Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Seven
SB1.7.11
TEXT 11
harer guṇākṣipta-matir
bhagavān bādarāyaṇiḥ
adhyagān mahad ākhyānaṁ
nityaṁ viṣṇu-jana-priyaḥ
SYNONYMS
hareḥ—of Hari, the Personality of Godhead; guṇa—transcendental attribute; ākṣipta—being absorbed in; matiḥ—mind; bhagavān—powerful; bādarāyaṇiḥ—the son of Vyāsadeva; adhyagāt—underwent studies; mahat—great; ākhyānam—narration; nityam—regularly; viṣṇu-jana—devotees of the Lord; priyaḥ—beloved.
TRANSLATION
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, son of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, was not only transcendentally powerful. He was also very dear to the devotees of the Lord. Thus he underwent the study of this great narration [Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam].
PURPORT
According to Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a liberated soul even within the womb of his mother. Śrīla Vyāsadeva knew that the child, after his birth, would not stay at home. Therefore he (Vyāsadeva) impressed upon him the synopsis of the Bhāgavatam so that the child could be made attached to the transcendental activities of the Lord. After his birth, the child was still more educated in the subject of the Bhāgavatam by recitation of the actual poems.
The idea is that generally the liberated souls are attached to the feature of impersonal Brahman with a monistic view of becoming one with the supreme whole. But by the association of pure devotees like Vyāsadeva, even the liberated soul becomes attracted to the transcendental qualities of the Lord. By the mercy of Śrī Nārada, Śrīla Vyāsadeva was able to narrate the great epic of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and by the mercy of Vyāsadeva, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was able to grasp the import. The transcendental qualities of the Lord are so attractive that Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī became detached from being completely absorbed in impersonal Brahman and positively took up the personal activity of the Lord.
Practically he was thrown from the impersonal conception of the Absolute, thinking within himself that he had simply wasted so much time in devoting himself to the impersonal feature of the Supreme, or in other words, he realized more transcendental bliss with the personal feature than the impersonal. And from that time, not only did he himself become very dear to the viṣṇu-janas, or the devotees of the Lord, but also the viṣṇu-janas became very dear to him. The devotees of the Lord, who do not wish to kill the individuality of the living entities and who desire to become personal servitors of the Lord, do not very much like the impersonalists, and similarly the impersonalists, who desire to become one with the Supreme, are unable to evaluate the devotees of the Lord. Thus from time immemorial these two transcendental pilgrims have sometimes been competitors. In other words, each of them likes to keep separate from the other because of the ultimate personal and impersonal realizations. Therefore it appears that Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī also had no liking for the devotees. But since he himself became a saturated devotee, he desired always the transcendental association of the viṣṇu-janas, and the viṣṇu-janas also liked his association, since he became a personal Bhāgavata. Thus both the son and the father were completely cognizant of transcendental knowledge in Brahman, and afterwards both of them became absorbed in the personal features of the Supreme Lord. The question as to how Śukadeva Gosvāmī was attracted by the narration of the Bhāgavatam is thus completely answered by this śloka.
