Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 3: “The Status Quo”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Twenty-one

Conversation Between Manu and Kardama

SB3.21.1

TEXT 1

vidura uvaca

svayambhuvasya ca manor

vamsah parama-sammatah

kathyatam bhagavan yatra

maithunenaidhire prajah

SYNONYMS

vidurah uvaca—Vidura said; svayambhuvasya—of Svayambhuva; ca—and; manoh—of Manu; vamsah—the dynasty; parama—most; sammatah—esteemed; kathyatam—kindly describe; bhagavan—O worshipful sage; yatra—in which; maithunena—through sexual intercourse; edhire—multiplied; prajah—the progeny.

TRANSLATION

Vidura said: The line of Svayambhuva Manu was most esteemed. O worshipful sage, I beg you—give me an account of this race, whose progeny multiplied through sexual intercourse.

PURPORT

Regulated sex life to generate good population is worth accepting. Actually, Vidura was not interested in hearing the history of persons who merely engaged in sex life, but he was interested in the progeny of Svayambhuva Manu because in that dynasty, good devotee kings appeared who protected their subjects very carefully with spiritual knowledge. By hearing the history of their activities, therefore, one becomes more enlightened. An important word used in this connection is parama-sammatah, which indicates that the progeny created by Svayambhuva Manu and his sons was approved of by great authorities. In other words, sex life for creating exemplary population is acceptable to all sages and authorities of Vedic scripture.

SB3.21.2

TEXT 2

priyavratottanapadau

sutau svayambhuvasya vai

yatha-dharmam jugupatuh

sapta-dvipavatim mahim

SYNONYMS

priyavrata—Maharaja Priyavrata; uttanapadau—and Maharaja Uttanapada; sutau—the two sons; svayambhuvasya—of Svayambhuva Manu; vai—indeed; yatha—according to; dharmam—religious principles; jugupatuh—ruled; sapta-dvipa-vatim—consisting of seven islands; mahim—the world.

TRANSLATION

The two great sons of Svayambhuva Manu—Priyavrata and Uttanapada—ruled the world, consisting of seven islands, just according to religious principles.

PURPORT

Srimad-Bhagavatam is also a history of the great rulers of different parts of the universe. In this verse the names of Priyavrata and Uttanapada, sons of Svayambhuva, are mentioned. They ruled this earth, which is divided into seven islands. These seven islands are still current, as Asia, Europe, Africa, America, Australia and the North and South Poles. There is no chronological history of all the Indian kings in Srimad-Bhagavatam, but the deeds of the most important kings, such as Priyavrata and Uttanapada, and many others, like Lord Ramacandra and Maharaja Yudhisthira, are recorded because the activities of such pious kings are worth hearing; people may benefit by studying their histories.

SB3.21.3

TEXT 3

tasya vai duhita brahman

devahutiti visruta

patni prajapater ukta

kardamasya tvayanagha

SYNONYMS

tasya—of that Manu; vai—indeed; duhita—the daughter; brahman—O holy brahmana; devahuti—named Devahuti; iti—thus; visruta—was known; patni—wife; prajapateh—of the lord of created beings; ukta—has been spoken of; kardamasya—of Kardama Muni; tvaya—by you; anagha—O sinless one.

TRANSLATION

O holy brahmana, O sinless one, you have spoken of his daughter, known by the name Devahuti, as the wife of the sage Kardama, the lord of created beings.

PURPORT

Here we are speaking of Svayambhuva Manu, but in Bhagavad-gita we hear about Vaivasvata Manu. The present age belongs to the Vaivasvata Manu. Svayambhuva Manu was previously ruling, and his history begins from the Varaha age, or the millennium when the Lord appeared as the boar. There are fourteen Manus in one day of the life of Brahma, and in the life of each Manu there are particular incidents. The Vaivasvata Manu of Bhagavad-gita is different from Svayambhuva Manu.

