Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 2: “The Cosmic Manifestation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Seven
SB2.7.41
TEXT 41
nāntaṁ vidāmy aham amī munayo ’gra-jās te
māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto ’varā ye
gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana ādi-devaḥ
śeṣo ’dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram
SYNONYMS
na—never; antam—end; vidāmi—do I know; aham—myself; amī—and all those; munayaḥ—great sages; agra-jāḥ—born prior to you; te—you; māyā-balasya—of the omnipotent; puruṣasya—of the Personality of Godhead; kutaḥ—what to speak of others; avarāḥ—born after us; ye—those; gāyan—by singing; guṇān—the qualities; daśa-śata-ānanaḥ—one who has ten hundred faces; ādi-devaḥ—the first incarnation of the Lord; śeṣaḥ—known as Śeṣa; adhunā—until now; api—even; samavasyati—can achieve; na—not; asya—of Him; pāram—limit.
TRANSLATION
Neither I nor all the sages born before you know fully the omnipotent Personality of Godhead. So what can others, who are born after us, know about Him? Even the first incarnation of the Lord, namely Śeṣa, has not been able to reach the limit of such knowledge, although He is describing the qualities of the Lord with ten hundred faces.
PURPORT
The omnipotent Personality of Godhead has primarily three potential manifestations, namely internal, external, and marginal potencies, with unlimited expansions of these three energies. As such, the potential expansions can never be calculated by anyone because even the Personality of God Himself, as the incarnation of Śeṣa, cannot estimate the potencies, although He has been describing them continuously with His one thousand faces.
SB2.7.42 TEXT 42 yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye SYNONYMS yeṣām—unto those only; saḥ—the Lord; eṣaḥ—the; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; dayayet—does bestow His mercy; anantaḥ—the unlimited potential; sarva-ātmanā—by all means, without reservation; āśrita-padaḥ—surrendered soul; yadi—if such surrender; nirvyalīkam—without pretension; te—those only; dustarām—insurmountable; atitaranti—can overcome; ca—and the paraphernalia; deva-māyām—diverse energies of the Lord; na—not; eṣām—of them; mama—mine; aham—myself; iti—thus; dhīḥ—conscious; śva—dogs; śṛgāla—jackals; bhakṣye—in the matter of eating.
TRANSLATION But anyone who is specifically favored by the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, due to unalloyed surrender unto the service of the Lord, can overcome the insurmountable ocean of illusion and can understand the Lord. But those who are attached to this body, which is meant to be eaten at the end by dogs and jackals, cannot do so. PURPORT The unalloyed devotees of the Lord know the glories of the Lord in the sense that they can understand how great the Lord is and how great is His expansion of diverse energy. Those who are attached to the perishable body can hardly enter into the realm of the science of Godhead. The whole materialistic world, based on the conception of the material body as the self, is ignorant of the science of God. The materialist is always busy working for the welfare of the material body, not only his own but also those of his children, kinsmen, communitymen, countrymen, etc. The materialists have many branches of philanthropic and altruistic activities from a political, national and international angle of vision, but none of the field work can go beyond the jurisdiction of the misconception of identifying the material body with the spirit soul. Unless, therefore, one is saved from the wrong conception of the body and the soul, there is no knowledge of Godhead, and unless there is knowledge of God, all advancement of material civilization, however dazzling, should be considered a failure.
