ERROR: Your browser does not support scripts.

guna-pravahe—in the current of the modes of material nature; etasmin—this; kah—what; sapah—a curse; kah—what; nu—indeed; anugrahah—a favor; kah—what; svargah—elevation to heavenly planets; narakah—hell; kah—what; va—or; kim—what; sukham—happiness; duhkham—distress; eva—indeed; va—or.

This material world resembles the waves of a constantly flowing river. Therefore, what is a curse and what is a favor? What are the heavenly planets, and what are the hellish planets? What is actually happiness, and what is actually distress? Because the waves flow constantly, none of them has an eternal effect.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings, (miche) mayara vase, yaccha bhese’, khaccha habudubu, bhai: “My dear living entities within this material world, why are you being carried away by the waves of the modes of material nature?” (Jiva) krsna-dasa, ei visvasa, karle ta’ ara duhkha nai: “If the living entity tries to understand that he is an eternal servant of Krsna, there will no longer be misery for him.” Krsna wants us to give up all other engagements and surrender unto Him. If we do so, where will the cause and effect of this material world be? There is nothing like cause and effect for the surrendered soul. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says in this regard that being put into this material world is like being thrown into a mine of salt. If one falls into a mine of salt, he tastes only salt wherever he goes. Similarly, this material world is full of miseries. The so-called temporary happiness of the world is also misery, but in ignorance we cannot understand this. That is the actual position. When one comes to his senses—when he becomes Krsna conscious—he is no longer concerned with the various conditions of this material world. He is not concerned with happiness or distress, curses or favors, or heavenly or hellish planets. He sees no distinction between them.

esam bandham ca moksam ca

sukham duhkham ca niskalah

ekah—one; srjati—creates; bhutani—different varieties of living entities; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; atma-mayaya—by His personal potencies; esam—of all the conditioned souls; bandham—the conditional life; ca—and; moksam—the liberated life; ca—also; sukham—happiness; duhkham—distresses; ca—and; niskalah—not affected by the material qualities.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is one. Unaffected by the conditions of the material world, He creates all the conditioned souls by His own personal potency. Because of being contaminated by the material energy, the living entity is put into ignorance and thus into different conditions of bondage. Sometimes, by knowledge, the living entity is given liberation. In sattva-guna and rajo-guna, he is subjected to happiness and distress.

The question may be raised why the living entities are situated in different conditions and who has arranged this. The answer is that it has been done by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without anyone’s help. The Lord has His own energies (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate), and one of them, namely the external energy, creates the material world and the varieties of happiness and distress for the conditioned souls under the supervision of the Lord. The material world consists of three modes of material nature—sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna. By sattva-guna the Lord maintains the material world, by rajo-guna He creates it, and by tamo-guna He annihilates it. After the varieties of living entities are created, they are subject to happiness and distress according to their association. When they are in sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, they feel happiness, when in rajo-guna they are distressed, and when in tamo-guna they have no sense of what to do or what is right and wrong.

SB6.17.22

TEXT 22

na tasya kascid dayitah pratipo

na jnati-bandhur na paro na ca svah

samasya sarvatra niranjanasya

sukhe na ragah kuta eva rosah

na—not; tasya—of Him (the Supreme Lord); kascit—anyone; dayitah—dear; pratipah—not dear; na—nor; jnati—kinsman; bandhuh—friend; na—nor; parah—other; na—nor; ca—also; svah—own; samasya—who is equal; sarvatra—everywhere; niranjanasya—without being affected by material nature; sukhe—in happiness; na—not; ragah—attachment; kutah—from where; eva—indeed; rosah—anger.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is equally disposed toward all living entities. Therefore no one is very dear to Him, and no one is a great enemy for Him; no one is His friend, and no one is His relative. Being unattached to the material world, He has no affection for so-called happiness or hatred for so-called distress. The two terms happiness and distress are relative. Since the Lord is always happy, for Him there is no question of distress.

SB6.17.23

TEXT 23

tathapi tac-chakti-visarga esam

sukhaya duhkhaya hitahitaya

bandhaya moksaya ca mrtyu-janmanoh

saririnam samsrtaye ’vakalpate

SYNONYMS

tathapi—still; tat-sakti—of the Lord’s energy; visargah—the creation; esam—of these (conditioned souls); sukhaya—for the happiness; duhkhaya—for the distress; hita-ahitaya—for the profit and loss; bandhaya—for the bondage; moksaya—for the liberation; ca—also; mrtyu—of death; janmanoh—and birth; saririnam—of all those who accept material bodies; samsrtaye—for the repetition; avakalpate—acts.

