Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 1: “Creation”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Thirteen
SB1.13.26
TEXT 26
gata-svartham imam deham
virakto mukta-bandhanah
avijnata-gatir jahyat
sa vai dhira udahrtah
SYNONYMS
gata-sva-artham—without being properly utilized; imam—this; deham—material body; viraktah—indifferently; mukta—being freed; bandhanah—from all obligations; avijnata-gatih—unknown destination; jahyat—one should give up this body; sah—such a person; vai—certainly; dhirah—undisturbed; udahrtah—is said to be so.
TRANSLATION
He is called undisturbed who goes to an unknown, remote place and, freed from all obligations, quits his material body when it has become useless.
PURPORT
Narottama dasa Thakura, a great devotee and acarya of the Gaudiya Vaisnava sect, has sung: “My Lord, I have simply wasted my life. Having obtained the human body, I have neglected to worship Your Lordship, and therefore I have willingly drunk poison.” In other words, the human body is especially meant for cultivating knowledge of devotional service to the Lord, without which life becomes full of anxieties and miserable conditions. Therefore, one who has spoiled his life without such cultural activities is advised to leave home without knowledge of friends and relatives and, being thus freed from all obligations of family, society, country, etc., give up the body at some unknown destination so that others may not know where and how he has met his death. Dhira means one who is not disturbed, even when there is sufficient provocation. One cannot give up a comfortable family life due to his affectionate relation with wife and children. Self-realization is obstructed by such undue affection for family, and if anyone is at all able to forget such a relation, he is called undisturbed, or dhira. This is, however, the path of renunciation based on a frustrated life, but stabilization of such renunciation is possible only by association with bona fide saints and self-realized souls by which one can be engaged in the loving devotional service of the Lord. Sincere surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is possible by awakening the transcendental sense of service. This is made possible by association with pure devotees of the Lord. Dhrtarastra was lucky enough to have a brother whose very association was a source of liberation for his frustrated life. SB1.13.27 TEXT 27 yah svakat parato veha jata-nirveda atmavan hrdi krtva harim gehat pravrajet sa narottamah SYNONYMS yah—anyone who; svakat—by his own awakening; paratah va—or by hearing from another; iha—here in this world; jata—becomes; nirvedah—indifferent to material attachment; atmavan—consciousness; hrdi—within the heart; krtva—having been taken by; harim—the Personality of Godhead; gehat—from home; pravrajet—goes away; sah—he is; nara-uttamah—the first-class human being. TRANSLATION He is certainly a first-class man who awakens and understands, either by himself or from others, the falsity and misery of this material world and thus leaves home and depends fully on the Personality of Godhead residing within his heart. PURPORT There are three classes of transcendentalists, namely, (1) the dhira, or the one who is not disturbed by being away from family association, (2) one in the renounced order of life, a sannyasi by frustrated sentiment, and (3) a sincere devotee of the Lord, who awakens God consciousness by hearing and chanting and leaves home depending completely on the Personality of Godhead, who resides in his heart. The idea is that the renounced order of life, after a frustrated life of sentiment in the material world, may be the stepping stone on the path of self-realization, but real perfection of the path of liberation is attained when one is practiced to depend fully on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who lives in everyone’s heart as Paramatma. One may live in the darkest jungle alone out of home, but a steadfast devotee knows very well that he is not alone. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is with him, and He can protect His sincere devotee in any awkward circumstance. One should therefore practice devotional service at home, hearing and chanting the holy name, quality, form, pastimes, entourage, etc., in association with pure devotees, and this practice will help one awaken God consciousness in proportion to one’s sincerity of purpose. One who desires material benefit by such devotional activities can never depend on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although He sits in everyone’s heart. Nor does the Lord give any direction to persons who worship Him for material gain. Such materialistic devotees may be blessed by the Lord with material benefits, but they cannot reach the stage of the first-class human being, as above mentioned. There are many examples of such sincere devotees in the history of the world, especially in India, and they are our guides on the path of self-realization. Mahatma Vidura is one such great devotee of the Lord, and we should all try to follow in his lotus footsteps for self-realization. SB1.13.28 TEXT 28 athodicim disam yatu svair ajnata-gatir bhavan ito ’rvak prayasah kalah pumsam guna-vikarsanah SYNONYMS atha—therefore; udicim—northern side; disam—direction; yatu—please go away; svaih—by your relatives; ajnata—without knowledge; gatih—movements; bhavan—of yourself; itah—after this; arvak—will usher in; prayasah—generally; kalah—time; pumsam—of men; guna—qualities; vikarsanah—diminishing. TRANSLATION Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good qualities of men. PURPORT One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhira, or leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura advised his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very quickly the age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already degraded by the material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good qualities of a man will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching. To become narottama, or a first-class human being depending completely on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, is not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.28) that a person who is completely relieved of all taints of sinful acts can alone depend on the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. Dhrtarastra was advised by Vidura at least to become a dhira in the beginning if it were impossible for him to become a sannyasi or a narottama. Persistently endeavoring on the line of self-realization helps a person to rise to the conditions of a narottama from the stage of a dhira. The dhira stage is attained after prolonged practice of the yoga system, but by the grace of Vidura one can attain the stage immediately simply by willing to adopt the means of the dhira stage, which is the preparatory stage for sannyasa. The sannyasa stage is the preparatory stage of paramahamsa, or the first-grade devotee of the Lord. SB1.13.29 TEXT 29 evam raja vidurenanujena prajna-caksur bodhita ajamidhah chittva svesu sneha-pasan dradhimno niscakrama bhratr-sandarsitadhva SYNONYMS evam—thus; raja—King Dhrtarastra; vidurena anujena—by his younger brother Vidura; prajna—introspective knowledge; caksuh—eyes; bodhitah—being understood; ajamidhah—Dhrtarastra, scion of the family of Ajamidha; chittva—by breaking; svesu—regarding kinsmen; sneha-pasan—strong network of affection; dradhimnah—because of steadfastness; niscakrama—got out; bhratr—by his brother; sandarsita—direction to; adhva—the path of liberation. TRANSLATION Thus Maharaja Dhrtarastra, the scion of the family of Ajamidha, firmly convinced by introspective knowledge [prajna], broke at once the strong network of familial affection by his resolute determination. Thus he immediately left home to set out on the path of liberation, as directed by his younger brother Vidura. PURPORT Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the great preacher of the principles of Srimad-Bhagavatam, has stressed the importance of association with sadhus, pure devotees of the Lord. He said that even by a moments association with a pure devotee, one can achieve all perfection. We are not ashamed to admit that this fact was experienced in our practical life. Were we not favored by His Divine Grace Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, by our first meeting for a few minutes only, it would have been impossible for us to accept this mighty task of describing Srimad-Bhagavatam in English. Without seeing him at that opportune moment, we could have become a very great business magnate, but never would we have been able to walk the path of liberation and be engaged in the factual service of the Lord under instructions of His Divine Grace. And here is another practical example by the action of Vidura’s association with Dhrtarastra. Maharaja Dhrtarastra was tightly bound in a network of material affinities related to politics, economy and family attachment, and he did everything in his power to achieve