SB1.7.12 TEXT 12 parīkṣito ’tha rājarṣer janma-karma-vilāpanam saṁsthāṁ ca pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ vakṣye kṛṣṇa-kathodayam SYNONYMS parīkṣitaḥ—of King Parīkṣit; atha—thus; rājarṣeḥ—of the King who was the ṛṣi among the kings; janma—birth; karma—activities; vilāpanam—deliverance; saṁsthām—renunciation of the world; ca—and; pāṇḍu-putrāṇām—of the sons of Pāṇḍu; vakṣye—I shall speak; kṛṣṇa-kathā-udayam—that which gives rise to the transcendental narration of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION Sūta Gosvāmī thus addressed the ṛṣis headed by Śaunaka: Now I shall begin the transcendental narration of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and topics of the birth, activities and deliverance of King Parīkṣit, the sage amongst kings, as well as topics of the renunciation of the worldly order by the sons of Pāṇḍu. PURPORT Lord Kṛṣṇa is so kind to the fallen souls that He personally incarnates Himself amongst the different kinds of living entities and takes part with them in daily activities. Any historical fact old or new which has a connection with the activities of the Lord is to be understood as a transcendental narration of the Lord. Without Kṛṣṇa, all the supplementary literatures like the Purāṇas and Mahābhārata are simply stories or historical facts. But with Kṛṣṇa they become transcendental, and when we hear of them we at once become transcendentally related with the Lord. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also a Purāṇa, but the special significance of this Purāṇa is that the activities of the Lord are central and not just supplementary historical facts. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is thus recommended by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the spotless Purāṇa. There is a class of less intelligent devotees of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa who desire to relish at once the activities of the Lord narrated in the Tenth Canto without first understanding the primary cantos. They are under the false impression that the other cantos are not concerned with Kṛṣṇa, and thus more foolishly than intelligently they take to the reading of the Tenth Canto. These readers are specifically told herein that the other cantos of the Bhāgavatam are as important as the Tenth Canto. No one should try to go into the matters of the Tenth Canto without having thoroughly understood the purport of the other nine cantos. Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotees like the Pāṇḍavas are on the same plane. Kṛṣṇa is not without His devotees of all the rasas, and the pure devotees like the Pāṇḍavas are not without Kṛṣṇa. The devotees and the Lord are interlinked, and they cannot be separated. Therefore talks about them are all kṛṣṇa-kathā, or topics of the Lord.
SB1.7.13-14 TEXTS 13–14 yadā mṛdhe kaurava-sṛñjayānāṁ vīreṣv atho vīra-gatiṁ gateṣu vṛkodarāviddha-gadābhimarśa- bhagnoru-daṇḍe dhṛtarāṣṭra-putre bhartuḥ priyaṁ drauṇir iti sma paśyan kṛṣṇā-sutānāṁ svapatāṁ śirāṁsi upāharad vipriyam eva tasya jugupsitaṁ karma vigarhayanti SYNONYMS yadā—when; mṛdhe—in the battlefield; kaurava—the party of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; sṛñjayānām—of the party of the Pāṇḍavas; vīreṣu—of the warriors; atho—thus; vīra-gatim—the destination deserved by the warriors; gateṣu—being obtained; vṛkodara—Bhīma (the second Pāṇḍava); āviddha—beaten; gadā—by the club; abhimarśa—lamenting; bhagna—broken; uru-daṇḍe—spinal cord; dhṛtarāṣṭra-putre—the son of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra; bhartuḥ—of the master; priyam—pleasing; drauṇiḥ—the son of Droṇācārya; iti—thus; sma—shall be; paśyan—seeing; kṛṣṇā—Draupadī; sutānām—of the sons; svapatām—while sleeping; śirāṁsi—heads; upāharat—delivered as a prize; vipriyam—pleasing; eva—like; tasya—his; jugupsitam—most heinous; karma—act; vigarhayanti—disapproving.
TRANSLATION When the respective warriors of both camps, namely the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas, were killed on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra and the dead warriors obtained their deserved destinations, and when the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra fell down lamenting, his spine broken, being beaten by the club of Bhīmasena, the son of Droṇācārya [Aśvatthāmā] beheaded the five sleeping sons of Draupadī and delivered them as a prize to his master, foolishly thinking that he would be pleased. Duryodhana, however, disapproved of the heinous act, and he was not pleased in the least. PURPORT Transcendental topics of the activities of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begin from the end of the battle at Kurukṣetra, where the Lord Himself spoke about Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore, both the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are transcendental topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Gītā is kṛṣṇa-kathā, or topics of Kṛṣṇa, because it is spoken by the Lord, and the Bhāgavatam is also kṛṣṇa-kathā because it is spoken about the Lord. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted everyone to be informed of both kṛṣṇa-kathās by His order. Lord Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself in the garb of a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore the versions of both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu are identical. Lord Caitanya desired that all who are born in India seriously understand such kṛṣṇa-kathās and then after full realization preach the transcendental message to everyone in all parts of the world. That will bring about the desired peace and prosperity of the stricken world.
