Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Eleven
SB4.11.18
TEXT 18
sa khalv idam bhagavan kala-saktya
guna-pravahena vibhakta-viryah
karoty akartaiva nihanty ahanta
cesta vibhumnah khalu durvibhavya
SYNONYMS
sah—the; khalu—however; idam—this (universe); bhagavan—the personality of Godhead; kala—of time; saktya—by the force; guna-pravahena—by the interaction of the modes of nature; vibhakta—divided; viryah—(whose) potencies; karoti—acts upon; akarta—the nondoer; eva—although; nihanti—kills; ahanta—nonkiller; cesta—the energy; vibhumnah—of the Lord; khalu—certainly; durvibhavya—inconceivable.
TRANSLATION
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable supreme energy, time, causes the interaction of the three modes of material nature, and thus varieties of energy become manifest. It appears that He is acting, but He is not the actor. He is killing, but He is not the killer. Thus it is understood that only by His inconceivable power is everything happening.
PURPORT
The word durvibhavya means “inconceivable by our tiny brain,” and vibhakta-viryah means “divided in varieties of potencies.” This is the right explanation of the display of creative energies in the material world. We can better understand the mercy of God by an example: a government state is always supposed to be merciful, but sometimes, in order to keep law and order, the government employs its police force, and thus punishment is meted out to the rebellious citizens. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always merciful and full of transcendental qualities, but certain individual souls have forgotten their relationship with Krsna and have endeavored to lord it over material nature. As a result of their endeavor, they are involved in varieties of material interaction. It is incorrect to argue, however, that because energy issues from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the actor. In the previous verse, the word nimitta-matram indicates that the Supreme Lord is completely aloof from the action and reaction of this material world. How is everything being done? The word “inconceivable” has been used. It is not within the power of one’s small brain to comprehend; unless one accepts the inconceivable power and energy of the Lord, one cannot make any progress. The forces which act are certainly set up by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is always aloof from their action and reaction. The varieties of energies produced by the interaction of material nature produce the varieties of species of life and their resultant happiness and unhappiness.
How the Lord acts is nicely explained in the Visnu Purana: fire is situated in one place, while the heat and light produced by the fire act in many different ways. Another example given is that the electric powerhouse is situated in one place, but by its energies many different types of machinery move. The production is never identical with the original source of the energy, but the original source of energy, being the prime factor, is simultaneously one with and different from the product. Therefore, Lord Caitanya’s philosophy, acintya-bhedabheda-tattva, is the perfect way of understanding. ln this material world, the Lord incarnates in three forms—as Brahma, Visnu and Siva—by which He takes charge of the three modes of material nature. By His incarnation of Brahma He creates, as the incarnation of Visnu He maintains, and by. His incarnation of Siva, He also annihilates. But the original source of Brahma, Visnu and Siva—Garbhodakasayi Visnu—is always apart from these actions and reactions of material nature. SB4.11.19 TEXT 19 so ’nanto ’nta-karah kalo ’nadir adi-krd avyayah janam janena janayan marayan mrtyunantakam SYNONYMS sah—He; anantah—infinite; anta-karah—annihilator; kalah—time; anadih—without beginning; adi-krt—beginning of everything; avyayah—without decrease; janam—living entities; janena—by living entities; janayan—causing to be born; marayan—killing; mrtyuna—by death; antakam—killers. TRANSLATION My dear Dhruva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is ever existing, but in the form of time, He is the killer of everything. He has no beginning, although He is the beginning of everything, nor is He ever exhaustible, although everything is exhausted in due course of time. The living entities are created through the agency of the father and killed through the agency of death, but He is perpetually free of birth and death. PURPORT The supreme authority and inconceivable power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be minutely studied from this verse. He is always unlimited. That means that He has no creation or end. He is, however, death (in the form of time), as described in Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says, “I am death. I take away everything at the end of life.” Eternal time is also without beginning, but it is the creator of all creatures. The example is