Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 7: “The Science of God”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Twelve
SB7.12.15
TEXT 15
agnau gurav atmani ca
sarva-bhutesv adhoksajam
bhutaih sva-dhamabhih pasyed
apravistam pravistavat
SYNONYMS
agnau—in the fire; gurau—in the spiritual master; atmani—in one’s self; ca—also; sarva-bhutesu—in every living entity; adhoksajam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who cannot be seen or perceived with the material eyes or other material senses; bhutaih—with all living entities; sva-dhamabhih—along with His Lordship’s paraphernalia; pasyet—one should see; apravistam—not entered; pravista-vat—also entered.
TRANSLATION
One should realize that in the fire, in the spiritual master, in one’s self and in all living entities—in all circumstances and conditions—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, has simultaneously entered and not entered. He is situated externally and internally as the full controller of everything.
PURPORT
Realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s omnipresence is the perfect realization of the Absolute Truth to be attained through the study of the Vedic literatures. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.35), andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham: the Lord is situated within the universe, within the heart of every living entity and also within the atom. We should understand that whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead is present, He is present with all His paraphernalia, including His name, form, associates and servants. The living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus one should understand that since the Supreme Lord has entered the atom, the living entities are also there. One must accept the inconceivable quality of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for no one can understand from the material point of view how the Lord is all-pervasive and yet is situated in His own abode, Goloka Vrndavana. This realization is possible if one strictly follows the regulative principles of asrama (brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa). Srila Madhvacarya says in this regard:
apravistah sarva-gatah
pravistas tv anurupavan
evam dvi-rupo bhagavan
harir eko janardanah
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His original form, has not entered everything (apravistah), but in His impersonal form He has entered (pravistah). Thus He has entered and not entered simultaneously. This is also explained in Bhagavad-gita (9.4), wherein the Lord says:
maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na caham tesv avasthitah
“By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.” The Lord can defy Himself. Thus there is variety in unity (ekatvam bahutvam). SB7.12.16 TEXT 16 evam vidho brahmacari vanaprastho yatir grhi caran vidita-vijnanah param brahmadhigacchati SYNONYMS evam vidhah—in this way; brahmacari—whether one is a brahmacari; vanaprasthah—or one is in the vanaprastha-asrama; yatih—or in the sannyasa-asrama; grhi—or in the grhastha-asrama; caran—by practice of self-realization and understanding of the Absolute Truth; vidita-vijnanah—fully conversant with the science of the Absolute Truth; param—the Supreme; brahma—the Absolute Truth; adhigacchati—one can understand. TRANSLATION By practicing in this way, whether one be in the brahmacari-asrama, grhastha-asrama, vanaprastha-asrama or sannyasa-asrama, one must always realize the all-pervading presence of the Supreme Lord, for in this way it is possible to understand the Absolute Truth. PURPORT This is the beginning of self-realization. One must first understand how Brahman is present everywhere and how He is acting. This education is called brahma jijnasa and is the real concern of human life. Without such knowledge, one cannot claim to be a human being; rather, he remains in the animal kingdom. As it is said, sa eva go-kharah: [SB 10.84.13] without such knowledge, one is no better than a cow or an ass. SB7.12.17 TEXT 17 vanaprasthasya vaksyami niyaman muni-sammatan yan asthaya munir gacched rsi-lokam uhanjasa SYNONYMS vanaprasthasya—of a person in the vanaprastha-asrama (retired life); vaksyami—I shall now explain; niyaman—the rules and regulations; muni-sammatan—which are recognized by great munis, philosophers and saintly persons; yan—which; asthaya—being