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lokan—worldly affairs; ca—and; loka-anugatan—the followers of worldly affairs; pasun—beastly; ca—and; hitva—having given up; sritah—taken shelter; te—Your; carana—of lotus feet; atapatram—the umbrella; parasparam—with one another; tvat—Your; guna—of qualities; vada—by discussion; sidhu—intoxicating; piyusa—by the nectar; niryapita—extinguished; deha-dharmah—the primary necessities of the body.

However, persons who have given up stereotyped worldly affairs and the beastly followers of these affairs, and who have taken shelter of the umbrella of Your lotus feet by drinking the intoxicating nectar of Your qualities and activities in discussions with one another, can be freed from the primary necessities of the material body.

After describing the necessity of married life, Kardama Muni asserts that marriage and other social affairs are stereotyped regulations for persons who are addicted to material sense enjoyment. The principles of animal life—eating, sleeping, mating and defending—are actually necessities of the body, but those who engage in transcendental Krsna consciousness, giving up all the stereotyped activities of this material world, are freed from social conventions. Conditioned souls are under the spell of material energy, or eternal time—past, present and future—but as soon as one engages in Krsna consciousness, he transcends the limits of past and present and becomes situated in the eternal activities of the soul. One has to act in terms of the Vedic injunctions in order to enjoy material life, but those who have taken to the devotional service of the Lord are not afraid of the regulations of this material world. Such devotees do not care for the conventions of material activities; they boldly take to that shelter which is like an umbrella against the sun of repeated birth and death.

Constant transmigration of the soul from one body to another is the cause of suffering in material existence. This conditional life in material existence is called samsara. One may perform good work and take his birth in a very nice material condition, but the process under which birth and death take place is like a terrible fire. Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, in his prayer to the spiritual master, has described this. Samsara, or the repetition of birth and death, is compared to a forest fire. A forest fire takes place automatically, without anyone’s endeavor, by the friction of dried wood, and no fire department or sympathetic person can extinguish it. The raging forest fire can be extinguished only when there is a constant downpour of water from a cloud. The cloud is compared to the mercy of the spiritual master. By the grace of the spiritual master the cloud of the mercy of the Personality of Godhead is brought in, and then only, when the rains of Krsna consciousness fall, can the fire of material existence be extinguished. This is also explained here. In order to find freedom from the stereotyped conditional life of material existence, one has to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, not in the manner in which the impersonalists indulge, but in devotional service, chanting and hearing of the activities of the Lord. Only then can one be freed from the actions and reactions of material existence. It is recommended here that one should give up the conditional life of this material world and the association of so-called civilized human beings who are simply following, in a polished way, the same stereotyped principles of eating, sleeping, defending and mating. Chanting and hearing of the glories of the Lord is described here as tvad-guna-vada-sidhu. Only by drinking the nectar of chanting and hearing the pastimes of the Lord can one forget the intoxication of material existence.

SB3.21.18

TEXT 18

na te ’jaraksa-bhramir ayur esam

trayodasaram tri-satam sasti-parva

san-nemy ananta-cchadi yat tri-nabhi

karala-sroto jagad acchidya dhavat

na—not; te—Your; ajara—of imperishable Brahman; aksa—on the axle; bhramih—rotating; ayuh—span of life; esam—of the devotees; trayodasa—thirteen; aram—spokes; tri-satam—three hundred; sasti—sixty; parva—functions; sat—six; nemi—rims; ananta—innumerable; chadi—leaves; yat—which; tri—three; nabhi—naves; karala-srotah—with tremendous velocity; jagat—the universe; acchidya—cutting short; dhavat—running.

Your wheel, which has three naves, rotates around the axis of the imperishable Brahman. It has thirteen spokes, 360 joints, six rims and numberless leaves carved upon it. Though its revolution cuts short the life-span of the entire creation, this wheel of tremendous velocity cannot touch the life-span of the devotees of the Lord.

