Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: Canto 9: “Liberation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Four
SB9.4.46
TEXT 46
evaṁ bruvāṇa utkṛtya
jaṭāṁ roṣa-pradīpitaḥ
tayā sa nirmame tasmai
kṛtyāṁ kālānalopamām
SYNONYMS
evam—thus; bruvāṇaḥ—speaking (Durvāsā Muni); utkṛtya—uprooting; jaṭām—a bunch of hair; roṣa-pradīpitaḥ—being reddish because he was very angry; tayā—by that bunch of hair from his head; saḥ—Durvāsā Muni; nirmame—created; tasmai—to punish Mahārāja Ambarīṣa; kṛtyām—a demon; kāla-anala-upamām—appearing just like the blazing fire of devastation.
TRANSLATION
As Durvāsā Muni said this, his face became red with anger. Uprooting a bunch of hair from his head, he created a demon resembling the blazing fire of devastation to punish Mahārāja Ambarīṣa.
SB9.4.47
TEXT 47
tām āpatantīṁ jvalatīm
asi-hastāṁ padā bhuvam
vepayantīṁ samudvīkṣya
na cacāla padān nṛpaḥ
SYNONYMS
tām—that (demon); āpatantīm—coming forward to attack him; jvalatīm—blazing like fire; asi-hastām—with a trident in his hand; padā—with his footstep; bhuvam—the surface of the earth; vepayantīm—causing to tremble; samudvīkṣya—seeing him perfectly; na—not; cacāla—moved; padāt—from his place; nṛpaḥ—the King.
TRANSLATION
Taking a trident in his hand and making the surface of the earth tremble with his footsteps, that blazing creature came before Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. But the King, upon seeing him, was not at all disturbed and did not move even slightly from his position.
PURPORT
Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (Bhāg. 6.17.28). A pure devotee of Nārāyaṇa is never afraid of any material danger. There are many examples of devotees such as Prahlāda Mahārāja, who was tortured by his father but was not at all afraid, although he was only a five-year-old boy. Therefore, following the examples of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and Prahlāda Mahārāja, a devotee should learn how to tolerate all such awkward positions in this world. Devotees are often tortured by nondevotees, yet the pure devotee, depending fully on the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is never disturbed by such inimical activities.
SB9.4.48 TEXT 48 prāg diṣṭaṁ bhṛtya-rakṣāyāṁ puruṣeṇa mahātmanā dadāha kṛtyāṁ tāṁ cakraṁ kruddhāhim iva pāvakaḥ SYNONYMS prāk diṣṭam—as previously arranged; bhṛtya-rakṣāyām—for the protection of his servants; puruṣeṇa—by the Supreme Person; mahā-ātmanā—by the Supersoul; dadāha—burnt to ashes; kṛtyām—that created demon; tām—him; cakram—the disc; kruddha—angry; ahim—a serpent; iva—like; pāvakaḥ—fire.
TRANSLATION As fire in the forest immediately burns to ashes an angry snake, so, by the previous order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His disc, the Sudarśana cakra, immediately burnt to ashes the created demon to protect the Lord’s devotee. PURPORT As a pure devotee, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, although in such danger, did not move an inch from his position, nor did he request the Supreme Personality of Godhead to give him protection. He was fixed in understanding, and it was certain that he was simply thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the core of his heart. A devotee is never fearful of his death, for he meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead always, not for any material profit, but as his duty. The Lord, however, knows how to protect His devotee. As indicated by the words prāg diṣṭam, the Lord knew everything. Therefore, before anything happened, He had already arranged for His cakra to protect Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. This protection is offered to a devotee even from the very beginning of his devotional service. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (Bg. 9.31). If one simply begins devotional service, he is immediately protected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.66): ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. Protection begins immediately. The Lord is so kind and merciful that He gives the devotee proper guidance and all protection, and thus the devotee very peacefully makes solid progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness without outward disturbances. A serpent may be very angry and ready to bite, but the furious snake is helpless when faced by a blazing fire in the forest. Although an enemy of a devotee may be very strong, he is compared to an angry serpent before the fire of devotional service.
SB9.4.49 TEXT 49 tad-abhidravad udvīkṣya sva-prayāsaṁ ca niṣphalam durvāsā dudruve bhīto dikṣu prāṇa-parīpsayā SYNONYMS tat—of that disc; abhidravat—moving toward him; udvīkṣya—after seeing; sva-prayāsam—his own attempt; ca—and; niṣphalam—having failed; durvāsāḥ—Durvāsā Muni; dudruve—began to run; bhītaḥ—full of fear; dikṣu—in every direction; prāṇa-parīpsayā—with a desire to save his life.
