Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 4: “The Creation of the Fourth Order”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Seven
SB4.7.33
TEXT 33
patnya ucuh
yajno ’yam tava yajanaya kena srsto
vidhvastah pasupatinadya daksa-kopat
tam nas tvam sava-sayanabha-santa-medham
yajnatman nalina-ruca drsa punihi
SYNONYMS
patnyah ucuh—the wives of the executors of the sacrifice said; yajnah—the sacrifice; ayam—this; tava—Your; yajanaya—worshiping; kena—by Brahma; srstah—arranged; vidhvastah—devastated; pasupatina—by Lord Siva; adya—today; daksa-kopat—from anger at Daksa; tam—it; nah—our; tvam—You; sava-sayana—dead bodies; abha—like; santa-medham—the still sacrificial animals; yajna-atman—O Lord of sacrifice; nalina—lotus; ruca—beautiful; drsa—by the vision of Your eyes; punihi—sanctify.
TRANSLATION
The wives of the performers of the sacrifice said: My dear Lord, this sacrifice was arranged under the instruction of Brahma, but unfortunately Lord Siva, being angry at Daksa, devastated the entire scene, and because of his anger the animals meant for sacrifice are lying dead. Therefore the preparations of the yajna have been lost. Now, by the glance of Your lotus eyes, the sanctity of this sacrificial arena may be again invoked.
PURPORT
Animals were offered in sacrifice in order to give them renewed life; that was the purpose of having animals there. Offering an animal in sacrifice and giving him renewed life was the evidence of the strength of chanting mantras. Unfortunately, when Daksa’s sacrifice was devastated by Lord Siva, some of the animals were killed. (One was killed just to replace the head of Daksa.) Their bodies were lying about, and the sacrificial arena was turned into a crematorium. Thus the real purpose of yajna was lost.
Lord Visnu, being the ultimate objective of such sacrificial ceremonies, was requested by the wives of the priests to glance over the yajna arena with His causeless mercy so that the routine work of the yajna might be continued. The purport here is that animals should not be unnecessarily killed. They were used to prove the strength of the mantras and were to have been rejuvenated by the use of the mantras. They should not have been killed, as they were by Lord Siva to replace the head of Daksa with an animal’s head. It was pleasing to see an animal sacrificed and rejuvenated, and that pleasing atmosphere had been lost. The wives of the priests requested that the animals be brought back to life by the glance of Lord Visnu to make a pleasing yajna. SB4.7.34 TEXT 34 rsaya ucuh ananvitam te bhagavan vicestitam yad atmana carasi hi karma najyase vibhutaye yata upasedur isvarim na manyate svayam anuvartatim bhavan SYNONYMS rsayah—the sages; ucuh—prayed; ananvitam—wonderful; te—Your; bhagavan—O possessor of all opulences; vicestitam—activities; yat—which; atmana—by Your potencies; carasi—You execute; hi—certainly; karma—to such activities; na ajyase—You are not attached; vibhutaye—for her mercy; yatah—from whom; upaseduh—worshiped; isvarim—Laksmi, the goddess of fortune; na manyate—are not attached; svayam—Yourself; anuvartatim—to Your obedient servant (Laksmi); bhavan—Your Lordship. TRANSLATION The sages prayed: Dear Lord, Your activities are most wonderful, and although You do everything by Your different potencies, You are not at all attached to such activities. You are not even attached to the goddess of fortune, who is worshiped by the great demigods like Brahma, who pray to achieve her mercy. PURPORT In Bhagavad-gita it is said that the Lord has no desire to achieve any result from His wonderful activities, nor has He any need to perform them. But still, in order to give an example to people in general, He sometimes acts, and those activities are very wonderful. He is not attached to anything. Na mam karmani limpanti: although He acts very wonderfully, He is not at all attached to anything (Bg. 4.14). He is self-sufficient. The example is given here that the goddess of fortune, Laksmi, is always engaged in the service of the Lord, but still He is not attached to her. Even great demigods like Brahma worship the goddess of fortune in order to win her favor, but although the Lord is worshiped by many hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune, He is not at all attached to any one of them. This distinction concerning the exalted transcendental position of the Lord is specifically mentioned by the great sages; He is not like the ordinary living entity, who is attached to the results of pious activities. SB4.7.35 TEXT 35 siddha ucuh ayam tvat-katha-mrsta-piyusa-nadyam mano-varanah klesa-davagni-dagdhah trsarto ’vagadho na sasmara davam na niskramati brahma-sampannavan nah SYNONYMS siddhah—the Siddhas; ucuh—prayed; ayam—this; tvat-katha—Your pastimes; mrsta—pure; piyusa—of nectar; nadyam—in the river; manah—of the mind; varanah—the elephant; klesa—sufferings; dava-agni—by the forest fire; dagdhah—burned; trsa—thirst; artah—afflicted; avagadhah—being immersed; na sasmara—does not remember; davam—the forest fire or the miseries; na niskramati—not come out; brahma—the Absolute; sampanna-vat—like having merged; nah—our. TRANSLATION