SB2.7.43-45 TEXTS 43–45 vedāham aṅga paramasya hi yoga-māyāṁ yūyaṁ bhavaś ca bhagavān atha daitya-varyaḥ patnī manoḥ sa ca manuś ca tad-ātmajāś ca prācīnabarhir ṛbhur aṅga uta dhruvaś ca ikṣvākur aila-mucukunda-videha-gādhi- raghv-ambarīṣa-sagarā gaya-nāhuṣādyāḥ māndhātr-alarka-śatadhanv-anu-rantidevā devavrato balir amūrttarayo dilīpaḥ saubhary-utaṅka-śibi-devala-pippalāda- sārasvatoddhava-parāśara-bhūriṣeṇāḥ ye ’nye vibhīṣaṇa-hanūmad-upendradatta- pārthārṣṭiṣeṇa-vidura-śrutadeva-varyāḥ SYNONYMS veda—know it; aham—myself; aṅga—O Nārada; paramasya—of the Supreme; hi—certainly; yoga-māyām—potency; yūyam—yourself; bhavaḥ—Śiva; ca—and; bhagavān—the great demigod; atha—as also; daitya-varyaḥ—Prahlāda Mahārāja, the great devotee of the Lord born in the family of an atheist; patnī—Śatarūpā; manoḥ—of Manu; saḥ—he; ca—also; manuḥ—Svāyambhuva; ca—and; tat-ātma-jāḥ ca—and his children like Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Devahūti, etc.; prācīnabarhiḥ—Prācīnabarhi; ṛbhuḥ—Ṛbhu; aṅgaḥ—Aṅga; uta—even; dhruvaḥ—Dhruva; ca—and; ikṣvākuḥ—Ikṣvāku; aila—Aila; mucukunda—Mucukunda; videha—Mahārāja Janaka; gādhi—Gādhi; raghu—Raghu; ambarīṣa—Ambarīṣa; sagarāḥ—Sagara; gaya—Gaya; nāhuṣa—Nāhuṣa; ādyāḥ—and so on; māndhātṛ—Māndhātā; alarka—Alarka; śatadhanu—Śatadhanu; anu—Anu; rantidevāḥ—Rantideva; devavrataḥ—Bhīṣma; baliḥ—Bali; amūrttarayaḥ—Amūrttaraya; dilīpaḥ—Dilīpa; saubhari—Saubhari; utaṅka—Utaṅka; śibi—Śibi; devala—Devala; pippalāda—Pippalāda; sārasvata—Sārasvata; uddhava—Uddhava; parāśara—Parāśara; bhūriṣeṇāḥ—Bhūriṣeṇa; ye—those who; anye—others; vibhīṣaṇa—Vibhīṣaṇa; hanūmat—Hanumān; upendra-datta—Śukadeva Gosvāmī; pārtha—Arjuna; ārṣṭiṣeṇa—Arṣṭiṣeṇa; vidura—Vidura; śrutadeva—Śrutadeva; varyāḥ—the foremost.
TRANSLATION O Nārada, although the potencies of the Lord are unknowable and immeasurable, still, because we are all surrendered souls, we know how He acts through yogamāyā potencies. And, similarly, the potencies of the Lord are also known to the all-powerful Śiva, the great king of the atheist family, namely Prahlāda Mahārāja, Svāyambhuva Manu, his wife Śatarūpā, his sons and daughters like Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, Ākūti, Devahūti and Prasūti, Prācīnabarhi, Ṛbhu, Aṅga the father of Vena, Mahārāja Dhruva, Ikṣvāku, Aila, Mucukunda, Mahārāja Janaka, Gādhi, Raghu, Ambarīṣa, Sagara, Gaya, Nāhuṣa, Māndhātā, Alarka, Śatadhanve, Anu, Rantideva, Bhīṣma, Bali, Amūrttaraya, Dilīpa, Saubhari, Utaṅka, Śibi, Devala, Pippalāda, Sārasvata, Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriṣeṇa, Vibhīṣaṇa, Hanumān, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Arjuna, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Vidura, Śrutadeva, etc. PURPORT All the great devotees of the Lord, as mentioned above, who flourished in the past or present, and all the devotees of the Lord who will come in the future, are aware of the different potencies of the Lord along with the potency of His name, quality, pastimes, entourage, personality, etc. And how do they know? Certainly it is not by mental speculation, nor by any attempt by dint of limited instruments of knowledge. By the limited instruments of knowledge (either the senses or the material instruments like microscopes and telescopes) one cannot even fully know the Lord’s material potencies, which are manifested before our eyes. For example there are many millions and billions of planets far, far beyond the scientist’s calculation. But these are only the manifestations of the Lord’s material energy. What can the scientist hope to know of the spiritual potency of the Lord by such material efforts? Mental speculations, by adding some dozens of “if’s” and “maybe’s,” cannot aid the advancement of knowledge—on the contrary, such mental speculations will only end in despair by dismissing the case abruptly and declaring the nonexistence of God. The sane person, therefore, ceases to speculate on subjects beyond the jurisdiction of his tiny brain, and as a matter of course he tries to learn to surrender unto the Supreme Lord, who alone can lead one to the platform of real knowledge. In the Upaniṣads it is clearly said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never be known simply by working very hard and taxing the good brain, nor can He be known simply by mental speculation and jugglery of words. The Lord is knowable only by one who is a surrendered soul. Herein Brahmājī, the greatest of all material living beings, acknowledges this truth. Therefore, the fruitless spoiling of energy by pursuing the path of experimental knowledge must be given up. One should gain knowledge by surrendering unto the Lord and by acknowledging the authority of the persons mentioned herein. The Lord is unlimited and, by the grace of the yogamāyā, helps the surrendered soul to know Him proportionately with the advance of one’s surrender.
