Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 9: “Liberation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter One
SB9.1.22
TEXT 22
tasmai kāma-varaṁ tuṣṭo
bhagavān harir īśvaraḥ
dadāv ilābhavat tena
sudyumnaḥ puruṣarṣabhaḥ
SYNONYMS
tasmai—unto him (Vasiṣṭha); kāma-varam—the desired benediction; tuṣṭaḥ—being pleased; bhagavān—the Supreme Personality; hariḥ īśvaraḥ—the supreme controller, the Lord; dadau—gave; ilā—the girl, Ilā; abhavat—became; tena—because of this benediction; sudyumnaḥ—by the name Sudyumna; puruṣa-ṛṣabhaḥ—a nice male.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme controller, being pleased with Vasiṣṭha, gave him the benediction he desired. Thus Ilā was transformed into a very fine male named Sudyumna.
SB9.1.23-24
TEXTS 23–24
sa ekadā mahārāja
vicaran mṛgayāṁ vane
vṛtaḥ katipayāmātyair
aśvam āruhya saindhavam
pragṛhya ruciraṁ cāpaṁ
śarāṁś ca paramādbhutān
daṁśito ’numṛgaṁ vīro
jagāma diśam uttarām
SYNONYMS
saḥ—Sudyumna; ekadā—once upon a time; mahārāja—O King Parīkṣit; vicaran—touring; mṛgayām—for hunting; vane—in the forest; vṛtaḥ—accompanied; katipaya—a few; amātyaiḥ—by ministers or associates; aśvam—upon a horse; āruhya—riding; saindhavam—born in the Sindhupradeśa; pragṛhya—holding in hand; ruciram—beautiful; cāpam—bow; śarān ca—and arrows; parama-adbhutān—very wonderful, uncommon; daṁśitaḥ—wearing armor; anumṛgam—behind the animals; vīraḥ—the hero; jagāma—went toward; diśam uttarām—the north.
TRANSLATION
O King Parīkṣit, that hero Sudyumna, accompanied by a few ministers and associates and riding on a horse brought from Sindhupradeśa, once went into the forest to hunt. He wore armor and was decorated with bows and arrows, and he was very beautiful. While following the animals and killing them, he reached the northern part of the forest.
SB9.1.25
TEXT 25
sukumāra-vanaṁ meror
adhastāt praviveśa ha
yatrāste bhagavāñ charvo
ramamāṇaḥ sahomayā
SYNONYMS
sukumāra-vanam—the forest known as Sukumāra; meroḥ adhastāt—at the foot of Mount Meru; praviveśa ha—he entered; yatra—wherein; āste—was; bhagavān—the most powerful (demigod); śarvaḥ—Lord Śiva; ramamāṇaḥ—engaged in enjoyment; saha umayā—with Umā, his wife.
TRANSLATION
There in the north, at the bottom of Mount Meru, is a forest known as Sukumāra where Lord Śiva always enjoys with Umā. Sudyumna entered that forest.
SB9.1.26
TEXT 26
tasmin praviṣṭa evāsau
sudyumnaḥ para-vīra-hā
apaśyat striyam ātmānam
aśvaṁ ca vaḍavāṁ nṛpa
SYNONYMS
tasmin—in that forest; praviṣṭaḥ—having entered; eva—indeed; asau—he; sudyumnaḥ—Prince Sudyumna; para-vīra-hā—who could very well subdue his enemies; apaśyat—observed; striyam—female; ātmānam—himself; aśvam ca—and his horse; vaḍavām—a mare; nṛpa—O King Parīkṣit.
TRANSLATION
O King Parīkṣit, as soon as Sudyumna, who was expert in subduing enemies, entered the forest, he saw himself transformed into a female and his horse transformed into a mare.
SB9.1.27
TEXT 27
tathā tad-anugāḥ sarve
ātma-liṅga-viparyayam
dṛṣṭvā vimanaso ’bhūvan
vīkṣamāṇāḥ parasparam
SYNONYMS
tathā—similarly; tat-anugāḥ—the companions of Sudyumna; sarve—all of them; ātma-liṅga-viparyayam—the transformation of their sex into the opposite; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; vimanasaḥ—morose; abhūvan—they became; vīkṣamāṇāḥ—looking over; parasparam—one another.
TRANSLATION
When his followers also saw their identities transformed and their sex reversed, they were all very morose and just looked at one another.
