisnava. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami engaged in writing Caitanya-caritamrta when he was very old, yet he presented the most wonderful literature about the activities of Lord Caitanya. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami began their spiritual lives at a very old age, that is, after they retired from their occupations and family lives. Yet they presented many valuable literatures for the advancement of spiritual life. This is confirmed by Srila Srinivasa Acarya, who praised the Gosvamis in this way:

nana-sastra-vicaranaika-nipunau sad-dharma-samsthapakau
lokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau saranyakarau
radha-krsna-padaravinda-bhajananandena mattalikau
vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau

“I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvamis, namely Sri Sanatana Gosvami, Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami and Sri Gopala Bhatta Gosvami, who are very expert in scrutinizingly studying all the revealed scriptures with the aim of establishing eternal religious principles for the benefit of all human beings. Thus they are honored all over the three worlds, and they are worth taking shelter of because they are absorbed in the mood of the gopis and are engaged in the transcendental loving service of Radha and Krsna.”

Thus jara, the effect of old age, does not harass a devotee. This is because a devotee follows the instructions and the determination of Narada Muni. All devotees are in the disciplic succession stemming from Narada Muni because they worship the Deity according to Narada Muni’s direction, namely the Narada-pancaratra, or the pancaratrika-vidhi. A devotee follows the principles of pancaratrika-vidhi as well as bhagavata-vidhi. Bhagavata-vidhi includes preaching work—sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]—the hearing and chanting of the glories of Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The pancaratrika-vidhi includes arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam. Because a devotee rigidly follows the instructions of Narada Muni, he has no fear of old age, disease or death. Apparently a devotee may grow old, but he is not subjected to the symptoms of defeat experienced by a common man in old age. Consequently, old age does not make a devotee fearful of death, as a common man is fearful of death. When jara, or old age, takes shelter of a devotee, Kalakanya diminishes the devotee’s fear. A devotee knows that after death he is going back home, back to Godhead; therefore he has no fear of death. Thus instead of depressing a devotee, advanced age helps him become fearless and thus happy.

yal loka-sastropanatam

na rati na tad icchati

dvau—two kinds; imau—these; anusocanti—they lament; balau—ignorant; asat—the foolish; avagrahau—taking the path of; yat—that which; loka—by custom; sastra—by scriptures; upanatam—presented; na—never; rati—follows; na—neither; tat—that; icchati—desires.

One who does not give charity according to the customs or injunctions of the scriptures and one who does not accept charity in that way are considered to be in the mode of ignorance. Such persons follow the path of the foolish. Surely they must lament at the end.

It is herein stated that one should strictly follow the scriptures if one actually wants an auspicious life. The same is explained in Bhagavad-gita (16.23):

yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya
vartate kama-karatah
na sa siddhim avapnoti
na sukham na param gatim

“He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.” One who does not strictly follow the terms of the Vedic injunctions never attains success in life or happiness. And what to speak of going home, back to Godhead.

One sastric injunction holds that a householder, a ksatriya or an administrative head should not refuse to accept a woman if she voluntarily requests to become a wife. Since Kalakanya, the daughter of Time, was deputed by Narada Muni to offer herself to Yavana-raja, the King of the Yavanas could not refuse her. All transactions must be performed in light of the sastric injunctions. The sastric injunctions are confirmed by great sages like Narada Muni. As stated by Narottama dasa Thakura: sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, cittete kariya aikya. One should follow the principles of saintly persons, scriptures and the spiritual master. In this way one is sure to attain success in life. Kalakanya, the daughter of Time, presented herself before the King of the Yavanas precisely in terms of sadhu, sastra and guru. Thus there was no reason for not accepting her.

SB4.27.26

TEXT 26

atho bhajasva mam bhadra

bhajantim me dayam kuru

etavan pauruso dharmo

yad artan anukampate

atho—therefore; bhajasva—accept; mam—me; bhadra—O gentle one; bhajantim—willing to serve; me—to me; dayam—mercy; kuru—do; etavan—such a measure; paurusah—for any gentleman; dharmah—religious principle; yat—that; artan—to the distressed; anukampate—is compassionate.

Kalakanya continued: O gentle one, I am now present before you to serve you. Please accept me and thus show me mercy. It is a gentleman’s greatest duty to be compassionate upon a person who is distressed.

Yavana-raja, the King of the Yavanas, could also refuse to accept Kalakanya, daughter of Time, but he considered the request due to the order of Narada Muni. Thus he accepted Kalakanya in a different way. In other words, the injunctions of Narada Muni, or the path of devotional service, can be accepted by anyone within the three worlds, and certainly by the King of the Yavanas. Lord Caitanya Himself requested everyone to preach the cult of bhakti-yoga all over the world, in every village and town. Preachers in the Krsna consciousness movement have actually experienced that even the yavanas and mlecchas have taken to spiritual life on the strength of Narada Muni’s pancaratrika-vidhi. When mankind follows the disciplic succession, as recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, everyone throughout the world will benefit.

cikirsur deva-guhyam sa

sasmitam tam abhasata

kala-kanya—by the daughter of Time; udita—expressed; vacah—words; nisamya—hearing; yavana-isvarah—the King of the Yavanas; cikirsuh—desiring to execute; deva—of providence; guhyam—confidential duty; sah—he; sa-smitam—smilingly; tam—her; abhasata—addressed.

