Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Six
SB1.6.22
TEXT 22
sakṛd yad darśitaṁ rūpam
etat kāmāya te ’nagha
mat-kāmaḥ śanakaiḥ sādhu
sarvān muñcati hṛc-chayān
SYNONYMS
sakṛt—once only; yat—that; darśitam—shown; rūpam—form; etat—this is; kāmāya—for hankerings; te—your; anagha—O virtuous one; mat—Mine; kāmaḥ—desire; śanakaiḥ—by increasing; sādhuḥ—devotee; sarvān—all; muñcati—gives away; hṛt-śayān—material desires.
TRANSLATION
O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires.
PURPORT
A living being cannot be vacant of desires. He is not a dead stone. He must be working, thinking, feeling and willing. But when he thinks, feels and wills materially, he becomes entangled, and conversely when he thinks, feels and wills for the service of the Lord, he becomes gradually freed from all entanglement. The more a person is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the more he acquires a hankering for it. That is the transcendental nature of godly service. Material service has satiation, whereas spiritual service of the Lord has neither satiation nor end. One can go on increasing his hankerings for the loving transcendental service of the Lord, and yet he will not find satiation or end. By intense service of the Lord, one can experience the presence of the Lord transcendentally. Therefore seeing the Lord means being engaged in His service because His service and His person are identical. The sincere devotee should go on with sincere service of the Lord. The Lord will give proper direction as to how and where it has to be done. There was no material desire in Nārada, and yet just to increase his intense desire for the Lord, he was so advised.
SB1.6.23 TEXT 23 sat-sevayādīrghayāpi jātā mayi dṛḍhā matiḥ hitvāvadyam imaṁ lokaṁ gantā maj-janatām asi SYNONYMS sat-sevayā—by service of the Absolute Truth; adīrghayā—for some days; api—even; jātā—having attained; mayi—unto Me; dṛḍhā—firm; matiḥ—intelligence; hitvā—having given up; avadyam—deplorable; imam—this; lokam—material worlds; gantā—going to; mat-janatām—My associates; asi—become.
TRANSLATION By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me. Consequently he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after giving up the present deplorable material worlds. PURPORT Serving the Absolute Truth means rendering service unto the Absolute Personality of Godhead under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, who is a transparent via medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee. The neophyte devotee has no ability to approach the Absolute Personality of Godhead by the strength of his present imperfect material senses, and therefore under the direction of the spiritual master he is trained in transcendental service of the Lord. And by such training, even for some days, the neophyte devotee gets intelligence in such transcendental service, which leads him ultimately to get free from perpetual inhabitation in the material worlds and to be promoted to the transcendental world to become one of the liberated associates of the Lord in the kingdom of God.
SB1.6.24 TEXT 24 matir mayi nibaddheyaṁ na vipadyeta karhicit prajā-sarga-nirodhe ’pi smṛtiś ca mad-anugrahāt SYNONYMS matiḥ—intelligence; mayi—devoted to Me; nibaddhā—engaged; iyam—this; na—never; vipadyeta—separate; karhicit—at any time; prajā—living beings; sarga—at the time of creation; nirodhe—also at the time of annihilation; api—even; smṛtiḥ—remembrance; ca—and; mat—Mine; anugrahāt—by the mercy of.
TRANSLATION Intelligence engaged in My devotion cannot be thwarted at any time. Even at the time of creation, as well as at the time of annihilation, your remembrance will continue by My mercy. PURPORT Devotional service rendered to the Personality of Godhead never goes in vain. Since the Personality of Godhead is eternal, intelligence applied in His service or anything done in His relation is also permanent. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that such transcendental service rendered unto the Personality of Godhead accumulates birth after birth, and when the devotee is fully matured, the total service counted together makes him eligible to enter into the association of the Personality of Godhead. Such accumulation of God’s service is never vanquished, but increases till fully matured.