SB3.21.4

TEXT 4

tasyam sa vai maha-yogi

yuktayam yoga-laksanaih

sasarja katidha viryam

tan me susrusave vada

SYNONYMS

tasyam—in her; sah—Kardama Muni; vai—in fact; maha-yogi—great mystic yogi; yuktayam—endowed; yoga-laksanaih—with the eightfold symptoms of yogic perfection; sasarja—propagated; katidha—how many times; viryam—offspring; tat—that narration; me—to me; susrusave—who am eager to hear; vada—tell.

TRANSLATION

How many offspring did that great yogi beget through the princess, who was endowed with eightfold perfection in the yoga principles? Oh, pray tell me this, for I am eager to hear it.

PURPORT

Here Vidura inquired about Kardama Muni and his wife, Devahuti, and about their children. It is described here that Devahuti was very much advanced in the performance of eightfold yoga. The eight divisions of yoga performance are described as (1) control of the senses, (2) strict following of the rules and regulations, (3) practice of the different sitting postures, (4) control of the breath, (5) withdrawing the senses from sense objects, (6) concentration of the mind, (7) meditation and (8) self-realization. After self-realization there are eight further perfectional stages, which are called yoga-siddhis. The husband and wife, Kardama and Devahuti, were advanced in yoga practice; the husband was a maha-yogi, great mystic, and the wife was a yoga-laksana, or one advanced in yoga. They united and produced children. Formerly, after making their lives perfect, great sages and saintly persons used to beget children, otherwise they strictly observed the rules and regulations of celibacy. Brahmacarya (following the rules and regulations of celibacy) is required for perfection of self-realization and mystic power. There is no recommendation in the Vedic scriptures that one can go on enjoying material sense gratification at one’s whims, as one likes, and at the same time become a great meditator by paying a rascal some money.

SB3.21.5

TEXT 5

rucir yo bhagavan brahman

dakso va brahmanah sutah

yatha sasarja bhutani

labdhva bharyam ca manavim

SYNONYMS

rucih—Ruci; yah—who; bhagavan—worshipful; brahman—O holy sage; daksah—Daksa; va—and; brahmanah—of Lord Brahma; sutah—the son; yatha—in what way; sasarja—generated; bhutani—offspring; labdhva—after securing; bharyam—as their wives; ca—and; manavim—the daughters of Svayambhuva Manu.

TRANSLATION

O holy sage, tell me how the worshipful Ruci and Daksa, the son of Brahma, generated children after securing as their wives the other two daughters of Svayambhuva Manu.

PURPORT

All the great personalities who increased the population in the beginning of the creation are called Prajapatis. Brahma is also known as Prajapati, as were some of his later sons. Svayambhuva Manu is also known as Prajapati, as is Daksa, another son of Brahma. Svayambhuva had two daughters, Akuti and Prasuti. The Prajapati Ruci married Akuti, and Daksa married Prasuti. These couples and their children produced immense numbers of children to populate the entire universe. Vidura’s inquiry was, “How did they beget the population in the beginning?”

SB3.21.6

TEXT 6

maitreya uvaca

prajah srjeti bhagavan

kardamo brahmanoditah

sarasvatyam tapas tepe

sahasranam sama dasa

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—the great sage Maitreya said; prajah—children; srja—beget; iti—thus; bhagavan—the worshipful; kardamah—Kardama Muni; brahmana—by Lord Brahma; uditah—commanded; sarasvatyam—on the bank of the River Sarasvati; tapah—penance; tepe—practiced; sahasranam—of thousands; samah—years; dasa—ten.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya replied: Commanded by Lord Brahma to beget children in the worlds, the worshipful Kardama Muni practiced penance on the bank of the River Sarasvati for a period of ten thousand years.

PURPORT

It is understood herein that Kardama Muni meditated in yoga for ten thousand years before attaining perfection. Similarly, we have information that Valmiki Muni also practiced yoga meditation for sixty thousand years before attaining perfection. Therefore, yoga practice can be successfully performed by persons who have a very long duration of life, such as one hundred thousand years; in that way it is possible to have perfection in yoga. Otherwise, there is no possibility of attaining the real perfection. Following the regulations, controlling the senses and practicing the different sitting postures are merely the preliminary practices. We do not know how people can be captivated by the bogus yoga system in which it is stated that simply by meditating fifteen minutes daily one can attain the perfection of becoming one with God. This age (Kali-yuga) is the age of bluffing and quarrel. Actually there is no possibility of attaining yoga perfection by such paltry proposals. The Vedic literature, for emphasis, clearly states three times that in this age of Kali—kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva—there is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative than harer nama [Adi 17.21], chanting the holy name of the Lord.

