Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter Twenty-one

SB4.21.38

TEXT 38

brahmanya-devah purusah puratano

nityam harir yac-caranabhivandanat

avapa laksmim anapayinim yaso

jagat-pavitram ca mahattamagranih

SYNONYMS

brahmanya-devah—the Lord of the brahminical culture; purusah—the Supreme Personality; puratanah—the oldest; nityam—eternal; harih—the Personality of Godhead; yat—whose; carana—lotus feet; abhivandanat—by means of worshiping; avapa—obtained; laksmim—opulences; anapayinim—perpetually; yasah—reputation; jagat—universal; pavitram—purified; ca—also; mahat—great; tama—supreme; agranih—foremost.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ancient, eternal Godhead, who is foremost amongst all great personalities, obtained the opulence of His staunch reputation, which purifies the entire universe, by worshiping the lotus feet of those brahmanas and Vaisnavas.

PURPORT

The Supreme Person is described herein as brahmanya-deva. Brahmanya refers to the brahmanas, the Vaisnavas or the brahminical culture, and deva means “worshipable Lord.” Therefore unless one is on the transcendental platform of being a Vaisnava or on the highest platform of material goodness (as a brahmana), he cannot appreciate the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the lower stages of ignorance and passion, it is difficult to appreciate or understand the Supreme Lord. Therefore the Lord is described herein as the worshipable Deity for persons in brahminical and Vaisnava culture.

namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitaya ca
jagad-dhitaya krsnaya
govindaya namo namah

(Visnu Purana 1.19.65)

Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the prime protector of brahminical culture and the cow. Without knowing and respecting these, one cannot realize the science of God, and without this knowledge, any welfare activities or humanitarian propaganda cannot be successful. The Lord is purusa, or the supreme enjoyer. Not only is He the enjoyer when He appears as a manifested incarnation, but He is the enjoyer since time immemorial, from the very beginning (puratanah), and eternally (nityam). Yac-caranabhivandanat: Prthu Maharaja said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead attained this opulence of eternal fame simply by worshiping the lotus feet of the brahmanas. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that the Lord does not need to work to achieve material gain. Since He is perpetually supremely perfect, He does not need to obtain anything, but still it is said that He obtained His opulences by worshiping the lotus feet of the brahmanas. These are His exemplary actions. When Lord Sri Krsna was in Dvaraka, He offered His respects by bowing down at the lotus feet of Narada. When Sudama Vipra came to His house, Lord Krsna personally washed his feet and gave him a seat on His personal bed. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krsna offered His respects to Maharaja Yudhisthira and Kunti. The Lord’s exemplary behavior is to teach us. We should learn from His personal behavior how to give protection to the cow, how to cultivate brahminical qualities and how to respect the brahmanas and the Vaisnavas. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (3.21), yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah: “If the leading personalities behave in a certain manner, others follow them automatically.” Who can be more of a leading personality than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and whose behavior could be more exemplary? It is not that He needed to do all these things to acquire material gain, but all of these acts were performed just to teach us how to behave in this material world.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described herein as mahattama-agranih. Within this material world, the mahattamas, or great personalities, are Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, but He is above them all. Narayanah paro’vyaktat: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is in a transcendental position, above everything created within this material world. His opulence, His riches, His beauty, His wisdom, His knowledge, His renunciation and His reputation are all jagat-pavitram, universally purifying. The more we discuss His opulences, the more the universe becomes purer and purer. In the material world, the opulences possessed by a material person are never fixed. Today one may be a very rich man, but tomorrow he may become poor; today one is very famous, but tomorrow he may be infamous. Materially obtained opulences are never fixed, but all six opulences perpetually exist in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not only in the spiritual world, but also in this material world. Lord Krsna’s reputation is fixed, and His book of wisdom, Bhagavad-gita, is still honored. Everything pertaining to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally existing.

SB4.21.39

TEXT 39

yat-sevayasesa-guhasayah sva-rad

vipra-priyas tusyati kamam isvarah

tad eva tad-dharma-parair vinitaih

sarvatmana brahma-kulam nisevyatam

SYNONYMS

yat—whose; sevaya—by serving; asesa—unlimited; guha-asayah—dwelling within the heart of everyone; sva-rat—but still fully independent; vipra-priyah—very dear to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas; tusyati—becomes satisfied; kamam—of desires; isvarah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tat—that; eva—certainly; tat-dharma-paraih—by following in the footsteps of the Lord; vinitaih—by humbleness; sarva-atmana—in all respects; brahma-kulam—the descendants of brahmanas and Vaisnavas; nisevyatam—always being engaged in their service.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is everlastingly independent and who exists in everyone’s heart, is very pleased with those who follow in His footsteps and engage without reservation in the service of the descendants of brahmanas and Vaisnavas, for He is always dear to brahmanas and Vaisnavas and they are always dear to Him.

