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

Chapter Twenty-four

SB4.24.18

TEXT 18

atmaramo ’pi yas tv asya

loka-kalpasya radhase

saktya yukto vicarati

ghoraya bhagavan bhavah

SYNONYMS

atma-aramah—self-satisfied; api—although he is; yah—one who is; tu—but; asya—this; loka—material world; kalpasya—when manifested; radhase—for the matter of helping its existence; saktya—potencies; yuktah—being engaged; vicarati—he acts; ghoraya—very dangerous; bhagavan—His Lordship; bhavah—Siva.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva, the most powerful demigod, second only to Lord Visnu, is self-sufficient. Although he has nothing to aspire for in the material world, for the benefit of those in the material world he is always busily engaged everywhere and is accompanied by his dangerous energies like goddess Kali and goddess Durga.

PURPORT

Lord Siva is known as the greatest devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is known as the best of all types of Vaisnavas (vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh). Consequently, Lord Siva has a Vaisnava sampradaya, the disciplic succession known as the Rudra-sampradaya. Just as there is a Brahma-sampradaya coming directly from Lord Brahma, the Rudra-sampradaya comes directly from Lord Siva. Lord Siva is one of the twelve great personalities, as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.3.20):

svayambhur naradah sambhuh
kumarah kapilo manuh
prahlado janako bhismo
balir vaiyasakir vayam

These are twelve great authorities in preaching God consciousness. The name Sambhu means Lord Siva. His disciplic succession is also known as the Visnusvami-sampradaya, and the current Visnusvami-sampradaya is also known as the Vallabha-sampradaya. The current Brahma-sampradaya is known as the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya. Even though Lord Siva appeared to preach Mayavada philosophy, at the end of his pastime in the form of Sankaracarya, he preached the Vaisnava philosophy: bhaja govindam bhaja govindam bhaja govindam mudha-mate. He stressed worshiping Lord Krsna, or Govinda, three times in this verse and especially warned his followers that they could not possibly achieve deliverance, or mukti, simply by word jugglery and grammatical puzzles. If one is actually serious to attain mukti, he must worship Lord Krsna. That is Sripada Sankaracarya’s last instruction.

Herein it is mentioned that Lord Siva is always accompanied by his material energy (saktya ghoraya). Material energy—goddess Durga, or goddess Kali—is always under his control. Goddess Kali and Durga serve him by killing all the asuras, or demons. Sometimes Kali becomes so infuriated that she indiscriminately kills all kinds of asuras. There is a popular picture of goddess Kali in which she wears a garland composed of the heads of the asuras and holds in her left hand a captured head and in her right hand a great khadga, or chopper, for killing asuras. Great wars are symbolic representations of Kali’s devastation of the asuras and are actually conducted by the goddess Kali.

srsti-sthiti-pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka

(Brahma-samhita 5.44)

Asuras try to pacify the goddess Kali, or Durga, by worshiping her in material opulence, but when the asuras become too intolerable, goddess Kali does not discriminate in killing them wholesale. Asuras do not know the secret of the energy of Lord Siva, and they prefer to worship goddess Kali or Durga or Lord Siva for material benefit. Due to their demoniac character, they are reluctant to surrender to Lord Krsna, as indicated by Bhagavad-gita (7.15):

na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asuram bhavam asritah

Lord Siva’s duty is very dangerous because he has to employ the energy of goddess Kali (or Durga). In another popular picture the goddess Kali is sometimes seen standing on the prostrate body of Lord Siva, which indicates that sometimes Lord Siva has to fall down flat in order to stop goddess Kali from killing the asuras. Since Lord Siva controls the great material energy (goddess Durga), worshipers of Lord Siva attain very opulent positions within this material world. Under Lord Siva’s direction, a worshiper of Lord Siva gets all kinds of material facilities. In contrast, a Vaisnava, or worshiper of Lord Visnu, gradually becomes poorer in material possessions because Lord Visnu does not trick His devotees into becoming materially entangled by possessions. Lord Visnu gives His devotees intelligence from within, as stated in Bhagavad-gita (10.10):

tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

Thus Lord Visnu gives intelligence to His devotee so that the devotee can make progress on the path back home, back to Godhead. Since a devotee has nothing to do with any kind of material possession, he does not come under the control of goddess Kali, or the goddess Durga.