SB3.21.7

TEXT 7

tatah samadhi-yuktena

kriya-yogena kardamah

samprapede harim bhaktya

prapanna-varadasusam

SYNONYMS

tatah—then, in that penance; samadhi-yuktena—in trance; kriya-yogena—by bhakti-yoga worship; kardamah—the sage Kardama; samprapede—served; harim—the Personality of Godhead; bhaktya—in devotional service; prapanna—to the surrendered souls; varadasusam—the bestower of all blessings.

TRANSLATION

During that period of penance, the sage Kardama, by worship through devotional service in trance, propitiated the Personality of Godhead, who is the quick bestower of all blessings upon those who flee to Him for protection.

PURPORT

The significance of meditation is described here. Kardama Muni practiced mystic yoga meditation for ten thousand years just to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. Therefore, whether one practices yoga or speculates and does research to find God, one’s efforts must be mixed with the process of devotion. Without devotion, nothing can be perfect. The target of perfection and realization is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that one who constantly engages in Krsna consciousness is the topmost yogi. The Personality of Godhead, Hari, also fulfills the desires of His surrendered devotee. One has to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, Hari, or Krsna, in order to achieve real success. Devotional service, or engagement in Krsna consciousness, is the direct method, and all other methods, although recommended, are indirect. In this age of Kali the direct method is especially more feasible than the indirect because people are short-living, their intelligence is poor, and they are poverty-stricken and embarrassed by so many miserable disturbances. Lord Caitanya, therefore, has given the greatest boon: in this age one simply has to chant the holy name of God to attain perfection in spiritual life.

The words samprapede harim mean that in various ways Kardama Muni satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, by his devotional service. Devotional service is also expressed by the word kriya-yogena. Kardama Muni not only meditated but also engaged in devotional service; to attain perfection in yoga practice or meditation, one must act in devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, etc. Remembering is meditation also. But who is to be remembered? One should remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not only must one remember the Supreme Person; one must hear about the activities of the Lord and chant His glories. This information is in the authoritative scriptures. After engaging himself for ten thousand years in performing different types of devotional service, Kardama Muni attained the perfection of meditation, but that is not possible in this age of Kali, wherein it is very difficult to live for as much as one hundred years. At the present moment, who will be successful in the rigid performance of the many yoga rules and regulations? Moreover, perfection is attained only by those who are surrendered souls. Where there is no mention of the Personality of Godhead, where is there surrender? And where there is no meditation upon the Personality of Godhead, where is the yoga practice? Unfortunately, people in this age, especially persons who are of a demoniac nature, want to be cheated. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead sends great cheaters who mislead them in the name of yoga and render their lives useless and doomed. In Bhagavad-gita, therefore, it is clearly stated, in the Sixteenth Chapter, verse 17, that rascals of self-made authority, being puffed up by illegally collected money, perform yoga without following the authoritative books. They are very proud of the money they have plundered from innocent persons who wanted to be cheated.

SB3.21.8

TEXT 8

tavat prasanno bhagavan

puskaraksah krte yuge

darsayam asa tam ksattah

sabdam brahma dadhad vapuh

SYNONYMS

tavat—then; prasannah—being pleased; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puskara-aksah—lotus-eyed; krte yuge—in the Satya-yuga; darsayam asa—showed; tam—to that Kardama Muni; ksattah—O Vidura; sabdam—which is to be understood only through the Vedas; brahma—the Absolute Truth; dadhat—exhibiting; vapuh—His transcendental body.

TRANSLATION

Then, in the Satya-yuga, the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead, being pleased, showed Himself to that Kardama Muni and displayed His transcendental form, which can be understood only through the Vedas.