SB9.1.28
TEXT 28
śrī-rājovāca
katham evaṁ guṇo deśaḥ
kena vā bhagavan kṛtaḥ
praśnam enaṁ samācakṣva
paraṁ kautūhalaṁ hi naḥ
SYNONYMS
śrī-rājā uvāca—Mahārāja Parīkṣit said; katham—how; evam—this; guṇaḥ—quality; deśaḥ—the country; kena—why; vā—either; bhagavan—O most powerful; kṛtaḥ—it was so done; praśnam—question; enam—this; samācakṣva—just deliberate; param—very much; kautūhalam—eagerness; hi—indeed; naḥ—our.
TRANSLATION
Mahārāja Parīkṣit said: O most powerful brāhmaṇa, why was this place so empowered, and who made it so powerful? Kindly answer this question, for I am very eager to hear about this.
SB9.1.29
TEXT 29
śrī-śuka uvāca
ekadā giriśaṁ draṣṭum
ṛṣayas tatra suvratāḥ
diśo vitimirābhāsāḥ
kurvantaḥ samupāgaman
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca—Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ekadā—once upon a time; giriśam—Lord Śiva; draṣṭum—to see; ṛṣayaḥ—very saintly persons; tatra—in that forest; su-vratāḥ—highly elevated in spiritual power; diśaḥ—all directions; vitimira-ābhāsāḥ—having been cleared of all darkness whatsoever; kurvantaḥ—doing so; samupāgaman—arrived.
TRANSLATION
Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered: Great saintly persons who strictly observed the spiritual rules and regulations and whose own effulgence dissipated all the darkness of all directions once came to see Lord Śiva in that forest.
SB9.1.30
TEXT 30
tān vilokyāmbikā devī
vivāsā vrīḍitā bhṛśam
bhartur aṅkāt samutthāya
nīvīm āśv atha paryadhāt
SYNONYMS
tān—all the saintly persons; vilokya—seeing them; ambikā—mother Durgā; devī—the goddess; vivāsā—because she was naked; vrīḍitā—ashamed; bhṛśam—highly; bhartuḥ—of her husband; aṅkāt—from the lap; samutthāya—getting up; nīvīm—breast; āśu atha—very quickly; paryadhāt—covered with cloth.
TRANSLATION
When the goddess Ambikā saw the great saintly persons, she was very much ashamed because at that time she was naked. She immediately got up from the lap of her husband and tried to cover her breast.
SB9.1.31
TEXT 31
ṛṣayo ’pi tayor vīkṣya
prasaṅgaṁ ramamāṇayoḥ
nivṛttāḥ prayayus tasmān
nara-nārāyaṇāśramam
SYNONYMS
ṛṣayaḥ—all the great saintly persons; api—also; tayoḥ—of both of them; vīkṣya—seeing; prasaṅgam—engagement in sexual matters; ramamāṇayoḥ—who were enjoying in that way; nivṛttāḥ—desisted from going further; prayayuḥ—immediately departed; tasmāt—from that place; nara-nārāyaṇa-āśramam—to the āśrama of Nara-Nārāyaṇa.
TRANSLATION
Seeing Lord Śiva and Pārvatī engaged in sexual affairs, all the great saintly persons immediately desisted from going further and departed for the āśrama of Nara-Nārāyaṇa.
SB9.1.32
TEXT 32
tad idaṁ bhagavān āha
priyāyāḥ priya-kāmyayā
sthānaṁ yaḥ praviśed etat
sa vai yoṣid bhaved iti
SYNONYMS
tat—because; idam—this; bhagavān—Lord Śiva; āha—said; priyāyāḥ—of his dear wife; priya-kāmyayā—for the pleasure; sthānam—place; yaḥ—anyone who; praviśet—will enter; etat—here; saḥ—that person; vai—indeed; yoṣit—female; bhavet—shall become; iti—thus.
TRANSLATION
Thereupon, just to please his wife, Lord Śiva said, “Any male entering this place shall immediately become a female!”
SB9.1.33
TEXT 33
tata ūrdhvaṁ vanaṁ tad vai
puruṣā varjayanti hi
sā cānucara-saṁyuktā
vicacāra vanād vanam
SYNONYMS
tataḥ ūrdhvam—from that time onward; vanam—forest; tat—that; vai—in particular; puruṣāḥ—males; varjayanti—do not enter; hi—indeed; sā—Sudyumna in the form of a woman; ca—also; anucara-saṁyuktā—accompanied by his companions; vicacāra—walked; vanāt vanam—within the forest from one place to another.