The Siddhas prayed: Like an elephant that has suffered in a forest fire but can forget all its troubles by entering a river, our minds, O Lord, always merge in the nectarean river of Your transcendental pastimes, and they desire never to leave such transcendental bliss, which is as good as the pleasure of merging in the Absolute. PURPORT This statement is from the Siddhas, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, where the eight kinds of material perfection are complete. The residents of Siddhaloka have full control in the eight kinds of yogic perfection, but from their statement it appears that they are pure devotees. They always merge in the nectarean river of hearing of the pastimes of the Lord. Hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is called krsna-katha. Similarly, there is a statement by Prahlada Maharaja that those who are always merged in the ocean of the nectar of describing the Lord’s pastimes are liberated and have no fear of the material condition of life. The Siddhas say that the mind of an ordinary person is full of anxieties. The example is given of the elephant who has suffered in a forest fire and who enters into a river for relief. If persons who are suffering in the forest fire of this material existence will only enter into the nectarean river of the description of the pastimes of the Lord, they will forget all the troubles of the miserable material existence. The Siddhas do not care for fruitive activities, such as performing sacrifices and achieving the good results. They simply merge in the transcendental discussions of the pastimes of the Lord. That makes them completely happy, without care for pious or impious activities. For those who are always in Krsna consciousness there is no need to perform any kind of pious or impious sacrifices or activities. Krsna consciousness is itself complete, for it includes all the processes praised in the Vedic scriptures. SB4.7.36 TEXT 36 yajamany uvaca svagatam te prasidesa tubhyam namah srinivasa sriya kantaya trahi nah tvam rte ’dhisa nangair makhah sobhate sirsa-hinah ka-bandho yatha purusah SYNONYMS yajamani—the wife of Daksa; uvaca—prayed; su-agatam—auspicious appearance; te—Your; prasida—become pleased; isa—my dear Lord; tubhyam—unto You; namah—respectful obeisances; srinivasa—O abode of the goddess of fortune; sriya—with Laksmi; kantaya—Your wife; trahi—protect; nah—us; tvam—You; rte—without; adhisa—O supreme controller; na—not; angaih—with bodily limbs; makhah—the sacrificial arena; sobhate—is beautiful; sirsa-hinah—without the head; ka-bandhah—possessed of only a body; yatha—as; purusah—a person. TRANSLATION The wife of Daksa prayed as follows: My dear Lord, it is very fortunate that You have appeared in this arena of sacrifice. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, and I request that You be pleased on this occasion. The sacrificial arena is not beautiful without You, just as a body is not beautiful without the head. PURPORT Another name of Lord Visnu is Yajnesvara. In Bhagavad-gita it is said that all activities should be performed as Visnu-yajna, for the pleasure of Lord Visnu. Unless we please Him, whatever we do is the cause of our bondage in the material world. This is confirmed herein by the wife of Daksa: “Without Your presence, the grandeur of this sacrificial ceremony is useless, just as a body without the head, however decorated it may be, is useless.” The comparison is equally applicable to the social body. Material civilization is very proud of being advanced, but it is actually the useless trunk of a body without a head. Without Krsna consciousness, without an understanding of Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, any advancement in a civilization, no matter how sophisticated, is of no value. There is a statement in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.11): bhagavad-bhakti-hinasya The purport is that sometimes when a friend or relative dies, especially among lower class men, the dead body is decorated. Dressed and ornamented, the body is taken in procession. That sort of decoration of the dead body has no actual value because the life force is already gone. Similarly, any aristocracy, any social prestige or any advancement of material civilization without Krsna consciousness is as good as the decoration of a dead body. The name of the wife of Daksa was Prasuti, and she was the daughter of Svayambhuva Manu. Her sister, Devahuti, was married to Kardama Muni, and Kapiladeva, the Personality of Godhead, became her son. Prasuti, then, was the aunt of Lord Visnu. She was asking the favor of Lord Visnu in an affectionate mode; since she was His aunt, she sought some special favor. Also significant in this verse is that the Lord is praised with the goddess of fortune. Wherever Lord Visnu is worshiped, naturally there is the favor of the goddess of fortune. Lord Visnu is addressed as amrta, transcendental. The demigods, including Brahma and Lord Siva, were produced after the creation, but Lord Visnu existed before the creation. He is addressed, therefore, as amrta. Lord Visnu is worshiped with His internal energy