SB1.7.15 TEXT 15 mātā śiśūnāṁ nidhanaṁ sutānāṁ niśamya ghoraṁ paritapyamānā tadārudad vāṣpa-kalākulākṣī tāṁ sāntvayann āha kirīṭamālī SYNONYMS mātā—the mother; śiśūnām—of the children; nidhanam—massacre; sutānām—of the sons; niśamya—after hearing; ghoram—ghastly; paritapyamānā—lamenting; tadā—at that time; arudat—began to cry; vāṣpa-kala-ākula-akṣī—with tears in the eyes; tām—her; sāntvayan—pacifying; āha—said; kirīṭamālī—Arjuna.
TRANSLATION Draupadī, the mother of the five children of the Pāṇḍavas, after hearing of the massacre of her sons, began to cry in distress with eyes full of tears. Trying to pacify her in her great loss, Arjuna spoke to her thus: SB1.7.16 TEXT 16 tadā śucas te pramṛjāmi bhadre yad brahma-bandhoḥ śira ātatāyinaḥ gāṇḍīva-muktair viśikhair upāhare tvākramya yat snāsyasi dagdha-putrā SYNONYMS tadā—at that time only; śucaḥ—tears in grief; te—your; pramṛjāmi—shall wipe away; bhadre—O gentle lady; yat—when; brahma-bandhoḥ—of a degraded brāhmaṇa; śiraḥ—head; ātatāyinaḥ—of the aggressor; gāṇḍīva-muktaiḥ—shot by the bow named Gāṇḍīva; viśikhaiḥ—by the arrows; upāhare—shall present to you; tvā—yourself; ākramya—riding on it; yat—which; snāsyasi—take your bath; dagdha-putrā—after burning the sons.
TRANSLATION O gentle lady, when I present you with the head of that brāhmaṇa, after beheading him with arrows from my Gāṇḍīva bow, I shall then wipe the tears from your eyes and pacify you. Then, after burning your sons’ bodies, you can take your bath standing on his head. PURPORT An enemy who sets fire to the house, administers poison, attacks all of a sudden with deadly weapons, plunders wealth or usurps agricultural fields, or entices one’s wife is called an aggressor. Such an aggressor, though he be a brāhmaṇa or a so-called son of a brāhmaṇa, has to be punished in all circumstances. When Arjuna promised to behead the aggressor named Aśvatthāmā, he knew well that Aśvatthāmā was the son of a brāhmaṇa, but because the so-called brāhmaṇa acted like a butcher, he was taken as such, and there was no question of sin in killing such a brāhmaṇa’s son who proved to be a villain.
SB1.7.17 TEXT 17 iti priyāṁ valgu-vicitra-jalpaiḥ sa sāntvayitvācyuta-mitra-sūtaḥ anvādravad daṁśita ugra-dhanvā kapi-dhvajo guru-putraṁ rathena SYNONYMS iti—thus; priyām—unto the dear; valgu—sweet; vicitra—variegated; jalpaiḥ—by statements; saḥ—he; sāntvayitvā—satisfying; acyuta-mitra-sūtaḥ—Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as a friend and driver; anvādravat—followed; daṁśitaḥ—being protected by kavaca; ugra-dhanvā—equipped with furious weapons; kapi-dhvajaḥ—Arjuna; guru-putram—the son of the martial teacher; rathena—getting on the chariot.
TRANSLATION Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as friend and driver, thus satisfied the dear lady by such statements. Then he dressed in armor and armed himself with furious weapons, and getting into his chariot, he set out to follow Aśvatthāmā, the son of his martial teacher. SB1.7.18 TEXT 18 tam āpatantaṁ sa vilakṣya dūrāt kumāra-hodvigna-manā rathena parādravat prāṇa-parīpsur urvyāṁ yāvad-gamaṁ rudra-bhayād yathā kaḥ SYNONYMS tam—him; āpatantam—coming over furiously; saḥ—he; vilakṣya—seeing; dūrāt—from a distance; kumāra-hā—the murderer of the princes; udvigna-manāḥ—disturbed in mind; rathena—on the chariot; parādravat—fled; prāṇa—life; parīpsuḥ—for protecting; urvyām—with great speed; yāvat-gamam—as he fled; rudra-bhayāt—by fear of Śiva; yathā—as; kaḥ—Brahmā (or arkaḥ—Sūrya).