TRANSLATION Upon seeing that his own attempt had failed and that the Sudarśana cakra was moving toward him, Durvāsā Muni became very frightened and began to run in all directions to save his life. SB9.4.50 TEXT 50 tam anvadhāvad bhagavad-rathāṅgaṁ dāvāgnir uddhūta-śikho yathāhim tathānuṣaktaṁ munir īkṣamāṇo guhāṁ vivikṣuḥ prasasāra meroḥ SYNONYMS tam—unto Durvāsā; anvadhāvat—began to follow; bhagavat-ratha-aṅgam—the disc appearing from the wheel of the Lord’s chariot; dāva-agniḥ—like a forest fire; uddhūta—blazing high; śikhaḥ—having flames; yathā ahim—as it follows a snake; tathā—in the same way; anuṣaktam—as if touching Durvāsā Muni’s back; muniḥ—the sage; īkṣamāṇaḥ—seeing like that; guhām—a cave; vivikṣuḥ—wanted to enter; prasasāra—began to move quickly; meroḥ—of Meru Mountain.
TRANSLATION As the blazing flames of a forest fire pursue a snake, the disc of the Supreme Personality of Godhead began following Durvāsā Muni. Durvāsā Muni saw that the disc was almost touching his back, and thus he ran very swiftly, desiring to enter a cave of Sumeru Mountain. SB9.4.51 TEXT 51 diśo nabhaḥ kṣmāṁ vivarān samudrān lokān sapālāṁs tridivaṁ gataḥ saḥ yato yato dhāvati tatra tatra sudarśanaṁ duṣprasahaṁ dadarśa SYNONYMS diśaḥ—all directions; nabhaḥ—in the sky; kṣmām—on the surface of the earth; vivarān—within the holes; samudrān—within the seas; lokān—all places; sa-pālān—as well as their rulers; tridivam—the heavenly planets; gataḥ—gone; saḥ—Durvāsā Muni; yataḥ yataḥ—wheresoever; dhāvati—he went; tatra tatra—there, everywhere; sudarśanam—the disc of the Lord; duṣprasaham—extremely fearful; dadarśa—Durvāsā Muni saw.
TRANSLATION Just to protect himself, Durvāsā Muni fled everywhere, in all directions—in the sky, on the surface of the earth, in caves, in the ocean, on different planets of the rulers of the three worlds, and even on the heavenly planets—but wherever he went he immediately saw following him the unbearable fire of the Sudarśana cakra. SB9.4.52 TEXT 52 alabdha-nāthaḥ sa sadā kutaścit santrasta-citto ’raṇam eṣamāṇaḥ devaṁ viriñcaṁ samagād vidhātas trāhy ātma-yone ’jita-tejaso mām SYNONYMS alabdha-nāthaḥ—without getting the shelter of a protector; saḥ—Durvāsā Muni; sadā—always; kutaścit—somewhere; santrasta-cittaḥ—with a fearful heart; araṇam—a person who can give shelter; eṣamāṇaḥ—seeking; devam—at last to the chief demigod; viriñcam—Lord Brahmā; samagāt—approached; vidhātaḥ—O my lord; trāhi—kindly protect; ātma-yone—O Lord Brahmā; ajita-tejasaḥ—from the fire released by Ajita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mām—unto me.
