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sri-badarayanih uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; atha—thus; deva-rsih—the great sage Narada; rajan—O King; samparetam—dead; nrpa-atmajam—the son of the King; darsayitva—making visible; iti—thus; ha—indeed; uvaca—explained; jnatinam—to all the relatives; anusocatam—who were lamenting.

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King Pariksit, by his mystic power the great sage Narada brought the dead son into the vision of all the lamenting relatives and then spoke as follows.

SB6.16.2

TEXT 2

sri-narada uvaca

jivatman pasya bhadram te

mataram pitaram ca te

suhrdo bandhavas taptah

suca tvat-krtaya bhrsam

SYNONYMS

sri-naradah uvaca—Sri Narada Muni said; jiva-atman—O living entity; pasya—just see; bhadram—good fortune; te—unto you; mataram—the mother; pitaram—the father; ca—and; te—of you; suhrdah—friends; bandhavah—relatives; taptah—aggrieved; suca—by lamentation; tvat-krtaya—because of you; bhrsam—very greatly.

TRANSLATION

Sri Narada Muni said: O living entity, all good fortune unto you. Just see your father and mother. All your friends and relatives are overwhelmed with grief because of your passing away.

SB6.16.3

TEXT 3

kalevaram svam avisya

sesam ayuh suhrd-vrtah

bhunksva bhogan pitr-prattan

adhitistha nrpasanam

SYNONYMS

kalevaram—body; svam—your own; avisya—entering; sesam—the balance; ayuh—duration of life; suhrt-vrtah—surrounded by your friends and relatives; bhunksva—just enjoy; bhogan—all enjoyable opulences; pitr—by your father; prattan—awarded; adhitistha—accept; nrpa-asanam—the throne of the king.

TRANSLATION

Because you died untimely, the balance of your lifetime still remains. Therefore you may reenter your body and enjoy the remainder of your life, surrounded by your friends and relatives. Accept the royal throne and all the opulences given by your father.

SB6.16.4

TEXT 4

jiva uvaca

kasmin janmany ami mahyam

pitaro mataro ’bhavan

karmabhir bhramyamanasya

deva-tiryan-nr-yonisu

SYNONYMS

jivah uvaca—the living entity said; kasmin—in which; janmani—birth; ami—all those; mahyam—to me; pitarah—fathers; matarah—mothers; abhavan—were; karmabhih—by the results of fruitive action; bhramyamanasya—who am wandering; deva-tiryak—of the demigods and the lower animals; nr—and of the human species; yonisu—in the wombs.

TRANSLATION

By the mystic power of Narada Muni, the living entity reentered his dead body for a short time and spoke in reply to Narada Muni’s request. He said: According to the results of my fruitive activities, I, the living being, transmigrate from one body to another, sometimes going to the species of the demigods, sometimes to the species of lower animals, sometimes among the vegetables, and sometimes to the human species. Therefore, in which birth were these my mother and father? No one is actually my mother and father. How can I accept these two people as my parents?

PURPORT

Here it is made clear that the living being enters a material body that is like a machine created by the five gross elements of material nature (earth, water, fire, air and sky) and the three subtle elements (mind, intelligence and ego). As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, there are two separate identities, called the inferior and superior natures, which both belong to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to the results of a living entity’s fruitive actions, he is forced to enter the material elements in different types of bodies.

This time the living entity was supposed to have been the son of Maharaja Citraketu and Queen Krtadyuti because according to the laws of nature he had entered a body made by the King and Queen. Actually, however, he was not their son. The living entity is the son of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and because he wants to enjoy this material world, the Supreme Lord gives him a chance to enter various bodies. The living entity has no true relationship with the material body he gets from his material father and mother. He is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, but he is allowed to go through different bodies. The body created by the so-called father and mother actually has nothing to do with its so-called creators. Therefore the living entity flatly denied that Maharaja Citraketu and his wife were his father and mother.

SB6.16.5

TEXT 5

bandhu-jnaty-ari-madhyastha-

mitrodasina-vidvisah

sarva eva hi sarvesam

bhavanti kramaso mithah

bandhu—friends; jnati—family members; ari—enemies; madhyastha—neutrals; mitra—well-wishers; udasina—indifferent; vidvisah—or envious persons; sarve—all; eva—indeed; hi—certainly; sarvesam—of all; bhavanti—become; kramasah—gradually; mithah—of one another.