by the Vaisnavas. Prasuti, the wife of Daksa, implored the Lord to turn the priests into Vaisnavas instead of simply fruitive workers performing sacrifices for some material benefits. SB4.7.37 TEXT 37 lokapala ucuh drstah kim no drgbhir asad-grahais tvam pratyag-drasta drsyate yena visvam maya hy esa bhavadiya hi bhuman yas tvam sasthah pancabhir bhasi bhutaih SYNONYMS loka-palah—the governors of the different planets; ucuh—said; drstah—seen; kim—whether; nah—by us; drgbhih—by the material senses; asat-grahaih—revealing the cosmic manifestation; tvam—You; pratyak-drasta—inner witness; drsyate—is seen; yena—by whom; visvam—the universe; maya—material world; hi—because; esa—this; bhavadiya—Your; hi—certainly; bhuman—O possessor of the universe; yah—because; tvam—You; sasthah—the sixth; pancabhih—with the five; bhasi—appear; bhutaih—with the elements. TRANSLATION The governors of various planets spoke as follows: Dear Lord, we believe only in our direct perception, but under the circumstances we do not know whether we have actually seen You with our material senses. By our material senses we can simply perceive the cosmic manifestation, but You are beyond the five elements. You are the sixth. We see You, therefore, as a creation of the material world. PURPORT The governors of the various planets are certainly materially opulent and very puffed up. Such persons are unable to understand the transcendental, eternal form of the Lord. In the Brahma-samhita it is stated that only persons who have anointed their eyes with love of Godhead can see the Personality of Godhead in every step of their activities. Also, in the prayers of Kunti (Bhag. 1.8.26) it is stated that only those who are akincana-gocaram, who are not materially puffed up, can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead; others are bewildered and cannot even think of the Absolute Truth. SB4.7.38 TEXT 38 yogesvara ucuh preyan na te ’nyo ’sty amutas tvayi prabho visvatmaniksen na prthag ya atmanah athapi bhaktyesa tayopadhavatam ananya-vrttyanugrhana vatsala SYNONYMS yoga-isvarah—the great mystics; ucuh—said; preyan—very dear; na—not; te—of You; anyah—another; asti—there is; amutah—from that; tvayi—in You; prabho—dear Lord; visva-atmani—in the Supersoul of all living entities; ikset—see; na—not; prthak—different; yah—who; atmanah—the living entities; atha api—so much more; bhaktya—with devotion; isa—O Lord; taya—with it; upadhavatam—of those who worship; ananya-vrttya—unfailing; anugrhana—favor; vatsala—O favorable Lord. TRANSLATION The great mystics said: Dear Lord, persons who see You as nondifferent from themselves, knowing that You are the Supersoul of all living entities, are certainly very, very dear to You. You are very favorable toward those who engage in devotional service, accepting You as the Lord and themselves as the servants. By Your mercy, You are always inclined in their favor. PURPORT It is indicated in this verse that the monists and the great mystics know the Supreme Personality of Godhead as one. This oneness is not the misunderstanding that a living entity is equal in every respect to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This monism is based on pure knowledge as described and confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (7.17): priyo hi jnanino ’tyartham aham sa ca mama priyah. The Lord says that those who are advanced in transcendental knowledge and know the science of Krsna consciousness are very dear to Him, and He also is very dear to them. Those who are actually in perfect knowledge of the science of God know that the living entities are superior energy of the Supreme Lord. This is stated in Bhagavad-gita, Seventh Chapter: the material energy is inferior, and the living entities are superior energy. Energy and the energetic are nondifferent; therefore, energies possess the same quality as the energetic. Persons who are in full knowledge of the Personality of Godhead, analyzing His different energies and knowing their own constitutional position, are certainly very, very dear to the Lord. Persons, however, who may not even be conversant with knowledge of the Supreme Personality but who always think of the Lord with love and faith, feeling that He is great and that they are His parts and parcels, ever His servitors, are even more favored by Him. The particular significance of this verse is that the Lord is addressed as vatsala. Vatsala means “always favorably disposed.” The Lord’s name is bhakta-vatsala. The Lord is famous as bhakta-vatsala, which means that He is always favorably inclined to the devotees, whereas He is never addressed anywhere in the Vedic literature as jnani-vatsala. SB4.7.39 TEXT 39 jagad-udbhava-sthiti-layesu daivato bahu-bhidyamana-gunayatma-mayaya racitatma-bheda-mataye sva-samsthaya vinivartita-bhrama-gunatmane namah SYNONYMS jagat—the material world; udbhava—creation; sthiti—maintenance; layesu—in annihilation; daivatah—destiny; bahu—many; bhidyamana—being variegated; gunaya—by material qualities; atma-mayaya—by His material energy; racita—produced; atma—in the living entities; bheda-mataye—who produced different