so-called success in his planned projects, but he was frustrated from the beginning to the end so far as his material activities were concerned. And yet, despite his life of failure, he achieved the greatest of all success in self-realization by the forceful instructions of a pure devotee of the Lord, who is the typical emblem of a sadhu. The scriptures enjoin, therefore, that one should associate with sadhus only, rejecting all other kinds of association, and by doing so one will have ample opportunity to hear the sadhus, who can cut to pieces the bonds of illusory affection in the material world. It is a fact that the material world is a great illusion because everything appears to be a tangible reality but at the next moment evaporates like the dashing foam of the sea or a cloud in the sky. A cloud in the sky undoubtedly appears to be a reality because it rains, and due to rains so many temporary green things appear, but in the ultimate issue, everything disappears, namely the cloud, rain and green vegetation, all in due course. But the sky remains, and the varieties of sky or luminaries also remain forever. Similarly, the Absolute Truth, which is compared to the sky, remains eternally, and the temporary cloudlike illusion comes and goes away. Foolish living beings are attracted by the temporary cloud, but intelligent men are more concerned with the eternal sky with all its variegatedness. SB1.13.30 TEXT 30 patim prayantam subalasya putri pati-vrata canujagama sadhvi himalayam nyasta-danda-praharsam manasvinam iva sat sampraharah SYNONYMS patim—her husband; prayantam—while leaving home; subalasya—of King Subala; putri—the worthy daughter; pati-vrata—devoted to her husband; ca—also; anujagama—followed; sadhvi—the chaste; himalayam—towards the Himalaya Mountains; nyasta-danda—one who has accepted the rod of the renounced order; praharsam—object of delight; manasvinam—of the great fighters; iva—like; sat—legitimate; sampraharah—good lashing. TRANSLATION The gentle and chaste Gandhari, who was the daughter of King Subala of Kandahar [or Gandhara], followed her husband, seeing that he was going to the Himalaya Mountains, which are the delight of those who have accepted the staff of the renounced order like fighters who have accepted a good lashing from the enemy. PURPORT Saubalini, or Gandhari, daughter of King Subala and wife of King Dhrtarastra, was ideal as a wife devoted to her husband. The Vedic civilization especially prepares chaste and devoted wives, of whom Gandhari is one amongst many mentioned in history. Laksmiji Sitadevi was also a daughter of a great king, but she followed her husband, Lord Ramacandra, into the forest. Similarly, as a woman Gandhari could have remained at home or at her father’s house, but as a chaste and gentle lady she followed her husband without consideration. Instructions for the renounced order of life were imparted to Dhrtarastra by Vidura, and Gandhari was by the side of her husband. But he did not ask her to follow him because he was at that time fully determined, like a great warrior who faces all kinds of dangers in the battlefield. He was no longer attracted to so-called wife or relatives, and he decided to start alone, but as a chaste lady Gandhari decided to follow her husband till the last moment. Maharaja Dhrtarastra accepted the order of vanaprastha, and at this stage the wife is allowed to remain as a voluntary servitor, but in the sannyasa stage no wife can stay with her former husband. A sannyasi is considered to be a dead man civilly, and therefore the wife becomes a civil widow without connection with her former husband. Maharaja Dhrtarastra did not deny his faithful wife, and she followed her husband at her own risk. The sannyasis accept a rod as the sign of the renounced order of life. There are two types of sannyasis. Those who follow the Mayavadi philosophy, headed by Sripada Sankaracarya, accept only one rod (eka-danda), but those who follow the Vaisnavite philosophy accept three combined rods (tri-danda). The Mayavadi sannyasis are ekadandi-svamis, whereas the Vaisnava sannyasis are known as tridandi-svamis, or more distinctly, tridandi-gosvamis, in order to be distinguished from the Mayavadi philosophers. The ekadandi-svamis are mostly fond of the Himalayas, but the Vaisnava sannyasis are fond of Vrndavana and Puri. The Vaisnava sannyasis are narottamas, whereas the Mayavadi sannyasis are dhiras. Maharaja Dhrtarastra was advised to follow the dhiras because at that stage it was difficult for him to become a