SB2.7.46 TEXT 46 te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye SYNONYMS te—such persons; vai—undoubtedly; vidanti—do know; atitaranti—surpass; ca—also; deva-māyām—the covering energy of the Lord; strī—such as women; śūdra—the laborer class of men; hūṇa—the mountaineers; śabarāḥ—the Siberians, or those lower than the śūdras; api—although; pāpa-jīvāḥ—sinful living beings; yadi—provided; adbhuta-krama—one whose acts are so wonderful; parāyaṇa—those who are devotees; śīla—behavior; śikṣāḥ—trained by; tiryak-janāḥ—even those who are not human beings; api—also; kim—what; u—to speak of; śruta-dhāraṇāḥ—those who have taken to the idea of the Lord by hearing about Him; ye—those.
TRANSLATION Surrendered souls, even from groups leading sinful lives, such as women, the laborer class, the mountaineers and the Siberians, or even the birds and beasts, can also know about the science of Godhead and become liberated from the clutches of the illusory energy by surrendering unto the pure devotees of the Lord and by following in their footsteps in devotional service. PURPORT Sometimes there are inquiries as to how one can surrender unto the Supreme Lord. In the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) the Lord asked Arjuna to surrender unto Him, and therefore persons unwilling to do so question where God is and to whom they should surrender. The answer to such questions or inquiries is given herein very properly. The Personality of Godhead may not be present before one’s eyes, but if one is sincere in wanting such guidance the Lord will send a bona fide person who can guide one properly back home, back to Godhead. There is no need of material qualifications for making progress on the path of spiritual realization. In the material world, when one accepts some particular type of service, he is required to possess some particular type of qualification also. Without this one is unfit for such service. But in the devotional service of the Lord the only qualification required is surrender. Surrendering oneself is in one’s own hand. If one likes, he can surrender immediately, without delay, and that begins his spiritual life. The bona fide representative of God is as good as God Himself. Or, in other words, the loving representative of the Lord is more kind and more easy to approach. A sinful soul cannot approach the Lord directly, but such a sinful man can very easily approach a pure devotee of the Lord. And if one agrees to put himself under the guidance of such a devotee of the Lord, he can also understand the science of God and can also become like the transcendental pure devotee of the Lord and thus get his liberation back to Godhead, back home for eternal happiness.
So realization of the science of Godhead and relief from the unnecessary, useless struggle for existence are not at all difficult for the willing candidate. But they are very difficult for persons who are not surrendered souls but only simple, profitless speculators.