SB1.6.25 TEXT 25 etāvad uktvopararāma tan mahad bhūtaṁ nabho-liṅgam aliṅgam īśvaram ahaṁ ca tasmai mahatāṁ mahīyase śīrṣṇāvanāmaṁ vidadhe ’nukampitaḥ SYNONYMS etāvat—thus; uktvā—spoken; upararāma—stopped; tat—that; mahat—great; bhūtam—wonderful; nabhaḥ-liṅgam—personified by sound; aliṅgam—unseen by the eyes; īśvaram—the supreme authority; aham—I; ca—also; tasmai—unto Him; mahatām—the great; mahīyase—unto the glorified; śīrṣṇā—by the head; avanāmam—obeisances; vidadhe—executed; anukampitaḥ—being favored by Him.
TRANSLATION Then that supreme authority, personified by sound and unseen by eyes, but most wonderful, stopped speaking. Feeling a sense of gratitude, I offered my obeisances unto Him, bowing my head. PURPORT That the Personality of Godhead was not seen but only heard does not make any difference. The Personality of Godhead produced the four Vedas by His breathing, and He is seen and realized through the transcendental sound of the Vedas. Similarly, the Bhagavad-gītā is the sound representation of the Lord, and there is no difference in identity. The conclusion is that the Lord can be seen and heard by persistent chanting of the transcendental sound.
SB1.6.26 TEXT 26 nāmāny anantasya hata-trapaḥ paṭhan guhyāni bhadrāṇi kṛtāni ca smaran gāṁ paryaṭaṁs tuṣṭa-manā gata-spṛhaḥ kālaṁ pratīkṣan vimado vimatsaraḥ SYNONYMS nāmāni—the holy name, fame, etc.; anantasya—of the unlimited; hata-trapaḥ—being freed from all formalities of the material world; paṭhan—by recitation, repeated reading, etc.; guhyāni—mysterious; bhadrāṇi—all benedictory; kṛtāni—activities; ca—and; smaran—constantly remembering; gām—on the earth; paryaṭan—traveling all through; tuṣṭa-manāḥ—fully satisfied; gata-spṛhaḥ—completely freed from all material desires; kālam—time; pratīkṣan—awaiting; vimadaḥ—without being proud; vimatsaraḥ—without being envious.
TRANSLATION Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are benedictory. So doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious. PURPORT The life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell by Nārada Muni by his personal example. Such a devotee, after his initiation by the Lord or His bona fide representative, takes very seriously chanting of the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may also hear the glories of the Lord. Such devotees have no desire for material gain. They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead. This awaits them in due course on quitting the material body. Because they have the highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone, nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead. Their only business is to chant and remember the holy name, fame and pastimes of the Lord and, according to personal capacity, to distribute the message for others’ welfare without motive of material gain.
SB1.6.27 TEXT 27 evaṁ kṛṣṇa-mater brahman nāsaktasyāmalātmanaḥ kālaḥ prādurabhūt kāle taḍit saudāmanī yathā SYNONYMS evam—thus; kṛṣṇa-mateḥ—one who is fully absorbed in thinking of Kṛṣṇa; brahman—O Vyāsadeva; na—not; āsaktasya—of one who is attached; amala-ātmanaḥ—of one who is completely free from all material dirt; kālaḥ—death; prādurabhūt—become visible; kāle—in the course of time; taḍit—lightning; saudāmanī—illuminating; yathā—as it is.
TRANSLATION And so, O Brāhmaṇa Vyāsadeva, in due course of time I, who was fully absorbed in thinking of Kṛṣṇa and who therefore had no attachments, being completely freed from all material taints, met with death, as lightning and illumination occur simultaneously. PURPORT To be fully absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa means clearance of material dirts or hankerings. As a very rich man has no hankerings for small petty things, so also a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is guaranteed to pass on to the kingdom of God, where life is eternal, fully cognizant and blissful, naturally has no hankerings for petty material things, which are like dolls or shadows of the reality and are without permanent value. That is the sign of spiritually enriched persons. And in due course of time, when a pure devotee is completely prepared, all of a sudden the change of body occurs which is commonly called death. And for the pure devotee such a change takes place exactly like lightning, and illumination follows simultaneously. That is to say a devotee simultaneously changes his material body and develops a spiritual body by the will of the Supreme. Even before death, a pure devotee has no material affection, due to his body’s being spiritualized like a red-hot iron in contact with fire.