TRANSLATION With a fearful heart, Durvāsā Muni went here and there seeking shelter, but when he could find no shelter, he finally approached Lord Brahmā and said, “O my lord, O Lord Brahmā, kindly protect me from the blazing Sudarśana cakra sent by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” SB9.4.53-54 TEXTS 53–54 śrī-brahmovāca sthānaṁ madīyaṁ saha-viśvam etat krīḍāvasāne dvi-parārdha-saṁjñe bhrū-bhaṅga-mātreṇa hi sandidhakṣoḥ kālātmano yasya tirobhaviṣyati ahaṁ bhavo dakṣa-bhṛgu-pradhānāḥ prajeśa-bhūteśa-sureśa-mukhyāḥ sarve vayaṁ yan-niyamaṁ prapannā mūrdhnyārpitaṁ loka-hitaṁ vahāmaḥ SYNONYMS śrī-brahmā uvāca—Lord Brahmā said; sthānam—the place where I am; madīyam—my residence, Brahmaloka; saha—with; viśvam—the whole universe; etat—this; krīḍā-avasāne—at the end of the period for the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; dvi-parārdha-saṁjñe—the time known as the end of a dvi-parārdha; bhrū-bhaṅga-mātreṇa—simply by the flicking of the eyebrows; hi—indeed; sandidhakṣoḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, when He desires to burn the whole universe; kāla-ātmanaḥ—of the form of destruction; yasya—of whom; tirobhaviṣyati—will be vanquished; aham—I; bhavaḥ—Lord Śiva; dakṣa—Prajāpati Dakṣa; bhṛgu—the great saint Bhṛgu; pradhānāḥ—and others headed by them; prajā-īśa—the controllers of the prajās; bhūta-īśa—the controllers of the living entities; sura-īśa—the controllers of the demigods; mukhyāḥ—headed by them; sarve—all of them; vayam—we also; yat-niyamam—whose regulative principle; prapannāḥ—are surrendered; mūrdhnyā arpitam—bowing our heads; loka-hitam—for the benefit of all living entities; vahāmaḥ—carry out the orders ruling over the living entities.
TRANSLATION Lord Brahmā said: At the end of the dvi-parārdha, when the pastimes of the Lord come to an end, Lord Viṣṇu, by a flick of His eyebrows, vanquishes the entire universe, including our places of residence. Such personalities as me and Lord Śiva, as well as Dakṣa, Bhṛgu and similar great saints of which they are the head, and also the rulers of the living entities, the rulers of human society and the rulers of the demigods—all of us surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, bowing our heads, to carry out His orders for the benefit of all living entities. PURPORT In Bhagavad-gītā (10.34) it is said, mṛtyuḥ sama-haraś cāham: when the Supreme Personality of Godhead approaches as death, or the supreme controller of time, He takes everything away. In other words, all opulence, prestige and everything we possess is given by the Supreme Lord for some purpose. It is the duty of the surrendered soul to execute the orders of the Supreme. No one can disregard Him. Under the circumstances, Lord Brahmā refused to give shelter to Durvāsā Muni from the powerful Sudarśana cakra sent by the Lord.
SB9.4.55 TEXT 55 pratyākhyāto viriñcena viṣṇu-cakropatāpitaḥ durvāsāḥ śaraṇaṁ yātaḥ śarvaṁ kailāsa-vāsinam SYNONYMS pratyākhyātaḥ—being refused; viriñcena—by Lord Brahmā; viṣṇu-cakra-upatāpitaḥ—being scorched by the blazing fire of Lord Viṣṇu’s disc; durvāsāḥ—the great mystic named Durvāsā; śaraṇam—f or shelter; yātaḥ—went; śarvam—unto Lord Śiva; kailāsa-vāsinam—the resident of the place known as Kailāsa.
TRANSLATION When Durvāsā, who was greatly afflicted by the blazing fire of the Sudarśana cakra, was thus refused by Lord Brahmā, he tried to take shelter of Lord Śiva, who always resides on his planet, known as Kailāsa. SB9.4.56 TEXT 56 śrī-śaṅkara uvāca vayaṁ na tāta prabhavāma bhūmni yasmin pare ’nye ’py aja-jīva-kośāḥ bhavanti kāle na bhavanti hīdṛśāḥ sahasraśo yatra vayaṁ bhramāmaḥ SYNONYMS śrī-śaṅkaraḥ uvāca—Lord Śiva said; vayam—we; na—not; tāta—O my dear son; prabhavāmaḥ—sufficiently able; bhūmni—unto the great Supreme Personality of Godhead; yasmin—in whom; pare—in the Transcendence; anye—others; api—even; aja—Lord Brahmā; jīva—living entities; kośāḥ—the universes; bhavanti—can become; kāle—in due course of time; na—not; bhavanti—can become; hi—indeed; īdṛśāḥ—like this; sahasraśaḥ—many thousands and millions; yatra—wherein; vayam—all of us; bhramāmaḥ—are rotating.