Lord Siva is also in charge of the tamo-guna, or the mode of ignorance in this material world. His potency, the goddess Durga, is described as keeping all living entities in the darkness of ignorance (ya devi sarva-bhutesu nidra-rupam samsthita). Both Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are incarnations of Lord Visnu, but Lord Brahma is in charge of the creation whereas Lord Siva is in charge of the destruction, which he carries out with the help of his material energy, goddess Kali, or goddess Durga. Thus in this verse Lord Siva is described as being accompanied by dangerous potencies (saktya ghoraya), and that is the actual position of Lord Siva.

SB4.24.19

TEXT 19

maitreya uvaca

pracetasah pitur vakyam

sirasadaya sadhavah

disam praticim prayayus

tapasy adrta-cetasah

SYNONYMS

maitreyah uvaca—the great sage Maitreya continued to speak; pracetasah—all the sons of King Pracinabarhi; pituh—of the father; vakyam—words; sirasa—on the head; adaya—accepting; sadhavah—all pious; disam—direction; praticim—western; prayayuh—went away; tapasi—in austerities; adrta—accepting seriously; cetasah—in the heart.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, because of their pious nature, all the sons of Pracinabarhi very seriously accepted the words of their father with heart and soul, and with these words on their heads, they went toward the west to execute their father’s order.

PURPORT

In this verse sadhavah (meaning “pious” or “well behaved”) is very important, especially at the present moment. It is derived from the word sadhu. A perfect sadhu is one who is always engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Pracinabarhi’s sons are described as sadhavah because of their complete obedience to their father. The father, king and spiritual master are supposed to be representatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and as such they have to be respected as the Supreme Lord. It is the duty of the father, the spiritual master and the king to regulate their subordinates in such a way that they ultimately become fully unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Lord. That is the duty of the superiors, and it is the duty of the subordinates to obey their orders perfectly and in a disciplined way. The word sirasa (“on their heads”) is also significant, for the Pracetas accepted the orders of their father and carried them on their heads, which means they accepted them in complete surrender.

SB4.24.20

TEXT 20

sa-samudram upa vistirnam

apasyan sumahat sarah

mahan-mana iva svaccham

prasanna-salilasayam

SYNONYMS

sa-samudram—almost near the ocean; upa—more or less; vistirnam—very wide and long; apasyan—they saw; su-mahat—very great; sarah—reservoir of water; mahat—great soul; manah—mind; iva—like; su-accham—clear; prasanna—joyful; salila—water; asayam—taken shelter of.

TRANSLATION

While traveling, the Pracetas happened to see a great reservoir of water which seemed almost as big as the ocean. The water of this lake was so calm and quiet that it seemed like the mind of a great soul, and its inhabitants, the aquatics, appeared very peaceful and happy to be under the protection of such a watery reservoir.

PURPORT

The word sa-samudra means “near the sea.” The reservoir of water was like a bay, for it was not very far from the sea. The word upa, meaning “more or less,” is used in many ways, as in the word upapati, which indicates a husband “more or less,” that is to say, a lover who is acting like a husband. Upa also means “greater,” “smaller” or “nearer.” Considering all these points, the reservoir of water which was seen by the Pracetas while they were traveling was actually a large bay or lake. And unlike the sea or ocean, which has turbulent waves, this reservoir was very calm and quiet. Indeed, the water was so clear that it seemed like the mind of some great soul. There may be many great souls—jnanis, yogis and bhaktas, or pure devotees, are also called great souls—but they are very rarely found. One can find many great souls amongst yogis and jnanis, but a truly great soul, a pure devotee of the Lord, who is fully surrendered to the Lord, is very rarely found (sa mahatma sudurlabhah, Bg. 7.19). A devotee’s mind is always calm, quiet and desireless because he is always anyabhilasita-sunyam [Madhya 19.167], having no desire other than to serve Krsna as His personal servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Due to his association with Krsna, a devotee is always very calm and cool. It is also significant that within that reservoir all the aquatics were also very calm and quiet. Because the disciples of a devotee have taken shelter of a great soul, they become very calm and quiet and are not agitated by the waves of the material world.