situated in, or practicing; munih—a saintly person; gacchet—is promoted; rsi-lokam—to the planetary system where the seers and munis go (Maharloka); uha—O King; anjasa—without difficulty. TRANSLATION O King, I shall now describe the qualifications for a vanaprastha, one who has retired from family life. By rigidly following the rules and regulations for the vanaprastha, one can easily be elevated to the upper planetary system known as Maharloka. SB7.12.18 TEXT 18 na krsta-pacyam asniyad akrstam capy akalatah agni-pakvam athamam va arka-pakvam utaharet SYNONYMS na—not; krsta-pacyam—grains grown by tilling of the field; asniyat—one should eat; akrstam—grains that have grown without tilling of the field; ca—and; api—also; akalatah—ripened untimely; agni-pakvam—grains prepared by being cooked in fire; atha—as well as; amam—mango; va—either; arka-pakvam—food ripened naturally by the sunshine; uta—it is so enjoined; aharet—the vanaprastha should eat. TRANSLATION A person in vanaprastha life should not eat grains grown by tilling of the fields. He should also not eat grains that have grown without tilling of the field but are not fully ripe. Nor should a vanaprastha eat grains cooked in fire. Indeed, he should eat only fruit ripened by the sunshine. SB7.12.19 TEXT 19 vanyais caru-purodasan nirvapet kala-coditan labdhe nave nave ’nnadye puranam ca parityajet SYNONYMS vanyaih—by fruits and grains produced in the forest without cultivation; caru—grains to be offered in a fire sacrifice; purodasan—the cakes prepared from caru; nirvapet—one should execute; kala-coditan—that which has grown naturally; labdhe—on obtaining; nave—new; nave anna-adye—newly produced food grains; puranam—the stock of old grains; ca—and; parityajet—one should give up. TRANSLATION A vanaprastha should prepare cakes to be offered in sacrifice from fruits and grains grown naturally in the forest. When he obtains some new grains, he should give up his old stock of grains. SB7.12.20 TEXT 20 agny-artham eva saranam utajam vadri-kandaram srayeta hima-vayv-agni- varsarkatapa-sat svayam SYNONYMS agni—the fire; artham—to keep; eva—only; saranam—a cottage; uta-jam—made of grass; va—or; adri-kandaram—a cave in a mountain; srayeta—the vanaprastha should take shelter of; hima—snow; vayu—wind; agni—fire; varsa—rain; arka—of the sun; atapa—shining; sat—enduring; svayam—personally. TRANSLATION A vanaprastha should prepare a thatched cottage or take shelter of a cave in a mountain only to keep the sacred fire, but he should personally practice enduring snowfall, wind, fire, rain and the shining of the sun. SB7.12.21 TEXT 21 kesa-roma-nakha-smasru- malani jatilo dadhat kamandalv-ajine danda- valkalagni-paricchadan SYNONYMS kesa—hair on the head; roma—hair on the body; nakha—nails; smasru—moustache; malani—and dirt on the body; jatilah—with matted locks of hair; dadhat—one should keep; kamandalu—a waterpot; ajine—and a deerskin; danda—rod; valkala—the bark of a tree; agni—fire; paricchadan—garments. TRANSLATION The vanaprastha should wear matted locks of hair on his head and let his body hair, nails and moustache grow. He should not cleanse his body of dirt. He should keep a waterpot, deerskin and rod, wear the bark of a tree as a covering, and use garments colored like fire. SB7.12.22 TEXT 22 cared vane dvadasabdan astau va caturo munih dvav ekam va yatha buddhir na vipadyeta krcchratah SYNONYMS caret—should remain; vane—in the forest; dvadasa-abdan—twelve years; astau—for eight years; va—either; caturah—four years; munih—a saintly, thoughtful man; dvau—two; ekam—one; va—either; yatha—as well as; buddhih—intelligence; na—not; vipadyeta—bewildered; krcchratah—because of hard austerities. TRANSLATION Being very thoughtful, a vanaprastha should remain in the forest for twelve years, eight years, four years, two years or at least one year. He should behave in such a way that he will not be disturbed or troubled by too much austerity. SB7.12.23 TEXT 23 yadakalpah sva-kriyayam vyadhibhir jarayathava anviksikyam va vidyayam kuryad anasanadikam SYNONYMS yada—when; akalpah—unable to act; sva-kriyayam—in one’s own prescribed duties; vyadhibhih—because of disease; jaraya—or because of old age; athava—either; anviksikyam—in spiritual advancement; va—or; vidyayam—in the advancement of knowledge; kuryat—one must do; anasana-adikam—not take sufficient food. TRANSLATION When because of disease