TRANSLATION Lord Śiva said: My dear son, I, Lord Brahmā and the other demigods, who rotate within this universe under the misconception of our greatness, cannot exhibit any power to compete with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for innumerable universes and their inhabitants come into existence and are annihilated by the simple direction of the Lord. PURPORT There are innumerable universes in the material world, and there are innumerable Lord Brahmās, Lord Śivas and other demigods. All of them rotate within this material world under the supreme direction of the Personality of Godhead. Therefore no one is able to compete with the strength of the Lord. Lord Śiva also refused to protect Durvāsā, for Lord Śiva also was under the rays of the Sudarśana cakra sent by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB9.4.57-59 TEXTS 57–59 ahaṁ sanat-kumāraś ca nārado bhagavān ajaḥ kapilo ’pāntaratamo devalo dharma āsuriḥ marīci-pramukhāś cānye siddheśāḥ pāra-darśanāḥ vidāma na vayaṁ sarve yan-māyāṁ māyayāvṛtāḥ tasya viśveśvarasyedaṁ śastraṁ durviṣahaṁ hi naḥ tam evaṁ śaraṇaṁ yāhi haris te śaṁ vidhāsyati SYNONYMS aham—I; sanat-kumāraḥ ca—and the four Kumāras (Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanat-kumāra and Sananda); nāradaḥ—the heavenly sage Nārada; bhagavān ajaḥ—the supreme creature of the universe, Lord Brahmā; kapilaḥ—the son of Devahūti; apāntaratamaḥ—Vyāsadeva; devalaḥ—the great sage Devala; dharmaḥ—Yamarāja; āsuriḥ—the great saint Āsuri; marīci—the great saint Marīci; pramukhāḥ—headed by; ca—also; anye—others; siddha-īśāḥ—all of them perfect in their knowledge; pāra-darśanāḥ—they have seen the end of all knowledge; vidāmaḥ—can understand; na—not; vayam—all of us; sarve—totally; yat-māyām—the illusory energy of whom; māyayā—by that illusory energy; āvṛtāḥ—being covered; tasya—His; viśva-īśvarasya—of the Lord of the universe; idam—this; śastram—weapon (the disc); durviṣaham—even intolerable; hi—indeed; naḥ—of us; tam—to Him; evam—therefore; śaraṇam yāhi—go to take shelter; hariḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; te—for you; śam—auspiciousness; vidhāsyati—certainly will perform.
TRANSLATION Past, present and future are known to me [Lord Śiva], Sanat-kumāra, Nārada, the most revered Lord Brahmā, Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Apāntaratama [Lord Vyāsadeva], Devala, Yamarāja, Āsuri, Marīci and many saintly persons headed by him, as well as many others who have achieved perfection. Nonetheless, because we are covered by the illusory energy of the Lord, we cannot understand how expansive that illusory energy is. You should simply approach that Supreme Personality of Godhead to get relief, for this Sudarśana cakra is intolerable even to us. Go to Lord Viṣṇu. He will certainly be kind enough to bestow all good fortune upon you. SB9.4.60 TEXT 60 tato nirāśo durvāsāḥ padaṁ bhagavato yayau vaikuṇṭhākhyaṁ yad adhyāste śrīnivāsaḥ śriyā saha SYNONYMS tataḥ—thereafter; nirāśaḥ—disappointed; durvāsāḥ—the great mystic Durvāsā; padam—to the place; bhagavataḥ—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu; yayau—went; vaikuṇṭha-ākhyam—the place known as Vaikuṇṭha; yat—wherein; adhyāste—lives perpetually; śrīnivāsaḥ—Lord Viṣṇu; śriyā—with the goddess of fortune; saha—with.
TRANSLATION Thereafter, being disappointed even in taking shelter of Lord Śiva, Durvāsā Muni went to Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, resides with His consort, the goddess of fortune. SB9.4.61 TEXT 61 sandahyamāno ’jita-śastra-vahninā tat-pāda-mūle patitaḥ savepathuḥ āhācyutānanta sad-īpsita prabho kṛtāgasaṁ māvahi viśva-bhāvana SYNONYMS sandahyamānaḥ—being burned by the heat; ajita-śastra-vahninā—by the blazing fire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s weapon; tat-pāda-mūle—at His lotus feet; patitaḥ—falling down; sa-vepathuḥ—with trembling of the body; āha—said; acyuta—O my Lord, O infallible one; ananta—O You of unlimited prowess; sat-īpsita—O Lord desired by saintly persons; prabho—O Supreme; kṛta-āgasam—the greatest offender; mā—to me; avahi—give protection; viśva-bhāvana—O well-wisher of the whole universe.