SB1.6.28 TEXT 28 prayujyamāne mayi tāṁ śuddhāṁ bhāgavatīṁ tanum ārabdha-karma-nirvāṇo nyapatat pāñca-bhautikaḥ SYNONYMS prayujyamāne—having been awarded; mayi—on me; tām—that; śuddhām—transcendental; bhāgavatīm—fit for associating with the Personality of Godhead; tanum—body; ārabdha—acquired; karma—fruitive work; nirvāṇaḥ—prohibitive; nyapatat—quit; pāñca-bhautikaḥ—body made of five material elements.
TRANSLATION Having been awarded a transcendental body befitting an associate of the Personality of Godhead, I quit the body made of five material elements, and thus all acquired fruitive results of work [karma] stopped. PURPORT Informed by the Personality of Godhead that he would be awarded a transcendental body befitting the Lord’s association, Nārada got his spiritual body as soon as he quitted his material body. This transcendental body is free from material affinity and invested with three primary transcendental qualities, namely eternity, freedom from material modes, and freedom from reactions of fruitive activities. The material body is always afflicted with the lack of these three qualities. A devotee’s body becomes at once surcharged with the transcendental qualities as soon as he is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. It acts like the magnetic influence of a touchstone upon iron. The influence of transcendental devotional service is like that. Therefore change of the body means stoppage of the reaction of three qualitative modes of material nature upon the pure devotee. There are many instances of this in the revealed scriptures. Dhruva Mahārāja and Prahlāda Mahārāja and many other devotees were able to see the Personality of Godhead face to face apparently in the same body. This means that the quality of a devotee’s body changes from material to transcendence. That is the opinion of the authorized Gosvāmīs via the authentic scriptures. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that beginning from the indra-gopa germ up to the great Indra, King of heaven, all living beings are subjected to the law of karma and are bound to suffer and enjoy the fruitive results of their own work. Only the devotee is exempt from such reactions, by the causeless mercy of the supreme authority, the Personality of Godhead.
SB1.6.29 TEXT 29 kalpānta idam ādāya śayāne ’mbhasy udanvataḥ śiśayiṣor anuprāṇaṁ viviśe ’ntar ahaṁ vibhoḥ SYNONYMS kalpa-ante—at the end of Brahmā’s day; idam—this; ādāya—taking together; śayāne—having gone to lie down; ambhasi—in the causal water; udanvataḥ—devastation; śiśayiṣoḥ—lying of the Personality of Godhead (Nārāyaṇa); anuprāṇam—breathing; viviśe—entered into; antaḥ—within; aham—I; vibhoḥ—of Lord Brahmā.
TRANSLATION At the end of the millennium, when the Personality of Godhead Lord Nārāyaṇa lay down within the water of devastation, Brahmā began to enter into Him along with all creative elements, and I also entered through His breathing. PURPORT Nārada is known as the son of Brahmā, as Lord Kṛṣṇa is known as the son of Vasudeva. The Personality of Godhead and His liberated devotees like Nārada appear in the material world by the same process. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, the birth and activities of the Lord are all transcendental. Therefore, according to authorized opinion, the birth of Nārada as the son of Brahmā is also a transcendental pastime. His appearance and disappearance are practically on the same level as that of the Lord. The Lord and His devotees are therefore simultaneously one and different as spiritual entities. They belong to the same category of transcendence.
SB1.6.30 TEXT 30 sahasra-yuga-paryante utthāyedaṁ sisṛkṣataḥ marīci-miśrā ṛṣayaḥ prāṇebhyo ’haṁ ca jajñire SYNONYMS sahasra—one thousand; yuga—4,300,000 years; paryante—at the end of the duration; utthāya—having expired; idam—this; sisṛkṣataḥ—desired to create again; marīci-miśrāḥ—ṛṣis like Marīci; ṛṣayaḥ—all the ṛṣis; prāṇebhyaḥ—out of His senses; aham—I; ca—also; jajñire—appeared.