TRANSLATION

Although the Supreme Lord is unattached to our happiness and distress according to karma, and although no one is His enemy or favorite, He creates pious and impious activities through the agency of His material potency. Thus for the continuation of the materialistic way of life He creates happiness and distress, good fortune and bad, bondage and liberation, birth and death.

PURPORT

Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate doer of everything, in His original transcendental existence He is not responsible for the happiness and distress, or bondage and liberation, of the conditioned souls. These are due to the results of the fruitive activities of the living entities within this material world. By the order of a judge, one person is released from jail, and another is imprisoned, but the judge is not responsible, for the distress and happiness of these different people is due to their own activities. Although the government is ultimately the supreme authority, the justice is administered by the departments of the government, and the government is not responsible for the individual judgments. Therefore the government is equal to all the citizens. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is neutral to everyone, but for the maintenance of law and order His supreme government has various departments, which control the activities of the living entities. Another example given in this regard is that lilies open or close because of the sunshine, and thus the bumblebees enjoy or suffer, but the sunshine and the sun globe are not responsible for the happiness and distress of the bumblebees.

SB6.17.24

TEXT 24

atha prasadaye na tvam

sapa-moksaya bhamini

yan manyase hy asadhuktam

mama tat ksamyatam sati

atha—therefore; prasadaye—I am trying to please; na—not; tvam—you; sapa-moksaya—for being released from your curse; bhamini—O most angry one; yat—which; manyase—you consider; hi—indeed; asadhu-uktam—improper speech; mama—my; tat—that; ksamyatam—let it be excused; sati—O most chaste one.

O mother, you are now unnecessarily angry, but since all my happiness and distress are destined by my past activities, I do not plead to be excused or relieved from your curse. Although what I have said is not wrong, please let whatever you think is wrong be pardoned.

Being fully aware of how the results of one’s karma accrue by the laws of nature, Citraketu did not want to be released from Parvati’s curse. Nonetheless, he wanted to satisfy her because although his verdict was natural, she was displeased with him. As a matter of course, Maharaja Citraketu begged pardon from Parvati.

pasyatoh smayatos tayoh

sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti—thus; prasadya—after satisfying; girisau—Lord Siva and his wife, Parvati; citraketuh—King Citraketu; arim-dama—O King Pariksit, who are always able to subdue the enemy; jagama—went away; sva-vimanena—by his own airplane; pasyatoh—were watching; smayatoh—were smiling; tayoh—while Lord Siva and Parvati.

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami continued: O King Pariksit, subduer of the enemy, after Citraketu satisfied Lord Siva and his wife, Parvati, he boarded his airplane and left as they looked on. When Lord Siva and Parvati saw that Citraketu, although informed of the curse, was unafraid, they smiled, being fully astonished by his behavior.

SB6.17.26

TEXT 26

tatas tu bhagavan rudro

rudranim idam abravit

devarsi-daitya-siddhanam

parsadanam ca srnvatam

SYNONYMS

tatah—thereafter; tu—then; bhagavan—the most powerful; rudrah—Lord Siva; rudranim—unto his wife, Parvati; idam—this; abravit—said; devarsi—while the great sage Narada; daitya—the demons; siddhanam—and the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, who are expert in yogic power; parsadanam—his personal associates; ca—also; srnvatam—were listening.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, in the presence of the great sage Narada, the demons, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, and his personal associates, Lord Siva, who is most powerful, spoke to his wife, Parvati, while they all listened.

SB6.17.27

TEXT 27

sri-rudra uvaca

drstavaty asi susroni

harer adbhuta-karmanah

mahatmyam bhrtya-bhrtyanam

nihsprhanam mahatmanam

SYNONYMS

sri-rudrah uvaca—Lord Siva said; drstavati asi—have you seen; su-sroni—O beautiful Parvati; hareh—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; adbhuta-karmanah—whose acts are wonderful; mahatmyam—the greatness; bhrtya-bhrtyanam—of the servants of the servants; nihsprhanam—who are without ambitions for sense gratification; mahatmanam—great souls.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva said: My dear beautiful Parvati, have you seen the greatness of the Vaisnavas? Being servants of the servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, they are great souls and are not interested in any kind of material happiness.