SB2.7.47 TEXT 47 śaśvat praśāntam abhayaṁ pratibodha-mātraṁ śuddhaṁ samaṁ sad-asataḥ paramātma-tattvam śabdo na yatra puru-kārakavān kriyārtho māyā paraity abhimukhe ca vilajjamānā tad vai padaṁ bhagavataḥ paramasya puṁso brahmeti yad vidur ajasra-sukhaṁ viśokam SYNONYMS śaśvat—eternal; praśāntam—without disturbance; abhayam—without fear; pratibodha-mātram—a consciousness opposed to the material counterpart; śuddham—uncontaminated; samam—without distinction; sat-asataḥ—of the cause and effect; paramātma-tattvam—the principle of primeval cause; śabdaḥ—speculative sound; na—not; yatra—where there is; puru-kārakavān—resulting in fruitive action; kriyā-arthaḥ—for the matter of sacrifice; māyā—illusion; paraiti—flies away; abhimukhe—in front of; ca—also; vilajjamānā—being ashamed of; tat—that; vai—is certainly; padam—ultimate phase; bhagavataḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; paramasya—of the Supreme; puṁsaḥ—of the person; brahma—the Absolute; iti—thus; yat—which; viduḥ—known as; ajasra—unlimited; sukham—happiness; viśokam—without grief.
TRANSLATION What is realized as the Absolute Brahman is full of unlimited bliss without grief. That is certainly the ultimate phase of the supreme enjoyer, the Personality of Godhead. He is eternally void of all disturbances and fearless. He is complete consciousness as opposed to matter. Uncontaminated and without distinctions, He is the principle primeval cause of all causes and effects, in whom there is no sacrifice for fruitive activities and in whom the illusory energy does not stand. PURPORT The supreme enjoyer, the Personality of Godhead, is the Supreme Brahman or the summum bonum because of His being the supreme cause of all causes. The conception of impersonal Brahman realization is the first step, due to His distinction from the illusory conception of material existence. In other words, impersonal Brahman is a feature of the Absolute distinct from the material variegatedness, just as light is a conception distinct from its counterpart, darkness. But the light has its variegatedness, which is seen by those who further advance in the light, and thus the ultimate realization of Brahman is the source of the Brahman light, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the summum bonum or the ultimate source of everything. Therefore, meeting the Personality of Godhead includes the realization of the impersonal Brahman as realized at first in contrast with material inebriety. The Personality of Godhead is the third step of Brahman realization. As explained in the First Canto, one must understand all three features of the Absolute—Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān.
Pratibodha-mātram is just the opposite conception of material existence. In matter there are material miseries, and thus in the first realization of Brahman there is the negation of such material inebrieties, and there is a feeling of eternal existence distinct from the pangs of birth and death, disease and old age. That is the primary conception of impersonal Brahman.
The Supreme Lord is the Supreme Soul of everything, and therefore in the supreme conception affection is realized. The conception of affection is due to the relationship of soul to soul. A father is affectionate to his son because there is some relationship of nearness between the son and the father. But that sort of affection in the material world is full of inebriety. When the Personality of Godhead is met, the fullness of affection becomes manifested because of the reality of the affectionate relationship. He is not the object of affection by material tinges of body and mind, but He is the full, naked, uncontaminated object of affection for all living entities because He is the Supersoul, or Paramātmā, within everyone’s heart. In the liberated state of affairs, the full-fledged affection for the Lord is awakened.
As such, there is an unlimited flow of everlasting happiness, without the fear of its being broken as we have experienced here in the material world. The relationship with the Lord is never broken; thus there is no grief and no fear. Such happiness is inexplicable by words, and there can be no attempt to generate such happiness by fruitive activities by arrangements and sacrifices. But we must also know that happiness, unbroken happiness exchanged with the Supreme Person, the Personality of Godhead as described in this verse, transcends the impersonal conception of the Upaniṣads. In the Upaniṣads the description is more or less negation of the material conception of things, but this is not denial of the transcendental senses of the Supreme Lord. Herein also the same is affirmed in the statements about the material elements; they are all transcendental, free from all contamination of material identification. And also the liberated souls are not devoid of senses; otherwise there cannot be any reciprocation of unhampered spiritual happiness exchanged between them in spontaneous unbroken joy. All the senses, both of the Lord and of the devotees, are without material contamination. They are so because they are beyond the material cause and effects, as clearly mentioned herein (sad-asataḥ param). The illusory, material energy cannot work there, being ashamed before the Lord and His transcendental devotees. In the material world the sense activities are not without grief, but here it is clearly said that the senses of the Lord and the devotees are without any grief. There is a distinct difference between the material and spiritual senses. And one should understand it without denying the spiritual senses because of a material conception.