This material world is often described as an ocean of nescience. In such an ocean, everything is agitated. The mind of a great devotee is also like an ocean or a very large lake, but there is no agitation. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.41): vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana. Those who are fixed in the service of the Lord are not agitated by anything. It is also stated in Bhagavad-gita (6.22): yasmin sthito na duhkhena gurunapi vicalyate. Even if he suffers some reversals in life, a devotee is never agitated. Therefore whoever takes shelter of a great soul or a great devotee becomes pacified. In the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 19.149) it is stated: krsna-bhakta—niskama, ataeva ‘santa.’ A devotee of Lord Krsna is always peaceful because he has no desire, whereas the yogis, karmis and jnanis have so many desires to fulfill. One may argue that the devotees have desires, for they wish to go home, back to Godhead, but such a desire does not agitate the mind. Although he wishes to go back to Godhead, a devotee is satisfied in any condition of life. Consequently, the word mahan-manah is used in this verse to indicate that the reservoir of water was as calm and quiet as the mind of a great devotee.

SB4.24.21

TEXT 21

nila-raktotpalambhoja-

kahlarendivarakaram

hamsa-sarasa-cakrahva-

karandava-nikujitam

SYNONYMS

nila—blue; rakta—red; utpala—lotus; ambhah-ja—born from the water; kahlara—another kind of lotus; indivara—another kind of lotus; akaram—the mine; hamsa—swans; sarasa—cranes; cakrahva—the ducks of the name; karandava—birds of the name; nikujitam—vibrated by their sounds.

TRANSLATION

In that great lake there were different types of lotus flowers. Some of them were bluish, and some of them were red. Some of them grew at night, some in the day and some, like the indivara lotus flower, in the evening. Combined together, the lotus flowers filled the lake so full that the lake appeared to be a great mine of such flowers. Consequently, on the shores there were swans and cranes, cakravaka, karandava and other beautiful water birds standing about.

PURPORT

The word akaram (“mine”) is significant in this verse, for the reservoir of water appeared like a mine from which different types of lotus flowers were produced. Some of the lotus flowers grew during the day, some at night and some in the evening, and accordingly they had different names and different colors. All these flowers were present on that lake, and because the lake was so calm and quiet and filled with lotus flowers, superior birds, like swans, cakravakas and karandavas, stood on the shores and vibrated their different songs, making the entire scene attractive and beautiful. As there are different types of human beings, according to the association of the three qualities of material nature, there are similarly different types of birds, bees, trees, etc. Everything is divided according to the three qualities of material nature. Birds like swans and cranes, who enjoy clear waters and lotus flowers, are different from crows, who enjoy filthy places. Similarly, there are persons who are controlled by the modes of ignorance and passion and those who are controlled by the mode of goodness. The creation is so varied that there are always varieties found in every society. Thus on the bank of this lake all the superior birds lived to enjoy that atmosphere created by that great reservoir filled with lotus flowers.

SB4.24.22

TEXT 22

matta-bhramara-sausvarya-

hrsta-roma-latanghripam

padma-kosa-rajo diksu

viksipat-pavanotsavam

SYNONYMS

matta—mad; bhramara—bumblebees; sau-svarya—with great humming; hrsta—joyfully; roma—hair on the body; lata—creepers; anghripam—trees; padma—lotus flower; kosa—whorl; rajah—saffron; diksu—in all directions; viksipat—throwing away; pavana—air; utsavam—festival.

TRANSLATION

There were various trees and creepers on all sides of the lake, and there were mad bumblebees humming all about them. The trees appeared to be very jolly due to the sweet humming of the bumblebees, and the saffron, which was contained in the lotus flowers, was being thrown into the air. These all created such an atmosphere that it appeared as though a festival were taking place there.