TRANSLATION Durvāsā Muni, the great mystic, scorched by the heat of the Sudarśana cakra, fell at the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa. His body trembling, he spoke as follows: O infallible, unlimited Lord, protector of the entire universe, You are the only desirable objective for all devotees. I am a great offender, my Lord. Please give me protection. SB9.4.62 TEXT 62 ajānatā te paramānubhāvaṁ kṛtaṁ mayāghaṁ bhavataḥ priyāṇām vidhehi tasyāpacitiṁ vidhātar mucyeta yan-nāmny udite nārako ’pi SYNONYMS ajānatā—without knowledge; te—of Your Lordship; parama-anubhāvam—the inconceivable prowess; kṛtam—has been committed; mayā—by me; agham—a great offense; bhavataḥ—of Your Lordship; priyāṇām—at the feet of the devotees; vidhehi—now kindly do the needful; tasya—of such an offense; apacitim—counteraction; vidhātaḥ—O supreme controller; mucyeta—can be delivered; yat—of whose; nāmni—when the name; udite—is awakened; nārakaḥ api—even a person fit for going to hell.
TRANSLATION O my Lord, O supreme controller, without knowledge of Your unlimited prowess I have offended Your most dear devotee. Very kindly save me from the reaction of this offense. You can do everything, for even if a person is fit for going to hell, You can deliver him simply by awakening within his heart the holy name of Your Lordship. SB9.4.63 TEXT 63 śrī-bhagavān uvāca ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno hy asvatantra iva dvija sādhubhir grasta-hṛdayo bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaḥ SYNONYMS śrī-bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; aham—I; bhakta-parādhīnaḥ—am dependent on the will of My devotees; hi—indeed; asvatantraḥ—am not independent; iva—exactly like that; dvija—O brāhmaṇa; sādhubhiḥ—by pure devotees, completely free from all material desires; grasta-hṛdayaḥ—My heart is controlled; bhaktaiḥ—because they are devotees; bhakta-jana-priyaḥ—I am dependent not only on My devotee but also on My devotee’s devotee (the devotee’s devotee is extremely dear to Me).
TRANSLATION The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brāhmaṇa: I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me. PURPORT All the great stalwart personalities in the universe, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, are fully under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is fully under the control of His devotee. Why is this? Because the devotee is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya; in other words, he has no material desires in his heart. His only desire is to think always of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and how to serve Him best. Because of this transcendental qualification, the Supreme Lord is extremely favorable to the devotees—indeed, not only the devotees, but also the devotees of the devotees. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: without being a devotee of a devotee, one cannot be released from material entanglement. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu identified Himself as gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. Thus he instructed us to become not directly servants of Kṛṣṇa but servants of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Devotees like Brahmā, Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva Gosvāmī are directly servants of Kṛṣṇa, and one who becomes a servant of Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva, like the six Gosvāmīs, is still more devoted. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura therefore says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: ** if one very sincerely serves the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa certainly becomes favorable to such a devotee. Following the instructions of a devotee is more valuable than following the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.
SB9.4.64 TEXT 64 nāham ātmānam āśāse mad-bhaktaiḥ sādhubhir vinā śriyaṁ cātyantikīṁ brahman yeṣāṁ gatir ahaṁ parā SYNONYMS na—not; aham—I; ātmānam—transcendental bliss; āśāse—desire; mat-bhaktaiḥ—with My devotees; sādhubhiḥ—with the saintly persons; vinā—without them; śriyam—all My six opulences; ca—also; ātyantikīm—the supreme; brahman—O brāhmaṇa; yeṣām—of whom; gatiḥ—destination; aham—I am; parā—the ultimate.
TRANSLATION O best of the brāhmaṇas, without saintly persons for whom I am the only destination, I do not desire to enjoy My transcendental bliss and My supreme opulences. PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead is self-sufficient, but to enjoy His transcendental bliss He requires the cooperation of His devotees. In Vṛndāvana, for example, although Lord Kṛṣṇa is full in Himself, He wants the cooperation of His devotees like the cowherd boys and the gopīs to increase His transcendental bliss. Such pure devotees, who can increase the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are certainly most dear to Him. Not only does the Supreme Personality of Godhead enjoy the company of His devotees, but because He is unlimited He wants to increase His devotees unlimitedly. Thus, He descends to the material world to induce the nondevotees and rebellious living entities to return home, back to Godhead. He requests them to surrender unto Him because, unlimited as He is, He wants to increase His devotees unlimitedly. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an attempt to increase the number of pure devotees of the Supreme Lord more and more. It is certain that a devotee who helps in this endeavor to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes indirectly a controller of the Supreme Lord. Although the Supreme Lord is full in six opulences, He does not feel transcendental bliss without His devotees. An example that may be cited in this regard is that if a very rich man does not have sons in a family he does not feel happiness. Indeed, sometimes a rich man adopts a son to complete his happiness. The science of transcendental bliss is known to the pure devotee. Therefore the pure devotee is always engaged in increasing the transcendental happiness of the Lord.