The senses in the material world are surcharged with material ignorance. In every way, the authorities have recommended purification of the senses from the material conception. In the material world the senses are manipulated for individual and personal satisfaction, whereas in the spiritual world the senses are properly used for the purpose for which they were originally meant, namely the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. Such sensual activities are natural, and therefore sense gratification there is uninterrupted and unbroken by material contamination because the senses are spiritually purified. And such satisfaction of the senses is equally shared by the transcendental reciprocators. Since the activities are unlimited and constantly increasing, there is no scope for material attempts or artificial arrangements. Such happiness of transcendental quality is called brahma-saukhyam, which will he clearly described in the Fifth Canto.
SB2.7.48 TEXT 48 sadhryaṅ niyamya yatayo yama-karta-hetiṁ jahyuḥ svarāḍ iva nipāna-khanitram indraḥ SYNONYMS sadhryak—artificial mental speculation or meditation; niyamya—controlling; yatayaḥ—the mystics; yama-karta-hetim—the process of spiritual culture; jahyuḥ—are given up; svarāṭ—fully independent; iva—as; nipāna—well; khanitram—trouble for digging; indraḥ—the controlling demigod supplying rains.
TRANSLATION In such a transcendental state there is no need of artificial control of the mind, mental speculation or meditation, as performed by the jñānīs and yogīs. One gives up such processes, as the heavenly King, Indra, forgoes the trouble to dig a well. PURPORT A poor man in want of water digs a well and undertakes the trouble of digging. Similarly, those who are poor in transcendental realization speculate on the mind or meditate by controlling the senses. But they do not know that such control of the senses and achievement of spiritual perfection are simultaneously made possible as soon as one is factually engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Person, the Personality of Godhead. It is for this reason that the great liberated souls also desire to be associated in hearing and chanting the activities of the Lord. The example of Indra is very appropriate in this connection. King Indra of heaven is the controlling deity or demigod for arranging clouds and supplying rains in the universe, and as such he does not have to take the trouble to dig a well for his personal water supply. For him, digging a well for a water supply is simply ludicrous. Similarly, those who are factually engaged in the loving service of the Lord have attained the ultimate goal of life, and for them there is no need of mental speculation to find out the true nature of God or His activities. Nor do such devotees have to meditate upon the imaginary or real identity of the Lord. Because they are factually engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the Lord’s pure devotees have already achieved the results of mental speculation and meditation. The real perfection of life is therefore to be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
SB2.7.49 TEXT 49 sa śreyasām api vibhur bhagavān yato ’sya bhāva-svabhāva-vihitasya sataḥ prasiddhiḥ dehe sva-dhātu-vigame ’nuviśīryamāṇe vyomeva tatra puruṣo na viśīryate ’jaḥ SYNONYMS saḥ—He; śreyasām—all auspiciousness; api—also; vibhuḥ—the master; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; yataḥ—because; asya—of the living entity; bhāva—natural modes; sva-bhāva—own constitution; vihitasya—performances; sataḥ—all good work; prasiddhiḥ—ultimate success; dehe—of the body; sva-dhātu—forming elements; vigame—being vanquished; anu—after; viśīryamāṇe—having given up; vyoma—sky; iva—like; tatra—thereupon; puruṣaḥ—the living entity; na—never; viśīryate—becomes vanquished; ajaḥ—due to being unborn.
TRANSLATION The Personality of Godhead is the supreme master of everything auspicious because the results of whatever actions are performed by the living being, in either the material or spiritual existence, are awarded by the Lord. As such, He is the ultimate benefactor. Every individual living entity is unborn, and therefore even after the annihilation of the material elementary body, the living entity exists, exactly like the air within the body. PURPORT The living entity is unborn and eternal, and as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.30), the living entity is not exhausted even though the material elementary body is vanquished. As long as the living entity is in material existence, actions performed by him are rewarded in the next life, or even in the present life. Similarly, in his spiritual life also actions are rewarded by the Lord by the five kinds of liberation. Even the impersonalist cannot achieve the desired merging into the existence of the Supreme without being favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11) that the Lord awards similar results, as one desires, in one’s present life. The living entities are given freedom to make their choice, and the Lord awards them accordingly.