In this material world, which advances like a river that carries away the living entity, all people become friends, relatives and enemies in due course of time. They also act neutrally, they mediate, they despise one another, and they act in many other relationships. Nonetheless, despite these various transactions, no one is permanently related.

It is our practical experience in this material world that the same person who is one’s friend today becomes one’s enemy tomorrow. Our relationships as friends or enemies, family men or outsiders, are actually the results of our different dealings. Citraketu Maharaja was lamenting for his son, who was now dead, but he could have considered the situation otherwise. “This living entity,” he could have thought, “was my enemy in my last life, and now, having appeared as my son, he is prematurely leaving just to give me pain and agony.” Why should he not consider his dead son his former enemy and instead of lamenting be jubilant because of an enemy’s death? As stated in Bhagavad-gita (3.27), prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah: factually everything is happening because of our association with the modes of material nature. Therefore one who is my friend today in association with the mode of goodness may be my enemy tomorrow in association with the modes of passion and ignorance. As the modes of material nature work, in illusion we accept others as friends, enemies, sons or fathers in terms of the reactions of different dealings under different conditions.

SB6.16.6

TEXT 6

yatha vastuni panyani

hemadini tatas tatah

paryatanti naresv evam

jivo yonisu kartrsu

yatha—just as; vastuni—commodities; panyani—meant for trading; hema-adini—such as gold; tatah tatah—from here to there; paryatanti—move about; naresu—among men; evam—in this way; jivah—the living entity; yonisu—in different species of life; kartrsu—in different material fathers.

Just as gold and other commodities are continually transferred from one place to another in due course of purchase and sale, so the living entity, as a result of his fruitive activities, wanders throughout the entire universe, being injected into various bodies in different species of life by one kind of father after another.

It has already been explained that Citraketu’s son was his enemy in a past life and had now appeared as his son just to give him more severe pain. Indeed, the untimely death of the son caused severe lamentation for the father. One may put forward the argument, “If the King’s son was his enemy, how could the King have so much affection for him?” In answer, the example is given that when someone’s wealth falls into the bands of his enemy, the money becomes the enemy’s friend. Then the enemy can use it for his own purposes. Indeed, he can even use it to harm its previous owner. Therefore the money belongs neither to the one party nor to the other. The money is always money, but in different situations it can be used as an enemy or a friend.

As explained in Bhagavad-gita, it is not by any father or mother that the living entity is given his birth. The living entity is a completely separate identity from the so-called father and mother. By the laws of nature, the living entity is forced to enter the semen of a father and be injected into the womb of the mother. He is not in control of selecting what kind of father he will accept. prakrteh kriyamanani: the laws of nature force him to go to different fathers and mothers, just like a consumer commodity that is purchased and sold. Therefore the so-called relationship of father and son is an arrangement of prakrti, or nature. It has no meaning, and therefore it is called illusion.

The same living entity sometimes takes shelter of an animal father and mother and sometimes a human father and mother. Sometimes he accepts a father and mother among the birds, and sometimes he accepts a demigod father and mother. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says:

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

Harassed life after life by the laws of nature, the living entity wanders throughout the entire universe in different planets and different species of life. Somehow or other, if he is fortunate enough, he comes in touch with a devotee who reforms his entire life. Then the living entity goes back home, back to Godhead. Therefore it is said:

janame janame sabe pita mata paya
krsna guru nahi mile baja hari ei

In the transmigration of the soul through different bodies, everyone, in every form of life—be it human, animal, tree or demigod—gets a father and mother. This is not very difficult. The difficulty is to obtain a bona fide spiritual master and Krsna. Therefore the duty of a human being is to capture the opportunity to come in touch with Krsna’s representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Under the guidance of the spiritual master, the spiritual father, one can return home, back to Godhead.

SB6.16.7

TEXT 7

nityasyarthasya sambandho

hy anityo drsyate nrsu

yavad yasya hi sambandho

mamatvam tavad eva hi

nityasya—of the eternal; arthasya—thing; sambandhah—relationship; hi—indeed; anityah—temporary; drsyate—is seen; nrsu—in human society; yavat—as long as; yasya—of whom; hi—indeed; sambandhah—relationship; mamatvam—ownership; tavat—that long; eva—indeed; hi—certainly.

