Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Thirty-two
Entanglement in Fruitive Activities
SB3.32.1
TEXT 1
kapila uvāca
atha yo gṛha-medhīyān
dharmān evāvasan gṛhe
kāmam arthaṁ ca dharmān svān
dogdhi bhūyaḥ piparti tān
SYNONYMS
kapilaḥ uvāca—Lord Kapila said; atha—now; yaḥ—the person who; gṛha-medhīyān—of the householders; dharmān—duties; eva—certainly; āvasan—living; gṛhe—at home; kāmam—sense gratification; artham—economic development; ca—and; dharmān—religious rituals; svān—his; dogdhi—enjoys; bhūyaḥ—again and again; piparti—performs; tān—them.
TRANSLATION
The Personality of Godhead said: The person who lives in the center of household life derives material benefits by performing religious rituals, and thereby he fulfills his desire for economic development and sense gratification. Again and again he acts the same way.
PURPORT
There are two kinds of householders. One is called the gṛhamedhī, and the other is called the gṛhastha. The objective of the gṛhamedhī is sense gratification, and the objective of the gṛhastha is self-realization. Here the Lord is speaking about the gṛhamedhī, or the person who wants to remain in this material world. His activity is to enjoy material benefits by performing religious rituals for economic development and thereby ultimately satisfy the senses. He does not want anything more. Such a person works very hard throughout his life to become very rich and eat very nicely and drink. By giving some charity for pious activity he can go to a higher planetary atmosphere in the heavenly planets in his next life, but he does not want to stop the repetition of birth and death and finish with the concomitant miserable factors of material existence. Such a person is called a gṛhamedhī.
A gṛhastha is a person who lives with family, wife, children and relatives but has no attachment for them. He prefers to live in family life rather than as a mendicant or sannyāsī, but his chief aim is to achieve self-realization, or to come to the standard of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here, however, Lord Kapiladeva is speaking about the gṛhamedhīs, who have made their aim the materialistically prosperous life, which they achieve by sacrificial ceremonies, by charities and by good work. They are posted in good positions, and since they know that they are using up their assets of pious activities, they again and again perform activities of sense gratification. It is said by Prahlāda Mahārāja, punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām: [SB 7.5.30] they prefer to chew the already chewed. Again and again they experience the material pangs, even if they are rich and prosperous, but they do not want to give up this kind of life.
SB3.32.2 TEXT 2 sa cāpi bhagavad-dharmāt kāma-mūḍhaḥ parāṅ-mukhaḥ yajate kratubhir devān pitṝṁś ca śraddhayānvitaḥ SYNONYMS saḥ—he; ca api—moreover; bhagavat-dharmāt—from devotional service; kāma-mūḍhaḥ—infatuated by lust; parāk-mukhaḥ—having the face turned away; yajate—worships; kratubhiḥ—with sacrificial ceremonies; devān—the demigods; pitṝn—the forefathers; ca—and; śraddhayā—with faith; anvitaḥ—endowed.
TRANSLATION Such persons are ever bereft of devotional service due to being too attached to sense gratification, and therefore, although they perform various kinds of sacrifices and take great vows to satisfy the demigods and forefathers, they are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service. PURPORT In Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) it is said that persons who worship demigods have lost their intelligence: kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ. They are much attracted to sense gratification, and therefore they worship the demigods. It is, of course, recommended in the Vedic scriptures that if one wants money, health or education, then he should worship the various demigods. A materialistic person has manifold demands, and thus there are manifold demigods to satisfy his senses. The gṛhamedhīs, who want to continue a prosperous materialistic way of life, generally worship the demigods or the forefathers by offering piṇḍa, or respectful oblations. Such persons are bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and are not interested in devotional service to the Lord. This kind of so-called pious and religious man is the result of impersonalism. The impersonalists maintain that the Supreme Absolute Truth has no form and that one can imagine any form he likes for his benefit and worship in that way. Therefore the gṛhamedhīs or materialistic men say that they can worship any form of a demigod as worship of the Supreme Lord. Especially amongst the Hindus, those who are meat-eaters prefer to worship goddess Kālī because it is prescribed that one can sacrifice a goat before that goddess. They maintain that whether one worships the goddess Kālī or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu or any demigod, the destination is the same. This is first-class rascaldom, and such people are misled. But they prefer this philosophy. Bhagavad-gītā does not accept such rascaldom, and it is clearly stated that such methods are meant for persons who have lost their intelligence. The same judgment is confirmed here, and the word kāma-mūḍha, meaning one who has lost his sense or is infatuated by the lust of attraction for sense gratification, is used. Kāma-mūḍhas are bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service and are infatuated by a strong desire for sense gratification. The worshipers of demigods are condemned both in Bhagavad-gītā and in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
SB3.32.3 TEXT 3 tac-chraddhayākrānta-matiḥ pitṛ-deva-vrataḥ pumān gatvā cāndramasaṁ lokaṁ soma-pāḥ punar eṣyati SYNONYMS tat—to the demigods and forefathers; śraddhayā—with reverence; ākrānta—overcome; matiḥ—his mind; pitṛ—to the forefathers; deva—to the demigods; vrataḥ—his vow; pumān—the person; gatvā—having gone; cāndramasam—to the moon; lokam—planet; soma-pāḥ—drinking soma juice; punaḥ—again; eṣyati—will return.