TRANSLATION Aśvatthāmā, the murderer of the princes, seeing from a great distance Arjuna coming at him with great speed, fled in his chariot, panic stricken, just to save his life, as Brahmā fled in fear from Śiva. PURPORT According to the reading matter, either kaḥ or arkaḥ, there are two references in the Purāṇas. Kaḥ means Brahmā, who once became allured by his daughter and began to follow her, which infuriated Śiva, who attacked Brahmā with his trident. Brahmājī fled in fear of his life. As far as arkaḥ is concerned, there is a reference in the Vāmana Purāṇa. There was a demon by the name Vidyunmālī who was gifted with a glowing golden airplane which traveled to the back of the sun, and night disappeared because of the glowing effulgence of this plane. Thus the sun-god became angry, and with his virulent rays he melted the plane. This enraged Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva then attacked the sun-god, who fled away and at last fell down at Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), and the place became famous as Lolārka.
SB1.7.19 TEXT 19 yadāśaraṇam ātmānam aikṣata śrānta-vājinam astraṁ brahma-śiro mene ātma-trāṇaṁ dvijātmajaḥ SYNONYMS yadā—when; aśaraṇam—without being alternatively protected; ātmānam—his own self; aikṣata—saw; śrānta-vājinam—the horses being tired; astram—weapon; brahma-śiraḥ—the topmost or ultimate (nuclear); mene—applied; ātma-trāṇam—just to save himself; dvija-ātma-jaḥ—the son of a brāhmaṇa.
TRANSLATION When the son of the brāhmaṇa [Aśvatthāmā] saw that his horses were tired, he considered that there was no alternative for protection outside of his using the ultimate weapon, the brahmāstra [nuclear weapon]. PURPORT In the ultimate issue only, when there is no alternative, the nuclear weapon called the brahmāstra is applied. The word dvijātmajaḥ is significant here because Aśvatthāmā, although the son of Droṇācārya, was not exactly a qualified brāhmaṇa. The most intelligent man is called a brāhmaṇa, and it is not a hereditary title. Aśvatthāmā was also formerly called the brahma-bandhu, or the friend of a brāhmaṇa. Being a friend of a brāhmaṇa does not mean that one is a brāhmaṇa by qualification. A friend or son of a brāhmaṇa, when fully qualified, can be called a brāhmaṇa and not otherwise. Since Aśvatthāmā’s decision is immature, he is purposely called herein the son of a brāhmaṇa.
SB1.7.20 TEXT 20 athopaspṛśya salilaṁ sandadhe tat samāhitaḥ ajānann api saṁhāraṁ prāṇa-kṛcchra upasthite SYNONYMS atha—thus; upaspṛśya—touching in sanctity; salilam—water; sandadhe—chanted the hymns; tat—that; samāhitaḥ—being in concentration; ajānan—without knowing; api—although; saṁhāram—withdrawal; prāṇa-kṛcchre—life being put in danger; upasthite—being placed in such a position.
TRANSLATION Since his life was in danger, he touched water in sanctity and concentrated upon the chanting of the hymns for throwing nuclear weapons, although he did not know how to withdraw such weapons. PURPORT The subtle forms of material activities are finer than grosser methods of material manipulation. Such subtle forms of material activities are effected through purification of sound. The same method is adopted here by chanting hymns to act as nuclear weapons.
SB1.7.21 TEXT 21 tataḥ prāduṣkṛtaṁ tejaḥ pracaṇḍaṁ sarvato diśam prāṇāpadam abhiprekṣya viṣṇuṁ jiṣṇur uvāca ha SYNONYMS tataḥ—thereafter; prāduṣkṛtam—disseminated; tejaḥ—glare; pracaṇḍam—fierce; sarvataḥ—all around; diśam—directions; prāṇa-āpadam—affecting life; abhiprekṣya—having observed it; viṣṇum—unto the Lord; jiṣṇuḥ—Arjuna; uvāca—said; ha—in the past.