given of touchstone, which creates many valuable stones and jewels but does not decrease in power. Similarly, creation occurs many times, everything is maintained, and, after a time, everything is annihilated—but the original creator, the Supreme Lord, remains untouched and undiminished in power. The secondary creation is made by Brahma, but Brahma is created by the Supreme Godhead. Lord Siva annihilates the whole creation, but at the end he is also annihilated by Visnu. Lord Visnu remains. In the Vedic hymns it is stated that in the beginning there is only Visnu and that He alone remains at the end. An example can help us to understand the inconceivable potency of the Supreme Lord. In the recent history of warfare the Supreme Personality of Godhead created a Hitler and, before that, a Napoleon Bonaparte, and they each killed many living entities in war. But in the end Bonaparte and Hitler were also killed. People are still very much interested in writing and reading books about Hitler and Bonaparte and how they killed so many people in war. Year after year many books are published for public reading regarding Hitler’s killing thousands of Jews in confinement. But no one is researching who killed Hitler and who created such a gigantic killer of human beings. The devotees of the Lord are not much interested in the study of the flickering history of the world. They are interested only in Him who is the original creator, maintainer and annihilator. That is the purpose of the Krsna consciousness movement. SB4.11.20 TEXT 20 na vai sva-pakso ’sya vipaksa eva va parasya mrtyor visatah samam prajah tam dhavamanam anudhavanty anisa yatha rajamsy anilam bhuta-sanghah SYNONYMS na—not; vai—however; sva-paksah—ally; asya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vipaksah—enemy; eva—certainly; va—or; parasya—of the Supreme; mrtyoh—in the form of time; visatah—entering; samam—equally; prajah—living entities; tam—Him; dhavamanam—moving; anudhavanti—follow behind; anisah—dependent living entities; yatha—as; rajamsi—particles of dust; anilam—the wind; bhuta-sanghah—other material elements. TRANSLATION The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His feature of eternal time, is present in the material world and is neutral towards everyone. No one is His ally, and no one is His enemy. Within the jurisdiction of the time element, everyone enjoys or suffers the result of his own karma, or fruitive activities. As, when the wind blows, small particles of dust fly in the air, so, according to one’s particular karma, one suffers or enjoys material life. PURPORT Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of all causes, He is not responsible for anyone’s material sufferings or enjoyment. There is no such partiality on the part of the Supreme Lord. The less intelligent accuse the Supreme Lord of being partial and claim that this is why one enjoys in this material world and another suffers. But this verse specifically says that there is no such partiality on the part of the Supreme Lord. Living entities, however, are never independent. As soon as they declare their independence of the supreme controller, they are immediately put into this material world to try their luck freely, as far as possible. When the material world is created for such misguided living entities, they create their own karma, fruitive activities, and take advantage of the time element, and thereby they create their own fortune or misfortune. Everyone is created, everyone is maintained, and everyone is ultimately killed. As far as these three things are concerned, the Lord is equal to everyone; it is according to one’s karma that one suffers and enjoys. The living entity’s higher or lower position, his suffering and enjoying, are due to his own karma. The exact word used in this connection is anisah, which means “dependent on their own karma.” The example is given that the government gives everyone the facilities for governmental action and management, but by one’s own choice one creates a situation which obliges him to exist under different types of consciousness. The example given in this verse is that when the wind blows, particles of dust float in the air. Gradually lightning occurs, and then torrents of rain follow, and thus the rainy season creates a situation of varieties in the forest. God is very kind—He gives everyone an equal chance—but by the resultant actions of one’s own karma one suffers or enjoys this material world. SB4.11.21 TEXT 21 ayuso ’pacayam jantos tathaivopacayam vibhuh ubhabhyam rahitah sva-stho duhsthasya vidadhaty asau SYNONYMS ayusah—of duration of life; apacayam—diminution; jantoh—of the living entities; tatha—similarly; eva—also; upacayam—increase; vibhuh—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ubhabhyam—from both of them; rahitah—free; sva-sthah—always situated in His transcendental position; duhsthasya—of the living entities under the laws of