PURPORT

Here two points are very significant. The first is that Kardama Muni attained success by yoga practice in the beginning of Satya-yuga, when people used to live for one hundred thousand years. Kardama Muni attained success, and the Lord, being pleased with him, showed him His form, which is not imaginary. Sometimes the impersonalists recommend that one can arbitrarily concentrate one’s mind on some form he imagines or which pleases him. But here it is very clearly said that the form which the Lord showed to Kardama Muni by His divine grace is described in the Vedic literature. Sabdam brahma: the forms of the Lord are clearly indicated in the Vedic literature. Kardama Muni did not discover any imaginary form of God, as alleged by rascals; he actually saw the eternal, blissful and transcendental form of the Lord.

SB3.21.9

TEXT 9

sa tam virajam arkabham

sita-padmotpala-srajam

snigdha-nilalaka-vrata-

vaktrabjam virajo ’mbaram

SYNONYMS

sah—that Kardama Muni; tam—Him; virajam—without contamination; arka-abham—effulgent like the sun; sita—white; padma—lotuses; utpala—water lilies; srajam—garland; snigdha—slick; nila—blackish-blue; alaka—of locks of hair; vrata—an abundance; vaktra—face; abjam—lotuslike; virajah—spotless; ambaram—clothing.

TRANSLATION

Kardama Muni saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is free from material contamination, in His eternal form, effulgent like the sun, wearing a garland of white lotuses and water lilies. The Lord was clad in spotless yellow silk, and His lotus face was fringed with slick dark locks of curly hair.

SB3.21.10

TEXT 10

kiritinam kundalinam

sankha-cakra-gada-dharam

svetotpala-kridanakam

manah-sparsa-smiteksanam

SYNONYMS

kiritinam—adorned with a crown; kundalinam—wearing earrings; sankha—conch; cakra—disc; gada—mace; dharam—holding; sveta—white; utpala—lily; kridanakam—plaything; manah—heart; sparsa—touching; smita—smiling; iksanam—and glancing.

TRANSLATION

Adorned with a crown and earrings, He held His characteristic conch, disc and mace in three of His hands and a white lily in the fourth. He glanced about in a happy, smiling mood whose sight captivates the hearts of all devotees.

SB3.21.11

TEXT 11

vinyasta-caranambhojam

amsa-dese garutmatah

drstva khe ’vasthitam vaksah-

sriyam kaustubha-kandharam

SYNONYMS

vinyasta—having been placed; carana-ambhojam—lotus feet; amsa-dese—on the shoulders; garutmatah—of Garuda; drstva—having seen; khe—in the air; avasthitam—standing; vaksah—on His chest; sriyam—auspicious mark; kaustubha—the Kaustubha gem; kandharam—neck.

TRANSLATION

A golden streak on His chest, the famous Kaustubha gem suspended from His neck, He stood in the air with His lotus feet placed on the shoulders of Garuda.

PURPORT

The descriptions in verses 9–11 of the Lord in His transcendental, eternal form are understood to be descriptions from the authoritative Vedic version. These descriptions are certainly not the imagination of Kardama Muni. The decorations of the Lord are beyond material conception, as admitted even by impersonalists like Sankaracarya: Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has nothing to do with the material creation. The varieties of the transcendental Lord—His body, His form, His dress, His instruction, His words—are not manufactured by the material energy, but are all confirmed in the Vedic literature. By performance of yoga Kardama Muni actually saw the Supreme Lord as He is. There was no point in seeing an imagined form of God after practicing yoga for ten thousand years. The perfection of yoga, therefore, does not terminate in voidness or impersonalism; on the contrary, the perfection of yoga is attained when one actually sees the Personality of Godhead in His eternal form. The process of Krsna consciousness is to deliver the form of Krsna directly. The form of Krsna is described in the authoritative Vedic literature Brahma-samhita: His abode is made of cintamani stone, and the Lord plays there as a cowherd boy and is served by many thousands of gopis. These descriptions are authoritative, and a Krsna conscious person takes them directly, acts on them, preaches them and practices devotional service as enjoined in the authoritative scriptures.