TRANSLATION Thereupon a glaring light spread in all directions. It was so fierce that Arjuna thought his own life in danger, and so he began to address Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. SB1.7.22 TEXT 22 arjuna uvāca kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-bāho bhaktānām abhayaṅkara tvam eko dahyamānānām apavargo ’si saṁsṛteḥ SYNONYMS arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; kṛṣṇa—O Lord Kṛṣṇa; kṛṣṇa—O Lord Kṛṣṇa; mahā-bāho—He who is the Almighty; bhaktānām—of the devotees; abhayaṅkara—eradicating the fears of; tvam—You; ekaḥ—alone; dahyamānānām—those who are suffering from; apavargaḥ—the path of liberation; asi—are; saṁsṛteḥ—in the midst of material miseries.
TRANSLATION Arjuna said: O my Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, You are the almighty Personality of Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are competent to instill fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotees. Everyone in the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only. PURPORT Arjuna was aware of the transcendental qualities of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as he had already experienced them during the Kurukṣetra War, in which both of them were present. Therefore, Arjuna’s version of Lord Kṛṣṇa is authoritative. Kṛṣṇa is almighty and is especially the cause of fearlessness for the devotees. A devotee of the Lord is always fearless because of the protection given by the Lord. Material existence is something like a blazing fire in the forest, which can be extinguished by the mercy of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The spiritual master is the mercy representative of the Lord. Therefore, a person burning in the flames of material existence may receive the rains of mercy of the Lord through the transparent medium of the self-realized spiritual master. The spiritual master, by his words, can penetrate into the heart of the suffering person and inject knowledge transcendental, which alone can extinguish the fire of material existence.
SB1.7.23 TEXT 23 tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād īśvaraḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ māyāṁ vyudasya cic-chaktyā kaivalye sthita ātmani SYNONYMS tvam ādyaḥ—You are the original; puruṣaḥ—the enjoying personality; sākṣāt—directly; īśvaraḥ—the controller; prakṛteḥ—of material nature; paraḥ—transcendental; māyām—the material energy; vyudasya—one who has thrown aside; cit-śaktyā—by dint of internal potency; kaivalye—in pure eternal knowledge and bliss; sthitaḥ—placed; ātmani—own self.
TRANSLATION You are the original Personality of Godhead who expands Himself all over the creations and is transcendental to material energy. You have cast away the effects of the material energy by dint of Your spiritual potency. You are always situated in eternal bliss and transcendental knowledge. PURPORT The Lord states in the Bhagavad-gītā that one who surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord can get release from the clutches of nescience. Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun, and māyā or material existence is just like darkness. Wherever there is the light of the sun, darkness or ignorance at once vanishes. The best means to get out of the world of ignorance is suggested here. The Lord is addressed herein as the original Personality of Godhead. From Him all other Personalities of Godhead expand. The all-pervasive Lord Viṣṇu is Lord Kṛṣṇa’s plenary portion or expansion. The Lord expands Himself in innumerable forms of Godhead and living beings, along with His different energies. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original primeval Lord from whom everything emanates. The all-pervasive feature of the Lord experienced within the manifested world is also a partial representation of the Lord. Paramātmā, therefore, is included within Him. He is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. He has nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material manifestation because He is far above the material creation. Darkness is a perverse representation of the sun, and therefore the existence of darkness depends on the existence of the sun, but in the sun proper there is no trace of darkness. As the sun is full of light only, similarly the Absolute Personality of Godhead, beyond the material existence, is full of bliss. He is not only full of bliss, but also full of transcendental variegatedness. Transcendence is not at all static, but full of dynamic variegatedness. He is distinct from the material nature, which is complicated by the three modes of material nature. He is parama, or the chief. Therefore He is absolute. He has manifold energies, and through His diverse energies He creates, manifests, maintains and destroys the material world. In His own abode, however, everything is eternal and absolute. The world is not conducted by the energies or powerful agents by themselves, but by the potent all-powerful with all energies.