A few living entities are born in the human species, and others are born as animals. Although both are living entities, their relationships are impermanent. An animal may remain in the custody of a human being for some time, and then the same animal may be transferred to the possession of other human beings. As soon as the animal goes away, the former proprietor no longer has a sense of ownership. As long as the animal is in his possession he certainly has an affinity for it, but as soon as the animal is sold, the affinity is lost.

tavat svatvam hi tasya tat

Aside from the fact that the soul transmigrates from one body to another, even in this life the relationships between living entities are impermanent, as exemplified in this verse. The son of Citraketu was named Harsasoka, or “jubilation and lamentation.” The living entity is certainly eternal, but because he is covered by a temporary dress, the body, his eternity is not observed. Dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara: [Bg. 2.13] “The embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age.” Thus the bodily dress is impermanent. The living entity, however, is permanent. As an animal is transferred from one owner to another, the living entity who was the son of Citraketu lived as his son for some time, but as soon as he was transferred to another body, the affectionate relationship was broken. As stated in the example given in the previous verse, when one has a commodity in his hands he considers it his, but as soon as it is transferred it becomes someone else’s commodity. Then one no longer has a relationship with it; he has no affection for it, nor does he lament for it.

SB6.16.8

TEXT 8

evam yoni-gato jivah

sa nityo nirahankrtah

yavad yatropalabhyeta

evam—thus; yoni-gatah—being within a specific species of life; jivah—the living entity; sah—he; nityah—eternal; nirahankrtah—without identification with the body; yavat—as long as; yatra—where; upalabhyeta—he may be found; tavat—that long; svatvam—the concept of self; hi—indeed; tasya—of him; tat—that.

Even though one living entity becomes connected with another because of a relationship based on bodies that are perishable, the living entity is eternal. Actually it is the body that is born or lost, not the living entity. One should not accept that the living entity takes birth or dies. The living being actually has no relationship with so-called fathers and mothers. As long as he appears as the son of a certain father and mother as a result of his past fruitive activities, he has a connection with the body given by that father and mother. Thus he falsely accepts himself as their son and acts affectionately. After he dies, however, the relationship is finished. Under these circumstances, one should not be falsely involved with jubilation and lamentation.

When the living entity lives within the material body, he falsely thinks that he is the body, although actually he is not. His relationship with his body and his so-called father and mother are false, illusory conceptions. These illusions continue as long as one is not enlightened about the situation of the living entity.

SB6.16.9

TEXT 9

esa nityo ’vyayah suksma

esa sarvasrayah svadrk

atmamaya-gunair visvam

atmanam srjate prabhuh

esah—this living entity; nityah—eternal; avyayah—imperishable; suksmah—very, very fine (not seen by the material eyes); esah—this living entity; sarva-asrayah—the cause of different types of bodies; sva-drk—self-effulgent; atma-maya-gunaih—by the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s modes of material nature; visvam—this material world; atmanam—himself; srjate—appears; prabhuh—the master.

The living entity is eternal and imperishable because he actually has no beginning and no end. He never takes birth or dies. He is the basic principle of all types of bodies, yet he does not belong to the bodily category. The living being is so sublime that he is equal in quality to the Supreme Lord. Nonetheless, because he is extremely small, he is prone to be illusioned by the external energy, and thus he creates various bodies for himself according to his different desires.

In this verse the philosophy of acintya-bhedabheda—simultaneous oneness and difference—is described. The living entity is eternal (nitya) like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the difference is that the Supreme Lord is the greatest, no one being equal to or greater than Him, whereas the living entity is suksma, or extremely small. The sastra describes that the magnitude of the living entity is one ten-thousandth the size of the tip of a hair. The Supreme Lord is all-pervading (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). Relatively, if the living entity is accepted as the smallest, there should naturally be inquiry about the greatest. The greatest is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the smallest is the living entity.

Another peculiar characteristic of the jiva is that he becomes covered by maya. Atmamaya-gunaih: he is prone to being covered by the Supreme Lord’s illusory energy. The living entity is responsible for his conditional life in the material world, and therefore he is described as prabhu (“the master”). If he likes he can come to this material world, and if he likes he can return home, back to Godhead. Because he wanted to enjoy this material world, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gave him a material body through the agency of the material energy. As the Lord Himself says in Bhagavad-gita (18.61):

isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” The Supreme Lord gives the living entity a chance to enjoy in this material world as he desires, but He openly expresses His own desire that the living entity give up all material aspirations, fully surrender unto Him and return home, back to Godhead.