SB9.4.65 TEXT 65 ye dārāgāra-putrāpta- prāṇān vittam imaṁ param hitvā māṁ śaraṇaṁ yātāḥ kathaṁ tāṁs tyaktum utsahe SYNONYMS ye—those devotees of Mine who; dāra—wife; agāra—house; putra—children, sons; āpta—relatives, society; prāṇān—even life; vittam—wealth; imam—all these; param—elevation to the heavenly planets or becoming one by merging into Brahman; hitvā—giving up (all these ambitions and paraphernalia); mām—unto Me; śaraṇam—shelter; yātāḥ—having taken; katham—how; tān—such persons; tyaktum—to give them up; utsahe—I can be enthusiastic in that way (it is not possible).
TRANSLATION Since pure devotees give up their homes, wives, children, relatives, riches and even their lives simply to serve Me, without any desire for material improvement in this life or in the next, how can I give up such devotees at any time? PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped by the words brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. Thus He is the well-wisher of the brāhmaṇas. Durvāsā Muni was certainly a very great brāhmaṇa, but because he was a nondevotee, he could not sacrifice everything in devotional service. Great mystic yogīs are actually self-interested. The proof is that when Durvāsā Muni created a demon to kill Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the King stayed fixed in his place, praying to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and depending solely and wholly on Him, whereas when Durvāsā Muni was chased by the Sudarśana cakra by the supreme will of the Lord, he was so perturbed that he fled all over the world and tried to take shelter in every nook and corner of the universe. At last, in fear of his life, he approached Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He was so interested in his own body that he wanted to kill the body of a Vaiṣṇava. Therefore, he did not have very good intelligence, and how can an unintelligent person be delivered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The Lord certainly tries to give all protection to His devotees who have given up everything for the sake of serving Him.
Another point in this verse is that attachment to dārāgāra-putrāpta—home, wife, children, friendship, society and love—is not the way to achieve the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who is attached to hearth and home for material pleasure cannot become a pure devotee. Sometimes a pure devotee may have a habit or attraction for wife, children and home but at the same time want to serve the Supreme Lord to the best of his ability. For such a devotee, the Lord makes a special arrangement to take away the objects of his false attachment and thus free him from attachment to wife, home, children, friends and so on. This is special mercy bestowed upon the devotee to bring him back home, back to Godhead.
SB9.4.66 TEXT 66 mayi nirbaddha-hṛdayāḥ sādhavaḥ sama-darśanāḥ vaśe kurvanti māṁ bhaktyā sat-striyaḥ sat-patiṁ yathā SYNONYMS mayi—unto Me; nirbaddha-hṛdayāḥ—firmly attached in the core of the heart; sādhavaḥ—the pure devotees; sama-darśanāḥ—who are equal to everyone; vaśe—under control; kurvanti—they make; mām—unto Me; bhaktyā—by devotional service; sat-striyaḥ—chaste women; sat-patim—unto the gentle husband; yathā—as.
TRANSLATION As chaste women bring their gentle husbands under control by service, the pure devotees, who are equal to everyone and completely attached to Me in the core of the heart, bring Me under their full control. PURPORT In this verse, the word sama-darśanāḥ is significant. The pure devotee is actually equal toward everyone, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.54): brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati/ samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Universal brotherhood is possible when one is a pure devotee (paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]). A pure devotee is actually learned because he knows his constitutional position, he knows the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he knows the relationship between the living entity and the Supreme Lord. Thus he has full spiritual knowledge and is automatically liberated (brahma-bhūtaḥ). He can therefore see everyone on the spiritual platform. He can comprehend the happiness and distress of all living entities. He understands that what is happiness to him is also happiness to others and that what is distress to him is distressing for others. Therefore he is sympathetic to everyone. As Prahlāda Mahārāja said:
śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha- People suffer from material distress because they are not attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A pure devotee’s chief concern, therefore, is to raise the ignorant mass of people to the sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
SB9.4.67 TEXT 67 mat-sevayā pratītaṁ te sālokyādi-catuṣṭayam necchanti sevayā pūrṇāḥ kuto ’nyat kāla-viplutam SYNONYMS mat-sevayā—by being engaged fully in My transcendental loving service; pratītam—automatically achieved; te—such pure devotees are fully satisfied; sālokya-ādi-catuṣṭayam—the four different types of liberation (sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi, what to speak of sāyujya); na—not; icchanti—desire; sevayā—simply by devotional service; pūrṇāḥ—fully complete; kutaḥ—where is the question; anyat—other things; kāla-viplutam—which are finished in the course of time.