PURPORT

It is said that the Lord is most pleased when He sees one engage in the service of His devotee. He does not need any service from anyone because He is complete, but it is in our own interest to offer all kinds of services to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These services can be offered to the Supreme Person not directly but through the service of brahmanas and Vaisnavas. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura sings, chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba, which means that unless one serves the Vaisnavas and brahmanas, one cannot get liberation from the material clutches. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also says, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah: ** by satisfying the senses of the spiritual master, one can satisfy the senses of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus this behavior is not only mentioned in scriptures but also followed by acaryas. Prthu Maharaja advised his citizens to follow the exemplary behavior of the Lord Himself and thus engage in the service of brahmanas and Vaisnavas.

SB4.21.40

TEXT 40

pumal labhetanativelam atmanah

prasidato ’tyanta-samam svatah svayam

yan-nitya-sambandha-nisevaya tatah

param kim atrasti mukham havir-bhujam

SYNONYMS

puman—a person; labheta—can achieve; anati-velam—without delay; atmanah—of his soul; prasidatah—being satisfied; atyanta—the greatest; samam—peace; svatah—automatically; svayam—personally; yat—whose; nitya—regular; sambandha—relationship; nisevaya—by dint of service; tatah—after that; param—superior; kim—what; atra—here; asti—there is; mukham—happiness; havih—clarified butter; bhujam—those who drink.

TRANSLATION

By regular service to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas, one can clear the dirt from his heart and thus enjoy supreme peace and liberation from material attachment and be satisfied. In this world there is no fruitive activity superior to serving the brahmana class, for this can bring pleasure to the demigods, for whom the many sacrifices are recommended.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gita (2.65) it is said: prasade sarva-duhkhanam hanir asyopajayate. Unless one is self-satisfied, he cannot be free from the miserable conditions of material existence. Therefore it is essential to render service to the brahmanas and Vaisnavas to achieve the perfection of self-satisfaction. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says:

tandera carana sevi bhakta-sane vasa
janame janame haya, ei abhilasa

“Birth after birth I desire to serve the lotus feet of the acaryas and live in a society of devotees.” A spiritual atmosphere can be maintained only by living in a society of devotees and by serving the orders of the acaryas. The spiritual master is the best brahmana. At present, in the age of Kali, it is very difficult to render service to the brahmana-kula, or the brahmana class. The difficulty, according to the Varaha Purana, is that demons, taking advantage of Kali-yuga, have taken birth in brahmana families. Raksasah kalim asritya jayante brahma-yonisu (Varaha Purana). In other words, in this age there are many so-called caste brahmanas and caste Gosvamis who, taking advantage of the sastra and of the innocence of people in general, claim to be brahmanas and Vaisnavas by hereditary right. One will not derive any benefit by rendering service to such false brahmana-kulas. One must therefore take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and his associates and should also render service to them, for such activity will greatly help the neophyte in attaining full satisfaction. This has been very clearly explained by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura in his explanation of the verse vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg. 2.41). By actually following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga as recommended by Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, one can very quickly come to the transcendental platform of liberation, as explained in this verse (atyanta-samam).

The particular use of the word anativelam (“without delay”) is very significant because simply by serving brahmanas and Vaisnavas one can get liberation. There is no need to undergo severe penances and austerities. The vivid example of this is Narada Muni himself. In his previous birth, he was simply a maidservant’s son, but he got the opportunity to serve exalted brahmanas and Vaisnavas, and thus in his next life he not only became liberated, but became famous as the supreme spiritual master of the entire Vaisnava disciplic succession. According to the Vedic system, therefore, it is customarily recommended that after performing a ritualistic ceremony, one should feed the brahmanas.

SB4.21.41

TEXT 41

asnaty anantah khalu tattva-kovidaih

sraddha-hutam yan-mukha ijya-namabhih

na vai tatha cetanaya bahis-krte

hutasane paramahamsya-paryaguh

SYNONYMS

asnati—eats; anantah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; khalu—nevertheless; tattva-kovidaih—persons in knowledge of the Absolute Truth; sraddha—faith; hutam—offering fire sacrifices; yat-mukhe—whose mouth; ijya-namabhih—by different names of demigods; na—never; vai—certainly; tatha—as much; cetanaya—by living force; bahih-krte—being bereft of; huta-asane—in the fire sacrifice; paramahamsya—regarding devotees; paryaguh—never goes away.

