Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 8: “Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations”
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Five
The Demigods Appeal to the Lord for Protection
SB8.5Summary
This chapter describes the fifth and sixth Manus, and it also describes the prayers of the demigods and the curse of Durvasa Muni.
The brother of Tamasa, the fourth Manu, who has previously been described, was the fifth Manu, Raivata. The sons of Raivata included Arjuna, Bali and Vindhya. During the reign of this Manu, Indra, the King of heaven, was known as Vibhu. Among the demigods were the Bhutarayas, and among the seven rsis were Hiranyaroma, Vedasira and Urdhvabahu. The rsi known as Subhra, by his wife, Vikuntha, gave birth to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuntha. This Supreme Personality of Godhead manifested a Vaikuntha planet at the request of Ramadevi. His power and activities are mentioned in the Third Canto.
The sixth Manu was Caksusa, the son of Caksu Manu. Among the sons of the sixth Manu were Puru, Purusa and Sudyumna. During the reign of this Manu, Mantradruma was Indra, the King of the heavenly planets. Among the demigods were the Apyas, and among the seven rsis were Havisman and Viraka. The wife of Vairaja, whose name was Devasambhuti, gave birth to Ajita, an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This Ajita, taking the shape of a tortoise and holding the mountain known as Mandara on His back, churned the ocean and produced nectar for the demigods.
Maharaja Pariksit was very eager to hear about the churning of the ocean, and therefore Sukadeva Gosvami began to explain to him how the demigods, having been cursed by Durvasa Muni, were defeated in battle by the asuras. When the demigods were deprived of their heavenly kingdom, they went to the assembly house of Lord Brahma and informed Lord Brahma of what had happened. Then Brahma, along with all the demigods, went to the shore of the ocean of milk and offered prayers to Ksirodakasayi Visnu. SB8.5.1 TEXT 1 sri-suka uvaca rajann uditam etat te hareh karmagha-nasanam gajendra-moksanam punyam raivatam tv antaram srnu SYNONYMS sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; rajan—O King; uditam—already described; etat—this; te—unto you; hareh—of the Lord; karma—activity; agha-nasanam—by hearing which one can be freed from all misfortune; gajendra-moksanam—deliverance of Gajendra, the King of the elephants; punyam—very pious to hear and describe; raivatam—about Raivata Manu; tu—but; antaram—in this millennium; srnu—kindly hear from me. TRANSLATION Sukadeva Gosvami continued: O King, I have described to you the pastime of Gajendra-moksana, which is most pious to hear. By hearing of such activities of the Lord, one can be freed from all sinful reactions. Now please listen as I describe Raivata Manu. SB8.5.2 TEXT 2 pancamo raivato nama manus tamasa-sodarah bali-vindhyadayas tasya suta harjuna-purvakah SYNONYMS pancamah—the fifth; raivatah—Raivata; nama—by the name; manuh—Manu; tamasa-sodarah—the brother of Tamasa Manu; bali—Bali; vindhya—Vindhya; adayah—and so on; tasya—his; sutah—sons; ha—certainly; arjuna—Arjuna; purvakah—heading all the sons. TRANSLATION The brother of Tamasa Manu was the fifth Manu, named Raivata. His sons were headed by Arjuna, Bali and Vindhya. SB8.5.3 TEXT 3 vibhur indrah sura-gana rajan bhutarayadayah hiranyaroma vedasira urdhvabahv-adayo dvijah SYNONYMS vibhuh—Vibhu; indrah—the King of heaven; sura-ganah—the demigods; rajan—O King; bhutaraya-adayah—headed by the Bhutarayas; hiranyaroma—Hiranyaroma; vedasira—Vedasira; urdhvabahu—Urdhvabahu; adayah—and others; dvijah—the brahmanas or rsis who occupied the seven planets. TRANSLATION O King, in the millennium of Raivata Manu the King of heaven was known as Vibhu, among the demigods were the Bhutarayas, and among the seven brahmanas who occupied the seven planets were Hiranyaroma, Vedasira and Urdhvabahu. SB8.5.4 TEXT 4 patni vikuntha subhrasya vaikunthaih sura-sattamaih tayoh sva-kalaya jajne vaikuntho bhagavan svayam SYNONYMS patni—the wife; vikuntha—named Vikuntha; subhrasya—of Subhra; vaikunthaih—with the Vaikunthas; sura-sat-tamaih—demigods; tayoh—by Vikuntha and Subhra; sva-kalaya—with plenary expansions; jajne—appeared; vaikunthah—the Lord; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svayam—personally. TRANSLATION From the combination of Subhra and his