PURPORT

Lord Siva, the husband of Parvati, told his wife, “My dear Parvati, you are very beautiful in your bodily features. Certainly you are glorious. But I do not think that you can compete with the beauty and glory of devotees who have become servants of the servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Of course, Lord Siva smiled when he joked with his wife in that way, for others cannot speak like that. “The Supreme Lord,” Siva continued, “is always exalted in His activities, and here is another example of His wonderful influence upon King Citraketu, His devotee. Just see, although you cursed the King, he was not at all afraid or sorry. Rather, he offered respect to you, called you mother and accepted your curse, thinking himself faulty. He did not say anything in retaliation. This is the excellence of a devotee. By mildly tolerating your curse, he has certainly excelled the glory of your beauty and your power to curse him. I can impartially judge that this devotee, Citraketu, has defeated you and your excellence simply by becoming a pure devotee of the Lord.” As stated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, taror api sahisnuna. Just like a tree, a devotee can tolerate all kinds of curses and reversals in life. This is the excellence of a devotee. Indirectly, Lord Siva forbade Parvati to commit the mistake of cursing a devotee like Citraketu. He indicated that although she was powerful, the King, without showing any power, had excelled her power by his tolerance.

SB6.17.28

TEXT 28

narayana-parah sarve

na kutascana bibhyati

svargapavarga-narakesv

api tulyartha-darsinah

narayana-parah—pure devotees, who are interested only in the service of Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarve—all; na—not; kutascana—anywhere; bibhyati—are afraid; svarga—in the higher planetary systems; apavarga—in liberation; narakesu—and in hell; api—even; tulya—equal; artha—value; darsinah—who see.

Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.

Parvati might naturally have inquired how devotees become so exalted. Therefore this verse explains that they are narayana-para, simply dependent on Narayana. They do not mind reverses in life because in the service of Narayana they have learned to tolerate whatever hardships there may be. They do not care whether they are in heaven or in hell: they simply engage in the service of the Lord. This is their excellence. Anukulyena krsnanusilanam: they are liberally engaged in the service of the Lord, and therefore they are excellent. By using the word bhrtya-bhrtyanam, Lord Siva pointed out that although Citraketu provided one example of tolerance and excellence, all the devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord as eternal servants are glorious. They have no eagerness to be happy by being placed in the heavenly planets, becoming liberated or becoming one with Brahman, the supreme effulgence. These benefits do not appeal to their minds. They are simply interested in giving direct service to the Lord.

SB6.17.29

TEXT 29

dehinam deha-samyogad

dvandvanisvara-lilaya

sukham duhkham mrtir janma

sapo ’nugraha eva ca

dehinam—of all those who have accepted material bodies; deha-samyogat—because of contact with the material body; dvandvani—dualities; isvara-lilaya—by the supreme will of the Lord; sukham—happiness; duhkham—distress; mrtih—death; janma—birth; sapah—curse; anugrahah—favor; eva—certainly; ca—and.

Because of the actions of the Supreme Lord’s external energy, the living entities are conditioned in contact with material bodies. The dualities of happiness and distress, birth and death, curses and favors, are natural by-products of this contact in the material world.

In Bhagavad-gita we find, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: [Bg. 9.10] the material world works under the direction of the goddess Durga, the material energy of the Lord, but she acts under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also confirmed in the Brahma-samhita (5.44):

srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka
chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga

Durga—the goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Siva—is extremely powerful. She can create, maintain and annihilate any number of universes by her sweet will, but she acts under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, not independently. Krsna is impartial, but because this is the material world of duality, such relative terms as happiness and distress, curses and favors, are created by the will of the Supreme. Those who are not narayana-para, pure devotees, must be disturbed by this duality of the material world, whereas devotees who are simply attached to the service of the Lord are not at all disturbed by it. For example, Haridasa Thakura was beaten with cane in twenty-two bazaars, but he was never disturbed; instead, he smilingly tolerated the beating. Despite the disturbing dualities of the material world, devotees are not disturbed at all. Because they fix their minds on the lotus feet of the Lord and concentrate on the holy name of the Lord, they do not feel the so-called pains and pleasures caused by the dualities of this material world.