or old age one is unable to perform his prescribed duties for advancement in spiritual consciousness or study of the Vedas, he should practice fasting, not taking any food. SB7.12.24 TEXT 24 atmany agnin samaropya sannyasyaham mamatmatam karanesu nyaset samyak sanghatam tu yatharhatah SYNONYMS atmani—in one’s self; agnin—the fire elements within the body; samaropya—properly placing; sannyasya—giving up; aham—false identity; mama—false conception; atmatam—of the body’s being one’s self or one’s own; karanesu—in the five elements that cause the material body; nyaset—one should merge; samyak—completely; sanghatam—combination; tu—but; yatha-arhatah—as it befits. TRANSLATION He should properly place the fire element in his own self and in this way give up bodily affinity, by which one thinks the body to be one’s self or one’s own. One should gradually merge the material body into the five elements [earth, water, fire, air and sky]. PURPORT The body is an effect of a cause, namely the five material elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky). In other words, one should know perfectly well that the material body is nothing but a combination of the five elements. This knowledge constitutes merging of the material body and the five material elements. Merging into Brahman in perfect knowledge means understanding perfectly that one is not the body but a spiritual soul. SB7.12.25 TEXT 25 khe khani vayau nisvasams tejahsusmanam atmavan apsv asrk-slesma-puyani ksitau sesam yathodbhavam SYNONYMS khe—in the sky; khani—all the holes of the body; vayau—in the air; nisvasan—all the different airs moving within the body (prana, apana, etc.); tejahsu—in fire; usmanam—the heat of the body; atma-van—a person who knows the self; apsu—in water; asrk—blood; slesma—mucus; puyani—and urine; ksitau—in the earth; sesam—the remaining (namely skin, bones and the other hard things in the body); yatha-udbhavam—wherefrom all of them grew. TRANSLATION A sober, self-realized person who has full knowledge should merge the various parts of the body in their original sources. The holes in the body are caused by the sky, the process of breathing is caused by the air, the heat of the body is caused by fire, and semen, blood and mucus are caused by water. The hard substances, like skin, muscle and bone, are caused by earth. In this way all the constituents of the body are caused by various elements, and they should be merged again into those elements. PURPORT To be self-realized, one must understand the original sources of the various elements of the body. The body is a combination of skin, bone, muscle, blood, semen, urine, stool, heat, breath and so on, which all come from earth, water, fire, air and sky. One must be well conversant with the sources of all the bodily constituents. Then one becomes a self-realized person, or atmavan, one who knows the self. SB7.12.26-28 TEXTS 26–28 vacam agnau savaktavyam indre silpam karav api padani gatya vayasi ratyopastham prajapatau mrtyau payum visargam ca yatha-sthanam vinirdiset diksu srotram sa-nadena sparsenadhyatmani tvacam rupani caksusa rajan jyotisy abhinivesayet apsu pracetasa jihvam ghreyair ghranam ksitau nyaset SYNONYMS vacam—speech; agnau—in the fire-god (the personified god controlling fire); sa-vaktavyam—with the subject matter of speaking; indre—unto King Indra; silpam—craftsmanship or the capacity to work with the hands; karau—as well as the hands; api—indeed; padani—the legs; gatya—with the power to move; vayasi—unto Lord Visnu; ratya—sexual desire; upastham—with the genitals; prajapatau—unto Prajapati; mrtyau—unto the demigod known as Mrtyu; payum—the rectum; visargam—with its activity, evacuation; ca—also; yatha-sthanam—in the proper place; vinirdiset—one should indicate; diksu—unto different directions; srotram—the aural sense; sa-nadena—with sound vibration; sparsena—with touch; adhyatmani—unto the wind-god; tvacam—the sense of touch; rupani—form; caksusa—with eyesight; rajan—O King; jyotisi—in the sun; abhinivesayet—one should endow; apsu—unto water; pracetasa—with the demigod known as Varuna; jihvam—the tongue; ghreyaih—with the object of smell; ghranam—the power to smell; ksitau—in the earth; nyaset—one should give. TRANSLATION Thereafter, the object of speech, along with the sense of speech [the tongue], should be bestowed upon fire. Craftsmanship and the two hands should be given to the