The living entity is the smallest (suksma). Jiva Gosvami says in this connection that the living entity within the body is extremely difficult for materialistic scientists to find, although we understand from authorities that the living entity is within the body. The body is different from the living entity.

SB6.16.10

TEXT 10

na hy asyasti priyah kascin

napriyah svah paro ’pi va

ekah sarva-dhiyam drasta

kartrnam guna-dosayoh

na—not; hi—indeed; asya—to the living entity; asti—there is; priyah—dear; kascit—someone; na—not; apriyah—not dear; svah—own; parah—other; api—also; va—or; ekah—the one; sarva-dhiyam—of the varieties of intelligence; drasta—the seer; kartrnam—of the performers; guna-dosayoh—of right and wrong activities.

For this living entity, no one is dear, nor is anyone unfavorable. He makes no distinction between that which is his own and that which belongs to anyone else. He is one without a second; in other words, he is not affected by friends and enemies, well-wishers or mischief-mongers. He is only an observer, a witness, of the different qualities of men.

As explained in the previous verse, the living entity has the same qualities as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but he has them in minute quantities because he is a small particle (suksma) whereas the Supreme Lord is all-pervading and great. For the Supreme Lord there are no friends, enemies or relatives, for He is completely free from all the disqualifications of ignorance that characterize the conditioned souls. On the other hand, He is extremely kind and favorable to His devotees, and He is not at all satisfied with persons who are envious of His devotees. As the Lord Himself confirms in Bhagavad-gita (9.29):

samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu
na me dvesyo ’sti na priyah
ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya
mayi te tesu capy aham

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” The Supreme Lord has no enemy or friend, but He is inclined toward a devotee who always engages in His devotional service. Similarly, elsewhere in the Gita (16.19) the Lord says:

tan aham dvisatah kruran
samsaresu naradhaman
ksipamy ajasram asubhan
asurisv eva yonisu

“Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, are cast by Me into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.” The Lord is extremely antagonistic toward those who are envious of His devotees. To protect His devotees, the Lord sometimes has to kill their enemies. For example, to protect Prahlada Maharaja, the Lord had to kill his enemy Hiranyakasipu, although Hiranyakasipu attained salvation because of being killed by the Lord. Since the Lord is the witness of everyone’s activities, He witnesses the actions of the enemies of His devotees, and He is inclined to punish them. In other cases, however, He simply witnesses what the living entities do and gives the results of one’s sinful or pious actions.

SB6.16.11

TEXT 11

nadatta atma hi gunam

na dosam na kriya-phalam

udasinavad asinah

paravara-drg isvarah

na—not; adatte—accepts; atma—the Supreme Lord; hi—indeed; gunam—happiness; na—not; dosam—unhappiness; na—nor; kriya-phalam—the result of any fruitive activity; udasina-vat—exactly like a neutral man; asinah—sitting (in the core of the heart); para-avara-drk—seeing the cause and effect; isvarah—the Supreme Lord.

The Supreme Lord [atma], the creator of cause and effect, does not accept the happiness and distress that result from fruitive actions. He is completely independent of having to accept a material body, and because He has no material body, He is always neutral. The living entities, being part and parcel of the Lord, possess His qualities in a minute quantity. Therefore one should not be affected by lamentation.

The conditioned soul has friends and enemies. He is affected by the good qualities and the faults of his position. The Supreme Lord, however, is always transcendental. Because He is the isvara, the supreme controller, He is not affected by duality. It may therefore be said that He sits in the core of everyone’s heart as the neutral witness of the causes and effects of one’s activities, good and bad. We should also understand that udasina, neutral, does not mean that He takes no action. Rather, it means that He is not personally affected. For example, a court judge is neutral when two opposing parties appear before him, but he still takes action as the case warrants. To become completely neutral, indifferent, to material activities, we should simply seek shelter at the lotus feet of the supreme neutral person.