SB6.17.30

TEXT 30

aviveka-krtah pumso

hy artha-bheda ivatmani

guna-dosa-vikalpas ca

bhid eva srajivat krtah

aviveka-krtah—done in ignorance, without mature consideration; pumsah—of the living entity; hi—indeed; artha-bhedah—differentiation of value; iva—like; atmani—in himself; guna-dosa—of quality and fault; vikalpah—imagination; ca—and; bhit—difference; eva—certainly; sraji—in a garland; vat—like; krtah—male.

As one mistakenly considers a flower garland to be a snake or experiences happiness and distress in a dream, so, in the material world, by a lack of careful consideration, we differentiate between happiness and distress, considering one good and the other bad.

The happiness and distress of the material world of duality are both mistaken ideas. In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 4.176) it is said:

”dvaite” bhadrabhadra-jnana, saba——”manodharma”
”ei bhala, ei manda”,——ei saba ”bhrama”

The distinctions between happiness and distress in the material world of duality are simply mental concoctions, for the so-called happiness and distress are actually one and the same. They are like the happiness and distress in dreams. A sleeping man creates his happiness and distress by dreaming, although actually they have no existence.

The other example given in this verse is that a flower garland is originally very nice, but by mistake, for want of mature knowledge, one may consider it a snake. In this connection there is a statement by Prabodhananda Sarasvati: visvam purna-sukhayate. Everyone in this material world is distressed by miserable conditions, but Srila Prabodhananda Sarasvati says that this world is full of happiness. How is this possible? He answers, yat-karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam tam gauram eva stumah. A devotee accepts the distress of this material world as happiness only due to the causeless mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. By His personal behavior, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed that He was never distressed but always happy in chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. One should follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and engage constantly in chanting the maha-mantra—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Then he will never feel the distresses of the world of duality. In any condition of life one will be happy if he chants the holy name of the Lord.

In dreams we sometimes enjoy eating sweet rice and sometimes suffer as if one of our beloved family members had died. Because the same mind and body exist in the same material world of duality when we are awake, the so-called happiness and distress of this world are no better than the false, superficial happiness of dreams. The mind is the via medium in both dreams and wakefulness, and everything created by the mind in terms of sankalpa and vikalpa, acceptance and rejection, is called manodharma, or mental concoction.

SB6.17.31

TEXT 31

vasudeve bhagavati

bhaktim udvahatam nrnam

jnana-vairagya-viryanam

na hi kascid vyapasrayah

vasudeve—to Lord Vasudeva, Krsna; bhagavati—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhaktim—love and faith in devotional service; udvahatam—for those who are carrying; nrnam—men; jnana-vairagya—of real knowledge and detachment; viryanam—possessing the powerful strength; na—not; hi—indeed; kascit—anything; vyapasrayah—as interest or shelter.

Persons engaged in devotional service to Lord Vasudeva, Krsna, have naturally perfect knowledge and detachment from this material world. Therefore such devotees are not interested in the so-called happiness or so-called distress of this world.

Here is the distinction between a devotee and a philosopher who speculates on the subject matter of transcendence. A devotee does not need to cultivate knowledge to understand the falsity or temporary existence of this material world. Because of his unalloyed devotion to Vasudeva, this knowledge and detachment are automatically manifested in his person. As confirmed elsewhere in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.7):

vasudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogah prayojitah
janayaty asu vairagyam
jnanam ca yad ahaitukam

One who engages in unalloyed devotional service to Vasudeva, Krsna, automatically becomes aware of this material world, and therefore he is naturally detached. This detachment is possible because of his high standard of knowledge. The speculative philosopher tries to understand that this material world is false by cultivating knowledge, but this understanding is automatically manifested in the person of a devotee, without separate endeavor. The Mayavadi philosophers may be very proud of their so-called knowledge, but because they do not understand Vasudeva (vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]), they do not understand the world of duality, which is a manifestation of Vasudeva’s external energy. Therefore, unless the so-called jnanis take shelter of Vasudeva, their speculative knowledge is imperfect. Ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninah. They simply think of becoming free from the contamination of the material world, but because they do not take shelter at the lotus feet of Vasudeva, their knowledge is impure. When they actually become pure, they surrender to the lotus feet of Vasudeva. Therefore, the Absolute Truth is easier to understand for a devotee than for jnanis who simply speculate to understand Vasudeva. Lord Siva confirms this statement in the following verse.