wife, Vikuntha, there appeared the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuntha, along with demigods who were His personal plenary expansions. SB8.5.5 TEXT 5 vaikunthah kalpito yena loko loka-namaskrtah ramaya prarthyamanena devya tat-priya-kamyaya SYNONYMS vaikunthah—a Vaikuntha planet; kalpitah—was constructed; yena—by whom; lokah—planet; loka-namaskrtah—worshiped by all people; ramaya—by Rama, the goddess of fortune; prarthyamanena—being so requested; devya—by the goddess; tat—her; priya-kamyaya—just to please. TRANSLATION Just to please the goddess of fortune, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vaikuntha, at her request, created another Vaikuntha planet, which is worshiped by everyone. PURPORT Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura remarks here that this Vaikuntha planet, like Srimad-Bhagavatam, appears and is said to be born or created, but both Srimad-Bhagavatam and Vaikuntha eternally exist beyond the material universes, which are enveloped by eight kinds of coverings. As described in the Second Canto, Lord Brahma saw Vaikuntha before the creation of the universe. Viraraghava Acarya mentions that this Vaikuntha is within the universe. It is situated above the mountain known as Lokaloka. This planet is worshiped by everyone. SB8.5.6 TEXT 6 tasyanubhavah kathito gunas ca paramodayah bhauman renun sa vimame yo visnor varnayed gunan SYNONYMS tasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead appearing as Vaikuntha; anubhavah—great activities; kathitah—were explained; gunah—transcendental qualities; ca—also; parama-udayah—greatly glorious; bhauman—earthly; renun—particles; sah—someone; vimame—can count; yah—such a person; visnoh—of Lord Visnu; varnayet—can count; gunan—the transcendental qualities. TRANSLATION Although the great activities and transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s various incarnations are wonderfully described, sometimes we are unable to understand them. Yet everything is possible for Lord Visnu. If one could count the atoms of the universe, then he could count the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But no one can count the atoms of the universe, nor can anyone count the transcendental qualities of the Lord. PURPORT The Lord’s glorious activities referred to in this connection took place after His personal bodyguards Jaya and Vijaya became Daityas, having been cursed by the great sages Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanat-kumara and Sanandana. Jaya, as Hiranyaksa, had to fight with Varahadeva, and that same Varahadeva is mentioned in regard to the Raivata millennium. The fighting, however, took place during the reign of the first Manu, Svayambhuva. Therefore according to some authorities there are two Varahas. According to others, however, Varaha appeared during the regime of Svayambhuva Manu and stayed in the water until that of Raivata Manu. Some may doubt that this could be possible, but the answer is that everything is possible. If one could count the atoms within the universe, one could count the qualities of Lord Visnu. But the atoms of the universe are impossible for anyone to count, and similarly no one can count the transcendental qualities of the Lord. SB8.5.7 TEXT 7 sasthas ca caksusah putras caksuso nama vai manuh puru-purusa-sudyumna- pramukhas caksusatmajah SYNONYMS sasthah—the sixth; ca—and; caksusah—of Caksu; putrah—the son; caksusah—Caksusa; nama—named; vai—indeed; manuh—Manu; puru—Puru; purusa—Purusa; sudyumna—Sudyumna; pramukhah—headed by; caksusa-atma-jah—the sons of Caksusa. TRANSLATION The son of Caksu known as Caksusa was the sixth Manu. He had many sons, headed by Puru, Purusa and Sudyumna. SB8.5.8 TEXT 8 indro mantradrumas tatra deva apyadayo ganah munayas tatra vai rajan havismad-virakadayah SYNONYMS indrah—the King of heaven; mantradrumah—known as Mantradruma; tatra—in that sixth manvantara; devah—the demigods; apya-adayah—the Apyas and others; ganah—that assembly; munayah—the seven sages; tatra—there; vai—indeed; rajan—O King; havismat—of the name Havisman; viraka-adayah—Viraka and others. TRANSLATION During the reign of Caksusa Manu, the King of heaven was known as Mantradruma. Among the demigods were the Apyas, and among the great sages were Havisman and Viraka. SB8.5.9 TEXT 9 tatrapi devasambhutyam vairajasyabhavat sutah ajito nama bhagavan amsena jagatah patih SYNONYMS tatra api—again in that sixth manvantara; devasambhutyam—by