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

Chapter Twenty-five

SB3.25.37

TEXT 37

atho vibhutim mama mayavinas tam

aisvaryam astangam anupravrttam

sriyam bhagavatim vasprhayanti bhadram

parasya me te ’snuvate tu loke

SYNONYMS

atho—then; vibhutim—opulence; mama—of Me; mayavinah—of the Lord of maya; tam—that; aisvaryam—mystic perfection; asta-angam—consisting of eight parts; anupravrttam—following; sriyam—splendor; bhagavatim—of the kingdom of God; va—or; asprhayanti—they do not desire; bhadram—blissful; parasya—of the Supreme Lord; me—of Me; te—those devotees; asnuvate—enjoy; tu—but; loke—in this life.

TRANSLATION

Thus because he is completely absorbed in thought of Me, the devotee does not desire even the highest benediction obtainable in the upper planetary systems, including Satyaloka. He does not desire the eight material perfections obtained from mystic yoga, nor does he desire to be elevated to the kingdom of God. Yet even without desiring them, the devotee enjoys, even in this life, all the offered benedictions.

PURPORT

The vibhuti, or opulences, offered by maya are of many varieties. We have experience of different varieties of material enjoyment even on this planet, but if one is able to promote himself to higher planets like Candraloka, the sun or, still higher, Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka, or even ultimately the highest planet, which is inhabited by Brahma and is called Satyaloka, there are immense possibilities for material enjoyment. For example, the duration of life on higher planets is far, far greater than on this planet. It is said that on the moon the duration of life is such that our six months are equal to one day. We cannot even imagine the duration of life on the highest planet. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that Brahma’s twelve hours are inconceivable even to our mathematicians. These are all descriptions of the external energy of the Lord, or maya. Besides these, there are other opulences which the yogis can achieve by their mystic power. They are also material. A devotee does not aspire for all these material pleasures, although they are available to him simply by wishing. By the grace of the Lord, a devotee can achieve wonderful success simply by willing, but a real devotee does not like that. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taught that one should not desire material opulence or material reputation, nor should one try to enjoy material beauty; one should simply aspire to be absorbed in the devotional service of the Lord, even if one does not get liberation but has to continue the process of birth and death unlimitedly. Actually, however, to one who engages in Krsna consciousness, liberation is already guaranteed. Devotees enjoy all the benefits of the higher planets and the Vaikuntha planets also. It is especially mentioned here, bhagavatim bhadram. In the Vaikuntha planets everything is eternally peaceful, yet a pure devotee does not even aspire to be promoted there. But still he gets that advantage; he enjoys all the facilities of the material and spiritual worlds, even during the present life-span.

SB3.25.38

TEXT 38

na karhicin mat-parah santa-rupe

nanksyanti no me ’nimiso ledhi hetih

yesam aham priya atma sutas ca

sakha guruh suhrdo daivam istam

SYNONYMS

na—not; karhicit—ever; mat-parah—My devotees; santa-rupe—O mother; nanksyanti—will lose; no—not; me—My; animisah—time; ledhi—destroys; hetih—weapon; yesam—of whom; aham—I; priyah—dear; atma—self; sutah—son; ca—and; sakha—friend; guruh—preceptor; suhrdah—benefactor; daivam—Deity; istam—chosen.

TRANSLATION

The Lord continued: My dear mother, devotees who receive such transcendental opulences are never bereft of them; neither weapons nor the change of time can destroy such opulences. Because the devotees accept Me as their friend, their relative, their son, preceptor, benefactor and Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived of their possessions at any time.

PURPORT

It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that one may elevate himself to the higher planetary systems, even up to Brahmaloka, by dint of pious activities, but when the effects of such pious activities are finished, one again comes back to this earth to begin a new life of activities. Thus even though one is promoted to the higher planetary system for enjoyment and a long duration of life, still that is not a permanent settlement. But as far as the devotees are concerned, their assets—the achievement of devotional service and the consequent opulence of Vaikuntha, even on this planet—are never destroyed. In this verse Kapiladeva addresses His mother as santa-rupa, indicating that the opulences of devotees are fixed because devotees are eternally fixed in the Vaikuntha atmosphere, which is called santa-rupa because it is in the mode of pure goodness, undisturbed by the modes of passion and ignorance. Once one is fixed in the devotional service of the Lord, his position of transcendental service cannot be destroyed, and the pleasure and service simply increase unlimitedly. For the devotees engaged in Krsna consciousness, in the Vaikuntha atmosphere, there is no influence of time. In the material world the influence of time destroys everything, but in the Vaikuntha atmosphere there is no influence of time or of the demigods because there are no demigods in the Vaikuntha planets. Here our activities are controlled by different demigods; even if we move our hand and leg, the action is controlled by the demigods. But in the Vaikuntha atmosphere there is no influence of the demigods or of time; therefore there is no question of destruction. When the time element is present, there is the certainty of destruction, but when there is no time element—past, present or future—then everything is eternal. Therefore this verse uses the words na nanksyanti, indicating that the transcendental opulences will never be destroyed.