SB6.17.32

TEXT 32

naham virinco na kumara-naradau

na brahma-putra munayah suresah

vidama yasyehitam amsakamsaka

na tat-svarupam prthag-isa-maninah

na—not; aham—I (Lord Siva); virincah—Lord Brahma; na—nor; kumara—the Asvini-kumaras; naradau—the great saint Narada; na—nor; brahma-putrah—the sons of Lord Brahma; munayah—great saintly persons; sura-isah—all the great demigods; vidama—know; yasya—of whom; ihitam—activity; amsaka-amsakah—those who are parts of the parts; na—not; tat—His; sva-rupam—real personality; prthak—separate; isa—rulers; maninah—who consider ourselves to be.

Neither I [Lord Siva], nor Brahma, nor the Asvini-kumaras, nor Narada or the other great sages who are Brahma’s sons, nor even the demigods can understand the pastimes and personality of the Supreme Lord. Although we are part of the Supreme Lord, we consider ourselves independent, separate controllers, and thus we cannot understand His identity.

na hy asyasti priyah kascin

Brahma-samhita (5.33) states:

advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam
adyam purana-purusam nava-yauvanam ca
vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who is the original person. He is absolute, infallible and beginningless, and although expanded into unlimited forms, He is still the same original person, the oldest person, who always appears as a fresh youth. The eternal, blissful, all-knowing forms of the Lord can not be understood even by the best Vedic scholars, but they are always manifest to pure, unalloyed devotees.” Lord Siva places himself as one of the nondevotees, who cannot understand the identity of the Supreme Lord. The Lord, being ananta, has an unlimited number of forms. Therefore, how is it possible for an ordinary, common man to understand Him? Lord Siva, of course, is above the ordinary human beings, yet be is unable to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Siva is not among the ordinary living entities, nor is he in the category of Lord Visnu. He is between Lord Visnu and the common living entity.

SB6.17.33

TEXT 33

napriyah svah paro ’pi va

atmatvat sarva-bhutanam

sarva-bhuta-priyo harih

na—not; hi—indeed; asya—of the Lord; asti—there is; priyah—very dear; kascit—anyone; na—nor; apriyah—not dear; svah—own; parah—other; api—even; va—or; atmatvat—due to being the soul of the soul; sarva-bhutanam—of all living entities; sarva-bhuta—to all living entities; priyah—very, very dear; harih—Lord Hari.

He holds no one as very dear and no one as inimical. He has no one for His own relative, and no one is alien to Him. He is actually the soul of the soul of all living entities. Thus He is the auspicious friend of all living beings and is very near and dear to all of them.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His second feature, is the Supersoul of all living entities. As one’s self is extremely dear, the Superself of the self is still more dear. No one can be the enemy of the friendly Superself, who is equal to everyone. Relationships of dearness or enmity between the Supreme Lord and the living beings are due to the intervention of the illusory energy. Because the three modes of material nature intervene between the Lord and the living beings, these different relationships appear. Actually, the living entity in his pure condition is always very near and dear to the Lord, and the Lord is dear to him. There is no question of partiality or enmity.

SB6.17.34-35

TEXTS 34–35

tasya cayam maha-bhagas

citraketuh priyo ’nugah

sarvatra sama-drk santo

hy aham caivacyuta-priyah

tasman na vismayah karyah

tasya—of Him (the Lord); ca—and; ayam—this; maha-bhagah—the most fortunate; citraketuh—King Citraketu; priyah—beloved; anugah—most obedient servant; sarvatra—everywhere; sama-drk—sees equally; santah—very peaceful; hi—indeed; aham—I; ca—also; eva—certainly; acyuta-priyah—very dear to Lord Krsna, who never fails; tasmat—therefore; na—no; vismayah—wonder; karyah—to be done; purusesu—among persons; maha-atmasu—who are exalted souls; maha-purusa-bhaktesu—devotees of Lord Visnu; santesu—peaceful; sama-darsisu—equal to everyone.

This magnanimous Citraketu is a dear devotee of the Lord. He is equal to all living entities and is free from attachment and hatred. Similarly, I am also very dear to Lord Narayana. Therefore, no one should be astonished to see the activities of the most exalted devotees of Narayana, for they are free from attachment and envy. They are always peaceful, and they are equal to everyone.