Devasambhuti; vairajasya—by her husband, Vairaja; abhavat—there was; sutah—a son; ajitah nama—by the name Ajita; bhagavan—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; amsena—partially; jagatah patih—the master of the universe. TRANSLATION In this sixth manvantara millennium, Lord Visnu, the master of the universe, appeared in His partial expansion. He was begotten by Vairaja in the womb of his wife, Devasambhuti, and His name was Ajita. SB8.5.10 TEXT 10 payodhim yena nirmathya suranam sadhita sudha bhramamano ’mbhasi dhrtah kurma-rupena mandarah SYNONYMS payodhim—the ocean of milk; yena—by whom; nirmathya—by churning; suranam—of the demigods; sadhita—produced; sudha—nectar; bhramamanah—moving here and there; ambhasi—within the water; dhrtah—was staying; kurma-rupena—in the form of a tortoise; mandarah—the mountain known as Mandara. TRANSLATION By churning the ocean of milk, Ajita produced nectar for the demigods. In the form of a tortoise, He moved here and there, carrying on His back the great mountain known as Mandara. SB8.5.11-12 TEXTS 11–12 sri-rajovaca yatha bhagavata brahman mathitah ksira-sagarah yad-artham va yatas cadrim dadharambucaratmana yathamrtam suraih praptam kim canyad abhavat tatah etad bhagavatah karma vadasva paramadbhutam SYNONYMS sri-raja uvaca—King Pariksit inquired; yatha—as; bhagavata—by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; brahman—O learned brahmana; mathitah—churned; ksira-sagarah—the ocean of milk; yat-artham—what was the purpose; va—either; yatah—wherefrom, for what reason; ca—and; adrim—the mountain (Mandara); dadhara—was staying; ambucara-atmana—in the form of a tortoise; yatha—as; amrtam—nectar; suraih—by the demigods; praptam—was achieved; kim—what; ca—and; anyat—other; abhavat—became; tatah—thereafter; etat—all these; bhagavatah—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; karma—pastimes, activities; vadasva—kindly describe; parama-adbhutam—because they are so wonderful. TRANSLATION King Pariksit inquired: O great brahmana, Sukadeva Gosvami, why and how did Lord Visnu churn the ocean of milk? For what reason did He stay in the water as a tortoise and hold up Mandara Mountain? How did the demigods obtain the nectar, and what other things were produced from the churning of the ocean? Kindly describe all these wonderful activities of the Lord. SB8.5.13 TEXT 13 tvaya sankathyamanena mahimna satvatam pateh natitrpyati me cittam suciram tapa-tapitam SYNONYMS tvaya—by Your Holiness; sankathyamanena—being described; mahimna—by all the glories; satvatam pateh—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of the devotees; na—not; ati-trpyati—is sufficiently satisfied; me—my; cittam—heart; suciram—for such a long time; tapa—by miseries; tapitam—being distressed. TRANSLATION My heart, which is disturbed by the three miserable conditions of material life, is not yet sated with hearing you describe the glorious activities of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of the devotees. SB8.5.14 TEXT 14 sri-suta uvaca samprsto bhagavan evam dvaipayana-suto dvijah abhinandya harer viryam abhyacastum pracakrame SYNONYMS sri-sutah uvaca—Sri Suta Gosvami said; samprstah—being questioned; bhagavan—Sukadeva Gosvami; evam—thus; dvaipayana-sutah—the son of Vyasadeva; dvi-jah—O brahmanas assembled here; abhinandya—congratulating Maharaja Pariksit; hareh viryam—the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; abhyacastum—to describe; pracakrame—endeavored. TRANSLATION Sri Suta Gosvami said: O learned brahmanas assembled here at Naimisaranya, when Sukadeva Gosvami, the son of Dvaipayana, was thus questioned by the King, he congratulated the King and then endeavored to describe further the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. SB8.5.15-16 TEXTS 15–16 sri-suka uvaca yada yuddhe ’surair deva badhyamanah sitayudhaih gatasavo nipatita nottistheran sma bhurisah yada durvasah sapena sendra lokas trayo nrpa nihsrikas cabhavams tatra nesur ijyadayah kriyah SYNONYMS sri-sukah uvaca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; yada—when; yuddhe—in the fighting; asuraih—by the demons; devah—the demigods; badhyamanah—besieged; sita-ayudhaih—by serpent weapons; gata-asavah—almost dead; nipatitah—some of them having fallen; na—not; uttistheran—got up again; sma—so became; bhurisah—the majority of them; yada—when; durvasah—of Durvasa Muni; sapena—with the curse; sa-indrah—with Indra; lokah