TRANSLATION Such materialistic persons, attracted by sense gratification and devoted to the forefathers and demigods, can be elevated to the moon, where they drink an extract of the soma plant. They again return to this planet. PURPORT The moon is considered one of the planets of the heavenly kingdom. One can be promoted to this planet by executing different sacrifices recommended in the Vedic literature, such as pious activities in worshiping the demigods and forefathers with rigidity and vows. But one cannot remain there for a very long time. Life on the moon is said to last ten thousand years according to the calculation of the demigods. The demigods’ time is calculated in such a way that one day (twelve hours) is equal to six months on this planet. It is not possible to reach the moon by any material vehicle like a sputnik, but persons who are attracted by material enjoyment can go to the moon by pious activities. In spite of being promoted to the moon, however, one has to come back to this earth again when the merits of his works in sacrifice are finished. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.21): te taṁ bhuktvā svarga-lokaṁ viśālaṁ kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti.
SB3.32.4 TEXT 4 yadā cāhīndra-śayyāyāṁ śete ’nantāsano hariḥ tadā lokā layaṁ yānti ta ete gṛha-medhinām SYNONYMS yadā—when; ca—and; ahi-indra—of the king of snakes; śayyāyām—on the bed; śete—lies; ananta-āsanaḥ—He whose seat is Ananta Śeṣa; hariḥ—Lord Hari; tadā—then; lokāḥ—the planets; layam—unto dissolution; yānti—go; te ete—those very; gṛha-medhinām—of the materialistic householders.
TRANSLATION All the planets of the materialistic persons, including all the heavenly planets, such as the moon, are vanquished when the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, goes to His bed of serpents, which is known as Ananta Śeṣa. PURPORT The materially attached are very eager to promote themselves to the heavenly planets such as the moon. There are many heavenly planets to which they aspire just to achieve more and more material happiness by getting a long duration of life and the paraphernalia for sense enjoyment. But the attached persons do not know that even if one goes to the highest planet, Brahmaloka, destruction exists there also. In Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that one can even go to the Brahmaloka, but still he will find the pangs of birth, death, disease and old age. Only by approaching the Lord’s abode, the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, does one not take birth again in this material world. The gṛhamedhīs, or materialistic persons, however, do not like to use this advantage. They would prefer to transmigrate perpetually from one body to another, or from one planet to another. They do not want the eternal, blissful life in knowledge in the kingdom of God.
There are two kinds of dissolutions. One dissolution takes place at the end of the life of Brahmā. At that time all the planetary systems, including the heavenly systems, are dissolved in water and enter into the body of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who lies on the Garbhodaka Ocean on the bed of serpents, called Śeṣa. In the other dissolution, which occurs at the end of Brahmā’s day, all the lower planetary systems are destroyed. When Lord Brahmā rises after his night, these lower planetary systems are again created. The statement in Bhagavad-gītā that persons who worship the demigods have lost their intelligence is confirmed in this verse. These less intelligent persons do not know that even if they are promoted to the heavenly planets, at the time of dissolution they themselves, the demigods and all their planets will be annihilated. They have no information that eternal, blissful life can be attained.
SB3.32.5 TEXT 5 ye sva-dharmān na duhyanti dhīrāḥ kāmārtha-hetave niḥsaṅgā nyasta-karmāṇaḥ praśāntāḥ śuddha-cetasaḥ SYNONYMS ye—those who; sva-dharmān—their own occupational duties; na—do not; duhyanti—take advantage of; dhīrāḥ—intelligent; kāma—sense gratification; artha—economic development; hetave—for the sake of; niḥsaṅgāḥ—free from material attachment; nyasta—given up; karmāṇaḥ—fruitive activities; praśāntāḥ—satisfied; śuddha-cetasaḥ—of purified consciousness.