The time factor cannot affect the span of life of the devotees. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that a little execution of devotional service saves one from the greatest danger. The greatest danger is transmigration of the soul from one body to another, and only devotional service to the Lord can stop this process. It is stated in the Vedic literatures, harim vina na srtim taranti: without the mercy of the Lord, one cannot stop the cycle of birth and death. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that only by understanding the transcendental nature of the Lord and His activities, His appearance and disappearance, can one stop the cycle of death and go back to Him. The time factor is divided into many fractions of moments, hours, months, years, periods, seasons, etc. All the divisions in this verse are determined according to the astronomical calculations of Vedic literature. There are six seasons, called rtus, and there is the period of four months called caturmasya. Three periods of four months complete one year. According to Vedic astronomical calculations, there are thirteen months. The thirteenth month is called adhi-masa or mala-masa and is added every third year. The time factor, however, cannot touch the lifespan of the devotees. In another verse it is stated that when the sun rises and sets it takes away the life of all living entities, but it cannot take away the life of those who are engaged in devotional service. Time is compared here to a big wheel which has 360 joints, six rims in the shape of seasons, and numberless leaves in the shape of moments. It rotates on the eternal existence, Brahman.

SB3.21.19

TEXT 19

ekah svayam san jagatah sisrksaya-

dvitiyayatmann adhi-yogamayaya

srjasy adah pasi punar grasisyase

yathorna-nabhir bhagavan sva-saktibhih

ekah—one; svayam—Yourself; san—being; jagatah—the universes; sisrksaya—with a desire to create; advitiyaya—without a second; atman—in Yourself; adhi—controlling; yoga-mayaya—by yogamaya; srjasi—You create; adah—those universes; pasi—You maintain; punah—again; grasisyase—You will wind up; yatha—like; urna-nabhih—a spider; bhagavan—O Lord; sva-saktibhih—by its own energy.

My dear Lord, You alone create the universes. O Personality of Godhead, desiring to create these universes, You create them, maintain them and again wind them up by Your own energies, which are under the control of Your second energy, called yogamaya, just as a spider creates a cobweb by its own energy and again winds it up.

In this verse two important words nullify the impersonalist theory that everything is God. Here Kardama says, “O Personality of Godhead, You are alone, but You have various energies.” The example of the spider is very significant also. The spider is an individual living entity, and by its energy it creates a cobweb and plays on it, and whenever it likes it winds up the cobweb, thus ending the play. When the cobweb is manufactured by the saliva of the spider, the spider does not become impersonal. Similarly, the creation and manifestation of the material or spiritual energy does not render the creator impersonal. Here the very prayer suggests that God is sentient and can hear the prayers and fulfill the desires of the devotee. Therefore, He is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], the form of bliss, knowledge and eternity.

SB3.21.20

TEXT 20

naitad batadhisa padam tavepsitam

yan mayaya nas tanuse bhuta-suksmam

anugrahayastv api yarhi mayaya

lasat-tulasya bhagavan vilaksitah

na—not; etat—this; bata—indeed; adhisa—O Lord; padam—material world; tava—Your; ipsitam—desire; yat—which; mayaya—by Your external energy; nah—for us; tanuse—You manifest; bhuta-suksmam—the elements, gross and subtle; anugrahaya—for bestowing mercy; astu—let it be; api—also; yarhi—when; mayaya—through Your causeless mercy; lasat—splendid; tulasya—with a wreath of tulasi leaves; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vilaksitah—is perceived.

My dear Lord, although it is not Your desire, You manifest this creation of gross and subtle elements just for our sensual satisfaction. Let Your causeless mercy be upon us, for You have appeared before us in Your eternal form, adorned with a splendid wreath of tulasi leaves.

It is clearly stated here that the material world is not created by the personal will of the Supreme Lord; it is created by His external energy because the living entities want to enjoy it. This material world is not created for those who do not want to enjoy sense gratification, who constantly remain in transcendental loving service and who are eternally Krsna conscious. For them, the spiritual world is eternally existing, and they enjoy there. Elsewhere in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that for those who have taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this material world is useless; because this material world is full of danger at every step, it is not meant for the devotees but for living entities who want to lord it over the material energy at their own risk. Krsna is so kind that He allows the sense-enjoying living entities a separate world created by Him to enjoy as they like, yet at the same time He appears in His personal form. The Lord unwillingly creates this material world, but He descends in His personal form or sends one of His reliable sons or a servant or a reliable author like Vyasadeva to give instruction. He Himself also instructs in His speeches of Bhagavad-gita. This propaganda work goes on side by side with the creation to convince the misguided living entities who are rotting in this material world to come back to Him and surrender unto Him. Therefore the last instruction of Bhagavad-gita is this: “Give up all your manufactured engagements in the material world and just surrender unto Me. I shall protect you from all sinful reactions.”