demigod Indra. The power of movement and the legs should be given to Lord Visnu. Sensual pleasure, along with the genitals, should be bestowed upon Prajapati. The rectum, with the power of evacuation, should be bestowed, in its proper place, unto Mrtyu. The aural instrument, along with sound vibration, should be given to the deities presiding over the directions. The instrument of touch, along with the sense objects of touch, should be given to Vayu. Form, with the power of sight, should be bestowed upon the sun. The tongue, along with the demigod Varuna, should be bestowed upon water, and the power of smell, along with the two Asvini-kumara demigods, should be bestowed upon the earth. SB7.12.29-30 TEXTS 29-30 mano manorathais candre buddhim bodhyaih kavau pare karmany adhyatmana rudre yad-aham mamata-kriya sattvena cittam ksetra-jne gunair vaikarikam pare apsu ksitim apo jyotisy ado vayau nabhasy amum kutasthe tac ca mahati tad avyakte ’ksare ca tat SYNONYMS manah—the mind; manorathaih—along with material desires; candre—unto Candra, the mood demigod; buddhim—intelligence; bodhyaih—with the subject matter of intelligence; kavau pare—unto the supreme learned person, Lord Brahma; karmani—material activities; adhyatmana—with false ego; rudre—unto Lord Siva (Rudra); yat—wherein; aham—I am the material body; mamata—everything belonging to the material body is mine; kriya—such activities; sattvena—along with the existential conception; cittam—consciousness; ksetra-jne—unto the individual soul; gunaih—along with the material activities conducted by the material qualities; vaikarikam—the living entities under the influence of the material modes; pare—in the Supreme Being; apsu—in the water; ksitim—the earth; apah—the water; jyotisi—in the luminaries, specifically in the sun; adah—brightness; vayau—in the air; nabhasi—in the sky; amum—that; kutasthe—in the materialistic conception of life; tat—that; ca—also; mahati—in the mahat-tattva, the total material energy; tat—that; avyakte—in the nonmanifested; aksare—in the Supersoul; ca—also; tat—that. TRANSLATION The mind, along with all material desires, should be merged in the moon demigod. All the subject matters of intelligence, along with the intelligence itself, should be placed in Lord Brahma. False ego, which is under the influence of the material modes of nature and which induces one to think, “I am this body, and everything connected with this body is mine,” should be merged, along with material activities, in Rudra, the predominating deity of false ego. Material consciousness, along with the goal of thought, should be merged in the individual living being, and the demigods acting under the modes of material nature should be merged, along with the perverted living being, into the Supreme Being. The earth should be merged in water, water in the brightness of the sun, this brightness into the air, the air into the sky, the sky into the false ego, the false ego into the total material energy, the total material energy into the unmanifested ingredients [the pradhana feature of the material energy], and at last the ingredient feature of material manifestation into the Supersoul. SB7.12.31 TEXT 31 ity aksaratayatmanam cin-matram avasesitam jnatvadvayo ’tha viramed dagdha-yonir ivanalah SYNONYMS iti—thus; aksarataya—because of being spiritual; atmanam—oneself (the individual soul); cit-matram—completely spiritual; avasesitam—the remaining balance (after the material elements are merged, one after another, into the original Supersoul); jnatva—understanding; advayah—without differentiation, or of the same quality as the Paramatma; atha—thus; viramet—one should cease from material existence; dagdha-yonih—whose source (the wood) has burnt up; iva—like; analah—flames. TRANSLATION When all the material designations have thus merged into their respective material elements, the living beings, who are all ultimately completely spiritual, being one in quality with the Supreme Being, should cease from material existence, as flames cease when the wood in which they are burning is consumed. When the material body is returned to its various material elements, only the spiritual being remains. This spiritual being is Brahman and is equal in quality with Parabrahman. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Seventh Canto, Twelfth Chapter, of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes.”