karma; vidadhati—awards; asau—He. TRANSLATION The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is all-powerful, and He awards the results of one’s fruitive activities. Thus, although one living entity’s duration of life is very small whereas that of another is very great, He is always in His transcendental position, and there is no question of lessening or increasing His duration of life. PURPORT Both the mosquito and Lord Brahma are living entities in the material world; both are minute sparks and are part of the Supreme Lord. The very short duration of the life of the mosquito and the very long lifetime of Lord Brahma are both awarded by the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the results of their karma. But in the Brahma-samhita we find it said, karmani nirdahati: the Lord diminishes or vanquishes the reactions of devotees. The same fact is explained in Bhagavad-gita Yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra: one should perform karma only for the purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord, otherwise one is bound by the action and reaction of karma. Under the laws of karma a living entity wanders within the universe under the rule of eternal time, and sometimes he becomes a mosquito and sometimes Lord Brahma. To a sane man this business is not very fruitful. Bhagavad-gita (9.25) gives a warning to the living entities: yanti deva-vrata devan—those who are addicted to the worship of the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, and those who are addicted to worship of the Pitas, forefathers, go to the Pitas. Those who are inclined to material activities remain in the material sphere. But persons who engage in devotional service reach the abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, where there is neither birth nor death nor different varieties of life under the influence of the law of karma. The best interest of the living entity is to engage himself in devotional service and go back home, back to Godhead. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura advised: “My friend, you are being washed away in material nature’s waves of time. Please try to understand that you are the eternal servant of the Lord. Then everything will stop, and you will be eternally happy.” SB4.11.22 TEXT 22 kecit karma vadanty enam svabhavam apare nrpa eke kalam pare daivam pumsah kamam utapare SYNONYMS kecit—some; karma—fruitive activities; vadanti—explain; enam—that; svabhavam—nature; apare—others; nrpa—my dear King Dhruva; eke—some; kalam—time; pare—others; daivam—fate; pumsah—of the living entity; kamam—desire; uta—also; apare—others. TRANSLATION The differentiation among varieties of life and their suffering and enjoyment is explained by some to be the result of karma. Others say it is due to nature, others due to time, others due to fate, and still others say that it is due to desire. PURPORT There are different types of philosophers—mimamsakas, atheists, astronomers, sexualists and so many other classifications of mental speculators. The real conclusion is that it is our work only that binds us within this material world in different varieties of life. How these varieties have sprung up is explained in the Vedas: it is due to the desire of the living entity. The living entity is not a dead stone; he has different varieties of desire, or kama. The Vedas say, kamo’karsit. The living entities are originally parts of the Lord, like sparks of a fire, but they have dropped to this material world, attracted by a desire to lord it over nature. That is a fact. Every living entity is trying to lord it over the material resources to the best of his ability. This kama, or desire, cannot be annihilated. There are some philosophers who say that if one gives up his desires, he again becomes liberated. But it is not at all possible to give up desire, for desire is a symptom of the living entity. If there were no desire, then the living entity would be a dead stone. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, therefore, advises that one turn his desire towards serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then desire becomes purified. And when one’s desires are purified, one becomes liberated from all material contamination. The conclusion is that the different philosophers’ theories to explain the varieties of life and their pleasure and pain are all imperfect. The real explanation is that we are eternal servants of God and that as soon as we forget this relationship we are thrown into the material world, where we create our different activities and suffer or enjoy the result. We are drawn into this material world by desire, but the same desire must be purified and employed in the devotional service of the Lord. Then our disease of wandering in the universe under different forms and conditions will end. SB4.11.23 TEXT 23 avyaktasyaprameyasya nana-sakty-udayasya ca na vai cikirsitam tata ko vedatha sva-sambhavam SYNONYMS