It is the duty of everyone, therefore, to worship devoutly only the Personality of Godhead to achieve his desired goal. The impersonalist, instead of speculating or meditating, can directly execute the routine devotional service of the Lord and thus easily obtain the desired goal.
The devotees, however, are naturally inclined to become associates of the Lord and not merge in the spiritual existence, as conceived by the impersonalist. The devotees, therefore, following their constitutional instincts, achieve the desired goal of becoming servitors, friends, fathers, mothers or conjugal lovers of the Lord. The devotional service of the Lord involves nine transcendental processes, such as hearing and chanting, and by performing such easy and natural devotional services the devotees achieve the highest perfectional results, far, far superior to merging into the existence of Brahman. The devotees are therefore never advised to indulge in speculating upon the nature of the Supreme or artificially meditating on the the void.
One should not, however, mistakenly think that after the annihilation of this present body there is no body by which one can associate with the Lord face to face. The living entity is unborn. It is not that he is manifest with the creation of the material body. On the other hand, it is true that the material body develops only by the desire of the living entity. The evolution of the material body is due to the desires of the living being. According to the desires of the living being, the material body develops. So from the spirit soul the material body comes into existence, generated from the living force. Since the living being is eternal, he exists just like the air within the body. Air is within and without the body. Therefore when the external covering, the material body, is vanquished, the living spark, like the air within the body, continues to exist. And by the direction of the Lord, because He is the ultimate benefactor, the living entity is at once awarded the necessary spiritual body befitting his association with the Lord in the manner of sārūpya (equal bodily feature), sālokya (equal facility to live on the same planet with the Lord), sārṣṭi (equal possession of opulence like the Lord), and sāmīpya (equal association with the Lord).
The Lord is so kind that even if a devotee of the Lord cannot fulfill the complete course of devotional service unalloyed and uncontaminated by material association, he is given another chance in the next life by being awarded a birth in the family of a devotee or rich man so that without being engaged in the struggle for material existence the devotee can finish the remaining purification of his existence and thus immediately, after relinquishing the present body, go back home, back to Godhead. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā.
In this connection detailed information is available in the Bhagavat-sandarbha of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. Once achieving the spiritual existence, the devotee is eternally situated there, as already discussed in the previous verse.
SB2.7.50 TEXT 50 so ’yaṁ te ’bhihitas tāta bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ samāsena harer nānyad anyasmāt sad-asac ca yat SYNONYMS saḥ—that; ayam—the same; te—unto you; abhihitaḥ—explained by me; tāta—my dear son; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; viśva-bhāvanaḥ—the creator of the manifested worlds; samāsena—in brief; hareḥ—without Hari, the Lord; na—never; anyat—anything else; anyasmāt—being the cause of; sat—manifested or phenomenal; asat—noumenal; ca—and; yat—whatever there may be.
TRANSLATION My dear son, I have now explained in brief the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is creator of the manifested worlds. Without Him, Hari, the Lord, there are no other causes of the phenomenal and noumenal existences. PURPORT Since we generally have the experience of the temporary, material world and conditioned souls trying to lord it over the material worlds, Brahmājī explained to Nāradadeva that this temporary world is the work of the external potency of the Lord and that the conditioned souls struggling here for existence are the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. There is no cause for all these phenomenal activities but Him, Hari, the Supreme Lord, who is the primeval cause of all causes. This does not mean, however, that the Lord Himself is distributed impersonally. He is aloof from all these interactions of the external and marginal potencies. In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) it is confirmed that by His potencies alone He is present everywhere and anywhere. Everything that is manifested rests on His potency only, but He, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always aloof from everything. The potency and the potent are simultaneously one and different from one another.