PURPORT

Trees and creepers are also different types of living beings. When bumblebees come upon trees and creepers to collect honey, certainly such plants become very happy. On such an occasion the wind also takes advantage of the situation by throwing pollen or saffron contained in the lotus flowers. All this combines with the sweet vibration created by the swans and the calm of the water. The Pracetas considered such a place to be like a continuous festival. From this description it appears that the Pracetas reached Sivaloka, which is supposed to be situated near the Himalaya Mountains.

SB4.24.23

TEXT 23

tatra gandharvam akarnya

divya-marga-manoharam

visismyu raja-putras te

mrdanga-panavady anu

SYNONYMS

tatra—there; gandharvam—musical sounds; akarnya—hearing; divya—heavenly; marga—symmetrical; manah-haram—beautiful; visismyuh—they became amazed; raja-putrah—all the sons of King Barhisat; te—all of them; mrdanga—drums; panava—kettledrums; adi—all together; anu—always.

TRANSLATION

The sons of the King became very much amazed when they heard vibrations from various drums and kettledrums along with other orderly musical sounds pleasing to the ear.

PURPORT

In addition to the various flowers and living entities about the lake, there were also many musical vibrations. The void of the impersonalists, which has no variegatedness, is not at all pleasing compared with such a scene. Actually one has to attain the perfection of sac-cid-ananda, eternity, bliss and knowledge. Because the impersonalists deny these varieties of creation, they cannot actually enjoy transcendental bliss. The place where the Pracetas arrived was the abode of Lord Siva. Impersonalists are generally worshipers of Lord Siva, but Lord Siva is never without variety in his abode. Thus wherever one goes, whether to the planet of Lord Siva, Lord Visnu or Lord Brahma, there is variety to be enjoyed by persons full in knowledge and bliss.

SB4.24.24-25

TEXTS 24–25

tarhy eva sarasas tasman

niskramantam sahanugam

upagiyamanam amara-

pravaram vibudhanugaih

tapta-hema-nikayabham

siti-kantham tri-locanam

prasada-sumukham viksya

pranemur jata-kautukah

SYNONYMS

tarhi—in that very moment; eva—certainly; sarasah—from the water; tasmat—therefrom; niskramantam—coming out; saha-anugam—accompanied by great souls; upagiyamanam—glorified by the followers; amara-pravaram—the chief of the demigods; vibudha-anugaih—followed by his associates; tapta-hema—molten gold; nikaya-abham—bodily features; siti-kantham—blue throat; tri-locanam—with three eyes; prasada—merciful; su-mukham—beautiful face; viksya—seeing; pranemuh—offered obeisances; jata—aroused; kautukah—being amazed by the situation.

TRANSLATION

The Pracetas were fortunate to see Lord Siva, the chief of the demigods, emerging from the water with his associates. His bodily luster was just like molten gold, his throat was bluish, and he had three eyes, which looked very mercifully upon his devotees. He was accompanied by many musicians, who were glorifying him. As soon as the Pracetas saw Lord Siva, they immediately offered their obeisances in great amazement and fell down at the lotus feet of the lord.

PURPORT

The word vibudhanugaih indicates that Lord Siva is always accompanied by the denizens of the higher planets known as Gandharvas and Kinnaras. They are very expert in musical science, and Lord Siva is worshiped by them constantly. In pictures, Lord Siva is generally painted white, but here we find that the color of his skin is not exactly white but like molten gold, or a glowing yellowish color. Because Lord Siva is always very, very merciful, his name is Asutosa. Amongst all the demigods, Lord Siva can be pacified even by the lowest class of men, who need only offer him obeisances and leaves of a bael tree. Thus his name is Asutosa, which means that he is pleased very quickly.

Generally those who are very fond of material prosperity approach Lord Siva for such benediction. The lord, being very merciful, quickly awards all the blessings the devotee asks of him. The demons take advantage of this leniency and sometimes take benedictions from Lord Siva which can be very dangerous to others. For instance, Vrkasura took a benediction from Lord Siva by which he could kill everyone he touched on the head. Although Lord Siva sometimes very liberally gives such benedictions to his devotees, the difficulty is that the demons, being very cunning, sometimes want to experiment improperly with such benedictions. For instance, after receiving his benediction, Vrkasura tried to touch the head of Lord Siva. Devotees of Lord Visnu, however, have no desire for such benedictions, and Lord Visnu does not give His devotees benedictions which would cause disturbance to the whole world.

