ERROR: Your browser does not support scripts.

vidurah uvaca—Vidura said; sah—he; vai—easily; svayambhuvah—Svayambhuva Manu; samrat—the king of all kings; priyah—dear; putrah—son; svayambhuvah—of Brahma; pratilabhya—after obtaining; priyam—most loving; patnim—wife; kim—what; cakara—did; tatah—thereafter; mune—O great sage.

Vidura said: O great sage, what did Svayambhuva, the dear son of Brahma, do after obtaining his very loving wife?

SB3.13.3

TEXT 3

caritam tasya rajarser

adi-rajasya sattama

bruhi me sraddadhanaya

visvaksenasrayo hy asau

SYNONYMS

caritam—character; tasya—his; rajarseh—of the saintly king; adi-rajasya—of the original king; sattama—O most pious one; bruhi—kindly speak; me—unto me; sraddadhanaya—unto one eager to receive; visvaksena—of the Personality of Godhead; asrayah—one who has taken shelter; hi—certainly; asau—that king.

TRANSLATION

O best of the virtuous, the original king of kings [Manu] was a great devotee of the Personality of Godhead Hari, and thus it is worth hearing of his sublime character and activities. Please describe them. I am very eager to hear.

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of the transcendental topics of the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees. In the absolute world there is no difference in quality between the Supreme Lord and His pure devotee. Therefore, hearing the topics of the Lord and hearing of the character and activities of the pure devotee have the same result, namely, the development of devotional service.

SB3.13.4

TEXT 4

srutasya pumsam sucira-sramasya

nanv anjasa suribhir idito ’rthah

tat-tad-gunanusravanam mukunda-

padaravindam hrdayesu yesam

srutasya—of persons who are in the process of hearing; pumsam—of such persons; sucira—for a long time; sramasya—laboring very hard; nanu—certainly; anjasa—elaborately; suribhih—by pure devotees; iditah—explained by; arthah—statements; tat—that; tat—that; guna—transcendental qualities; anusravanam—thinking; mukunda—the Personality of Godhead, who awards liberation; pada-aravindam—the lotus feet; hrdayesu—within the heart; yesam—of them.

Persons who hear from a spiritual master with great labor and for a long time must hear from the mouths of pure devotees about the character and activities of pure devotees. Pure devotees always think within their hearts of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, who awards His devotees liberation.

Transcendental students are those who undergo great penance in being trained by hearing the Vedas from a bona fide spiritual master. Not only must they hear about the activities of the Lord, but they must also hear about the transcendental qualities of the devotees who are constantly thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord within their hearts. A pure devotee of the Lord cannot be separated from the lotus feet of the Lord for even a moment. Undoubtedly the Lord is always within the hearts of all living creatures, but they hardly know about it because they are deluded by the illusory material energy. The devotees, however, realize the presence of the Lord, and therefore they can always see the lotus feet of the Lord within their hearts. Such pure devotees of the Lord are as glorious as the Lord; they are, in fact, recommended by the Lord as more worshipable then He Himself. Worship of the devotee is more potent than worship of the Lord. It is therefore the duty of the transcendental students to hear of pure devotees, as explained by similar devotees of the Lord, because one cannot explain about the Lord or His devotee unless one happens to be a pure devotee himself.

SB3.13.5

TEXT 5

sri-suka uvaca

iti bruvanam viduram vinitam

sahasra-sirsnas caranopadhanam

prahrsta-roma bhagavat-kathayam

praniyamano munir abhyacasta

sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti—thus; bruvanam—speaking; viduram—unto Vidura; vinitam—very gentle; sahasra-sirsnah—the Personality of Godhead Krsna; carana—lotus feet; upadhanam—pillow; prahrsta-roma—hairs standing in ecstasy; bhagavat—in relationship with the Personality of Godhead; kathayam—in the words; praniyamanah—being influenced by such spirit; munih—the sage; abhyacasta—attempted to speak.

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: The Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna was pleased to place His lotus feet on the lap of Vidura because Vidura was very meek and gentle. The sage Maitreya was very pleased with Vidura’s words, and, being influenced by his spirit, he attempted to speak.

The word sahasra-sirsnah is very significant. One who has diverse energies and activities and a wonderful brain is known as the sahasra-sirsnah. This qualification is applicable only to the personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, and no one else. The Personality of Godhead was pleased to dine sometimes with Vidura at his home, and while resting He placed His lotus feet on the lap of Vidura. Maitreya was inspired by the thought of Vidura’s wonderful fortune. The hairs of his body stood on end, and he was pleased to narrate the topics of the Personality of Godhead with great delight.