One should not deprecate the Supreme Lord for the creation of this miserable world, just as one should not blame the king for creating a prisonhouse in the government. The prisonhouse is a necessary institution of the governmental establishment for those who are disobedient to the laws of the government. Similarly, this material world, full of miseries, is a temporary creation of the Lord for those who have forgotten Him and are trying to lord it over the false manifestation. He, however, is always anxious to get the fallen souls back home, back to Godhead, and for this He has given so many chances to the conditioned souls via the authoritative scriptures, His representatives, and personal incarnations also. Since He has no direct attachment to this material world, He is not to be blamed for its creation.
SB2.7.51 TEXT 51 idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma yan me bhagavatoditam saṅgraho ’yaṁ vibhūtīnāṁ tvam etad vipulī kuru SYNONYMS idam—this; bhāgavatam—the science of Godhead; nāma—of the name; yat—that which; me—unto me; bhagavatā—by the Personality of Godhead; uditam—enlightened; saṅgrahaḥ—is the accumulation of; ayam—His; vibhūtīnām—of the diverse potencies; tvam—your good self; etat—this science of Godhead; vipulī—expand; kuru—do it.
TRANSLATION O Nārada, this science of God, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, was spoken to me in summary by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it was spoken as the accumulation of His diverse potencies. Please expand this science yourself. PURPORT The Bhāgavatam in a nutshell, spoken by the Personality of Godhead in about half a dozen verses, which will appear ahead, is the science of God, and it is the potent representation of the Personality of Godhead. He, being absolute, is nondifferent from the science of God, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Brahmājī received this science of Godhead from the Lord directly, and he handed over the same to Nārada, who in his turn ordered Śrīla Vyāsadeva to expand it. So the transcendental knowledge of the Supreme Lord is not mental speculation by the mundane wranglers, but is uncontaminated, eternal, perfect knowledge beyond the jurisdiction of material modes. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is therefore the direct incarnation of the Lord in the form of transcendental sound, and one should receive this transcendental knowledge from the bona fide representative of the Lord in the chain of disciplic succession from the Lord to Brahmājī, from Brahmājī to Nārada, from Nārada to Vyāsa, from Vyāsadeva to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, from Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Sūta Gosvāmī. The ripened fruit of the Vedic tree drops from one hand to another without being broken by falling suddenly from a high branch down to the earth. Therefore unless one hears the science of Godhead from the bona fide representative of the disciplic succession, as above mentioned, for one to understand the theme of the science of Godhead will be a difficult job. It should never be heard from the professional Bhāgavatam reciters who earn their livelihood by gratifying the senses of the audience.
SB2.7.52 TEXT 52 yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṁ bhaktir bhaviṣyati sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti saṅkalpya varṇaya SYNONYMS yathā—as much as; harau—unto the Personality of Godhead; bhagavati—unto the Lord; nṛṇām—for human beings; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; bhaviṣyati—become enlightened; sarva-ātmani—the Absolute Whole; akhila-ādhāre—unto the summum bonum; iti—thus; saṅkalpya—by determination; varṇaya—describe.
TRANSLATION Please describe the science of Godhead with determination and in a manner by which it will be quite possible for the human being to develop transcendental devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead Hari, the Supersoul of every living being and the summum bonum source of all energies. PURPORT Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the philosophy of devotional service and the scientific presentation of man’s relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prior to the age of Kali there was no need for such a book of knowledge to know the Lord and His potential energies, but with the beginning of the age of Kali human society gradually became influenced by four sinful principles, namely illegitimate connection with women, intoxication, gambling and unnecessary killing of animals. Because of these basic sinful acts, man gradually became forgetful of his eternal relation with God. Therefore man became blind, so to speak, to his ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is not to pass a life of irresponsibility like the animals and indulge in a polished way in the four animal principles, namely eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. For such a blind human society in the darkness of ignorance, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the torchlight to see things in proper perspective. Therefore it was necessary to describe the science of God from the very beginning, or from the very birth of the phenomenal world.