TRANSLATION After 4,300,000,000 solar years, when Brahmā awoke to create again by the will of the Lord, all the ṛṣis like Marīci, Aṅgirā, Atri and so on were created from the transcendental body of the Lord, and I also appeared along with them. PURPORT The duration of a day in the life of Brahmā is 4,320,000,000 solar years. This is stated also in the Bhagavad-gītā. So for this period Brahmājī rests in yoga-nidrā within the body of the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the generator of Brahmā. Thus after the sleeping period of Brahmā, when there is again creation by the will of the Lord through the agency of Brahmā, all the great ṛṣis again appear from different parts of the transcendental body, and Nārada also appears. This means that Nārada appears in the same transcendental body, just as a man awakes from sleep in the same body. Śrī Nārada is eternally free to move in all parts of the transcendental and material creations of the Almighty. He appears and disappears in his own transcendental body, which is without distinction of body and soul, unlike conditioned beings.
SB1.6.31 TEXT 31 antar bahiś ca lokāṁs trīn paryemy askandita-vrataḥ anugrahān mahā-viṣṇor avighāta-gatiḥ kvacit SYNONYMS antaḥ—in the transcendental world; bahiḥ—in the material world; ca—and; lokān—planets; trīn—three (divisions); paryemi—travel; askandita—unbroken; vrataḥ—vow; anugrahāt—by the causeless mercy; mahā-viṣṇoḥ—of the Mahā-Viṣṇu (Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu); avighāta—without restriction; gatiḥ—entrance; kvacit—at any time.
TRANSLATION Since then, by the grace of the almighty Viṣṇu, I travel everywhere without restriction both in the transcendental world and in the three divisions of the material world. This is because I am fixed in unbroken devotional service of the Lord. PURPORT As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, there are three divisions of the material spheres, namely the ūrdhva-loka (topmost planets), madhya-loka (midway planets) and adho-loka (downward planets). Beyond the ūrdhva-loka planets, that is to say above the Brahmaloka, are the material coverings of the universes, and above that is the spiritual sky, which is unlimited in expansion, containing unlimited self-illuminated Vaikuṇṭha planets inhabited by God Himself along with His associates, who are all eternally liberated living entities. Śrī Nārada Muni could enter all these planets in both the material and spiritual spheres without restriction, as much as the almighty Lord is free to move personally in any part of His creation. In the material world the living beings are influenced by the three material modes of nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. But Śrī Nārada Muni is transcendental to all these material modes, and thus he can travel everywhere unrestricted. He is a liberated spaceman. The causeless mercy of Lord Viṣṇu is unparalleled, and such mercy is perceived by the devotees only by the grace of the Lord. Therefore, the devotees never fall down, but the materialists, i.e., the fruitive workers and the speculative philosophers, do fall down, being forced by their respective modes of nature. The ṛṣis, as above mentioned, cannot enter into the transcendental world like Nārada. This fact is disclosed in the Narasiṁha Purāṇa. Ṛṣis like Marīci are authorities in fruitive work, and ṛṣis like Sanaka and Sanātana are authorities in philosophical speculations. But Śrī Nārada Muni is the prime authority for transcendental devotional service of the Lord. All the great authorities in the devotional service of the Lord follow in the footsteps of Nārada Muni in the order of the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, and therefore all the devotees of the Lord are unhesitatingly qualified to enter into the kingdom of God, Vaikuṇṭha.
SB1.6.32 TEXT 32 deva-dattām imāṁ vīṇāṁ svara-brahma-vibhūṣitām mūrcchayitvā hari-kathāṁ gāyamānaś carāmy aham SYNONYMS deva—the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Śrī Kṛṣṇa); dattām—gifted by; imām—this; vīṇām—a musical stringed instrument; svara—singing meter; brahma—transcendental; vibhūṣitām—decorated with; mūrcchayitvā—vibrating; hari-kathām—transcendental message; gāyamānaḥ—singing constantly; carāmi—do move; aham—I.