TRANSLATION

Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ananta, eats through the fire sacrifices offered in the names of the different demigods, He does not take as much pleasure in eating through fire as He does in accepting offerings through the mouths of learned sages and devotees, for then He does not leave the association of devotees.

PURPORT

According to Vedic injunctions, a fire sacrifice is held in order to give food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the names of the different demigods. While performing a fire sacrifice, one pronounces the word svaha in mantras such as indraya svaha and adityaya svaha. These mantras are uttered to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead through demigods such as Indra and Aditya, for the Supreme Personality of Godhead says:

naham tisthami vaikunthe
yoginam hrdayesu va
tatra tisthami narada
yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah

“I am not in Vaikuntha nor in the hearts of the yogis. I remain where My devotees engage in glorifying My activities.” It is to be understood that the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not leave the company of His devotees.

Fire is certainly devoid of life, but devotees and brahmanas are the living representatives of the Supreme Lord. Therefore to feed brahmanas and Vaisnavas is to feed the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. It may be concluded that instead of offering fire sacrifices, one should offer foodstuffs to brahmanas and Vaisnavas, for that process is more effective than fire yajna. The vivid example of this principle in action was given by Advaita Prabhu. When He performed the sraddha ceremony for His father, He first of all called Haridasa Thakura and offered him food. It is the practice that after finishing the sraddha ceremony, one should offer food to an elevated brahmana. But Advaita Prabhu offered food first to Haridasa Thakura, who had taken his birth in a Muhammadan family. Therefore Haridasa Thakura asked Advaita Prabhu why He was doing something which might jeopardize His position in brahmana society. Advaita Prabhu replied that He was feeding millions of first-class brahmanas by offering the food to Haridasa Thakura. He was prepared to talk with any learned brahmana on this point and prove definitely that by offering food to a pure devotee like Haridasa Thakura, He was equally as blessed as He would have been by offering food to thousands of learned brahmanas. When performing sacrifices, one offers oblations to the sacrificial fire, but when such oblations are offered to Vaisnavas, they are certainly more effective.

SB4.21.42

TEXT 42

yad brahma nityam virajam sanatanam

sraddha-tapo-mangala-mauna-samyamaih

samadhina bibhrati hartha-drstaye

yatredam adarsa ivavabhasate

SYNONYMS

yat—that which; brahma—the brahminical culture; nityam—eternally; virajam—without contamination; sanatanam—without beginning; sraddha—faith; tapah—austerity; mangala—auspicious; mauna—silence; samyamaih—controlling the mind and senses; samadhina—with full concentration; bibhrati—illuminates; ha—as he did it; artha—the real purpose of the Vedas; drstaye—for the purpose of finding out; yatra—wherein; idam—all this; adarse—in a mirror; iva—like; avabhasate—manifests.

TRANSLATION

In brahminical culture a brahmana’s transcendental position is eternally maintained because the injunctions of the Vedas are accepted with faith, austerity, scriptural conclusions, full sense and mind control, and meditation. In this way the real goal of life is illuminated, just as one’s face is fully reflected in a clear mirror.

PURPORT

Since it is described in the previous verse that feeding a living brahmana is more effective than offering oblations in a fire sacrifice, in this verse it is now clearly described what brahmanism is and who a brahmana is. In the age of Kali, taking advantage of the fact that by feeding a brahmana one obtains a more effective result than by performing sacrifices, a class of men with no brahminical qualifications claim the eating privilege known as brahmana-bhojana simply on the basis of their birth in brahmana families. In order to distinguish this class of men from the real brahmanas, Maharaja Prthu is giving an exact description of a brahmana and brahminical culture. One should not take advantage of his position simply to live like a fire without light. A brahmana must be fully conversant with the Vedic conclusion, which is described in Bhagavad-gita. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah (Bg. 15.15). The Vedic conclusion—the ultimate understanding, or Vedanta understanding—is knowledge of Krsna. Actually that is a fact because simply by understanding Krsna as He is, as described in Bhagavad-gita (janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]), one becomes a perfect brahmana. The brahmana who knows Krsna perfectly well is always in a transcendental position. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (14.26):

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

“One who engages in full devotional service and who does not fall down in any circumstance at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.”