It is said, vaisnavera kriya, mudra vijneha na bujhaya: one should not be astonished to see the activities of exalted, liberated Vaisnavas. As one should not be misled by the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should also not be misled by the activities of His devotees. Both the Lord and His devotees are liberated. They are on the same platform, the only difference being that the Lord is the master and the devotees are servants. Qualitatively, they are one and the same. In Bhagavad-gita (9.29) the Lord says:

samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu
na me dvesyo ’sti na priyah
ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya
mayi te tesu capy aham

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” From this statement by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is clear that the devotees of the Lord are always extremely dear to Him. In effect, Lord Siva told Parvati, “Both Citraketu and I are always very dear to the Supreme Lord. In other words, both he and I are on the same level as servants of the Lord. We are always friends, and sometimes we enjoy joking words between us. When Citraketu loudly laughed at my behavior, he did so on friendly terms, and therefore there was no reason to curse him.” Thus Lord Siva tried to convince his wife, Parvati, that her cursing of Citraketu was not very sensible.

Here is a difference between male and female that exists even in the higher statuses of life—in fact, even between Lord Siva and his wife. Lord Siva could understand Citraketu very nicely, but Parvati could not. Thus even in the higher statuses of life there is a difference between the understanding of a male and that of a female. It may be clearly said that the understanding of a woman is always inferior to the understanding of a man. In the Western countries there is now agitation to the effect that man and woman should be considered equal, but from this verse it appears that woman is always less intelligent than man.

It is clear that Citraketu wanted to criticize the behavior of his friend Lord Siva because Lord Siva was sitting with his wife on his lap. Then, too, Lord Siva wanted to criticize Citraketu for externally posing as a great devotee but being interested in enjoying with the Vidyadhari women. These were all friendly jokes; there was nothing serious for which Citraketu should have been cursed by Parvati. Upon hearing the instructions of Lord Siva, Parvati must have been very much ashamed for cursing Citraketu to become a demon. Mother Parvati could not appreciate Citraketu’s position, and therefore she cursed him, but when she understood the instructions of Lord Siva she was ashamed.

SB6.17.36

TEXT 36

sri-suka uvaca

iti srutva bhagavatah

sivasyomabhibhasitam

babhuva santa-dhi rajan

devi vigata-vismaya

sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti—thus; srutva—hearing; bhagavatah—of the most powerful demigod; sivasya—of Lord Siva; uma—Parvati; abhibhasitam—instruction; babhuva—became; santa-dhih—very peaceful; rajan—O King Pariksit; devi—the goddess; vigata-vismaya—released from astonishment.

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, after hearing this speech by her husband, the demigoddess [Uma, the wife of Lord Siva] gave up her astonishment at the behavior of King Citraketu and became steady in intelligence.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura remarks that the word santa-dhih means sviya-purva-svabhava-smrtya. When Parvati remembered her former behavior in cursing Citraketu, she became very much ashamed and covered her face with the skirt of her sari, admitting that she was wrong in cursing Citraketu.

SB6.17.37

TEXT 37

iti bhagavato devyah

pratisaptum alantamah

murdhna sa jagrhe sapam

etavat sadhu-laksanam

iti—thus; bhagavatah—the most exalted devotee; devyah—of Parvati; pratisaptum—to make a counter-curse; alantamah—able in all respects; murdhna—with his head; sah—he (Citraketu); jagrhe—accepted; sapam—the curse; etavat—this much; sadhu-laksanam—the symptom of a devotee.

The great devotee Citraketu was so powerful that he was quite competent to curse mother Parvati in retaliation, but instead of doing so he very humbly accepted the curse and bowed his head before Lord Siva and his wife. This is very much to be appreciated as the standard behavior of a Vaisnava.

Upon being informed by Lord Siva, mother Parvati could understand that she was wrong in cursing Citraketu. King Citraketu was so exalted in his character that in spite of being wrongly cursed by Parvati, he immediately descended from his airplane and bowed his head before the mother, accepting her curse. This has already been explained: narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati. Citraketu very sportingly felt that since the mother wanted to curse him, he could accept this curse just to please her. This is called sadhu-laksanam, the characteristic of a sadhu, or a devotee. As explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. A devotee should always be very humble and meek and should offer all respect to others, especially to superiors. Being protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, a devotee is always powerful, but a devotee does not wish to show his power unnecessarily. However, when a less intelligent person has some power, he wants to use it for sense gratification. This is not the behavior of a devotee.