SB3.13.6

TEXT 6

maitreya uvaca

yada sva-bharyaya sardham

jatah svayambhuvo manuh

pranjalih pranatas cedam

veda-garbham abhasata

maitreyah uvaca—Maitreya said; yada—when; sva-bharyaya—along with his wife; sardham—accompanied by; jatah—appeared; svayambhuvah—Svayambhuva Manu; manuh—the father of mankind; pranjalih—with folded hands; pranatah—in obeisances; ca—also; idam—this; veda-garbham—unto the reservoir of Vedic wisdom; abhasata—addressed.

The sage Maitreya said to Vidura: After his appearance, Manu, the father of mankind, along with his wife, thus addressed the reservoir of Vedic wisdom, Brahma, with obeisances and folded hands.

SB3.13.7

TEXT 7

tvam ekah sarva-bhutanam

janma-krd vrttidah pita

tathapi nah prajanam te

susrusa kena va bhavet

SYNONYMS

tvam—you; ekah—one; sarva—all; bhutanam—living entities; janma-krt—progenitor; vrtti-dah—source of subsistence; pita—the father; tatha api—yet; nah—ourselves; prajanam—of all who are born; te—of you; susrusa—service; kena—how; va—either; bhavet—may be possible.

TRANSLATION

You are the father of all living entities and the source of their subsistence because they are all born of you. Please order us how we may be able to render service unto you.

PURPORT

A son’s duty is not only to make the father the source of supply for all his needs, but also, when he is grown up, to render service unto him. That is the law of creation beginning from the time of Brahma. A father’s duty is to bring up the son until he is grown, and when the son is grown up, it is his duty to render service unto the father.

SB3.13.8

TEXT 8

tad vidhehi namas tubhyam

karmasv idyatma-saktisu

yat krtveha yaso visvag

amutra ca bhaved gatih

tat—that; vidhehi—give direction; namah—my obeisances; tubhyam—unto you; karmasu—in duties; idya—O worshipful one; atma-saktisu—within our working capacity; yat—which; krtva—doing; iha—in this world; yasah—fame; visvak—everywhere; amutra—in the next world; ca—and; bhavet—it should be; gatih—progress.

O worshipful one, please give us your direction for the execution of duty within our working capacity so that we can follow it for fame in this life and progress in the next.

Brahma is the direct recipient of Vedic knowledge from the Personality of Godhead, and anyone discharging his entrusted duties in disciplic succession from Brahma is sure to gain fame in this life and salvation in the next. The disciplic succession from Brahma is called the Brahma-sampradaya, and it descends as follows: Brahma, Narada, Vyasa, Madhva Muni (Purnaprajna), Padmanabha, Nrhari, Madhava, Aksobhya, Jayatirtha, Jnanasindhu, Dayanidhi, Vidyanidhi, Rajendra, Jayadharma, Purusottama, Brahmanyatirtha, Vyasatirtha, Laksmipati, Madhavendra Puri, Isvara Puri, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodara and Sri Rupa Gosvami and others, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Krsnadasa Gosvami, Narottama dasa Thakura, Visvanatha Cakravarti, Jagannatha dasa Babaji, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

This line of disciplic succession from Brahma is spiritual, whereas the genealogical succession from Manu is material, but both are on the progressive march towards the same goal of Krsna consciousness.

SB3.13.9

TEXT 9

brahmovaca

pritas tubhyam aham tata

svasti stad vam ksitisvara

yan nirvyalikena hrda

sadhi mety atmanarpitam

brahma uvaca—Brahma said; pritah—pleased; tubhyam—unto you; aham—I; tata—my dear son; svasti—all blessings; stat—let there be; vam—unto you both; ksiti-isvara—O lord of the world; yat—because; nirvyalikena—without reservation; hrda—by the heart; sadhi—give instruction; ma—unto me; iti—thus; atmana—by self; arpitam—surrendered.

Lord Brahma said: My dear son, O lord of the world, I am very pleased with you, and I desire all blessings for both you and your wife. You have without reservation surrendered yourself unto me with your heart for my instructions.

The relationship between the father and the son is always sublime. The father is naturally disposed with good will towards the son, and he is always ready to help the son in his progress in life. But in spite of the father’s good will, the son is sometimes misguided because of his misuse of personal independence. Every living entity, however small or big he may be, has the choice of independence. If the son is unreservedly willing to be guided by the father, the father is ten times more eager to instruct and guide him by all means. The father and son relationship as exhibited here in the dealings of Brahma and Manu is excellent. Both the father and the son are well qualified, and their example should be followed by all humankind. Manu, the son, unreservedly asked the father, Brahma, to instruct him, and the father, who was full of Vedic wisdom, was very glad to instruct. The example of the father of mankind may be rigidly followed by mankind, and that will advance the cause of the relationship of fathers and sons.