inclinations; sva-samsthaya—by His internal potency; vinivartita—caused to stop; bhrama—interaction; guna—of material modes; atmane—unto Him in His personal form; namah—obeisances. TRANSLATION We offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who has created varieties of manifestations and put them under the spell of the three qualities of the material world in order to create, maintain and annihilate them. He Himself is not under the control of the external energy; in His personal feature He is completely devoid of the variegated manifestation of material qualities, and He is under no illusion of false identification. PURPORT Two situations are described in this verse. One is the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the material world, and the other is the Lord’s own establishment. There is also quality in the Lord’s own establishment, the kingdom of God. lt is stated here that Goloka is His personal situation. There is also quality in Goloka, but that quality is not divided into creation, maintenance and annihilation. In the external energy, the interaction of the three qualities makes it possible for things to be created, maintained and annihilated. But in the spiritual world, or the kingdom of God, there is no such exhibition, since everything is eternal, sentient and blissful. There is a class of philosophers who misunderstand the appearance of the Personality of Godhead within this material world. They are under the impression that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, He is under the spell of the three qualities, like all the other living entities who appear within this material world. That is their misunderstanding; as it is clearly stated here (sva-samsthaya), by His internal potency He is transcendental to all these material qualities. Similarly, in Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, “I appear by My internal potency.” Both the internal and external potencies are under the control of the Supreme, so He does not come under the control of either of these potencies. Rather, everything is under His control. In order to manifest His transcendental name, form, quality, pastimes and paraphernalia, He brings into action His internal energy. On account of the variegatedness of the external potency, there are manifestations of many qualitative demigods, beginning with Brahma and Lord Siva, and people are attracted to these demigods according to their own material quality. But when one is transcendental or surpasses the material qualities, he is simply fixed in the worship of the Supreme Personality. This fact is explained in Bhagavad-gita: anyone engaged in the service of the Lord is already transcendental to the variegatedness and interaction of the three material qualities. The summary is that the conditioned souls are being pulled by the action and reaction of the material qualities, which create a differentiation of energies. But in the spiritual world the worshipable one is the Supreme Lord and no one else. SB4.7.40 TEXT 40 brahmovaca namas te srita-sattvaya dharmadinam ca sutaye nirgunaya ca yat-kastham naham vedapare ’pi ca SYNONYMS brahma—the personified Vedas; uvaca—said; namah—respectful obeisances; te—unto You; srita-sattvaya—the shelter of the quality of goodness; dharma-adinam—of all religion, austerity and penance; ca—and; sutaye—the source; nirgunaya—transcendental to material qualities; ca—and; yat—of whom (of the Supreme Lord); kastham—the situation; na—not; aham—I; veda—know; apare—others; api—certainly; ca—and. TRANSLATION The personified Vedas said: We offer our respectful obeisances unto You, the Lord, the shelter of the quality of goodness and therefore the source of all religion, austerity and penance, for You are transcendental to all material qualities and no one knows You or Your actual situation. PURPORT In the material world there is the trinity of the three material qualities. Lord Visnu has accepted the superintendence of the quality of goodness, which is the source of religion, knowledge, austerity, renunciation, opulence, etc. Because of this, actual peace, prosperity, knowledge and religion can be attained when the living entities are under the control of the quality of goodness in the material world. As soon as they are subjected to the control of the other two qualities, namely passion and ignorance, their precarious conditional life becomes intolerable. But Lord Visnu, in His original position, is always nirguna, which means transcendental to these material qualities. Guna means “quality,” and nir means “negation.” This does not indicate, however, that He has no qualities; He has transcendental qualities by which He appears and manifests His pastimes. The positive transcendental qualitative manifestation is unknown to the students of the Vedas as well as to the great stalwart demigods like Brahma and Siva. Actually, the transcendental qualities are manifested only to the devotees. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, simply by discharging devotional service one can understand the transcendental position of the Supreme Lord. Those who are in the mode of goodness can partially enter into the transcendental understanding, but it is advised in Bhagavad-gita that one has to surpass this. The Vedic principles are based on the three qualities of the material modes. One has to transcend the three qualities, and then one can be situated in pure and simple spiritual life. SB4.7.41 TEXT 41 agnir uvaca yat-tejasaham susamiddha-teja havyam vahe svadhvara ajya-siktam tam yajniyam panca-vidham ca pancabhih svistam yajurbhih pranato ’smi yajnam SYNONYMS agnih—the fire-god; uvaca—said; yat-tejasa—by whose effulgence; aham—I; su-samiddha-tejah—as luminous as blazing fire; havyam—offerings; vahe—I am accepting; su-adhvare—in the sacrifice; ajya-siktam—mixed with butter; tam—that; yajniyam—the protector of the sacrifice; panca-vidham—five; ca—and; pancabhih—by five; su-istam—worshiped; yajurbhih—Vedic hymns; pranatah—offer respectful obeisances; asmi—I; yajnam—to Yajna (Visnu). TRANSLATION The fire-god said: My dear Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because by Your favor I am as luminous as blazing fire and I accept the offerings mixed with butter and offered in sacrifice. The five kinds of offerings according to the Yajur Veda are all Your different energies, and You are worshiped by five kinds of Vedic hymns. Sacrifice means Your Supreme Personality of Godhead. PURPORT In Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that yajna should be performed for Lord Visnu. Lord Visnu has one thousand popular, transcendental names, out of which one name is Yajna. lt is clearly said that everything should be done for the satisfaction of Yajna, or Visnu. All other actions a person may take are only causes for his bondage. Everyone has to perform yajna according to the Vedic hymns. As stated in the Upanisads, fire, the altar, the auspicious full moon, the period of four months called caturmasya, the sacrificial animal, and the beverage called soma are necessary requisites, as are the specific hymns mentioned in the Vedas and composed of four letters. One hymn is as follows: asravayeti catur-aksaram astu srausad iti catur-aksaram yajeti dvabhyam ye yajamahah. These mantras, chanted according to the sruti and smrti literatures, are only to please Lord Visnu. For the deliverance of those who are materially conditioned and attached to material enjoyment, performing yajna and following the rules and regulations of the four divisions of society and of spiritual life are recommended. It is said in the Visnu Purana that by offering sacrifice to Visnu one can gradually be liberated. The whole target of life, therefore, is to please Lord Visnu. That is yajna. Any person who is in Krsna consciousness has dedicated his life for the satisfaction of Krsna, the origin of all Visnu forms, and by offering worship and prasada daily, he becomes the best performer of yajna. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is clearly stated that in this age of Kali the only successful performance of yajna, or sacrifice, is yajnaih sankirtana-prayaih: the best type of sacrifice is simply to chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This yajna is offered before the form of Lord Caitanya, as other yajnas are offered before the form of Lord Visnu. These recommendations are found in the Eleventh Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Moreover, this yajna performance confirms that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Visnu Himself. As Lord Visnu appeared at the Daksa yajna long, long ago, Lord Caitanya has appeared in this age to accept our sankirtana-yajna. SB4.7.42 TEXT 42 deva ucuh pura kalpapaye sva-krtam udari-krtya vikrtam tvam evadyas tasmin salila uragendradhisayane puman sese siddhair hrdi vimrsitadhyatma-padavih sa evadyaksnor yah pathi carasi bhrtyan avasi nah SYNONYMS devah—the demigods; ucuh—said; pura—formerly; kalpa-apaye—at the devastation of the kalpa; sva-krtam—self-produced; udari-krtya—having drawn within Your abdomen; vikrtam—effect; tvam—You; eva—certainly; adyah—original; tasmin—in that; salile—water; uraga-indra—on Sesa; adhisayane—on the bed; puman—personality; sese—taking rest; siddhaih—by the liberated souls (like Sanaka, etc.); hrdi—in the heart; vimrsita—meditated on; adhyatma-padavih—the path of philosophical speculation; sah—He; eva—certainly; adya—now; aksnoh—of both eyes; yah—who; pathi—on the path; carasi—You move; bhrtyan—servants; avasi—protect; nah—us. TRANSLATION The demigods said: Dear Lord, formerly, when there was a devastation, You conserved all the different energies of material manifestation. At that time, all the inhabitants of the higher planets, represented by such liberated souls as Sanaka, were meditating on You by philosophical speculation. You are therefore the original person, and You rest in the water of devastation on the bed of the Sesa snake. Now, today, You are visible to us, who are all Your servants. Please give us protection. PURPORT The devastation indicated in this verse is the partial devastation of the lower planets within the universe when Lord Brahma goes to sleep. The higher planetary systems, beginning with Maharloka, Janaloka and Tapoloka, are not inundated