SB3.21.21

TEXT 21

tam tvanubhutyoparata-kriyartham

sva-mayaya vartita-loka-tantram

namamy abhiksnam namaniya-pada-

sarojam alpiyasi kama-varsam

tam—that; tva—You; anubhutya—by realizing; uparata—disregarded; kriya—enjoyment of fruitive activities; artham—in order that; sva-mayaya—by Your own energy; vartita—brought about; loka-tantram—the material worlds; namami—I offer obeisances; abhiksnam—continuously; namaniya—worshipable; pada-sarojam—lotus feet; alpiyasi—on the insignificant; kama—desires; varsam—showering.

I continuously offer my respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet, of which it is worthy to take shelter, because You shower all benedictions on the insignificant. To give all living entities detachment from fruitive activity by realizing You, You have expanded these material worlds by Your own energy.

Everyone, therefore, whether he desires material enjoyment, liberation or the transcendental loving service of the Lord, should engage himself, offering obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, because the Lord can award everyone his desired benediction. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord affirms, ye yatha mam prapadyante: anyone who desires to be a successful enjoyer in this material world is awarded that benediction by the Lord, anyone who wants to be liberated from the entanglement of this material world is given liberation by the Lord, and anyone who desires to constantly engage in His service in full Krsna consciousness is awarded that benediction by the Lord. For material enjoyment He has prescribed so many ritualistic sacrificial performances in the Vedas, and thus people may take advantage of those instructions and enjoy material life in higher planets or in a noble aristocratic family. These processes are mentioned in the Vedas, and one can take advantage of them. It is similar with those who want to be liberated from this material world.

Unless one is disgusted with the enjoyment of this material world, he cannot aspire for liberation. Liberation is for one who is disgusted with material enjoyment. Vedanta-sutra says, therefore, athato brahma jijnasa: those who have given up the attempt to be happy in this material world can inquire about the Absolute Truth. For those who want to know the Absolute Truth, the Vedanta-sutra is available, as is Srimad-Bhagavatam, the actual explanation of Vedanta-sutra. Since Bhagavad-gita is also Vedanta-sutra, by understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vedanta-sutra or Bhagavad-gita one can obtain real knowledge. When one obtains real knowledge, he becomes theoretically one with the Supreme, and when he actually begins the service of Brahman, or Krsna consciousness, he is not only liberated but situated in his spiritual life. Similarly, for those who want to lord it over material nature, there are so many departments of material enjoyment; material knowledge and material science are available, and the Lord provides for persons who want to enjoy them. The conclusion is that one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead for any benediction. The word kama-varsam is very significant, for it indicates that He satisfies the desires of anyone who approaches Him. But one who sincerely loves Krsna and yet wants material enjoyment is in perplexity. Krsna, being very kind toward him, gives him an opportunity to engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and so he gradually forgets the hallucination.

SB3.21.22

TEXT 22

rsir uvaca

ity avyalikam pranuto ’bja-nabhas

tam ababhase vacasamrtena

suparna-paksopari rocamanah

prema-smitodviksana-vibhramad-bhruh

rsih uvaca—the great sage Maitreya said; iti—thus; avyalikam—sincerely; pranutah—having been praised; abja-nabhah—Lord Visnu; tam—to Kardama Muni; ababhase—replied; vacasa—with words; amrtena—as sweet as nectar; suparna—of Garuda; paksa—the shoulders; upari—upon; rocamanah—shining; prema—of affection; smita—with a smile; udviksana—looking; vibhramat—gracefully moving; bhruh—eyebrows.

Maitreya resumed: Sincerely extolled in these words, Lord Visnu, shining very beautifully on the shoulders of Garuda, replied with words as sweet as nectar. His eyebrows moved gracefully as He looked at the sage with a smile full of affection.

The word vacasamrtena is significant. Whenever the Lord speaks, He speaks from the transcendental world. He does not speak from the material world. Since He is transcendental, His speech is also transcendental, as is His activity; everything in relation to Him is transcendental. The word amrta refers to one who does not meet with death. The words and activities of the Lord are deathless; therefore they are not manufactured of this material world. The sound of this material world and that of the spiritual world are completely different. The sound of the spiritual world is nectarean and eternal, whereas the sound of the material world is hackneyed and subject to end. The sound of the holy name—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare—everlastingly increases the enthusiasm of the chanter. If one repeats monotonous material words, he will feel exhausted, but if he chants Hare Krsna twenty-four hours a day, he will never feel exhausted; rather, he will feel encouraged to continue chanting more and more. When the Lord replied to the sage Kardama, the word vacasamrtena is specifically mentioned, since He spoke from the transcendental world. He replied in transcendental words, and when He spoke His eyebrows moved with great affection. When a devotee praises the glories of the Lord, the Lord is very satisfied, and He bestows His transcendental benediction upon the devotee without reservation because He is always causelessly merciful toward His devotee.