The reason for freedom from destruction is also described. The devotees accept the Supreme Lord as the most dear personality and reciprocate with Him in different relationships. They accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the dearmost friend, the dearmost relative, the dearmost son, the dearmost preceptor, the dearmost well-wisher or the dearmost Deity. The Lord is eternal; therefore any relationship in which we accept Him is also eternal. It is clearly confirmed herein that the relationships cannot be destroyed, and therefore the opulences of those relationships are never destroyed. Every living entity has the propensity to love someone. We can see that if someone has no object of love, he generally directs his love to a pet animal like a cat or a dog. Thus the eternal propensity for love in all living entities is always searching for a place to reside. From this verse we can learn that we can love the Supreme Personality of Godhead as our dearmost object—as a friend, as a son, as a preceptor or as a well-wisher—and there will be no cheating and no end to such love. We shall eternally enjoy the relationship with the Supreme Lord in different aspects. A special feature of this verse is the acceptance of the Supreme Lord as the supreme preceptor. Bhagavad-gita was spoken directly by the Supreme Lord, and Arjuna accepted Krsna as guru, or spiritual master. Similarly, we should accept only Krsna as the supreme spiritual master.

Krsna, of course, means Krsna and His confidential devotees; Krsna is not alone. When we speak of Krsna, “Krsna” means Krsna in His name, in His form, in His qualities, in His abode and in His associates. Krsna is never alone, for the devotees of Krsna are not impersonalists. For example, a king is always associated with his secretary, his commander, his servant and so much paraphernalia. As soon as we accept Krsna and His associates as our preceptors, no ill effects can destroy our knowledge. In the material world the knowledge which we acquire may change because of the influence of time, but nevertheless the conclusions received from Bhagavad-gita, directly from the speeches of the Supreme Lord, Krsna, can never change. There is no use interpreting Bhagavad-gita; it is eternal.

Krsna, the Supreme Lord, should be accepted as one’s best friend. He will never cheat. He will always give His friendly advice and friendly protection to the devotee. If Krsna is accepted as a son, He will never die. Here we have a very loving son or child, but the father and mother, or those who are affectionate towards him, always hope, “May my son not die.” But Krsna actually never will die. Therefore those who accept Krsna, or the Supreme Lord, as their son will never be bereft of their son. In many instances devotees have accepted the Deity as a son. In Bengal there are many such instances, and even after the death of the devotee, the Deity performs the sraddha ceremony for the father. The relationship is never destroyed. People are accustomed to worship different forms of demigods, but in Bhagavad-gita such a mentality is condemned; therefore one should be intelligent enough to worship only the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His different forms such as Laksmi-Narayana, Sita-Rama and Radha-Krsna. Thus one will never be cheated. By worshiping the demigods one may elevate himself to the higher planets, but during the dissolution of the material world, the deity and the abode of the deity will be destroyed. But one who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead is promoted to the Vaikuntha planets, where there is no influence of time, destruction or annihilation. The conclusion is that the time influence cannot act upon devotees who have accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead as everything.

SB3.25.39-40

TEXTS 39–40

imam lokam tathaivamum

atmanam ubhayayinam

atmanam anu ye ceha

ye rayah pasavo grhah

visrjya sarvan anyams ca

mam evam visvato-mukham

bhajanty ananyaya bhaktya

tan mrtyor atiparaye

SYNONYMS

imam—this; lokam—world; tatha—accordingly; eva—certainly; amum—that world; atmanam—the subtle body; ubhaya—in both; ayinam—traveling; atmanam—the body; anu—in relationship with; ye—those who; ca—also; iha—in this world; ye—that which; rayah—wealth; pasavah—cattle; grhah—houses; visrjya—having given up; sarvan—all; anyan—other; ca—and; mam—Me; evam—thus; visvatah-mukham—the all-pervading Lord of the universe; bhajanti—they worship; ananyaya—unflinching; bhaktya—by devotional service; tan—them; mrtyoh—of death; atiparaye—I take to the other side.

TRANSLATION

Thus the devotee who worships Me, the all-pervading Lord of the universe, in unflinching devotional service, gives up all aspirations to be promoted to heavenly planets or to become happy in this world with wealth, children, cattle, home or anything in relationship with the body. I take him to the other side of birth and death.