As we have already explained, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is so scientifically presented that any sincere student of this great science will be able to understand the science of God simply by reading it with attention or simply by regularly hearing it from the bona fide speaker. Everyone is hankering after happiness in life, but in this age the members of human society, blind as they are, do not have the proper vision that the Personality of Godhead is the reservoir of all happiness because He is the ultimate source of everything (janmādy asya yataḥ [Bhāg. 1.1.1]). Happiness in complete perfection without hindrance can be achieved only by our devotional relationship with Him. And it is only by His association that we can get free of distressful material existence. Even those who are after the enjoyment of this material world can also take shelter of the great science of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and they will be successful at the end. Nārada is therefore requested or ordered by his spiritual master to present this science with determination and in good plan. Nārada was never advised to preach the principles of Bhāgavatam to earn a livelihood; he was ordered by his spiritual master to take the matter very seriously in a missionary spirit.
SB2.7.53 TEXT 53 māyāṁ varṇayato ’muṣya īśvarasyānumodataḥ śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ māyayātmā na muhyati SYNONYMS māyām—affairs of the external energy; varṇayataḥ—while describing; amuṣya—of the Lord; īśvarasya—of the Personality of Godhead; anumodataḥ—thus appreciating; śṛṇvataḥ—thus hearing; śraddhayā—with devotion; nityam—regularly; māyayā—by the illusory energy; ātmā—the living entity; na—never; muhyati—becomes illusioned.
TRANSLATION The Lord’s activities in association with His different energies should be described, appreciated and heard in accordance with the teachings of the Supreme Lord. If this is done regularly with devotion and respect, one is sure to get out of the illusory energy of the Lord. PURPORT The science of learning a subject matter seriously is different from the sentiments of fanatics. Fanatics or fools may consider the Lord’s activities in relation with the external energy to be useless for them, and they may falsely claim to be higher participants in the internal energy of the Lord, but factually the Lord’s activities in relation with the external energy and the internal energy are equally good. On the other hand, those who are not completely free from the clutches of the Lord’s external energy should devoutly hear regularly about the activities of the Lord in relation with the external energy. They should not foolishly jump up to the activities of the internal energy, falsely attracted by the Lord’s internal potential activities like His rāsa-līlā. The cheap reciters of the Bhāgavatam are very much enthusiastic about the Lord’s internal potential activities, and the pseudodevotees, absorbed in material sense enjoyment, falsely jump to the stage of liberated souls and thus fall down deeply into the clutches of external energy.
Some of them think that to hear about the pastimes of the Lord means to hear about His activities with the gopīs or about His pastimes like lifting the Govardhana Hill, and they have nothing to do with the Lord’s plenary expansions as the puruṣāvatāras and Their pastimes of the creation, maintenance or annihilation of the material worlds. But a pure devotee knows that there is no difference between the pastimes of the Lord, either in rāsa-līlā or in creation, maintenance or destruction of the material world. Rather, the descriptions of such activities of the Lord as the puruṣāvatāras are specifically meant for persons who are in the clutches of the external energy. Topics like the rāsa-līlā are meant for the liberated souls and not for the conditioned souls. The conditioned souls, therefore, must hear with appreciation and devotion the Lord’s pastimes in relationship with the external energy, and such acts are as good as the hearing of rāsa-līlā in the liberated stage. A conditioned soul should not imitate the activities of liberated souls. Lord Śrī Caitanya never indulged in hearing the rāsa-līla with ordinary men.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the science of God, the first nine cantos prepare the ground for hearing the Tenth Canto. This will be further explained in the last chapter of this canto. In the Third Canto it will be more explicit. A pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, must begin reading or hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the very beginning, and not from the Tenth Canto. We have several times been requested by some so-called devotees to take up the Tenth Canto immediately, but we have refrained from such an action because we wish to present Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the science of Godhead and not as a sensuous understanding for the conditioned souls. This is forbidden by such authorities as Śrī Brahmājī. By reading and hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as a scientific presentation, the conditioned souls will gradually be promoted to the higher status of transcendental knowledge after being freed from the illusory energy based on sense enjoyment.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Second Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions.” THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/SB2.7.4.htm