avyaktasya—of the unmanifested; aprameyasya—of the Transcendence; nana—various; sakti—energies; udayasya—of Him who gives rise to; ca—also; na—never; vai—certainly; cikirsitam—the plan; tata—my dear boy; kah—who; veda—can know; atha—therefore; sva—own; sambhavam—origin. TRANSLATION The Absolute Truth, Transcendence, is never subject to the understanding of imperfect sensory endeavor, nor is He subject to direct experience. He is the master of varieties of energies, like the full material energy, and no one can understand His plans or actions; therefore it should be concluded that although He is the original cause of all causes, no one can know Him by mental speculation. PURPORT The question may be raised, “Since there are so many varieties of philosophers theorizing in different ways, which of them is correct?” The answer is that the Absolute Truth, Transcendence, is never subject to direct experience or mental speculation. The mental speculator may be called Dr. Frog. The story is that a frog in a three-foot well wanted to calculate the length and breadth of the Atlantic Ocean on the basis of his knowledge of his own well. But it was an impossible task for Dr. Frog. A person may be a great academician, scholar or professor, but he cannot speculate and expect to understand the Absolute Truth, for his senses are limited. The cause of all causes, the Absolute Truth, can be known from the Absolute Truth Himself, and not by our ascending process to reach Him. When the sun is not visible at night or when it is covered by a cloud in the day, it is not possible to uncover it, either by bodily or mental strength or by scientific instruments, although the sun is there in the sky. No one can say that he has discovered a torchlight so powerful that if one goes on a roof and focuses the torchlight on the night sky, the sun will then be seen. There is no such torchlight, nor is it possible. The word avyakta, “unmanifested,” in this verse indicates that the Absolute Truth cannot be manifested by any strain of so-called scientific advancement of knowledge. Transcendence is not the subject matter of direct experience. The Absolute Truth may be known in the same way as the sun covered by a cloud or covered by night, for when the sun rises in the morning, in its own way, then everyone can see the sun, everyone can see the world, and everyone can see himself. This understanding of self-realization is called atma-tattva. Unless, however, one comes to this point of understanding atma-tattva, one remains in the darkness in which he was born. Under the circumstances, no one can understand the plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is equipped with varieties of energies, as stated in the Vedic literature (parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate). He is equipped with the energy of eternal time. Not only does He have the material energy which we see and experience, but He has also many reserve energies that He can manifest in due course of time when necessary. The material scientist can simply study the partial understanding of the varieties of energies; he can take up one of the energies and try to understand it with limited knowledge, but still it is not possible to understand the Absolute Truth in full by dint of material science. No material scientist can foretell what is going to happen in the future. The bhakti-yoga process, however, is completely different from so-called scientific advancement of knowledge. A devotee completely surrenders unto the Supreme, who reveals Himself by His causeless mercy. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, dadami buddhi-yogam tam. The Lord says, “I give him intelligence.” What is that intelligence? Yena mam upayanti te. The Lord gives one the intelligence to cross over the ocean of nescience and come back home, back to Godhead. In conclusion, the cause of all causes, the Absolute Truth, or Supreme Brahman, cannot be understood by philosophical speculation, but He reveals Himself to His devotee because the devotee fully surrenders unto His lotus feet. Bhagavad-gita is therefore to be accepted as a revealed scripture spoken by the Absolute Truth Himself when He descended to this planet. If any intelligent man wants to know what God is, he should study this transcendental literature under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Then it is very easy to understand Krsna as He is. SB4.11.24 TEXT 24 na caite putraka bhratur hantaro dhanadanugah visargadanayos tata pumso daivam hi karanam SYNONYMS na—never; ca—also; ete—all these; putraka—my dear son; bhratuh—of your brother; hantarah—killers; dhanada—of Kuvera; anugah—followers; visarga—of birth; adanayoh—of death; tata—my dear son; pumsah—of a living entity; daivam—the Supreme; hi—certainly; karanam—the cause. TRANSLATION My dear son, those Yaksas, who are descendants of Kuvera, are not actually the killers of your brother; the birth and death of every