TRANSLATION And thus I travel, constantly singing the transcendental message of the glories of the Lord, vibrating this instrument called a vīṇā, which is charged with transcendental sound and which was given to me by Lord Kṛṣṇa. PURPORT The musical stringed instrument called the vīṇā, which was handed to Nārada by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is described in the Liṅga Purāṇa, and this is confirmed by Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. This transcendental instrument is identical with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Nārada because all of them are of the same transcendental category. Sound vibrated by the instrument cannot be material, and therefore the glories and pastimes which are broadcast by the instrument of Nārada are also transcendental, without a tinge of material inebriety. The seven singing meters, namely ṣa (ṣaḍja), ṛ (ṛṣabha), gā (gāndhāra), ma (madhyama), pa (pañcama), dha (dhaivata) and ni (niṣāda), are also transcendental and specifically meant for transcendental songs. As a pure devotee of the Lord, Śrī Nāradadeva is always fulfilling his obligation to the Lord for His gift of the instrument, and thus he is always engaged in singing His transcendental glories and is therefore infallible in his exalted position. Following in the footsteps of Śrīla Nārada Muni, a self-realized soul in the material world should also properly use the sound meters, namely ṣa, ṛ, gā, mā, etc., in the service of the Lord by constantly singing the glories of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā.
SB1.6.33 TEXT 33 pragāyataḥ sva-vīryāṇi tīrtha-pādaḥ priya-śravāḥ āhūta iva me śīghraṁ darśanaṁ yāti cetasi SYNONYMS pragāyataḥ—thus singing; sva-vīryāṇi—own activities; tīrtha-pādaḥ—the Lord, whose lotus feet are the source of all virtues or holiness; priya-śravāḥ—pleasing to hear; āhūtaḥ—called for; iva—just like; me—to me; śīghram—very soon; darśanam—sight; yāti—appears; cetasi—on the seat of the heart.
TRANSLATION The Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whose glories and activities are pleasing to hear, at once appears on the seat of my heart, as if called for, as soon as I begin to chant His holy activities. PURPORT The Absolute Personality of Godhead is not different from His transcendental name, form, pastimes and the sound vibrations thereof. As soon as a pure devotee engages himself in the pure devotional service of hearing, chanting and remembering the name, fame and activities of the Lord, at once He becomes visible to the transcendental eyes of the pure devotee by reflecting Himself on the mirror of the heart by spiritual television. Therefore a pure devotee who is related with the Lord in loving transcendental service can experience the presence of the Lord at every moment. It is a natural psychology in every individual case that a person likes to hear and enjoy his personal glories enumerated by others. That is a natural instinct, and the Lord, being also an individual personality like others, is not an exception to this psychology because psychological characteristics visible in the individual souls are but reflections of the same psychology in the Absolute Lord. The only difference is that the Lord is the greatest personality of all and absolute in all His affairs. If, therefore, the Lord is attracted by the pure devotee’s chanting of His glories, there is nothing astonishing. Since He is absolute, He can appear Himself in the picture of His glorification, the two things being identical. Śrīla Nārada chants the glorification of the Lord not for his personal benefit but because the glorifications are identical with the Lord. Nārada Muni penetrates into the presence of the Lord by the transcendental chanting.
SB1.6.34 TEXT 34 etad dhy ātura-cittānāṁ mātrā-sparśecchayā muhuḥ bhava-sindhu-plavo dṛṣṭo hari-caryānuvarṇanam SYNONYMS etat—this; hi—certainly; ātura-cittānām—of those whose minds are always full of cares and anxieties; mātrā—objects of sense enjoyment; sparśa—senses; icchayā—by desires; muhuḥ—always; bhava-sindhu—the ocean of nescience; plavaḥ—boat; dṛṣṭaḥ—experienced; hari-carya—activities of Hari, the Personality of Godhead; anuvarṇanam—constant recitation.
TRANSLATION It is personally experienced by me that those who are always full of cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of nescience on a most suitable boat—the constant chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead. PURPORT The symptom of a living being is that he cannot remain silent even for some time. He must be doing something, thinking of something or talking about something. Generally the materialistic men think and discuss about subjects which satisfy their senses. But as these things are exercised under the influence of the external, illusory energy, such sensual activities do not actually give them any satisfaction. On the contrary, they become full with cares and anxieties. This is called māyā, or what is not. That which cannot give them satisfaction is accepted as an object for satisfaction. So Nārada Muni, by his personal experience, says that satisfaction for such frustrated beings engaged in sense gratification is to chant always the activities of the Lord. The point is that the subject matter only should be changed. No one can check the thinking activities of a living being, nor the feeling, willing or working processes. But if one wants actual happiness, one must change the subject matter only. Instead of talking of the politics of a dying man, one might discuss the politics administered by the Lord Himself. Instead of relishing activities of the cinema artists, one can turn his attention to the activities of the Lord with His eternal associates like the gopīs and Lakṣmīs. The almighty Personality of Godhead, by His causeless mercy, descends on the earth and manifests activities almost on the line of the worldly men, but at the same time extraordinarily, because He is almighty. He does so for the benefit of all conditioned souls so that they can turn their attention to transcendence. By doing so, the conditioned soul will gradually be promoted to the transcendental position and easily cross the ocean of nescience, the source of all miseries. This is stated from personal experience by such an authority as Śrī Nārada Muni. And we can have the same experience also if we begin to follow in the footsteps of the great sage, the dearmost devotee of the Lord.