trayah—the three worlds; nrpa—O King; nihsrikah—without any material opulence; ca—also; abhavan—became; tatra—at that time; nesuh—could not be performed; ijya-adayah—sacrifices; kriyah—ritualistic ceremonies. TRANSLATION Sukadeva Gosvami said: When the asuras, with their serpent weapons, severely attacked the demigods in a fight, many of the demigods fell and lost their lives. Indeed, they could not be revived. At that time, O King, the demigods had been cursed by Durvasa Muni, the three worlds were poverty-stricken, and therefore ritualistic ceremonies could not be performed. The effects of this were very serious. PURPORT It is described that while Durvasa Muni was passing on the road, he saw Indra on the back of his elephant and was pleased to offer Indra a garland from his own neck. Indra, however, being too puffed up, took the garland, and without respect for Durvasa Muni, he placed it on the trunk of his carrier elephant. The elephant, being an animal, could not understand the value of the garland, and thus the elephant threw the garland between its legs and smashed it. Seeing this insulting behavior, Durvasa Muni immediately cursed Indra to be poverty-stricken, bereft of all material opulence. Thus the demigods, afflicted on one side by the fighting demons and on the other by the curse of Durvasa Muni, lost all the material opulences in the three worlds. To be extremely opulent in materialistic advancement is sometimes very risky. The materially opulent person does not care about anyone, and thus he commits offenses to great personalities, such as devotees and great saints. This is the way of material opulence. As described by Sukadeva Gosvami, dhana-durmadandha: too much wealth makes one blind. This happens even to Indra in his heavenly kingdom, and what to speak of others in this material world? When one is materially opulent, he should learn to be sober and well-behaved toward Vaisnavas and saintly persons; otherwise he will fall down. SB8.5.17-18 TEXTS 17–18 nisamyaitat sura-gana mahendra-varunadayah nadhyagacchan svayam mantrair mantrayanto viniscitam tato brahma-sabham jagmur meror murdhani sarvasah sarvam vijnapayam cakruh pranatah paramesthine SYNONYMS nisamya—hearing; etat—this incident; sura-ganah—all the demigods; maha-indra—King Indra; varuna-adayah—Varuna and other demigods; na—not; adhyagacchan—reached; svayam—personally; mantraih—by deliberation; mantrayantah—discussing; viniscitam—a real conclusion; tatah—thereupon; brahma-sabham—to the assembly of Lord Brahma; jagmuh—they went; meroh—of Sumeru Mountain; murdhani—on the top; sarvasah—all of them; sarvam—everything; vijnapayam cakruh—they informed; pranatah—offered obeisances; paramesthine—unto Lord Brahma. TRANSLATION Lord Indra, Varuna and the other demigods, seeing their lives in such a state, consulted among themselves, but they could not find any solution. Then all the demigods assembled and went together to the peak of Sumeru Mountain. There, in the assembly of Lord Brahma, they fell down to offer Lord Brahma their obeisances, and then they informed him of all the incidents that had taken place. SB8.5.19-20 TEXTS 19–20 sa vilokyendra-vayv-adin nihsattvan vigata-prabhan lokan amangala-prayan asuran ayatha vibhuh samahitena manasa samsmaran purusam param uvacotphulla-vadano devan sa bhagavan parah SYNONYMS sah—Lord Brahma; vilokya—looking over; indra-vayu-adin—all the demigods, headed by Lord Indra and Vayu; nihsattvan—bereft of all spiritual potency; vigata-prabhan—bereft of all effulgence; lokan—all the three worlds; amangala-prayan—merged into misfortune; asuran—all the demons; ayathah—flourishing; vibhuh—Lord Brahma, the supreme within this material world; samahitena—by full adjustment; manasa—of the mind; samsmaran—remembering again and again; purusam—the Supreme Person; param—transcendental; uvaca—said; utphulla-vadanah—bright-faced; devan—unto the demigods; sah—he; bhagavan—the most powerful; parah—of the demigods. TRANSLATION Upon seeing that the demigods were bereft of all influence and strength and that the three worlds were consequently devoid of auspiciousness, and upon seeing that the demigods were in an awkward position whereas all the demons were flourishing, Lord Brahma, who is above all the demigods and who is most powerful, concentrated his mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus being encouraged, he became bright-faced and spoke to the demigods as follows. PURPORT