living entity are caused by the Supreme, who is certainly the cause of all causes. SB4.11.25 TEXT 25 sa eva visvam srjati sa evavati hanti ca athapi hy anahankaran najyate guna-karmabhih SYNONYMS sah—He; eva—certainly; visvam—the universe; srjati—creates; sah—He; eva—certainly; avati—maintains; hanti—annihilates; ca—also; atha api—moreover; hi—certainly; anahankarat—from being without ego; na—not; ajyate—becomes entangled; guna—by the modes of material nature; karmabhih—by activities. TRANSLATION The Supreme Personality of Godhead creates this material world, maintains it, and annihilates it in due course of time, but because He is transcendental to such activities, He is never affected by ego in such action or by the modes of material nature. PURPORT In this verse the word anahankara means “without ego.” The conditioned soul has a false ego, and as a result of his karma he gets different types of bodies in this material world. Sometimes he gets the body of a demigod, and he thinks that body to be his identity. Similarly, when he gets the body of a dog he identifies his self with that body. But for the Supreme Personality of Godhead there is no such distinction between the body and the soul. Bhagavad-gita, therefore, certifies that anyone who thinks of Krsna as an ordinary human being is without knowledge of His transcendental nature and is a great fool. The Lord says, na mam karmani limpanti: He is not affected by anything He does, because He is never contaminated by the material modes of nature. That we have a material body proves that we are infected by the three material modes of nature. The Lord says to Arjuna, “You and I had many, many births previously, but I remember everything, whereas you do not.” That is the difference between the living entity, or conditioned soul, and the Supreme Soul. The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has no material body, and because He has no material body, He is not affected by any work He executes. There are many Mayavadi philosophers who consider that Krsna’s body is the effect of a concentration of the material mode of goodness, and they distinguish Krsna’s soul from Krsna’s body. The real situation, however, is that the body of the conditioned soul, even if he has a large accumulation of material goodness, is material, whereas Krsna’s body is never material; it is transcendental. Krsna has no false ego, for He does not identify Himself with the false and temporary body. His body is always eternal; He descends to this world in His own original, spiritual body. This is explained in Bhagavad-gita as param bhavam. The words param bhavam and divyam are especially significant in understanding Krsna’s personality. SB4.11.26 TEXT 26 esa bhutani bhutatma bhuteso bhuta-bhavanah sva-saktya mayaya yuktah srjaty atti ca pati ca SYNONYMS esah—this; bhutani—all created beings; bhuta-atma—the Supersoul of all living entities; bhuta-isah—the controller of everyone; bhuta-bhavanah—the maintainer of everyone; sva-saktya—through His energy; mayaya—the external energy; yuktah—through such agency; srjati—creates; atti—annihilates; ca—and; pati—maintains; ca—and. TRANSLATION The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supersoul of all living entities. He is the controller and maintainer of everyone; through the agency of His external energy, He creates, maintains and annihilates everyone. PURPORT There are two kinds of energies in the matter of creation. The Lord creates this material world through His external, material energy, whereas the spiritual world is a manifestation of His internal energy. He is always associated with the internal energy, but He is always aloof from the material energy. Therefore in Bhagavad-gita (9.4) the Lord says, mat-sthani sarva-bhutani na caham tesv avasthitah: “All living entities are living on Me or on My energy, but I am not everywhere.” He is personally always situated in the spiritual world. In the material world also, wherever the Supreme Lord is personally present is to be understood as being the spiritual world. For example, the Lord is worshiped in the temple by pure devotees. The temple is therefore to be understood as being the spiritual world. SB4.11.27 TEXT 27 tam eva mrtyum amrtam tata daivam sarvatmanopehi jagat-parayanam yasmai balim visva-srjo haranti gavo yatha vai nasi dama-yantritah SYNONYMS tam—unto Him; eva—certainly; mrtyum—death; amrtam—immortality; tata—my dear son; daivam—the Supreme; sarva-atmana—in all respects; upehi—surrender; jagat—of the world; parayanam—ultimate goal; yasmai—unto whom; balim—offerings; visva-srjah—all the demigods like Brahma; haranti—bear; gavah—bulls; yatha—as; vai—without fail; nasi—in the nose; dama—by a rope; yantritah—controlled. TRANSLATION My dear boy Dhruva, please surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the ultimate goal of the progress of the world. Everyone, including the demigods headed by Lord Brahma, is working under