SB3.13.10

TEXT 10

etavaty atmajair vira

karya hy apacitir gurau

saktyapramattair grhyeta

sadaram gata-matsaraih

etavati—just exactly like this; atmajaih—by the offspring; vira—O hero; karya—should be performed; hi—certainly; apacitih—worship; gurau—unto the superior; saktya—with full capacity; apramattaih—by the sane; grhyeta—should be accepted; sa-adaram—with great delight; gata-matsaraih—by those who are beyond the limit of envy.

O hero, your example is quite befitting a son in relationship with his father. This sort of adoration for the superior is required. One who is beyond the limit of envy and who is sane accepts the order of his father with great delight and executes it to his full capacity.

When the four previous sons of Brahma, the sages Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumara, refused to obey their father, Brahma was mortified, and his anger was manifested in the shape of Rudra. That incident was not forgotten by Brahma, and therefore the obedience of Manu Svayambhuva was very encouraging. From the material point of view, the four sages’ disobedience to the order of their father was certainly abominable, but because such disobedience was for a higher purpose, they were free from the reaction of disobedience. Those who disobey their fathers on material grounds, however, are surely subjected to disciplinary reaction for such disobedience. Manu’s obedience to his father on material grounds was certainly free from envy, and in the material world it is imperative for ordinary men to follow the example of Manu.

SB3.13.11

TEXT 11

sa tvam asyam apatyani

sadrsany atmano gunaih

utpadya sasa dharmena

gam yajnaih purusam yaja

sah—therefore that obedient son; tvam—as you are; asyam—in her; apatyani—children; sadrsani—equally qualified; atmanah—of yourself; gunaih—with the characteristics; utpadya—having begotten; sasa—rule; dharmena—on the principles of devotional service; gam—the world; yajnaih—by sacrifices; purusam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yaja—worship.

Since you are my very obedient son, I ask you to beget children qualified like yourself in the womb of your wife. Rule the world in pursuance of the principles of devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus worship the Lord by performances of yajna.

The purpose of the material creation by Brahma is clearly described herein. Every human being should beget nice children in the womb of his wife, as a sacrifice for the purpose of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead in devotional service. In the Visnu Purana (3.8.9) it is stated:

varnasramacaravata
purusena parah puman
visnur aradhyate pantha
nanyat tat-tosa-karanam

“One can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, by proper discharge of the principles of varna and asrama. There is no alternative to pacifying the Lord by execution of the principles of the varnasrama system.”

Visnu worship is the ultimate aim of human life. Those who take the license of married life for sense enjoyment must also take the responsibility to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, and the first stepping-stone is the varnasrama-dharma system. Varnasrama-dharma is the systematic institution for advancing in worship of Visnu. However, if one directly engages in the process of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it may not be necessary to undergo the disciplinary system of varnasrama-dharma. The other sons of Brahma, the Kumaras, directly engaged in devotional service, and thus they had no need to execute the principles of varnasrama-dharma.

SB3.13.12

TEXT 12

param susrusanam mahyam

syat praja-raksaya nrpa

bhagavams te praja-bhartur

hrsikeso ’nutusyati

param—the greatest; susrusanam—devotional service; mahyam—unto me; syat—should be; praja—the living entities born in the material world; raksaya—by saving them from being spoiled; nrpa—O King; bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; te—with you; praja-bhartuh—with the protector of the living beings; hrsikesah—the Lord of the senses; anutusyati—is satisfied.

O King, if you can give proper protection to the living beings in the material world, that will be the best service for me. When the Supreme Lord sees you to be a good protector of the conditioned souls, certainly the master of the senses will be very pleased with you.

The whole administrative system is arranged for the purpose of going back home, back to Godhead. Brahma is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Manu is the representative of Brahma. Similarly, all other kings on different planets of the universe are representatives of Manu. The lawbook for the entire human society is the Manu-samhita, which directs all activities towards the transcendental service of the Lord. Every king, therefore, must know that his responsibility in administration is not merely to exact taxes from the citizens but to see personally that the citizens under him are being trained in Visnu worship. Everyone must be educated in Visnu worship and engaged in the devotional service of Hrsikesa, the owner of the senses. The conditioned souls are meant not to satisfy their material senses but to satisfy the senses of Hrsikesa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the purpose of the complete administrative system. One who knows this secret, as disclosed here in the version of Brahma, is the perfect administrative head. One who does not know this is a show-bottle administrator. By training the citizens in the devotional service of the Lord, the head of a state can be free in his responsibility, otherwise he will fail in the onerous duty entrusted to him and thus be punishable by the supreme authority. There is no other alternative in the discharge of administrative duty.

SB3.13.13

TEXT 13

yesam na tusto bhagavan

yajna-lingo janardanah

tesam sramo hy aparthaya

yad atma nadrtah svayam

yesam—of those with whom; na—never; tustah—satisfied; bhagavan—the Personality of Godhead; yajna-lingah—the form of sacrifice; janardanah—Lord Krsna, or the visnu-tattva; tesam—of them; sramah—labor; hi—certainly; aparthaya—without profit; yat—because; atma—the Supreme Soul; na—not; adrtah—respected; svayam—his own self.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Janardana [Lord Krsna], is the form to accept all the results of sacrifice. If He is not satisfied, then one’s labor for advancement is futile. He is the ultimate Self, and therefore one who does not satisfy Him certainly neglects his own interests.