TRANSLATION
Since that time, no male had entered that forest. But now King Sudyumna, having been transformed into a female, began to walk with his associates from one forest to another.
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gītā (2.22) it is said:
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
navāni gṛhṇāti naro ’parāṇi
tathā sarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny
anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.”
The body is just like a dress, and here this is proved. Sudyumna and his associates were all male, which means that their souls were covered by male dress, but now they became female, which means that their dress was changed. The soul, however, remains the same. It is said that by modern medical treatment a male can be transformed into a female, and a female into a male. The body, however, has no connection with the soul. The body can be changed, either in this life or the next. Therefore, one who has knowledge of the soul and how the soul transmigrates from one body to another does not pay attention to the body, which is nothing but a covering dress. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]. Such a person sees the soul, which is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore he is a sama-darśi, a learned person.
SB9.1.34 TEXT 34 atha tām āśramābhyāśe carantīṁ pramadottamām strībhiḥ parivṛtāṁ vīkṣya cakame bhagavān budhaḥ SYNONYMS atha—in this way; tām—her; āśrama-abhyāśe—in the neighborhood of his āśrama; carantīm—loitering; pramadā-uttamām—the best of beautiful women who excite sex; strībhiḥ—by other women; parivṛtām—surrounded; vīkṣya—seeing her; cakame—desired sex; bhagavān—the most powerful; budhaḥ—Budha, the son of the moon and predominating deity of the planet known as Budha, or Mercury.
TRANSLATION Sudyumna had been transformed into the best of beautiful women who excite sexual desire and was surrounded by other women. Upon seeing this beautiful woman loitering near his āśrama, Budha, the son of the moon, immediately desired to enjoy her. SB9.1.35 TEXT 35 sāpi taṁ cakame subhrūḥ somarāja-sutaṁ patim sa tasyāṁ janayām āsa purūravasam ātmajam SYNONYMS sā—Sudyumna, transformed into a woman; api—also; tam—unto him (Budha); cakame—desired sex; su-bhrūḥ—very beautiful; somarāja-sutam—unto the son of the king of the moon; patim—as her husband; saḥ—he (Budha); tasyām—in her womb; janayām āsa—begot; purūravasam—named Purūravā; ātma-jam—a son.
TRANSLATION The beautiful woman also desired to accept Budha, the son of the king of the moon, as her husband. Thus Budha begot in her womb a son named Purūravā. SB9.1.36 TEXT 36 evaṁ strītvam anuprāptaḥ sudyumno mānavo nṛpaḥ sasmāra sa kulācāryaṁ vasiṣṭham iti śuśruma SYNONYMS evam—in this way; strītvam—femininity; anuprāptaḥ—having achieved in that way; sudyumnaḥ—the male named Sudyumna; mānavaḥ—the son of Manu; nṛpaḥ—the king; sasmāra—remembered; saḥ—he; kula-ācāryam—the familial spiritual master; vasiṣṭham—the most powerful Vasiṣṭha; iti śuśruma—I have heard it (from reliable sources).
TRANSLATION I heard from reliable sources that King Sudyumna, the son of Manu, having thus achieved femininity, remembered his familial spiritual master, Vasiṣṭha. SB9.1.37 TEXT 37 sa tasya tāṁ daśāṁ dṛṣṭvā kṛpayā bhṛśa-pīḍitaḥ sudyumnasyāśayan puṁstvam upādhāvata śaṅkaram SYNONYMS saḥ—he, Vasiṣṭha; tasya—of Sudyumna; tām—that; daśām—condition; dṛṣṭvā—seeing; kṛpayā—out of mercy; bhṛśa-pīḍitaḥ—being very much aggrieved; sudyumnasya—of Sudyumna; āśayan—desiring; puṁstvam—the maleness; upādhāvata—began to worship; śaṅkaram—Lord Śiva.