SB4.24.26

TEXT 26

sa tan prapannarti-haro

bhagavan dharma-vatsalah

dharma-jnan sila-sampannan

pritah pritan uvaca ha

SYNONYMS

sah—Lord Siva; tan—them; prapanna-arti-harah—one who drives away all kinds of dangers; bhagavan—the lord; dharma-vatsalah—very much fond of religious principles; dharma-jnan—persons who are aware of religious principles; sila-sampannan—very well behaved; pritah—being pleased; pritan—of very gentle behavior; uvaca—talked with them; ha—in the past.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva became very pleased with the Pracetas because generally Lord Siva is the protector of pious persons and persons of gentle behavior. Being very much pleased with the princes, he began to speak as follows.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, or Krsna, is known as bhakta-vatsala, and herein we find Lord Siva described as dharma-vatsala. Of course, the word dharma-vatsala refers to a person who lives according to religious principles. That is understood. Nonetheless, these two words have additional significance. Sometimes Lord Siva has to deal with persons who are in the modes of passion and ignorance. Such persons are not always very much religious and pious in their activities, but since they worship Lord Siva for some material profit, they sometimes obey the religious principles. As soon as Lord Siva sees that his devotees are following religious principles, he blesses them. The Pracetas, sons of Pracinabarhi, were naturally very pious and gentle, and consequently Lord Siva was immediately pleased with them. Lord Siva could understand that the princes were sons of Vaisnavas, and as such Lord Siva offered prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as follows.

SB4.24.27

TEXT 27

sri-rudra uvaca

yuyam vedisadah putra

viditam vas cikirsitam

anugrahaya bhadram va

evam me darsanam krtam

SYNONYMS

sri-rudrah uvaca—Lord Siva began to speak; yuyam—all of you; vedisadah—of King Pracinabarhi; putrah—sons; viditam—knowing; vah—your; cikirsitam—desires; anugrahaya—for the matter of showing you mercy; bhadram—all good fortune unto you; vah—all of you; evam—thus; me—my; darsanam—audience; krtam—you have done.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva said: You are all the sons of King Pracinabarhi, and I wish all good fortune to you. I also know what you are going to do, and therefore I am visible to you just to show my mercy upon you.

PURPORT

By these words Lord Siva indicates that what the princes were going to do was known to him. It is a fact that they were going to worship Lord Visnu by severe austerities and penances. Knowing this fact, Lord Siva immediately became very pleased, as apparent by the next verse. This indicates that a person who is not yet a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead but who desires to serve the Supreme Lord receives the benedictions of the demigods, headed by the chief demigod, Lord Siva. Thus a devotee of the Lord does not need to try to please the demigods separately. Simply by worshiping the Supreme Lord, a devotee can please all of them. Nor does he have to ask the demigods for material benedictions, for the demigods, being pleased with the devotee, automatically offer him everything that he needs. The demigods are servants of the Lord, and they are always prepared to help a devotee in all circumstances. Therefore Srila Bilvamangala Thakura said that if one has unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Lord, the goddess of liberation is ready to serve him, to say nothing of the gods of material opulences. Indeed, all the demigods are simply waiting for an opportunity to serve the devotee. Thus there is no need for a devotee of Krsna to endeavor for material opulence or liberation. By being situated in the transcendental position of devotional service, he receives all the benefits of dharma, artha, kama and moksa.

SB4.24.28

TEXT 28

yah param ramhasah saksat

tri-gunaj jiva-samjnitat

bhagavantam vasudevam

prapannah sa priyo hi me

SYNONYMS

yah—anyone; param—transcendental; ramhasah—of the controller; saksat—directly; tri-gunat—from the three modes of material nature; jiva-samjnitat—living entities called by the name jivas; bhagavantam—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vasudevam—unto Krsna; prapannah—surrendered; sah—he; priyah—very dear; hi—undoubtedly; me—of me.