SB1.7.24 TEXT 24 sa eva jīva-lokasya māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ vidhatse svena vīryeṇa śreyo dharmādi-lakṣaṇam SYNONYMS saḥ—that Transcendence; eva—certainly; jīva-lokasya—of the conditioned living beings; māyā-mohita—captivated by the illusory energy; cetasaḥ—by the heart; vidhatse—execute; svena—by Your own; vīryeṇa—influence; śreyaḥ—ultimate good; dharma-ādi—four principles of liberation; lakṣaṇam—characterized by.
TRANSLATION And yet, though You are beyond the purview of the material energy, You execute the four principles of liberation characterized by religion and so on for the ultimate good of the conditioned souls. PURPORT The Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy, descends on the manifested world without being influenced by the material modes of nature. He is eternally beyond the material manifestations. He descends out of His causeless mercy only to reclaim the fallen souls who are captivated by the illusory energy. They are attacked by the material energy, and they want to enjoy her under false pretexts, although in essence the living entity is unable to enjoy. One is eternally the servitor of the Lord, and when he forgets this position he thinks of enjoying the material world, but factually he is in illusion. The Lord descends to eradicate this false sense of enjoyment and thus reclaim conditioned souls back to Godhead. That is the all-merciful nature of the Lord for the fallen souls.
SB1.7.25 TEXT 25 tathāyaṁ cāvatāras te bhuvo bhāra-jihīrṣayā svānāṁ cānanya-bhāvānām anudhyānāya cāsakṛt SYNONYMS tathā—thus; ayam—this; ca—and; avatāraḥ—incarnation; te—Your; bhuvaḥ—of the material world; bhāra—burden; jihīrṣayā—for removing; svānām—of the friends; ca ananya-bhāvānām—and of the exclusive devotees; anudhyānāya—for remembering repeatedly; ca—and; asakṛt—fully satisfied.
TRANSLATION Thus You descend as an incarnation to remove the burden of the world and to benefit Your friends, especially those who are Your exclusive devotees and are rapt in meditation upon You. PURPORT It appears that the Lord is partial to His devotees. Everyone is related with the Lord. He is equal to everyone, and yet He is more inclined to His own men and devotees. The Lord is everyone’s father. No one can be His father, and yet no one can be His son. His devotees are His kinsmen, and His devotees are His relations. This is His transcendental pastime. It has nothing to do with mundane ideas of relations, fatherhood or anything like that. As mentioned above, the Lord is above the modes of material nature, and thus there is nothing mundane about His kinsmen and relations in devotional service.
SB1.7.26 TEXT 26 kim idaṁ svit kuto veti deva-deva na vedmy aham sarvato mukham āyāti tejaḥ parama-dāruṇam SYNONYMS kim—what is; idam—this; svit—does it come; kutaḥ—wherefrom; vā iti—be either; deva-deva—O Lord of lords; na—not; vedmi—do I know; aham—I; sarvataḥ—all around; mukham—directions; āyāti—coming from; tejaḥ—effulgence; parama—very much; dāruṇam—dangerous.
TRANSLATION O Lord of lords, how is it that this dangerous effulgence is spreading all around? Where does it come from? I do not understand it. PURPORT Anything that is presented before the Personality of Godhead should be so done after due presentation of respectful prayers. That is the standard procedure, and Śrī Arjuna, although an intimate friend of the Lord, is observing this method for general information.
SB1.7.27 TEXT 27 śrī-bhagavān uvāca vetthedaṁ droṇa-putrasya brāhmam astraṁ pradarśitam naivāsau veda saṁhāraṁ prāṇa-bādha upasthite SYNONYMS śrī-bhagavān—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; uvāca—said; vettha—just know from Me; idam—this; droṇa-putrasya—of the son of Droṇa; brāhmam astram—hymns of the brāhma (nuclear) weapon; pradarśitam—exhibited; na—not; eva—even; asau—he; veda—know it; saṁhāram—retraction; prāṇa-bādhe—extinction of life; upasthite—being imminent.