Therefore a devotee of Lord Krsna is actually a perfect brahmana. His situation is transcendental, for he is free from the four defects of conditional life, which are the tendencies to commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to cheat and to possess imperfect senses. A perfect Vaisnava, or Krsna conscious person, is always in this transcendental position because he speaks according to Krsna and His representative. Because Vaisnavas speak exactly according to the tune of Krsna, whatever they say is free from these four defects. For example, Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita that everyone should always think of Him, everyone should become His devotee, offer Him obeisances and worship Him, and ultimately everyone should surrender unto Him. These devotional activities are transcendental and free from mistakes, illusion, cheating and imperfection. Therefore anyone who is a sincere devotee of Lord Krsna and who preaches this cult, speaking only on the basis of Krsna’s instructions, is understood to be virajam, or free from the defects of material contamination. A genuine brahmana or Vaisnava therefore depends eternally on the conclusion of the Vedas or Vedic versions presented by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. Only from Vedic knowledge can we understand the actual position of the Absolute Truth, who, as described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, is manifested in three features—namely impersonal Brahman, localized Paramatma and, at last, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This knowledge is perfect from time immemorial, and the brahminical or Vaisnava culture depends on this principle eternally. One should therefore study the Vedas with faith, not only for one’s personal knowledge, but for the sake of spreading this knowledge and these activities through real faith in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Vedas.

The word mangala (“auspicious”) in this verse is very significant. Srila Sridhara Svami quotes that to do what is good and to reject what is not good is called mangala, or auspicious. To do what is good means to accept everything favorable to the discharge of devotional service, and to reject what is not good means to reject everything not favorable for discharging devotional service. In our Krsna consciousness movement, we accept this principle by rejecting four prohibited items—namely illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and flesh-eating—and accepting the daily chanting of at least sixteen rounds of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and daily meditation three times a day by chanting the Gayatri mantra. In this way one can keep his brahminical culture and spiritual strength intact. By following these principles of devotional service strictly, chanting twenty-four hours a day the maha-mantra—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—one makes positive progress in spiritual life and ultimately becomes completely fit to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. Because the ultimate goal of studying or understanding the Vedic knowledge is to find Krsna, one who follows the Vedic principles as described above can from the very beginning see all the features of Lord Krsna, the Absolute Truth, very distinctly, as one can see one’s own face completely reflected in a clear mirror. The conclusion is, therefore, that a brahmana does not become a brahmana simply because he is a living entity or is born in a brahmana family; he must possess all the qualities mentioned in the sastras and practice the brahminical principles in his life. Thus he ultimately becomes a fully Krsna conscious person and can understand what Krsna is. How a devotee continuously sees Krsna face to face within his heart is described in the Brahma-samhita (5.38) as follows:

premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti
yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

The devotee, by development of pure love for Krsna, constantly sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Syamasundara, within his heart. That is the perfectional stage of brahminical culture.

SB4.21.43

TEXT 43

tesam aham pada-saroja-renum

arya vaheyadhi-kiritam ayuh

yam nityada bibhrata asu papam

nasyaty amum sarva-guna bhajanti

SYNONYMS

tesam—of all of them; aham—I; pada—feet; saroja—lotus; renum—dust; aryah—O respectable persons; vaheya—shall bear; adhi—up to; kiritam—helmet; ayuh—up to the end of life; yam—which; nityada—always; bibhratah—carrying; asu—very soon; papam—sinful activities; nasyati—are vanquished; amum—all those; sarva-gunah—fully qualified; bhajanti—worship.

TRANSLATION

O respectable personalities present here, I beg the blessings of all of you that I may perpetually carry on my crown the dust of the lotus feet of such brahmanas and Vaisnavas until the end of my life. He who can carry such dust on his head is very soon relieved of all the reactions which arise from sinful life, and eventually he develops all good and desirable qualities.

PURPORT

It is said that one who has unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means unflinching faith in the Vaisnava or the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, develops all the good qualities of the demigods. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana/ sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah (Bhag. 5.18.12). Prahlada Maharaja also said, naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim (Bhag. 7.5.32). Unless one takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure Vaisnava on one’s head, one cannot understand what the Supreme Personality of Godhead is, and unless one knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one’s life remains imperfect. A great soul who has fully surrendered to the Supreme Lord after understanding Him fully and after repeatedly undergoing austerities and penances for many, many lives is very rare. The crown of a king is simply a big load if the king or head of the state does not actually bear the dust of the lotus feet of brahmanas and Vaisnavas. In other words, if a liberal king like Prthu Maharaja does not follow the instructions of brahmanas and Vaisnavas or does not follow the brahminical culture, he is simply a burden on the state, for he cannot benefit the citizens. Maharaja Prthu is the perfect example of an ideal chief executive.