narottama. SB1.13.31 TEXT 31 ajata-satruh krta-maitro hutagnir vipran natva tila-go-bhumi-rukmaih grham pravisto guru-vandanaya na capasyat pitarau saubalim ca SYNONYMS ajata—never born; satruh—enemy; krta—having performed; maitrah—worshiping the demigods; huta-agnih—and offering fuel in the fire; vipran—the brahmanas; natva—offering obeisances; tila-go-bhumi-rukmaih—along with grains, cows, land and gold; grham—within the palace; pravistah—having entered into; guru-vandanaya—for offering respect to the elderly members; na—did not; ca—also; apasyat—see; pitarau—his uncles; saubalim—Gandhari; ca—also. TRANSLATION Maharaja Yudhisthira, whose enemy was never born, performed his daily morning duties by praying, offering fire sacrifice to the sun-god, and offering obeisances, grains, cows, land and gold to the brahmanas. He then entered the palace to pay respects to the elderly. However, he could not find his uncles or aunt, the daughter of King Subala. PURPORT Maharaja Yudhisthira was the most pious king because he personally practiced daily the pious duties for the householders. The householders are required to rise early in the morning, and after bathing they should offer respects to the Deities at home by prayers, by offering fuel in the sacred fire, by giving the brahmanas in charity land, cows, grains, gold, etc., and at last offering to the elderly members due respects and obeisances. One who is not prepared to practice injunctions prescribed in the sastras cannot be a good man simply by book knowledge. Modern householders are practiced to different modes of life, namely to rise late and then take bed tea without any sort of cleanliness and without any purificatory practices as mentioned above. The household children are taken to practice what the parents practice, and therefore the whole generation glides towards hell. Nothing good can be expected from them unless they associate with sadhus. Like Dhrtarastra, the materialistic person may take lessons from a sadhu like Vidura and thus be cleansed of the effects of modern life. Maharaja Yudhisthira, however, could not find in the palace his two uncles, namely Dhrtarastra and Vidura, along with Gandhari, the daughter of King Subala. He was anxious to see them and therefore asked Sanjaya, the private secretary of Dhrtarastra. SB1.13.32 TEXT 32 tatra sanjayam asinam papracchodvigna-manasah gavalgane kva nas tato vrddho hinas ca netrayoh SYNONYMS tatra—there; sanjayam—unto Sanjaya; asinam—seated; papraccha—he inquired from; udvigna-manasah—filled with anxiety; gavalgane—the son of Gavalgana, Sanjaya; kva—where is; nah—our; tatah—uncle; vrddhah—old; hinah ca—and bereft of; netrayoh—the eyes. TRANSLATION Maharaja Yudhisthira, full of anxiety, turned to Sanjaya, who was sitting there, and said: O Sanjaya, where is our uncle, who is old and blind? SB1.13.33 TEXT 33 amba ca hata-putrarta pitrvyah kva gatah suhrt api mayy akrta-prajne hata-bandhuh sa bharyaya asamsamanah samalam gangayam duhkhito ’patat SYNONYMS amba—mother aunt; ca—and; hata-putra—who had lost all her sons; arta—in a sorry plight; pitrvyah—uncle Vidura; kva—where; gatah—gone; suhrt—well-wisher; api—whether; mayi—unto me; akrta-prajne—ungrateful; hata-bandhuh—one who has lost all his sons; sah—Dhrtarastra; bharyaya—with his wife; asamsamanah—in doubtful mind; samalam—offenses; gangayam—in the Ganges water; duhkhitah—in distressed mind; apatat—fell down. TRANSLATION Where is my well-wisher, uncle Vidura, and mother Gandhari, who is very afflicted due to all her sons’ demise? My uncle Dhrtarastra was also very mortified due to the death of all his sons and grandsons. Undoubtedly I am very ungrateful. Did he, therefore, take my offenses very seriously and, along with his wife, drown himself in the Ganges? PURPORT The Pandavas, especially Maharaja Yudhisthira and Arjuna, anticipated the aftereffects of the Battle of Kuruksetra, and therefore Arjuna declined to execute the fighting. The fight was executed by the will of the Lord, but the effects of family aggrievement, as they had thought of it before, had come to be true. Maharaja Yudhisthira was always conscious of the great plight of his uncle Dhrtarastra and aunt Gandhari, and therefore he took all possible care of them in their old age and aggrieved conditions. When, therefore, he could not find his uncle and aunt in the palace, naturally his doubts arose, and he conjectured that they had gone down to the water of the Ganges. He thought himself ungrateful because when the Pandavas were fatherless, Maharaja