His control, just as a bull, prompted by a rope in its nose, is controlled by its owner. PURPORT The material disease is to declare independence from the supreme controller. Factually, our material existence begins when we forget the supreme controller and wish to lord it over material nature. Everyone in the material world is trying his best to become the supreme controller—individually, nationally, socially and in many other ways. Dhruva Maharaja was advised to stop fighting by his grandfather, who was concerned that Dhruva was adhering to a personal ambition to fight to annihilate the whole race of Yaksas. In this verse, therefore, Svayambhuva Manu seeks to eradicate the last tinge of false ambition in Dhruva by explaining the position of the supreme controller. The words mrtyum amrtam, “death and immortality,” are significant. In Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, “I am ultimate death, who takes away everything from the demons.” The demons’ business is to continually struggle for existence as lords over material nature. The demons repeatedly meet death after death and create a network of involvement in the material world. The Lord is death for the demons, but for devotees He is amrta, eternal life. Devotees who render continuous service to the Lord have already attained immortality, for whatever they are doing in this life they will continue to do in the next. They will simply change their material bodies for spiritual bodies. Unlike the demons, they no longer have to change material bodies, The Lord, therefore, is simultaneously death and immortality. He is death for demons and immortality for devotees. He is the ultimate goal of everyone because He is the cause of all causes. Dhruva Maharaja was advised to surrender unto Him in all respects, without keeping any personal ambition. One may put forward the argument, “Why are the demigods worshiped?” The answer is given here that demigods are worshiped by less intelligent men. The demigods themselves accept sacrifices for the ultimate satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB4.11.28 TEXT 28 yah panca-varso jananim tvam vihaya matuh sapatnya vacasa bhinna-marma vanam gatas tapasa pratyag-aksam aradhya lebhe murdhni padam tri-lokyah SYNONYMS yah—one who; panca-varsah—five years old; jananim—mother; tvam—you; vihaya—leaving aside; matuh—of the mother; sa-patnyah—of the co-wife; vacasa—by the words; bhinna-marma—aggrieved at heart; vanam—to the forest; gatah—went; tapasa—by austerity; pratyak-aksam—the Supreme Lord; aradhya—worshiping; lebhe—achieved; murdhni—on the top; padam—the position; tri-lokyah—of the three worlds. TRANSLATION My dear Dhruva, at the age of only five years you were very grievously afflicted by the words of your mother’s co-wife, and you very boldly gave up the protection of your mother and went to the forest to engage in the yogic process for realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As a result of this you have already achieved the topmost position in all the three worlds. PURPORT Manu was very proud that Dhruva Maharaja was one of the descendants in his family because at the age of only five years Dhruva began meditating upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead and within six months he was able to see the Supreme Lord face to face. Factually, Dhruva Maharaja is the glory of the Manu dynasty, or the human family. The human family begins from Manu. The Sanskrit word for man is manusya, which means “descendant of Manu.” Not only is Dhruva Maharaja the glory of the family of Svayambhuva Manu, but he is the glory of the entire human society. Because Dhruva Maharaja had already surrendered to the Supreme Godhead, he was especially requested not to do anything unbefitting a surrendered soul. SB4.11.29 TEXT 29 tam enam angatmani mukta-vigrahe vyapasritam nirgunam ekam aksaram atmanam anviccha vimuktam atma-drg yasminn idam bhedam asat pratiyate SYNONYMS tam—Him; enam—that; anga—my dear Dhruva; atmani—in the mind; mukta-vigrahe—free from anger; vyapasritam—situated; nirgunam—transcendental; ekam—one; aksaram—the infallible Brahman; atmanam—the self; anviccha—try to find out; vimuktam—uncontaminated; atma-drk—facing towards the Supersoul; yasmin—in which; idam—this; bhedam—differentiation; asat—unreal; pratiyate—appears to be. TRANSLATION My dear Dhruva, please, therefore, turn your attention to the Supreme Person, who is the infallible Brahman. Face the Supreme Personality of Godhead in your original position, and thus, by self-realization, you will find this material differentiation to be merely flickering. PURPORT The living entities have three kinds of vision, according to their positions in self-realization. According to the bodily concept of life, one sees differentiation in terms of varieties of bodies. The living entity actually passes through many varieties of material forms, but despite all such changes of body, he is eternal. When