SB6.17.38

TEXT 38

jajne tvastur daksinagnau

danavim yonim asritah

vrtra ity abhivikhyato

jnana-vijnana-samyutah

jajne—was born; tvastuh—of the brahmana known as Tvasta; daksina-agnau—in the fire sacrifice known as daksinagni; danavim—demoniac; yonim—species of life; asritah—taking shelter of; vrtrah—Vrtra; iti—thus; abhivikhyatah—celebrated; jnana-vijnana-samyutah—fully equipped with transcendental knowledge and practical application of that knowledge in life.

Being cursed by mother Durga [Bhavani, the wife of Lord Siva], that same Citraketu accepted birth in a demoniac species of life. Although still fully equipped with transcendental knowledge and practical application of that knowledge in life, he appeared as a demon at the fire sacrifice performed by Tvasta, and thus he became famous as Vrtrasura.

The word yoni is generally understood to mean jati—family, group or species. Although Vrtrasura appeared in a family of demons, it is clearly said that his knowledge of spiritual life still existed. Jnana-vijnana-samyutah: his spiritual knowledge and the practical application of that knowledge in life were not lost. Therefore it is said that even if a devotee falls down for some reason, he is still not lost.

yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah

(Bhag. 1.5.17)

Once one is advanced in devotional service, his spiritual assets are never lost under any circumstances. Whatever spiritual advancement he has achieved continues. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. Even if a bhakti-yogi falls, he takes birth in a rich family or family of brahmanas, in which he again starts devotional activities from the point where he left off. Although Vrtrasura was known as an asura, or demon, he did not lose his consciousness of Krsna or devotional service.

SB6.17.39

TEXT 39

etat te sarvam akhyatam

yan mam tvam pariprcchasi

vrtrasyasura-jates ca

karanam bhagavan-mateh

etat—this; te—unto you; sarvam—all; akhyatam—explained; yat—which; mam—me; tvam—you; pariprcchasi—asked; vrtrasya—of Vrtrasura; asura-jateh—whose birth was in a species of asuras; ca—and; karanam—the cause; bhagavat-mateh—of exalted intelligence in Krsna consciousness.

My dear King Pariksit, you inquired from me how Vrtrasura, a great devotee, took birth in a demoniac family. Thus I have tried to explain to you everything about this.

SB6.17.40

TEXT 40

itihasam imam punyam

citraketor mahatmanah

mahatmyam visnu-bhaktanam

srutva bandhad vimucyate

SYNONYMS

itihasam—history; imam—this; punyam—very pious; citraketoh—of Citraketu; maha-atmanah—the exalted devotee; mahatmyam—containing glory; visnu-bhaktanam—from the devotees of Visnu; srutva—hearing; bandhat—from bondage or conditional, material life; vimucyate—is freed.

TRANSLATION

Citraketu was a great devotee [mahatma]. If one hears this history of Citraketu from a pure devotee, the listener also is freed from the conditional life of material existence.

PURPORT

The historical incidents in the puranas, such as the history of Citraketu explained in the Bhagavata Purana, are sometimes misunderstood by outsiders, or nondevotees. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami advised that the history of Citraketu be heard from a devotee. Anything about devotional service or the characteristics of the Lord and His devotees must be heard from a devotee, not from a professional reciter. This is advised herein. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s secretary also advised that one learn the history of Srimad-Bhagavatam from a devotee: yaha, bhagavata pada vaisnavera sthane. One should not hear the statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam from professional reciters, or else they will not be effective. Quoting from Padma Purana, Sri Sanatana Gosvami has strictly forbidden us to hear about the activities of the Lord and His devotees from the mouths of nondevotees:

avaisnava-mukhodgirnam
putam hari-kathamrtam
sravanam naiva kartavyam
sarpocchistam yatha payah

“One should not hear anything about Krsna from a non-Vaisnava. Milk touched by the lips of a serpent has poisonous effects; similarly, talks about Krsna given by a non-Vaisnava are also poisonous.” One must be a bona fide devotee, and then he can preach and impress devotional service upon his listeners.

SB6.17.41

TEXT 41

ya etat pratar utthaya

sraddhaya vag-yatah pathet

itihasam harim smrtva

sa yati paramam gatim

yah—any person who; etat—this; pratah—early in the morning; utthaya—rising; sraddhaya—with faith; vak-yatah—controlling the mind and words; pathet—may read; itihasam—history; harim—the Supreme Lord; smrtva—remembering; sah—that person; yati—goes; paramam gatim—back home, back to Godhead.