TRANSLATION

Lord Siva continued: Any person who is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, the controller of everything—material nature as well as the living entity—is actually very dear to me.

PURPORT

Now Lord Siva explains the reason he has personally come before the princes. It is because all the princes are devotees of Lord Krsna. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.19):

bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma sudurlabhah

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.”

Lord Siva is rarely seen by common men, and similarly a person who is fully surrendered unto Vasudeva, Krsna, is also very rarely seen because a person who is fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord is very rare (sa mahatma sudurlabhah). Consequently Lord Siva came especially to see the Pracetas because they were fully surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. Vasudeva is also mentioned in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the mantra, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Since Vasudeva is the ultimate truth, Lord Siva openly proclaims that one who is a devotee of Lord Vasudeva, who is surrendered to Lord Krsna, is actually very dear to him. Lord Vasudeva, Krsna, is worshipable not only by ordinary living entities but by demigods like Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and others. Yam brahma-varunendra-rudra-marutah stuvanti divyaih stavaih (Bhag. 12.13.1). Krsna is worshiped by Lord Brahma, Lord Siva, Varuna, Indra, Candra and all other demigods. That is also the situation with a devotee. Indeed, one who takes to Krsna consciousness immediately becomes very dear to anyone who is simply finding out and beginning to understand what Krsna consciousness actually is. Similarly, all the demigods are also trying to find out who is actually surrendered to Lord Vasudeva. Because the Praceta princes were surrendered to Vasudeva, Lord Siva willingly came forth to see them.

Lord Vasudeva, or Krsna, is described in Bhagavad-gita as Purusottama. Actually He is the enjoyer (purusa) and the Supreme (uttama) as well. He is the enjoyer of everything—the prakrti and the purusa. Being influenced by the three modes of material nature, the living entity tries to dominate material nature, but actually he is not the purusa (enjoyer) but prakrti, as described in Bhagavad-gita (7.5): apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim viddhi me param. Thus the jiva, or living entity, is actually prakrti, or the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord. Being associated with material energy, he tries to lord it over the material nature. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (15.7):

mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani
prakrti-sthani karsati

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.”

By endeavoring to dominate material nature, the living entity simply struggles hard for existence. Indeed, he struggles so hard to enjoy himself that he cannot even enjoy the material resources. Thus he is sometimes called prakrti, or jiva, for he is situated in the marginal potency. When the living entity is covered with the three modes of material nature, he is called jiva-samjnita. There are two kinds of living entities: one is called ksara, and the other is aksara. Ksara refers to those who have fallen down and become conditioned, and aksara refers to those who are not conditioned. The vast majority of living entities live in the spiritual world and are called aksara. They are in the position of Brahman, pure spiritual existence. They are different from those who have been conditioned by the three modes of material nature.

Being above both the ksara and aksara, Lord Krsna, Vasudeva, is described in Bhagavad-gita (15.18) as Purusottama. The impersonalists may say that Vasudeva is the impersonal Brahman, but actually the impersonal Brahman is subordinate to Krsna, as also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (14.27): brahmano hi pratisthaham. That Krsna is the source of the impersonal Brahman is also confirmed in Brahma-samhita (5.40): yasya prabha prabhavato jagadanda-koti. The impersonal Brahman is nothing but the effulgence or bodily rays of Krsna, and in those bodily rays there are innumerable universes floating. Thus in all respects Vasudeva, Krsna, is the Supreme Lord, and Lord Siva is very satisfied with those who are completely surrendered to Him. Complete surrender is desired by Krsna, as He indicates in the last chapter of Bhagavad-gita (18.66): sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. The word saksat, meaning “directly,” is very significant. There are many so-called devotees, but actually they are only karmis and jnanis, for they are not directly devotees of Lord Krsna. The karmis sometimes offer the results of their activities to Lord Vasudeva, and this offering is called karmarpanam. These are considered to be fruitive activities, for the karmis consider Lord Visnu to be one of the demigods like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. Because they consider Lord Visnu to be on the same level with the demigods, they contend that surrendering to the demigods is as good as surrendering unto Vasudeva. This contention is denied herein because if it were true, Lord Siva would have said that surrender unto him, Lord Vasudeva, Visnu or Brahma is the same. However, Lord Siva does not say this because he himself surrenders unto Vasudeva, and whoever else surrenders unto Vasudeva is very, very dear to him. This is expressed herein openly. The conclusion is that a devotee of Lord Siva is not dear to Lord Siva, but a devotee of Lord Krsna is very dear to Lord Siva.