living entities, therefore, are viewed in the bodily concept of life, one appears to be different from another. Lord Manu wanted to change the vision of Dhruva Maharaja, who was looking upon the Yaksas as different from him or as his enemies. Factually no one is an enemy or a friend. Everyone is passing through different types of bodies under the law of karma, but as soon as one is situated in his spiritual identity, he does not see differentiation in terms of this law. In other words, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (18.54): brahma-bhutah prasannatma A devotee, who is already liberated, does not see differentiation in terms of the outward body; he sees all living entities as spirit souls, eternal servants of the Lord. Dhruva Maharaja was advised by Lord Manu to see with that vision. He was specifically advised to do so because he was a great devotee and should not have looked upon other living entities with ordinary vision. Indirectly Manu pointed out to Dhruva Maharaja that out of material affection Dhruva thought of his brother as his kin and the Yaksas as his enemies. Such observation of differentiation subsides as soon as one is situated in his original position as an eternal servant of the Lord. SB4.11.30 TEXT 30 tvam pratyag-atmani tada bhagavaty ananta ananda-matra upapanna-samasta-saktau bhaktim vidhaya paramam sanakair avidya- granthim vibhetsyasi mamaham iti prarudham SYNONYMS tvam—you; pratyak-atmani—unto the Supersoul; tada—at that time; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anante—who is unlimited; ananda-matre—the reservoir of all pleasure; upapanna—possessed of; samasta—all; saktau—potencies; bhaktim—devotional service; vidhaya—by rendering; paramam—supreme; sanakaih—very soon; avidya—of illusion; granthim—the knot; vibhetsyasi—you will undo; mama—my; aham—I; iti—thus; prarudham—firmly fixed. TRANSLATION Thus regaining your natural position and rendering service unto the Supreme Lord, who is the all-powerful reservoir of all pleasure and who lives in all living entities as the Supersoul, you will very soon forget the illusory understanding of “I” and “my.” PURPORT Dhruva Maharaja was already a liberated person because at the age of five years he had seen the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But even though liberated, he was, for the time being, afflicted by the illusion of maya, thinking himself the brother of Uttama in the bodily concept of life. The whole material world is working on the basis of “I” and “mine.” This is the root of attraction to the material world. If one is attracted by this root of illusory conceptions—“I” and “mine”—he will have to remain within this material world in different exalted or nasty positions. By the grace of Lord Krsna, the sages and Lord Manu reminded Dhruva Maharaja that he should not continue this material conception of “I” and “mine.” Simply by devotional service unto the Lord his illusion could be eradicated without difficulty. SB4.11.31 TEXT 31 samyaccha rosam bhadram te pratipam sreyasam param srutena bhuyasa rajann agadena yathamayam SYNONYMS samyaccha—just control; rosam—anger; bhadram—all good fortune; te—to you; pratipam—enemy; sreyasam—of all goodness; param—the foremost; srutena—by hearing; bhuyasa—constantly; rajan—my dear King; agadena—by medicinal treatment; yatha—as; amayam—disease. TRANSLATION My dear King, just consider what I have said to you, which will act as medicinal treatment upon disease. Control your anger, for anger is the foremost enemy on the path of spiritual realization. I wish all good fortune for you. Please follow my instructions. PURPORT Dhruva Maharaja was a liberated soul, and actually he was not angry with anyone. But because he was the ruler, it was his duty to become angry for some time in order to keep law and order in the state. His brother, Uttama, was without fault, yet he was killed by one of the Yaksas. It was the duty of Dhruva Maharaja to kill the offender (life for life) because Dhruva was the king. When the challenge came, Dhruva Maharaja fought vehemently and punished the Yaksas sufficiently. But anger is such that if one increases it, it increases unlimitedly. In order that Dhruva Maharaja’s kingly anger not exceed the limit, Manu was kind enough to check his grandson. Dhruva Maharaja could understand the purpose of his grandfather, and he immediately stopped the fighting. The words srutena bhuyasa, “by constantly hearing,” are very important in this verse. By constantly hearing about devotional service, one can check the force of anger, which is detrimental to the process of devotional service. Srila Pariksit Maharaja said that the constant hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is the panacea for all material diseases. Everyone, therefore, should hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly. By hearing one can always remain in equilibrium, and thus his progress in spiritual life will not be