at the time of this devastation. The Lord is the creator, as indicated in this verse, because the energies of creation are manifested through His body, and after annihilation, He conserves all the energy within His abdomen. Another significant point in this verse is that the demigods said, “We are all Your servants (bhrtyan). Give us Your protection.” The demigods depend on the protection of Visnu; they are not independent. Bhagavad-gita, therefore, condemns the worship of demigods because there is no need of it and clearly states that only those who have lost their sense go asking favors of the demigods. Generally, if anyone has material desires to be fulfilled, he can ask Visnu instead of going to the demigods. Those who worship demigods are not very intelligent. Besides that, the demigods say, “We are Your eternal servants.” So those who are servants, or devotees of the Lord, are not very much concerned with fruitive activities, the performance of the prescribed yajnas, or mental speculation. They simply serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead sincerely, with love and faith, performing everything with that loving service, and the Lord gives such devotees direct protection. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says, “Simply surrender unto Me, and I will give you protection from all the reactions of sinful activities.” This material world is so created that one has to act sinfully, knowingly or unknowingly, and unless his life is dedicated to Visnu, he has to suffer all the reactions of sinful activities. But one who surrenders and dedicates his life for the service of the Lord has direct protection from the Lord. He has no fear of suffering from sinful activities, nor does he desire, willingly or unwillingly, to do anything which is sinful. SB4.7.43 TEXT 43 gandharva ucuh amsamsas te deva maricy-adaya ete brahmendradya deva-gana rudra-purogah krida-bhandam visvam idam yasya vibhuman tasmai nityam natha namas te karavama SYNONYMS gandharvah—the Gandharvas; ucuh—said; amsa-amsah—parts and parcels of Your body; te—Your; deva—dear Lord; marici-adayah—Marici and the great sages; ete—these; brahma-indra-adyah—headed by Brahma and Indra; deva-ganah—the demigods; rudra-purogah—having Lord Siva as the chief; krida-bhandam—a plaything; visvam—the whole creation; idam—this; yasya—of whom; vibhuman—the Supreme Almighty Great; tasmai—unto Him; nityam—always; natha—O Lord; namah—respectful obeisances; te—unto You; karavama—we offer. TRANSLATION The Gandharvas said: Dear Lord, all the demigods, including Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, Indra and Marici and the great sages, are all only differentiated parts and parcels of Your body. You are the Supreme Almighty Great; the whole creation is just like a plaything for You. We always accept You as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we offer our respectful obeisances unto You. PURPORT In the Brahma-samhita it is said that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There may be many gods, from Brahma, Lord Siva, Indra and Candra down to the rulers of the lower planetary systems, the presidents, ministers, chairmen and kings. In fact, anyone can think that he is God. That is the false, puffed-up conviction of material life. Actually Visnu is the Supreme Lord, but there is even one above Visnu, for Visnu is also the plenary portion of a part of Krsna. In this verse this is referred to by the word amsamsah, which refers to part and parcel of a part and parcel. There are similar verses in the Caitanya-caritamrta which indicate that the Supreme Lord’s parts and parcels again expand into other parts and parcels. As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, there are many manifestations of Visnu and many manifestations of living entities. Visnu manifestations are called svamsa, partial manifestations, and the living entities are called vibhinnamsa. The demigods like Brahma and Indra have been promoted to such exalted positions by pious activities and austerities, but actually Visnu, or Krsna, is the master of everyone. ln the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said, ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya. This means that Krsna alone is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all others, even the visnu-tattva and certainly the living entities, are His servitors. Baladeva is the immediate expansion of Krsna. He also engages in the service of Krsna, and certainly the ordinary living entities are serving. Everyone is created, constitutionally, for serving Krsna. Here the Gandharvas acknowledge that although the demigods may represent themselves as the Supreme, actually they are not supreme. Real supremacy belongs to Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam is the statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam: “Krsna is the only Supreme Lord.” Worship of Krsna alone, therefore, includes worship of all the parts and parcels, just as watering the root of a tree also waters all the branches, twigs, leaves and flowers.
jatih sastram japas tapah
apranasyaiva dehasya
mandanam loka-ranjanam