PURPORT

Unflinching devotional service, as described in these two verses, means engaging oneself in full Krsna consciousness, or devotional service, accepting the Supreme Lord as all in all. Since the Supreme Lord is all-inclusive, if anyone worships Him with unflinching faith, he has automatically achieved all other opulences and performed all other duties. The Lord promises herein that He takes His devotee to the other side of birth and death. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended that one who aspires to go beyond birth and death should have no material possessions. This means that one should not try to be happy in this world or to be promoted to the heavenly world, nor should he try for material wealth, children, houses or cattle.

How liberation is imperceptibly achieved by a pure devotee and what the symptoms are have been explained. For the conditioned soul there are two statuses of living. One status is in this present life, and the other is our preparation for the next life. If I am in the mode of goodness then I may be preparing for promotion to the higher planets, if I am in the mode of passion then I shall remain here in a society where activity is very prominent, and if I am in the mode of ignorance I may be degraded to animal life or a lower grade of human life. But for a devotee there is no concern for this life or the next life because in any life he does not desire elevation in material prosperity or a high-grade or low-grade life. He prays to the Lord, “My dear Lord, it does not matter where I am born, but let me be born, even as an ant, in the house of a devotee.” A pure devotee does not pray to the Lord for liberation from this material bondage. Actually, the pure devotee never thinks that he is fit for liberation. Considering his past life and his mischievous activities, he thinks that he is fit to be sent to the lowest region of hell. If in this life I am trying to become a devotee, this does not mean that in my many past lives I was one-hundred-percent pious. That is not possible. A devotee, therefore, is always conscious of his real position. Only by his full surrender to the Lord, by the Lord’s grace, are his sufferings made shorter. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, “Surrender unto Me, and I will give you protection from all kinds of sinful reaction.” That is His mercy. But this does not mean that one who has surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord has committed no misdeeds in his past life. A devotee always prays, “For my misdeeds, may I be born again and again, but my only prayer is that I may not forget Your service.” The devotee has that much mental strength, and he prays to the Lord: “May I be born again and again, but let me be born in the home of Your pure devotee so that I may again get a chance to develop myself.”

A pure devotee is not anxious to elevate himself in his next birth. He has already given up that sort of hope. In any life in which one is born, as a householder, or even as an animal, one must have some children, some resources or some possessions, but a devotee is not anxious to possess anything. He is satisfied with whatever is obtainable by God’s grace. He is not at all attached to improving his social status or improving the status of education of his children. He is not neglectful—he is dutiful—but he does not spend too much time on the upliftment of temporary household or social life. He fully engages in the service of the Lord, and for other affairs he simply spares as much time as absolutely necessary (yatharham upayunjatah). Such a pure devotee does not care for what is going to happen in the next life or in this life; he does not care even for family, children or society. He fully engages in the service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that without the knowledge of the devotee, the Lord arranges for His devotee to be immediately transferred to His transcendental abode just after leaving his body. After quitting his body he does not go into the womb of another mother. The ordinary common living entity, after death, is transferred to the womb of another mother, according to his karma, or activities, to take another type of body. But as far as the devotee is concerned, he is at once transferred to the spiritual world in the association of the Lord. That is the Lord’s special mercy. How it is possible is explained in the following verses. Because He is all-powerful, the Lord can do anything and everything. He can excuse all sinful reactions. He can immediately transfer a person to Vaikunthaloka. That is the inconceivable power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is favorably disposed to the pure devotees.

SB3.25.41

TEXT 41

nanyatra mad bhagavatah

pradhana-purusesvarat

atmanah sarva-bhutanam

bhayam tivram nivartate

SYNONYMS

na—not; anyatra—otherwise; mat—than Myself; bhagavatah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; pradhana-purusa-isvarat—the Lord of both prakrti and purusa; atmanah—the soul; sarva-bhutanam—of all living beings; bhayam—fear; tivram—terrible; nivartate—is forsaken.

TRANSLATION

The terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken by anyone who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for I am the almighty Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of all creation, and also the Supreme Soul of all souls.