Maharaja Citraketu was advised that remaining neutral in such trying circumstances as the death of one’s son is impossible. Nevertheless, since the Lord knows how to adjust everything, the best course is to depend upon Him and do one’s duty in devotional service to the Lord. In all circumstances, one should be undisturbed by duality. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (2.47):

karmany evadhikaras te
ma phalesu kadacana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur
ma te sango ’stv akarmani

“You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.” One should execute one’s devotional duty, and for the results of one’s actions one should depend upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB6.16.12

TEXT 12

sri-badarayanir uvaca

ity udirya gato jivo

jnatayas tasya te tada

vismita mumucuh sokam

chittvatma-sneha-srnkhalam

sri-badarayanih uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; iti—in this way; udirya—speaking; gatah—went; jivah—the living entity (who had appeared as the son of Maharaja Citraketu); jnatayah—the relatives and family members; tasya—of him; te—they; tada—at that time; vismitah—being astonished; mumucuh—gave up; sokam—lamentation; chittva—cutting off; atma-sneha—of affection due to a relationship; srnkhalam—the iron shackles.

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami continued: When the conditioned soul [jiva] in the form of Maharaja Citraketu’s son had spoken in this way and then left, Citraketu and the other relatives of the dead son were all astonished. Thus they cut off the shackles of their affection, which was due to their relationship with him, and gave up their lamentation.

SB6.16.13

TEXT 13

nirhrtya jnatayo jnater

deham krtvocitah kriyah

tatyajur dustyajam sneham

soka-moha-bhayartidam

SYNONYMS

nirhrtya—removing; jnatayah—King Citraketu and all the other relatives; jnateh—of the son; deham—the body; krtva—performing; ucitah—suitable; kriyah—activities; tatyajuh—gave up; dustyajam—very difficult to give up; sneham—affection; soka—lamentation; moha—illusion; bhaya—fear; arti—and distress; dam—giving.

TRANSLATION

After the relatives had discharged their duties by performing the proper funeral ceremonies and burning the dead child’s body, they gave up the affection that leads to illusion, lamentation, fear and pain. Such affection is undoubtedly difficult to give up, but they gave it up very easily.

SB6.16.14

TEXT 14

bala-ghnyo vriditas tatra

bala-hatya-hata-prabhah

bala-hatya-vratam cerur

brahmanair yan nirupitam

yamunayam maharaja

smarantyo dvija-bhasitam

SYNONYMS

bala-ghnyah—the killers of the child; vriditah—being very much ashamed; tatra—there; bala-hatya—because of killing the child; hata—having lost; prabhah—all bodily luster; bala-hatya-vratam—the atonement fur killing the child; ceruh—executed; brahmanaih—by the priests; yat—which; nirupitam—described; yamunayam—at the River Yamuna; maha-raja—O King Pariksit; smarantyah—remembering; dvija-bhasitam—the statement given by the brahmana.

TRANSLATION

Queen Krtyadyuti’s co-wives, who had poisoned the child, were very much ashamed, and they lost all their bodily luster. While lamenting, O King, they remembered the instructions of Angira and gave up their ambition to bear children. Following the directions of the brahmanas, they went to the bank of the Yamuna, where they bathed and atoned for their sinful activities.

PURPORT

In this verse the word bala-hatya-hata-prabhah is to be particularly noted. The practice of killing children has existed in human society for a long time—since time immemorial—but in the days of yore it was very rarely performed. At the present moment, however, in this age of Kali, abortion—killing of the child within the womb—has become very common, and sometimes a child is even killed after birth. If a woman performs such an abominable act, she gradually loses all her bodily luster (bala-hatya-hata-prabhah). It is also to be noted that the ladies who had committed the sinful act of administering poison to the child were very much ashamed, and according to the directions of the brahmanas, they had to undergo atonement for killing the child. Any woman who has ever performed such an infamously sinful act must atone for it, but no one now is doing that. Under the circumstances, the women responsible must suffer in this life and the next. Those who are sincere souls, after hearing this incident, should refrain from such child-killing and should atone for their sinful activities by taking to Krsna consciousness very seriously. If one chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra without offenses, all of one’s sinful actions are surely atoned for immediately, but one should not commit such deeds again, for that is an offense.

SB6.16.15

TEXT 15

sa ittham pratibuddhatma

citraketur dvijoktibhih

grhandha-kupan niskrantah

sarah-pankad iva dvipah

sah—he; ittham—in this way; pratibuddha-atma—being fully aware of spiritual knowledge; citraketuh—King Citraketu; dvija-uktibhih—by the instructions of the perfect brahmanas (Angira and Narada Muni); grha-andha-kupat—from the dark well of family life; niskrantah—came out; sarah—of a lake or reservoir of water; pankat—from the mud; iva—like; dvipah—an elephant.