Dhrtarastra had given them all royal facilities to live, and in return he had killed all Dhrtarastra’s sons in the Battle of Kuruksetra. As a pious man, Maharaja Yudhisthira took into account all his unavoidable misdeeds, and he never thought of the misdeeds of his uncle and company. Dhrtarastra had suffered the effects of his own misdeeds by the will of the Lord, but Maharaja Yudhisthira was thinking only of his own unavoidable misdeeds. That is the nature of a good man and devotee of the Lord. A devotee never finds fault with others, but tries to find his own and thus rectify them as far as possible. SB1.13.34 TEXT 34 pitary uparate pandau sarvan nah suhrdah sisun araksatam vyasanatah pitrvyau kva gatav itah SYNONYMS pitari—upon my father; uparate—falling down; pandau—Maharaja Pandu; sarvan—all; nah—of us; suhrdah—well-wishers; sisun—small children; araksatam—protected; vyasanatah—from all kinds of dangers; pitrvyau—uncles; kva—where; gatau—have departed; itah—from this place. TRANSLATION When my father, Pandu, fell down and we were all small children, these two uncles gave us protection from all kinds of calamities. They were always our good well-wishers. Alas, where have they gone from here? SB1.13.35 TEXT 35 suta uvaca krpaya sneha-vaiklavyat suto viraha-karsitah atmesvaram acaksano na pratyahatipiditah SYNONYMS sutah uvaca—Suta Gosvami said; krpaya—out of full compassion; sneha-vaiklavyat—mental derangement due to profound affection; sutah—Sanjaya; viraha-karsitah—distressed by separation; atma-isvaram—his master; acaksanah—having not seen; na—did not; pratyaha—replied; ati-piditah—being too aggrieved. TRANSLATION Suta Gosvami said: Because of compassion and mental agitation, Sanjaya, not having seen his own master, Dhrtarastra, was aggrieved and could not properly reply to Maharaja Yudhisthira. PURPORT Sanjaya was the personal assistant of Maharaja Dhrtarastra for a very long time, and thus he had the opportunity to study the life of Dhrtarastra. And when he saw at last that Dhrtarastra had left home without his knowledge, his sorrows had no bound. He was fully compassionate toward Dhrtarastra because in the game of the Battle of Kuruksetra, King Dhrtarastra had lost everything, men and money, and at last the King and the Queen had to leave home in utter frustration. He studied the situation in his own way because he did not know that the inner vision of Dhrtarastra has been awakened by Vidura and that therefore he had left home in enthusiastic cheerfulness for a better life after departure from the dark well of home. Unless one is convinced of a better life after renunciation of the present life, one cannot stick to the renounced order of life simply by artificial dress or staying out of the home. SB1.13.36 TEXT 36 vimrjyasruni panibhyam vistabhyatmanam atmana ajata-satrum pratyuce prabhoh padav anusmaran SYNONYMS vimrjya—smearing; asruni—tears of the eyes; panibhyam—with his hands; vistabhya—situated; atmanam—the mind; atmana—by intelligence; ajata-satrum—unto Maharaja Yudhisthira; pratyuce—began to reply; prabhoh—of his master; padau—feet; anusmaran—thinking after. TRANSLATION First he slowly pacified his mind by intelligence, and wiping away his tears and thinking of the feet of his master, Dhrtarastra, he began to reply to Maharaja Yudhisthira. SB1.13.37 TEXT 37 sanjaya uvaca naham veda vyavasitam pitror vah kula-nandana gandharya va maha-baho musito ’smi mahatmabhih SYNONYMS sanjayah uvaca—Sanjaya said; na—not; aham—I; veda—know; vyavasitam—determination; pitroh—of your uncles; vah—your; kula-nandana—O descendant of the Kuru dynasty; gandharyah—of Gandhari; va—or; maha-baho—O great King; musitah—cheated; asmi—I have been; maha-atmabhih—by those great souls. TRANSLATION Sanjaya said: My dear descendant of the Kuru dynasty, I have no information of the determination of your two uncles and Gandhari. O King, I have been cheated by those great souls. PURPORT That great souls cheat others may be astonishing to know, but it is a fact that great souls cheat others for a great cause. It is said that Lord Krsna also advised Yudhisthira to tell a lie before Dronacarya, and it was also for a great cause. The Lord wanted it, and therefore it was a great cause. Satisfaction of the Lord is the criterion of one who is bona fide, and the highest perfection of life is to satisfy the Lord by one’s occupational duty. That is the verdict of Gita and Bhagavatam.