SB3.21.23

TEXT 23

sri-bhagavan uvaca

viditva tava caityam me

puraiva samayoji tat

yad-artham atma-niyamais

tvayaivaham samarcitah

sri-bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Lord said; viditva—understanding; tava—your; caityam—mental condition; me—by Me; pura—previously; eva—certainly; samayoji—was arranged; tat—that; yat-artham—for the sake of which; atma—of the mind and senses; niyamaih—by discipline; tvaya—by you; eva—only; aham—I; samarcitah—have been worshiped.

The Supreme Lord said: Having come to know what was in your mind, I have already arranged for that for which you have worshiped Me well through your mental and sensory discipline.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Paramatma feature is situated in everyone’s heart. He knows, therefore, the past, present and future of every individual person as well as his desires, activities and everything about him. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that He is seated in the heart as a witness. The Personality of Godhead knew the heart’s desire of Kardama Muni, and He had already arranged for the fulfillment of his desires. He never disappoints a sincere devotee, regardless of what he wants, but He never allows anything which will be detrimental to the individual’s devotional service.

SB3.21.24

TEXT 24

na vai jatu mrsaiva syat

prajadhyaksa mad-arhanam

bhavad-vidhesv atitaram

mayi sangrbhitatmanam

na—not; vai—indeed; jatu—ever; mrsa—useless; eva—only; syat—it may be; praja—of the living entities; adhyaksa—O leader; mat-arhanam—worship of Me; bhavat-vidhesu—unto persons like you; atitaram—entirely; mayi—on Me; sangrbhita—are fixed; atmanam—of those whose minds.

The Lord continued: My dear rsi, O leader of the living entities, for those who serve Me in devotion by worshiping Me, especially persons like you who have given up everything unto Me, there is never any question of frustration.

Even if he has some desires, one engaged in the service of the Lord is never frustrated. Those engaged in His service are called sakama and akama. Those who approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead with desires for material enjoyment are called sakama, and those devotees who have no material desires for sense gratification but serve the Supreme Lord out of spontaneous love for Him are called akama. Sakama devotees are divided into four classes—those in distress, those in need of money, the inquisitive and the wise. Someone worships the Supreme Lord because of bodily or mental distress, someone else worships the Supreme Lord because he is in need of money, someone else worships the Lord out of inquisitiveness to know Him as He is, and someone wants to know the Lord as a philosopher can know Him, by the research work of his wisdom. There is no frustration for any of these four classes of men; each is endowed with the desired result of his worship.

SB3.21.25

TEXT 25

prajapati-sutah samran

manur vikhyata-mangalah

brahmavartam yo ’dhivasan

sasti saptarnavam mahim

prajapati-sutah—the son of Lord Brahma; samrat—the Emperor; manuh—Svayambhuva Manu; vikhyata—well known; mangalah—whose righteous acts; brahmavartam—Brahmavarta; yah—he who; adhivasan—living in; sasti—rules; sapta—seven; arnavam—oceans; mahim—the earth.

The Emperor Svayambhuva Manu, the son of Lord Brahma, who is well known for his righteous acts, has his seat in Brahmavarta and rules over the earth with its seven oceans.

Sometimes it is stated that Brahmavarta is a part of Kuruksetra or that Kuruksetra itself is situated in Brahmavarta, because the demigods are recommended to perform spiritual ritualistic performances in Kuruksetra. But in others’ opinion, Brahmavarta is a place in Brahmaloka, where Svayambhuva ruled. There are many places on the surface of this earth which are also known in the higher planetary systems; we have places on this planet like Vrndavana, Dvaraka and Mathura, but they are also eternally situated in Krsnaloka. There are many similar names on the surface of the earth, and it may be that in the Boar age Svayambhuva Manu ruled this planet, as stated here. The word mangalah is significant. Mangala means one who is elevated in every respect in the opulences of religious performances, ruling power, cleanliness and all other good qualities. Vikhyata means “celebrated.” Svayambhuva Manu was celebrated for all good qualities and opulences.