SB4.21.44

TEXT 44

gunayanam sila-dhanam krta-jnam

vrddhasrayam samvrnate ’nu sampadah

prasidatam brahma-kulam gavam ca

janardanah sanucaras ca mahyam

SYNONYMS

guna-ayanam—one who has acquired all the good qualities; sila-dhanam—one whose wealth is good behavior; krta-jnam—one who is grateful; vrddha-asrayam—one who takes shelter of the learned; samvrnate—achieves; anu—certainly; sampadah—all opulences; prasidatam—be pleased upon; brahma-kulam—the brahmana class; gavam—the cows; ca—and; janardanah—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sa—with; anucarah—along with His devotee; ca—and; mahyam—upon me.

TRANSLATION

Whoever acquires the brahminical qualifications—whose only wealth is good behavior, who is grateful and who takes shelter of experienced persons—gets all the opulence of the world. I therefore wish that the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His associates be pleased with the brahmana class, with the cows and with me.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped with the prayer namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Thus it is clear that the Supreme Personality of Godhead respects and protects the brahmanas and brahminical culture, as well as the cows; in other words, wherever there are brahmanas and brahminical culture, there are cows and cow protection. In a society or civilization in which there are no brahmanas or brahminical culture, cows are treated as ordinary animals and slaughtered, at the sacrifice of human civilization. The specific mention of the word gavam by Prthu Maharaja is significant because the Lord is always associated with cows and His devotees. In pictures Lord Krsna is always seen with cows and His associates such as the cowherd boys and the gopis. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be alone. Therefore Prthu Maharaja said, sanucaras ca, indicating that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always associated with His followers and devotees.

A devotee acquires all the good qualities of the demigods; he is gunayanam, the reservoir of all good qualities. His only asset is good behavior, and he is grateful. Gratitude for the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is one of the qualities of brahmanas and Vaisnavas. Everyone should feel grateful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead because He is maintaining all living entities and supplying all their necessities. As stated in the Vedas (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13), eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: the supreme one is supplying all necessities to the living entities. The living entity who is therefore grateful to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly qualified with good characteristics.

The word vrddhasrayam is very significant in this verse. Vrddha refers to one who is advanced in knowledge. There are two kinds of old men—he who is advanced in years and he who is experienced in knowledge. One who is advanced in knowledge is actually vrddha (jnana-vrddha); one does not become vrddha simply by advancing in age. Vrddhasrayam, a person who takes shelter of a superior person who is advanced in knowledge, can acquire all the good qualities of a brahmana and be trained in good behavior. When one actually attains good qualities, becomes grateful for the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and takes shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, he is endowed with all opulence. Such a person is a brahmana or Vaisnava. Therefore Prthu Maharaja invokes the blessings and mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with His associates, devotees, Vaisnavas, brahmanas and cows.

SB4.21.45

TEXT 45

maitreya uvaca

iti bruvanam nrpatim

pitr-deva-dvijatayah

tustuvur hrsta-manasah

sadhu-vadena sadhavah

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—the great sage Maitreya continued to speak; iti—thus; bruvanam—while speaking; nr-patim—the King; pitr—the denizens of Pitrloka; deva—the demigods; dvi-jatayah—and the twice-born (the brahmanas and the Vaisnavas); tustuvuh—satisfied; hrsta-manasah—greatly pacified in mind; sadhu-vadena—by expressing congratulations; sadhavah—all the saintly persons present.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya said: After hearing King Prthu speak so nicely, all the demigods, the denizens of Pitrloka, the brahmanas and the saintly persons present at the meeting congratulated him by expressing their good will.

PURPORT

When a person speaks very nicely at a meeting, he is congratulated by the audience, who express their good will with the words sadhu, sadhu. This is called sadhu-vada. All the saintly persons, Pitas (denizens of Pitrloka) and demigods who were present at the meeting and heard Prthu Maharaja expressed their good will with the words sadhu, sadhu. They all accepted the good mission of Prthu Maharaja, and they were fully satisfied.