TRANSLATION Those who are intelligent and are of purified consciousness are completely satisfied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Freed from the modes of material nature, they do not act for sense gratification; rather, since they are situated in their own occupational duties, they act as one is expected to act. PURPORT The first-class example of this type of man is Arjuna. Arjuna was a kṣatriya, and his occupational duty was to fight. Generally, kings fight to extend their kingdoms, which they rule for sense gratification. But as far as Arjuna is concerned, he declined to fight for his own sense gratification. He said that although he could get a kingdom by fighting with his relatives, he did not want to fight with them. But when he was ordered by Kṛṣṇa and convinced by the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā that his duty was to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then he fought. Thus he fought not for his sense gratification but for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Persons who work at their prescribed duties, not for sense gratification but for gratification of the Supreme Lord, are called niḥsaṅga, freed from the influence of the modes of material nature. Nyasta-karmāṇaḥ indicates that the results of their activities are given to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such persons appear to be acting on the platform of their respective duties, but such activities are not performed for personal sense gratification; rather, they are performed for the Supreme Person. Such devotees are called praśāntāḥ, which means “completely satisfied.” Śuddha-cetasaḥ means Kṛṣṇa conscious; their consciousness has become purified. In unpurified consciousness one thinks of himself as the Lord of the universe, but in purified consciousness one thinks himself the eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Putting oneself in that position of eternal servitorship to the Supreme Lord and working for Him perpetually, one actually becomes completely satisfied. As long as one works for his personal sense gratification, he will always be full of anxiety. That is the difference between ordinary consciousness and Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
SB3.32.6 TEXT 6 nivṛtti-dharma-niratā nirmamā nirahaṅkṛtāḥ sva-dharmāptena sattvena pariśuddhena cetasā SYNONYMS nivṛtti-dharma—in religious activities for detachment; niratāḥ—constantly engaged; nirmamāḥ—without a sense of proprietorship; nirahaṅkṛtāḥ—without false egoism; sva-dharma—by one’s own occupational duties; āptena—executed; sattvena—by goodness; pariśuddhena—completely purified; cetasā—by consciousness.
TRANSLATION By executing one’s occupational duties, acting with detachment and without a sense of proprietorship or false egoism, one is posted in one’s constitutional position by dint of complete purification of consciousness, and by thus executing so-called material duties he can easily enter into the kingdom of God. PURPORT Here the word nivṛtti-dharma-niratāḥ means “constantly engaging in executing religious activities for detachment.” There are two kinds of religious performances. One is called pravṛtti-dharma, which means the religious activities performed by the gṛhamedhīs for elevation to higher planets or for economic prosperity, the final aim of which is sense gratification. Every one of us who has come to this material world has the sense of overlordship. This is called pravṛtti. But the opposite type of religious performance, which is called nivṛtti, is to act for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Engaged in devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has no proprietorship claim, nor is one situated in the false egoism of thinking that he is God or the master. He always thinks himself the servant. That is the process of purifying consciousness. With pure consciousness only can one enter into the kingdom of God. Materialistic persons, in their elevated condition, can enter any one of the planets within this material world, but all are subjected to dissolution over and over again.
SB3.32.7 TEXT 7 sūrya-dvāreṇa te yānti puruṣaṁ viśvato-mukham parāvareśaṁ prakṛtim asyotpatty-anta-bhāvanam SYNONYMS sūrya-dvāreṇa—through the path of illumination; te—they; yānti—approach; puruṣam—the Personality of Godhead; viśvataḥ-mukham—whose face is turned everywhere; para-avara-īśam—the proprietor of the spiritual and material worlds; prakṛtim—the material cause; asya—of the world; utpatti—of manifestation; anta—of dissolution; bhāvanam—the cause.