After hearing the statement of Kalakanya, daughter of Time, the King of the Yavanas began to smile and devise a means for executing his confidential duty on behalf of providence. He then addressed Kalakanya as follows.

In Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 5.142) it is said:

ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya
yare yaiche nacaya, se taiche kare nrtya

Actually the supreme controller is the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, and everyone is His servant. Yavana-raja, the King of the Yavanas, was also a servant of Krsna. Consequently, he wanted to execute the purpose of Krsna through the agency of Kalakanya. Although Kalakanya means invalidity or old age, Yavana-raja wanted to serve Krsna by introducing Kalakanya everywhere. Thus a sane person, by attaining old age, will become fearful of death. Foolish people engage in material activities as if they will live forever and enjoy material advancement, but actually there is no material advancement. Under illusion people think that material opulence will save them, but although there has been much advancement in material science, the problems of human society—birth, death, old age and disease—are still unsolved. Nonetheless foolish scientists are thinking that they have advanced materially. When Kalakanya, the invalidity of old age, attacks them, they become fearful of death, if they are sane. Those who are insane simply do not care for death, nor do they know what is going to happen after death. They are under the wrong impression that after death there is no life, and consequently they act very irresponsibly in this life and enjoy unrestricted sense gratification. For an intelligent person, the appearance of old age is an impetus to spiritual life. People naturally fear impending death. The King of the Yavanas tried to utilize Kalakanya for this purpose.

SB4.27.28

TEXT 28

maya nirupitas tubhyam

patir atma-samadhina

nabhinandati loko ’yam

tvam abhadram asammatam

maya—by me; nirupitah—settled; tubhyam—for you; patih—husband; atma—of the mind; samadhina—by meditation; na—never; abhinandati—welcome; lokah—the people; ayam—these; tvam—you; abhadram—inauspicious; asammatam—unacceptable.

The King of the Yavanas replied: After much consideration, I have arrived at a husband for you. Actually, as far as everyone is concerned, you are inauspicious and mischievous. Since no one likes you, how can anyone accept you as his wife?

After much consideration, the King of the Yavanas decided to make the best use of a bad bargain. Kalakanya was a bad bargain, and no one liked her, but everything can be used for the service of the Lord. Thus the King of the Yavanas tried to utilize her for some purpose. The purpose has already been explained—that is, Kalakanya as jara, the invalidity of old age, can be used to arouse a sense of fear in people so that they will prepare for the next life by engaging in Krsna consciousness.

SB4.27.29

TEXT 29

tvam avyakta-gatir bhunksva

lokam karma-vinirmitam

ya hi me prtana-yukta

praja-nasam pranesyasi

tvam—you; avyakta-gatih—whose movement is imperceptible; bhunksva—enjoy; lokam—this world; karma-vinirmitam—manufactured by fruitive activities; ya—one who; hi—certainly; me—my; prtana—soldiers; yukta—helped by; praja-nasam—annihilation of the living entities; pranesyasi—you shall carry out without any hindrance.

This world is a product of fruitive activities. Therefore you may imperceptibly attack people in general. Helped by my soldiers, you can kill them without opposition.

The word karma-vinirmitam means “manufactured by fruitive activities.” This entire material world, especially in these days, is the result of fruitive activities. Everyone is fully engaged in decorating the world with highways, motorcars, electricity, skyscrapers, industries, businesses, etc. All this appears very nice for those who are simply engaged in sense gratification and who are ignorant of spiritual identity. As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.4):

nunam pramattah kurute vikarma
yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti
na sadhu manye yata atmano ’yam
asann api klesada asa dehah

Those without knowledge of the spirit soul are mad after materialistic activities, and they perform all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. According to Rsabhadeva, such activities are inauspicious because they force one to accept an abominable body in the next life. Everyone can experience that although we try to keep the body in a comfortable position, it is always giving pain and is subjected to the threefold miseries. Otherwise, why are there so many hospitals, welfare boards and insurance establishments? Actually, in this world there is no happiness. People are simply engaged trying to counteract unhappiness. Foolish people accept unhappiness as happiness; therefore the King of the Yavanas decided to attack such foolish people imperceptibly by old age, disease, and ultimately death. Of course, after death there must be birth; therefore Yavana-raja thought it wise to kill all the karmis through the agency of Kalakanya and thus try to make them aware that materialistic advancement is not actually advancement. Every living entity is a spiritual being, and consequently without spiritual advancement the human form of life is ruined.

SB4.27.30

TEXT 30

prajvaro ’yam mama bhrata

tvam ca me bhagini bhava

caramy ubhabhyam loke ’sminn

avyakto bhima-sainikah

prajvarah—named Prajvara; ayam—this; mama—my; bhrata—brother; tvam—you; ca—also; me—my; bhagini—sister; bhava—become; carami—I shall go about; ubhabhyam—by both of you; loke—in the world; asmin—this; avyaktah—without being manifest; bhima—dangerous; sainikah—with soldiers.

The King of the Yavanas continued: Here is my brother Prajvara. I now accept you as my sister. I shall employ both of you, as well as my dangerous soldiers, to act imperceptibly within this world.