After hearing from the demigods the real situation, Lord Brahma was very much concerned because the demons were unnecessarily so powerful. When demons become powerful, the entire world is placed in an awkward position because demons are simply interested in their own sense gratification and not in the welfare of the world. Demigods or devotees, however, are concerned with the welfare of all living beings. Srila Rupa Gosvami, for example, left his ministership and went to Vrndavana for the benefit of the entire world (lokanam hita-karinau). This is the nature of a saintly person or demigod. Even impersonalists think of the welfare of all people. Thus Brahma was very much concerned at seeing the demons in power. SB8.5.21 TEXT 21 aham bhavo yuyam atho ’suradayo manusya-tiryag-druma-gharma-jatayah yasyavataramsa-kala-visarjita vrajama sarve saranam tam avyayam SYNONYMS aham—I; bhavah—Lord Siva; yuyam—all of you demigods; atho—as well as; asura-adayah—demons and others; manusya—the human beings; tiryak—the animals; druma—the trees and plants; gharma-jatayah—as well as the insects and germs born of perspiration; yasya—of whom (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); avatara—of the purusa incarnation; amsa—of His part and parcel, the guna-avatara, Brahma; kala—of Brahma’s sons; visarjitah—produced by the generation; vrajama—we shall go; sarve—all of us; saranam—unto the shelter; tam—unto the Supreme; avyayam—the inexhaustible. TRANSLATION Lord Brahma said: I, Lord Siva, all of you demigods, the demons, the living entities born of perspiration, the living beings born of eggs, the trees and plants sprouting from the earth, and the living entities born from embryos—all come from the Supreme Lord, from His incarnation of rajo-guna [Lord Brahma, the guna-avatara] and from the great sages [rsis] who are part of me. Let us therefore go to the Supreme Lord and take shelter of His lotus feet. PURPORT Some creatures are born from embryos, some from perspiration, and some from seeds. In this way, all living entities emanate from the guna-avatara of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ultimately, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the shelter of all living entities. SB8.5.22 TEXT 22 na yasya vadhyo na ca raksaniyo nopeksaniyadaraniya-paksah tathapi sarga-sthiti-samyamartham dhatte rajah-sattva-tamamsi kale SYNONYMS na—not; yasya—by whom (the Lord); vadhyah—anyone is to be killed; na—nor; ca—also; raksaniyah—anyone is to be protected; na—nor; upeksaniya—to be neglected; adaraniya—to be worshiped; paksah—part; tathapi—still; sarga—creation; sthiti—maintenance; samyama—and annihilation; artham—for the sake of; dhatte—He accepts; rajah—passion; sattva—goodness; tamamsi—and ignorance; kale—in due course of time. TRANSLATION For the Supreme Personality of Godhead there is no one to be killed, no one to be protected, no one to be neglected and no one to be worshiped. Nonetheless, for the sake of creation, maintenance and annihilation according to time, He accepts different forms as incarnations either in the mode of goodness, the mode of passion or the mode of ignorance. PURPORT This verse explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is equal to everyone. This is confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (9.29): samo ’ham sarva-bhutesu “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.” Although the Lord is impartial, He gives special attention to His devotees. Therefore the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (4.8): paritranaya sadhunam “To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.” The Lord has nothing to do with anyone’s protection or destruction, but for the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this material world He apparently has to act either in goodness, in passion or in darkness. Actually, however, He is unaffected by these modes of material nature. He is the Supreme Lord of everyone. As a king sometimes punishes or rewards someone to maintain law and order, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although having nothing to do with the activities of this material world, sometimes appears as various incarnations according to the time, place and object. SB8.5.23 TEXT 23 ayam ca tasya sthiti-palana-ksanah sattvam jusanasya bhavaya dehinam tasmad vrajamah saranam jagad-gurum svanam sa no dhasyati sam sura-priyah SYNONYMS ayam—this