TRANSLATION Through the path of illumination, such liberated persons approach the complete Personality of Godhead, who is the proprietor of the material and spiritual worlds and is the supreme cause of their manifestation and dissolution. PURPORT The word sūrya-dvāreṇa means “by the illuminated path,” or through the sun planet. The illuminated path is devotional service. It is advised in the Vedas not to pass through the darkness, but to pass through the sun planet. It is also recommended here that by traversing the illuminated path one can be freed from the contamination of the material modes of nature; by that path one can enter into the kingdom where the completely perfect Personality of Godhead resides. The words puruṣaṁ viśvato-mukham mean the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-perfect. All living entities other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead are very small, although they may be big by our calculation. Everyone is infinitesimal, and therefore in the Vedas the Supreme Lord is called the supreme eternal amongst all eternals. He is the proprietor of the material and spiritual worlds and the supreme cause of manifestation. Material nature is only the ingredient because actually the manifestation is caused by His energy. The material energy is also His energy; just as the combination of father and mother is the cause of childbirth, so the combination of the material energy and the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the manifestation of the material world. The efficient cause, therefore, is not matter, but the Lord Himself.
SB3.32.8 TEXT 8 dvi-parārdhāvasāne yaḥ pralayo brahmaṇas tu te tāvad adhyāsate lokaṁ parasya para-cintakāḥ SYNONYMS dvi-parārdha—two parārdhas; avasāne—at the end of; yaḥ—which; pralayaḥ—death; brahmaṇaḥ—of Lord Brahmā; tu—indeed; te—they; tāvat—so long; adhyāsate—dwell; lokam—on the planet; parasya—of the Supreme; para-cintakāḥ—thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION Worshipers of the Hiraṇyagarbha expansion of the Personality of Godhead remain within this material world until the end of two parārdhas, when Lord Brahmā also dies. PURPORT One dissolution is at the end of Brahmā’s day, and one is at the end of Brahmā’s life. Brahmā dies at the end of two parārdhas, at which time the entire material universe is dissolved. Persons who are worshipers of Hiraṇyagarbha, the plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, do not directly approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Vaikuṇṭha. They remain within this universe on Satyaloka or other higher planets until the end of the life of Brahmā. Then, with Brahmā, they are elevated to the spiritual kingdom.
The words parasya para-cintakāḥ mean “always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” or being always Kṛṣṇa conscious. When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, this refers to the complete category of viṣṇu-tattva. Kṛṣṇa includes the three puruṣa incarnations, namely Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, as well as all the incarnations taken together. This is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan: [Bs. 5.39] Lord Kṛṣṇa is perpetually situated with His many expansions, such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Madhusūdana, Viṣṇu and Nārāyaṇa. He exists with all His plenary portions and the portions of His plenary portions, and each of them is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The words parasya para-cintakāḥ mean those who are fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. Such persons enter directly into the kingdom of God, the Vaikuṇṭha planets, or, if they are worshipers of the plenary portion Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, they remain within this universe until its dissolution, and after that they enter.
SB3.32.9 TEXT 9 kṣmāmbho-’nalānila-viyan-mana-indriyārtha- bhūtādibhiḥ parivṛtaṁ pratisañjihīrṣuḥ avyākṛtaṁ viśati yarhi guṇa-trayātmā kālaṁ parākhyam anubhūya paraḥ svayambhūḥ SYNONYMS kṣmā—earth; ambhaḥ—water; anala—fire; anila—air; viyat—ether; manaḥ—mind; indriya—the senses; artha—the objects of the senses; bhūta—ego; ādibhiḥ—and so on; parivṛtam—covered by; pratisañjihīrṣuḥ—desiring to dissolve; avyākṛtam—the changeless spiritual sky; viśati—he enters; yarhi—at which time; guṇa-traya-ātmā—consisting of the three modes; kālam—the time; para-ākhyam—two parārdhas; anubhūya—after experiencing; paraḥ—the chief; svayambhūḥ—Lord Brahmā.
TRANSLATION After experiencing the inhabitable time of the three modes of material nature, known as two parārdhas, Lord Brahmā closes the material universe, which is covered by layers of earth, water, air, fire, ether, mind, ego, etc., and goes back to Godhead. PURPORT The word avyākṛtam is very significant in this verse. The same meaning is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, in the word sanātana. This material world is vyākṛta, or subject to changes, and it finally dissolves. But after the dissolution of this material world, the manifestation of the spiritual world, the sanātana-dhāma, remains. That spiritual sky is called avyākṛta, that which does not change, and there the Supreme Personality of Godhead resides. When, after ruling over the material universe under the influence of the time element, Lord Brahmā desires to dissolve it and enter into the kingdom of God, others then enter with him.