SB4.21.46

TEXT 46

putrena jayate lokan

iti satyavati srutih

brahma-danda-hatah papo

yad veno ’tyatarat tamah

SYNONYMS

putrena—by the son; jayate—one becomes victorious; lokan—all the heavenly planets; iti—thus; satya-vati—becomes true; srutih—the Vedas; brahma-danda—by the curse of brahmanas; hatah—killed; papah—the most sinful; yat—as; venah—the father of Maharaja Prthu; ati—great; atarat—became delivered; tamah—from the darkness of hellish life.

TRANSLATION

They all declared that the Vedic conclusion that one can conquer the heavenly planets by the action of a putra, or son, was fulfilled, for the most sinful Vena, who had been killed by the curse of the brahmanas, was now delivered from the darkest region of hellish life by his son, Maharaja Prthu.

PURPORT

According to the Vedic version, there is a hellish planet called Put, and one who delivers a person from there is called putra. The purpose of marriage, therefore, is to have a putra, or son who is able to deliver his father, even if the father falls down to the hellish condition of put. Maharaja Prthu’s father, Vena, was a most sinful person and was therefore cursed to death by the brahmanas. Now all the great saintly persons, sages and brahmanas present in the meeting, after hearing from Maharaja Prthu about his great mission in life, became convinced that the statement of the Vedas had been fully proved. The purpose of accepting a wife in religious marriage, as sanctioned in the Vedas, is to have a putra, a son qualified to deliver his father from the darkest region of hellish life. Marriage is not intended for sense gratification but for getting a son fully qualified to deliver his father. But if a son is raised to become an unqualified demon, how can he deliver his father from hellish life? It is therefore the duty of a father to become a Vaisnava and raise his children to become Vaisnavas; then even if by chance the father falls into a hellish life in his next birth, such a son can deliver him, as Maharaja Prthu delivered his father.

SB4.21.47

TEXT 47

hiranyakasipus capi

bhagavan-nindaya tamah

viviksur atyagat sunoh

prahladasyanubhavatah

SYNONYMS

hiranyakasipuh—the father of Prahlada Maharaja; ca—also; api—again; bhagavat—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nindaya—by blaspheming; tamah—in the darkest region of hellish life; viviksuh—entered; atyagat—was delivered; sunoh—of his son; prahladasya—of Maharaja Prahlada; anubhavatah—by the influence of.

TRANSLATION

Similarly, Hiranyakasipu, who by dint of his sinful activities always defied the supremacy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, entered into the darkest region of hellish life; but by the grace of his great son, Prahlada Maharaja, he also was delivered and went back home, back to Godhead.

PURPORT

When Prahlada Maharaja was offered benediction by Nrsimhadeva, due to his great devotion and tolerance he refused to accept any benediction from the Lord, thinking that such acceptance was not befitting a sincere devotee. The rendering of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in expectation of a good reward is deprecated by Prahlada Maharaja as mercantile business. Because Prahlada Maharaja was a Vaisnava, he did not ask a benediction for his personal self but was very affectionate toward his father. Although his father tortured him and would have killed him had he himself not been killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Prahlada Maharaja begged pardon for him from the Lord. This favor was immediately granted by the Lord, and Hiranyakasipu was delivered from the darkest region of hellish life, and he returned back home, back to Godhead, by the grace of his son. Prahlada Maharaja is the topmost example of a Vaisnava, who is always compassionate toward sinful persons suffering a hellish life within this material world. Krsna is therefore known as para-duhkha-duhkhi krpambudhih, or one who is compassionate toward others’ suffering and who is an ocean of mercy. Like Prahlada Maharaja, all pure devotees of the Lord come to this material world with full compassion to deliver the sinful. They undergo all kinds of tribulations, suffering them with tolerance, because that is another qualification of a Vaisnava, who tries to deliver all sinful persons from the hellish conditions of material existence. Vaisnavas are therefore offered the following prayer:

vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca
krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaisnavebhyo namo namah

The chief concern of a Vaisnava is to deliver the fallen souls.

SB4.21.48

TEXT 48

vira-varya pitah prthvyah

samah sanjiva sasvatih

yasyedrsy acyute bhaktih

sarva-lokaika-bhartari

SYNONYMS

vira-varya—the best of the warriors; pitah—the father; prthvyah—of the globe; samah—equal to in years; sanjiva—live; sasvatih—forever; yasya—whose; idrsi—like this; acyute—unto the Supreme; bhaktih—devotion; sarva—all; loka—planets; eka—one; bhartari—maintainer.