SB3.21.26

TEXT 26

sa ceha vipra rajarsir

mahisya satarupaya

ayasyati didrksus tvam

parasvo dharma-kovidah

sah—Svayambhuva Manu; ca—and; iha—here; vipra—O holy brahmana; raja-rsih—the saintly king; mahisya—along with his queen; satarupaya—called Satarupa; ayasyati—will come; didrksuh—desiring to see; tvam—you; parasvah—the day after tomorrow; dharma—in religious activities; kovidah—expert.

The day after tomorrow, O brahmana, that celebrated emperor, who is expert in religious activities, will come here with his queen, Satarupa, wishing to see you.

SB3.21.27

TEXT 27

atmajam asitapangim

vayah-sila-gunanvitam

mrgayantim patim dasyaty

anurupaya te prabho

SYNONYMS

atma-jam—his own daughter; asita—black; apangim—eyes; vayah—grown-up age; sila—with character; guna—with good qualities; anvitam—endowed; mrgayantim—searching for; patim—a husband; dasyati—he will give; anurupaya—who are suitable; te—unto you; prabho—My dear sir.

TRANSLATION

He has a grown-up daughter whose eyes are black. She is ready for marriage, and she has good character and all good qualities. She is also searching for a good husband. My dear sir, her parents will come to see you, who are exactly suitable for her, just to deliver their daughter as your wife.

PURPORT

The selection of a good husband for a good girl was always entrusted to the parents. Here it is clearly stated that Manu and his wife were coming to see Kardama Muni to offer their daughter because the daughter was well qualified and the parents were searching out a similarly qualified man. This is the duty of parents. Girls are never thrown into the public street to search out their husband, for when girls are grown up and are searching after a boy, they forget to consider whether the boy they select is actually suitable for them. Out of the urge of sex desire, a girl may accept anyone, but if the husband is chosen by the parents, they can consider who is to be selected and who is not. According to the Vedic system, therefore, the girl is given over to a suitable boy by the parents; she is never allowed to select her own husband independently.

SB3.21.28

TEXT 28

samahitam te hrdayam

yatreman parivatsaran

sa tvam brahman nrpa-vadhuh

kamam asu bhajisyati

samahitam—has been fixed; te—your; hrdayam—heart; yatra—on whom; iman—for all these; parivatsaran—years; sa—she; tvam—you; brahman—O brahmana; nrpa-vadhuh—the princess; kamam—as you desire; asu—very soon; bhajisyati—will serve.

That princess, O holy sage, will be just the type you have been thinking of in your heart for all these long years. She will soon be yours and will serve you to your heart’s content.

The Lord awards all benedictions according to the heart’s desire of a devotee, so the Lord informed Kardama Muni, “The girl who is coming to be married with you is a princess, the daughter of Emperor Svayambhuva, and so just suitable for your purpose.” Only by God’s grace can one get a nice wife just as he desires. Similarly, it is only by God’s grace that a girl gets a husband suitable to her heart. Thus it is said that if we pray to the Supreme Lord in every transaction of our material existence, everything will be done very nicely and just suitable to our heart’s desire. In other words, in all circumstances we must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and depend completely on His decision. Man proposes, God disposes. The fulfillment of desires, therefore, should be entrusted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; that is the nicest solution. Kardama Muni desired only a wife, but because he was a devotee of the Lord, the Lord selected a wife for him who was the Emperor’s daughter, a princess. Thus Kardama Muni got a wife beyond his expectation. If we depend on the choice of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we will receive benedictions in greater opulence than we desire.

It is also significantly noted here that Kardama Muni was a brahmana, whereas Emperor Svayambhuva was a ksatriya. Therefore, intercaste marriage was current even in those days. The system was that a brahmana could marry the daughter of a ksatriya, but a ksatriya could not marry the daughter of a brahmana. We have evidences from the history of the Vedic age that Sukracarya offered his daughter to Maharaja Yayati, but the King had to refuse to marry the daughter of a brahmana; only with the special permission of the brahmana could they marry. Intercaste marriage, therefore, was not prohibited in the olden days, many millions of years ago, but there was a regular system of social behavior.

SB3.21.29

TEXT 29

ya ta atma-bhrtam viryam

navadha prasavisyati

virye tvadiye rsaya

adhasyanty anjasatmanah

ya—she; te—by you; atma-bhrtam—sown in her; viryam—the seed; nava-dha—nine daughters; prasavisyati—will bring forth; virye tvadiye—in the daughters begotten by you; rsayah—the sages; adhasyanti—will beget; anjasa—in total; atmanah—children.