SB3.32.10 TEXT 10 evaṁ paretya bhagavantam anupraviṣṭā ye yogino jita-marun-manaso virāgāḥ tenaiva sākam amṛtaṁ puruṣaṁ purāṇaṁ brahma pradhānam upayānty agatābhimānāḥ SYNONYMS evam—thus; paretya—having gone a long distance; bhagavantam—Lord Brahmā; anupraviṣṭāḥ—entered; ye—those who; yoginaḥ—yogīs; jita—controlled; marut—the breathing; manasaḥ—the mind; virāgāḥ—detached; tena—with Lord Brahmā; eva—indeed; sākam—together; amṛtam—the embodiment of bliss; puruṣam—unto the personality of Godhead; purāṇam—the oldest; brahma pradhānam—the Supreme Brahman; upayānti—they go; agata—not gone; abhimānāḥ—whose false ego.
TRANSLATION The yogīs who become detached from the material world by practice of breathing exercises and control of the mind reach the planet of Brahmā, which is far, far away. After giving up their bodies, they enter into the body of Lord Brahmā, and therefore when Brahmā is liberated and goes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the Supreme Brahman, such yogīs can also enter into the kingdom of God. PURPORT By perfecting their yogic practice, yogīs can reach the highest planet, Brahmaloka, or Satyaloka, and after giving up their material bodies, they can enter into the body of Lord Brahmā. Because they are not directly devotees of the Lord, they cannot get liberation directly. They have to wait until Brahmā is liberated, and only then, along with Brahmā, are they also liberated. It is clear that as long as a living entity is a worshiper of a particular demigod, his consciousness is absorbed in thoughts of that demigod, and therefore he cannot get direct liberation, or entrance into the kingdom of God, nor can he merge into the impersonal effulgence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such yogīs or demigod worshipers are subjected to the chance of taking birth again when there is again creation.
SB3.32.11 TEXT 11 atha taṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛt-padmeṣu kṛtālayam śrutānubhāvaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja bhāvena bhāmini SYNONYMS atha—therefore; tam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sarva-bhūtānām—of all living entities; hṛt-padmeṣu—in the lotus hearts; kṛta-ālayam—residing; śruta-anubhāvam—whose glories you have heard; śaraṇam—unto the shelter; vraja—go; bhāvena—by devotional service; bhāmini—My dear mother.
TRANSLATION Therefore, My dear mother, by devotional service take direct shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seated in everyone’s heart. PURPORT One can attain direct contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness and revive one’s eternal relationship with Him as lover, as Supreme Soul, as son, as friend or as master. One can reestablish the transcendental loving relationship with the Supreme Lord in so many ways, and that feeling is true oneness. The oneness of the Māyāvādī philosophers and the oneness of Vaiṣṇava philosophers are different. The Māyāvādī and Vaiṣṇava philosophers both want to merge into the Supreme, but the Vaiṣṇavas do not lose their identities. They want to keep the identity of lover, parent, friend or servant.
In the transcendental world, the servant and master are one. That is the absolute platform. Although the relationship is servant and master, both the servant and the served stand on the same platform. That is oneness. Lord Kapila advised His mother that she did not need any indirect process. She was already situated in that direct process because the Supreme Lord had taken birth as her son. Actually, she did not need any further instruction because she was already in the perfectional stage. Kapiladeva advised her to continue in the same way. He therefore addressed His mother as bhāmini to indicate that she was already thinking of the Lord as her son. Devahūti is advised by Lord Kapila to take directly to devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because without that consciousness one cannot become liberated from the clutches of māyā.