SB3.21.12

TEXT 12

jata-harso ’patan murdhna

ksitau labdha-manorathah

girbhis tv abhyagrnat priti-

svabhavatma krtanjalih

SYNONYMS

jata-harsah—naturally jubilant; apatat—he fell down; murdhna—with his head; ksitau—on the ground; labdha—having been achieved; manah-rathah—his desire; girbhih—with prayers; tu—and; abhyagrnat—he satisfied; priti-svabhava-atma—whose heart is by nature always full of love; krta-anjalih—with folded hands.

TRANSLATION

When Kardama Muni actually realized the Supreme Personality of Godhead in person, he was greatly satisfied because his transcendental desire was fulfilled. He fell on the ground with his head bowed to offer obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord. His heart naturally full of love of God, with folded hands he satisfied the Lord with prayers.

PURPORT

The realization of the personal form of the Lord is the highest perfectional stage of yoga. In the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, where yoga practice is described, this realization of the personal form of the Lord is called the perfection of yoga. After practicing the sitting postures and other regulative principles of the system, one finally reaches the stage of samadhi—absorption in the Supreme. In the samadhi stage one can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His partial form as Paramatma, or as He is. Samadhi is described in authoritative yoga scriptures, such as the Patanjali-sutras, to be a transcendental pleasure. The yoga system described in the books of Patanjali is authoritative, and the modern so-called yogis who have manufactured their own ways, not consulting the authorities, are simply ludicrous. The Patanjali yoga system is called astanga-yoga. Sometimes impersonalists pollute the Patanjali yoga system because they are monists. Patanjali describes that the soul is transcendentally pleased when he meets the Supersoul and sees Him. If the existence of the Supersoul and the individual is admitted, then the impersonalist theory of monism is nullified. Therefore some impersonalists and void philosophers twist the Patanjali system in their own way and pollute the whole yoga process.

According to Patanjali, when one becomes free from all material desires he attains his real, transcendental situation, and realization of that stage is called spiritual power. In material activities a person engages in the modes of material nature. The aspirations of such people are (1) to be religious, (2) to be economically enriched, (3) to be able to gratify the senses and, at last, (4) to become one with the Supreme. According to the monists, when a yogi becomes one with the Supreme and loses his individual existence, he attains the highest stage, called kaivalya. But actually, the stage of realization of the Personality of Godhead is kaivalya. The oneness of understanding that the Supreme Lord is fully spiritual and that in full spiritual realization one can understand what He is—the Supreme Personality of Godhead—is called kaivalya, or, in the language of Patanjali, realization of spiritual power. His proposal is that when one is freed from material desires and fixed in spiritual realization of the self and the Superself, that is called cit-sakti. In full spiritual realization there is a perception of spiritual happiness, and that happiness is described in Bhagavad-gita as the supreme happiness, which is beyond the material senses. Trance is described to be of two kinds, samprajnata and asamprajnata, or mental speculation and self-realization. In samadhi or asamprajnata one can realize, by his spiritual senses, the spiritual form of the Lord. That is the ultimate goal of spiritual realization.

According to Patanjali, when one is fixed in constant realization of the supreme form of the Lord, one has attained the perfectional stage, as attained by Kardama Muni. Unless one attains this stage of perfection—beyond the perfection of the preliminaries of the yoga system—there is no ultimate realization. There are eight perfections in the astanga-yoga system. One who has attained them can become lighter than the lightest and greater than the greatest, and he can achieve whatever he likes. But even achieving such material success in yoga is not the perfection or the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is described here: Kardama Muni saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His eternal form. Devotional service begins with the relationship of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, or Krsna and Krsna’s devotees, and when one attains it there is no question of falling down. If, through the yoga system, one wants to attain the stage of seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, but is attracted instead to attainment of some material power, then he is detoured from proceeding further. Material enjoyment, as encouraged by bogus yogis, has nothing to do with the transcendental realization of spiritual happiness. Real devotees of bhakti-yoga accept only the material necessities of life absolutely needed to maintain the body and soul together; they refrain completely from all exaggerated material sense gratification. They are prepared to undergo all kinds of tribulation, provided they can make progress in the realization of the Personality of Godhead.