SB1.6.35 TEXT 35 yamādibhir yoga-pathaiḥ kāma-lobha-hato muhuḥ mukunda-sevayā yadvat tathātmāddhā na śāmyati SYNONYMS yama-ādibhiḥ—by the process of practicing self-restraint; yoga-pathaiḥ—by the system of yoga (mystic bodily power to attain the godly stage); kāma—desires for sense satisfaction; lobha—lust for satisfaction of the senses; hataḥ—curbed; muhuḥ—always; mukunda—the Personality of Godhead; sevayā—by the service of; yadvat—as it is; tathā—like that; ātmā—the soul; addhā—for all practical purposes; na—does not; śāmyati—be satisfied.
TRANSLATION It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this [satisfaction] is derived from devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. PURPORT Yoga aims at controlling the senses. By practice of the mystic process of bodily exercise in sitting, thinking, feeling, willing, concentrating, meditating and at last being merged into transcendence, one can control the senses. The senses are considered like venomous serpents, and the yoga system is just to control them. On the other hand, Nārada Muni recommends another method for controlling the senses in the transcendental loving service of Mukunda, the Personality of Godhead. By his experience he says that devotional service to the Lord is more effective and practical than the system of artificially controlling the senses. In the service of the Lord Mukunda, the senses are transcendentally engaged. Thus there is no chance of their being engaged in sense satisfaction. The senses want some engagement. To check them artificially is no check at all because as soon as there is some opportunity for enjoyment, the serpentlike senses will certainly take advantage of it. There are many such instances in history, just like Viśvāmitra Muni’s falling a victim to the beauty of Menakā. But Ṭhākura Haridāsa was allured at midnight by the well-dressed Māyā, and still she could not induce that great devotee into her trap.
The whole idea is that without devotional service of the Lord, neither the yoga system nor dry philosophical speculation can ever become successful. Pure devotional service of the Lord, without being tinged with fruitive work, mystic yoga or speculative philosophy, is the foremost procedure to attain self-realization. Such pure devotional service is transcendental in nature, and the systems of yoga and jñāna are subordinate to such a process. When the transcendental devotional service is mixed with a subordinate process, it is no longer transcendental but is called mixed devotional service. Śrīla Vyāsadeva, the author of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, will gradually develop all these different systems of transcendental realization in the text.
SB1.6.36 TEXT 36 sarvaṁ tad idam ākhyātaṁ yat pṛṣṭo ’haṁ tvayānagha janma-karma-rahasyaṁ me bhavataś cātma-toṣaṇam SYNONYMS sarvam—all; tat—that; idam—this; ākhyātam—described; yat—whatever; pṛṣṭaḥ—asked by; aham—me; tvayā—by you; anagha—without any sins; janma—birth; karma—activities; rahasyam—mysteries; me—mine; bhavataḥ—your; ca—and; ātma—self; toṣaṇam—satisfaction.