PURPORT

It is indicated herein that the cycle of birth and death cannot be stopped unless one is a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord. It is said, harim vina na srtim taranti. One cannot surpass the cycle of birth and death unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The same concept is confirmed herewith: one may take to the system of understanding the Absolute Truth by one’s own imperfect sensory speculation, or one may try to realize the self by the mystic yoga process; but whatever one may do, unless he comes to the point of surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no process can give him liberation. One may ask if this means that those who are undergoing so much penance and austerity by strictly following the rules and regulations are endeavoring in vain. The answer is given by Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32): ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninah. Lord Brahma and other demigods prayed to the Lord when Krsna was in the womb of Devaki: “My dear lotus-eyed Lord, there are persons who are puffed up with the thought that they have become liberated or one with God or have become God, but in spite of thinking in such a puffed-up way, their intelligence is not laudable. They are less intelligent.” It is stated that their intelligence, whether high or low, is not even purified. In purified intelligence a living entity cannot think otherwise than to surrender. Bhagavad-gita, therefore, confirms that purified intelligence arises in the person of a very wise man. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. After many, many births, one who is actually advanced in intelligence surrenders unto the Supreme Lord.

Without the surrendering process, one cannot achieve liberation. The Bhagavatam says, “Those who are simply puffed up, thinking themselves liberated by some nondevotional process, are not polished or clear in intelligence, for they have not yet surrendered unto You. In spite of executing all kinds of austerities and penances or even arriving at the brink of spiritual realization in Brahman realization, they think that they are in the effulgence of Brahman, but actually, because they have no transcendental activities, they fall down to material activities.” One should not be satisfied simply with knowing that one is Brahman. He must engage himself in the service of the Supreme Brahman; that is bhakti. The engagement of Brahman should be the service of Parabrahman. It is said that unless one becomes Brahman one cannot serve Brahman. The Supreme Brahman is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the living entity is also Brahman. Without realization that he is Brahman, spirit soul, an eternal servitor of the Lord, if one simply thinks that he is Brahman, his realization is only theoretical. He has to realize and at the same time engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord; then he can exist in the Brahman status. Otherwise he falls down.

The Bhagavatam says that because nondevotees neglect the transcendental loving service of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, their intelligence is not sufficient, and therefore these persons fall down. The living entity must have some activity. If he does not engage in the activity of transcendental service, he must fall down to material activity. As soon as one falls down to material activity, there is no rescue from the cycle of birth and death. It is stated here by Lord Kapila, “Without My mercy” (nanyatra mad bhagavatah). The Lord is stated here to be Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, indicating that He is full of all opulences and is therefore perfectly competent to deliver one from the cycle of birth and death. He is also called pradhana because He is the Supreme. He is equal to everyone, but to one who surrenders to Him He is especially favorable. It is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita that the Lord is equal to everyone; no one is His enemy and no one is His friend. But to one who surrenders unto Him, He is especially inclined. By the grace of the Lord, simply by surrendering unto Him one can get out of this cycle of birth and death. Otherwise, one may go on in many, many lives and may many times attempt other processes for liberation.

SB3.25.42

TEXT 42

mad-bhayad vati vato ’yam

suryas tapati mad-bhayat

varsatindro dahaty agnir

mrtyus carati mad-bhayat

SYNONYMS

mat-bhayat—out of fear of Me; vati—blows; vatah—wind; ayam—this; suryah—the sun; tapati—shines; mat-bhayat—out of fear of Me; varsati—showers rain; indrah—Indra; dahati—burns; agnih—fire; mrtyuh—death; carati—goes; mat-bhayat—out of fear of Me.

TRANSLATION

It is because of My supremacy that the wind blows, out of fear of Me; the sun shines out of fear of Me, and the lord of the clouds, Indra, sends forth showers out of fear of Me. Fire burns out of fear of Me, and death goes about taking its toll out of fear of Me.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, says in Bhagavad-gita that the natural laws being enacted are correct in all activities because of His superintendence. No one should think that nature is working automatically, without superintendence. The Vedic literature says that the clouds are controlled by the demigod Indra, heat is distributed by the sun-god, the soothing moonlight is distributed by Candra, and the air is blowing under the arrangement of the demigod Vayu. But above all these demigods, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the chief living entity. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. The demigods are also ordinary living entities, but due to their faithfulness—their devotional service attitude—they have been promoted to such posts. These different demigods, or directors, such as Candra, Varuna and Vayu, are called adhikari-devata. The demigods are departmental heads. The government of the Supreme Lord consists not only of one planet or two or three; there are millions of planets and millions of universes. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has a huge government, and He requires assistants. The demigods are considered His bodily limbs. These are the descriptions of Vedic literature. Under these circumstances, the sun-god, the moon-god, the fire-god and the air-god are working under the direction of the Supreme Lord. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. The natural laws are being conducted under His superintendence. Because He is in the background, everything is being performed punctually and regularly.