SB3.21.13

TEXT 13

rsir uvaca

justam batadyakhila-sattva-raseh

samsiddhyam aksnos tava darsanan nah

yad-darsanam janmabhir idya sadbhir

asasate yogino rudha-yogah

SYNONYMS

rsih uvaca—the great sage said; justam—is attained; bata—ah; adya—now; akhila—all; sattva—of goodness; raseh—who are the reservoir; samsiddhyam—the complete success; aksnoh—of the two eyes; tava—of You; darsanat—from the sight; nah—by us; yat—of whom; darsanam—sight; janmabhih—through births; idya—O worshipable Lord; sadbhih—gradually elevated in position; asasate—aspire; yoginahyogis; rudha-yogah—having obtained perfection in yoga.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Kardama said: O supreme worshipful Lord, my power of sight is now fulfilled, having attained the greatest perfection of the sight of You, who are the reservoir of all existences. Through many successive births of deep meditation, advanced yogis aspire to see Your transcendental form.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here as the reservoir of all goodness and all pleasure. Unless one is situated in the mode of goodness, there is no real pleasure. When, therefore, one’s body, mind and activities are situated in the service of the Lord, one is on the highest perfectional stage of goodness. Kardama Muni says, “Your Lordship is the reservoir of all that can be understood by the nomenclature of goodness, and by experiencing You face to face, eye to eye, the perfection of sight has now been attained.” These statements are the pure devotional situation; for a devotee, the perfection of the senses is to engage in the service of the Lord. The sense of sight, when engaged in seeing the beauty of the Lord, is perfected; the power to hear, when engaged in hearing the glories of the Lord, is perfected; the power to taste, when one enjoys by eating prasada, is perfected. When all the senses engage in relationship with the Personality of Godhead, one’s perfection is technically called bhakti-yoga, which entails detaching the senses from material indulgence and attaching them to the service of the Lord. When one is freed from all designated conditional life and fully engages in the service of the Lord, one’s service is called bhakti-yoga. Kardama Muni admits that seeing the Lord personally in bhakti-yoga is the perfection of sight. The exalted perfection of seeing the Lord is not exaggerated by Kardama Muni. He gives evidence that those who are actually elevated in yoga aspire in life after life to see this form of the Personality of Godhead. He was not a fictitious yogi. Those who are actually on the advanced path aspire only to see the eternal form of the Lord.

SB3.21.14

TEXT 14

ye mayaya te hata-medhasas tvat-

padaravindam bhava-sindhu-potam

upasate kama-lavaya tesam

rasisa kaman niraye ’pi ye syuh

SYNONYMS

ye—those persons; mayaya—by the deluding energy; te—of You; hata—has been lost; medhasah—whose intelligence; tvat—Your; pada-aravindam—lotus feet; bhava—of mundane existence; sindhu—the ocean; potam—the boat for crossing; upasate—worship; kama-lavaya—for obtaining trivial pleasures; tesam—their; rasi—You bestow; isa—O Lord; kaman—desires; niraye—in hell; api—even; ye—which desires; syuh—can be available.

TRANSLATION

Your lotus feet are the true vessel to take one across the ocean of mundane nescience. Only persons deprived of their intelligence by the spell of the deluding energy will worship those feet with a view to attain the trivial and momentary pleasures of the senses, which even persons rotting in hell can attain. However, O my Lord, You are so kind that You bestow mercy even upon them.

PURPORT

As stated in Bhagavad-gita, Seventh Chapter, there are two kinds of devotees—those who desire material pleasures and those who desire nothing but service to the Lord. Material pleasures can be attained even by hogs and dogs, whose condition of life is hellish. The hog also eats, sleeps and enjoys sex life to the full extent, and it is also very satisfied with such hellish enjoyment of material existence. Modern yogis advise that because one has senses, one must enjoy to the fullest extent like cats and dogs, yet one can go on and practice yoga. This is condemned here by Kardama Muni; he says that such material pleasures are available for cats and dogs in a hellish condition. The Lord is so kind that if so-called yogis are satisfied by hellish pleasures, He can give them facilities to attain all the material pleasures they desire, but they cannot attain the perfectional stage attained by Kardama Muni.