TRANSLATION The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Know from Me that this is the act of the son of Droṇa. He has thrown the hymns of nuclear energy [brahmāstra], and he does not know how to retract the glare. He has helplessly done this, being afraid of imminent death. PURPORT The brahmāstra is similar to the modern nuclear weapon manipulated by atomic energy. The atomic energy works wholly on total combustibility, and so the brahmāstra also acts. It creates an intolerable heat similar to atomic radiation, but the difference is that the atomic bomb is a gross type of nuclear weapon, whereas the brahmāstra is a subtle type of weapon produced by chanting hymns. It is a different science, and in the days gone by such science was cultivated in the land of Bhārata-varṣa. The subtle science of chanting hymns is also material, but it has yet to be known by the modern material scientists. Subtle material science is not spiritual, but it has a direct relationship with the spiritual method, which is still subtler. A chanter of hymns knew how to apply the weapon as well as how to retract it. That was perfect knowledge. But the son of Droṇācārya, who made use of this subtle science, did not know how to retract. He applied it, being afraid of his imminent death, and thus the practice was not only improper but also irreligious. As the son of a brāhmaṇa, he should not have made so many mistakes, and for such gross negligence of duty he was to be punished by the Lord Himself.
SB1.7.28 TEXT 28 na hy asyānyatamaṁ kiñcid astraṁ pratyavakarśanam jahy astra-teja unnaddham astra-jño hy astra-tejasā SYNONYMS na—not; hi—certainly; asya—of it; anyatamam—other; kiñcit—anything; astram—weapon; prati—counter; avakarśanam—reactionary; jahi—subdue it; astra-tejaḥ—the glare of this weapon; unnaddham—very powerful; astra-jñaḥ—expert in military science; hi—as a matter of fact; astra-tejasā—by the influence of your weapon.
TRANSLATION O Arjuna, only another brahmāstra can counteract this weapon. Since you are expert in the military science, subdue this weapon’s glare with the power of your own weapon. PURPORT For the atomic bombs there is no counterweapon to neutralize the effects. But by subtle science the action of a brahmāstra can be counteracted, and those who were expert in the military science in those days could counteract the brahmāstra. The son of Droṇācārya did not know the art of counteracting the weapon, and therefore Arjuna was asked to counteract it by the power of his own weapon.
SB1.7.29 TEXT 29 sūta uvāca śrutvā bhagavatā proktaṁ phālgunaḥ para-vīra-hā spṛṣṭvāpas taṁ parikramya brāhmaṁ brāhmāstraṁ sandadhe SYNONYMS sūtaḥ—Sūta Gosvāmī; uvāca—said; śrutvā—after hearing; bhagavatā—by the Personality of Godhead; proktam—what was said; phālgunaḥ—another name of Śrī Arjuna; para-vīra-hā—the killer of the opposing warrior; spṛṣṭvā—after touching; āpaḥ—water; tam—Him; parikramya—circumambulating; brāhmam—the Supreme Lord; brāhma-astram—the supreme weapon; sandadhe—acted on.
TRANSLATION Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: Hearing this from the Personality of Godhead, Arjuna touched water for purification, and after circumambulating Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he cast his brahmāstra weapon to counteract the other one. SB1.7.30 TEXT 30 saṁhatyānyonyam ubhayos tejasī śara-saṁvṛte āvṛtya rodasī khaṁ ca vavṛdhāte ’rka-vahnivat SYNONYMS saṁhatya—by combination of; anyonyam—one another; ubhayoḥ—of both; tejasī—the glares; śara—weapons; saṁvṛte—covering; āvṛtya—covering; rodasī—the complete firmament; kham ca—outer space also; vavṛdhāte—increasing; arka—the sun globe; vahni-vat—like fire.
TRANSLATION When the rays of the two brahmāstras combined, a great circle of fire, like the disc of the sun, covered all outer space and the whole firmament of planets. PURPORT The heat created by the flash of a brahmāstra resembles the fire exhibited in the sun globe at the time of cosmic annihilation. The radiation of atomic energy is very insignificant in comparison to the heat produced by a brahmāstra. The atomic bomb explosion can at utmost blow up one globe, but the heat produced by the brahmāstra can destroy the whole cosmic situation. The comparison is therefore made to the heat at the time of annihilation.
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