hampered. Dhruva Maharaja’s becoming angry with the miscreants was quite appropriate. There is a short story in this connection about a snake who became a devotee upon instruction by Narada, who instructed him not to bite anymore. Since ordinarily a snake’s business is to fatally bite other living entities, as a devotee he was forbidden to do so. Unfortunately, people took advantage of this nonviolence on the part of the snake, especially the children, who began to throw stones at him. He did not bite anyone, however, because it was the instruction of his spiritual master. After a while, when the snake met his spiritual master, Narada, he complained, “I have given up the bad habit of biting innocent living entities, but they are mistreating me by throwing stones at me.” Upon hearing this, Narada Muni instructed him, “Don’t bite, but do not forget to expand your hood as if you were going to bite. Then they will go away.” Similarly, a devotee is always nonviolent; he is qualified with all good characteristics. But, in the common world, when there is mischief made by others, he should not forget to become angry, at least for the time being, in order to drive away the miscreants. SB4.11.32 TEXT 32 yenopasrstat purusal loka udvijate bhrsam na budhas tad-vasam gacched icchann abhayam atmanah SYNONYMS yena—by which; upasrstat—being overwhelmed; purusat—by the person; lokah—everyone; udvijate—becomes terrified; bhrsam—greatly; na—never; budhah—a learned person; tat—of anger; vasam—under the control; gacchet—should go; icchan—desiring; abhayam—fearlessness, liberation; atmanah—of the self. TRANSLATION A person who desires liberation from this material world should not fall under the control of anger because when bewildered by anger one becomes a source of dread for all others. PURPORT A devotee or saintly person should not be dreadful to others, nor should anyone be a source of dread to him. If one treats others with nonenmity, then no one will become his enemy. There is the example, however, of Jesus Christ, who had enemies, and they crucified him. The demonic are always present, and they find fault even in saintly persons. But a saintly person never becomes angry, even if there is very great provocation. SB4.11.33 TEXT 33 helanam girisa-bhratur dhanadasya tvaya krtam yaj jaghnivan punya-janan bhratr-ghnan ity amarsitah SYNONYMS helanam—disrespectful behavior; girisa—of Lord Siva; bhratuh—the brother; dhanadasya—to Kuvera; tvaya—by you; krtam—was performed; yat—because; jaghnivan—you have killed; punya-janan—the Yaksas; bhratr—of your brother; ghnan—killers; iti—thus (thinking); amarsitah—angry. TRANSLATION My dear Dhruva, you thought that the Yaksas killed your brother, and therefore you have killed great numbers of them. But by this action you have agitated the mind of Lord Siva’s brother Kuvera, who is the treasurer of the demigods. Please note that your actions have been very disrespectful to Kuvera and Lord Siva. PURPORT Lord Manu stated that Dhruva Maharaja had been offensive to Lord Siva and his brother Kuvera because the Yaksas belonged to Kuvera’s family. They were not ordinary persons. As such, they have been described as punya janan, pious men. Somehow or other the mind of Kuvera had been agitated, and Dhruva Maharaja was advised to pacify him. SB4.11.34 TEXT 34 tam prasadaya vatsasu sannatya prasrayoktibhih na yavan mahatam tejah kulam no ’bhibhavisyati SYNONYMS tam—him; prasadaya—pacify; vatsa—my son; asu—immediately; sannatya—by offering obeisances; prasraya—by respectful behavior; uktibhih—by gentle words; na yavat—before; mahatam—of great personalities; tejah—wrath; kulam—family; nah—our; abhibhavisyati—will affect. TRANSLATION For this reason, my son, you should immediately pacify Kuvera with gentle words and prayers, and thus his wrath may not affect our family. PURPORT In our common dealings we should maintain friendship with everyone and certainly with such exalted demigods as Kuvera. Our behavior should be such that no one should become angry and thereby commit a wrong to individuals, families or society. SB4.11.35 TEXT 35 evam svayambhuvah pautram anusasya manur dhruvam tenabhivanditah sakam rsibhih sva-puram yayau SYNONYMS evam—thus; svayambhuvah—Lord Svayambhuva Manu; pautram—to his grandson; anusasya—after giving instruction; manuh—Lord Manu; dhruvam—to Dhruva Maharaja; tena—by him; abhivanditah—being offered obeisances to; sakam—together; rsibhih—with the sages; sva-puram—to his own abode; yayau—went. TRANSLATION Thus Svayambhuva Manu, after giving instruction to Dhruva Maharaja, his grandson, received respectful obeisances from him. Then Lord Manu and the great sages went back to their respective homes. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Eleventh Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Svayambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Maharaja to Stop Fighting.”
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param