TRANSLATION Upon seeing Sudyumna’s deplorable condition, Vasiṣṭha was very much aggrieved. Desiring for Sudyumna to regain his maleness, Vasiṣṭha again began to worship Lord Śaṅkara [Śiva]. SB9.1.38-39 TEXTS 38–39 tuṣṭas tasmai sa bhagavān ṛṣaye priyam āvahan svāṁ ca vācam ṛtāṁ kurvann idam āha viśāmpate māsaṁ pumān sa bhavitā māsaṁ strī tava gotrajaḥ itthaṁ vyavasthayā kāmaṁ sudyumno ’vatu medinīm SYNONYMS tuṣṭaḥ—being pleased; tasmai—unto Vasiṣṭha; saḥ—he (Lord Śiva); bhagavān—the most powerful; ṛṣaye—unto the great sage; priyam āvahan—just to please him; svām ca—his own; vācam—word; ṛtām—true; kurvan—and keeping; idam—this; āha—said; viśāmpate—O King Parīkṣit; māsam—one month; pumān—male; saḥ—Sudyumna; bhavitā—will become; māsam—an other month; strī—female; tava—your; gotra-jaḥ—disciple born in your disciplic succession; ittham—in this way; vyavasthayā—by settlement; kāmam—according to desire; sudyumnaḥ—King Sudyumna; avatu—may rule; medinīm—the world.
TRANSLATION O King Parīkṣit, Lord Śiva was pleased with Vasiṣṭha. Therefore, to satisfy him and to keep his own word to Pārvatī, Lord Śiva said to that saintly person, “Your disciple Sudyumna may remain a male for one month and a female for the next. In this way he may rule the world as he likes.” PURPORT The word gotrajaḥ is significant in this connection. Brāhmaṇas generally act as spiritual masters of two dynasties. One is their disciplic succession, and the other is the dynasty born of their semen. Both descendants belong to the same gotra, or dynasty. In the Vedic system we sometimes find that both brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas and even vaiśyas come in the disciplic succession of the same ṛṣis. Because the gotra and dynasty are one, there is no difference between the disciples and the family born of the semen. The same system still prevails in Indian society, especially in regard to marriage, for which the gotra is calculated. Here the word gotrajaḥ refers to those born in the same dynasty, whether they be disciples or members of the family.
SB9.1.40 TEXT 40 ācāryānugrahāt kāmaṁ labdhvā puṁstvaṁ vyavasthayā pālayām āsa jagatīṁ nābhyanandan sma taṁ prajāḥ SYNONYMS ācārya-anugrahāt—by the mercy of the spiritual master; kāmam—desired; labdhvā—having achieved; puṁstvam—maleness; vyavasthayā—by this settlement of Lord Śiva; pālayām āsa—he ruled; jagatīm—the whole world; na abhyanandan sma—were not satisfied with; tam—to the king; prajāḥ—the citizens.
TRANSLATION Thus being favored by the spiritual master, according to the words of Lord Śiva, Sudyumna regained his desired maleness every alternate month and in this way ruled the kingdom, although the citizens were not satisfied with this. PURPORT The citizens could understand that the king was transformed into a female every alternate month and therefore could not discharge his royal duty. Consequently they were not very satisfied.
SB9.1.41 TEXT 41 tasyotkalo gayo rājan vimalaś ca trayaḥ sutāḥ dakṣiṇā-patha-rājāno babhūvur dharma-vatsalāḥ SYNONYMS tasya—of Sudyumna; utkalaḥ—by the name Utkala; gayaḥ—by the name Gaya; rājan—O King Parīkṣit; vimalaḥ ca—and Vimala; trayaḥ—three; sutāḥ—sons; dakṣiṇā-patha—of the southern part of the world; rājānaḥ—kings; babhūvuḥ—they became; dharma-vatsalāḥ—very religious.
TRANSLATION O King, Sudyumna had three very pious sons, named Utkala, Gaya and Vimala, who became the kings of the Dakṣiṇā-patha. SB9.1.42 TEXT 42 tataḥ pariṇate kāle pratiṣṭhāna-patiḥ prabhuḥ purūravasa utsṛjya gāṁ putrāya gato vanam SYNONYMS tataḥ—thereafter; pariṇate kāle—when the time was ripe; pratiṣṭhāna-patiḥ—the master of the kingdom; prabhuḥ—very powerful; purūravase—unto Purūravā; utsṛjya—delivering; gām—the world; putrāya—unto his son; gataḥ—departed; vanam—to the forest.
TRANSLATION Thereafter, when the time was ripe, when Sudyumna, the king of the world, was sufficiently old, he delivered the entire kingdom to his son Purūravā and entered the forest. PURPORT According to the Vedic system, one within the institution of varṇa and āśrama must leave his family life after he reaches fifty years of age (pañcāśad ūrdhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet). Thus Sudyumna followed the prescribed regulations of varṇāśrama by leaving the kingdom and going to the forest to complete his spiritual life.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Ninth Canto, First Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “King Sudyumna Becomes a Woman.” THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/SB9.1.1.htm