TRANSLATION

All the saintly brahmanas thus addressed Prthu Maharaja: O best of the warriors, O father of this globe, may you be blessed with a long life, for you have great devotion to the infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all the universe.

PURPORT

Prthu Maharaja was blessed by the saintly persons present at the meeting to have a long life because of his unflinching faith and his devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although one’s duration of life is limited in years, if by chance one becomes a devotee, he surpasses the duration prescribed for his life; indeed, sometimes yogis die according to their wish, not according to the laws of material nature. Another feature of a devotee is that he lives forever because of his infallible devotion to the Lord. It is said, kirtir yasya sa jivati: “One who leaves a good reputation behind him lives forever.” Specifically, one who is reputed as a devotee of the Lord undoubtedly lives forever. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was talking with Ramananda Raya, Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, “What is the greatest reputation?” Ramananda Raya replied that a person who is reputed as a great devotee has the greatest reputation, for a devotee not only lives forever in the Vaikuntha planets, but by his reputation he also lives forever within this material world.

SB4.21.49

TEXT 49

aho vayam hy adya pavitra-kirte

tvayaiva nathena mukunda-nathah

ya uttamaslokatamasya visnor

brahmanya-devasya katham vyanakti

SYNONYMS

aho—oh, goodness; vayam—we; hi—certainly; adya—today; pavitra-kirte—O supreme purity; tvaya—by you; eva—certainly; nathena—by the Lord; mukunda—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nathah—being the subject of the Supreme; ye—one who; uttama-sloka-tamasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is praised by the nicest verses; visnoh—of Visnu; brahmanya-devasya—of the worshipable Lord of the brahmanas; katham—words; vyanakti—expressed.

TRANSLATION

The audience continued: Dear King Prthu, your reputation is the purest of all, for you are preaching the glories of the most glorified of all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the brahmanas. Since, due to our great fortune, we have you as our master, we think that we are living directly under the agency of the Lord.

PURPORT

The citizens declared that through being under the protection of Maharaja Prthu, they were directly under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding is the proper situation of social steadiness within this material world. Since it is stated in the Vedas that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the maintainer and leader of all living entities, the king or the executive head of the government must be a representative of the Supreme Person. Then he can claim honor exactly like the Lord’s. How a king or leader of society can become the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also indicated in this verse by the statement that because Prthu Maharaja was preaching the supremacy and the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, he was therefore a proper representative of the Lord. To remain under the jurisdiction or administration of such a king or leader is the perfect status for human society. The primary responsibility of such a king or leader is to protect the brahminical culture and the cows in his state.

SB4.21.50

TEXT 50

natyadbhutam idam natha

tavajivyanusasanam

prajanurago mahatam

prakrtih karunatmanam

SYNONYMS

na—not; ati—very great; adbhutam—wonderful; idam—this; natha—O lord; tava—your; ajivya—source of income; anusasanam—ruling over the citizens; praja—citizens; anuragah—affection; mahatam—of the great; prakrtih—nature; karuna—merciful; atmanam—of the living entities.

TRANSLATION

Our dear lord, it is your occupational duty to rule over your citizens. That is not a very wonderful task for a personality like you, who are so affectionate in seeing to the interests of the citizens, because you are full of mercy. That is the greatness of your character.

PURPORT

A king’s duty is to give protection to his citizens and levy taxes from them for his livelihood. Since the Vedic society is divided into four classes of men—the brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras—their means of livelihood are also mentioned in the scriptures. The brahmanas should live by spreading knowledge and should therefore take contributions from their disciples, whereas a king should give protection to the citizens for their development to the highest standard of life, and he can therefore levy taxes from them; businessmen or mercantile men, because they produce foodstuffs for the whole of society, can take a little profit from this, whereas the sudras, who cannot work as either brahmanas, ksatriyas or vaisyas, should give service to the higher classes of society and be provided by them with a supply of the necessities of life.

The symptom of a qualified king or political leader is mentioned herein—he must be very merciful and compassionate to the people and see to their prime interest, which is to become elevated devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Great souls are naturally inclined to do good to others, and a Vaisnava especially is the most compassionate and merciful personality in society. Therefore we offer our respects to a Vaisnava leader as follows:

vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca
krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaisnavebhyo namo namah

Only a Vaisnava leader can fulfill all the desires of the people (vancha-kalpataru), and he is compassionate because he is the contributor of the greatest benefit to human society. He is patita-pavana, the deliverer of all fallen souls, because if the king or the head of the government follows in the footsteps of the brahmanas and Vaisnavas, who are naturally leaders in missionary work, the vaisyas will also follow in the footsteps of the Vaisnavas and brahmanas, and the sudras will give them service. Thus the entire society becomes a perfect human institution for combined progress to the highest perfection of life.