TRANSLATION My devotees, who are always satisfied to be engaged in My loving service, are not interested even in the four principles of liberation [sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi], although these are automatically achieved by their service. What then is to be said of such perishable happiness as elevation to the higher planetary systems? PURPORT Śrīla Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura has estimated the value of liberation as follows:
muktiḥ svayaṁ mukulitāñjaliḥ sevate ’smān Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura realized that if one develops his natural devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, mukti stands before him with folded hands to offer all kinds of service. In other words, the devotee is already liberated. There is no need for him to aspire for different types of liberation. The pure devotee automatically achieves liberation, even without desiring it.
SB9.4.68 TEXT 68 sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham mad-anyat te na jānanti nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api SYNONYMS sādhavaḥ—the pure devotees; hṛdayam—in the core of the heart; mahyam—of Me; sādhūnām—of the pure devotees also; hṛdayam—in the core of the heart; tu—indeed; aham—I am; mat-anyat—anything else but me; te—they; na—not; jānanti—know; na—not; aham—I; tebhyaḥ—than them; manāk api—even by a little fraction.
TRANSLATION The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them. PURPORT Since Durvāsā Muni wanted to chastise Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, it is to be understood that he wanted to give pain to the heart of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for the Lord says, sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyam: “The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart.” The Lord’s feelings are like those of a father, who feels pain when his child is in pain. Therefore, offenses at the lotus feet of a devotee are serious. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has very strongly recommended that one not commit any offense at the lotus feet of a devotee. Such offenses are compared to a mad elephant because when a mad elephant enters a garden it causes devastation. Therefore one should be extremely careful not to commit offenses at the lotus feet of a pure devotee. Actually Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was not at all at fault; Durvāsā Muni unnecessarily wanted to chastise him on flimsy grounds. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa wanted to complete the Ekādaśī-pāraṇa as part of devotional service to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore he drank a little water. But although Durvāsā Muni was a great mystic brāhmaṇa, he did not know what is what. That is the difference between a pure devotee and a so-called learned scholar of Vedic knowledge. The devotees, being always situated in the core of the Lord’s heart, surely get all instructions directly from the Lord, as confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (10.11):
teṣām evānukampārtham “Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” The devotee does not do anything not sanctioned by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said, vaiṣṇavera kriyā mudrā vijñeha nā bujhaya. Even the most learned or experienced person cannot understand the movements of a Vaiṣṇava, a pure devotee. No one, therefore, should criticize a pure Vaiṣṇava. A Vaiṣṇava knows his own business; whatever he does is precisely right because he is always guided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB9.4.69 TEXT 69 upāyaṁ kathayiṣyāmi tava vipra śṛṇuṣva tat ayaṁ hy ātmābhicāras te yatas taṁ yāhi mā ciram sādhuṣu prahitaṁ tejaḥ prahartuḥ kurute ’śivam SYNONYMS upāyam—the means of protection in this dangerous position; kathayiṣyāmi—I shall speak to you; tava—of your deliverance from this danger; vipra—O brāhmaṇa; śṛṇuṣva—just hear from me; tat—what I say; ayam—this action taken by you; hi—indeed; ātma-abhicāraḥ—self-envy or envious of yourself (your mind has become your enemy); te—for you; yataḥ—because of whom; tam—to him (Mahārāja Ambarīṣa); yāhi—immediately go; mā ciram—do not wait even a moment; sādhuṣu—unto devotees; prahitam—applied; tejaḥ—power; prahartuḥ—of the executor; kurute—does; aśivam—inauspiciousness.
TRANSLATION O brāhmaṇa, let Me now advise you for your own protection. Please hear from Me. By offending Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, you have acted with self-envy. Therefore you should go to him immediately, without a moment’s delay. One’s so-called prowess, when employed against the devotee, certainly harms he who employs it. Thus it is the subject, not the object, who is harmed. PURPORT A Vaiṣṇava is always an object of envy for nondevotees, even when the nondevotee happens to be his father. To give a practical example, Hiraṇyakaśipu was envious of Prahlāda Mahārāja, but this envy of the devotee was harmful to Hiraṇyakaśipu, not to Prahlāda. Every action taken by Hiraṇyakaśipu against his son Prahlāda Mahārāja was taken very seriously by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus when Hiraṇyakaśipu was on the verge of killing Prahlāda, the Lord personally appeared and killed Hiraṇyakaśipu. Service to a Vaiṣṇava gradually accumulates and becomes an asset for the devotee. Similarly, harmful activities directed against the devotee gradually become the ultimate cause of the performer’s falldown. Even such a great brāhmaṇa and mystic yogī as Durvāsā was in a most dangerous situation because of his offense at the lotus feet of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, a pure devotee.