Hellish and demoniac persons do not actually know what is the ultimate attainment in perfection, and therefore they think that sense gratification is the highest goal of life. They advise that one can satisfy the senses and at the same time, by reciting some mantra and by some practice, can cheaply aspire for perfection. Such persons are described here as hata-medhasah, which means “those whose brains are spoiled.” They aspire for material enjoyment by perfection of yoga or meditation. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated by the Lord that the intelligence of those who worship the demigods has been spoiled. Similarly, here too it is stated by Kardama Muni that one who aspires after material enjoyment by practice of yoga has spoiled his brain substance and is fool number one. Actually, the intelligent practitioner of yoga should aspire for nothing else but to cross over the ocean of nescience by worshiping the Personality of Godhead and to see the lotus feet of the Lord. The Lord is so kind, however, that even today persons whose brain substance is spoiled are given the benediction to become cats, dogs or hogs and enjoy material happiness from sex life and sense gratification. The Lord confirms this benediction in Bhagavad-gita: “Whatever a person aspires to receive from Me, I offer him as he desires.”

SB3.21.15

TEXT 15

tatha sa caham parivodhu-kamah

samana-silam grhamedha-dhenum

upeyivan mulam asesa-mulam

durasayah kama-dughanghripasya

SYNONYMS

tatha—similarly; sah—myself; ca—also; aham—I; parivodhu-kamah—desiring to marry; samana-silam—a girl of like disposition; grha-medha—in married life; dhenum—a cow of plenty; upeyivan—have approached; mulam—the root (lotus feet); asesa—of everything; mulam—the source; durasayah—with lustful desire; kama-dugha—yielding all desires; anghripasya—(of You) who are the tree.

TRANSLATION

Therefore, desiring to marry a girl of like disposition who may prove to be a veritable cow of plenty in my married life, to satisfy my lustful desire I too have sought the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the source of everything, for You are like a desire tree.

PURPORT

In spite of his condemning persons who approach the Lord for material advantages, Kardama Muni expressed his material inability and desire before the Lord by saying, “Although I know that nothing material should be asked from You, I nevertheless desire to marry a girl of like disposition.” The phrase “like disposition” is very significant. Formerly, boys and girls of similar dispositions were married; the similar natures of the boy and girl were united in order to make them happy. Not more than twenty-five years ago, and perhaps it is still current, parents in India used to consult the horoscope of the boy and girl to see whether there would be factual union in their psychological conditions. These considerations are very important. Nowadays marriage takes place without such consultation, and therefore, soon after the marriage, there is divorce and separation. Formerly husband and wife used to live together peacefully throughout their whole lives, but nowadays it is a very difficult task.

Kardama Muni wanted to have a wife of like disposition because a wife is necessary to assist in spiritual and material advancement. It is said that a wife yields the fulfillment of all desires in religion, economic development and sense gratification. If one has a nice wife, he is to be considered a most fortunate man. In astrology, a man is considered fortunate who has great wealth, very good sons or a very good wife. Of these three, one who has a very good wife is considered the most fortunate. Before marrying, one should select a wife of like disposition and not be enamored by so-called beauty or other attractive features for sense gratification. In the Bhagavatam, Twelfth Canto, it is said that in the Kali-yuga marriage will be based on the consideration of sex life; as soon as there is deficiency in sex life, the question of divorce will arise.

Kardama Muni could have asked his benediction from Uma, for it is recommended in the scriptures that if anyone wants a good wife, he should worship Uma. But he preferred to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead because it is recommended in the Bhagavatam that everyone, whether he is full of desires, has no desire or desires liberation, should worship the Supreme Lord. Of these three classes of men, one tries to be happy by fulfillment of material desires, another wants to be happy by becoming one with the Supreme, and another, the perfect man, is a devotee. He does not want anything in return from the personality of Godhead; he only wants to render transcendental loving service. In any case, everyone should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for He will fulfill everyone’s desire. The advantage of worshiping the Supreme Person is that even if one has desires for material enjoyment, if he worships Krsna he will gradually become a pure devotee and have no more material hankering.

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