SB4.21.51

TEXT 51

adya nas tamasah paras

tvayopasaditah prabho

bhramyatam nasta-drstinam

karmabhir daiva-samjnitaih

SYNONYMS

adya—today; nah—of us; tamasah—of the darkness of material existence; parah—the other side; tvaya—by you; upasaditah—increased; prabho—O lord; bhramyatam—who are wandering; nasta-drstinam—who have lost their goal of life; karmabhih—on account of past deeds; daiva-samjnitaih—arranged by superior authority.

TRANSLATION

The citizens continued: Today you have opened our eyes and revealed how to cross to the other side of the ocean of darkness. By our past deeds and by the arrangement of superior authority, we are entangled in a network of fruitive activities and have lost sight of the destination of life; thus we have been wandering within the universe.

PURPORT

In this verse, the words karmabhir daiva-samjnitaih are very significant. Due to the quality of our actions, we come to the association of the modes of material nature, and by superior arrangement we are given a chance to enjoy the fruitive results of such activities in different types of bodies. In this way, having lost sight of their destinations in life, all living entities are wandering in different species throughout the universe, sometimes getting birth in a lower species and sometimes existence in higher planetary systems; thus we are all wandering since time immemorial. It is by the grace of the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead that we get the clue of devotional life, and thus progressive success in our life begins. Here this is admitted by the citizens of King Prthu; in full consciousness they admit the benefit they have derived from the activities of Maharaja Prthu.

SB4.21.52

TEXT 52

namo vivrddha-sattvaya

purusaya mahiyase

yo brahma ksatram avisya

bibhartidam sva-tejasa

SYNONYMS

namah—all obeisances; vivrddha—highly elevated; sattvaya—unto the existence; purusaya—unto the person; mahiyase—unto one who is so glorified; yah—who; brahma—brahminical culture; ksatram—administrative duty; avisya—entering; bibharti—maintaining; idam—this; sva-tejasa—by his own prowess.

TRANSLATION

Dear lord, you are situated in your pure existential position of goodness; therefore you are the perfect representative of the Supreme Lord. You are glorified by your own prowess, and thus you are maintaining the entire world by introducing brahminical culture and protecting everyone in your line of duty as a ksatriya.

PURPORT

Without the spread of brahminical culture and without proper protection from the government, no social standard can be maintained properly. This is admitted in this verse by the citizens of Maharaja Prthu, who could maintain the wonderful situation of his government due to his position in pure goodness. The word vivrddha-sattvaya is significant. In the material world there are three qualities—namely goodness, passion and ignorance. One has to be raised from the platform of ignorance to the platform of goodness by devotional service. There is no other means for elevating one from the lowest stage of life to the highest stage but the execution of devotional service; as advised in the previous chapters of Srimad-Bhagavatam, one can raise himself from the lowest position to the highest simply by associating with devotees and hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly from their mouths.

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrt satam

“When one engages in devotional service in the first stages of hearing and chanting, the Lord, who is in everyone’s heart, helps the devotee in cleansing his heart.” (Bhag. 1.2.17) In the gradual cleansing process, one is relieved of the influence of passion and ignorance and is situated on the platform of goodness. The result of association with the qualities of passion and ignorance is that one becomes lusty and greedy. But when one is elevated to the platform of goodness, he is satisfied in any condition of life and is without lust and greed. This mentality indicates one’s situation on the platform of goodness. One has to transcend this goodness and raise himself to the pure goodness called vivrddha-sattva, or the advanced stage of goodness. In the advanced stage of goodness one can become Krsna conscious. Therefore Maharaja Prthu is addressed here as vivrddha-sattva, or one who is situated in the transcendental position. But Maharaja Prthu, although situated in the transcendental position of a pure devotee, came down to the position of brahmana and ksatriya for the benefit of human society and thus gave protection to the entire world by his personal prowess. Although he was a king, a ksatriya, because he was a Vaisnava he was also a brahmana. As a brahmana he could give proper instruction to the citizens, and as a ksatriya he could rightly give protection to all of them. Thus the citizens of Maharaja Prthu were protected in all respects by the perfect king.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Twenty-first Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Instructions by Maharaja Prthu.”

Next chapter (SB 4.22)