SB9.4.70 TEXT 70 tapo vidyā ca viprāṇāṁ niḥśreyasa-kare ubhe te eva durvinītasya kalpete kartur anyathā SYNONYMS tapaḥ—austerities; vidyā—knowledge; ca—also; viprāṇām—of the brāhmaṇas; niḥśreyasa—of what is certainly very auspicious for upliftment; kare—are causes; ubhe—both of them; te—such austerity and knowledge; eva—indeed; durvinītasya—when such a person is an upstart; kalpete—become; kartuḥ—of the performer; anyathā—just the opposite.
TRANSLATION For a brāhmaṇa, austerity and learning are certainly auspicious, but when acquired by a person who is not gentle, such austerity and learning are most dangerous. PURPORT It is said that a jewel is very valuable, but when it is on the hood of a serpent, it is dangerous despite its value. Similarly, when a materialistic nondevotee achieves great success in learning and austerity, that success is dangerous for all of society. So-called learned scientists, for example, invented atomic weapons that are dangerous for all humanity. It is therefore said, maṇinā bhūṣitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayaṅkaraḥ. A serpent with a jewel on its hood is as dangerous as a serpent without such a jewel. Durvāsā Muni was a very learned brāhmaṇa equipped with mystic power, but because he was not a gentleman, he did not know how to use his power. He was therefore extremely dangerous. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is never inclined toward a dangerous person who uses his mystic power for some personal design. By the laws of nature, therefore, such misuse of power is ultimately dangerous not for society but for the person who misuses it.
SB9.4.71 TEXT 71 brahmaṁs tad gaccha bhadraṁ te nābhāga-tanayaṁ nṛpam kṣamāpaya mahā-bhāgaṁ tataḥ śāntir bhaviṣyati SYNONYMS brahman—O brāhmaṇa; tat—therefore; gaccha—you go; bhadram—all auspiciousness; te—unto you; nābhāga-tanayam—to the son of Mahārāja Nābhāga; nṛpam—the King (Ambarīṣa); kṣamāpaya—just try to pacify him; mahā-bhāgam—a great personality, a pure devotee; tataḥ—thereafter; śāntiḥ—peace; bhaviṣyati—there will be.
TRANSLATION O best of the brāhmaṇas, you should therefore go immediately to King Ambarīṣa, the son of Mahārāja Nābhāga. I wish you all good fortune. If you can satisfy Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, then there will be peace for you. PURPORT In this regard, Madhva Muni quotes from the Garuḍa Purāṇa:
brahmādi-bhakti-koṭy-aṁśād tātkālikopaceyatvāt mohanāya ca daityānāṁ mānuṣeṣūttamātvāc ca durvāsāś ca svayaṁ rudras The lesson to be derived from this narration concerning Mahārāja Ambarīṣa and Durvāsā Muni is that all the demigods, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, are under the control of Lord Viṣṇu. Therefore, when a Vaiṣṇava is offended, the offender is punished by Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. No one can protect such a person, even Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Ninth Canto, Fourth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Ambarīṣa Mahārāja Offended by Durvāsā Muni.” THIS WEB PAGE URL: http://causelessmercy.com/SB9.4.2.htm
māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān
dharmārtha-kāma-gatayaḥ samaya-pratīkṣāḥ
aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāvastho
jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā
aṁśo naivāmbarīṣake
naivanyasya cakrasyāpi
tathāpi harir īśvaraḥ
teṣāṁ yaśasa ādirāṭ
brahmādayaś ca tat-kīrtiṁ
vyañjayām āsur uttamām
brahmāde nindanāya ca
anyārthaṁ ca svayaṁ viṣṇur
brahmādyāś ca nirāśiṣaḥ
teṣāṁ bhaktyādibhir guṇaiḥ
brahmāder viṣṇv-adhīnatva-
jñāpanāya ca kevalam
tathāpy anyāyām uktavān
tasyāpy anugrahārthāya
darpa-nāśārtham eva ca