period; ca—also; tasya—of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sthiti-palana-ksanah—the time for maintenance, or for establishing His rule; sattvam—the mode of goodness; jusanasya—accepting (now, without waiting); bhavaya—for the increased development or establishment; dehinam—of all living entities who accept material bodies; tasmat—therefore; vrajamah—let us take; saranam—shelter; jagat-gurum—at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the universal teacher; svanam—His own persons; sah—He (the Supreme Personality of Godhead); nah—unto us; dhasyati—will give; sam—the good fortune we need; sura-priyah—because He is naturally very dear to the devotees. TRANSLATION Now is the time to invoke the mode of goodness of the living entities who have accepted material bodies. The mode of goodness is meant to establish the Supreme Lord’s rule, which will maintain the existence of the creation. Therefore, this is the opportune moment to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because He is naturally very kind and dear to the demigods, He will certainly bestow good fortune upon us. PURPORT The material world is conducted by the three modes of nature, namely sattva-guna, rajo-guna and tamo-guna. By rajo-guna everything material is created, by sattva-guna everything material is maintained properly, and by tamo-guna, when the creation is improperly situated, everything is destroyed. From this verse we can understand the situation of Kali-yuga, through which we are now passing. Just before the beginning of Kali-yuga—or, in other words, at the end of Dvapara-yuga—Lord Sri Krsna appeared and left His instructions in the form of Bhagavad-gita, in which He asked all living entities to surrender unto Him. Since the beginning of Kali-yuga, however, people have practically been unable to surrender to the lotus feet of Krsna, and therefore, after some five thousand years, Krsna came again as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu just to teach the entire world how to surrender unto Him, unto Sri Krsna, and thus be purified. Surrendering unto the lotus feet of Krsna means achieving complete purification. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (18.66): sarva-dharman parityajya “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” Thus as soon as one surrenders unto the lotus feet of Krsna, one certainly becomes free from all contamination. Kali-yuga is full of contamination. This is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51): kaler dosa-nidhe rajann This age of Kali is full of unlimited faults. Indeed, it is just like an ocean of faults (dosa-nidhi). But there is one chance, one opportunity. Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet: simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, one can be freed from the contamination of Kali-yuga and, in his original spiritual body, can return home, back to Godhead. This is the opportunity of Kali-yuga. When Krsna appeared, He gave His orders, and when Krsna Himself appeared as a devotee, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He showed us the path by which to cross the ocean of Kali-yuga. That is the path of the Hare Krsna movement. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared, He ushered in the era for the sankirtana movement. It is also said that for ten thousand years this era will continue. This means that simply by accepting the sankirtana movement and chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, the fallen souls of this Kali-yuga will be delivered. After the Battle of Kuruksetra, at which Bhagavad-gita was spoken, Kali-yuga continues for 432,000 years, of which only 5,000 years have passed. Thus there is still a balance of 427,000 years to come. Of these 427,000 years, the 10,000 years of the sankirtana movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu 500 years ago provide the opportunity for the fallen souls of Kali-yuga to take to the Krsna consciousness movement, chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and thus be delivered from the clutches of material existence and return home, back to Godhead. Chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is potent always, but it is especially potent in this age of Kali. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami, while instructing Maharaja Pariksit, stressed this chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. kaler dosa-nidhe rajann “My dear King, although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (Bhag. 12.3.51) Those who have accepted the task of spreading the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in full Krsna consciousness should take this opportunity to deliver people very easily from the clutches of material existence. Our duty, therefore, is to follow the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and preach the Krsna consciousness movement all over the world very sincerely. This is the best welfare activity for the peace and prosperity of human society. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement consists of spreading krsna-sankirtana. Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam: “All glories to the Sri Krsna sankirtana!” Why is it so glorious? This has also been explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Ceto-darpana-marjanam: [Cc. Antya 20.12] by the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one’s heart is cleansed. The whole difficulty is that in this age of Kali there is no sattva-guna and no clearance of the heart, and therefore people are making the mistake of identifying with their bodies. Even the big philosophers and scientists with whom we deal are practically all under the impression that they are their bodies. The other day we were discussing a prominent philosopher, Thomas Huxley, who was proud of being an Englishman. This means that he was in the bodily conception of life. Everywhere we find this same misunderstanding. As soon as one is in the bodily conception of life, one is nothing but an animal like a cat or a dog (sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]). Thus the most dangerous of the dirty things within our hearts is this misidentification of the body as the self. Under the influence of this misunderstanding, one thinks, “I am this body. I am an Englishman. I am an Indian. I am an American. I am Hindu. I am Muslim.” This misconception is the strongest impediment, and it must be removed. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gita and of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Indeed, Bhagavad-gita begins with this instruction: dehino ’smin yatha dehe “As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” (Bg. 2.13) Although the soul is within the body, nevertheless, because of misunderstanding and animal propensities one accepts the body as the self. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. To cleanse the core of the heart, which is full of misunderstanding, is possible only through sri-krsna-sankirtana. The leaders of the Krsna consciousness movement should very seriously take this opportunity to be kind to the fallen souls by delivering them from the misunderstanding of materialistic life. One cannot be happy in any way within this material world. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (8.16): abrahma-bhuvanal lokah “From the highest planet in this material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place.” Therefore, not to speak of going to the moon, even if one is promoted to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, there cannot be any happiness in this material world. If one actually wants happiness, one must go to the spiritual world. The material world is characterized by a struggle for existence, and survival of the fittest is a well-known principle, but the poor souls of this material world do not know what is survival and who is fit. Survival does not mean that one should die; survival means that one should not die, but should enjoy an everlastingly blissful life of knowledge. This is survival. The Krsna consciousness movement is meant to make every person fit for survival. Indeed, it is meant to stop the struggle for existence. The Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita give definite directions on how to stop the struggle for existence and how to survive in eternal life. The sankirtana movement, therefore, is a great opportunity. Simply by hearing Bhagavad-gita and chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, one becomes completely purified. Thus the struggle for existence ceases, and one goes back home, back to Godhead.
na me dvesyo ’sti na priyah
ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya
mayi te tesu capy aham
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta-sangah param vrajet
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
punar avartino ’rjuna