SB4.24.29

TEXT 29

sva-dharma-nisthah sata-janmabhih puman

virincatam eti tatah param hi mam

avyakrtam bhagavato ’tha vaisnavam

padam yathaham vibudhah kalatyaye

SYNONYMS

sva-dharma-nisthah—one who is situated in his own dharma, or occupation; sata-janmabhih—for one hundred births; puman—a living entity; virincatam—the post of Lord Brahma; eti—gets; tatah—thereafter; param—above; hi—certainly; mam—attains me; avyakrtam—without deviation; bhagavatah—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; atha—therefore; vaisnavam—a pure devotee of the Lord; padam—post; yatha—as; aham—I; vibudhah—demigods; kala-atyaye—after the annihilation of the material world.

TRANSLATION

A person who executes his occupational duty properly for one hundred births becomes qualified to occupy the post of Brahma, and if he becomes more qualified, he can approach Lord Siva. A person who is directly surrendered to Lord Krsna, or Visnu, in unalloyed devotional service is immediately promoted to the spiritual planets. Lord Siva and other demigods attain these planets after the destruction of this material world.

PURPORT

This verse gives an idea of the highest perfection of the evolutionary process. As described by the Vaisnava poet Jayadeva Gosvami, pralaya-payodhi jale dhrtavan asi vedam **. Let us begin tracing the evolutionary process from the point of devastation (pralaya), when the whole universe is filled with water. At that time there are many fishes and other aquatics, and from these aquatics evolve creepers, trees, etc. From these, insects and reptiles evolve, and from them birds, beasts and then human beings and finally civilized human beings. Now, the civilized human being is at a junction where he can make further evolutionary progress in spiritual life. Here it is stated (sva-dharma-nisthah) that when a living entity comes to a civilized form of life, there must be sva-dharma, social divisions according to one’s work and qualifications. This is indicated in Bhagavad-gita (4.13):

catur-varnyam maya srstam
guna-karma-vibhagasah

“According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me.”

In civilized human society there must be the divisions of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, and everyone must properly execute his occupational duty in accordance with his division. Here it is described (svadharma-nisthah) that it does not matter whether one is a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya or sudra. If one sticks to his position and properly executes his particular duty, he is considered a civilized human being. Otherwise he is no better than an animal. It is also mentioned herein that whoever executes his occupational duty (sva-dharma) for one hundred births (for instance, if a brahmana continues to act as a brahmana) becomes eligible for promotion to Brahmaloka, the planet where Lord Brahma lives. There is also a planet called Sivaloka, or Sadasivaloka, which is situated in a marginal position between the spiritual and material worlds. If, after being situated in Brahmaloka, one becomes more qualified, he is promoted to Sadasivaloka. Similarly, when one becomes even more qualified, he can attain the Vaikunthalokas. The Vaikunthalokas are targets for everyone, even the demigods, and they can be attained by a devotee who has no desire for material benefit. As indicated in Bhagavad-gita (8.16), one does not escape material miseries even if he is elevated to Brahmaloka (abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna). Similarly, one is not very safe even if he is promoted to Sivaloka, because the planet of Sivaloka is marginal. However, if one attains Vaikunthaloka, he attains the highest perfection of life and the end of the evolutionary process (mam upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate). In other words, it is confirmed herein that a person in human society who has developed consciousness must take to Krsna consciousness in order to be promoted to Vaikunthaloka or Krsnaloka immediately after leaving the body. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ’rjuna (Bg. 4.9). A devotee who is fully in Krsna consciousness, who is not attracted by any other loka, or planet, including Brahmaloka and Sivaloka, is immediately transferred to Krsnaloka (mam eti). That is the highest perfection of life and the perfection of the evolutionary process.

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