* Dhrtarastra and Vidura, followed by Gandhari, did not disclose their determination to Sanjaya, although he was constantly with Dhrtarastra as his personal assistant. Sanjaya never thought that Dhrtarastra could perform any act without consulting him. But Dhrtarastra’s going away from home was so confidential that it could not be disclosed even to Sanjaya. Sanatana Gosvami also cheated the keeper of the prison house while going away to see Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and similarly Raghunatha dasa Gosvami also cheated his priest and left home for good to satisfy the Lord. To satisfy the Lord, anything is good, for it is in relation with the Absolute Truth. We also had the same opportunity to cheat the family members and leave home to engage in the service of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Such cheating was necessary for a great cause, and there is no loss for any party in such transcendental fraud. SB1.13.38 TEXT 38 athajagama bhagavan naradah saha-tumburuh pratyutthayabhivadyaha sanujo ’bhyarcayan munim SYNONYMS atha—thereafter; ajagama—arrived; bhagavan—the godly personality; naradah—Narada; saha-tumburuh—along with his tumburu (musical instrument); pratyutthaya—having gotten up from their seats; abhivadya—offering their due obeisances; aha—said; sa-anujah—along with younger brothers; abhyarcayan—thus while receiving in a proper mood; munim—the sage. TRANSLATION While Sanjaya was thus speaking, Sri Narada, the powerful devotee of the Lord, appeared on the scene carrying his tumburu. Maharaja Yudhisthira and his brothers received him properly by getting up from their seats and offering obeisances. PURPORT Devarsi Narada is described herein as bhagavan due to his being the most confidential devotee of the Lord. The Lord and His very confidential devotees are treated on the same level by those who are actually engaged in the loving service of the Lord. Such confidential devotees of the Lord are very much dear to the Lord because they travel everywhere to preach the glories of the Lord in different capacities and try their utmost to convert the nondevotees of the Lord into devotees in order to bring them to the platform of sanity. Actually a living being cannot be a nondevotee of the Lord because of his constitutional position, but when one becomes a nondevotee or nonbeliever, it is to be understood that the person concerned is not in a sound condition of life. The confidential devotees of the Lord treat such illusioned living beings, and therefore they are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita that no one is dearer to Him than one who actually preaches the glories of the Lord to convert the nonbelievers and nondevotees. Such personalities as Narada must be offered all due respects, like those offered to the Personality of Godhead Himself, and Maharaja Yudhisthira, along with his noble brothers, were examples for others in receiving a pure devotee of the Lord like Narada, who had no other business save and except singing the glories of the Lord along with his vina, a musical stringed instrument. SB1.13.39 TEXT 39 yudhisthira uvaca naham veda gatim pitror bhagavan kva gatav itah amba va hata-putrarta kva gata ca tapasvini SYNONYMS yudhisthirah uvaca—Maharaja Yudhisthira said; na—do not; aham—myself; veda—know it; gatim—departure; pitroh—of the uncles; bhagavan—O godly personality; kva—where; gatau—gone; itah—from this place; amba—mother aunt; va—either; hata-putra—bereft of her sons; arta—aggrieved; kva—where; gata—gone; ca—also; tapasvini—ascetic. TRANSLATION Maharaja Yudhisthira said: O godly personality, I do not know where my two uncles have gone. Nor can I find my ascetic aunt who is grief-stricken by the loss of all her sons. PURPORT Maharaja Yudhisthira, as a good soul and devotee of the Lord, was always conscious of the great loss of his aunt and her sufferings as an ascetic. An ascetic is never disturbed by all kinds of sufferings, and that makes him strong and determined on the path of spiritual progress. Queen Gandhari is a typical example of an ascetic because of her marvelous character in many trying situations. She was an ideal woman as mother, wife and ascetic, and in the history of the world such character in a woman is rarely found. SB1.13.40 TEXT 40 karnadhara ivapare bhagavan para-darsakah athababhase bhagavan narado muni-sattamah SYNONYMS karna-dharah—captain of the ship; iva—like; apare—in the extensive oceans; bhagavan—representative of the Lord; para-darsakah—one who can give directions to the other side; atha—thus; ababhase—began to say; bhagavan—the godly personality; naradah—the great sage