Brahma is deputed as the supreme head of universal affairs, and he in his turn deputes Manu and others as charges d’affaires of the material manifestation, but the whole show is for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brahma knows how to satisfy the Lord, and similarly persons engaged in the line of Brahma’s plan of activities also know how to satisfy the Lord. The Lord is satisfied by the process of devotional service, consisting of the ninefold process of hearing, chanting, etc. It is in one’s own sell-interest to execute prescribed devotional service, and anyone who neglects this process neglects his own self-interest. Everyone wants to satisfy his senses, but above the senses is the mind, above the mind is the intelligence, above the intelligence is the individual self, and above the individual self is the Superself. Above even the Superself is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, visnu-tattva. The primeval Lord and the cause of all causes is Sri Krsna. The complete process of perfectional service is to render service for the satisfaction of the transcendental senses of Lord Krsna, who is known as Janardana.

sthanam tv ihanujanihi

prajanam mama ca prabho

manuh uvaca—Sri Manu said; adese—under the order; aham—I; bhagavatah—of your powerful self; varteya—shall stay; amiva-sudana—O killer of all sins; sthanam—the place; tu—but; iha—in this world; anujanihi—please let me know; prajanam—of the living entities born from me; mama—my; ca—also; prabho—O lord.

Sri Manu said: O all-powerful lord, O killer of all sins, I shall abide by your order. Now please let me know my place and that of the living entities born of me.

SB3.13.15

TEXT 15

yad okah sarva-bhutanam

mahi magna mahambhasi

asya uddharane yatno

deva devya vidhiyatam

SYNONYMS

yat—because; okah—the dwelling place; sarva—for all; bhutanam—living entities; mahi—the earth; magna—merged; maha-ambhasi—in the great water; asyah—of this; uddharane—in the lifting; yatnah—attempt; deva—O master of the demigods; devyah—of this earth; vidhiyatam—let it be done.

TRANSLATION

O master of the demigods, please attempt to lift the earth, which is merged in the great water, because it is the dwelling place for all the living entities. It can be done by your endeavor and by the mercy of the Lord.

PURPORT

The great water mentioned in this connection is the Garbhodaka Ocean, which fills half of the universe.

SB3.13.16

TEXT 16

maitreya uvaca

paramesthi tv apam madhye

tatha sannam aveksya gam

katham enam samunnesya

iti dadhyau dhiya ciram

maitreyah uvaca—Sri Maitreya Muni said; paramesthi—Brahma; tu—also; apam—the water; madhye—within; tatha—thus; sannam—situated; aveksya—seeing; gam—the earth; katham—how; enam—this; samunnesye—I shall lift; iti—thus; dadhyau—gave attention; dhiya—by intelligence; ciram—for a long time.

Sri Maitreya said: Thus, seeing the earth merged in the water, Brahma gave his attention for a long time to how it could be lifted.

According to Jiva Gosvami, the topics delineated here are of different millenniums. The present topics are of the Sveta-varaha millennium, and topics regarding the Caksusa millennium will also be discussed in this chapter.

SB3.13.17

TEXT 17

srjato me ksitir varbhih

plavyamana rasam gata

athatra kim anustheyam

asmabhih sarga-yojitaih

yasyaham hrdayad asam

sa iso vidadhatu me

srjatah—while engaged in creation; me—of me; ksitih—the earth; varbhih—by the water; plavyamana—being inundated; rasam—depth of water; gata—gone down; atha—therefore; atra—in this matter; kim—what; anustheyam—is right to be attempted; asmabhih—by us; sarga—creation; yojitaih—engaged in; yasya—the one from whose; aham—I; hrdayat—from the heart; asam—born; sah—He; isah—the Lord; vidadhatu—may direct; me—unto me.

Brahma thought: While I have been engaged in the process of creation, the earth has been inundated by a deluge and has gone down into the depths of the ocean. What can we do who are engaged in this matter of creation? It is best to let the Almighty Lord direct us.

The devotees of the Lord, who are all confidential servitors, are sometimes perplexed in the discharge of their respective duties, but they are never discouraged. They have full faith in the Lord, and He paves the way for the smooth progress of the devotee’s duty.

SB3.13.18

TEXT 18

ity abhidhyayato nasa-

iti—thus; abhidhyayatah—while thinking; nasa-vivarat—from the nostrils; sahasa—all of a sudden; anagha—O sinless one; varaha-tokah—a minute form of Varaha (a boar); niragat—came out; angustha—the upper portion of the thumb; parimanakah—of the measurement.