TRANSLATION O Vyāsadeva, you are freed from all sins. Thus I have explained my birth and activities for self-realization, as you asked. All this will be conducive for your personal satisfaction also. PURPORT The process of devotional activities from the beginning to the stage of transcendence is all duly explained to satisfy the inquiries of Vyāsadeva. He has explained how the seeds of devotional service were sown by transcendental association and how they gradually developed by hearing the sages. The result of such hearing is detachment from worldliness, so much so that even a small boy could receive the death news of his mother, who was his only caretaker, as the blessing of God. And at once he took the opportunity to search out the Lord. A sincere urge for having an interview with the Lord was also granted to him, although it is not possible for anyone to see the Lord with mundane eyes. He also explained how by execution of pure transcendental service one can get rid of the fruitive action of accumulated work and how he transformed his material body into a spiritual one. The spiritual body is alone able to enter into the spiritual realm of the Lord, and no one but a pure devotee is eligible to enter into the kingdom of God. All the mysteries of transcendental realization are duly experienced by Nārada Muni himself, and therefore by hearing such an authority one can have some idea of the results of devotional life, which are hardly delineated even in the original texts of the Vedas. In the Vedas and Upaniṣads there are only indirect hints to all this. Nothing is directly explained there, and therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the mature fruit of all the Vedic trees of literatures.
SB1.6.37 TEXT 37 sūta uvāca evaṁ sambhāṣya bhagavān nārado vāsavī-sutam āmantrya vīṇāṁ raṇayan yayau yādṛcchiko muniḥ SYNONYMS sūtaḥ—Sūta Gosvāmī; uvāca—said; evam—thus; sambhāṣya—addressing; bhagavān—transcendentally powerful; nāradaḥ—Nārada Muni; vāsavī—named Vāsavī (Satyavatī); sutam—son; āmantrya—inviting; vīṇām—instrument; raṇayan—vibrating; yayau—went; yādṛcchikaḥ—wherever willing; muniḥ—the sage.
TRANSLATION Sūta Gosvāmī said: Thus addressing Vyāsadeva, Śrīla Nārada Muni took leave of him, and vibrating on his vīṇā instrument, he left to wander at his free will. PURPORT Every living being is anxious for full freedom because that is his transcendental nature. And this freedom is obtained only through the transcendental service of the Lord. Illusioned by the external energy, everyone thinks that he is free, but actually he is bound up by the laws of nature. A conditioned soul cannot freely move from one place to another even on this earth, and what to speak of one planet to another. But a full-fledged free soul like Nārada, always engaged in chanting the Lord’s glory, is free to move not only on earth but also in any part of the universe, as well as in any part of the spiritual sky. We can just imagine the extent and unlimitedness of his freedom, which is as good as that of the Supreme Lord. There is no reason or obligation for his traveling, and no one can stop him from his free movement. Similarly, the transcendental system of devotional service is also free. It may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes all the detailed formulas. Similarly, the association of the devotee is also free. One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after thousands of endeavors. Therefore, in all spheres of devotional service, freedom is the main pivot. Without freedom there is no execution of devotional service. The freedom surrendered to the Lord does not mean that the devotee becomes dependent in every respect. To surrender unto the Lord through the transparent medium of the spiritual master is to attain complete freedom of life.
SB1.6.38 TEXT 38 aho devarṣir dhanyo ’yaṁ yat-kīrtiṁ śārṅgadhanvanaḥ gāyan mādyann idaṁ tantryā ramayaty āturaṁ jagat SYNONYMS aho—all glory to; devarṣiḥ—the sage of the gods; dhanyaḥ—all success; ayam yat—one who; kīrtim—glories; śārṅga-dhanvanaḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; gāyan—singing; mādyan—taking pleasure in; idam—this; tantryā—by means of the instrument; ramayati—enlivens; āturam—distressed; jagat—world.
TRANSLATION All glory and success to Śrīla Nārada Muni because he glorifies the activities of the Personality of Godhead, and so doing he himself takes pleasure and also enlivens all the distressed souls of the universe. PURPORT Śrī Nārada Muni plays on his instrument to glorify the transcendental activities of the Lord and to give relief to all miserable living entities of the universe. No one is happy here within the universe, and what is felt as happiness is māyā’s illusion. The illusory energy of the Lord is so strong that even the hog who lives on filthy stool feels happy. No one can be truly happy within the material world. Śrīla Nārada Muni, in order to enlighten the miserable inhabitants, wanders everywhere. His mission is to get them back home, back to Godhead. That is the mission of all genuine devotees of the Lord following the footsteps of that great sage.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the First Canto, Sixth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Conversation Between Nārada and Vyāsa.” THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/SB1.6.1.htm