Narada; muni-sat-tamah—the greatest among the devotee philosophers. TRANSLATION You are like a captain of a ship in a great ocean and you can direct us to our destination. Thus addressed, the godly personality, Devarsi Narada, greatest of the philosopher devotees, began to speak. PURPORT There are different types of philosophers, and the greatest of all of them are those who have seen the Personality of Godhead and have surrendered themselves in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Among all such pure devotees of the Lord, Devarsi Narada is the chief, and therefore he has been described herein as the greatest of all philosopher devotees. Unless one has become a sufficiently learned philosopher by hearing the Vedanta philosophy from a bona fide spiritual master, one cannot be a learned philosopher devotee. One must be very faithful, learned and renounced, otherwise one cannot be a pure devotee. A pure devotee of the Lord can give us direction towards the other end of nescience. Devarsi Narada used to visit the palace of Maharaja Yudhisthira because the Pandavas were all pure devotees of the Lord, and the Devarsi was always ready to give them good counsel whenever needed. SB1.13.41 TEXT 41 narada uvaca ma kancana suco rajan yad isvara-vasam jagat lokah sapala yasyeme vahanti balim isituh sa samyunakti bhutani sa eva viyunakti ca SYNONYMS naradah uvaca—Narada said; ma—never; kancana—by all means; sucah—do you lament; rajan—O King; yat—because; isvara-vasam—under the control of the Supreme Lord; jagat—world; lokah—all living beings; sa-palah—including their leaders; yasya—whose; ime—all these; vahanti—do bear; balim—means of worship; isituh—for being protected; sah—He; samyunakti—gets together; bhutani—all living beings; sah—He; eva—also; viyunakti—disperses; ca—and. TRANSLATION Sri Narada said: O pious King, do not lament for anyone, for everyone is under the control of the Supreme Lord. Therefore all living beings and their leaders carry on worship to be well protected. It is He only who brings them together and disperses them. PURPORT Every living being, either in this material world or in the spiritual world, is under the control of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. Beginning from Brahmaji, the leader of this universe, down to the insignificant ant, all are abiding by the order of the Supreme Lord. Thus the constitutional position of the living being is subordination under the control of the Lord. The foolish living being, especially man, artificially rebels against the law of the Supreme and thus becomes chastised as an asura, or lawbreaker. A living being is placed in a particular position by the order of the Supreme Lord, and he is again shifted from that place by the order of the Supreme Lord or His authorized agents. Brahma, Siva, Indra, Candra, Maharaja Yudhisthira or, in modern history, Napoleon, Akbar, Alexander, Gandhi, Shubhash and Nehru all are servants of the Lord, and they are placed in and removed from their respective positions by the supreme will of the Lord. None of them is independent. Even though such men or leaders rebel so as not to recognize the supremacy of the Lord, they are put under still more rigorous laws of the material world by different miseries. Only the foolish man, therefore, says that there is no God. Maharaja Yudhisthira was being convinced of this naked truth because he was greatly overwhelmed by the sudden departure of his old uncles and aunt. Maharaja Dhrtarastra was placed in that position according to his past deeds; he had already suffered or enjoyed the benefits accrued to him in the past, but due to his good luck, somehow or other he had a good younger brother, Vidura, and by his instruction he left to achieve salvation by closing all accounts in the material world. Ordinarily one cannot change the course of one’s due happiness and distress by plan. Everyone has to accept them as they come under the subtle arrangement of kala, or invincible time. There is no use trying to counteract them. The best thing is, therefore, that one should endeavor to achieve salvation, and this prerogative is given only to man because of his developed condition of mental activities and intelligence. Only for man are there different Vedic instructions for attainment of salvation during the human form of existence. One who misuses this opportunity of advanced intelligence is verily condemned and put into different types of miseries, either in this present life or in the future. That is the way the Supreme controls everyone.