SB3.32.12-15 TEXTS 12–15 ādyaḥ sthira-carāṇāṁ yo veda-garbhaḥ saharṣibhiḥ yogeśvaraiḥ kumārādyaiḥ siddhair yoga-pravartakaiḥ bheda-dṛṣṭyābhimānena niḥsaṅgenāpi karmaṇā kartṛtvāt saguṇaṁ brahma puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabham sa saṁsṛtya punaḥ kāle kāleneśvara-mūrtinā jāte guṇa-vyatikare yathā-pūrvaṁ prajāyate aiśvaryaṁ pārameṣṭhyaṁ ca te ’pi dharma-vinirmitam niṣevya punar āyānti guṇa-vyatikare sati SYNONYMS ādyaḥ—the creator, Lord Brahmā; sthira-carāṇām—of the immobile and mobile manifestations; yaḥ—he who; veda-garbhaḥ—the repository of the Vedas; saha—along with; ṛṣibhiḥ—the sages; yoga-īśvaraiḥ—with great mystic yogīs; kumāra-ādyaiḥ—the Kumāras and others; siddhaiḥ—with the perfected living beings; yoga-pravartakaiḥ—the authors of the yoga system; bheda-dṛṣṭyā—because of independent vision; abhimānena—by misconception; niḥsaṅgena—nonfruitive; api—although; karmaṇā—by their activities; kartṛtvāt—from the sense of being a doer; sa-guṇam—possessing spiritual qualities; brahma—Brahman; puruṣam—the Personality of Godhead; puruṣa-ṛṣabham—the first puruṣa incarnation; saḥ—he; saṁsṛtya—having attained; punaḥ—again; kāle—at the time; kālena—by time; īśvara-mūrtinā—the manifestation of the Lord; jāte guṇa-vyatikare—when the interaction of the modes arises; yathā—as; pūrvam—previously; prajāyate—is born; aiśvaryam—opulence; pārameṣṭhyam—royal; ca—and; te—the sages; api—also; dharma—by their pious activities; vinirmitam—produced; niṣevya—having enjoyed; punaḥ—again; āyānti—they return; guṇa-vyatikare sati—when the interaction of the modes takes place.
TRANSLATION My dear mother, someone may worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead with a special self-interest, but even demigods such as Lord Brahmā, great sages such as Sanat-kumāra and great munis such as Marīci have to come back to the material world again at the time of creation. When the interaction of the three modes of material nature begins, Brahmā, who is the creator of this cosmic manifestation and who is full of Vedic knowledge, and the great sages, who are the authors of the spiritual path and the yoga system, come back under the influence of the time factor. They are liberated by their nonfruitive activities and they attain the first incarnation of the puruṣa, but at the time of creation they come back in exactly the same forms and positions as they had previously. PURPORT That Brahmā becomes liberated is known to everyone, but he cannot liberate his devotees. Demigods like Brahmā and Lord Śiva cannot give liberation to any living entity. As it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā, only one who surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can be liberated from the clutches of māyā. Brahmā is called here ādyaḥ sthira-carāṇām. He is the original, first-created living entity, and after his own birth he creates the entire cosmic manifestation. He was fully instructed in the matter of creation by the Supreme Lord. Here he is called veda-garbha, which means that he knows the complete purpose of the Vedas. He is always accompanied by such great personalities as Marīci, Kaśyapa and the seven sages, as well as by great mystic yogīs, the Kumāras and many other spiritually advanced living entities, but he has his own interest, separate from the Lord’s. Bheda-dṛṣṭyā means that Brahmā sometimes thinks that he is independent of the Supreme Lord, or he thinks of himself as one of the three equally independent incarnations. Brahmā is entrusted with creation, Viṣṇu maintains and Rudra, Lord Śiva, destroys. The three of them are understood to be incarnations of the Supreme Lord in charge of the three different material modes of nature, but none of them is independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here the word bheda-dṛṣṭyā occurs because Brahmā has a slight inclination to think that he is as independent as Rudra. Sometimes Brahmā thinks that he is independent of the Supreme Lord, and the worshiper also thinks that Brahmā is independent. For this reason, after the destruction of this material world, when there is again creation by the interaction of the material modes of nature, Brahmā comes back. Although Brahmā reaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the first puruṣa incarnation, Mahā-Viṣṇu, who is full with transcendental qualities, he cannot stay in the spiritual world.
The specific significance of his coming back may be noted. Brahmā and the great ṛṣis and the great master of yoga (Śiva) are not ordinary living entities; they are very powerful and have all the perfections of mystic yoga. But still they have an inclination to try to become one with the Supreme, and therefore they have to come back. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is accepted that as long as one thinks that he is equal with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is not completely purified or knowledgeable. In spite of going up to the first puruṣa-avatāra, Mahā-Viṣṇu, after the dissolution of this material creation, such personalities again fall down or come back to the material creation.
It is a great falldown on the part of the impersonalists to think that the Supreme Lord appears within a material body and that one should therefore not meditate upon the form of the Supreme but should meditate instead on the formless. For this particular mistake, even the great mystic yogīs or great stalwart transcendentalists also come back again when there is creation. All living entities other than the impersonalists and monists can directly take to devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become liberated by developing transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such devotional service develops in the degrees of thinking of the Supreme Lord as master, as friend, as son and, at last, as lover. These distinctions in transcendental variegatedness must always be present.
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