One who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely protected from all other influences. He no longer serves or is obliged to anyone else. Of course he is not disobedient to anyone, but his full power of thought is absorbed in the service of the Lord. The statements by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kapila that under His direction the air is blowing, the fire is burning and the sun is giving heat are not sentimental. The impersonalist may say that the Bhagavatam devotees create and imagine someone as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and assign qualifications to Him; but actually it is neither imagination nor an imposition of artificial power in the name of Godhead. In the Vedas it is said, bhisasmad vatah pavate/ bhisodeti suryah: “By fear of the Supreme Lord the wind-god and the sun-god are acting.” Bhisasmad agnis candras ca/ mrtyur dhavati pancamah: “Agni, Indra and Mrtyu are also acting under His direction.” These are the statements of the Vedas.

SB3.25.43

TEXT 43

jnana-vairagya-yuktena

bhakti-yogena yoginah

ksemaya pada-mulam me

pravisanty akuto-bhayam

SYNONYMS

jnana—with knowledge; vairagya—and renunciation; yuktena—equipped; bhakti-yogena—by devotional service; yoginah—the yogis; ksemaya—for eternal benefit; pada-mulam—feet; me—My; pravisanti—take shelter of; akutah-bhayam—without fear.

TRANSLATION

The yogis, equipped with transcendental knowledge and renunciation and engaged in devotional service for their eternal benefit, take shelter of My lotus feet, and since I am the Lord, they are thus eligible to enter into the kingdom of Godhead without fear.

PURPORT

One who actually wants to be liberated from the entanglement of this material world and go back home, back to Godhead, is actually a mystic yogi. The words explicitly used here are yuktena bhakti-yogena. Those yogis, or mystics, who engage in devotional service are the first-class yogis. The first-class yogis, as described in Bhagavad-gita, are those who are constantly thinking of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. These yogis are not without knowledge and renunciation. To become a bhakti-yogi means to automatically attain knowledge and renunciation. That is the consequent result of bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter, it is also confirmed that one who engages in the devotional service of Vasudeva, Krsna, has complete transcendental knowledge and renunciation, and there is no explanation for these attainments. Ahaituki—without reason, they come. Even if a person is completely illiterate, the transcendental knowledge of the scriptures is revealed unto him simply because of his engagement in devotional service. That is also stated in the Vedic literature. To anyone who has full faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the spiritual master, all the import of the Vedic literatures is revealed. He does not have to seek separately; the yogis who engage in devotional service are full in knowledge and renunciation. If there is a lack of knowledge and renunciation, it is to be understood that one is not in full devotional service. The conclusion is that one cannot be sure of entrance into the spiritual realm—in either the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence of the Lord or the Vaikuntha planets within that Brahman effulgence—unless he is surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. The surrendered souls are called akuto-bhaya. They are doubtless and fearless, and their entrance into the spiritual kingdom is guaranteed.

SB3.25.44

TEXT 44

etavan eva loke ’smin

pumsam nihsreyasodayah

tivrena bhakti-yogena

mano mayy arpitam sthiram

SYNONYMS

etavan eva—only so far; loke asmin—in this world; pumsam—of men; nihsreyasa—final perfection of life; udayah—the attainment of; tivrena—intense; bhakti-yogena—by practice of devotional service; manah—mind; mayi—in Me; arpitam—fixed; sthiram—steady.

TRANSLATION

Therefore persons whose minds are fixed on the Lord engage in the intensive practice of devotional service. That is the only means for attainment of the final perfection of life.

PURPORT

Here the words mano mayy arpitam, which mean “the mind being fixed on Me,” are significant. One should fix his mind on the lotus feet of Krsna or His incarnation. To be fixed steadily in that freedom is the way of liberation. Ambarisa Maharaja is an example. He fixed his mind on the lotus feet of the Lord, he spoke only on the pastimes of the Lord, he smelled only the flowers and tulasi offered to the Lord, he walked only to the temple of the Lord, he engaged his hands in cleansing the temple, he engaged his tongue in tasting the foodstuff offered to the Lord, and he engaged his ears for hearing the great pastimes of the Lord. In that way all his senses were engaged. First of all, the mind should be engaged at the lotus feet of the Lord, very steadily and naturally. Because the mind is the master of the senses, when the mind is engaged, all the senses become engaged. That is bhakti-yoga. Yoga means controlling the senses. The senses cannot be controlled in the proper sense of the term; they are always agitated. This is true also with a child—how long can he be forced to sit down silently? It is not possible. Even Arjuna said, cancalam hi manah krsna: “The mind is always agitated.” The best course is to fix the mind on the lotus feet of the Lord. Mano mayy arpitam sthiram. If one seriously engages in Krsna consciousness, that is the highest perfectional stage. All Krsna conscious activities are on the highest perfectional level of human life.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Twenty-fifth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Glories of Devotional Service.”

Next chapter (SB 3.26)